Saturday, December 31, 2011

Santa Toys



I haven't had time to go through my Christmas photos yet but did spot these 3. Forrest riding his scooter and Summer reading "Little House on the Prairie" book. My hightlight was watching them walk down the stairs on Christmas morning and seeing them yell...
"He came! Santa came to our house!" That was the only present I needed.
I hope everyone had the most joyful Christmas!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Schultz Christmas Card 2011

My favorite thing in December is going to our mailbox and seeing cards and pictures of all of the people in our lives that we LOVE. Since our first Christmas as a married couple, David and I have sent out a photo christmas card. I have all of the christmas cards we have sent out over the years in a small book that we bring out each December. It is a great way to ensure that we have at least one family picture taken with all of us together each year. I love flipping through the book and seeing how our family has grown. The three people with me in this picture are the most treasured people in my life.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Good Morning

How cute is my Summer in her Christmas nightgown...
I am getting excited to see the kids' faces on Christmas morning.
There's nothing better than Christmas morning with little kids. Nothing.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Santa Sheets


Christmas Rooms


Summer and Forrest call their rooms the "Christmas Rooms". I got them flannel christmas sheets with santas and snowmen on them. You would have thought I bought them the moon. They were beyond excited. On December 1st when I was washing them Forrest moved his little step stool into the laundry room to make sure he was there the minute they were done. The buffalo check duvet covers were an easy switch and I think made it so cute. In january we'll go back to their usual covers but this has been fun for them for Christmas.
Here are Summer reading a christmas book and Forrest playing "Throw the Grinch".

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Santa


We took our kids to see Santa last night. It was crowded at the mall and the line was long. Our kids were wiggly and excited. After what seemed like an eternity we made it to the front of the line. We sat both kids on his lap and they quickly took the picture. As soon as they got the picture Summer and Forrest each got about 30 seconds of Santa one-on-one time. Priceless. I forgot to set my camera's settings before the kids got on his lap and then it was just crazy and too late. The pictures are a mess but I'm thankful I at least got something! You can see Summer explaining to him with her hands the exact thing she wants him to bring her to hold her Leapster games in. Forrest was just as descriptive asking for his very own toy train with a snowplow attached.

I love the author Chris Van Allsburg's description of how he felt about Santa as a child. He explains it as, "An exquisite almost unbearable anticipation of a fairy tale coming to life, a fairy tale that included me."

Just 11 more sleeps!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas Tree




I love going to the christmas tree lot. I love watching my kids play chase through the rows of trees and getting their candy canes. We have been going to the same tree lot for the last four years. However, this year we did something new. We went to the one that is super close to our home. Forrest and Summer both loved riding on the 1967 firetruck. A real classic. On top of it there is a huge ladder with lots of christmas lights hanging decorated like a tree. So pretty!
We found a great tree... fraser firs are my favorite. I love the smell in our home. Our ornaments are going up and I can't wait to see it with all of the white lights.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Stairs Makeover


I was with my friend Sharon one day and was admiring some pretty hardwood stairs in a model house near our home. I wanted them for my home but I knew the price of hiring someone to do the job was crazy expensive. David then said, "You know - I know how to do it." That was all I needed. I said, "Sign me up!" All I had to do was find some things in the garage that we could work with. Removing the carpet was easy. Over the next few weeks I did my homework, filling in the holes with wood filler and sanding and then told David I was ready. We stained all the wooden steps in 30 minutes, it was that easy! David stained them two more times to get the dark shade we wanted. I then painted the risers in a semi gloss white paint. David removed the old stain off the railings and used the same stain. It all ties together. The beautiful thing about these steps is that it is indestructible. Summer has already walked up and down in her high heels and Forrest has taken every one of his toy cars, trains and airplanes to its surface. I love pine. The more knots, nooks, and crannies the better. Thank you, David. I love them.