A Group Of Stahrs

25 Jun 2013

Ten On Tuesday

1. The packers packed our house in one day. I was impressed with their speed but after getting things unpacked here in Utah, I am not impressed with their packing skills. Things were actually just dumped into boxes. Things were broken. One of my cake plates didn’t even make it into a box. So I am not happy with the packing skills of our moving company.

2. Since they packed our house in a day, Jeremiah was able to join the kids, Pop Pop, and I to our trip to the zoo. I have to say that I miss the zoo already. It’s a fun zoo and it never got old. We also drove to the shrine so we could look out over our city one last time…

3. While the movers were packing our things into their truck, Pop Pop and I took the kids to the Garden of the Gods. We had so much fun exploring, waiting out a thunderstorm, and exploring some more.

4. We also took the cog rail to the top of Pikes Peak. The last time we tried, we never made it to the top due to the snow. We made it this time. And the kids were prepared with their binoculars to see all the things from the train! Since two out of three kids (and maybe a parent, not going to confirm or deny if it was me) fell asleep on the way back down the mountain, I call it a successful outing.

5. And so we say, “see ya” to our house in Colorado.

I may or may not have cried myself to sleep the night before driving. This was the hardest move.

6. We drove 5 1/2 hours to Rawlins, WY to stop for the night. With 3 adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs driving a very loaded down Durango with a trailer and a very loaded down civic, we decided to split up our drive. We really had no idea what to expect with the dogs on such a long drive. It worked out better this way.

7. We drove another 4 1/2 hours to our new home in Utah. Our house is great. We have a lot of room. We did downsize a bit since there is no basement but we’ve made it work. The house is attached to another house. So each unit is 2 houses but we really do not hear the other family at all. Our house was updated before we moved in with new carpet and paint.

8. We have never lived on base housing before. It’s been quite an experience so far. Like it feels like a commune in a way. The kids run free and play where they want. While I am not opposed to kids coming to our house to play, I’m a little concerned that they can walk around the housing area without supervision but Mazie can’t babysit her little brother in the privacy of our own home. But the dogs have to be in their kennels while we are not home. The rules are a little weird. However, Jeremiah texting he is on his way home and is home in 5 minutes is nice. And he gets to come home for lunch every day if he wants. And forgetting to pick up something for supper and running to the commissary that is 1 1/2 miles away (closer than it’s ever been) is convenient. So we’ll see how this works.

9. One thing that kind of rubs me the wrong way is that no other child can be present at another’s doctor visit. I’m not sure what I will do when they are sick enough to need an appointment and can’t go to school and Jeremiah is on a trip. That should be fun to work out. As far as I know, that is only a rule here. I’ve never heard of that at any of our other bases.

10. So I will have pictures of the house on here soon. While I worked at lightning speed to get the furniture placed and the big things were they needed to be so we could live comfortably, I am still working on putting my touches here and there. Curtains and pictures still need to be hung and the kids need a break for doing absolutely nothing. So they will be here as soon as I can get them here! More on base living another day.

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in Random and tagged moving, Tuesday

04 Jun 2013

Ten On Tuesday

1. While in Pennsylvania in May, I took some pictures of my nephew and his wife. I was so excited with how they turned out. I wanted to wait until they were able to see them before posting some here. Here are a few of my faves…

Kelsey has a gorgeous smile (and everything else is gorgeous too but you can’t help but smile when she smiles). And then there’s Jonathon. He’s my oldest nephew. I’m pretty proud to say that he is my nephew and that he married such a great lady. I’m not even sure what they were laughing at in this next picture but it makes my heart swell to see it…They had some inside joke, just between the two of them. It reminds me of Jeremiah and I. Every time he wants to make me smile or laugh, he knows just what to say. No one else would think his joke is funny but me and that’s the funny part. It’s our little secret. I told Jonathon to pick Kelsey up and kiss her. He didn’t even hesitate. And he did it with such ease, of course. I tried not to puke in my mouth from all the love…hard for an Auntie to watch…But they do love each other. Very much. It’s nice to see how much they adore each other. Thanks for letting me take some pictures of you two!

