The Dutson Family

It's officially official

2010-05-25T12:44:00.001-07:00

After extensive comparison, Baylor still came out on top, so we are officially going to Baylor this coming Fall. Woohoo. We're very excited and We know Joseph will do really well! We feel very blessed.:)

Back to our knees...

2010-04-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we're gonna have to get back on our knees and try again. We were really planning on going to Baylor this summer, about 99% sure actually, but after all the quick prep we couldn't find a place to live. We didn't realize how limiting Waco was. So, now we're a little confused as to what to do next. We felt that God was happy with our decision to go Baylor, but with all that has happened this past week, we feel like God is now sending us a different signal and putting a big red STOP sign in front of our faces. We don't know if its timing or just not the best choice. So, we're getting back on our knees and doing a lot of praying and waiting for answers. Also more researching of the other schools we've been accepted to, and trying again to see where Heavenly Father would like us to go. It could still be Baylor this Fall, but for now we feel we should just pray and be prepared if God has another path for us.

Bottom of the List

2010-04-08T18:41:00.001-07:00

I was looking through our friends blogs and noticed that our blog is at the bottom of everyone's list, and I was thinking that was a weird coincidence. Then I noticed why... It's in recent update order. Which means I have abandoned our blog for too long. So, in attempt to see our blog at the top of everyone's list, I will update! Let's see, We have celebrated Birthday #2 for Spencer, and Easter, and big life changes coming for our family.

I will begin with his birthday. Spencer turned 2 on March 10th. I didn't want a big birthday bash or anything, since he tends to have anxiety with a lot of people, so being the considerate mom that I am, I decided to keep it to just family this time around. Well, I guess I didn't consider the fact that I have a LOT of family around here. He has 5 cousins that live here and 7 Aunt and Uncles nearby. He thought that was still too much. So, we ended up having tears at the end of his birthday anyway, but I think he enjoyed it for the most part, mainly the fact that he got to just run around with his cousins. I don't have a lot of pics to put up of the party. My camera told me I had 3 bars of battery left, but it really meant it was dead. So, my sister took all the pictures and I'll have to get them from her later.

We did Easter here in Dallas with all my family in town. I was really excited for Easter this year with Spencer. He's a year older and understands simple directions a little better, so I thought he might actually get into this time around. Last year he would pick up the egg and throw it like a football,or would put them in the basketball hoop.(For some reason he thought they were sports balls.) This year, he was a little smarter and he would pick up the plastic egg, open it up to get the candy out, then ate the candy, and then would put the egg in the basket. We let him do that little procedure for about 4 eggs to which he then decided to ditch the basket altogether and just proceed to open eggs and eat the candy inside. We decided this wasn't quite the year either. Maybe next year he'll have more patience to gather his eggs THEN eat the candy later and more sparingly.:)

Our other big news is that Joseph is finally going to Law School! We've decided to attend Baylor Law School in Waco, they awarded Joseph a Full tuition scholarship and we feel like he could really succeed there and reach the goals we have for our little family and after prayer feel like this is where the Lord really wants us. We've requested to attend a quarter early and go in the summer. Which means we'll be leaving Dallas, our home for the last 5 years, in just 3 weeks! I'll be very sad to leave Dallas and family, but we'll only be less than two hours away and be able to visit lots of weekends, especially me, since Joseph I'm sure will be very busy with his studies. We're headed towards big changes and very anxious to begin!:)

Spencer's new Fort/Pirate ship/Climber/Boys Club/Mommy's lifesaver

2010-02-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to get Spencer a climber for a while, but they were expensive brand new. I couldn't find one on Craigslist that was any better of a deal "used" or had not been outside (I didn’t want it too dirty since it would be in his room for those rainy days when he can't go to the park) Well, we found a deal we just couldn't turn down, and even though it was an outside toy we thought it would be worth the trouble getting it ready for indoors, for a third of the price buying it brand new! Our Brother-in-law Lane let us borrow his truck to retrieve it. On they way back from picking it up, I got this brilliant idea that instead of washing each piece manually at home we should take it to one of those do-it-yourself car washes. We used the power spray and it got ALL the grime off the climber. It was a HUGE time saver. I felt pretty genius for thinking of it!:) It's as good as new. I took one good wipe down to disinfect it when we got home, and it was ready for the little “monkey” to climb. Our lives haven't been the same since. All he wants to do is climb it! When he was bored, he would beg me to let him watch a movie. Now, he takes random toys to the top of his fort and just plays for hours, yes you read that correctly HOURS. I love it! No more entertaining, no more tantrums over movies not being watched, no more whining boredom on rainy days! His cousins come over and play with him on it. It makes me smile from ear to ear, to know that his cousin Jake who is 4 yrs old thinks its awesome, that gives me hope that Spencer won't outgrow it in a month.:)

