Family Time

This week has been another great week of summertime fun. We have spent hours at the splash pool, in the yard, all over buffalo- We also ventured a little further and went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant. We all really enjoyed it. It is fun to gather with so many happy excited people. They weather even held off raining until right after. It was a great time. The boys finally launched there rocket. They were so excited about it. Here are their excited faces.

This is the closest I got to getting a picture of the rocket in action.

Here is Garret running back after getting it. He can't wait to do it again.

Next week we are off to Colorado and then on to Washington.

Adventure Day 4

We had planned to stay another day or two but we had already had so much fun and we felt like we had seen what we wanted to see so Sunday we wen to church in New Hampshire then started back. We stopped for a picnic lunch and Garret just had to climb up these rocks. The view was gorgeous here (it really was beautiful everywhere we went).

Here are the tough hikers on top of the rocks.

We stopped at the Peter Whitmer farm on the way home. We had never been here yet (Tyler has back on his mission but not since living here). Garret and Spencer were so well behaved here and they seemed to grasped the importance to a small degree. Garret kept saying "Take a picture of this Mom this is so important, this is where the church was started".

There they are in a replica of where the church was first officially organized.

We had such a great time. It was so nice just waking up and deciding where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. The boys did so good in the car. We only had a couple little meltdowns. We enjoyed being together and sharing new experiences together. We are so lucky to be a family and have each other.

Adventure Day 3

Saturday we got up and headed to Maine. Tyler wanted to try lobster in Maine. He said he would probably never order it again but it was fun watching him eat it and the boys thought it was so weird. It was a very windy day which made the beach pretty cold but we ventured out and played on the beach for a while. (The drive up the coast was so pretty).

Here we are dipping our feet in the Atlantic.

Spencer is a camera-ham. He was squealing about the water and as soon as I pointed the camera at him he smiled at me.

After a great day in Maine it was back to the hotel for more swimming. Garret was getting so brave he would jump off the side of the pool into the water. They crashed again that night.

One random story from Maine- (Don't read if you can't handle a gross story)-

Garret had to go the bathroom. He had to go so bad he was going to burst. We decided to just pull over and let him go on the side of the road. I stood on one side of him and we opened the door so he was kind of hidden. We figured he would just pee and hop back in the car.

Well he was looking kind of awkward and wiggling around. I was watching the front of him and saying "Garret what are you doing, just go so you don't pee on yourself". Tyler looks over from in the car and says "Rachel, he is pooping". Sure enough he had to do more than just pee. Well did we want him to pee on himself or poo? I tried to bend him over so that it wouldn't land in his pants. It was hard to do because we were all laughing so hysterically. When the excitement was over. We climbed back in the car and Tyler said "Well we didn't get a souvenir in Maine but Garret left one".

Adventure Day 2

Our boys woke up at 5:30 and we didn't even try to put them back to sleep because we were all so sick of laying on the ground. Tyler was kind enough to offer me his sleeping mat (I declined but it was nice of him)- either way we were ready to get up.

Most people were still asleep at the campground so we debated trying to keep the kids quite or just packing up. In the end we just packed up and headed out. Garret really wanted to go hiking so we stopped at a little trail and walked awhile. They thought it was a great adventure and actually did really well.

Here are their "hiking faces"-

They kept saying that they were ready to hike with Uncle Dan. They climbed over rocks and logs and thought they were tough stuff!

After our little hike they crashed.

We took a couple hour scenic drive through the Adirondacks. We stopped at Lake George (it was beautiful- all the tons of lakes we passed were). We were suppose to camp here but because of our early morning we got their so early we had plenty of time to enjoy it there and decided to go on. We did stop long enough to play some miniature golf.

We entered Vermont next. We thought all of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine were beautiful. We saw several of these cute covered bridges along the way. Tyler stopped and took a picture of this one for me.

We saw a sign for an ice cream shop that had 24 flavors of soft serve. When we went in they actually had 55. They boys thought that was an exciting treat. (They do normally wear shirts but they got hot in their long sleeve shirts and I couldn't reach their other shirts).

As we were driving we remembered Joseph Smith had been born in Vermont. We remembered that it was Sharon Vermont a few minutes before we saw a sign for Sharon Vermont. We took the detour and were so glad we did. When we first got there we didn't know where to go but we were lucky enough to run into a member of the church that actually drove us to the site.

We are so glad we stopped. We love church history and now I have been to all the major places from his birth til his death. It was a very spiritual experience and we all enjoyed stopping their.

