The Schuette Zoo

Shooting Hoops (or atleast trying)....

2011-03-04T10:19:00.003-06:00

Gabe played 3rd Grade basketball at the rec center this year. He had a great team and wonderful Coach Bill. Here he is #20 in white....

Getting ready to shoot

He has a great time playing and he has really improved since last year. Way to go Gabe!!!

Icy, Icy Baby......

2011-03-04T10:09:00.002-06:00

The first week in February we had a terrible ice storm. We got over 1.5 inches in 2 days. It had covered everything. Although it was pretty to look at the ice caused alot of damage to trees, power outages and the schools were out for 4 days. Here are a few photos I took in our yard.

This photo was actually published in the Effingham Daily news. They were having a winter photo contest and I submitted several photos. I did not win but about 80 out of 600 were published in the paper.

New Year.....New Posts.....January 2011

2011-02-16T09:10:00.006-06:00

I decided to update my blog, when I want too. I like this blog to keep up on what we have done throughout the year, kinda like a diary with photos. I do print them off at the end of the year and keep for our family records. So with the New Year I am going to start again...

January, 2011 begins Abby's Winterguard Team season. Here are some photos from their competition in Villa Grove...

The team with their 2 1st place trophies in Tall Flag and Lyrical.... Abby got an individual award called The Rising Star.....and she is!

Here are some photos from the Tall Flag routine....

Here is Abby during her solo....she is wearing Brian's lettermen's jacket from high school...

Some from the Lyrical performance......

The first of January Ben got to participate in a Pepsi Bowling tourneyment in Bloomington...He did great and got 18th out of 72.

Look at this form.....perfect!!!

Abby's Prom 2010

2010-05-05T12:19:00.003-05:00

Abby had Prom last Saturday....Because Thomas had to go back to Iraq the Thursday before I took a few photos of them with her in her dress and him in his Army dress.... Abby and Thomas.....

I think they look really good.....

Now here is Abby's "date" for the Prom, Leah....

Abby with her hair done......

A Back shot....

The girls in their dresses.......

The "traditional dance pose!"......

She a had a great time....She also won and IPad at Post Prom!!

Gabe's 1st Communion & Bowling Awards....

2010-04-27T10:15:00.004-05:00

Gabe had his 1st Communion on April 18th (it was also his 8th Birthday!)....

Here is Gabe and I at Bliss Park for his party.....
Gabe with his 1st Communion cake....

Brian, me and Gabe....He looked so handsome that day!

Gabe with the flag my mom made first for Alicia's 1st Communion...each child has used it since then....it's a special way to remember Granny. On each of the yellow "beams" I have written the names and dates of the 1st Communions...

My 5 Great kids......

Gabe getting ready for his 1st Communion....

Posing for his mom!!

Gabe with St. Anthony.....

Bowling awards where the day before Gabe's 1st Communion....Gabe's team got 2nd place and he got another trophy for something else (I forgot!)

Ben with his individual trophy.....

Easter, Photo Shoot, Vet Visit......

2010-04-09T09:44:00.004-05:00

Our March was busy (like every month is these days!).

Here is Abby and Gabe at the Vet's office with Shakes for her annual rabies shot..... The Annual Coloring of the Eggs on Good Friday at Grandma Jane's....Gabe with all his eggs..

Ben with his colored eggs.....

Gabe with Sara, Morgan and Maddie in the background.....

Happy Easter from Ben.....

The High School and 4th Grade PSR classes did Live Stations of the Cross during Lent. Here is a dress rehearsal of the Stations....

They did a wonderful job on the actual Friday.....Here is a photo of Gabe in church (love it!!)

Yes...they are three of a kind....brothers in action....

Every once in a while Ali and I will go on a "photo shoot"...Here are some from the most recent...My little girl is now 20 and a young lady!

And NO....she did not do that in the photo above!

I like this one.....

We took a bunch more but some are a little more "sexy" to show here! :)

Ben & Gabe's Great St. Louis Arch Adventure.....

2010-03-25T08:51:00.004-05:00

One Saturday in February Abby had a Winter guard competition in Highland. Her competitions were at 8am and 5pm...do you think Brian, Ben & Gabe (and me) would sit in a high school gym and watch dance, flag and pom pom teams all day....NO! Since we were so close to St. Louis we decided to pass some of the time and take Ben and Gabe to (and up) the Arch. They have been to the Arch but never up in it....Some of the photos got out of order....

Gabe looking out and seeing Busch stadium..... Ben & Gabe in a "mock pod"....the kind that you ride in to the top of the Arch....

Outside the Arch.....

Looking up......

Me and Brian at the top of the Arch.....I like this photo!

Ben at the top.....

Now Gabe at the top.....He looks excited, doesn't he?

View out to the city, including Busch Stadium.....

Brian pointing out points of interest......

Gabe standing next to the Arch.....

Here is Ben next to the Arch too......love the reflection of the photo.....

Inside the pod going up (or down, can't remember!) Ben was video taping the whole trip!

Here are the steps you need to climb after taking the pod to the top.....

Ben again video taping the top.....

This is a view of the Arch from the car.....

Walking away from the Arch.....it was a beautiful winter day......

The "token" boys with the Arch photo.....

We had been noticing ALOT of Park Rangers around the Arch grounds, never before seen that many but we finally found out why.....A Right to Bear Arms Rally on the steps of the Arch...Hey...the boys first protest rally!!! LOL

Brian's creative photo of me and the boys......

We finished the Arch, headed to Fairview Heights for some lunch at Olive Garden and some shopping and back to Highland and still had to sit about an hour to wait for her next routine! This was the first time we just had Ben and Gabe to ourselves like this and it was really nice to give them each alot of one on one time....

The Roy Rogers III Bowling Memorial Bash

2010-03-17T12:09:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, February 28 we attended the Roy Rogers III Bowling Memorial Bash is honor of our friend's (Roy & Teresa) son Little Roy......Ben, Beau and Gabe have all been bowling with both "Roy's" for several years (and Roy II is a 2nd cousin of Brian's). Little Roy was killed back in October from a drunk driver. They held this Bowling Bash to raise funds for scholarships to the Illinois Teen Institute that Little Roy was involved in....Roy III was an outstanding bowler.

Here is Ben, Gabe and Brian enjoying the day..... Gabe with his event t-shirt on.....

Ben with his event t-shirt too and he said he needed a new photo for his Facebook page!

Me and Abby.....

Abby and Gabe (who was enjoying the ice cream).....

Ben had a great time.....He really enjoys bowling...

Gabe getting ready to throw the ball.....

Me and Brian (and he is actually smiling in this photo!)

Abby getting ready to bowl......

Brian and Ben.....

The event was held at the K-bowl and it was a complete success! We (the group) had the whole place to ourselves! We are already on the list to attend next year!

Basketball and Extras....

2010-03-05T09:57:00.005-06:00

February was a busy month with Ben and Gabe's basketball, Abby's Saturday Flag competitions, Gabe and Abby getting glasses, work, doctor's appointments, me getting out of my cast and our crazy life!

Here is Gabe in action at one of his basketball games... Trying for the rebound....

He's got the ball.....

Getting the pass......

Spots me taking photos.....Say Cheese...

Here are some from one of Ben's games....Here he's with his team and coach...

His "game face"....

Passing the ball.....

In action.....

Looking serious and "in the game".....

Ali came to one of Ben's games to cheer him on.....

I spotted this flock of snow geese (I think) on a run to Herrick school....there were 1000's of them!

Here is what Shakes looks like when she goes "bye bye" with me.....

One night in February Beau was heading to bed (it was about 11pm). Next thing we hear is him screaming....he thought something had jammed into his foot! We looked around at it and thought the same thing but we could not get it out so he and I headed to the ER.

Here he is soaking his foot in iodine.....luckily nothing was in his foot. He must of just jammed it really hard and busted the skin, it was sore and red for several days.

It's Official....All my Kids have my Eyes.....

2010-02-25T09:56:00.002-06:00

Last week Abby and Gabe went to the eye doctor and both needed glasses! Now that makes ALL 5 kids with glasses/contacts. They must get that from me!

They had to dialate Gabe's eyes so the doctor gave him these glasses to wear once he got outside...Nice...... Here is Abby and Gabe when we picked up their glasses....

Abby with hers....I think she looks good. She just wears her for school and driving.

Gabe has to wear his all the time....His left eye is really way off so hopefully this will help him.

And Gabe in the exam room.....

Now we just need to get Brian to go...he needs them but does not want to get any! Does anyone know of a good eye care plan?? Next visit will be for Ben, he needs to get some sports frames for football.

Belated Valentine's Post......

