Friday, July 11, 2008

Going Green


I know there is lots of hype now days about 'going green' and being sensitive to the environment. So I just wanted to let everyone know that we here in the Schwab household are doing our part.

I found this in the fridge the other day and it gave me a good laugh. I went to pull some lunch meat out of the meat/cheese drawer and this is what I found. A bowl of cheese from last night's dinner placed in the ziplock bag that holds our cheese.

I asked Jason when he got home why he put the whole bowl of cheese into the fridge and he simply replied, "Then I wouldn't have to waste another plastic bag." Oh, duh!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Out to the country

We headed out to the country the other day with some friends. It was a perfect day - not too hot, not too cold, cloudy - which made it perfect for pictures. The kids had a great time tromping around. Kellan especially loved playing on the tractor. I had fun chasing them and tormenting them with taking pictures. We all left happy!





Thursday, June 12, 2008

Our little artist


A few weeks ago we put almost all of Mirielle's toys in time out because of some bad behavior. The deal was that she could get one toy out of time out a day for good behavior. Most of her toys are still sitting in our closet.

What this girl loves most are a coloring book, a pack of crayons, a pair of scissors and occasionally her chalk board. This week she did an amazing drawing of a mermaid complete with a fish tail, a bikini top and a cute hairstyle (with a castle located on the left hand side.) I thought it was a pretty good job for a five year old!

Friday, June 06, 2008

Facebook

So I've been on Facebook for awhile but I hadn't really done anything with it. I just joined a few months ago because they created a group for the women at Moody. But this last week, one of my friends from Argentina (I was an exchange student there after high school) found me on Facebook. I could hardly believe it!

So I admit that since then, I've been a little distracted playing around with it and finding friends. I have been amazed at how many people are out there that I can find that I've had some connection with. It has made me realize how many circles we have run in so to speak over the last few years. It made me sit back and think about how grateful I am that we have had the chance to go so many places and meet so many people (even though the ride hasn't always been that easy). We certainly have had a rich life as far as the relationships we have developed along our journey. Thank you Lord for friends!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Just for Kicks

Mom, I just thought you might get a kick out of seeing what Kellan did with those stickers you sent him awhile back!

Friday, May 09, 2008

Tagged

I've been tagged two different times so here goes. A little bit about me.....

Four jobs I've had:
1. When I was in 6th or 7th grade I went to work for the 'Bird Lady' as we affectionately called her. Bird Lady lived just a mile down the road from our house in Mesa where I grew up. I guess I got the 4 hour Saturday job because I thought I wanted to be a vet and the lady had a lot of animals and it would give me valuable experience. (HA!)

What she mostly had was birds. Cages and cages of parakeets that she sold as a business. I mostly ended up cleaning bird poop for hours on end on Saturdays, unless I got a break and she put me to work washing her dogs. She paid me piddly squat and that is where I learned the real meaning of a dollar. I would look at a pack of gum and realize that it would take me an hour of scooping bird poop to pay for it, and most of the time the price of what I wanted wasn't worth buying. My dad made me keep that job for a long time too, even though I hated it. Because when you are a Vlahovich, once you make a commitment, you keep it even if you don't like it.

2. My second least favorite job that my dad found for me and made me keep (sorry Dad!) was working at Taco Bell. They put me to work at the cash register because I was too slow making tacos. That darned perfectionism made me want to put all of the cheese in just the right spot!

To his credit, he did get me lined up to be the Ryans family's babysitter when I was in jr. high, which was a great job. 2 of the 3 kids are getting married soon. Agh! I feel old! Becky Ryan went on to give me another great job at her insurance agent when I was all grown up :-) So Dad, thanks for that!

3. After I graduated high school, I went to work as a receptionist at a retirement center. Super Dad got me that job too. I loved that job! My favorite part was going down and taking attendance at lunch. I got to meet lots of sweet people and hear lots of amazing stories that way. For awhile, I thought I wanted to become a social director at a retirement home. I still think that would be a great job.

