The Schramm's

The latest Tim project

2012-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

After getting Megan a kitchen set for Christmas, we suddenly realized that her little set was not near big enough to hold all of the food that she got to go with it. So, it was Daddy to the rescue! My OCD could hardly handle the few weeks we had to go without a proper place to store the food but now we have a beautiful little shelf with baskets for her to be able to put her food in.

Next on the list (my list anyway) is a staircase to go to Tyler's top bunk, a picture frame for Megan's first year pictures (I know, a little late...) and another one for this next baby's first year pictures, and then the slide addition to the swing set. Better get busy, Babe! Especially before I start nesting... ;)

A watched timer never moves...

2012-01-23T20:53:00.000-05:00

...that is at least according to a certain 2 year old boy! :) Tyler ate a ridiculous helping of spaghetti, green beans, and garlic bread tonight for dinner so as a means of a reward, we offered him a brownie after dinner. The only catch was (because of his enormous belly) he had to wait 30 minutes to eat it. He definitely understands what a timer is and how he has to wait till it goes off to be able to get down from the table, get up from time out, or in this case, eat his brownie. What he doesn't understand is how long 30 minutes is! :) So, I put the timer on the refrigerator so he could watch it count down. He watched that timer for just about all of the 30 minutes!

28 minutes left

27...

26...

25...

You get the idea. :)

But at last, the timer did ring!!

And the smiles on his face were priceless. :)

Peanut butter frosted brownie...I think this boy will sleep well tonight! ;)

There's Hope!

2012-01-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

There's hope after all! I've been trying to encourage Megan to be as girly as I know how but it seems like all my attempts make her want to play with Tyler's trucks and tools even more. Just in the course of the past few days, she has really started taking to her dolls and is playing with her little kitchen set even more. Yay! This was her Friday morning. Pink pj's, pink blankie that she was dragging around the house, her little doll carried as sweetly as she knows how, and toy kitchen spoon. :)

I have such a long way to go to become the woman that God wants me to be and it TERRIFIES me that Megan has me as her example to follow as to what a godly woman should be like. I pray that God uses my attempts to help nurture and grow her into the woman that He desires for her to be.

Little Prayer Peeker

2012-01-21T09:45:00.001-05:00

Megan is seriously so cute at the table when we pray. She will fold her hands and bow her head so sweet and then enthusiastically yell "nah nah!" which is "Amen" when we are finished. I tried so hard to get a picture of her doing it the other day but of course, with the camera out, she kept wanting to peek.

Guess I'll just have to wait until Tim is home sometime and then set the camera out with the remote so I can be sure to capture it!

Nothing Warms My Heart...

2012-01-20T22:28:00.000-05:00

...like hearing Tyler quoting the scripture we have been learning. Oh how I pray he takes this to heart at an early age and learns what it means and that Jesus loves him!

SnOOOw Fun!

2012-01-20T21:45:00.000-05:00

Though we do have some fresh snow now, these are actually some pictures of some snow we got last week. The kids and I were both thankful that Daddy was home and was able to help with some of the grunt work. ;) The kids, of course, had a blast as you can tell in the pictures. I can't wait till we get enough snow to actually make a snow man. As of right now, we have only had a max of 1 1/2 inches at a time and we are currently getting ice accumulation on top of that. Anyway, enjoy these pictures of our winter fun!

I'm not sure if its a good thing or a bad thing, but I just had to teach Tyler that he could try and eat the snow!

Faster Daddy!

As you can see from the circular marks in the snow, Tim was spinning Tyler in the saucer and he was SOO dizzy! I wish I would have had my video camera out! Just another reason why I need to get that Nikon D7000 that I want. ;) It can take pictures AND do videos.

Its so funny how much Tyler loves to be dizzy like this. He would have asked to do it again and again. We seriously need to take him to one of the egg scrambler rides.

Guinea Pigs

2012-01-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

I had my first photography session of the new year last Saturday and needed some guinea pigs to practice my lighting since I am not near as comfortable with indoor photography. I had the perfect two subjects! :) Couldn't resist posting this one!

They almost look sweet don't they. ;)

Warm Winter Play Day!!!

2012-01-17T08:05:00.001-05:00

Up until a few days ago, we were still having fairly warm weather and sunny days too! Definitely was confusing because it made us all feel like spring was right around the corner! Oh well, we'll take it as we get it! :) I knew that last Tuesday was going to be one of the last warm days we were going to have so I had a friend Hope and her beautiful 2 year old daughter, Sophie, come over and have an outside play date.

Tyler and Sophie had an absolute blast getting completely and utterly filthy. They played in dirt, sticks, mud, leaves, and even the ash pile before we got to them!

Megan was running a little slow and it was just a few hours later that her temperature spiked. But she had fun too!

I was bummed I didn't get many pictures and the ones I did get were blurry, but Sophie is just so cute, I had to post this one! :)

I definitely enjoyed the adult interaction too. Thanks for coming over, Hope! We need to do it again soon, snow or no snow! :)

Megan's First Dilly bar

2012-01-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Megan enjoyed her first dilly bar a few days ago. They come free with kids meals at Dairy Queen and one Sunday that I had to work, Tim took the kids there for lunch. He saved their dilly bars though until I was home. Both of our kids are weird and don't particularly care for ice cream. Megan always makes the funniest faces. :)

Must be extra cold on that chipped tooth!

The best part is that the kids each take like two bites and then they are done and Tim and I get to finish them! :)

Tyler's (and Megan's) recliner

2012-01-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

My parents got this really cute recliner for Tyler for Christmas. At first, I was overwhelmed with the gift, wondering where in the world we were going to put it, but then I set up our little kids reading wall and it fits perfectly. Also, this week, Megan confirmed that it was the perfect place to rest while getting better from being sick. Megan has had too many ear infections to count but this past one was probably her worst yet. Fevers of 103-105 for 3 days straight, even with motrin and tylenol given around the clock and a bulging and puss filled ear drum. After getting her up from her nap one day after giving motrin only a few hours prior (it should last for 6-8 hours) and her temp was still 105, I have to admit, made me a bit nervous. So, she was stripped and given some cold fluids to drink and "encouraged" to take it easy for awhile. Even though she will run around and laugh and play with a fever, I think 105 did her in and this was how we found her.

Poor baby! So glad she is on the mend now and we have enjoyed some quiet, blissful nights the past few nights. :) I'm starting to wonder if there is truth to the old wives tale about keeping ears covered in the winter time to prevent ear infections because she hadn't had a cough, or runny nose or anything. Hmm...

Half way there!

2012-01-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

This week marked week 20 in our miracle #3's life! Today we got to see the baby and all the sweet parts! Oh how I can't WAIT to kiss that perfect little nose!

Can't decide whether the profile looks more like Tyler or Megan...what do you think?

Tyler

Megan

This shot is never one of my favorites, but the tech pretty much only gave us ones like this.

kissable little toes!

The miracle of life will never cease to amaze me and we were so thankful to get a healthy report from the doctor today. Baby Schramm #3 is growing just as he/she should and according to the doc does not have any type of genetic disorder like we were originally concerned about. Praise the Lord! We are THRILLED with the addition that God has given us! I can't wait for you all to see what God has given us for our family of FIVE! Until May, you will just have to wait and find out but be sure to cast your vote on the right side of the page.

Enjoy these little insights from Tyler as to how this baby is going to get out of Mommy's belly.

A few days ago as I was getting Tyler up in the morning, I said, "Hey Buddy, guess what?! In a couple days, we are going to get to see the baby in Mommy's belly!" To which he didn't hesitate at all and said "And the baby will scratch and scratch and scratch to get out!"

As Tim was putting Tyler to bed last night, he told him, "Tyler, in the morning, we get to go with Mommy to the doctor and the doctor is going to use a special machine to be able to see the baby in Mommy's belly!" Again, without hesitation, Tyler said, "I know! I will bring my tools and I will help them get the baby out!"

I can tell you one thing, when this baby does make his/her appearance, Tyler isn't helping! :)

Oh, and just so you all know, Tyler was there with as at the ultrasound today and we didn't keep any news from him. However, he will say that he is having both a brother and a sister so if you ask and he says one or the other, just know that it may, or may not be right. Its about a 50/50 :)

Pillow Fight!

2012-01-11T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it was kind of like a pillow fight. :) Really, Megan just took the hits from her Daddy and Brother and thought it was hilarious.

Gotta add here...she had a 104 fever when this video was taken last night. If only I could smile and be that happy when I don't feel good!

Oh, and a bulging, pus filled ear drum is the culprit. :( Ear infection #2381739. Ok, not really, but they are getting old! My poor baby. :(

Megan's First Pigtails

2012-01-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Poor Megan is 18 months old (today!) and still has very little hair. :( For a long time now, she has pretty much only had it on the top. The sides are finally starting to come in and it does seem like its getting longer. But it is oh so very fine. I probably could have done this a few months ago but figured it would look silly. I will admit that looking at the pictures it does look a little silly. But she was oh so very cute I could hardly stand it! But I am her mother. :) Her outfit just complemented the whole thing and fit her personality to a T. Spunky would be one of the many words I would use to describe Megan and I am pretty sure this outfit, or at least one similar, will be one of her outfits for her 18 month pictures. Just not sure about the pigtails. :)

Look at that beautiful little girl with her VERY handsome Daddy!

Had to use a little clip for the like 3 strands of hair that wouldn't reach in the pigtail but was hanging over her eyes.

Yes, I know. Horrible job on the part. I was just thankful to get them in!

I can't wait for her to have enough hair to actually do the cute, not forced pig tails. But until then, this is pretty darn cute!

No "If Only"

2012-01-09T11:29:00.001-05:00

For years, I have struggled with being content with just where God has me. Constantly living in the "if only" stage. "If only" we had a bigger house. "If only" we had more money. "If only" Tim had a better job. The "if only" statements are never ending. Since I no longer want to be who I once was, I am trying my hardest to make the best of EVERY DETAIL of where God has me right now. With a family of 5 being in our near future, I am trying desperately to make the best use of all of our space so that we can make our "too small" house work.

My least favorite room of our house has got to be the "utility room." Thats what we call it anyway. That is unless its laundry day, then its the "laundry room," or if the kids ask where Daddy is, we might call it, "Daddy's office" or if we have to go to the bathroom while we are outside and run in it might be the "half bath." As you can see, its the room with many purposes and is just packed FULL of stuff! I despise its clutteredness yet we can't get rid of anything in there. There is a whole wall of perfectly good storage cabinets but its completely full, mostly of cleaning supplies, rags, table clothes, etc. So, my goal is to be able to completely empty out those cabinets and then have Tim build a platform for my washer and dryer to sit up on and then build new cabinets that would be more designed for the things in the room that just sit on the floor (sewing machine, crocheting stuff, fabrics, patterns, etc). Anyway, I need to just take a picture of the before utility room and hopefully in the next couple months I'll have a beautiful after to show you. :)

In the meantime, this is what I have decided to do with my cleaning supplies. Found the shoe holder on clearance at Lowes and I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out!

I feel like I can better inventory what I need more of and its easily accessible therefore hopefully making it more convenient to deep clean, my least favorite chore. I also got some stackable drawers that I have put all my rags and dishtowels in. This also cleans up my under the kitchen sink area (where I did have my dishtowels in a basket) and makes that look a lot nicer too. I put the stackable drawers under the bottom shelf in the pantry.

