What's up with the Schmitt's

A glance at 2010

2011-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

I didn't get our letter out with our Christmas cards (I am lucky to have even gotten those out), so I thought I would post it on our blog to give our family and friends a chance to see our year at a glance.

My New Year's resolution, is to make a better effort to keep our family and friends updated on what's going on in our lives. I hope to post at least once a week, so wish me luck!

Friends and Family,

We hope that the close of 2010 find you happy, healthy and counting many blessings in your life. The days are long, but the years pass by so quickly. Here is a brief profile of the Schmitt family in 2010.

John is two and definitely in full toddler mode. He runs, talks, and plays nonstop – especially when the play involves diggers or dinosaurs. He is definitely an assertive little man, but he is equally silly and his antics make us laugh every day. He started pre-school one day a week this year and enjoys interacting with his new found friends. He also loves McDonald’s Playland and swimming at the YMCA.

AJ is five and he started half-day kindergarten this fall. He is learning to read and count and he enjoys making crafts and projects. He also enjoys Sunday school and the children’s ministry at our church. He went camping with Daddy several times this summer, and he really enjoyed that. He also played T-ball in the summer and he learned to hit surprisingly well!

Jen spends her days trying to keep up with her little crazy men and all of the duties that go along with being a (mostly) stay at home Mom. She enjoys her Monday mornings because both boys are gone for two hours. She is part of a moms group through some church friends and she is still working two days a week at the YMCA. In August, she completed a half-mile open water swim at the St. Paul Triathlon.

Joe continues to enjoy his job doing network support at U.S. Bank and he continues to teach information technology classes one night a week. He was fortunate to move to a position where he can teach

bachelor’s level students at his alma mater – St. Mary’s University. He participated in several triathlons this summer and took several camping trips with good friends.

There is never a dull moment. We are involved in several small groups at church and enjoy using them as a mechanism to develop our faith. In addition to some ongoing redecorating and landscaping projects, we are planning a trip to Germany together as well as several camping trips with the boys. We wish you happiness and good fortune in 2011.

Love,

Joe, Jen, AJ, and John

Finally some sun!

2010-06-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend at Deutsche Tage, the local German festival. Although the weather was gloomy we enjoyed our time there and Joe's brother Andy joined us as well. We ate great German food, listened to German music, had German beer and A.J. was able to spend the afternoon watching the model train they have set up. It was a wonderful day.

We have had quite a bit of rain for the last week so we were overjoyed when the sun came out yesterday! The boys and I spent the afternoon outside getting A.J. ready for T-ball. He had his first practice last night and had a wonderful time. We found out we have quite a slugger on our hands, he can really hit the ball! As soon as we got home last night, he had to go out and practice more. I really think he has found a sport he enjoys.

This morning my sister called and invited us to join them at Teddy Bear Par k in Stillwater and considering how warm and sunny it was outside, we couldn't say no! We met them in the late morning and let the kids play for quite a while, all three of them really enjoyed it! We then decided it was time for some lunch and thought it would be a great idea to head down by the river and sit on a patio somewhere. We settled on The Freight House. The food was good and we had a wonderful view of the river and the weather was perfect for eating outside! We ventured down to the river once we were done eating and even put our toes in the water, although it was quite chilly. It was a wonderful afternoon!

It has been a really long time!

2010-06-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

I have not been the best at keeping up with our blog. We have so much going on and some big milestones, you would think I would be able to post something every once in a while. Oh well, this is just going to be a really long post!

Here is what you missed...

Joe FINALLY received his Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership! We are all so proud of all he has accomplished, but are so happy he will not be busy with school work anymore! Christmas came and went so fast! We had a wonderful time watching the boys open their gifts and seeing the joy on their faces. A.J. is starting to understand more and more every year what Christmas is really about and that just warms my heart. We spent most of the winter inside and I am a big baby and don't like getting cold and wet in the snow. The boys did manage to get out for a few sledding expeditions and had blast. Easter was really fun, we went to my step-sister Rachel's place for the day and the kids had a blast on the 4 wheelers and trampoline. She hid something like 500 eggs, so there were plenty to go around. We had a wonderful meal and just enjoyed every one's company. A.J. had his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and it was a hit. We could hardly get him to leave. And our nephew Gage, enjoyed it some much that when asked how old he was he would say, "3 at Chuck E. Cheese." Needless to say, my sister held his party there too!

John turned 2 on May 31st and is talking up a storm and running, running (his phrase) everywhere. And we learned a week ago that he can count to 10 and knows about half of the ABC song! We signed him up for "preschool" or Terrific Two's as the school calls it for the fall. He will go every Monday for 2 1/2 hours. He keeps busy chasing his big brother around and "bullying" him out of his toys (he is lucky his big brother is such a softy). He hasn't really shown any serious interest in anything in particular, but he does like diggers and dinosaurs just like another little boy in this family! His passion is being outside or in the water! He could spend HOURS in the bathtub and enjoys the pool immensely. We were so glad when spring arrived early so we could get outside and play. We had his 2nd Birthday party this last weekend and it was a success (despite some crummy weather). He is an amazing little boy, but he definitely challenges me, but maybe he just seems more challenging because A.J. was so easy. But he brings a smile to my face and makes me laugh every day!! The last two years has just flown by and I cannot imagine my life with out this spirited little boy!

A.J. turned 5 on April 7th which means this fall I will have a kindergartner! He is signed up at a local elementary school, Cen terpoint and we could not be more excited about it. It looks like a wonderful school and we think he will do really well there. He is also signed up for camp at LADC, his preschool, for a couple of weeks this summer. One of this themes is Rocks and Fossils and he is very excited about it. He has become obsessed with everything dinosaur lately and knows more about them then I thought humanly possible. He still loves his diggers and trains, but I love that he has become more interested in something else. His preschool graduation was last week and I am so sad that chapter in his life is done. He is just growing up way too fast and it's been hard "letting" him. Where has the last 5 years gone, it feels like only yesterday I was meeting this tiny little miracle for the first time. He still amazes me everyday with the amount of knowledge he has. He is one of the sweetest kids I know and I feel so blessed to have been given the gift of raising him!

Joe ran his first marathon in May after a few years break. He ran the Green Bay marathon and was shooting for a time under 4 hours. Well, he came in at 3 hours and 56 minutes, so he was very happy with that. Grammy and Pa Schmitt came with us and we had a wonderful long weekend away. He is set to do several (I think 7 at last count) triathlons this year. He really got the bug last year and just loves them. He is even competing in a half Ironman, his goal being to do a full Ironman before he is 40! He also talked his wife into competing in a relay tri with him this year, EEK! I used to swim in high school, but haven't been "in the water" for many years. So, I am starting my training next week and then I will swim the tri and he will bike and run it. It will be fun to compete in something together, although we are not looking to win any medals, just have a good time together!

We have our annual trip to the cabin with my family planned for the week of the 4th and we are really looking forward to spending time with them all! We have a few small trips to Rochester planned to spend time with the Mike and Jessica and A.J.'s best buddy Benjamin. Otherwise, not many other trips planned, Joe's tri schedule will keep us fairly busy. Although Joe and I are going to sneak away in August to Chicago to see Jimmy Buffet! We are both really big fans and have even turned A.J. into one too! He is really disappointed he cannot go, so we promised we would take him next year. Auntie Jessica, Uncle Mike and Benjamin will be taking the boys for us that weekend, so they get a little mini-vacation of their own. We are just really enjoying this beautiful weather and are very excited about summer.

We also received some very exciting news in the last couple of months! Jess and Jake are expecting a new bundle of joy around September 16th and Mike and Jessica are expecting the first Schmitt girl around September 25th! We are so happy for them all and cannot wait to meet the new little ones!

I will try and update more often (I know I say that every time) so that you don't miss too much along the way! We hope you all are safe and happy!

Here are a few pictures from the last 6 months. I will try and update our pictures site soon.

Christmas is upon us

2009-12-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to write a quick post about Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday. We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving at my sister Jess' house in River Falls for Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful meal and great company. My grandparents even made it up from Iowa to join us. It was their first time seeing John and he took to them right away, especially "old" grandpa as A.J. calls all great-grandparents. We were able to get a 4 generation picture with them, unfortunately I forgot my camera so I will have to wait to post it until I get a copy from Mom or Jess.

I can't believe Christmas is a little over 3 weeks away! The year has gone unbelievably fast and before we know it we will have a 5 and 2 year old! A.J. is getting very excited for Santa to come and to be able to celebrate Jesus' birthday. He has been walking around the house singing Christmas carols for the last few days, it's adorable. We will be picking up our tree this weekend and then finishing all the decorating as well. I braved Black Friday by heading to Toys-R-Us at midnight on Thursday and I will never do that again! I was able to get almost all of my nieces and nephews done, but I am not sure the 2 1/2 hour wait in line to check out was worth it. I think I will stick to the a.m. sales instead next year, they don't seem to be quite as crazy! Just have a few more presents to buy and then I am done. And I am DEFINITELY getting a head start on wrapping this year, no more waiting until the night before!

Other then that, not much else to report on this end! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and has a very Merry Christmas season!

Not much new...

2009-11-23T23:24:00.000-08:00

...but I thought I would send a quick update to keep everyone in the loop. We have had a busy couple of weeks spending time with family. The weekend of the 13Th and 14Th we hosted the Rochester Schmitt's at our house. Mike, Jessica and Benjamin all had Friday the 13Th off, so Joe took the day off as well and we spent it together. We headed first to the Children's Museum and all three boys had a blast. Especially John, he was in heaven to be in a place where he could touch whatever he wanted and was never told NO! A.J. and Benjamin had so much playing and figuring out how everything worked, it was amazing to watch their minds in action. After the museum, Jessica found a wonderful place for us all to have lunch. She picked it with A.J. in mind, the Java Train Cafe. We had a wonderful lunch and A.J. and Benjamin had a great time playing in the "caboose" and watching the model train. After our bellies were full the moms and kids headed back here to do some playing outside and have a nap, while the dads headed off to do dad things. After the men got back, us ladies were able to go out and have dinner and have some time to ourselves, it was wonderful! Jessica and I always have so much fun together. Saturday we all headed over to Grammy and Pa's for dinner and more quality time together. It was a wonderful weekend spending time with them! And the boys has so much fun together, it is such a joy that they get along so well. Here is a little video to show how much fun they all have together!

This last week we spent again with the Rochester Schmitt's (boy, they are going to get sick of us)! Jessica headed up to the cities on Thursday evening so we could attend the long awaited premier of New Moon! And of course celebrate her birthday. We started the evening at The Square and had a wonderful dinner and delicious drinks. We then headed to the theater for the 12:02 am showing and were glad we got there as early as we did, it was packed! We were going to try and sit with my sister and her sister-in-law as well, but there was just not enough seats for all of us together. The movie was great, a lot better then the first in the saga, but we were exhausted and ready for bed! Then Friday evening was the usual birthday ritual, getting the Schmitt "sisters" together for dinner. We surprised Jessica with dinner at Fuji-Ya and had a yummy dinner!

Saturday morning we then packed up the car and headed down to Rochester for the rest of the weekend. We had a wonderful time playing games, watching movies and just relaxing and spending time together. Sunday before we headed home, we all went to the "really fun" park and watched the boys play. I think we had as much fun watching them as they did playing. We then headed home and spent the rest of the night recovering from our fun, but busy weekend!

We are really looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my mom and sister and family this weekend. My grandparents are even coming up from Iowa and this will be their first time meeting John. We have a lot to be thankful for and A.J. has been rattling off his list already this week. He is also very excited because after Thanksgiving is Christmas (he isn't quite sure how the timing works, he thinks Christmas is this Friday)! I can't believe Christmas is just a little over a month away. Where has the year gone!? I will post some pictures from Thanksgiving next week (if I remember my camera), but here is one picture I couldn't resist posting!

Apple Orchard and Halloween

2009-11-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

I can not believe it is November already! Christmas will be here before we know it.

We have been enjoying this wonderful fall weather. We spent the afternoon a few weekends ago at the apple orchard with my mom, Jess, Kristi and the kids. They had goats and chickens, a wooden train to play on and of course the wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and corn maze. AJ had a blast playing with his brother and cousins and could not WAIT to get on the tractor for the ride out to the corn maze. It was a beautiful day and afterward we all headed to Jess' house to have some pizza and watch movies. I have added few pictures of the wonderful afternoon.

We decided on very short notice this year to continue our tradition of having a Halloween party. We sent out the evite, decorated the house, figured out costumes (well at least all of the men in my life did, I did not have such good luck with that) and purchased the refreshments for the party. We started the day out at church at the annual Hallelujah Festival with Grammy and Pa (Joe's parents) and then Mike, Jessica and Benjamin joined us for trick or treating in White Bear. (Picture courtesy of Jessica). Then once the boys were home and their candy sorted carefully (both the boys have allergies), our guests started arriving. I was too busy talking and did not take many pictures. But thankfully Jessica took a few and I am stealing a few from her (thanks!). AJ had a few friends join him at the party and the boys had a wonderful time. They are all within 2 years of each other and got along great. John dressed as a dragon and was so good, he wore his costume all night!

Joe and Kaiser decided to do another theme this year, Smokey and the Bandit. When another couple found out, they joined in the fun and dressed as two characters from the movie as well. There were a lot of fun costumes, just wish I would have taken some pictures of them!

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and we are really looking forward to it. We will be spending it at Jess' this year with my Mom and family. There should be a lot of food (can you same turkey AND ham) and wonderful company. We have most of our weekends booked up already through Christmas, it's amazing how busy we get this time of year and we are really looking forward to spending lots of time with family. Christmas will be split this year as usual, Christmas Eve with Jen's dad and family, Christmas Day with the Schmitt's and I believe the weekend before Christmas with Jen's mom and family (not sure on the exact details yet). I will try to post more often, but you all know how I am :)

It's about time!

2009-09-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought it was about time to post again, seeing as it has been over 2 months! Sorry, I have not been very good about posting.

Where to start...

We have been dealing with a lot of health issues here at the Schmitt house. The boys and I all ended up with the Swine Flu the first part of August. It lasted about a week for all of us and thankfully no one around us caught it (including Joe). We all just had really high fevers and were very weak and sore- A.J. describe it best when he said, "My skin hurts!". We all got over that and then I started have some severe migraines. I went to the doctor and was sent in for a MRI and they found a lump. The lump was biopsied and found to be just a cyst on the back of head near my spinal column. They drained it (twice) and the headaches have gone away. I have to go back in to have another MRI to make sure it's gone. The cyst was the best possible news, so we are thankful for that! Then 2 weeks ago, John woke up having a lot of trouble breathing, so all four of packed up night night blankets and headed to the E.R. His breathing didn't not improve, so they admitted him. He spent one night in the hospital and was sent home the next evening. He is taking after his brother in the breathing department after all. It was total deja vu. We spent 3 nights in the hospital with A.J. around the same age for the same issues. Although A.J.'s was food allergy related, John's just came about because of a cold. But we are all home safe and sound now and just enjoying the new fall weather.

Joe and I were able to escape to a B & B for a night in August and just celebrated our 8Th wedding anniversary last week. I can't believe we have been married that long! It's even harder to believe we have been together for 15 years this year! Time sure flies. Joe also enjoyed a his annual Guy's Camping trip this year with his buddies and had a blast as usual! He also finished 4 triathlons this year. He improved his time with each new one and thinks he finally found a sport he loves (and I love watching him compete). I was able to get away for the weekend with my wonderful sister-in-law, Jennifer. We headed to Duluth for the weekend and had a wonderful, relaxing time. Shopped, ate, slept in and visited Split Rock Lighthouse. It was a much needed weekend away and great to be able to spend so much time with Jennifer!

The boys have been busy just playing outside and spending time with grandparents. A.J. is still into his diggers and trains. But now has become really interested in dinosaurs as well. My little boy is turning into a little man. He still amazes me everyday with the knowledge he has!

John has FINALLY started walking! He was a late bloomer, just like big brother, but he figured it out. He is so proud of himself for it too. It has also seemed to help him feel more independent so he doesn't feel the need to screech all the time now when he wants something, he just goes and gets it. He still isn't saying much- mama, dada, A.J., nigh nigh and nana- are about all he manages so far, but he does do a few signs- all done, more, drink, eat, fan, light, dog and bye bye. I can't believe my little baby is 16Th months old already! Where does the time go.

Here is a picture of the boys at Como Zoo. This is John's first ride!

We are going to have a pretty busy fall and winter ahead of us, but it should be a lot of fun. This weekend we are going to go out and cheer on Mike as he runs the Twin Cities Marathon. Next weekend the Schmitt men are heading to New Ulm for Oktoberfest so the Schmitt women and boys are heading to Grandma's house to have a girls and boys night. The following week I am heading to Rochester to spend with evening with my sister-in-laws to celebrate Katie's birthday! Before we know it, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here. I will try to post more regularly now and as things happen in our lives. I will be posting new pictures and videos to our Flickr site soon. We hope everyone is happy and healthy!

Here they are waiting for the Sparky the Seal show at Como Zoo.

Triathlons and German Festivals

2009-06-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend enjoying the weather. The first of our major outside activities was watching Joe compete in his first sprint triathlon, the Manitou Tri. It was so fun watching him compete in a race again, I forgot how much I missed watching him run marathons. Sprint triathlons include a half a mile swim, 10 mile bike ride and a 5K (3.2 mile) run. He was hoping to finish in about 2 hours and he blew that out of the water (haha)! He finished in 1:36.12! We are so proud of him. My favorite part was watching him finish the swim portion, seeing him running up the chute after swimming a half a mile was just awesome! His parents and brother Mike and Benjamin came out to join the boys and I in cheering him on. It was a beautiful day and the boys behaved so well, it was a wonderful experience and he is already talking about do another Tri in August.

After the tri, we headed to Deutsche Tage, a German festival held in St. Paul. We try to go every year with the Schmitt clan and this year did not disappoint. Mom and Dad Schmitt and Mike, Jessica and Benjamin were there to enjoy the festivities with us. We enjoyed some wonderful German food, German beer, German music and the wonderful outdoors! We always have a blast and the weather was perfect this year. AJ had the best time with the model train they had set up. I think he would have watched the train all day! It was wonderful day.

We are heading to the Manitou Days (White Bear Lake days) parade on Friday night and hopefully will hit some of the other festivities this weekend as well. Joe wants to spend Father's Day just relaxing at home and grilling some ribs (his usual request). It's his day, so whatever makes him happy!

Next weekend we will head to Rochester for our nephew Benjamin's 4TH Birthday party and then we are staying the night and watching Mike race in his first Tri on Sunday. Boy those Schmitt boys are competitive! Then Monday, the boys and I are headed to the cabin on Duck Lake for the 4TH. Should be a blast!

How fast a year goes!

2009-06-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

I figured it was about time to post again, it's only been like 6 months! It's been a whirlwind, I don't know where the last year has gone.

Our biggest news is John turned one last Sunday! Our baby is not a baby anymore. We had a wonderful turn out and the weather was amazing. We did some grilling and were able to eat out on the patio and the bigger kids has fun playing with the chalk and just running around enjoying the weather. John was in such a good mood and devoured his piece of cake. I did not take any pictures, but Jessica did, so check out their blog or go to their picture site to see all of the shots, here is one I "borrowed" from her.
He is growing so quickly, I just can not believe it. He is saying Momma and Dadda, dog and AJ. He is doing baby signs for fan, light and all done. He LOVES to eat (as you can tell by the above picture) and so, far no allergies! We are very happy about that. No walking yet, but he crawls fast enough and gets into enough mischief the way it is. He is such a joy.

AJ was 4 in April, going on 10. I can not believe how grown up he seems. This was his last week of "school" for the year and all of the classes "graduated" even though most of them will still be attending next year. It made me think though, this fall will be his last year of preschool and then he is off to kindergarten! I will have a kindergartner soon. Were did my little baby go? He is still into diggers of course, but he also likes trains and dinosaurs. AJ and Daddy attended the Walking with the Dinosaurs show at the Target center and he loved it. Although the T-Rex roar was a little scary, thank goodness daddy was there to protect him. Here is a shot of AJ and his best bud Benjamin.

I will try and catch you up on all that has been going on. Winter lasted way too long for my taste, I am so happy summer is finally here. In February we took a trip down to Rochester to spend the weekend with Mike, Jessica and Benjamin. While we were there, we headed down to Austin to visit the Spam Museum. AJ was in heaven, what with Turkey Spam being his favorite food and all. We also went bowling that weekend (a first for AJ) and just spent some much needed time with them. We are so lucky those two little guys get along so well. Joe and I then spent 5 wonderful days in the Riviera Maya in Mexico! The weather was beautiful and it was so nice to have some alone time together. On May 2ND we threw a surprise 60Th birthday party for my Mom and step-dad Dan at the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter. The were both totally surprised and it was a lot of fun. On Saturday, we celebrated my Godson Gage's 2ND birthday. Since we were unable to make it last year (what with me being in labor and giving birth to John), I made a point of making sure I was there this year.

We will be celebrating our nephew Benjamin's 4Th Birthday soon and then the day after we will be off to the cabin for the 4 of July holiday with all of my family. It should be a blast! Mom and Dan even bought all of us "big kids" a new floatie to relax on. Other then that, we really have no other vacation plans set in stone. We would like to take the kids camping and hope to get up to the cabin few more times this year.

Joe will be participating in his first triathlon on June 14Th and we can not wait to watch him swim, bike and run. He has been keeping busy with training for a triathlon, working, teaching and his masters program. And of course being a wonderful Daddy.

I have decided this was the year to totally lose my mind. How does one do that you say? Well they sign up to walk 60 miles over the course of a weekend. I am talking about the Breast Cancer 3Day! I have been wanting to do this walk for the last couple of years and this year I bit the bullet and signed up with a friend. My training has not been going as well as I would have hoped, but I have not doubt I can finish, now the fund raising is a whole other story...

Well, that is what is up with the Schmitt's. I will try and post more often and will be updating our picture site in the next day or two. Hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas is FINALLY over. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but we do a lot of running and I am happy to be done with it all. But boy did AJ have fun. It was so wonderful to see him so excited and finally understanding what it is really about! Santa was very to good to AJ this year, he received his wooden train set he was asking for! And boy did it take Santa a while to set that thing about, 2 1/2 hours to be exact. But it was worth it to see the look on his face as he walked into the playroom. Santa also gave him Wall-E and a wooden crane he has to share with his brother. John was oblivious to everything going on and we didn't even get any pictures of him opening a gift, poor second child.

The next couple of weekends will be busy with some exciting events. This weekend is the bachelor/bachelorette parties for Andy and Jennifer and then next weekend is the big day, THE WEDDING! All 4 Schmitt boys will finally be hitched! We couldn't be happier for them and can't wait for next weekend. The are holding their reception at a German restaurant here in town and the food should be awesome.

AJ and John are both doing well. AJ is still really enjoying school and we are signing him up for kinderstart classes at school next year. He will go 3 days a week and I think he will really enjoy it! We are also signing him up for camp at the YMCA this summer and of course he will do vacation bible school.

My baby seems to be turning into a little boy right in front of me. John is 7 months old now and just a joy. He is a very happy baby and a good sleeper. We have been blessed with 2 great little boys. He is eating solids like a champ and "talking" all the time. He is starting to mimic things you do and LOVES his big brother.

Joe and I are heading to the Riviera Maya in Mexico in March. We are looking forward to a much needed trip away. I love being at home with my boys, but with Joe in school and everything else going on, I do not get many breaks, so I am really looking forward to 5 days away! And not to mention sunshine.

We just bought a new Mac and have not had a chance to get our pictures moved over yet, so I will update those when I have some time.

Chirstmas is here!

2008-12-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is already Christmas and I don't even have my cards out yet :( Oh well, they will be New Year cards. AJ can hardly wait for Christmas day, he is getting so excited. I am really excited too, this is the first year he truly gets it! We have been teaching him about Jesus' birth as well, so when asked he says the most important thing about Christmas is baby Jesus' birthday, but the most fun thing about Christmas is the presents!

The boys are both doing wonderful, although John has his first cold and ear infection. But he is a trooper and still reasonably well mannered. John is now 6 months old and eating solids. His favorites so far are bananas, sweet potatoes and cereal mixed with applesauce. And he is a great eater, cannot get the spoon into his mouth fast enough. His big brother likes to help feed him sometimes too. He is starting to move around a little already. He gets up on his hands and feet or knees and rocks. He has pushed himself backwards few times, but nothing more then that. He rolls to whatever he wants. He is really starting to like his toys now and is "talking" all the time. He loves to scream and thinks it's a riot.

