My new do

So after getting a BEYOND horrible haircut at a not to be named salon, I was able to finally get a haircut where I can actually leave my hair down. A girl from the Ladera Ranch ward, Bridgette, did it for me and I love, love, love it! I have been in desperate need for a haircut for a couple of months now (I know, I should be getting a trim every couple of months, but most of the time it is much longer for me between haircuts). I ended up taking 9+ inches off and my hair feels so healthy. Although the pictures are blurry (that is what you get when your photographer is 3), you get the idea. Natalie was really cute about it. Bridgette came to my house to do the haircut and as she was styling it, Natalie looked up at me and said, "Mom, your hair looks awesome!" If no one else liked my haircut, I think I would still think it was cute since my 3 year old thinks it's "awesome". Love that girl!

Our first experience with soccer

Spencer is in his first year of soccer and loving it (does it seem like it is all about Spencer lately? So many things going on with him right now!). Although he isn't too agressive, he likes being right there and involved in everything. His team seems to dominate most of the time. Most of the time Spencer plays halfback, but occasionally he will be put in the sweeper position and it isn't his favorite because he isn't involved in the play at the other end of the field (sounds like his mother).
Here you can see the enthusiasm Spencer has for the game. Too bad he is coming out of the game. A true team player, right?!?
Spencer loves to throw the ball in and seems to excell at it. His coach has him throw the ball in on most occasions. As you can see in the picture, they don't follow the rules too closely. This throw in definitely would have gone to the other team.
Our Spencer sporting number 8 (it was take what you get)
And now you know what we do while Spencer is not in the game. We are so into ourselves that we have to take our own pictures too. Here is Bailey and Mom.Natalie striking a pose (not sure what kind of pose, but a pose none the less)
Tanner chowing down on crackers.

My mind must be somewhere else. . .

. . .or I have completely lost it (the latter is more likely the case). Brett had an Elders Quorum activity tonight and was put in charge of deserts, so he asked me to make some brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I started with the brownies, measured everything perfectly, stirred the contents in the bowl, but the batter seemed too thick. I went over the recipe again and again, trying to figure out what was missing, but I know that I measured everything, so I picked up the bowl to pour the batter into the pan only to look down and see the oil sitting ever so nicely in the measuring cup. Can you even imagine how those brownies would have turned out? Even with remembering the oil they were a little bit different texture (probably from over mixing, trying to get the oil to mix into the almost complete batter was a challenge), but over all they tasted ok. I saved myself there. So as the brownies were cooking I started the Chocolate Chip Cookies. First off, I used a bowl that was way too small for the three times recipe that I made. I again got everything in the bowl and mixed up and started to scoop spoon fulls of batter onto the tray when I realized that I had forgotten the salt and baking soda. Honestly, can I really mess up two recipes in one hour? Somehow I caught myself once again before making 100 cookies! All in all, both recipes came out tasting good, and I don't think anyone would have ever know that my mind was definitely not there while I was making them. I thought that it was just a pregnancy thing where you are beyond forgetful, but I have found that it is probably going to be a life long thing for me. So for anyone who ever eats anything that I make, you might want to taste a nibble before you dig in. You never know what I might have forgotten!
Here is a picture of the finished product, the brownies and cookies that were almost a complete disaster.

Happy Birthday Spencer

Spencer turned 5 on September 12 and we had a fun little party for him for his birthday. It ended up being just our family and Grandpa Bruce. Spencer asked for pepperoni pizza and apples for dinner. A weird combination to say the least, but still yummy. Most of the time I make our pizza, but for his birthday we ended up getting Costco pizza. Those things are huge and actually pretty good. Spencer with his birthday cake. He was very specific with me on what he wanted. Blue and green icing and race cars. I had to get a little creative. It's not beautiful, but it does the job.

The birthday boy gets to do whatever he wants, even make funny faces to the camera.
Spencer with his birthday card and watch from grandma and grandpa Bruschke.
If you look closely, this is a DVD that has three different musicals on it. Spencer asked for Singin' in the Rain for his birthday, his favorite movie right now. What five year old loves Singin' in the Rain?
Spencer and Natalie
Spencer and BaileyGrandpa, Natalie and Spencer

Higham Family Video

This video is one that my bro Adam made, mostly of pictures from our family reunion this summer, although there are a couple from the past. It is kind of long, but for those who know the family it is a fun watch. Thanks Adam for putting such a fun video together. You are awesome!

We have a Kindergartener!

Spencer started Kindergarten this week and couldn't be enjoying it more. He LOVES going to school and can't wait to show us the project that he worked on that day. He has two boys in his class from church, which I think made the transition so much easier for him. He didn't even hesitate walking through the door the first day and although that makes me kind of sad, I am even more grateful that I didn't have to leave him there screaming (there were a couple of parents that had to do that :( ). And he did redeem himself by being excited to see me when I picked him up. The only thing that would make school better for Spencer is if I didn't make him walk both ways. How could I possibly justify driving to school when we literally have the school in our backyard? The only trouble is that there is no way to get there conveniently. Round trip it is about 1.2 miles (according to http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ where you can map the route that you take). So Spencer already asks me if it is ok if we drive. Luckily for him he only has to walk there and back, while the rest of us (Natalie, Bailey, Tanner and myself) get to walk it twice, for a total of 2.4 miles a day. That's a lot for those little ones legs, especially in the heat we have been having this week!