Pictures from May '06

May was busy!!! We had the Mayor's mile run, which Dakota did much better this year! Darrin took a trip to DC to celebrate Kory's birthday, we continued soccer, Kye's school had a special Mother's Day Tea where there was a program and we planted flowers at the nature center. Kye also finished up school with a picnic at the park and Kru continued to stand more and more, but no walking yet! At the end of the month, Darrin flew down to Texas A & M to interview.

Pictures from April '06

Happy Easter! Who is that long-haired kid??? In April, we had Easter, a surprise visit from Uncle and Shel-Shel for Kye's 4th birthday, and we celebrated Kye's bd at his school and his party at the zoo on a very rainy Saturday! We stayed dry in the crooked house and had cake and presents anyways, but we didn't ge to see the animals, but we visited the zoo again in warm weather so Kye could ride the horse and Kru could go for his 1st time! We continued Dakota's soccer season, Gooooo Generals and someone got a haircut too!!!

A Long Time Coming!!! From Texas????

Wow!!! When I got on here to see how long it had been, I had no idea it was 3 months ago! Time Flies!!

Have lots of new info to give you and to update you on!!!

First and most importantly, we have a new address and phone #. Yes, I am sitting in College Station, Texas writing this and we have been here 1 week! To some of you this may come as a surprise, but others of you know.

When Darrin was laid off in September, he sent out resumes everywhere! As there weren't any animating jobs in Lincoln, he found a job in October with the company he had been with before we went to Tennessee. He went back to teaching and doing web design, but that isn't animating! The pay was low and there weren't any benefits, but somehow we were making ends meet, barely. He didn't hear anything for many months, but then out of the blue he kept getting called in March with possibilities in Orlando, Austin and then at Texas A&M. Darrin flew down over Memorial weekend and several weeks later was officially offered the job. With only 2 weeks to pack and get ready, we weren't able to come down and find a place, so we set off with our stuff in an U-Haul and knowing that God would find a place when we arrived.

God has been in the middle of this adventure from the get go and His timing is perfect! We left Lincoln on July the 3rd late in the day. We literally went around the corner from our house and the trailer that Darrin was pulling in the truck had a flat tire! We waited for an hour for someone to come and fix it and then started out again around 3:00. It was slow going as the truck would sway back and forth frightening so! We were going 45-5o mph! 94 miles later somewhere in Kansas, we had another flat, this time on the truck itself. We were on the side of a 2 lane highway with nothing around!!! After 2 1/2 hours of waiting, someone came and another 1/2 hour later we were on our way again. BUT we had Darrin's truck which was on the trailer too heavy, so we had to unload the back of the Dakota and leave some of our things along side the road.

I reminded Dakota that we were like the pioneers who had to leave their things along the Oregon trail and that everything we were leaving was replaceable! So after lightening the load, Darrin was able to handle the truck a whole lot better and we were able to go faster! Darrin said that the 2nd flat was a blessing so the way was easier. Due to the delay, we didn't arrive in College Station as we had hoped and our 1 day to find a place to live turned into 4 hours. Needless to say, we didn't find a place on Wednesday, but learned where we did and didn't want to live, which is important!

Darrin had to be to work on Thursday, so the boys and I set out to find a place and then again on Friday. Dakota and I knew that God had a place for us on Friday and we both said that by 5:00 that night we would have a place, and just like God sometimes does, almost last minute, by 4:00 we had signed a lease to a duplex that we were able to get into for under$1500 including deposits and all! Another answer to prayer!!!

So we are settling in and getting familiar with our new town and the new level of humidity that is here!:) We are anxious to see what God has planned for us in Texas as I wouldn't ever have dreamed that I would be living in "God's Country" in my life!!:)

Darrin is getting into a pattern at work, having 1 week under his belt and I wish I could tell you more about what he is doing, but I'm pretty clueless! He is animating for TEEX which is a part of Texas A&M. Hopefully I will be able to tell you all more at a later date!

