Schmitz Parking Garage

Brett and I were feeling creative so we made a parking garage for his cars out of a cereal box, duct tape, and some paper towel rolls. All in all a successful project! We love Family Fun magazine!!

Addison outside

Addison enjoyed some alone time outside one sunny afternoon....Brady was napping. She was very happy to not have to share the toys!!

She played fetch with Buddy.

It was a hair raising experience!

Well, well, well.....

So......as you can imagine I rarely pee alone. That being said, the other day I was going to the bathroom and Addison was quite interested so when I finished I asked her if she needed to potty. She said yes so I put her on the potty, wiped her, let her flush and say bye, bye to the potty, and then we washed her hands and clapped. She enjoyed it quite a bit. We aren't potty training her right now but I figured it can't hurt to plant the seed, right? A day or so later this is what I find.....her trying to go potty....with Brady's help, I guess, and fully clothed. Oh the joys of toddlers! Needless to say they got a bath right after this photo was taken.

Little Miss Big Girl...

Such concentration! Addison takes holding a pencil and writing quite seriously.....she actually holds the pencil better than Reagan, ha! There are clearly no fine motor issues with this girl!

Such a proud girl after receiving compliments on her writing! Such a dolly.

How about them Johnny Appleseeds?

You've gotta love Preschool art projects.....Brett walked out of school the other day wearing this....
They learned about apples and Johnny Apple Seed that week.

" 'nack!"

A " 'nack!" is what Brady is asking for....a snack! When I ask if the babies would like a snack they drop what they are doing and run to the cupboard for a cup....it's super cute. After they get their snack.....they currently LOVE fruit snacks.....they plop down to watch a show....this day they watched Curious George!

Officer Brady Schmitz

Brady was pretty tickled with himself over this helmet of Bretts. He loves to run around with it on! Funny boy.

Ready for church!

Two cuties ready for church!

Isn't she the sweetest! We love to watch these babies of ours wear the clothes our older two wore....we distinctly remember Reagan being JUST as cute in this dress the Easter we were in Quantico, VA. That year for Easter we thought we'd just pick a random church and go......little did we realize (ok, we realized, but it would have been rude at that point to turn and leave) that we had walked into a VERY Southern Tabernacle Church. It was memorable, to say the least......some highlights were: Reagan shouting "hallelujah!" and shaking a tamberine coping all of the animated black women in the church, the fact that we were definitely the minority, which didn't bother any of us, yet it did give us a new perspective. The fact that Kelly Attwood who came with us (along with his wife Kristina) had JUST shaved his head, so there he sat with a big bald white head in the middle of this very African American centered church....shaving his head had 'seemed' like an ok idea the day before...lol. Good grief that was years ago but we still remember that day like it was yesterday! To top it off Reagan decided to take her dark skinned baby doll that day, fine and dandy until she pulled the head off during the service....all in all the church members thanked us for coming and asked us back!

I'll happily report that Addison wore the dress to a Southern Baptist church as well, Temple Baptist Church, where we go and LOVE. TBC....broke from the Tabernacle side of things in the 1950's....so they tell me. Whatever that means!

Religion as always been an unspoken (ok, perhaps not so unspoken) bone of contention between Scott and me, having grown up with two different religions as kids. Before we married I considered converting to Catholicism but decided to be true to myself and my heart and realized that doing so (converting) would be to solely please others, which I thankfully decided wasn't a valid reason.

Many discussions, 15 years together, nearly 12 years married and four kids later......we've concluded that we don't really like or need a "label" for our religious preference. We are Christians, simple as that. We've found a church that teaches the Bible, with a preacher that teaches from not only His word, but his own personal life experiences (which we find VERY important) and that has awesome music.

Temple Baptist Church has a wonderful children's ministry and an even more wonderful Women's ministry. I attend MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) and a Bible Study on alternating Mondays. I can truthfully say it has saved me from myself. Daycare and breakfast are provided on Mondays for these things and it is while Brett is at their preschool. Adult conversation, spiritual and life guidance and friendships are a bonus, as well. I LOVE it!

On Sundays the babies go to the nursery and the older two each go to Sunday school and enjoy it thoroughly, while Scott and I attend the service in peace together. I feel we are in a good place....it was something that has been missing from our routine (not our home or our hearts). We decided that we were doing our kids an injustice by not attending church regularly and letting them experience Sunday School and the church community we got to as kids.

We made the right choice. I know this because I am happy and because I have not yet gotten through a song set on a Sunday morning with a dry eye...it's that awesome. I know because Reagan says she wishes everyday was Sunday! I know because Brett (who tells on himself often) told me the other day he needed to tell me what he did....preparing for the worst (such as I broke this or that) he told me this, "Mom, this morning when I woke up I got on my knees and prayed." I then listened to him repeat his prayer....so incredibly pure, innocent and sweet.

