The Spaniers

No Rest for the Weary

2009-05-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

At some point, I'll get around to uploading our latest pics and blog about our recent events, but for now, I have just a simple yet amusing 4 year old story to share. While brushing Brynn's teeth last night after a long weekend away at Grandma and Grandpa Talley's (yes, she was tired at this point!) Brynn began whining about complaining about not being able to get herself dressed. Knowing full well that she CAN do it herself and HAS been doing it herself for well over a year, I simply said, "Oh, give me a break!". To that she innocently replied, "No, I don't to give you a break!". Ahhhh, the life of a 4 year old!

Easter 2009

2009-04-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Of course I'm late with this posting. At this point, I'm sure no one expects less than a late posting from me!! Ha, ha. OK, so I'm only 2 1/2 weeks late versus months late, but nonetheless, our Easter weekend was fabulous! The weekend started out with the kids going to Gma & Gpa Baggenstoss' on Friday night for a sleepover and an Easter egg hunt. Thanks to them, Haley, mom and I were able to make it a "girls' day out"! We went shopping and out to dinner. Oh, did I mention that Haley and I got a wild hair up our (you know where) and got our noses pierced? Yep. Well, mine became a nuisance and is out already, but Haley is still going strong! It was a really fun time and we vowed to do it again soon (minus piercings)...but for a weekend next time! Saturday we had the Game Feed on the Baggenstoss side, spent the night at my mom's where the Easter bunny came and left the kids' baskets (see pictures) after a treasure hunt to find them. We had brunch there and then we were off to Spaniers for an egg hunt and dinner. God bless the one day of the year that it is acceptable for kids to eat candy for breakfast!

Thankful

2009-04-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

We are very thankful for family and friends this week. Ryan's dad made it successfully through heart surgery this week. We are so thankful that he is doing great considering and has such a wonderful attitude about it. Max was sick and had to be evaluated at Children's Hospital (all turned out fine). My mom and Jim watched the kids for us while we spent many worried hours at both hospitals. We received many calls/emails and offers of help from the rest of our family and all of the wonderful friends we have. We feel so blessed this week with the outcomes of both Bill and Max's health and the pouring of love and support from our friends and family. We are so grateful for the people we have in our lives. THANK YOU!!!!

Playa Del Carmen-Jan 2009

2009-02-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Justin swimming in the ocean after the wedding

Erika and Jeff, the bride and groom

Erika and I before the groom's dinner

Ryan, Ethan and I at Ipanemas Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse

Ethan experiencing Senor Frogs our first night there

Our trip to Playa Del Carmen for Erika and Jeff's wedding in January was one of the best vacations I've been on. We had a great group, 21 I think we counted with kids, perfect weather and a purpose...a Mexican wedding! Ethan joined us for this trip and got to experience his first plane ride. He was so excited that when we were taking off, he could hardly talk because he was giggling so hard! He really enjoyed himself and was great with everything. Though we were in a foreign country with much to see and do, he was most excited by the fact that he did not need to be in a carseat, he could go to the swim up bar for "heena" coladas as he called them whenever he wanted and that he could have ice cream at the ice cream bar at 3pm each day. He loved vacation so much that he told us he really wants to live in Mexico. I told him to ask his dad about that! Erika and Jeff got married on Saturday morning on the beach. It was a perfect day. The ceremony was very nice, cake and champagne afterwards and then Jeff carried Erika into the ocean, wedding dress and all. Following them, all of the kids ran in with their wedding clothes on and had a blast running and jumping over the waves. It was one of the neatest moments I've ever experienced at a wedding. Sunday we spent the day at a place south of Playa called Xel-Ha. It was a park of sorts where you could snorkel, tube, swim with dolphins and relax. Everyone enjoyed themselves, well, except for Leah. As we were cliff diving, she stubbed her toe on the edge of the cliff and thought she had broken her toe! Although vacations always go too fast and it is hard to come home, we missed Brynn and Max so much and were excited to see them. Thank you to G&G Talley and G&G B. for watching them while we enjoyed some quality time with Ethan and friends!!

(Late) Recap of Christmas!!

