Spencer & Ally's Fan Club

Let's Play Ball!

2010-03-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Pretty sure they will be scouting him for the minor leagues by next year!

Weekend with a pro!

2010-01-28T19:10:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2009 Part 2

2009-11-01T17:19:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Halloween 2009 Part 1

2009-10-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

Check out my facebook page to see some photos of this morning's Mother's group picnic. But look below for a couple videos!

Spencer took some valuable time away from his swinging to identify some letters.

Ally shows off some crazy soccer skills!

Pumpkin Patch with Friends

2009-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

Our friends from Lucasfilm arranged a party at the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch. Spencer had fun running around (and sitting in the patch). Ally had fun playing in the dirt and eating the cupcakes AnnaMarie made. And we had fun chasing after them.

can you find Spencer?
Spencer liked sitting on the pumpkin as a chair

Pumpkin Patch Kid

PRETTY GIRL

2009-10-26T21:10:00.001-07:00

Train Town

2009-09-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Grandpa!

2009-09-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Spencer and Alexandra really love their Grandpa!!!

Car Trippin'

2009-09-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

The kids rode great!

Disneyland

2009-09-10T09:41:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

And on Sunday...

2009-07-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to a State park to see the Redwood Trees.

Spencer liked touching the bark

A nature made chair for two

Mommy and Ally on the road

Gives you Spencer's perspective on how big these trees are.

Cotati Kids day part 3

2009-07-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Cotati Kids day part 2

2009-07-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ally loved the petting zoo.

That sheep was quite aggressive.

She didn't mind.

Spencer on a pony ride

Ally loved the bunny!

Spencer didn't even mind the helmet for his pony ride

Cotati Kids day part 1

2009-07-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

We went to a neighboring town on Sat. for their kids day festival.

It was so much fun we can't put all the pics in one place.

we dug for dinosaur eggs and found 2!

Spencer liked all the buttons in the front of the police car.

And they both got police badges!

Ally got a balloon!

Then she danced to the music!

Ally's Toddler Step Class

2009-07-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ally now has openings in her toddler step class.

Bring your wii balance board and she will give you a great workout.

Pixar Car Show on Friday

2009-07-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Pixar had a car show and bbq on friday.

Mommy didn't have to babysit, so we got to go!

Notice we didn't take any pictures of the actual cars!

Spencer loved the ice cream

Ally looking very tired, but no melt downs!

Second wind! Playing in the rose garden with Spencer and Olivia.

In daddy's building, Jersey. We are just outside his cubicle. Spencer was playing on the floor.

Daddy's Legos at Pixar!

Alexandra on the slide

2009-07-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

This is how she goes down

And cheers for herself

Did you notice the pigtails?

Fudgsicle!

2009-07-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

YUM!!

Swimming Pool

2009-07-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

We broke out the swimming pool today.

They loved it!

They love the wii

2009-07-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Spencer and Ally love it when daddy and mommy play wii!

Playing with Daddy's toys

2009-07-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Daddy brought back some of his toys from his last trip to Minnesota.

Old school Fisher Price is more fun than the new stuff. They love this Sesame Street play set.

A big Napa Auto parts truck and a Mustang!

Lots of fun!

Random cuteness

2009-07-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Spencer has started insisting on climbing out of his car seat on his own. He crawls inbetween the two car seats, up over the middle console and into the drivers seat. Should I try to tell him he has 14 years before he can drive?

Mr. Fix-it with his rocket...anybody got a rocket- socket set?

An example of how dirty my kids are by the end of the day. They play so hard.

SODUKU!

2009-07-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for over a year. This is a page from Julie's Soduku book. I love how the other 3 puzzles are julie's and the fouth is ALL Spencer. Somehow he knew not to draw in the other ones. Who knows, maybe he solved it!

She's so musical!

2009-07-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ally learned to play the recorder on the 4th of July.

She serenaded her daddy!

Mommy is obviously happy!

Girlfriends

2009-07-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ally and her girlfriend Olivia on the 4th!

Block Party on the 4th

2009-07-07T18:50:00.001-07:00

Our neighbors are so great. They organize a 4th of July Block Party every year. This year they got a jumpy house. The big kids let the little ones have a turn and then they came in to play too! But they had to be very gentle with the babies. It was so fun to see them play together.

Ally playing peek-a-boo with neighbor Grace.

Ally learning to bounce with some neighborhood friends

Ally and Spencer both got car rides from our neighbor, they were a little fast!

