Dobelstein Family Newsletter ~ 2012

Wow, what a year it has been! Time has just flown by, and if you've been following our blog you know that we've been delinquent the last few months. Managing two growing and active boys is a lot of work, some things just go by the wayside!

Some highlights from this year include:

• Surprising Kristofer for his 30th birthday with close family and friends.
• Loosing our church home in Portland to fire. Thankful that the sanctuary is now remodeled & open and the process for fundraising and construction of the fellowship hall is underway.
• Spending quality time with both sets of grandparents with outings to the zoo, trips to Portland, vacations to Central Oregon & Hawaii.
• Job changes for Kristofer {more on that in a minute}
• Dietary changes for Sarah & family {food allergies are no fun}!
• Regularly attending MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) at the local church. Both boys enjoy having time with kids their age.
• Hosting our second Murder Mystery!
• Re-homing our dog of 8 years, Emma!

Some updates on each family member:

Kristofer has had some job changes over the last five months. As most of you were aware, he left his long-time company of Dynon Avionics at the end of June. Looking for a new adventure and wanting to expand his engineering prowess, he went to work as a Sustaining Engineer at Astronics AES in Redmond, WA. Through a series of very difficult decisions, and a very rough summer/fall at work, God has blessed Kristofer (and our family) with the incredible opportunity to return to Dynon (as of December 1) and be their Senior Quality Manager. This is a position he is perfectly qualified for, and couldn't be happier about. We are thankful to "come home" to a place we know and love. And, I (Sarah) must say it is wonderful to have my happy and fulfilled husband back! 

Sarah has been busy keeping up with the two boys. She still is enjoying being home with the kids and is always looking for new and creative ways to fill their day. This fall she and the boys started attending MOPS and has enjoyed meeting more moms in the area and making new friends. Over the summer, she had a bout with food poisoning that turned into a three month long search for answers to issues with incredible pain. With the help of her naturopath and nutritionist she determined that food allergies and issues in her digestive track were the culprit. The last few months have been spent in a time of healing and discovering new and different ways to prepare food for her and the family. She is thankful to be on the other side of it and more thankful to be able to eat again! Some fun things she has enjoyed this year, crafting, sewing, photography & travel.

Aaden is 4 and such a big guy! He is most excited to build with his Legos (received his Dad's huge collection for his 4th birthday), and creates elaborate cities out of blocks, train track and signs, he also loves reading...reading...reading. He is currently enjoying his nightly read of Stewart Little. He looks forward to attending Sunday School on a weekly basis and is learning so much about The Bible & Jesus. He is maturing and growing into a good big brother. It has been a big adjustment for him learning to share his toys, books and space. We are seeing glimpses of the fun they are soon to have playing with one another.

Owen is now 15 months and just in the last two weeks has decided he is ready to walk. He is one determined little guy and only wants to try something if he is perfect at it (hence the late walking). He loves to say "what's that"? to everything, and "some" if he'd like something to eat or drink. He loves that he can communicate with us now and be understood. He continues to be an incredible joy, full of spunk and character. He is the consummate ham, always trying to get you to laugh and smile. He melts our hearts!

As mentioned above, Emma has found a new home. At the end of October a wonderful young couple contacted us through the purebred breed rescue program and asked to meet her. We went and visited them in Seattle and we fell in love. They were the perfect fit for Emma and Emma loved them immediately. After a few short weeks, we were able to make the transition with them. She has gotten the doggy upgrade of a lifetime, we couldn't be happier. 

We are thankful for a year of transition as life cannot remain the same. We look forward to 2013 and all that it holds, hoping for a healthy, happy new year for all!

Blessings to you and yours,

Kristofer, Sarah, Aaden & Owen

(Pictures provided by Claire Gilfillan Photography)

Oahu {Day 5 & 6}

Mornings were spent swimming in the Villa's pool (while Owen napped) and afternoons were spent at the beach. What more can we say, Lanikai...every day all day! We loved Lanikai and went back as often as possible. We met new friends (Yasunari, Akiko and 10month old Saki) and played with them every day we were there. They are from Tokyo and said they loved Lanikai so much that they come every day they are there. Body surfing, playing in the sand, sun bathing and floating in the ocean. What more can you ask for!?

Oahu {Day 4}

Day four was Aaden's fourth birthday. The boys got up early, we got breakfast and hit the road after Owen's morning nap. We arrived at Pearl Harbor, ate a picnic lunch and decided to head over to Ford Island and go through the flight museum. Little ones aren't allowed at the USS Arizona Memorial or on the Bowfin (sub) or USS Missouri, so we looked at them from afar. Aaden was in awe of all the military stuff and was attentive and interested in what happened on December 7, 1941.

We all love history, so enjoyed ourselves immensely (looking forward to going back some day and taking in the rest of the sites).

That evening we were invited to swim in the Villa house pool (also on the property we stayed). It was a perfect way to end Aaden's birthday. A swim, a great view and a bbq with cake!

{4 year Hawaiian photos}

Oahu {Day 2 & 3}

Day two was hot! We headed out to explore the island. We didn't plan to be gone long, so weren't really prepared. We wanted to hike out to the lighthouse at Makapu'u. The trek was not as kid friendly as we imagined (a 14 month old in the Ergo and a 4 year old walking was too much). We hiked to the first peak to see the beautiful view and gaze out at the other islands. We then promptly went back down, thirsty, hot and tired. Most people with kiddos had strollers, umbrellas and lots of water. Next time! We then attempted to make it to Honolulu to shop Costco, thankfully there was one much closer as both kids were screaming and tired. That evening we had a scare, tsunami warnings and evacuation notices. Being unfamiliar with the island and seeing our street on the evacuation notice was unnerving. Thankfully everything turned out okay, but it sure was a long night!

Day three was Sunday, so we packed up early and headed inland to visit our former pastor and his church in Wahiawa. It was great to see he, his wife and three kids. We hung out after the service and reminisced about old times. That evening I took Aaden out for his 4 year old photo shoot on the beach at Kailua. It was really stormy, but we got some cool shots! {Will share in the next post}.

Oahu {Day 1}

It has been a week and a half since our return from paradise. We still have the sun kissed faces...but are back to the freezing drizzle of the northwest. Thankful we got to enjoy the sunshine and warmth for 10 days. We took hundreds of pictures, so it is hard to pick. I think I will take it a day at a time...

Our first day on the island was spent soaking in the beautiful location, sitting on our lanai looking out over Kane'ohe Bay, grocery shopping and an evening swim at Lanikai (our favorite family friendly beach). We even got to watch hang gliders come off the hills and land on the beach.