Oktoberfest

Josh’s family is German. My mother’s family is German. Our last name means tailor in German. Jonah and Meredith call their grandparents Opa and Oma. We like German food. A brat there, some sauerkraut here and don’t forget the German beer. We also enjoy celebrating our German heritage each year at Oktoberfest. We usually attend the one in Addison and the one in McKinney down on the square. This year Josh and I went alone with some friends to the Oktoberfest in Addison (of course I forgot my camera) and then we took the family to the Oktoberfest down on the square in McKinney. Jonah always has a good time riding the ponies, having his face painted and listening to the German bands sing and dance. I think Meredith enjoyed her first Oktoberfest and it was  great to be able to share this family tradition with the newest member of our little family!

 

My Little Hero

He turned 3 1/2 years old today. The (smaller) love of my life.
Full of laughter, kisses and wonder.
He is my Sunshine. Everyday.

Full of Hot Air

Yes, I've been MIA. Yes, I'm behind on my blog. Yes, I have been busy with my two little ones and my husband organizing and preparing for the mayhem that is quickly approaching known as the holiday rush! Fall snuck up on us and our favorite way to kick off the new season every year is by attending the numerous fall festivals in the area. One of our favorite events is the Plano Balloon festival. Balloons, bounce houses, face painting and good food.








"I don't know what the big deal is about all these balloons. I just found my feet and they are way cooler!"

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that this how I spend my mornings when I wake up....



that Jonah and Meredith enjoy having their picture taken together (well, most of the time).....




for funny moments in the evenings like this....



educational moments like this (teaching Jonah how to tell if the spaghetti noodles are ready)....



sweet moments like this.....




and for these two adorable faces!

A Sign of Things to Come??? Oh Gawd...I Hope Not!

It's 11:58pm and I'm laying in our bed typing a post while there are dishes from tonight's dinner still sitting in the kitchen sink, there are three laundry baskets full of freshly washed clothes sitting on the couch in my bedroom that need to be put away and there are still two half eaten oreos sitting on my coffee table in the family room because Jonah only likes the white middle. The list goes on and on of things I need to be tending to before I go to bed but I would rather work on my blog because I have two kids now and frankly I'm too lazy it's much more therapeutic than washing dishes.

So, Jonah has developed a little habit lately of making his body his personal art canvas. Neither I nor Josh have a tattoo. I'm not sure if it's just his age or if it's a sign of things to come! I was telling my mother about it on the phone the other day and asking her if I did the same thing as a child. She immediately replied "No" but I'm starting to think my mother has developed a selective memory and has decided to repress anything that I did wrong as a child. She said I never colored on the walls or my body with markers to which I quickly replied "Oh, really?? Maybe you should go open my closet doors and check the walls!"

July 2009


August 2009


and again in September 2009.
YES, that is my address stamp and NO, it does not wash off! His legs were not the only thing he stamped. He also stamped his hands, his stomach and his arms. Two days later I was still trying to scrub off the ink in the bathtub. I guess the only positive outcome is that if he gets lost at least they will know where to return him!


What if his self inflicted tattoos above turn into an obsession like this below when he's older?



By the way..I had a hard time finding an appropriate tattoo picture online that I felt comfortable showing on my blog. All I can say is, there are some "very creative" people in this world! I'm going to try and get those images out of my head now and go to bed!

School Daze

Jonah was six weeks old when I returned to work and the day Josh and I dropped him off at Primrose I, like many working mothers before me, had to have my husband console me as I sobbed all the way through the parking lot to my car. How would anyone be able to care for my little boy the way I did? Were they going to know that he liked his bottles ice cold, not warmed, he had to be held upright and walked around the room to fall asleep and he hated being swadled. Well, much to my surprise within one week of being in their care, he started sleeping through the night, which for a first time parent was equivalent to winning the lottery. I knew at that point he was going to be okay.

Jonah attended Primrose for the next three years while I continued my career as a WAHM. But after returning from maternity leave with Meredith and due to a declining economy my company decided to reduce it's staff and I was forced into the life of a SAHM in June. That's not to say that I am not enjoying this time with my children. We have had a wonderfully busy summer but I realized that Jonah still craved the structured schedule and advanced education that he was receiving at Primrose and he also missed being with his friends.

Since sending him to Primrose all day for five days a week while I am at home didn't seem to make much financial sense, we opted for two days a week at one of the Church preschools. One of his best friends from Primrose was also going to be in his class so I knew that would help with the transition.

We attended the Meet the Teacher ice cream social the week before school started. When we entered his classroom, Jonah immediately found the folder with his name on it, brought it to me, then went back to the table and started coloring as if to say "Don't worry Mommy, I know how all this works."

So last Tuesday I woke Jonah up for his first day at his "new" school, put on his new outfit, packed a healthy lunch and an extra set of "just in case" clothes and then carefully picked out which furry friend would accompany him at naptime. He grabbed the napmat the he and his Daddy bought and then my little Pre-K student stopped at the front door to pose for the camera. (He knows me way too well).

