All the Small Things

There is so much to smile about this week.

• Sophie's Room: We are almost finished with the painting of Sophie's room and it is looking sooooo cute. Tomorrow Kati is coming in town to add all the finishing touches and I'm so excited.



• Running: Yesterday Todd asked me if I wanted to go running. Of course I wanted to go....he hasn't run with me since we were dating and I was very excited. So after we got the kids to bed we got our gadgets ready (we both wore our ipods and Todd wore the garmin) and we took off. I made it 2 miles last night and felt great - Todd kept going after I finished. I was so excited when Todd told me we ran our second mile in 9:09 ... woo hoo!



• Breaking Dawn: Holy cow I can't wait until tomorrow night! We are having the ultimate girls night out - dinner and the midnight release party. I ever read Eclipse again this week in preparation - yes I'm obsessed!



• Idaho: We had such a fun time last weekend in Idaho. I love watching Todd race and it was so much fun to see family.

All the Small Things

I have so much that I'm thankful for this week.

• Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. She is so beautiful and healthy. She is eating good and sleeping good and couldn't be a better baby.


• All the friends and family that have taken such good care of me and my kids since we got home.


• Todd. He has been so great with helping and taking care of me and especially for putting up with me for the last 9 months.


• Not being prego anymore! It's so nice to be able to see my toes and touch my toes. To feel good again. It's amazing how much better I felt the day I got her out of my belly!!!


• Being home. It's fun and a lot of work to be home with the kids. And I've only been on my own 1 day so far!!! Luke was so excited when Todd went to work and I stayed home. It will be a fun 3 months home with the kids.

All the Small Things

First I have to apologize that my blog has turned into just my pregnancy bulletin...but that's about all I think about at this late stage. And I will warn you that after the baby is born most posts will be about the baby for a little while. Sorry!

My Health: I am so lucky when I'm prego that I don't get sick and I am just so grateful for that. Even at the end when I just feel yucky I am still able to teach spin, go walking and work full-time. I got my mom's child bearing genes I guess. That doesn't mean I'm planning on having 10 kids!

My Extended Family: It is so great to have so much family close by. I get more help than I deserve. Having Timmy live with me is a blessing in itself since he is so willing to help and babysits for free! I love having my parents a half mile away they are always there to lend a hand when I need it. I love going to lunch with Heidi and just talking like only sisters can. I love that we eat dinner together every Sunday at my parents house.

Knowing the End is in Sight: Every week at my appointments I am progressing and it's nice to know that I won't be pregnant much longer. It's just getting too hot to be carrying around this little heater.

All the Small Things

This past week has been great.

Timmy's Home: It's so nice to have him back home. I have very few leftovers now, and it's great to have the help. The boys were so excited to have him home they both sat next to him during Sacrament and I actually got to listen to both talks.

Claire's Purse: Claire has been playing with one of Chelsea's old purses this week and it is the cutest thing. She walks around with the purse on her shoulder everywhere she goes and all it has in it are a few goldfish crackers. Which means Shadow follows her everywhere just in case one falls out.


The Streaker: Claire keeps undressing herself every time we put her down for naps or bed. It is so funny to me. I feel like I have to check on her every time it gets quiet in her room.

Lunch with Traci: Traci's b-day is this week so we went out to lunch, and I just love girl time. Since I can't get out on long bike rides or running I miss our girl time, so lunch was a great option.

All the Small Things

So much has happened in the last week.

Roman's Blessing: It was so great to be apart of my newest nephew's blessing day. He is the cutest, sweetest little guy. It was great to spend time with the family and celebrate such a wonderful day.

Birthdays: June is a big birthday month for the Schultz Family. Happy Birthday to my dad, my brother Mark and my nephew Allen. And this Sunday is Chelsea's (our awesome nanny) b-day. The kids have been singing a lot of happy birthday this week.

Baby's First Purchase: I finally bought something for our baby. It hasn't been tempting to shop since I have no idea what we're having. Today I bought some cute white bundlers and jammies so I can have something washed and ready for the little one to wear the first few days at home. I also bought a pink and blue footed jammie for the hospital. I can't believe we are going to find out what color in 5 short weeks.

A Healthy Baby: I had an appointment this week and it's always so great to hear the baby and know things are progressing normally. And this week our baby is finally head down so that has taken a lot of stress off me. I hate standing on my head to get the baby to turn.

