wow - random

Tomorrow Shortie turns 4!!!

We can't believe she is already going to be 4!!!

We took some pictures this morning of the kids playing outside while it snowed. They went out in their pajamas and boots - its was cute :0) Hopefully I'll add them later tonight or tomorrow - actually doubt tomorrow because of Shortie's birthday so probably the next day

Tomorrow Gaw and Papa fly into town -

The kids also had fun today making homemade mayonnaise and butter. They love being in the kitchen (they really are our kids)!

Zek and food

Baby Zek loves to eat (he is a Schroeder after all)

Tonight he ate squash and lots of asparagus!

Bubba and Shortie however were not so fond of the asparagus! Shortie at least ate hers, but Bubba wouldn't (sometimes he will and other times he just gets goofy and won't - the other night he ate a bunch...silly boy)

fun times

Zek now loves to talk, although he only really says "Dadadada" over and over or his normal baby blabber but we just eat it up

Shortie loving on her littlest brother

Bubba trying to stay warm and blow up one of his light sabers

Messy Baby

Jon gave Zek a grape fruit leather and he forgot that little babies can make a big mess out of a very little thing... that whole area around him had to be Resolved like crazy, and his outfit still has purplish spots after being washed

Star Fruit

We've been stocking up on tons of veggies and fruits (we can't ever seem to buy enough apples or grapefruits) but recently the kids really started to like star fruit.

Bubba ate all of his too fast for a picture.... he was playing "where's Bubba" with Shortie's hat...this is his "here he is" look.... I still cant believe how fast he ate those...literally in a matter of seconds his whole star fruit was gone!

Bubba was tired

Bubba was tired when we went shopping at Target. It was after church and very cold outside - and he just fell asleep

Football

We ended up staying the night somewhere between Memphis and Nashville, I think the town was called Jackson. We arrived just in time to watch the end of the Charger game where we won - such a great game!!! (too bad we lost the following week)

Cheap Gas

Before leaving Texas we took a picture of the gas price... so great...but so sad because its already going up rather quickly :o(

Christmas

Here are a few pictures from Christmas morning (didn't really take any with my camera so *hint.hint* Sarah and Dad....) and then a few more pictures from the Phelps' family Christmas get together.

Jon and Baby Zek (eating his first baby cookie)

Shortie got lots of Star Wars goodies for Christmas

Shortie and Cousin Dallas were being very silly and having lots of fun!

After a very long day he fell asleep on the kitchen rug!

Bottle

Baby Zek holding his bottle :o)

Christmas Eve

Finally adding some pictures --- today is the first day since being back that I actually feel like I have any energy so I decided to start updating --- we have nearly 1000 pictures since we left around Thanksgiving to add to our computer :o)

Our Christmas tree and presents at my parents house on Christmas Eve

Opening his present... and having a fix of his addiction - "Gaw Juice"

Lego Star Wars pajamas (p.s. they looked so cute in them! I'll have to steal some pictures from my dad..hint.hint)

Bubba opening his Star Wars pajamas

back in VA

we made it back to VA

and are so very tired!

Zek is feeling better, still not too great - but his fever has stayed low so we are very thankful for that!



We are very disappointed with the Postal Service --- they put a note in our mail box saying that it was full and to come pick up our mail at the office --- so we went there only to find out - nope - they don't have our mail they put "return to sender" on all of it and now we have no mail :( Its Christmas - people always get more mail at Christmas - so now no Christmas cards for us--- so if anyone sent us letters and gets them back please resend them :) we agree that our mail box is too small - but its an apartment - they are all the same size - we have nothing to do with that. It is frustrating on a regular basis because even junk mail (all those pesky adds) hardly fit in the box - I wonder how many other people in this complex had their mail sent back (maybe that mail person was not having a good day)...hmm? anyways --- that was a bummer

Delay of Take Off

So we've had to delay heading back to VA again.

Little Zek is sick - after the Motrin and Tylenol his temp was at 104 - so we took him to the doctors. Shortie runs high fevers (when she was just a week shy of her 1st bday her temp was 104.4 and we rushed her to the ER during the middle of the night and after tons of testing, x-rays, needles, and tubes they found nothing wrong) This was the first time Zek has had a temp so we weren't sure if he runs high temps like Shortie or if something was really wrong - hopefully he just runs high temps, because they couldn't find anything. If he is still running a high fever on Sunday night then we need to take him in for more testing. He is in good spirits but as parents Jon and I feel so helpless when any of our little ones are sick - but we count our blessings and are so thankful that it isn't anything serious!

As long as he doesn't show any new symptoms then we are heading home tomorrow!

Sneak Peak of Colorado

Here is a sneak peak at pictures from Colorado:

Jon and I in the car after trying to go sledding, it was too darn cold (we later found out it was -27 degrees!!!) brrrrr

one of the dozen elk that we saw (a few were so close to the car and not timid at all that if we were brave enough we could have touched)

Bubba and Shortie playing while it snowed with Aunt Peyton (poor Shortie didn't have her snow pants on and her little legs were frozen, -9 degrees without the windchill factor)


Even Baby Zek has a snow outfit...he looks like he should be on Monsters Inc. You should see his little hat we bought --- so cute!

Our Van...

It's been abused!

more than 6000 miles in road trips since I left VA

in Austin...finally!

So we are finally back in Austin!

We had a great time in Cali and Colorado but its nice to not be on the road...


This is just a short post because I am still sick - on the drive to Austin from Colorado we decided to add a few extra hours (what is four more hours when already driving 18??) We want to go to every state, so by adding the four extra hours we could hit three more states.... what we weren't planning on is the stomach flu! It started with Bubba and spread to each of us... Some how (totally God) I was able to "put it off" until we made it to my parents house, lots of prayer! I was the first one to feel sick, and the last one to really be sick. What a joyous return we brought to my parents - 5 sickies!

We have a zillion pictures and tons of great stories to go along with them -- hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling better and can post them (Jon, Shortie and Bubba are doing better. Zek is now able to keep stuff down but he has a terrible cough...so hopefully tomorrow we will all be better!)