Spencer is 5 months old

Man it's going by fast. Baby love is five months old today. He is squeezie and chubby and that's just the way we love them around here.
He wears 6-9 month old clothes, is in a size three diaper, loves applesauce mixed with oatmeal cereal and would trade me in for pear juice any day. He sleeps through the night and if not, I just kick Darren and he goes to put the pacifier back in his mouth. Spencer nurses first thing in the morning and just before bed. He gets excited when he sees a bottle coming towards him. He's slowly adopting the two long naps during the day and a short one in the evening. He prefers his belly when he is playing on the floor. He rolls off the blanket and clear across the room but hasn't figured out how to get back the other direction so he gets stuck up against things like the entertainment center, the trunk or the piano. He loves the exer-saucer and just recently (after I sat the seat up) enjoys the swing. I wash a batch of his clothes every other day. I miss his long hair - big time. He's still a snuggler, loves to be held and lays his head on my shoulder when I pick him up. He drinks 6 ounces in his bottle or a bowl full of food. He's a happy content baby and that has been a serious blessing to me.

Miss Sadie

Wow this was fun! I can't even tell you how much fun it was to play with Sadie. Her mom had a ton of great ideas and Sadie is such a smiley little nine month old. What a cutie pie! I'd take her picture any day.

Oh No!

The other day Darren and I were driving back from New Mexico. I ran my hand through my hair, went to drop the stray strands on the floor and gasped when I saw that in the mix was a long white one. I held it up to Darren who promptly swore it was just really blond. Now my hair is weird. If I pulled out ten strands they would all be so different. Some are really thick and course and almost black. Some are soft, thin and blond. Some change in color or texture from top to bottom. I'm used to finding blond hair come out of my hair even though I'm definitely brunette. But this was most certainly not blond - it was white I tell you - WHITE. But it was so long! How could I have missed it? How could Darren have missed it? A few of my friends complain about gray hair already and so I've been on the lookout ever since. Darren has been given implicit instructions that as soon as he sees gray in my hair he has to tell me so I can start being a slave to the salon. My first gray hair at 32? How sad.

My Men

Remember when my boys looked like this?

Now my boys look like this.
What did we ever do without that little guy?

Just a Taste

We love these people! Darren and I grew up with this guy and we like him even more with his better half, around. It has been fun hanging out with them and their family. They spent an hour with me and my camera this weekend and I thought I'd post a few pictures for them.

Backtracking

Okay so I realize this blog has been dedicated to my new fun toy (baby number four) lately. It's just that he is so fun. Not that the rest of us aren't. Anyway the rest of us have been doing some fun things lately too. December got away from me without blogging much of what was going on so I'm going to take some time to backtrack, update, and put pictures of other people besides Spencer up. I'm headed to my Dec 2009 picture folder to see what I can find. Hope you enjoy!

Dec 21st - 23rd - Alena's house

Darren had some time off around Christmas this year so we snuck away for a few days to visit my sister Alena and her family. Her husband had had a pretty bad injury a few months back and we promised a visit. Darren packed the van and then put his bike on his bike rack hoping to get a chance to ride while down there.

We had a bonus visitor as well. Alena and I worked on my sister Melissa and she slipped down from mom and dad's house during her break to spend some time with us.

Something you should know about my son Parker is that he embraced his inner country boy along time ago. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Alena provide the means of expressing it. As we were driving down the road just before getting to their house a voice comes from the back of the van...

Mom?

What Parker?

Why can't we be country folks?

This little boy has been asking me for a horse since he was three years old. When we were building our house he wanted to know if there was enough room in the backyard for a barn. He told me that Elijah could live in the office (now the baby's room) and his horse could live in his room. He has informed me that when he grows up he will still live close to me, but that he needs a house that he can have horse at so he might not be next door.

He gets on his Uncle Andrew's horse every chance he can get (picture from last February). One time when he was 3, Bo threw him off. Parker got up, told Bo that that wasn't a very nice thing to do, and then asked Uncle Andrew to put him back on. This visit did not disappoint. Andrew's brother Preston helped out with the logistics of it this time since Andrew was still walking with a cane.Even Alexia got in on the action. Look at those storm clouds. While the kids were bundled up and braving the weather on the horse, Darren was out on his bike. Cuh-ray-zee! He loves it though.
A storm settled in and we made the best of our time together. Alena was on dish duty. Darren was on dinner duty.
Melissa was on kid/gingerbread house duty, and it looks like I put Andrew on baby duty. (Hey at least it wasn't on baby doodie.) Sorry couldn't help myself with that one. So what was I doing? Looks like I was told I had to take pictures with Alena's camera.

We had such a great time while we were there. The sun finally came out just as we were getting ready to come home. Before I could leave though I wanted to try something. Cowboy boots are so colorful. I wanted to photograph their family's boots since we never got around to that family picture she wanted. So it's a boot family picture instead.

Dec 14th - Temple Lights

For family night we decided to take the kids to see the temple lights. The nativity scenes are fun to see, there is usually a choir performance, and the weather is a whole lot more bearable then when we would go see the temple lights in UT...(notice Darren in shorts).