2009-02-16T21:04:00.001-08:00

OK, so I'm really not punctual on this lately at all. You know how the saying goes...better late than never! Hopefully I get a few points of forgiveness for having three kids 5 and under and have a total lack of time! Anyway, our Christmas was fabulous and here are the pictures to prove it! We celebrated with Dad, Sue and Nativa at Haley and Matt's during a major snow storm. Thankfully, Ryan, the kids and I went up Friday night instead of Saturday or I'm not sure we would have made it. The guys had fun anyway on a spur of the moment snowmobile ride that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning! A few days later, we visited my grandparents and had a wonderful lunch with them and my dad. I cherish the time I have with them as there is just not enough of it. They are such kind and wonderful people and I'm so thankful that I have and still have them in my family's life. Christmas Eve was spent here with my mom and Jim (Haley and Matt also) and then to Spanier's on Christmas Day. Thank you to everyone for making it a great Christmas season!! We are so fortunate to have the family that we have and always have so much fun hanging out!! Love you all!

'Tis the time for many exciting events!!

2008-12-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

Brynn and Daddy

Brynn and Mommy

Brynn dressed and ready to go for her JFK performance 12/14/08

Kendall's baptism 12/7/08

Max's 2nd birthday 11/20/08--so happy with his new gift!

It has been a busy month! Max turned 2 on November 20th. We will have his party with the other kids in March, but celebrated that night with dinner at the Green Mill and he opened his present from Ryan and I (a Hot Wheels--see photo above!) which he LOVED...you can probably tell by the photo. He was so excited and kept saying, "Yook what I got for my pwesent!" ("look what I got for my present!"). It was quite humorous! He is a self proclaimed "big boy" now and thinks that his brother and sister are the best and will mimic ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they do, which is not always good with his siblings being 5 and 3 years old!! He is a really good boy, though, and really keeps us laughing with his goofy sense of humor and his amazing speech for being so little! Our precious niece, Kendall, was baptized on December 7th. She is SO adorable with a lot of hair and chunky thighs!! She is a very good and happy baby and will smile and giggle at the most minor of things. We are so happy to have her in our lives. Brynn started Just For Kix this fall and had her first performance on December 14th at Elk River High School. She was beyond excited to dance, wear her "beautiful" costume and do her hair/put make up on for her performance. She did really well and said she had a lot of fun when she was done. The smile on her face told us how proud she was of herself and how much she really loves dance. We had a little party here with some appetizers and lunch after her performance and I think she really enjoyed being the center of attention for the day! We celebrated Christmas with part of my side of the family this past weekend (whoa! the snow!) as well as the Spanier side and will celebrate with the remainder of my side and Ryan's side this week. I was also fortunate to have been able to have lunch with my Grandma and Grandpa B. yesterday. They are so wonderful and it is always a blessing to be able to spend time with them. Haven't downloaded those pics, so will post them soon along with our Christmas pics from last weekend! Happy holidays to those who read this!

Dress up day

2008-11-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

These two post-Halloween dress up pics were too silly not to share. Here are Ethan and Brynn modeling gifts they received for Halloween from Grandma and Grandpa B and Nativa!

Trick or Treat, Smelly Feet...

2008-11-12T21:14:00.001-08:00

I can't tell you how many times the kids said it..."trick or treat, smelly feet, give me something good to eat!". Too many times, that's all I know! Brynn and Max may have had their costume roles mixed up (ha!), but they had a great time! We got together with our neighbors as we have done for a few years. This year we ventured out in our neighborhood with the help of Paul's trailer and Troy's driving skills. It made getting around to the houses much easier...and more fun I'm sure the kids would say!

The day after Halloween we left early in the morning to

head up to Orr to set up deer stands. The car ride is LONG and the kids did really great...we were very proud. They also did very well walking out in the woods and being patient as Ryan desperately tried to get his stand up in a rotten tree. He finally had success in another tree!

We spent the evening at the (only) hotel in Orr. It had a water slide and kiddie pool which worked perfect for the kids. Ryan sat through opening weekend in his new stand without any luck, but we are heading up there this weekend and the following, so I'm hoping to be posting about a MONSTER buck that one of us got!! Regardless of the success, the hunting weekends are always fun due to the group that goes. It is a fun group...never a dull moment!

While the guys are gone, the rest of us play!!

2008-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

While Ryan was in Wyoming mid October elk hunting and enjoying the beautiful scenery (no luck with the elk but as the picture shows, the scenery is unbelievable!!) and Matt was away hunting as well, Haley and kids came down to spend a long weekend with us . It was a lot of fun spending time with them. We went to Benihana for lunch and to the Science Museum. Aside from that, we did a little shopping and the FIVE kids kept us quite busy for the remainder of the time!! I always enjoy time with my sister and seeing my niece and nephew is always special. We all missed Ryan quite a bit. He was gone for 8 nights...the longest we've ever been apart. Glad they all had a safe hunt and trip out and back! Paul, Pete and their uncle all got elk, so those pics were really fun to see.