I love the changes and am loving my pantry even more now! :) Next step is to find something to do with the tablecloths. I am thinking hanging them on hangers in the living room closet? Ideas appreciated! :)

Also, little side praise in this whole project was that in cleaning out the dishtowels under the kitchen sink, I found a HUGE puddle of water and then Tim discovered a huge hole in the side of our garbage disposal. Though the purchase of a new garbage disposal was not on our list of things we wanted to buy, we are thankful that the problem wasn't worse than it was and no damage was done to the cabinet or anything else! And, my new garbage disposal is super quiet and can even tackle apple peels and potato peelings. :)

Beautiful days!

2012-01-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

Tim's new schedule (the one we have prayed for 7 years for, Praise the Lord!) of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off on day shift started this past week and the Lord gave us (at least we like to pretend that He gave it just for us ;) ) the perfect weather to celebrate! Though we had snow less than a week before, we had 50 degree beautiful sunny days! The kids LOVED being able to play outside, even though it was quite muddy, and Tim loved being able to get a lot of outside work done. I took very few pictures and even fewer good ones, but I was too busy enjoying the weather to worry about that! :)

Megan's rotten smile

Tyler's new scooter

These boots are still a size too big for Megan's feet but they were so cute and she did a pretty good job in them in spite of their size!

Daddy had the tractor running so Tyler needed some ear protection :)

Its supposed to be in the upper 40's and sunny the next couple days. I think we might just have to go to the park!

Some funny stuff

2012-01-05T19:07:00.000-05:00

I had to write this stuff down. Tyler has done some funny stuff today, along with being incredibly disobedient...but anyway, we will focus on the funny stuff for now. :)

Each time we discipline the kids, we always make sure we have eye contact with them and that they say "Yes, Mommy" or "Yes, Daddy" to make sure that they acknowledge what they've been told. While I was changing the laundry over down the hall, I heard Megan playing with something she wasn't supposed to in the living room. Since I really couldn't drop what I was doing at the time, I just said "Megan, No No!" to which about 10-15 seconds later, I was able to come out and officially make sure she had stopped. I came in to see Tyler with his hands gently on Megan's cheeks (demanding eye contact) saying "No No, Megan. Say, Yes, Bubby." :) The best part was that she actually nodded yes, just like she does with Mommy and Daddy.

While wrestling with Tyler today before nap time, he said, "I am going to run away from you, Mommy!" I said, "You can't get away from me silly boy!" After a few more minutes, he did manage to run away to which he yelled behind him as he ran, "Can't catch me, Grandma!" I'm not sure who should be more insulted...me or Grandma! :)

This happened today but also happens most other days. Tyler's new way of tattling is coming to either Tim or I and saying "Want to see what Megan is doing?"

During one of the many discipline sessions today, I had Tyler turn around by his bed where he always stands to get spanked and he said in a completely calm voice, "Just a little spank, Mommy."

We've had to give Tyler time limits at meal times (actually setting timers) to give him a little motivation because he is a ridiculously slow eater. Today at lunch, Tyler and Megan were just finishing up their dessert of animal crackers (strapped to their booster seats, my second most favorite place for them to be, first being their beds) when I sat down to eat my lunch. Tyler said, "Mommy, I want to get down." To which I said, "Not yet, buddy. Mommy needs to finish her lunch first." To which he said "Mommy, you have THREE minutes!"

I absolutely love this stage that he is in and am excited for Megan to get to this stage too. I love the way their little minds work!! :)

The Reading Wall

2012-01-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

For a long time now, I have wanted the kids to be able to have access to all their books so that they can read them whenever they want instead of high on a shelf for only us to be able to read to them. The only thing holding me back from this doing this a long time ago was Megan and still is Megan. She doesn't know how to take care of books at all and though she does sit down and look through them at times, she is mostly just really tough on them. We have lost several books to her already. :( But for Tyler's sake, and after he got a new recliner for Christmas, I had to go ahead and put them out for him. So during nap time one day, I did just that. When they got up, Tyler especially was immediately drawn to them and it was almost like he had never seen the books before. He honestly has "played" more with books than anything else since I put them down to his reach. I just love watching him "read" and know that it is good for him. Guess I just gotta keep the crack down on Megan and continue to try to teach her how to take care of books!

Megan does get her chance in the recliner every now and then. :)

First snow of the season!

2012-01-04T19:01:00.003-05:00

A couple days ago, we got our first official snow of the season. It was not even an inch but hey, its the first snow so we have to document it. :) The kids didn't care that it was only an inch, they were ECSTATIC! Well, Tyler was anyway. Megan didn't really know what it was but was told ALL about it from her brother.

The day we got snow, I actually had to work at 11 so I bundled the kids up and let them go out for a few minutes just to walk around before taking them to the babysitters. This was the video I got from it. It is kind of boring until the end when Megan falls down and can't get up. :)

The next morning, it had snowed just a bit more so of course, I was going to make up for the time lost the day before! After bundling them up, outside we went. Tyler was SO not in the mood to stay put while I tried to snap a picture, so this is the face I got.

Megan was a little more willing to pose for me. :)

She kept doing this...I think she was trying to stretch her pants out so she could move a little easier.

You have to click on this picture to check out her ever growing eyelashes...she may just take after her Daddy afterall!!! Her hair, nails, and eyelashes all just took off growing here recently. Hoping for pig tails by this summer!

I told her to sit down so I could help her make a snow angel.

Then I told her to lay back and move her arms, to which she did, above her face which makes for a completely ineffective snow angel. :)

Love this face!

Help, I'm falling and I can't get up! This is the stance Megan took when she fell and couldn't get back up. She just hung out like this, whimpering a bit until someone came to pick her up. While she was like this, I said "Megan, can you look at Mommy?" To which she didn't move an inch and simply said "cheese!"

And she's down again. Tyler said "Meggie, I'll help you!"

And, they both are down. :) Good try though buddy

Once I taught Tyler what a snow angel was, he literally wanted to do them all over the yard.

Megan just didn't see the fun in it. :)

Oh my sweet rosy cheeked baby girl, you are so beautiful!

Sledding down our "hill"

I was by myself as Tim was at work so it was me getting them on the sled, me pushing them down and then me running down faster so I could snap a picture!

All things considered, I think I got a pretty good pic!

Down again, but at least she was on an incline this time!

One, Two, Three, JUMP!

I can't WAIT for it to snow again!! I just hope Tim is home next time so he can do all the grunt work. ;)

We played in the snow in the morning and by lunch time, the kids were TIRED! Tyler actually asked to take a nap. :)

Needless to say, good naps were had by all this day. :)

The BEST French Toast

2012-01-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am on the search for the "best" french toast recipe. Anyone have one they would like to pass along? I LOVE french toast but it seems like when I just throw the ingredients together, it never works right and just tastes okay. I actually tried a recipe this morning that had flour and salt in it, two things I would have never put in french toast. I will say, it was pretty good, but certainly not the best I've ever tasted.

Here is the one I tried this morning:

Fluffy French Toast Recipe

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white sugar
12 thick slices bread

Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.

My One Word Resolution for 2012

2012-01-02T21:26:00.001-05:00

A few of you may remember my first post of 2011 being a "one word resolution" instead of the traditional list of new years resolutions that so many of us take and never keep. If you don't know what a one word resolution is, I challenge you to go to the My One Word website and check it out. Its a challenge that was put out to our Sunday School last year and again this year. And its a resolution that has done more positive change in my life than any other list of resolutions I have ever had.
Last year, my word was "transformed." I started the year off strong, keeping this word in mind at the start of every day. My goal was to be able at the end of every day to say that I did something to make who I used to be transformed into something better. If I am truly honest with myself, I have to admit that my approach was still very selfish. Sure I lost a few pounds, did my "required" devotions, etc but the idea of being transformed wasn't reaching my heart. Little did I know how much God was going to truly take my prayer for the year to my heart and how much it was going to hurt. The first month or so was "great" in my mind. But, just like all resolutions, it was starting to lose its luster and my motivation for being transformed was truly lacking by month 2 or 3.

Throughout all of this time, I was having some pretty major depression issues. Most likely still postpartum issues, even though Megan was somewhere between 7-10 months old at the time. Those who have experienced true depression know what I am saying when I say that sometimes, it would hit me for no apparent reason. I would wake up depressed. It was a darkness and an emptiness that can not be described by any other word. I talked to my doctor multiple times who always compassionately listened, offered counseling options, medications, and anything else that we thought might take care of the problem. But deep down, I knew that though there was definitely some sort of hormonal problem going on, the real root of the problem was my relationship, or lack thereof, with my Savior. My stubbornness kept me from ever taking medications and even though looking back, I desperately needed them, God used the lowest of times in my life to bring about the transformation I so desperately wanted. After talking with Tim and both of us realizing the magnitude of my problem, we knew that I needed some outside help. In my mind, there was only one person for the job. A woman from my church named Amy. Just saying her name brings tears to my eyes right now. If this baby is a girl, we might just have to use that name for her. ;) Amy became my confidant, my counselor, and really, my life saver. She listened and listened and listened some more to the absolute ugliest, darkest, lowest parts of my life, yet, she didn't run away. She cried with me, hugged me, and then showed me the true character of a person that I so desperate wanted to become. She pointed me to Christ again and again. Told me when I was being foolish but did so in such a loving way that she radiated Christ to me in a more perfect light than I have ever seen Him before. She made me see my worth in Christ. We began a Bible study together called "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone, even those who think they may not have an area of bondage in their life. Beth Moore has a way of being able to bring about areas of your life that you didn't realize were holding you captive to sin. For the first time in my life, I was beginning to see what being loved by God meant. Though I was saved at age 7, it wasn't until age 27 that I truly believed for the first time that Jesus loved ME. It was always so easy for me to tell everyone else, Jesus loves you! But when you know your heart better than anyone else, its hard to truly believe that yourself. My eyes were finally opened to the fact that I am perfect and complete in Christ. I knew all the verses and could quote them to you but the truths had never made it past my thick skull. Little did I know when I prayed that God would help me be transformed in 2011 did I know what He was going to change in my life. I don't think I truly even realized the transformation that needed to take place.

So, for 2012, I didn't know what to pick as my word. I still needed a WHOLE lot of transformation so in my mind, I almost didn't want to pick a new one because I hadn't "mastered" the old yet. But more recently, I have learned that I need to let go of the past. I haven't learned how to forgive myself yet for the areas in my life where I have been wrong. I so desperately want to learn to do that and I know its a huge work in progress. Through Christ though, all things are possible and He has already forgiven me and I am in the wrong for not forgiving myself. My most fervent prayer here recently for myself is that I would learn to forgive myself. I truly believe that I will not be able to move on until I do. So, after a long list of words and some prayerful consideration, my word for 2012 is

"RENEWED"

Renewed is defined as, to begin, or take up again, to restore, replenish, to do again, to revive, reestablish...I believe that I need to truly renew my relationship with Christ. Almost to completely start over. Now that I know the areas of my life that so desperately need changed, it is VERY easy for me to be overwhelmed with all that I need to do to bring about that change and almost want to run from it instead of take care of the problem. In the past, these thoughts have led me to the darkest forms of depression you can think of. I am guilty for being one that likes to just get out of tough situations. When things get tough, I want to find a new job, move away, start over, just get away from the situation, no matter what that entails, though that is never the answer. But when it comes to our relationship with Christ, we are called to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead as it says in Philippians 3:13. In my quest to be "renewed" I want to do just that. I want to forget my past, my failures, my life as it was from 1983-2011 and press on to what lies ahead in 2012 and beyond! My relationship with my God, my husband, my children, my family, my friends, my coworkers, EVERY one of them needs a serious renewal. I desire to be more loving, more compassionate, more considerate, more humble, less selfish, less prideful...the list goes on. So as not to get overwhelmed with the list of things that has to be done to reach that goal, I am choosing to focus on being RENEWED.

