Well, it's been about five months since I grabbed a warm cup of coffee and thought to myself, "Today is a great day to visit my lonely blog."  The last trimester of my pregnancy had me like, "hello, sofa! Kids, watch this movie and let Mommy close her eyes!" It was also full of nesting, welcoming my two gorgeous new nieces to the world, finishing up some photo sessions before it was time to welcome our little guy in August, and lots of visits to the pool to wear out Ty and Elena.  Summer is always a crazy time of year, but I definitely feel like this summer was jam-packed and flew by. 

It was a Sunday night in late October... the night before Ty's first day of preschool that contractions started. I was in denial that we were in labor, but I labored all night and at 12:15 on Monday afternoon, we welcomed our third blessing to our family. It only took us an hour of his life to give him a name, but he,without a doubt, is Noah Alexander. The name fits him perfectly and he is the perfect addition to our clan.

Needless to say, the past five and half weeks have been pretty much a whirlwind and all the days and nights have run together.  People always told me and Justin that the transition from one to two kids is the hardest and all the rest aren't bad. I would beg to differ. 

Learning our new routine and being outnumbered in our own home was quite the adjustment.  This combined with Ty starting school all in the same week made for an incredibly emotional ride for a post-partum mama. But I can definitely say that it's been worth it.  

We are starting to get some sleep again because Noah is a great sleeper.  And we are getting into our real-life routines again after Justin went back to work from his month-long paternity leave (thank you, Jesus, for that!).  

I must say I have a whole new appreciation for mamas that have multiple children.  It really is a labor of love to keep things moving and making sure all the kids are happy and fed.  Let alone finding time to shower and even use the bathroom.  

There have been several moments when Justin and I just look at each other and start laughing because it is unreal to us that this so quickly became our life.  Once upon a time (only four years ago) we were going out mid week for dinner and drinks and thought we were busy with work and whatever else we had going on. Somehow though, in merely three and a half years we are neck-deep in diapers, carseats, soccer games, and picking up teeny tiny pieces of pretty much anything but the kitchen sink off the carpets all through out the house. How does it happen so fast?

I'm doing my best to really soak this time in. As fast as it came, I know it will go and I will look back and miss the chaos.

If I find time to catch up on the blog, I call that a win.  In the meantime, I have also been working on building my photography business and run this household. We stay busy. We stay crazy. I have no brain most days.  I hands have never been this full.  My laundry machine has never run so much. My sink has never seen so many dishes.  But my heart has never been this full.  I am so grateful God chose me for this life. I am thankful He chose Justin and me to be Ty, Elena, and Noah's parents. 

My favorite time of year is upon us and we have so many family activities planned, from pumpkin patches, to Halloween parties, to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I cannot wait to see how we manage the holidays as a family of five.  

To all the mamas that have done it and done it well, you rock.  To all the mamas that are starting out and adjusting to life with a child for the first time, you rock. Motherhood is a wild ride. And that is the understatement of the year. 

Cheers to me for finding the time for me this morning. To sip a cup of coffee and write while my kids watch Daniel Tiger and baby Noah sleeps peacefully in the rocker. Happy Thursday!

A Letter to My Little Boy

Dear sweet boy, 

Ever since I found out about you joining our family on January 3rd, I've thought of you every day. The anticipation of your arrival is growing for all of us as my belly gets bigger and each day goes by. I think about the day you'll make your appearance and how you'll change our family. You are a part of my dream come true. I always wanted you. From before I knew you were even conceived. Your daddy always knew you'd be a little boy that he could teach all about manhood. I have been so excited for your brother to have you to play with and your sister to have you to nurture when I'm not there. 

You are coming into a big family with lots of love and you are in for a lot of fun. Although I am so ready to see your handsome face, I am relishing in all the time I have carrying you. Even when your brother and sister make me crazy and I escape to the grocery store, I remember how I still get to have you with me and it makes me smile. I wish you could remember being so close to my heart and the time that you grew into a little person ready for this world. I won't soon forget feeling you roll around in my belly and the excitement I feel with every doctor appointment when I get to hear your heart beat. 

I know that you will love being a part of our family. You'll love how your dad comes home from work and plays with you every day. You'll love sitting at the dinner table and laughing with your siblings. You'll love visiting your grandparents and cousins on both sides and hearing stories about when Daddy and I were little. You'll love sharing a room with your brother. You'll love Summer's at the beach and family outings during the year. 

I will love having you learn with your siblings about life, family, and Jesus. I will love watching you grow so fast and I'll wish it would all slow down. I will love feeding you at night and holding your hand. I will love all the time we spend together before you ever start school. I will love learning everything about you: what you like to eat, what toys you like to play with, what activities make you happy, and all about your personality.  Everyday with you is a gift for me and Daddy, even now before we've seen your face. Thank you for the joy you've already brought us. We are counting the moments until you arrive and this wild Schneider ride. 

Only a few more months, sweet boy! 

