Spear Stuff

Las Vegas Baby!

2011-01-16T18:44:00.009-07:00

We had a blast in Las Vegas this weekend with Melanie, Josie and Emmy Decker and Whitney and Jeanne Spear. Whitney, Drew's sister just came back from her mission to Poland and she now attends SUU again so we decided to meet in the middle. The minute I told Melanie that I was coming to Vegas she tried to figure out a way to get there. We had so much fun all together. Brooklyn and Riley mobbed Whitney before she could get inside the hotel door. Riley even gave Whitney a kiss which she never does.

Emmy had never been to Las Vegas so we showed her our favorite places, such as the M and M factory, the Bellagio water show, the Aquarium at Caesar's Palace and the gondola's at the Venetian. We hot tubbed, ate a lot of yummy food, and even drove around town looking for food for over an hour. Ask Melanie about her seatbelt incident, hilarious!!

Here's my biannual blog post. You're welcome!

2010-11-28T17:56:00.004-07:00

We have been having fun adjusting to our new life. We have been to many new and exciting places. The girls got to experience the beach and Disneyland for the first time. We went to the zoo, had a great time trunk or treating, and went to San Diego over Thanksgiving break. Brooklyn got to pan for gold, her dream come true. Brooklyn also turned seven years old, I can't believe it. Here's some of our favorite pics. Enjoy!

Summer Fun

2010-07-19T22:13:00.003-06:00

Due to popular demand, I am updating my blog. I try to do it twice a year if I am lucky. I have had quite the busy summer. We have been to many baby blessings, swimming, and I even surprised Drew for his thirtieth birthday. It was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came! Somehow it involved a lot of camping, which, if you know me at all, isn't my favorite thing to do. I went to Girl's camp, we had our first annual Ray Humpherys reunion where we went camping at Pineview Resevoir. We also have been to wheeler farm, hogle zoo, Lagoon and I just got back from the Dean and Neva reunion camping in Wyoming. It was all fun but unfortunately Drew has not been able to go much of these activities so I have tried to learn to be strong and I am so appreciative to all the people who help me with my crazy, strong spirited girls.

My girls have grown up so much these past few months. Riley is potty-trained and just turned three. She absolutely cruises on her big wheel. Brooklyn can ride a two-wheeler without training wheels and is working on not being afraid of the world. She can read just about anything and loves doing gymnastic tricks.

I am just trying to keep up with my wonderful family!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-02-01T09:18:00.002-07:00

Yes, I know it is the first of February, so bear with me. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving and Christmas. Melanie and Michelle had her baby and Lisa found out she will be having a boy in June. I just got called as the YW assistant camp director. We are busy with book clubs, church meetings, and basketball games. Brooklyn also just started dance class and is loving it. She teaches her routines to Riley. Life is good.

Here's my update!

2009-11-06T16:18:00.003-07:00

Well, this is for you Holly!

It's been three months since my last post and so much has happened. Here's our top ten list of changes:

1. We moved into a house

2. Brooklyn started Kindergarten

3. Drew loves his new job

4. Stephanie got called into YW and is very excited about it

5. Riley learned to climb out of her crib

6. Brooklyn lost her first tooth

7. Carter got his mission call to Fort Worth Texas

8. Brooklyn learned how to read

9. We had seven fantastic Halloween parties

10. Riley's vocabulary is expanding exponentionally!

Life has been crazy and exciting and very busy! We love living in Provo now so we can be close to family and of course the Jazz and BYU games. All of Stephanie's sisters are pregnant now so we are just waiting patiently for the new arrivals to come into the world.

Sister Fun!

2009-08-06T21:15:00.003-06:00

Well, we are back in Utah again...Provo to be exact. We are currently looking for a place to live while living in a hotel...not too shabby considering we get free breakfast every morning and hor doerves and desserts every night. My sisters came down with their kids and came swimming...so much fun! Holly our cousin even joined in on the fun...if you think watching two five year olds and three two year olds fun...hehehe...it's nice to be back with family, but don't think we'll ever forget about our good times and great friends in Cheyenne!

Brooklyn is Growing Up!

