The Schnellys

Carson's 3rd Christmas... new traditions!

2012-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

This year was filled with firsts, that will hopefully become new traditions for The Schnell Family during the holidays!

We went with some of our good friends up to "The North Pole" (in Arizona) and experienced our first ride on the Polar Express. This was a wonderful time for all of our families!
Carson with two of his BFFs on the Polar Express - Zack and Livia!

Another new experience is we went on a horse-drawn-carriage, sleigh ride in Las Vegas. It was interesting as the picture shows, Carson was very tired for some reason and didn't love it, but we are certain next year he'll be the perfect age for this activity!

For our second year, we went to Opportunity Village where they have lots of light displays. This year Uncle went with us again, but he also had Auntie Mia and Baby Mavin as a part of our family in 2011! We are definitely looking forward to many more years of this event, and hopefully Caron will not be scared of Santa in 2012!

Here is a picture of Carson with his Nanny Salud. He calls her "Lude" and couldn't love her any more. You can see that in his eyes!!

For Christmas Eve we got all dressed up and went to a nice dinner at The Mirage with The Goods. We had a wonderful time, and went to Venetian to experience "Winter in Venice" - hopefully we can do this again next year as well!

Here are Carson and Livia, all dolled up for Christmas Eve triple date (with their parents)!
Christmas morning Carson woke up to find a stocking over-filled with goodies from Santa!

He also got a huge train set, you can see he was very happy, and a little surprised by the gift!

And as always, we light our menorah throughout Hanukkah, to enjoy some of the celebration of lights. This year, we lit Nana's menorah, here is Carson on the final night saying "Ha-ku-nah!" he asked to do it every night, and loved to help light the candles!

We are looking forward to many more experiences in 2012, and sharing them with all of you (a little more frequently is one of our resolutions)! Happy New Year to all!

Fall

2012-01-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

While I realized this is a severely out-dated post, I have been a terrible blogger. It's hard when you only have 2 naps per weekend of time alone to get on the computer, usually laundry and cleaning are a priority!

Here are a few pictures of our wonderful fall...

Carson and I went and looked at pumpkins at a pick-your-own patch not far from our house on his 2nd birthday. Later in the day we took him to see The Lion King on his birthday, which he loved!

Then for his birthday, we planned a trip to Disneyland. Both sets of grandparents came along, as well as his 3 favorite boy cousins! :)

Here's Carson enjoying his time at Disney!

We also made our first trip to Zion National Park this fall with our new friends, The Good Family. It was beautiful, and certainly not our last trip to Zion!

And for Caron's 3rd Halloween, he chose to be a Tiger. Here he is growling before he went out trick-or-treating, which he was surprisingly good at!

Another great season spent with the coolest kid we know... next up our Christmas post! :)

Baby M!

2011-08-06T12:24:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago we hosted a baby shower for Michael, Mia, and Baby Girl M... who will be here in NINE weeks! We are so excited to see her darling little face, and finally have another Scott Girl (it's only been 31 years since the last one was born)!!

Michael and Mia opening their cards and gifts

Getting big hugs after they opening the present from Carson (he picked out a really cute piggy bank and cowgirl boots for his cousin)!

Playing with his BFF Uncle!

And of course, Mommy had to make sure all the bows that Auntie Shell bought for her first niece fit ok... looks good, right?!

We love Auntie Mi Mi and Uncle Michael very much... and we can't wait to see them as parents! xoxo

San Diego

2011-08-06T12:06:00.001-07:00

Last month we went to San Diego for 4th of July Weekend. This was the first vacation the 3 of us have been on all by ourselves. We had a blast, and made some wonderful memories!

Carson loved Sea World, we'll definitely have to go back as he gets older!

Watching the Shamu show, we had amazing seats

Carson applauded lots... he loved the shows!

We got to meet Elmo and Cookie... you can tell he loved it! :)

We went to La Jolla for some beach fun. Carson was a little timid in the cold water.

Mommy made him get his feet wet! On the 4th of July we went to Coronado Island where we watched their big parade. It was an awesome day!

We enjoyed a sunset as a family

And Carson hammed it up around Seaport Village!

We had a blast... don't be surprised if this becomes an annual family tradition. 4th of July in San Diego was tons of fun!

Happy Father's Day! And Summer fun!

2011-06-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

This morning we took Jeff out to breakfast at Silverstone Golf Club. We were going to hit golf balls on the driving range together after breakfast, but it was too windy. I got this great picture of Jeff and Carson together at breakfast, Carson was saying "cheeeeeeeeessssseeeeeee!"

Here are some pictures of us enjoying our summer - Carson trying out t-ball, night golf, swimming and the last picture is our trip to the circus yesterday!

Carson ready to go "imming!"

We have some great pictures to load from Uncle Michael and Auntie Mia's wedding last week, we will try to Blog about their special day within the week.

Lots more summer fun to be had for now!

Love,

The Schnellys

Easter 2011

2011-06-19T13:47:00.001-07:00

Sorry for this VERY tardy post. It seems a few motherly tasks take precedence over blogging these days. However, I again promise to try and be better about it...

Here are some pictures from our Cincinnati trip for Easter, yes, Easter that took place two months ago!

The first day we arrived was our only full day of sunshine, and we went to the awesome Cincinnati Zoo with Grandma, Grandpa and Cousin Mia!
The tulips were beautiful in full-bloom!

The second day of our trip we celebrated our niece's baby shower. We didn't have any great pics of the mommy-to-be, Brittany, but here is a cute picture of Carson with his Aunt Tracey and his cousin Mia.

