The Ableman Family

Disneyland!

2010-12-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

We were in Disneyland last week with Drew's mom and had a GREAT time! We loved having mom with us and the boys got completely spoiled. The weather was beautiful and the lines weren't bad at all. I had to include this picture because this is most of what we saw of Max. The kid loves to run and if we turned around he would be off and gone. He frequently tried to escape from lines by ducking under ropes etc. One lady actually saw him running around once and kept mentioning to me what a challenge he was going to be. He's got a lot of energy but we love it and realize that he just needs "running time" :)

Spencer loved greeting the characters. I think Max thought they were a little weird though :)

Here we are on the way to the park. Even the tram is exciting for one and three year-old boys!
Mickey Mouse - a huge hit! And everyone is looking in the right direction too :)
I thought it was so cute how small my boys looked next to Sully. We went to a "Pixar Parade" at California Adventure that features Monsters Inc., Cars, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, etc. There was one float that was a giant ball full of smaller balls being blown around. On top of it was Buzz Lightyear - it was basically heaven for my boys!
Spencer barley made the height for this ride and once we were up in the air I was a little nervous for him (you can't tell in this picture but I am gripping his forearm). He had a great time though. And of course we met Lightning McQueen and Mater. Their eyes even moved which fascinated Spencer.

We got in trouble for putting them up here but I'm glad we got the picture. They are twins!

This was our first and last ride (I think we went on it a total of 6 times). Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters. We had been watching a video of it on Disneyland's website for over a month before we went so Spencer was really excited about it and it was his very favorite at both parks!

We had such a great time! Thanks again Mom!

Our Summer!

2010-09-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

We have been busy this summer! Drew has been out of town quite a bit so the boys and I have had adventures. We went to Sun River with my family and I got to lug them around behind my bike or through caves in a hiking backpack. Drew and I left the kiddos in Boise and went on a trip with my parents, brothers, and new sister-in-law to Disney Land. It was so much fun! My brother got married so we've been to Utah and back. I have been working on building my flute studio so I've been meeting with band directors, performing at local schools, and this Friday I have a performance in Portland. I have also been busy painting and decorating a bathroom (new light fixture, pictures, and vanity mirror - done while Drew was out of town I might add!) and attempting to decorate our play room (still a work in progress). It has been crazy as usual. Here are some updated pictures:

Spencer turned three this summer and loves trains, airplanes, cars, trucks, and water guns. He is going through a bit of a rough stage right now. He really struggles with being told "no" and is having a hard time with a mobile little brother who likes to cause train crashes and smash over blocks. He can be a really sweet boy though and he is a fast learner. He basically lives in an imaginary world now and often when I call him Spencer he says, "no mom, I'm ____" It changes constantly from cartoon characters to other actual people, animals, various machines etc. Today we were cargo planes. He even has an imaginary friend "Joey" who comes and goes. It is pretty cute!

It looks like Max is trying to pat Spencer here but really he is trying to hit Spencer's face. Spencer is smiling though, he really is a good sport!

Max has been walking for a while now and is my happy little adventurer. He follows his big bro around everywhere and loves sticks and throwing rocks. He eats more than any child I have ever seen and yet is our long and lean little dude. Whereas Spencer was a big talker from the start, Max is pretty content with calling all liquids "cup" and saying "woof woof" at any and every animal he sees. He is branching out finally and it is pretty cute watching him try to copy our animal sounds!

Spring is Here!

2010-05-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Spring is here, although it has been raining a lot at our house. The boys got a bike trailer and we have been enjoying that on the nice days. I just wanted to post a few pictures because it has been a LONG time!

2009-12-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Well my friend Michelle said I really needed to post on my blog so here is some proof that we are still alive over here! Drew is on a "business trip" in Hawaii (can you tell I'm a little jealous!) so I'm doing what I usually do when he is out of town and somehow filling up my evenings and going to bed late. In the last couple months we have: Celebrated Halloween! Here is my cowardly lion and crazy monkey. Spence loved his pumpkin full of candy and tried to carry it around for days afterwards.

