2010 Was a Great Year for Us

2010 has now come and gone. Reflecting over the last year, it was a great year for us! We started the year in our new house. We have slowly made modifications to the house to suit our taste. Little changes, but they made a huge difference for us! We changed out the chandeliers in the dinning room and the kitchen, we added lights over and under our kitchen cabinets, and Richard built me new pantry shelves in the laundry room! We have enjoyed our first year in our new neighborhood and have made lots of new friends. The boys learned to swim this summer in the neighborhood pools! I joined not 1 but 2 bunko groups and enjoy getting to know the ladies each month. We also have enjoyed entertaining more in our new house. I've started cooking more, and it is so fun to have friends over for dinner!

John started Kindergarten in 2010. He loves going to Lakeshore and loves his teacher Ms Hostick! I can only hope that Robby has her next year. She is patient, full of energy and very creative! I'm amazed how much John has learned already and he is starting to learn to read. We read each night before bed, and John is reading more and more of the stories. We are thankful for the new books the boys received for Christmas; they give us a new supply of stories to learn!

Medical wise, it was a fairly quiet year for us. I've continued my IV treatments every 5 weeks, but they go on without excitement. We don't know how long I will continue the treatments. I'm thankful for a doctor that works it all out with my insurance company. Richard did get a defibrillator inserted for his heart back in February. He has an enlarged heart that medication wasn't impacting, so the doctors wanted this done just in case his heart stopped. Richard was also tested for sleep apnea (I could have told the doctors that he had it!) and was tested positive. We are now waiting word from the doctor regarding his new c-pap machine to sleep under. We think being treated for the sleep apnea could have a positive effect on his heart, but only time will tell.

The boys started playing sports this year. In the fall, they both played soccer. We enjoyed watching them in the games which are very comical at this age! John also started basketball for the winter sports season. He is very good at basketball! The team is still learning the basics of the game, like teamwork, but they have come a long way in just a few weeks. So far, they are undefeated! Robby participates in a basketball clinic each week. They divide the 3 and 4 year olds into groups and then rotate to different stations. One station, they work on defense, another dribbling, and another shooting baskets, and so forth. It's been a great way to let Robby participate, but learn about the game. We didn't think that he was ready for a team game, so this was perfect for him.

I started a Biggest Loser competition with my sister and brother. Congratulations to Sean for winning our 1st season! While I came in last place, I did loose about 20 pounds. I've also changed a lot of habits, like cooking better for my family. I started walking each morning. While my exercise has curbed off due to the weather, my sister is smart and got me a new walking video to use inside! I promise to pick it back up! After all, season 2 is just around the corner!

On a more personal note, 2010 brought my biological father back into my life after 30 years. We spoke only a few times before he died, but I'm glad to have the few times. We knew that he was sick, but I don't think anyone knew just how sick he was. Sean, Tracy and I flew up to Philadelphia for his funeral. We finally got to meet our Uncle, Aunt, and cousins for the first time! I was very happy to spend time getting to know our family better! We also got to do a little site seeing in Philadelphia before we headed home. It was fun to see where our country's government began and even the Liberty Bell! I can't wait to take my boys back there some day! And of course, everyone is welcomed to come to Texas for a visit!

I know that 2011 holds further excitement for our family! I thank God for his blessing over our little family! I also pray for His blessings over your family! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cranberry Relish

Today, as I prepare for Thanksgiving, I've decided to make my cranberry relish and can it for the first time. Generally, when eating cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving meal, a little dab goes a long way! So, when making my relish from 1 bag of cranberries, I always wind up freezing half of it for Christmas. This works well, but with all of our canning fruits this past summer, it donned it me that the cranberry relish could be canned too! It turns out beautiful and I think it would make a perfect gift!

Cranberry Relish with Pineapple and Pecans

3/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
Dash of ground Cloves
1 - 12oz package of Cranberries
1 - 20oz can of Crushed Pineapple
1/2 cup toasted chopped Pecans

Toast pecan pieces on a shallow baking sheet at 300 degrees stirring occasionally, until you can smell the pecans from the oven. Set pecans aside to cool. Strain crushed pineapple. Add the juice to a medium sauce pan, and set the pineapple aside.

Add sugar and spices to sauce pan, stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until cranberries pop. Remove from heat and add crushed pineapple and pecans. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

You will love how good this smells! Enjoy for the holidays!

Soccer Otherwise Known as Swarmball

The boys have really enjoyed playing soccer this fall for the first time ever! Really, it's just Swarmball as 5 members from each team go after the ball all over the field. They just travel in a pack and kick the ball together. The goal is just to break out of the swarm and score! It is very exciting when it actually happens since everyone works so hard! :)

Robby's team is made up of 3 and 4 year olds, so some games are filled with a lot of tears and temper tantrums. Robby enjoys playing though and he really likes to be the goalie. Mommy would prefer that he is out there running as much as possible since he seems to have a lot of energy that needs to be used up.


