Flashback Friday

A Christmas-picture Story::

In case you haven't heard . . . or have forgotten, I give you the story behind our traditional "bed picture" at Christmas time:: When Jacob was not quite 1 we wanted a family picture to put in our Christmas card. We took quite a few (non-digital, I might add!) and the one we liked best was of the 3 of us laying on our bed. The next year it was just the 3 of us again and we decided to try and recreate the picture since it had turned out so cute . . . and thus began an unintentional Stoll family tradition of the bed picture. For the 2nd year in a row, our "bed" is a fake. It's not really a bed. And it's not in our house (as was the case the first 13 times we took "the bed picture". Last year it was warm and our "bed" was outside. This year it was chillier and so when we were celebrating Thanksgiving at a retreat center a little ways north of our house, we made our "bed" there and took our 2013 picture. I don't know how much longer this tradition can hold out. Even our fake makeshift "bed" is growing too small for all of us to fit. The kids just keep growing (even though their parents are smaller in this years picture than they were last year, by about 70 pounds) and it's getting harder and harder to pull it off. It takes much bribery and trickery already! 2013 marks the 15th anniversary of the Stoll family "bed" picture. 14 years and 5 more kids later, we're all still on the "bed" for our annual picture.

rebekah, jacob, joe, shana, anna, kirby, sara & lydia :: 2013

and a little flashback for you, starting where it all began. here are more than a decade worth of stoll christmas pictures. enjoy::

kirby, shana & jacob :: 1999

kirby, [pregnant] shana, jacob :: 2000

kirby, jacob, [pregnant] shana, rebekah :: 2001

rebekah, kirby, jacob, shana, lydia :: 2002

kirby, lydia, jacob, shana, rebekah :: 2003

kirby, [pregnant] shana, lydia, jacob, rebekah :: 2004

jacob, kirby, joe, shana, rebekah, lydia :: 2005

jacob, kirby, rebekah, shana, joe, lydia :: 2006
kirby, jacob, rebekah, joe, [pregnant] shana, lydia :: 2007

kirby, lydia, anna, joe, shana, jacob, rebekah :: 2008

jacob, anna, kirby, rebekah, joe, lydia [not quite pregnant] shana :: 2009

kirby, joe, shana, teeny baby sara, rebekah, anna, jacob, lydia :: 2010

kirby, anna, shana, sara, joe, jacob, lydia, rebekah :: 2011

kirby, joe, jake, anna, shana, lydia, sara & rebekah :: 2012

Flashback Friday

A Christmas-picture Story::

In case you haven't heard . . . or have forgotten, I give you the story behind our traditional "bed picture" at Christmas time:: When Jacob was not quite 1 we wanted a family picture to put in our Christmas card. We took quite a few (non-digital, I might add!) and the one we liked best was of the 3 of us laying on our bed. The next year it was just the 3 of us again and we decided to try and recreate the picture since it had turned out so cute . . . and thus began an unintentional Stoll family tradition of the bed picture. This year we knew we'd have trouble all fitting on the bed comfortably (even though we don't spend too much time on our Christmas photo session 8 people on one bed get crabby pretty quick), so we thought we'd shake it up a bit and take our picture outdoors. But we couldn't give up the "bed" completely. Thus the "bed"-in-the-field idea was born. Since that needlepoint that my mom made us has been in every single picture, we couldn't leave it out either. Our picture was taken on a gloriously warm and sunny Thanksgiving Day. 2012 marks the 14th anniversary of the Stoll family "bed" picture. 13 years and 5 more kids later, we're all still on the "bed" (it was really two long tables, topped with twin mattresses and covered with our bedspread) for our annual picture.

