The Speer Family Blog

Alivia's 4th Birthday Party

2012-02-19T18:01:00.001-08:00

Paul had so much fun at Alivia's 4th birthday party. It was overwhelming at first...bowling, flashing lights, loud music. But then he got used to it and had a really great time throwing the ball down the alley (without a ramp) and playing with the other kids.

Hanging with Daddy while Mommy is Running

2012-02-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Like Her Mama

2012-02-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

Poor Joy. Like her Mama, capris fit her nicely as appropriate length pants.

Outside!

2012-02-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

It was so sunny outside yesterday that I couldn't wait to get out. It was pretty chilly, though. We had fun for a little while anyways.

I Look Like Clay

2012-02-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

Every time Paul pushes any kind of glasses up on his head, he says he "looks like Clay."

Baby in a Basket

2012-02-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hyenas

2012-02-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

Paul is really into Lion King, especially the hyenas. He wanted us to make a hyena craft. Shawn and I worked together on this one, which is complete with a Cana hair mane.

Trey and the Symphony

2012-02-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Shawn and I had a wonderful time at Trey and the Pittsburgh Symphony. We really appreciate Grandma and Grandpa managing the troops while we were gone!

Shoes

2012-02-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

Joy showing off her sparkly shoes that finally fit her!

Tons of Fun in the Snow

2012-02-16T17:09:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves Daddy!

2012-02-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Snow!

2012-02-12T09:37:00.001-08:00

We had fun sled riding for the first time this year yesterday.

Sand Box

2012-02-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Joy is finally starting to somewhat understand that she is not supposed to eat the sand. They both enjoy playing in the indoor sandbox.

Making Bird Feeders

2012-02-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

I had the bright idea of making bird feeders out of bread crusts, peanut butter and crushed up cereal. It didn't actually make a good bird feeder at all, but the kids had fun making a mess. I couldn't believe how much fun Joy was having gobbling up the cereal and peanut butter.

Sippy Cup

2012-02-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

Joy really likes to drink from a sippy cup now. When she sees Paul with his, she wants hers. Also, just a couple days ago, she finally started saying "Mama." She's been saying "Dada" for a while now. The jury is still out whether she knows what she is saying.

Warm Days, Sick Days

2012-02-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in forever because Paul, Joy and I have been so, so sick. In the last 2 weeks, we have been to 5 doctors appointments. Note to self: don't have any more kids...2 sick kids + sick mommy is terrible. I couldn't imagine having any more. We have had horrible colds/sinus stuff and Joy had her first ear infection.

Despite all that, we've managed to have some fun. The warm weather cheers us up. This day we were outside "hunting for dinosaurs," Paul's newest interest. We couldn't believe all the yellow flowers!

Outside Fun

2012-01-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

Boy was it great to get outside for a while today. Paul is able to entertain himself immensely better outside than inside. The best part was we didn't watch any tv at all today!

Visit with Grandma and Pappy

2012-01-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

We all had a very nice visit with Grandma and Pappy. Paul and Grandma had an adventurous safari in Africa all day, complete with a tent to play in. He fell asleep in the car and fussed for just a little while when I put him to bed. He said, "I want Grandma...I want Grandma." Lucky for him, he's going to have an overnighter with Grandma and Pappy this week!

Joy was very pleased to discover corn on the cob.

Class

2012-01-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

Paul is teaching...Joy is eating the students

Pasta

2012-01-20T16:24:00.001-08:00

Both kids enjoying some pasta. I figured it would be best to just take Joy's shirt off.

It's beginning to look like all we do is eat!

Dentist Day

2012-01-20T16:23:00.001-08:00

Getting Paul to wear a mask for laughing gas at the dentist was a fail. However, we did have a nice lunch at Max and Erma's instead.

New Backpack

2012-01-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

Big guy showing off his new backpack

Speers at the Mall

2012-01-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a trip to the mall while Shawn was off for Martin Luther King Day.

The Smith Family

2012-01-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

Bill, Katie and Emma Smith for the Steelers one playoff game this year. Emma in the Steelers cheer outfit handed down from Joy.

