Oh, the weather outside is frightful!

It's been snowing off and on here for the past few days, and since we haven't HAD to go anywhere in particular, we've been loving it! The above photo is of our pretty little dogwood in the front yard. All of it's branches are frozen so beautifully. It looks like a decoration!

Carson's never really had the opportunity to play in the snow...so we bundled him up yesterday and went outside. He REFUSED to wear his gloves.

Tayler bundled herself up in her usual gear, and enjoyed the little bit of snow we have. She's a pro at a snow angel. She'll stay outside playing around, pretending, and making snow balls for quite awhile. But, when she comes in, she immediately gets into the bathtub and wants some cocoa!

Carson watched her. And looked around. And thought it was pretty cool, until......

About a minute after these pictures were taken he fell onto his bottom, and his hands got into the snow. Then, you'd have thought he'd been doused with lava. His little un-gloved hands were covered in freezing cold snow, and he was MAD. So, he came in, got his cold clothes off, snuggled his mama...and watched Tayler continue prancing it the beautiful white loveliness.

Santa was here

Santa came to the Schienbein house this year with a sleigh full of goodies. No one got any coal, sticks or rocks. And everyone was very happy.

Carson got a neat cup with his name on it from his Aunt Robin which he carried around for quite awhile.

And, although he couldn't care less about his stocking, he found his dad's pretty interesting and assisted him in the revealing of all of it's treasures.

He enjoyed the bows on his gifts as much, if not more, than the actual gifts....and wore this bow on his head for the better part of the morning.

Santa brought Carson a big boy potty, which (much to his mommy & daddy's delight) he's used TWICE! We're so proud.

Tayler had a stocking full of goodies, all resting upon the bean-bag chair she's been wanting for quite awhile. She also got a HUGE bucket of GIRL LEGOS, and a doll she's been pining for from my mom and my sister. Her Aunt Robin sent her clothes that she was thrilled about, and a purse that she's taken everywhere she's been since she got it. Her Grandma Gwen gave her a jewelry box filled with pretty little peices that she's "coordinated" and worked into every outfit she's worn. She's quite the fashionista. She's been building things like crazy with her legos. Some things she'll use the direction book that they came with, and some things, she'll create on her own. Very creative. She's really good.....her daddy couldn't be happier. A kid to play LEGOS with. Pure Brian heaven.

My husband spoiled me rotten. As did my mom and my sister. Far more than I needed or probably deserve, but I really felt blessed. My kids were showered with wonderful things from family and friends in Canada, Vancouver, Kansas, and here. So many people were so generous. I feel so humble this year. And so grateful for our health, and all of our blessings.

My mom, Scott, and my Grandparents also came over a little later in the morning and we made a huge breakfast. Later, Brian and I watched a movie (the Hangover) that Santa'd brought him, and even later on than that, the kids went with my mom to a small family get together at my aunts house while Brian and I stayed home and relaxed. It was a fantastic day.

Feliz Cumpleanos

Tomorrow is a very special day at our house. It's the day that my dear, sweet, darling, handsome, kind, and loving husband, was born. Thirty TWO years ago. In Edmonton, Alberta. Oh, what a glorious day! My husband is my very best friend. He's my support. He's my partner. I feel so very lucky to be his wife. I'm honored to be the mother of his children. And I am absolutely thrilled that

I get to spend my life with him.

I'd like to list a just a few of the things that make him so fantastic.

1. He is SO dang smart. I'm talking way smart. He knows everything there is to know about history. He's super smart with it comes to politics. And he can fix, install, repair, and replace like a professional. (A new dining room chandelier tonight for example. )

2. He is so very kind. He always asks me if he can get me a drink when he goes into the kitchen to get one. He always asks me "How's your _(enter what I've ordered to eat when we're out)__?" He opens doors for me. Carries the bags when we're shopping. Lets me take naps. Brings me treats to work. He is respectful and understanding. And those are only a few

examples.

3. His family is very important to him. He is the BEST DAD. And to see him interact with our children makes me SO HAPPY. He plays games with them, he coaches Tayler's sports teams (and some day I bet he'll coach Carson's too) Our kids absolutely ADORE him. As do I. :0)

4. He knows how important it is to me that our kids eat fruits and vegetables. So, to set a good example, he eats them too...even the ones he hates, so that they'll have good, healthy eating habits.

5. He is very supportive of me. And knows the things I struggle with and is careful to be considerate of my feelings. He makes me feel so loved.

