The Stevens Family

2012-01-16T14:32:00.005-07:00

This was by-far the best shopping experience I have had since I became a mother. Both kids were passed out in the cart!

Christmas 2011
We all got so spoiled for Christmas. We got tons of gifts from family, friends, and Santa. I'm only posting a picture of this blanket I made for Nate because it was kind of a big deal for me. I have ZERO talent when it comes to sewing but, Nate's mom helped me make this minki blanket for him. I was so excited to give it to him, I made him open it at 1:00 Christmas morning.

Christmas was so much fun this year because Jace is old enough now to actually enjoy it and get excited about it. He made cookies and a card for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Nate went out to snowblow the driveway the other day and Jace had to get out his mower to push along side him. I thought it was the cutest thing.
Jace's big thing lately has been drawing and coloring. He can do it for hours on end.
He is all boy!
Kicking back to watch a show while eating lunch.
Nate and his "minny me" son!

Reagan update: Our little butterball is growing up fast. He is 5 1/2 months now and rolling all over the place. He doesn't have any teeth yet but we can tell they will be coming soon by the way he drools all over the place and can't keep his fingers out of his mouth. He is still such an easy and happy baby. He loves Jace. It is so fun to see him light up when ever Jace comes in the room.

A new hairdo!

2011-11-15T13:37:00.002-07:00

So.... Reagan's hair fell out.... yes all of that beautiful red hair!!! He only had a few random patches left that looked pretty crazy so we buzzed the rest of it. It was a sad night! I felt like I didn't even have the same baby any more. We are getting used to it now though. Hopefully it will grow back thick and red!

Halloween Festivities!

2011-11-15T12:56:00.008-07:00

A trip to the pumpkin patch with my sisters.

Jace BOOKED it through the corn maze. It was so fun to watch him get excited about finding his way out.

Jace and his cousin Sander, getting ready to ride the train.

We had a Halloween play-date with one of my neighbors. All the kids dressed up, made crafts and decorated cookies. Lots of fun!

We took Jace to "Boo at the Zoo". We all had a blast getting candy and checking out the animals at night time.
We ran into this Giraffe at the zoo and Jace was so excited. He couldn't stop talking about how he saw a giraffe just like his costume...only bigger!
All dressed up for trick-or-treating on Halloween night. Nate took Jace around the neighborhood while Reagan and I passed out candy at home. At one point during the evening, I had about 15 kids outside my door all at once. As I opened the door with the candy bowl in hand, this little boy starts yelling "she has suckers! she's handing out suckers mom... just like everyone else.... just suckers... all I am getting are suckers!".... Yes, I was a cheapskate and handed out suckers for Halloween but apparently I wasn't the only one :).

Last stop was Grandma and Grandpa Stevens' house where Jace got a special treat bag.

Our very busy but fun last two months!

2011-10-20T17:34:00.015-06:00

Reagan is 2 1/2 months now. He is an angel baby! Truly! He frequently sleeps through the night already! He only fusses when he is hungry... He melts my heart with his big eyes, sweet smile, and tender coos.

Williams Family Visit
Lower Mesa Falls
Happy Grandparents!
My dad and Jace at Upper Mesa Falls
We also drove to Mesa Falls with my family. We tried to stop at the famous Warbirds Cafe for lunch but after finding them closed, we settled for Burger King.
Reagan on the day of his baby blessing. My mom made him his cute little outfit.
I may complain a lot in the winter about the snow and cold but if you catch me any other time, I'll tell you that Idaho is God's country. Nate and I have recently been talking about how much we love it here and want to stay here for a very long time. It is such a pretty area and there is so much to do... if you like the outdoors activities... which we do :)
Jace had a cute milk mustache after eating his "square" ice cream.
We stopped off at a scenic look-out over Swan Valley.
I love all of the fall colors right now! Such a gorgeous area that we live in.
Sander found a comfortable chair to "kick back" in. What a cutie!
My sister, Ruth, and her youngest, Sander.

We drove to Palisades Lake again while my family was here and spent the afternoon hiking around, roasting hotdogs, and chatting by the fire.

My sister (Aunt P) working her magic on Reagan.

My family came to visit for Reagan's baby blessing in our church. We had a random snow storm the day they got here. My mom had Jace out making a snowman right away.
He loves his baths lately. Sometimes he'll even take 2 a day!
I found him wearing my boots around the house the other day.
Just some recent pictures of Jace being cute! He made me laugh so hard one day when he was eating his otter-pop. He kept getting frustrated because his hands were cold so he finally asked me to put his mittens on him... what a problem solver!

Jace had his first "movie theatre" experience. We took him to see Cars. He looked so cute sitting there with his popcorn and drink.

We drove to Lake Palisades over conference weekend. We listened to the talks as we drove and then had a picnic at the lake. It was tons of fun and so beautiful with all of the trees changing colors.
Nate had his 32nd Birthday and got an AWESOME gift!!!! Actually... it wasn't a birthday gift but it came on his birthday so we will call it more of a birthday bonus!

Stevens Family Vacation to Utah
All of the grandkids together.
Here are the three newest grandchildren.
One of the evenings that we stayed at the hotel, (Nate had run into town and I was busy manning Reagan) Jace got spoiled rotten by his aunts and uncles at the pool.

