Weekly Review: December 20 - 26

With our bags packed and everything loaded into the RSV (red sport vehicle), we were ready to start out on our big adventure! Over the river (the Mississippi river that is) and through the woods (which on this trip is also known as the Wisconsin Dells) to Grandma and Grandpa's house in South Dakota we go!





















We spent the night at our half way oasis - otherwise known as Great Grandma's house in Clear Lake Iowa. Since Great Grandma is spending the winter in Arizona, she missed out on the organ concert Spencer performed in her living room. His show stopper was The Itsy Bitsy Spider - classic entertainment!










We arrived in South Dakota on Monday and it's a good thing we have GPS because we may not have recognized the place! Grandma and Grandpa have been hard at work doing a little home remodeling project. I use the term "little" loosely because what they have done is nothing short of amazing! They nearly doubled the size of their house and gained an additional garage! All of that extra space got put to good use when Mommy's brother (Uncle Seth) and his family came over Tuesday. The weather forecast for Christmas was not sounding very "travel friendly" so we celebrated Christmas a little early. The boys had a blast playing with their cousins Nolan and Lauren, its too bad we aren't able to see them more often. The icing on our Christmas Cake was that Great Grandma was able to share our early Christmas with us! Last January she moved so that she could be a little closer to family. The apartment she moved into is conveniently located just a couple blocks from Grandma and Grandpa's house!










Wednesday evening we decided to go out for dinner. With the weathermen predicting that we were in store for one of the worst Christmas storms to date, we thought this might be one of our last chances to get out of the house for awhile. By the time we had finished dinner (and some quality time in the arcade), there where already several inches of fresh snow on the ground and no sign of it wanting to stop in sight!















Christmas Eve came and along with it........snow and snow and more snow! A little snow storm certainly didn't bother the boys. They got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa, play with some new toys/games and due to the house addition, they had a LOT of room to run around in. We brought the Reindeer Food that Brian had made at school. Before bedtime, the boys spread it outside around the house in hopes that Santa would be able to find them. The snow may have cancelled nearly all of the local church's services for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but that didn't stop us from celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus at home. We were all safe, warm, cozy and best of all, together. Oh.....and we can also report that when we woke up on Friday morning, amazingly enough, Santa was somehow able to make it through the storm and find us!









Our original plan was to start for home on Saturday but one look out the window confirmed that was not going to happen. The weathermen were anticipating that the snow was about to stop falling but that the blowing wind was just getting started. That was fine with us, it just gave us more time to bowl!!!!!

Weekly Review: December 13 - 19

We recently put our Christmas decorations up throughout the house. Mommy got a good start on the process while the boys were napping but there was still lots of tree decorating to do when they woke up! One of Daddy's all time favorite pieces of holiday decor is this little St Nick, or as he is affectionately known around here, Santa with a nervous tic. (He has a defect in his mechanical arm that makes him snap a little with each arm movement.) Apparently Spencer shares Daddy's fascination!

These boots were made for walking.......er......Daddy's shoes were made for goofin' around in!

Each December, our family as well as several of our friends families all get together for a group outing. Like last year, we decided to take in the Zoo Lights at the Brookfield Zoo and we had a blast! It was a cold evening but with lots of indoor exhibits to visit, we had plenty of opportunities to warm up. It wouldn't have mattered if it was 50 below zero - there was no way we were getting out of that zoo without the boys getting a ride on the carousel! Once we had taken care of that request, it was off to Portillo's for.............

.......SPAGHETTI!!!!!!!!

Weekly Review: December 6 - 12

Great Aunt Judith and Great Grandma passed through Illinois a few days ago on route to their winter oasis........sunny Arizona! Since we never know how frequently we can made it to see them in Iowa, we always look forward to their visit on the annual trip down south. This means in a few months, we will get to see them again when they make their homeward journey next Spring! Contrary to how it appears in this picture, Spencer was unharmed! :-)

A couple days after Krista and Erika (as well as their parents) were over to see Great Grandma, Haley (and her parents) came too! Spencer insisted that before she went home, she had to come play in the back yard for a little while. Daddy and the boys have been working away at converting some of our yard toys into amusement park rides!