Spencer learning to jump from our neighbor Peter.

July 4th!

2009-07-07T18:39:00.001-07:00

Our cutie!

We all had great fun in the jumpy house!

Kisses

Lovey came in the FIRST time he went in

Playtime with Friends

2009-07-03T10:15:00.001-07:00

Ally relaxing after coloring.

This is a good shade of lipstick.

Coloring with Friends. Thank you crayola for making them washable!

Watching the action

The calm before the storm...aka breakfast.

Celebrating!

2009-07-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

So happy

Ally in her aloha dress.

Hearth Walking Take 2 (Ally's version)

2009-07-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

We are all very excited that Ally can Hearth walk. She will compete in the up coming Olympics with her brother. Go Ally!

ATRIUM TOAST

2009-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

So we all got together in the atrium this morning to celebrate Up's opening! The final word was that it opened at #1 with a grand total of $68.2 million! That makes it the 3rd largest opening for Pixar! The other 2 made $70, so it was close. It was a lot of fun!! Thanks to everyone who got to see it!

Plus it was my buddy Dean's first day at work! We worked together at Reelworks and we're on the same movie too!

CHALK ARTISTS

2009-05-31T18:42:00.001-07:00

We just got some new chalk today for the backyard. It got a little heated between them. Spencer was not keane on sharing them. But great art is made through stress and toil, right?

Daddy helped with the mickey.

A NEW TREE!

2009-05-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

So we got our tree delivered on Thursday this week and there it sat for a couple days (it fell over twice!). But today we got to put it in its new home...Our backyard!

The kids always double check our work to make sure it's up to code.

The top layer is normal dirt. Everything below it isn't. It's thick and sticky clay!

It kept sticking to the shovel!

Spencer pitched in too!

The hole is done!

And so is the tree! It looks great! We're so glad we did it. It was way cheaper than we thought it would be. The tree was only $180 and a delivery fee of $60. The tree is huge! It's as tall as the house. Plus we're glad we planted it ourselves. All of our neighbors thought we should hire someone. An illegal midget perhaps? Not this time Paco!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

We got to ride on a train at this great park in Santa Rosa

We also got to go to the zoo! Ally loved the petting zoo.

(thanks for the pass Auntie Gretchen!)

The Menn

2009-05-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

LA Visitors

2009-05-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Brooks and Alicia came up a couple weekends ago for a quick visit. They got to see "Up" a couple weeks early, see Pixar, and see the kids! Lots of seeing!

Apparently Indy misses LA and wants to go back.

ART TORNADO

2009-05-17T23:46:00.000-07:00

Kids and art studios don't mix.

Hip Baby Girl

2009-05-16T14:42:00.001-07:00

Thanks Spencer!

2009-05-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Spencer likes to pull clothes out of Ally's closet. He pulled out this red dress Ally has. I left the room for a minute and this is what I saw when I came back. I'm pretty sure Spencer put it on her. I guess he thought she wasn't formal enough.

TRIP-A-PALOOZA 2009!!!

2009-05-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

I realized tonite that we never posted photos of our huge midwest tour (we should've made t-shirts! darn!). I was going thru them and there's some great ones! So here's a brief tour of that MEGA TRIP!...

Spencer let Grandma hold him!

Spencer loved getting pushed on Grandpa and Grandma's swing

The Manns at daddy's work (we took Grandpa and Grandma!)

Ally got a free ride!

Spencer running around Pixar

Looking adorable

Payton was really sweet to Alexandra

They loved playing with Colin and his ball toy. Pixar "Cars" themed of course. Atta boy Colin!

I love this photo

Sissie! What's all this white stuff!?

Have a wad of paper brother!

Spencer loved this old school Sesame Street toy Heather had. He even got good at giving a good whack when it got stuck. Ah...that's my boy. That 'fix-it' technique will come in handy in the future.

Our new cousin ARABELLA!

CUPCAKES!!!!!!

Do I have to say anything on this one?...

Sydney blocking in Spencer

Everybody on Heather!

Our new cousin, HARLAND!

The kids LOVED searching for Easter Eggs!

mmm...more cupcakes!

Spencer and Auntie Heather

This was a hilarious photo to take. Everyone was screaming!

Ready to go home! This was my view of the kiddos in the backseat of the rental. They're both facing forward now!

My Little Girl

2009-04-21T15:16:00.001-07:00

I've got photos of the kids on my desktop here at work and I suddenly felt compelled to stop working and draw Ally.

