We're leaving tomorrow for the great Schneider adventure to Florida where we will join the Austins, my parents, my Dad's sister and my Mom's brother and family (all the way from England). It promises to generate lots of blog-worthy pictures, videos and stories. So, keep your eye out in the coming weeks for that. In the meantime, here are a couple videos from this week to hold you over. Hugs!
Here is Josie saying her "long name"...
And here is some general silliness of Josie singing, dancing, and clowning around. Enjoy!
(I should mention, the song "Wagon Wheel" that she wants to hear is the Old Crowe Medicine Show song that she's been dancing to with her daddy since birth. This video started with her own version of the song, as the real one does not actually go "Wagon Wheel, Wagon Wheel..." Told you she got the song improv gene! )
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Our new favorite place
We love the Mt. Adams Pool!! So much in fact that we just decided to have Josie's birthday party there in a few weeks. It's great - just one foot deep on one end and three feet deep on the other. Could there be a better place for our little fishy?
There will be lots more pool pictures to come - with our big family vacation to Florida coming up in a week - and then August in Cincinnati so I thought I'd get you started with a few of Josie actually enjoying the sunglasses more than the water.
She has some really cute purple shades, but it didn't take long for her to trade them for Louie's sunglasses and make him defenseless against the glare - give his sunglasses to me, then take my sunglasses and put them on - even upside down. Good times.
Josie's always a hit at the pool, earning cheers from the crowd like "Yea Girl, Sing it" when she bursts into "I Found A Little Baby Bumble-Bee" poolside or makes up her own songs while splashing around in the shallow end. Our personal favorite so far went something like "Splashy, Splashy, Splash, Splash...Swimmy, Swimmy, Swim, Swim...Fishy, Fishy, Fish, Fish." She definitely got her Granddaddy's song-improv gene. And with the extra encouragement from Lou who is sort of an expert at "Adam Sandler-esque" song creations just for Josie, there's a good chance Josie will continue to turn out the hits!
There will be lots more pool pictures to come - with our big family vacation to Florida coming up in a week - and then August in Cincinnati so I thought I'd get you started with a few of Josie actually enjoying the sunglasses more than the water.
She has some really cute purple shades, but it didn't take long for her to trade them for Louie's sunglasses and make him defenseless against the glare - give his sunglasses to me, then take my sunglasses and put them on - even upside down. Good times.
Josie's always a hit at the pool, earning cheers from the crowd like "Yea Girl, Sing it" when she bursts into "I Found A Little Baby Bumble-Bee" poolside or makes up her own songs while splashing around in the shallow end. Our personal favorite so far went something like "Splashy, Splashy, Splash, Splash...Swimmy, Swimmy, Swim, Swim...Fishy, Fishy, Fish, Fish." She definitely got her Granddaddy's song-improv gene. And with the extra encouragement from Lou who is sort of an expert at "Adam Sandler-esque" song creations just for Josie, there's a good chance Josie will continue to turn out the hits!
Wedding Weekend
On Saturday, we went to the wedding of our good friend Kelly to our soon-to-be good friend Nick. I think Josie got swept up in all the excitement of seeing us dressed up, because she decided to play a little dress-up herself. Grandma & Granddaddy arrived to find Josie clicking around the house in my heels.
And I'm really hoping this photo captures how hilarious this moment actually was. Carissa (who was there to watch Josie while the rest of us went to the wedding) was sitting on the couch to Josie's right and I was on the chair to Josie's left. Grandma & DD were standing up. We were all just standing there talking and then Carissa pointed to Josie who had silently put herself up on the couch, covered herself in a blanket, grabbed a bear, and put on a hair bonnet from her doll clothes collection -- all while wearing Grandma's heels. She was just sitting there silently kind of nodding along like she was involved in the grown-up conversation. Luckily my camera was sitting right next to me, so I was able to snap this little gem.
Kelly & Nick's wedding was a blast! Aside from "Tia and Tio," I've honestly never seen two people more happy at their wedding. I have no doubt whatsoever that Kelly and Nick have many, many, many years of happiness ahead of them.
And I'm really hoping this photo captures how hilarious this moment actually was. Carissa (who was there to watch Josie while the rest of us went to the wedding) was sitting on the couch to Josie's right and I was on the chair to Josie's left. Grandma & DD were standing up. We were all just standing there talking and then Carissa pointed to Josie who had silently put herself up on the couch, covered herself in a blanket, grabbed a bear, and put on a hair bonnet from her doll clothes collection -- all while wearing Grandma's heels. She was just sitting there silently kind of nodding along like she was involved in the grown-up conversation. Luckily my camera was sitting right next to me, so I was able to snap this little gem.
Kelly & Nick's wedding was a blast! Aside from "Tia and Tio," I've honestly never seen two people more happy at their wedding. I have no doubt whatsoever that Kelly and Nick have many, many, many years of happiness ahead of them.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
One more thing about the 4th
I'll post some more recent photos soon (both of my cameras are back in action) but I had to just share one quick detail from our big Fourth of July weekend...
