Keeping Up With The Spences

Photographers In The Making

2010-03-08T09:50:00.001-06:00

For Christmas, John and I typically buy a dual gift for the both of us. This past Christmas was no different and we purchased a new camera. We had been using a digital point and shoot camera, which worked out wonderful for the past several years. However, when we began having issues with it that gave us the idea to buy a new camera. Since we take so many pictures, we decided to invest in very nice, high tech camera.

We chose to upgrade to the Sony DSLR-A330. The camera included one lens, but we also purchased the next size lens. This will give us the option to take pictures from a further distance. We are very happy with our choice...especially the picture quality and the speed at which you can take pictures. Speed was a very important decision in our purchase since Kyle is constantly on the move, we need to move fast! The size and convenience did take some getting used to since we were used to a small hand held camera.

John and I are having fun experimenting with our photography skills. We still have a long way to go before we are considered experts, but with as much as we use it we will be gaining plenty of experience.

Lone Elk Park

2010-03-07T18:50:00.001-06:00

WELCOME TO LONE ELK PARK

Today was another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Planning an outdoor activity seemed to be our only option...can't waste time indoors when it's so pretty! Believe it or not, The Spence Family chose to head to a park, but this isn't our typical kind of park. Lone Elk Park is a nature, scenic, hiking, wildlife area where elk, bison, deer, waterfowl, and wild turkey call home. We located all these animals during our tour except for the deer and the wild turkey...maybe next time! Lone Elk Park is 546 acres so it is impossible to take in everything in one visit. Also, The World Bird Sanctuary is located next door which we also plan to take Kyle too one day in the future. It's always so fun and exciting heading on new adventures with Kyle and watching him enjoy the freedom of the great outdoors!

There were plenty of bison in view...

aren't they such pretty animals? Ha!

Just a couple of scenic pictures. I can only imagine how

pretty the area is once the leaves are on the trees and

especially during the fall once the leaves change colors.

It was such a refreshing treat to spend quality time enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures with my boys this weekend. We can finally see light at the end of the tunnel that spring is on it's way...Hooray!! Hope everyone had a fun-filled weekend!!

Playground Safety At Its Finest

2010-03-06T21:02:00.004-06:00

While we were at the park this afternoon there was a little girl younger than Kyle playing in the same area. After watching her a few minutes, we looked around to locate her parents because she was performing some pretty dangerous moves. Well, the parents were no where in sight, but later we realized who her mom was and she was sitting on a bench across the park smoking a cigarette. I couldn't resist and had to snap a couple of pictures because I couldn't believe my eyes. She was climbing up a twisty pole and once she reached the top she would jump in mid-air to a platform. She was also climbing on top of a tube slide. John thought we should leave so we wouldn't be responsible in case she fell and hurt herself. I felt as though we should stay and make sure she was going to be alright. John had to help her a few times before she fell and injured herself. The pictures below will show the dangerous tricks she was performing.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I have witnessed a child being left unsupervised. I feel as though I have to watch Kyle's every move while we are in public and I don't understand how some parents can be so negligent, especially with a child this young. I feel it's part of being a responsible parent to keep an eye on your child because accidents can occur in the blink of an eye.

Warmest Day in 2010

2010-03-06T19:17:00.015-06:00

Today was the warmest day St. Louis has seen in 2010 and it seemed everyone was out to enjoy the first taste of spring! If only it would last, but I'm sure Mother Nature is just teasing us! We can't be picky and take each beautiful day to head outside and soak up the sun and warmer temperatures. We took Kyle to one of our favorite parks, which is typically not very crowded, but today was a different story...plenty of other people stole our wonderful idea!

As usual, Kyle loves the freedom of being outdoors. This year, he is really enjoying the slides more than usual....I should have counted, but I'm sure he went down the slide at least 50 times today. The park has a sand volleyball court and Kyle was determined to play in the sand. He must be trying to tell us he wants to go on a beach vacation this year. Also, in a recent post I mentioned our spring/summer goal for Kyle...transitioning him to the big boy swing. Well, yesterday he actually got on one, mainly because he was following his friend and today he also got on one, but wasn't such a fan. It really depends on the swing and how low it is to the ground. I'm sure once we find the perfect swing he will become a pro! But, we are making progress!!

Tomorrow is going to be another warmer day, so we are making plans to head outside once again. Hope you had nice weather in your neck of the woods!

Kyle had his eye on the prize...

the playground

One of his fifty trips down the slide Not so sure about this swing

Kyle the tree hugger What a beautiful day Waterfall

Productive Date Night

2010-03-05T22:15:00.007-06:00

Thursday evening, John and I attended a workshop seminar entitled "Managing Challenging Behaviors" sponsored by the Early Childhood Center where Kyle attends preschool. The seminar focused on techniques for managing challenging behaviors, learning the functions of problem behavior, how to identify the function of behavior, and how to teach a replacement behavior which achieves the same function.

We thought this would be beneficial to attend, to assist us with managing some of Kyle's not so "wonderful" behaviors. What we have learned is that Kyle's behavior issues are attention seeking. He tends to "act out" when he isn't getting the attention he wants (or thinks he deserves) from us. Most of the time, he wants our undivided attention and will go to great lengths in order to achieve his goal. Honestly, we didn't come home with as much knowledge on the subject as we were hoping, but we did learn one important fact. Based on the attendance at the workshop, we certainly are not the only parents struggling with some difficult behaviors. We were able to speak with another couple who has a son about the same age, and it was helpful to hear what they have experienced with their son. It was a small world because their son was also born prematurely and spent time in the same NICU where Kyle was for eighty six days.

After the workshop, we did eat dinner at a great Italian restaurant...Rich and Charlie's. Kyle was with a sitter while we were away and they seemed to have a great time together...doing crafts, reading, playing with trains, etc. It's always comforting to know that he is comfortable with babysitters and doesn't have a tough time with the separation....this proves he is growing up!!

What Is Your Typical Day Like????

2010-03-05T19:12:00.005-06:00

Today, I am participating in Kelly's weekly blog event..."Show Us Your Life". This weeks topic is "What is Your Typical Day Like?" For those who aren't regular readers of my blog, I am a SAHM to a four year old preschooler named Kyle. My typical day is absolutely glamorous and I know many of you will be anxious to jump into my shoes and live out my typical day....Ha Ha :)

6:45a.m. - 7:30a.m. The alarm rings, which is way to early for this mommy, so the alarm is snoozed a minimum of two times. Once I finally crawl out of bed, I take a shower and get dressed. I like to get myself ready before getting Kyle up and ready for his day. During this time, if I hear Kyle waking up, I know the morning routine will run much smoother

7:30a.m. -7:45a.m. Head upstairs to get Kyle out of bed. This is somewhat of a challenge if I need to wake him from a deep sleep. I've always attempted to live by the rule of "never wake a sleeping baby", but when he has preschool this is a neccessary evil! Once he is fully awake I get Kyle dressed and ready for school.

7:45a.m. -8:15a.m. Time for Kyle to eat breakfast and have a little down time before heading out the door. During this time, I finish getting dressed if this didn't take place the way it should have earlier.

8:15a.m. - 8:30a.m. Leave the house and drop Kyle off to preschool.

8:30a.m. - 11:30a.m. Since Kyle is in school for these three hours, I attempt to get as much accomplished as I possibly can...shopping, errands, appointments, or meeting friends for hot chocolate (since I don't drink coffee). It is amazing how much you can get done when you are alone! This may seem like a long time, but this three hours flies by so fast and before I know it I'm heading to pick him up.

11:30am. Pick Kyle up at school.

11:45a.m. - 2:00p.m. Arrive home, eat lunch, read books, do puzzles, and play, play, and play some more. During this time we also have some down time...usually Kyle will watch an episode of Thomas the Train and I will "try" to get on the computer. "Try" is the key word because Kyle isn't a big fan of me being on the computer when he is awake. I like to clean as we go so the house and playroom isn't a complete disaster zone once the day is done, but I've found that this is much easier said than done...on most days!

2:00p.m. - 4:00p.m. Kyle and I head out and about for an afternoon activity. This activity changes from day to day, but we go to the carousel, children's museum, local science center, play dates with friends...just to name a few. We are looking forward to the spring/summer when we will be able to plan outside activites!! Spring can't get here quick enough!!

4:00p.m. Arrive home, plan dinner, and prepare for John's arrival.>

5:o0p.m. John arrives home, I begin to prepare dinner. and the "witching hour" begins. Since Kyle no longer is napping in the afternoon, by this time he is about "done", so his behavior can be very challenging...to say the least.

5:30p.m. We sit down as a family at the kitchen table and eat dinner. Unfortunatley, dinner time isn't very relaxing because Kyle is melting down, along with the fact he isn't a very big eater so John and I are up and down during our meal..it's a very good thing we both are fast eaters!

6:00p.m. Wash/dry dishes, and clean the kitchen. I don't like to have this chore looming too late in the evening, if at all possbile.

6:30p.m. -7:00p.m. Take Kyle upstairs for his bath, brush teeth, and read a book or two before going to sleep.

7:00p.m. - 11:00p.m. Time to spend with John, do laundry, pick up any debris left from the day, watch our many reality television shows, read, and play on the computer.

11:00p.m. Bedtime...time to rest up and do it all again!!

This is a breakdown of the fun times of a SAHM. It may not be the most glamorous life one could lead, but I am thankful to have the opportunity to stay at home with Kyle in his early years. If you are interested, head over to Kelly's blog to read about the "typical days" of many other wonderful bloggers!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Until next time...take care!

Is It Spring?

