Pioneer Day

This Pioneer Day started out pretty low key, Ryan had to go to work (those slave drivers) and it was raining so I decided not to take the children to the parade :(  As we watched the Days of '47 parade on TV, I began to feel guilty...so I picked up Ryan on his lunch break and we did a quick Pioneer Day Celebration.  We went to the party at the park in Washington and played some good ole fashioned games, they had a dunking tank (they didn't know what hit them, both boys knocked them in!), a fun tire race (which Parker gave Ryan a run for his money), a football throw (Jordan made the super hard double tire throw!) and of course a fishing pond.  We hurried and ate a quick lunch and returned Daddy to his work.

That night we were invited by a friend to a super cool location to watch the Washington Fireworks.  I can not give out any specifics, but we got to watch the fireworks on a roof of a super tall building right next to the fireworks!  It was a really cool view point to see the fireworks RIGHT over your head, in fact Jordan was a little nervous that we were going to get "burned up".  The kids had fun running and playing on the roof, which had a tall wall around it so it was safe ...and I think they liked playing "secret agent" as we couldn't let anyone know that we were up there :)We had to climb a tall ladder up to the roof, which was quit an adventure with Parker (his super big panic/crying fit scared all the other kids and teenagers) and going down was even worse...but we all made it and had a wonderful night!  Thanks secret friend for the invite :)

 

Our Stay-cation to Zions

A few weekends ago, we found ourselves at home with nothing to do (a rare incidence) and descided to take advantage of our new National Park Pass and go to our favorite place Zions.  We were excited to have beautiful overcast weather (not scorching-burning St. George usual), and started out on the long (according to our flying children) drive.  The park was super crowded so we had to park at the very back of the parking lot at the visitor center, this is where we found the most awesome camp ground and picnic area.  There was a cute little stream and beautiful (I can appreciate these) new bathrooms!  We spent quite a long time here just letting the boys play in the stream and chase tadpoles and enjoy being in the outdoors in such an aamazingly beautiful place.  We finally got ourselves going and got on the tram.  It was a good ride (although crowded...I smelled way to many European armpits!)  and we made it to our favorite trail "the River walk". 

We stopped at the top for a light lunch...we even had a VERY persistent uninvited guest (he would have eaten Taleah if he could of...he was trying to get the crumbs off of her).  We had fun splashing and throwing rocks.

On the way down the boys found a great rock that they could climb up and slide down...they did this FOREVER !  Ryan and Taleah found another little friend while we were waiting.  The boys walked down the whole way bare foot, because they didn't want to put on "sandy shoes".  Daddy got a new phone and spent the whole time taking pictures.  We saw a few deer and found two great walking sticks (Jordan has spent the past weeks playing YODA with his and looks very convincing!)  Jordan loved the "tadpole" pool and they spent a long time watching them swim.  I love taking a walk with my family and taking time to enjoy nature with them, sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses :)

Then we saw the sign for the REAL ghost town Grafton. I had been there with my family when I was younger and knew that the boys (including Ryan) would like it.  Parker and Jordan were excited to explore a ghost town (in true Scooby-Doo fashion) the closer we got the more nervous they were.  They were worried that it would get dark (since ghosts only come out in the dark) and then Jordan decided that we should just stay in the car and look.  Parker explained that ghosts can go through cars (thanks Scooby-Doo), so they weren't sure what to do when we pulled up to the cemetery.  They were brave (because Mommy and Daddy left them in the car) and joined us, we learned so much local history by reading the signs and liked looking at the super old headstones.  

We then we into town and saw some cute old houses, store and church/school house.  They were shocked to see the tiny place where all the children would attend school together.   The whole time the boys were on the look out for "Ghosts or Spookys" and I heard two sighs of relief as we pulled out of town :)
Thanks family for the great day...I love being with you !

Happy 4th of July

Our 4th of July extravaganza began with and early morning playing of my Mom's Patriotic music. This has been a tradition for...well forever.  Then we headed over to Kaysville to check on the seats Amanda and Nate staked out the night before at midnight (these Kasyville-ites are crazy) and began setting up "camp" for the parade.  We had my Mom, my two sisters Amanda and Jessica and their families, my awesome Grandma there and we were joined by my cute cousins Jenni (9months pregnant- better her than me last year) and JaKay and their families...it was a great day!  We had lots of fun, saw lots of things and caught lots of candy...what more can I say?  A family next to us had their trucks lined with tarps and filled with water...they knew how to stay cool! 

