Christmas Time

Christmas 2011

I think 2011 was way better than 2010. 2010 I didn't even want to send out a christmas card because I felt it was such a junky year that I wanted to just move on and do a new year. So this year was quite an improvement on it. So this year in a recap.

1.Warren finished his financial classes and got some traveling in. He visited Kentucky and we went with him to LA.

2. I went back to substituting which was emotionally challenging but ultimately made me feel much better about myself.

3. Eleanor had her 2nd birthday and is such an amazing kid, I can't believe all the stuff she does. 

4. I did a 4 day girl weekend with my sisters to Los Angeles and it felt amazing!!

5. Warren did a 50 mile hiking trip through the Sierra Nevadas for Mt Whitney and he survived!

6. We went to Solvang CA and then to San Francisco where we stayed for 4 days at a fancy hotel, ooo la la!

7. I was hired on as a full time art teacher at 3 schools so I get to teach awesome classes and not get asked to do anything because admin forgets I 'm there.

8. Eleanor Loves hanging out with her friend Camden during the week, sometimes she doesn't even want to come home with me. 

9. We've been trying to have another kid but haven't had much luck but I think next year will be our year, and if not, I'm ok with that, I'm so grateful that I have Eleanor.

10. Warren is losing his job but now he can finally finish his Bachelors degree which will improve his opportunities and he will get to watch Eleanor 3 days a week which will help relieve my guilty feelings and he is a big kid so they will both have fun. :)

My faith has grown stronger this year as we've made decisions based on what the Lord wants us to do and we have seen our lives go on a good path because of it. I know that what I am doing is right and I am grateful for this year, that I have grown and progressed. I hope other people have improved this year, I think that is something we can all do, work towards slowly improving ourselves so each year we get a little better. I wish all my friends and family a wonderful Christmas season, thank you for all your love and support. 

Many blessings to you, 

Love, the Stenders.

Updates for the Stender Clan

Wow, I hadn't realized I haven't written on here since July. It has been a pretty busy 3 months. In August we went to Warren's family reunion and afterwards we went to San Francisco for a little vacation. It was a package I purchased last year for a good deal so we stayed at the Sir Francis Drake hotel. We took public transportation everywhere which was a lot of fun. And we crossed the golden gate bridge with some friends who happened to be visiting on one of the days of our trip.

Ella enjoying the park at Solvang

Warren showed Ella how to roll down a hill. They both seemed to really enjoy it.

Warren's sister Laurel, Eleanor loves her.

Doing a hike on the way out of Solvang.

The hike ended at a waterfall, which was fun for Ella to play in.

We drove on the 101 up to San Francisco and made some stops to see the ocean.

Waiting for the bus, SF has an excellent public transportation system.

The palace of fine arts that hosted the world fair in San Francisco a couple years after the huge fire, they rebuilt everything for the fair and it launched San Francisco as a major west coast city. Pretty cool history.

The science museum had tons of cool exhibits that we got to check out.

It makes a cyclone in the center to show the turning of a tornado.

Getting ready to walk across the bridge, 1. It is pretty long. 2. It is really cold. and 3. You have to walk back there is no bus on the otherside. Things we wish we would have known before walking across.

Heck yeah! The headquarters for Ghirardelli chocolate, one of our favorite stops on our trip.

One of those original carousels that have handmade wood animals.

The lobby of our hotel, very fancy and historic.

Lumbard st, the crookedest street in the US.

The academy of science, soooo much fun to look at all the animals and eco systems.

Upside down jellyfish, they just lay upside down on the ocean floor. Weird, like how do they survive?

Butterfly and tropical rainforest observatory.

Right before all this I found out that I got a job as an art teacher. I am an art itinerant so I teach at 4 schools because they have too many students for just one art teacher. So as soon as we got back from our trip then I had to get all my paperwork stuff done, orientation(that sucked) and visit my schools.

So now I've been teaching since August. They did count day in september and I lost one of my schools and picked up a day at one of my other schools so now I have 3 schools instead of 4. (so nice, I didn't like the school so I was pretty happy to lose that school) I love teaching art again, it really makes me happy and Eleanor is doing wonderfully with her babysitter, she is the kindest woman and her son and Eleanor play like they are siblings.

We were hoping to have another kid soon. I got pregnant in August and I was at 8 weeks this week, but then on Friday I started having cramping and bleeding. Went to the doctors, they did an ultrasound and said everything looked ok. Saturday it got worse, went to the ER and ended up having a miscarriage.

I'm ok with it. It is easier having it earlier. Last time I was at 10 weeks. I don't know what the problem is, but it makes me very grateful that we have Eleanor. So we will see what happens. I think we will try again later on, but if things don't work out, I'll be ok with that. Now I'm kind of looking forward to staying skinny longer and getting to eat some sushi on my birthday this week. I hope everyone else is having a good fall season, I am really looking forward to Halloween and all the other holidays this year so I'll keep this updated with everything we are up to. Love ya!

The stenders.

Sexy Shoes!

So a couple posts ago I mentioned that I bought some new shoes that I thought are super sexy. At the time I didn't have a photo that I liked of them because it is very difficult to do self portraits. So I asked my husband to help me out, he was happy to oblige. :) I think models are sticks because it is very simple to take photos of stick people whereas people with curves, a lot harder. I had to take a ton of photos for one I liked. I much prefer taking photos of other people than myself.

We have been having crazy monsoon weather this week. Sunday we had a storm that was just nuts. Blew over a bunch of trees and we got like an inch in our backyard. Eleanor loved standing outside when it first started. I even joined her, Warren wasn't home which is too bad because it would have been fun to get a picture of both of us in the rain. That's ok though because Eleanor is cute enough for the both of us.

Do you hear the thunder?

Time to come inside.



For the 4th of July we went to a ward breakfast. In the evening we went swimming at my parent's house and then we drove up to Henderson for the fireworks. We were too far away from the fireworks so Eleanor wasn't that impressed.

Eleanor and her friend Charlie, running through the sprinklers.

Eleanor loves swimming with her cousins. She asks me every day to go swimming with Anna (the cousin closest in age to her)

Pretty good firework display at Basic high school, we will have to go earlier next year so we get better seats.

A memorial to our bunny

Last night, the 4th of July our bunny passed away. He was sick on the 4th of July but because it was a holiday, the vets that take rabbits were not available. I figured he would be ok till today when I could take him in but tragically he did not last through the night. 

I found him this morning and was able to put him away before Eleanor saw him so she didn't freak out. I did some crying while fixing breakfast and Eleanor started to tear up with me because she said I was "hurt." Which I was, but in a way that a band aid doesn't help. 

I truly loved having this little creature in our home. He was sweet and snuggly. He would follow me around and want to be petted. He was so soft that he would slip on the tiles when he tried to stand in one spot. When you petted him he liked to flatten himself out like a pancake. 

I think that perhaps the bunny we had before was sick and it left some germs around that this bunny picked up, which really saddens me because I wanted this bunny to be around a long time with us. 

I don't think I should get another rabbit. I would be paranoid that it would die too. I guess we are just a no pet household. 

I'm sorry that I couldn't keep this little creature alive, but I know it is in a special place having a ton of fun.

Good bye 

Enjoying some sun.

On the move, I was trying to take a picture of him when he was a pancake.

Hiding under the dishwasher.

Slight pancake, he could flatten himself out to like an inch tall.