School's Out for Summer!

Summertime is finally here! Thank goodness for no schedule for a while just plain old fun. The kids had there end of the year school performance last Thursday evening and did a mighty fine job. Hayley's class went first and sang every preschool song know to man as well as some cute finger plays. She did a great job and got so thrilled with all the applause that she lifted her sweet little dress up 3 times. YES, I have it on video and intend on using the footage someday.

Luke's class performed The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf and vise versa. The cutest thing I have seen in a while. Luke won the role of "Man with Straw" and might I say that I have never seen anyone handle a wheelbarrow with a broken arm quite so wonderfully. He did an awesome job and we couldn't have be more proud.

Of course there were tears realizing another year had past, and they are getting so very big. Luke will be in Kindergarten in the Fall at the same school and Hayley will be in the 5 day a week 4 year old class. I have to start preparing myself now for Luke's Kindergarten graduation next year. I have a feeling I may need a truck load of tissues to make it through the program.

It's My Birthday....Almost

Saturday marks my 34th year! Oh my, I remember as a kid thinking that 30 was so old. I was WRONG. Although, there are days that I feel 55 (my doctor told me I have the knee of a 55 year old, thanks!). So, big plans this weekend are as follows:

1) My mother and father in law are coming in town to visit.
2) The kids preschool end of year program is on Thursday night
3) Chris and I are going to see WICKED on Saturday night!!!!! Cannot wait. I went to see Wicked in NY with my sister a few years ago and fell in love. What an amazingly fun story.

Lots to blog about so I will be back to fill all of you in next week.

So Thankful

Kelly and Luke when he was 3 days old.

Kelly and I NINE years ago on my 25th birthday!

(Kell, don't be jealous of my tan!)

Kelly and I at an Praise and Worship concert in 2002. Kelly is VERY prego with Faith.

When Chris and I got married almost 10 years ago, I couldn't wait to start my life with him. My Dad had to practically hold me back from running down the isle when the big day finally came. I had become Chris's wife, something I had dreamed of from the moment I met him. But I had not only become a wife, I had become a Marine wife. We were scheduled to move to Hawaii only 5 weeks after we got married. I was so excited about the adventure of moving to a new place. I knew I would miss my family and friends and the only place I had ever know as home over the past 24 years, but I was ready to start my life with Chris.

Only 7 months after we arrived in Hawaii, Chris had to leave for his first seven month deployment. I was nervous about being on my own for 7 months and so far away from my family. Thankfully, our dear friends, Kelly and Mike moved in one street over the week before Chris was scheduled to deploy. God's timing is always so perfect.

I had met Kelly months back when Chris and Mike were in school together in Quantico. The story of how we met involves a LONG car trip on I-95 after Kelly had come to pick me up at Reagan International Airport only to find out I was at Dulles!!! On the ride home, we got lost and talked and talked and talked about life and our soon to be husbands. We hit it off and I was thrilled when we found out that they too were going to be stationed in Hawaii.

Kelly and Mike were so great to me during that first deployment. I think I must have eaten dinner with them at least 4 times a week. Kelly is the one who forced her home grown tomatoes on me and now I actually love tomatoes. She was so warm and welcoming I knew that ours would be a lifelong friendship.

We both became involved in the Women's Ministry (PWOC) along with some other great ladies. We did Bible Studies together, prayed together, and our bond became one that was centered around Jesus. Kelly has been one of the biggest mentors to me in my walk with Christ, and she shines her life for Him so bright it is almost blinding.

It broke my heart when we had to move in 2002. We were leaving for VA and Kelly and Mike still had several more months in Hawaii. We prayed that we would live close to each other again, and God blessed us in 2006 when we moved to Camp Lejeune where Kelly and Mike were stationed.

Our lives had changed quite a bit since our days in Hawaii. Kell now had 3 little ones and I had two. What a blessing to be able to share these early days of raising our babies together. We talked about sleep issues, table manners, potty training, discipline, but mostly how to raise our children to love the LORD with all of their heart, soul, and mind. The funny thing is as I was trying to find pictures of the two of us, all I could find were ones from Hawaii. I have MANY of our kids together in NC, but none of us. Oh well....