Ephesians 4:21-23, "If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

Colossians 3:5-11 "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him, a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all."
2 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."

That last verse is definitely my favorite verse for this year and is one I am commiting, not only to memory, but down to the depths of my heart. I covet each of your prayers and would even love your accountability as I make progress toward my "renewed" resolution for the year. I am so excited to see where God is going to take me. I'm buckling my seat belt because I think its going to be a bumpy ride.

Daddy's Lil Helper

2011-12-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

Couldn't resist posting this one...Daddy's Little Helper. :) Tyler is all decked out in his hardhat, protective eyewear (Grandpa, Tyler's optometrist, would be proud), tool belt, suspenders and everything.

And this, is my last post of 2011. 2011 was a great year overall but I certainly am not sad to see it go. Though I hate that another year down means my children are that much older, I am ready for the new, exciting changes that are going to happen in 2012! Happy New Year everyone!! I pray it is blessed and that each of the three of you that read this blog grow in the Lord in 2012!

When the Christmas festivities are over...

2011-12-31T20:59:00.000-05:00

What does one tired Grandma do after all the Christmas festivities are over? Why, wrestle the children of course!!! :)

Mandatory break that lasted all of about 10 seconds

Must be about bed time because Daniel took a break on his own!

Grandpa has a better idea about how to relax after a busy weekend...time in the "hot pool!"

Oh how I wish we lived closer to my parents so we could enjoy that hot tub even more! Oh, and be able to visit and be with family more of course... ;)

Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma Carr's

2011-12-31T13:18:00.000-05:00

As my sister said so perfectly on her blog about Christmas at my parents house, it was mostly organized chaos. :) Its not uncommon for it to take hours to open presents at my parents house and the more kids we add, the longer it takes. However, this year, we kind of did away with watching everyone open their gifts one by one and ended up having several people opening at once which meant we didn't get to see what everyone got which was definitely disappointing to me. But with kids everywhere getting into everything, it was kind of hard to pay attention anyway. :) It was still absolutely priceless to be with my entire family, 15 of us, until my aunt and her family of 7 came to join us making the grand total 22! SHEW! With Christmas being on a Sunday, it kind of threw off the usual grove of opening presents first thing in the morning which also limited our time available to open the gifts. It was an absolutely prefect day though. I LOVED having church on Christmas morning and like my sister said, almost wish it was that way every year. It was the perfect way to get the focus off of self and focus on the real reason for Christmas, the perfect Gift of God's Son given to us to be our Savior! The church service at the church where I grew up was wonderful and though I was sad my dad couldn't be there with us because my grandmother wasn't feeling well, it was nice to be there as a family. So, after church, we all made our way back to Grandpa and Grandma's house which is where the organized chaos began.

And, like my sister said so perfectly in her blog, all organized chaos became complete chaos once the nerf guns and marshmellow guns were opened.

Its all fun and games until someone gets a dart to the forehead! :) Actually, this was put on her head by my mother but it was hilarious!

Once Megan saw that everyone was laughing, she immediately wanted to put on as many darts on her head as possible. :)

She's been called the life of the party for a reason :P

Another hilarious thing...Cherith was given this abnoxious toy that when you squeeze it, it will sing another note to the song its singing. Cherith LOVED it and would sing right a long with it, opening her mouth the exact same way the toy was. I should have gotten a video because its soo much funnier to see exactly what she was doing.

All the little boys got these super cute matching recliners that of course, the big boys had to try out too

Megan, my little "life of the party"

Tyler and Daniel both got these cute little scooters. Megan doesn't have the coordination yet but I bet she will by this summer!

Cherith's first lollipop

More darts gone bad :)

I am a horrible parent. I didn't get many of Tyler at all! Taking pictures was near impossible so I am just thankful I got some at all! Thanks to my parents for making it a wonderful Christmas, as always. Hosting a total of 22 people for a full and DELICIOUS Christmas dinner is not easy and they did it all, while taking care of my grandmother as well, with ease. At least, they made it look like it was "ease." :) Tim and I are incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive, and fun loving family. I just wish we could be closer to them so these visits weren't so few and far between. But like my mom said, she has really liked this whole once a month thing we've been doing with coming for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe we'll have to make an excuse to go in January. ;)

Matching Christmas Pj's

2011-12-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a friend of mine from WV, we had matching pajamas for the kids this year. I take pictures of her daughter in exchange for handmade items. I think I am the one getting the good deal here! :) Anyway, the pj's were so cute and were big enough (as evidenced by the legs being rolled up on both of them) that I am pretty sure they will fit them next year as well. So, I had her save a little extra fabric for baby #3 to use.

These were taken at my parents house on Christmas Eve. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the MOUND of presents that literally took up half of the living room. I figured we would be opening presents forever on Christmas morning! With 22 people to buy for, there were a LOT of gifts! More pictures of Christmas day to follow...

Christmas "Morning" at our house

2011-12-30T21:32:00.001-05:00

Tim and I have made it our goal to always be home on Christmas morning so that the kids can have the tradition of waking up at their own house. It was a tradition I had growing up that I especially really wanted to continue with our family. But with Christmas being on a Sunday this year, it kind of threw a wrinkle in things. When ended up having our Christmas on my birthday, two whole days before Christmas day! I can hardly believe it myself but it ended up being the perfect situation. We weren't rushed at all to get finished before church or to start traveling and instead were able to truly enjoy our time as a family.

The kids got up from their naps and came out, just like they would have in the morning on Christmas to see their new big toys.

Tyler got a tool bench and Megan got a super cute kitchen set.

Though, they do love to share. ;)

Daddy then read the real Christmas story from the Bible and we sang happy birthday to Jesus.

Then, the kids sat down and awaited opening their stockings which had been filled and hung by the fire for at least a couple weeks and they never noticed!

Megan didn't know what she was getting but she loved it no matter what!

and hugged it for awhile before actually realizing there was actually stuff inside.

Tyler getting his stocking

I thought it was funny the first thing he pulled out was a new loofa (sp)...to which he promptly threw it aside. :)

Megan needed a little help focusing so she sat with Mommy for awhile. :)

Tyler got a new watch that he absolutely adores! He literally wouldn't take it off for days!

This is what Tyler did with everything we told him to hold up so we could take a picture. Made it really hard to see his sweet face!

Megan got some underwear in her stocking. Made me stressed just thinking about the fact that she too needs to be potty trained some day. I can guarantee she won't be easy like Tyler was.

Tyler got some tools for his tool bench

And Megan got some kitchen supplies for her new play kitchen

She also got a baby that I just had to post pictures of her with...

Those who know our Megan know that she is as far from a girly girl as you can get. But when she opened her baby, she wanted it out of the box NOW and I literally couldn't get it out fast enough. As soon as I handed it to her, she did this.

It was like she knew the baby had been cold in a box forever and needed some lovin' and kisses. <3 She then laid down on my leg and proceeded to point out all the baby's body parts. I think she might just be a good big sister after all. :)

We, of course, had to get the toys broken in so Tim took Tyler into his room to work on his tool bench while I took Megan into her room to work on organizing her kitchen set.

Tyler isn't really a kid that likes to play with toys very much but overall, he likes his toolbench and has played with it, especially the drill, quite a bit since Christmas. Megan LOVES her kitchen set and continues to amaze me at her ability to pretend play. She will take a cup and dump it into a pan and make sizzling noises. Its so cute! Especially when she wears her little apron. :)

After we finished all our festivities, we were able to skype with Grandpa, Grandma, and Great Grandma Schramm out in California so we could open the presents they sent us for Christmas.

The kids would run over and show them what they got. It was cute and a lot of fun. Definitely a tradition we will have to keep for future years!

Though having Christmas before the actual day and not even in the morning like I had hoped, we had an absolutely wonderful time as a family. I cherish these times and anticipate next year already.

Deactivating Facebook

2011-12-30T20:56:00.000-05:00

I've had several people ask me why I deactivated my facebook account so I figured I would put it in to writing, not only for other people's information, but for my own benefit.

For awhile now, I've noticed, well, my complete obsession with facebook. I had initially wanted to wait until the New Year to deactivate it, mainly just because of the whole "starting new" thing. But the more I truly evaluated where I was going in my life, the more I realized that it just couldn't wait. So, on Sunday the 18th, I did just that. Deactivated my facebook account. It had literally started to consume my thoughts. What would people think about THAT post? What would they say about that picture? Will they like it? Will they read into it more than the surface post that it was? Will so and so take this the wrong way? I wonder how many notifications I will get after THAT? The list goes on. I had a family member ask me "why don't you just not look at facebook?" If only I could be that disciplined. I am truly a work in progress and I am SOO thankful that my Savior hasn't given up on me and still considers me His masterpiece. But until I learn how better to manage my time, where my value lies, and who's opinion matters most, I must stay away for now. Tim even changed his password on his account so that I would be completely away from the temptation to get drawn into it. I have my photography site linked to his account and have to go through him to update and check that. Believe me, this has been HARD! There are so many of you that I long to hear whats going on with your life, to see your children grow up since I can't see you in person and from some of you, even receive the encouragement you gave me so often. But my relationship with Jesus Christ is far more important as I know those I care about most will completely understand. Also more important is my most important ministry, my home and my family. They have truly suffered on account of me and they deserve better than that. God has given them to me and me to them and though at times I am tempted to believe the lies of Satan, there is no one better suited for them than me and vice versa. So, its not any type of new years resolution that will be broken, its just a simple, this is the way it HAS to be. I have GOT to get my relationship with Christ where it needs to be. Not that I will ever obtain perfection, but the closer I get the more like Him I will get and therefore the more I will better fulfill all that He has called me to do. The days after I deactivated my account really showed me the urgency of why it needed done so badly. In many ways, I felt relief. Relief from my life being on display for all to see and interpret the way they wanted to interpret it. It was a sense of freedom I hadn't felt in awhile. But I also felt a huge sense of loneliness and as sad as it is, withdrawal. Before I deactivated, I would literally sit down at the computer, open my browser and type in facebook EVERY time I sat at my computer. With my computer being in my kitchen, it was an action I did VERY often throughout my day. As a matter of fact, the first few days, I had to deactivate my account again and again because out of sheer habit, I would type it in and sign in which is how you reactivate your account. Yes, I know this is sad, and shows my complete pathetic sinful nature, but its where I was and I need to write this down so that in time, I can look back and see how far I've come. This is incredibly humbling for me but lets face it, my pride could use it. I will probably reactivate it at some point, but ONLY when I feel like I can better handle it. For now, I really truly am enjoying my children, my husband, and my ministry at home being completely uninterrupted by facebook or really life outside of my immediate life. I have taken out other ministries, mainly church ministries so that I can also redirect my focus. I am so excited about where God is going to take me and how He is going to work in my life. He has already begun a HUGE change in my life and I pray my family sees it. I do appreciate the prayers of those who have been faithful to pray for me during this season of growing in my life.

