Sadie Update

I know. She's HUGE (comparatively speaking)! So cute, though, right?!?
Love her!

She Can Be Taught!

I did it! I learned how to embed! Yes! So, if there was something I promised a video for, and I was lame and couldn't make it work, it should be there now! Have so much fun!

Prepare for Cuteness OVERLOAD! AKA Halloween at the Schwegler House

Halloween. The crowning jewel of October. We were really excited for the Halloween festivies. T's school does classroom parties and a parade. Our church does a trunk-or-treat/chili cook-off. And of course, the real event.

Thursday before Halloween dawns. T wakes up, and tells me she feels too crummy to go to school.

Uh-oh.

Her school had been doing Red Ribbon Week (anti-drug awareness) all week at her school and that day was "Wear Red Day" and T had the cutest red dress to wear. She was sooo excited. So, to miss it...big deal. Poor baby had a fever, cough, stuffy nose...with all the horrible stuff going around I was worried we were looking at two weeks of illness.

Well, she had to miss "Wear Red Day," her classroom party, the Halloween parade, the trunk-or-treat...I was so sad for her. B got to go to the trunk-or-treat, though! Check out my cute Alexa (she's a princess from Barbie's Diamond Castle. She is missing the perfect crown I found to compliment the costume that somehow got misplaced because someone decided to play with it before Halloween...sigh. But, she still looks way cute.)

We got second place at the chili-cookoff, too! Way cool! Nice work, honey!

Thankfully, T's illness was not the horrible bug I was anticipating and her 103 fever was completely gone Saturday morning. So, she got to go trick-or-treating after all! Yea! Here's my super-cool, way gorgeous Hannah Montana, and Tinkerbell (because B wanted a change, and she can.) Brace yourself for possible cuteness overload. :)

Haunted Barn of Lena

So, I don't have a single picture of this, but Sam and I decided that after a space of seven years, it was finally time to have a haunted house experience again. So, we rounded up some friends, got a babysitter, and headed off to what is the reputed BEST "haunted" experience in the area.

It was an hour drive both ways, and it wasn't that scary at all, but it was fun. It was great to get out, be with friends, stay up way too late for recreational purposes, and just do something adolescent. :) By the way, this thing had nothing on what they've got in Idaho. But, at least I didn't get grabbed this time. Followed, yes. Grabbed, no. :)

Man, I love October.

Random Fall Delights

Pumpkin Patch

I love fall. It is such a fun time of year. I especially love October, and pumpkins, changing leaves, pumpkins, the cooler weather, and pumpkins. And I love pumpkins, too. :) So, going to the pumpkin patch is a total must for me. We had fun going and picking some out with our good friends, petting the cute animals at the petting zoo, watching the kids romp on the hay maze, and eating some yummmmy pumpkin donuts! Good times. Here are some of the shots from the adventure.

I love, love, love this picture.

B was sooooo excited to pull the wagon. It was too, too cute.

T and her sweet buddy, F.

Our haul. Yeah, baby!

On top of the world!!

I also have this darling video of T talking about how pumpkins grow, but it's long, and I still don't know what I'm doing with that. Once I get it figured out, I will add it.

Thanks, C family, for coming with us! We really enjoyed ourselves!

UPDATE*UPDATE*UPDATE*UPDATE*UPDATE

HAHA! I think I've finally got it figured out!! Woot!

Love My Girls

Half-Time Show

So, here's the actual cheer clinic performance at the sophomore half-time show. If you knew how much better our sophomore team was than our varsity, you'd realize what an honor it was for these girls to get to perform here.

I love how T is so intent on watching her daddy film her that she's not really paying attention to what she's supposed to be doing. :) She's so stinking adorable. She recently announced that she plans to do this again next year! Yea!

Cheer Clinic

These are just tiny, but it's something. T is in the row just behind the kneeling cheerleaders, in the brown shirt and pink leggings.

Monster Mash

My brother-in-law (seen featured as the mad scientist) made us this cute Halloween JibJab and I wanted to share it here. It made me chuckle! Enjoy!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Birthday Slideshow

Fwog

I'm posting these because it was one of those darling moments you just don't want to forget. Insignificant, really, but Just.So.Cute!!

One day, B and I were out picking beetles (yes, one of my favorite activities) and she spotted one of the many toads that live around here. "Mom! A fwog! Catch it!" So, I caught it for her, put it in her hand, it jumped and she yelped and dropped it. "Mom! My fwog! It got away!" So, I caught it for her again, put it back in her hand, and told her to hold it gently, but firmly. She held it for a while longer, then it squirmed away again. "Mom! My FWOG!" Well, you can see how this game could go on for a while. I said, "Baby, the frog needs to go home, I guess. Let him go home." "No, Mom! He's my fwog! Catch him for me!" I said, "You really want him, baby?" She said, "YES!" So, I said, "Well, go get him. Quick! Before he gets away!" You know what? She did!! So cute.

