Easter

The family got separated due to age at the Gladstone Easter Egg hunt, I've never been to a community egg hunt like this and oh...wow, it was a little bit crazy!

This Easter I had an itch to make the girls Easter dresses. I just learned to sew a few months ago, that's another post in the works but I loved it. And when Wendy had some patterns at church a few weeks before Easter I thought to myself. I can totally do that...by myself too. So this is what I made...

pretty basic but I was proud of myself. I watched Phantom of the Opera and sewed to my hearts content.

Jer is now affectionately called the king of Craigslist. And this has been one of his finds...

A bounce house. So we blew that baby up for the kidos to enjoy

Happy Hailey

Payden with her hot chocolate...she begged me to make a head scarf/handkerchief thing and was one happy girl when I oblidged. 

The beautiful Alissa, with her baby boy in tow and all. She recently had to close the her coffee shop and has poured her love for good espresso into a ministry here at Church. And I get to help, and will fill in at the end of May when the little guy joins their family.

Tay Tay

Some of the gathering before we gathered.

Our friends neighbor raises bunnies and she brought them to church on Easter so the kids could pet, hold and walk them on leashes....it was pretty fantastic.

Skylar and Quinny...their perfect faces here pretty much sum up the joy that the kids all embodied all day!

The lovely Jeremy and Dea, it is their neighbor who brought the bunnies...I've never seen a more dapper gentleman holding a bunny!

Hailey helping send the bunnies home.

Cousins!

They're a little obsessed with piggy back rides.

Our family...thanks Hailey for that face...

Grandma Tammi joined us for church and of course all the children smile perfectly for their picture with her...stinkers.

For the weeks leading up to Easter each family got a canvas to take home and create on it what the resurrection means to them...there have been a few more added to the gallery but they really turned out beautifully.

After church meeting we went over to Grandpa Kevin and Grandma Kari's for dinner. I caught Jack eyeing Jer, he was just captivated with him, and let's face it, I'm pretty captivated by Jack.

Seriously such a stud!

Cousins again after their more structured egg hunt.

Each child had an egg that contained a clue to their very own goodie bag. I love when my kids enjoy gifts fully and Hailey summed it up here with her love of her new chapstick. 

It was a beautiful weekend and made it nearly impossible to ignore God's blessings and beauty in His creation, relationships, and gifts, all of which stem from the perfect gift of His Son who saved us and reconciled us to the Father. He is Risen! 

Getting a new sister!

I can't believe that my little brother is going to be a husband in a few short months! He is one of the funniest people that I know and I'm so thrilled that his lovely bride-to-be, Kirsten, will be joining our family! All four kids are going to be in the wedding in August and they are so excited to get to call her Aunt Kirsten.
Here are the lovely betrothed couple!

Isn't she darling?!


So sweet

Oh Markie...I don't know if I will ever be able to call him Mark!



 
Don't forget the ring

The night he proposed...Yep that's a giant pizzookie! She had no idea...I love it. And I love you Markie and Kirsten!

The Kingdom of God

I've been trying to apply more scripture to the basis of what's behind the rules in our family. And the other day I  seized the opportunity when all the kids were fighting to get out of the van first so they wouldn't have to be the one to close the car door. Obviously, in order to apply scripture to situations, I need to know the Bible! Not all that shocking of a concept.
Well the other day I sort of meshed two verses together. Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and last will be first, and in Galatians where it talks about being led by the Spirit and about the works of the flesh and how the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. Ultimately the verse in Matthew would have made my point on it's own but I told the kids this meshed version, 'the fist will be last and the last will inherit the kingdom of God'. So it simmered for a while and the next time we got out of the car Payden waited and saved herself for last and jumped out of the car, punched both hands in the air and goes 'Oh yeah, I got the kingdom of God'...uhhhh, not quite what I meant, but pretty fascinating how her mind works. Then they were sitting at the counter eating snack and Payden is explaining to all of the kids that 'Taylor has the kingdom of God cause she was born last'.
We've had more conversations since then but it just tickles me to see how they process and interact and actually listen the the things I say. And it goes to show that I need to saturate my life with God's word if I want my words to be of Him!

