Wow, I can hardly believe it's been over 3 months since I've blogged. What a slacker! Since today is a lazy day, I'm spending it sitting in my lay-z-boy chair, organizing my music and pictures and now finally, updating my blog. So here goes... three months worth of catching up!

November 2009 ~

As always, November flew by! Scrapbook Mountain was the first full week in November and Jami, Alisa and I had a blast! No pictures to post but it was productive, as always. This is the second SBM that I've been to since Fort passed last December. I can say that this round was much better than last February.

The following weekend we had Thanksgiving/Christmas at Mamaw and Papaw's house. We enjoyed a quiet weekend at the farm with good food and good company. We **attempted** to get a family picture with the kids but it was incredibly unsuccessful! The pictures were so horrible that I didn't even save them (I think either Sandy or mom have copies). Both babies were in a terrible mood and Emma and Megan were just a tad feisty. As always, the three older kids were great. Anyhoo, here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Christmas 2009 ~

We had a great Christmas season that was full of family, food and fun (and presents). On Christmas Eve, we went to Aunt Kathy's house for dinner. It was chaos, as always, but we had a great time! There are about 13 kids under the age of 10 that spend the evening running around. And when its time to open presents, it gets stressful! When we were kids, we went to my Mamaw and Papaw's house for Christmas dinner. After dinner, we'd all sit around the fireplace in the living room and my Papaw would be in charge of handing out the presents to each person. Only one present could be opened up at time. So, it was truly a test in patience. Later we found out that my Papaw (who is/was quite ornery) thought it was amusing to make us sit and wait to open up our presents... one at a time). Anyway, picture that calm scenario and the scene at Aunt Kathy's is the EXACT opposite. Presents are literally just dropped off in your lap. You have no idea who they are from or where they came from. It was even worse the first year we had Emma because we had to keep track of our presents and hers. So anyway, it was another great Christmas Eve!

On Christmas morning, Mamaw & Papa Schnieber, Mamaw & Papaw Henry, Mike, Erin & the girls, and Papaw-Great came over for brunch. To keep in line with Henry tradition, the kids weren't allowed to open up their gifts until after breakfast was finished. We had a very relaxing morning which led to an excellent afternoon naps!

So, Emma and I get up around 7:30 on Christmas morning and she's dying to open up presents. I give her stocking, which has socks, gloves, a few hair accessories and a tiny flashlight. She dumps it all out on the floor and exclaims, "Wow, everything I could have wanted for Christmas!" She's easy to shop for!


On Christmas night, we went to Uncle Bob & Aunt Kathy's house for dinner on the Schnieber side. We arrived home last on Christmas night around 10 pm and got right into bed, exhausted from our holiday travels.


January 2010 ~


We celebrated 106 Years of Greatness again at Bangkok Bistro and Haps.

Luckily, its been a lazy winter so far. That's all for now!

Here's a big "Schnieber Stories" WELCOME to my newest follower - Kat! It's official... I now have two followers of the blog! That's enough motivation for me to finally get a new post up since I haven't posted in a few weeks.

This fall has been crazy busy with OSU games, weddings, benefits, and family fun. Here are but a few pictures from our fall thus far:

I love this picture. We went to Pittsburgh the 2nd weekend of September to visit the Campbell's and their new home and to also celebrate Anna's 1st birthday. Mom, Sandy and I took the kids to lunch and on the way home, Emma and Megan were in front of us holding hands. It was absolutely precious!

A few moments after the first picture was taken, Emma takes off running to the nearest tree, throws her arms around it and exclaims to Megan, "Let's hug a tree and be free!" Here's a picture of the two of them "being free." Before my readers get all impressed with how "green" the Schniebers are, I'd like to share that after the above picture was taken, Emma takes off running down the street again, but this time, stops to a "hug" a utility pole. So apparently, paying homage to Duke Energy ALSO makes one "free."

Here's a picture of Luke & Anna enjoying their stroller ride. These two small ones seem to get along better than Emma and Megan did at this age. For the sake of our family, we're hoping this trend continues.

Happy Birthday, little Anna!