Twas the week before Christmas...

2011-12-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

...and it was BUSY! From last minute shopping, wrapping, errands, company coming, parties, and preparing to travel for Christmas, we hardly had time to sit down! Our dear friends Tim and Lori plus their 4 kids came through for a visit and stayed a couple days. It was nice to be able to catch up with them and stay up till the wee hours of the morning talking like we hadn't missed a beat. Them being here was like a breath of fresh air. Though, I must admit, having 4 extra kids in the house did get stressful and hectic at times! :) On Thursday the 22nd, we had them, plus some other dear friends over for a make shift birthday/come-see Tim-and-Lori-who-are-in-town party. Tim had set it all up and we were given a DELICIOUS honey baked ham. Other than making the bread which I threw in the bread maker, Tim made everything else from the green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, the works! I seriously am a lucky lucky girl to have such a handy man in the kitchen. :) The company was wonderful, the whole evening stress free, and was just overall, one of the best birthdays I remember, though not actually on my birthday. It had also been a long time since we had anyone in our home and now I remember why I enjoy it so much. (New Years resolution coming up!) The 23rd is my actual birthday and though Tim and Lori had to leave that day and my Tim had to work, my mom and little sister drove up to spend the day with me. We did some shopping (though I was just along for the ride) and went out to Olive Garden for lunch. I am so blessed to have such a supportive family that would drive a total of 7 hours in one day just to be with me on my birthday. Especially when we were going to be seeing them the very next evening! Anyway, I didn't get any pictures at our party other than these two of Tyler and Megan enjoying my birthday cake. :)

So thankful for family, friends, and just life this Christmas season.

December, where did you go?

2011-12-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

I always have the best of intentions every Christmas to get all the Christmas cards hung as I receive them, wrapping done as I buy the gifts, shopping done at least a week early, and fresh homemade Christmas cookies given out to all our friends and this year, I did none of those! December absolutely FLEW by! I literally didn't pick up my camera for over 2 weeks at the beginning because we were so busy! Can you believe that?!? Though at first I was disappointed in myself for not getting pictures of the kids or the decorations or anything, but I have really fond memories that I am holding on to and that is good enough for me now. :) The kids had such cute Christmas outfits for church on Sundays! Megan especially. Its SOO much easier to find things for her than for Tyler. I feel like all boys cute clothes look the exact same. Anyway, I did manage to pick the camera up a few weeks ago and take some pictures of the kids in their Sunday outfits. This was after church and after lunch so Megan's hair was a bit frazzled, Tyler didn't have his shoes on and one of his sleeves was still rolled up a bit, plus, they were just WILD! But, I love these pictures! I might have been able to make them look a little better, but editing didn't exactly sound appealing to me right now. Enjoy anyway! :)

Crazy Warm Weather

2011-12-29T07:42:00.000-05:00

Though for the life of me I can't find the post anywhere, I remember posting either in my blog or my old xanga something about the weather being 55 in December last year and how odd that was. I remember we made a big deal of it and went outside and played and everything. Well, this year, it seems like we had mostly 50's and even hit the 60's I believe for most of the month! I must say, I am disappointed. I am always eager for the snow in December but want it to leave by January! :) I'm sure it will come in time. Guess in the meantime, we should just enjoy it right! I definitely had pictures of the first snow in December last year but the only snow we had in December this year was a few flurries. But by golly, I got a picture! :)

You can't really see the flurries, but the kids enjoyed watching! Tyler can't wait to be able to play in the snow. At this point, I am really just hoping we get a chance for them to use their $4 snow suits that I got end of season last year! :)

Our Miracle #3

2011-12-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

Though my page has already had the info that we are expecting, I figured I should at least post and make it official. :) Way back in September, Tim and I found out that we, after 8 months of trying, were expecting another baby. Though during those 8 months we didn't understand why God was making us wait when we had gotten pregnant so quickly with our second miracle, we understand completely now. God's timing is always perfect even when we insist on telling Him otherwise. :) After weeks of completely debilitating back pain in the first few weeks of pregnancy, we knew that had God allowed us to NOT get pregnant in the months previous because it would have been incredibly difficult, if not impossible for us to make it. With Tim out of commission with his wrist recovery, it was a necessity for me to work and help pay for some of the bills that the disability checks didn't cover. Not to mention, trying to keep the grass mowed, the kids under control, food on the table, house cleaned and just normal life stuff that was literally impossible for me to do in the first few weeks, months actually, of pregnancy. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who did so much to keep us going when I literally couldn't move without horrendous pain.

Anyway, on with the initial intentions of this post! :) Our baby #3 is due May 27th, 2012 and we can not WAIT to see his or her face! Though it seems almost impossible to picture us with another one right now, I know that the moment we see the baby's face, we will never be able to imagine our lives without him/her. Though I secretly hate not being able to say he or she, we are keeping the gender of our child a secret until delivery. We know that God has great things in store for this baby and are excited about what he/she is going to teach us. I've heard it said that with each baby you have a little bit of selfishness that goes away. I could certainly use more of that! Or, less of that I should say. God used Tyler in a magnificent way to teach me persistence, humility, placing control in God's hands, and love like I had never known it before. God used Megan to teach me patience (not that I have learned any of these things to perfectness!!), endurance, gentleness, and further deepened my understanding of love. So I can only imagine how God is going to use this baby to teach me how to be more like Him!

We consider each of our children, even the one we lost prior to Tyler, special blessings and miracles from the Lord and are so incredibly thankful that He has chosen us to be their parents. At the first ultrasound appointment we had this time, we were told that there was a cyst on this baby's umbilical cord. Though it was small and could potentially be nothing and go away, it could also mean some sort of genetic disorder. After our 12 week ultrasound and blood work, the cyst wasn't visible but the doctor confirmed that though the levels were still in the "normal" range, our chances for a baby with down syndrome did increase. I think had I heard this with Tyler, I would have been panicked. But I truly believe that God has given me such a peace about the whole situation and whether or not this baby has down syndrome really doesn't matter at this point. I know I will love this baby and that God has a point to their life, down syndrome or not. This baby is the perfect addition to our family and I can't wait to meet him/her.

So, without further ado, here is our baby. :)

8 weeks

12 weeks

I am currently 18 weeks so 20 week pictures coming soon! I can hardly WAIT till we get to see our baby again! The 20 week ultrasound has always been one of my favorites because of how clearly and perfectly everything is. We are taking Tyler with us when we go. Maybe he will finally start to understand a bit what it means by Mommy having a baby in her belly. :) At 18 weeks, I am carrying low, based on movement that I have felt, (though the lovely fat I have is showing up higher), have FINALLY stopped vomiting (as of 1 week ago!), still in the negative for weight gain (YAY!), and my back pain is SO much more bearable. Until May, be sure to vote on the right side of the page what you think baby #3 will be!

Tyler's obsession with the cows

2011-12-19T07:47:00.001-05:00

While we were in California, Tyler discovered how interesting cows were. He was absolutely fascinated by them and whenever we saw them even somewhat close, he wanted to get closer. If we told him no that was the end of the world and he would almost get hysterical. So, the day before we left, we took him as close as we could to see the cows. The funny thing was, the closer we got, the more terrified he got!

He got to the point where he wouldn't go any closer on his own, so Tim took him. From back where I was standing (to capture pics of course!) I heard Tyler say "thats close enough, Daddy." Tyler just stood there mesmerized, almost numb in his tracks.

So Tim set Megan down and the two of them stood there watching the cows with the cows staring back at them.

I'm not sure who was more scared, the kids or the cows! :)

Finally, Tyler had enough of THOSE cows and wanted to go find some more. They all look the same to me! Anyway, we ended up just taking a nice walk around Tim's parents property enjoying the warmer weather than we had at home and the fresh air. To say Megan loves riding on her Daddy's shoulders would be an understatement!

We walked through the Eucalyptus trees to which Megan giggled so sweetly because of how it tickled her face.

played a little peak-a-boo...

and just enjoyed our time as a family with zero stresses from normal life. I personally could watch my wonderful husband interacting with our children all day long. <3 The way he can see through their eyes during play and play right along is so sweet. When I married him almost 7 years ago, I never knew all the wonderful things I was getting in a husband. The list keeps building up and I am increasingly more amazed that I was blessed with him as a husband.

Tim's parents have this big wooden swing at their house that is perfect for even more than one person to swing on at the same time. The kids LOVED it! And, by the look on his face, Tim did too. :)

Our time in California was, as usual, wonderful. Of course there were frustrations with a 3 hour time change, tired kids, and just a different schedule from the norm, but as the pictures show, we had a great time. We would go through the horrible flying experiences all over again in a heartbeat for another chance at some vacation time at the ranch with family. Though we may not actually get to go to the ranch, we are going to be headed out there again this summer to celebrate the marriage of Tim's brother Jon and his new wife Amanda! We already can't wait to celebrate this with them even if we will be traveling with 3, 3 and under. Shew! :)

Special times with Grandpa and Grandma

2011-12-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

Being 2000 miles away from Grandpa and Grandma is tough! So we try to really cherish the times we do get together.

Tyler and Megan enjoying some reading time with Grandma

Followed by a music lesson from Grandpa!

I love how Megan is looking up at Grandpa in this one

And, I am pretty sure you can tell by Jack's face that he may have enjoyed this just a little bit! :)

My two sons??

2011-12-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

So, Megan definitely showed us her true colors while we were at the Ranch. She is as far from girly as you can get! When she had to wear her brothers sweatshirt out of necessity one day and Daddy put his hat on her, outsiders would have sworn we had two sons!

But no, rest assured, we dress Megan in girly colors and dresses as much as possible so that even in her lack of hair and tomboy behavior, she is not mistaken as a boy!

My one and only son, (that is until May and then who knows what may happen!) is definitely all boy! Here he is helping Daddy and Grandpa fix the little toy tractor

He has no idea how these things work. :)

Riding on the fixed tractor! He was still just a little small to get it to work on his own pushing the peddles so Daddy had to help.

He LOVED that! I so want to get him and Megan one of those little ride on battery powered jeep things. They would have a BLAST and probably hurt themselves or someone else. :P

Schramm Family Pic and more!

2011-12-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

This picture was a bit rushed (as is evidenced by the lack of cooperation from all children involved!) but we wanted to squeeze in a family picture of all of us before Jon and Amanda had to leave. We have doubled the original size of the Jack Schramm family. :)

some other fun cute ones of the kids

Finley

Tyler

Tristyn

Finley with her Grandma

And apparently I have none of Megan...oops!

When rednecks get together...

2011-12-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

...You never know what we may do!! But I can almost guarantee that there will be mountain dew and some kind of weapon at the Schramm's redneck get togethers. :)

I'm not sure if it was her first time or not, but Amanda took her try at shooting at targets. She did great!

Then, against everything I ever said I would never do, we let Tyler "shoot" his first try at a gun. Its been named "the chipmunk" and is actually a gun meant for smaller hands. Just don't know if age TWO is the smaller hands it was designed for. (Don't worry, the gun, ammunition, and probably his memory was left in California AND Tim spent a pretty good amount of time talking very seriously to Tyler about gun safety.)

Thought this picture was so cute of him trying to peak down the barrel like Daddy taught him!