The skies quit dumping on us for about 2 hours, just long enough for an impromptu Easter Egg Hunt in Grandpa's yard!

Carson with his grandparents, too cute!

And here, the cousins got to hit a few putts on Grandpa's putting green. Mia can't wait for Carson to be bigger so they can play golf together!

And the first time (surely there will be MANY more of these pictures as Carson grows up) - riding on Grandpa's tractor!

We always have a great time with The Schnell Family, and we are already looking forward to our next trip for the Labor Day Party! Hopefully, this time we won't get rained out so we can see more of Grandma and Grandpa's friends!

Good times growing up!

2011-02-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few recent pictures of Carson having good times!

Celebrating Daddy's birthday (that candle is in a yummy cupcake):
At Red Rock Canyon with Charlie and Emma:

Carson's first trip to the snow, he loved it and we are going back next weekend (with better snow clothesso he can play and explore more without getting too wet):

Playing with Daddy:

Here are the "horsies" we saw - next weekend we will go on a ride with them, they will take us on a 30 minute journey around the snowy Mt. Charleston area. Fun!

Carson is saying more words and continuing to amaze us with how much he is learning. Every day is an adventure, and we love introducing him to the many exciting adventures in our own backyard (Las Vegas). More fun to come!

Carson's 2nd Christmas!

2011-01-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas in 2010. Below is a small sampling of the 400+ pictures we took to capture the fun we shared! :)

The Schnellys

Carson in his new car that Santa brought him - a total hit!

Family pic - getting ready to open our stockings

Carson loved the stocking goodies, and helped all of us pull our goodies out

Carson trying on his baseball glove that Uncle Michael bought him... too cute!

Cute little boy after all the gifts had been opened at home.

Next stop - Christmas fun at Grandmama and Grandad's in Modesto, CA

Grandmama and Cousins Dylan and Devan made an awesome Snowman Cake
Matching cousins in their Christmas Jammies :)

Carson was the referee (binkie and all) for his cousins bout on Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots game!
Carson got a step stool (handmade by Grandad) for his bedroom... awesome!

Christmas fun!

Our new traditional - my best friends Melissa and Darcy brought their kids over for some play time fun. Pictured below are Darcy's sons Ryan (6 months), Sean (28 months), Carson (14 months), and Melissa's daughter Elliott (almost 16 months).

Here are the kiddos with their Mommies

And before we headed back to the airport, Carson posed for one great picture with his Scott grandparents!

We had a memorable holiday season and know each year will bring more and more fun for Carson. He continues to grow and learn, and now that he has started walking and talking (a few words), Jeff and I are soaking in all that he can do and cherishing each step as they really go by too fast.

Happy New Year to you, our friends and family!

Our new home!

2010-12-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

So here is the whole story...

We had absolutely no intention of buying another house. We had talked about how nice it would be to take advantage of the ridiculously low-priced real estate market in Vegas, but we knew it was more of a dream than a reality.

After a good friend of mine at work started looking to buy a house, she would email me listings of homes they liked. When I saw the amazing values of these homes, I had to tell Jeff about it. We talked to a couple Realtors and decided, it was definitely a buyers market, so we would look to see if we found something we couldn't resist, and if so, we would keep our house and rent it out.

After looking at one house, we fell in love and knew this was a deal we could NOT pass up. 2 months later, we moved into our new home on Spiced Strawberry, truely my dream home, a place where we will live for MANY years. Below are a few pictures of the living space and the outdoor space (almost half an acre which is unheard of in Vegas)... more to come in the Spring when our new landscaping is in full bloom.

Front Elevation:
Family Room:

Family Room and Dining Room (view from the kitchen)

Our Kitchen (SO big, I have a few cabinets with 2 items in them... one just had Tupperware lids!):

Formal Dining Room (looking out to the front of the house and our courtyard):

Living Room (this is open to the Formal Dining Room)

Our gorgeous pool:

In this picture you can't really tell, but the way the yard is set up is the pool is in the middle, and then on both sides of the pool there are grassy areas surrounded by landscaping... SO NICE!

The other grassy area on the right side of the pool: We invite you to come visit so you can see the rest. We didn't take pictures of the 4 bedrooms, or super-sized loft area (upstairs), so you will have to come and see it for yourself! :)

Happy 1st Birthday to ME!

2010-12-12T10:12:00.001-08:00

On October 23, we celebrated Carson's 1st Birthday in Porterville, where his Great-Great Grandmother, Momma, was celebrating her 100th Birthday. It was a wonderful weekend with the Scott Family, looking back on our little man's first year.

Carson loved the birthday cake (mostly frosting) that his Grandmama got for him.
A week later on Halloween (in our new house) we had Carson's 1st Birthday Party. His family and friends came over for a football themed party, filled with love, good food, cake, presents and laughter. Here is "Carson Palmer" posing for a picture.
After chowing down on his birthday cake:

And here is Carson playing with a balloon. He was kind of afraid of balloons, but after his party, he became a little more comfortable with them.

It is really amazing to look back on how much Carson has changed throughout his first year. We somehow love him more and more with each passing day, and really enjoy all of the changes he is making as he becomes more of a little boy with a very distinct personality. I think Carson is going to be funny, as he will play and just crack up at the littlest things... but only time will tell.

Many more posts to come, I promise. It isn't easy trying to chase after him, keep up our new big house (pictures coming), and still find time to blog, but I will make more of an effort.

Happy Holidays to all of our Friends and Family! xoxo

Fall Fun!

2010-10-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend enjoying some cooler temps and time together as a family, and with our friends.

Saturday night we went to the pumpkin patch with The Buck Family. Here we are in one of our rare family pictures (thank you Ben for getting this good one of us)!
Carson the hill-jack eating his corn, sittin' on a bail of hay. Yee-haw!

