The Love Schaack's

HAPPINESSS IS ................

2011-01-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Happiness is not a destination, it's a way of LIFE" I have been thinking a lot about happiness and have been pondering what truly makes me HAPPY !!! The things that bring me the greatest joy and upmost happiness are NOT THINGS. Hearing my little girls laugh, and having Steve home top the charts on my HAPPY list . I love my simple life and I am HAPPY !!

Here are a few more things that make my life so wonderful

Oh This baby is such a joy in our lives

We love it when Aunt Ju- Ju comes to visit

Cami loves I mean loves her little Sophie bugs ( maybe a little to much ) Has been a real treat to see them interact

Got to see two of my beautiful sisters

Love it when Steve is home !!! and I am pretty sure he makes everything a PARTY

Can't get enough of this darling love bug

Yahoo for baby food !!!

Left the room for a minute and found Sophie taking time to read the good word

Reason for the Season !!! Had a fun Ward Party

I told you he is the fun one around here :]

Cami loves to help with the dishes, and I am not complaining one bit

Fun visit to the temple . Well I had fun but Cami just looks COLD ha ha

Not sure what's going on here but I was laughing pretty hard

Daddy loves his girls

Got to see the Bulldogs play they are so great and incredible people

Lots of fun cousin time during Christmas

Santa visit went better than I thought ;]

My little bargain shopper

This girl is so crazy and oh so fun

LIFE IS GOOD !!! HAPPY NEW YEAR :}

Livin the VIDA LOCA !!!!

2010-11-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

Holy Smokes for those of you that haven't heard ......... We moved states, changed jobs, put house on market, said goodbye to dear friends and SOLD our house just in the past 2 months!!! Like I said livin the vida loca (aka living the crazy life ) Steve got a new job as the Media Relations Director at Idaho State University . We feel so blessed to be here in Idaho !!! It is so beautiful, cost of living is INCREDIBLE (coming from california anything is),and we are amongst some of the kindest people on earth. We were sad to leave California, good friends, sunshine and the beach but we know we have a lot of fun and exciting adventures ahead and we thank the good Lord for all he has blessed us with.

I am so glad this baby is mine !!!

Love love to see my little girls hang out !!!

Sweet Sophie

Go Orange and black !!!

They have the best pumpkin patches here !!!

Oh man we have so much fun with these girls !!!

Miss lady bug and bumble bee

We love our Sophie BUGS !!!

Our Baby girl is TWO and she sure loves CAKE !!!

Cami loves loves Cars so we had a Cars party !!!

Afraid of the candles !!!! ha ha it was so funny

I love all this fun winter gear for my babies !!!

The best things aren't things !!!

These two cuties make us so HAPPY !!!

I love the beach, my boy, and my babies !!!

2010-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends got married in San Diego what a perfect excuse to go to the BEACH !!! It was beautiful Cami and I both threw a fit when we had to leave ha ha so true :}

cRAZY WIND cRAZY HAIR

Sophie loves the beach too !!!

I love moments like this

What a beautiful day in San Diego

Handsome Daddy and cute little girls

I love this picture !!!

Summer had me some FUN !!!

2010-07-19T18:20:00.001-07:00

Every summer all my sisters get together and meet at our parents house in Loveland Colorado . We look forward to it every year since we all live in 5 different states it is a real treat to all get together. Here are some the highlights of our fabulous trip. I love my family and I love COLORADO it truly is God's Country !!!

Had a blast canoeing

Went to the lake

Went down some fun slides

Visited with Steve's awesome cousin Jen

Caught some Rays :}

Went to some awesome parks

Lots of fun walks around the different lakes

Lots of fun bike rides with my sisters

Sophie was blessed

Baseball fun

We did a lot of relaxin

My sister souls

I love my little Sophie

We sure love our Daddy

My little cuties

I sure love my little girls

Sweet Sophie on her blessing Day

All my sisters and my Mama and Papa I sure love them all !!!

Can't get enough of sweet SOPHIE !!!

2010-06-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a close up of Sophie Jade. Poor girl she is almost a month old and I haven't posted any close up pictures of her. We sure love our little girls but Man they keep us so so busy. Life is GOOD !!!

I love my little family

Sophie Jade has arrived !!!

2010-06-19T12:43:00.001-07:00

We are so thrilled that Miss Sophie Jade arrived on May 3oth . 2 weeks early. I am not complaining one bit !!! She weighed 9 lbs. 7 oz 22 inches long. My little babes are getting bigger and bigger each pregnancy . Everything went so much better than Cami's delivery but gosh those contractions sure do hurt. We are so happy and are so blessed to have our sweet Sophie Jade in our family. We have much to be grateful for .

Here's to you!!!

2010-05-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just had to dedicate this post to these fabulous Women in my Life!!! Happy Mother's Day !!!

I know this picture was when Cami was really little but I love it !!! Oh How I love my Mamasita that's what we call her :} What a strength she is to me and all my sisters. She has worked her whole life and still had time for us girls. She never complained drove us all over to all our activities, always kept a spotless house, magnified her church callings, served in the community and still had and has time to smile and laugh. Whenever I am having a hard day I think of my sweet Mama. She gives me strength everyday. She is my best friend, my example and my hero. My sisters and I always laugh at how much her and my Dad believed in us. They were at every single soccer, volleyball, softball, swimming and karate event. They were always so proud of us. In fact one time I told my Mom I wanted to go to the Olympics for some silly thing I was in. My Mom truly believed in me and just kept building me up. I look back and think how sweet that was. Everyone loves Jan Meik. She touches lifes for a lifetime. They never forget what my mom has done for them. Mamasita you are such a blessing in my life and I am so glad God let me be your daughter !!!

