Swim Season!

Daddy, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Colin, Brian and Spencer helped Grandma and Grandpa get their swimming pool set up for swim season today! I'm sure it goes without saying that Spencer and his brother were a huge help and things probably wouldn't have gotten done as quickly or efficiently had they not been on hand to help! Once the pool was taken care of, Spencer and his cousin Krista sat down to play a computer game.

Congratulations Anthony!

We went to a combination party for our good friend Anthony today! Not only did he just graduate from the 8th grade, he is also celebrating his 14th birthday!

Anthony has always been great with the boys and even though today was his special day, he still took time to play with Spencer!

Spencer (as well as all the kids) had a blast in the moonwalk jumper too! Happy Birthday Anthony and good luck in High School next year!!!!!

Men of the Great Outdoors!

Mommy and the boys went on an adventure to Cabela's today. If you are not familiar with this store, it's a huge place with tons of merchandise but they specializes is hunting, fishing and camping gear. We had one item on our shopping list which we quickly located. As soon as we had that done, we spent the rest of out visit just looking at all the cool stuff! There were some very busy taxidermists when this store was being set up because it is FULL of animals on display. In addition to all the animals native to North America, there is also a big African display. Needless to say, Spencer and Brian enjoyed seeing and identifying all of the animals!

In addition to all of the stuffed animals, there is also a big aquarium. You couldn't wipe the smile off Spencer's face as he pointed and shouted "fish! fish! fish!"

A Tribute to Josh

The Village of Brookfield did something really wonderful today. They planted a tree in a beautiful park to honor of one of their own. Prior to joining the Army, Sgt Josh Harris had lived in Brookfield. Sadly, we lost Josh a few months ago but the memory of this hero will live on in the hearts of his family, his friends, and now, through this tree. Spencer was one of the kids who helped with the planting.

Toot Toot!

While Mommy was changing Brian's diaper today, Spencer was happily playing away on the floor. Pretty soon Mommy heard him making train noises and saying "toot toot". She turned around to see him crawling around the track on this rug on his hands and knees! He wasn't pushing any toys on it......HE was being the toy himself!

Break Out The Water Wings!

Yes we stayed at a hotel last weekend, but more importantly, much of our stay at that hotel was spent poolside! Spencer hasn't had as much experience in a swimming pool as Brian has, but since he has to do everything that his brother does - he was willing to do some experimenting. The boys started out sitting in the floaters while Mommy and Daddy guided them around the water. At first, he wasn't real interested and he started saying "I done!"

However, once he started seeing his brother jumping into the water from the edge of the pool, he had to try that too! By the time we got out of the water, Spencer's bravery level had jumped about 300% and by the end of our 2nd day in the pool, we were starting to think he had gills!

Happy Birthday Aunt June!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clear Lake!

Before we started out trip back home to Illinois, we wanted to stop by Great Grandma's house to say "hi" again. Since Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kevin and his family, Uncle Colin and his family, Uncle Corey and us all had the same idea - Great Grandma had a house full!

No trip to Great Grandma's is complete until you have walked the short walk to the lake. It was such a nice day that Spencer just couldn't help himself from sticking his toes into the water. It may look like Grandma is pushing him in - but she is really just trying to keep him from jumping all the way in!

Party Time!

Today was Great Grandma's surprise party and it was a HUGE success! Great Uncle Dave (her son) and Great Aunt Karri invited her to come to church with them this morning. Once she arrived and was given her corsage, she was informed that it was just the beginning of her surprise. One by one, her 3 children and their spouses - her 7 grandchildren and their spouses and all of her great grandchildren - 17 in total all started coming in. Our group of 36 filled up a good portion of the church! When the service was over, we all headed to the gym for some lunch, entertainment and just a lot of fun in general! Spencer and Brian (yes, those are Brian's legs sticking out) thought the bean bag toss game was exceptionally fun!

Happy Birthday Great Grandma - we hope you as much fun today as we all did!

Keep On Truckin!

It took a little longer than we would have liked, but we finally managed to get on the road this morning. We are going to Mason City Iowa for Great Grandma Dorothy's surprise birthday party which will be happening tomorrow. Our goal was to be across the boarder into Iowa by lunchtime because there is a great place to stop. In addition to having lunch, the I-80 truck stop has lots of room to roam around as well as letting us stretch our legs. Spencer enjoyed getting the feel of the Semi that was on display.

He also loved the Nascar games in the arcade! Next stop........the Mason City Holiday Inn!!!!!