AJ is wonderful, our little smarty pants! He is in school 2 days a week and loves it. He is learning how to write his name is and is starting to recognize his letters and some three letter words. They had a Christmas program at school this year where the kids from all the classes sang 6 songs together and our little man was the star. He positioned himself in front of the microphone and made sure he was always in front of it, even if he had to move it! The audience got such a kick out of it and so did I. After everyone applauded, he would say "Thank you, thank you!" It was a stitch to watch. Joe and I took AJ for a special night out without John. We met Mike, Jessica and Benjamin in Lakeville at a train depot and didn't tell the boys what we were doing. When we pulled up we asked AJ if he knew where he was and he didn't quite get it until he heard the music from the movie. We took the boys on the "Polar Express" (it is his absolute favorite movie, he watches it all year). We all got to take a ride on the PE and have hot chocolate and cookies. The "elves" even read us the story. And towards the end of the ride, the big man himself even showed up! Santa and Mrs. Claus went around to everyone and asked the kids wanted they for Christmas and then each child received a bell, just like in the movie (and just like the movie our little man already lost his). To see the awe and wonder on the boys faces was priceless! They really thought they were on the PE. It was an amazing experience for us all!

I didn't think two little boys could bring such joy to my life and I am so grateful to have my little men, I wouldn't trade them for anything. And with all that is going on the world and all the hardship and trouble many families are experiencing, Joe and I are so thankful for all that are blessed with! Especially our healthy boys and wonderful family! OK, enough mushy stuff. We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that God blesses your lives today and next year as richly as he has blessed ours! Merry Christmas!

SO much new, so little time to type!

2008-08-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well, where do I begin... I guess with the birth of John Warren Schmitt! All of you (I hope) have heard the news by now, but John Warren graced us with his birth on May 31st. After a failed induction and 22 hours of labor John was born via C-Section at 9:15 pm. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 15 1/2 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long! He was so beautiful and came out screaming. But all it took was for Daddy to sing to him, Down in the Valley, and he quieted right down. I was able to see him for a few minutes and then they rushed him off to be cleaned up and weighed and measured. Daddy went with him to make sure he felt safe. They finished up with me and said everything went perfectly! I headed to my room to recover and was holding John 20 minutes after that. The grandparents knew he was here and were able to see him, but did not know he was a he! I made Joe promise to let me tell everyone if it was a boy or girl. So, Joe, John and I spent about a half an hour together and then we let the grandparents in. After all, they had all been waiting patiently all day to meet the newest Schmitt. When they all entered I announced, "We'd like you all to meet John Warren Schmitt!" Everyone was overjoyed! Here is a picture of the little man shortly after his birth.

AJ came up to see us the next day to meet his little brother. He was in awe of him! He climbed up on my lap and I helped him hold his new baby brother. And then he said the most amazing thing as John started to fuss, "It's O.K. John, I'm here!" As if I hadn't been crying enough just seeing my two boys together for the first time, the tears really started to fall! We had heard to make things easier on the older sibling to purchase a gift from the baby to give to the older Sib at the hospital. John decided he wanted to get his big brother a lawn mower. AJ was in heaven when Joe pulled that out of the closet and he was able to open it. The first thing he said was "Now I can mow like Daddy." John did a great job picking out just the right gift for his big brother! Here is a picture of the two of them shortly after they met!

We have all settled in nicely to life at home. AJ is adjusting as well as a 3 year old can and he LOVES his baby brother. He is a good helper and wants to love John up all the time. We have had a busy summer spending time with family and friends, playing outside and just enjoying being a bigger family. We spent 3 days over the 4th at Jellystone Park in Warrens, WI with the Schmitt clan. Benjamin and AJ had a blast together. And I think Godfather Mike had just as much fun holding John (and I know I appreciated the help)!!

We had John's baptism on July 20Th and had a great turn out. We asked Mike and Jessica to be John's Godparents and they graciously accepted! It was such a joy watching John become part of God's family! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church family.

John is now 3 months old and is a joy! He is "talking" all the time and has had his first big belly laugh and it was so cute!! He also just realized he can scream and also blow bubbles, so that is really fun to watch. He started rolling over about 3 weeks ago and the nurse says that means he could be an early walker too. Looks like I am going to have my hands full. He is a good sleeper just like his big brother, 8 to 10 hours at night (knock on wood). It's amazing that 3 months has already past!

AJ is doing great. He started preschool last week and is there every Tuesday and Thursday. He loves it, it helps that his best friend, Carson is in his class. He is learning so many new things and it's hard to believe he is 3 years old already, although some days I think he sounds more like a 5 or 6 year old! He still loves his diggers but has now become very fascinated with Thomas the Tank Engine as well.

I am heading back to work in October to the YMCA. It will only be one night a week, just enough to get out of the house and get a discounted membership. Otherwise, not much is new with me, my two little men keep me very busy!

Joe is approaching his 1 year anniversary with US Bank this month. He seems to really be enjoying it and works less hours, so that make us all happy. He just started back this week with his Masters program and should finish up December 2009. With a new baby around, he hasn't had much time to train for anything or even get out on his bike much. But he loved spending so much time with his boys this summer.

We are off this weekend to celebrate our 7Th anniversary. Boy time sure flies. We are heading up to Duluth to stay in a little inn right on Lake Superior. This will be the first time away for me since John was born, but they boys are in capable hands and will have a BLAST at Grammy and Pa's (Joe's parents).

Well, that is about it for now. I will try and update this more often as we are finally settling into a routine. One last picture for you, this is the boys last month.

Busy weekend

2008-04-29T07:49:00.001-07:00

We had a busy, but wonderful weekend. I was able to spend Saturday afternoon at the spa with a good friend. We had massages and pedicures and it was so nice to be pampered. Then Saturday evening our house was overrun with Schmitt's. We were finally (we have been planning this since before AJ's birth) able to ask Mike and Jessica to be the baby's Godparents and they accepted. Then Schmitt girls headed out for a nice dinner together leaving the big boys to watch the little boys! AJ and Benjamin had a blast together! We had an amazing meal at a place in Minneapolis called Solera. We are already talking about going back, the food was the best. Then the girls told me we were headed to the Hyatt to have drinks with Jessica' s parents, but to my delight my WONDERFUL sisters-in-law surprised me with a baby shower! They had the room decorated with baby clothes, balloons and streamers. Had my favorite snacks and drinks and Joe had even packed me an overnight bag. It was wonderful! Little Schmitt received some cute clothes and it was so nice to spend a whole evening with the girls! We do not get enough quality time together!

Then Sunday afternoon we headed back to our place where we brought lunch back for the boys. Hung out for a little while longer and then said goodbye to the Schmitt clan. Unfortunately, AJ ended up with some breathing problems, so he and I headed to urgent care while Joe worked on a paper. We knew everything would be fine, this has happened before, but we just wanted to be safe. He was given an oral steroid and we were sent home. We then spent the better part of the evening just relaxing in front of the TV so that AJ's asthma wouldn't be aggravated. By Monday morning he was feeling so much better and you would have never know anything was wrong the day before.

Today I am heading for a third ultrasound. They are worried I am carrying a giant and that the baby hasn't turned yet. I will update the blog later this week with whatever news I find out. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't have a giant floating around inside of me!

Time for an update

2008-04-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I would put in a little update before the newest Schmitt member arrives, as I don't know when I will have time afterwards. We haven't had too many exciting things going on, just the day to day things.

I have about 5 weeks before this little one is set to arrive, but then again, who knows what kind of schedule he or she will be on! AJ is getting excited and we have his room almost finished (it's about time).

AJ is doing well. He loves school and playing with his diggers and he is really into board games right now. He still loves to sing and dance and spending time with Daddy is one of his favorite past times. The took a trip up to Duluth for the day and spent an amazing day at the train depot and the Children's Museum. AJ had SOOOO much fun looking at all of the trains and pretending to be an engineer. Here is a great picture of the two of them at the Children's Museum.

We had a visitor here for a few days in February, Benjamin stayed with us while his parents were in Hawaii. The boys had a blast and Joe took some great photos of them in the bath and with their Superhero Jammie's on. Here is my favorite.

We also have watched Gage a few times because Jess' daycare needed a few days off. AJ had a lot of fun helping out with Gage and showing him how to play with his toys. I took this great picture of the two of them in AJ's bed.

AJ turned 3 in April and we celebrated the Saturday before with a family party. All of his cousins were here (all 10 of them) to help him celebrate and he LOVED it! He was in seventh heaven to be the center of all the attention and really loved eating his blueberry pie his Daddy baked special for him!

Other then that, we are just anxiously awaiting our new arrival. I have my 35 week check up this week to see how things are going. I am getting really uncomfortable and my feet and legs are very swollen, but the end result will be totally worth it all. We will keep you all posted and let you know as soon as we know anything. I have updated our pictures and videos, so please check out the links at the right.

