Sara Elizabeth Stepan
Tuesday, March 29, 2011- 4:25pm
Weight: 3.38 kg (7 pounds 7 ounces)
Length: 51 cm (21 inches)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Student of the week
Yesterday when I picked the kids up from school, Mary ran to me with a smile from ear to ear while she was waving this certificate. She was awarded student of the week at the school assembly. She said she almost cried when she heard her name called and she got a thumbs up from her brother. Her certificate says;
We are so amazed with her reading abilities. We love listening to her sweet little voice as she reads big words. Way to go Mary! You're a superstar!
Also, Mary brought these paper dolls home from school the other day. It reads; Me, My Dad, My Mom, and My little Luke. I love that she calls her brother her little Luke. He's almost as big as she is but I think that even when he's bigger than her he will always be her little Luke. What a sweet girl.
Student of the week
Presented to
Mary Stepan
for fantastic literacy work & for moving up to level 11 readers
We are so amazed with her reading abilities. We love listening to her sweet little voice as she reads big words. Way to go Mary! You're a superstar!Also, Mary brought these paper dolls home from school the other day. It reads; Me, My Dad, My Mom, and My little Luke. I love that she calls her brother her little Luke. He's almost as big as she is but I think that even when he's bigger than her he will always be her little Luke. What a sweet girl.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Boxes & baby update
My mom is here. Bless her heart for braving the long flight to Australia all by herself. We've been working away at unpacking boxes since she arrived. I'm pleased to say that the boxes are nearly all unpacked. Of course there's still some organizing and picture hanging to do, but we are getting settled. It feels good.
When the kids get home from school, we head out to the pool everyday for some R & R.
Sometimes we play until night fall.
Now, about this new little baby... my due date is Sunday. I saw the doctor yesterday and although I've dropped in the last couple of days, this little girl seems comfortable where she is. I've been scheduled for an induction on Monday night. The doctor doesn't want me to go much past my due date because of my gestational diabetes. We are praying that this little girl comes before then. I'd much rather go into labor on my own than be induced. I've been told by local Australians to eat pineapple and walk up and down the stairs sideways :)
When the kids get home from school, we head out to the pool everyday for some R & R.
Sometimes we play until night fall.Now, about this new little baby... my due date is Sunday. I saw the doctor yesterday and although I've dropped in the last couple of days, this little girl seems comfortable where she is. I've been scheduled for an induction on Monday night. The doctor doesn't want me to go much past my due date because of my gestational diabetes. We are praying that this little girl comes before then. I'd much rather go into labor on my own than be induced. I've been told by local Australians to eat pineapple and walk up and down the stairs sideways :)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Happenings
(This picture is for you Tammie--courtesy of Benjamin. Who says I don't post pics of me during my last month of pregnancy?)
Anticipating- the birth of our 5th babyMaking- a house of order- one box at a time
Contemplating- what to name our baby girl
Thankful- my UK driver's licence is recognized in Australia
Reading- 'Return' by Robert D. Hales & 'Harry Potter' (with Michael)
Hoping- my mom arrives before the baby
Wishing- I could eat pasta and potatoes again
Learning- Australian currency
Missing- London
Wondering- what to do with the kangaroo meat in my freezer (a gift from our neighbor)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Nine.
It's hard to believe that our Michael is 9. What a superstar of a kid! We had a few of his new friends over for a swimming party today. This was Michael's first chance to have an outdoor swimming birthday party in March so he was more than excited.
Australia has these great little chocolate cookies called 'Tim Tam's'. Michael asked for 'Tim Tam' cupcakes for his party and this is what we came up with. He had a great idea because it was a big hit with his friends.
We came up with a few pool games to play with ping pong balls. It was a lot of fun.
Michael came up with the BBQ lunch menu complete with sausages and grilled onions.
This is our boy. He held his cupcake in his hand until he finished his apple. He's always the first to ask for fruit or veg for a snack. He wanted fruit on his BBQ menu and he was the only one that had any.
I love that kids are never too old to have fun with balloons.
Happy Birthday Mikey! We love you!
Australia has these great little chocolate cookies called 'Tim Tam's'. Michael asked for 'Tim Tam' cupcakes for his party and this is what we came up with. He had a great idea because it was a big hit with his friends.
We came up with a few pool games to play with ping pong balls. It was a lot of fun.
Michael came up with the BBQ lunch menu complete with sausages and grilled onions.
This is our boy. He held his cupcake in his hand until he finished his apple. He's always the first to ask for fruit or veg for a snack. He wanted fruit on his BBQ menu and he was the only one that had any.
I love that kids are never too old to have fun with balloons.
Happy Birthday Mikey! We love you!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Moving in day
Our shipping container came yesterday. It was almost like Christmas morning to see all of our stuff after two months. At 7:30 in the morning the kids waited by the door and watched as the first of the shipment was unloaded.
It was a busy day at our house. In addition to the four moving guys that were moving us in, we had two guys moving out our temporary furnishings, a plumber fixing our shower and an electrician fixing our air conditioner. Thankfully Todd was home from work to help me manage it all.
Moving in was a little more smooth this time. Maybe it's because we've done this before. In any case, when the movers got the truck unloaded, they came in the house and unpacked my kitchen boxes while I put stuff away. Then they helped Todd put the beds together. By the end of the day, we had the kitchen unpacked and beds to sleep in. The rest of the house is a disaster, but at least we can sleep and eat. The rest will come together in time.
When the kids got home from school, I thought they would go straight to the toys they haven't seen for 2 months. Instead, they played in empty boxes all afternoon. It's the simple things in life. 
On a side note:
It was a busy day at our house. In addition to the four moving guys that were moving us in, we had two guys moving out our temporary furnishings, a plumber fixing our shower and an electrician fixing our air conditioner. Thankfully Todd was home from work to help me manage it all.
Moving in was a little more smooth this time. Maybe it's because we've done this before. In any case, when the movers got the truck unloaded, they came in the house and unpacked my kitchen boxes while I put stuff away. Then they helped Todd put the beds together. By the end of the day, we had the kitchen unpacked and beds to sleep in. The rest of the house is a disaster, but at least we can sleep and eat. The rest will come together in time.
When the kids got home from school, I thought they would go straight to the toys they haven't seen for 2 months. Instead, they played in empty boxes all afternoon. It's the simple things in life. 
On a side note:*Todd and I spent today at the hospital. We found out last week that our baby was breech. Today I went into the hospital and they successfully turned her around. We're 37 weeks and counting!
*On the way to pick up our kids after my hospital appointment, I was rear ended in our rental van. My very first car accident. Thankfully everyone is fine. But it was a major bummer!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The occasional gecko
This weekend marked one month since we arrived in Australia. We arrived on a hot summer Saturday morning in February. The flights were really smooth and the kids did great. Some of my favorite quotes from the trip:
*we were in the London airport waiting to board our flight to Singapore. Todd was holding all 6 of our passports. An older man said to Todd, "It's a brave man who looks after that many passports." I loved it! He was right on. Todd is a brave man to move his pregnant wife and 4 young children around the world. He takes care of all the visas, passports, etc... like a pro. I'm thankful that he is so attentive to all the details associated with moving to another country.
*we were walking through the airport in Singapore and Mary said, "Wow! they really crank the heat in this place."
*we were getting settled on our flight to Singapore. The staff gave an activity bag to each of our children. Benjamin took one look at his bag and said, "I hope this is a parachute, just in case."
*at the Brisbane airport we were sent through the K-9 Quarantine queue. The kids were enamored with the trained Beagle who sniffed our bags for contraband items.
As you can imagine, we were exhausted when we arrived in Australia. It was exciting to check out our new house for the first time. Then after cleaning ourselves up a bit, we headed to the grocery store for some food. When we got home, I decided to sit down on the couch for a minute. The next thing I knew, I woke up 2 hours later to a completely silent house. This is what I found:
Michael was the only one who actually made it to his bed before he collapsed.
The only thing still stirring in our house was the occasional gecko. This was the first one I saw and it freaked me out a bit, but I'm getting used to them. I guess they are harmless and they eat bugs so I'm okay with 'em. 
*we were in the London airport waiting to board our flight to Singapore. Todd was holding all 6 of our passports. An older man said to Todd, "It's a brave man who looks after that many passports." I loved it! He was right on. Todd is a brave man to move his pregnant wife and 4 young children around the world. He takes care of all the visas, passports, etc... like a pro. I'm thankful that he is so attentive to all the details associated with moving to another country.
*we were walking through the airport in Singapore and Mary said, "Wow! they really crank the heat in this place."
*we were getting settled on our flight to Singapore. The staff gave an activity bag to each of our children. Benjamin took one look at his bag and said, "I hope this is a parachute, just in case."
*at the Brisbane airport we were sent through the K-9 Quarantine queue. The kids were enamored with the trained Beagle who sniffed our bags for contraband items. As you can imagine, we were exhausted when we arrived in Australia. It was exciting to check out our new house for the first time. Then after cleaning ourselves up a bit, we headed to the grocery store for some food. When we got home, I decided to sit down on the couch for a minute. The next thing I knew, I woke up 2 hours later to a completely silent house. This is what I found:
Michael was the only one who actually made it to his bed before he collapsed.
The only thing still stirring in our house was the occasional gecko. This was the first one I saw and it freaked me out a bit, but I'm getting used to them. I guess they are harmless and they eat bugs so I'm okay with 'em. 
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Everyday life in Australia
Benjamin on his first day of school in Australia. He is in 1st grade in the States which is called Year 2 in Australia. The school year here starts in late January and runs until November-- Summer break is in December and January.
We're all big fans of these school uniforms. They are comfortable for the kids and I love that it leaves no question about what to wear to school everyday. I'm also a big fan of the hat. The school kids wear them when they go outside to protect them from the sun.
We feel really fortunate with the classes that the kids are in. Their teachers are fantastic and they love going to school each day.
Our daily after school activity is swimming in our backyard pool. Our kids haven't had a lot of previous swimming experience. The older boys have had occasional swimming lessons here and there, but they have all made loads of progress in the short time that we've been here. Michael wants to swim as good as Aunt Loretta someday.
The other part of everyday life that has become a habit is figuring out what time it is for our family and friends in the States and in England. Our formula for figuring out the time in the States is to add 7 hours to our current time and then take away a day. It's strange to think that we're a day ahead.
We're all big fans of these school uniforms. They are comfortable for the kids and I love that it leaves no question about what to wear to school everyday. I'm also a big fan of the hat. The school kids wear them when they go outside to protect them from the sun.
We feel really fortunate with the classes that the kids are in. Their teachers are fantastic and they love going to school each day.
Our daily after school activity is swimming in our backyard pool. Our kids haven't had a lot of previous swimming experience. The older boys have had occasional swimming lessons here and there, but they have all made loads of progress in the short time that we've been here. Michael wants to swim as good as Aunt Loretta someday.
The other part of everyday life that has become a habit is figuring out what time it is for our family and friends in the States and in England. Our formula for figuring out the time in the States is to add 7 hours to our current time and then take away a day. It's strange to think that we're a day ahead.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Greetings from down under
Our first visit to Steve Irwin's Australia zoo. The red kangaroos were a big hit with the kids. We bought annual passes, so I'm sure I'll be posting more about this great place.
I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted. We've been working through some issues with our home phone and Internet access but I finally have a temporary Internet card and I'm back in the blogging/e-mail world. Hooray!
We're enjoying life in Australia. I'll be honest though, it was a rough start for me. Three days after we arrived I came down with the flu. I went from climbing 311 stairs in the London Fire Monument to barely being able to climb 11 stairs in our house. It wasn't fun.
My new doctor ordered blood tests and I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes just after we arrived. I've been poking my finger and checking my blood sugars 4 times a day since then. Luckily my blood sugars are easily controlled with diet. I'll have another blood glucose test 6 weeks after the baby is born to see if the diabetes has gone away.
Last week our air conditioner went out so we've had a good chance to adjust quickly to the heat. It's still strange for me to think of it being the summer in February. I remind myself often that it's March. I take the kids swimming in our pool everyday after school. It makes the afternoon heat fun for all of us.
All in all, we're doing well. This is a beautiful country and we feel really fortunate to be here. The kids really enjoy their new school and Todd likes his new work. Todd chose a great house for us and our shipment of household items is supposed to arrive next week, so we're looking forward to settling in.
I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted. We've been working through some issues with our home phone and Internet access but I finally have a temporary Internet card and I'm back in the blogging/e-mail world. Hooray!We're enjoying life in Australia. I'll be honest though, it was a rough start for me. Three days after we arrived I came down with the flu. I went from climbing 311 stairs in the London Fire Monument to barely being able to climb 11 stairs in our house. It wasn't fun.
My new doctor ordered blood tests and I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes just after we arrived. I've been poking my finger and checking my blood sugars 4 times a day since then. Luckily my blood sugars are easily controlled with diet. I'll have another blood glucose test 6 weeks after the baby is born to see if the diabetes has gone away.
Last week our air conditioner went out so we've had a good chance to adjust quickly to the heat. It's still strange for me to think of it being the summer in February. I remind myself often that it's March. I take the kids swimming in our pool everyday after school. It makes the afternoon heat fun for all of us.
All in all, we're doing well. This is a beautiful country and we feel really fortunate to be here. The kids really enjoy their new school and Todd likes his new work. Todd chose a great house for us and our shipment of household items is supposed to arrive next week, so we're looking forward to settling in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)