2010-02-19T14:18:00.002-06:00

Why.....just cause Gabe thought he was sooooo cool in his Panda mask! I personnally think it looks kinds creepy... Working on Valentine's Party cards......Look at Ben's cheeks! :)

Ben picking/signing valentines for his class.....

Now Gabe.....taking the job seriously....

Doing his best handwriting on the cards....

This did a great job and it did not take us a long time. It's soooo nice that they can write out their own valentines. Not one of my favorite things to do so I am glad they like to do it....

Mardi Gras......

2010-02-16T12:26:00.000-06:00

Happy Fat Tuesday Everyone!!!!

Happy Birthday Abe.....

2010-02-12T10:03:00.002-06:00

Abe Lincoln that is......Today's his birthday (I am thinking it's his 200th birthday)

Here is Gabe in front of a huge painting of President Lincoln at the Lincoln Presidental Museum in Springfield, IL... Love this one...I think it's funny seeing President Lincoln with a hot dog in his hand! :)

Sharing Some Misc. Photos.....

2010-02-10T11:39:00.003-06:00

Thought I would share some "never before seen" photos.....Just cause I don't have anything else to share right now. It's been a long winter and we are looking forward to spring....

Most of the these photos are from the fall/Christmas....

Abby going to perform at one of her band performances... Abby and Gabe wearing matching Robot shirts.....Ali had made these several years ago and somehow they were "found" again....

This is Abby at the hospital when she had her "swine" flu....

Ben getting his eye exam for his new glasses in September....

Ali "practicing" her hair cutting skills on Ben (I love his face!! LOL)

Gabe....Playing in the leaves

Last Flag football game.....

Abby and Ben goofing off around Christmas time.....

Ben has been playing basketball at the rec center for several weeks......

After our Christmas Party at Camp Walter Scott, we took the boys down to the outside Chapel on the grounds. It's a very special place.....

That's all I got now.......

Happy BELATED Birthday Ali!!!!

2010-02-02T13:01:00.002-06:00

Yep.....Ali's 20 years old (as of last Friday 1/29). I forgot to update that day but we did have a great dinner with her on her day....Our first born, our child who made us parents for the first time, our "test" child is 20!!! WOW...where did that time go?

We love you Alicia Marie Pauline Schuette.....

Broken Foot, Winter Guard & Snow Day...

2010-01-22T11:30:00.004-06:00

So our New Years started out with me with a broken foot! We were heading out for dinner on the New Years Eve and I must of tripped on something on the back porch and I went down. I thought I had just sprained my foot so we went on to dinner (did not want Brian to get mad at me for making him skip his dinner! LOL). As we were done with dinner I could not even walk out to the car. We took the boys home and Brian and I went to the ER. I had broken it....here we are in the room waiting for the results... My broken foot....It really did not swell too much but it sure hurt!

And here I am sporting an air cast (lovely huh??)....Along with the crutches and no weight bearing it will be the first of February until I can walk on it. Luckily it comes off so I can shower and "air" it out in the evenings.

Even though my foot is broken, life in the Schuette house does not stop so last Saturday we went to Abby's first Winter Guard competiton.....Here is the team with their first place trophy (and Maddie with her first place solo trophy!).... The Team.....

Abby....doesn't see look beautiful....the lighting was hard to work with....

Throwing the flags....the audience loved it!

Abby again.....

After having 2 weeks off for Christmas, the week back the kids were given another 4 days off for their first snow day....I put them to work cleaning off the drive way for dad....

Jane....NOT enjoying the snow....Really she does not enjoy anything! I could not get outside to take photos because of my foot so I stood at the door with my camera!

Ben....love is rosy cheeks...

Gabe doing is best on the steps....

We have been trying to stay warm. I finally started taking my Christmas stuff down this week, just got the tree which I will need help with this weekend. I'll be glad to get the stuff out of the house and back to the shed!

Colorado Christmas, Part 4 (and Final)

2010-01-15T11:26:00.005-06:00

So on our last full day in Colorado was also Ben's 10th Birthday....We started out by taking some family photos (do you know how hard it is to get 13 people to smile??)...Here is all the Bobo-Wolff-Schuette Families together...the first time on Christmas in over 20+ years! Here is Ronda and I with our Dad and all our kids.....

The Wolffs.....

The Schuette's......

Grandpa Bo with all his Grandkids.....

After photos we headed out to Dave & Busters. If you have never been to one it's like Chuck E Cheese for adults!.....

Nolan and Ben checking out the game.....

Me and my Big Sis.....

They gave Ben a free desert for his birthday.....Here he is with Nolan and Ali....

Abby trying her luck at the machines.....

Grandpa Bo, Spencer, Abby and Brian all try to figure out the game....

Beau won this game twice...1000 each time....this was win #2......

Back home Ronda had bought Ben a birthday cake....

This is the view from Ronda's back porch....Beautiful!

The girls going through Security at Denver Airport.....

The crew getting on the tram to the gates.....

How do the Schuette kids waste time at an airport....Cards!

Abby resting before the flight back to St. Louis....

All in all it was a wonderful trip! It was wonderful to see Ronda, Greg and the kids in their new house, it was wonderful to spend Christmas with my sister in the first time in over 20 years, it was wonderful that the cousins got to spend so much time together, it was wonderful to visit Colorado for the first time (and not just the airport) and it was wonderful that my Dad was there with us!

Colorado Christmas, Part 3

2010-01-11T13:49:00.004-06:00

Christmas Day in Colorado.....

Here is Beau with one of his gifts..... Abby with her new mini computer....

Ronda and I cooking together.....

Gabe and his Robot.....

Ben opening his gifts.....

Ali and Grandpa Bo......

The cousins talking about how we are going to open gifts......

Gabe and Beau checking out the names on the gifts (yes...these photos are out of order!)

After Dinner...Sledding was on the agenda....Here is Ben and Spencer...

Gabe.....

I think this is my favorite photo of the trip....

Gabe, Spencer, Mallory, Abby and Ali (on the bottom).....

Snow bunnies....Abby and Mallory.....

Another favorite.....Abby, Ali, Nolan and Spencer....

Snow Princess Ali......

Gabe snow boarding.....

This is view from the top of the hill in Ronda's neighborhood where we were sledding...Beautiful!

Ben...does not look like it but he is going down backwards.....

Hang in there.....there is more Colorado Christmas too come....

Colorado Christmas, Part 2

2010-01-06T13:05:00.003-06:00

Christmas Eve in Colorado....These photos are out of order, so carry on.....

After dinner we decided to take a little walk, up and over a hill, to a house in Ronda's neighborhood that is "famous" for it's lights.
It was amazing......Tastefully done...

The kids enjoying the house. You could walk up to the windows and look in. Each window had a different display in it....

Here is me and Ronda.....

Abby in front of the house. These photos really don't do the house justice, really cool. We were told the electric bill for December is around $5,000.00! And they do this for Halloween too.

Eventhough Ronda just moved into her new house 5 days before we came, she was able to get her tree up....

Benny Elf and Santa Grandpa Bo.....

Next generation of crab leg cookers.....Spencer, Ben & Nolan....

Ronda, Dad and me.....First time together ON Christmas in over 20 years!! Special.

Chef Brian and Benny Elf cooking the shrimp scampi.....

Photo sent to the Schuette's back in Illinois to show we were having crab legs too...plus a White Christmas.....

The Three Girl Cousins.....Ali, Abby & Mallory....don't Ronda and I make beautiful daughters?

Uncle Greg and Ben returning from their walk......

The Girls taking a break from shopping to eat at California Pizza Company....

And Brian's favorite stop....a trip to Daveco Liquors, it's suppose to be America's largest liquor store!! It was huge and had everything you need plus some.....

More on our trip to Colorado later.....keep checking back!

Colorado Christmas, Part 1

2010-01-04T13:37:00.004-06:00

We surprised the kids on December 23rd with a trip to Denver Colorado to visit Aunt Ronda, Uncle Greg and kids! We told them about 9am and they had 2 hours to get ready and pack!! They were soooo surprised and soooo excited.... Here they are opening their luggage that we got them for the trip....

We picked up Grandpa Bo and headed to St. Louis for our flight....Here Gabe and Abby are checking out the departure board....Gabe's making sure it was on time...

Since we got there so early we had plenty of time to wait...so Ali and Ben are watching a movie..

Ben watching the planes take off and land.....

Ali again on her computer while we wait.....

Gabe taking a break from our walk up and down the halls at St. Louis Lambert.....

Gabe's 1st Plane ride.....Me and Gabe sat with Grandpa Bo....

Ali and Ben on the plane.....Also Ben's 1st Plane ride.....

