The Southworth Family

Caleb's Adoption

2011-10-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

We LOVED the judge. He was so kind and funny. I love how everyone is dressed nicely and my dad wears a shirt that says: "Yes. I was born in a barn".

Andy Grammer - Keep Your Head Up

2011-09-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Heard this song on Coast and liked it. Thought I'd look it up to see who sung it and this is what I found.

Caleb Perry

2011-09-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Spencer's "bloody nose"

2010-11-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was playing with Spencer and my nose started to bleed. I got a tissue and stuck it in my nose and went back to playing with Spencer. He asked me why I had a tissue in my nose and I said, "my nose is bleeding". A few days later at church I had a banana for Spencer to eat but no wet wipes to wipe his hands. I went to the mother's lounge and got a wet paper towel. During sacarament meeting as I was listening to the speaker, I hear Spencer say, "Mom. I have a bloody nose". I look down to see him with a strip of paper towel hanging out of each nostril. He kept saying it in his normal voice, "Mom. I have a bloody nose". Of course he didn't really have one. Wish I had a picture.

4th of July

2010-09-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Todd's parents came down for the 4th of July. While they were down, Spencer had a good time playing the guitar with Papa and helping him put up a rain gutter bookshelf. Thanks again Loren for the help with the bookshelf.

Beach with Auntie Wug

2010-09-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

We went down a month or so ago to watch Auntie Cassie play beach soccer. It was really fun to watch. She had two games a few hours apart so we spent some time in the water. Spencer really enjoyed it. When we first arrived at the sand Spencer called it a sandbox.

Fair 2010

2010-09-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our trip to the fair.

Todd's Birthday Party

2010-09-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from Todd's birthday party. Every year we have a board game birthday party where we invite people over to play games.

Wondermomful and other Spencerisms

2010-09-27T20:39:00.001-07:00

Today Spencer told my I was "wondermomful". I think that translates into "wonderful mom".

I told him this morning we were going to meet someone at Farmer Boys for breakfast. He asked me, "Is there going to be a cow there?" I told him "No. Farmer Boys is a Restaurant."

The Missing Piece

2010-09-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

The Missing Piece

He'll always be my baby boy.

2010-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

I often call Spencer my "baby boy" even though he is 2.5 and we are constantly seeing signs of him growing up. Even when he's 92 I will still call him my baby boy.

This weekend at the fair we saw another sign of him growing up - he rode some of the kid rides by himself. The first ride I felt a little uneasy about him going alone but he did really well and loved it.

Last year at the fair Todd and I were wondering how long it would be before Spencer would want to ride rides. This year as we were going to the fair Todd thought the same thing again. Well, if you've read the beginning of this post you know this was the year.

Before we went to the fair we planned out a budget to include: an elephant ride, pony ride, and a treat.

Well, after Spencer showed interest in the rides and asked to ride some, we ended up modifying the budget and Todd ended up splurging an extra $20.00 for Spencer to ride the rides. It was fun to stand on the sidelines and watch his face and the pure enjoyment he was having on the rides.

Well, I was going to upload some pictures to go along with this post but I can't find the cable to upload the pictures.

Sleeping Beauty

2010-08-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

Usually before bed time I read to Spencer in our bed. This evening Todd was already asleep. Spencer said that Daddy was Sleeping Beauty and thought that if he kissed him he would wake up. He kissed him and Daddy only half woke up.

I Love the Cute Things You Say

2010-07-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping a journal in a Word document for Spencer. I just finished recording in it some of the cute things he's said lately. I thought I would post it so others could enjoy his cuteness.

Dear Spencer,

I’ve been keeping a list of some of the cute things that you’ve said lately. I decided to take this time and write them in your journal.

A few weeks ago daddy and I were in the kitchen getting ready for dinner when you came in and said, “I said a prayer to Heavenly Father.” Before I could find out what you said in your prayer you ran back into the family room, knelt on a blanket and said another prayer. I asked you what you prayed for and you said, “a baby”. At one point, I can’t remember if it was before or after the second prayer, you said that Heavenly Father said, “Yes.” As in yes we can have a baby come live with us.

A few weeks ago I put my hair in a bun. It was the first time you saw my hair in a bun. As you were looking at my hair, you mentioned something about hamburgers or hotdogs. The next night you were reaching toward the back of my head and said, “What you have?” meaning how do your have your hair? When you saw I had a pony tail you said, “you don’t have a hamburger?” Today talking again about my hair you said, “Where’s your burger?”.

Another cute thing recently happened as I was cuddling you. You said, “Stay away from me.” Confused I asked, “Stay away from you?” You said, “Cause I’m pooping.” You don’t like people by you when you’re pooping in your diaper.

This past year I’ve been talking to you a little about your birth and how you came to our family. I’ve even mentioned a few times that you have a birth mom. Anyway, you were playing with a music box that came attached to some balloons that Auntie Lala and cousin Lincoln gave to you when you were a baby. You showed the music box to daddy and said, “When my birth mom comes I’m going to give it to her.” That was probably one of the first times I’ve heard you mention your birth mom.

One Sunday we were in Sacrament meeting and you and daddy were looking at a book about Jesus. You put your hand on your head and asked daddy, “This means your giving blessing?”

One day when were at the park and you were talking to a little girl. After a little while you came over and said, “That little boy said I can’t be a daddy.” (I think you thought she was a boy because she had her hair back and it looked short) Anyway, I explained that when you’re big like daddy you can be a daddy. A little while later you were on your scooter and I heard you say, “When I’m big like daddy I can be a daddy.”

Sometimes when Spencer does or says cute things like this it reminds me of stories my mom told me of cute things we did as kids.

Muffin Marathon

2010-07-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

Well, a half marathon, anyway, which is just over 13 miles. You may have heard that LynMarie ran the Fontana Days Half Marathon this year! My parents and sister Cassie came out to watch her run and we got to cheer her on during the race. She trained for months and really put in a lot of effort. Her goal was to finish the race in 2 hours, 10 minutes, but she actually came in at 1:52:16, which is an average of just over 8½ minutes per mile! Great job, honey -- we're so proud of you!

LynMarie waving to us around mile 10

The three of us after the race

Everybody chilling out afterwards (except Nana, who's taking the picture)

Here's Nana! Later that day reading to Spencer, who looks so cool in his shades.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

2010-07-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Abominable Snowmen

2010-07-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

     Well, I've had the best of intentions to go back and organize all the pictures sitting in the upload folder on our computer and post about everything, but if I wait to try and catch up before posting current stuff nothing will ever get posted. So the new plan is to try and post at least one new thing here every week.

     Anyway, we're now blocked out from using our Disneyland passes for the summer, so we wanted to make one more trip while we could. We saw Chip up front and Spencer had to say hello.

Here are Spencer and LynMarie with the Matterhorn waterfall in the background.

Spencer has been growing as you can see...

... so this was his first chance to ride the Matterhorn! He likes going through tunnels in the car, and didn't seem to mind the first part of the ride in the dark. About halfway through he said, on his own, "I like it!" He also got to go on Gadget's Go Coaster in Toontown, though he didn't seem to like that one as much.

     After we got home he told me, "I saw the abominable snowman, but he can't get you." Ah, how quickly they grow up...

