Spear 4 + 1

December 2011

2011-12-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

Wow! I haven't written in years on this blog! I plan to start updating more frequently on here, now that I will be a stay-at-home momma. Hopefully I can keep up! So, I'm 34 weeks pregnant and have tons of kidney stones! UGH! Hoping to make it to the week after Christmas, and then I believe they will induce me. We are excited to welcome baby Judith Louise Spear into the world! We will call her Judy! :) We named her after my grandma. So excited to honor her in that way. My grandma is the rock of our family. Anyways, I'm on tons of pain meds until I deliver. So I apologize if there are a bunch of typos. It's been a rough couple months. Just in a lot of pain.
Grace, however, is doing wonderful! She's thriving at her school and is on the student council. The student council has given her so much confidence and she walks around her school like she owns it! It's so cute to see her take all these leadership roles and really run w/ them!! She has really grown up these past few months. Michael and I just can't believe it! We are so proud of the lil' lady she is becoming. She is a hard worker, a caring friend, a super big sister, and a sweet girl. She simply can't wait for Judy to come! I'm so grateful I will have her help w/ the baby!!
Jackson is our comedian! He continues to make us/everyone laugh all the time. He loves to break dance and always has a way to throw comedy into everything. We love this boy!! He's a hoot!! Jackson loves school and loves to learn! He has such a great imagination and loves to learn about things and how they work. Jackson also has become a great reader. He's currently reading a 4th grade level book and totally understands it! Its crazy!! He will also be a big help to me w/ the baby! The other day he wrote Judy a letter saying how much he loves her already and can't wait to protect her!! TOO CUTE!!
Michael is doing wonderful still, at Charles Schwab! He loves his job, because he loves helping people. He also is a leader of the men's group at our church. He's a great dad, and amazing husband! I continue to thank the Lord for him daily!!
Finally, we are in the middle of finishing our basement! It's awesome! We all can't wait for the extra space. Judy will take Gracie's room, and Grace will move into her new room in the basement. Drywall was finished today, so we are ready for the paint and carpet! WOOHOO!!!
So glad to be back on here! Hopefully, it will be a good place for you all to keep up w/ the Spear's!! :)

Chicago & The Spear's

2010-08-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hello! We went to Chicago for a quick visit. We started at the Shedd's Aquarium, which was really fun! Then took a water taxi to Navy Pier, which was also really fun! The kids loved the boat. Transformers 3 is filming downtown Chicago, and we watched them film. It was really neat, as you can see in the pics! My roomie, Kristi, from BSU lives in Chicago, and we visited her and her family. That was really fun to catch up w/ her! Can't believe it's been 10 years! YIKES!

JERSEY BOYZ....

2010-07-05T06:49:00.001-07:00

Super fun! We went w/ mom, dad, Ali, and Quinn to Jersey Boys downtown. We had a wonderful dinner before at Urban Elements. The show was amazing! Great times w/ the fam! Love 'em all so much!

Maui 2010

2010-07-02T17:39:00.001-07:00

Amazing! My husband won a trip w/ his company, Charles Schwab! So proud of him! We went to Maui in Hawaii. It was absolutely amazing! Schwab hired Apolo Ono to speak and The Fray to play for us! We stayed at The Ritz Carlton- which was unbelievable. The whole trip felt super surreal. I was treated like a moviestar and hanging out w/ famous people! Everything in Maui I had to touch! I just couldn't believe the colors! Wow! It was a once in a lifetime kind of trip!

Subpoena...

2010-01-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I came home and got the mail. The top envelope as addressed to me, from the Marion County Prosecutor. My heart dropped, I knew it had to do with my student that had been raped. I have been subpoenaed to court on March 15th! So scary. I just can't believe that my sweet student, Katie, has to deal with all of this. It really freaks me out that, I turned her journal entry into authorities, and from that- her brother is now looking at 60 years in prison. Poor Katie, today she had to go talk about his plea bargain. I really encouraged her not to take the plea. He would only get 20 yrs and by that time, she would be grown and possibly married w/ children. I just think that him coming out would rock her world and scare her. I also encouraged her to not take the plea, so that she can testify. I know, I know...why would anyone want a child to have to testify. But I really think it would be closure for her and give her the power back. She has been hiding this dirty secret for so many years, she has been scared to tell anyone, her mom blamed her for lying, he took her virginity, he took her innocence, he caused his family pain, he broke up their family, and I could go on and on. I told Katie that now is her time, her time, to tell the truth, in front of him- and then, no one would believe she was lying! Also, she would be able to make him own this- face to face. I really hopes she chooses to testify. That creep deserves to be humiliated in court. I don't want him to get off easy. We will see tomorrow, which she chose.
Now- to me. I can't believe that I will have to testify! When I walk into that courtroom and see that creep, I hope I can control my anger. What a filthy, dirty man. I might just throw up all over him! Wow! Court date is for March 15th. I will let you know how it goes. Just pray.

Oh- tomorrow is Parent/Teacher Conferences. We will see how many parents actually show up. Hopefully, they are all pleasant and don't get nasty w/ me like last time. Last time, I mom went off on me. The next day I found out she beat her son (my student) with her high heel shoe b/c of his grades!

