The Schumanns

Mad Scientist Birthday Party

2011-07-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Chance's birthday party!! It's always fun to celebrate with family and friends!!
All ready to start the experiments!!

On a coffee filter they drew designs with markers and then sprayed water on it and watched the colors spread out!

We filled a bowl with a little milk and a drop of food coloring. Then we dipped a toothpick in dish soap and touched the drop of food coloring and the drop would disperse.

We filled a bottle with water, a little bit of vinegar, and a tablespoon or so of baking soda and were excited with the results!!

We cut a pringle can, added wax paper to the lid, and then taped the can back together with duct tape and with the lid in the middle.With a push pin we made a hole in the bottom of the pringle can. We then looked through the open end of the can in a sunny spot and everything appeared upside down!!

Our big 6 year old! He is such a joy!!

Chance's Birthday Festivities

2011-06-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

The birthday boy woke up to his room decorated!

He wanted an omelet for breakfast. It was a bonus that the eggs looked like Mickey!!

Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific- We had a lot of fun!!

Ostrich Egg

2011-06-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

First step, make a hole in the egg with hammer and screwdriver.

Next, stir contents with a skewer.

Then, dump the contents into a bowl.

Finally, enjoy! It tastes just like a chicken egg. Chance didn't think so but I think it's because he knew it actually wasn't!

Solvang

2011-06-09T12:16:00.001-07:00

A bit rainy but still a lot of fun!!

Delicious chocolates!

Best buds!

Luke was rocking out to the music! It was so funny!

At the ostrich and emu farm

Las Vegas

2011-05-29T22:04:00.001-07:00

Chance and Seb just couldn't make it. This was after a full day of hiking in Utah and then the ride to Vegas and then check in and showers. Planning our itinerary! We had a blast hanging out at the arcade in Circus Circus. Our total was 1456 tickets!

Zion National Park

2011-05-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

King of the World

The Three Patriarchs

Getting ready to hike to the Emerald Pools! Such a fun hike! We had fun trying to time our passing under the waterfall just right!

LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE BOYS

Still going strong!! It was a 2.5 mile roundtrip hike!! They are troopers!!

Bryce Canyon

2011-05-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Chance is so sweet~ he dusted my path with the stick!!

Beautiful Bryce

The hike into the canyon! It's funny to listen to people's remarks when they see us hiking with the four boys!! They are so impressed!!

Capitol Reef National Park

2011-05-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

So happy together!!

Catching fish with their hands!

BEAUTIFUL!!

Utah Trip

2011-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

At a reservoir!

Nothing like splashing around!

Chance had fun rolling around in the sand and then running into the water!

Daryl pushed Synjin into the freezing water to get a slingshot that was floating away! Synjin was a good sport!

They sure love their grandma!

Aunt Eva's Funeral

2011-05-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah this last weekend to attend Aunt Eva's funeral, my mother-in-law's sister. It was a very nice graveside service. She was very special to the Schumann kids growing up. Her and her twin sister, Elsie, always made sure the Schumann sibling's birthdays were special as well as other holidays. She led an exemplary life of the gospel and had so much love for everyone. She will be missed!
The Schumann gang minus Trent and Kirk

Daryl shared some memories of Eva.
Daryl with Aunt Elsie, Eva's twin

Sturtevant Falls

2011-04-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

We went on a field trip with a big group from the boys' school to this beautiful waterfall. It was 3 miles round trip. So worth it!

The boys are troopers! They did really good on the hike! Especially Sebastian. He kept up the whole time!

I carried Luke for most of the hike. At one point I took a pretty bad fall and as I hit the ground I was able to hold Luke up with a lot of effort and, luckily, he wasn't hurt at all!

California Science Center, Downtown L.A.

2011-04-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

The boys had a lot of fun running around and exploring!!

Synjin thought this was a little scary and a lot of fun!!Chance isn't quite tall enough- he was bummed out!

The Science Center was very busy. Keeping track of these boys is quite the task- all present and accounted for!

Ports O' Call, San Pedro

2011-04-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

2011-04-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

This was a fun Saturday afternoon activity!

Daryl having fun with legos!!

Fun At The Zoo

2011-04-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

The boys love going to the zoo where they blend in being the monkeys they were born to be!!!

A New Look!

2011-04-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

Synjin's Birthday

2010-10-02T00:20:00.001-07:00

Wow, Synjin is 8. We are so proud of him and love him so much! He is a great son and brother and friend!
I decorated his bed but with all his tossing and turning he basically knocked it all down!

He is so good with his legos! All the boys are!

We went to CHINA BUFFET for dinner! It was delicious!We are so happy Nona could celebrate with us!

We had a party with friends and family that was so much fun!

The kids had 10 seconds to memorize the strip of pictures and then turn them over and try to match it!

Beach Days Are Back

2010-07-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

Rain or shine we go to the beach Tuesdays and Thursdays with friends! Yes, a couple of times we (the adults) were even wearing sweaters but the kids didn't seem to mind as they played away!!

