the Schnoor family as elves.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

the co-dependency with the "blinky" is over!

Out of nowhere, Keagan handed me his binky during bedtime and said "done!". He then set the binky next to his milk, on the windowsill, and went to bed without it. He slept through the night without the need for one bink in the mouth and one in each hand. Behavior repeated at nap time the next day and it has now been four days with zero requests .

In an effort to support his desire to quit the bink, the binky disappeared and hasn't come back since.

Success. No need to deal with the binky any longer or attempt to torture him when we feel it is time for it to go away -- phew!

keagan is seriously cautious when it comes to the man in the big red suit.

another perk of our neighborhood -- the oak hills holiday party.

can't you picture them hitting the slopes?

how keagan really feels about the cold and snow.

kynton & keagan frolicking in the snow.

The first snow of the season was absolutely stunning. But cold! Our high for the entire week won't be more than 30 degrees, lows in the teens. Kynton was an old pro at frolicking in the snow; this was Keagan's very first experience. For both, it was love at first sight.

What a schamozzle.

Tonight was Kendel's company holiday party and for the first time ever, my parents were unable to watch the boys because they also had Saturday night plans. Since they were unavailable, this meant we needed a babysitter. Yes, a babysitter. A first for both Kynton and Keagan.

Thankfully, Ashley, the daughter of a co-worker was available and the boys were so excited. Kynton began asking on Friday when she would be coming over. It felt like he continued to ask every ten minutes on Saturday when she would arrive. The time finally arrives, she arrives and the boys have a complete melt down. Not screaming and crying, but an insane amount of showing off. Kynton doing tumbling and talking back, Keagan trying to wrestle her and jumping on the furniture -- who are these kids?

I feel like it is safe to leave and we depart, but I remind Ashley once last time to call me if anything goes awry.

We're at the party for no less than 2 minutes and the phone rings. I can hear Keagan practically hyperventilating in the background. Kynton isn't helping the situation either as he too is saying "I miss my mommy!". The two are egging eachother on. And poor, poor Ashley. She is extremely apologetic she even called.

Since we're in Portland, Oma comes to the rescue. Sneaking out of her gig, she rushes home, calms Kynton and brings Keagan back to the party. As soon as Keagan sees Opa, he cuddles with him and stays in his lap, thankful to be in his presence, and sits through the rest of their evening activities. And Kynton, well, he was just fine.

The crazy thing is that when my parents return home with Keagan, both boys flock to Ashley. Showing her their things, playing around her, never leaving her side. Why couldn't they have been that way from 6:00 - 8:30 pm?

Keagan is a natural dancer and has been since he could coordinate his little body. He's a closet dancer and it is difficult to capture his moves on tape. On one long car ride I found a way to trick him and caught him in action!

Keagan and his peeps.

Keagan was lucky enough to attend the gDiapers holiday Mummy & Me tea. Even luckier for him was the fact that his two "girlfriends" Addison and Sage were able to come, too.

Kynton helping daddy hang up Christmas lights.

Proudly clinging to their prized possession, the candy cane.

Keagan wants absolutely nothing to do with Santa.

The only reason why Keagan would sit on Santa's lap was for the promised candy cane he immediately opened once the torture session was over.

Kynton grabbed Keagan's hand and told him he'd be "with him and Santa".

Big and Little brother waiting patiently for their turn with Santa.

Wow, it's hard to believe this is almost his fourth visit to sit on Santa's lap.

first visit from the tooth fairy to the Schnoor home.

What a horrible night Tuesday was. Kynton lost his first tooth and it was no where to be found. We searched the car high and low and it wasn't until after bedtime, in the pitch dark and cold, that I found it in a crevice under the driver's seat. I had never cried so hard over an item and didn't realize until the search began how much his first tooth physically meant to me. Since we didn't have the tooth when Kynton went to bed, it was determined, we'd wait to put it under his pillow until the following night.

That night, Kynton couldn't wait to get to bed and actually went to sleep almost an hour earlier than Keagan. Kendel took care of all the details and then it was time for all of us to head to bed.

The next morning, I awake to the pitter patter of Kynton's feet and him saying, "Oma, look at what the tooth fairy left me!" He then heads into our room and instantly looks for Keagan in our bed. Upon finding him, without any hesitation, he says, "brother, look what the tooth fairy brought: one for me and one for you." And with that, he hands his little brother one of the two gold coins the tooth fairy left for him.

What a fabulous way to start the day. Filled with warmth and joy. Grateful to have such a thoughtful, loving boy to call "son".

boys will be boys.

