He likes the night life...he likes to boogie!

Here you are, proof that Hamster El Cinco is alive and well. We thought Shadow might like a little party action, so we hooked him up with a lava lamp, party beads, and some party lights. You will notice that mp3 player at the bottom. It's playing "Hampster Dance", of course! :) We turned off all the lights except the party lights and turned on the music. I kid you not, the hampster ventured out almost immediately. He got a cool drink and ventured over to his wheel for a little while. Not running in the wheel, but climbing over it. Personally I think he was just trying to humor me, so I would leave him alone. I snapped the photo and then I took everything off the cage so he would be safe, and I did turn off the lava lamp so he wouldn't think he was being attacked by a ball of green radioactive goo. So Bryson, Shadow is doing well. He said that he hopes you're having fun and these Hackney people are a little strange, but he's having a good time. At least that's what I think he said, I don't speak fluent hampster.

Good Night from Indy

HEC the Houseguest

We have a houseguest this week. Shadow the hampster, or as I like to refer to him, "Hampster El Cinco" (HEC) will be staying with the Hackney 4 for the next week. While I will never personally have a hampster I have assured Bryson that Shadow will have the best in care. He will be fed, have fresh water, and I will even play him some music. We happen to have a cassette of Hampton the Hampster. So when I find it Shadow can groove to the likes of "Hampster Dance" "Hampster Party", and my personal favorite "Hampsters in Love" (I'm not kidding!) I told Bryson that I would periodically post photos of Shadow so he can be assured that he is well. So far Hampster El Cinco has been the model houseguest. He's groomed himself and had a snack and a bit to drink. Mostly he's hid in his house from the constant prying eyes of a 3-year old.

I caved

Ever made a purchase because all of your friends had one? I admit one of the reasons I got this bag was peer pressure! :) A growing number of these Land's End tote bags started showing up at our mom's group. The pressure was on. They were personalized. Pressure's mounting. And doggone it, practical too. Too much pressure. So my bag arrived today, in time for the beach. And as you can see it hold's a ton. So there you have it ladies. Peer pressure. :)

Little help from my bro

We were at the park today for a birthday party and Rachel was complaining that the slides were too hot. Aaron told Rachel to sit on his lap and he would take her down so that it wouldn't be too hot for her.

Sometimes it's nice to have a big brother around. And then other times......

Only 2 weeks away!

Only 2 more weeks until:

Sorry, just had to do it. :)

Brought to you today by the letter "F"

The Hackney 4 is brought to you today by the letter "F". F for Friday and for Dusty's work project that is Finally Finished! It's also for Flying Fairy.

Since it's Brickyard week it's also for a military helicopter doing a Fantasic Flyover

For Family dinner of pizza made with Dimaggio's sauce that you can only get in Flora. Here's the Hackney special. 3/4 pepperoni and 1/4 Heidi's Favorite: pepperoni, mushrooms (my Favorite Fungus) and green olives (which at least one of my Friends Finds Funky, but i think are Fine!)

And Finally a Flower, Found just For you!

Sneak Peek - Rebecca

Took this little cutie's photos yesterday. Rebecca always seems to manage to get really somber when she sees my camera. It's been hard to coax a smile out of her when I've taken her photos before. This time I got lucky. :)

Pics from the Park

Tonight's Wednesday evening family activity was to picnic out at the park. So taking advantage of the beautiful weather many of the families from Hope Community enjoyed an evening together out at Washington Park.

Rachel climbing, but not too high! Funny how an ER visit puts you on guard!

What's wrong with this picture?

A. Paul is about to throw an illegal block
B. Pastor Jim is offisides
C. Shawn is blocking a 5 year old girl
D. There is a 3 year old girl with a recent head injury in the middle of a football game

If you guessed D, then you are correct! Don't worry Mom, the action didn't get near her and I pulled her out of the line of fire soon after I snapped the photo. :)

More Sprinkler Park

The Mom's group made another trek up to the Sprinkler park yesterday. Rachel broke out her new swimsuit and sunglasses for the occasion. She's also still sporting some Dermabond and a scabbed over head wound.

