No More Rock-a-Bye

Brian and Spencer took one more buggy ride in the cradle they both used back when they were "babies". Since they are both in their own crib's now, Mommy and Daddy decided it was time for the cradle to go into storage. This cradle will always hold a sentimental soft spot in our hearts because it was designed and hand crafted for these two little boys by their Daddy.

Why So Happy????

What has put this big smile on Spencer's face?







If you look close there is evidence of hair growing on that cute little round head! First a neck and now hair????? What more could a boy ask for?

It's Happening!!!!!

Spencer was hoping to get one for Christmas but it didn't happen. It didn't happen by New Years Eve either. However, as of today, Mommy and Daddy are thrilled to announce that it appears that our little Spencer is finally getting a neck!!!!! Yahooooooooo!!!!!!!

Spencer would also like to send out Happy Birthday wishes today to his Uncle Seth! Have a piece of birthday cake for me!

Sleep Over At Grandma and Grandpa's!

Spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house is always a great time and last night was no exception! Just because Spencer isn't walking yet doesn't mean that he likes sitting in the corner not being able to see whats going on. Fortunately, he was able to secure this seat which provided a great view of all the action!

Being the good little sleeper that he is, when it was time for bed - he was out like a light! He slept so soundly that he missed out on all the excitement in Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood late last night! When Spencer woke up this morning, they filled him in on the police chase that took place in their front yard late last night! Before having his breakfast, Spencer wanted to acknowledge one other important thing happening today........ "happy birthday to you.....happy birthday to you......happy birthday Uncle Kevin.....happy birthday to you!!!"

Sweetie-Pie!

We spent the afternoon/evening at Grandma and Grandpa's house where Spencer tried out their exersaucer! He wasn't able to get into quite as many of the toys like his big brother did....but we all know that will change in the very near future! Mommy and Daddy went home alone tonight since Spencer and his brother are staying for a sleep over! Spencer is especially looking forward to it since his brother goes to bed earlier than he does. That means he will get to have Grandma and Grandpa all to himself this evening!

Rock Star!

Spencer's not a big fan of his tummy time so he's Mr Happy (as seen in this picture) when it's over! Sporting a pair of his new Christmas jeans.....doesn't he look like a mini rock star ? He's just too cute!!

In This Room.....

.....is a napping Spencer! If you have already read Brian's blog, you know that today was the first day that both boys were in their own rooms - in their own beds - taking naps at the SAME time! Since Spencer is awake for much longer periods of time now, he looks at his naps more in terms of the quality of the sleep instead of the quantity of naps he needs to take! Brian has a more predictable bed time, usually around 7:30 or so. Spencer stays up a little later, often until 9:00 or 10:00. Both continue to sleep through the night like champs and they even wake up around the same time each morning. Brian gets up around 7:00 and Spencer about 7:30am.

The Tin Man!

This picture is proof of yet another reason why Spencer's parent's shouldn't be allowed to have children!

Come Sit a Spell!

After sitting in the kitchen sink, Spencer wanted to look into some softer seating options. Spotting Brian's Big Bird bed, he thought he would give it a try. The result? I think the expression on his face says it all!

By the way, how many brothers can you fit on a Big Bird bed?

(Answer): Two fit quite nicely!

Do I Need Tub Toys?

I think this is the first time that Spencer has been in the kitchen sink when a bath wasn't about to take place! His back and neck are getting very strong so he has been doing more and more experimenting with his being able to sit up "like a people". These experiments have taken place in a variety of places, one of which, as you can see, was in the sink!

I'm 5 Months Old Today!

Spencer doesn't have a well being checkup with his doctor until next month, so we won't have his current weight and height measurements until them. But from time to time, Spencer's Mommy and Daddy just feel the need to post a random cute picture of him. Today is one of those days so.....here ya go!

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

This is a popular song in our house but Spencer is fond of another body part.......his fingers! Unlike his brother, Spencer has no interest in using a pacifier. Instead, he finds his comfort from within his own hands. He doesn't suck his thumb, or any specific finger yet for that matter. He prefers to nibble on a few of his fingers. He doesn't have a preference if those fingers belong to his left hand or his right.

Shake it Baby!

Spencer has a tight little grip and he is picking up and holding onto things for much longer periods of time now. This is one of the rattles that he enjoys works over while hanging out in his pack-n-play.

Popcorn in a Jiffy!

Last night Daddy had a craving for some popcorn. Since he doesn't normally eat a lot of popcorn, he had never experienced making Jiffy Pop Popcorn on the stove. Come to think of it, Spencer has ALSO never experienced making Jiffy Pop Popcorn on the stove! So, together they tag teamed it and had great success. Very yummy stuff!

Welcome Home Walter!

Walter didn't make the trip back to South Dakota this time. Instead, he spend the week running and playing with his old pals at the boarding kennel. Mommy attempted to go pick him up last night, but unfortunately traffic on the expressway came to a complete halt due to a horrible accident. By the time traffic was moving again, the kennel was closed so Wally didn't come home until today. Freshly bathed and wearing his doggy ascot - he sat and listened intently as Spencer told him all about our exciting trip to South Dakota!

Home Sweet Home

Going to visit Grandma and Grandpa is always terrific, and staying in a hotel is always fun, but when it's all said and done, there's just something about sleeping in your own bed! We arrived safe and sound back in Illinois about 5:00 this evening. Once again, the traveling brothers did an outstanding job of making the pilgrimage trip to South Dakota and good times were had by all!

Homeward Bound Travel Day 1

While Grandpa was introducing all of us on the Senate floor yesterday, a photographer from the Associated Press was busy taking some pictures. We were particularly interested in this picture which appeared in today's edition of the Mitchell Republic Newspaper.

