This Little Piggy

WARNING: This post involves feet...sorry Teegs ;)

"This little piggy went to the market, this little piggy stayed home..."

This is a common ritual in our household while washing toes during bathtime. The kids love it...especially when "All the way home!" ends with some tickling and giggles.

During one bath in February, Connor said, "Mommy, do 'This little Valentine.'"

And so it went..."This little Valentine went to the market..."

In March..."Mommy, do This Little Leprechaun!"

In April..."This Little Bunny"

Early May..."This Little Mommy"

And last night..."This Little Plant"

What?!?!

So silly!

I guess he has really been enjoying all the extra attention we've been giving to the yard lately.

I love how silly this little man is!

Next month...in June...I predict..."This Little Daddy went to the market!"

(Oh I wish he would sometimes;)

Happy Wednesday!

Good-Bye Bottle

Yes, Emma Kate is almost 15 months old. Well past the 1 year, "You're not supposed to give your child a bottle anymore" deadline. I have been thinking about-well-uh-dreading this time for several months now. We began giving her water in a sippy around December. She loves her water. So naturally when she turned 1 and we were able to give her cow's milk, I thought, "No problem!"

Boy was I wrong! That girl took one sip of milk from a sippy cup and made a horrific face, as if I had filled her cup with straight lemon juice. However, cow's milk in her bottle...just fine!

So I put it off. There were lots of times I had planned it, but she ended up with a cold.

Or teething.

Or a cold.

Today it wasn't even planned. I just decided today would be the day. She still has a runny nose...either from a cold or teething. (These days I can't tell what it's from.) But the bottles are gone. I decided that the girl won't get dehydrated...she'll eventually drink the milk.

I am armed with a couple special sippies that she can just associate with milk, of assorted shapes and sizes, the one in the middle having a spout that most resembles a bottle.

And I am banning her from water...until she drinks the milk.

Up until now, we have given her water at meal time and milk in a bottle before naps and bed.

So today when I gave her a sippy before naps, she played a little with it, biting at it, as though she had never drunk from one before in her life. And rejected it. But no problem. No drama.

Tonight, as we ate dinner, I offered her the cup with milk. She didn't even touch it. She DID however, reach relentlessly for all of our drinks, though most were milk as well. Dinner ended with nothing to drink for Emma Kate.

Oh here we go.

So I got her ready for bed, heated the milk from dinner in a sippy and sat her down on the couch to document her dismay...

And then to my surprise...

OK, so she wasn't thrilled. And she only drank a couple of ounces worth. And she cried really hard in her bed for quite a while...which is very unusual.

Is it too late to turn back?!?!

Got any tips for a mom whose boys gave her no problems with this transition?

I hope this is not a sign of the Mother/Daughter Battle of the Wills in my future!

P.S. I am praying that she doesn't wake up screaming for a bottle during the night...Oh please God...let us sleep well.

Happy Birthday Cale!

I know I already posted today but I felt that I needed a separate post for this special event. As I mentioned in my previous post, this past Saturday we went to my nephew's birthday party. Cale is 2 months older than Connor and they love to spend time together. So of course there is NO WAY we would miss his party!

Cale was in to all things fireman forever. And then it seemed as though overnight he decided he loved Spiderman. So Spiderman party it was!

Becki created her own "Pin the Spider on the Web" game, complete with laminated spiders containing each child's name.

These were the kids' food tables...

Cale insisted on a cake. Ice Cream Cake. Instead of cupcakes this year.

As I've mentioned before...their backyard is a child's wonderland.

Notice the Spiderman Speedway sign on the back of the trike.

Emma Kate couldn't give up the ball long enough to swing.

As if things weren't fun enough....

Dominic made his debut appearance as...none other than...

Spiderman!!!

He showed up through the back fence, surprising everyone!

Oh my goodness! It was awesome! I almost peed my pants! I think Dominic has discovered another way to raise some extra cash for gas starting next year ;)

Connor was so scared that he ran inside the house and watched from a window for a little while.

Finally Connor warmed up to him.

Spiderman played games with the kids.

Spiderman finally broke open the pinata with one swing after all the kids took several whacks at it.

Spiderman gave some climbing tips (of course without talking!)

Spiderman pushed the kids in the hammock (or rather his web.)

And finally took pictures with all the kids, both individually and in groups.

Emma Kate wanted NOTHING to do with him.

Spiderman was such a hit! I cannot even tell you the joy on those kids' faces!

It was a party I will definitely remember forever.

Happy Birthday Cale!

I am so glad you had such a fun time!

Weekend in Pictures

My weekend started Saturday morning...early...as most days do. With Coffee. In my favorite cup.

Jeff worked the night shift the night before so it was my job to keep the kids entertained for a few hours. Connor has been on a coloring kick lately and I figured that Emma Kate is now old enough to get in on the action.

In a controlled way though...thus the high chair.

She did really well! And of course I will always treasure her first piece of artwork :)

Here's Connor with breakfast still on his face.

Once Jeff got up, we headed out to the Martinez Peddlers' Fair. This is where many locals sell antiques, homemade goods, etc...

Connor had a great time but Emma Kate fell asleep in the stroller. (Dominic didn't join us...he had spent the night at Nana and Papa's the night before. We didn't dare invite him...this sort of thing bores him to death!) Stay tuned for some treasures that all of us, but Jeff, found at the fair :) Sad for Jeff:(

Later in the day we all (including Dominic) went to my nephew, Cale's, 5th Birthday Party.

We. Had. A. Blast!