Here's B with her fwog.

Puddle Jumper!

We get a lot of rain here, and as everyone knows, rain = PUDDLES! B wanted to have me get a video of her jumping, so here we go! She's such a silly bug!

Byron!...Tigers!...WE LIKE IT HOT!!

Late August or early September (fog-brain. So sorry) a flyer came home from school with T about an upcoming cheer clinic. Well, as per usual, when I asked her if she wanted to participate, I got shut down. I've been trying to decide at this point how hard to push on things. She's so shy, and I want to help her break out more, but I don't want to traumatize her either. I discussed it later with Sam. He said, "Let me talk to her."

Well, he got her to do it!

She did so great and had a lot of fun! Mainly I was just proud of her for being willing to do it. She made lots of friends and has her first Byron Tigers T-shirt, so she's official now! T has this adorable way that she smiles HUGE when she's super-nervous, so sometimes you don't know if she's really enjoying herself, or just scared senseless. I'm pretty sure it was the latter when we came to watch her perform after the morning clinic. But, by the time they performed at half-time at the game a week later, I'm thinking the smile was the real thing!

I'm still working on how to get the video loaded on here (video longer than 15 seconds, that is), so that will follow.

There's something so amazing about watching your child tackle something that's hard for them. Even if they fall on their face (which she totally didn't), just facing that fear...it's a rush for a parent. Watching her in this complete act of bravery made me impossibly proud.

Love you, T! You rock my world! More than U2! :)

Start the Rewind...

So, nearly a MONTH ago, my sweeties had their birthdays! Yes! It was really cute how T just wanted to have one sweet friend over. So, that's what we did. T had a friend and B had a friend and they just played for hours. Well, T and her friend played, and B and her friend kind of followed them around, but I think everyone really had a good time! :) Thanks, friends (sorry, leave the names out for privacy purposes) for coming to play, and for the great presents! So thoughtful and sweet of you, and we are so glad you are part of our family of friends!!

The next day, we were lucky to have Grandma Deedie come visit and that's when we opened presents!! It was so sweet of her to come and hang out with us for the day. We enjoyed her company very much. Thanks for making the effort! The girls (and Sam and I) loved having you for their special day!

We opened presents and ended up getting lost on our way to our special birthday dinner (Mom should always get a map!!), but it worked out great, because we found a new place that we love! Panino's treated us very well, and we all left with full tummies and plenty of leftovers. Then we went to get Daddy's special surprise (this is a tradition we do every year--the girls each get a gift just from Daddy): a super-yummy vanilla cake with butter-cream frosting for our Princesses! The girls loved that the decorations were rings!

As for the rest of you, thank you for your calls, cards, gifts, and general love and well wishes. It was a good couple of days for everyone. I can't believe my girls are growing up so fast! :*)

Okay, okay!

So, I got a chiding for never having pics of me on here. So...here you go, sweetie. Hope you enjoy.

My Sexy Handy-Man

Argh! I'm so behind on this thing!! I had two reasons why I dragged (drug? I done did know my Engrish once) my feet so long about creating a blog. 1) I'd have nothing to say or 2) I'd get so behind I'd want to tear my hair out, and the two people who faithfully follow it (love you, Mom and Dad) would want to tear my hair out, and it would take me two days of straight blogging to catch up!

Well, I don't have two straight days to commit to blogging, so I'm going to have to take it in bites.

But, for today, I just had to brag on my man.

Wow. :)

So, we've taken on some really big projects here at the Schwegler Homestead. For us, HUGE. All totally out of our element. All totally in the category of "learn as we go." All completely foreign with big possibility of failure. (None of these categories are my strong suit, at all.) But, Sam has just jumped right in and been totally amazing with everything. Seriously. He just dazzles me with how he's always planning and improving. Given his stress level and time constraints, the way he's moved and the things he's accomplished...it's nothing short of miraculous.

We've had to overhaul our barns to accommodate all our animals and the ones who will be joining us as our does finish kidding over the next few months. So, what does this mean? Tearing out leaking roofs and re-roofing, building more shelters and stalls, digging holes and running lines for fencing, enclosing our current stalls to protect the animals from the elements, and wiring for electricity for both light and heat. And doing this in October, in Illinois, when your time, light, and good weather are limited...well, that's a challenge, to say the least. (And, if you've ever seen me with a hammer, you know I've been about zero help, despite my best efforts.)

I've watched with swelling admiration as Sam has totally risen to the occasion. I know this may not be as impressive through the pictures (in fact, they don't do justice at all), but I have to record it for myself, and for posterity.

These fixtures? Not there before. And, he didn't just put up the fixtures like he did in our kitchen.