Ethan and Mom

2008-10-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

A picture taken by Ethan's teacher, Mrs. Jopp, at Deer Lake Apple Orchard. I already posted about the field trip, but I just had to post this picture also since I just received it!!

With Fall Comes Apple Orchards!

2008-10-01T15:27:00.001-07:00

On Sept. 25th I got to go with Ethan's class on their first field trip to Deer Lake Apple Orchard. The weather

didn't cooperate and
it rained most of the time we were there, but still a lot of fun! On Monday of this week, Leah and I took Amelia (Leah's daughter), Brynn, Max and Brandt (my nephew) to Apple Jacks Apple Orchard. We picked our own apples and raspberries, saw some animals, ate some lunch, climbed through a log and sat on some ENORMOUS pumpkins. They ate more apples than I thought humanly possible, but that is all part of the fun!

Camping at El Rancho

2008-10-01T15:14:00.001-07:00

We went camping with the Smith clan at El Rancho for the weekend of Sept. 19th. They are like my 2nd family growing up, so it was a great time to have everyone and their kids together. The kids played great together and had fun running around playing with trucks, toys and making bus crackers. Kylan and Faith even used the frosting as "sunscreen"! Needless to say, they needed a bath after that one! Even the adults got in on some action. To bring back the family reunion tradition, Yvette brought eggs for an egg toss. FUN!! Gage the puppy, who is 4 months old now, got to join us on this trip. He was excited to be outside all weekend and get to play with his pal, Sam (my sister's German Shepard). It was our last camping trip of the season, but it was a great one to end on!! Thanks for making it a great weekend everyone!

Como Zoo

2008-10-01T14:23:00.001-07:00

On Sept. 10th, we were able to enjoy a day at the Como Zoo with Grandpa B. Our neighbor and Ethan's good friend, Jack, also came along with us to spend the day. We lucked out with perfect weather. We saw all of the animals (even a baby Orangutan and a Cougar that got REALLY close to us!), had a picnic lunch and went to the DQ for dessert. It was a tiring day...Max and Jack didn't make it long in the car on the way home before taking a snooze!

We've been busy since the last post!

2008-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it has been a long time since I updated our blog!! I'll try to make up for lost time! We were fortunate to spend a very nice afternoon at the State Fair. Ryan took the afternoon off. The weather was great and the kids had a blast (so did Ryan and I!). Ethan started Kindergarten. He goes all day, every other day. Mrs. Jopp is his teacher and he just LOVES her. She said that he is doing very well so far and that he is "a smart boy". Always great to hear! It's amazing what he has learned already. I love the kindergarten stories!! Every day I know just who "pulled a ticket"! Brynn started preschool at TLC in Elk River. She has Ethan's teachers from last year, Mrs. Kim and Ms. Bobbi. They are the best. She is attending school with my friend Jen's twin boys Joey and Charlie. Jen and I met when Ethan and her daughter Lauren started preschool together two years ago. We've been friends ever since and are so excited that we could get the next "batch" in together as well! We think Brynn and Charlie have a little thing going!! Along with preschool, Brynn also started Just For Kix. After watching Nativa (aunt), Alyssa (family friend) and Bobbi Jo (family friend) at their performances, we thought she'd love it since she always wanted to go on the floor with them! Her first performance is Dec. 14th to "Big Girls Don't Cry". Should be quite interesting!

Tina's 10 Year CSB Reunion!!

2008-08-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

In June, Tina celebrated her 10 year college reunion (I feel old!) at St. Ben's. A group of us, who have all been friends since freshman year, got two suites in Lottie (our sophomore residence) to spend the weekend living it up like the college years. GB Leighton played Friday night, followed by, you guessed it, Sals! Saturday was a reunion picnic (see photo), a visit to SJU, and more fun in the dorms. You can tell we're all getting older...one night of the bar scene was enough. We spent Saturday night playing cards and chatting. At least we didn't go to bed early!! I feel so fortunate to have attended CSB and that I found the best friends in the world to share that experience with and have them a huge part of my life still today. YOU'RE ALL THE BEST!!

Shady Rest Resort...Spanier style!

2008-08-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Spanier with Max, Taylor, Brynn and Ethan

Brynn...our water lover!

Grandpa and "E-train" (nickname given by Grandpa Spanier!)

Brynn must be tuckered out from all of her swimming!

