The Schindlers

Valentine

2012-02-14T11:19:00.001-06:00

After Nick revealed his secret desire for a mustache like Tom Selleck Maddie and I knew what we had to do.
Happy Valentine's Day!

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Saturday

2012-02-11T18:52:00.001-06:00

A nice relaxing Saturday on this very cold day.

I'm almost finished with Maddie's princess dress for her 4th princess birthday party.

Will is sick with what Maddie has had so he has been extra snugly.

Maddie didn't seem to enjoy watch the WSU game so she moved on to watch PBS kids.

This is the highlight. Nick installed hardware on all the kitchen cabinets!

This is the new door handle Nick picked up after build and grow. Try and get in the pantry now William. He actually has been trying. Every few minutes he wonders over and tries again. Those are the highlights from our Schindler Saturday.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Sanity

2012-02-10T13:08:00.001-06:00

I love Costco. These shortbread cookies are pure heaven. Enjoying one with a cup of coffee sure makes being a nurse to sick kids MUCH easier.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Potty

2012-02-06T16:22:00.001-06:00

Will came to Maddie and I and said poopie. I checked and he was clean so I put him on the potty and guess what??? He peed and pooped! It has happened two times but now that I have blogged about it... it won't happen again.

He was so proud of himself he was clapping and yelling. I think the sibling rivalry is beginning and he wants to beat Madeline's potty training. Wouldn't that be nice?

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Oranges

2012-02-04T15:02:00.001-06:00

Will has discovered oranges and saying the word cheese when I'm taking his picture.

YouTube Video

The family that eats oranges together stays together.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Park

2012-02-04T12:33:00.001-06:00

We have been loving this warm weather. We lived at the neighborhood park this week. Will loved the freedom. By the end of the week he was climbing up the play equipment and running to go down the twisty slide. I sure got my workout keeping up with him. Madeline loved seeing all our neighborhood friends. There was lots of chase and even a new game they made up called rocks. It had some crazy rules and sure made all the Moms laugh. We are ready for spring around here!

YouTube Video

Go fish!

2012-02-04T12:24:00.001-06:00

Madeline is becoming a master at Go Fish! We love to spend Will's nap time playing.

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Worship

2012-02-01T16:29:00.000-06:00

This week at BSF they invited the Mom’s to bring their children in for the opening worship. Madeline was so excited to go into “big church”. We sang two of the songs that the children have been singing all year. It was beautiful hearing the little children sing Holy, Holy, Holy and Jesus Loves Me. Madeline sang loud and proud and Will chimed in (a second or two late)on the word Bible in Jesus Loves Me. Our teaching leader Jodi told the children’s story and then we all headed to our classes. What a fun change of pace.

Potato

2012-01-26T16:33:00.001-06:00

Will has a new favorite word...
POTATO
It is one of the few things he can reach in the pantry. He carries them all around the house telling us all about his potato. He is a nut!

YouTube Video

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Thankful

2012-01-26T16:24:00.001-06:00

I am so thankful for BSF and the instruction it provides my children. I love hearing the Bible stories each Wednesday on the ride home and hearing the hymns throughout the week. Nothing like hearing a little Holy Holy Holy to remind you of our awesome God. I love that they do the pledge of allegiance and sing God Bless America. Today Madeline wanted to show me how much better she has gotten at the pledge.

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Thank you Bible Study Fellowship. We will keep working on knowing which hand is our right hand.
Also, I think we might have crossed over from being the crier to being the comforter. Her teacher let me know Wednesday that Madeline tried to comfort a classmate who was crying for her Mommy. She was a great friend. Sometimes it helps when you have been in that spot to know what to say.

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Last week

2012-01-25T08:03:00.001-06:00

It was time for a little pantry organization.

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I finished the banners and flags for the O'Fallon baseball auction.

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Maddie and I had a slumber party and tried out the sock bun from pinterest. It worked great!

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Sometimes it is just fun to dress up in your princess things.

Mr. Talker had a bunch to say about the whole week.

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That just about hits the highlights.

Saturday

2012-01-14T21:42:00.001-06:00

The finally day in our week in the life series. It has been fun and sure does make me tired reading back through our week. Now I know how all our days go so fast!

Our morning started with William. He was awake bright and early. Nick finally went to get him at 6:45. I stayed in bed until 7:00 as a matter of principle. Madeline slept until 8:00. The party last night really wore her out!

I do think he is the funniest thing walking around. He just looks so much like a little old man from the back.

Then we had the other half of the cinnamon rolls I made the other day. I had froze them. It was a bit of an experiment and it came out great. This time I made a cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter topping. YUMMY!

After a quick shower we all loaded up. Nick dropped Will & me off at Joann fabric. I am working on a Valentine’s Day wreath for my door. I’m just about finished. I will post a picture on that another day.

Here Will is saying… this. Yep, new favorite word. This, this, this and points all day long.

Meanwhile, Madeline and Nick headed to build and grow. Today was a princess castle. It has a working draw bridge and real stand up people. She loves it!

After picking up the crafters we all headed to the mall and chick-fil-a. It is a family favorite!

We then decided to head into St. Louis and go to Costco. Will took a bit a nap on the way in. Here I am returning some jeans my mom bought. Every time I talk to her she asks if I have returned them. Now I can say yes with picture proof.

I also bought some B-12. Last night in bed I was watching Dr. Oz. (I DVR it daily and watch it before I go to sleep.) He said that 40% of Americans are low in B-12 and when he listed the problems with low B-12 levels (tired, memory loss, tingle in hands or feet) I think I might have them all. So I am out to solve it. Nick just shook his head because these things happen often when I watch Dr. Oz.

On the way home we saw this Coyote. Madeline was very excited..but just for a bit…

This was just a few minutes after the sighting. Next to her Will was wide awake. I don’t even know how she slept with all his blabbering. We also stopped at Starbucks on the way home! YUM!

Then I had to finish working on my first grade Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. Nick and I teach every other week. It makes it so nice to job share with another couple. That way we still get to our class. The story is about Daniel choosing the “good” foods. I’m so thankful I read this before I bought doughnuts for the class.

While Will got a quick nap, I cleaned up the kitchen, chatted with my old friend Diane, did a load of diapers, and Nick did our taxes then we headed out to dinner with the Brown family.

Thanks Laura for the picture. Will and Tru had a few staring contest and we all loved our food! It was the restaurants anniversary so the famous chicken dinner was 1/2 price. The Schindler family ate for 11.63 plus tip! AMAZING food and FUN friends. Now the kids are asleep and I was watching the Denver game but it was half time so I am taking a break to blog. Thank you for joining us this week. This now concludes the 2012 Week in the Life Series, we will now return you to randomly not scheduled blogging.

Friday

2012-01-13T22:31:00.001-06:00

Friday is always our clean house day. It feels nice going into the weekend with clean bathrooms and floors. We were having our friends the Dally Family over for dinner. Their husband/dad is on the last 77 days of a 365 deployment! So I got started cooking early. I am loving my new cookbook Nick bought me.

I am not a neat cook. It is ALWAYS a huge mess. Tonight’s dinner was beef burgundy, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, veggie tray, and Tara brought dessert.

While I was cooking Will emptied a few drawers.

I chopped up a million things.

Madeline’s kids had school.

Will and Madeline decided to hide behind the curtain. Then Madeline played peekaboo with Will. He was laughing so hard at one point I thought he might throw up. He thinks she is the funniest thing in the world.