So, now that I’ve cured his boredom of being inside on those wet and cold last winter days, I just need to figure out what to do now that He’s decided to climb out of the crib! Ah, a mother’s mission is never complete!

Jumping back on the wagon...

2009-11-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I think our leave of absence has been long enough. If you notice the moment Spencer was showing signs of walking, I've disappeared off the face of the earth, that's no coincidence.:) Spencer turned out to be far more active than I had ever imagined he would be. I love him, his daddy loves him, but the poor lady who has to stand next to me in line at the grocery store, correction, anywhere in the store, the family sitting in the pew in front of our family at church, the people sitting next to us at story time, just don't seem to have that same love for my lovely child. I'm sorry did I say "lovely?" I meant LOUD child! I feel sorry for him, I do, the poor boy catches a horrible disease that if he sits for more than 3 seconds in one place, he just might explode. Don't you just feel sorry for him? DON'T. Feel sorry for us instead.:) Well, its not all bad, he really is a sweet kid, and we love to watch him climb! If there is anything our little boy can do, it's to climb. That is why parks are our best friend! The park truly is the cure for Spencer's "horrible disease!" I am so grateful that we live in Texas and that its 80 degrees in November!So, to catch up I'll put some photos up of Spencer during Halloween and just the recent snap shots that we were able to capture of him doing his thing.

No time..

2009-03-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

I don't think I am ever going to be able to have time to post anything on this blog. I think I have started about a trillion posts, but haven't been able to find time to wait for pictures to upload. I would do it now, except I am so tired for having to wrestle a one year old at church and I have work tomorrow and its almost 1 am... I'm getting a little nostalgic for time, oh how I miss you!

Coming soon...

2009-02-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

I realized that I haven't posted anything for a while on our blog. I've been pretty tied up with Spencer and just the everyday craziness of our lives. I will have a following post of pictures of Spencer, my camera is not charged, so you'll just have to wait for those. I know some of you (especially the grandmas:) are ready for another dose of Spencer's cuteness, so I'll try to post them real soon!
I'm a little overdue, especially since he has hit a lot of his milestones recently. First, he has finally had his first teeth come in, that's teeth not tooth. We have had some restless nights in the past weeks trying to comfort Spencer as he tries to endure cutting 4 teeth all at once. That is no easy accomplishment! So, alas, our nights are once more quiet... as for the day, that brings us to his second milestone! Spencer is walking EVERYWHERE! I don't know what got into him, he has for a while just taken a few steps here and there if he knows he's definitely gonna make it, (for example to me or daddy and his favorite, going between the corners of the couches back and forth) He had decided to graduate from us and to explore how far he really can go, now resulting in bruises spreading across his forehead-- he didn't quite make it to the TV stand in time.:) Fortunately though, he only explores at home. Spencer for some reason won't do it at church or while we're at someones home. He's not quite ready for that adventure I guess. He wants to just stick the TV stands and coffee tables he knows.:) Either way, he is just plain into everything!
As for other changes that are going on in our family, Joseph has finally bought a new HD television, (just in time for the Superbowl:) He is really enjoying his new upgrade, when I say upgrade, it could possibly be the biggest understatement yet, bye-bye tube! As for me, I have been called to be the Beehives advisor at my church, for those of you who don't know what that is, it basically means I teach the 12-13 year old girls at my church every Sunday, and get to play with them on Wednesday nights. I'm a little nervous, but anxious too, I know I'll just love them all instantly!
That's what's going on in the Dutson home, I'll try to post pictures soon of Spencer walking and his pearly baby whites.