I also have the world greatest Mother in Law. I swear she has bathed in the foundation of youth!!! She truly glows and looks so young. She is a wonderful example to me. She loves everyone and everyone loves her. She truly defines the word Compassion. Plus she has raised some incredible kids. I love her even more because she raised such a good husband for me. Anyone that knows Steve knows how kind, sweet thoughtful and helpful he is. Well folks the secret is out he has a heck of a Mama. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree :} I am lucky to be related to her too !!! You are the best Mama Schaack !!!!

The SCHAACK Daddy has returned !!!

2010-04-02T19:27:00.001-07:00

WE ARE SO EXCITED STEVE IS DONE WITH HIS BUSY SEASON !!! (Can you tell by the use of the caps lock key ha ha ) I am not gonna lie September - March is hard to have him away . My sweet little Cami keeps me going. She brings so much sunshine into our lives. She is just pure FUN !!! What would we do without her ????? With the Schaack Daddy home we have taken full advantage of this beautiful weather. That means lots and lots of park time . I am so thankful for all my blessings. Of course my life is not perfect but really who's is right ? This is what Happiness is to me 1. Having your husband home, 2 Hearing your little girl laugh 3. Beautiful days 4.Going on family walks 5. Watching the Sunset. Life is BEAUTIFUL !!! I love life's simple pleasures :}

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Steve can't even mow the lawn without Cami wanting to know where he is at !!!

Our little Baby is becoming a little Lady

Latest and Greatest !!!

2010-03-08T16:13:00.001-08:00

WOW I can't believe February is long gone. Lots of fun things happened here at the Love Schaack. Including the most exciting news of the YEAR !!! Cami is finally walking !!!! With lots of stress and worrying coming from my end. Miss Cami is finally there. I am learning Cami does everything on her time and if she doesn't feel like doing it it doesn't happen.ha ha ha talk about STRESS !!! Steve had a very busy month being gone a lot . Cami and I took a fun trip to the beach to see my cousin and then a trip to Az to see my sister Jen. Cami and I had a blast and I love seeing my family. Steve is almost done with his travel season YAHOOOOO !!!! We sure love it when he is home.

Do what you LOVE and LOVE what you do !!

2010-01-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

If you are bored come take COOKING lessons at the COOKING SCHAACK brought to you by Chef Alli Schaack.( With a last name like Schaack you have got to put that in the title somewhere). Ha ha it's true. I have taught kids cooking classes for a while now and am now starting to teach right from my home. I have had a BLAST doing this. Some of the things we have made are Homemade Pasta using a pasta machine, Chocolate Chip Biscotti, BBQ Chicken Pizza, Herb Cheese Bread, Fruit Tartlets, Sweet and Tasty Ribs, Twice Baked Potatoes and Reese's peanut Butter cookies. BON APPETITE !!!

We are having...........

2010-01-27T20:36:00.001-08:00

We are so EXCITED Miss Cami is going to have a SISTER !!! We for sure are going to be smiling all the TIME !!!

Our Big NEWS !!!!

2010-01-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Is Cami ready to be a BIG SISTER??? Well her hair can fit into pigtails. I guess that's the first step and .................

She is over 2 feet tall

So I guess she fits all the requirements RIGHT??? Or at least I tell myself these things so I feel better ha ha . WE ARE EXCITED and have gotten over the shock factor . Schaack Baby #2 will be joining our family June 7th 2010 . They will be 20 months apart . Cami has brought so much joy into our lives. Honestly Steve and I laugh so hard at the things she does. I love how excited she gets about life. I know we will be BUSY but really this is the best kind of BUSY and we wouldn't want it any other way :} YEAH FOR SCHAACK BABY # 2 We should be finding out what we are having soon. We will keep you posted

Always have a blast when Steve's family comes to town . They all are so FUN !!!

I love Colorado !!!

2009-12-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

I Love going to visit My parents and my sis Juli ( Aunt Ju- Ju) in Colorado . We always have a blast laughing, eating and seeing some amazing sights. It doesn't get better than that :} My sis Jen came with her adorable little boy " Royal" we call him REY REY this kid is the happiest kid around . Doesn't he look like a little man trapped in a baby's body ha ha .

Halloween and our BABY GIRL is ONE !!!

2009-11-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

I was glad Steve was able to get off work . He was a huge help in helping me entertain 10 little kiddos. Here are some fun highlights of Cami's little Ladybug Party. We can't believe she is ONE !!! We sure love this little gal .

Pin the spot on the Ladybug!!! You can play this game at any Party and it makes me laugh to see where the spot ends up :}
As you can see Cami inhaled the whole cupcake and shoved it in her mouth :} It was hilarious she has no idea about little bites she wants in all her mouth at once
Steve and I decided that we would get some fun toys from the dollar store and have the kids cast there nets over this and get a prize from MISS LADYBUG !!!