 

After the parade the WATER PARADE started!  This thing is crazy!!!  Huge trucks (fire truck,constructions truck, street cleaning truck) and floats go down the street spraying everyone, and everyone along the way are spraying back (along with spraying each other)  This was the year that my boys got to join in (two years ago they were just a little to young, last year it was raining), Parker was the first one to join in...he found a cup and went crazy.  It took a little coaxing but Jordan soon joined in as well (although he stayed on the side lines mostly)  It was so funny to watch Parker run up to those HUGE trucks with his little cup and throw it at the guys just before he would get drenched :)  He would run back and say "did you see me get that guy!" , you have to love this kid!  Ryan, Taleah and I stayed in the "dry zone" and watched the chaos ensue, although as Ryan was videoing Parker "getting" a truck...he got a face full from the trucks hose ! HILARIOUS!!!

After the parade we jumped into our van and drove home, just in time to make the SkyWest VIP party at the St. George Fireworks.  It was fun with food, plane cookies and entertainment.  We had "rock star" seating and were on the front row.  Parker found several friends from school (of course, he has friends everywhere) and the boys had a blast running around, playing and dancing.  Parker and Jordan scored some homemade Root Beer from the Sky West Caterers...I guess good looks and personality DO get you something in this world :)

 

The Fireworks were spectacular and the company was wonderful !
Happy Birthday America!
Watch the Smilebox if you want to see the complete documentation of the days activities...

Little Miss Independent

This month (on the 4th of July) Taleah began to "army crawl" and loved her new found freedom so much that she began "big girl" crawl the next week! She is super fast and loves that she can chase her brothers and the cat around (thankfully she hasn't found the stairs yet...I haven't figured out what to do about them). Taleah is super determined and persistent if she sees something she wants, she WILL get there ! This month she has also started saying many words, "UP UP" (when she want to be picked up or wants something) and "Da Da" were her first words and then "ba-bye"(with a cute wave) and "Oh Oh" (if anyone drops something), we have also worked on signing and Taleah almost has "more" when she wants more food :) She has really started to enjoy swimming, and splashing with her brothers. Taleah has also discovered our mirror and loves to play with the beautiful baby in it, she loves to smile and talk to her :) Lately she has been waking up with a cute little "fro", maybe her hair has started to grow in a bit...what do you think?

Taleah has also discovered her love of food!  She was never a big eater of "baby" food and I was beginning to worry we had a picky eater on our hands...until one night when I gave up and gave her our food (not blended up).  Taleah took one look at it and YUMMMM, she was a pro eater.  I think she likes feeding herself and all the colors and flavors.  She has eaten EVERYTHING we have given her spaghetti, corn on the cob, zucchini, cauliflower, chicken, lasgana, homemade bread, every fruit you can think of, potatoes, tomatoes...basically everything we have eaten :)  Although this can backfire, now I can't eat without her begging for everything on my plate...I guess it could be a good diet plan :)  She also can spot the tinyest(or not tiny) thing on the ground and race over to put it in her mouth (everything goes in her mouth!), then when she sees me coming she starts laughing and tries to crawl away super fast :)  What am I going to do with this girl !

So this month of Independence my baby has learned how to get around by herself, how to feed herself and she has begun to communicate...wow that was some month!
Here are some cute videos of her first few days or crawling...I love it!

My baby is 10 months old and turned into little Miss Independent!  

CAMPING

Yep, you read correctly the Schudde clan went CAMPING, and not just once... TWICE... in a row, that's right TWO weekends in a row! I will give those of you who know me well a moment to get over the shock and pick up your jaw............ Alright, I hope you all recovered :) I am proud to say that I survived (even with a baby) and may even be willing to go again on another adventure. We had some good friends from our ward invite us to go camping with them in Bryce Canyon. The fact that there were showers and flushing toilets helped in the decision making, and then they told us there was a pool ...who could resist that! We got there and set up our new tent (thanks Mom) and partied all night. I was really grateful that there was a baby in the next camp over that cried a lot...so everyone thought that the Taleah crying in the middle of the night (when Parker kicked her in the head) was not us. We had lots of great food and a yummy chocolate/cherry cobbler by Ryan that was to die for. The boys loved to play with the fire and then jump into the pool to wash off all the smoke and soot (I'm just glad that we didn't start another forest fire!) Taleah was again a wonderful baby, although I think camping may not be her thing either :)

Yummy Food !