All the Small Things

Shopping with Heidi and Kami: During lunch one day this week we met at the mall to get Heidi some new clothes. It was so much fun and Heidi got some great new items.

Last week of School: I can't believe it's here but school is out now for Tayson. I love how excited Tayson is about being finished.

4 Day Work Week: What else do I have to say? This week has flown by thanks to Memorial Day on Monday.

1 Kid in Diapers: Yes I am elated that Luke only wears diapers to bed now and has only had 1 accident this week (and it was when I was at work). And Claire is still very excited and interested in the potty.

My Calling: Last week Todd and I substituted in Primary and holy cow am I glad that I don't teach Primary right now. :) One of the little boys kept trying to see my baby by looking up my dress and I missed being with the women in RS.

Forgiving Kids: I'm not the most patient person to start with and when you tag on 8 months of pregnancy and a husband working late a few nights my patience is pretty much non-existent. Sadly for my beautiful children they are the first ones to feel my temper when it's all too much. Luckily for me they are so forgiving and never stay mad at me when I snap at them. Even after a bad night together they will give me a huge hug and kiss at the end of the day and tell me how much they love me. I swear I don't deserve the kids I have because they are so sweet and loving even when I'm grumpy. Tayson will even say things like "it's ok mom it's just the baby". This week I am so grateful for my kids and the fact that they love me just the way I am and can forgive within a minute. I hope I can be as loving as they are when someone is mean to me.

All the Small Things

The title doesn't fit this week because it has been so much more than "small" things that have made me smile.

Tayson's Field Trip: Last week Tayson brought home a paper from school asking for volunteers for his field trip to the Bean Museum or Field Day and told me that since I never help at his school like all the other mom's I HAD to volunteer. Well the guilt trip worked like a charm and I emailed his teacher and got to go to the Bean Museum with his Kindergarten class Monday morning. I can't say the Bean Museum is my favorite place (it's a bunch of dead, stuffed animals - kinda creepy) but Tayson loved it and it was good to help his class. I was in charge of 5 kids and didn't lose any of them. :)

Luke Going Potty: I already did a post about this earlier, but I have to say it's for real now and we're at almost a week of him going strong. Yesterday he didn't have any accidents at all. I am sooooo excited!!!

Luke's Performance: This is Luke's last week of pre-school. I love his pre-school, My Smart World. It is the same one we sent Tayson too and Luke will be going there again next year. Last night they did their end of year program and it was so cute watching him sing and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I'll post pictures later.

My Sweet Boys: This morning Tayson really wanted to get Luke dressed without any help from me (sounds good to me!) after they finished Luke walked over to Tayson and gave him a big hug and said "I love you Tayson". It was so sincere. I love how much they love each other. It could be the pregnancy hormones, but I almost cried because it was so sweet. Thank goodness I was sitting on the floor next to both of them during this exchange so they both gave me a hug and told me they loved me too, then kissed my belly and said they love our baby no matter if it's a girl or boy.

Tender Mercies: I have felt the Lord's hand so strong in my life this past week. As Todd and I have discussed different needs in our lives right now the answers and blessings have come so quickly. I am so grateful the Lord is always looking after me and my family.

Getting Fit: Todd came home with a Wii Fit yesterday and it is so much fun. The first thing you do is stand on the balance board and it does a fitness assessment - you put in your age and height then it weighs you and does a balance check. It calculates your BMI and core strength. Then it changes your MII to either be thinner or fatter depending on your results. Sadly, for the first time in my entire life I am "overweight" and have very poor balance. Thank goodness that will end after the baby is born. I couldn't keep a center of balance for anything with this huge belly in front of me. Then it has all these fitness games you can play. There are strength, aerobic, balance, and yoga. The kids did a few of the games and Tayson was totally sweating after his "long run" and Todd was laughing so hard at his strength workouts I had to come see what he was doing. The best part is that Todd is sore this morning from his "workout".

All the Small Things

Another week is over already and as usual I have lots to be thankful for.

Motherhood: Last weekend reminded me how much I love Todd and my kids. I am so grateful to have been blessed with the kids I have and to have such a supportive husband helping me every step of the way. We might not be perfect in our family but I wouldn't change a thing.