2. Ring dance was last week. It was my third time going to it. Jeremiah had it easy. He gets to wear the same thing and he still looks handsome. I ordered a dress on Amazon and when it arrived, it was not the correct size. So I sent it back and had to scramble to find another. And since I had to scramble, I had to go with a dress that was way out of my comfort zone. But I guess it’s not too bad for almost 14 years of marriage and 15 years from the original ring dance…

Thanks for watching the kids for us again, Dad. I know they had fun!

3. Jeremiah had his change of command ceremony last week.

I think we did a collective sigh when it was over. No more “buzz, buzz” from the blackberry in the middle of the night. YAY!

4. This is what you do after giving back command…

It was well-earned.

5. Jacob had a playdate with his little girlfriend to say goodbye…

I love that he blushed for the picture.

6. The girls had their besties over today. No pictures for the cool kids apparently. I mean, really, what tween will let their parent take a picture? And what 9-year-old doesn’t follow their big sister?

7. We did get to relax from all the packing. We did a few ‘smores over the fire pit…

I’m so glad my kids are still fond of each other.

8. Sunday we started to pack the things we are moving ourselves. It broke my heart to pull down all the pictures. Those who have been here know I proudly display my family/friends and there were a lot of pictures. Jeremiah spent most of today loading the Uhaul. It’s almost full and we still have things to put in there. I hope we do not exceed the weight limit!

9. The kids helped a little throughout the last few days putting things into boxes and getting this ready for movers to handle. Jacob was saying “see ya later” to some of his friends…

10. The movers arrive tomorrow with 5 people to pack our things. We were allotted 2 days for the packing and one day to load the truck to pull it out. But the lady who scheduled us said they would probably be finished packing our things in one day. Friday they drive away. *sigh*

Posted in Adventures, Random

28 May 2013

End Of School

Friday was the last day of school. The kids were so sad that school was ending. I received a text from Mazie stating, “I’m coming. No more Skyview. BOO!”

But before school started, we snapped a few pictures to compare to the first day of school.

Mazie, since she leaves the house at 7:15 to get to school on time, was first…

You can go here to see her first day…

And then Jamie was ready first so we got her next…

And then Jacob…

You can go here to see their first day.

We have loved the elementary and middle school here. They kids have made some really great friends and the teachers just rocked. I can’t say that I’m not excited about the new school in Utah. Honestly, the kids are excited about it too. The class sizes are almost half the size of what they are used to. For me it’s the fact that they are all in the same building, starting and stopping at the same time. Middle school is on the top level and elementary is on the bottom. Plus every Friday they are dismissed a little earlier than their normal school days!

So until the next start of the year…Yay for summer!

Posted in Kids and tagged end of school

26 May 2013

The Graduation

On Tuesday, May 21, the kindergarten class had a music/promotion ceremony. It was at the end of the school day and Jacob was just so excited about the whole thing. He went to bed Monday night stating “After tomorrow, I will be a first grader”. *Sigh* This year has gone by so fast. And he has enjoyed every bit of kindergarten.

He even wanted to wear a button shirt for his special day. Those who know Jacob know how big that is. He also decided he was going to wear slacks instead of jeans and his “date shoes”! So he went to school dressed rather handsome and we joined him in the afternoon for his promotion ceremony.

When the curtain opened the kids were under strict instruction to not wave at their parents because they were big kids now and big kids don’t do that. Maybe 2 or 3 kids actually waved! Jacob just gave me a big smile.

The kids performed a few songs based on nursery rhymes with a bit of a twist. For example one of their songs was titled “Gettin’ Down with Mama Goose”. They were jammin’ and singing their hearts out. It was a great music program!

