Who's that baby!

Quiz. Who is this baby?

A. Carson, dressed up to go to an 80's themed pajama party?

B. Me, dressed up in pajams in the real live 80's?

If you guessed B, you're correct! I found this picture in a box of old pictures and thought I looked so much like Carson in it. Cracks me up. When I showed the picture to Tayler and told her it was me...then asked her "doesn't that picture look like Carson?" She replied with "Um, yeah in the face but not in the hair." I thought that was a wonderfully acurate comment. I love my little Tater Tot.

Today was Mother's Day, and it was glorious. Despite the fact that I spent 12 hours of it at work, and didn't actual get to see my mother, I still had a great day. I feel very loved. I came home to beautiful flowers, a fancy dinner, and wonderful gifts. Brian sent me an email while I was at work that said "Happy Mother's Day" and had this picture attached:

Now, if that face doesn't make you grin, I don't know what will! It absolutely made my day. A friend mine said something very insightful today. There things in our line of work that we must deal with that really can hit home, or make you feel like we don't often get to feel in our job. He had this to say today and I think it really was the perfect thing for today:

Its humbling to realize how easy it is to bring one into the world and to have one taken away.....

I couldn't have said it better. Love and hug the ones who made you a mom today.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Warm Days

Tayler has been riding her bike like crazy lately! She met a couple of neighborhood kids, and every time she sees them out riding, she can't get her helmet on fast enough! Today we were putting groceries away, and Tayler was getting ready to watch a movie, when one of the neighborhood boys came to the door and asked if she could come ride her bike. Holy cow. You'd think she'd just been told she won a trip to Disneyland! She was so excited. It cracks me up! She's really responsible while riding and knows she has to always wear her helmet. She also knows to watch carefully for cars, and to not venture too far down our street. She's becoming more and more mature every day! Makes her mama so proud!

I finally caught on video Carson's "crawl". He'll push himself up onto his knees every now and again, but it's mostly this soldier belly crawl that he does. I have to vacuum almost every day, and keep anything that could be swallowed or easily destroyed off the floor. He's so curious and explores the house every day. Dog food and water dishes are some of the most fascinating finds to date. But, he doesn't ignore the stick for the back door (hence the reason for the quick end to my video taping) shoes, and cords of any variety.

My Kids...

make me so dang happy!

Sorry for the lack of posts! I'll be starting dayshift on Monday and should be better at keeping this up then.

Hoppy Easter!

The Easter Bunny was good to the Schienbein kids this year! Candy and treats galore! And even though she had to search in the rain, Tayler thought the egg hunt in our back yard was pretty great! Carson was really thrilled with just holding an egg, and watching his sister gather colorful eggs! He also tried a little marshmellow peep for the first time....but he much prefered to squeezing it in his hands to eating it. So, despite the rain, it was a good Easter!

Yesterday before work I had the opportunity to go to the hospital to see my friend Mary and her new baby girl. She is absolutely beautiful! She has such sweet, petite features, and a full head of dark, curly hair. It was really great to hold a new baby again. I can't wait for her and Carson to play together!

8 Months

Carson is a whopping 8 months old today! AND, one of my best friends, Mary had her baby girl this morning...which means, Carson and his future little buddy are 8 months apart, to the day! And, if all of that wasn't exciting enough, my dear, sweet, beautiful sister Ashlee came and got Carson today while I was sleeping (graveyard, ugh) and had his picture taken with the Easter Bunny! Seriously, I couldn't be happier!

(My friend Mary's baby, Amelia Alejandra came in at 8.6lbs and 21 inches. She is beautiful, and she and Mary are doing great.)

Ashlee said that when she approached the Easter Bunny with Carson on her hip, he looked at the Easter Bunny, let out a "Ehhh" and grabbed her around the neck tightly. But, after a little visiting while safely in his Aunt's arms, he warmed up a little. Not enough to flash a smile...but enough to not be in hysterics during he photo. I'll take it!

Here's what Carson has been up to. He still mostly rolls his way to where he needs to go, but lately, he's been doing this 2 part crawl-scoot. He'll basically reach out really far, then push his feet and legs against the ground until he's moved forward a little bit. Then he starts it again. It seems to be a fairly effective way to move around, but I think crawling is just around the corner. As I type this, he's up on all fours, rocking back and forth. He's got the idea, just still working out the kinks. =)

He still eats like a piggy. Which makes his mama very happy. Hasn't met a fruit or veggie he doesn't like. Most recently, he's dined on diced avocado, lots of cheerios, and unfortunately, a bite out of a paper coaster at Red Robin. Luckily, it was new and not saturated in anything questionable. Mental note for mom and dad though....unless he has a binky in his mouth, Carson cannot be trusted with anything made of any sort of paper product. To include, grocery lists and newspapers. He also finds the cables to his dads Playstation absolutely fascinating. He'll grab a hold of one, and look at you with a smile when you say "No, no Carson". Then, if you stand up and start to walk over to him, to take the cords from his chubby little grip, he'll grab on with both hands for dear life in an attempt to out muscle you. Although naughty, it's adorable. This kid is gonna be a handful. And I love every minute of it.

New Hairdo

Tayler has been asking for quite awhile if she can get her hair cut short. I was a little nervous because I was afraid it would mean that her hair would have to be blown out every day, and styled. So, we compromised. We told her that she could get her hair cut short.....but it still needed to be long enough to put into a pony tail (for the days dad gets her ready for school.) And, here she is....

We think she looks so mature!

Also. Aunt Ashlee came over today for a visit, and I couldn't resist this shot. Three of the coolest people I know!

Four Years Ago

the night it all began

Four years ago today, Brian and I started dating. What a wonderful day.