finally! some house pictures...here it is! we are so thrilled to call it home!
still no more pictures of the inside of the house...but eventually...eventually...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
grandma and grandpa make the trip
this weekend, grandpa and grandma schans drove in from michigan...we had a great time! they were our first official guests from out of town and again we feel so blessed just to have a enough space to host family from out of town! the weekend included a golf day for matt and larry, and a trip to the apple farm for all of us on saturday. attached are some pictures of the girls riding ponies and feeding the goats. as a special treat, there is also some video of larry and shirley learning to play wii tennis. one word - hilarious.
thanks to grandma and grandpa for making the trip! we all had so much fun and the kids so loved seeing you!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
a post for me more than you...
i just can't shake this connection i feel to the steven curtis chapman family...not since they lost their daughter, maria in may.
every single time i think about it, i am driven to do two things - pray for them and hug my kids.
when i read about the chapman family and the heartbreaking loss of maria, i feel like i could throw up. i, as a mom, cannot imagine the loss that the family is enduring every day. when maria died in may, it was tragedy and shock. now that the shock has perhaps worn a bit, the tragedy grows. the days without her continue on into forever. it is so sad.
to me, they have been inspirational in their unshakable faith throughout. it's amazing. it's awesome. i think the thing that will continue to make me sad is seeing pictures of scc. he doesn't even look like the same person. he only looks sad. he is faithful - but heartbroken. he feels the love around him, i am sure, but his world is in pieces and it is in his face.
maybe more than anything it scares me. to love your kids like parents do is like nothing else. it overtakes you. it changes how your brain works and how your heart feels. i cannot fathom the pain a parent must feel to lose a child. i never want to know and it scares me.
although God's love will sustain his family and they will save souls because of this insane situation, it seems to me that the pain will always be there for them. i have watched him grieve and i hate it. i admire him - i know he is being upheld - and yet he is hurting so much that his face shows nothing else. painfully faithful.
continue to pray for this family - and for all families going through similar situations. i will do the same. now...i gotta go hug my kids.
every single time i think about it, i am driven to do two things - pray for them and hug my kids.
when i read about the chapman family and the heartbreaking loss of maria, i feel like i could throw up. i, as a mom, cannot imagine the loss that the family is enduring every day. when maria died in may, it was tragedy and shock. now that the shock has perhaps worn a bit, the tragedy grows. the days without her continue on into forever. it is so sad.
to me, they have been inspirational in their unshakable faith throughout. it's amazing. it's awesome. i think the thing that will continue to make me sad is seeing pictures of scc. he doesn't even look like the same person. he only looks sad. he is faithful - but heartbroken. he feels the love around him, i am sure, but his world is in pieces and it is in his face.
maybe more than anything it scares me. to love your kids like parents do is like nothing else. it overtakes you. it changes how your brain works and how your heart feels. i cannot fathom the pain a parent must feel to lose a child. i never want to know and it scares me.
although God's love will sustain his family and they will save souls because of this insane situation, it seems to me that the pain will always be there for them. i have watched him grieve and i hate it. i admire him - i know he is being upheld - and yet he is hurting so much that his face shows nothing else. painfully faithful.
continue to pray for this family - and for all families going through similar situations. i will do the same. now...i gotta go hug my kids.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
here's where it all goes down...literally
you have to ignore the 'debris'...it was an effort to unpack and is only transient!
DOH!
just a funny story...
we are working on getting casey to sleep through the night...for those parents out there, you know what a fun process this can be! on saturday morning - about 5am - casey woke up and i robotically stumbled to the staircase leading downstairs to the main level where the kiddies room's are. because we have an older house - built in 1941 - the staircases are pretty steep! do you see where i am going? i missed the second step, my feet came out from under me and i fell back and slid down the stairs until i crashed on the hardwood below. when my feet went out from beneath me, i fell back and hit my noggin and then instinctualy clawed at the wall the whole way down in an effort to stop myself. ouch!
i am totally ok, aside from my bumps and bruises, but my pride is a bit shaken.
seriously - i am a dork who cannot function with the same amount of ease and grace as most others. i, pretty much, loaf through my days trying not to spill, swear out loud or fall over. at least i got two of the three right on saturday morning!
attached are some pictures of our main living space - including the infamous stairs! the kids are sleeping so i can't get their rooms and the basement is a mess for now...but soon i will get pics of the whole house online!
until then...here's to staying on two feet!
shannon
we are working on getting casey to sleep through the night...for those parents out there, you know what a fun process this can be! on saturday morning - about 5am - casey woke up and i robotically stumbled to the staircase leading downstairs to the main level where the kiddies room's are. because we have an older house - built in 1941 - the staircases are pretty steep! do you see where i am going? i missed the second step, my feet came out from under me and i fell back and slid down the stairs until i crashed on the hardwood below. when my feet went out from beneath me, i fell back and hit my noggin and then instinctualy clawed at the wall the whole way down in an effort to stop myself. ouch!
i am totally ok, aside from my bumps and bruises, but my pride is a bit shaken.
