Stuck in the Middle

Flower-gedden

2012-02-15T19:14:00.001-06:00

Three weeks ago I went to Michaels to buy some felt for a possible Valentine's Day project. (Here it is- completed a day before Valentine's Day) I also purchased a 6 inch florists styrofoam ball. I saw this on Pinterest and was interested in replicating it for Maia's room: My sister-in-law taught me how to make felt flowers, and since I love felt, I thought I'd use it

Memorial Video

2012-02-12T20:43:00.000-06:00

My family held a memorial service for Grandpa on Friday. Since we couldn't be there, I made this video to be shown at the gathering. Peter Sr. from Emily Sternfeld-Dunn on Vimeo.

It's gonna be a long weekend

2012-02-09T19:18:00.000-06:00

The girls and I dropped Aleks off at the airport this morning. As soon as we pulled away from the curb, Ruby spit up all over herself and her carseat. A rather ominous beginning, but story time went great, the girls behaved themselves in the grocery store, and then as soon as we set foot in the house, it all went crazy. Ruby had her first time out today. And her second. And her

Hump Day

2012-02-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

Is it only Wednesday? I feel like things are a spinning out of control and it's all I can to do keep my head on straight. I'm under the illusion that things might get better by the weekend, but in reality, I think it's just going to be a rough semester. 1. Our sitter backed out on us last minute and so we've been scrambling to try and find someone new. Without any family near, we don't have

Almost 17 months

2012-01-26T13:05:00.000-06:00

Ruby's almost 17 months. I was looking through old pictures on my phone last night and I came across pictures of Maia when she was 17 months old. Right around the time we brought Ruby home from the hospital. And just the other day, we put Ruby in the shirt that Maia is wearing in this picture. Maia's first 17 months seemed to go on forever. Ruby's have just flown by.

Welcome Back InstaFriday

2012-01-20T13:42:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile. Here's what I've been up to on Instagram the past couple of weeks. Here's a little craftiness, inspired by a pin on Pinterest. Maia started going to the next level of dance class. The class that she has to go to all by herself. We tried it a couple of months ago and she was super stressed out about it. This time she owned that class. Ruby couldn't

Procrastination

2012-01-17T08:08:00.000-06:00

I've been in Panem world this weekend. You were all right, I shouldn't have made fun of Aleks for liking the books. My poor kids were neglected and made to play by themselves and with each other for 4 days while I sat, a slave to Katniss and her adventures. I've heard lots of people say they loved the first book, enjoyed the second, and tolerated the third. Aleks also said that he thought the

Snipets

2012-01-11T20:56:00.000-06:00

Aleks stayed up until 1:00 last night finishing the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. You know, the one that's recommended for reading levels of 12 years old and up. I shouldn't make fun. I'm going to start them tonight. I got an email today saying "it looks like you might have 20 or more students this semester." And cue panic attack. Maia went to the big girl dance class today, the

First Annual Kyhn Family Fun Run

2012-01-05T09:03:00.000-06:00

A couple days after Christmas, we had our First Annual Kyhn Family Fun Run. Of course, "first annual" implies there are going to be more. Maybe it won't happen every Christmas, but hopefully when we're all together again. Mom was the support since she couldn't run due to her fractured foot. I was planning on making t-shirts, but I waited too long and it didn't happen. We

Peter Sr.

2012-01-02T21:33:00.000-06:00

Last night Aleks and I went on a date and saw Sherlock Holmes. Shortly after returning home, we got word that Grandpa Kyhn had passed. When I woke up this morning I realized my dreams had been filled with mixed images of Grandpa and Robert Downey Jr. Which is kind of appropriate. I mean, Downey is Iron Man. And Grandpa used to be a firefighter, a real life hero of sorts. And they also

Crafts 2

2011-12-30T20:55:00.000-06:00

Yay! Christmas is over! I can now share with you my fall craftiness. In no particular order... For the sweetest little girl who, coincidentally, was a cherry pie for Halloween. tutorial here For a miracle baby. (Really, aren't they all miracles?) tutorial here For a bun in the oven. And for Maia's friends, here's something I'm particularly proud of.

Kansas Christmas

2011-12-29T10:25:00.000-06:00

I'm not very good at taking pictures during holidays. I really just want to be a part of things, rather than be on the outside taking pictures. So, you'll have to forgive the quantity and variety of the pics. We were planning to celebrate Christmas on the 26th, when the entire family would be here. There was a slight change in plans. My dad's father, who lives in Oakland, was admitted

Happy Birthday Matthew!

2011-12-24T08:20:00.000-06:00

There is so much going on right now I can barely handle it. The good news: I'm loving every minute of having my brother, SIL, and niece here. The bad news: This blog is getting dusty! Matt and I are 20 months apart. My mom tells me that when she came home from the hospital, she was careful to greet me without the new baby so I wouldn't be jealous. Apparently I wasn't interested in a hug,

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-17T08:23:00.000-06:00

InstaFriday

2011-12-16T08:13:00.000-06:00

It's Friday again! And, I'm done for the semester! Juries are over. Grades are in. And I don't have to go back until Jan. 16. Being a professor does have its perks. Apparently the sun has been sick this week. We had 5 days in a row of clouds. But yesterday and today have been bright and sunny! Aleks and I love checking in on Maia before we go to bed. The other night we found

DIshwasher

2011-12-12T11:52:00.000-06:00

As I was loading the dishwasher the other day I suddenly had a thought: "One day I will be able to do this without having to constantly tell someone to 'please stay out of the dishwasher' or 'please put that back' or 'Ruby, that's yucky, please take that knife out of your mouth'." Which led me to think of the other things that will happen one day. Such as being able to go to the gym

InstaFriday: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas edition

2011-12-09T10:55:00.001-06:00

There are a couple of things that make it seem like the holidays are here. One is cold weather. Check. Another is homemade marshmallows. (Peppermint this time!) Check. Christmas decorations. Check. And in other news, Ruby has had a big week. She's walking about 75% of the time and is in the process of cutting 2 teeth! The other day when I got out of the shower I

Crafty

2011-12-07T12:25:00.001-06:00

So I've been more crafty since moving to Wichita than I have ever been before. It's gotten to the point that I feel lost if my hands aren't busy sewing or gluing or cutting while I'm watching T.V. Unfortunately, lots of the crafts I've been doing are Christmas gifts so I can't share them with you just yet. But, here are a couple that I can show you. I made a banner for Thanksgiving and

InstaFriday: Home Stretch Edition

2011-12-02T08:52:00.001-06:00

After today there will be a week of classes left and then one glorious month of freedom. As I write this at 9 am, the practice rooms are buzzing with the sounds of practicing. Keep in mind, it's usually dead silent this early. Nothing like the pressure of juries to drive the students into practice rooms. Thanksgiving was great. No marshmallow topped yams for us, but I have a serious love

It's that time of year again...

2011-11-29T10:38:00.001-06:00

Christmas Cards. It is getting increasingly more difficult as the years go by to get a decent picture of the entire family. Here's a preview of this year's photo shoot: Thankfully, we got some good ones for the card.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T08:40:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful holiday this year. The morning started with a 5k. This particular race benefitted Grace Medical, which is a clinic that provides medical attention to people who don't have insurance or are low income. Over 1,000 people participated in this first annual event. The weather was gorgeous for a late November morning. I ran with the girls in the

InstaFriday: Where did November go? Edition

2011-11-18T10:38:00.001-06:00

Can it really be that Thanksgiving is on Thursday? Where did November go? I realize, that it's only Nov. 18, but after Thanksgiving, it's practically December and then before you know it, Christmas is here. And I don't even know what we're doing for Christmas cards yet. Anyway, here's what our week looked like in Instagram pictures. This is Ruby's pooping position of choice. Pooping

What I Do

2011-11-13T20:09:00.001-06:00

Last week I had a student run out of my studio in tears, her frustration evident as I heard the building door slam shut. I've been thinking a lot lately about what it is that I do as a voice teacher. To be an effective and trustworthy teacher I must have a knowledge of the physiology of the singing mechanism, appropriate repertoire for each voice type, and stylistic differences in genre. I must

Tooth Watch 2011

2011-11-08T07:48:00.000-06:00

Subject: Ruby Age: 14 months Crankiness: typically moderate, but occasionally extreme Teeth: 0 Comments: We have sporadic drooling and chewing symptoms. Other than that, I'm not sure when these teeth will break. Meanwhile, we continue to feed R soft foods that she can gum and/or break the food into tiny pieces. I can't imagine what she will look like with teeth.

InstaFriday: Again!

2011-11-04T05:53:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this from a cute little B&B in Hays, KS. The kind of place that has little leaf stickers on the toilet paper to keep the end from hanging down and fabric on the walls and rooms called Rose, Homestead, and Peacock. It's the first time I've spent a night by myself since Ruby was born, 14 months ago. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I'm here for the annual NATS

InstaFriday: These pictures are really small because I forgot to bring the correct cord to work edition.

