Our Family Christmas

I am having a little difficulty uploading pictures from our little famiy Christmas, so for now this is all that I can put up.

This year was our year to be with my family on Christmas Day, so we celebrated here at home a few days early. We first went out to dinner as a family and then returned home to celebrate Jesus' birthday, quote the Christmas story from Luke 2, and then open presents. We had a wonderful evening and the children were bursting at their seams with excitement. I always love to watch the joy that crosses their faces as they open each gift, oh to experience Christmas through the eyes of a child again.










Daddy & kiddos...ready for Christmas to start!!


Our little family Christmas '09

Church Christmas Program

This year was a little different for me, not only was a struggling with being sick from pregnancy, I was also asked to direct the Children's Christmas Program for our church. They first asked me back in early September and being pregnant was far from my mind and therefore, I said, "yes!" There was a specific request by all of the many parents to just have a basic program where the story of the Nativity was told by the children. I immediately set to work on writing pieces for all the the characters of the story to memorize and say, as well as getting together songs to coincide with the differents parts and get them onto posters. It took well over a month to get all of this put together and organized, parts assigned, and children & parents informed of what the plan for practicing was. I stated from the very beginning that in order to be in the program you had to commit by the first part of November, that I would not take any late comers. Call that rude if you would like, but if you have ever been charge of a Children's Program there is nothing more frustrating than having additions to your program arrive on Christmas Sunday morning expecting to be in the program. I have allowed this before, learned my lesson and have decided that isn't the thing for me, nor is it fair to the children who have faithfully come and practiced for the months prior.

We started having practices on Sunday mornings in October. I had 16 kids ages 3-1st grade. It was somewhat of a challenge at first, that is indeed a wide span. But in time, I was able to let the children know that if you were going to be in the program you must behave. I was blessed, the children and I developed a wonderful relationship and practices went quite smoothly. I also had tremendous support from the parents and people of the church. Everyone was so excited, volunteered to help in anyway possible and for a first program at Lewiston First Nazarene, it went well.

The children were thrilled with their costumes, the parents were thrilled with their child's participation, and I was thrilled that it went so well. Perhaps there will be another one next Christmas.


My Mary & Little Wiseman


Mary getting ready to sing her solo.


The star & the 3 wisemen








Christmas Sunday family photo. I was blessed to have my parents attend our kids programs this year and it meant the world to me!

CCS - Christmas Program

Brooklyn's school Christmas Program kicked off the Christmas season for us in a beautiful way. It was a rare treat to get to have my parents, as well as 2 siblings here for that weekend. Brooklyn couldn't have been more estatic to have them in the audience and it showed on her face all evening long. A great BIG thank you to them for making the effort to come and share in this time with us!

The program itself was so cute. All who are involved in putting it on are to be commended. They do such a wonderful job and we have never left disappointed. We are indeed blessed to be a part of Cornerstone!


All dressed up and ready for the program to start!


Thanks to a friend of mine that took these for me while I was upstairs getting a seat for my family.:)


A group of friends


All of the girls.:)


The whole class with Mrs. Ridinger before the program started.


These 2 are very close friends - whenever Brooklyn is having a hard time he seems to sense it and checks on her. We're not into boys, but we certianly promote friends!:)


Group Shot


Singing the 'Christmas Country Spelling Bee'

A Special 4 Year Old!

Nov. 14, 2005...God certianly knew what He was doing when He sent Brittan Riley our way. He came in smiling and has pretty much remained the same throughout his 4 years, while causing us to do the same. I could name several wonderful things about him that I just adore, but I think that one that sticks out most in my mind is the fact that many, many times each and every day, at very random times, Brittan will come up, give me a big hug & a kiss and say, "Mom, I just love you. You are my best gill." Talk about melt my heart, it does!

