Last week on the Bachelor...

"In the most dramatic rose ceremony ever", Ken gave a rose to Barbie the Veterinarian, Barbie the Scientist, Barbie the Doctor, Barbie the Pharmaceutical Sales Rep, Barbie the Astronaut and Barbie the Fitness Instructor; he then said a tearful goodbye to Barbie the Single Mommy and Barbie the Diva.

Afterwards, Ken who was still visibly shaken from making the "hardest decision he's ever had to make" toasted his 6 bachelorettes and thanked for joining him on his "amazing journey to find true love"!

Join us next week, when Barbie the Doctor tells Ken, that Barbie the Fitness Instructor is here for "all the wrong reasons"!

He did it!

Merek has successfully spent the last 3 nights sleeping in his big boy bed! Yipee! He has also napped in there as well. Here he is snoozing this afternoon. He fell asleep "reading" his favorite Dora book... I think he has a crush on her!

Kylyn's First Choir Concert

Kylyn sang her little heart out on the stage last night at her first school choir concert! She looked and sounded beautiful! It's fun to see kids at her age who really get into singing instead of being embarrassed in front of their friends and mouthing the words.

The concert itself was a classic event... students, teachers, and families all stuffed into the school gymnasium, the kids stacked up on risers and the all parent's holding digital cameras and camcorders up in the air like lighters at an 80's rock concert! All the parents except for us that is... we forgot our cameras hanging on the doorknob ("where we wouldn't forget them") in our rush out the door. It's a small miracle when we get all three kids in the car, dressed, with their hair combed. It would be pushing it to actually think that we would remember something as obscure as the camera. Oh well, our cell phones did the trick. We were able to catch a grainy picture from what looks like a million miles away -then a nice picture at home by the Christmas tree.

Mom the Slacker!

I've been slacking lately on my blog! I've got a list of excuses a mile long, but I'm not sure which one to choose as my main deterrent...

Was it the 5 cases of H1N1, 2 sinus infections, 5 common colds, and 3 cases of the stomach flu that went through the house since the second week of October? (I'm not exaggerating... there has been someone sick in this house for the last 8 weeks!) They are sick, but still smiling!




Or was is the never ending painting project I started in my bedroom. It started out a "Creamy White" - then I painted it a disappointing "Moody Blue" - then back to a "Tony Taupe"/"VanDyke Brown" combo. It would be nice if I figured out what I disliked/liked before I painted and trimmed all four walls. At least I had a few "helpers" along the way.



Or was it the second redecorating project I started at Bob's office? Why did I attempt to do two projects at once? I still haven't figured that out! At least Merek knew what he was doing. He helped Mommy put together the new IKEA office furniture and coat rack.



Or was it that we hosted Thanksgiving at our house? We had a lot of fun celebrating with the Olson side of the family! We ate of ton of turkey and cooked up 10 lbs of potatoes at Dad's request. We played Guitar Hero afterwards to try and work off the calories. Merek is getting pretty good!

Or was it that we started the overwhelming task of decorating for Christmas?

Whatever the excuse, this is the time of year we remember how incredibly lucky we are for all the blessings in our lives!

Sorry for the delay, but this is what the Schwartz Circus has been up to.

Goodbye Cribby!

Merek said "Bya-bya-bye!" to his crib this past weekend! After Bob caught him climbing IN and OUT of it on his own, we decided it was time to move him into a "Big Boy Bed". As you can see he is very excited to be upgrading to a roomier, more cushy model. He has yet to make it on his own the whole night, but we are working on it... last night he made it until 4 am, at which time I found him dangling off the end of the bed.

Halloween 2009 Costumes Revealed

The Schwartz kids once again topped Cottage Grove's Halloween Best Dressed List! All three costumes were originals by premier Halloween designer and seamstress, Anita Olson. The couture frocks were a "must-have" for these fashion forward trick-or-treaters!

Kylyn and Brielle were photographed off the red carpet, striking a pose in their mermaid inspired sea princess gowns. These gorgeous dresses are each complemented with a reverse bejeweled shrug and a coordinating tiara. Kylyn and Brielle chose the colors of their own garments - Kylyn chose an aqua and char muse color scheme, while Brielle opted for a bright fuchsia and teal combo. Each looked stunning while strutting from house to house, filling their seashell handbags with loads of sweet treats!

Merek is pictured in his prehistoric dinosaur microfiber jumpsuit. This one-of-a-kind costume is adorned with shiny faux lizard-skin spikes, tail and claws. There never was a more ferociously cute dinosaur!

Happy Halloween!

(BTW ~ My expanded fashion vocabulary was inspired by my new obsession with watching "Project Runway" - try to keep up with me Marni! :)! )

Belle the Guinea Pig

Belle is stepping out of her doggie comfort zone and has become a guinea pig! Kylyn has been having so much fun playing vet - taking Belle's temperature, giving her vaccinations, listening to her heart and wrapping up her boo-boos. Belle has been such a good dog putting up with all the poking and prodding! I'm not sure she is having as much fun as Kylyn, but she is pretending!