BLESSED

Ok, so obviously I (WE lol) haven't mastered keeping this thing updated on a regular basis, but we'll get there. Someday. The past couple of weeks have been super busy but have been amazing. I had my first Team in Training Run on Saturday, May 23. It was great- we ran 2 miles and I ran the whole thing! My goal for now is to at least run the distances each week, or at least complete them in a timely manner :) Every weekend we hear a small story about an "Honored Teammate"- someone who is battling or has battled leukemia or some type of blood cancer. The first weekend we heard about Zoey. She is an AMAZING little girl. Not only was Zoey (born in 2007) born with a heart defect and Down Syndrome, but several days after her birth, they discovered she had a massive stroke in utero; on top of that, she was later diagnosed with a catastrophic form of epilepsy. At this point, most people might throw up their hands and give up. Not little Zoey, she continues to fight on. Unfortunately in 2008 she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, M7. Could you imagine? This little girl has gone through more obstacles in 2 short years than most people go through in a lifetime. Hearing Zoey's mom and sister speak about her was such a great reminder of why I'm doing this and why I need to just suck it up when I'd rather stay in my bed at 6AM on Saturdays (or any day for that matter!). At least I get to sleep in my own bed, knowing my family is safe & healthy. Zoey is fighting so hard, she is an inspiration <3

Alright, in order to prevent the waterworks from starting I'll move on to our next big news!!! No, I'm not pregnant hahaha. We have officially moved into our own home :) It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment at CSUCI and we are so excited. Greg and I and the boys are soooooo lucky to have such an amazing family- everyone helped us move things, unpack, and get settled in. Not to mention watching our 2 little boys the whole time (although I'm sure the Grandmas didn't mind :) ). We are thankful everyday that we have such good people in our life and our hope is that we can continue that trend and be as great to our children. We love our new apartment and will post some pics once the walls have something on them. We are looking forward to a fun summer, lots of running, a vacation in September (yay!!!) and in just a couple weeks....our first wedding anniversary!! It's hard to believe it's been a year already and as I said to Greg, "I wish we could get married every year- it was fun to get dressed up and party." Of course, I promised to marry him every time ;) Well, I may not get a wedding every year but hey, I just might get my Hawaii vow renewal trip in 10 years if I play my cards right <3

Hmmm, that's the 2 main things going on right now for us- we've moved & I'm running. If anyone's interested in running a 5K or 10K in July please let me know!! The funds from your registration fee ($25-$30) go to Team in Training, and in turn, go to cancer research, patient co-pays, etc. You can also check out my webpage (http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf09/ksteiner) for updates and to track my running and fundraising progress. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to those of you who have donated!

Check out how big our boy Noah is getting! He's a drool maniac lately (teeth in the next month or 2?) and... he rolled over! just today I got the news from Greg that he rolled over on his own. Geeez, our boys are growing fast. Jacob's going to start a preschool type program in October after he turns 2 at the end of September. Time flies when you're having fun :) Love you guys, hope all is well with everyone.
God Bless <3 Kristin & Greg

Run, Kristin, Run!

I have recently made the decision to run my first full marathon on October 18, 2009! It will be the Nike Women's Marathon held in San Francisco, CA. I am going to be running as a member of Team in Training, part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). In exchange for receiving expert training on running, nutrition, etc., I have committed myself to raise at least $3,300 for LLS. The funds raised will be used to go toward the effort of wiping out blood cancers! I have been wanting to get in shape for a long while now (yes, even when I was pregnant with Noah I would longingly look at my old pictures, imagining I could look like that skinny girl again one day). Well, obviously my desire to get in shape hasn't gotten me too far lol, so I have decided to try & motivate myself by helping others. When I am tired on Saturday mornings and want to sleep in, I won't anymore. I have team members who will rely on me to show up and work hard just like they do. In addition to that, there are infants, young children, teens, and adults who are relying on me to raise money to find a cure for what they suffer from. This experience is not about me getting my body beach ready (although that will be a nice perk :) )- it is about getting off my butt to do something for others and try to help in some small way. On October 18 when I get tired from running 26.2 miles I will think of those who fight a much tougher battle everyday and that I am doing this for them because they deserve to live their lives just like the rest of us. I know times are tough right now, but please check out the link below and support me if you are able to. Every little bit helps & it may make the difference in a person's life. Pass it on to others if you think they might be interested in supporting me as well. Thank you!

Love, Kristin

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf09/ksteiner

MOVING!!!

Guess what? We got an apartment! We are going to be moving down to CSUCI to live in an apartment near campus. We got a cute little 2 bedroom, 2 bath place that's on the 1st floor (yay for not worrying about stairs as much) and our move-in date is May 28. The campus is awesome- they offer no credit check, waive the application fee & deposit, and give discounted rates to staff. It was too good an opportunity to pass up so we are going for it! It's going to be a new, fun adventure and I can't wait to get in and start making our own little home :) It will be small and will be an adjustment, but it will be OURS and that's what matters. Our little family of 4! The grandparents are nearby and we'll still be up in NP for dinners and softball on Sundays. We'll let you know once we're settled in!

