I am so thankful...

Each year, Saint Lukes holds a holiday party for their NICU "graduates" and this was the first time we have been able to attend. It made Chris & I both SO THANKFUL that our NICU situation was relatively mild with just a five day stay, as we saw parents who spent MONTHS there with their little ones. We are forever grateful for the care he received there but, no offense, we are hoping that we do not have to take advantage of your hospitality this time around! There were lots of kids, cookies, and crafts and Spencer had a great time making an ornament for our tree. Hard to believe 2 1/2 years ago he was just five pounds and we were bringing him home...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For the first year in many, many years, I did not have an event the day after Thanksgiving, so we decided to load up and go to Utah to see the Stonehocker's. Before we left, Spencer and I made this hat (which may or may not be politically incorrect these days, but I don't know how to make a pilgrim hat so DEAL WITH IT).

I would be absolutely lost without my iphone and a terrible parent because I would have NO PICTURES OF MY SON. How did I go to being so good about taking pictures to so terrible? I apologize in advance to Baby Emily...I hope I get my act together by the time you are born! ANYWAY, our first stop in Utah was to In N Out. Seriously, Mama needed a burger BAD. Spencer enjoyed the delicious fries and shake. Just typing this post makes me crave one.

Ogden, UT has a very fun place for kids called the Treehouse Museum with lots of interactive displays, learning and fun to be had. But Spencer didn't want to leave the fire truck.

Getting his first bowling lesson from Aunt Jodi...

And to really get ourselves in the holiday spirit, we drove around the Roy, UT Fire Station. This picture does not even remotely do this place justice, as there are thousands and thousands of lights here. So pretty. Bring on Christmas!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I wasn't sure what Spencer would think of Trick-or-Treating this year, but boy did he get into it! And so polite! He was sure to actually say Trick or Treat, thank you, and even tossed in a few Happy Halloween's as we left houses! Here we are getting started by walking down to Rocco's house...I think he got confused and thought he was Frankenstein by that walk!

Mommies can dress up too!

When we got home and checked the mail, he had a special card from his Nana that played "Monster Mash." Over and over and over again. This card has since been "misplaced."

The day before, CenturyLink had a Halloween Party so Spencer got EXTRA treats. He sure had a great time!

Pumpkin Patch

The annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch was kind of a disaster this year. Spencer wanted to be carried around the patch and refused to show any interest in the pumpkins. And then I lost my wedding ring (but THANKFULLY found it later in the car). The only thing he enjoyed (and I enjoyed because at this point I had my ring back on my finger and wasn't a hysterical, hormonal pregnant mess in the middle of a pumpking field) was the wheelbarrow.

We tried to get a family photo, but this just sums up Spencer's mood. This was also about sixty seconds before I noticed my ring was missing.

Oh well...they can't ALL be happy memories!

New Bed!

These pictures are all the way back from Labor Day, but it has taken me this long to get around to downloading and editing them! This was the debut of Spencer's big boy bed and to say it was a hit is a total understatement. He went absolutely bananas for it!

He probably should have had this bed months ago, but I wanted him to stay a "baby" just a little while longer. You can only fight the inevitable for so long though.

Scarecrow Stroll

This is the second year that Spencer's daycare has gone on the "Scarecrow Stroll" at the Idaho Botanical Gardens as a fall field trip. There aren't a ton of flowers in bloom this time of year, but the highlight for the kids is the pumkin patch. How I love this sweet little boy!

When he wasn't busy finding pumpkins, he was probably marching. Kid loves to march.

Random Phone Pics

I admit it, I haven't been great about carrying the camera around. But I always have my cell phone on me, so here are a bunch of random pics from the summer. Starting with this one of our new baby cooking away at about ten weeks (wow, six weeks ago already!).

We are still getting LOTS of use out of our annual pass to Zoo Boise, but instead of a favorite animal, I think the jeep next to the lions is Spencer's favorite part.

Lots of time at the boat with Grampa & Gramma this year. My Cautious Calvin is turning into quite the dare devil as he jumps off the dock.

Out for a ride...

A quick trip to Great Harvest turned into a mid-morning mini-date with Spencer, who insisted we "sit down" to have a snack instead of taking our bread on the run.

Halloween Preview: