I guess this is a 6 month kind of thing...

Well even with the best of intentions it looks like this is just going to be a 6 month kind of thing for me. As much as I want to I just can't seem to get a post out any sooner then that??? Oh well... something is better than nothing I guess. So here it goes.

We have alot of new things going on in the Schrader household. Since my last post most of you have heard but for those of you who haven't Baby #3 is another Boy and we're just thrilled. We've decided on his name and it will be Aiden Robert. He's due August 28th but with my baby's always coming early we're expecting him more towards the middle of August but every delivery is different so you never know. The Pregnancy has been a good one thus far. The only concern we have is that I'm only 29 weeks along and the Ultrasound estimates that he's already 3 lbs. 4 oz. so it looks like I'm not going to have a small baby this time either. Ethan was a 1/2 an oz. shy of 9 lbs. and Owen was a whopping 10 1/2 lbs. so who knows what Aiden will be. I just pray that I can do it without having a c-section. I've been able to avoid that so far so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I really shouldn't be surprised that my baby's are so big because I am a Robertson girl after all and BIG seems to be the only way we know how to make them! I'm completely confident in my Dr. and he knows my history and keeps a good eye on me so I'm not worried at all. Big or small... as long as the baby is healthy I'm a happy girl.

After 5 long years and many late nights Steven has Graduated from BSU and our journey has come to an end... for now at least. Graduate school is always a possibility but for now we're happy to be taking a break. He has thankfully been offered a job with US Bank here in Boise for a management training program and will be starting in August. He's still trying to pursue something in the law enforcement field and government positions and would love to be apart of ICE or the FBI but hiring is just slow right now so we'll see what the future holds. If anyone knows anyone or hears anything along those lines keep him in your mind if you could. With the Economy the way that it is right now we feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have a job lined up.

Since we know that we're staying here in Boise we decided it was time to move on so we moved into an apartment at the end of May and it's been really nice to be on our own again. For those of you who would like my new address you can email me (seschrader@gmail.com) and I'll send it to you. We really had mixed feeling about moving because we have really enjoyed being at Grandma's house and the boys especially loved it. We were there for 16 months and could never express how grateful we are to Linda and her putting up with all of the wonderful things that come with having 2 young children (that love to scream and run a muck) in the house. It's been an adjustment for the boys not to have Grandma in the house but luckily we still live close by so it's not to bad. We have alot of young families that live around us for the first time and it's really nice to have people that you can relate to. The ward is great and we couldn't be happier. The boys just love having a playground so close by and we're anxiously awaiting for a good day to go to the pool. The weather here in Idaho is all over the place so it hasn't given us many opportunities to get over there without some type of weather mishap. There hasn't been much time anyways since I'm still surrounded by oodles of boxes. This is by far the slowest it's been for me to put together a house but it's also the first time I've had to do it with 2 little ones to take care of during the process. Being in my third trimester of pregnancy doesn't help much either... but it's starting to come together. It won't be long before our house becomes a Home! I think that the best part by far about unpacking is getting all of my little baby stuff out and ready for Aiden's arrival. You just forget how tiny they are when they come out... well not so tiny for me since my kids are closer to the size of a toddler then a newborn... but it's been fun.

I've been taking a break from my little business since we moved but I'll be getting back to work in no time. I decided that since I'm not cutting hair right now I needed something else to do (as if taking care of 2 active boys wasn't enough) so I started my own home based business last November. It all started with me wanting to make something for the boys for church and quiet time play. I saw some families with these toys that were little I Spy games and I looked for them everywhere and couldn't seem to find them so I decided to make some of my own for the boys. I was getting so many compliments that I decided I'd try to sell some and they went like crazy so that's where it all started. If you want to check out my stuff you can find it on my website www.emmiesdesigns.etsy.com It's in vacation mode right now so you can go to the items sold and see some of the products. Once I get back to work though you'll be able to see everything. I'm hoping to start up again in a week or two.

Ethan finished out his first year of preschool and is growing in leaps and bounds. I couldn't be more proud of him. He loves to learn and explore new things and it's amazing to see the little gears turning in his brain when he's learning. He's brought all of his knowledge home to Owen and he too is talking up a storm. They love to sing their ABC's and count their 123's. This age is such a fun stage and I just love to see their personalities develop. Being a Mom is great! It's the hardest yet most rewarding thing I think I will ever do. When you see your children grow into such great kids it makes you forget about all of the hard times you've had along the way. Maybe not all... but most!

Well, that's about all that's been going on with us... I'm not going to promise anything as to when I'll be posting again because I've learned my lesson... so until next time.

Love to you all...
Steven, Emmie, Ethan, Owen & soon to be Aiden