Love, 

Mommy 

Schnugget #3 Update: 22 Weeks

Well I am more than halfway through my pregnancy with this baby boy and it's the first time I have sat down and done an update!

It might be because this pregnancy is just flying by. I feel like we just found out we were pregnant, but we are almost to the third trimester... unreal!

I just love the second trimester. I have been feeling great and the nausea is completely gone. By the time Ty and Elena go to bed though, I am also ready for bed.  Sleep, however is getting much more difficult. I typically wake up around 2 am and have a hard time falling back asleep. PLEASE GOD let me sleep a little before baby boy is here! :)

My latest craving has been potato chips.  I love the salty crunchy snacks and it is so bad!!

At our last check-up I found out I have gained a total of 15 pounds now, which is up 5 pounds in the last four weeks.  I anticipated a weight gain. My weight spiked around this time with Ty and Elena.

All is well... this child is definitely a boy and is measuring up perfectly with his due date (August 27).  I am feeling him more and more everyday, but it is still rare that I feel him move from the outside, so Justin hasn't felt him yet.

We are starting to make progress on the house work before baby. I joke that Justin has started nesting before me, but really it's no joke. He is the one that wants to go ahead and get things all set. So we've chosen our paint for the nursery and even set up the second crib in the room that Ty and Elena will share.  Our playroom is all set up downstairs and we are knocking things off that dreaded to do list!

I have started to really pop now. I can tell that I am 100% in maternity clothes if I hope to be comfortable at all! And I love that I'm not too big that I am waddling yet.

As we get closer and closer I am getting more excited to meet this little one... but I would love to choose a name at some point! Hopefully we will have a name by the next update!
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Show and Tell: A Day in the Life

One day I will look back on these days where nothing too special or out of the ordinary happened and miss them so. :)

Here is Wednesday, April 13, 2016 documented!

7:27 am wake up call... please trust me... this is a rare occasion. I got to sleep in on this particular day, which was awesome! 

First things first... check on my babies...

...then make my bed! :)

Next head downstairs as Justin hops in the shower to let Holden out.

And more importantly, make my cup of coffee!

Then I made Justin's lunch as I do every morning! He eats alot. Haha!

After that's all finished, I head to the computer to catch up with all of you and post on the blog for the day. I love this me time in the morning to get my day going!

When the kiddos start squirming, I get them their morning milk and they watch Curious George.

...so that I can make them breakfast! This morning was pancakes and strawberries!

I catch a quick shower by 9...

...then head down to prep morning snacks for our morning out!

After the kids' snacks are packed, I tackled the job of dressing them for the day. Why does this always take forever?!

Now we headed to the bounce house with friends for the morning! Gotta burn some energy!

But before we get there, I stopped at the store to pick up some produce for dinner!

Elena and Ty love mornings at the bounce house! And I love the naps that follow!

By noon, we are home eating lunch! Elena is already snoozing away!

I had left over grilled chicken and salad for lunch!

Once I laid Ty down for his nap, I headed back to the computer for some photo editing!

This night was my night for the meal swap, so I made dinner during nap time. Thanks, Mix and Match Mama for this Mexi Mac and Cheese recipe! It was delish!

Here is my friend's dinner all ready for delivery!

I got just a few minutes of relaxation before Elena woke up for the afternoon!

She literally gave me moments of relaxation. If you look closely the monitor is already going off!

After both kids woke up, we had afternoon snacks and headed to the local strawberry patch to pick fresh strawberries for the rest of the week!

They LOVE picking strawberries!

After we got home, we had some time to play outside, deliver dinner, and then come in for dinner by 5:30 when Justin got home.

After dinner, I got to leave for an appointment and Justin took the kids for a hike by the neighborhood playground! Ty loves hiking with his dad.

After my appointment, I had a few minutes to catch up on some DVR before the kiddos got home.

Bath and bed for them...

... and some quality time with my hubby to top off the day! I am usually out by 10 at the LATEST!!

I had so much fun with this show and tell Tuesday! I love my job! :)

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my favorite things about having two toddlers

It is so easy to complain about the difficulties in spending every minute of every day raising my babies. Not because they aren't the best thing that ever happened to me, but because it is a tireless job and my two have an endless amount of energy. I am so grateful for the time I have with them, especially since Ty will start preschool in the Fall, and I wanted to write some of my favorite things about this age. I'm sure one day I will look back and forget these details.

1. Watching them drink their milk in the morning together on the couch.  It's not going to last forever.  In fact, with Ty starting preschool in the Fall, I see time racing by even faster and I am cherishing our mornings waking up together.

2. Listening to them "talk".  I love hearing Ty say things like, "Good girl, Lena!" and hearing Elena coo back.  It's amazing how much they communicate at ages 3 and 1!

3. When we eat meals and Ty makes Elena start cracking up uncontrollably.  He doesn't even try to be funny, but she will just look at him and start cracking up.  Her giggles make Ty laugh and the next thing you know, all of us are laughing for no real reason. My kids make my world so happy.