Perfect 10

2009-01-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

We can't believe he is already 10 months. He is still as handsome as he was when he came into this world. We love this boy more than anything. We can't hardly recognize our home anymore, there are baby toys, contraptions, blankets, Binky's everywhere, and little hand prints on our windows, couches, and television.... and a little trail that follows that exposes where Spencer has been and has disassembled something perfectly.:) What would we do without you, Spencer!

Swingin' and Slidin'

2009-01-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

It was such a beautiful day today, and I didn't want to waste that sun. So, I called up Joseph and asked if he wanted to eat lunch with Spencer and I at a nearby park. We picked up some Subway and went to Andy Brown park. It was perfect, it wasn't windy or too sunny--it was just right for a picnic. Spencer really loved being outside, and seeing the smile on his face as he swung for the first time just put the cherry on top for me and Joseph! It's been really surreal being together more than usual and what's odd is that it is January and it is 70 degrees outside! I hope this lasts a little longer (I am always happier when the sun is out). I think the fresh air does our family good.

Date Night at the Mavericks Game

2009-01-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

This is the team warming up and our view from our awesome seats!

This was the half time show, "Rubber Boy" That's him coming out of that box, crazy!

Us, with our illuminating light over our heads instead of on our faces...oh well.

I wish I had better pictures to depict our fun night, we didn't exactly have a professional photographer to take our picture at the game. He kept getting this huge light behind our heads, and he wouldn't stand up to take it at a different angle. Maybe if he wasn't drinking he would have been more compliant, but I guess you have to take what you can get. Either way we had an amazing time. They were playing the LA Clippers, who are not all that great this season. The Mavericks dominated them in the first half, and then got kinda sloppy on their defense in the second half. We didn't mind though, we were secretly hoping that would happen so that it would be a close game. Joseph and I are kinda demented like that.:) It ended up being a very close game and the Mavericks didn't retake their lead until the last minute and half of the game. It was awesome to see all the fans standing and screaming for their team, you get so caught up in it, you can't help but scream and yell and clap yourself until your throat and hands go raw! We loved it. Thanks again to Missy and Mike for the awesome tickets and for watching Spencer for us, so we could have an amazing date night!

....But I still love Technology, Always and forever, always and forever.

2009-01-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

It was a typical winter day in Dallas, Texas yesterday, bright sunny and 81 degrees! We went to the Museum of Nature and Science with my sister, Missy, and her family to celebrate the beautiful day. We had way too much fun. We bought tickets to go to the planetarium additional to our museum admission, because it sounded interesting and we were talking about how it would be cool to go into a large planetarium like the one in D.C.. Well, first off we had no idea it would be in another building. So, we had to walk like 10 minutes away from the museum to this small building, that was unimpressive at best, it definitely wasn't up kept and needed to be remodeled badly. The small "exhibits" if you will, were probably touched by children from 30 years ago. Very interesting that our money was going towards this pathetic building and planetarium which only seated about 20 people. Some lady stood at the front of the room reminding everyone to turn their cell phones off, only to hear hers go off several times during the exhibit. She didn't even know her constellations very well and made up some of her own, I believe. We were laughing it off as we walked our 10 minutes back to the museum hoping for a little more. It was way fun to say the least. The children really enjoyed it and I definitely got brushed up on my Science. :) The pictures speak for themselves.:)

Dallas Aquarium

2009-01-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

We couldn't go to the awesome aquarium in Georgia, which happens to be the largest in the world and also has a whale shark, but we had to go for second best which is the Dallas aquarium. It was Spencer's first time anyhow. He absolutely loved it. His very favorite was the manatee, he could have stared at him for hours, (me too.) Joseph had to pull Spencer and I away from the trance we were in from watching the manatee swim back and forth in the huge water tank. We saw the penguins, flamingos (my personal favorite) the cutest monkeys you ever saw, a sloth and really cool sharks! It was a nice family day out, we really needed it after being stuck in the car for 14 hours driving back from Georgia and from overcoming long nights of Spencer with strep. It was a really nice way to spend New Years Day together.