Dec 11th - Ward Christmas Party

Darren's parents came for a visit early in December. Lucky for them it was in time for the ward party. We had a Night in Bethlehem theme and everyone was told to dress in costumes for the night. Grandma and Grandpa Stewart were good sports about it. Jerry is going to LOVE me for posting this one.

Our family helped act out the nativity. Darren, Spencer and I were Joseph, baby Jesus and Mary. Alexia, Elijah and Parker were shepherds.
Bishop Golightly as the angel Gabriel
Brandon Rohner, Brother Newsom, and Matt Martinez are our three wise men.
Our choir of heavenly angels.Parker with his favorite babysitter Miranda.

Grandma and Grandpa saved our hides that night. They helped keep tabs on the kids while Darren and I wandered around looking for room in the inn. They took the kids home while we helped with the clean up of the party. And they checked up on Darren in the middle of a major sesame oil allergy attack. Darren started itching a little after dinner and it turned out the humus' second ingredient was sesame. Yikes. We need an adult dosage epi pen for him. We try to be really careful, but that night didn't even think of checking. The welts on his neck and behind his ears were the size of quarters. I keep benedryl in the car so he took some right away, but I sent him home to get some more medication and let it run its course. I stayed to clean up and his parents helped at home. This one was his worst reaction yet. Scary.

Dec 2nd - Alexia's 3rd Grade Music Concert

We all headed to the school cafeteria for Alexia's concert. She was on the back row of course.She is standing by a boy that she kinda has a thing for. Huh, what a coincidence. I had a thing for a kid with lots of freckles in third grade too. I have a scar on my knee from falling down while chasing him. I'm going to have to remind her that it's not worth it. She says her friend is nice and funny even though he knows she kind of likes him.
Each of the students had the chance to play some sort of percussion instrument. This is how Elijah spent the night. He found a comfy spot right up in the front where he could see the whole thing. I only had to drag him back once. He tried to go stand by sissy when she came down to play her instrument. It was nice night. The strange thing was that they didn't sing a single Christmas song. I mean why have a music concert in December then? Weird but whatever. It was fun to see what she had learned.

It was time...

The first thing my midwife said after breaking my water with Spencer was, "Oh this baby has a lot of hair." And then he proved her right. I love all of the comments about his hair, but it was time, past time for a hair cut. I put him in the sink this morning to bathe him and this is what he looked like.

In a word...wispy. His hair has been hanging over his ears for a long time and was getting so long on top. So I went to work with my scissors while he was being so nice in his bath seat. I didn't have time to get to the clippers and the sides until tonight when Darren was home to hold him for me.


Oh my...




He looks so...




so...




different without it...




Wait for it...




Wait for it...

BAM! Where did my baby go? No, for real? Where? And that rooster tail thing is back. Hmmm...

I'm not sure how I feel about it...But he looks like he's okay with it.

4 Months Old

Why is it that the time goes so much faster after they get here, than that nine months you spend waiting for them to bake? Spencer is four months old now. He's rolling all over the place and prefers his tummy when playing on the floor.

Here is Spencer at 3 months old
And here he is today:
What? You say someone is four months old?
Hmmm...I wonder who she could be talking about.

I took Spence for his four month checkup and in six weeks' time he has gained 2 more pounds and stretched out another 2 1/2 inches making him 15lbs 15oz and 26 and 3/4 inches long. He also got his first taste of applesauce and oatmeal this week. Man he is growing so fast. I just can't get enough of him.

My Last Picture

My sister and I were talking the other day about how far behind we are in blogging. I told her to find the last picture she had taken and post it. Here are mine.
Dang I love these hooligans!

Sundays

This is how we get through Sunday's at our house.

Sad, I know. Church starts at 2pm and it makes for a long stretch with not watching tv and trying to keep the house quiet enough to let the little one sleep for any amount of time. When Darren was put in a bishopric the first time Alexia was only 9 months old and by the time we moved and he was released, she was 5, Parker was 3 and Elijah was 6 weeks old. We were pros at getting to and through church without him. The last three years we got used to having Daddy sit with us. Now when Sunday morning comes around, I want to pull the covers back over my head and stay there. No, I mean it. Last week was the first week since Darren has been gone that I have not cried before getting to church. I think the pregnancy hormones have finally fizzled and I'm getting the hang of it again. Vonda told me it would take about three months to get used to it again and I'm finding out she's right. We've found our new normal. It involves Saturday night baths, the crock pot, Sunday centers, and the occassional nose in the corner. Okay...a lot of noses in the corner. But we are making it. We haven't been late yet. We have learned not to sit on the side of the chaple where Elijah can see Darren. Sunday centers allows for some quiet time for me to get a shower and Spencer to catch a late morning nap. Something in the crockpot means we can come home and eat right away since they are starving. If Darren makes it home in time to join us...well, that's just a huge bonus and we love it when it happens.
This picture was taken on the first Sunday of 2010. Elijah is now a Sunbeam in Primary. That means no more toys or snacks in the nursery for Elijah. I've already apologized to his new teachers. I know it's going to be rough. He'll get the hang of it though. And for his teacher's sake I'm hoping sooner than later.

Tummy Time