We've got a crawler!!!!

The time we have been awaiting and at the same time dreading is upon us.  The kid is mobile.  We have baby proofed the place as he likes to get into anything he can shimmy over to.  It has been a bit and we have had some fun things happen.  

A couple of weekends ago we all went to Jisun's house for an end of summer party.  It involved games, food (lots of food), beverages, and not a lot of sleep.  The Roschs, Hecks, Brauns (yes Sarah you are included in that), and Townsends all crashed Jisun's house.

Spencer and I enjoying some shade from the scorching sun.  Hottest weekend of the summer.

This was Sarah's game.  It involved walking, water, balancing, and hand eye coordination.  Some the group lacked some of these skills.

This is pretty much photo evidence of Murph being assaulted by Joe, but she had it coming to her.  No one left the yard without being water ballooned.

The morning after the morning after.  Spencer was the best looking of the bunch enjoying his Baby Mum Mum.  A great invention, the dissolving cracker.

We did take advantage of the long weekend and got a trip to the zoo in.  Spencer was very good with the animals being a healthy distance away.

As you can see when the petting zoo was an option he didn't seem to enjoy it as much.

Mimi's Jeep as been a huge hit with him lately.  He loves standing up and honking the horn.

In other news, I started a new job recently.  A company hunted me down and made me an offer I couldn't refuse.  Other than that Spencer has passed the 7 month mark.  Month #8 will be right around the corner.  Talk to you all later.

A baby shower and a reunion?!

Its been a busy couple of weeks and I have been slacking off.  To start Chrystal and Spencer headed out east to Omaha for Laura's baby shower and to see the Hopkins clan.  I couldn't make the trip as Pioneer decided they wanted me to stay on for my last couple of days with them instead of giving me a long weekend before starting my new job.

Spencer and Great Grandpa.

Oh the excitement of opening presents!

Chrystal being the sly devil she is secretly arranged for Clark to make the party.

You 3 have come a long way from ERAC!

The word reunion was in the title because I am an old man and just had my 10 year reunion.  It was fun to see those who could make it.  It was a two day affair with a happy hour on Saturday night and a family day at a park on Sunday.

Everyone who could make it.

It was a rare chance to catch up with the Heck's and we couldn't miss that!

Spencer was a hit at the picnic.  His good looks continue to curse him.

The kid loves the swings.  We may have to invest in one under the porch.

All in all the past couple of weeks have been fun.  We are looking forward to the 1st Annual Summer Games at Jisun's this weekend.  It has been a while since we have seen her since she was too cool to come to the reunion...or something like that.  More pictures next week!

6 months in...

Wow hard to believe its been 6 months already.  We spent Saturday evening at the Giants game up in Denver with Josh and Shawna.  I was able to get some club level tickets from work so we were high class for the evening.  It rained and we were able to escape to the suite area.  The Giants were generous and graciously lost to their host 8-2.  

We certainly looked good in our Giants gear.

Getting pictures early in the game was crucial as the rain rolled in early.

With the big 6 month mark came another trip to the doctor.  The latest stats are 17 lbs 3 oz landing him in the 67th percentile, 27 1/8 inches long putting him in the 88th percentile, and a 17 1/8 inch head finishing in the 58th percentile.  We are excited as hopefully he will get the Townsend height that eluded my dad and I.  Other than that the doctor is happy with his motor skill development.  All in all a good trip.  

Our Camping Adventure

Happy belated 4th of July to every and happy belated birthday to Poppa who shares his day with the country's. We packed up and headed up to Deep Lake Campground. Its about 5 hours from the Springs with no traffic so it took us a bit longer to get there thanks to traffic and broken down truck drivers. All in all it was a fun trip. We got to fish and I took Chrystal to see where the boys went elk hunting last year. Spencer was a trooper and did really well.

Those mountain mornings can be a bit chilly!

The valley where we fished and I hunted last fall.