Christmas in Georgia

2009-01-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

It was my family's turn to have us for Christmas in Georgia. We were there for only a short while. We left Tuesday night, stayed somewhere in Louisiana, thought we had less to drive the next morning, but actually were off about 2 hours. All in all, we arrived Wednesday evening just in time for all the fun Christmas Eve traditions and Santa:)
It was a very enjoyable trip. It's amazing to have so many families under one roof and no confrontation of any sort, we all got along so great! Nothing but good eating, movies and games, games games. Spencer was a little overwhelmed with all the commotion and he getting sick wasn't helping him either. He got sick the second day we were there, poor little guy. We didn't know until we got home that he had gotten strep (yuck!.) This poor guy has had two colds, croup and strep all within a month. Winter is not a good month for this little fella. He's doing great now though, and let's hope I can help keep it that way so that we can get back on our regular schedule (basically mama wants him to take more naps:).
We had a great time, the only disappointment was that we didn't get to go to the Georgia Aquarium because the children were all getting sick. But, Joseph and I made up for it and went to our Aquarium in Dallas when we got back. I'll have several posts to list, we've done a lot since the last time I've posted.

Cheeky monkey. Bum-looker!

2008-12-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

Spencer falling into the blanket basket trying to reach a toy:)

He likes bath time, but he loves standing in the bath tub more.

I'm cute and I know it:)

It's clapping time, all the time!

Spencer absolutely loves bath time. It's not so fun for mommy and daddy though, trying to wash him is quite slippery and he doesn't enjoy the soap, he just wants to eat the water and stand up on the side of the tub. Above is a picture of him falling into our basket in our living room trying to reach a toy, once he got it he was stuck, so of course we had to take a picture with his bum in the air:) He is quite a mischievous little boy. He is pulling himself up on everything, standing and now letting go occasionally and standing alone. He is into EVERYTHING. I can't keep up. I have just had to come to realization that my rugs will always be turned up, the DVDs will always be pulled off the shelf and that the remote control will always be in Spencer's hiding place.:) Just more reasons to love him!

Ute's in Texas

2008-11-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

Go Utes! Me and Joseph watched the Utah v. BYU game at Deliman's Grill with some people from our ward, I believe we were the only Ute fans there, oh well. I think we did a good job rooting anyhow. It was tied 17-17 when we walked in. We were pulled right in, of course. I knew Utah's offense struggles at times, so I was a little nervous when that happened. Utah's defense really stepped up tonight, with all those turnovers , whew. I almost felt bad for BYU, but then I remembered last year, and those feelings left quickly and I knew it was high time for Utah's victory. They deserve BCS with their 12-0 record! We ate some famous Stubb's sandwich and fries and enjoyed the silence from all the BYU fans, as they lowered their heads over and over.:) Even Spencer got into it, although, he got very tired very quickly and I didn't think he was going to make it to the end. His daddy held him on his shoulders on occasion to keep him happy, but poor Spencer couldn't hardly hold his head up. He would rest it on his daddy's head, while on his shoulders it was very pitiful, yet very cute. I hope he sleeps really good tonight our lil' Ute fan! I took some pics of the boys, and Spencer in his p.j.-Ute look.

Tired, exhausted, worn out, beat, pooped, done in, absolutely ready to crash!

2008-11-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

I love my boys, I do. But, I'm exhausted! It's only Tuesday! I want to already label this as the worst week, and I haven't even seen what Wednesday has to offer... frankly, I don't want to see Wednesday. I always hear that phrase, "when at the bottom, there is only one direction from there, and that is up!" I sure hope so. I don't know what it is this week, its like bad luck, or my brain is so fried that I can't think straight. I'm forgetting things left and right. Things I usually am very on top of. I'm not blaming the boys for all my absentmindedness and fatigue, but they sure do expect me to have 3 brains working simultaneously. So, I guess I am.:) Joseph has been studying for months for his graduate school test. I am home all day with Spencer, but when Joseph comes home I have to have dinner ready, so he can utilize as much time as possible for taking his practice tests. So, for the rest of the night I am feeding Spencer, bathing him, cleaning house, all while trying to be quiet. I've been tending Spencer on my own for a little while, and Spencer is not making any part of this temporary situation easier! He is just all over the place. I didn't know child proofing meant quarantining your child and making sure there is no escape. The only plus is that he will take his naps on time and go to bed on time and with no problem. The catch is it has to be his own bed, no where else. So, if I am even a little late on getting back home from an errand, he goes ballistic. Then, I just say goodbye to that nap, cause he's too tired to go down, and I'd rather him play then scream! This has been the case these past few days. Now, I want to scream:)
Well, there's only one thing I can do, and that is HOPE, hope that tomorrow I will be able to grab a hold of my nerves, and hope that I can think a little clearer and hope I can finish all errands before nap time. Hope. Maybe a little prayer to go with it too. Sorry, if you are still reading me venting out. A mother needs it time and again. I'm looking forward to December, when Joseph takes his test, FINALLY, and I can go back to having another parent. It'll be worth it in the end, I just hope I can endure 'til then:)

