2011 Voelkel Family in a Nutshell

For Ben, the countdown has officially begun! He will finish his BS degree in business at UMSL next semester. He is currently making plans for his MBA pursuit. Ben continues to manage IT teams at Express-Scripts, but has recently moved into the quality assurance department to increase his leadership opportunities. His home improvement project this year was replacing our old retaining wall. The new one is gorgeous! I’m so grateful for Ben’s skills and work ethics. He amazes me.
Linda was hired as a full-time preschool teacher on Oct. 10th. Presently, I have 7 kiddos in my class, ages 3, 4, and 5. I love teaching early childhood education! We get to bake and cut and make gooey scientific concoctions… We count and sort and color and read… And every new experience is miraculous in their eyes.
Anna started middle school this year. She turns 12 this June which means she gets to go to Girls’ Camp with the young women at church this summer. It’s an exciting transition and she is looking forward to that adventure. She continues to play the piano and violin and excels in academics.
Janae is enjoying 5th grade. She also plays the piano and violin, but expresses a desire to switch to band next year. (She’s mentioned wanting to play the guitar and trumpet.)
Daila is doing very well in kindergarten. She is excited to enter the world of words and is thrilled when she can read a word on a sign at the mall. She loves to draw and write and has even tried writing a note to a boy at school: “FrenD or grlFrnD”.

In July, we were able to attend a family reunion in Yellowstone. What a wonderful reminder of what our Father in Heaven has blessed us with; this beautiful earth and a wonderful extended family! We wish you joy and laughter this holiday season and throughout the New Year!

These photos from our Yellowstone trip made the "Christmas Card" cut.

I got a good deal on cards from a website so I had them specially printed. Kinda fun to see how they turned out. And so professional and fancy looking too. :)

(with our tag-along buddy in the background . . . Kaylun Rice!) :)

Santa Visits Overland

Santa's Coming to Town

Santa!?! I know him! I know him!

Santa comes with the local firetruck. How cool is that?! Can we manage to put any more kid-cool icons in one place!?!

Daila gets a bunny and candy cane from the Big Guy. She's been good.

Anna and Janae also get stuffed animals and candy canes! Look like it was a good year in the Voelkel house.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus in their sleigh.

Ben said Santa was flirting with me. Such a jealous guy. ;-) Didn't help that Janae confirmed his suspicions by saying she saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe last night. It was a losing battle for me with that kind of eye-witness evidence.

Daila and Janae show off their goodies from Santa.

I love Overland's tradition of Santa's visit. They just cruise around the neighborhood honking their horn and the kids come running out. So fun.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Clowning Around

Does this picture really need any explanation? lol

Did I mention Daila likes to pose?

Favorite thing to read these days?....Toy catalogs. Girls are putting together some formidable Christmas lists.
Okay, this one isn't silly, but aren't they adorable? I love it when they decide to play duets together whether it is on the piano or violin or a combination of both.
Personal favorite:

I'll try to upload the video of their performance...it's priceless. :)

A New Ride

We all love Dad's motorcycle. :)

But we recently said goodbye to Lola. :( I was sincerely sad to see her ride away with her new owner. More than I thought I'd be. (She wasn't my bike, afterall.) But I'm really going to miss her. *sniff sniff*

However, now we can say hello to our new friend:

I remember the first time I rode Lola. I was so nervously perched on top. I'm grateful for everything she taught me about speed, balance, and turns. And most importantly to relax and enjoy the ride.

And I'm very grateful for the comfort of a cruiser with a sissy bar (despite the terrible name--I ain't no sissy). It sure is fun riding with Ben on this new bike. I'm in love. (Sorry Lola.)

ah choo!!

I was fumbling with my phone in the car and accidentally took a picture of myself just as I sneezed. Ha! What are the odds?? Nice pic, huh...

Hamming it Up

Ben and his brother, Jacob, out and about in the city. They stopped by Chuck's Boots to do some window shopping . . . looks like they may decide to hold the place up . . . "Draw, Pardner!"

Surprise!!!

My mom turns 70 this year! We surprised her by telling her we were getting together for a be-lated party for G-ka's 16th birthday. But we were also celebrating her! Happy Birthday!!

Jessica lights the candles on her multi-level cake.
Quick! . . . I don't know how long this cake will last with 70 candles all a-flame!
(It sure lit up the room.) :)

Mom's cake.

