Washin' The Van

Shelby and I enjoyed a beautiful morning a few days ago. It felt like Fall!! We washed the van and played in the water for quite a while. She got into the suds for just a minute but I think the water was too cold. She also "helped" me clean out the inside and found some treasures along the way!

5 Months

I am shocked at myself for getting this done a day early! Our little 5-month-old is certainly growing and changing. Jonah is by far my happiest baby. The child almost always seems to have smile on his face. He is extremely ticklish and laughs everytime I change his clothes. He is still eating like a piglet!! Jonah is finally enjoying tummy time and can roll from his tummy to his back and then over again. The older kids have really been trying to include Jonah in play time and many times I find one or both of them talking to him and kissing his head!

Cousins

We went to Atlanta this past weekend to care for Maren while Mark and Jess went to a wedding out of town. Gabe went to go stay in Macon with Ed and came back with some cool Transformers. Taking care of three babies was definitely tiring but they are all just so darn cute!!

Gabe's Singing Skills

Poppy

Dad was able to come for a short visit a few weeks ago. Shelby did not want to cooperate with me but the boys posed for a cute picture.

Jonah's Laugh

Gabe has been telling "Knock, Knock" jokes the past few weeks and Jonah decided he thought they were funny too. Unfortunately, I only got a few laughs on camera but it was adorable!!

Big Sister

Shelby was inspecting Jonah the other day and then decided to share some sisterly love!

Dirty Kids

Kara, Karlee and Cooper cam over to play the other night. The kids decided to play in the dirt and basically throw it on one another. The pics below show the results of the dirt fight. They all laughed and had the best time, no harm was done!!

Pre-Kindergarten

Oh, Gabe is so excited about school. He has been talking about it for days now and the big moment finally came this morning. As you can see from the photos below, he had to wear his backpack all around the house. I am so excited he gets this experience. He goes 5 days a week, 6 hours a day.

Bath Time

Here are some photos of Jonah in his new tub. He loves the bath!!

My 4 Month Old Gentle Giant

Now I know that Jonah is not as big as some babies at 4 months but compared to his siblings at that age, he is certainly a little giant to us. Jonah is weighing in at 15 lbs. 9 oz. and is 23 inches long. He is in mostly 9 month clothes and seems so heavy. I called my cousin Kristyn and friend Kara who also had "bigger" babies and asked about a tub that would help Jonah sit up since he has outgrown the one we have.
At 4 months, I can already see Jonah's gentle spirit. He is so quiet most of the time and loves to study everyone in the house. He is definitely trying to move and keep up with Gabe and Shelby but he loves to cuddle and can lay with me for what seems like forever. He almost always have a smile on his face and is really a very happy baby. I have started calling him "My Gentle Giant" because that's what he is to me. My arms are so worn out at the end of the day from carrying him around but he is just so sweet and sensitive. His laugh is really starting to surface as well and it's the best.

I'm An Aunt

My sister Jessica gave birth yesterday evening to a baby girl. Maren Elise was born at 7:44 p.m. est. She weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 in. long. Unfortunately for Jess it was a very long process and Maren was facing up instead of down. So it was more painful than anticipated. But both Mom and baby are doing well and I cannot wait to see pictures of our new family member.

Popsicles

These past few weeks have been pretty emontional for me. But I have tried to make sure that my kids know as little as possible and just have fun. One thing that Gabe and Shelby seem to love (almost more than me :) ) is eating popsicles. They ask for them all day long and when Mom or I finally say yes, it's like they just received the Golden Ticket. These pics were taken after church last weekend.

Swimmers and Swingers

I am so happy that my kids love the outdoors. We spend most of our time outside and lately the pool has been a popular place. Jonah goes to the nursery while we go in the water for a few hours.




And we have discovered that Jonah loves the baby swing. Shelby has graduated to the "big girl" swing and can sit there forever (or so it feels like) lazily swinging and letting the wind blow her hair.

Funny Things Kids Say

Shelby told Charlie (the dog): "No, no, no, Chawie mye feesh (goldfish)."
Gabe told Shelby: "You can share my privacy with me this time." He usually goes to the bathroom by himself and tells her, "No Shelby, this is my private time."
I said to Shelby: "No ma'm. You cannot touch that picture frame." She said back to me, "No, no ma'm."
Gabe said to Jonah: "Did you know you used to be in mommy's tummy? Now you are out in the world and you eat a lot."
Shelby told Gabe: "NOOOOO Gaaaa, mye baw (my ball)."

The conversations in this house get more interesting everyday. I am going to invest in some good earplugs once they all start really talking to each other :)

Jess's Shower

Mom and I went to Jess's baby shower this weekend in Atlanta. Jeremy kept Gabe and Shelby and we toted Jonah along with us. But he was a great baby and very cooperative except for the ride there. The shower was great and we were able to at least find out baby Schumacher's initials MES. So we are going to have to wait for her entrance into the world sometime mid July before knowing her name. And I think Jessica looks great!!!

