Mallory Vivienne is 4!

At 7:21pm tonight, December 31st, my little baby girl turned 4. I know that she is no longer a baby, but it is hard for me to let go of her. She has accomplished so much in her 4 years of life and she is such a blessing to our family. Just this year she has learned to read, she has really developed an artistic side. She enjoys making pictures for her friends as well as mine! She continues to be the sweetest daughter and sister that a family could ever ask for.

While we napped together today she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, kissed me and said, "Mommy, I love you as big as the universe." One of those moments that I will always treasure.

Below are some pictures from her previous birthday celebrations and a video that I found from her birthday last year.

This was taken on her third birthday at Jose's. At first she was a little nervous about the whole singing/sombrero thing, but she embraced it after a while.



We celebrated Mally's second birthday at home with a party to follow on a later date. This was taken at home. I love her sweet little smile in this picture.



This was Mally's first birthday. We stayed home with the kids and had a blast. They ran around the house and danced all night. Mally was so little but could really run. It was so fun to watch.

Meyer's Belt Test Updated

I am so proud of Meyer. Meyer passed his belt test, which really, I don't know what he would have had to do not to pass, but he did. He practiced and tried his best and I am so proud of him for that.

This was a big step for Meyer and I have to admit, I was a little nervous that he would not go through with the test. My fear is that when it was his time, he would get nervous and decided not to go up and test, but he did it!



It was fun being there. Bradley was there along with some of his other friends. After the test we went to McDonald's with our neighbors whose daughter was also testing. She also goes to school with Meyer and Mally.

Snow Day

Here in Racine on Friday, we got a lot of snow. A whole lot of snow. It was our first snow day of the school year so we brought our dog Oscar and the kids outside to play.



The snow almost came up to Mally's belly, and it came up to Oscar's neck. The snow wasn't the best packing snow so spent most of the time attempting to run, then throwing snow for Oscar.



After we played outside, I took Meyer to get his haircut, then we went to decorate cookies at a friend's house before Meyer's belt test. It was a great first snow day.

Tai Tai's New Hair Style

While my dear friend Maritza went to Canada for a much needed girlfriend visit, I got to take Tai Tai (her daughter) to get her hair styled for the first time ever! It was really fun for me. She was so excited to have braids in hair with beads. It was wonderful. I just love that little girl. She was excited to give me some sassy poses and when we returned to school she was eager to show off her new style to all of her friends.

Meyer's Belt Test

Meyer has been taking Tae Kwon Do at Chay's in Racine and is loving it! He gets so into practicing his moves. It is wonderful. On Friday, he has his very first belt test. Stay tuned in and we will let you know! He has really been practicing.

Adventures in Sledding

We truly enjoyed a Wisconsin Saturday afternoon. We took the kids sledding near our house at North Beach. We even brought our dog Oscar, who really enjoyed himself. At one point we connected his leash to Mally's sled and had him pull her. That perhaps wasn't our best idea, but it was really funny.

Unfortunately, our sleds were not too fast, but we really had a great time. The weather was perfect!

Finally!

Mally is a perfect balance of girl. She loves getting dirty, but also loves fancy things. She literally shakes with excitement when I ask her to help me pick out earrings to help accent my outfit. When I put my earrings in, she wants to do it for me, and always asks if she can wear my earrings. When I remind her that her ears are not pierced yet, she responds by saying we should go get them pierced.

One weekend, we decided to let that happen. I explained to Mally that getting your ears pieced hurts and would require a lot of aftercare. She said she wouldn't cry and that she would let me wash her ears.

True to her promise, she did not cry and was amazing through the whole procedure. She picked sparkley pink flower earrings which she shows off with pride. I am excited to let her try on some of my earrings. Some of her fanciness seems to be wearing off on me!

Auntie Mandi Rocks!

A couple of weeks ago Ryan's sister Mandi came in for a little visit. The purpose of the visit was to have her make some of her famous sugar cookies. We did do some of that, but mostly we just enjoyed her company.