8 Months....and still alive!

2008-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Yay, we made it this far. There are days I wonder how this kid has survived this long:) I am feeling very accomplished when Joseph comes home and I am able to show him Spencer is still around for one more day. It's becoming quite the challenge to keep this kid out of trouble, he is crawling and making chaos too fast for me to catch up with him. I am starting to understand more and more why people buy playpens and exersaucers, none of which we have. I keep talking about it, but I'm too exhausted chasing him around to even remember to go to the store. I wouldn't change anything about him though. He is such a ball of sunshine. He really knows how to make mommy and daddy smile. His personality is really starting show through, he is very particular about things. He knows what he wants, and how he wants it. Anything but, and its not acceptable:) He is very much like his mom in the way he day dreams and gazes. He will sit in front of our window and just look outside and watch birds fly and the trees branches sway for like 20 minutes. It's definitely a nice break for me! He melts me when he gives me his snuggles. He will take his forehead and just rub it on my cheek or anywhere on my face that feels soft to him. I'm his comfort blankie, but daddy is his human toy! He loves to to just climb all over him. He loves to steal his glasses and yank his ears. I think daddy makes him giggle the hardest, and its great when he does! We're so blessed to have this little man in our lives. We're just falling more in love with him everyday.

More excuses to dress him up..

2008-11-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Cousins

The Dutson family

Spencer really loves his Uncle Mike

Aisha loves chocolate!

Daddy and Tigger

Cute Tigger face:)

We went trick-or-treating with our nieces, Emma and Aisha, on Halloween. We basically wanted one more excuse to dress him up in his cute tigger costume.:) We also went to the Harvest Carnival for our ward, in which he got face-painted his complete "Tigger" look! I know we are pretty bias, but I have to say he is the cutest Tigger I have ever seen. We are definitely having fun with him!

Tigger at the Arboretum

2008-10-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Spencer is Tigger for his first Halloween. My sweet sister Shawna lent the costume to me, and who can pass up a free costume?! We went to the Arboretum with his playmates from playgroup. We wanted to get some cute pics at the Arboretum with the pumpkins and flowers with their cute costumes on. Spencer actually did very well for his first time wearing it, he didn't fuss over the hoodie at all; Although, he didn't seem all that excited either. He just kinda sat there the whole time, and just let his droopy cheeks droop. Its okay, I love those cheeks. He's cute in any emotion, even the lack of:)

Family, Friends and Fun in Utah

2008-10-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Joseph and I were able to go to Utah this past weekend, it definitely wasn't long enough, we wish we could have stayed a little longer, it's always hard to leave family and friends that you don't get to see very often.
We first stayed with Joseph's father and step-mother in Alpine. It was much cooler than we were used to down here in Texas. Joseph's Dad loves to take pictures, especially of his children (I've just recently learned:) The Autumn trees were perfect for picture taking, and he definitely got really cute ones of little Spencer ( of course, he is cute no matter what camera you use:)
While we were with Joseph's Dad and Step-mom they took us to the U of U bookstore so that we could get some Utah t-shirts. Joseph really needed a new one, and Spencer and I are adopted fans. Now with our t-shirts Spencer and I are now official Ute fans! We are a University of Utah Family:) Go Utes!
We were only able to spend one day with Joseph's dad and step-mom and we headed out to Logan the next day to share the day with one of my best friends Lissa, who was finally getting married to Bryce Mumford, and I was one of her bridesmaids. It was a beautiful sealing. She looked absolutely gorgeous and just glowing with happiness. It was also good to see some old friends from Missouri that I hadn't seen for a long while. We were really honored that Bryce and Lissa had invited us to their wedding and to spend their special day with them, and it was very memorable.
The next day we spent with Joseph's mom and siblings.... one word, FUN! Joseph's mom was kind enough to take all the children to Lagoon! It was my first experience to go to Lagoon, while Joseph was able to reminisce the old days of going there. We rode tons of rides, of which my favorite was just doing Bumper Cars with the sibs. Joseph has a very fun family, I think their children keep them young at heart:) Speaking of the nieces and nephews, we just got a new one that came just last week, Leah. She is Joseph's older Brother Lee and Marsha's 5th. She was so beautiful and petite. I'm sad we don't live closer:( We also had a barbecue at Lee and Marsha's at which we got Lee to take the pic of us in our Utah shirts. We then went back to Lagoon to play some more with the nieces and nephews and came back late that night to Joe's moms to play some Rock Band with our newest Brother-in-law Kent. We hadn't really got to hang out with him and Jenny since they were married. We were really glad to be with them, they are a lot of fun.
The next day we visited with Grandma Parrish and Joseph's old friend Jeremy. We had a big breakfast and a little too much fun dissecting a bee at the kitchen table:) After our wonderful breakfast and chatting we then had to go back home. :( We miss them already.

