Relaxing in Austin

It is a beautiful 62 degress and the sun shines over the blue skies in our lovely city, so my spirits are high after many days of rain, thunder and high winds. Thank you all for posting comments to my 1st. entry. Jennifer was kind enough to remind me not to overlook the comment section so a little bit ago Kerbey and I read all the comments, and we were laughing out loud at ya'lls (is that a word? oh yeah... in Texas it is). I was trying to figure out one of the anonymous comments and and Kerbey said, Oh, that's DeeAnn, right before I read Jennifer's post saying it was DeeAnn. I thought it was neat how ya'll knew who it was immediately. Jesse's posting had us both laughing imagining him as a school girl (no disrespect Jesse, that WAS funny :o) Cathy, your wit is charming, and YES, you did send the Christmas card, thank you- I like the way you write. I have got to admit though, I am very overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Stewart family. Did I tell you that my ENTIRE family can fit in a big van (and that includes EXTENDED family), I almost hyperventilated at reading about you all. It is going to take me a while to have it all figured out as far as the family in Utah so please be patient. I think K and I should make a trip there in the near future so that I can get to meet you all in person. Did you all know that Kerbey has started taking cello lessons? I can't wait till he can serenade me and I have already requested that he learns to play the Mariconne (sp?) piece from the movie The Mission (which they played at our wedding when we entered the ballroom after the ceremony), he said that the first song he's being taught is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which is perfect to play to the grandchildren, isn't that sweet? I should mention that I must have done something wrong because I cannot separate paragraphs on this entry so it will all be one looooong paragraph. Sorry. I also like to take pictures so I'll usually try and include some in the postings. The one of the puppy I did not take, the one of Kerbey I took a few minutes ago while he was reading the blog, and the other one of us was taken on a trip we took to Ft. Lauderdale. Jesse, do you think it would be possible for Kerbey and I to accompany you to Mexico at the end of the year (and Mariah and Ashley [if she can get off work] too?) I would love to do so, and for next year visit the orphanage in Ecuador maybe? (ok Isabella, slow down... one thing at the time... I tend to get pretty excited about things and go 100 miles an hour if I don't pace myself.) As I tell friends, I'm NOT hyper, it is the world that moves too slowly LOL. Ok, that's all for now, ya'll be safe. Blessings, Isabella

Bylund Family

It took me a while to figure this out too. It is been so great to hear what everyone is doing. So here is our update from Lubbock. Garrison is 3 1/2 and is like most little boys....rough, tough and very busy! We do a little "mom run" preschool with him and some of his friends which he really enjoys. He loves to play any sport he can and begs his Dad to play with him whenever he is home. Darren is 7 months old and weighs 22 lbs. He just cut his first tooth yesterday! It is amazing how time flies! Jared will finish his 2nd year of law school in May. I can't believe he is almost finished. We have enjoyed are time here but are anxious to be done with school and move onto the next phase of life. Lubbock has been a good place for us to be. We have made so many great friends and have enjoyed our time here. As for me I never realized how busy being a Mom could be. Some days I feel like I am so busy all day and then I look around the house and the dishwasher still needs to be unloaded and the laundry still isn't done and I wonder what I have been doing all day. I still run whenever I get the chance and do a race now and then just to keep me motivated. The kids and I are flying to Utah next month to see Andrea's new baby, and everyone else of course. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and getting out of town during finals which is always a crazy time! Bye for now.

Jen requested a picture

Here is a picture of Jesse and Maya in Mexico last year.

Jeff as a senior!

