I Love My Dog.............

I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog

.

I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog

I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog

I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog

I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog Ilove my dog


I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog
.

Convincing?
.

These were all taken within 4-5 days mind you.... never mind the other 36 weeks....

.

I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog I love my dog.........

Epilepsy Bike Ride - Go Hannah!!

Look at this cute girl!

.

Every year, Hannah proudly takes part in the Epilepsy Bike Ride. This is a special day for her - a wonderful time for her and Dad to do something together that means a lot to our family.

Hannah was diagnosed with a seizure disorder (epilepsy) when she was a year old. She has a very unique kind of epilepsy - doctors still haven't come across a case exactly like hers. This is one reason we like to participate in an event such as this, because it raises money for epilepsy research.

We were glad Aunt Kelley and Uncle Tyler could come and support Hannah!


Waiting for them to come back!



Jack was really anxious and wanted to be the first to see them.

Ready to capture the moment...

.

Seeing them turn the corner is my favorite part of the whole day!

Always a great day for our family!

We are very proud of you, Hannah and love you so very much!!

Perfect Weather Weekend!

Not knowing if we'd have to wait a whole year to see another beautiful 70's weather weekend - we thought we'd enjoy this last one as much as we could!
.

Jack ended his football season with a great game on Saturday. It was such a great first football season for the Schultz's! I don't think it will be long before Jack starts going through football withdrawls! His coaches say his is "passionate and self-driven" - he was so much fun to watch!

Unfortunately, the amazing colors all around us right now won't last long. We are trying to take it all in and really enjoy the season!

.

(that is a football in his free hand!)
.



She's getting way too tall... (and perhaps standing next to Chip, she doesn't seem very tall, but you know what I mean!)

Yes, the tree in our backyard is in a "cast" - yes it has chicken wire around it. yes, we have a puppy...

...who doesn't look much like a puppy anymore!

The last five pictures were taken by our little budding photographer, Aubrey! She loves stealing the camera.

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year! I love pulling into our driveway right now, or just walking outside, because the tree in our front yard makes me smile. :)

.

Gramps and Grammy

Gramps and Grammy came to see their newest Granddaughter, Eleni. It was a wonderful visit! I sure wish we got more pictures, but here are a few!

Football games... barbecues.... nice talks...... fun games..... it really was wonderful. Oh, and Jackson can now catch just about every ball thrown at him thanks to advice from Gramps. He IS a high school football referee now, ya know! :)

Jack's Hobby

"Mom, can you please find something that I can take apart with tools?"

I gave him his mini skateboard that he never rides anymore because he has a bigger one now...

"Thanks Mom! That was awesome!! Anything else?"

First Day of School 2009

I am in denial that my youngest is already in the second grade.. but what is a lot more difficult to swallow is that my oldest is a FRESHMAN!!!!! Wow, wow, wow.

Chip always takes the first day of school off of work and walks the kids to school. So far, they all love it - Chip asked the older girls if it is embarrassing to them - "not at all" was their answer - whew! Sure hope that lasts and lasts!

Jackson 2nd grade

.

Hannah 4th grade

.

"Bye Dad!"


Aubrey 7th grade


.
Perfectly matching toes was a must for Aubs.

Okay, this got a little embarrassing I think.... "keep the camera in your pocket, dad!!"

Taylor 9th grade

.

6:30 a.m. seminary class - she LOVES it!!

.

School has been in for about 5 weeks and and is off to a great start. We are so grateful for awesome schools here. (And I am especially grateful that they are in walking distance! :)

The Schultz's First Football Season - EVER!

We have discovered how much fun FOOTBALL season is around here! Football is HUGE here in Boise!

This is Jack's first year of flag football - he will play one more year of flag... then onto tackle! (Dang, that scares me!) At his very first game, two ambulances came and went, both with little boys inside with broken bones! *big sigh*

.

There couldn't have been a more exciting moment during his first game. He was playing defensive end. It was during the last quarter... the game was getting long as it was very hot outside. But suddenly, I looked up to watch the next play and just then, Jackson caught an interception and immediately ran it down the field for a touchdown!!!!!! I had to ask myself if that really just happened! The crowd loved it - it was awesome!!

.

After the big celebration, Chip and I caught each other's eye from across the field where he was with the boys.... I could be wrong.... but I don't think I was the only one who needed a kleenex! :) Jack was presented the game ball after the game. I don't think it could have been anymore exciting! What a fantastic way to start our first year of football!

.

Jack with his cousin, Ilai...

too tough to smile!

Chip finds pure joy in coaching his own kids. He is learning the game right along with the boys and having a blast! He has them in perfect sync during warm-ups and cheering for their teammates and the other teams as well. He does well with teaching respect and discipline and the boys think he's pretty great!