The cutest pumpkin in the pile of pumpkins... I'll take that one!

Carson and his BFF Kaden hanging out among the squash and pumpkins.

Today, Carson celebrated his good friend Zack's 1st birthday. Carson loves Zack's nanny too!

Next week we are looking forward to a weekend in Fresno. Friday night we are going to the "Zoo Boo" where Carson will be dressed up as a lion. Saturday, on Carson's first birthday, we will be celebrating Carson's great-great grandmother's (Momma) 100th birthday... what a wonderful celebration that will be! Lots of pictures to follow...

Remember me?

2010-09-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family! Mommy has been VERY bad at updating the blog, so what better time than now, to send some recent pictures of me?!?

Here I am outside wearing Daddy's Bengal's hat!

Eating spaghetti for the first time. It was yummy, but I liked playing with one noodle for a while. It was funny to me and Mommy!

Here I am wearing my favorite shoes. My friend Abigail gave them to me and I wear them everyday, even if they don't match! :)

This BIG pile of books was given to me by Daddy's boss, Erin, and her 2 sons. I really love books, so I appreciated this gift a lot.

And this is my best buddy Kaden. You can see me in the back, I was thinking about going over and jumping on him, because that is what I do most of the time... but for now, I was just hanging back and letting him play. I love when he comes over to my house, we have lots of fun!

Mommy will try to get better at updating the blog, but she is busy cleaning up and chasing after me most of the time. And after a full day of work and ME, she needs some sleep I suppose. However, we will all do our best to send pictures more often.

For now, we are all off to bed, I will see you in a couple weeks when I turn 1 year old! :)

Love, Carson

Disneyland and Huntington Beach

2010-07-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a wonderful family vacation to Southern California. As our Christmas gift from Mom and Dad, we were all treated to a four night stay at a beach house, and our birthday gift this year was admission to Disneyland. It was a great time with all of the kids, and aunts and uncles, and of course, the grandparents too!

Here are the 3 BFF boys in their matching outfits posing with Grandmama and Grandad (Ishbobo), before hitting the road to Disney!

The Schnells first family trip to Disneyland!

Carson got to meet Mickey!

Carson's highlight of the day was riding the Carousel with his Daddy!

After a long day, 3 cute (matching) cousins were sound asleep in their strollers.

The next two days we spent at Huntington Beach... we had a blast! Here is Dad, all suited up to go out and catch some waves!

Carson, sitting on top of his sand castle his cousins made him so he wouldn't get wet by the waves.

Playing in the sand with Daddy, Auntie, Uncle Sean, and Cousins Dylan and Devan.

The two beach babes after going boogie boarding.

I wonder where Dylan, Devan, and Carson get their ability to nap in public?

We had a wonderful trip, and look forward to doing it again next summer!!

Summer fun!

2010-07-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the past month, filled with friends, fun, and swimming!

Fourth of July fun... Auntie E and Uncle Michael came over, as well as Kenny, and Megan and Kara (pictured).

Definitely interested in the sweet treats!

BBQ with Auntie Kourt, Uncle Ben, and BFF Kaden!

Swimming with Mommy

We have had a great month in the pool, Carson loves it. We take him in most nights after we get home from work/daycare at least for a quick dip. When it's still over 100 degrees at 7:00 PM, unfortunately we can't go for a walk. The pool is the best place to find us!

US Open!

2010-07-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we had a wonderful family vacation to Monterey/Carmel and Pebble Beach. We celebrated Jeff's first Father's Day at the US Open, and celebrated Suzi's 30th, Michele's 32nd, and Maya's 38th birthdays, as well as Suzi's Dad's 38th Father's Day! Lots of fun was had by all.
Here is Carson on our first day down at Cannery Row

After lunch at Bubba Gumps, Carson with his Grandmama and Grandad!

At The Gevertz' condo in Carmel where we stayed, we all had fun playing with the boys!

Grandmama and her three favorite grandsons!

Jeff and Carson on Father's Day! :)

Then Jeff and I went down to Pebble and Carson spent the day with his grandparents. We snuck our camera in and Jeff had no problem busting it out to get some great pictures.

Phil Mickelson:

The man who needs no introduction, Tiger Woods:

On our way out someone got this pic of us (too bad my hat is so low you can't see my eyes).

The following day, we drove along the coast to Big Sur. Unforutnately, it was a bit foggy on the water so we didn't get to fully enjoy the beauty, I guess we'll have to go back another time to check it out!

At the beach in Carmel:

On our last day of vacation, we drove to San Jose for a quick visit with The Narduzzis. Here is a picture of Sean playing in his new backyard, tee ball turned to golf, I got some great pictures of him, but I loved the golf pictures the best!

And, we got to meet Sean's new brother Ryan Baker. What a sweet boy, in this picture he was one day shy of two weeks old! He only showed us his eyes for a second and spend most of the time we were there sleeping. :)

We had a wonderful family vacation and look forward to our next trip in 2-weeks when we go to Disneyland and Huntington Beach. Lots of fun!!

Cracking up!

2010-07-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a video I got of Carson the other night. He was laughing while we were playing catch so I set up the Flip Camera, and he laughed harder than he has ever laughed before. Enjoy!

The best part about this video is after we uploaded it to the blog, we were watching it on the computer, and Carson started cracking up at himself again. He really thinks he is a funny boy... and thankfully he is!! :)

Cincinnati!

2010-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have been terrible at keeping up with our blog. Maybe taking care of a 7 month old has taken over my spare time? YES! That's it.

