Schatz' Family Christmas

Each year the whole Schatz family gets together for a night of exchanging gifts and playing games. It's great fun for all.

Happy New Year's Eve - Baby Elsa Arrives!

What a great New Year's Eve surprise! Jess & Mike's baby arrived 5 weeks early. Precious Elsa is beautiful! We are SO happy that we were still in Ohio for her birth! Mommy and Daddy and Elsa are doing great.

New Year's Eve - Holiday Photos!

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas was a fun celebration. It was great to have Rachel.....clearly she didn't do much present opening, but as you can see.... she had plenty!



Here's our tree. It's a bit shabby this year since all our decor is packed away in the storage unit. But it's still pretty. Not having all our holiday decorations and such has helped us to remember that Christmas is not about presents and lights and trees. It's about Jesus - the Greatest Gift!

This is Eli - Rachel's FAVORITE Christmas present. (Thanks, Daddy!)

Grandma & Grandpa Schatz came over to Grandma & Grandpa Arntsen's for a yummy meal with friends and family.

Christmas Eve

We continued our annual tradition of spending Christmas Eve with our God-Daughter (Alison) and her family. She's a cutie!

Matching jammies for the girls!

Christmas Eve

My Little Charmin Bear

Don't squeeze the Charmin!

Our Christmas Tree

This year, we got our tree from a church on Erie Avenue. It was a really cold day, but Rachel managed to make it out with us for a minute.



But most of the time she and mommy were in the warm car.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Rachel met Santa today! How much fun!

December Highlghts

Rachel visited her friend Alison.


Snuggle bug... (how cute is it that her legs are crossed?)


Smile for mommy!


Smile for daddy, too!

The claw...grrr.

Guidance Performs

Guidance performed a new Christmas program this year. The girls were beautiful and amazing as always! This photo was taken at Covenant Way Church. We performed there on Sunday, December 7th.

Go Cats!

We took Rachel to her first Bearcats game. She loved it (and slept the whole time)!

Cutie pie

Our pure and beautiful treasure - a sign of God's promise!

Today we dedicated Rachel to the Lord. It was a great day as we celebrated her life and committed to raising her in a Christian home. We are so thankful and blessed to have Rachel in our family, and we are excited to see how the Lord works in her life as she grows up. It was great to have many friends and family at her dedication - it takes a community of people to shape the life of a child. We are so grateful for the wonderful friends and family that we have - all people who will love and care and pray for our sweet girl.

We spent a long time working on what our daughter's name would be. The combination of her names means: "our pure and beautiful treasure - a sign of God's promise". We are so blessed to have her and we hope that she is able to come to know the Lord early in her life.

Rachel = Innocence, Lamb of God, Lovely, Beautiful, Pure, Gentle
Elizabeth = Oath of God, God’s Promise, Consecrated to God
Schatz = Treasure, Darling, Prayer Leader

Proverbs 3:13-18
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

Guidance at Tri-County Mall

The day after Thanksgiving, Guidance dancers performed at Tri-County Mall.

Rebekah, Emily, Ashley, Megan, Katie, Emily, Ryan



Just showing our real personalities!

I'm a Little Turkey!

I'm a little turkey! Happy Thanksgiving!

Lunch with Grandpa!

We stopped for a quick bite with Grandpa and Uncle Dan. Yummy!

My First Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Jesus watch me through the night,
and keep me safe till morning's light.
Amen.

I'm Thankful for My Cousins

This year just before Thanksgiving, Rachel got to meet the rest of her Schatz cousins! Aunt Leah and Uncle Mark came to Cincinnati with their 4 girls.

Rachel (1 month) and Anna (12)


Rachel (1 month) and Kara (10)


Rachel (1 month) and Emma (6)


Rachel (1 month) and Ella (4 months)

Sarah with Rachel, Leah with Ella, and Betsy with Corinne

Grandma and all the girls!

The whole Schatz family!