Well, the Spence name won't stop with us

We're having another BOY. I guess that is what I get for marrying a Spence. Good luck Mickie and Michaela. I was sort of hoping for a mellow girl, but a boy will be good for Tanner. He likes to wrestle and play rough.

Can you see the baby's profile in the middle? He looks kind of goofy to me. He's got a Nate nose and his chin is kind of far back. That's not a good combo. But I thought Tanner's chin looked too far back when he was born, and he's turned out to be a cutie.

Dallin is the name we like, but as usual we have no idea on the middle name. So we are open to suggestions. :)

President Hinckley died

Here is a brief report from a news channel in SLC. It is sad that he is gone. He has been my favorite prophet so far, but I look forward to President Monson.

SALT LAKE CITY - The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gordon Bitner Hinckley, died on Sunday at the age of 97 after spending more than a decade as the Mormon faith's leader.

"President Hinckley passed away at 7:00 p.m. tonight at his apartment in Temple Square," said LDS Church spokesman Bruce Olsen. "He has been a great leader... this is going to be a blow to everyone across the world."

According to church officials, Hinckley died from health complications due to his advanced age and was surrounded by his family when he passed away.

Born on June 23, 1910, Hinckley ascended to the church presidency on Mar. 12, 1995. For nearly 13 years, Hinckley served as the 15th prophet of the LDS faith as a successor to Howard W. Hunter.

MY hair cut

I said I would post pictures, but I haven't really done my hair the last couple days, so that is why no pictures. But I did it today, so here you go. A couple different angles. It is shorter than I wanted, but it seems like it always is. You'd think that the hair dresser would realize that when your hair is dry and fluffed up it is shorter. Oh well, it grows, and it isn't a bad cut.

Hair cut--finally

Before

After

He did awesome. He sat their still the whole time. I think maybe he was petrified of the buzzer. I think Tanner is so cute with long hair, so it was hard to see it go.

-20 degrees feels like -35

I think this morning was the coldest temperature I've ever experienced. I took Nate to class at 7:45 and it was -20! Brrrr! Weird thing is though, once it is below zero it kind of all feels the same. Here are a few pictures of the icicles around our apartment complex. And Tanner watching one of his new favorite shows "Dance Wars"

Trying to dance standing

Tanner hasn't really danced much standing up, so he's a little unstable. My favorite part is when he touches his nose when it says "nose". Smarty pants.

Time for a change in hair style

I think I will get my hair cut like this tomorrow. I always love Meg Ryan's hair. Won't take off too much length just give it some shape. If it turns out good, I will post some pictures.

Yuck!

In case you can't tell this is a jar of peanut butter. I know, I am a mean mom. :)

Tanner walking

I think he has just about mastered walking. He tries to walk everywhere now. The snow is all new terrain though.

1 down 3 to go

Nate heard from University of Utah and they aren't interested in him. I'll tell you why, they supposedly didn't get the application fee from him, which they did. Nate put it in the envelope and I double checked to make sure everything was in there before sealing it and sending it. He emailed the lady in charge just to see that they had everything right before the deadline, so he could send anything else if needed. She said we have everything, we'll let you know in a month. Well, we were watching our account and the check wasn't clearing, so he emailed they lady again to see what was going on, and she said he didn't send a check. Um, why didn't you say that the first time he contacted you! She didn't say what that meant, if he should send another or if he lost his chance. So we just waited and today he got the letter. Bummer deal since it was one of his top choices. I am sure it will be a blessing in the end. At least he didn't lose the $75 AND get rejected. He just got rejected. :( I've decided I don't like that University anyway.

Newest girlfriend

I babysat this little girl today and Tanner couldn't keep his hands off her. It was pretty sweet.

Cream cheese & Peanut butter

Any time we give Tanner something with cream cheese he just eats it off. He would eat it by the spoonfuls if we'd let him.

So, you know how Tanner is allergic to peanuts. Well, I was eating some peanut butter and holding him and talking to him and he started dry heaving; even the smell gets to him!

New Years in Utah

Tanner enjoyed playing with Jason and Uncle Matt. We had fun with the Wii. Nate wants one now. Maybe someday when they are less expensive. We had fun hanging out and playing games. We went bowling and got to use our new shoes. Thanks to Matt and Mickie and Will and Kristin for letting us stay with them.

Rexburg Temple Open House

No, I didn't take these pictures, obviously. They were in a brochure. I just took a picture of a picture. The temple was amazing. Lots of stairs. It is 4 floors including the basement. The first picture is the entry way. The wood in the temple was imported from Africa. It is flawless wood and they wanted to keep it that way so there were no nails used just glue. The second is the baptismal font. Third and endowment room. The murals are amazing! Leon Parson did them. The fourth is of a sealing room and the fifth the Celestial room. I can't wait to go through to do work. It is by appointment only for now.

