Exciting Home News

So after the last post and lots of prayers - we have decided to try and buy when our lease is up - which means over the holidays we will be looking to buy a house out here!!! So exciting! We have been saving up for a down payment and are really thrilled that it could be a really strong possibility of owning our own house out here in less than a year! We are praying we can take advantage of these amazing home deals and then get into a home that we can be in while all the kids grow

Sad news - Cocoa Bear the dog didn't work out... its a long story, but we are still looking. Our next option is a new little Aussie puppy - so thats exciting too!

For some reason my blog wont let me add photos any more. Hopefully I will have some time to figure out why in the next few days.

Took Conrad in for some chest x-rays today, we should find out the results tomorrow. We also had another OB appt - they keep wanting to do ultra sounds every 2 week to check how big the baby is. (S)He is growing great, just measuring a little smaller than typical, but our babies have always been small in my tummy. Just praying all five kiddos get/stay healthy. We are really enjoying our summer and each other!

settling down

So we have decided that we are going to stay in the house that we are in for another 2 years once our lease is up - and then we are going to buy! So exciting!

Oh - and we are getting a dog on Saturday! Another big exciting thing for us...that means we are finally settling down to an area!!! Five kids and a zillion moves later - we think this is home, at least for the next few years ;)

Our Kiddos

Our four beautiful (handsome) kiddos playing at home. They are growing so fast!!! It is hard to believe Shortie is 5 and that baby Conrad is already 7 months!

Ezekiels Funny Faces

These are from April - he was just being a ham!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

but also remembering those that struggle today - with the loss of a child, the loss of a mother, or those that are struggling to enter into motherhood... my prayers go out to you!

In less than a week we will have been to California (we are there less than 36 hours) for our friends Nate and Garyn's wedding. Then off to Virginia Beach for our dear friends Jason and Shanna's wedding! So exciting!

Playing Around

The week before we left Gaw and Papa's house we were just playing around and then we had Shortie try on some of my old prom dresses.

This is her in my favorite prom dress... she loved wearing it!

Ezekiel thought it was pretty funny to watch Shortie walk around all dressed up!

Cousin Time

We went up to Denton for the day to hangout with my cousins family. The kids love being together!

All the Phelps family great grandchildren...for now...  Shortie and Dallas are only 6 weeks apart, and so are Conrad and Isabelle!

Sammy, Dallas, Isabelle, Shortie, Conrad, Bubba, Ez

These are some of my favorite -- I think they will get a kick out of it when they are older!

Doggy Days (Feb-March 2010)

Playing with Lucy while at Gaw and Papa's house. When we first got there Ez wasn't sure how he felt about Lucy, by the time we left we would have been happy to hold Lucy in his lap for the whole ride home so she could be his!

Turris Fortis Mihi Deus

My new tattoo!

Both Jon and I have a thing for tattoos - although everytime he starts to save for his tattoo the money goes to music supplies (he wants a huge [huge!] tattoo on his back. it would be a cross that was a little like a sword with the middle being the head of a lion and with a verse wrapped around).

Turris Fortis Mihi Deus is from my Kelley Family Crest and translates best to "God is My Tower of Strength"

It is on my right leg on the outside where I can read it when I look down - my right leg is the one that has caused the most hardship in recent years (my left has required the most surgeries, but my right seems to be the one causing the most confusion to doctors on how to 'fix' it) I wanted it up on the outside of my knee where it dislocates, but with a surgery in the future I didn't want the tattoo to get distorted.

Ears Pierced (Feb 2010)

Shortie about to get her ears pierced for her birthday while we were in Texas! I was more nervous than she was! She had been asking to get them pierced so Jon and I talked about it and decided to tell her that when she turned five she could. We thought maybe she would forget or change or her mind - nope! She was so excited that turning five means being allowed to chew gum and getting your ears pierced! We waited until we went to Texas to do it - just to add a little something special to it. She picked out little flowers with all different colors. They look beautiful on her!

More Snow (Feb 2010)

We had a HUGE blizzard - 30 inches of snow (on top of the snow we already had... for DC metro they've only had snow fall of 12 inches or more in one storm 13 times - 2 of which were this winter!) It took forever to dig out the van. About a week later I dug out Jons car  - there was no point to dig it out sooner because most streets weren't plowed very well if at all and his car sits too low to drive over more than a few inches. A couple of weeks after the storm is when we head to Texas. It was 80 plus degrees on Sunday when Jon flew home to DC, and then on Tuesday morning it snowed! Big flakes too - and it was one of the biggest snow falls for them too- although the  kids were not too impressed after being in our storms.

My Van after digging for a few hours

My van is free! yippy! (also thanks neighbors for the shovels) Poor Jons car is trapped

 

This is the street on the way into our neighborhood a few days after the storm

This is at my parents house in Leander TX! crazy snow!