Pearl ONIONS! I thought I was going to die trying to peel them. Then I looked on YouTube and found a great how to video and it only took me 5 minutes. So I finally got all the stuff in the crock pot and started on lunch. Just kidding I fit baths for the kids and bathroom cleaning in before lunch.

Lunchtime…Ham sandwiches with mayo,lettuce,tomato,cheese, and cucumber. (On yesterdays homemade bread) YUMMY!

Madeline like the chips the best. (Who doesn’t?)

Will just likes to eat. He will always give me a grin in the highchair.

Nick loves St.Louis because the Price Is Right is on at his lunch time. We NEVER miss a show. It is even becoming a contest at lunch. He always gets the car amount rights but I beat him if it has to do with grocery store items.

While Will took his nap Madeline played with her dolls and animals. She was the mommy and at one point they all needed 5 shots. It was not a happy day in her family.

Meanwhile I was on my hands and knees cleaning the wood floors. My neighbor told me that her cleaning lady uses hot water and 2-3 drops of Old English furniture oil. It works so great! It lasts much longer then when I just Swiffer.

Madeline set the table.

Yep that is how my French bread looked like after I proofed it. I think an elephant snuck into my house and sat on it. A quick phone call to Nick at work and he stopped and bought some on his way home for dinner!

Will continued to climb on everything and say Ta-Da when he would get to the top. We also Skyped Grandpa Ross to wish him Happy Birthday and watch him open his present. I forgot to take a picture of that!

Madeline picked up the toys and when I took her picture she snapped her fingers and said “Yeah, Buddy”. Such a nut. Also, when Will pulled the basket down to play she hit him over the head with her pom pom and told him no. She said she just didn’t have time to always be picking up after kids.

The final touches to the crock pot, mushrooms and pearl onions sautéed.

Here we are eating. Another crockpot success. We even had people go back for seconds!

Then we put in Car 2 3-D and ate some popcorn. Will loved the popcorn part but he has got to learn how to eat it neater!

Madeline is crazy about these two. After the movie they played chase and wrestled around on the floor. She was so excited. She even announced to them that she was the princess. I think she was trying to decide who would be her prince. They sure did a great job tiring her out! That is the end of our Friday. See you tomorrow for the last day of our week!

Thursday

2012-01-12T20:36:00.001-06:00

Snow Day! It was super windy, cold, and snowy around here so we lived it up in our pajamas!

Our morning started about 7:00ish. Anytime I can put my feet on the ground after 7:00 is the best! I quickly put the sticky buns in to cook while I made a pot of coffee.

Madeline was in awe of the snow and just loved watching the cars on the road behind our street.

Then finally my rolls were done and my pot of coffee!

They were a hot sticky yummy mess. I had a few issues when I was flipping them out of the pan. Then my neighbor Brenda came over. She is the best neighbor we have coffee on the mornings she doesn’t have to work. She lives right across the street and comes on over in her robe with her slippers. This morning she even brought her own coffee. She loves blueberry flavored. We were busy chatting and working on the O’Fallon baseball auction. I forgot to take any pictures of us but here are some of the projects.

The coaches favorite words on banners. I made a few of the banners with an O'Fallon O and a baseball but these will have the words with a little O. So we decided on the size of letters and during Will’s naptime today I got them all cut out! We had a hard time getting them the right size and deciding on the layout. There was lots of paper cutting. Will went down for a morning nap and Madeline just played around with her dolls. I worked on the letters and cleaning up my crafting mess. Next Nick came home for lunch and when he headed back we cuddled up.

I had bought Curious George the movie awhile back but was saving it for the perfect movie day. Today was the day. We even had popcorn. Will & Maddie loved the popcorn!

I started sewing the pennants for the auction. We are going to use them in some of the auction baskets. 1 down and 7 to go.

After Will’s afternoon nap there was time for some ball playing. He still gets so excited when he can bend over and pick up something without falling over.

This is what the family room looks like after a day of playing inside. At least everyone helped to put it all away before bed.

Tonight was a leftover buffet, at least I made some homemade bread to go with. What a nice lazy snowy day. I can’t believe we are already finished with Thursday! See you tomorrow.

Wednesday

2012-01-11T20:52:00.001-06:00

Our morning began with a little Clifford while we enjoyed our waffles, eggs, and pears.

I enjoyed my coffee creamer. This is my addiction! I LOVE IT!

Then Paul Bunyan was all ready for his first day in the BSF walkers class.

This was Madeline’s model pose. The wink is what really takes it over the top.

Here is Madeline finding her name tag at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). She can even find Will’s. What a helper. She calls BSF school and takes it very serious. Just ask her teachers, she is the question answering champion. We are just thankful that she doesn’t cry every time I drop her off anymore.

Here is one of Madeline’s BSF teachers. Her other teacher was getting ready to give the children’s story to the adults so we can see how they learn in the children’s area.

Here is Will with his two new teachers. They said he did great on his first day. He was doing pretend sneezes while I was trying to take the picture. What a ham!

Here is Laura and I in “big church”. We are even in the same group. Don’t you feel sorry for our leader?

Also why do I look like King Kong in this picture, with the world’s hugest head?

(Even Photoshop couldn’t fix that!)

After BSF we hurried home to have lunch with Nick. He comes home almost everyday. The kids love it and I like it when he helps eat up leftovers.

Will was exhausted from “school” so he headed down for a nap.

You can just barely see his Schindler head.

Madeline and I opened my exciting vinyl package. I got wall vinyl, iron on vinyl, glossy vinyl, matte vinyl… vinyl, vinyl,vinyl. Oh the projects I can pin on pinterest now!

Madeline and I had time for a little tea party. We love to play with the little things when Will is asleep. We also just goofed off and watched some Aladdin on the couch.

Then with Will back awake we headed to the basement.

I watched Project Runway all stars. It always gets me jazzed up about sewing.

Will and Madeline had “dinner”. She kept telling him he was the daddy and calling him Nick. I think he was so confused by the end he didn’t even know who was who.

I made shrimp and sausage jambalaya for dinner. It was pretty yummy. Will loved it, even the shrimp. Madeline cleaned her plate too. We finished up the French bread from the night before.

I made my dough for my caramel nut rolls. My neighbor Brenda is coming over in the morning for coffee, crafting, and caramel.

Anybody else in the area (Laura) is welcome to stop on by.

I made chocolate chip cookies. So this evening we all enjoyed milk and cookies, playing ball, watching wheel of fortune, and a little bit of cars race track. Another exciting day.

Tomorrow it might even snow!

Tuesday

2012-01-10T20:42:00.001-06:00

I love Tuesdays. They are days that we usually catch up on everything. Here is our quiet stay at home day…

My morning began with listening to Will chat with his stuffed Elephant at 6 this morning! He continued to chat until I finally rescued him from his crib at 6:58. The good news is that on the mornings he wakes up this early I know it will be a two nap kind of day!

While the kids ate their waffles I started lunch and dinner. We had chicken,feta,cucumber,onion,and tomatoes on whole wheat pita for lunch. I made Beef and Noodles in the crockpot for dinner. I love having my kitchen duties done by 9!

The kids love the bathtub. On days when we don’t have to be anywhere early we enjoy a nice soak. It also gives me time to clean the bathroom.

Watch out for Will. He is a loves to be naked! The minute I get him out of the tub he takes off running and usually doesn’t even look back. Check out the muscles on that guy.