Jonah was pooped the the next day from all the excitement of the party

Brothers

Gabe has really taken to Jonah over the past few weeks no that Jonah is reacting to him. Jonah tries so hard to follow him as he walks by and laughs whenever Gabe talks to him. And Gabe loves to pick Jonah up and carry him around (very gently of course). These pictures were from the other afternoon when Gabe was telling Jonah a story about King Gabe fighting the dragons in the forest.

Jellies

Every little girl had a pair of jellies at one time. I remember my feet getting so dirty in the little squares on the side of my jellies. I absolutely loved those things even though they hurt like crazy. Mom got Shelby some jellies and she wears them occasionally. Seeing them on her brought back lots of memories for me-I love having a little girl :)

Funny Faces

Here are just a few photos that I love of Gabe and Shelby. They really show each child's personality.

Two Months

Okay, I know I am behind on Jonah's monthly updates since he will be eleven weeks tomorrow. But I lost my camera cord for a few weeks and found it in one of Shelby's bags. The child loves to hide anything she finds. Anyways, at two months Jonah was eating wonderfully and growing fast. The smiles really started coming and is was so fun to see that little personality begin to emerge. He was sleeping much better during the night and take pretty good naps during the day as well. He made a trip to the doctor's for a hoarse cry and lots of snorting when he breathed heavily. Thankfully there was nothing wrong with him and his weight gain was measured in the 75th percentile.

Wanted: Someone Who Is Willing To Work 24/7

The applicant must have extensive experience in:
diaper changing, feeding, making meals, coloring every animal on the planet, reading the same books over and over, boo boo healing, deal making, settling arguments, explaining why the sky is blue at least 8 times, the ability to chase monsters away from under the bed, to do at least ten to fifteen loads of laundry a week, make trips to the doctor, dispense the correct medication, take a temperature correctly, go to Wal-Mart at anytime-day or night, make grocery lists and actually follow them and budget the household money. Knowing how to make a sandwich while cleaning hands, talking on the phone, counting to three and hushing a crying baby is also essential along with proper use of time-outs, spanking, and other methods of punishment that will not send the child to therapy. The applicant must be prepared to get woken up at any time during the night and not return to sleep until the following night. Being able to clean up vomit, poop and other bodily functions is a must!! Teaching skills are very necessary and different learning levels will need to be addressed daily. The ability to not lose your keys, sunglasses, cell phone, diaper bag, purse, your mind or a child is also required. Taking kids to play dates, the pool, soccer practice, and pre-school while keeping the weekly schedule straight is necessary for the success of this job.
The following qualifications must be met in order to make the above list work:
a never ending love for the ones being cared for, sacrifice of self to a certain degree for the rest of your natural life, having an unshakable faith in God, knowing when YOU need a time-out and remembering this is the most important job you will ever have.

Any of you moms out there can probably come up with more things that must "qualify" us for the job. Do you think we would have passed the interview if given before we actually had our children??? Jeremy and I were discussing everything stay at home moms do EVERYDAY. It's a never ending list. Thank God He doesn't expect us to be perfect. We just need to love Him, our spouses and our children as much as we can and try our best.

Happy Mother's Day

At church today there was a video played that really touched my heart. It was of a mother rocking her sleeping little girl. The mother spoke about the pure exhaustion, confusion, and joy in her life. This never ending job is full of happiness, questions, tears and laughter. And then she spoke of the pure amazement of being a mother and how there is no greater job in the world.

There are days when I think I cannot go another second and that being a Mom is the hardest thing I will have to be. The responsibilty is so great sometimes that I feel overwhelmed and drained. But with that comes all the hugs, kisses, smiles and laughter that my children give me everyday. They each touch my heart in ways I never could have imagined and I am so thankful God gave them to me, to be their Mother and prepare them for the world.

And I am ever so grateful for my Mom. She has been such an inspiration to me and helped me through all the ups and downs of my 28 years on earth. And now she has unselfishly taken my family in and givne us a place to stay while we go through another transition. She is a beautiful strong woman and I feel touched that God gave me to her, to raise me and get me ready for the world. And as I now see, I will always need her in one way or another. And I hope that my children will still come to me when they are grown.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Spaghetti Face

Shelby really enjoyed dinner last night!!

Lovely Sleep

Jonah will be six weeks old on Friday and is only waking up 1 time at night now!! He eats so much during the day and has really gotten on a good schedule. He takes great naps during the day and I feel very lucky so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this continues!!

Mom and Dad

these are just a few photos of Jeremy and I with Jonah. We haven't gotten very many so far.

Baby Cheeks

So the other evening Jonah had been up for a while before he ate his dinner. I thought (and hoped) that he would fall asleep after he finished. He did just that and these were some pictures mom got of those sweet baby cheeks.