Snow Storm (Feb 2010)

Back in Feb we had another snow storm - so we tried to have lots of fun inside. Shortie played dress up, Ez ran in circles around the house until he got pooped out and then he cuddled with Conrad. Bubba decided to pretend to fish in the living room. Always fun times at the the Schroeder home

Party Party! (Jan 30, 2010)

Shortie had a great Birthday Party! There was a big snow storm that day and we weren't sure how many would make the drive - but it was a great turn out! Her party was Princess and The Frog theme, with tons of New Orleans style food. I had a blast making jambalaya, Cajun chicken, spinach stuffing balls, red beans and rice, ...and so on... There were about 25 adults, and even more kiddos! Very fun! Its still hard to believe that our little girl is FIVE!!!

Skype Party (Jan 27, 2010)

For Shortie's Birthday we had a skype party with Gaw, Papa, Auntie RahRah, and Great Grandma. It was a very special and unique birthday party!

Shortie's Birthday (Jan 27, 2010)

For Shortie's Birthday she asked for "lobster, crab, and sushi" for dinner! She is her Daddy's Girl! So Jon took her and Bubba out to dinner on her birthday (something special for her while I stayed home with the little men) They loved their dinner!

Earlier in the day Conrad was making great faces while out and about. Little Ezekiel stole my coffee! I thought I brought it in from the car but couldn't find it anywhere -- surprise he was under the table sipping what little was left!

On her birthday she got to open her presents from all of us. Bubba was a great helper! It was her first birthday that she actually grasped what was going on... it was a joy to watch!

Play time

I am sitting in the backyard watching the three oldest play on their playscape. I wish I could mentally/physically record these moments and revisit them when they are older. Not in the normal memory sense, but in being able to actually live the moments...all five senses. To hold onto these moments as if they were brand new everytime... seeing pictures and watching videos just doesn't capture enough.

Their giggles warm my soul. All three covered in dirt and mudd. Playing so well together. Either sliding down the slide, or pushing one another down the slope in the wagon. This is peace.

Conrad is asleep... enjoying his afternoon nap. Although he loves being outside in his jumper.

This our little family. Our adventures. Our treasures, and we are ever so proud!

(yes we do realize we are not really a small family... by numbers or size)

side note:

I realize I haven't blogged in a long time. Have had the intentions to, but just haven't made the time too. Or, in some way didn't really want to. Honesty time. Just because one can view the blog and have a sense of what is taking place in our life does not mean they are a part of our life. It makes me sad sometimes that with the more technology improves the more relationships decline. People can poke around your facebook and blogs, so why make a real effort to have that person in your life. Yes we are guilty of the same thing, and that is probably why we dislike it so much.

That being said... if you are one of those that just pokes around this and gets your Schroeder fill, you are more than welcome to continue... just wanted to give a dose of honesty...

Pneumonia

Its been a hard two weeks with illness. Bubba and Shortie had been sick with a terrible cough but turned into nothing more. Then last weekend EZ started getting sick. Sunday after the super bowl something just didn't sit right with Jon and I - in the morning we took EZ to urgent care and found out he was in the early stages of bacterial pneumonia. Because he had never been on antibiotics, and because he eats an organic diet (no biotics in those foods) they felt the medicines would work without hospitalizing. The this morning Conrad was sick... by the time Jon got home Conrad was showing signs of breathing difficulites, then quickly showed more difficulities.Jon  took him to the ER - after lots of testing they found viral pneumonia. They are letting him come home but with lots of prescriptions and a breathing thingee.

Boys Bath

Our Big Boys taking a bath. They are fish (Shortie too) they will stay in that bath long past the water going cold, and all night if I let them. I cant believe how big they are getting!

Big Sister

Shortie is such a great big sister. She loves all her brothers so much! Conrad was laughing while she held him. I loved it!

Painting

Finally got the art studio set up enough that the kids can paint and do some arts.n.crafts. Its really fun to watch them paint, and equally fun to hear the stories behind the paintings.

This is a painting that Shortie did yesterday. Its "her family, with Daddy holding Conrad. A happy sun and lots of colorful clouds with polka dots"

Shortie was painting flowers (the colors upclose were really pretty!) and then she didn't want to stop so she painted a "T" and then... I'm not exactly sure what all she painted but it ended up with I think she said four flowers and a lot of other stuff (and that mark on the middle of her forehead is a temp. tattoo... not sure why she put it there, but who am I to judge ;o)

 

Bubba painting his (he went to get more paint on his brush when he realized I was going to take a picture so he jumped up real fast and started painting from the side) He was so proud to be painting. He at one point said he was painting a waterfall.

Conrad & his Shortie faces

Conrad makes great faces just like Shortie did as a baby.