MILKIN' IT WITH THE SCHRIEVERS

New year

2012-01-03T12:56:00.004-05:00

So I have decided I need to start blogging again. This is my goal. Look out world the Schrievers are back.

My little brother is a giant now, he can also now beat me at our swimming races which makes me proud. Lil' Matt is becoming a great swimmer, which is fun to see.

I also miss the summer look how sun kissed we all look after a fabulous trip to Utah.

Leland is 1!

2010-09-17T21:11:00.000-04:00

So the big day came up on us fast. I can't believe my little boy is one. His party was fun. This is the only picture I got of the 3 of them together that was somewhat close to everyone looking at the camera.

Leland finally has some boy toys. A garbage truck and race car track made the day AWESOME.

The children were chanting Leland Leland over and over he felt like a super star

there were 6 children crammed in this little house.

My favorite is the leg sticking out the window :)

3 Generations of fun

We missed Walt for our 4 generation picture. Grandma Belva is always the life of the party.

He wasn't sure what was going to happen

These are the cakes. I made a International 1066 tractor Lee helped with the detail work on it. Shannon suggested the haystack personal cake for the Birthday boy.

Kind or looks like a jeep but I tried. Next time I would trim the back down.

The rear with the PTO this was a lee addition

He ate the whole personal cake it was amazing

Now we will get a little more sentimental

It is hard to believe that this little boy had such a hard year. Longest labor in the family.

Our longest Jaundice baby.

Lets not leave out the lovely RSV

The poor skin problem that had people asking me if his face was burned (I still thought he was GORGEOUS!)

But through it all we grew as a family and realized we could do anything together.

We survived more blood work than I can remember (lily only cried 2 times when they hurt her brother) 2 specialists and 8 trips to Hershey, and failure to thrive diagnosis. My boy is strong and through it all he proved to everyone out there that he can do anything, and lately eat anything that is put before him. I have learned so much about how strong we are as a family. I also have learned that I am an AWESOME mother and Lee is an amazing Dad. He was always willing to help with breathing treatments even though Leland would cry and so would Lee. I hauled 3 children around as a new mom and did it with a smile. Even when things got rough I knew that I was strong enough to handle whatever was thrown my way. These are the things that Leland taught me this first year.

Thanks Little Chuck :)

At his 1 year checkup we were given the all is good diagnosis. His head is still big but not scary big. His blood work is good. He weighs 21 pounds (25% from no % in 6 months) his height jumped from 5% to 15%. He is developmentally on track and gaining speed. As the doctor left the room I teared up. I felt such relief, our baby is HEALTHY.

Swimming lessons

2010-09-14T21:48:00.000-04:00

My little girls are FISH!! We decided to do swimming lessons at the local pool. I was nervous about how it was going to work out since I would have to be in the water with Norah and would still have Leland with me. Lucky for us Lee's cousin was also coming at the same time so I asked her to supervise the baby. We will definately be doing these lessons again next year. Norah is almost swimming completely on her own and is jumping off of the diving board without any help. Lily can swim for rings in the shallow end and swim unassisted after jumping from the diving board!
This is Lily swimming a lap without a noodle

Lily jumping from the high dive

Norah preparing to make the leap she was the star of her class. When it was diving board time she was the only child who ran to the board while the others screamed and cried.

Nice splash nor nor Ms cathy was so excited in the background.

Lily was amazing compared to previous years she was excited to learn new tricks and showed me each day after class

Norah racing to get back in line after the jump

This was their faces for both weeks! Smiles all around.

Norah is 3!

2010-09-12T21:30:00.002-04:00

So I can never get the order right on here! So just no this is out of order.

My little Norah turned 3 this summer. I can hardly believe how much she has grown. The last 6 months with her I have seen HUGE growth in her. She grew 3 inches in 2 months and gained 2 pounds. This little girl has barely gained 2 pounds a year since she was 1 so this was amazing for her. She is a great little sister and big sister. Watching Lil and Nor-Nor play is a comedy act. Lily controls the whole interaction and N waits for her ques as to what and how to play.
The only cake N wanted for the big Day was Yellow but because of swimming lessons I wasn't up to making so we made a trip to the bakery where we found the perfect little yellow cake! Grandma and Pappy were able to attend our little party.

Norah was so excited.

Daddy and N share the big day Lee is 30 and Norah is 3!

She had to have these candles

Happy Birthday Norah we sure are happy to have you around you sweet little lady :)

lily's big Day

2010-08-24T21:03:00.003-04:00

With her lunch box

patiently waiting

She was yelling Kindergarten

Walking like an egyptian

Not only is this the name of one of our favorite books, but today was Lily's big day. The first day of kindergarten is amazing. It is the beginning of responsibility, they have no idea. Last night we laid out the clothes and sock on the couch down stairs and bathed. This morning I woke Little L at 6 am. She was so excited for the day. With her backpack full of stuff for the teacher she got to carry her lunch bag which made her day. The most nerve racking thing for me was the bus ride it is long and the sun is hot, so I stuck a bottle of water in her bag. To this she said "no drinks on the bus mommy" I told her water doesn't count. When she got home the water was gone she told me she "drank it sneaky so she wouldn't get caught", what have I started?

L has Mrs. Strait, who was also Lee's kindergarten teacher. This is special to me. I like showing the children where we lived when we were little, places we played, so to have the same teacher thrilled me (especially since I think she is a great person). Lily's first day consisted of going to computer lab ( not using computers) and meeting the school nurse (who lily already knows from Prek so it was a reunion), lunch and recess. That is all I have gotten out of her so far. Hopefully tomorrow brings more stories...

7 Years

2010-08-05T21:29:00.003-04:00

I cant believe it has been 7 years!!! Thanks for everyday Lee. We celebrated in true Lee and Courtney fashion. Chinese food, a movie, and lost in walmart. My Mother In Law and Rebecca braved watching all 3 which was FUN I am sure. We saw the movie Grown ups and I laughed the whole time. Then the adventure continued to Walmart where I had the bad idea of separating and we spent 30 minutes looking for each other ( I left my phone in the car). I asked a group of strangers if I could use their phone but of course lees phone was off :( but after 30 minutes we had a good laugh.
I want to count 7 things we have done in the past 7 years:
1. Moved to PA
2. Moved 2 times
3. Had 3 children
4. Took the Fam to downtown (scary) Baltimore for pit beef which ended up being in a strip club parking lot (Food was awesome though we have been back).
5. Helped Lee decide that he LOVES the beach
6. I have learned how to Milk cows (I am getting pretty good thanks to Lee).
7. Laughed Cried and Enjoy life together.

Thanks Lee for being a part of this crazy world with me. I know things have been tough but atleast we are in it together.

Here are 7 things I want to accomplish in our next 7 years
1. Save for a car and pay CASH
2. Buy our first house
3. Become as fast at milking as the lady in the Dairymaster video :)
4. Learn to decorate our house
5. Raise our kids in a happy healthy enviroment
6. Be able to mend Lees clothes so poor linda doesn't have to
7. And I know this is sappy but enjoy each and every moment we have together as a family.

Utah State

2010-05-03T08:31:00.002-04:00

So I have this friend who's husband just graduated from school and she listed all the things they are going to do before it is over. Which made me think what do I miss?

1. Being carefree. We didn't worry about anyone but ourselves and it was great. Sometimes though I still wake up after a nightmare thinking I have a paper due. Pretty sad I know

2. Hazels Bread in the Student Center they had this thing called a Marvin Joe. A slice of fresh bread with butter cheese garlic and a slice of tomato then toasted, HEAVEN!!

3. Aggie Ice cream. You can't beat a University that milks it own cows and makes it own Ice cream.

4. Walking everywhere. Now day the Only place I walk is Grandma Belva's I miss being close.

5. Dating Lee. We had so much fun doing NOTHING I miss having that nothing time. Now it seems like I am running around constantly and the only time we see each other is when I fall asleep on the couch and he wakes me when he gets in.

6. Basketball Games and Gymnastic meets. It was so much fun. Football was OK but the team was awful and we NEVER won which was irritating.

Anyways hopefully I will get back up there sometime and get to do a few of these things.

Lily Bel is 5!

2010-04-18T21:24:00.003-04:00

Lily playing in the blizzard snow.

Helping clean the church she really scrubbed the chairs even the under side (adorable).

Her cake. I love that she sticks her hand on her hip and gives a little attitude in this shot.

Lil is 5 and it is GREAT! There is something to be said about being a whole handful old. She is growing up so fast. Reading things already. The other night we were driving and Lily says "Zoo" she read the sign on a roof! I couldn't believe it there have also been a lot of other reading things but I don't want to brag too much.

She loves Ice cream and Popsicles, spaghetti noodles and fruit. We have been working on learning what is healthy for our bodies and many times she will ask if something is good for her body before eating it.

She loves going to church and especially her teacher Sister Trudy. She tells me the stories about Jesus and it makes my heart melt.

Lily can put a puzzle together faster than you probably can and thinks it is fun. She loves the Chipmunk movies especially the second one because of the Chipettes.

