Easter/Lindsey's Birthday

We love Easter around here...Spencer and I are candy fiends. Spencer is getting old enough that the holiday's are starting to get really fun for him.

Lindsey and I spend Friday morning making Easter food. We made a lot of deviled eggs, and egg salad (especially with Scott and my dad in mind since my mom and eggs don't mix...so my dad never really gets any "egg" food). I also found this recipe for "chickie" (as Spencer calls them) cupcakes. Later that evening, we decided to color Easter eggs.

"Good job Spencer, your so awesome at coloring eggs..." Turn my back for 2 seconds....

Busted....switched from coloring his egg to coloring Lightning Mcqueen. Spencer has really been getting into his coloring lately. He will sit there forever, until every part of the page is colored. Too bad this Easter picture ended up being entirely black.

We spent Saturday at the annual Mortensen Easter egg hunt. By the way, this is the only picture will see of me for awhile, since roundness and the camera don't mix.

He's on a mission...and it's serious business :)

This would be the little kid hunt in the pasture...and it was really cold, and windy this year
And the older group got their own hunt in the front yard

Easter morning, Spencer and Scott received their Easter basket...Spencer loves hunting around with dad...He stood here forever before he noticed his Easter basket hiding on the other side of his train table:) Amongst other things our spoiled 2 year old received, he found a little Luici and Guido in 2 of his eggs. Wednesday, April 7th was Lindsey's birthday. Sometimes we go out to eat, and sometimes we order pizza..this was a pizza year. We just had our usual eating and presents birthday party. Wasn't anything fancy, but anything with the word "party" in it gets Spencer and Alex excited. Check out that cake...it was awesome....the entire family are chocolate fiends as well (except for Scott), so a chocolate on chocolate cake was amazing.

Happy Birthday Alex!!

On Sunday, March 28th, my nephew Alex turned 4. Since it was on a Sunday, we had a whole weekend of festivities.

We have all had cabin fever sooo bad this year. I guess because it's the first year I've been stuck inside with a 2 1/2 year old...who is not very content. Lindsey decided for Alex's birthday this year we should go swimming. This family is full of water dogs....the 2 exceptions being the 2 brother-in-laws. Lindsey and I have managed to pass on our love of swimming to our kids...but I guess at this age most any kid loves to swim. I couldn't decide what Spencer should give Alex for his birthday this year, he has every toy ever made. Alex and Spencer are Lightning Mcqueen fanatics at the moment, so I found some Lightening Mcqueen towels to take swimming. But if you know this family, we don't like to leave people out, so Spence and Alex got Mcqueen towels, and Natalie got a Princess and the frog towel.
This is a picture of either mine, or Lindsey's birthday...I assume it's mine, because the cake is in front of me...but if you look closely, there are 2 of ever present. The birthday girl always got a few more presents, to signify her birthday, but a lot of them came in pairs:) We always stayed in the Holiday Inn on our birthday's and went swimming for a few days.
Lindsey's kids are known for their picture taking skills:)..This is about what all of her pictures look like:)
On Sunday we had a Lightning Mcqueen birthday party....the cake is a big tire.
The kids had a blast decorating their very own box cars. Luckily it was just warm enough to go outside and play red light/green light. Spencer completely understands the "red means stop", "green means go" concept...everywhere we drive he tells me when I can go... But when we played, he would run as fast as he could, never keeping up with Alex, but wouldn't stop on red until he caught up with him. He had a blast, and you couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.
The second half of Spencer's present to Alex was a lightning mcqueen pillow case. Once again, I found myself wrapping up 2 lightning Mcqueen pillowcases, and a Princess and the Frog pillow case...instead of just one pillowcase for the actual birthday boy:)

2010 thus far

Compilation of pictures from 2010 thus far:

Can't get enough of Chuckie Cheese:) Lindsey's kids have a "Land of Obedience" chart, where they had to earn the night of Chuckie Cheese fun...it took about 4 months, but they did it:)

There is one spot where Spencer can fit under the gate, to get closer to the train.

Scott and I actually went out of a date:) We went to Scott's firefighter banquet in Eagle.