Then came the promotion part. There are four kindergarten classes. Jacob’s class was the last to call their students for their certificates. The teachers also went in alphabetical order. Jacob’s class was last to go and he happens to be the last name in the class. So he was the last student called to accept his certificate. Don’t worry about Jacob’s self-esteem. He was cheering (loudly) for all his friends in his class and since he was last got a big round of applause from all the parents.

It actually fit that Jacob was called last. It was like it was supposed to be that way. He certainly didn’t mind!

The next day several people (including a couple of teachers) mentioned about how great Jacob was cheering on his friends. I just smiled and said, “yep, that’s my son!”

We were able to get a picture of Jacob and his teacher (who taught her last year this year). We hope you have a fabulous retirement, Mrs. Walker!

So now it’s official. No more kindergarteners in this house. Sniff, sniff. Man, it’s hard growing up! We love you , Little Man!!

Posted in Adventures, Kids and tagged Jacob, kindergarten graduation

20 May 2013

The Wedding

On May 11, my nephew, Joey married his lovely girlfriend, Jenny. They asked me to make their wedding cake. So we went to Pennsylvania for a quick (and very busy) weekend trip. The church was decorated…

and the sound man was doing his thing…

My littles dressed in their wedding best…

and us grownups too…(thanks Josh for snapping one of us)

The wedding began and this is what happened to my nephew when he saw his bride turn the corner to walk down the aisle…

My very favorite part of the whole ceremony was when they were reciting their vows. They were holding hands and swaying while they were saying them. It was pretty cute. And there was the kiss too..

The only thing I asked for was that they let me take a picture of them with the cake. And they obliged…

You can read about the cake and all the fun that went into that on the cake site. We are so very happy for you Joey and Jenny! Welcome to the crazy!

Posted in Adventures, Family and tagged Joey's wedding

16 May 2013

Events

This month is turning out to be crazier than last month! So here are a few of the things we’ve been busy with over the last few weeks. First, Landsharks. Jamie and Jacob ran the track series this year. They had a blast!

Jacob ran the 400 meter. I asked him why he kept turning his head when he passed someone. He told me he said, “Sorry I passed you.” So every time he passes another kid, he apologized. I told him he didn’t have to do that next time. Here he is coming around the last corner…

and then to the finish. His only goal was to not be last and he wasn’t!

Jamie was going to run the mile but fell on the track during warm ups and skinned her knee pretty badly. So instead she ran the 800. She was happy doing this distance. Here she is running her first lap…

and then coming in to finish. Again she just didn’t want to be last and she wasn’t. Coach even finished it with her for support…

Their second meet was sprint night. Jacob and Jamie were running at the same time but in different distances and there was no way to get pictures of both. They had a blast with Landsharks. I hope we can do something like it when we move!

Next up, music. First Mazie had her final band concert. I am so impressed with the band. The woodwinds practice at a different time than the brass/drums. They only play together on the concert night. They really sounded good! The sixth graders setting up their stands and music and Mazie notices that my camera is shooting…

With the them from StarWars, Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven, and Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water on the program, it was really something to see and hear.

Jamie also had a concert. Her final choir concert was amazing. We were jammin’ out to Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life and songs from the ’80s like We Are The World. Jamie has really enjoyed choir. These kids sang their hearts out and had a blast doing so.

You can really tell when a teacher enjoys his/her job. The kids enjoy learning more from that teacher. I know Mazie and Jamie have done better in school because of these teachers.

Lastly, SkySox. While the event wasn’t the actual baseball game, it did take place at a SkySox game. Jeremiah’s Group One going away party was fun. We walked to the SkySox game and had dinner with the other AOCs/AMTs of Squadrons 1-10. With 5 AOCs and the Group commander leaving, they decided to do a low-key type going away. Each AOC received a guidon from their squadron from the group…

Jeremiah also received a gift from his AMT, Mason. A straight jacket so he doesn’t forget that they have had dealings with all the mental facilities in Denver and Colorado Springs! It’s a pretty cool gift…

And don’t think that this means we are slowing down. There are lots more things going on the rest of this month and we were at a very special wedding last weekend but that needs its own post. So until next time…

Posted in Adventures, Kids

30 Apr 2013

1 Comment

Ten on Tuesday: Jamie’s Birthday

1. Today Jamie turned 9 years old! Can you believe it? Me neither.

2. Friday, since there was a teacher work day and the kids had off, we had Jamie’s sleepover party. I limited the guest list to 4 friends. It all worked out and the girls had fun.