Madeline was very busy working on her watercolors. She wanted to paint a picture and mail it to Bolt. (The dog from a Disney cartoon.)

While Maddie painted Will built with his blocks, actually he just dumped them out and spread them all around. Pretty soon the eye rubbing began it was time for his morning nap. During his nap Madeline and I vacuumed the main level and the stairs. I have to vacuum when Will is asleep because all he wants to do is sit on the vacuum. It is not easy to vacuum with a 28 pounder sitting on the vacuum! Then it was “school” time.

We are using this fun curriculum that goes with the ABC Bible Verse book. This week we are on the letter V. It is a great way for Madeline and I to have some one on one time together and work on scripture memory verses. She is so beating me in how fast she can learn them!

Today we worked on our new sight word Me, the number 8, and the letter V. She even painted a few.

Look who is awake! Yes, he always wakes up with those red cheeks. Madeline does too! You have to love the crazy crib hair.

Then it was time to start the French bread for dinner. YUMMY!

Nick also came home for lunch. I forgot to take a picture of that. Will ate two servings of the chicken and Madeline ate hers plus a ton of pineapple. I think we might be hitting a Schindler growth spurt around here.

It was absolutely beautiful here today so we headed to the park two blocks away. Madeline rode her tricycle and Will got the stroller. Lucky for us the two twin 3 year old neighbors were there to play. The 3 years olds played chase and then they were on a treasure hunt and they found a tennis ball! True treasure to three year olds.

Wee Squeak

We finally found shoes that Will likes. He loves the Wee Squeaks and only because they make noise. The arrived late yesterday so today was the big try out! I think they were a hit. We headed home and everyone took a nap while I made a few phone calls to welcome some new people to Scott AFB and the TACC. I think this is one of only a handful of times both kids have slept at the same time. After nap time Will did some house exploring and mostly just hung out at the top of the stairs yelling down at Madeline and I. He has finally learned how to get himself back down. That has saved me at least 100 steps a day.

My French bread was finished with 5 minutes to spare before the timer went off for the main course.

Yummy! Thank you Cooks Illustrated! Then in walked Nick…

From the very beginning Madeline and Nick have always gone and gotten the mail together. Now as soon as the garage door goes up she is out the door and waiting for their walk to the mailbox. The rest of the evening we played, threw the ball, did a round of hooky poky, princess tea party, and FINALLY bed.

The End

Monday

2012-01-09T20:56:00.001-06:00

Wow what a busy day! We started off the day in a huge rush because we all slept in. (except Nick the responsible adult who was at work on time) After quickly getting ready we raced out the door for MOPS. (Mothers Of Preschoolers)

Will was not too pleased with this plan. Although he had already stopped crying by the time I made it around the corner. They also said he did great and didn’t cry another tear all morning. I think the quality cracker snack might have helped!

Next I dropped off Madeline Grace. She LOVES MOPS especially her teacher Miss Becky. As she walked in she announced Hi guys I’m here.

Here is my table of fabulous ladies, minus the two with sick little ones. We are the Candyland Cuties and I think we are both cute and fun.

Today we sat with our “sister” groups and enjoyed our usual wonderful pot luck brunch. There is just something so fabulous about enjoying a cup of coffee, a snack, and some adult conversation with having to worry about your kids. Our topic today was discipline. Watch out kids I am fired up!

Today was one of my crazy Mondays. I actually had to leave MOPS a few minutes early and meet Nick in the church parking lot. He was taking the kids home for lunch and I was headed to base for a key spouse meeting. Yes, I forgot to take a picture of the trade but this is me driving quickly down the road to the meeting I was already late too!

This is the Moto Mart where we traded the kids again.

An action shot of Nick getting out of my car.

Finally when we got home Madeline could show me all her MOPS projects. Yep, those animals are put on with icing. That is a very happy puppet she also created. They had Noah’s Ark Bible story along with a fun game of hooky poky and they even fit in some indoor playground time.

Will was all about Jeff Corvette today. He would carry him around and then stop and push him for a little bit making the car sounds. He thinks he is hot stuff with his ability to pick things off the floor while still standing.

When I headed upstairs to put Will down for nap Madeline enjoyed some Martha Speaks. It is always more fun to sit on the back of the chair.

During Will’s naptime I cleaned the master bathroom with my assistant Madeline and folded a load of laundry. Then we had time for a Mickey Mouse puzzle, a few books, and to look through her pink box filled with all her treasures.

Will woke up from nap a bit hungry. So we all three enjoyed a nice pear snack. It was super yummy. (On sale this week at Aldi’s) Then it was time for Madeline to do some crafting.

While Madeline crafted and Will played with his cars and balls I finished up my last day of my weekly Bible Study. We are doing the book of Acts this year in BSF.

Then we all headed into the hallway and tried to see how far and how fast the shake it up car would go. Will loved it. He just kept chasing it and he finally started to shake it and let it go. Then he would laugh and laugh. Madeline and I tried to make obstacles for it to go through. It even flipped over once and kept going.

Time to start dinner! Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, corn, homemade dinner rolls.

Finally, Daddy was home and kids enjoy their usual wrestle time. Now the kids are in bed and Nick and I are enjoying the football game. I am tired just reviewing today. Tomorrow is going to be much more laid back!

Sunday

2012-01-08T20:41:00.001-06:00

Our Sundays start out busy and end nice and relaxed. It all starts with a breakfast of champions. Today was muffins and sliced up pears.

Somebody was still sleepy. You know that kids only sleep in when you have to be somewhere in the morning!

Then it is hurry around and have everyone dressed and out the door in time for 8:30 Sunday School.

Here is Princess Madeline in one of her new church dresses from Grandma Linda & Andy.

We do a quick check in and Nick drops off Madeline and I drop off William.

Will wasn’t too sure about things this morning. He was the first one there and I think he was missing his buddies. But he sure loves Miss Judy. He is sporting his new outfit from Grandpa Ross & Grandma Jenna. It looks very cute when it is isn’t all shoved up.

Then we head upstairs making a stop at the coffee station and go to our own fabulous Sunday School Class. Nick said it was nerdy and embarrassing to take a group shot of the whole class. So I went with just a picture of our friends the Browns. We have a picture of us together in Altus so now I can add this to the collection. After S.S. (or Life groups if you are into the new SBC lingo) we head to big church. After big church Nick picks up Will and I get Madeline.

Madeline’s usual teacher Miss Diana was sick today so here is a picture of Madeline by her door. Notice the swollen eyes. She does not like change! Lucky for her the Brown’s were her subs and that dried up the tears pretty fast.

After loading up the car we headed to 5 Guys for some yummy burgers and fries. You can tell Will is thrilled in this picture.

After putting Will down for nap I headed across the street to help Brenda work on the baseball auction decorations. We ironed the fabric on and I am in the middle of sewing all around it. Don’t tell Nick but I also just hung out over there for awhile and enjoyed the craziness of a house full of teenage boys. I can’t even imagine Will that old. Did I mention there was even some girl drama of two friends liking the same girl? Fascinating!

Then I headed back across the street with my pile to sew. I used the last few minutes of Will’s nap to read the paper and enjoy a cookie and coffee. Meanwhile Madeline and Nick were finishing Lion King and getting ready for some FOOTBALL.

