Ta-da!! Not sure where that came from, just felt necessary :) Kendra loves to surprise me with things: zipping her coat gets a "ta-da!!", wiping her nose.. another "ta-da!!" I guess its really just contagious! :)
Well, today was Kendras first day of pre-school, and she loved it :) Since she has been home she has been asking when she gets to go back to school, what a relief! Two weeks ago, she was the child who would cry for her mommy at the sight of any unhappiness in the church nursery!! Wowza, did not see this day being this easy - Praise God for that victory!!! Its kind of a kookie time to start pre-school, but since she has a cochlear implant, she qualifies for a specialized pre-k program as soon as she turns 3. Well, her birthday was last Saturday so this week she turned into a big girl. I was a bit choked up, watching her waltz around in a backpack that was the same size as she is. She wore it proudly, and you could tell she had a little extra bounce in her step. What a sweet girl she was, sitting still in her carseat as she waited for it to be her school stop. First, my brothers got dropped off at the highschool, she watched intently as they marched in the doors. Next, Noah's stop was at Winfair. Noah was really proud of his baby sister today, encouraging her as she is now a "big girl" who gets to go to school just like him :) Last but not least, was Kendras school. Her daddy walked her up to her locker and dropped of her stuff then showed her the way to her classroom. She, with pride in her eyes, said "See you later Daddy, love you!"........ and Ta-Da -- my baby girl is a big girl.
Miles and I enjoyed some extra time together. He hugged me tightly as I was not as functional this AM just thinking about my sweet KK, and wondering if she was doing ok. I cried a little and welcomed the sweet touches from my Milesy and then life went on :) I spent the morning with a good friend, chatting about life - one of those really FAST hours in life.. it felt like we were only there 5 minutes and then it was time to wait for Kendra to get home from school. She rides the bus home, so Miles and I watched anxiously out the window. The report was a good one, and I got a text from her teacher - she did great, AND especially loved the music time :)
So it seems January has been pretty eventful for us :) Were settling in to our new house - yes, if you didn't know, we have purchased a home :) AND, I just got back from an amazing vacation with some AmAzInG friends!!! Matt and I have ALWAYS wanted to do a big vacation, but after marriage we quickly made ourself a family and the time was just never right. This was sort of our long awaited time away together, and I wouldn't have changed it for the world :) We went with four other couples, and it was TOO COOL to just see everyone in a relaxed setting and get to experience seeing an entirely different world :) It was a 7 day cruise along the Caribbean. We got on the ship in Puerto Rico, but let me tell you.... that is NOT where my story begins ;)
I have never been on a plane before, much less a cruise ship! Sooo, this was going to be an adventure, I was self preparing :) However, I did not know how travel really worked... so when our pilot came on the speaker before our flight from Chicago to San Juan saying that there were some engine difficulties and we may need to TRY flying at a lower altitude to ensure the plane does not FREEEZE over... I wanted to leave :) I was not comfortable with that option.. Later, upon about an hour of limbo over what we were going to do to get our people on the flight where they needed to be-- they found us a new plane and we taxi'd back to get off that plane and board a new one. Phew!! The flight was not so bad, I would do it again... but 1.5 hours of turbulence on your first flying adventure is a bit nauseating!! Regardless, we made it to Puerto Rico fine, claimed our bags (which were DRENCHING wet.. due to rain in San Juan) and headed out the doors to find a taxi. There was a very helpful booth right outside the door, and before too long a taxi was there and we were on our way to our hotel. But wait... 3 minutes into our taxi ride, we got a flat tire. The taxi driver pulled over to the side of the road (pretty busy road I might say..) and flagged his hand in the air. Matt joked, "He's probably going to sell us.." UMMMMM, not funny!!!! It turns out, he must have made a call to have someone come and get us to bring us to the hotel. At last.. we were safely there. I started my vacation with a runny nose and cough.. nothing a little zicam couldn't handle, but it also made me exhausted!! I slept like a baby that night, there was no time to worry about what the ship might bring. The next morning, we walked around and took in some of the sights of San Juan -- beautiful place, amazing views! Our ship was easy to get on, and everything seemed to be seamless. We were supposed to leave San Juan at 10 PM on Sunday night --- but not when you travel with the Steffens!!! Apparently our propeller was not in working order, and we were unable to set sail until the next day. This little bump in the road was not too big of a deal to us, however we did miss 3/4 of our day in St. Thomas. What I did see there though, was breath taking. The water was a beautiful blue, and take my word for it... there are some STEEP cliffs.
Overall, our vacation was perfect. Without all the little "humps" (thats what the sign for bumps is in all the islands we visited) it just wouldn't be the same :)
Now I am back on dry land and I am really appreciating my family. I think a long vacation like this one just gives you an entirely different perspective. It was a great opportunity to take a step back and realize just how precious little Kendras smile is, and how sweet it is when Miles shruggs his little shoulders to get out of trouble and I was completely in awe of how Noah kept a daily countdown of when we would be back and gave the babies each encouragement about his Mom and Dad coming back soon. My sister tells me there were not any tears over missing us, but she could tell they were ready for me to come home by Wednesday (we got back on Sunday over-night). The truth is, Wednesday was about the day I started to really miss them too! But then, by Friday I thought to myself.. Oh no, only one more day of this and were back to real life! I am just so thankful to my husband for being willing to invest this time with me. I truly think its a MUST-DO for couples. Invest in your marriage, I know I will do it again and again and again. I just need to remember to save for it :)
And so it seems my life is full of action right now, its surely just a phase. In no time I will be wondering when the next big thing is going to happen and anxiously awaiting anything exciting :) But for now, I will just enjoy my tan before it slips away and appreciate everything I have in front of me: An amazing husband, 3 beautiful kids, a new home to grow old in, and loving friends and family. Tonight my older brother is coming to town. He is taking my youngest brother hunting with him. I'm looking forward to him bringing my niece McKenzy with, I love spending time with her -- and my kids especially adore her! My family is soooo important to me. I hang on real, real close this time of year. I think its engraved into my emotional tank. Its going to be 6 years the beginning of February since my Dad unexpectedly passed away from leukemia. I just can't help but remember some of our last days with him-- because not much else happens in January. Except this January was different!! It was a beautiful month, filled with happiness and new times. I'm glad that I didn't sit and sulk in it the whole month, but I may be making up for the beginning of the month in this last week. Pray for me, please. Not that I forget, because I want to always remember my Dad. Just pray that I can find comfort in new beginnings and not so much sorrow about my Dad not being a part of all these fresh starts.
As always, thanks for caring, thanks for keeping up on the Steffens!! I'm excited to show off my new pad, so let me know if you want to stop in and check it out!!! :)
