Soccer

Mya had another great season in soccer this year at the Vandalia Rec Center. Her team, the Red Stars, went undefeated into the tournament. The first round of the tournament was a great game that went into overtime and we ended up winning 1-0. The Championship game was less exciting, but we did win, giving the girls a perfect season! Mya was so excited to bring home two trophies; one for League Champions and another for Tournament Champions. She's already looking forward to next year; we are too; most parents don't say this, but we're hoping Mya gets a loss next year - 3 seasons of soccer and a perfect record. Honestly, she needs to know the feeling of loss in order to appreciate the game entirely.

Mya was also chosen to play in the All-Star Game along with 3 other players from her team. Once again, her team won. It was a lot of fun to watch the best players from all of the teams go at it. We are so proud of her!



Disneyworld

Disenyworld was a great trip. The kids had a great time on the rides and meeting the characters. We only had 4 days but they were jam-packed and fun-filled! The weather was great and the longest we waited for any ride was only 20 minutes. If we ever go back it will be at the same time, you can't beat 5 minutes waits or riding a ride over and over again!

Noah, Chloe, Mya & Miranda

We were able to do a Grand Gathering while we were at Disney because we had 8 peope in our party. It all started with a tour of the Animal Kingdom Safari after closing hours. The Lion was out and all of the kids had a great time naming all of the animals. After our tour we had dinner and danced with Timon and Rafiki. The food was great and the dancing was pretty good. The kids really enjoyed themselves.

Mickey's-Not-So-Scary Halloween party was going on while we were visiting so the kids got dressed up as  the characters from Alice in Wonderland and got to go trick-or-treating around the park. They got to meet all of the Princesses and even the characters they had dressed up as. The Villians Mix-Up show was great and so were all the rides that remained open. The Haunted Mansion was a big hit with the kids and Splash Mountain was the ultimate ending to a great trip - they got to go on it twice.

Wildebeests, and Rhinos, and Warthogs...Oh My Africa!

Joel and my brother-in-law Brian headed to South Africa this September for a little big game hunting. Joel had never been hunting before in his 31 years, so this was a great, big, new adventure for everyone involved. We are the proud new owners of a blue wildebeest head and hide. Should be here by Christmas - a present that just keeps on giving for the whole family! Because it was Joel's first kill he had the blood of the beast rubbed on his face and took a healthy bite out of it's fresh liver. Sounds like he had the best time ever!

I am super jealous though...South Africa sounded amazing.

Joel, Brian, and our wildebeest.



Mya Turns 8...Nora Turns 1!

We are so blessed with our two little girls, but realize they aren't going to stay little forever...

Mya turned 8 this year and started the 3rd grade. Simply not possible.

Nora had her 1st birthday and started to walk and talk. Simply not possible.

Nora got a ball pit for her birthday (which she loves!!) and Mya got a trip to Disneyworld (which was awesome!!). Not sure who liked their gift the most.

Japan

In August I headed to Japan to help out the legal office at Misawa Air Base in Misawa Japan. The 3 weeks went by a lot faster than I thought and I had a great time. There was no A/C in my room which made it slightly uncomfortable (unbearable) but it was worth it. Being able to get some additional experience with a new office and visit such a beautiful country was something I won't forget. Being away from the girls and Joel was hard, but I talked to them often and we were all so busy that the time went by quickly.

 One of the many festivals going on while I was there. They had giant floats that were pushed by young boys. It was so hot I felt so bad for them! At the end of the night they would set the floats out on the ocean for good luck.

This is the shrine we visited where we had to cleanse ourselves before entering. We even got to ring the bells and pray. Our trips were fast and sometimes we didn't get to see everything - but we saw enough to know that our cultures are so different. I enjoyed every moment! My only regret was that I didn't get to go to Tokyo. Perhaps I'll get back someday!



Chabree Grove Photography

The girls got their pictures taken from a wonderful photographer in the Troy area. Chabree Grove did a great job capturing our two girls and we were very pleased with all of our pictures. Below is just a sampling of our almost 300 to choose from. 

           

           

    

                         

  

               

Visited & Visiting

June was such a busy month and as we look forward to the rest of the summer, there seems to be no stopping the constant planning for visitors and vacations! So much fun! Mya, Nora and mom recently took a visit to Michigan to see our family and spend some much needed time on the beach. All of the kids enjoyed Lake Huron and Nora even got into the action. She like to dig her toes and fingers into the wet sand and at one point took off crawling into the lake where she enjoyed splashing around and showing off her bathing suit curves. Mya was a great big sister, dipping Nora's feet in and carrying her around showing her different sticks and rocks. But more than anything, Mya loved when she could get in and swim around with her cousins. Usually being so close to the lake we get a cool breeze but not this time! It was very hot and cooling off in the lake felt wonderful.

On Saturday we headed to the Port Austin Farmer's Market which was voted among the top markets in all of Michigan! Not too bad for such a small town. Mya got a new necklace which she wears every single day and loved petting the animals, holding chickens, and buying fudge from the vendors. Nora just loved looking at everything and getting pushed in the stroller, that girl loves to stare and people watch in general, it's a bonus when someone talks to her and she can give a great big smile.

Earlier in June Aunt Jessi and Noah came to visit and help out with our garage sale. Friday was great but it rained on Saturday so we weren't quite as lucky with sales that day. Mya was very invested in it because whatever she sold when towards a new camera for her. She managed to make enough that with all of her other saved money, she can buy a brand new digital camera. I didn't realize she had saved quite that much. On Saturday we headed to the Air Force Museum where Noah was the happiest little boy in the world. So many airplanes (or jets) to look at! It was a great visit and we hope they come back soon!