We have cabin fever sooo bad this year. We decided to brave the park even though it is still cold enough where you need gloves and a hat.

Spencer loves to drive the fire trucks

We did a little rock climbing

Had a rodeo...."Yee-Haw!"

The Disney store (or "Mouse store") shut down in Boise. I was told that they closed 20 locations to open up 10 bigger, fancier locations. Whenever we were bored, we would always go to the mouse store to look around...Spencer would spend hours in there if I let him. We had to get a picture by the Mickey Mouse on the floor.

Went for a ride in the Ranger, at the Cascade Fire Department

update

I haven't blogged for awhile because technology hates me. For some reason my card reader won't let me get my pictures off of my phone, and onto the computer (So if anyone has any brilliant ideas on how to solve the problem, let me know).
Scott and I have been pretty busy lately. Scott is doing some last minute finish-up stuff for his fire-fighter class. He still has a live burn to do, and is set to take his Hazmat practicals in April. The Boise Fire Department is testing in May, so the timing couldn't have worked out any better. He is still working for Biomat (Plasma Donation Center) as a medical supervisor, and plans to stay there in addition to any fire job he can find. Scott was hired because he is an EMT, but the higher the credentials that you have, the more you get paid (even though he would be doing the same job). So, we are currently looking into LPN, and RN programs to give Scott a pretty significant pay boost. Scott has always had awesome work ethic, and has received several compliments from his bosses. Including being made a designated trainer to new employees and invited to sit in with manager meetings. Between fire/paramedic classes and classes to raise his status at Biomat, he stays pretty busy. I sometimes see him in the evenings:)
Since Scott is gone a lot (he works 10-12 shifts), I am trying to juggle school, Spencer, and being 7 months pregnant by myself most of the time. I am less than 10 classes shy of graduating, so I am limited on the classes, and times during the day when I can take my classes. Right now I go down to campus for 2 hours 3 times a week, and 1 hour 2 times a week. It's not a ton, but it still is hard to leave Spencer. I don't know how people leave their kids all day. Fortunately my awesome sister watches him, and he loves it. Most of the time when I ask him what he wants to do, he says, "Go to Lindsey's house." At least it makes it easier knowing that he is happy when I drop him off. And usually he's upset that he has to leave Lindsey's house...she has the best toys.
Spencer is 2 and a half, and a busy body. He's always going, and never stops... And never stops talking either. He loves that his dad is getting into fire-fighting, he tells me that he has a "hot fire dad." Anything with the word fire in it he has to add "hot fire" to it (hot fire truck, hot fire hat, hot fire staton, etc.). And we can never drive by a fire station without talking about it. He loves to mimic a siren, and stops dead in his tracks every times he hears one.
My due date is May 8, which I managed to time right during finals week. I am so ready to not be pregnant, but I really want to get my semester done before I have the baby. I am set to take my finals early, but at the rate this baby is growing, he may come 1st. At my last doctor appointment, I measured in at 33 weeks, and I am only 30 weeks along. We have had so many eating and weight problems with Spencer, it would be nice to have a big boy. Spencer will have to watch out, because his little brother may pass him up:)

Cars

How Many cars does a 2 year old need??(...and these are just the Disney cars...not the Chevron or matchbox cars)

10 things to do while on Christmas break

1. Participate in a nativity story

Emma the sheep and Spencer the wise man

2. Open presents Christmas morning

Scott, Spencer and I spent Christmas this year with Scott's side of the family in McCall.

Bryson, Hannah, Megan, Spencer, Kimberly, and Emma playing together on Christmas day

Mario Kart fun

3. Go for a ride in the Rhino

4. Go swimming

5. Have a sleep-over

Cup, anyone?

6. Jump on Grandma's bed in your underwear

7. Eat powdered doughnuts

8. Play with Firetrucks

9. Un-bury your car

Scott, Spencer and I spent New Year's in Cascade; Scott was on call with the fire station. It snowed from the second we got there until the second we left.

10. Build a snowman

Jingle Bells

Spencer's rendition of "Jingle Bells"