Our Lukey Turned One

2010-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

A little overdue but wanted to show off our Luke! He is such a sweet little boy! He has such a good disposition. He is learning quickly to keep up with his brothers!

You notice that smirk on Daryl's face? Well, while we were singing happy birthday he threw fireworks outside that scared the heebie jeebies out of Luke. For the next little while Luke was traumatized!

We are so glad to have shared this special occasion with the Aguirres de Chile!

Another Fun Saturday!

2010-02-21T22:03:00.001-08:00

In our book "Fun Places To Go With Kids and Adults in Southern CA", was the Police Museum in Highland Park and so we were off. It was a great place for the boys. Everything was hands on. They had fun climbing and trying on masks and being in jail.
The events on Feb 28, 1997 were downright disgusting.

This is an exact replica of what they were wearing and armed with!

This is the actual getaway car!

The police used this car when they did presentations for children!

Redondo Beach Pier

2009-11-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

We had a yummy lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then walked around for a few hours! We had a great time~ the boys were a mess but, hey, that's pretty much a given on any day!!
The boys went hunting for crabs and the crabs let them know they didn't like being touched! They kept pinching them!

His big brothers are always quick to get him if he starts wandering away and by wandering I mean only a few steps!!!

He is a good little walker! Well, he has to be to get away from his brothers!

We went to the Fun Factory! Reminded me of the good old Daily Breeze days! Yippee!!
They went on this ride twice! After a couple seconds of watching them I had to walk away cause I was getting dizzy!

What a great day!!

Tanaka Farm Pumkin Patch

2009-10-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Fun petting zoo!

Maze for the kids to run through!

Finding the perfect pumpkins!!

This is how things get done around here!!! And then depending on how long I want to enjoy a clean house determines how long they stay this way!

2009-10-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

TATA TIME

2009-08-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Daryl came home from a downtown shopping trip with matching tiger tooth necklaces for the boys so they could match Tata's. What a great idea honey!! Tata plays music on his necklace with his teeth so that is what they are doing here.

My Boys

2009-07-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Some of what we've been up to!

2009-06-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went camping in Big Bear with some friends. It was hot but not too hot and at night it was cold but not too cold!Thanks all for a great time!!

We were on the go the whole weekend! The boys got sleep whenever they could. This was on the way from camp to a pirate ship ride, about 15 minutes. Sebastian was a grump when we woke him up from this power nap!

There was a cool rocket making activity. Using PVC pipe, a bike tire tube, and an empty soda bottle the boys made rockets that actually launched!!

Here are the participants standing next to where their rockets landed. Unfortunately, Synjin and Chance were far from the target but it was fun nonetheless.

The boys got to try sticking the hatchet in the log. Chance didn't quite make it but had fun trying. Next year will be his year...

Synjin succeeded and the mountain man dressed him up in all the real gear for the picture. Synjin was so happy!

Sebastian got a little too brave and went out a little too far trying to reach Daryl and I had to jump in with my clothes on to get him. Fun times!!

We celebrated Chance's and his cousin Matthew's birthday at the beach- they are 3 days apart! It was fun fun fun! We especially liked when the police who were patrolling the beach stopped by and suggested that next time to feel more at ease we go to Orange County!When we left, the group next to us was playing some offensive music while LITTLE kids danced to it with their parents cheering them on!! And that's why it never ends.....

We love our Chance man! We are glad he is part of our family! He is so sweet!

Daryl came up from swimming wearing this shirt.Funny thing is he gave me his shirt prior to going in the water. Apparently he forgot this little detail and picked up the first black shirt he found when he got out.That's why guys from the group next to us were looking at us........... :o)

For one of our weekend excursions we went to the Ronald Regan Presidential Library and, besides a lady falling on her face in an attempt to avoid hitting Chance who ran right in front of her, we had a good time. We kept seeing the lady and her family during our visit! Oops!! It was an amazing tribute to an amazing life!!

End of the year celebration!!

2009-06-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Look at all our new posts- these are for you Rachel :o)
We ended the school year with this fun celebration at a park close-by! It was a lot of fun! Synjin had a blast at Community Day- friends and great teachers!! He is now an official 2nd grader!

Chance even got in on the action!!

The eggs were actually raw!!! Yuck! Luckily Synjin and his partner made it to the end!I think there were some other not so happy campers!!

Trains

2009-06-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Make sure you check out all of our new posts!!
Daryl often takes the boys down to the tracks by our house to check things out.
They love playing chicken with the trains. They've gotten pretty good at it!!

Santa Ana Zoo

2009-06-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

We made a trip to the Santa Ana Zoo with Rachel, Carlos, and their kids. As usual, the kids had a blast together!!