To update you since Kru's surgery, he is doing fine! April was busy with Kye's 4th birthday and a week long visit from Aunt Shel-Shel and Uncle Kory. We all had a blast!!!May was busy with school and soccer winding down and getting ready for VBS. June was a blur!!!:) We had 1 week of Summer vacation before VBS, which was a ton of fun again this year and then we packed and packed and packed! We didn't forget about Kru's 1st birthday however, and my dad was able to come for a week to celebrate his youngest grandson's big day! We took some pictures of the boys and I will add many more later, but for now these will have to do! Check back soon for more photos!

If you want to come visit us or write here is our new info!!!

3704 Oldenburg Ln

College Station, TX 77845

979-450-8228

same emails karis@alienant.com

darrin@alienant.com

dakota@alienant.com

Miss you all and hope all is well with you and yours!

Love Kari

Kru Has Surgery!

Hello All!

I have been wanting to update for a LONG time, but just when I would get around to doing it, well you know how things go. Then at Kru's 9 month check, the doctor found a growth. Yes, it completely freaked me out, so we went in for an ultrasound on the 27th and they diagnosed it as a hydraseal/hernia. So I was going to update everyone and let you know that we were looking at surgery by the end of the month, but you know us Stephens! We can't do anything slow!!

Monday night I had noticed that this mass had moved down into Kru's scrotum. It bothered me and it started to look a bit discolored. To make a long story short, by the time we got in to see the doctor on Tuesday afternoon, she sent us directly to the ER. We were admitted around 5:00 Tuesday night and Kru had surgery around 6:45. He did great! He was out by 8:00 and met us up in the peds wing with drousy smiles.

They said that he was their best peds patient and woke up with smiles and no crying. The doctor said that he had a non-communicating hydraseal and a minor hernia. He has a 1-1 & 1/2 incision and seems to be doing fine. We spent the night and were home by 1:30 Wednesday afternoon.

As you can see by the pictures, a few hours later, he was crawling around and pulling up on things like nothing had even happened! Man, kids are resiliant!

So...that is the most recent excitement in our lives! Other news since last time! Darrin continues to look for a job after being laid off in October. He went back to TechEd Solutions, where he was before we took the job in TN, and enjoys working there, it's just that there are NO benefits and the pay is low! We are hoping that we get to stay in Lincoln, but our track record isn't very good when things like this have happened before!

Dakota and Kye have been keeping busy with school and Dakota is hoping that he eventually gets to play soccer, his games keep getting snowed and rained out. He hasn't had a game yet this season. We are hoping tomorrow night, but it is pouring right now and the forecast isn't promising!

I am busy at work with Easter fast approaching and then of course it will be on to VBS planning!!! Can't believe how fast the time goes!

Kye is already very excited about his birthday which is just around the corner! He wants to go to the zoo and have his friends come. He really hasn't had a real party, so we are hoping the weather will be good and we can do it here at the little children's zoo that he loves! Dakota has his school musical in a few weeks, so I will have many pictures to show you by May!

I hope that you all are doing well and that during this time of year, you are reminded of the wonderful Saviour who died, but ROSE!!!!

Love,

Kari

Kru Gets a Duck!!!

Hello All!

Not too much new around here! Boring winter you know!

I wanted to put these pictures up of Kru's new bathtub which he loves!!! We just got it for him as he is now sitting up pretty much on his own. He has also transitioned into the next carseat and is no longer portable via the carseat! Bad on the back, but he can now sit in the grocery cart!:)

Kye is thoroughly enjoying his "farm school" as he likes to refer to it. After learning about beavers in January, they are on to SCAT. Yes, when picking him up last week he told me, "Mom, we had bunny poop for snack!" I was a bit confused and then he told me that "Poop is scat." So what was the bunny scat snack? Cocoa Puffs. I guess they are about the same size and all! At least they're being scientific about it. They are learning how we can tell things from animal scat and how everyone and everything poops! He LOVES it! Even on cold days, he loves going on their hikes and seeing sticks, animals and poop!:)

Dakota is getting ready for soccer season to begin. We thought that he would get to play some indoor before the other starts, but just was informed there wasn't enough interest so they cancelled it. Oh well! He continues to do very well. I'll find out more today at his conferences, but I expect to hear good things!

Hope you enjoy the pictures! Will write soon!

-Kari