Good Things to Come

2010-06-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

Good Things to Come

# 1 and # 2 All in the Same Week!

2010-05-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

We haven't officially started potty training Spencer but we have started doing little things to get him interested in the toilet. For example, sometimes before a bath I'll sit him on the toilet. We also told him if he goes poop in the toilet he'll get a sticker. A few days ago he told me he needed to go poop, so I put him on the toilet and after a while he looked in and said there was poop in there. I looked and he was right. Then tonight as I was changing his diaper (diaper was already off) he said he needed to go potty. I didn't want to get squirted so I threw a wipe over him while I got the diaper ready. I then took it off to put his diaper on. He said he wanted to pee in the wipey and I said no. I then noticed a little dribble and asked him if he wanted to go on the toilet. He said he did and I told him to hold it and ran him to the toilet. Well, shortly there after he went potty in the toilet for the first time. I was pretty impressed. I was also impressed that he held the urine in from the changing table all the way to the toilet. Maybe toilet training is around the corner.

My Family's Got Talent!

2010-05-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the month we had a family talent show. My eight year old niece thought of the idea herself and put it together. We had it at my parent's church building and my mom decorated for the talent show. Spencer and I sung "I Love to See the Temple". Well, acutally, he wouldn't sing so I invited the audience to sing it with me.

My sister and nephew told jokes.

Valerie was the mc and did a great job. She kept us laughing.

My brother and his wife did the Salsa for the talent show. They did an awesome job.

This picture is of my sister in law and her almost 10 month old son. He demonstrated his talent of walking with a walker.

Some other talents were, my 8 year old niece played a song on the piano that she had taught herself, she also sang a song with her mom, a trumpet player, my cousins' kids ages 2, 3, 5 dancing to the song "All the Single Girls" (not quite sure if that's the title), magic tricks, and building with legos. My mom and sister in law also used their talents in making desert. It was a fun night and I hope this becomes a tradition.

Hair gel?...No

2010-03-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

I know we're not very good about posting things here and we've got quite the backlog of pictures and stuff. I'm trying not to worry about getting things in order and just get some things posted, or nothing is ever going to get done. Anyway, here's a cute video from a few days ago. Some days, the hardest part of being a parent is not laughing...

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2010-03-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping a journal for Spencer and the following is the entry I wrote for tonight. I thought it would be easy to just cut and paste instead of re-writing the whole thing again.

Dear Spencer,

Yes. I am going to write more about some of the cute things you say. Yesterday I was folding laundry telling you about people we know who are going to have babies. As I sometimes do I started to talk to you about having a baby come live with us. You said you wanted one and so I said we need to wait until Heavenly Father sends us one. You then said you wanted to ask Jesus for one. A little while later you said you wanted to talk to Jesus on the phone.

Today before your nap you wanted me to read you the children’s book we have about Joseph in Egypt. When we got to the picture of Joseph sitting in jail you asked why he was on time out. I explained to you in the best way I knew how by saying, “Potifer’s wife accused Joseph of trying to kiss her.” After we were done with the book you took it and started to “read it” yourself. I sat back and listened to you and this is what I heard:

“Why did Joseph get a time out? He tried to kiss him (I don’t think you quite know the difference between him and her).”

Turns the page, “Why did Joseph get a time out? He tried to kiss him.”

Turns the page, “Why did Joseph get a time out? He tried to kiss Joseph.”

Turns the page, “Why did Joseph get a time out? He tried to kiss Pharoh.”

I guess we still need to work on this story.

Church Water

2010-03-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Spencer says some of the cutest things. Today in Sacrament meeting he looked up from drinking out of his sippy cup and said, "I want church water". He was refering to water out of the church's drinking fountain. We've been trying to get him to be quiet during Sacrament meeting and today he did really well for most of it.

Today his nursurey teachers where doing a slide show on the creation and they said he was naming a lot of the animals.

Happy Birthday Spencer

2010-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wow! Time flies. We can't believe our little boy is already 2. These past few years with Spencer have been wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better baby boy. He is such a joy to our family. He is a little light.

He has learned so much in his short time here on earth. He can sing the alphabet song, recognizes red,blue,purple, can count to 13 by himself and to 20 with help

2010-02-13T23:39:00.000-08:00

Spit Shine

2010-02-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight Spencer asked me for a paper towel. Usually when he asks me for one he starts wiping things down. I looked over after a little while and saw him spitting on the seat of the chair and wiping it. I have no idea where he learned this from because I don't clean house like that.

I Want to go on a Mission

2010-02-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Today while I was cooking dinner I was singing the song, I Hope They Call me on a Mission". As I was singing, Spencer said, "I want to go on a mission". That made me so happy to hear my little boy say. I can't believe he's not even one and he already wants to get married in the temple, of course he's recently had the example of Auntie Alysha and Uncle Blake, and go on a mission.

It's kind of ironic, cause the other day I was thinking about our next adoption and how things are slow and the possiblility that he may be our only child. Then I got to thinking about sending him on a mission and how much I would miss him and wondering if it would be more difficult to send your only child on a mission as opposed to sending one of many children on a mission. Oh well, random thoughts.

When we first brought Spencer home, I remember seeing his diaper bag, that the foster mom had packed up for him, sitting on our couch. I don't know why, but seeing it all packed up made me think about him growing up and us sending him on a mission and I started to feel sad that he was going to grow up and leave us. But I guess that's what life is about. Raising your kids to be good people and then sending them out into the world. More random thoughts.

For those of you who aren't familiar with our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, young men are encouraged to go on a two year mission at age 19. Young women go at age 21 for 1 1/2 years. When a young man or woman decides to go on a mission it is a joyful occasion for the family. Both Todd and I went on missions before we were married and have been blessed by the experience. We also hope to go on a mission as a couple when all our children are grown.

Our church also builds temples where a man and a woman can go to be married not only for life but for eternity. So again, when a couple decides to get married in the temple it also brings great joy and happiness to the families.

New Pictures

2010-02-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

The first picture is of Todd and Spencer before church. Spencer loves this train tie. The second picture is of me and Spencer before our first bike ride. We love our bike rides. Spencer loves holding on to the handle bars and helping mommy steer the bike. He sometimes tries to push my hands out of the way so he can steer by himself. Of course I tell him no. A few times he has said, "I'm helping mommy".

The Angels

2010-02-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today we went to my parents' house and my mom had my brother's trophies out. Spencer looked at them and said, "The Angels". I kept thinking, "How does he know about the Angel's baseball team?" Then it hit me. I think he was talking about the Angel Moroni on top of the LDS temples. They're the same gold color and we also had an Angel Moroni on top of our Christmas tree that looked like it was made out of the same material as the people on the trophies. So I think that's what he was talking about. Any how, I thought it was cute.

We also went to visit my grandma. We visit her and my parents once a week. It's fun to see Spencer and my grandma interact. I can tell that she adores him and he just loves her. She gives him rides on her walker around the house and she usually has M&Ms lined up in a row on her side table waiting for him. He usually sees them and goes over and eats them without even asking. When we leave she walks us to the door and when we're outside she looks out the backdoor curtain and plays peek-a-boo with him. I'm so glad she has been able to live this long to get to know him (She just turned 90 this year). We've been going over to her house almost every week since he was a baby.

To bring the Camera or Not to Bring the Camera

2010-02-04T21:38:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have had a few experiences where I wish I had my camera with me. One was a few weeks ago at a local mall where we exercise on windy or rainy days. As we pulled up to the mall, there was a huge black hawk helicopter on a trailer in the mall parking lot. Spencer and I went with our friends for a close up look. Luckily my friend had a cell phone and took some pictures.