Well, I didn't start out with the intentions of this being a confession of faith, but I guess it was. My new favorite quote..."I'd rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is." Albert Camus

Amen.

A fun Fall evening

The weather was finally cool enough for us to have a cookout. The kids were SO excited! We roasted hot dogs and ate s'mores! Yum!!

Brady decided to dissect his s'more and go right for the chocolate....my kinda guy!

Ok....now he'll taste the graham cracker.....the chocolate part was better!

Addy girl is a mess! Her face if full of cheese balls, ketchup, and s'mores....can you say...BATH! That's right where the little monsters went after their time by the fire too....then snugly jammies and to bed at 7pm.

Rea savored her s'more.....and then had another.....then some marshmallows too!

Brett thought if he ate his fast enough he'd get more than everyone else.....I think it worked.....we lost count and he had three!

I skink it's a tree frog!

We had a couple of yard "pets" a few weekends ago. This five lined skink was playing peek a boo with us from under the A/C units.

This tree frog found our patio umbrella to be the perfect spot to escape the sun and wind. Both eat bugs and there are a lot of those here so they are very welcomed in my yard!

Measuring up.

Scott had some random pieces of 2x4 left from his projects so I had Reagan practice measuring them. She caught on fast and did well. She happily reported the other day after school that she helped the other kids that didn't know how to use a ruler....that's my girl!!!

While Reagan measured Brett pounded some nails.

Brady took a turn too!

Getting dressed all by himself.....

...so what if it was a shirt for pants and through the neck hole. Good try Brady boy!! Mommy loves you!

Nobody can see me!

Every night before I go to bed I check on the kiddos. One night this is how I found Brett....asleep in his tent on the floor of his bedroom. After chuckling I Scott to show him and to have him move the big boy to his bed. In the morning I asked him about it and he said, "I was in the tent so nobody could see me!" Silly man. Apparently he needs work on doing proper "fire watch".

When all else fails....

...use duct tape! That's Scott philosophy. Addison WILL take off her diaper while in bed if she doesn't have a onesie of some sort on......pants and tops alone won't do. One night while Daddy was running the show he couldn't find a onesie SO he duct taped her diaper....my goodness....but it did work!

Hiding places

One morning I couldn't find Addison...but could hear here giggling. It seems she found the perfect hiding spot in the office closet...complete with a box to sit on. Stinker. This is the "Ha" face I got when I said, "Mommy found you!" By the looks of those tonsils she'll be having surgery just like her older siblings in a few years.....oh, yippee....

Anatomy lesson, of sorts....

So, Reagan and I are driving home from her dance class the other night and she was telling me a story about kid at school and how they acted after not getting their way. I commented that perhaps they were just having a bad day. Her reply, "She was just being a pussy."
Say what?
TIMEOUT....
......remember I'm driving I have to be calm. Also, as a rule I try very hard no to overreact when words are used in the wrong setting, as kids usually don't know that what they are saying is wrong. I learned this when Reagan was asking me what pornography was a couple years back....I flew off the handle and she clammed up and wouldn't speak....in the end, she was trying to ask me what choreography was, she just said the word wrong. Dancing. Geesh!
OK, back to present time.....
In a calm voice I asked again, "She was a what?"
Reagan, "A pussy."
Ok, so now I know she DID say what I thought she had said.
Me: I'm not so sure that's the word you are meaning to say. The word pussy (had to say it so she knew which one I was referring to) is what someone says when they aren't talking nice about someones girl parts.
*SILENCE.....one could hear crickets chirping in the back seat of the Burb*
Me: "Is that what you meant to say?"
Reagan, "Uuuuh, No."
Me: So you think she was just having a bad day?
Reagan: "Yep"

Scott, naturally, thought this story was HILARIOUS...he couldn't wait to tell the guys at work....nice. Anyhow, we think perhaps, maybe, she meant "wussy" which Scott says from time to time. "Don't be such a wuss."
It has been a couple of days now so we'll revisit and see if that was perhaps the word she meant. LOL.

That brings me to........The Goonies.
Yep, the movie. Scott recorded it on the TV and thought our kids were old enough to watch it. Then pops up the statue scene.....the kids were horsing around and the naked man statue falls on the floor and the penis breaks off. The boy says something to the effect of, "oh great, and that was my mom's favorite part!"
That line, or scene rather, didn't fly over Reagan's head like her Daddy was hoping.....
(I was not home during this, fyi.) Reagan says to Scott with a perplexed look, "That's the penis, why would that be the Mom's favorite part?" Scott's answer, "shush!"

SO, who handled their situation better? (I'm not really keeping score) I think my reaction was much more calm. Perhaps I'm just, in general, more prepared for such things as a mom. Both were quite funny stories to tell afterwards.
I DO, however, give Reagan 2 points for knowing the proper anatomy name AND 5 points for being a little bit disgusted that it would be Mommy's favorite part!!!

Sorry, no pics with this one.....