Cold SORE...

2010-01-08T16:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have huge fat cold sore on my lip b/c of the stress. This 1st week has been horrible. I had to take a half day Monday b/c Jackson had a fever. Wednesday, I had to take off early b/c Jackson was still sick. Thursday, Grace's school released early b/c we had a snow storm, so I had to leave early. And today, Grace's school had a 2 hr delay and so I had to go in late. Wow! What a way to start off the year! At least we are finally all healthy tonite. Oh and I just found out that if my school has a snow day, the teachers are still required to go to school! GEEZ! I hate my job so much! How am I going to get through this year? I guess with BIG, fat, ugly cold sores on my lip!

1st Day Back with Kids

2010-01-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today the students came back. It went pretty well! They all acted like they missed me terribly!! I set new rules and consequences. Some that are easier for me to be consistent with. It really was bizarre. They were pretty tame today and really no drama. Oh yeah, one thing, remember the girl that I told you that was raped?!? Well, she told me today that her sister just confessed that she had an abortion w/ her brother's baby a couple years ago! I had to call the detective w/ that one! Geez! Could her story get any worse?
Oh and Jackson had a fever yesterday and had to be picked up early. I had to leave my meetings and come home w/ him. Then Michael took off work today to stay home w/ him. Tonite, Jack still has a fever, so my dad will take care of him in the morning, and I will have to take a half day! This adds so much more drama to school life! The kids can't handle it when I leave- they get crazy and I get 4 page letters from whoever substitutes my class, on how bad they were! I will let you know how it goes.
Until then, pray for Jackson to get better and for me to hold onto my strength in the Lord, to keep me going. I know I can make it!
Court

Journaling...

2009-12-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

So, for those of you who don't know, I have been teaching in the inner city since the beginning of last summer. I'm teaching 6th grade and I HATE it!! I LOVE the children, just hate the person I have had to become. I've had a really hard time dealing with all the stress and emotional burden that this job has put on me. My husband says I'm a different person and I think my kids miss me. So... I've decided to start journaling my time while teaching inner city kids. This might help relieve some stress and tension- and give you some entertainment.

So, I started in August with 30 students and now I'm down to 16 students. Needless to say, I had some serious pistols! Some left b/c the parents felt that they were getting into too much trouble at our school (and their child has never gotten into trouble)! This is the mindset of some of these parents! GEEZ. And others were asked to leave. I had kids throwing chairs, cursing at me, starting fights, planting cocaine on my desk (so I would get fired), and gang activity. ALL in 6th grade! Oh and the parents are the worst of them all! Parents randomly come sneaking into my classroom, starting fights with other children about their own child! I swear, the just hate the world and they think the world is out to get them!! Oh, and they don't just come picking fights with other kids, they also come to fight me!!! B/c I guess, I'm out to get their child too!!! One parent, had to be taken off of me by our asst. principal. Needless to say, all of this makes me physically exhausted.

So, Yes, I have the naughty kids, but I also have the children that are being raped by their brothers, mentally and physically abused by their parents, and children who watch their parents do drugs and get drunk daily. All of this makes me emotionally exhausted. We have no counselor or anyone for these kids to talk to. So, I'm not only their teacher, I'm their mom, counselor, nurse, etc. The kids come in mal-nurouished and tired, with brown circles under their eyes.

One of the journal entries for the day, a few months ago, was something like: When was a time you have shown honesty and what was the outcome? (The purpose of this entry was to show that usually honesty brings good things! ) Well, one of my kids wrote that she told on her brother for raping her from ages 9-11. When she told, her mom got mad at her and yelled at her brother. Her brother then threatened her to never tell again, and if she did, he would kill her. When I received this journal, I was in shock, nervous, sad, angry, and didn't know what to do. I knew I had to call CPS, so I did. A long story short, I have been to the detective with my sweet student several times, helped her deal with her angry mom, and recently the brother confessed. He also confessed that he raped his 2 month old daughter. He is now going to prison. I will be helping my student get through speaking at his trial and her dealing with her "still" angry mom!

Another student, has been kicked out of schools her whole life. She is very angry and all the teachers hate her! I however really LOVE her. I teach the kids daily about integrity and building character skills with them. We were talking about peace seeking in all situations. She was very vocal during this discussion (which is very rare b/c she hates school), and she was getting so angry at anything I said about peace seeking. I took her in the hall later and asked her why she was sooo angry at everyone all the time. She said, b/c I ususally just don't like the way they look, or the some of the things people say! I said, there is no way that you are mad at someone just b/c of the way he/she looks!!! There must be something more, where does this anger come from? Out of no where, she opened up- crying to me, saying it comes from home. Her mom is terribly mean to her, never talks to her, never comes to anything for her, and lives with her boyfriend who beats her mom. I told her that I truly love her and care for her. I asked her, if I could find someone to talk with her about things, would she be willing, and she said YES! I was floored! So, bringing you up to date, she is getting counseling once/week through medicare. The counselor comes to our school each week and meets with her for an hour. You have no idea how shocking this was to the other teachers in our building when I told them about this student! She has been a completely different student since then. She is getting A's and B's, from straight F's before! This girl has kept me going each day!! I think she might be the only reason that I am teaching there this year!!

