Yoga Baby!

It never ceases to amaze us the positions that kids can get into. Watching this Daddy said "I could do that.......but then you would have to immediately rush me to the hospital!" Now anyone can just pull off their socks, but when Spencer does it, it looks like a very complex yoga move!

Mini Me!

When Daddy comes home from work, he is mobbed my the boys! First they make sure he has been officially welcomed home with hugs and kisses but they they want to get their hands on whatever he has with.......or ON him! They want to try on his hat. They want to carry/drag his briefcase around. Tonight it was Spencer who was the first one to get to wear Daddy's vest!

Dog Pile!!!!!!

Since Brian woke up feeling much better this morning, they got right to work making up a day's worth of playing together! Daddy got the ball rolling by stretching out on the floor. That was an instant invitation for Spencer (and Brian too) to dog pile on top of him!

A little later when Brian was laying on the floor, Spencer decided to see if dog piles work on brothers as well as they do on Daddy's!

It's All About Me Today!!!!

Spencer's brother is under the weather today and therefore has spent most of the afternoon and evening laying on the couch. Spencer doesn't like seeing Brian sick, but he did enjoy getting to have all of the toys to himself today! He is getting very good at stacking the wooden blocks up into piles. Of course, once he decided he had played with the blocks long enough, he couldn't resist the urge to wear the box we keep them in on his head!

Since Spencer enjoys using his crayons to draw on the front window so much, he has temporarily lost his living room coloring privileges. What do you do with your art table if you can't sit down and draw on it? Easy.......you pretend it's a surfboard!

Ice Cream - Yummy!

When Friday evening rolls around, our family routine is to load up into the RSV (red sport vehicle) and go out for dinner. Spencer topped off tonight's dinner with an ice cream cone - and as you can see, he loved every single bite of it!

Nice Kitty!

We have said before that Spencer doesn't always demonstrate a working knowledge of the word "gentle" when he's around the cat. He seems to be making some progress in this area though because Jem was willing to let him pet her for several minutes before she raced off to the basement!

Doc, Sleepy, Bashful and......Spencer?

Both Mommy and Daddy have camera cell phones so from time to time, we snap a picture using our phones - like we did with this one. Have we mentioned before that Spencer does impressions? This is him doing his impression of Grumpy the dwarf. When he leans his head forward and looks up at you with his eyes, he can look so grumpy. He can't hold this pose for long though and before long his smile spreads from side to side and the giggles begin!

And This One Goes Here.....

Like every family who has small children - our living room generally looks like a toy store just exploded in it. Spencer doesn't have one particular toy that he always goes to - instead he works his way around the room. Today's toy choice is.......the Mega Blocks! Spencer's hand to eye coordination is getting very good!

No I Won't Take Your Order!

He may look like a cute little car hop, but today, Spencer was a pirate!



















With the help of these paper hats that Daddy made for the boys, they got to have some fun with their imagination!

Let er' Ride!

As soon as the boys changed out of their church clothes, we headed out into the backyard to enjoy our beautiful Sunday afternoon. Spencer was all over the place! He wanted to swing....then go down the slide....then ride the roller coaster.....then more time on the slide!

It probably goes without saying, but Spencer fell asleep almost before we put him into his bed tonight!

I Can Read Too!

Last night Spencer slipped into his room and crawled into his rocking chair to do some reading. When we noticed what he was doing, we did what we normally do in cases like this - run out and grab the camera! First Spencer looked through his books to find the one he wanted to read first.

It's not as easy as it looks to crawl up into a chair while holding a book!

Once he was settled into his chair and comfortable, our little book worm got busy!

Passing of the Torch

After the boys had their bath's last night, Spencer got an extra special treat. When it was determined that Brian has officially outgrown the ever popular Elmo jammies - last night the torch was passed to Spencer and he got to slip into them for the first time! As you can see from his expression, there was much happiness in the village!

Spency

Here is a picture of Spency playing with his centipede.

We have gotten into this habit of calling him Spency. I don't know why exactly since it takes just as long to say Spency as it does Spencer.

At least we don't call him Baby Human like we did before he was born.

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!

Our cat Jem (or Jembo as she is more often referred) normally finds a nice elevated spot in the room where she can sleep, watch whats going on, and then sleep some more. Occasionally she decides to come down for some little boy affection. However, by the time she has had her tail yanked a few times and received some not so gentle pets, she begins to rethink the whole affection idea. This picture was taken just seconds before she escaped Spencer's idea of a loving hug!

