Schemanski Shenanigans

Some Recent Firsts

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

August has been jam-packed with fun, family vacationing, and celebrating. And with that has come many first for us and our girls. It's funny to me how such joyous events can bring that little lump in your throat because it reminds you that time is so short. Kids are growing faster than you want them to. Marriage feels like it's new in so many ways even after 10 years. We're getting to know certain family members for the first time as adults. And we're starting to classify people in their 30's and 40's as being "young like us". Hmmm... just 10 years ago those were the "old people". But I (Niki) am still in my "late 20's" for one more month, and I'm going to enjoy every day of it!

Nya's First Date... her friend Grady is about 6 months younger and quite a few inches shorter. Grady got this top-of-the-line-souped-up Jeep for his 2nd birthday. They worked together to operate it ~ Grady steered while Nya pushed down on the gas peddle. This made for a hilarious show as they drove all over the farm.

Nya's first time being a flower girl! She was so excited and still talks about it when we drive by the Lutherin church where the wedding was. There was a wonderful reception at Niki's mom's house and the kids got to play in the lake. The bride herself even ventured into the lake with her beautiful wedding dress on and danced with Nya.

Ty's first class-V white-water rafting trip down six mile creek up by Hope. Nineteen men from church went on the trip and really had a great time.

After getting stuck on a rock the only way off was to tip the raft down off it. Amazingly, nobody fell out!

We celebrated our first 10 yrs. together on August 14th while in Michigan for our family reunion (which will be a different blog post coming soon).

On our honeymoon I said to Ty "Do you think after 10 years of being married there will be anything we don't know about each other... I mean will there be anything left to discover?" Now we both chuckle at that comment because as any couple knows ~ you never stop learning about each other!

Ty & the girls' first time meeting my dad. On our way back home from Michigan we stopped off in Salt Lake City and got to visit with my dad and his wife Lisa and my half-brother Tony. I haven't known my dad since I was seven years old, but getting to know him now as an adult has been a wonderful blessing for both Ty and I. He is so kind and loving, and his wife and son were easy to love instantly. This visit was too short, but we'll look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

Nya's first bad hair day (or maybe not the first)! This isn't a major event, but this pic was too cute not to post.

And last BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST is our favorite "first" of all ~ Elliana turns ONE today! I seriously cannot believe it's been a year since bringing her home from the hospital. (See the post titled "Elliana's Song".) She is a precious baby with a smile that makes anyone feel like a million bucks (although hard to capture on camera for some reason). She's our little snuggler.

All The Marks of a GREAT Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:41:00 +0000

It's only the beginning of July and we've already experienced days upon days of beautiful and unusually warm weather for us Alaskans! So this blog post will be short on words because, well... a picture is worth a 1000 words, as the saying goes...

Elli eating on our front patio

Sadie & Nya in their own little raft at Grandma & Grandpa's house

Ty water skiing (the mark of a TRULY great summer!)

Playing at the park

Nya playing in the sprinklers

Jumping on the kiddie trampoline (how cute is this thing!)

Nya watering the flowers

Father's Day Picnic at Captain Cook

Fourth of July Parade (AKA ~ Fire trucks, horses, motorcycles, & CANDY!)

Rain or shine we like our Rhino!

We got completely soaked with rain and hail on this ride... and laughed our heads off the whole time!... except for Elli, she slept through it.

Two of my favorite clothing items for summer ... tank tops & baby bonnets!

Lions & Tigers & Bears Oh My!!

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:26:00 +0000

...ok, so not really any lions, and maybe just one tiger, but still ~ the Alaska Zoo was a blast for the Shenanigans. Of allllll the things Ty could do for his 30th birthday he chose to skip out on free tickets to a motivational speaking seminar and join his girls at the zoo. And boy were we glad to have our favorite photographer along with us to capture all the fun! It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we managed to stretch our zoo visit to about 5 and a half hours ... this could be considered somewhat humorous for anyone who's been to the Alaska zoo. But we are indeed an animal-loving, photo-taking family!

There, we just saved you $12 :) no need to visit the zoo ...

"What? We missed one?"

"My go find more an-mals," said Nya all day long. "I'm just along for the ride," thought Elli.

How hard can it be to get 2 parents and 2 cute girls to all look at the camera at the same time? Apparently quite difficult! :) Oh, but it makes for some fun memories anyways :)

Train Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Niki and I managed to sneak off for a little post turnaround getaway.
We spent the night in Anchorage last night and are on the train headed
to Seward now. More to follow...

