Schuerman Family

Smart Shopping with Apple

2009-09-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

Once again, we haven't had a post in quite a while...and this one won't appeal to everyone.

Back in the day when I did my first blog that nobody read I did posts titled "Smart Shopping with Apple" and decided to revive it today. I would really love to have a Mac Mini as my media center PC so I was checking out the prices so I can start saving my pennies.

This is a comparison of the "entry-level" Mac Mini configured with identical specs of the "high-end" Mac Mini. These are education store prices.

Notice that the specs are identical and the low-end with upgrades is $20 cheaper? That's smart shopping with Apple...custom configuration can often times save some $.

Where's Wendi?

2009-07-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since anybody has posted anything to our blog. What happened to Wendi? I've got a sneaking suspicion that she's got a crush on Harry Potter for as much has her nose has been in that book series lately...

The summer is going by way too quickly but we've been enjoying it as much as possible. Sadly we have yet to use our camper but we've enjoyed the weekends at home and finding time to relax and enjoy our back yard and do some gardening.

Wendi and I started the Abs Diet about 3.5 weeks ago and progress for me has been fantastic. I am down 12 pounds from the beginning and feeling much better. Having more energy at the end of the day has been really helpful for enjoying the summer.

We got serious about bicycling this summer and are all set up to travel across Marshall with pedal power. Wendi, Reed and Carter all got new wheels. Wendi went all out for an extremely comfortable Trek hybrid 7200, which is now on my wishlist. What a ride! Reed upgraded to a 20" schwinn dirt bike because he just couldn't keep up on the 16" sting-ray chopper. Carter got a unicycle of sorts. A trail-along bike that hooks to my seat post so he can help me pedal up the steep hills. I'm happy to not be pulling a trailer that feels like dead weight. If Carter would sit still I wouldn't even know he was back there. Aidan of course enjoys the back seat in the child carrier riding with Wendi. The fun part is when he decides to tickle mom!

I even started pedaling to work a few days a week which has been the only exercise I've added to go along with the new food plan. I suppose at some point I'll have to add a bit more or I'll plateau.

I hope everybody is having a wonderful summer. I started a new summer project that I'll post about in a couple weeks. The back yard is going to see some additional use...

Two for Tuesday and $20 later.

2009-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wendi is still off in CA but that didn't stop me, in fact it probably encouraged me a little bit to take a giant leap that needed to be done months ago. Reed and Carter were in dire need of a haircut, Reed more so than Carter. As you can see in the before photo:

Since we didn't have anything else going on I drug the crew off to Great Clips to see about a trimming. Fortunately they weren't busy and within a few minutes both boys were in the chair and at the mercy of a professional. I would have been more than happy to do it with the clipper but then they would have really looked like me...and Wendi's not prepared for that just yet. I think the results speak for themselves, two fine young gentlemen:

I had other motivation for the haircuts; this Thursday is going to be a busy day. Wendi will be returning to Marshall and hopefully earlier than scheduled. Carter has his last day of pre-school which includes a short musical theater program. Daisy has Girl Scouts. Reed has his 1st grade concert which we hope Wendi can be home to attend. As for Aidan and I, we just have to be bystanders for the whole lot of it. Fortunately none of these things overlap, but it could be a late supper night.

Napa Valley Wine Tour

2009-05-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

We started our vacation with a tour through Napa Valley wine country. After catching the shuttle back to the airport and picking up the rental car we headed West and North along the West coast of the San Francisco peninsula. This route took us though some of the city, including the Golden Gate park. We discovered the path to the Golden Gate bridge is surprisingly difficult to get to.

The short trip crossing the bridge was breathtaking. The views were somewhat limited by the sides and the fog, but it was very cool to look back and see the city skyline, as well as just the beauty of the bridge itself.

On the other side of the bridge we headed north on the freeway. We stopped for some groceries at a SafeWay - very cool store, they should build one in Marshall. This route took us through Petaluma, home to the TWIT Cottage, which I wasn't able to spot.