Aunt DeeAnn finally on

Jen I made it on!
Now if I can remember how I did it.
It was good to hear from all those who posted and great to hear of your daily lives.
If you read Jesses' blog he mentioned I would be moving close by him hopefully in June or sooner. It will be a nice change for me I think. I know I will enjoy being able to have the kids ride their bikes to Nanna's house. Jacob is already planning sleepovers and on bringing me flowers. I hope Patty is as excited as they are to have her mother-in-law that close.
I am still working in Orem at the School for the Deaf, and no I do not know ASL. I have taken two classes and it just doesn't stick with me. I have no occasion to use it really and I think that is why. We are an oral program and only 3 of our students use sign as their primary language and they really shouldn't be as they have implants and should be speaking by now.
The world of deaf education is really changing as babies are getting cochlear implants at ever earlier ages and some even bilateral implants so that they can learn language and listening at a more normal age level. I have found that part of my job very interesting and have learned a great deal about how children learn language. So much of a hearing child's language skills come from residual sources we don't give much thought to; TV, conversations around them etc, but a deaf child has no access to that learning and must be taught every aspect of listening and speaking. I know everyone here at work likes to hear my Maya stories because she has had such an amazing mastery of language for a toddler. As a grandma I knew it was something, just like I recognized it in Tyler, but until I began telling those I work with what she could say I never truly understood just how amazing it was that a child of barely over a year to articulate the way she did and continues to do. Of course all of my grandchildren are brilliant, talented and gorgeous. I adore them all and really miss my Texas crew.
Jeff graduates next month and I can't wait! I remember when he was born and I thought oh my goodness I'll be 51 when he graduates and that seemed so terribly old; now I am here it doesn't seem that old. He has a band called "To Sleep" and they have two gigs in April and he is excited about that. They are really good I think and cut a CD and played in a battle of the bands in March. They practice at our house and I like to hear them though it gets a bit loud. Of course with no neighbors it hasn't been a problem but in the new place it might be. He also likes to mountain bike like Jesse and they do some races together.
This turned out to be longer than I thought. Sorry.

gahhh hi! :)

hello family. this is your bubbly, excited, little, thirteen-year-old member, Mariah. Its so good to hear how all of you(+your little ones) are doing... especially those of you who i haven't seen in years. I am verrrrrrrrrrry very very very very good. i love school and friends and everything that is all wrapped up in that little bundel (bundle?bundel?who cares). i am currently a seventh grader at Kealing jr high which is the same school that Slade went to. oh yeah and for those of you who predicted me to be tall... sorry but im a little 5'5" (which i love because.. well its right in the middle). ok, well i dont have much else to say... haha hi :) oh this is exciting. talk to you later folks.

Snowbird

While I’m thinking about it now might be a good time to mention Snowbird. Grandma has talked of selling the Snowbird condo. Without grandpa she has little interest in going up there these days. We have talked her into letting the family cover the annual maintenance fee. Patty and I covered it and as a result used the week. What I have in mind, and let me know what you think; is to open this up to the family. This could be done several ways. To not bother grandma with the fees and such, I thought I would pay the fee each year as it comes due in June, when most of us are not thinking about skiing.
If there are families who would like to use this time they could pay it too. It’s just a matter of making out a check to Snowbird. If you decided that you would like to come out to ski or just hang out you would pay me back what I paid. If you felt that your family couldn’t use the entire week you could split it with a sibling, or another family member, or just pay for the nights you used. The room isn’t that big so it would be hard to have more than one family there at a time to spend the night, but it can be done. During the day it’s plenty big to be in and out of as a place to warm up while skiing. I can’t remember the total price for the room, but it’s around $400 for the week. It’s always the second week in January so it’s easy to plan around.

Also, if I know early in the season (September) that you will be here to ski any time during the winter I can purchase Snowbird lift tickets in advance for half price, saves you about $32 per ticket. Also Snowbird has a great hill for kids to learn on that is free. This is the hill that most of the Burtons and Sorensons learned to ski on under Cathy’s and Grandma’s close supervision.

Before grandpa died he was looking for a place in the mountains for us to spend time as a family. Snowbird was a place he loved, and many of us have fond memories of him and grandma there teaching us to ski. Now we can pass that on to our kids thanks to his legacy.

I’m very open for comments. I think that this is something that should be shared by all the family. Not just me or the other family who live close.

Jesse

I’ll join in with a quick post. I love Jen’s idea of the family blog I’ll make sure I try to keep you all up to date with our doings. Patty says I’m good at talking about myself, so this should be easy.

We live in Payson, a few blocks from grandma and about 100 yards from the school where Curt and I teach. I see Curt everyday. We run and lift weights, in the mornings together and visit in the halls when we get a chance during the day, it’s great.

Patty is due in June with child number 3 and daughter number 2. We are still trying to find a name. Any ideas? We’ll be sure to run it by you all if you promise not to steal it. Jacob and Maya keep us busy, you all know about that. Maya loves to use her princess voice and say, “never.” Jacob likes to ride his bike and check on his bunnies.( have a few rabbits he got for his birthday last year.) They are both looking forward to the new baby sister. I’m sure many of you have also heard the news that mom will be moving in across the street. Jacob can’t wait to ride his bike over to Nana’s house.

Patty works part time as a labor nurse at the hospital and knows more people in Payson than I do now. She enjoys her work and I think they like her there also.