Don't worry, we didn't let Megan try! She just loved sitting on the four wheeler with her ear protectors on. :)

After a couple rounds of shooting skeet and at targets, it started to get dark. So what did we rednecks do then? Why, we knitted of course!

Ha! Well, the men did (a couple of them) while the women played cards. :)

Fun with the Schramm's...truly priceless. :)

The Deep Pit

2011-12-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

For the past 20+ years, skipping a year or two, Tim's parents have hosted the Schramm's Deep Pit Barbeque up at "The Ranch." Its getting harder and harder for most of the family to come now, especially with the second generation of Schramm cousins being born left and right! Plus, everyone has moved on and no longer live in pretty much the same city like they used to. Anyway, there was still a great turn out of family and those that have been adopted as family and a great time and great food was had by all! We tried to grab a quick picture of the cousins that were there. Megan is missing in this one because she NEEDED a nap.

Whats a deep pit you ask? Well, basically, a huge bon fire is built over a hole and as the goals burn, it fills up the hole. About 12 hours before you want to eat, you wrap the meat (we had ham and turkey) that has been seasoned, oiled or whatever else you want to do with it with one of those baking bags, wrap it in foil and then again with burlap. After dipping the burlap covered meat (which is also wrapped with wire) in a bucket of water (so as not to burn the burlap before it is covered), you put the meat in the goals and quickly cover it with more coals and then with tin (like from a tin roof) and then dirt. Because there is no oxygen (a necessary fuel for fire to burn), the burlap and meat doesn't burn. Instead, for the next 12 hours, the most delicious meat you will ever eat cooks in all its own juices that can't escape and you pull it out and it literally falls off the bone. Sigh...DELICIOUS!! Sounds confusing and maybe its easier to understand after you have seen it done a few times. Its definitely a lot of work! But probably the easiest amount of work to feed as many people as it does!

Here they are digging the dirt off the tin

and there you can see the coals (with a piece of the tin still on the left side of the picture)

The meat! (Now you can see why the wire is important)

Sorry, didn't take any pictures of the meat or the feast...pretty sure I was salivating too much to focus! ;) But we all enjoyed it and good food and fellowship was had by all! A little too much food for me for sure!

Some of the clean up crew. :)

Ringo did his own amount of "clean up" which is why he spent the majority of the rest of his day like this. :)

We are so thankful for the deep pit, not only for the good food, but for the opportunity to see family and friends that we haven't seen in sometimes years! Thanks to Jack and Sherry (Tim's parents) for all their hard work and generosity!

Fun at the creek...

2011-12-17T14:25:00.001-05:00

...and on the way there too! :) Yes, I know that these pictures are from way back in November at Thanksgiving, but I've got to get them posted!!! :)

Jon always seemed to be the one driving the "train."

The boys, both young and old, LOVED it! ;)

Seriously, these two are so much alike for having never met before. Tyler and Tristyn, 2 months apart!

And I think that Tyler may love his uncle Jon just a little bit. :)

3 generations :)

The boys LOVED throwing rocks into the creek

Finley loved it too, most of her rocks just didn't quite make it :)

That is until her Daddy took her a little closer :)

My new sister n law, Amanda with Tristyn

Why yes, that is what you think it is..."a BIG rock!" It just happened to be a lot lighter, more squishy one than I would have hoped to see him with...

Just some cute ones!

Hoping to get the rest of the pictures from out in California posted soon! Sorry for those of you that have been waiting. :)

Fun at the "Park" at Grandma and Grandpa's!

2011-12-05T23:45:00.001-05:00

Tim's parents have more land than these kiddos could explore! At least ages 2 1/2 and under...we'll see what 10 years from now holds. :) But for now, they ran MILES around the yard and up slides, over swings...they literally had a park at their disposal for the whole weekend! The coolest part is that the majority, if not all of this playground equipment was free! I believe the twisty slide was even found in the middle of a desert!

Megan and Finley enjoying the swings

Tyler and his cousin Tristyn LOVED this big slide! Tyler scared me to DEATH (almost... :P) when he was literally half way up the stairs to the top (well over my head) and fell through the side falling all the way to the ground. SOOO thankful we only ended up with a few tears and some scratches on his face! And a near heart attack from me! I thought for sure he would have broken his arm or something!

It was so great to finally (after over 2 years) meet Tristyn. He has such a sweet spirit and reminds me a lot of our Tyler. He was a joy to be around! ♥♥ this picture of him going down the slide! Now that we have been home for awhile, Tyler still asks for his cousin Tristyn. I hope these two have a great relationship as they grow up, even if its thousands of miles apart!

Tyler and Tristyn having a blast on the swings! Amanda is too I think. :) Jon, well, he is enjoying his Dr. Pepper. :)

These two kids are BLESSED!

I LOVE that last picture...the joy on my children's faces and the love their father has for them is just priceless. If love could be captured in a picture, this picture is it! ♥♥♥ Obviously a bias opinion for sure. ;)

18 month old Finley (who might I add is talking in full sentences and is potty trained---get with the program Megan!) making her way up the stairs to the top of the giant slide! Obviously, her Daddy was not far behind!

Finley looks so bored...but at least Nathan is having a good time! :)

Tyler and Megan were both almost asleep while Daddy and Grandpa pushed them on the swings

Oh how Megan ADORES her Daddy and loves it when he helps her go down the slide!

You don't get a more genuine smile out of Megan than this one ♥

As you can tell, the kids had a blast and we definitely had a blast watching them have a blast. :) More fun pics to come!

Our California Trip

2011-12-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

The day after Thanksgiving definitely didn't hold any shopping for us! Though, I think that might have been less stressful and chaotic! Instead, we spent part of the day with my family and the afternoon and evening traveling to California for a mini reunion with Tim's side of the family and the annual deep pit barbecue.

I had figured that traveling with 2 small children all the way across the country was going to be difficult but I never guessed it would have been quite as hard as it actually was. The first 30 minutes was priceless...the kids were both fascinated by the big planes and the activity going on outside. I'm pretty sure Tyler's face stayed glued to the window until we at least got to cruising altitude. :) It was kind of funny, on the first flight, after we got in the air, Megan looked out the window, saw how high we were and then didn't want to have her feet on the floor. Its like she thought what she saw out the window was right under our feet! Little girl has a fear of heights already! Although, that doesn't show when she climbs onto things at home...Anyway, from trying to feed them dinner (make shift sandwiches and lunchable type items), reading books, playing with small toys, trying to get Megan to sleep, and then finally resorting to the DVD player, we quickly ran out of options and the almost 4 hour flight felt like an ETERNITY! I'm sure those around us felt about the same. The worst part about it was that we had another hour and a half flight after we made it on the first one (plus an hour and a half drive, getting us in at 0300 Eastern Time) and then 2 more flights home in just a few days. Sigh. But really, in reality, the little we had to suffer to be able to enjoy some truly priceless times with family was very worth it. Because of a VERY exciting event that happened the day we arrived home, we will be making a trip back to California sometime this summer...with THREE kids. Ugh. At least I have a few months to prepare... :)

Pictures of our time in California (I took over 200...) to come!

A West Virginia Thanksgiving Picture Fail

2011-12-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

Over Thanksgiving, we had the privilege of being able to go to both West Virginia and California to celebrate the holiday with both sides of the family. Unfortunately, I forget to get my camera out in WV. :( So all I have our a few random (some of which are funny) snap shots of some of the happenings.

We got to WV late Tuesday evening and just were able to relax and let the kids play for a bit before having to get everyone to bed. My parents were babysitting one of my nephews, Andrew, so of course, he and Tyler had to have a hyper fest before crashing to bed. :)

Though these pictures were actually taken the next morning, you can tell that Andrew loves his cousins and his cousins love him too!

Ok, so maybe we need to redefine the word love... ;) Or maybe just have some education on the proper place to put your arms while hugging your shorter cousin so that you don't end up putting them in a choke hold! :) Tyler's face is almost looking panicked in this one!

Wednesday evening, though I had the best of intentions of being able to take some pictures of the event, we were able to meet up with one of my best friends from high school and my college roommate and her husband (also a friend from high school) and their sweet boy Rowen. We so enjoyed our dinner with them and were SOOO glad to be able to catch them before they made the move to Alabama this past week! I am so excited to see where God is taking them!

Thanksgiving day, my mom made a DELICIOUS (like always) meal and it was nice to be able to enjoy it with both of my parents, my grandmother, my little sister and of course Tim and the kids. No offense to the rest of my family, but it was kind of nice to have a quieter Thanksgiving since my other two sisters and their families were with their inlaws. I am still looking forward to the Christmas chaos with everyone though! :-D

The only picture I snapped Thanksgiving day...this was HILARIOUS! Not the after picture but the process of her getting it on her face and Tyler's expression when she did it. :)

The only picture I got of Marisa and Susan (my adopted family member) in my parents new hot tub. Talk about a relaxing way to spend an evening! This hot tub ("warm pool" as Tyler calls it) is probably why I didn't take many pictures. We got in it every day, a couple times a day! With the cold air and hot water...sigh...SOO relaxing.

Like I said, PATHETIC job on my part of capturing the moments on camera but at least I captured a few! :) So blessed to have such a wonderful family!

When Aunt Marisa comes to visit...

2011-12-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

My younger sister, Marisa came to visit several weeks ago to spend some time with the kids. They loved every minute of it! I loved that she grabbed my camera and snapped all these pictures of them while she was here! Well, I think I may have taken a few of them, but most of them were from her! Anyway, here's some pictures of the fun they had!

Look at that form!

You are such a beauty, Megan...bruises, scrapes, bumps, scars and all!

She had a BLAST!!

These next few pictures are just priceless to me...the joy and love these two have for eachother is like no other. They are going to be inseparable for sure. Click on the pictures to see them bigger and see what I mean. <3

Helping Daddy stack the wood

This pic looks really bad but don't worry, its actually just fooling your eyes! No child was harmed in the making of this picture :)

We loved having your Aunt Risa! Come back soon!!

Best little sister (and youngest aunt) EVER! ;)

Fall Family Pictures

2011-11-21T07:42:00.000-05:00

We had these taken awhile ago by a friend of mine who is starting out in her photography business. They were taken at one of our favorite places, our neighbors house, The Ferrell's. Though I had hoped the kids would have cooperated better, this does seem to show their personalities some and really about as good as it gets here lately. Enjoy!

One of the only pictures with Megan's genuine and not forced smile...and prior to her chipping her front tooth. :(

My blue eyed beauty

The things Tyler says...

2011-11-21T07:27:00.000-05:00

There is no way that I can possibly remember all the funny things Tyler says, but here are some of the latest and greatest from recently. Enjoy!

Upon trying on a pair of mittens, Tyler giggled and said "haha, I look very cute. I look very handsome."

We went out to dinner the other night and as we were sitting there waiting for our food, a gentleman came and sat down at the table beside us and Tyler exclaimed in his not so inside voice, "Whoa, that is a BIG boy!"

Megan has been working on using a fork at dinner time which in turn means LOTS of after dinner baths. One evening, I was giving Megan a bath and I had already reassured Tyler that he didn't have to take a bath (he equates baths with bed) and as he was sitting on the potty right beside the tub he said "Meggie's having fun in there...I don't want to have fun."

Tyler, upon Megan walking toward him said in a high pitched voice with huge smile on his face, "look at you, Megan! You are CUTE!" and then proceeded to give her a big hug.

