See how they grow

Seven weeks ago Andrew was a 7 pound 1 ounce adorable baby boy, who instantly wrapped Brett and I around his little finger.  He still is that adorable baby boy , however he isn't 7'1 any more... 

See how he's grown!  A little over 12 pounds and just as sweet as ever.

Introducing Andrew Brett

(Due to issues with our card reader this post is later than it should be as well as all of the pictures in it I took off of my mother-in-laws blog.  Hopefully soon we will fix the problems with the card reader and I will be able to post more pics of Andrew as well as of the rest of the family)

 This is my dear, sweet, little Andrew.  He was born on September 13th at 12:03 pm, and we are so happy he is here.  Andrew weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz, and was 19 1/2 inches long, and he has lots of dark hair.  Like my other babies I was induced with Andrew, but unlike my other babies he was only 39 weeks along rather than 40-41.  I had been experiencing quite a few contractions and some were really getting painful.  On September 11th I called Brett at 7:00 and told him the contractions were  about 5 minutes apart and he needed to get home.  We went to the hospital, they hooked me up to all the monitors, and sure enough I my contractions were 5 minutes apart.  I was dilated to a 4 and they said that if I progressed I would be able to stay if not I would have to labor a little more at home.  An hour and a half went by and no change, I got sent home (do you know how disheartening it is to think you are going to be having a baby and then you're told go home, big bummer!).  I had an appointment the next day and the Dr. said if I wanted I could be induced the next day.  Brett and I agreed and then went home to prepare.  The labor really wasn't that bad, there was one frustrating moment when after an hour and a half of pitocin they checked me and I was still at a 4, but then they gave me the epidural and within 30 minutes I was at a 7.  I invited my mom and mother-in-law to be there for the birth with Brett and I and we were laughing and having a great time.  The nurse however was telling me to stop laughing because the Dr. had not yet gotten there and I was laughing the baby out.  When the Dr. did finally get there I pushed once and our little Andrew was here.  During those first few minutes and during his bath he let us know that he has a great set of lungs yet ever since then it has been rare that I have heard him cry, he is such a good baby.

Brett enjoying time with Baby Andrew, he is such a great daddy!

My turn!!!  You may notice my fingernails are nicely done, that was my moment of vanity with Andrew, before he was born I decided that I would get some press on nails and have pretty hands before I had him.  If you could see my toes you will see that they are painted as well.

Paper chain of preparation and fun!

On Sunday the 17th of June I had an epiphany, James was sick so I stayed home from church with him.  As I was home with James I began to think of all the things I needed and wanted to do before this third little baby came.  That was when inspiration struck!!!  I decided to make a paper chain with 98 links, each link representing a day until the little monkey was born (actually that puts me 2 days late, but Mark's first Primary program is the 23rd and I can't miss it, neither can Brett because he is the chorister, I just hope this little guy cooperates).  Some of the things I have on my chain are buy diapers, a new baby outfit, make a Christmas stocking, prepare the baby's room, make some freezer meals, pack my bag, and paint my toes (obviously those last two are towards the end, and yes painting my toes is a necessity).  Those things are things I feel I want or need to do before he comes.  Some of my fun chain links are paint rocks with Markie, read books, go to the zoo, 9 temple trips, 9 dates, finger paint with sweet and condensed milk, finger paint with shaving cream.  Basically I wanted to spend lots of time with my boys.

 The chain, not the best picture because of the light behind it but you get the general gist.

Painting rocks with Markie.  This was the first link on the chain.  He had been asking to paint rocks for a couple of days.  I don't know where he got the idea to paint rocks but we really had a great time.

And the baby is...

A BOY!!!

Beauty makeover?

It is always fun when my sister-in-law, Tammie, comes to town. We never quite know what fun thing we are going to do and she always seems to want to do something fun. When she came for Grandma's funeral it was no different. Nothing sounds like more fun than a girls night out, make overs, and chocolate. This time however the chocolate was for the facial, and it was awesome!!!

Hersery's chocolate, it isn't just for baking.

Don't we make a tasty--er--lovely bunch!

Don't we look lovely, the chocolate wrinkle remover works wonders. But the best part was just spending time with each other, laughing, taking a break from life.

Farewell to an Elect Lady

(This post is late, like most of the posts I do, some day my posts might actually be caught up with my life. Until then I am sorry, enjoy or whatever.)

