Weekend Getaway!

Chris finished off his last game of basketball season and so we decided it was time for a little family getaway. Boy did we need it!
We got off to a late start, almost deciding not to go....but packed the girls up and left for the coast around 11am. We stopped in Kettleman for a picnic lunch which the girls loved!

Then we were off for the ocean! It was a beautiful day and it just got better the closer we got to the water. We decided to take a road we'd never been down and found ourselves in a beautiful hillside community. The road dead-ended at a walking path right on the cliffs. So we got out and took a little stroll. It was beautiful!


These hats came in really handy. The wind was blowing so hard that at times we were chilled to the bone. Thank goodness no ear aches. We got a lot of friendly looks due to those hats :)
Chris found this little cove down off the path and convinced us all to climb down for a little adventure. I was hesitant at first, but I'm so glad he made me. It was the highlight of our day!


We spent a good portion of the 2 hours we hung out down there finding sea shells. Addi, Tessa and I got into it the most. Kamryn and Daddy went off exploring the rocks and watching the waves.



The waves were so huge, at one point I really thought they were going to overtake Chris and the girls. So were so beautiful and Chris and the girls just stood there and watched them crash right at their feet!


Then they all tried rock climbing....even Tessa, in her Crocks!

After a wonderful time of exploring tidepools (seeing hermit crabs, anenomes, and other 'fish-life'), we headed to the park.



We grabbed a bit of dinner at the Main Street Grill (yummy BBQ!) and got ice cream for dessert.



We headed home around 6:30pm and realized that we'd spent only about 4 hrs at the coast...and it was totally worth it!!

Park Week

This past week was so beautiful, we found ourselves ending up at the park almost everyday! The first day was just me and the girls. Addi rode her bike and it was good to stretch our legs.

The next day we took Ty with us and they had a blast! They even said they were so tired from running around that they were going to take a nap right there a the park and so they all layed down on the cement and 'rested.'

On Friday we met our Moms and More group at the park to play.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ahhhh....the day of love! Or is it 'Card Day' as I have heard some call this one day of the year? I prefer....LOVE! Especially since Chris has finally recognized February 14th as a day of romance. He planned this evening two weeks prior to the actual day, so I was held in suspence. We had a romantic date with a wonderful couple from our church, the Slayten's. Mike and Michelle knew about this the whole time, and I was the only one in the dark. They provided the babysitter and we had a great time TALKING without interuption, over a beautiful meal (at Yosemite Ranch) and an ice cream cone. This was a real treat! Thanks for making a memorable Valentine's, Chris, Mike and Michelle!

For the kids, we made a little cake with hearts. They loved it!

Ice Cream Saturdays!

Saturday is 'treat day' for our girls and we usually end up getting a little ice cream. This time Emma & Ty (our cousins) decided to come with us! YUM YUM!

Play Date!

Each week we try to get together with our friends, Jessica McGowan and Dorina Gilmore and all thier kids (8 kids in all). Last week we met at Dorina's for Tortialla Soup, and, in honor of Valentine's Day, we made cards for our friends. The girls loved all the gluing and cutting.

Then Meliz then put together a play with all the other kids, (with character bits) to create a moment of laughter for us all. Thanks, Meliz!

Super Bowl Sunday

For Superbowl, we headed to the Slayten's. The girls were reunited with thier friends and enjoyed lots of food, cupcakes and icing and playing. We were so grateful for the invite and a time to spend with friends.

Ella was loving her blue cupcake!

Addison is sitting here with her favorite, Miss Cindy (Heffner). She loves Miss Cindy and looks forward to seeing her each Sunday. Cindy is the Kids Connection Director at The Well, Fig.

And then to top of the fun day, God surprised us with a beautiful rainbow!

Kenpo Karate

Kamryn has been involved in Fresno Kenpo Karate about a month and a half. She is progressing really well and even earned her first stripe on her white belt.

Right now she is trying to qualify for the Leadership Program. In order to qualify she has to be doing well in school (they check with her teacher) and doing well in the home. She has a 'Respect Journal' where we have to write down 50 things/activities/actions that Kamryn has done that shows respect for others around her. She is doing a great job and we are so proud of her.

Baby Steps

We keep trying to encourage the kids to make good choices with the food they eat. After reading my friend, Dorina's new blog: http://www.health-full.blogspot.com/, I was encouraged to provide a healhty snack for the kids. I took a picture for evidence. :) I cut up a fresh pineaple, oranges, soynuts, and crackers from Trader Joes. YUM!

Back on the Potty Again!

Well, we are finishing our 1st month of potty training. Tessa is doing so well. We are down to pull ups only at naptime and bedtime. She insists on having a book on her lap as she 'gets down to business..." I just thought this was so cute!

Dress up...Giddy up!

Ty and Tessa came out of her room one day with this get-up on...all by themselves! They ran around the house with all the noises and moves. The girls could help but follow them around! A side note: You'll see Kamryn with a colorful patch on her eye. Last month we went to the dr. to get her eyes checked for a 'lazy eye.' She was found to have strabismus and a pretty good case of it. The dr. said surgery is most likely in her future, but we wanted to try the patch first to see how that helps. She is suppsed to wear it for 4 hrs each day. So far so good!