John's team is just 5 year olds. John is really good at running and kicking the ball hard to clear the swarm. John scored a goal on his first game, but hasn't scored any others since. However, today, he had 2 assists in goals, so he was just as happy! We have really been encouraging teamwork with John since he really likes to do too much on his own.


I've enjoyed being a soccer mom! We have 2 more weeks and then it will be basketball season. I think we will just sign up John for basketball and let Robby wait until next year. We'll see how that goes; Robby may have a different opinion since he thinks he can do everything that John can!

Wow! It's been almost a year!

I can't believe that it has been almost a year since I wrote anything. I guess I've been a little overwhelmed that I don't really really want to concentrate on anything in particular to write.

My brother and sister and I have started a Biggest Losers competition between the 3 of us. I'm not winning right now, but I have at least made progress. I've made progress in cooking and in exercising. I've got the boys eating vegetables instead of just fruit! I've been walking almost every morning...early in the morning! Getting up at 5 AM wouldn't normally be ideal for me since I really like to sleep in, but in the morning is when my feet feel at their best instead of all swollen at night. One thing about walking that early is that it is before others get up...it's quiet and, finally, cool! I put my music on and walk...not thinking about anything else...which is relief! At work it is go, go, go and home I'm cooking dinner and we then have to get after homework! Fit in soccer practice and an evening at church, and we have a very full week.

After we make some further progress, I'd like to get new family pictures taken. I'm proud of my family and I'd like to show off the new us.

Man, was this post random or what!?

Christmas Eve Part 2

After enjoying a good meal and good conversation, it was (finally, according to the boys) time to open presents! John and Robby donned the Santa hats and passed out presents. This is a pretty challenging feat for two little boys that don't know how to read! There was a lot of pointing and shouting to get everything in the right place!

John opening his favorite helicopter!

Robby concentrating opening his present, that's why his tongue is hanging out. He loved his present too!

Daddy helping his boys get everything opened! (And maybe playing a little too!)

Richard and I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Mommy sneaking a Christmas Eve kiss on Daddy!

A special thank you to Becky (Aunt Buckee), Ann and Lisa for making this a very special evening for our family. We had a terrific time! The boys were passed out on the way home ready for Santa to come in the morning!

Christmas Eve

Those in my family that still live in the Houston area met over at my sister Becky's house to celebrate Christmas Eve together. We planned a big meal and had lots of presents to open. Before we ate, and before it got dark, Tommy, Becky's friend, had gotten all of the kids and teenage boys new Nerf guns. So the big gun fight pursued! The rules were that they had to go outside and the big boys couldn't hit the little boys. It was a very windy day, but that didn't seem to matter!

Robby heading outside for some of the fun!

Richard got a hold of one of the boy's guns! Everyone got in on the fun!

New House

We moved in November, right at Thanksgiving to be exact. We love our new house, but we are still trying to get unpacked. It is awful to have to move during the holidays, but the last time we moved it was July! Nobody should move in Texas during the summertime! The weather was nice, but a little cool.





We finally have a contract on our other house! We are supposed to close on January 28th. We are asking for prayers that close goes through as planned! We will have to take the time to say good bye to our other house. We will always have great memories from the other house, but ultimately it was just too far to drive to work! After my illness last year, it was very important to cut out stress where we could. Cutting my 50 mile, one direction, commute in half certainly cuts my stress!

Lots of Projects

I'm in the middle of a lot of projects right now. We bought a new house in November and moved over Thanksgiving weekend. I'm still missing items though! One of the big things that I'm missing is my Photopass CD from Disney which has pictures from our trip to Walt Disney World that we took in September. Of course, these aren't just any pictures, these are the pictures that have most of the character visits and the family pictures at each of the park entrances.

Until I find the CD, I've been working on the Christmas pictures. I hope that you will be patient with me as I update the blog over the next couple of days. I see lots of new posts in the very near future!

Happy New Year to all of my friends and family!

Easter in Tyler

We went to Tyler to my parent's house for Easter this year. Usually we don't travel on Easter, but with so much of my family up there this year, it seemed silly to not take use of the long weekend to travel. We had a family lunch on Saturday since the weather was going to be bad on Sunday (rainy and cooler). Afterwards, my teenage nephews were great sports and hid all of the eggs for the little boys. They did a great job! I think everyone had fun watching my boys hunt eggs. I think little kids add so much to family holidays!

And they're off!




Robby thought he was so clever putting his basket down to gather eggs. He was very proud of himself!








Showing off their finds!




Next, Aunt Becky introduced the boys to confetti eggs. John didn't like the mess ( my type A child who doesn't like his hair messed up), but Robby thought it was hysterically funny!


Robby was laughing so hard that he was crying! He just kept hitting his forehead over and over again breaking each egg and laughing harder and harder!


John stayed by Mommy and just watched the fun that Robby was having.


Look at all the cars that Easter bunny brought!


First family picture with our new dog! This is in my parents' front yard.