Lily is kind to her sister and brother. And tells me how adorable my baby is. This makes my heart melt. Not only is she kind to them but she is also sweet to those in her class and I believe most of the children like her. Jenna (lily is obsessed with Jenna everything) Rachel (teaches her tricks) Hannah (Another sweetie) and Emma S. (On soccer and Majorettes together) Carter (who she keeps telling me is her brother) Joseph (he picked on her for a month) Dillon (Gave her a pony for Christmas even though he wasn't assigned her) and Ethan (who told her he was going to marry her) all of them enjoy her at school. These friends add comedy to our lives without them even knowing. By far the best is a little girl named Dolce. She didn't speak English until this year but that didn't stop lily from trying to be her friend. Recently Lily has decided that she is fluent in Spanish and will start saying numbers in Spanish to me like they are sentences. It is about the funniest thing I have ever heard.

I am so excited to see what other bits of sunshine this little girl will bring to our lives.

HAPPY GIRTHDAY LILY!!!!

p.s. Girthday is how she says it, yet another adorable thing.

Diapers.com

2010-04-18T20:53:00.003-04:00

so I started using Diapers.com last month and LOVE IT!! The diapers come the day after I order. They ship free and the prices are Fare. they take coupons which is awesome. And the best part is they have everything on their site so I got Leland a bottle shipped free with the diapers. Anyways if you guys want to try it use my referral code and and you will save $10 and I will save $5 on my next order. It is win win people!
referral code: cschriever
Oh and I have started using the Seventh Generation diapers and like them. They are Chlorine Free which is good I hear and they are super absorbant and not much more than Huggies or pampers.

11 oz??

2010-03-17T09:26:00.002-04:00

So I took Leland for a weight check this week and he is up 11 oz! It is a miracle. We have had a long week of feeding feeding and more feeding which had made for a messy house. We have done 3 sweat tests with no success. Physical Therapy has been interesting and I love watching my baby do all of his fun things. After 30 minutes he felt the BURN and was done. The Dr. wants another weight check next week which is fun because then I will see how fat he is getting.

Baby Leland 6 months

2010-03-09T20:54:00.006-05:00

How cute is this baby? Seriously I know. Leland had is 6 month checkup on Monday. He is 24 inches long and weighed in at a whopping 12 pounds! I know not very big but we are working on it. Dr. Scheck decided that we are needing to be a little more aggressive with his weight gain so we are now to supplement formula after each breast feeding session. So far this has been met with a lot of spit up but we will see how the next 2 weeks go.

Isn't his smile adorable in the picture below? He is the happiest little guy out there. The Doctor also decided we needed to do some blood work to make sure things are ok. Tomorrow we are
going for a sweat test to rule out the really bad stuff and Thursday we start physical therapy. This
all sounds a little crazy I know, but better safe than sorry.

Now lets focus on all of the amazing things Leland can do:
*He is a really smiley happy baby he enjoys watching his sisters clowning around
*Rolling is HUGE for him he really just rolls and rolls all over the floor which is fun
*Great hair, he can rock a faux hock.
*Playing with toys, I have never had a child enjoy rattles and stuffed animal so much

I know things sound a little all over the place but that is how I work. As for me right now I am struggling with all of this. I feel for my baby because he has poked by more needles in the past 6 months than most people experience in a lifetime. I wonder if I am doing something wrong to cause these issues but the Doctor assures me that I am not. When they gave him his shots and blood draw on Monday cried a little which isn't like me. I don't do public emotion alot. I also don't like to cry when I am scared in front of the children because it just makes things worse. But as Dr. Scheck is telling me that she is VERY concerned with Leland development I cried. The unknown is a difficult thing and I think it was appropriate to have a teary eyed moment.

I will try and update in the next few day.

We are Back!

2009-12-31T19:59:00.005-05:00

So I know it has been forever but 3 kids has been kicking my butt! I finally start facebooking again though so I thought it was time for a blog update. Life was crazy for the last few months. We survived the start of school having Leland, Halloween, Thanksgiving with Aunt and Uncle B (which was awesome) and Christmas.

Leland made quite the entrance into the family. After he was born we ran back and forth to the hospital forever for Bili checks and then the 3 Hershey trips to the specialist made for additional fun. The only thing they found was that he had Epstein Bar(mono), how many 2 week old babies can say they have had the kissing disease?

Lily is so cute with him and is always willing to hold him which is fun to watch.

This is the day we bless him. Linda made him a beautiful outfit and I bought a new dress don't mind the nappy hair!

The girls are handling our new family member well and we have only had a couple of incidences.Which is always exciting. Norah looks like she is telling him what to do already.

Halloween was fun. I wanted to make costumes this year with my new sewing machine I got for my birthday but I didn't prioritize so Nana Sue came to the rescue with a trip to Shopko and the post office. What would I do without her?

Christmas morning was AWESOME! Santa treated us so well (my mom mailed 3 HUGE boxes of stuff for the girls and a doll house which is amazing) Dress up is HUGE here and we are enjoying all of the new tutus, queen gowns and the fire fighter stuff for "Leland". Our camera ran out of batteries though so we weren't able to document to whole thing but I am sure there will be funny stories to share of everything to come.

I started back to Weight Watchers 2 months ago. I was hoping the weight would melt off but it hasn't and I think I will forever struggle with it I have decided. But I will be back into my clothes my the summer (I know, I have realistic expectations).

I am extremely home sick right now. I miss my mom like you wouldn't believe and would give anything to live closer to her right now. For some reason I have never felt this alone before. I am usually a pretty upbeat person and I thrive on the whole bloom where you are planted theory but right now I am ready to uproot everything and plant myself back in UT! Yeah right like that will happen.

Leland Reed

2009-09-13T21:28:00.010-04:00

This is my last picture before delivery. I think we were in like hour 12. Yes you read that right. Baby Schriever #3 took 23 hours to make it into this world. It was a long hard labor but we made it and it was an awesome experience just ask Lee. And Like always my pictures are out of order soemday I will figure it out but until then you get the idea.

This is my favorite picture my sister always get the good angles.

Man we are a good looking couple. My mom and Sis brought us food from Cafe Rio and you can't beat a pepsi after labor.

The nurse said he looks like Lee I don't know if I see it :)

Lee calling people with the big news.

The next day the girls were really excited to meet the little guy.

My mom flew in and almost made it for the delivery

My sister surprised me and flew in with my mom.

Man he was a cheesy baby.

Not to bad for 23 hours of labor.

I jsut think this picture is so cute.

less than a month

2009-08-21T10:51:00.002-04:00

I don't know why it is so small but it is. I am officially less than a month away! I can't believe I am sharing this photo either but hey it is what it is. This is actually an 8 month picture taken during our trip to the beach which was amazing I hopefully will post about that soon also. I have really enjoyed this pregnancy for the most part. I haven't had diet restrictions and for the most part have felt great until a week ago. I had my Iron checked yesterday and it is LOW!!! Which isn't like me at all. Thank goodness I have a mother in law who had this once because I knew when I started craving ice that something must be wrong. And when I say craving I would stop at the Sheetz just for a cup of ice and chew the stuff for ever, mmmmm. Anyways Can't wait to meet this little guy and see my other babies enjoy the addition to the family.

6 years of Bliss!

2009-08-05T08:01:00.003-04:00

I love my Farm Boy! This past week we celebrated 6 years of adventures and it was great. We went to a movie (which was AWESOME) and dinner. Let me tell you why he is so great, we went to Ross while waiting for our movie to start and when we met up at the front of the store Lee is carrying toys for the girls. That is the kind of Dad he is, always looking to give them more joy. Then instead of going to Border's Books (where he could spend hours just looking at magazines) we head to Toys R Us to buy stuff for Junior. He never complained even once and almost got into it. Now for some pictures :)

This summer was full of firsts for us including NYC! It was awesome. I was really nervous to go being that I was starting my 8th month of pregnancy and wasn't sure about all of the walking. Because of this we opted for the Bus tour which was awesome. This is us on the top of the bus. Megan loves my glasses.

Who knew my sister was such a photo taker? Maybe I would have worn some make-up? This is us on a train headed into the city.

Time square was crazy! This was one of 2 places Lee wanted to go to.

This is my favorite picture of Us in a long time! We are at my Cousin's Wedding.

Happy 6 years honey and can't wait to see what the next 6 bring.

Email addresses are GONE!!!

2009-07-11T09:59:00.003-04:00

So I am really sad! I went into my email today to send Aunt Diana an email and ALL of my addresses have been deleted. How did this happen? I am guessing when my account was hacked they deleted everything??? Anyways the only one I have is Jeni G.'s so everyone please shoot me an email, you don't even have to write anything just send me one so I can add you again!

Pre K completion

2009-06-04T16:27:00.004-04:00

It is hard to believe that just 4 years ago I was taking care of a 2 month old. Flash forward to present day and my baby has just finished her first year of Pre-K. Lee and I struggled with the idea of sending her, should we or shouldn't we. It didn't help that we had mixed reviews from both sides of the family. We decided that it was where Lily needed to be after all Grandma Belva started kindergarten when she was 4 and she turned out great! This year has been wonderful. Lillian has learned to write her name, wait her turn, she recognizes all of the children's names in her class, and can spell her dad's name. Mid year we attended Parent teacher conference and Ms. Galson asked if we had goals that were met or ones to set. Lee said it perfectly when he stated that he is just happy she is excited to go.

Lil's luau costume

Lil recieving her Diploma

Here we are at the Completion Luau

Ms. Galson had plenty of fun activities and Norah loved participating also.