About a month ago, we traveled to Cincinnati to visit Jeff's family. We had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa, and introducing Carson to the rest of the family that he hadn't met yet.

Here are all the Schnell Cousins posing on the stairs where family photos are always taken:

Carson working on his short game on Grandpa's putting green:

Swinging in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard:

Carson finally meeting his Aunt Tracey:

Since being back from Cincy we have been at home, spending time with friends and family in Las Vegas. Our next trip out of town is Father's Day weekend when we head to the Bay Area to meet Baby Ryan Narduzzi, go to the US Open at Pebble Beach, enjoy some family time with The Scotts, and celebrate Jeff's 1st Father's Day and Suzi's 30th birthday!

Almost 6 months old!

2010-04-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a few good pictures we have captured of Carson over the past couple weeks. We are finally able to get outside a little more and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

Here is Carson playing outside with his Mommy, happy as can be!

Hanging out by the pool with his new sunglasses (which he loves). Those baby blue eyes are sensitive to the sun!

Like his Grandmama, Carson already loves Diet Pepsi!

Sadly, this picture was taken the day before we had to put our 13 year old Dylan down. Carson had just started recognizing his pup, but unfortunately, Dylan was just too old and he couldn't keep up with his new little brother. We miss Dylan Doggy!

Playing with Mommy always means LOTS of kisses. I think Carson is getting used to it!

Visits from the fam!

2010-04-18T15:38:00.001-07:00

Carson has enjoyed back-to-back-to-back visits from his family. First his Auntie Michele and cousins Dylan and Devan came to stay during their Spring Break. We went to Shark Reef, The Lion King, and had lots of fun at home, those boys cherish Carson and it is the cutest thing ever!

Fun in the bath!

Playing with Auntie and getting lots of kisses!

The following week Grandmama and Grandad flew in to visit during their Spring Break. More fun, shopping, food and bad weather... but that didn't keep our spirits down!

Then this past weekend Auntie Maya came for some fun, and finally, some sun!

Next up, Carson's first trip to Cincinnati! We leave in a couple days, and can't wait to see the rest of our family!

Spring Celebrations

2010-04-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Carson recently enjoyed his first Passover and Easter... yes, we know this is an oxymoron.

Here we are at the Seder at The Robbins with Auntie Sammy. Please notice Carson's yarmulke! :)
Big Boy trying to stay quiet during dinner
Carson on Easter morning
Carson and the Easter Bunny

Enjoying his Easter Basket

Already, at only 5 months the holidays are so much more enjoyable as he reacts to the new things in his world, and we know it is just the beginning!

The Bear

2010-03-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures of Carson. In just a few days he will be 5 months old!

Carson hanging out in his stroller - Nanny Salud took this picture, and he is even wearing her sunglasses!

Salud also took this picture while Mommy and Daddy were at work today. Looks like he gets plenty of entertainment and exercise!

Here is Carson at the MGM MIRAGE walk-a-thon fundraiser last weekend. We had a good time enjoying the sunshine!

This is a picture of Carson and his daycare friend Abigail. He is just 6-days older than her, and he really loves spending his days with her. Salud always tells us that he talks to her and giggles, and once in a while, she smiles back at him. Abigail is always happy to chew on Carson's hand for him - what a good friend! :)

Many more pictures to come... have a great weekend!

4 Months Old!

2010-02-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

We hope you will enjoy some updated pictures of Carson. These were all taken within the past couple weeks around the house.

Here is Carson playing with his Auntie Erica (in an outfit from her and Uncle Michael):

This picture Nanny Salud took of Carson one day while Mom and Dad were at work. She thought he looked cute, and I think she is right!

Here Bear Bear is helping his Daddy do some laundry:

Here silly Daddy is getting Carson ready for his bath time:

Carson's first time eating his rice cereal!

His first Valentine's Day! Wearing a cute "My First Valentine's" outfit from Grandma and Grandpa, and a darling hat that used to be his cousin Dylan's that says Heart Breaker!

Our little boy is just growing up so fast. He loves to play with his toys, or sit on our laps so we can make faces and make him laugh. What a joy it is to have such a great son!!

Nanny Salud

2010-02-13T14:11:00.001-08:00

We are so fortunate to have found a wonderful nanny to take care of Carson for us. Salud was referred to us by one of Suzi's co-workers who used Salud for their son Jacob for 2 years. They couldn't say enough good things about her... and they were right! Salud has been wonderful, and Carson really loves her. Going to work is much easier when you know your baby is in good hands!

Here is a picture of Salud and Carson first thing in the morning. Since I am already off to work when she arrives, I didn't realize Carson was trying to hold his own bottle already until I saw the picture that Jeff took. How cute!!

Our growing boy!

2010-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Now that I am a working-mom, blogging has taken the back burner. Here are some great shots we have captured over the past few weeks of little Carson as he becomes more active, fun, and possibly even a little bit cuter!

Here is the happy boy at Superbowl. We made Skyline chili dip and made it a Cincinnati style feast. We also had baked potatoes, a Modesto Superbowl fave! :)

Carson loves to lay on his back and play with us. Lots of coos a-goos and giggles, that's the best!

More smiles while sitting in his Bumbo. He sure loves that chair! And the little toy dog was a gift from his nanny Salud!

This was a day after his 3-month birthday... now he is already almost 4 months old.

Mia and Beth Visit

2010-01-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

This post is very over-due. After Christmas, Jeff's sister Beth, and our niece Mia came out to Vegas from Cincinnati to meet Carson. We had a great time with them over the 5-days they were here and actually were able to go out and about a bit, and spend a lot of quality time together.