Meet our new cousin!

2009-03-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is our first cousin on daddy's side and we are so excited that he is here.

Welcome to the world little Harland James!

We can't wait to meet you.

Jello Jigglers lover

2009-03-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Does this remind anyone else of the Spencer Jam Hitler post awhile ago?

Pushing Sissy is fun

2009-03-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

Our big walking girl

2009-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

My new cousin!

2009-02-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Spencer and Ally are over the moon that they have a new cousin. Her name is Arabella Marie and she was born Monday night. She is beautiful. Check our her blog to see her when she's not playing peek-a-boo!

We love you already Ari! Can't wait to meet you.

One sunny afternoon

2009-02-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

Slam Dunk

Daddy and me

Peek-a-boo!

Daddy

2009-02-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful daddy. This is the best part of the day. Cuddling with our daddy and watching wheel of fortune before bedtime. What could be better?

Thanks for the fun gift!

2009-02-13T10:16:00.001-08:00

Thank you Uncle Tom and Aunt Debbie for the wonderful presents.

We are having a great time with our new toys!

See Food

2009-01-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

Not for the weak stomach crowd, but hilarious to us!

California Academy of Sciences

2009-01-25T11:03:00.003-08:00

We went to the California Academy of Sciences yesterday.

They had lot of cool things to look at.

Like Zebra's

and a fish book with daddy.

and real fish too!

Finger Painting

2009-01-25T10:53:00.001-08:00

Mommy tried to get Spencer and Ally to finger paint on Thursday. Ally loved it!

She really got into the smearing.

How artistic!

Spencer is more like daddy when he was little. Didn't want to get messy in the paint.

Cuppie Cakes

2009-01-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

The best food ever!

Playgroup Birthday Party the Group Photo...

2009-01-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here are most of our playgroup friends. You have no idea how hard was even to get this photo unless you were actually there. Don't try this at home.

Just be a dentist

2009-01-19T15:05:00.000-08:00

Playgroup birthday videos

2009-01-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

This is why we don't take the kids to the grocery store anymore!

Spencer makes breakfast?

Playgroup Birthday Bash

2009-01-19T14:55:00.001-08:00

Early this month we had a play group Birthday party for all the kids. They all turn 2 within 3 months of each other. So we got together and rented out the Jack and Jills play space in town. Here are Spencer and Ally playing in the little house set up.

Oh no Spencer unloaded the whole cupboard!

Ally and another baby doll suffering from shaking baby doll syndrome

Poor Dolly!

Checking on her dolls

2008-12-31T06:37:00.000-08:00

A Jam Hitler?

2008-12-31T06:34:00.001-08:00

Foggy Day

2008-12-31T06:28:00.000-08:00

We have had fog every day for quite a few days now. So we decided we at least had to get out of the house and go for a walk. It was pretty though.

Notice her hat. Works great for Ally too Aunt Heather.

Notice their coats, thank you Grandma. Here is Spencer loading the chuck-it, but he intends only to tease Indy with the idea of ACTUALLY throwing the ball.

Christmas Eve Photos

2008-12-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

This is what mommy was thinking...

"isn't she adorable!"

This is what Ally was thinking...

"Lord save me from these people!"

Indy looking festive for Christmas

Spencer watching Christmas eve on Sesame Street for the first time

Then the kids got to open one present.

Spencer got a Handy Manny toolbox!

Ally got a book from Aunt Gretchen

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos from our Christmas Morning. Notice the adorable pj's grandma sent. They loved them!

Spencer discovering Santa came and brought gifts.

Ally looking at her baby doll crib. Mommy made the stuffed animals. The bunny is for Ally the faceless teddy for Spencer. Don't worry teddy will get a face.

Spencer and Ally are so close in age they can share toys!

Merry Christmas to all our family in the midwest!
We love you and we thank you for all the wonderful gifts you sent us!
Stay warm and enjoy your Christmas!

Giggles

2008-12-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

Daddy can really make her laugh!

(The hat is from a train thing Spencer got)

Christmas Tree Farm

2008-12-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

We went to a Chrsitmas Tree Farm 2 weekends ago.

Come on everybody lets go!

Do you see all the trees here?

I found one! Look how big it is!

Maybe we will buy this one in a few years

Taxes

2008-12-12T21:22:00.001-08:00

Mommy and Daddy finally had a phone appointment with their accountant to do their 2007 taxes. To keep the kiddo's quiet daddy passed thing to them under the office door.

