Schmidtville

Sam-bop

2012-01-03T21:14:00.000-05:00

Its hard to believe our little Sam-bop is 2!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

Winghaven Gardens

2011-12-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

Wont you join me for a walk through my favorite gardens?
Every time I go to Winghaven Gardens it is like entering my own secret garden.
Part of me wants to keep it this way...but LOOK!
How could I keep this beauty to myself.

You walk inside the garden gate and see this:

?

Follow the wandering paths and feel your soul slow down.

I know it sounds campy...but try it. You can't stay frantic here. Impossible.

Read the quotes, of which there are many.

Enjoy the fat camelias smiling at you.

Stroll along garden paths and see spouts of new life popping out

with the backdrop of a trickling fountain.

It seems to good to be true... it isn't. It's here!

Imagine, if the gardens look like this in December!?!

They are lovely all year.

Don't miss the details. This is what the faucet heads

look like.

Enjoy these beautiful gardens with me sometime!

I am always ready to go slow down...

Phase III: Enjoy!

2011-12-24T20:26:00.000-05:00

Come on in, take your shoes off and enjoy!

You can't quite tell from this picture, but this previously dark

space is flooded with light! The wall

separating the breakfast room from the kitchen is gloriously gone!

My window seat! Its now nice and wide,

perfect for reading and tea!

Also great for sitting lots of kids around the table.

View from the window seat back to the sink.

Again... no wall!

Looking at the kitchen from the dining room.

View from the living room.

We don't usually have a big leather chair there,

but you get the idea! Had to make room for

our Christmas tree.

Phase II: Reassemble

2011-12-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

Phase I: Gut.

2011-12-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

Kitchen Before

2011-12-19T14:04:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to you!

2011-12-18T22:35:00.000-05:00

Its that time again...

2011-10-25T17:42:00.002-04:00

Time for obligatory fun to be candidly caught on camera
in the pumpkin patch! No pressure boys!
Thankfully my camera battery was low, so I could
only badger them for so long for my elusive perfect
fall picture!

But...aren't these worth just a little hounding?
I think so too.

I think I'll take this pumpkin home with me.

Mountain Weekend

2011-10-13T15:57:00.001-04:00

We went up to the Boone/Blowing Rock area a
few weekends ago...and saw snow! The first weekend
of October! We were excited to start our fall off
with a mountain weekend but had no idea we would
see snow.

Here we are at a great little park in Blowing Rock.

Then on to Linville Caverns to escape the rain.
You would never know from these pictures it was raining
about 10 minutes before, and snowing before that!

Back at the cabin.
We had such a fun little adventure
just being somewhere different together.

Doodle-bug

2011-10-03T22:00:00.001-04:00

Our little Evan has become quite the doodler.
Here he is with a picture of our family.

While I was cooking dinner he exclaims,
"Mom! I wrote Cat!"
I was amazed...we've not talked about writing much
before! That is just like Evan, just does things on
his own... always has!

And his newest specialty...
A race car!

Still here...

2011-10-03T21:57:00.001-04:00

Yes, we're still here. Just enjoying the fall!

3.5

2011-09-06T20:50:00.001-04:00

Here's our other sweetie at 3.5.
We see lots of this around here...

Thinking...can't seem to stand still for a picture...

Just. so. hard. to stand still...

"Evan, play peek a boo with Sam"

Woah! Surprise!

"Talking" his dinosaurs.

Bear Grylls eat your heart out.

Such a neat guy.

20 months

2011-09-06T20:45:00.002-04:00

This is the face of our 20 month old Sam.
Hello charmer.

Alright, I'll give you whatever you want.

Take it all Sam! Whatever you want is yours.

Okay, now you're getting a little cocky.

I love this little guy.

Fishing

2011-07-06T17:03:00.001-04:00

One of the highlights of this years trip was fishing.
The men and oldest boy went fishing early in the morning
right in front of our condo. Sam and I came and joined in
the fun a bit later in the morning.

Evan was into the "sea creatures"
Here he is studying a fish with the vigor and
tenacity of interested Evan.