2010-02-28T20:11:00.007-06:00

The Spences are ready for spring...along with everyone else!! Today was such a beautiful day...it felt and looked like spring. The temperature was about fifty degrees which is technically a little too chilly for spring like temperatures. After such a long winter with such cold temperatures fifty degrees feels wonderful!

Of course, the three of us took advantage and headed out to enjoy the afternoon. Where else would we go to do this? A park of course and needless to say Kyle enjoyed his time outdoors...climbing the equipement, going down the slides, going around and around on the merry go round, and his all time favorite...swinging! One goal we have for the summer is to get Kyle comfortable on a "big"boy" swing. He has been on the big swing in the past, but isn't a huge fan and much prefers the enclosed bucket swing. At four years old, Kyle is a bit big for this type of swing, but it makes him so very happy as you can see in the photo below. I need to find a strategy to assist him in getting over his fear of the big swing.

So happy on the bucket swing

So happy to be outside Here he comes, down the slide
We have been to this park a number of times, but today we discovered a creek located behind the park. We walked closer, only to see there was absolutely no water, so we used it as an opportunity to explore nature. We will need to check back after a heavy rain to see the creek filled with water. Today, it was a neat experience to walk in it...without getting wet!

The empty creek turned into our playground

This was just a neat picture I took of an airplane
and the pretty blue sky
Hope everyone had a great weekend, as well as a great February. Tomorrow is the first day of March...where does the time go! See you next month!

Loving His Veggies

2010-02-27T18:48:00.002-06:00

As I have mentioned in the past, getting Kyle to eat is a bit of a challenge. I am always in search of new things for him to try in an attempt for him to get the proper amount of nutrition. As I was browsing through a magazine recently, I noticed an advertisement for V8 V-Fusion. V-Fusion is a juice drink which is fruit flavored, but includes the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. Kyle is a big "drinker" so I immediately went to the store so Kyle could have a taste test. Well, needless to say Kyle is addicted to the new drink! The drink comes in a variety of flavors, but Kyle's favorite is the strawberry/bananna combination. Of course, I would love if he ate veggies, but at least with this new drink he is getting some veggie nutrition. So, if you know of anyone who is lacking the proper amount of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet this is a great alternative.

Preschool Changes

2010-02-26T18:35:00.004-06:00

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, 2010 has been a year of change for The Spence Family. Along with the big changes in John's work, Kyle also was transferred to a new school/classroom after the holiday break. Since Kyle turned three, he has been enrolled in the Early Childhood Preschool offered by the school district. When Kyle began the program, the only morning openings available were at an elementary school location. Kyle has really enjoyed his time at this school setting and became comfortable with the teachers, therapists, and classroom assistants. In the fall, it was decided between John, me, and the early childhood staff that it would in Kyle's best interest to transfer to a classroom at the actual Early Childhood Center. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone who was working with Kyle, but know that we need to do what is best for Kyle and his developmental success. The staff feels they will be able to keep a closer eye on Kyle to assist in particular areas he is having a more difficult time with.

Kyle has been attending his new school since the beginning of January, but I feel as though he hasn't been in a consistent, normal routine due to snow days, holidays, and teacher developmental days. Kyle (and I) had a rough time for several weeks with the adjustment, with tears at drop off. At his old school, I would drop Kyle off in a car pool line, and at his new school, I need to walk him into the building, to the classroom. Honestly, this was a hard adjustment for me as well, especially on very cold, snowy, rainy days and not to mention the craziness which goes along with finding a parking place. I'm leaning towards letting Kyle ride the school bus beginning next year. The preschool buses are smaller than a regular bus and there is a helper who rides on the bus to straps the children in so I do feel it would be a safe option. We also really like Kyle's new teacher...she is great with the children and is so easy going and laid back. It was also comforting to know that his new teacher had worked with Kyle a little during summer school, so she was familiar with him and glad to have him join her classroom.

Kyle is making so much progress in school, especially in the speech and language area, which is so very exciting for us. It's so much fun to actually be able to have a "little" conversation with Kyle! He is still receiving speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. He has recently started music therapy and according to the therapist notes he seems to be doing very well during his sessions. We have a parent/teacher conference scheduled in a couple of weeks and we are anxious to hear all the good things they will have to say about Kyle's progress. Although, Kyle is making great strides in many areas, he still has plenty of "catching up" to do, but have complete faith he will catch up to his peers.

2010 - Year of Change

2010-02-23T22:02:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone has had a great start to 2010! The new year brought a couple of big changes to The Spence house. John and I are creatures of habit, so change can be difficult. Kyle is a little more "go with the flow" so it isn't as difficult for him. Hopefully, for his sake he will stay this way and not take after his Mommy and Daddy...LOL! In this post, I will only discuss one of the changes so the post won't be too long and hopefully discuss the other in a post tomorrow.

At the end of December the company John worked at for 14 years was purchased by another company. The company he worked for was a rather small company and the new company is a much larger company, based in Helsinki, Finland. With this change, has come travel. Since we have been married, John has only traveled once for an overnight trip, which was pre-Kyle, so travel is definitely not something our family is accustomed to. His first trip was to Boulder, Colorado for a week in the beginning of January. Kyle and I managed just fine except for one stressful situation, but in the end everything was fine.

John's second trip was to Helsinki, Finland. This was a seven day trip and quite a a snowy, cold adventure for him. Unfortunately, the week consisted of work, work, and more work so he wasn't able to sight see as much as he would have liked. I do have to say they have some absolutely delicious chocolate so I did get something good from his trip...LOL. My parents came to spend the week with Kyle and me which certainly made me feel more comfortable since John was out of the country. He already has another trip planned in March, but it is within the United States and only for three days. I have a new found respect for families who deal with plenty of travel on a regular basis. It isn't easy, but with many jobs these days it is a necessity.

Through John's work travels we have a new best friend named Skype. It is totally awesome that we can video chat with each other...makes it a little easier and best of all it is FREE!! Kyle isn't quite sure what to think of seeing Daddy on the computer screen, but it is so cute when he kisses and hugs the computer monitor....it is priceless!

Round and Round He Goes

2010-02-22T21:06:00.005-06:00

Kyle has discovered a way to beat the winter blues and cabin fever....the carousel. There is a very nice, two story carousel at a local mall which Kyle LOVES! He could literally ride it all day, everyday! At one point several weeks ago, whenever he would get dressed he thought he was going to ride on the carousel. Kyle has become a "regular" with the workers since he is there at least five times per week. We have also been using this as a "reward" for doing well using the potty. Typically, he has it set in his head which animal he would like to ride...his favorites in no particular order are the elephant, lion, tiger, zebra, deer, dragon, and the horse. We didn't make it to the mall today, so I'm certain that will be on our agenda tomorrow! Enjoy the pictures...it's easy to get a picture of Kyle smiling since he is always so happy when going round and round!

Kyle's Magical Day

2010-02-21T19:15:00.010-06:00

One of the most popular attractions in our area for children is The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum. John and I have been very excited to bring Kyle to experience the "magical excitement" of the museum. We have been waiting for the perfect time, so he could enjoy what it has to offer and today was the day we chose to visit for the first time.

Kyle absolutely LOVED The Magic House!! It is filled with activities for children to explore, pretend, discover, play, construct, and create. Kyle was able to pretend to be working in a bank, a restaurant, grocery store, as well as being a mechanic. He also enjoyed the "construction zone" pretending to be a construction worker, wearing a tool belt, painting, etc. One of the cutest areas is the "Star-Spangled Center" where children can sit at the President's desk and play in a jury room. "Once Upon A Time...Exploring The World of Fairy Tales" is a limited time exhibit which Kyle enjoyed. He was able to have a hands on, interactive experience from several of the most popular fairy tales, including Jack and The Bean Stalk.

This is just a small sampling of what there is to see and do....it is impossible to explore the entire Magic House in one visit. Kyle had such a great time, we decided to purchase a yearly membership. With the membership we have free admission for an entire year, as well as a few other perks. We look forward to our next visit in the very near future!!

Kyle, the mechanic, filling up the windshield washer fluid. Our future Mozart.
This place is electrifying!
Kyle serving Mommy and Daddy some pizza. Kyle also enjoyed the museum gift shop.

Spence Saturday Snip Its

2010-02-20T19:52:00.010-06:00

I love Saturdays, which means my boys and I have some family fun! This morning, John and I took Kyle to a "Planes, Trains, and Things That Go" workshop sponsored by the Parents As Teachers group through our local school district. The event was advertised for ages 2-5 so we figured it would be a perfect outing that Kyle would love, since he is all about "things that go". The majority of the children there were younger than Kyle, but it certainly didn't stop him from having a good 'ole time. By far, Kyle's favorite part of the morning was "driving" the fire truck...he has seen a fire truck up close and personal on many occasions, but it's always fun and exciting each and every time.

Kyle, The Fire Chief, driving the fire truck
We were experiencing a "heat wave" in the St. Louis area today with temperatures reaching into the 5o's. We couldn't pass up the awesome opportunity, so this afternoon we headed to the park to soak up the "warmer" temperatures. Kyle has been antsy to get outside and has been asking to go to the park practically everyday....unfortunately everday the answer is no, but today his wish came true! Kyle was so happy to be set free and was able to run off some much needed energy. John and I enjoyed the fresh air as well....The Spence Family is ready for spring!

So happy to be on the playground. Whew...here I come!
Ready, Set, Go!!!!!! Can you catch me???
My two favorite "boys".

