Christmas 2008

There are so many things to be thankful for in this Christmas season.

1. We are thankful that the Lord has kept us safe through the many snow storms. We definitely had a white Christmas this year. :-)
   
2. We are thankful for the opportunity to have had a Christmas eve service. Thanks to all for making a memorable night!
3. We are so very thankful that the Abbotsford Stobbe family was able to join us for Christmas. They even left a day early to beat the snow. It was such a blessing to be with them.
4. Mostly we are thankful for the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus.

There were a few funny moments come Christmas morning at our house. Isaac was a great ad for Best buy as he opened the Wii. "This is soooo AWESOME!" Wii think they should hire him for next years holiday ads.
Another fun moment was letting the kids know about our trip to Disneyland. Both Isaac and Megan had letters written to them from their favorite disney Character and when Isaac was reading his letter, all of the sudden his jaw dropped and he dropped the letter and yelled, "We are going to Disneyland". Of course by the time this happened, my memory card was full :-( So this is what we recorded after the fact.

Thanksgiving

Wow there is really so much to be thankful for with all that is going on in our lives these days! We have a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes to wear, wonderful family and friends. God is so good for all that he provides for us!

This past sunday was a great day in the Stobbe family! Isaac decided that it was time for him to take the next step in his relationship with the Lord and was baptized. He also had two good friends join him. (Jonathan and Daniel) As well as another girl from the middle school.

I am so grateful for not only the physical needs that the Lord provides for us but the spiritual. It has always been a desire of my heart to see my children follow the Lord, and for this I have prayed. My heart is totally overwhelmed with this step Isaac has taken, as it is his decision for his life.

What are you thankful for?

Looking back

Summer has come and gone. There was much traveling to see family. We look back with many fond memories.

We spent time with the Stobbe's and Taylors up at the lake. It was such a great time! Tim thinks that the new dirt bikes are awesome! Isaac thinks one day soon he will get the hang of riding one.

We also spent time in Calgary as we celebrated 60 years with Tina's dad! It was a great time visiting as well as seeing many cousins and aunts.

At the end of August, we were blessed with the chance to spend time with our good friends Chris and Rachel Smolko and their family in Birch Bay. It was a great week of fishing and crabbing! Isaac thoroughly enjoyed going out with Chris in the boat!

We are now back into the routine of life with both kids at school (Megan in preschool) as well as Isaac being in soccer. Tina has continued teaching piano and new this year is helping with the High school youth group. Tim has much on his plate with the new building coming along nicely. Framing is to start in the beginning of October with the hope that we will be in by Spring of 2009. Stay tuned as I am sure that we will keep you up to date.

Cincinnati!

What an incredible week we had with the Taylor family! We enjoyed hanging out with them so much. It was sooo good to see what their life is like in Cincinnati.

While we were there we did many fun things. We started with a visit to King's Island which is an amusement park. The kids enjoyed seeing characters such as Dora the explorer, Spongebob Squarepants and The Backyardigans. We saw the Eiffel tower (american version) and of course got to ride the roller coaster, swings, helicopters etc. I (Tina) got to experience a ride on the "Beast". It has been such a long time since I have been on a roller coaster. Let me tell you that this was a good one to jog my memory! Whoo hoo! Thanks April for going with me. (at the very front too!) And thanks Jeremy for watching the kids while we did this!

Isaac and I went with April to The Freedom Center. This is a place in downtown Cincinnati that talks about Slavery, the underground railroad and much more. From the Freedom Center, you can see the Ohio river. This river is where many slaves would swim across as they began their journey to freedom. As disheartening as it was to learn about slavery and how people were treated, Isaac very much enjoyed learning about the underground railroad and how it helped people find freedom. We learned how to tell which houses were safe to go to and which weren't. A lantern in the window means that this home will hide and help protect people escaping from slavery. (Can you see Isaac hiding?) It was good for us to learn about all that has happened and to see how far we have come with this issue. However, there are still many people in our world that are in bondage. This flame will continue to burn at the Freedom Center until we see an end to slavery.

Of course there was much playing, swimming and ice cream eating! As well as having a chance to visit Kenwood Baptist. The place that brought the Taylors to Cincinnati to begin with. We leave with many fond memories and look forward to many more.

Happy lots of things!

This past week was one full of much joy.

July 1st marked Canada Day as well as Tim's birthday. We were blessed to be able to celebrate with our friends in honor of Tim. Of course the event was marked with yummy food, including the CAKE (the ever important ingredient to a successful birthday). Even our relatives the Taylor's took a turn celebrating this great day as they enjoyed their cake as they thought of Tim and of course the homeland.

A few days later, we spent most of the day with many friends as we honored and celebrated the United States of America. There was swimming and fireworks and food and fireworks and volleyball and fireworks. You get the picture. At the end of the day we were blessed to spend time with our friends down at the beach where we watched and participated in a spectacular display of pride for this nation. A great time was had by all.