Bryce's 3rd Birthday Party

2012-01-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

We all had a very nice time at Bryce's 3rd birthday party. Paul bounced his heart out in the bouncy house. Lauren outdid herself with the decorations: even homemade Toy Story cake pops and theme cookies. Paul liked playing Pin the Badge on Buzz and Woody. Joy wanted in the bouncy house so badly!!

New Bible Stories

2012-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to getting access to the free Bible videos that came with Paul's new Bible, and they are very nice.

Visit with Kristie

2012-01-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

It was great to catch up with Kristie on Thursday now that she is back in PA. Paul had a really fun time building giant towers of blocks with her and Joy played contentedly with her while I packed up the car.

Sawing

2012-01-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Paul thought Grandpa's massager made a fantastic saw. He played for a long time sawing up a bunch of pieces of wood he found.

Sibling Love!

2012-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

My Tunnel

2012-01-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

You better be there to catch me on the other side, or I'll fall on my nose!

Outside!

2012-01-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

It was warm enough to get outside for a while. Paul was excited to play lawn darts.

Visit with Jacinta and Jacob

2012-01-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we met Jacinta and Jacob at the Steubenville Public Library. They had a nice little area for the kids to play and they had tons of fun. Joy did have to put everything in her mouth.

Packing for the Trip

2012-01-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

Shawn went down to Annapolis this week so we spent the week at Grandma and Grandpa's. Here is Joy helping pack!

Parting the Red Sea

2012-01-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

One of the activities in Paul's Bible devotional was to make a "Red Sea" and try to part the water. We used tools of all types to try to part it and Paul had a good time.

Fantasy Football League Party

2012-01-09T08:32:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Shawn for winning his fantasy football league this year. We had a very enjoyable party to celebrate. It was really nice to see everyone from the band, especially the babies, Ezra (9 months) and Emma (2.5 months). It was nice to meet some new folks too. Paul was excited about the little girl Maddie coming to play, but he didn't end up being in a very sharing mood.

I was supposed to also be at Gina's shower this day, but I got horribly, horribly sick to my stomach the night before. Thank God for helping me make it through the day and that the party was a success.

Outside!

2012-01-09T08:14:00.001-08:00

At first I had Joy all bundled up in her heavy winter outfit. She hates that outfit, she can't move. Since it was about 50 degrees, I changed her into her other outfit. Then she had tons of fun playing in the mud, eating mud, leaves, sticks and anything else she could get her quick little fingers on.

Maybe Blueberries Weren't Such a Good Idea

2012-01-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Joy's First Day in the Nursery

2012-01-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

As Joy is getting way to wiggly to sit with me in church anymore, it was time to send her to the nursery. Robin was not there Sunday, so I was the nursery teacher. So, Joy's first day in the nursery was uneventful. She did have fun watching Paul, Chad and Allee.

Visit with Keli and Max

2012-01-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

We all had fun visiting with Keli and Max. He is sitting up now with assistance and is very interested in what Paul and Joy are doing.

The Week After Christmas

2012-01-03T14:50:00.001-08:00

Paul in the Santa hat...two kids in the tub...

Speer Family Christmas

2011-12-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

We all had a very nice time with Shawn's family for Christmas. Paul had a blast playing with his cousins. It was a rainy day but the kids still got to visit the cows.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was a big day. The best part of all was when Paul saw that Santa had come and that the "Polar Express" was going around under the tree just like on the movie. They enjoyed their presents and we had a nice morning. Then we went out to the festivities at Grandma and Grandpa and they had tons of fun. It was a great day!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

Early in the day we watched the Steeler game, Joy and Paul exchanged presents and Shawn and I exchanged presents.

We went to Linda's Muse Church for Christmas Eve because it was at 5 and the 7 o'clock service at EBPC was to late. I was very glad we went. It was a nice service and her other parishioners enjoyed meeting Joy and Paul. They were fairly well behaved through church but it was a challenge! Joy screamed all the way home, of course.

Shawn and I enjoyed our new tradition of Christmas Eve bananas foster and hot toddies.

We decided to scale back Christmas this year just because these kids have so much stuff already. I'm not sure how I feel about the scaled back Christmas yet.

December 23

2011-12-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

This day we turned the kitchen into Polar Express; we had tracks and scenes from the movie running all over the room. Paul loved it!