joe, jake, anna, lydia, rebekah, kirb, shana & sara :: 2012

and a little flashback for you, starting where it all began. here are more than a decade worth of stoll christmas pictures. enjoy::

kirby, shana, jacob: 1999

kirby, [pregnant] shana, jacob: 2000

kirby, jacob, [pregnant] shana, rebekah: 2001

rebekah, kirby, jacob, shana, lydia: 2002

kirby, lydia, jacob, shana, rebekah: 2003

kirby, [pregnant] shana, lydia, jacob, rebekah: 2004

jacob, kirby, joe, shana, rebekah, lydia: 2005

jacob, kirby, rebekah, shana, joe, lydia: 2006
kirby, jacob, rebekah, joe, [pregnant] shana, lydia: 2007

kirby, lydia, anna, joe, shana, jacob, rebekah: 2008

jacob, anna, kirby, rebekah, joe, lydia [not quite pregnant] shana: 2009

kirby, joe, shana, teeny baby sara, rebekah, anna, jacob, lydia: 2010

kirby, anna, shana, sara, joe, jacob, lydia, rebekah: 2011

flashback friday

A Christmas Story {but probably not the one you're thinking of}::

In case you haven't heard . . . or have forgotten, I give you the story behind our traditional "bed picture" at Christmas time:: When Jacob was not quite 1 we wanted a family picture to put in our Christmas card. We took quite a few (non-digital, I might add!) and the one we liked best was of the 3 of us laying on our bed. The next year it was just the 3 of us again and we decided to try and recreate the picture since it had turned out so cute . . . and thus began an unintentional Stoll family tradition of the bed picture. As one of the Peterson girls (Beka, i think) said one year "They did it on the bed again." (which caused many a giggle, since Beka was probably not even in high school yet at that point) .The Peterson's found it extra funny when they read through our Christmas letter, after the comment about the picture, and discovered (for the second year in a row) that we were (again) pregnant! As a side note, that was the Christmas letter of 2001 and we announced that we were pregnant with the little person that would turn out to be Lydia in that Christmas letter. No one, not even ONE person (except me and Kirb) knew of our pregnancy before getting our letter . . . not even our parents! And since Rebekah was only about 8 months old it was a shocker to most everyone. Us included (although our shock came a few weeks before everyone elses . . . and not in the form of a letter). So, 2011 marks the 13th anniversary of the Stoll family bed picture. 12 years and 5 more kids later, we're all still on the bed for the annual picture.

more than a decade worth of stoll christmas pictures. enjoy::

kirby, shana, jacob: 1999

kirby, [pregnant] shana, jacob: 2000

kirby, jacob, [pregnant] shana, rebekah: 2001

rebekah, kirby, jacob, shana, lydia: 2002

kirby, lydia, jacob, shana, rebekah: 2003

kirby, [pregnant] shana, lydia, jacob, rebekah: 2004

jacob, kirby, joe, shana, rebekah, lydia: 2005

jacob, kirby, rebekah, shana, joe, lydia: 2006
kirby, jacob, rebekah, joe, [pregnant] shana, lydia: 2007

kirby, lydia, anna, joe, shana, jacob, rebekah: 2008

jacob, anna, kirby, rebekah, joe, lydia [not quite pregnant] shana: 2009

kirby, joe, shana, teeny baby sara, rebekah, anna, jacob, lydia: 2010

kirby, anna, shana, sara, joe, jacob, lydia, rebekah: 2011

Merry Christmas!

thankful thursday

Today I'm thankful for :: grace.

I have been gifted with grace many times. By my family {daily . . . often even hourly, or more}. By my friends. By my God!

Today I'm thankful for grace from you. I got about 80% of my Christmas cards out of my house and in the mail about 2 weeks ago. The other 20% are still on my dining room table. Well, honestly, I didn't really check my list when ordering {OOPS!}, so I ran out. But then I made some more {since the minimum order for the picture cards we got the first time around was 50 and I didn't need 50 more -- but then again I didn't count the second time around either, so maybe I did need 50! -- I just decided to make the remainder, with a re-do of my 2008 card adding Sara's name to the list and calling it good!, instead of re-ordering the picture cards}, but I haven't gotten around to actually addressing and mailing them . . . and Christmas eve is tomorrow!

So, here is the Stoll Christmas letter 2010 and our 12th annual bed picture. Enjoy! {and if you are one of the 80% that did get yours you can skip this all together or read it again. It's up to you.}::

A is for Anna: Anna will be 3 soon and is (mostly) delightful. She is funny and pretty cute and we love her lots!

B is for Blessings: Our lives are so full of blessings. We have much to be thankful for!

C is for CBC: We worship at Central Baptist Church in St. Paul, and love our church family there!