Jack is all about football right now... "NOW how many minutes till practice, mom?"

bAbY eLeNi iS hEre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tyler and Kelley gave me permission to treat all the Grammas, Grampas, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, friends, and adore-ers of Eleni with these pictures so they didn't have to wait any longer to see her! Enjoy!

My first peek at Eleni through the window while Kelley was in recovery. I just cried. She's beautiful!

Eleni getting her footprints. This is when I got to hear her voice, you can't tell here, but she did not like it one bit!

Eleni's first visitors... Patrick and Shayla

A wonderful moment for me!

Beautiful, happy, relieved Mama

The Messina Family.... congratulations!!

Welcome sweet baby girl!

More Summer Fun (in no particular order)

Fun at the Twilight Criterion bike races in downtown Boise...

Fun at Discovery Park with the Makaafi's...

Fun at the river...

Fun on the 4th...

More fun at the river...

Fun at the fountain...

This summer has been GREAT! Of course there have been bumps in the road, more quarrels than I'd like to admit, and struggles here and there... but when I remember all of this fun we've had, I think it's been one of the best summers ever! You have to experience the negative, to really enjoy the positive. So in that sense...... I think it's been perfect!

VEGAS BABY!!!!

If you have seen my husband's blog, he has a list of things he'd like to do before he dies. One of them is "spend a wild weekend in Vegas with my wife."

CHECK!!


Six good friends, on a 12 hour road trip, about to have the time of our lives!


It had been in the works for a very, very long time. The excitement was unbearable!!

Chip and I thought we'd show up with "Go Sarah Go" shirts to get a rise out of everyone - not everyone has the same political views in this group - It was hilarious. I wish I had a picture of them all when we walked out of the house... especially Damon!

Here is our trip in pictures...



Potty stops were always play time too. And thanks to my awesome bladder... we had plenty of them!



My husband is SO talented!!





This sign is just plain funny.

We stayed at the beautiful Venetian Hotel.

The ceilings throughout the hotel were amazing!


Here is the view from our room!



exploring on the strip...




It was very strange finding out about Michael Jackson's death on the road trip via text message from Taylor. This memorial was set up and by the time we left Vegas, the flowers and tributes were overflowing.

One of the highlights for me was Madam Trousseau's Wax Museum. I really loved it!

I chilled with Cameron Diaz for a few...



I gave Tiger Woods some tips...



Evil Knievel let Chip try out his bike...

I thought he enjoyed his picture with Jessica Simpson a little too much...

He even had a talk with the Godfather!

Whoopie and I chatted it up for a bit too.

Rachel and Damon raced down the hall in our hotel one evening. You know.. one of those "it's 2am and we are too tired to be normal" moments.

Never thought I'd want to swim on a Vegas trip, but the pool was AWESOME! (It's the one you can see from our view from the room) It was really fun.

Friday night was simply the BEST!! It was the "main part" of our trip. We went to an awesome "fancy" sort of dinner - I had never been to that kind of restaurant, where they lay the napkin on your lap for you and and escort you to the restroom! So it was a great experience! After that, we saw "Phantom of the Opera"!! I couldn't have enjoyed it more. Actually, I'm lying. I could have enjoyed it a bit more if I didn't have to RUN TO THE BATHROOM in the middle of it!!! Did I mention I have an awesome bladder?

Michelle starting sipping the chocolate sauce that was to be poured over her dessert...



So I did too.


It was like happy sauce. :)



Chip got in trouble for taking this picture in the theater! That's Chip for ya - sacrifice anything for a picture! I believe if we won Publisher's Clearing or something... I would spend my money seeing shows like this. It is my absolute favorite thing to do. And it sure helps that my husband enjoys it just as much as I do, if not more! (Not sure if I'm allowed to share that about him!)

Believe it or not... there was no "wear black, white, and red" sort of plan. We all just DID!!

Gondola rides after the show. Loved it.

The next day, we headed to the Stratosphere! Have you SEEN those rides at the very top?!? I would have bet money that I couldn't be dragged on one.... but Chip is my husband, remember?

While walking through, Chip saw this huge slot machine. We couldn't go to Vegas and not do ONE, right? So, he put a buck in...

and won 12 bucks! It was hilarious. After we came home, our neighbors asked Hannah, "How much money did your mom and dad win in Vegas?" She was so proud and excited..."12 dollars!!" They just paused and said, "that's it? serious?"


Emmett had to make sure Chip was tall enough for the rides.


At the top of the Stratosphere - it was awesome!!



Emmett, Michelle, and Chip rode the Sling Shot. I couldn't have been paid to ride this one!


Before...


During...


and after.


But Chip couldn't have been paid to ride "Insanity"! Heights don't bother me a bit so I thought this was the best one for me.

