Flash

Happy Birthday sweetheart!!!! Today is your very first birthday. One year ago today I was holding you in my arms for the first time. One year ago today I still remember your dad leaning over and whispering to me, "This is the closest to Gods we can get, we created life". What a miraculous day that was. And what a miraculous and awe inspiring past year this has been. I was told quite often to treasure every moment because you would be grown in the blink of an eye, I didn't believe all those people, until now.
It seems in a flash you went from being a baby, my tiny little bundle of feet and fingers and wrinkled parts and have quickly become this sweet, thoughtful, funny, loving, curious, most amazing little guy. One part daddy, one part mommy, but so many parts just you.
This past year has been the best of my life. We have such a special bond and I love waking up to your sweet face every morning. From 7lbs 11oz to 23(ish) lbs, (you don't have your 1 year appointment until next week) you have grown so much. Mama and daddy have grown too; We are much better people because you are in our lives. You are the center of my world sweet boy and I will love you for all the years of your life, and beyond. But nothing can replace this first year.
Everyday has been a new adventure. I have loved watching you grow and develop. It seems you learn something new each day. I hope you never lose your sense of curiosity and you never stop learning. I love your smile, and your laughter. It brings so much warmth and light to our family. Seeing the world through your eyes and perspective makes the world come alive, and seem brand new again.
I am so grateful Heavenly Father has entrusted you to our family. I hope and pray I can be an example of righteousness and teach you not only the things of this world, but most importantly, the things of this gospel. I hope you'll always know how much you are loved, not only by us, your parents, but even more so, by Heavenly Father and Jesus.
One year. One magical, wonderful, life-altering year.
Happy birthday Kaleb. How lucky we are that this is just one - another incredible first - of so many more yet to come.

Love you forever,
Ma-ma-ma

One-der-ful

When kids hit 1 year old, it's like hanging out with a miniature drunk. You have to hold onto them. They bump into things. They laugh and cry. They urinate. They vomit. - Johnny Depp

Kaleb has been getting better each day that goes by at standing on his own for longer periods of time. He seems to want to take a step, then re-thinks what that would entail. He'll quickly sit down and crawl.

I've been wanting to get a picture of him standing. He sits down so quickly, and not having a sports mode on our camera the pictures ware all fuzzy. Here is the best attempt. Kaleb break dancing.

Today was a sun-filled day at the beach celebrating the life of a one year old. He's been out in this world longer than a round ball in my stomach.
We are so grateful to those friends who could come out to help us celebrate Kaleb's first birthday (a few days early).

It ended up being in the high 80's and a perfect day. Jake and I got there early to stake out a fire pit. They are a high commodity item, most people hold their spot for 10 hours or more before actually needing it. We had quite a few people ask us if we were staying the whole day. Just long enough for roasted hot dogs, marshmallows, and string cheese. What more could one want, a hot fire on a hot day at the beach - makes sense, right? I must say though, the best way to enjoy a hot dog is fire roasted, it just doesn't get any better than that!
I FINALLY got the s'mores I've been craving since our family camping trip. The wind was too strong for us to have a fire then so I've been staring at that bag of marshmallows ever since - mmm -

Kaleb did so well for not having a nap all day. He loved playing in the sand, and eating it. The first thing he did when we got there was pick up the charcoal bits littering the ground and not only eat one, but smear it all over his face and body. As our friend Tanya commented, 'he looks like a chimney sweep'. I must agree fully with that statement. He was as black as I've ever seen him, and loving every minute of it.

Kaleb loved the cupcake we gave him. Jake wisely said nothing when he looked a the cupcakes I made, but, I was proud of them! I dyed the cream cheese frosting blue, added a bit of crushed graham crackers on one side to represent sand. The best part, I found gummy sharks and stuck one in the middle of each cupcake. What can I say, it's a girl thing. Jake didn't see the point of even frosting them. He was sure glad I added that frosting though...even if it was blue. Kaleb devoured that cake as quick as can be. As our friend Bryan said, he not only ate it, he was nursing it. We've started a sweet tooth lover early.

