Handsome boy

I just wanted to post some pictures of my beautiful baby boy.. who is not looking so babyish anymore...

Bow Mania!!

One of Katharines favorite things to do is put bows in her hair. Poor girl doesnt really have enough hair for me to put pigtails in, but she asks anyway and I dont protest.

After 20 minutes of her fidgeting and me trying to get the perfect center part(lol) she lost interest and just wanted to put all the bows in her hair. That was fine with me.. much easier .. Its like pulling.. well hair.. when trying to do pigtails in her thin, baby fine hair.

Here is the finished product.

Girls are so fun!!

Snow Video!

Stop laughing.. its a big deal to us Texans..
Here is a video of our grand snowfall yesterday.. turn the volume down to avoid my sickly voice..

Early Christmas wishes

Yesterday was a day to remember, for Houston at least. Some call it a Miracle, some say Hell must have frozen over, some have called it Freaky, I call it a blessing. Here in Houston we do not see snow that often. In fact I have lived here for 10 years and it has snowed twice. Once on Jakobs first Christmas eve in 2004 and again yesterday. Now, we would be asking to much for it to stick so it was no surprise when the flakes hit the warm ground, dissolved and turned to liquid. But it was a wondrous site to see them falling from the sky.

I took a few pictures and by a few I mean hundreds.. Hey snow is a big deal here.. so all of you northerners that are laughing at us.. its ok.. we enjoy our dusting of snow.. while you guys are digging yourselves out ;)

My neighbors plant..

My Neighbors car..
Neighbors house..

Twilight fanatic

I am sure many of you have heard of the recent phenomenon book series Twilight. It rivals Harry Potter in its popularity. The fourth book in the series, Breaking Dawn sold 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release. So naturally I had to see what the buzz was about.

When the movie was about to come out and I had seen interviews upon interviews and blogs upon blogs about the series I let my curiosity get the best of me and purchased the first book. Now being an avid reader whose shelves are littered with non fiction books I was a little skeptical. But it was in me, fiction. Growing up I was a big fan of V.C Andrews and Anne Rice. My favorite Author growing up was R.L. Stine. So I knew I could do it.

So I set out to read the first book of the series while my kids and my hubby were at the farm. Yes that's right a whole weekend to myself..It was glorious.

So I began the book and was hooked instantly. Twilight is obviously written for teenagers so it is an easy read.

Its about an impossible love and I don't think there is a girl out there that has read it who didn't fall in love with Edward Cullen, the main Character.
Yes its a book about Vampires but as with most books that is just the outer layer. It is really a beautiful love story.
Fast forward to now and I have read all 4 books and have seen the movie once( I plan on seeing it again next week ;))

And I still cant get enough. I am hopelessly addicted.

My good friend is going to send me the Harry Potter series for Christmas so that I can start reading them. I have never read the Potter books and have only seen the first movie. It will be interesting for me, lover of non fiction books to delve into the world of wizards. I am excited!

So if you haven't already go read Stephanie Meyers, Twilight series. Maybe you, like me, will find a renewed love for Fiction.

One of our Favorite artist played at a convention that was held at our church. They had a free concert one night and we sat front row!! We even took the kiddos and for the most part they did ok. It was 3 hours long and WAAAAY past their bedtimes.

Lincoln Brewster
Ready for the show..

Jakob on the farm..

Our beast

Thanksgiving with cousin Jordan

Just hanging out

Superstar!

Decorating the Christmas tree..

I am still here..

I realize its been a while since I posted and though I wish I had a better excuse than I have all I can offer is that I just haven't gotten around to posting.
That being said I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving day, filled with family and food. I know I did.
I realize the look of the blog needs to be changed as it is no longer pumpkin season but I am waiting to see Santa tomorrow, well not me but the kids so that I can add the picture.
Don't worry I ll get it all together sooner or later.
We do have the house decorated or kinda, the decorations are up on the inside but the boxes are still decorating the floor and the outside is a work in progress. Dustin puts up a little more each night. He is such a trooper.
We have a busy weekend ahead of us as usual so I ll have lots to post about in the coming days. But I will leave you with pictures in the next post.
I hope you guys have a terrific Day..