Cami was a butterfly for Halloween !!! We had fun using lots of gel to get her hair to stick up like antenna's . Her new thing is brushing her teeth. She screams when we take it from her. I am all about good hygiene so I am not complaining :}

FAMILY PICTURES !!!!

2009-10-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

My cousin Melanie took these family pictures for us. She did an amazing job of capturing life's Beautiful moments. You know those moments that take your breath away.

This picture makes me want to cry every time I look at it. Every mama wants there little babes to know that they make our lives so wonderful and beautiful . Cami girl you do !!!

Why we love living in CALI

2009-10-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Steve had some days off before he gets CRAZY busy. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful state we live in and this fabulous weather ;] I sure love my family they are the most important thing in my life
Beautiful Day at Laguana beach
My three favorite things my hubby, my little babes, and the beach
Love these moments
Chillin on the Pier we sure love our BG = Baby Girl
Keeping our baby doll warm on the Pier. Such a good Daddy

Gotta love the Crazy hat store on pier 39. As you can see Cami girl loved the beads in mama's hair
When in San Francisco you have to make a stop at Ghirardell square fun place especially if you love Chocolate like me

Cami didn't want to leave the game against Berkeley and USC
Two cold girls !!!
Cami is like her Daddy loves going to football games

The Little SISTA got HITCHED !!!

2009-09-16T16:08:00.001-07:00

My Little nephew Camden getting his groove on. As you can see he gets his dance moves from his crazy parents below

I Had to put this picture up. My sis Amy and her husband Scott are the life of any PARTY
The cake was so YUMMY !!!
Everyone Loves Aunt Ju- Ju

The cute couple . They are so perfect for each other. They make us laugh so hard
My sweet niece Cali Girl
Look how Happy my Dad is. He finally has got his "SONS" He waited a long time for this
Two Beautiful gals !!! Can you believe this is my grandma she looks so AMAZING
Our sweet Mama she is is the best !!!
We sure love our Papa Meik !!!
I love it when all my sisters get together!!! We have so much fun and I love them so much
All my sista's and our new Bro law His name is Steve too so we call him Stevie D
I love my Man and little babes !!!

Cami the builder !!!

2009-09-13T15:39:00.001-07:00

The Fresno Met had a really cool BOB the Builder exhibit, and of course Cami loved that she could touch everything without her mama taking everything away :}
Cami Playing with her friends Brennon and Little Kate . As you can see Cami is trying to show off some serious skin :]
Cami and her cute friend Claire Bear
We thought she would be afraid of this guy that dressed up as "BOB" but instead she was hitting him on the head !!! THank goodness he is wearing a hard hat :]

Island Water Park

2009-08-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Several Days ago I was able to to take Cami and Alli to Island Water Park for work. The Fresno State football team is in the middle of the Dog Days of Fall Camp and to give the team a break the coach rented out the park for two hours for just the team. Cami had a good time having the play area all to herself. One other coach had three little kids but other than that the play area was hers.

Cami and I swim in the lazy river with some of the football players.

Cami loves being in the water.

This is probably my all-time favorite picture of her. This is Cami's kingdom for a day.

Alli and Cami go down the water slides.

Cami the gymnast !!!

2009-08-17T17:32:00.001-07:00

We took Cami to the " Little Gym" with her friend Addi. We laughed so hard especially because Cami is "Miss Independent" and wanted to do everything on her own. . She is such a dare devil. Cami first things first let's get walking down then we will let you do backbends across the balance beam. She is cRaZy!!!Cami and her friend Addi getting ready to show off their moves
Look at that grip folks !!!
She is now ready for the parallel bars
I wished she listened to me like this ha ha !!!

Summer Vacation 2009

2009-07-25T17:46:00.001-07:00

At the end of June and at the beginning of July we spent two weeks in Utah and Colorado visiting family. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of great memories. Here are a few pics of our trip.

Cami and her cousin Royal in Colorado.

Here we are at the Lehi Round up Rodeo.

Cami can pose for pictures quite well when she wants to. She is at the grounds at Temple Square.

All the Meik grandchildren.

Cami is wondering what her cousin Royal is doing.

Here we are up Provo Canyon in the mountains. The weather was perfect.

You gotta love Cami's facial expression in this picture. She is like mom and dad please stop.

For much of the two weeks we were gone it rained. It actually felt really nice. While in Utah we decided to barbecue. It was actually alot of fun.

Cami is an adventurous little girl. She gets so excited when we take her down big windy slides.

Mom and Cami at the Salt Lake temple.

2009-07-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

I have an amazing wife who allows me to me and supports me in all that I do. I probably don't tell her enough. I love and appreciate all that she does. She is an amazing lady with so many talents and so much to offer people. She is an incredible mom. I love watching her care for Cami.

Da New LOVE SCHAACK!!! ( OUR New Home)

2009-06-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well Folks here is the new Love Schaack!!! We are so excited to be in our new home. We feel very blessed and humbled. We never would of thought we could find a home in our price range especially in California ( Crazy expensive here) Since the market has been so low we got this house for half the price YES PLEASE!!!! We love the space and the nice big backyard (will post soon) I have to hire a gardener first ha ha !!! Thanks for everyone for being so happy for us. You all are wonderful
Extra Dining Room
Entry way

Front room. As you can see Cami loves to roll all over :] She is a kick
Cami's bathroom
Sinks in Master bathroom
Shower in Master bath

One Angle of the Kitchen
Another Angle of the kitchen

Cami's room- I still need to hang pictures up . Give me a week or a month ha ha !!!

