The Start of Summer Vacation

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 11:39 pm on Wednesday, June 8, 2011

May 25 – June 6 – Vacation to WA

Day 1 Home Summer Break – 6/7
Slept in after getting home at midnight from WA
11 a.m. Swim Team
Scavanged for Lunch (no groceries after being gone) – Pesto Pasta & Canned Peaches
Afternoon – Laundry, kids played in the sprinkler
Ryan & Matt Guitar
I made Fish, Rice & Mixed Veggies
Went to a swim team meeting
Went to a parish Ed meeting
Bed Time

Day 2 Summer Break 6/8 – Christian’s B-day & our Anniversary
Annika was up all night with a UTI – finally at 4 a.m. she fell asleep in our bed
We slept until 9
Showered
Opened B-day Presents
Ran & got prescription for A
Monicals, ate & played at the park
Library
Cleaned/Vacuumed Car
Picked up a DQ Cake
Came home & ate it
Napped / kids played
Swim Team
Southside Dinner
Worked in the garden, kids watched a movie
Bed
Work for me

 

The rule is no video games or TV (unless they earn it…) after 9:30 a.m.  So far, so good! 

Life Updates – March 2011

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 11:43 pm on Sunday, March 27, 2011

2011 02 22 Rebel 018Annika Currently loves jewelry!

Here are the current life updates!

First off – we are freezing!  It got warm for about a week – 68-72 highs, it was beautiful, it was lovely, it felt so good… It was a total tease!  The last 4-5 days and as far as the forecast can see – we have high’s in the upper 30’s and low 40’s.  We even had a little trace of snow!  We are so ready for spring!  I’m itching to go camping!  I think we are going to head out Easter Sunday – Monday.  Not sure where yet.  Our 1 year warranty on our trailer ends in May, so I want to get out a couples times before that to see how it weathered the winter. 

Speaking of cold weather… we pretty much froze our tails off Sat. at Christian and Dane’s soccer games!  38 is too cold to play soccer!

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     BRRRRRRR!

 

 

 

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                  BRRRRRR!

 

 

 

 

 

2011 03 27 rebel 001Annika is keeping us busy – she says more and more each day.  Once she is really talking I have a feeling she isn’t going to be quiet very often – she has a lot to say!  Last Sat. as we were enjoying our lunch at a restaurant she climbed up in my lap and proceeded to throw-up all over me.  Oh the joys of parenthood!  Thankfully no one else got sick.  Last week one day she took a 4 hour nap.  She ended up peeing the bed and felt bad, so I told her it was okay, we’ll just change your sheets.  All was well until the following day when she climbed into her bed, sat there, peed, and said “oh, oh, new sheets, peed bed”.  UMMMM Yeah…  I don’t think she will be doing that again soon – she got one of her first spankings from mom for that one!  The next didn’t take a nap at all…  She played the whole time she was in there.  Today all was well, she napped and stayed dry.

 

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We had a nice short visit from Grandmom and Granddad (Nancy’s parents)

on the 18th – 19th.

Unfortunately, I was super busy with school stuff (we had a fundraiser that night) so I didn’t get a very long visit in; but it was so nice to see them, and that they took the time to stop by on their road trip!  Our kids LOVED having them visit! 

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Ryan has been keeping super busy.  He is still a part of Scholastic Bowl – for a couple more weeks.  (He says he is not going to do it next year, but it was good for him to give it a try!)  We just finished up his first research paper on President William Henry Harrison.  I say WE because I put in many hours with him!  Hopefully the next go around will be a bit easier for him as he learns the process.  He also just joined track, which he seems to really be enjoying.  Basically with his activities he has something going on every day except Sundays.  Matt have been and will continue to be doing a lot of splitting up this spring as Ryan goes one direction and Christian and Dane go to soccer. 

 

The kids just got done with Talent Fest at school too last Tue.  Ryan played his guitar – “Here Comes the Sun”, Christian turned in his Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Car, a clay monkey, and a bridge built with those colorful packing peanut things that are sold to make things – nuudles or something like that.  Dane turned in a picture he colored and a couple clay sculptures. 

