…he can hold on to objects that his sisters place in his arms:
…he can charm us with his gummy smiles:
…and he can sleep through the night:
Ha! Yeah right. Remember a few posts back when I said Spencer was only waking up once in the night? Those days are long gone. Spencer seems to think he needs to revert back to newborn behavior and wake up every two to three hours at night now. Grrr.
Three months also means my post-pregnancy-hair-shedding ordeal has begun!
Our drains and vacuum will never be the same again.
Our special girl had a special day. Brooke is now four!
Festivities began with a card from her ever-thoughtful great-grandparents. The card turned into a fun castle toy:
Festivities continued with a birthday dinner from her ever-obliging grandparents. The restaurant of choice was Texas Roadhouse. Brooke loves the peanuts and riding the saddle and everyone else loves the rolls!
At first Brooke was a little apprehensive about the saddle:
The apprehension mixed with a healthy dose of shyness brought us this face:
Finally we got a smile. Third time’s a charm:
Here’s a rare specimen these days – a brave Caroline! She had no problem hopping up on the saddle:
Spencer was there, too. Too little to ride the saddle this year. Good thing Grandpa was there to hold him:
Sorry Mom. No picture of you. I thought I took one, but I guess it disappeared.
Moving on…
Several days before Brooke’s birthday, I asked her what she wanted on her cake. Her response? “I want a picture of me going to a pet store and getting my dog and then I’m walking my dog, and I’m at my friend’s house, and we have hearts above our heads because we love each other, and Mom’s there, too because we love Mom.”
Well, here’s what she got. Stand in awe at my awesome cake decorating skills:
So apparently all of Brooke’s wildest cake dreams didn’t come true. Maybe next year. I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with the dog’s legs. Or arms. Ignore them. Also ignore Brooke’s uni-eye.
We invited Brooke’s friend, Emma, to Provo Beach Resort to play:
Oh, what’s this? Someone was too scared to play? Instead she preferred sitting on her Dad’s lap listening to his iPod play her favorite song – “Sweet Caroline”:
They had bowling lanes that were just right for little kids:
One day for Family Home Evening, Dallas was teaching the lesson. He got pictures of the First Presidency and taught Brooke and Caroline their names. We hung the pictures of the First Presidency on a cabinet and occasionally we quiz the girls on who is who. There is video somewhere of the girls reciting their names days after this lesson. Perhaps if you all ask nicely, Dallas will post the video. Trust me — you cannot say you’ve lived a full and happy life until you’ve heard a not-quite-two-year old say “Uchtdorf.”
Anyway, with the names President Monson, President Eyring, and President Uchtdorf fresh on the mind, Caroline gave us a good chuckle today. Dallas had been sorting through some mission things, and he came across the picture of him in his suit and tie that he used for his mission plaque. Caroline found the picture. Dallas asked her who it was. She took a look and said, “President Dad!”
The past few months Caroline has become quite fearful of…well…everything.
She stops dead in her tracks when she’s outside playing and she spies a bug. She immediately puts her fingers in her ears, says, “Eww! I’m scared!” and slowly shuffles away. (Who knew a paranoia of insects crawling in ears can be inherited?!)
She is scared of getting her hair washed in the bathtub.
She has developed athlete’s foot and is scared of the spray that we use every night to get rid of it.
One day I was cleaning the toilet. She walked in the bathroom and saw the toilet bowl cleaner dripping down the sides of the bowl. Guess what? She was scared.
She’s also scared of sitting on the toilet which is severely hindering any attempt at potty training.
She’s scared of dogs. She’s scared of the vacuum. She’s scared of the blender. She’s scared of the swimming pool.
And now she’s scared of her summer clothes. Yes, you read that correctly. I have a child who is afraid of shorts and sandals.
The doctor was very impressed with Spencer’s strength and that he can already support his weight in a standing position. Spencer was pronounced the picture of perfect health.
Then, literally the moment I came home and took him out of his car seat he started sneezing and coughing and snotting everywhere. UGH!
In happier news, Spencer is sleeping better at night, only waking up once or twice. Hallelujah!