Spencer's first hiking experience thanks to a Father's Day present from Nana.

Chrystal gave it her all with the salmon eggs and the powerbait.

Spencer let us know when he was done fishing with this face.

The camping version of tummy time.

While waiting out some rain Spencer practiced driving.

The reason we left.

We spent Friday night under the stars and after fishing on Saturday we sat through a rain storm in the car and tent. While everything was drying out we noticed another storm a brewing. Chrystal went with her gut feeling and gave me the pack it up idea and we got out of dodge just before it hit. Good thing too because it was a bad one.

I'm 5 Months Old!!!!

Ok so he's 5 months and 3 days.  The sinus infection is gone!  The only downer is we think he has allergies, specifically we think he may be allergic to Winnie as when he is on the carpet his eyes get red and he sneezes.  The good news is we have begun to master a new trick!  

He is sitting up all by himself!

Look at how clear that picture is on the tv.

Here he is practicing for his PBR career.

We have decided we are going camping for the Fourth.  It could be interesting as I have never taken Chrystal camping, much less Chrystal and an infant.  Chrystal is just dying to use her new fishing gear she got for her 29th birthday.  I am sure we will have some amusing photos to post after the trip.

Mimi's Visit

So the Saturday before Mimi was arriving Spencer decided he wanted to start his day at 5:30am.  Being the great husband and father that I am, I turned off the monitor and grabbed the little man to take him downstairs so as not to wake up the momma.  I was able to talk Spencer into going back to sleep with me on the couch and Chrystal took this picture once she woke up.

A great husband and son.

We celebrated father's day last Sunday as my dad flew to Florida for back surgery this week.  So far through one operation he is doing well.  He is scheduled for one more procedure with the possibility of a third.  We had KFC at Nana's house and then went to Rizzuto's for some ice cream.  Spencer decided he had to join in the celebration and we have an ice cream addict on our hands.

MMMMM!  Its so good once it hits your lips.

Mimi got in on Sunday night and spent the next three days with Spencer while Chrystal and I were at work.  We are waiting to get some of Mimi's pictures as she took boat loads to show off her handsome grandson to all the friends and family back home.  While Mimi was here we celebrated Chrystal's 29th birthday at no where other than Red Lobster.  

Jumping for Mimi.

Mimi couldn't resist the chance to spoil Spencer a little.  He is now the proud owner of a Jeep.  The carpet is proving a bit of a challenge, but on the kitchen floor he is able to scoot himself along backwards.

It's a face of utter surprise!

We had a great week with Mimi.  She was able to pack a lot of Spencer time in during her stay.  Thank you sooo much for the Jeep.  We are excited to have him scooting throughout the house.  Hope everyone is doing well.  

It's Been A Couple Of Weeks

So Spencer spent some time with friends and family last week as Mrs. Lisa was on vacation.  He spent Monday and Tuesday with Nana.  Naturally she grabbed the camera for a few pictures.  

He was an angel for Nana of course.

Here is a new trick he learned!

Wednesday and Thursday were spent at the Rosch's house.  Ava took to him like he was her own.  We got several pictures of the kids, but they didn't transfer over well enough to put them on here.  A huge thank you to Nana and the Rosch's for helping us out.  

This past weekend we went to a wine festival in Manitou Springs with Nana and Mr. Townsend.  We took Spencer in the stroller, but it wasn't much of a family friendly event as it was very hard to maneuver a stroller around.  I know you are all thinking, we sat out on the tasting portion and spent more time cruising around downtown Manitou.

Spencer at the wine festival practicing his J.C. Penny Catalogue poses.

He has taken to putting hands and feet in his mouth.

Other than that it has been some of the same old same old.  I did make an impromptu trip to Nebraska with Davis, Mash, and Lops.  It was good to see some friends, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances.  Our condolences and prayers go out to the Hardens.  We love you guys.

Mimi comes this weekend so be prepared for another post in less than two weeks!