Yesterday, as we were getting ready to go to Disneyland I decided I didn't need to take the camera every time we went. Well, it turned out to be a great day for pictures. Such a great picture day, that I am seriously considering paying the outrageous $12.95 for the pictures the kind staff at Disneyland took of Spencer with Goofy and Mickey.

When we entered Main St. We saw Goofy and Spencer got excited so we went over to see him. Goofy took the leash to the backpack Spencer was wearing and started to walk Spencer around. He then gave Spencer the leash and I took this as him saying, "You're free".

We also saw Mickey in his house at Toon Town. Spencer went up to him and gave him a kiss.

It was so fun to see Spencer’s excitement as we drove up to Disneyland.

Creche Festival

2010-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

This was a picture taken at a local Creche Festival that Spencer and I attended in December.

Colors

2010-01-31T21:33:00.001-08:00

For the most part Spencer seems to learn things quickly. However, colors seem to have taken a while. Todd and I were beginning to wonder if he was color blind. Recently, however, he seems to be learning his colors. A few weeks ago he correctly recognized the color of his towel as orange,which suprised me because I don't think we do orange a lot, and when I was doing laundry the other day he again pointed out the orange towel on the couch. Then tonight as I was getting him ready for bed he identified my shirt as blue,it was probably more a tourquoise but i think it counts as blue, then I pointed to some other things that he correctly identified as blue. I then pointed to some red things and he correctly identified them as red.

This morning when I was getting him ready for church he said he wanted to wear his red socks. After seeing that he had red in his shirt I put on his red socks. He then told me sometime after that he wanted to wear his pink socks. I told him he didn't have any pink socks. He sometimes talks about pink. That's a color that I don't think we've talked about much. I think we mostly do red and blue. Anyhow, at one of his doctor's appointments a few months ago he got a pink sucker. So I'm wondering if that's how pink got into his mind. Any how, it's so fun to watch him grow and learn.

As far as numbers he seems to be recognizing things in two. For example, yesterday we went on a little run/walk and, since we've recently started going on bike rides, I would point out people riding by on their bikes. Sometimes two people would ride by and he would say something like, "there's two bikers".

Halloween

2009-12-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hey. If the stores can start putting out Christmas decorations at Halloween then I can do a Halloween post at Christmas time.lol Any way, we had a great Halloween. Spencer enjoyed eating the candy out of his bucket. When I was little we always went trick- or- treating around my Grandma's neighborhood,so that's where we took Spencer. My mom passed out candy at Grandma's house while my dad went with us. Spencer wanted to walk right with Grandpa the whole night. Enjoy the pictures and we would love comments.

Bye Bye Uncle Sean

2009-12-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

Just a little background before I tell the story. Spencer has an Uncle Sean who lives out of state. Spencer has only met Uncle Sean a few times and probably doesn't remember meeting him because he was less than a year old. However, we have a little photo book with Uncle Sean and his family in it and we talk about them.

Alright. On to the story. Last week we were at the park and Spencer met a little boy named Sean. When we were ready to leave, I told Spencer to say good bye to Sean. Spencer then responded with, "Bye, bye, Uncle Sean". I thought it was so cute. I guess he doesn't quite get the concept that multiple people can have the same name.

Suckers and Santa

2009-11-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

This morning I took Spencer to the Drs. to get his second dose of the flu shot. One of the first things he said when he got out of the car was, "sucker". I guess he remembered that he usually gets a sucker when he gets his shots. During the visit he kept asking for his sucker and I kept telling him, "after the shot". Usually, the Dr. will come in and examen him and then the nurse will come in with the suckers and shot. As the Dr. was leaving, Spencer said, "sucker". I guess he wanted to make sure the Dr. didn't forget about his sucker. He finally got his shots and 2 suckers. A yellow and a pink one. Later, we were at the mall and I let him sit on Santa's lap. He did not like it at all. He did however, have no problem taking the book they gave him. So different than last year.

Singin' in the... Family Room

2009-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

Lately Spencer has been singing along to parts of songs. This song is one of his favorites. It's hard to get it on camera, though. Whenever Spencer sees the camera he wants to look at the pictures on it rather than be in one. (That's what the fuss is near the end of the song.)

I Want Cell Phone

2009-10-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, Todd and I recently decided to get a prepaid cell phone for emergency purposes. It was only 10 bucks at Big Lots. Anyway, After playing with Nana's cell phone this weekend Spencer saw ours on the table and said, "I want cell phone". I was quite suprised that he actually said cell phone instead of just phone. He must have heard us referring to Nana's phone as a cell phone and thought the one on the table was like hers (Not that hers looks like a $10.00 one from Big Lots). Anyway, I was quite impressed. I never thought I would buy my kid a cell phone, but I'm actually thinking that Santa might be getting him one for Christmas. Of course it won't have any minutes on it, but he seems to prefer the real phones to the fake ones.

Conference Weekend

2009-10-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

We went to Todd's parents house for conference in Oct. These pictures are of Spencer and Auntie Wug relaxing on the couch.

Scripture Study

2009-10-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've been horrible at posting things here, but I had a quick story to share from a couple of nights ago....

It seems that Spencer is getting something out of family scripture study. We usually read after dinner, before he starts getting ready for bed. Spencer was squirming around on the couch as we were reading and suddenly said, "came to pass"! Can you tell we're studying the Book of Mormon?

2009-10-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Twins?

2009-10-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well, before Spencer I thought it would be fun to have twins or triplets. I guess my aunt LeeAnna made having twins along with 8 other kids look easy. Don't get me wrong, Spencer is a very good kid, nevertheless, it takes a lot of time and energy being a mother and taking care of the house. So, since becomming a mother, I've realized having twins might be a lot more work than I realized.

Also, watching a 26 month old and Spencer who is 19mo. today also opened my eyes to the challenges of having twins. I saw this as I was at the park trying to watch two kids who wanted to do different things at the park. Also, after leaving a store trying to open the car door while holding on to the 26 mo. old with one hand and Spencer with the other. It took me a few tries of letting go of Spencer's hand and trying to open the door while he tried to run away. Finally, a friend came over and held Spencer's hand so I could open the car door. Also, the organization of having two diaper bags itself was mind boggling. Anyway, hats off to mothers of multiples or who have their children really close together.

p.s. Sorry for so many pictureless posts. I've just been too lazy. It's so much easier to type than it is to post pictures.

Another cute little story. As we were driving in the car this morning, the little boy I was babysitting put his hand on Spencer's carseat and oh boy, Spencer did not like that. Also, at the park I brought the 26 mo. old over to where Spencer was playing,thinking it would be easier to watch them if they were in the same place, and Spencer did not like that either. Where do they learn so young to be so territorial?

A House Full of Kids

2009-10-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today turned out to be busier than I had planned. I had planned on having the boy I tutor come after school from about 1:30-2:30 or 3 and then the Achievement Day girls come from 3:30-4:30. Well, I ended up at one part of the day having 5 kids in the house at once, Spencer (19 mo.) a 26 month old, kindergartner, 2nd grader, and a fourth grader (lucklily for my sanity they are all good kids).

This morning the mother of one of the Achievement Day girls asked if her daughter could come early and I said she could. Then I get a call from a lady in our ward asking if I could watch her 26 month old nephew and I said I could. Then later, she called and said she wouldn't be back on time and asked me to pick up her niece from kindergarten and I said I could. It was fun and Spencer LOVED it. Again, luckily they are all good kids.

Oh yeah, in the midst of all the craziness of today, while I was trying to fit in a quick shower, Spencer got a hold of my glassess and broke the ear part off. So now I have a black piece of duct tape (I used to call it duck tape before I met Todd) holding my glassess together until I get new ones. Oh well. I was planning on getting new ones any way, but decided to wait and save up a little more money first.