Nick whipped up some pizza dough in our new bread maker and we enjoyed some homemade pizza while watching the playoffs. What a finish Tim Tebow and the Broncos. We were screaming so loud I think our neighbors could hear us. After all this excitement Will just couldn’t take anymore and went straight to bed. Madeline enjoyed a round of catch with Nick and is now snuggled and sleeping. Now I must go rest for our week to start, after I put in one more load of laundry. Be ready for Magnificent Monday.

A Week in the Life

2012-01-08T20:21:00.001-06:00

A few of my favorite blogging friends have decided to do a week in the life. A few years ago Natalie and I did it in Altus. It was so fun and a great way to remember those daily things that get forgotten. So get ready to experience a week in the life of the Schindler family. I also can’t wait to read all the things my friends around the country and world do every week.

2012-01-03T13:23:00.001-06:00

We have reached the dreaded stage of fearless explorer. There isn't a door he can't open or box he can't climb.

This all occurred while I took mail to the mailbox. He sure keeps me on my toes.

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Lot to say

2011-12-29T15:18:00.001-06:00

From the time he wakes up in the morning until he goes to sleep... talk,talk,talk, and more talking.
He just rambles on and on and throws in a few real words here and there. He can now say Mama, Dada, Up, Bye, Baby, Hello, Yep, Yes, No, Ball, Papa (grandpa), Thank You, Hi, Bible, GiGi, baba (bottle/cup), roll (from patty cake). He parrots almost anything we say. Watch out world we are going to have two chatty Schindler kids!

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Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T13:32:00.000-06:00

WOW! What busy fun Christmas week. We were honored to be able to have all the Grandparents come for Christmas. The kids were thrilled…and that includes the two big kids (Nick and I). We filled the days with…

eating…check out the tablecloth I sewed and the new Christmas tree napkins I made to match.

You know these two didn’t miss a meal!

We spread our gift opening throughout the days.

Beauty shop time..every princess needs fancy hair.

3-D tv watching. This was a movie about the Corvette factory.

Taking a break in the beauty process to open another gift.

Going to Christmas Eve Service.

Somebody sure was excited to go to Big church. She did have to bring her lipgloss and Mac the dog.

William loved the music but really wanted to do a bunch of talking. He is loudest thing. Finally we gave him a sucker and he was messy but quiet.

We decided this might be the best we looked all week. We took the opportunity to attempt a few family pictures. It is way too hard to get everyone looking great at the same time!

This way too hard Christmas puzzle from Costco kept everyone busy and wasn’t completed until right before people started leaving. It wouldn’t have been finished at all if Nick hadn’t stayed up until midnight the night before.

Finally Christmas was here! This was the year of the princess for Madeline. Princess dolls, princess dresses, princess EVERYTHING! The highlights for here have been the dress up clothes, the fingernail polish (what was Santa thinking), and her Bolt doll.

This was the year of cars and balls for Will! He loves driving his cars all over the floor and making the vroom sound. He also is very happy carrying a ball around and throwing it. He is ALL boy. BUT… box climbing and paper tearing was his favorite!

The best part of new toys was the fact that there were so many people here to try them out. Grandma Linda even had tea parties with Madeline under the dining room table.

Do to somebody (I won’t name any names…ERMA) waking up Maddie so early she was a little tired and cranky. We finally got her to take a nap and then Christmas fun could continue.

Madeline and Will got a HUGE tunnel and ball pit. It folds up so small but fills our entire basement!

Here is the puzzle finally finished..if you see it at COSCO think twice about buying unless you have 7 people and at least 3 days to work on it.

Merry Christmas! Thanks everyone for driving all the way to see us. Hope you guys can all make it next year!

Happy Birthday

2011-12-22T10:54:00.001-06:00

Today Madeline and I made our Happy Birthday Jesus Cake. We decided to try out the Cricut cake for the first time. Not too bad for beginners.

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Maddie's turn

2011-12-21T16:06:00.001-06:00

Today Maddie has been super busy planning a girls only party. She even made this sign for her door with only pictures if boys. I was super surprised that she wrote the word NO. Then I was double surprised when she wrote her name. She is growing up too fast.
(Yes, she dressed herself for the party. It must have been a summer party theme.)

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Tickle tickle

2011-12-21T09:05:00.001-06:00

This is what happens after your one year old eats too many cinnamon rolls. He starts tickling himself. How do you like the morning crazy hair?

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Location:The kitchen table

Breakfast

2011-12-21T06:42:00.001-06:00

Homemade cinnamon rolls...just practicing for Christmas morning.

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Rams game!

2011-12-18T17:45:00.001-06:00

Today we headed into Saint Louis to watch the Rams play the Bengals. Due to the Rams disappointing season we were able to get cheap tickets and close parking. Will joined in all the clapping, Maddie lived being able to yell inside and Nick was thrilled with the Bengal win. I was disappointed that Sam Bradford was injured and didn't play. But it was a super fun day and I sure hope we get to do it again!

YouTube Video

Jesus Birthday Party

2011-12-16T13:29:00.001-06:00

Today we went to a Baby Jesus Birthday Party. It was so much fun. We played pin the hay on the manger, made a craft, had a cookie devotional, and ate cake. There might have even been a bit of princess dress up at the end. Here are some pictures of our fun.

Maddie waiting in line for pin the hay on the manger.

Will hung out in the playroom with his best buddy Payton (just a week younger). He had a great time crawling, walking, and playing with all the toys. George (Payton’s daddy was in charge of the little guys.)

Will did have to squeeze in a little office work during the party.

The girls were super excited about the cake!

Can you believe Becky Cole made this cake! I think she could have a second job! It was a super fun time and great way to put the focus back on the true meaning of Christmas.

Happy Birthday to you!

Santa 2011

2011-12-12T16:31:00.001-06:00

Madeline was very excited to tell Santa all about the princess things she wanted. I think Will is just getting Coal in his stocking. A little different from last years picture.

Merry Christmas!

Baby Steps

2011-12-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

Look who is loving his push cart! I think we might have a walker by Christmas.

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One Year Old Check-up

2011-11-28T15:31:00.000-06:00

We were finally able to get Will in for his 1 year

Well Baby Visit with Dr. Doyle.

Here is our Little Man’s stats…

27.11 pounds

20 inch head circumference

31 inches tall (but he was really squirmy for that so we aren’t too sure about the accuracy of that number)

The bottom line… HE IS HUGE! He is in the 100% and 98% or off the chart in all areas including cuteness. O.K. maybe the dr. didn’t say that part about the cuteness. But she did get a kick out him wanting her to hold him, hiding his eyes for patty cake, talking all about the baby in his book, and trying to kiss her face off. He wasn’t one bit shy!

We did have a bit of drama getting his blood drawn for his 1 year old iron level test. His arms were so chubby they couldn’t find a vein (after they dug around a bit). They finally did a finger prick. So he was not very happy with the ladies in the lab and then we followed that fun up with five shots! He is a super trooper and is doing great!

We love you Will and couldn’t imagine life without you. Thanks for making us laugh everyday! I still can’t believe you are 1.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T15:21:00.000-06:00

Grandpa Ross and Grandma Jenna came to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a great time working on Will’s stair climbing skills, playing cards, eating, and even taking a trip to Costco. Here are a few pictures of our time together. What a nice relaxing holiday!

Thanksgiving yumminess! It did taste pretty good if I do say so myself.

I couldn’t get a holding still picture of Will once he sees his bottle. It is about to be sad times around here with the ending of bottles. But Grandpa and Grandma sure learned pretty quick how to get on Will’s good side.

