A New Addition...

So...WE ARE PREGNANT!!!!! We have been praying for a while for a new addition to our family and we are blessed to announce that we are 5.5 weeks pregnant! Tonight we told the kids and Riley blew us away with his response...he cried!! He told us he was crying because he is happy and not because he is upset ;-) (good to know!) I know we are really early in telling, but we feel that your support and prayers are so much more important than the possibility of something going wrong.

I'm sure I will be much better at blogging with more free time this fall as well as lots to blog about!!

My Babies?

Why can't our kids stay little forever?! Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed each stage that Brianna and Riley have gone through, but I have wondered lately: HOW DID THEY GET SO BIG! Just the other day, we went shopping for school supplies. It was so weird to be shopping for BOTH of them!!! Riley has really blossomed into quite the young man over the summer. I had heard that boys do a lot of changing the summer before heading to Kindergarten, and boy has he! I am so proud of the kind, sweet, and gentle guy he is and find such joy in watching him interact with other kids. He definitely has his "boy" moments of hitting, kicking, or a temper tantrums, but when it really comes down to it, I couldn't ask for a better son. Brianna is also growing up quite rapidly and continues to amaze us with her insights and smarts. Sometimes it feels like she is so much older than she really is...God has blessed her with such wisdom and and understanding that is beyond her 7.5 years. We have had such a wonderful summer as Mommy prepares for an empty nest in just 2 short weeks from now.

I pray that my (our) parenting to this point has nurtured a good student, a child who is respectful, a kind friend, and a caring/generous heart in each of our kids. Thank you LORD for wisdom and understanding even when we "epically fail" as parents.

Musings of a First Grader, Vol 1

(all entries are from one of her journals from school - no corrections or alterations have been made to her writing)

03-01-10

On the 12th of March is my mom's birthday. I don't know what we're doing for her birthday. But even though I don't know I want it to be a surprise. I want to get the most wonderful present I can think of! I am happy!

03-04-10

Once apon a time there was a beutiful little girl who had a nice family. They were not poor, they are a rich family. One day the little girl (named Krista) asked her mother if she could go pick some flowers. Then her mother said "yes." But the little girl didn't know what she would find. Then she made a friend with a bird. The End.

03-05-10

Once apon a time there was a charming prince who lived in a castle. He was so charming that all the maids would faint. Once day a mean witch locked a beutiful princess in a tower. She was so frightend that she cried. But then the prince busted through the window. Then they got married. Then they lived happily ever after.

03-08-10

Once upon a time there was a princess who was kidnapped. She didn't know what to do so she just started screaming "HELP!!!". Everyone from near and far couldn't hear her. But then a very nice dragon came swooping down and broke through the dungen window and she was saved.

03-12-10

Today is my mother's birthday! She is so lucky to have me as a dauter. I am so lucky to have her as a mom!

03-18-10

My mom planed today National Incredible Kids Day. She planed it because a friend of ours named Antie Aly is pregnit. I don't know if she is having a boy or a girl. (By the way she has been pregnit for 5 weeks.)

03-24-10

Tomorrow I am getting my spacers out! I am soooooooooooooo excited! Did I tell you that my spacers hurt my teeth? I can't wait! Horray! Yay! Whoohoo!

03-25-10

Today I am leaving early because I am going to the orthadonist to get a reanor and a lip-bumper. I can't wait to get my spacers out! My body is filled with excitement! Yay! My spacers really hurt. Good bye spacers!

Anyone Can Cook!!!

Like the great movie Ratatouille, we believe that our kids can, and should, know how to cook. Just think of it as my little gift to their future spouses! My parents had David and I in the kitchen early on in life and we even planned out meals and shopped for ingredients (with a pre-set budget!) once a week each. Maybe that was my mom's way of taking off from cooking twice a week! My little chefs love to get in the kitchen and help whenever they can. Brianna is now able to do some things at the stove!

On the menu, for these pictures, it Tater Tot Casserole!

My Friend

On today's date, March 12, you would think that I would be writing about my birthday... Instead, I am writing about a new beginning. Most of you know that my friend, Aly, has been on a long journey of becoming a mom. TODAY is the day she found out that she is pregnant!!! This woman has endured more heartache than most of us could ever handle and yet she remains steadfast in the arms of Christ. She has never wavered from holding onto the promise that HE cares for all the desires of her heart, including her most treasured one of wanting to be a mom. My heart is bursting with joy and tears continue to flow at hearing such tremendous news! God is so good!! I know that her pregnancy is only beginning, but I am holding onto a prayer that THIS is the baby she is meant to hold in her arms at full term and to watch them grow into adulthood. You are blessed among women Alyson Louise Steiner and your prayers have been answered! I love you dear friend!

The First Signs of Spring

As many of you know, we have had a rough winter here in Maryland. The snow was paralyzing for several weeks and there are effects still being felt (and snow still on the ground in some places!). Yesterday we had our first day of getting to 60 degrees! Poor Riley is still in his casts and was NOT HAPPY to not be able to ride his bike! The sun felt so warm and I think we all were a bit rejuvenated after being out for a couple of hours!

nothing says spring than dad & son playing catch!notice the flip flops ;-)

watchin' the boys

Riley and good friend Luke. Can anyone picture this as 2 grumpy old men in 70 years?!?!