For the details of the trip up, you can follow our path at: http://www.goldenhaven.com/regions/san_francisco/san_francisco_directions.html

The route up to Calistoga was very scenic - but a little bit of a nerve wracking drive. Kelly handled it much better than me. We drove along the petrified forest for part of the way, and descended a hill with a great view of Mount St. Helena.

Our first winery was Zahtila, a relatively young winery that also grows some of its grapes. The gentleman behind the bar was very helpful, explaining a lot of information to us. We tasted a few different cabs, and although I don't like cab, I could taste the differences. One uniqueness to this wine tasting was the blind tastes - we didn't know which wines we were tasting until after we told him our favorites, we usually picked the more pricey wines. The average price per bottle there was $65.

We headed back into Calistoga for some light browsing in the many shops and found a nice little place for lunch. A delicious lobster bisque fit the ticket for both of us.

We headed south along HWY 29 to the Castello Di Amorosa winery. This was an amazing place to visit. Built on the vineyard grounds is a medieval replica castle. We opted for the self guided tour, visiting 2 of the 8 levels of the castle, including a chapel, knights chamber and the tasting room. We tried several wines here and learned more about one of our favorites types of wine - Moscato, which is a dessert wine. The website for the winery is: http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/

We then continued down the road again stopping next at Sutter Home just south of St. Helena. This was a nice little winery/shop, very low key. Sutter Home wines are widely distributed, and value priced. They also offered free tasting, which was customized for us. We tried a White Merlot - which I loved! I'm a white Zin type of wino, so the merlot was a nice find. He also let us sample their version of the Moscato, and one just called "Red", which is red with a cab undertone, but the lightness of a white zin. This was a very nice meet in the middle for Kelly and my tastes. We each picked a four pack to bring home and bottle for the hotel room.

The last winery stop was the Napa Cellar/Folie A Deux, which is a part of Sutter Homes winery. This was a neat shop, but the staff was not very friendly. We each tried three wines, and didn't really love any. I did try a Zin, which was very full bodied and dry. I did not like - so I'll stay with the white zin, it is a big difference. We did however try a spicy peanut sauce that begged to come home with us for Kelly's homemade pork dumplings.

We both were in good spirits from our day together in the car, and didn't even mind the heavy traffic back to the hotel too much. We did decide to stop in Napa for dinner, at an Italian restaurant. It was recently painted, so the smell was offensive at first, but wasn't as noticeable by the time we received our food. Kelly had a pasta dish with lamb shoulder, artichokes and olives and I tried the linguine Lina, which was a sausage pasta dish. Both were wonderful and we split a tiramisu for dessert. Fabulous!

The heavy traffic slowed our return. It was very heavy as we headed south on the I-80 crossing to the main land, then driving down along the bay coast toward Oakland. We then crossed the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. One neat note about the Bay Bridge, it goes through Treasure Island and on the other side of the island becomes a double-decker suspension bridge. We then continued back to the hotel via the 101 S. I did create a little unexpected detour when the GPS was directing us back to the point Kelly had marked to see how the I-80 turned before the bridge. We were able to pull off, correct, reroute and make it back to the hotel without further incident.

Back at the hotel we enjoyed some wine and rest. Day two was spent in the San Francisco city.

Aidan - 18 month photo album

2009-03-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Twins?

2009-03-05T18:59:00.001-08:00

Staying home with Aidan today was a bit trying. The best solution I found to make him happier was to let him play with PhotoBooth on the new Mac Book Pro. This is the mirror effect, it's the only picture that didn't include me....

The kids have all been affected now, with the sickness. Hopefully it has worked its way through them all now and will be done. Kelly and I both need the time back at work.

Hope you are doing well,

Kelly & Wendi

Carter: "When I sleep I see movies in my head."

2009-02-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

Today for lunch we had leftover pizza heated by our new range! We are so excited to finally replace the one we have used for the past 5 1/2 years.

The water heater and furnace are the only appliances left that we inherited with the house....but I guess the fridge is in the garage where it does do a great job keeping my beer cold.