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Christian is enjoying soccer, and food!  He has been our big eater lately!  He continues to go to his Dyslexia Therapy each week, and his teacher says she is beginning to notice some improvement in his oral reading, so that is GREAT news!  We are proud of him for continuing to try so hard! 

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Dane is still loving school!  He is really starting to read and write!  I love watching him enjoy life.  He rarely likes eating meat, but recently has discovered he LOVES Meatloaf!  I can’t believe he is going to be 6 1/2 in 5 days!  WOW!  I guess that means Annika is going to be 2 1/2 too in a couple weeks! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a new Sunday Tradition.  A couple weeks ago I made Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for lunch and we had popcorn and homemade ice-cream for dinner.  The kids have now decided that is what they want EVERY Sunday.  So we are starting a new Sunday tradition!

 

We finally made some summer plans!  We were so up in the air about when and how we were getting to WA.  LOTS of variables, that I won’t go into since this post is already really long.  Anyway, we finally decided to fly and I found  a pretty good deal on tickets and a rental car!  YEA!  So we are leaving May 25th and returning home June 6th. 

Can’t wait!

 

C-

“Super Girl”

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 12:41 pm on Monday, March 7, 2011

He calls her “Super Girl”, She calls him “D”.  He will literally do anything for her – they are the best of friends…

(and apparently he likes those pajamas a lot…)

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Things I am Excited About

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 10:45 pm on Saturday, March 5, 2011

- A friend is going to start watching Annika for me on Tue & Thur mornings so I can get some work done without feeling guilty – which will lead to better play time with Annika on the other days of the week! 

- A photography class I just signed up for.  A friend from school is also a professional photographer, and she is teaching a class starting March 24th for 6 weeks – can’t wait!

- Spring will be here soon!  Soccer, Track, Spring Flowers, Garden planning & planting – all coming super soon!

- A shopping trip to the outlet mall sometime soon!

 

And I leave you with this:  (happy memories from Disney!)

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First Haircut

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 12:02 am on Saturday, March 5, 2011

Annika is 28 months old.  Today she had her FIRST haircut.  Matt was not at all fond of the idea, but I snuck her out.  I actually was just going to make her an appointment when I stopped into the salon after having breakfast with some friends.  But things worked out… My hair lady was busy, but another lady had a few free moments.  So we decided to do it right then and there. 

Before:

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During:

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After:

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The stylist thought maybe we should do a bob; but then I wouldn’t be able to put it up into a pony tail, and I most certainly would have been in the dog house.  Then they suggested that maybe if I brought her in each week and just took another inch off – he wouldn’t notice.  ha ha  We’ll just keep it like this for awhile, but I definitely think it looks much better!  It looks healthy instead of scraggly now!  We saved the curls in an envelope, and Matt took it better than I was expecting. 

 

C-

Feeling the Demands of Ministry

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 9:14 am on Thursday, March 3, 2011

- 4 weeks of work with ONE Day off (cancelling my plans 3 Saturdays in a row – I am supposed to be able to make plans on Sat. it is SUPPOSED to be a day off)

- Out until 3:30 a.m. with a family that is experiencing a death (problem being that there was no cell service, so I had no idea if he was dead on the side of the road or WHERE he was… – he left at 6:30 p.m.) 

- A Council that has not been very supportive the last couple of months

- Taking Annika to the bathroom during church, only to find poop EVERYWHERE – entire floor, toilet, garbage can, sink…(from an elderly adult)  Clean-up left to me (& Annika – picture “no, no, no!!! don’t touch!)

- Trying to keep 4 kids quiet and seemingly behaved by myself in church each Sunday

- Lent approaching which means an even busier schedule

- When our family is having a crisis, if a call comes in, it is left in my hands so Matt can leave to help another family in crisis – leaving our family on the back burner. 

 

Ministry has just been a bit hard lately!  But no one said it would be easy!  We press on…

 

C-

Disney World Pictures

Filed under: Daily Life — Christine at 11:47 pm on Monday, January 10, 2011

I put all the Disney World pictures on Facebook.  You can see them here:  http://www.facebook.com/ChristineSteendahl#!/album.php?aid=274267&id=798527170 

If you’re not a friend of mine on FB yet, you will have to request that first.   I’ll try to put a few favorites on here eventually, but LOTS are on FB.  (it is just so fast and easy that way!)

C-

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