They do have their moments!

For as much as these 2 go at each other there are moments when I just watch them together and remember that they really do love each other.

Teagan's reading really took off around Christmas time and it is really amazing what she is able to do. Sometimes Tate will sit still long enough for her to read him a story - this time I think she may have gotten through 2!!

And then there are the times when your sister flips off the swing set and you think it is the funniest thing in the work!! Teagan was ok, but earlier in the day had slipped off the monkey bars at school. She still mentions that it hurts a bit, so we are watching it. What is it with my kids and playground equipment this spring?

Obviously it doesn't strain your back much to do flips on the rings because she did about 20! Enough to make my arms hurt just by watching!

What a ham! He isn't comfortable in the big kid swing and is too big for this one, but whats a mom to do? Stuff them in the smaller swing that they don't fall out of - remember my kids' track record with playground stuff?

I have been trying to keep up with those everyday chores like dishes and laundry so I can enjoy time outside with the kids and even get a couple projects checked off the list. This is one I have been wanting to do for awhile and I finally had time to sit and get it done.

These are from my wedding and I found them when I was cleaning my basement for last year's garage sale. I knew I could use them somewhere. Ignore the dingy, dirtiness - it gets covered up.

I hot glued and wrapped some jute twine around them and here they are. I really like how they turned out and for practically nothing! I would like to be using fresh flowers, but for now these sale aisle finds will have to do.

I also had some time one night to make a burrito recipe I found while searching for frozen meal ideas. They were a little time consuming, but it make A TON!!

Here is the site with the directions if you are interested.

http://amysfinerthings.com/brown-bag-burritos
You can wrap some in foil to put in the oven or wrap them in paper towels and foil for a quick microwave meal. The bags are extra meat that I had left and figured I could use later. A cheap, easy meal for those nights where you just don't have enough time.

And speaking of not having enough time - we are in full swing here at the Schaefers - literally! Brad's golf team started practice about a month ago and started meets about 2 1/2 weeks ago. They are doing awesome and have had some great weather so far. Pretty soon we are going to throw a dance recital, golf league, graduations and t-ball into the mix. April and May are soooo crazy for us, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

I found this calendar at Walmart for $1 last week and stuck on some magnets so the kids could have their own calendar. Teagan likes to know what is going on each day so I thought we could use this to keep track of their activities this spring and summer. Hopefully I sell this dishwasher soon and the calendar will be hanging on the fridge instead!!

What did we do this weekend?

You know, that is a really great question! I am sitting here at 9:15pm and wondering just that. We started the weekend with a great surprise party for one of our dear friends, Jodie! Who by the way doesn't read blogs, so that is about all I have to say about Friday night! Good time had by all!

Saturday allowed for a catching up on some sleep with the kiddos and just hanging out. Again, we did stuff, but I really can't tell you what it was. We did get to grill once Brad got home from golf. Congrats on a 2nd place finish Raider Boys!! 13-1 so far!!

Saturday night I stayed up way to late trying to find some ideas for my basement. It is a good space, but one we don't use much. I really don't like my set up so I found a couple different ideas.

Here is the front runner so far - minus the zebra rug. Not quite my style, plus I think the kids would be tramatized!!

Sunday brought my last day of Sunday School for the year and a potluck with some of the teachers and families. Dusted and vaccuumed and then I had the chance to go out and play a round of golf by myself.

This is something I have done since I started 5 years ago. I like just being out there on my own - usually talking to myself to remind me about all the stuff I have forgotten since last summer. It was a beautiful night and this mom needed a little alone time.

So, here we are. Kids in bed. Flipping between Celebrity Apprentice and the ACM awards.

The last item on the list is The Amazing Race before bed. Go Cowboys!!

Time with the kiddos

The kids and I had the chance to spend some quality time together this weekend. We started with supper with My sister-in-law and her boys on Friday. Saturday we piled in the car and headed to Iowa City with no agenda at all.

The kids wanted to play at the mall and had a great time. I usually don't like to play there - mainly because of other people's kids being out of control and today was no different. But, I was able to put my teacher hat away and just enjoy my kids.

We headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch and the kids were rockstars! If you haven't eaten there with kids I recommend it - it is loud enough so that you own kids can't be heard over other stuff! Teagan wanted to go to PetCo and see some fish and other stuff. We spent a little time there before heading home.

But not before stopping in Tiffin for some ice cream. For those of you who miss the Raider, Jon's Ice Cream in Tiffin is awesome and can totally feed your fix! Sunday included church, some work outside and time with Grandma VA. All in all a good weekend with my babies!!

And a quick plug for a magazine that I really enjoy: all*you

It is cheap and has some really great tips, recipes, and best of all - coupons. Last month I found about $20 worth that I can really use. If you have a chance to pick one up at the store I recommend giving it a read.

Easter Festivities and a Fall

We had a crazy fun-filled day of Easter Bunny meetings and egg hunts on Saturday, but it was a great day!















