Spencer Paul

Weekly Review: February 28 - March 6

2010-03-06T19:12:00.006-06:00

The boys had a blast playing with all the cool stuff and toys at Grandma and Grandpa's house! On this trip, they also made a discovery that up until now, they hadn't noticed - Grandpa's guitar! Looks like we have another budding musician in the works!

We left South Dakota Saturday and went as far as LaCrosse Wisconsin. The boys have been very good travelers up to this point - the break was taken more because Mommy needed it than for any other reason. In one of our rest stop breaks, the boys proved that you really CAN make fun out of nearly anything. This is a changing table that they turned into a briefcase from the game show Deal or No Deal. They would take turns pulling it open while the other said "Open your case!" Then they would both jump up and down screaming! That's right folks - I don't think I could make this stuff up!

We got home early enough Sunday afternoon to join in on the joint birthday party that was already in progress at our house. We celebrated Krista's birthday that was last Wednesday and Grandpa's birthday which was Sunday!

The boys also go to call in birthday wishes to their girl Elizabeth who turned 16 on Wednesday! Happy birthday to you all!!!!!!!!!

Weekly Review: February 21 - 27

2010-02-27T20:39:00.000-06:00

About 48 hours ago Mommy and Daddy made a last minute decision. We decided that Daddy would stay home and got caught up on some office work while Mommy and the boys made a flying trip to South Dakota! So Sunday morning, as Daddy left for church, the boys and Mommy loaded into the RSV (red sport vehicle) and made tracks to SD! Right before we left, our good friend Jenny surprised Brian and Spencer with travel goodie bags and they were a huge hit with the boys!

Our goal for travel day 1 was to get to Sioux Falls. Once there we spent the night at Mommy's best friend Jannelle's house. Spencer got a big kick out of Jannelle's dogs Sophie and Sam. Even though both dogs were incredibly kid friendly and very gentle, Brian wasn't quite so sure about the whole deal. Thanks for everything Jannelle - we can't wait to see you again!!!

We went to South Dakota to visit Grandma and Grandpa but we did have another reason for this particular trip. We wanted to go to Pierre and watch Senator/Grandpa in action at the state capital! While we were enjoying our day at the capital, we ran into some royalty - the lovely McKenzie Haley, Miss Rodeo South Dakota!

We were introduced by Senator/Grandpa during the legislative session! The added commentary you hear is why we opted to stay in the gallery this year instead of trying to sit next to Grandpa downstairs. I also apologize for the shaky video - Mommy had some "assistance" filming this one.

....and once again, we managed to rub elbows with South Dakota Governor Rounds! If you have the opportunity to go to your capital, (whatever state it may be in) we highly recommend it. It really is interesting and important seeing your government in action.

For a long time, Mommy and Daddy never thought we would say this phrase, "Spencer needs a haircut!" Well, he needed one so we paid a visit to Grandma's good friend Ann.

Thank you Ann! Spencer is back to his ever so handsome little self again!

PS: We sent long distance birthday greetings to the boys cousin this week. Happy 10th Birthday Krista!!!!!!!!!

Weekly Review: February 14 - 20

2010-02-20T10:31:00.005-06:00

On behalf of Spencer and all of us, we wish you all a very Happy Valentines Day! Spencer is posing next to the beautiful flowers that he helped Brian and Daddy pick out for Mommy!

Grandma and Grandpa came over tonight to join us for a Valentines Day dinner. Keeping in line with the day, for "zert" we had a variety of fruits that we dipped in chocolate. Spencer was particularly fond of the chocolate dipped strawberries!

Spencer's brother Brian has been studying doctors this week at school. So, when Brian came home from school on Friday dressed like a doctor, Spencer wanted to be in uniform too! He opted to go with the fire fighter look though!

Weekly Review: February 7 - 13

2010-02-13T21:11:00.003-06:00

Super Bowl Sunday doesn't mean much to the boys yet so - Sunday was just another day of playtime for them! A while back, Grandma made the boys an accessory to use in their play kitchen. She made them some hot pads! What would two little boys do with a couple of hot pads you ask? Well, they know EXACTLY what to do with them!

It's been awhile since we posted a "Random Cute Picture" of Spencer so.......here ya go! It doesn't get much cuter than this!!!

Weekly Review: January 31 - 6

2010-02-06T20:42:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday evening of this week, Brian's school had a fun event planned. Kids from Preschool through 2nd grade (as well as their siblings) were invited for "Bedtime Stories". Teachers and members of the school/church staff invited us into their rooms where we snuggled in and listened to a bedtime story. There were 8 different reading stations that we roamed between. To add to the fun, the kids (as well as the teachers who were reading the stories) all wore their jammies! Both boys (okay - Mommy and Daddy too) all had a great time! Spencer in particular seemed to really enjoy getting to be a big boy and go to Brian's school!

Hi Ho - Hi Ho - it's off to work in Daddy's vest I go!

Grandma D had to be at the hospital bright and early Friday morning as she was scheduled to have rotator cuff surgery. She came through the surgery very well but her doctors decided that they would prefer for her to have a sleep over at the hospital and not go home until Saturday. On Saturday morning, Uncle Corey flew in prepared to assist his father with home health care for the next few days. Needless to say, we all love it when Uncle Corey comes to town!

Weekly Review: January 24 - 30

2010-01-30T21:58:00.011-06:00

You never know where Spencer will be when the muse strikes him and he needs to create some new artwork. Mommy keeps the crayons close at hand because the boys request them often!

If you recall, we recently posted a picture of Spencer opening a Christmas gift that contained some play vegetables. What fun can you have playing with plastic food? A whole BUNCH of fun if you live at our house! The boys spend a lot of time playing "grocery store". Spencer started out as the cashier, ringing up all of his customers items.

The boys are getting a little better at sharing and taking turns so, soon Spencer was the customer!