Kaleb loves water. He has since his first bath (well, he might have screamed at the very first one in the hospital). He loves lakes, swimming pools, buckets of water, etc. The ocean is no exception. If we hadn't held on to him every second he would have been head down conquering those waves. Thankfully the fire pits are a bit away from the water so we didn't have to worry until we actually took him down to the water. He loved it when the waves came and soaked him, giggling for more.

We stuck Kaleb in the bath as soon as we got home. Hosed him off with the shower head first and he still turned his bath water gray. After Jake was done showering and it was my turn there was a thick gray ring coating the sides and bottom of the tub. I'm assuming that means today was a good fun day.

Here's a shloo of pictures, just a few highlights of a perfect way to spend a summer day with family and friends.

Hmmm, I looked this way when we were at the beach a year ago - how interesting.
















































I don't know if we'll be able to do much on Kaleb's actual birthday on the 30th. I do have some presents for him to open so I think we'll just do a quick but of present opening after I get home from work, right before Kaleb goes to bed. Sounds exciting huh?
I'm sure I'll take pictures and be posting again in a few days.
For now, we are all worn out and ready for a good nights rest.

My tribute to my father.

This is Jake chiming in. I wanted to publicly post my appreciation for my father. My dad has given me more than he will ever know. He worked so hard to make sure me and my siblings had everything we needed and a lot of what we wanted. He would work long hours both at work and on the side to make ends meet and also to supply us with great trips, outings, and vacations. But even more than that, he instilled in me a sense of hard work, duty to my beliefs, and responsibility to my family. I love hearing myself using the sayings my dad would use, sounding just like him. He taught me much about the world and what joy we can have living in it. He taught me the gospel, and helped me gain my own understanding of it. And now as I have a family of my own, the sense of responsibility that he showed in taking care of his family make so much more sense. I will strive to be as good of a father as you were to me. I love you Dad.

-Jake

My Daddy is my Favorite Pal

Like mother's day this father's day means quite a bit more when you have your own kids to share it with.
I am so grateful for Jake and the wonderful daddy that he is - or da-da-da -
I asked Jake what his favorite part about being a dad is and he told me, "the smile that lights up Kaleb's face when I get home"
Here I have been dealing with this kid all day but as soon as his daddy walks in the door - forget mom, I want dad! You can see the love Kaleb has for his dad, it is an incredible thing to witness.

I also want to say how grateful I am for my own dad. My dad has taught me so much about life, and especially this gospel. Through his example he showed me what kind of guys I wanted to date, and eventually marry. I am the youngest of 8 kids, and marvel at my dad's patience and strength that I'm sure was stretched thin more times than not.
I want my dad to know how grateful I am that he embraced the gospel in his life. I'm so grateful he listened to those missionaries who taught him the truths of this gospel. I am so blessed that I was raised in a gospel oriented home, and had the best examples to follow for how I wanted to live my life.
My dad has taught me so much, aside from "life's tough then you die" - He taught me the value of hard work and persevering. My dad has pretty much always been an entrepreneur, starting up a few different businesses that were a great success. I have so many memories, although I was fairly young, of the pool business. Sitting behind my dad's desk with a bag of toys, or swimming in my underwear in the hot tubs out in the showroom. The many summers (and winters) we spent in our own backyard pool, despite there being no heated water. In winter we would use the pool for sledding, creating a starting point usually from our picnic table down the slope to the deep end. I can still remember the rule for swimming, especially if you were a neighbor. You had to pick weeds (was it for an hour?). I don't know how often or successfully he got away with that one.
I have so many memories of our numerous family trips. A lot of camping trips. My dad may have had 6 girls but we all learned to love the outdoors and dirt more than being "pretty". We learned many important survival skills - like the fact that MRE's can be warmed up on the hood of a car sitting in the sun.
It is only recently that I have come to realize how truly grateful I am for my dad and his example in my life. I have been so blessed to have the best parents have.
I LOVE YOU DAD!

On to fun...pictures...
Do you realize how hard it is to get a picture of a babies teeth?


