Disneyworld From Emma's View

Hey everybody who reads this blog! This is Emma signing in. I would like to talk about some of my favorite rides at Disneyworld. My VERY favorite is Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom. Next comes Toy story Midway Mania at Hollywood Studios. After that comes Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom. Next is Mission Space at Epcot. Right after that comes Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. Next after that is Mickey's Phillar Magic 3D movie at Magic Kingdom. Next is a show: Indiana Jones Stunt show! It is pretty sweet! We got to see how movies do crazy stunts on TV and in TV shows and Movies. Another show that was really cool was Fantasmic Laser Light Show. It was supposed to be like Fantasia with Mickey except with almost all of the villains and cruel people from most of the movies that Mickey had to face with his Magical Hat and make them go away! One thing to let you know is that if you are going to Disneyworld with a child under 7 or 6 then you might not want to go to Space Mountain. Out of all of the rides I just listed that is the only ride and show that Ethan did not go on. I am sure that if your kid likes crazy fast dark rides in space and reaches the height requirement then they should be fine. Otherwise... GO ENJOY THE RIDES AND SHOWS!!!

A Tale of 2 Cities: One Frozen and One with Palm Trees

We recently returned from a fabulous Walt Disney World adventure. It was such an awesome time and I will have pictures up here soon. I didn't bring my actual camera because I didn't want it to get damaged on the roller coasters, water rides, Dumbo...etc.. All the Es had so much fun and seeing other kids whine, complain, hit each other and generally act ungrateful made me appreciate mine all the more.

We got back on the 23rd and returned for a white Christmas. We did a lot of sledding and tunnel building, which was a big switch from swimming outside and wearing shorts. -RL

Thanksgiving....I'm a little behind on the blogging...

We spent Thanksgiving with my family, once again, at my aunt and uncle's ranch. They have lots of horses which provide plenty fun for these kids. Fun?! Without a video game or TV? What?! My cousins, Ashley and Melissa, gave Ethan and Emma some riding lessons and they got the hang of it and, of course, loved every minute of it. Emma is riding Levi and Ethan is riding Jag. -RL

Happy Halloween!

If you look at our picture from last Halloween, Chris and I look almost exactly the same. Same expression on our faces, differently costumed children...weird. That must be our "we're exhausted, but ready to kick ass trick or treating" face. This year, we had a Dorothy, Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Ethan made sure people knew he was Obi Wan from Star Wars IV, A New Hope. Very important distinction among Star Wars geeks, I guess. Yoda did not make it far on the trick or treating, but Dorothy and Obi Wan made a haul.

We always have a special Halloween lunch on the weekend before. This year was no different. We had Halloweenies (hot dogs, wrapped with crescent rolls to look like mummies), a pizza calzone shaped like a snake, cookies that looked like witches fingers with red almonds for fingernails. Plus our Mac n Sneeze, and witches brew with gummy worms that we have every year. It was another fun-filled Halloween over here at the Schlien household! -RL

Little Men

This picture of Elliot is not real clear, but it just makes me happy. I was trying to get him to stay put to take a picture and he just kept getting in my face. He just looks cute. His newest words are "turtle", "deer" and "all done."

These are the Es on their last rendezvous to the park before the cold weather struck. We were in Brainerd and went to the park every day, knowing that we would be housebound for the next few months. With the exception of Disney World in December!

Who's Ready for a Change?!

Just a reminder to vote tomorrow, November 4! If you are like us, you've been waiting for this day for 8 long years. It's no secret who we are voting for, but whoever your choice is, just VOTE! -RL

It's Not Easy Bein' This Handsome...

I wanted to try and post a video on this blog and it seems that it works! Here are my boys at breakfast. -RL

A Foretaste of Things to Come...

I am really into Halloween. I love it. We got the boys costumes pretty early this year, as Ethan knew exactly what he wanted to be and Elliot doesn't have a choice yet. If you're a Star Wars nerd than you will appreciate this little gem of an anecdote. After Elliot got this Yoda costume, Ethan wanted to be Degobah Luke and carry his brother "Yoda" around in a backpack...like in the movie. Check back on Halloween to see if Chris and I dress up with these 2! I'd make a pretty mean Jabba the Hutt! -RLCute you are, I think.