We have been working on Tyler making eye contact with us when we are talking to/correcting him. One day, Tyler grabbed my face with both hands and said "Mommy, you listen and obey Daddy, okay?"

Ok, so this one isn't necessarily funny, but was so sweet, I just had to write it down. We were sitting at the dinner table and Tyler told Megan, "Megan, your food is hot! Be careful! We need to pray...ok God, I love you sooooo much, AMEN!" He bowed his head, folded his hands and everything.

Gotta love Sams

2011-11-11T20:57:00.000-05:00

We don't exactly have a huge family, but we are pretty strong supporters of Sam's Club. :) Sometimes I feel like we go there once a week, though, that is definitely not really true. Regardless, the kids always enjoy going, especially when there are free samples. :) Bringing home a dog treat box was the highlight of their day a few days ago. It was so cute to see them both in there! One day I will wish that they were still this small.

When Daddy is left in charge...

2011-11-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

...these are the pictures I come home to! I have to admit, the ones of Megan just about made me vomit. Disgusting! I guess they were having grilled cheese and tomato soup and Tim made the mistake of leaving the room with one of the bowls a little close to Megan...

Needless to say, we trashed that shirt...or at least made it in to a play shirt. :)

When life gets tough...

2011-11-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

...just have this handsome man and two beautiful children bring you flowers from the store to brighten your evening. I promise it will work to make things seem just a little bit less stressful. :)

I have definitely been struggling lately with having to work, take pictures, edit pictures, take care of the kids, and just normal life stuff. So when we needed a few things from the store and Tim was willing to take both kids with him and get the things we needed, I took him up on his offer. Having the house to myself for even just the 45 minutes to an hour that it was was absolutely PERFECT. It gave me just the right amount of time to regroup and just take a deep breath and realize that life was going to be okay. :) And of course, when my family walked through the door with flowers it may have helped a little bit. ;)

One Silly Boy

2011-11-11T20:38:00.000-05:00

Couldn't resist posting these snapshots of our 2 1/2 year old! I do believe he is the cutest but silliest boy in town! :)

Megan's tooth...

2011-11-11T18:49:00.000-05:00

...Or should I say, lack thereof...I have to say and its sad to admit, I shed a lot of tears over Megan's chipped tooth. Since the day I laid eyes for the first time on my sweet little Megan, I knew she was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen. From her beautiful blue eyes to chubby little cheeks and thighs, she was just perfect. I think every Mom would agree that they want the world to think their child/children are the most beautiful thing too. Others opinions don't matter and I want to strive to teach that to my children even now at their young ages. But my heart just broke along with Megan's tooth, as funny as that sounds. Of course, I was sad that her little smile will, for the next 5 years or so, be changed from her broken tooth and that maybe people won't think she is as beautiful. But, to be honest, I cried more for all the tears she may shed in her life when she is made fun of, or laughed at. I cried for the cruel things other kids will say. Not because of her silly chipped baby tooth, but because that is the way our society is. I cried for her broken heart. One of my biggest fears is the fear of loss or heartache. Oh how I wish I could protect my children, and especially my fragile daughter's heart from ever being broken. I wish we could shelter our children under our safe haven called "home" forever. As I sat in our rocking chair holding my weeping baby girl after her fall, I couldn't help but think about the times in the future when I will have to hold her through a heartache that she won't just grow out of or I can't just have a dentist put a cap on. The heartache of losing a friend, seeing a loved one pass away, maybe problems of infertility or losing a child...oh how I wish I could protect her forever from ever having to experience any of these heartaches in life! But then I remember how our Father sometimes brings the rain, the storms, the mountains, and yes, heartache, for our good and for our growth. Oh how I long for Megan most of all, to grow in the knowledge of the Lord and in her own personal relationship with Him, even if that means she will have to go through heartache to gain it. So as I do my best to protect her from falling, I want to truly let her go and let her become the woman that God wants her to be, chipped tooth and all. :)

So now that you are like, whoa, that was way over dramatizing a chipped tooth, here is Megan, in all her toothless glory. :)

Trunk or Treat 2011

2011-11-11T17:49:00.000-05:00

I grew up doing the whole Halloween dress up thing but really just am not getting it now that I have kids. Sure, I LOVE to dress up the kids in adorable little costumes but the whole idea of going door to door to strangers houses getting candy is just not something I think is fun. I am completely fine with others doing it and am not about to start some stupid protest or something, but it is not something we will do with our kids, period.

Our church, like a lot of churches, does "Trunk or Treat" night. I personally LOVE this alternative idea from the traditional door to door thing. Not to mention, there was a Bible Lesson prior to the whole thing which ended up being a great evangelistic approach to the whole thing.

Mr. Hartman used a pumpkin to demonstrate how Jesus cleans our insides. :)

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the final carved product, but it was neat!

Tim and I had the cutest little elephant and panda bear around!

After the lesson, the kids all walked around the parking lot going trunk to trunk (to people we know and who know our kids!) gathering up their treats.

Tim in our "trunk" after all the candy was given out holding our two little sweets!

Wish I would have gotten some pictures of the kids actually going car to car but my hands were WAY too full trying to keep them focused and polite! :) Maybe next year...HA!

Saying Bye-Bye to Binkie

2011-11-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, October 22nd, at age 15 months, we decided to take away Megan's pacifier for good. She has never slept well with it in that she would throw it on the floor or drop it or just plain ol' not look for it in the middle of the night meaning I would have to get up and give it to her. It was exhausting to say the least and I for one, was ready for sleep!

She woke up from her nap, happy as could be with one binkie in her mouth and the other safely in her hand. :)

We then headed right to the kitchen where I pulled out our trash can and said, "Megan, you need to throw your binkie's away."

At first she just thought it was a game and then after a little bit more stern of a voice, I think she realized what I was asking her to do.

and then did all in her power to prolong the whole process...

She would them over the trash can and then just look up at me with a sly little grin on her face

She kept switching them back and forth, as if she was giving each one just one last suck.

She knew what their fate had to be and I knew that it had to be her that threw them away, not me taking them from her and throwing them away for her. This is what we did for Tyler and it worked perfectly. I didn't actually think that it would work for her but I thought I would at least be consistent. :)

After what felt like 10 minutes, I finally gave up and just took her binkies and told her that we would have to do it before bed time. I then utilized Tim's help because she still would not drop them in.

But after Daddy picked her up and she saw where they were going to go, she finally said her goodbyes and down into the trash went her binkie's.

This picture actually makes me really sad...such a baby still with such a mean Mommy that took away her most prized possession!

But I am very proud to report that after one rough night and one rough nap the next day, she went to sleeping peacefully 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours for nap and all night long (11-12 hours). Other than the fact she is now getting her canine teeth which bothers her in the night, we are all sleeping much more peacefully now. I regret that I didn't take them away sooner! I am very proud of how well she did and how big of a girl she is becoming. I can't wait to see her grow and develop into a beautiful toddler!

For the Love of Music...

2011-11-11T16:21:00.001-05:00

Since before Tim and I ever had children, I prayed that our children would develop a love for music. Music was such a big part of my family growing up and some of my fondest memories growing up is of my 3 sisters and I singing songs acapella on the way home from church (it was a 30 minute drive). I am so very thankful that at this point in his life, Tyler LOVES singing. He wants to sing songs in the car, at the dinner table, sitting on the potty, and of course, going to bed at night. His favorites right now are Jesus Loves the Little Children and Oh, How I Love Jesus and we sing them every night before bed. Megan doesn't articulate words very well yet but definitely enjoys singing and especially dancing to music. Both of them also love "playing" the piano. As long as the volume is turned down, I love it when they play too. :) One night, before bed, Tim got his guitar out and played a long with the kids on the piano. If ever my heart has felt like it would explode, it was certainly this night!

I know its silly, but I secretly can't wait to sing songs with my children someday at church! Maybe we will even make them acapella.♥

Fall Fun!

2011-11-11T15:57:00.002-05:00

SOOO behind on blogging! I (Shannon) have spent the past month taking a LOT of pictures for people for my mini photography business, In His Image Photography, and so I haven't been able to keep up with this blog or really even taking pictures of my own kids. :( So, now that the cooler weather is here and my photography business is slowing down dramatically (I'm actually thankful for this right now!) I am hoping to spend some time catching up!

Fall is probably my second most favorite season with spring being my favorite of course! I love the cooler temperatures, the cracking leaves under your feet, the bonfires, marshmallows...the whole bit. It seems my children love it too. :) I think that they just LOVE being outside. Megan seriously throws a fit when we come in from being outside because she would just stay out there all day! I don't mind a bit and would much rather them be using their imaginations outdoor than to be cooped up inside, especially with winter coming!

With a husband on disability who also enjoys the great outdoors, the leaves didn't stand a chance of being on the ground long before Tim took care of raking them up or mowing them over. But I made sure we at least had some days where we would rake them up and have some fun jumping in them before Daddy cleaned them up. :)

bummed this one is blurry...Megan was a difficult subject to get in focus this day for some reason ;)

By far though, my children's favorite outdoor activity is getting to ride the lawn mower with Daddy. It has become a pretty regular occasion, just about each time he mows, for at least one of them to be on his lap. I ADORE seeing the kids in their cute little ear protectors and love it even more when Megan falls asleep in his arms, which also has become a regular occasion. Absolutely priceless. :)

Really though, I think the kids just love the "tractor." They will play on it and around it every time they are outside. They both even make tractor noises. :)

This is what happened when I told them to smile. :) Definitely shows their personalities! Rotten and Ornery!

Rare occasion...Megan getting a chance to play on it by herself!

"Cheese!"

This picture below is sad because it was taken literally just minutes before Megan fell in our kitchen on our tile and chipped her front tooth pretty bad. I'll post more about that later.

Until then, enjoy this sweet, little rotten smile from my baby girl with her whole tooth. :)

More Fulton Farms and Megan with kittens!

2011-10-26T07:50:00.000-04:00

While we were at Fulton Farms for our hayride and pumpkin patch pictures, we went to a little fun area that they have set up for kids. I didn't take that many pictures because, well, at that point, I have to admit that I was a little frustrated with my children! :P But I took a few and figured I should share them!

I really need to take the kids to see farm animals more often. They are always so facsinated with them and I love being able to see their little wheels spinning just watching them.

Megan got a little intimidated with the chickens after they tried to eat her little finger that was poking through! :)

This looked a lot of fun and if it wasn't for my severe back pain that I was having at the time and the fact that I thought the slide would break, I would have certainly joined Tyler and the rest of the kids in the fun!

A picture of all the kids but Noah. I think he was playing in the corn maze. Which, have you ever been in a corn maze? I got really intimidated and almost panicky and it was a KIDS corn maze!

They had some ADORABLE kittens there. Megan has shown that she is quite the little animal lover and took to the kittens pretty quick. It was soo cute! Almost made me want to get another kitten.

I know, I should have intervened here for the poor kittens' (yes, she is actually caring 3 here) sake, but I could resist snapping a picture! She had all three of them upside down and I'm pretty sure she was trying to take them home!

Please ignore the little kittens desperate look here :)

So sweet! Now, if only I could get her to love on her baby dolls like that...

Schramm Kids, Fall 2011

2011-10-24T21:49:00.000-04:00

I know that I have the cutest 2 1/2 year old boy and most beautiful 15 month old girl, but I sure wish I could take a pic to prove it! These two definitely give Tim and I the run for our money when it comes to trying to get a good picture, at least here lately. It was so much easier before Megan could walk and before Tyler decided he could make his own choices. :P I am hoping we will have another chance to try again for THE picture that I have in my head, but until then, this will have to do and if nothing else will certainly make me laugh years from now!

