Dear All,

I am sorry for being so sloppy about updating the blog. Seems like life is happening so fast—I don’t have a spare second to slow down and take notes. There is just no way to start blogging about everything that happened since my last entry; nevertheless, here are some highlights of the last six month.

Obviously, the biggest event occurred on May 7, when our third child, Demitri Garrett Stein, was born. He was due on May 23, but apparently, he was ready to make his appearance a couple weeks early. May 7 was my mother’s birthday, so this birth date has special significance for me. Of course, Keith and I had a rough time coming up with a name for Dima. In the end, we named him after my mom’s favorite uncle and Keith’s younger brother, Garrett.

Dima has been a fun addition to the family. His is well mannered, laid back, and really happy-go-lucky. I was a little worried about the transition from two to three children but it has been very smooth for us because the older two children have been very helpful.

It has been enjoyable watching Lena and Benjamin develop a relationship with their little brother. While Lena is great at helping with the baby, Benjamin is there to entertain him. I think Dima smiles the most when Benjamin sings to him.

TULIPS

Our trip to Woodburn Tulip Festival has become an annual tradition. The first time I went, I was 8 months pregnant with Lena, the first trip we took with Jessie, she only had Ella. This year, we each had two children with us, not counting the one in my tummy. The flowers were beautiful. But I thought that the sight of watching the kids run through the flowers was even more breathtaking.

ROAD TRIP

For a while, my friend Jessie and I have been talking about making a road trip to Utah. She’s from Park City and for us it’s been a while since we’ve been to Cedar City to visit Keith’s family and let the kids play with their cousins. Since our husbands are really not “road trip” kind of people, Jess and I decided to do it on our own. We’ve decided to take off after the tax season was over. We were a little worried about the proximity of my due date, but I figured if I didn’t go while 8 months pregnant, I’d have to wait until the baby was older. And who knows what would happen by then.

Jessie and I planned the trip and got our children excited about the upcoming adventure. Keith was having a panic attack about me travelling while pregnant but I assured him I was not going into labor in the middle of Idaho. My promise was not good enough, so he made me get permission from my OBGYN. I am lucky Dr. D. is so relaxed; he okayed the trip without hesitation.

Since neither of us have a minivan (and both of us had a couple of kids), Jess and I rented a van and took off at 4 am, hoping the kids would sleep at least until breakfast. Unfortunately, the kids were so excited they did not want to go back to bed.

We spent the first night at Jessie’s parents’ house, then drove to Cedar City the following day. All six of Keith’s siblings and his parents live there. Lena and Benjamin enjoyed spending time with their cousins and getting to know their aunts and uncles better. We had a great time, enjoying every day of our trip, even those spend in the van; kids thought it was party time, in the company of their friends, Ella and Jonas, movies, and various treats. Daddy was very happy to have us back and I didn’t even go into labor for another week. Who said I was cutting it close?

My sister-in-law Megan and I were due about 6 weeks apart. Now Demitri has a little cousin Isabella.

Riley became my kids favorite dog in no time. It's a good thing daddy has "allergies" or we would be looking for a puppy by now...

Poor Riley endured all sorts of love (torture) from my children

He didn't seem to mind

Benjamin Eric and his uncle Eric sported similar hairdo

Lena doing math and Benjamin watching Peter Pan - to each his own...

Uncle Matt let the kids drive in his truck. Lena now insists that she is a better driver than "those teenagers"

Easter 2009

Even though Easter usually falls on the very end of tax season, a time when I have very little time and energy, I try to plan some fun activities for the kids. Because of my Primary Calling, this year the egg hunt I planned was on a larger scale than in the past. Also, a couple of weeks prior, the kids and I worked on an Easter Basket craft with their friend Ella.