Ethan Wan Kenobi

Brothers

These moments get me every time. We had a little slumber party the weekend before kindergarten started. We put a mattress on the living room floor with blankets and pillows. We watched movies and fell asleep. These 2 were little snugglers and it could not have been cuter. I have the same reaction when they hold hands in the back of the van or on the way to Ethan's school. I know that in a few years, there will be an occasional fight, but for now, I just have to bask in this love they have for each other. -RL

These People Are Fun...

This last summer was a whirlwind. It was one of the most fun summers I've had in a while because we got to see a lot of friends from far-away places that we don't see that often. Here is my homage to my homies.
Here is Uncle Brian Jars with Ethan and Elliot. They love him and his new rockin' wife, Bonnie (not pictured..sorry!) very much. The Jars' are currently in Argentina, but we were lucky enough to have them living with us for a month.

Below is Tiffany, high school/college/life friend who I love so very much. She's in Chicago, but we got together for some lake time at her parents house in Brainerd. Her son Boston and my Ethan are almost the same age. She also has 2 others, Darika and Dastan. Here is our clan all together.These are friends Cynthia and Chelle. Chelle lives in Montana, but came to town for the Jars' wedding preception. (Pre-wedding celebration.) We all had such a fun time together-from what I can remember!

Here is Cynthia, my oldest friend (7th grade!)that I still keep in touch with. She lives in Boise, and I miss her and love her a lot. My kids love her too and she's very generous and fun with them. By the way, you can check out her blog at cyndiandmike.blogspot.com. Maybe she'll actually update it!

I love all these friends. They are all so funny and crazy and fabulous. It's probably better that we all live so far away. Maybe I appreciate them more. -RL

Kindergarten!

Ethan started kindergarten last week. Below is his picture with backpack before heading off to school. He has afternoon kindergarten and we walk to school everyday with Elliot in the stroller. Elliot is usually talking and being his wild self all the way to school and back, as is pictured here. He is so funny and his personality is completely opposite of Ethan. He is such a little ham and is always doing funny things to get attention. I love it--it keeps me laughing everyday. Ethan is loving school. His best friend Kyle is in his class and he has made other friends too. I wish all kids were as sweet and good natured as he is, but alas, a girl has punched him in the stomach and called him stupid. I asked him if he would ever act that way and his answer was, and I quote, "Of course not Mom, I know better." I am so proud of these boys. -RL

Might As Well Keep Bloggin'!

I have not blogged in ages, so I'm trying to remember the summer. One of my highlights was a road trip to North Carolina with Chris and Sara. We had a blast and shed some tears (or buckets of tears in my case) as our BFF got married on a mountaintop. I love a good road trip and this one did not disappoint....except for Chris leaving 2 days into it for a 2 week trip to Scotland. I'll make him blog about that soon. North Carolina was beautiful and Sara and I had a fun trip home with lots of laughing and good talks. -RL

The Garden of Awesome and Its Harvest

Looky here! My garden yielded some delicious produce and is still going! We still have some tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots to pick before we're through for the summer! I'm pretty amazed with my first-time results. -RL

Turning 5 is Sweet!

Well, it's official....I have a 5 year old son. And doesn't that sound old? I have a kindergartner! Wasn't I just a kindergartner, like a few weeks ago?! Anyway, Ethan celebrated with swimming at Buffalo River with best friends Owen and Kyle, followed by cupcakes and ice cream at our house. What a nice little man he is becoming.

Rollin' With My Gnomies..

As you can see, my garden is a raging success! My chives and parsley are just starting to come up and my zucchini may not have made it. But, everything else is looking really good!

Quite a few gnomes have also popped up, lovingly planted by Ethan. My lily plant was so beautiful, but one gust of F-M wind knocked it out of its hole and almost blew it away.