We also celebrated Thanksgiving, unfortunately Spence got to the pumpkin pie before we did...
We got our Christmas tree which is a fun tradition in our family. My parents have some property that backs in to a Christmas Tree farm. We get a ladder, hop the fence, cut down a tree, go pay for it, and haul it back across the fence. Of course we do know these neighbors and as far as I know nobody has reported us! (Max was crying almost this whole time so I will skip those pictures.)

We started solids but I made an executive decision that we are going to hold off for a couple more weeks before trying again becuase I don't think he swallowed any (but he was cute!).

Spencer joined in the feeding fun.

We also caught him asleep like this. He loves this book and there is a picture in it of a bunch of people eating ice cream. He just couldn't put it down :)

And here are just some cute pictures of my little guy. Max has gigantic eyes!

My sweet boys

2009-09-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, sometimes they are sweet...

Fenced Backyard + Toddler = Heaven!

2009-08-31T23:24:00.000-07:00

We have been busy this summer! I would never advise closing on a house (that you plan to do some work to) 13 days after having a baby. After some stressful complications at closing, lots of painting, sheetrocking, carpeting, repairing, packing, unpacking, and nursing, burping, and diaper changing, we find ourselves at the end of a crazy summer, happily moved into and enjoying our home with two growing boys! Whew. Here is what we have been up to:

Lots of playing in the backyard. Spencer ends up soaking wet on an almost daily basis and Max and I enjoy laying on a blanket watching from a safe distance!

Lots of smiling and cooing. Max has been a very easy baby. He is happy and sleeps and eats well. Plus, he's so darn cute! He started rolling from his tummy to his back - I guess he doesn't like tummy time much.

Lots of adjusting to having two, which has actually been easier than I had anticipated. Spence has been really good with Max. I have had to save Max from eating the carpet fuzz that was being offered but other than that we have made it relatively incident free so far.

Lots of rock throwing. This was Max's first hike and Spencer's first where he actually walked.

Being blessed and turning two! Max did great and Drew gave him a beautiful blessing. We were happy to have so much family there. Spencer had a fun birthday. We went to the Zoo and then had lunch with Daddy in downtown Portland. He struggled opening so many presents though because he wanted to play with each one right away. I love Max sleeping on the couch in the background.And of course, lots of home improvement. This is a before and after of the same room, taken from different angles. For now, this side of this room is done. There is still at least something that needs to be done in every other room. We don't have pictures up yet, we are still missing a mirror in our bathroom, the kitchen needs to be painted... My to do list has become huge. But for now, this is a taste of what we have been up to and I'll post more pictures as we finish more rooms. This is our living room. We redid the ceilings (you can't tell but they were popcorn before and it really makes the house feel a lot newer to get rid of those), painted the walls and all the dark woodwork in the house (that is a horrible project by the way), removed a pole, got curtains and curtain rods and filled up the space. We have been happy with it and Spencer loves to hide in the little nook by the plant!

It has been a great summer and we are looking forward to a fun filled fall!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

I think I got Drew a pretty sweet Father's Day Present! We are all doing well and planning on going home from the hospital today. I can't handle being in a hospital room too long! Max is doing well. He loves showing off his big eyes - I think they look a lot like his Grandma Lori's.

Here is Spence playing with the trains that Max gave him. He has been pretty good with Max so far. He keeps saying "baby's sad" whenever Max cries. I'm a pretty lucky girl to get to live with all these cute boys!

Max has arrived!!!

2009-06-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is Drew making this post and I have no idea what I am doing. I will therefore make it short. Max was born yesterday at 3:14 pm. He was 7 lbs 15 oz and 20 in long. He ended up being another c-section (poor Kacey) so we will be in the hospital for a couple more days, but he and Kacey are both doing very well. We think he looks a lot like Spencer did when he was a newborn. Spencer came to visit him yesterday and got to "hold" him and seemed to like him. He kept saying "Baby so little" over and over again. Now all of the sudden Spencer looks huge. I am going to post a couple pictures here, and I am sure we will add many more over the next few weeks.