D is for Dad: Kirby, the dad of the house, better enjoy the coming year as it marks his last full year in his 30’s!

E is for ER: 2 ER visits in 2 weeks this summer. Staples in the top of Jacob’s head and stitches in Anna’s forehead. Both are healed up just fine!

F is for Falcon: 4 of our kiddos are attending Falcon Heights Elementary this year. By the time Sara heads to middle school, one of our kids (if not 2 or 3 or 4) will have been there each year for just shy of two decades!

G is for Grade 6: That’s what grade Jacob is in this year. (I can’t believe next year he’ll go to middle school.) He is a bus patrol, plays trumpet in the band and loves all things football!

H is for Home: We still live in the same place. We love our house, our neighborhood and our community. Stop over and see us anytime; you’re always welcome here!

I is for Internet: I continue to enjoy updating the world on the life of our family through our family blog. Come visit there too, if you want!

J is for Jesus: We are so thankful for our Lord and Savior, and celebrate His birth this Christmas.

K is for Kindergarten: Ready or not, Falcon now has Joey bursting through its doors each day. It’s a struggle to get him to head off to school most days, but once he arrives he LOVES it. He’s doing great, continues to be the family “ham” and necessitates earplug use for the other 7 of us much of the time!

L is for Library: Our neighborhood library was closed for a year while they remodeled. It re-opened this summer (twice as big) and we’re so glad to have it back! I LOVE to read and am, I imagine, one of their better customers. The “littles” and I enjoy storytime there each week.

M is for Mom: That’s me, the mom. I keep plenty busy and most days (though not all) enjoy the crazy life we lead! Card-making, MOPS, Target trips, friends, reading, Caribou, church, a date here and there, the Y, PTA, ECFE: that’s my life!

N is for Nephew: Our newest little nephew, Schaeffer, was born to my brother Luke and his wife, Jenn, in August. He joins Haddon to round out their extra-good-looking family. We are glad they live close and the kids have nearby cousins to play with, grow up with and love!

O is for October 9th: The very best day of our year, without rival, was 10.9.10 when we welcomed our new little bundle. (more on her under “S”).

P is for Parents: We both have wonderful parents and continue to enjoy the time we spend with them, and our families in general. As always, we wish we were able to spend more time with Kirby’s parents (and extended family), but no one seems to be moving, so I guess we’ll have to make due. We continue to be thankful to have my parents (and my grandma!) so close, and for the fact that they are such a HUGE part of our lives!

Q is for Quotes: We hope you enjoy the annual Stoll Quotes from 2010 (they’re on the back)!

R is for Rebekah: Rebekah is in 4th grade and will soon turn double-digits. She continues to be the mom of the family — I’m pretty sure she is more nurturing than I am. (It’s good she doesn’t lactate or I’d be completely out of a job!)

S is for Sara: Sara Evelyn is a delight! Everyone is head over heels in love with her and we are thrilled God saw fit to bless us with this little doll!

T is for Third: Lydia is in 3rd grade this year and continues to love life more than most . . . except, that is, when she’s mad and then, watch out world!

U is for Ugly: Ok, so it’s not really ugly, but it sure does stand out in a “crowd”. We traded in our mini van for a 12-passenger Chevy Express last spring and now the whole world knows when I’m at Target, since you can spot our big van from most anywhere in Roseville!

V is for Vince: I continue to do daycare for a fabulous little man every other week while his mom goes to work. We love Vince and he has become a regular member of the family!

W is for Work: Kirb just started his 9th year of work at Northwestern College. We are thankful for his job and all it means to our family.

X is for X-tra great: We have been blessed with an extra fabulous circle of family and friends who love and support us through life. If you are reading this, then you are a part of that circle and we are thankful for you!

Y is for YMCA: We continue to enjoy being part of our local Y. We enjoy the free childcare, the activities and the opportunity to keep our bodies in some semblance of “fit”. We love spending the summer at the outdoor pool with friends and watching Rebekah swim on the swim team.

Z is for zzzz: Hopefully reading the Stoll ABC’s hasn’t put you to sleep, but sleep is something each of us at the Stoll house could benefit from a little (or a lot) more of, but such is the life of a big family with little kids, right? There will always be opportunities for more sleep at some point in the future, I’m hoping!