Josie HATED the fireworks. They scared the heck out of her. We went to our friends' house for the Madeira parade & fireworks on Thursday. When the fireworks started, she buried her head in my chest and kept pointing back to the house and our car repeating "Over there Mommy, Over there Mommy". To this day, if you say the word "Fireworks" to her she says "Fireworks be LOUD...Very scary scary." And, she has woken up on more than one occasion and repeated the same phrase. Poor little thing. I think she's honestly having nightmares about them.
Josie was also scared to death of the Shriner cars. Almost two weeks later, she still says "Orange and Red...Mans go fast...Mans be loud."
Needless to say, she was a little traumatized, but as you have seen in the posts below about the remainder of our holiday weekend, everything turned out just fine!
Josie HATED the fireworks. They scared the heck out of her. We went to our friends' house for the Madeira parade & fireworks on Thursday. When the fireworks started, she buried her head in my chest and kept pointing back to the house and our car repeating "Over there Mommy, Over there Mommy". To this day, if you say the word "Fireworks" to her she says "Fireworks be LOUD...Very scary scary." And, she has woken up on more than one occasion and repeated the same phrase. Poor little thing. I think she's honestly having nightmares about them.
Josie was also scared to death of the Shriner cars. Almost two weeks later, she still says "Orange and Red...Mans go fast...Mans be loud."
Needless to say, she was a little traumatized, but as you have seen in the posts below about the remainder of our holiday weekend, everything turned out just fine!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
You can't rain on our parade
As you know, Josie loves watching parades and as it turns out, it's even more fun to be IN the parade. We joined our friends at the CFEC (where J takes her classes) to march in the Northside 4th of July parade. It was a blast. The theme of the parade was "Go Green" so we dressed up all our little ones as bugs in "garden" strollers/wagons/etc. Lou got some beautiful fresh wildflowers from Findlay Market that morning, we dressed Josie as a little ladybug, and we were all set.
Here's our little bug posing in her costume and in front of her garden wagon:
This weekend will also go down in history as the time when Josie discovered candy. Well, we made it to almost 2 without the sweet stuff, but all the candy at the parade created quite a monster. Here she is trying to convince Louie that she should have another lollipop.
And then we were off. And then it started raining. It was a constant light drizzle, so certainly not enough to stop the parade, but enough to necessitate Grandma holding an umbrella to protect our little bug. (Thanks Grandma. You're the best!)
In case you didn't notice it in the last picture, Josie was totally passed out within 5 minutes of the parade's start. Something about the steady hum of the wagon down Hamilton Ave and the constant roar of the parade totally lulled her to sleep. It was hilarious! And adorable!
Here is Granddaddy leading our crew on his unicycle that he got out of retirement for this big event. (Grandma and DD were so sweet to join us in the parade. What better way to advertise a "Family Center" than with the whole family?)
And to fit the theme, DD even sported this great flower headband and Grandma wore a rainbow "fairy ring". DD got lots of cheers, high-fives, and fist-bumps from the crowd in addition to more than one "look at that old man on the unicycle". How cool is Granddaddy?
DD pedaled, Grandma held the umbrella, Mama pulled the wagon, Daddy took the photos and passed out candy and fliers, and Josie slipped into a coma.
Then Nelly did the same:
Then we lost little Ellie:
But Andrew just kept clapping away:
Then Josie woke up, just near the end of the parade and at the most busy intersection. Needless to say, our little ladybug was really confused!
The parade ended and the rain really stared coming down. We managed to get in one family photo before ending our big day.
Even after almost an hour nap, Josie was still pretty worn out. After all, looking adorable, getting your picture taken, eating candy, and waving to your "fans" is pretty exhausting.
Really, I can't tell you how much fun this day was. It will certainly stand out as a very special memory for all of us.
Here's our little bug posing in her costume and in front of her garden wagon:
This weekend will also go down in history as the time when Josie discovered candy. Well, we made it to almost 2 without the sweet stuff, but all the candy at the parade created quite a monster. Here she is trying to convince Louie that she should have another lollipop.
And then we were off. And then it started raining. It was a constant light drizzle, so certainly not enough to stop the parade, but enough to necessitate Grandma holding an umbrella to protect our little bug. (Thanks Grandma. You're the best!)
In case you didn't notice it in the last picture, Josie was totally passed out within 5 minutes of the parade's start. Something about the steady hum of the wagon down Hamilton Ave and the constant roar of the parade totally lulled her to sleep. It was hilarious! And adorable!
Here is Granddaddy leading our crew on his unicycle that he got out of retirement for this big event. (Grandma and DD were so sweet to join us in the parade. What better way to advertise a "Family Center" than with the whole family?)
And to fit the theme, DD even sported this great flower headband and Grandma wore a rainbow "fairy ring". DD got lots of cheers, high-fives, and fist-bumps from the crowd in addition to more than one "look at that old man on the unicycle". How cool is Granddaddy?
