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!

I'm a Slacker

I have gotten really far behind on my blogging this year. I don't know what happened. I guess I've been spending too much time on Facebook! Marching band is over now (actually it has been for a month). Western was Class C State Champions for the second year in a row! The band is going to march in the Magical Music Days Parade at Disney World over Christmas vacation. We are going down to watch. Hazen is VERY excited. He keeps seeing commercials on TV about the fireworks there. It will be nice to get away! I just hope it is warmer there than it is here.

That's all for now. I will try to be better about posting updates. I need to get more pictures on here too, since the slideshow is from March!

It's That Time Again!

Marching band has started already. Last weekend we were at Lafayette Jeff. Western took first place in Class C. They were also Grand Champions. They outscored all of the other bands including bigger bands from Class B and Class A. They're off to a great start. This year's show has a lot of pieces that are popular for bands and orchestras to perform, such as "O Fortuna", "Overture Candide", and "New World Symphony". The marching this year is extremely difficult as it is very fast. Today we are headed to Plainfield. Hopefully the results will be the same!

Yet Another Funny Quote From Hazen

I took the boys out to eat at IHOP. Rett ordered orange juice, so Hazen thought he needed some too. He had never drank it with pulp in it. After the first drink, he said "Mom, this orange juice is nasty. It has feathers in it."

It's That Time Again!

Wednesday the band had a hog roast and a sneak preview of the 2009 show. The theme this year is "Name that Tune". It has numerous songs that people have heard but not always known the name. Some of the more popular ones are "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "The Bottle Song" from Fiddler on the Roof, and "Maria" from Westside Story. Hopefully they are as successful as they were last year. We're looking forward to another great year. They will play at the first home football game next Friday.

The kids trying to teach their parents how to march. I felt very uncoordinated and that was without even trying to play music. I have a great respect for all of these kids!

This is one of the warm up drills that they call "Running with Scissors". I don't know why they call it that. They march forward so many counts and then to the left so many counts and keep repeating that.

Cincinnati Vacation

We decided on the spur of the moment to take a mini-vacation. We ventured toward the Cincinnati area. Our first stop was the Newport Aquarium on the Kentucky side of the river. The day started with a penguin parade where the kids got to see 3 penguins up close and learn a lot about them. The penguins were named Randy, Simon and Paula. The aquarium had an awesome jellyfish display. They were several different containers, each with a different colored light, in the display. Since the jellyfish are translucent, they turned the same color as the light. Very Cool!

Our next stop was the Freedom Center. It is a museum about the Underground Railroad. I wasn't sure how well Hazen would do here, but we were pleasantly suprised. When you buy your tickets, you are given a hand-held listening device. Each display has a number on it and you type that number into your device. A lot of the displays will give you a first-person account of what is happening from two different perspectives (like the slave's view and the slave owner's view).

Matt wanted to check out the fire museum. If any of you know Matt, you know he loves to read EVERYTHING in museums. The kids were ready to go way before he was. There was a wall of patches from other fire departments and we found patches from Kokomo Fire, Indian Heights, and Taylor Township. In the evening, the kids swam and Matt and I visited with his former youth sponsors who live in the area.

Our last day, we decided we would check out the Cincinnati Zoo. We woke up to rain and were debating on what we should do. We were driving around just sightseeing when the rain stopped. We decided to head on over to the zoo. No sooner than we had bought our tickets, it started raining again. It wasn't cold so we just stayed. The kids got to feed the giraffes. There was an area with a lot of birds and they each got to hold one. Rett's bird must have decided it was hungry because it kept pecking his nose and the corner of his mouth!

Lazy Summer?

It's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I guess we're having what you would call a lazy summer. We've been doing lots of swimming and playing outside, but nothing really blog-worthy.

Matt and I celebrated our 8th anniversary last week with a day trip to Brown County. The years have flown. It was nice to get away for a few hours without the kids. Hazen was really glad to see his Grandma and Grandpa since they had been gone for 4 weeks.