Here are a few pictures from their visit to Vegas. First, Mia and Beth who went to see The Lion King:

Here is The Schnell Family gazing at Carson Bear, trying to get him to smile! :)
Mia and her favorite cousin Carson:

Mia, the future supermodel, at the new hotel Aria, inside City Center:

We look forward to seeing Mia and Beth, and the rest of our family, when we travel to Cincinnati at Easter. xoxo

Carson's First Christmas!

2009-12-29T16:10:00.000-08:00

We returned on Sunday from a nice long weekend in California celebrating Carson's first Christmas. Here is a brief photograph recap of our family's first trip!

The Three Schnells at Grandmama and Grandad's house:

Here is our precious little Santa Clause hanging out on the couch:

Carson's Auntie and Cousin Dylan were SO happy to see him when we first arrived to Fresno:

When we got to Modesto, Suzi, Darcy and Melissa all got together with our kids. Our kids are all born within 15 months of each other and this was the first time they all met. Carson, Sean and Elliott are pictured below, TOO cute!

Here is a picture of all the families - Darcy, Jeff and Sean on the left; Melissa, Shannon and Elliott in the middle; and The Schnells on the right.

On Christmas day we went to Nana's so Carson could meet his great grandmother:

Hanging out at Grandmama and Grandad's house, Carson and his cousins were so cute in their Christmas pajamas! (Carson was getting sleepy!)

Here is Carson with his great grandparents on my dad's side - Gene and Dorla (Grandma and Granddad):

Here is the entire Scott family, what a great picture!!

We had a wonderful vacation together and Carson was VERY spoiled on his first Christmas. We didn't have room to post pictures of ALL of his gifts, but I am sure we will get plenty of those pictures in future posts as he gets older and starts to enjoy playing with his gifts.

Happy Holidays to all!!

Santa!

2009-12-21T16:21:00.001-08:00

Today Mommy finally took Carson to sit on Santa's lap. We waited in line for 2 hours, but it was worth it to get this great shot of him.

Carson dreaming of his First Christmas! What a sweetheart!

Fall Fun!

2009-12-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

Although today is the official first day of winter, we were able to enjoy the last of the fall leaves over the weekend with Carson.

Please note, this photo shoot was Jeff's idea. The pics came out great, so I won't complain about our newborn son being tossed into a pile of leaves! :)

We are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in California this year with friends and family. We leave on Wednesday and will return on Sunday. Many more pictures to come!

Carson's First Hanukkah!

2009-12-12T10:11:00.001-08:00

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah, and we had to light the menorah and celebrate with Carson. Here are a couple cute pictures we got of him sitting by the menorah.

This picture Daddy took of Carson between the candles like it's a field-goal post:

Daddy caught this great moment on camera too, poor baby tipping over, we had to share it. At least it looks like I'm a good Mommy cause I am catching him. :(

This picture is little Carson smiling while his daddy is holding him and singing to him. Too cute!

We have 7 more nights of Hanukkah to celebrate, and although we will probably take pictures every night, we might not post them all to bore you. Many more pictures to come as we celebrate the upcoming holidays with our family in California!

6 weeks old!

2009-12-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

Today Carson turned 6-weeks old! He is growing, healthy, happy and doing great. Jeff and I couldn't love him anymore... well, maybe if he slept a few more hours at night! ;)

We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as a new family, and Grandmama and Grandad came in to spend the weekend with us. We loved being together, and are already looking forward to going to California for Christmas with the rest of the family.

Here are some pictures of our weekend together:

Our little turkey centerpiece. He looks pleased, right?

The happy family!

Here is Carson playing on his little mat:

More pictures and posts to come... Daddy returns home from a week in Boston (for business) in a few hours, and we just can't wait to see him!

Four weeks old?!?!

2009-11-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, time flies...

Tomorrow Carson will be four weeks old. Although Jeff and I can't remember what it was like to be a couple with no children, it still doesn't seem like Carson is already four weeks old. We still are learning so much from him every day (to make sure he is happy), but we are getting better.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

Carson as a pumpkin on Halloween (8 days old):

Jeff's parents came out to visit for 5 days, here is a picture of Jeff, Mandy and Jerry, and Carson:

Mr. Big Eyes (that's his nickname while he is awake for 6 hours a day!):

One more picture while he is sitting on Mom's lap watching TV:

Many more pictures to come. Sorry for the delay in updating, but Carson likes to be held and Mommy doesn't get a lot of time on the computer!

WELCOME CARSON!

2009-10-30T15:34:00.001-07:00

Our big day came a week early...

Carson William Schnell
Date - October 23, 2009
Time - 4:27 PM
Weight - 6 pounds, 15 ounces
Length - 19 inches

One week ago we welcomed our little boy to the world. It was a wonderful journey, and we are just so thrilled to have him at home, and doing perfectly well. Jeff and I now know what this new love is all about!!

Here are Jeff and I, about to go into the surgery room for the C-Section.

Here is our little baby, just after birth (and clean up in the nursery)

Daddy brings Baby into recovering Mommy!

Some of our many visitors included Grandmama and Grandad (Suzi's parents), and our nephews Dylan and Devan. Of course Auntie Michele came too, but we didn't have a photo with everyone in it.

Our other visitors have been - Gerry and Lynda Robbins, Uncle Michael and Auntie Erica, Aunt Maya, Kara, and Kourtney and Ben. More to come this weekend... lots of love for Baby Carson!! :)

Mandy and Jerry's 50th Anniversary Party

2009-10-13T10:49:00.001-07:00

This post is VERY delayed...

