Trick or Treat

On Saturday morning (Halloween in Utah) I dressed up as a witch to make the kids pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. Audrey cried. Later in the day we had lil smokies wrapped in biscuit dough (mummies) for lunch and the boys painted pumpkins. We opted not to carve this year since it's hard to involve the kids and it makes such a mess. They were painting really well and so I went inside for a few minutes. When I came back out there were (mysterious) paint splatters on the door, the steps, behind ears and on necks. Hmmm.
After a trip to great Grandma and Grandpa Gerritsen's we had bones (grilled cheese sandwiches) and blood (tomato soup) for dinner which tasted good, but the kids were unimpressed. They had been anticipating this dinner all week. Paul even asked if I was going to kill someone to get the blood so grilled cheese and soup was not what they had envisioned.
Next it was off to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood and then stop in at a neighbor's for fondue. Now we are enjoying the battle of the candy. Hopefully Paul will decide to sell his candy to the dentist. He wants the cash. However, when we explained it to Sam by saying, "But the dentist will buy your candy and give it to poor kids." He responded with, "I'm poor."

Sam's Preschool Parade
(yes that is snow)

Painting Pumpkins

Trick-or-Treat

There She Goes...

Audrey took her first steps about 2 weeks before her 1st birthday. Every once in a while she would walk across the room or to someone or something, but only when it was her own idea. In the last couple of days she's been walking full-time, with very little crawling, so I can officially say she's walking! She hardly ever falls and can turn around or in circles as well (probably because she's so cautious and has spent lots of time mastering her skill). Since I don't know how to get videos from the camera to the computer, here are some pictures. (Maybe if you scroll really fast you can see her on the go).

In Loving Memory

My grandpa Spencer passed away last week. The funeral was a very nice tribute to him. Since he was a veteran of WWII, the military did a gun salute and played Taps. It was very cool. Grandpa had been in poor health for quite a while (had his first heart attack at age 40) so his death was not unexpected. I am proud to have come from this quiet, humble, hard-working man.

Obituary:
Clair M. Spencer, 84, a lifetime Blackfoot resident, passed away Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, at the Willows Assisted Living Center.
Clair was born April 16, 1926, in Blackfoot to Henry W. and Myrtle Thompson Spencer. He attended school in Blackfoot, graduating from Blackfoot High School in 1944. Following graduation Clair served in the United States Army during World War II.
On June 2, 1950, he married Ilajean Nelson in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple.
He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. He fulfilled various callings, including executive secretary to four bishops, dance director and home teacher. He served a fulltime mission to Kauai, Hawaii.
Clair worked for Jorgensen Hatchery for 20 years and retired from the INEL after working for 20 years.
He enjoyed gardening, working on family history, music, and, in earlier years, dancing.
He is survived by his wife, Ilajean Spencer of Blackfoot; two sons, Darwin (Margaret) Spencer of Puyallup, Wash.; Joel (Robin) Spencer of Rigby; three daughters, Vickie (Daryl) Kofoed of Shelley; Ruth (Leland) Kidd of Burley and Jeanette (Jeff) Johnson, of Malta; one brother, Glen Spencer of Syracuse, Utah; one sister, Laree (Mike) Nowland of Blackfoot; 21 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Randi Spencer; his parents; six brothers, Henry, Dale, Don, Lynn, Gill, and Vaughn Spencer; an infant sister, Helen Spencer and one infant great-grandson, Jeb Israelsen.

Autumn in the Mountains

the witches at Gardner Village

playing in the leaves at great-grandma Spencer's

picking pumpkins at the pumpkin patch

hiking with Dad

Our Little Lady is One

Audrey is one year old! She started her day with presents, balloons and a tutu that I made for her. We had a breakfast of cream of wheat, bananas and strawberry milk. She even attempted to blow out her candle. She got a baby doll from us and a purple ball from the boys. The kids and I went to Macdonalds for lunch then I spent the afternoon making her cake. After dinner of homemade mac and cheese we had a family party for her. She was so darling opening her presents! She kept saying "Oh" and hugging her outfits. She dug right into her cake then spent the rest of the evening pushing her babies around in her new stroller. As far as first birthdays go, it was lots of fun--even though I was the most excited about it.
Audrey is such a joy. She's not walking yet, but loves to stand up on her own. She took a few steps a couple weeks ago and last night she just walked to the couch, but she didn't seem to realize she had done it. She loves to push her doll buggy around, so I'm sure she'll be brave enough soon. She likes to tease Dad and laugh at the boys. She loves bubble baths, baby dolls, dogs, singing, playing the piano and dancing. Her favorite foods are black beans, pasta, cheese and grapes. She gives great hugs. She won't keep things on her feet or in her hair. On her birthday she started throwing fits (really, already?) She is discovering how to open drawers and doors to get into more things. She can say mama, dada, uh-oh, no-no, Paul (only to call for him) and can nod and shake her head, clap, wave, and play peek-a-boo. She's likes to whisper and babble to herself. And we love her so much!