The Powells » Spencer

How to Catch a Leprechaun…

Michelle — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:36:41 +0000

Spencer came home from school every day this week with a new idea of how to catch a leprechaun. All I can say is that these ideas came from books read at school and classmates talking about it, because we have never made a big deal out of St. Patrick’s Day except for our yearly feast of Corned Beef and Cabbage (aka. New England Boiled Dinner). So as he is telling me how his trap was going to work and what he needed, I told him he had to come up with a diagram…a blue print if you will…this is what his plan looked like:

He informed me that as the leprechaun ran into the rubberband you see in the diagram it would slingshot him backwards into the other box and flip the box up on end so he couldn’t get out. He was going to put his fools gold he got from school on Monday as the bait, but we couldn’t find it, so we made a trek to the store for some gold coins instead. The finished project turned out a little different than the diagram, but there was a slingshot involved and he was so sure that we would catch a leprechaun. Here is his finished “Leprechaun Trap”:

Then the leprechaun set off the trap, but left more gold and a treasure hunt instead that Spencer and Josey absolutely LOVED! They had so much fun following the clues and were so excited to find the pot of “gold” at the end!

We’re Going to the zoo, Zoo, ZOO!

Michelle — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:30:24 +0000

We had the day off from school and decided to go to the Hogle Zoo with The Carr family. Hannah is in Spencer’s class at school and good friend. It was 64 degrees, with a breeze and perfect! Warm enough that the animals were all out and active, but not too hot that it was miserable or sweltering and there weren’t a ton of people! All Josey wanted to see was the snakes at the reptile house (she’s looking at the map below to figure out how to get there!) Spencer wanted to see the crocodile and the elephants, but I think his MUGG shot next to the gorilla head speaks volumes! Izzy LOVED all of it. She would pat my shoulder and say, “Mom, MOM!” and then point at whatever caught her fancy. I LOVE the look on her face with the brass gorilla! Priceless! She was so much fun there!

A Quick Winter Getaway

Michelle — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:23:50 +0000

We took Friday (Feb 24th) off and decided to get out of the smoggy valley and get into the mountains. We booked our condo in Midway, UT and headed there for 2 nights! We swam in the pool, went tubing at Soldier Hollow, swam some more, watched movies, played games, read books and just chilled…and enjoyed being together as a family without any other distractions! It was a much needed getaway and a lot of fun! Izzy LOVED the swimming pool…she’s a little daredevil and must be part fish because she didn’t want to leave! Josey loved the hot tub and would have preferred that to the swimming pool, except I gave her a time limit. Spencer loved the tubing hill that had bumpy jumps and went super fast! Mom loved watching the kids enjoy themselves, and Dad loved sleeping in, napping, catching a few zzzz’s while watching a movie with the kids…just catching up on his beauty sleep!

Valentine’s Festivities

Michelle — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:42:55 +0000

The strawberries at Costco were too big, too red, and too perfect to pass up for dipping in some chocolate…one of my children’s favorite…okay, really my favorite! We had a lot of fun dipping, swirling, decorating and eating these delicious treats. By the end Spencer and Josey were pros at it and I had mastered the art of the drizzle decorating. We decided to take and share these yummy treats with several friends and neighbors because anyone who has dipped strawberries knows they are only good for about a day and a half! What a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s love and they didn’t stick around too long in our house! Check out the final product…not bad right!?!??

Our other Valentine project is Josey’s favorite thing ever…frosted sugar cookies! I have the best recipe for the softest, fluffiest cookies and my kids love to decorate them their own creative ways. I must admit that I have a weakness for these delicious treats like Josey does! We invited The Hutchings over to help us decorate the dozens of cookies that I had made. Kira and Olivia loved to sprinkle on oodles of sprinkles, and Spencer was all over the writing with the gel frosting on his cookies. It is a fun tradition that we look forward too each and every year!

My Basketball Star Scored!