However, I got a little overconfidant. I didn't realize the spinning would make me SO sick to my stomach - I was miserable for a couple of hours afterward!


I'm a good faker here... cause I really just wanted to barf.

In and Out was a MUST in Vegas since we don't have them here in Boise, but notice I have no food in front of me... I was too sick to eat!!!



So, after that subsided.. we went to race go-karts!!

I am still amazed at the unexpected thrill I got out of this. I found myself flooring it the whole time, and figuring out the best technique during the turns so I could pass everyone! I loved it!

Yep, that's me, on the first place block, baby!

Smoked my girls...

More exploring - I really love the Newyork, Newyork. It's one of my favorites! When you are inside, you feel like you are outside, on the streets of Newyork. It is casual and fun.

We are some lucky ladies... check out our men.


So, being in Vegas, we did some research and went to the BEST buffet there. It was the Bellagio and it didn't dissapoint!


We all did what we were there to do... completely stuff ourselves to the point of disgust.

The water show at the Bellagio is so impressive. I just love, love it.

Here we are, waiting for our car at some crazy time in the morning ... so exhausted, we couldn't even stand up straight!!

Chip and I got a second wind that night and went back out - we walked around till 3:00 or so - I really loved the Wynn. It had a different feeling than any other hotel - everything was red, even the chandaleirs, and there were so many awesome things to see inside!

Here we are, back in our hotel lobby.



We were sad to leave Vegas..... one more night would have been perfect.



So, nine hours into our drive home.... we stopped to make ONE last stop for gas. Can you believe the keys got locked in the car?! We tried and tried, but finally had to call for help! Hilarious. Now it is anyway!

Back at home... with memories to last a lifetime.

We laughed till we cried. We ate like we never have before. We did things we never thought we'd dare to do. We experienced Vegas in a fun, wonderful, and fantastic way.

.

Thanks Chip, for the vision you had of this amazing weekend!

.

What next?

.

A cruise? (that one is on MY list!)

Catching up!

So many things to blog about! But I gotta catch up - so here are random pictures and activities mostly from the month of May that we wanted to share with everyone!

.

Uncle Tyler and Aunt Kelley stopped by with a pet.... Taylor called her friends!!!

.

Aubrey received the Presidents Award at School!

Hannah's End of the Year Luau...

Jack had one too!

A fun overnight camping trip with friends...

Jack's Nature Ranger field trip to the park and zoo....



The end of a great baseball season...

Aubrey's friends - they have to go from "the biggies on campus" - to "sevies"

On Memorial Day we got our picture taken with a true hero!

Then we enjoyed a barbecue and traditionally set up a tent for Dad and the kids to sleep in all weekend. (My time to stretch out in my bed - and not to worry about being woken up by snoring!!!)

Aubrey's Sixth Grade Camp...

Father's and Sons...

End of the year orchestra concert...

A picture of Anela I couldn't pass up to share...

and finally - a new do and contacts for me..... still trying to decide of I like it! :)

I've been in a "blog fog" lately - and there's so much more to post! I haven't even checked out everyone elses - I WILL do better, I WILL do better, I WILL do better...

Fun Family Times

Visits from California loved ones are always exciting, big news. They are the highlights of the kids year for sure! We just love those days spent with family we haven't seen in a long time. The days always fly by, so we try to make the very most of them!
.

Unfortunately, my pictures didn't turn out well, but I'll post what I did get.

.

Jack was a protective cousin, making sure Beck didn't become Gunner's chew toy!

This was my favorite day - Easter at the Makaafi's house. It was fantastic!

Between the big, bright blue eyes, green candy that looks like a boogar, and the drip of saliva on the chin..... this is a classic.

Uncle Chip trying to steal a kiss...


Such great buddies these two are!

Grandma had fun choosing a new shirt to match each grandchild's personality - they were part of the egg hunt this year. Oh how grateful I am to my mom who told the easter bunny not to worry about anything this year - mom, that was the best!!!

What do you think....who looks like who here?

This day however.....ugh. What the heck kind of weather was this at a baseball game?!? Ridiculous... but made for a great picture!! They were such troopers - smiling even though their cheeks were numb!

We are so glad Kelley will be having a baby in September cause we have a hunch we'll have visitors again! Double the excitement for September!

Surely the best part about living in Idaho are the visitors we often get - Only three short weeks till we get more!

Our New Addition

Have you ever taken a trip that completely changed your life?

One month ago... we did.

Remember THIS?

Well, after saving and saving.... finally their work paid off!

It was all planned! The day of our eight hour road trip to Oregon to pick up our puppy was finally here. The excitement of Christmas morning even felt incomparable!

First stop - to buy a collar for Gunner. We all agreed that red would be his color after seeing all the pictures that the wonderful breeder had been sending us the past eight weeks.

