From Washington, DC

"Happy Holidays" is for terrorists.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Steele's!

So it's been awhile....

Woa. It's been a long time since I've blogged!

So much to do.

So little time!

Well, a few things have happened worth noting:

1. Thanksgiving.
We hosted Thanksgiving this year and had turkey & ham, and many of the traditional sides, along with a huge salad provided by Carmen. She, Darrell, Oscar & Wynne, Ryan, and Carmen's brother, Dick, were all in attendance.

2. Sherbert the Cat.
Unfortunately lost her life to a circular, rubber object attached to a heavy, backwards moving vehicle which was driven by moi. She was a good cat...more like a dog than a cat...quite entertaining as well. Her resting place is out in the woods behind our house. My first grave digging. Case helped. We listened to some music and buried her. Case shouted, "Good-bye Sherbert!" as I covered her in the cold wintry soil.

3. Preparation for Christmas and a family vacation.
Need I say more?

sherbert the cat

This is the cat who MUST sleep outside at night from now on! The two nights she slept in the garage are the same two nights mice showed up in the house.

So...she cracks me up how she sleeps...on top of this chair. Sometimes it's on the railing behind her.

Case is building a garage with his blocks in this picture. He is getting to be pretty fun and funny. Still working on the potty training, and it's going ok, just not as simple as it seemed about 7 1/2 years ago. :)


Last week, our friend Katie took senior pictures of Marijke. Whew! Lifesaver! She did a fabulous job, too!

A Day Off

We had a Teacher Inservice day, which means no school for students, on Monday, November 1st. So, we went to Coralridge, shopped a little, did ice skating, took Case to the playground, and Case got a new hat!

Happy Halloween!

For Trick-or-Treating, Brooke was Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she took along Case, dressed as a dinosaur (actually, his costume is a dragon). She took him to a few houses in our subdivision.

Case still points out to the houses he went to.

College Football

Dan was able to secure one more ticket to the Iowa vs Michigan State football game Saturday, October 30th. We took Marijke so she could experience college football at its best, including pre-game tailgating!

Dan enjoying bbq'd ribs.



Marijke having fun! (Iowa is pounding Michigan State)

Me with my favorite food.