Here are some of his favorites at the present time...he is very into playing anything policeman, "building things with nails and a real hammer", helping mommy cook anything & everything, playing with Brooklyn, cars, and watching Dinosauer Train. He still loves mac & cheese, fruit of any kind, milk in his sippy cup, and chips. His favorite resturant is McDonald's where he always orders chicken nuggets with ranch, apples with no carmel(it makes his hands too messy), and apple juice. His most favorite place in the world to go is Nana's house, who by the way is one of his most favorite people. He loves to be at "Brooklyn's School" where he sees many of his top 10 people, 3 of whom are, Teachur (Wendy), Dena, & "Mr. Ridinger." He has declared that he won't be going to Kindergarten because teachur won't be there anymore, rather he is just going to be with Mr. Ridinger. Lastly, some of his most favorite friends are, Brooklyn, Alicia, Jordyn, Corinne, Zachary, & Kaden. He hardly meets a stranger, which makes this mommy a little nervous.

What keeps me on my toes most with him is that I never know what he is going to say. Anything and everything that comes into his mind, comes out of his mouth. This has provided many times of laughter, but just as many times of causing mommy to have a red face. Thank goodness we were home the other day when he said the following; while using the restroom he accidentally tooted, normally this is extremely funny to boys of all ages, but he sat there with a most serious look on his face. I wondered what he was thinking and so I asked, "Brittan, what was that?" In the most serious tone possible he said, "mom, my rear end keeps trying to talk to me, but I can't understand a word it is saying." Needless to say, I quickly exited the bathroom to hide the laughter that was about to spill out.

Brittan you are a delight and a joy, a true gift from Heaven. We thank God for you and for blessing our home with you. May you always strive to please Jesus, be honest, kind, hardworking, loving, tenderhearted, wise, and seek to be just who God created you to be. I love you! ♥


It is a tradition that at your 3 or 4 year old birthday, my parents take them to Build a Bear to have them choose and then make their own animal. Brittan couldn't wait for this day to arrive. Brittan was so into the whole process and it made it so fun for us all. Before even arriving at BaB he has already decided that he was going to choose a bunny, not sure where this came from, but he was deadset and that was exactly what he chose! It was a fun evening, followed by cupcakes and presents at my parents house afterwards. A wonderful birthday celebration and a very happy little 4 year old!


He was determined to have a "police bunny":)





My parents, the Birthday Boy, and his new policeman bunny.:)


All dressed up with his new policeman bear, ready for his party to start.





Brooklyn helping Brittan read the card that she made for him.:)


One very happy birthday boy...chocolate cheeks and all!

Let me back up...Thanksgiving First!

Before I go on, I must go back. So while you all have your mind on Valentine's Day or other holidays to come, I am taking you back to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I really do hate to get things out of sequence and at this point I am really just blogging to journalize more than anything. I have debated many times over, still haven't come to a final decision, about shutting down my blog all together because I use Facebook so much more. But when I do actually find the time to sit here and blog, I find that I really do love it and it is something that perhaps in time, that my children will love as well because they can look back into mommy's journal. So for now, I will update.
November & December found this mommy incredibly sick. Most days were spent with my head hanging over the side of the toilet, which got cleaned almost every single day...who wants to throw-up in an un-sanitary toilet? At that point, it was the cleanest, or maybe I should say, the only clean part of my house.:) Indeed, there were times that I felt so overwhelmed with my house and wondered how I would ever make it through what seemed to be the LONGEST time of morning/all day sickness ever.:) My children had begun to wonder if there was something really wrong with mommy and in fact it started to affect Brittan so much that he started thinking that he was sick to his tummy each day as well.:)
At Thanksgiving, we could no longer keep it from them and Brook was the one appointed to share the news with them. The memory of their faces is one that I will never forget! Brook asked them if they were having a fun "Turkey Day?" They both said, 'yes' but couldn't understand why he would even ask. He then proceeded to tell them that, "mommy has a little turkey in her tummy as well." This, they did not understand at all. At this point I told him to clarify and when he told them that we were going to have a baby I thought that Brittan would BURST from the excitement! Brooklyn, in her very calm way asked if this was really true and if that meant that she was going to be a "big sister?" and then the biggest smile formed on her face and stayed for quite sometime. Brittan on the other hand, bounced right over to me, started dancing all around, and then wanted to know if he could "kiss the baby in my tummy?" This started what is now an everyday, several times a day habit! All day long, every couple of minutes on Thanksgiving Day he would come up, gently pat my stomach, tell the baby that he loved it, and kiss my stomach. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that he would be so EXCITED about a baby, but he is!
We spent the holiday, like every year, with my family. So we got to share our exciting news at the dinner table when we went around the table saying what we were thankful for. I do have to add right here, that Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same if we weren't able to be with my family. The traditions that we share, the beautiful & delicious dinner that we all prepare together, sharing about the different things that have come & goen throughout the year and why we are so thankful for them, and the time that we spend together is what Thanksgiving day is all about to both Brook & I. We LOVE our tradition of being there with them and don't forsee it changing anytime soon, if ever.:)We had/have so much to be thankful for and expressed all the many things, but most of all we wanted this little one to know one day that we are indeed thankful that God saw fit to bless us with it! What a special year indeed!


