SIX MONTHS

I saw on someone else's blog that it has been SIX MONTHS since I updated my blog.

Wow.

That hurts.

Its not that NOTHING has been going on. There's been plenty.
Its just that, well, I am a bad blogger.
I want to be better.
Blogging helps me clear my mind sometimes.
It helps me remember what has happened to us from day to day.

So, here goes.

Another attempt.

How about this time, I commit to blog once a week?

And while I'm at making commitments, I think I'll throw in a few more.

I commit to stick to my current diet (Weight Watchers)through the end of April as previous planned. Make the plan. Work the plan. That's the plan.

I commit to begin training for a 5K. I had to take a break from Surefire Fitness (as much as I loved it) because of some back issues. But now there is a void in my life that I need to replace. Exercise is a must I've learned for my sanity. Maybe I will do Midnight Madness this summer. I am also planning to move our Wii upstairs to the family room (or maybe my room) and start Wii Fit.

I commit to MAKE time (not find it or use kids as an excuse to not do it) to read my Bible each day. Really. If I cannot read for FIVE minutes, then I need to do a major re-prioritizing in my life. Who I am kidding? I NEED TO DO A MAJOR RE-PRIORITIZING in my life.

Please don't read this as me being all down on myself. I'm not. It is simply time to live out some things I've been half-way doing for quite some time.

And if I will put it out there for "everyone" to see, then all the better for me.

Now that that's all out there . . .

What have the Stenbergs been up to since October?
We settled into our new home. We moved in the last week of September and have enjoyed making it home. There is so much room here. Mark worked hard to make this house all that it could be for us. And it has been the perfect place to do what we love - host connection group and parties!
We've had a few game nights, many connection groups, two baby showers (and one more to come in April), a wedding "reception", and two birthday parties (mine and Mark's). We love it.

NOVEMBER
November is sort of a blur.
I started Surefire Fitness Bootcamp, but had to stop my month just short of 4 weeks because of a throat infection. It was no fun. Bootcamp was both the best and hardest thing I had ever done, especially since at that time I was still nursing Jack. Just craziness. But I did end up going back to bootcamp after Christmas and went through mid-March. I hope to go back in the fall.

Grandpa Stenberg's birthday

We were together with Mark's family towards the end of November for Mark's dad's birthday. It was fun having the grandkids all together










DECEMBER
We got tenants in our basement "guest room." Emma and Jordan Bradley moved in around the first week of December. They got married in Ruston, LA, the weekend after Thanksgiving and moved right into our place after their honeymoon. I was Emma's children's minister when she was a little girl in Ruston AND was overseas with Jordan's brother Ben. Crazy how paths cross. I take more than a little credit for their relationship!

MandyBee Photography had some busy days in December with families and seniors getting in last minute shoots. It was fun. I'm planning to really push to get some business this spring/summer, starting with hosting a booth at a bridal show in Ames this coming weekend!

Christmas!

Christmas morning at Mimi and Poppa's

me, angie b, and dad

We spent the holidays in the south with my family. The week before Christmas we drove down to Arkansas where we met up with my sis and bro-in-law at my mom and Jerry's house. We had a great time with them. On the day after Christmas the Likens and the Stenbergs caravaned to Dallas. We spent the next day with my dad's extended family in Granbury and then a few more days in Lewisville with my dad, Gigi (my sis) and Uncle (Philip). There were lots of miles on that van when we got done!

Angie B, Bret, Me, Casey and Tracey, and Patric and Kelly
Bartholomew cousins
Missing David, Rod, and Matt

JANUARY

Birthday dinner
Joy, me, Jenna, and Eve

I turned 39 January 13. I had dinner with friends on my birthday and then a big shin dig with tons of friends the next night. Good times!

Birthday celebration!
All my girlfriends except Eve - wonder where she was?

We tried (and failed) at potty training with Callen and started cereal to this 4 month old Jack.

The boys and I road tripped to see Gigi in Minneapolis and took along Joy and her kiddos.

Callen with his Gigi in Minneapolis

Naomi and Callen in MN

And then we battled RSV with baby Jack for about two weeks. It was quite rough around here.
Just because that wasn't fun enough, we also took away Callen's pacifier that he was still napping and sleeping with at night. I am pretty sure it was a much bigger deal for me than it was for him!


FEBRUARY
We hadn't been on the road and crazy/busy enough, so we piled everyone in the van and headed to Oklahoma City for Mark to attend a concrete counter top seminar. Did I mention yet how I love my concrete counter tops in my kitchen????? My mom and aunt met up with us in OKC and spent the day tooling around while Mark attended his seminar. We went to the Nat'l Cowboy Museum for the morning and had a great time. We also stopped in Stillwater at the "famous" Eskimo Joes on our way home.

Mommy and Callen at Eskimo Joe's

I also got my feet a little wet again with Upward Basketball. The directors asked me to help out with their end of the year awards ceremony. It was fun working with those guys again. And I was a little overwhelmed when I thought back to when we first began Upward at Cornerstone. God is good and faithful!

MARCH
Just some normal days around here . . . making baby food for growing Jack, celebrating life with friends, enjoying every other Friday morning off in a new swap with my pal Laura, and loving a few days of warmer weather. We are LOOKING FORWARD to spring!

Mark's Birthday
Mark turns 40 on April 2, but we celebrated a week early because his college ministry leader Larry was surprising him with a visit this past weekend. It was such a fun weekend to celebrate Mark. He felt quite loved!

Mark and Larry Thiel
(Larry was the Intervarsity campus leader at UNLV when
Mark was student there. Larry surprised Mark by coming
from California for the party. Way to go Larry!)

A few more pics, just for kicks:
When Jack started putting his foot in his mouth, I remembered a pic I had of Callen from about the same age. I finally found it and was able to put them together.

Callen                                                                             Jack

Callen loving life and Jack just watching his every move. Pretty much daily events here at our house.

Yep. Crawling. Moving.
Thinking about climbing!

One of my favorite pics of 2011 so far!

John Deere boy

Stenberg Update

Life has been pretty wild with the Stenbergs these past months. And I have simply not taken the time to contribute to my journal (blog). So, here goes . . .

Family of Four!
Jack Thomas joined our family on Wednesday, Aug 11. He is a precious treasure - another sweet red headed boy. We are very excited to watch him grow, to see how he and his big brother become friends, and to figure out life with two boys. He came into the world at a whopping 10 lbs 3 oz! Dr. Beer told me all along she had a feeling he'd be a big boy. And as usual, she was right on the money. Jack was born by repeat c-section and it was such a different experience than his big brother's arrival just two years earlier. Everyone who had a second c-section told me it would be different and they were not kidding. Now to settle in to a new routine (eventually - keep reading to see what else is going on with us) and to become the family of four that God has designed us to be.



Building a House
Our new home is coming close to completion. We've been living with Mark's parents since Mid-March. They have been such a blessing to us. Callen has loved being with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm thankful for the time he's had with them.
Mark has been working SO HARD on our new home. It is just beautiful. I love everything about it and simply cannot wait to get in. Well, maybe I can wait a little while to recover from surgery before unpacking boxes! I have a feeling I will be taking many of you up on your offers to help us get settled. It will be hard, but I can imagine even now me just pointing . . . "That goes there. Put that here." HA HA HA



MandyBee Photography
I had a very busy spring/summer with photography and am looking forward to continuing to expand my business this fall. I'm excited to do senior portraits and family sessions. So let me know if you'd like to schedule a session! On the horizon - new equipment and new ideas!

Extended Family Visits
With the arrival of Jack, I am in high anticipation of my family visiting over the next few weeks. Callen will have the privilege of experiencing "Camp Gigi" as Angie B arrives tomorrow to help us out our first few days at home. What a wonderful blessing she will be. My mom and Aunt Debbie will come next week and stay for the weekend and then my dad will be here a week after that. Good times on the way.

On the Horizon
I'm looking forward to starting Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) this fall. I've only heard incredible things about this program and simply cannot wait to be a part of a weekly gathering of women digging into God's Word together. There is now a program for kids 2 and under, so the boys will be in good hands each Wednesday morning!
My life has had a gaping hole in this area these last few months. I know that my marriage, my family, and my relationships with friends have suffered because of my lack of commitment to spending the time I need with God. Jesus is so faithful, even when I am not. And for that I am more than thankful. I am looking forward to what God will do this year and I'm asking God to give me a new passion for Him.



So, that's the Stenbergs in a nutshell. I'm sure I forgot somethings . . . but come on, I did just have major surgery two days ago and am currently experiencing the joys of pain medication.

Here's hoping for a few more frequent posts . . . for the two or three of you who read this crazy blog!

Crazy Days

What are the Stenbergs up to these days?

We are expecting our second baby!

Baby Stenberg will arrive somewhere around August 11 or 12. The date is TBD and will be a scheduled c-section. We'll find out April 2 (Mark's birthday) if it is a boy or girl. Yes, we are finding out this time. We didn't with Callen and loved every minute of that. But I feel the need (with all the other uncertainties in my life these days) to know the gender of this baby.

We have moved in with Mark's parents.

We packed up all our stuff from our sweet little bungalow on Grand Ave and have stored most of it while we build. We are hoping to dig and get started on the house by the end of this month or early next. Slowly I am settling in to this new normal. There are certainly adjustments. Marilyn and Red (Mark's mom and dad) are amazing. They love having Callen around. He is having a little trouble adjusting - it is showing mostly in his behavior and the crawling out of the crib. So more transitions ahead - to a "big boy" bed and more.

As quickly as I was back on staff at Cornerstone, I'm going to be done!

With much wisdom, Troy (lead pastor) has decided that it is indeed time to have someone on staff FULL TIME to think about the Family Ministry. What a great move for our church! And that means that I can step down (again) and be at home with Callen and concentrate on these crazy days ahead. Cornerstone is our church home and we'll always be a part of what goes on there. This season of life just simply requires more attention on home and family than dividing it with work too. And the ministry at Cornerstone deserves to be led by someone who can give it their all! So at the end of this month, its back to full time mommy-hood for me.

Texas Vacation

We had a marvelous time with Angie B and Philip, Mom and Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Larry, CJ, and Caitlan Dallas. I also got to catch up with some great "old" friends from college and seminary. It was great to relax, enjoy time with family, shop fun stores, and eat WONDERFUL food. Mark and I even had a date night away while Callen hung out with GiGi (Angie). We ate at III Forks Steakhouse. It was probably the best meal I've ever had in my entire life.

Quick Trip to Arkansas

Not too long after we got home from our Texas trip, and in the midst of packing to move, I go a call from my mom that my Grandma Fowler (mom's mom) had passed away. She had been ready to be done with this life for quite some time. So it was one of those bittersweet times. Mark and I made some quick arrangements for Callen to stay in Ames (he was still recovering from Texas and an ear infection) and we made a drive to Arkansas. I got to see TONS and TONS of family (some I didn't even know were related!) and was able to say goodbye to my last grandparent.

Callen

Mr. Callen is quite busy. He is usually the life of the party. He is full of smiles and energy. He did quickly discover that he could crawl right over the edge of Grandma's crib. So we are in transition mode to his big boy bed, as already mentioned above. I'll take any suggestions. I just cut his hair last night. I think it looks just dandy. He does like his new room at Grandma's house. We had it all set up for him with his familiar toys on the day of the move. So he's doing OK. I can tell that he is still adjusting. I know it is also an age thing - how he is consistently pushing the envelope with his behavior.

Anyway, as you can see, these are crazy days for the Stenbergs.

Drop in!

Wow. I'm one of THOSE bloggers.

One who takes a month long (or maybe longer) hiatus and doesn't even really seem to care!

If you are one who checks this periodically and have maybe even stopped checking it . . . so sorry.

Facebook has sucked the life out of my blogging. I put pictures there and just go on with life.

I want to be better at blogging. You can say so much more here.

So, here goes . . .

A short update:

We've sold two houses in two months.

We will be moving in with Mark's parents while we build.

Callen is saying more and more words every day.

Callen had his first haircut.

My dad came for a Christmas visit.

We are headed to TX for a sweet vacation!

I started back to work part time at Cornerstone.

Life is good. Crazy at times, but good.

Here are a few pics . . .

Callen did SO great with is first haircut.


I absolutely love this pic!!!


But at the end, he was pleased as punch with his new 'do!

Photo Update

We spent Thanksgiving with family in South Dakota. It was really nice and relaxing.

I took the opportunity to snap a few shots.

Thanks Tim and Dawn and Nash for a great holiday.

Callen and his cousins Nash and Fin

Our Family

November 2009

Photography Kit!

Fellow photographers . . . Just wanted you to know about a new kit by Davina Fear. She puts out some of the most incredible tools to make your life easier and your photography business run smooth! Enjoy!

Check out the new "GET YOUR LIFE BACK" kit!

http://davina.squarespace.com/journal/2009/11/18/get-your-life-back-kit.html

Callen and his buddy Max

We've been locked in our house now for weeks. Callen was sick with the H1N1 flu. Mark caught it. Our house was NOT a happy place for about two weeks.

The weather gave us a little break last week so we took advantage of that and one of the last days that the Center Grove Orchard was open for this fall season. We invited our friend Max (and his mom Jenna) to go with us. It was good to be outside!

Heintz Family Preview

Here are the much anticipated (at least by Heidi and James!) Heintz family photo previews! Enjoy!

Sweet sisters!

Boys need their room to roam!

LOVE IT!

Slackin' at updatin'

Yeah, it has been awhile since a Stenberg family update. So sorry.

Seems like we've been busy. But when I look at our lives, I have a hard time seeing

what we've been busy doing. Mark is leading our connection group. I'm leading a Bible study at church. Mark is still busy in the concrete world. I'm lending a hand with some family ministry stuff at Cornerstone AND pursuing photography AND training for a 5K.

God is HARD at work in us right now. He is chiseling away and making us

beautiful all over again. But don't you know that hard stone feels that chisel?

Callen is great. 15 months this past weekend. Growing. Climbing.

Talking more and more and more.

He's figured out the "b" sound now

and says many words:

"mama" sometimes he just says "mom"

and "dada" sometimes he just says "dad"

"uh oh"

"nana" banana

"NaaNaa" Naomi, his sweet girlfriend

"caka" cracker

"baby"

"all done" He signs this one and almost says the words

"pappaw" Mandy's dad

"poppa" Jerry T

and almost "meme" Mandy's mom

He is also working on "grandma" Mark's mom

All in all life is good for the Stenbergs. How are you?

Well . . . we did the drawing for the FREE session with mandybee photography!

And we learned a lesson in the process.

ALWAYS check the batteries in the video camera before starting a cool idea.

Watch:

Really!? He pulled out one name. It was perfect. And just as I

was about to tell the "world" who the winner was . . . the red

light on the camera went out. No kidding.

I was left with a dilema:

Reshoot and simply say the same name no matter who he pulled OR

just put this silly video online and tell you that the winner is:

JEN LEE!

So I imagine in the coming weeks

you'll see some pics of Mr. Abram!

Congrats Jen!

Enter to Win a MandyBee Photography Session!

In your last family photo, is your now middle school daughter still in diapers?

Need some fun engagement photos to use at your upcoming wedding?

Seniors - time to get those classic shots for mom and dad AND the yearbook?

If you fit in any of the categories above or would just like some great photos, then keep reading!

