The Boys Are Back!

As baseball season opened across the country today, we welcome the boys of summer back! Spencer has heard alot about this whole baseball thing so he is especially anxious to watch some games this season. His Grandma is still holding out hope that he will grow into a Cubs fan but considering he lives in a White Sox household.....well, I guess only time will tell! This is another of Spencer's official 6 month old pictures we had taken.

Family Outing Day!

We went on a family outing to the Kohl Children's Museum yesterday. Spencer had a great view from his stroller and was very alert taking it all in. There were things for even the smallest of museum visitors to be hands on with in the music room.






He had a ball playing in one of the toddler areas! With a totally padded floor and lots of new toys to experiment with, Spencer had no trouble keeping himself entertained while his older brother was off exploring in a different area.




After a stop at the face painting station, we decided to call it a day. Spencer had whiskers painted on prior to his falling asleep, but a few rubs of his hands to his tired face, he was left with nothing but this cute little button nose.

Boxboy!

If you read Spencer's brothers blog posting from yesterday, you know that they just got a new wagon. Nearly every new toy comes with an added bonus......the box the toy came in! Today both boys had lots and lots of fun playing in it. We only hope they will have as much fun playing with the wagon that came IN this box!

Our Little Lumberjack!

Since he was wearing his Paul/Spencer Bunyon outfit today, he took a moment to pose next to Walter the big blue ox/dog. When Mommy and Daddy saw the two of them sitting next to each other, they looked at each other and said: "thats a blog worthy picture!"

Role Reversal!

Spencer always loves being in his exersaucer. In the past few weeks though, he has started spending more time on the floor, either sitting up or rolling around. When Spencer's big brother Brian noticed that the exersaucer was vacant this afternoon, he decided to keep the seat warm for his little brother!

Adorable!

As promised, here is one of the official 6 month old pictures we had taken of Spencer a few weeks ago. We were very happy with how great the pictures turned out, but then - how can you NOT take a good picture of this guy!?!?

Lets Make Some Music!

Spencer is having a lot of fun playing with the toys that were in his Easter basket! When Aunt Karyn picked this toy out, she had no idea that French Horn's run in Spencer's bloodline. His Mommy, Grandpa, Aunt June and Great Aunt Maxine all played it too!

Table for One

Now that Spencer is sitting up so well by himself, he has a variety of things to play with when he sits in front of this toy!

Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa have to head back to South Dakota tomorrow morning. Considering that they live so far away, we are very fortunate that we get to see them as often as we do! Thank you for coming to spend the Easter holiday with us Grandma and Grandpa! We love you and can't wait to see you next time!

Happy Easter!

Spencer woke up this morning to come face to face with......the Easter Beagle!

After church, Spencer came home to get ready to spend his afternoon entertaining 2 sets of Grandparents as well as 2 aunts, 2 uncles and 3 cousins! When it was all said and done, Spencer said that his first Easter was all that he hoped it would be and he can't wait for next year! The only exception is......next year, he hopes Mommy and Daddy won't put these silly rabbit ears on him!

Eggs-R-Us!

Spencer got his first taste of decorating Easter eggs today! (Well, "taste" maybe isn't the best word since he didn't actually eat any of the eggs.) We met up with cousins Haley, Erika and Krista at Grandma and Grandpa's house where we found a basket of eggs waiting to be colored! Spencer started by taking a good hard look at his egg first.....

........then it was time for Daddy to walk him through the process. To be honest, Spencer was much more interested in trying to pull the table cloth off, but by next year, he should be much more into the spirit of things!

Motorboat (and I'm 7 Months Old Today!)

Spencer has been making motorboat sounds off and on for a little while. Recently though, he has started having much more lengthy motorboat "conversations" with people.....like this one with Grandpa!

Having Grandma and Grandpa around this weekend has lots of perks. Not only are they fun to play with, there are more options available for who will feed him!

Spring Has Sprung!

Two wonderful things happened while Spencer was asleep last night. Spring officially arrived........and so did Grandma and Grandpa! We are all very excited that they were able to make the trip here from South Dakota in order to spend the Easter holiday with us! One of the first things Spencer wanted to do was show Grandpa how well he can sit up! He is still not 100% stable when in a seated position, but if he tips over backwords, he now has the back strength to be able to pull himself back up all by himself!

Gentle Cycle!

When you have kids in the house, it seems like the amount of laundry is endless. This particular basket of laundry seemed to be overflowing though!

Silly Dog!

Walter the dog is a source of great amusement for Spencer. We aren't sure what he finds so funny, but whenever Walter comes around, Spencer is full of grins and giggles!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Spencer's cousin Erika made a Lepricon hat at school today that she was kind enough to let young O'Spencer model!

Got My Toes!

When Spencer is having a diaper changed, he enjoys getting into some yoga-baby positions and grabbing hold of his toes!

Clean Up.....Front Pew!

Spencer spent the morning with Grandma. From his stroller vantage point he "supervised" the various cleaning projects that were going on at our church today. It must have been very exhausting work for him because he had to take a nap about half way through the morning!

What A View!