In April of 2008, Kelly and Mike began a new adventure with their crew of 4 children (now 5) to a new duty station in Korea. I miss her so very much and continue to pray that we will soon be stationed near one another again. Kelly, thanks for being such an awesome friend, mentor, and an example to me of a Proverbs 31 woman.

Maybe our next lunch date will be at ZIA's! One can dream, right? Love you!

Happy Mother's Day

We had a great low key mother's day. The kids had made some wonderful little gifts for me at school last week. I love the silhouette picture of Luke. It is something I think every mom should have of her children. Hayley made a cute flower pot with lady bugs on it and the flower had a picture of her. They were so excited about the gifts that they insisted I open them as soon as they brought them home last week.

Chris got the kids up Sunday morning and took them on an outing so I had a few hours of a quiet house to myself. I always love having the house to myself, but after about 30 minutes I really start missing everyone and I wish I had gone too or that they were all home! Well, when they returned they had the most wonderful gift for me...... a Wii Fit!!! I have wanted one since last summer, but they were really hard to find and we just kind of forgot about it. What a fun afternoon playing together. Luke especially loved it because he doesn't need to use his hand/arm to play.

We went out to dinner last night at our favorite Mexican spot to finish out a great day. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mommies out there, especially mine!!!!

Childhood Checklist

My precious boy!!! Growing up and amazing me every step of the way. He has hit two MAJOR childhood milestones in just a few weeks. First, he lost a tooth about two weeks ago and now he has a broken arm. I have told him he has plenty of time to check other items off the childhood checklist so we can slow down for now.
Friday afternoon was fun. The weather was perfect for a swim so I took the kids down to the Y and played in the outdoor pool for an hour or so. They had a ball. The frog slide is still a favorite and Luke loved showing me his much improved breast stroke (he must be practicing in the bath tub!).
Once we got home, our sweet neighbors were outside playing and invited us in their yard to play for a few minutes. Luke and his buddy, Alexander were playing and having a great time as they usually do. Luke was climbing down the ladder on the play set, lost his footing, and fell. As soon as he hit the ground I knew it was not good. I carried him back to the house and he whimpered the entire way. It is not like Luke to show pain. He usually bounds right up after a fall, and yells "I'm ok. I'm ok." It was 6:30pm, dinner time, and we knew he needed to have xrays done. Chris loaded him up and took him to the ER. I stayed home with Hayley so that she could go to bed at 7:30 as usual. I sat by the phone all evening waiting for the call to see what the DR had said. Chris called at 11:15 and let me know it was a break and Luke would be in a cast for the next 4 to 6 weeks.
They got home around 11:45 and Luke had passed out in the car. We slipped him into bed and he actually slept great.
He seems to have adjusted well to life in a cast, although he has his moments when he declares that he wants the cast off NOW!
We are praying for a quick recovery and that the cast comes off on the 4 week side instead of the 6 week side. For now, it is time to slow down and hold off on anymore milestones. At least for a few days.........

End of School Picnics

Playing Chicken Limbo! What a hoot!

Luke and his buddy, Joey

Mrs. Wood and Luke

Wrapping up another wonderful school year. What a blessing their preschool has been. They both bound out of the car with excitement each day and cannot wait to tell me all the fun things they learned when I pick them up at noon.

We went with Luke's class to Triple R Ranch for a picnic for their end of the year celebration. A morning of pony rides, hikes, hay rides, and food. What could be better!! Luke has made some wonderful friends this year, and he LOVES his teacher. Who would have thought that this little man would ever be ok away from his Mommy. Well, he has adjusted well to school and it does my heart good to know he loves learning so much.

Hayley has been a pro from the beginning. Maybe it is a second child thing, but she never shed one tear about having to go to school. She has always been my easy one as far as separation goes. This year was her first school experience, and she has loved every minute of it. Her teacher is wonderful and her class has some adorable little personalities running around. She fits in well. Her picnic was supposed to be at a park, but due to rain, I mean a monsoon, we went back to the school building and had the "picnic" inside her classroom. They all had a ball.

So only two more weeks until summer official begins in the Steele house. Hooray for lazy days at the pool and for an awesome school year completed.