Fun with Friends

The second day we spent in Bryce Canyon.  It had been awhile since Ryan or I had been there and the kids had never been there, so it was wonderful to see it's amazing beauty.  Although I don't remember being so nervous about the steep cliff edges before...I guess that comes with being the Mommy.  Ryan and Parker went with the Ashcroft boys on a super hike...Jordan,Taleah and I hung out with the rest of the Ashcrofts eating and playing games.  What a great day !

Here is a link to a video that Justin made of our adventures
  http://bit.ly/Lrn58A

Then the next week we were lucky enough to meet my Mom, my brother Jon,my sister Amanda and her family at the Palisades Park for some camping fun and to see the Manti Pageant. We found the coolest tree that had a branch right on the ground that you could walk on...I loved watching the cousins playing on it together.  It is funny because I remember camping here with my cousins and finding a cool tree just like this that we all climbed on and took a "Family Tree Picture"...I'm sure it's not the same one, but interesting how cool the trees are here :)

We had an amazing campsite, right on the water.  The kids had a blast swimming, canoeing, fishing and hunting for tadpoles. We even saw a beaver swimming right by us!

 We had a wonderful experience at the pageant...it was Ryan's first time.  Most of the children fell asleep, but not Parker he LOVED it!  The special effects are amazing, I think they have really improved and expanded them.  Jordan loved the Fire and Volcano and Parker loved the battle scenes between the Nephites and the Lamanites (of course)  :) The next morning we awoke to the most beautiful scene of the sunrise over the calm lake. I just glad that the huge fires all around us didn't get to us :)

 

KIndergarten Graduate

I know a little late...don't judge we have been having technical difficulties ( and an IT specialist is hard to find ! :) We have a kindergarten graduate in our house now, it is amazing how they grow and mature during that few short months!  We are really proud of Parker and all that he has accomplished.  He did really well on the end of level tests scoring 100% in several areas...he really excels in math ( he sees puzzles and patterns well...maybe an engineer in the making) and surprisingly his teacher said he was her BEST sentence writer ( he always went the extra mile with his use of descriptive words and phrases).  It was fun to see the Kindergarten program and meet all his friends, walking into school with Parker is like walking with a ROCK STAR...he has a little strut,nods his head and waves "HI" to everyone :)
I love this little man!

The next day, the Kindergarten classes had a water party/graduation.  Jordan,Taleah and I were lucky enough to get to help out.  Jordan knew lots of boys and just joined in and partied like he belonged.  There were lots of fun water games, playing in the splash pad, SUPER cool HUGE slip-n-slide (with a SkyWest logo on it HUMMMMM) and of course Popsicles. 

Here are the videos of the program.

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Viva Las Vegas !

A few weeks ago, the kids and I had the opportunity to explore Las Vegas.  My sister Jessica had a conference and she and my Mom were staying on the Strip for the week.  They were nice enough to invite us down for a few days, so I loaded the kids in the van and headed south.  We did okay (thanks goodness for the DVD player in the van)...the boys don't know how to drive further than COSTCO because we always fly :)  Then first day we thought we would check out Circus Circus, and had so much fun we spent the entire day there.We bought an all day ride pass and was given one, and the boys were off for grand adventures riding 22 rides and attractions.  Jordan was not tall enough for all the rides,but Parker took full advantage of the pass (there were a few I didn't let him ride because they were HUGE and he was alone). 

Taleah was again the perfect baby, she slept and took in all the sights and sounds.  The boys loved the three 4-D movie experiences.  Jordan was still recovering from his kidney infection so he laid down in the stroller for a rest and Parker found the Laser Tag.  He LOVED it and played over and over again.  In usual Parker fashion, he found friends for his TEAM and did really well (I think nobody wanted to shoot the "cute little guy" ).  Check out the score, he is player #9 and was second in this game. We found some really cool wooden puzzles, and they were nice enough to let Parker do one to try it out...the catch they were only $100 for a 5 pack :) I guess not today, buddy!