Who doesn't love a giant parachute? The kids enjoyed almost as much as the parents

Lil was obsessed with this Hula outfit

Daddy waiting patiently for the parachute to begin

Gardening

2009-06-01T18:39:00.006-04:00

Lee and I have planted a garden since we were married. The first 3 years I had no clue what I was doing but was glad for the few thing we grew. Over the years as our family has grown from 2 to almost 5 now are garden keeps getting bigger and more diverse. I am learning what tomatoes I like for canning and what isn't worth my time to grow (watermelons even though every year we plant some and every year we don't reap anything). I have also noticed the years that we are blessed with the most are the years that are the busiest (Norah was born in July and #3 is due in mid Sept). This year I know we will need the food with the rising cost of everything so this year we went all out again knowing it will be work and knowing we will be blessed for the work.

This picture is of the majority of the garden. on the bottom is part of my tomatoes (I think 40 plants) and my peppers I planted like 18 I think and 6 jalapenos for salsa)

This part is what Linda calls an early garden on the right in light green is lettuce and radishes

The next row to the left are my onions and then 3 rows of potatoes

On the left are the peas and the big blank brown spot is where the watermelons cucumbers and squash are planted past the buckets are my tomatoes and peppers and eggplant again.

Doesn't it look pretty past my garden in the field and valley this is one of my favorite views.

Ok so seriously I am excited to report to all of my friends how awesome we have done this year. So far we have had a late frost that killed most of the eggplant. I tried to cover them all but must not know what I am doing there. It is all trial and error folks remember I grew up in the city and am learning as I go. No matter how much I complain to Lee about it I really do enjoy this. Especially since I discover mulching. With such a large garden plot it is a must. It keeps the moisture in the ground and the weeds to a minimum. I have actually weeded this year more than ever I usually jsut let them take over and hope for the best. and I am sure that is how it will be come mid July when squating will be unbareable.

Eeyore or Tigger?

2009-05-28T09:10:00.004-04:00

Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

This past weekend we had a class at a Women's Conference called finding Joy in everyday (I think that is what it was called). It was AMAZING!! A licensed therapist came and talked to us about being Eeyores (always focusing on negative and bringing others down with you) or Tiggers in life (always focusing on positive and having high energy and lifting those up around you). I don't know about you but I know a bunch of Eeyores, people who are constantly complaining about spouses and children, even though neither or bad.

These people cause me to:

a- Be thankful that I know my life isn't bad and my children are wonderful (play well together and really enjoy each others company) and Lee is amazing even though he works too much :)

b- Start focusing on the negative things that we all have in our lives (the girls fighting constantly over Rosa the baby doll).

I love the A answer and that is what I strive for. My children are amazing they are beautiful caring girls who are so excited to welcome a new child to our family. My husband is the best. He provides for us. I know that our marriage isn't typical and sometimes his chosen profession is trying BUT he has a career and a passion for it. I see him take care of animals and play vet and am amazed. How many men do you know can Artificially Inseminate a cow and diagnose them with life threatening illness and treat them with large needles and IV bags? I know amazing right?

Something else that I am happy about I am 24 weeks!!! I still have ankles and my garden is IN!! I know pictures aunt Colleen they are on the way. Today is Lil's Pre-K completion ceremony. My baby is graduating her first year of school and we survived. That is my next post so stay tuned for pictures and stories you will love :)

P.S. Sorry about the different sizing I couldn'ty get it to change.

4 months and an update

2009-03-18T09:18:00.004-04:00

So my friend Mike Faith sends me an Email withe the heading Old picture of Lee and Courtney and this is what I find when I open it!! Let me just tell you I love Dogg and Beth so this made me extremely happy. I jsut wanted to share it! All I can say is Lee should grow his hair I and need to be a blond LOL!!!!
I don't have any new pictures of the girls but this I found in a folder and thought my babies are gorgeous!! I can't wait to see what Schriever Baby #3 will look like! Who knows maybe mike can make us a picture of that one :)

OK, So I am officially in my 4Th month (actually 1/2 way done). I am finally feeling a little better and starting to work on getting my house back together again! It is amazing how 12 weeks of morning sickness makes your entire life fall apart! So far I have been tackling laundry build up and excited to say now we are on standard laundry no longer catch up!

My friend Jen is AMAZING!!! She has decided to take on the challenge of helping me de-clutter my upstairs so we can move the girls up there sometime this spring. Last week we took a whole van of stuff to the Loaves and Fishes (like DI only smellier and grosser). You could ask me what we took but I honestly just don't know, I guess that means I won't miss it!

The girls are doing great Lily can now write her whole name (Lillian) and Norah can say Belva (belba) and anything else lily or I say. I can't believe how verbal she is.

Lee is rocking the calving season! I would say they have had over 60 calves in the 4 weeks but most likely I am wrong. Lily has enjoyed her time spent at the barn. She has decided that she wants to be a farmer which is fun. She enjoys bringing the cows up the holding area and doesn't show much fear for the cows (this makes Mom very nervous).

We are so close to completing the new "Barn Building", That is what Lily calls it. The thing is HUGE! I will try and post pictures later this week of that! Emily Munk if you check this you will have to show Cam I am sure he will enjoy it.

For the Love of Cheese Steaks

2009-02-20T10:14:00.002-05:00

So I love eating as you can tell. I talk about food a lot. I really enjoy a good sandwich especially while I am pregnant. On Wednesday was my first appointment with Rosie (the Midwife). She discouraged me from eating Cold lunch meat. This is a sad thing for me, sandwiches are a staple of my diet. Yesterday I went to my favorite sub shop (Mama's Pizza Mcconnelsburg, Pa) They make their bread and the pizza is a real NY style wonderful masterpiece. I think the guy is in the witness protection program I mean what Italian NY er moves to rural PA? Anyways GREAT food. So yesterday I was standing there perplexed what do I order???

Cheese Steak! YUMMY!
So fattening and so good!
Really helped with my nausea and kept me full.
Norah had a slice of cheese and she enjoyed that.
Top it all with a diet cola and we are talking close to perfection.

And on a side note, I was able to see the baby on Wednesday and there is definitely only one. Sorry if I disappointed you Mom and Megan.

I have a question??

2009-02-13T17:20:00.006-05:00

Does this shirt make me look fat??

How about this angle??

DUE SEPTEMBER 2009.

Perspective

2009-02-04T19:03:00.002-05:00

This is the blogs for Lil and Norah's Doctor. She is the sweetest women who truly cares for my children. She comments on Lily's beautiful eye color and when norah was a few days old that her poop really stunk very bad for a newborn (i agreed it was bad). Her son became very sick a few years ago with a brain tumor. I cried for her. She is such a huge part of our lives and I can't imagine what she is going through. If you think you can handle this blog check it out it makes you greatful for the time we have with our families.

Peanut Yuck!

2009-01-29T08:04:00.003-05:00

So I have been watching the news and they keep talking about this whole peanut butter problem. All I can say is glad they shut down the plant. I will spare you the details but gross. I will seriously rethink eating a peanut butter cracker ever again. Sorry girls looks like homemade or nothing. 2 years ago it was the peter pan brand now it is everything but jarred. If it wasn't such a cheap meal I think we would stop eating it all together. Happy snacking.
On a side note Tiny was talking to Matt yesterday and started saying "Matt Matt". She is definately becoming a big talker.

Ode to Oatmeal

2009-01-28T07:48:00.002-05:00

I love oatmeal it is so good. My latest fave is oatmeal with stevia and 2/3 cup blueberries. I know it sounds gross but it almost tastes like a blueberry muffin. I think this is my dieter's dream. Norah likes to share this with me each time I pull it out of the microwave. I gladly share with her hoping that she will be the child to enjoy the same foods and me (seafood to be exact). Lily has taken no interest in any foods that I am eating just daddy. I guess that is why we have 2.

Ice Ice Baby.

2009-01-17T09:12:00.003-05:00

This past week has been FREEZING! But we decided to brave the weather and attend the farm show. Talk about a disappointment. When I think of a farm show I think of something geared for a farmer. You know vendors selling farm stuff. Speakers talking about farming issues. Those types of things. Don't get me wrong there are vendors but they are stuck in a corner that is nearly impossible to maneuver through with a double stroller. Every High school in the state was there the day we went. But there is something to be said about the food. Beef Sandwiches from the beef association, Fries from the state potato growers, Mushrooms from the mushroom growers, you get the picture right. Then you go to the sample section, jerky, soup, dips, every BBQ sauce you can think of (root beer was gross). The girls enjoyed the Carousel, some photographer from a Lancaster paper kept taking their picture on the carousel because lets face it I have the cutest little farm girls in the state :)

Norah's first carousel ride ever!

Lee and the girls rocken it on the ride

Lily LOVED her pink pony Cheeri was her name.

Norah taking it all in

Last but not least pictures of our arctic freeze. Debbie if you read this I don't know how you survive in Alaska.

I wish this picture would have turned out better the tree looked like glass

Isn't this beautiful?

Our cherry tree looked like this for almost 2 days.

Meg's version

2009-01-09T09:16:00.002-05:00

So my sister is a pretty good blogger (if I do say so myself). Way better than me. This is her version of our trip out west this past december. The only thing she left out was our rendition of COPS...SLC. Lily is still singing bad boys (Megan don't you dare post it that was all a joke).