Surf fishing with Daddy

Sam after his picnic breakfast.
Nice Sam!

Investigating a sting ray with Grandpa.
Glad I missed that one!

Evan with one of the catches of the morning.
He was not shy at all about grabbing those fish.
No hesitation...at all.

The scene:

Beach Trip 2011

2011-06-29T21:40:00.001-04:00

We just returned from a wonderful week at the beach!

I was delighted to find that we have two
little fish on our hands. Upon arrival, we went
straight to see the ocean, and Evan ran straight in,
sat down in the waves and exclaimed, "I'm swimming!"

Sam did not waste a minute to get his little bum
down to the water and tried to crawl straight into
the waves! I had to hold him back from going
further and further into the ocean.
It was a blast.
Here's just a few moments of our time...

all by myself...

2011-06-13T19:11:00.001-04:00

Evan was quietly drawing in the entryway
the other day... and here is what he drew
while completely alone. Its a hand turkey.
Go Evan!

Unexpected

2011-06-10T16:33:00.003-04:00

(rumble rumble)
Me: Oh, I hear some thunder
Evan: Does that mean its almost nighttime?
Me: No, it just means it might rain soon.
Evan: Oh.
Me: I'm glad because we could use some rain.
Evan: To grow our trees bigger than a Bracheosaurus?
Me: Yes.

Friends at last!

2011-05-16T07:41:00.001-04:00

Well, it took three full years, but has happened at last.
Gus has befriended Evan.
Here they are snuggling on the couch.

May Days

2011-05-16T07:38:00.001-04:00

We've been doing a lot of this the past few weeks:

One year ago...

2011-05-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

Sweet guys

2011-04-17T09:09:00.002-04:00

Warning: Beware of Sam

2011-04-15T14:20:00.002-04:00

Sam has gone from a sweet sleepy squeaky baby to...
THE STINKER!
I think these pictures pretty well speak for themselves.

For balance...here's a glimpse of his sweet side!

Hot off the press...

2011-04-11T18:23:00.002-04:00

Hot off the press here is a classic word for word
conversation with Evan. I hope you enjoy.

The scene: its after naps, he's had a good one and
he's in a great mood. I hear him talking to himself
in his room. I enter and he's having a conversation
with his "friends" (aka stuffed animals).

Me: "Hi Evan, I missed you!"
Evan: "Is it time to get up?"
Me: "yes"
Evan: (with a very serious face) "do you know any songs
about insects?"
Me: (delighted with my quick response) "yes!" (begin
singing) "I'm bringing home a baby bumble-bee!..."
Evan: "no! That is a song about just one flying insect...not
insectS"
Me: (laughing and realizing that I will only be able to keep up with
him til he's about 5 years old) "hmm, you're right, do you know another
song about insects?"
Evan: (begins improvising) "Flying cicadas go like this...bzz bzz trrr trrr bzzz"
and the song continues...

Who is this boy? He cracks me up!

Happy 3rd Birthday Evan!

2011-02-01T12:08:00.001-05:00

How did I ever not know this guy?
Evan, We love you so much. You bring so much life to us!
We are grateful for our passionate little boy.
You are interested in animals, cars, people's houses
what everyone's favorite part of the day is and so much more.
What a joy to see such a tender heart inside of
such an intense little boy. I could not have dreamed you up!
What a wild ride it is to be your parents.
Love always, Mama and Daddy

Evan 3 months:

Its fun to be One!

2011-01-18T16:16:00.000-05:00

One year ago today...

2011-01-02T09:35:00.002-05:00

One year ago today, we met our Sam.

I'm dreaming...

2010-12-31T16:50:00.000-05:00

Of a White Day After Christmas!

It started snowing the evening of the 25th here
and we woke up to a beautiful snowy day.

We looked out our windows and saw this!

Evan making "macaroni penguins" in the snow.
Thank you Eric Carle.

These two had such a blast together.
Snowball fight: check
Macaroni penguin making: check
Adventure walk: check

In the afternoon Harrison came over,
and the fun continued.
Shaking trees: check
Snowball fight: check
Make a snowman: check

It was such a fun day.
I mostly stayed inside with Sam
and made soup and hot chocolate.
Dreamy!

