Abby is SEVEN!

Abby woke up on her 7th birthday to a table full of gifts. BUT ... since it was a school day, she only had time to open one. The rest got packed up for our afternoon trip to Orlando. I went to Roberts to pick Abby up after lunchtime, so I got to pass out her birthday cupcakes ... ... and even more importantly, be there at her "official birthday time" - 12:42 p.m. I can't believe it has been SEVEN YEARS! We had big plans for the weekend in Orlando, and Grammy had planned a yummy birthday dinner. While we waited for everyone to arrive (Grandan and Uncle Aaron weren't there yet ... and Cathy Burns joined us too), the kids did a little reading poolside! Yum ... Mississippi Mud Cake! It was Abby's birthday request, and boy was it yummy!Maybe she can bake the next batch of birthday treats, with all of the cupcake decorating goods she received from Grandma and Grandpa!I know how Abby feels about little brothers receiving gifts on big sister's birthdays, so we got Tyler a Zhu Zhu Pet too ... Speaking of Uncle A-Tay ... here he is with Little A-Tay and the T-man!

Happy Birthday Abby ... we love you!

She's all blinged out!

As a special treat for making her first communion, Abby got to have her ears pierced. This was not really MY idea, but rather the result of a LOT of pestering on the part of her Grammy and Auntie Jenn. Of course, Abby was so excited about the prospect of having her ears pierced ... especially since several of her friends had done it recently. And she was SO brave!The tears only came when we told her it was done!What a happy girl. Now to choose some new earrings to wear in a couple months...Abby travels with an entourage!

Mom's Day & More ...

Abby's first communion day just happened to fall on Mother's Day, which was fun because it was one big party at the Little Yellow House (although Abby was a bit "pictured out" by the time we wanted her to take some Mother's Day pictures on the golf course ... can you tell!?!). The poor boys - they are the only ones who did NOT get gifts that day. Abby was celebrating her first communion, of course. Nanny, Mom, Jenn and I got things for Mother's Day. And, Jenn's birthday was that week, so she got birthday gifts too! Abby was just a TAD excited when she learned she would be getting her ears pierced the next day ... in honor of making her first communion, but just in time for her 7th birthday.She got some adorable earrings from Grammy and Grandan ... turtles, to represent Turtle Creek! And Nanny and Mom just LOVED their gift certificates for Mother's Day massages and facials.

It goes without saying that we all enjoyed Abby's first communion (Cake Shop) cupcakes. You would think poor Tyler was the forgotten boy that day, but he has fun wherever he goes!

Abby's 1st Communion

Seems like just yesterday that she was baptised right in that same church! Abby had such a cute little first-grade class (including one of her favorite friends, Kyndall Macey, pictured with her below) and they were SO excited about taking communion "officially" together for the first time. Many of you have heard the story of Abby's "preview" back in March, when she was singing with the choir. A few other choristers took communion up at the altar, and Abby followed suit. We watched her as she did and saw the look on her face. Later she said to us, "I thought my first communion was supposed to be in May!" OOPS!

We took lots of pictures afterwards. Of course, Auntie Jenn (Abby's Godmother), wouldn't have missed this event for the world. Grammy and Grandan, and Nanny were there, along with us to help Abby celebrate her big day, which just happened to fall on Mother's Day.

Tyler's Spring Performance

This morning, I was showing Tyler some of the recent things I had posted to this blog, and I felt SO bad! Poor little Ty isn't on here at all in 2010! Yes, we still have two children. I just happened to have done a lot with Abby last week. So, this is a bit out of order (I have more to post from mid-late May) but I thought I'd put a few pictures of Tyler on here for you all. He has, afterall, completed his THIRD year of preschool. Not a graduate yet ... we still have one more year. But, he is out of school now and ready for a fun summer. These pictures were taken at the Advent Parish Day School Spring Dance and Movement program. I'll seriously never tire of seeing the pride and excitement on the kids' faces as they made their way into the Parish Hall. Dennis was standing over the side ... and you can see the smirk on Tyler's face as he spotted his daddy!The program also features the childrens' best artwork from the year. Tyler loved showing it off to us ... and Abby, who was there to cheer Tyler on. We're so proud of all that Tyler learned this year. Tami and Lisa were incredible teachers ... and Tyler made some fabulous friends too. Here he is with three of the little boys in his class (there are only six of them total ... the girls had them outnumbered this year!): Michael, Brewer and Shane.And, of course, I was chomping at the bit to receive my annual custom-designed plate. Abby started at Advent in 2005, so I now have a six-piece "collection" with the kids' combined masterpieces. After Tyler "graduates" next year (which I'm trying hard not to think about!) I'll have seven plates. Plan a meal at the Schnittkers and I'll roll out the best china in the house for you!

Avery and Ty

Aren't they adorable together? Avery and Tyler are best buds. They've been in Ms. Tami's class all year together, and they refer to each other as "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" ... but their dates are quite different than most! The mommies buy the lunch, and usually it's at someplace really swanky, like McDonalds or Chick-fil-A (we've even done Waffle House)! And, if Tyler really wants to treat Avery ... I spring for $1 prizes at Dollar Tree. But she doesn't seem to mind ... she reserves a spot for him on the tire spot every day at playground time! I'll keep you updated on the romance, because word on the street is that they might be in separate classes (!) next year. We'll see...

April at Epcot

We used the second day of our "Play 4 Days" Disney passes at Epcot, where the annual Flower and Garden Festival was in the works. Mom loves all of the topiaries and such, so how fitting that we went on her birthday (April 24th). We had a great time riding all of the coasters and just hanging out with the family. Little Tyler was just a tad too small for the big rides, even though we tried to pad his shoes with MANY napkins in an effort to get him on Test Track. Unfortunately, it didn't work! But why are we trying to make up grow up so quickly?

Who knows what Grandan and Aaron were talking about? Chances are it had to do with someone of the female persuasion!

The flowers were gorgeous, and the kids LOVED the little creatures they found in Tinkerbell's garden... Late in the afternoon, we began our tour around "the world" (showcase, that is) and made a stop in Germany for dinner at the Biergarten Restaurant. Look who we met out in the garden...

The kids loved Snow White, but the parents were more excited about the beverages in the biergarten. And we ALL loved the band and the great music they played during dinner.

See how Abby and Aaron are doing the "Chicken dance?" Well, I got caught up in the music and "teaching" Tyler what to do on the dance floor. Turns out, halfway through, I realized I was doing the "Hand Jive!" Oops ... that's what a liter of beer will do to 'ya!

Dennis is not big into dancing, so he hung with the birthday girl (and my dad, whose birthday is just a week before Mom's ... we celebrated both that night) while Aaron and I, and Abby and Tyler rolled out some moves on the dance floor.

Eins - Zwei - Drei! Cheers to Grammy and Grandan ...

We had fun with our server, Jana (pronounced Yawn-a) ... so the guys insisted on taking a picture with her.