This big smile is following a round of peek a boo.

A warm beautiful day at the park! Did you notice that it is impossible to get all 4 people smiling at the same time?

Thanks for coming to visit Grandpa and Grandma! Can’t wait to see you at Christmas. Maybe I’ll remember to take more pictures that time!

Still Birthdaying..

2011-11-20T10:51:00.000-06:00

You know you are spoiled when your birthday carries on for WEEKS! Grandma Linda, Andy, and GG came to celebrate. We did our usual of eating, playing, and furniture moving. But on top of all that they helped us decorate for Christmas and hang our Christmas lights! What would have taken me 4 Will naptimes at least was done in just 1 and 1/2! Best Christmas present ever! Here are some pictures of the weekend.

Birthday present opening and playing!

He is really into giving big bear hugs!

Please read what is on the card game. I think it is exactly what Maddie wanted to say to Will.

Church day! Thank for coming to visit. See you guys at Christmas.

Happy Birthday William!

2011-11-14T13:12:00.001-06:00

Today some of Will’s best friends came on over to celebrate. There was cake eating, toy playing, stair climbing, itsy bitsy spider singing, paddy cake learning, and the most fun Kleenex pull out game. Here are a few pictures of our adventure.

Look at these handsome boys! Cooper, Payton, Will, and Tru!

Payton loved to feed Will a little more cake! Thank you Sunday School Buddy!

He was not afraid to jump right into his cupcake. He ate it so fast!

Then it was time for a little Klennex pull out. It was so cute when they finally realized they weren’t going to get in trouble.

Cooper was very focused on his pulling.

Once Tru got the hang of it WATCH OUT!

Payton liked the hairbrush a little bit better!

It is fun to play peek a boo with the Kleenex.

Mother and Son picture (plus Maddie Grace).

Molly, Amelia, and Maddie Grace. The girls had so much fun playing fairy dress up. They even got to decorate their own cakes and have a tea party.

What a fun morning! Thank you guys for coming to celebrate. Be watching for the family party this weekend.

Helper

2011-11-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

When I came down the stairs after putting Will down for nap this is what I witnessed. This is a day maker for any stay at home Mommy.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Lunch time

2011-11-08T11:56:00.001-06:00

Will is starting to really try to get his point across. Now when he is finished at mealtime he waves bye to his tray and gives a nice loud bye. He is even trying out the word yes a little bit.

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Location:Hearthstone Dr,O'Fallon,United States

New Church Clothes

2011-11-06T21:52:00.000-06:00

Due to the time changes and a toddler and preschooler who don’t change we had time for a photo-shoot before church.

Thank you Grandpa Ross & Grandma Jenna for the new church clothes & fancy coats. Every girl need some fur and sparkles. Please agree with me that Will looks like he could take over Grandpa Ross’ insurance job in that outfit.

Hanging out

2011-11-05T16:10:00.000-05:00

So after the party we got some nice hanging out time in Wichita with Grandpa and Grandma.

There was lots of corvette driving. Yes, Will is still not afraid of his sister’s driving. Every time she stopped he started rocking back and forth trying to make the car go. He is FEARLESS!

Grandpa was reading the mail to Will.

We celebrate Grandma Jenna’s birthday. (A few days early but fun just the same!)

We had a great visit. It is always a great visit when the kids all sleep! Thanks for the card playing, kid cloth shopping, and yummy food! See you in a few weeks!

90th Birthday

2011-11-01T16:19:00.000-05:00

November 1st was my Grandma Searl’s 90th Birthday. We loaded up the kids and headed to Kansas. This might have been the WORST driving trip we have attempted as a family. It involved running out of gas, Will crying and crying, stopping for Madeline to go potty after we had just stopped, and the worst… Will throwing up TWICE! So by the time we got to Kansas we were tired, stinky (throw up smell for the last 2 hours), and GRUMPY. Nick dropped Maddie Grace and I off at the party and took Will to Grandpa Ross & Grandma Jenna’s for a much needed scrub down. Here are some pictures of the party. My dad’s sister Carol did all the party planning and ordered the cake. Connie and Joey (Carl) also made the long trips from Maine and North Carolina to come for the fun.

Maddie and Grandma getting ready to celebrate.

Everybody in line at Furr’s.

The group!

Madeline was very serious about this gift opening business!

3 of the 4 kids! Ross, Junior, and Carol. Sandra wasn’t able to come.

3 of the 5 grandkids. Me, Joey (Carl), and Connie. We missed you Richard and Keith came early and had to leave early.

Happy 90th birthday Grandma! Can’t wait to see you again for another visit.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T22:10:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful night to go Trick-or-Treating. Maybe a bit chilly but wagon pulling can sure keep you warm. Here is our version of Jessie and Woodie from Toy Story.

It started out light but was very dark by the time we got home. Once Madeline got going she was excited. After our first stop at the Lawrence's across the street, I wasn’t sure we would make it any other houses. The kids got light up necklaces and that was about all Madeline could think about or talk about it. As we walked around the neighborhood many neighbors had their fire pits out in their driveway with lawn chairs and s’mores! I love this place. The night ended with both Woodie and Jessie in the wagon plum wore out!

Sometimes we just had to take a break and try out our new necklaces and eat a little candy snack.

Play date

2011-10-28T18:35:00.001-05:00

Today Laura and Tru stopped on by for a quick game of chase, go fish, and we couldn’t call it a play date if there wasn’t snack time!

Tru is the perfect date. He just lets Maddie do all the talking. He is a great listener. Thanks for coming by! We have to do it more often.

Naked

2011-10-28T18:30:00.001-05:00

I changed Will and realizing he needed to a whole new outfit. So I left him just in his diaper for the 20 minutes until we went upstairs for naptime. (Don’t judge, 28 pounds up the stairs is tiring!) Will a few minutes later I heard Will’s big laugh and this is what I witnessed.

Yes, he was flinging his diaper in the air!

He was a little bit disappointed when I put the diaper back on. I now know when he is cranky just get him naked.

Have you?

2011-10-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen two cuter Bible Study going kids?

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Location:Hearthstone Dr,O'Fallon,United States

Gloves

2011-10-25T10:57:00.001-05:00

The only thing missing from this outfit is a big hat.

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Location:Hearthstone Dr,O'Fallon,United States

Firepit Fun

2011-10-22T20:56:00.001-05:00

Our Sunday School class (Lifegroup) headed into the woods behind our church and had an adventure. We set up 2 fire pits, a bunch of table of food, folding chairs, and a projector (to watch the world series). The children ran around like crazy while the adults enjoyed great conversation and a million s’mores. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. Just chilly enough for s’more making but not so chilly you needed gloves or a coat. What a fun night!

Madeline and Samantha hugging it out. I have never seen so much running!

Yes, his face is dirty..why? Because he was eating dirt.

Madeline isn’t too sure about this smoke thing.

Will decided to kick up his heels while he waited on dinner.

Look at that line of haze.

Madeline with her marshmallow! What a fun evening. Now off to bed to be ready for church tomorrow.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-21T14:33:00.001-05:00

This morning our MOPS (mother’s of preschoolers) group headed to the Pumpkin Patch. Here are a few pictures of my little pumpkins. I couldn’t figure out how to haul a 27 pound Will and a pumpkin out of the patch so we are just going to pick our pumpkin at Sam’s. Madeline did get a little one that she could proudly carry.