You have no idea the amount of blood, sweat and tears that goes into a picture of all 7 of the cousins. It's painful but worth it when you finally get one shot that looks great!

It's official - my little man is growing up! He had his first haircut on September 30th - right before Emma's birthday party. Mamaw Karla cut off some baby curls and got him all evened out. Prior to the haircut, he had a bit of a baby-mullet and at times, looked like a mad scientist. He was a stellar man throughout the ordeal and especially enjoyed the sucker he got at the end. Thanks, Mamaw Karla!

Happy Birthday, Emma, Papaw & Papa! Emma shared her birthday with Papaw Henry and is only 5 days away from Papa Roger's birthday. We're lucky enough to celebrate all three birthdays together! HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, EMMA!

Here's Emma enjoying our singing...

CONGRATS MR. AND MRS. WATTS, JR! Kristen & "Aaron" were married on Saturday, October 3rd, which turned out to be a beautiful fall day. We had a great time!

Catching up with Pam & Donny Fortener!

Representin' OU Women's Rugby.

Good times... good times... After the reception, we went to a downtown bar called Ned Peppers. Casey ended up making friends with a Daytonian while playing pool. He spent all night telling Casey that if he ever is in Dayton again, to give him a call. As we're leaving the bar, Casey's new friend was shouting, "Call me, Casey. Okay? Call me!" For the life of me, we can't remember his name... but for a brief moment in time, he and Casey were best friends.

The Campbell's stopped back in town for a visit mid-October (isn't it lovely that they live so close!) Dad was able to get OSU tickets so we packed up Will and headed to Columbus. This was Will's first OSU game - GO BUCKS!

What a good man! Will was awesome throughout the entire game. Here he is watching with Papaw and enjoying his Cracker Jacks. Sandy and I commented often how different the scenario would be if we had taken the two girls...

Luke and Anna were in desparate need of a bath so we throw them in mom & dad's utility sink. They were both fascinated by the water and only minimally annoyed that there was little to no leg room.

The first annual Firebirds for Fort Fundraiser was held on Saturday, October 17th, in Dayton. It was a HUGE success and raised close to $20,000 for the scholarship fund. It was amazing! Angie & Pam did a great job at organizing this huge event. Good times were had by all!

I'll close with a little story from Emma: for the last few days, Emma has been complaining about how her ear hurt. Of course, Casey and I are worried that with flu/cold season right around the corner, Emma has picked up an ear infection. So we're asking questions about where does it hurt, how it hurts, etc.

Yesterday, Casey comes home from work and says "I've determined what has been causing Emma's ears to hurt." So, I immediately am worried that she's taken a trip to the school nurse or that she has a fever. Instead, Casey tells me that on the car ride home, they are talking about her ear again. Somehow he determined that the reason for her ear pain was because when Emma put on her hat to play outside, her ear was folded down. She continued to play outside the entire time... with the top part of her ear folded down. So, it wasn't an ear infection. It was user-error on Emma's part. Not much to say on that one.

The Car Seat

For months now, Emma has been dying to get into a "big girl carseat - like Megan and Will's" (i.e. booster seat). We keep telling her that she needs to wait until her 4th birthday and then she can officially get out of the baby carseat. However, we couldn't wait until the end of the month and Casey and I caved early to make things more convenient for drop-offs & pick-ups. So, on Monday, Luke, Emma and I are driving home and Emma and I were chatting about her school pictures, which were being taken that following day. We were talking about what she should wear and how she should smile, etc., and Emma says, "I have a great idea... why don't I get my picture taken in my new carseat!" Hmmm... I'm not sure Country Day wants to celebrate her new carseat as much as she does!

Where has the time gone???

So I just realized that it has been a month since I last posted - wow! I had no idea! Here's what the Schnieber's have been up to since the last post:

Shortly after we returned from our Florida vacation, Emma had her tonsils removed. What an experience! She was such a trooper throughout the entire process. The first two days were surprisingly easy. That was quickly replaced by TWO weeks of re-cooperating. Poor thing - I'm sure her throat was completely raw but she really did handle it like a champ. And now, the child doesn't snore! It's amazing, really. It makes me think that I should schedule a "surprise" surgery for Casey. Wonder if the effects would be the same! :) Maybe I could lure him to the hospital under the notion that there was a rugby match in the same-day-surgery wing? Hmm... something to think about!