Christmas

We had a quiet Christmas. Got great gifts. The only ones we really had to open today were from Matt and Mickie and they were really nice. Thanks Matt and Mickie! Tanner especially loves his Tonka truck. He gets in the back and pushes it around. We got money and gift cards from other people so no surprises there, but that is totally fine. We got some things we've been wanting like a toaster oven and bowling shoes. Other than that we got our TV and entertainment center last month. We spent most of our day at Paul and Paula's with them and some friends from back home.

Mmm Fudge

He ate the whole thing, and really fast.

Grades are out!

And Nate got all A's. Well, and an A-, but that is still all A's. It bumped his gpa up enough to give him an academic scholarship. However, he might have to take 14 credits to get it and he might not be able to fit it in his schedule. So, we'll see, but it's still exciting. He's done so well.

Taking his own medicine

Got in on video

Tanner is feeling a little more brave now. I was doing something and noticed him trying to take some steps on his own, so I pulled out the camera. Watch how he tries to find his balance, and how long it takes. Don't worry the video is about 35 seconds or so, I think.

3 steps

Tanner took 3 steps today! I think it was a fluke, he hasn't done it again. He is 16 months, so he's gotta walk soon. It is kind of funny, he will brace himself against a wall or something then put his arms up in the air as if it is helping him keep his balance and h.e'll stand for a few seconds then fall. Even when he took his steps his arms were high in the air. Wonder if that will stick. That would be interesting. I will try and catch him on video.

Finally finished

Tanner's stocking took me a year to finish. It is cross stitched, and the most complicated one I've ever done. Guess I better start on the next babies now and maybe it will be done by next Christmas.

Correction

Nate wanted me to add this about the Smart Grant. He said it wasn't just given to him for being in the major he is, it was because he has a high GPA also and he is a full time student, which he didn't really need to be this next semester. He only needs 1 class and his internship. We were looking forward to more family time and less stress for him, but he is taking a few extras to get the grant. But his classes aren't all hard. He is taking an auto class for fun, well, and because it would be extremely helpful, and he will probably be able to do half his internship during Christmas break, lightening the load next semester.

Pays to be Smart

Have you heard of the Smart Grant? Well, I guess it is for certain majors, mostly really hard ones like engineering and sciences. Well, Nate's major has been Exercise Science but they switched the name of it to Exercise Physiology, so now he qualifies. He is given $4000 just for being in the major he is. That is on top of the Pell Grant. Such a blessing! BYU-Idaho and the Government have been so generous with us. We have received thousands of dollars from both places to pay for our school and avoid student loans. Once graduate school hits though there aren't as many opportunities for grants, just loans. Guess we'll put this money aside for later.

Sumo Wrestling

Kelly and I had the chance to see Sumo Wrestling. It was everything you could hope for. I've posted two videos that we took and a picture. The guy in the picture is named Manny "Tiny" Yarbrough. He is 6'8" and 740 lb. Yes I put in the right figures. He goes to a junk yard to get weighed. The videos are "Tiny" and another guy. Basically it is Big vs. Small. The heaviest against the lightest. I thought it was pretty funny. The other video is the championship for the competition. The Japanese sumo is undefeated and as you can see continues to hold that record. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed every minute of it. Kelly said at first she felt like she shouldn't have been checking out their rear ends, but you can't not look! Every time I see this I laugh. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Pray

Tanner is learning how to pray.

Allergy?

Nate gave Tanner some peanut butter and this is what happened just minutes later. Looks like he may be allergic. It has happened a few times before, but I never knew if it was the peanuts. Bummer huh? I love peanut anything.

Christmas tree & fun game

The picture doesn't do the tree justice. It is so much prettier in person. It's our first tree. We waited until after Christmas last year to get it on clearance. It is up on a chair so Tanner can't get to it quite as well. Nate and Tanner kept this game up for a good half hour. Tanner always gets the hiccups when he laughs hard. He always has. Sometimes they make him throw up even.

Rexburg Temple Open House

For those who are interested, in order to attend the open house of the temple you need tickets. You get them at www.lds.org/reservations. It is December 29th -January 26th. They have tours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all days but Sundays. I hear the spots are filling fast.

We sent this picture to a lot of people already, but in case we missed some, here is our announcement. We're having a baby in June. June 12th.

Learning to walk

We got Tanner an early Christmas present to help him walk. He does pretty good, but likes to walk on his knees better.

