Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas started off at my parent's house on Dec. 17th and all the kids had a blast staying up late and plyaing with each other. Microphones, baby Stella and the nightgowns from grandma were the hit of the night! Imagine 7 little voices (some much higher than others) singing 7 different songs all at one time - throwing in a few dance moves along the way. Saturday we celebrated Luke's birthday and Chris and I celebrated our anniversary by lounging on my parents couch and falling asleep to some random movie - Men Who Stare at Goats or something like that. I did actually see the part where the secret agent guy killed the goat just by staring at it - no context at all as to what surrounded that event but I felt like I got the most important part of the movie anyway.



6 years of being married to my best friend - on the one hand it doesn't seem like it's been that long, on the other hand we have two girls and one boy on the way in less than a month - WHAT??

Santa came a little early to our house and the girls got new "pets" that we don't have to feed or clean up after - perfect!! The next morning the girls exchanged gifts with Great Grandma Dornak while Grandma and Grandpa watched them so Mommy and Daddy could go to work.





Our Christmas trip to Fredericksburg was delayed by a day because Nora had a sick tummy on Thursday morning and the rest of Chris' family was going to Mexico on Monday and didn't want to risk possibly catching anything. It was nice to spend one more night in our own beds before heading out for one more Christmas.

The girls had a blast opening a ton of toys but I think the highlights of the weekend were watching the Children's Christmas Mass at St. Marys (thanks daddy for holding them where they could see everything) and then the live lamb that made an appearance at the end of the service at Bethany. We also were able to spend a few hours visiting with Michael John Swanzy - home from Germany for a brief amount of time.

We had wonderful Christmas celebrations and can't wait for the arrival of Wyatt! (less than a month to go - I have a feeling he'll be here before the 29th, especially since my OBGYN has no problem inducing if I want her to:-)

Concordia Thanksgiving

Today daycare had their annual Thanksgiving Feast! Instead of eating in their individual classrooms, the school (well, almost the entire school - more on that in a minute)gathers in the main room and each class is dressed either as Pilgrims or Indians. They say their prayers, the Indians do their little yells and everyone digs in. We were hoping to stop by and tell the girls "hi", take a few pictures, and then head out to our own lunch. Unfortunately, we learned this year that the older kids don't eat until the younger ones are done so while Nora's class made their appearance at 11:15, it was right at noon when Addie's class finally made their way out. Nora was super excited to see us and while she ate most of the food on her plate, I swear she stood up between each bite to run to her Daddy with the biggest smile and point something in the room out (turkey, pumpkin, the horse on his shirt). When she finished saying whatever she had to say, she'd do a cross between a horse gallop/dance/jump the entire way back to her seat. This was certainly an exciting meal for her. Her hair was briaded so cute and their outfits were really precious. Not sure if we get to keep these shirts or not - Addie's class did when she was little but the shirt wasn't in her cubby at the end of the day so I think we are out of luck. When Addie's class finally made their way out, Addie spotted us right away and we snapped a few pictures before we had to leave. Unlike Nora, Addie didn't cry when we left. She's getting so grown up and even informed us at supper that she is nearly 4 (not happening until May but I guess she'll be 4 before she's anything else).

Trick-Or-Treat!

We had a great time going trick-or-treating with my cousin Matt and his family (Nate was a racecar driver) and some of their friends (Madeline was a princess). Addie led the pack right away and was all about going to the next house to get more candy. At one point in the night, Nora had opened a tootsie roll pop in one hand (which she wasn't letting go of) and her pumpkin basket in the other (which she also had a death grip on) which meant that at a few houses where it was "help yourself" to the candy bowl, she was just out of luck! We had to get Addie under control on her knocking more than a few times though because if the homeowner didn't get to the door quickly enough she started to ring the doorbell while knocking some more. She had such a good time and really listened well while we were walking around the neighborhood - she really didn't want the night to end! Nora had fun but took a little while to warm up to the idea of going to different houses. She was content trying to eat all the candy from the first house or two. By the end of it though she was running around - guess she turned into a wild flower:-) I'll admit, the holiday is a lot more fun when the kids get the point!

Jack-O-Lanterns

The week before Halloween we carved pumpkins with the girls. It was late in the evening when we started but we had to carve them then because Mommy was out of town from Wednesday evening through Friday at a seminar. We all worked on getting the guts out of the pumpkins but didn't do a tremendous job apparently because the things were pretty nasty by Sunday - we lit them a few times before then though and the girls loved them. We let the girls draw on the pumpkins with markers first and then Daddy helped to carve their faces. Addie was very interested and wanted to make sure Daddy did a good job. Nora looked on genuinely concerned almost the entire time - it was precious. Here's a few pics from our night! Halloween pics to come when I get around to downloading them on the computer - not tonight:-)

Dornak Family Hunting Trip

Last weekend we had my side of the family out to the ranch for some managment deer hunting. Just so happens that it was Uncle Dwayne's birthday on Friday night. We had cake and sang him happy birthday, and then on Saturday when the kids were getting a piece of left over cake for dessert, they decided to sing happy birthday again before they ate the cake - it was really cute!



Saturday evening mom and I took all the kids (minus Skylar who was hunting with her mommy and daddy but sadly didn't see anything to shoot) to the family stand to look for deer. No real surprise - we didn't see anything (I'm pretty sure the deer would have had to have been deaf and blind in order for us to have a chance to see it). It's getting to be more and more fun with all the kids out there - they are really starting to grow up! We had a great time decorating Halloween cookies, riding 4 wheelers and playing with Uncle Dwayne's Birthday present. Can't wait until next year's trip when we'll have one more kid to add to the bunch!

Daddy's Big Buck

Opening weekend Chris shot a 150+ buck at Luckenbach with his bow. The girls were so exicted because we found the buck that hadn't run far but was nicely hidden behind a large cedar tree - luckily mommy went left with the girls instead of right and ended up in just the right spot! Nora could barely contain herself and just kept repeating "big buck" while petting the shoulder and belly. Addie was also super excited and told us that the tall grass we were walking through was "awesome" and that she really wanted to touch the buck's eyes and tongue - needless to say, she did NOT get to. Eventhough it's been over 2 weeks, Nora still asks about the "big buck" and looks in the back of the truck for it on an almost daily basis.

Wyatt Christopher Schoessow is on his way!

We found out on September 9th that our 3rd little baby is, in fact, a boy! When we've told people the news in person or on the phone, the number one response was "Bet Chris is relieved." I don't know that relieved is the best word but certainly he is excited! I'm excited, I've always wanted at least one of each (boy and girl) and with both of my girls tending to be Daddy's girls I want my shot at a Momma's boy:-) The number two question is "Are you going to stop having kids now." My response to this is always the same. First of all, we didn't have a third kid to try for a boy so it's not like "Mission Accomplished"; God willing I always wanted at least 3 and possibly 4 kids(no, I'm not crazy). I'm a middle child and have always wanted a middle child (or 2) of my own. It could be that the baby factory shuts down after this little guy but I won't rule out number 4 until we've had three for a while.

The best response (beyond Chris and I finding out at the ultrasound) was Addie's. She's been so insistent about having another sister that I made Chris promise we wouldn't tell her until we were both home and had the video camera out. That evening we asked her again what the baby was and she said a girl. Chris asked her, "What if the doctor told us it is a little boy?" to which she cautiously responded, "Well, it could maybe be a girl." Then the moment of truth - Chris told her that the doctor said there was a baby brother in Mommy's tummy and much to our surprise Addie broke out a huge smile and clapped! (I've checked the video again to verify that I didn't just imagine this) We asked if she was going to teach her little brother all the things that she knows and Nora started shaking her head adamently as Addie answered yes. I hadn't realized that Nora was even paying attention - poor middle child already neglected:-)