Jace and Kardynn waiting for the bird show to start at the Zoo. (BTW... it was an absolutely awesome show!)

We spent a wonderful afternoon at Hogle Zoo in SLC. If you are ever in that area and have time, I totally recommend the zoo. We spent 4 hours there and had a blast.
We had dinner at Maddox Restaurant. The kids got Frisbees with their meals.
We got a new double stroller (sit and stand) and used it for the first time on the trip. We LOVE it!

Over Labor day weekend, all of the Stevens clan went to Logan and Salt Lake for a little family reunion. Our first stop was Hill Air Force Base.

Reagan Price Stevens... a long overdue post

2011-08-23T14:01:00.010-06:00

Reagan Price Stevens was born on August 5th at 9:36 a.m.. He weighed 8 lb 9 oz and was 21 and 1/2 inches long. He has deep blue blue eyes (for now), a fairly dark complexion, and yes... fire red hair (also for now)! I had such a fast, easy, and nice birthing experience with him that I feel guilty telling other women about it. I told Nate I wanted to ask the doctor for a discount since he didn't have to work that hard but then Nate reminded me that if we did, the next kid we have will probably be a long and difficult delivery and then we would get charged extra... yikes!

Nate took a week off of work to help me get settled in with our new bundle of joy. I'm sorry to all the ladies out there who think you have the best husband, but your wrong... mine is definitely the best :). Nate did an amazing job of taking care of me and keeping me comfortable. He kept my house spotless and became Jace's best friend.

Jace has done so well with the transition. He immediately took to Reagan. The first time he saw him in the hospital he just caressed him and would say things like "He's cute... He's sweet.." He loves to hold Reagan and be around him. I was worried about him before because he had become so clingy and was living up to the "terrible 2's". I thought for sure we were going to have some serious jealousy and behavioral issues with him once Reagan arrived. I am not sure what happened or if it is just a saving grace from my Heavenly Father but Jace has been a little angel and seems to have matured and become more independent. It is such a blessing but at the same time it breaks my heart that he seems so old now. I keep looking at his baby pictures and get all teary eyed. He is growing up!

Adding another child to our crazy lives has been wonderful! There is a greater feeling of joy and balance in our family now. I love being a mother of 2 beautiful boys!

Jace's 2 year photos and Down to the Last month

2011-07-11T14:48:00.005-06:00

I love this little guy! He has brought so much joy to us the last 2 years and it gets better every day. Nate and I have had to learn and grow in many ways as we have "attempted" parenthood together but it has truly been the greatest blessing of our lives. Here's to you Jace and a wonderful 2 years of life.

Here we go.... down to the last month of pregnancy. Are we ready for this???? Hmmmm... well we are excited to meet this new little guy but we still don't have a name picked out, I have a long list of to-do's before he gets here and little energy to do them, and... honestly, some days (like when Jace is on his less than best behavior) I feel a bit terrified about becoming a mother of 2. I'm worried I won't be able to handle everything. I know it will all work out eventually because is pretty much just has to but it still scares me some days. Ready or not, another beautiful child will be coming to us soon!

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-11T14:06:00.004-06:00

A couple nights before the 4th, our neighborhood set off fire works. Jace nearly fell asleep on our driveway while we waited for them to start.
We went to the parade on the morning of the 4th. Jace was most excited when the horses went by.

We spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa's house eating and playing in the water. Jace had a blast with his cousin Kardynn on the slip-n-slide. We BBQ'd that night and watched the always amazing firework show by the river. Lots of fun!

Celebrating 2 years!

2011-07-11T13:37:00.005-06:00

Jace recently had his second birthday (Wow! I can't believe he is 2!)! We had a really fun day planned for him on his birthday but he caught a 24 hour flu and spent the day throwing up instead. Poor little guy! We had a small celebration for him the following week. He was spoiled rotten by all of the family (Nate and I had saved our gift for last and we almost put it back in the closet because we thought he had gotten way too much already.) Thanks to everyone for helping Jace to have a wonderful birthday!

Happy Birthday!

2011-05-23T08:50:00.002-06:00

I celebrated my 28th birthday on Friday. I am starting to feel a little old. 28 is too close to 30 and its a bit scary for me. Yikes! I had a great day though. Nate stayed home from work and let me relax during the day while he took care of Jace. He took me out to eat at Jaker's for dinner and then we had some family and friends over that night for cheesecake (my favorite). Everyone gave Nate a hard time because I made my own birthday cake but that is just because it is a fairly difficult and time consuming cheesecake to make. To his credit though, he did surprise me with two mini cakes that morning for breakfast.

Every birthday, Nate and I ask each other what our biggest accomplishment was for that last year of life and what goal we want to set for our next year of life. I would honestly have to say that hiking the Middle of the Tetons was my biggest accomplishment in my 27th year. In my 28th year, I think I would like to play a musical number on the cello in church. (I know that probably sounds like a weak goal but performing publicly would be a pretty big deal for me). We'll see how things go!

Easter

2011-04-26T11:29:00.009-06:00

Jace woke up to a small Easter basket (bucket) with a few gifts in it on Sunday morning. This kid has had way too much candy this last week but I think he really enjoyed his Easter experience.

