Registered for your passport today…

The very nice woman who worked also “sealed” your signature for you as a keepsake. She let you do the sealing by pulling the arm 🙂

Hey there Sweetheart –

Today ends February Break 2013.

We kicked off the week with a super fun family night on Sunday. We made a couple new recipes and a fire, we watched a movie (Hotel Transylvania) and thoroughly enjoyed each other as a family!! We made a salmon farfalle dish for you and Dan and a chick pea Indian dish for Madeline.

Monday you, Daddy Jim and I headed down to Letchworth State Park for some winter camping in a cabin called “Caroline’s Cottage.” In the middle of a state park with no tv and no other humans, armed with easels, paint, a 300-piece puppy puzzle, and some yummy ingredients.

Highlights of our fun adventure at Letchworth:

Painting together on easels in the kitchen of the cabin – a cat, “Baby Maya,” a girl, a climbing tree and 2 abstract pictures
Hikes in the snowy gorge with your tiny puppy.dog, Jojo
Sliding down a big hill on your bum followed closely by Daddy Jim
Building a fire that was too snowy to light
A marshmallow stick that holds 7 marshmallows with a great backup plan where you microwaved 7 marshmallows at the same time without us knowing (while we were trying to light the fire)
This 300-piece puzzle that had FAAARRRRR too many plain white and plain yellow pieces
Chocolate covered straw-la-berries!

About an hour after we got home you had a playdate with Halle. Thursday, you had your last playdate with Kate before she left working with you to give birth to Will. She is due in about 3 weeks! 🙂

Thursday and today (Friday) you had “Project FUN-way” with the “Felt Queen,” Miss Christina, your sewing teacher (and about 10 other young people your age.)

Tonight you’re at Daddy’s with Uncle Jim and Auntie Judi. Tomorrow morning we are going to meet to apply for you passport (we’re headed to Montreal with Uncle Mark and family for April break).

What an adventurous life you live!!!
I love life with you!!
Mama

And then life happens… Seriously.

Highlights since I last wrote:
You and I spent a week in Seattle with Amy (whose ankle was named “Frankenfoot”) and Lizzie. Hakon was there too, but we didn’t see him too much.
You have been ROCKING reading and spelling.
Last Saturday you decided you were going to hand make individually-designed Valentine’s for all 25 friends/teachers in your class. Wow! Such a loving gift
And here’s a picture of you with your sweet Jojo – you really adore him.

Oh, and p.s. Last night you decided you were going to name your son, if you had one, “Bob.”
pause.
“Bob or Joe.”
pause
“Maybe Billy Bob Joe.”
We both cracked up laughing so hard!!!!!

And you bumped into SO MANY of your friends! 🙂

You are such a rock star!!

Today at JCC you learned how to “finger knit” as a “Calming Craft.” LOL

You tried to teach Daddy Jim – you thought he could use some calming. He couldn’t figure it out.
You tried to teach me. I, too, because frustrated soon and shifted to the puzzle we were working on. You kept knitting – and before you knew it, you knitted your VERY FIRST SCARF – for Halle. And you could NOT have been more proud of yourself – each step of the way and especially when you were done!!

Check it out!!

Way to persist, Girlfriend!!

Hi Maya,
This is mommy’s blog for you, but I’ve been wanting to tell you about some of our fun times together… and a fun story about how much you love your mom.

On Sundays, about half of the time, I take you and Madey and Daniel to church school in the morning. We were driving home one day in December. Madey was talking about something that had made her sad in church. You wondered why Madey would be sad in church, and I was explaining that sometimes people who follow Jesus go into sad places. Sometimes people who follow Jesus talk to people who are having very sad times. Sometimes people who follow Jesus sit with people who are feeling very, very sad.

I reminded you that your mom goes to East High School and that lots of times she is sad because of what happens to the girls there. But she still goes to East high school because she knows that Jesus wants her to be there working with girls even if it sometimes makes her sad. I said, “That’s what we do when we follow Jesus.”

You were sitting in the back seat. You said, “Yeah, she really believes in that guy.” Madey and Dan and I said, “Yeah she does…” and then we all laughed really loud.

I sure love being with you and your mommy and Madey and Dan.

Joy – At a time when it’s difficult to be joyful…

You made this gumdrop wreath and the reminders for which each candle is challenging us to think about.

We have lit it every day of Advent – totally treasured time.

I wrote this to our pastors – Jim and Mary – this morning. Thought I’d share it with you when you’re older.

Good morning Jim and Mary –

My Mom sent this email yesterday – the 11 days before Christmas poem below. It’s beautifully, beautifully written – and I thought it might help you and those you love/nurture.

The focus of the advent wreath candle this week, as per Maya’s religious ed class, is “joy.”

Each week I have been really spending my “stop lights” including coffee and candle time being with God with respect to the focus for that week: hope, love, and now joy. Hope and love seemed much easier than joy… especially this week. Joy – when was Jesus joyful? Joy – when there are broken hearts that need to be loved. Joy. But I don’t feel joyful. I feel very very sad for the joy that left the earth last Friday. I’ve been wrestling.

This poem helped.

Let the little children come to me – the little children who, left to their own will, never walk in straight lines – the little children who skip, jump, run, roll wherever they go (Jim and I watched children attentively as we traveled to and around Taiwan and then Austria – this is an international trait of children) – for the Kingdom of God is theirs.

Called to be joyful. Called to sometimes put the weight down and skip. And dance. And belly laugh. To be “WOWED” by the reflections Christmas lights make off glass table on the ceiling. Because that joy is God’s design – beautiful, good, healthy, loving, holy.

I love you both dearly – I wanted to share these thoughts with you.

Grateful for joy,
April

April Lynn Luehmann, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Science Education
Warner Graduate School of Education
University of Rochester
ph 585.275.3010
april.luehmann@rochester.edu

From: Mom and Dad
Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:20:26 -0600
To: Jolene Stark
Cc: Julie Falkers , Jonna Stark , “greenfingersfarm@aol.com” , Mom and Dad Lloyd Luehmann , Jenessa Stark , Bianca Luehmann , “MARK.LUEHMANN@cmsenergy.com” , “toomanybz@yahoo.com” , “rmcrohe@yahoo.com” , “ranaerohe2@charter.net” , April Luehmann , Amy Strande , “gusf@me.com” , April Luehmann , Bruce Friedrich , “shellyrohe@yahoo.com” , “alkac@peta.org” , “awkratzke@aol.com” , “bafpierce@juno.com” , “bettydiersen@gmail.com” , “bjturock@me.com” , “clfromm@att.net” , “eunicelow@charter.net” , “car.pierce@live.com” , “hsylviahall@comcast.net” , “jandastark@aol.com” , My Jim , “jnmussell@yahoo.com” , “klongland@sbcglobal.net” , “lfromm@spartan.org” , marilyn friedrich , “mgstark1@aol.com” , “rachonpamela@yahoo.com” , “stark_17@hotmail.com” , “w.fromm@hotmail.com”
Subject: Newtown, CT

Hi….You all probably have received comments (via Facebook, etc) about Newtown, CT. The newscasts just break our hearts. Tears have welled up in our eyes often as we listen to the TV with the funerals beginning today. I’d like to share something with you sent to us by a friend from church:

Twas’ 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven’s gate.
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy, they didn’t know what to say.
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
“Where are we?” asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
“This is heaven.” declared a small boy. “we’re spending Christmas at God’s house.”
When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
But Jesus, their Savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
Those children all flew into the arms of their King
And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
One small girl turned and looked at Jesus’ face.
And as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, “I’ll take care of mom and dad.”
Then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
“Let My power and presence re-enter this land!”
“May this country be delivered from the hands of fools”
“I’m taking back my nation. I’m taking back my schools!”
Then He and the children stood up without a sound.
“Come now my children, let me show you around.”
Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
“In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT.”

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

I love you very much,
Miriam

This morning you went to the polls twice – once with Daddy and once with me. You can only get away with that because you are 7 😉

How does it work?

1. We stopped at one table to tell people what our address is. They directed us to the next table “under the basketball hoop” the helps people in our legislative district.

2. At that table, they found my name and signature. The volunteers covered up my signature, and asked me to sign right next to her hand. Then they uncovered my original signature to make sure they match – Yes, it is me! This will also make sure every person only votes once… to keep it fair.

3. We were then given my ballot in a folder to keep it secret. We sat behind a screen to fill in our bubbles. You realized that your Daddy (who you voted with earlier) and I “did the same row.” After we filled in all of the bubbles completely – without going out of the lines – we put our ballot back in our folder.

4. We went up to the scanning machine with our ballot facing down. The scanning machine sucked the ballot up – putting it in the machine. And the little screen said that the ballot was successfully submitted.

5. We got “I voted today” stickers, and we were on our way!

Why vote? It matters. It matters that we participate in the decision-making for our country. It helps us know what’s going on. Voting and participating in who runs our country helps our leaders make decisions that take care of poor people, our earth, make sure everyone has good doctors to go to, and that schools do the best job possible for all kids. It matters. Always vote.

All in one day!!

Last night your best friend Siobhan came over for a play date/sleep over.

You decorated Halloween pumpkins with Kate. You went to Sticky Lips with Daddy Jim. We climbed trees in the morning… but the highlight of the night?

You got to change your earrings for the first time. You have taken GREAT care of your ears for 6 weeks!! Last night, you and S tried on my earrings and giggled!

You said, “I can’t do this Mama!” As did S. It was just one of a million times when I could remind you that, you will be able to in a heartbeat as you work on it. 5 minutes later, you both could take your own earrings out; 3 minutes after that, you were both able to put your new ones in. 🙂 it’s so so SO fun to watch you grow!!

Here are some pictures of our adventures! I love you sweet one!
Mama

And the new earrings display…. (well, these are mine, but they were the first you 2 put in when you could change them)…

SO FUN!