Kim and Spencer tour SoCal

Kim, the vacationing special ed teacher, and little Spencer, who is a professional flirt and smiley guy, visited Spencer's Los Angeles aunties early this month of June. I will defer to Kim to fill you in further on her blog, but here are some of my highlights:

While Auntie Deanna was race car driving, Kim and Spencer spent Saturday, 6/7, with me. We interrupted Spencer's car nap to get down to a craggy beach below a snotty Malibu neighborhood where they sic the local sheriff on you for daring to park near their oversized houses:). This was Spencer's first visit to the beach. While I drove the six or seven miles to the nearest non-prohibited parking space and then hiked back to the beach, Kim descended the stairs to the beach with the tired Spencer. Spencer perked up once when he saw the water and said "Oh, Wow." But once down on the sand he wanted to be held again and he spent the rest of his time doing what you see him doing in the picture.

So we hiked the arduous and hot distance back to the hot car and drove back to my apartment pool, swam some, and then ate popsicles. Then we headed out for some Korean food. We had some adventures in using 1800free411 to get directions to BCD Tofu House, which we finally found. Luckily, Spencer was very content in his car seat. Kim and Spencer are true Wilsons and enjoyed a foray into un-boring food realm. Spencer even like the pickled cabbage with only a slight bit of a little shiver when he hit the pickled cabbage juice!

Spencer got to spend Sunday with me while his mommy helped out Deanna. He was such a good boy and was friendly with everybody at church and climbed on and explored all the furniture. At home after church, he ate a banana and three bites of ramen noodles for lunch. I got him to repeat all the names of the vegetables I was eating and say "yum!" after each one, but couldn't get him interested in actually eating any himself. Then he went back to climbing on furniture and bumped his head. Being comforted and having his head rubbed was a perfect segway into a nap on the inflatable mattress. He loves to sleep with his arms around your neck and loves to pet hair. Since I am a very good napper myself, Spencer and I snoozed for about 2 hours. Then we played and took a walk and etc. before driving up to join Deanna and Kim.

Monday we took a second shot at the beach, this time in Santa Monica. First we went to the Santa Monica Pier, where Spencer and his ladyfriends rode the carousel.

Then Spencer had some superjuice and Deanna had some tea, and both felt refreshed.


We walked around the pier some.

Spencer is a very friendly little guy and says "Hi" to everyone he makes eye contact with.
Here he is making friends with a doggie and his owner.



Afterwards, we were ready to hit the beach itself.



First Spencer contemplated the waves.



Then his mommy helped him get his feet wet. He didn't like the cold, fish-y smelling Pacific ocean crashing over his tender little toes and screamed in displeasure!


He required a little comforting.


Then Auntie Deanna helped him build a sandpile (the precursor to a sandcastle)..




..and soon he was feeling much better!
So much better that he got a hankering to taste the sand, which he made a few attempts at, thwarted by mommy. On the third try he just swiftly bent down and, all in one motion, licked the sand and popped back up and thought no one noticed. We hooted!




Here's Spencer kissing up to all the right people!



Here's the beach with the pier (with rides) up above:



We drove back to Auntie Deanna's house afterwards and everyone except me sacked out for a while. I took pictures of the people who were sacked out!




We then took cousin Rhino and cousin Ernie for a walk in the neighborhood (cousin Ernie was busy peeing on a bush and missed being in this picture.)



When asked how he felt about his day at the beach, Spencer said, "I came, I saw, I conquered!"