Micro Preemie Miracle

2010-02-19T17:00:00.002-06:00

Today at Kelly's Korner, she is hosting a "Show Us Your Life - Ministry". These posts can be on a wide variety of topics to help encourage others through something you have experienced. I chose to participate and introduce you to my micro-preemie miracle.

My micro-preemie miracle son, Kyle, was born on October 5, 2005 at 25 weeks gestation. Kyle was 1 lb. 10 oz., was 12 inches long and spent 86 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He has shown us that he can make it through anything...from his respiratory/breathing issues, infection, laser eye surgery due to ROP, many hours of therapy, wearing a helmet due to plagiocephaly, and his many doctors appointments. I am so thankful that Kyle is such a healthy and happy (most of the time...LOL) preschooler. Kyle's main challenge from being born a micro-preemie is his developmental delays. He has received therapy services since he was eight months old and continues to receive services through our local school district at preschool. I have come to realize that Kyle is on his own little time line to meet milestones and age appropriate skills. I will probably always worry a little more about things since he had such a rough start in life, but with his zest and love for life, I know he will be just fine as he grows up...just may be a little more challenging at times.

My main purpose to share this blog post today, was to encourage other parents who may experience prematurity...preemies are strong, little fighters who will never give up! With the wonderful assistance of a top notch NICU staff, therapists, teachers, and a very determined little guy we have come such a long way on our micro-preemie journey. It isn't something I wish upon anyone, but the outcome can be very rewarding if you are ever faced with this challenge in life.

Kyle in the NICU

Kyle - Age 4

Friendship Day Party!

2010-02-18T18:19:00.005-06:00

This morning Kyle had his Friendship Day Party at preschool. The school district doesn't use the term Valentine's Day for religious reasons, so hence the name Friendship Day. The party was during the last hour of school...complete with a card exchange, crafts, games, and of course party food! The children decorated shoe boxes with pictures and hearts to put their cards and other goodies in. Kyle brought a fun, festive, holiday bag for each of his classmates. Inside the bag was two boxes of sweetheart candy and two small size play-doh containers. It seems the majority of preschool age children love candy and play-doh, so I figured it was a good combination. He also gave his classmates a picture search Valentines card. I'm sure a good time was had by all celebrating the true meaning of Valentine's Day...Friendship!

Kyle is all set and ready to head to his Friendship Day Party!
Goodie bags for his classmates.

Happy Mardi Gras!!

2010-02-16T13:39:00.003-06:00

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!!

The Spence Family would like to wish everyone a Happy Mardi Gras! Once again, we are wishing we were in New Orleans for the celebration, but we are there in spirit...especially Kyle! He was sporting his purple, green, and gold Mardi Gras shirt to school this morning and last week he brought king cake to share with his classmates during snack. I would love for Kyle to have the Mardi Gras experience as he is growing up, but it seems to be a difficult time of year for our family to travel. St. Louis does celebrate Mardi Gras, but on a much smaller scale. We haven't attended the local parades, but hope to in the years to come. Being from New Orleans, I'm sure I would be very disappointed with the parades, since New Orleans is the true Mardi Gras, but I'm certain Kyle would enjoy the festivities that STL Mardi Gras has to offer.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T18:02:00.000-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

The Spence Family would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! We had a wonderful day spending quality time with one another. John and Kyle brought me a dozen beautiful roses and gave me the sweetest cards showing their love and appreciation! Kyle also brought home special artwork he made at preschool, especially for Mommy, which I will always treasure!

John and I celebrated Saturday evening with a special Valentine's date night! We began the evening with dinner at Candicci's, a local Italian restaurant. The meal was delicious and we enjoyed every single bite! After dinner we enjoyed a drink, relaxing by a fire, enjoying our time alone, having an adult conversation! To end the evening, we went to The Sky Music Lounge to listen to a local cover band...extremely loud, but we enjoyed the music and people watching! John and I always have a great time on our "dates" no matter what we decide to do. As much as we love Kyle, it's nice to get out and about with each other. Hope everyone had a special day with their loved ones!

Who Dat!!!

2010-02-07T23:40:00.001-06:00

SUPER BOWL XLIV

Super Bowl Sunday was a very exciting day for anyone who LOVES the Saints, as well as the city of New Orleans. The Saints won their very first Super Bowl in history! I was thrilled the Saints went all the way...not only for the fans, but for the city itself. I'm sure this brought some much needed energy to the city after what everyone experienced in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina. It was a great game, which had everyone sitting on the edge of their seats until the end when "Who Dat" nation was standing on their feet celebrating the win! Of course, we watched the game in St. Louis, cheering for the Saints all the way, dressed in our black and gold. Kyle was so proud he even wore his Saints jersey to school to show his New Orleans Saints spirit!

Kyle, the cutest Saints fan! He was holding a football that was signed by
Ricky Jackson, who was recently elected into the Hall of Fame.

Happy Halloween - 2009!

2009-11-01T17:39:00.010-06:00

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

2009-10-30T13:27:00.012-05:00

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

2009-10-29T20:07:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

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...

2009-10-27T15:33:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-18T22:49:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-17T22:02:00.001-05:00

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

2009-09-13T21:09:00.010-05:00

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

2009-09-12T20:17:00.001-05:00

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

2009-09-05T22:34:00.000-05:00

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

2009-09-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-26T15:36:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-21T13:23:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

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

Back To School

2009-08-18T12:30:00.001-05:00

Today was Kyle's first day back to school....his second year of preschool through the local school district. Kyle is attending school in the same location as last year, although he does have a new teacher, new assistant, new therapists, and a new classroom. John and I were a little hesitant that so many things were changing, however change can be postive...a "fresh" set of eyes focusing on Kyle. We believe it will be a great year for Kyle...hopefully in many different developmental areas.

Yesterday, we atttended an open house to meet his new teacher and see his new surroundings. Kyle walked right in the classroom without any hestiation and began surveying the new room and playing with the toys. We were able to have a little one on one time with his teacher to discuss specific things about Kyle. It will take everyone involved a short while to get up to speed on where Kyle is developmentally, but I'm certain the transition will be very smooth. There are a couple of the same children in his class as last year, so it is nice for him to have some familar faces. Also, with only ten children in his class, he will have the opportunity for more one on one time with the teachers, therapists, and assistants to assist him in obtaining his yearly school goals. I have added several pictures of Kyle from his first day "Back To School"!

Off to school

Sporting his new personalized
firetruck backpack

Big Truck Day

2009-08-09T19:40:00.005-05:00

A local business in the STL area...Kemp Auto Museum for you local readers...hosted a Big Truck Day. Of course, anything vehicle related Kyle must attend. Kyle had a ball, was so excited to see the tremendous trucks, and really didn't want to say good-bye when it was time to leave. Kyle loved climbing into the equipment pretending that he was driving...he feels so big and important! We saw an excavator, military truck, snow plow, tractor, cement truck, a Hummer, and several huge monster trucks! It was a fun, free, yet rather warm Kyle friendly way to spend a Sunday morning! Enjoy the pictures of our future truck driver!

Watch out...I'm coming through!

Truck driver in training
Let's get this tractor in gear and
get the show on the road

Show Us Your Life - Honeymoon

2009-08-07T13:19:00.001-05:00

Today on Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Life - Honeymoon. We had an absolutely fantastic honeymoon in St. Croix...The US Virgin Islands. We stayed at The Carambola Beach Resort with our room just steps away from the beautiful beach. The first day of our stay we planned our activities and excursions for the week. We saw plenty of great attractions on the island, had wonderful meals, and plenty of rest and relaxtion on the beach.

We toured the Cruzan Rum Factory, visited the Botanical Gardens, toured a plantation, watched Forth of July Fireworks, went horse back riding, went snorkeling (which I hated), had a wonderful private dinner on the beach and lived it up at the resort. We also took a Sea Plane ride to the island of St. Thomas...what a wonderful experience! While in St. Thomas we traveled by tram to Paradise Point. Paradise Point provides a beutiful view of the island. One of the main attractions in St. Thomas is the shopping which we did plenty of while on the island. One day we took a ferry ride to the island of St. John. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to spend on the island, but we were still very happy to have a small glimpse of this little slice of paradise.

We do have two funny stories which took place on our honeymoon. The majority of the locals on the island don't speak English very well so at times there was a bit of a communication gap. We had a cab ride scheduled to drive us to board the sea plane to St. Thomas. Obviously, there was a communication problem because the cab driver took us to the local hospital instead....LOL! Another funny story which took place was...One day I had a one hour massage scheduled. While I was being pampered, my husband took a cab ride to the local K-Mart to purchase Cruzan Rum for us to bring home. Everyone told us the rum was much less expensive at K-Mart than the rum factory. Obviously, not the most romantic activity we did on our honeymoon!

We have so many pictures from our honeymoon, however not many are scanned on the computer. Unfortunately, we didn't own a digital camera in 2003 so the picture quality isn't the best. These pictures are just a small glimpse into our fantastic honeymoon. We would LOVE to go back one day. Looking back through our album brought back so many great memories. Life certainly has changed since then...mostly for the better...Thanks to Kyle, our three year old son!

Dinner for Two on the Beach!

St. Thomas
Whim Plantation Carambola Beach Resort Paradise Point...St. Thomas

Relaxing at the resort

Dinner at The Waves in St. Croix

Another First For Kyle

2009-08-03T13:45:00.001-05:00

It's always fun and exciting to capture your child's "firsts" or milestones...sitting up, crawling, walking, talking, first day of school, etc. Well, Sunday evening Kyle experienced another "first", but certainly not as exciting and enjoyable as previous ones...his very first trip to the Emergency Room! Unfortunately, you did read that correctly...the ER!