Sick Day

2009-01-02T17:19:00.003-05:00

Have you ever just had one of those days? Well today is mine. Norah and Lil were sick through Christmas with the flu. Norah was really sick but the doctor said we would check her weight in 2 weeks to make sure that things are catching up. The nyesterday came. Lily started complaining that her bum hurt (shoot back to sept's UTI). I decided that we would wait until the morning to go to the DR. We got in to a guy we hadn't seen before who turned out to be rally nice. He agreed with me that the lack of urination and pain points to the UTI, so he decided on antibiotics. Now she just keeps throwing up. I don't know what is going on but I am worried about my little trooper. I hope the meds start kicking in because she looks soooo sick. Anyways, at this point I am a mess. Lee has been out working all day and I want my team member home. I understand that this is his job but sometimes it is hard on me, all of the alone time that is. I just keep oping that things will get better but days like today seriously make me question that.
Man I am a downer, I promise a more positive post when everyone is better (me included, I am ready for a mental health day!).

On a positive note Norah's hair is long enough for pigtails! I took a picture but I will post later.

Trip out west!

2008-12-20T15:34:00.003-05:00

Isn't she pretty?
Bradi Ben and Logue were visiting for Thanksgiving it was awesome and I miss them so much.
One night Bradi came over for dinner and logue and the girls were playing so quietly and this is what we found. Tammy Fay sitting in the living room. Logue had a little and so did Norah but the pictures didn't turn out so well.

Here are the turkey hats we made at Library aren't they cute?

On our trip to Utah we went to see the lights at Temple Square. It was fun. This is week 2 of the trip when daddy came. For some reason I have NO pictures of week on. Megan I need your photos. :)

Sorry for the double

Aren't the lights gorgeous? I was freezing.

The weekend before we left my mom suggested bowling Megan was sick and Norah was tired so it was just Lily, Matt, Nana, Pa, Lee and I. Lily actually understood the game and enjoyed it for once. We only had to get them to rescue a stopped ball one time from the middle of the lane.

Norah's hair is finally long enough for piggies! Yahoo.

The flight home was horrible we were delayed 5 hours in St Louise and 3 hours in Chicago. But we made it back home at 6am! The girls did way better than mom. I was a wreck and couldn't stop crying when we found out they lost a bag, they found it the next day but I was a nightmare.

Norah slept for most of all of the flights. I recommend bringing car seats on a plane, wonderful.

Lily knew all emergency routes and what to do. She is so brilliant :)

We had fun out west so much so I didn't take many pictures.

Oh well there is always next time.

Home!

2008-12-04T11:36:00.007-05:00

The girls and I made the 5 hour trip across the USA to go see my family. It really is the LONGEST flight when you do non stop. Lee helped me to the gate with the girls, stroller, 2 back packs (lily's and mine) and a #30 car seat. Once we got to the gate I started wondering how will I get the seat out in SLC and to the baggage claim by myself. I almost put in under the plane because the first lady who checked me in said it was a really full flight and Norah would most likely be a lap child, then the man at the gate said to just put it on and put Norah in it because there were 5 open seats and she should get one. I decided to take his advise, and man I am glad.

Norah sat for nearly the whole flight and lily sat like a Big girl and only had to be asked to buckle up twice. Then when we arrived in SLC Megan was waiting for us at the gate. Talk about great for me. Lily felt like she needed to cover her eyes so NANA would be surprised. Try explaining to a 3 year old that we have to walk to baggage and that she was going to walk into something if she didn't uncover her eyes, it didn't go so well but we survived. Nana acted surprised and Norah was excited for someone to hold her that wasn't me. I am glad the flight is over.

We already went to Mervyn's which was bitter sweet (they filed for bankruptcy). This is the store that 90% of my clothes have come from and a lot of the girls clothes. It is inexpensive and stylish, what a great combo. Anyways I got a trendy little jacket that is winter white ;) Megan thought it was funny when I said this so I thought I would add that for her. I want to go back and get some shoes before they are gone forever. This is where some of my favorite shoes are also from. This is a sad day for a bargain hunter.

Noodle Class

2008-11-21T07:52:00.002-05:00

Last night I taught a noodle class. It was really fun. I made one batch before my "students" arrived and one batch as a demo. I have never used homemade noodles in anything but soup but decided it would be fun to try it with something else. I figured you can't go wrong with Alfredo sauce. It was a huge success and I don't know if I will buy pasta much anymore now that I know my recipe is SO versatile. So here is the recipe I used:

2 cups flour (I use 1/2 white 1/2 wheat at home)
3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg
2 tsp salt (use less and it tastes just fine)
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Mix ingredients and let rest for 10 minutes or so
Cut in half roll each half out into large sheet flour fold into thirds and cut
Either cook noodles or let dry for later use (if using later needs to be refrigerated because of eggs, I freeze them because then I know they will stay good)

when cooking fresh they only took like 5 minutes but taste them to check.
When frozen just check I am not sure.

Alfredo Sauce
1 stick of butter
1 pkg cream cheese
1/4 -1/2 cup Parmesan
2 cloves garlic

melt butter and garlic in pan add cream cheese and Parmesan melt together and mix in pasta.

Yummy.
I hope you enjoy try it and let me know.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-04T17:29:00.006-05:00

I asked Lily in September what she wanted to be for Halloween. "A princess Snow white and sleeping beauty. Alright we could handle this because these are our dress-up clothes. Then a week before Halloween Lil starts saying I want to be an ORANGE DINOSAUR. After a week of this and then a melt down. I decided that I would attempt sewing a costume. I rushed out to Walmart to buy a pattern and all of the stuff. This is what we came up with, not to bad if I do say so myself.
Lee and i took the girls trick or treating to a few places around us (Grandma Belva's, Grandma Linda's, Aunt Ferns and one neighbors) This was out front right before.

Norah and Lily at the trunk or treat how funny are they?

It seams lily is always trying to "help" her sister doesn't it?

Lily loved to show off her tail

i am so proud of this costume who knew Lily and i could be so creative.

Go team Schriever!

This is the girls and I going to the trunk or treat

I decided to be a dairy farmer again especially since i fit into my coveralls again I decided to go all out this year, these were a wedding gift isn't that a cute idea? I haven't used them much but maybe this is the year for me. The Milk pail was used by Lee's uncle Blaire which added a special touch I thought. I ran into my neighbor at the grocery store that night and he thought I was helping lee so I must have had a great costume.

These are our pumpkin sorry about the poor quality

Ahhh that's better .

Norah wanted to carve her own pumpkin so we let her go to town

She worked on it for 1/2 hour

After helping get the guts out of the big ones we gave lily a knife to cut on a little one.

She actually did pretty well at this. She kept saying she wanted to see the surprise.

And there it is the surprise.

She LOVED this part.

Let the games begin! The two of them (Lee and Lily) were so excited

When Farming goes WRONG

2008-10-16T08:21:00.007-04:00

So the other Day lee sends me the above picture....

No discription just this picture, I found it funny once I knew nobody was hurt.

We turned it into a family photo oppurtunity

The men used the trackloader to lift the wagon

Norah felt like she needed to be with Dad the whole time

When lily saw that norah was in the loader she wanted to be right there in it also (love it)

You will all be pleased to know that the Silage wagon is fixed and they are chopping away as we speak!

Ear infection

2008-10-12T16:46:00.003-04:00

So I bet you think this post is about the girls, but you are wrong. This is about me! I finally went to the doctor for my cough. They said it was allergies that developed into a cold. Then the Doctor asked me if my ears hurt. I said yes for almost a month (I was really embarrassed to admit that). I had actually contemplated getting an apt a few weeks ago but I was scared they would laugh at me when they looked in my ears and said you have sinus pressure, adults don't get ear infections. WRONG! She looked in my ears and said no wonder your ears hurt, never a good sign. So now I am on horse pills, bigger than the ones Lee gives the calves, and sinus meds. I feel like crap and can't hear. Today we had stake conference and the noise drove me crazy afterwards. Everything was muffled and it made me dizzy. So any friends who talked to me sorry I wasn't more friendly. My biggest fear now is that my hearing will stay like this.

Oh and my family went to the California beach again this year, (I am invited next year)
I hope they are enjoying themselves while I am sick :)

Baby Sitting

2008-09-27T22:02:00.002-04:00

This past week I started babysitting some chidren from down the street m-f 7-11:30. It has been bery interesting. For one thing boys are so different from girls. For another thing these kids can eat! The eat breakfast before they come but when my girls want breakfast so do they. Then we have snack and next is lunch. My girls love them. Lily woke up today asking where they were. That is a good sign so far. Me on the other hand is a different story. Let me tell you by friday I was ready to pull my hair out. Don't get me wrong it was relatively easy. Nobody fights or hits or bites, the main problem is the little boy whines like Stuart on Mad TV. It is really hard to tolerate but he is so sweet that I think we will work it out (he is 4 1/2). Now the girl (2 1/2) is cute but she is a grunter, doesn't use words just grunts, anyone who knows me knows I don't do whining or grunting (it is my mothers fault we were allowed to whine and grunting would have been a major No-No). I choose to ignore until she uses words, it has worked so far. Anyways if anyone has any ideas to help curb these issues I would love some help.
The best part of this whole thing will be the extra money. I keep telling myself it will be worth it.

Lil's First Day of School

2008-09-13T11:43:00.005-04:00

Lil was ready to go with her outfit that she picked out
Rebecca gave her this shirt I explained to her that she is an Aggie, and Rebecca is a "Cucumber" (cougar, Lil says the first)

Her tiger backpack she picked out. it is bigger than her but she loves it.

She was saying school bus

So the first day of school was great. Lily couldn't wait to go and when Lee and I dropped her off she said Bye, and that was it no crying or whining. I guess the pep talk worked. The whole week went well. She never cried and only said she didn't want to go 2 times. I just told her that she had to and that was it she went and was happy. Each day they have a snack and drink . The other day i saw them outside and they were walking in a line. Lil rides the bus after school to the high school with Tavitah (he holds her hand and makes sure she is safe, what a good friend) where grandma greets lily off of the bus with a hug. I think this was one of the smartest things Lee and I have done with her.
Hopefully this great attitude with school will last.

