Turkey Day

I have never done a Thanksgiving dinner, and this year I seized the chance.
I spent way to long watching shows on how to cook the perfect Turkey.
Garage sale/estate sale shopped until I found the prefect table decor.
And dressed up for the big day.
 I decided to do this holiday for myself, and it was totally worth it, Z and I had a great time getting everything ready.
The turkey turned out sooooo good, juicy, beautiful, and tasty! And me and my little Z looked good.
Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures before we ate, only afterwards.... so sad. But this was Wednesday. And on actual Thanksgiving day we headed up to Chicago so visit my mom.

So after one day of stuffing ourselves we packed up the leftovers and did it all over again in Chicago. We had a great visit with my mom and her mission companion Sister Robison. Sorry I didnt rotate this.

We decided we didn't want anything bad enough to get up at midnight, so we just headed out in the morning of black Friday and what do you know all the things we wanted were still around. I may have taken a little toy dog from someone else's cart but they obviously didn't want it as they were not watching their cart for as long as I was... but seriously, I really wanted this little barking dog for Z and the only one i could find was in a shopping cart that was all hidden behind some boxes... it was really random. So I did what any mother on black Friday would do and looked around, didn't see anyone and took it. Sorry other mom but your cart had been abandoned for at least 20 min, that is my justification. And now, Z can bark and walk her dog all day and I don't have to buy food or touch a real dog!!
We had a great time with my mom and it was awesome to see her as a missionary! We even did a contact together.

Table Referb

I've needed a table in my kitchen because there is a really weird awkward space...so I decided to make it a little project out of this table I got off Craigslist. I love the antique look but it is so pricey to buy it new, and it is pretty simple to do yourself. I stained the legs, and then antiqued the top and chairs.

The before...

The after...

The ripped shirt...?

I came home one day and saw this...

I asked Cory what had happened and he claimed that when he got her up from her nap he found her just like this...? haha

Now, has anyone else had this happen? After laughing for like 10 minutes I knew there had to be more to this story. Finally like 2 days later Cory did say the shirt was ripped, just not all the way, he gave it a little tug to see how it could have ripped so easily and the rest ripped. 

So the verdict is still out...how did she do it? And was she alone? She has some mad skills but this one is still blowing my mind!

13.1

The Nashville 1/2 Marathon

"I run for the party"-by the Hard Rock Cafe

So after doing my Insanity DVD's I felt like I wanted to do something more and get in even better shape before we have another baby. So what better than to run?! It sounded like a good idea at the time, so this summer I set the goal and signed up for the Nashville 1/2 marathon in November. 

So I did a 10 week running program to prepare, and I really had a great time doing it. 

The magic mile is 7...I have always jogged on and off. But I had never ran more than 6 miles and couldn't say I loved every second of it. Well that changed for me, fortunately...because I went way more than 6 miles! The long run that I went 7 miles was a life changer, seriously. I finally was able to pass the point of wanting to stop at a gas station and buy a snickers and get a ride home, I got into this awesome rhythm and felt wonderful, it was awesome. From that point on I really looked forward to my long Saturday runs. And I did it at the most beautiful time of year for Illinois. 

Por ejemplo...

this was from my first 13.5 mile run...views like this make it worth it!

So Nashville is 3 hours from where we live. And the day before the race I was so nervous the whole day was a horrible and I woke up every hour the night before...wow I wasnt prepared for my nerves to be so wound up! I woke up yelling "we missed it" at one point thinking I had missed the race, I was a wreck. Thankfully the  day of the weather was great, we made it in time, and all went well. I did forget my headphones = no music. And I left one of my energy GU packets in my jacket so I had to use a different flavor and brand during the race = little bit of vomit...other than that it really was a great run.

Stats: 2:04, avg 9:33 min/miles

I wanted to do it under 2 hours but I did not anticipate the amount of hills, so I ran it the same as my training pace. But for my first one I was really happy with it.

The rest of the trip...

 A little BBQ from the Famous Daves

 The Gran Ole Opry House

Thanks Nashville for the fun weekend!