The last few summers we have been taking our family to Mexico to work with orphaned children. Last year was the first summer as our own organization. With the support of Rex Head, the founder of Orphanage Support Services Organization (osso), Patty and I launched OSSOMEX. Our focus is to help orphaned children have a memorable summer vacation that they would otherwise not have. In the process we help the kids get a few things to help make their life more comfortable. We help buy things like shoes and socks, and a few school supplies. We enlist the help of American families to do this. Andrea, Anthony and their family went with us last summer. Jen and Slade sent some of their good friends down with us also. However, due the new little one this summer we are going to wait to do our trip until December.

So, this summer we plan to be home and enjoy the Payson summer. I plan to race mountain bikes again and talk about it as much as I can to anyone who will listen. Patty and the kids are a great support to me with this passion of mine. They like to travel to the races and Maya and Jacob cheer me on. Jacob has plans to try a few also.

I look forward to hearing from the family. I know it sounds cliché, but the years just go by so fast and it’s so easy to lose touch with each other. I promise I’ll do better and keeping in touch.

Texas Stewarts

okay finally figured this thing out- I think. I almost started a family blog of our own awhile back but this is a much better idea- to group it so we can all keep up with each other.

A little update from the Stewart clan in Dallas...

Dan is enjoying his job as an immigration attorney. I will be the proud wife who gives you more details than he ever would. He just won his first big case the other day in which he convinced a judge to give a man from Egypt asylum. The guy is in our ward and when we moved in several months ago the bishopric asked if Dan would take his case. The guy was tortured in Egypt for being a Christian and was certain that if he went back he would surely face even death for being baptized into the LDS church. Dan has been working on this case pro bono and it has sorda been his "calling" in church because he spent so many hours on it. The ward fasted and prayed that things would turn out although the odds were against the guy and Dan was pretty sure he would be sent back. Anyway, to his surprise he won and the Lord had a hand in it we are sure-along with Dan's hard work :). He works on some very interesting cases and is staying busy learning all he can in his new career finding time to play a little rugby once a week and on some weekends.
I am 32 weeks pregnant with our third girl who we are all anxiously ready to meet (although choosing a name has been hard) I realized I have no belly shots of this one and am having some taken next week so maybe i will post soon. I am excited for her to come already but at the same time enjoying the time with just two as I know it will be a change. I will not have much help after this birth (as most of you know my mom has little kids of her own and has a hard time getting away) These are the times I know living around family would be soooo nice. I am planning a water birth at home which we are excited about - I will have a huge pool set up in my living room in about four weeks- it will be interesting i'm sure. I have been an adoption worker for over a year now and enjoy the work and flexibility of it. I love watching all these families adopt babies!

Ava is 4 years old and is already my little helper. She LOVES being a big sister and plays so well with Sophia. She is in a music class (singing and dancing) which is her passion right now. She just finished basketball and is on a YMCA soccer team right now. I home preschool her and she loves getting her workbooks out and doing "school"

Sophia will be two next month and I don't think there is anything she does not say yet. She talks more than we remember Ava talking at 2 and it is probably due to her chatty sister who likes to sit down and teach her all she can. We are amazed at all the sentences she says in her tiny voice and she even spit out the whole verse of twinkle twinkle little star the other day. She loves to play dress up and any imaginary play with her big sis.

Well, that is what we are up to over here in Dallas. I will try not to let too much time go by so that I don't have to blog this much again. Hope to hear from all of you soon. My thanks to Deanne as well for keeping us updated on the Payson clan.

Greetings from Isabella

Hello everyone,

This is a first for me, a cyber introduction to extended family but since time and distance are real limitations, here it goes:

My name is Martha Isabella and I am 45 years old, since becoming Kerbey’s wife, I have legally changed my name and use Isabella as my first name. I did not want to go through life as “Martha Stewart.” I am part Argentine (father) and part Peruvian (mother), I was born in Lima but my family is in Buenos Aires ( and some in Switzerland and England), and I have a full blooded Inca descendant grandparent and a Rumanian one. I also have Basque grandparents on both sides of the family (Spanish and French), so I am what you would call here in the U.S., a full fledged mutt.

I went to catholic girl’s school (boarding school sometimes) all my life which goes to show that you can take the girl out of the Catholic school but cannot take the Catholic school out of the girl, because today I am sort of old fashioned and conservative given society’s standard of living these days. I have lived in many different countries while growing up, my father was a journalist and college professor but he passed away while I was still very young. My mother is alive and doing well at age 71.