2009-05-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

The weather is starting to get very warm here in Fresno. We are experience 90's and 100 degree heat. It has not been very pleasant. In our apartment complex we have a swimming pool and we took Cami to it for the first time. She seemed to really enjoy the water and by looking at the pictures below you can see that she wanted to lay out before she got in the water with mom.

Today we went to a Fresno Grizzlies baseball game during the afternoon. While we were sitting up in the luxury suite a foul ball came our way while I was holding Cami. Luckily Alli was alert enough and got the foul ball after it bounced off the chair next to her. Cami has now collected more foul balls than her dad. As you can see Cami won't let go of it. It even tasted kind of good.

Here's to you!!!

2009-05-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

For all you wonderful Mama's out there CHEERS!!! WOW I have gained so much compassion for all Mommies. When I see a Mom in the store trying to control their screaming child I want to go and give them a hug and say" I understand" or sometimes when I am rocking Cami to sleep at 3:00 a.m. I just look at my window and think of all those Mama'a out there up doing the exact same thing. We try so hard to make our children's life beautiful . Moms need to give themselves more credit. I have come to the conclusion you are a good Mommy if your child laughed and smiled that day :} Don't be hard on yourself if you didn't check one single thing off your list that day. It's okay your little babe is happy that's what matters. I hope we all live in the moment more. Our little babes grow up too fast . Speaking of Moms Just want to give a shout out to My wonderful Mama and my awesome Mother in law. My Mom is my best friend. All my sisters say the same thing. We love to call her. She just laughs and smiles and listens to us. She is very kind and very selfless. She has so much faith. I guess that is why we love to call her .She always says " It is all going to work out" and it always does. She is such a strong individual and it is greatest example of living the gospel. She got Miss Congeniality when she was growing up !! It fits. She is friends with everyone and she never judges. My Mother in law Karen is wonderful. She is always so happy and so thoughtful . She truly cares about everyone and does all she can to serve and love others. I don't know how I got so lucky to have an amazing Mother in law. Steve and I joke that Karen could run for mayor and not have to do any campaigning "Everyone loves her". She makes me laugh really hard too!! I love you so much Mama MEIK and Mama SCHAACK !!!

Easter Weekend

2009-05-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Cami and Alli enjoy a fun time at the house. Cami always has something to smile or laugh about.

Family time at Fresno State baseball. Cami loves sitting outside at the games. We sat through eight innings of baseball and we didn't here a peep out of her.

Cami is living the life on Easter Sunday.

Cami and Alli outside on Easter. It was a fun day.

Heres to 6 Months

2009-05-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

So Cami was officially six months yesterday. She keeps progressing and growing like no other. The Doc told us yesterday she is in the 95th to 100 percentile in height, weight and head size. She continues to make us laugh and smile everyday. She loves carrots, sweet potatoes and getting used to liking apple sauce.

We are also close to closing on a home. Our official close date is May 12. It could be sooner though. We are ready to get out of an apartment. Its going to be nice. Alli deserves all credit in finding the house. While I was busy traveling for work she was working hard at finding a house and found a good deal with this house we are preparing to move into. We are excited.

I have finally hit my down time with work. It is nice to be home and enjoy family time. We are looking forward to our summer vacation when we are in Utah June 23-July 1 and Colorado from July 2-8.

Here are some pictures from the last several weeks to get everybody caught up on what is going on in the life of the Schaacks.

Cami Time

2009-04-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Cami and dad enjoy some time after dinner. She always finds a way to make us smile.

Cami got her first sports toy, a princess baseball bat. She loves sucking on it more than she does playing with it right now.

Cami also knows when to put on a show and give people a smile.

A nice clean Cami just out of the bath.

Schaack Daddy has RETURNED!!!!!

2009-03-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Thought is picture was funny!! It is like she is saying, "talk to the hand".
Cami loves to go to the park!!!
( Steve really doesn't wear short shorts this picture looks like it. We got a good laugh from it )

Steve is HOme !!!!! YAHOOOOOO He doesn't have to travel until September. We are so PUMPED!!! Many of you know that Nov- March is Steve busy time traveling with basketball. We are definitely taking advantage of him being home and the beautiful spring weather here in California. Our Cami girl is getting so big and we love her to pieces . She is best thing to happen to the LOVESCHAACKS for sure :} She is rolling all over the place. We really have to watch her or she might roll down our apartment steps aahhhhhh!!!!

Like father like daughter !!!

2009-03-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

Cami is so her daddy's girl. She loves going to all the games with him. She loves the sound of the loud buzzers the lights and the crowd cheering. It is hilarious to watch this girl :}

Look how much they look alike. Here is Cami up in the press box with daddy watching the game. She loves him. They have a really cute relationship. When he comes home she gets so happy and when she does something cute she makes sure he is watching . She has the best daddy ever!!!

LA Get-A-Way

2009-02-25T18:52:00.001-08:00

After traveling quite a bit for work, I was lucky to have 12 days with no games. So to celebrate we headed to Southern California and spent some time with family along with being on the beach and going to a Lakers game. As you can see Cami loved Santa Monica Beach.

