PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/9/11

This morning, as the snow was beginning to fall, I asked Zach "do you want me to make chili" and he smiled and said "did you say we could go to Chili's?" (which he really thought I had said) and I said "no, I can make chili" then, after only a few seconds to ponder, I said, "Yes, we can go to Chili's!" It was a good idea since I had a gift card that would make it more "doable". The snow was just starting to fall harder and the parking lot was pretty empty when we first got there. By the time we left, Chili's was filling up, and the snow was falling more and temperatures were dropping. It was a perfect day to head out before the brunt of the storm hit. Now, it is snowing even harder and it is swirling around as I look outside. It is getting really cold and we are all hoping for a "Snow Day" from school tomorrow. At the very least, I predict a "delayed start" but we are crossing our fingers for much more :).

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/8/11

Our first weekend with our new truck...Zach was checking out the bed of the truck and we thought we should have a family photo to celebrate this new addition to our family :) . I didn't realize how nice it would be to have a truck again, but we all fit in it and it will be so nice to have for camping, trips to the mountains, and weekend errands. I am most happy because I can tell how happy Todd is to have a truck again.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/7/11

Donuts and coffee with Dad. We headed downtown to the Denver Public Library to pull some photos for his upcoming book, but had to stop for some coffee (and a donut) on our way down. I almost didn't order one, but I couldn't help myself. It reminds me of our Saturday visits to "Henderson's" growing up. If we didn't go with him, he wouldn't bring one home for us and even when we went, we could only choose a chocolate or glazed. I always wanted the "jelly filled" kind and only got it the one time Grandad Dell came with us and my dad didn't want to tell me "no" in front of him. :) It is a treasured memory of childhood. It is even better that my kids got to experience Henderson's before it closed. Oh, I can smell the Henderson donuts right now as I type this, and Mrs. Henderson crankily sitting at the back office while she bossed her workers around. I also remember the old man with the amputated arm that would come in and sit at the very last seat at the "bar"...he was a little scary to a kid, but was a fixture there. We would then see him hop back on his bike and ride home. He had a orange flag on the bike, like we had as kids.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/6/11

We first learned about Tim Tam's from my friend, Gab, in Australia. Through MFM, I met her and she became a long distance friend, and still is. She has sent us a few packages through the years and one of the favorite treats were the Tim Tams. The boys love them and I had heard they were now making them in America. I found them at Target prior to Christmas and bought them to use as a surprise for the boys. With all the Christmas cookies we had, I wanted to wait until it would be a big treat. Yesterday, as they came home from school, I had each of them close their eyes and take a bite. While not as fabulous as the real Australian ones, all of them love these and both Chris and Zach automatically knew what they were..."those really good Australian cookies we got from your friend" was a similar response from both. Thanks for creating such a special memory for us, Gab. :)

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/5/11

Looking forward to Nick being home early on Wednesday afternoons...I know that there will come a day where he will be on his own and off at school, so I treasure this time even more. He's such a good kid and fun to be around and I think this semester for him is going to be one of the best ever! My goal: to try to not "micro manage" him and just enjoy the time together and support him and guide him when he needs me. I can't guarantee I won't nag (a little ;) ) or repeat myself 1 or 2 (or 5) times, but I really am going to try to not do it so much and know that he is very capable of handling things. (I'm really going to try, Nick, really)

PROJECT 365 PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY 1/4/11

It's time to say goodbye to our good ol' Sequoia. This car has driven Todd to work, taken us on fun vacations to Ruidoso and Utah, and many trips to the mountains, across town and to school. After 10 years, a big decision was made to trade it in at almost 100,000 miles and for Todd to take the plunge back in to truck ownership. His first love was his baby blue Toyota truck he purchased after we started dating. He worked so hard to buy that truck...and was so proud of it. It ran well for 10 years and we bought the Sequoia because, with 3 boys, we needed a car that could hold more than one carseat. When thinking back, it hardly seems possible that we have had it 10 years. Time flies when you're having fun. Now, Todd has the chance to own a truck again and I know he will love it. It's dark blue and he got the deal he said he would get or wouldn't move on so it will be nice, but a part of the Schmitt history drove away for the last time today. Thank goodness we have lots of pics and memories. A car can be a special part of your life...this is proof.

Chris is the last kid to take one last ride in here. Todd usually drives him to school when he leaves for work, so I will title this photo "The Last Ride" and if it seems a little silly that I'm crying as I type this, well, then I guess it is and I'm okay with that.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 1/3/11

DAY 3 : The boys head back to school today after a 2 week Christmas break. It seems like it went way too quickly and I always dislike these "first day back" days and this is no exception. Nick and Chris both leave close to the same time now so it's just me a Zach for the next hour 1/2 before he's off. When I asked him yesterday if he wanted me to pack his lunch, he said "yes, all my friends think I always have the best lunches." Now, usually it is either a sandwich or yogurt, juice, sometimes chips and always a piece of fruit...nothing at all exciting, but it made me smile to know that he thought it was "the best". He got this bread at the Bronco game that he went to with Todd yesterday so it made his sandwich even better today. Chris likes his peanut butter and jelly sandwich best when I don't use too much pb and enough jelly...think I may have overdone the jelly today, but what can ya do at 6:30 am? Nick usually buys his lunch but I load him up with "snacks" just in case he forgets money (or in this case, he had money, but left his wallet and drivers license at home). Just grateful that I can be home with them to do these little things and send them off to school. I don't take that for granted.