Wedded Bliss

I can't believe it! All of my siblings are now officially married! Catherine wed Weston Lamplugh on Friday, May 22 in the Salt Lake Temple. Spencer and I were lucky enough to fly out the day before the wedding and fly back to NJ the day after. It was a whirlwind trip, but so worth it to see my sister so happy.

The happy couple at the wedding breakfast hosted by Weston's family. Catherine has married into a wonderful family! It was nice to get to know my new brother-in-law's parents and siblings.

Mom with little Nicole. Grandma is so good with all her grandkids!

Suzanne's kids seated from L-R: Matthew, Luke and Holly (expecting a boy in September - wahoo!). We'll be seeing you all again in a few short weeks!

Beautiful Julie, Will and Alyssa at the wedding breakfast.

The "old" newlywed couple - Brandon & Diana. Aren't they adorable?

The night before the wedding - we spent a little time together at Anne Gourley's house. Catherine had a million things on her to-do list, but she was radiating (as you can see!). Probably helps that our amazing friend (Jen Gaskell, far right) was there to help keep our minds straight amidst all the chaos.
Waiting for the newlyweds outside of the temple.

Here come the bride and groom! We love you Catherine and Weston!!!

The couple with all the nieces and nephews (L-R): Jackson, Spencer, Nicole and Alyssa.

Amazingly, Spencer was incredibly flexible on this trip. The flight over was a little rough, but he slept well that night and was such a trooper through the wedding breakfast, driving back and forth between Provo and Salt Lake, waiting with Weston's sister outside the temple during the ceremony, getting ready for the reception (wearing dress shoes for the first time!). Little wonder that he crashed in my arms for almost the whole reception that evening. He looked too cute in the little suit Mom bought for him. My little baby isn't such a baby anymore. I gave him his first haircut a week before the wedding and now he looks so grown up. Can't believe he will be 1 on Monday!

Walkin' on Sunshine

Hurray! The spring-like weather is finally here and we can take Spencer out to enjoy the fresh air. Our neighborhood looks beautiful with all the blossoms on the trees and the flowers blooming...too bad spring can't last longer. In NJ it seems we go from cold to hot/humid pretty quick - not much of a spring. But I'll stop complaining and simply enjoy the nice weather while it lasts!

Don't let go Daddy! Not so sure Spencer had as much fun as we did watching him experience all the "newness" of playing at the park.

Making new friends.

This video clip shows Spencer's first ride down the slide...he's not that into it yet. :)

Uh-Oh! Looks like someone found Daddy's big box of Oreo cookies he brought home to put in storage. Spencer is pretty good about sniffing out the food...he's always ready for a snack. :)

I find that babies are particularly edible right after a bath.

Scott and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary on Monday by eating dinner together (that's a BIG deal!), watching an episode of "House" and going to bed. I was pretty sick and we were both tired after a long day of work...so that was all the excitment we had left. We did, however, celebrate earlier that weekend by purchasing a better vaccuum. We've been wanting to buy one with a hose attachment to clean the carpet edges so Spencer won't eat any more fuzz balls.. I'm happy to report Spencer has been weaned of fuzz and our carpets have never looked so clean!

Spring Cleaning

Well, spring is finally here and I'm finally getting around to posting our pictures from the past 2 months. I can't even remember what I did in February, and March is about to slip away...summer will be here before we know it!

In early March, Scott and Spencer were kind enough to travel to Boston with me for a conference on family-centered care. It was my first week in my new job, and I was greatful to have them both with me. Seeing them every afternoon and evening kept me sane during all the long meetings. The first four pictures were taken in Boston: 1) from our hotel room window, 2) out to dinner at mongolian grill "Fire & Ice", 3) Scott & Spencer at Fanueil Hall, and 4) Scott in front of Cheers replica. We would have seen more of the city if it had not been FREEZING every day.

I love this picture, so I have to include it! Spencer is getting bigger every day, crawling more, and climbing the furniture (he can even navigate one step from the living room to the dining room!)

Last Saturday, we opened the blinds while we were cleaning and Spencer became very interested in his shadow. At one point he even lifted up his foot as if he were looking for the source of his new friend.

My handsome boys ready for church. I can't believe that Spencer will be in nursery in December...yikes!

Spencer's at-home "Spring Training" for baseball. Daddy can't wait until they can play ball for real outside!

Just a few days ago, Jeopardy was on TV and Spencer dropped the blocks we was playing, crawled to the TV and watched the game. Perhaps he is a junior champion in training?

Playing Catch Up

So, I figured if I posted our holiday photos before the end of the month, I wouldn't feel so behind schedule. Perhaps January 31 is better late than never? Our Christmas celebrations were nice and relaxing...not too much rushing around for once! Christmas Eve was spent with Scott's brothers and their families as we waited for Mom and Dad Maldonado to arrive from Puerto Rico. Their flight was delayed a bit, but it was wonderful to see them again. The kids were happy to see them too...it meant we could open the family gifts.




Below are pictures of the nieces and nephews as we waited for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive.
First photo is of Nathaniel and Katie; the second photo is Christian, Jonathon, and Eliza.



Mandy asked Jonathon to go wrap Spencer's gift...this is the bag he chose. I don't think he understood why the adults in the room where laughing. :)


Gabriella and Scott Jr. were able to join us Christmas Day evening. They opened their gifts quickly, because we had invited a family from the ward to have Christmas dinner with us. Both kids took cooking classes over the summer, so Scott gave the kids their favorite ingredients: Hungarian Paprika for Scott Jr. (according to him, his potato salad just isn't they same without it); and Hoisin Sauce for Gabriella (she just LOVES saying "hoisin sauce"). Spencer, of course, simply enjoyed the wrapping paper the most.


The day after Christmas, Spencer and I flew to Utah for Diana and Brandon's wedding (Dec. 27). It was a beautiful snow-covered day for the happy couple. It was also nice to see family again, although there didn't seem to be enough time to visit as much as I would have liked. Maybe next time!

(Couldn't resist posting Spencer's naptime bed-head.)

Luckily, when we returned from Utah after the new year, we had one last visit with Scott's parents before they returned home.


Earlier this month we made Gabriella work for her birthday present. In the middle of the night I tied a string to her present (a giant gumball machine) and wound that string all over the house, ending at her bed. Her job was to follow the stringy path to find her gift.


As for Spencer, he finally has his first tooth (it arrived the day of Diana's wedding) and he is getting quite proficient at scooting about. When I look back at pictures taken just a few months ago, it's hard to believe how much he has changed in 8 months!

Here is a little clip of Spencer using his arms to push himself across the floor (he just started doing this 3 days ago).