Tagged!!!

Tag!

How To Play This Game of Tag
Post these rules on you blog.
Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog.
List:
3joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts
Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.
Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here it is....

JOYS :

1. my family. especially when all my kids are happy and getting along. I also have the sweetest husband who knows exactly how to make me feel happy.
2. music. I clean the house to music, drive to music, sing in the shower, and make up lots of really corny songs to just about anything that I want to say to my kids. The right kind of music can change my mood anytime.
3. hanging out with my close friends/sisters. I consider my close friends to be sisters as well as the 3 totally awesome sisters that I was blessed with. Friendships make me happy and I would do anything for any of my friends. I love you all!

FEARS:

1. Snakes. I am absolutely completely terrified of snakes. Big ones, little ones, red ones, green ones. I don't care. They all creep me out!
2. Something terrible happening to my husband or kids. They are my whole world.
3. Public speaking. Can't handle it at all. I get sick the moment I am asked to give a talk at church. I can actually have the whole thing memorized and get up there to say it and forget everything. I have to write out every word and then I read it at least ten times faster than I should.
4. Getting in trouble. I am NOT a rule breaker! I am controlled by guilt already so the thought of doing something I shouldn't is often too much!

GOALS:

1. I want to learn how to play the guitar. I have started teaching myself but it is a very slow process as I seem to have hundreds of other things to do each day.
2. A garden: I don't have a green thumb. I have never been able to keep plants alive for long but I have started to clean out a corner of the yard for a garden. Hopefully this Sat. it will get done!
3. To make my new house a "home". I'm still trying to feel settled lately and trying to get everything organized. Paint, curtains and other decor would be great. Eventually!

OBSESSIONS: I don't think I can pick just 3 as I am learning that I am a totally obsessed person!

1. food! I love food. Not all food, just good food! I like desserts but if there was a choice between seconds of a good dinner or some dessert, I would definitely choose seconds!My sister and I made some Indian food while I was in Boston and that has been my most recent craving!
2. getting things clean. I don't keep the cleanest house, though I'd like to for my own sanity. My obsession is the way things are cleaned. It has to be done MY way!! I don't know where this came from, I just do it!
3. good books. I love to read and if I start a good book, beware! Everything around me could be torn to smithereens and I would not notice.
4. toys for my kids. I was just telling a friend who is cleaning out all her clutter (which is nothing compared to mine) that I can't get rid of toys! When I buy a toy for one of my kids they NEED the whole set of whatever it is! I have huge bins of barbies, dress up, baby toys, play kitchen things (which also needed the ironing board and vacuum. Who can play house without them!!) etc.... My kids don't care. It's all me. I'm totally obsessed!!
5. keeping things. I hate to admit this one because I really try to get rid of stuff for my poor husbands sanity, but I keep stuff. You never know when you will need fabric, scrapbook supplies, craft stuff for the kids, and pens!
6. the list keeps going!!!!!!

RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS:

1. I have done 4 triathlons! (Only sprint distance but soon to be olympic)
2. I don't sleep! A 5 hour night is a good night. This is not by choice, I just can't sleep!
3. I love cooking ( when there is not the pressure of homework, screaming, time constraints!)
4. I have always wanted to be a nurse and one day I will finish my schooling and do it! (Really a doctor, but who has time for that with kids?)
5. I scored higher on an IQ test than my husband! Sorry hon! I had to put it!! It's that reassuring self esteem boost that I need when I feel like I have preschool brain!

Now that you all know way more about me than you wanted to, I am tagging......Amy, Jennette, Jamie, Mandy, and Sunnie! And anyone else who wants to do this! I wanna know all about the rest of you too!!

Trip to Nestle

Today we got to go see where Daddy works. Interest was pretty high in the beginning but I think that I was the only one who really cared about how the machines worked in the end.(Or maybe I was the only one who could follow Silas as he explained all the technical stuff as Maddy said to me that she got lost when he started talking about molecules and stuff!) I love to see the places Silas works as it helps me to understand his day and visualize what he's doing for all those long hours away from us. We got to meet some new people including "Quick" the nesquick bunny. He was Kalia's favorite part of the tour and she kept going back for more hugs and high fives. After 2 Polaroid pictures (they wouldn't allow my camera in) the bunny was great to just play and dance with her when he wasn't busy taking pictures with other kids. "Quick" made all the walking through the giant plant worth it! All the kids got their faces painted and we all got to enjoy a great box lunch with lots of different flavored milk to choose from for our beverages! It really is an amazing plant. I was just in awe by one video in particular that showed how fast the machine works. It's baffling to me that anything can go that fast and stay in control! We also got to see how they make the bottles for the milk. That was really interesting for the kids and in our goody bags when we left they gave us what is called a preform (the plastic piece that they make and then heat up really really hot and blow air into it, while inside a mold, to make the bottle) which we are excited to use for show and tell at school this week. Madison is still sick but she was a real trooper and tagged along (getting a piggy back ride for part of the tour). Last but not least, we saw Silas' new office that he just moved into. Can we say blank slate? I need to get some pictures gathered up to make it more homey. Can you make a cubicle office homey? All in all it was a fun and educational experience.

