Our Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Schumachers! After a very nice, quiet, Christmas, we are heading North to Virginia, but before we head out, I wanted to share our Christmas pics. We really enjoyed spending time with each other, and of course, the kids loved their presents. Jon was almost completely headache-free! Although we missed not seeing our extended families, I really cherish the times we get to do things with just the four of us. This is our third Christmas with just us, and each year, I have loved Christmas more and more. We do get to spend New Year's with extended family for a change. We are flying tomorrow to Richmond, where Jon's parents will pick us up. We are excited about seeing grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and neices. Jon will be heading home after the weekend, and the kids and I will be spending about ten days with the Grandma and Grandad. My sister is going to pick me up, along with my two little travel buddies, and we are all going to spend a week together with my parents before flying home mid-January. We are looking forward to the trip, and we are really hoping for some snow while we're there! Brighton has never experienced the white stuff and I'm pretty sure Will doesn't remember it very well. It has been three years since we were in VA during the winter. I must cease blogging now and get back to packing...now where did I put our snow clothes? :)

Brighton was really unsure about the break from her usual morning routine.

Thanks Nana and Papa!

Thanks Grandma and Grandad!

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Pageants and PS prayer requests

We have two aspiring actors in the family. Will has been participating in two different Christmas programs this year, and Brighton made her debut in one program too. Will has been in the annual live nativity at our church, but this year he got to be Joseph. Brighton was old enough to be an angel in the program as well. Will also was a shepherd in his preschool's Christmas program. He did very well in both programs! We were pleasantly surprised how well he knew what to do because if we ask him what he is going to be doing, he usually has no idea. Brighton was quite the little ham. She did not want to do what she was supposed to do, but she LOVED the attention. I think we may have a problem with that one! The best part of the church program was the kids' costumes. My mom made both kids' outfits, and they turned out beautifully! They were the subjects of many many compliments. Thank you, Nana, for making them the cutest angel and Joseph ever!! Enjoy the pics below, and please read my comments at the bottom of the page about Jon.

They made an awfully cute angel and Joseph!

Getting them dressed was no easy feat...I was afraid Will was going to give us a repeat performance of Mother's day where he just laid on the floor during the program. Eventually he settled down.

Brighton was not so thrilled about getting her costume on over her Christmas dress, but she got used to it.

Cornering them behind the door made it easy for me to finish getting them dressed for the "show."

Don't let the wings fool you, she was a little stinker before it was time to go on. I stayed very busy keeping her away from the church Christmas tree.

The live nativity for our church is for all the little kids (with big-kid helpers). They walk down the aisle, sing a few songs, play hand bells, and then are dismissed to go have a birthday party for Jesus (which was Will's motivation for being so good).

Brighton and Ava were the little angels. They walked down the aisle and were then supposed to stand near the stage with the other kids. However, Brighton proceeded to run around the sanctuary, find a hymnal to start beating like a drum, and have her own private dance party to "Joy to the World." It's a good thing that it was a very informal little program.

Will and Laurel (aka Mary and Joseph) came down the aisle last. I'm pretty sure baby Jesus should not be carried like that, but that's a boy for you! Will did very well playing the bells this year. He has had some onstage fiascoes in the past, but he might have finally figured out what to do now.

Will was the youngest little one on stage, but he seems to be able to hold his own.

Will was a shepherd for his preschool program. He goes to preschool at a large Baptist church in Covington.

Will knew all of his hand motions, and he sang every word.

A thumbs-up and a wave for Mommy and Daddy. We're so proud of you, Will!

I'm including in this post a request for prayer. Jon has been diagnosed with cluster headaches. These are headaches that are extremely painful, and come in "clusters" of time, usually weeks but sometimes months. Jon has been having headaches for over three weeks now. At first, we thought he had a very bad sinus infection, but after two rounds of antibiotics, he went to the ER for a cat scan. The emergency room doctor diagnosed him and our regular doctor confirmed it. He is trying various drugs to help prevent and treat the headaches. So far, he has had one day without a headache, but last night he had another very bad one. There is no real cure for the headaches, and treatments usually vary from person to person. It is also not know what exactly causes the headaches. They will go away for months or years at a time before he has another attack, but during the cluster headache, life is miserable. Please pray for Jon. These headaches have affected his work and his life. We've had some difficult times this month, and we appreciate those who are praying consistently for us. With that, I would like to add one more request: Jon's dad, Ed, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Please pray for guidance for him and his doctors on how to best treat it as well as prayer for both Caren and Ed as they deal with this news.