Kelsey has had a very busy summer with 4-H. She completed projects in entomology, sewing, needlecraft, poultry and swine. Not to mention she was Miami County Princess. Rett also was in 4-H for the first time this year and he got a blue ribbon on his model. He has also been working part time with his dad. Both Rett and Kelsey also got to spend a week at church camp.

What can I say about Hazen? He hasn't been involved in all the activities that the older kids have (thank goodness), but he is always good for a few laughs. Today he said "I'm almost grown up because I can pee and poop in the pot all by myself. I think I'll start calling myself 'Big Daddy'." Where do kids come up with these things?

I did something today that I've never done before. My brother is helping my mom remodel her kitchen. It has turned into a much bigger job than they had planned with rotten sill plates and floor joists. Matt has been helping him, but today he had something to do at Russiaville Fire Dept. I told Tony I would help until Matt got back. I used the cordless circular saw and cut boards for him, went down into the crawl space to hold boards up and also used a pnuematic nail gun. Who knew power tools could be so fun?

So, I guess this is our summer in a nutshell. Our "lazy" days are quickly diminishing. Rett starts band camp the week of the 27th and I will be working during registration the week of Aug. 3rd.

Hanging at the Fire Station

Saturday, Hazen and I went to hang out with Matt at the fire station. Of course we couldn't show up empty handed, so we stopped at Dariy Queen first and bought an assortment of Dilly Bars.

It was an educational trip. Hazen learned what not to do on a treadmill. One of the guys was sitting in a wheeled office chair....on the treadmill...with the speed maxed out. He was getting ready to ride it off and I had the camera ready to video it, but the Battallion Chief poked his head in. Then, Hazen learned how to play ping-pong...kind of.

After checking out all of the trucks, it was time to head for home. Hazen didn't want to leave his daddy though. Matt bribed him with a quarter.

Coyote Kids Time Again

Hazen, Aubrey, and Wyatt are all running in Coyote Kids at Jackson Morrow Park this year. Wyatt runs 25 yards, Hazen runs 50 yards and Aubrey had to run a half-mile! They all did great and were rewarded with ribbons and popsicles!

Visiting With Good Friends

What a great time visiting with high school friends. We don't get to see each other often enough, but when we get together it's just like old times. Only there's a lot more of us now. The kids all seemed to get along very well. We had hoped to cook out and spend time playing outside, but the weather didn't cooperate.

Catching Up!

Rett and Hazen both took part in the Opening Day Parade for Russiaville Youth Baseball League. This was Hazen's first year and he was so excited to ride on the float and throw candy. This was Rett's first parade to march in. He has two more later this month. Including the Indianapolis 500 Parade on the 23rd.

Hazen playing short-stop in his first t-ball game. It was cold and windy that day, but he did a great job. No playing in the dirt this time!

Arlington Today

Rett called at 1015 last night. They had just boarded the buses to head back to the hotel after the cruise on the Potomac River. He said it was "amazing". He said he got a little nervous with dancing on the boat because it sounded like the floor would cave in.

I forgot to look at the itenerary for today, but I know they are going to Arlington. They will get to see the changing of the guard. There was also an essay contest and the winner will get to place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unkowns. They will leave around 700 tonight to begin their journey home. I am supposed to pick him up at school between 630 and 700 tomorrow morning. I'm sure he'll be ready for his bed!

Sunday in D.C.

Today's agenda includes the FDR Memorial, Vietnam and Korea Memorials and Ford Theater all before lunch. After lunch they will visit the World War II Memorial and the Holocaust Museum. They go back to the hotel to get spiffed up for their dinner and dance cruise on the Potomac River. I guess he is more comfortable or too busy because he didn't call at all yesterday :( I don't expect to hear from him today either with their schedule.

Saturday in D.C.

Rett's schedule for today is going to be pretty busy. Of course every day is! They start out at the Newseum (history of news and freedom of press). From there they go to the Capitol for group pictures. After lunch, they have an appointment with somone from Dan Burton's office. They will also go to the Washington Monument and for a night tour of Jefferson, Lincoln, and Iwo Jima memorials as well as the Kennedy Center.

D.C. Bound

Rett took off at 7:30 last night for the 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C. He was finally able to be excited about it after battling several days of nerves. Hazen got teary eyed when the bus left and had to wear a sticker with Rett's picture on it everywhere we went. He even wanted it on his pajamas.

