Schneb Family

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Okay, so it's just beginning to look like Halloween, but T is already making us listen to Christmas music, she really likes Amy Grant, but we haven't pulled out the whole stash. I am seriously wondering if she might be my sister's daughter!

Here is a favorite site, shared by my good friend J.

http://www.100daystochristmas.com/

Thanks J!

We went to Hobby Lobby on the kids' day off yesterday and we have almost all of our supplies to finish Halloween crafting and launch into Christmas Workshop mode! How fun that all the kids are old enough to really get it AND do it!

The aforementioned blog is a spin off of http://www.listmamablog.com and that is another great blog. Starting on Monday, we are going to try "Muffin Tin Monday" which was started here:

http://sycamorestirrings.blogspot.com/

and is an awesome blog! I love her ideas, and you may see a few of them under the christmas tree this year.

So I think our food theme for Muffin Tin Monday will be scary food in honor of Halloween. I am thinking I will serve:

eyeballs (grapes)

fingernails (almond slivers)

hearts (red jello)

innards (spaghetti)

hmm, I may have to come up with a few more, but I can tell you that this is something these little kids are going to be WAAAYYY into!

Sorry for so many posts all at once, can you tell I am not sleeping when I should be and we don't have anything good to eat in the house, so here I sit occupying my fingers

Good Night!

Getting Ready for Halloween

We have been so excited for Halloween this year, like we aren't some years ;) (it's T's Birthday if you didn't know) but this year the girls have been quite busy planning their costumes, their accessories and are almost ready to go (S was so mad she couldn't wear her witch makeup tonight and we don't have the *right* shoes yet). I wanted pictures of them, and we all know how well I take pictures, so we tromped off to one of the mall studios and had a few pics snapped, not great, but better than mine! So here are a few of the girls

BTW, N hasn't decided if he will trick or treat or not this year, although he is considering trick or treating and selling raffle tickets for his candy - ha! I want him to dress up as John McCain and I will go as Sarah Palin- but wearing my Obama tshirt!!! I don't think he is going for it though!

Stay tuned for your raffle tickets ;)

Zoe

What an amazing and heartwrenching journey this family has been on. Please read their story - you will hug your children tight and feel so blessed, even with the mess this country is in.

http://batiansila.blogspot.com/

And if you want to help, check here:

http://aglimpseintomyworld.blogspot.com/

More from me tomorrow...

Where has the time gone?

I don't even now where to start or what we have been doing, wow do we get busy once school starts.

Last weekend we headed to the orchard and picked apples. All 3 kiddos were really into this so we picked 2 pecks of apples! We still have a lot and I want to make some applesauce so I sent the littles off to see the Chichaaua movie with their dad and a friend and this is what I made:

Okay, stole the picture, but you get the idea! Along with some chocolate chip cookies, tomato soup and zucchini bread. I love those last fleeting harvests from my dad's garden. He brought me the last of his garden tomatos. I roasted them on Friday and used them for the soup today.

We are looking forward to two more days off - we are filling the time with story hour and playdates, cleaning rooms, putting away laundry and making some Halloween cards for Grandma and others! Can't wait, hope you enjoy the long weekend too!

Happy Birthday Big 6 Year Old!

Happy Birthday to Sophie!

I can't believe my sweet little baby goes to school. It seriously feels like I had her yesterday, ok, not yesterday but maybe last month... When they first brought her to me the nurse had already put a pink bow in her hair. Of course she was in the ugly hospital clothes and I couldn't walk, but by the next morning I could and as soon as I could get to my bag that girl was in some cute duds. I told her tonight, that as soon as I could get to my bag, I had a stash of clothes and I started putting them on her right away. One of the nurses came in and just started laughing. Was I weird, I thought everyone took cute clothes to the hospital - and blankets. I certainly didn't want her swaddled up in a BLUE blanket of all things! Oh those were the days.