Homeless For The Day!

Even though there were lots of things to get done today in preparation for the trip we are leaving on tomorrow morning, we needed to vacate our house this morning. Our realtor put us on the "realtor tour" list for today, so we needed to be gone from 9am - 3pm to allow for a variety of showing of the house. After doing a variety of things in the morning, we slipped over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for naps. They were not home but we were very thankful that we could use their house for a while this afternoon!

BFF

Eventually, Spencer's "best friends forever" will more than likely be his brother Brian. For the moment though, nothing beats Goober!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!

If Mommy were up to date on this blog, I would be telling you that today is Great Grandma Dorothy's 90th Birthday! However, that is all I would be telling you. I wouldn't be telling you that we are planning a big surprise party for her in Mason City Iowa this weekend. Shhhhhh......don't tell her! :-) This picture is a sneak preview of what our ice cream eatin' boy will look like!

Come Back Soon!

As you can see by Spencer's face, we were not happy to say good bye to Grandma and Grandpa today. Unfortunately they had to head back to South Dakota this morning. We didn't get to see much of Grandpa on this trip because his meetings kept him pretty busy but we sure enjoyed having Grandma here! Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa, we can't wait for our next visit!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Aunt Karyn today! Spencer may not be quite able to sing happy birthday wishes to her on the phone like his big brother did, but he was sure THINKING them though!

"I Try"

Spencer is usually pretty good at trying new things, but when ice cream is involved........its ALL good! We had a Dairy Queen treat this evening and Spencer was all over Grandma's Buster Bar! Could this be teething related? Sure....but chances are it's because you just can't beat a good DQ treat!

Num Num Num

Spencer is currently doing a little teething. At breakfast this morning, Grandma offered him some ice chips. It clearly felt very good on his gums because he kept chomping away and asking for more!

Deal Me In!

When little boys get restless, Grandma's have the special gift of being able to reach into their purse and at a moments notice, pull out the most incredible toys! Today it was........a deck of cards! Colorful bird pictures on one side.......numbers to identify and call out on the other side! The boys were amazed and fascinated!

Get Me Into Therapy!

Our realtor needed us to be out of the house for awhile today so that it could be shown. Since it was rainy we decided to go to the mall for awhile. We haven't been to the Yorktown Mall for quite a while so it was high time for us to pay a visit to their kiddy area again. As an added bonus, Grandpa was with us too! He flew in last night and even though we have to have him back to the airport later today, we were happy to have him along with us this afternoon! The last time we were at this Malls kiddy area, Spencer was comfortable going up the stairs to the tornado slide but he panicked when he got to the top. Since Brian raced right up the stairs and immediately went flying down the slide, Spencer wanted to do it too. He got to the top of the stairs and then..........fear set in! Mommy went up to either help him or put him into several years of therapy! She had Brian sit down so that Spencer could sit right behind him. Grandma was at the bottom of the slide and with a firm push from Mommy..........

........off they went! Spencer looked horrified when he got to the bottom but as soon as he realized what he had just done, the smile set in and he couldn't get back up those stairs fast enough so that he could to do it again, and again, and again!

I Can Do It Too!

Spencer is a very determined and head strong little boy. He has watched his brother (the original "Mr. I Do It!") long enough to think that he should be able to do whatever his brother is doing! For example, since Brian has starting climbing into his car seat on his own, Spencer thinks he should be able to do this too. In fact, he thinks he should be able to climb into ANY vehicle by himself, even into Daddy's truck - which has no car seat by the way!

Craft Central!

Mommy didn't think she had enough on her plate, so she volunteered to be the craft leader for our church's Vacation Bible School which is taking place next month. Having Grandma here this week has been a huge help since Mommy has been busy trying to select some fun projects for the VBS kids to do. Spencer and Brian have been wonderful guinea pigs helping determine what crafts would be good ideas....

and what crafts wouldn't be!

Back To The Zoo!

Grandma and Grandpa arrived from South Dakota yesterday! We only got a quick visit with Grandpa because he had to catch a flight and leave right away, but we get to hang on to Grandma for the next week! A realtor was showing out house today so we needed to leave for awhile. This gave us the perfect excuse to go back to the Brookfield Zoo! With Grandma along, Mommy was able to make good on her promise for a carousel ride this time. Brian raced right over and jumped on a Gorilla but Spencer was slightly apprehensive about the whole thing. He decided that he was willing to at least sit (not ride, just sit) on a Panda Bear as long as he could keep one hand firmly gripped onto Mommy's jacket! He didn't think he needed to have his picture taken on the Panda, but he was willing to pose for a photo after the ride was over.

