hotel schlegel

Savannah's silly face

Rob's Rig

The Aston Family

Rufus & Cole

We had such a fun visit with Rob, Joy & Savannah and were sad to see them leave.

Addi was crying when she realized Savannah was really gone and not coming back. Savannah and Addi really got along well and played non-stop. They were up first thing in the morning to see each other. This was the first time the kids have ever met.

Rob is a truck driver and was in his Rig. He let Logan honk the "big" horn (you know, the one you pull down on) of his truck. He started the rig (or tractor) and let Logan just be a boy & hang out in his truck. Logan was in heaven!

They also brought along their black lab, Cole. Rufus & Fozzy weren't sure what to think at first since Cole is so much larger then they are, but Rufus learned quickly how fun it was to have a larger dog around. He would instigate chases with Cole. Fozzy (who is a little more shy) even opened up and hung out with the pack and getting involved with the chasing.

Well, one more week of the kids home. Man, will school ever come again? Both kids have decided they don't want to go to school anymore and that they don't need it. Noooooo!! We don't have anything planned until the end of the week. On Friday, the kids have a birthday party to attend at Pump it Up, Addi's getting a hair cut by the gal who cuts my hair (it's going to be SUPER cute). On Friday, Mark and I have date night with the Baird's and then on Saturday, we're hoping to get together with some friends in Gilbert, who moved here from our old ward in the Bay Area.

doggie sitting

Fozzy Rogers

For the weekend we have a cute little furry house guest; Fozzy Rogers. Our good friends went to Rocky Point, Mexico for New Years weekend and let their sweet dog stay with us! He's too cute and good buddies with Rufus!

Today we got a call from Mark's cousin, Rob, who is from Oklahoma. He and his family are passing through AZ on their way back from visiting family in California. They are coming to spend the night here with us and hang out in the morning. They have a daughter who is the same age as Addi. The kids are beyond excited for their cousin, Savannah, to come stay with us.

Noel Schlegel

For those of you who don't know, my mom is a nurse on the Newborn Nursery/ Portpardum floor at a hospital in California. On Christmas Day, there was a little baby girl born whose mom didn't want her and wouldn't even sign her birth certificate. She has a deformed kidney and needs some special attention from a Urologist (and if you don't know our little family history, our daughter has had 13 kidney operations).

My mom and Pat (a close, dear friend) tried to get Child Protective Services to wait for Mark and I to get to California. They tried to convince CPS Mark and I would make incredible parents to baby Noel (named by Pat). Of course because we haven't gone through any "system", it was impossible for us to adopt baby Noel.

Pat and my mom put her name on the birth certificate as Noel Schlegel.

I thought it was such a kind & sweet gesture to Mark and I. My mom and Pat are incredible women who are always on the look out for another baby to add to our family! Thanks gals! :)

I hope baby Noel Schlegel is happy, safe & healthy, wherever she is.

i love this family

Mark & I, my parents, Grandma Kuhn (Dad's mom), Aunt Dale (Dad's sister)
aunt Dale (she's so much fun)
Addi taking after her mommy!
Addi doing her "trick" (standing on the bike seat ... with her crack showing)

My uncle sent some pictures over that he had taken when they came over Thanksgiving weekend. This is my Dad's family from Scottsdale. They are so much fun!

cops & robbers

Tonight the kids dressed up as cops and Mark was the robber. It was so cute, I just had to share some pictures.

Today I went to The Runner's Den in Phoenix and talked to one of their doctor's of Sports Medicine about my knees. They are STILL sore and just running our Tue and Thurs 5 mile runs are so painful. Susan and I ran 6 miles yesterday and I had to bail on this morning's 3.5 miler because I'm in so much pain. He explained to me that the muscle that runs from my hip to knee cap is inflamed and pushing out the bone in my knee ... thus the bulge and severe pain on the side of my knees. He suggested putting some mole skin inside my shoe to help stabilize my foot when running and he also said the pain I am having are the shoes correcting the way I was running. Anyway, it was a pretty in-depth conversation and I really felt comfortable with his advice and suggestions ... I'd hate to bore you with the details ...