Saturday, our little community had an Easter event in the park. It was a much needed beautiful day (they are still rare occasions around here..... Can't wait til summer!!!!). They had an egg hunt for the kids and then lunch. Grandma and Grandpa Stevens joined us and Jace enjoyed every minute of it! He was given a stuffed animal at the event because he didn't get any eggs (he was just a little slow at picking them up and there were a ton of fast kids!) He fell in love with his little stuffed dog. I'm sure he would rather get a stuffed animal than some eggs any day. He was also obsessed with the Easter Bunny. He didn't want to get too close to him but he sure did chase him around the park squealing "rabbit... rabbit". Way cute and tons of fun!

Easter Fun

2011-04-25T15:35:00.003-06:00

We had a little Easter Egg Hunt with some of our neighbors. It was a lot of fun. Each of us hid eggs in our yards and the kids went around from house to house. Jace found his first egg and he was content. He just wanted to sit down and start eating the candy in it. I had to persuade him to look for any more after that first one. He doesn't understand the greed factor yet I guess.

Another Boy!

2011-03-23T15:14:00.002-06:00

We had an ultrasound yesterday. We have another baby boy coming to us! All looked healthy and normal. We are so excited to have this little guy come to our family!

A Weekend Get-a-way to San Antonio Texas

2011-02-16T13:12:00.006-07:00

My sister, Ruth, and her husband, Quincy, live in San Antonio.
And this is their beautiful family. A couple weekends ago, their daughter, Brylee, got baptized, and they also blessed their new baby son, Sander.

So we make the trek down south to be there for the special events. All of the family (except for 2 grandkids) were able to make it. It has been about 3 years since we have all been together.

Jace had fun playing with all of his cousins, Aunts and Uncles, and Grandparents. He loves swimming now. He has woken up every morning since we got home saying he wanted to go swimming again.
My long time best friend, Ana, and her husband, Robert, drove from Houston to spend the weekend with us also. So nice of them!
We spent a day at the Alamo and the River Walk. You can see Jace and his cousins in the background of this picture... they were chasing the pigeons all over the place!
Robert keeping Jace entertained while we waited for our food.
Here is the River Walk. We ate at a Mexican Restaurant just along the river and had a mariachi band play for us. So good to be down South again!

Moving into the "Big Boy Bed"

2011-02-15T14:09:00.002-07:00

Now that we have another munchkin coming into our family, I thought it was a good idea to have Jace move into his new room and bed now so that he doesn't associate the new baby with taking his place in his old room. So far, he has done really well. He snuggles up with is awesome minky quilt that Grandma Stevens made him for Christmas and his Elmo doll, falls right to sleep, and doesn't wake up til morning. The entire transition has been so much easier than I thought it would be. Next step... potty training (yikes!)

A little side story of the Elmo Doll... We were flying home from San Antonio a couple weekends ago. We were pushing Jace in his stroller through the SLC airport when all of the sudden he starts screaming "Elmo, Elmo, I want Elmo!!!" We tried to ignore the Sesame Street stand but Jace started to cry as we left it behind. So..... we were suckers for our son's tears and paid the airport premium to get him the Elmo doll. I know, I know, (bad parenting move) but we had put our little man through a lot that weekend and thought he deserved a reward :)!

Another Baby On The Way!

2011-02-15T14:02:00.002-07:00

Most of our family and some of our friends already know, but I wanted to publicly announce that we are expecting another baby! We are so excited about it, especially now that morning sickness is pretty much over with. (I'm using that as my excuse for being a terrible blogger lately). The baby is due on August 11th.

New Years Eve!

2011-02-13T16:44:00.002-07:00

We spent New Years Eve with Nate's Family. Jace and his cousins got cozy watching a movie in Grandma and Grandpa's bed. It was super cute. Once the kiddos went to sleep, us parents stayed up playing games and laughing so hard that my abbs hurt the next day. Super Fun!

Christmas 2010

2011-02-09T15:42:00.003-07:00

Here are just a couple shots of Jace on Christmas morning. We spent Christmas Eve with Nate's Family (we forgot our camera that night though). We were all spoiled rotten, especially Jace. We had such a good time with all of the family visiting.

We spent Christmas morning at home. It was our first time to do this just our own family and it was kind of fun. We got Jace a rocking horse. He had seen it in Sam's every time we went and always wanted to go play with it. A couple times he could just hear the horse noises it makes and he would start to pretend rock in the middle of the aisle. Christmas morning we opened the door to his room and turned on the horse noises to wake him up. He sat up in his bed, sleepy eyed, and then jumped out and sprinted into the living room where he found his rocking horse. He then got spoiled by his other grandparents (my family) who live far away but sent him lots of gifts. He was really cute with his rocket. He was so excited about it that he wouldn't even give Nate time to pull it out of the box. He kept tugging on the handles saying "Mine, Mine!". Overall, it was such a fun experience this year to see him actually be excited about the toys and not just the wrapping paper. Thanks to all for helping us have a wonderful Christmas.

Stevens 5 First Annual Campout

2011-02-09T09:37:00.005-07:00

We went on our first family campout this summer (I am really behind on my blog posting). We love camping and here we are living in the perfect area for it. This is Mesa Falls, just a short drive away from us. It was so much fun and I am looking forward to our next campout this summer (if anyone wants to join us you are definitely welcome to).

