Spencer's Blessing

This past Sunday we blessed our sweet little Spencer. It was so special sharing this day with all of our family.

No Gronups Alowd!

After the BBQ on Saturday, the three older kids had a camp out with Papa Tom in the backyard. Grandpa set up the tent and let them swim at night with the pool light on. Parker was so excited--it was all he could talk about. He came totally prepared with his Batman sleeping bag, pillow, dog PJ's, and flashlight (to scare away the wolfman, of course.) Papa's plan of wearing them out with swimming worked--they lasted about 5 minutes in their sleeping bags and then they were out. At about 5 am, Simba, the neighborhood cat, came in and woke them up, but they managed to fall back asleep. For breakfast, Grandma Vicki made them french toast and hot chocolate. Papa had better watch out because next year, Jill and I will send him all 5 kids!

Family Fun

Today we celebrated Spencer's blessing day (tomorrow) with a family BBQ at my parent's house. We visited with one another, ate, swam, and ate some more...you get the picture!



Spencer finally got to meet Uncle Mark, who flew in last night just for the blessing!



Parker had fun harassing my cousin Kyle, who recently returned from his mission in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Elder Lloyd, as Parker still calls him, showed Parker who's boss! By the way, he is single and sooooo cute and fun! If you or someone you know is interested, let me know...:)





Uncle Scott, Aunt Cathy, Eric and Kyle posing with Aunt Cathy's infamous rasberry jello--the best!



Uncle Jeff, Nicholas, and Daniel enjoying Grandma and Grandpa Lloyd's homemade strawberry ice cream.



Tyler loved giving Spencer his open mouth kisses. It was so cute!

Adventures in Babysitting

If you are looking for a babysitter, hire Justin! He is so good with kids! When I got home from shopping, I found him chasing the kids around with the Gopher Grabber. They were laughing and screaming in terror, all at the same time. The kids dressed up as super heroes to defeat him. Haylee was Bat Girl, Emma was Wizard Woman, and Parker was Shield Boy. Justin also kept them entertained by playing hide and seek with our dog, Bear. The kids would hide and Bear would sniff them out. He is too funny!

Finally!

We have been counting down all summer long to see the cousins. Parker nearly drove me crazy Wednesday trying to pinpoint at exactly what moment we could go over to Grandma Vicki's house to wait for Haylee, Emma, and Tyler. He had it all planned out to hide his squirt gun (fully loaded, of course) in the bushes so that he could attack Haylee as soon as she had her suit on.





After a long day of airport security lines, one poopy diaper all up the back and all over the carseat, and a little girl who wouldn't use the automatic toilets because they might flush her down, Jill arrived! Spencer finally got to meet his Auntie Jill and Tyler, his cousin from Heaven (they are just 6 months apart.)





You should have seen the older kids--it was like they had never separated since our last visit. They swam, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and snuggled with Papa on the hammock.



It is going to be a great 10 days!

Weekend Visitors

This past weekend was filled with all kinds of excitement and adventure...It started off with Parker getting a 24 hour summer flu bug on Thursday. Fortunately for me, Justin was working from home that day so he was able to help out when Parker was vomiting and baby was crying all at the same time. Parker was so sweet through the whole ordeal despite being so sick. When I was telling Justin that the nurse said to take Parker in if his fever spikes, Parker sobbed, "I'm going to get fever spikes?!?" The poor thing thought he was going to be covered with spikes all over his body. I explained what she meant and told him that he just had caught a bug and that it would be over soon. He then asked, "Did I catch the bug last night when I was outside looking for bugs? Maybe I swallowed a moth..." He was so sincere, it was hard not to laugh!



A few days and one healthy family later, Justin's parents and siblings came to visit. It was Spencer's first time meeting Auntie Jodi, Uncle Ryan, and Uncle Mike. Parker was so excited to spend time with all of them!



On Sunday, Jakob and Jen Hales, Justin's best friend and old mission companion, came over for the day with their 4 kids: Rebecca, age 6; Madison, age 4 1/2; Cameron, age 3; and Kristen, 5 months. Somehow, despite looking exactly like their dad, the kids are so cute. We never quite get over the shock that Jakob is actually a dad--scary, I know! :) We had a great time with their family and the kids all got along so well together. It was fun seeing our family and friends!

Spencie Boy!

It has been 3 weeks since Spencer's arrival! Life is starting to settle back into routine finally. Spencer is the best baby. He is very calm and content. He seems to grow each day and can now fit into some of the newborn outfits. We are having so much fun with him!