4. Watching Ty wrestle with E and watching my girl hold her own.  At first Justin and I would tell Ty to stop wrestling with her, but then we caught Elena provoking him because she wanted to.  From that moment on, we let them have at it and it's always full of smiles and exerted energy (which I LOOOVE!)

5. Having two kids whose age is perfect for having everything be magical and wondrous.  I can be slicing veggies for dinner or drawing with chalk on the driveway and Ty and Elena's eyes fix on what I'm doing and their hands start reaching to try for themselves.  I wish that we could all look at all the small things as if they were big things. So much less would be taken for granted.

6. Seeing them both try to figure things out... like how to put on shoes or how to fix your hair. My favorite is when we are getting ready for the day and getting ready for bed. Ty has learned how to put on deodorant, brush his hair, and brush his teeth, to list a few. And now Elena is learning about brushing her four little teeth, know just what to do with a hairbrush, and will attempt to put her own (or my) shoes on her feet. It is absolutely incredible what little sponges they are!

7. Going for ice cream... or even a trip to Lowe's Home Improvement as a family. I love putting the kids in the cart or walking up to the counter of Goodberry's with each one holding my hands.  I hope that our family outings will last a long long time. I dread the day that they would rather be with their friends.

8. Playing outside with two kids that can WALK! WOOHOO!  Those months where the kids were still crawling made for messy pants and dirty little hands. I love that they can both be outside on their feet now and I can enjoy watching them both.

9. Seeing Ty hold Elena's hand to go somewhere or encourage her with "Good job, sweetheart."  He's such an amazing big brother. :)

10. Hugs around the legs and someone's hand to hold while watching our favorite shows.  Feeling those little arms wrap around my leg while I wash dishes makes my heart smile. I just love watching a show with them and having one crawl into my lap and the other ask if we can snuggle. Toddlers are full of so much love.

This makes all the tantrums, constant noise, bathroom trips, dirty diapers, loads of laundry, and sleepless nights all worth it.

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How I Love Jesus

I was so inspired by the homily that was shared at church on Sunday. It really hit home because I had been having some struggles with my job as a stay at home mom. I absolutely love the time I have with my kids on the day to day basis, but let's be real. It's not always easy. 

My past week:

A three year old whose energy is too much for his little 30 pound body, chasing my poor dog around the house with anything from a toy golf club to a paper towel roll...flailing his body on the carpet... sliding down muddy hills on his pants... kicking every ball we own down the street... wrestling with his baby sister... wanting to talk, but having nothing to say, which results in nonsense and "Mommy" repeatedly for hours on end... nap time spent blowing whistles and decorating his bedroom walls with sidewalk chalk... climbing the bookshelf... I could go on. And I promise you, he's a really good kid. It just this minor bump in the road. It's almost as if the moment he turned 3, he decided it was time to take on the terrible two's and three's all at once. And IT. EXHAUSTS. ME.

Combine that with a teething one year old, suffering from allergies. This has lead to sleepless nights and lots and lots of Tylenol on hand. This same one year old is also climbing on everything, spilling her milk in various spots throughout the house, and unrolling every roll of toilet paper she can get her hands on. 

Any as if that won't keep me busy, there is a little boy I am growing that makes me want to pee ALL THE TIME and decides that the middle of the night is the best time to keep Mama awake.

Truly, I am not complaining. This is the nature of the beast. And it's just my reality right now. I know that I will miss it all one day and I try my best not to take this day-to-day experiences for granted. I would much rather be living this dream of mine than sending these kiddos off to college any time soon. I adore motherhood, but weeks like last week can wear on any person. 

This has recently been on my mind... I have been thinking about what will my big "CHANGE THE WORLD" moment be in this lifetime while I am so busy changing diapers and chasing kids? What will be my 15 minutes of fame when I can barely choke down a sandwich without having to stop for a potty break?

And in my conversations with God I feel like I have figured at least part of that out. 

These weeks are my "CHANGE THE WORLD" moments. These everyday moments are the times that I get to shape my children's lives by showing them unconditional love, by serving them, by being an example of patience, by modeling kindness, by making it known to them and my husband that this is where I want to be...here with them even when they are running reckless and screaming their heads off. 

I am changing their worlds. And in turn, changing the world through them. I couldn't imagine a more powerful job. I am a huge role in shaping their character, along with the other amazing people that God has/ will place in their lives, and in that role, I am making a mark.  

The message at church this Sunday was about how Jesus very clearly told his disciples how to love him. To love him is to serve others and to love others. This is pretty much what is on the resume of a stay at home mother. (And yes, working mothers, too.) But I know that for me, my job is how I love Jesus. It is my vocation as a full-time mother and wife that allows me ways to love Jesus.  I get a chance every moment to serve other people and to love other people. And in loving Jesus, I get to change the world. 

Thank you, God. For choosing me for this role. I live my dream and in it I get to change the world through these amazing children who've already changed my world.

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