This week was an interesting week for the Schnoor family. Timeline goes something like this:

Almost a week ago from today, we awake to find Keagan's face and part of his neck covered in purple spots. Being the neurotic mama that I am, I immediately jump out of bed, get dressed and start making calls. Of course, I immediately jump to the conclusion that it must be meningococcal (or some other deadly disease!), but am relieved to find out the poor guy had polka dots due to coughing so hard through the night that he busted capillaries in his face. Poor guy! However, we were strongly cautioned that the minute the spots became worse, spread below his nipples or he came down with a fever we were to go straight to the ER. The cough continues through the weekend and we all religiously check the little guy's belly to ensure the spots weren't spreading. And the never did.

Monday comes and I have the opportunity to work late, so I take it. Five o'clock rolls around and a call from Kendel comes urging me to come home because Keagan isn't doing well. I rush home only to find an extremely sick baby -- high fever (104 degrees based on my nursing skills), screaming, dry heaving and just all around not himself. We rush to Urgent Care first, hoping we can offset some medical costs, only to be turned away. The nurse called to the front desk calmly alerts me that they are not able to see a young child as sick as he his. I'm instantly mortified when she takes one look at him and asks, "how long has he looked like this?" What can such a question possibly mean? We rush to the ER and quickly have a room due to his age. Six and a 1/2 hours later after a single dose of Motrim, a chest x-ray ruling out pneumonia, some blood work ruling out pertussis, a popsicle and stuffed cat from the dollar store turn Keagan around. By midnight, he's laughing and the doctor's are amazed it is the same kid based on how sick he was when we first came in. Truly a miracle, but talk about frustrating! Luckily Kendel had Monday Night Football to help; all I had was an extremely outdated issue of Portland Monthly.

At least Keagan shared half of his red popsicle with me.

While dealing with Keagan's four-week long coughing fit, another Schnoor medical emergency occurs -- this time it is Kynton's turn.

Sunday evening both boys are playing chase, tag and hide-and-seek through the house. I'm exhausted and can recall telling them oh, close to fifteen times to stop running through the house and get ready for bed. I turn off all the lights at the far end of the house hoping to urge them to stay in their room and head off to our room to finish putting away the weekly laundry. A few minutes pass and I hear Kynton scream and then he comes running to our room in tears. My first thought is Keagan must have taken a pass at him, but then he tells me he ran into the counter. Ouch! The kitchen was pitch black, the new island is in place, and our counter tops are black. He didn't have a chance.

Sadly, I chalk up his tears to exhaustion and not to pain and urge him to go to bed. The crying continues, his gums above his two front teeth turn blacker and blacker. And I'm on the internet trying to find some answers. We give him a dose of children's tylenol (Keagan too because he claims his "teet" hurt) and off to sleep they both go. Monday morning comes and he is still complaining of pain, so I make a call to Gentle Dental as we don't have a dentist we can call our own and the appointment is made for later that morning.

Kynton was such a trooper! He sat through the exam without any whining, wiggling or complaining. They cleaned his teeth, flossed, took x-rays and analyzed the still beautiful white tooth sitting in a gum that was obviously extremely bruised and irate. The end conclusion once the exam was done was gloomy: two cavities, one chipped tooth and the hurt tooth must be extracted. News of the cavitities really aggravated me. Especially since I'm so careful about what the boys eat and make sure they brush their teeth. But I'm not a fan of flossing, so that's one strike against me. Second strike, bad genes. Kendel has horrible teeth and a ton of fillings, so there isn't much I can do to combat that.

Since Kynton is starving and doesn't want to miss any time at Hillside, we decide the tooth will be pulled first thing the next morning. Tuesday arrives and Kynton is ushered back into the dentist chair without me (they recommend I don't tag along). A little over an hour goes by and he comes out, tokens in hand and a big wad of gauze stuck where his little white tooth used to be. He's beaming, the dentist is amazed at what an "excellent patient" he is and we then discuss what went down behind closed doors. Unfortunately, Kynton's mouth experienced more trauma then originally determined and a visit to an oral surgeon is recommended. The reason is because not all of the tooth could be removed, even after two different dentists have tried. This needs to be looked at because as I understand, it can cause further issues to the adult tooth if it doesn't naturally reabsorb into his mouth. More on that to follow after his appointment on Thursday with the oral surgeon.

Wednesday is the day he'll receive three fillings and potentially a pulp procedure, similar to a root canal, if the chipped tooth needs more protection. Fingers crossed he is as good of a patient on this third trip as he was the two times before!

I absolutely dread the dentist. Which is exactly why Kynton's first trip was only due to an oral injury. Now I feel bad about this as he has cavities and a chipped tooth I never ever would have noticed. I guess the positive element to the story is the cavities were found, Kynton had a good time and he ended up with a visit from the tooth fairy!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Keagan's milestones...thus far.

Our baby won't be a baby for much longer! I never cease to be amazed by the milestones he is reaching on a daily basis. Even being born premature and having hearing loss doesn't seem to phase our little adventurer.