Slipper hands

Tanner found Nate's slippers fun to wear on his hands.

Crazy Nate

Nate and I have been trying to decide all year if we should get a new TV. Ours is broken; the coaxial plug in the TV is broken out, so we've had it rigged through our VCR to get cable. And the picture's not great. Plus, with everything going digital in 2009, we thought we'd just get ready for that. Anyway, so Nate decided to go stay the night at Circuit City yesterday so he could get a TV for us for Christmas. He put on 3 pants, 2 socks, 3 shirts, a hat, a scarf, and a coat. And he was still freezing because it was like 15 degrees that night. Poor guy. Left at 11:30 and stayed til 5. I didn't know he was going. I had to go to the bathroom at 1 am and I noticed he wasn't in bed, so I called him and found him. I hardly slept worrying he would get hypothermia. But he got our TV and it was a really good deal, 1/2 price. However, it was a little too big for our falling apart entertainment center so, we got a new one instead of sawing out a section of it to fit the TV. We actually considered it. It is actually an armoire that closes up, which is great having a little kid around. So that is all we are getting for Christmas this year. And probably next. :)

Few older pictures

These are a couple pictures my friend Alicia took the last couple months.

Today was the first day of Nate's long Thanksgiving break. He only has to work Monday and Tuesday and he has no classes all week, so we are happy to see him more. We'll stick around Rexburg for Thanksgiving and do dinner at Paul and Paula's. We'll go bowling for sure and shop on "black Friday." Oh, and put up our first Christmas tree. We've been married for 2 Christmas's and we haven't had a tree. Hope it stays in one piece; with Tanner around I doubt it. Besides that we just want to relax before Nate has to finish up the semester. Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving.

Missing socks

I was looking for some of Tanner's socks the other day and had a hard time finding any, which was wierd because I had just bought him a pack of 10 pairs. Well, I was cleaning his room today and found this pile under his crib. Pretty funny huh?

Random

For some reason this video is so funny to me. This was Tanner kind of getting tired, and he gets weird. He is also getting over a cold so he's extra slimy.

Fuzzy blanket

When we go in to get Tanner every morning he insists on being wrapped in his fuzzy red blanket. He even has to eat in it.

Baby

The video quality isn't good, but you can hear Tanner saying baby. He was watching our computer screensaver slideshow. It is the pictures on our computer, so the baby he was seeing was himself.

Belly Button

An exciting discovery!

Forced laugh

What a happy kid!

TV addict already

Well, not really. There is one in our room that is just his height, so he turns it on sometimes and stands right in front of it. Halloween day there was a scary show on apparently because I was in the other room and heard a scream coming from our room. I went in and he was standing in front of the TV horrified. I sat him in my lap and felt his chest and it was pounding. It was pretty funny.

Super Tanner

Tanner was dressed up all day today. He didn't even realize he was dressed differently, except the cape probably got in his way a few times.
He was a hit at the ward Halloween party. He is a super fast crawler now, so his costume suited him. He loves a crowd so he had a lot of energy. He won a costume contest. He was the "most enthusiastic" or something like that. I combed most of his hair forward and did a little curl on his forhead for the party. My camera died at the party so I just got the one of the 3 babies, and you can't see how cute his hair is.

Caught with his hand in the toilet bowl

Ok, so I let him play in it for the video. You can tell by the way he looks up at me after the first dip that he is waiting for me to come grab him, but I held off for a minute. Don't worry I washed his hands. I am not quite in the habit of shutting the bathroom door so every once in a while I hear splashing.

Kids are expensive!

Tanner liked to push the button on our computer to make the CD Rom open. and he busted it. It wouldn't go back in when he was done with it. So, we had to pay $60 to get it replaced. We told him that when we start giving him allowance we are going to keep it until he's paid for the damage. :) We'll see if we follow through. It is hard to be mad at the kid.

He's been doing some cute stuff that I really need to catch on video. Like he says "baby" now and it is always in this high pitched voice that is soo cute. He also has this hilareous fake laugh. So watch for those on the blog in the near future.

One little mokey jumpin' on the bed

What kid doesn't like jumping on the bed? Nate tried to get him to say "boing" while he jumped but it is more like "boom".

Who's he talking to?

When we put Tanner down to sleep we often hear him talking and giggling. I caught a little on video before I went in to get him.

Spaghetti

Tanner is so funny when he eats spaghetti. He can't pinch noodles between his fingers, so he gets them on his hand and puts his whole hand up to his mouth and sucks until he gets some.

Learning to be soft

Tanner has been fascinated by the babies he's been around. Here is him with Baylee and Joel. He likes to hug and hold them and pet their heads. It is very cute.