Nate and I have very different tastes when it comes to food. Here is one example: Campfire marshmallows! I love mine burnt black and he likes his barely toasted.
This is Jace's first experience with a marshmallow. I think he enjoyed it.... who wouldn't!

His first foil dinner: He actually did like it, he was just a little skeptical to begin with.

In the spirit of Christmas...

2010-12-07T13:51:00.002-07:00

We were getting Nate some new sun glasses today and Teresa was keeping Jace entertained by putting different frames on his face. She put these glasses on him and we couldn't stop laughing. He looked just like the kid from The Christmas Story - "You'll shoot your eye out!" Way cute, I had to share. I hope this photo helps everyone to feel some Christmas joy!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T12:46:00.019-06:00

Just a random truck that had some cool Halloween graffiti art on it. Of course I had to have Jace stand up next to it for a pic. :)

We took Jace to a pumpkin patch this last week. They had a straw maze for the kids and a little train for them to ride around on. Jace had a blast.

Jace found his cousin Beckam and started giving him all of his candy. It was pretty cute :). He likes to share!

If you can't tell, Jace was a Giraffe for the Halloween festivities. Here are a few pics from his first trick-or-treating experience. He caught on fairly quickly to the idea. It only took a few times before he was the one walking up to people with his hand out asking for candy. Little Stinker!

Jace update

2010-10-19T12:35:00.002-06:00

I can't believe how fast this little man is growing up on me. He is currently in the stage of "I want to get into anything that is dangerous for me", "I like to climb up on high places", "No and Mine are my favorite words", and "I want to do everything BY MY SELF". Fun Times! And I am not just being sarcastic. They really are... This kid make me smile everyday... I love him!

Hiking the Middle in the Teton Range

2010-09-22T10:40:00.001-06:00

We hiked the Middle of the Teton Range (it is the peak on the right) this last Thursday. Nate hiked it two years ago and then the Grande last year (the peak in the middle). He talked me into training with him this summer and to be honest... I consented but did not think I would ever be in shape enough to actually hike the Middle with him. But... the more I trained the better I felt and the hike became MY goal. We kept having to push our hike date out further due to weather issues but finally had a good day on Thursday. We went with our good fried BP who knows the trail pretty well. We left our house at 2:30 a.m. and got to the trail head by 5:30 a.m.. We listened to the elk bugle and watched the sun rise as we hiked up. It was an amazing view. We saw 7 deer and elk and a couple of other animals. A good chunk of the hike is full of large boulders that you have to hop (which is very pleasant for the knees). Towards the end there is a pretty steep assent to summit. I am not usually afraid of heights but this really freaked me out. We also had gusts of wind of up to 75 mph... that was probably my least favorite part about the hike. We reached summit at 2:00 p.m.. Watched the sunset and listened to the elk bugle as we descended and got back to the car at 8:30 p.m.. It was 15 hours of constant hiking. (The guys can do the hike a lot faster than that but I slowed them down. They were very patient with me and I thank them for that.) It was a wonderful and miserable :) experience all at the same time. We got back home at midnight and I have been "in recovery" ever since.

Here is our little hiker once we got home. There is nothing better than coming home to this little guy!

First Cello Recital

2010-09-05T10:49:00.002-06:00

I had my first recital a few weeks ago. Overall it went pretty well. It is interesting to learn an instrument as an adult. This picture shows more of the adult section of our group but the majority are little kids. It just feels funny to be playing in a group with mostly young children that are much more talented than I am with their instruments... makes me feel a little out of place. It is never too late to start though and I am really enjoying it.

A day in the sun!

2010-07-10T22:27:00.010-06:00

This pool was just perfect for Jace's first experience. Thank you Andrew for your thoughtful gift!
He was a bit afraid of the bigger pool, it took him a while to warm up to it... He never did like the dolphin spraying water in his face... maybe when he is older.

My boys mowing the lawn!

Road trip to Swan Valley

2010-07-10T22:02:00.005-06:00

Check out Jace's face in this one. Ever since he turned one, he has developed quite the attitude. He mad-dogs people like crazy. It is a look of disgust almost. It cracks me up!

While Paula was visiting, her and Nate took a motorcycle ride to Swan Valley (Jace and I followed behind in the car). We stopped at the falls and then had a Sunday picnic dinner.

4th of July

2010-07-10T21:42:00.008-06:00

I love the 4th of July around here. This city is so festive! And... thanks to good ol' Frank who likes to share his wealth, we have awesome fireworks. We had a blast with lots of family and friends. Jace actually stayed awake the entire time... quite amazing for him. Our new word for sparklers is "sprinklers". Not because Jace says it that way but because Nate says it that way! He came home on the day of the 4th and said "I bought sprinklers for tonight." and I said..."why on earth did you buy sprinklers?" and he of course meant to say sparklers but now we get to make fun of him for years to come!

Jace's first Birthday!

2010-07-10T17:22:00.021-06:00

He is Mr. Cool at his "after party".