Thankfully, we had a good experience, as far as ER visits are concerned! We were in a room speaking with a nurse and doctor within five minutes of our arrival and we were there for less than two hours. The reason for the visit was an allergic reaction to peanuts. A couple of years ago we suspected Kyle may have a peanut allergy, but we haven't been brave enough to find out for sure. We have always steered clear of peanuts and nuts in general. Well, unfortunately, we finally got the answer to the mystery question. After eating a small amount of peanut butter, Kyle began developing a red rash on his body, vomiting, eye irritation, itching, a deep cough, and wheezing. After speaking with a nurse on the phone, we decided to bring Kyle to the ER to have him examined. His breathing was checked, heart rate, oxygen levels, and he was given a dose of Benadryl to help with the symptoms. The rash got a little worse before it got better, but once the medication kicked in things got better very quickly. We mainly sat and waited in the room so they could monitor his progress before we were discharged. Due to the fact that he was tired, hungry, thirsty, and not feeling well he was not in the best of moods, but we survived and came home to get a good nights sleep. Today, Kyle is perfectly fine as if nothing ever happened.

I did find a website which sells an assortment of "No Peanuts For Me" accessories, clothing, labels, etc. I'm thinking about ordering stickers for Kyle's school blue book and backpack. I also should do a little research to familiarize myself with the peanut allergy. There is always something new to learn when it comes to raising children!

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Dress

2009-07-24T09:52:00.002-05:00

Today at Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Life...Wedding Dresses! I was married May 17, 2003 in an outdoor courtyard setting in New Orleans, LA. I LOVED my wedding dress...it was simple, yet elegant! I wore a floral headpiece rather than a veil and it was perfect! The top of the dress was beaded and beautiful. It certainly was a very special day! I'm anxious to view everyone's wedding dress photos. Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy your weekend!

Earning His Keep

2009-07-23T19:32:00.004-05:00

It's never too early to teach a three year old a little household responsibility. This would be one chore I would definitely not miss. ....taking out the trash! I'm looking forward to the day when Kyle can actually perform the chores completely on his own....for now I will enjoy all the help I can get!

As shown in these older posts, Kyle already enjoys doing laundry and mowing the grass!

Beautiful Butterflies, Horses, and Slides

2009-07-22T20:47:00.001-05:00

What do these three things have in common??? A morning full of fun for a certain three year old named Kyle. This past Sunday morning, we headed to a very popular, must see attraction in the STL area. Faust Park has many activities to keep the little ones entertained. First we visited The Butterfly House, a very pretty, tropical, tranquil setting which is home to approximately two thousand butterflies of eighty different varieties. Kyle is alway amazed when he walks in and is greeted by so many colorful butterflies. He attempts to touch and catch them (which of course isn't allowed), but they sure are fast movers so he doesn't have much success! As Kyle gets older it will be a great educational adventure for him to learn about different stages of a butterlies life, bugs, insects, etc.

After spending time with the butterflies, we took Kyle to ride a horse on the carousel and to the playground to burn off some of his energy. The carousel is indoors so it would also be perfect for a warm summer day when you are attempting to beat the heat. We have really been lucky the past couple of weeks with the wonderful weather we have been experiencing. I realize I have mentioned this in many past posts, but I'm amazed at the spring/fall like temperatures in the middle of July! Believe, I'm not complaining...I would take this any day of the year! Below are several pictures from our Sunday morning outing!

Welcome to The Butterfly House
Kyle is all smiles with his new butterfly friends. Mommy and Kyle stop to rest and enjoy the beautiful environment

Weekly Blog Hop - Favorite Recipe

2009-07-21T13:11:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Keeping Up With The Spences!

I am participating in the Weekly Blog Hop with the theme of sharing your favorite recipe. I have chosen to share a very simple, yet delicious crock pot recipe! My family LOVES this meal...even my VERY picky three year old son! I am very excited to "hop" on over to everyone's blog and acquire some new favorite recipes.

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 8 oz. cream cheese

Combine chicken, soup, and dressing mix into the crock pot and cook 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Add the cream cheese 30 minutes before serving. Serve over fettucine. Enjoy!

One Great Date

2009-07-19T21:16:00.007-05:00

Saturday night, John and I had a wonderful date night. Everything was perfect from the gorgeous cool weather, delicious dinner, peaceful scenery, entertaining musical, and of course the company. First the weather has been unseasonably cool and this was an added treat to our date. We went to dinner at The Boathouse in Forest Park. The restaurant is located on Post Dispatch Lake with outdoor seating, a band, paddle boat/canoe rental, and great food. Our wait was about an hour so we sat by the water...so peaceful and relaxing. For dinner we were lucky enough to get an outdoor table next to the water to enjoy the water and scenery a little longer. We both decided to order the tilapia sandwich and it was fabulous! The band began as we were eating dinner so we also had a little musical entertainment during dinner. It was a great choice for dinner and hope to go back soon to take Kyle on the paddle boats!

Patiently waiting for dinner to arrive. Our view from the dinner table
After dinner we had tickets to see the musical Godspell at The Muny. The Muny is located in Forest Park, as well, within walking distance to The Boathouse. The Muny is an outdoor musical theatre which seats about 11,000 people. There are seven musicals performed each summer. We actually were season ticket holders the two summers before Kyle was born and we always enjoyed the shows. We have seen Meet Me In St. Louis, Annie, The Music Man, 42nd Street, South Pacific...too name a few. Godspell was a great performance and very high energy. The best part of the show, however, was the fact that we had front row, center seats...literally. Our seats were typically where the orchestra is seated, but since the orchestra was behind the scenes for the performance there were actual seats in the orchestra pit. It was a completely new experience to be so up close to the stage. If we were any closer we would have had an acting or singing part in the musical. We may attempt to see either Camelot or Hairspray within the next week or two depending on ticket availability. It was such a great date...we had so much fun!

Front and center
Kyle also had a fun night on his date with the same babysitter he has had the past two times. We were so glad Kyle didn't scare her off from their last date. Kyle really likes her and so does Mommy and Daddy. Kyle took a wagon walk, played outside, and had fun with someone other than Mommy and Daddy! It was an all around enjoyable night...couldn't have asked for things to be more perfect! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Summer Officially Begins

2009-07-17T13:55:00.001-05:00

Summer is finally here for Kyle! He has been attending summer school (extended school year) for six weeks and yesterday was his last day. Kyle has four weeks off before the new school year begins. It will certainly be nice not to have to get up and be somewhere by a particular time. We will certainly enjoy sleeping a little later in the morning and moving at a slower pace than normal. They don't call it the lazy days of summer for nothing..right? We will enjoy plenty of Mommy/Son quality time the next month filled with plenty of fun activities to keep my little busy body on the move.

Today we have received a nice treat to begin Kyle's summer vacation....cooler, more pleasant temperatures rather than the typical record breaking heat we tend to see this time of year in St. Louis. Kyle spent the morning playing at the park enjoying the lovely weather. It's so hard to stay indoors when it's so nice outside...we must take advantage of the nice break while it lasts! We are looking forward to the weekend...Saturday is date night, so that is always a special treat! Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!

100 Years of Magic

2009-07-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

The beginning of September we are taking Kyle to the Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic show in the St. Louis area. This will be our first experience to see a show on ice. Kyle isn't familiar with all of the Disney characters which will be featured in the show, but this will be a fun, magical introduction into the "Wonderful World of Disney". I'm certain I will have a recap once we attend the show!

Description of the show: Join the celebration as 65 of Disney's unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! You'll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and all the Disney Princesses. Be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you'll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

Great Wolf Lodge Vacation - Recap Two

2009-07-16T21:21:00.010-05:00

Recap Two from our mini-vacation will focus on eating, which of course is our favorite activity to do on vacation! Our first night (Friday night), we ate in the Critter Cafe which is the restaurant inside the Great Wolf Lodge. We also ate breakfast there each morning, a "must" for us on vacation. Saturday night we ventured to the outdoor mall area close by the lodge and ate dinner at one of the many restaurants. We attempted to eat at several restaurants, but the wait was too long. We finally decided to try the T-Rex Cafe and it was the best decision. We did have to wait to be seated for dinner, but Kyle was throughly entertained, traveling into a prehistoric adventure. He was in awe of the life size animated dinasaurs throughout the establishment. We were seated for dinner close to a dinasour display which kept Kyle content during our meal. Another cool thing about the T-Rex Cafe was every half an hour they would have a meteor shower...the lights would dim/flash and you would hear the sound of thunder. We would love for a T-Rex Cafe to open in the St. Louis area....what a magical adventure for kids of all ages!

View from our table at dinner
Wooly Mammoth display Dinasour display
Prehistoric dinasour
Kyle is all smiles at dinner
Sunday night we drove over to Kansas City, MO. to eat dinner at Houston's Restaurant in the Country Club Plaza area of town. Houston's is one of my favorite restaurants so it was mandatory we eat there since we were so close by. The food is always top notch and the spinach/artichoke dip is delicious. We took a nice stroll through the Plaza area after dinner, but didn't stay too long so we could get back to the lodge to visit the waterpark one last time.

Below are a couple of photos taken outside of Houston's restaurant. I promise that I was actually on the vacation, but unfortuntaly, I didn't make my way into any of the pictures. Although, it's more imporant to document Kyle's fun times on the vacation!

