Merry Christmas to Us

We gifted ourselves with a Christmas present last week: a fluid bike trainer. It could be that you, like I, have no idea what a fluid bike trainer is. Now that I am so knowledgeable, I'd like to pass on my wisdom...a bike trainer is a stand that you put your bike on to allow you to ride your bike in a stationary position. If you're curious about how this is different then a traditional stationary bike, wikipedia has a general overview.

Here's a close-up of the trainer...not that much to it.

Another plus is that the girls can join in on the garage, exersicing experience. (Just stay away from the saw hanging in the background)

Bunk Beds for the girls

I knew adding exercising to my weekly routine would cut into my blogging time, but apparently exercising and Christmas preparations just about eliminate blogging opportunities. So here's a quick post just to say "hi".

We were able to get a great set of bunk beds from our good friends, the Logozzo's. Brad's mom provided the ultra-cute bedspreads and now we have a cute room for the girls to share. (Sadie still sleeps in the pack-n-play in the room, but we're working on changing to the lower bunk).

Hottie Runs Race and Brings Home a Cutie Pie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Another race, another personal record for Brad: 10k in 42:59. Another amazing feat is that I also participated in the 10k. Yep, I walked/jogged the 99th Turkey Day 10k in Cincinnati. I had a lot of help and encouragement from Brad and my fellow racer, Joni McCall. Our time wasn't quite as amazing, but we accomplished our goal of finishing and finishing in under an hour and a half.
I have to admit, it was exciting to participate with over 12,000 people at 9:00 in the morning. And although the weather was pretty wonderful, it was a chilly way to start the day.

Here is our view of the crowd as we make our way to the starting line. At this point the race had started, it just took Joni and me about 10 minutes to even get to the beginning.

Our final bridge along the route...stopping to pose for a picture may be why we didn't finish sooner.

My partner-in-crime, Joni McCall - in our coordinating outfits, pink and gray. We figured we'd at least look cute finishing in our matching outfits.

The Men...who didn't coordinate. David Spence (Brad's brother), Brad (hottie), Tom Richardson and Alex McCall

The Bros after a very successful race

Hottie and Cutie Pie :)

Hottie Husband Medals Again!

The temperatures may have been in the teens, but Brad was hot again today! He ran a 5k for Scott High School's Band fund raiser. He placed 6th overall and first in his age category. This time he returned with a medal AND a trophy/plaque. He ran the 3.1 miles in 20 minutes and 48 seconds. Here he is with his running buddy, Bob Kidder.

In the Life of Noelle

Last week, when shorts were not an odd sight for November, Noelle constructed what she called a boat in our living room. She then declared that she was going to take a nap on it. I let her know, in all my motherly wisdom, that she probably couldn't sleep on top of her boat considering that is was too short, too narrow and very hard. She promptly proved me wrong by falling asleep for a good 40 minutes.
On another afternoon Noelle wanted to go out and inspect the drizzly weather. Since Sadie was asleep in Noelle's room she couldn't get her jacket from her closet. Using what resources were available, Noelle made a AquaDoodle cape to check on the weather. Judging by the small blue dots the rain made on the AquaDoodle, there was a very light rain.
And, in a precious moment of being others-focused, Noelle wanted to make Brad a special surprise snack. She used her special cookbook given to her by her grandmother to make Cinnamon Toast. I left it under the broiler slightly longer then it should have so it's a little dark, however most of the dark is from the copious amounts of sugar and cinammon caramelizing on the top.

Happy Fall Sightings

We are greatly enjoying our warm fall days. Here are some pictures of us enjoying the outdoors.

Another try at a good family picture...this won't be on a Christmas card

2 happy, sunny faces in the backseat

A family outing to A.J. Jolly Park. Fortunately Brad doesn't mind a little apple drool in his hair. What a good daddy!

A nice fire on our freshly-stained deck.

Lovely Halloween

I almost think 'lovely' and 'Halloween' should not be used in the same sentence, but today really was a lovely day.
It started with "Ghost-dropping Pancakes" (a.k.a pancakes with chocolate chips). This was an impulse, but was a big hit with everyone.
Later in the day all 4 of us went to Walmart to get our TV converter so we are able to watch TV when everything goes digital in Feb. 2009. It's really rather cool - we now have headings at the top of the picture to tell us what is showing and we have a ton of new channels...all PBS, but that's 98% of what we watch anyway.
Later in the afternoon Noelle and I made some yummy Chex Mix. This was a great delight to the "salt tooth" in the family - Brad. The girls and I figured our sweet tooths (is that a word?) would be well satisfied after an evening of Trick-or-Treating.
After an early dinner our Cheerleader and Cow got suited up for a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood with their daddy. Sadie had a very hard time understanding why she should walk away from our house when mommy had a huge basket of candy that she was very interested in.