Happy St. Patties Day!

They may not be Irish Eyes, but they are smiling none the less! The boys enjoyed another beautiful day of outdoor playing today. They didn't find a pot of gold or any four leaf clovers but they still managed to have fun anyway!

1st Swing of the Season!

All the rain in the back yard has finally dried up and the weather was perfect today so dust off the swing set because the boys are coming out!

Spencer played on the swings last fall but he didn't get into it. What a difference a couple months make because Spencer LOVED it! You couldn't get the smile off his face as he went higher and higher with each push on the swing. I'm not sure who had more fun - Spencer, or Mommy and Daddy watching him!

Another Masterpiece!

Spencer loves to draw. Mommy and Daddy love for Spencer to draw. The world is Spencer's canvas. Mommy and Daddy would prefer for Spencer's canvas to remain on paper. Mommy and Daddy would also prefer that Spencer not consider the living room window to be his canvas.

Spencer has his own thoughts on that suggestion!

The Number HAS To Be In Here!

Spencer is learning more and more words every day but he is also a very observant little boy! He watches, follows, and imitates nearly everything he sees going on. That being said, he decided that it was about time to blow in a call to the Illinois DCFS (Department of Child and Family Services) to bring them up to speed on what all goes on at our house!

I'll Gladly Pay You $1.00 Tomorrow..........

.........for a chocolate chip cookie today! Mommy recently made a batch of cookies and Spencer is always more than happy to be her official tester to make sure they are okay. He gave this batch a thumbs up rating.

Spencer would also like to pass along the good news that Aunt June came through her surgery in fine shape and is scheduled to be released from the hospital tomorrow!

Let The Fun Continue!

Spencer loves getting to play with his cousins so he was delighted when he found out that Krista and Erika were coming over again this evening! The girls came over so that Uncle Kevin could go spend some time at the hospital with Aunt June. They are preparing to say a fond farewell to Aunt June's gall bladder.

Spencer is a very observant little boy who imitates nearly everything he sees. This evening, after seeing how the girls drank their chocolate milk, Spencer took another "big boy" step. He no longer wanted to drink his milk from a sippy cup, instead he requested (or rather demanded) to use a cup and straw too!

After the boys had their baths, the cousins retired into the living room for some down time. How cute are they?????

Lets' Party!

Uncle Corey is having a milestone birthday today......he is turning 40 years old! Since we couldn't be in Minneapolis to celebrate with him in person we had a little party here instead. Our party was a little unorthodox but fun none the less. For starters, Mommy and Daddy weren't here! They had tickets to go see the play Mary Poppins downtown. Since this meant that the party was going to need a babysitter, we called in the big guns........Uncle Colin!





No party is complete without some guests so Uncle Colin brought a few with him. He brought Haley, Krista and Erika along with him! You may think that Uncle Colin had lost his mind when he agreed to watch all 5 kids, but he is a professional so he knew exactly what to do.

For starters, he brought dinner with him - McDonald's! UNCLE COLIN IS THE MAN!

Aunt Karyn came over when she finished working and found exactly what she expected to see. The "Fantastic Five" and their Uncle were all playing and having a great time doing it!

Happy Birthday Uncle Corey - we did our best to celebrate your birthday for you!

Pass Me The Yellow Please

Some people go "antiquing" at antique stores. Mommy like to go "thrifting" at thrift stores and last weekend she found exactly what she had been looking for. The boys like to draw and color and we have been wanting to put a toddler table in the living room where they can create artwork whenever they choose. Now, they can and they do!

I Feel Ucky!

Spencer hasn't been feeling 100% for the last few days. Assuming that he has been fighting a cold, Mommy and Daddy didn't think this would amount to anything out of the ordinary. However, even though he hasn't been rubbing them, his eyes are now getting redder and redder and they are getting gunked up with mattery stuff now too. (Yes, "gunk" and "mattery" are very technical medical terms that Mommy and Daddy use freely.)

Even though he seems to be feeling slightly better today, we needed to hear a professional rule out anything like pink eye. So, off to the pediatrician Mommy and Spencer went. The doctor said that he has a little fluid in one ear but not enough to cause him any problems. Also, he does not have pink eye but he does have a virus. The good news is that it should be gone in a couple more days. The bad news is until then, he is still contagious. Mommy, Daddy and Brian are all still fine but to keep it that way - for the next few days there will be even more hand washing going on in our house than normal!