The Book of Mormon: I finished reading the BoM again last week. I did a 100 day challenge and it is amazing how much reading everyday affects my life. Even after reading it so many times throughout my life I learn something new every time I read. This time I was amazed how many times I was thinking about something throughout the day and that night when I was reading there it was a small simple statement answering me.

Talking to Mark: We got to talk to Mark on mother's day and it was so fun to talk to him. I love getting his emails every week, but talking to him for a half hour on speaker phone was so much fun. He has so many funny biking and tracting stories.

Spring: I can now say it is officially here. Yea!! I have had spring fever for months now and it's nice to know it finally here to stay. I'm sure it will end all to fast and it will be 100 degrees and I'll be complaining about how hot it is. But I'm going to enjoy spring while it lasts.

Cold Stone Cake: I realize this is small and silly compared to other things, but we got a cold stone cake for Todd's birthday last week and it was so yummy. It made me happy the entire time I was eating it and I didn't have to do any preparation for it.

58 Days: I am excited that I have less than 60 days left until my due date. I realize this is still a long time (just under 2 months) but I am ready to not be prego anymore. I am not ready to have 4 kids (especially with 3 in diapers) but I am very excited to be able to tie my shoes. So it makes me smile that this week I hit the less than 2 months to go mark.

All the Small Things

A few things that made me smile this week:

Small Potty Training Success: It was short-lived, but the 2 times Luke did go potty were enough to make me smile.

Tayson's Journal: I have journals for each of the kids that I write milestones or funny things they do in (this has slowed down considerably since I joined the world of blogging since I write most of it here instead). Last night, Tayson came in my room and wanted to read from his journal about when he was born. Then we read other fun stories from the past 6 years and he was so excited to hear stories about himself and it was fun to remember all the silly things he did.

Todd's Sleeping Habits: Most of the time I complain about how late Todd stays up (usually between 1:00 am and 3:00 am). But last night when Claire was up until 3:00 and I slept straight through the whole thing because he kept her with him I was so grateful for his crazy sleeping habits.

A Bike Ride: I was helping some friends get their bikes ready for their big race in a few weeks and I couldn't remember exactly how the gears worked so I took the bike for a 2 block spin...it made me miss riding but it made me happy to ride.

Open Windows: We have been sleeping with one of our bedroom windows open for a week now, except the rainy nights. I love the breeze and the smell of sleeping with the windows open. Very soon it will be too hot at night to sleep if the A/C isn't on full blast - so I'm enjoying it while I can.

All the Small Things

It's Thankful Thursday again, so here I go...

Dinner with the Girls: Talk about something to make me smile. We call it a "book group" but honestly I can't get any of them to read the books and we never talk about books we just eat and laugh and have fun. I LOVE our monthly (or every other month lately) outings.

E-Mails from Mark: I love the weekly letters my brother Mark sends from his mission. He is always upbeat and says the funniest things. Plus, his crazy spelling always makes me smile. The only thing better than his emails would be if he was home...only 14 months left!

Tayson Riding a Bike: You can see my other post for details...but this put a huge smile on my face. What a proud moment as a mom and a biker.

Cafe Rio: All I need to say is yummy. We ate there for lunch this week and I just love the food.

LDS/Polygamy Blog Post: This post made me smile.

People at the gym: I get a kick out of the looks people give me in the gym these days since I have a big old belly. And it's not like there aren't lots of other pregos at the gym...they just look at us all funny I guess. Although my creepy stalker doesn't put a smile on my face....eeeek!

Ceiling Fan: I love sleeping with my ceiling fan on and Todd fixed it this week so that we don't have to unscrew the light bulbs anymore to have the fan on and the lights off. It's fabulous.

All the Small Things

This weeks installment to remind me of all my blessings.

A day of warm weather: Yes we had about 1 1/2 days of beautiful spring weather this week before the freezing cold rain and snow came back. I'm sure we'll get a few more warm spring days and several more cold spring days before we get our hot summer days. It was so windy when the storm blew in our huge bar-b-que grill even blew over!

Spring Break: I have 1 kid in school and he's in kindergarten so spring break with a week off school shouldn't make a huge difference...but it did. Every morning we got to be lazy and not rush to get Tayson off to school which in turn made us late for work. Oh well. And everyone at work is gone this week so it's been quiet and slow all week. I love spring break!