Daily Blunders

Do you ever have those days when nothing seems to go your way? When you want to put on you favorite pair of jeans and realize they are covered in mud from the yard excavation your Dog did.
Or when you reach for your tooth brush only to discover there is a little black unidentified hair on it.
I know you have, everyone has.. If you havent you are living in denial!

Well today has been one of THOSE days. It was if every time an obstacle was overcome here came another one to prove me wrong..
It all began when I had to wake up this morning. That in itself is an obstacle that I have to over come every morning. So I get up to take the pup out and both kids are awake. At 6:30 in the morning. I think someone forgot to tell them that that was not allowed.
So immediately I am in mommy mode. No time to relax, fix some coffee, catch up on my reading or my shows. Nope, immediately into "I want waffles, I want Pancakes, NOW NOW NOW"
I am exaggerating to gain sympothy votes, is it workin?.
Things were going smoothly until my son tried to amputate his leg by scratching it on a piece of furniture that had broken when he was jumping on it.
I sat my coffee down and ran to salvage the limb.
When I returned, with a bloody child in my arms, I noticed my coffee was all over the Office chair.
That could only mean one thing. ... Kaiser our dog had quite the guilty look on his face. I took a brave look at the computer and the evidence was everywhere.
Immediately panic sunk in. I just got a job with a company where the Computer was my main equipment. I could not perform this job otherwise.
There goes our extra money for bills and groceries.
In 5 minutes time I had us living in a dumpster behind walmart.
I gathered my thoughts and called Staci to vent.
She was very receptive to my gripes and I felt a little better but I was still in a no computer situation.
In a joking text I sent to my girlfriend I asked if she "had an extra computer laying around"
And she text me back that I was in luck and she DOES!!
Boy how grateful I am for Jenn. She has been everything I knew friends could be. I just love her to pieces.
So obstacle one was: Get new computer... Check
Obstacle two was: Hook up new computer to Internet
hahahahaha.
We have a wireless router or you might as well call it what I call it.. the thingy that gets in my way while sitting at my desk.
So I attempted to sign on to our network... Password incorrect.. I thought of every possible password that I could.
You see my Brother in law installed the new network, He is a computer Guru of sorts. So after getting in touch with him(in Canada) He gave me the password. OH MY GOSH.. I cant say the password but let me just tell you. .. only my husband and my brother in law would think of that kind of password. Crazy boys.
So all is fine now. I am waiting on a call from my cousin with a possible rejected company laptop that I can bring home and make my own.
I love my friends and family. Thank you Jesus for them!!
I hope you guys have a Splendid day.

*Update* Job Hunting

GOD IS GREAT!
I received my Packet of forms via email this afternoon to fill out and send back to West for identity verification. That is one step closer to getting a paycheck.
Next step is tomorrow send a copy of all my identification documents and get an authenticity form notarized. Then I ll start training and be on my way to making some electricity money.