So, tomorrow we'll be doing our very best to make our wonderful husband and father feel special. Some ice cream cake....a couple of gifts....some uninterrupted (well, somewhat) hockey watching, maybe a back rub (Tayler's a pro) or a snuggle. Just a few things to let him know how much he means to us, and how happy we are he's ours.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

I love you with my whole entire heart

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Schienbeins!!!!

Santa Baby

Guess who has officially decided that Santa Claus is creepy?

I think this photo is all the hint you'll need!

Tayler however, thought he was pretty nice....but did question whether or not he was the REAL Santa. I told her I thought it was...or at least one of his elves.

On the way to go see Santa, Tayler told us all of the things she'd be telling him she wants for Christmas. NONE of the things listed were things we've purchased (our luck), but luckily we're not done! We also talked about what she could tell Santa Carson wants. I suggested she tell him to get Carson his own potty chair (because that is what Santa already bought for Carson) but she said that was gross and didn't want to ask Santa to get him that. So, she told him to get Carson a teddy bear. Such a good girl, taking care of her 'only communicates what he wants through crying and fit throwing' little brother.

I thought I'd also include the picture with Santa from last year. I can't believe how much the kids have grown. It's hard to believe that was only a year ago!

How Lovely Are Your Branches....

Oh, Christmas Tree. Oh, Christmas Tree. How the Schienbein's love your branches!

Tonight we went and got our Christmas tree. This is EARLY for us, but we were just so excited.

What is it about bringing a huge, live tree into your house and putting sparkling lights on it, that just makes you grin from ear to ear? I don't know the answer to that, but that's exactly what happened to me tonight. Brian does the sawing, and fashioning into the stand. Tayler and I usually do the majority of the actual decorating. It is so fun to go through all of our ornaments remembering where we got them, and what they mean to us.

And Brian and I did the lights. Well, Carson helped/made things 20 times harder, but his heart was in the right place. He's is a fan of Christmas lights for sure. And actually, I feel a little bad for being so certain that he'd all over the tree and ornaments. But much to our surprise, he was surprisingly well behaved while the decorating was in process. That didn't stop us from putting the gate around the tree. You just can't be too safe with a little guy like Carson around.

We haven't gotten our 2009 ornaments yet, but I did get a Hallmark catalog in the mail the other day and browsed some of this season's stuff. Oooooh, am I excited. And I think Tayler is going to have a tough time choosing. There are some good ones.

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

this guy is ready for a tree hunt!

Brian getting the lights in order

the lights done, ready for the ornaments!

this finished beauty!

Reindeer!

Today we went to Beaver Bark (a local nursery with some of the coolest stuff ever) to see the REAL, LIVE, reindeer. It was great! They had two reindeer in a pen that were both really neat looking, but evidently not the friendliest animals ever. There was a warning sign letting you know that "Comet & Blitzen" do NOT like it when people pet them, that they do not like dogs, and that their antlers are very sharp and should not be touched. So, we just looked. But it was wonderful nonetheless. My sister had already been twice with the kids she babysits, and she knew that Tayler and Carson would really like it.

There was TONS of Christmas decor displayed there. I wish I could just go in there and decorate my house all over with things there. I bought the ornament I'll be taking to my work Christmas party while we were there too, and I think it'll be a hit. I really like it.

They had Christmas trees for sale at the nursery, and we looked a little bit. It's a bit early for us yet. But, it was nice to look around. Ahh, I love this time of year.

GOOD friends

Today was crazy. Actually, I'm not sure crazy covers it. It was NUTS. I had to work, and Brian had to be out of town for a hockey game. We'd lined up a sitter, but that didn't work out as planned, so at the last, stressful minute, my dear friend Mary agreed to watch C for the day. Her and her hubby had a day of errands planned, as well as a (much needed I'm sure) mommy-daddy date night planned. But she cancelled, rescheduled, moved and shifted EVERYTHING for us. I cannot say how much this meant to me. She is truly a lifesaver. I can count on her for anything. I hope that someday, I can return a favor this huge for her. For now, lunch will have to do. Along with a babysitter for their next date night.

Mary has a daughter. ONLY a daughter. So, the stuff for kids at Mary's house is prominently pink. Hence Carson's pink "Cutest Cowgirl" bib in this picture. And the pinker than pink highchair you see him sitting in.
And yes. The pink blanket he clutched as he slept, in Mary's arms I might add, because he cried every time she tried to put him down.
Here is Carson and Mary's daughter Amelia, playing nicely together. Mary has two HUGE but very friendly boxers, which Carson adored and snuggled a bunch while he was there too.
And lastly, this is Carson with Mary's husband, Mikey. Mikey was telling him about the fire being HOT as he was safely being held back by the "keep babies away from a hot fire" fence built lovingly by Mary's step dad.
All of these pictures were emailed to me by Mary while I was at work. It made a really hectic day feel better. I am so thankful for friends like Mary & Mikey.