Going, Going...Gone!

2008-10-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Spencer is exactly 7 months today and is growing way too fast for our liking. I can't believe how much he has grown and has changed our lives for the better. He never has had a boring day, he could not wait to get around the house. For Spencer, being not able to reach his toys was never an option. Once he got the hang of crawling, he was off!:) It's now a forever game of hide and seek, unfortunately he is always winning at this game.:) Joseph finally took some video of Spencer crawling, sorry the quality isn't all that good. Also, excuse his diaper only apparel:)

"...Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Nose"

2008-10-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Joseph and I noticed last night that Spencer had some green gunk inside of his eyes, just thought it was an eye infection and planned on waiting until morning before calling the doctor about it, since it costs us $10 for every after hour phone call we make. After we put him down for the night, Spencer woke up in hysterics every 15-20 minutes, this occurred all night, He eventually ended up in our bed, which we have never done before, but it was much easier than getting out of bed every 20 minutes, til' about 5 am this morning! Joseph and I were exhausted to say the least. Joseph made an appointment with the doctor early morning, but I didn't think we needed to go, because of course now his eye didn't have discharge and he wasn't crying as often. I didn't want to see the doctor, just for her to tell me he's okay... I've already done this several times. Well, when Spencer and I arrived at the doctors office, he started crying again, there was build-up in his eye, and I was sure glad I went. The doctor said it looked like he had a cold in his nose, which he passed to his eye, which drained into his ears and caused two ear infections and he also has two eye infections. Yep, our very first ear infection! Let me tell ya, its super fun;) So, we're stuck at home for the next few days, which he will probably just use that time to hone his crawling skills:) That's another post though, once I get pictures or/and video I'll put them up. That's way more exciting to see than a crusty-faced kid:)

Making a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill

2008-10-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

I had my nieces Emma and Aisha over for lunch the other day. I pulled out a pop-up tent that I keep just for them, because I know Aisha loves to play house with it. They wanted Spencer to come inside and play with them,which was tight, since it was very small, but it was very cute anyhow. It was then that I got a crazy idea! The kid that I am inside decided the tent wasn't good enough, we'd have to make a fort! They tried to help with the blankets while I basically set it up with the chairs and our couches. It was actually very fun, and reminded me a lot of when I used to build them in my living room with my siblings. Building forts as a kid is the "awesomest." Plus, its super fun to tear down when you are finished. I didn't get a picture of us doing that, I wish I would have, but I was too busy helping the girls knock it down! I can't wait til' Spencer grows up and wants to make forts in our living room of his own!:)

The three of them inside the small pop-up tent

The huge fort taking up my whole living room!

The girls thought forts were only for boys, so they called it their castle, which makes sense, after all they are Princesses:)