Girly Girls

Pretty much explains one of their favorite things! I seem to have nearly a rainbow of colors and they LOVE getting to pick whatever they want. Lately we've ended up with AB patterned nails because Payden is obsessed with patterns and lets face it, with this many choices it's disappointing to only pick one.

So attached

Lincoln, who are we kidding, all of my kids are into crafts, and have been for a while. Paper gets collected, colored, cut, painted stapled, turned into books and simply folded. They often made big messes at my parents while I was preoccupied helping with Grandpa when I was able to. This picture was taken back in February of Lincoln and the 'dragons' he made.

It's a little blurry but that's what I get for only having my phone on me. He doesn't even need his dragon tote, this was a security measure put in place on the way to the dragon lair. Oh my son, I just love his OCDness. Although we've had many a heartbreak when I clean out his closets because a lot of his 'friends' don't make the cut. I've learned to purge in secret, otherwise we'll turn into an episode of hoarders, instead of animal feces we'll have dumpsters full of paper animals...oy vey.

Laser Tag Joy

At Winter youth this year the big kids got to do a few special things since they're getting older. Mostly it just involved getting to stay up later than the little girls and be a part of the evening festivities. Well one night they were hanging out with Jer while I was putting the little's to bed and when I was finally able to join them (grandma Tammi positioned as a babysitter in the room) I found two very giddy 6 year olds enjoying their presence on the temporary laser tag course. I just love Payden's smile, it is such an intense joy for the moment she is living it almost makes me want to cry. The thing that gets me is they have no idea how terrible they did, I'm sure they walked away from the evening thinking they saved the hotel from some super secret agent spies set out to destroy the world. And you know what? I'll go ahead and let them think that!

Griswald Tree

I apologize for the insane amount of pictures, but it was an insane amount of tree!

Lincoln trying to help...while daddy measures, nope not big enough.

What about this one? 'I think it's six like us'

Nope not tall enough

Just right

Waiting and counting

We had to see how old it is since the kids learned how to do that on their field trip to the tree farm.

Dragging up to the car

Lincoln was such a good helper

Comically locked and loaded

Our little helpers

Fashioning a usable tree stand for our giant of a tree.

Paul Bunyan in training.

Perspective

Markie and Jordan (our housemate at the time) helping decorate

And the family helping.

Gina went all festive and adorable on us and made her family's tradition, a rice krispie like treat but with cornflakes, green food coloring and cherries. It's the most delicious wreath I've ever eaten that's for sure!

Actually pretty perfect right? Okay the problem with posts like this in April is now I want it to be Christmas again! Don't worry Jer took appropriate notes in the home journal he keeps and  minor adjustments will be made for next year. But we aren't shying away from the potential of that corner, it was simply made to house  a beautiful Christmas tree!

It happens so fast!

February 26th, 2011-that's right, I found this baby that I started over a year ago! It's funny to me now!

Some messes the kids make are typical. I grow used to it. The toys, the rooms, the clothes, the toilet paper (I can't tell you how many rolls of toilet paper have been wasted in this house, that blow never gets easier, I don't know why but I hate the wasting of toilet paper! Then there are the messes that most parents of 3 year olds have a common bond, a story to share. My 3 year old is passing on her wisdom. That's right, Taylor is learning more and more from everyone every single day, but it is Hailey that she shadow's and Hailey that she sounds like, moves like, and charms like. This mess needed some distance before I could look at the pictures I took, while I was silently navigating the mess, don't worry it's nothing vile. The kids know it's bad when mommy goes silent.

Captions are circa April 20th 2012 from what I can remember. I believe this to be pudding and a random package of Koolaid we had in the house for years!

Oh my sweet little Tay Tay, where has this tiny person gone?

Forks are the obvious choice when subtly trying to sneak some sort of powdery treat under moms nose. Geniuses I tell you, those Schumacher kids are cut from the good stuff!

Not so confident in her little concoction at this point

canned goods from the pantry packed up in Ziploc's? Possibly preparing for end times?

I do remember the Koolaid was the hardest to clean up. That powder traveled easily and you never realized where it was until you took a wet cloth to the area. Oh man I'm glad this wasn't my reality today. I sure do miss those tiny faces though, I have what are looking more and more like young ladies everyday!