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.

An amazing weekend.

(cell phone pics)

Here are just a few pics from our trip. The camera was broke....so I will post more when I scan them)

Ryan's Grandpa and Grandma offered to get us a hotel so we could come and visit them in Louisville, Kentucky. We we elated. It had been years since we had seen Ryan's grandma(she had never met any of the kids). So we drove the 5 south hours to see them.

It was truly a great trip. When we got there we took a tour of their lovely condo and did a little catching up. Next they took us to a great local burger joint. Then we went for a drive around the city to see some very cool things(I love to explore new cities!). Finally, we ended up at a hot air balloon festival. We got to see hundred of balloons blow up and take off. And they had a light show when it got dark. Most of all it was fun spending time with Jack and Laura(as Ryan calls them).

The next morning we headed back to their condo and Jack made us pancakes. Next, he busted out old pictures...pictures of himself as a young man, pictures of Ryan's dad and his siblings growing up, pictures of Ryan's dad's mom who passed away at a young age, of Jack and Laura when they first met....and many more. And we heard many stories to go along with the pictures. It was a wonderful time, I know Ryan truly enjoyed learning so much about his family, as did I. After that we headed to a park for a walk and to let the kids get their energy out before our ride home. It was so much fun and I hope to go back again soon.

My little animals.

I was feeling a bit artistic at the zoo this past summer and painted the boys faces. Our zoo just built and amazing new Children Zoo, with a playground, a stream, playhouse, aunt farm, and so much more. This year we will have a brand new petting zoo as well. Can't wait!