It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I can officially say that because it is September (well almost...by the time I finish writing this excerpt it will be)!

Here are the top ten reasons why I love Autumn time:

1.) Color of leaves and the way they are swept away by the wind to land in my neighbors yard~he he (I love to rake them into big huge piles and jump, so if you are my neighbor...just let me know and I will bring the rake to help you clean up)!
2.) The back to school feeling...LOVE IT, even though it only lasts for a few hours!
3.) Halloween & Thanksgiving ~two of my FAVORITE holidays!!!!!
4.) Back to school shopping (new clothes, new notebooks and pens, new beginnings).
5.) Home made after school snacks (chocolate chip cookies, rice krispie treats, and pop corn balls are my favorites my mom used to make).
6.) The beginning of must see TV and new episodes of my favorite programs!
7.)Pumpkin patches, pumpkin pie, pumpkin loaf, pumpkin pie (did I already say that?)!
8.) The crisp breeze in the air makes it unnecessary (and downright inappropriate) for short sleeve shirts and SHORTS~~~hate them by the way (the shorts, that is)!!!
9.)The smell of a newly lit log fire being burned in your neighbors fireplace!
10.) The Twilight premiere New Moon is quickly approaching!!!! (BTW I have decided to reread the series in preparation for the big day...November 20th...if you didn't already know!!!)

Happy Autumn!

P.S. I just had to add Neil Diamond to my playlist because I love this song!!! :)

Guess who has a loose tooth???

Piper!!!!
And we are off today in search of a tooth fairy pillow...wish us luck! :)

Daddy's Company Picnic!

There were clowns, balloon animals (a hat for Piper, flower for mommy and a wiener dog for Paige {who would've guessed???}), face painting, bouncy playhouses, lots of food, and our own personal ice cream man (Schwan's man)! A wonderful way to spend Friday evening with the family!!!!

*click on photo's to enlarge.

I did the laundry last night...

...and it wasn't my own,,,until I bought it, of course!! And you'll just have to wait to see my new fall accessory until the weather turns a little colder and I can wear it!!!

Today we...

...got "kids coffee" at the park.

...took a walk along the boardwalk.

...hung out at Katie's house.

...colored cards for our friends.

...played with wiener dogs.

Chores

I guess I was a little late feeding Baxter this morning (it might have to do with the fact that I got a total of 2 hours sleep last night and probably won't see sleep until Friday), but I was pleasantly surprised that my girls have picked up the slack and started to take over!!

"It's the little things!"

What Paige wanted to wear today!

After I got both girls out of the tub today, this is what Paige ran to get!

Princess Organization 101!

As most of you know, our princess play room also dubs for a home office in which was in desperate need of some heartfelt princess organization (to keep our princess affairs in order, you know). So that's exactly what us girls did today! However, Daddy (we think) had something else (other than princess and princess stuff) in mind!

Isn't the princess magnetic calendar cute??? We got it in a special little kit at Treasury of Memories for only $18!!! They also have other themes too, if your style isn't princess! http://treasuryofmemories.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/08/magnetic-madness.html
Super easy, super cute and super fun for us girls to do today!!!

Fair.Food.Fun.Friends.Family.

*click on photo to enlarge.

Fair Favorites '09:

• "Hot air balloon 'spinney' ride with the girls"~Daddy.
• "Buckles the Donkey"~Mommy.
• "Dragon Roller Coaster"~Piper.
• "Amelia's mommy's 'moowich' sandwich (ice cream sandwich)"~Paige.

bowl of baby blues!

After dinner and a nice warm bath, we decided to go pick our first batch of blueberries from the backyard (in retrospect, I should have planned a little better and completed things in a different order because we had to repeat the middle step again)! Oh well, here's to our first round of blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, blueberry jam, and blueberry bowls before bedtime!!!

Crown Confessions!

Go team Edward!

Even though I am totally an Edward Cullen (the vampire) fan, I decided to post the 2nd (and most recent) New Moon trailer which mainly features Jacob Black (the werewolf)! Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__4nk303LXY

Girls, the countdown has begun...only 3 more months until the premiere!!!!!