He was very hesitant to dig in and once he did, he was very proper and wanted to stay clean. Thats my little boy!
I wish I was one of those awesome mothers that can make a birthday cake into some really cool animal or theme... but that is just not one of my talents... so Jace got a regular ol' cake with a tractor on top.
Proud parents of our little one year old!

As you can see from the pictures, Jace was spoiled rotten for his Birthday! Thanks to everyone who love him so much. You might have noticed the green wand in his hand at all moments... it was a dollar store buy and of course it was his favorite.

Look who's turning 1!

2010-06-16T12:58:00.008-06:00

Here are the most recent pictures I've taken of Jace. I can't believe he will be one year old next week. He is growing up too fast! He is getting really close to walking. He can take about three steps on his own before he falls. He is such a funny kid. Lately he wont eat anything I give him until he smells it first and determines it is o.k.. He cracks me up and melts my heart!

Yikes! Hair!

2010-04-15T14:22:00.003-06:00

So... Have you ever had one of those moments where you just want something different with your hair and you think "I could probably cut my hair myself... just the bangs should be fine." I can't even count how many times I have done this in my life and I still haven't learned my lesson. I totally messed up my hair the other day and now I have to get some professional help to fix my crooked and way too short bangs.

P.S. I also tried to cut Jace's hair for the second time in his life and he ended up with a very much not intended buzz cut (for the second time in his life). So what??? I am not a hair stylist. I guess that means I should stop trying to cut my own hair! :)

Jace's first crawl! It's official and we are scared!

2010-04-13T11:09:00.003-06:00

Jace started crawling a little over a week ago. We were a bit foolish to be happy about this! The kid is all over the place now and into EVERYTHING! He is having fun though. I think it is funny how, if it is not something that can harm him, he wants nothing to do with it... He thinks the dogs toys are much cooler than his toys... And dog food and lotion taste much better than anything mommy tries to feed him. FUN TIMES!

First Driving Lesson

2010-04-05T16:19:00.003-06:00

Jace~ loving his cap and feeling like a real man!

2010-03-10T14:21:00.005-07:00

Teething is turning him into a BEAR!

2010-02-22T10:53:00.002-07:00

If you look closely... you can see that Jace has quite a few teeth that have come in. He has a total of 6 now. The poor kid is just miserable with pain some days which makes it tons of fun for mommy and daddy!

Learning new skills....

2010-02-14T10:48:00.002-07:00

Another trip to Salt Lake City

2010-02-13T08:01:00.004-07:00

My best friend of many many years (Ana) was in Utah so we drove to Salt Lake and met her and her husband for lunch. It was so good to see her even if it was just a short visit.

Jace loves swimming. We finally got him some little swim trunks so he wasn't just sporting his speedo swimmer diaper!

A Christmas Post: just a little late

2010-02-11T10:59:00.005-07:00

I know we are way past Christmas but it took me a while to get these pictures off of a friends camera. Jace played little baby Jesus in our church's Christmas Nativity. He was so good. He didn't cry at all... he just lay on the straw and cooed, looked around, and would kick his feet up every once in a while. It was way cute!

2010-02-01T12:50:00.003-07:00

Jace was so tired while he was eating the other day. He had the cutest sleepy expression on his face that I just had to snap a picture!

Even though I am not always the biggest fan of the cold.... I have found it to be very beautiful at times. The other morning I walked outside and we had freezing fog. It crystallizes ice on every branch of every tree and plant. It was a little white wonderland!

I have such a sweet husband!

2010-01-21T14:25:00.002-07:00

One of Nate's many talents is that he picks out the best gifts. This is both good and bad for me... good because I get awesome gifts... and bad because I can never find a gift for him to compare.

This Christmas Nate rented me a cello and signed me up for lessons. I have always LOVED the sound of a cello but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would play one! I am so NOT musical. So far I am really enjoying the learning process and feel so thankful to my wonderful hubby for this awesome gift.

6 months ~ He is just a miniature man!

2010-01-07T18:32:00.004-07:00

A few nuances: 6 months

2010-01-07T09:58:00.007-07:00

Jace turned six months old on Christmas day. He weighs 16.5 lb. He is in the 35th% for his weight and 95th% for his length (he is one long dude!). He is sitting up and rolling all over the place. He made out like a bandit for Christmas thanks to wonderful grandparents (Christmas pics will be posted later).

Standing up to one of his new toys from Christmas. This surprised me a bit because he has never really been able to stand up without someone holding him.

We started Jace on cereal so we got him a new booster seat. It is a bit hard to feed him because he is constantly leaning over to get that darn velcro strap on the side.

Jace had a terrible cold for about a week. He was miserable! This was the first smile we had seen out of him in days. He is doing much better now.... almost completely over it.

Thanksgiving in AZ

2009-12-04T12:19:00.006-07:00

We met up with all of my family in AZ for Thanksgiving. We spent most of the time at my grandma's house in Southeast AZ and then a couple of days in Phoenix.

We visited a small town I grew up in. Mostly farmers as you can tell. I thought these two tractors were pretty cool.... a low rider and a two wheeler! Also (this is kink of funny) when we went to church on Sunday, we were the only ones not wearing cowboy boots and... the sacrament... we had jalapeno bread... Awesome!
Only in Phoenix can you go swimming at this time of year.

