Today

 

Step 1: Find Henry's favorite dog in his favorite place to play.

Step 2: Sigh

Step 3: Repeat 3 times "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Step 4: Hug Henry
Step 5: Lather, Rince, Repeat

Summer Fun

It's been a fun summer with the kids.  Admittedly, I had high ambitions for our sunny season.  Last summer we were at the hospital nearly all day, every day, so I was determined to enjoy all that this year had to offer.  Here's a glimpse of the fun we've had over the last couple months. 

Enjoying the lake.

Henry is climbing, and more recently walking, all over the place!

Claire loves to spot the butterflies whenever we drive past the Veteran's Home,

so we decided to take a walk there and see them up close.

Claire gives Henry a check up after a minor bout of the flu.

Claire proudly displays her 4th of July craft.

The library ran a program this summer where kids could read to a dog.  Both kids loved it!  And is it just me or is that dog smiling in the top right picture? 

Henry hanging out with second cousin, Nolan.

The first and last time Claire offered to change Henry's diaper.

Family date night in downtown Rockford.

Cuddling with Daddy.

Happy Henry!

Claire eating raw corn on the cob she grabbed off the kitchen counter.

Claire enjoys caring for her vegetables that she's growing in her greenhouse.  Now the trick will be to convince her to eat them!

Henry's first haircut. 

This picture captures well how he felt about the situation. 

   My baby growing before my very eyes!

Hope you all are enjoying your summer as well.  Sweater weather will be here before you know it, so get out and enjoy that summer sunshine while you can!

My Messy Life

Before I had children I expected that a stay-at-home mother should have the cleanest house on the block.  I mean, you're home all day with the kids.  You have all the time in the world to clean, right?

Well, after three years of life at home with the kids, I just need to vent that it is nearly impossible to keep our house clean.  Especially when the weather doesn't allow for much outdoor play, it seems my days are spent trying to keep our home from drowning in a perpetual wave of toys and clutter. 

Our kids are cute, but they are chaos in motion.

Henry is the cupboard king. 

He loves getting into the cupboards, especially those he's not supposed to be in.

Claire, in the background, is "baking a cake". 

She loves to get water from the sink and concoct her own recipes.

Part of the problem is that Claire doesn't see a mess.  She sees art.

And for Henry, a clean room is a blank canvas. 

He doesn't see a mess.  He sees endless entertainment.

And then we have the problem of what I consider to be well-intentioned messiness.

Claire shows off the "make-up" she put on with markers all by herself.

And, of course, her fingernail and toenail polish.

Here she colored me a picture on the bathroom door.  I couldn't possibly get upset, though, because she was so proud and said it was a Mother's Day gift for me. 

Well, it's the thought that counts, even if it's 3 months late.

This, however, was the final straw.  After Claire's naptime art explosion, all markers were placed out of reach, only to be used under adult supervision.

Truthfully, I'd never trade my kids for a clean and clutter-free home.  They can be a lot of work, but at the end of the day, I go into their bedrooms and peek in on them while they sleep. And I am reminded once again of how much I love them.

Yeah, they're totally worth it! 

P.S. From Paul

A couple weeks ago I recounted our trip to CA to visit our friend Paul.  We tried to savor the time we had with him since it's much too infrequently that we see him.  We arrived home early Friday morning and tried to sink back into our daily schedule.  Well Tuesday afternoon rolled along, and we were outside with the kids when we received a call from Paul.  He asked how our trip went, how it felt to be home, even what the weather was like when all of a sudden we saw his familiar station wagon pull around the corner.  Surprise!  He had driven across the country to spend some time in MI before heading for OR to finish hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  Not exactly a direct route, but well worth the detour.   

Our kids adore their fun-loving "Uncle Pauly".

Hanging out at the lake.

Paul keeps Claire company as she was down and out with a fever.  We later found out she was struggling with a Urinary Tract Infection, but is doing much better.

"The gang"all together for an evening of fun and reminiscing.

From left to right :: Joe and Henry, Casey, John, Paul

These guys have been best buddies since elementary school.

Claire enjoyed the boat ride despite feeling pretty crummy.

Sharing Henry's sippy cup with Laura's baby.

Henry with Casey and Laura

Paul playing with Claire

Oh the fun!

Buddies

Couldn't help but catch this moment - I think they're

texting each other!  Crazy kids!

Could they get any more cozy on that couch?

Thanks, Paul, for your fabulous surprise!  You just stop by any time you're driving through the neighborhood.  Our door is always open!

Isaiah 62:5

                                                                                                                 ( July 2012)  

Has it really been five years?

Five years ago today, we were kids.

                                                                                      (July 2007)

Five years ago today, we entered into covenant.

Five years ago today was the best day of my life.

"And as a Bridegroom rejoices over his Bride,

so the Almighty will rejoice over you."

Happy Anniversary Bride. I love you.

CA Trip, Part 4

Our final vacation destination was a magical town

we've been wanting to visit for years...Kyburz, CA.

Okay...Kyburz was not really our next stop. 

We were driving through and had to admire this sign that read "Welcome to Kyburz...Now leaving Kyburz".  Here Joe and I were passing through the town. 

 

Really our next stop was the beautiful Lake Tahoe. 

We parked the car and set out to walk to the water's edge.  On the way, we also wanted to find the lighthouse we had seens signs posted for.  We found it, but it wasn't quite what we had expected it to be. 

Here it is - the Lake Tahoe lighthouse.  I suppose they don't need such a glamerous lighthouse for such a small lake, but still, it could use a bit of sprucing up.

Beautiful.

That is one 'lucky duck'.

Coming back from our hike, we found Paul's car parked between these two beasts.  Hard to believe four adults have been riding around in that tiny car all week! 

Back in town, the boys spotted the perfect dinner location.

They both bought the "Wildman Burger" - possibly the largest burger known to man.  I've never seen them look so happy.

For much of the trip, we struggled to get a strong phone signal.  Here's a picture of Joe trying to find a better connection so we could say goodnight to the kids.  This was for me, the most difficult part of the trip - never knowing when we'd be able to speak with the kids.  As a stay-at-home mom, I rarely have a chance to miss my kids, so this vacation filled my quota for the year.

Working off that Wildman

After an exciting game of Ping Pong, Paul headed out to do some overnight exploring while Joe and I stayed in town.  Joe and I had such a great time on our extended date night.  I love spending time with him; we always have so much fun no matter what we do.   

Monday night we walked around Heavenly, Lake Tahoe. 

 It was beautiful, and we had a blast! 

And of course, what's a date night without Joe beating me at mini golf.

Hey, they had a windmill!

The next morning we were on a mission.  We knew there was one thing we definitely needed to try while we had the chance:

This picture of Joe and I is a gift for my siblings. 

They recently took a survey among our extended family as to which of the "Sternberg Couples" would most likely ride a tandum bike, and yours truly won by an overwhelming majority.  And after actually trying the tandum bike, we're not afraid to admit that we really did enjoy it.  Yes, I guess we really are that couple! 

We then went for a ride in the gondola, overlooking the lake.

After a perfect extended date with my Hubby, we met back up with Paul and started back towards his home in Palmdale, CA.

We did stop along the way to see a few sites, including this lake, though I was more interested  in the rock to my right that looked freakishly like a lizard.

The next morning we left for LAX and made the long trip home.  It was a great vacation, filled with more memories than I could possibly share on our blog.  Thanks for bearing with me as I shared about our adventures. 

It's good to be home.  If nothing else, vacations are great for reminding me how much I love our kids and our life at home!  Though a great vacation is definitely the cherry on top.