I think she likes it!

 

She really likes to just chew the spoon

 

 

These Schus were made for walking

In an effort to get more exercise, Jon and I have been taking long walks just about every day. Even in the stifling 100 degree heat, we have made the effort to get out and explore Covington on foot. We have three parks in walking distance, so many times we walk to the park to let Will "get energy out" as he puts it. We live on 4th street and so far, we have walked all the way to 25th street (which is about 4 miles round trip). Jon has taken his camera along on some of the trips, so the following pictures are some that he took. My favorite is the old street signs (Vermont and 21st). The kids seem to enjoy our walks too, and I love to watch them together in the double stroller. They are constantly playing and touching each other. Will rubs Brighton's little head when she falls asleep and yesterday he wouldn't stop kissing her. Those moments help me forget that I am walking in the worst humidity I have ever felt. It has been a very positive experience both physically and mentally as Jon and I have also been able to talk without the interruptions of our very vocal children :) If you've ever had a phone conversation with either one of us, you would know what our usual background noise level is! Enjoy the pictures...

Another great reason to take long walks (notice that, as always, they are holding hands).

 

The side of the cigar shop--this one's for you, Ed.

 

Red door to a vacant building downtown--notice the sandbags at the base of the door leftover from Gustav.

 

The market square in downtown Covington has a statue of...

 

Ronald Regan..this one's for you, Dad.

 

need a haircut?

 

The streets were built around the trees. There are several streets in our neighborhood like this.

 

 

something's fishy...or Brighton finally found a way to make her gums feel better.

 

The Next Generation of Schumacher Racing

Exciting Times...

Today Brighton is seven months old! She has one tooth in and the next tooth is almost in. She is sitting up so well now that I can leave her alone and know that she won't tip over. We've gotten to the point where she will sit in the playroom floor with her brother and play with his toys. Will is learning how to share even more now. There are many toys that he has probably grown out of, but because his sister has taken an interest in them, he has become interested in them again. It is wonderful to watch them actually play together. I received many warnings about how tough it is to have two children, and it is true that sometimes things are twice as hard. But I have to say, that many times, Will makes it easier to have a baby. He constantly wants to be with Brighton. He runs for the "spittys rag" everytime I need it. He even wants to be the first at her bedside when she wakes up. With all of the rainy days lately, we've been spending a lot of time in the playroom (which we are very blessed to have) and Will tries to include Brighton in as much of his playtime as possible. There are still times with he gets jealous of her, but he is so accustomed to her now that the green monster rarely appears.
Brighton is still not into solid foods much. I haven't given up, but I try to feed her different things every few days. She is not losing weight and still nurses like the chubbster she is!
June is an inventory month at Ferguson, and Jon's work overload has already begun. He had to organize the yard sale this week, and he will be putting in even more work as the end of the month nears. I will be teaching at the St. Tammany Home-educators Association Co-op this fall, so I have been getting my thoughts and resources organized lately. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to teach again. I will also be homeschooling Will more often next year, and I plan on having a more structured curriculum for him this time around. Right now, if you ask Will about school, he will tell you that he is going to Bible school. He is looking forward to being able to attend Vacation Bible School at the church we've been attending. It starts on Monday, and I will be staying with him while he is there.
Our lives are not overly exciting these days, but I was reminded of a simple truth this morning from the newsletter that our church sends out. In the article, the author states, "What is it then, that gives our work value? It is simply that God Himself declares it to be important, that God desires our service in the whole of our lives, and that we are to present everything to Him in order to serve Him." As I change another stinky diaper or pretend to be Chick Hicks in yet another imaginary race, I can be satisfied knowing that even this is important to God. That makes me smile :)

Being seven months old means more responsibility: Brighton is now in charge of quite a few of her brother's old (and some new) toys.

 

Will has decided that he too must blog this morning. I usually set up in the playroom, and he usually pulls his laptop out for his own workstation.

 

Teeth, Heat and Hurricanes

We have big news today...a little tooth has finally popped out in Brighton's mouth. I knew it has been coming for a while, and the last few days she has been very cranky. She has had some pretty sleepless nights too. Today, before she went down for her nap, I saw the little white speck on her gums. Woohoo!!!!! Now just a mouthful to go!
Today is also the very first day of hurricane season. I am terrified of storms, so I'll be checking the weather regularly for any sign of swirling wind! I will not have to be told twice to evacuate...Jon, on the other hand, will not be so quick to leave. For now, we will just keep our eyes and ears open and pray that we will be spared this season!
There have been no sign of storms lately--just heat. The weekend was fairly present with very little humidity, but yesterday the muggies returned with a vengence. In order to get some relief, I bought an inflatable pool for the patio. It is about 12 feet by 12 feet, so we can all fit in it. So now with the pool and our screened tent to escape the mosquitos, we are all set to battle whatever Southeast Louisiana throws at us...well, almost ;) Below are some pictures of us enjoying our little paradise.

Will just had to get his book when he saw me with mine...and there's only one chaise :)

 

Our backyard oasis...gotta beat this heat!

 

Brighton's bathing suit

 

Virginia is for...

Family!!! Our trip to Virginia flew by, but we had a wonderful time visiting with family we hadn't seen for months--and in some cases, years! The trip was extra special because Jon and I both had new neices to meet. We took lots of pictures of Sophia Claire Schumacher and Callie Mae Spiers. Brighton is very blessed to have two cousins so close in age. Will got to spend time with not only his cousins, but also his best friend. On the first day of our trip (following a 2 AM arrival thanks to flight delays), we went to Richmond so Jon could reunite with some Ferguson buddies and the kids and I got to reunite with our best buddies, Gray, Jack, and Baby Luke. Jack and Will had a wonderful time playing at the children's museum and running around like crazy at a restraunt in Carytown. The next night, Grandma and Granddad headed to the airport again to pick up Uncle Glenn and Aunt Cecile. We had not seen them since fall of 06! Grandma prepared meal after meal as we visited with one another among squealing babies and screaming toddlers...the adults got pretty loud too! We had a fantastic time catching up with Grandma, Granddad, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters, and Cousins. On Mother's day, we headed to VA Beach to see the Taylor/Spiers clan. I hadn't seen my parents since January, and I hadn't seen my sister since December. On Sunday, Amanda had her friends, the Everharts and Matt's family as well as all of the Taylors and four Schus. It was so special to meet my new neice and be with my sister on her first Mother's Day. We visited the VA Aquarium on Monday and the beach on Tuesday before having to say goodbye to my family. We flew home on Wednesday after saying goodbye to the Schumachers. We had such a good time, but after a whirlwind trip, we all have come down with some kind of plague. I am looking forward to our next trip to VA in July, but for now, it is good to be back home in the bayou!

Brighton enjoyed her first trip to Virginia!

Aunt Cecile (aka the South African baby whisperer) sang Brighton to sleep among the chaos of Grandma's house

Uncle Glenn entertained the boys (Will and Jake)

Brighton and Sophia having a conversation in babyese, which involves quite a bit of screeching from Brighton

Sophia Claire

Will and Papa...plotting?

Nana and Will sharing a laugh

Will trying very hard to play footsie with Charlotte

Our Handsome Boy!

Aunt Becky with Baby Callie

Nana reunited with Brighton after four months

Brighton Rae and...

Callie Mae

Nursing home escapee

My third child

Nana, Papa, and the girls