We went hiking at a place called Wonderland of Rocks. Jace loved it! He squealed and laughed the whole time. I think he liked the breeze in his face.

4 Months Old ~ We love our little Pumpkin-Eater!

2009-10-27T12:56:00.011-06:00

So... I've been thinking about becoming a Super-Model....

Ummm... Can someone get this dog off the set. I'm pretty sure mommy only wants a picture of ME!
Good Girl Philli!O.k. Philli, you can have your own photo shoot!

I have a new Grandma!

2009-10-13T12:22:00.004-06:00

Grandpa George got remarried this last weekend. Welcome to the family Jean!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary

2009-10-13T11:37:00.008-06:00

We went on a mini-road trip to Salt Lake to celebrate our two year anniversary. It was so much fun to be together and not have any responsibilities to worry about.... no work... no house chores... no commitments! It was wonderful! We ate more than any sensible person should ever eat, and just had fun with Jace the rest of the time.

Jace looked so tiny and adorable in the big hotel bed.

This was dinner at Rodizio's. Those Brazilian's sure do know how to bring on the meat!

We had dinner at The Roof. Great food and great view of the Temple. Nate had flowers delivered to me at the table. Such a sweetie!

This was lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. It was the only meal over the entire weekend that Jace slept through. Usually Nate and I had to take turns eating while the other would bounce Jace.

What a cute driver we had!

Another Photo Shoot of Jace

2009-10-02T15:00:00.010-06:00

Jace's shirt and shoes are actually his Grandpa Stevens' from when he was a baby. Cool!

Big, bright eyes and long lashes. Once again... WHAT A STUD!

So we have the hardest time getting Jace to smile when we are pointing the camera at him. He gets distracted by the big lens in his face and gives us nothing but blank stares. I decided to think outside of the box today and sat him down in front of the mirror. He loves this and is all smile as he looks at himself.

Happy 30th Birthday Nate!!!!

2009-09-22T18:11:00.005-06:00

Happy 30th Nate! You are so loved! May you have another year full of good memories and new accomplishments!
Even after 30 years, Nate is still a kid at heart. Hence the legos on top of the cake.
Making a cake is no "piece of cake". Sure it seems simple enough when serving it out of the same pan that it is baked in, but it was actually really hard for me to get it out of the pan and stack one cake on top of the other and keep it in one piece. I am sure you pros are great at this but this was my first time. I went through multiple cake mixtures and ended up with a huge container full of cake crumbles in the end. The cake finally turned out after I called my sister to find out what the secret was. Thanks Paula!

Pics of Nate's hike up the Grand.

2009-09-15T15:39:00.012-06:00

The repel down.
Shadow of the Middle and the Grand on Table Rock.

Nate with friends, Mac and BP. Finally at the top.
Nate standing by the seal of the summit.

1800 feet of roped in rock climbing.

Table Rock in background.

Nate hiked the Grand Teton on 9-11-09

2009-09-15T15:32:00.003-06:00

Nate trained all year for this and he finally accomplished his goal of hiking the Grand Teton. He did it all in one day, starting the trail at about 2:50 a.m., reaching the summit at about 1:00 p.m., and finishing at about 8:00 p.m. This picture was taken from down below about the same time Nate reached the summit. SO PROUD OF HIM!!!!!!!

Family Vacation in Lincoln City, Oregon

2009-09-09T10:39:00.007-06:00

View from our beach house.

Nate and bro's on skim board.
Don and Teresa planned and executed a wonderful family vacation. We all met up in Lincoln City, Oregon and had a great time on the beach. We had fun on the skim boards (it was hilarious to see everyone falling on their faces!), flew kites, ate some great sea food, shopped in the cute local stores, and spent the evenings relaxing in the hot tub at our beach house.

2009-09-09T10:34:00.001-06:00

So... just consider us the luckiest parents ever! Jace sleeps 6 to 8 hours straight every night. Are we spoiled or what?

Jace 2 1/2 months

2009-09-09T10:20:00.004-06:00

What a STUD!!!!

2009-09-08T15:09:00.002-06:00

Great Grandpa George came to visit. Jace loved him! Grandpa sure does know how to soothe the babies!

2009-09-08T15:02:00.002-06:00

This is Roberta's sister, Paula, who came to visit from Phoenix. The woman is Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker put together and we adore her!

More Blessing Pictures

2009-09-08T13:59:00.006-06:00

Here are a few more pictures from Jace's baby blessing. Thanks again to all of our family and friends who came to celebrate.

Stevens Look-alike Meter

2009-09-01T12:58:00.002-06:00

So I am not so sure this look alike meter really works because everyone that looks at Jace tells me that he looks exactly like Nate. I will have to try it again with an updated picture of Jace.

2009-08-06T10:42:00.004-06:00

Here is our little guy at 6 weeks old. He had his baby blessing this last Sunday. We had a lot of family and friends come to support him. We got lucky and he slept through the blessing. No screaming for this baby!

Forgotten Little Philli

2009-07-16T17:50:00.004-06:00

Poor Philli! We spoiled her so rotten that it has been a bit traumatic for her to share us with another baby. The first few days home with Jace she would just sit in the corner of the room and watch us from a distance. She is starting to adjust now, although you can still tell she is jealous and hurting for attention. Hopefully, when Jace gets older, he will give her all the attention she wants and more!