Tears, Tricks and Trouble

2008-09-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

Spencer is hitting his 6 and a 1/2 month mark. This is a time of transition in every way of the word. He is learning to hold his own cup, to crawl and( hopefully soon) to go back to sleep on his own! I have been counseled by my doctor , my sister, and the books, that it is now time to let Spencer just duke it out with his tears and fall asleep on his own. Joseph and I have had no problems with putting Spencer TO sleep, However, he wakes up after falling asleep for only 30 min. and gives a big cry until mom and dad come to rescue him and sing him back to sleep. For naps, it was never a big deal, but at 3 am waking to his wailing was getting a bit old. So, today I decided not to rescue him during his nap, but to have him cry it out. I don't know what it is in my mind that makes me believe that the first of ANYTHING with a baby is supposed to go smoothly, I guess I just have high hopes:) So, I let him cry for about 30 minutes, I then heard his cry change tones, so I went to see what the problem was , I look over his crib and he had gotten his chunky turkey leg stuck in between the bars. I calmed him down and put him back in his crib, but he was already traumatized by the fact he thought he would never see his delicious leg again, then he just wouldn't settle down, so, after another half hour I did what I do best and gave in.:) I sang him to sleep and laid with him on the couch, until he fell asleep. As always, there will be more and more attempts, and hopefully soon a final success:) If any one has any suggestions on how to make a smooth transition on getting Spencer to fall back asleep on his own,(or how to stop him from getting his rolls stuck between the bars:) let me know!

The Trouble Maker
Here is Spencer waking up from his comfortable nap on the couch (hopefully for the last time.) Since he rolls over now, I have to put pillows down just in case.
First he grabs the unsuspecting toes...
and then he eats 'em all up, yum:)
This is mommy just having fun with the camera, he is so cute when he is thinking and daydreaming.

Hide and Seek:)

2008-09-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Me and Spencer were both sick today and just napped and hung out together all day in our PJs:)
I put Spencer on his blanket with some toys while I went to make myself a sandwich in the kitchen. I come back and I don't see Spencer anywhere. After a short moment of panic, trying to remember if I placed him somewhere else, I then hear a squeal of excitement. I looked below and this is what I find...

He was really proud of himself to get underneath our coffee table, He must have gotten excited when he saw my feet pass him:)

He then attempted to get out from under the table, but then discovered he was stuck!
Oh, the distress of being top heavy:)
He finally gave in and plopped on his belly, too cute of a kid!

Family Fun

2008-09-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

We had Missy, Mike and the family over the other night. We played some Wii and just hung out, It was quite the show to watch Mike do Wii wrestling!:)

Spencer on top of his Uncle mike's shoulders, Mike uses Spencer as his surrogate son:) Mike is hoping Spencer will grow up to be a Dallas Cowboy. Emma's way of showing you she got a strike.

Mike and Joe "wrestling" eachother. Emma is coaching her dad on the sidelines.

Mike really got into it, and I am sure you are curious to know, that he beat Joseph... pretty bad in fact.
Spencer just chillin' in his seat.
He is definitely all boy!
Aisha decided she wanted to be a baby too.Spencer's cool moves, showing off sitting up without any support!

Awww, sweet baby of mine:) I love this kids so much!

Spencer's first solids!

2008-09-15T21:43:00.001-07:00

Joseph and I decided it was time to introduce Spencer to some rice cereal. So, we propped him up in his cute little seat (don't worry we were going to put the tray on... ), but he looked so cute we had to take a picture. This is how it began clothed, sweet and happy!
After seeing Spence with his clothes on, we thought "he'll probably make raspberries and get the cereal all over himself," So, off came the clothes, just in case.:)
We then put the bib on him, just for double protection (he obviously was not very keen on that idea).

He then changed his mind very quickly and decided it looked like a delicious snack and wanted to eat the bib.
"Hmmm... that's new, what's that?"
"Into the mouth, okay, okay..."

"OH, wait, that's not what I thought it was, I think I'll change my mind, please..!"
"Whew, that was close, lets, uh, not try that again."
"NO, I said, NO!"
"Fine, but I 'm not gonna swallow it!"
"Now, look what you did, you made me all sad!:("

That's basically how the situation ended, not so good. He was so frightened by the whole thing, that when we attempted to put his binky in his mouth, he thought we were trying to feed him again, and started to freak out. Yeah, I guess I am starting to see what they mean by "baby steps." We'll see how his second feeding goes.

Mom's to vote!