Hunting... for a job

When I made the decision to stay at home and be with my children I knew that Financially it would be a huge sacrifice. As a family we did many things to cut back on our expenses.
The biggest sacrifice was getting rid of our beloved Sports car. Dear hubby has always had a love affair with Camaros as have I. You could say it was one of the factors in my choosing him as a husband, though not the #1 reason but not far behind.
I knew it was asking alot for my hubby adored his car. She had a name(which we later named our Daughter after) She was bathed and pampered on a weekly basis and she was the bridge to a brand new group of friends. Our lives revolved around that car. Friday night meets to talk about cars and admire the newest upgrades. Sunday cruises to Galveston with the windows open and the breeze tickling our noses.
Weekend trips to huge car shows and a caravan of 25 Camaros behind us.
Like I said, it was our life.
Then when we decided to have a family we traded in my sports car, a 2000 Pontiac Formula(who was equally loved) For a Mom mobile, but kept the SS because we had it made, A kid, a sports car and a family car. What more could we ask for.
Then reality set in.
I returned to work when Jakob was 6 weeks old entrusting him with Pawpaw, My amazing father in law who so graciously came to live with us and watch our precious new gift while I went back to work .
As amazing as it was we knew that it was only temporary and that soon Pawpaw would have to leave us.
That time came when Jakob was 8 months old.
We did research and called every child care provider in our area but after weighing the cost of childcare with what I made it wasnt worth it.
So we made the decision that I would quit my job and stay at home with Jakob.
Wow what a huge leap of faith this was. But we knew God was behind us and we took that leap boldly.
So the Camero was the first casualty in our war against unnecessary luxuries.
Luckily that was enough to put us in a comfortable spot. Though we only had one car it never really was a big deal because I was able to spend my days teaching my son and loving on him and just watching him grow. Payment enough!
As the years went on, Job changes came, A baby girl blessed our lives and a new house was bought.
We however did not for see the downfall of the Housing market or the horrible economy that we would be in just one year from buying our new house.
Now we are stretching it from pay check to pay check with little left over and it is beginning to become a little frightening. So I have taken the next step in our life and that is Job hunting.
Now before you draw any conclusions lets clarify something. I am not looking for a job outside of my home. Childcare costs are still outrageous and with 2 of them, out of the question. So I have done my research and applied to several legitimate work from home companies.
Not the run of the mill you pay me $100 dollars for a kit and you ll be a millionaire type job. But a real bonified job. Where I would either take calls for incoming purchases through HSN or I would do data entry. Its outsourcing and I only wish I would have known about it 4 years ago. But that is neither here nor there.
So I have sent in my applications, done the phone interviews and am now just waiting for the job.
Please wish me luck and pray for us. Its a tough time in this economy and we are definitely feeling it in the Schoen household.

Dearest Daddy

I miss you and wish you were here..

Cypress Calling

Matthew 25:35-40
35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

What an amazing scripture passage, right? God calls us to help our brothers and sisters.. because he helped us. And in helping another as God has called us to do we are not only doing it for the people in need but most importantly for GOD. I dont think anything makes God smile more than one of his people helping others.
This year has been an incredible journey for a small group of stay at home moms that attend the same weekly Bible study and have been doing so for about 2 years. We are all from different churchs and walks of life who had a heart for the needy. We started out by making baskets of goodies for mothers in crisis pregnancies. It blossomed into showers 6 times a year for 10 women who are in need of a little pampering and prayer.
We are first time mothers, seasoned mothers and some grandmothers all working together to fulfill Gods call to us.
This past weekend we took our time to Lifehouse. 3 couples and 3 children traveled down to South Houston and began a big project.
Lifehouse runs entirely on volunteers and Church donations. So we volunteered our time to give these girls new painted walls.
The color that was on the walls had been there for a while and I think were outdated by a few decades. So we spruced them up with a nice neutral color.
The ladies got to visit with the girls that were staying at the house and get to know them a little.
These girls need alot of hugs and to know that they are loved. And I hope that in our short time there we were able to share a little bit of that. Also since we had our kiddos with us and our husbands(one in the same sometimes) I think we were examples of what a Christian family is. They got to see our kids at their best, playing by themselves or sharing with others, and at their worst, about an hour past naptime and screaming at the top of their lungs!
I was greatly moved by this experience. It hits close to home with me and it shows how God puts things in your life to show you what really matters.
My sister is a prime candidate for a lifehouse program.. 3 times over.
I wish that her first experience was in a place like lifehouse so that maybe she would have learned to love herself and know that God loves her unconditionally and that she has other gifts besides her body that God has yet to tap into . I know she is a good person and wants to do well but she is stuck in a cycle that she cant seem to break. I pray for her daily. I know that God has a plan for her and for the little babies that she has birthed. Because each one was a gift from her to another family that couldnt have children by their own bodies and what an amazing gift she has given them. I know her time will come to shine and God will use her to shine his light through.
So be sure and visit our website http://cypresscalling.com/ to learn more about what Cypress Calling is about and what you can do to help!