Spencer had a very exciting afternoon today! Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to get the double stroller out and go for a walk. Spencer has been in the stroller lots of times, but today was the first time that he rode in it like a big boy - meaning - seated and facing forward. Up to this point, he has always been in his carseat. It may be comfortable but it sure doesn't provide the best view since the carseat faces backwords!

Spencer smiled and giggled as he watched everything we saw on our walk. When we were just about home, the fresh air got the better of him and he fell asleep.

Special Anouncement!

Spencer has something he would like to show everyone!

That's right folks, that's hair you see growing all over his cute round little head! We are all very excited for him!

Getaway Car!

While his brother took a nap, Spencer used the opportunity to take the Pampers racecar for a spin around the living room!

Light Another Candle!

Happy Birthday to you......

Happy Birthday to you......

Happy Birthday dear Uncle Corey..........

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you have an extra special birthday today. Maybe we can share a piece of belated birthday cake together the next time I see you - which I hope will be very soon!

Don't Stick That Out!

Apparently all of Spencer's lessons on how to eat with a spoon have helped him to realize that he has a tongue! He slides it out through his lips like a baby snake, all the while looking at you as if to proudly ask, "Did you just see that???"

PS - Spencer had his official 6 month old pictures taken today and they turned out great! We should have them back around Easter time and will post some here for you to enjoy!

The Puppetmaster!

Spencer made some new friends while at a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house today! Perhaps we have a budding young Sesame Street fan on our hands here?

Have Spoon Will Travel!

Spencer is really getting into the whole spoon thing! Today while he was playing with this spoon, he fell asleep with it still in his hand!

Even during his next diaper change, the spoon stayed firmly planted in his hand!

He didn't even want to let loose of it while he had his next meal!

Get Out The Feedbag!

We know what you are saying....."another mealtime photo of Spencer????" This one is because Spencer just had another mealtime achievement! We were just telling you how we had to use the bottle to bribe Spencer to open his mouth enough for us to get the spoon in. Last night, that all changed. When Daddy sat down to feed Spencer his dinner, it was like a switch has been flipped in his brain and all of the sudden, he knew exactly what to do! He ate his rice cereal so well that we decided to try something even more yummy......babyfood! His first sample of babyfood was applesauce and given the way he gobbled it up, I think we can say that he liked it! He ate half of the jar at dinner and the other half at breakfast this morning! For lunch today he ate an entire jar of sweet potatoes! It doesn't appear that he has any allergies but just in case, we won't introduce any additional new foods for a few days to make sure. If all goes well, young Spencer's mealtimes are about to get much more exciting!

Another Meal....Another Lesson!

We have been talking quite a bit about Spencer's spoon lessons lately and today.......is no exception! Learning how to use a spoon is a huge adjustment for any little person to learn. In fact, it's amazing to think of how quickly children really do learn all the new things that they find themselves surounded with on a daily basis. Spencer is getting much better at accepting the spoon which could have something to do with the sneaky way Daddy has of getting him to open his mouth. The trick is to put his bottle up to his mouth and as soon as he opens up expecting to get the nipple, you slide the spoon in instead! When Daddy used to use this trick on Brian Mommy wasn't a big fan. It reminded her too much of something she learned in a college business law class called "bait and switch". Apparently it's true that things are totally different when you are the second child because Mommy is also getting pretty skilled at faking young Spencer out at mealtime! Fortunately, Spencer has a pretty good sense of humor about it all. I think he especially enjoys the big mess mealtime makes!

Movin' On Up!

As we mentioned after Spencer's last doctor appt, he is growning at a rapid rate! The brothers were wearing the same size diaper (a size 3). This week, Spencer experimented with a size 4 which fit him like a glove. Big brother Brian could wear a size 4 too, but since he is still comfortable in the #3's, he will finish off our supply of them before moving up into Spencer's size!

More Post-Meal!

Spencer opted against taking his normal afternoon nap today. So, after he finished his dinner time 'cereal from a spoon' lesson as well as most of his post lesson bottle.......he hit the wall! Once he had this power nap under his belt, he was ready to play a little more, take a bath and have some more food before calling it a day.

Post-Meal

Spencer's lessons with "spoon eating" cereal are going slow. Daddy remembers that when Brian started eating with a spoon, we thought he would starve because it seemed to take him forever to get the hang of it. Mommy must have blotted that from her memory because she doesn't recall it being a lengthy process. Spencer is currently not a big fan of the spoon. He keeps his mouth clamped closed so tightly, it's tricky just getting the cereal near him! When he's done with his eating lessons, he tops off his meal with the bottle. Once that is done.......he is all smiles again!

Like Father Like Son!

There is just something about wearing your Daddy's work hat that is too much fun to pass up! Brian puts Daddy's hat on whenever he has a chance and today, Spencer got in on the action as well! This is what Mommy and Daddy refer to as the "Long Shoreman Look"!

See Ya Later Alligator!

Spencer got a special treat when his uncle Kevin and cousin Krista stopped by for a quick visit this afternoon. The treat was that since his big brother was taking a nap....Spencer got some alone play time with Krista! To make things square with his brother........later today Spencer's family and uncle Kevin's family will be meeting up with Grandma and Grandpa to have dinner together. Since Spencer will undoubtably fall asleep on the drove to the restaurant, his brother can use that opportunity to have his own alone time with with his cousins!