Boys Bath

Our Big Boys taking a bath. They are fish (Shortie too) they will stay in that bath long past the water going cold, and all night if I let them. I cant believe how big they are getting!

Big Sister

Shortie is such a great big sister. She loves all her brothers so much! Conrad was laughing while she held him. I loved it!

Painting

Finally got the art studio set up enough that the kids can paint and do some arts.n.crafts. Its really fun to watch them paint, and equally fun to hear the stories behind the paintings.

This is a painting that Shortie did yesterday. Its "her family, with Daddy holding Conrad. A happy sun and lots of colorful clouds with polka dots"

Shortie was painting flowers (the colors upclose were really pretty!) and then she didn't want to stop so she painted a "T" and then... I'm not exactly sure what all she painted but it ended up with I think she said four flowers and a lot of other stuff (and that mark on the middle of her forehead is a temp. tattoo... not sure why she put it there, but who am I to judge ;o)

 

Bubba painting his (he went to get more paint on his brush when he realized I was going to take a picture so he jumped up real fast and started painting from the side) He was so proud to be painting. He at one point said he was painting a waterfall.

Conrad & his Shortie faces

Conrad makes great faces just like Shortie did as a baby.

Picture Time

The Kiddos and Mommy.

Shortie was holding Conrad and then asked for me to take their picture. Then Bubba wanted in on the action, and then EZ.

three kiddos

This was a day full of silly silly kiddos.

Conrad Elliott

 Conrad Elliott

Our new little addition was born October 27th
 at 6:02pm
 weighing 7lbs 4oz.

We had choosen to do a home birth which ended up being great timing- the local hospitals had adopted a new policy due to the swine flu that no children under 18 could enter the hopsital unless being admitted, so the kiddos would not have been able to visit me or meet Conrad - that would have been so sad.

It was a Tuesday morning and when I woke up I told Jon that I didn't think he should go to work because I felt like it was going to happen that day. We went to the midwife appt I already had set up and she too thought it would happen sometime that day. 

My parents flight was arriving just after three (they had this trip planned for months - what great timing) Just about that time the contractions started (which I had been having on and off for a good month). When the second one come ten minutes later we thought maybe it was happening. Then the next one came five minutes later...then two minutes...then constant... it was happening and fast! My parents called  and they were getting a rental car and driving down from the airport. The rental clerk gave them wrong directions and their 30 minute drive turned into a two hour one.

They made it just in time. Shortly after they arrived I started pushing and in less than ten minutes little Conrad Elliott was born!

It was pretty special for all of us, because my parent had been at all the births of the other kiddos (and Sarah too - however this time she was missed). All the kiddos were so excited to see him right after he was born - it was very heart warming. My Mom and Dad announced the "It's a Boy!" and my Dad cut the cord.

Instantly we thought he looked just like Shortie as a baby. It was also evident that he would have blue eyes too (Shortie's are blue, Bubs are hazel green, and EZ's are brown). We also noticed how long his toes and finges were!

We loved being home! If you can handle the pain or want a natural birth - a home birth is SO much better. It really was awesome to be in the comfort of our home.

So  - for my number thing... his name Conrad Elliott fits right in with the other kiddos names - all being 13 letters. Plus his Birthday fits the numbers too:

Shortie  01-27-05

Bubba   06-22-06

EZ        06-22-08

Conrad  10-27-09

if you add the month and day together as individual numbers they all equal 10... but really the cool thing is having two born on 6-22, and then Shortie and Conrad have 01-27 and 10-27 :o) and none of the births were induced --- Just God's timing

New Computer!!!

Yippy- we bought a new computer (laptop actually) and can finally update our blog and start posting pictures and videos! So exciting! Hard to believe we haven't posted since Sept! We have lots of catching up to do

This and That

Over the last week we had Sarah fly in, then Jenn was here for the weekend from LA, then Ray flew in and surprised Sarah. Jenn flew home last night, Ray goes back to Dallas on Thursday, and Sarah goes back to Austin on Saturday. We aren't going to know what to do without someone visiting :o) My parents will be back out in October for the new little one.

I'm starting to think that there may be a possibility that this little baby could be a girl. Everyone says I'm carrying a basketball which means a boy, but thats what I did with Shortie up until the end and we all know that she wasn't a he. So far I've gained just under 20 pounds, but --- I can start to feel the weight in my face and for breakfast this morning I ate enough for the whole family :o) only time will tell (we are so excited to meet this little one... and to have a new baby for the fall/winter all bundled up... so exciting!)

Jon and I love having a house that we can open for family and friends, and can't wait to have everyone meet the new addition to our family....

Almost time

So although our computer is working better we can't get it to read our memory card for pictures -- hopefully we can figure this out and post some (especially since Auntie RahRah is visiting now!)