Anyway during lunch Reed was talking about how he was so tired last night that he didn't have any dreams. He went on to say how he only has dreams when he knows he falls asleep and last night he didn't realize that he fell asleep. At that point Carter chimes in with: "When I sleep I see movies in my head." Which of course brought a bit of a chuckle to both Wendi and I.

It has been a busy Saturday so far and Wendi deserves a break. She spit-shined the old range which will soon be listed for sale. I got the new range installed and also managed to re-install the dishwasher so that we could finally after 4 years put the toe plate on. I am so happy to not see the hoses (and spilled cereal) under the dishwasher.

I admit, that honey-do list item was LONG overdue.

Recipe: Simple Stroganoff

2009-02-12T05:58:00.000-08:00

Wendi and I were chatting last night and I thought it might be interesting if we added a bit more content to our blog. Being the family chef I thought it might be interesting if I shared my one-off recipes with everyone, particularly the family favorites.

Reed says, "This is my favorite!"

Schuerman's Simple Stroganoff

(any similarities to other recipes of this nature is purely coincidental)

1 lb Ground Beef
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup - I generally use generic.
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Milk - I use 1%, but use what you have.
1/2 bag of egg noodles - No Yolks are my personal favorite.
Seasoned Salt to taste

Brown ground beef in your favorite pan, not just any pan, your FAVORITE pan. Why? It's more fun to cook with it. :) In the meantime boil some water for the egg noodles and when it's bubbling throw them in and cook them until the desired doneness, but don't make them mush. Mushy egg noodles are gross.

When the burger is browned and crumbly drain any leftover grease, there's enough fat in the soup and sour cream we don't need the grease too! I once had a vegeterian cooking for me and she didn't realize you were supposed to drain the grease. Funny thing, last I heard she's no longer a vegeterian. I'm guessing her mom wasn't a great cook...

Back to business, dump in the soup, milk and sour cream with the ground beef. I usually mix it all in the frying pan because Daisy hates when I use extra dishes like say a batter bowl to mix it up in first, apparently she doesn't enjoy washing dishes. Stir it around until it's evenly mixed with the ground beef, and sprinkle with some seasoned salt to your liking. Usually a teaspoon or so is plenty.

When the noodles are done, drain and add to the frying pan and stir once again. Serve with a side of steamed vegetables or if you're daring...BEETS! My kids love canned beets, sometimes I have to make two cans to fill the demand.

There you have it. This is one of my 30 minute meals (eat your heart out Rachel Rae) that the kids love and frankly so do I. Not just because it is quick and easy, it tastes great, even as leftovers which is what I'm having for lunch today!

Maybe Not

2009-02-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

So, we thought the boys were healthy.

Last night Reed was sick again. He didn't make any messes this time, no funny stories to tell. But, he was just fine today, and went to school.

We're not sure what's going on with him. This is the third night he's gotten sick during the night, but not been actually 'sick sick'.

We're taking him to the doctor tomorrow.

The Puke-Ups Again?

2009-02-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Again? Sunday night both Reed and Carter spent the night with the 'puke ups' (their term, not mine). Reed did pretty good about making it to the bathroom at least.

Carter - not so good. Several 'piles' on the bedroom floor (carpet, clothes, blankets).

We still aren't sure what would have caused it. Nobody else at the birthday party seemed to be affected. It's quite the coincidence they got sick on the same night. And, right after I put the comforter I had to have cleaned from last time - back on Carter's bed. Guess what - he hit it!

They were good sports about it at least. Reed woke us up a few times, but didn't need help. Carter didn't come in at all, we didn't even know he was sick too.

Reed was actually pretty proud telling Kelly

I puked up 10 or 20 times last night. I got most of it in the toilet, just a little on the carpet, and a big splash on the bathroom floor

Carter decided to have fun tricking Daisy. After last time, when Carter puked all over, we were checking out the damage downstairs. I asked Carter if he had went to the basement at all. He said yes, and led us down to the basement bathroom and proceed to tell us he puked under the rug. Daisy and Reed bought it! I couldn't believe that the kid that puked on his bedroom floor would make it to the basement bathroom while Reed was using the upstairs toilet.