Although nothing is visible we believe he is working on getting some more pearly whites in. He is chewing on everything. The flat surface of a wall, fridge, dishwasher, etc. Or, the firebox safe...
With his nose pressed flat up against something, or however he can, he will get to the object of his fancy. I love hanging out with this kid all day, he is quite entertaining and amusing.

Happy Father's Day to our dads and grandpas - you have all been such a huge influence in our lives. Thank you for your love and support. We truly are so blessed to have such amazing men to look to as an example in our lives.

Seeing the Everyday

There isn't much to post about from this week (unless you want to be as excited with me as I am that I managed to get through the 3 hour glucose test without throwing up on any poor unsuspecting people).
I decided to post some pictures of Kaleb...

Kaleb is getting so close to walking. He can walk holding on to our hands, or rolling objects, and will stand for a few unassisted seconds. As soon as he realizes he is on his own, or we're trying to make him walk, he quickly sits down and goes back to crawling. I know, no matter what I'll be carrying two babies around in a few months. It might be a bit easier if Kaleb was walking, then again, maybe not, then I would have to chase him around more.

Kaleb is getting a lot more talkative, and in some ways, easier to understand. He is understanding more of what we are saying to him. It's fun to see his growth and development. It seems to progress so rapidly everyday. He is really good at communicating; momma, dadda, and "no, I don't want that!" (through hand gestures and shaking of head).

He has been sleeping through the night since our trip to Utah (yeah!). I will still occasionally hear him in the middle of the night, but ofttimes it's just him talking to himself or a few simple moans. He is still a very wiggly and noisy sleeper...hmm, that sounds like his daddy.

He has two bottom teeth and doesn't seem to be working on any others. Although, he won't ever let us near his mouth (unless we have food in our hand), so we can't ever check.
He is also starting to gain more control over his body and all the wonderful things it can do. This includes clapping, or grabbing our thumbs and helping us clap. He still isn't very interested in using silverware, and would much rather see the bottom of a bowl rather than what's inside; this means dumping the food out, but that is half the fun, right?

Kaleb is learning more about how things work, and the world around him. More interested in pushing buttons, flipping switches, and pulling cords. This has been such a joy to watch as he discovers some new phenomenon. Fans are fascinating, unplugging, and plugging in objects (especially a nightlight) is awesome. His favorite part about bath time, is watching the water swirl down the drain. He has just discovered the water in the toilet after it is flushed - oooh - we have to remember to keep the lid closed. He also discovered the amazing toilet paper that unravels when you spin it, time to shut the door.
For all his discoveries he still has a major dislike for the vacuum and hand mixer.

He is such a good kid and is generally happy-go-lucky. Always ready with a quick smile and an infectious laugh. We are so blessed to have him in our family and can't believe he is almost a year old. He makes life, wonderful, complete, and full of, well, life.
This is a day in the life of a crazy, fun lovin', blue eyed 1 year old.

This is how he chills as he eats.

Look mom, no hands!

Buttons and switches - oh my!

"Helping" mom with the dishes. Or rather, dumping out all the dirty silverware that I had just loaded. Or dumping the clean silverware and dishes on the floor is even more fun.

Ignoring the fact that Kaleb is playing with knives (hey, at least they are only butter knives). I love how the simplest things give Kaleb such entertainment and joy. Like pulling all the 'ABC' magnets off the fridge and dropping them on the floor.

