I just can't let this go...

I tried the look-alike meter again, this time using different pictures of Scott and me, sure that the result would confirm Abby's incredible resemblance to her dad! The program must have a faulty algorithm, as it concluded Abby looks 13% more like me! Anyone with eyeballs can see this simply isn't true...

Abby looks equally like Mom & Dad?

I don't think so...

I don't buy it... As far as I can tell, she's a mini-Scott! She *may* have inherited my feet, but the rest of her...her hair, her eyes, her lashes, her scrunchy smile..are all Daddy! That said, this super-sophisticated technological program has determined that Abby is equal parts Mom & Dad. Guess the Springer and Morrison gene pools are equally powerful, as both kiddies look "equally like Katy and Scott!"

For nonbelievers, check out the meter on Pepper Elliot's blog: http://absolutelyplum.blogspot.com/2007/10/look-alike-meter.html

Their meter showed Oslo is 69% Mark, 31% Pepper. Apparently you CAN reach a conclusion other than "[BABY] looks equally like Mom and Dad," despite the results of my kids' look-alike meters!

For those of you who say Jackson looks NOTHING like me!

A Preview of Oct. 31...

Here is Jackson modeling his monkey costume - the feet are the best part! The monkey is just one of three costumes we purchased this year. eBay snafu. Good thing we'll be attending three costume parties - he'll have an opportunity to wear all of his costumes (monkey, tiger and polar bear).

Jackson's response after seeing his many costumes? "I want to be a grasshopper!"

Abby's Scrunchy Smile

I know this isn't the BEST picture of my beautiful baby girl...she looks rather scrunched...but it DOES communicate her sheer love for her Grandpa (at least the shot embellishes her magnificent chubbiness - I just want to nibble her cheeks and tummy and thighs)! My dad fusses over Abby as if she were royalty, speaking to her in a sweet baby voice and jumping up to answer her every wimper. I asked him if Abby looks like I did when I was a baby. His response was the epitome of diplomacy: "Yes, she looks a little like you, but you were more svelte." What could that possibly mean? I love you, Dad :)

Barf-rageous Jack-O-Lantern

It's Sunday night at the Springer household. The kids have eaten dinner and taken their baths. Scott and I unveil the evening's activity, sure to be the highlight of our weekend. We have purchased a pumpkin-carving kit and are planning a magical night creating the first-ever Springer Jack-O-Lantern. Scott - always the artist and perfectionist - has found the perfect design for our pumpkin after an extensive web search.

Scott's job is to carve; Jackson has the important responsibility of digging out the pumpkin seeds and other gunk. We have equipped our little boy with a small shovel. Jack can barely contain his excitement; he yells at Scott to hurry and finish carving the top so that he can begin his important task!

It's all downhill from here... Jackson's enthusiasm is quickly replaced with waves of nausea as he inhales the pumpkin-gunk aroma. He throws up once, but we don't see him hurl and assume the yucky stuff is just part of the pumpkin guts. Thirty seconds later, he throws up a second time. We begin to suspect the smell is making him sick. Our hypothesis is confirmed a minute later when he throws up a third time. I pick him up and put him back in the tub before completing the arduous task of cleaning up pumpkin guts AND Jackson's guts!

Scott finishes carving the pumpkin by himself. Jackson loves looking at the Jack-O-Lantern (he wants to go out on the porch several times a day to visit it). But, he's scared of it, always remarking, "that hurts my tummy" and insisting that Mom or Dad hold him!

Perhaps not the pumpkin-carving experience we had imagined, but a memorable one nonetheless!

Other Dimensions...

I realize as I read through my posts that I must seem very one-dimensional...completely obsessed with my sweet husband and children with n'er a thought of anything else. Well, that's mostly true, but it must be tedious reading for those of you who aren't grandparents or otherwise related to my yummy smallies who "star" in this blog.