An Earthquake??!?

I have to say that when we moved to Indiana I never expected that there would be earthquakes. California, yeah. But Indiana? This morning at approximately 5:38 in the morning I experienced my very first earthquake ever! Before anyone gets too excited, let me clarify somethings.

1. This was not a really big earthquake. My friends from Cali would probably laugh at my excitement as it was only 5.4 on the rictor scale. No big deal, right?
2. I did not have a chance to see what it would be like to be awakened by an earthquake as I was already awake. We were all up having an earthquake party except Kaden. (I'll get to that in a moment.)
3. Nothing fell or broke, nobody screamed, we actually didn't know it was an earthquake for another half an hour.
4. The earthquake was felt all over the midwest, so we aren't that special. (Although we do live in INDIANA and we did have an EARTHQUAKE!!)

So, why were we all already awake when we most definitely should have been sleeping? (Especially since I am NOT a morning person!) Let me start with last night. We got home from the scout space derby and Madison wasn't feeling well. We served gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner at 7:45 at night! Good parenting, I know, but we all had bananas before we went to the church to tide us over. Maddy opted to not enjoy my scrumptious sandwiches (I still don't understand.....who doesn't want pbj's for every meal?) So for the next hour we snuggled on the couch, meaning Maddy and Kalia laid all over mom needing tickle rubs on their arms and legs, while we all enjoyed watching survivor together. My little attention starved children are just like their mother....rub me, rub me!!! By the time we took the kids up for family prayer at 9 Madison was burning up and Kalia was "super tired", I thought. We dosed Maddy with some Tylenol and got everyone in bed. Only for a couple hours. Starting at 12:30 Kalia started coming into my room. I thought she just wanted to sleep with mommy so I did the dreaded walk back to her room, scratch of the back while I tried my hardest to keep my eyes open but not fully wake up, and hike all the way back up the hall to my own bed. On the third time, around 4 (I actually think the clock said 4:00 exactly but who can really tell when they are that tired?) She came running into my room saying, "I think I'm gonna throw up" I sprang out of bed and tore off down the hall catching her wonderful surprise on the way. My master toilet is broken so we had to go all the way down the hall! After cleaning up Kalia and the hallway I climbed back into bed at 4:30 only to have her start all over again in her bed at 4:40. Another clean up, and we both got in my bed. 5:10 hit and it happened again, in my bed!! Finally we threw her in the bath and while we were all up (Maddy was up not feeling well and had been up since 4 with the rest of us) the house started to shake. It actually sounded like a herd of elephants running down my hallway. I looked at Silas and asked him what that was and his answer was as good as any I could come up with - wind. We found out later, as I was snuggling Kalia on the couch, watching the news, trying to get my sweet little angel back to sleep, that it had actually been an earthquake. After all the excitement I managed to get another hour of sleep before having to get get Kaden up for school. There it is.... my first experience with earthquakes.....and it was in INDIANA!!

Scorpions

Kaden has enjoyed digging for scorpions in his gift from Grandma Ducky so much! He finally got all the plastic bugs out as well as the real one preserved in plastic and continued to demolish the entire mound for fun. I thought Grandma would enjoy the pictures! It was a great treat! We especially enjoyed the fun tap tap tapping sound every time we got it out! Thank goodness nobody's head has been hurting here!

Kaden's Big Day 03-22-08

Another catch up post, but a very special one! Saturday, March 22 was Kaden's 8th birthday! Isn't he so stinkin cute! I can't believe how grown up and handsome he is! On his special day he awoke to the melodious harmony of his half asleep family singing "Happy Birthday" and "We Love You So Much" (All of which are Schroeder family traditions especially the being awakened part!). Next came his presents, even before he could get out of bed! Who can wait for presents anyway! I'm surprised that he wasn't up at midnight waiting to open them! From Mom, Dad, Madison, and Kalia he received a new suit, scriptures, a scripture case, and the beloved cabelas hunting game for the wii. Grandma Ducky (my mom) sent him a scorpion digging kit, and a book. Grandpa (my dad) sent a hydrogen powered rocket (which we unfortunately still haven't gotten to work. Next step is to call the company for help because mommy just isn't the engineer that Uncle Nate is!) Grandma and Grandpa Ted (Silas' mom and step-dad) sent in the big bucks and Kaden added the $20 to his ipod savings. I can't wait to see if he actually makes it to $300 before he spends it! I feel like I remind him regularly that candy is a waste of money and he is saving for bigger and better things! Only $271 more!!