A little Sam for Christmas

2010-12-31T16:41:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our brunchy Christmas
time! We had a blast. Check out Sam, he was lovin' it.

Evan was mostly enthralled with his new train set.
Somehow we came out with lots of Sam from
this part of the day!

I forgot my camera Christmas night, but we had a special
time at my moms house with she and Harrison for the
afternoon and evening. Mom made one of our
favorite meals from childhood and we ate by candle light.
It was a special time.
What a great Christmas!

Merry Merry

2010-12-30T15:09:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2010 was memorable.
First, we enjoyed our little family Christmas.
Here's the scene...
It was a sweet morning together
eating monkey bread and opening gifts in pj's.
There were lots of smiles and giggles and squeals.

Stay tuned for more Christmas fun...

Blair Time

2010-12-19T10:46:00.001-05:00

The other night we had some Blair time with
Walter in town. Walter thrilled Evan by being
involved in his project.
Here is Evan at work. Note: this is serious business.

Walter and his dog Porter.

The whole scene.

Round II

2010-12-08T21:14:00.002-05:00

Here are two adorable little buddies turning on the charm!
Elizabeth is JT's little sister, and Sam our little brother.
They are just three weeks apart and both sweet as pie.
Here they are hangin' out at the table while the mamas
chat and the big boys play.

There couldn't be a sweeter second round of children!

Long Lost Friends

2010-12-06T09:19:00.001-05:00

Ever since having kids, its a bit difficult to get together with
friends now that there are so many of us, and we are working
with limited time frames.

Last night we got together here in the afternoon to play
and eat a pancake dinner. It was so much fun.
It was so much fun that we were together until 7:40!
Three years ago I would have rolled my eyes at this...
Now it is just a fact of life. :) Funny how things are in
this toddler/baby phase of life.

Here is a glimpse of our time together.
I was so excited to get a picture of the girls.
We all have boys so far... so this rare shot of
us sitting down had to be captured!

With 6 boys under three in perpetual motion...it looks a little something like this.

One Sam...

2010-12-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

Coming right up!
I can't believe this little man will be one in a month.
Isn't he precious?

Evan's Prayer

2010-11-22T10:03:00.002-05:00

It has warmed my heart to hear Evan
burst out into prayer. I've overheard this
a few times now:

"Dear Jesus. Thank you for the animals.
I love you God."

Just in time for Thanksgiving, a little heart that
is truly grateful for animals.

Snippet

2010-11-20T11:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning I heard Evan come to the door and say,

"Mom. I'm ready to get up Mom.
Mom? I am ready to get uh-up."

So I went to greet him and begin the day saying, "Good morning sweetie"

His response: "A baby bear is called a cub."
Then he slammed the door in my face.

And so the day began!

I am still giggling about this.

In other news, Sam discovered sticking out his tongue.
I love looking at him and going back and forth sticking out our
tongues. I will post a picture if I get one...but trust me, it is
adorable.

Looking back...

2010-11-12T12:03:00.001-05:00

Remembering how much we've grown in a year.
One year ago (11/2009)

Two years ago (11/2008)

I'm stunned too baby Evan. :)

The Good Stuff

2010-10-26T22:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a bit of the good stuff I get to see every day.
These are about a month old...but I can't not share these.

Hither and Yon

2010-10-26T22:10:00.001-04:00

Please excuse my absence. (formal huh?)
We've been to Birmingham, Chattanooga and back.

Our trip was worthwhile as we got to build more
sweet memories with family and friends.

But alas, Evan shows it best here...we were tuckered out!
(note: my granddaddy's nickname since his boyhood years
is "sleepy"...so Evan and I come by it honestly!)
I love sleepy Evan falling asleep on Sleepy.

Okay, I have to admit, I felt like a total rock star here.
Nothing draws in young fans like the wheels on the bus...
even if you are singing the tune just a bit off!
I love these littles! They are my sweet friends...wish I got
to see them and their mom and dad more often!

Hi Sam.