Z baby is the big 1

The 1st Birthday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cant believe our little girl is already 1 year old! It seems like the year has flown by, yet so much has happened. I have never observed life so closely. It has been amazing seeing the miraculous growth that occurs in a baby's life and what they learn in such a short period of time. We have been so blessed with an amazing little girl, she has brought us more joy, love, and laughter than we imagined. 
She is obsessed with horses right now, I'm not sure why because she hates all animals when she sees them...? But this was the cake of her choosing, and I had fun trying to figure out how to Martha Stewart this thing.

This was her little birthday party with her grandparents, unfortunately our house is pretty small and her birthday was on a bad weekend so we kept it a small family affair. But she can know that I made her cake and her outfit for her very special day, and man did she have fun!! She did not however like the cake, she is a chocolate fan (must be my daughter) so the cake was only annoying her because it got her hands dirty and she just wanted the ice cream to follow. haha

This girl knows the understanding of good presents, she loves ripping that paper and finding what is possibly inside! She had a blast!

IM STAYIN ALIVE...AH AH AH

 

I feel like I've been born again!! I have been without a computer since the summer, we'll actually for like a year because my computer before was slower than a dead dog. So I treated myself with a  cybermonday Mac...thank you thank you!! I kinda feel bad how excited I am, I almost wanted to put it by my bed. The fact that I can actually upload a photo in under 5 minutes is blowing my mind. Don't get me wrong, I had my husbands but lets not forget he studies until the late hours of the night so by the time I get it...blogging is not happening, not much was happening.
AHHHHHH......I feel a huge sigh of relief
And I apologize for all the posts I'm about to catch up on...but here goes!

Moms bIrthday

The Melting Pot 

was Amazing!!

So my mom has always teased me that I have eaten out at more nice restaurants than she has, so for her birthday I took her to the Melting Pot and we had ourselves a 4 Course meal...of melted goodness.

1. Spinich Artichoke chesse dip

2. Salad

3. Sirloin, shrimp, salmon, chicken, filet....veggies, bread etc...

4. Yin and Yang Milk chocolate/White Chocolate goodness...marshmallows, cheese cake, brownies, rice crispies, strawberries, bananas!! 

Wow, we dipped all NIGHT!! and loved every dip of it :")

The Whole famdamly!

SCHNEIDER FAMILY REUNION 2011

Sedona, Arizona

 The original location was going to be in Easter Arizona, by Big Lake where we camped as kids, but given the wildfires there we had to have a relocation program. So we rented a house in Sedona...(it looked nicer on the website) good thing was none of the kids could have ruined anything if they tried so it worked out really good.

First business... crawdad hunting! Or Crabbers has they were referred to.

Baby girl and I got our Creek on

The newest additions to the family...Jayne (3 mo) Ashley (18mo) Peyton (18 mo) Zaylie (7 mo)

The original 7...until the girls infiltrated

The Sisters!

Raynee's Baby girl Jayne...oh my gosh I love her!

All the grandkids!

We had such a great time, actually we needed more time together. Nothing beats a few days, no cell phone service and no tv. It would have been even better if the phones were turned off as everyone was playing games on them anyway. We had a great surprise B-Day party for my mom, just doing nothing and enjoying everyones delicious cooking...and let us not for get the morning dance party!

I love you all! And cant wait till I live back in the Z wich cha all!

My Favorite Thang!

Zaylie is by far my favorite thing!

 Her automatic roll when I take off her diaper

 Jumping is her profession and Busyness!

 She is a drink master...(anything including drinking fountains and bath tubs) she CAN & WILL drink from anything with water in it.

 And what a BEAUTY!

Oh baby Zaylie, thanks for making me have the best days of my life!

Brrrr its Cold in Heer

Nothing is worse than a cold in the summer. It started with Cory, then to Z and I. 

Not fun....

As you can see, it just took it out of little Z

First Pedi

Yay! Zaylie got her first toe nail polish by-with Mom.

She has ticklish feet so it was a messy project, just as I would paint she would laugh and try to rub her feet together. After about 20 minutes and more remover than polish in the air, we finished. Both laughing and admiring our fine work! And she now has hot pink toe nails. It actually makes me laugh every time I see them. There is something so silly about a baby with toe nail polish

Insanity

Insanity!

It's 60 days of working out...can I do it?

I better because I just paid for it. 

9 days down...51 to go. 