All autograph requests are being taken by Spencer's parents/managers/agents.

Spencer's Capital Visit!

Since we were already in South Dakota, we had the perfect opportunity to spend a day attending a day at the Eighty Third Session of the South Dakota State Legislature. Why did we want to drive all the way to the capital to do this you may ask? The answer is very simple, we wanted to go see Grandpa. Spencer and Brian can call him Grandpa, but the rest of the state would probably refer to him as "Senator Grandpa!"

Big brother Brian got to come spend a day at the capital with Grandpa last year, so Spencer was very excited to be able to do it this year too! There were many highlights to the day, one of which was getting to sit next to Grandpa as the Senate went into session for the day. Spencer was all smiles as Grandpa introduced him to everyone!

When the session ended, Spencer and Brian hung out with Grandpa checking out his desk and all the fun stuff on it (buttons to be pushed, a microphone begging to be played with, etc etc etc...)

While at the capital, the Governor asked if he could have his picture taken with Spencer.....at least, that's the way Mommy and Daddy tell the story! Thank you for seeing us Governor Rounds, we know you are a very busy guy!

Baptism Day!

Spencer's baby cousin Lauren was baptised today. She sure is a cute little thing and everyone wanted there turn at holding here......including Daddy!

While Mommy was taking her turn at holding Lauren, Spencer came in for a closer look.

Travel Day 2

On our way to Grandma and Grandpa's house today, we stopped in Sioux Falls SD for lunch. We stopped at a restaurant that Mommy used to work at (back in the olden days.) It's similar to Chuck E Cheese - half of the building is an arcade and the other half is a restaurant. After you place your order, you are assigned a table and when the food is done, Wilbur (a robot coyote who rides a tricycle) delivers your food to you! Spencer wasn't totally into the entire experience yet...........

.........but he did take a turn on one of the rides in the children's section of the arcade!

Travel Day 1

We completed the first leg of our drive to South Dakota today! The weather and roads were excellent so we arrived in Iowa in good fashion. Our first stop was to visit Great Uncle Dave and......Great Aunt Karrie!

As luck would have it, our visit also coincided with Jessa's 8th birthday. (As a reminder - Jessa's Daddy and Spencer's Daddy are cousins.) Here is the birthday girl with the gift her Mommy and Daddy got her. I think her face gives away that she LOVED her new big girl bike!

Load Er' Up!

Spencer really got into - and we do mean "in to" packing the suit case today! We will be leaving tomorrow to drive back to South Dakota to meet Lauren, the boy's new baby cousin!

***When we are on the road, we don't always have daily internet access to update the blogs. Please check back often though because there will be LOTS of exciting things happening on this trip!

Sweet Dreams???

"If you don't pull that lip in, a bird is going to come by and land on it Mister!" This is a phrase poor Spencer hears frequently when he falls asleep since, as you can see, that's how he sleeps!

No Worries!

When Spencer work up this morning, things were a little darker than normal due to a power outage that affected our neighborhood at around 4:00am this morning. Our faithful blog readers out there may recall that going without power is nothing new to Spencer. Just a few hours after he came home from the hospital last August, a huge storm blew through town leaving us without power for several days! So, being in the dark for a couple hours was no big deal to him. He woke up this morning his normal smiley self and hardly even noticed when the power came back on around 10:00am.

The Baby Brother!

Our growing baby boy is outgrowing his clothes at a rapid rate! He is only 4 1/2 months old but he's already wearing size 6 - 9 month as well as some size 9 month clothes! He and his big brother now wear the same size diaper too! Even though he will always be the baby brother, who knows how long he will remain the "little" brother!

My Cousin Haley!

Today we traveled to Haley's grandparents house to help her celebrate her 3rd birthday! Somewhere between dinner, gift opening and cake......Haley spent some time hanging out with her youngest cousin - Spencer.

After that - Haley, Erika, Ava and Krista (aka: the girl cousins) gathered in for a picture! What a cute bunch these ladies are!

Male Bonding

Spencer, Daddy and Brian like to sit down together from time to time to enjoy some male bonding. I believe tonight they were discussing politics, the economy and of course......toy safety!

Grandma Time!

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by for a visit today which is always a welcomed treat for everyone! Spencer was in the midst of a nap when they arrived, but fortunately, he woke up in time to still get a good chat in with Grandma before they had to leave. This was quite a relief because he would not have been happy boy if he was told that his Grandparents had been by but he missed them!

C-UTE!

Spencer's Mommy and Daddy had a milestone of their own when Spencer officially moved into his own room last night. He took a little break from sleeping through the night while we were in South Dakota but he got right back on track when we got home. His first night in his room was successful and he slept until 7:00 am!

After he woke up, Mommy showed him some pictures of his new baby cousin. He smiled and coo'ed while he saw the pictures of Lauren - probably his way of saying "Hello!" Not having much hair of his own yet, he was very curious about what all that fuzzy stuff on her head was!

Attention All Readers!!!!!!!

Spencer is very happy to announce that he has a brand new baby cousin! Uncle Seth (Mommy's brother) and Aunt Ann welcomed Lauren Ann into the world last night! Spencer is wondering why he had to wear the crazy Baby New Year hat and sash when little Lauren was the real deal! Congratulations to Uncle Seth, Aunt Ann and big brother Nolan!

Happy New Year!

Spencer (aka: Baby New Year) would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

*Parental Disclaimer* - Since Spencer's big brother was photographed in a similar pose last year, it only seemed fair that Spencer should suffer the same fate!