2011-10-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was a big day for me. (Did you know if the text is blue you can click on it and it will link you to something? In this case, it will link you to my post about the 5k.) Now that Ruby and I are done with these there's a lot more room in my pantry! We still love the zoo. And we still love the chimpanzees. This little guy is about as old as Ruby. There are

What a day

2011-10-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

Today, from 1:30-4:30 my house was filled with screaming/crying. Maia started it all because she wanted to wear her green dress and I said no. I said no because it's too big, she constantly takes it on and off, and it was hot. And I'm the mom. I get to say no if I want. Also, Maia's been getting up at 5:00am, not taking a nap, and fighting a cold. I don't know what Ruby's deal is. Mostly

5k

2011-10-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

Some people would say they are most afraid of dying. Or snakes. Or public speaking. For me it was running. It's been an anxiety-inducing activity ever since middle school. Yesterday I ran my first 5k race. I've been training for about 3 months and when I first started, I could only run .25 miles. In my recent training I'd been running a 12 min/mile pace. My goal was to finish the 5k

InstaFriday: A Full Week

2011-10-21T08:55:00.000-05:00

It was fall break this week which meant that Aleks was home Monday and Tuesday. It wasn't super restful, but we got a lot done! Ruby fell down the stairs last weekend. She's gotten really good at climbing up the stairs. But to get down, she likes to sit on a step and lean forward. It works if she's only 1 step up, but any high than that, and this happens. One of my students gave

Pumpkin Patch Take 2

2011-10-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

Wichita has redeemed itself. On Monday we visited the Applejack Pumpkin Patch. There were so many things to love about this place. 1. They grow their own pumpkins. 2. There is a gorgeous corn maze. 3. They have a pond with beautiful ducks. 4. One word. Playground. 5. Animals! Now, it certainly wasn't up to zoo standards, or even petting zoo standard, but Maia was satisfied,

Pretzel Rolls!

2011-10-18T12:41:00.000-05:00

I made these delicious treats on Saturday. I got the recipe here. I'm not gonna lie, they took a little bit of effort to make. But, they were so good. And they taste just like pretzels! Here they are before going into their water bath. And after the water bath. Fresh out of the oven!

InstaFriday: A Quiet Week

2011-10-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

I had a quiet week on Instagram. 1. & 2. We love the zoo. I'm dying to be at the lion cage when they are getting fed or roaring or something. So far, I've just seen them sit. The gorillas are a different story. I'm not really a fan. They could mess up a person if they wanted. I try not to let my fears influence my kids when we're at the gorilla exhibit. 3. Ruby climbed up this ladder

Guest Bedroom

2011-10-13T13:50:00.000-05:00

As time and budget allow, I've been working to make this house our home. Most recently I decided to tackle the guest bedroom. Here's what it looked like before. As you can see, there isn't a lot of natural light in this room, so the pictures aren't spectacular. The green doesn't help much either. I chose to paint the room "copper penny." In real life it looks more tan

Too Much Information?

2011-10-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

And just like that, we're done. After 3 years of being pregnant and/or breast feeding, my body is finally mine again! While I'm a bit nostalgic about my babies growing up, relief is most prominent. So, what am I going to do with my newfound freedom? 1. Get Fit I'm running my first 5k on Oct. 22. The schedule is as follows: 9:00 race beings 9:45 awards ceremony begins So, I've got to

InstaFriday

2011-10-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

Every Friday I work at WSU and teach voice lessons. I start at 9:30 and finish at 5:00. And I get one whole half hour for lunch! An entire 30 minutes! I usually run over to the student center to get something to eat. The healthiest things there are extremely over priced, which causes me to vow to bring my lunch the next week. Today there is no food in the house, so I'll be forking over $10

Aleks is a birthday boy!

2011-10-04T12:54:00.000-05:00

My darling husband had a birthday yesterday. We celebrated a day early and went to dinner, then headed to the batting cages. Which made me question the fact that I played softball all four years of high school. And was team captain my senior year. We also rode the go karts. It's been awhile since I've done that, but was super fun. Aleks was shocked and disgusted that I

How Wichita Does a Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

We headed to a pumpkin patch on Sunday with high hopes. It was the first year for this particular pumpkin patch. Look, it wasn't anything to write home about (or really blog about). It didn't feel particularly pumpkin patchy, but that was probably due to the fact that it's still in the upper 80s here. And it's hard not to compare to the Red Barn shindig in WA. But, there

InstaFriday: I'm Already a Slacker Edition

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Already a day late. I'm not going to bore you with the techie reason I was having trouble getting pictures onto my computer from intsgram. (Mostly because I don't really know myself) Anyway, here's my week: On Fridays I hold master class at WSU. All the students in my studio attend and they either sing or I lecture on something singing related. Last week I talked about the anatomy and

Let's Go Fly a Kite

2011-09-29T19:33:00.000-05:00

Inspired by a book Grandpapa gave to Maia at Christmas and the kite that Gramps gave to Maia for her birthday, we finally went for our first family kite flying experience! Kansas is very conducive to great kite flying. First we had to put the kite together. It took two of us. Ruby and Maia were very patient. In hindsight, we probably should have done this before we left the house.

InstaFriday: My first time edition!

2011-09-23T11:48:00.000-05:00

I joined Instagram this week! If you're on there, find me and I'll follow you! There was a bit of a learner's curve for me. Like I kept pushing the send button before finishing a comment. And sending out like 20 pictures in a row. And figuring out how to tag someone. For those of you following me, thank you for your patience! On Sunday we went to the state fair. I'm so grateful that

8 year anniversary

2011-09-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

8 years ago today, Aleks and I got married on a warm day at a vineyard in northern CA. It was a sweet day, of which I have very few memories. Thank goodness for our beautiful pictures. Look at those two young kids. Looking back, I could never have imagined where our life would take us. 2 kids. (As I write this Maia is calling from her bed: "Mommy, mommy I'm awake! Come back

Ruby's Room

2011-09-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

I think I promised a blog about Ruby's room 2 months ago. The thing is, I want to do more to decorate, but lack inspiration. So, here's what I have so far: She went from this: To this: in the amount of time it took me to stand up. As you can see, there's still a lot of blank wall space. Any ideas?

Ruby's Birthday Party

2011-09-11T12:22:00.000-05:00

I had to work all day on Ruby's birthday, so we planned to do our celebrating on Saturday. However, we had Ruby open one present on Friday. After I got home from work Aleks and I decorated the living room. Aleks showed off his mad skillz by blowing up two balloons at once. In the morning the balloons were a huge hit with both girls. Maia was a little confused at first thinking that

One Year Old

2011-09-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

My little Ruby Ann is one today. Even from the beginning, she was the sweetest little thing you ever saw. I loved her from the moment she was born with intense mama bear love that suddenly overcame me moments after giving birth. And then I went back to work and Maia turned 2 and Aleks started interviewing and Ruby was so easygoing that I think I took her for granted. Around the time Ruby

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

2011-09-04T19:12:00.000-05:00

Today was the most glorious day we've had since moving to Wichita. I actually got to run outside. I think the high was 82 and a bit windy. I'm feeling generous and I'm going to say it was breezy. With today's temperatures and sunny skies, Wichita is inching its way into my good graces. We got lots of stares as we walked through the zoo. Now, I know my kids are cute, but it

Running Etiquette?

2011-08-30T18:50:00.000-05:00

Today I ran 2 miles in 21 minutes. Two months ago I couldn't run a half mile. Since it's been so hot here, I've been running at the YMCA. Apparently, Wichita has one of the best YMCA programs in the country. It is pretty amazing. There are at least 6 facilities in the area and with a membership you can go to any of them. 4 of them have water parks. They have climbing walls, indoor pools (lap

Busy Week

2011-08-29T19:34:00.000-05:00

I've been kind of quiet on the blog this week. There's been a lot going on. Aleks had his first day of school! The girls and I have been exploring Wichita when it hasn't been too hot. We found a great playground about 5 minutes away: We found a place to go for breakfast: We visited the zoo and saw this beautiful tiger: Since it's been so hot, we've been inside a lot

New Job

2011-08-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

Inquiring minds want to know.(Actually, I have no idea if anyone wants to know, but here it is anyway). I got the job! I am now a faculty member at Wichita State University. I'm anticipating about 20 students this semester. I have a new office (the windows are from an old submarine).One of my colleagues calls it the "double wide." I like my colleagues. They seem like genuinely nice people. The

Audition/Interview Hurdles

2011-08-20T19:31:00.000-05:00

With regards to dress, women singers in particular have a tough time when it comes to auditioning/interviewing. They are faced with issues such as: 1. Pants or dress (if you're a soprano, it will be a dress 99.99% of the time) 2. Decolletage or high neck 3. Sleeveless or covered shoulders 4. Flats or heels 5. Open or closed toed shoes 6. Hair pulled back or left down Now this may seem trivial,