Long Beach Harbor

2009-06-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Long Beach Harbor and took an boat ride around the harbor. We were the only ones on the boat for the first bit and the boys were being, well, boys. We were on the back of the boat which was separated from the front by the controls in the middle. Everyone who got on at subsequent stops took one look at our crew and opted to sit in the front. It was pretty funny but gave us all the space we needed :o)

This is what happens when I leave Daryl in charge for even a second.....

TRAVEL ADVENTURE 4321

2009-05-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

WE TOOK A WONDERFUL TRIP BACK EAST! CHRIS AND EMILY AND KIDS JOINED US FOR PART OF IT! WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND LEARNED SO MUCH! IT'S A LOT OF PICTURES BUT ANY MORE CONDENSING WOULD NOT DO JUSTICE TO OUR TRIP! THIS SLIDE PROGRAM IS ADDING CAPTIONS WHERE THERE SHOULDN'T BE ONE AND I'M TOO TIRED TO TRY TO FIX IT SO ENJOY AS IS!!!!!

The Poppys

2009-03-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

Daryl loves wild flowers! We are so glad he likes to get out and see this beautiful world and takes us with him! :o) Sebastian was purposely not looking at the camera for so many of the pictures- he would turn his head every time we told him to say cheese. Not just turn it but defiantly turn it :o)

After the poppys we went to this cat park where they breed rare cats!

And finally on Sunday was Luke's blessing. Daryl gave an inspired blessing. We are so glad so many friends and family joined us for this special day! All of our boys have been blessed in the same outfit Daryl was blessed in!

BIRTHDAY FUN

2009-03-21T11:15:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Sebstian's 2nd bday at Disneyland.We had a blast!

Then we had cake with Nona and Tata. My 2nd cake decorating experience- so fun!!The straw is Synjin's improvisation of a fire hose!

I don't think we even finished singing before all the accessories of the cake were gone! They were little piranhas!!

STEAMROLLER

2009-03-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

THIS IS WHAT IS WAITING FOR ALL YOU KIDS AT CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Primary

2009-03-21T09:11:00.001-07:00

If this is how he is after primary can you just see him as Bishop or High Council one day...........

Fun Fun Fun

2009-03-09T16:26:00.001-07:00

This was a beautiful hike! My best friend Natasha joined us, thanks for being so spontaneous. It was fun hanging out with you :o)

Ok so I stayed outside to feed Luke on this swing in a low traffic area while the others went in to look around. When I finally made it in a worker commented to me that I was the one outside nursing. Apparently a passer-by made a comment to some workers inside the building. A worker then walked outside while I was out there. I thought he was just getting fresh air but I guess he was checking out who would actually engage in such behavior! For goodness sake- I WAS COMPLETELY COVERED! For all they knew I was just holding a sleeping baby! This really irked me!

DISCIPLINE

2009-03-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

We're trying new techniques! :o) Synjin & Chance were in a jumper and Chancies forehead met Synjin's eye!! You should've heard those screams.....wait, you probably did!!

On the road to recovery

SOLSTICE CANYON MALIBU

2009-02-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN ON THIS HIKE!! IT WAS 3 MILES ROUND TRIP. NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL! IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO GET OUT AND SEE WHAT GOD HAS CREATED! THE BOYS ALL MADE IT- SEBASTIAN MADE IT TO THE WATERFALL WHICH WAS OUR DESTINATION AND MOST OF THE WAY BACK. LONG WAY FOR SUCH A LITTLE DUDE!!

GETTING READY FOR THE TREACHEROUS HIKE :o)

BEAUTIFUL OAK TREE

WE LOVE THE COMMENTS WE GET- "HMMMM- ALL BOYS" "YOU GOING FOR THE GIRL" "SORRY" "HOW FUN" "YOUR HOUSE MUST BE TORE UP" AND SOMETIMES THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

LOVE THESE BOYS! THEY ARE TROOPERS!

HOUSE THAT BURNED IN THE FIRE A FEW YEARS BACK

THE BOYS HAD SO MUCH FUN FROG HUNTING! THERE WERE A LOT OF THEM!!

Road Trip

2009-02-21T20:08:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went to AZ with Daryl's sister, Rachel, her husband Carlos and kids. It was so much fun!! We saw so much of this beautiful country!!

Natural History Museum

2009-02-07T17:17:00.001-08:00

A nice indoor activity on such a rainy start to the day. Fortunately the weather cooperated while we were out and about. The kids had a blast at the Museum.

Would you expect anything less from these monkeys!!

CHINESE NEW YEAR Jan 30

2009-02-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

We went downtown last weekend hoping to catch the Chinese New Year Parade but we were a day late but we still had a good time walking around. They did have a nice performance of Chinese acrobats but unfortunately Daryl dropped the camera and it broke right before the festivities so those memories live on in our memories.

Sebastian is doing his part to keep the streets clean!

Rubbing the Buddha Belly for good luck

Luke is soundly sleeping- I thought for a moment to get him out but then came to my senses and decided to let the sleeping baby sleep!