So, now, I have caught you up to date on some of the issues I'm dealing with at school. Stay tuned for more. Next semester starts at the beginning of January! Loving this Christmas break right now!! Please pray for my students and for me, if you think about it. I'm just having a super hard time.
Love,
Court

Playdate w/ Ethan & Eli

2009-12-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

Jackson had a day off school, so we set up a playdate w/ his cousins! We went to the Children's Museum! It was too cute!! Jack liked the "toddler/baby" area (the playscape) better than Ethan and Eli did! Go figure! Anyways, it was fun! So glad they live close enough now to hang!!

Grace turns 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe Grace is 8 years old! Amazing how time flies! We are crazy parents- b/c we had her b-day party at Jillians, downtown Indy. It was LOUD, wild, and very busy, but the kids had a riot!! Grace is the one in the middle with black pants and pink shirt on! The kids went bowling there and had pizza and cake! Wow, it feels like yesterday we were leaving the hospital with our lil' muffin!

Randomness

2009-09-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Grace- 1st day of 2nd grade....Ethan & Eli (my nephews)...Jackson playing tennis!

Can you believe Gracie is in the 2nd grade? YIKES! It's crazy! She is now almost as tall as me! She LOVES school! She is very artsy. She loves to write, make art, and has now started acting classes. Grace is in the Young Actors Theatre downtown. She absolutely LOVES it! Who would've known, our precious, shy, lil' Grace would love to be on stage! WOW! She has really grown up! She loves her school, teachers, and friends! She is quite the social butterfly now!

My sister's kiddos, Ethan and Eli, are the newest loves of my life! They are just simply precious and have the cutest faces! They are sitting up, crawling, pulling up on things, and getting teeth! 9 Months old already! Where does time go!?????

My Jack bear! My free entertainment, Jackson David Spear! He is absolutely the funniest person I know! Seriously, he is a hoot! He makes everyone laugh! He just says the funniest things! Jackson has a super imagination. He loves life! Jack is in preschool and loves it! He still is much more interested in playing rather than learning- but that's cool! He's still has time. Jackson just started taking tennis lessons at the Indianapolis Tennis Center at IUPUI. It's the cutest thing seeing all these lil' ones hold rackets bigger than them and play tennis. Jackson really loves it. I hope he sticks w/ it! I played tennis for years and simply love that sport. I just think it is a great sport! And could be played forever! So far, he really likes it and is pretty good! So proud of my baby.

Michael is doing great at Schwab. He loves what he does! He also is involved in our Church's men's Bible Study. He has great friends within that group. Our good friends, the Hufford's, let us borrow their jeep. It's really cool- yellow with the doors and roof that come off! This has become Mike's therapy! He just loves driving around downtown in that thing! It's cute!

Then there's me... oh my! My world has been turned upside down. I teach at a charter school in downtown Indy. I teach 6th grade and have 30 students. The Lord is really STRETCHING me with this new job. I've never been tested so much! The kids are really hard to control and manage. I try to get help from the parents, but they are even worse. Lately I have been crying all the way home after work. Actually, last week I was crying before school, in the middle of school, and after school. This has been the biggest challenge so far in my life. I'm determined more than ever to learn how to teach these kiddos. Last Friday, 6 of my students were suspended, needless to say, I had a wonderful day teaching! Tomorrow, they all come back! UGH! Many are in gangs, live in homeless shelters, have been raped or molested, and are very low academically. Pray for me. I've become physically ill from this class and have zero energy for my hubby and kids when I get home. I know I can do this- I just might need a lil' help and encouragement! YIKES!

Gatlinburg Family Trip

2009-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Gatlinburg was a blast! We stayed in a cabin up in the mountains! It was awesome! Plus I gave the rental place a grocery list and they got out groceries for us before we got there and put them in the fridge and pantry for us!! You have to check this place out it's www.cobbly.com - It's awesome! Great family vacation! We went white water rafting, hiking, and horseback riding! So fun! The kids had a riot! We also had a hot tub on our deck- the kids spent most of the time in there or playing on the pool table in our family room! Gatlinburg was gorgeous! The mountains were simply beautiful! Looking at and driving through those mountains, I couldn't help but be in complete awe of how powerful and amazing our Lord is!!! WOW!

July 09

2009-07-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Conner Prairie- Symphony on the Prairie- July 2, 2009

We had a riot! The whole D'Onofrio fam was there, Grandma and Grandpa Bowman, Ali, Quinn, and babies, Amy, Jeff, and kids, and some of my dad's clients. We had a super time! The kids were absolutely hysterical! They were doing interpretive dancing to the symphony music! It was hilarious! Jackson was, like always, our lil' comedian! We found out Gracie has so moves when she dances! Just a great night to remember! I love my family sooo much!!!

Papa's Birthday

2009-06-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Papa! We had a great time at Papa's birthday! The cousins played, ate cake, and hit a pinata!! Jackson and Liam were wild animals, while Grace and Madi were princesses!!