The little ducklings in action. Love this pair!

Fortunately...

2010-10-02T11:19:00.000-04:00

Minutes after the "meadow meltdown" the opportunity
for great photos arose again.
This time a wiser mama just snapped with her mouth shut!

Potential

2010-10-01T09:15:00.000-04:00

So there we were, having a great morning walk past the meadow.
I saw the potential for a great picture!
A boy and his dog playing in the meadow...ahhh, classic!

But at two and a half, sometimes the mere mention of a picture
can have the following results.
See below.

Classic. Just in a different way.

Chuckelsbury Schmidt

2010-09-29T23:08:00.000-04:00

If this face doesn't cheer you right up in the morning...
I'm not sure what will.

This is Sam enjoying our breakfast picnic.

Mountains I

2010-09-29T23:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had a little family mountain weekend.
We found a gem of a house in Banner Elk. We wound up
Grandfather Mountain (I think) up up up,
then we rounded a curve to see a split rail fence,
these beautiful little cabins nestled into their own lots,
and a lovely meadow right in the middle of all the land.

Here is our first morning waking up at the cabin.
Here was our view!

And a few more pictures from our picnic breakfast.

At the breakfast table...

2010-09-23T10:21:00.002-04:00

E: "Do you like eels?"
Me: "sort of..."
E: "do you like ouchies?"
me: "no"
me: "do you like ouchies?"
E: (excited for the opportunity to shock) "yes!"
E: "do you like hippopotomuses?"
me: "yes"
E: "do you like breakfast?"
me: "yes"
Sam: "dada da dadadada"
E: "do you like little babies?"
me: "yes!"
E: "do you want to watch clifford together?"
me: "YES!"

from the backseat... part II

2010-09-22T16:28:00.002-04:00

This is what Evan was asking me from the backseat
yesterday on the way home from school:
Evan: "do you like...spiders!?"
me: "um, not really"
E: "Do you like birds?"
me:"yes"
E: "do you like wildebeests"
me: "um, yes, they are interesting"
E: "do you like garbage?"
me: "no"
E: "do you like fingerprints?"
me: "um, they are interesting."
E: "do you like mailboxes?"
me: "sure"
E: "do you like wasps?"
me: "no. not at all"
E: "whyyy nooot?"
me: "because they might sting me"
E: "do you like garbage?"

Buds

2010-09-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

I love these two.

First bath...

2010-09-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

In the big tub that is!

from the backseat...

2010-09-09T15:41:00.002-04:00

As we were leaving from school this afternoon Evan
was having the following conversation with himself.

Evan: "Don't worry Evan"
Evan: "NO! I want to worry"

Team Green

2010-08-17T10:39:00.001-04:00

Apparently I dress the boys in green a lot.
Here is a picture of our green team lately.
I get to spend lots of time with these sweet faces.
Evan just got a big haircut. Here he is before:

After:

PS: I am wearing green right now... so is Evan.
Go Big Green!

Mountains

2010-08-06T09:34:00.000-04:00

We had a blast a few weekends ago, escaping the
extreme Charlotte heat and humidity and heading
for the hills with Janelle and her sweet family.

Here are some pictures of our fun weekend.

Look at these cuties...in their pj's ready to start the day
with a little snuggle.

Some singing and smiling

Walk around the lake.

Sweet JT thinking and looking for fish.

Mountains II

2010-08-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

More hugs and throwing rocks.

Elizabeth having a great time with her daddy...

Lots of boys and one wee girl...
Notice JT and Evan...true friends and fellow explorers.

Sam Jam.

Mountains III

2010-08-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

It is so much easier to post pics to the blog from Picassa,
so once again I am posting from the weekend.

Here are our family picture attempts.
We took a walk up a little dirt road, and happened upon
a great picture spot.

In downtown Todd (don't blink!) there was
a great little park with a stage. Here is a picture
of one of the uses these boys found for the stage.

Surprise!

Perspective

2010-07-29T09:07:00.000-04:00

Since Sam's arrival, Evan has seemed extra big.
He is a tall boy for his age, but this puts his size into
perspective. So tiny compared to daddy's shoes!