Like pens and markers

I guess Ally can figure out how to open them

(good to know in the future)

In case this happens to you, rubbing alcohol works really well to get the marks off.

Look who's standing!

2008-12-12T21:20:00.001-08:00

I love this ball!

2008-12-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

This thing is so fun to crawl after

I got it now!

Look at her go!

Peek A Boo Sissy

2008-12-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is great to have the kids play together.

and sometimes things don't go as planned

Yummy!

2008-12-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

I just love biter cookies!

(and mommy loves cookie smear)

Puzzles

2008-12-10T14:37:00.001-08:00

Big brother isn't the only one who can do puzzles.

First you lick it

Then put it in it's place.

I am so smart!

Look who's visiting Bethlehem!

2008-12-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Spencer helped mommy set up her fontanini display.

Spencer's version of the Christmas story obviously includes Elmo and his racecar!

Yawn!

2008-12-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Boy I really need something to keep me awake.

Spencer and I have been taking turns getting up every couple of hours for the past week. We are BOTH teething. Spencer is getting his 2 year molars and I will probably have my two top front teeth by Christmas.

Speedy Gonzalez

2008-12-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

Spencer's Raceway!

Faster Daddy!

Handy Spencer!

2008-12-05T15:54:00.009-08:00

On Daddy's Birthday we took these photos.

We may need to start doing our own lawn care so

we asked Spencer to check out our equipment

He was very complete with his inspection

Maybe if we brought some his tools out he could get the thing moving!

When she was learning

2008-12-05T08:54:00.001-08:00

Just like uncle Tom,

Ally learned to crawl backwards first which led to some funny consequences.

Oh and that's biter cookie on her face.

No idea what is on her bum, but I could guess.

She's Musical!

2008-12-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

Mommy took this video a few weeks ago and finally had time to upload it.

I think we have a very musical baby girl!

Union Square

2008-12-04T13:59:00.001-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving we went to Downtown SF to see the Animation Museum. San Fran is not the most kid friendly place. We wound up at Union Square, a big shopping area (not kid freindly at all!) There were even steps to the elevators! So we hung out a little in the square itself and watched the world go by.

Spencer and Daddy climbing the steps to the Square

Enjoying a snack in the square

Hangin' out looking adorable.

Play time has changed at the Mann house

2008-12-04T13:34:00.002-08:00

See whose on the move!

And yes now with two playing the house is trashed by about 9:30 in the morning!

Santa Baby!

2008-12-04T12:56:00.001-08:00

While Mommy was taking out the Christmas decorations Ally sat on the play button. She didn't seem to mind there was a dancing Snowman behind her.

For the Reinacher clan...proof that I have this weird gift up in my house!

The kids love it!

More Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T21:59:00.001-08:00

This is only some of the stuff you have to bring when traveling with a baby and a toddler. And this was for one night in the hotel. There was more we left in the car!

of course Ally is there for scale reference.

Daddy and Spencer with Smoky the Bear at the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.

I don't remember how this smile occurred, but we did see some good smiles once he got a good night's sleep.

After a 12 hour trip home from OR yesterday complete with Lock Smith's and hours of disney and Elmo video's we made it home safe and sound. And for those of you wondering if we are still planning our big trip to see new babies this spring...it's too soon to ask. Ask us in a week or so.

Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

2008-12-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well we did it. We went on a big road trip this Thanksgiving. We went to visit some very dear college friends Sarah and Jamie. They live in the small town of Madras, OR. That is 9 hours from Petaluma if you were curious. We drove almost half way on Wednesday night, and then stayed in a Motel 6 cause they accept Indy. Spencer didn't sleep at all in the motel, so mommy and daddy took turns driving around the metropolis of Weed, CA in the middle of the night. If it would have been a clear morning we would have seen the sunrise over Mount Shasta. We pushed on to Madras the next morning and enjoyed thanksgiving with 19 adults, 6 or seven babies, and 7 dogs. It was a little hectic. Here is Ally on Saturday after our outing playing with Kia. She was so gentle, Kia, not Ally. If you are wondering about Ally's outfit, She had a major blowout while we were on the mountian (see below) and this is the only thing that fit her in the gift shop. Pink camo, classic. On the rump it says "Reporting for Doodie." Very appropriate.

Do you recognize this? It's the hotel from the Shining. It is half way up Mount Hood and was also our Saturday outing. It is a really cool hotel built during the WPA days.