The kids did a great job with the bunny. Tate was a big talker, but not so sure once we got close. We pretty much tossed him on the lap and walked away. He wasn't sure what to think, but he "cheesed" it up and was on his way. And pretty proud of himself too! Teagan was the ever present big sister saying "I will stand beside him so he's not scared. I haven't been afraid of the bunny for like 10 years." 10 years, really? Last time I checked you were only 6!!























Then off to the park for the Easter Egg Hunt. Another meeting with the bunny. This time both kids were way more into him.


















Tate even let him hold him - even if he is trying his best to escape!


















He was much more OK with high-5s.

Teagan meet up with some of her besties and waited for the hunt to start. These girls are hilarious and still so innocent. I am not naive enough to think that there won't be trouble ahead, but for now I love how they are!

Patiently waiting! We ditched the gloves close to hunt time for optimal egg gathering!

Teagan got her eggs in about 20 seconds, so she joined Tate in finding some for himself.

What a good big sister!

After getting all his eggs Tate met up with one of his BFFs - Griff. I can't believe how big these 2 are! And a couple of hams - watch out ladies!!

Checking out the loot.

That was Saturday and after family stuff that night and Sunday morning it was off to some much needed naps and then a little work around the house. Sunday evening the kids were in the backyard helping Brad pick up sticks (aka playing) when I heard screaming. It was Tater and Brad's face didn't look good. He had fallen off the top of our slide and landed hard on the ground. After assessing the situation (calling my best nurse friend Amy - thanks again!) We decided to head to the ER. Good news is that they didn't see any fractures, but think that he may have hurt his elbow pretty badly.

He has to wear this splint/soft cast until we go to the doctor on Wednesday. I am trying to keep him a little less active than usual, but found him trying to jump on the couch and play ring-around-the-rosie already this morning. It could be a long couple of days! Wish us luck!

Silly Rabbit!

Ok, so not the typical Easter Bunny image, but I promised (more like threatened) to use them as my post pictures and here it is. The reason behind the threat? This...

One of the most annoying Easter toys I have ever seen. And do my kids love them - of course!! Don't they always love the most annoying, loudest toys out of the bunch? Why couldn't they carry around the cute litte bunny and frog? Or the fuzzy, duck PEZ dispenser? Why, just because? Too bad Grandma and Grandpa don't know that these are mysteriously going to end up at their house - very soon!

Here is just some of the loot from this weekend. Ridiculous!! And this doesn't even include what the Easter Bunny brought to our house. Small change compared to this, trust me!!

After sunrise service this morning - thats right, SUNRISE, like 6:30 am sunrise- we headed to my parents for breakfast and Easter fun.

The kids were pretty good sports about sitting for pictures, but as you will see. There isn't one picture were they are all looking or not making some kind of face. Thats just one of the things we love about them, right?

Lovin on Aunt Beth!! She was a really good sport today, even if she was a little tired from her own Easter activities last night. Oh, to be 21 again! And be able to nap the afternoon away!!

Great Grandpa and Grandma. They are always so calm in the chaos - I guess that comes from raising 6 kids without all the extra stuff we have today. Forgot to mention another great Easter present they gave the kids - punch balls! AWESOME!! These people really love being grandparents. They know they get to go home to their kid-free houses!!

The four hams! Its fun to see them growing up together and being able to play. Its too bad none of them look alike!! Those Von Ahsen genes are pretty strong!!

We did get a decent family picture. Don't you love Tate's plastered on "cheese" face? The kid was done with pictures!

Off to hunt for eggs. It was a little chilly - especially since it was still before 8:30 in the morning, but the kids didn't seem to mind. That crazy bunny even labeled the eggs for each kid, so there would be no arguing over someone having too many or the little ones not having a chance to find eggs. What a smart rabbit!!

We had a really great weekend with family and it was great to see everyone! Hope you all had a great Easter too! Off to naps!!

Mom-e-moments

OK, so this is something new I want to do occasionally on my blog. I want to share a moment from my day that only moms can relate to. They are those moments when you are glad no one is around to laugh at you and you think "this is my life. Wow, how did I get here?"

So, here is my Mom-e-moment for today:

Have you ever spot cleaned almost your entire kitchen floor to find that damn sticky spot that you step in every time you cross the floor, only to find that the sticky spot is on the bottom of your foot. Awesome!

Here is the reason for my sticky spot, wherever it was.

PB&J for supper tonight. No judging, they were outside til late and then straight to the bath. Obviously we needed them!

Decorating Easter eggs. Actually I just made Tate pose for the pictures. Luckily he didn't want to participate! A good call when dye is involved.

SPOILER ALERT!! If you are the parent of one of my nephews or niece and don't want to know what they are getting for Easter then stop reading now. For the rest of you, here are my attempts at making some t-shirts for the kiddos.

For the girls. I even hand stitched the little birdie legs.

The boys were going to have peeps shirts (see Tate's sample shirt below), but I couldn't figure out an easy way to do the writing without having to write myself. So, I opted for dinosaurs. not very Easterish or Springy, but definitely boy. The little boys only have 2 dinos on the front and one in the middle of the back. I really like how these turned out and really easy.

This is a version of how I wanted all the boys' shirts to look, but the time was too much of an issue. I still like it, but it is a one-and-only Tater Tot original.