A happy mom and daughter leaving the Lakers game.

Don't bug me while I sleep on the beach.

Cami loved the beach but I tried putting her feet in the water and she let out a loud scream.

Our daughter is ready to hit the streets and shop.

Alli knows the way to my heart. For Christmas she bought me tickets to see the Lakers play at the Staples Center. It was alot of fun. Cami was ready to go to the game too.

We had a good time at the game. Cami was sad to leave. She is saying, "I don't want to go home."

We are a happy family at Santa Monica Beach. The weather was 70 degrees in February. Sorry for all of you who are in freezing temperatures.

She has our hearts !!!!

2009-02-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

We love everything about her ( rolls and all )
Chloe is our cute little friend that we watch. Cami loves to have other kids around. I think she gets bored when it's just her mama and her :}
She wakes up laughing and smiling !!! Seriously who does that?
She makes us laugh every minute. When we took this picture , Steve and I were in tears cause we were laughing so hard :}

I have never seen a daddy love his little girl more. Steve is up before I am. He is the one to get Cami out of her crib. I will hear him talking to her and laughing with her :] It is a fun thing to wake up to.

Aloha to the Schaack Daddy!!!

2009-01-21T19:24:00.001-08:00

Bummer for Cami and I. Steve is in HAWAII this week. To celebrate his homecoming . I dressed Cami up in her little island girl outfit. I promise I really don't dress her up in silly costumes all day. I really get a kick out of doing it . Cami's facial expressions kill me .

We miss you Schaack Daddy!!! Bring me back some chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

Those things rock :}

2009-01-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Steve was out of town last week. So Cami and I went to Colorado to visit my parents we had a BLAST!!! We sure missed our Schaack Daddy!!!

2009-01-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Yes I am holding a spider Crazy !!! Just wanted to show Cami how brave her mama is ha ha

2009-01-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the Butterfly pavillion. It was so cool. There were butterflies flying all around. Cami like to see all the bright colors.

2009-01-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Cami has been smiling so much lately. It makes us so HAPPY!!

2009-01-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

Cami is ready for her super bowl party are you? Ha Ha we have to much fun

2009-01-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

Steve gets as much Daddy Daughter time in as he can . Sometimes I will come home and they will be watching football together. It makes me laugh :}

Hubby Spotlight!!

2009-01-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

This will be fun. I was tagged by my friend. Steve is so wonderful. I'm excited to talk about him.

How long have you been married?

1 year and 3 months. Best time of my life

How long did you date?

ha ha we call it the 4 month miracle. That's right 4 months folks . He just made everything so EASY no drama. I felt like he really wanted to be with me. Every girl needs to feel appreciated and loved. I fell pretty hard and dang quick. I guess the SCHAACK attack has that a affect on people especially me .

How did you meet? On a blind date crazy crazy . The produce guy at the grocery store that I went to on a daily basis hooked us up !!!! He knew Steve and he had gotten to know me. So he thought we would make a good match!!! Macey's grocery store has a special place in my heart.

Who said I Love you first?

Well technically it was me. I was saying goodbye to him one night and without thinking as he walked out the door I said love ya. One of those things I always say to my family when they are leaving. It just slipped. I worried that he thought I was way to forward . . It was like our 2nd date aaahhhhhh!!!! Glad it didn't scare him away.

Who does the dishes?

Steve is the best!!! His rule is whoever cooks doesn't have to clean up. My kind of guy.

What do you and your hubby like to do together?

Lots of things. Steve is down with anything. We enjoy going on walks, playing catch and going to different sporting events. He is always planning fun things for us.

What is your hubby's best quality?

It is hard to narrow it down to just one. So I would have to say how thoughtful,sweet and funny he is. (oops that's three. it is impossible to say just one)

I am so blessed and lucky to have a wonderful husband like Steve. He never gets mad, always happy and makes me bust a gut.It has been so fun for me to see him be a daddy. He loves to play with Cami. He is so helpful and always asking what he can do to help. I couldn't be happier and so glad I found my Mr. Wonderful !!! Thanks Steve for making my life so GRAND!!!!

Christmas in Dallas, Texas

2008-12-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas in Dallas, Texas with my brother Jon and his family and my sister Megan and her family. My parents, sister Lindsey and brother Robbie and his wife Jessica also came for Christmas. It was the first time we have all been together in over a year. It was a fun Christmas being all together. This was also the first time Alli and I were able to introduce Cami to all the family on the Schaack side. This is a picture of Cami with her other cousins. The two boys are Jon's kids and the girl is Megan's daughter.

We were fortunate to bless Cami in Dallas with my family. As you can see by the picture she was all smiles.

Cami loved her first Christmas. She was wide awake and happy as can be.

Grandma Schaack loved holding Cami every minute she could.

Grandpa Schaack enjoys a little nap with Cami during the Christmas holiday.

Alli is one proud mother with Cami on her blessing day.

Alli and I with Cami on her blessing day. December 26, 2008.

Catching Up With Life

2008-12-14T23:07:00.000-08:00

Cami smiles a lot but this is the only picture we have been able to get on camera. She loves her swing. It has actually been a life saver for us.