"B"

2009-09-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

For some time now, Spencer has called letters "B". I was amazed today when he was making some scribble marks on a pice of paper and said, "B". I think that might mean he understands the concept that he can write letters.

Todd and I were also talking the other day at how cool it is that he understands some multiple meaning words. For example, he knows that on and off can refer to turning a light or music on and off and it can also refer to putting something on and taking something off.

He never ceases to amaze me. It's so fun to hang out with him every day and watch him grow and progress.

2009-09-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick funny story. Today Spencer and I were visiting my dad. I asked him if I could have some of his ice cream and he said I could. As I was dishing up the ice cream, I knew that I wasn't going to enjoy a nice dish to myself and that, as usual, I would have to share it with Spencer. A little bummed about this, I said to my dad,"The worst part about having a kid is that you have to share your ice cream with them.". I didn't realize the irony of my words until my dad responded with, "You're right.". I guess sharing your ice cream with your kids is just part of the job.

Sweet Sixteen

2009-08-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

We love you, Cassie! Hope you have an awesome birthday in England!

Who Needs Toys

2009-08-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Lately Spencer has been into putting things over his head. Usually it's a blanket, but in these pictures it was a basket. He is so fun to watch.

Who Needs a Skateboard

2009-08-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Aunt Cassie Gene

2009-08-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was having a hard time getting Spencer to eat veggies, even some of the ones he usually likes. I was stressing out a little, worried he wouldn't get the needed nutrients. Well, the other day I put some frozen peas into a pot to boil and Spencer indicated that he wanted some of the frozen peas. So I gave him some and he ate them. I gave him more and he ate them. I was plesantly suprised.

I called this post the Aunt Cassie Gene because Todd said his little sister Cassie use to eat frozen peas when she was little. I'll have to get a picture of the two of them eating frozen peas. Cassie also use to eat uncooked spaghetti noodles. I wonder if Spencer will also like those. No wonder aunt Cassie is sooo skinny. With a diet of frozen peas and raw noodles, who wouldn't be.

Happy Pioneer Day

2009-07-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2rV0ey6Op0

I love the part when he says, "They sacrificed pleasures to keep commitments that are eternal". May we all be a little bit less selfish and focus more on the happiness and comfort of others. Happy Pioneer Day!

I'm so glad when daddy comes home...

2009-07-25T02:13:00.000-07:00

Usually we are lucky to have Daddy working from home. Thursday was the rare ocassion that he had to go into a client's office. During the day Spencer would say, "Dada, Dada". When we were outside and saw a soda can, Spencer pointed to it and said, "Dada, Dada". When I was putting away a cup of dice Spencer pointed to it and said, "Dada, Dada". This boy loves his Dada and we were both glad when Daddy came home.

New word

2009-07-09T12:42:00.001-07:00

It seems that Spencer is learning so many new words these days, but I had to get a shot of him demonstrating his newest word: upside-down.

My Little Water Baby=)

2009-06-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

Spencer absolutely LOVES water. I'm not sure which he loves more, dirt or water. I thouroughly enjoy watching him enjoy the water.

Lawn, Lawn

2009-06-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

The other day Spencer and I were taking a walk around the neighborhood and I can't remember why but we were talking about the grass and I was wondering if I should teach him lawn or grass. I decided lawn. A few days later, as we pulled up in the driveway, a neighbor a few houses down was mowing his lawn. As I was getting Spencer out of the carseat he heard the lawnmower, and before he even saw it he started saying, "lawn, lawn". I was blown away. I don't remember specifically teaching him lawnmower we may have seen a few on walks but it's not something we see everyday.

He sure is a smart little guy. Today he also said backpack.

2009-06-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

In May, we went up to Oak Glen in Yucaipa for the Laura Ingalls Wilder display. It was very nice. The following are pictures from that outing.

I really like this quote.

We went on a ride in this horse drawn wagon through the apple orchards.

Some items on display

I really liked this sign and how they had specific days they did things. I wish I were that organized.

Todd was very nice and let me look at the displays inside while he watched Spencer outside. While they were outside waiting for me, Spencer blew bubbles in a mud puddle.
We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning in the fall to pick apples.

"No, No, No, Ta, Ta, Ta"

2009-06-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

First some background info. It has been my experience that when toddlers arrive at the age of 2 or so, they are always saying, "no". This use to annoy me, so I determined that my kids would never learn the word "no". Instead I would say "dangerous" or "don't do that", or "play over here". After a while I gave up and started using the word "no". I also use "ta ta" (That's what my mom used while we were growing up).

Well, this afternoon Spencer was playing with a decoration in the livingroom (It wasn't breakable so I didn't mind that he was playing with it). I went over and sat on the couch by where he was playing and pulled the decoration towards me and looked at it. Spencer then said, "No, no, no, ta ta ta." I was suprised put also pleased that he knew what I meant when I told him "no and ta, ta". A little while later, he got something off the couch and handed it to me and then pulled it away and said, "No, no, no, ta, ta, ta".

Okay, so now what do you do when your 15 month old starts to discipline you like this. Even though he won't understand, do I go ahead and tell him, "You don't say that to mommy?" or do I ignore it. If any of you have had similar experiences (If you have kids, I'm sure you have)let me know how you have handled situations where they tell you know.

P.S I'll try to get some pictures up soon. I tried to down load them off the camera to the shared pictures and I couldn't get them from the upload area to the shared pictures, so, I'm waiting for Todd to find the time to help me with this so that I can upload the pictures to the blog.

Two in one day!

2009-05-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

OK, Muffin called in me into the kitchen to see Spencer. Apparently she didn't see him get in, but he'd managed to get into one of the cupboards.

So eventually I got the climbing skills on video:

Just breakfast...

2009-05-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we don't post here as often as I'd like to, and sometimes it's just because I think we just kind of do the same stuff everyday. But just because we see it every day doesn't mean that everyone else gets to. Anyway, just a highlight from breakfast this morning. Spencer is trying to learn how to use a spoon to eat his Cream of Wheat.

Doesn't Hurt to Ask.

2009-05-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Last night a funny thing happened. After going to the store I stoped by the Tastee Freeze drive through. I ordered a Banana Fosters. The guy told me they were out of bananas. This happened the last time I asked for it. I told him I had just happen to have some bananas in the car and asked him if I gave him would he make me a Banana Fosters (I had never tasted one and really wanted to). He then asked me if he could buy the bananas from me. I told him he could (sorry Spencer mama sold your bananas). Not only did he buy the bananas from me, but he didn't charge me for the Banana Fosters.

By the way, I went out and bought Spencer some more bananas today.

In Praise of Stay at Home Moms

2009-05-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

This is the title of a new book by Dr. Laura that I am reading. It is really good. I recommend everyone read it even if you're not a stay at home mom. It really has great ideas on making your family a priority. I am even having Todd read it. On Tue. Todd is taking me to see her show In Praise of Mom. She's doing it live in Irvine Ca., and it will be broadcast to theaters all over the US. We won't see her live but that's ok, I've already been to one of her live shows. Is anyone else reading or planning on reading the book or going to the show? Let me know what you think.

I really admire Dr. Laura's views on the importance of family. In her view, a stay at home mom is someone who is home when her kids are home, even if she has to work evenings when her kids are asleep. When Dr. Laura's son was little, she was there with him during the day and worked nights when her son was asleep. When he was old enough to go to school, she worked when he was at school.