Wow, it has been a while!

2008-02-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

It has been months since my last post, I REALLY need to get better about posting. I can just never seem to find the time to sit down and just post.

Christmas was a blast this year! AJ finally understood what all the fuse was about this year. And we even started teaching him about the true meaning, Jesus' birthday. They had a birthday party at school for him and he wished baby Jesus a Happy Birthday on Christmas morning! He had fun laying out milk and cookies for Santa the night before. And Santa has allergies just like AJ (at least that's what he thinks, makes him feel special to share his allergies with someone so important), so they were allergy free cookies and rice milk. Santa was good to all of us. AJ received the Geotrax train he asked for and mommy received a Kitchen Aid food processor and daddy received an MP3 player. We we able to see all three sides of our family and it was wonderful!

We spent a quiet evening at home for New Year's and I think Joe and I were even in bed before midnight! But the rest of the year has gone well. Our new niece Eva Jane arrived on January 10Th and shares her birthday with her cousin Lexi who turned 4 this year. Eva is so beautiful and it makes me even more excited for our new little one! We decided not to find out what we are having, but AJ is positive it's a baby brother (mommy is pretty sure he is right). We have names picked out for either gender, so we are all set. My first ultrasound looked great! We got some great pictures from it and AJ loves looking at them. He is getting really excited. I have another ultrasound next week, as they couldn't see a few things they wanted, the baby wasn't' cooperating!

AJ and I have both been pretty sick since Christmas, but I now think we are both finally past it (knock on wood). He is growing like crazy and learning even faster! I can't believe in a little over a month our little man is going to be 3. Where has the time gone? We have been keeping busy with school and play dates and just being buddies. We spend as much time with all the grandparents as possible and see the aunts and uncles and cousins as much as we can as well.

We are having a house guest for the next few days, Benjamin is coming to stay with us! Lucky Mike and Jessica are heading off to Hawaii on Thursday for 10 sun filled days. We are very jealous, but AJ is looking forward to having his best buddy here! Well I will try to update all our pictures and videos after Benjamin leaves, I am sure we will have some good ones of the two of them playing! That's all for now.

Last couple of months

2007-11-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

In October we went to Iowa for my Grandparents 60Th wedding anniversary and AJ got to do something very special. His Great Uncle Jim took him to his work site and he got to sit in a Front End Loader and they even turned it on and he got to move the bucket up and down. He was in HEAVEN! Then Uncle took him on the train they use to move things around at the job and he got to be the engineer. Here is a short video.

We have had some fun activities going on the past month or two. Halloween was a lot of fun this year. AJ really got into it and even picked out his own costume (after telling him he could NOT be Bobba Fett like daddy told him). He decided he wanted to be a turtle. We went Trunk or Treating at church this year and it was a blast. Everyone decorated their car trunks and handed out candy. And inside they had games and dinner. It was fun. Then after we got home we went to about 5 houses on our block so AJ could actually experience trick or treating. He did great, even remembered to say trick or treat (with some help). He couldn't eat much of the candy, but the grandparents stocked him up with treats he could have, so he didn't even know the difference. We also had a Halloween party the weekend before and all of the pictures are posted on your picture site. We had a small turn out but a lot of fun. We had some great costumes show up and my favorite were Dan and Katie as two characters from The Breakfast Club. Here AJ is in his costume.

Then in November we continued our annual tradition of the 8Th Floor Auditorium Show at Macy's. This year it was the Nutcracker Suite and the boys had a good time. It was the first year they really enjoyed seeing the display. We even tried to visit Santa this year, no crying but the boys had to sit on Dad's lap in order to see Santa.

We have spent some much needed time with Mike, Jessica and Benjamin the last few weekends. The boys have such a good time together. We even watched Benjamin for a night so Jessica and Mike could go out for her birthday. Here is a picture of the boys having a picnic and drinking coffee together.

We had AJ's first school conferences this week. It went well. She said he is a easy child to have in class. She said his vocabulary is amazing and the only thing he needs to work on is sharing (go figure a child with no siblings having problems sharing). But that it's common at this age. In the spring we will have his main conference were they will test his knowledge of shapes, colors, numbers and letters as well as a few other things, so I am looking forward to seeing how is doing.

We are spending Thanksgiving with the Schmitt's at Katie's parents house (Danny's fiance). Joe has been asked to bring a dessert, otherwise no cooking! It should be a wonderful time. And then Christmas will be here before we know it! I can't believe it is a little over a month a way. The year has gone so fast! Before we know it, AJ will be 3 and the new baby will be here. I guess I better get cracking on AJ's new room! Well, we hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and have much to be thankful for, we know we do!!

Have you heard the news?

2007-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

I think by now most everyone has heard the news, but if not here it is...we are expecting again! That's right, we will be a adding a new Schmitt member to the family around May 29, 2008. AJ is very excited to be a big brother and changes his mind daily as to whether he wants a sister or a brother. We haven't decided whether we are going to find out or not, but we have some time until we have to decide for sure. I have my first appointment next week, but as of right now, I am 9 weeks along. Things have been going fairly well, I am trying not to complain too much. This pregnancy is totally different then the last. I am nauseous all the time and very tired. But maybe that has to do with the fact that I am chasing a 2 1/2 year old around all day. But we are so blessed to be pregnant, I am going to enjoy every minute of it! Other then that, I don't have much else to report. I will post later this week after Halloween!

Where did summer go?

2007-09-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

Boy, the summer has sure flown by, but we had fun with our family and friends. Went to a cabin in Hayward, WI with Joe's parents and had a blast despite rainy weather. Have been on a lot of play dates with friends this summer and Joe enjoyed a canoeing and camping trip. Spent some time at the pool and just had fun being outside!

AJ has started school! We have a preschool at our church, Lake Area Discovery Center (http://www.ladcfamilies.org/), that AJ is attending. We went last year to Families First at LADC, a parent/child class, but this year he started Terrific Two's. Every Thursday for 2 1/2 hours I drop him off and he attends school- BY HIMSELF! It wasn't hard to leave him, but when I got home, I was a little sad. He had his first school pictures taken and they turned out great. He participated in his first Bike-A-Thon to raise money for LADC and he even asked for pledges on his own (well, maybe with a little help from mom). He did a wonderful job riding, although he doesn't quite get the peddling part, he just pushes off with his feet. He even went on a pony ride at the event as well! We also are continuing our music class and swimming lessons at the YMCA on Fridays, so we will be busier now! He is just getting too big.

Speaking of big, my nephew Gage is growing like a weed and getting more adorable by the day. He is now 4 months old and I am a very proud Godmother! And since my last post, I found out I am going to be an Auntie again. My brother John and his wife are expecting in January 08. We are very excited to meet our new little niece!

More exciting news for us, Joe is no longer an employee at IBM. He accepted a job at US Bank leading the network configuration team. It is a big step for him, he has been with IBM for 8 years, but it's a great opportunity for him and it means I can quit my morning hours at the YMCA! It is an office job, so no more working from home, but now AJ and I can visit him at work and take him out for lunch! It will be hard not having him here to "bail" me out when I need it, but we are so excited and PROUD of him!

And still more exciting news, we are so proud to officially welcome Katie into our ever growing family! Joe's brother Dan proposed last weekend and they are planning a Fall 08 wedding! We couldn't be happier, Katie is a wonderful person and AJ loves her bunches and is already calling her Auntie Katie.

Joe also rode in his first Century Ride (100 miles to clarify) on the 22ND of September (our 6 year anniversary) from Park Rapids to Itasca State Park and back. He has been training for a while and and it paid off, he finished in 7 hours and 40 minutes (even after a little detour, he is a little directionally challenged)! I think he is enjoying this even more then he did running and it's definitely easier on his body.

I am really enjoying not getting up at 3:30 am anymore. I have had more energy and we have been doing a lot more fun stuff! We meet the Jankowski/Taufen side out at the apple orchard for some fun and are meeting them again in a few weeks for pumpkin picking. We are heading this weekend to Iowa for my grandparents 60Th wedding anniversary. My Aunt and her kids are flying in from CA and everyone else should be there too. It should be a lot of fun seeing everyone!

Well, that is probably enough for now, I will try and be a better blogger now that I have more free time in front of the computer!

What's up with the Schmitt's?

2007-06-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post and we have had quite a bit going on.