Lots of Milestones!

2009-06-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

It has been an exciting few months at the Ableman house. Spencer is sleeping in a toddler bed (although he often ends up on the floor, the chair, his ball pit etc.), he is done with his pacifier, we are expecting the arrival of Max very soon (hopefully in the next week or two), and we bought a house! Here are some pictures of all the excitement:
Spencer likes to sleep all over his room - we have to be careful when we open the door because half the time he is snuggled up right next to it.

Spencer still loves the zoo!

Spencer is a little crazy and definitely turning into a little two-year-old. He is about to become a big brother so hopefully we will have updates soon. We have decided to name our next little boy Max. My due date is June 25th but we are hoping for anytime at this point...!

Like I said we also bought a house. We will put some pictures up next month after we actually close. We are still waiting on a couple things but we are really excited. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch. I am most excited about a fenced backyard (the boys will love it) and a garage so I don't have to carry groceries up to a third floor apartment anymore! Our timing has made things interesting - we bought a house and are having a baby the same month. It might be a little insane for a while...luckily we have a lot of family willing to help!

Some Spencer Updates

2009-03-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

We are still alive over here in Oregon! Life has just been busy. We've been to California and Idaho to visit family and Drew has been in the middle of his busy season. Things are calming down a bit now as everyone is home again! We are excited to announce that baby number two is a boy so we are pretty much set and ready for this one!

We really enjoyed the warmish weather in California and seeing my Grandparents!Spencer gets along great with his uncle Cameron in Boise. Spencer calls him "Cam" and they both have an innate love for throwing balls around. It is a good thing Spencer is having a brother!

Christmas!

2009-01-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post a few pictures of our fun Christmas in Boise. Spencer's favorite toy shoots out balls! He loved it, and still plays with it all the time. He especially likes if I aim it at him and the balls shoot towards him.

We went to Dad's house, Mom's house, and Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas and Spencer was very tired by the end of the day. He fell asleep on Drew's lap - our Spencer is not much of a snuggler, he never does that.
When we got back to Portland we had another Christmas and by this time Spencer was getting pretty good at opening presents (with some help).
He also liked his "cell phone," which he obviously knows how to use.
Another favorite toy was the "ball pit" - notice a theme...
Finally, we were back at our apartment cleaning up. Spencer was a big help. He enjoyed sitting nice and snug in a box with his ball toy.

Thanks to everyone who made it such a fun Christmas! We can't wait until next year when we have two...

A White Christmas

2009-01-08T19:11:00.001-08:00

We spent time in Boise and Portland this year for Christmas and both looked like this. This is before the real storm hit in Portland but we caught a little bit. Spencer wasn't the biggest fan of the snow! It's a little hard to walk in when it covers your legs!

Here comes Number Two!!

2008-12-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

It has taken me a little while to get this posted but I am expecting a baby at the end of June. I'm almost done with the first trimester and feeling better (granted I have only been moderately sick but excessively exhausted). I can't imagine having two yet. What do you do if they don't nap at the same time? I get everything done during nap time! And here is a picture of big brother learning to jump. (I'll try to get an ultrasound picture up soon - looks like we've already got a little thumb sucker!)

Young Women Ideas!

2008-11-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

I am adding a picture of Spencer because I know I'll get in trouble if I don't! Please ignore the mess in the background. I am actually writing to request ideas. I have recently been put in the Young Women's program at church so I am over the 12 to 17 year old girls. I know that many of you have participated in Young Women programs as youth or as leaders. My question is really open ended - what activities, lessons, special events, personal progress techniques, etc. were particularly effective. I am especially concerned about getting the girls excited about personal progress and getting the girls to be the leaders of our activities. I am also considering making a goal for all the leaders and young women to read the Book of Mormon in 2009. Are there any reading calendars or techniques you have found effective for that? I would be grateful for any advice or ideas at all as I am very new at this! If you have an idea that is too long for the comment page feel free to email me: kacey.ableman@gmail.com. Thanks everyone!

Tagged!