And we ALL went home very tired!

Sunday was pretty uneventful. Church. Yardwork. Housework.

And a Dance Party.

If you didn't know this about the Schwab Family...We often turn the music up, let loose, and get jiggy with it! In our own Schwab Fashion. Sunday's dance party included DJ Jeff with Connor's headphones on.

Oh makin' memories! That's what it's all about right?

Jeff tends to get very silly during these dance parties!

Yes that's a diaper on his head. At least it's clean.

And finally the weekend finished up with bedtime for Baby before we started bedtimes for everyone else!

This weekend Emma Kate has become engrossed with Baby.

Here she is apparantly trying to feed Baby's eye :)

Hope your weekend was full of fun, relaxation, and family time.

Gettin' Loose

"His teeth look great...and he has a loose tooth!"

These are the words Connor's dentist said to me as he finished up his appointment yesterday afternoon. I'm not sure which statement I was more excited about.

I can definitely tell you which statement Connor was more excited about!

One of his girl friends (not to be mistaken for his "girlfriend") recently has had a loose tooth, so before we even got to the car, he was asking to call her to tell her that he too, was part of the loose tooth club. This phone call was followed by a handful more to family members to share the exciting news.

And so the wiggling began!

Woohoo Connor! I am so excited for you buddy!

Cupcake Deliciousness

This weekend I made the most delicious, mouth watering, "I can't stop," cupcake I have EVER tasted! I had THREE...yes, I said it...THREE...in one day.

I am not sure whether to thank or curse Mel for the recipe! These will be the new Schwab cupcake staple...fo sho!

Sew Sew

When Connor graduated to Orange Belt in his Taekwondo class, he was given a new patch to put on his uniform...

Normally when I am faced with any project that involves any type of sewing, I refer it to my Mother In Law. She is amazing! She has fixed rips, let hems out of pants, made duvet covers out of sheets...you name it...she has come through for me!

OK, so I can do one thing...replace a button. Don't laugh. I'm serious. And I probably could do more if I put the time and effort into learning how. Very intimidating.

Back to this patch...I decided I'd give it a try on my own.

I do own a "sewing kit." So I pulled out some stuff today during rest/nap time and gave it a try.

The finished product!

Not bad, ehh?!?!

Until you look at the underside, which of course I won't be showing everyone.

Oh wait, I am posting it on my blog :)

I felt very grown up sitting on my couch this afternoon, with needle and thread in hand!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Tuesday!

Tonight I got to hang out with this little man!...

Oh! And his parents;)

(My nephew, aka Harley Bug)

Such a sweetie!!

Mother's Day

From the moment I woke up on Sunday, my boys did everything they could to make it a special day. Connor couldn't wait to give me his Mother's Day present. This little package consisted of a card and a CD from his pre-school.

Dominic got up super early...for a teenager on the weekend...and made the family pancakes for breakfast. He even customized mine with "#1 M."

In the picture it looks kind of like "Him"...funny!

Jeff's parents joined us for church and came over afterward for brunch. So there was some cooking involved on my part, but that was the only "work" I had to do all day and I had prepared most of it on Saturday. They brought me a Dalia for the backyard and a Starbucks card! I was very excited...especially when Jeff's dad went out back and asked where I wanted him to plant it. He brought soil and everything! Now that's a gift...a new plant and I didn't have to do anything! Becki and the kids came and played for about an hour too.

Before they left we got a few pictures in...

Here's the inside of my card from Connor...

And my gift from Dominic...

My first thought was, "Oh great! Just what I need when I'm trying to lose weight!"

Then he told me how he rode his bike to the See's candy store by himself, picked out the candy, and paid for it with his own money...need I say more?!?!

Emma Kate gave me a handprint that she made in Sunday School and Jeff gave me money to go toward the new camera I'm saving for! Yeah! That means that he's agreeing for me to buy it!!!

Whoot! Whoot!

We spent the afternoon hanging out with the kids and took a walk together.

Then we headed over to Scott and Shawna's for dinner with my family. Every dinner at their house finishes with a bomb fire in the backyard. Do I love me a fire! Especially when it includes roasted marshmallows!

Shawna's 1st Mother's Day!!

I love when we get to hang out all together!

Emma Kate has a new trick where she lifts up her shirt when you say, "Where's your tummy?!?!" Then she tickles it herself and says, "Ickle, ickle, ickle."

Here she is doing it without being prompted. I know...this probably isn't a good thing for my daughter to be learning...but it sure is cute!

And finally...my Momma!

This woman is the most selfless woman I know. She will do anything for her family. She never bats an eye when I ask her to watch the grandkids...even if she's not feeling well, she is always thinking of a way to help. She is kind, loving, and funny.

She is my Number 1 Fan. No matter how insecure I feel as a mother, she is always telling me how wonderful I am.

She teaches me how to be patient, forgiving, and how to love unconditionally.

Whenever I am stressing about my messy house, I can hear the words she often tells me, "When you go to heaven, you won't be judged by how clean your house is, honey."

She is an amazing mother and grandmother.

Most of all, she gave me life and taught me to love the Lord.

I am so thankful for her and all the amazing women in my life. Days like these help me to remember how blessed I am to be a mother. Yes, it is a tiresome and often thankless job. But so often we take it for granted. Yet the Lord has blessed me with the priveledge and the challenge to raise these 3 precious souls. I pray that if nothing else, I can teach them to love, love, love! To live life to it's fullest and to know His unconditional love for them.

Happy Mother's Day!