My kids LOVE to watch the turkey prep & then when it is cut.☺



The 'things' that I am most thankful for aren't things!


It is always so much more fun to eat at a beautiful table.:)


Kids table


Nana's Little Indians


My kiddos LOVE the wish bone.


The end to a perfect meal...Dad offered his help to wash up the dishes with me. ☺

Merry Christmas From The Schatz Family

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

I am one of those that has my Christmas cards printed, addressed, and ready to go by the first of December, usually.:) And for the first time in 12 years the Schatz family will not be greeting anyone in their mailbox. This year it just isn't happening and I have come to the conclusion that even though I don't like it, it is okay. At some point I had to just start crossing off things on my 'To Do' list, not because they were complete, but rather because it was so completely overwhelming to me to see that I was getting nowhere. I have convinced myself that people will be even more excited to receive one next year because they didn't this year and there will also be a new face added to out little family.:)

So, please don't feel offended that you didn't get a card, no one did. The picture has finally been put away and will not be shared with friends near and far. This does not mean you are all not sent out very best Merry Christmas wishes, but rather, mommy is still sick. Hoping that this ends soon and that life soon will return to normal. Much Love to all!

I'm a Planner, but Ultimately His Plan is Best!

I'm a planner. I'm the type of person who has my calendar out on the counter at all times and I check it several times a week. In fact, I recently purchasd a 'family calendar' to hang in my laundry room once it is finished...I thought that it would be nice for the rest of the family to 'see' what is on the agenda for the week or month. I love to look back through past months a see what it was that we were doing at certian times. I love to plan! But while pondering on that a while back I realized that life brings about many things that we could never plan, some good, some bad, some wonderful, and some to perhaps teach us lessons about life that we couldn't learn on our own. And although we think that we have a plan, God has a much bigger and better plan. I also thought about how some of the most fun and memorable times in life have been those spontaneous moments that we have shared as a family or with friends. Those late night phone calls that say, 'hey wanna meet me for coffee?'...'you doing anything for lunch today?'...or when Brook decides at 10:30 p.m. that he wants ice cream and so we all rush out the door to go with him. These times weren't 'on the calendar', but I so love them! So while I say that I plan, I also have to say in that same breath that I like the spur of the moment as well.

We have recently experienced some surprised spontanity, a plan from God that wasn't really on our radar screen. It was talked about, but never set in stone and it wasn't 'put on the calendar.':) I laugh at that last phrase, and when you re-read it you perhaps will too. I don't mean it to sound like that, but wasn't sure how else to say it...we are expecting out 3rd little one! Ok, deep breath here...you just read that correctly, I am pregnant!!! Wow! just reading that over again even looks a little funny to me.;) We are due around June 20th and truly, even though it wasn't 'on the calendar' so to speak, we are thrilled!

The timing of it all couldn't be more divinely planned. We will be able to have the baby in Nampa, like always. Not that I would have done it any differently, but with Brooklyn being out of school for the summer, well it couldn't be more perfect! And by Brooklyn's school have a week break about every 6 weeks or so, she will only miss 2 or so days for our monthly appointments, again another divine plan. I have been sick with this little one, as is my normal pattern, but wow! I am beginning to wonder if I will ever be able eat normally again or go places without gaging at the different smells. This part can't go by fast enough.:):) Other than that little hitch, everything is wonderful!

So in this case...planning isn't everything...God's surprises are the BEST!