Great Wolf Lodge Vacation - Recap One

2009-07-16T20:19:00.014-05:00

We returned Monday afternoon from our mini-vacation to The Great Wolf Lodge. It was a nice relaxing getaway from our real world. As I mentioned in my previous post, Kyle wasn't very excited about the water park. As the vacation continued, he became more and more comfortable...partly because we made him do things he didn't necessarily want to do. We took him down the tube slides several times and also put him down the toddler slides. He always would fuss going up to the slide, but once he was on the slide he would light up with a big smile. He seemed very content lounging on the inter tube with Mommy and Daddy on the lazy river. This was probably our favorite activity in the water park...floating around and around without a care in the world.

After spending several hours in the morning and early afternoon at the water park we would head back for some quiet, down time. Kyle rarely napped, but did spend time in the "Wolf Den" resting up for his next adventure...usually dinner, water park activities, story time, a dance party in the lobby, playing chase with his new friends outside or shopping at the nearby outdoor mall.

Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures because it was difficult to take pictures in the water or the camera was on the other end of the water park. I hope you enjoy the pictures that we did manage to take.

Kyle...The Bellboy Kyle's nesting place
Kyle is ready to leave the room
and have some fun Kyle in the Great Wolf Lodge Water park

Kyle exploring the outdoor pool

Kyle a little hesitant going down the toddler slide
This is actually A LOT of fun!

Kyle playing chase with his new friends...the ducks!

Getting Our Paws Wet

2009-07-10T23:20:00.004-05:00

The Spence Family left this morning for a mini-vacation to The Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, KS. The Great Wolf Lodge is a huge indoor waterpark...a dream come true for anyone who LOVES the water! This is our second trip to the lodge so we knew exactly what to expect...fun, fun, and more fun! However, on the "fun scale" we would rate today as only a one out of three on the fun day scale. Kyle spent today getting his "feet wet", was overly tired from the drive, and since he didn't have an afternoon nap he wasn't in the best of moods to explore the waterpark. I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day since Kyle will be getting a great night sleep in the "Wolf Den".

Unfortunately, I failed to bring the cord adapter for the camera so I'm unable to download pictures while we are here. I'm sure everyone is extremely disappointed (Ha!), but beware for a picture overload once we return home. We are off to get a little sleep in hopes that we have "A Great Wolf Time" tomorrow. Good bye from Kansas City!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Foyers/Entrance Ways

2009-07-09T22:10:00.001-05:00

This week on Show Us Where You Live-Friday the highlighted area is the foyer and entrance way. This is the final week of the home tour series, but Kelly will be continuing each Friday with more fun and exciting themes. I have really enjoyed providing everyone a glimpse into each area of our home and it certainly has been fun viewing each of your homes.

I love the foyer in our home because it is a two story entry and is very open, which provides plenty of natural light. The entry way opens into the living room on the right, dining room on the left, family room, and also the stairs leading to the second level. Enjoy the tour and have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome to our Home! The Entrance

View of the front door from inside Foyer looking into the living room

View as you step inside leading to the family room

Can Laundry Be Fun?

2009-07-08T20:32:00.002-05:00

When asked, I'm sure the majority of people would certainly say "No, laundry isn't fun"! Typically, I would agree with the majority, however at this time I would say doing laundry IS fun! I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat wondering why I feel this way. This week we purchased a new washing machine and dryer. Our old set was eighteen years old, so it was time! It's probably a bad sign when John asked if the tornado sirens were sounding and the noise was actually our washing machine...LOL!

I have been drooling over the new style front loading washing machines and was convinced that would be what we would purchase. Much to my surprise, we didn't and decided to get the top loading machine. They are high efficiency machines and require a certain type of laundry detergent labeled "HE". They are also so much larger than our old ones, you would think we had a family of ten. Granted, on a daily basis we probably don't need anything this large, but it will certainly be nice to have...especially when I want to wash a king size comforter. There are many settings and controls to learn about, although my favorite feature is the touch control, instead of the dial. For now, I'm enjoying doing laundry, but I'm sure once the newness wears off it will become much less exciting!

Goodbye for now...I'm off to wash, dry and fold!

4th Festivities

2009-07-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

The Spence Family had a wonderful 4th of July! The holiday can be summed up in several words...fun, friends, food, and fireworks! We did plan to take Kyle to our neighborhood Children's 4th of July parade with his very festive, red, white, and blue wagon, but unfortunately the weather didn't fully cooperate and we woke up to a downpour. The rain stopped soon before the parade was to begin, but we still decided to skip the parade since the weather was unpredictable.
Saturday evening we did have a small get together with a couple of other families at our house. We barbequed...hamburgers, bratwurst, and chicken, enjoyed adult conversation, and watched the children play. Kyle did have a little "goody bag" for each of his little friends, complete with an American Flag, a red, white, and blue lei, bubbles, candy, and everyone's favorite, a star balloon. Later in the evening we headed out to view some fireworks hosted by a local park. Everyone had an enjoyable time and was a great way to spend the holiday!

Weekly Blog Hop - 7/7/09: Favorite Photo

2009-07-07T00:24:00.016-05:00

Welcome to Keeping Up With The Spences!

I am participating in the "Blog Hop", with the theme of your favorite photo. It was such a difficult decision, but chose the following picture of our three year old son, Kyle. This picture was taken when he met Thomas The Train. Kyle LOVES Thomas the Train and this particular day was such a "magical" and exciting day for Kyle. The picture definitely shows the essence of Kyle's personality!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T00:05:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July from The Spence Family!

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable day with family and friends! We have several fun, festive activities planned for the holiday...certainly hoping the weather will cooperate! Have fun and most importantly...be safe!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Yard

2009-07-03T15:16:00.012-05:00

It's Friday...a holiday weekend and another edition of Kelly's, Show Us Where You Live - Friday! The yard and garage is the feature home tour this week! My tour will only consist of the yard, since our garage isn't very fun and exciting. It's your typical garage with two cars, lawn maintenance equipment, storage cabinets, etc.

The yard however, is one of my favorite areas of the house. My husband and I LOVE working in the yard and have done many landscaping projects since we purchased our home five years ago. This spring, we completed many home improvement projects in our back yard, such as replacing boards on the deck, staining the deck, hanging lattice around the bottom area of the deck, and replace the patio. We spend plenty of time in our backyard with our three year old so we attempted to have the area child friendly, as well as attractive. Enjoy the tour!

I'm looking forward to viewing everyone's pictures posted for the home tour! Hope everyone has a Happy 4th of July!

Welcome to our Home!

FRONT YARD

BACK YARD

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2009-07-03T12:56:00.011-05:00

Thursday was a very exciting day for The Spence Family. Kyle attended his very first Major League Baseball Game....The St. Louis Cardinals vs. The San Francisco Giants. We had such a fun night and Kyle really enjoyed being in the midst of all the excitement. We sat in our actual seats for five innings, which was longer than we had anticipated. The remainder of the game, we toured around the stadium and let Kyle play/run around the family courtyard area. The stadium where the Cardinals play, Busch Stadium, has only been open since 2006 and the ball park is awesome!

We couldn't have asked for better weather for an outdoor baseball game in July! To top it off our home team won the game....with a score of 5-2. Since Kyle had such a good time, we are hoping to get tickets to attend another game this season! We do have several pictures to highlight our fun family outing! Enjoy!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2009-06-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Where has the weekend gone??? Unfortunately, it's flown by and tomorrow is already Monday. Saturday night was our monthly date night. Our date consisted of dinner and a movie. We went to Paul Mineo's Trattoria in the West Port Plaza. What a wonderful decision...the food was outstanding...from the artichoke appetizer to our entrees of veal and fillet. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the company. After dinner we went to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It was a very good movie..I always enjoy romantic comedies.

Kyle also had a date last night as well with a babysitter. She babysat Kyle last time and they seem to get along well. Kyle did however give her a "little" scare so she may not want to come back...LOL! Kyle escaped out the back door and into the yard while she was in the restroom. She panicked when she couldn't find him and searched every room in the house only to find him running around the back yard. He loves to be outside and since the yard is fenced, we have allowed him to go outside by himself for short periods of time. Unfortunately, we failed to inform the babysitter of this activity.

Today the temperatures have been a little "cooler". We have been experiencing a major heat wave for a week or two, so temperatures in the mid 80's is certainly "cooler". According to the extended forecast, this pattern should continue throughout the week which will be a nice change. Kyle and I have been hibernating indoors as much as possible, so maybe outdoor activities will be back on the docket during the week. Hope everyone had a great weekend! Until next time...Good Bye!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Master Bedroom

2009-06-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Keeping Up With The Spences and to our Master Bedroom, the featured room on "Show Us Where You Live Friday". Our house is a story and a half so the master bedroom is located on the main level, separated from the other bedrooms. The room is very spacious with a coffered ceiling and a bay window, making the room feel even more open. Below are several pictures taken from various angles in the room. Enjoy the tour and have a wonderful weekend!

Summer Fun - Spence Style

2009-06-23T13:01:00.003-05:00

Wow, has it really been over a week since I have posted on the blog....well, besides the home tour posts! We have been busy, attempting to keep Kyle on the go and entertained. Since I'm extremely far behind with updates I'm going to highlight several adventures from the past couple of weeks. Our days have been filled with many "Fun In The Sun", outdoor activities, but isn't that what summertime is all about?

*Kyle and I headed to the neighborhood pool last week. It was the perfect time and we were the only people in the "baby" pool. It was a fun time for both of us to enjoy the sunshine and a nice summer morning. We are planning many more trips to the pool during the summer months...hopefully next time with Daddy, so Kyle can "swim" in the larger, family pool.