Rett called at 9:30 last night to let me know they were stopping for their first restroom break and they were already in Ohio. He also called at 6:30 this morning to let me know they had arrived in Gaithersburg MD and were stopping for breakfast. They were also going to change clothes and freshen up for their first day of touring. He said he didn't sleep well on the bus. He was cold and it was bumpy.

Today they are going to the National Cathedral and I think Mt. Vernon. They are also going to get their souvenir shopping out of the way. I will post more updates and their itenerary later.

He's Done!

Matt got his confirmation letter in the mail Saturday. He is officially done at Chrysler. Perfect timing, too as he just started his 4 days off from the fire department. I'll give him a little time to rest before breaking out the "honey do" list. We have to wait 45 business days for the buyout check and 60 business days for the car vouchers. I'm so ready for my new van!

Rett is leaving this Thursday evening for a 4-day trip to Washington D.C. Several members of the 8th grade class are going. I'm a little nervous about him going so far away without me, but he's growing up and I guess it's time to loosen the apron strings a little. He had a rough week before spring break. There is a girl he really liked and she said she liked him. He asked her out and she said yes only to break up with him at school the next day. I don't understand why kids have to be so mean.

Hazen is going to play t-ball this year. He has had 2 practices so far. He kept putting his mitt on the wrong hand and stepping with the wrong foot when he went to throw the ball. We borrowed a left handed mitt from my nephew to see if he did any better with it. He did. It looks like the weird kid will be playing ball left handed even though he writes right handed.

April 25 will be Russiaville's Opening Day parade and ceremony. Both boys will be in it this year. Rett will be marching with the band and Hazen will be riding on a float. He's excited because he gets to be a "candy man".

Matt's First Big Fire

Matt got to go on his first big fire since joining Frankfort Fire Department. Check out the link below to see some pictures. He is up in the bucket of the ladder truck on the right side (if you're looking at them from the back). He is really enjoying his job so far. He is still working at Chrysler, but has another down week next week. From what he has heard from his union steward, his last day should be April 3.

http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local_wlfi_frankfort_fireatfrankfortapartmentcomplex_200903161226

A Genius On Our Hands?

Wednesday, Hazen had to go to Lebanon/Thorntown to take Grandma Ward to the doctor. While riding in the back seat with Grandma Alice, he was writing in a notebook. He made a bunch of letters and asked what he spelled. Alice said, "I don't know, what did you spell". To which he replied "orbit". She looked at the paper and sure enough there it was, only slightly misspelled (an O in place of the I). He has been all about phonics lately wanting to know which letter makes which sound. I won't be suprised if he's reading in the next 6 months.

Answered Prayers

After 3 years of frustration, I think we have finally found some help for Rett at school. For those of you following this ongoing saga, the school finally completed their testing and we had a meeting with them yesterday morning. They all agreed they have never had a case quite like this one and they were unsure of what to do. Usually it is very cut and dry, either a student qualifies for special education, or they don't. Rett fell into a gray area. After sitting with them and discussing our concerns for over an hour, they decided to qualify him. He will now be in a study hall with a resource teacher that can give him a little extra help with his writing. He knows his material and can tell you when asked, but something gets lost in the translation when he puts it down on paper. I pray that this will be the boost he needed to start feeling successful in school. I appreciate everyone that has offered up a prayer on our behalf. God is good!

We do owe a special thanks to Brandie Oliver, the middle school guidance counselor. She did research online about dyslexia and also talked to all of Rett's teachers about his strengths and weaknesses. She was very familiar with Rett because of the peer mediation program he was a part of during 7th grade. She said she felt like he was honestly putting forth his best effort and truly wanted to do well in school. I think this conference would have turned out very different if not for her standing up for Rett.