Well, we kept them home, but they were just fine. Played LEGO with Dad all day, not sick a bit.

Hopefully we are through for a while

Carter - as promised

2009-01-18T20:52:00.001-08:00

I am in the cities for training so I had some quiet time to "catch up". For those of you that have received a Christmas letter and those of you that still will and those of you that may not (yours must have gotten lost in the mail) as promised here is the video of Carter at his Pre-School program. He's easy to pick out.... What a ROCK STAR!!

Update

2009-01-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I was informed today that it's been 5 weeks since the last post - wow, time has sure gotten away from me.

We have been busy, but just the regular stuff. The holidays were good, it was nice to visit with everyone. The kids finished the second quarter of school yesterday, the school year is half over :)

Daisy can start selling Girl Scout cookies today - so let us know if you're interested.

Also today, Reed started the community rec basketball program. He was really shy at the first session (big second graders) and didn't play, so we tried again at the second session - and he wasn't shy at all. He really enjoyed himself.

Yesterday I was the mystery reader for Reed's class, they guessed who I was but still enjoyed the stories. I think all kids like the "Froggy" series.

Tomorrow Kelly leaves for a week in the cities for training. We have been planning how I will survive the meals, but I'm not sure about anything else! Hopefully it will be a calm week for us.

My travel to NYC was canceled, so that is a bit of a relief for Kelly.

I'll try to keep you all updated a little more often...

Sick week

2008-12-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

Well, this has not been a fun week! We started out the week with Daisy having a flu bug on Monday. I stayed home with her - and got a lot of work done.

Then Tuesday night - in the middle of the night, Aidan was really super crabby. So I brought him back to bed to cuddle - guess what - he was unhappy because his tummy hurt - he threw up on Kelly's pillow. And then on the middle of the bed. So - we cleaned him up, and sat with him in the bathroom - waiting to see how much more would come. He was determined that both mom and dad be there with him. Kelly got in some good play on the iTouch at least.

Carter woke up and came in to join us, saying his tummy hurt too. So - we told him to stay in the bathroom so that if he got sick, he could do it in the toilet, right?! No, he was going back to bed.

About an hour later, we decide that Aidan is okay now, and to go back to bed. So, we put down clean sheets and bring him back to bed with us to fall asleep. I found Carter on the loveseat and carried him back to bed too. We all fall asleep, and a few hours later - Kelly heard him get sick again. I reached for the bucket, but it was too late, he threw up all over our bed again! Back to the bathroom... We get him cleaned up, and the dirty sheet off. The top sheet was okay, so we slept on that and a towel - just in case for round three.

About 5:30, Reed comes in and said he just threw up in his bed! Kelly just sent him to the bathroom - we were so exhausted.

So in the morning, we start getting ready for the day - and I see puke on the floor in the hallway.
Then on the steps, and in the living room. Wait - there's more in Carter's room too! He threw up all over - all on carpet! Kelly was not happy!

We had agreed in the middle of the night that he would stay home with Aidan. He ended up staying home with all three boys and cleaning up the carpet messes. I did (am still doing) the laundry.

But it was a short bug, thankfully - and everyone went back to work/school/daycare today. Kelly's even starting to get over his cold - thank God!

We hope that you're all staying healthy - and happy.

Aidan's Birthday Pictures

2008-11-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Aidan's 1st birthday party. It was a puppy theme! We even had 'puppy ears' for all the kids to wear - Dominic (Sonia and TJ's oldest) is showing his :)

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

Reed was Batman

Aidan was a sweet little puppy

Daisy was a vampire (no pictures)

Kelly was a tourist (and the birthday boy), still no pictures - he was supposed to be the one taking them

Wendi was a black cat (again no pictures)

Carter was Optimist Prime (from the Transformers)

Hole in My Smile

2008-10-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Both Reed and Carter are now missing their front tooth! Carter lost his a long time ago, and Reed finally caught up with his little brother!