2008-09-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

I felt really inspired by an article that I read today in the Parent magazine. It was about a mother, Shari MacDonald Strong, who had tasted a little bit of all parties on the ticket, she decided above all of them she was a mother. She says obviously she usually has an identity with a particular party, but said she'll "..back up in politician, any bill or measure that I believe to be in the best interest of children." There isn't just the Primaries we are able to vote at, which is all determined by our electoral college anyhow... that's another issue I'll tackle later:) but, we have even more important times to vote, for our local leaders, and even bills, which affects what happens right in our very community in which our children will grow up in. I'll share of few quotes which I thought were really powerful from Shari's excerpt,
"A few years ago I saw a television documentary about female leaders in developing countries. One woman from a war-torn nation said something to the effect of:' If woman were the ones who came to the table to negotiate peace, none of us would leave until an agreement had been reached because we know that women and children are the ones who will suffer the consequences if we don't.' In the 1960's, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. Later, John Lennon had a dream. We all have dreams, and here is mine; that one day, all mothers will use their political power and voice not in the way that the media and our husbands, pastors, fathers, and political leaders direct us to, but rather as we're led by our personal wisdom, our deepest intuition, our maternal instinct."
I love how she empowers motherhood! She goes on to say, " I picture a day when the driving force behind politics in my country is not power or money, but maternal love." I really hope that as nurturers we don't take for granted the power that we have. In our homes, AND in our communities. I encourage everyone to really study the candidates, in this election and our local elections, and vote for those who support mothers and families.

Pics of Richard's Homecoming

2008-09-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics of Richard's homecoming, as you can tell he ate a lot of mexican food in California:) We are so happy to have him back, he's still Richard, just more polished and grown-up!

Little Brother's homecoming!

2008-08-31T14:27:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that my younger brother has come home from his mission! Wow, how fast time flies and how old I am starting to feel! I drove with my sister Melissa and our babes to Georgia to surprise him when he came home. It was actually surprising how peaceful the ride was from Dallas to Atlanta. I was shocked that Spencer didn't go a little crazy in his car seat, because somehow we managed to only stop twice! I know, only twice with three kids under the age of 5. I really thought we were going to lose Emma (4 years old) at the end! She's, of course, the only one not in diapers, and so we had to somehow mentally deceive her into thinking she didn't have to go and that we were only 5 minutes away, when in fact we were like 45 minutes away... When we arrived at my parents home, our fears of her peeing in the car left, but then came back when we realized she could pee in the doorway, with all her excitement to see her uncles and cousins! You'll be happy to know she made "most" of it into the toilet:) We arrived last Sunday and Richard wasn't expected until Tuesday evening, so we were able to get ourselves situated enjoy seeing family and have plenty of time to prepare for Richards arrival (making banners, cleaning house etc.) Spencer loved all the commotion and seeing all the different faces, it entertained him well. Tuesday night My mom and dad picked up Richard from the airport, fed him a bunch of lies about how we all couldn't make it, only to be surprised when he walked in the door to see all of us waiting for him, He definitely was surprised and happy to all of us, old faces and a couple of new ones that he had not yet met:) It was a great reunion. None of the spouses were able to come, due to work, they were missed, but it was nice to have just the siblings able to hang out together. Us older 5 kids were able to sneak out and play a game just the 5 of us, just like old times. We ate a lot, watched movies, slide shows, pictures, story telling, hiking,swimming, playing, talking, and a little drama...All together the trip was very fun and a little nostalgic:) I'll post the pictures soon!

Spencer

2008-08-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

When Spencer came into the world, we were the happiest parents on earth, like I am sure all parents are. We feel so blessed to have the responsibility of this little man. He brings such joy to us. We smile differently now, in a whole unique way we never did before, and we only share that special smile with him, and him with us.:)

Crib Problems..

2008-08-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Me and Joseph are starting to get permanent bags underneath our eyes! Spencer is not doing very well at night, to say the least. Ever since he has learned to roll over, we have had to get up every night, sometimes several times (one night I got up 7 times!) going into his room rolling him back over, getting his face away from the puddle of drool he has formed, calm him down with some singing, turn on the music, the sound effects, the projector, anything and everything that makes sound and images to soothe him. We then pop the binky back into his mouth and make a run for the door, sneaking out without him noticing. We slam our bodies back into bed, fall back into sleep....only an hour later, you hear the inevitable from the baby monitor.... process starts all over again! We have tried propping rolled up blankets on his sides, starting him out on his side against one side of the crib with a blanket... nothing. So, I guess we are just going to have to give in and buy a sleep positioner, hopefully there will be more calm sleepful nights in the future! I'll let you know how it goes.