party of six: March 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

my budding artist/writer

Parker drew a picture the other day and put it on top of the tv for the whole family to see and admire. It is a "skyscraper" and "our house". I asked him what he wrote on our house. "We love everybody," he said. Right on, little man, right on.

So proud of my boy.

When we went to the Strong Museum of Play on Friday-- Parker's favorite part was the mail room. He loved writing mail!!

This is Anderson with his Mail from Parker.

"I don't like girl stuff" is what he wrote on these. HAHA I love his smirk in this photo. Captures his personality for sure.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Museum of Play

While dad was at a meeting all day at work, Holly took the boys to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. There, they met up with Aunt Heather. The highlight of the trip was of course Lego Land, a new exhibit Parker and Carter have been asking to go to.

Parker in the Lego Car

Carter in the Lego Car

Anderson in his less exciting-- stroller

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Puzzles!

Holly and I have a fistful of things in common but a whole lot of things not in common. One of them is that I love to do jugsaw puzzles while Holly thinks its a waste of time. I see her point, I mean, it's just putting a piece of cardboard together. But I have always really enjoyed it.

I bought this puzzle way back in 2009. It's a simple 300 piece one, but it has an autumn theme and I really like autumn themed puzzles for some reason. After putting the boys up to bed last night, I brought it down from the attic and dumped it out on the table. 56 minutes later, it was all together!

What was great about it was Parker and Carter kept coming down to observe the construction. Each time they saw the progress I had made, they had wonderful comments to say like, "WOW DAD! You are so fast!" I asked Carter if he could do it and he said, "No, because I am small." I asked if he thought if I could finish the puzzle and he said, "Yeah, because you are big!" It made me feel like a champ.

Each time I do this puzzle I flip it over and write a note on the back. So the log for this puzzle is...

First 9.19.09 Brian

Second 2.11.11. Brian and Holly New Window Day
Third 9.24.11 Brian and Parker
Fourth 3.4.13 Brian 56 min

Doing this puzzle of course set off my puzzle kick again. So I dug out a 2,000 piece puzzle my brother Matt gave me for Christmas a few years back. I set up a table in the basement inside my soda can collecting room and set to work. I had picked at the puzzle before and sorted a lot of pieces, but now I was able to spread it all out and get working. Hopefully, I will finish it before I get sidetracked from puzzles again.

The 2,000 Piece Project

KPS Carnival

On Friday went to the carnival at Parker's elementary school. They had pizza, cotton candy, carnival games, and prizes! Carter even won a stuffed animal after winning a tricky ball-catch game. It was a great family outing!

Carter enjoying the pizza at the carnival.

Anderson trying cotton candy for the first time.

Parker and Carter trying their luck at the pick a duck game.

Afterwards, Holly and I had a nice date night with take out subs from Garafalos and Girl Scout Cookies.

Our Story:

Brian and Holly got married in Rochester, NY 6.3.06. They moved to Oswego so Brian could attend the school there. They survived one winter and decided that Oswego was not the place they wanted to settle. During the valentine's blizzard in '07, they found out they would have a new member added to their family. Brian and Holly were sealed for time and all eternity at the Palmyra Temple on 10.16.07. Parker Brenner Steffen joined our family just two days later- 10.18.07. They then moved to Farmington, NY in late Dec '07 so Brian could student teach and so we could be closer to family.

In Feb '08, after much prayer, we both felt prompted to move back to the Oswego/Syracuse area. In March '08, Holly was asked to come back and work for Small Smiles in Syracuse and we knew this was our chance to make the move. After deciding not to get a house, we settled into a quaint apartment in Baldwinsville.

July 3, 2008 Holly took a pregnancy test on a whim and lo and behold it said "Pregnant". No one saw that coming-- not even us. We were excited to welcome another member to our family. Carter Miller Steffen arrived Feb 24, 2009 via a completely intervention-free and med-free VBAC.

October 2009, we bought an old victorian-style 4bedroom, 1.5bathroom house in Oswego and are slowly making it our home. :)

Surprise! Right before Christmas 2010, we found out another baby would be joining our family. Holly is actually "due" on her own birthday- Aug 31. Our newest addition should be here around then. We are waiting until the delivery to find out if baby is a boy or girl! We're super excited! Holly thinks it is going to be a boy but is hoping for a girl. Brian is hoping for a boy and thinks its a boy. Parker wants another brother and Carter wants a sister. On August 24, 2011 baby Anderson joined our family. It was a boy! :) Holly said, "I knew you were a boy!!" Right after Holly looked to see the baby's gender. Even though deep down Holly wanted a girl, she was elated to see his sweet face.

SURPRISE baby4 is on the way. Due 10/24...
We had another baby boy- Beckett- and we love him to pieces! He is the perfect "cherry" on our family sundae. :)

The Mom:

Holly is an MCC Dental Hygiene graduate of '06 and registered dental hygienist. She left her career to take on what matters most: raising her family. Being a mom is what she's always dreamed of.

After having a VBAC completely med-free her passion is now to help women who are pregnant and women in labor. She wants women to feel EMPOWERED by giving birth. She wants women to make EDUCATED and INFORMED decisions for their birth. She has since become a DONA certified birth doula.

She has thoughts of someday writing a book about birth... just a mom tell all.

Holly enjoys being "crafty" and considers herself a jill of all trades, master at none. She has made:
homemade babyfood, knitted scarf, breastfeeding cover, burpcloths, bibs, etched glass, reverance bag, handwriting placemats, chair cover, crayon roll, decoupaged letters, potty cover, tote bag, scripture tote, recovered carseat, diaper detergent, dryer balls, tag blanket, fhe board, embroidered clothing.... and has recently learned to crochet.

Parker is 7!

Parker was born on October 18th 2007 by unplanned cesarean section. He weighed 7lb 8oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. Everyday he learns something new. He is my greatest joy. Parker loves to tell you who are in gospel art pictures. He loves Jesus, Temples, and the Book of Mormon. He is excited to be a big brother again. He loves saying there's a baby in mommy's belly and that I've had 2 boys there before- Parker and Carter! :) He is so excited to have another brother and he said he "knew it was a boy".

He is such a blessing.

Carter is 6!

We found out we were expecting baby #2 July 3rd 2008. After a sonogram on Oct 16th we had the sonographer seal up the sex in an envelope. We later opened the envelope in the temple (on our sealing anniversary), and we found out that another little baby BOY would joining our family.

Carter joined our family Feb 24th, 2009 at 8:58am. (after being at the hospital only 5hrs) He weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 20.5in long. I delivered him via VBAC and did it completely med and intervention- free with a doula by my side! His birth is my greatest accomplishment.

His favorite thing to do is picking movies to watch on wii, getting into trouble with his big brother, looking at gospel art pictures, and eating. He loves helping mommy and making people happy. He is a great big brother!

He is such a blessing.

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."

-President Thomas S. Monson

"Thee lift me, and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together"

- Quaker Proverb

“I know of no scriptures,” President Kimball continued, “where an authorization is given to young wives to withhold their families and go to work to put their husbands through school. There are thousands of husbands who have worked their own way through school and have reared families at the same time”

-“Marriage Is Honorable,” in Speeches of the Year, 1973, Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1974, p. 263

“Never suppress a generous thought.”

-Camilla Kimball

"For this child, I prayed"

-1 Samuel 1:27

"If a child is given love, he will learn to love

If a child is helped when he needs help, he will learn to serve

And if he has been truly valued at home, he grows up secure enough to look beyond himself and to the welfare of others"

-Dr Joyce Brothers