GOAL

2008-09-10T22:05:00.002-04:00

So I met my goal with Weight Watchers this last week! I am really excited. It has been a long road but I finally made it. Now the 6 weeks of maintenance starts and then I can attend for free! I still want to lose more but I am feeling like I look good with my clothes on now, but I would still like to lose 10 more pounds. I think the best feeling I had was a couple of weeks ago I went to the old navy jeans sale. I decided to try on some jeans for myself and tried on a 10, too baggy. So I went for the 8 they fit nice. And then my friend Nikki said why not try the 6 and I did! Dang they fit great! Who knew I was getting so small? Not me that is for sure. I decided not to buy the 6's though because I didn't like the style of that jean so I went with an 8 in a stretch variety. Have you ever felt like buying a pair of pants just because you wanted to say that you fit into the size? Well that was me but I fought the urge and went with what would look good. Anyways I just thought I would give you my WW update. And yes I am bragging on this post Mike Faith...

Canning and a Sick Toddler

2008-09-04T14:24:00.005-04:00

So I love free/cheap food. I am not the best gardener but I love to try. This year I became excited about eating for free, So lee and I planted a huge garden. Of course he is busy making hay and planting stuff and I am busy with the children, so weeding is never a priority. This year we decided to mulch most of the garden with straw, this really helped with the weed issues. WE planted around 30-40 tomato plants (1/2 were free from friends, love it), peppers radishes, broccoli watermelon carrots and squash.

Needless to say by the time a got home from UT the squash were infested with bugs, the weeds were knee deep the broccoli had seen better days, and the green beans didn't even come up. But did we give up? NO! I have spent the past 3 weeks canning everthing in sight. I know it is a lot of work but it is free. My MIL, Linda planted enough green beans that I got 50+ quarts I did 2 batches of spaghetti sauce and one patch of salsa with my tomatoes and peppers . I am now working on Whole tomatoes I hope to get 30 quarts but we will see so far I only have 10. LAst week I did peaches, whole and jam. And this week the Linda's friend gave us each a big box of grapes. I LOVE grape punch, it will be so good!

On a side note Lily is really sick with a UTI. She had a fever of 106 last night which totally freaked us out. The DR gave her 2 shots of antibiotics, OUCH, and now she in on oral ones for a month. Poor little girl slept until 11. Here are some pictures of her last night in our bed. She loves Rootbeer from sheetz so that is what she got after the shots and a pink cookie. Needless to say she was happy, sick but happy.

Norah is just obsessed with the Doll house Nana bought lily for Christmas. She sits in there and plays forever. I think it is the only spot lily doesn't bother her at. To bad her clothes won't stay on I promise I feed her.

Diapers

2008-08-14T09:03:00.002-04:00

So with the rising cost of everything and our home being heated by heating oil I have decided to try my hand at cloth diapering. I know it sounds gross right? But it actually hasn't been. I only have to rinse the poopy ones in the potty, and then throw them in the diaper pail. It only takes one load of laundry every 3 days and so far so good. Now don't get me wrong I still think this is gross but if it makes it possible to heat our house and still be able to feed the fam through the winter than I am game :). Another pro for this change is I will never have to run to the store for diapers again. The best thing about it is the designer covers you can buy. Norah looks so cute crawling around the house in her cute little covers. So far I have spent just over $100 dollars to get started so that is like 3 months of diapers so I am committed for this that long. I will give you all some updates periodically.

5 years

2008-08-11T20:35:00.005-04:00

So it is hard to believe that Lee and I have been married for 5 years! This post is a few weeks old but better late than never. Lee and I were married on August 1st 2003 and it was wonderful. We had a beautiful reception at The Point at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. It looked out over the Salt Lake Valley and the food was wonderful. We ate breakfast at the Little America the next day, and we both would agree it was the best breakfast ever. And then we drove across the country for our honeymoon/get-my-bride-to-the-farm. From there it was a busy year.

Moved in with the inlaws (not as bad as it sounds mine are great and they have a huge house).

Bought a trailer and put it up by the barn (loved it but was embaressed that I lived in a trailer, I know stupid, but true)

Got kicked in the head by 1119 I think that was her number but I will never forget that or the bump!

Took a trip to Ohio for grazing conference and wanted to visit Amish country, who knew that the conference was going to be full of amish we were out numbered 3 to 1.

Planted our first garden which didn't turn out but hey we tried.

I am sure that we did more but I can't remember it all but these were the highlights. I knew life would be wonderful with lee and I can't wait to see what else happens. Happy 5 years honey.

Western World

2008-08-05T22:33:00.003-04:00

Ms. Carrie the substitute swimming teacher

Popsicles during adult swim YUM!

Lily wearing her new goggles she got for listening at swim school

Nay Nay Matt and Megan at the museum on the helicopter

Matt and Norah in the pool

The Dinosaur museum rocked.

Whit and NorNor

Nana and the lovelies

Norah and the bath

This sums up the trip sorry I can't turn it but aren't they cute?
This is after the Ice stand.

Okay so this summer the girls and I ventured out to the wild west to see my fam. Talk about fun. Tiring, but fun. These two weeks were filled with Swimming lessons, trip to the Uintah Basin to see the Dinos (thanks Angie, who is now on bed rest for 2 weeks because we wore the pregnant lady out), and swimming. For those of you who know me know that I LOVE the water. I feel completely at home floating in it so for my little Lil to scream through swim school was horrifying! But never you fear she just doesn't care for men teachers because as soon as Mr Dane went on vacation and Ms Allie stepped in it was smooth sailing. Lilly learned more from Dane but at least she wasn't screaming the whole time.
My fam is doing good. Matt loved the girls except when Lil would wake him up from his precious teenage slumber. But never you fear he tortured her right back with teasing at chasing. They really miss him already.
Nana is Nana getting slimmer by the minute and always up for a good old open house. While I was there we hit a few. You can really tell the housing market has been hit hard. It sure was fun looking at homes and collecting ideas for when Lee and I get our own.
Pa well he is pa. All I have to say is she has a FORK! Inside joke I know but lets just say he is a little over protective and doesn't think you should use utensils until you are old enough to drive.
Nay Nay was great she took Lil to the Children's Museum which Lil is still talking about Matt riding a horse. How fun, to bad she wouldn't.
And then there is Whit (the adopted member of the family) She took lily down her first water slide. What a joy.

Anyways we loved our visit and were very sad to leave. But hey there is always next year.

"PUP"cakes

2008-07-19T13:30:00.003-04:00

These are Corgies

These are bull dogs

I made 24 or 25 of these puppies, total pun intended
OK So I am so proud of myself these are the cupcakes I made for Norah's Party. It took me a while but was so worth it. Anyways I just wanted to brag a little because my next post will be about the birthday boy and girl. Anyways enjoy my pictures.

What a great day!

2008-07-18T11:44:00.004-04:00

The next 5 days are crazy! Birthday planning, parties, packing flying and birthday.

So I have some exciting news, Norah slept through the night! This is either the third or fourth time since she was born so we are really happy with our little lady! I can't believe she will be turning one this weekend. I am so excited for this. We decided to have a party for her and it should be fun. I was just going to do cake/ice cream but the Linda (MIL) convinced me that we all have to eat anyways so now we are having a barbecue for 30 people. Bring it on. I finally decided what I was doing for her cake. We are doing Pupcakes with Schnauzers and Bull dogs and I might throw something else in there for fun. I asked Linda to make lee's cake because I think I am going to be overwhelmed a little tomorrow (for those of you who don't know Lee is now sharing his birthday with our little Norah, awe how special).

In between all of this party stuff I am also supposed to be making a quilt for my friend, packing for the my trip and enjoying my own birthday (I know so many birthdays so little time).

I hope to post pictures of these pupcakes tomorrow so tune in for more.

Family Staycation

2008-07-12T08:22:00.005-04:00

This is Uncle Tommy Sam andKatlin
Below is Lillian and the pizza she made last week
To the right is Norah and I at uncle Tom's house

this was the view from the windows through out

Lily's favorite place in the aquarium the bubble tubes

The dolphines

Lee and Lil in the rainforest

Norah and I
I need some new clothes I look like a scruff

First of all sorry about the double picture of my self I don't know what I did.

Ok So here is our next journey in our staycation. Last week we went to the National Aquarium. It was wonderful. After we paid $18 dollars to park (there has to be a better way if anyone knows post it). We decided to buy a season pass because we only have to go 1 more time in a year to break even. After getting in I was really disoriented I don't deal with with crowds and I couldn't get my feet planted on what directions we needed to go. Thank goodness lee was with me. As we made our way to the dolphin show Lily was fascinated by the view of the harbor, she is such a water baby.
The dolphin show was my personal favorite Norah was so happy and trying to talk to the animals. Every time they would jump she would scream with excitement. Lily thought it was neat but was more into the ball that was hanging from the ceiling for the dolphins to jump and hit. We went to the rain forest exhibit which was a lot of fun. The aquarium created a room that looks and feels like a rain forest there are birds and tamarinds and lizards. I think lee enjoyed this room a lot, I thought it was too muggy.
After leaving the aquarium we went to this place that was featured on diners, drive-ins and dives on the food network. Talk about fun and it sure was a dive. The employees were super nice and helpful in our selection. We had to drive through a rough area to get there but it was worth it the food was awesome chaps charcoal restaurant check it out if you are ever in the area.
When we were done stuffing our faces we decided it was time to visit my Uncle Tommy in Annapolis. He is recovering from a valve replacement on his aortic valve. He is a walking miracle. He suffered a aneurysm of the valve which people don't recover from but he did and looks great. This was a nice trip and I am so glad he was up for a visit. Anyways we did all of this is 12 hours and the girls were awesome.

