5k

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I have been running for about a month and a half and tomorrow is my 5k running through the UW-RF campus. I am looking forward to it and hoping to have a great report with pictures to prove it! 

The FIRST field trip

Bennett had his first field trip of kindergarten at the end of September. I was lucky enough to be able to chaperone... the perks of being your own boss and working in town! Loading up the bus, sitting three to a seat... it all brought back memories of my own field trips! It was so fun to be able to be with Bennett, meet some of his friends and see him interact with his friends and Mrs. Vanasse. All four classes went, so over 80 kindergartners swarmed the orchard, picnic tables and playground. I felt so bad for a few mom's that had brought kiddos to the orchard for the morning. The "big kids" were going crazy on the playground! But everyone had a blast and came home with a few apples. I followed up  my field trip to helping with the apple party later in the week. We made applesauce, checked to see if they would sink or float, measured our apples and colored pictures of them. 

Love

We had our family pictures taken a couple of weeks ago. This one sure did capture my heart. It has less to do with the background or the picture, but more to do with how you can see the bond and love between Bennett and Sophia. 

Before Sophia was born, so many people warned me of the jealousy, fighting, yelling... everything they say that goes along with siblings. I had braced myself expecting that these two would be no different. Luckily, I was so wrong. Truly the only fault Bennett has is that he loves his sister too much! He always wants to be with her, hugging her, loving her, holding her. Up to the point where she lets out a big scream as if to say give me my space. 

I can not wait to see their relationship develop as the years go by. 

Halloween 2013

This year we had Chef Bennett and Lobster Sophia. Though they did not win a prize at the Rotary parade, we still got lots of compliments on how cute they were! Sophia sat happily in her pot, posing just like a good little lobster! Then that evening, Zander, Zoe and Ryder came over to head out trick or treating! The boys ran from house to house and filled almost two buckets of candy. It was madness! We had well over 200 trick or treaters at our house, too! 

Kindergarten

Throughout the week several mama friends of mine have sent their own littles on the big yellow bus to kindergarten for the first day. I have talked with some and watched others with pictures from afar. Listening to the stories and experiences, I feel like I have a bit of an advantage in sending Bennett tomorrow. But still, when Bennett woke up this am I knew today was different. It was the end of the life that we have come to know over the past 5 years. 5 years...

How is it that in what seems like a blink of an eye we bring this little guy home from the hospital. A new baby, enjoying the scents, the smirks, noises and taking in every moment as a new mommy and daddy. 

We start the journey of raising him to be a fun loving, caring little guy who then takes off on his first adventures without us. Still in the comforts of a wonderful, loving home with Heather. This becomes a second family - friends still to this day. 

Then the time comes to open his wings a little more and we move on to preschool for a couple of half days a week. A new adventure that Bennett welcomed with open arms. I was a Children's Farm alumni and knew what an awesome time he was going to have at Farm School. He grew, gained independence, taught us a lot about the outdoors and showed us how adventurous and flexible he was. 

After that follows a year of 2 full days of preschool a week. Again in a small, loving, caring environment at Bethel Highlands Preschool. What a great start to traditional schooling - where all the teachers and students know your name and a little about you. He is preparing to leave the nest and the comforts of the known. But really we know that the preparation is more for us then him. He is ready! 

Walking in to greet Miss Cindy on the first day of class. Never even looked back to mommy or daddy! This boy is ready for his new adventures. 

And now here we sit on the eve of his first day of kindergarten. How can it be our baby is off to school? It is a big world out there and I know that Bennett has so much to offer. I know the he has all the tools and skills he needs to be successful - tomorrow he will spread his wings on his own and fly! 

Lessons

Bennett made his way through level one and two this summer in swimming lessons at the middle school pool. He did a great job for a month at lessons every day. He loved going to the pool and showed all of his hard work off when he would swim with me. In this picture the girl with her back to the photo is one of my former students - Hannah - who was now a teacher to Bennett. 

Really?

Why must you torture me with putting all these things in my hair. She does not look amused!!

Selfie

One of her favorite past times... taking selfies on my phone!!

3 cousins

Here are the three Schneider cousins! Try to get a picture with all of them looking and smiling - IMPOSSIBLE! I think I took about 40 pictures and this was about the best. At least all three of the faces are towards the camera! 