This was some delicious food!

2009-01-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

We ventured to the Watts Towers Saturday. An Italian immigrant built the Towers because he wanted to do something BIG, something great with his life. Over the course of 33 years the towers were erected. Click on the first pic to read some interesting facts about the tower.

He lived right on the property where he built.

One of the towers had scaffolding around it so the tour wasn't has complete. The Watts Towers became a tourist attraction after an attempt to pull them down with a crane failed and actually resulted in the wire snapping.

A trip to Watts would not be complete without a picture of at least one of our kids in front of a gangsta ride!!

LUKE LELAND

2009-01-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

After a long, emotional labor our little guy arrived. We arrived at the hospital at around 5 at only 2cm. Progress was slow even with a little potocin to speed things along.At 1am the pushing began and after 45 minutes, the baby was in distress so he was delivered by csection.The placenta had started to separate from the uterus.We are so grateful that we have such a handsome healthy boy in our famliy. We are especially grateful for modern medicine and the wonderful nurses and doctors who do their jobs so well and helped me not totally lose it with their reassuring encouragement. I especially love my husband for always keeping such a level head and just loving me through it all!!
Bouncin' baby boy! 8 lbs 11.6 ozs 19.5 inches long

Auntie Tash has been at all the boys' births! I love her and am so lucky to have a friend as wonderful as her!!

Proud Nona and Tata

Hanging with his cousins!!

My cute family!!

It just wouldn't be right not to have this picture!!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T20:04:00.001-08:00

We made it to look at the Rose Parade floats. They really are amazing. And if anyone remembers the story of losing Synjin last time we went, we have no such stories this time... thank goodness!!

What do you think? Modeled after Synjie!!

Oh the convenience!!

Let's Go Cruisin'

2008-12-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

We started the afternoon with lunch in Little Ethiopia. Daryl, me, Sebastian and Chance enjoyed the food...well, ok, the kids just the mild chicken... Synjin, on the otherhand, just wanted to leave. There was incense burning that he thought was the grossest and we had to tell him to stop making faces while eating the food especially when the waitress was around!!

Then we cruised over to the Peterson Automotive Museum. Some pretty awesome cars. The boys had a great time and my favorite part was having security follow us around. Daryl and I should have just had them watch the boys while we looked around :o)

2002 Jaguar used in Die Another Day

All I want for Christmas is a 1927 Rolls Royce, pirty please!!!

Chance: "Dad, you should get this bike. It would freak people out!"

Not yet!!!....

2008-11-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

With 7 weeks left until our next bundle of joy arrives we decided to make the transfer to a big boy bed for Sebastian! The first night he just played around and was having to much fun that he wouldn't sleep. Not even after my attempt to lay with him so I caved and put him back in the crib. But last night he went right to bed. What a big boy! I don't know how I feel about all this growing up going on around here!!

Alpaca Fest West

2008-11-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

We went to see some Alpacas in Industry Hills. It was quite fun. They are cute animals. The kids had a blast!!
This one here is a llama, there to show the difference between the two.

We had to keep a close eye on Sebastian- every chance he got he was feeding the Alpacas. This nice gentleman brought one right to him. :o)

So photogenic!

Prop 8

2008-11-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

No pictures but I just wanted to share what great boys I have. Monday night for FHE I stayed home and made copies of an ad promoting "yes" on 8 and Synjin and Chance (he just went out the first run)went with Daryl around the neighborhood walking and passing out the signs to over 400 homes. We are so glad it passed and are glad we have these opportunities to teach our boys the blessings of following our church leaders.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

Synjin won the prize for the costume that most represented his character in grades k-2! Yeah Jack Sparrow!!

The Fun We Have!!! PA'S PUMPKN PATCH

2008-10-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Sebastian had so much fun petting and feeding the animals.

Watching the boys try to walk after this ride was quite comical. We were sure Chance was going to lose his lunch. His face during the ride was so funny.

The happy people!!

USS Midway

2008-10-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to San Diego to tour the USS Midway, the longest serving aircraft carrier in America-from the end of WWII to 1991. There was so much to see and do. The kids really liked it. The carrier is 1,001 ft long, 258 ft wide, has a 4.02 acre flight deck, and is 69000 tons total weight.

I was feeling claustrophobic in the sleeping quarters. There were so many beds in such a small space!!

This veteran helped the kids make a knot bracelet.

We definitely need this at home :o)

On the flight deck!

The boys loved pushing all the buttons!!

I don't know if anyone else ever has these experiences but we have them often on vacation. The first picture was taken by a "baby boomer" and the second by a younger guy! Please, when you take a picture get the background in it!! And this was after we asked him to get the plane in it....

2008-10-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

We went to a local golf course and the kids had a blast.

Sebastian gave up and decided eating the balls was funner than hitting them.