3. We sang to the birthday girl…

4. There was some crafting in jammies. The girls made masks…

I love that last picture. Jacob photobombed because he wanted a picture with the girls. Who can blame him? It’s gotta be hard to be at a girly party and not be able to join in.

5. He had two favorites and requested a picture. How could I refuse…My little playboy…Look at his proud face!

6. On Sunday, Jamie and Dad had their annual date. They went to Fargo’s. According to Dad, Jamie said she would not do this after her 14th birthday. I said we would have a chat about that.

7. We did a little photo shoot in honor of the 9th birthday.

I asked her to make a silly face…

and she thought it was hilarious…

8. Tonight we had spaghetti and meatballs, which she ordered for supper. Then we did cake with Skype…

9. We went onto the presents she decided to save for today. She only wanted to open her friends’ gifts at her party. She said she wanted to save the “special” presents for her real birthday. She was genuinely grateful for everything…

10. Happy Birthday, Jamie Bo! We love you so much.

Posted in birthdays and tagged Jamie

24 Apr 2013

1 Comment

Catch Up

Before the big 9th celebration festivities begin this weekend, I figured I should catch up on what’s been going on around here. Let’s begin with Jamie’s big third grade music program. Jamie was so excited about it. She was a narrator which meant she had to speak a part into the microphone in front of the entire audience. Those of you who know Jamie understand what a big deal this is for her. And she was awesome, if I do say so myself.

She was also part of a dance in one of the songs…

It really was a fabulous program.

Jamie shined like the little Stahr she is and I beamed with pride. I love that she tried out for that narrator part and did well. She amazes me every day.

Next up, was Jacob’s big art project. The art teacher at school was able to submit 3 works of art per grade to the District 49 art show. Jacob’s was one of them. And so his artwork went on display downtown at the Penrose library. We took a little trip there this weekend to see it displayed with all the others. He was a little proud of his art…

So “The Elephant”, as he titled it, was displayed in the library on the green wall, of all places. That impressed the boy since it is his favorite color! The security guard came over after I snapped this picture and asked if I was allowed to use my camera. Apparently when you take pictures of your kid with their artwork you have to get permission first. Who knew? I promised to not take anymore as we walked around to look at the rest of the art.

We went to our first SkySox baseball game of the season. Not really to watch the game but to hear a really great choir sing the National Anthem…

Jamie’s choir, Ursa Minor, sang their little hearts out and did a fantastic job. It was such a nice day that we stayed for a little of the game and then walked the 10 minutes home.

Tonight was STEAM night at school. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Music. The school combined the science fair displays with the Art/Music night. So we went to see Jamie’s science fair project on display in the library…

The fourth and fifth graders had their projects on display in the gym where art work from each student was on display as well. Jacob picked his out right away…

And Jamie found hers too…

I love seeing all the art and listening to music played by students while we walked around. It’s a pretty cool thing the school does each year.

Not to leave Mazie out, she had her first honor society meeting last week. She volunteered to help set up at the school carnival that was held last weekend. She has to volunteer a total of 15 hours to get her membership card. Do you remember the model house she worked on over Spring break? She brought it home today with a big fat 100% on it. She was pretty pleased with that for her grade!

With all that out of the way, bring on the 9th birthday sleepover…God help us!

Posted in Kids, Random

09 Apr 2013

1 Comment

Ten on Tuesday

1. Jacob’s birthday party went on without a hitch, aside from the small snow storm we got the night before. But he definitely enjoyed being center of attention with a few of his classmates and his sisters.