Joy really enjoyed having some spaghetti with us for dinner.

Under the Tree

2011-12-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

Santa

2011-12-21T13:03:00.001-08:00

Today was Paul's school Christmas party. He seemed to have a good time. However, he wanted no parts of seeing Santa!! Joy did plop down long enough for a photo-op.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-12-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today is Shawn's 34th birthday. I had planned a breakfast out for us, since Joy is so cranky at night and our night time activities are very limited. Paul had a great time playing at Peg's basement with Judy and Joy actually did well with Grandma. We had a nice calm breakfast at the Tower Restaurant, which has become quite a dive.

With all the sickness and whatnot, I had not gotten Shawn a birthday cake. It was quite fortuitous that today our Harry and David gift from Uncle David showed up with a cheesecake! Birthday cake after all! We sang and Paul helped blow out the candles.

Church Christmas Party

2011-12-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

We have been so, so sick, but we made it to the church Christmas party. Paul puked Thursday and Friday and he is still not eating right and not feeling right. I felt really awful on Saturday and not much better Sunday. I'm getting better. Joy got it bad starting at the Christmas party and the worst was Monday morning. Yesterday she peed, puked and pooped on me. I call that the mommy hat trick.

Anyway, despite it all we did make it to the Christmas party. I was in charge of the gingerbread cookie decorating. I was glad we made it because Paul had a blast! He had lots of fun playing the games. He had Chad had a gift exchange.

Cruisin'

2011-12-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Joy is now cruising; she walks back and forth along the side of the tub holding on to the edge.

Visit with Gina

2011-12-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice visit with Gina today. She brought presents for both kids; an outfit for Joy and a Thomas matching game and marker coloring book for Paul. They had a blast playing together with both. Doesn't she look great for being almost 30 weeks?

The bad thing was that not long after she left, Paul puked all over the steps. He hadn't seemed sick, although he hadn't eaten much that day. He hasn't puked since, so I don't know what was up. I hope Gina doesn't get sick. Or the rest of us for that matter.

King of the Burn Pile

2011-12-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

When will we ever burn this burn pile? I don't know. You can see it easily from the highway now. Maybe we'll wait till it can be seen from space.

A Mess

2011-12-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

This picture doesn't even really show how MESSY Joy was. Paul really liked the hard ginger snaps when he was teething, so I tried them with Joy. She got just as messy as he did.

First Fundraiser

2011-12-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Paul's class had an easy fundraiser at CiCi's Pizza. All they had to do was go there and eat! Shawn took Paul and they had tons of fun.

Paul's First Day of School!

2011-12-12T15:32:00.001-08:00

Here is the big guy on his first day of preschool at Bethel Church Preschool. He did not cry when I dropped him off or picked him up. The teachers said he had a few meltdowns but nothing out of the ordinary. He is excited to go back Wednesday. Before he went to school, Shawn and I filled up his pockets with "Mommy's love' and "Daddy's love." He was supposed to take some out if he got scared. I think it helped.

Paul's Big Performance

2011-12-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

Paul got his picture taken in front of the Christmas tree, performed a skit about the Wise Men (which he did a great job memorizing), and played the bells for the first time in church. He did very well with all of that. He did have an extremely difficult time sitting quietly waiting until it was time to perform! Unfortunately all the pictures I took of him performing came out blurry.

Merry Christmas from Max

2011-12-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Tug's 6th Birthday Party

2011-12-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Paul had tons of fun at Tug's party. Joy was a crab most of the time. She sure is teething badly!

She has been officially crawling for a couple weeks. She is now capable of going where she wants to go!

Second Annual Speer/Williams Christmas Party

2011-12-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

Paul, Olivia, Joy, JJ, Dina and I had a great time at the Christmas gift exchange today. The kids opened presents, made a glitter craft with Paul's new glitter, played with the cows in the barn, and had a Christmas music dance party among other things. They had a ton of fun and everyone should be well worn out!

You Caught Me!

2011-12-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

This will be a good one to display at her graduation party!

Another Cute Holiday Outfit

2011-12-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

Already?!

2011-12-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

Joy is into the dishwasher already!

