Read All About It!

Spencer is all about reading his morning newspaper! As soon as a chair empties at the kitchen table, it is quickly filled by our little climber. Note the look of innocence too!

Are You Finished?

When Brian is finishing up a meal, he is always asked "are you done?" Apparently Spencer has been paying attention to this because whenever he is tired of doing something, he now announces "I'm Done!" Here are a couple examples. While having his diaper changed (something he doesn't currently enjoy), between shouts and tears he will cry out "I'm Done!" About 3/4 of the way though church last Sunday, Spencer decided he had had enough so he told everyone within earshot....."I'm Done!" While being forced into his coat so that he could accompany Mommy to the store, he tensed up his whole body and whimpered "I'm Done!"

Sheer Madness!

Spencer can make fun out of almost anything! His latest object of interest are the window sheers. He thinks it's hysterical to hide behind them and then run forward.......

.......as the sheer slides over him until he pops out at the other end.

We Don't Take Credit Cards

While we were in South Dakota, the boys had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa's toy cash register. Santa must have known that because sure enough, there was a toy cash register under the tree on Christmas morning! It's actually a big calculator so it will also be a good learning toy as Spencer starts and Brian continues learning their numbers.

HIGH Chair!

We have mentioned that Spencer is a climber and here is another example of that! He is a very determined little boy and once he sets his mind to doing something, he practically needs to be physically restrained or he will keep doing it. Mommy and Daddy are used to Spencer sporting a bruise nearly all the time and it looks like that isn't going to change any time soon!

Wheeeeeeee!

Spencer will probably always find it more fun to pull his brother out of the "little boy rocking chair" at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Until our next South Dakota visit though, he can use the "little boy rocking chair" that Mommy and Daddy gave him for Christmas!

Christmas Day!

Mommy sang with the church choir this morning while Daddy stayed home so that two little boys could get a well needed morning nap in. Their late hours last night caught up with them and Mommy and Daddy were hoping they would be well rested before our dinner guests arrived. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Corey, Uncle Kevin, Aunt June, Krista and Erika came over this afternoon so that we could all celebrate Christmas Day together! When the boys woke up and had some lunch, they went into the living room to find out that Santa had paid our house a visit! Spencer let Daddy help him open a few gifts.........

......and he let Brian help him open a few gifts.

For this year anyway, Spencer was content to leave the paper tearing to everyone else and just play with whatever was inside the boxes!

Spencer and the rest of his family wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

We spent our Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After a yummy dinner it was time to open some gifts. There was just one small problem. By the time the grand kids were about to rip open their packages, it was way past Spencer's bedtime. He spent a few minutes in a nice quiet room and even though he was exhausted, he was able to regroup so that he was able to stay up and watch the wrapping paper fly.






No you aren't seeing things - Grandma made all 5 of her grand kids matching jammies and they looked absolutely adorable! Spencer decided to take his gifts home and open then tomorrow when he is more rested. He was willing to watch Mommy......







.......and Brian open theirs though.

Too Much Fun!

Spencer and his brother had a very exciting day today. Aunt June, Krista and Erika took them to Wonder Works (a children's museum in Oak Park). We don't have any pictures from the outing itself but we know they had a LOT of fun because this is what Spencer looked like shortly after they got home!

Go Bears!

Since Brian's prophecy is to grow up to become a left handed relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Spencer's prophecy must be to play for the Bears! As you can see, he is working on his throwing arm as we speak!

Awwwwww

Sometimes we snap a picture that is just too cute. No story or explanation to go along with it, just a cute picture that we wanted everyone else to see too. Today's post for Spencer is just that - a cute picture!

He Glows!

Spencer still has little interest in disturbing the Christmas tree but he was very curious about this cute light up teddy bear he saw today. It used to belong to Daddy's Uncle Bill but Grandma thought we might enjoy having it at our house so she gave it to us. That Grandma is one smart lady because both Spencer and Brian love it!

I'm Going To Need Therapy!

Last week we made a trip to the mall to visit Santa and to say it was unsuccessful would be an understatement! Part of the problem was that Mommy and Daddy went on this outing very unprepared (both thought the other had grabbed the diaper bag so we went with nothing!) We also decided to do this way too close to nap time. As far as Spencer was concerned though, the biggest problem in having their picture taken with Santa was that Santa actually intended on being in the picture too! When we felt that poor Spencer had been tortured enough for one day, we decided to go home and try it again in a couple days. On our second attempt, Mommy and Daddy decided to got into the picture too so that someone OTHER than Santa could hold Spencer. Unfortunately he wasn't much happier with this idea so there was still a lot of screaming and crying. Somehow the elves were able to take this picture. Granted, Mommy, Daddy and Santa are the only ones smiling - but since Spencer wasn't crying, we quit while we were ahead!

On Your Mark!

Having witnessed one too many "brother pile up's", Mommy and Daddy encouraged the boys to return to a game we used to play - the run and flop. The boys take their mark in the kitchen and wait for the command of "and your mark......get set (at which time Spencer takes off running)........GO!"

They take off running from the kitchen to the living room where they do a big belly flop onto the sofa and pillows that have been laid out on the floor.

