Art Museum Family Center fun.

As one of our Christmas break adventures we headed to the Art Museum. It is such a fun place with painting, a craft and lots to do!

Cupcakes, rockstars, superheros, and princesses.

Maira and Owen.

Beautiful girls!


So pretty.

Crazy boys.

G.I. Joe without his mask.

Halloween party 2009. Here are the kids having a blast last year . I wish I would have taking pics of all the amazing desserts and food. Everything was amazing. Carly was Sleeping Beauty; Owen was Batman; and Ashton was G.I. Joe. It was a fun party for the kids then Ryan and I were off alone to an adult party!

Beautiful Ballerina's.

Carly and her best friend Clarabelle.

The girls and their siblings after dance.

Carly and her friend Clarabelle took a Mommy and me Ballet class together last fall. They were so cute and Carly loved it so much. She was more than excited for every class, and has been asking to do ballet ever since. She is now old enough to take class all alone and will start again(with her bestie Clarabelle) in a few weeks. Girls are so fun!

Sunset at the Farm.

The kids are enjoying time with their cousins in one of their most favorite places. Ryan's aunt and uncle live on a farm and there is so much for the kids to enjoy. They have goats, chickens, apple trees to climb, wide open space, a barn, trampoline, kitties to chase and so much more. There is never a dull moment. The sunset here is breath taking and serene. Days like this make great memories. 

Sad day....sad post.

Here is our dog Carmen. We adopted her in December of 2004 when she was just 6 weeks old.

From the beginning she was calm, loving, and playful. She was easy to train, great with people and especially our kids. During the summer of 2008 we noticed her belly started to get big, so we took her to the vet. We were told she had a heart defect, therefore, she was not able to pump her blood efficiently. They suggested surgery, that had a VERY small success rate or putting her to sleep. We were devastated. We checked into the surgery option, but it was not something we could afford and the likelihood of it working was very slim. And we just could not bare to put her down. She was still her same playful, loving self. She was not acting sick. So we decided to wait. Wait until we saw signs that she was no longer happier here with us. We thought we would have a few good months...well we had over a year with our girl. This past August it was time to take her in. We could tell her health was deteriorating and she would be happier in heaven. It was more difficult than I imagined. We(Ryan and I) stayed in while they gave her a medicine which acted like and anesthetic. She could still hear us so we just hugged her and told her how much we loved her. She was such a good dog, she was just shy of 5 years old. We miss her every day, and the kids talk about her all the time. It's so cute to hear Carly say, "we miss our Carmen" and "she's not sick anymore, she's in heaven"(side note:Carly is SUCH a dog lover, she will trek through the snow to say hi to the dogs next door if they are out and when we are at my friends she plays with her dog more than her kids). And the boys always talk about how she can catch a stick and run fast again. She will always be in our hearts and our memories. She was wagging her tail until the end!

Brings me back.

I adore this picture, it makes my heart smile. It just speaks pure and simple fun, the kind of fun only the outdoors can bring.  The kind of fun that makes great memories. This is really what life is about. 

The girl loves her shoes...already.

Here is Carly, in her princess shoes( she just saw these pictures and said, "Oh my princess shoes"). Whenever we go out to "Aunt Susie's" she wears them around the entire time! She is a pro in heals already. I want to buy her some, but I am afraid that it will be a fight to get her to wear any shoes but those, anywhere! They are not the only shoes she likes though. If somebody leaves a pair of flip flops lying around, no matter what the size, she will put them on and wear them all around. And the way she says flip flops is adorable. I think it is Flip fops. Anyways, back to shoes, if we pass the shoe area in target she is instantly reaching down to take her shoes off so she can try ALL their shoes on. If we are in the Gap, she will seek out the shoes and I cannot get any shopping done because she will not leave them with out trying all kinds on . She loves shoes! She even notices when I am wearing a new pair of shoes too. She says, :"Mama got new shoes?" I guess some girls are just born with a love for shoes.

Watermelon, Watermelon, and more Watermelon.

Almost all the kids sunbathing.
Owee-Mikes.

Carly's bestie Clara.

Ava, Carly's other bestie, and Carly in there "Pebbles" bathing suits.

She ate...

and ate....

and ate.

All the way back in May we were at a playdate on one of the first nice days of the season. The kids had fun in the water and the sun. But most of all Carly enjoyed the delicious watermelon. I think she may have eaten most of the platter herself. Who could blame her though, it was super sweet and yummy.

He calls himself an Ar-teest.

Ashton drew this in at at school last year. Amazing detail!

Ashton drew these dinosaurs quite a while ago, I think when he was in kindergarten. They have always been my favorite. He just sat down one day and made them. He said the first one was not good enough so he did the second one. He is a perfectionist. I feel they are both quite impressive!

Owen Art.

He started making the "O's" first (a.k.a. the head).
Then he learned to add a straight line off the "O" (a.k.a. the body). Notice how long the line is! :)

After much practicing, this is his progression, he even makes a face!


This is a picture of Ryan, Carly, and I. He has started drawing hair now! Check out Ryan's left arm. :)

This is a picture of Ashton and Owen. H is getting so good. Check out the awesome hair and the detailed eyes!

*These are from early Feb/March of this year, when Owen was about 3 1/2.

The last Stengle sister is no longer just a Stengle, she is a Stengle-Kostic. Alternate Title: Crystal got hitched.

The happy couple with our grandparents.
Jeff is one lucky man here!

Jeff and Crystal with all their nieces and nephews.


The I do's.

Pretty Carly watching Aunt Cryssie.

The Carter Cuties.

Handsome.

Carly with Grandma.

The happy couple....it is official!




We had a great time celebrating Crystal and Jeff''s special day. On May 8th, they were married at the Perrysburg Court house, keeping with the tradition. Jessie and Tim, as well as Ryan and I (wedding #1) were all married there. They are planning a more elaborate ceremony sometime in the near future. Congratulations, we all love you both, and wish you many years of happiness.