Christmas Pictures

So those of you who thought that I forgot to post pictures from Christmas, well here you go. You see, I didn't forget; we just didn't take very many...more like 2. I know, I know...bad mommy. I didn't take any because, Aunt Tracy came to celebrate Christmas with us, and she took lots of pictures! Check out her blog! There is even a video of Robby!

Carnival at the Rodeo

After we finished the pony rides and Robby somewhat calmed down, we went to ride another "horse" on the carousel. They had a good time. However, Robby threw another fit when it was over. We were beginning to wonder if this was going to happen every time!






After taking a water break and letting Robby calm down, John convinced Daddy that he really wanted to go down the long slide! So, John got a sack and climbed the stairs all by himself. Daddy went up with Robby. Here they are climbing up the long stairs!


Here they are at the top of the slide. John is at the top of the yellow slide and Robby and Daddy are at the top of the pink slide.


They came down so fast that I totally missed the picture! :) They were all smiles at the bottom.

Then the boys rode this ride all by themselves. The ride's arms took the boys high and low. They had a great time.

The last thing we rode was the Ferris wheel. The loading and unloading process was a little scary for Mommy, but the boys had no fear! Once the ride got moving it was a lot of fun.

We ate a funnel cake and then headed to the car. The boys had a great day of "firsts". We will come back to the Rodeo on the last weekend. We figure we may let the boys ride a few rides again, but we will take the boys to enjoy the rodeo part and may enjoy part of the concert if they make it that far.

Pony Ride at the Rodeo

When we finished with the petting zoo we went outside to see what else we could get into! To our surprise, both boys really wanted to ride the ponies! Robby, of course, loves animals; see post below. John, however, is a little more cautious when it comes to live animals.

They very patiently waited in the long line with Daddy until their turn finally came! They had the biggest smile on their faces the entire ride!


John's pony was named Tex.


Robby's pony was named Twinkle. He called her "Winkle".

When the man took Robby down at the end of ride, Robby told him, "I not finished." And then proceeded to throw a typical Robby tantrum because he didn't get his way. We quickly moved on to the next ride! More on that later!

Petting Farm at the Rodeo

After visiting Agventure at the Rodeo, we let the boys go into the Petty Farm. We didn't buy any food since, well, we didn't trust the boys. It was a good thing too since we spent most of the time trying to make sure Robby didn't kiss the animals.

Robby loves animals. He is always kissing the TV when he sees a dog or a reindeer or something else "cute". Now he kisses on GiGi all the time and I guess he could kiss these animals too.

Here is Robby trying to kiss the pig here!


Say Cheese! John and Robby standing next to a very pregnant goat.


Robby trying to kiss a goat.


John petting the pig.

Robby trying to kiss a deer.

As far as I'm aware of, Robby was never successful in his kissing attempts! We used a lot of Purell and wipies once we left though!

John Deere Tractors

We took the boys to the rodeo today for the first time today. They had so much fun climbing in each of the tractors.

We went around to each of the exhibits in Agventure. They got to pet rabbits, see baby chickens, baby goats, and lots of cows! We also saw a few very large pigs! It is amazing what they have set up for kids...and it is a lot of fun for adults too!

She has Eyes!

My sister asked if Gigi has eyes. Well, of course she does! Here is our pretty girl once she finally got her hair cut and trimmed up! Her little pink bow lasted a couple of days, but Daddy suggested we get her a clip with a bow so we can fix it better. The groomer left the hair on top of her head a little longer so we could keep the bow in easier.

The boys have decided that they "love" Gigi so we should keep her. She has been a great new addition to the family!

Gigi

We got a new Yorkie this week. She is a year old and a pure bred. She was left as an outside dog for the last year. We took her to the vet this week and other than an ear infection she was in pretty good condition. She will go to the groomer this week.

These pictures don't show her good personality, but it does show her pretty colors! She is a good girl and the boys are very glad that she's ours!

My Funny Boys

I'm always telling people how funny my boys are, but I can't always come up with the things that they say. So, I've decided that I need to start writing about them in my blog.

John is so smart, but it always comes out in the strangest ways! Tonight, we were pulling into the parking lot at Arby's for dinner. All of sudden, John yells out, "Park it Daddy!" Mind you, we have never heard him use this phrase before!

The other night, I was trying to open Robby's sippy cup to add more milk for dinner. John asked what I was doing when he saw me struggling to get the lid off (my fingers were actually cramping up from the grip). Out of the blue, John yells out "Go, go Mommy!" He is such an encourager. I started laughing and got out a new cup.

One night this week, the boys were in their playroom having a good time. John comes running down the hallway shouting, "Mommy! Mommy! Robby's poopy!" then he starts to gag! Yes, he is just like his father! I look up and Robby is standing in the playroom doorway saying, "I not poop-py!" He was; he just didn't want to stop playing to get changed. John couldn't look at Robby without gagging until I finished getting him changed!

It is never boring at the Steadman House!

Children's Program at Church

Robby and John were able to participate in the children's Christmas program at church. The church used the little kids to be part of the nativity scene in the program. Robby was a cow, and John was a camel. I think they were the cutest animals ever!