A Long Overdue Update...

I just finished visiting my cousin's blog and seeing pictures of his beautiful new baby girls - twins Baily and Brynn born this morning! (Congrats Scott and Maran!) They are adorable... Mom looks tired, Dad looks happy, and big sister Hannah is going to have her hands full teaching her baby sisters everything. Seeing the blog update, their pictures, and knowing the babies were delivered happy and healthy, made me want to update my own blog and explain about the delay.

Our family has been busy over the last few months, and although much of it has been blog worthy, I have been putting it off for the following reason. Early in May, I found out I was pregnant. A little unexpected and caught off guard, David and I were both very excited about adding a new baby to our family. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for June (11 weeks along), and had intended to share the news and include ultrasound photos of our new baby as soon as my appointment was over. Needless to say, things didn't quite work out that way. The doctor could not find a heart beat and soon discovered that the baby had stopped developing at about 6 weeks. Although I had miscarried 5 weeks earlier, my body had not yet realized that I was no longer pregnant. My uterus was enlarged and growing, and my body had continued to produce pregnancy hormones. I had a D & C procedure the following day, and had a (thankfully) quick and easy physical recovery. Emotionally, it has been difficult, but both David and I agree that things like this happen for a reason. Still not sure about adding another little Standring to our family, but hopefully next time around, we will be able to update the blog and share our news as we planned!

That being said, it has been difficult for me to want to update the blog. But I really can't put it off any longer, and I promise to add recent pictures of the boys - they are too cute for words and they deserve to be shared!

Ian is a busy, busy, busy 4 year old. He had a great birthday party in the beginning of June with his friend at Build-A-Bear Workshop, and has since started swimming lessons and it loving the pool. (We're hoping to break the floaty habit this summer... we'll see!) He is not only busy, but a big boy, weighing in at 44lbs and measuring a whopping 44 inches tall! Many people keep asking if he is starting kindergarten this year! He is not starting kinder, but will be starting a 3 day a week preschool program in September. He is excited for school to start, as he loves playing with kids his age and I know he will make lots of friends. Ian is also an EXCELLENT big brother and takes very good care of Nathan.

Speaking of Nathan... He turned a year old at the end of June, and is definitely keeping all of us on our toes. Very different from his big brother, he started walking in April, at 11 months old, and now it is hard for us to keep up. He loves to climb, and will scale anything on which he can get his little feet. He is also very loud, and must be the center of attention at all times. He is quite adorable, though, and has dimples, big blue eyes, and curly blond hair. I plan to take the kids to get formal pictures this week, and will try to add some of those to the blog if possible.

David is working, working, working at Intel. He celebrated his 38th birthday in July, and is enjoying time with the boys and playing WOW. If anything changes, I'll let you know... :o)

I, on the other hand, have had an awesome summer so far. On July 1, I got on a plane and headed to Europe for 12 days! I spent a week in Austria touring with my choir, then a much too brief 3 day visit in London with Charles and Nova. I missed my family, but it was a wonderful time with good friend, beautiful music, and taking care of myself for a change was quite refreshing. There are quite a few pictures posted on Facebook if you're interested. I am also getting ready to start school in a couple of weeks... Still working one day a week teaching sixth grade. It's a great option to be able to get out and keep my foot in the door of the teaching world, yet still focus on the boys and get to be home with them. Not sure how long it will last, but for now, it's pretty fantastic. We also joined the Gold River Racquet Club, which has been great fun for me, David, and the kids. The play center is great, I have enjoyed getting back into the work out habit, David and I have been playing tennis on the weekends, and Ian and Nathan both are loving the swimming pool. I hope that this will become a permanent fixture in our life, even after the summer is over, as I think it is a fun and healthy diversion and a good reason to get out of the house.

Ok, enough said. I'll do my best to get updates more often... Monthly, at the very least!
Hope you enjoy the pictures of the boys -they are growing up so fast!


Nathan & Ian in the tub.... Nathan at the ranch......

Nathan climbing... Ian's Preschool End of the Year Picnic

Ian's 4th Birthday Party at Build-A-Bear

Happy Easter!

