Happy Birthday to our Spencer!

It's been awhile, and I've had several things I'd like to write about. I guess I better start catching up, so I can move onnn....

So, Spencer's birthday was the third weekend in February. If we remember back to then, I was just recovering from that dumb surgery, and Camilley baby was just three weeks old. I felt so cooped up and stir-crazy, and Brian did too. So, we decided to take a spontaneous trip to my parents' house for the weekend. Fun!

And, we got to celebrate Spencer's big day while we were there. Our boy turned SIX this year! What a handsome kid...

He was a very lucky boy, who got to celebrate his birthday with chocolate cake, a huge chocolate chip cookie, and cupcakes! Wow!! He was sure to sample all three desserts, of course!

We decorated the house for his special day, with lots of balloons and some flags and banners. He was smiling very shyly as we put up different decorations, but then he kind of "froze" when I pulled out the camera...

We invited all the cousins from the Hone side, since everyone was in town for the weekend. These girls could hardly wait for the party!

I love this one of Spence, studying his cake and candles while everyone sang to him. So cute!

Time to make a wish and blow...

Let the sugar fest begin!!!

Funny thing about those Curious George cupcakes -- the frosting was VERY bright, and DID NOT come off easily! Here's M, displaying a very red mouth...

 We played one game. (Yes, only one -- keep in mind the party thrower had a newborn and a sore tummy!) We'll just call the game "pop the balloon race..." you know, they raced to sit on a balloon and pop it? It was a hit!!

Even the "big boy" cousins who first claimed to be "too old" for silly games really got into it. Looks to me like BT won, heheh...

Aunt Jen held baby Camille and covered her ears during all the balloon popping and rowdiness. She seemed unfazed...

And the guys sat back at the table, snitching at cake leftovers (see my Dad cutting himself one more little slice in this one? ha!)...

PRESENTS!?!?! It was mad chaos, watching all the kids watch Spencer open his gifts. He got some new clothes, Legos, a "money" set, a Hotwheels race track, and a very cool dinosaur dig set...

 Here are the boys, checking out his dinosaur dig set. Cousin Bryson also got a dinosaur dig set, since his birthday was the week before. Thanks, Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dennis!!

 Little did we know,the dinosaur bones are buried in something similar to graphite. And it smears and smudges EVERYWHERE! Grandma's counter was filthy, and so were the digger boys. Here's B, modeling his safety goggles, so funny...

 And Spence, performing "delicate surgery" on his bones..

It was a fun trip and a great birthday party for our boy. He seemed to really enjoy all the attention. And then, he got ANOTHER party the next week with Seth, his Bishop cousin. Lucky kid! I'll have to upload some of those fun pics and add them here. More presents, a pinata, a fruit pizza with kiwi (his favorite fruit), etc. Too much fun!

And last but not least, a sweet picture of our darling Camille baby...

Don't be too fooled by that super innocent little precious face. Yes, she was super cute and very adored that weekend. BUT... she gave us the two VERY WORST nights of sleep while we were there, back to back. I'm talking about 1-2 hrs of sleep one of the nights, maybe 3 1/2 hrs the other night. ROUGH, baby!! Brian and I took turns rocking her, holding her in awkward positions, changing her, singing, feeding her (well, Brian didn't take a turn on that, actually). It was especially hard being in a house with lots of people trying to sleep -- finding a place to let her fuss and cry, etc. Whew! Glad we made it! And, she made up for it with super cute cuddly afternoons and a nice car ride there and back. :)

Anyway, just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Spencer boy! He's our sweet, wonderful six-year-old and we really love his so much. He is kind and gentle and speaks with such a soft little voice. He is very thoughtful and loves to figure out how things work. He likes Hotwheels cars and building "Lego creations." And he loves "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" on Netflix. When we go to the library, he picks out books about geography, space, and science. But he also loves to be read to -- any kind of story. He loves to go places with his dad, and he really loves riding his bike. He is taking piano lessons and has a beautiful singing voice. He is Natalie's best friend and playmate, and also enjoys planning adventures with Samantha. And, he LOVES holding baby Camille and giving her kisses. Most days after school he quickly washes his hand so he can hold her or touch her face. We sure do love our boy!!

Happy Birthday, dear Spencer boy! Have a wonderful year ahead!!