Romantic Getaway For Two

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:27:00 +0000

We left the girls and went to Homer this past Monday and Tuesday for a little getaway ... and the girls were still watching cartoons when we got back! Ha ~ kidding, kidding ... please don't report us. Anyways, thanks to a generous gift from our youth pastor & church, we got to stay at Land's End and have a wonderful dinner (King Crab for Niki & Prime Rib for Ty) and breakfast.
As anyone who's visited Homer in the winter knows, there's really nothing to
do there this time of year ... so it made it easy to relax and enjoy the beach, scenery, & hotel amenities (aka outdoor hot tub).Crossward puzzles are a favorite relaxing activity for us. This was activity #1 on Niki's agenda (would not be #1 in Ty's mind, but patience is a virtue) and she quickly did as many of the easy ones as possible before Ty joined in! We kicked butt on this one, knocked it out in less than 30 min. Then we were off to the beach for a walk to try and find a geo-cache, & we did.

Niki pointing to our favorite mountain top ~ we like the pointy, jagged ones.

We decided to do a photo session under the docks even though it was quite cold.

Niki saying to herself "smile like it's not cold, smile like it's not cold" ... :)

A three-hour lunch at Sourdough Express (another crossword & some vacation planning) & a visit to Greg & Karen Newell's were the highlights of Tuesday. A fun trip indeed! Thanks Ryan, Grandma, & Grandpa for giving us the opportunity to do this.

Super Nya!

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:15:00 +0000

Most superheroes have fancy costumes, but some are so cute they don't need one at all... Today Niki and I were blessed with the presence of our favorite super hero in our house and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few photo's. This is really my first foray into black and white photo's with my new camera and I have to say it's really fun. It's interesting how a lack of color can actually bring more depth to a photograph.

Mount Redoubt, Bring It On...

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Well as I'm sure you're all aware, Mount Redoubt finally blew yesterday and is continuing to do so. I wish that I could have got some pics of it but as circumstances had it she came like a theif in the night. But, that doesn't mean that we're not prepared, I think the following speaks for itself...

And here's Nya's take on what happened:

Sick Day Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:44:00 +0000

As many of you know the shenanigans aren't feeling all that well this week. We've been lying low and staying pretty close to home the last couple days. Enough so that we're getting tired of just being at home. So, Nya and I (ty) decided to go for a little drive in my truck to get the mail and break the monotony. I decided to grab my camera just in case I saw something picture worthy. We didn't really see that much and I still managed to take about twenty pictures too many. Here are the three most notable:

{sarcasm}Oh, look! The sun! I've never taken a picture like this before!{/sarcasm}

Nya was pointing out some birdies.

(I never saw them, I was too excited about the photo...)

Didn't really mean for this one to turn out like this. I guess it's kind of cool for an accident...

O 2 B 2

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:12:00 +0000

My little Nya bug continually impresses me with her vocabulary and comprehension, and today was no exception! So here are a few fun stories for the day...
If Mommy Says No, Ask Jesus
I was nursing Elli and Nya walks up and says "Mommy, paint Nya's nails?" (at least now she's asking instead of just doing it herself!) Anyways, I reply, "Not right now, Mommy is feeding Elli. You'll have to wait a little bit." Nya: "No! Mommy paint Nya's nails right there, peeeeaase." Mommy: "Nya, mommy can't right now. I'm feeding Elli. Mommy will paint your nails later ok." A couple minutes goes by (eternity for a two-year old) and Nya is a few feet away doing her own thing... then I hear her say "Jesus, paint Nya's nails right there", while showing him exactly what finger she wants Him to start with. After seeing no results, she again says her little one-line prayer. Moral of the story: Persistance pays off, her fingers and toes are all painted ~ by mommy (in case you were wondering).
Is That A Lie?
After Nya's nap she came excitedly running up to me asking for a cookie (she got one after her nap yesterday, so why not every day?) I said "Sorry, there's no more cookies... they're all gone." But you see, that was a wee little lie. There was ONE left... and it was mine! I didn't think twice about telling her they were all gone because basically they were (I called it.) Her response left me in a predicament ... "Mommy, show Nya cookies all gone." I said "What?", mostly to buy myself some time while I pondered what I would do. Again, in no uncertain terms the two-year-old says to her lying mom "Mommy, show Nya cookies all gone." Moral of the story: Don't lie. Even to a 2-yr-old.
Betcha Haven't Heard This Song
Nya wrote her first song today and it goes a little something like this:
"Momma pooping, momma pooping, potty chair, get a treat..." sung to the tune of Frere Jacques. Lovely. However, it's still in the creative process because she's been singing various versions of it all day. Moral of the story: You can sing just about anything to the tune of Frere Jacques.
In case you couldn't figure out the title of this blog... "Oh To Be Two"

