Christmas 2012

Quinn is now into his second full year of band.  He is in the percussion section (drums, bells and something else I can't remember).  He has 3 concerts under his belt now.  He is also a member of the school select band.  The hardest part about the concerts is getting good photos of him.  He's way in the back.

Grandma Jeanne made her way here by way of Amtrak last night.  She was surprised to find a present for her under the tree.  The boys already tore through their gifts.

We wish you a safe, peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Thanksgiving 2012

A very quiet day this year.  We are all grateful for it, too. 

Sent from my telephone machine

Halloween 2012

Admittedly, it's a bit spooky around here with all of the problems in our surrounding areas.  We had over 100,000 household / business power outages in our locale but once again the Schneider household and office escaped any problems.  The winds whipped for several hours and we had many 50 mph gusts but that was nothing compared to what the shore areas sustained.

The boys are out raising heck in the neighborhood.  Cindy "irished" her coffee to cope.  Check out this year's costumes.

Our newest karate student - Sandy edition

I accomplished what Cindy could not.  I was able to get Jack to stand still while wearing his new karate uniform.  Today was his third class and his enthusiasm is still sky high.  We hope it continues.

To all of our midwestern fans - no need to worry about us in the storm to come.  We changed the oil in our generator and we are ready for what is to come.  If we lose power for an extended period of time, I will have to make sure and get to Walmart and buy that shotgun to keep all of our starving and electronic gadget deprived neighbors at bay.

Jack's 6th Birthday Blowout

Don't just turn 6 ... conquer it!  Jack informed us months ago that he wanted his birthday party at The Inner Wall, a local indoor climbing center.  There is a rather well known set of cliffs (The Shawangunk Ridge) right in our New Paltz backyard.  The "stoners"(HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA - hoo boy am I funny!) hang out at The Inner Wall  to tune up and build their skills.  It functions as a birthday party bonanza as well.

Well, all of the kids were great.  Only 2 of them were downright skittish with 1 suffering a total breakdown "mid-cliff".  Yours truly served as the belay (rope bearer requiring harness and use of carabiners ) for many of the fledgling climbers and the one in crisis.   One of the Inner Wall rescue team members had to scale the "cliff"to talk him down.

Cindy whipped up 48 cupcakes for the party which was this past Saturday October 20.  For Jack's actual birthday on October 15, Cindy blasted out a bunch of home made cookies for the class.  We were told that Jack dropped an entire tray of them on the floor.

Only a few photos were taken by Cindy and the quality is so so but honestly in this day and age where every moment is chronicled, I believe we will all get by just fine.  It's not like we need some professional photographer following us around like some people we know.

Jack was happy with all of his presents and will be thanking you all for them if he has not already.

 

Maid of The Mist

 

A can't miss experience.  Worth the trip. 

Niagara Falls, Ontario 2012

Having a great time in Niagara Falls!  It will be over before we know it.

Sent from my telephone machine

Jack learns to ride his bike

The video speaks for itself.  He is 5 years, 9 months and 28 days old.

More end of school /early summer photos

The first action photo shows Jack at his school field day.  He had a great time.

The other photo shows part of the continuing bounty of our first vegetable garden.  It is a huge success and the tomatoes are on their way.

Sent from my telephone machine

Summer is here

Only 3 1/2 days of school left.  Jack finished his first t-ball season last night.   He liked it best when yours truly was there to make it more interesting for him.  This photo will be what I choose to remember from the experience.

Check out the bounty that will be the Schneider Farm Stand!  The pea pods are a success and taste great. Our lettuce, pictured in the back of the photo on the right, has been splendid.  It is the gift that keeps on giving.  It looks like our cucumbers and cherry tomatoes are well on their way, too.







 

  Finally, I've chosen to add these two photos exhibiting the boys' passion for climbing.  The bottom photo shows them about 20 feet off the ground.  No other kids, out of the many others that were present during the final t-ball extravaganza, climbed up with these two.

Bringin' Down The House

May has been the month of school performances.  Jack kicked things off as the Walrus in the kindergarten alphabet concert.  I will try to post video of his solo another time but the blog site is giving me fits at the moment.

After practicing all school year, Quinn and the entire 4th grade band debuted their talents tonight.  The joint was jammed and jumping.  Quinn is a percussion master. He plays the drum, bass drum and the bells (xylophone).  Again, the technical difficulties are preventing me from posting video now but I will try again.

The band played well, much better than Cindy and I anticipated.  It was alot of fun and Quinn was beaming at the end (he was very quiet and moody before leaving home).

Only 15 school days left this year.  The boys have excelled academically but are already counting down the days until summer vacation.

Jack is t-rrefic!

We owed it to Jack to give him a formal blog post in recognition of "Opening Day" ceremonies for his t-ball league.  Those ceremonies consist of standing around and letting all local kids get their photo taken and then lining up around the infield diamond so each child can be announced and introduced for all present.  Jack and the other kids acknowledged their introduction with a tip of the cap which was kinda cute.

Games start this week.  Jack has taken to t-ball and baseball in general much more than his big brother.

The boys continue to thrive in school, each bringing home excellent report cards all year long.  Jack asks for summer vacation every day.

Cindy got her wish and redecorated the living room this spring with my help.  New paint, curtains and some furniture go a long way.

We're trying vegetables in the garden this year.  They are off to strong starts.  Our thumbs get greener with each passing year.