End of summer "to do" list with Katie!

If I would've known!

Hindsight's always 20/20 when it comes to children and the daily obstacles that arise! I don't know about all the other kids of the world, and if they too kick and scream at the sight of the toothbrush, but we're about at our wits end and have run out of creative ideas when it comes to tooth brushing! At times you would think I was trying to pull their teeth out!!

Tonight (after the daily bath) both Piper and Paige went right to the sink without any prompting. If I would've known they would initiate brushing with something so insignificant, I sooooooooo would have bought the Dora (battery operated mechanical) toothbrush eons ago!!!!

motivated...

...I am trying to get, and this is the first (of many) attempts with my brand new NB running shoes from TJ Maxx!



"Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything." ~Scott Reed

girl tat's!

No (for all those that are wondering), I would not put a permanent tattoo on either one of my precious girlies tender little skin. But we did have a lot of fun today eating mall food and getting an airbrush one!!!

~Happy Thursday!!!

Baxter Boy!

This week we celebrate the 1st anniversary of the adoption of our beautiful baby boy Baxter, and boy has it been a whirlwind of surprises!

I've never really been the "pet" type, but secretly always wanted one since before I can remember. To be honest, I don't know what our life would be like without him (other than I would have clean carpets and no doggy hair)! My favorite time with Baxter is when he greets me (when I get home from work~whatever the time) with his head peaking through the railing (see pictures above).

We intentionally bought a "boy" dog for several reasons, and the utmost reason is Chris needed the male camaraderie. But after his neutering days and being around 4 girls throughout the days, he has lost most of his masculine boyism's (which to be honest, I am TOTALLY okay with)! Chris was kinda disappointed when Baxter was told in doggy jail that he couldn't play with the other boys because he was a little too "fragile" (we had him kenneled overnight for our mini vacation)! Chris decided to draw the line, so I guess no more hair ribbons and bows after his monthly hair cut!

When I asked the girls what their favorite memory of Baxter is they stated: "I love when Baxter keeps me warm at night."~Piper. "Bayou is nice."~Paige.

All I can say is thank you Baxter for choosing us to be your family!

"The dog represents all that is best in man." ~Etienne Charlet

Team Schweigert...day 2 (Dinotown)!

*click on pictures to enlarge!

It was a true toss~up what the funnest part of Dino Town was (hence why we included ALL the photo's), but Chris seems to think it was either the Dino jail, the Dino paddle boat rides, or the hand operated squirt guns. I'm just glad to be back in the States to pick up our little dinosaur (Baxter)!!!

However, I do recommend every family in a "team building" vacation (even if it is only for a day)!!!

Teambuilding overnight trip to Canada...day 1!

We have officially started the annual Schweigert "team building" mini vacay, and because we now have our own passports, we decided to go to Canada!

Our first stop was the world renown coffee and donut place Tim Horton's (and if I would have known we would head right to the hotel and into our bathing suits, I would have rethought the Canadian maple bar)!

Next stop, Harrison Hot Springs, and did I mention the pouring rain??? Anyway, it didn't stop our phenomenal view, our awesome time in the heated indoor and outdoor pools, and the fun themed buffet at the resort!!! We would for sure go back (maybe next time in the winter)!!!

A party no~go!

Just one of the fun treats I prepared for our fun post golf party yesterday. But after the late arrival of some really tired boys, we decided to call it a night and watch a movie instead!

BUSTED!

I'm completely speechless, except for the fact that we've come so far since the peeing on the Schwan's man days!

My kids can sew better than I can!

Because I am such a Susie housewife, and missed the home economics class in high school, I decided to throw a morning makeup class and an afternoon sewing lesson for my girls (hence the neutral palette they are wearing on their eyes)!!! It was a fun-filled girls day doing girly things!

P.S. (for Katie) Don't look at the finished castle picture, Piper wanted to give it to you when you come back from your vacation!!!