A Small Town Vacation

Last week, on Monday, Jake (aka Daddy) took Spencer and I (Nicole, aka Mommy) back to my hometown, where we planned to stay the week.

Jake has a new job (if you don't know about it, feel free to read up on the change in my own blog), and is gone four days/three nights a week.  He's been working in my hometown area for a few weeks, so I thought maybe it would be an easy enough thing for him to just drop us off there while he was working, so we could have a change of scenery for a while.

I was a little nervous about Spencer adjusting to being there, sleeping at my mom's and not his room for four nights (we stayed until mid-day Friday), but overall, it was a wonderful trip.

Monday:  On Monday, we arrived around noon.  We were dropped off at Papa Web's house, where we waited for Auntie Sam to wake up from her nap and join us.  Uncle Bryan came also that evening, and brought bubbles! Yay!  After they were done with work, Uncle Dustin/Groovy and Grandma Anita came by.  Eventually, Auntie Allie came for a while, too.  We had a good afternoon/evening mostly playing with balls in the yard, as well as bubbles.  Wendell spent the night (and the rest of them) with Papa.

Tuesday:  On Tuesday, Sam and I went to the high school and visited Frau (my former teacher and now friend) and talked about the school yearbook.  Papa took Spencer to play at the park, and to see some of Papa's friends.

Wednesday:  Wednesday was a fun day, in which Papa took Auntie Sam, Spencer, and I to Sanborn (SJ fell asleep on the way), and we visited my grandparents' grave.  Afterward, Papa decided we should road trip to the nearest Wal-Mart (about half an hour from where we were) and get Spencer a pool!  So, we did.  Papa bought him a pool and a squishy ball, and I got him a big blue ball to play with, too.  And some PediaSure since he was against eating while we were on vacation.  After, we went to Dairy Queen, and then the local park where they have some animals at the "zoo."  Spencer LOVED the ducks.   He would run up to them super excited like and yell "QUACK QUACK!" before running away, and back again, and away again, and back again... When we got back to Papa's house, he blew up the pool and "filled" with with a few inches of water.  Spencer got right in and played for quite a long time.  He didn't want to leave that night, but rather just keep swimming.

Thursday:  Early Thursday morning, Grandma and Auntie Allie took Spencer to the strawberry farm (about forty minutes or so away) to pick berries while I got to catch up on some sleep (because Spencer was staying up late and getting up very early on vacation).  He didn't so much help pick berries, I hear, but had a good time anyway.  After he got bored, Allie took him to pretend to drive Grandma's truck.  They came back mid-morning with a bunch of berries.  I tried to get Spencer to taste one... and he really didn't want to, but he liked to touch and look at them!  Then, Grandma and Allie went to Grandma's job so she could show him off and meet her co-workers.  He had a great time, I was told, splashing in puddles, running through rows of flowers (she works at a nursery), and climbing on rocks.  When they got back, it was nap time, and then back to Papa's for more swimming!  Spencer had a BLAST swimming on Thursday, especially since he discovered he could splash people by throwing balls into the water.  His favorite was to splash Grandma.  I have a cute video to share!

Friday:  Daddy came to Grandma's on Thursday night, so when Spencer woke up Friday morning, he was very excited to see him.  Grandma was at work, so after lounging around and relaxing a few hours, we headed back over to Papa's house to play in the pool one more time before driving home, and also to get Wendell.  By the time we left town, Spencer was super exhausted, and had fallen asleep on my lap in a matter of seconds after sitting down on it.  He didn't even wake up when Daddy put him in the van!

It was a great trip.  To be honest, I'm kind of sad we're back at home!  Spencer had a great time, as did I. I hope we can do it again sometime!

In other news, his fourth bottom tooth is FINALLY coming in, many months after the other three. I was beginning to wonder if it would at all!

He's already 19 (months old)!

Today, Spencer turns 19 months-old.  My slacking blogging skills mean that it's been a month since I last wrote about our little guy!  Yikes!

We've been keeping busy.  Spencer is on the go pretty much the entire time he is awake nowadays.  He's been doing "cute" toddler things, like lying on his tummy to play cars, and saying 'vroom vroom' as he drives them across the floor.

He's also been doing not-so-cute toddler things, like throwing a fit if he doesn't want to do something, like come in the house after he's been re-routed from entering the street four times in a row.

He's been doing funny and mischievous toddler things, too, of course.  Recently, he discovered he could re-position the rolling computer chair and climb in it so he can reach things off the table.  He also discovered he can take the computer keyboard off the desk and type.  He's been found using Google as well as trying to print things from my email.  Good thing we don't have a printer, I guess.

Overall, though, it's been a good month.

Jake started his new job, and Spencer and I went through a period of sleep-training where I would let him cry-it-out in his crib until he finally went to bed on his own.  The past two nights in a row, he cried a little on the way to his crib, where he went willingly, because I won't give him his milk in a cup until he gets there.  And as soon as I laid him down and gave him his cup, there wasn't another sound.  He just drank his cup, plopped it out on the floor, and went easily to sleep.  I was so proud.

He has been learning more animal sounds, too.  He has a See-and-Say that he got from Nana Mindy and Travis for Christmas that's been aiding in that, though he sometimes seems a little freaked out by it.  He also has been practicing them with a few books that have animal pictures.  It's been interesting, because even animals that don't really have distinct noises have to have some sort of noise or he won't turn the page.  So, we make them up from time to time.  So far, he's knowing goat, owl, horse, cow, duck, dog, cat, bee, bear, lion, snake, and a couple more that I can't remember.... monkey... and something else.

One of his new favorite past-times, I think, is watching Hot Air Balloons launch.  His uncle Jesse and honorary aunt Samantha help crew hot air balloons for her family that owns them, and invited us to watch two weekends in a row.  The first time we were pretty close to the action, but when the fire started, he got scared.  The second time we were about 100 yards away or so (I'm bad with distance, so just guessing) and he stood, silently, happily, and mesmerized for about 15 minutes while the balloons were inflated and took off.  It wasn't until he couldn't see them in the skyline anymore that he first moved.  It was SO cute.

Last weekend, he got his hair cut for the fifth time.  This time, my aunt opted to try the clippers.  He did NOT like them at all.  So, she switched to the scissors for the main part and then trimmed up again with clippers, and then the scissors once more.  He looks like he's three now, I think!  But goodness, he's handsome!


Next week, he and I are going to stay at my mom's house and visit my mom, dad, and siblings for four days while Jake works his new job in my hometown area.  I'm really excited.  I hope he does fairly well sleeping, I am a little nervous since it'll be not at home, but I think it'll be okay.  And then, in two weeks, my sisters are both coming to stay.  Yay!

The pools opened in town now, too, so I bet we're going to start swimming quite a bit, as soon as it gets hot again.  It's been pretty chilly this week.