Ty's First Communion

This past Saturday was a very special one for Tyler as we all got to celebrate his First Communion with him.  After preparing formally for two years, it was neat to see him take this next step in his journey.

Since we had a small group, we got assigned the very front pew which made Ty very happy.  The Mass was very nice and Fr. Tom did a wonderful job connecting with the kids and making it very special for them and their families.  

We weren't able to take pictures during the Mass itself, but did get some before and after.  For more, click on the photo above.

To celebrate his occasion, his journey so far, and the faith of the people that surround him, we made this book for him.  We really look forward to seeing where God takes him from here.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Build your own high-quality photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Happy 8th Birthday, Ty!

8???? How is this sweet little boy of ours already 8?? He's still as caring, outgoing, and funny as ever, but with more confidence and even more awareness of how people are feeling around him. He makes us laugh in one way or another each day and we are so proud of him. As is traditional with his birthday falling right after a holiday weekend, we celebrated his birthday all week. This year he wanted a Minecraft theme so I did the best I could (although I still don't completely understand the game). On Tuesday he had the traditional birthday donut and present opening in the morning and that evening he had his TKD graduation (just by chance) and he got to do a birthday run through everyone in the class and we all went out to dinner.

On Saturday, we had his first out-of-the-house birthday party at TKD, with 15 of his classmates (from school and TKD) attending. They had a lot of fun learning TKD, self defense, and breaking boards (all while defeating Minecraft spiders and creepers at the same time).  Keeping with the martial arts tradition (which I just learned about), each child had to tell Tyler something that they liked about him when they gave him a gift.  I've never seen that done before, but it added something special to the time.  Mr. Cox did a great job with the party and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves.

For more pics from his birthday, click on the photo below. Since some of the activities require some explanation I added captions to many of them. Enjoy!

1st Day of School!

Here are some fun picks from Tyler's first day of 2nd grade and Megan's first day of her second year of Pre-K.

Another TKD weekend...

This weekend we had two fun TKD events.  Tyler got to participate in his school's instructor demo at a local festival (Tomball Night) and then the next day we had an "in-school" tournament at the school.  For the first time, both Megan and I (yes, I'm training now too...it's a great bonding time with the kids) got to compete.  Everyone did great and had a lot of fun.

Here are the pictures (linked) and the video from the instructor demo (they were supposed to be on the stage, but there wasn't enough room).


Click on the photo below for the tournament pictures.

More TKD - Worlds 2013

The weekend after we got back from our trip, we drove up to Little Rock, Arkansas so that Tyler could participate in the first (and biggest) tournament of the season--the World Championship.

This was Ty's first time competing in sparring and he did a great job.  He came home with a first place in forms, 2nd's in traditional weapons and sparring, and 3rd in combat sparring.  It was a great experience.

For more pictures, click on the photo above and for all of the video action, click here (our favorite is Sparring Round 2...he's the one in the black gear).

(Lots) More Taekwondo

Last week was a big week for Tyler in Taekwondo, as he earned his yellow belt and also participated in his first tournament where he earned 3 first place medals.  We love the passion he has for it and his focus and intensity (you'll see what I mean in the photos).

Warning:  These photos are unedited and there are quite few :).

To see all the action in video form, click here.  To see more photos, click here.

Tae Kwon Do for Ty continues

Ever since we moved from Virginia, Tyler has wanted to get back into Tae Kwon Do.  We finally signed him up and he's loving it!  He just recently had his first belt test and also had a chance on another day to break a board. 

Pinewood Derby

Tyler and Jeff had a great time creating and racing Ty's first Pinewood Derby car.  Tyler even won a trophy for "Best Scout Themed Car" for the Tiger Cubs.

For pictures and videos, click on the photo above.

Ty is 7!

It's hard to believe that our little boy is 7 already!  He still loves to make us laugh (as you can tell in the picture below) and is incredibly sweet to his sister (most of the time) and us. 

We had a great celebration on the 3rd with the four of us and then had his friends over for exactly what he wanted...a Lego Ninjago pool party complete with origami ninja throwing stars (or shurikens according to Tyler), a code to transform your name into a ninja name, an awesome ninja training course made by Dad, and of course, fun in the pool.  (Thanks to the blogger behind Craft Interrrupted for making the prep for this party so easy!) Click on the photo below for all of the pictures.