This was just a ceiling fan before. Now? Light! Woo! (Seriously? Who doesn't light their eating area?)


In the barn? He did it all! He pulled the wire and the casings and drilled the holes (and I'm totally unable to use correct terminology) and NOW! Woo! The entire front pasture is lit! It's so awesome! He has no previous electrical experience! None! He's taken this


and several conversations with the very helpful staff at Rockford Home Depot (shameless plug) and Wow! My baby's an electrician!

I'm not gonna lie; I find that extremely hot! (Yes, folks, my husband's handiwork turns me on. Get over it.)

And isn't this cute? Yeah, he built that without plans from scraps in an evening.



And these! I'm so proud of these!! These are the kidding pen, or "birthing suite," if you're fancy, which we're not


and the kid pen (where the babies live after they are born). You can see cute Dexter peeking out there.

They are so cozy and sound! I just love going in here, knowing what it used to be, and seeing how Sam has completely altered it to fit our needs. It's awesome and I'm totally proud.

I love how my husband has taken some aged, under-utilized goats and some worn-down barns, and turned this into something on it's way to being amazing. I never thought I'd ever be a part of anything like this. But watching my husband go, and seeing him succeed in following through with his goals, even though he never saw himself here either....well, that just makes me overwhelmingly proud to be a part of the Rock Chalk Enterprise.

B, Turning Three

Happy Birthday, my funny little B!

What a blessing and cherished addition you are to the Schwegler family!

How fun to have you share your birthday with your big sister. I didn't want it this way. I was really against it. Really. But, so far, you two have been really great with it. You are lucky that your big sis adores you, even though you can be a little pill sometimes. :)

B, you have magic in you. The way you laugh changes people's hearts. Your smile...it's like nothing else. You radiate. You have such a power, surprisingly strong for one so young. You will impact many people in your life through just being you. You already do.

I love seeing how smart you are. You so readily learn, and jump right into the middle of everything like you were born to be there. You have such a mind of your own, which I'm grateful for, even on days when it works against me, because I know it will serve you well. I love how you love to make people laugh, how you love to have fun, how you love to just love life! You are always up for anything and it makes life that much brighter.

I am grateful for you, B. I'm grateful for all the ways you challenge me to be a better mother. I love that you won't accept sub-par attention and care from your parents. You demand what you deserve, and I love that. I hope you never stop expecting people to listen to and respect you. You are a daughter of God, and as such deserve this respect. I love that you make known how you feel, and keep everyone on track. You are a hard-task master, and our family is better because of it.

Thank you for joining our family three years ago, and bringing your light to share. Thank you for the sweet, funny, sparkly girl you are. You light up my days. I love you. I'm grateful for you. And I can't wait to see what comes next.

For T, on Her Seventh Birthday

Dear T,

You know the story of the day you came into the world. This day, seven years ago, I was lying in a hospital bed, after far too many weeks of being on my back, getting more swollen by the day. I'd been poked, prodded, stuck, examined, questioned, drugged...I'd had better days. Then my doctor came in and told me the pitocin wasn't working, that your heart rate was low, and they needed to get you out. Now.

You were 28 weeks gestation. That's 12 weeks away from the time you should have been born.

Never before have I been grateful for the way my mind freezes in a crisis.

Thankfully, we were in a choice hospital with competent staff. You came out, strong, vibrant, beautiful...and oh, so tiny.

But, I knew, even then, that you would make it, that everything would be fine, because you were a fighter.

My doctor told me how you came out like no other newborn she'd ever seen: with eyes wide open to the world, like you just couldn't wait to take it all in.

You still are like that. You drink in life. I love that so much about you. Your eyes are always so wide open, like you are afraid you might miss something wonderful if you blink. I love the light in those beautiful eyes of yours. I love the happiness and hope I see shining out of your face. And I love the strength I see. You are still a fighter, even if you don't fully realize it yet.

I love the way you waft and dance through my days. You are our nymph, our pixie, our ethereal sprite. You teach me of beauty, and delicacy, and sweetness. You teach me of forgiveness, and love, and loyalty. You teach me of goodness. You, my darling T, are the essence of good. Never lose that.

I'm so grateful for whatever choice or chance let you become my daughter, graced me with the honor to be your mother. I remember holding you as a baby, and having it wash over me that you were a cherished sister in heaven. I had yet to win you, to seal you to me forever. It was a humbling and beautiful moment. I hope I can live worthy to win you, because I cannot imagine my life without you in it.

Happy seventh, my sweetheart. I love you so much, and need you to know on this day with a certainty, that no matter where you go or what you do in life, I love you forever, everyday.

Goodbye, Whitman (This is a sad story. Even if you don't like cats.)