Luke's Joke: Last night Luke told Todd a joke it went like this.

Luke: knock knock
Todd: who's there?
Luke: nobody
Todd: nobody who?
Luke: ORANGE! HA HA HA HA

Talk about something to make you smile. The kid has no idea what he's even saying but then laughs so hard at the end.

Claire: As I walked past Claire a few days ago on my way to work Claire was sitting on Chelsea's lap on the couch getting her hair fixed and she said as sweet as could be "Hi Mama!" It made my day!

Sarah Agnes Prine: I finished the second book of Sarah Agnes Prine "Sarah's Quilt" this week and I LOVE Sarah. What an inspiration. If you haven't read "These is my words" go get it today!

Todd's Bedhead: Todd has very long hair right now...he looks so hot! The funny part is when he wakes up in the morning he has the craziest, fluffiest hair I've ever seen. I love it and it makes me laugh every morning.

Twister: Luke pulled out the Twister game to play the other night. I of course cannot play in my state...twisting and turning with this belly would be impossible. So he played by himself and I called out colors and hands or feet. We didn't get specific with Right and Left and he can only reach 3 of the 4 colors. But he was hilarious. Then Timmy joined in for a round until Luke was just "too tired to keep going".

Cheez-It's: Yes that's right the yummy baked cheddar snack. I had an early meeting this morning so I forgot my granola bar on my way out of the house so right now I'm snacking on some cheez-it crackers I have in my office. YUMMY!!!

All the Small Things

I almost didn't have time to get this post in this week....work has been a little crazy this week. But here are a few of the things that made me smile this week.

Conference: What a great weekend listening to our new Prophet and other leaders of the church. It's fun to get together with my family and eat and listen and play games.

Cedar Salmon: Todd bar-b-qued on Sunday after second session of conference and he decided to do steaks and salmon. For the salmon he wanted to try a cedar smoked recipe. So I had to shop at Lowe's for dinner and get some special cedar boards then he soaked the board in water for an hour before cooking the fish. The board totally caught on fire and we had to throw more water on it...but the fish turned out DELICIOUS.

Favors: Last night Tayson didn't want to go to bed yet so he came in and asked me if I needed anything done. So I said "will you do me a favor and put Shadow out for a few minutes". He did it without complaining at all then came into the laundry room and said "do you have any other favors you need done? I can do the laundry". If only. But he did carry two full baskets of clean clothes back into the room for me while I changed the wash. Then he tucked Luke into bed for me and I asked him why he was doing so many things and he said "I'm trying to be like Jesus". Talk about sweet.

Volleyball: Last night Todd's city league men's v-ball team had a few tournament games and they beat the #2 ranked team 2 out of 3. Talk about exciting. They played so great and the smiles on their faces couldn't have been bigger.


Finishing a good book: I finished "Cold Sassy Tree" this week. I loved the book and I especially love finishing a book.

All the Small Things

It's "Thankful Thursday" again so here is my list of things that made me smile.

Roman LeRoy Colarusso: Jeannie and Trent had their baby last Friday at 12:11 p.m. he was 7 lbs 9 oz and 18.5 inches and as cute as could be. It was so great to be at his birth and to have another nephew.

Todd Getting Home: I was so excited to have Todd get home Saturday evening. And listening to how much fun he had in NYC made me happy. Plus he bought me something at Tiffany's so there is no way I could complain.

Our New Minivan: What a great family purchase. I don't know who likes it more the kids or Chelsea (our nanny). Everyday Luke tells me his new car is awesome! It is so cute.

Soccer: I love watching Tayson play soccer. He has so much fun no matter how the team does (last Saturday they lost 10-0 I think, good thing they don't keep score). The best part is that Tayson's coach got a new job out of state and I volunteered Todd to be his coach. Todd will be a great coach even if he doesn't know anything about soccer drills and the official rules. Good thing it's the 4-5 year olds and none of that really matters.

Tayson' Reading: Every night it is a fight to get Tayson to read to us. He gets frustrated very easily which sends him into a fit if he doesn't know one word. This week his teacher sent home a book for him to read and I read it to him once then he read the whole thing by himself to me and then again to Todd and Luke while Luke was sitting on the potty (still no potty though....we just keep trying). It was so cute and it made us so happy.