The Chin!

2009-07-16T17:37:00.002-06:00

If anyone is wondering where Jace got his clef chin from... Here it is! Grandpa Stevens was shot in the chin by an Indian when he was a young boy. The arrow pierced him so deeply that the mark has now shown up on his posterity! (Actually, Jace had it coming to him from both sides of the family. There is no way the kid could have avoided it. Not that he would have wanted to. We think it is cute! Grandpa Stevens says it is a heck of a hard thing to shave though!)

3 weeks

2009-07-16T17:18:00.005-06:00

Wow! Three weeks old! It is crazy how fast the time has gone by and CRAZY how fast this kiddo is growing. Each day we notice new growth and changes. Jace still sleeps most of the time but he is so much fun. Nate and I spend hours just staring at him! We love our little guy!

One Week Old

2009-07-02T22:09:00.008-06:00

It is hard to believe that Jace is already one week old. He is one sleepy little guy. Our first few days with him we could hardly get him to wake up to eat. Of course that is different now. Now he just wants to eat all of the time and take cat naps between feedings. He is so much fun though and we love him to pieces!

First day home from hospital

2009-07-02T22:08:00.002-06:00

Daddy and Jace

2009-07-02T22:02:00.002-06:00

Nate is such a good dad! He is so loving and careful with Jace. And... believe it or not, he has been changing lots of poopy diapers. If that isn't love, I don't know what is!

Day 2

2009-07-02T21:58:00.001-06:00

The nurses at the hospital can swaddle a baby like nobody's business! Nate and I have yet to swaddle Jace in a way that he can't bust out of.

Day 1

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Hours After birth

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Minutes After Birth

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Jace Arden Stevens was born, June 25th, at 12:06 a.m.. He weighed a wopping 9 pounds 7 ounces and was 22 inches long.

Baby's room is finally put together!

2009-06-18T12:23:00.008-06:00

If it wasn't for Roberta's huge belly, you wouldn't have even known that the Stevens' were expecting a baby a week ago. Yes we waited until the last minute to purchase everything and put the room together. It is all finished though! Nate spent hours putting the crib and changing table together. Roberta painted the art work on the wall, and the beautiful quilt on the wall is the work of Teresa Stevens. Thanks to everyone who gave us gifts to help us get ready for our baby. Especially.... Thank you to Nate's parents, Don and Teresa, who gave us the Play Yard/Bassinet, and to Roberta's Parents, Bob and Dorothy, who gave us the stroller and car seat. Without the help of our parents, our baby wouldn't have a way to get home from the hospital nor a place to sleep once he got home. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Roberta in her fullest glory!

2009-06-18T12:16:00.002-06:00

We are just days away from the due date and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little boy. We still don't have a name picked out but we did get his car seat and a place for him to sleep set up just this last weekend. We are ready!

Any recommendations for purchases?

2009-04-23T11:18:00.003-06:00

We are down to the last two months before our baby boy comes, and we are starting to think about all of the things we need to purchase to get ready. Please give us ideas of any products or brands that you have really liked as far as baby stuff goes (diapers, bottles, toys, activity equipment, etc...). We want to hear some opinions before we start purchasing so let us know what you think!

I feel like a ginormous cow!

2009-03-24T15:10:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics for all of the family and friends that live far away and have been requesting to see the baby bump. Even though I look at other pregnant women and think they are the cutest things ever, most days I just feel like a huge cow and get depressed. Nate made a rule that I am no longer aloud to call myself fat and that I have to tell myself I am beautifully pregnant. I have somehow managed to turn "beautifully pregnant" into a derogatory phrase so his rule isn't really working :) The part that scares me the most is that I still have three more months to grow!

2009-02-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

We are having a baby!

2009-01-16T16:59:00.001-07:00

Interested in pregnancy? Read about pregnancy symptoms
and find baby names.
Interested in parenting tips?
Upload baby photos and learn about breastfeeding.

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-03T15:40:00.002-07:00

The snow is piling up high already! Nate has been getting his workout again while shoveling our driveway. Our lights are pretty simple this year but we had fun putting them up and have enjoyed being a little festive.

Christmas here we come!!!!!

2009-01-03T15:29:00.003-07:00

We decided to be smart this year and put up our Christmas lights before it got too cold. It was still chilly but nothing compared to what followed shortly after. Thanks to our neighbors who gave us the idea to put the lights up early!

Congratulations Roberta!!!!

2009-01-03T15:19:00.002-07:00

After 7 and 1/2 long years of going to school, Roberta finally graduated! Her family came up from Texas and Arizona to support her which was super cool of them. Graduation has been a goal of hers for a long time and now she has finally accomplished it.

2009-01-03T15:16:00.002-07:00

This is a lighthouse on the North shore of Kauai. Just another one of the cool sites.

2009-01-03T15:10:00.002-07:00

We rented a Jeep while in Hawaii. It was fun to cruise around with the top off and we used it to help get us into some hiking areas in the canyon.

Nepali Coast

2009-01-03T15:05:00.001-07:00

We hiked along the Nepali Coast until we got to a 300 ft waterfall. The hike was long and difficult but well worth it. It was one of the most beautiful sites we had ever seen.