The farm

2008-06-27T16:45:00.003-04:00

Lillian and lee feeding the calves and yes that is a snow hat in June and no it is not cold :)
This calf is a jersey breed (beautiful eyes and very small in stature) They don't eat a lot or produce as much as a holstein but they have more butter fat)

This is a Hostein she will be bigh and produce a lot of milk but not much butter fat. These two cows are only a few days old aren't they cute.

What a hugnry bunch these cows are older and more aggressive

This is one of lil's jobs feeding the grain they get 3 scoops if you ask her she will tell you

This is a jersey but not the best picture

I just wanted to show some pictures of the cows and what Lillian does for "chores". Soemtime I forget that most people don't understand what lee does. I am so proud of him. He works longer and harder than most, but still is usually up for spending time with us at the barn. This is how Lee's day is 7 days per week.

5:30-6am wake up and leave

at this point he feeds calves moves fences and does what ever else needs to be done (planting, mowing, bailing, breading cows what ever)

12-12:30 lunch

1 leave to work again

3:30 milk

when he is done there he repeats the above

10-10:30 come home and eat dinner

talk about a long day huh? and he does that 7 days a week.

needless to say I get bored without him. Thank goodness for our girls keeping me busy.
One of the best things about Lee's profession is that the girls will learn how to work hard. I also like that they are ableto go to work with him. Not all jobs can do that. Anyways Hoepfully some day I can get him to do a photo journal of his day for a more acurrate account.

Hershey Zoo America

2008-06-27T16:13:00.003-04:00

The fish tank with the bear

This is us with the wolves, sorry bad picture
but we asked a stranger.

This bear layed in the same spot both times we went
to see him.

So it has been a long time since I posted so this is the first of two in a row, brace yourselves. Two weeks ago I participated in this thing called camp parent. It was activities at different parts of our county for 4 days. If you attended 3 they were taking us to the zoo, and paying for our gas. I decided what the heck free food and activities for 4 days. It was a lot of fun and Lily enjoyed attending these class with her little friend Kara. At the end of the week lee and I loaded up the van and went on our little stay-cation (my friend Shannon informed me this is what it would be called) with the girls. We headed for Hershey Zoo, Chocolate world and then the Car show. It was a big day for us. We saw otters, now Lillian thinks she is the Mommy Otter and Norah is the Baby otter. The hit of the day was the fish tank, I think it is time to do the Baltimore Aquarium. The Bear and Alligator really scared her even though there was glass but eventually she became fascinated with this sleeping fur ball. Lee and I felt like the baby bobcats were the best. They looked like the belonged at the barn until you saw the mother and how wild she looked.
After the zoo we traveled to chocolate world. This was simple but fun they have a ride similar to small world showing how chocolate is made. There are singing cows and that sold Lil immediately. She stared at everything the whole way. At the end they show candy on conveyor belts and she thought that was awesome. As you leave they give you a treat. Norah and Lil were covered in Chocolate, it was adorable but alas no pictures.

At this point we went to the car show. Lee has been talking about this for a year now. You see we own a 70 impala that he wants to restore. We went to get ideas but left with heartache. There weren't that many cars there. The first time lee went there were acres and acres of cars. This time there wasn't much let alone only 1 or two of the 70 impalas. But at least we were together.
Anyways that is our trip.

Tag your it!

2008-06-13T21:39:00.003-04:00

OK so I have been tagged how fun!

8 random thoughts: (as I write this I think I am stressed out about weird stuff)

1. I really should be cleaning. My floors need to be mopped but I am canning strawberries tomorrow so I don't want to do that with clean floors. At least my bathroom is done.

2. What is Lily doing in her bedroom (strange thumping noises). For some reason she is sleeping on the floor every night in front of the box fan in a little mermaid sleeping bag. Lee thinks she likes the fan blowing on her. 3 year old's are strange :).

3. I wonder when Lee is getting home. Sometime, OK most of the time I am very lonely. I wish he didn't work so much, but I guess I should be grateful that he does. Sometimes being a farmer's wife is really hard. But at least I have the best husband in Fulton County to make up for that. He took Lil last night to feed calves and they had the best time ever. I promise I will post pictures later.

4. I wish I could go home to Utah this summer. Tickets are too high and we are too poor. I miss my family. Lee and I are going to save so maybe this winter but probably next summer I will get to go. Thank goodness for the phone and unlimited long distance.

5. I hope my garden is going to be plentiful this summer. I don't know how we will afford food this next year if isn't. I told you all I am a worry wart tonight.
6. I wish I had central air

7. I can't wait to start canning. This is my favorite thing to do even though it is a lot of work and messy. I enjoy knowing that I have all of that food ready for us for the next year. If anyone knows where I can get some free fruit this year in Fulton county I would appreciate it.
8. Norah is small :) Lily is not. It is so strange to me that 2 children from the same parents can be so different.
RULES
1) each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2) people who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
3) at the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.4) don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I tag: Shauna, Cricket, Megan, Mookie, Whitney McD, Shellianne, Jana, Andrea, and Skippy

Weight watcher

2008-06-03T13:12:00.003-04:00

Ok so I know you all are dying for a diet err lifestyle change, update. So last night I weighed in at 1.8 pounds lighter! Wahoo we are getting there. 22 pounds down and 8 more to go until my goal weight. The funny thing is I am fitting into things I wore for my engagement pictures and when I went through the temple. I should weight less in my opinion but this darn belly fat just won't go away. Oh well at least I have two of the cutest girls in the world out of it.

Ohio

2008-05-27T15:01:00.002-04:00

The pool at the hotel Norah loved it this was a first for her

She really liked being thrown into the air and splashing down

Dad was playing with Lil and Norah felt like she should be with them

Our little cuties in their dresses

Lil just loves her baby

My cousin Ryan Ruiz became a priest a couple of weekends ago. Now he is Father Ryan sounds cool doesn't it? His brother called it a wedding for one, and he wasn't joking. But let me start from the begining.
Ok so my mom and sister flew in to drive out to Ohio with me because we didn't think lee would be able to go. Lee of course came he loves spending time with my mom and sister especially since these trips are few and far between. They arrived on a red eye at 8 am and we met in the city to get Pedicures so our feet would look marvelous for the reception and weekend festivities.
The next day we left for Ohio. We piled in the new van(a story for another day) and off we went. On the Way we saw a Black plain person (AMish Mennonite, etc) we were very surprised and made lee slow down so we could check and make sure. WE arrived in ohio and the hotel wouldn't let us check in so we went and walked accross a bridge in Cincinnati across the ohio river. It was HUGE and my mom official is a NANA, walk and all.
The Girls were so good. The next day my mom sister and I went to the ordination which was very interesting. Ryan looked really happy and excited. After we went and got the girls and went to reception. It was beautiful and we had a nice time with the cousins some of which I only see on these occasions. That night was the swimming pool fun with my family. This was really for the girls they love the water thank goodness.
Father Ryan's first mass was at the parish he went to when he was growing up. It was neat he talked why he became a priest and thanked friends and family for the support. This of course was followed by a reception. And then on to aunt Kathleen's! (For a little history Kathleen's mom and dad lived next door to my nana and pop pop's house. The Ruiz kids came around the same time we would go visit them in the summer which entailed a lot of baseball swimming and walking to the park. I enjoyed them and looked forward to seeing them each year.) Aunt Kathleen's was a riot after all had left and we were trying to get on the road, we started to visit and talk which we hadn't done much of with them because it had been such a busy weekend. Aileen's husband Michael is so fun and a good story teller. Aileen is tender and sweet just like always. Kevin and Asha are so down to earth and Ryan is so Humble. just a group of people you want to spend time with. Aunt Kathleen is the most patient women I know and Colleen really loves her puzzles, thanks for trying to share with lillian. All in all that was my favorite part of the trip. Oh one moret hing, have any of you played Cornhole? Funnest game ever, I highly recommend learning.

bragging

2008-05-06T16:03:00.002-04:00

So I know it isn't a good thing to brag, but I will anyways. I have been doing Weight Watchers now for 12 weeks and in that 12 weeks I have lost 22 pounds! I know right, AMAZING! Anyway I never thought that I would have this much success. After I had Lil I tried WW and failed miserably. But Now after little NorNor I am feeling successful. Now anyone who knows me know that I will go swimming no matter what my weight, I just figure that everyone feels uncomfortable in a bathing suit, 90# or 900#. But at this point I think I might actually feel fine this summer. My goal is to loose 30-35 pounds so I am more than 1/2 way there. I will keep you posted.