The monument was erected in 1905 and actually is the largest solid granite monument known of. It was lovely and amazing that they moved it here in 1905. It took 33 days to move it 5 miles.

Here is the actual door step from the home Joseph Smith was born in.

Here is the foundation of his Grandparents home.

After our fabulous time in Vermont we went on to our hotel in New Hampshire. We swam there and then settled in for the night. I thought the boys looked so cute sleeping in the same bed.

Day 2 was a very fun day. Anytime we would do anything (seriously anything) Garret would say "this is the best vacation ever".

Adventure Day 1

Last Thursday we decided to head out on a little adventure. We had a tentative plan but mostly just went where we pleased. It was a great trip- we had to much fun all being together, we made great memories, and we just had the best time.

We headed for the Adirondacks first. On the way there we stopped for a picnic. We went to a park on the finger lakes- it was beautiful of course. We let the boys feed the seagulls (probably not recommended but they loved it). Spencer loves birds (and all other animals). He kept running after them saying "like me, like me". When they flew off he came back with a sad face and said "birds no like me". The place we stayed was not too primitive (it reminded me a lot of Coon Lake) but it was fun. The boys loved the water.

And the sand.

That night we roasted hot dogs- brown is cooking, black is done...right?!

The smores were a big hit- of course.

Then the boys ran around for a while pretending to see bears (I guess there are a lot of them around there).

We slept in a tent Thursday night. It was an adventure to say the least. The boys were pretty excited and had a hard time calming down. Our neighbors were so loud in their campsite. They talked and swore and laughed until at least one in the morning.

Spencer fell asleep first, then Garret finally did. He must have slept soundly because he woke up saying "I just laid down and fell asleep...and the sun is up". They thought it was so fun. Tyler and I thought it could have been a little more comfortable but we still enjoyed our time there.

What do my boys do in July...

...Pretend it is Winter! They got all of their winter clothes out and spent the morning pretending to sled, build snowmen, snow angels and begged for hot cocoa!

Spencer Stats and more

Today Spencer had his two year doctor appointment. He was actually really excited about it. He practiced his brave face and even showed me where they were going to give him a shot. He did awesome.

His stats were-

31 pounds - 80th percentile (he stood on the weight thing and smiled the whole time)
35 inches- 40th percentile (he stood up by himself but he looked super hunched over- I think they could have easily been off by an inch or two)
I can't remember his head measurement but I remember the doctor saying his noggin was 95 percentile...but not to worry he had always had a big head!

He had to get a finger stick and he sat all by himself and didn't cry- he just said "it hurts mommy" over and over. He wanted to sit by himself for the shot as well. He smiled while she showed it to him but the second it was in he screamed. He calmed right down. She brought him a couple stickers. As soon as he saw there were more than one he said "share with Garret". All in all it was a very successful Dr. visit!

On to other things-

I was at the Target bathroom the other day and Spencer was with me. After I washed my hands I flicked water at him. He totally laughed. This lady next to me says to Spencer "you don't have a very nice Mommy do you?"- Why do people feel the need to say things like that?

We read some girl names from a name book the other night and all picked some favorites- some of the boys top picks were (and these were from the book) Bunny, Bambi, Cinderella, FiFi, Birtha and Veronica, we told them we would let them save their names for when they are Daddys.

Garret asked me if I would have a hole in my tummy when the baby comes out. I said no. He asked me how it got out then. Tyler kept saying "yeah how does it get out"(he is such trouble). I said the doctor would help, then Garret said "but how does it come out and where". Let's just say he is a little more educated now.

Celebrating Spencer

On my kids birthdays they get to pick what we eat... Spencer wanted popcorn for breakfast. So he got popcorn, chocolate milk and pancakes! After breakfast we opened presents. He enjoyed all of his gifts.

Tyler knew I wanted to make aprons to go with the little kitchen so while I was at book club the other night he started them. I helped when I got home. The boys looked really cute in them and really liked them.

Chuck E Cheese gives kids 20 free tokens on their birthday so we decided to go. We thought it would be so busy on a Saturday but apparently we are the only people that go to Chuck E Cheese at 9:00- it was perfect timing. They just got a bunch of new games- our old favorite was gone but they got a new one - deal or no deal that is pretty addicting.

We decided this year that we would start a new tradition of letting the kids pick out one gift on their birthday. We never let our kids just pick out something for no reason so this was a real treat. Garret is already excited about his birthday and what he will get. Spencer debated a bit then picked this weed wacker that sprays water- however it didn't really work so we took it back and his second pick was the movie Cars. If you look close at the Weed Wacker picture you can see his lovely goose egg- I accidentaly caught him with the car door (I felt so horrible). Luckily it has gone done a lot and doesn't look too bad now.

