Being Thankful

Jake had to write a speech for a writing assignment at school. He made the tactical error of telling me he got extra credit for delivering the speech at Thanksgiving dinner. Extra Credit? Hooray! Since Jake had to give a speech I assigned Max the task of saying grace. When I asked him if he needed to write it down, or needed any help, he said " I go to church, I know how to pray!" Jake's speech was beautiful and touching. There was not a dry eye at the table. He told me I wasn't allowed to make commentary after his speech. I could applaud if I liked it. I did, and I did!

Here is his speech:

Today I’m going to give thanks to my family. First, I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for being caring and supportive. Whether I’m sad, frustrated, or just lonely, they’re always there. I give thanks to my brothers for giving me a friend when I need one. Then, I give thanks to my Nana and Pa. I thank them for letting me stay at their house when I’m on break. Next, I give thanks to my Aunt Kate. Even though she can be obnoxious, turning her movies to the loudest volume ever, I still give thanks for her. I also give thanks to my Uncle Vitcha, who is fighting in a war, hoping he will be safe. I thank Aunt Jo and Tatianna even though they are not here. Now, hopefully, my brother can recite a decent prayer.

For the record, his brother did recite a wonderful prayer. I'm thankful for these beautiful, wise, and witty boys.

Halloween 2010 at OneTrueMedia.com

Our Fifth Annual Halloween montage! We have so much fun planning our costumes every year; we have to share our fun with our friends and family.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Alaska July 2010

Spring Break 2010 - Easter at Palm Springs

Spring Break 2010 - Colorado

Huntington Library - Pasadena, CA

We spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Library and Botanical gardens in Pasadena. The boys loved the little hiding nitches created by the bamboo. There were many sections of the gardens. We started in the desert section and, too funny, our guys were the only kids who knew NOT to touch the cactus.

We frolicked in the flowers and hiked all the paths. Our funniest memory of the day was the elderly volunteer guard pointing out a statue of Diana and calling it a Greek goddess. Jake, of course, corrected her that Diana is Roman (Artemis is the Greek one). We capped off a great day by stopping at Tito's Tacos for a feast!

2010 Pinewood Derby

Once again the Spear boys rocked the Pinewood Derby! Jake painted his car green. He put a circle with a lightning bolt. We named it "The Lightning Thief" (you can see that it was raining that night!) Max's was a pizza slice called "Max's Pizzeria Car"

Both of the cars were super fast! Max was excited to win Second Place for his den. Jake was a little stunned when he got First Place. They were happy to pose with their medals. Big kudos to Pa for cutting the wood and to Daddy for putting on the tires. The boys are going to treat Pa to a trip to McDonald's next time we are in AZ.