The Schmidts

The day finally arrived! What fun it was. Spoiling alert! SPOILING ALERT! And yes I blew the budget again.

Before Christmas: Adorable kids who steal my heart and I have a hard time not spoiling!    Santa Claus visits! Lenora was not a fan. On the other hand, Sam was prepared with a handwritten list of his wants. Santa has a tough job this year    I previously sold our 220 extension cord, thinking we didn't need it anymore. Oops, we couldn't hang lights outside, so we decided to hang them inside instead. The December nightlights.  Saint Nicholas day -- December 6th! When the German Santa Clause leaves a surprise in your shoes if they are left outside. Ward Christmas party -- surprise! We get to see the Jolly good fellow again.  I bet you can't guess how much we paid for this Charlie Brown Christmas tree. And it looked worse before I did some clipping and zip tying. Ha, I was alone with two kiddos and not wanting to make anther stop.  Play days             ...

How wonderful it is to gather with family friends for the holidays! Thank you Malan's for hosting. I kept inviting more people to join our Thanksgiving feast and the Malan's kept saying yes. It was a feast!! Poor Justin came down with something the day of and so missed out. I did take him a plate of food home, but it didn't taste as good being sick and all. Family Friends: Chris and Erin Tracy Erik and Andrea Stevens Ryan and Melissa Malan I failed on taking pictures.  I did contribute with a few fun activities! Thanks Chris for the great laughs! What a wonderful Thanksgiving it was.  

The Malan's moved in to the village next to us and we became fast friends. Where were they two years ago?! Conner and Nora riding! We swap watching each other's kids all the time. It's a life saver and so fun for the kids too.    Fall fun! Yes, we enjoy subway sandwiches any day we have to run errands into lunch time. Sam requested this photo of the Cheetos. HE's getting really good at requesting photos to be taken of him or something.  Justin and I went to an 86th OS Christmas get together which was held in a small village near us. They had a Christmas market going on and we also mingled at his commander's home. It was fun to be social in a casual setting. I hadn't met many in the 86th OS. It's nice to get to know those who Justin works with. Justin recently switched over. We still do a lot with the 37th but technically we're part of a different squadron now. This village also has fresh milk from a cow available via vending machine...

Sam is old enough to remember year to year and since being in Germany we don't have family to gather with. This has helped me realize and act on the thought to start traditions. Our first one is Friday night movie night and no dish night. We eat dinner without dishes on a table cloth that can be thrown away and then watch a movie together. Sam loves it. I did warn Justin, "I'm going to try a lot of new traditions, some may stick and some may not. But don't freak out."   Nora has come to love it too -- mostly the popcorn.   We'll see what Justin and Melissa Schmidt traditions come about!

Several women from our ward organized a Polish Pottery trip to Poland for ladies! I hopped on. I didn't know much about Polish Pottery but was so ready for a girls trip. We hired a babysitter and Justin had the kiddos to himself for a weekend. We both realized this was his first time being left alone with the kiddos overnight. He did a fantastic job. So much so, I wasn't sure the kiddos missed me.  This is the castle we stayed in. It's owned by a Christian church. They were very accommodating and kind. We took donations to them.    We stopped at the German village where the biggest selection of Christmas décor is. Justin was so glad he wasn't going. The trip involved talking the whole 7 hours there and back and shopping the rest of the time.    One of our Polish feasts! I'm a fan.  My carpool companions: Deniene Green, Heidi Holmes, Bethany Bronson               ...