Meyer was especially excited about her visit as they really do have a special relationship. Meyer adores her! As we all do, but he especially does. Probably because she has a DS and enjoys Star Wars, which makes her pretty cool in his book. He couldn't wait to see his Auntie over Thanksgiving so he could trade video games. We hope she comes again soon!

Ahh Facebook!

On our way to the Bond movie after Thanksgiving, Mandi, Sam, and Jesse talked about Facebook so I thought it would be a good idea to join and keep in touch with them. I beginning to think that perhaps it would have been best to just email. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I have received emails and comments from people that I don't know if I have ever had a conversation with! Yikes. Thanks a lot kids!

Thanksgiving

This year was one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had. Really,maybe the best week ever. Every year my cousin Jesse and I have a tradition of doing a race on Thanksgiving then going to a movie later that night, after we eat. We do the movie with Sam and Ryan as well, which is always fun.

I got up Thanksgiving morning, kissed the Schaal Rockets (our family moniker)goodbye, and went off to go pick up Jesse.

I arrived at Jesse's house to a sleepy Aunt and Uncle who welcomed me in for breakfast. Ah, no thanks to breakfast, but I will take a race with Jesse? Jesse was feeling pretty sick so he couldn't do the race with me. This is totally unlike him to miss something like this, so I understood. I sat for a minute in their driveway and asked myself, do I really want to do this alone, on Thanksgiving?

So I called Ry, "Hey, feel like lacing them up?" He probably really didn't feel like running a 10K race with me especially because he hasn't been running at all lately but in true Ryan form, he went along
with it. The only issue was he didn't have any running gear other
than shoes. So he borrowed some swimming trunks, yes swimming trunks
from his step-dad and really did lace them up.

We decided to run the race together and had so much fun. It really was the most fun I have ever had in a race. We ran past Ryan's friend's house who happened to be walking with his daughter and dog, which was pretty funny. He yelled some funny thing like, "What's with the shorts?" It really was funny, whatever he said. Anyway, we did the 10K and we finished. It was a blast.

Then we went to Ryan's mother's house for our first dinner, which was terrific. It is so great to be surrounded by family. After that we went to my Aunt's house for the night. We went to see the new Bond film with Sam, Jesse, and Ryan's sister Mandi. Which is why I now have a facebook page, but that's another blog. Anyway, it was a great time with all.

Exuma Mamas

So, on Tuesday I got back from one of the most fabulous vacations. I went to Exuma, Bahamas with 7 other amazing women. The trip was filled with laughter, tears, wine, karaoke, food, more wine, did I mention sun, and most of all new friendships to treasure. Thank you Tracie and the rest of the Mama's for making this such a memorable trip for me.

PS: I love you...

PSS: Thanks for teaching me how to upload properly, Trac!

Afternoon Delight

Yesterday afternoon, I napped with Mally. Napping with my children is one of my favorite pastimes. They are so snuggly and sweet. When we began to wake up, she wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "Mommy, I love you as big as the universe" and then gave me lots of kisses. Ahhhhh...my life is great.

The Joy of New Underwear

One of the big events this week was going to Target. Meyer was especially excited because he received a new gift card and he couldn’t wait to buy a new kit of Star Wars Legos. Our sole intention of this trip to Target was not just for Meyer’s Legos, but we also needed other household items and Mally needed new underwear.

For me, underwear is one of those things that I forget…not to wear of course, but to purchase. I have been forced this year to buy more because of my dog’s tendency to chew up my underwear (of course if they were in my drawer or in the laundry, he wouldn’t have access to them but…), but typically, I will go years without buying a new pair. In fact, I have the same sports bras that I had 10 years ago. I just purchased a new one this year, but prior to that, I reused the same ones over and over again.

While putting away the laundry, I realized that I was doing the same thing to Mally. I am not quite sure how, but Meyer had an underwear drawer that was overflowing, but I realized that Mally hasn’t gotten a new pair since she was started wearing undies, which was before she was 2. Now at 3 1/2, it was time to get her some new ones.