Imagine if you will a very tall Mountain, the tallest in OR behind this building. It was near freezing rain the whole time we were there and the cloud layer was so deep we had to imagine a Mountain... Oh well.

Baby girls best friend

2008-11-20T16:37:00.003-08:00

A girl and her doggy.

Whatcha doin' Indy?

Throw it kid

Learning to Crawl

2008-11-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

First you sit.

then you get in crawl position

you lift one arm

and then put it down again.

Did I go anywhere?

Daddy's first trip to Jack and Jills

2008-11-19T15:19:00.001-08:00

Spencer showed Daddy the cool train table at Jack and Jills indoor play space.
He loves that train table. Seriously.
Afterward we all went to lunch and ate along the river. Spencer was so tired.
He didn't even make it home in the car. Night, Night.

Happy 60th Grandma!

2008-11-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

Alexandra wanted to send you a flower, but she decided to eat it instead.

Ally sings Happy Birthday to Grandma. Pay no attention to the fact that her lips aren't moving, she dubbed in the sound.

Happy 60th Birthday from all of us. Hope you have a wonderful day.
We all love you very much.

See you on your 60 1/2 birthday!

DEADMAN UNDER BLANKET

2008-11-11T00:25:00.001-08:00

Spencer has a new game...

DADDY'S COSTUME

2008-11-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

Dad got dressed up this Halloween too. He went to the Lucasfilm party as a Chicken Walker! A friend at work made an extra costume. He made it pretty cool. Dad wore it backwards so the leg joints were right. When he walks backwards, it looked like he was walking forward!

The guy in the WALL-E costume made daddy's costume!

Daddy had fun, even if he was in a box all night

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:27:00.001-07:00

We had a great Halloween here in Petaluma!

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

Red Five standing by!

(I've got the Kit Kat's for our after-battle snack!)

Aren't you a little short to be a stormtrooper?

Spencer doesn't agree with the galaxy's helmet law

Ok, so they're not twins. But they kind of are Irish twins!

Ally and Spencer are over the moon

2008-10-30T14:19:00.001-07:00

They can't wait to meet a new GIRL cousin in March. So if you are reading this blog often that is 2 cousins coming in March.

We suggest Spencerina as a girls name.
Is it just me or can you count her toes in this picture?

Baby trendsetter!

2008-10-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Alexandra just loves her bubble dress. She always stays up to the minute in fashion thanks to Auntie Hannah.

Just this morning

2008-10-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

They looked so cute in their fall clothes.

Munching on her pacifier.

Love her headband.

So happy.

Playing together or at least near each other.

Ally and Indy friends already

2008-10-24T11:55:00.002-07:00

Were are so happy to catch this on film. This is a few hours after our pumpkin adventure.
Indy just laid in her lap and let her pet him.
They are good friends, plus he's hoping to get some food out of her eventually.

Baby girl

2008-10-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

So every little girl needs to have her sailor suit picture, so here is Ally's.
Notice the big tear on her cheek. She didn't smile once. Still cute, but in a different way.
Maybe we will get smiles for the Christmas Photo's.

Adventures at a Pumpkin Patch part 7

2008-10-23T11:47:00.001-07:00

The final installment to this miniseries.
Mommy's favorites....

We can't wait!

2008-10-22T12:12:00.001-07:00

We have a new cousin on the way. He is due March 9th. Here is HIS first photo.

Adventures at a Pumpkin Patch part 6

2008-10-22T12:07:00.001-07:00

Peek a Boo!

Ally was hiding with our pumpkin all along.

It makes a great back rest.

Isn't that silly!

Adventures at a Pumpkin Patch part 5

2008-10-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

So we finally got to look around the pumpkin patch.

Spencer checks out this pumpkin to see if it's THE ONE.

Daddy gives Spencer a ride.

The hunt continues.

Adventures at a Pumpkin Patch part 4

2008-10-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Alexandra's head is as large as a sunflower.

Adventures at a Pumpkin Patch part 3

2008-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Spencer got to look for chickens in a very fun kiddie corn maze.

Daddy went along to help.

He took his lovey but soon ditched it in the corn.

He was so at home, you can tell the farming blood still runs in the family.

Adventures at a Pumpkin Patch part 2

2008-10-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

What else could we do at the pumpkin patch?

Maybe climb this hay pyramid with Daddy.

Yup this was fun. And he scaled it in no time.

Alexandra didn't climb as high.