Summer

School is out! It is nice to have a change of pace and be able to relax and sleep in a little bit. (At least hopefully sleeping in)

This summer is going to be a busy one for us Stobbes come the end of July as we plan on doing a bit of travelling. The kids and I (Tina) are headed to Cincinnati for 1 week to visit the Taylor family. The kids are so excited that we decided to make a chain to hang up in the house, allowing us to rip off a link of the chain for each day that we get closer to visiting our family. Thankfully this has stopped them from asking "how many more sleeps until the trip?" because they can now see........thanks to the chain. :-)

After our trip to Cincinnati, we will travel to Abbotsford (Canada) with the Taylors. We are very much anticipating a trip up to the lake with all the family. (Stobbe's and Taylors) We are very excited about this. Dad Stobbe has just bought a new dirt bike and there is a rumor that they are trying to fix up the small bike that perhaps Isaac can learn to ride all by himself. This was VERY exciting news for him. Makes mom a little nervous though.

From Abbotsford our family will head over to Calgary for a long awaited visit with the Dow family. More importantly we will be celebrating Dad Dow's 60th birthday! We will stay there for about a week and then return home.

At the end of August we are planning a little excursion with our good friends Chris and Rachel Smolko and their family up to Birch Bay, which is very close to the Canadian Border. The guys will fish, the girls will shop. Life is good. :-)

So........until the travel starts, we will hang out, play with friends, swim at the lake, BBQ, mmmmmmmm. Let the good times roll.

Catching up!

~Wow, it has been a long time since we have written anything! Sorry to those of you who may have come to see new news and found nothing. ~

Since the last entry, much has happened for the Stobbe family.

- We have had two new additions to our family. Tim's sister April and her husband Jeremy welcomed their daughter Naomi Corrine Taylor to the family last August. Tina's sister Heather and her husband Mike welcomed their son Ewan George Joseph Mitchell in October. We are so blessed!

- Megan started her first year at preschool and Isaac went to 2nd.

- We received our green cards and are now free to travel to Canada and the US as we want! We are super excited!
- We welcomed our puppy Tucker to the family this past April. So far he has been an excellent dog for us and look forward to many happy times with him.

This past spring, Isaac and Tina were involved in a musical at the local theater in Gig Harbor called "A Pirates Life For Me". It was tough work but in the end proved to be an excellent experience. I(Tina) am so proud of Isaac. He danced and sang his way to a very successful first theatrical experience as the boy who wanted to be a parrot.... And all he wanted was a cracker.

We are pleased to say that we have begun the building project for the new church! Our ground breaking ceremony was held yesterday. As we stood in the spot where we will hold our services, I was overwhelmed with joy! After we sang a couple of songs, the children were invited to come up for the turning of the dirt. It was explained to us adults that as much as this new building will be for us to use, it is also for our children as they will be the ones to come after us. It was such an encouragement to remember that we need to teach our children that the building to come is to be used as a tool to reach out to those who need Jesus! May the words of the one song we sang be ever true in the future at Waypoint Church.

"Let your glory fall in this room, let it flow forth from here to the nations. Let your fragrance rest in this place, as we gather to seek your face."

A recipe for an enjoyable summer

It has been a very busy spring. Plans for the new church are coming along well. We look forward to the beginning of building! This could start possibly in September.

Annie was a blast and Tina is glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of that play. She is still working on the music for Pocahontas and is also enjoying it!

Isaac has had a good year. Grade one took a little getting used to but has really paid off. It is fun to watch Isaac sit and read a book, even to his sister Megan, who is dying to go to school with Isaac. She will start preschool in September. Where has this time gone?

However, we are excited to say that Isaac has only 18 days of school left! This is a time that marks the upcoming summer season. We have much planned in the Stobbe family. On Tim's birthday (aka Canada day), we travel to Abbotsford to spend some time with Tim's family and celebrate his birthday. We then will travel to Calgary where we will spend 2 weeks with Tina's family. This should be a time of much needed rest for us all. After these two weeks we will make our way back to Abbotsford. Tim will return home to Vaughn, and Tina and the kids will stay to spend a little more time with the Stobbe's.

Lots of travelling and lots of resting. Thank you Lord for your goodness!

Annie

It has begun.

After a very long and tiring week, the musical Annie opens. With much anticipation and excitement from a cast of forty some people, our first show with an audience, was last night. It was so much fun. I know that during some rehearsals I wondered if it was really worth it, however when you see the final product, it is truly a blessing to be able to be a part. I am having a great time! I guess you could say that I am fully dressed, with a smile!

I am grateful for the patience of my family and especially Tim (my honey). They have not only been patient but supportive and helpful. I consider myself lucky to have such loving people in my life!

Another exciting bit of news for me (Tina) is that I have the opportunity to direct the music for the next show, Pocahantis, at the theater. Thankfully it will be a less hectic schedule and considering music is something that I totally love, I am very excited.

Yahoo!

Reading is fun!

Isaac started the first grade this past September. One that came with much anticipation. As the first month came and went, it became apparent to us that Isaac needed a boost in learning how to read. This took much patience on all of our parts. So off to work we went. And we worked hard. Using flash cards, playing games, spelling out simple words so that he could figure it out with the letters on the fridge. Isaac also joined a community after school reading program, in which he had a mentor named John. This man was so good for Isaac and because of him (and other efforts too) Isaac started to improve.