I'm Calling DCFS! (Dept of Child and Family Services)

Brian came up with the game of jumping off the chair onto the padded floor below. He had so much fun at it and the suggested Spencer do it too! Mommy and Daddy hesitantly agreed to let them try this but did opt to add a few extra pillow to the padded area below. This picture is deceiving. What usually happens is Brian and Spencer both standing on the chair at the same time, Brian saying it's Spencer's turn and when he hears the "Ready, Set, Go" command - Spencer either rolls or gets pushed off the chair. Brian jumps off next, often on top of where Spencer landed. Look for our emergency room post soon!

Peel Me Grapes!

It doesn't happen often, but when Spencer does take a few moments to lounge around or relax, he is all about his comfort. Because of this, Mommy and Daddy find it hard to believe that this is the same boy who falls asleep at night in some terrible looking crumpled up positions. He wakes up happy and well rested so I guess we shouldn't judge!

Chompers!

Spencer is very proud of his teeth and gives one and all a big toothy grin whenever he has the opportunity! He now has 4 on the top and 6 on the bottom!

Claps

"Oatmeal's the name and eating it up is my game!" Part of the fun of eating oatmeal is emptying your bowl because then you get "claps". Mommy or Daddy build up the anticipation by guessing how many bites are left in the bowl before it will be all gone. Once the last bite has been taken the kitchen erupts into thunderous applause for whoever finished their whole bowl! The boys are usually the one's clapping the loudest!

Ice Cream!

Spencer is getting much better at feeding himself. Some kids like to eat ice cream cones by just holding the cone and licking the ice cream. Spencer has his own method though and it involves using a spoon!

Naughty!

First he crawled.......then he walked.......and now that he's a professional climber, nothings off limits - at least in his mind!

Huggin's

Each night before bed, the boys each give huggin's and kisses to their parents. They are also asked to "go give your brother a hug good night". When these hugs do happen, they are normally not filled with much affection but they sure are cute!

What's On My Head?

Not wanting to be out done by his big brother, Spencer ALSO likes trying on Daddy's winter hat!

Smiley!

It's time for a random "cute Spencer picture"! We hope you enjoy it too!

A Tree Grows In......the Living Room!

We have been curious about how Spencer would react to our Christmas tree. Last year, Brian kept very busy pulling ornaments off but Spencer could really care less! So far, he hasn't even touched an ornament on it! We will see if that changes in the next couple weeks.

Critic's Corner

Now that Brian's dresser has been safety strapped shut, the room is about as "little boy proofed" as it can be. So, we have taken down the safety gate in the daytime so that the boys can play in there as well as in the living room. Books are a favorite for them both and since most of them are in the bookshelf in Brian's room, both boys are enjoying the free access to their critic's corner!

Bumper Bodies!

There's nothing like winding down for bed with some body slamming and wrestling! Mommy and Daddy are anticipating the need for a quick trip to the hospital any day now!

Public Service Announcement

It's a delicate subject, but Spencer would like to take a few minutes to share with you his thoughts on diaper rash.

"I don't have this problem very often, but when I do - it's a serious problem. While we were in South Dakota, I had the need for my diaper rash cream but apparently Mommy left it on the kitchen sink. That had to be where the tube was because Mommy and Daddy packed pretty much everything else in the house up for our trip! We had a tube of Bordeaux's Butt Paste (yes, that's a genuine product and that really is it's name) but for me anyway, it doesn't work. We tried a tube of generic brand ointment but that didn't work any better. When we got home I went straight to our tube of the good stuff........DRC (which I assume stands for diaper rash cream). My pediatrician suggested it to Mommy and boy am I ever grateful that he did because it's fabulous! Even with my worst rash, after a couple days with my DRC, it's completely gone! Mommy has only been able to find it at Target and you have to go to the pharmacy to ask for it because it's so good, they keep it back behind the counter. The only thing different in it than in any other kind of cream is that it has petroleum in addition to the normal zinc oxide. I don't know why it works, I'm just glad that it does!"

This Public Service Announcement has been brought to you by Spencer.

Hello?

Both Spencer and Brian like playing with the phone and there have been more than a couple times when they have pushed the right buttons to put a call through to someone. So, don't be surprised if one of these days, you see our name on your caller id and answer the phone only to hear this young man's voice on the other end of the line!

Quick - Before Mommy Looks!

We thought that Brian was our crawler but Spencer makes him look like a novice! He used to be satisfied to just get up onto the chairs, but now he doesn't stop until he's on top of the kitchen table! Of course.......brother/monkey see - brother/monkey do!

Planes, Trains and Spencer!

The boys opened a very exciting gift during our South Dakota Christmas - this Thomas the Train starter kit! Granted, Spencer doesn't have nearly the attention span that his brother does, but for those few minutes before Spencer tears the track apart.........it's very cute to watch!

Read To Me!

One of Spencer's favorite things to do in his big brothers room is to crawl up into his bed. After the boys woke up this morning, Spencer went racing into Brian's room, crawled up with him and started paging through some of the books Brian was looking at!