This hat makes me think of my Papa (William “Bill” Morris) I can remember him wearing a hat very similar hunting!

Ignore the drool (teeth coming in) and focus on the blue eyes.

The red cheeks don’t lie. It was getting chilly!

Madeline was super excited her friend from Sunday School, Rebekah, was there! Maybe this will help the crying…

New friend Colton was pretty fun too! They searched and searched for the largest pumpkin they could find.

All Will wants to do is chew on things. Can you believe those HUGE pumpkins? Madeline’s tiny pumpkin is sitting next to her. She asked if she could put it in her room and sleep with it tonight.

Watch out farmers, here comes Maddie Grace! Fall in O’Fallon sure is beautiful. I am enjoying the chilly weather and gorgeous trees! What a blessing.

Happy Fall!

2011-10-17T20:31:00.001-05:00

Here are a few cute pictures of the kids. Can you believe these mums were teeny tiny when I planted them last spring? I LOVE FALL in O’Fallon!

Yes, I did try to take some of them together…OH BOY!!!

2011-10-16T19:48:00.002-05:00

Saturday was the big 6th anniversary for Nick and I. We celebrated with a song....

YouTube Video

and then Nick gave me this beautiful edible arrangement. (I have wanted one forever and it has not disappointed!)

Then we headed out for a nice dinner. It was a yummy dinner with the family. Madeline told us she was going to pretend to be a princess at dinner. She sure did! She was so very grown-up.

It was a wonderful day with the family.

Playdate

2011-10-14T12:54:00.001-05:00

Today we had a fun play date with our MOPS friends! Madeline loved all the boy toys but did ask where the princess dresses were kept.

This was her excited ready to leave the house face.

Everybody loves a good craft at a play date! Will was busy crawling around seeing what they had to pull up on!

2011-10-13T12:55:00.002-05:00

So I said I would never "homeschool" and now I kind of am... I mean it is just a preschool program but it is sort of schoolish and I love it. It sure reminds me of how much I loved teaching first grade. Thank you to this http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/RaisingRockStarsPreschool.html for the great curriculum! Here is our first week board. A Bible verse, letter, sight word, and number each week. Now if only I could memorize the verse as quickly as Madeline.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Forest Park

2011-10-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Columbus Day we headed to Forest Park for a family picnic. Nick took these cute shots of Madeline. It sure is beautiful there! I think we need to have more picnics!

Will and I up on the hill finishing lunch.

There is my beautiful 3 and 1/2 year old! My how the time is flying!!!!!

Cool dude hair

2011-10-10T09:13:00.001-05:00

Check out Will's bed head. He is destined for coolness or a haircut.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Last Game

2011-10-08T14:37:00.001-05:00

Today was the last Mighty Smurf Game. It was a perfect day. To wrap up the season Madeline scored her first goal. She actually had two goals! What a huge improvement from the beginning of the season.

Warming up with the favorite pink ball.

A little pep talk from Coach Paul.

A quick reminder of which goal is our goal. (We scored two goals for the other team this week.)

Here she goes for the score…

AND SCORE!!!! Check out the excited fan in the background.

Here she goes for score number two!

Here she goes in the tunnel after the game.

Check out the end of season treats. A medal, trophy, cupcake, and soccer ring!

We can’t forget the number one Smurf fan!

Sleepy

2011-10-07T16:37:00.001-05:00

Yes, sometimes she even wears herself out.

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Into

2011-10-07T13:04:00.001-05:00

We have entered the into everything phase! There isn't a cabinet he hasnt opened, a button he hasn't pushed, a window not licked, and now a fake tree unpotted. Fun times!

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Bath fun

2011-10-05T19:24:00.001-05:00

Sometimes they play nice...

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Location:Azalea Ct,O'Fallon,United States

Apple week

2011-10-04T10:38:00.001-05:00

This week we are reading about, learning about, and eating apples. Too bad I ran out of red food coloring.

My helper!

This was her apple inspired cupcake. Now I must go taste test.

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Location:Hearthstone Dr,O'Fallon,United States

Uncle Eric & Aunt Sally

2011-10-03T18:43:00.001-05:00

Uncle Eric and Aunt Sally came for a short weekend visit. They came to see the kids and celebrate Nick’s 34th birthday! Here are some of our adventures…

First we went to the Zoo! We got there early enough to enjoy the carousel & pet the sharks.

Then it was on to the ARCH! When we told Madeline she was going to go up in the Arch she asked where is the door. Then as we walked closer she ran super fast so she could touch it. She was so curious about what it felt like.

Here we are on our way up in the arch in our little pod.

Uncle Eric and Will enjoying the view from the top.

Madeline loved looking all around and what to know what every building was!

Waiting in line for the ride down.

Celebrating Nick’s birthday with an adventure to the German restaurant and then some cake.

Will loves the food!

Will & Uncle Eric were best buddies. Eric carried Will everywhere and always loaded and unloaded him from the car. What a team!

Then it was soccer picture day and a great game against the Green Lanterns. (We creamed them)

Madeline drove the ball all the way down the field and just barely missed the goal. Next week is the last game, we are hoping to end the season with a goal.

Will was wanting to get out there and get the ball! He clapped and clapped for his sister.

Then it was church day. We spent the afternoon playing outside, smoking out pork, watching football, and relaxing! Thanks for coming out to visit us Schindlers! Come back again soon!

Licking

2011-09-29T16:19:00.000-05:00

There are few things in life as enjoyable as licking the bowl!

Standing

2011-09-26T13:22:00.001-05:00

All Will wants to do is stand up! The only problem is he doesn't know how to get down.

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Location:Hearthstone Dr,O'Fallon,United States

Dentist

2011-09-22T12:01:00.001-05:00

Today I took Maddie and Will for their first dental appointment. I forgot my camera! So I just had to use my camera phone. The place was wonderful! Madeline did a fabulous job and had perfect teeth. Will's four teeth looked great and the dentist said this was one of the few times he had seen two blood blisters in one mouth. He said the two teeth are just about to break through. Fun times for us.

Did I mention she brought her own sunglasses and was so excited this morning she came downstairs carrying her outfit. (shoes and all)

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I do Love Shutterfly

2011-09-19T23:17:00.001-05:00

Shutterfly is having all kinds of deals right now. They even sent me an email for a free card and a free photo book! I just ordered both. Check out the funny card…

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

I can’t believe how quickly the holidays are approaching. I have so much to work on. Please Shutterfly keep sending me surprise treats!

10 Months Old

2011-09-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Can you believe Will is already 10 Months old? He is now crawling like a mad man and trying to pull up on anything. Wow, does it ever change how the days go around here. I sure enjoyed the 6 month to 10 month time when he was sitting up in one spot playing. He has 4 teeth and 2 more just about to pop. He just started waving and saying bye. His bye sounds like he is from the deep south. We sometimes get a Hi but Nick always gets a Hi Dada. He is still nursing 4 times a day and eating anything he can get his hands on. He just learned how to use a straw. He still isn’t too sure about it but I am hoping to just transition from nursing to straw cups. He is still taking two naps and sleeping from 7:30 pm to 6:55 am. He loves his routine, clapping, and music!

Soccer

2011-09-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here is our most recent soccer adventures. At least this week there was no crying. Nick filled in for our coach and midway through the game he had players from both teams hugging his leg.

Sometimes you fall down in soccer. (trip over the ball)

Look at that fancy footwork and some one on one coaching from Nick!