Hair Cut Day

Today the Schienbein kids had an appointment to get hair cuts. But, this wasn't just any hair cut appointment. Tayler's Grandma Gwen gave her a gift certificate for her birthday to a place called Monkey Dooz. It's a hair salon for kids where they have movies playing while you get your hair cut, they have chocolate scented shampoo, you sit in a toy car or a cool glittery pink chair during your cut, and when you're all done, they'll put glitter in your hair if you'd like. So, it's a pretty special place. Tayler has been there several times. She even had her birthday party there one year. But, today was Carson's first time. Not his first hair cut though, since as you probably read in a previous post, Brian and I tried our hand at haircutting a few weeks ago. We decided to let a professional spruce it up a bit for us.Tayler was first to get her haircut. She's been begging us to let her get her hair cut short, to her chin short, and to let her get bangs cut. Now, that might not seem like too big a deal to most people. But, in our house, where sometimes dad is the hair stylist before school, it is very important that Tot's hair is long enough for a pony tail. Pony tails are what Brian does. Only pony tails. So, that was important. Also, Tayler has a bit of wave in her hair, so I was worried that if she got bangs, they wouldn't

lay well. I think she has an idea of what bangs should look like, and that is what she wanted. I was just worried they wouldn't be what she thought, and she'd be upset. But, the stylist did a

little playing around with her hair and said that she thought bangs would actually work okay with her hair type. And, she cut her hair as short as she possibly could, while still allowing enough length for a pony tail. It turned out SO CUTE! She looks so grown up! Unfortunately, after her haircut she was being a teeny bit crabby, so the only shot Brian got was a grumpy one, but it still looks great! We're really excited to do it for school tomorrow!

Carson sat in one of the toy cars while he waited for his haircut, and was basically having the time of his life. He thought it was so fun to turn the wheel back and forth, and to twist the buttons on the dashboard. He did have to get out for a little while because he would not sit on his bottom, and was scaring his mom to death. I really did NOT want the hair cut day to turn into an ER visit with a cracked head! When it was finally his turn, I told the stylist that I wanted him to still have a "baby" haircut, but it needed to be cleaned up. I didn't want to sound like a naggy mom, but I was just worried that he'd come out of there with a buzz cut, and he'd look like an 8 year old. The stylist was VERY understanding, and very nice about the whole situation. He was a wiggle worm the whole time she was snipping away, but she said

he was doing great. And she just kept adjusting her angle, depending on what he was doing. I think she did a fantastic job making him look so very handsome, but still like my sweet little guy. I couldn't be happier about the way the haircuts turned out!

Happy Birthday Tayler!

Today, our little Tater Tot is SEVEN years old. I can hardly believe it! It seems like it was just the other day that she was running around in a diaper, telling Brian and I when we got her up in the morning "I soaked!" She's grown up so fast! She's such a responsible, caring, kind, beautiful person. We could not be prouder of the young lady she's growing up to be.

We kind of celebrated her birthday all weekend long. Friday we picked up Tayler's cousin Maddy. (she's the girl in the middle above pic, and to Tayler's right below) I took Tayler and Maddy to the mall where they got to pick out matching earrings to wear. Then we went to dinner at Tony Romas. There were grandparents, aunts, and friends galore! And a special treat....one of the teachers from Tayler's class was our server! (As she so sweetly explained to Tayler, she doesn't get paid when she's a student teacher, so she works at Tony Romas so she can pay her bills!) Tayler of course got that "I can't believe my teacher actually has a life outside of the classroom" look on her face, but was very excited to see her outside of school!

After dinner, AND dessert, we went over to the Toyota Center for a little birthday surprise....Disney On Ice!! I have to be honest, I wasn't terribly excited to go, but it turned out being a great show! The choreography was amazing, and the costumes were beautiful. We all had a great time.

We came back home and the girls giggled until the wee hours of the night. Note to self....no more slumber parties the night before a busy day!

Tonight we had some family over for BBQ'd hamburgers (Birthday Girl's pick) and cake. It's basically been a party all weekend. Tayler got some great gifts, and got to see a lot of family and friends. We're all exhausted, but I think we all had fun!