Here are some of Keagan's developments:

- First true word: mama. Second true word: Look. Third true word: Duck (btw, everything is a duck if it is walking on the ground). Other words: dah (dog), ma (more), vrrrr (car/bus), and da (dad), ball (ball & balloon).
- Runs almost everywhere he goes.
- Loves to climb. Has ZERO fear.
- Thinks he is old enough to ride a bike. He loves to sit on Kynton's hand me down and can even reach the pedals!
- Loves, loves, loves Addison and Sage. He greets Addie every morning with a big hug, a pat and sometimes even a kiss.
- Goes to the refrigerator and brings us milk and a cup when he is thirsty :)
- Antagonizes Kynton frequently with wrestling.
- Has really begun to throw temper tantrums and even hits when he is angry.
- Loves to play with his brother, go for walks, play in the sprinklers.
- Really enjoys water. I can't wait until his tubes are removed and he can start going swimming.

Massive update: Kynton, first.

Kynton has reached massive milestones in the past year, here are the ones I can remember now. Fingers crossed I can recall them all; if not now, at some point.

- Started his first year of preschool at Hillside. Grew amazing amounts both emotionally and on an educational basis. His growth was noted by his teacher, Mrs. Birch and her assistant, Mr. Cortez. He loved his friends and was a great friend in return.
- Can almost count to 100. Naturally, a few numbers are in the wrong order, but for the most part, he is surprisingly accurate.
- The first child in his class to be able to spell his name without any dashed lines to offer assistance. Amazing!
- Can head a soccer ball and score a goal against a grown man.
- Throws and catches a football like a real pro.
- Begins gymnastics and earns his first real trophy. (picture and video to follow)
- Learns empathy and shows it daily with his little brother, Keagan.
- Is introduced to Noggin and quickly becomes absolutely addicted to Max & Ruby. (Sing it with me: Max & Ruby, Ruby and Max!)
- Says goodbye to his two teachers at the Village: Kristen and Autumn. Learns to say hello to new faces.
- Begins to understand death, heaven and God.
- Consistently asks questions. He's curious about everything and wants to know how everything works.
- Gives up naps!
- Loves, loves, loves to read. Enjoys his time at the library and participating in story time.
- Begins to dress himself, bathe himself and brush his teeth. He's really growing up!
- Language is really improving. He has corrected himself from saying "I can't know" and now says "I don't know" :)
- Overall verbal skills are improving, especially his annunciation and diction.

Pictures and videos of some of these milestones to follow. Wow, I sure do love that boy! Although his massive amounts of energy can often times prove to by trying for this tired mama....

Apologies from a mom to a little boy.

Kynton has become a beautiful little boy. I actually crafted this email to him while on a flight from Portland to Chicago at 6 am this morning. I wanted to capture for him how much he means to me and I feel like this does not give my feelings true justice. But, I needed to say sorry to him. Sorry for losing control. Sorry for not acting as the adult and losing my cool. And all over a clogged toilet. Geez, he's four years old. Of course he's going to see how many Kandoo flushable wipes fit into the toilet bowl. Who wouldn't?!? But unfortunately, Kendel and I couldn't see it through his eyes. We couldn't place ourselves in a four-year-old's shoes -- and we lost it. So, rather than saying a happy goodbye, we said a tearful one.

I honestly hope he forgets this episode and it isn't a memory he'll draw upon at a later date.

Here's my attempt at making peace via an email sent to my mom to share with him:
K.Y.N.T.O.N.

K is for Kynton: Kute, Krazy, Komical, Klever and Karing. Silly mommy all those words start with C, not K! :) K is for my little knight in shining armor.

Y is for Yellow. Your personality is like a shining, yellow ball of fire -- like the sun. Everything you do fills me with bright, yellow, happiness -- just like the sun does for the flowers. You are the light of my life shining a bright, yellow, happy light all the time.

N is for Never. You are amazing and your excitement for life is breathtaking. You go, go, go, never needing a moment's rest. I never cease to be amazed by your energy and strength and all the amazing things you can accomplish with your little body. You never doubt your ability to do something and I'm constantly impressed by your willingness to tackle life with a smile on your face.

T is for Terrific. You live life to the fullest, always. You make every day interesting, fun and terrific. You're a terrific son, brother, friend and person!

O is for Outgoing. I've never met a little boy with a more outgoing and fun personality. Everyone wants to be your friend because you are so much fun to be around. Thank you for being my best friend!

N is for Nice. You are such a nice, loving, caring boy. You are nice to everyone you meet. I love how you treat everyone like they are your friend, especially your little brother. You are the nicest boy I have ever met!