Aaron ready to take on the little kids

I told Lauren I would post her photo to prove to her mom that she was alive and well while she's away at camp.

Josiah's day started out rough, but he rebounded and got into the groove

Hayden says, time to go home - I'm beat!

County Fair

We spent Sunday evening out at the Hendricks Co. Fair. We went to see the hot air balloons, but the weather cancelled them. We still got to enjoy the animals, fireworks, and of course, the food. Aaron was spending the night at a friend's house. I didn't want you thinking I played favorites when you watch the video and the only kid in it is Rachel. :) So here is our trip in 10-20 second bursts.

Maybe later

I was going to post video from the fair tonight but......

YouTube is down for maintenance; maybe tomorrow. Or as I see from the clock it is after midnight, maybe later today. :) Good Night

Request

One of Dusty's co-workers collasped and died Sunday afternoon during a softball game. Kim was only 39 years old and has 2 children. Please remember the Weber family in your prayers. Thanks.

Just for you Dacia!

Dacia, who recently moved to Georgia, told me last week how she missed our church. Well I've decided to bring you our entire 10:45 AM service...in 3 minutes! This service was a little different than our normal ones. We heard testimonies for the mission team that recently returned from a week in Mexico. I want you to have the order of service to help you follow along.

"Stand and Shout"
Welcome - Pastor Jim
Testimony - Boyd Knowlson
"You, You are God"
"Holy is the Lord"
Baptism
"Mighty to Save"
Testimony - Steve Heller
Offering
Testimony - BJ Weaver (on video)
Testimony - Linda Knowlson
Commissioning for the 2nd Mexico Mission Team
Invitation
Announcements - Shelby
Closing - "You, You are God" and Photos from Mexico

You'll notice the photos from the mission trip scrolling during the testimonies. So there you have it Dacia. Just watch us go! I didn't want you to miss out!

One more pic for you Dacia: Rachel dipping her fries in her Frosty! You would have been so proud.

I think I'm in love!

Latte ice cream bar from Weight Watchers

1 point!! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Injury - Day 2

Somehow it always looks worse the day after.

Please, no more photos!

I mean it!

Bunco Recap

We had a lot of fun playing Bunco tonight! I've got a few highlights to share, but since I'm trying to up the stats on the Women Transformed blog, you will have to go over there to see it! ;)

When you day doesn't go as planned

I guess emergency rooms trips are never a planned part of your day. That's where we spent a little time this morning. We went to the church this morning and as I was headed up the sidewalk I hear Rachel start screaming. Turned around and saw her on her hands and knees. I hurried over to her and then I saw blood...everywhere. If you've ever dealt with a gash on the head you know they bleed. She had blood running down her face from her head. She had skinned up a small area below her nose. I scooped her up and hurried into the church. Ben Weaver who has EMT training and is going to be a firefighter just happened to arrive right before we did at the church. I took Rachel into the office and said, "Paging EMT Ben". :) Ben helped me clean her and asked her what happened and where it hurt. I believe he'll make a great firefighter! We put a butterfly bandage on and headed off to Clarian West. Rachel did great, no fussing or crying. She held perfectly still while they put the Dermabond on her head. We followed up the ER visit with a trip to McDonald's because if anything deserves a Happy Meal I believe it's a trip to the ER! She had a cherry popsicle at the ER so I decided to clean her up a bit before we went in. She looked a little rough with the red popsicle and dried blood on her face! Here she is enjoying her Happy Meal with her hospital bracelets still on!

And here's a recap of our day from Rachel

Firehouse Fun

The family night activity at church tonight was to take treats to the firefighters and tour the firehouse, so we headed off to Station 133 tonight. Rachel and Aaron took turns sitting in the truck. Rachel referred to it as sitting in the "bouncy seat"

While we we upstairs in the sleeping quarters the fire alarm when off. The fireman giving us the tour turned to us and said, "OK we are now going to go back down the stairs slowly and I will need all of you to stay along the wall when we get down." Then he turned around and saw the other fireman grinning. The bell stopped ringing. "Gee thanks man." is all he said. Rachel looked up and said, "That scared my tummy!"