Today I had an appointment with our midwife, Peggy. My belly is measuring 33 weeks - shocking because usually my belly measures small - which means 3 weeks to go and we are clear for labor :o) Shortie was born at 34 weeks and both boys at 37 weeks --- wow - we were thinking the end of October - but we might have been wrong. We will see. (the full moon is Oct. 4th - so probably the week after that)

We have made the decision to do a home birth. Yup, we have joined that "weird" group of parents that do that sort of thing. We are really excited about this - and look forward to all the perks of a home birth. So exciting!!!!

I'll be going to the midwife every week just because of going into labor early and because of how quick my labors are. So next Thursday we'll see what the status is :o)

The kiddos are excited for a new little one - they already have nicknames picked out!

long time again

Happy to say our computer is no longer as near death as it was - Thanks Dad :o)

Which means, we can hopefully add some pictures to our blog in the next few days - yippy. (although haven't really taken any since I couldn't download them...shame on me... so for the trip my parents just had I am leaving a big *hint.hint* to them for some pictures)

Our house is finally really starting to feel like our home - all painted and changed and ready to go. The kids are getting big, as is my belly. Hard to believe soon here we will have four little ones four and under! So exciting. Just enjoying life.

Look forward to posting a lot more now that our computer works and I can add pictures!

We Made It!

So we made it to our new home up in the DC Metro area (we finally found a place and its in Manassas VA). We have been without internet for over three weeks - and its so nice to be connected to the world again.

Still amazed that we drove 1597 miles to our new place from Texas - me alone in the car with all three kids, and Jon driving that HUGE penske truck! I seriously got the easy/fun end of that stick --- that truck was no fun!

It was great to see Jon again! And to be a family :o) We look forward to having our house finished so we can really just be the Schroeder's again - (and have people over)

-also- still in shock over Jons weight loss - his wedding ring fell off (and is now lost...somewhere...never to be found by us) this is the same ring he has had since we got married!

hopefully I can upload my pictures to the computer and show everyone our new home :o)

hair cuts

Shortie and Bubba got hair cuts (Zek slept). Shortie wanted it cut off like Mulan and so she cut it all off. Bubbas hair grows so fast and is so thick - so he got it super short! They look so grown up!!!

kiddos in Cali

Wanted to post some pictures of Cali but I'll have to wait until I'm in VA with my computer - here is one of the ones I already put on my parents computer- Baby Brooke with the Schroeders kids. Not sure why all the arms are up - but it was fun :o)

Baby Names

wow - a month since the last post --- haven't been doing it much since being in Texas, but that's about to change! Counting down for heading back East!!! Jon and Jason fly in next Wednesday and then we load the big moving truck with all of our stuff and officially move to the DC metro!!! Crazy! It is with mixed emotions to head out!


My belly popped! I finally put away my favorite jeans and started wearing my favorite maternity ones - so nice when you actually like your maternity clothes.

Here's the break down on names:

So Shortie's real name is Andru Victoria. The nickname Shortie started when we first told my family we were expecting (gave them a card that said congrats, and then inside had the ultrasound with "You're going to be a Grandparent around....") So my Dad said something to the point of "thats just a short little thing" and the name Shortie came about. After she was born it was very hard to start calling her Andru or Andie, so Shortie stuck. (if she was a boy he would have been Ezekiel Timothy, or Ezekiel Dean)

Bubba's name is Elijah Timothy. We hadn't really narrowed it down to one boys name by the time Bubs arrived (we didn't know for any of them what the sex was). When he was just minutes old my Dad went to Shortie (she was only 18 months and just barely talking) and said "Can you say Bubba?" well to our surprise she said it perfectly - so once again my Dad is credited with a nickname (Bubba is my dads nickname on his side of the family). Oh and he would have been Addisen Kate if a girl

Little Zek - well, I've always loved the name Ezekiel. We had decided to use my maiden name of Kelley for the babies middle name regardless if we had a boy or girl. So he became Ezekiel Kelley. We hadn't come up with a nickname but I've always loved Zeke, however I'm not a fan of the spelling. Its a nickname and it comes from E-zek-iel so why not make it a little different and do Zek. (If he had been a girl she would have been Ireland Kelley)

Now this baby. aka Next Baby. We have two first names picked out for a girl, and a definite middle name. As far as the boys name goes - haven't narrowed it down yet, except the middle name. But I can say one of the girls names is a boys name - following the same suit as Andru :o) However I have made it a little tricky with a numbers game - here it is:

Andru = 5 + Victoria = 8 --- total being 13
Elijah = 6 + Timothy = 7 --- total being 13
Ezekiel = 7 + Kelley = 6 --- total being 13

So the new baby is going to be 8 + 5 = 13

this wasn't planned just happened, and now with the middle names we've picked for a boy or a girl are already 5 so why not continue it and make the first names 8 - which the two girl names we like already were - so it fits :o)

the numbers also work for Jons name equally 13, however I dont fit in :o( my extra "n" in Kathrynn makes me at 14 :o)

Friday I am hoping to upload some pictures - so stay tuned!