So with that hurdle overcome Daddy jumped right into the name and asked Addie what we should name the baby. We'd been preparing Addie for the possibliity of this baby being a boy by asking her, "If it's a boy, what should we name it?" Every time, without hesitation, the answer "Tinkerbell" was given. Sure enough, this evening was no exception, she answered her Daddy "Tinkerbell" while throwing her arms in the air. Chris then told the girls his name - a name we'd discussed over 4 years ago when we didn't know what Addie was and again briefly over 2 years ago when pregnant with Nora, but certainly hadn't discussed recently. It took me by surprise because we hadn't even discussed boy or girl names at this point in this pregnancy and it wasn't like this was the only name that I liked - but as Chris reminded me by providing the other names he preferred, it was the only name we both liked! Addie easily repeated "Wyatt" and Nora tried her best but her first attempt sounded a lot more like Sprite. She's gotten much better at this though. In light of the facts that (1) this was a name I'd originally found over 4 years ago (before Cheryl Crow named her adopted son Wyatt), (2) I'd come up with and pushed the names we ultimately used for the girls, and (3) I still didn't like the other names on Chris' list and still really like this one, it's pretty official that his name's going to be Wyatt Christopher Schoessow.

The next day as I dropped Addie off at school she called out to me as I was walking away, "Mommy, keep baby Wyatt nice and safe in your tummy!" It was so sweet. Nora seems to have the same confusion that Addie did when she was Nora's age and I was pregnant with Nora - occasionally when we talk about the baby in Mommy's tummy she looks down at her own bloated tummy, pats it and says "baby" which makes me laugh every time.

The ultrasound showed that he's a healthy little guy who is growing right on track - we can't ask for anything more other than that God continues to bless us with a safe pregnancy and a healthy little boy in January!

Big Sister Addie

When I picked up Addie and Nora from Concordia last Monday, Nora's teacher was informing me that she would be transitioning in a few weeks from her current room to the next room up for 18-24 month old kids. Addie asked me in the car if Nora was going to another baby room. I informed her that Nora was growing up to be a big girl and wouldn't be in the baby room anymore. Remembering what I had told her days before about us getting another baby when Nora became a big girl, Addie immedidately informed me, "Mommy, I want to keep this one. I want to keep this one for a very long time." When I asked her what this one was (not having clued in at this point and knowing to expect the unexpected with Addie). As I turned around to look, Addie was pointing at Nora, "This one."

I had to laugh as I explained that we would keep Nora forever which is a very very very long time. After this sunk in she looked at me very seriously and told me that a new baby "can't sit here" while pointing at Nora's seat. I assured her that any new baby would have its own seat right by Nora and that we would still keep Addie and Nora but we will just have one more baby as well. We haven't acutally explained to the girls that another baby is on the way yet because they are still so young and likely won't understand. Once I get a real belly it will be easier to explain I think. We've just been asking general questions about another baby. The great thing is that this new babay certainly has a big sister who will look out for him/her, and it was so sweet to see just how much she loves Nora!

Busy June 2010

Here are a few highlights (and one lowlight) from our June.



Nora started wearing pigtails (most of her hair is long enough - good bye mullet, hello big girl!)



We had our first fish funeral (followed by our second one 30 minutes later). This would be the lowlight of the month.

Apparently after a month of having her fish Addie decided to play with them - outside of their tank. The results weren't too good for the fish. She may have squeezed one too hard according to her report. After a brief hiatus we got her one more fish that doesn't live in her room. She has insisted on naming this one Iridessa too:-)


We had a blast on our annual fishing trip to the landcut.


We celebrated my 31st Birthday


We had another Sea World trip (always fun) but this time with two of our cousins, Charles and Abigail (even more fun)

And the best news of all (which we actually received in May but didn't officially confirm until June) Baby Schoessow #3 is on the way!!!