Oh the excitement of a lollipop! And who wouldn't be thrilled to be sitting amongst so much candy?

Sorting through all the sugar is very serious work

Parent Teacher Conference

Last Friday I had my first parent/teacher conference with Noelle's preschool teacher. Other then feeling old it was a wonderful experience. Noelle's teacher had glowing things to say about her and informed me she is very mature for her age.
This was good to reflect on later in the day when I found Noelle and Sadie eating their afternoon snack of Kiks and Raisins directly from the tile floor like dogs. I suppose moments of immaturity still exist in "mature" 4 year-olds.

Pictures from Hocking Hills

For those of you who don't know, Hocking Hills is about a 3 hour drive north east of Northern Ky. It's a beautiful area with hiking trails, gorges, and waterfalls (unless it hasn't rained in 2 months which was the case for us). We've gone 3 of the last 4 years with a variety of people. This year we were with the Hocz family - Todd, Kristen, Eliza and Garrison.Sadie, lingering on one of the many bridges we crossed during our hikes

The Hocz's and Spence's in a rock tunnel

Noelle and her buddy, Eliza

A view from "Old Man's Cave"

Christmas Card Beginnings

It's started...the quest to get a family picture to put on our Christmas card. I'm sure the larger your family is, the less likely you will ever be satisfied with family pictures. Ever year I try - umpteen times- to get a picture in which we all look fabulous...I can't imagine why it's so hard!
Our family just returned from a relaxing visit to Hocking Hills State Park in OH. I'll blog more about the visit later, but here is our first attempt at a Christmas card picture.

Not bad...but not perfect. Who knows, this might be what shows up in your mailbox in 2 months.
Shortly after we got home Noelle got out some art supplies, including google eyes and small pom-poms. She made a nice family picture which got me to thinking...why try coaxing smiles and good positioning when we can use this:

Hottie Husband Brings Home ANOTHER Medal!

My hottie husband ran The Kraut Route this morning and brought home a well-deserved medal for finishing first in his age bracket. This 10k is cleverly named for it's main sponsor, The Hofbrauhaus. Even more appealing is the complimentary beer and brat served to the racers after they finished(that is, if you like beer and brats).
Brad ran the 6.2 miles in 44 min and 55 seconds which is over 2 minutes faster then a month ago. It must be in the blood since we just saw Brad's brother, Dave, scooped up a medal himself. Brad's just glad they didn't have to compete for 1st place.

Hottie with his medal

A big hug from a big fan

The girls and I had to miss this race because of a bible study, but we hope to be there for his next race on Thanksgiving Day - "The Turkey Day 10k".

Spence Fashion

When the girls and I plan to be home most of the day, I let Noelle pick out her own clothes to wear. Sometimes she'll pick out something I wouldn't put together, but it's usually not a big deal and perfectly fine for a trip to the library or grocery store. Today however she chose a red turtle neck and hot pink capris. I let her wear them until it was time to leave the house then I gently told her that red and hot pink don't really go together and I'd like her to put on a pair of jeans.
My mother-in-law has a fashion motto: "It doesn't necessary have to match, it just has to 'go'". I don't think this outfit matches or "goes".

Poop and other fun

Yesterday was an exciting day in the Spence household...Sadie pooped in the potty. We have no intention of potty training Sadie this early but she'll often announce that she has to go poopy and then run back to the bathroom for a few seconds. The few times I've tried to have her sit on the little training potty she's been unsuccessful so now I just ignore her declarations of "poopy."
However Noelle must have more perseverance.
Yesterday Sadie announced "poopy" and headed for the bathroom. A little while later I hear Noelle and Sadie in the bathroom talking about going to the potty and that Noelle would help her. So, all by herself, Noelle helped take off Sadie's diaper and pants (I don't know if this is always a good thing), put the training seat on the toilet and help Sadie on.
I was making banana bread in the kitchen and was just pleased they were entertaining themselves it what appeared to be a edifying way. It wasn't too long until I heard Noelle rejoicing that Sadie had pooped in the potty. Noelle was very excited and Sadie was clapping. I just continued what I was doing to see what would happen next. Noelle continued to coach Sadie with phrases like:
"There will probably be more, so just wait a while"
"You'll get to use some toilet paper when you're all done!"
"I think Mommy will give you a treat for going poopy in the potty!" (I am?)
"Would you like a book?"
I think Sadie sat on the toilet for 15 minutes until I was called in to wipe. Noelle was estatic with her young protege and Sadie was just dazed and not quite sure what to think.