4. I worked for Portraits by Reg for almost 2 years in their sales department. That was another great job for me too. I guess I really enjoy the jobs where I work with people the most. I loved seeing moms fall in love with pictures of their seniors, even if they thought the packages were expensive. :-) I still would love to have a career of having people fall in love with the images in front of them of their loved ones. Hmmm.... Maybe some day.....Maybe not!

Four movies I've watched more than twice:
The New World - I love the cinematography and music of this movie.
Waking Ned Divine - hysterical!
Chocolat - lovely and whimsical
Strictly Ballroom - I love the soundtrack from this movie too!

Four places I've lived:
Mesa, AZ
Villa Regina, Argentina
Roach, MO
2 different islands in the Philippines

Four TV shows I watch:
Biggest Loser
Take Home Chef
What Not to Wear
The Apprentice

Four places I've been:
Chile - one of the most beautiful places on earth ever!
Boracay, Philippines - one of the other most beautiful places I've ever been
Maui
Germany

Four places I would love to visit:
I would love to take a historical tour of major cities on the East Coast in fall
I would love to take a cruise to the Mediterranean
I would love to get an RV and drive around New Zealand
I would love to stay in my aunts' beach house on Maui for our 10th anniversary

Four foods I love:
chicken enchiladas
crab legs
Pei Wei's Mongolian Beef
tiramisu

Four things I've been looking forward to this coming year - ok, I put more than 4!

Maybe getting to go to Seattle for my 30th birthday. I'm crossing my fingers on this one.

Getting a new computer with our tax incentive, so I can finally load the Photoshop Elements 4 that I got last year for Christmas. (Jason is convinced that it will crash our laptop if we load it.)

Starting a garden if we can get some of our back yard cleared out. It is a total disaster.

Being in AZ when my beautiful cousin Lindsey gets married this fall and seeing Mirielle as her flower girl.

Learning more about photography and stretching myself to be more creative and confident.

Finishing up some of the finish work around our house. Getting M's room done. Repainting our master bedroom (I don't like the color already). Painting the baseboards that my dad put in a year ago! He says he wont come visit until we get them painted ;-)

Growing together and getting to know the young families home group that we just started at our house.

Not having MOPS on Thursday so I can go to yoga at the gym.

Getting a better picture of what goes on in Kellan's head as he is finally starting to talk more.

Jason being done with his first year on the job.

Maybe going on vacation together as a family. Right now I am guessing that might mean nothing more than camping out in the living room for the weekend.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Needing a little TLC

I have to preface this post by admitting that occasionally Mirielle and I watch TLC's 'What Not to Wear' and '10 Years Younger' together in the afternoon while Kellan is napping. I figure that it is better than soaps (which I don't watch) and probably better than some of the cartoons on in the afternoon too. SO....

Yesterday I wore a skirt in probably the first time in months. As I was standing in the bathroom fixing my hair, Mirielle walked into the bathroom and started running her hand down my side saying, "Mom, look how smooth this skirt makes you look!"

AND

A few nights ago after washing my face, Mirielle looks at me and says, "Mom, your face looks kind of red, maybe you should call TLC."

I'm thinking that we are going to be turning off the TV in the afternoons!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008





My lovely girl. She is growing up too fast. She is always such a character. I love her crazy and creative spirit. She looks so much older in the bottom picture - the baby features are disappearing. It is going too quickly....

For whatever reason, today this made me miss my Grandma and Grandpa. I always remember eating Mac and Cheese at their house. Sniff...

Friday, April 04, 2008

A visit from Grandma






We all loved getting 'Grandma love' while she was here! Grandma was able to come and play while Grandpa had to stay at home and work. We had fun celebrating Mirielle's birthday and had lots of laughs and crazy moments. Of course the best part was being able to sneak away without the kids and having coffee with mom - just the two of us.