In May we had my Dad's surprise 60th Birthday party and boy was he surprised. We had a great turn out and he had a wonderful time catching up with everyone. I was finally able to take a picture that I have been trying to get for the last 2 years- AJ with all 6 of his grandparents! It turned out great!

Then I threw Jess' baby shower towards the end of May and that was a wonderful time. We had it at the restaurant she used to work at, Confluence, and the food was AMAZING! Mark (the owner and chef) did a wonderful job and Jess was very happy. Baby Brunkhorst received many wonderful gifts. About 10 days after the shower, HE decided to make his appearance a little earlier then planned. About 5 1/2 weeks early to be exact. Gage Jankowski Brunkhorst arrived on May 30 weighing 5lbs 3oz and 18 1/4 inches long. He was early but he was a tough little guy, he only spent a week in the hospital and is now home with Mom, Dad and Izzy. He is doing amazing- gaining weight like a champ- and he is SO beautiful, I mean handsome. Jess and Jake asked Mandy (Jake's sister) and I to be Godmothers and of course we gladly accepted. My little peanut has kept me busy and his cousin AJ loves giving him kisses and telling him, "Baby Gage, I love you!" I am totally in love with this little man, really makes me want another one of my own...

Joe just got back from his annual canoe trip with his buddy Scott, so AJ and I spent the weekend with my Mom and Dan and Joe's parents. We are VERY thankful to have our family so close and that they are willing to take us in!! We went to Sommerfest at the German house on Summit Ave with the Schmitt clan - minus Joe. Sat in the grass, listened to some German music, watched German dancers, ate German food and spent time with family. A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon if you ask me! We then took Mom and Dad out for dinner for their 35th Wedding Anniversary. AJ and Benjamin had a blast playing and dancing at the German festival together. They are so fun to watch and always have a great time together.

We have a pretty busy summer planned. A few camping trips (will be AJ's first time), and stay at a cabin with Grammy and Grandpa Schmitt in August. Joe and I are getting away for the weekend to do a night of camping and then a stay at a B&B courtesy of Mom and Dad Schmitt. We will be spending at least one weekend up north at Mom and Dan's cabin on Duck Lake and heading up to Grandpa and Grandma Jankowski's cabin in Grantsburg and down to Des Moines to stay with Great Auntie and Great Uncle. I am planning a trip to CA with my Mom in September for 5 days with no little one in sight!! I need a vacation and Joe thinks so too. I am sure more things will come up as the summer gets going! We hope you all have a wonderful summer and we hope to see as many of you as possible!!

My Godson

Bad, bad, blogger!

2007-02-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

I have been TERRIBLE about updating this blog! We have had a lot going on since my last post.

Our first bit of news was amazing! We found out that we are going to be an Aunt and Uncle again in July of 07! Jess (Jen's sister) and her husband Jake are expecting their first bundle of joy! I could not be more excited, this little peanut (as I am calling him/her) is such a blessing! AJ is VERY excited about meeting his new cousin!

Christmas came and went faster then we would have liked. AJ had a great time opening presents this year and even is starting to understand the concept of Santa Claus. He is also really starting to grasp the concept of God and loved seeing the Baby Jesus in the manager statue at Church. He is now 22 months old. I can't believe in less then 2 months he is going to be 2!! Where has the time gone. We are amazed every day at how smart he is. He learns more and more each day, he is just a sponge. His favorite things right now are cars and trucks, his books and as always his DIGGERS. He doesn't ever get tired of those and Grandpa and Grandma Jankowski gave him a "working" digger for Christmas and he hasn't put it down (although Mom had to hide it for a while because he WOULDN'T put it down). Here is a recent picture of him, he is such a little man!

Joe and I just got back from a much needed vacation. We spent 4 wonderful days in Freeport, Bahamas! It was just wonderful to get away from it all and have a little adult alone time, not to mention some warm, sunny weather! We didn't do a whole lot, just mainly relaxed. Joe was able to go sailing twice on a small catamaran. What an experience for him, sailing on the ocean all by himself. We also spent one afternoon in town shopping and had an amazing lunch at a local restaurant (the food at the resort was only OK). I had steamed conch (a local favorite) and Joe had jerk chicken. We had both been craving these since our last trip to Nassau, Bahamas for our honeymoon 5 years ago and they didn't disappoint. Joe also tried something new, driving on the opposite side of the road! He did great and no problems, but he had a great co-pilot. After this trip, we may have to make a winter vacation to a sunny destination a yearly activity!

AJ spent those 4 days while we were gone playing with his cousin Benjamin and he had a blast! Mike (Joe's brother) and his wife Jessica were kind enough to take AJ in so that Joe and I could go. I knew he was going to be in good hands and from the sound of it, he didn't even miss us! And his Auntie Jessica did me a huge favor in breaking him of his pacifier habit. By the time we got back, no more pacifier.

Otherwise, we have just spent most of our time with family and friends and just enjoying life. I have updated our picture website and am in the process of updating our videos, so check those out soon.

It has been a while

2006-11-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since my last post. We have had a lot going on. I have had a chance to update our photos and videos as well, so check those out at the right. Alexander is just getting bigger by the minute. At his 18 month check he was in the 46% (32 1/4 inches) for height and 14% (24 1/4 lbs) for weight (which is great, at his 15 month he was only at 6%)! He is doing so well and I can't believe the vocabulary he has, he learns something new everyday. He has also started putting sentences together, not anything long but three or four words. He is running now and has learned how to play hide and seek (or hide as he calls it). The newest trick is telling us No! He must be getting closer to 2. It is amazing how fast they grow!

Turkey day is this week and Christmas is fast approaching. I can't believe the year is almost over! We are spending Thanksgiving with the Schmitt's, so AJ will have cousin Benjamin to play with. Christmas Eve with be spent with the Jankowski/Taufen side (Jen's dad and family). Then Christmas Day will be spent with the Wiederholt clan (Jen's mom and family). We will celebrate with the Schmitt's New Year weekend. We rotate every other year with the Wiederholt's and Schmitt's for Christmas Day. It's nice being able to spend a full day together celebrating.

We hope everything has a wonderful Thanksgiving and has many things to be thankful for this year!

What's new?

2006-09-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post and I have finally put the link to our videos at the right. I have a few of AJ's first time walking and one of him at the park with Oma and Opa (Jen's mom and stepdad). I have also updated our pictures too, so check those out as well.

He is just getting to be such a big boy. He says about 30 words, knows about 10 signs, can mimic about 10 animal noises and learns something new almost everyday. His favorite new word is No No. He is now starting to run and is very stable on his feet. He LOVES walking and is so proud of himself when he does it! We are feeling very good about his asthma. We seem to finally have it under control (knock on wood). So that is a big relief for us. He is just such a joy and are so blessed to have him!

We went to the State Fair yesterday with Oma, Opa, Auntie Katie, Uncle Todd, Cousin Lexi and meet Auntie Jessica, Uncle Mike and Cousin Benjamin out there. We had a blast. Oma took AJ and Lexi on the Sky Ride and they loved it. AJ also loved the animal barns, especially the horses. He learned to say moo when we were in the cow barn and said pig a few times too. It's just too bad that he can't have any cheese curds, but he will never know what he is missing.

Other then that we are just keeping busy with the usual everyday stuff. We hope every had a wonderful summer!

Watch out, here he comes!

2006-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

AJ has begun to walk! He took a few steps last week, but really begun moving today! He stood up in the middle of the room and took off. I have some good video of it that I have posted to a new video site (thanks for the idea Jessica) so check that out at the right.

We had his 15 month check up last week and he is doing well. He is only in the 6th % for weight, but considering he doesn't get to eat much, he is doing well. And the nurse measured his height wrong (he shrunk half an inch since last time according to her), but the doctor says he looks tall for his age.

He seems to be learning something new everyday! He says about 20 words and knows signs for book, more, banana and his own version of fan. He can point to the sun, moon, his nose, ears, belly and when you ask him his name he points to himself. He knows what sound a bear and lion make (rarrr), a car makes (bep, bep), an elephant (he puts his hand in the air imitating the trunk but doesn't make the noise and a cat (mew, mew). He is just amazing and I enjoy my time home with him! He loves his pool and his sandbox and always wants to go!

We have had a pretty busy summer. AJ and I spent a week at the cabin over the 4th with my family while Joe was canoeing with Scott. AJ loves boat rides we found out. We spend time at the outdoor pool at the YMCA where AJ is learning to really enjoy the water. We are going to IL in 2 weeks for a party and then staying at a cabin in WI with the Schmitt's, so that should be a lot of fun. I can't believe it is already almost the end of July, where does the summer go.