A glimpse into the future

Pretty sure that we will see this same  image about 10 years from now. I can tell you that I sure hope time slows down between now and then - I am not ready for the two of them to grow up and head out into the world. For now we will enjoy the time of brother and sister riding around in their mustang! He drives, she laughs and the circle continues!! 

Balloons

Birthday celebrations are wonderful especially when they last for a few months! Bennett and Sophia celebrated for the last time when we were at the cabin in July! You can see by this picture all they really need are balloons! 

And she's off!

Here goes Sophia! She is off to the races. She took her first four steps on July 3rd and by July 29th she was a full on walker! 

Sleepover

Bennett had his first sleepover this past weekend. Zander spent Saturday night at our house. The boys had so much fun! We went to the Washington Co. fair, had dinner, played games, had a bon fire with smores! It was an evening filled with fun. I think the pictures tell the story!

Check Up

5 years and ready for kindergarten. Dr. Plotnik gave Bennett his 5 year well visit and physical to make sure everything looked good to head off to school this fall. He did a great job with all of the tests, pokes, shots and dr. talk! A very proud boy at the end of his appointment with a sucker! 

Slip & Slide

Watching the big boys on the slip and slide. She kept crawling over to try and hop on the slip and slide. I was able to distract her with the sprinkler to have on her own. It is tough being younger having the watch all the fun her big brother is having!! 

On the cob!

Bennett has always been a lover of corn on the cob. This summer he has been asking when it is time to start eating corn. We took him to the Chicken/Corn feed in Burkhardt last weekend. He was in heaven - told us on the ride there he was going to eat 4 cobs. And sure enough he did! He loved every moment!! 

Buggy

There she goes! Off for her second ride in the trailer. This time with her new helmet! She had a great time riding with Papa! The first night Bennett went with and they stopped at the park for some playground fun. This night it was just Papa and Sophia enjoying the evening! 

Field trip

Our little guy is off on his first field trip today. The children's museum was calling his name, and his class was leaving at 10:30 on the big yellow school bus. We rehearsed all of the rules, what to do if you can't find your teacher, what if a stranger starts talking to you, where you live and who your teacher is. He was ready! And for him the most exciting part... not having to sit in a car seat! I am sure it will be a great day!

Happy Birthday

Happy 1st birthday to the sweet little girl who completed our family. We love you more then you will ever know!!

The Market

No time to blog... selling 900 items at the munchkin markets! Will be back next week!! Hopefully with a lot of empty bins and a few dollars in our pockets :-)

Stanley Cup

This is from a while back, but still trying to catch up. Back in August Davis Drewiske was able to bring the Stanley Cup home to Hudson for 24 hours to do what he would like with it. Karen works in our building and so Davis was kind enough to bring it by the office. Karen had some friends coming to the office and said that it would be great to bring Bennett in that day for pictures. 

The public was invited to the Hudson Hockey to view the cup and take pictures, but we knew that was going to be a long line. This was the ultimate experience to be with Davis, the cup and get pictures and autographs. We talked with Bennett for 2 weeks - about the cup, hockey, the meanings and what a big deal this was. He was so excited he could hardly wait. 

He came with me to work and we waited for Davis to arrive. Bennett had his Badger hat for him to autograph and had made a card for him as well.

3:00 rolled around and the time came... Davis was here and the cup was in the building. We went over to Al's office where a bunch of people had gathered. Some were talking, others taking pictures. Karen called Bennett up to see Davis and take a picture. What did he do? Went and hid under a desk - see picture! So, you can imagine my mind when this is happening - here we are at a big moment and my child has run and is hiding from Davis and the Stanley cup. So, Davis being awesome grabs the cup, brings it down on the ground and is trying to talk to Bennett. But still no luck! 

In the end it all worked out and we got a group picture and he got Davis' autograph on his hat. Such a fun and memorable experience! I can't wait to tell him the story when he gets a bit older and understands the significance!!

15

Planning has begun for our 15 year class reunion. Hard to believe that 15 years have passed since we roamed the halls of HHS. Until I make a visit back to school - for a delivery, pick up, etc. Suddenly, I am the one the kids are all starring at... you know the "old lady." The one that has kids, drives a mom car and wears weird clothes. I remember seeing this people as we were in high school and thinking they were so old. Now, I know that 33 is not old, but when you look back at the 16, 17 and 18 year olds it sure feels like a lifetime ago. 

