You Know You're Growing Up in the 21st Century When...

• You play Sunday school with your sister and one of you has a label stuck on your back that says "Allergic to:  Milk".  (they're not allergic, but they're role-playing what they see at Sunday School)

• You're 3 and you're pretending you're going on a trip.  You get everything together that you'll need; a suitcase, a purse and a cell phone.  Then just before you "leave" you consult your cell phone and let your mom know "There are some thunderstorms but my phone said it won't be near me." 

• Your watching an "old" movie (Beauty and the Beast) with the family and at the end of the movie you hear an odd whirring noise.  Concerned about this new noise you ask your parents what is wrong.  The parents calming explaining that it's a VHS tape and it has to rewind...uh, like a cassette tape...or uh...it's just something it has to do.

Campin'

Our family went camping over Labor Day weekend.  It was probably our best camping experience yet, due to several factors, but the largest success factor was the Johansson's backyard --our campground.  

That's my kind of camping - no bugs in the bathroom, no obnoxious neighbors blaring their music and a real stove within a few feet of the tent.

What a trio!

Matthew is very excited about the little tent he got to share with his Dad

Grace joined the Spence's in our ginormous tent.  Noelle and Grace are spending some time with the all-important task of sorting silly bands

4 of the 5 kiddos.  Baby William has a little growing to do before he joins the big kids

Campfire.  The men are happy!

Big Mama

Don't you love how kids just state the obvious and are oblivious to the fact that it's insulting?

Sadie loves to dress up so when she discovered the bin of clothes waiting for Noelle to grow into them, she was in heaven.  At one point she came to me with a large pair of shorts pulled up over her own shorts and she excitedly exclaimed, "Mom, these are so fat, they would probably fit you!"

Then there's Noelle...  In music the teacher was explaining that big instruments make low notes and small instruments make high notes.  She compared this to Daddy's have low voices and mommies have higher voices.  Noelle told us that she raised her hand right away to inform her teacher that her mommy is bigger than her daddy.  I'm guessing the teacher thinks I'm some large brute of a woman--with a low voice.

A Note From a Boy

I was going through Noelle's paperwork from school this afternoon when I came across a note that said "Jacob" on the outside.  I asked Noelle what it was and she answered "Oh, at one of our stations we could write a note to whoever we wanted and Jacob wrote to me.  I wrote a note to you, mom, but I forgot to bring it home." 
I'm flattered that she wrote to me, but I'm rather curious about this mysterious Jacob.  I quickly opened the note so I could examine it for ill intents.  Well, here it it...let me know if you see anything inappropriate:

In defense of Jacob, Noelle's spelling is only slightly better, but I have NO idea what he is trying to say!

What's in that Trailer?

I keep meaning to write a post to describe Sadie's funny phrases, quirks and habits for posterity sake, but for now, here's an amusing conversation we had today.

We were driving on the highway when I saw a horse trailer a little bit ahead of us.
Me: Sadie look, I think there's an animal in that trailer.  Can you see what it is?
Sadie:  What is it?
Me:  I think it's a horse.
Sadie:  No, I think it's a camel
Sadie:  Or maybe a deer

(I give her points for creativity, but I really think it was a horse)