*Kyle was recently invited to a third birthday party for one of his little friends. Kyle had a great time...eating pizza, eating yummy birthday cake, attempting to break open a Lighting McQueen pinata, and playing with plenty of cool toys! Since it was a warm morning there was a slip and slide for the children to enjoy. Unfortunately, Kyle wasn't interested in the slip and slide...he really likes pools, but has a hard time warming up to sprinklers.

*This past Saturday afternoon, we went to the Children's Garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Pretty flowers and landscaping isn't very entertaining for little ones, but the Children's area didn't disappoint. There are many activities to keep children entertained ...from a playground area with climbing/slides, sprinkler/fountain area, musical area, general store for pretend shopping, and much more. The Botanical Gardens is an extremely popular local destination for photo sessions and weddings. We will certainly bring Kyle back for more fun in the gardens, however, it may have to wait several months until the temperatures are a little cooler.

*Sunday, on Father's Day, we spent more time in the record hot temperatures. We went with another family to a local park for a Father's Day picnic. The day was hot, but enjoyable...enjoying good food, friends, and best of all watching Kyle run and explore.

These are just a few of the things we have been doing, with much more on the agenda to keep Kyle entertained and out of trouble! Hopefully, I will return before too long with more frequent posts and updates!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Playroom

2009-06-19T15:15:00.004-05:00

The featured room on "Show Us Where You Live Friday" is any combination of your playroom, bonus room, or laundry room. I will only be giving a little tour of Kyle's playroom. We had our basement finished a little over two years ago for the sole purpose of providing a play area for Kyle. Growing up in New Orleans, I wasn't accustomed to houses having basements and was introduced to basements when I moved to STL. I LOVE having a basement since it provides so much storage room, easier access to the storage, and more useable space Another reason why I love having a basement is the fact it is so much cooler since it is underground which is nice on days like today when it is extremely hot outside.

Kyle is a huge Thomas the Train fan so one section of the playroom is dedicated to his train table and Thomas decorations. He also has an easel where he attempts to be a little artist, a play table, a book shelf, and enough toys for several children. We also have a large sofa in the corner which is convenient for adult seating in the room. As Kyle gets older and his interests change, we will make changes as needed to keep the playroom his fun space.

To view other playrooms, bonus rooms, or laundry rooms please visit Kelly's Korner. Enjoy your weekend!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Bathrooms

2009-06-12T18:20:00.001-05:00

Welcome to "Keeping Up With The Spences"! Today is Friday, which means the weekend has arrived and it's time for "Show Us Where You Live Friday"! The featured room this week is the bathrooms. In our home we have two full bathrooms and one half bath, which we use as a guest bath.

MASTER BATHROOM

The master bathroom is very spacious, has plenty of natural light, two sinks, and a television. We haven't done much work in this bathroom since we moved in,
however we did have new flooring installed...previously there was carpet.
Below are several pictures taken from various angles in the room.

KYLE'S BATHROOM

Our second full bathroom is Kyle's (our three year old son) and is decorated in a sea life theme...fish, seahorses, octopus, whales, etc. The room is very bright and cheery...and best of all Kyle LOVES it and has so much fun at bath time!

GUEST BATHROOM

The guest bathroom is actually a half bath located just off our family room and master bedroom. It is cozy and compact,
but is so nice to have when anyone is visiting.

Please visit Kelly's blog to tour other bathrooms. I will be back next Friday to give a tour of Kyle's playroom. Enjoy your weekend!

Previous Tours:

Kitchen - I didn't actually participate in the kitchen tour since our kitchen was being remodeled, but this is our brand new kitchen.
Dining Room
Chidren's Room
Guest Room
Home Office

Concert In The Park

2009-06-11T22:54:00.005-05:00

Several local parks in the area sponsor free weekly concerts during the summer months. This evening, we thought it would be a fun family outing. The weather was great...overcast skies and cool temperatures. It was nice and relaxing to sit back, enjoy the music, and people watch! The band playing tonight was the Nonstop Classic Rock Band...actually very good! Kyle seemed to enjoy himself and even showed us a few of his dance moves! Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy another concert in the coming weeks!

Stop To Smell The Flowers

2009-06-11T22:15:00.001-05:00

Kyle took time out of his busy day to stop and smell the flowers!

Back To School...Already?

2009-06-09T20:55:00.000-05:00

After being out of school for only one week, Kyle headed back to school this morning. He will be attending school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for six weeks where he will be receiving speech and occupational therapy. The main purpose for Kyle to attend summer school is for him not to loose any of the skills acquired during the school year. Thankfully, he has the same teacher, teacher assistant, speech therapist, and occupational therapist; however, the school location is different. I was hesitant, that he would be upset this morning when I dropped him off since it was a new environment. He did have an unhappy look on his face, but luckily it only lasted a few seconds. I was very relieved to hear that he had a great day!!! Here's hoping that Thursday will be another good day!

A Beautiful Gem

2009-06-08T12:15:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned in the past STL has many beautiful and well maintained parks. Sunday, we visited a park and it is by far our all time favorite we have located in the area. The playground area is awesome for little ones...Kyle had a blast! The grounds are beautiful with a lake, water fall, walking trail, volleyball court, and tennis courts. Unfortunately, we had to leave since it was about to rain, but we plan to go back very soon! We are hoping to get family portraits taken in the park...it is that pretty!

This park is a gem! I'm not sure many people would know the park exists since it is a little off the beaten path! I may be greedy and keep this as "my little secret"!

A Striking Good Time

2009-06-07T18:25:00.003-05:00

Saturday night, John and I had a casual date night. As much as we love taking Kyle out and about it's always nice to have a night out sans Kyle. Since our last night out was to celebrate our anniversary we decided to have a low key night...dinner and bowling!

We started the night at 54th Street Bar and Grill for dinner. This is a new restaurant which opened not too long ago that we have been wanting to try. We both had the filet mignon and certainly enjoyed the peace and quiet without having to entertain a certain someone. It is definitely a Kyle friendly restaurant so we will head back with Kyle in the future.

After dinner, we went bowling. In the past, John has been on bowling leagues and he is a very good bowler. I, on the other hand, am a terrible bowler, but still enjoy "attempting" to play. Needless, to say John won all four games we played...I won't even mention scores...it would be way to embarrasing for me! On our way home, we stopped for a special treat....concretes! Yummy! The perfect way to end a wonderful date! Hopefully, he will ask me out again...stay tuned...LOL!

The Journey Has Ended

2009-06-05T20:54:00.001-05:00

Welcome To Our New Kitchen!

As many of you know, May was a busy month for the Spence Family. We had our kitchen remodeled and it was certainly an adventure. It was difficult being without the kitchen for approximately three weeks...especially with a toddler. In the end, it was 100% worth all the inconvenience!! We absolutely LOVE our new kitchen! All of the color choices we made worked out perfectly. So without any further fanfare here is our new kitchen!

Believe it or not, our favorite part of the new kitchen...
Pictures of the kitchen before the remodel

Show Us Where You Live Friday - The Office

2009-06-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

This week on Show Us Where You Live Friday the featured room is the home office. Our office isn't used very often, since we have laptop computers. We use the room for filing important paperwork, computer printing, and storing our books. My husband and I both enjoy reading so we collect plenty of books as you can see from the two book cases. Although, the room isn't in use on a daily basis it's nice to have the space when needed. Hope you enjoy the tour of our office.

Please visit Kelly's blog to visit other home offices. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

The first four pictures are of the various angles in the room

Diplomas displayed above the desk My husbands framed and signed St. Louis Blues hockey jersey

Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

2009-06-04T20:57:00.008-05:00

Today certainly was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, well at least in our neck of the woods. The sun was shining and the temperatures were nice and cool. With this combination, Kyle and I couldn't resist heading out and about to enjoy the day. We spent time at a local park, in our backyard playing, and a family walk this evening. Hopefully, we will be lucky enough to have a few more pleasant days before the extreme summer heat arrives.

Even Chloe enjoyed the day.

Grant's Farm

2009-06-02T20:50:00.001-05:00

This morning Kyle and I ventured to Grant's Farm. As you enter you are taken on a tram ride through the property to the farm complex. We saw plenty of animals...deer, ducks, swans, ostrich, turkey, turtle, goats, etc. In addition to seeing the animals Kyle was able to feed the goats, get attacked by the hungry goats, and take a ride on the carousel. Up next on our tour was the elephants, but unfortunatley it began to rain so we had to quickly find cover. Thankfully, it didn't rain for very long, but since it was close to nap time we decided to catch the tram back to the entrance and head home. We purchased a season parking pass, so we plan to head back many times over the next several months. Next time our first stop will be the elephants since we missed them today.

Carousel ride

Watching the horse go up and down!

Plenty of hugry goats
Kyle and his friend very interested in the animals.
Kyle saying "Hi!"

OnStar Service

2009-05-30T21:35:00.003-05:00

One of the nice features we received when we purchased our new car last year was a one year subscription to OnStar. It really is a comforting feeling to know help is only a phone call away if you find yourself in an emergency situation. Thankfully, we haven't used the service...that is until today. As I mentioned in my previous post, we took a trip to the zoo. As we were getting things organized to bring inside with us, John accidentally locked the keys in the car. We called OnStar and within just a minute or two the doors were unlocked...a lot quicker and easier than calling Pop-A-Lock!

Since, we found ourselves in this situation, we did learn two very important lessons. The first lesson is to program the OnStar phone number into our cell phones. The second lesson is that we will most certainly be renewing our subscription when the time comes.