Here's Sadie and her pooping coach.
It just so happened that I had gotten them new toothbrushes at the Dollar Store that morning so I presented one to each of them for the great team effort.

On a different note, but equally as smelly, Sadie loves to get out my supply of onions, bag them up and carry them around the house. Who would of known onions were so appealing to a toddler!

The Loss of a Good Friend

The last day I wrote on the blog I was praising the invention and use of the ipod. Since then I have lost my very dear friend, the ipod. I think I left it in a park in OH. The last I remember I set it on the ground to help Noelle take off her bicycle helmet. I'm still hoping it made it home with me and I just haven't found it yet.
I was really attatched to that small peice of technology. It was a Mother's Day gift a year and a half ago. It was a complete surprise and I think it's the best gift I've ever received. So I'm mourning the loss of my dear friend and kicking myself for being so careless.

On a happier note, here's a quick picture of the girls in the sandbox. They managed to play very nicely in close proximity for a long time. Now that's something to rejoice over.

Reading by candle light

We were only without power for 7 hours during the "Tristate Blackout", but I was at a loss when it got dark around 8:30. I discovered that my candles were not meant to be used to read by. After I lit 8 I could finally see fairly well.

Exercising vs. Blogging

At the beginning of September I began exercising. I'm not extreme - I only walk. I try to walk at least 3 miles, 3 days a week. When I started, I knew that adding an activity would mean another activity would suffer. It looks like blogging was at the bottom of the priority list. One of the high points is that walking has increased my ipod time. Now I can listen to all the podcasts that have been piling up on my ipod and learn while I'm walking. I guess it's a good trade: less blogging, more ipod-ing.

Where's Sadie?

Has anyone seen Sadie?

Oh, there she is!

Raging Sweet Tooth

I had a little down time so I thought I would catch up on email and visit some blogs. Well maybe it's because I had such a light, healthy lunch of salad with black-eyed peas or maybe it's because I have a raging sweet tooth, but everywhere I looked there were delicious desserts.

• I received an email with a cookie recipe
• Melissa had blueberry buckle on her blog
• Paulina had pumpkin pie on hers and
• Kate had a layered jello dessert

I was left with no option but to make something to satisfy my sweet tooth. So what did I make?
Well here are the ingredients and it's not hard to see that there was nothing redeeming about my recipe...no fruit like Melissa, no squash like Paulina and no water added like Kate. Mine was just sugar and fat mixed with more sugar and fat.

Yum, yum.

Hottie Husband Runs 10k and Brings Home Medal

Brad ran a 10k (6.2 miles) this morning and the girls and I got to be there to cheer him on. He did great and came home with a medal...but then again, everyone did. Noelle thinks his medal is the most amazing thing.Before the race: Brad with his cheerleaders

Starting strong!

Ending strong, averaging under 8 minutes a mile!

Snuggle Time with Daddy

Here's a happy bunch!

Noelle's Misguided Theology

Noelle has 2 CD's that put Bible verses to music. She has listened to them since she was 1 and she loves to sing along. Unfortunately, she doesn't get the lyrics correct all the time, which makes for some huge theological blunders.

Actual Lyrics:
"Let the little children come, Let the little children come
And do not forbid them, And do not forbid them..."
Noelle's Lyrics:
"Let the little children come, Let the the little children come
And do not forgive them and do not forgive them..."

Actual Lyrics:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son..."
Noelle's Lyrics:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only forgotten son..."

Noelle's first day of school!

Noelle started preschool today. She'll be going to Calvary Christian School Tuesday and Thursday morning. I never thought she'd go to a school where she was required to wear a uniform, but isn't she cute!?!

In front of the Preschool house

Noelle's teacher, Mrs. Duty

My Hoodlums

The girls and I went grocery shopping yesterday. Noelle decided she wanted to wear her sun hat to Kroger which guarantees that Sadie will want to wear her sun hat to Kroger as well. I didn't see any harm in it but they were quite the pair when they donned their sunglasses in the back seat of the car.

Sadie's still working on proper sunglass placement!