Dinner with Friends

The other night we got together with our friends, and pastors, at church. The Slayten's have 3 girls as well, almost the same ages as our own (Madison, Cali and Ella). Dinner was crazy maddness with pizza everywhere! It was a great time seeing all the girls interacting so well! Great friends, good food, lots of fun!

Off to the Movies!

Mom and I decided to take the kids to a movie one Saturday morning. We took the kids to see "The Waterhorse." It was a little scary near the end, but overall, the kids really liked the movie. Little Ty fell asleep right at the scariest part, amazingly. We had a great time!

Not Quite, Kamryn!

Kamryn and Addison love to climb up on top of our friend and fellow coach, Big Nate (the girls have called him). Here Kamryn dunks a ball!...well, almost :)

Basketball Games

Well, January has been filled with basketball! The girls and I try to attend the home games when we are feeling well. We've been hit with a lot of flu and cold viruses these past weeks. It is always fun to reconnect with friends and the girls love to yell, "Go Eagles!"

A New Year!

Well the Schultz' made through 2007 and, yes, are alive in 2008! I haven't updated in a couple of weeks due to the entire family getting the flu! Praise God, I was spared the flu fever and body aches, though. It took a good 2 1/2 weeks for everyone to be feeling 100%. So here are a few updates since we last chatted:

At the end of December, we enrolled Kamryn in Karate. She had to try out and do some memorization of movements before she could be accepted. She looks so cute in her little white karate uniform. I'll include pictures in newer blogs. She attends Fresno Kenpo Karate every Monday and Wednesday for an hour and she is beginning to enjoy it. They do lots of conditioning and training on respect, discipline and leadership. We are excited to see how this program will help her in school and all around. Yesterday was a big day, she tested for her first "stripe" on her belt, and she passed! She had to remember 2 special moves and do it infront of the class (about 8-10 kids at her level....24 kids in the entire session). We are very proud of how she focused and concentrated for this test. So she is a "one-striped white belt". If anyone is interested in more information on Kenpo Karate, let me know. Kamryn can invite a friend to check out the class and if that friend decides to join the class too, Kamryn will receive a badge for her uniform. So far we are very happy with what she is accomplishing and learning in the class.

Kamryn and Chris started back to school on the 7th of January and so we jumped right back into routine. This, I have to admit, was a bit settling. Vacation is great, but we seem to loose all sence of balance when there is no set routine. We are happy to be up and about again.

Christmas Celebration!

Is it possible that Christmas has come and now gone? Are we really at the end of 2007? The past week has been a whirlwind of shopping, family gatherings, eating, playing games, laughing and yet...in the midst of all that, contemplating and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

We had the chance to watch the Nativity Story with the girls this year. To my amazement, they sat through the whole movie! We watched it with my mom and dad, and paused it several times to answer the girls' questions. It was really neat for my dad to be there to answer some of the more insightful questions that only a child thinks to ask. It was an important generational moment that I hope will be repeated for years to come. It was a special time.



Our Christmas is always shared between Gary & Cindy (Chris' parents) and my family. Both families have always done Christmas, traditionally, on Christmas Eve. So, to compromise, we have gone over to the Schultz' for the afternoon and early evening celebrating and opening presents with them.



Every year, Papa reads the Christmas story to begin the evening.





This year the girls got a new kitchen and table for the playroom at Nana and papa's!




Then we come back to my parents, for the evening.



This year we mae it home for Veraneki, a german-type perogie. It was awesome! Mom makes them one time a year...Christmas only. We didn't get them last year, so this was extra special.



Since the kids are getting older, we decided to incorporate them in the beginning of our adult time together. We had each of the older ones prepare a song to sing in front of everyone, and then, as a family we 'performed' a number as well. This year Kamryn sang 'Silent Night'. Addison sang 'Away From the Manger' and then as a family we sang - with actions - 'Jingle Bell Rock'! Kim and Dave did a number as well, with thier family. Here is a picture of my sister-in-law, Leah, and her son Shepard singing a song that Leah wrote for my Dad.

All in all, it was a time of great laughter and appreciation for that which God has blessed us with.

Once the kids had gone to bed all the adults in my family (10 in all) had time to sit around and 'Bless' one another with a gift and a written blessing. We pick names every year, but this year, instead of each of us recapping our year of the highs and lows, we decided to write a blessing to the person we had picked; so the gift was part of fun of it, but the best part was that each of us had to take the time to really think on that member of the family and express our prayer for them. It was a really neat time of sharing and one we will continue to do.


That night we put out cookies for Santa...
...and guess who showed up?!




Thank GOODNESS his suit is fire proof!



Christmas morning the girls openned up thier stockings and other gifts from Chris and I.









The rest of the day was filled with food, games and lots and lots of muching! It was a wonderful Christmas!