Happy Halloween - 2009!

Hope everyone had a safe, yet fun-filled Halloween! After days and days filled with rain, rain, and more rain, the weather truly cooperated and we had a wonderful night to celebrate Halloween in St. Louis. Our little fireman, Kyle, certainly had a very enjoyable evening trick or treating and protecting our neighborhood streets. Usually, we enjoy making the rounds from house to house as well as handing out candy to the many trick or treaters. Kyle was having such a good time and wasn't quite ready to head home so we continued on and didn't make it home in time to hand out any candy. We did leave a huge bowl full of candy on our front porch for the kiddos to help themselves. One neighbor set up a haunted house maze in his garage and Kyle attempted to lead us through the maze....however we couldn't easily find our way out, but we finally did after several minutes! Below, are several pictures of "Our Future Firefighter".

The Spence Family had a very successful Happy Halloween! Now, it's time to begin looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Kyle the fireman

Happy Halloween from the cutest little fireman around

Set and ready to go trick or treating

Finally, I'm on my way...give me some candy!

Patiently waiting for someone to answer!

Show Us Your Life - Halloween Costumes

Kelly is hosting yet another "Show Us Your Life" tour. This week the theme is Halloween costumes. It certainly will be exciting to see everyone's costumes....such a fun, fitting theme for this Friday. I am posting pictures of my son, Kyle, dresssed in his costumes since he was born. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Kyle in his costume this year yet, but he will be a fireman! Please visit Kelly's Korner to view many more adorable and creative Halloween costumes.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Happy Halloween!

October 2005

Kyle was born premature and spent his very first Halloween in the NICU. Here he is dressed as the Tin Man. Kyle's little NICU neighbor was dressed as Dorothy

so they certainly made an adorable little couple.

October 2006

My husband and I couldn't decide what Kyle should be for Halloween this year, so he had two costumes. The first picture, he is dressed as a little pumpkin,

which was Mommy's choice.

October 2006

Kyle's second costume was a dinasour, which was Daddy's choice.

October 2007

Kyle dressed as a lion...Roar!!! October 2008 Kyle dressed as Thomas the Train

LSU Snuggie

I recently found my new best friend, well, at least for the upcoming winter...an LSU Snuggie. This blanket with sleeves will definitely keep me nice and toasty when the freezing temperatures arrive in the coming months. They are sold in a variety of colors and even sell snuggies for children as well as dogs! I'm certain Kyle and Chloe wouldn't appreciate one, but I'm convinced John will be wanting one very soon! If interested, check out College Snuggie, to see if they make one for your favorite college team.

Pumpkinland at Thies Farm

The last several weeks we have seen rain, rain, and more rain, so outdoor activities have been somewhat limited. This past Sunday, however, it wasn't raining and the sun was shining so we decided to head out to Thies Farm so Kyle could experience some fall and Halloween fun! Thies Farm has an area called Pumpkinland for the children to run, play, and explore. The area has many activities including tractors to ride, mazes made with hay bales, pumpkins, a hay ride, and a pirate ship. There is also pony rides and farm animals to keep the little ones entertained. We all enjoyed our time enjoying the pretty weather and having a little fall fun at the same time! Of course, we took pictures so I am sharing several for your viewing pleasure!

Kyle loved riding in the tractor tire swing!

Kyle also enjoyed playing in the large area of hay. Kyle making his way through one of the hay bale mazes.

The Spence Family at Thies Farm It's a must for Kyle to pose with the pumpkins although at the time he was more interested in watching the tractor being used for the hay ride.

Hello Out There...

I'm back! Well, at least I hope so. I have completely neglected the blog for six weeks or more and am very disappointed in myself. With my disappearance, there are obviously many posts to catch up on. I will be back dating many posts to correspond to the day the event, etc. actually took place. Unfortunately, I have been very out of touch with the blog world and find that I have missed keeping up with many blogs I used to read on a daily basis. I truely, hope to clear my Google Reader account soon and officially get back into my regular blogging routine.

Hello Fall

Goodbye Summer...Hello Fall! Fall is such a pretty season with the leaves changing. In the STL area the leaves are much more vibrant and beautiful than in years past...maybe because we have had more rain than usual. On this Sunday morning, we decided to take a colorful and scenic drive. We headed out to the wine country area to a little park John spotted in the past. Klondike Park was the perfect destination to enjoy the fall leaves. With several different walking trails and an overlook to the Missouri River there was plenty for Kyle to explore.

