Cheese & Crackers

Mia is home sick today and here is how she is spending her time:



spelling "SPICER" with easy cheese.

"You have to see this mom, even the dogs love it!"
{I'm sure they do!}

Today I am thankful for...

JEN

Sister, friend & styling guru! You are like
the 'wocket in my pocket' that I don't want
anyone to know about!
I love you and your brilliance! xoxo

Today I am thankful for...

volunteering!

I volunteer in many different capacities and although I enjoy each one immensely; I have to say that, without a doubt, the time spent volunteering in my children's schools is my favorite. I love getting to know their teachers and I just adore spending time with my children!
It exposes me to a whole other side of their little personalities!

Today I am thankful for...

church.

In a life where we are all governed by a multitude
of tasks, it can be difficult to take the time and give
an hour out of our busy week's schedule and honor
God, the man who is the reason we walk this earth.
However, once you do it, it's quite rewarding! Once
there, I find myself in such a state of solace. For
me it's like a mental check {out with what does
not really matter; in with a stronger focus on
those things that need to be done}. Most
importantly, I feel the stronger desire to come
back and live a better life {be a better spouse, a
better mom, etc.} and be more wholly devoted to

my Catholic beliefs.

Today I am thankful for...

the Twilight Series.

Some might say these books are totally cheesy and definitely filled with a lot teen angst and frankly, I don't care; I LOVE them!

{waiting for the release of Breaking Dawn next year might be the death of me}

Hats!

Winter is here and so is the wind and the freezing temperatures.
So, we had to break out the hats!
Where is Sophie, you might ask?
Well to that I respond, she is a preteen
{need I say more?}.

Today I am thankful for...

my mom.

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

~Washington Irving

Foxy Girl

This is Mia in her
'foxy tail' and 'foxy ears'

and yes, she insisted on

wearing them to school today!

Today I am thankful for...

Kristi, Jen, Megan, Ali & Meghan.

Life has taken us in many different places

but they are still some of the most important people in my life.

“Though we drifted apart in distance

I still think of you as being right here.

And although we have many new friends,

it is our friendship that means the most to me.”

Headband Giveaway

lucy . purple

{for my Hannah who loves purple}

sadie . avocado

{for my Bella who loves green}

sadie . raspberry

{for my Mia who loves pinks}

tess . blue

{for my Sophie who loves blue}

Okay, one last giveaway from Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry. She is giving away these adorable headbands! Anybody who knows this family knows that we do hair and A LOT of it! So, how could I pick just one of these gems? I chose one in each of my daughter's favorites colors.
Hope I win but, even if I don't I am going shopping
{wouldn't these make a perfect stocking stuffer}!?!

P.S.
You can link to the Etsy shop by
clicking on any of the headband names!

Jewelry Giveaway

Another fabulous giveaway from Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry! There is some adorable custom jewlery available at this Etsy shop and there will be two winners from this giveaway! So I need to pick my favorite piece. Well I say, how can I pick just one!?! I love the:

Custom Hand Stamped Mommy Necklace
{not only because it's adorable but also
because all 4 of my kiddos' names would fit on it}

OR THE

I Am Blessed

{to remind me always that I truly am}

Land's End Giveaway

Playing in the snow, hot tea, warm slippers, chunky sweaters, a cozy fire in the fireplace — these are just some of the simple joys of winter. Winter is the season for celebrating family holidays and traditions, and making lifelong memories. My most vivid memories from my childhood are of building snow forts, skiing, celebrating the Christmas holiday with family, crispy cold weather and scary drives on slippery roads. Winter is one my favorite seasons! Wyoming winters are long! So, a great coat is a must! A blog that I just love to read is hosting a spectacular giveaway for a lucky reader – a Land’s End coat! You can link to it here and enter to win for yourself!

Today I am thankful for...

my camera.

Because I truly am a

I would be lost without my trusty sidekick!

Angel Turkey

The assignment:

The request:

That the turkey be disguised as an angel.

The result:

The response:

"You're da best mom eva for helpin' me do this!"

{and you just can't beat that!}

Today I am thankful for...

poetry.

I enjoy poetry almost as much as reading or music. Some of favorites are Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson & Robert Frost. But, below is my all time favorite poem; written by one of my all time favorite people, none other than my very own, Justin! He wrote it for me when we were in college and to this day it sits framed on my nightstand. So lovely, so sentimental.

A Smile

My trip to Seedskadee

Last week my class went to Seedskadee. Seedskadee is a wild animal refuge. It was fun! I hung out with my partner, Parker. We had A LOT of fun together! Here are some pictures that I took of the animal exhibits at the Seedskadee museum.


the moose














the beaver

the otter














the skunk














the raccoon














Stay tuned for an update about our next field trip which is a play. It's going to be grawesome {that's great and awesome}!

Halloween!

Below is a photo of the kids before we headed out to a Halloween party.