Synjin Is 6

2008-10-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Our little boy is 6 already!! He has promised that if I continue to let him have birthdays he will still be my little boy! :o)

Nona and Tata took him out to breakfast and then to ride a train at an outdoor mall. He had such a good time!! This transformer is from them!!

Our friends, the Laynes, had a birthday party for their daughter and since it was Synjin's birthday they included him in the festivities. There were two pinatas and two homemade cakes and a jumper. Really, what could be better!! Yes, I said HOMEMADE!! Check it out. I am so happy with the results considering this was my first attempt. Now I'm excited to do more. So what if they all are pirates!! And the Barbie was so cute and yummy with Sherbert ice cream being the skirt!! Thanks Laynes for a great time! Synjin had a great day!!

Sebastian joining in the fun!! As a side note: Their house is under construction so the pinatas were in the soon-to-be dining room! It all worked out great!!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Chanceman!!

2008-09-26T15:27:00.001-07:00

The kids played an IRON ROD game at their primary activity. The primary president put a blindfold on Chance and asked him if he could see. He told her yes and so she made some adjustments and asked him again if he could see. Matter-of-factly he said, "Yes, I can see. I have x-ray vision."

Meditation

2008-09-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

We were playing in the driveway when Synjin announced that he was going to meditate like the Chinese people do-something he saw in a cartoon. Well, after a couple of seconds he asked me if he was starting to raise off the ground. It was so funny!!

Daryl says, "LIVE BY THE DOOR. DIE BY THE DOOR!!"

2008-08-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

So today Chance was getting into a feet push car in Nursery and lost his footing and fell backwards into the door of the nursery. I went over to check on him and discovered blood, a lot of blood. He hit his head on one of the hinges. I ran to get Daryl. The nursery leader, Rachel, went and got a Sister who is a nurse, and along the way a few more spectators showed up. She said he probably needed stitches so we were off. Thanks Rachel for taking care of Synjin and Sebastian for a couple of hours!!
The emergency room went pretty quick- we were put on the "FAST TRACK" with his head injury and all!! So the doctor asked Chance to do some simple commands to make sure he didn't have a concussion. One of them was to squeeze his hands as hard as he could. When he squeezed the doctor's hands Chance let out a pretty loud and long fart. Daryl and I started busting up and the doctor asked what happened.(We don't know how he didn't hear it) We told him and he remarked to Chance that he asked him to "squeeze" his fingers not "pull" them.:o)
After a couple of stitches we are home and Chance is back to his normal self. Well actually he was acting normal the whole time. In fact, the doctor had asked me if his behavior was normal and that was just as Chance was rolling around on the bed, walking back and forth,and being so loud!! I looked at him and said yes doctor,this is his "normal!!" :o)
It was a fun day in Nursery! Maybe now they will take my advice and make Nursery a padded room...

JUST IMAGINE....

2008-08-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

One more little boy sitting with his brothers. We are so excited to raise another missionary. Our due date is January 9.

Pool Fun

2008-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday afternoon at Daryl's brother Kent's house. They are remodeling a house they just bought in Anaheim Hills-the entire inside is gutted but the pool outside was perfect for a day of summer fun. The kids had a blast.

Sebastian wanted to be just like his brothers. He kept walking with Laurie to the edge and would then grab her hand and walk away. He finally took the plunge.

Megan and Synjin being the monkeys they are.

Synjin had so much fun having Daryl throw him in the air.

And of course Chance was not going to be left out!!

Synjin decided cannon balls were the safest to do after attempting to dive a couple times which resulted in belly flops.

OH THE PLACES WE GO...

2008-07-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from a fantastic vacation. 3 weeks on the road, 6500 miles, 3 kids, a pregnant wife, fun, and beauty all around. We all came back in one piece and all with a better appreciation of this marvelous world God has created. We are blogging mostly the Canada portion of our trip since the other part has been well blogged already.ENJOY!!
We all loved seeing the wild animals, especially the bears!! 2 grizzly bears and 2 black bears.

Glacier National Park in Montana
Our plan was to drive through to Canada but only 30 miles of the park was open because of snow. So we enjoyed swimming for a bit and then continued our long journey!!

Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada.
I really don't think you were supposed to go swimming in there. One other guy was fishing but the current was pretty strong. Daryl lost his sandals trying to get a grip of something before he was swept away....

Kootenay National Park
I about had a heart attack while they were getting situated for this picture sitting out on the ledge with a waterfall a few feet away. Daryl assured me he had it all under control!!!!

Kootenay National Park
Cooling off at Radium Hot Springs. Synjin was so brave!!

Making friends at camp!

Takaka Waterfall in Yoho National Park. The boys loved saying the name. Canada is beautiful. Keep looking...

Oh so cute!! Perfect angels the entire trip :o)

Lake Louise in Banff National Park.
A Mountie always gets his man!!

Banff, Lake Moraine
Picture of Beauty

Banff, Lake Peyto
The water was unbelieavable. We have not seen anything like it!!

