Another year has come and gone.  This month our major highlight has been our new addition to the family, Simon Reed.  Oma started off the month with our little family and helped keep things in order.  She was a huge help and it made it lots of fun for the kids as well as helped ease mom and dad’s stress.  Reed and mom are both doing fine although they haven’t left the house all that much.

Papa celebrated another birthday but it was overshadowed by our new little guy.  I guess it is only fair to have a birthday month shared with a little one since mom and Eisley are one day apart.

Christmas time was a blast for the family.  The many friends and family made it an extra special time. Once again we realized just how blessed we are.  Thanks to the many that have brought us meals too!!

Some of you have asked about meals.  Here is the place to sign up. Thanks for thinking of us and our bellies!!

Mama is doing great and continues to amaze me as she takes everything in stride.  She seems fully healed and might even be able to leave the house for a few hours at a time now what she is pumping and Reed is taking the bottle. 

At the two week appointment, Reed is up to 21 inches and 8lbs 6 ounces.  Kind of funny that that was the same weight that Eisley came out of the womb carrying.  Doctor said he is looking good and that our job is to love and spoil that little guy. Done and done!  He still has the umbilical cord attached slightly so we can’t start the dreaded tummy time quite yet.  There are little bouts of gas as his new system gets going but overall very content little guy and we are very blessed indeed. 

Simon Reed has arrived.  He came on Dec. 2nd and was 7lb. 12 oz.  The day was expected but he had his own idea about how he was going to join us.  Instead of the planned C Section, this little feller had mama going into labor on Thursday night.  We went to the hospital around 11 and after a few hours of contractions, they decided to do the C section instead of waiting several more hours until the scheduled time.  Jami did great and Reed is doing all the right baby stuff.  We plan on being home on Monday if all things go well with the circumcision in the morning.  It has been a chilly rainy weekend here and it is just supposed to get worse.  It’s a nice time of year to be stuck inside with a newborn.  We have been overwhelmed by the many visits, gifts and prayers from so many people.  Thanks to you all!! More info to come!!

Anticipation would have to be the word of choice for November.    Many things to look forward to this time of year.  It is a very specail time being able to look forward to a little one’s arrival during the Christmas season.   But before that whole season we did have Thanksgiving.  We do feel truly blessed with our friends, family, health, home, jobs, country, neighbors and church.

Thanksgiving saw Jami fighting an upper resperetory cough that wouldn’t go away.  She even was able to pull a few stomach muscles through all her coughing.  Not a good prospect knowing a C section is coming in a week.    We did have a great time out at the Tuttle Ranch.  There were lots of kid’s games, great food and even a creature appearance.  Yes, Eisley was in tears and both kids are still afraid of the dark and talk of creature.  Good times!

On the way back from the ranch, we stopped and cut down a tree for the first time for our little family.   The kids were a big help like always picking, cutting and carrying the tree back.  This was the earliest we have had our tree up but momma wanted to get things in order before the babe comes.  That lady is so smart I tell ya! 

Jami has been a trooper but I know she is ready to get this little boy out.  She has never been one to complain but she has not gotten much rest the last few weeks of this pregnancy.  Something about being uncomforatable or something.   Of course, the kids are anxious to get their mom’s lap back.  They have been very excited about the new arrival. 

Halloween has dominated this month for the Schweers family.  This is one of Eisley’s favorite holidays and she has been talking about her costume for months.  Both Beck and Eisley got to don their cowboy gear for Trick or Treating.  Even better, most of both costumes came from Aunt Steph. Thanks Aunt Steph!   They endedd up the night with a heft amount of candy but they are only keeping 15 pieces each. They get one a day for 15 days and they wake up asking for many days.  Where do they get those sweet teeth from? 

Momma is getting good doctor reports and is now on the weekly check in schedule with the doc.  That only means that we are getting closer. Yikes!!  We are a little nervous as Beck has been having some asthma issues and coughing lately which makes it hard for all to sleep.  Little Simon is making some crazy shapes in Momma’s belly and both kids enjoy seeing and feeling the little human that is inside.

Ok. SO not much happened again this month.  I think we must subconsciously be keeping things at a slow pace knowing what will be happening in the coming months. 