April Fool's Day: What a funny day. I didn't pull any pranks and none were pulled on me, but there were some hilarious ones online. Tayson loved it - he asked me at bedtime that night if everyday in April could be April fool's day. He said he pulled a funny joke on Chelsea when he told her he could only wear girl clothes. We aren't sure where that came from, but he thought it was hilarious.

Oreos: Not only do they make me smile when I eat them but the other night I snacked on 2 mini ones before dinner and Todd saw the little black remnants around my mouth during dinner and totally called me on it. For some reason it was so funny the way he "caught" me eating cookies before dinner.

Another Tayson Joke: Last night at dinner Tayson said "hey look there is a chicken on the light" and rather than look up we all looked at him first then a minute later looked up to see what he was talking about and about 10 seconds later Tayson said "Made ya look" and just cracked up. The delivery was horrible, but the joke made us all laugh pretty hard. Tayson is such a goof ball and I know where he got it from.

Blueberry Muffins: I ran out of cereal for the boys this morning so for some reason after the gym we decided to make blueberry muffins for breakfast. Tayson and Luke both jumped on the stools and helped me make the muffins and were so excited for them to finish cooking. Usually the mornings are so rushed that we don't do anything fun together it's just about getting Tayson to school and getting ready for work. Who cares if I was a little late for work since I didn't even shower until after Tayson left it was so much fun.

Claire's Hair: Chelsea always fixes Claire's hair so cute and earlier this week she did two little braids on the top then crossed them over and put little bows on them (not a good description but it was so cute) that night there wasn't time for a bath so we just un-braided her hair and put her to bed. The next morning she looked like the bride of Frankenstein and since they didn't go anywhere that day she had that hair all day until her bath that night.

All the Small Things

It's that time again.....here are a few things that made me smile this week.

Driving with the windows down. I love this time of the year when I can unroll my windows and enjoy the warm spring weather.

Daffodils. In my old house (my parent's current house) I planted over 100 bulbs and this week when we went over there a lot of the daffodils are up and bloomed. I love spring flowers and can't wait for the Tulips to come up too.

Easter Sunday. Celebrating the Resurrection of Christ is most definitely something to smile about. I love that my kids are aware of the true meaning of the holiday even though they don't grasp the full meaning yet I love hearing them talk about Christ and the tomb and that after 3 days he came back to life so that we can too. So sweet.

Easter Eggs. My kids each got their own dozen eggs to dye. We had a blast dying eggs and then hiding them and finding them and now they like eating them.

Soccer. Tayson started soccer this past week and in his second game he scored the only goal! Go Tayson. I even went and got him some cleats for his next game. I love how happy he is running around on the field and how proud he was of himself for scoring a goal.

Lunch with my sisters. I went to lunch with Heidi and Jeannie this week and it was fun to eat and chat. If only Sherry was here too!

Text Messages from Todd. I love how easy it is to send a quick "Hi" or "I love you" and it was even better when I would get a random picture sent to me just to tell me what Todd was up to.

Dinner and Shopping with Todd. Thanks to our awesome live-in babysitter Timmy we get to go on a date just about every weekend. This weekend Todd and I went to dinner then just over to the mall to shop and get him a few things for his trip. It is one of my favorite dates because we just talk and have fun together.

A Clean House. The cleaners came this week and I LOVE coming home to a clean house. It is one of the best things I've done for myself this year. I know I am spoiled by not having to scrub the bathrooms and floors, and I am so grateful for it. I really love the extra time it gives me to spend with the kids too - instead of spending every Saturday cleaning my house I try hard to use that extra time for family time.

George Visiting. George and his kids came here for spring break and it is so fun to have them here. We don't get to see them nearly enough and they are so much fun. Carly and Claire are so dang cute together.

All the Small Things

I've decided to change this weekly post to Thursdays...because earlier this week I was blog surfing and ended up on someones site I've never met and she had "Flashback Friday's" and I love the idea so I'm going to start doing that on Fridays. I figure it's a great way to force me to start scanning in old pictures and documenting past experiences. So get ready for that one tomorrow....but for now I will do my list of 10 things that made my smile this week.

1. Crocs: I love that my kids all wear crocs. I can't bend over to put their shoes on very easily so the fact that they can put them on all alone is fabulous. Plus when they get dirty outside I just throw them in the sink and wash them off...good as new! They are the best shoes for kids.