For those of you who don't know the story (or have forgotten it), Carter lost his when he feel off Kelly's motorcycle. Kelly was in the garage packing for our first week long family vacation, and Carter was sitting on the bike in the garage. He was about 16 months old, so he was pretty mobile. When Wendi pulled into the driveway, Carter turned to see - and it made the jacket on the seat slide. When it slid to the floor, so did Carter. He was a pretty tough sport, we went into the bathroom to clean him up. Then we talked to the 'baby in the mirror' and he calmed down right away. He probably only cried for 5 minutes. But, the next day (on vacation) - his tooth was sticking straight out. I pushed it back into place, but it kept going out. By the next day, it was out. He is saving it until he loses another tooth, and will put them out for the tooth fairy together, and hopefully earn double the rewards!

The life of a rose

2008-09-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Below is a series a photos from the life of my rose. This was the only rose I was able to grow on the rose bush we planted this summer.

Summer's Close

2008-09-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

As summer draws to a close, I sure enjoyed the warm weather today. I thought I would share a few pictures from the end of this summer. Enjoy!

PreSchool

2008-09-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

Carter's first day of PreSchool was today. He had a great day and was so excited! He slept with his backpack last night. This morning, he was up and at it right away! When I came downstairs at 7:10, he was already in the van, buckling up.

He had a great afternoon at Preschool. Daddy picked him up at daycare and took him to school. He wasn't shy at all. He found his cubby, hung up his bag and went right into the playhouse. He was so confident, he knew right where he was and why he was there.

When I picked him up, he was still in a great mood - he had a great day. He was proud that he had 'homework'. When he saw his teacher's phone number on the sheet, he wanted to call her to tell her that "Mrs. Shorts (Schwartz) I really like your school."

Tonight, for his special supper, he choose Mac-N-Cheese. At bedtime, he asked if he gets to go to his new school again tomorrow. He is ready to go back on Thursday.

Three in school - how scary!

5th Day of 5th Grade

2008-09-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

Daisy's special school day was today. She decided to wear her hair in a french braid, which was something new for our house. The morning was a little rough, since she's now carrying an instrument back and forth to school with her. She walks, which takes longer, since she can't carry it on her bike.

She decided to try the trumpet - on a recommendation from the music teacher. I think it fits her pretty well. We did a trial through the music store, so not a huge investment. She's already liking it and practicing (in her room please!) without nagging.

For her special meal, she chose chili, a nice meal for the cool weather we've been having. The fifth day of fifth grade - everything is settled in and shaping up to be a good start to the school year.

Her teacher is Mrs. Deutz, a nice woman that seems to have patience with Daisy. I think they will get along well. She has already made a few friends in school and in her class.

She has adjusted well to the block scheduling in different classrooms with different teachers. I think she's also excited about the a la carte options for lunch. Although, she eats really early and is starving at night.

Hopefully Daisy will post some updates of her own throughout the school year.

Preschool Open House

2008-09-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Carter had his open house at Preschool today. He was so excited! I thought we would be at the Middle School (ECFE office), so I was prepping him that this isn't his classroom but he would be able to meet his teacher and classmates. He wanted to know when he could "check out" his classroom. Once we got there, I found out that it was at Parkside -Carter was thrilled that he got to go to his classroom. So he ran to the van and told me to "speed over there".

He loved his room, and asked his teacher lots of questions - wasn't the least bit shy to anyone, adults or kids. He enjoyed painting, a puzzle, time in the sand box - all this in about 20 minutes. While he was painting his puppy picture, he was asking the teacher Sarah, how they remember everyone's names. She said that it takes a little time, and that he would learn their names when he starts coming to school and seeing them more often. Then he asked, what if she would recognize them if they get a haircut. He has quite the little mind. :)

He will start class the 16th - he's so excited!