2. He kind of likes when we sing to him.

3. He opted for a party at Ariel’s Gymnastics for his big sixth celebration…

4. Details on his cake can be found at the Cake Site. Jacob was pretty specific this year!

5. Spring break is two weeks long here in District 49. Monday was their first day back and they are off today due to a crazy Spring blizzard that isn’t really amounting to much around here. We have a little snow (like an inch) blowing around with this insanely crazy wind but labeling it a blizzard, isn’t’ quite right.

6. What did we do over the two weeks? Well, besides the boy turning 6 and having a celebration, Gramma visited. We took her to the zoo and enjoyed our day…

7. We also had Easter, which was played way down this year being so close to the boy’s birthday. The kids were pleased with going outside to hunt eggs in their jammies.

8. The kids enjoyed a game or two while Gramma was visiting. Maxine really enjoyed playing twister, although I don’t think she really understood the rules…

9. Mazie had a project for her algebra II class. She had to make a model of a house. The measurements had to be to scale and it needed to be painted. She had to use all her knowledge of angles and measurements to do the project. She worked really hard on it and it turned out beautifully! She was happy to hand it in yesterday.

10. Jamie did her experiment for her STEM fair project. Her and Dad worked on popping popcorn. Her experiment was to show which way of popping popcorn worked best. She used the stove top, a pop corn machine, and the microwave. The popcorn machine worked the best by popping all the kernels! She was so surprised since she thought the microwave would work best. But she had fun making popcorn three different ways and then being able to eat it!

She still has to finish her board but we are waiting for her pictures to put it all together. This is her first official STEM fair project. So she’s exited about it being on display in the school library in a few weeks.

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in birthdays, Family, Holidays, Kids, Random and tagged birthday party, Easter, projects, Zoo

26 Mar 2013

4 Comments

#6

Did you know that today was our very last 6th birthday bash? Well, it was. And did you know that there was a certain boy who was all over turning 6 today? Well, he was. In fact, he was so excited about turning 6 that he came downstairs just before 8am to see if there would be a visible change from 8am to 8:01am (his birth minute).

Well, there wasn’t but he said he felt older, nonetheless! Dad had to take the birthday boy for a hair cut this morning. I mean, he had to look great for our big date tonight! When he told the hair cut lady that it was his birthday and that he had to go buy flowers for Mom for his date, the lady decided to give him a little gift (a pencil pouch with goodies inside) and send him on his way. After lunch, he decided to open his birthday presents. So after a photobomb from dad…

and a photo of him posing like the “woman in art class” (meaning Mona Lisa)…

he got right to it…

He was very happy with the things he received. It was soon time for our date. Since we were ready a bit earlier than planned, he agreed to a little photo shoot.

When I asked him to pose like I feel. This is what I got…

I wasn’t sad. A little sentimental, yes. But not sad. I did not feel the need to cry all day! Then he suggested this…

And this is what I felt like…

No, really, I didn’t but he is my baby. I did feel like running to my bedroom and pouting today, maybe just one time. 😉

What’s so big about turning six? In this house, you get to start chewing gum! Jacob’s choice for his first piece? Root beer flavored sugarless gum…

It was a hit!

For about 5 minutes and then he was tired of chewing it and spit it out. But he told me that when he is in his 20s and not living with me anymore, he can chew gum any time he wants to without asking! Ok, buddy.

It was time for our date finally. Jacob rang the doorbell and handed me flowers and even gave me a kiss!

I know the photo is blurry but I love, love, love it. I love how he has his hands in his pockets, how he let me kiss him for the flowers, how he blushed when I thanked him for the flowers, how his has his “date” shoes on, all of it. We went to Olive Garden for our date. He held my hand to cross the parking lot because “a gentleman helps a lady cross the street” and held the door for me to enter first.

When we finished our date and arrived home, he was ready for his cake. So we sang and so did he…