I have one daughter who is 22 and her name is Ashley. Being her mother and watching her grow up gave me the greatest joy imaginable and made me a better human being. She’s a great dancer, writer (like my father) and loves working with children (for years she would ask for siblings for Christmas so she’d have little ones around to love- now with all my new blessings of grandchildren, her dream is finally coming true for both of us.) She is an amazing young woman, very caring, intelligent and funny and as I tell her often, “when I grow up, I want to be just like her.” She also went to catholic schools all her life and she graduated last May from Notre Dame University with a dual degree, and it is now working in downtown Chicago for an international firm. Fortunately for me, Chicago is also my home office. I work out of my home as a Regional Sales Manager for a health insurance Co. but get to go to the windy about three times per year for work and I get to visit with her, she also comes home for the holidays, so we still see each other often.

I also have a 17 year old God-daughter. Recently we survived the dinner and sleep over party celebrating her 17th b-day and I think Kerbey and I finally feel asleep exhausted about 2:30 am but they were still going strong giggling and telling stories until very late, conversing with them was a joyful experience for both of us. Her name is Maria del Sol (Mary of the sun) and aptly named for her joy and good-heart is apparent to every one who meets her.

My step daughter whom you all know, Mariah and I met not long after Kerbey and I began to date, when she was ten, she is 13 now and our getting to know and love each other is a precious gift. We enjoy each other’s company and she accompanies Kerbey and I to church on Sundays when she is with us and enjoys singing the hymns. All three of us like to watch movies together, go out for hikes, brunch after Mass, or go swimming, something she is very good at, especially the breast stroke.

Last year I became a mentor and I have been blessed to have two little girls, Chyna and Michelle (nine and eight respectively). Often when I leave their presence, I am in awe of how much I get from them and I wonder who is mentoring whom here. Isn’t it wonderful how God works?

I have been in the insurance industry for almost 17 years and I am also a continuing education and Ethics instructor for the industry that I work in. What I like to do most is spend time with Kerbey. It does not matter to me what we are doing, I enjoy his company and we laugh about how time does not apply to us in the same way it does to the rest of the world, we sit down intending to chat for just a few minutes and before we know it, three or four hours have gone by. I look forward to growing old with him and getting to know him through innumerable more tertulias (tertulia is a Spanish word that means ‘the art of long conversations’). I also like to read, write (currently I am working on two novels), paint (watercolors and charcoals), dance (especially the tango), and be outdoors sitting at outdoor cafés or riding my motor scooter through quiet neighborhoods. Have I mentioned I am very energetic? :o) I love the water and warm weather and do not do well in cold climates (there was no accident in the fact I was born so close to the equator :o).

Ok, so there is my life in a few paragraphs, I’ll include some photos if I can figure out how to do it, and if you feel like chatting, please feel free to email me at TangoAlphaLima@aol.com I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you all in the future, but given that you are such a large family, I think it will take a while, maybe something like a family reunion huh? I can’t wait!

Blessings,

Isabella

Kentucky Stewarts

jen and family,

thanks jen for setting this up. i will try to write at least once a month and more if possible. but with 4, the kids and kris keep me pretty busy. maybe i can devote some time every fast sunday.

i love this idea as i agree with jen that is would be nice to hear what everyone is up to.

like jen said, we are lucky to have deanne and for her diligence in keeping us up to date on major happenings such as births and moves! thanks deanne!

heres a quick update,
benjamin is in 1st grade and loves that his teacher is a member f the church. he thinks it very neat that she also loves the book of mormon. benj just lost his third tooth can't wait for the fourth to follow. he loves his sisters and reading.
Sariah is in kindergarten and she loves reading with her brother benj. kris and i often forget she is only 5 as she acts like she 10 and has the emotions of a teenager! she is a lot of fun and kris and i enjoy outings with our older 2. i went to mall with them a couple weeks ago and it was so fun and easy. they can get in and out car themselves, no strollers, snacks or sippy cups to worry about. there are small joys in easy going kids!

Camille is 2 and is a little chatterbox, dancer and singer. she loves barbie and being in dresses so she can spin around. the talks in full sentances and tells us extacy what she wants and thinks. she is adorable toddler as benj and ria say. she thinks she is big and runs after benj and ria and ike to prentend to be little mommy.

Carina is 10 month now and a wonderful sleeper! after 3 kids, it funny thethings i think are wonderful. she is very socail and will not cry as long is she is in a room with others. She just got her first tooth about a week ago! i enjoy my days with the 2 small ones and get some alone mommy time with both Camille and Carina due to opposite naps schedules.

well, have to run in 5 minutes to get Ghislaine from the mall and pick up benj from school, so i will try to write more another time. we are really enjoying our time with Ghislaine and i think i am the most grateful for her being here with us at this time!

hope others find spare moments to blog with us. -crystal

quiet moments and popsicles in sacramento

Will my first entry set the tone for this site? I hope not. Thats a lot of pressure. You should write whatever and however you'd like. In the meantime, I hope you'll respond to this blog (and others) if you feel the urge.

Firstly, I'll say that all is going very well for us in Sacramento. We like it here very much, although the silly cost of living and the distance from family makes settling here permanently out of the question. Sacramento has been a good landing spot and I have appreciated that these past few years have been quiet and relatively uneventful. As I was telling my dad recently, it is good to have downtime. While there is always much to be discovered from adventure and excitement, there is also much to be gained in quiet moments - you can take the time to breathe deeply and notice things you wouldn't otherwise notice if you were running from one endeavor to another. Breathing deeply also helps you think more thoroughly about subjects worth pondering, and that has become pretty important to me of late. A priority, I'd say.

Slade still works for Accenture on a project for the State of California. He is building a complicated computer system to track, collect and redistribute child support. Its a big deal out here and often keeps him working late into the night. I try not to complain too often because really, I am very grateful he has a good job, and one that he enjoys quite a lot. And of course, I am so glad he isn't traveling so much anymore. He stays quite busy between work, family, his church calling with the youth and I think he often wishes he had more time to exercise or read or hang out with his friends. Still, he is happy and well. I know this because he sings all the time and still laughs at my jokes, even when they aren't very funny.

Pregnancy is going smoothly. I'm sitting at 20 weeks as I write this and we think we'll find out the gender of baby this time. It takes us so long to decide on a name, its probably in our best interest to get an early start. So far, we're not doing so well, namewise. Its Slade's fault. He is being very difficult and shoots down every one I suggest. EVERY one. I've actually suggested he take a trip to Mexico during the first two weeks of August. If he did, I guarantee I'd leave the hospital with a baby who had a name. That would be a first for us. If you have any great name ideas, send them on our way. Be advised though: we might just use one.

Our kids are great. Maren (firmly 2) is the queen of whine but also the queen of kisses (balances out fairly well). She is a strong little thing, perhaps a little more aggressive than we expected a little girl to be. Her laugh is delectable and her independence endearing. Ethan (5) is my non-stop talker. I literally have to request reprieves from his constant chatter. He is still the friendliest and most engaging little boy and informs me several times a day that he loves me.

Parenthood. Wow. Interesting business sometimes. Its astounding how much I learn about myself through my kids. I recently heard from a good friend who was discussing all the things she found herself allowing her children - things she swore she would never do... She mentioned chocolate syrup over cereal. I can relate, though not so much to chocolate syrup. Her parents' advice to raising kids who wouldn't rebel in their later years: Say yes as often as you can. I think its good advice. With only two small children, who are still relatively controllable, my battles are not grand and I usually know who will win before they ever escalate. I am wary of how that will change as they become older and somewhat afraid.

For now, battles I win are: nutrition and politeness. Things I say yes to: popsicles, too many Disney movies and warm towels and underwear after baths.

What do you, or have you, said yes to???

Jennifer

welcome family

So here we are, all together at last at a virtual family reunion. This is the best we can pull off for the time being - several of us live too far away to get back as often as we'd like and have too many kids to make it practical or affordable to do so. And while DeeAnn is pretty darn good at keeping me abreast of big news, I miss hearing about little things about your lives and frankly, I'd like to see more of your families than the standard christmas card issue. Does Layne ever wear mismatched clothes? Does Tyler ever frown? Do y'all's babies ever wear clothes besides hats when they are little?

I considered starting up a Stewart family website, but really, that means enlisting Slade to build and maintain it and when I started telling him all the things I wanted our website to do... well, he basically told me no. Blogging is very new to me so I don't know exactly how this will come off, but lets give it a go. Lets all try to post something new every couple of months, or how ever often you feel the urge. The rest of us will have opportunity to respond and start dialogues. That could be a lot of fun. If you have your own blogs elsewhere you don't mind sharing, copy links for us.

Let me know if you have technical problems - not that I could help, really, but at least I'd understand your silence. And Grandma, this could mean one-stop shopping for you. You can communicate to all of us at once! Whatever will you do with the time you save?

I'll start us off sometime in the next few days.

Affection,
Jennifer