Viva Las Vegas!

We just got back from a great trip to Las Vegas for UEA break. We were suppose to go with Doug, Autumn and Braxton, but Doug had surgery 2 days before we left, and his doctor recommended he not travel, so it was just Autumn and Braxton who came with us. We had a lot of fun...and these are some of the things we did:

After traveling all day (in the snow storm) last Saturday, we got to our condo, and they didn't have our room ready, so we decided to run to "In and Out Burger" for dinner. These pictures are for Doug...we are trying to show him what he missed out on. Gavin loves his fries and ketchup!

We stayed at Tahiti Villiage, a resort at the southern end of the Vegas Strip. We spent one day in a tiny unit that had only a half kitchen, so after pulling a few strings, we got moved into this bigger room, with a full kitchen, big screen TV and the kid's favorite part...the jetted tub!
We are so glad Gavin has Braxton. While we were busy watching the first season of "Heros" (our new favorite show), Braxton and Gavin would play or watch movies. Gavin usually sat for 2 minutes, and then he was off doing something...or getting into something.
We went down to the strip a couple of days while we were there. Our resort had a shuttle that would take us to different parts of the strip. Gavin thought it was so fun to ride the bus and look out the window.
We had a lot of fun at the Mirage. They have a huge aquarium where they have dolphins. We watched them do some training and feeding with the dolphins. This was Gavin's favorite part of the trip. He got so mad at me when we finally had to leave the dolphins. I couldn't get a picture with him looking at the camera because he was to entertained watching the dolphins, lions and tigers.

We went to Ceasers Palace and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. The boys loved looking at the fish that were swimming in the huge aquarium right outside the Cheesecake Factory. Gavin would see a fish he liked and would run along the side trying to keep up with it as it swam by.
Everytime we go to Vegas, we have to stop at the Bellagio to see the conservatory and the fountains. We haven't ever been there in the fall, and it was beautiful in the conservatory with the fall colors.

The resort we stayed at had a nice pool. Part of it was a sandy beach. Gavin loved playing in the sand. It was really warm there, so the cool water felt really nice.

I had to put this picture in...to show Casey really was here. He had two big assignments due for school, so he spent a lot of time on the computer working on them. He was such a good sport to come on this trip with two sisters, and two crazy boys!

We were just a block away from the Outlet Stores, so Autumn and I were in heaven! We got the boys these cute outfits, and had to take their pictures and take advantage of the beautiful scenery. Aah...almost home. We stopped off to pick up the dogs at Floyd and Barbara's. They were so nice to take all 3 dogs. Gavin was so excited to see Emma. He couldn't stop hugging and picking her up. We had a great time, but we are glad to be home!

18 months!

Gavin turned 18 months today! We sure love this little guy. Everyday there is something new and funny he does. He is talking a lot now, but you'll need Casey and I there to interpret what he is actually saying. The words he says really good are: mom, dad, Emma, uh oh, no, juice, cheese, hi, bye and kitty kitty. We love you so much Gavin!

Gavin's best friend

Gavin LOVES Emma. Emma doesn't really share the same feelings, so when Gavin walks around the house calling her name, she'll run and hide under the side table in the family room. He always finds her though, and climbs right under the table and plays with her. She is such a good dog, she lets him pull her hair, carry her around the house and basically torment her.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Last Friday, as a whole family, we went out to dinner to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday. Almost everyone was able to be there. We enjoyed a great dinner, because Gavin was actually good! He loved dipping his fries in the ketchup and licking the ketchup. He also loved going and playing with Grandma Deana, I think we'll have to bring her along every time we go out!

After we ate, Autumn, Alicia and I left the kids with our husbands, and we headed out to Tooele and had a girls night with my Grandma. We had fun talking and watching chick flicks.

Happy 80th Grandma!

More!

Ever since Gavin has been a tiny baby, I have tried to teach him sign language. I started with the sign "more", but he never used it, until recently, and he uses it for everything! It means "more", "I want that", "Give me that NOW!". It has been helpful, because I know exactly what he wants. It is pretty cute.

More Messy Gavin

I have more pictures of messy Gavin. The kid loves to eat, so we are bound to have pictures of him eating something messy. He loves to help me in the kitchen, especially when I am using the Kitchen Aid, because he loves to lick the beaters. It doesn't matter what I am making, mashed potatoes or brownies, he'll lick the beaters clean. Here he is enjoying some brownie batter. Mmmm.

We're Expecting!

I am excited to announce that we are expecting a baby! My due date is March 4th. I'm a lot farther along then I thought. I had to get an ultrasound done to find out my due date, and the day before I had the ultrasound, I had seen my Doctor, and he didn't find a heartbeat, so he guessed I was about 6 weeks along. So, we go in to get the Ultrasound, and the technician asked how far along I thought I was. I said 6 weeks, he laughed and said "I think you're going to be surprised." I am 15 weeks along...so almost half way! I was wondering why I was already starting to get a belly! Everything looks really good with the baby. We are pretty sure it is a boy, because it looked pretty obvious, but we'll know for sure in about a month. I have been feeling fine, except being tired.

The many messy faces of Gavin

Gavin LOVES his candy, and today he was enjoying a licorice. He was MESSY after eating it. I got my camera out to snap a picture, and he kept giving me these funny faces, I had to keep taking pictures. He loves the camera!

Our little Emma

Poor Emma is so small, she can't hop up on the couch, chair, bed, nothing. But she did figure out she can hop up on Gavin's little swing. Today, after I gave her a little hair cut, I gave her a treat, and this is where she ran to eat it. What a funny little dog.

Gavin's new toy

My mom picked up this toy for Gavin and he has been loving it! He will spend hours out on it...which makes life a little easier for us! He goes down the slide on his own and thinks he is such a big boy when he does it.

School is back in...and I survived the first week! The first week is always the hardest. I have been busy with meetings, Open House, Back to School Night and testing...whew! Now that all that is over, hopefully everything will slow down a little and I can relax. I am doing part time again, and Casey is home with Gavin for the few hours I am at work.. Gavin has been loving his Dad time. I love all the little stories Casey tells me when I get home of the funny things Gavin does.

Family Pictures

We were about due for some family pictures. The last family picture we had was just before Logan left, and the most important person was born while he was gone, so we had to get an up to date family picture with everyone. My mom's friend took them, and did a great job.
The whole Spence clan

Grandma and Grandpa with their grandkids.
Little Cousins
Cute Logan

Spence kids

Losee Family
Jackman Family
Smith Family

Snack Time!

The joys of having a 1 year old...they get into EVERYTHING! Gavin just found the cereal shelves, and there have been many times I have come into the kitchen and I have found him with a cereal bag in one hand, a handful of cereal in the other, and dogs surrounding him eating all the cereal he drops. It is a bad habit I'm trying to control, but it sure makes snack time easy for me!

What would I do without my maids? They sure make sweeping a lot easier!

Steamboat Springs Trip

Gavin and I headed out to Steamboat Springs, CO with my family and left poor Casey home to work. We had an enjoyable time doing some fun things. We stayed in a nice condo with 2 jetted tubs. One of the tubs was huge and the kids loved playing in the "pool". We spent every day at the hot springs. Gavin loved the warm water, as did I. Steamboat Springs is like Park City, where skiing is a big thing. A lot of Olympic athletes come to train in Steamboat, and we even went to see the ski jumpers practice, but found out when we got there that they were out of town training in Park City. That would have been fun to see...oh well. We went on the chairlifts up one of the mountains, and that was beautiful. I was a little nervous about having Gavin ride on the lift, but he sat really good and enjoyed the ride.