DD pedaled, Grandma held the umbrella, Mama pulled the wagon, Daddy took the photos and passed out candy and fliers, and Josie slipped into a coma.
Then Nelly did the same:
Then we lost little Ellie:
But Andrew just kept clapping away:
Then Josie woke up, just near the end of the parade and at the most busy intersection. Needless to say, our little ladybug was really confused!
The parade ended and the rain really stared coming down. We managed to get in one family photo before ending our big day. 
Even after almost an hour nap, Josie was still pretty worn out. After all, looking adorable, getting your picture taken, eating candy, and waving to your "fans" is pretty exhausting.
Really, I can't tell you how much fun this day was. It will certainly stand out as a very special memory for all of us.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Up, Up, and Away
If you leave near Cincy and haven't been to Coney Island for the 4th of July, I'd go ahead and mark your calendar for next year. In addition to the great rides (see post below) and fireworks (which we skipped since the ones we saw on Thursday in Madeira scared the pants off of Josie), they have an amazing hot air balloon launch. We were all really impressed!
If you don't believe me, here's evidence of Josie spinning around gleefully. (Check out that hair.)
Here are my two favorite people enjoying their upclose & personal view of the balloons.
And a great chance to cuddle with my girl in the grass...
And although the balloons were really cool, Josie's favorite thing was this community band. I'm pretty sure she thought they were there to perform just for her, so in turn she entertained the entire the crowd with her dancing, singing, giggling, and spinning around.
More photos to come later this week of Josie & family in the 4th of July parade. Be sure to scroll down to the photos of Josie on the rides at Coney. The blog was down for a few days (sorry). Enjoy!
If you don't believe me, here's evidence of Josie spinning around gleefully. (Check out that hair.)
Here are my two favorite people enjoying their upclose & personal view of the balloons.
And a great chance to cuddle with my girl in the grass...
And although the balloons were really cool, Josie's favorite thing was this community band. I'm pretty sure she thought they were there to perform just for her, so in turn she entertained the entire the crowd with her dancing, singing, giggling, and spinning around.
More photos to come later this week of Josie & family in the 4th of July parade. Be sure to scroll down to the photos of Josie on the rides at Coney. The blog was down for a few days (sorry). Enjoy!
Monday, July 6, 2009
8 Years!
Today is our 8th wedding anniversary! (And about 12 or so years together overall.) Where does the time go? Here's to many, many, many, many more!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Josie's First Rides
On Friday we went to the pool (Mt. Adams pool worthy of its own blog post soon) and then cleaned up and headed to Coney Island for their most busy day of the year (according to the gal who sold us some pizza). Although Louie & I were a little timid about the idea of Josie riding the rides, she was more than ready! Really, I can't tell you how 'monumental' this memory will be. It was last night at Coney Island that I fully realized that our little Josephine is not a baby anymore.
Here she is on the little turtles - where you can see she had a blast! (We were fully prepared for pulling a screaming Josie off of the ride, but she just smiled and waved.)
Doesn't she look so proud?
Next it was on to the boats and trains - where she kept herself busy by "steering" her boat around and around.
Then, after some pizza and some discussion, we decided to let Josie have her way and ride the rockets. She kept saying "Josie ride da rockets" but we were nervous because unlike the turtles and trains, these went up and down on their own. All that worrying was for nothing, she thought she was "Top Gun" for sure.
And because Louie and I were feeling a little left out, we headed over to the Carousel so that we could actually ride something too. :)
So, now I can talk about having a baby in the past tense. I loved having a baby, but it's a blast having a little girl. This weekend opened up a whole new range of possibilities for family time and we can't wait to get out there and have some more fun together!
Here she is on the little turtles - where you can see she had a blast! (We were fully prepared for pulling a screaming Josie off of the ride, but she just smiled and waved.)
Doesn't she look so proud?
Next it was on to the boats and trains - where she kept herself busy by "steering" her boat around and around.
Then, after some pizza and some discussion, we decided to let Josie have her way and ride the rockets. She kept saying "Josie ride da rockets" but we were nervous because unlike the turtles and trains, these went up and down on their own. All that worrying was for nothing, she thought she was "Top Gun" for sure.
And because Louie and I were feeling a little left out, we headed over to the Carousel so that we could actually ride something too. :)
So, now I can talk about having a baby in the past tense. I loved having a baby, but it's a blast having a little girl. This weekend opened up a whole new range of possibilities for family time and we can't wait to get out there and have some more fun together!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Fourth of July
If you're in the area and aren't busy on Saturday, catch the "Three Schneiders" at the fabulous Northside Parade starting at noon. We'll be marching with the "Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center" (where Josie takes all of her music classes). We'll be easy to spot - especially since even Grandma and Granddaddy will be joining us. (DD is even getting his unicycle out of retirement for the event.) See you there! Be sure to wave! :)
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