photo shoot for grandma

I am doing a special project for Mark's mom's birthday on Feb 1. This includes trying to get my kiddos to sit still and smile nicely. Here are some silly kids after school! Tomorrow I am going to attempt BEFORE school and see if I can get better cooperation and better lighting! :)

hey mark, do you think it's cold enough to snow?

This was the question I asked Mark about 15 minutes before it started SNOWING!!!!! We were hitching up the boat, getting it ready to take over to Wendy's. It started sprinkling and sure felt cold enough to snow ... and then sprinkles of water turned to SNOW! Just as quick as it came, it went and turned back into rain. Addi had fun trying to catch the snow on her tongue.

So the million dollar question is: did this freezing weather stop the Schlegel's from wearing flip flops??

race photos

race pictures are ready to view!

Race - PF Chang's 1/2 Marathon (Jan 14)
BIB# 40000

rain!

Today it is raining! Yay!!!! I just love the desert when it rains, it smells so clean and fresh! My ONLY problem with the rain is that because it is so rare, the kids find it that much more fun and want to ride their bikes in it! That's fine when it's monsoon season, because it's still 90-degrees when it's raining, but NOT in the winter ... it's so cold! None the less, I'm loving it!!

On Wednesday night, at 8:00pm, we were putting Logan to bed and he reminded me that I had promised a bike ride to the waterfall (1.5 miles away) "NO MATTER WHAT after dinner". He's right. When I picked him up from school, he wanted to ride his bike and I said, "after dinner, NO MATTER WHAT, we'll ride down to the waterfall". I looked at Mark and he said, "you know what you have to do". He was right ... Logan and I bundled up and got on our bikes and rode to the waterfall. It was COLD and dark. There are no street lights here so it does not "interfere with the desert beauties" (so we've been told) ... so it was SUPER dark. I was surprised that Logan wasn't scared ... I was a little. Not of people, but coyotes and wild boar. I hope Logan learned that we keep promises, no matter what. It was also fun. He told me, "Mom, I like it when we just cruise. Just you and me". That was so worth it!

Last night was Enrichment. I rode with Becky, Kristi, Amy and Deann; they are such fun women. We had a kick off to the year's theme "Garden of Life". It was inspirational and I have been really thinking of what I can do differently in my life. Some things, good habits, have been slipping and it's always nice to have a reminder to get back on track. It's always fun to see the women in the ward. I know I've said this a million times, but I JUST LOVE THEM!!! As I was sitting there on the floor of Kym's living room, listening to the message that was being given, I was looking around at the women there, trying not to get caught starring. The ceiling fan was on, the front door was open, the Spirit was there. It was such a confirmation that we're where we are supposed to be. I love it here in Arizona, I LOVE Peoria ... the ward, my friends, our business ... it's all so perfect! Everything has really worked out for us! I feel SO blessed.

Tonight we are having date night with the Baird's (Michael and Amy), the Rogers' (Ricky & Kristi) and the Trimble's (Brian & Erin). They are such fun couples, I'm looking forward to tonight. The Baird kiddos are coming over to watch Logan and Addi. My kids LOVE it when the Baird kids come over, it's always a little party for them. Zach is 12, Bailey is 11, Kayla is 9 and Cameron is 5 ... then they always bring their dog, Ozzy ... who Rufus AND my kids just adore too! I LOVE IT!

Today I bought Rufus a sweatshirt. If my mom didn't think I was "yuppie" enough in November ... she's really going to think it now! Poor Ruffie has been so cold lately and even sleeping under the covers in bed.

Tomorrow Logan has a bball game from 10-11 and then a birthday party from 11:30 - whenever. Sunday is Stake Conference.

Happy Friday!! :-)

endurance racing

Last night at basketball practice, Ricky, said now I should do a Triathlon. Oooo, that got my wheels turning and this morning I decided I want to try one! Just a sprint, not the olympic length. Ricky said his sister has a street bike I can borrow. I'm SO excited!

Today Becky is picking Addi up from school and taking her home to have lunch with Porter and Trent. Addi loves hanging out with her "boys", as she calls them. Logan and I have been hanging out and building legos. I also got some summer clothes out from last year that I am taking to a consignment store to sell this afternoon. It's a great way for me to make some extra spending/gas money.

Ricky & Kristi have made it official; they are moving to Gilbert sometime in the near future. I am SO beyond bummed! Kristi and I are like sisters and help each other out so much, I have really come to depend on her. We've already starting preparing Logan and Addi, but I don't think it will actually sink in until they are gone.

Tomorrow we are dropping off the boat at Wendy's home. I can't believe we actually sold it. I think I may miss it a little, but definitely glad to have that extra money to save each month. Tomorrow night is also Enrichment. I am looking forward to it. I just LOVE the gals in the ward, they are all amazing with such amazing talents. I feel so truly blessed to be where we are at right now and wouldn't trade it for the world!

Happy Wednesday!

13.1

Trina, Susan and me before the race

WOW! What an experience the half marathon was yesterday!! I had an insane amount of fun and I'm STILL on a high from it all!

It was THE coldest morning in 17 years! It was freezing ... well, technically, below freezing! It was 23 degrees when I got into my car at 4:30.

Trina and I met at her place at 5 and then headed to ASU. We got to the starting village, where they have bagels, drinks, massages, medical aid, etc. We called Susan to see where she was. We wanted to give her a hug & wish her luck before her race (she ran the full, alone)! She was only a block away being dropped off by her family, so we walked over to her and then walked her to her corral and cheered her on as she passed the starting line.