In their element...

2010-07-19T20:13:00.000-04:00

Here is our jumping bean Sam.
He took to his jumper like a fish to water.
He's a natural.
Here's some pictures of the guy in action.
Please do not miss his amazing six month old thigh rolls.
They are fabulous!

This is how Evan looks when he sings.
Every. Time.
This boy does not lack heart!
(or enthusiasm or VOLUME).

Jolly Roger

2010-07-10T18:14:00.000-04:00

This boy is one fun bundle of love.
Here is our jolly roger after a bath.
The rolls abound!

Beach 2010: Pool Time

2010-07-09T09:56:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of me and Evan at the pool.
(Thank you for stating the obvious Ginny!)

Sam is playing at the condo, beating the heat!
Andy is the man behind the camera, we do
not have any physical evidence that he was at the
beach, but he was a huge part of the trip and the
documentor Extraordinaire!

Beach 2010

2010-07-05T09:49:00.000-04:00

A big hit this year was Auntie Em's iphone.
Evan now walks up to all screens and tries to move
the picture with his finger!

Cars with Grandpa was a good time too.

Beach 2010

2010-06-30T09:24:00.000-04:00

We had another fabulous year at the beach.
Highlights:
1. Time with family
2. Evan charging the ocean,
being pounded by waves and getting up unfazed!
3. Sam falling asleep in my lap at the beach
4. Time to read!
5. Walks on the beach
6. Seeing a Zee-donk at the zoo...this deserves a post of its own

Here are a few pics:

Prepare yourself...

2010-06-26T20:01:00.004-04:00

This is what happened tonight. Honest.

Andy and I had taken the boys to enjoy some Brixx pizza together.
We had driven in separate cars, Andy coming from a soul crushing
defeat of the US team in the world cup.
He needed to be cheered up.
On the way home I was coaching Evan.

Me: "Evan, when we get home and see daddy, say, "daddy, you're cool!"
Evan: with a huge smile, "daddy, you're cooo!"
Me: "tell him, 'daddy, you're awesome!"
Evan, "daddy you're awe-some"

We practiced a few more times... then there was a long pause...
until...

Evan: "Daddy, you're a wild man!"
Me: uncontrollable hysterical laughter
Evan: Now laughing, "Daddy, you're a WILD man!"
He repeated this about 75 times in 6 minutes... but it was a good one.

Cutie Pies

2010-06-24T19:20:00.001-04:00

Sam's Baptism

2010-06-21T18:22:00.001-04:00

This Sunday we had the privilege of bringing Sam
to be baptized at church. It is becoming a
Father's Day tradition to baptize sons!

It was a special time in spite of the on stage wrestling
match that Evan and I were quietly having...
and the loud "GET DOWN" that rang out across
the sanctuary near the end of the baptisms.
It was the real deal up there
under the lights!

We are so grateful for a God who is faithful to
his promises to his children. One verse that
stood out to us as we considered Sam's baptism is this:

"He is the Lord our God,
His judgements are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded
for a thousand generations."
Psalm 105:8

Yes, it really is this hard to get a picture of
four of us. If you even mention that there
will be a picture taken, the opportunity is
lost! Evan is not a fan of pictures.

hi.

2010-06-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

Sam = joy

2010-05-27T08:04:00.000-04:00

Projek!

2010-05-23T09:02:00.001-04:00

This is Evan's life work.
He works on these projects (projeks) with
an intensity and passion reserved for only his cars.

Here he is showing off his projek.
Question: Could he be more excited?

Answer: Yes. Here is an even more proud and excited Evan.

After a recent walk...

2010-05-13T15:21:00.000-04:00

I could squish them both!
love love love!

Unforgettable

2010-05-09T18:32:00.001-04:00

These two sweet moments are forever
etched into my heart.

Evan and Sam my heart is bigger, deeper and more
tender because of you precious sons!
Evan 2/1/2008

Sam 1/2/2010

*This post is a shameless copy of Janelle's post.
Too good not to copy!

Dance Party

2010-05-06T13:16:00.000-04:00

Solo Dance Party!