By the first report card and parent teacher conference, we were greeted by a beaming Mrs. Selfors (Isaac's teacher). She shared with us that Isaac was one of the most improved kids in the class in 6 weeks when it came to reading. She asked him if she could share his work in the class that she attended to show his improvement! Of course, Isaac was thrilled and said yes.

By the time the second report card came, and another conference with Mrs. Selfors, we learned that Isaac has now reached grade level in his reading and is continuing to soar! In all this time, Isaac has continued to attend the after school reading program. One day he met the leader of the program with these words. "I know how to read the f word now! I am so excited!" Knowing that Tim is a pastor, she quickly found out what Isaac meant. Phew! Each book has a level marked by a letter. Isaac is now on level "f". :-)

This past week, Isaac graduated from the reading program, as he is at grade level reading! I (Mom) was greeted with a phone message from the principal congratulating Isaac and awarding him with a certificate (He got a huge book too). When asked by the principal if he wanted to say anything, these were his words. "I just wanted to say that I love reading, I think it is very fun. I think that everyone should read because it is cool. I want to keep reading, it is so much fun."

Happy Reading!

Tomorrow

"The sun will come out, tomorrow, Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, There'll be sun.....

Just thinkin about tomorrow, clears away the cobwebs and the sorrows, till there's none........"

Okay, so after the last blog, this song is very appropriate, but truly in more ways than one. It with utmost excitement that I (Tina) can tell you that I have received not one but two small parts in Gig Harbor's upcoming musical Annie. Growing up I remember singing all the songs, wanting to dance etc. just like Annie. Now that I am grown, it is a treat for me to be in this musical. I will play the head housekeeper Mrs Pugh. and a lady in the Presidents Cabinet. I get to sing and dance. :-) I have yet to start rehearsals, they begin next week. Whooo hooo!

"Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow, you're only a day away!"

Spring is coming!

The other day we were out running errands and I saw blue sky! For those who do not understand, in Washington state, it gets very grey and dreary in the winter. Needless to say I was thrilled! All of a sudden I heard Megan singing "Oh Mr. Sun Sun, Mister golden sun, please shine down on me!". It suddenly hit me that we are days away from March and Spring is almost here!

As you can tell , us Stobbe's are very much looking forward to spring and summer. We recently started to plan a trip to Canada this summer to visit both of our families, and the kids are so excited. We are hoping to go to the Stampede when we are in Calgary and everytime we start talking about it, Isaac want's cowboy boots, they both want hats and Megan will suddenly say "Yeehaw Cowboy"

We have been busy with our usual routines and so there is not much to report. Isaac had the week off of school last week and is now back. I (Tina) am happy, he is not so. However he is learning all the time and we are so proud of him for all the improvements that we are noticing.

Toodles

Love is in the air

Valentines day is a chance for us to show love for people and how much we care about them. I(Tina) have really been thinking about this and how it can apply to so many different people, and the differnt ways it is shown!

For example, when Isaac goes to school tommorrow he will hand out peices of paper to everyone in his class telling them how great they are. Why? Because he loves them? No. It is a chance for the kids to say that they appreciate each other. Isaac is very careful, he picks certain cards for certain people because of their personality and friendship. It is his way of saying "Hey, I think you are special"

Tonight was when we celebrated our Valentines day as a family. About a week ago, Tim announced that we would be having a dress up dinner and we were to be ready at supper time. He picked out food that he and I like and he also picked out the kids favorites. Not only did he cook and clean up, but he served us all and then as we sat down, we all noticed a note from him to each of us individually telling us how much we meant to him. This made Valentines day more of a chance for us as a family to be able to talk about how we love each other.

So what is the point? This day of love can mean so many things to people. If it is a chance to tell your significant other that you are head over heels in love with them.......whoo hoo! Have a good time! Or if you are just thinking about friends or family and what they mean to you....Don't let this chance slip by. Happy Valentines Day

1 John 4:7-8 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Race Night

Twas the night of the Derby and everythings done

The cars have been raced, the ribbons been won

Isaac was first, his car lit up the track

with a win underway there was no looking back

Megan was next, and she heard the man say

Winner! Good job, she was well underway

When Isaac raced Daniel my mouth hit the floor

The race was so close that they did it once more

As the racing went on, it seemed clear to me

At the end of the night who the winners would be

The Stobbes stood strong and we put up a fight

All we can say is "What a fun night!"

Our heads are held high for we know we did great

And with all that said we'll just have to wait......

Until next year

A new day

This is the first post on here and so we are just getting used to it. This is so great though because it helps to keep you updated as to what is going on in our lives. The next big thing for the kids is tomorrow night. It is the Pine Car Derby. This has kept mom and dad very busy sanding and hammering and using glue. You get the picture. We will keep you up to date for the results.

As a church, we have started the 40 days of prayer. This has been very good for us and has kept Tim busy as he is writing daily excerpts that you can read at the church website. It is www.vaughnchurch.org. I look forward to what the Lord will teach us during this time.