We had a rather low key celebration this year and spent Sunday afternoon at Build a Bear - okay that was actually chaos and they don't serve liquor (why do I even care, Chuck E Cheese does serve, but I have yet to consume alcohol there, seems so WRONG - okay maybe b/c I know I could drink if it really got bad, maybe that is why it matters, maybe it is still that college mentality IDK)! And spent Soph's actual birthday at the Pumpkin Festival. We came home and had yummy cake and I reaaallllly hope the girls sleep in and that Nate gets to school ON TIME.

He has yet to be late this year, and it is already September - what an accomplishment for us!

a few birthday pictures through the years:

This is our 3rd birthday - sorry no digital pics until then!

Birthday 4, the big ballerina party, oh that was a fun one!

Touching Blog

Don't know how many of you are avid blog stalkers, but one I love is http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/. They author of this Stephanie and her husband were recently in a plane crash and are in critical condition. There is a lot going on in the blogosphere to assist this family with 4 young children and their story is just incredible. Take a look if you have a minute. Her sister's love and devotion comes shining through in her own touching blog.

http://blog.cjanerun.com/

So read up, but grab a kleenex, then hug your babies. Time passes too fast!

My Big Girl

Oh what a sad few days we have had. Tess is finally going to sleep like a big girl. So when I thought this was just a pipe dream, and seriously, I thought I would be going to college with her so that I can still tuck her in 596 times per night, but I promised her she could get her ears pierced if she would go to bed the first time I tucked her in. Well, for a month she has been sooo good and gone to bed like she is supposed to. So on Saturday, we headed off to the mall. when we got to the counter she changed her mind and said she would rather go to Build a Bear. Okay, I was fine with this, but her dad not so much. I was puzzled, b/c I think we both felt like another little piece of babyness was leaving when she got her ears pierced. Well, now I know why and boy was he right (I certainly hope he doesn't read this, cauz I will NOT admit this to him in person ;)) After a lengthy negotiation, both girls settled on purchases at Build a Bear. We left and were ready to leave the mall, which I have to say, even as a shopper I really hate. Love my computer for shopping! Tess then decided she was ready to get her ears pierced after all - hahaha, now we are at the part where her dad was right - shhh! So off we went, after talking her down from the large diamond like studs (her dad has more trouble than he can ever imagine) we settled on her birthstone and her ears were pierced. Baby no more :(

getting ready

right after :(

Then today it was off to 5 day/week preschool - I was so lonely this afternoon. Of course, I was not lonely enough to actually do anything productive, but I was lonely none the less

Off to put my very tired children to bed and shop some more (I might have a problem, but since Adam doesn't read this it doesn't count huh? Ohh you should see the winter coat I have found for Tess, it is exquisite) I think i need to be ready a theasurus at night and also working on my spelling, wow is it bad!

5 Star Listener

What in the World is she listening too? Ever wonder about art and what was in the artist's head? hmmm. I do, I think about random things too much and forget about real things, like when the mortgage is due all too often!

So Sophie's teacher has taught the class that they need to be 5 Star Listeners. We heard about this during Meet the Teacher, but honestly, I was busy filling out the paperwork so I don't know the five stars to listening! Sophie was telling me yesterday about something where they needed to be 5 star listeners and I asked her what the 5 star were. She quickly recited 4 and then was stumped. She finally conceeded that she would ask the teacher and report back to me. Today, she came home with a piece of paper and was reviewing it with Tess! I saw it and asked what it was, she told me she took some notes on 5 star listening!!!!  So for those of you that need to know:

1. Criss Cross Applesauce

2. Hands in your lap

3. Look at the speaker

4. Ears On

5. Mouth Shut

Needless to say, Kindergarten is going well! And for that matter so is 5th Grade, Nate just built is ship for Friday's Rain Gutter Regatta this weekend, so look for more pictures soon.

Lunch

Ohhh,  I am so excited about this Laptop lunchbox we found for Nate. I really want to encourage him to eat healthy and LIKE it. So I found this, bought 3 cookbooks on spicing up kids lunches and here is what we just packed for Day 1 of school lunches tomorrow: