Grandpa and Grammy....and John Wayne

For the past three years I have gone to Utah in the late spring nearing Summer to visit my parents with Korban and now of course Benjamin too. Last year they had an unusually long winter so I decided to wait more until summer, mid June to make our visit. Even still there was snow up in the mountains and we did spend a little bit of time there. The boys did great on the plane both ways and I survived it too:) I will admit that I was a little anxious about busy Benjamin and flying on the plane, though a bit wiggly he was a good boy. Korban even got a special Thomas back pack to stuff with snacks and toys for the flight to keep him and brother busy. He insisted on carrying it himself the whole time.
Korban was excited to see Grandpa and Grammy and John Wayne. John Wayne is a life size card board cutout of none other than himself. Korban has chatted with him via Skype and has heard about him from grandpa over the phone. He kept asking when we would see Grammy and Grandpa and if John Wayne was going to be there. I assured him that he was. So after a 45 minute flight and a two hour car ride, we arrived in Utah! Now I don't know if it was all the anticipation or the wondering if John Wayne was real, but Korban became suddenly afraid of him. Korban would not go up the stairs unless I reasured him that John Wayne was no were to be seen. I finally had to explain to him that he is just pretend and made of paper. It is so strange the things children become afraid of without you giving them any reason to be afraid of it in the first place. Korban, satisfied that all was well, posed for a picture and would say "Hi John Wayne!" every time he passed the stairs. The picture above is Korban's "fighting the bad guys" face and him just not wanting to look directly at the camera...boys.My Dad thought it would be fun to have some sparklers for Korban since independence day was just around the corner. Last year he did not want to get too close to them. This year he wanted to hold them! He loved it and I am pretty sure he went through the whole box. And what visit to grandma's house is not complete without cookies? He specifically asked my mom if they could make chocolate chip cookies again. I think he mostly just likes to lick the batter;) We had lots of fun mostly just staying home and playing with a few outings here and there. We really enjoyed our time and look forward to next year when maybe Josh can come too and Benjamin will be able to run around with his big brother. Even though my parents live far away, I am so glad they are less than a days drive/flight from us.

3 Already

From oh so tiny this to...











So grown up this. I still can't believe it!



















I think this year I realized it even more than the years before. Mostly because Korban actually had a preference of what kind of birthday party he wanted. It cracks me up that he chose Thomas but it also makes me think, "How cute! He wants to like Thomas just like his cousin Noah...awwww." Korban very rarely watches the show and only has two character toys. But he did receive some very cool train toys that he is enjoying and Thomas clothes that he is waiting for me to wash. It was a very active party for sure. Lots of kids and swimming and eating and chatting. I don't think I ate anything or sat down for that matter but I had so much fun watching my little boy have fun.

It is hard to think that this is just the beginning. He is only three and there is so much more to come.

The Del Mar Fair...because that's how I say it

We were blessed with some free tickets to the Del mar fair this year and decided to go on a Friday evening. So nice and cool instead of hot, sticky and sweaty. They have been calling it the San Diego county fair for some time now but it just doesn't sound the same to me. And it's funny how people still know what you are talking about when you say Del Mar Fair instead.
First I have to say that my husband cracks me up. We get to the fair and his immediate reaction when he sees the cost of everything is, "We are not going to spend any money here, it is way too expensive!" and so he says. So we strolled through the classic car exhibit and the animal barns first, and ended with the chickens. Josh pointed out to me the irony of having this Chicken Kabob cart, outside of the chicken barn...just cruel but so delicious.




















After that I asked on our boys behalf, "Honey, can we just check out the kids land and see how much the tickets are?" I knew Korban would want to ride on something over there and you can't go to a fair and not go on a ride! So we went and seeing Korban's face light up with excitement bought him a few tickets for a few rides, the best money we spent the whole time we were there. Though a little blury from the motion of the ride you can clearly see the smile on his face:)





And Benjamin....Poor little guy fully aware of the fun going on about him. He was confined to the prison, i mean stroller, and had to watch. But his Daddy had finished a caramel apple and thought Benjamin's sore little teething gums would enjoy a juicy treat. I know it may sound grose to some but he gave Benjamin what was left of the caramel apple. It was like letting a kid run wild in a candy store....he loved every minute of it and would not let go of it. We stayed much longer than intended but had a good time. I look forward to next year when both boys can go on rides together. It already makes me smile:)

Whats going on?

What is going on with the Steinbergs this summer? Lot's of fun stuff with lots of "growing moments" in between. From May to thus far we have had Josh's 32nd Birthday, our 8th Anniversary, My 29th ahem... I mean 30th Birthday, A women's retreat with our church (much needed and can't wait until next year), and a week long trip with just me and the boys to Utah to see my parents. I think that is everything. All great stuff and the "growing in between" part? God showing me more and more how much I really need him in every little thing, including potty training patience and how to handle a child being very upset with you. I'm not gonna lie it is not fun but I think enduring it is necessary to learning how to handle things in the future. I'm posotive future events in our life will make these what seem to be no fun moments look very small when we look back on them. Although I have to admit some of the potty training stuff is pretty funny:) For instance...I was on my first errand outing down the hill with Korban wearing his big boy underwear, (but not without a towel on his seat, and thank you Becky for the towel that I need to return:) I kept asking him if he needed to use the potty and to tell me loudly if he needs to go so that I am sure I hear him. He was doing great! I was so proud of him and his new little spring in his step with his super hero underwear on. We had our last stop at Sprouts and he very loudly and clearly told me " I have to use the potty!" Thank goodness we were right by the bathroom and even more that it was surprisingly clean! Now the interesting part....how to hold a 22 lb 10 month old and help support an almost three year old on the potty because he is still afraid he is going to fall in. So with my other arm I hoist him up to the potty and tell him to put everything where it belongs while trying to stay out of the way just in case things go wrong...which they did. Instead of going in everything when up and over on to the floor. Not fun but funny seeing as how he was so pleased with himself for going at all. Oh well live and learn. Thankfully he has gotten this down now. It has only happened one other time with my poor mom in the same situation while I was getting my fillings done. I think I would have rather been in her shoes. Here is Korban in 09. Thank goodness he has come a long way since then;)














Josh's Birthday. Simple but fun. I attempted a three layer cake which I have to say held up pretty well. Even though the color and sprinkles were not what I envisioned it tasted pretty good. I love how Josh doesn't want much, he is just blessed by having his family together and that is all he wanted:)
















Our anniversary, WONDERFUL! We had not had a night with just the two of us in soooooo long. We found an amazing deal on a couples massage in Poway at Ai Spa. If you want to check it out it is in the target and Albertsons Parking lot. 70 min $85. If anyone can find a better deal please tell me! I had no idea my shoulders were so tied up in knots until the sweet little lady was done and my muscles were so relaxed. After that we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean with some stashed away movie tickets. It was entertaining but lacking. It didn't matter though, we were so happy to be out together. We shared some sliders and chocolate ice cream cake at Islands (If you want their tasty fried shoestring onions on your sliders just ask they are so delicious). Then to our hotel by the bay where we had a night of peaceful sleep and even better...sleeping in until almost whenever, darn those check out times:(


The women's retreat? So refreshing. I missed my family like crazy but I really needed that time to hear the word without distraction, fellowship with other women and just take it easy and have some girly fun. We are so so so blessed that we get to have our retreats at the Murrietta Bible college. I can't think of a better place and the college kids who serve in ministry there to make it a beautiful weekend for us are so sweet and selfless not to mention they make some pretty good iced coffee;) yum!










My Birthday was Monday, the day after I returned from the retreat and not only that but on the Wednesday of that week I would be flying out to Utah so I basically unpacked did laundry and pack a again. I had a nice quiet 30th Birthday dinner. My Birthday request? For a back yard gate and fence, and sand in the boys sand box It makes me laugh because my sister in law had a similar request for her Birthday. So different from wanting a car when you were a teenager isn't it? Seeing as how I do not have a picture of me freshly 30 on my Birthday, here is a look back to a much much younger me...my first Birthday:)










And then Utah. I was a bit fearful of traveling with both boys on the plane by myself but it was actually not too bad. Korban loves flying so he looked out the window the whole time pointing exciting things out to me. Benjamin was a wiggle worm wanting to look every which way at the same time but he was happy and that made me happy:) Utah was beautiful and we did not do too much. My Dad got out the old cars and let the boys check them out which was very special and sentimental to me having grown up around these cars as a kid. Now my kids get to ride in them too which to me is pretty awesome.



















So was this blog long enough? See what happens when I don't do this regularly? Well you read it and I appreciate you taking time out of your business to share these things with us! More blogs to come...maybe even today;)

Growing UP...and so are the kids

I know I just changed my blog title when I switched the address but I was teetering on the actual name for it. I first had "Just another day in paradise" like the song by Phil Vassar but really, our day is not quite like the one described in the song, well at least not every day, and we don't have a dog, or a mail man, and usually if something is broken around here Josh is on top of it. But the kids are sometimes screaming (happy screams mind you) and the bills are still coming. But even still I did not think it suited my blog. So my honey and I were thinking and thinking about an appropriate title. I wanted something to reflect our ultimate goal in life for us and our children, the one true desire of our hearts...Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Daily our heavenly Father is "growing us up" through joys and sorrows, every day tasks and situations, and yes even through our family...each other. And in the midst of all this growing spiritually, the little ones are growing physically, much too fast for my liking. I can only hope I won't forget the tiny moments. They remind us to keep a child like faith. Korban will very plainly tell you "Jesus high up in the clouds! Building a BIG house for all of us! When He's done I get to see it!" I love his enthusiasm:)
So this is it...Growing Up. And yes, those are our footies!

It's About Time!

SO it's about time I changed my blog web address...right? Of course it is obvious that we are not longer a family of three but instead a family of four and hopefully God willing one... or two...more?
To my family and friends, you are all welcome to leave comments. You don't have to have a blog to leave comments on one but we always love to hear from you!
Our Big Ben is now 9 months old and growing....and growing...and growing. I have finally decided that he is going to be our more stubborn one. He is very persistent when it comes to touching what he shouldn't touch and you can see the wheels turning in his beautiful round little head. He know that playing with the buttons on the entertainment center is a "Do not Touch" but he looks at you with his big eye's and slowly reaches over just within reach before deciding that it probably is not a good idea. It has taken him much longer to catch on than it did for Korban at that age. He even growled at me in displeasure a few times showing me that he already knows what he wants. But I also have hope that his stubbornness will give him the "not giving up attitude" when it comes to learning how to ride a bike or color in the lines or tie his shoes. If anything God is using Benjamin's little independence to show me more and more how important it is for me to not give up on teaching him even if I am soooo tired.
Before I know it he will be a one year old and I'm already asking myself where the time has gone! Can you believe this fit in my tummy nine months ago?

These days...Take two

I literally just put my sleepy boys to bed for what I hope will be a good nap. So lets try this again! So what have the Steinberg's been up to these days? Oh lots of wonderful things. Josh has been continually busy with working at the church and taking computer jobs on Friday's. There are lots of things I love about him working so close to home but one of them is that the boys and I can pop in for lunch with him whenever we can make it which really is such a blessing. He was recently in a wedding for a friend of ours all the way out in Arizona. It was not your typical black tie attire, it was more of a vintage western or parlor boy style. He hat a bowler-type hat (sorry if it is misspelled) with pinstripe pants and suspenders. He truly looked like a bar tender in an old western movie! Pictures to follow soon:)
Korban....oh my not so little Korban. He is quite the character these days and testing the waters on his independence. I'm learning that if you don't nip it in the bud, even if it seems repetitive, it can become quite the battle. I just hate being the bad guy all the time! But I keep looking at the end product and try to have more grace than I do discipline. A speaker at one of our church women's retreats was sharing a part in the Bible about the sower and what he will reap. I think it was 2 Corinthians 9:10. She said that a sower does not plant his seeds and expect fruit that very day, no, they plant their seeds and wait for it to grow in it's due season. In the mean time we are to water and tend to it so that it does not die. So that is what I keep reminding myself when I feel the way I do. Korban never ceases to make me laugh. A friend of ours gave him a dragon costume that he L-O-V-E-S to wear all the time. Really, he will wear it outside, at the dinner table, and probably to bed if I let him. He has inspired me to write a few children's books too. It is another thing I need to make time for and figure out how to go about doing.

And My Little Benjamin...sigh...his smile melts my heart. his whole face lights up when he smiles. Even if his bookie is in his mouth, you can tell he is smiling just by his bright eye's. He is army crawling all over the place with a few attempts to crawl on all fours. He says Mama and Dada. He can push himself up into a sitting position. He loves to play with big brothers cars, or eat them rather. He graciously removes his bookie before nursing...it's pretty funny. And while nursing likes to have a conversation with me. Yep. He stops eating just to look up and talk in his sweet soft little voice and then continues eating. I can't wait to see what he is going to be like as he gets bigger because he is already so much fun. I really do love having my two boys:)
And me? Well I have given a bridal shower and attended the said before wedding. I have been trying my hardest to keep up with friends but I think they understand maybe why they have not seen me as they too have little ones to look after. My new hobby is doing photo books and they have been so much fun to do. We are now getting ready for Easter, my favorite time of year. It's hard to think that it is already here and soon it will be Korban's 3rd Birthday and Benjamin's one month after that. But I think I will just focus on today because that is just about all I can handle. And yes....the boys are still asleep:)