happy late fourth!

So before you think I am a creative/crafty mom, this hat was all daycare. Good things somebody will fill those creative shoes...

Who knew...

that our dryer would be such a favorite?

Again I ask, why do we buy toys?

Cruisin'

Meet Spencer chillin' in his carseat enjoying a good binkie

He is also enjoying shushing (sp?) us

And don't mind the camera moving all over, Spencer was trying to knock it with his foot while I was recording...rude!

Words

Okay, this is for my benefit. Spencer is now 18 months and I need to document his vocabulary (words that he says, but he obviously understands a lot more). I am home sick and avoiding studying for my licensing exam and now the Spain/Portugal game is over...so what better to fill my time with? here goes--let's see how much my foggy mind can remember right now...

more, please, thank you, hi, chair, bye-bye, nigh' nigh', trucks, yes, no, yeah, ball, book, all done, no more, toys, diaper, juice, water, down, shoe, sock, meow, ruff-ruff, dog, bike, outside, mommy, mama, mamae (Portuguese), papa, dada, daddy, papai (Portuguese), banana, tree, uh-oh, all gone, binky, baby, BB (blanket), mine, tickle, toe, shorts, shirt, choc (chocolate), yogurt, bath, what's that, clean up, towel, lotion, amen, cheese, trash, here go (here you go), doggie, puppy, yum, hair, belly, spoon, vovo (Portuguese), teeth, brush, sit, snack, hot, sure

Soccer photo shoot and a couple extras...

So, you can probably guess who our family is rooting for in the world cup...

This photo shoot debuts his recent hair cut, he was one shaggy kiddo before!!

Thanks to Jean's parents for bringing Spencer his soccer gear from Brasil! I think he is adorable in it!

This is how sad Spencer looks when he is sick...

Oh and Mom, you can see that my brilliant idea was not a hit. He is about to rip the bib off his head in this pic. Guess I have to use the bib how it is supposed to be worn and try a shower cap if I want to keep his hair food free. It was worth a try...

A few recent pics...

Spencer has a love/hate relationship with his bike....He is obsessed with it and always wants to play with it, but gets frustrated that he can't get it to move...soon, my friends, hopefully soon!!

Oh yeah, he loves to eat his bubbles and shampoo. When he starts saying bad things, we won't be able to threaten him with soap in his mouth...

MUAH! He just blew you a kiss!!

Are you as dense as Jean and I?

So for months now, Jean and I have laughed at how cute Spencer is when he asks for "more". He even has done this cute little thing with his hands while asking "more" that we figured was random and unique to him. Then "please" enters his vocabulary, and again, so cute with another random gesture. Well...come to find out months and months later that his daycare has been teaching him sign language. So these cute and "random" gestures actually have meaning and I can be quite oblivious!

Which is more effective for eating yogurt...

Spoon or hand?

Well, the hand has more surface area...
And it is cuter to suck on a hand than a spoon....

But maybe the spoon wouldn't get yogurt in your hair when you have an itch to scratch...

Guess there are pros and cons to everything...

"Talking"

and he expects us to understand what he is saying!

Las Vegas

Jean and I took his family to Las Vegas and were grateful to stay in Hotel Davidson (thanks to Spencer (brother), Mom and Dad for your generosity)!! We had a great time exploring some parts of Vegas and little Spencer was exhausted from having so much fun!

We forgot a stroller, so lucky us got to carry Spencer the whole time. He kept trying to escape so he could run around, but didn't get to very much.

Nobody loves Spencer like his Grandpa's! They are so patient and let Spencer explore everything and will do anything Spencer wants. He sure warmed up to Sergio quickly!

Spencer really likes aquariums and even flirts with mermaids (too bad we didn't get that one documented with pictures)!

It was hard to say goodbye to Jean's family. It makes it hard when you don't know how soon we will get to see each other again. Jean and I are lucky to both have such great families that love Spencer so much!!!!

Hogle Zoo and Salt Lake City

We all went to Hogle Zoo and enjoyed perfect Spring weather (along with everybody else in Utah during Spring Break)!!! Spencer enjoyed some animals and was weary of others, especially the fake ones. My Mom took a whirlwind trip to Utah and was able to come with us. Ben and Amy and the crew came along too, but I didn't get any pics with them...

We also went to This is the Place Monument, Rodizio's and Jean's parents went to temple square with Leticia and Martin.

Easter Weekend

So Jean's family was able to come up to Utah to visit during Easter and Conference. They got to go to Conference and really enjoyed it.

Don't limit yourself...no need to use one spoon when you can use two!!!

We did an Easter egg "hunt" for Spencer and he caught on really quickly and loved opening all the eggs to find jelly beans and other goodies.

Hey, where did the candy go?? I need more drool on my shirt...

The Rocha's are serious about BBQ! Rain or shine, or in this case, hail, nothing will stop a good BBQ!!

Spinning

So the poor little guy was having a rough day yesterday. Got his first nosebleed. (Well, really his second. First one was when he discovered his fingers fit in his nose while at Walmart months ago, which many people stared at me and I am sure were thinking I was a stellar mom...) This bleed was due to falling outside. Sad.

Okay, Spencer spinning is one of my favorite things. I think it is HILARIOUS, as you can probably tell from my stifled laughs.

Why does he look behind him? Maybe you all won't find it as funny as us...but it brings me joy!

working on new skills...

Spencer saw Jean jumping this morning and we caught him try it out this afternoon. He is trying so hard to get it!!

Growing up...

and with that comes independence! Spencer can be stubborn at getting his way. When I try to get him from his high chair, he now has to stand up first on his own and then I can lift him out. Or for a more recent turn of events, he wants out of his highchair to sit on the bar stool like us. When he is on our bed, he loves to slide off the side instead of us lifting him.

A few weeks ago, he started saying "more" whenever he wants anything. I guess he picked it up from us feeding him and asking if he wanted more. So now, "more" means "I am telling you what I want, so get it for me!" I thought it wouldn't last long but he is still doing it. (I would upload a video if I had the patience to wait for it to load...) It got easier when he started pointing, but now he gets frustrated when I acknowledge what he wants but don't give it to him.

One other story. He is still saying uh-oh whenever something falls or goes wrong. So yesterday, joy of joys, I got pulled over while doing a good deed, rude. Spencer definitely sensed I was upset and RIGHT as the cop was handing me a ticket, Spener said, "uh-oh". I don't think the cop heard, or maybe he would have let me off for some good comic relief...probably not, just wishful thinking! At the moment, not so funny, but I am laughing now! He really does make our life more fun and interesting!