Then Abby, Dad, and Beau (Once again...1st Plane ride)......

Christmas Fun......

2009-12-18T09:21:00.004-06:00

It's been a busy month....We have been celebrating Christmas all month.

Here is Ben's 4th Grade "Santa Goes Green" Christmas Program.... Here he is "Recycling" the Fruit Cake.....

He got to be a Rappn' Penquin....

He spots me!

Singing his heart out......Good Job Ben!

Ben's PSR Class made little blankets for Project Linus. They will be sent to the hospital to give to little babies.....

And here is Abby and Beau's (and Brian, since he teaches it) High School PSR class. They were able to "adopt" 3 families this Christmas and supply them with gifts and Christmas dinner! Isn't this really what Christmas is about? What a blessing they were able to do.

Ben and Gabe were invited to Great-Aunt Jeanne's house to help decorate cookies...Here is some of the others that came....

Ben is getting ready to decorate a cookie...

Gabe and Ben ready for fun.....Thanks Aunt Jeanne!

And a few weekends ago we were invited to Camp Walter Scott for a Christmas party...CWS is a special place for Brian and I and they are also a customer.

Beau....he had a good time....

Me and Gabe by the Navitiy Set.....Yeah I know, not a really good photo of me but I try to get my photo taken once in a while (to show I was around all these years).....BTW..Ben took this.

Ben ready to get his gift....they had something for everyone, plus great food!

And the boys by the CWS Fireplace.....

Like I said...we have been busy! Gifts are bought, cards mailed, baking done, decorating done, last day of school until after the New Year is today....now we just wait for Christmas.

My Nativity Collection.....

2009-12-08T14:02:00.003-06:00

I love Christmas because it is the time I get to take out my nativity sets...

This was my first set....I got it back in 1986. The straw is from when Brian and I lived in Alton and went to St. Matthew's. The parish gave each family a small bail of hay that had been blessed to place with their nativity sets. Have you ever seen a happier baby Jesus?? Mary and Joseph look awfully happy too!!!

This is the full set of the happy baby Jesus. It's really cute and mini. The tallest piece is only 1 inch tall.....

This set belonged to my Mom. It's a Avon collection that is dated 1981. It's porcelein and really special.....

Here is a set Brian got me a few years ago.....Porcelein with gold trim....

I just got this one a few weeks ago. It's crystal (but plastic). This photo does not do it justice when the light shines through it.

This set was given to us by Brian's Aunt Pat over 10 years ago......

I don't remember who, what , where on this little set but it's cute. Only about 3 inches tall

And my Advent wreath nativity set that sits on our dining room table.....

I have a few more sets but don't have any photos of them. As long as I have my trees and nativity sets up it's Christmas Time for me!

Gabe's First Reconciliation

2009-12-06T19:13:00.002-06:00

This afternoon we celebrated Gabe's 1st Reconciliation at St. Anthony's. It was a nice little prayer service.

The second graders singing and signing a song at the end.... Gabe singing.....

Gabe with Fr. Joe. He went to Father for his first confession.....

We are proud of Gabe for receiving this gift. God has a special plan for him.

"It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas"

2009-12-03T10:39:00.007-06:00

We got up our tree and started decorating last weekend. It always fun getting the Christmas stuff out each year and remembering Christmas' past. I thought you might like to see some of my favorite things.....

Our tree.....This year put together and decorated by Ben and Gabe. I did the lights and tinsel.
Our ceramic Santa made by the Grandma Betty (my Mom's mom!)....It's almost 30 years old.

St. Nick sun catcher.....I also have an angel. These were something my Mom always used in her decorating...

The cutest tree ever made by my dad.....Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree! Isn't it cute?

My 2009 ornament with the kids' name of it...I love frogs, always have so I might even keep this one up somewhere yearound.....

Here is another specail ornament....This was Brian's growing up....I actually used this one year for our Christmas cards a few years past.....

This is the only ornament that I have of my childhood.....Kermit is my friend! Dated 1981. I am thinking my Mom made this one.....

Another one of Brian's childhood ornaments.....

This is one from our first Christmas together after we got married....1988. It's made of sourdough and I am really afraid it's going to break it's getting brittle....

Our porch has some wreaths, garland and this sled. The sled was mine when I was growing up and the skates were my dads!

My little kitchen Christmas tree.....love it

Our tree from another angle.....The red stack next to Santa is our Santa hats!

Our mantel with ALL our stockings....7 + one for the dog + 2 for the cats!

The Madonna....this was something my mom used every Christmas....

Santa.....

Tree #3 in the dining room.....This is my tree I have it decorated in all my Santa ornaments! This used to be my Mom & Dad's tree....

Every year when I decorate I realize more of all the stuff I use was my Mom's. She loved Christmas and decorations....It's wonderful to use her stuff each year.....

Next post I will show you my nativity sets collections I have started the past few years.

Pumpkin Carving/Halloween

2009-11-19T12:21:00.004-06:00

The Annual Schuette Pumpkin Carving took place on October 31 (only 3 hours until Trick or Treating!) Here is the gang working out their designs.... Gabe playing with the "insides" of the pumpkin....

The carving has now begun......

My table....

Ali, Ben and Gabe show off Ali and Ben's finished pumpkins.....

Now on to Trick or Treating....Ben was a "scary" pizza delivery driver.....

Ben's Pizza "It's too die for!".....

Gabe was a hobo......And before anyone calls DCFS there was NO WINE in the bottle!

I love is face in this one.....

Trick or Treating.....

Here is Beau with his pumpkin....

I got Shakes a new costume this year.....A Witch! She was really good about wearing it.

Ali with Cheese also wearing Shakes witch hat...

And Abby....She went as a Verizon saleswoman!

We had a good time and the kids got a ton of candy....

Happy 17th Birthday Abby!!!!

2009-11-16T11:22:00.002-06:00

Yep....today is Abby's 17th Birthday! Can't believe my baby girl is so old!

Have a Great day Abby.......We Love You, Mom and Dad

Want an Update????? OK....Here!

2009-10-30T12:07:00.003-05:00

We have been sooo busy this month....we have had Homecoming (parade, game & Dance),
3 Pizza Fundraisers, Band Invitational (all day cookout stand), a wedding (another cousin), laundry, doctor appointments (everythings ok), migraines (well only me), field trips, homework, bowling, parent teacher conferences (one night = 3 different schools!), laundry, No school days, PSR classes, Abby band competitions, Abby had "the" flu for a week, our regular jobs and did I mention laundry?? I have been trying to get caught up since our washer died (RIP) last week. We did get a chance to have some fun. I still have a bunch of photos on my camera to download so I'll try to get that done soon......

Here is Ben making lunch for us.....pizza! Like his shirt? We had a pizza fundraiser that morning and he and Gabe like to wear their flag football shirts for advertisement for us! Love this one.....

Ben now putting on the cheese......

Dad supervising the process......"Make sure to put the cheese to the edge!"

Gabe was in charge of making my side of the pizza....green olives and bacon...I think he did great!

This month (October) is Life Month. As with most years Brian and has had his High School PSR class make a Life sign in our front yard.....here is the process.....

One Side.....

The other side......It was getting dark so we had to use headlights to light up the sign!

Team Work.....

Getting the message out there.......

Working as a group.......

Well the sign will come down this weekend but we always get many great comments on the message....

Ok....there is your update! I will try harder (ok...maybe). Tonight we have the 1st Playoff game for the football team. We will be doing our cookout stand for the Band Boosters. GO HEARTS!

Tommorrow is another fundraiser in the AM, carving pumpkins and then Trick or Treating!

EHS Homecoming......

2009-10-06T11:42:00.003-05:00

Last week was EHS homecoming week. We had the parade on Thursday, Game on Friday and Abby went to the Dance on Saturday...

Here is Gabe saying "Give me Candy!"..... Beau got to help build the Spanish Club float and then walk in the parade....

Ben and Gabe enjoying the floats (and candy)....

Abby gett ready for the dance.....

Doesn't she look great??

She (and I) loved her dress......

Here is Abby and her boyfriend Jeff.....he plays on the Varsity Football Team and is a nice guy....

Abby and some of her girlfriends......

Of course we had to visit Ali at Walgreens.....Yeah...Abby is that much taller then Ali!

Abby and Her Color Guard.....

2009-09-29T13:30:00.006-05:00

I thought I would show you some of Abby's Color Guard photos.....

Here she is with her rifle......

Isn't she cute??

Her Color Guard Team......don't they look serious?

Now crazy pose......with their coach Kate....

Last weekend the Band performed at the Eastern Illinois University Marching Competition....

Getting ready for the music to start....first one up front.....

Big smile for the judges......