I feel the winds of Change..

This election year has been historic for many many reasons.
Not only was it the first time that either a woman or an African American could be in the White house it is a year that promised change no matter what the voting outcome was.
So no matter who you voted for or what your party preference is lets support Americas choice for President.
Lets support him and the difficult task he has ahead of him. The next 4 years are very important and I hope that we all rally around our Commander and Chief.
I just ask that everyone out there pray for our New President. Pray that God show himself to him and helps guide him in the difficult decisions he has to make.
Remember God is bigger than one man. It is in his plan that we need to trust.
This morning I was listening to KSBJ and the morning show had Houston's own Beth Moore on and she made a great point. I am paraphrasing here but this was her point: God calls his people to UNITE IN CHRIST! No matter what side of the aisle you are on it is in our most Perfect and Holy God that we should lay all our trust in.
On a personal note, I am renewed and excited about the change to come.
I am a Democrat in a Republican state and sometimes feel that I am way out in left field(no pun intended) alot of the times. On top of that I am also a very strong in my faith Christian. Which if you lived where I live is pretty much unheard of.
I credit my Hippy dippy grandmother for my key values in politics. But we wont go into that.
I am proud of my country and proud of its decision. I am amazed that so many people looked past the color of a mans skin, the origin of his name and chose someone that they felt would help America out of this difficult time.
If you disagree with me thats fine. We can agree to disagree. I am not one to fight about an opinion. Its a vicious cycle where no one comes out the winner. But America has voted and it is time to support our leaders and move on as a country.

The Transformer and the Mermaid

This year Halloween was so different then the previous four years. For starters Jakob really was into it. He started getting excited at the beginning of September when they started putting the Halloween decorations up at Target. Its his favorite part of going to Target to see the new Holiday asles. He uses it as a bridge to the next holiday.
So early on in Septemember he had his Costume picked out. He was going to be a Transformer.
I cant tell you how excited I was this year to see how much Jakob was really into Halloween and to see his interest in it. Last year was a whole different story, I dont want to go through the emotion again so click here to see just what I mean.
Katharine was a Mermaid this year. And the cutest Mermaid there could have been.
Jakob got to go trick or treating at school on Thursday and I was so happy he put on his costume without complaint and was so excited.
He came home exhausted with bags of candy.
Friday night we waited till D got home and we headed out. We only went down one street because it was a little tiring and they had plenty of candy.
All in all it was a great night. I am not big on candy and rarely keep it in the house so I have it hidden for special occations and to use as bribes :D. Luckily the kids have pretty much forgotten about it.
Here is my little Optamus Prime and Mermaid:

Long overdue...

Every year for the past 3 years D has taken Jakob to the Wings over Houston airshow at Elington field. Usually it is the weekend of the Beach house and the boys leave from there to have their day. Well no beach house this year and it was a weekend later. Which was actually a good thing because that meant that they could go on Saturday instead of Sunday and we didnt have to miss church.
This year it was a little different because the girls decided to go as well.
D was so excited to share what he has loved his whole life. He remembers going to the Airshow as a child and I think he goes back to that every time he talks about it. You can see the gleam in his eye.
It was a little warm for the last weekend in October but we toughed it out. Neither kids got naps so it was a roller coaster ride most of the day trying to appeal to a 2 year old and a 4 year old and share in their excitements and nurture their fears.
Jakob was not scared of the planes or their loud noises.. he was however terrified of the Pearl Harbor reenactment that went on . In his defense.. the bombs were very loud and life like. Even I jumped a few times.
The most exciting thing for Jakob I think was seeing the plane that carries the Space shuttle and the Thunderbirds of coarse.
Katharine slept off and on through the whole thing and really didnt seem to impressed with the whole thing. Aside from the bad sunburn I got on my neck and chest it was a good day.

Jakob making his lovely rat face and holding his new Thunderbird
The real Thunderbirds.. Amazing.. I am in awe just looking at the pictures..

The quality is not great I know, but yes those planes are that close and one is upside down.