Ski Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Today Ryan and I (friend from work), came up to Alyeska for a day of
riding. It's beautiful out but a little cold so far. About 5
degrees... Were eating lunch right now. Just thought I'd drop a note.

"More pickle please?"

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:07:00 +0000

... said Nya after eating a bowl of pasta and 4 baby dills. And what happened next? ... up she blows. Nasty. Yes, I should have trusted my better judgment after day #4 of barfing and diarrhea, BUT the fact she even had an appetite made me want to give her whatever she was asking for (which happened to be noodles and pickles).
Some of you have called to check on us and see how we're all doing and we appreciate your thoughtfulness! So the update is ~ two girls still running at both ends, two parents feeling a bit queezy (possibly the same flu, or possibly just tired of cleaning up puke and poop). 11 loads of laundry in 3 days (typical for some families, not for us!), bed-sheets changed 5 times, 1 queen sz comforter going to the dry-cleaners, 1 freshly bleached kitchen floor, & steam-cleaner has become a permanent fixture in the living room... oh and 1 sleep-deprived mommy still in her bathrobe and glasses. I am radiant I tell you.... in that special kind of beauty that only mommy's possess ~ super models aint got nottin on us.
I'm so thankful Ty will be done working at 5pm tonight and a friend is stepping in to lead worship at the last minute so I don't have to. What a blessing! Thanks for checking in on us :)

Nya & Mommy slipped out of the house for some library time and got a new stash of books.

Elli's not handling the sickness quite as good as Nya, poor thing.

Nya helping to mop after another "spitting" incident (that's what she calls her puking). And in case you're thinking we're cruel parents that make our 2-yr-olds mop up their own puke, we're not ... she did this on her own :)

Nya getting cleaned up after her most recent episode. If you look closely you can see the pickle/noodle barf on the tray in the sink ... also notice the candle burning to try and hide the smell (not working as well as I'd like).
Nya enjoying her "special treat" afterwards.

Which Is Grosser?

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:33:00 +0000

.... barf or diarrhea? ... or how bout both mixed? Ya, I know. Disgusting. That's what I got to clean up in Nya's high chair after finally getting both girls to bed tonight (a tiny miracle in itself). My poor babies are both sick so my day started out with cleaning up puke and ended in the same way :) Nya can't seem to keep anything down and if it's not coming out one end it's the other (if you're confused just read opening line again). She's been such a trooper all day though, quite snuggly and loving ~ and patient when Elli needed my care more than herself. It's so hard to see your little ones sick, makes me sad. I know that any mom reading this is totally relating. So, I guess I don't really have much more to say ... and you'll just have to forgive me if once again I've broken blogging etiquette. I think I'm going to apply for that show "America's Dirtiest Job's" now ~ Mom.

I guess Elmo isn't quite as exciting when you're sick.

"Did you toot?"

Nya loves to "help" cook... "Nya do it."

Are words really necessary...?

"Wadup homey."

Is it Worth It?

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:26:00 +0000

As an Alaskan mom I often ask myself this question when it comes to winter activities. On average it takes about 20 minutes to get both the girls and myself ready to go play outside in the winter. And how long do we actually spend outside?... hmmm... on a good day, maybe 25 minutes. Then it's back inside, and another 10 minutes of undressing and cleaning up. So, I ask myself, is it worth it? On the day I got this video clip I was definitely asking myself that question because Elli had been crying through the entire dressing process and then on and off throughout our time outside, but I reallllly wanted to shovel the steps... so I got desperate and drug this toy outside...

Watch in High Quality
So the answer is, YES!, it's worth it! Always. Ok maybe just most of the time. Ok sometimes I question why we live here.

Who Made The Moon & Stars?