1st Day of 1st Grade

2008-09-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Reed started First Grade today! The morning started out rainy, so Daddy gave him a ride to the bus stop and waited for him to board. His teacher is Mrs. Hess, and she's very nice. Although, he did have a complaint that there is no play time, just learning! Lunch was cheeseburger on a wheat bun. Overall he had a good day and had fun with his friends. He has a few kids from his class year and several new ones as well.

In honor of his first day, he choose speghetti for supper, and it received a thumbs up. Then Dad and Reed went to the park to register for fall soccer.

Watch for the update on Daisy's 5th day of 5th grade next Monday....

Asleep at the wheel.

2008-08-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough couple of days at the Schuerman house. Aidan has been running a fever, which means that he's crabby and clingy. Wendi's worked from home most of the time. The week has been draining on both of us due to the lack of sleep because of the burning hot tornado that's been rolling around between us. I made a comment that I was beat and Wendi said "I have a headache." Both of us have been dealing with a bit of stress on the job and this being "hell week" on campus (a.k.a. move-in week) which demands more of my time along with Aidan's health it has all been a bit overwhelming.

Thankfully Friday afternoon has come which means the weekend, but even the weekend brings more to do so we need to catch up on sleep at any given moment.

Have you ever seen how somebody that's completely drained of all energy can fall asleep mid click?

If only Carter would learn to leave sleeping people alone this nap may have lasted more than 15 minutes.

Taking steps

2008-08-19T15:38:00.001-07:00

Yes, the baby is growing into a little boy and taking a few steps. Last week Aidan started getting braver. He perfected sliding down the stairs while Daisy was home, and has moved onto moving more. He will now stand up beside furniture and walk between pieces. He's also getting good at standing up in the middle of the floor.

Last one out shuts the door

2008-08-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

We implemented a new rule in our family last weekend, last one out, shuts the door. After the Schwan's employee picnic, Kelly and I were both pretty beat from the heat. But, we needed to get some groceries, so we took naps (Aidan and Mommy) and then headed to the store. Wendi opened the side door for Reed and Carter, since it no longer opens from the inside, and Kelly got Aidan. Wendi then proceeded to get the 'green' bags from the back of the van, and we went into the store. Shopping took a while, due to our exhaustion. About an hour or so later, when we leave the store, we notice a van with the side door - still wide open! Aparently neither Reed nor Carter knew to shut the door. We're just thankful that we live in such a safe community - Wendi's purse was there, untouched! So, last one out - shut the door.

Rogaine

2008-08-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the annual Schwan's "torture our workers with small children picnic" at Independence Park. Don't get me wrong, if I were 6 it'd be a blast. Each year we continue to take our children because they have a wonderful time on the blow-up carnival rides and playing the carnival games while Wendi and I wonder what on earth possessed us to come. The only thing we can think of is the free food, but in all honesty it isn't that great of food (other than the Ice Cream and for everyone but me, the watermelon).

In the end we're left with the confusion of why on earth did we put ourselves through that? Bingo? I've never had the privilege of saying that word, Wendi either. In fact the only time I get numbers covered up on my card is while playing stand-up bingo. How unlucky can one person be? To add to the istinkatbingo misery I get to listen to my children complain about not doing what they want to do. Do you see where this is going? *sigh*

To add to my personal misery I now have what has become known as my "rogaine line". I was foolish enough to wear a visor instead of a cap and was even more foolish to not put on any sunscreen. A lot of people wouldn't have a problem with this but well...you've seen my forehead and when you consider that Wendi cut my hair on Saturday to the perfect length of 1/8 inch even more of my precious scalp was exposed to the glorious sun.

At least now I know where to rub in the rogaine since I have this lovely laser-level-like line separating the pasty white flesh of my forehead with the roma tomato red on the top of my head. Pics to come.

Daisy's visit

2008-08-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have Daisy home last weekend. She didn't have a room to sleep in, which created a few challenges, but overall it was a great weekend together. The boys were so excited to have her around, and Aidan clung to her all Friday night.