During our site seeing of the area, we made a very special, small world meeting. At one point, John was calling Kyle Robert and a mother and son approached us to say that the son's name was Kyle Robert. It was such a coincidence, especially since we very rarely say Kyle Robert in public. We continued talking and soon realized that the lady works in the NICU at the very same hospital where Kyle spent the first 86 days of his life. She has worked in the unit for 25 years so she was there when we were, but we didn't have the opportunity to meet her during Kyle's stay. She was so happy to meet Kyle and was amazed at how well he is doing for a former 25 weeker. I think it makes her remember why she does her job each and every day. She was such a sweet lady and it was such a special treat to meet her....we were meant to each be in Klondike Park on this day, at this time! Next time we make a visit to the NICU, we will certainly check to make sure she is working! It just goes to show that it really is a very small world!

Below are several pictures from our fall family outing! Enjoy!

Day Out With Thomas - 2009

Saturday, October 17th we took Kyle to his second "Day Out With Thomas" event. He still loves anything and everything Thomas and Friends so we knew he would have a ball seeing him up close and personal once again. As expected, Kyle was so excited to take the twenty five minute train ride with Thomas. He was also able to take his picture in front of Thomas the Train and also with Sir Topham Hatt. Kyle was thrilled to see Sir Topham Hatt at first and even gave him a high five, but after several minutes he was rather unsure about the huge railway suprentindent, as you can see in the photo below. Kyle even received a special personalized letter from Sir Topham Hatt, which will be a great souvenier for him to treasure in the future. It was a great day for The Spence Family and it is always wonderful to see the joy on Kyle's face when he is experiencing the world around him.

Kyle and his favorite train, Thomas

Who is this huge railway conductor...Sir Topham Hatt

Happy to be taking a ride with Thomas

Wisconsin Dells - Day One

Our first full day in Wisconsin Dells was plenty of fun for The Spence Family. A very unique, popular must see tourist attraction in the area is a duck boat ride so we went to experience the duck ride first hand. There are several companies which offer the ride, but today we went to the Dells Army Ducks for a one hour land and water tour. This is a guided tour which takes you on a cruise on Lake Delton, The Wisconsin River and which also makes two amphibious landings. This area is known for their 14,000 year old rock formations specially named Twin Ink Stand, Upside Down Heart, and a Wedding Bell..hence the shape of the rock formations.

The ride began on land and eventually we made a splash into Lake Delton. We were dressed in anticipation that we may get very wet entering the water, however we did stay completely dry. After cruising the lake we made our first amphibious landing until making another splash entrance into the Wisconsin River. This is where we saw all the beautiful, one of a kind rock formations. It was a great outing to begin our vacation and most of all Kyle really enjoyed cruising along in the duck.

One of the many duck boats

Kyle enjoying the ride

The Wisconsin River

Rock Formation

Another Rock Formation This is a private residence along Lake Delton. It actually belongs to the person who owns one of the large water parks in the area...very impressive Kyle and Mommy flying the army helicopter while waiting for our duck tour to begin.

Kyle driving the army jeep.

After our tour it was time for lunch. We drove around for a short while in the downtown Wisconsin Dells area to find a lunch spot. We came across the perfect little restaurant for this New Orleans girl...Taste of New Orleans - Authentic Cajun Cuisine. The food was very good and we definitely plan to go back another day for lunch or dinner. We did speak with the owner of the restaurant, who is originally from New Orleans. It was really interesting to speak to someone from my home town especially since we are all the way up in Wisconsin.

After lunch we came back to our condo so Kyle could take his afternoon nap, while John and I spent time in the four season room overlooking the pool and Lake Delton with the screen door open enjoying the breeze and listening to the waterfall...very peaceful and relaxing. This evening we drove around to explore the area and locate places we would like to go later in the week. It certainly is a huge tourist trap so we want to make sure and fit in as many fun filled activities as possible. Stay tuned for further detail about our vacation! Until then...have a great week!

Greetings From The Dells

Saturday morning The Spence Family headed on vacation. Origianally, we planned to make a stop on the way and arrive in Wisconsin Dells on Sunday. We were making such good progress and Kyle was cooperating so we decided to continue driving and arrived this evening. This was such a great decision...so we could get settled, unpacked, and shop for supplies for our condo. We are staying at The Wilderness On The Lake in a two bedroom condo overlooking Lake Delton...beautiful! The condo is great, fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer and is huge... it may be a little big for our little family of three, but it is nice to have the space separate from Kyle. We are deciding what our itinerary will be for the week and what fun adventures we would like to explore in The Dells....so many activities to choose from! Stay tuned for details of our week filled with family fun!