For Dad's birthday this yea (31 years old now) we had a cheescake with whipped cream and strawberries. Everyone loved it, including Nora who dug in with both hands. She couldn't have the cheesecake but she was content just squeezing the whipped cream and strawberries in each hand. We can't wait for her first birthday now to see how she handles her own cake!

So, even though it's half a year away, I found the greatest present for my nephew Noah. He LOVES dinasaurs and I saw this one and had to get it for him. It's not brand new, but it will be to him and I can't wait to see him with it. Nora and Mya love it so I think we have to fnd a place to hide it; although it's so huge we will probably just end up throwing a sheet over it. It moves it head and blinks its eyes and roars, which Nora isn't so sure about, and you can sit on it, amazing!

Here's One For Grandma

Grandma Kathy wanted us to post this picture of Nora, some people have talked about it and she wanted to see it. It's probably my favorite picture of Nora so far - so precious.

Memorial Day Weekend

Such a busy weekend for the Stammen family. On Friday night Mya had a soccer game to make up and then another regularly scheduled game on Saturday...it was hot...she was tired...but her team ended a perfect season with no losses. Last season her team also had no losses, Mya now believes she is unbeatable - forever.

Saturday night we went to Mark and Marie Francis' house to hang out. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but it was cute when Mya tried to get Nora to hang out on the hammock with her. Mya could barely sit in it without falling over so we weren't sure it was a good idea, but Mya was careful and we got a good picture. It was nice to see some friends we haven't seen in a long time and to get the kids together. Nora tried to be a bully and attack Grant, but he easily defended himself.

On Sunday morning we headed to the lake to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Stammen, Uncle Brad, Aunt Val, Lauren, Maddie, Uncle Jason, Aunt Marcie, Emily, Kate, Abby, Tess, Sarah, and Sophia. Mya got to ride in the tube and Nora had her first boat ride. She thought it was really fun until she got hungry and tired and we had no bottle or pacifier on the boat (Mom was not very prepared) so she held out on cheerios until we got back to the house.

Nora and Sophia played great together except for when Nora felt like she had to touch Sophia's eyes, pull her hair or steal her toys. Because Sophia has five older sisters it didn't seem to affect her too much, but Nora is most certainly a bully. She wasn't too impressed with Sophia sitting by Dad either, a lot of screeching and growling occurred at that point. She needs to learn how to play nice!

Mya caught her very first fish this weekend (well she did last year but she was screaming and running around so much that it fell off the hook). This year she managed to pull it all the way up, she wouldn't touch it but she caught it.

We headed to the park for one of Nora's favorite activities as well...the swing. It's time to purchase one for home because she couldn't have been happier! It was such a hot, busy weekend, but a lot of fun....

 Nora may have had too much fun....

Catching Up

So many months to catch up on...I have been an enormous slacker to say the least. Mya and Nora have both been up to a lot lately. Nora is now crawling (forwards instead of backward) which is a huge improvement. She is trying to bear crawl now which is interesting to watch. She is also pulling herself up on furniture, walls, legs, and anything else that will get her to a standing position. Mya is convinced she will be able to stand on her own soon, I just assume let her crawl for a long time...the girl is fast and baby gates need to be purchased asap. Here is a picture of Nora pulling herself up to get a better look at the doll house. Her little ankles have a hard time with the all the weight applied to them, but she's tough.

Easter was great this year with two new Stammen girls to participate in the egg hunt. Nora and Sophia really didn't have to look hard for their egg but the other girls spent a better part of the afternoon searching Grandpa and Grandma Stammen's backyard. Mya's lack of patience was evident as she looked for her 6 eggs. The girl is certainly a now-generation kid. The kids all had a great time though and Nora enjoyed just sitting in the grass eating the eggs. At home Mya got a new puzzle with a picture of her and Nora and Nora got a new bubbles...she loves to chase them.

Here is a picture of all of the Stammen granddaughters, it's the last time a grandchild picture will be taken with only all girls. Matt and Kristin had a little boy, Nolan Austin born May 15th. We are now 10 + 1. We are so happy for Matt and Kristin! Although it's going to be a change to have a little boy around it's so wonderful to have more family to love.

Mya is playing Spring soccer this year in addition to fall soccer which starts in August. The league and field is smaller, and only four players from each team play at a time, so it's a little bit of a change for her. It's been so great though for her fundamentals and team building skills. She isn't just running from one end of a huge field to another, they play together very well as a team and she is improving on all levels. When parents come up to me and remark at how good she is, I couldn't be prouder. Although I know NOTHING about soccer, I'm trying to understand and it's growing on me. One thing Mya hasn't learned yet is how to manage her legs. She is a full head taller than almost everyone on her team and it's due to the length of her legs. Once she figures out how to use them I think she'll be fine. She has mentioned though that she wishes she were shorter, because she's the tallest in her class for the second year in a row. I just keep telling her that eventually the boys will catch up, someday she'll stop growing and wish she were taller.

Finally....the bar downstairs is finished. It's been a long journey, but the reward is incredible. We bought stock cabinets; Joel build the wall and the bar top, cut the counter tops, installed the sink, installed the countertop/bar top, put on the railings, corbals, molding, installed the lighting and I stained more than I ever care to ever again. It was a good project for us to start with, there wasn't too much arguing...We also mounted the TV to the wall, which Joel was originally against, but I won the choice in a bet so it's now on the wall and it looks amazing. We still need to get some new couches and a tv stand to hold stuff (and get rid of the hideous white dresser we have filling that role right now), and hang up a few things behind the bar still, but that will all happen in time. It's great to see it our basement again. Mya was thrilled to be able to play the Wii again and I was happy to just have it clean. Having the bar certainly changes the whole room for the better. I can't seem to find any before pictures, but I'll keep looking, anyway here are a few shots of how the room looks now.