My little Lukey turned one-year-old on August 15th! I can hardly believe it - this year has flown by!

Here is a picture of the little man enjoying his cake. When I first set it down in front of him, he looked at it, looked at me, and then looked at the cake again. Casey and I had been teasing each other for weeks leading up to the birthday party because Luke had tendencies to be a "lazy" eater - and by "lazy" I mean he expected us to physically put the food in his mouth. At one point, I was surprised that we didn't have to massage his jaw so that he could properly break down the food for digestion. Okay, so it wasn't that bad - I'm just exaggerating. But when we did put little pieces of food on his plate, he would flat out refuse to eat it himself. He'd just sit there until one of us would walk past and put a piece in his mouth. At the end of July, Casey put him through an extensive "boot camp" so that he would be prepared for his birthday cake. We were also getting pressure by the reports from the Campbells that not only was Anna (6 weeks his junior) eating her food, but she was also proficient in using chopsticks. Instantly, we were plagued by the scenario that Anna would actually have to feed Luke his birthday cake. Hence, the boot camp.

His birthday party was a raving success! We had a great time and even had a chance for a summer family picture:

In the last few weeks, Luke has really taken off on his walking. At first, he looked like a little Frankenstein - slowly stumbling everywhere with his hands straight out. Lately, he's getting the hang of it and is even able to hold stuff in his hand and walk at the same time! He can even turn 90 degree angles. The best part about watching that is that you can actually see Luke decide that he wants to turn - he stops, thinks about it and then pivots. Everything is in slow-motion. It is just too cute! He has a small vocabulary of words that he uses all.of.the.time. He is just so much more verbal than Emma was. He says ball ("buh"), bottle ("ba ba"), mommy ("mum mum"), daddy ("da da"). I haven't figured out what he says for Emma but most of the time he just adamently shouts "DAH!" for whatever he sees. Its hilarious! He has now mastered waving, which is a very aggressive, violent shaking of his hand at the wrist. Its so different than little Anna, who has a soft Miss America wave! I have also been working with Luke on his kisses, but thats a slow process. One of my favorite things that he used to do is when Casey or I would be holding him and we were chewing on something, he'd stare at our mouth and then open his mouth and move in like he was a little bird and we were going to drop it in his mouth! It was so funny! The OTHER funny thing he has been doing is when he doesn't feel like he's getting enough attention from me while I'm holding him, he drops down until his face is right in front of his and blocking whoever I'm talking to, and just starts laughing and smiling until I acknowledge him. He has done that about 3 times when I have been chatting with Casey!

Emma-girl started Pre-K 1 last Wednesday and was very excited about getting back to school with Daddy and seeing her friends. Here are a few pics from the first day of school:

When I was strapping Emma into her carseat the first day of school, she says "Mommy, I'm going to miss you but I'm really going to have fun at school today." How cute!!

This weekend is Labor Day weekend and I'm ready for a break away from work. We have no plans and the weather is supposed to be beautiful - you can't beat that! Here are more cute pictures from the last month!

Emma took this picture of Luke in his highchair. That kid has some crazy-curly hair!

Casey and Emma at Speedy's house, picking blackberries.

Celebrating Megan's 4th Birthday at Mamaw & Papaw's house.

Family picture time at Luke's party. I love this picture!

Lukey and Anna enjoying some breakfast together!

Gator fun at the Lake House!

I had to get this story out before I forgot... Casey took Emma to the doctor this afternoon for her pre-surgery physical. So when they got home, Casey was telling me what the doctor said about her height (97% percentile) and weight (also 97th percentile) and with Emma listening, he explains to me that the doctor said that Emma should only be watching 3 TV shows per day, and on days where she is really good, then she can watch 4 TV shows per day. Upon hearing that news again, Emma drops to the ground and starts crying (she really loves her TV). So, Case spends the next few minutes explaining to her that she needs to be spending time outside or reading or playing with her toys. Then he says that she can have one more show before bedtime. The two of them are sitting in the family room, deciding on the TV show. Emma continues to whine around about only watching 3 shows per day and Casey says, "Emma, I really have a problem with this behavior" to which Emma replies, "Well, I really have a problem with only 3 shows a day."