2009-06-13T12:40:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn just started swimming lessons for the first time. She loves it! My heart just melted when I took her to them. I remember my swimming lessons when I was her age. Time Flies!

Arches National Park

2009-05-30T20:48:00.003-06:00

Stephanie has tried to update the blog several times in the last month but just never seems to get it done. Here is a few photos from our most recent road trip. We drove on I-70 though Colorado and stopped for a few hours at Arches. The girls did great with the hike, and Steph didn't complain about the dirt TOO much. We had a great time getting to spend some time with the family.

2009-04-28T21:11:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to say that I love being a mom. My girls are so fun. They are best friends. They play so well for the most part.

Riley is so Smiley

2009-03-18T18:55:00.002-06:00

Riley is such a character. She was demanding food, and I was trying to get a picture on this blog, so she became inpatient and opened the door, went out to the kitchen, peeled her own banana, and came in with the banana. A piece in each hand. She's crazy! But we love her! Also, the other day Riley was putting petite carrots up her nose. Hilarious! Such a character.

Fun at the park

2009-02-26T22:07:00.002-07:00

We have finally moved to our new place. We love it for so many reasons. Yesterday we went to the park that is literally down the road less than two blocks. Riley is an animal going down the slides. Brooklyn was even brave to go down the steepest one. I just love my family and love living in Cheyenne.

Winter fun!

2009-02-02T09:26:00.002-07:00

Well, it's winter time in Cheyenne. But we still have fun going to a children's gym and playing in the snow. Drew had a super bowl party with some guys and Steph went to a friends house to be with all the wives of those guys that were with Drew. Anyway, it was a blast! We had homemade Cafe Rio and homemade icecream. Delicious!

I know, I know, it's been a long time!

2009-01-10T16:28:00.002-07:00

Well, the weeks have flown by with celebrations galore. I hope you enjoy all our favorite holiday pics. I will try to update this more often, no guarantees though. We are still loving Cheyenne!(besides the wind and cold.)

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

2008-11-24T18:23:00.002-07:00

We had quite the birthday for Brooklyn. I woke Brooklyn up saying, "Surprise!" She says, "You ruined my birthday. you were all supposed to hide in the other room and hide while I come in and say, 'where is everyone' and then everyone was supposed to pop out and say, 'surprise.'" So apparently I didn't "surprise" Brooklyn good enough. We tried to make it up to her by making her a smiley face pancake. For lunch we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory where we ate in a train car. We came home and Riley took a nap. Meanwhile Brooklyn, Drew, and Grandma and Grandpa Spear took a walk around the block. Then we went to Madagascar 2. It was our first movie together as a family. We ended it with Brooklyn blowing out a candle on a rice krispie treat. What a day!

Typical day with Stephanie

2008-11-12T08:05:00.003-07:00

Melanie is always wondering what I do all day, and this is it. Play dress-up with Teddy and Monkey, read plenty of books over and over again. I wouldn't change it for the world!

Trick-or-Treat

2008-11-01T16:48:00.003-06:00

We had such a great Halloween. We went to our friend's neighborhood. Brooklyn was the cutest little pirate ever! Riley was tired but she didn't whine one bit. I took her in and out of the stroller many times, that's right folks, I make my 15 month old beg for my candy. Ha! They both zonked when they came home. Drew and I snuggled and watched a scary movie afterwards.

All right, Melanie, you're next!

2008-10-28T10:20:00.002-06:00

5 years ago I...
1. Was pregnant with Brooklyn
2. Was living in Ephraim, Utah in the Castilleja dormitory
3. Was enjoying the fall weather on campus
4. Was hanging out with my cool Sister Melanie
5. Embroidering a baby blanket

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Go to a Halloween party
2. Scrapbook
3. Organize kitchen cupboards
4. Clean out my car
5. Read my scriptures

5 snacks i enjoy:
1. Double stuff mint oreos
2. Ruffles sour cream and cheddar chips
3. Banana splits
4. Cookie dough
5. Ranch cornuts or Doritos

5 places I have lived
1. Cheyenne, Wyoming
2. Holladay, Utah
3. Meridian, Idaho
4. Boston, Massachusetts
5. Chicago, Illinois
(I could go on forever)
5 jobs I have had
1. Deli girl at Smith’s
2. Baker at Maddox restaurant
3. Document scanner at the health department
4. Leasing agent at an apartment complex
5. Math paper corrector at college

Like I said, Melanie, you're next!