We hiked up to one of the glaciers, Athabascara in Jasper National Park. Pretty cool, literally! It was amazing!

Jasper National Park
Sunwapta Falls

Jasper National Park
Medicine Lake

Row row row your boat
Synjin showing his skills on Lake Maligne, Jasper.

These were some pretty "hellish" rapids!! Hence the name!!

Vancouver, Capilano Suspension Bridge
The boys just didn't understand why it wasn't such a good idea to climb up on the sides of the suspension bridge!!

Victoria, Vancouver Island
I'm trying to convince Daryl how much we would benefit to have a place like this to retreat to in our next house...

This was really a great trip! Thank you Daryl for having such a great sense of adventure. You are my love of a lifetime and the boys absolutely love you and are always "so glad when daddy comes home!"

Trapped!! How to handle nursery kids...

2008-05-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Rachel, the nursery leader, usually builds a firetruck for the kids with these blocks but she now has another use for them, thanks to Chris. He was hanging out with Savannah in nursery and built this contraption. The kids were fed snacks through the openings! They loved it! They have no idea it is all part of the plan to keep them under control! HA HA HA...

And yes, the nursery is this small! Usually our boys and another little girl are it!! So when we have visitors we love it!

The Schumann Boys

2008-05-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Rub-a-dub-dub! Three boys in a tub!

The boys are good friends- most of the time! I really love these moments of them all playing so nicely together!!

Tuesday is play day with the cousins!The kids play and the moms talk and play cards :O) It's fun for all!

"Let them sleep for when they wake they will move mountains!"
Chance is worn out after a day and night of playing with cousins.

Oh, I guess this is why Synjin wasn't coming for dinner.

Let The Good Times Roll....

2008-03-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

We met some friends at Glamis (The Greatest Sand Dunes in the World)and had a great time!
Synjin's buddy Wyatt is teaching him how to ride.Wyatt is a good little rider!There was some lapse in the lesson or Synjin wasn't listening cause when he started going he really took off. He didn't have any control and almost took down a couple of tents.He would not drive one again!

However, Synjin and Chance loved riding in the Dune Buggies. It was a blast!

Sebastian would take any ride he could get!!

Taking a snack break and a little reprieve from the sand storms.

Ok so I am not a quad rider but Daryl took me to the "easy" dunes so I figured I'd give it a shot!I have only been on a quad one other time.I'm not quite sure how it happened because it happened so fast but I followed Daryl down this hill(not a very big one)and the next thing I knew my quad was about 50 feet away from me and I was lying flat on my back.After a few tears(mostly cause of fear;I wasn't hurt) I shook myself off and got back on to finish my ride.There were no more mishaps!

On our way home we stopped by the Bradys' to spend one of our last times with them before they are off to North Carolina. :o( They fed us great food and were great company!Thanks for welcoming the unplanned visit!It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend!
Here the kids are checking out a spider

Here the kids are waiting their turn to be thrown across the room onto the couch.Emily and I made sure they could move all body parts after each throw...

Let's Celebrate

2008-02-26T17:45:00.001-08:00

Daryl turned 35!!We started the morning with presents and German chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting for breakfast.Yum!!That night mom and Ulises took us to the Red Lobster for a delicious meal!

The next day we celebrated with everyone at Back Home In Lahaina! It was a surprise party and Daryl was just that- surprised!!I had to post this picture because of Marissa's great face which is the same face in ALL the pictures I have of her, dating back to the early 80's.

It was his sister's birthday on the day of the party so we sang to her too.

We really had a great time! Thanks everyone for coming to help us celebrate!!

One Smart Cookie

2008-02-16T22:10:00.001-08:00

Instead of me reading the bedtime story tonight Synjin did. He read the entire book by himself. He will usually read a couple of sentences and then bargain with me to read the rest but tonight he insisted he read to the end.He did a fine job! I am so proud of him!

The GREATEST KID

2008-02-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

I say greatest kid others might say child neglect :o)The other day I was Bisselling our carpet (deep cleaning) so I put Sebastian in his activity thing-a-ma-bob.

I wasn't expecting it to take so long but it did and there he stayed for the next two hours playing and eating graham crackers and sleeping.And the best part is he never complained!! (Chancie was sleeping and Synjin was busy studying the scriptures FYI)

Cabrillo Beach

2008-02-03T18:02:00.001-08:00

Some Fun At The Park

2008-02-03T17:52:00.001-08:00

What do you think?...Triplets! I have been asked if Synjin and Chance are twins-of course it's when they are sitting down and the height difference isn't so obvious. So I guess when Sebastian is a little older and has a little more hair the question will be are they triplets!I just love our boys!!

Improved

2007-12-11T23:06:00.001-08:00

Synjin's skills have definitely improved.We just have to work on the securely fastening part.I forgot to check it and the next morning I was sure sorry I had forgotten- pee everywhere!!

