Happy birthday Spencer!

Okay, I know I'm...two-ish weeks late, but Spencer is now officially a teenager! I had a birthday present plan for months, but in typical fashion (I have CANCER, okay?) I didn't put the present plan into effect until it was too late.

The most popular toy among the junior high set right now is the kendama. It's a little wooden toy that looks like a hammer with a wooden ball attached with a string.

The point is to toss the ball up and catch it on one of the two ends of the hammer, the handle, or "spike" the ball on the top of the hammer. This is tough, because obviously you have to get the ball positioned just perfectly.

A few weeks before Spencer's birthday, I asked him if he knew what kendamas were. Yes, he said scornfully. They're dumb. I asked him if he'd ever tried one. No. Well.

Spencer doesn't like to try new things much, and even less if he thinks he might look stupid. And I'll tell you, the first time you try a kendama you look stupid! So of course he hadn't tried one. I decided to get him one anyway. 16,000 students at Snowcrest can't all be wrong!

Two students from the aforementioned Snowcrest were selling kendamas at Valley Market the day before Easter (when it was already past Spencer's birthday. Bad me). Sasha chose the color: orange. I think this must be his favorite color; he picked orange fingernail polish for me for Christmas. We gave it to Spencer the next weekend. The weekend in which it barely left his side. The weekend after which it left our house, since Spencer took it back to his mom's house with him.

I only have one word for this gift: score.