Hawaii!

2009-01-03T14:58:00.002-07:00

We went to Hawaii to celebrate our anniversary. We spent most of our time on the island of Kauai but also took a day trip to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor. Roberta had morning sickness the whole time but we still had a blast and it was an amazing trip.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!!!!!

2009-01-03T14:51:00.002-07:00

Believe it or not, we had our one year anniversary on October 13th! We can't believe how fast time has flown by. We also found out on the day of our anniversary that Roberta is pregnant! We are so happy and excited about it!

2009-01-03T14:30:00.002-07:00

We planted pumpkins in the garden. We were told to pull some of the plants early on so that we could have bigger pumpkins. We got greedy though and thought "Why pull up some of the plants??? We want as many pumpkins as we can get!" We ended up with about 30 small pumpkins! We had no idea what to do with them all. Next year, we will follow the very wise advice we were given and hopefully get some bigger pumpkins.

Way to go Nate!

2009-01-03T14:22:00.002-07:00

Nate hiked the Middle Grand of the Tetons all in one day! He trained all summer long for it and I am so proud of him. His goal for next summer is the Grand.

2009-01-03T14:13:00.002-07:00

This is a small waterfall that we took a picture of on one of our bike rides to Swan Valley.

2009-01-03T13:56:00.002-07:00

It has been a long time since we have posted anything so we have a lot to catch up on. We bought a motorcycle this summer! It is a Yamaha Virago. It rocks! It cut our gas cost in half and we also had a blast cruising to some beautiful areas. We have decided to become hippies, riding around on our bike and taking pictures of waterfalls :).

2008-07-26T13:06:00.003-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Stevens gave us some raspberry starts. We weren't supposed to get any fruit until next year but SURPRISE! They came early!

Our garden that we have been working so hard on

2008-07-26T12:16:00.002-06:00

We planted late and weren't even sure we were going to get anything out of our garden this year. We are first timers!

2008-07-26T12:10:00.002-06:00

Roberta's parents, sister Paula, and good friend Sarita, came to visit over 4th of July weekend. We went to Craters of the Moon and had a good time hiking through the caves. The fireworks in IF were also amazing. "The best on this side of the Mississippi!"

The Tetons

2008-07-26T12:06:00.001-06:00

The Tetons from the air. We are hiking this mountain soon!

2008-07-26T11:59:00.001-06:00

Warbird's Cafe

2008-07-26T11:54:00.001-06:00

2008-07-26T11:45:00.001-06:00

2008-07-26T11:41:00.000-06:00

Beautiful view of Idaho from the air!

Out to lunch!

2008-07-26T11:31:00.002-06:00

Our good friend, Tom, invited us to go out to lunch with him. He has his pilot's license so he rented a plane and flew us to Driggs where we had a great lunch at the Warbird's Cafe! The whole experience was amazing and Nate even got to fly the plane for a little bit!

Moraine Lake

2008-05-26T18:39:00.002-06:00

This is Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. We found it on a list of "things you need to see before you die", so we made sure to stop by and admire the beauty. We can check this one off the list!

Traveling Buddies!

2008-05-26T18:30:00.002-06:00

Our traveling buddies are our good friends from Phoenix, Skip and Soni. Although Nate and Skip have a long history of taking trips together, this is our second year as married couples to vacation together. We had tons of fun and we are already starting to plan our next trip.

Hello Canada!

2008-05-26T18:21:00.002-06:00

We just got back from a weekend trip to Canada. It was our first time there and we had a blast. We stayed in Canmore and made a special trip into Banff National Park.

2008-05-11T15:56:00.000-06:00

This is the kite that Nate gave Roberta for Mother's Day. Actually, I take that back. The card said that it was from our puppy, Philli. She is such a sweety! We spent the afternoon out flying. It rocked!

We have a few new things going on lately. Nate just finished a Project Management Professionals class, and he will be taking his test for certification at the end of this month. His national security clearance investigation has really taken off. We have been getting calls from old friends saying an investigator hunted them down to ask some questions about Nate. We are hoping it will complete soon so that he can get his clearance.

Roberta started school again in April. She makes the commute to BYU-I everyday and is still working part time. She was awarded an academic scholarship for this semester and next. She is studying hard!

Now that the snow has melted, we are spending lots of time outside working on our landscaping. We just finished getting all of the weeds out of our enormously large garden. We are having fun planting flowers and trees. Yeah... Yeah... we are getting all domesticated. :)

2008-05-11T15:32:00.000-06:00

Nate bought me a kite for Mother's Day. This one is not it. I had to practice flying this foil kite before I could even try mine. We were both afraid that I would break my new kite on the first try with this Idaho wind!

Philli

2008-05-11T15:06:00.000-06:00

Its a girl!!!! We are the proud parents of a beautiful little puppy. Her name is Philli. She is a little bigger now but still as cute as ever. She is our entertainment. We watch her for hours and just laugh at everything she does. She is quite the looker. She has even picked up a boyfriend named Reggie.

Our New Home! Check out our snow!

2008-02-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the moment you have all been waiting for! We are finally posting a picture of our new home. We just closed on Friday so it is officially ours! Poor Nate gets a workout every day when he shovels our driveway. Check out how long that thing is!