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:05:00 +0000

So it turns out I get a lot of praise from the hubby for blogging, which in turn motivates me to do it more! I think I get way more "atta-girls" for blogging than doing the laundry or cooking so I've decided I'll let those things go and spend that extra time blogging every day... he won't mind right?
Anyways, some of you may have noticed the incredibly gorgeous full moon the past few mornings and will know what I'm talking about as I describe this moment. Two mornings ago I felt prompted to get out of bed much earlier than I needed to... and will never regret doing so. Nya and I had one of my favorite moments together so far in her sweet little 2 years on Earth. I had been up reading and praying when I noticed the full moon sitting low on the horizon out our dining room window. So I turned off all the lights, grabbed a blanket, and sat at the table with my coffee and just marveled at what I was looking at. The moon was glorious... yellow... haunting with some clouds gently encasing it's glow. There's such a feeling of "it's just me and God" when I'm either up super late or super early. I love those moments. After about 20 min. I heard Nya calling from her bedroom so I quietly went & scooped her into my arms w/out turning on any lights. I quietly wispered "Let mommy show you something". So we went to the window and I pointed to the moon. She giggled and exclaimed "Moon! Oh wow!" For the next 15 or so minutes the two of us sat in the dark staring at the stars, moon, and clouds. Nya was as captivated as I was. Something about being snuggled together on one chair, under one blanket, looking at one gigantic moon made me care less what the rest of the day was going to be like. I knew all too soon she'd snap back into her typical two-yr-old behavior. But for those precious minutes she was my best friend and fellow worshiper. ... but... when asked who made the moon and stars she confidently replied "daddy." :)

This One's For the Grandparents

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Grandma Great

Nana

Papa

Grandma

Papa Pastor

Jolie

Nya's 1st Ice Cream w/ Grandma & Grandpa Great

This blog post is in honor of our favorite babysitters ~ oops I mean grandparents! This morning I had the opportunity to go have coffee with some friends (thanks to my mom watching the girls) and the joke came up about how the word "babysitter" could easily be substituted for "grandparent". And boy are we blessed because of it! Since both Ty and I have our immediate families here, we don't lack for grandparents close by! So this post is a tribute to the wonderful love, care, and free babysitting that comes from those dearest to us.

Burning The Midnight Oil

noreply@blogger.com (Niki) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:59:00 +0000

I think I'm starting to understand the true meaning of the statement "Momma burns the midnight oil". There was an old song with that title and somehow from listening to it I got the impression that "momma burning the midnight oil" went something like this. Momma tucks her beautiful children into bed, turns out the lights, then quietly slips into her closet to put on a beautiful long nightgown that's both comfortable and attractive to her husband (is there a nightgown like that?). Her hair and makeup look slightly worn from the day, but she still radiates beauty. She quietly sits in her favorite chair under the glow of a lamp sipping on Chamomille Tea while reading the Bible. Then she kneels down to spend her last minutes of the day talking with God. Kinda makes you go "ahhh" doesn't it? Well, let me tell you what I really think it means. Momma's burnin the midnight oil cuz she can't get nottin done durin' the day! The normal routine for this momma goes a little more like this... tuck the girls into bed, turn out the lights, listen to Nya say "Wud you" 4 or 5 times after I've shut the door, then go to the bathroom because it's probably been 5 hours since I last went. There's no time for nightgowns and tea... it's off to the kitchen to clean, sweep, and sometimes mop. Then the dryer usually dings letting me know that my final load for the day is done. Then I do a quick cleanup of all the miscilaneous toys, dolls, & animals strung all over the house. At this point it's probably about 10:15 and I'm getting tired physically so this is when I work on bills, mail, emails, worship team prep/schedules, & go through photos (we take like 10 a day). I might add that my hair is not gently swept up as I imagine the lady's was in the song, but more like a tangled mess on top of my head. And my makeup has pretty much been rubbed off, sweated off, or cried off (as seems to be the case lately). By 11:30 I start thinking "oh it's getting late, I better call it quits".... "oh, but I just wanted to get one last thing done for the day..." next thing I know it's 12:30 and I think "hmmm, I'm kind of hungry". Off to the kitchen for a snack... nothing dainty like tea, usually cereal actually. Then it finally hits me ~ I AM TIRED. So I wash my face, brush my teeth (or not ... but don't tell my hygienist, he thinks I brush AND floss), then put on my footed pajamas. Yip. Yes they do make them for grown ups... especially for momma's burnin the midnight oil.

Just another mushy blog from the wife & mom...