During the early years of her marriage, they only had one car, so her and her son would go places by bike.

From her, I get the message to work your schedule around your family and not your family around your schedule.

More Spencer Cuteness

2009-04-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Spencer and I went running/walking. During the run/walk, I let him get out and walk around at a little park. He saw a piece of rotting fruit and started walking towards it saying "appm" (apple). After I kicked it a few times to keep him away from it, he started calling it a ball. I'm not quite sure what Spencer defines as a ball or an apple. I guess if it's round and you eat it it's an apple and if it's round and you kick it it's a ball. We were at the store the other day and I bought a water melon and he started calling that a ball.

Spencer is quite the talker and is building his vocabulary. He likes lights and will point them out, so the other day I was teaching him the concept of lights on and lights off. For a while when we walked into a room where the lights were off, he would say, "light on", so I would turn the light on for him. Other words he says are:ca (cat), ba (bath), mil (milk), wa wa (water), mama, dada, mynana (banana), cracker, kixi (Kix Cereal-That's what I call it and he's picked it up), pancake, dog (It's so cute, even if he doesn't see the dog, but hears it bark, he will say dog), meemee (Meema, that's what we call my grandma). When asked what the following animals say, he says their sound: cat, dog, horse, cow.

He also loves water, dirt, and books. Sometimes he'll have a book or pamphlet and he'll sit there and hold it up and talk to himself as if he's reading the book.

It has been so fun to watch him grow over the past year. I look foward to continuing watching him grow.

Catching up - First Haircut

2009-04-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

Still going through the backlog... these are from Spencer's first haircut last month. His hair was getting long even though there's still not much of it. LynMarie cut his hair in the kitchen.

Before:

After:

Lookin' good, Spencer!

Appms

2009-04-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Spencer calls apples appms. Today when I went to visit my parents, my dad, Spencer and I were out in the front yard. Spencer was playing with a ball when he noticed some small green apricots that had fallen off the tree. He picked one up and said, "appm". I thought it was cute. I was suprised he didn't call it a ball. Usually that's what he calls things that are round. He also found a brown nut that fell off a tree and called it an appm. I love this little guy and am thankful I get to spend my days with him and be there to see all the cute things he does.

Catching up - Birthday Cake Video

2009-04-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Catching up - Zerberts!

2009-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

This video was taken a few days before Spencer's birthday. Good job catching this, honey!

Catching up - Huntington Library

2009-03-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got around to getting all of the pictures off of the camera and organized in their proper folders, so it's time to catch up on what we missed posting during the first quarter of 2009. In January we had the chance to go to The Huntington Library. The library, with some rare books and manuscripts on display (such as a Gutenberg Bible) is only part of what you can see there. There are also art galleries and botanical gardens, with several themed gardens. Spencer's favorite was the children's garden, which had a number of cool things. Here are a few pictures:

Touching the water in the sonic pool.

Laughing at the fountain.

Looking out the window of the plant house.

The first Thursday of the month they let people in for free (but you have to have a ticket). LynMarie and Spencer get to go back this week. I have to go work on site with a client.

Birthday Party

2009-03-29T20:01:00.001-07:00

For some reason in the first birthday post, the pictures of the party didn't upload with the pictures of his actual birthday. So, the following slide show are pictures from Spencer's birthday on Feb. 21st.

STUCK!

2009-03-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

As cousin Ethan would say, Spencer was "stuck" too day. Today Spencer and I walked to the store to get some items for our extreme dessert activity at church tonight. As I pushed Spencer in the stroller and pulled the shopping cart behind me, Spencer began to get a little fussy. I decided I would take him out of his stroller and put him in the cart. Since the seat part of the shopping cart was already full of groceries I decided to go against my mommy intuition and let him sit in the back. I guess I thought that as long as he didn't stand up he would be ok. Well, he contently sat in the back of the cart for the rest of the shopping excursion. After paying for the groceries I went to get Spencer and the groceries loaded up into the stroller. I noticed earlier that Spencer had stuck his feet through the bars of the shopping cart but thought nothing of it until I couldn't get his right foot out. I thought "If it goes in, it should come out." Two of the workers tried to pull the bars apart and slip his foot out but it didn't work. By this time, Spencer was hysterical. The manager came over and they rubbed some baby oil (Thank goodness we were in a grocery store.) around his ankle and his foot popped right out.

Well, not only was this Spencer's first ride in the back of the cart, it was also his last. I also learned my lesson to listen to my mommy intuition.

Have any of you had any similar experiences?

Houston, we have a toddler!

2009-03-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

There are more pictures from the birthday party forthcoming, but I wanted to get some video of Spencer so I took this one this morning. (He doesn't always fall, but we only had time for one take!) As you can see from the face fluids, he's got a runny nose right now, plus some more teeth coming in. He's growing up so fast!

First Birthday!

2009-03-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

On February 18th Spencer turned one. We can't believe how fast time has gone by. This has been a wonderful year. He brings so much joy and happiness into our lives. He truly lights up our lives. We love our little Chip. On his actual birthday we went to Disneyland with auntie Lisa and cousin Lincoln. On Feb. 21st we had a family party at our house. Hope you enjoy the slide show of his birthday and party.

Extreme Dessert

2009-03-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend our ward activity will be extreme desserts. I signed up to make an extreme dessert and was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what I could make. Any suggestions would be great.

Also,I am behind on my posting and am currently working on Spencer's Bday post.

Unleaded

2009-03-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

During Spencer's one year check up the nurse did a lead test. A few days later I got a call from the Dr. saying that his lead level was 39 and that it shouldn't be over 10. The doctor told us to go to a lab and have a more accurate test done. We did the test and a few days later I called and it luckily it came back a 3. If your child has a high lead test the Drs. report it to the State. I had a health nurse call me and say that if the lead levels don't improve, they would come to the house and test for lead and have a nutritionist come talk to me. She also said that in the previous test there may have been some contamination. She said that the nurse should have washed Spencer's hand with soap and water and shouldn't scoop the blood. Later that day after the nurse found out the results, she called and said that since that test came back low, they wouldn't need to come and that she would call the Dr. office and offer some training in taking lead tests. I'm glad the results of the second lead test came back much better and that our little boy is "unleaded" or less leaded. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Spencer's 365th Day

2009-02-18T05:22:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't belive Spencer is already a year. This past year has been so fun. Todd and I have loved watching him grow and develop. It's hard to believe that when we first brought him home all he could do was cry, eat, sleep, poop and pee, but now he is eating table food, walking, he has great fine motor skills, he can do pat-a-cake, blow kisses, give zerberts and more.

We love him sooo much and he has brought soo much joy to our family. We love you Spencer.

OK, I'm being bad...

2009-02-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

... seeing as I'm posting this here when I should be working. I know we're behind at getting things up on this blog, but this is fresh -- news and pictures from today.

Spencer has been doing quite well at standing on his own lately. He's managed to stand for up to 30 or 40 seconds at a time. Here's a shot from this morning. He'll only stand if he's actually got something interesting, otherwise he wants down so he can go get something.

But today he managed to take his first step! He wouldn't do it on video for us, but I did get a still shot of a kind of half-step. Here he is in the process.

OK, back to work.

Date Night!

2009-01-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

I took myself out on a date tonight. Todd had to work and I felt like I needed to get out and do something, so I found a babysitter and took myself to the movies. Have any of you ever gone to the movies by yourself?

