Grammy and PapPap Visit

My Grandma Laura's sister and brother-in-law, Gloria and Dave, live in Dade City, Florida.  Grandma and Bill came down to enjoy Florida for a little bit and we drove up to see them for the afternoon.  The afternoon was filled with food, play, and pictures.

There were a lot of different ourdoor toys.  Spencer liked this little red bug. 

Then he found the Corvette.  It was battery operated.  PapPap helped him get in.

And off he went.  He was doing laps around the backyard.  He almost ran a couple of people over while trying to learn how it worked.

Spencer with his PapPap.  The best picture of the day.  Spencer is smiling AND looking at the camera.

Mommy playing on the rope swing.  I have no upper body strength, so my trips were very short.

Daddy and Spencer in the little fort in the backyard.

Sea World

Sea World is running a Florida residents discount for two parks for the price of one. So we took at little trip to Sea World and Aquatica (a water park) over Labor Day Weekend. We had so much fun! One the first day we went to Sea World and boy oh boy did Spence enjoy it! he loved the shows. Just like with the Thomas show he didn't make a noise during the show, just watched with a look of discovery on his face. This was the "Believe" show with the Orca Whales. At the end of the show Spence said "Bye whale." Then he was really excited to get a picture with Shamu afterwards.

This is the seal area. we also saw the Sea Lion Show. It was super funny. After seeing this show and display Spencer smacked his hands together and made a seal sound. He is too cute! and smart!

If this is any indication of the trip, you get that he had a great time. so did Mommy and Daddy too! Here we are waiting for the Dolphin Show to start.

Here is one of many shots that we got of the show. This was soooooooo good! After this show Spencer said "Happy Dolphin."

The little guy looking at fish. He wanted to "touch it!" Also notice how cute he is holding his new plush shark.

James says that I'm riding in this train. We were able to ride both the coasters. Super fun!

At the end of a very long day. We were back in our room at 8 pm. The little guy did so well. He is still talking about his trip and dolphins and sharks and whales and big dolphins......and fishes and Nemos......haha!

Ohio!

Spencer went to Ohio to visit my Dad for his 50th Birthday. We were gone for 10 days. Grandma Laura donated us some frequent flier miles. We had a blast visiting everyone. The weather was so nice. Even though it was 90 out, there was no humidity. Playing at the parks and everything else was a little refreshing.

These shots are from Boonshoft Children's Discovery Museum. There were a ton of hands on activities. This is a pretend truck that Spencer spent the majority of his time in.

This is the landfill/recycling area. Dad had a hard time trying to pick up the "trash" with the digger thing (I'll learn all the truck names when Spencer is older..I'll have to!). Dad said that it needed a little oil.

Spencer playing with Legos for the first time. I was so surprised when he didn't put any in his mouth!

The tongue is out again! He is back at that play truck, this time he is driving it.

This is the rocking horse that Dad made me when I was a little girl. He got it out of the basement while Spencer was in the tub. As soon as his bath was over he was out like a shot! I didn't have time to get him into PJs or dry him off!

More nakedness on the horse!

On the Saturday of our tip we went to Dad's best friends house, Terry. He was having a BBQ. He also has his own pond with a swimming area. I forgot to bring Spencer's trunks and swim diapers, so I let him get in with his t shirt on with a regular diaper, which soon turned into the world's largest diaper!

Before he decided that he wanted to get in the water. Dad and Terry blowing up swim toys for all the kids.

Spencer playing football with Aunt BB.

On Sunday we went o watch Dad dirt bike ride. Spencer was a little scared of the bikes. They were really loud! Dad's bike is the red one.

We went kayaking too! Dad wanted to take Spencer out with him, but Spencer only wanted to ride with me. So we went out and took a spin around the pond. We saw a gaggle of Canadian geese. It was so cool. I sang him the Canoe Song (we learned it in music class) while we paddled around.

After our Dip, Dip and Swing!

I just love this picture. I asked him to smile for me and I got all teeth!

We also went to Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum. He loved the airplanes.

Here is is touching a "Snoopy Nose" plane. He was a little afraid at first.

Ohio was a fun trip. It was nice to get away and not have to worry about the everyday routine.

Happy Birthday, Erica!

Disney is offering a free ticket on your birthday for Florida residents, so we all went for the price of James (which is outrageous). We went to the Animal Kingdom. Spencer had so much fun! It was a blast. There were animals everywhere and so much to see.

This is Spencer playing a drum. There was a drum display set up and people could just walk up and play what they wanted. Spencer loves making music!

At the nature preserve/petting zoo, we got to meet Flippy the turtle. Flippy is a 12 year old box turtle. Spencer loved him. Flippy didn't bite like our turtles do. Spencer actually petted his shell, but I couldn't get the shot, and he wouldn't do it again.

This is at the entrance to the petting zoo/nature preserve area. These bronze elephants made our little guy concerned. He was scared for Mommy to touch them and he wouldn't even come near.

Our family shot with Pooh Bear. He was so excited to see all the characters he watches/reads about. We also saw Tigger, Mickey, Goofy, Eeyore, and Jimmy Cricket. Pooh and Mickey were his favorites by far. We had such a fun day. I can't wait to go back when he is a little older. Disney is one of the many perks of living in Florida. We understand this more now that we have our little guy.

Uncle Robert Graduates in Fort Benning

Robert, James' youngest brother, graduated from Basic Training in Fort Benning, GA May 1. So we drove up there to see the festivities. James and I decided to drive during the night so Spencer would sleep through it. Thursday morning Robert "turned blue." This is the blue honor cord worn over the shoulder. Then on Friday morning, we saw the actual graduation ceremony. After the ceremony, Robert was able to come back to the cabin to hang out with everyone until Sunday. When we were not eating, Robert liked to show off his new skill of not sweating while doing push-ups and some various ab exercises. Spencer got a kick out of that. Every time Robert hit the deck Spencer followed suit. It was soooo cute seeing Spencer copy Robert. These are some of the best photos.

This was a nice four day weekend. We got to see almost all of James' family. Spencer had time with his cousins on the playground and all of it was done outside. Outside is his new favorite thing to say. Everything has to be done outside. It's so cute the way he says it too, its like "ouse." He says "ouse" and then "shoes" if he doesn't have shoes on.

First Train Ride

Grandma Valerie and Rick took Spencer on his very first train ride. He was a very excited little boy. He loves to ride and play with his "Choos". Grandma bought him a small black train toy for the ride.

James and I really enjoyed the train ride too! Though we did not go on the train, we got a Friday night to ourselves and a sleep-in Saturday morning along with a yoga class for me. It was very relaxing, being able to eat at a leisurely pace at Bistro 41 then come home to listen to music.

Peace River Canoe Trip

On Saturday April 19th, all three of us went on a canoe trip with Grandma Valerie and some friends. I was a little nervous at first, thinking that Spence would rock the boat and we would capsize. But we made it the whole way, 11.5 miles down stream, without tipping over. Spencer was totally cool with his hat and lifevest. When he saw Daddy paddling, he had to have his own paddle. We would paddle to shore and get out to swim, fossil hunt, eat, or whatever various times throughout the day. Spencer did not want to swim, the water was a little chilly. We did get him to nap mid day. I got in the middle of the canoe and he sat between my legs and eventually he fell asleep. We ended up making a "tent" with a beach towel so he could sleep and I could fossil hunt. It was a fun day.