2. Spring: Today is officially the first day of spring. Yippee! I love the warm weather and even the spring showers. I love that my kids can play outside and I can't wait for the flowers.

3. My Kids Prayers: I love listening to the kids pray. It makes me smile to hear the things they pray for. Tayson puts a lot of thought into his prayers so they are the funniest, he will pray for things like "please help Luke to eat all his dinner" or "bless Mark on his mission to be gooder and gooder everyday". Luke prays for things like "bless that no crabs will get us" and he never forgets the Bishop, Pres. Monson or Mark.

4. Luke's Voice: I love his sweet voice. He loves to read to Claire when she's on the potty. He can't really read yet, but he has several books memorized and I love listening to him. I also adore when he says "I love you all the way to the stars, heaven, China, the bottom of the ocean and back mama" it melts my heart. Plus he still can't say his "r" sound so his words are classic like "Clay instead of Claire".

5. Guitar Hero: We got a second guitar this week and it is so much fun playing co-op or battling each other.

6. Girl Scout Cookies: Not something I should buy in my state. But we fell prey to the girls outside the grocery store. They are definitely something that will make anyone smile (except my mom of course).

7. Pay Day: It's not actually until tomorrow...but it is something that will make me smile this week.

8. Green Jello: Chelsea (my nanny) threw a St. Patrick's Day party on Monday for the kids and invited some of the neighbors over. Tayson and Luke had so much fun and there are still green balloons laying around the house. Tayson keeps asking when the next St. Patrick's Day is. It makes me so happy to see how much she loves my kids and how much they love her.

9. Sticky Kisses: The boys love to wipe off their kisses and even though I don't wipe off the kisses they give me they came up with "sticky kisses". They will kiss us really hard and for a long time and then it is sticky and can't be wiped off. I love getting them. Last night Todd was at his volleyball and basketball games so he wasn't home when the kids went to bed so Tayson put a sticky kiss on my hand and told me to give it to daddy when he got home. It was so sweet.

10. Feeling the baby kick: I love feeling the baby kick me. It isn't so uncomfortable that I can't sleep. It's fun to feel the little person growing inside me.

All the Small Things

I've decided that every Friday I'm going to do a post on ten things that made me happy during the week. This is my version of counting all my blessings and then on days when I'm seeing the world as a hard place instead of a happy place I can read these posts and remember how many things I have to be happy about.

My Parents: This week Chelsea (my nanny) is on vacation so my mom is watching my kids. Everyday I have come home to wonderful surprises like having all my wash done, my garage cleaned out and swept, all the dishes done, a clean house and very happy kids. I don't know how my mom has all the energy but she is so good to me. And my dad has been running carpools and errands all week to help out too. What a blessing to have such great parents and living so close is an added blessing.

Spring: The weather this week has been great. No snow and most of the days were sunny and warm enough for my kids to play outside.

Red Shoes: I wore my fun red shoes this week and I just love them. Everyone should have a pair of red shoes to spice up any outfit.

Kelly: My 16 year old nephew moved in with us this week for a few months. And it has been so fun to have him around playing with the kids and I love having another built in babysitter. I am so lucky that I have 2 free babysitters who my kids love.

Bikes and Rain: One morning this week my dad came over to the house to bring my mom something and he rode his bike. He saw that it was getting ready to rain so he wanted to beat the rain. Watching him ride away as fast as he could reminded me of when I was a kid and would try to out bike storms in Missouri. I smiled all day every time I thought about it.

Blogging: I love keeping up on my friends lives and I love having somewhere to write down my thoughts on a regular basis.

My Heating Pad: Everyday this week I have relaxed on my bed with my heating pad and a good book and it makes my back feel so much better at the end of the day. Hopefully I can make it 17 more weeks without my back going out!!!

Sleep: This week has been a great week for sleeping. The kids are healthy and happy and have been sleeping great which means I get to sleep great and that makes me happy!

My Calling: I have the best calling in the church - I am a Relief Society teacher and I teach the 2nd week of every month. I love the lessons and I have grown so much over the last year in my calling. I've also loved that my calling has helped me develop relationships with so many great women in my ward.

My Pink Fuzzy Bathrobe: It is just so comfy I love it.