I went and saw Mall Cop. It was hilarious. I had a lot of fun. I just might ask myself out again.

Thank you for babysitting J'lene.

An Eternal Family

2009-01-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

On January 27th, Todd and I went and had Spencer sealed to us in the Redlands temple. It was a beautiful day. When we arrived, my sister Julie was already there and had an adoraple white romper all picked out for him. We left Spencer with my sister and a temple worker and went and got ready for the sealing. When the temple worker brought Spencer into the sealing room and he saw us, he got a big smile on his face and looked like he was trying to get out of her lap and crawl over to us. He looked so handsome all dressed in white. He was very good. Before Spencer came into the room the Sealer told us that he saw Spencer and that he was all calm and collected. I thought it was cute because you don't think of that term being used for a ten month old.

After the sealing we took pictures and went to the Soup Plantation for lunch.

Spencer's blessing

2009-01-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since we posted so I decided it was time to update. December is a special month with Christmas but it was extra special for our family this year. On December 21st, Todd blessed Spencer at church. It was nice to have friends and family with us on this special day. I was quite suprised at how well Spencer did during the blessing. He didn't make a peep. I did hear however, from people who participated in the blessing that he did try to sit up.

After church we went back to our house and had lunch.

Puppy Love

2008-12-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know Todd, you know:
1. He loves board games.

2. He's not a big fan of animals.

Over Thanksgiving, Todd's sister babysat 11 puppies. In the evenings, Lynnie and Cassie would hold the dogs and play with them to tire them out before they went to sleep. One evening Todd wanted to play a game. Lynnie and Cassie said that it would speed things up if he helped them play with the puppies and get them ready for bed. So, being anxious to play a game, Todd agreed to help hold and play with the puppies. When I saw this, I couldn't resist taking pictures and making a slide show to this song. Hope the game was worth it Todd. Enjoy!

Cool

2008-12-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

I saw the following post on Dr. Laura's blog and thought I would share it.

Blessings in Disguise

I have always been impressed with the mentality of the Mormons with respect to the issue of charity. I had a tour of their main charity facilities, and was amazed at what I saw and learned. There are absolutely no handouts – they barter!

Here’s how it works: if you could lose your home, or if you need food, clothing, medicine or toys for your children, the Church takes financial care of your needs. In exchange, you provide services to the very mechanism that rescued you. This means that folks in the bakeries are people who have benefited from the charitable services; those helping in the stores that sell thrift clothing, housewares and food are those who have benefited from the charitable services, and so on.

The basic concept is to preserve a sense of dignity and pride in those who have temporary need by giving them an opportunity to use their skills in the service of others. Walking around the premises, I felt the uplifted attitude of all who were there: smiles, waves, and straight backs.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints provides for people all over the world – not only with goods and goodwill, but with the opportunity to not lose a sense of self when “things” are lost.

I probably sound like an advertisement for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am not a member of their religion, but I am impressed with their charitable philosophy, because I believe it teaches our children their real value, while motivating and uplifting them at the same time.

Their young people who graduate high school are expected to go on two-year “missions,” reminiscent of the Peace Corps. These young people come back much more mature, as they’ve experienced the pain and need of others, and have sacrificed two years of their own comfort to be of service to others.
Other youngsters just don’t want to skip a beat in their acquisition of iPods, cell phones, and other “Internet in your hand” gadgets.

I believe that the economic disaster our country is in right now is a kind of blessing in disguise with respect to values. Without values, life just provides us with “things,” but not necessarily with any profound meaning.

Thanksgiving Plus

2008-12-06T01:39:00.000-08:00

     Well, it's been a while since I posted something here, although I did get sick (see previous post by LynMarie). Spencer and I are both doing well and we all had a good Thanksgiving. We went to Muffin's grandmother's house for dinner, then visited my parents for a couple of days over the weekend. It was great to see Alysha, who was home visiting from BYU. Not so great was the fact that Cassie was watching some puppies for some friends.... eleven puppies. Somehow I ended up helping out.

     I also got to play Die Macher, one of my favorite games. Although I really enjoy it, the four-hour play time means it doesn't hit the table very often. However, Cassie made a deal with me – she'd play the game if I went to see Twilight with her. The movie did have some entertainment value, though probably not in the places that were intended. Unless you're a big fan of the books and feel like you have to see the movie, I'd say… don't.

      But hey, I got a great game out of the deal. Die Macher is a game where each player represents a German political party, trying to win seats in a series of seven German state elections. You get points for each seat you win, for party membership, for media control, and for how well you match national opinion on the issues. I won the last state by one vote, giving me some last-second points, and after we totaled everything up, Cassie and I both had 366 points. There's no tiebreaker in the rules, but we'd agreed to play with a series of tiebreakers, the first of which is seats won, where I had a seven-seat edge. Four hours and it came down to the very end!

     Ok, on to what everyone really wants to see. Here's a picture of Spencer on his nine-month "birthday". He is pulling himself up on everything now, and starting to be a little more confident when he is cruising. He seems to have another gear when crawling, too. For example, he can be pretty fast when trying to make it through the office door before Daddy can get there and close it. One of his latest accomplishments is that he crawled all the way from the family room to our bedroom, which includes a full flight of stairs.

     He now helps out with the laundry, usually by spreading the clothes hangers all over the family room.

     He's still a really happy little boy most of the time, although having four teeth come in at once hasn't been very much fun. All four center ones on the top are poking through now, and it took several tries to get a picture that shows them all. You can click on it to get a closer view... just don't look too closely at his nose.

House of Sick

2008-11-27T01:46:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I'll get a cleaning bug and stay up really late and clean. After seeing my mom clean her stove with a Magic Eraser last week, I decided to try it on my stove. Then I tried it on the shower, floor, sink, and bath tub. I was hooked. Any way, I ended up going to bed at 2am. As I was laying there, I heard Spencer cough. I listened to make sure he was ok. His second cough didn't sound normal so I went to his room to check on him. As I picked him up, I could see that he was throwing up. This was his first official sickness and his first time that he threw up. He has had colds but those don't really count as sicknesses in my book unless they are really bad. Any way, we gave him a bath and changed his jammies. I think between 2 and 4 am he went through like 4 pairs of jammies and a few baths. By 11 am he had stopped vomitting and started to use the other end. Yep. Diarreaha (not sure of spelling). So, over the past few days it's been mostly diarreaha and a few vomits. Nontheless, he is probably the happiest sick person I have ever seen. We're lucky he hasn't run a temperature.

Coincidentaly (probably not spelled right either), we had his nine month check up on Mon. We told the doctor he was sick and she decided to reschedule his shots. ( I wonder if Spencer is smarter than we think and planned on getting sick to avoid shots=)?) As the doctor used one of those popsicle (I'm pretty sure I spelled that one right.) stick looking things to look inside his mouth, Spencer started to chew it. The Dr. said he is the first baby she's had who has tried to eat the stick. I thought that was cute.

Well, around Mon., or Tues., Todd started getting sick. (I guess that's what happens when you work crazy hours trying to rack up enough hours to take a few days off at Thanks Giving to spend with family, along with teaching seminary.) Yes. I'm a task master. I'm the one who suggested he should probably work extra hours if he wants to take the time off (He's self employed for those who don't know so he doesn't get paid time off. He also doesn't have a union to protect him from being over worked by me. Just kidding. I don't think I'm that bad.)

Any way, so far I haven't gotten sick. I may not have buns of steel, but I sure have an immune system of steel as I rarely get sick (knock on wood).