We had a lovely Easter this year! After singing 11:00am mass at Sacred Heart Church with my choir, I rushed home, changed clothes, grabbed my boys (David, Ian, & Nathan) and drove to Arbuckle, CA to the Rominger Family Ranch. This is my cousin Amy's family (my Dad and her Mom are brother and sister - Amy's Mom and Dad have been divorced for many years, so this is really not my side of the family, but it was so nice to be included!) and her grandmother Margie and my cousin Scott (Amy's brother) hosted a fantastic BBQ in the beautiful grove of oak trees on thier 400+ acre property. Nestled between a wheat field and rows and rows of almond trees, we ate, played, took tractor rides, and hunted for eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden in the almond orchard. And, as a very special treat, the Easter Bunny HIMSELF made an appearance by flying over the orchard and dropping stuffed easter bunnies on the kids! Needless to say, a good time was had by all. We have managed to ration the eggs and the candy, but I'm sure Ian has had enough sugar to last him for quite some time. What a wonderful way to spend a beautiful spring day. Happy Easter to all and I hope your day was wonderful as well!

Nathan's first egg!

Ian found a ton of eggs...

Playing in the wheat field

Hangin' on the picnic blanket

Bubbles!

Standring Family Update

Well, it has obviously been too long since I have blogged, and for that I apologize! Lots going on in our crazy little world! Let's see...

David - Working his behind off at Intel! Things have been crazy for him, and due to some poor and annoying management at work, he tends to be working on things that he doesn't feel like he should be working on! He's looking forward to the end of this project, and possibly a move to another group. But, we'll have to see - we all know how much David loves change! :o)

Diane - Keeping busy with the kids and work. I am still working only one day a week, but March brings Variety Show, a job that I love and hate all at the same time! Beginning with auditions in late January, then working with kids (mainly singers who need a little coaching) and preparing for dress rehearsal and three performances, I keep pretty busy. Not to mention advertising for the show, putting together programs, and making certificates for the kids. Thank goodness for my fabulous partner, Anna Hocson, for her technological skills and taking care of all the music. The show would definitely not go on without her! It turned out to be a great performance, and the students and parents enjoyed it. Makes the time and effort worth it! Other than that, just doing the mom thing with the kids, and looking forward to the end of the school year, for both Ian and my students. Should be fun!

Ian - Wow, he is growing up so quickly! He goes to preschool twice a week, and yes, I am biased, but he is super smart. He loves to run and play outside, and right now is totally into the planets and outer space. He has decided he wants to be astronaut when he grows up. He has asked for a telescope for his birthday (he will be FOUR YEARS OLD in June - I can't believe it!) and he loves to ask questions about the planets and things in the sky. My personal favorite phrase lately is, "Mom, tell me all about _________." Fill in the blank with anything from Jupiter to Hungry Hippos. He's so curious and excited about learning - I just hope that curiosity continues! Another thing Ian is totally into right now is jokes, and boy, does he have some good ones! A few of my personal favorites:

Why shouldn't you tell jokes while you are skating?
Maybe the ice will crack-up!

How do you fix a broken tomato? With tomato paste!

How do you fix a broken finger? With a finger nail!

What did the teddy bear say after dinner? I'm stuffed!

What did the apple say to the pear? Haha, you're silly - apples don't talk!

He's still working on the timing (he usually doesn't let you answer between the questions and the answer) but his delivery is quite adorable, and he never fails to make people laugh! I can't believe how grown up my little boy is. :o)




Nathan - Well, he is definitely NOT like his older brother! This little boy has a mind of his own. He is 9 1/2 months old, and he is a busy little baby. He crawls like a mad-man, but really thinks he can walk. He cruises around the house, barely holding on to things with one hand, and loves to climb on anything he's not supposed to - chairs, stools, gates, anything he can get his hands on. We started gymnastics a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully that will give him a safe crawling/climbing/jumping outlet! He also loves cords. He has turned off the power strip to my computer a few times, and he gravitates toward anything that is plugged in. He currently has two bottom teeth, and his two top teeth will be in any day now - not pleasant for Nathan or his parents, but this too shall pass. It is hard to believe that he is almost a year old - time certainly does fly when you're having fun! Besides being busy, Nathan is a very happy baby. He loves people, has not really developed too much "stranger danger" anxiety, and is just a bundle of fun. His smile is infectious and those big blue eyes make my heart melt on a daily basis!

















As a family, we are looking forward to Easter, as we will all be making the trip to Arbuckle to the Rominger Family Ranch for lunch and a fantastic Easter Egg Hunt through the almond orchard. Last year Ian had a blast playing in the dirt, riding on the tractors and four-wheelers, and hunting for eggs. We are excited to take Nathan this year, and hope to come home with goodies and lots of fantastic pictures of the boys and their eggs! We'll keep our fingers crossed for beautiful spring weather...

Other than that - not much is going on! (Yeah, right!) I will post some new shots of the kids after this weekend's festivities. Maybe we'll even throw some in of Mom and Dad, too! Happy Easter to all!

Facebook - My New Addiction

So, every once in a while something comes along that I feel as though I can not live without. First, there was David. Then Ian. Then Nathan. Most recently, my iphone. But now, I have discovered something new - Facebook. Dear lord! Sarah sent me the invite becasue she had opened an account to stay in contact with friends from college. I knew that a couple of my friends had accounts, so I figured, 'What the heck - might as well get in on it!' Well, now that was a mistake! I now have 72 friends and have installed the Facebook application on my iphone so I can check in when I"m not near a computer.

In my defense, it has been very cool to connect with people from high school and find out what the friends that consumed my days for four years are doing now eleven years later. Marriages, divorces, kids, businessess, school - lots of "Wow, I can't believe they are doing that!" moments, and dissapointments because those 'really cool' people in high school that were beautiful and popular are still beautiful and popluar. (Although, the reason we looked them up was to see if they had gotten fat and were working at McDonald's...)

It's sad, really, that my desire to connect with people has led to an obsession, but I have been assured (by my cousin Amy), that the overwhelming need to check my Facebook page will go away in a week or two. Until then, my new motto will come from a button on my Facebook corkboard sent to me by my best friend Jaime... "Not now, Mommy's on Facebook!"

To open your own facebook account, just go to www.facebook.com, login and, and let the fun begin! :o) Addiction breeds addiction, right?!?!

My Little Santa

My mom sent me these pictures from Christmas Eve with Nathan wearing one of his two Christmas outfits... I thought it was just too cute not to share!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What a very Merry Christmas we had this year! Both the boys were spoiled during their THREE Christmases! First there was Christmas Eve with Mammy and Bop Bop (Diane's Mom and Stepdad). It was so great to spend the evening with family and enjoy a yummy meal and lots of presents! Diane went on to sing Midnight Mass with her choir and crawled into bed around 2am. Fortunately, she was in bed before Santa came to visit! Ian put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. For Christmas number two, Santa brought Ian a Jack In The Box and a Buzz Lightyear which Ian enjoyed playing with most of the morning. Then after some downtime at home, we hopped in the car and drove to Nonna and Papa's house in Walnut Creek (Diane's Dad and Stepmom). We enjoyed another yummy dinner of cracked crab and yet another round of presents!

Ian also celebrated the holidays at preschool with a darling holiday program and an early surprise visit from Santa!

New Year's Eve was quiet and relaxed... the boys went to bed early and we enjoyed watching the movie Hancock with Dan and Sarah, then watching the ball drop and toasting with champange and sparkling cider at midnight! I believe we were all in bed by 12:30, but enjoyed our chance to ring in the new year!

Although we have taken down the treen and put away the decorations, there is more celebrating to come! We are looking forward to yet another Christmas with David's family in Truckee in January. We are so blessed toget to spend the holidays with such wonderful family!

Christmas Photos of the Boys!

Here are a few holiday pics of the boys... We went to JC Penny and had them taken at the photo studio there. Ian was less that cooperative, and although he often shares his "cheesy" smile with the camera, we were able to get some very cute pics of boy Ian and Nathan. Hope these make you smile... ENJOY!