Things are falling into place

Things are beginning to look up for us. Matt turned in the paperwork to take the most recent buyout. The deadline is Feb. 25th so hopefully we'll find out when his last day is sometime soon. He has been working both jobs this week and it is getting old. Hazen is the only one who has seen him since Sunday. On a positive note, that's a little extra money coming in right now, and that is definitely something we can use! I also got a child support check for the first time this year, and it was a big one so he's caught up again. That gave us enough money to pay for the rest of Rett's class trip to Washington D.C.! And the final (I think) piece of good news...Rett's science book, that has been missing since November, reappeared! It was in another student's locker! I'm really glad we didn't pay for a new one!

Rett decided he was tired of his long hair and got it all cut off last night. He also decided to shave his peach fuzz with a razor and shaving cream. I guess he's growing up...actually there's this girl.... Oh well, I think he looks quite handsome. Hazen is pretty cute too!

Pep Band

Rett has been playing in pep band at the Western basketball games. Matt is excited to have an excuse to go now. Hazen has really been getting into cheering and does amazingly well at following what is going on. Last week when Western lost to Caroll, he burst into tears!

Another funny quote by Hazen

Hazen has decided that he wants a dog. It has to be black and white and he is going to name him......Cow.

Our weekend

Friday, we were part of a cover up for a suprise birthday party. We ate dinner at Matt's parents' because they were having a "retirement" party for Earl. Just as we finished dinner, Jeff Stout came in to transport Alice's friend Nancy to her suprise party. He placed her on a stretcher and loaded her into the back of his van.

Matt took 2 weeks of vacation from Chrysler so he could start at the fire department. His current supervisor called him Friday to let him know that when he returns to work he will be on second shift. He said he explained to the new supervisor what was going on with the job at Frankfort and that Matt wanted to do both for a while in hopes of another buyout offer coming along. Matt had a message from the afternoon supervisor on the answering machine. She just wanted to let him know if there was anything he needed, such as a leave of absence, to let her know. She also said there is another buyout offer coming! We are praying Matt can last that long, as it will make our lives much easier.

Saturday, I went to Russiaville to sign Hazen up for t-ball. Then he had soccer at the church. He did very well as goalie. We think he is going to be better suited for football (or rugby). He has a bad habit of running full speed and mowing down other kids.

I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow. Rett's youth group is having a super bowl party. We've also been invited to one at another church.

It's Official!

Matt was sworn in as a Firefighter/EMT at Frankfort Fire Department yesterday. The city building, referred to as "Old Stoney" is a neat old building. Everyone was very laid back. They had us wait in the Mayor's office for him to show up. Hazen was running around giving high fives and checking out the candy dish. The County Clerk popped her head in and said, "Oh I didn't know you were here yet, we can get started." Apparently one of the guys Hazen was high-fiving was the mayor of Frankfort! The whole "ceremony" took maybe a minute.

We went to Indianapolis for his uniforms and turnout gear. We were hoping to sneak in a little "date" time, too. That didn't work out so well. The list from the department was confusing to the sales rep. at the first uniform store. We spent 3 hours there to get basically 2 Class B uniforms (semi-dressy), 1 Class A uniform (Very dressy usually only used for funerals), and 2 coats. Then, we had to drive from downtown Indy to the northeast side for his turnout gear. That only took about a half an hour. We managed to squeeze in a bite to eat between the two. We got home in time to take Rett to a friend's house and head up to Maconaquah to watch Kelsey cheer at halfitme. I'll get those pictures on here soon.

More Turmoil

I don't understand why everything has to be so difficult for us. Here we thought Matt had a great opportunity to pursue his dream just as the auto industry started to crumble. He got the phone call from the Chief today that all the paperwork was complete, he could start his shift as soon as I got home from work and he could be sworn in tomorrow. Then, he got another phone call from his friend who is also on Frankfort Fire Department. I guess there has been a little conflict regarding the fire department and the ambulance. The EMT'S are also firefighters, but the paramedics are civilians. There are 6 firefighters (2 per shift) devoted to the ambulance. I guess some of the firefighter/EMT'S are upset because the paramedics will only tech ALS runs even though that is their only job. Because of this, there has been talk about pulling the ambulances from the fire department. There was a county commissioners meeting last night about this issue. The fire department was there to state their case for keeping the ambulance with them, but they were not allowed to talk. In fact, they were escorted from the meeting by the sheriff's department. So now Matt is worried that he is not doing the right thing. He is afraid if he leaves Chrysler, the fire department will loose the ambulance and then they will not need the bottom 6 firefighters. He is going to try to do both jobs for a while, but I don't know how long he'll be able to keep that up.