To that end, I'm dedicating a post to my other obsessions, beginning with the best movie I've seen in a long, long time. Now, I must add the disclaimer that I haven't seen many movies since the birth of my children, as it costs $20/hour for a babysitter in this crazy town, making for a very expensive movie! But, occasionally we "splurge" for a movie and a super-fancy dinner, i.e. Fuddruckers or Jack In The Box. If you haven't seen it yet, make a point to see "Once." It's one of those "artsy" films we San Franciscans can't get enough of. Rumor has it the film was made in two weeks with no big names and a measly $150K budget. It's a musical in the sense that there's a lot of music (but not in the "Oklahama" or even the "Moulin Rouge" sense). The film follows the life of a vacuum-machine repairman who moonlights as a street musician in Dublin. He meets a girl who is also a musician, and they strike up an unbelievably sweet, genuine friendship. The music is actually GOOD. Incredible, really. The day after we saw the movie, Scott and I purchased the soundtrack as well as two other albums featuring the music of the film's main characters. You can view the trailer (and hear a sampling of the music) here:

http://movies.aol.com/movie/once/28796/video/trailer-no-1/1893387

Buy this!!

Another "obsession" is reading, though, in truth, my reading list is comprised primarily of parenting magazines, toddler discipline books (!), and my weekly subscription to "People" magazine, which keeps me in touch with the "real" world :)

I did manage to read a real-live book a few weeks ago. I picked it up at an airport bookstore and couldn't put it down, much to the sacrifice of several nights' sleep. It's called "The Memory Keeper's Daughter." It is heartbreaking and wonderful all at once. Definitely worth a read!

Ignore the "Search Inside" arrow - I copied this picture from Amazon.com

My next obsession is learning Spanish. I have taken up my study in the past six months in order to communicate with my nanny, who speaks very little English. When she first started working with us, I could count to 10 and knew a handful of random words. I understood NOTHING. After spending a bit of time on http://www.freetranslation.com/, combined with her superior teaching skills and lots of practice, I'm proud to say I'm now rather conversational!

My final obsession (for now) is writing. If there was ever a school subject in which I excelled, it was English. I'm one of those grammar snobs, much to the annoyance of my husband. This blog serves as my oulet for this obsession :)

Tootsies

Is there anything cuter than baby toes? I mean, really?! I had to post this picture of my girl, who has propped her dainty little tootsie on the tray of her high chair. YUM! She strikes this pose often, regularly evoking complimentary stares and giggles from other diners when we're eating at a restaurant. Putting your feet on the table is not exactly good manners, but it doesn't really matter when you're 10 months old, right?

Pumpkin Patch

Fun day with my boy!

Jackson on a hay ride at the pumpkin patch.

Jackson with his "respectable" pumpkin.

I LOVE Halloween! Last week, I accompanied Jackson's preschool class to a pumpkin patch here in the city. The kids were instructed to choose any pumpkin they'd like - as long as they were able to carry their selection to the cash register for purchase! Jackson experimented with numerous pumpkins, sweating and struggling with great drama, "it's too heavy, Mama!" He selected a teeny tiny pumpkin (about the size of a softball) and was quite pleased with his choice, but I couldn't let him be the wimpy kid in class. I talked him into a respectable, yet manageable, pumpkin, which we'll carve later this week.

We also took a hay ride through the pumpkin patch. Jackson was BESIDE HIMSELF with ecstasy! He is such a BOY.

This is the best part - tonight, Scott and I won Halloween costumes for both kids on eBay. Have you ever heard of Tom Arma costumes? Apparently, they're all the rage. Do a search on eBay and you'll see what I mean. I'm sure I would have been happy with any old costume - until I stumbled upon Tom Arma's white tiger costume, perfect for my perfectly pink baby girl. We were up against 15 bidders. Any of you who use eBay can imagine our anxiety, as Scott and I were willing to SELL our third child (no, I'm not pregnant) in order to win that costume! In the last three seconds - literally - Scott placed the winning bid, causing us to jump up and down with glee (sadly, we undoubtedly ruined the nights of the 14 other bidders).

We did the same thing with an auction for Tom Arma's polar bear costume for Jackson - placed a bid in the last three seconds and won! Jackson now has three costumes for Halloween, as Scott and I were both bidding on different costumes on eBay (unbeknownst to one another). We won the Tom Arma monkey costume from some poor sap who had listed under "Tony" rather than "Tom" Arma.

It's 8:30 p.m. and I'm ready for bed. Too much excitement for one night.