If imitation is the best form of flattery, that Mommy and Daddy are indeed flattered! He was either doing what he sees his parents do or........looking for an apartment of his own!

Weekly Review: January 17 - 23

2010-01-23T21:34:00.007-06:00

Since Christmas, the gift of a simple little plastic bowling pin game sure has brought a great deal of joy into the lives of one Brian and one Spencer! Initially, Spencer's bowling technique was less of rolling the ball and more of THROWING the ball towards the pins. He tended to prefer the overhand throw so we are thankful that the bowling balls are hollow little plastic things or we would have some serious dents in our floors! This also explains why Mommy and Daddy decided that Spencer wasn't quite ready to attend Haley's birthday bowling party on Sunday.

Spencer was happy to hang out watching football at home with Grandpa. Actually, Grandpa did most of the game watching while Spencer did a little more bowling of his own!

When Brian returned from the birthday party, he had lots of exciting stories to tell but frankly, I think Spencer was more interested in looking into the grab bags that Haley sent home for them!

Last December we talked about how Spencer was no longer interested in sleeping in his crib anymore. Daddy immediately converted his crib into the toddler bed. Spencer isn't completely sold on the idea of the toddler bed yet but he has no problem crawling into Brian's big boy bed!

Since Spencer isn't a big fan of sleeping in his toddler bed but he loves sleeping on his Big Bird bed, a few weeks ago Daddy came up with a win-win solution! Put the Big Bird bed IN the toddler bed and call it a day! Spencer crawls right into it for his afternoon nap each day as well as at bedtime. Case Closed!!!

Weekly Review: January 10 - 16

2010-01-16T22:13:00.003-06:00

What is it about kids and water? Put a couple inches of water in the kitchen dish pan, throw in a couple measuring cups, teaspoons and a small glass to fill and Spencer will be occupied for hours!

There were a few additional Thomas the Train accessories under the Christmas tree so the boys have been enjoying some extra time in the land of Sodor with Thomas, Percy, Flora, Stanley and Bill. (If you know anything about Thomas then you understood what I just said.)

We may have mentioned that Daddy has been hard at work remodeling a kitchen. What does that mean if you are 2 or 3 years old? It mean that when Daddy starts installing the cabinets you are about to score some amazing new forts to play in!!!!!!

Weekly Review: January 3 - 9

2010-01-09T11:04:00.003-06:00

This week is starting out with another birthday and it belongs to Aunt Ann! Happy Birthday Aunt Ann, we hope you had a wonderful day!

Now that we are back home, the boys their Christmas gifts from our Illinois family to open! Some of the photo's Mommy was able to snap include looking inside their Christmas stockings,

showing excitement over some new books (which we LOVE!),

and some additional vegetables to add to our groceries store/kitchen in the playroom!

We always hate to see it end, but once the calenders tell us it's January, it's time to take down the tree and box up our decorations until next year. Before we take everything down though, heres one more shot of the boys in front of the tree!

We end our week with one more birthday......this time it's the boys cousin Haley who turned 5 years old on Saturday the 9th! Happy Birthday to you.......Happy Birthday to you.......Happy Birthday to Haaaaaaa-leyyyyyyyy......Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!!!!!

FYI: Mommy's 2010 New Years Resolution. She resolves to get a better handle on this blog and stay on top of it remaining current. To ensure that can happen, she will no longer be posting daily entries. Instead, she will continue doing these weekly reviews. This should allow us to keep you up to date on the day to day doings of Spencer and his brother Brian while allowing Mommy to also do everything else she needs to do!

Weekly Review: December 27 - January 2, 2010

2010-01-02T15:38:00.013-06:00

If you were holed up in the house while a snowstorm raged away outside......what would you do? I don't know about you but we decided to make home made ice cream! Spencer assisted Grandma in measuring all the ingredients and then Brian helped Grandpa get the salt poured into the ice cream machine.

The results were........delicious!!!!!

If life give you snow: then just ask your Daddy to dig you out a nice snow fort to play in!

There was no way Daddy could spend that much time digging and shoveling snow without leaving his trademark "dude stuck upside down in a snowbank" fella behind! As we were getting ready to leave, we ran into the mail carrier. She said seeing "dude" made her laugh all the way down the block! Grandma informed us that they received a few other calls from people who passed by who got a chuckle out of "dude" too. Hey, if a big ol' snow storm is going to cause you to loose your sense of humor.......chances are, you are in for a LONG winter!

We promised some pictures of the remodeling project Grandma and Grandpa have done so here ya go! This photo was taken while standing in the sun room looking towards the dining room which is at the front of the house. Going to your left would take you into the kitchen and the original part of the house. Going to the right would take you out into the attached garage.

Here's another shot of the sun room. Space, space and more space! Fabulous!!!!!!!

The road reports said that they weren't great, but that they were do-able so we decided that we needed to start for home today (Monday the 28th). HUGE thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for everything. We had a great time and are looking forward to doing it again soon! Maybe not the blizzard part, but definitely everything else!!! Love you both lots!

The first hour or so was a little intense but once we got onto the Interstate the roads improved greatly. So much so that we decided that we would try to make our drive home in one day instead of splitting it into two. Mommy and Daddy decided that if it got to be too much for the boys we would stop, but if we could, we would drive straight though. We stopped for lunch in Sioux Falls where we met up with Mommy's dear friend Jannelle and didn't stop again until dinner. Fortunately we made it to LaCrosse Wisconsin by then and they have an incredible McDonalds playland at their location right outside of LaCrosse so the boys got to run around and stretch their legs for awhile. Being strapped into a car seat for 12 plus hours is a lot to ask of anyone but the boys were troopers and handled the long trip like true professionals! I'm sure eventually Mommy and Daddy won't get all silly the moment we drive Spencer by the exit which leads to the town of Spencer South Dakota. However, as of this trip........the humor hadn't worn off yet!