On that note………….Jami is doing well.  Little man has been practicing his soccer moves in utero and both Beck and Eisley have been able to feel movement which is lots of fun.  She has still not been sleeping well due to sinus problems, exczema and general discomfort.  Luckily, she is not one to complain and knows that it is all for a reason.  Also, if you have not heard yet, we do have a baby name……….not Charlie Rose or Charlie Brown like Eisley had picked out.  Instead we are going with SIMON REED  and we will call him Reed.  Not sure how we got started on that middle name thing………….I think it is a Mason thing. 

Kids are both doing well.  Eisley is enjoying soccer again and is able to control the ball pretty well.  She is having lots of fun and likes to score on Poppa during 1v1.  She also got to experience her first real rock climbing session here in Dallas.  She did really well and almost made it to the very top.  Still enjoying school and learning in general.  We pray that she keeps that enthusiasm. Beck tried a little rock climbing too but peetered out after a whole 5 minutes.  Money well spent!! Oh well.  He is our little silly guy.  Loves to make cat and dog noises early in the morning when he wakes up.  He is pretty adamant about being a witch for Haloween and even has the little witch’s cackle down to a tee.  He really will be going as a cowboy though.  Sorry bud.  He is starting to put more 2 word phrases together and is always quick with a smile.  He tries to keep up with the girls at soccer practice too. 

All for now!! Peace out!

We all recovered from the big road trip and were all happy to be back home.  It was good to see friends and family but also nice to slow down a little even though it didn’t last long.

Papa started school up back to school after moving rooms and grades.  Welcome 2nd graders!  It has been a hard change since we had an entire new curriculum roll out right before school started.  We are all adjusting though.  Jami has been very understanding and has been very gracious as I am not home as much or as early as I would like.  Hopefully that will change as we get the kinks all worked out. 

The kids started Mother’s day out again.  Eisley is going 2 days a week and Beck one time.  She really loves school and looks forward to it every time.  They have a new church that has taken over their MDO program and they seem very organized and thoughtful about the curriculum.  Momma made some cute nap mats for them both but it turns out Eisley didn’t need one since she is such a big girl now.  We still have her napping most days at home which allows her an extra hour of awake time after Beck goes down. 

Momma is doing well and has had good reports from the doctor.  All have been able to feel the baby kick which is quite fun.  Eisley has switched from Charlie Rose to Charlie Brown for the newest addition.  Luckily momma and poppa have a say in it all too. 

Beck had a good report from the pulmonologist.  Breathing and lungs are normal and he is full of the usual salt and vinegar.  Actually, pepper has become one of his favorite things now and he asks for salt too though we only fake salt his food for him.  Still a pretty picky eater overall.  His speech is improving in little bits but he definitely seems to understand most of what is going on and asked of him. 

Eisley has started back up with soccer and has been excited to do so for awhile.  The heat hasn’t made it sound real fun to me but we’ll see how things go.  She continues to gain independence in little pieces here and there.  She did her first solo go cart ride which was pretty fun to watch.  There were only a few crashes into the wall. Most of the time she is over the clothes fighting and you can reason with her about most things as long as we are not uber tired.

Wow June!

We started off with a bang doing the 4th and a special birthday celebration at the ranch.  Nothing like some fireworks to make for memories.  Eisley got some extra Aunt Steph time with some  riding lessons and we all had fun hanging out with Clay and Jenn.

The craziness of June was just under way though.  Jami had her doctor appointment and we found out we are having a BOY!!  Eisley got to deal with a little disappointment as she really wanted a girl……..mom was leaning that way too……only because of all the really cute clothes she has save from Eisley.  Whatever……..one less wedding!!! $$$  We are all excited and have even got the kids room ready.   The day after the doctor’s visit we hit the road for a 21 day trip across the southeast.

