Valentines and Snow

Happy Valentines Day! I think this valentine we passed out to the sisters at church today sums up how we feel...

Speaking of the love of a father for his children...I love this picture of Scott with Spencer. Spencer rarely snuggles on the couch for anyone, but for his daddy he made an exception on Valentine's Day just before bedtime.

So, if you've watched the news lately you probably know our aread had a lot of snow. Here are a few pictures of us digging out. Scott and Spencer don't like it much, but I am in heaven!

As Spencer approaches the 21-month mark, he is growing and learning in leaps and bounds. Lately, he has taken to trying to undress himself and he LOVES to hug everything - books, toys, people...even pot holders (as evidenced in the picture below). Just imagine him picking up an object, squishing it to his cheeks and making the "Ahhhhh" sound. That's how it's done. I'm sure if you were here, he would hug you too!

A new bedtime routine with daddy featuring Spencer and the flying turtle.

New Beginnings

It's a new year and Spencer started it off by sporting a black eye. He ran into the corner of the oven door as the babysitter was opening it. Poor baby! But something tells me that this is only the beginning for this boy.

J-E-T-S...Jets, Jets, Jets! Daddy and Spencer get into the spirit on game day.

No football game would be complete without the game food - Spencer love his cheese puffs.

Here is a brief video clip of Spencer perfecting his game.

Who can resist a frolic in the snow? It doesn't snow here too often, so Spencer had fun running back and forth...until he fell into the wet, cold dusting of snow.

Scott was curious to see how Spencer would react to the world of Chucky Cheese's. I forgot how crazy buzy this place could be on a Saturday...they stamped our family's hands upon entering and they checked on the way out to make sure we weren't leaving with extra kids. The kids had a lot of fun, so I'm sure its a family activity we'll repeat again in the future.
Later that night we invited the extended family over to help us celebrate Gabriella's belated birthday. I made a fish cake and come cupcakes. We were able to speak to Grandma Maldonado over skype and sing "happy birthday" together. We love you Lella!

Joy to the World

December bring birthdays (Scott Sr. & Scott Jr.) and Christmas. To celebrate Scott's birthday, we used the Famous Dave's gift card and enjoyed some awesome BBQ. We can't get enough of that place!

As you can see, we ate 'till our bellies were full and Spencer was ready to pass out!

It has been hard to keep Spencer from pulling the ornaments off the tree, but he has settled for simply lying under the tree as he watches Elmo.

For our ward Christmas party we celebrated "Christmas in Nauvoo." Our sister-in-law, Kathy, planned a very fun activity. There were different places around Nauvoo to visit with activities in each area. You could even visit the North Pole and visit Santa. Does he look familiar to you?

Christmas Eve we invited the missionaries - Elders Hillyard and Sundwall - to join us for dinner. We had ham, potatoes, green beans...all the holiday trimmings. This year I wanted to try caroling around the neighborhood and spread some Christmas cheer. Little did I know that "spreading cheer" is not much appreciate on the east cost - at least not in New Jersey. We knocked on several doors, but no one seemed to be home (or at least they acted like it!). We knocked on one last door (or neighbor to the left) and their teenage daugther opened the door. We immediately burst into a chorus of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and she started to close the door in our faces . I don't think she had a clue what was going on...I stopped singing to explain that we were her neighbors and we just wanted to deliver a Christmas treat. What a bust! Oh well...we returned home to sing carols around the piano before Spencer went to bed.

Spencer and Daddy on Christmas morning - my most favorite things to see in the morning!

Yummy! Daddy and Spencer enjoy chocolate pound cake for breakfast (Grandma Maldonado's special recipe).

Here is a little video clip of Spencer on Christmas morning and opening his first gift.

Some of Spencer's toys included Avatar light-up toys from a Happy Meal. He loved the "Jake" figure 'cause he simply lights up with any sound. Watch the clip...

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's SUPER SPENCER!

I had fun on Christmas too. I received a snuggie and the "perfect" brownie pan.
Scott Jr. and Gabriella came the next weekend to enjoy a be-lated Christmas with us.

The day after Christmas we adjourned at Michael and Mandy's house to celebrate together.

We feel so blessed to have such an amazing family!

How do I Love Thee...

Happy Birthday, Scott!!!

To celebrate, I took the day off of work...and he is working a double shift (a little backwards, eh?). Since he was born on the seventeenth day of the month, here are 17 reasons why I love my hubby:



1. His contagious smile

2. How he loves/worries about his kids

3. His testimony of the gospel

4. He is a good teacher

5. His sense of humor

6. His generous spirit

7. His yummy food

8. His long eyelashes ;)

9. His hugs and kisses

10. His boldness

11. His patience when I am flustered

12. He is my personal cold-hand heater (he is ALWAYS warm!)

13. His confidence in me (the best support I could ask for!)

14. His thoughtfulness

15. Keeps me on my toes

16. His work ethic



...and last but not least



17. Because he married me!

I LOVE YOU!

Counting our Blessings

Spencer is now officially 18 months old and surprising us every day. He will start attending nursery this coming Sunday and I think he is ready for the challenge. Just look at that smile...

If there is a box to be found, Spencer will find it and climb inside. It might have something to do with the large cabinet box we currently have sitting in our living room. We cut away a door so Spencer can get in and out to play. He loves that box!

It's also no surprise that Spencer seems more and more like his Daddy every day. They even share the same cowlick on the right side of their heads. :)

Trying to fill Daddy's shoes. You'll get there kiddo (hopefully not too fast).

Thanksgiving 2009 - We were delighted that Catherine and Weston could join us from Virginia this year. Spencer warmed up to them very quickly and was so happy to have some new people to play with. Thanksgiving morning Scott, Catherine and Weston played in our ward's "Turkey Bowl". That afternoon we enjoyed a great feast (prepared by Scott) with all the trimmings. It was so great to have time to relax with family.

The day after Thanksgiving Catherine and Weston ventured into NYC via the train for a little site seeing. We decided to go back to the city with them on Saturday so they could visit the Manhattan Temple. While they were in the temple, Scott, Spencer and I enjoyed visiting the Central Park Zoo and simply walking around the park together.

Spencer wasn't so sure about the Carousel Ride

- between the music and the motion, I think he was a little over-stimulated.