2008-11-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Okay so I am really slow at responding but Karla tagged me awhile ago and here goes. Last time I was tagged I failed to respond but I am trying to be better at blogging regularly! I am supposed to list six quirky things about me:

I hate being late. This might be a surprise to some of you who have seen me arrive late to many an event but it stresses me out. When Drew and I have a flight to catch I submit a time of departure and so does Drew. We usually go with a time in the middle of the two to avoid sitting for hours or running through the airport!

I really dislike mushrooms and I suppose this in and of itself isn’t too crazy but I take the time to strain mushrooms from cream of mushroom soup. That’s probably a little weird.

I love lists and especially crossing things off lists. When I was in school and had to practice 3 hours a day I would write down twelve 15s so I could cross them all off. Sometimes I even write things down I’ve already finished just so I can cross them off.

I have a problem with self control when it comes to reading. I have to plan when to start a book because I know nothing will get done for a few days. I’m not the kind of person that can always be reading a book.

I can’t whistle. It drives me nuts sometimes but for the most part I have given up trying. And don’t try to teach me because believe me - I’ve heard it all before.

I like putting milk in my ice cream, especially in mint chocolate chip. And occasionally I will put ice in my milk.

I am tagging:
Michelle
Katrina
Marel
Juliann

Fall!

2008-10-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the season, especially leaves and football! Unfortunately, Spence fell and scraped his finger just after this. Probably because the leaves are fun but slippery!

We went to my cousin's football game and during halftime Spencer got a little time on the field. He went out for a few passes and ran this one in for a touchdown! (At least in Drew's imagination.)

And we have been learning to use a spoon, which is a little scary. As you can see accuracy is not Spencer's number one concern. But he is having fun!

Go Boise State!

2008-10-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had plenty of pictures of Spence in his BYU stuff so here he is in Boise State (he is a torn child). When BYU and BSU play each other in a few years we may have some struggles in the Ableman household (although since I am the one writing this I must add that if it were not for BYU our family would not even exist). Anyway, Drew's dad got Spencer this outfit for Christmas and it fits him perfectly, just in time for football season (thanks Dad!).

Here's to the Craft Girls!

2008-09-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well I promised my cousins I would post on our recent trip to Utah so here are some pictures. Drew had a training in SLC so I tagged along and we stayed for the weekend so we could go to the BYU game. It was a fun trip and good to see all the fam!

Here we are with Lindsey, Whitney, and Casi. We also saw "T" (picture below) and Courtney who we failed to get a picture with (sorry Court!).

Spencer got a new BYU hat! Isn't he cute, even with some foreign substance stuck to his cheek!

Drew REALLY likes Krispy Kreme so we had to stop by on our way out of Provo.

I also got to see my best friend Michelle who deserted me for her husband (ironically also named Drew) and now lives in Utah (boo).

Michelle, Spence, and I explored the Planetarium by the Gateway Mall and had tons of fun. It's free to look around and Spence loved all the balls everywhere (he is a little obsessed with balls). Here he is walking on the "moon".

I think this picture pretty much sums up the rest of the trip. Spence and I wandered around SLC and hung out in the hotel waiting for Drew to get done with work. I read a book while Spencer napped and all in all it was very relaxing!

I had to add one more for the sake of nostalgia. This is Spencer last September. I can't believe he was ever that small!

The World Welcomes Another CPA!

2008-09-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Drew who found out this last weekend that he passed all four parts of the CPA exam on his first try! He won't be certified until he works as an accountant for a year and passes an ethics exam but the hard part is over. My parents got the last results mailed to their house (we were using it as a permanent address) so we tricked Drew into going to a fancy steak place and had the waiters put the test results in his menu. It was a very fun evening!

Spencer is One - well actually 13 months now!

2008-08-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest Ableman good news - Spencer is walking! It looks a little more like a drunk march than a walk but we think it is cute. He started just a couple weeks ago and has not stopped! Drew started his job and we got our first real paycheck. That's exciting! Here are some recent pictures to keep you updated:

Spencer really enjoyed his birthday cake. At first he was a little afraid of it but as you can see, that didn't last!