Comfort Zone

Spencer and Brian had an amazing afternoon! We went to the late church service today and from there we went directly to Uncle Colin and Aunt Karyn's house. Mommy and Daddy left to go to an open house so the boys got to play with their cousin Haley all afternoon and they had a BLAST! Since Spencer was having so much fun playing he decided to skip his normal nap. Instead, he opted to just go to bed a little early, get good and comfortable (pretty obvious from this picture), and get a good night sleep. Thanks again to Uncle Colin and Aunt Karyn for letting us come over to play. Haley, you are a wonderful host and you have some great toys! We can't wait to come back and do it again really soon!

Family Outing!

Daddy needed a new socket so, as they used to say on The Brady Bunch..........."Put on your Sunday best kids - we're going to Sears!" Maybe we don't get out enough because our little trip to Sears proved to be fun for the whole family! Daddy found the socket he was looking for. Mommy oogled her fantasy appliances. And while Brian was taking a test drive on a "tractor", Spencer was right next to him trying out an even bigger and more decked out riding lawn mower! What is it they say? The family that goes to Sears together stays together?!?

Cinderella/Spencer

Daddy was doing some work today at a house that is still under construction. Since we don't normally get to see the inside of luxury homes like this one, Mommy and the boys came over to take a peek. Apparently Spencer must have thought that he was being brought in to do cleanup because he went right to work cleaning up the inside of the fireplace........or should I say ONE of the fireplaces in this house!

Once he felt the fireplace was tidy, he got to work sweeping the floor.

Between all of Spencer's housekeeping duties, touring each of the rooms throughout the house as well as going up and down each of the flights of stairs..........Spencer had a GREAT nap when we got home!

Howwwwdy!

Brian may have a "Tool of the Day" gig but Spencer is generally always actively involved in the selection, demonstration and production of those blog posts!

Another Fresh One!

Tonight Spencer is modeling his newest bruise........a nice purple one right on his nugget! Mommy and Daddy keep thinking that when he decides to grow some hair on the front of his head, that might help to pad it a little against future impacts. We will have to keep you posted on how that goes!

All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go!

Today is the birthday of someone very special to Spencer.........today is Elizabeth's birthday! Spencer put a lot of thought into what he wanted to do for her and he decided to take her out for a very nice dinner. So, he got all dressed up and ready to go. Unfortunately, he then learned from Elizabeth's father that there are several very lengthy forms that need to be filled out in advance by anyone who would like to take his daughter on a date. *heavy sigh*

So, the best Spencer can do for now is to wish Elizabeth a very Happy Birthday.....that and maybe get a part time job waiting tables at a fancy French restaurant!

What's Up Doc??

It's that time again! Spencer was due for his 18 month well being check up with the pediatrician and that can only mean one thing....ugh...more shots! Spencer charmed the doctor and both of the nurses who saw him today as they measured, poked and examined him. His growth rate causes him to remain in the upper percentile for height and weight. His head circumference has gone from 48 to 48 1/2 which is still in the 75th percentile. His weight has gone from 25.2 pounds to 26.14 pounds which is in the 65th percentile. Spencer has grown 3/4 of an inch since his last visit and is now 32 3/4 inches tall which puts him in the 65th percentile. Spencer received two immunization "pokes" today and is now very close to the point where he won't be getting a shot or two EVERY time we see the doctor! Mommy held Spencer as the doctor stood on one side of him and the nurse stood on the other. Each of them had a needle at the ready and on the count of three..........poke poke, it was over. Then, Spencer just looked at them as if to ask if it was time for lunch yet. So, with two boys who had each been given a bill of clean health.......we left to go have lunch!

It's Party Time!

We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house today to celebrate two recent birthdays. Krista, who turned 9 last Tuesday and Grandpa who turned.......more than 9 yesterday! Spencer always has a blast playing with all the fun stuff at Grandma and Grandpa's house and today was no exception......until he saw that there was cake!

With his tummy full, Spencer was curious as to what kind of gifts were being opened up! Thanks for the yummy dinner Grandma - and Happy Happy Birthday Krista and Grandpa!