Well, Todd and Spencer seem to be on the mend and hopefully we'll be able to enjoy a gluttonous (I looked up the spelling of that word in the dictionary. =))Thanks Giving.

And that's final!

2008-11-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

As mentioned earlier, Monday was our court date to finalize Spencer's adoption. After waiting in the courtroom for over an hour, we found out that the judge who was supposed to preside wasn't coming, so they pulled a substitute from another courtroom. During the proceedings, Spencer hammed it up a bit for the cameras, as usual. It was a wonderful day and now he's legally ours, although we've felt since the first day we met him that he was supposed to be our little boy. Now we can't wait until he will be sealed to us next month!

Thanks to everyone who came to share our special day, and to those who couldn't be here with us but called or emailed to wish us well.

Here we are sitting at the table while the judge asks us a few questions.

After filling out hundreds of pages of forms over the last two years, we provide the final signatures.

The actual moment it all becomes official, captured for posterity.

Us with Judge Ochoa:

Everybody:

All the Southworths:

Us with the social workers for our case, Laura & Terri:

Spencer afterwards -- I think he approves:

But he just started crawling!

2008-11-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

After crawling for a week or so, Spencer is apparently no longer content to be down on all fours. There's just so much more stuff to play with if you can get up on your own. By the way, I got sick of trying to upload the video to the blog, so I uploaded it to YouTube instead and just embedded it here. Ah, so much less hassle.

Taking care of the choppers

2008-11-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well, not a whole not to report this week, but Spencer has started having his teeth (all two) brushed. He seems to enjoy it. Also, I caught a picture of him sleeping on Mommy.

Time to put up the baby gates...

2008-11-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

I guess we'll be getting more exercise chasing after Spencer from now on. Here's a video from this morning.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2008-11-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

My sister in law told me that her daughter Josie who is in first grade asked her what proposition 8 was about. Lacy told me that after she explained it to her she could see Josie thinking. Finally, she asked "Mom. Which is more expensive two wedding dressess or two tuxedos?"

Inspiring

2008-10-31T03:14:00.000-07:00

I saw the story of this family and their son on Oprah.com. It's a reminder to enjoy each minute of each day with your children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qILw1iFzmIE

A Busy Day

2008-10-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

     Yesterday we went to DCS and met with Spencer's social worker to sign some paperwork and then to the county Superior Court to file it. We then got to set a date when we go back and do the finalization for his adoption. On November 10 everything will be done and he'll be officially ours!

     All the paperwork and trip to the courthouse took less than three hours, so we took Spencer to Disneyland for his first time to celebrate. Here we are just inside the front gate.

     Of course we had to take pictures by the Dumbo ride. Spencer seemed to like watching everyone fly their elephants.

     We went on several of the Fantasyland rides, including Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, the Storybook Land canal boats, and the Casey Jr. circus train. Spencer was looking around at everything but didn't seem particularly excited. I think the most fun part for him was while we sat on a bench and he got to play with the bush behind us. Here's a picture of Muffin and Spencer -- we rode in the monkey cage on the train.

     Spencer tried on some Halloween-themed ears but went with the Sorcerer's Apprentice ears. There's plenty of room to grow into them so he can wear them for years to come. He fell asleep after a few hours and LynMarie and I were both tired too so we decided to come home.

Playing with Indy

2008-10-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

For some reason this video disappeared when I tried to add it to the previous post, so hopefully you can all see this...

Weekend with Wuglet

2008-10-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

     Since my parents were up at BYU with Alysha for Parents' Weekend, LynMarie, Spencer and I went out to stay with Cassie this past weekend. We got to go to her soccer game on Saturday, where she scored the goal in a 1-0 victory! Sweet! Also, a shout out to her for already memorizing all 25 New Testament Scripture Mastery scriptures! I didn't think to take pictures at the game, and the other shot I took was too blurry, but I did surprise her with this shot.

     Spencer seemed to enjoy himself this weekend. He had fun playing with the dogs, especially Indy. Here are some pictures:

     Spencer also played Power Grid with us -- he was on Mama's team.

     We played the Italy map. Below are a couple of pictures of the board at the end. Coal was in high demand, with none left in the market by the end of the game. In the last round, two good power plants got bid up, with Muffin and Cassie paying 135 each for them. I was last in and picked up a "5 wind" plant for just 44. That left me with enough money to build to 17 cities and end the game a round earlier than they were expecting. Final scores: Todd - 15, Cassie - 13, Muffin/Spencer - 12.

...AND a bonus video clip!

2008-10-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I've been trying to get this on video for a few days. Spencer has figured out how to go from lying on his tummy to a sitting position. I actually hadn't even seen it until today -- I'd always been out of the room when he did it -- but he did it several times this evening and I was able to get most of one "sit-up" on tape. Here it is:

Bonus Pictures

2008-10-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

OK, three posts in less than 24 hours is not going to be the norm, but LynMarie wanted to take a couple of pictures of Spencer in the outfit he wore to church today, so I thought I'd put 'em up. Enjoy.

Eight Months

2008-10-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

     Yes, our little boy is eight months old today! The only pictures I got today were from bath time. Spencer really enjoys splashing in his bath. I went to take a picture of him splashing and of course he stopped and looked at the camera, but I managed to get another picture after he went back to his bath time fun.

     He seems to have slowed down his weight gain for now. We tried to weigh him using our regular bathroom scale and he's still about the same as last month. We'll get an official weigh-in next month at the doctor's office. LynMarie wanted to get a picture of him in this sailor outfit before he grows out of it, though.

     He's now started eating fruits -- he's had applesauce, bananas, and prunes, but seems to like pears the best so far. Also, his first tooth just poked through the gums a couple of days ago. It's hard to see, so no picture of it yet, but we can feel it and hear the clicking when he's biting on things.

     He hasn't officially crawled yet, although he took about half of a "step", or whatever the equivalent is for crawling. He can sure cover quite a bit of ground when he wants to, by rolling and scooting. The other day during family scripture study he managed to move about ten feet across the family room, got over to the basket that holds his toys, tipped it on its side, and pulled out the toy he wanted.

     I'll post a couple of pictures of Spencer modeling a possible Halloween costume to finish off here, and then a video clip that LynMarie took so you can see him in action in his bouncer.

Thanks to Ryan and Amy

2008-10-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally used the IKEA gift certificate that Ryan and Amy got for us last Christmas. We bought a dresser for Spencer's room and I had a fun couple of hours putting it together. Thanks, Ryan and Amy!

Sometimes Politicians do the Right Thing!

2008-10-15T16:05:00.001-07:00

I just called the govenor's office and he already vetoed the following bill. Good job Arnold!

Subject: "GAY" DAY IN CA SCHOOLS?

AB 2567 has passed the California Assembly and the Senate and is awaiting Governor Schwarzenegger's signature or veto. This bill will set aside May 22nd as a special day to celebrate the life of homosexual politician Harvey Milk in the public schools. Harvey Milk will be honored in the same manner as our Founding Fathers and Martin Luther King, although the only thing he is actually known for is being proud to be a homosexual! If you haven't heard about this bill it is because the liberal media is downplaying this bill so that it will pass.

Though this is set as a California issue, it will soon effect everyone.

You know the old saying, 'as goes California, so goes the nation'!