We were the rainmakers for several trips but our skills have not traveled with us back to Dallas.  Yeah……40 days in a row of 100+ weather.  Glad we missed several of those roadtripping.    We got a little crazy and drove straight to Oma’s which was only 16 hours!  We had a very nice stay at Oma’s where we swam, beached, chilled, talked, gamed, puzzled and hung with cousins and siblings.  It was great to see everyone doing well and we are excited about Mike and Gretchen just around the corner with their addition.  We moved on to Green Cove and Interlachen to see the other half of the family and that flew by too.  We were fed 7 different meats at one meal! Gotta love the south.   The cousins had a blast hanging together and of course our kids loved seeing Grammers and Grampers.  Lots of snuggle time, books, lizard catching, swimming and chilling made the trip lots of fun.  We enjoyed seeing GG turn a young 86 too.  After the family portion we moved on to phase 2.

We got to hang with the Holladays in SC and see their sweet family.  The kids all enjoyed hanging even though they had never meant while mom and dad got to do some gaming and talking.  It was great to see some old high school friends doing well.    Next stop NC.

We hit the road for another 6 hour trip north and landed in Wake Forest area where we saw some old college buddies and their fun family.  They have some super sweet kids too and we really enjoyed getting to know them.  Seeing their mom and Dad remind us that things don’t always change that much and that is a good thing.  We had a ton of fun hanging with the crazy Gowlands. 

Last stop before home was Mississippi to see some old church friends.  This was a short visit as we had to get back for some birthday fun the next day and we were worn out from being on the road so long.  We really enjoyed seeing the Chappelear family.  Like our previous 2 couples, they have some sweet sweet kids.  Our kids tried their best to keep up. We even got to see how God is using John at the church he helped to start up.  Keep up the good work there guys.

It was nice to be home after being away for so long. 

Eisley did some great swimming and boogie boarding in the ocean with her mask and goggles.  I think she tried to stay longer at each cousins and friends house throughout our stay.  It didn’t take her too long to warm up to folks during the stay.  She continues to enjoy planning her day from going to the bagel store to swimming or movies. 

Beck is doing well and continues to be all boy.  He still gets time out frequently for diaper changes and sharing amongst other stuff.  He is very sweet and seems to be speaking more but we are a little concerned with his vocab.  Hard to remember what to expect.  He really likes acting like a cat and gives some really good sugar as a cat. 

Thanks to all the family and friends that put up with us and that put us up during our summer road trip.  Love to you all!!

School is out and Pappa is officially home for the summer.  Also,  the blistering heat of summer in Texas is here.  Luckily we have a pool close by and time to kill.

This has been a pretty mellow month for us and we have just stayed close to home for the most part.  Beck did get his adnoids and tonsils out though and is doing well.  He was up and about playing that same afternoon and you would not have known he even had surgery.  His hearing is back to normal now and he will probably start speaking more now that it does not seem he is under water when he hears. Poor guy.  Also, his breathing is doing great and we were able to stop doing twice daily breathing treatments. Praise the Lord!

We are enjoying our at home time knowing that July will sail by and that the hectic times will be upon us soon.  We have even done a few home projects to get ready for our December arrival.  We decided to paint our living room from a fun green to a bland khaki. Oh well. 

Beck is smitten with the Disney Cars stuff and loves to carry the cd case around.  He says Queen for McQueen and May May for Mater.  He has not grown a whole lot according to the 2 year check up but apparently it is nothing to worry about for now.  He just recently started sleeping in his big boy bed and is able to stay in there until his alarm clock turns green.  He still loves marbles, rocks, books and music.  Very quick with a smile and pretty easy going except for the occasional car seat or diaper change that messes with his plans.  Beck is now very courageous around the water and likes to “swim” with his head in the water.  If we could only get the arms and legs going we’ll be good to go. 

Eisley did her first soccer camp during the first week of June.  It was pretty hot but she did a great job keeping up with some bigger kids in her group.  Eisley had a bit of water/swim phobia to start the summer but that has been replaced by an all out love of swimming now.  Momma kept working with her until she remembered how and is now doing lots of candyballs, dives, breath holding contests and everything else that goes with summer fun.  She is practicing her sight words and sounds and earned her dive mask with her first 15 words. Eisley also had her first visit to the dentist. Everything seemed to look good for now.  She has been doing some good exercise with Papa at the YMCA and continues to bring us joy each day. 

Momma is feeling well and seems to have her energy back.  She just had a root canal done which has got to be lots of fun but it had been hurting for awhile.  She made Papa feel pretty special during Father’s Day and every day for that matter.  What a blessing she continues to be for our family.