Fall Fun

2008-10-27T14:34:00.003-06:00

Here's our carved pumpkins. I love Halloween time!

October's Activities

2008-10-11T08:38:00.005-06:00

My girls are so silly. Riley's new trick is to bend over. We made Halloween cookies and they turned out delicious. We got a new stuffed animal, I couldn't resist. Riley took one look at Curious George the monkey and wouldn't let it go. She is our little monkey so it was quite appropriate. The girls love watching Scooby-doo every morning on the couch. They are such good friends. I love being their mom!

Continued update of last week

2008-09-26T19:09:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday we went to the park and then had a bbq at Lisa's house. On Friday we had quite the day and night. Read Lisa's blog for the update. Allison's party was a blast. It was so fun to see Ryan too.

Wednesday Wishes

2008-09-17T20:03:00.004-06:00

Today was yet again another fantastic day. We woke up at 6:15 in the morning, got ready and Gpa Ray used his wonderful taxi services and shuttled us to Melanie's house. We played outside until Lisa came. Of course chaos broke out with 5 crazy babies full of energy. We had a delicious lunch that Melanie made which consisted of a grilled chicken salad and for dessert, my favorite, old fashioned donuts. Yum! Then we found out that Meesh had her sweet baby Cooper so Lisa whisked the four children and drove to the hospital. Cooper is the cutest baby! He was making noises in his sleep as I held him. We even got to see Jeanne. Way to go Meesh! Then we drove to Target and had popcorn, pretzels, and slushees. Lisa's treat. What a great sister. Then we went to a children's gymnasium where Allison and Brooklyn played for an hour. They had such fun. Then we came home and had another delicious meal of chicken, guacamole and rice. Have you noticed that I like to eat? Then the kids went to bed. I am tired just writing about it!

Riley loves shoes!

2008-09-16T17:15:00.003-06:00

This picture says it all!

Tuesday morning exercises with Grandpa Ray

2008-09-16T17:10:00.002-06:00

The girls wake up around 6:30 in the morning. This is the time when Grandpa Ray exercises, and of course the girls want to join in the fun. What a great bonding moment.

Special Shirt

2008-09-16T17:04:00.003-06:00

Stephanie wore this shirt when she was little, and now Brooklyn fits into it. She looks so adorable in it!

Tuesday with Mommy Dear

2008-09-16T16:58:00.003-06:00

Today Brooklyn went swimming with Grandma Becky. We then got ready to go shopping. Brooklyn and Grandma curled their hair together. By the time we got to the store, Brooklyn had fallen asleep in the car. So we strolled her around in the stroller. She's quite the forty-pounder to push. Almost five years old now. We had a great time shopping. Mom just loves to spoil her daughter and granddaugters. We visited our favorite store, Seagull Book, and found some cute books. We got some new shoes for Brooklyn, and even some butterfly wings and dress up shoes for Riley.

Fun Family Pics

2008-09-16T16:52:00.002-06:00

Also on Sunday the girls had fun playing with Josie and Grandpa Ray. Grandpa Jones even came to visit. Riley went right to him. So sweet!

Monday fun

2008-09-16T16:43:00.003-06:00

This morning we went to Julie and Solomon's house. It was such a blast hanging out with those guys. Roman is growing up so quickly. Brooklyn and Solomon our such great cousins. They were so excited to see each other they fell to the ground hugging. We then went to Melanie's house. We shopped at Ikea, and of course Stephanie had to get one of those famous, delicious ice cream cones. Later that night Stephanie met up with her high school friends at Joe's Crab Shack. We have 7 kids total. It was such a blast catching up and doing the Macarena together. What a fantastic day!

Our Trip so Far

2008-09-16T16:15:00.005-06:00

Our plane trip to Utah was quite hectic. It was a relief to get past the checking of the bags and security. We got to the airport so early that we had more than an hour to wait until the girls got on the plane. Riley and Brooklyn kept themselves busy walking on the moving sidewalk. Thank heavens it was only an hour flight. Riley was all sugared up on the airplane, and she kept herself busy putting the eating tray up and down, up and down, but it was all worth it to see Melanie's sweet face at the airport. We went to my parents house and mom had made me delicious steak and a wonderfully huge strawberry pie. It's nice to be home.