Squeeze

2010-05-06T10:28:00.000-04:00

He really is this sweet!
This is the outfit that is the most Sam to me,
and my hair was fixed, so documentation was a must!

4 months

2010-05-03T10:18:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of Sam from Sunday
on his four month birthday!

We love our gentle soul Sam.

Sweet Faces

2010-04-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

Here are some moments around the house lately.
Sweet Sam in the "jungle" captivated by what he sees.
Evan reading his little heart out. :)

She is a pro!

2010-04-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

As promised

2010-04-08T21:44:00.002-04:00

Here are more shots by Amy Free.

Evan: Brother! I love you!
Sam: This is a bit overwhelming.

Because we needed professional help...

2010-03-28T20:59:00.004-04:00

We called our inspiring photographer friend Amy Free!
And here are a few shots that she snapped of our family.
I was speechless. It may not need to be said, but keep
in mind how fast this two year old moves! Amy was
playing with Evan and he didn't even know we were
taking pictures! She shot around toys on the floor...
tissue boxes and other items that blend into the
background of our house to me so I don't see them!
Basically, she had her hands full...and somehow
captured twinkle eyes, proud parents and a
sweetie pie baby! Amazing...

You can see our pictures on her site here.
Warning: you may be swept away by her
incredible work...so make some time to
peruse. You will not regret it.

Munchkin Alert!

2010-03-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

Sunday Evan saw daddy wearing a hat to go play golf.
He insisted on wearing his too. I couldn't resist taking
some pictures of this munchkin in his hat from last year!

At long last...

2010-03-23T21:09:00.002-04:00

I have updated the pictures on our blog!
We are officially a family of four in cyberspace.
Will share many more fun photos soon!
Stay tuned!

Without further ado...

2010-03-17T09:17:00.002-04:00

Smiles from the happy peanut.
(Every morning when I first see Sam,
I find myself singing "I found a peanut"
to myself.)

Crackers

2010-03-16T14:10:00.003-04:00

I wanted to share a moment from our dinner table last night...
and record it for myself before it flies out of my brain.
After dinner, I offered Evan some graham crackers.
We haven't had them for a while, so I told Evan they were
graham crackers. We have a friend named Graham that
Evan just adores. He looked at the cracker for awhile and asked,
"Gam?" (Translation... Graham?). Then I said, well, yes its a
graham cracker. He looked long and hard at that cracker, and
after a thoughtful pause he said decisively, "Evan cracker".

Love it.

In other news,
Sam is doing two really super things... sleeping from
about 10 to 5 (yay!) and smiling!
It is so much fun to see a smile creep across his little lips
then burst into a big open mouthed grin!
His whole face lights up.
I hope to catch a picture of that very soon!
Go Sam Go!

Family Visit

2010-03-07T16:24:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago we had the privilege of
visiting with family from the Grayson side.
Here is my Aunt Cathy and Grandmother.
Sam was a huge grandmother fan!

Evan was a huge granddaddy fan!
Driving home from time with them Evan
kept saying from the backseat..."cute, cute"
just talking to himself. When I asked him who
was cute he said, "granddaddy cute!"
Here's Granddaddy... I agree! He is cute!
He is so special to us. Sam's middle name is
James after Granddaddy.

Reading with my mom.

Cuddling more with Grandmother.

We had a great time with everyone! I wish we could
visit like this more often!

Hello, my name is...

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sam!

1st commercial

2010-02-25T07:32:00.003-05:00

Here is Evan in his first ever commercial!
My friend made this cute shirt for him for his
birthday, and here he is modeling it on her site.
While you're there check out her fun stuff!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40891539

Honestly!

2010-02-22T21:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, folks... I am really trying to get our pictures
on the blog updated. But HONESTLY! Why is
this so hard!?!

Stay tuned. One of these days we'll get a good shot.

(Okay, this was one of the worst ones we took,
but it is funny trying so hard(!) to get a good picture, or
decent picture of all of us!)

Found a peanut...