Mandy and Jerry Schnell celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on October 4. Over Labor Day weekend, Jeff, Beth and Tracey threw them a party to celebrate the big occasion in Cincinnati. Unfortunately I couldn't be there, but the rest of the family was there to celebrate this wonderful milestone!

Enjoy a few pictures...

On the night that everyone arrived. Aunt Nancy and Kitty had already left at this point, but it was nice that everyone could be there to celebrate Mandy and Jerry's big day! The Hendrixsons flew in from Florida as a surprise... and Mandy was floored to see her brother and sister-in-law!

This picture is all of the "cousins" - Beth, Jeff, Brian, Tracey and Shari. Small family, but I think they are just right! :)

Here are the "bride and groom" getting ready to help themselves to the yummy buffet dinner at their party!

Mandy and Jerry with some friends who were also a part of their wedding 50 years ago.

Of course, there had to be a putting contest... which was won by TEAM SCHNELL (Jeff and Jerry)!

Big congratulations go out to Mom and Dad Schnell... for many more years of love and family fun!

Baby Shower!

2009-08-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

A week and a half ago Jeff and I traveled to Fresno for Carson's first baby shower. It was hosted at Linda Jensen's house, and my sister and friends put on a wonderful party.

Here is the awesome cake (sure wish I had some of those leftovers now):
Me, my mom Diane and my sister Michele:

Here is a picture of Linda and Corina and me all hanging out (kinda like the old days):

Brina, Darcy and me:

Me and my long-lost college friend Samantha... so good to see her again!!

Me and Carson with the cake! :)

Michele played an awesome game of "Memory" with baby things. It was too clever!

These cute gift bags were for everyone to fill up with candy as their favor.

Here is the wide selection of goodies for everyone to choose from. Of course, all the candy matched the shower colors!

Opening gifts! This is a scrapbook my mom made for Carson. It is an A B C book - this page is "A for Aunties" and has a picture of all of his aunts. SO cute!!

Here is a cute "I love Mommy" outfit for Carson to wear. (Thanks Brina!)

Super cute Fresno State blanket that was made for us by Nana Shirley!

What a great weekend with family and friends, and a wonderful day. We know Carson will never have to want for anything, he has so many people that love him already... what a lucky kiddo!

So sorry for the delay in posting these pictures. Since I wasn't the photographer at this event, I had to seek out the pictures and download them from those who did take pictures. :)

Ben and Kourtney tie the knot!

2009-07-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin where we spent the weekend with our good friends Kourtney and Ben to celebrate their wedding.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and went to the golf course for a rehearsal, and then headed to Ben's aunt's house for the rehearsal dinner. It was a wonderful crab-boil held outdoors with views of the lake. It was a beautiful night and so nice to be outside celebrating the pending big day. Here is a picture of the pile of shrimp, crab, corn, and sausage - all made for finger-licking fun!

Here is Ben perched high over his party giving a thank-you speech to everyone for coming. Kourtney didn't want to climb up with him...

Here is me and Jeff - we were on top of this awesome slide they had - so we could see the lake (you can kinda see it in the background).

Here is a view of everyone else playing kick-ball, too fun!

Jeff and I stayed up at the to to wait for this beautiful sunset!

On Saturday, we had an even more wonderful day. Here is the happy couple - Ben and Kourtney BUCK!

Here is the location of the first 1/3 of their wedding ceremony - on the 10th tee box...

All was going along great until it started to rain (you can see it in the picture below) but then 10-seconds later the skies open up in an all-out downpour, and everyone had to run for cover! Also, maybe you can tell in the picture below just how much I am showing... my baby bump was in full effect!

The second 2/3 of the ceremony took place inside the clubhouse (as seen below) after we all dried off with towels and took a few minutes to get it all together.

Nothing could stop this happy couple - they were just as thrilled to say I-do (and kiss) indoors as they would have been outside!

We had a great weekend with The Bucks in Wisconsin. Next up, a baby for Carson to play with!!

Carson's Nursery

2009-07-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

What an eventful weekend we had! Mom and Dad Scott drove to Vegas from Modesto to bring us a truck and U-Haul full of goodies for Carson's new nursery. We had a great time with the family setting up his new bedroom.

Here is a peak into Carson's Nursery walking in the door from the hallway. On the left side of this room, there are double doors that connect Carson's bedroom to ours, making it nice and convenient for his infant years. The door right behind the rocking chair leads into Carson's walk-in closet.

Here are some pictures of the work in progress...

Grandad working on putting the crib together

Here is Daddy getting it done right for Carson's crib:

Mommy taping off the baseboards in the nursery:

Grandmama painting the baseboards a nice bright coat of white:

And the "after" pictures...

The new changing table/dresser:

Our new rocking-chair that Auntie Michele had re-covered to match Carson's room:

Carson's new crib!!

The new crib with his quilt showing. (Thank you Michele and Mom for the new bedding!)

Now we just have to be VERY patient and wait another 15 whole weeks for Carson to come. We love having his room done, it makes everything feel much more "real."

Big thank-you to Diane and Bruce for buying the new dresser. Thank you to Mandy and Jerry for the new crib. And of course some more big thanks to Michele and Sean (and Dylan and Devan) for the 15 bins of clothes, glider and ottoman, tools, books, and goodies they sent us... we couldn't do it without the love and support of our families!

Lullaby Lane!

2009-06-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today Jeff and I went shopping in San Bruno at The Gevertz' baby-wonderland Lullaby Lane. We found the perfect baby furniture for Carson's new room, with thanks to Mom, Dad, Michele, Dylan and Devan! We had a great time finding all the right stuff, and are so excited to have the big delivery to our house in a few weeks.