Don ‘t forget to pat your friends on the back when they do a great job!

We are still working on the same team idea!

Madeline explaining the no hands rule. There is nothing more entertaining then watching 3 year olds play soccer! What a perfect fall day.

Spoiled

2011-09-16T15:24:00.001-05:00

Guess who was crying in the backseat? But this is what I was greeted with when I crawled back there. I think the next 3 & 1/2 hours are going to be long. Did I mention Madeline is sound to sleep?

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Disney 2011

2011-09-16T09:25:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a fast week. Here are a few pictures of our family vacation.

After landing we headed straight to Disney Hollywood Studios. It was the perfect place for a three year old. All the favorites were there. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einstein's, Nemo, Little Mermaid, and of course our favorite Toy Story Friends. Nick and I walked away after taking this picture and then realized that Madeline was still standing there in awe.

Would you believe that this happened the most. A sleeping Madeline and a wide awake Will? He loved all the shows and the rides. I have never seen so much clapping and waving!

Jessie was the favorite of the week. Madeline even got to dance with her in the Magic Kingdom parade and at the Halloween hoe down.

This is the one matching day. Thank you Nick! We headed to Epcot and ate our way around the world.

So of the most fun was watching Madeline’s different poses with the characters.

Nick with his favorite character.

We then began our eat around the world with some nachos in Mexico. (Nick’s favorite part of the trip.)

Will & Madeline loved the boat ride in Mexico. Will danced and clapped to the music.

As we were leaving Norway a really nice man stopped us and asked if we were in a hurry. We weren’t and he said there had been a cancelation at the private princess story time and wondered if we wanted to attend. (for free) We said sure and he proceeded to tell us he picked our family because of our fun matching shirts. I will remember this forever and use it as my matching shirt argument with Nick. It was so nice and air conditioned!

Here is Madeline with Jasmine. Can you say EXCITED?

On Tuesday we did the Chef Mickey breakfast, had pool time and then went to the Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. Madeline was so excited at breakfast she could hardly eat.

Will wasn’t too sure about the characters and there might have been a few tears but he was sure about the yummy food!

Here is my Woody and Jessie. Aren’t they cute!

Will was in love with Belle! He just cuddled up to her and did not want to leave.

Madeline said that this the way Jessie would sit for pictures.

Here we are with the 7 dwarfs. The only time of year they are all out is at the Halloween party!

Madeline loved the parades. She waved and waved!

It was amazing all the rides Madeline could ride. She could ride all but one or two at each park. She LOVED the roller coasters. She said they were screamable.

Every cowgirl needs a horse!

The next day was Animal Kingdom. The animals were all out for the safari ride!

Madeline was our tour guide!

The last day we went to the Magic Kingdom again. All Madeline could think about and talk about was meeting Jessie again!

Here is where Madeline was explaining to Tinker Bell that when he Daddy comes home for lunch she has to turn off Tinker Bell and put on Price is Right. Tinker Bell said that was the first time she had ever heard anyone talk about Price is Right!

It’s a Small World After All. Will’s favorite.

The Tea Cups (Mommy’s Favorite).

The last character we got to see was Rapunzel from Tangled. Madeline’s current favorite princess. It was a fabulous week that went by way too fast.

Home

2011-09-15T23:15:00.001-05:00

The Schindler family is headed home. Maddie is the world's greatest traveler, but Will not so much. We have learned that animal crackers on a flight can be a lifesaver! After a few good nights of sleep I will post some fun family pictures.

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Worn out!

2011-09-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

Yep, this is pretty much how we all feel after two days at Disney.

Except when Madeline felt like this...

She said that was the face she made when she went in the scary ride.
Last but not least you will NEVER notice how many places a stroller cannot go until you have to carry a 25 pounder!

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Rainy

2011-09-08T14:23:00.001-05:00

On this rainy vacation day we have decided to mail the kids to Disney. Much cheaper then plane tickets!

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Location:Burnside Dr,Tipp City,United States

The beginning

2011-09-07T11:53:00.001-05:00

Of course the beginning of any good vacation begins with a yummy lunch. Nick's favorite.. skyline!

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Location:Miller Ln,Dayton,United States

Little Things

2011-09-05T15:52:00.001-05:00

Here are a few little things happening around here…

Madeline and Mrs. Sharon the last week before promotion.

Will with his two teachers Mrs. Jackie, and Mrs. Jamie. He gets to stay when them until he starts walking.

We have really been enjoying dinner at Sam’s! You can’t beat the price.

Then a nice stroll around the store looking for yummy free samples.

There is always lots of playing on the floor time.

A proud Madeline after she made her bed all by herself! She is getting much better at it!

Will still loves to cuddle and even fall asleep in my arms every once in awhile.

Lots of time to laugh and smile when Daddy isn’t at work.

Nick and I took a photo class.

Yep, those are just a few random pictures I found on the camera as I cleared the card for our vacation!

Busy Weekend

2011-08-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

This weekend Linda, Andy, and GG came to O’Fallon on their way home from Portland. They were able to catch one of Maddie’s soccer games and watch the kids while Nick and I went to a photography class. The time went too fast and I only took a few pictures. Thank goodness Andy took some!

Madeline and the honeydew we finally picked from our garden. It is pretty yummy!

A little team celebration after a goal was scored. Don’t be fooled..there were a few tears and a bunch of I don’t want to play but finally towards the end she got in the spirit of things.

Did I mention Madeline wouldn’t leave home without her Dora chair. She carried it all the way out to the field by herself. She would be in the middle of playing and then run off and tell us she needed a rest and take a break in her chair. After a minute or two she was up and back in the game. I’m not seeing a World Cup in our future.

Will loved being outside and clapped and clapped for his sister.

That afternoon we headed to Eckerd’s to do some honey crisp apple picking with our Sunday School class. YUMMY!

Who needs a ladder when you have a daddy? Thanks for coming for a visit Grandma Linda, Andy and GG!!!!

Chocolate

2011-08-22T22:42:00.001-05:00

Guess who had his first big taste of chocolate? WILL!!!

As I was working on a sewing project in the office Maddie and Will were playing on the floor behind me. Will began to fuss and I asked Madeline to hand him a toy. Well I think she decided that chocolate makes everyone happier and it sure made her brother happy. I finally finished my project and I turned around. Wow what a mess! Will was covered from head to toe in chocolate. Fortunately he only got it on himself and 1 piece of black fabric! Needless to say it was into the tub for him. Madeline is just sure that Will crawled over to her Easter basket and got a piece and then crawled back to his spot. Next time I will be much more specific on the toy to give Will.

Soccer

2011-08-20T22:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday was Madeline’s first Mighty Ball Soccer game and practice. They do 30 minutes of practice and then a 30 minute game. We have a fabulous coach. He is named Paul and is the chaplain at Scott AFB. That is not his real hair in the pictures. It is a crazy hat he wore so the kids could find him. Madeline loved the practice and then came the rain so no game the first week. The kids decided they were going to be called the Smurf’s because of their light blue team color. Nothing like watching some 3 year olds run around chasing the ball!

Madeline and Nick walking out to the fields.

First team huddle. (There are really 3 boys and 3 girls on her team a few were running late.)

Talking about our game plan.

Follow the leader for warm-up.

Champion of following the leader.

A very serious conversation right before the rain began.

A sign of a true athlete = hands in the pocket.

After we got back to the car she asked Nick and I if she could wear her uniform all day. She was very proud of her outfit and can’t wait for next Saturday.