Fall firsts

It's been an eventful Fall...here are some of Ty's firsts:

1. First day of Kindergarten


2. First soccer game


3. First Tae Kwon Do belt test


4. First lost tooth

Tyler's 6th birthday

How can he be 6 already??

As sweet and personable as ever, Tyler brings a ton of happiness to our lives. He loves to learn and use new phrases, like "for example" He plays sweetly with Megan (most of the time) and loves to spend time with his friends. He also adores his Dad and wants to be just like him.

He had a wonderful birthday with Granny and Grandpa in town for a Transformers birthday party. Click on the photo above for more pictures.

Summer road trip 2011

We just came back from my favorite trip of the year...a road trip during which we got to visit the Shripka's, Granny and Grandpa, and spend some time with the Burke's and Chernesky's up north.

This year's trip was quite eventful...

If you don't know why Megan's face looks like this, give me a call and I'll explain...(Hint: it involves 3 trips to urgent care centers in MI and WI and one trip to an ER.). Did I mention that Megan is VERY expressive with her face?

Despite the unexpected stomach pains, broken elbow, and severe rash, we really had a wonderful time. For lots of happier pics and a more detailed story of our trip, click on the collage below.

And if you want a laugh, view the video below of Megan and Lily (who is a bit scared of dogs) playing with Seger.

Summer catch up

How did it get to be August already??

Our summer has been packed with a lot of fun, heat, water, friends, and laughs.

Click on the photo below for more pics. Why do our kids already look like they're teenagers?

Tyler's Preschool Graduation

The school that Tyler and Megan attend had a very cute celebration for the "graduating" kids and their parents (funny, I don't remember having a cap and gown at my preschool graduation).

We're very proud of our big boy! Click on the photo above to view more pictures or if you're really interested in the day, view the videos of the performances below.

5th birthday party!

Yesterday Ty had a wonderful 5th birthday party with 6 of his friends. We had perfect weather for a trip back to dinosaur times. Everyone played well together and seemed to to have a good time. It's hard to believe our little boy will be 5 this Friday!

For more photos, click on the collage below.

Volcano! from Teri Schmidt on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday! from Teri Schmidt on Vimeo.

Road trip 2010

Last week we had a wonderful trip to see Granny and Grandpa and then Up North to see all of the Chernesky clan. Ty and Megan had a lot of fun with Granny and Grandpa, playing music, dancing, and playing with all of their toys. Up North, we had amazing weather and were able to do alot of swimming, tubing, and waterskiing. To view all of the pictures, click on the collage above. And enjoy the videos below :).

Peek a Boo--on the water from Teri Schmidt on Vimeo.

Megan the wrecking ball from Teri Schmidt on Vimeo.

First family golfing trip

Granny and Grandpa wanted to give Tyler his first real golf clubs and wanted him to be able to enjoy them for the entire summer, so Ty got an early birthday present. He loves them! This weekend, we got to test them out for the first time at a nearby driving range. Fun was had by all. Hopefully it will be the first of many golf outings for this foursome. Click on the photo below for more pictures.

Summer camp!

Ty started summer camp at the YMCA this past Monday and is loving it. He gets to ride with Jeff to work where he boards a bus and rides to the Y. Apparently he's doing well there, as he came home this Friday sporting the certificate below.

As you can tell from his "Camper of the Week" performance, he was pretty excited and proud (and so were we :)).

Camper of the Week from Teri Schmidt on Vimeo.

A sweet riddle

A few weeks ago, we were driving to the store and Ty had a MagnaDoodle in the back of the car. He kept asking me to look at his drawings and I kept telling him that I couldn't look because I need to keep my eyes on the road.

His solution was to start telling riddles about his pictures that I had to solve in order to figure out what he drew. Here's my favorite that he made up:
"What has blond hair, blue eyes, and loves his Mommy?"

The champs

Last week, one of Jeff's roller hockey teams won the championship game. Ty was thrilled to actually get to go on the rink and touch the "big trophy." And yes, Jeff's wearing the same hockey jersey that he did when he was 12.


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