Hotel Fun

2008-09-13T21:11:00.002-06:00

Tonight we are staying at the Crystal Inn in Denver, Colorado. We went swimming in the indoor pool. Stephanie didn't like the cold water but eventually got up to her waist. At first Riley didn't like the water, but Drew got her used to it. Brooklyn liked floating around on her innertube. Drew and her jumped into the pool together. More like Drew grabbed Brooklyn and took her down without a choice. Hilarious. We gotta help her face her fears somehow. The kids were in bed by nine. Not to bad for being in the same room at a different place.

Riley's appetite

2008-09-08T19:58:00.001-06:00

Sorry, no picture of food. Riley ate it all. Tonight Stephanie fed her and fed her, and when Stephanie stood up Riley tried to eat the crumbs off of her pants. She is a bottomless pit.

First day of School

2008-09-08T19:48:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn is in pre-school again. She is so excited. She is in a class with eight kids, 6 being boys. But no worries, Brooklyn can take it. She's a tomboy at heart. It's been an adjustment for Stephanie though because now she has to get Brooklyn to bed by 7 pm, which is quite the feat. She has heard every excuse in the book. Every night is a victory. Especially if she stays in her bed the whole night. Brooklyn has quite the imagination these days.

Pretty Princess

2008-08-28T19:50:00.004-06:00

Riley likes to dress up in Brooklyn's dress up clothes. Isn't she adorable!

Campout!

2008-08-27T15:32:00.004-06:00

Drew likes to "camp" with Brooklyn in our backyard. These other girls are her best friends, Gracie and Lydia. They didn't sleepover but they sure had fun playing in the tent. Brooklyn and Drew slept in there for two nights. Summer is almost over, so sad.

My Girls

2008-08-19T10:07:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn is such a sweet sister. They both love to read books, and I caught this moment on film when Riley asked Brooklyn to read her a story. Riley is learning to be "soft" instead of hitting, and of course she loves to climb on her push toy. She's such a rascal.

Teddy Bear Picnic

2008-08-19T09:53:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn and Stephanie had a girl's night out. The church had a mother-daughter activity where we got all dressed up and had little, delicious finger foods. We had so much fun.

We Miss Whit!

2008-08-16T20:46:00.004-06:00

We had such a great summer with Whitney Spear, Drew's sister. Brooklyn misses everything about her, including dancing in the rain. Drew misses playing slap jack and watching scare tactics with her late at night. Riley misses giving her fives and then touching pointer fingers together. Stephanie misses Whitney because she brings sanity to our crazy house. (i.e. helping silly string Drew when he gets out of line.) We love you Whitdawg!

Parade o' Fun

2008-07-26T18:49:00.003-06:00

We woke up early today and went to the Frontier days parade. Whitney walked in it pulling a handcart. Riley danced to the bands and waved at all the horses. Brooklyn held her ears for the most part, but did let them out enough to get a sucker in her mouth. There was a lot of horses, this is Wyoming, and a lot of old fashioned cars.

Family Bonding

2008-07-26T18:40:00.004-06:00

One of our favorite things to do as a family is wrestle. So Drew's sister, Whitney, who is living with us this summer, took this picture of us. We are so blessed to have each other.

Happy 24th of July

2008-07-26T18:31:00.002-06:00

We celebrated the 24th of July at a church stake activity. It was all you could eat scones, watermelon, and homemade rootbeer. (And boy did we eat all we could!) Stephanie had about 6 scones, Riley had at least 5 pieces of watermelon, and Drew kept going back for more drinks. Brooklyn spent the whole time in the volleyball sand pit.

Riley's new tricks

2008-07-24T20:43:00.003-06:00

Riley is growing more and more each day. Her new trick is climbing onto the couch and walking across the whole length and back. Needless to say it scares Stephanie half to death. And yet Riley just smiles.

Carnival fun!