THE INDY 500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

WOOHOO! Michael and I love going to the 500 every year! This year we went w/ Dad and Nicky John!! Nicky always knows how to have a good time! (You can see by his attire)!! We had a great day and had super seats on the 1st turn!

Indy 500 Parade

2009-06-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

INDY 500 Parade!! We had a blast at the parade!! The parade was really neat and we had great seats!!! (Thanks to one of my dad's clients!) The girl from the TV show 24 was in it, Chloe! (That is Michael and my favorite show)!! Very HOT day though!!! The kids loved it!

NO WAY- I graduated!!!

2009-05-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

It was one of the best days of my life! I graduated from Saint Mary of-the-Woods College with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education! I also passed all my teaching licensing exams! So excited! WOOO HOO! I'm done! All my loved ones came down to watch the ceremony, then all headed back up to Indianapolis for a lovely dinner, ending with cake and icecream at mom's! It was so perfect! I'm so blessed!

Our New Home!

2009-05-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Ok- it will be our home for at least 5 years! Our landlord on our last new home foreclosed and went bankrupt! (Please don't rent from Derrek Danks- he will screw you)! Anyways, we moved just north 5 blocks from where we were. We LOVE it!! HUGE front porch, fenced-in backyard, basement, and close to downtown Indy! We just love it! And we are finishing the attic this week to add a cute, doll-like bonus room!!! Can't wait for you all to see it! We have had a lot of special friends and family help w/ this unexpected move!! We can't thank these people enough! THANK YOU! AJ, my father-in-law, has helped out bunches! He has cleaned our gutters, put the knobs on our cabinets, hung our towel rods, and much more!! We can't thank him enough!! :)

My Precious 5th and 6th Graders!!

2009-05-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Igot to student teach a 5/6 split class in IPS. I LOVED it! I had a super great student teacher and loved every student!! It was awesome! I really like teaching the upper elementary grades!! Here are some pics! I also organized and planned a Professional Day. We were teaching the kids about interviewing and I thought it would be fun to have my grandpa ( a retired dentist) to come in and the kids could interview him about his profession. However, turns out, grandpa couldn't come, and I ended up being able to get 18 different professionals in to my school for the kids to interview!! It was so amazing! The kids loved it and totally exceeded my expectations! I was so proud of them! I just really want to be the kind of teacher that helps students dream BIG! And I believe this Professional Day allowed for that!

Easter Day 09

2009-04-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Why are my kids soo cute?!?! Gracie is just a precious, sassy, gentle, smart, little girl and Jackson is a wild, handsome, crazy, funny, and hysterical little guy! I can't imagine life w/o them! They are such special gifts from God! I love being with all of my family on Easter Sunday- remembering how we have been able to receive True Hope and eternal life! Easter egg hunt, church, mimi and papa's, great-grandparents, then to bed! What a great day!

My Nutty Family

2009-03-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

My family is so fun!! I love how it keeps growing! I am so blessed! :)

Gracie and Jackson's Basketball!

2009-03-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

My lil' muffins are on a basketball team at Tabernacle Recreation! It's so sweet! Jackson is so lost on the court! And Miss Grace has become Miss Aggressive on the court!! It is so sweet!! This league plays the whole court and with a normal size basketball! By the end- Jackson is beat! And again, we have no idea where Gracie has found this aggression! She plays defense so well! It's so weird- from our sweet lil', quiet Grace! She always keeps everything inside- but not on the basketball court! This is great for her! These kids are so fun to watch!! It's really quite hysterical!

More of my Nephews!

2009-02-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

Can't get enough of them! Ethan and Eli are my buddies! Ethan weighs 10lbs and Eli weighs 9lbs now! So sweet! My lil' muffins! Hopefully they will start sleeping through the night soon for Ali!! My poor sis is soo terribly tired! Grace and Jack like E & E bunches! Jackson tries to sing songs to them when they are crying and Gracie is like a lil' mother to them. I just want to eat them up they are soo cute!! These boys have added soo much joy to our family. I can't believe Ali and I both have 2 kids! Where has the time gone?

SNOW DAY!

2009-01-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

Gracie has been sick the past few days with a fever. I took off Monday and Tuesday and was excited to get back to school on Wednesday. But that didn't happen- We had a SNOW DAY! I feel like I'm hibernating. I've been in the house for days! So, I let the kids go out and play in the snow! They had a riot!!! Here are some pics!

Cousins!!!!!!!

2009-01-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Jackson, Ethan, Eli, & Grace- A couple days after Christmas! Finally, Grace and Jack have cousins on the D'Onofrio side!! Yippee!!!

