2016 Recap

What a year 2016 has been. While I'm not sad to see it go, there have been many ups (and downs) along the way. Here's a little recap of everything that happened to this Schackmann family this year.

The beginning of the year started out with a nice reunion with an old friend from high school. Let's not go five years without seeing each other again, Brit!

I also became a Catholic this year!

Eric and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary with a fallen tree in our yard, and an extra one that had to be taken down as well. 

My sister-in-law Erin got engaged to Taylor and I was able to hide in the bushes and capture it all!

Eric and I went to Cincinnati to visit James while he was working there this summer. We enjoyed lots of yummy food, beer (for James and Eric) and a nice Reds game.

We found out we were expecting Baby #2 right before the fourth of July. 

We got to be a part of Eric's sister Nichole's wedding to Connor. So fun!

Our foreign exchange student (from when James was still in high school) came back for another visit. We took a mini vacay to the Smokey Mountains. This was basically the view from our cabin! I'm so glad we were able to go before that horrible fire took many homes, businesses, and trees later that fall. 

My photography business really took off this year! I had Eric's talented cousin Ashley design my marketing materials and logo. I got my very own website up and running (shameless plug! www.sharonschackmannphotography.com). In addition to family photos, I now offer both newborn and senior portraits. And while Eric was remodeling one of the barns on our property, we used one of the rooms to make me my very own studio! I'll be posting pictures of the studio sometime in January.

And while I'm talking about remodeling the barn, I should probably throw in a semi-updated picture of what it is looking like. I've slacked on keeping you all updated on the happenings of the barn remodel lately, but if you have Eric on Snapchat he's keeping you all plenty updated :) All new wiring, level walls and ceiling, new windows, sealed doors, tin on the ceiling and wainscoting, wood look paneling, and polyurethane on all the original oak and you have something that looks something like this! He's pretty proud of the barn, and I don't blame him.

While Eric and I were hoping that this pregnancy would result in a baby we would be taking home, we were met with some terrible news. Our daughter, Madison, was diagnosed with Anencephaly, a fatal birth defect. If she survives birth, she won't live long after she's born.

This year marked Ian's second angel-versary. It's so hard to believe that he's been gone for two years now. Here I am with the quilt I made for the special baby born on his birthday this year, which I found out was a beautiful baby girl!

We had a wonderful Christmas with both of our families. But one of my favorite moments of Christmas was seeing this tree that was put up at my mother-in-law Theresa's office. One of her coworkers decorated this beautiful tree with lots of teddy bears right at the entrance to their building, with this special bear that signified that it was put up in honor of Madison. How neat is that!

We ended the year celebrating Madison with a 3D ultrasound. The long drive and cost of the elective ultrasound was beyond worth it to capture a picture of her chubby cheeks and adorable little smile. I will cherish this picture forever. No matter the circumstance, how can you not choose life after seeing a picture like this?

After we got back from the ultrasound we hurried and got ready for maternity pictures. I was all sorts of flustered and kept feeling like I was forgetting things, but I LOVE what my best friend Kendra was able to capture. I don't think there's a picture that better describes our relationship than this one. And I absolutely can't wait to see the rest of them!

I don't know what to think about 2017 arriving tomorrow. I'm so excited that we will get to finally meet Madison, but I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye to her. Please pray for strength for us as we approach that time. Then not to mention all of the babies that will be born this year to family and friends. While I'm honestly over the moon excited about each and every one of those babies' births, it doesn't ease the sting each time one will be born. Hopefully 2017 will also bring good news of a healthy baby for our family. We would definitely appreciate all of the prayers for that one! I hope you all have had a great 2016, and even if it wasn't so great, I hope that you are able to find the good that did happen throughout the year. And may 2017 be a fabulous year for us all!

Barn Remodel Update 2

Whew, it's been a while! I thought it would be a good time to update everyone on the progress being made in the barn.

Last update, I showed you the stairs that they put in. Here's a shot of the storage closet under the stairs.

And here's what the stairs look like from the hayloft now! They've insulated the walls and hung up the paneling. It will still get a wainscoat of tin (I think). The opening on the right is the small storage closet up here.  

I'm finally helping! I've kinda been slacking in the help department, but they've been doing a lot of cutting and the dust and my asthma don't mix. I'm excited I can finally help out by staining and putting polyurethane on the paneling. 

And here's Theresa and Eric working on the doors! They are staining a wood grain to a metal door. It is actually really cool and I'm excited to see what they look like finished. 

That's all for now! I'll keep you updated as we keep working!

Barn Remodel

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! Eric's been a busy bee working on the barn, more on that soon, and I've been busy with my photography business, so I guess you could say things are going well.

Eric and I had this crazy idea to remodel one of the barns on our property, and I have to say we are going to have the coolest barn on the block! Eric and his dad and mom have done most of the work, with a little help from my dad and myself (my asthma plus all that dust is not a good combination). Eric's uncle Mike has also helped, and was a huge help in putting in the staircase! We still have a long way to go- some of the bricks are cracked and need replaced, and a footing and surrounding concrete need replaced on the East wall. But, it has come a long, LONG way since they started.

Here's some pictures of the progress being made:

Before.

Dan putting up studs to make a wall, closing off the door. 

Stair case is up! Yay for no more climbing up a ladder and opening a hatch to get to the hayloft.

 

Here's the view facing the same East wall as the first picture.

Looking down the stairs from the hayloft, before the walls were put up to enclose the staircase.

And here's a view from the hayloft. You can see the wall studs that enclose the staircase. Eric is inside the storage area they built in the empty space above the stair opening. 

And a little before and after of where the bathroom will be!

Those wall studs will enclose the bathroom and then a small storage closet.

In addition to all the awesome things already done, everything has brand new wiring and outlets. All the interior walls that don't touch the brick exterior of the barn are studded and insulated. And almost everywhere has light fixtures in place. I'll keep updating as we get farther and farther along!