Dancing......

Now with the flags....she's in the middle

The whole band looking great!!

Running with flag.......so fast she's blurry.....

The Band won all the individual awards and got 1st over all!! They have a great program this year and the kids really enjoy it. Abby really likes color guard and is planning on doing Winter guard later this year.

You can go to www.effinghamband.org to see their performances on YTube!

A Wedding Up North.......

2009-09-14T12:44:00.002-05:00

The last weekend in August we attended the wedding of Brian's cousin Mark and his new wife Waynie in the Chicago area.

Of course we are supposed to be relaxing for the weekend and here is Brian......(atleast he is poolside!)..... Gabe enjoying the reception.....He was trying to be Mr. Fancy Pants with his wine glass....

Abby looked great in her dress.....They had all this neat furniture that she had to try out....

The Bride and Groom coming out of the church......It was a beautiful wedding....

Me with my boys.....They get cleaned up really nice.....And Yes...Beau is almost as tall as me!

It was a nice weekend to just get away.......

Are You Ready for Some (Flag) Football?

2009-08-26T13:43:00.003-05:00

Last night was Ben and Gabe's (and Brian's) first flag football game. The B Team lost but the A Team won! Brian is coaching the Schuette Foodservice Cardinals this year.

Here is Gabe showing off his mouth piece....
Ben trying to smile with his mouth piece in....

Gabe getting set up for the ball....

Ben in action on the field.....

The boys were excited last night and looking forward to their next game....

First Day of School!!!

2009-08-19T11:21:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day of school....I think everyone was ready to go.....

Beau...Freshman at EHS...... Abby.....Junior at EHS.....

Ben.....4th Grade at Central.....

Gabe......2nd Grade at Southside......

We are hoping for a great year!

Brian & Kenda's Las Vegas Getaway......

2009-08-18T11:39:00.010-05:00

Last month Brian and I took a few days and headed to Las Vegas. Here are some photos of our trip. They are in no certain order for the trip..... Down on Freemont Street (the older/original part of Las Vegas)....

Ceasar's Palace....

Our hotel, the Belagio had these great fountain shows they put on each night....

Hoover Dam...This is the new bridge/roadway over the river. The traffic in the area is so bad at times it can back up for hours that this bridge should help.....

Looking down at the dam....

This is the roadway over the dam this is being replaced with the above bridge.....

Inside the Dam.....

Dam Water pipes.....

We went on a cruise of Lake Mead....the largest man made lake......

This is the other side of Hoover Dam from Lake Mead....(See the new bridge)...

Crusing down the Lake.....

It was a beautiful lake....very clean....

We stopped at a Visitor's Center and here is another view of Lake Mead....

When we were at Freemont Street I got my "cards read"....Looks like I have a long life and I apparently am still seeking my "soul mate!!!".....I had never had this done, it was fun....

Binions Casino.....Brian and I got our photo taken with a MILLION DOLLARS here....

This is the Freemont Street in the daytime.....

Here it is in the evening with all the lights....They would put on light shows in the ceiling and all the casino lights would turn off and everyone would just stop and watch....really cool.... One of the many things that has changed since we were in Las Vegas last is that you can now take photos in the casinos (just not in the high rollers area!)....I was loving this....

Brian even took a photo of me! Notice I was doing the 5cent machines....

Look at the size of this machine.......

Brian on the esculators near New York and Excalabur casinos.....

Here is Brian trying his luck.....

Paris hotel....very nice....

Besides seeing Elvis a few hundred times, our only other "celebrity sighting" was Dick Buckus....I I honestly did not know who he was!

The Venetian....They had gondala rides but since it was sprinkling they closed them down...that was on my list of stuff to do (oh well.....)

They had a M&M World on the strip.....of course I had to take my photo with M&M guy (Brian would not do it....I don't know why)....

Like the driving billboard behind him??? They were everywhere, I guess that's why they call it Sin City.....

This mall was attached to our hotel....it had Dior, Tiffany's, and every high end shop you could think of...needless to say...we did not do much (or any) shopping here....

Hand blown glass flowers in the lobby of our hotel.....

Our hotel lobby......BEAUTIFUL.....

The Flower area of our hotel......

They had all these animals made of flowers......

We have never stayed at a hotel that provided up with our own robes.....

Here is our room......it was soooooo nice....

The view outside our 26th floor room......We could watch all the beautiful people sun bathe!

Our hotel again at night.....

After a nice few days away we headed home when our van broke down in Greenville.....We stayed the night and tried to head out again the next day and ended up breaking down in Mulberry Grove where Ali picked us up and we had the van towed home.....Here is Brian looking at me thinking I can't believe you are taking photos of me right now!!!!

There are a few other things....but like the saying goes...what happens in Vegas...stays in Vegas!!

Summer Archery.....

2009-08-09T19:53:00.002-05:00

It's been really crazy around here the last few weeks and the next couple don't seem to be any slower...Thought I would update while I do have a few free moments...The boys did some archery this summer with the Effingham Park District.....

The summer is almost over.....we had a good summer. School starts on August 19th. The boys did alot of things this summer and the fall looks to be fun too. They are going to do flag football and Brian is going to be their coach! We also have Abby's Band Marching season to look forward too.

Ben at Little Heart's Football Camp.....

2009-07-21T18:37:00.003-05:00

Ben attended his second Little Heart's Football Camp put on by the EHS Football Team this month..

Here he is (in orange shirt) running with the ball..... Teams playing a scrimmage game on the last day......Ben with his piece of the watermelon (his favorite part of camp!)....

Ben with his camp t-shirt and football....

Grades 3 and 4 teams (Ben is in the middle in back).....

Catching Up.....

2009-07-16T08:20:00.006-05:00

I am trying to get caught up on some fun we have had so far this month so here are a couple of things we have done.

Remember our kittens that were born the night of Beau Promotion? Well here they are now (6 weeks old)... Aren't they cute? There are 5 of them (although Ali did just take 2 yesterday to her house)...The boys have named them Lady, Whiny, Cheese, Betty and Sir Sleeps ALot!

The first week of July was baseball clinic for Ben and Gabe.....

Ben giving me a big smile....

Gabe getting his turn to catch.....

Our boys still love to play with sidewalk chalk. Here are Beau and Ben making sure everyone knows who's house ours is.....

Ben adding his artwork to the cause......

Beau working hard on his artwork.....

Bob and Jane went on a trip recently and brought back some chocolates they got from Hershey PA.... Gabe attempting to eat it all!!! It did not happen....he even said that it was too much chocolate (I had to make sure he was not sick!).....

I still have plently to share....we have done alot this summer. It's been fun.

Ben & Ali's Summer Adventure.....

2009-07-12T20:05:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago Ben went to stay with Ali at her house in Mattoon. She took him to the local pool and afterwards she and her roommate took him to Champaign to Olive Garden. She bought a water camera and took some photos of their adventure (I have trained my kids well!).

Here is Ben going done the water slide..... Ali and Ben enjoying each other......

Ben under water....I love the bubbles!

Ben getting soaked under the water mushroom....

Ali and Ben......Don't you just LOVE Ali's sunglasses??

It was really nice of Ali to take him. He can't wait to do it again.....

$3.50 Worth of Fun!!

2009-07-09T20:24:00.002-05:00

Last week we needed to go to Catholic Charities to try to find Ben some cleats for Little Hearts Football camp (did not want to buy new ones right now). Well we did not find any of those....but we did find rollerblades! We got 2 pairs of rollerblades and all the padding we needed for $3.50! What a deal!

Ben and Gabe got all set up to try to rollerblade and then realized that they could not go down the steps! The crawled across the porch and scooted down the steps! Trying out their "new" skates......

Watch out.....here comes Ben.....

Gabe putting all he's got into trying to go down our "hill".....

The rollerblader "dudes"....

They had a blast and keep practicing and getting better each day.....Gabe did tell me that night it was one of his best days so far this summer! Sweet :)

Fireworks and Fun......

2009-07-06T15:51:00.005-05:00

We had a great 4th of July....We slept in, watched some movies, bought fireworks, cooked out, watched fireworks at the mall, and did our own fireworks show at our house!

Here Brian and Shakes are waiting for the fireworks to start.....

Ben and Gabe enjoying some ice cream in the back of the van before the fireworks.....We sat in the parking lot in the front of the mall. We did not want to go to far from the van since it was supposed to start raining again..... The Grand Finale.....

Ben and Gabe enjoying the fireworks....Ben decided to try to take some photos with his cell phone......

This year we decided since the boys were older we would get some different fireworks for them to set off. Here is Brian explaining them to the boys and all the "rules" with handling fireworks... Here they are watching the fireworks go off......