Spencer is quite the little music man! Whenever Brian comes home from school with a new song, within a very short period of time, Spencer is singing it too! His all time favorite tune at the moment remains The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He will generally sing it on request - complete with all the hand gestures!

Weekly Review: November 29 - December 5

It's Boars Head Festival time at our church which means everyone is busy! Grandma is the head of costumes. In addition to ushering, Daddy is in charge of making sure the stage gets set up and taken down safely. Grandpa is a wise guy.....er......one of the Wise Men in the cast. For the past 2 productions, Mommy played the part of Mary since first Brian and then Spencer each played the part of the baby Jesus. Since we are contributing no further baby Jesus's, Mommy signed up to help Grandma on the costume committee. The boys came with Mommy to a costume fitting day and "helped" out for a little bit until Daddy finished an appt and was able to come pick them up. They had a blast! In addition to getting to play dress up, Daddy also gave them a great tour of the school hallways. They ran and ran and eventually ended up in the gym where the playing continued!

Before they headed for home, Spencer (and Brian) noticed the schools playground and insisted that they try it out. Spencer gave the equipment high ratings for fun-ness!!

This was the week that Spencer decided that he could no longer be confined to his crib. Physically, he has been able to climb out of it for a long time - he just hasn't had any desire to do so.......until this week that is! Daddy converted the crib to the toddler bed but he wasn't interested in staying in that either. After a couple frustrating nights, Daddy uncovered the mystery. Spencer wanted to sleep and nap like his big brother - on the Big Bird bed! Brian takes all his naps on this bed and then sleeps in his big boy bed at night. We have two of these beds but we had never thought about using the other one.......until NOW that is!

Weekly Review: November 22 - 28

We love it when Grandma and Grandpa from South Dakota are able to come out for a visit! It's been a long time since we have seen then so we were really looking forward to them coming this week. Unfortunately, they were not able to stay through Thanksgiving but we mad the most of the time that they were here! In addition to his snazzy new hair cut, Spencer had lots of new tricks to show them too! He was pointing out all of the alphabet letters he knows with this toy.

The Halloween costumes have all been tucked away in the closet but they are still accessible. One day, out of the blue, Spencer decided he wanted to wear the giraffe costume - while he had his lunch!

Mommy is the room parent for Brian's classroom. One of her duties is to provide snacks and entertainment for the classroom parties. The first of these parties is happening tomorrow when the class will celebrate their teachers birthday. Mommy came up with a Birthday Bingo game and put together the playing cards while Daddy took care of the building the rest of the game. The evening before the party we all sat down together and played a few games to break it in. Grandpa helped Spencer out a little bit and although Daddy never won a single game (nothing unusual there - Daddy NEVER wins these kinds of games), we all had a lot of fun!

Since I am updating this blog well after Christmas this information is no longer a secret. Grandma, Grandpa, Mommy and the boys headed to our favorite photo studio to have some pictures taken of the boys. The photographers usually get some great shots of the boys and Mommy is intending for those pictures to be a nice surprise gift for Daddy this Christmas. The session with the photographer went wonderful and since we were at the mall, we couldn't pass up spending a little time in the play area. Before we left for lunch at the boys favorite restaurant (the train themed place in Downers Grove called All Aboard), the boys took a couple train rides.

You gotta love the Yorktown Mall - it is VERY child friendly!

This is the year that we spend our Thanksgiving holiday in Illinois which means we didn't have far to travel. Grandma and Grandpa prepared a wonderful spread and it was all set up right across the street! We hope that you and your families all had a safe and happy holiday as well!

Weekly Review: November 15 - 21

This weeks calender is filled with meetings, rehearsals and activities. Next week isn't looking much different so we are extra anxious for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive from South Dakota late this week! Unfortunately, they won't be able to stay through Thanksgiving, but we will take any visit we get! The boys have lots of experience going to the grocery store with Mommy and clearly, they are observant of what they see. While Mommy was washing some dishes this week, the boys were standing at the end of the counter running their own store. As they rolled the soda bottle over the top of the microwave they would make a little "beep" sound - just like they see and hear it done at the grocery store!

