Chandelle Layne {Our Niece}

The much anticipated arrival of our first niece & first cousin (on both sides) has finally come! Chandelle Layne arrived on the evening of Monday, March 25th, after two very LONG days of labor for her mom (& dad). This princess, while tiny made up for her petite size by giving her Mama a run for her money, all the while being perfectly healthy through the long back labor. I had the honor of being with mom and dad for the first 12 hours, taking walks, eating good food, working through contractions. It was a precious time for me to spend with them at their home, anticipating their first born. After several more visits to the hospital, Chandelle made her entrance Monday evening. Upon hearing that she had finally come, this very excited Aunt and Uncle quickly tucked their own cherubs to bed, had a neighbor come over to sit at the house and ran up to the hospital to meet her! We got there in time to see her being weighed and measured (5lbs 9.5oz & 20") and have her very first (of many) photo shoots. The Dobelstein family was on hand, tired but overjoyed. I couldn't help well up with tears as I got to help Mama nurse her for the first time and assist dad in comforting her after receiving her shots. Those first few moments as new parents are priceless!

Fast forward to Thursday: my boys could not wait to meet their new first-cousin. So we packed up our life and headed up to Stanwood after picking up Aaden from school. The boys rode bikes while waiting for the family to get home from their first check-up. Upon meeting her, Aaden said "Chandelle is so tiny and pretty." Owen was awaken from his nap so that the peanut girl could get some much needed sunlight in his room, on her jaundiced skin. So needless to say he was a bit shocked to see such a tiny baby in his presence. He stood staring at her for quite some time, as did Chandelle at Owen. He wasn't keen on her crying, but quickly warmed up to having her around. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind his Mama tending to the baby either (good practice).

This Auntie had a chance to snuggle several times, getting her much needed girl time. Something I warned her parents, that I will have to do frequently! I also snapped a few candid photos from our time.

I decided she looks like Daddy when she's mad...

...and Mommy when she's content

Checking her out

Mom and Dad trying to get baby to stop crying :)

Attempting a cousin shot, ha!

Celebrating Baby M

We are so thrilled that Kristofer's sister, Lacey (& hubby, Tim) will welcome their first baby (a girl) at the end of March. We have been waiting for cousins to join our family and are so happy the time has come! A few weeks back a few family members (Aunt Kim & cousin Sara Haak) and I helped throw baby M her first shower.

Everything was beautiful, Sara had fun games for us, Aunt Kim delicious food and I got to be crafty and decorate with baby M's colors pink & grey!

Trying to enjoy the little things...

After a whirlwind clean up of my upstairs, I had just finished making the bed and headed off in another direction. I heard the boys giggling together (a rarity) and came to find them in the pile of pillows on my bed. I normally don't allow shenanigans on my bed, something about having a clean room keeps me happy. But, I've been praying for my boys to become better friends, find joy in one another and learn to share. So, I knew this was God's way of telling me to let some of the little things go today, because joy can be found in the silliness of an unkempt bed.

...of course this did end with the littlest one being tossed from the bed and whacking his head on the nightstand. You win some you loose some!

Our Gift...#3

The blog has sat idle for a number of months. I will explain why - we are expecting our 3rd (& final) baby. We have a healthy, active one cooking --- and with two very active boys...this Mama's days have been filled up!

We are beyond thrilled to have our newest edition joining us end of June. This week marks 16 --- so we are cruising along in the second trimester and will look forward to our one and only ultrasound in a few short weeks to check and see that we have a healthy babe.

...and the big brothers!? Very excited, even Owen has discovered that babies are pretty cool.

PS - more updates to come...I think. :)

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!