I need to still take my before pic, although I dont want to be disappointed when Im done and cant tell the difference haha

Wish me luck, and lets say goodbye to the soft body that Zaylie so kindly bestowed upon me.

Boy or Girl?

( This is based off of an article in the news, click on the link at the bottom of the post to get caught up) So are you a boy or girl?
Has social norms forced you into YOU being you?
I do agree that girls are pushed to the Pink world and boys are pushed to the Blue world, but is there harm in this? I was a girl, genetically that is, and was a tom-boy my entire life. Was that because I had 2 older brothers and 2 younger brothers?...I burnt my barbies head off and never missed a beat. I must have been lured by society... because I now wear earrings and claim my femininity.

So this couple is doing a valiant thing in allowing their child to be raised in a "white zone" if you will. But every child by the age of 4 has the mental capability to understand gender and wants to start to identify with male or female. Is it healthy to let a child choose their gender? Last time I checked there was a very small percentage of births in the world that there is a legitimate question of gender and it comes down to making a decision of choosing. And heaven forbid that happens, you would have to take it day by day and do a lot of praying to decide what to do; or in these peoples case, they can just let their child decide.

Society does have agendas and pushes norms that I do not agree with, and where is the line?
Do girls really like pink or is that something they are programmed with, because since they were in newborn clothes the isles in the stores look like an explosion of pink cotton candy? Yes agendas are pushed, but is that shaping our characters in the wrong direction? If I liked gray more than pink how much does that alter who I am? (considering kids change their favorite colors by the minute)

I try to provide Z with a nice variety of colors and toys and plan on letting her select her clothes, hair styles and hobbies...but is it okay to let her select her gender?
NO! the answer is simple, God already did the hard job, and I thank Him for that!

And by the way crazy family...it is totally a BOY! Hope I didn't spoil the secret, and it really seems you must want one to turn into a girl...I say maybe read a book that tells you how to make a girl baby and have it, it will work as well as letting your already alive baby change its gender. ha ha I have nothing against them really, I applaud their creativity and attempt to relinquish more agency than is actually humanly allowable. Hopefully we all can be that proactive with topics that mean something to us.

Click here to read the article:
Parents keep child's gender secret - Parentcentral.ca

Pool side

Zaylie is lovin' her some pool!

This girl can rock any swim suit, and or any swim floaty for that matter. And has no problem wearing socks on her feet to protect them from the rough pool flooring. If only I had the confidence she does!

She is so hilarious, she was in this floaty for 3 hours laughing and saying "da da dada ahhh."

Ah, what a little lover!

Georgia

Well folks we made it...yes, Cory is selling again. I've accepted it, its what we do, but hey if it brings in the bacon and pays for law school I just don't mind. So yup, Macon, Georgia. We have covered the US through APX (now Vivint) and I must say I have loved it. And this summer I have a little side kick who is making it a very enjoyable experience.

I'm just reminded every day when I'm out by the pool in the 95 degree heat how much I love my husband. He works 10 hour days and doesn't say a word. He is just amazing.

I am thrilled that he isnt the manager this year, it has been so much more enjoyable. I see him for one! And he is not stressed out of his mind that he actually gets 4 sales on saturdays!! What a stud. If there is one attribute I knew about Cory before we got married it was that he was a hard worker but now that I see it for the third summer in a row and see him slave away at law school as well...Im humbled and blessed to have him as my husband. I can (hopefully) will learn and grow from just being around him.

A Rollin' an a Laughin'

The Z has learned she in fact can do more than roll up onto her side..she can keep going! But once she gets onto the tummy she is unpleasantly reminded she doesn't like being on her tummy and now has an arm pinned under her large belly. So at this point the trick is learned but not appreciated. And her favorite time to shine is during diaper changes.

On the bright side, she has discovered she is ticklish!

She laughs out loud hard, and will get to the point that tickling isn't fun anymore...(we all know what that feels like). Come to think of it, these new tricks are more fun for me than her...I'm sure she'll learn to love them tho! It is kinda mesmerizing to watch everyday the milestones they make.

Here is a video of her rollin a little bit

7 Week Photo Opp

Here is the babe flashing off her hot self and cute smile!
I'm in love!!!

She had just peed and was laughing!

My precious precious babe. And as all parents think...she is getting cuter by the day!
And a special thanks to Lisa Hensley for the great photos!!