Stacey's Visit

2008-04-14T22:26:00.003-04:00

Stacey and the Girls We finally mastered the stroller

Lily wanted to chase the birds

So my oldest friend in the world came to visit and talk about a blast. Let me start from the beginning, I have known Stacey longer than anyone. Our parents met in a childbirth class when they were pregnant with us. We have been together ever since, Dance class, high school, college, weddings and now children. She told me in January she would be coming to visit but the trip kept being put off until finally it happened. Stacey really wanted to go to DC but I was really nervous. I haven't ever done it without a tour guide (Erin merkley when Shellianne visited) let alone with 2 kids in tow but I figured it would be worth a go. I am so glad we did it. As we boarded the metro I began to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into, the strollers weren't working well and lil was already restless. We go to Union station and it was HUGE, where were we going to find the tour bus? Finally I saw a capital police women and we swerved over to ask her. She guided us to a ticket booth. Little did we know there was more than one tour company (imagine that in a major metropolitan area), we ended up on getto bus hot and broken. Norah of course was smiling this whole time like this was the best time she had ever had. But we began to take in the sights and boy was it beautiful. I hope stacey sends me copies of her pics soon because she took more than I did. The Cherry blossoms were blooming everywhere and the crowds weren't as bad as I thought they would be. By the time we got back to the house we were hungry and exhausted but still chatty. The next day we decided to go to Berkeley Springs West Virginia, the first spa in the country and take a look at George Washingtons bath tub. People from the city love to come up there for a spa retreat. On sunday before taking her to the airport we decided to venture to antietam battlefield. It was here we decided we don't know enough about the civil war but we attempted to have some understanding of battle lines and who moved where and when. It is so hard to visit these places and realize how many people died in such a horrific way.
I miss having friends/family nearby so much that it is refreshing to get a piece of "home" to my home.
Lily really had a lot of fun with her. Stace was so good to share her perfume, makeup, cell phone and smiles with lily. After I droped her at the airport I went home to be greeted with a "Where Stacey?" Oh honey she went home, followed by a huge tantrum. All I can say is Princess lily was not happy!

Thanks for coming Stacey.

Easter fun

2008-04-02T15:15:00.004-04:00

The Girls really enjoyed their baskets before church

This is Lee and Lil dying eggs on saturday aunt rebecca was to into it to look up

Lily and norah are becoming friends! When ever Norah wakes up Lily runs to jump into the crib with her. Which would make me nervous but NorNor screams with delight.

Lil likes to build huts around her sister (sometimes on) Hey atleast it isn't the couch pillows piled high on the poor thing again.

And last but not least my new recipe, Cinnamon rolls! Lee enjoys them and I like making them they are so beautiful. The best part is I have only had one out of the last two batches because I am getting self control. I can't bake and eat it or I will eat it all!

Sick Day

2008-03-28T17:50:00.003-04:00

So Norah has been sick with something for the past few days. I don't want to go into detail but I have never had to clean up baby throw up before yesterday (Lily never has). Well anyways today I took her to the doctor because I was nervous about dehydration. When they weighed her she weighed a pound less than her 6 month check up (she is now 8months). I guess the Dr. was to worried about it but a pound is a lot when you only weigh 14. She and I have worked so hard to get the weight on her and now in two days our hard work has been taken back to nothing. the good news is that she is still the happiest aby in the world she even smiles after the up-chucking. Lil is trying to be the big sister and help. Yesterday she wanted to help clean "it" up. I assured her mommy would take care of it.

Spring Fever

2008-03-20T21:44:00.002-04:00

Well things in the Schriever family are really picking up this year. We have ove 100 cow due to have babies in march and april which means that I will be learning the meaning of Farm Widow. The girls are growing so fast.
Lillian is really starting to talk and I can understand her 25% of the time. Last week she said the same thing over and over for 1 hour until I figured it out. You see baby jaguar needed help because he was stuck on a waterfall. Gotta love Dorah. Bless her sweet heart she didn't even get frustrated just kept saying it over and over with a huge smile on her face. I couldn't stop laughing.
Norah is our little peanut. She is so small and skinny. I just love looking at all of her delicate features. She is 8 months and finally sitting a little bit with out help. We are starting to work on crawling but it is slow go. She is definately going to be my early talker. She loves to babble on and on.
I am really excited about easter. Coloring easter eggs we even invited grandma and aunt rebecca to be a part of it. This will be little lil's first time coloring I think so I am excited. I hope all of you enjoy your holiday!
Keep in touch!

Gotta love sleeping babies!

Here is my little peanut

Lily recieved mail from Nana and inside was a princess dress

Grandma Belva and Norah

Aunt Diana and Norah

Reeder Hall

2008-03-19T17:19:00.002-04:00

So I jsut thought that I should post something so you all don't think I quit the blog thing. Today I was checking out some blogs on my friends and found my old roomie at Reeder Halls blog! Totally crazy. I think about Jana a lot and always wonder how she is doing. We had good and bad times at reeder and I am glad she was a part of it! This was the year before I joined the church and I had some rocky times. Jana was always kind and patient with me and I will never forget that she gave a talk on easter sunday and invited me to come and listen. I didn't go but I remember that and it was almost ten years ago. She was going to loan me a gray dress that was turtle necked. As I sit here and think about my friends all over the country I am glad that they were good examples to me and patient with my baptism! I hope she emails me back!

back from Utah

2008-01-30T17:06:00.000-05:00

Norah on my Mom's counter in a Bumbo seat as Pa put it best $30 ever spent.

Lily feeding the 9 million ducks at the park. I have never seen anythin like it.

We all went sledding. It took us an hour to get ready and lily only lasted for 2 runs because she wouldn't wear gloves. Oh well best two runs of my life.

Lily thought the shovel was the best thing ever invented. All she wanted to do was dig in the snow.

The flight out was ok but I will never fly Delta again and encourage each of you to do the same. Not family friendly at all. Viva Southwest. Lily handled the flight well and enjoyed sitting watching out her window. We were 3 across which was difficult with breastfeeding next to some strange man who by the way could have moved to a number of open seats. Megan thinks he was a weirdo, I am hoping that he wasn't and in his defence he carried my 30 lb carseat to baggage. When we landed all Lily did was look for Nana from the gate to bagage. This was the first time that she wasn't shy when we found Nana. Which was special. Mom will say I am being sappy but it was cute.
Ok so this trip was totally fun! My family was really cute with the girls and Lily couldn't get enough of Matt and Pa. Norah wanted to be held the whole time which drove me and pa nuts. So we went and bought that seat which was the best purchase ever and Norah still loves it while I am working in the Kitchen, thanks Mom. We didn't do much while we were there, two is a lot more work. I did however get a mani pedi at this place in BFE which is awesome. They dip your feet in Paraphin wax and hand paint things on your toes. They also tell you what they are talking about when they are speaking their language which I thought was nice. Everyone is smiling unlike the places that seem like sweat shops. When lee came we took lily to her first movie in a theatre which was fun. She sat through the whole thing and now whenever she smells popcorn she says "Movie, coccorn?" Doesn' get much better than that. Anyways I hope to post more soon!

Christmas

2007-12-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas was wonderful the girls had a great time norah loved the paper and Lily loved the toys. Santa brought the girls an easle and a nw crinkle book. Nana sent packages and when we opened them lily wouldn't quit playing with her doll house I am going to try and figure out how to put some video of this on here. Lee was a good husband this year so Santa brought him a new gun to hunt with. He is very excited and didn't have any idea that he was getting it, mission accomplished. As for me well I couldn't have had a better day I got a few videos and some new shoes, the best part was watching my family spend the day together. Usually holidays are kindof hard because of the farm but this year the hired guy surprised us by coming down and helping to feed which made it so Walt and lee could have most of the day for us. I really enjoyed the time we had to share with the girls at watch them play with their cousins Parker and Preston. The funny thing was when we came home Lil ran to her new doll house even though she was tired she just had to have that last little bit of play. It brought back a ton of memories of my own childhood and the fun of the new nintendo and how we played so long our thumbs wouldn't work well the next day!

What a nightmare!

2007-12-19T15:43:00.001-05:00

Norah is such a happy little one.

Lil thinks the toys are fun so needless to say we

have something in every picture

This was the only one of Norah in
her christmas dress

Hey at least we are all smiling!

OK so those of you with multiple children know what it can be like to take a picture let alone at a studio. Lets just say I have only done this twice since Norah was born and both times I have left crying. Hopefully I will be brave enough to do this again before they are 20. I tried to get them a picture together but Lily kept trying to throw NorNor off of the table. I decided to just buy the separates on the same page. we are gearing up for Christmas and lee and I are doing last minute shopping on Thursday. I hope that we get everything done and I hope that we are wrapped by Sunday night so we can enjoy the days before Christmas . We found lily feeding Baby Jesus and the wise men a banana it will be sad to take the nativity down. I received packages from my mom today I get so excited when the mailman honks because that means I have a box, Yahoo! Yesterday the UPS men came, (thanks Megan) and I yelled yippee UPS. I love little interruptions through my slow moving days. Just so my family knows I was good and haven't even peeked at what you sent!
On a different note Norah has become a rolling champ as I sit here and type she is trying to get across the floor! How fun.