After the mall fireworks were over we came home to set off the rest of our own fireworks...Even Brian was getting into the action....

These fireworks were just green smoke! Real exciting......

We placed sparklers in the ground and lit them......

Beau enjoying some sparklers.... Ben among the smoke of the sparklers......

The boys were setting off some under the porch and the smoke would just linger under there....luckily our neighbors were also setting some off or they may have called the fire department.....

Gabe having some fun with sparklers too....

Beau and Ben trying to light something Beau designed in the ground. It really looks like a bonfire!

The boys thought the fireworks this year were the best.....They can't wait until next 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2009-07-04T09:34:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone has a good 4th of July......hopefully we will be able to do something today since it's raining and is supposed to all day :(

Nothing says Happy 4th of July more than American Flags in Fruity Pebbles!!

Have a great day........

Fun at Sacred Heart Picnic......

2009-06-28T17:22:00.004-05:00

We took our annual trip to the Sacred Heart Church Picnic. It was hot. We ate some hamburgers, played some games, and then the rides. It was hot. We were in and out of there in about an hour! Did I mention it was hot?

The Scrambler......

I like this close up. It was hard to get some shot with the ride moving so fast....
I love the boys' faces in this one....pure fun!

Talking about how fun the ride was......

The Octopus......

Talking Dad into a couple more rides.......

Ben went on this one by himself......

Here is Gabe on The Dinosaur....he's the one is the very back..... I can't tell if he liked it or not?? It's kinda a fake smile.....

It was nice to let the boys have some fun and to be able to support the Church.

Oh....the sports clinic this past week was Soccer. The boys went one day and did not go back (so no photos). It was just too hot for them but hopefully this week will be better for baseball.

A Visit to a Covered Bridge......

2009-06-24T14:15:00.002-05:00

Gabe and I had to make 3 deliveries yesterday morning. On our way back we took the "scenic route" home and as we went through Greenup we saw the covered bridge. Gabe thought it was really cool so we pulled around to go see it up close. I have seen the bridge several times, even went on it but never got out of the car. It's really cool.....

Gabe thought this was cool cause I let him stand in the middle of road......
Checking out the inside of the bridge....

A view of the bridge and the river under it......

Here we are driving through it....

And this is another view of the bridge coming at it from another way (we were going West this time).......

What a fun time Gabe and I had exploring the bridge. It's fun to explore things right in our own backyard!!! Also this is exactly why I am glad I have a small camera in my purse at all times!

Our HAPPY Father's Day!

2009-06-22T19:49:00.005-05:00

We went to Uncle Todd and Aunt Lisa's house (Brian's Brother and wife). The kids got to swim and we enjoyed some family time and good food.....

Here is me and my daddy.... How many Schuette's does it take to fix a broken table??

Yes....this is the father to all my kids........

Ali and Auntie Carmen.......

Grandpa Bo and some of his grandkids (Ali, Beau, Ben & Gabe -- Abby was working)

Here is Grandpa Bob with 11 of the 12 of his grandkids (again...Abby was working).....

Ben and Grandpa Bob......

Ali with her daddy......

Beau enjoying the pool......

Gabe relaxing in the tube......

Ben is soaking up the sun.......

We had a great Father's Day.......

Summer Flag Football Clinic......

2009-06-18T13:49:00.003-05:00

Ben told me I had to update our blog.....he is a faithful reader! :)

This weeks Park District clinic was flag football. With the weather being rainy this week one day was cancelled, one day was in the small gym at the Rec Center and finally they got to play outside yesterday and today.....

Doing some stretches after a good game of flag football....

Putting the flags away.......

And what do you do when it's 90+ degrees and you have been running around playing football.....dump the remaining water from your bottle on your head!!!

Once again this year the boys are having a great time with the clinics. They get excited to do different things each week.

Summer Basketball Clinic......

2009-06-10T14:11:00.003-05:00

Ben and Gabe started their summer sports clinics this week.

This week was basketball.

Gabe putting a shot up......

Next week is flag football........

The Little Theatre...at the Park!!

2009-06-06T18:54:00.002-05:00

Friday Gabe and I went to the Community Park (Ben did join us later). The EHS DramaT.I.C.S Presented The Jungle Book. They asked for some little "wolves" to help out. Well I think Gabe had his hand up first! Here he is trying out his howling.....

You can see him sitting down on the stage......
Here is another shot of him on stage.....there were certain parts that he and the other little wolves had to howl.....He did great! The had the play at the bottom of the "sledding hill". Great location.

Here he is watching the play...... The Drama Club did a great job with putting on this play. They also did a more adult one the same evening.

NOW its......Happy Birthday Brian!!!!

2009-06-05T16:27:00.002-05:00

Now today is Brian's Birthday!!! We LOVE you..........

Hope you have a great day......

Happy 14th Birthday Beau!!!!!

2009-06-04T10:59:00.002-05:00

Today is Beau's 14th Birthday.....WOW!

Have a wonderful day Beau......We Love You!!!

More Construction and Library Party......

2009-06-02T17:39:00.003-05:00

We went again to check on the demo of the grade school this afternoon. Here is what we saw..

In this photo it's hard to see but there is a bunny running out from under all the debris! He looked really scared and probably was wondering what was going on. I think the majority of the day was used to scoop up all the metal and bricks.....

They are making progress but I don't think it will be done on Wednesday...what do you think?? Brian and I were commenting that the scene in the area will be changed forever now. The more of building they take down, the more of the church you can see from this angle....

This afternoon I took the boys to the Library's Summer Read Kick off party. It was to be held at Evergreen park but we are under a storm watch so they had it at the library. It was a little crowded but the boys had fun.....

Ben Face painting.........

Gabe with the elephant that kept following us!

Beau balancing a peacock feather on his hand.....he even talked the man into selling him one for 50 cents......

Ben and Gabe making a circle snake.....

Another fun fill summer day........

A Busy Monday........

2009-06-01T16:19:00.003-05:00

Today, Monday was a busy way to start the first full week of summer vacation. It's started early in the morning with the sounds of the crane starting to take down the old St. Anthony Grade School that just a block south of our house. This is the grade school that alot of Brian's family went to and still do (also Ali, Abby & Beau went there for a few years too). St. Anthony was blessed with a new Grade School that they have been working on the last year and will be opened in the Fall. Here is a view of the Northside of the old school.
And this is what woke us up this morning and has been providing some free entertainment for the boys....

Gabe is ready for a good show....he just missing his popcorn......

Here is Fr. Leo, he's our pastor and he is being interviewed by an area news channel....The boys thought that was really cool Fr. Leo is going to be on TV!

Here is Ben trying to help keep up some of the construction......

This was taken later this afternoon(you can compare the earlier photos to see how much they got done).....you can see the new school just behind it....it's really nice. They are scheduled to keep tearing down the school tommorrow and Wednesday.....Yeah...more entertainment!!! Also I wanted to point out that you can see the Church stepple from this photo.....
During the time of them watching the demo we had to take a break and honor some of the soldiers (National Guard) that are returning to the area....The welcome route came right in front of our house, although we had to come to the other side of the road cause there were cars parked in front of our house from traffic being stopped.....
There were people as far as I could see up and down Third Street......The boys were so funny with their flags. They were waving them in ways that looked like they were trying to help land airplanes on the road!!!

Here comes the soldiers......

Thank you for your service........(see the hands waving outside the bus?)
It was a busy day (watching demo of school, welcoming home soldiers, sales calls, bank deposits, eating breakfast, making lunch, meeting delivery truck, doctor's visit for Brian's stuffy nose, downloading over 100 photos (just from today), blogging, post office, house payment, truck issues, breaking up a few disagreements between the boys and having a few myself with Abby, laundry, clean up kitchen, check e-mail, make iced tea, deciding on dinner and the day is not done.....yeah...it's been a busy day....I really hope that all the days of summer are not like this...I'm tired.

Our Family Has Grown By 20 Feet!!!!

2009-05-30T16:03:00.003-05:00

This is Darren. Back in November sometime we recieved a call from Fr. Daren asking us if we could take in a kitten that had followed him home one evening from the hospital. Not wanting to tell Father no we took HIM in with the other 2 cats we own. HE was a good fit. HE was really friendly and the kids loved HIM.

It was not until this spring that we quickly realized that Darren was not a HIM but a HER!! Ooops......So Thursday night, while we were at Beau's 8th Grade Promotion, Darren was having her babies....yes there was 5 when we got home.......I personally think they look like little werewolves.......

But they are really cute......(and so is Ben)

Ok....so Fr. Daren if you are reading this....we have this one picked out for you, we even named him/her St. Damien just for good measure. Also for your information, the kitten should be ready to come with you to your new assignment :) Just kidding........