After breakfast we went over the the Soelbergs house for an Easter egg hunt at the park in their back yard. Kaden thought it was the coolest thing ever that his birthday was actually on Easter weekend this year. The best part about the egg hunt?? SNOW!! Yes, it was snowing ever so slightly, drizzling and raining. It was much colder than I had thought it would be so without gloves and hats and heavy winter coats my kids were quick to pick up eggs and run back inside for hot chocolate (Madison's favorite treat).



This birthday was a very special one for Kaden and a very hard one for me. I had had a very bad migraine for almost a week at that point which had me in the ER on the previous Thursday night and I felt awful still. It was all I could do to get through the day with a sort-of smile on my face and just try to let Kaden enjoy it. I was able to make Kaden and his friend Ben Norton baptism towels as had been promised a year and a half ago when Madison had gotten hers. Kaden and Ben shared their special baptism day which saved me in so many ways. I don't know what I would have done without Ben's mom, my sweet friend, that week. She did everything for me. She came over at midnight to watch the kids sleep so that Silas could take me to the ER Thursday and then she did all the planning and preparations for the baptism. She even made what seemed to be hundreds of cookies for everyone to enjoy afterward. A special thanks to Traci, I love you!


After the baptism while mom was lying down, Silas colored Easter eggs with the kids. Three dozen Easter eggs!! If you know us well, you can see the humor there. I think every year since we have had children it has been me dying the eggs with the kids while either Silas is gone, busy doing something else, or unhappily helping. He really sucked it up this year though because he knows how important holidays and traditions are to me and how important I have made them for the kids. My poor husband has had to be somewhat of a single parent lately because I can only do so much before I am done. I am so blessed to have him. He has been such a great help and he gives a mean neck rub!



I survived the day and Kaden was happy to save his cake until Sunday since he had enjoyed cookies that evening. (Besides- he was too busy hunting on the wii to look up for birthday cake!) I took all my magic meds that somehow put me to sleep and when I woke up the next morning the Easter Bunny had come. I thought I was needed around here but things just go on without me after all! All in all I think it was a great birthday for Kaden. At least I hope it was. It is one of the times when you just feel like a failure as a mom at such an important time in your child's life. What a blessing it is that Kaden is so quick to overlook my weaknesses. I sure love him and I am so proud of him! The past 8 years have gone by so fast!

Things I love about Kaden

• his smile
• his giggle
• his sweet tender heart
• his tough manly side
• his compasion toward others
• his passion toward things that he loves
• the way he comforts his little sister when she gets hurt
• how he will always snuggle mom and make sure her hands aren't lonely
• his smarts - he really impresses me
• he catches all the bugs in the house for me
• he takes out the trash
• he wants to share the things he loves
• his energy
• his cute freckles
• the way he kicks butt when he beats up his dad
• his willingness to help out
• he is so adventuresome- always up for new stuff
• he loves my cooking -most of the time
• he is so complementative to everyone
• he is friends with everyone

*******I LOVE YOU KADEN********

Relief Society Dinner 3-19-08

I am going to attempt to play catch up for the last month or so since my time has been fully occupied by either travel or migraines. I got to go to Boston by myself with NO KIDS (thanks to Silas and especially Jennette for all their help!)!!! Baby Allison was wonderful and I soooo enjoyed my time with little Edie! I have a post about that but I will finish editing it and get it up later. When I got back it was time for our Relief Society birthday dinner celebration - time to fill our lamps! We did a musical performance about the 10 virgins (I of course did not have anything to do with the music as we are all aware of my lack of talent in that area despite the desire) I loved working on the program for this evening because I got to sit and listen to extremely talented women sing beautiful songs that welcomed the spirit during each practice. I also got to meet some really awesome people from the Noblesville ward since we were combining with them. I got to do some shopping for the food before I left for Boston in preparation for the big evening and the biggest worry for me was staying on budget. In the end, I think we did very well. The food was wonderful, the performance incredible, and the turnout was great! What a blessing it is to work with such amazing women and to be around such great talent!