We got home with just enough time to finish planning our New Years Eve party! The group of friends/family that we make our annual December group outing with just so happen to be the same group of friends/family that we spend New Years Eve with! Kids from age 2 to 17 (although the 17 yr old wasn't able to make it since she had her own thing going on this year - we missed you Beth!), their parents, food, fun and games are all a part of the evening. At the stroke of midnight, Brian hung with the older kids out in the yard, throwing streamers and blowing noise makers. Even though Spencer was still wide awake, he chose to watch the festivities with Aunt Karen from inside the house. Both boys stayed up until midnight but faded fast from that moment on. By 12:20am they were both in bed and fast asleep!

Happy New Year everyone - we hope your 2010 will be filled with good health and happiness!

AND.......as of today, January 1st, 2010 - Happy Birthday to the boys cousin, the lovely Lauren who turnes 2 years old today! Happy Birthday Lauren!!!!!!!!

Weekly Review: December 20 - 26

2009-12-26T14:59:00.021-06:00

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

2009-12-19T21:15:00.009-06:00

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

2009-12-12T14:23:00.005-06:00

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

2009-12-05T12:56:00.005-06:00

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

2009-11-28T14:28:00.011-06:00

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

2009-11-21T21:34:00.002-06:00

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

2009-11-14T21:13:00.006-06:00

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!

2009-11-07T20:06:00.005-06:00

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!

2009-11-06T20:31:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-11-05T20:38:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-04T20:44:00.002-06:00

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?

2009-11-03T20:51:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-02T21:01:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-11-01T20:31:00.001-06:00

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!!!

2009-10-31T22:09:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-10-08T20:51:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-10-07T20:46:00.002-05:00

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

ROFL

2009-10-06T23:21:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-10-05T21:33:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-10-04T21:24:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-10-03T20:57:00.006-05:00

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!!!!!!

2009-10-02T23:15:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-10-01T22:44:00.004-05:00

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!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

2009-09-30T21:44:00.002-05:00

The boys have a great time playing "restaurant". They recently opened a new drive thru which is located in our living room. Listening to them place their orders and pass the play food back and forth is too cute!

Spencer also sends out a big Happy Birthday wish today to Great Grandma (aka: Gram) back in South Dakota! We are glad to hear that you had a terrific day and we can't wait to see you when we are back in SD later this year!

Bath Time!

2009-09-29T21:36:00.004-05:00

We are so close to having a full functioning bathroom that the boys took their first bath at home tonight! Daddy still has to put the floor and wall tile in place but the tub and plumbing are all hooked up and as you can see.......working great!

Play Dough!!!!!

2009-09-28T21:25:00.003-05:00

The boys got some play dough and dough accessories for their birthdays. These goodies had been temporarily stashed away in a closet.......until today that is!

With the weather starting to get colder, having another fun indoor activity option will come in very handy!

How Cute Is She??????

2009-09-27T21:37:00.005-05:00

This afternoon we had dinner over at Grandpa and Grandma's house, along with some very special guests. Even though they don't live all that far away, we never seem to see Great Aunt Ronnie, Great Uncle Glenn or Daddy's cousins nearly as often as we would like. Today Aunt Ronnie, Uncle Glenn and Daddy's cousin Bill (as well as his wife Kristin and their baby girl Kendall) came for an afternoon visit and dinner. Uncle Colin, Aunt Karyn and Haley were also able to come so needless to say......fun was has by us all! Kendall (who will have her first birthday on Halloween) is starting to experiment with taking a few steps. She is a very experienced crawler though and Spencer invited her into Grandma's "Bonus Room" to show her where all the cool toys are stored.

She didn't seem to share his interest in the trucks and cars yet but he probably liked that. If she didn't want to play with them, he didn't have to share them!

Can I Wear It?????

2009-09-26T06:00:00.003-05:00

An apple a day may keep the doctor away but it definitely makes for a GREAT "apple crown"! Brian made it in school last week and Spencer got a real kick out of wearing it.

Playtime!

2009-09-25T21:32:00.003-05:00

When the boys are playing nicely together......it's so sweet. The conversations that they have as they pass toys back and forth is priceless!

Unfortunately, these moments are sandwiched between periods of time when sharing and taking turns are the LAST thing on either of their minds!

Park It Here!

2009-09-24T14:15:00.003-05:00

With the win of our big raffle prize still fresh, we revisited a park this week that we knew for a fact had a sandbox. We went back to the unnamed McCook Park District park. We loved this park the first time we were here and it was just as terrific this time too! We had some light rain last night and maybe the slightly damp conditions kept people away because we were the only ones at the park today. The fact that the sand was still a little wet was fine though because it helped our sand molds stick together!

We can't be at this park and not play on the playground equipment. The boys probably put on 5 miles just running up and down the long sidewalk ramp that led to one of the slides! Spencer wasn't so much playing tic-tac-toe as he was just saying "OHHHHHHHHH!" each time he spun one of the wheels!

Let's Go!

2009-09-23T14:30:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure who gets more excited about going to school. Brian is anxious to get to his classroom and see his teacher and his friends. Spencer is excited just, well just to get to come along! Spencer has a backpack too and he insists on wearing it when we take Brian to school. As soon as Mommy lets them know that it's time to go, he grabs his backpack and walks around announcing "Let's Go! Let's Go!"

The Good Bye Tour

2009-09-22T20:31:00.005-05:00

Spencer has started doing something that we find quite amusing. When we get ready to leave someplace, he says goodbye to, well, to everything and anything! Here are a few examples. When we dropped Brian off at preschool and were leaving the building Spencer started waving and saying "Bye Brian........bye Brian.......bye school.......bye Brian.......bye school."

As he was going upstairs on his way to bed, waiving to everything on the way "Bye toys......bye horse (referring to the rocking horse in the living room)......bye tree (referring to the plants at the bottom of the steps).....bye stairs."