Visit with Keli, Clay and Max

2011-12-03T15:12:00.001-08:00

I was so glad to get to visit with Keli and Clay and Max today. Joy and I got to have some quality time with Max and Clay got to have some quality time with Paul playing hockey.

Joy is getting worse and worse with her stranger anxiety. Many times she will start bawling when she sees just a strange face.

Escape Cutie

2011-12-03T05:03:00.000-08:00

I was trying to take a picture of Joy in her cute little Christmas dress and there she goes escaping!

Entertainment

2011-12-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

A dirty pot means entertainment for Cana and Joy!

Outdoor Activities

2011-11-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here's Paul deer hunting: I told him if he found a deer he could throw a stick at it. He took it very seriously and we "hunted" for a good while.

He also decided to build a fire and did a pretty great job of building a little stick pyramid. Joy had fun digging in the dirt and trying her hardest to eat it.

Shopping

2011-11-28T04:40:00.001-08:00

We are no black Friday shoppers for sure, but we did run out to Sears yesterday. Shawn was entertaining Paul while I tried to find some dress tights and shoes for Joy.

Enjoying Every Bit of Warm Weather!

2011-11-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

Climbing up on Her Crib

2011-11-28T04:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Joy is climbing up on her crib and chewing away on it already! She is pulling herself up on everything, but she has no balance. She's had quite a few knocks to the head already. I expect her to be walking before I know it.

Tree Trimming

2011-11-28T04:24:00.000-08:00

Paul was so crazy excited about everything having to do with the Christmas tree! I think the best part was we have this old, falling apart about 10 inch high little Christmas tree decoration. Paul started carrying it around as his "very own Christmas tree" and is still carrying it around today!

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Turkey Trot was very nice (26:43) and we had a wonderful day visiting with family. It was especially nice to see Aunt Mary and Uncle Rob. Paul ate LOTS at the Thanks a Bunch Feast. He was a very good helper to Grandma...tearing bread, peeling potatoes and setting the table.

Cupboards Already?!

2011-11-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

I just can't believe Joy is getting into the cupboards already. She wants to pull herself up, get in there, and take stuff out! She still isn't crawling well, just scooting all over. But, she wants to try to pull herself up on everything. The problem is she doesn't have any balance once she gets up!

Happy First Birthday Charlotte!

2011-11-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe, Charlotte is 1! Paul had a blast at her party and did not want to leave. The pictures are of him decorating a cake.

New Music Toy

2011-11-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

Joy likes her new (old) music toy. Not as much as Paul did, though. Nor does she like the jumperoo as much as he did. She does not like to be restrained, ever! I'm lucky to get 10 minutes out of her in either sit-in toy.

Visit with Grandma and Pappy

2011-11-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

We all had a wonderful time visiting with Grandma and Pappy on Saturday!

Paul's First Time Bowling

2011-11-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

Paul loved his first bowling experience! The ramp was a must. The best part was when the balls would pop out of the machine, he would say, "Thank you machine! You are the best machine ever!" He carried that 6 lb ball around like a champ. We only had to get the manager twice to retrieve errant balls.

Beforehand we went to the outlets to get shoes for me. Then we went to Wendy's to use his Frosty coupon.

Joy stayed with Grandma Ely. She threw a pretty big fit when she realized we were gone. But, she survived.

I Don't Need a Nap!

2011-11-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

The kid who never needs a nap. We had a very exciting afternoon, a party for "Splatter" and "Dodge," Paul's newest trains. Must have been quite a party!

Max

2011-11-18T16:33:00.001-08:00

Max Henderson at 3 months.

New Balls

2011-11-18T16:32:00.001-08:00

Daddy made a special trip to Dicks to buy new balls after Paul's old basketball deflated.

Warm and Windy Day

2011-11-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed some time outside today while there was a little break in the wind. Joy had so much fun trying to crawl in the grass and Paul worked on his bike.

We all chowed down on some chicken wings for dinner, even Joy!

Busy Saturday

2011-11-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

We had a nice visit with Laura, Aidan and Emerson Saturday morning. All the kids had fun on the swing set at the same time!