2010-02-20T13:17:00.000-05:00

Look at these two peanuts!
Another Upton and Schmidt special!
Double peanuts just busy growing away.
E was too busy growing to open her eyes for the picture.
Who can blame her really?

Elizabeth was born on Sam's due date, so
they are just about the same age.
Enjoy pictures of these newbies doing what they do best!

Sur-pr-ise...

2010-02-18T21:19:00.001-05:00

A tiny toe...

Two for one deal...

Surprise!

Wanting to get in on the action...

Mr. Snowman

2010-02-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

Seriously, could this little snowman be any happier?

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend seemed magical.
Friday night big puffy snowflakes came
dumping out of the sky...
then Saturday morning we awoke to a winter wonderland.

I have been born and raised in the south,
so snow is a special event. Along with snow comes
no school, hot chocolate, a fire in the fireplace,
hilarious local news, and a day to play in the fluff!

Here we are enjoying our magical morning!

2

2010-02-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

Its fun to be two!

Brothers...

2010-02-10T15:13:00.000-05:00

I found this little outfit in Sam's drawer today...
and just had to try it. Here is a picture of Evan...

and now Sam.
Funny little buddies huh?

5 weeks

2010-02-09T20:54:00.000-05:00

Sam is 5 weeks old and couldn't be sweeter.
We love this snuggler.

Oh...

2010-02-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

Life is so good!

Happy Second Birthday Evan!

2010-02-01T06:26:00.001-05:00

Our little Evan monkey is turning 2 today!
Here are some shots of this active guy right now.
He loves a good book!

Telling us about a recent injury involving a head bump...
While standing on a wooden chair next to a window sill...
Hmmm...

Here he is one year ago!
Are you kidding me?!?
I just want to squeeze this tiny baby!

Even smaller still... here he is about a week old.
What an adventure the past two years have been.

We love you Evan!
I love it that you live life in a big way!
You know what we say, "Go big or go home."

F.I.T

2010-01-31T08:07:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken Jan 1.
God gave us the sweetest day on New Years
just to be together as a family. We had such fun
with Evan...and what a gift because Sam came the
next day! It was so special to have that time together.

One of the fun things that day was Evan watching his
first Florida State game with Andy. They had
popcorn and talked about the finer points of the game.
Here are some shots of our F.I.T (Fan in Training).
Daddy is teaching him the ways...

Note Gus' dutiful position hoping for popcorn...
Don't worry dog lovers, he got lots! He loves to
catch a flying puff of popcorn.

My guys

2010-01-27T20:31:00.000-05:00

My heart skips a beat seeing these.

Two peas in a pod.
Actually, so far they couldn't be much more different!

First family photo...

2010-01-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

Not how I pictured it in my head...

Portraits of Motherhood

2010-01-18T19:37:00.000-05:00

This is from 12/21, was saving it for after Christmas,
but then Sam surprised us all! Here were my thoughts
at the time. :)

Here's some pictures that capture my time with
Evan lately. Surrounded by collections of
beloved toys. As you can imagine, I am trying
to spend as much time hanging out on that futon
as possible!

Schmidtville lately...

2010-01-14T19:01:00.000-05:00

Meeting Great Grandma

2010-01-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

So sweet.

Buds.

2010-01-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

This last one pretty much sums it up. :)

Evan and Sam

2010-01-07T12:26:00.002-05:00

Here are a few shots of a moment I have
been looking forward to for months...
Evan and Sam meeting for the first time.

I love the sheer delight on Evan's face.
These are going to be two precious brothers!

Introducing Sam Schmidt!

2010-01-06T09:09:00.003-05:00

Sam joined the family at 2:30 pm on Saturday January 2nd.
Happy New Year to us!
He was 6 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long.
He is a great little guy and we are enjoying
our new adventure as a family of four.
More soon...

Daddy!

2009-12-21T16:20:00.000-05:00

Here are a few shots of my boys!

"New oom"

2009-12-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

The transition has been successfully made to Evan's
"new oom". It has been a huge hit as he has lots of
room to play and some cars. That is about all
he needs in life. Maybe some cheese too, but that
takes care of it for Evan!

Here are a few pictures of his room and
him in it.