Later we got ready for his cake. We all put on the lovely party hats we have worn every year since Garret's first birthday- sadly only three survived today so maybe next birthday we will start a new era in birthday hats around our house!

We picked up Pin the tail on the donkey for a dollar. Garret called it pin the pin tail and was so excited all day to play it. All the kids were pretty cute trying to put it on blind folded. The best part was that none of the kids got it in the right spot even the ones that weren't blind folded.

We told Spencer he could pick two friends to share his cake with. This year he picked Crew and Jason. He loved having friends to share his moment in the spotlight with.

Here is their funny face picture!

He did awesome blowing his candles out. He was pretty excited and had even been practicing!

After cake we headed to a church BBQ. It was right next to a playground so that was just one more fun thing for him.

Currently he is laying in bed saying "fireworks wake me up".

I hope he had a great day and knows how special he is. We sure had fun trying to make it memorable!

First Time Fishing

Today was our first family fishing outing. We didn't catch any fish (they already had dinner) but we had fun. Spencer loves smiling for the camera!

Garret thought he was a real pro! He was so funny though because his flip flop broke and he kept walking around on one food because there was bird poop on the ground. It was almost more than he could handle.

Spencer still needs a little work- he really wants to catch one though.

And here is a sneak preview of Spencer's Birthday tomorrow (that's when we are celebrating). Spencer is so obsessed with milk. This cake may not look like much but trust me- he will love it- I can hardly wait. It is going to be a great day- filled with Strawberry and chocolate milk and a whole day dedicated to making a two year old feel like the king....

Spencer

Our little Spencer will be two on Sunday (we are celebrating tomorrow though). I can't believe how fast he is growing up. I can't imagine our family without him. He is a feisty little thing with a smile that could melt just about any heart. Some of my favorite Spencer things are:

-The way he says "Hey Mom"

-When I ask him how long his Mommy will love him he says "forever and ever" and then usually says "me love you forever and ever"

-When we ask who his best buddy is he usually says "Garret best buddy"

-He loves to make faces

-I love his voice so much. I ask him to say things over and over just so I can hear them. Some of my favorites are "Okie dokey artichokey", "Uh-oh Spaghettio" and "Whoops a daisy". His little voice is so adorable!!!

-He will randomly run across a room just for a hug

-When he is crying and I say what do you need he will say "a hug"

-He cries in the car sometimes and then says "hold your hand"

-When he is apart from Garret he gets so excited when he is home he will hug him over and over

-He loves singing "Take me out to the ballgame", "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" and "Lets get down to business"

-He loves doing art projects

-He thinks all letters make the "c" sound

-Pink is his favorite color

-He thinks he is much bigger than he is

-He was potty trained at 21 months and then totally regressed on vacation (maybe that doesn't fit under favorite Spencer things!)

-He always wants to see the elephants at the zoo

-He is obsessed with Milk. He would live on Milk if I let him. He seems to constantly be saying "drink milk please".

-When he is naughty he will go sit on the bottom step by himself sometimes

-He is very brave and doesn't cry too much when he gets hurt. He is satisfied with a kiss from Mom in most cases (sometimes I can just blow him a kiss if he is hurt and that does the job).

-He says hi to every bird he sees

-He likes to bring me the phone and say "call...."

-He wants to be able to ride his bike but can't reach the pedals so we tie a rope on the front and drag him around- he won't get on without his helmet

-He talks more all the time, there are few words he doesn't know these days

-He loves to play pretend- they pretend to be dogs, rockets, super heroes, mice etc.

-Spencer and Garret can be best friends one minute and enemies the next- their least favorite consequence is being separated even if they are mad at each other

-Spencer loves to dance but he likes to be held or else he just spins in a circle til he falls over then he laughs

-When he runs its very prancy up and down, it makes his cheeks bounce around and it's just so cute

-He still has little rolls on his legs and a double bum as we like to call it. Sometimes I'll say he is just so cute I hope he stays the way he is and Tyler will say something like "I bet the girls will love the double bum when he is older" I guess maybe he will have to grow out of some of his babyhood but I love it.

There are so many things I love about Spencer, it would be impossible to list them all. He melts my heart, makes me smile, and reminds me whats important in life everyday. I wish I could slow him down so I could enjoy him even more. I think he is going to grow up into a little charmer.

Oh Spencer I love you so much- I will love you forever and ever.....I hope you have a great day tomorrow!