I was blessed to be welcomed into the Schwieder family almost 7 years ago, and at that time I met Elizabeth Haroldson, Brett's grandma. From the moment I first met her she showered me with love and welcomed me into her family and heart. Due to declining health I never got to know the woman Elizabeth Haroldson was, and on March 6th she returned to her Heavenly Home. I am greatful for the opportunity I had to attend the funeral because I was able to catch a glimpse into the life of this wonderful woman, and the more I learned the more I wished I could be just like her. A woman of strength she never let anything stand in the way of something she wanted to do. Through ingenuity and perserverience she made things happen. A leader, a sister, a mother, a friend. I am greatful that I can get to know her better through my mother in law, yet I am also greatful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge I have that I will see her again and I will truly get to know her when I see her again. We love you Grandma!

Picture of Grandma Brett drew for Grandpa.

Brett dancing with Grandma at our reception here in Iona.

4 Generations-Grandma Haroldson, Mom Schwieder, Brett, and Mark.

Introducing Ruby

In preparation for the new little one Brett and I decided it was time to upgrade to a car that we could all fit in...enter Ruby the mini van! I always told Brett I would never drive a mini van, I figured my parents did a great job with my brothers, sister and I in Buicks and we could do the same. Unfortunately for me the government has changed seat belt/car seat laws so much that I soon realized my dreams of driving Buicks all my life would not come to fruition. So when Brett and I started talking about adding another car seat to our car Brett and I began donating plazma and saving all we could so we would not have to go into debt to make room for the little munchkin. We saved birthday money, Christmas money, every extra penny that came in we saved so we could get a mini van, and not go into debt. We weren't looking for anything amazing or special we just needed a van that would last. Not knowing the future we really relied on the spirit to guide us. Our family went down to Utah over St. Patrick's day weekend and while my parents watched the kids Brett and I tried out a bunch of different mini vans. Ruby is a Chrysler Town and Country and has more bells and whistles then I ever thought I would have in a car. But more importantly Brett and I felt peace. It was a miracle that this car was even available when we went down to Utah, it was within our budget so we didn't have to go into debt, and we were able to sell the Buick for the exact amount of money that we were lacking. I don't like buying cars, however I am grateful for this testimony building experience and once again the knowledge that Heavenly Father is very aware of me and my family.

Ready or not here I come

"Ready or not Mom and Dad, I am due September 21. See ya soon!" Says Baby Schwieder

Better Late than Never--Happy Valentines Day!

Brett and I don't like to spend a lot of money for Valentine's Day, so it is always fun to come up with some creative way to say "I love you" without spending any money. This year Brett surprised me by putting little "I love you" notes all over the house. Some in very obvious places...

...the medicine cabinet...

...the dryer door...

...the phone...

...and the microwave. They were all over the house, to this day he says that I still haven't found them all which is fun. Every time I find one it is just another reminder of how wonderful my husband is and how much I love him.

Our stake also did a Valentine's activity that was awesome! They put together a dinner and dance for all the adults in the stake. We have a few professional photographers in the stake and the stake had them take pictures. It was a great night, one that I know Brett and I will remember for a long time.

A splash of color

It was so fun having Brett home for two weeks over the Christmas/New Year's holiday. It was unfortunate that our kids were sick for most of the time so we couldn't go out much but it was great to have him home. However because he was here so much I think the white walls of every room in the house got a little boring for him. Shortly before he went back to school he started suggesting different walls to paint and be accent walls. That surprised me, but I think I surprised him more when I went out and got paint colors and samples and I got started. We were a little daring and painted the "big" wall that extends from the front room all the way into the kitchen a light sage green color.

Of course the picture does not do it justice. But it is beautiful! The other wall that we decided to paint was the living room wall. It is on the front side of out house and has a beautiful big window and the door. We painted this wall the same sage color however it is 3-4 shades darker then the "big" wall.

With the white accents of the blinds and the molding it really looks sharp. It has been amazing to me how much a little color can brighten and change the feeling in the room, I absolutely love what we have done. However we weren't done. We decided to do a whole make over with our living room. We had family pictures and things above the piano and a picture of Christ above the stairs. We have moved the picture of Christ above the piano and we have our family above the stairs.

Sorry about the glare. Anyway, our religious things are going to be above the piano and the family is above the stairs. We have new matching frames and it has given the living room such a nice formal feel. This room has become one of my favorites.