Christmas '08

2008-12-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I love getting together with all my family! Christmas Eve the Spear family went to Lebanon to hang with Mike's parents, the LaClave's. MiMi and PaPa had a wonderful meal waiting for us and gifts galore for everyone! Michael's sisters, Katie and Andi, were there with their kiddos too! My neice, Madi, such a lil' sweetie and my nephew, Liam, such a smart lil' guy full of energy! We gave Madi a new princess jacket and of course, still had the security tag on it!! I was soooo mad! Crafty MiMi made Grace a sweater and Jackson a Colts hat! So cute! Michael and I received a WEBCAM! WOOHOO! We are so excited! Not expecting that at all!! So fun! We all went, as a family, to attend the 9pm Christmas Eve service! It was really neat! The kids were so into it! Jackson was so excited to have fire in his hand! HA! We all had candles to light when we sang Silent Night at the end of the service. Jack just couldn't wait- he kept saying really loud- "Can we do the fire thing!" It was so funny! MiMi sang a beautiful Christmas song too! The kids loved hearing her sing! Lil' Madi said real loud, "I like MiMi's music!" It was so cute! What a great Christmas Eve. Our kiddos were ready to put cookies out for Santa, so we headed home, while MiMi, PaPa, Madi, and Katie put flowers on Uncle David's grave. Christmas is always a hard time w/o Uncle David around! So, we got home pretty late and Jackson put the reindeer food out on the porch and Grace wrote Santa a letter, put out some milk and cookies.
The next morning, the kids woke up and were in awe that Santa really came! Theie innocense is so sweet! The got way too many gifts! Mom went overboard! I popped MiMi's egg caserole in the oven (thanks Mimi!) and put on the coffee, shortly after, Nana, PopPop, Uncle Nicky John, Cassie and Carly arrived! MORE PRESENTS!! We had a wonderful morning! A lot of laughs and fun! Then we all got ready and headed to Evansville to hang with the newest members of our fam- Ethan and Eli! What precious lil' angels! Ali and Quinn just had identical twin boys Dec. 7th! It was so fun spending Christmas Day with them! They add so much joy to our family!! PopPop bought the Wii for all the kids- so it was pretty fun watching us all learn to play Wii! Quinn and I got pretty competitive in Tennis!:) The racket even flew off and almost broke their TV! HA! It was really fun! We even played a lil' TWISTER! Fun family times!! We are now ready for 2009! I start my student teaching here in IPS, and Michael will continue to work, trying to hold the number one position on his team at Charles Schwab! Go MIKEY! Jackson goes to an in-home daycare in Geist. He loves it and is doing so well there! However, he is always the class clown! Then there's Gracie! Our sweet lil' princess! She is in 1st grade at a new charter school- the Project School. She has become our lil' author! She loves to write and draw! So proud of her!! K- I know this was long, but I wanted to update you all! Sorry for NO pics! I hate that- but I lost my camera! UGH! Love to you all!

Aunt Court

2008-12-21T19:09:00.001-08:00

I'm sooo in love!! I can't believe the special love I feel for these lil' guys!! Just precious angels!! Michael and I went to visit them over the weekend by ourselves! I couldn't keep my hands off of them! They are sooo tiny and sooo handsome! When we left, the entire drive home, I couldn't stop smelling my hands b/c they smelled like the babies!! I'm seriously obsessed w/ them! Can't wait to leave on Christmas Day to go see them again!! -Aunt Court

My Handsome Nephews are FINALLY here!!

2008-12-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

So precious! My lil' men! Ethan and Eli arrived on December 7, 2008. Immediatley we jumped in the car and headed to Evansville to meet them! Ali went a lil' early- she was 35 weeks! But the babies are doing great! Gaining weight everyday! They came home last week. Michael and I are going to take a trip this Friday to visit them w/o our kids. I just can't wait! They are soooo precious! What lil' blessings from our Lord Jesus! My lil' muffins! I just love them sooo much! Then Christmas Day, Grace, Jack, Mike, and I will head down to E-Ville again to spend time w/ the Shepherd's for 4 days! I just can't wait to see them again!! Aunt Court and Uncle Mikey love them soo much! Oh and Grace and Jack Jack can't stop taking about them!!

Chi Omege Monthly Dinner!

2008-09-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

So fun that my sorority girls from BSU go out every month for dinner! It's so fun to catch up monthly and enjoy a good glass of wine together! It's crazy that we all have families now, and are all grown up! What happened to the years?

Great friends, good sushi!

2008-09-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Love my best buddy, Jenni Hufford! She is such a great friend! We had fun eating w/ our hubbies at a sushi place! I LOVE my friends and I LOVE good sushi!! :)

My Gracie's in 1st grade!

2008-09-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Grace just started 1st grade at a new charter school downtown! She loves it! The first day she was eager to meet her new teacher, classmates, and see what her new school is like! But our "Nervous Nellie" (a.k.a. Grace) got very anxious on her second day of 1st grade! Change is not a fun thing for our lil' girl! She gets really nervous! So, Grace was throwing up all morning on her second day of school. Needless to say, we didn't even make it to school, after pulling over 3 times in the car for her to puke! Poor Gracie! So her MiMi came over and watched her and comforted her all day, while the rest of the Spear's went to work and school! Ever since Grace overcame her nerves, she has loved going to her new school! She can't wait to go each day! She has made great friends, loves her teacher, and is learning a lot! She wants to be a writer when she grows up! She loves to write stories! So cute! Our baby is growing up soo fast!

Oh Boy- I'm a sixth grade teacher!

