Merry Christmas!

More Family Videos

My brother Kevin was in town over Thanksgiving and he and his wife, Stephanie, and their little girl Sade got to spend some time with us Saturday evening. Spencer and Sade are just two weeks apart and they got along great! They actually interacted with each other, rather than just doing their own thing, and didn't get upset, which is a real feat for toddlers! This video of them was so cute I wanted to share it. We can't wait for you guys to come back in April!!

Thanksgiving etc.

Spencer still doesn't have much hair, but the hair around his ear was getting pretty long, so it was time for a hair cut.

Before

After

Spencer got to play with some of his cousins who were in town for Thanksgiving. He and Charlotte were pretty content to to their own thing, though he did sometimes pat her head and pull her hair when he got too excited.

But he didn't mind wearing the pink party hat when we celebrated Charlotte's birthday, even though I caught him with a funny face.

We were web-camming with Tamara when she saw Olivia reading to Spencer and she wanted us to take a picture. I did take a few photos, but I thought the video was better. Olivia was so eager to play with Spencer and this time Spencer was a little more interactive. Just a few more years, Olivia, and then you may be running away from him!

Neil and Jenny joined us for the Thanksgiving meal at the Piers (Daniel's sister's in-law's) so it was fun to be with lots of family for the holiday, and without traveling out of town!

Fall is Over

We had our first snow fall this week, and though the snow melted by the late afternoon, all the crisp, dry leaves have become a damp, matted carpet on the ground. No more autumn portraits this year, which makes me feel that much better for not procrastinating too long with the few I did catch. This one was my favorite.

Fall Pictures and Halloween Costumes

My attempts at capturing memorable autumn portraits:

Daniel and I decided to be good sports and dress up for the ward Halloween party, pulling out the most costume-like clothes we could find in our closet. Spencer was a good sport too and wore his cute froggy costume without any complaints.

He had this dazed look on his face pretty much the whole time he wore his costume, but maybe it was just because he was amazed at all the other funny-looking costumes.

Spencer and I went to the Halloween party on campus as well and he was very interested in watching the jugglers. You can see how he wanted to try it for himself, but then just applauded and went back to dancing to the music.

First Words

When I brought Spencer to his one year check up, the doctor asked if he had said any words yet. Apparently the average for a 12-month old is one to three words, so with two he is doing just fine. It seems that both originated at the table, or at least that's where I caught the best footage of them. You'll have to be patient with the second video ... the word doesn't come till the end (though Spencer has plenty else to say first).


Even though I'd like to say he uses "ma-ma" and "da-da" as well, he really only has the sounds down on those without knowing what they mean yet. It will be a happy day when I hear my little boy call me "Mommy!"

Thank You Grandma and Grandpa Jensen!

Spencer has hit his head a few too many times on the bathtub faucet now that he has a hard time sitting still. But thanks to Daniel's parents, he now has a soft rubber ducky guarding the unforgiving lump of metal. Thanks for the great birthday gift!!

Spencer Through The Year

Last fall I started to get excited once the pumpkins and Halloween decorations showed up in the stores, because if Halloween was coming, then my October baby was on his way very soon. This year I'm having fun playing outside with Spencer, finally pulling out our sweatshirts now that the weather has gotten cooler, and can hardly believe that my October baby is now walking around, and eating with us at the table, and letting us know what he does and doesn't want!

Each month I took a picture of Spencer placed on, or near, the boppy pillow (sometimes it's under the blanket) and dressed in a onesie (most of the time). Some of the later months got a little tricky as he became more mobile, but here is a look at how Spencer has grown through the year:

1 week

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months (yeah, this one doesn't follow any of the rules)

9 months

10 (1/2) months

11 months

12 months

The photo shoots may be getting more challenging, but we are having more and more fun with Spencer as he grows. When I look at him, I know with complete certainty that he is a child of God, and that we all are children of God. The love I have for Spencer gives me a better understanding of the great love our Heavenly Father has for me, and for each of us. How great is the power of love!

Birthday Boy!

We had a great time celebrating Spencer's first birthday yesterday! Uncle Neil and Aunt Jenny came to celebrate with him, and with everyone else's gifts and cards, it felt like a real party. We wish the rest of you could have been here too, but you can join in with a few pictures and videos of the day:

"Birthdays sure are tiring!"

"Thanks for the cool phone, Gramma DeVocht!"

September

Neil joined us for dinner on Labor Day--yummy sloppy joes--and then we enjoyed a walk to the park. It was the first fall-like day of the year and we welcomed the cooler weather, even if it means that the sun sets earlier.

Spencer's two front teeth are the last ones he has gotten, so he's at a total of 6.

His front teeth are helping him enjoy more foods now. He loves fruits--bananas, peaches, grapes, and apples, and is eating more from our plates too.

Toilet Paper

The culprit tries to get away.

Pillows

Spencer loves pulling these pillows off the couch and playing with them, even though they're just as big as he is. It's been easier to video record than to take pictures of him lately with how much he's moving, and blogger actually cooperated so I could post this video!

Soccer Lessons and Safety Cushions

Well, now that Spencer has walking down, he's been working on the next step: soccer. Thanks to Aunt Tamara, he already has the outfit and Daniel supplied the ball. We had another little soccer ball (the one in the last video) that Spencer loved to play with in the house, but then he started to bite off pieces so we had to throw it away.



I bought these plastic cushions to put on the corner of the filing cabinet, that's right at Spencer's eye level, but he got a hold of them first and found a different use for them. It's a good thing he didn't find the fourth one because I don't know where he would have put it!

Look Who's Walking

For the past two weeks now Spencer has surprised us by taking off on his own, letting go of our hands and walking by himself. It is still odd to see him wobbling around the apartment, but he is so pleased with this new freedom, and we are happy to give our backs a break!

More noise games with Spencer

Piano

I have loved listening to Daniel play the piano the last two months now that we have one in our home. My sister Nancy was so kind to let us borrow it and my parents managed to fit it in their van when they came out to visit us (that's where a digital one comes in really handy--it's not nearly as big and bulky, but, alas, it does provide one more cord for Spencer to play with). I've sometimes been concerned that Daniel doesn't sit back and relax enough, but now that he has a piano so accessible, he often takes a break to play. And now I can relax knowing he's relaxing.

Of course Spencer has to give it a try as well.

Toy Box

Spencer has discovered some fun new toys that happen to be right at his height. He would stay entertained for at least half an hour so it was hard to get too upset. We finally removed the "toys," however, but he still loves playing with the drawers, even though he has shut his fingers in a few times :(