A SMALL HIATUS...

After taking a few months off, I am back.  My little guys are growing up so quickly that I have to try and keep my electronic diary up-to-date before I forget the nuisances that make day-to-day mommying so challenging, but so fun too.

A lot has happened since my last post.  We had a very eventful late spring and summer.  First of all, our baby boy Rece turned one.  We had an absolutely beautiful day for his birthday party and he attacked his cake.  He is an eater, so it didn't surprise anyone.  Shortly after his birthday, he decided to turn into a big boy, walking, talking and boycotting his high chair for a booster seat at the big table.

Most life changing, we found out that we were expecting our fourth little one, due November 29th, the day after Thanksgiving.  It looks like I will miss my precious Black Friday, but I think that the fourth Schuster will be the best thing I could ever get, and probably the most expensive too.

We decided to do a gender reveal for the family in late July so the big boys could find out if they were getting a little brother or a little sister.  The balloons revealed that...

...we were going to have boy #4.  Kurt and I were excited to learn that we were going to be blessed with another little man.  On the other hand, KJ really wanted a little sister.

I know that once his little brother joins the family, KJ, Lance and Rece will all grow to love him and spend a lifetime together, giving their mama and daddy a lot of gray hair.

The rest of the summer was filled with spending time outdoors, traveling around Michigan to the St. Ignace Car Show, Mackinac Bridge, Kalamazoo, the Detroit Zoo and Lake Michigan.

 

 

 

We officially marked the end to summer with the start of school.  KJ is going to full day Kindergarten and after a few weeks of adjustment, is getting used to the long day.  Lance started 3-year old preschool and is loving the crafts and playtime.  It is hard for me to be away from two of my boys, but Rece and I are enjoying our alone time.  Besides, it won't be long before #4 joins the clan and alone time is spent in newborn land!

 

Lots more to come as the fall moves in and the boys grow and change.  I can't wait to see where the next couple of months brings the Schuster family.  Good to be back!

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO...

A 5-year old, a 3-year old and my baby is nearly 1.  Where does the time go?  We have been super busy the past few months getting our new offices ready and I become negligent in my blogging duties.  Through all the chaos, we have watched our little guys grow by leaps and bounds.

Most important, KJ turned 5 and Lance turned 3.  On the 5th, we all went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate Lance's 3rd birthday.  He loved the football toss game and skee ball.  We definitely didn't get enough tokens, because Lance would fish through our pockets to find more.  I have a feeling that real money will burn a hole in his pocket.

 

On the 18th, the family traveled to Dave and Buster's for KJ's 5th birthday lunch.  He played every game imaginable in the place, moving from racing games to shooting games to basketball.  Dave and Buster's cleverly puts its tokens on a credit card, so we flew through the game credits like crazy.  It was a lot of fun.

 

My babies are getting so big!  I can't believe how fast times goes by.

THREE QUARTERS OF A YEAR... ALREADY?

My baby is 9 months old- crawling, talking, finding favorites, eating big boy food and generally getting too big, too quick.  Rece is a ton of fun to have around the house.  He is in love with his big brothers and is so excited to be able to follow them around now that he is mobile.  They can get an awesome belly laugh out of their little bro just by playing on the ground with him.

Rece is quite a big boy.  He is a couple of pounds bigger than his brothers at this age, which is a lot when you only weigh 20 pounds.  He has always been a mama's boy, but it is even more pronounced now that we have entered the "stranger danger" stage.  Rece can't stand to have me leave the room.  Cute to be wanted...sometimes.

A couple days before he turned 9 months old, we took a trip to the Utica Ice Festival.  It was a Disney theme and boys were so excited to see some of their favorite characters- Star Wars, Mickey and Pooh.  Cold, but a great time!

 

A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER...

Rece's first Christmas was a good one!  Even though the boys were all fighting off a bug, we managed to have a great Christmas with family.  It was amazing to experience Christmas through KJ's eyes, as he asked for thoughtful gifts, like a Christmas sweater, and wanted to get gifts for others.  Lance was excited to see the twinkling lights and open gifts, while Rece loved watching people and having lots of company.

  

We managed to get in a number of our family traditions- visiting Santa at Sherwood Forest, new Christmas pajamas, making Christmas cookies, listening to Christmas music on the radio, Christmas Eve with the Schusters and Christmas Day with the Nordquists.

I hope that I am passing on my love for this time of year to my little men.  It seems that they like all the grandeur and I love watching them enjoy the season.

ANNUAL FAMILY PICTURES...

Over a year has already gone by since the last time the boys, Kurt and I went to the park to get our family pictures taken with Chuck.  We had an absolutely beautiful October day in the low 70's to flash our pearly whites.


The boys tried very hard to give "good smiles", but Chuck definitely had his work cut out for him.  As always, he managed to give me my one good picture of the family and a few nice ones of my growing boys.  I just developed the pictures and put them in the frames, and I was in awe as how fast my little men are growing up, each as their own unique individual.  Time is not going to stand still, and I might miss the days when chaos was a way of life.


There are two things that I know- my boys sure are beautiful and I am always happier after pictures are finished- they are a ton of work!

4 MONTHS OF FUN...

Faster than any of the other boys, my little man, Rece, has already reached 4 months old.  He is a big boy, full of love for his brothers, a large appetite and LOTS of words.  He is rolling over from the back to front on his left side, absolutely loves his exersaucer and recognizes his name.

Rece talks quite a bit, letting us know what he thinks about everything, especially after baths and during diaper changes.  If he isn't talking, I swear that he is eating or trying to figure out where his brothers are hiding.  He loves to watch KJ dance in front of him.  He will laugh and squeal when KJ is moving and shaking it.  He is constantly getting kisses and hugs.  It is awesome to see how much love Rece has brought to our house.

Because our boys are getting so big, we were able to take the whole family to East Lansing to see MSU take on Notre Dame last week.  It was a beautiful day and the boys really enjoyed the tailgate.  After all the food, football and walking around, they were tuckered out by the time we got home.

ON THE MOVE...

How is he getting so big?  Rece isn't even three months old and the little guy rolled over for the first time yesterday.  Pretty soon he will be mobile and I won't know what to do.  Slow it down, Rece!