A Group Of Stahrs

27 Jul 2012

Pennsylvania

Since yesterday marked one week until school starts, I figured it was high time to share our summer memories. So I’ll begin with our trip to visit family in Pennsylvania at the beginning of June. We went in and out of Pittsburg so we could celebrate my favorite niece’s third birthday. She was so happy to see the kids! They all hid from her so that she had to find them when she got home from school.

After she found each of the kids and hugged them, we had a little celebration of the family band. Even Pop Pop got involved…Then we headed out to Chuck E. Cheese and the kids were in heaven. While Chloe made sure the mouse himself stayed a good distance away, they all had fun with the games and the celebration…

This girl is serious about her ice cream! The next day we joined Chloe for her official birthday party. The kids played happily in the yard like they hadn’t been apart for six months! We all had a great time. Even Jeremiah and I were able to get into the pictures…

Then we all sang to Chloe once again and she opened her gifts…

She’s a ham, isn’t she? But she’s cute anyway!

We then made the drive to Pop Pop’s house to visit the rest of the fam. At Pop Pop’s house we made homemade ice cream and relaxed…

We also ventured to the park and met up with new cousins!

There was some lettin’ loose too. Jacob is always the entertainer…We also visited Stahr Mam where she put the kids to work…working out or working in the yard…

So there you have it…our trip to Pennsylvania. It was a fun trip!

Posted in Adventures, Family and tagged vacation

26 Jun 2012

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Ten On Tuesday

1. Today Jacob was reading his Brain Box cards on animals (each card give information about different animals such as how they live, what they eat, etc). He came across the Southern Elephant Seal which told him they live in a harem. When I vaguely explained what a harem was he said, “Oh they kind of live like we do when Daddy is at work. You know, there are two girl dogs and three women and I’m the man.” After catching my breath, I said that it wasn’t quite like that and said that “the man” was kind of the husband to all the ladies. He said that he couldn’t wait to get a harem of his own then.

2. Yep, that’s the stuff that I’m dealing with when it comes to my five-year old boy.

3. Mazie and Jamie are, for the most part, enjoying playing so far this summer. We are on our fifth week of summer break. I’d say that’s a new record for them not being completely sick of each other!

4. The basic arrive at the Air Force Academy on Thursday. Yep, that means, Jeremiah’s not really going to be around much for the rest of the summer.

5. Like Friday, he goes in to work around 6 in the evening and won’t be home until close to midnight on Saturday!

6. So I’m hoping that Mazie and Jamie can keep playing nicely so my world doesn’t completely crumble because no one can get along and there is nothing to do.

7. I still have to post about our little trip to Pennsylvania at the beginning of the month. I’m hoping to do that later this week. I still have a few pictures to edit.

8. I would really love to go to the beach with the family, just to have fun in the sand. Not a big trip anywhere and not for anything special. Just some fun in the sun. That’s funny since I’m not really a beach person. I do love my mountains.

9. Speaking of my mountains, they are burning. It’s in the Waldo Canyon area. Manitou Springs was evacuated on Sunday and then were allowed to go back. There were many other areas evacuated and some more put on “get ready” status. More than 3500 acres are already burned and the fire is only 5% contained. Officials are expecting about that many more acres are to burn before they can get it under control. You know it’s bad when we can see the plume of smoke constantly and smell the smoke when playing outside. We are praying for the firefighters and the families.

10. The Little Gym is taking donations for snacks for the firefighters and such who are working so hard to get the fire under control. If you are in the are, you can drop of snack items at The Little Gym off Tutt Blvd anytime this week. They will make sure it gets to Care and Share!

Posted in Random

22 Jun 2012

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Jacob’s Day

Did you know that we are officially finished with paying for preschool? Yep, that’s the good part of this particular milestone. Jacob graduated from preschool! While there was no official ceremony for his class they did get little certificates of completion and the teachers were happy to take a picture with the boy…Then Jacob yelled, “Funny face, now” and they obliged…Jacob also graduated from his Little Gym class. We say graduated because he isn’t continuing on when school starts in August. So his class put on a show for the parents.

There were some pretty cool moves. Then it was on to the medals… We are so proud of him having so much fun with preschool and The Little Gym. He’s come a long way from the beginning of the year. Jacob is so excited about kindergarten!

Posted in Kids and tagged Jacob

20 Jun 2012

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Wednesdays with Jamie

Jamie had the best year for second grade. She loved that her Kindergarten teacher was also her second grade teacher. She was so happy to be with her best friend. She really came out of her shell a little more this year. Here she is at the start of the year in August…And here she is at the end of the year in May…I see the maturity in her face has changed but still there is the sweetness that I’m pretty sure will stay forever. We are so proud of this one with all she has done this year in spite of her shyness. She is so excited about third grade! I just like hearing her be happy about school.