It looks like Mark's parents are coming for a visit at the end of January. They'd like to go to Sedona. I haven't been there since I was a single adult in 1998 and it was summer. I'm looking forward to going up there and seeing all the snow. We love visitors! Hotel Schlegel is always open!

christmas day

Logan's LEGO city (built by him and Mark)

We had THE best Christmas ever ... and that is a direct quote from Logan! We started the day with a pancake breakfast and took our time; then on to stockings. We then opened presents! While the kids played with their new toys upstairs with Mark, I cleaned up downstairs and took down ALL the Christmas decorations. Boy, am I like my Mom or what?

For dinner we went to Arriba's Mexican Food. While at dinner, Logan said, "this is THE best Christmas ever!" Mark and I agreed and we decided as a family that every year we were at home for Christmas, we'd continue the traditions we started that day.

Becky has finally convinced me to start a "Schlegel Family Album". I think I'm going to only scrapbook holidays so it's not such an overwhelming task. I just like to start a project and then end it. I don't like to have that feeling that something is unfinished.

starting traditions

new pjs from Grandma Kuhn (homemade)
before decorating for Santa

you have to be able to enjoy licking the bowl

ready for Santa ...

Tonight we started Christmas Eve traditions! We had SO much fun starting our own traditions. The kids are singing Christmas carols and anticipating Santa's arrival. They insist on staying up to see him come in and want to show him where the cookies are ... "just in case" ... they said.

We first talked about Christ's birth and the meaning of Christmas. Then, we opened new pajamas (made by "Uma" - my mom) and decorated cookies for Santa.

We then read Luke 2 and played out the scriptures. Logan was the Shepherd and Rufus was his sheep. Mark and Addi were Mary and Joseph and then Addi played baby Jesus as well. It was HILARIOUS! Rufus started scratching his ears so Logan said, "Look, my sheep has fleas!" It was so cute!

We read The Polar Express and The Night Before Christmas and then B-E-D!

We had SO much fun that this is a tradition we are going to continue each year!

comforts of home

For EVERY holiday (including St. Patrick's, Memorial Day, Valentine's Day, etc), my parent's home is decorated accordingly. My favorite is Christmas, of course. I thought this year, I'd photograph some of my favorite decor.

happy holidays ...

the wedding

the beautiful brides maids

Tommy & Brittany Cooper

Here are some pictures from Tommy & Brittany's wedding ... aren't they ADORABLE???

They were married in the Sacramento Temple and it was FREEZING (I could of sworn it was going to snow). Britt & the bridesmaids was brave as we rushed through the pictures so Britt could get back into the Temple and get warm!

It was overcast for most of the photo shoot and then the sun started peeking through the clouds. It was an amazing day for these two sweet people ...

Congrats Britt & Tommy!! You make an amazing couple and we wish you all the best and happiest for now and the eternities!! We love you!

hello from california

Today is my last day here and I’m somewhat sad to leave! I love the 1:1 time with my folks. I am also enjoying getting to know my sister-in-law; she’s a super cute gal.

On Wednesday morning, Mark took Addi to school and Logan threw up all over the inside of the car, while Addi was crying, “Daddy, hold me, I’m cold!” Then Logan wanted a hug, so Mark gave him a hug. With Addi crying, throw up on himself and all over Logan, he walked across the parking lot and the crossing guard just very nicely said to Mark, “I hope your day gets better”. He said he is now VERY thankful for all I do at home with the kids. I think he’s anxious to get back to work as soon as I get home!

It has been a whirlwind visit!! We had a super fun day shopping & pedicures when I flew in on Wednesday.

Thursday was packed with graduation prep and my mom’s graduation in the evening. She goes to school an hour away from her home, so we drove back and forth all day for grad practice and then picking up Dad and Jessika for the actual ceremony in the evening. I am SO very proud of her and accomplishing a goal she has always wanted. What an example she is to me.

Yesterday was the wedding. Boy was I so nervous to take the pictures, but it was much easier then I had anticipated. Tommy & Britt are THE cutest couple and just so photogenic! It was also so much fun to see all my in-laws without Mark. They are a fun group of people and so loving & happy. To all those Aston’s who may be reading this: it was SO wonderful to see you all. Thanks for always making me feel like a part of your family … I LOVE YOU!

I went to Walgreen’s to print out a photo for Tommy & Britt so they had something to put in their home right away and when I went to pick it up, I was asked for the photographers written permission to duplicate the picture. WHAT A COMPLIMENT!!!