Meeting coach

2011-08-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

Yep, this is what Madeline picked out to go meet her soccer coach. I think he is going to be worried.

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Peek A Boo

2011-08-17T18:29:00.000-05:00

Will loves to play Peek A Boo with the curtains. Ignore the last 5 seconds of this video. Will gets so excited that he throws up. Let’s all pray he grows out of that! Hopefully one of these days I will learn how to edit my videos.

Peek A Boo

9 Months Old

2011-08-13T12:43:00.001-05:00

Here is Mr. Will at 9 months old.

Here are some facts about our little man.

He is almost 25 pounds.

He is sleeping from 7:45-7:00am (Sometimes he wakes up earlier and has a LONG LOUD conversation with himself and falls back to sleep.) He also takes two naps a day!

He wants to crawl very bad and somehow gets from place to place but mostly just hops on his bottom everywhere.

He hasn’t found a food he doesn’t like.

He is still nursing every 4 hours.

He can say DaDa and MaMa.

Clapping is a favorite past-time.

He is loves the pool and bath time.

He is the happiest guy and so easy to make laugh.

He is all boy and loves to make anything a drum.

Here is a little video I took this morning while folding laundry.

Will at 9 months

I bet you wondered why the video was missing Madeline…she was gone to Build and Grow with Nick! (My favorite Saturday of the month)

I think she might have been the only child at build and grow with a tutu on. Isn’t her project so cute. It has 4 little holders to hold pictures!

Every time

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Every time I start to video the kids stop doing what they were doing! This is still pretty cute but Will usually laughs and laughs when Madeline bounces him in his bed. (This is the 5-7 minutes I hurry and fold a load of laundry.) It is amazing how much faster laundry folding goes without 4 extra hands.

Jumping

Sippy Cups Are Funny

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With each new thing we introduce to Will he laughs and laughs. Now he thinks his Sippy cup is very funny

Funny Sippy Cup

Still funny…

Picture Time

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We (mostly Me) decided it was time to get the kids pictures taken again. You can’t beat Portrait Innovations $9.95 deal!

Here is our big sister Madeline Grace. She has a huge vocabulary and loves to use it all day long. She is a big fan of the telephone and is dying to be able to text somebody. Most of her pretend play include Woody and Jesse from Toy Story, her baby dolls, and teaching school. She is still not a huge fan of change and sometime still cries when we drop her off at Sunday School. She loves her big brother and can make him laugh the fastest. She loves to ask lots of questions and now knows her phone number, address, and how to spell her last name. She carries the ipod all over the house singing all the VBS songs. She has loved the pool this summer and is getting very brave in the deep end with her puddle jumper. She is becoming a great helper and is starting to be able to put most of her clothes away, put away the silverware, set the table, and water the plants outside.

Favorite Maddie stories

(Nick sometimes refers to other drivers as idiots) We were stopped at stop sign and Madeline piped up from the backseat and asked Daddy, is it a stop sign or an idiot. Oh please let her not say that in Sunday School!

She also got in trouble one day and next day she was so good. I asked her what the deal was with the day before and she just put her hands on hips and told me she was sorry but it was her short term memory loss.

Here is our little Man, William Steven. What a joy. He is so easily entertained and loves to smile and cuddle. He is starting to stand a wee bit on his own but still has conquered crawling. (I think it is the big head.) He talks all the time and is quite loud. His Sunday School teachers have commented that he is the happiest baby they have every had and also the loudest. He just moved out of the bed babies. He is also the messiest eater but loves everything. He keeps our laundry machine running, between his diapers, bibs, and all those outfits!

I think these two are pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

Wichita

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The Schindler clan loaded up and went to Wichita for a couple of days. Here are some highlights!

Madeline finally drove her car! Will loved the ride. He rode all around with his arm hanging out the side. He didn’t even cry when they ran into the tree.

Madeline was a very serious driver and she always made sure Will had on his seat belt.

I am having flash-forward to them headed off to school together. Can you tell how hot it was by the redness in Will’s cheeks?

Maddie & Will

Grandpa decided he needed a few pictures of the kids in his car! Thanks Mom & Dad for the fabulous visit. Sure wish the time didn’t go so fast and I must get more pictures next time! I guess I was just too busy having fun myself.

35 Years Old

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It has been a fabulous birthday month! First I celebrated early with Grandma Linda, Andy, and GG. That celebration included IHOP, presents, new outfits, shopping, and spending money. Then on my actual birthday it was yummy dinner out, highlights to cover the gray, fun Facebook messages from all over, and quality family time. The final phase of this birthday month was a trip to Wichita! We filled that time with yummy chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, card playing, adventures with the kids, a portrait session for Will and Maddie, date night at the movies and a Mother Daughter (me and my mom) shopping trip where I got some fabulous new clothes! No wonder I am tired. We sure fit a bunch in 3 and 1/2 days! I am going to be sad to see July end!

Happy Birthday to me!

Haircut Time

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While we were in Wichita Will had a haircut with Tim. Tim is Grandpa Ross’ barber of over 40 years! Will loved it. He just laughed, smiled, and talked throughout the process. We asked for the Grandpa Ross special.

This is the before picture.

Here is our handsome boy after.

Who are those good looking kids? Thanks Grandpa for sharing your barber!

Old Friends and Angry Birds

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Yesterday we were able to meet up with one of my favorite friends and her family. For four short years I was able to teach across the hall from Diane. It was so much fun. I think I spent every free break goofing, I mean working, in her room. She is an amazing teacher and was a wonderful mentor. Matter of fact if there are any fellow teachers reading this blog be sure and check out their blog. HERE

Diane has 3 BEAUTIFUL daughters. Only two came along but boy did Madeline love them. Madison and Maddie even went and road the carousel (or circus as Maddie calls it) and then they tried out a few games. When it became Maddie turn to try she actually won this angry bird! I wish I would have had the camera out when she came running back into the restaurant to tell us. I don’t think her feet were even touching the ground and her eyes were as huge as saucers. Madison looked like she was in shock. She just kept saying she couldn’t believe it.

The two Maddie’s at the game!

Now come back and visit us again Schmelzer family!

Water Day

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Every year our church has a water day for the kids. They divide up the kids in two age groups and have all kinds of fun water activities. Madeline’s amazing Sunday School teacher, Miss Sharon, called her to remind us and so we HAD to go. Will was the youngest and I think he might have even had the most fun just splashing in the pool. But I forgot to take any pictures of that!

Here is Madeline and Miss Sharon going through the human car wash!

Here is Madeline’s favorite spot, right next to Miss Sharon. She was stuck like glue to her!

If she wasn’t stuck to her side she was on her lap. Isn’t it great being so loved by your Sunday School teacher!

These are the pictures Maddie took from her car seat on the way to dinner. I think Will might love his sister! He sure looks huge in these pictures.

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Sometimes being a housewife can get a little tiring making the same three meals a day. So I am stealing this idea from my Facebook friend Sarah. Food faces! You know it really made cooking breakfast more fun! Watch out future house guests.
(scrambled eggs hair, cheese bow, strawberry nose, grape eyes, and peanut butter banana)

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Brownies

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Today during Will's morning nap Maddie and I baked a special brownie kit. It came with special pans and edible paint. It sure was fun!

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Guess who thinks chicken is funny?

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For some reason Will got the giggles during his first taste of Gerbers chicken dinner.

YouTube Video

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