The Great Pumpkin

Haven and her Kindergarten class went to the pumpkin patch last Friday. I was able to bring the other two sisters along so I could be a part of her fun day of pumpkin decorating and jump house bouncing. I love the fall...

Trick or Treat!

These are the Speer girls' Halloween costumes this year. Haven wanted to be a cheerleader (Thank you Costco), Parker a doggie (Thank you Nana for the most awesome pink poodle costume out there!) and Rowyn is the pink octopus (Haven's first Halloween costume that I saved). Maybe one of these Halloweens we will all coordinate with a fun and cute theme, but since my girls are so diverse in their personalities and interests, that may have to wait until we can all decide on something. May you have a fun and safe Halloween!

ATTACK ATTACK ATACK... Get back, Get Back, Get Back

I am playing catch up a bit, but wanted to showcase our little soccer player! Haven is loving the sport and she has surprised us with some real athletic potential! Based on her interests, we were thinking that she would only want to do dance and stay in tu-tus for her entire young adult life. But this girl is quick and has some serious skillz... much to her dad's delight! Will see where this will take us. For now, it is so fun to watch her play and I have become that "soccer mom" screaming encouragement (and some directions) on the sidelines.

Say, "CHEESE!"

I decided to have a friend take some family pictures in preparation for Christmas card season! Sure glad I took the time to gather coordinating outfits (fyi - got the girls' dresses at Naartjie) and comb some hair. You will most likely see the family portrait in your mailbox come December. Oh, and the one of me is for my community blogger position at BFItSanDiego.com. I get to blog about ideas/activities on how to keep our kids active and happy here in San Diego. I could not say no to such a fun opportunity! Plus, I have another outlet to use that side of my brain that often is neglected due to the demands of mothering.

Check out my first blog entry:
http://community.bfitsandiego.com/bfit-community/fall-family-beach-fun/

REAL Princesses!

Yes, here we are at Disneyland with all the princesses we could track down. We waited an hour to see three of them. I loved being at Disneyland with all my girls and Aunt Renee - who flew down for a few days. It was all decorated for Halloween and fall. But the weather was not cool and crisp - it was 92 degrees. Thankfully we found lots of shade, kept hydrated and on the move as much as we can - avoiding the really long lines. Do you know their is an app for that? =0)

We did purchase passes thanks to the money I made at a Family Swap Meet. So, if you ever want to join us, let me know!

KINDERGARTEN!!!

I know this sounds sooo cliche', but I can't believe I have a KINDERGARTNER! Where does the time go? My firstborn is growing up into such a sweet, confident little girl. And this big milestone only proves that I can do nothing to stop her getting older and tackling big moments like these. We decided to keep Haven at the Lutheran school where she attended preschool last year since she LOVED her school experience and made many special friends there. We are lucky they have a great Kindergarten program as well! Haven has two teachers - Mrs. Welty and Mrs. "L" and there are 22 kids in her class. And... um... 16 boys. I am sure those 6 girls are going to be tight friends by the time the school year is over!

Poop Story

I have to jot down our most current FaceBook posts just so I can remember last night's fiasco in days to come. It was just one of those "moments."

Melissa's Post: We have a Speer family first: Parker throwing a fit (this happens all the time) because we soon realized that Rowyn discovered the little training potty and helped herself to what was inside. Yes, her face was brown and Parker is yelling, "Ro Ro eatin my poo poo!"

Nate's Post: So the Adventures of Parker continue. So I hear Parker yelling. Not too uncommon but this is a good one so I decide to get up and investigate. I walk into the bathroom and Parker is screaming pointing at Rowyn. RoRo is covered in and eating poop. Parker is yelling "RoRo EAT MA POOPOO! NO RORO! NO EAT MA POOPOO! SHE EATIN MA POOPOO!!!!!! I grab said poop eater and am holding her out in front of me and do what any self respecting man in this situation would do, I yell for Melissa. Unreal.

Sea World with Nana and Papa!

These girls are so lucky to have such AWESOME grandparents. Both my folks and Nate's parents love taking the girls on grand adventures. This last week it was Sea World with Nana and Papa and they loved it! Knowing my mother-in-law, I knew they would not miss a thing. And sure enough, they saw all the shows and animal exhibits and played hard all day at the resort. They fell asleep immediately on the way home and it was impossible to wake them up to eat dinner.

Rowyn's Dedication

This past week we dedicated Rowyn at our new church - The Mission. It was even more special that Papa Bruce said the prayer over Rowyn! We made the decision a few weeks ago after some thought and prayer to attend a new church plant here in Encinitas. The pastor has been a mentor in Nate's life this past year and we enjoy the challenges and rewards that being a part of a baby church brings (we also were a part of a church plant 10 years ago in Valencia and loved the experience). Our prayer is that our girls experience the Gospel in a genuine way and we hope that this church can impact their lives as well as many others in our community!

Man, seeing these pictures really makes me want to get a nice camera!
Dear Santa...

P is for Parker... and Pomegranate

Haven and Parker standing by the plant that begins with the first letter of their names at our local Botanical Garden.

July Wedding Shots

These are long overdue, but worth posting. The photographer did an amazing job capturing sweet moments in the special day...

Montana

We had a great trip to Montana a few weeks ago. It was a loooong haul driving up there, but it was so worth the miles being able to spend time with family and loved ones. Our first stop was Havre where Parker surprised us all as the picture perfect flower girl in my cousin's wedding on the farm. Nate got his fill of golf and golfer hunting. Haven was reunited with cousin Piper - who has become like an older sister to Haven. And, I didn't have to worry about laundry to fold, dinners to fix, beds to make, butts to wipe - every bit worth the 19 hour drive! Then we traveled a bit south to hang out with Nate's folks and see old friends and old stomping grounds in Missoula. We love Montana (in the summer)!!