This was Ds favorite plane. It was massive, could get up in the air in warp speed and stop on a dime.. Amazing!!

This looks photoshopped but it is the real deal.. and it still doesnt show the massiveness of this plane!

Jakob the future Astronaut

In the cockpit of one of the planes

His Favorite! This one is a model the real one was to the right ;)

Thankful Thursday

photo from www.origins-photography.co.uk

Thankful: feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

In the darkness of our economy's downward spiral it is hard to find things to be thankful for. But we need to find the light and take a step back . Look at your life and evaluate the things that you do have. Take stock in the things that don't cost money such as Family. Be thankful for the opportunities that you may have with your family. The chance to help mold a young mind. Teach a child right from wrong. Even smaller matters such as teaching patience and compassion disguised as teaching your son how to ride a bike. These are all things we should be thankful for.
Here are the things I am thankful for today:

• I am thankful that I live in a country where I am not persecuted for disagreeing with others on issues that matter most to me such as religion, political views, Economical views. I can create a web page, blog, newsletter, or article expressing my likes or dislikes of our current leaders. I can read my Bible in a public venue without the fear of being bludgeoned to death or taken to jail.

• I am thankful that I am able to stay at home and raise my children.

• I am thankful for music. It is the fuel for my body and mind. I liken it to a drug(the legal kind) one that changes a bad mood with one cord or a lyric that takes your mind to a place that you thought you would never go.

• I am thankful for the chance to vote for the next leader of my country. I must admit this will be my first time voting in a presidential election(though I have been eligible for the past 2) I feel that I have the facts and I have done my homework and I am prepared to make an educational decision.

These are just a few of the things that I am thankful for today. It is much easier to be thankful and re evaluate your life than it is to be hateful and spiteful.

What are you Thankful for today??

An Ear full

I remember when Jakob was a little baby and I would look into his crystal blue eye full of wonder and question and think to myself " I wonder what that little mind of his is thinking" and "I cant wait till he can tell me whats on his mind"

Now granted Jakob was a late at entering the world of talking. He was the ripe old age of 3 before he really started to make sense. But he hasnt stopped since. Every waking moment is a question or a statement or a sound.
I am blessed that my child is a forward thinker and love that he has an inquisitive mind. But add to it a very advanced in language 2 year old little girl and thats where it gets fuzzy.

Katharine has been talking for about 6 months now. When I say talking I mean full sentences and 23 hours a day. She has taken a page out of her older brothers book and has began asking questions all day long.

Dont get me wrong, like I said I am glad my children are inquisitive but these questions are just down right annoying. Here is an example of a few:

"Mommy, Are you eating bread?" Jakob says smiling .

Mommy replies, "Jakob, can you see the bread in my hand?"

"Yes" He answers

"So why would you ask me if I was eating it if you can see me eating it" Mommy quips annoyed.

"Mommy, are we in the car?"

"YES JAKOB, you know we are in the car"

And so on and so on. And Katharine has taken his lead and does the same thing.

Question question question.
Give me some relevance.. Ask questions that you can actually learn things from. "why is the sky blue"

"where do babies come from" That sort of thing, dont ask me the obvious.

Along with them testing their questioning skills, our very vocal 2 year old also has taken up tantrum throwing.

This isnt a newly acquired skill she has been throwing tantrums since she was in the womb I think but usually they were for things that actually warranted tantrums(yes such things do exists)

Lately though she has been throwing a tantrum anytime she doesnt get her way or I tell her no.

I think its quite humerus and tend to ignore her. It usually works. About 2 minutes later she is up and on to the next thing with no worry in the world.
Last night it was bad timing though. As soon as D walked in from a hard day at work Kit Kat was screaming her head off. Not something you wanted to hear when you first walk in the door. So dinner was a bit stressful last night.
I know that this phase will pass and I ll be looking back years from now yearning for this time to come again. But is it wrong of me to want a little peace in quiet sometime?

Jakob got a pair of ear plugs at the air show.. I think I ll put them to good use and wear them around the house :D