2008-08-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Oh no! Leave it to IPS that they call me and ask me to teach 6th grade in school number 27 until they find a teacher to fill that spot! School starts this coming Wednesday! And they said they have no potential candidates for this position! That means that I could potentially be teaching there all year! Scary! I don't even have my degree yet! So sad for those kids! I mean, I think I know what I'm doing- but do I? Who knows?! We will find out on Wednesday! HA! I think I'm in for a rude awakening!! Anyways, I have to student teach in January, so I know I can't teach this grade all year. Pray for me! I'll be the lil' white girl teacher in an all black school! :) I have Monday and Tuesday to set up the room, figure out what I'm suppossed to do and teach, and get acquainted with the school!
Gracie will be going to the new charter school in Indy called The Project School. You can check it out online- www. theprojectschool.org ! Very cool new concept to education! God worked this all out perfectly b/c the school I'll be teaching at is around the corner from Grace's school. Plus, there are hundreds of schools in IPS and they placed me in #27, exactly where I will be doing one of my student teachings in the winter semester! God is very clever! Also, pray we get the home downtown! Still waiting on that! The home is a few blocks from Grace's and my school too! It would be perfect! Pray for us! :)

Christina VISITS!! WhooHoo!

2008-07-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

My best friend from Jersey came to visit us! Christina has been such a great friend to me! She is so wonderful! We just love her all so much! We really had a great time, between hangin' w/ DMB to playing cornhole- we had a hoot!! My kids also love her to pieces! Wish she could've stayed longer and lived closer! Thanks Chris for coming! We really loved having you!!!

Dave Matthews Band

2008-07-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly! Ok, so my best friend from New Jersey, Christina, has a friend that works on the DMB crew and travels on tour w/ them. Her name is Michelle. Michelle is the BOMB! She was able to totally hook us up at the concert!!! Christina flew in and we headed to Verizon for the concert. We got to go backstage, eat with the crew and the band before the concert, have free drinks and food all night, and were given awesome seats! All night we went from backstage and then back to our seats! The concert was amazing!! Christina and I danced like crazies!!! It was so fun! Dave really knows how to get his crowd rockin'! After the concert we headed to the band buses and were treated so well by everyone! We got to go w/ the band and crew to their hotel downtown, the Conrad. When we got there, we were escorted to a private lounge room for the band. It was so crazy!! There were only like 20 people there, including Dave and the band! It was nuts! Christina and I were dying!!! Drinks, food, and conversation till 3:30 am with the band! We had to keep pinching ourselves! I think Dave M. thought I was a lil' weird when I told one of his band members that he reminded me of Reuben Studdard! They looked at me like I was nuts, and then I said, "Oh, Reuben is a lil' friend!" Dave looked at me and said, "A friend???" I was a lil' too much for him, I think! Oh well! We had a great time with everyone! Christina and I laughed the whole night and had a hoot!! So great to be with her! Kind of a once in a lifetime kind of thing!!!! CRAZY! I hung w/ Dave till 3:30am! WHAT???!!!!

Gracie's Kindergarten Connection

2008-07-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Grace started this extra kindergarten program this year. It was so wonderful! The teachers were awesome, so loving and compassionate! Grace learned how to read through this program and also learned the basics of math! We were so proud of our lil' reader! The end of the year program was so nice. Grace really shined! She even volunteered to lead a song! Our bashful, shy, lil' girl turned into a very social, out-going, confident lil' girl! We are so proud!!!

Indy 500

2008-07-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

What a fun day we had at the Indy 500 this year! We rented a Hummer Limo, headed down in style with my dad, brother Nicky, Brittany and Greg! Oh and Ali and Quinn joined us on the trip down. The kids got a quick preview of the hummer before we headed out! The race was awesome and we had a hoot! Can't wait for next year!!

Our lil' Jack Jack!!! Sleepy Boy at Riley Children's Hospital

2008-06-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Jackson finally had his sleep study. He has sleep apnea and asthma- so he will be getting his adenoids and tonsils removed, along with asthma treatments daily. He has always been super tired- and Riley doctors believe it is b/c he doesn't get enough good, deep sleep due to his body having to work so hard to breathe at night. Hopefully the surgery helps. We have to do another sleep study after the surgery. The sleep studies are performed at Riley. Nothing hurts him- just very scary and annoying. Jackson did a great job! We pretended that he was in Star Wars with all the cords attached to him. He really got into it! He kept asking if he had more power yet!! Too sweet! He looked so pathetic!! I slept next to him, well, tried to. I hated the thing in his nose- he wanted to suck his thumb and put his tag from his blankie by his nose but the cords were in the way. He was very upset about that! Then in the middle of the night- he woke and was frightened- and yelled at me saying that this wasn't Star Wars and that I was lying!! OHHH I felt so horrible!! But he stuck it out and the techs got a good reading. So at 5 AM we were woke up and they started taking all the cords and tape off of him. That was the worst part- b/c Jack was sooo exhausted, irritable, and the tape hurt. So anyways, we find out the results in 7-10 days. Hopefully we get more answers and can plan the surgery this summer! Pray for Jackson!! He was so brave- but still has a lot more to go through!

