Brian's farewell is this Sunday (Oct 18). The first "Stevenson" grandchild to leave on a mission! Everyone is invited, hope some of you can make it!!!
I taught Sarah and Heather how to sew this summer. I spent the day having them make their own pajama bottoms, then David and I went out for the night and when I got back, they had made outfits for all of Heather's American Girl Dolls! I couldn't believe they actually "got it." They are nothing like Samantha. Don't worry Sam, you were good at other things:) Now I just need Debbie to machine quilt Heather's quilt for me. Hint hint. I am now teaching sewing lessons to girls after school. I sent flyers around to teach sewing for 10 yrs and up and I already have seven signed up. I think it will be totally fun! . . . Or crazy that I just got myself into something I may regret. Just Kidding.
We took Brian thru the temple on Tuesday. One of the best moments a parent can have. It was amazing. Thanks everyone who got off work early to be there for Brian. It was really neat having you all there. And thanks to Jim and Meri (they were kind enough to take the pictures) its great to have friends that support you and your children.
We all met Nate at the airport Monday night. I can't believe two years went by soo fast! I know it won't when Brian leaves. Nate, Sam, Brian, and Ryan practically grew up together playing with each other every day when they were little. I'm so thankful for Nate being such a great example to his younger cousins.
Some of you have asked me about Brian's girlfriend ( you know, Brian said he wasn't going to have a girlfriend before he leaves on his mission. There's no point to it) But, I guess he changed his mind. . . well, when you meet Jessica, you'll know why. She is super nice and way cool. Not to mention, obviously beautiful! Brian has been practicing his missionary skills and has been able to sit in while Jessica took the first missionary discussion. So. . . this is Brian and Jessica going to the prom and they did a rodeo for their day activity. His farewell is Oct 18th so all are welcome to come out and say good bye to Brian, or "hello" if your name is Carsten, Ike or Ian. Altho most of you are busy having babies right now so I'm not expecting you to come:) I'll catch up on my blogging soon because school just started yesterday. I'm not sure if it is good or bad. I already miss hanging with my three little kids. We had a great summer!
We always call Max "Hugh" or "Hughie" when he wears his robe. He doesn't know why we call him that and sometimes he gets irritated with us because we usually start laughing when we say it. I got the robe for him last year and didn't think he would wear it, but he uses it after every bath, then walks around the house in it till he goes to bed. I think he needs slippers and a cigar.??? Maybe not the cigar. He does have two sets of twin girls he hangs out with all the time. You go Max!
The best part of having time off of school is sleeping in and having our little children climb in our bed to watch cartoons and snuggle. Its the BEST!! Of course we have to watch pokemon or transformers or something of Max's choice. Are they sooo CUTE? I think I am the luckiest Mom in the world.
Well, this is how we brought in the new year. David just had a huge cyst removed from his jaw and really wasn't in the party mood, and everyone else was off with friends. Max yelled at me with 20 seconds left to watch the ball drop in New york. We yelled, hugged, and jumped on the couch for a few seconds, then by 12:05am the next two pictures show the rest of my celebration. Max was all I had to play with, but as you can see, he didn't want to play. David has had a rough week. It started with the car packed Christmas day to leave on a week snow boarding trip, then ended with David waking in the night with excruciating back pain, an early morning MRI and several more nights of no sleep, followed by a tooth ache, while waiting to get a scope of his stomach to see if it could be ulcers making him sick, his jaw flaired up and within a couple hours he was having oral surgery where a large cyst was taken out of his jaw. And if that was not bad enough. . . he told the surgeon to go ahead and yank his wisdom teeth while he was at it (just for fun). So now his jaw is sore, and his back and stomach are still in pain, but can't get a scope until he is able to open his mouth. Anyways, besides david, we are having a Happy New Year! I'll update my blog soon. My children have been hogging the computer playing Sims day and night and i haven't got a chance to blog.
Samantha decided to fly home from Hawaii for Thanksgiving. She flew all night, and then Sarah and Heather said it was soo nice of her to fly all the way home to go to their gymnastics meet. . . so, she got to spend the entire day (with no sleep) cheering her little sisters on. We love having Samantha home!
You are looking at the Eighth and Tenth place Beam Champions in the entire state of Arizona!!! Way to go Sarah and Heather! They did awesome in vault, floor, and bars. They got their best scores in all the events.
Happy Birthday Mom! I have always loved this picture. It is a picture of a picture so the quality is not very good. You are so beautiful and happy. It reminds me of the many times I would come home from school and laundry would be freshly folded on the kitchen table and the smell of warm bread was coming from the kitchen. You did everything for your children. Even when you had to go back to work, you continued to be SUPER Mom. Seven children, the first four of us one year apart, I am amazed how truly talented you are. Now that I am a Mother of five children, I appreciate what you did even more. Many summers Dad was gone to scout camp or on high school students on tours of Europe, or building homes for an extra income. You would take care of us filling the void and doing it all. I know how tired I am at the end of the day, and you taught sewing classes in the upstairs room of Baron's Fabrics. Many nights I would go to class with you. I was sewing my own clothes by the fourth grade because you taught me. I love that you passed that down to us. It is becoming a lost art and I'm glad my Mother taught me. Sewing was such a small part of what you taught us. You taught us compassion, selflessness, love and inner beauty. You are truly a remarkable woman. 
I found this picture the other day and I forgot how we used to do everything with Nate and Ryan. I miss Brooke holding the twins when they were babies and thinking she had two new sisters. I miss Lisa hugging my kids every time she saw them and making them feel they were the coolest kids ever! I miss Brian having two older brothers to look after him and play "dudes"with. As we trick or treated in our old neighborhood, I realized how much I miss our old neighbors and millions of kids roaming the streets on halloween. I miss the relationships I used to have with all of my sisters. I miss Samantha living at home. . . There is one thing that is constant in life, and that is that it will always change. Enjoy the moment. It wont be there tomorrow. 
I'm just a little behind on blogging. Coaching soccer has taken a little more time then I was anticipating. (Is that a good excuse, cuz I can come up with another one if I need to). Isn't Brian handsome. We just bought a new suit for the dance. Also for winter formal, prom, and his mission!
I am seriously behind on my blog. Halloween, is of course, my favorite holiday! I don't know why. Its kind of like Amy's obsession with Disney Land. . . can't explain it. Sarah and Heather were suppose to compete in a gymnastic meet in Las Vegas, but we decided not to go the last minute. We had to invent some costumes the day of halloween. (Thanks Jill for your forrest fairy). Sarah and Heather went with their friends Sami and Brianda and Max was pretty much a "Mama's boy all night. I kind of like that he is scared, he's my baby. David and I took him in a halloween store and I had to cover his eyes and lead him around. He bumped into something and thought it would be "creapy" and started screaming like a little girl in the store. No, seriously, we had to run him outside he was so loud and blood curdling.