I had to walk out of the room so she wouldn't see me laugh. It was hilarious!!

I remembered a couple more stories that I wanted to share:

A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to get the DVR to play some on-demand kid shows for Emma. We were having some issues with the system and I said, "Looks like we aren't going to be able to watch any shows today. It's not bringing them up." Emma looks up at me and says, "Mom, is that a bummer AND a shame?"

Before school was out, Casey shared this story with me: he was driving Emma home from school one day and they were talking about their favorite colors. Its well-known around out household that my favorite color is green and Casey's is blue. So, the two of them are talking about what she did at school that day and Emma said that she played the "Donut Game" with her friends. The Donut Game is a little song that goes like this: Down by the corner, at the bakery shop, along came Emma, all alone, and she's gonna take the (insert color here) home. So, the little kids pick laminated cards that have colors on them, and that's how they determine what "donut" they pick. So, Emma says to Casey, "Guess which one I picked?" and Casey replies, "I don't know, Emma. Which one?" Emma says, "Say 'bl, bl." Too funny!

Casey and Emma are out of school and summer is in full swing! The last month has been crazy-busy with trips to the lake, long weekends, and traveling for work. I'm ready for things to slow down. We're going to Florida the first week of July so we're really looking forward to a nice, relaxing vacation... if that's even possible with two kids!

Here are some great Emma stories:

Casey shared this story with me the last week of school. Apparently, Casey was driving Emma home from school when she asks, "Daddy, is moving your eyes from left to right (at this point she demonstrates what she's talking about) the same as rolling your eyes?" So, without thinking, Casey starts to answer the question and then says, "Wait a minute, why do you ask?" The story goes something like this: Emma and her little friend, AJ, were playing pirates at school and Bertsch catches Emma poking her friend, Caroline, with a stick. Casey interjects at this point and says, "Emma, why did you poke Caroline with a stick?" Emma answers, "Because we thought she was a treasure." Okaaayyy... So Bertsch disciplines Emma, and this must be the point where Emma rolls her eyes. From there, she gets put in time-out. Thus, the reason for asking Casey if moving her eyes from left to the right is the same as rolling them!

The other thing that she had been doing along this same time was instead of shrugging her shoulders when she was in trouble, she would slooooowly raise them up and then slooooowly drop them back down. She must have figured that if the motion wasn't fast, then it wasn't really shrugging her shoulders! Goodness gracious!!!

After a few weeks of terrrrible behavior, we implemented a rewards chart, where she got stickers for demonstrating what we deemed as "good behavior" in 9 different categories. Amazingly, the behavior improved almost immediately. Our two focus areas were "Respect Mommy & Daddy" and "No fussing & fits." She really has been more polite lately. For example, last week I came home from the grocery store and said, "Em, can you please take this bag of buns in the house for me?" Her reponse: "No thank you!" Well, at last she used her manners!

Lukey began crawling the last week of May and is large and in charge! He's all over the place! He especially loves pulling himself up on the piano and banging on the keys. Like his big sister, he wants Mommy & Daddy to "walk" him all over the house (holding his hands and walking him). He gets so excited when we let him take laps on the main level. The other funny thing that he's been doing lately is sucking on his lip. So, imagine what it looks like when he sucks his pacifier - now take the pacifier away. Its the same motion. Its hilarious! It's like he doesn't have the patience to wait to get his passy, so he just starts sucking away. He constantly has dried lips and I have to use chapstick on him. What a riot!

The biggest difference that I have noticed between Emma (as a baby) and Luke is that he is much more verbal than she was. He is constantly babbling or happily yelling/screaming around. He always has something to say. Maybe its because he's trying to keep up with big sister. The other difference is that unlike Emma, Luke LOVES to pound on things or make noises by banging things together. He thinks that is hilarious and always just starts cracking up when he does it. I don't really remember Emma ever doing that. He still doesn't have any teeth but is drooling constantly. I'm wondering if the teeth will be poking through any time soon?