Animal Adventures

2009-05-30T20:09:00.007-05:00

Today we made a spur of the moment decision to go the St. Louis Zoo. The zoo is wonderful and the best part is the admission is free...however you do have to pay for parking. The weather was perfect for an outdoor adventure, although it was hot! It was extremely crowded so we didn't have the chance to see many animals and Kyle wasn't able to ride the carousel. We did venture into the Children's Zoo for the first time. Kyle was able to pet a snake...well actually he grabbed it and wanted to pick it up...needless to say the zoo volunteer wasn't very happy and neither was the snake. This section of the zoo also has a sprinkler area for the children, but we weren't prepared for Kyle to get very wet so he couldn't have much water fun. We will remember this for our next visit to the zoo. Kyle did enjoy petting the goats and even was nice enough to brush one of them. Since we were there at lunch time we stopped and had lunch at one of the outdoor cafe areas.

We enjoyed our first official summer family adventure. We hope to have many more fun times together over the next several months. Hope you enjoy the pictures from our day at the zoo!

Da-Dee and Kyle

Kyle "petting"the snake Our little otter
"Grooming" the goat Most of the goats were just relaxing

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Children's Rooms and Nurseries

2009-05-29T13:15:00.003-05:00

It's Friday, which means it's time for another edition of "Show Us Where You Live Friday". This weeks featured room is children's rooms and nurseries. If you would like to tour other beautiful, creative rooms please visit Kelly's blog.

Our son, Kyle, would like to welcome everyone to his very own "Big Boy Room". About five months ago, Kyle moved out of his nursery into his new room. The theme for the room is Planes, Trains, and Trucks. For anyone who knows Kyle this is a very fitting theme since he LOVES anything "transportation" related. We had such a wonderful time redesigning the room...complete with new flooring, paint, furniture, and the fun, adorable decor! I hope you enjoy the tour!

Kyle, the cute little boy who lives in this room!

A Birthday Keepsake personalized for Kyle, which also
includes special events and information from the date of
his birth and the year he was born. By far, my all time favorite pieces in Kyle's room are the table/chair set and the toybox. The moment I saw these two items I automatically knew they would be a perfect addition to the room! Aren't they just the cutest pieces????

Beach Vacation Day

2009-05-28T18:52:00.008-05:00

Today was Beach Vacation Day for Kyle's class in celebration of the last day of school. The children were asked to wear beach attire to school and parents were asked to apply the necessary sunscreen since the class would be outside for over an hour playing water games. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. With rain off and on this morning and cooler temperatures the beach party was moved indoors. I'm sure all the children had a good time despite not being able to head outside to play in the water. I will have to make it up to Kyle in the near future and have his very own beach vacation day in our very own backyard!

Kyle decked out and ready to head to the beach!

Striking a pose!

Kyle's beach attire wouldn't be complete without a
Thomas the Train beach towel!

Our Token of Appreciation

2009-05-28T10:36:00.003-05:00

Today is Kyle's last day of preschool for this school year. Kyle has really enjoyed school and has progressed so much in so many areas. I'm so proud of my little boy! Kyle's teacher, three assistants, and his three therapists are wonderful and we attribute Kyle's progress to their hard work and dedication. As a token of our appreciation, we wanted to give a little end of the year gift to each of them. The gift is a "Movie Night" theme. Included is a gift card to a video store, popcorn, and a box of candy, as well as a card "signed" by Kyle with his picture and a little note from our family. I received this gift idea on a mom's message board and I really thought it was such a cute, creative idea. I hope Kyle's teachers enjoy their gift.

New Office

2009-05-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of month's ago John's office moved to a new location. Kyle and I received the grand tour this weekend. I enjoyed the tour and it was good to see where John spends countless hours per week "makin' the bacon". Kyle's favorite thing about Da-Dee's new office was the phone. Kyle loves to "talk" on the phone and is extremely animated when he does... he really believes he is carrying on a real conversation! He also loved exploring and wanted to play at all the desks. I really hope no one noticed anything out of place when they arrived to work yeaterday...LOL!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-05-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Today is John's birthday! Unfortunately, for him it was an ordinary day at work, but he was able to come home this evening and celebrate with his little family. He was greeted at the door with a bag full of birthday cards and a few gifts. John was pleasantly surprised since our new kitchen was his birthday gift. Inside his festive bag, he unwrapped cologne...Eternity and Cool Water and a new book. Kyle and I also took him out to dinner this evening to Red Robin. It's always a good decision since the restaurant is very Kyle friendly and holds his attention long enough to enjoy our meal. We hope you had a wonderful birthday...Kyle and I love you very much!

Strawberry Picking

2009-05-25T19:05:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, the Spence Family headed out for a day of family fun! We took an hour drive to Eckert's Farm in Belleview, IL. for strawberry picking. We have been to Eckert's in the past for peach picking, apple picking, and Halloween fun, but today was our first trip to pick strawberries. We had a good time, but we can safely say that summer is definitely here...it was hot! Kyle enjoyed the tractor ride out to the strawberry fields and he was excited about finding the strawberries only for a very short while. He was more entertained by running up and down the field. We didn't stay in the strawberry fields for long and only picked a little over a pound of strawberries. We will be sugaring the strawberries, so we can enjoy some strawberry shortcake...YUM!!

After the strawberry picking, we headed over to the "Fun Corral" for some Kyle style fun...including an airplane swing ride and a pony ride. He LOVED the airplane swing and rode it three times! Kyle also had fun exploring the tractors which were on display and got the chance to climb/drive them. John and I also had our fun while we were there, by shopping in the Country General Store and the garden center. Below are several pictures to highlight our day at Eckert's Farm.

Kyle on the tractor ride
Kyle finding a pretty red strawberry...
and another one! Kyle getting his exercise in the strawberry patch What a cool tractor!
Kyle's first airplane swing ride with Daddy watching!
And another swing ride!
Kyle riding the pony with Daddy!

Six Year Celebration

2009-05-24T18:39:00.001-05:00

Saturday night John and I celebrated our six year wedding anniversary. Technically, our anniversary was Sunday, May 17th, but since we were unable to celebrate last weekend we decided to do it this weekend. We had a fabulous evening! We chose to have dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse! They sprinkled rose petals on our table to signify that we were celebrating our anniversary! Everyone who came by wished us "Happy Anniversary"! We thought it was a special touch to the dining experience. Wow, the meal was fantastic! We began with the shrimp cocktail appetizer, John ordered filet with lobster tails, and I had petite filet with shrimp....everything was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, desert was out of the question since we were extremely full!

After dinner, we made our way over to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel to enjoy some cocktails. John and I first met at the Ritz-Carlton in 2002, so we enjoy seeing where "our story" began...although, we didn't officially start dating until six months after we met at the Ritz. We look forward to many happy years to come!

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Dining Room

2009-05-22T13:51:00.011-05:00

This week on Kelly's Show Us Where You Live Friday tour the feature room is the Dining Room. The dining room is the first room people see as they enter our home. We don't use the room very often so it is usually very neat, clean, and organized. I love the furniture in our dining room and several of the pieces have family and senitmental value.

The dining room table and the chairs are beautiful, unique antique mahogony pieces which belonged to my late grandmother. Within the past six years we have had the table and chairs refinished, but it didn't take away from the original beauty. The china cabinet and china certainly are special since they belonged to my sister who passed away several years ago. Because of the sentimental value of the china, my husband and I chose to use this china instead of picking our own pattern when we got married. The wine cabinet, side board, and display table were purchased once we moved into the house. I love the open feeling of the room, as well as the bay window, which provides plenty of natural light.

I hope everyone enjoyed the tour of my dining room. To view other dining rooms please visit Kelly's blog. I will certainly be back next Friday to take everyone on a tour of Kyle's room.

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!

View of the dining room from the entry foyer The dining room enters into the kitchen
Bay window which opens to the front of our home Wine cabinet which took us a very long time to locate China cabinet with the china and crystal displayed

Future Monet In The Making?

2009-05-20T10:36:00.004-05:00

Last month, the local school district hosted an Art Fair. I was very surprised to learn that a piece of Kyle's artwork was selected to be on display at the fair. Unfortunately, I found this out after the fair took place so we didn't attend the fair to see Kyle's artistic debut. If I do say so myself, I think his "masterpiece" is very impressive for a three year old. We plan to frame the artwork and display it in Kyle's playroom.

Balloons for Kayleigh

2009-05-17T17:27:00.006-05:00

For many months, I have been following the story of a little girl named Kayleigh Anne Freeman who was a micro preemie born weighing just one pound one ounce. Last week Kayleigh passed away and today her parents asked everyone to release pink balloons in her memory. Below are several pictures of the balloons being released here in St.Louis, Missouri.

Three pink balloons for Kayleigh

Kyle, our micro-preemie miracle releasing the balloons Up, Up...
And Away!

2009-05-15T19:28:00.002-05:00

I apologize for my lack of posting the past week. I promise that beginning next week I will be back to my regular posting. I have many back-dated posts which were added to the blog today in regards to the kitchen if you are interested in checking them out. Have a great weekend and I am looking forward to getting back into my regular routine.

Day Twelve - Journey To Our New Kitchen

2009-05-15T18:57:00.006-05:00

As of this evening the kitchen is approximately 95% complete!! I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can say...The kitchen is finished! The contractors will be back on Monday morning to wrap up the remainder of the work. Unfortunately, they were unable to get the refrigerator moved into today so this is one thing on Monday's agenda. The poor guys have a total of three refrigerators to move around so I know they aren't looking forward to that chore...better them than me..LOL!

Beginning tonight after Kyle is tucked in bed, John and I will begin the odyessey of throughly cleaning the cabinets so we can unpack our boxes. The next update in regards to the kitchen will be done once everything is unpacked and in place.