While driving to school, he told me that he was going to have fun with his new friends and was not going to cry when I left (something that's happened a couple of times in the past). When we arrived he kept his promise by walking into the classroom, hanging his bag on the hook and then sitting down beside his friend Isabelle to play blocks. I stood there for a few minutes watching my little boy acting so grown up and feeling the same rush of emotions as I did that first day at Primrose. As I was turning around to walk out the door, Jonah stood up and ran over to me. He put his arms around my neck and said "I love you Mommy, hope you have a good day. I'll see you when you come back to pick me up!" I knew at that point he was going to be okay. It was me that was having such a hard time letting go.

Once again, I sobbed all the way through the parking lot to my car.

And I have a feeling that won't be the last time.

Enjoying the fruits of our labor

We had a "lazy" labor day at the Schneider house. We slept late, grilled steaks, watched the US Open, and then decided to take Jonah bowling for the first time. What I learned is, like Crocs, bowling shoes are even cute when they are a size 7 toddler.

They put up the side rails (which was even good for me) on our alley and gave us a little ramp designed for toddlers learning to bowl. Jonah played pretty well though I think he was more excited when they turned off the lights and the fluorescent lights popped on with the dance music! Meredith, as usual, slept through the entire game!

Meredith's Lazy Labor day activity involved relaxing and lounging in the sun prior to our bowling adventure!

How cute are those shoes?

Taking pointers from Dad

Picking out his own bowling ball

Strike!! Maybe I shouldn't admit this but my 3.5 year old's score was better than my own!

Camp Schneider

It was a weekend of firsts on Saturday at the Schneider household. Jonah had his first friend over for a sleepover and we decided to surprise him and Ryan and make it extra special with their first campout in the backyard! Josh setup the tent, we grilled hotdogs and made smores. Josh decided to rough it outside with them and by roughing it I mean they had an air mattress, a fan, a laptop (to watch Shark Boy and Lava Girl) and surround sound speakers!

 

             

Girls Getaway

Every year my Chi Omega sorority pledge class gets together for a reunion. When we were younger we used to spend the weekend at someone’s house, maybe go out to eat, go to a club and on a few occasions we rented a boat and spent the day on Lake Travis or Lake Lewisville. As we’ve gotten older and some of us have gotten married and started families our reunions have taken on a more mature theme. The last couple of years we have stayed at a hotel, had dinner at swanky restaurants and then hit the spa in effort to enjoy some much needed relaxation (especially those of us with kids). This year I wanted to plan something a little different so we headed down to Fredericksburg and stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast that we had all to ourselves. We still ate dinner and drank champagne at the swanky restaurants but we also did a little shopping in downtown Fredericksburg and then hit the dirt roads to find the Alice Springs Cafe which is home to one of Texas’ best cheeseburgers and the cheeseburger I had definitely earned the right to that claim! Afterwards our GPS (who we named Andy) guided us through the back roads of Fredericksburg to Becker Vineyards where we attended their annual Grape Stomp and Wine Tasting!

It was so nice to have a getaway with the girls, catch up, reminisce  about college,  laugh and make a few new memories!

And I just want to point out that my husband also enjoyed his first weekend alone with both kids. Not that I was worried…they had a great time.

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Fabulous Five

It seems like only yesterday I was in the hospital waiting anxiously for Miss M's arrival but according to the calendar it was five months ago today that our little ladybug was born. I've always heard that with the second child, time seems to just slip by in the blink of an eye and boy were they right. Maybe it's because we've been so busy this summer but it's still hard for me to believe that next month Meredith will be half a year old!

So, here are some of her five month updates. We recently introduced cereal and she's not a huge fan but I guess it's an acquired taste. She laughs out loud when we tickle her belly or say funny words. She is rolling both ways now. Sometimes I have to be careful because if I step away for even a second she will be clear across the room! Though she has such delicate little features, she is starting to develop tiny baby rolls on her the back of her legs which I just find irresistibly cute! She loves taking a bath and getting a massage afterwards with calming lotion. She is fascinated with Riley. Everytime she sees him, she flashes the biggest smile and starts kicking and screaming. She seems to find comfort in sleeping next to Jonah and loves to snuggle with all of us in our bed in the mornings. She is still sleeping through the night and letting her mommy get eight hours of sleep. Well, it could be eight hours of sleep if I didn't edit photos, check email, work on my blog or play on Facebook until the wee hours of the morning!

We have finally established a nap routine which brings some much needed peace and serenity to our household during the day! Two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. Our night time routine consists of what I call the three B's...bath, bottle and bedtime. Meredith likes to be swayed and hushed to sleep but don't even think about sitting down in the glider to rock her to sleep. That is a major no-no and she will instanly wake up and express her discontent. Meredith is what I think Dr. Sears refers to as a "high-needs" baby in his books. She likes to be held ALL THE TIME! I guess we kind of expected her to be a little high maintenance considering my pregnancy but we didn't expect her to cry every time we sat her down! Not that we mind holding her all the time. Actually we love it but the reality is we also have a three year old to care for, laundry that has to be done, and errands to run. So, we are still working on finding a balance in that area! She's just a girl that knows what she wants and she's determined to let everyone around her know too!

First Cereal


I love her blue eyes...just like her Daddy's


Finally big enough to sit in the Bumbo seat


She's so delicate just like a little ladybug which is why it's a perfect nickname


Love this smile


Who wouldn't want to hold someone this adorable all the time???