Posted in Kids and tagged Jamie

19 Jun 2012

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Ten on Tuesday: Father’s Day edition

1. On Father’s Day, the kids woke up wishing dad a happy day. It was a lovely, sunny day.

2. The kids went right into gift giving mode. Jamie went first with all her handmade things…thanks to Highlights magazine!

3. Jacob went second and felt the need to “explain” everything he made. It didn’t stop him from give big hugs and kisses though…

4. Mazie made cards in every color of the rainbow and was pretty crafty with the things she made too.

5. Then they gave him the “paid for” gifts. A bunch of new summer clothes. They each had their own requests and insisted on everything being blue. I did sneak in a red or green item but listened to what they wanted.

6. My new favorite picture of my favorite people…

7. After we skyped with Pop Pop and called Pappy John, we took our bikes to the park and some playtime. Then Dad set up the tent.

8. Yep, the kids and Dad spent the night in the tent in the back yard while the (much smarter) parent spent the night in her big comfy bed.

9. Do you see the dog in the picture? That’s Sadie. We are in a trial period with her to see if she will join our family. She’s a great dog. A little aggressive toward Maxine but mostly we are all getting along.

10. The kids are pretty fond of their dad. I have to say that I’m pretty pleased with him too. Happy Father’s Day!

Posted in Holidays, Kids and tagged Father's Day

18 Jun 2012

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Mazie Monday

Mazie graduated from the 5th grade and is enjoying her summer before starting middle school.There I said it. It’s out there now making it very real. It’s taken me a while to come up with the words for this post. It’s a milestone no one warns you about. It creeps up on you and then you are it in the face with it. While I am extremely proud of Mazie for enjoying elementary school and doing so well in her classes, I was not prepared for the emotion of her going onto middle school.

On a beautiful May morning, Odyssey Elementary held a graduation ceremony for their nearly 90 5th graders. The principal handed each student their certificate with came with a lovely photo of the student in a cap and gown in a leather cover.Each 5th grade teacher called their students up one at a time for their diplomas. Mazie’s class was last, making them the “best class”. Mazie was pretty proud of herself…The Mom, Dad, and Pop Pop-erazzi were pretty proud of her too. Then the teachers went onto the awards. They gave awards for the top students in each class who scored the highest scores in the Scantron testing for math, language arts, science, and reading. We had no idea Mazie was receiving an award. She found out and didn’t tell us. She got the highest score in her class for language arts!I was so surprised and this is where I almost lost my control. But I didn’t cry. I was so proud of her as she was for herself. Then they marched back out of the auditorium and went to the cafeteria for a little reception.

And that was the end. She was officially finished with her elementary education. And Mazie became an official 6th grader ready for middle school.Yep, that’s right…ready for middle school.

We are so very proud of you, Mazie Moo!

Posted in Kids and tagged graduation, Mazie

12 Jun 2012

Ten On Tuesday

1. On May 10, my computer decided to not turn on for me. Turns out my hard drive didn’t want to cooperate with my less-than-one-year-old-computer. So after getting my computer back with a new hard drive, I am now waiting for my old hard drive to be recovered which may take another few weeks. Yay me!

2. Does anyone know of a computer (or hard drive) that actually lasts?

3. So you’ll have to be patient with me. I do plan to catch up from all the May things that happened. It was an incredibly busy month for us here in the Stahr house.

4. I’m going to start here with a few things. First, Pop Pop came to visit (for most of the month of May) and we (especially this busy mama) were so happy!5. Mother’s Day was in there. If you are friends with Jeremiah on facebook, you may have seen the gorgeous roses the kids got for me. They were red for Mazie’s birthstone, white for Jamie’s, and blue for Jacob’s. They were lovely…and I never took a picture. I also got a gift card for a spa day with the girls. We are going to do that on Monday! I also got a lot of handmade things from the kids. I love handmade things. Oh and this was after a solo run so no comments on the sweat, please. 😉

6. Both of the girls were in choir again this semester. They worked very hard and the program was amazing. There were some mad moves, too.

7. Jeremiah and I went to Ring Dance. After 14 years of going the first time as his fiance, I went this time as the AOC’s wife! We had fun.

8. I also joined Jeremiah for the commissioning ceremony for his firsties. It was set up so much better than when Jeremiah got his 2nd lieutenant boards. It was a pretty cool night! This was the picture one of his cadets took of us. Jeremiah’s two AMTs and wife along with the two of us. Blurry but you can still see who is who. 9. We also went to the USAFA graduation. First, we sponsored a cadet who graduated (we are so proud of you Erin!). Second, the kids knew most of the cadets who were graduating out of dad’s squadron. Third, President Obama was speaking and the girls were particularly excited about this one. It was an interesting day!