I have had to pick 5 or 6 weeds total. I am so excited that this actually worked! Check back to see my veggie babies grow! -RL

Hi this is Emma Speaking

Hello people who read this blog! I am Emma, one of the E3's. I have heard of the blog and thought I would tell you people a little about me. I am 10 years old and next year I will be in 5th grade. At my moms house I have a little sister named India. India is going to be 3 on July 25. At my dad's house I have a pet gecko named Lizzie. Her full name is Lizzie Lula La Lizard. (she is French in my opinion.) At my mom's house I have a puppy named Henry. Henry is a schnoodle which is a schnauzer and a poodle. Any way... last year my mom home schooled me and it was just o.k. I didn't think it was amazing and I prefer public school. I love my dad's house. It is so fun and big. It has huge yards and beautiful scenery. Which reminds me that I just got to mow the lawn to day! It was not the best thing in the world. I only did the front yard and half of one side of the back yard! NO FUN!!! My dad and Ethan (another one of the E3's) and I got to go to Wall-E today. My dad loved it, I thought it was o.k. and Ethan liked it. Nice to blog to you!!! Bye-Bye!!

Keep on Truckin' Little Noah!

This is Noah, my new nephew born on June 1 at just 24 weeks. I have never seen a baby this small before; he just made it to 2 lbs. It was really shocking to see such a small little guy, but he is really strong and really adorable. Please keep this tiny boy in your prayers. -RL

Happy Birthday Dear Reeder....

A few weeks ago, I got to travel with the Kittleson ladies to Reeder, North Dakota for their centennial celebration. It was too fun. We had martini time at the Mirror Lake Lodge, watched the nation's longest parade, drank cans of beer at Lutzy's, and laughed constantly. Bonnie Hammer drove us through the prairie, over barbed wire and up some seriously steep hills. We climbed rocks and explored caves.

It was a trip I will never forget. A fabulous time with some rockin' ladies. I'm so glad I tagged along!I love this picture. This was the last night we were there. I think the sky looks like a painting. What a gorgeous view in the middle of nowhere.

Look What I Didn't Kill!

My lily plant is growing! It's been 2 days and it's alive! -RL

Top 10 Countdown

Since Ethan was born it has been one of our missions for him to like good music. I get that kids like Polly Wolly Doodle and This Old Man and that, but I didn't want to have a child that wanted to listen to that every time we got into the car.

So, we have programmed Ethan to like stuff that we like. And we've found some kiddie-type music that all of us can listen to.

Ethan's Top 10 CD's in order of how I'm remembering them:

1. White Album: Beatles--Ethan loves most of these songs. He can live without Wild Honey Pie and Happiness is a Warm Gun. The cutest thing was when he thought "Dear Prudence" was about a deer.

2. All Together Now: Beatles Kids Album--kids and adults singing Beatles songs.

3. Here Come the 123's: They Might Be Giants--the song about the number 7 is a favorite, this is the best kids album ever!

4. Snacktime: Barenaked Ladies--this one is really good too. So cute and funny. Plus it has a song about Ninjas.

5. Little Shop of Horrors: Movie Soundtrack--Ethan loves this. He was big into this one last month which coincided with his first dentist appointment. He was understandably a little freaked out to go.

6. Juno Soundtrack: Various Artists--he loves this a lot. He reminds me when the swear words are coming up so I can turn it down. ("F*& Bush and f&*% this war" is a "turn it down Mom" lyric. But if he were to swear, that's not the worst thing he could say, is it?)

7. The Muppet Show Soundtrack: Various Muppets--I love Muppets. I wrote in a previous blog that when I was little I wished they were real. Ethan loves them now too. Nothing better than hearing your 4 year old belt out a wicked rendition of Rainbow Connection.

8. Sesame Street Soundtrack: Various Muppets--see above. I frickin' love Muppets! This one is a little more controlled in the car. You can't listen to this over and over again like the others on the list. But, again Muppets are wonderful and "Monster is the Mirror" is hilarious. And a little Elmo never hurt anyone.

9. Seussical the Musical: Various Whos, Horton the Elephant and others--Ethan loves elephants, he names every stuffed/figurine elephant Horton and he loves these songs.

10. The Star Wars Trilogy Soundtrack: Various instruments, such as trombones--Ethan especially likes the Ewok movement.

Green Thumb

I am not good with the plants. I normally kill everything. These flowers above are beautiful and thriving. My mom planted them. Surprisingly enough, I can maintain these because they take little to no work.