A tribute to Boo

I was going to wait to write anything until after Saturday, but I think it would be therapeutic for me to write something now. On Saturday, I will have to do undoubtedly the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I have to say goodbye to our sweet dog, Boo. She has not been a healthy dog for some time now, but in the last five weeks, her health has really deteriorated. She has been plagued by several tumors for a while that sometimes make it difficult for her to drink water and go "potty," but recently her legs seem to be the biggest problem. Since 2008, she has had what the vet described as a torn doggie ACL. The surgery was extremely expensive and not guaranteed to help her. So we gave her pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills for a long time, and it seemed to actually stop bothering her. However, at this point, she is almost unable to walk, and compounded with being mostly blind and deaf, she is not leading a happy life. I feel it is my responsibility to give Boo what she needs most now, relief.

I adopted Boo from the Roanoke SPCA ten years ago when she was around three years old. I was a sophomore at Virginia Tech, and I was living by myself in a studio apartment. Boo was a great roommate. She slept on the bed, curled up on the couch, acted as a little barking burglar alarm, and loved to go on walks. I bought hair bows, dresses, outfits, and costumes for her. She put up with it all! Because I was always driving somewhere, I bought her a seat belt, so that she would be safe in the car. Boo loved going to the lake. I think she was happiest there. Even as recently as this summer, she seemed to rehabilitate at the lake. After I got married, Boo had some adjustments. She was no longer allowed to get up on the bed or the other furniture once we bought "real" furniture. I still took her on walks, and she enjoyed the big backyard at our house in Fredericksburg. The biggest adjustment for her came when Will was born in 2006. She was unsure what to think about him or about the fact that she was no longer our only baby. But Will loved Boo. "Boo Boo" was his first word (as well as Brighton's two years later!) Boo provided the motivation for my kids to start moving. She put up with them pulling her tail and tackling her because she has always had the absolute sweetest temperament. She has gotten fatter from sitting underneath their chairs at dinner and following them as closely as possible when they are walking around with a snack. Boo hasn't gotten as much attention in the last years as she did when she was my little princess dog, Boogenvillia the Exquisite Beast (yes, that is her full name). But she has always remained my loyal companion. I could not have asked for a better dog for me or our family. I am so thankful that I got to share the last ten years with one of God's most special creatures. Booboo, you are loved, and I will never forget you.

Please, please pray for me on Saturday and our family as we adjust to life without her.



Some of my favorite pictures of Boo taken in the last few years.

Thanksgiving in the Swamp

This Thanksgiving, my parents decided to make the trek down to Louisiana for a Cajun-themed feast. I was very excited to have my parents this year. It has actually been five years since I spent Thanksgiving with them. We decided to make the most of our current state of residence, so I ordered several seafood dishes from a local seafood deli as well as a Cajun deep-fried turkey. We ate crabmeat au gratin, shrimp and mirliton casserole, oyster dressing, and a couple of the more traditional sides. While Mom and Dad were here, we also did some Christmas shopping, went to the park a few times, took some walks, and got to experience our first afternoon on the swamp. Dad treated everyone to a swamp tour at Honey Island Swamp in Slidell (about a 25 min drive from Covington.) It was one of the first chilly days we've had down here, so we were afraid that we wouldn't get to see any alligators. However, one lonesome alligator stayed out just for us--I think he knew Will was coming ;) The tour was fantastic, and it was really cool to see local wildlife in the WILD like that. We learned so much and the scenes were spectacular. It was the highlight of a great visit with Nana and Papa, and we were sad to see them go.

Calm before the storm...food storm.

Will was so happy to have his favorite playmate in his little tree house.

Will and Brighton's early Christmas present from Nana and Papa. THANK YOU!!!!

Brighton has all the body guards she needs.

Stop! That crazy woman has my kids!!!! (Mom and I trying to work off the extra Thanksgiving calories.)

Nana wants YOU to have a Happy Thanksgiving! (Sorry, Mom, I just couldn't resist!)

It's too warm to be Thanksgiving day!!!

A much happier Will waiting for the swamp tour to begin on a much cooler day!

Be patient Will! The tour will start soon!

Brighton couldn't understand why she had to sit down. I got pretty worn out trying to keep her from becoming gator bait.

We saw a huge owl. We were supposed to be quiet, but Brighton kept shoutig "Hoo, Hoo!"

We found an alligator much to the delight of Will and Brighton!

Shrimp boat

The tub says "Cajun Hot Tub." The stacked red baskets are for catching blue crabs.

The caution sign says "Don't drink the water...fish crap in it!" Lovely.

Brighton decided to sport a new do on the way back--actually the boat was moving pretty fast.

The ride back to the dock was a little chilly since the sun has started going down.

We had a great visit with Nana and Papa! Thanks for a very special Thanksgiving!!!