The day this picture was taken we were at a park. There are a lot of things to bid farewell to there too! "Bye slide....bye swings......bye slide."

Spencer would also like to wish Uncle Seth and Aunt Ann a very Happy Anniversary today!!!

Test Drive

2009-09-21T14:12:00.003-05:00

A few days ago we were at Floors and Walls looking at bathroom tile. Mommy and Daddy brought several sample boards home so that we could see how they look in the room. Spencer helped out by jumping around on it. This was all part of his personally performed "durability test". The tile all passed the inspection, we have picked out our color, now all we have to do is come up with the design!

Book!!!

2009-09-20T14:05:00.002-05:00

Spencer is such a little book worm! When he wakes up, either in the morning or from his nap, the first thing he says is "Book!" Once he has picked a book from his bookshelf, he is ready to take on the day!

"I like to read books in the car, I like to read books near or far. I like to read books Sam I Am!" (Mommy and Daddy are getting very familiar with Dr Seuss books again - can you tell!?!?)

Random Cute Picture!

2009-09-19T22:15:00.002-05:00

Brian isn't the only kid in this house who knows his way around tools! Spencer enjoys clipping on this Sesame Street tool belt as much as Brian does. His Minnesota State Fair Pronto Pup paper hat is missing the pop up hot dog, but that hasn't stopped Spencer from wearing it around the house!

Let's Make a Deal!

2009-09-18T22:00:00.002-05:00

Do you want what's behind shower door number 1, 2 or 3?

The boys came with Mommy and Daddy to our favorite flooring store today (that would be Floors and Walls located in Franklin Park). Daddy has been working at remodeling our bathroom and he is very close to being able to do the tile work. Before he can do that though - we pretty much need to pick out the tile! We had some toys along with us so that the boys would have something to do and so that they would be less inclined to tear the store apart. That all turned out to be unnecessary though because once they found this shower door display......they were set!

Park It Here!

2009-09-17T21:18:00.003-05:00

Spencer took Brian and Mommy to Western Springs for today's park outing. We went to Northeast Park which is located at 39th Street and Linden Ave but it's very visible if you are driving down Odgen Avenue. Since Odgen is the route that we took on our numerous trips back and forth between our old house and our new house, this park has been on our to do list for quite awhile.

It's not a bad park but in all honesty - we thought it looked like more fun from the street than it did up close. There is a fence separating the park from the busy street so that isn't a problem. There is a soccer field on one side of the park and a fenced in tennis court with some basketball hoops on the other side. These were very nice amenities that we haven't seen at other parks we have been to. The biggest problem we had with this park is that the equipment was all made from treated wood. It looked nice but it doesn't have as much give when you bump your knee going up the steps and it's not quite as smooth to the touch when you brush your arm against it when your running past it to go down the slide again.

Don't get us wrong, we had a nice time at this park but it's definitely not in our top 10 list.

I'm Drawing!

2009-09-16T21:09:00.002-05:00

This evening Brian was drawing and coloring some of the shapes that he has been studying at school. If Brian was going to be drawing and coloring, then Spencer wanted to be doing that too! When Spencer has a crayon in his hand he flip flops from one hand to the other but he seems to primarily use his right hand. As soon as Spencer finished his artwork he announces with a loud proud voice "I did it! I'm drawing!"

Watermelon!!!!!

2009-09-15T21:04:00.002-05:00

Spencer isn't always the most willing to experiment with new foods. Mommy was having some watermelon today and he asked to try it. When he first tastes something new he gets a look on his face like he just ate dirt. However, after a couple seconds.......he smiled and said "Mmmmm, yummy!"

It's a Party!!!!

2009-09-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

The boy's had a blast playing with their cousin Haley yesterday. They played inside and they played outside. They even played in the garage. Any guesses as to what they found to play with in the garage? Yup......that's right......a big ol' pile of sawdust!!!!! The boy's don't usually get baths on Monday nights but they sure needed one tonight!!!

Happy Grandparent's Day!

2009-09-13T21:12:00.003-05:00

In honor of Grandparents day today, Grandma and Grandpa came over to have dinner with us tonight! Recently, they had been to Minnesota to visit Uncle Corey. While they were there they went to the Minnesota State Fair. If you know anything about going to fairs, it should go without saying that you just CAN'T go to a fair and not have a corn dog! At the Minnesota State Fair they are called "Pronto Pups". If you are lucky and you have the right connections, someone might even bring you back a Pronto Pup hat! Spencer wasn't always a big fan of wearing hats but he couldn't get enough of this one!

Happy Grandparents Day to all the Grandma's and Grandpa's out there!!!!

Me Make Fire!

2009-09-12T21:02:00.002-05:00

It's a good thing that our house is surrounded by two fire hydrants because the boys are intrigued by fire! They are learning some fire safety tips though. It's very common to hear words like "hot" and "don't touch" when they are by the back yard fire pit. The actual fire pan is removed anytime the boys are "building their own fire". The concept of building a fire is enough for them - for the moment anyway!

Don't Forget

2009-09-11T20:57:00.002-05:00

God Bless America and God Bless the brave men and women who continue to fight for our freedom and safety.

Park It Here!

2009-09-10T14:37:00.003-05:00

Today we tried out a park that's walking distance from our house. Emil Scheive Park is a nice little park. It's all fenced in and has a nice variety of equipment. The slides are REALLY steep which is an added bonus when you take two little dare devil boys to the park!

There is also a "roller slide" which got mixed reviews from Spencer. The first several times he went down it - it was great! Then all of the sudden, he seemed scared. He got to the top, sat down and then suddenly changed his mind. He went down one of the other slide options available to him but a few minutes later he was back on the roller slide again!