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:01:00 +0000

So I'm pretty sure I don't totally understand the whole concept of blogging and what it's all for... so forgive me if I don't necessarily follow the right blogging etiquette. The last time I tried to blog I uploaded 26 pictures (which didn't end up loading correctly, and why not?) and Ty informed me that blogs are meant to be short and sweet with just a few photos (as to not lose people's interest). And I'm not sure if blogs are meant to be informative and factual, or insightful and inspiring. I'm quite intimidated by the whole thing actually! But I do enjoy our friend's blog and love peering into the lives of the famous family of 10. I'd planned on cleaning right now while the girls are napping, but instead I'm feeling the need to write. I often deal with the messiness of life by writing it down... never with the intention of sharing it on the world wide web however. But today I'm up for the blogging challenge! These past two weeks have held so many significant events and situations and there's just not enough time or space to go into each one's details, but God's Holy Spirit is speaking to me in so many undeniable ways with one primary message. Time Is Short. The time with our children is short, the time with our parents is short, the time with our spouse is short, the time of our health is short, the time of our freedom is short, the time with friends is short, the time with our family is short, our time on earth is short. And honestly, some times life hurts so bad and it's comforting to know it's short and that earth is not our final destination. But while I'm stuck here what am I going to do with my time? This is a question I've been asking myself for a few years, but have never sensed the urgency to fulfill the answer as I do now. When a close friend moves away it's hard not to wish you'd made more time to spend together; when a parent loses a child it's only natural to wonder how it would feel to lose your own; and when a baby is born fighting for their life it reminds you of what a miracle life truly is. Anyone who's battled a life-threatening disease or experienced a near-death situation will tell you that it changed them... it changed their priorities. I don't want to wait until I'm facing death to realize what mattered to me the most. As much as I want to grow old with Ty, I'm not guaranteed I'll have him beyond today... so I want to enjoy and laugh with him for as many days as God does give us. It's easy to assume our children will live with us until they're 18, but God has not promised all of us that priviledge. So I want to absorb, delight, play, and take in all of them that I can while they are near. It's so easy to take family, friends, & health for granted... until they're gone. It's easy to write these things (and truly mean them), but it's another thing to practice them on a daily basis. My prayer these days is for God to help me live according to His priorities and to be ok with the things that don't get done and the messes left behind. It reminds me of the scripture from 1 Corinthians 13:13 "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."

Silence Is Not Always Golden

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:10:00 +0000

This afternoon we laid the biggest little shenanigan down for a nap like usual. (Intentional emphasis...) Today, as she some times does, little miss got out of bed and started playing with some of the toys in her room. This doesn't really bother us that much, and after 15 minutes she usually crawls back into bed and falls asleep. So, playing followed by silence is usually a good thing. (Again, if you note the emphasis you'll have an idea of where this is going...)
We'll just say that today wasn't a typical day...

Click here to watch in High Quality

Christmas Parties 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:05:00 +0000

As I alluded to in my Christmas 2008 post, here is the official Christmas party entry. The first party that we made it to was on Christmas eve at Dave and Susie Knudsen's house. Long time family friends / neighbors and also the parents of my sisters brother-in-law. (Not to mention that they're also the in-laws of Niki's former room mate...)

As you can see they have a beautiful house; although what you can't see is their amazingly gracious hospitality. We had a wonderful time with literally all you can eat king crab legs. Yeah, it was wonderful. Susie bought all the kids new Christmas pajamas witch they loved and we had a great time of fellowship.

There was no shortage of pictures being taken with five sets of grandparents in the room!

I'm not sure who's kid that is but she is always trying to get in the limelight...

Grandpa Ray enjoying a tea party with the girls.

(Note: I think Sadie really thinks she's eating a cookie...)

Party #2

The second party we went to was at my parents house on Christmas Day. Grandma Tami cooked an amazing dinner including a delicious prime rib and some scrumptious twice baked potatoes. It was a really fun night of family, friends, food, and pool. Looking at my pictures you should be able to tell where I spent most of my time...

This photo was supposed to have Niki's grandparents with all four of us shenanigans in it but I think Nya is already sick of my new camera. It goes something like this:

Me, in my most excited smiley face possible: "Nya, we're going to take a picture!"

Nya: "No!"

Did I mention that she's two now...

I just thought this was a cool shot.

My dad and Grampa Jim, Levi's grandpa.

Pastor Brown lookin tough and rarrific!