10. That’s all I have for now. More to come and I promise to not let the cobwebs back in here!

Posted in Random

07 May 2012

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Landsharks

Landsharks started just after Spring Break and all three kids wanted to sign up. Their first meet was April 22. Jacob ran the 400 meter at 2 minutes 53 seconds. Jamie ran 800 meters at 4 minutes 31 seconds. Mazie ran the mile at 9 minutes and 8 seconds. They were presented with ribbons after their races. In fact, because Jacob wasn’t first he thought he wasn’t supposed to take one. We went back over to his coach and she explained the every finisher gets a ribbon and that he didn’t have to be first. He was pretty pleased with that…And since it was such a nice afternoon, they decided to relax outside…Meet number 2 was on April 29 and was their sprint night. They ran two sprints each. Jacob ran the 50 meter and the 200 meter. While running the 50 meter, he put his hands out behind him as he was running. He told me later that it was helping him go faster like he was Super Man. It was pretty funny. He did the 200 meter in 1 minute 13 seconds. Jamie also ran the 50 meter and 200 meter. She did the 200 in 53 seconds! Mazie did the 100 meter and the 400 meter. She ran the 400 in 1 minute 55 seconds. I was impressed with all of them! They were given ribbons again after their last sprint…Their final meet was on May 6. This meet was a repeat of the first meet. So Jacob ran 400 meters and he did so in 2 minutes 45 seconds. Jamie did 800 meters in 4 minutes 41 seconds. Mazie did the mile again and did it in 9 minutes 13 seconds. Mazie was a little upset that she didn’t beat her first week’s time. I asked what her goal was for each race and she said that it was to not be last (which was the goal for all three of them for all three meets). During all three meets, none of them finished last. At the end of this meet, the kids received medals…

I have to say I was greatly impressed with all the kids. Jamie had done this last Spring but she challenged herself by running the 800 meter instead of the 400 meter. Mazie had never showed interest before. She wanted to try it and instead of trying the 800 meter run, she opted for the full mile. And, then there’s Jacob. I’m pretty sure he only wanted to do it because the girls were but when he was practicing and running the meets it was clear that he was truly having a good time. They all ran each meet. There was no walking. They met their goals and didn’t give up. And they had fun.

Today, after school, the coach had a practice party. There were treats and games. The coach gave out certificates and charms…The kids were pretty happy with themselves and their certificates. And I am one proud mama!

Posted in Adventures, Kids and tagged landsharks

30 Apr 2012

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Turning Eight

Today Jamie turned 8. We had her party last weekend. She opted for a spa party at The Castle House Spa, which if you know Jamie you know that this is way girly for her. So we ventured to the Castle…for some major girly pampering where Jamie was treated like a princess…There was lemonade and cookies while the girls soaked their feet in a Japanese foot soak…mini facials…nail painting…and a paraffin wax hand dip

The girls all sang to Jamie and she blew out her candles on her princess cake and then she opened presentsShe was happy and so were the rest of the pampered girls!

Jamie and Dad had their annual date to Fargo’s. Dad picked her up with pretty purple and white flowers…She had a great time as usual and was happy to have dad’s undivided attention! We celebrated her birthday with a small family party yesterday. She had her start cake

and opened all her presents.We celebrated yesterday since Dad had a work dinner for tonight and wouldn’t be home after school. But today was still very special for Jamie. The school gives birthday ribbons to the birthday kids so she had that on all day. Plus Jacob and I joined Jamie for lunch today which was fun for both kids! We also took Jamie’s birthday treat to her class. She ordered up mint chocolate truffles that looked like lady bugs. I think they turned out pretty cute…According to Jamie some of her friends asked for the recipe which is funny since they are all 7 or 8! When Jamie got home from school and finished her homework, she helped make her birthday dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. While we were doing this she told me that she got the best present ever for her birthday today. She got an award for writing a story for the Young Authors. She gets to meet Joan Musick and have a story that she wrote all by herself in a book with other students’ stories. She remembered Mazie receiving this when she was in Kindergarten. So she was pretty tickled with herself and I was pretty proud of her. She decided that Pop Pop gets to join her for the little party the school is having for all the young authors in the school.

At bedtime tonight she said it was a pretty awesome birthday and that turning 8 was fun. I’d have to agree with her! Happy Birthday, Jamie Bo.

Posted in birthdays and tagged Jamie

26 Apr 2012

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Easter

Easter was almost a month ago but I posting about our day anyway…

The kids woke to baskets of goodies on the table…complete with a note from The Easter Bunny stating that he tried to hide the eggs but Jumpy (the resident squirrel) wouldn’t let the eggs alone…Seriously, look at this egg. He took it right up to the tree, opened it, and ate all the M & Ms inside!

The kids were pretty tickled by the note, even when Mazie noticed that Peter’s writing is very similar to Santa’s…I guess I have to work on the notes ;-). They waited patiently for Dad to hide the eggs and then they went for it…Even Maxine helped to find eggs…After they were finished checking out their new loot,they stayed still for a family photo…you can see the parents in the glass door…