Brian's Farewell!!!

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!!!

Mission Call

I know, this is old news, but I wanted to finish updated my blog with big events of the year.  This is probably one of the biggest.  Just in case you weren't there, I wanted you to hear the excitement.  I was a nervous wreck!!  CALGARY, CANADA!!!  Eh?  There were about 30 friends there.  One of his friends was in Provo so they skyped him on the computer. 

Sewing Lessons!

     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.

Temple day

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.

Home from Hondorus!

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!

Lake Powell

Lake Powell

The best part of watching this video is knowing that he was scared to death to try wake boarding.  He kept saying, "Tomorrow, Dad, I promise I'll try it. . ."  He was so nervous when the day came when we made him try it.  I got in the water with him and helped teach him how.  His legs were shaking and his heart was beating so fast.  Even from the water all strapped into his board he kept asking if he could wait until tomorrow.  If you are in our family you don't have a choice on not being athletic:)  By the last day at lake powell, Max was saying, "Dad, can you take me wake boarding, huh dad, huh?. . . Dad, come on, I want to go again!"

Lake Powell

I Can't believe I haven't blogged for four months!  Well, this is one of the reasons... Why are my words being underlined?????  And the other reason is our internet seldom works so I can't wait forever for a picture to be downloaded.  I lose interest and walk away.  I have great things to catch up on.  Max learned how to wake board this summer.  It was so fun!

Max Baptism Laie, Hawaii

March 14, 2009    

 It was the most beautiful morning.  It rained all night and we thought we were going to have to baptize Max in the rain, but about 20 minutes before the baptism it stopped raining and was beautiful, and as soon as it was over and we started walking back to the car, it started pouring again.  We really missed having all of our cousins and aunts and uncles around, but it was really sweet and something we will remember forever.  Bishop Akana from Samantha's BYU ward conducted and Samantha's two roomates Katie and Ashley were there and then just our family.  Everyone stood on the beach as we sang and talked about baptism and the Holy Ghost.  After Max was baptized, Heather, Sarah, and max sang "When I am Baptized."  The morning was about Max and he looked so innocent and beautiful standing in the water next to his Dad.  It was something that he will remember for the rest of his life.

More Baptism Pictures!

Hugh Heffner?

     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!

Crazy Mother!

     I had just picked up Sarah and Heather from gymnastics Saturday and Brian was watching the end of Max's basketball game and giving him a ride home for me.  I decided to run in Kohls to see if I could find some shoes for Sarah and Heather.  Heather found a pair but Sarah was sad because they didn't have her size so, being twins, I told them we would come back later to avoid stress about one getting shoes and not the other one (Rainey can probably relate to this).  I told them I wanted to look at the dishes really quick if they wanted to look at the girl clothes.  Brian had called a few minutes later and said he was dropping max off and that he needed to leave.  I told him i was on my way home.  I went to get my girls and realized they each had a stack of clothes in their hands they wanted to try on.  Sarah was saying how she really needed a pair of shorts and Heather something else (I don't think Kohls has cute girl clothes and they are over priced for Kmart looking stuff)  I knew there would be begging and tears and I really didn't feel like dealing with it.  I also knew I didn't want Max home alone and had to hurry.  An idea popped in my head.  Now sometimes when ideas pop in your head you go with it, even tho you don't think it through for damages it may cause. . . but I went with it.  I said, "Hey set your clothes down really quick and follow me."  They looked at me questioning why.  I just said, "I can't tell you.  Hurry.  Just set your stuff down and walk behind me really fast."  I started walking to the front of the store.  "Where are we going, Mom," asked Sarah.  I told her I couldn't tell her right now but just follow me.  Heather had heard me talking on the phone and asked half joking, "Did someone die?"  I said no, come on we have to leave real quick.  I wasn't even sure what my story was going to be, I just needed to trick them to get in the car without having to buy anything.  I had my large oversized purse with me, and I was clutching it in front of me when the idea came to me.  By now we had stepped out of the store and they kept asking, "Where are we going?"  There were a few ladies out front so I told them quietly I would tell them in a second, I don't want anyone to hear.  As soon as we crossed the cross walk I started laughing because I thought my joke was so funny, I said, "I stole a pair of shoes and they are in my purse and we have to leave fast.  Hurry, get in the car!"  Of course, I'm thinking there is no way they will believe that their Mother would steal a pair of shoes.  I just kept up the story till we were in the car.  Both girls were wide eyed and a little confused.  I think Sarah was trying to decide if she should call 911 on her Mom and Heather totally believed I had taken shoes and wanted to know if they were the pair she wanted!  Oh no!!!  As I was driving home, I just couldn't stop laughing to explain things.  I finally said, "I would never steal anything, girls!"  I just wanted to get home quick.  Now they thought I was so crazy they started laughing (I think because they were so freaked out or relieved) but we laughed the whole way home.  Heather asked me why I thought it was so funny.  I told her sometimes being a Mom is boring and hard work and to humor ourselves we do dumb stuff.  I just hope they don't have to go to therapy over this.  Hee Hee

Free Christmas Tree!

     Please, someone, come get my 12 foot plus? pre-lit awesome Christmas tree out of my garage.  I don't want to store it any more and need to get it out.  I will haul it away by Tuesday, so if you want it, please let me know.

Christmas Break

     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.

Happy Anniversary Honey! 22 Years!

I still love this man despite what he looks like.  Just Kidding.  This was right after his surgery.  He said he wasn't on anything, but look at the pictures and you can decide if he looks a little too happy for someone who just had his jaw opened up and his bone scraped clean for two hours.  The picture on the left was a few days later.  Max says, "Dad now you have a RECTANGLE face."

Christmas 2008

     Christmas was so fun having Samantha home for a month from BYU Hawaii!  All the little kids picked out Guitar Hero to give their Dad for Christmas.  I'm not sure who was more excited, David wondering what kind of golf item could be in that big of package, or his three little children helping him rip the paper off because he wasn't doing it fast enough!  They think they were brilliant this year getting Dad "exactly" what HE wanted.  Max gave Samantha a marshmellow shooter ( she told Max it was exactly what she wanted), and Max got some kind of toy from Santa that only Santa knows the name of.  It was a great day hanging with each other.  This will be the last year for a few years that we will all be together.  Brian will be gone next year, and if Samantha marries a Samoan, we may never see her again.

Happy New Year!

     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.