Vroom Vroom!

Posted on February 4, 2010 by clare

Spencer playing with his car

Spencer has been getting pretty good at playing with his big car lately. It is clear that he is really close to walking, because he is not really relying on the car for balance. Occasionally he will stand up on his own when he wants to inspect something with both hands, but then once he realizes he is not holding onto something, he quickly finds something to hold onto, or simply drops to his knees. So I think he is ready to walk physically, but not quite there mentally yet.

In this video, he displays how he is now able to turn around and go the other way when he reaches an obstacle with the car. At the end, he switches over to his small Lightning McQueen car, which is actually filled with bubble bath.
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Like father, like son

Posted on January 23, 2010 by clare

Spencer and Rob in their cords and plaid

Spencer and Rob playing in their cords and plaid

Dwight and Patti got Spencer a really cute outfit for Christmas. I am not sure if they did this on purpose, but it happens to be something very similar to what I frequently wear – corduroys and a plaid shirt. Actually, before Spencer came along, I tended to wear slacks and dress shirts, but those don’t see much use these days, since they don’t resist stains as much as cords and flannel. Here are a few pictures of Spencer and me in our cool duds. Thanks Dwight and Patti!

Bearable

Posted on January 22, 2010 by clare

Spencer the bear ready for a walk

Spencer the bear playing with his tabletop toy

Spencer and Rob ready for a hike

Paul and April got Spencer some really cute clothes for Christmas, including a sweatshirt that is bear-like. It is super fuzzy and has a hood with little bear ears. It just happens to fit perfectly right now, and the hood fits great too, which is hard to find. Some of Spencer’s clothes with hoods tend to either not cover his ears very well, or block his view. Spencer the bear and I have been enjoying quite a few walks lately.

Unpacking

Posted on January 20, 2010 by clare

What does one do with blocks in a box? Unpack them!

Spencer unpacking blocks

Lately I have discovered that not only does Spencer like to knock down blocks, he also likes to keep them in general disarray. If I pack the blocks into a big flat rectangle, Spencer will spread them all around. Or if I put them in a box, Spencer will take them all out. If anyone is looking for more disorder in their living room, Spencer is your man!
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Destruction

Posted on January 19, 2010 by clare

Clare and Spencer playing blocks

Grandma and Grandpa Felty got Spencer a very nice block set for Christmas. They actually sent it to us in September or so, but we waited until we got home from Christmas vacation to bring them out. Spencer quickly took a liking to the destruction game, in which an adult builds a tower, and then he knocks it down. As you can see from this video, most towers do not stay upright for very long.
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Lightning

Posted on January 11, 2010 by clare

Spencer playing with his new ride-on car

Spencer’s Great Grandparents gave him a Lightning McQueen ride-on toy for Christmas. He likes it quite a bit. Here is a short clip of him playing with it at their house. He mostly just pushes it around at this point. I think his legs might need to get a little longer before he gets good at riding it.
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New Sweater

Posted on December 15, 2009 by clare

Spencer ready for a walk in his new sweater

Several days ago we received a wonderful forest green sweater hand-knit by Kathleen Harriman for Spencer. It fits really well, with a little room to go. What great timing too, since it has been pretty chilly lately.

: Spencer bares his teeth

: Clare and Spencer playing

: Clare and Spencer in his new sweater

Shoveling

Posted on December 6, 2009 by clare

Spencer all bundled up

Excited about going outside

Ready to go shoveling

The last several days have been quite cold here. The highs have been in the 20′s since Wednesday (except for yesterday, when it got up to 35°F). Because of the cold, we haven’t been taking Spencer outside much. This is very unfortunate, since Spencer really loves going outside. I have bundled him up a couple times to go shovel, which he seems to enjoy. This morning he actually feel asleep in the backpack while shoveling. So I guess he must not be too cold. We have to thank Dave and Ellen for both the backpack and the snowsuit. Both are indispensable.

Tunnel

Posted on October 16, 2009 by clare

Spencer likes crawling through the tunnel

They have a little tunnel at Kindercare which Spencer discovered a few weeks ago, so I made him one out of a cardboard box. It is just as much fun I think.
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Curt Fischer and Idaho Springs

Posted on June 13, 2009 by clare

Chris, Greg, Curt, Spencer, Rob, and Clare in Idaho Springs

Curt Fischer, a friend of Clare’s from Case stopped by with 2 of his groomsmen last week on his trek from Boston to San Francisco, where he is getting married (today). They got in fairly late on Friday, and had to leave early Saturday to go rafting in Idaho Springs. It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so Clare and I decided to go up to Idaho Springs and hike around for a bit, then meet them for lunch at the Tommyknocker brewery. We also got to try out the new Kelty Kids backpack that Ellen gave Clare for her birthday. It took awhile to get al the adjustments right to make it comfortable, but once it was fitting well, it was quite nice. Spencer also enjoyed the view from up high.
more pictures follow