2008-07-24T20:19:00.004-06:00

We had a great time during Frontier Days in good ole' Cheyenne, Wyoming. We took a school bus ride to the carnival. Drew won two stuffed animals for the girls. Brooklyn rode a fun car ride. And to top it all off Stephanie and Whitney shared a funnel cake. Delicious!

Riley's first birthday!

2008-07-20T18:29:00.002-06:00

Riley is one year old! We can't believe it. She has just been the greatest little girl and has really spoiled us as parents. We love her so much! Drew's family was in town for the occasion and it was great to have others around. Steph made some delicious lasagna for lunch and we got to follow that up with some great birthday cake and ice cream. We gave Riley her first bite of cake and first bite of ice cream and she absolutely loved it, of course! She smiled and ate until all of the food was gone. Grandma JJ gave Riley some cool sunglasses and her first backpack. She walked around like she was all grown up.

Six Flags!

2008-06-10T23:23:00.002-06:00

On Friday afternoon we drove to Denver and we stayed at the Crystal Inn by the airport. We had the hotel pick up Whitney from the airport in the morning and bring her to the hotel. Friday night we went out to eat, Brooklyn went swimming, and we just stayed up late hanging out with the kids. On Saturday morning after we had Whit with us again, we drove to the temple and Steph and I ran in and did about an hour worth of initiatory's. We then drove to Six Flags and spent the next 8 hours there. We had a great time, going here and there and trying to squeeze as much fun into one day as possible. Brooklyn had a blast and Riley was a trooper as well. Somehow I stayed awake long enough to drive us back home after the long day. It was a great trip.

Brooklyn's Graduation

2008-05-25T00:09:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn graduated from preschool! Well...since she has a late birthday she will actually go to preschool again next year, but they still had her graduate. I guess you could say that she was at the top of her class. At the end of every year they perform placement tests to make sure the kids are ready for kindergarten. Even though Brooklyn isn't going for two more years, they tested her anyway and she scored the best out of everyone. The only thing the teachers wanted to see improvement on was her understanding of rhyming. (Nothing that a little Dr. Seuss can't handle!)

Steph's 26th B-Day!

2008-05-24T23:56:00.003-06:00

Steph is 26! Whitney and I stayed up late the night before and decorated the dining room with pink streamers and set a place for her at the table. I left her a note that said that there were french toast sticks and toaster strudles for her in the freezer. I brought Arby's for lunch and then we went to Applebee's for dinner. We even survived the embarrassment of having the waiters sing happy birthday, just so Steph could get a ice cream sundae! Instead of going to a movie, Steph wanted to be home to watch the American Idol finale. (Which was a disappointment!) Steph's two presents were a fireproof lock box to keep important documents and precious keepsakes in, and she also got a new bedding set. She says she feels like a queen every time she walks into the bedroom now. We love you Steph!

Tornado!!!

2008-05-22T22:16:00.004-06:00

Ummm... I had no clue that we were moving to tornado territory. Ooops! This morning at work we started hearing reports of a big tornado that ripped through Windsor, Colorado which is located about 50 miles south of us. One person died and about 100 homes were destroyed. (4th picture) The next thing we heard was that the tornadoes were headed our way. It started getting really nasty around 2:30pm and the tornado sirens in town started going off. We tried to alert everyone at the hotel and make sure that everyone was as safe as possible. I called the girls at home and told them to make a safe area on the landing of the stairs in the middle of the house and so they hunkered down for about an hour. (1st picture) The tornado hit the community college here in town which is about 2.5 miles from our house. Things cleared and I went home. Around 7:00 it started to get nasty again and turned really ugly quick. Again, the sirens went off and I got online to see that another tornado was headed our way. We again got comfortable on the stairs and read the updated posts online. This time the tornado touched down at a Flying J gas station that is right across the street from my hotel! At around 8pm they lifted all alerts and warnings and things cleared up again. In Laramie, which is 35 miles to the west, a high school, Walmart, and several homes got hit. Here in Cheyenne, several semis were flipped over (pictures 2&5), we got a couple inches of hail, and some houses got damaged as well. We are glad to be safe after things were quite scary for a while.

A Day In the Sun!