A bathroom fit for 2 princesses

2011-08-17T19:46:00.000-05:00

Before I left for Pullman to get that pesky lump checked out, I painted the girls' bathroom. Here is a before picture. It actually doesn't look that bad in the picture, but it was pretty awful. I think the previous owners must have bought paint from the clearance bin to use throughout the house. Some of the rooms look great, but others are just ugly. Painting in humidity is fun! Just kidding,

An unexpected trip

2011-08-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Since moving to Wichita, things have been a bit rough. It's been hot. Like too hot to go swimming. And stuck in the house hot. Right away the washing machine broke and we had to wait a week to get it fixed. It actually got to the point where we had to buy more underwear. Then we got ants. After trying to kill them for several days on our own, we decided to have someone come and take care of

11 months old!

2011-08-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is 11 months old! She's still such a little peanut, but it's not for lack of trying.I've never seen an appetite like hers.Ruby eats everything and anything I put in front of her.She's the exact opposite of Maia. We went out to a restaurant for dinner. Maia would only eat the grapes. Ruby ate bread, salad, and about half of my mom's lasagna. She was still eating when we were ready to

Settling In

2011-08-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

*Sigh* On the bright side, we got our vehicles registered in under an hour. So, I'm kind of addicted to the Real Housewives series on Bravo.Mostly, the NYC and New Jersey casts. Stop judging me. We all have our vices. Anyway, Teresa (from New Jersey) was talking about her GIGANTIC new house (I think it was like the first season, before all her financial problems) and how she has to move into

Thanks Mom!

2011-08-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

I'm so exhausted I can barely think. I can only imagine what I would feel like if my mom hadn't come to Wichita to help us unpack and get settled. My mom is a force to be reckoned with.We had to wake up at 3:00 am to catch our flight to Kansas.We arrived at our new house around 11:00 am and by the time we went to bed that night, the kitchen was unpacked. And we have A LOT of dishes. Not only did

Tornado

2011-08-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my mom, Ruby, and I were upstairs unpacking boxes.Aleks was in the basement setting up the cable.Maia was napping. All of a sudden I hear a siren. I look at my mom with big eyes. "Do you think that's a tornado warning?" We listen to the siren awhile longer.It shows no signs of stopping. Adrenaline starts pumping through my system, and I holler down to Aleks. We open the backyard door

Our new house

2011-07-31T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here it is! Master Bedroom Master Bathroom Music Room & Dining Room Kitchen, Eat-In Nook, & Living Room Basement Guest Bedroom Backyard Thanks to my mother, the unpacking process is going very quickly and is relatively painless.It's hot and humid here. I've got to think that the fall is going to be spectacular. This week we're planning to do a few fun things, like check out the water park

Wichita

2011-07-30T21:06:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note after a long day of unpacking. Our new house is wonderful. Aleks did an amazing job picking it out. We arrived on Friday, exhausted from our 3:00 AM wake up, but so happy to be together again. I promise there will be pictures soon... I think I'm going to like it here!

Birthday Party

2011-07-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Who's birthday is it, you ask?Well, nobody's.But, we decided to have a birthday party for the kiddos since we were all together. Maia wanted to wear her princess dress.We had pancakes and bacon and cake pops without sticks (so cake balls?). And Grandma made birthday/princess hats for everyone. It was the perfect end to our Phoenix trip. Tomorrow, Wichita!

Phoenix Children's Museum Take 2

2011-07-27T22:16:00.000-05:00

We went to the Phoenix Children's Museum today. This time we got to go with Aunt Cydney and Cousin Audrey! Audrey and Ruby had some ballet practice at the barre. The cousins breakfasted together: Now that Ruby is really crawling, she loved exploring the "under 3" room. Maia and Ruby had their first driving lesson together. And Aunt Cydney gets the prize for the best picture of the day:

Counting

2011-07-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

Today Maia figured out how to count to 20. ...9, 10, 11, 12, 13, one-teen, two-teen, three-teen, four-teen, five-teen, six-teen, seven-teen, eight-teen, nine-teen, ten-teen. I tried to tell her that another name for 10-teen is twenty, but she said no.I told her that since she's 2, 10-teen will suffice. People will know what she means.

Splash Park

2011-07-23T22:12:00.000-05:00

The city of Phoenix has splash pads! According to pheonix.about.com: