Fall 2012

Hi to those of you who still check this blog!  We are all well and thankful for the beautiful fall weather we are enjoying. 

Here are some pictures from the summer and fall to bring you up-to-date on the kids! 

This was the first day of school 8/22/12 as Jacob and Hannah started Fourth Grade, and Boston started Kindergarten. 

A day at Brookfield Zoo in August!

At our Pacific Islands Midwest Family Reunion in July with Dona from RMI.



Catching Up

Okay, I see I haven't posted in almost 7 months! Happy Spring! Here are some random pictures from the past months to bring some smiles to your faces!

Our family Christmas photo:


Jacob's 9th birthday in September:

Boston's 5th birthday in November:

Hannah's 8-and-a-half birthday in October:

Back to School Part 2

Today was Boston's first day of preschool and here's his picture before he got on the bus! He was very excited for this big step and we're so proud of him!

Back to School

Today is the first day of third grade for Jacob and Hannah! They were very excited to begin school and we did have a great 11 weeks of summer vacation. Here are two pictures from this morning.

Family Day 2011

Two years ago today - on June 1, 2009 - Boston became a Stenstrom and we became a family of five! The picture below is from that day in RMI - right after court.

Now here's a recent picture of Boston, now 4.5 years old!

And here are Jacob, Boston and Hannah together. Fun to think back on our time in RMI in June 2009 and even more fun to see our kids together now every day!

Catching up!

Hi! Happy New Year! It's been over 4 months since my last blog post . I'll catch up a bit with some pictures from the fall and aim to post a bit more often in 2011. Below is a picture of our three kiddos at Christmastime (Jacob 8, Hannah 7, Boston 4).

Boston had a bad fall in the kitchen at home in December and this is how he looked the next morning after Urgent Care gave him 3 stitches!

Our family together on Thanksgiving Day - with a big big smile from Boston!

Jacob as a Ninja for Halloween:

Hannah as a bumblebee for Halloween. Boston was not interested in dressing up for Halloween, but he did like the candy that was around for Halloween!

Eyes and Language

Boston had his first eye exam yesterday. On the way there, I was thinking back to how the eye doctor would test Jacob and Hannah when they were younger - - and it was by showing them cards with pictures for them to name. I wondered if Boston, with his developing English, would be able to name those cards. Well, I didn't need to give it a moment of concern. Here's what happened!

The doctor showed Boston a picture of a house and Boston said "home". Great. Next came a picture of a car. Boston said "Honda"! Since our cars are both Hondas - it was another winner. Then a picture of a tree, which he identified correctly. Next came a picture of a birthday cake. Boston said "Jacob" and then began singing Happy Birthday! I told the doctor that Jacob's birthday was the next day and so Boston was right on it!

School

This morning was the first day of second grade for Jacob and Hannah! They were out of bed and dressed at 6:00 am! They were very very excited for the start of second grade!

We'll hear after school how the first day went in their individual second grade classes - but we're off to a good start here for sure!

Boston's Family Day

This is a picture of the first time we met Boston - on May 30, 2009, in the Marshall Islands.

He officially became a Stenstrom on June 1, 2009! We are celebrating and remembering our first year together! Below are some more recent pictures of our growing boy! We love him and are so very thankful for our family!

Jacob and Hannah will finish First Grade tomorrow! We are looking forward to the summer ahead and a change in schedule. Here's a picture of all three kids taken on Memorial Day in Minnesota!

Birthday fun

Hannah turned 7 just a few weeks ago! It was a fun birthday for sure. She wanted a shark on her birthday cake. Peter remembered me saying I was never decorating another birthday cake again, but I must have forgotten that! Below is a picture of the cake after it was finished late Saturday evening, before her party on Sunday. But this shark was not content to stay on the cake. Late Saturday night, the shark portion of the cake cracked and fell apart.
Peter helped me to put skewers into the cake to try and keep it together for the party. It looks a bit like something out of "Jaws" and a shark being harpooned. But Hannah laughed about it and we ate the cake anyway.

Happy Birthday sweet Hannah! You are seven years old, and almost done with first grade! This past year you've learned to read, tell time, add and subtract. You just lost your 10th baby tooth this week, you are excited about learning Tae Kwon Do, and you are growing into a young lady! What a joy it is to know and love you!!

Spring Break and Tractors

Hi everyone - Our county farm bureau hosted a Touch-A-Tractor event this weekend. The kids enjoyed climbing all over the huge pieces of farm equipment! Here are a few pictures of the fun:

It's been awhile!

Hello everyone! Sorry that I haven't posted to this blog in more than three months! Here are a few pictures from a morning of sledding just two weeks ago. Today feels more like a spring day, and the snowman pictured at the end is now almost completely melted in our front yard! I'll aim to post again soon with another update! Bye for now - Lois

November 2009

November began for us with Boston's 3rd birthday and our parent/child dedication for him at church. We had a baseball theme for his birthday, since balls were one of the first things we knew Boston enjoyed when we met him back in May 2009. A special treat was to have the Minnesota Stenstroms visiting for a long weekend and all the fun. Below is a picture of Boston blowing out his candles:Here's Boston enjoying the cheese of a Chicago style-pizza for his birthday dinner.
We've had mild weather and have enjoyed more time outside in November than usual
The big kids have had a break from school this whole week of Thanksgiving so we've enjoyed some extra fun things, a trip to the zoo, the dentist (okay maybe not so fun!) and visiting family and friends.



Boston really likes playing with Zoe, our niece Andrea's dog. He calls her "woo woo".

We had a nice Thanksgiving Day celebration and below are two pictures of the kids enjoying their play at the Modicas.

Happy December ahead. I'll try and update the blog again soon! Lois for us 5

October fun

Hi Everyone - Can hardly believe the whole month of October is past. The kids all had influenza, plus a few other things...and so for almost 2 weeks they were at home except for doctor's visits. Lots of resting, watching movies, reading, etc. We are so thankful that they are all healthy again!

We had to cancel a lot of activities while the kids were sick, but the month still brought lots of great things. We enjoyed celebrating at some fun parties for two friends' birthdays this month. Also enjoyed seeing some of the beautiful fall color around the neighborhood and at the Morton Arboretum. We celebrated Hispanic Heritage month with our playgroup friends, and the big kids had some Taekwondo lessons and Jacob had some drum lessons. Boston started his first story time session at our local library too. A school Halloween party finished off the month and was a lot of fun. Although this room parent was GLAD when the party was over!! Below is a picture of the kids from Halloween yesterday. Jacob and Boston were football players, and Hannah was the fairy princess Fawn. They had a great time trick-or-treating even though it was a cold day. Bye for now - Happy November! Love, Lois

September scenes 9/30/09

Today marks three months since we arrived home from RMI as a family of five. We've had a great month of September. Jacob and Hannah are enjoying first grade. We celebrated Jacob's 7th birthday with family and friends. We have enjoyed beautiful weather and some fun Fall traditions like apple picking. Enjoy the photos!


A happy and healthy Boston playing in Grandma & Grandpa's yard this week.

Bowler Hannah!

Jacob's family birthday party - dinosaur theme!

Apple picking and apple eating!

Boston enjoying some ice cream for Jacob's birthday!

Jacob, Hannah and Boston - in their RMI tshirts and in grass skirts. Celebrating at our friends' for their son's "Kemmen" (a big 1st birthday party- Marshallese tradition). The kids were getting a hula lesson at the party.

Wishing you all a great start to October and the fall! Love, Lois