We rate the success of a trip to the zoo by how tired the boys are when we leave. This was the result shortly after we left the parking lot...........today was another successful zoo outing!

Are You Talkin' To Me?

Uncle Corey snapped this picture of Spencer at Grandma and Grandpa's house yesterday and it was just too cute not to share with everyone!

Happy Mothers Day!

In honor of Mothers Day, Spencer was on his best behavior all day! Granted, Spencer tries hard to be on his best behavior most of the time but hey - what do you expect from a 20 month old!?!? Daddy and the boys took Mommy out for a delicious brunch before we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to lounge in the back yard and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.

A guy can only sit around and lounge for so long though.......then you need to grab a scooter and tear up the driveway!

We wish all of the Mommy's out there a very happy and memorable Mothers Day!

Too Cool For School!

Who is it behind those Foster Grants? It's our own Spencer Paul, wearing Uncle Colin's shades and looking absolutely adorable in the process!

Day Outing

Our Realtor needed us to be out of the house for most of the day today to accommodate some showings. Mommy and the boys took advantage of the nice weather and we went to the zoo! Since there was only one grown up, we had to make some modifications to our plan. One modification was that Spencer had to be in the stroller instead of walking like he wanted.

Poor Spencer missed seeing a couple of the animals since his stroller put him below the sight line of a few things. For the most part though, he got to see a lot, including this child size replica of a hut that was in the African exhibit. To both little boys distress, we had to opt for no carousel ride and no stop at the play ground area. There was no way Mommy could have made that work without having split herself in two so we will have to make up for this little disappointment on our next zoo visit.

Ahhhhhh Sweet Comfort!!!!!!!

Spencer has added an additional item to his comfort items. In addition to "Goober" (who is sen in this picture) is his blanket. Thank goodness for Grandma since both of these priceless items came from her!

Super Sized Toys!

There are three boys in this picture......can you spot the parent?




Daddy has as much and sometimes even more fun coming up with new "toys" for the boys to play with. Here's an example: by resting this aluminum scaffolding on top of a roller.....presto, instant teeter totter!







Move the roller to the end of the scaffolding and wha-laa........you have a very nice ramp to walk up and down! Stay tuned to find out what Daddy will come up with next!

I Miss My Brother!

We have told you about Goober, Spencer's source of comfort. Lately he has been attached to Goober and his blanket even more than usual and today was a real test for him. Aunt June came over to play with Spencer while Mommy and Brian went to their pre school outing. Normally this would have been great but today, Spencer was very distressed over the whole situation. Goober helped him calm down and relax - so much so that he fell asleep and took a nap!

When Brian got home, Spencer couldn't wait to hear all about his morning!

***Check out the color of our freshly painted house the boys are standing next to. It's almost done and we are very happy with how it looks!

Go Hawks!!!

If you live in the Chicago area and have any interest in sports then you are in luck because you have a variety of options available to you year round. At the moment, our hockey fans are happy because the Blackhawks are in the play offs. Spencer isn't quite as much of a fan as Uncle Kevin is.......but he still sports the team colors with pride!

Happy Birthday Erika!!!!

Erika is celebrating a birthday today! Just looking at her, it is pretty obvious that she is now 7. She looks much more mature than she did yesterday. Normally, as many of the Aunts/Uncles/and Cousins all get together at Grandma and Grandpa's house to celebrate have a slice of the cake Grandma made. Grandma and Grandpa were up to having us all over but due to the fact they were just getting over a nasty case of food poisoning, Aunt June had to fill in for Grandma and supply the sweets herself this time.

Spencer gave Aunt June's birthday cupcakes a two thumbs up! Happy Birthday Erika - here's to another amazing year!

Snake Alert!

Daddy has rarely ever spotted one in our yard but today he not only saw but he also managed to capture the rare and illusive baby garter snake. Mommy, by the way, was thrilled beyond belief at this news! Spencer was napping at the time but as soon he woke up, he got to see the baby snake up close and personal.

No fear!
















Spencer and his brother didn't get to see the "catch" but they did witness the "release" part of our snake adventure.

Surf's Up!

Spencer still has only a passing interest in the computer that Brian plays his games on. He is however, interested in being a part of the action when it's going on. He things that crawling up onto or laying across the table like this is cute. His brother doesn't always share that same point of view!