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

We have been busy

2006-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to post for a while, things have been really busy around here. Two weekends ago we spent the night in Rochester at Mike, Jessica and Benjamin's house. It was a great time, but I unfortunately forgot my camera, but Jessica took some great pictures of the cousins playing together.

Then this weekend we had Joe's graduation party, which went great. And again like a dope, I forgot to take pictures. But we had a great time despite a little rain. Then on Sunday we celebrated Father's Day with the Schmitt's at Minnehaha Falls Park. Another beautiful day and I have a few pictures to prove it (althought the battery was low, so I couldn't take too many).

Also this last weekend on Friday, Alexander had his first big boy hair cut and boy does he look all grown up! It's amazing what a few inches of hair makes!

This weekend is another crazy weekend. We have a wedding on Friday night and our nephew Benjamin's First Birthday party in Rochester on Saturday. It should be another great weekend spent with family and friends!

Check out all of our new pictures at our photo site on the right and Mike and Jessica's as well if you want to see pictures of the cousins playing together!

Joe Graduates!

2006-06-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

We had quite a weekend and are still recovering from it. Our good friends Chris and Amber were married this weekend. Friday night we had the rehearsal and groom's dinner. It was a beautiful night to be outside enjoying a BBQ and good friends. Then Saturday was the wedding. It was an all day affair so we are glad that AJ was able to stay with Oma and Opa(Jen's mom and stepdad) all day and overnight. He had a blast as did we! It was a wonderful wedding, but we were quite exhausted after all the festivities! Then Sunday we got up and had breakfast with the Schmitt clan. Jennifer's (Andy's girlfriend) mom and brother were in town, so we went to meet them.

After that we were off to JOE'S GRADUATION! Joe received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Information Technology. It was a wonderful ceremony and we are so proud of him! After the ceremony we took some pictures and then headed to dinner with the Schmitt's. Joe wanted ribs, so we headed to Famous Daves and it was good. After dinner we headed home and just relaxed. It was a busy weekend but full of joyous occasions! I have added all of the pictures to our yahoo account, please check them out.

Good news and bad news

2006-06-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted as we were waiting until we went to the doctor to let you all know what has been going on with Alexander. We saw the doctor 3 weeks ago after two urgent care visits in one week for his asthma and he suggested doing some allergy testing. He did the testing and it came back positive for dog, dust, dairy, egg, soy and peanut allergies. He then suggested seeing an allergist to try and get everything figured out.

I wasn't too concerned about the food allergies until I started trying to find things for him to eat! No more cottage cheese (his favorite) or milk and since he is allergic to soy as well, no soy milk either! But I did find some rice milk and he really seems to like it. And speaking of the soy, its in EVERYTHING, so that has been our real challenge. On the positive side though, Joe and I will be eating better as a result because we are doing more shopping in the health food section. It took a couple of weeks, but I think we finally have a handle on the things he can eat. The allergy we were really concerned about is the dog. He is such a part of our lives, we were really worried we would have to give him up. And it would have been hard on all of us, even AJ. He loves his doggie!

We saw the allergist on Wednesday and are as happy with the prognosis as we can be. The bad news, no dairy, soy, eggs or peanut products for at least 2 years, until we do more testing. The good news, we can keep the dog. The doctor feels the dog allergy is really mild and it was the food he was reacting too. He says he thinks his asthma will be much more manageable now that we know what he can't eat! And knock on wood, we haven't had an attack in a month!

Everyone asks, "Well what CAN he eat?" All the fruit and veggies he wants, meat and we found crackers that are safe and Joe is going to try making some bread with egg substitutes and rice milk, so hopefully that will be another to add. The rice milk has added calcium and eating the fruits and veggies will give him the rest of what he needs. We go back to the pediatrician in a month and will talk with him more about vitamins. We were also given an Epi Pen just in case he does come in contact with something he shouldn't. The allergist says that a lot of kids outgrow these allergies around 5 years old, so that is a possibly too. All and all not as bad as it could have been!

Other then that, he is doing amazing! He is really starting to talk up a storm. He can say about 15 words and is learning new ones very fast (Daddy has to learn to be careful of what he says around him). No walking yet, but boy can he crawl fast! He is such a joy and we are so lucky to have been blessed with a really good kid!

We have some big things going on in the next few weeks, the biggest being Joe graduates this Sunday! And his graduation party is on the 17th. We also have our nephew Benjamin's first birthday in a few weeks and will be spending some time in Rochester with them. Jen and AJ are headed to the cabin with her family to celebrate the 4th of July and Joe is off on his usual canoe trip that weekend. We hope you are doing well and enjoying this wonderful summer!

(I have also updated our pictures, so check that link out at the right)

Congrats Joe!

2006-04-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know, Joe is done with school, he will be a college graduate soon!! His actual gradaution date is June 4th, but he has no more classes, which makes us all VERY happy. We will be have a graduation celebration the 17th of June, but I will be sending out invitations later in the mail. I just thought you would all like to know and I thought Joe deserved his own post!

Lots of new stuff happening

2006-04-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

I finally have some time to update our blog and add all of our pictures to our Yahoo site (see the link on the right). We have had some new and exciting stuff happening in the last few weeks, so I will give you all an update on that.

Alexander is all better! It didn't take him long once he was released from the hospital. While in the hospital, his Oma gave him a baby to help him recover faster and in doing so he learned to say baby. That means he has three words in his vocabulary now. We had a second 1st birthday for him on the 15th so he could enjoy his cake and open a few presents and boy did he enjoy his cake!

That's all that was left of the big piece we gave him. Then on the 16th, we spent Easter at my sister Rachel's with my dad's family. He was so good and even got to go on an Easter egg hunt and enjoy his first taste of real ham.

We have also totally weaned him off of formula and baby food, he now eats what we eat (well within reason, I don't think Daddy's espresso would be a good idea). His favorite things are applesauce, cottage cheese and bananas. He even likes broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus. We are still experimenting and figuring out what he likes and dislikes, but so far he has not been to picky!

Then this last weekend we took a trip to Des Moines for my cousins wedding and AJ got to spend the weekend with his Great Aunt Jackie and Great Uncle Jim. I even bought him a little tux type outfit from Once Upon a Child (for $8 I couldn't pass it up). He has also learned to say the word Go and has developed his own sign language for Fan (he sakes his arm back and forth trying to copy mom when she said a fan goes around and around and made a circle motion with her hand). Now every time he sees a fan he shakes his arm back and forth. No walking yet, but he does move around the furniture really well. The last new thing is he has two more teeth. The two top ones have a new tooth on each side now, so that makes 6! Other then that, not much else is new with us. Here's one last picture of him from the wedding, check out all of our other pictures on Yahoo.

Not the best 1st birthday

2006-04-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Our weekend started out pretty good, AJ's actual birthday was nice and we got the house ready for the party, Grandma Schmitt even came and helped. But then by Friday evening things started to go down hill. He woke up screaming and could not go back to bed. We called the after hours care line and they said to give him a double dose of Tylenol and then head to urgent care in the morning, another ear infection they thought. At urgent care the next morning he was diagnosed with a double ear infection. They sent him home with antibiotics and said he sounded good otherwise. But by the time everyone showed up for the party, he was having a really hard time breathing and had 3 nebulizer treatments in the matter of 4 hours (not good). Talked to the care line and they said to head right in to urgent care. Once at urgent care, we were told he needed to be taken to the ER at Children's via an ambulance (not what you want to hear as a parent)! Once at the ER they diagnosed his problem as pneumonia, not just restricted airway disease (or asthma) like we thought. So we spent Saturday and Sunday night in the hospital! He was such a trooper and did such a good job. It helps that he hag lots of great visitors to keep his spirits up. We headed home today about 11 am and he is doing amazing! You would never even know anything was wrong with him.

He didn't get to enjoy much of his birthday, but he will have a great story to tell later on- I got to ride in an ambulance on my 1st birthday. Thanks to everyone who came and visited us at the hospital, you helped keep our spirits up! And thanks to everyone who made it to the party, we are sorry the man of the hour was not feeling so well.

He speaks again!