Here is another photo of mama and her babies........

So that's the story of how our family has grown by 20 Feet!!!!

Beau's 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony.....

2009-05-29T12:51:00.003-05:00

Last night was Beau's 8th Grade promotion ceremony at EHS gym.
That him coming into his seat.... Go up to get his certificate.....
Yeah!! Good Job!!!
He looked really good in his cap and gown. This will be the last year they do the caps and gowns and Brian and I could not be happier!! :) We actually have a collection of graduation gowns and caps (I think 4 of them all white-3 EJHS promotions & 1 EHS Graduation). They are in keepsake boxes now....

The whole class of 2013...Do you see Beau? He's the one with the white cap! (that's Brian's lame joke for the night)

Trying to get all 5 to pose for a photo gets interesting....sometimes I just take what I can get....

Close up of his tassel.....

Once again.....looking good. He had a great evening.

After the ceremony we went to Cracker Barrel for a late dinner.

We really are proud of all his efforts this year. It's been tough but I really think he's ready for High School (wow we are going to have 2 at EHS again!).

Gabe's Southside Carnival......

2009-05-26T16:01:00.002-05:00

Today was Gabe's 1st Grade Carnival. I went to help out in the morning. The kids got to go to about 12 stations and do a game, then get a prize. It's really fun for them. This is my 3rd year helping (I helped with Ben's 1st/2nd grades too). The PTO does a great job getting things organized for this. Showing off his firefighter duck.....One bag has his goodies and other is popcorn (they also got a popsicle too).....

Working the ring toss.....

This was the hula hoop game.....

And of course.....face painting...flames....cool!

Luckily the rain stayed away for just enough time for the kids to have a great time. Only one more full day left then it's out for summer!!!!

PS....I just realized that my date stamp on my camera is wrong....this is why I usually turn the darn thing off...it's a pet peeve of mine.

A Hard Shell Visitor........

2009-05-21T14:27:00.002-05:00

A week or so ago the boys found a turtle in the yard. They played with him for awhile then took him to the park and let him go.....

Shakes loved to sniff the turtle......She was really good with her new friend.....

Gabe thought the turtle would have fun in his dump truck.....

Close up of the visitor....he was really friendly and did not hide in his shell much......

Ali Visits with the Pets.....

2009-05-19T14:41:00.004-05:00

Here are some recent photos of Ali. She was in town visiting (for those that don't know she is living in Mattoon these days) and wanted to visit with the pets.

Here she is with Darren.....Darren is about to give birth to kittens anyday now...Anyone that wants a kitten let us know!!! Shakes looks a little scared doesn't she? I think it's a great photo to the two of them...

Beau's Mentor Awards Night....

2009-05-15T09:29:00.003-05:00

We attended Beau's Mentor Awards Night last night at Central. Beau has had a Mentor since 3rd grade. Here Beau and Racheal (his mentor) are accepting their award and since he is in 8th grade they gave them each a photo of the two of them together....
Beau and Racheal...She has been with him since 5th grade (so 4 years) and plans to go to the high school with him next fall! She has been so good with him and he really enjoys their weekly lunch "dates".

And here is Beau with his new glasses.....His other ones broke last week so it was time to get a new pair. I like them....You can see his old ones in the photo to the right.....

My Mother's Day........

2009-05-11T14:20:00.002-05:00

My Mother's Day started out with a gift from the kids...a point & shoot camera. Now I love my Canon SLR camera (I sometimes call it one of my kids) but it really gets bulky to take places sometimes. I have mentioned (ok...hinted) that I would like a smaller point & shoot to keep in my purse....well the kids came through for me!! It's a Kodak Easy Share and has some really cool features.

After Mass we headed to Jane's to visit and then to the cemetary to visit my mom. After that Brian took us to Cracker Barrel and then home for naps.....it was a good day. Oh yeah...Brian also got me my favorite chocolate pie from Martins!! Very good day!!

Here are the boys waiting for our table at Cracker Barrel.....They love these big checkers.
We went to Walgreens and got some flowers to take to Granny's site....

I like how Abby is helping Gabe place some of the flowers too.....It's up off the ground where he can't reach.....

There is no vase so instead of placing them on the ground the kids stuck them in between the cracks.....

This is the first time I have taken photos at her grave and I think she would like our flowers......
BTW....all these photos were taken with my new camera!

How About Some School Programs?

2009-05-08T16:23:00.002-05:00

It's the end of the school year....what does that mean? School Programs! Having 5 kids it's a never ending job to go schools and watch the kids perform. The teachers really do a good job getting the kids ready for these programs. Having seen ALOT of programs it's still fun to see the kids having fun. Ask Brian this is one of his favorite parts of being a parent!! ;)

Here is Ben's 3rd Grade Program entitled "Saturday".....This is at Central School.....

They sang songs about what they do on Saturdays and why it's their favorite day of the week..
Ben had to come up and say one line "Where is the football?".....he did a great job!!

Now Gabe's class had a classroom play. They sang and acted out all the things they have learned in 1st Grade. They did a great job too.....

Do you think he's happy to see me?

Only about 3 weeks left of school and we still have Abby's Band Concert, Beau's Mentor Party, Southside Carnival and Beau's Graduation (and I think there is something I am missing). We can make it......then SUMMER!!!!!

Bubble Blowing Boys......

2009-05-06T12:52:00.002-05:00

Here are some photos of Ben and Gabe blowing bubbles recently. Even at their ages (9 & 7) blowing bubbles is still a favorite at our house. They must get that from me!! I love Bubbles!!

This bubble got bigger then his head.....

Each wand did something different...here Ben's made lots of bubbles at one time......

This is the "old fashioned" wand type (like when I was a kid)....

One of my favorites.....

Abby Goes to Prom!!!!

2009-05-04T11:38:00.002-05:00

Abby and her boyfriend Nick attended Dieterich High School Prom on Saturday. That's where Nick goes to high school, he's a junior. They looked really nice and Abby was especially beautiful that night....take a look.....
Yes....those are cows....You should ask Abby what cows do when they are scared of you!

Here is an example when you don't change the white balance on your camera (I had it set to florescent from Gabe's classroom play a day earlier).....See the difference in the photo above and the next two.....We can change them in photo shop so that's not a big deal, just a little more work....The above photo shows the real colors of her dress......

This was taken at my dad's house at the lake.....

This is my favorite one of the both of them.....

A Trip to St. Louis.....

2009-04-30T11:30:00.003-05:00

The weekend before Gabe's birthday we had to go to St. Louis to pick Ali up from her trip to see Aunt Ronda in Boise. Gabe had been asking to see Monster v. Aliens but it had to be in 3-D. Since no places around here were showing it I found a theatre in St. Louis that was, so we took him to see the movie as part of his birthday....

Here is Ben and Gabe outside of the theatre...
The "Boys" with their 3-D glasses after the movie....Cool Dudes!

This one was taken inside the theatre....I had to make it quick (and no flash-that's why it's blurry) since we could not take photos....

After the movie we headed to the airport....Here is Gabe and Ben....Look...Gabe is taking over my job by posing and taking photos of Ben....
Ben with a mural of Charles Lindbergh.....

Gabe....with his camera.....taking a photo of me taking a photo of him!

Beau standing in front of the Chapel in the Airport. It was really nice, I had never seen it before. This was not here when I worked at the airport. It was just a wall (janitor's room inside) and around the corner was where I worked in the Flight Attendant's Adminstrative Office. It was in the basement.

Ali arriving from her flight......Doesn't she look glad to see us?

This is where I spent almost 2 1/2 years when I was working for TWA (Baggage Service)....It's has changed alot, as well as the rest of the airport....They are finally updating the baggage carousels and have done a few already.

I thought this was funny.....my family can not read "DO NOT ENTER!"

It's always fun to spend the day away having fun........

Busy, Nice Weekend......

2009-04-26T21:13:00.003-05:00

Saturday was the Annual Bowling awards at Silver Dollar Lanes...All three boys were on teams this year.

Here is Gabe with his awards....1st Place Team (Schuette Foods) and Most Improved for his league.....This was his first year bowling....

Ben recieved 1st Place Team (Also Schuette Foods) and another for high scratch game....

Grandpa Bo came and watched the awards......

Here are all three with their awards....Beau's team (again Schuette Foods) got 2nd Place and he also got an individual award for a scatch game.....

Ben and Gabe with their team mate Wyatt as the 1st Place team in the Bantums.....

On Sunday we attended our godson, Liam, 1st Communion. It was a special day for him and we were so glad we were there for him.