Boo-Boo

2009-09-09T14:20:00.002-05:00

Poor little Spencer. He usually looks like a walking bruise. If he's not bumping his head on something, he's scraping his knee or elbow. Today he got a nice boo boo on his ankle. Fortunately, a band aid is able to make it feel all better!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

2009-09-08T21:47:00.002-05:00

In honor of Daddy's birthday.........Mommy and the boys went to the pediatrician for their yearly checkup. Now that Spencer is officially 2 years old, he is very happy to announce that he has had the majority of his immunization shots. The only "poke" he got today was just his flu shot and he was very brave for it! After giving him the once over, the doctor declared him to be strong, healthy and growing right on target! His stats are as follows. At his 18 month appt he was 32 3/4 inches tall. He is now 34 1/2 inches tall which is in the 45th percentile. At his 18 month appt he weighted 26.14 pounds. He is now 30.2 pounds which is the 65th percentile for weight. Spencer now officially weighs more than his older brother!

About 2 weeks ago Mommy, Grandma, Brian and Spencer snuck out and went to get the boys pictures taken as a surprise birthday present for Daddy. This picture is the result of that outing. It's hard for Spencer to take a bad picture but unfortunately, we were very disappointed with the experience we had at the photo studio. Mommy and Daddy decided we will make another appointment and try it again very soon. In the meantime though - this is Spencer's temporary "official 2 year old" picture!

Freeze!

2009-09-07T21:34:00.003-05:00

If he had a choice, Spencer would live in a swing. He just can't seem to get enough of being pushed higher and higher. A long time ago Daddy made up a little game we call "freeze". While he's swinging, Spencer calls out "Freeze!" and then whoever is pushing grabs the swing to stop it mid swing. After a couple seconds the pusher says "Unfreeze" and gives him another big push. After some hearty laughter from Spencer and several more swings he calls out "Freeze" again!

Shhhhh......Don't Tell Daddy!

2009-09-06T21:50:00.004-05:00

Daddy knew that we were going to be having dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kevin, Aunt June, Krista and Erika today. What he didn't know was that it was going to be his early birthday party too! Spencer had a hard time not giving away the secret that there was a birthday cake hidden - but he did it!!!

When everyone had finished their cake, we went across the street to our back yard to take care of a very important job. Grandma and Grandpa have a bunch of old flags from their 4th of July parties that needed to be disposed of. Since Spencer is well aware of the fact that you can't just throw a flag out......you need to burn it, he suggested we have yard fire. The older kids participated in putting the flags on the fire. Brian and Spencer were content to watch from a safe distance.

The Great Wall

2009-09-05T21:38:00.003-05:00

The small slope next to the front of our house has been a source of great entertainment for the boys. Spencer likes Mommy to say "On your mark.....get set......GO!" so that they can run down the slope as fast as they can. Granted they both usually end up falling into a heap at the bottom of the slope, but it's fun while it lasts!!!

Counting the number of steps as they climb the decorative rock wall is also WAYYYY fun!

Backyard Paradise!

2009-09-04T14:46:00.007-05:00

Given the size of the back yard at our new house, and with the amount of time we spend it in, you will probably see a lot of back yard playing related blog photos. Here's the view from the back of the yard looking toward the front. Our house is to the left.

The boy's yard toys have all been confined in the back of the yard. They are nestled in between the garage and Mommy's weed patch (aka: next year's garden).

We don't have any different toys from what was in our old yard, but in this new setting, they all seem brand new again because the boys have a renewed interest in playing with all of them!

Park It Here!

2009-09-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

With the move and several birthdays behind us - Spencer is back on track with his park reviews! This week we went to an un named park within the McCook Park District. It's located a little northwest of 55th and Lawndale in McCook and it is AWSOME! Here are some of the perks this park has. It's completely fenced in, there are lots of mature trees so it's got grate shade. There are several play areas designed for a variety of kid's ages and it was immaculately clean and well maintained! Our first picture shows the toddler play area to the left, the older kids playground area to the right and the sand play area in the middle. There are swings behind the toddler area that you can't really see.

We didn't include a picture of the gazebo with several picnic tables under it but there is also a cool rock climbing wall! The base surface of all the playground equipment has that rubberized mulch which is nice and soft.

The boys had a blast at this park and considering that it is not far from our house - we will back often!

I've Been Framed!

2009-09-02T14:24:00.004-05:00

The steps to our back door are a source of constant entertainment for Spencer. He can have a good time just climbing up them......then going back down......then climbing back up them......and then back down again........I think you see where I'm going here!

Child Labor!

2009-09-01T14:11:00.003-05:00

We have a couple shrubs in our yard that needed to go to foliage heaven. Once Daddy had wrapped one end of a chain around the shrubs and the other end to his pickup.......bye bye shrubs!!! With the shrubs gone, it was time to send in the clean up crew!!!

After the ground had been raked smooth, there was sweeping to do too!

Toys-Toys and more Toys!

2009-08-31T21:39:00.003-05:00

The clothes have been put away in the closet, the books are in their rooms and the play dough has been tucked away for a rainy day activity. There are still a few new birthday toys around that needed to be played with though!

He tried, but unfortunately Uncle Corey wasn't able to make it here for this year's party. The gift he mailed the boys did though. They didn't completely understand it when they opened it but by the next morning - after Daddy had assembled it.......WOW! Spencer was a little hesitant at first. When Mommy asked him if he wanted to ride the horse he immediately said "No". However, after we dropped Brian off at school and came home - he couldn't get enough of "horse-ie!"

Let's Party!

2009-08-30T21:19:00.003-05:00

Since Daddy's parents as well as two of his three brothers (as well as their families) all live in the Chicago land area, small family birthday gatherings involve quite a few people. Today we had a joint birthday party for the boys with the local aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Grandma is famous for her birthday cakes and once again lived up to her reputation by making three balloon cakes - one for Spencer, one for Brian and one for Mommy! Spencer loves the concept of blowing out the candles and he got both of his candles out on the first try!

As is the case with all kids, the boy's excitement level as they started opening their gifts was off the charts! We hope that the boy's South Dakota cousin had a fabulous birthday today too! Happy 7th Birthday Nolan - we can't wait until we get to see you again!!!