Last night we had dinner with my aunt & cousins. They are always so much fun to hang out with. My aunt is a professional race car driver and builds race cars herself … she’s amazing! My uncle passed away from cancer a year ago or so and Christmas was the last time we saw him, so this year was very hard for me to see Kathy & the kids without Greg.

We had our little Christmas this morning. Curtiss called from Iraq; it was so great to hear his voice. He’s been going on more and more “secret missions”, so the calls have been few and far between lately. Jessika and I gave my folks a flag that was flown over my brother’s base in Iraq on Veteran’s Day. Today is a day to eat and hang out!

When I get home tomorrow, I will post some pictures I have taken while here. My parents still have dial up and it may take me until NEXT Christmas to upload a few pictures!

Until tomorrow …

sore knees

I now officially feel OLD! I have THE sorest knees after our run today; we ran SEVENTEEN miles! I am now FOR SURE, 100% NOT doing the full marathon! 17 miles killed me! I'm sure the concrete is partly to blame, but by mile 11, my legs felt like cement blocks.

I talked to my mom today and she passed her final ... she is DEFINITELY graduating next week!! She is also giving the speech at her graduation ... glad I'm not in her shoes! I am getting SO excited about my trip back "home" (I really feel like Peoria is my home now).

Mark was telling the kids the fun things he has planned with them while I'm gone; Stillman Train Park in Scottsdale and camping at the White Tanks (SO glad I don't have to camp ... not the camping type gal). The White Tanks are literally just a few miles away from our home. Mark figured this way, if something was to go wrong (like the kids NOT liking camping), he's just minutes from home.

christmas play

Today was the Kindergarten "Holiday Play". The kids did AWESOME and Logan was such a cutie pie! The second he saw me in front snapping his picture, he immediately started making the cutest faces! I love this kid!

The kids start sports in a few weeks. Logan will be playing basketball and Addi will be playing soccer. I have a feeling things are going to start getting pretty busy around here with two practices a week and games on Saturdays. This is life I've always dreamed of!

story time

Last night I was playing around with my new Speedlite 580EX flash and I snapped some cute pictures of Logan while he was telling me a story about a train. He's so expressive!

On Saturday we are doing an 18 mile run. If I feel good afterwards, I may just change my race to the full marathon. If I'm only participating in one Sunday race a year, might as well go big, uh?

Mark was released from his calling last night at YM 2nd Councilor and was called to be the Scout Committee Chair. I'm looking forward to a break in his away schedule. We don't seem to get too much family time. This is will be a fun change. I know Mark is a little bummed though. He really enjoys working with Ricky.

Today is BEAUTIFUL! It's 73-degrees and we rode our bikes to and from school. It was early release day for the older kids, so it wasn't complete chaos today, which makes me less nervous about riding bikes. Logan is totally ready to ride to school himself, but I'm not sure I AM! Addi is doing so good on her new big girl bike and loves the freedom ... and loves racing!

how much is that doggy in the window?

I caught this picture of our sweet pup, Rufus! Isn't he THE cutest???

stick to it

Last month I went to a "Stick to It" party at a friend's house. I finally put up the little sign I bought. I LOVE it!!!!

The kids have been using my digital camera since I got the SLR. Yesterday we gave them my old Olympus 35mm camera. The first thing Addi asked was, "where do I see the picture I took?" It's amazing how kids are so technology driven already!!! Needless to say, they haven't touched the 35mm since I told them they couldn't see the pictures they took until we develop the film.

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree

On Saturday eve we bought a Christmas tree; THE most beautiful tree I've ever seen! We also had a Christmas party to go to, so there wasn't any time to decorate, but the first thing to be put on before we left for the party? Angel Moroni!

This morning we cranked up the Christmas music ('Let it Snow' from Pier One ... a few years ago) and decorated the tree with all the fun ornaments our parents gave us from our childhoods. It was SO fun to see all the goofy ornaments we had completely forgotten about. The kids loved it and asked "when did you get this one?" as they put up every single one!

The Pribyl's Christmas party on Saturday night was so much fun. We rode with the Baird's ... they are a hoot! We always have so much fun hanging out with them. Plus, we get free dental advice (he's our Dentist). :) Seriously though, they are so much fun to hang with. Zach, Bailey, Kayla and Cameron Baird all came over to hang out with Logan and Addi while we were at the party. They even brought Ozzy (their Chihuahua) over to play with Rufus!