On December 13 I traveled to Stanford with our women's basketball team. We got drilled by 38 points but it was still cool to be on campus and play against the No. 3 team in the country.

This was at the Fresno State Children Christmas for Cancer Holiday party. The person in the picture with Alli and I is an old friend from Utah, Jeff Reinert who used to coach basketball at UVU. He is now an assistant coach to coach Steve Cleveland at Fresno State.

Here we are at the Christmas part with the Fresno State mascot, TimeOut. Cami does very good in public and with people. She has already been to three basketball games and has been really good. She may be a daddies girl after all.

Our Russian Daughter

2008-12-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

Alli's mother bought this outfit for Cami. I really like the hat. It makes her look like she is this Russian girl. Cami is growing so quick. She is only six weeks old and wearing 3-6 month clothes. Cami is like her dad in that she loves to just chill and have a good time.

The first of everything.....

2008-11-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Cami had a very eventful week. She went to her first basketball game and loved it!!! Definitely her daddy's girl. She also went to church for the first time. She did great. I was so glad. I was nervous she would scream in the middle of sacrament or fart really loud when it was completely silent. (wouldn't be the first time) That's for another post :] Good times!!!

Very Blessed!!!

2008-11-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Steve and I have so much to be thankful for. We love being parents and we are so lucky to have our little " Cami Cakes" in our lives. I love being a Mommy. Never thought such a little thing could make us laugh and smile so much. Cami loves her wonderful Daddy. She smiles so much when he is around. I love it!!!

Growing up!!

2008-11-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

It is so true that little babes grow up so quick. Cami is only 2 weeks and she is changing every day. She is such a sweet little girl. She definitely likes to keep her Mommy and Daddy awake during the night :} She is wide awake at 3:30 every morning and doesn't like to go back to sleep. She is such a blessing in our lives. We love you little Miss Cami Girl!!!

2008-11-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

She loves to ride in the car.

2008-11-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

Our little Cami Girl is growing up way to quick. Everyday she looks different. We sure do love her

A note from the Mama!!!

2008-11-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

It is fun to say that I am now part of the tough Mom's Club. Seriously I gained so much more respect for Moms. I think all agree that there is nothing more beautiful or wonderful than holding your baby for the first time. We sure have fallen in love quickly with our little babe. It hasn't even been a week yet but Steve and I can't imagine our life without our Cami Girl. We feel very lucky and very blessed. She is our little ray of sunshine. I think Steve deserves "Labor Coach of the Year" He was a huge help and I am really grateful for him. There is so much to LEARN!!!! In fact this is kind of embarrassing Cami had her first Dr. appointment. We get there and we realize we didn't bring her diaper bag. Then to make it worse. A super organized, super experienced Mom walks in. She is fully prepared with her super duper diaper bag. She pulls out the nail clippers, thermometer ,and even those plastic syringes. First we felt very guilty then we laughed pretty hard. We will get better. ( I sure hope so )

2008-11-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Steve and I find every second we can to SLEEP!!!

2008-11-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

2008-11-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are parents. Alli gave birth to our daughter, Cami Elizabeth Schaack on November 1 at 10:01 a.m. It was a long process as she was induced around 9:30 a.m. on October 31. She was 9 pounds 2.4 ounces and was 21 inches long. We are grateful she and mom are healthy. We are home now and excited to be out of the hospital. We love the dark hair she has.

Here is one happy momma. Alli is a tough woman to go through 24 hours of labor.

Cami is finally home. I think she is going to love riding in the car because when we left the hospital she was crying but the moment we started driving she fell asleep.

Here Grandma Meik is giving Cami her first bath since being home.

One Blissful Year!!

2008-10-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Steve and I just celebrated our first anniversary. We both can't believe how time flies. It is amazing how the lord helps you find that perfect person. I am glad I waited for someone like Steve. He has made me so HAPPY!!! We are extremely blessed that our little girl is coming very soon. (This happened a lot quicker than we thought) We couldn't be more excited or more thrilled. I am a week away from my due date. A lot of things have been going through both of our heads. We know we have so much to learn . We will do our best to make her life beautiful in every-way. Lots of hugs, plenty of laughs and tons of love :] This truly has been one blissful year :}

Pumpkin TIme!!

2008-10-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness the fall is finally here for us in Fresno. We always have extremely hot summers so we love it when the temperature drops. It is a beautiful time of year. I think my favorite part is going to all the fall festivals especially the pumpkin patches . We had a fun time !!!!

2008-10-11T14:35:00.001-07:00

Steve and and were laughing because all the stems on the pumpkins were sharp and really hard. We kept imagining if someone was to sit or fall on one and how bad it would hurt. Ouch talk about a stick up the butt!!! Steve had to demonstrate this for me. I was laughing pretty hard.

2008-10-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well I am 38 weeks!! We are excited for our little pumpkin to arrive. By the looks of it she might not be so little after all:] When I picked up this pumpkin it weighed about 8 lbs. There was not much of a difference with the one I am holding and the one that is coming in a couple of weeks. It is fun to think what she will look like, how big she will be , and when she will come. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go!!!!

Gotta love Girlfriends!!!

2008-09-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

I really miss Steve when he is traveling with work. I am glad he likes what he does and he is so good at it too!! I am lucky to have wonderful girlfriends that take care of me while he is away. Girlfriends are the best!!!