Let Em' Roll!

2009-08-29T21:15:00.002-05:00

Our new house has an amazing backyard and the boys have wasted no time breaking it in! There is a small slope at the front of the house which is perfect for doing some body rolling!

Happy Birthday Big Brother!!!

2009-08-28T20:50:00.003-05:00

Brian isn't always the nicest big brother to Spencer. He has been known to push, shove and yes even bite his little brother. However, Spencer still thinks of Brian as a rock star and he loves playing with him!

To celebrate Brian's birthday today, when Daddy got home from work we headed over to Downers Grove and had dinner at the All Aboard Diner. There was a short wait before we could be seated but fortunately there is a great toy train set at the entrance. There are lots of buttons on the front that operate various things around the train track. One button moves a swing set, one button turns on a beacon light, one button makes a tractor drive forward and backward, etc. The train track kept both boys very well entertained until we were able to be seated. From the laughing and expressions on the boys faces, I think it's fair to say that they had a great time! Spencer and the rest of his family alway want to send out a HUGE Happy Birthday greeting to Grandpa H! We hope you had as wonderful of a day in South Dakota as we did here!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2009-08-27T20:21:00.002-05:00

Mommy woke up to a very wonderful sight this morning. Two little boys and their Daddy wishing and singing her Happy Birthday! Daddy had to head off to work but Mommy got to spend the day playing and enjoying her boys. Our rule is that on your birthday, you get to go out for dinner. Mommy and Daddy opted to pass on getting babysitters and going to a "grown up place". Instead, the four of us went to a family friendly place, Old Country Buffet. We go there fairly regularly but now that we have moved, this was our first time going to what will be our new location. The boys are very familiar with the buffet rules. Rule #1: there will be NO ice cream until you have had your dinner. Once Spencer had fulfilled rule #1, he got busy on his dessert ice cream cone.......and he enjoyed every single bit of it! Spending the evening with her family and watching the smiles and laughter that came out of Brian and Spencer was one of the most amazing birthday gifts Mommy could have ever asked for!

Bugle Boy!

2009-08-26T22:10:00.002-05:00

While Brian was off at his first morning of preschool, Spencer and Mommy enjoyed some quality bonding time together. When Spencer found Daddy's old boy scout bugle, he put on quite a little concert!

Chomp......again!

2009-08-25T21:58:00.003-05:00

Poor Spencer has once again become the victim to his big brothers new interest of biting. Mommy and Daddy have been busy gathering as many tips and suggestions as they can so that they can help Brian make this problem to away immediately, if not sooner! This picture was actually taken a couple days after the initial "chomp" but the bruise from Brian's teeth still shows up very clearly.

Running Laps!

2009-08-24T21:08:00.002-05:00

The boys have been sleeping very soundly and we think it's from all the laps they are running during the day. They can run a full circle through the dining room and living room and when they aren't doing that they are running up the stairs......and then back down the stairs. When this picture was taken, they had just ran upstairs and into Brian's bedroom to read some books.

Is This New?????

2009-08-23T21:00:00.003-05:00

The boys have about 8 million toys and somehow, the best toy will remains to be........

.....a box!

PS: Spencer's first night in the new house can be classified as "sleep as normal". After having his bath, a few books read to him and his bedtime prayers, he grabbed Goober and went right to sleep!

Moving Day!

2009-08-22T20:42:00.004-05:00

Villa Park sponsors an event right before school starts each summer called "Big Rigs and Kids". In addition to the park district being able to showcase what they have to offer, they have lots of big trucks and stuff on display that the kids and get up close and personal looks at. Since Mommy and Daddy were busy with the movers today, the boys checked out the trucks with Uncle Kevin, Aunt June, Krista and Erika. By the end of the day though, we spent our first night in our new house. Spencer is in a "temporary bedroom" at the moment. Mommy and Daddy are using Spencer's room and Spencer is using what will end up being the playroom. Here is a Before photo of what his temporary quarters used to look like.

Here is what it looks like now.

When Mommy and Daddy are able to move out of Spencer's room, this is what his permanent room will look like.

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!!!!

2009-08-21T20:25:00.003-05:00

It's a good thing that Spencer is the age he is and that he is just a good natured little kid. With Mommy and Daddy going crazy getting ready for the movers to come tomorrow, Spencer's birthday festivities were pretty low key today. He spent a good portion of the day at Grandma and Grandpa's house but he loves playing with their toys so that was not a problem for him! Our birthday celebration happened around dinner time when Mommy, Daddy, Brian and birthday boy Spencer went to one of the boys favorite restaurants.......the All Aboard Diner. It's located in Downers Grove and if you have a train loving person in your family - child or adult, you would love it! We were able to get seats at the counter which is the best place to sit since that way the train can deliver your food right to you!

After dinner, Spencer couldn't take his eyes off the train as it rounded the corner carrying his birthday cupcake. As everyone sang happy birthday to him, all he could think of was how long it was going to take the waitress to get that cupcake close enough to him so that he could blow out the candle! Happy Birthday Spencer........Mommy and Daddy promise that your future birthdays will be made much more special!

The Last Supper

2009-08-20T21:23:00.004-05:00

Due to our upcoming move, over the next couple of days things are going to get pretty crazy. Of course, things have been pretty much crazy for the past month or so, so this shouldn't be a huge shock for the boys. That being said, tonight the boys sat down to their final family dinner in our Villa Park house.

Even with a big bite mark bruise on his arm, Spencer was just oozing charm and cuteness all evening.

Since I couldn't decide which of these pictures I liked the best, I thought I would post all three of them!

OUCH!!!!!!

2009-08-19T21:09:00.004-05:00

Brian has entered a new stage.......the biting stage. Unfortunately, Spencer has ended up being the victim to this new problem. Everything was going very nicely today as we were making lunch together. One moment we were working away making our pizza's and the next........