Well, the thought of having a garden is totally appealing to me, but also pretty daunting. I'm not sure I have my mom's green thumb. But, some of my favorite things to do as a kid were to plant seeds, pull carrots, dig potatoes, and snap peas and green beans. I want all the E's to have that same experience. So, Mama Schmeck in her infinite wisdom bought me a gardening book and introduced me to a way of gardening that even I shouldn't screw up.
This is called Square Foot Gardening. You build these little boxes and set the grid and plant something in each square. It's above-ground, and you fill it in with the perfect blend of compost, peat moss and vermiculite. It was totally easy. In the next couple of months, this little bitty garden should yield: 1 tomato plant, 4 green bean plants, 4 pea plants, 1 zucchini plant, 2 cucumber plants, 16 carrots, 1 parsley plant, 2 chive plants, and 1 cilantro plant. Plus, I had 7 squares left over for flowers. Check back for my itty bitty garden's progress!

Why Not Minot?

We all went to Minot a couple of weeks ago for a wedding. Now, don't let your jealousy keep you from reading on. I had never been to Minot before, but it was actually a pretty fun place to go. Who knew?! We went to the zoo, stayed at a waterpark, ordered pizza and watched Harry Potter. All in all, it was a nice trip. Minot is something like a billion miles away on a 2-lane highway with little to no scenery. But, who says a vacation shouldn't be earned on the way?!

Always the comedians, Ethan and Emma have to act out a scene in every picture.
Elliot cooperates for the camera, but it won't be long before I can't get a normal picture of him either. Corrupted by siblings!

Happy Birthday Elliot!

Our lil' Elliot turned 1 on May 23rd, with little fanfare. We were out of town for a wedding, so he had a wedding cupcake and some post-wedding swimming at our waterpark hotel. I can't believe he is already 1 year old. -RL

Run Liens Run!!

Woo-hoo!! We came, we saw, we conquered! The 1/2 marathon was so much fun; I am still on the endorphin high of finishing it! Really and truly, it was such an amazing experience. People lined the streets and cheered us on all day.

It was my personal goal to: A. Finish and B. Not get last place. For those of you who don't know this, I did complete a triathalon at the age of 18. I got 12th place of 13 people. So, even finishing 2nd to last would have been fine by me! Well, I have come to find out, I came in more than 500th to last....not bad!

Chris, Sara and I ran together for the first 8 or so miles. Then those 2 pulled ahead (showoffs) and I finished about 5 minutes after them. I, of course, cried when I finished because I was just so happy to be done and there were so many wonderful people along the way. A amputee woman running, a man pushing his brother in a bed-like wheelchair because he suffered a stroke, but wanted to be a part of the marathon, a very elderly man who finished the full marathon in 8 or so hours coming in after everyone else had been long done. It was just one incredible display of strength and endurance after the other. I loved it.

Ethan got to accomplish his own "kids marathon". We ran 1/2 a mile together. I'm not pointing at that random stranger and laughing at him. In fact, I am pointing out Chris and Emma who were cheering him on. I was so proud. The wind knocked him over at one point and he kept going. Running the whole time.

Now he saw them! This is almost the finish line. The last marathoner (must have been 90+ years old) came in just before the kids race. Everyone cheered loudly and gave him a standing ovation.

Here's all of us with our medals. Elliot will be running soon enough and hopefully, we can get Emma back into it. (She fought us on it for months....we let her have her way and sit out....she regretted it today and talked of running next year....you really should listen to your dad and stepmom sometimes.) All in all, it was such a great day. I encourage any of you reading this to try this at least once....it is an indescribable experience. -RL

Bravery...

It took Ethan 4 sessions to build up the courage, but he finally did it! He climbed onto the "big bar" at gymnastics and dropped into the pit. Elliot looked on, unimpressed, but I was very proud.

Tubby Time!

If you are looking at the picture above and not oohing and ahhing, then you are a robot. That picture is damn cute. Until...... the bucket face-smashing starts. Not as cute, but very funny. He looks like he's being sucked back into the Matrix. But then......
there's my cute little punk again. Clean as a whistle, with the wildest hair I've seen on a child.