Weekly Review: November 8 - 14

When it comes to selecting a new park to visit, Spencer is a rebel! He could have picked any nice little public park but this week, he was living on the edge. He suggested that we go to a cute little park which is next to a school. Ordinarily, Mommy would have mentioned that playgrounds that are next to schools are generally the property of the school and that we should probably look for a different park. However, once Spencer pointed out that the school was actually at the other end of the block and that the building next to the park was just a school district office. Thinking we were safe, we headed to the park. We had the place to ourselves and as is normally the case when we go to a park, we had fun! Additionally, no one came out to ask us to leave so we had that going for us too! It was a chilly day so we didn't intend to stay too long but once Mommy spotted the plaque that stated "Central School Playground - Dedicated in 2006".........we decided it was time to go! We will try to find a PUBLIC playground next time!

Spencer continues with his quest to do whatever his older brother does. This includes sleeping in a big boy bed. Lately, while they are playing they have started taking turns crawling into Brian's bed, covering up with a blanket, saying good night to everyone and then saying their bedtime prayer. Once that has been done they switch places and the whole process starts all over again!

The First Haircut!

Mommy and Daddy weren't excited about doing it but we finally agreed that it was time for Spencer to have his first haircut. Actually, we can admit that it was a little beyond time but why split hairs (so to speak!) In honor of "the first haircut", we took Spencer to one of those cute kiddy hair salons. He was such a good boy - he sat nicely and did everything that was asked of him.

Mr Todd gave Spencer a very cute haircut but Mommy and Daddy do have one complaint. He isn't a baby anymore......he looks like he is 12!!!!!!!

Rake It Up!

It was a BEAUTIFUL day so we used the weather to our advantage and did some much needed yard work!

What kid in their right mind would be able to pass up jumping into a huge pile of just raked leaves?????? Certainly not one of ours!

Park It Here!

This weeks park outing took us back to the village of Riverside. We drive by a school quite often and there is a small playground right next to it. It probably belongs to the school but it isn't fenced in and there are no signs stating it is not open to the public to today.......we tried it out!

As far as Spencer is concerned, any park that has a slide is a pretty good park! It is a small park but since we were the only ones there, the boys had a lot of fun!

Punkin' Bread

Brian's brought home a slice of the pumpkin bread that he made at school today. Brian was VERY anxious for everyone to sample it and Spencer was more than happy to be a taste tester!

What's For Breakfast?

The boys journey down to the kitchen each morning to make their breakfast cereal selection. Once Spencer had made his choice, he was asked the same thing that is asked every time Kix is selected from the cereal shelf.

"Spencer, did you know that kids like Kix for what Kix has got and Mom's like Kix for what Kix hasn't got?" I wonder how long it will be before he rolls his eyes and says.......man my parents are idiots!

PS: This picture was taken by Brian!

Subject: Father and Son

Brian has been helping Mommy out with the photographer duties. Aside from an occasional finger in the picture, he has snapped some very good shots! Here is an example of his handy work. Spencer is a professional "subject" who says cheeeeeese as soon as he sees the camera!

Jack-o-Cookie!

Uncle Corey mailed the boys a Halloween treat. Actually "treat" is a bit of an understatement for what he sent them! On behalf of Spencer, Brian (and Mommy and Daddy)......THANK YOU UNCLE COREY!!!!!!! The huge jack o lantern cookie is delicious!

Happy Halloween!!!

Spencer was a trick or treating machine this year! Thanks to our good friend Anthony and Christopher who let Brian and Spencer (as well as Mommy and Daddy) tag along with them. Since they are veteran trick or treaters, they showed Brian and Spencer everything they needed to know! Spencer was usually the last in the group to reach the door of each house but he was consistent in saying "Treat???" (to which the home owner would generally smile or chuckle). Once the treat had been dropped into his bag he would quickly respond "Thank you" (to which the home owner would smile a little more and chuckle a little louder).

Mommy is determined to get caught up on the boy's blogs! She is going to be working in reverse so thanks for your patience. Over the week or so please check back through the older posts for updates on what the boys have been up to.