His mom Leigh Anne is one of my dearest friends. We have know each other since I was 6 and she was 4 years old!! We have always stayed in each others lives and it's nice now to watch our kids grow up knowing each other.
Here is Liam with his Communion cake....Isn't he cute??
He was getting tired of photos so when it was our turn to get one with him we thought we would do something a little different.....Look at all our hairs...it was soooo windy.....

It was a nice week and the following week proves to be another busy one....

Misc. Photos To Share......

2009-04-20T11:49:00.002-05:00

Here are a few photos to share....

This is the way Shakes spent most of the winter....wrapped up in her blanket! She gets really cold so we have a special blanket for her. We call her Granny Shakes.....
Ali and Shakes.....

Gypsy trying to look all innocent from all the stuff she does......

Ben on St. Patrick's Day......

Gabe after a shower with crazy hair......

Happy 7th Birthday Gabe!!!!

2009-04-19T10:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Gabe's 7th Birthday!! He had a great day. He started out at bowling, got to pick lunch (McDonald's, of course!), went to visit his Godparents Noah & Holly, went to Walmart and picked out his present (Moon Sand, I guess it's the coolest stuff ever), got a new pair of shoes and ended the day with a special cake! We had also celebrated his birthday last weekend by going to St. Louis to see Monsters v. Aliens in 3D. Not bad for a 7th Birthday!!!

We did not want a big cake so we would not have alot of extra so we found this little cake that was just perfect...
Make a Wish.......

It was a small cake but we were able to put 7 candles on it......

A Weekend With Lincoln.....

2009-04-14T13:21:00.004-05:00

One weekend in March we took the boys and went to Springfield to get away...We walked around downtown and also visited the Lincoln Presidental Museum.

Here we spotted a piece of art of Lincoln all made with jelly beans....
Ben outside the Old State Capital.....

And now Gabe....

I thought this was funny.....Lincoln eating a hotdog!

We stopped and eat at a local pizza place and since Beau has been on an onion ring kick lately he had to have some of those.....

Here is Ben and Gabe....if you look to the right of the Old Capital you can also see the current State Capital Building also.....

Here is Gabe in front of a painting of Lincoln inside the Museum......

It's Abe! No....it's really Ben :)

Gabe dressed up as a soldier......

Gabe with Abe as a young boy outside his family's log home in Kentucky......

This is the only photo I got from the "inside" of the museum. There were to be no photos taken but I tried a few (of course without my flash) and got in trouble by Gabe from not following the rules! I am glad I have him to keep me honest. This is a photo of Mary Lincoln getting ready for a fancy dinner at the White House. The gowns they had were beautiful.....

I am trying to get some information on the lastest war news from the Generals but they are not sharing any important information with me.....

They have a replica of the White House inside of the Museum that was really cool.....Ben and Gabe are near the front.....

Here is Beau and Ben with the Lincoln Family......The detail at the museum is fantastic. The wax models are so real life. Gabe was afraid at first to touch them......

If you are ever in Springfield....this is a must to do when seeing all the other Lincoln sites.

It was really nice to spend sometime in Springfield that did not include a trip to the Cardic Ward at St. John's Hospital! We have so much to do right here in Illinois that it's fun to see what's in "our backyard".

Hope Your Easter was Happy!!

2009-04-12T18:23:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter.....We had a very nice day.

It's been a tradition the last few years that Grandma Jane would invite usually the youngest grandkids to her house on Good Friday to color eggs. This is great for me cause I hate the mess of dying eggs (and Grandma even cleans it up!) This year it was Sara, Madison, Ben, Gabe, Morgan and James. Here is some of the finished eggs......

Ben coloring his eggs......Now it's Gabe's turn..... We have always had an Easter Egg Hunt. This year I thought I could get away from not doing it. It's not that I don't like to do it it's just I did not think anyone would care......Well as the day went on that's all Ben and Gabe talked about. Not having any candy in the house to fill eggs Brian and I went to Walmart and found something. I filled the eggs (I think we have around 100) with the candy and also some loose change and took the boys outside and "hid" them. Even though they watched me "hide" them they had a good time picking them up. Some of the eggs we use every year are eggs my Mom used when she would do the annual hunt. It's kinda a special touch to know that Granny is still with us.

Ben and Gabe working together to find the eggs.....They took turns so that they each could have the same amount of eggs...

Ben spotted one in the grass!!!

Gabe going in for the pick up.......

The baskets are full....let's go see how much we got!! Ben wanted me to tell you also that he had his pockets full of eggs too!

100 Days of School.....

2009-04-09T13:01:00.002-05:00

In January sometime Ben's school (Central) celebrated the 100 days of school. Ben only told me the morning of that they were supposed to dress as if they were 100 years old! So with 20 minutes to go this is what we came up with.....A 100 year old French man!!
The hat is an old beret (don't know where we got that), Brian's suit coat, broom stick for a cane and the mustache I cut out with paper and taped it to his lip....Oh and the box is an old crate that I had on my shelf with my other antiques......

He was pretty happy with him self (and me....yeah mom gets a gold star!). I think he looks really cute too.

Beau's Confirmation....

2009-04-06T12:33:00.002-05:00

Beau celebrated his sacrement of Confirmation on April 2nd (last Thursday). It was a nice night and we are especially proud of him. He choose Padre Pio as his Confirmation name.

Here is Beau with Bishop Lucus, his Grandma Jane and cousins Blake and Jacob.....
The 2009 Confirmation Class of St. Anthony.....

Beau is second from left of the Bishop.....

Here is Grandma Jane pinning on Beau's stole.....She was his sponsor.....

Beau with Bishop Lucas......

Beau with Grandpa Bo after the service......

Beau now with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Jane.....

Beau with our favorite blogging priest....Father Daren......

And last with Aunt Carmen (his God Mother) over at Grandma/Grandpa's house afterwards...

It was really a special night.....We now have 3 out of the 5 kids confirmed! Gabe will have the next sacrement with 1st Communion/1st Reconciliation next year.

Ben and Big Ben.....

2009-04-02T09:46:00.002-05:00

Well since the President and First Lady are in London this week, Ben thought he would go too and attend the G20 Summit and give his ideas at to how to handle the worlds problems (who knows he may have some really good ideas!)

First he did some sightseeing.....Here is a photo of him standing in front of Big Ben.......

April Fools!! Ok...it's a day late.....Ali works at Walgreens in the photo center and they are having a Photo Fun day on Saturday so all the associates got one free photo item. Since Ben collects Big Ben stuff we thought it would be fun to do this. It's really neat. It's a 8x10 and we are going to put it in a frame and hang it in his room with his other Big Ben stuff.

We're BBBBAAAACCCCKKKK......

2009-03-31T14:29:00.005-05:00

After much thought (and some begging) I have decided to resume our family blog. The kids have really missed me posting about them. So here we are again......Again not promising on daily posts but hope you visit often....

So in January we got a huge snow storm (something like 10 inches). Of course playing the snow was a given. Here are a few from one of the days of snow playing.....

Our dog Gypsy loved the snow...this was her first snow. She would start running/jumping through the snow....Here she is digging her head in it....
Ben thought it would be a good idea to stick his face in snow (well Gyspy did it)! I am so proud.

Gabe enjoying the snow.....

Gabe NOT enjoying the snow (in his face!).....

Ali even joined in on the wintertime fun....

Ben doing a "snow angle"....

Gypsy in the snow again......You can see from this photo how much snow we got...

See the snow on her face....She just loved it.....

Beau building his snow forth with snow formed from a 5 gallon bucket....it was really neat.

Gypsy and Ali......

Check back later for more.....we have done a few things since our last post........See you then!

Taking a Break From Blogging.....

2009-01-19T09:24:00.002-06:00

I have decided to take a break from blogging. Not that nothing is going on here, there is plenty, I just can't seem to find the time to update on a regualr basis. We are all doing fine so don't worry about that. Thanks for reading my blog in the past.

Finally Some Chirstmas Photos.....

2009-01-10T12:17:00.003-06:00

I finally had some time to download some of our Christmas photos. The kids had a great day and they even got most of what they asked for (I guess they were good this year)....

Here is Ben with his electric guitar.
Gabe getting excited about one of his gifts.....

Shakes wishing Abby a Merry Christmas.....

Gabe adjusting an ornament on the tree.....

Santa's snack....Peanut Butter sandwich, fritos and some coke....

Beau with his gifts.....

Abby posing in her Christmas PJ's!

Check out the fireplace screen.....Santa came (cause it's open!) Gabe checking to see what gifts have his name on them....

Ali and Benny Elf......

Schuette Day of Fun......