At Target, the underwear isle the last place we go until we go to the toy isle. I grab all of the underwear that are in her size and let her pick her style. Had she been my first, I would have taken out the Barbies and Princesses and replaced them with something that I deemed more socially appropriate like Littlest Pet Shop, but now I realize that playing Barbies is actually a lot of fun. But that’s another blog. Anyway, Mally picked two pair: Tinkerbell and Princesses, with a little bit of help from her brother Meyer. Satisfied with her decision, we moved to the toy isle.

We got home and they played with new toys. Meyer with his Legos, Mally with her new Barbie clothes. The underwear were completely forgotten until Sunday. While sorting the laundry, Mally came across the new undies that she had picked out on Friday. She was so excited, “Meyer, Meyer, let’s try on all of my undies and do a fashion show.” Meyer did not want to try on any of Mally’s undies, but was excited to assist her in her selection and in the fashion show. She started with the Princess pack and tried all 7 on. Each time she would strut out, Meyer by her side, assisting her with the presentation, “Time to turn around, Mally.” I let Meyer give Mally her pack of Tinkerbell undies and he was so excited. It was so sweet. She was so proud of her new undies and Meyer was so proud to help her. He really is a fantastic big brother.

My Husband...My Hero

I know I should be working right now, but my mind is elsewhere. For my second post (I promise I will stop numbering my posts) I would like to express my gratitude to my husband, Ryan Schaal, the most incredible man on Earth. I truly, am so blessed.

Let me tell you all a story that illustrates his greatness. Today was supposed to be a special day for me, and really it was, but it was a day that I really was excited about, and he knew that. I was going to visit a friend in Milwaukee and going to have lunch and just generally hang out. A much needed break from work and some super special girl time. After a tour of her fantastic store (www.broadwaypaper.com), really, probably the coolest store ever, we headed off to lunch. After the appetizers of delicious tempura snow peas, I received the call I did not want to hear, "Uh, Amy, the new girl didn't show up for work."

Ahhh! I won't go into all of the details as this is a post to celebrate Ryan, but seriously...today? I am an hour away from work and I really want to finish these snow peas and try the chicken sandwich, and I know that place must have fabulous desserts. So what do I do in this situation? Who can I call to cover for me or the new girl for the hour it takes me to get back? Who loves me enough to help serve 15 children lunch, and put them to sleep?

"Hey Ry, can you go into work for me for a little bit?"

No complaints, no hesitation, just love. And when I saw him, a smile that brings tears to my eyes. The smile that says whatever you need...I love you. The smile that says, I am sorry you had to miss your special lunch. The touch on my shoulder that says, everything is great. Don't worry.

So, today, I thank God for reminding me how blessed I truly am. For I have a husband that will go into to work for me. He is the husband that constantly supports me. He is the person who smiles and the worries of the world melt away. He is the person who still gives me goose bumps as when he touches my hand. And he is the greatest father. Sure, he swears too much and likes to play video games, but if that is the worst of it, I have it made.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I have been meaning to do this for quite some time. Having extended family, friends, and loved ones in many far away place, and being horrible at sending mail, making phone calls and generally keeping in touch, I feel like this is the best way to keep all of you posted on the joyous events that are happening in our world.

What has really inspired me to actually start is learning about the death of my dear friend Sylvester. He was a person that I was close to at one point in my life. A point without kids. After moving from Boston, we kept in touch for while, then started to loose contact. Then Meyer arrived, and everything changed. My life was consumed by the miraculous birth of my new baby boy. I lost touch with many, especially when I moved back to Wisconsin.

Friendship is so important to me. I feel so blessed to have the amazing friends and family that I do and this is blog is for you all. So when I forget to call you back or forget to tell you these silly stories, or when you just want a glimpse inside my heart, look here.

I wrote those first two paragraphs in August and I still haven't posted anything. Can you believe that? Well, I think it's time, and thanks to some inspirational words from a dear friend who is an amazing blogger, I am ready... (can you believe it Trac?)