Our New Addition

2008-06-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

For real this time- Here is Haverstick Pete Spear (a.k.a. Petey)! He is a miniature schnauzer born on April 15th! We are really excited! The kids are having a hoot with him. No accidents yet! And a full night's rest last night! WOOHOO! Schnauzers are hypo-allergenic- so Michael is doing fine w/ him. It also reminds Michael of his brother that passed away in '00. Michael's brother, David, had a mini schnauzer named Petey. So this pup brings back a lot of great memories for Michael. :) Grace is a lil' mother, Jackson has a new playmate, I have a snuggle buddy, and Michael has memories! So this one's it for the Spear's! He is a new part of our family and we are totally committed to making this one work!!! Can't wait for you all to meet our new lil' man!

Ali Graduates!!!

2008-05-16T05:24:00.001-07:00

What a weekend! We had so much fun celebrating Ali's graduation from college! We are soo proud of her! We threw a fun party for Ali and then off to the ceremony! Cornhole was the hit of the party! It was so great being w/ the whole family!!

Practice Day at the Race track!

2008-05-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

Michael took off work and we took the kids, along with PaPa, to Practice Day at the 500! It was a lot of fun! The kids had a hoot! Jack just loved the racecars!!!

Airforce Base

2008-04-28T07:18:00.001-07:00

On our way home from Wakarusa- Michael had to stop by Grissom Airforcebase! It was really neat! The kids loved it.

Maple Syrup Festival

2008-04-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

We went to the Maple Syrup Festival in Wakarusa, IN. My sorority sister, Kami, invited us! We had a riot! It was great catching up w/ Kami, Todd and their new baby, Quinn. They let us stay in their gorgeous home! It was quite the cultural experience for us! The Amish are everywhere and horse and buggies rule the streets! It was very interesting!! The kids had a hoot!!! Plus, I loved seeing my dear friend Kami!!!

Monon Trail

2008-04-08T07:19:00.003-07:00

Finally- some good weather! We took a walk the other day on the Monon! What a perfect day!

Jack's 4th B-day Party

2008-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Jackson had his b-day party at the Lil' Gym in Fishers! It was so much fun! Jack got a lil' tired during his party, due to his sleep apnea and asthma (that we just found out about)! But he still had a great time! His cousins were there and many friends and family! What a blast! Happy Birthday Jackson!

Easter '08

2008-04-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

We had a super Easter! Grace and Jackson learned about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins at church, then had an Easter egg hunt, and then off to MiMi and PaPa's for dinner!

The Circus!!

2008-03-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

The Shrine circus was last weekend! We had a riot!! So much fun! The kids just loved it! Especially the tigers and elephants!! I think Jack belongs in the circus!! Here are some pics!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

2008-01-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

How super duper fun! Michael and I went to Evansville w/o the kids to visit Ali and Quinn for my birthday weekend! WOOHOO! It was sooo fun! Michael surprised me with an appointment to a spa for a facial and massage! It was sooo wonderful and relaxing! I needed that! Go Michael! And Ali and Quinn had a pedicure set up for me too! Then we went to an awesome Italian restraunt for din din! There they surprised me w/ a cake from Culvers! Amazing! It was such a super b-day weekend! You would've thought I was turning 40 or something! It was so special, especially because I spent it with 3 of my most favorite people in the whole world!!!! Thanks Mikey, Ali, and Quinn.Love you guys!

Gymnastics

2008-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Grace and Jackson just completed another round of gymnastics! They both had their performances this week! Too cute! Jackson was a character (of course), goofing off, not listening to his teacher, and tired half the time. While Grace was a perfect student, doing everything her teacher said and loving every minute of it! Here are a few pics to enjoy!

The Nutcraker

2007-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

MiMi and PaPa took Grace to the Nutcraker for her 6th B-Day! She loved it!!! They had so much fun! Gracie can't stop talking about how neat it was!

Children's Museum 2007

2007-12-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

What fun we had at the Children's Museum this year with all our family!! Here are some pics to prove the fun! Oh and we got to see Santa! Yipee!

Jack's Pre-k Turkey party

2007-11-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

Jackson had a Thanksgiving Feast and program at his preschool! It was too cute! They were all dressed up like Indians! Jackson was very tired- so he had his thumb in his mouth the whole time! But he still looked cute!! We love our lil' Indian!!

Grace's 6th B-day Party

2007-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Grace had her b-day party at Libby Lou's in the mall! It was a hoot! They all dressed up like Hannah Montana and sang her songs!! Too cute!!! They got makeup on and nails painted! They did a performance in the middle of the mall for shoppers! They thought they were rockstars!!!

Girl's Vacation

2007-11-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

All of the girls - my mom, grandma, aunt, sister, and baby cousin went to Florida for a girl's vacation!! It was a great time! The weather was perfect! We stayed at my sister's in-laws place in Naples! It was incredible!!!! I felt like I was famous staying there!! Very relaxing! Hope to do it again soon! Oh and my new baby cousin, Maggie, was a precious angel! Mag and I became great friends!

Fall 2007

2007-11-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent photos! Halloween was so fun for the kids this year! Jackson was really into it this year! Grace was so sweet, like always! We had a BIG party halloween night! It was so much fun- tons of friends and family came over! Poor Michael just had shoulder surgery! We hope he recovers quickly!! Enjoy the pics!!