2008-05-18T01:05:00.003-06:00

It was a beautiful day today! We decided to take advantage of it and go to the park. We played Bocce ball and tried to teach Brooklyn lessons about winning. As you can see by the picture of her sulking in defeat, the lessons did not completely land. (She got better as the day went on.) After that Drew & Whit went jogging while Steph and the kids played at the playground. It was so nice that we even got a little sun-burned. Poor little Riley and her cute red cheeks! We hope that the bad weather is gone for good and that we can enjoy many more days like today.

Warning: Partial Nudity!

2008-04-24T18:24:00.002-06:00

Riley just loves bathtime! She stays in there and wrestles with Brooklyn and then plays until she gets cold. When that happens, she stands up and puts her arms out like she is ready to go. She loves getting her body and hair washed and is so cute when she gets out and has a fuzzy head.

The Kids

2008-04-13T00:37:00.003-06:00

So , Riley loves to eat. (Wonder where she got that from!?!) She hums while she chews and is the noisiest eater you will ever see. Her favorite foods include: peas, carrots, rice crispies, rice chex, and crackers.

She isn't walking quite yet, but is still on the go-go-go. There is a little play area at the mall here and she loves to climb all over everything. She tries to climb up the steps and fly down the slide. Sometimes we think that we have two 4-year olds!

After six years, Steph finally convinced me to give the "Swivel Sweeper" a try. Brooklyn has fallen in love with it and wants to help out every chance she can. I'll have to admit, it is a pretty useful tool and does a good job picking up everything that Brooklyn and Riley put down.

St. Patty

2008-03-29T23:27:00.004-06:00

Green everywhere, even in our pancakes! Stephanie loves to give Brooklyn any reason to celebrate a holiday and Brooklyn eats it up. Riley just loves eating pancakes, as you can tell by the look of pure joy on her face.

Riley is On-the-Go!

2008-03-24T01:14:00.003-06:00

Riley does not want to hold still. Can you blame her? She has to keep up with Brooklyn! We got her a push toy and she loves using it to get from point A to point B. She is standing up more by herself and it is just a matter of time before she is running circles around us!

Easter Time

2008-03-24T00:46:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn had a great time at her preschool Easter party. She has just jumped right in and made lots of friends. We did our first annual Spear Family easter egg hunt on Saturday. Since the kids are still trying to kick their colds we held the hunt in our living room. Drew hid 48 eggs and the girls went wild. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards we dyed eggs in the kitchen. Today Steph made deviled eggs for a snack after church. Drew gave a talk in Church today on the Atonement and it went real well.

CHEYENNE

2008-02-29T21:02:00.006-07:00

We are loving Cheyenne so far. The people around here are very nice and the lifestyle is much more laid back. It is cold right now but everyone says that it is worth it to be around during the beautiful summers. Rush hour does not exist and there is a nice historic feel to town.

BROOKLYN

2008-02-24T23:27:00.004-07:00

Brooklyn is full of energy and fun! She has started
preschool now and loves to go. She loves helping mom make any kind of sweets and still loves playing with Teddy, when Riley is busy. Brooklyn makes us all laugh and has even been showing a sarcastic side, so she is fitting right in with the rest of us.

RILEY

2008-02-24T23:19:00.002-07:00

Riley is the coolest! Here she is hanging out with
Dad in his office. She is crawling and pulling herself up all over the the place. We really have to keep an eye on her now because she can haul booty. She climbed up six stairs the other day!

COMFORT INN

2008-02-24T23:11:00.003-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Drew's new hotel. I took these pictures because the ones on the hotel website were seriously 6 years old! It is now updated and looks tons better. Drew is getting comfortable in his new role as General Manager and has a lot of ideas and plans he wants to get implemented.

PANCAKES

2008-02-24T23:07:00.002-07:00

Whit tipped us off about 'Free Pancake Day' at IHOP. Riley had her own plate of three pancakes and did pretty well with them, although the floor was a mess afterward! She loves being a big girl and trying to keep up with her big sister.

Ice Ice Baby

2008-02-24T00:54:00.001-07:00

Last week we took Brooklyn ice skating for the first time. She was fearless! She fell twice but hopped right back up. Mommy and Daddy were much more tired than she was afterwards.