Meanwhile, I got an e-mail from Rett's Science teacher. She said he is smart and his behavior is excellent, but he has been unprepared for quite some time. Apparently he has lost his Science book. I know it has to be at school because he NEVER brings anything home. He said he has looked for it, but it is nowhere to be found. So, she wants us to replace it. Like we have the money for that!!

And so are the Days of our Lives......

A little bit of everything

Matt got a letter in the mail from Chrysler giving him another week off work. He is supposed to report on the 26th now. He is still waiting on paperwork from Frankfort Fire Department so he can start there.

Hazen is going to play soccer at the church again. We go next Saturday to meet his coaches and the rest of the team. He will also get his uniform. We also found out that he is old enough to play t-ball this year, so we've been watching the paper for sign-ups. Kelsey is going to cheer at the Western vs. Maconaquah game next Friday. For once, Rett doesn't have us running everywhere.

We have gone almost a week without a debit card. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. I guess it is better to be without the card than to have your account wiped out. It's funny how accustomed you get to using it, though.

Winter Days

Since I have started scrapbooking, both of the boys have taken an interest, too. Rett has had his own scrapbook for quite some time, but never really did anything with it. Last Sunday, we spent all afternoon working on them. Hazen had to have his own, too. I just gave him a 3-ring binder with computer paper in it. I think we all sat there working for 2 hours. It was nice family time. Of course, I wasn't able to get much done on my scrapbook due to helping the boys.

Everytime Hazen even sees a snowflake, he asks if he can go sledding. Wednesday, we finally got enough for him to get his wish. Western released the kids early due to the weather, so Matt took the boys out to play. Unfortunately, I had to stay inside (nice and warm) at work. I think they had a good time. Rett actually made it all the way down the hill on his snowboard this year. I love this picture of him.

The Scrapbooking Bug has Bitten!

I decided to start a scrapbook for Rett and his marching band years. Well, pulling all of that stuff out has inspired me to start our family scrapbook. I decided to start with 2008 and work my way back. I was very happy with how these two pages turned out and maybe that was all of the confidence building that I needed. Always before I would pull everything out, draw a blank on what to do with it and then just put it all away again. Today I did a total of 5 pages. I do owe a special thanks to mom because she let me "go shopping" in her remaining Creative Memories inventory.

An update to the update...

Matt called me around 3:30 and said not all of the paperwork from his physical had been received by the fire dept, so they cannot officially give him a start date until it is. He went to the board meeting and was voted in this morning and has spent all day at the station. He did his mandatory 4 hour update and signed a waiver to ride with "his" crew. He said he should be coming home when the guys go to bed, so maybe around 9 or 10. I'll let you know more when we do.

A little update

Matt started his first shift at Frankfort Fire Department today. He went straight from the Board of Works meeting to the station. He will be working 24 hour shifts. He works today, Friday, Sunday and then starts his 4 days off. This has all happened so fast. I am still really nervous, but it is out of my hands now. The people at the Union Hall just told him to show up to work when he can and after he misses so many days, he will get 30 days off as disciplinary action. Hopefully that can keep him in the system until another buy out offer comes. Continue to keep us in your prayers as this will be a difficult transition for all of us. Hazen is so used to Daddy tucking him in every night with the "daddy blanket", and Rett will have to act as man of the house in his absence. On that note, Rett threw a 40 lb. bag of salt on his shoulder the other night and carried it down to the basement like it was nothing. I was impressed.

I will post more and let you all know how we are adjusting.

He did it!

Matt got a phone call from the cheif of Frankfort Fire Dept. He passed the physical. He goes tomorrow at one to fill out paperwork and returns Wednesday for the Board of Works meeting. They said he could start whenever he wanted after that. He is going to talk to someone at the Union tomorrow to see what his options are and if there is a possibility of another buy out offer coming anytime soon. We'll keep you posted.