Spring update

Typical of Minnesota, we've had great spring weather, then it was cold, then it was warm for 2 days, and now it is rainy for 5.  I haven't taken many pictures these past few months besides Easter for some reason.  Some highlights since my last post:


*  Madeline has been perfecting her jump roping and really taking off with her reading skills.
*  Henry is really getting into superheroes - Spiderman, Ironman, the Hulk.
*  Sam is 9 months old and has cut 4 teeth already.  Not crawling yet, but seems like it will be soon.
*  My mom visited us for Easter weekend, which was great to see her.
*  We went to see Pinkalicious, a children's theater production, with the Lape family
*  We are taking on a landscaping project in our backyard.

We also were behind in milestone pictures for Sam and we also didn't have a nice family shot since he's been born, so it was time to hire a photographer.  We couldn't be happier with the shots!

Madeline's lost her first tooth!

Madeline lost her first tooth on Monday night.  Her smile is forever changed.  Funny thing about it... so we've been reading this chapter book series with the lead character Junie B. Jones a Kindergartener.  when Junie B. lost her first tooth, she was freaking out about giving it to the Tooth Fairy because she didn't know what the tooth Fairy did with the teeth she collected?  After consulting her friends and getting nowhere, Junie B. finally had a Eureka moment when she saw that her baby brother cut a new tooth.  So she finally was able to give her tooth up when she realized that the Tooth Fairy RECYCLED the teeth.  


Now Madeline thinks Sam is getting her tooth and that he is constantly teething now that he has her tooth ready to pop up.

Sibling love

Madeline and Henry still love their baby brother and they give him hugs whenever they can.  Madeline is even getting ambitious and likes to pick up Sam.   Fun times when they get to the point when they are crying over who gets to sit closest to Sam.  Crazy times, but love the craziness of 3 kids!

Mall of America trip

We have not been to the Mall of America in years, so we decided to take the kids to the mall for a fun morning.  Have to find something to do during this cold Minnesota winters.  Madeline bought a dog in the American Girl store.  And Henry bought a Toy Story 3 Lego set in the giant Lego store.  We also spend some time in the amusement park at the mall called Nickelodeon Universe.  And lunch was, of course, at McDonalds because it doesn't seem like there is any other place that we go when we are with the kids.  Fun times.

Our sweet Sam

 

Sam is 6 months old now.  His latest trick is sitting up all by himself.  It's actually really surprising how far he leans over to go for a toy out of reach - an ambitious little dude as far as I can tell.  He's babbling up a storm and has a full vocabulary of baby talk, which is hilarious because it seems like he is trying so hard to tell us something.  He continues to be our easy-going baby - easy to laugh and smile.  These days, I am doing everything I can to enjoy his chubby, chubby thighs before they succumb to toddlerhood.  

He's also our biggest baby among the three so far.  At his 6 month appointment, he weighed 22 lb, 5 oz and was 29" long.

Since he's changing so much, just thought I'd post some cute pictures of him....

Eating solids!

   

So, Sam didn't do so well with just cereal and we quickly went straight to the good stuff.  He enjoyed the fruits and vegetables much more than the cereal. And who can blame him, really?  It didn't take him more than a few days to figure it all out and get over that tongue thrust reflex.  We already have him on 3 meals a day, and it's been a great transition to solids!

Christmas 2010

Sam's first Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday - full of great time with our families!  This year will always be very special because not only was it Sam's first Christmas, but our two nephews Acen and Max also celebrated their first Christmas this year.  We had kids everywhere!

6 Santa cousins from 3 Schwartz girls 

With the kids being so young, I wanted to come up with an idea to reinforce the message that Christmas is about JESUS' BIRTHDAY - not Santa, not Frosty, not Rudolph, not presents.  So, we baked and decorated a birthday cake for Jesus and read the story of Jesus' birth.  I *think* it was a well-received message, but of course they were still super-excited for Santa.

Decorating birthday cake for Jesus

Other fun moments from Christmas.

Henry sporting new Christmas shirt and Cars toy

Cousin Max's first Christmas

Cousin Acen's first Christmas

Henry and Landon continue to be a source of entertainment, hilarity, and frustration - depending on how well they are playing together... or not.  Super-Aunt Katie managed to pack some Toy Store costumes for them to enjoy.  How hilarious are these two?

Starting Sam on cereal - 4 months old!

Sam hit 4 months old in mid-December.  He had a clean bill of health at his 4 month check-up.  And he came in at a whopping 19 lbs, 4oz and 28".  Our big boy.  Right when he hit 4 months old, things changed for Sam...  We moved his feedings from every 3 hours to every 4 hours, which seemed to end up making him hungrier at night = more times awake in middle of night.  We have slowly started introducing solids, which is always a sad moment for me.  It's like the end of an era - the "Mommy is the only one I need" era - and I've always loved the responsibility and privilege that comes with being a nursing momma.  But, then again, all good things must come to an end, and I suppose that I am excited with the prospect of this next stage.

So, Sam's first taste of oatmeal cereal was HILARIOUS.  He made more ridiculous faces in his first 4 bites than the other two kids did put together.  And after 4 spoonful attempts, he started crying.  Not really what I expected for my ~20 lb-er. We'll keep trying though.

Sleepy kids

I don't know what it is...  the change of the seasons, the end of daylight savings time, etc...  The kids are just worn out.  I couldn't resist getting pics of these precious moments.

Right when Sam hit 4 months old, his schedule changed a bit.  He started falling asleep on the car ride home from daycare, so Nathan lays him down while still in his snowsuit for his typical 30 minute nap.

Madeline's Christmas Play

Madeline was an angel in the preschool/kindergarten Christmas program at our church.  She's in the far left of these pictures.  They sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children," "Silent Night," and "Go Tell it on the Mountain."

Sam - 3 months

Sam continues to be our easy-going baby and FULL of smiles.  At 3 months, he is able to hold up his head while sitting in the Bumbo chair.  We hear more and more chatter and are amused by his attempts to grasp items and pull them to his mouth.

Thanksgiving 2010

Our usual Thanksgiving weekend includes a trip to Rochester to celebrate with Nathan's family on Thurs/Friday and then my dad's house on Saturday.  However, this year we did something a little bit different.  Instead, my mom came to visit us from Indiana for the 4-day weekend.  I hadn't celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom since 1997, so she was more than excited to share this special holiday with us.  And, unfortunately, she had missed Henry's birthday party and Sam's baptism in October due to a knee injury, so this was a make-up of sorts.

As a part of this change in plans, we had the opportunity to cook our FIRST EVER turkey dinner! I was so proud of us - it was delicious!  I definitely want to make turkey dinners more intermittently through the year now that we have the confidence that we can do it.

We continue to be in awe of the many blessings that God has given to us - our family, our love, our health, our jobs, our home, our faith... 

Halloween 2010

We had a fairly low key Halloween... Nathan took Madeline and Henry around our block, and the kids were so excited with the loot that they had.  Henry *loved* his Lightning McQueen Cars suit.  No problems there.  But Madeline was a last minute costume.  I originally had bought her a cool witch costume at a garage sale, but she said it was too itchy.  So we raided her princess costume closet and most of them don't fit her anymore. But the Mulan costume still worked.  She was not too excited about it until I did her hair in a bun and loaded up on the make-up.  And then she was so happy!  You could just tell that she felt all girly and pretty.  It was fun.  Sam literally had on the puppy dog outfit long enough for this picture and then that was it.