Inside Jessica's cake . . . RAINBOW layers. Fun!

Checking out snapshots of the wish-making, flame-engulfing, candle-blowing moment.

As everyone bustles busily around her, Mom takes a moment to enjoy her cake . . . and the wonderful chaos of a Hamblin gathering.

Cancer Fighting Superheroes

Race To Cure Lymphoma: October 1, 2011
"There is no finish line until there's a cure!"

I ran 6.2 miles today without walking! The clock said 1:11:45 when I crossed the finish line. I ran the Race to Cure Lymphoma 10K in memory of my Dad who died of leukemia on February 8, 2010.
I wrote his name on a balloon and on the other side I drew his trademark monkey and "DAD".

The truth behind this picture.... I had to stage it. I accidentally deleted the (of course) very cute one I took just before the race. I was sooo disappointed with myself. But I knew my dad would have helped me find a way to laugh about it, so I chose to let it go. After all, I can have a deleted picture and be upset, or I can have a deleted picture and be happy. Either way, the picture is deleted, so I might as well choose to be happy.
So this picture is a re-enactment of my balloon I made for my dad. When I let it go, his name stayed facing me as it rose to heaven. It was so cool I thought, "I wish I had a picture of that!" Oh yeah! Then I jumped to action with my cell phone . . . duh . . . but this was all I got:

Oh well . . . it was a very neat experience for me.
The theme of this particular race is "Be a cancer fighting superhero." The back of my race shirt says, "I'm a Hero." Running this 10K helped me come to a couple realizations:
1. Sometimes I feel like a victim of cancer, because it took my dad.
2. Running helps me feel like I can do something about it.
I was telling a friend about wanting to run a full marathon. 26.2 miles!! It terrifies me. I don't think I can do it. I want to give up before I even begin. So I don't understand why I feel drawn to doing it. My friend suggested doing a marathon relay: putting a team together so you only have to run 6-7 miles. I told her it sounded like fun, but that I had to do my 1st marathon by myself.... Because I had to push my body beyond it's normal capacities... Because I had to physically fight to make it to the finish line... Because I had to know and understand what Carrie went through, what Devree goes through, what my dad went through. By this time I was completely emotional and I realized the "why". Why I have to run. I didn't understand before. So I guess I'm coming out of the closet... I'm a runner...

... a Cancer Fighting Superhero Runner.

"There is no finish line until there's a cure."

My Little Architects

My New Favorite Picture

(Gibbons Falls, Yellowstone, 2011 Mackley Family Reunion)

My Best Friends

I know right now things are tough. It's hard to raise kids. I'm never 100% sure I'm doing my job right as a mother. Am I too tough? Am I too lenient? Are my expectations too high? Do I challenge them enough? Do they know I love them no matter what? Do they know when I'm disappointed it's only because I know what they are capable of accomplishing? Do I choose to fight the right battles? Do they hear what I'm not saying? Do they know who they really are? Because I do. I remember. I remember their distinct spirits following me while they were in my womb. I know their personalitities. I know they're daughters of a king. Do I remind them of that and give them the tools needed to fulfill God's potential for themselves? I don't know. But when I see this picture, I know it has captured 4 very best friends who will not only go through life there for each other, but also into the eternities. God has blessed me greatly.

Sharing a Favorite Snack

Daila and Ben are trading fruit snack flavors one night at the hotel. There's just nothin like trading fruit snacks with your daddy at bed time.

A New Project

Our latest project was replacing our retaining wall. It was beginning to fall apart. It probably is as old as the house (which was built in 1928).

By the time we remembered to take "before" pics, Ben had already dug out the end and filled it with concrete. He has also started to dig the old wall out.

The old wall is being pushed out by too many freeze-thaw cycles. Not to mention the roots of that big bush/tree.

Bye bye big bush (which scrapes my van everytime I try to park in the driveway).

Yeah, sure that looks straight. *note sarcasm*

Our wall's "loose tooth".

Look how easily the cars fit onto our driveway without that monster bush! And what's that?? A front porch! I can see it now! ;-)

What a blessing these blocks were. We found the exact number we needed on craig's list and paid less than $2 per block. (Regularly priced for around $7/block). Aren't they pretty? And so sturdy.

Now that's straight!

So all we have left now is to cut out the stump, back fill with dirt, and plant something lovely (and easy to maintain).

I'm so very thankful for my talented husband. Thanks for the beautiful wall, Ben.