Merry Christmas..Courtney Style

2007-12-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I usually wrap but a lot of the time it is in a lancaster farming news paper. But this year I bought dora paper for the girls. Lee likes it when I use farming stuff he thinks it is thoughtful i think it is frugal.
2. Tree Real or artificial? This year we a fake tree and we were worrried about the smell thing so we bought a candle worked like a charm.
3. When do you put your tree up? We talk about doing the day after thanksgiving but it always turns out later.
4. When do you take your tree down? Usual right after new years now the lights outside never made it down last year, yes I am one of those people that I never wanted to be
5. Do you like egg nog? No way I don't like milk at all (funny huh? the dairy farmer and his wife both don't drink the stuff.)
6. Do you have a nativity scene? yes we have two we put one in the girls room and one in the living room. Everynight lily puts baby Jesus (she pronounces him baby g) to bed.
7. Hardest person to buy for? My sister and step dad both enjoy returning what ever you get them:)
8. Easiest person to buy for? The kids you know they will enjoy whatever you get them at such a young age.
9. Worst christmas gift? a tire.
10. Mail or email cards? I am not good ar doing either so I won't put anything.
11. Favorite christmas movie? Charlie Browns Christmas, need I say anymore?
12. Favorite song? Drummer Boy and I really love the Neil Diamond version.
13. When do you start shopping? I like to start in October.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? Yes but I told the person.
15. Favorite food to eat on christmas? Crab legs we ate them when I was still at home but now that I am married we eat a big breakfast and that is really good!
16. Clear or colored lights? I like clear but we have colored for the kids.
17. Travel or stay home on Christmas? Go to the inlaws about 2 miles away so I guess we travel?
18. Can you name all of the reindeer? Yes but I can't type them because the kids are getting cranky
19. Angel or star on tree? Star
20. When do you open presents? We Open after the milking in the morning, talk about different than when I was little we opened at 5 am.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? when people don't remember the true meaning of christmas.
22. Best Christmas present? It is a toss up between my first stereo and my TV. But now that I am older I can't wait to see the girls opening their gifts.

23. Favorite christmas tradition? We read the book The Crippled Little Lamb. Talk about a great childrens book I highly recommend it.

Copy these questions and write it in your blogs so I can get to know your traditions.

Forked

2007-12-13T17:14:00.000-05:00

So Lee was preparing feed for the cows yesterday and stuck the top of his foot with a pitchfork! Yuck. He came home and we cleaned it and decided he needed a tetnus shot and some antibiotics, so off to the doctors office we went. What a strange way to spend time with your family. They gave him the shot and then we went to the store, because the big ice storm was coming the next day. It was funny because at the store he drove one of those motorized carts. Lily thought that was fun. By the time we got home Lily was really tired Norah was asleep lee could barely walk and I was beat. Lee finally figured out why I haven't been going to the grocery store very much and when I do I am usually in a bad mood. Two children is a lot different. The best part at the store was the amish ladies with their six children under 6 walking around without doing anything while lily is screaming and throwing a fit while I am crying in the isles. Oh the joy of motherhood. I seriously don't think that lee has been home this much since we have had children and so it was good for him to spend time holding the baby and listening to lily talk non stop! I was also able to clean a little which has been a challenge lately. Today he went back to work which was sad because I have enjoyed our day together. I hope that he doesn't have to get injured again to get some time together.

Some other great news is last week we had heat ducts put into our house I know it sounds funny but we didn't have heat in our bedroom or kitchen and only one in the family room so lets say it has been a few cold years. I am so excited! We are also getting heat upstairs soon which means we might be able to spend a little more time up there instead of just using it for storage. Oh the joy of old homes.

Surprise Nana

2007-12-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

So i know it has been forever since I have posted something and Stacey gave me a hard time and I hope that all of you haven't given up on my blog. Well last month Meg called me and told me she was planning a party for my mom and she found some great tickets for me lily and Norah to fly out with do i want to come? Well let me think about that...free flight...see my mom...see my siblings....HECK YES!!! So the three of us said good bye to daddy and boarded a plane to SLC and let me tell you I was nervous. Flying was hard with one but how will I do it with two. But things were great Southwest is the best every 5 minutes the flight attendant was checking on me, I must have looked nervous. Anyways we got to SLC and meg had met me at the gate. She went and told them that I was flying alone with two children and I needed all the help I could get. My moms party went well and I think she was actually surprised to see me because I fed her a big lie the morning of talking about all of the things I was doing that weekend in PA. Meg taught Lil how to say surprise Nana! But when the time came she was too shy to do it, but never you fear every time she saw Megan or my mom after that it was surprise Nana. It was really the best trip ever we didn't do much just hang out and talked which was really fun. I didn't know it until meg offered the ticket but I was pretty homesick and needed this visit. So thanks Megan. The flight home was the day before thanksgiving and I was really nervous about how to get from the gate to baggage without help, BWI just isn't as friendly as SLC. so I decided to not bring lily's car seat on, BIG Mistake. As we are taking off during lily's usual nap time she is climbing over me screaming SEAT! She didn't understand that she didn't need it on the plane. It was so embarrassing the flight attendant came at sat with us. then she fell asleep and things were better. Landing would have been just as bad but this nice couple that had just been married since the previous weekend asked if lily could sit with them I was like sure. Lily loved them and she actually sat with me during landing so Lil would stay calm. Other than that my brother in law was working in the area and so he offered to pick me up we didn't meet up until I had all of the bags on a cart and I was laughing hysterically. It was really empowering to do it on my own. Ben and I had a nice drive back chatting about random things and he helped calm Norah down when she screamed half of the way for our 2 hour car ride.

P.S. I know the pictures are random but our camera broke and I don't have any new pictures.

Halloween

2007-11-06T08:17:00.001-05:00

So Halloween is totally fun out here. Since we are so rural we don't trick or treat. We did have a trunk or treat at church. The best part of Halloween here is the parade. We have a Halloween parade in town where the bands, boy scouts, fire trucks, and some Churches dress up. I like this one because it is just a parade people don't throw candy, you just get to relax and watch. The funny part is the vendors with shopping carts of stuff to sell kids two of the guys got into a fight this year over territory of the street, weird. We have a lot of parades out here in the fall.

The Fulton County Fall foliage festival (what a mouthful) is the longest tractor parade I think in the world. People drive there tractors up the main street of McConnelsburg, this year there were 400 I think, with bands and the usual stuff. This parade throws candy and this was the first year that Lillian understood it. By the end of 400 tractors she was running out with the 10 year olds fighting for her stale tootsie roll with the rest of them. She can really hold her own, that's my girl. Norah is a sport at all of these events she just sits on Grandma's lap and enjoys her time with her.

McConnellsburg Branch

2007-11-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

So this Sunday I had the opportunity to represent the stake young women's and travel to a new branch in our stake. Talk about humbling. I walked into the room in the basement of the library (which I have been into many times for functions with Lillian) to be greeted by 20 smiling faces. They all meet in one room and there is one Young Man and one Young woman. When the sacrament is passed the same YM starts the tray on one side and gets it on the other. The primary meets in a closet area and everyone else meets in the same room. Sister Kellogg is the gospel Doctorine teach and she is amazing she passed out this little notecard with all of the scriptures we were to have read on it. It was really cute and reminded me of something you would get in a RS lesson. These people msut be very strong to attend such a small branch. One of the missionaries said in his testimony that they would have a building within two years that will be an exciting day for them. Right now every sunday after church they have to take the chairs down and load them into a truck to take to a place to store. They also have a sound system that they have to take down each week. I can't imagine the work that they have to do and keeping the positive attitude that they have.

Norah

2007-11-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

Well I thought today I would write a little about the day Norah was born. I am not the best with baby books and Lily barely got one and Norah doesn't have anything written down so now I decided I better document her some how so here we go. When I had her she was so tiny and I remember as we were driving home thinking how great life was. Two healthy little girls. Lee had to work the day I came home so my mom drove us and on the way home we stopped to get Rebecca a copy of the final Harry Potter book. Lily was so happy to see her and wanted to dress her like her dolls. I think she thought we brought her home a new toy. My mom left to go visit family so while she was gone I was putting away clothes. Lily found this cute cow outfit she kept saying "Baby Cow" and I would answer yes Lil. The next thing I know the baby is screaming from the bassinet. Lily had moved her over by the bed lifted her up and tried to dress her in the outfit(Dr. Sheck was right don't leave them alone for a second). When I found her she was the opposite direction withe the outfit under her.

The picture is of Lee, Courtney, Norah and Rosie (my midwife) the day we went home from the hospital.

Sick Month

2007-11-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

So the past month the we have all been sick on and off. Poor Norah always seems to get it the worst. Her nose has been running for two or three days and then today she woke up from her nap screaming with stuff coming out of her eyes. I decided I better call the doctor and get an appointment. (Her regular doctor has been out for personal reasons which makes me worry that she won't come back. It is really hard to find a good doctor in such a rural area and Dr. S. is a gem. she even gave me her home number when N was 8 weeks because she wanted to be sure I knew that I could call.) Tomorrow we are trying a new PA and I hope it works out. Lillian was also sick the week before and the poor thing looked like she was hit by a truck and goopy and sad. She wanted me to lay next to her in bed for three days which is hard with a newborn. Oh the joys of motherhood. I definitely wouldn't trade it for the world!

Fighting Progress

2007-10-31T13:55:00.000-04:00

So Lee and I decided that we can no longer fight progress so in one week we got the internet a computer and now a blog spot talk about busy. Anyways Lily is growing so fast and trying to take care of Norah in every aspect. Every time we go to leave the house she runs around yelling "oh no, where baby?" It is so funny that she thinks I am going to forget her. Norah is 3 months now and this last weekend rolled over! Talk about exciting, she hasn't done it again yet but she did it. Lee is doing well. He and his father are doing well keeping the farm going and growing. Lee grows a beard every winter to help in keep warm on the cold days on the farm. This is a picture from last year. I keep hoping that this will be the year we will quit that tradition. I am really enjoying two kids. It is hard but very interesting and fun to watch the two interact.