We picked her up in the afternoon, and then went out for supper in Sioux Falls, a treat for us all. Then, off to pick out bedding (finally!) for Daisy's new room. They didn't have the style she had picked out from the catalog, but she did find one she liked. Plus, there was a sale, so Carter got a new comforter to match his new room and fit his "big boy bed".

We started on preparing Daisy's new room on Saturday, and got it primed. Sunday we accomplished the stripe and back wall. I'll provide pictures in another post, as I know Daisy is excited to see how it's turning out!

Sunday afternoon, and Daisy's trip back to Plankinton came too quickly for us all. But, summer is almost over (sad) and Daisy will be back home with us again.

We miss you Daisy!

Health Updates

2008-08-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Yea, everyone is finally healthy again. A flu bug made it's way through our family but has *finally left us. It started with Wendi, and we thought maybe it was food poisoning, because Diane was sick too. Then Kelly was affected, along with Diane's husband. Then Aidan suffered it as well. His sickness was the hardest on us. We went through two sets of sheets, and had two midnight baby showers (not the gift style). But, the next morning, he was more back to normal than mom and dad, due to the lack of sleep on our part.

The other children didn't seem to be affected, for which we are grateful, and a week has pasted, so I think we are safe and clear.

Room Swap Progress

2008-08-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

We have started! The room swap is underway between the children in the Schuerman household.

We started on Saturday with moving everything out of Daisy's room. A gray primer worked nicely to cover Daisy's bright pink and purple. We went with a dark (navy) blue on three of the walls, and a dark red and off white stripes on the fourth wall.

The next step of the swap is new beds for Reed and Carter. Tonight we assembled the new bunk beds. We need all the extra floor space we can get with having three boys in the one room.

Next on the agenda is finishing the strips, building Aidan's new dresser, and moving the boys into their new room. We are also hoping to get Daisy's room prepped and primed so we can paint when Daisy is home this weekend. She just needs to pick her bedding and colors first, so we can choose the colors.

Stay tuned for updates...

LEGO class

2008-08-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

The first Schuerman family LEGO class was a fun time for all! Kelly worked with the boys on free building cars. They started with a basic framework and then built a car based on their imagination. Kelly helped reinforce basic techniques such as crossing their lines and color coordination.

Reed and Carter thoroughly enjoyed the class. So much in fact that Reed has tried having his own class with Carter.

Aidan's Checkup

2008-08-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Aidan had his '9 month' checkup today, just a month overdue. He's growing quite well, still long and lean and very smart (big brain anyway). His stats:
Length: 31 1/4" (95 percentile)
Weight: 20# 7 oz. (40 percentile)
Head 47 cm (75 percentile)

Everything looked good and he's still 'perfect'.

At daycare today he stood by himself a little while and even took a couple 'steps' to keep from falling to the couch. It won't be long and he'll be at a full walk. He has the strength, just not the courage.

Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth

2008-07-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Kelly and I got out for a ride tonight on the bike. First time for me in a long time. I may have went last summer, once. It took a while to find my boots, I forgot I had gloves, and where is my helmet shield?

We missed the rest of the crew, so decided to go to Wabasso to the Roadhouse for a burger. Kelly had enjoyed one there a few weeks ago, so it sounded good to me. It was a calm relaxing ride. Apparently smoother too, with my extra weight on the bike. The Roadhouse was a little busy so we sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather.

The food was good, and some crunchy little black bugs thought so too. I think I only ate one, and I couldn't taste it at all. The burger and fresh fried chips were pretty tasty, and well worth the price.

Hopefully it won't be another year before we go for a ride together again.

New Jetta?

2008-07-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Anyone think my boys would look good in a new Jetta? I'm accepting contributions...

Reed's Big Fish

2008-07-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

While fishing during the family vacation, Reed landed his first big fish. He had to fight with it for quite a while before landing the 14" large mouth bass. He did release it though, deciding that as much fun (and work) as it was to land, he wasn't interested in eating it. He declares now: "I am a fisherman".