Disney On Ice

September 5th, Kyle went to see Disney on Ice. Kyle enjoyed the show, especially since it was fast paced, very entertaining, loud,fun music, and best of all a great view of the show. Unfortunately, since this was our first "On Ice" event, we weren't dressed in proper clothing. It was freezing cold in the arena and it didn't help that we had floor seats very close to the stage. Other people were bundled in heavy clothing and blankets to keep them nice and comfortable and here is The Spence Family in our summer attire. Once the show began, we forgot about being too cold and the three of us enjoyed the show. It was a wonderful experience for Kyle to learn a little about the Disney characters.After the event Kyle had the opportunity to shake many of the characters hand since we were so close to the stage. Of course his favorite is Mickey Mouse and he had his picture taken with Mickey. Unfortunatley, the other picture which was much better, but was very blurry when printed...just our luck!

My Little Assistant

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Kyle is quite the little helper. He definitely enjoys assisting and is very proud of himself since we praise him for his accomplishments. This summer he has been such a "huge" help in keeping my many flowers alive and happy...the hose became his new outside play toy. Granted, he didn't always water just the flowers, he still did a wonderful job. He hasn't been a fan of the pool, sprinklers, etc. this summer, but this water activity sure kept him occupied.

Working hard to get the hose in position.

He is actually getting water on the flowers :)

All done...time to put the hose away.

As with all babies and toddlers, Kyle is a little sponge these days. He is soaking up everything there is to learn about his surroundings and his environment...he is a very curious and adventurous little guy. His speech is progressing so I'm hoping we are in the process of another little break through. He imitates many words we say and that he hears...you never know what word will come out of his mouth.

I'm shocked that today is already September 1st. I have no idea what happened to our summer..it disappeared before my very eyes. Thankfully, we moved back into our school routine without any issues. Kyle seems to enjoy school and he is always excited when I drop him off each morning. He walks into school with a huge smile, tells me bye, and waves without any hesitation. I need to come to the realization that my one and only baby is growing up before my very eyes...it is very bittersweet!

Until next time, take care.

Epicondylitis

I'm sure you are wondering what epicondylitis means... in simple terms it is tennis elbow. About two weeks ago my right arm began to hurt, but I didn't think much about it, thinking I pulled a muscle and the pain would magically disappear within a day or two. Unfortunately, my magic wand wasn't working properly since the pain progressively got worse and not better. Two days ago, I was in tears from the pain, I gave in and scheduled an appointment with the doctor. After waiting and waiting in the office I was finally given the diagnosis of epicondylitis or tennis elbow. The good news is that it isn't very serious and will eventually go away, but it possibly may be be quite sometime...not such good news. In the meantime, the doctor would like me to "rest" my right arm when I am able, use the left arm when possible and not to lift/carry Kyle. Thankfully, since Kyle is almost four I am not required to lift or carry him very often. The doctor believes this is what caused the epicondylitis. If the pain persists in the future I have the option to receive a cortisone shot to relieve the pain. We will see what the future holds, but I am relieved to have an answer, even though I still have to live with the pain.

Vacation Plans

In just a few weeks, The Spence Family is headed to Wisconsin Dells. We are looking forward to a nice week long break full of fun and relaxation. Wisconsin Dells is a popular destination because of the many water parks in the area, but we aren't going for the waterpark adventure. We have already taken a mini vacation earlier in the summer to The Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark in Kansas City. There are so many other attractions to keep the three of us entertained that we probably won't even have time to visit a waterpark.

We will be staying at the Wilderness Hotel, a 600 acre resort, in a two bedroom condo overlooking Lake Delton. A few of the attractions we are planning to see and do are: the circus world museum, a deer park, wildlife park, theme/amusement park, and duck boat ride. Since we will be traveling during the off season we are hoping the area won't be overly crowded. The weather should be perfect, with day time temperatures averaging in the seventies and night temperatures averaging in the fifties and sixties. Since it is a little over seven hours from St. Louis we will be driving. We will be stopping along the way the first night, so we won't be overly tired once we arrive in Wisconsin Dells. We will, however, drive straight home.

I do feel somewhat guilty since Kyle will be absent from school for several days while we are on vacation. Unfortunately, with John's work schedule during the summer months, he wasn't able to take very much time off. Within the coming weeks, we will be busy preparing for our adventure and I promise to have a recap of our fun family vacation to Wisconsin Dells!

Kyle's Visitors

My parents came to St. Louis for a visit recently, mainly to visit Kyle. It was a nice way for Kyle to end his summer vacation before preschool started. They haven't seen Kyle since January so they were happy to have the opportunity to spend time with him and vice versa. Kyle is always excited to have the extra special attention from Ce Ce and Poppy...reading books, playing with toys, and playing chase. They were able to enjoy a little "cooler" weather than what they are accustom to in New Orleans. We enjoyed dinner on the deck one evening and a pleasant morning at a local park to let Kyle run and explore! Kyle sure hopes to be able to visit again soon with Ce Ce and Poppy!

Poppy and Kyle