Max decided that he likes the water now...at least a little anyway

We had a great week at the cabin with the whole Spanier clan. We went to Shady Rest Resort on Lake Amelia in Villard from Tuesday through Saturday. We had the best weather, accommodations and, of course, company. The kids had the best time playing, swimming, pontooning and spending time with their cousin Taylor, Aunt Jana, Uncle Eric and G & G Spanier. It was a special week and will certainly be repeated next year! Thanks to the Schwieters' and the Thomas' for taking Gage for us...unfortunately they didn't allow pets at the resort, so they were our puppy sitters! The kids really missed him (us too) and it was great to see him again. He was well taken care of and loved to pieces while we were gone, so that is a good feeling. He even grew while we were away!

Ethan's Big News

2008-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

Had a great weekend. Spent Friday night at Paul and Leah's for a bonfire (smores included of course!!) with the Stenersons, Gustafsons, Thomas' and Barretts. Was a great time as usual. Ethan decided that night that he was going to give up his blanket. We told him that if he gave it up for two nights, Sunday morning we'd take him to the store to find something special for him for being a big boy. Saturday came and he did great without it for the night. Said that he really kind of wanted it, but decided that he didn't want to sleep with it. We were quite proud of his thought process on that. Saturday Ryan fulfilled his dream of the past couple of years and bought a new rifle. We headed to Melrose to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Spanier, Eric, Taylor...even were surprised to see Ryan's aunt and uncle Dona and Dana!! Ryan got to shoot his new rifle and is really happy with it. The night ended with dinner and a bonfire (smores again!!) and a trip home. Ethan did great Saturday night again without his blanket. This morning he woke up and announced that it was his "big day". We went to the store and tried to convince him to get a set of golf clubs or an iPod or something a little more meaningful and permanent, but instead he insisted on Hulk Hands! Oh well. He loves them! We went to Perkins to celebrate his big decision and had a really nice day.

Grandpa Spanier turns 60!

2008-07-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Grandpa Spanier's 60th birthday in May. We had a family dinner at Eric and Jana's and then a surprise party was thrown for him. What a celebration!

Other Highlights from 2008

2008-07-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Ethan starts his 2nd summer of T-ball with good friend, Dylan

College friend Dena's baby shower at our home

A hotel weekend with the Jensens and Braegelmanns

Grandpa B retires in February

Brynn gives up her pacifier for a bike

1st camping trip of 2008. At Pete's Retreat with Grandma and Grandpa B, Nativa and Brandt

Ethan graduates from Little Lambs Preschool

Ethan turns 5, Brandt turns 3, Brynn turns 3

Great Grandpa Schneider turns 80

Tina goes to Playa Del Carmen with friends Leah Schwieters, Erika Thomas and Jen Stenerson

One more addition to our family...

2008-07-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Gage joined our family on July 12th. He is a chocolate lab and is now 8 weeks old. He shares the same birthday as Kendall!! He is a great puppy. Not too much whining and barking and is doing VERY well with his potty training! He sure is a cutie!

Taylor turns ONE!

2008-07-23T10:50:00.001-07:00

Taylor turned ONE on July 20th. Her birthday party was on the 19th at her house in Elk River. It was a "beach party" theme. The weather hindered that a bit since there were tornado warnings and we spent some time in the basement, but I don't think Taylor noticed one bit and still seemed to have fun at her party!

4th of July

2008-07-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July with Grandma and Grandpa Talley and Haley, Matt, Brandt and Kendall at Floding Resort on Lake Brophy in Alexandria. We had a lot of fun tubing behind Grandma and Grandpa's new pontoon! Surprisingly, Brynn was the tube lover out of our family and couldn't get enough!

Ice Cream with Neighbors

2008-07-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Summer is the best. Does it get any better than ice cream outside on a nice summer day with friends??!!?

Beth and Rahul's visit

2008-07-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Beth and Rahul were in town for Beth's brother's wedding and we met for dinner on June 7th at Chino Latino in Uptown. There were 10 of us (husbands are absent from the picture)...Ericka/Rob, Ryan/I, Jessica/Bryan, Beth/Rahul and Melanie/Phil. It was a great night of visiting!! Though it is always sad to see Beth and Rahul hed back to Colorado, we sure do enjoy the time we get to spend with them!

Kendall's Arrival

2008-07-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

What a great day May 28th was! We welcomed a new addition to our family. Haley and Matt added a sister for Brandt with the birth of Kendall Lee. She is a precious little thing!! Another girl for Brynn to play with. We are so thankful that she arrived safely and can't believe she is already 2 months old!

Start of something new...

2008-07-23T09:06:00.001-07:00

What a great way to communicate all of the changes in our lives. With 3 young kids, change is an every day occurrence! Though we're sometimes slow to download photos, we'll do our best to keep it updated!! For now, thanks for reading!