The next day we decided to walk on the strip and show the boys the cool sights before things got crazy.  Parker wanted to see the Pyramid and Jordan wanted to see the castle.  We saw lots of cool things and had fun...although I don't think I will be taking my innocent little ones there again.  It is disappointing that anything that could almost be called "kid-Friendly" was gone or perverted!  The "pirate show" at Treasure Island has been changed into a XXX show (thank goodness a worker at the casino told us it was NOT FOR KIDS!)  

We did have fun at the Coca-Cola and the M&M factories.  The M&M factory even has a cute little 3-D movie.  The Hard Rock Cafe has free kids meals, so we went and had dinner there.  The boys loved playing with the interactive computer screen there...even though they had no clue about anything they saw or heard:)

When it was all said and done, the boys didn't noticed the filth (thank goodness) that was surrounding them...even in the kiddie pool!  But as we were leaving they noticed a picture of a man fully nude from behind.  Parker pointed and laughed and Jordan said "SEE PARKER, THAT IS WHY YOU HURRY INTO THE SHOWER...SO NO ONE TAKES YOUR PICTURE!"  he he he I guess our modesty lessons have hit home!
Here are all the pictures if you want to see all of our adventures!

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Mommy's Little Sluggers

I know that it is a little "Post Season"...but better late than never right?  
This year was AWESOME, because I had my TWO favorite boys on the same T-ball team and got to enjoy every game.  It was also super fun because all the boys on our team were in our ward, it is so great to live in an area with all these fun boys!  We had wonderful coaches with Coach Franks and Coach Beckstrom ( and Daddy, of course!)  Our team did really well, and was only out played by one team...although they were all older and had "PRO" daddy's coaching them :)  It was fun that Jordan was number 0 and Parker was number 10...we joked that the team was a Schudde sandwich :)  a Schudde was always the first and last to bat!

This was Parker's second year, and you could really tell the difference.  He did wonderful fielding and was put on first often to get the much needed outs.  He could throw and catch with consistent accuracy.  He was also a huge hitter, his approach to batting (and life ) was GO BIG OR GO HOME!  He always wanted the home run and swung hard...he usually got his wish and was a great finisher for our team!  There were a few times that his hard hits were dangerous, causing a bloody nose and a hurt arm on players...I guess when Parker is hitting they better be extra aware (or duck!)

We were so proud of our Jordan, he learned and grew so much his first season of T-ball.  Jordan had a lot of great hits, and if he needed to hit off the tee...look out it was going far!  He did well fielding and was great at the short stop position.  Jordan enjoyed playing with all his friends and getting to know the boys better, he was an awesome team member and cheered everyone on.    I think that Jordan's favorite time of the game was the TREATS after (definitely his Daddy's son) and reliving the highlights with Parker.
Great Job Jordan!

The best part of the Season...BROTHERS !!!

Here is a Smilebox with all the pictures and most of the video from the season for all the family that lives to far to enjoy the games in person.

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9 Months and Ready To Go

Another month has flown by and another fun-filled month of new experiences for Taleah.  It is so fun to watch your baby grown and learn, Taleah has had lots of firsts during her 8th month.  The week before she turned 9 months, Taleah started to roll and she has really enjoyed this accomplishment.  She has also started to get around in her walker and is a pro at it...we are all becoming experts at dodging her ( it really hurts when she runs over your toes :)  She is still our little petite girl, she weighs 18 lbs and is 27 inches.  ( 25% in weight and 60% in height)   

We have had lots of other adventures this month, like Taleah's first day at the beach and her first time going swimming and getting in the pool :)  Taleah decided that she does not like"baby"food and is a big girl, she will eat anything if it is on our plates.  She had her first pickle and really likes it, I guess all the pickles I ate while I was pregnant with her had a lasting effect :)  Taleah has two teeth now, and knows how to use them! (this was almost an end to our nursing experience, but we finally got through it with minimal injuries :) Taleah is a great help to Mommy around the house, she is a pro at helping with dinner (she always has a lot to say when I'm busy cooking) and she is the BEST at organizing and re-organizing her toys :) Our baby girl is also becoming an avid reader, and loves it when her brothers read to her ( to bad this doesn't happen more often, it would be beneficial for everyone!)

Check out this video of our little speed demon !