Enter this contest to win a free session from MandyBee Photography!

This is a $75 value.

Drawing to be held Friday, September 18.

Complete the following listed activities and receive the number of entries per activity:

1 entry) Visit www.mandybeephotograhy.com and email Mandy via the "contact us" button.

1 entry) In that email, comment on your favorite home page slideshow image from the website.

2 entries) Refer a friend to MandyBee Photography. Make sure they mention your name!

3 entries) If that friend books a session, you'll get your name in the hat THREE more times!

1 entry) Check out the photos on this blog from the Love Affair Workshop. Leave a comment on that blog entry.

1 entry) Post a witty or thought provoking comment on Mandy's Facebook wall. Make sure you mention this contest.

I'll keep track of all your entries. This could be really fun!

The winner will be posted here on the blog as soon as we draw on Friday, Sept 18.

Now, happy clicking!

Date Night: Iowa State Fair

Mark and I spent our date night at the Iowa State Fair on Monday. Callen hung out with gal pal Naomi and her awesome family. Here are a few pics from the fun.

This mama llama had a seriously bad hair day.

Mark and the winning GIANT pumpkin.

Just for fun . . . i know, i should have folded my hands.

On the sky lift

Callen with his state fair prize - a Winnie the Pooh won at the Water Gun game.
I LOVE that game!

Love Affair Workshop photo shoot pics

On Wednesday of the Love Affair workshop, we were sent out in groups of 4 with fabulous models (thanks to Brandi Howard and her design team!). Here are some of my favorites . . .

I learned so much! And met some incredibly talented women.

Atlanta

I'm in Atlanta for Love Affair Workshop. Today was a big day. I learned that I'm not like anyone else. I am who I am. I am the photographer that I am supposed to be. I don't need to compare. I don't need to be like anyone else. I so need to learn lots more about my "craft." There are so many things I don't know. But I can learn. I can practice.

The photos are from the trip so far . . . mostly the fabulous W hotel.

Kelly Moore Clark is one of the teachers of the workshop. It has been fun to see

her in her element!

Brandi Howard is here too! She works with Kelly.

It has been good. More to come.

A visit to a BAPTIST church

Hello friends. I am traveling this weekend and week. I'm in the Atlanta area visiting friends this weekend and then here Monday-Friday morning for a photography workshop. This morning I had the joy of visiting a VERY LARGE Baptist church here in the Atlanta area. And boy oh boy did it bring back some serious memories.

You see, Cornerstone Church of Ames is NOTHING like anything I grew up attending. My Baptist roots just don't translate to the corn fields of Iowa. So Cornerstone does what it takes (and what God asks of them!) to be a light in the Midwest.

That said, I love Cornerstone.

But this morning, I experienced LOTS of things that I have not experienced for quite some time. Things I saw and heard that were sweet memories:
1) "Please stand in honor of the reading of God's Word"
2) a choir
3) a sermon with a LOT of alliteration for the points (3 points and a poem!)
4) An offering plate being passed, complete with the "special song" for offertory
5) Offering envelopes in the seat back in front of me
6) Lots and lots of ladies in their "Sunday best"

Some things I had NEVER seen before:
1) Valet parking for PRESCHOOL families! OH MY WORD. LOVED IT!
2) An auditorium that seats about a gazillion people (maybe like 5000)

It was a great worship experience.

I'm headed to the photography workshop tomorrow. Here's hoping that I really am a good student and learn a lot. Big kudos to my mom and Jerry for hanging with Mr. Callen this week while Mark's at work and I'm gone. Callen's getting some good Meme time!

Father and son
First Kayak Trip
Clear Lake, Iowa
July 4, 2009

First Birthday Bash

Randomness

Here are some pics of Callen. More to come soon with a BIG BIRTHDAY BASH just a few weeks away!


On the boat with Stenberg cousins, Memorial Day



Lake Family!



Elijah, Callen, Noah, Elliot, and Hattie




SWEET FACE!