Matt and Susanna Steuer Family News

January in Utah

2012-01-14T08:44:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to All!
We had a FABULOUS time in Utah with Matt's family. Here are some of our photos and memories. Cousins are so fun to watch all together.
We send all our love to our dear friends and family....
Matt and Susanna and Kids

2012-01-14T08:37:00.001-08:00

2012-01-14T08:34:00.000-08:00

2012-01-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

2012-01-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

2011-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

2011-12-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

2011-12-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

2011-12-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

November News!

2011-12-02T17:37:00.001-08:00

Friends and Family,
Well, it will appear from our November that we have been quite Matt-less since he is in none of the pics, which is very true! He has had a CRAZY busy schedule and so sometimes I DO feel like a single mom with three kids!
Life is great however and we only appreciate it more when he is able to be with us.
Here's the updates for November by photos.
Love to you all!
Matt, Susanna and Kids

1. The first photos are professionals that my vocal student Emma Taylor took at Walden Pond...she is AMAZING! I wanted to do a shoot there before we move in a year and a half.
2. The second group of photos are at the Annual Belmont Center Christmas Tree Lighting. Matt was late at the hospital, so I bundled up the kids and went...it was SO fun! They really LOVED seeing Santa get off the fire truck and come and light the Belmont Tree.
3.. Last photos are of little 4 mos old Robby...he is growing up so fast and started grabbing things the past couple of weeks!
4. Oh and I chopped off my own hair...crazy, but fun!!!!! Sometimes you have to do things like that...

2011-12-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

2011-12-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

October and Early November Update

2011-11-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hello Family and Friends and Happy Fall!
We hope everyone is well and enjoying this lovely season as much as I am! Here is an update for October according to the photos I posted.
Love,
The Steuer Family

-First photo is a family picture at the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA...this is our favorite place to go on Sundays.
-Robby is finally sitting up in a play seat and holding himself up very well I might add for only four months!
-Maddie started her first gynmastics/tumbler class and is doing seriously awesome. She loves it!
-I made shrimp gumbo for the first time in a long time this month and oddly enough (for how picky they are about most food) my kids LOVE it. Also a cute photo on our Belmont, MA chapel grounds of Jacob and Madeleine. Matt and I have decided that the Belmont Chapel grounds are the prettiest we've EVER seen....
-I am teaching Maddie's home Preschool class once a month for two days a week and got October! So we did a little Halloween "party". My kids got to be the "Five Little Pumpkins"...we know that rhyme all too well now!
-More photos at the Old North Bridge...
-Maddie has been doing a little music class with some other moms and kids in our ward on Friday mornings. They have done this for the past two years and love it. She especially loves the "sled" as you can see!
-I went apple picking with Jacob and his class to Shelburne Farm in Stow, MA and it was super fun! The apples were amazing and it was fun to have some one-on-one with my favorite five-year-old!

Other highlights
-Matt is doing well but started his rotation at BMC which will be for six months! He is on call about half the month and so we try to spend as much time as we can when he IS home and are just happy and grateful when he's here. We can't believe we only have a year and a half left
-I am teaching voice lessons Mon-Wed. and have six solid voice students (middle and high school girls) and LOVE IT!!!!! They are all doing wonderfully. I am so proud of them! I have been working and planning our first "parent recital" which will be December 10. The are all nice and nervous, but are going to do GREAT!
It has been a dream of mine to be a voice teacher and watch my students gain confidence as they learn to perform and improve their voices just as my first teacher helped me when I first began at 13. This has been very fulfilling!

2011-11-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

2011-11-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

2011-11-11T11:32:00.001-08:00

2011-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

2011-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

August and September Steuer Update 2011

2011-09-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Family and Friends!

A couple of months have gone by and I am finally getting around to updating my blog/facebook etc.
You will have to click on Older Posts at the bottom of this page to see all the photos I've uploaded for this month...I guess labeling them limits how many can be on the first page.

I have labeled all our photos this time but here are a few of highlights.
1. Matt went to Idaho to hunt....Dad Steuer if you have any photos that would be great!
2. I went to San Antonio, TX (home) with kids...yes I flew alone. Whew! It was worth it though and SO much fun...I miss my family tons already!
3. Jacob and Madeleine both started preschool, Jacob at Plymouth in Belmont (we are holding him back for K garten till next year) and Madeleine, home preschool that I will teach once a month for a week along with four other moms in our ward. Less expensive!
4. Robby's blessing in Portland, ME. It was amazing and wonderful to have my mom fly out and brave Hurricane Irene to do so!
5. Matt and I both had our birthdays this month...we are, respectively, 20 and 23 years old (just like when we got married...hmmm how would that work?) I guess I can't say how old we are! So Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man, my amazing, loving husband..."God gave me you for the ups and downs". I love you!

We hope you all are happy and well!
xoxo,
The Steuer Family

2011-09-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:36:00.002-07:00

2011-09-28T13:36:00.001-07:00

2011-09-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

2011-09-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

Happy One Month Robby!

2011-08-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Where did July go?!!! I can't believe how fast the summer is going by and I feel that since Robby came just one month ago, it has sped up the process! So here are photos from July of our family and a little of what we've done since Robby was born.
My family (Mom, sisters Elizabeth and Rebecca, brother Don and my Dad) was able to come from San Antonio and while they were here for ten days after I had Robby we did some fun things! We all took a trip to Wingaersheek Beach, a trip to Chuckie Cheese enjoyed the new, little edition to our family immensely! It was wonderful to have them and they helped me SO much with the baby, food, Jacob and Madeleine......ah! Thank heaven for family!
Since they have left we were thrown right back into a resident's family life with three kids and Matt's busy schedule. Fortunately, my healing has overall gone very well...I am now a month out and exercising and going, going, going with three kids. I really believe this has helped with my recovery, physically emotionally etc. I am feeling GREAT now.
When I took all my kids to the grocery store and then to Target the first week I was alone and MADE it I thought, "Okay! I can do this!"
Madeleine and Jacob celebrated their birthdays in July and so Jacob is now 5 and Madeleine 3. Robby is one month and doing very very well. He is a really sweet, good little guy who wakes up a couple of times in the night, but then goes back to sleep pretty well. So my sleep is broken, but still SLEEP!
So all in all we are happy and well, anxious for this residency to be over, but enjoying our time here in Boston so much.
So thank goodness for family, friends and thank heaven for little boys, I say!

2011-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

2011-08-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

2011-08-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

Announcing the Birth of Robby Hilton Steuer!

2011-07-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

We are pleased and proud to announce the birth of Robert "Robby" Hilton Steuer! He was born on July 7 (Thursday evening) at 5:59 p.m. via c-section at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. Robby was 6.7 lbs and 19.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing wonderfully!
Here are some photos of Jacob and Madeleine with their new brother as well as a few already sent out from the evening he was born. Thanks to all our family and friends for you love, prayers and support! All our love...

2011-07-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

June Update...Three Weeks To Go!

2011-06-14T09:06:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast May flew by and now it's summertime...or supposed to be! We had literally, four days of hot, hot summery weather and even made a couple of trips to the beach and the water parks. Now the ten day forecast is rainy/ overcast again! So I guess summer will really hit just about the time I have this baby.
Highlights for June include (as shown in photos): My baby shower at the Cheesecake Factory which was WONDERFUL of my friends, Jacob's t-ball group, trips to Beaver Brooks water park sprinklers, a trip to McDonalds...thus the Thor hats on the kids.... a couple of trips to the lake house in Maine (my kids caught a snake this past weekend and LOVED it a little too much, so we had to let it go...too bad, so sad!).
It is Matt's last week of General Surgery rotation, which has been the whole second year of his residency. We can't believe he will be a third year/ senior resident (and back on Oral Surgery rotations) starting next week. He is excited to be working in his field again.
My c-section is in three weeks and I'm not counting or anything....Matt will get a week and a half off and my mom and sister Liz are coming for the surgery on the 6th. My dad and sis Rebecca are also coming that following week. Then Matt's parents come in from Utah for ten days...so I am so excited and happy to have the help, especially in entertaining my two other children while I enjoy and adjust to #3. We are SO excited to meet this little person.
Happy June to all! Oh and I just posted a new recipe...Best Brownies Ever...in my Culinary Diary Blog. They really are! I make them a lot. You will love them if you love chocolate!

2011-06-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

2011-06-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

2011-06-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

April 2011 Update

2011-05-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

April finds us happy and well despite another month bigger (into my eighth month of pregnancy) and Matt catching a BAD case of step throat this past month...he finally got some antibiotics and is 100% better thankfully!
We enjoyed a wonderful April with both sets of parents visiting Boston and spending Easter up at our brother and sister-in-law's lake house. The kids loved it and had their egg hunt there as well! Matt was also excited to shoot his first turkey at the lake house and you can see in the photo that was quite large, although the meat didn't taste like Thanksgiving turkey meat...a little chewy...but fun anyway!
The weather is finally warming up...slow but sure...and so we have enjoyed some wonderful, therapeutic days in the sun. Jacob has started t-ball and we are gearing up for baby #3 on July 7th! My little shower/girls lunch is this Saturday at Cheesecake Factory and I wish all the girls in my fam could be there, but it will be fun to be with friends.
Matt and I also enjoyed our 8th wedding anniversary this past week and had a fun night out...a rarity these days! It has been a marvelous, wonderful eight years.
Happy Spring to you all!

2011-05-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

2011-05-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

2011-05-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

February and Part of March Update: It's A.......!!!!

2011-03-09T07:22:00.001-08:00

February was a great month although really, really snowy! We are quite sick of winter out here and glad that spring is just now starting to show her face....finally! NO MORE BLIZZARDS PLEASE...EVER!
I had my 18 week appointment in early February and everything looks GREAT/PERFECT with Baby #3! They asked me if I wanted to know the gender (both the technician and the doctor) and I gritted my teeth and said a very firm, "NO!" So the first time in my life, practically, I left somewhere, not knowing something that I could have known..very hard for me... So we do NOT know the gender of our baby #3, nor will we until July 7th...my scheduled c-section date. So all are free to guess if you wish! Most have predicted a boy...which is my prediction and always has been...we shall see though!
So our photos for the month of February and the first week of March consist of Valentine's photos of the kiddos, a trip to the Children's Museum (where they are dressed as ferocious lions), and a few of my pregnancy photos in my 22nd week. We were also able to go up to our family's in Maine during the last week of February for our nephew Braden's birthday and baptism which was wonderful. The kids love their hot tub as you can see!
All our love and best wishes to you all for a happy early Spring!

2011-03-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

2011-03-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

2011-03-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

2011-03-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

Snow, Snow and MORE Snow! January 2011

2011-02-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

Happy January!
We have had, quite literally, five blizzards this winter and are up to our chins in snow! Poor Matt has to come home from the hospital and often cannot relax immediately, but must shovel our driveway so we can get out the next day...there have been four "snow days" that Jacob has remained home from school. It is pretty amazing! I have NEVER seen so much snow in my entire life!
So this month, we have had a lot of indoor time, but have been able to venture out on a couple of outings on the better days, thankfully. I thought I would write a little outline of the photos and then a quick update.
From the first photo to the last:
Jacob and Madeleine are playing in our backyard and notice the difference in snow depth from this first photo at the beginning of the month to the last snow photos.
The landscape photo with the fence was taken on one of our Sunday drives to Lexington, MA. There was such a beautiful, ethereal mistiness along the Minute Man trail that day that I had to get a photo!
I had to get another photo of the Louisa May Alcott home (myself in front) in the winter...I LOVE this quaint, historical place!
Jacob is with his Belmont primary helping out as a new CTR 4.
This beach photo is another Sunday outing. We drove up the North shore (along the MA coast) and found this quaint, little beach. Matt took the kids for a short, very cold, walk!
The next snow photos we after the second blizzard. Madeleine is by our garage in our backyard and Jacob is helping his Dad shovel snow. We have done a LOT of that as I said before!
Madeleine is in her new Dora costume in our house, which she wears constantly now.
The next couple of photos are of our kids are at the Indoor Playground in Watertown, MA about ten minutes from our house. I take them here in the winter frequently as it is a fun, warm place with lots of toys and running space for the kiddos!
We took the kids to Chuckie Cheese's and Jacob even got a hug from the mouse himself. They loved it!
Lastly, the kids at home on, yet, another snow day!

Hope you all are happy and well!

Happy New Year 2011 and December 2010 Update!

2011-01-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

We can't believe another year has come and gone! It was a wonderful December and we were privileged to escape the freezing cold of Boston and fly to San Antonio where my entire family spent a week together...it was FABULOUS! So much fun, excellent food, shopping at the outdoor mall, and such a wonderful Christmas!
We were able to make it back into Boston on the day that a huge blizzard was hitting...we were the last plane from Atlanta to make it in that day and for a couple of days afterwards. Very lucky! Since returning home, we have had yet another blizzard and I shoveled snow off our front porch for the first time in my life this week in order for the postman to be able to reach our door!
Matt will be on difficult rotations for the next three months, but we have geared up for that and are trying to embrace all the good....we are so blessed. I am now about 15 weeks along and starting to pass the first trimester sickness which I found to be MUCH worse with this baby...but I've been blessed with a great doctor in Lexington that I love, an easy drive from home, and have seen the baby on ultra sound twice and heard the heart beat once...very special. We are very excited for this baby...my c-section date is set for July 7, 2011.
All in all, we are happy and healthy and enjoying 2011! We wish you all well...

2011-01-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

2011-01-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays 2010!

2010-12-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,
Another year has come and gone and with it, so many blessings and wonderful memories. 2010 has been a great year, full of new and exciting things!
Matt continues to enjoy his residency despite some difficult rotations. This year he had the privilege of traveling to Ukraine with his program to perform cleft lip and palate surgery and other procedures there. It was a wonderful experience for him and most definitely a highlight! He is also enjoying a new health product that we have found to be AMAZING called Jus. I have sent out emails about it, but let us know if you want to know more! On his limited free time, he continues to enjoy exercise, reading, playing with his kids and watching movies and an occasional night out (mostly temple nights though) with his wife!
Susanna (me) is enjoying Boston immensely and all the wonderful experiences it has to offer. She loves that we live so near the temple and are able to see it when driving around. The children always exclaim from the back seat "There's the angel Moroni!" and it is particularly beautiful this time of year with a special Nativity statue on the ground. She is continuing to work on her first historical fiction (more on that in the future hopefully!), running, reading, running kids around and now teaching voice lessons, which she LOVES. A little secret/ surprise for those who read our update, but she is also pregnant with #3 baby and so is just about through the "sick time" which has been a little of a challenge. Again, she swears that Jus is helping to give her more energy, less illness and, frankly, better finger nails!
Jacob is four this year and enjoying his second year of Preschool. He has some really cute, fun little friends there and has learned a lot of fun little things and cute songs that he graces us with at home! Susanna loves putting his little pictures up on the fridge that he makes there. He was able to take swim this year, t-ball and soccer, all of which he loved...although we think he liked t-ball the most! He continues to be a sweet, tender, kind and expressive little boy that brings us a great deal of joy.
Madeleine has really opened up and come out this year in terms of personality. She has proven to be a sweet, fun, very vibrant, musical and spunky little thing! I will let you in on a little secret...but Matt absolutely LOVES his little girl and has a hard time saying "no"...uh oh! She is still at home with her mom and still naps once a day, although is transitioning on that point. She loves to watch "Dora" and "Einsteins" and to play upstairs in our toy room with her brother. It is very nice that they are playing well together finally! She is a blessing and joy in our family and we love and adore her!
We send all our love this holiday season and hope that this next year continues to bring you all peace and joy!
Much love,
Matt, Susanna and Children

Happy Halloween

2010-11-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!
It's been a great month....the kids went to our ward Trunk or Treat and got PLENTY of candy. ( Of course I reserved the special pieces of chocolate I wanted for myself). They had a blast and Jacob was more excited about going from car to car than actually eating his candy afterwards. Maddie has made up for Jacob's disinterest in candy and loves chocolate like her mama.
Hope everyone had a great October!

2010-11-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

September Update

2010-10-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

So September flew by....I spent the majority of the time in my home city, San Antonio, TX while Matt went to Ukraine to do cleft lip and palate operations which he loved and was able to do some awesome cases.

I had a fabulous time in Texas, shopping, hanging with my sister Rebecca who is the only one at home now. It was so fun to drive around with her (while she is practicing for her license) and to go to my favorite restaurants including Alamo Cafe and the Melting Pot (for my bday dinner). Jacob and Madeleine had a great time with Grandparents HIlton and got very spoiled...well we all kind of did! Fortunately I missed Matt and was excited to see him or I don't think I'd EVER have wanted to come back to real life!
So happy fall to all!

2010-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

2010-10-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

2010-10-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

2010-10-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

August and September Update

2010-09-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hello All!
It has been a wonderful month with a couple of fun trips to the beach, to Hammond Castle (a real medieval castle built in the 1800's with artifact dating back to the Crusades and Middle Ages!) and of course to Maine to visit our beloved Steuer cousins! Matt has been on a wonderful rotation and it has been great to have him home so much this summer! This next month I will be taking the children to San Antonio while Matt goes to Ukraine to do cleft lip and palate work and then to Idaho to hunt with his father and brother. I can't wait to go home despite being apart from Matt for so long!
Jacob started Preschool again and loves his class and teacher, which are practically the same as last year. Madeleine is becoming more and more spunky, darling, and grown up each day!
All our love!

2010-09-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

2010-09-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Happy August!

2010-08-15T16:39:00.001-07:00

It's been too long since I've updated our blog, but here are some recent photos of our summer fun. We had a wonderful Steuer reunion a couple of weeks ago in Maine. It was a blast to have everyone come out here and the weather was perfect and beautiful all week my brother and sister in law's lake house. The kids had such a fun time with their cousins and, of course, we were all sad to have to say good-bye!
Matt and I are doing very well and have enjoyed the summer immensely since he has been on a good rotation and has been able to be home early each day since June. We have had many fun, family outings to the beach, sites in Boston, Maine of course and a few date nights. It has been just wonderful.
We hope all is well for everyone!

2010-08-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

2010-08-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

2010-08-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

April and May Update and My Cooking Blog

2010-05-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

Hello All!
It's been awhile since my last update...April showers bring May flowers, so they say. And so it WAS in Boston, MA this spring. When we returned from a wonderful trip in Utah for Conference weekend, spring had sprung. But we have had A LOT of rain, which has made May all the more beautiful. We have had nice, sunny days that feel like summer and cold, rainy ones that still feel like March. So I don't think the weather has completely made up it's mind yet!
We are happy and well and looking forward to July when Matt will be on a VERY nice rotation and able to come home much earlier most days. Jacob is almost finished with Preschool and has enjoyed his first year there very much. Madeleine is so fun, sweet and beautiful and can definitely hold her own with her brother. My children bring me so much joy despite the difficulties of motherhood. It is the hardest thing I've ever done!
I have recently discovered a new passion though...cooking... and even created my very first recipe tonight that is ALL my own. A yummy buttercream chocolate filling for cakes and petit fours. No, I won't be revealing it online (sorry!), but I am spiffing up my cooking blog and will be posting photos of my experiments as I have time to do them. My dream and goal is to take a cake decorating course and one day become skilled enough that people want me to make cakes for them...we shall see about that!
So for all you cooks out there, feel free to leave tips and ideas on my cooking blog. I know there are many very talented cooks among my acquaintances!
We hope you all are happy and well and enjoying your springtime!

March News 2010

2010-03-30T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hello All!
Well, we thought Spring had come, but all we seem to be getting the past couple of weeks is...RAIN! Our basement has flooded twice with about two inches of water. Thankfully, our landlord brought his pump both times and was able to clear it out!
So the highlights of this month! I'll go by the photos I posted.
-Boston Museum of Science: Monet's "Waterlilies" even though I mentioned it last month is one of my very favorites. I think he is AMAZING...a genius.
-Got the kids Fisher Price cars that they can drive in our upstairs area for hours at a time which is very nice! We've needed lots of indoor activity options with all the rain!
-Maddie tried to sit on the potty. Still not there yet...
-Another trip to Walden Pond with the kids on one of the good days. We LOVE it there. It is so quiet, tranquil and beautiful! (the summertime excluded when everyone takes their children to swim)
-Blackstone Valley Maple Sugar Farm where Jacob got to learn about "sugaring" and how trees are tapped for maple syrup. matt was on call that Saturday, I was bored, and thought "ok, lets learn about this"! Turned out more interesting than I thought it would and we bought some very authentic maple syrup to take home.
-Kids Easter Party: Last Friday I held an Easter Party for Jacob and Madeleine's little friends. Lots of kids in the house! But really fun.
-Easter Bunny came this last Saturday since we will be in Utah for the first week and a half of April. The kids didn't know the difference and were thrilled at the loot they received from the very generous Bunny.

We hope all is well with our friends and family!

2010-03-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

2010-03-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

2010-03-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

2010-03-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

2010-03-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

February News

2010-03-11T07:43:00.001-08:00

Hello Friends and Family!
This past month has been wonderful and difficult at the same time since Matt's call schedule was quite brutal! But we have almost made it and will be going on vacation to Utah for April General Conference, which we are more than excited for!
February's highlights include our going to the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Boston Science Museum twice, which was really great! It was amazing. They had everything from props to costumes there including a life-size figure of Hagrid and his spider (yuck!). It was a lot of fun! Matt and I also made a date-night to the Boston Metropolitan Museum of Art which was also incredible. I got a photo next to my favorite, Monet, and his "Waterlilies". There was also a special exhibit "The Secrets of Tomb 10 A", which featured the artifacts from the tomb of an ancient Eqyptian governor. There were no mummies found in the tomb (due to grave robbers) except the head of either him or his wife, which they had on display. Pretty amazing!
We had a couple of bad colds, but think we have them finally beat. This may be to the fact that the seasons are changing. This past week was BEAUTIFUL and I've been able to take the children to the park just down the road at Jacob's Preschool four days in a row. It made me "spring-hungry".
We hope everyone is happy and well and also enjoying the first signs of springtime!

February News

2010-03-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

2010-03-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

December and January Update!

2010-01-26T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!
January literally FLEW by, so I'm just now updating our blog from the Holidays! The past couple of months have been wonderful, especially since Matt has been on a good rotation. We have been able to spend many fun days all together! Our trip to Texas before Christmas was a blast and Christmas in Maine was relaxing and fun...The kids have enjoyed sledding up at the lake house and playing in the snow on the sunnier days we've had in Boston. Our weather has been surprisingly warm and sunny the past week and so we even took the kids to the beach (just to walk around!) this past weekend, which was cold, but so pretty!
Jacob started Sunbeams the first Sunday of January and Madeleine, Nursery. They are taking to their new classes very well! Thank goodness! It is wonderful to be able to sit in a meeting "child-less" and to have the opportunity to listen. I was called to be the Primary Pianist, which I really enjoy...it is wonderful to be back in Primary especially since Jacob just entered. Madeleine can now wear her hair in pigtails, which is so cute for us, and she is still a "little peanut", not even making the charts AT ALL for weight. I've had to take her to a couple of different specialists as her pediatrician has wanted to make sure she is absorbing all her nutrients. At the end of the day, as her doctor said, she will just be very petite! She eats anything and everything (even better than Jacob who is in the picky phase but getting MUCH better). We are grateful to have two happy, healthy children.
We hope you are all having a fantastic January!

2010-01-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

2010-01-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

2010-01-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

2010-01-26T13:10:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-24T07:02:00.000-08:00

This year has been so good to us...where do I begin? I thought I'd write the highlights as I've been reflecting on 2009 and all the many blessing the Lord has given us. We are so thankful for dear friends and family who bring so much happiness and joy to our lives. All our love during this Holiday time!
*Going to the play Wicked with all my Louisville friends
*Our trip to Boston and Maine when we found our wonderful home-to-be
*Putting our first home on the market
*Retouching, repainting, packing, and cleaning our Louisville home in preparation for selling.
*Farewell party with all our dental school friends. (sniff, sniff) We miss you guys!
*Matt's dental school graduation from University of Louisville at Kentucky
*Moving to Boston with my Mom and the kids after Matt left first with the truck
*Visiting Kirtland, OH and Palmyra, NY on the way
*Moving into our Belmont, MA home and unpacking
*Training hard for the Logan Marathon
*Mom Hilton watching the kids while Matt and I took a short, but awesome trip to N.Y.C.
*Madeleine learning to walk
*My parents and sisters visit to Boston; we took them on the Freedom Trail and to Plymouth, MA
*Jacob's third birthday
*Madeleine's first birthday
*The Steuers visit to Boston and our fun weekend in Maine with everyone
*Our trip to Utah and fishing in Logan with Matt, Jacob and Grandpa Steuer
*Running the Logan Marathon....thank goodness that's over!
*Our trips to Salem, MA and Danvers, MA to the Salem Witch Trials sites....really interesting and kind of sad.
*Jacob starting Preschool
*Jacob's Halloween party with little friends
*Trick or Treating: our first New England Halloween with beautiful weather and a full moon!
*Thanksgiving at home; making my first turkey
*Our trip to Texas and mini-Christmas with the Hiltons: Matt and I took a date to the River Walk which was so fun!
*Getting my first real coat... I mean the kind that will actually keep you warm in the bitter New England cold!

2009-11-27T10:22:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

We can't believe Thanksgiving is over now and that Christmastime is in the air! We are so grateful for all our friends and family who have touched our lives in countless ways. You are all so special to us in some unique way and we hope and pray all is well for you this time of year.
It has been a wonderful year with many changes as we have adjusted to our new life in Boston, MA. We love it here and have been welcomed in the ward and community with warmth and friendliness for which we are grateful. It is always amazing and touching to us that wherever we have lived, there are good, kind people ready to care for and befriend you. We have felt this here and it has made living so far from most our family much easier.
May Heavenly Father bless you all during the most joyous, wonderful time of year. We love you all.

2009-11-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

October Update!

2009-11-02T17:03:00.001-08:00

Hello Family and Friends!
October found us happy and well despite the fact that Matt is now entering another "bad" rotation at BMC (Boston Medical). Fortunately, it will only last through November and then we get to go to Texas, which we are greatly looking forward to!
The weather this October in lovely Boston, MA has been phenomenal! The leaves have been just amazingly beautiful, the weather mild, crisp and even warm on Halloween night (complete with blustery weather and a full moon). It has truly been an ideal fall, just as gorgeous as all the east coast fall post cards. It is so much fun to take walks outside during this time of year, to collect pretty leaves and just enjoy the colors.
We had the chance to go up to the lake house a couple of times this October and, as you can see from the photos, the leaves made the hilly landscape so picturesque. It was really fun to ride the four wheelers around and to take pictures of all the foliage.
Matt and I took the children to Walden Pond a couple of weeks ago and walked on the trail around the pond to the site of Thoreau's cabin, where he stayed for quite some time without modern conveniences to rediscover the simplicity of nature. It was such a beautiful fall day and the forest was so serene, colorful and rejuvenating. A fun family outing!
Halloween was so much fun this year, because Jacob is actually old enough to appreciate it now. We had our Stake Halloween Activity and Trunk or Treat the weekend before and I actually won the contest, which totally shocked me since I threw it together that evening with the kids outside. They dressed up as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan and had a blast!
Halloween night was, like I said, absolutely perfect weather....seriously! The most amazing Halloween weather I've even experienced. Jacob had so much fun for the hour and a half we were out, sprinting from house to house and pushing all the other kids (even the older ones) out of the way so he could be the first one at the doorstep to receive candy. Matt and I laughed much of the time. We took a break during our trick or treating to stop and have cider and homeade doughnuts at a members home in the neighborhood, which were phenomenal. It was such a fun night!
We hope life is treating all our family and friends well and we send you all our love this lovely fall!

2009-11-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

2009-11-02T16:43:00.001-08:00

2009-11-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

September News

2009-10-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

We can't believe September has come and gone! It really was a wonderful month with lots of new things for us.
Jacob started school at the beginning of the month and has really done well. He is learning to cooperate in a classroom setting, which reflects in his behavior even at home for good, and loves his teacher Melissa whom he has excitedly shown his Cars theme backpack to each time I've dropped him off. He is a dear, sweet boy and is growing up more quickly than I can believe. And I love that he is officially and completely potty trained....yes!
Madeleine is sweet, beautiful and petite as ever. I call her my little "petite" or little bean, although she is truly packed with dynamite, never afraid to shriek in protest if upset. She hold her own very well against her brother Jacob who is very good and gentle with her... most of the time. She has cut more teeth and so is looking more like a little girl instead on an infant. She is officially a toddler which I can't believe. The past two weeks I have weaned her off the bottle completely and also am attempting to go down from two naps a day to one, which helps her go to sleep at 7 more promptly.
Matt is LOVING his Sept-Oct rotation at the Veterans Hospital, only because he is home so much more. We have been able to spend more time as a family and take a few little trips this month: Martha's Vinyard (although we didn't stay long enough to brag), Utah for almost two weeks, Kimball Farm (photos of Jacob riding horsies), and of course Maine and Dave and Callie's lake house, which is always a blast and much appreciated.
My news to report this month is my marathon. Well, I'll just say it was HARD AND PAINFUL! My training did pay off and I got just under four hours, but I must confess I was very disappointed that my legs and body stopped working after I hit the wall at 17 miles. I thought the canyon would make the run faster, easier that a flat plane, but is only made the pounding more severe.
I kept up a sub 8 minute mile for most of the marathon as I had trained to do, but by the time I ran out of the canyon at about 15 or 16 mils, my legs felt as though someone had taken a bat to them. From then on out my Dad and Matt traded off and ran with me the entire way, almost to the very end, which I desperately needed. I experience blood blisters, regular blisters, hyperventilating from the altitude change, runner's cramps and nausea. Yes I must say it was very painful and difficult and I'm glad it's over. And I"ll always remember that day as a tender one, despite the pain, because my sweet husband never left my side!
We hope everyone continues to be happy and healthy as fall arrives!

2009-10-01T07:03:00.000-07:00