Kristin's wedding

2007-09-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

We had such a blast at Kristin and Josh's wedding! The whole D'Onofrio family was there! We all were dancing and having a great time!!!

Jersey

2007-09-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in New Jersey with Christina!! Here are some pics!

Potty Training! UGH!

2007-08-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Not so fun to be potty training! Jackson just doesn't get it!!! He cries when I put him on the potty! It's terrible! But I'm being persistant about this! He's getting too old and his poop is getting too big! Gross! Anyways, Monday, Jackson went pee pee on his potty for the 1st time! I bought him a potty that plays music when pee enters the bowl! HA! It's hysterical! I also bought M&M's to bribe him! We sat there for an hour, I kept giving him water, read him books, and finally it worked! However, since then, nothing! Yesterday we sat there for 2 hours and nothing happened! He was very entertaining though, reading a magazine, singing songs, etc.! I hope he gets it soon because I don't know how much longer I can take of changing big boy diapers and sitting for hours with him on the potty! PRAY he gets this potty thing soon!!!!!!!!!!!

Melissa's B-Day

2007-08-29T06:33:00.001-07:00

Chi Omega Alumnae! Melissa Lawson had a birthday and we celebrated at Scotty's! We had a great time! Melissa, Nicole, and Meg are all good friends of mine from the good ole' college days!!! We had a hoot! Now they are all married and Mel and Nicole have kiddos! Going to Scotty's Brewhouse took us all back! Memories! Happy Birthday Melissa!! You are a beautiful mommy, wifey, and friend!!!

Jack doesn't want to feel left out!

2007-08-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Jackson is having a hard time with Gracie gone!! He keeps asking where she is and he wanted to get on that bus!! When we got home from the bus stop, Jackson put on his backpack and wanted me to take pictures of him too!! He will be going to preschool soon too!! Can't forget about our lil' Jack Jack!!!:)

1st Day of School! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Our lil' baby girl, Grace Elizabeth Spear, is now officially a kindergartner! YIKES!!! Michael, Jack, and I walked her to the bus stop this morning. Bus #14 picked her up at 8:01am! We can't believe our lil' girl is off to school! She was so ready and eager to start though! She was annoyed by Michael and me because we couldn't stop kissing and hugging her!! She was ready to get on that bus!! We prayed for her this morning that God would protect her and comfort her through this new transition! So scary that she is out of my control! I pray that God will help her make the right choices and guide her. Wow! It feels like yesterday Michael and I were at Ball Memorial Hosital delievering Grace! Time flies! We are so proud of her and can't wait to hear about her Big 1st Day!! Please pray for our lil' muffin!:)

Jack the Acrobat!

2007-07-25T14:21:00.001-07:00

Jackson is doing so well in gymnastics! He just loves it! He is a dare devil and tries anything! He's just not afraid! Such a boy and such a comedian!!

Our kids are a hoot!

2007-07-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Too funny! Our kids make us laugh so hard! They are so fun!! That Jackson is a comedian!!! He is just a riot! And our Grace is like a lil' princess! Just sweet as candy! What fun they are!

Ear Piercing!

2007-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Grace finally did it!!! She got her ear's pierced! What an experience! So cute! She was so brave! Our little girl is growing up!! We are so proud of her!

Gymanstics

2007-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

My princess Gracie is in gymnastics! She loves it!!! Her teacher's name is Mr. Drew and has a great class! She practices everyday. Her teacher said that gymnatsics is her thing and thinks she is advancing very quickly! This is Grace's favorite thing to do. She talks about gymnatsics all week long and counts down till the day she gets to go! We are so proud of her! Our lil' girl is going to Kindergarten next month! Wow! Time flies! We can't believe our baby girl is getting so big!

Gillian's B-day

2007-07-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

What a fun party! It was my niece's 2nd b-day! She is too cute! My sister-n-law and her hubby adopted Gillian from China a year ago! She is adorable!! We celebrated her birthday with all the cousins! It was great fun! The kids play so well together! Gillian and her family live in Canada, so it was great to have them down in Indy to celebrate little G's b-day!

4th of July

2007-07-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was a lot of fun! We went to the Carmel Parade with all my family. The kids had a blast! Poor Jackson is too little and had a hard time getting candy before the rest of the kids got it! Grace loved watching the parade with Annie. They are so cute together- best friends!

2007-06-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Weekend

2007-06-24T17:33:00.001-07:00

We had a super weekend! We had our great friends over Saturday night for dinner! The kids showed off, everyone ate my terrible cookies, and watched Wedding Crashers! Then Sunday we started off at The Crux, our new church that we love! Then went to lunch with mom and dad. After that we went to our good friend's going away party! So sad! They are leaving for Colorado in a couple weeks! We had a riot at the party! All our friends from our old church were there! It was great seeing everyone! Great food, good talks, kids played, and BJ even sang Boyz to Men with his H.S. band named "Smoove"! HA! It was great! Then I look over and Jackson is under a picnic table eating his 3rd cupcake! He was hiding! I called his name and he looked up with a big chocolate smile! Too funny that Jackson! And Gracie was climbing trees, because now that she started gymnastics, she thinks she is an olympian! Great weekend!