.....Spencer was crying out in pain. It's hard to see in the picture but it wouldn't take a CSI to determine that the source of this chomp mark is his brothers teeth!

The Lift!

2009-08-18T21:01:00.005-05:00

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago out in the back yard. I'm not sure who has more fun trying to find different ways to make anything and everything into a new toy.......the boys, or Daddy! Either way, they ALL had a great time playing!

The Prison Break Is ON!!!!

2009-08-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

This evening Mommy was in the hallway outside the boy's bedrooms backing up a few things. All of the sudden she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. It was Spencer! He darted out of his bedroom and into the living room.....laughing the whole way! Tonight was the first time that he crawled out of his crib. Considering that this event came just five days shy of his 2nd birthday - Mommy and Daddy are very happy that they have been able to enjoy his "crib confinement" for as long as they have!

Mommy snapped this picture after she bribed him back into his crib with the two trucks that he is holding. He stayed in bed the rest of the night........but who knows what he has planned for tomorrow morning!!!

Nope.....Not Yet!

2009-08-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

Yes, from time to time we have to correct someone when they ask if Spencer is a girl. Yes, we can put it into a pony tail in the back (we don't - but we could!) But sorry, Mommy and Daddy still refuse to cut it. His soft wispy baby fine hair may be long in the back, but it's not long anywhere else so.....don't look for Spencer to be sporting a drastic hairstyle change any time soon. No matter if he has long or short hair - could he be any cuter?!?!?!?!

Peek-a-Boo!

2009-08-15T22:30:00.003-05:00

After his bath tonight, Spencer decided to top off his evening with a relaxing game of peek-a-boo. If you ever find yourself in the mood for some peek-a-boo, the boy's Thomas the Train tee pee works great!

JAMIE!!!!!

2009-08-14T22:24:00.003-05:00

The boys had a real treat yesterday when our wonderful friends Aunt Karen and her daughter Jamie came over to play! They spent the whole day with the boys so that Mommy could get some more work done at the new house. As you can see from his face.......Spencer would be more than happy to get play with Jamie EVERY day!

Park It Here!

2009-08-13T22:14:00.003-05:00

Spencer took Brian and Mommy to a local park today. Franklin Park is located on Second and Elm within Villa Park's park district and it was a winner!

This is a smaller park but the boys especially loved the slide! The slide wasn't a curly one - but there it's nice and steep which makes for the boys to fly down it nice and fast which they enjoyed! The slide wasn't just "a slide" either - it was three that sat side by side. The boys had a ball waiting until they had both climbed the steps and were seated next to each other so that they could slide down at the same time! The static build up that the kids get from sliding down the plastic playground equipment makes them look like some sort of a mad science experiment!

Hit The Showers!!!!

2009-08-12T21:53:00.002-05:00

After the boys had baths tonight, Spencer took his first shower! Brian is big on taking a post bath shower but Spencer usually declines the offer. Tonight, instead of wanting to go directly from bath to jammies, he got a taste (quite literally) of what a shower is like!

Let's Go Truckin'!

2009-08-11T21:43:00.002-05:00

Every child has their "thing" that they seem the most drawn to when they want a toy. For Spencer, it's trucks. We keep a small stock of them (like the one he has in his hand) next to the changing table in the event that he needs a small distraction. Goober is still a security item but except for a few occasions, he only uses "The Goob" when he naps and at bedtime.

Help!

2009-08-10T21:22:00.002-05:00

Spencer is gonna get himself into trouble some day with all of his Crying Wolf! He puts a very serious look on his face and in the most pitiful sounding voice you could imagine, he calls out "heeeelp!" Mommy and Daddy have gotten used to this routine to the point where we don't IMMEDIATELY drop everything and rush to his side to see what the problem is. (Now we just go to his side to see what the problem is.) Spencer's "emergency" today was that he tipped over this toy car. Other "emergencies" have been dropping a sippy cup, a toy rolling under a chair, the episode of Caillou he was watching ending, you know......really serious stuff!

Sunday Driver!

2009-08-09T21:43:00.003-05:00

The boys helped Mommy take a car load of stuff over to put into our storage handy hut. If you have looked at today's post on Brian's blog, you know that he "drove" over to the new house. Before we even backed out of the driveway, it was very obvious that there was no way we were going to make it all the way there with only ONE steering wheel. Fortunately, this toy hadn't been packed up yet and it made for three (Spencer, Brian AND Mommy) content drivers!

Here's Your Paper Lady!

2009-08-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

Getting the paper in the morning is a huge deal at our house and one that has been known to cause some issues. Two anxious paper retrieving boys live here and sadly.......we only get one newspaper. Spencer got to get the paper today because Brian was distracted in the kitchen helping make breakfast. As you can see, he was very pleased to have the responsibility!

Oops!

2009-08-07T22:04:00.003-05:00

During the past three months, just knowing that our house needed to be "show ready" at a moments notice has been challenging. Mommy spent much of her time just following the boys around picking up toys. Spencer seems to get a great deal of pleasure in waiting until all the toys (that weren't being played with) had just been tucked back into their storage drawers before he would slowly pour them all out again.

Just knowing that if we wanted to, we could leave piles of dirty laundry, a sink full of dishes and a trail of toys all over the house now......well, its a very nice feeling! When Spencer dumps toys all over now - Mommy just smiles as she watches them play and have a good time.

Park It Here!

2009-08-06T22:03:00.002-05:00

The park that Spencer chose to rate this week is the Southland Park which is located on the corner of Central and Grace within the Lombard Park District. We have driven by this park numerous times but until today, haven't stopped.

It's a smaller park, not fenced in (poor marks from Mommy on that) but all in all, a good toddler park. There were no toddler swings but the boys were much more interested in the "firetruck" anyway.