We are due January 29th - and no, we don't know if it is a boy or a girl. For some reason this was the top question when we told people at work - I was like really, I've barely got a belly, of course it's too early to tell. We are very excited about this baby and are just praying that all goes well and it is healthy. I'm in my 11th week now. Since Nora came 5 days early I'm hoping this one comes early too! Feels good to be a little more than 1/4 of the way through the pregnancy already. I'd post a pic but really...just imagine a black and white image where the head is almost the same length as the rest of the body but you can see little legs, feet, arms and hands - that's what our baby looks like!

Memorial Day Cuties

I'm a little late on posting this but we spent most of our Memorial Day weekend at home - it was heaven!!


We did go to Scott's lakehouse on Sunday and were so happy to meet baby Brady Bonn - such a sweet baby. The lake was the perfect opportunity for the girls to wear their new hats and they were so cute in them!





On Monday Addie had a blast playing in the pool. When Nora woke up from her nap I put her in her bathing suit so she could go out and play too. The sprinklers popped up in the yard just after Nora went out and my surprised reaction combined with the fact that she had just woken up resulted in one unhappy little girl. Addie just kept on playing!

Addison's Birthday Weekend

Friday was Addison's birthday, and after being stuck at home for four days with poison oak outbreak that had been initially misdiagnosed as chicken pox and eczema, boy was she ready to get out and have some fun! She started the morning by waking up to her "princess room" that Aunt Misty decorated for her.



She got a ladybug cupcake and her presents from Mommy, Daddy, Nora and Aunt Misty. She loved them all but got especially excited when Daddy rolled out her new big girl princess bike!!



Then it was on to school where she and her friend Aspen share the same birthday, May 21st. Aspen's parents brought doughnuts for the kids for the morning snack and I made some cupcakes with pink and brown frosting and purple sprinkles. I'm sure the teachers really appreciated the sustained sugar rush the kiddos had as a result:-)



That evening Oma, Opa, Aunt Courtney, Aunt Cassy, the Eilers clan, Jen Patlovany and Nate joined us at Chuck-E-Cheese for a little more birthday fun. We had a ton of fun playing games and eating cake. At first Addie and the kids weren't sure about Chuck-E but after a little while Addie was convinced it'd be ok to take a picture with him. Chuck-E-Cheese is really big on the "cheese" part when it comes to kids birthdays - complete with blow-up crown, birthday medal, balloon, piggy bank and a show for the "birthday stars." Addie absolutely loved the attention!! Then it was back to the house with Chris' family to open gifts. Nora even got a few presents - thank you Aunt Cassy and a big thanks to Brad and Aunt Courtney for the awesome Reveille toys!







We woke up early the next morning to drive to El Campo. We made it and had enough time to feed the new baby calf with Grandpa and decorate for the party. Soon Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and of course all the cousins were at my mom's house for some birthday fun. Great-Aunt Susan made Addie's cake and much to Addie's delight it had Cinderella on top! After eating, playing and napping it was on to cousin Skylar's dance recital. Addie was very impressed with all the ballerinas! Nora danced along to every song while in her seat. They both loved playing with the glow bracelets from Great-Aunt Nelda and Great-Uncle Bill.





Sunday morning Grandpa and Grandma got some quality play time in and then we had yet another special treat - we went to the Stehling's house to eat and play. Nolin made some yummy burgers and Jeanine had delicious dips and fruit salad for us. The kids had a blast on the slip and slide while we actually got to visit a little. It was really cool to see our kids playing so well together - it's hard to believe that we are at this stage in our life, all grown up with kids!





We had an amazing weekend and are so lucky that we got to share it with so many people we love. Thank you to everyone who took part in it - I'm sure Addie will remember all the fun and love from that weekend. I almost wanted to cry when on the way to school that Friday morning Addie anounced to me, "Mommy, I'm 3! I'm not a baby anymore, I'm all growed up!"