Here's Rachel and Allison with their souvenir hats.

Here's the "I'm too cool to wear my hat" kids

And here's how we ended the evening

Thin Mint Blizzard - Highly Recommended

I simply call this photo:

Delicious, Yummy, Thin Mint Blizzard that has way too many calories, but I ate anyway in the name of Christian Fellowship....yeah you heard me...Christian Fellowship
(Copyright TH4)

**Disclaimer - I shamelessly ripped off PEC's blog on the above statement**

It's Finally Here!

We've been on the edge of our seats....waiting....waiting....waiting. The Schmidt family blog is now here! Head on over to the Schmidt Spot and welcome Heather to the blogging world!

Logan's Pics & conveniently falling in the stream

Headed back out to Arbuckle park again tonight to take Logan's 5-year pics. He did a great job. While I had him balanced out in the middle of the stream on some rocks snapping away, Rachel was upstream with Rylan and Jen wading in the shallow part. After I headed back with Logan the inevitable happened: Rachel lost her balance and went down.

I thought, "So what? It's hot and frankly I wouldn't mind joining her." I resisted, and stuck to snapping photos. Then Rylan while standing and in full control of her balance announces, "Oh, I fall down!" Two seconds later she looked like this

Nice try Ry! But if you're going to get wet then pretend it was an accident, don't announce it first. Fall in the water then declare what an accident it was. :) Anyway, there's nothing like sharing a dip in a cool stream with a friend on a hot day!

Oh, and Logan...well let's just say camera shy he is not!

Yes!

Look what the mailman brought me today!

Movin' and Groovin'

Here's a short clip of Rachel and Allison from this evening. I love how little Allie gets around. She's got this little bear walk thing nailed, and she's quick too. I hear a rumor that there will be a Schmidt family blog coming soon! (We all knew Heather would cave into the peer pressure at some point) And so we all wait on the edge of our seats holding our breath for J.J. and Allison's home on the web! :)

He's Baaaack!

Aaron is back home today after spending the week with Dusty's parents. I'm sure that there was plenty of TV, candy, skateboarding, and other fun stuff that went on. There is a skatepark at the end of the block where Mema and Granddad live, so I'm sure there was a lot of skating going on. I know that he went fishing. He also came back with enough money to get the skateboard he's been wanting and saving for. Seems Granddad has been slipping out the cash. I need to figure out how to get him to slip me some! :)

Aaron and his friend Bryson who is spending the night tonight. The last Hurrah before Bryson gets his tonsils out on Monday.

What did you do this afternoon?

I edited photos while throwing back Diet Dr. Peppers. Not my favorite part of the whole photography thing, but has to be done. (The editing; not the Diet Dr. Pepper!)

I have to admit this photo is only a representation of my afternoon. In reality I didn't have an ounce of makeup on and was in an old t-shirt. But #1 - I didn't think you really wanted to see that. (You got enough of the "natural" look with Monday's video) and #2 I'm getting ready to go out with Dusty and I usually try to make the effort for him. :) After all this shouldn't shock you, I alter a lot of my photos. I'm actually a 5' 10", 120 lb. blonde! I just don't want to intimidate you with my stunning beauty! :)

Mmmmm

Coffee ice cream with Heath chunks from Cold Stone Creamery! Made better by the fact that it was enjoyed in the company of good friends.

Close-up shot, just for you, PEC!

My Grandpas

One of the good things about cramming so many things into a weekend trip to Illinois is you get to see a lot of people. I visited with both of my grandfathers on this trip. Both of my grandmothers have passed away, but I'm thankful that I can still visit with my grandfathers.

My Grandpa Lusk is 81 years old and is doing great. We had my aunt's 50th birthday party out at his house. He's a preacher and loves to tell people about Jesus!

My Grandpa Lynn is 91 years old. He had his private pilot's license and I like to go up in his plane with him when I was a kid. He told us some fun stories from when he was a kid. I really wish I would have flipped the camera over to video and recorded them.

Just a little fun

Sometimes it's good to find fun and humor in the little things. :)

Chillin' at the Lake

A quick recap of our day out at the lake with Dusty's family. A fun and relaxing day...the day before the water heater died! :)

I have nothing more to say

This running joke isn't funny anymore!