2006-03-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

AJ has said his second word, ball. This time it was with recognition, he knew what he was saying! And of course, since we praised him so much, he says it all the time now! We also think he is on the verge of saying dog, but one never knows for sure. Another thing he found out he could do this week is crawl UP the stairs. He can go all the way to the top pretty quickly (of course mom is always standing right behine him in case he needs any help). He thinks he is king of the world now. He has also started "reading" to himself. He will pick up one of his books (upside down mind you) and start jabbering away as he turns the pages, it's just adorable! We are also taking swimming lessons every Tuesday night and AJ seems to be having a pretty good time (although I think mom's having more fun)! He likes to splash and float on his belly and he is even starting to kick a little and getting more and more comfortable on his back. And he loves the toys! Another big moment this week was, he learned So Big. It's really cute and he gets quite a kick out of it. Seems like he is learning something new everyday.

He is just growing up so fast, I don't know where the time has gone. He will be 1 year next Friday and it feels as if we just found out we were pregnant! He has been such a joy, it has be an amazing year. We ask ourselves every day what we did without him. We are so blessed that he has not had many health problems, or last not any serious health problems. And that he is a happy kid. We just hope we get as lucky with the next one;)

I will post again in a couple of weeks, after we have the big party so everyone can see him covered in cake!!

He speaks!

2006-03-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

AJ has said his first word... Uh Oh (not sure if that really counts for a word, but we'll take it)! He was sitting in his highchair last week and I dropped something and said, "Uh Oh" and he repeated it. And now he says it all the time. He doesn't use it in the right context, but he is using it. We think he is saying Ma and Da too, but he uses those all the time too. And we have heard a boo a few times when he picks up his books, so that could be another one.

It's amazing how fast he can get around just by crawling. He has also been pulling himself up on things for a while, but is now starting to "walk" around while doing it. I am sure he will be walking soon (not sure mom is ready for that)! He is getting to be such an independent little boy and it makes me really sad! What happened to my little baby who needed me all the time. Oh well, we are just on to another phase of his life and I am sure it will be just as wonderful as the first year!

4 in 28 to go!

2006-02-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

AJ has two more teeth! The two top ones popped out this last weekend. No wonder he has been fussy and not sleeping well!! He is also pulling himself up on everything. We think he can also say Hi, Ma and Da but we are not sure if they mean what we want them to mean or if he is still just babbling. But he is making progress. He had his check-up for his bronchial and ear infections and got a clean bill of health, something a mother always likes to hear! I can't believe in a little 6 weeks, he will be 1 year old! Where has the time all gone and I haven't even started his scrapbook yet!

Finally feeling better

2006-02-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

AJ is finally on the mend. He is feeling much better and other then teething, he is a happy camper.

We spent the weekend with family. We had Katelyn and Heather's birthday party on Saturday and then on Sunday had the Schmitt clan over to celebrate Andy's birthday and Cindy's safe return from her mission trip in the Philippines. It was a great weekend (and I am really enjoying being home on the weekends!).

Our poor little man!

2006-02-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

We found out yesterday that AJ has a nasty cold and an ear infection. After 45 minutes of solid crying and nothing working we headed to the doctors office and that's what our pediatrician found out. So after some ibuprofen and antibiotics he is a happy camper again. But then this morning we had to head back to the doctor. He woke up wheezing and about 10 am he was really having trouble breathing, so I called the nurse and she said to head in right away. He has a bronchial infection and they did a nebulizer treatment and sent us home with one. So every 4 hours we have to use the nebulizer (which he doesn't like). But they said it should clear up within a few days. He is being a trooper though. Despite being sick, he is still in pretty good spirits and still crawling all over the place.

I have added some new pictures to our Yahoo photos. I took some really good ones of his first taste of spaghetti, here's a sample.

Super Bowl Weekend

2006-02-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

AJ has got this crawling thing mastered. Now we definitely can not turn our back on him for a second! He moves so quickly, seems like he has been doing it for ages, not just a week! He is also starting to pull himself up on things. He is going to be walking before we know it and then, look out. He is going to be 10 months old on Tuesday and I can't believe it.

We just got home from a Super Bowl party hosted by our friends Perry and Linsey from church. There were two "friends" of AJ's there to play with as well. Carson, who is 15 months and Evangeline, who is 18 months. Carson and AJ have had play dates before and were really excited to see each other. We had a nice time just relaxing, eating good food and hanging out with friends (this was my first official day not working at Marshall Fields)!

It finally happened...

2006-02-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

...AJ is crawling! He still hasn't quite mastered it yet, but he is definitely getting around A LOT faster now! I can't take my eyes off of him for a second! It is quite humorous to watch, as he has his own style. One leg up on his knee and the other stretched out behind him pushing off! He is really proud of himself when he does it. Usually sits down to clap at himself! He is also now able to clap, give five and wave bye-bye. It's amazing how fast they pick up things. He is getting too big, his 1st birthday will be here before we know it!

We spent all day yesterday with Grandma Schmitt, as she is heading to the Philippines today on a Mission trip. She will be gone for 3 weeks and AJ says he is going to miss her terribly. We promised Grandpa Schmitt that we would have him over at least once for dinner so he can spend some time with us (and have a home cooked meal)!

Other then that not much else to report!

Some big news!

2006-01-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

I have just started a new part time job! I am working at the YMCA in Member Services (which means I check people in, open new memberships, that type of thing). I am in charge of opening up the Y every morning at 4:30 am and then work until 9 am. It's a Monday thru Friday gig, so NO NIGHTS and WEEKENDS! Joe is able to start work a little later to watch AJ until I get home, so I think this is going to be great for us. Joe and I will be able to spend more time together during the week and have every weekend free to spend together as a family! Now if I could just get better about going to bed earlier, 3:30 wouldn't come so early! But I can take a nap during the day when AJ naps, so in the long run it will be good!

We have finally gotten AJ to drink formula from a bottle-we have been struggling with milk issues for a while (I won't give you any details), but he is now drinking formula and seems to really like it! I think it just took him being really hungry in the morning and no mom here to feed him(since I am at work so early). That's a big load off of my mind, at least now I know for sure he is getting everything he needs. Other then that, not much else is new with him. He's still SO close to crawling (but we have been saying that for weeks)! He will do it when he is ready, but he definitely knows how to get where he wants. He scoots and rolls and it's really fun to watch. He is such a joy and we love every minute with him!

Pictures are up at last

2006-01-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got all our pictures posted for December and a few of January. We also got his 9 month pictures back, so I will be sending those out to everyone soon.

We had a few developments this week, no crawling yet though! AJ is now able to shake his head no. He doesn't understand what it means, but if you say no, he shakes his head. He can also give 5, but is still not very consistent and he waved bye-bye (only once) as well. He is making some great progress!

He has started eating a lot more solids as well. Turkey dogs, noodles and peas are his favorite, but he likes bread, mandarin oranges, Cheerios, cottage cheese and yogurt too. He is a great eater and not too picky at all (so far)! He is growing so fast, I can hardly keep up. Where does the time go!

The last few days...

2006-01-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Joe's 31st birthday this weekend. Went out to Dulono's Pizza with some friends and family and listened to a bluegrass band (of course this was Joe's choice) and ate some great pizza. Then Sunday we had the whole Schmitt clan over. AJ had so much fun playing with his cousin Benjamin as did every one else. It was a nice relaxing day at home with family! There is nothing better.

On Monday we had AJ's 9 month check up. Dr. Lenny (that's his pediatrician) said AJ looks great! He weighed in at 19lbs 1 3/4oz, which is in the 25th% for his age and was 28 1/2 inches long which is in the 50-75th% for his age. He gained 2 1/2lbs and grew 2 1/4 inches since his 6 month check up. Even though his percentages are not very high, the doctor said he is growing well and seems to be developing right on track! He is just a little peanut I guess.

He is getting so close to crawling! We thought he had it the other night, but just doesn't seem to want to. Oh well, I guess that's good for us, once he starts he will be into everything. Otherwise not much else is new. He loves eating and playing and is getting close to saying dada (we think).

I have a bunch of pictures to download to our picture site, but we unfortunately traded camera's with Mike and Jessica (our camera's are very similar), so I will not be able to download any until we get it back. I will update again when we get them downloaded.

We will give this a try

2006-01-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Since it is very time consuming to update our webpage, I thought we would try this to see if it is a little easier (I stole the idea from my sister-in-law). I will update this at least once a week, so make sure and save the link so you can check back often (as I won't be emailing every time I update).

We had a wonderful 2005 and hope that 2006 is just as much fun! Alexander is growing by leaps and bounds and we have his 9 month check-up on Monday. I can't believe how time flies! We all had a great Christmas and AJ was spoiled by everyone. He is so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!