Michelle — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:50:30 +0000

Spencer started playing Jr. Jazz Basketball with a bunch of boys in our neighborhood a few weeks ago. The first week he ran on the outskirts of the action and the boys going after the ball. The second week he played god defense, but still wouldn’t go after the ball. This week he scored his FIRST BASKET EVER!!! Yay for him! He’s number 25 in the pictures (which is cool because that was the number Chris had when he played ball growing up!)

His 1st “Meet” as a gymnast…Gold!!

Michelle — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:34:40 +0000

Spencer had his first “mock” gymnastics meet with all the boys in his gym. They were scored as if they had been in a real meet. He did really good…1st place in all 5 events and Gold Medal for All-Around for his level!! He was only tenths of a point behind the boys that are on the Boys Team…I was really impressed with his skills and putting them together and how focused and serious he got when it came time to compete! His coach Luke Shettell is a great guy. He puts up with their endless energy and knows how to motivate, teach and keep them in control. Spencer will do anything for his coach. Now to see what he wants to do next…hmm…the olympics??!!?? Don’t know if he/we are that serious or not!

All Hallows Eve is Upon Us…

Michelle — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:56:59 +0000

Duck for President, and two of Little Bo Peep’s Sheep. They were cute and it was such a pleasant Halloween in the 50s (usually it is raining or snowing here in Utah) so we took full advantage of the great day!

At Spencer’s school in order to dress up they have to choose a character from any book off of the classical literature list, so Spencer chose Duke for President from the delightful children’s book title the same thing. He was so cute, but shed like crazy thanks to the boa I used to make his feather wings.

Half way through our neighborhood trick or treating Spencer decided he was done and wanted to go home, but Josey didn’t so Bo Peep (that was me) took my sheep and we hit about 15 more houses before heading home. When we got there, Josey bragged about her haul of candy, and Spencer had told Daddy that he was done because candy isn’t good for you and will give you a tummy ache if you eat to much and he already had enough in his bag! Chris then looked at me and said, “You are ruining our kids!” I thought to myself, at least he’ll be healthy! Happy Halloween!

Fall is in the Air! Time for some SMORES!

Michelle — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:20:42 +0000

Tonight was the first night that it really felt like Fall to me. I love FALL!! I love the crisp evenings and mornings. I love the change in the color of the leaves. I love curling up with a blanket. I love getting my sweaters out. I love fires on evenings like this. My kids do too! They jumped on the trampoline and waited for the fire to be ready. Spencer is a pyro just like his dad. I do not know of any little boys who don’t want to see what will burn in a fire! Josey just wants to sit and eat the marshmallows without even roasting them. Izzy just wants to eat them and enjoyed every sticky, gooey bite of her very own smore. Spencer just wanted to keep the fire going so he could roast some more mallows. I love these darling messy, sticky faces!

Wild Animals…and I don’t just mean the ones at the ZOO!

Michelle — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:22:14 +0000

On Labor Day we decided to adventure to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. It was the perfect day…overcast and just a slight breeze. The animals were all out and active and enjoying the many, many visitors that were there that day. Spencer wanted to make sure that we saw the alligators, Josey wanted only to ride the train, and Izzy pointed excitedly at all the animals. It was a delight watching them on the merry-go-round and the train, to see them excited about the baby elephant, the tigers, and the monkeys. Always an adventure with my 3 wild animals!

My Adorable Children!!

Michelle — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 06:33:08 +0000

FotoFly.com….oooohhh my they captured my children beautifully! Izzy was ticked when we first got there and bawled like crazy, but after a bottle and some coaxing she let her beautiful smile shine! And Josey, that girl oozes personality and sass! And my handsome Spencer…I cried when they showed me the slide show with his pictures. He is growing up way too fast! I love my adorable children and I love their birthmoms for allowing us the opportunity to be the parents of these three AMAZING children!!!!! Check out the “Photo Albums” link at the top for more, new and updated pictures! Can’t you just eat them up???!!??