Here is the crib we chose. It looks darker in the pictures, and it is a little dark - kind of a cherry wood. (Big thanks to Mom and Dad Schnell for buying this crib for their grandkiddies to have sweet dreams in!!)

The matching changing table/dresser that also came with a hutch to go over the top for once the kids no longer need to be changed on top. Big thanks to Mom and Dad Scott for buying this furniture for the kiddies, we know they will use it forrrreeever! (Especially since Pup can't build furniture to be delivered all over the country!)

Here are the two pieces side by side. We liked the shape of everything with the round shapes - it looks great in person!

Here is all the stuff loaded up in Dad's truck. Big thanks to the Gevertz Family for buying us our super cute orange and grey stroller combo! Score!!

After our shopping extravaganza Mom and Dad took us out to a lovely Italian lunch in downtown San Bruno. Here are Michele and I with our boys! :)

These pictures are from last night hanging out at Grandmama and Ishbobo's house in Ceres!

Dylan with his grill (like Auntie):
Devan swimming - he was so cute jumping in off the sides yelling "jump, jump!"

Dylan hanging out in the spa with his Uncle Jeff and Grandad:

We also have some cute pictures of Jeff and I together during our shopping trip... I will have to wait to get those from Mom so we can upload them on here.

The weekend flew by, but we had a good time and always love spending time with the family!

Melissa and Shannon's Baby Shower!

2009-06-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we traveled to California for Melissa's baby shower, and to visit our family. Melissa and Shannon had a couples-shower which was fun because we got to see all our friends, and the hubbys too!

Here are some pictures of the BBQ shower!

This picture (L-R) is Amity who is Melissa's best friend, she is due August 15ish with a girl (Nyla). Melissa in the middle who is due September 1 with a girl too (Elliott). And then me, due October 30 with Carson!

Here is the super cute shower cake!

Melissa, Darcy and me - best friends forever! Darcy is the only non-preggo, you'll see her super cute son, Sean, below.

Jeff getting ready to have a baby boy - this is Sean, Darcy's son who is now just a few days shy of 11 months!

Melissa and Shannon and all their loot!

B O Y !

2009-06-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday we found out the answer to the million dollar question... we are having a boy!! We couldn't be more thrilled to be welcoming our first born, and a son, we just have so much to look forward to.

And now, we are half-way through with this pregnancy... 20 more weeks until we get to see his precious face!

The Schmitts Wedding!

2009-05-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Lake Havasu, Arizona where we attending the wedding of Kara (Suzi's good friend from Mandalay Bay) and Billy. It was a wonderful weekend and a beautiful wedding yesterday.

We arrived late on Friday afternoon. This is the view from our hotel room of The London Bridge. It was a balmy 110 degrees or so when we stepped out of the car!

After the rehearsal dinner we went down by the channel and hung out in Billy's friends room before the big night.

The bridal party :

The beautiful couple on their BIG DAY:

The entire wedding party:

Cutting the cake!

The Schnell Family dancing! :)

We had a great weekend celebrating with Kara and Billy and their families!

Guest Room

2009-04-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new guest room...

We re-arranged the furniture

Painted the walls a lovely light shade of grey

And now we are ready for our guests!

Feel free to come visit us anytime... next project on the list - a NURSERY! :)

PREGNANT!

2009-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's time we came out and shared our big news publicly...

Suzi is 13 weeks pregnant!

We couldn't be more excited about our upcoming new addition!! Now we can start updating our blog more regularly with updates, pictures and information about our journey into parenthood! Enjoy the first picture of Baby Schnell, this ultrasound was taken at Week 11.

Our baby's due date is October 30, so we have six more months to enjoy looking forward to being parents!

Our Bathroom

2009-04-23T18:34:00.001-07:00

On April 6 we started a bathroom remodel project. We are now just one small step away from being finished!

Here are the before pictures of our tub and shower:

And the after pictures:

We just have to install our mirrors and then we will share the rest of the pictures with you of the completed finished project! So far... so fabulous!

Home from our cruise

2009-02-21T17:47:00.001-08:00

Jeff and I returned to Vegas today after our wonderful vacation. We enjoyed all of the ports we visited, as well as relaxing on the cruise ship, but hope to return to some of these great places in Mexico for a longer stay in the future. Enjoy some of the pictures from our cruise below.

One of the many beautiful sunsets we saw during the week:

A picture of us relaxing in Puerto Vallarta where we went horseback riding, on a speed boat tour of the coastline, and had a wonderful lunch on this private beach:

This is our second port, Mazatlan, where we spent the day walking (5 miles) along the coast. We also enjoyed lunch at The Shrimp Factory, and did a bit of shopping.

Our third and final port was Cabo San Lucas. We had a blast whale watching in Cabo and we spent a little time shopping there as well. We were only in Cabo for 1/2 a day, so this is definitely a place we know we will return.

One more picture of us before we got back on the ship in Cabo.

We also made good friends with our neighbors at dinner. Two wonderful couples from Dallas and Phoenix who we are sure to see again, probably when they come to Vegas.

As you know, vacations are wonderful... but all too short. Thankfully, the great memories will last a lifetime!

Bon Voyage!

2009-02-13T22:49:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I leave in the morning for a week long vacation. We leave from L.A. and will be on a week long Princess Cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I know we will have plenty of pictures and stories to share when we get back...

We will be cruising on-board the Sapphire Princess:

While we are gone, Michael and Erica will be moving into their FIRST HOUSE! Congrats guys, so sorry we won't be here to help move (mean it)! xoxo!!

Jeff's birthday!