Whitman officially became a Schwegler as a kitten. He was a surprise for Sam. Though we had our own well on her way (I was pregnant with T at the time), Whitman and Curie (our other kitty I brought home that day) quickly became our babies. We were seriously the people who would talk about our cats to people like they were members of our family. Which, of course, they were. From day one.

He was such a funny little guy. His first day in our home, Whitman sat in the box all day, yowling, because he didn't want to be in the box anymore, but was too scared to come out. If you tried to remove him, he'd hiss like crazy. I cut a little "door" in the side of the box so he could easily come out whenever he was ready. I can still see his gorgeous little face, as he stood there, right in that hole, and cried. It was so sad and crazy-adorable all at the same time.

He's such a sweet-tempered boy. As a kitten, Curie would whip his butt all the time, because she was simply fiercer in nature. But that never stopped him from trying. He would prowl up and jump her from behind, only to be snatched in her front legs while she pummelled him with her back legs. Every time. After she'd beat him good (not really hurting him, of course), he'd finally wiggle away and run into some random hiding place. A little while later, we'd get a replay. He never seemed to get sick of being beat up by a girl. So funny.

Whitman survived moves from Boise to Rigby to Kansas to Michigan (where he lived with Grandma Deedie for three years while we were in school) to Illinois where he rejoined us once we settled in a house again. This was a huge adjustment for him, being around kids again. And this time, we had two instead of just one. And B...let's just say she loves hard. Whitman spent a lot of his day sleeping under the entertainment armoire, where he could be near the family, but no one could really get at him.

As soon as the kids went to bed, I'd take a book out to the couch where he could see me, but wouldn't feel threatened. A few minutes later, he'd join me and we'd have cuddle time. It worked well for us. I mean, really, he's a senior cat, and he'd sleep almost all day anyway, kids or no kids. He'd come out at night and do his romping and snuggling...it was a good system.

And then came Sadie.

She never hurt him. Not once. At times I thought he was getting used to her. And he maybe would have. But she just kept getting bigger. And, the more interesting this ever-growing-canine-giant found the feline of the household, the less we saw of Whitman. He's always been good at hiding.

Well, I'd go in and talk to him, brush him, feed him, take care of his needs. Except one. He wouldn't hang out with the family for more than a few minutes, and he could never relax while he was with us. So, most days, I'd just leave him to hang out on his perch on top of our boxes in the storage room. He seemed content there, and as long as I could see him and knew he was okay, I had to be happy with it. Well, not happy, maybe, but what could I do?

Then Grandma Deedie came for a visit. Seeing Whitman on his perch was very unsettling to her. She told us about her dog Bridgette who was misbehaving in ways she never had before. The catalyst? It seemed Bridgette missed Whitman.

Sigh.

She wanted to take him home with her.

I didn't want to let him go. T didn't want to let him go. B didn't want to let him go. But how do you contend with the possibility of making happy two discontented animals? It just didn't make sense to keep him here.

So, we said goodbye to Whitman.

Right before Whitman had to leave, we shut ourselves up with him, sans Sadie, to give the girls some good cuddle time with kitty. Whether this was beneficial or not, I'm not exactly sure, because once he was in the carrier, T's tears started. And didn't stop. For about an hour and a half. After which she continued to talk about him for the rest of the day. Oh, how that girl knows how to bleed my heart...

When Whitman and his things were all packed up in Grandma's car, we sat in the driveway and pet him one last time. T and I sobbed, as B hollered "Whitman can't go!" over and over. (Man, I felt like a piece-of-crap mom.) I choked out to T through my tears again why we were doing this. She nodded. Of course she understood. She's such a good-hearted, reasonable person. (But, how much does that matter when you are breaking your kid's heart?) She turned her swimming eyes on Grandma and got out, "C-c-can we come visiiiit him soon?" Grandma said, "Of course!" which made T feel a little better. Then we got up, moved out of the way, and watched Grandma drive off with our kitty.

Then we promptly fell on the grass and cried some more. Several minutes, lots more tears, many, many hugs and kisses later, we finally decided we needed some McDonald's. (I'm a terrible mother, soothing my children with fast food, but I'd just gotten rid of a beloved pet. You're a stronger woman than me if you could have said no.)

We're doing okay now, though we miss our Whitman. Take good care of him, Grandma. We'll come and see him soon.

Do Animals Go to Heaven?

This is a hard day for us.

This morning, when Sam went out to check the animals, he found Georgie laying on his side, rigid and frothing at the mouth.

We went right to work, trying to figure out what could be wrong. But, George was already giving up. We finally concluded he was in the final stages of tetanus, and there was nothing more we could do.

We brought the girls out to say goodbye, as he lay there, struggling to remember to breathe. Taylor asked me if animals go to heaven. This is yet another day, yet another way in which I am grateful for the knowledge of a benevolent Creator who is mindful of all He has made.

We will miss you, Georgie baby.