Megan was just doing this squinting thing all morning that morning...sigh

Not bad I guess...I just know my kids and this doesn't portray them well!

This one is definitely the sweetest, but Megan wouldn't look up because it was too bright and she kept wrinkling up her nose!

And this would be a good example of what the majority of the pics look like. Sigh.

Oh but I wouldn't trade these moments with my kiddos for anything! I am so loving experiencing new things with them. Like tonight, we all gathered around our fire ring and roasted marshmallows and then laid on the grass together and watched the airplanes and stars. Priceless moments that I never want to forget, regardless of the "perfect picture" to show it. We had a lot of fun the day we went to the pumpkin patch and even though we didn't get that magazine perfect photo, we stored priceless memories in our hearts that we will cherish for years to come.

Tyler's Fall Pics

2011-10-24T21:18:00.002-04:00

Tyler did wonderfully for his fall pics. At least the ones of him individually...you'll see what I mean when I post the pics of Tyler and Megan together...NOT so great. Anyway, without further ado, my almost 2 1/2 year old!

Megan's fall pics attempt...

2011-10-24T18:19:00.000-04:00

The pumpkin patch we went to had a really nice little set up for pictures. Downside number 1: it was FAR too bright and sunny to take pictures, downside number 2: Megan had a black eye and huge spot on her forehead from where she hit the coffee table, downside number 3: Megan is just plain ol' not cooperative the way her momma wants her to be! :) But here is what we got. She kept squinting and wrinkling her nose or just refusing to smile. I'm still hoping for another attempt at better pics, but at least I captured the moment. Last year, Megan was really sick and just a few days away from being in the hospital for a few days so I am thankful for a healthy baby girl for these pics! Oh, and sorry for the lack of editing in these pics! Just don't have time!

Definitely saved the best for last...this one is most like what my precious Megan is really like! :)

Hayride and Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T17:05:00.001-04:00

Several weeks ago, we went with some friends from church to a local farm and took a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins. Our kids had never done this before which means, we hadn't either! It was a lot of fun and I almost want to do it again! I guess we'll have to wait till next year. :)

This was obviously before we started moving, but Megan was loving "jumping" in the hay

Megan's most recent face...her most awkward for sure.

The cutest 2 year old around!

why yes, Tyler is wearing a size 3T sweater and 24month jacket. :) But oh how HANDSOME he is!

Megan found her pumpkin!

She wanted to carry it around so bad.

Tyler found his pumpkin!

Pretty sure he is saying "I CANN'T" here :)

What a big boy!

My two little pumpkins happy with their pumpkins :)

Ok, sorry, but I HAD to post this.

My 3 favoritist people in the whole world!

I already can't wait for next year! I love fall!

Fall days at the park...

2011-10-14T10:20:00.001-04:00

I have such mixed feelings about fall...I LOVE the fall colors, the cooler temperatures, the sound of leaves crunching beneath your feet...but I HATE the fact that all the leaves do fall and that the trees look so bare and dead come winter. I don't exactly think winter is my favorite season, though, I do love sitting by a warm fire drinking hot chocolate...sigh.

Anyway, a week or so ago, Tim and I took the kids to a local park one evening and just had fun as a family. These times are so precious to me and seriously, there is just nothing like it. We smiled, we laughed, we shared time together...absolutely priceless.

This next set of pictures is just funny to me...shows Megan for who she really is!

A little daredevil!

And maybe just a little bit of a klutz :)

But still Daddy's little girl!

Oh Tyler, you are so handsome! On a side note, I am loving his longer locks!

I am so blessed to have a husband who not only loves his wife but adores his children. There is nothing he wouldn't do for us and for that I am so very thankful.

Megan's coffee table fall...

2011-10-14T08:51:00.000-04:00

So, as I said, Megan is going to be our accident prone one. The day after her changing table fall, Megan fell onto a corner of a coffee table and did this. It actually gave her quite a nice black eye (from the blood pooling, though, I kind of freaked about that too because it can be a symptoms of brain bleed or skull fractures!). But, she recovered from this one nicely too, though, you will see her black eye for the next several posts! Its a good thing God gave kids hard heads!

Now if only we can let Megan know that she doesn't have to have a hard head so often...in more ways than just the physical! :)

Megan's changing table fall

2011-10-14T08:28:00.001-04:00

Once again, I made worst mom of the year by allowing Megan to fall off the changing table a couple weeks ago. (Tyler did it too at 4 months...you'd think I'd learn my lesson) She cried immediately but laid lifeless (not moving AT ALL) with her eyes rolling back in her head and a weak cry for about 5 minutes. It was enough to actually make me consider calling an ambulance, which is saying something. It took her a good 30 minutes to kind of snap out of it and act more normal. She has been fine every since but it certainly made me free awful!

She had some pretty good carpet burn on her face and I thought she looked swollen (though, she really made herself look puffy in that picture!) I have a feeling she is going to be our accident prone one, just like her father. Sigh. Guess its a good thing I'm a pediatric ER nurse? Except, I would much rather keep the emergencies at work!!

Fireman Tyler

2011-10-14T08:21:00.000-04:00

My nephew Andrew just turned 4 at the end of the September and unfortunately, we had to miss his party. :( But Aunt Joanna brought Tyler his very own hat and fireman jacket and he LOVED it! Wouldn't take it off for a really long time!

Thanks for the cool fireman stuff Aunt Joanna and Happy 4th Birthday, Andrew!

Cedarville Homecoming 2011

2011-10-14T08:13:00.001-04:00

The first weekend of October was Cedarville University's homecoming weekend. It was my 5th year reunion and my sister Joanna's 10th year. Originally, I had planned on being there for at least half the day, but it was BEYOND cold. BRRR! I get cold just thinking about it! I think I actually ended up only seeing like 2 people from my class before we were too cold and just went on home. But, it was good to see Tim, Joanna, and Andrew. Andrew and Tyler had a blast on the inflatables, even though I am pretty sure they couldn't even feel their fingers or toes!

It was too cold for Megan...but isn't her outfit adorable!!! Her in little puffer vests is SOO cute! I'm glad I have 3 of them for her to wear this winter. ;)

Oh, and thats a good example of her little scrunched nose face I mentioned earlier in a post :)

So, in my opinion, the coolest thing was one of those little photo booths for you to take pictures in. We had the boys do it and seriously, I could have played around with this thing all day. :) This is what we got of Andrew and Tyler. They were so short it took us half the time just to figure out where to sit them down! I would have liked to try again, but there was a line. Oh well, maybe next year!

The many faces of Megan...

2011-10-13T21:38:00.001-04:00

Megan is quite the drama queen and has the faces to prove it! Her most recent face is a scrunched up nose face...its not my favorite, I must admit. You'll be seeing a lot of it in later posts, but for now, here's some of her super cute ones!

Ok, maybe this one is just ornery (she gets that from her father). :)

My little beauty!

Kitchen "remodel"

2011-10-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to post some pictures of our kitchen "remodel" for awhile but just haven't had the time! You've already seen the pantry (far right in this picture) but here is the before picture of our floor. Yucky vinyl that was peeling up because of some water damage before we moved in.

Tim's dad worked SOO hard on this project while he was here visiting...I felt really bad that he did so much work and not as much play! Here he is adding some sort of leveler in the cracks that didn't have the vinyl.

Tim starting to set the tile in place

Its officially going down!

The completed tile before grout.

I didn't like the grout process...seems so weird to put it on top of the entire tile just to wipe it all off! Scary!!

The completed beautiful tile...I'd say for Tim's dads first time laying tile, he did a REALLY good job, don't you think?

Tim took these next pictures to send to his grandma so she could see what we've been up to. I absolutely LOVE my "new" kitchen and the changes we have made. Seems to have a much more finished look to it.

The built in desk next to the pantry that also now has a shelf above it. This is where our computer is now, along with the printer.

Last thing we did was get an over the range microwave/exhaust and then moved some cabinets around so the refrigerator and stove weren't right next to each other...we thought that was really strange anyway and have wanted to change it since we moved in.

The kitchen seems so much bigger now (we no longer have a microwave stand or buffet/hutch in it) and the floor hides dirt VERY well! :) I am so very thankful to have gotten these things done! Although there are still things we would like to do to it, (take out the ridiculous angled thing above the cabinets, paint, etc) the big stuff is done and that feels sooo good!

The kisses of a child

2011-10-13T21:06:00.001-04:00

Just another Tyler story I never want to forget...

I was sitting on the floor in Megan's room where Tyler and Megan were sitting quietly reading books and I said to Tyler, "Buddy, Mommy's back hurts today." To which, he thought for a minute, stood up, walked over behind me and kissed my back and said, "Now, your back doesn't hurt anymore Mommy!!" ♥ heart melting!! I actually teared up at his genuine concern and then joy when he had "fixed" Mommy's booboo. :_)

Our new corner pantry!!

2011-09-27T14:50:00.001-04:00

In anticipation of Tim's parents coming to visit last weekend, we decided that we would take advantage of their help and tile our kitchen floor while they were here. Its been needing to be done for a long time. We had old vinyl stuff that was pulling up because of some water damage that happened before we moved in and there were holes in it where we had cut out a closet. Anyway, we got to thinking about it and knew that if we wanted to ever put in our corner pantry that we had talked about, we needed to do it before the tiling project started. I assured Tim that I could handle the hammering and building part with his guidance since he wouldn't be able to do it one armed...

....I will never say that again. It was HARD! All the angles had to be perfect, I messed up hammering the nails all the time and had to pull them out and do it all over, I got saw dust in my eye...it was bad. Not to mention the strain on our marriage for those few days! Pretty sure he saw some of the "for worse" part of our vows. Anyway, without further ado, here is our pantry project!!

This was the corner before. We had a hutch here and the top part there is where we ripped off a hideous border that was there when we moved in and we have yet to paint over it...

cutting the dry wall out to make new studs

The walls going up!

frame and electrical done (Tim did all of the electrical part, thankfully!)

dry wall done!

the very frustrating door

Tim doing the mudding, his least favorite part

Tim putting in the shelves, and a sneak peak at our new tile floor!

EEEK!!! Now I'm REALLY excited!

Tada!

Eventually, on the right side of the pantry will be a small built in desk that will be where the computer is going to go. Our current desk is in the living room where we are hoping to install a wood burning stove. Above the desk is going to be one of the cabinets we moved that matches the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen. Lots of fun changes going on at the Schramm's! Maybe someday we will have an entire completed house!! :)

Renovation=added stress!

2011-09-26T21:16:00.000-04:00

Tim and I are in the process of finishing up a corner pantry and tiling project at our house...which means, life has been a MESS lately, in more than one sense of the word! Though I am extremely EXTREMELY grateful for the kitchen to be transformed, it has definitely added stress to my already stressed schedule! I think the most frustrating thing is not having a kitchen and either having to eat out a lot or do a lot of sandwiches or microwaved foods. It definitely takes time to be creative like that in the kitchen and time is something I have NONE of right now! But, I figured I should at least document this chapter of our life. :) I wonder if Tyler will remember when we had our kitchen table in the garage? Maybe these pics will help.