2009-02-01T10:20:00.001-08:00

Last night we went out to celebrate Jeff's birthday. We had dinner at The Burger Bar inside Mandalay Bay, then we watched UFC 94 - where Georges St-Pierre beat up on B.J. Penn, much to the birthday boy's liking!

A funny side note - Erica loves UFC. Well, she has a curse, and no-matter what fighter she wants to win, they always lose. And last night was no exception (even though she thought she ended the curse by coloring her hair darker), B.J. Penn cost her $20 and even more than that in pride. Poor Ittle-Wittle! :(

After the fight we went over to meet some of our friends to watch Jed's band - The Mess. We were there for an hour and they hadn't started (although we did get to hear Jed do a duet), and we had to get home. We had been gone for 7+ hours and our doggys need us. Sorry Jed, next time we will plan better so we can watch the whole show!

Here is a picture of us at Mandalay Bay's closed-circut event last night:

Here is the happy birthday boy celebrating his victory:

And now, it's Super Bowl time!! Go Cards!!!

Jeff's new job!

2009-01-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

Not only are we getting ready for Jeff's birthday-fun-filled weekend, but Jeff is also wrapping up his first week of his new job!
For those who didn't know, Jeff accepted the position of Vice President of Operations for Windham Professionals. Jeff is very happy he found the right place to restart his great career!

Weekend fun

2009-01-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had dinner with our "brother" Charlie Davis and his darling fiancee Emma Underwood. They were visiting from Seattle and were in Vegas celebrating Emma's 29th birthday. Here are a couple pictures from our dinner at Border Grill.

Charlie and Emma here pictured with Michael and Erica, and Jeff and me too!

This picture was taken for our mom. Emma got her birthday cake and we knew Diane Scott would like to see them practicing for their big wedding day (10/10/09)!

Visit to Fresno

2009-01-18T10:29:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Erica and I went to visit Michele, Sean, Dylan and Devan in Fresno. We finally got to see their new house, and spend some quality time with the kiddies!

I also got to visit some of my friends who still live in Fresno - Sumer and her darling daughter Addyson, Corina, and Dave and Linda. Here are a couple pictures from our trip:

Me playing golf with Dylan and Devan at Dave and Linda's house. (You can see Corina and Linda in the background!)

Devan, the happy baby, playing at a birthday party in a super sized bounce house. He loved bouncing with his Auntie!

Dylan running through the bounce house obstacle course, he was so fast, he even beat me!

As always, I had a great time visiting my friends and family. I know our year will be filled with lots of visits with all of our family and friends around the country, and Jeff and I are looking forward to it!

Christmas, 2008

2009-01-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

We finished off our year celebrating Christmas with Jeff's family in Cincinnati. We spent 5 days there and really enjoyed our quality time with The Schnells! Below are some pictures of our holiday.

Jeff and I hanging at his parents' house

All the girls on Christmas morning. From bottom to top (and L to R) - Jeff's sister Beth and our youngest niece Mia; our nieces Brittany and Kirsten; Jeff's sister Tracey and Jeff's mom Mandy; then me.

Our super cute niece Mia hitting golf balls in grandpa's backyard... and she could really hit 'em!

Jeff's parents Mandy and Jerry at Mandy's surprise birthday dinner!

Jeff and I hanging out with our friends George and Cyndi Sundrup watching their favorite band THE MENUS!

Jeff and I got home on Monday afternoon, and enjoyed a very quiet New Years Eve. We went to a nice dinner, won some money on the tables, and we home to watch the fireworks on TV! It was quiet, but at least we made it to midnight!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

More snow!

2008-12-18T20:56:00.001-08:00

Wednesday we had record snow fall in Las Vegas. I am sure most of you saw that on the national news, and it was really amazing. Even on the strip we had 3-5". What a sight it was at Mandalay Bay to watch the beach being covered in fresh powder! Here are a few pictures at our house.

As the snow was falling - it was sooooo much fun to watch!

As the snow fall lightened up, you could see our house a little more clearly:

Our backyard... it looks like a resort in Tahoe! :)

This has been a memorable week in Vegas. If we weren't in the holiday spirit yet, this certainly helped!

Snow in the Desert!

2008-12-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke to snowflakes falling! After an "early out" from work, Jeff and I made it home before it melted away. We took our dog Dylan down to our community park to play. Dylan misses the snow apparently because he started running around like a young pup! :)

Here we are with one of the park's snowmen, and Michael and Erica's dog Cash. He is so skinny the poor dog was shivering. Dylan however was rolling around in the snow, he loved it!

The forecast calls for a couple more days of showers and snow, so hopefully we will get to see a little more of this weather. It's a wonderful change for the holidays!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Suzi's family in California. We spent Thursday in Marin with Nana, we had a wonderful lunch, exchanged Hanukkah gifts and had a nice evening. Friday and Saturday were spent in Ceres with all the Scott Crew. We did our Christmas early this year, becuase we will be in Cincinnati for Christmas. Santa came to Diane and Bruce's house on Friday night - it was so much fun! Sunday we visited with Suzi's close friends Melissa and Shannon in Ceres before we drove to San Jose to finally meet Darcy and Jeff's new baby Sean. It was a fun-filled weekend, and as always, we love spending as much time as possible with our friends and family!

Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Our oldest nephew Dylan pretending to be sad at Thanksgiving, but he loves his Auntie and Uncle VERY much!

Happy nephew Devan celebrating his 1st birthday with Suzi's mom Diane, grandmother Annette, and sister Michele.

Santa brought us a Wii! :)

The cutest matching boys EVER!

The Schnellys

2008-11-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new family blog! Jeff and I will try to update our blog on a regular basis to keep our friends and family posted on all of our news!