Blizzard 2010: Take 2

Well, the snow seems to be finally over!! This go 'round we got about 20 inches, and some of the drifts are 5ft tall!!! Thankfully, the power remained on, so we stayed toasty warm while the winds howled outside. Today is beautiful, with sunny blue skies and above freezing temperatures. It was great to be able to get outside and play and use up some of the energy we have stored up from being cooped up for so long. It is going to take a very long time for all this to melt and in the meantime we will be dealing with a muddy, slushy mess and probably some flooding. This winter will definitely be one to remember and an adventure we, hopefully, won't have to go through again!

me and the kids trying to trudge through the snow to try sledding...it didn't work, the snow is way too deep!

the path to our front door! this is NOT piled up snow, but the height of how it fell!

beautiful icicles!! some of them got to about 3ft long!

Blizzard 2010

So... we used to like snow, maybe not so much now. Starting Friday afternoon, Feb 5, the snow began to accumulate. Luckily, we had made a couple of grocery store runs and had everything we needed to last us a few days. The weather reports were that we would have about 2ft much like the big snow we had right before Christmas. As the evening progressed toward morning, the totals were updated to 3ft. We lost power Saturday morning at 5:45am and would not get it back until Saturday night at about 10:30pm. We were very fortunate to get it back so quickly as so many of our friends waited until Monday for theirs to be back on. The snow finally stopped
falling Saturday evening at about dinner time! It was indeed about 3ft with drifts in some placed of 4 or 5ft. Below are some pictures...

Here we go...!!!

outside our front door

Brian was so AWESOME at staying ahead of the shoveling! A lot of people waited until it was over before they shoveled and had so much work to do and their cars were stuck (ours is in the garage!)

The 2 mounds are cars! The one in the back is a minivan...

It is finally over!

Sunday was so beautiful with a blue, sunny sky! This is our front yard!

Our neighbors are finally dug out!

Beautiful!!

I wish I could say that this is it for us, unfortunately, as I type this we are getting another 2ft of snowfall! I'm not sure how anyone functions with 5ft of snow in their yard...

2009...In Review

2009 started with a big move for our family. Brian was reassigned to Fort Meade, Maryland (20 min from Baltimore). We were sad to leave wonderful Alexandria, Virginia, but excited for our new adventure!! Brian was very much looking forward to his new teaching position!










Roxy was added to our family in Jan!! It took a while, but eventually she and Darby warmed up to each other.







With Spring, comes sports!! Brianna joined our Ft Meade soccer league and became the only female member (watch our boys!) of the Black Dragons!! Her coaches were awesome and really showed the kids how to not only play the game, but to be a family and bond as friends! Go Dragons!!








We are so thankful for the street we live on; it's like living on a cul-de-sac, but the street is straight instead of curved. The street goes no where so the only traffic is just from us 6 houses. The kids can ride their bikes and play in the street without us fearing any cars. Our neighbors are the best and you will find us all sitting outside, sipping our coffee, and watching the kids play during a good weather day!





Going camping has become a favorite of our family in the last couple of years. We all seem to equally love the outdoors and exploring new areas. We can't wait for warmer weather and the challenge of finding a new spot to camp!








My Buddy!!! We had such wonderful times together this last year while Brianna was in school. Next year he will be off to Kindergarten and I wanted to savor each moment of his last year home. This picture is from a farm that we go to sometimes to pick our own fruit and veggies. It's great for the kids to see where our food comes from and for us to spend time together.

He may have eaten more than he picked... :-)










Our cruise in August was a dream come true!! We were gone for 7 days, had an amazing balcony room, and enjoyed so many different ports of call. We are so thankful for that time we were able to spend together and reconnect as a couple!


While we were away, the kids played!! Our AMAZING friends added our 2 kiddos to their own 3. They offered and we accepted! Jeremy & Brenda you are the best and seeing you all made our dream vacation complete!








Happy 4th Birthday Riley!!! He asked for a "Bolt" themed cake for this special day. We had some friends over and played outside. It was a perfect summer day!




First day of 1st grade!! She is standing outside her school with good friend, Cody. Brianna has had a roller coaster of a first half of the year! Her regular teacher left to have her baby just 1 week after school started. Brianna has hung in there and flourished despite a sub-par substitute. Thankfully her teacher is back and the rest of the school year will be awesome!








This is a picture of Riley and his best friend Brooke on their first day of preschool! We were fortunate to find a church close by that offered a program for 4's. He is doing so great and really looks forward to it!










One day while Brianna was at school, I totally redid her room!! She had no idea that I was planning it and I had to get it all done in just one day (by myself!). What a difference just a bit of paint and moving furniture around can do! She received this desk and our old computer for her new "big girl" space!







Every once in a while being in the military has some perks. We were able to get free tickets to see the Washington Nationals play the Atlanta Braves! We rode the metro there, walked around the new park (only the 2nd season to be used), and even got to enjoy some hot dogs!! Our good friend and neighbor, Tabitha went with us and we had an awesome day!













Something new for Brian and I this year is that we are the leaders of our church's Jr High youth group. There was a need at out church to start a group for 6th-8th grade and we were called for it. They are named STATIC - Students Taking Action Together in Christ. The kids are all awesome!
This is a picture form our Fall Food Drive that we held on Oct 31. We had about 75 students and adults show up to help. The kids went door-to-door and collected more than 1000 food items!! Not one youth left this even unchanged...what an amazing night!


That's it for now!! I am going to leave December to its own blog!!

A New Year...

I was so great the first half of 2009 at posting blogs and keeping you all up to date on our family...the second half wasn't so good! In fact, I didn't post anything at all! My promise to you all in 2010 is that I will be much better at blogging and sharing pictures. I may never be as great as you, Aly, but I promise to strive toward that goal!!

Be watching for a 2009-In-Review Blog coming soon!