Aidan Update

2008-07-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

How this boy is growing! He is eating a full jar of baby food at each meal, plus a container of fruit! He loves eating "people food" and refuses to eat if it's coming out of a baby food container.

He has started to try and talk, the words just don't make sense to anyone yet. He has also found a way to enjoy diaper changes, and his time in the tub. A great new toy! :)

He hasn't mastered standing on his own yet, so still no walking. I'm happy to have him slowed down by crawling for a while longer. He's no longer afraid of the stairs (head first), but really should learn to go down on his tummy instead.

We love watching his personality come out as he changes and grows. He will have a checkup on the 4th, and I'll update with the weight and height, because I'm sure he's doubled in length from birth.

Wendi's Philly Trip

2008-07-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Another trip for Wendi for work, and Kelly's opportunity to enjoy the children to himself :) Daisy returned to SD, so it was just the guys at home. I think they managed pretty well, and the house didn't look too bad either. Kelly worked with Aidan to fall asleep without mommy, and to sleep through the night better. We'll see if it holds out.

Wendi went to Philly for a school food show. It was fun for the most part. Long busy days without breaks or meals. I think I had the worst nutrition ever, pretty bad for being at the school nutrition show! It was good to work with the sales force, and see the people I work with over the phone. The customer appreciation party was a good time. I learned some interesting things about a few co-workers :) I also had an authentic Philly Cheese steak, wit and whiz. (with onions and cheese whiz)

The highlight of the trip was the impromptu road trip to Yankee Stadium to watch the Twins. My first pro baseball game, and what a place to go! With this being the last year in the stadium, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Good people, good fun and great memories.

However, all good things must come to an end and the trip home brought the fun to a crashing halt! Because of bad weather going through the eastern coast, our flight was delayed several times until it was canceled 5 hours later. By this time, all the flights out for the next two days were full. That meant we had to either stay in Philly until Saturday (no way!) or find another flight. Thankfully Chad and the Schwan's after hours travel found us a flight on Thursday at 7:20 in Harrisburg (90 miles away). So, we rented a SUV and drove through the night, slept (napped) for 2 hours in a little hotel and then caught the flight to MSP, and then proceeded to drive the remaining three hours back to Marshall.

I've never been so happy to be back home. But, one hour with the boys, and then they headed to Appleton with Noreen for the remainder of the week. We of course went and got them after work on Friday, and have been enjoying the weekend at home together, with no big plans.

Family Vacation

2008-07-27T10:33:00.001-07:00

The annual week long family vacation has come and gone for 2008. It started at the Schuerman family reunion in Benson and continued to Games Lake County Park 6 near New London.

It was nice and low key, a little shopping, a little hiking, a little fishing and a lot of resting. We also took in the Little Crow ski show again this year. Everyone enjoyed it, except for Aidan, who would have rather been down crawling around and getting into stuff.

On the beach, Aidan loved to play in the sand. He did pretty good at keeping it out of his mouth. In the boat, he wanted to jump into the water! I enjoyed it most when he feel asleep and then I could fish too.

Daisy met a friend at the campground and enjoyed doing her own thing. She also kept busy playing with Playmobil. She was a huge help with Aidan, who adores her.

Reed had a great time fishing, once we got him out there. He has a big fish story for the summer, landing a 14 inch large mouth bass. He also enjoyed playing bean bags against mom, although he was happiest when he won. He talked us into a game of kick ball, which was tough with 3 three people (Daisy and Carter didn't play and Aidan wasn't much help on the field). Kelly and I got our workout!

Carter enjoyed everything we did, always up for an adventure. Otherwise, he was content watching movies on the zune.

Kelly enjoyed the time in the boat and learned that when he wants to go fishing, he should just go and then everyone else will come. He also learned to bring along LEGOs, as he was really missing having the bricks along.

As for me, I just tried to enjoy the time to relax and enjoy the kids and time with Kelly. They are all growing up way too fast.