Kynton, please know how much I love you. I'm sorry we went our separate ways last night with such sadness and anger. I was very frustrated with the way the day went, but please don't ever question how much I love and care for you. I can't imagine what my life would be without you and I thank God every day for bringing you into the world and placing you in my arms.

I hope you enjoy your special time with Daddy, Keagan and Oma and Opa while I'm gone. I'll miss you a lot, but I know you'll have a wonderful time.

I love you, Kynton. I hope you have a wonderful day and it won't be long before I'm home with you again.

XOXOXOXOXOXO
Mommy

I'm going to get serious about this.

My intentions over a year ago were good. But why was I unable to blog for over 17 months? Missing massive milestones in both Kynton and Keagan's lives? It requires a great deal of self reflection to understand why I have time for the much more irrelevant things, but not time to offer insight into my little boys lives.

Regardless of the reason, I've approached my mid-year resolution - to blog more about the Schnoor boys! I must do it. Or I will regret it greatly. I will long for these little tidbits of life that will go forgotten if not recorded.

I must try again. Not to give up because I failed the first time. And I vow not to fail again. The story of the Schnoor boys must be told; and who better to do it than me?

I'm drowning in stuff. Mostly boy stuff.

Seriously. We have stuff everywhere. On the counters, on the floor, in every room closet....everywhere I look. Everywhere I walk. All I see is stuff. Where did it all come from? And why do we have it? I am struggling to answer this question. Especially after watching this video:

http://www.storyofstuff.com

I feel guilty about the lessons of consumerism I am teaching Kynton and Keagan both. I've heard that the most important time frame to teach them about objects, over consumption, waste and so forth is from birth to seven years old. Phew. That means I still have some time.

I try to eliminate the stuff we don't need, but it seems to keep slipping in through the cracks. And it certainly didn't help having the holidays and both boys' birthdays all jammed into one week.

As I pick up all the stuff cluttered around me, I feel like I'm shoveling snow in the midst of a torrential snowstorm.

Ironically, all the clutter doesn't even seem to phase Kendel, Kynton nor Keagan. Interesting.

Are the holidays over yet?

Oh my gosh, talk about the most exhausting holiday season EVER. Why did we ever think it was manageable to have two children the week between Christmas and New Years Eve? And will it ever get easier? I can only hope both boys decide its a good idea to celebrate their actual birthday with family and execute a bash with friends on their "un-birthday" some day in the summer...one in June, maybe one in July? Anything but one on the 28th and one on the 30th of December. I honestly don't think I can do it again.

Kynton is now four years old. I can hardly believe it. Today, we went to IKEA and for the first time, we wrote "4" for his age on the application to go into the children's play area. Four years old. Wow. I know it isn't a milestone age or anything remarkable, but for me, it is just so hard to fathom that my little boy is only one year away from Kindergarten. Six years from being a double digit age. Twelve years from a drivers license. Everyone told me to enjoy these years while they are here as they go by so fast. I'm finally beginning to realize this is the truth. The last four years have gone by so fast and one of my new year's resolutions is to take more time to slow down, breathe and enjoy the moment. I have to start taking better notes of the funny, smart and even sarcastic things Kynton says. Capture better documentation of the memorable moments, the amazing tricks, the sweet times between two brothers. I promise to do this. Not only for myself, but also for my little boys who are growing up so fast.

And since Kynton is four, that means our baby is now one. His first year was a whirlwind and we were reminded today that at this time last year we weren't sure what his future would hold. As we packed up to leave the hospital, thankful our little boy had finally arrived, we were surprised to learn Keagan would not be coming home with us. Instead, he spent the next couple of days in the NICU. Surrounded by glass, wires attached to every part of his body, on display for everyone to see. I could only hold him for a few minutes and attempted to bond with him through my tears and all the medical barriers. I can't believe those moments of stress and fatigue were a year ago - it seems like only yesterday. Now he is a toddler. Walking for almost two months, trying to eat with a fork, wrestling already with his older brother. If only he could sleep through the night! One can hardly call Keagan a baby. So sad. But at the same time, so much fun. Every day that passes reminds me more and more of how I love this age of constant change, growth and learning.

I love these boys. I love my husband. And as we enter into another year, although I'm thankful this crazy, chaotic season is over, I'm also reminded how blessed we are. I have two beautiful children who are for the most part perfect in my eyes. I have a great husband who is striving daily to be a better person, husband and father. I have two wonderful parents who are always there for me - regardless of the request. A brother who I am hoping to grow closer to this year. And on top of all this, I have amazing friends, a rockin' job and everything I need to take care of my family.

True, 2007 wasn't the easiest year, but it was an important year. Many lessons were learned and the same mistakes, grieving and life issues will hopefully not be experienced again. I look forward to 2008 and know it will be a memorable year for our boys..and for me.

Here's to 2008 - cheers!