2008-09-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend the sisters in the ward threw me a baby shower. So Sweet!!! Our ward is extremely humble and they are all so thoughtful. Many of the ladies are my grandma's age.Seriously I got a good laugh Steve's and I first Sunday. Everything had to be repeated in Relief Society. No one could hear. Kind of funny !!! I didn't know how I was going to relate to them. That changed quickly they befriended me and made me feel welcome within minutes. The gospel is a wonderful thing. Wherever you live or wherever you go, you will be loved and taken care of. Girlfriends come in all ages. What would I do without them? The picture above is some of my close friends that made the trip to my baby shower. It was wonderful to see them.

Deep in the heart of TEXAS!!!

2008-09-19T09:24:00.001-07:00

Steve and I are very excited !!! We just booked our plane tickets to go to TEXAS for Christmas. Steve's brother and sisters live there. I also served my mission there too!!! ( See entry below) We have really missed being around family. Plus Steve's little niece and nephews are the cutest little kiddos ( see picture above) We can't go another Christmas without seeing them. TEXAS or BUST!!!

Excited to see my PEEPS!!!

2008-09-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Many of you might know that I served my mission in TEXAS!!! Since we are going there for Christmas I get to visit many of the people I was able to teach. They changed my life forever. When I first got my mission call I told myself I would never fall into the whole TEXAS PRIDE thing. Haha all I can say folks it's Contagious !!! I caught it quick and I fell hard. In fact after I returned home I hung the Texas flag over my bed in my apartment for years. The kindest, friendliest and funniest people I have ever met. I can honestly say on a hourly basis I was cracking up .( I promise I really did preach the gospel too!!) They will always have my heart :} I love TEXAS!!!!

Gotta love La Maze!!!!

2008-09-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Steve and I have started some La Maze classes. I guess we aren't the best people to pretend to be serious. This is bad, but we end of laughing really hard for the majority of the class. I think the thing that gets us going is when I have to "Pretend" I am in labor and to have to breathe really heavy. It has been fun and we are trying to learn as much as we can . I have come to realize that classes that require me to be really serious, I probably shouldn't sign up for. In fact in college my sister and I tried to take a yoga class. I just am not very flexible and both her and I just laughed the whole entire class. I just could not get into some of the positions without cracking up .

The picture above is taken at one of my good friends wedding receptions. The street that is was near was called LOVERS LANE kind of fun. I love going to wedding receptions because it makes you think back on when you got married and makes you realize how lucky you are to have found the person that is so perfect for you. You're the best Steve!!!

Let's Hear it for 32 Weeks!!!

2008-09-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

I am hitting my 32nd week of Pregnancy !!! Very exciting for the Love Schaack's . The other night we were at the store and I saw this watermelon. Do you see any resemblance? I couldn't resist Haha Good times :}

Traveling with the Bulldogs

2008-08-31T17:39:00.001-07:00

Incase nobody knew, the first ever college football game was played at Rutgers. I am out here in New Jersey with the Fresno State football team. We play Rutgers Monday afternoon on ESPN.

I was able to see the Princeton campus while out here. It is 261 years old and the most beautiful campus I have been too. I was never smart enough to get into the school (I really never applied) so it was cool to step foot on the campus.

Bringing Sexy Back!!!!

2008-08-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Steve is always making me laugh. I have come to realize that I really think his motto should be " Anything for a Cheap Laugh" He loves to do things to make me and others just crack up. Last night we were shopping for shoes . We found some crazy looking ones. He was a good sport and put them on for me . I just laughed. In fact we went back home , just so we could get the camera. You have to capture moments like this!!!! Life is way to wonderful not to.

Here is my favorite!!! I was laughing so hard I couldn't keep the camera from shaking.

Steve picked some out for me. I swear Micheal Jackson has worn these boots before in one of his music videos. Just had to put my shades on so I would look somewhat cool ( Yeah Right)

What is Baby Schaack up to?

2008-08-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am going into my 30th week of pregnancy. I can't believe how time flies. Steve and I really enjoy going to our baby appointments. I tend to worry a little to much. It is reassuring when the doctor lets you know that everything is okay. We joke, because we were both big babies. If our little Cami Girl takes after her parents, she is going to be one "healthy little girl".We wouldn't want it any other way :} Some of my primary kids always ask me if I have a basketball in my shirt. It really looks like it!!!

What's the Schaack Man been up to?

2008-08-17T18:08:00.001-07:00

Many of you might know that Steve works for Fresno State in the Media Relations Department. He is so good at what he does. He gets to experience a lot of fun things and travel with the teams to all the different games. The only good thing about him being gone is that I get to hear him on the radio. In fact his nickname is the Radio Schaack!! It is so fun to hear his voice. I think when our kids are a little older they will love to hear there daddy's voice and see him on T.V . With college football quickly approaching, (Who doesn't love college football such a fun time of year) Steve has been very busy going to all the practices sometimes two times a day. Soon to all the games home and away!!! Glad he enjoys what he does and is so good at it too!!!