This eve we went to dinner at the Headrick's. It was so fun not cooking a Sunday meal. The kids had fun playing with Tanner and Kiley and the food was AWESOME ... thanks Headrick's!

Christmas cards are coming along. I finally chose a picture I wanted to use. They seem a little out of focus to me, but didn't look that way on the computer. Half are stuffed and ready to be sent. I usually have them out on Dec. 1, but this year was a little crazy.

CRAZY photo shoot

This morning was my last attempt at a Christmas card photo shoot with the kids. I cleared out my dining nook for optimal lighting and tacked up a black felt background above the window. I was PUMPED after reading Allison Tyler Jones' 'Designing with Photos' last night. So, what happened when the kids got in front of the camera?? THEY GOOFED OFF! When the tackling started, I knew I wasn't going to get any more "peaceful" Christmas card quality shots!! They started wrestling and eventually the backdrop came down, right on top of them. So, it turned into some play time for them while I uploaded the pics. :)

Our trip to Disneyland is officially off. Max and Truman (our nephews) are sick again. This was the last weekend my brother-in-law, Scott could make the trip. Then with my trip to Cali coming up, I guess we'll have to wait to see them until next year. A big bummer for us! We were really looking forward to seeing them ... HOWEVER ... I wouldn't want to take sick kids to the 'Happiest Place on Earth' either!!!

It's official ... I am going to photograph my first wedding and I think I may have had a panic attack when they asked me!!!! :) I know, I thought the same thing ... "what are they smoking?" (just kidding Greg & Margo). Last night Margo (Mark's cousin) asked if I would photograph her daughter's wedding while I'm in Cali in two weeks. I hurried onto Amazon.com and ordered some fun equipment for my camera to make sure I was ready. I HONESTLY don't think I'm qualified to take once-in-a-lifetime pictures, but I am very flattered they even thought of me!

you can't catch me I'm the

GINGERBREAD WOMEN!!!! :)

Addi had a class assignment to make a Gingerbread Man. She told me she wanted to make a Gingerbread Women! It turned out cute and she was super excited to take it to school today.

photo shoot ... take two

Much better!! Here are some of the pictures from this morning with the advice I had recieved yesterday; mode P, flash off & WB to auto. I think if I moved the back drop to the front of the garage for more light, they would have turned out much better ... but ... with Trent and Addi just getting home from school and riding bikes, Logan was VERY anxious to have the camera get put away! :)

just a few more

while I was uploading pictures this morning, Addi got her Book of Mormon and joined me at the desk. She opened it up and started thumbing through it as she sang the Primary song, "Scripture Power". It was too precious not to photgraph!

new toy

I just bought Nanci's Canon Rebel SLR camera and LOVE it!! I am having so much fun using it. Today I went to Kristi's and we played with our cameras ... she has one too. I learned so much and had fun learning my new toy. I already had a "photo shoot" with the kids this morning. They didn't turn out like I thought they would so I sent some of the pics to my friends who are skilled photographers and got some excellent advice on what I did wrong. Think I can get the kids to do another "photo shoot" tomorrow?? Yeah, I didn't think so either!

I haven't posted in a while, I'm trying to think of what's new ...

Addi hasn't stuck any objects in any open body parts lately ... that's always a plus!

Mark's business trip to Cali went well. He really enjoyed getting to know more senior execs in the company. He's always been into schmoozing.

Our little reunion with Mark's parents and brother at Disneyland has been postponed to this upcoming weekend which is a blessing in disquise. We need to get a few more items of warm clothing.

Kristi said she'd help me put up Christmas lights this week. I'm excited to get them out and make our house look like a home. We have NEVER decorated the outside of our home for Christmas. We haven't ever been home for the holidays so never saw the point.

A little note was sent home with Logan last week about a play the Kindergarten class is doing next week. I am so excited to see Logan on stage. He's such a comedian when it comes to being the center of attention so I'm anxious to see him up on stage performing. I think he's going to be so much fun to watch!

Today I got a gift cert to Macy's from Mark's parents for my birthday (THANK YOU, Gary and Elaine) ... I am SO looking forward to going shopping. Macy's is one of my most fave stores!