Park It Here!

Today's park outing took us into the village of Riverside. The park didn't have a sign posted so we can't tell you it's official name and frankly.......we can't even really tell you where it's located! For those of you who have ever driven through Riverside, you will understand what we are talking about! Supposedly, the village of Riverside was laid out like a small English countryside village. All of the roads curve and intertwine. Unless you really know where you are going........you WILL get lost!

This was a small park with just a few pieces of playground equipment. It is a cute little park that is very well maintained. It has a really cool turtle in the middle of the sandbox but aside from that, this park didn't rate terribly high with Spencer. But, if you ever want to go for a beautiful drive and don't mind getting a little bit lost - we highly recommend exploring Riverside!

ALSO.......Happy 20th Anniversary to Uncle Kevin and Aunt June today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Firefighters!

Fire safety is still in the air and the boys are having a good time wearing their plastic hats and pretending!

ROFL

No, we are not using text message language.......Spencer was actually "Rolling On the Floor Laughing!" While Brian and Mommy were off visiting the fire station, Spencer spent the morning playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandma reported that he is an absolute dream to babysit. When it comes to playing, he has an extremely long attention span. He was busy entertaining himself with the adventure people for nearly an hour before spending the next half hour playing a simple game of catch with Grandma.

Can I Take Your Order?

It's all together possible that one of both Spencer and Brian have a career in the food service industry ahead of them. They are constantly cooking pretend food at the play kitchen or placing restaurant orders with the toy cash register. Tonight Spencer was serving Brian......talk about adorable!

2 Little Monkeys!

Brian's toddler bed was replaced with a "big boy bed" today. I'm sure it goes without saying that the bed needed to be inaugurated by having 2 little monkeys jumping on it! Fortunately, none have fallen off and broken their heads........yet!

While Daddy was putting the safety rails on the sides of Brian's new bed, his old toddler bed was pushed into the corner until he could get it disassembled. If Spencer could have had his way......it would have never been disassembled because it made for a great cave that they could play in!

Open House!

With Fire Safety Week upon us, one of our local fire stations opened their doors today and hosted an Open House. It was a very well organized event and we all (Mommy and Daddy included) really enjoyed it! Here are some of Spencer's highlights from our trip to the La Grange Fire Station.

Sparky the fire dog was more than willing to have his picture taken with any of the kids and we were very fortunate to get this taken. Moments later Spencer decided that he would prefer NOT to be around any large costumed dog like creatures.

This display was very popular! There was a large board with a house painted on it. The upstairs windows were on hinges and were painted like they were on fire. The kids could line up and take a turn turning an actual fire hose on it until they hit the hinged windows to "put out the fire".

The boys had an amazing time crawling around on the fire trucks and ambulance that were on display. Thank you again to the hard working men and women at the La Grange Fire Station!

I Want To Go!!!!!!

Brian's school had a "Daddy and Me" night for all the preschoolers and their fathers tonight. Spencer was less than pleased that he wasn't invited. As the tears rolled down his cheeks, you just couldn't help but feel sorry for him. As he watched Brian and Daddy get ready, he grabbed his jacket, clutching it to his chest and in between sobs he kept saying "I go too.........I go!" Fortunately a few minutes after they left, Mommy was able to distract Spencer long enough for him to stop crying so that we could have some fun of our own.

Park It Here!

Elm Park is located at the intersection of Stone Ave and Elm Street in La Grange. This park has been on Spencer's list of parks he wanted to visit ever since he and Mommy drove by it one day after dropping Brian off at school. The park isn't fenced in and there is a fairly busy street that separate the park from the middle school that you see in the background of the above picture. However, there is nice big grassy area between the playground equipment and the street so it still rates high in Spencer's PARK SAFETY category as well as in his FUN category!


This playground had something we have not seen before. The bars Spencer is sitting behind are actually chimes. Each one makes a different pitch when you shake it!

Even though Spencer takes his park research very seriously on these outings........there is no mistaking the fact that both Brian and Spencer LOVE going to the park.......any park!