29 weeks and counting !!!(BRING IT ON)

2008-08-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Every time Steve and I go out to eat or go somewhere we are always say how fun and different it is going to be when our little baby girl arrives. We have been seeing little kids in grocery stores,and restaurants sometimes being so sweet and cute. Other times throwing fits, throwing foods, or screaming at the top of their lungs. We always look at each other and say, "Are we really ready for this." We know things might take a little more time and we might not always have those peaceful meals. We are excited for the new adventures and the sleepless nights that await us :} Are lives are about to change BIGTIME!!! So we are going in with the attitude BRING IT ON and we will just have to hold on tight :}

Making Something out of Nothing

2008-08-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

So I always tell people that Alli has the ability to make something out of nothing. When I open the cupboards in the kitchen sometimes I say to myself we have nothing to eat. Then I turn around and Alli has made a full course meal. You want chocolate chip cookies but don't have the chocolate chips well have chocolate peanut butter cookies and use hot chocolate mix for your chocolate. They cookies sure taste good.

Today the craftiness in Alli came out as she made the letters C A M I (what we are going to name our girl) to hang up in our other room. In stead of purchasing wooden block letters at the store she printed a very big letter off the computer and then cut it out and traced the letters onto fancy paper. So what was the fancy paper? Well she took old gift bags and traced the letters over that. Creative, I think so. She then went and lamented the letters and she hung them up in the room.

Mr. Fixit (Well Not Really)

2008-08-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago we had a shelf fall off the fall in our kitchen. I tried forever to try and nail the shelf back in the wall and get it to stay but I just couldn't do it. After making numerous holes in the wall Alli and I finally decided to move another picture over the holes where we would have had the shelf and then we just stuffed the shelf in the closet. It wasn't fun. I realized then that whenever Alli and I move out of an apartment and into a house everything needs to be in good shape. If it isn't it might take me a month to fix it.

In this picture I am rehanging curtains where a nail fell off the wall. Here I actually did something right.

Steve always makes me laugh. He doesn't have to be Mr. Home Improvement He already has won me over, Mr Fix it or not. We just laugh at all our attempts to hang things up and put things together.

28 Weeks and Counting!!!!

2008-08-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Steve and I can't believe that our little baby girl will be here in 2 1/2 months. We are so EXCITED to have her be part of our lives. She is very active and likes to move a lot especially when I am trying to sleep. I can tell she is her daddy's girl. Everytime I eat ice cream or drink cold juice she goes crazy by kicking and wanting more and more. So grateful for this little miracle in our lives.

One Last Vacation

2008-08-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well it is one last vacation before Steve gets into the grind of work with a baby girl coming at the end of October and Fresno State football beginning in August. We took a few a few days and headed to LA where we spent time at Venice Beach and saw the broadway play Wicked. It was a quick trip but a lot of fun. The play is incredible. Being in LA in 80 degree weather was much better than being in the triple digits here in Fresno.

A Visit to the Big Apple

2008-06-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Since getting married back in October Alli and I have been very busy with work. So it was only fitting that for a week (June 3-10) we had the opportunity to not think about work and head off to New York City. We had a great time. It was a week with no stress.

We arrived late on June 3rd and stayed overnight at a hotel near JFK airport. We got up the next morning and decided to hop on the subway to get our hotel in the city. We eventually made it, two hours later.

Once we got checked in we wandered around Time Square and then headed off to see the Yankees and Blue Jays. Going to a Yankees game is alot of fun. It was fun to go their in the final year of what will soon be old Yankee Stadium.

Here is a brief rundown of our trip

June 5

We spent the morning walking around Central Park. After lunch we got in line for tickets for a show that night. We saw the play Mary Poppins. It was alot of fun and we really enjoyed. Before the play we saw someone trying to scale the New York Times building. It was a pretty crazy site. We felt like we were in the movie Spiderman.

June 6

We got up and head downtown where we walked around Ground Zero and walked through the chapel by the site that has turned into, I guess you could say a memorial. We then headed off to Battery Park were we got on a boat and went out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Ellis Island was cool. After that it was dinner time and we found the restaurant Serendipity where we had dinner and then we had ice cream at this fun place called Dlyans. A fun part to the day was that we got a phone call saying we won tickets to the David Letterman show on Monday. We were pretty excited about that.

June 7

We went and saw Mamma Mia in the afternoon and then hooked up with my cousin Jenn for dinner at Little Italy. After dinner Jenn introduced us to the best frozen yogart place called Pinkberry. It was to die for. We spent the rest of the evening walking along the water by the Brooklyn Bridge.

June 8

We went to church in the morning and after that we had lunch at Chelsea Market, one the places where the food network is located. After saying goodbye to Jenn we changed our clothes and just chilled in the city. We tried to stay indoors most of the day because it was so hot.

June 9

We got to go to Letterman. It was very fun and in the evening we ate dinner with some good friends Scott and Kelly Hardy. It was fun to meet up with them in the city.

June 10

The return to Fresno. It was along day in the airport as our day started with our plane leaving JFK at 1245 p.m. eastern time and arriving in Fresno at 10:30 p.m. pacific time. We did get to visit with Steve's parents during our layover in Salt Lake that was alot of fun.

Well that is a quick run down of the trip. We had a blast and spent alot of money.

Here We Are

2008-06-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

So Alli and I have entered the world of blogging. We hope this will be another way for everyone to keep up with what is going on in our lives since we are away from so many people.