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Legislature Passes Bill for 'Gay Day' Celebrations in California Public Schools
By Peter J. Smith
August 8, 2008, SACRAMENTO (Life SiteNews.com) - California public schools soon will be planning 'gay day' celebrations every May 22 unless Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes the legislation. Thursday the California Assembly approved AB 2567, which designates May 22 as 'Harvey Milk Day.' The 43 to 26 vote occurred on party lines with Democrats for, Republicans against. Earlier this week, AB 2567 passed the California State Senate on another party line vote 22-13 - Democrats for, Republicans against. The bill will require all public schools to 'conduct suitable commemorative exercises' in commemoration of the anti-religious, homosexualist agenda of the late San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. According to a Senate analysis of the bill, 'This bill requires the Governor to proclaim May 22 as Harvey Milk Day…The designation of a day of significance triggers statutory encouragement for public schools to observe and conduct commemorative exercises suitable to the day.' 'This bad bill will teach impressionable schoolchildren the anti-religious, homosexual-bisexual -transsexual agenda of Harvey Milk,' warned Randy Thomasson, President of Campaign for Children and Families.

'If signed into law, AB 2567 will mean an official day commemorating homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality in California government schools…This will harm children as young as kindergarten. '
For the love of God, parents and their children, we implore Governor Schwarzenegger to veto AB 2567'Thomasson said.

Another Prop. 8 Video

2008-10-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

This video shows some of what is already happening in public schools in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage is legal.

Prop. 8

2008-10-10T16:23:00.001-07:00

Poor Guy

2008-10-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

Ed Macmahon sure isn't waiting for a government bailout. Look at the link to see what he does when times get tough.
http://www.popcrunch.com/ed-mcmahon-rap-videos-freecreditreportcom/

I haven't actually been able to find the video. If someone happens to find it, send me the link.

Never Thought I'd Agree With a Liberal

2008-10-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2008
Contact: Jennifer Kerns, 916-446-2956
SACRAMENTO, September 22 -- The Los Angeles Times has published an Opinion Editorial which shows arguments against same-sex marriage due to its detrimental effect on our children. What is noteworthy is the source: the author of the Op-Ed piece is a Liberal Democrat, which underscores the broad support for Proposition 8 in order to protect marriage for society, our institutions, and for children in California. Read the full text here:

Protecting Marriage to Protect Children
Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving. But in all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood.
Los Angeles Times
By David Blankenhorn
September 19, 2008

I'm a liberal Democrat. And I do not favor same-sex marriage. Do those positions sound contradictory? To me, they fit together.

Many seem to believe that marriage is simply a private love relationship between two people. They accept this view, in part, because Americans have increasingly emphasized and come to value the intimate, emotional side of marriage, and in part because almost all opinion leaders today, from journalists to judges, strongly embrace this position. That's certainly the idea that underpinned the California Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage.

But I spent a year studying the history and anthropology of marriage, and I've come to a different conclusion.

Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving, and many of its features vary across groups and cultures. But there is one constant. In all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood. Among us humans, the scholars report, marriage is not primarily a license to have sex. Nor is it primarily a license to receive benefits or social recognition. It is primarily a license to have children.

In this sense, marriage is a gift that society bestows on its next generation. Marriage (and only marriage) unites the three core dimensions of parenthood -- biological, social and legal -- into one pro-child form: the married couple. Marriage says to a child: The man and the woman whose sexual union made you will also be there to love and raise you. Marriage says to society as a whole: For every child born, there is a recognized mother and a father, accountable to the child and to each other.

Marriage is society's most pro-child institution. In 2002 -- just moments before it became highly unfashionable to say so -- a team of researchers from Child Trends, a nonpartisan research center, reported that "family structure clearly matters for children, and the family structure that helps children the most is a family headed by two biological parents in a low- conflict marriage."

All our scholarly instruments seem to agree: For healthy development, what a child needs more than anything else is the mother and father who together made the child, who love the child and love each other.

For these reasons, children have the right, insofar as society can make it possible, to know and to be cared for by the two parents who brought them into this world. The foundational human rights document in the world today regarding children, the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically guarantees children this right. The last time I checked, liberals like me were supposed to be in favor of internationally recognized human rights, particularly concerning children, who are typically society's most voiceless and vulnerable group. Or have I now said something I shouldn't?

Every child being raised by gay or lesbian couples will be denied his birthright to both parents who made him. Every single one. Moreover, losing that right will not be a consequence of something that at least most of us view as tragic, such as a marriage that didn't last, or an unexpected pregnancy where the father-to- be has no intention of sticking around. On the contrary, in the case of same-sex marriage and the children of those unions, it will be explained to everyone, including the children that something wonderful has happened!

For me, what we are encouraged or permitted to say, or not say, to one another about what our society owes its children is crucially important in the debate over initiatives like California's Proposition 8, which would reinstate marriage's customary man-woman form. Do you think that every child deserves his mother and father, with adoption available for those children whose natural parents cannot care for them? Do you suspect that fathers and mothers are different from one another? Do you imagine that biological ties matter to children? How many parents per child are best? Do you think that "two" is a better answer than one, three, four or whatever? If you do, be careful. In making the case for same-sex marriage, more than a few grown-ups will be quite willing to question your integrity and goodwill. Children, of course, are rarely consulted.

The liberal philosopher Isaiah Berlin famously argued that, in many cases, the real conflict we face is not good versus bad but good versus good. Reducing homophobia is good. Protecting the birthright of the child is good. How should we reason together as a society when these two good things conflict?

Here is my reasoning. I reject homophobia and believe in the equal dignity of gay and lesbian love. Because I also believe with all my heart in the right of the child to the mother and father who made her, I believe that we as a society should seek to maintain and to strengthen the only human institution -- marriage -- that is specifically intended to safeguard that right and make it real for our children.

Legalized same-sex marriage almost certainly benefits those same-sex couples who choose to marry, as well as the children being raised in those homes. But changing the meaning of marriage to accommodate homosexual orientation further and perhaps definitively undermines for all of us the very thing -- the gift, the birthright -- that is marriage's most distinctive contribution to human society. That's a change that, in the final analysis, I cannot support.

David Blankenhorn is president of the New York- based Institute for American Values and the author of "The Future of Marriage."

Spencer's New Crib

2008-09-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of weeks, so it's time to post something here. First, a quick update on me and LynMarie. In the past couple of weeks, we've had fun knocking on doors for Proposition 8, my first annual Game Day Birthday Party, and our ward's Primary program. Here's the old man with his cake:

Now on to what everyone really wants -- a Spencer update. Spencer is seven months old, and we're going to have to switch car seats really soon, because he weighs 21 pounds. He eats oatmeal, barley and rice cereals, carrots, peas, squash, and seems to especially like green beans and sweet potatoes. Here he is eating a Farley's Rusk. They basically melt when they get wet, so he can eat them even though he doesn't have any teeth yet.

He sits up on his own, stands if he's holding on to something, and rolls wherever he wants to go. He can also turn around on his stomach so he's pointed the way he wants to be. The past few days he's been pushing up onto his knees, so crawling probably isn't too far away. He can move around a bit in his walker on the kitchen floor.

This bassinet is what he used to sleep in, but now it's much too small.

This cradle is what he's been sleeping in for the past couple of months -- still too small.

Sometimes he takes a nap in mommy and daddy's bed, but it's too big.

But now that it's done, he sleeps in his own room in his own crib, and it's just right.

L.A. County Fair

2008-09-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the fair -- we went about three weeks ago on the first day of the fair, so we got in for a dollar apiece. We took Spencer and our nephew Lincoln, who is 21 months old.

Spencer's first six months

2008-09-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't been able to see the previously "secret" Spencer blog, there are more pictures of his first few months here.