Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker

Saturday, January 28, 2006

15 minutes of fame

Well, this might be as close to internet fame as I'll ever get. My favorite baby blog did a feature post on *me* - how cool!

Friday, January 27, 2006

Where are the Steelers going?

Ask Spencer this question and he will repond with certainty, "to the Super Bowl! They are playing in the Super Bowl!" At a boy!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Over the weekend Spencer and I checked out the construction site outside of Houston. It took just under an hour from our house and was an easy ride. The weather was gorgeous - tons of sun, bright blue skies, and crisp temps in the 50's. AND we were rewarded in seeing several members of the design team! Although Spencer's highlight may have been riding the school bus between the parking area and the construction site. Here are some pictures from the visit.

Friday, January 20, 2006

actually

This is Spencer's new favorite word. His sentences are hilarious as often he tags the word on at the end of a sentence. "That's a pinky finger... no, it's an index finger, actually!" While playing with a soccer ball last night he suddenly announced "those are pentagons!" and then looked closer and decided "those are hexagons, actually!" Daddy joined in the fun, "actually, Spencer, they are pentagons AND hexagons!"

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

...ten, eleven, twelve...

Last night Spencer and I spent the evening together and he was quite a pill. He alternated between happy and frustrated all evening. Saying 'no' and then 'yes' and then 'no' again. When changing him into PJ's, I decided to check him temperature to make sure nothing else was wrong. After initial giggles sticking a thermometer in his tush, I told him to count to ten while we waited for the beep. He reached ten, still no beep, and to my complete disbelief - so he kept on counting! "Eleven, twelve, thirteen, nineteen!" I had no idea he knew what came next! He was so proud, and I was so proud too!

It made me think back to a counting post that made me laugh out loud from one of my favorite bloggers.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Happy Birthday, Dr. King

At school Spencer has been learning about Dr. King and they even sang happy birthday to him. Spencer also told me that "Dr. Martin Luther King" once said "I have a dream." I hope that as he grows up and learns more about him that the very concept of racial inequality will seem completely ridiculous.

Yesterday Spencer and I headed out early to watch the Houston Marathon and cheer on our friends Michelle and Andy who were running. With a course map and live updates from the web (from Jim,) we zig-zagged around the city and were able to show our support waving and cheering every couple of miles during the second half of the course. It was exciting to be part of such a big event. Spencer was great at practicing his cheering "Go Andy! Go Michelle! You can do it!" After they ran by Spencer would ask "wanna see them again?" So we'd get back in the car and drive to a new intercept location. When we saw them afterwards wearing their medals and FINISHER jerseys, he gave Michelle a big hug and said "You did it!!"

Planet lesson from Spencer on Friday: "We live in the Milky Way."

Thursday, January 12, 2006

nap mats

I've been feeling like an awful mom ever since I found out last week that many of his classmates at school have big quilted blankets and pillow rolls. They are called all-in-one nap mats. Or something like that. And I never knew they existed. After a numbing hour surfing the net, I was frustrated, and in sticker-shock! Plenty of stay-at-home moms selling them online, and a few online retailers, but practially no stores carried them. After losing one ebay auction, I bit the bullet and went to a hoity-toity baby gift shop in Champions at lunchtime to fork over nearly $50. But now Spencer is the proud owner of a fabulous grey quilted mat roll with colorful power tools printed all over, and a charcoal fleece blanket attached along one edge. When he got home this evening he was so excited to lay on it and put his head on the pillow and have Jim cover him with the cozy blanker. I know I certainly could have made him one from scratch, but I just couldn't bear for him to go without one for another day.

Today's planet lesson from Spencer: "Mecury is a planet too. We live on Earth."

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

sharp-dressed men

This morning I after I helped get Spencer dressed in a blue and white striped collared shirt with khakis, he annouced, "I look so handsome!" I couldn't help but laugh and smile and agree. Just then Jim emerged from the bedroom wearing a blue and white striped collared shirt with khakis!

Today's planet lesson: Jupiter. Spencer told me "it's a big one and has a red dot."

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

planets

Yesterday when I picked up Spencer at school he informed me, "Earth and Venus are planets." Then he pointed at the wall behind me at the pictures of the solar system. And suddenly, a light went off in my head. When we went to the train show downtown on Sunday he pointed at the Toyota Center and said something that sounded like "that's a planet" but I didn't know he knew that word. And now that I think about it, the Toyota logo sure does look like Saturn! It always amazes us to see how their little brains try to make sense of the world around them.

Monday, January 09, 2006

snow & trains

This weekend Spencer saw snow for the second time ever and had lots of fun, despite needing to take some breaks to have his hands warmed! We also checked out a hobby train show which was a bit hit for Spencer too. The attendance at the show could be split into two very distinct groups - moms & dads my age with little kids who were there to see Thomas the Train and all of his friends, and middle-aged men who were serious train hobbyist and paid close attention to the demos how to get their scenery to look as realistic as possible. Here are some pics from the weekend.

I knew that our trip to Atlanta ws Spencer's last free plane trip as a lap child, but I was still hit with sticker shock last night when I saw what it will cost next time we get on a plane.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

"Guess what?"

On our way to play in a man-made patch of snow today, Spencer repeatedly piped up from the back seat "guess what?" Of course we asked him "what?" But he had nothing to share, and simply repeated "guess what?" This was amusing for about 30 seconds before it was painfully obvious we needed to teach him a little more about conversation.

What is indeed amusing is how Spencer has now mastered singing a few songs on his own, from start to finish, more or less correctly. Today there were lots of spontaneous "Twinkle, twinkles" and "ABC's." I swear there are few things cuter than listening to kids signing.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Happy New Year

Second and third celebrity sighting in Vegas: Paris Hilton. We (Jim) practically bumped shoulders with her Friday afternoon while shopping in Caesar's Palace. I completely missed the fact that we had walked right by her, but as Jim explained, "don't look for celebrities because they blend in, but the bodyguards stand out!" A few hours later that evening, I nearly collided with her inside the casino at the Venetian. Seeing the same famous person up close (very close) two times in one day was unexpected. Maybe we need a bodyguard to keep her from following us around! ;)

We came up with a short list of what we believe Spencer's favorite things to do and see in Vegas would include:
- The fountains at Bellagio. Heck, Even I had a blast watching five shows.
- The many escalators inside the casinos and outside on the strip. We think he'd have an absolute blast endlessly doing two-footed jumps down as they moved up.
- The extensive amount of construction equipment always present, working on the next new hotel.
- The tigers at the Mirage and the sharks at Mandalay Bay, can't go wrong with animals.
- The casinos themselves would provide and endless source of stimulation from lights and sounds. But I think it will be quite a while before he sees those!
- Buffets!

We made it back to Houston in time to have dinner with Spencer, and ring in the new year playing Mah Jong with mom and Ellen. We took a break at midnight to see the spectacle in and around our neighborhood. It's been a great start to what we hope will be a great 2006!