My baby (she gets so mad when I call her that) really is growing up so fast. She amazes us every day with something new she's learned. She is fearless and fiercely protective of anything she loves. She has a strong personality and constantly challenges us and her teachers. She has never been a "cuddle baby" but will be so unexpectedly tender and kind that it just melts your heart. I think one story from the Wednesday before Addie's birthday best sums up our sweet girl. On Wednesday when she had to stay home because of her horrible skin rash that was itching like crazy, Misty and Joanie took her to pick out Joanie's birthday present to Addie - fish! Misty and Joanie put several bowls of beautiful male beta fish down for Addie to pick from. They were all different colors and had big beautiful fins. Instead, Addie saw a little pale colored tiny fish (turns out it's a beta female) and immediately fell in love. No one could change her mind, she just had to have this slightly sickly looking fish she named "Iridessa" (like on Tinkerbell). She also picked out a very pretty purple male beta fish who was eventually named Benjamin. Here's how Benjamin got his name - Addie explained to Misty and Joanie that this larger beautiful male beta was one day going to grow to look just like "beautiful" Iridessa. Joanie responded to this comment (I'm sure while supressing a laugh) that he was going to be like Benjamin Button - and so Addie named him Benjamin. That's my girl - she has her own mind and sees the beauty inside everyone - even a fish:-)

Wildseed Farms = Wild Girls

Last weekend we made a trip to the Wildseed Farm. They had beautiful fields of poppies, bluebonnets and other wild flowers. One of the fields has a path cut though it so you can walk among all the flowers. It didn't take our girls long to realize that this was the perfect place to RUN among the flowers. We managed to catch them for a few pictures but they weren't too happy about being slowed down so those didn't turn out so well. Misty caught a few moments when they stopped to smell the flowers:-) Oma and Opa stopped by at the end on the way back from Austin and then Grandma stopped by to buy some roses before she and Misty headed out to Hilltop. The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS and we had a great time eating strawberry popsicles and vising with everyone.





Yep, that little streak far off in the distance is Addie! Nora tried her best to keep up and actually did a pretty good job toward the end of the trip.

My Hammock

I got my birthday present from Chris early this year - a hammock! Not just any hammock, a really pretty one that isn't multicolored striped cloth and isn't thick rope that digs into you. It even has beautiful scalloped crocheted looking edging and pretty tassles at both ends. I love it and I got to use it for the first time this Saturday when we went out to Hilltop for part of the evening. We took the girls to the Wildseed farm earlier that day - I'll try to post those pictures/stories soon.

For as long as I can remember I've always wanted a hammock. Mostly I imagine myself just laying in the sun reading a good book...falling asleep and napping only to wake up again and read a little more. As I got older I imagined I'd also use it to lounge in with my hubby and we could talk and talk as the clouds roll through the sky. Of course, my kiddos would love hanging out in the hammock with me too. They could be running through sprinklers or playing on a swingset on a hot summer day and then when they are exhausted they'd ask me to come lay with them in the hammock and we'd sing songs as we rocked back and forth (eating ice cream hopefully). I mean really, who doesn't love a hammock?