Hannah was Hermoine from Harry Potter
Mia was Super Girl
Bella was a gypsy
and
Sophie was the Mad Hatter from Alice In Wonderland

Halloween Stroll

Already, Halloween seems like a lifetime ago. However, how can I not share some of our pictures from this holiday? These are from the Halloween Stroll that takes place in downtown Rock Springs every year. We went with our good friends, the Doaks, and had a great time! Enjoy!

Laura and the gang.


Sophie Trick-or-Treating


Braden, Hannah & Bella
Trick-or-Treating


Brett & Laura


Hannah & Braden
aka Hermoine & Harry


Laura & I


Waldo & Tex


Even MacGregor got in on
some Trick-or-Treating action!



Hey!
Can you spot Waldo & Wenda?

Today I am thankful for...

flannel sheets!

We put ours on our bed due to the chillier nights and oh I how I love them! Seriously, if you need a great set {worth every penny and available in a rainbow of colors} buy these:

Garnet Hill's Paintbrush Flannel Bedding

It's Sunday night and the girls are all in their beds, presumably sleeping. At the least, they're being quiet. It's been quite a week for the Spicers, beginning last Sunday with Halloween; this may be the most exhausting holiday of them all!

Tuesday was Election Day, something we had been looking forward to and working towards for several months. When I made the decision at the beginning of the summer to go ahead and file for re-election to the local school board, we all talked about the commitment it would take as well as the time necessary to run a campaign. In Wyoming, local SB candidates do not file until after the primary election in August, so we had some time to get ready and get a game plan together. That's not saying we actually did any of that; in fact, we really didn't do much of anything until the first or second weekend in September. Credit Maggie for finally pushing me to design and order signs (which she went ahead and did). We worked hard for several weekends pounding stakes into the rock-hard Wyoming dirt, studied traffic, and copied other candidates. In the end, we placed nearly 140 signs in and around Rock Springs advertising my candidacy.

Elections are something that I am superstitious about. While I wasn't nervous about the election results, I was unwilling to make predictions or post-election plans. Something about karma and being humble drives my thinking. Anyway, we made plans to attend an election-night party with two other candidates, one for SB and another for RS City Council. Then, it was time to huddle in front of the radio and wait for the sketchy election coverage to announce the winners. I expected to hear results by 7:30pm, 30 minutes after the polls closed. However, the results were delayed and in particular the SB results were simply not announced until 8:00pm or so. When they were announced, we heard that I had carried all but two precincts in the county, but my friend who was also at the party had not won a seat. Winning this year was bittersweet, because I was sure that he would win.

In the end, I'm thankful that I won my seat back, and I'm optimistic about the future of education in Sweetwater Co. I'm thankful that the election is now over with, and I can concentrate on other things. Finally, I'm thankful for the support I received from my family and friends, but particularly the support I get from my wife; she made sure that my name was visible out in the community, and she stood beside me during the whole process. Thanks Maggie, I'm thankful for your love and support!

Today I am thankful for...

lazy Sunday afternoons.

Need I say more?

Today I am thankful for...

music.

I love music; pretty much all of it.

My current obsession is Bruno Mars' Just The Way You Are.

Small Successes

I haven't posted my small successes in a couple of weeks so I feel like I could just go on and on. However, I am going to list just one and in my mind it's huge:

1. I survived October!

October is as crazy, if not more so, than Christmas in this house. So, surviving this is no small feet! We had 6 family birthdays, 3 friend birthdays, a wedding {that JTS photographed and all of the girls were in}, two business trips, the Sage Elementary Fall Festival, homecoming in Laramie, multiple class parties, multiple Halloween parties, preparing for the election {and of course the election this week} and SO. MUCH. MORE!

Whew, we made it!

Today I am thankful for...

books.

“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child.”

^{- May Ellen Chase}

“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations--

something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.”

^{- Katherine Patterson}

Today I am thankful for...

our dogs.

MacGregor the Scotty



Frasier the Boston Terrier



Harry the Standard Poodle



Finn the Cairn Terrier


A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.
~Josh Billings

The Thanksgiving Challenge

Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of at least one thing that you are thankful for and write it. "Today I am thankful for..." This little challenge comes to me via Facebook but is worthwhile all the same. However, I thought my thankfulness might get lengthy or even sappy {given my recent state of mind} so, best to be written on the blog.

Today I am thankful for the health of my children. On of my best friend's children is having some serious medical problems right now and watching her endure this is very difficult to say the least. I can only relate in that we only ever want the absolute best for our children and when any issue arises that threatens that it is devastating. This particular situation just breaks my heart. So today, my beautiful, strong, healthy girls are what I am most thankful for.

They are the focus of my life and I love them beyond measure!

However, today I am also thankful for the gift of friendship. I have many girlfriends and few that I am blessed to call my very best friends. Without whom, I often wonder, would I ever make it through {a day, an hour, a cold; a PTO event, parenting crisis, etc.}. We rely on each other for A LOT: a text, a call, a drink, a compliment, a lunch date, a shoulder to lean on, an ear that will listen, someone that will laugh at you and, as I have been reminded again this week, we need each other. To embrace with our mutual love, lift up, look into each others eyes and say:

"you are going to survive this; we are here and we love you."