When Trina and I got to our corral, we tried our best to keep warm. It was 27 degrees at the start line. My goodness ... I thought I'd never feel my toes again! It was a rush to have live bands and hundreds of thousands of people cheering you on. I seriously wanted to cry a few times reading some of the banners the kids were holding up. Lots of them said, "go mommy" or "we are proud of you daddy". It was SO sweet! Trina and I talked the entire time and had a blast!

13.1 miles later, we ended up at the finish line in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

All 50 states and 36 countries were represented with over 43,000 runners and all for amazing causes!!

I'm ready to do it again! I think next year I will be participating in the full marathon.

... "one more mile" ....

first big game

keeping on his man

in action

getting put in the game for the 1st time

our favorite player ... #9

The Peoria Scorpions (well, half of them anyway)

Here are some pictures from Logan's first basketball game. Man, it was SO much fun!! The kids were hilarious and even though we lost, we all (including Logan) had a BLAST!! Logan stopped in the middle of game, came to us at the sidelines and asked how to play and said he didn't understand the rules. It was so cute!

Today at Addi's soccer practice Logan took a soccer ball and started kicking it around. He seemed really interested and said he really liked soccer. In March when basketball ends, I'll sign him up for city soccer.

basketball

Some pictures from Logan's first bball practice. His first game is Saturday!

back to school ... FINALLY

in action, running to the goal

stretching (in between Kali and Porter)

Oh man, I thought this day would NEVER come!!! The kids are finally back in school.

Addi started soccer this morning and Logan starts basketball tomorrow.

On Wednesday, I am getting an hour massage, just in time for the big race on Sunday.

Today for lunch I made a Chicken Pita Pizza from my Eating for Life book. It was AWESOME and by far my most fave recipe! I wanted to share it with you ...

INGREDIENTS

1 whole wheat pita

1/4 cup low-fat pizza sauce

1 portion chicken breast sliced (I used pre-cooked/packaged grilled chicken strips)

1/4 red bell pepper, sliced

1/4 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/4 small zucchini, sliced

1/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Place the pita on a baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce evenly on pita. Top with remaining ingredients.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pizza is heated through.

pump it up

Tyson Rogers

The kids had such a fun time at the birthday party yesterday. Here are a few pictures.

first REAL hair cut

I took Addi to Trish's yesterday for her first REAL hair cut. Trish does my hair and I think she's fabulous, plus she's super cute & hip, so you know you'll always look amazing! When we walked in, I told her I didn't care what she did, I just wanted Addi to have THE cutest hair cut and that's exactly what she did. She looks adorable, doesn't she? We went out to dinner in the evening and Addi went to the bathroom and wouldn't stop looking at her hair in the mirror, she told me, "my hair looks awesome mom".

THANKS TRISH!!!!

relaxing day

Yesterday was THE most relaxing day I've had in a long time. The kids really wanted to go to the Train Park in Scottsdale so the deal was that we had to have the house clean before we left. It was SO nice to have the kids help pick up for once and not gripe about it. We took our time and didn't rush ... ate lunch at home and started out for Scottsdale (an hour drive).

When we got to to the park, I bought the packet of 12 tickets and told the kids no toys, no treats ... just rides and they could play at the parks for as long as they wanted, but once the tickets were done, we weren't buying any more. Logan asked once for a toy and when I reminded him of the rules, he backed off. We stayed for an hour and a half, just hanging out, riding the carousel and train and playing at the fun parks. The kids were on their best behavior the entire time which was a nice change from the constant bickering that has been going on this past week.

When we were done at the park, the kids asked to see their great-grandma Kuhn (my Dad's mom), who lives down the street from the park. We hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving and were missing her. We spent 1 1/2 hours with her and then decided to head home.

As we were getting close to Mark's work, I gave him a call to see if he needed any help packing boxes for the big move into our own office. So, we stopped to help Mark pack boxes and of the kids always have fun drawing on the large white boards. While cleaning out Mark's desk, we found a pom-pom we had bought Addi at the ASU football game a while back. We told Addi that when Logan starts basketball next week, she can been his cheerleader. We was SO excited and started saying, "Go Logan, Go!" Then she said THE cutest thing, she said, "I'm going to be Logan's cheerleader and CHEER HIM UP!!" We were laughing so hard, it was darling!

After we were done, we were all starving so we decided to head back to Scottsdale and go to California Pizza Kitchen (our FAVE place to eat) at Desert Ridge. Since Logan hadn't gotten his friend a bday gift yet, we also went to Barnes and Nobles to pick out a gift. We had completely lost track of time and realized we had been there for AN HOUR! It was almost 9pm.

We started to head home and the kids asked to listen to their most favorite CD, Smart Symphonies. My mom gave it to me as a gift when I first got pregnant with Logan and I listened to it 24/7 (I'm a sucker for classical music). I also listened to it while pregnant with Addi. The kids LOVE the music, it's very calming and relaxing. The kids started asked questions about when I was pregnant with them and what did I do while I was prego with them, what car did I drive, what did I eat ... it was SO cute to see them try and understand how the whole pregnancy thing works. Their favorite song is Giuseppino's 16th century ode to spring, Fuggi, Fuggi, Fuggi da Questo Cielo. It's in Italian and they eat it up!

Above is a picture of a wreath I have on a "picture wall" (you know, where the wall is cut out for a picture/painting). I was coming around the corner to go up stairs and this caught my eye. The light is coming from the windows on the 2nd story. I thought it was pretty ...

Today I am taking the kiddos to the Anthem Outlets to get Addi a pair of soccer shoes and then to the Anthem Community Park.

Happy Thursday!

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 ...