The Stoll kid quotes that are on the back of our Christmas letter are, conveniently, located right over there ------------------------> on the sidebar, so I won't list them here again.

Merry, Merry Christmas from our family!

flashback friday

the story behind the picture:

In case you haven't heard . . . or have forgotten, I give you the story behind our traditional "bed picture" at Christmas time:: When Jacob was not quite 1 we wanted a family picture to put in our Christmas card. We took quite a few (non-digital, I might add!) and the one we liked best was of the 3 of us laying on our bed. The next year it was just the 3 of us again and we decided to try and recreate the picture since it had turned out so cute . . . and thus began an unintentional Stoll family tradition of the bed picture. As one of the Peterson girls (Beka, i think) said one year "They did it on the bed again." (which caused many a giggle, since Beka was probably not even in high school yet at that point) .The Peterson's found it extra funny when they read through our Christmas letter, after the comment about the picture, and discovered (for the second year in a row) that we were (again) pregnant! As a side note, that was the Christmas letter of 2001 and we announced that we were pregnant with the little person that would turn out to be Lydia in that Christmas letter. No one, not even ONE person (except me and Kirb) knew of our pregnancy before getting our letter . . . not even our parents! And since Rebekah was only about 8 months old it was a shocker to most everyone. Us included (although our shock came a few weeks before everyone elses . . . and not in the form of a letter). So, 2010 marks the 12th anniversary of the Stoll family bed picture. 11 years and 5 more kids later, we're all still on the bed for the annual picture.

more than a decade worth of stoll christmas pictures. enjoy::

kirby, shana, jacob: 1999

kirby, [pregnant] shana, jacob: 2000

kirby, jacob, [pregnant] shana, rebekah: 2001

rebekah, kirby, jacob, shana, lydia: 2002

kirby, lydia, jacob, shana, rebekah: 2003

kirby, [pregnant] shana, lydia, jacob, rebekah: 2004

jacob, kirby, joe, shana, rebekah, lydia: 2005

jacob, kirby, rebekah, shana, joe, lydia: 2006
kirby, jacob, rebekah, joe, [pregnant] shana, lydia: 2007

kirby, lydia, anna, joe, shana, jacob, rebekah: 2008

jacob, anna, kirby, rebekah, joe, lydia [not quite pregnant] shana: 2009

The first batch of this years Christmas cards are already in the mail. So, those of you who actually know us, and get our Christmas card will see this years picture soon. It'll probably be a few more days until I get them all in the mail, but the wait won't be too much longer! If you read this blog, (which, clearly, you do!) the Christmas letter won't be nearly as funny as usual, since, rumor has it, the most popular part of the Christmas letter each year is the page of Stoll kid quotes. But, since those are on the sidebar of the blog and you can read (and re-read) them anytime you please, I apologize for the lack of side-splitting laughter at your home this holiday season! You'll have to find someone else's family to laugh at this year.

My personal reflections after looking through 12 years worth of pictures of our family::

• We were all (well, the 3 of us, anyway) babies in 1999.
• I should not have bangs. Jill, if you are reading this, don't let me talk you into cutting bangs on my head again. Hold me accountable on that one, ok people?
• If I do have bangs, then I should absolutely not curl them as I did in 2002!
• Rebekah's hair didn't get curly until 2003.
• I love Rebekah in the 2003 picture. SO cute!
• Our bed has pretty much reached capacity at this point!
• Kirb's hair used to be MUCH bigger (and darker and thicker!)
• My hair was best in 2009. Can I get an amen? (but I can pretty much guarantee you that on that particular day in 2009 I hated my hair and thought I needed to do something about it. What's with that anyway?)
  
• It would seem I over-think hair?
• The matching stripe-y turtleneck idea was better the first time around.
• How cute was Jacob in 2006 showing us his missing tooth?
• 2005 . . . that's SO Lydia!
• Joe was kind of a chunk at 18 months (2006). I had forgotten that.
• Anna must be the opposite of Beka, since her hair just keeps getting less curly as she ages! (see last years picture)
• My mom is a fabulous photographer! I am amazed each year that we even get one remotely decent picture. Thanks, Mom!