Christmas Fun

2007-12-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

My friend Kim invited us to her mom's work party.It was a blast!The funnest part- explaining why there were 2 Santas separated by a makeshift wall with whom to take pictures with.

Great Grandparents are great!

2007-12-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

Oh How I Love To Stand

2007-12-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Sebastian loves this spot!

And here we go!!

2007-11-22T23:14:00.000-08:00

Okay okay okay...I've been seriously considering the six things i just know are sure to make you glad you know me.Here they are:
1.I can't remember things.All questions of whether I like something, or have eaten somewhere, or have seen a movie, my name,and so on and so forth have to be asked to Daryl.People think this is funny cause they think i am just messing around but those who know me best know that i'm serious.my excuse for it all is i was in an accident-at least i have an excuse!!

2.I have this thing about parking spaces.I feel much better about driving if i know there will be a parking space waiting for me.i think this fear stems from a time i was at costco and had been waiting like 5 minutes for a spot and when the car finally pulled out another car snaked the spot.this incident has scarred me for life.not only that but i just have issues about parking as in i can never pull in straight.i keep asking daryl to send me to parking school...

(I know a lot of you know this story but it is a good one)
One of my most embarrassing moments-
3.Years ago i dropped Daryl off at Long Beach State after i had finished typing a paper for him.daryl actually drove there and went straight to his class instead of the institute where i would usually wait for him.he then told me to drive to the institute and wait.the thing is- his car was a stick and i don't do stick.why didn't i just wait where we were you ask?well because daryl had stopped in the middle of a street.i was a nervous wreck.i got behind the wheel and was shaking.daryl had told me to just go straight and then left.well another thing you should know about me is that i'm not very good with directions.

still shaking i try to start the car and it is dead.gimme a break- i at least can start a car!well, these worker guys helped me get it started and showed me it was actually a problem with a connection and how to fix it if it happened again.So i'm off...well not quite.i go straight but there is no left.so i turn right and find a stop light.the car goes dead again and when i get out of the car to fix it it starts rolling.scary!i get back in and another car stops to help.ok, so now i turn left but there is no institute.i go straight for a while and find out my only options are freeway, freeway, freeway, or freeway.so i get on the freeway.you know but i'm ok so far because at least i don't have to stop and go.that is what my really problem was.on the freeway you just go.well i am totally lost at this point and decide to get off at the next exit.

i then find myself in front at a stoplight.when the light turned green i just couldn't get myself to go.i was just frozen so i turned on my hazards and waited there.not quite sure what i was waiting for.all the traffic was going around me and then i saw a solution.coming the other way was a police car so i got his attention and signaled i needed help.well, here is where the story gets good.he turns on his lights and flips a u turn.he talks to me to find out what the problem is and well, i told him the truth- that I couldn't drive the car!!he asked where i was going and them informed me i wasn't even close to my destination.

i guess he wanted to share the news with his friends cause pretty soon there was about 4 more cars on the scene and all because i couldn't drive the car.the policeman got in the drivers seat with me next to him and proceeded to drive the car to a safe place off the street and then dropped me off at a gas station where i waited for my future sister-in-law to pick me up.what a day!!!it's a wonder i wasn't arrested!heck-they didn't even ask for my license.the whole situation is just comical.i'm sure they talk about it to this day!

4.The night before my wedding i discovered that our dog had eaten part of my veil.i screamed so loud people came running from all over the house.i cried and cried.good thing for good friends.Natasha, who did all our flowers, and the veil and so much more and who is just a wonderful person stayed calm and reassured me it would be all right.And by the next day it was!!

5.This is an oldie but goodie too:
My mom had given me a grocery list and on it was cilantro with a 1 next to it.i had never boughten cilantro before.when i discovered the cilantro was in bunches i asked the worker how cilantro was sold and he told me individually.so i took out one piece of cilantro from the bunch, put it in a baggie and went to checkout.for some reason the cashier just stared at the cilantro weird.when i asked her what the problem was she told me noone had ever bought cilantro like that before.go figure!!!

6.one time daryl and i were going into a mcdonalds downtown l.a. and a couple was outside begging for money.instead of giving them money we invited them in with us to buy them something to eat.the guy asked us what they could get and assuming it would be just a burger and fries and drinks we said whatever.well did we learn our lesson.i think after all was said and done they ordered one of everything off the menu.yes, we paid!obviously they were hungry and who are we to judge...next time we will put a cap on the ordering!!!

And there you have it!A glimpse into the crazy life of mine!!I'm still not sure i should have admitted it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2007-10-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

Halloween always starts at mom's house!

This is at the Halloween Frolic in El Segundo.The kids at a lot of fun!

Sebastian enjoying the festivities!!

It took some convincing to get Chance to take this picture.He didn't want to get to close to the scary skeleton.