2009-01-02T11:26:00.003-06:00

On December 26 we took Abby and the Boys to St. Louis to Mills Mall. This was our first trip to this mall and it was very nice. Abby and I decided we need to go back again without the boys!!

They had this Nascar Themed amusement area so of course we had to check it out.
This is for Grandpa Bo.....Ben spotted this and thought of him!! We don't know exactly what the piece is but they had alot of them hanging on the walls from different cars and they looked real??

Ben trying his driving skills on the track....

Here is Ben, Abby and Ben all ready to race.....

They had this really cool mural on the wall......It was huge.

Gabe was too small to ride the go carts but we found him some other rides to go on....

Here is the photo we will put in the paper when he turns 16! Notice he is driving from the back seat. The front was too little for him...

Beau....working his way around the track.....

Abby still looking cute even when the wind is blowing through her hair.......Great Schuette Day of Fun!! We also celebrated Ben's 9th Birthday this day....

Gabe in a bubble.......

Ok....this ride was nothing like it looks....the kids thought it was really lame.....

Hope everyone has a great 2009.....We are sure hoping for a good year!!!!

Abby's Contract........

2008-12-29T19:13:00.002-06:00

Ok....we have discussed Abby's mouth before.....well now we have a contract that she agrees to "be good, say only good" or we can take her car away for 2 weeks!!!!

Here she is reading the "contract" to the Judge (I mean Dad).
The Judge is asking questions pretaining to the contract..... The Defendant......

The Contract is accepted......

I love our legal system!!!!

And I have to say so far....so good!

Happy 9th Birthday Ben........

2008-12-27T15:04:00.002-06:00

Today....December 27th is Ben's 9th Birthday!!! We celebrated yesterday by spending the day in St. Louis at the Mill's Mall. We had a great day........

Hope you have a great day..........We love you Ben!!!!

Christmas Cookies.......

2008-12-24T15:39:00.002-06:00

This was our first attempt at making Christmas Cookies. We had a good time. We decided next year we need a bunch of different shapes (so I will look at the end of year clearance stuff!) and alot of different icings.

Here is Gabe testing the icing.....
Abby getting ready to start decorating......

We always thought Ben had a "brown nose"!

The aftermath.......It was funny how much fun they were having until it was time to clean up....they all disappeared......

We hope you all have a Blessed and Merry Christmas.........

Gabe's 1st Grade Christmas Program

2008-12-23T12:16:00.002-06:00

Gabe had his 1st Grade Christmas Program on December 11. It was very cute. The theme was the Elves Impersanators (I know that's spelled wrong?!).

Here is Elvis...Gabe is just to the left of Elvis in a red sweater with white strip.
There he is again...this time scratching his ear......

He got to play the triangles in the "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" song.....

This was three of the six 1st grade classes. They split it up because not everyone could fix in this little gym.....

He's on the end waving good night to everyone.....

BTW.....all these photos were taking by Ben!! He came with us and because we had to sit so far back he got right up front to take some photos. I think he did a great job.

Operation MOM Repo.......

2008-12-20T18:20:00.002-06:00

OK....I know it's been awhile. I honestly did not think alot of people read my blog until I kinda stopped updating! I will try harder to entertain you guys with the "happenings" of our family. So without further notice....

Operation MOM Repo.....

Here's the story. Abby has a way with her mouth that sometimes is not very "nice". Since getting her license we can use this to our advantage and take her car away. One morning before school she started in again, refused to give over her keys and left for school. Now normally I would leave this kinda stuff up to Brian but since he was working I had to come up with something to get her attention right then......this is where Operation MOM Repo comes in. With the help of Ali (and Gabe, he was feeling icky that day), we drove to the Effingham High School and took Abby's car! It was so funny....and I think it got the point acrossed to her. She did not know anything until she came out to her car after school and the car was gone!!! :)

Ali and Gabe with "the key"....

Here is the "subject" for the repo........
Ali and Gabe putting in the key......So far, so good!

They got it opened!! Quick before we get caught!!

Ali with the successful repo!!!!
Sorry Abby but you are such an easy target sometimes!!! We Do love you!!!

The Benny Elf Below.....

2008-12-03T14:31:00.002-06:00

This is funny......click on the arrow to get the video to play. Ben is going to kill me when he sees it! :)

Benny Elf

2008-12-03T14:00:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Gabe and his Bowling Plaque.....

2008-11-30T19:34:00.002-06:00

Saturday at Youth Bowling Gabe recieved a plaque for his first high game....102! You have to realize that this is his first year bowling and his average is about 30-40! All the others that got plaques had their photo taken so keep looking for it in the newspaper. He would not put it down (see all the finger marks?) all day....

Gabe's Lost Tooth!

2008-11-29T16:15:00.002-06:00

Gabe FINALLY lost his tooth!! It had been hanging on for the last few days and he would not pull it or let anyone else. He was eating a BBQ chip and it came out! Now we have to wait for the one on the bottom to come out......Don't you like his new smile??

Blogging...Who said something about blogging???

2008-11-24T14:27:00.002-06:00

Trying to keep up, I sometimes feel like this.....

and......

Abby took these photos in the car with her cell phone (and no she was not driving).

Seriously, it's been crazy around here. We are constantly coming and going. Abby gets her license this Saturday and I will be ready to have help with the running around! She is doing great with basketball. Gabe FINALLY has 2 loose teeth! He thought it was cool until I told him he had to pull them out! I don't know what he thought was going to happen to them. There are two things as a Mom I will not do (clean up vomit (sorry) and pull teeth). These two things have always freaked me out. This week is Thanksgiving and we are going to get out the Christmas stuff this weekend! I am looking forward to it.

Happy 16th Birthday Abigail!!!!!

2008-11-16T11:33:00.002-06:00

Today is Abby's 16th Birthday.....Her "Golden" Birthday

Now from the go-cart track to the city streets!! YIKES!!

Here is Abby celebrating her "fake" birthday on our trip to Florida!

Happy Birthday Abby......we love you!

A Few Fall Photos.....

2008-11-15T20:34:00.003-06:00

Just a few photo to share......We have been busy this week with No School due to Veterans Day, Band Banquet, Brian and I had a presentation with the Effingham County Daycare, I am working on painting our dining room, several doctor's appts., Meet the Lady Hearts on Friday night and just plain stuff that comes with work and school....Next week proves to be more of the same. Girls Basketball kicks off so we are looking forward to watching Abby play this year. She is playing Fresh/Soph and also JV.

A little side note....Brian has his 6 month check with Dr. Floyd (his cancer doc) on Monday. Please say a prayer or good thought that everything still looks good. I can't believe that it's been 6 months of cancer free and that this time last year we were just beginning this chapter of our lives. Now on the to the photos...............

Here is Gyp-Z and Abby.....
Can you see Gabe??

He is having way too much fun.......

Playing in the leaves......

Ben and Gabe......

Meet the Newest Member of the Schuette Zoo.....

2008-11-12T14:05:00.002-06:00

We picked up our new puppy on Saturday afternoon.....We finally decided on the name Gyp-Z (Gypsy). That's the way Abby wanted to spell it....Here are a few photos from the first night.
Shakes is looking up at us asking "Is IT going to stay??"

She loves attention and sitting on your lap......

In Honor of.......

2008-11-11T13:03:00.001-06:00

Thank you for all those who have served or are serving our Country!!! God Bless you all!!!

A Rainbow......

2008-11-06T19:58:00.002-06:00

We had some rain today but by 430pm the sun was setting in the west and a full rainbow was shining over Effingham.....

My photos don't do the colors justice....I have not see one this bright for a long time. There was even a point that it was starting a second rain band.....This photo also shows the wonderful power lines behind our house! :P

I had mentioned to Fr. Daren about a rainbow we saw once while attending a Cardinals Baseball game in St. Louis. Here is the stadium (see the Arch in the background?)

This one show that the rainbow actually came INTO Busch stadium.....You can also see the double rain band. This is one of my all time favorite photos I have ever taken......I love rainbows!! I used to have them all over my room when I was growing up (those and also my frogs!! :)

Halloween 2008......

2008-11-05T14:09:00.002-06:00

We stopped at Dairy Queen cause they were having a "Costume Contest". For coming in the boys got an ice cream cone.........and guess what? They won! Ben and Gabe have a free 10" ice cream cake as their prize.....guess what we are eating this weekend? Here they are eating their ice cream....Gabe had to take off his costume so it looks like a robot joined them for a treat!
Visiting Ali at Walgreens......

Ben and Gabe......

Gabe as Mr. Roboto......

Ben as "Tony Hawk".....

I VOTED......

2008-11-04T08:30:00.002-06:00

Have You???? If not, make sure to do so today!