P.S. This picture doesn't really have to do with moving, except that hopefully this is what Noah will be doing most of the time we're trying to unpack :) I love my little peanut <3

Starbucks

It's pretty crazy that within like a 3 mile radius of where we currently live, there are 4 Starbucks to choose from. Two of those are in the same shopping center- heaven forbid we have to go to Starbucks THEN to Target, they have conveniently put in a Starbucks inside of Target now. $$ boost: After actually going to the Starbucks inside of Target (I know, pathetic) I noticed that they tax their drinks. Lame. Anyway, I've been trying to excercise a little bit everyday whether it's walking, jogging, crunches, or all 3 on a good day. The other night we walked to Kohl's to browse around and of course, to feed my habit, stopped at Starbucks. The workers know us fairly well and since we had the boys with us, they made Jacob his own little strawberries n creme frappucino. It was too cute watching him be all grown up holding a little sample cup of his drink (naturally he didn't want mommy or daddy to help him with it), but at the same time, I kept thinking- we're creating a monster! Let's hope I don't continue to take my 1 1/2 year old to Starbucks so much that it becomes expected.

Spring is here!

We are adjusting to life with 2 little boys quite well I think :) Noah is up a couple of times a night to eat, but he's already on a 6 oz. bottle so I think he'll be sleeping through the night pretty soon (knock on wood :) ). He is growing so quickly and we are trying to treasure these moments because we have seen how fast time goes by watching Jacob grow. It's hard to believe Jacob will be 2 years old in about 6 months and will be starting his own little adventures at daycare/play groups. I am excited to get him started in some kind of regular routine with other children his age because I want him to make friends and be social before he goes off to preschool :) He is very curious about his little brother Noah and while there are little moments of a tantrum or frustration, Jacob is such a great helper and always wants to give his brother hugs and kisses. Jacob is such a big boy already and I am cherishing the cuddles and kisses I get now because I know before too long he will be off with his friends, not wanting to cuddle with mommy lol. It is amazing watching these 2 boys together and I can't wait to see them interact even more as they grow. I am back to work full-time now and while I do enjoy my work and the people I see everyday, I miss Jacob and Noah and sometimes wish I could just stay home with them everyday. We'll see what the future holds. Greg has been keeping up with his World Financial Group venture so if you know anyone who needs financial services (life insurance, health insurance, financial planning, etc.) please let us know. We would be happy to help and show you what the company is about and see if it's right for you. Greg has also been doing some graphic design work as well so that's been good too :) I am thinking of going back to school to become a nurse so if you have any advice/tips let me know!! When I was a little girl I wanted to be a medical doctor but then I realized the schooling involved and what exactly you have to look at/do so I kind of gave up on that dream. When Jacob was in the NICU after he was born the nurses at St. John's were amazing and I was really inspired by them. I love to help people and I absolutely love children/babies so I honestly think nursing might be a good fit for me. It would mean back to school, studying, and committing my time to that for a few more years so it is something I'm thinking long and hard about before I decide to pursue it. If not now, maybe when the boys are older. Anyway, just wanted to give an update on where we're at. Cannot believe March is practically over already! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the CA sunshine. Take care <3

Kristin

Noah is here!

Noah Anthony Steiner was born Tuesday, February 24 at 4:31AM. He weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz and measured 20 1/4 inches. Due to his jaundice level being high, Noah had to stay at the hospital a few extra days but we are happy to report we came home Saturday morning! Our first night at home was a good one and it felt nice to sleep in our own bed again, and of course, eat some home-cooked food. We were keeping Jack in the Box in business there for a couple days :) Jacob is enjoying seeing his new brother and trying to figure out what having a new baby around means. It will be an adjustment for him (and us) but it will be such a great one. Jacob is going to be a great big brother and we can't wait to watch them grow up together to see how they get along and also see their differences. We are so fortunate to have the help of our family and friends and we can't wait for you all to meet Noah. Take care and we'll try to keep this blog updated a little better with new experiences and news. Love you all!

xoxo

Kristin & Greg

Happy New Year!

Hi Folks! Just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone and that we hope 2009 is wonderful. We had a great Christmas and enjoyed some time off to veg out, hang out with family, and of course, enjoy delicious food! We are looking forward to a fabulous year, starting with the arrival of a little brother for Jacob in just 7 weeks. We can't wait to meet our second son and see how Jacob and him interact. We hope they will be best friends and enjoy being brothers. Greg is continuing his career in the financial services world with World Financial Group and with any luck, by the end of this year I will be joining his team and we will be creating an amazing life for our family! We have a lot of plans in store for this year and for life and we feel really great about what's to come. Hopefully we'll post a little more regularly on this to keep everyone updated so check back often! We'll be posting new pictures and info on baby Steiner number 2 once he arrives. By the way, Kristin is officially a Steiner now according to the US Government so Greg can stop worrying that she didn't want to change her name ;) Love you all and hope all is well!