Mr. Brad Brown working the table for me. Definitely my favorite shot of the night.

Nya Turns Two

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:33:00 +0000

I kind of feel sorry for her. Three days after Christmas isn't likely to be the most ideal, or lucrative, time of year to have a birthday. It's not like she had a lot of say in the matter. Also knowing us there's probably always going to be a Christmas tree in some of the pictures. Who wants to take down their tree immediately after Christmas? Those things being said, we did have a wonderful day and Niki put on a great party.

Nya and I went to "Donowds" for lunch and let mom finish the food prep back home.

"You mean that's not 100% beef?"

If you haven't been in the newly remodeled Kenai Mc Donalds, it's looking pretty good.

(Well, especially with Nya sitting in it...)

I think she managed to open two presents before getting too excited to play with the new toys to keep opening. Good thing there were plenty of other kids to help.

"Hmmm... if I eat all the cake on my plate will mom let me have the rest of it?"

Thanks for the great cake grama Tami.

BFF's

Nya, Sadie, and Addison

It's amazing how fast a sugar high can end...

Christmas 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:56:00 +0000

What a fun day! It was a little tough waking up after a whopping four hours of sleep, but once Niki made us some coffee from her new cappuccino machine (early christmas present), we were good to go.

We started the day off with a little coloring.

Then moved straight into the presents. With the real tree this year we wanted to leave it on the tile so we hauled our presents to the living room.

Let the fun begin!

Elli even got in on the action.

"Are you sure we've opened ALL the presents?"

After the presents were done I grabbed the nativity scene and acted out the Christmas story for Nya. We had fun but I think she had even more fun customizing the story her way or in her words: "Nya do it!"

Before this picture was taken I heard Nya say, "night, night..."

Elli bean is starting to hold her head up!

The girls are all in the kitchen working on the french toast!

We've got a lot more Christmas photo's but I'll wait to share those in my "Christmas Parties" post...

Private Party

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:20:00 +0000

Last night was our annual church Christmas party and we didn't go... We weren't avoiding the sublime snacks, congenial company, or fabulous fun. It's just not exactly easy when your cheeky children's normal nannies are also participating in the party. That conundrum coupled with twelve toilsome hours of work on top of five fruitless hours of sleep and it was exponentially easier to have our own private party. I stopped shortly at the big blue Blockbuster and procured posthaste "Horton Hears A Who". (Although we are somewhat satisfied Netflix customers.) Niki made her outstanding onion dip, some serendipitous seven layer bean dip, a variety of veggies and fruits, giant gingersnaps, as well as her fabulous fruit smoothies. The famished four of us dawdled down to the hospitable home theater room and masticated our meal while being eerily engaged in one of the coolest computerized cartoons I've recently rented. Of course we very much missed the cordial companionship of our familiar friends, but I must also admit that it was alright because we had an extraordinary evening in the caring company of those closest to our cores: The Shemanski Shenanigans

We got this little snippet before putting Elli down to sleep.

Tuesday In Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:49:00 +0000

We had a nice lazy day at the house today so I took the opportunity to play with my camera a bit and capture some fun pics to share. Hope you enjoy! (It's a little lengthy.)

First things I saw when I looked out the window were a moose in the yard and a nice sunrise.

After breakfast is was time to play!

And Sing

And look cute...

The girls were able to take care of some laundry. The whole time listening to Nya say: "Nya do it! Nya Help. Good girl..."

As they were folding laundry I stepped back outside to capture the sunset.

Then dinner and, well this picture speaks for itself...

2008 Tree Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:23:00 +0000

On Nov. 29th all four of us jumped into the rhino and got our first family tree! I didn't know it was going to be so much fun, we'll definitely be making a tradition of it. It sure beats an hour and a half of fluffing fake branches and the associated raw fingers. Those of you with fake tree's know what I'm talking about. So without further adiue, here's the splendid moment on video. Oh, and if you look at the drivers seat of the Rhino in the above picture, that's Nya sleeping...

If you were wondering, this video was not shot in the future. Niki just accidentally said 2009...

Our favorite present this year!

I'm A Rebel

noreply@blogger.com (Ty) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:12:00 +0000

It's here! Christmas came early for me this year and I got a Canon Rebel XSi. I'm super stoked to have a nice camera to get a little more artsy in my photographs and step up the quality a notch. That being said, I know that equipment is only a small part of actually taking good photo's so let the learning begin!