The one thing I will say is you could not pay me any amount of money to go back to high school. Life was good then, but life is so much better now. And with so many things in life, we get to take away the good pieces... from high school the friends! 

A new face

This is a new expression... one we haven't seen before! She looks a bit puzzled (maybe because I am talking screaming behind the camera for her to smile or maybe because she can't figure out why every five minutes I am taking a picture of her. Either way she thinks I am crazy. It doesn't matter though, because I love her! 

Isabella

Being gone over Isabella's birthday I did not get her post on the blog. So, we are one month late :-) I will never forget the day Isabella was born! I was scheduled to fly that morning to Atlanta hoping that she would arrive at some point that week since I was on spring break. Well, as luck would have it, we got the call before we left for the airport - Marita was in labor. My parents dropped me off at the airport, I flew to Atlanta and got onto the Marta as fast as I could. My final stop was Northside hospital! I walked into the hospital just as Caryn & Eduardo were leaving with Daniella (who had been born two days before) Isabella had arrived and was just perfect. I held her and was overjoyed! She screamed - the picture pretty much sums it up! Happy Birthday Isabella! We love you!!

 

Friends

Going through pictures I found this great one! When Lauryn was the only little one... now these 4 girls have a total of 8 children between us! How blessed we all are!

Round UP

Kindergarten is quickly approaching. And whether I like it or not, Bennett is going to turn 5, is going to board the big yellow bus in the fall and make his way to Kindergarten. And while I might be less then excited for the new phase in life, Bennett could not be more ready and thrilled to make his start at River Crest! He can harldy wait - from the talk about school, his friends that will be at River Crest, his new clothes for kindergarten, how he is ready because of the skills he has... the list goes on and on. So, while I would like to keep him my baby forever I know that he is going to love school, love learning and thrive in this new phase in his life. I know I will embrace it... eventually!!

The good life!

My mom is getting ready to retire at the end of the school year. As the day gets closer she keeps reminding us of how many Mondays she has. Or that this is the last parent teacher conferences or culture fair. An exciting time for her to move into a new and relaxing phase in life. As I was driving this week I noticed the old HMS and reminded me of where it all began. I can remember as a tiny little girl going Christmas caroling with her students, thinking I was so cool going to school with my mom! Follow that up with having your mom for a 6th grade teacher. While it was a bit of a balancing act, it had its perks!! Changing in the closet for ski club, always having money for lunch and maybe getting a sneak peek at the monthly seating chart!! 

I know that my mom has enjoyed all of the students that she has worked with, the colleagues that she has collaborated with and the friendships that she has made. I can imagine that it will be tough to say good-bye and walk out those doors in June, but I think it might make it a bit easier knowing that she has played a part in shaping thousands of students that passed through her classroom. 

Shelley Maria

Happy Birthday Shelley! It seems almost impossible that it was 14 years ago at 3:00 in the afternoon we received a call that you had arrived. I can remember all of the anticipation that surrounded us as we were waiting for your arrival. I went to Atlanta for spring break in March. Bringing with an entire suitcase filled with clothes, bibs, hats and other goodies! It was so fun to put the finishing touches on the nursery with your mom. 

And then you entered this world and I had to wait a whole three weeks to come and meet you. But I was lucky enough to be able to stay for a month once I arrived in Atlanta! It has been so fun watching you grow and I treasure all of the wonderful memories that we have together. Being your godmother is such an honor and now to have you as Sophia's godmother is so special! 

We love you Shelley!!

 

Throwback Thursday

Where does the time go? Look at these three little dolls!! 

The Hunt

When we got home from church, the Easter bunny had left his mark. And boy, Bennett and Sophia must have been pretty good with all the loot he left for them!

The Three Girls

April 15th

The day most Americans dread. Tax day! We in our house look forward to its arrival each year. That means that busy season has come to a close and we have made it through the last 4 months of Travis working non stop 70-80 hour weeks, 7 days a week. It is what you sign up for when you are a CPA, but it doesn't make it any easier knowing what to expect. When January rolls around it seems like April will never arrive. Though each year we get to this point, look back and it wasn't that bad. Tonight Travis celebrates with his co-workers and tomorrow he comes home at 5:00. We can't wait!! 

April 15th in years past... 

 Travis sleeps at 9:37

 Bennett sleeps

 Bennett's gift for making it through tax season. It is tough when daddy is gone!