SO BIG

2007-09-29T16:46:00.001-07:00

Sebastian is 6 1/2 months old.He is a cute little boy.Instead of just army crawling he has progressed to the real thing.He gets to a sitting position by himself.We have just started piano lessons with him and he is doing a fine job.We are so proud!!

SYNJIN TURNS 5

2007-09-29T16:21:00.001-07:00

I can't believe he is 5. Synjin and I had a serious talk and I told him he can only get older if he will still be my little boy.He has agreed!!

He is so excited to have a "big" boy bike!

That night we went to Pirate's Dinner Adventure in Buena Park. We had a good time. We took Synjin and Chance and the leader of the pirates was Sebastian the Black so Sebastian was with us too.Daryl's brother and our nephew, Matthew, were with us also.Chance was terrified of the pirates but as long as they kept their distance he was just fine :o)

Synjin is being sworn is as an honorary pirate!

FUN FUN FUN

2007-09-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

We go to this park a lot to ride bikes and play! It's so nice when they get along which is all the time, of course.

DISCOVERY CENTER

2007-09-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

We just tried not to think about where the costumes had been...

A good little climber!

OUCH!!A bed of nails!!

Chance loves Elmo at home.Guess the real thing is kinda scary...

Up up and away

Reunited...

2007-09-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

Chancie had disappeared. I could hear him breathing in our room. I was surprised to find him sleeping on the floor, in a corner, behind a chair with his blankie.That is where we would hide it when we were trying to wean him but we hadn't put it there for weeks.

A REAL SOUR TREAT

2007-09-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Mom gave him the lemon to see if he would react the same as our other boys when we gave them lemons to eat at 5 1/2 months. :o) Nope, he ate it all up and wanted more!!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!! Part 3

2007-09-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in a cabin with some friends at Bass Lake, near Yosemite. Then we went into Yosemite on Monday.It was a great time!!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!! Part 2

2007-08-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

IF ONLY ALL NAPS COULD BE SO EASY

2007-08-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

We were at mom's house.Sebastian was soooo tired. My plan was to lay down with him until he fell asleep since he wasn't in a crib and is moving all over the place these days. He was still awake when we entered the room. I think he fell asleep as I was laying him down(from my arms to the floor). He didn't move from this position(until he decided he wasn't getting enough air and turned his head sideways).I was so thrilled!!

Almost There

2007-07-30T21:47:00.001-07:00

Sebastian is crawling- just the wrong way. He goes backwards!

"Big" Nona

2007-07-30T21:29:00.001-07:00

Visiting "Big" Nona. Mom is "little" Nona. These visits are short and sweet- otherwise the boys go wild driving all the residents blood pressures up. :o)They love climbing in bed with her.

Clean Up

2007-07-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

This is how the boys clean up spills wherever they are including the carpet!

The Iron Chef

2007-07-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Synjin is learning the techniques for a perfect BBQ from Daryl! He did quite a good job!

The Blankey

2007-07-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is Chance's blankey- yes, it's a queen size comforter. He will not go to bed without it. We tried it for about 3 days but it was just torture for ALL of us so I caved and gave it back to him. We have even taken it out to dinner with us. These pictures are of the mistake I made of letting him see me put it in the dryer.It's kinda like out of sight out of mind. One would of thought it was the end of the world.

I closed the door to the laundry room.

He can't handle the separation.

Reunited and it feels sooooo good!!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!!

2007-07-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

SO THE STORY OF SYNJIN ALMOST DYING GOES LIKE THIS-

THE HIKE DOWN WAS VERY STEEP- PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WERE NUTS FOR DOING IT. THE BOYS DID GOOD AND THE SITES WERE FABULOUS!! WELL, ON THE WAY UP I WAS HANDING CHANCE TO DARYL ON TOP OF THE LADDER. SYNJIN WAS SITTING & STAYING PUT AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN OR SO WE THOUGHT... HIS CURIOUSITY GOT THE BEST OF HIM AND OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE AS I JUST HANDED CHANCE OFF I SAW SYNJIN GRAB ONTO THAT RAIL THAT IS NEXT TO ME AND HOLD ON TO IT WITH BOTH HANDS WHILE SWINGING HIS BODY OUT!! IT WAS A DROP OFF!!! I JUST ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACK. DARYL GRABBED HIM AND ALL WAS EVENTUALLY WELL. DARYL REMINDED ME THAT IN SYNJIN'S BABY BLESSING HE ASKED GOD TO PROTECT HIM WHEN WE COULDN'T. I GET CHILLS STILL WHEN I TELL THIS STORY AND THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED!!

4th of July Spectacular

2007-07-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

DARYL HELPED SET UP AND LIGHT THE FIREWORK SHOW IN EL SEGUNDO!! HIS ADRENALINE WAS PUMPING!! THE GUY BEHIND HIM IS A PYRO TECH.

OUR BOYS

2007-05-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

2007-05-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

The New Nanny

2007-05-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

I jokingly asked Synjin to change Chance's diaper and to my surprise this was the result...