We're Baaaaaack!

Hello all my friends out there in bloggerland. We are back from an extended holiday weekend in Illinois. Hope you enjoyed the couple of posts that I typed and scheduled before I left to go to the "Land of No Internet" otherwise known as my in-law's home. But hey, you get a FABULOUS breakfast every morning, so you really don't notice the lack of computer. :) Here's the quick rundown of our activities

• Major Activities attended - 5

1. Family reunion
2. Picnic
3. Fourth of July Celebration with fireworks
4. Surprise 50th birthday party (For my aunt; not me!)
5. 15-year High School Reunion (For me)

• Bottles of Dimaggio's sauce bought and brought home - 4
• Bags of fireworks taken to Illinois - 1
• Bags of fireworks brought back to Indiana - 1 (Not enough time; will do them later)
• Kids left in Illinois - 1 (On purpose with his grandparents!)
• Pictures and video taken - Lost count
• Number of Heidi's grandpa's that she saw - Both of them :)
• Type of homemade ice cream eaten - Strawberry cheesecake and banana - YUM!!

Suffice it to say we had a great time and I have plenty of photos and video to share with you this week. We'll start it off with a 4th of July recap!

I Like the Pink

Thursday I treated myself to a pedicure and manicure. Actually Dusty treated me with the gift certificate he got me for my birthday last year. Just now got around to using it. After I got back Rachel asked for the "pink" on her fingers and toes all day long. "I want pink on my toes like you Mommy." It was cute. Now we are both decked out in the pink.

Tonight I'm headed off to my 15 year high school reunion. Not sure who I'll run into and I haven't really kept up with anyone from my high school class. It should be interesting. Hopefully I'll have some photos for you Sunday night. Happy weekend!

Happy 4th of July from the Hackney 4!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Have a fun and safe Independence Day!

Name in Lights - A tutorial

For a little fun with fireworks - Here's what you need: sparkler, tripod, camera that you can adjust the shutter speed, dumb luck

1. Set you camera on the tripod
2. Set camera to timer mode
3. Set shutter speed to stay open (approx. 5 seconds)
4. Light sparkler
5. Push shutter button
6. Wait for the timer to go off
7. Spell out name with sparkler
8. Using pure dumb luck have a firework go off behind you in a neighboring subdivision. :)
9. Hope it works
10. Flip the photo in Photoshop so the name is not backwards.

There you have it - now don't burn yourselves. :)

What!?!?!?!

I'm so glad that I have a camera to tote around in my purse at all times. Because now I can share great things like this with you. We found this wonderful little toy while cruising the local Wal-mart

I'm not kidding - Wind up Sushi!?!

They had several different versions of this and for 50 cents you could take one home with you. Better be really good boys and girl so Santa will bring you a wind-up Sushi this Christmas.

All I can say is - WHAT!?!?!?!?

Tell them what they've won!

Hello and welcome to "What died at the Hackney home today?" Yes, it's your favorite quiz show where you the contestant gets to guess - What died at the Hackney home today! We now take you to your host, Guy Smiley.

Welcome contestants! Today you get to guess: What died at the Hackney home today?

You may not use the following guesses as they have been the correct answer on previous shows:

• Riding lawn mower
• Heidi's car's air conditioner
• Dusty's truck's heater
• Dishwasher
• Freezer
• Water Softener
• Garbage Disposal
• Television Set
• Microwave

Now let's begin: What died at the Hackney home today? GO!

Ding! Time's up! Today's correct answer is: Heidi's car's battery
Yes, car battery is the correct answer

Bob, tell them what they've won!

Well Guy, today's winning contestants win........absolutely NOTHING

That's right the Hackney 4 can no longer afford to buy prizes as we have spent all of our money repairing and replacing our JUNK!

Thanks again and tune in next time for "What Died in the Hackney Household Today!"

Today's episode has been brought to you by Chase Bank.
Chase Bank...Where we'll keep your economic stimulus check safe for the 2.5 days it takes to spend it!