One thing about this playground that Mommy really liked is that there was just one way (the steps) to get up to the slides. Most of the other parks we have gone to have a variety of areas for kids (mainly older kids) to crawl up and around in order to get to where they want to go. The boys had a blast running back and forth from the slide to the firetruck and then back to the slide. All in all, Spencer gives this park a 3.75 rating!

It's ALLLLLL About Spencer!

2009-08-05T15:47:00.004-05:00

Spencer has never experienced what its like to not have his brother around all the time. In a couple weeks, that is going to change. Brian will be starting 3 year old preschool later this month. This means that from 8:15am - 11:00am Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Spencer and Mommy will get to spend some quality one on one time together! Mommy loved having that time with Brian prior to Spencer being born and she is looking forward to having the opportunity to have similar time alone with Spencer!

In this picture, Spencer is modeling what we believe to be....... forehead bruise #531. We think it's a nice one!

Fish....Just Add Water!

2009-08-04T15:39:00.002-05:00

Brian loves being in the pool, but we think that Spencer was born to BE in the water! He seems to have some kind of built in natural swimming instinct! From the moment he is in the water, his feet are moving, his legs are kicking, and his arms are working to pull himself through the water. I'm sure that with some lessons, Brian can learn this but it looks like Spencer was born with it! Once he was out of the pool, he waisted no time getting back into Grandma's "bonus room" where the majority of the toys are kept!

Spencer Mc'Boing Boing

2009-08-03T22:53:00.004-05:00

Spencer has this thing he has been doing lately that we call "boinging". He gets into position like he is going to take a big leap and then just like Winnie the Poohs friend Tigger, he springs up a few inches off the floor saying "Boing"! He boings from the floor, he boings from the steps, he boings from the furniture. In fact, he has boinged his way to several new bruises! He has a good time doing it though, and he is so proud of himself each time that you can't help but smile when you watch him!

Toy Box!

2009-08-02T22:47:00.005-05:00

After an exciting trip to the "Red Circle" (see Brian's post for more details on that), we came home with a box of diapers. As soon as we crack open a case of diapers, it becomes a race to see who can get the empty box first!

Its amazing how much entertainment kids can get out of a plain ol' cardboard box!

Suds It Up!

2009-08-01T22:39:00.002-05:00

The youth group from our church was having a car wash today and we were happy to stop by to give them some business. Spencer wasn't satisfied to just watch though - thanks to our wonderful friend Michelle, he got to participate!

We needed to be out of the house most of the day today since our realtor was having an open house there today. So, in addition to the car wash, we also spent some time at the Oak Park farmers market this morning. From there we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to hang out/play/nap for the rest of the afternoon.

Shortly after the open house had ended our realtor gave us a call and some very exciting news! After exactly 3 months on the market, 4 open houses and 29 showings......someone made us an offer to buy our house! It's been a long wait but the offer was exactly what we had been hoping for and we have accepted it!

Letters!

2009-07-31T22:02:00.002-05:00

Spencer loves singing the alphabet song. He is getting so familiar with them that he can identify almost all of them now in any random order!

Park It Here!

2009-07-30T21:50:00.003-05:00

Today's park outing has been postponed on account of a doctor's appointment. Spencer has had a rash on his chest, back and groin for a few days now. It hasn't been bothering him. He isn't itchy, running a fever or having any change of appetite. Since the rash just doesn't seem to be going away though, we paid a visit to our pediatrician today. She confirmed that it just appears to be prickly heat. Spencer has always been a hot blooded little boy. He can be in a deep sleep but if Mommy or Daddy put his blanket over him at night, more than likely he will push it off himself without even rolling over. The doctor suggested using a antibacterial soap for his baths but otherwise to just dress him cool and do nothing different than what we are doing.

As soon as we finished at the doctors office we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Before the boys took their naps and Mommy went across the street to do more painting, we watched the show that was going on. There is an American Elm tree on the corner of the lot of our new house. Apparently it went to Europe on vacation because it is suffering from Dutch Elm disease. Since the tree is located in a spot where it is the Village's responsibility, they decided to cut it down and today was the day! We sat on the stoop in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house and had front row seats for the process!

Nap

2009-07-29T20:45:00.002-05:00

The boys spent a good park of today at Grandma and Grandpa's house again today. Daddy was installing new windows and Mommy was doing more painting. Spencer was barely able to keep his eyes open while he finished his lunch but he did manage to play a little longer before taking a nice long afternoon nap. This is the face of the little boy who enjoyed a relaxing snooze and woke up refreshed and ready to take on the rest of his day.

Do You Offer Valet Parking?

2009-07-28T06:00:00.003-05:00

Mommy and the boys made a trip to the grocery store today and much to her surprise - both boys wanted to drive the race car shopping cart. Mommy really enjoys the shopping outings where they BOTH want to ride in the cart because when they are confined, we are able to complete our shopping list in record time!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-07-27T22:26:00.003-05:00

Even though we celebrated it yesterday, today is Grandma's actual birthday. Yesterday, in addition to going out to lunch and then having some fun in the pool, we also had cake.

Spencer has been around long enough to know that it's not a birthday party if you don't have cake! Happy Birthday Grandma - we love you!

Dinner With The Gang

2009-07-26T22:10:00.004-05:00

After church today, Spencer went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to take a nap so that he would be well rested when we went out to lunch to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Uncle Corey wasn't able to make it but the rest of the immediate family were all present and accounted for. After lunch, Haley and the boys (as well as their parents) came back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to take advantage of the fact that we were finally having some nice swimming weather! Spencer made his first ever dive into the pool today! He was standing by the edge of the pool - a little close - reach down to get something and SPLASH.......he went in headfirst! Daddy and Grandma were already in the pool and saw what was about to happen so he was barely in the water before he was "rescued". Something like this might have scared some kids but not Spencer! He started the afternoon wearing swim muscles and a swim ring.

Before today's swimming session was over - he was only wearing his muscles and he was doing a great job!