Now, there was nothing to stop us.... well.... except for the coolest looking slide at a park in Oregon!

AND some beautiful scenery .....

After that, we just couldn't get there to meet little Gunner fast enough!

Once there, we were taken on a wonderful tour of Thornwood Labradors. Imagine forty-five beautiful English Labradors all extremely excited to see us! It was quite overwhelming!! It was hard for everyone to wait.... but finally the time came. Finally, it was time to meet the puppy who would be coming home with us to stay!

.

It was love at first sight... for everyone!

The kids didn't want to go to the hotel that night without Gunner, but we all knew we had to. We had fun that night, talking about what it was like to meet him and what it would be like - life with a dog. (I don't think they had a clue what this was really going to be like!)

You can imagine how excited everyone was to wake up and get ready the next morning, the day we actually took Gunner home!

The drive home was great because Gunner was so calm, just trying to figure out what the heck was going on!

Every hour, on the hour, we stopped so Gunner could pee. We have read that he needs plenty of praise when he pees outside..... well, he definitely isn't short of praise around here!

.

This is a big swarm of praise around him!

Poor Gunner had no privacy - the kids all watched intently till he peed - okay, we all did.

.

Even when he ate, nobody could take their eyes off of him! During the drive, everyone sat in the official "hold Gunner" chair for 1/2 hour at a time. They could all hardly wait their turn to stare at and snuggle with him!

.

Introducing Gunner to his new home was really fun for the kids (and chaotic and crazy too)!

Welcome to your new home Gunner! We really think you will love it here with us!

After such a looooooooong day.... what we all really needed, was sleep.

.

And if you think that really happened.....THINK AGAIN!!!

.

It has been one month since we welcomed Gunner into our home. It has been wonderful, terrible, difficult, exciting, frustrating, fantastic, and exhausting. After four children, I can honestly say, that these puppy days have been just as overwhelming as those newborn days. But I can also honestly say, that I KNEW it would be this hard, and thank goodness I had been mentally preparing for almost a year now. I would have gone completely insane by now had I not!

.

So, it's a new world for the Schultz's. But you know, perhaps the most interesting view about this whole experience, is right through Gunner's Eyes!

Notice Anything Different?

Metal Mouth....

Brace Face.....

Tin Grin.....

Yep, we got one of those now!!!

AUBERINO.... AUBS..... AUBREY MAY..... - SHE'S 12!

The birthday fairy struck again.....

A second child to be old enough to be in YW - the church's youth program. Seems impossible!

We had a fun family get together for the two March b-day girls - The kids always look forward to gatherings with cousins!

We usually let the kids have a "real" party on their 12th. Aubrey thought and thought about what to do...

My husband is brilliant. He came up with a "Downtown Picture Scavenger Hunt"

Brilliant because a) - the girls had a blast and b) - IT WAS FREE!!! Aaahh - I love that word. That, in my opinion, is brilliant!

We drove the girls to downtown Boise - we realized last minute that we couldn't responsibly fit 7 girls and Chip and I in the van - (can you imagine that conversation between the girls' and their moms?!) so thank goodness Aunt Kelley was available - not only was she a driver, but she also took Taylor, Hannah, and Jack to the mall during the pizza part of Aubrey's party. Again, brilliant!!

Once downtown, we gave the girls a map (beautifully hand made by my talented map maker of a husband) and the coolest list of pictures they had to get with Aubrey's camera. Chip and I thought they'd be apprehensive about asking complete strangers to take their picture. Uh.. think again!

Here are just a few:

A picture of all the girls in sunglasses...


A picture with everyone's hand on a big bell... (they had to find the bell somewhere downtown)



Aubrey with a cook...


A picture of all the girls with the capitol in the background...

And the one that made me, Chip and Kelley laugh so hard - They had to get a picture of all of them in front of City Hall. The first people they saw was a sweet senior couple taking a leisurely stroll downtown. Without hesitation, all seven of them ran full speed to ask them to take a picture. So, the nice man did... BUT... the girls weren't happy with it because they did not see the words "City Hall" in the picture. So, they asked him to "get down a little" and take another picture. Well, he didn't just get down a little - he down a lot! After the girls stopped giggling, Aubrey went to get her camera from him, and he asked for help getting up....

When he walked away, he had dirt all the way down his sleeve... we felt so bad, but couldn't help but laugh about that all night!! But at least he got the picture they needed!! He was such a sweet man. The girls are trying not to burst out laughing here...

After downtown, they came home and had fun being 12 year old girls. The conversations of 12 year old girls are quite entertaining, to say the least.

Perhaps the ride home was the best part! Yes, we did squeeze for these few minutes in the car - ssshhhh.... we aren't telling!!!

Aubrey always has us all in stitches - a special girl she is indeed! Sure love you Miss Aubrey May!