Now that he is walking, he loves to do it and gets a little angry if he is picked up!

Spencer has such a goofy little personality. He is his own person for sure!

Although, he does come by it naturally. Here is Drew having some fun getting stuck in one of Spence's new toys. Drew is going to get me for posting this!

Spence loves the Zoo. Maybe it is because he finds kindred spirits there!

We've moved!

2008-05-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Another long delay but this time I have an excuse: moving! We are finally all set up in Portland. We are enjoying our new apartment and especially its location. We are close to everything! Spencer is crawling like a mad man and pulling himself up onto everything. He's getting even cuter, take a look:

Congrats on the Graduation Drew!

He sure loves his baths

This is Spencer's first trip to the Zoo!

Aren't my boys cute!

And this is Spencer's first swim. He really enjoyed it!

Last but not least, these two give a good glimps of his little personality! And his teeth!

Graduation is almost here!

2008-04-11T15:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some updated pictures of Spencer. He is a budding pianist.

We are so lucky to have such a happy baby. But that doesn't mean we don't have our moments...

Drew didn't like the hair in that above picture but I thought it was funny!

Spencer is helping mommy pack! This is about all I've done!

I love the bum-in-the-air sleeping position. This can't be comfortable :)

Seven Months!

2008-02-27T17:35:00.000-08:00

Well the last seven months have flown by. Spencer is closer to his first birthday than he is to his birth! New to the last couple of days is the beginnings of a little tooth. You can't really see it yet, it's just a little white point, but you can feel it. Here are some cute pictures:

The laundry basket is a fun toy!

And Drew wanted me to add this one, even though it is a little late!

One more picture!

2007-12-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

I think this one is funny. My nose is smashed and Drew is munching Spencer's eye but Spencer is just smiling away!

Sorry it's been so long!

2007-12-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

I really struggle to keep this thing updated, sorry about that! Spencer is four months old and growing like crazy. He rolled over for the first time yesterday but I wasn't there to see it. He chose to roll over for the first time during the only two hours I was gone yesterday. Drew witnessed it though. He hasn't done it again yet...

We got Spencer's pictures taken and they are so cute! Drew didn't want me to put them on here because we are giving them to our family as Christmas presents but I couldn't help myself. Here are a few more:

Merry Christmas!

And here is one of all of us:

Finally this one, Drew loves it!

The Recent Adventures of the Ablemans

2007-10-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I suppose it gets boring to look at the same pictures over and over, although they are cute! So this month we have had some adventures, starting with Drew's infected finger. He pulled out a hangnail and as you can tell it got very infected. It eventually drained but I will spare you those pictures. Drew sure complained about it!

On a lighter note, we went to a jumping gym for my cousins twentieth birthday party. Don't worry, my mom was there to watch Spencer, we just grabbed him for this picture. It was pretty fun!

Finally, I think we need some updated pictures of Spencer because lets face it, he's a lot cuter than an infected finger. This is a picture of him with a football Grandpa Pete gave him. Let the brainwashing begin!

And here are some pictures of him about to go on a run with daddy, starting to enjoy his toys, and getting a bath. Basically looking cute in general.

Ouch!

2007-10-03T20:43:00.001-07:00

Spencer got his two month vaccines yesterday and as you can tell he wasn't too happy about it. He did get some pretty stylin' band-aids though! It was so sad, he was looking at the nurse, calm and content with no idea what was coming. The next second he was screaming for his life! It wouldn't have been so hard if he hadn't been in such a good mood beforehand! I guess it's better than Hepatitis!

And I thought I'd add this - Spencer hard at work, studying with Dad. Or, and this is more likely, keeping up on the news at espn.com!

2007-09-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone in the blogging world! This is my first attempt, thanks to Kristen Tutt's encouragement! I suppose it is a good way to keep everyone updated on Spencer's progress. Here is a start: Spencer was born at the end of July. He weighed 8 pounds 8.5 ounces and was 22 inches long. The little hair he has is red (compliments of Grandpa Craft) and he is smiling and getting cuter by the day!