And then this weekend, as I laid in my hammock for the first time - sipping a drink and reading a book - I realized that my hammock will probably never live up to be what I'd imagined. While I was enjoying relaxing and reading (two of my absolute most favorite things) my husband found it necessary to continue to chop weeds. I had chopped some thistles when he and Misty were hanging the hammock, but I was chopping just to get rid of the ones that would soon be under my feet otherwise. For some reason, now that my hammock was hung and we were all certain my rear end wouldn't go crashing to the ground, it was Chris' mission to rid our yard of weeds:-) I know this totally sounds selfish because he was just doing one of the many things that needed to get done out at Hilltop, but he was ruining my moment! How could I possibly relax when he was working on his callouses? Eventually I flat out asked him to stop and made him sit with me for a few minutes. We did chat and did look up at the clear blue sky - for a moment. Then I was off to take pictures that would hopefully help sell the place (it's for sale now that we've fixed it up - anyone interested?!) and I'm pretty sure he was back to the weeds. My only hope for his not chopping weeds until midnight lay in the fact that almost the entire front yard was covered in blue bonnetts. A while later, the immediate tasks accomplished and Chris and I getting ready to depart, I announced that I was going to enjoy my hammock a little more. This time I really thought I could relax because Chris was cooling off with a beer inside so no "I'm not working and he is" guilt would set in. Unfortunately, the wind had decided to start blowing, the temperature dropped a little, and my sleeveless shirt with my slightly red shoulders weren't doing much to keep me warm. I contemplated getting a blanket but knew we were leaving in a few minutes so I watched as much of the not-quite sunset that I could, listened to the cows, read some of my book, and stared up through the pecan tree branches realizing that this ideal hammock hanging spot was ours until we sell the place (again, anyone interested?). Eventually Chris walked out and Misty reminded me of the still wrapped fruit roll-up she had tossed from the balcony, and I had missed, earlier. Nothing like a fruit roll-up to motivate me to move:-) Misty and my mom stayed the night at Hilltop (apparently the wind didn't really die down so not sure how much relaxing they did either) and my hammock is going to reside there for the time being.

I guess when you build something up for so long you are bound to be a little disappointed - not in the hammock itself, but in how the scenes actually play out. A busy life with responsibilities, bills, kids and a schedule will certainly limit the hammock time. All those things also make whatever hammock time I get even sweeter. There's always hope for me and my girls with ice cream swinging in the sun! And when Addie runs off searching for her Daddy and Nora starts throwing a fit because her ice cream is all gone, I'll just sit back and smile and think of the next place my hammock is going to hang. I'm sure it will be just the perfect amount of sun and shade with a tidy yard and house that aren't demanding attention. Maybe it will hang not too far from a pool that the kids are playing in? Chris will have one too and we'll enjoy our hammocks frequently. You never know, it could happen! After all, what's the point in having everything you've ever wanted if you can't take the time to enjoy it!

I love you Chris - thank you for the present. Promise I'll post a better picture soon (notice he is on the upper left side of the hammock chopping weeds in the top one though).

Easter

This was the first Easter that both of our girls could really hunt for eggs and it was so much fun to watch. On Friday morning when the girls hunted eggs at home Nora quickly discovered that there was candy inside the eggs. From that moment of discovery on Nora would pick up an egg, open it, take the candy and put it in her basket or occasionally her mouth, and then deposit the egg in the basket. She certainly has my sweet tooth! Don't get me wrong, Addie loves her candy too but little Nora was totally motivated by the sweet stuff.



Addie was fully expecting Easter chicks and ducks at Grandma and Grandpa's house but an added surprise this year was a bunny. Addison absolutely LOVED her bunny - and just ask her, this was HER bunny. For some reason though, Daddy wouldn't let us bring it home (Mommy was all for that).



Nora got a huge kick out of the chicks and ducks. On Saturday when the big kids were napping Nora helped Grandpa move them outside to their pen. She literally picked up every one of the eight chicks out of their box, placed them in my lap and then proceeded to take them back from me and put them back in the box. I was trying to take video and pictures the whole time. Unfortunately that resulted in some "just ok" pics. Much to my delight she was still absolutely amazed at the chicks once they were outside and I did manage to snap a few great pics. Her reaction was just so precious - it was either constant jabbering or a look of pure excitement and joy!





Addison loved the "baby chicks and baby ducklings" (this is said in a tiny sweet higher pitched voice).




All the cousins had so much fun playing together - so much fun in fact that Addie didn't notice that she had sprained her ankle somewhere along the way. Her poor little bruised ankle isn't swollen anymore and she never did complain about it but it was super puffy as we headed home on Sunday evening. Hope everyone had a happy Easter!