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Guest Room

2009-05-15T14:15:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago a fellow blogger, Kelly, started a weekly series called "Show Us Where You Live Friday". Unfortunately, this is my first week participating. The first week was showcasing kitchens and the second week was the living room. The past several weeks we have been having our kitchen remodeled and the main floor of our house has been in disarray so needless to say I wasn't able to take pictures to post.

This week the room tour is guest rooms and I'm so excited I have the opportunity to participate. Our guest room is usually the cleanest, neatest room in the entire house. We don't have many guests stay at our house so it isn't used very often.

The majority of the furniture in the room is antique mahogany family pieces from my late grandmother...a four poster bed, night stand, chifferobe, table, mirror, rocker, and clock. Much of the decor in the room is New Orleans inspired. Being born and raised in New Orleans I wanted to bring some of my true "home" to my current home in St. Louis.

The first four pictures are taken from each of the four corners of the room.
New Orleans French Quarter picture displayed above the bed.
Anitique Chifferobe This piece is beautiful and is half drawers/half hanging storage. Fleur De Lis potpourri containers A New Orleans Street Car door stop cross stiched by my grandmother.
If you would like to view photos of many other guest rooms please visit Kelly's blog. Thanks for stopping by to view my guest room. See you next week when I will be giving everyone a tour of my dining room.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Day Eleven - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-14T22:24:00.001-05:00

Today was a busy, exciting day with lots of accomplishments. The tile on the backsplash was grouted, the cabinet knobs were put on, the sink installed, sink faucet installed, the cooktop installed, the light fixture in the breakfast area, and the light fixture above the sink. Things are really starting to take shape and we LOVE everything about the kitchen so far. We can't wait until we are moved back in and everything is 100% in place. Hopefully by early next week this will happen!

Day Ten - Journey To Our New Kitchen

2009-05-13T21:53:00.001-05:00

Another exciting milestone in our kitchen renovation. The tile backsplash was installed. Since the floor, cabinets, countertop, and backsplash are in place we can really begin to get a feel for what it will look like. Originally, we chose to use a majority of the darker tile and sprinkle in the lighter tile. However, we decided to use a majority of the lighter tile and sprinkle in with the dark. Wow, we are so happy with this decision!!

Day Nine - Journey To Our New Kitchen

2009-05-12T21:16:00.000-05:00

Huge progress today!!! The countertops were installed! After looking at small swatches for months it was wonderful to see the big picture. We are thrilled with our color choice and is so nice to see the kitchen slowly coming together. Originally, we were planning to put granite countertops in the kitchen, but our contractor introduced us to Wilson Art High Definition Laminate. It has the granite look, without the huge price tag and high maintenance which comes with true granite. The color we chose is Crystalline Dune (close up photo is below).

Day Eight - Journey To Our New Kitchen

2009-05-11T20:01:00.001-05:00

The beginning of yet another week of our kitchen remodel. The highlight of today was the installation of the dishwasher and the double oven. The appliances have been sitting in boxes in our garage for two weeks so it was exciting to see them in the kitchen. We are keeping the packing covers on the appliances until the project is complete so they won't get scratched, damaged, or dirty. We are waiting anxiously until the remainder of the appliances are installed, but that will be several days away.

Day Seven - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

The main accomplishment for today in our kitchen remodel was the cabinets for the island were set and put in place. Other work which took place today was wiring and electrical. There are so many details to cover in the scope of this project it is difficult to list every small item which was accomplished on a given day.

Day Six - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-07T21:30:00.009-05:00

Day Six has been one of the more exciting days of our kitchen remodel. Our brand new, beautiful cabinets arrived!!! They are awesome and know we will love them! As you can see in the pictures below we chose to get white cabinets. One of the things we love about our kitchen is the fact it is very open and receives plenty of natural light and the white cabinets will help keep this look! Another major addition is the closet/pantry we had added. This will be so nice to have for the added storage! The soffit in the ceiling for the lighting was drywalled today as well.

Each day that goes by we are getting more and more excited! They are estimating they will be complete by the end of next week! I am crossing my fingers this estimate is correct!

Day Five - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today brought more progress than yesterday...Yeah! The final stage of the ceramic tile was completed...the grout! We are pleased with our chose of tile/grout and we are anxious to see the tile when it is actually clean...LOL! With so much dust in the kitchen it's hard to see the finished product. Also, the new lighting was started. We are having a soffit built in the ceiling above the island where the lights will be installed. This will be a big change from what we are used to, but we are looking forward to having much more light than we have had in the past. Stay tuned for an EXCITING progress report tomorrow!

Day Four - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

Day Four of our kitchen remodel didn't show very much progress, but wanted the work to be documented. The installation of the ceramic tile in the laundry room was completed. Since the laundry room opens directly into the kitchen we wanted to have the same flooring.

Day Three - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-04T20:20:00.006-05:00

After a very busy, project filled weekend, we were actually excited that today was finally Monday. This meant the kitchen remodel would continue. The majority of the new ceramic tile floor (LaRiserva Taupe) was installed today. We had a really hard time deciding on the tile and we were glad to finally see it in our kitchen...we are happy with our final decision. I'm certain it will have a totally different look once the cabinets, countertops, and appliances are installed. I wish it was possible to fast forward a couple of weeks...I am so anxious to see the finished product!

Day Two - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-05-01T16:06:00.010-05:00

Here we are at Day Two of the Journey to Our New Kitchen. The goal of the day was to remove the old tile floor in the kitchen and laundry room. The contractors had an extremely tough time removing the floor, but were successful. They even laid the majority of the backer board in preparation for the installation of the new floor on Monday.

Thankfully, the contractors connected our washer and dryer back up.
Now, I can get caught up on all of our laundry this weekend since Monday, Tuesday, and
possibly Wednesday we may be without the appliances.
The next several pictures were taken to give the perspective on our nice, new decorative touches throughout the main floor of our house. Refrigerator in the family room.
Kitchen blinds and curtains have a new home in our family room. Actually, we are using the same curtains, so I plan to wash them over the weekend.
Our make-shift eating area in our living room.
Our kitchen belongings packed in boxes which are sitting in the dining room.

What a nice view as you enter our house? NOT!
Needless to say, until everything is fully complete the only people allowed in our house is me, John, Kyle, Chloe, and the contractors. The next kitchen update will be on Monday since no work will be accomplished on Saturday and Sunday.

I'm a bit disappointed since a fellow blogger, Kelly, is hosting a kitchen tour today. I would love to be able to participate, but seriously doubt anyone wants to see my "non kitchen". However, I am excited to view everyone's kitchens. Who knows, maybe I will get a couple of decorating ideas for when my new kitchen is complete.

Day One - Journey to Our New Kitchen

2009-04-30T20:32:00.001-05:00

As you can see from the pictures below quite a bit of work was accomplished today in our kitchen. As of now, we have no appliances, cabinets, or counter top. The floor is still in place but will be removed tomorrow. We now have our refrigerator in our family room, our make-shift eating area in our living room, and stacks of boxes in our dining room. Take out food will be our best friend as we will be giving plenty of business to nearby restaurants. This evening we brought Kyle into the kitchen and he had a very concerned look on his face and said "Oh, no!!!" He doesn't understand what is taking place, but certainly is very curious! More pictures to come tomorrow!

The Journey Begins

2009-04-30T14:52:00.001-05:00

The journey to our new kitchen began today!! John and I are super excited that this day has finally arrived. Remodeling our kitchen has been a topic of discussion off and on since we purchased the house five years ago. Yes, it is very inconvenient, noisey, dirty ....especially for Kyle and me since we are home during the day, but we don't mind dealing with the issues because the end result will be our beautiful new kitchen. Everything has been delivered and is ready to roll...appliances, flooring, backsplash, and lighting. Until the transformation is complete I plan to update daily to show the progression that is being made.

Below are several pictures of our kitchen taken prior to the demolition taking place. If you are interested, please continue to check back for further updates as the journey to our new kitchen continues.

Class Photo

2009-04-29T16:00:00.001-05:00

Last month Kyle's preschool class had their picture taken along with his teacher, assistants (otherwise known as para-professionals), and the speech therapist. Since the picture was taken two little boys have joined the class! Kyle is by far the smallest child in the class, but the age range of the students is 3-5 year olds so Kyle is one of the younger ones in the class. Kyle definitely still wants to hold on to his nickname of "My Little Munchkin". Plus they do say "Good things come in small packages."

Circus on Sodor

2009-04-28T10:06:00.004-05:00

Saturday morning we took Kyle to see Thomas the Train...Live on Stage! A fun time was had by all, especially our Little Thomas Fan! Kyle was beyond excited when he saw Thomas "choo-choo" onto the stage along with Percy, James, Gordon, and Harold the Helicopter! The show was great and to see the huge smile on Kyle's face made it all worth while! Nothing makes John and me happier than to see Kyle happy...that's what being a parent is all about!

Kyle is patiently waiting to see Thomas! Finally...it's Thomas!!!

New Lawncare Service

2009-04-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

Recently, we hired a new lawncare service to cut our grass..."Munchkin Mowers". The owner, Kyle, sure is a cutie, if I do say so myself!

Actually, Kyle wouldn't mind helping with the lawn because he likes playing with all the equipment...mower, trimmer, blower, but unfortunately, he is still too young! One day this will be his responsibility (one of many, I am sure!), but for now Mommy and Daddy are stuck with the duty! It's a good thing, we actually enjoy working in the yard...well, except when it's scroching hot outside and even then it certainly can be a lot of fun!