Then, we visited with Chris and extended family. As always, Paul had tons of fun running around with the 4 nieces. Becky enjoyed some baby time...she is 17 weeks along now.

Chocolate Covered Oreos

2011-11-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Jacinta got us hooked on chocolate covered Oreos!

In other news, finally Paul is old enough for the Eagles Nest and Joy is big enough to ride in my backpack. Today was my first solo large grocery shopping trip in over 6 months. And it was successful!

Rotten Tomato Battle

2011-11-09T18:19:00.001-08:00

While clearing out the garden today, we decided to take Grandpa's advice and have a rotten tomato battle. Paul enjoyed it! Joy enjoyed chewing on the pepper plants. I also included a picture of her conversing with Clifford.

Beautiful Day

2011-11-08T07:02:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day so we started by collecting the morning glory seeds. Then Paul fell asleep in his swing.

Helping Dave and Amanda

2011-11-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Fortunately Paul had some good entertainment on Sunday too...helping Dave and Amanda unload a bunch of stuff out of their trailer into the barn. Paul LOVES to help them.

Crazy, Crazy Saturday

2011-11-08T06:21:00.001-08:00

It all started with me waking up at 3 am with a horrible sore throat and the worst sinus pressure I've ever felt. I took some medicine but only got about 20 more minutes of sleep that night. We were to be hosting the Ivanacs, Gibb, Ginnie and Pax and Fina that afternoon for a get together. I was feeling crappy but thankfully Cindy surprisingly showed up to help with the kids for the day. We managed to be ready for company when they arrived. Right after dinner Shawn got the call that his dad had had a heart attack. He rushed off to the hospital. Everyone helped me clean up and left. Paul was all hopped up on Jacinta's chocolate covered Oreos and wild from playing with the kids. I was worried, sick, and ridiculously tired. I just couldn't keep up with him so I called Stephanie. God bless her, she was watching her cousin up the road and let me bring Paul up there for a while. Then my mom came to take care of us. Thank goodness for help. Fortunately, Pappy is recovering well and should come home today.

Joy Crawls!

2011-11-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Joy has been trying to crawl for a while but only managed to push herself backwards. Tonight, in her bare feet, she finally crawled! Several times, she took one crawly step then fell on her nose.

Enjoying the Wonderful Weather

2011-11-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

We all had a great time at the creek today! I did have a lot of trouble convincing Paul that it was too cold to get in.

Legos

2011-11-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

Paul earned his stickers yesterday, and the last thing he needed was another toy, so we bought a huge bin of Legos. Look at our Lego city!

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Once again it was another fun year of Trick or Treating with Kaitlyn, Tugs and Hannah. Paul was a real trooper carrying his heavy bucket just like the big kids. Joy also did just fine riding around on my back watching all the strangeness. Then, Joy discovered Uncle Kevin's cat, Sylvester!

Paul's Third Birthday

2011-11-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

We got Paul a very realistic cement truck he wanted for his actual birthday. He enjoyed the surprise and has had lots of fun playing with it. We also had another round of cake, candles and singing.

The Day is Done

2011-10-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

What a long, exciting and eventful day for everyone. We read Paul's new Clifford book and he cuddled up with his new Clifford from Grandma Cowan.

Paul's Third Birthday Party

2011-10-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous time Paul had at his 3rd birthday party at the Trolley Museum. A very special thanks to all the people who worked so hard to make it a wonderful day, especially Grandma Cowan and Gina for taking the pictures. Paul was so, so excited and is now having tons of fun playing with all his new toys. Joy did really great spending the day with various grandparents, especially Grandma Speer and Grandma Ely.

Snow!

2011-10-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Surprise! Before the birthday party, we had to go outside and play in the snow!

Too Cute

2011-10-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Jammie Time

2011-10-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Two Sick Kids Passed Out in the Swing

2011-10-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

I guess they needed a nap.

Trying to Get Stuff Done

2011-10-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I managed to get the floor mopped, but this is what Paul did to "Cana's Kitchen" in the mean time.

Tunnel

2011-10-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Farmer George cut a path to the tunnel. What a fun place to make an echo!

Holding Hands

2011-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Paul and Bryce

2011-10-22T16:40:00.000-07:00