Summer of Milestones

What a rough summer for a mom. It was a summer of firsts for Hazen. He failed the vision screening when we took him to the doctor for his kindergarten physical. This sent us to the eye doctor who confirmed he needed glasses. After trying on nearly every pair of kids frames, he chose blue ones. He has done an aweome job of taking care of them.

Also this summer, he learned to ride his bike without training wheels and swim without his life vest. The first 2 weeks of summer, we put him in swim lessons at Western. His first day, he got teary eyed and said he changed his mind about swim lessons. Once his friend Grayson showed up, the tears were gone. He practiced what he learned in our pool occasionally, but mostly swam with his vest. Then, one day his cousin Aubrey came over to swim and he wanted to be like her. I told him he could take off his vest and swim from one side to the other. The rest is history. He has since started doing flips underwater and picking up dive sticks.

Last but not least, he started kindergarten. His teacher is Mrs. Maurice. Hazen got to hear all about her because her daughter is one of Rett's good friends from band. He was mad because he didn't get to ride the bus the first day. We went with him the first day to meet the teacher and look around the school. He has been very tired at night because he is not used to going all day.

St. Augustine Beach 2010

Below is a slideshow of some pictures from Spring Break. I tried to add the text to that post, but then the slideshow wouldn't load. I guess I need to work a little on my tech savyness (if that's even a word). We had a great time other than Matt ending up on crutches halfway through the week. Hazen loved the beach and I think he would have been happy spending all day every day there, but Rett got sunburned the first day. We really enjoyed our time there. It was not crowded at all like some beaches are on spring break. We could let Hazen run and not worry about losing him in a crowd. Of course, uncrowded beaches is a recipe for boredom in teenagers.

Monday, we got up early to watch the space shuttle launch and spent most of the day on the beach. Tuesday, Matt and Rett were sunburned so we spent most of the day at the outlet mall. By the end of the day, Matt could hardly walk because his foot was hurting so bad. Wednesday, I took Hazen to the beach while Matt and Rett lounged around the hotel. We had planned to go to Daytona so Rett could see the speedway, but decided Matt's foot needed looked at. After nearly 4 hours in the ER, he was release with an ankle brace, hard soled shoe, crutches and 2 prescriptions. Nothing broken....just sprained/strained. Thursday we made the trip to Daytona and took a tour of the track. On the way back to St. Augustine, we stopped at a few of the other beaches. We found a lot of good shells there! Friday....the dreaded day we have to head home. We made our way through the gardens at the Fountain of Youth discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513.

We arrived back home around 1000 Saturday morning. After talking to all my co-workers who left Saturday, we are really glad we decided to leave a day early. Most of them were stuck in traffice for several hours around Nashville.

We still didn't get to see all that we wanted to, but had a great time. Matt and I think we need to make another trip with just the two of us!

Counting Down!

The last couple of weeks have been kind of rough. Hazen has had bronchitis and now has an ear infection. I have been fighting a sinus infection as well. I think we are all ready for a good dose of sunshine. We will be leaving Saturday April 3 for St. Augustine Beach. We spent 2 nights there on our way to Disney in December. We really enjoyed it, but didn't feel like we got to see everything we wanted to. We are staying in the same hotel which is right on the beach. Only 11 days until we leave!!

Catching up

Once again life has gotten busy and I haven't taken the time to post anything. Hazen started taking gymnastics again at Kokomo Flipsters. He goes for an hour every Thursday and he loves it. His favorite part is jumping into the big foam pit. Last Monday, Rett started Driver's Ed. We got his permit on Tuesday and he has been able to do some driving. He'll be in class the next 2 weeks. It's Monday-Thursday for 2 1/2 hours. I'll be glad when it is over. Then he'll have to schedule his 6 one hour driving sessions. With the new Indiana laws, he won't be able to get his license until 16 1/2 and won't be able to have passengers (unless there is an adult with him) until he is 17. That's our excitement for now.

Disney Vacation

Rett had the wonderful opportunity to march in a Disneyworld parade on New Year' Day. Matt, Hazen and I drove down to watch. We left a couple of days earlier than the band and spent two days in St. Augustine. We definitely want to go back when we have more time to look around. It was sunny and cool (a little too cool to enjoy the beach). The town was decorated for Christmas and was beautiful. We took an evening tour in a horse drawn carriage. It was so much fun! From there we went to Disneyworld and stayed at the Carribean Beach Resort. It was so nice to be able to leave the van in the parking lot and ride the buses.

Our first day we spent at Magic Kingdom. There was so much to see. Hazen loved the rides and just couldn't get enough. We spent nearly 12 hours there and didn't even see half of it! The next day we decided (New Year's Eve) we decided to start the day off at Animal Kingdom. Hazen was still all about the rides and insisted on riding a BIG roller coaster. Mom was chicken and just sat and waited. Matt said about halfway through Hazen was ready to get off. From there we went to check out Epcot, but it was VERY crowded (one ride had an estimated wait time of 295 minutes). We decided to go to Hollywood Studios to see if we could catch up with Rett. We met up with him and watched a Christmas Light show that was awesome! We were able to get one picture of the boys together with Mater and Lightening McQueen.

We ended the day and rang in the New Year at Magic Kingdom. The fireworks were so much more than any other display I have seen. It was a very unforgettable experience. Hazen was so tired, he fell asleep on our way back to the resort.

The first day of the new year greeted us with cool temperatures, wind and pouring rain. We headed back to Magic Kingdom to watch Western Band march. After a couple of rain delays, they stepped off at 3:20. 3 of the 4 bands dropped out so our kids were the only ones for the pre-parade performance. Hazen was so tired, wet and cold that he gave us no fuss at all when we told him it was time to head home. So here I am....wrapped up in the blanket wishing I was still freezing in 54 degree weather in Florida!

15 Years Ago

15 years ago today, I walked into Howard Community Hospital at 7 AM to have my baby. I was already 10 days over due, so I was more than ready! It wasn't too chilly when I got there, but as the hours passed, the temperatues dropped. By noon when Dr. Williams came in to break my water, it was pretty cold and beginning to snow. Mom and Erin were there for the duration. I walked the halls with Matt and Ryan. It seemed like everyone was as anxious as I was for this little one to arrive. Finally, at 7:43 PM Everett Levi Schroeder made his appearance weighing in at 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 inches long. He had lots of dark hair! What a beautiful baby boy! Thanks to all of my friends and family who have helped us through the years. The last 15 years have flown by. We've both learned and grown along the way, and I'm proud of the young man he is turning into. Happy Birthday Rett!