seriously - i am a dork who cannot function with the same amount of ease and grace as most others. i, pretty much, loaf through my days trying not to spill, swear out loud or fall over. at least i got two of the three right on saturday morning!
attached are some pictures of our main living space - including the infamous stairs! the kids are sleeping so i can't get their rooms and the basement is a mess for now...but soon i will get pics of the whole house online!
until then...here's to staying on two feet!
shannon
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Back in the saddle again!
just when you thought you may never hear from me again - qwest comes through with installing my home internet! whoohooo! i must say that i really have felt very out of the loop not being able to regularly check email, facebook, or blog. it has been rough! in any case, so much of nothing has happened this month that it was actually nice!
work at the university of the minnesota has been really awesome! i love the work and the people i work with are really committed, smart and all around entertaining! so fun. working in a big city like minneapolis is challenging. i pay $93 a month for a spot in a garage about 1/2 mile from my office. i am one of those wonderful women who treks through all kinds of weather in shoes that should be allowed only in a hospital to get to work - usually late. impressive, i know!
the kids are doing SO well. sophie began preschool this week. i love her so much and the thought of her having a life separate from the one that matt and i are directly a part of is so bizarre. a bit sad and milestone-esqe, but i am so thrilled that she can begin to build a little life of her own. she is great.
ellee is amazing. she takes after her mom in the area of vocabulary - she talks non-stop even if there is nothing more to say. love it. she screams when she gets her long blond hair brushed, squirms like a fish out of water when she is forced into diaper changes and would rather be naked than be made to get dressed. she is all personality. just as much as she hates getting her hair washed, she loves playing in the sand box, dancing and playing catch. she is so entertaining. it's so great to hear her start to chime in at prayer time and randomly shout 'Jesus' during our conversations. hysterical.
casey is so big. he is working on sleeping through the night, eating stage one foods and keeping an appropriate amount of drool in his mouth as opposed to on his shirt - just like dad. just kidding! what great men they both are! seriously, i feel like casey is becoming so independent already - is that a third child survival mechanism? he is rolling over, starting to sit up and showing signs of getting some teeth. he is in love with his sisters and we are all loving him!
matt is surviving his evening shifts at ups - although not loving the sleep deprivation - can you blame him? he does really enjoy the officiating he gets to do a couple of days a week, so hopefully it will all even out! we have been so grateful that he has been able to stay home with the kids while i am at the u - I FEEL BLESSED BY HIM.
soooo - there you are. an update of our normal life in a time of not-so-normal transition. continuing to count our blessing, realize that prayers are being answered each day and trying to be good to each other through it all.
we miss you. those of you who are far away are so missed each day. from our chicago people to our michigan folks. we love you and wish that we were able to see you more. even across the state lines, you are cherished parts of us. thank God for cell phones, email and blogs. please keep in touch.
love,
the schans party of five
work at the university of the minnesota has been really awesome! i love the work and the people i work with are really committed, smart and all around entertaining! so fun. working in a big city like minneapolis is challenging. i pay $93 a month for a spot in a garage about 1/2 mile from my office. i am one of those wonderful women who treks through all kinds of weather in shoes that should be allowed only in a hospital to get to work - usually late. impressive, i know!
the kids are doing SO well. sophie began preschool this week. i love her so much and the thought of her having a life separate from the one that matt and i are directly a part of is so bizarre. a bit sad and milestone-esqe, but i am so thrilled that she can begin to build a little life of her own. she is great.
ellee is amazing. she takes after her mom in the area of vocabulary - she talks non-stop even if there is nothing more to say. love it. she screams when she gets her long blond hair brushed, squirms like a fish out of water when she is forced into diaper changes and would rather be naked than be made to get dressed. she is all personality. just as much as she hates getting her hair washed, she loves playing in the sand box, dancing and playing catch. she is so entertaining. it's so great to hear her start to chime in at prayer time and randomly shout 'Jesus' during our conversations. hysterical.
casey is so big. he is working on sleeping through the night, eating stage one foods and keeping an appropriate amount of drool in his mouth as opposed to on his shirt - just like dad. just kidding! what great men they both are! seriously, i feel like casey is becoming so independent already - is that a third child survival mechanism? he is rolling over, starting to sit up and showing signs of getting some teeth. he is in love with his sisters and we are all loving him!
matt is surviving his evening shifts at ups - although not loving the sleep deprivation - can you blame him? he does really enjoy the officiating he gets to do a couple of days a week, so hopefully it will all even out! we have been so grateful that he has been able to stay home with the kids while i am at the u - I FEEL BLESSED BY HIM.
soooo - there you are. an update of our normal life in a time of not-so-normal transition. continuing to count our blessing, realize that prayers are being answered each day and trying to be good to each other through it all.
we miss you. those of you who are far away are so missed each day. from our chicago people to our michigan folks. we love you and wish that we were able to see you more. even across the state lines, you are cherished parts of us. thank God for cell phones, email and blogs. please keep in touch.
love,
the schans party of five
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