I was proud of myself tonight for having General Tso's chicken, rice, peas and carrots, all prepared in our garage. :) Tim said we should be able to put the kitchen back together tomorrow...oh, I hope so!!! Though, my mom said I can't complain...they did dishes in the bathtub and went through renovation for 3 months for their kitchen remodel. So, I am thankful for my short couple weeks. :)

When the inlaws come to visit...

2011-09-26T07:32:00.001-04:00

I hear so many horror stories from friends and family who have horrible in laws and dread when they come to visit. I consider myself incredibly blessed with in laws who are among some of the most selfless, generous, godly, fun, people I know and truly love to visit!

Though their visit was short, Jack and Tim spent most of their time tiling our kitchen (pictures to come when its completely done!), and I had to work one of the days, we had a great time and can't wait until November when we go out there to visit for a few days. Thanks, Jack and Sherry, for making the trek out here, and for our beautiful kitchen floor! See you in a couple months!

Mum Festival Parade

2011-09-26T07:31:00.000-04:00

After our 5k walk, we headed to the parade! Our church almost always does a float for it and we have walkers who hand out bags of candy with some sort of information about our church. I was among the "walkers" in the parade but Tim, his parents, and the kids looked like they had a fun time!

I think they snuck (sneaked?) off to the creek to play and look for fish while they waited for the parade to start.

Grandma and Megan enjoyed some time together too

Here is our float with the walkers in the white shirts

The theme for the festival was "Cruisin for the Mums" or something a long those lines, so we took that in to a cruise ship theme. "God's Grace is UNSINKABLE!" We should have made it more like the titantic since that was the "unsinkable" ship. However, it might not have been the best idea when the titantic did sink! Regardless, I thought the float turned out great and was a great opportunity for our church to 1) get our name out there for the community to see, but most importantly 2) spread the good news about the grace of God! This was my first year to be one of the walkers and I really enjoyed it! I rode with Tyler the year before last but hope to make it more of a habit to walk it in years to come!

Run for the Mums 5k

2011-09-26T07:22:00.000-04:00

...Ok, so we didn't actually run it...but we did complete the Tipp City Mum Festival 5k for the second year in a row! :) This is becoming our family tradition. I hope to one day actually be in shape to run it. I didn't really have an excuse this year but last year, I did have a newborn. :) Tim's parents were also able to do it with us. All 6 of us crossed the finish line with varying times, but the point is, we all finished!

I know that a good example is the best kind of teaching I can give my children and though I have a LONG way to go during the rest of the year, I hope that doing this race together every year will at least be a start in teaching our kids to be active. I am working on being more consistent with exercise now but it is definitely not an easy process. Sorry for the lack of pictures from the run/walk. It was tough to remember to do that when we had a race to finish!!! :)

A little too young?

2011-09-26T07:20:00.000-04:00

Tim has always said "I started mowing the grass when I was young, Tyler can too." I guess I never pictured age 2 as being the "young" he was referring to. :) Tyler absolutely LOVED helping Daddy. Tim said that when he would take over to help go around corners and stuff, Tyler would say "great job Daddy! I help you!" I just think he looks so cute in his little boots and ear protection. Tim was cutting the grass just after sunset so it was getting dark, hense the poor quality picture. :)

First trip to the zoo!!!

2011-09-26T06:34:00.001-04:00

While we were visiting the Board family in Virginia, we decided to go to the zoo in DC for a day. Its a free zoo, which was definitely the most attractive part until we saw that parking was $20!! Ridiculous! Anyway, I think that it was worth our money. It was so fun seeing the zoo for the first time again through Tyler and Megan's eyes. On our way to the zoo, Tyler said "Mommy, I have to go potty." "Buddy, we are almost to the zoo and you can go potty when we get there, okay?" After a few moments of silence he said, "Mommy, I gonna pee on the lion!" :)

We started the day with lunch just outside the park.

And then headed straight to the large cats exhibit!

I had forgotten how boring lions and tigers are in captivity...:)

Though, the lion definitely posed awhile for some shots! It reminded me of the movie, Madagascar. :) You know, how the lion does all the crazy poses for the camera?

Tyler was amazed by the lion but thankfully wasn't close enough to "potty" on him. :) Though, I did catch him trying to scale the barrier a few times...

Though Megan couldn't verbalize her thoughts on the lion, you could definitely tell she was intrigued!

Seriously, he was just like a bit kitty cat! I am quite sure he was puring over there!

Not sure which exibit this is, but obviously an good one! :)

This was actually an empty exibit but a cute picture of all the kids (minus Elijah and Bethany) peering in.

Another disappointing pic :( Would have been so cute if it wasn't blurry!

The wonder in their eyes...so priceless

BEWARE! The picture below might give you nightmares!

Bleh!

The komodo dragon...Tyler got bored quick because he wasn't moving very much. :)

Megan, 14 months, Elijah, just turned two...I don't know if Elijah is really short or if Megan is really tall, either way, they are about the same size, at least in height!

The panda exibit...my favorite. :) I have always loved pandas. It was my favorite animal when I was little.

The elephant exibit

There aint no denying it now! Megan looks JUST like her Daddy! I have said it from day one and no one has agreed with me. Seriously, the similarities are ridiculous! :)

Bethany looks pretty cozy if you ask me!

The flamingos!

aww, aint that sweet :) They are perfectly in stride. And they didn't even know I was taking a picture so this wasn't posed. :)

Good times were had by all and I definitely think more zoo trips will be in store for us in the future!

Visiting The Board Family

2011-09-26T05:58:00.000-04:00

After leaving my parents house in WV, we made our way to Virginia to visit with some friends of ours that moved away a year and a half ago. They live about an hour and a half away from DC which made it only 4 hours away from my parents house. Made it nice to break up our trip by stopping in WV for a few days. The kids all had a blast playing together. 6 kids 5 and under can be hectic though! Which is why I don't have too many pictures to show of our visit. :(

The kids, especially Tyler, loved playing in their 'fort.'

I was disappointed this pic was blurry...its a cute one of Luke!

Tyler climbed up into the window, put his hands in his lap and said "cheese" so, I had to snap this one. :)

Megan loved their swing!

Only Bethany (who is only 3 months old) is missing from this picture. :) Fun times on the swing set!

Don't worry, I, of course, got some pictures of Bethany after all the other kids went to bed and we didn't have to worry about her being trampled. :)

I think she just might be a Momma's girl!

When Tim and Lori first annouced to our church that they were moving away, I have to admit, I was definitely disappointed. We have thoroughly enjoyed their friendship and are constantly encouraged in our walks with Christ, our role as parents, and our direction in ministry because of them. Lori, especially, has just been a tremendous encouragement to me and I definitely call her when I am needing some redirection in my own negative thought processes. She has a God given ability to be able to help reroute my thoughts back on the Lord instead of on myself. So, when they were moving away, I was definitely selfishly wanting something to happen so that they would change their minds. :) But, seeing them in their life now and how God is truly using them in the church they are now involved in made me just so happy for them and excited for them in where God is leading their family. They have a beautiful home that is right beside the church and have a lot of encouragement from that church in their ministry and home life. Even though I miss having them around, I am thrilled for them. Seems like, at least right now, they have found a somewhat permanent home. Thanks for letting us visit and for opening up your home to us, Board family!

Happy 30th Birthday, Stephanie!

2011-09-26T05:43:00.000-04:00

While we were in WV, we celebrated my sister Stephanie's 30th birthday. My oldest sister, Joanna, made her a toilet paper cake with 30 rolls of toilet paper. :)

We had quite the gathering at her party. My grandmother from Florida and her husband joined us along with my aunt and 4 of her 5 kids. So, that made for over 20 people! We met at the favorite pizza place in the town where I grew up. I will always love that pizza over all other pizzas. :)

There weren't 30 candles, but there were enough to make us concerned about setting off the smoke alarms! :)

Happy Birthday, dear Stephanie!

Megan had to wear Grandpa's shades to protect her eyes from all the light from those candles! ;) No, actually, she just LOVES to wear glasses and makes the cutest little smiles with scrunched up nose and everything.

Although Stephanie's birthday is actually the 23rd of September, we were thankful that we were able to be at her party since it was the weekend before. I so love these family times we have and am thankful that its only 3 1/2 hours away. I would love to be a bit closer, but am also thankful for where we are right now. God has a great plan in store for Tim and I and our family and I am excited to see what it is!

More Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's!

2011-09-26T04:06:00.000-04:00

Our second visit to WV this month was another fun weekend with family. I love being able to watch the boys play (ages 4, 3, and almost 2 1/2) and the girls are starting to be fun too (ages 14 months and 8 months). I think its only going to get more fun the older they get too. Until they are like 16, 15, 14, 13, and 12... :)

Anyway, as much fun as we had visiting with family, I really enjoyed the few hours we had a day to spend at my parents house alone (just our family of 4) while my parents were at work. Their house is just so relaxing. Not to mention, its where I grew up so I do still consider it "home." There is still nothing like coming back to MY home (Tim and I's home in Dayton) and my parents have done a lot of remodeling to their house that has made it COMPLETELY different from my years spent there, but still, there is something just so special about my parents house. I keep telling them that I wouldn't mind just vacationing there sometime instead of driving all the way to the beach. :)

I love these next 2 pictures of Tyler...so cute to see his little feet in Daddy's big shoes and even more cute seeing him try to walk in them. But what makes me sad is he will likely fit in to them someday. :( Stay little, son!

You have to click on this picture of Megan...HILARIOUS! She definitely has the Schramm teeth...that HUGE gap in between her front teeth. Braces are in store for sure! :)

Part of the remodeling my parents have done is putting in a beautiful patio out back. Its a great area for the boys to have room to really run and play. Riding the jeep has become a new favorite pasttime as well and is quite hilarious to watch! None of them are coordinated enough to really drive it without crashing it yet. Andrew is getting close but I think he preferred crashing into things so he let the other two drive. :)

Tyler's face truly speaks a thousand words there. :)

Daniel enjoyed pushing Megan in the cozy coupe. Megan just couldn't figure out how to keep her feet up so they didn't end up under the car!

Joanna is working hard to maintain her "favorite aunt" status. :)

You can't tell in this picture, but they are moving...and neither are looking at the "road" :)

My sweet little silly girl who is going to be her Daddy's little soccer player. Tyler's first instinct has always been to reach down and grab a ball and shoot it, Megan goes to kicking it first just about every time and actually does a great job dribbling it and giggling the whole way!

This is certainly a picture for the scrapbooks...Tyler is getting ready to "crash" again and Megan isn't so sure she likes the idea. :) Click on the picture to see their faces better...I love it!

What did Grandpa find? A BUG!!! My poor dad has put up with a LOT of estrogen over the years having 4 daughters, a wife, a grandmother, a sister in law, and now his mother living with him over the years. He deserves these grandSONS!

Daniel and Tyler checking out the telescope

This was hilarious...Tyler has his foot floored on the gas peddle ramming the jeep into Megan who was sitting in the little car and was pushing her along so my mom was chasing after them trying to stop them. So funny!
Definitely one of those "America's Funniest Video's" moments. :)

Megan, obviously, didn't mind. :)

I already can't wait until the next time we get to go visit. I feel incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful family and hope we get many many more years together!

While we were there, we did get to celebrate my sister Stephanie's 30th birthday. (Pictures to come!) I'm next to pass the dreaded "30" mark...thankfully, I still have at least a couple years. :)