Family Memories

Last week we had the opportunity to drive to UT for a whirlwind, but always fun trip. It seems like the trip 'home' is never long enough, but the drive always too long.
I am a huge family person and would love nothing better than to live in one big house with everyone (okay, maybe not - scratch that) But, close enough for those impromptu Sunday dinners, and no reason, just because, get-togethers. I get sad sometimes when I realize our kids won't grow up having what Jake and I had, a hoard of family that is always right there. I realize though that even being able to only take 2-3 trips to UT every year still creates the family memories, and the family bond that I loved growing up with. I am so grateful we still live as close as we do, at least we're on the same continent, and on the same half of the U.S.
I know this is where we are supposed to be, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm glad we get to create our own special family memories. I am grateful for the opportunities we have to grow closer to each other as we rely on each other for everything.
Don't know where all that came from - I've just been so nostalgic lately realizing how much I love my family. Everyone - but, especially how grateful I am to have Jake and Kaleb and baby soon to be - I am so blessed!
Thank you to everyone for this past week, it was so much fun!
I'll stop the yadda, yadda business and get on to the fun - pictures. I don't have that many pictures, and I will blame it on our camera, I love having a camera (thank you Shawna and Matt) but, well, it really doesn't take the greatest pictures. (see, you can always blame everything on something else)
We packed our car Friday night with an abundance of everything, (we might need to start using the top of our car luggage rack soon). The problem was that we were basically packing for three trips in one so it was hard to fit it all, but, we managed, and only had to leave a few things behind, which was fine, because we ended up not needing any of it.
Saturday: We planned on leaving by 4AM but Jake couldn't peel himself out from under the covers when that alarm went off at 3:30 - since he was the driver I wasn't about to push and shove, I needed him happy and awake (as much as possible) We were out the door by 5AM though, so, not too bad. Kaleb did so well and only had a few melt-downs (understood). We stopped in St. George to visit grandma and grandpa Stevens, and to take a bit of a break. Kaleb couldn't crawl fast enough, or wiggle enough. He was so excited to be out of his carseat he just crawled in circles, with no purposeful place to go, just wanted to move. After about an hour we got on the road again and went straight through to our destination - mom and dad's. Hailey and Raygan and already arrived earlier that day by airplane...can't understand why they wouldn't want to drive from TN - sheeze! It was so good to see everyone, and bump Buddha baby bellies with Hailey. It just occurred to me, this is going to be Jake's first biological nephew (if you aren't counting Scofield one's) Yeah for babies!
Sunday: We went to church, and took up an entire bench. Afterward we drove to grandpa and grandma Mc's for the traditional Memorial Day BBQ - although we got to eat sandwiches instead, in the garage, since the weather wasn't so fantastic. It was so fun to catch up on the whole family. Kaleb did very well around that many people (he usually doesn't) I think it was because either grandpa, or great-grandpa was holding and feeding him the whole time (seemingly) He really enjoyed sharing grandpa's strawberry shortcake.
Monday: Memorial Day! I don't recall growing up having the tradition the Stevens family has always had, but, it's fun to make it a new tradition for me. We drove around to visit different friends and family that were hanging out in the cemeteries, and to pay our respects by leaving them a pot of flowers. We met everyone for lunch at Tony's - can't beat Tony's for pizza!
We didn't get to visit as many cemeteries since Kaleb was getting to his extremely done with everything, point. We stopped for ice cream and then took a long, gorgeous drive around and about, letting Kaleb sleep, until we met the family at one last cemetery.
EDITED - my friend reminded me of something I left out in my already too long post. There was so much going on I knew I would forget something. After the cemetery we stopped at my friend Holly and hubby Brad's place to see their "new" baby - Josh is now 3 months old - and as cute as can be - he is so smiley and fun! Holly and I have been friends for like 18 years now, I remember we used to always say we would live next door to each other so our kids could grow up together - well, that hasn't happened (yet). We don't get to see each other very often. I'm grateful for the short visits when we can. This one was only a quick stop in before we had to get on our way. I'm glad we got to see them though.
We drove back South to visit my family at Emily and Jonny's house. Kaleb was once again excited to be out of the car and have freedom of movement, nothing, and nobody was going to stop his aimless, speedy crawling. We didn't stay long since we were both tired, and the party was pretty much wrapping up anyway.
Tuesday: Thank you to Hailey we were able to go on an actual date - WOW! She stayed with Kaleb so Jake and I could go out for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, and then we got to attend the temple -together - again, WOW! (at least we know we'll be able to go to the temple together at least 2-3 times a year)
Later in the earlier evening us girls ditched the boys and went back to grandma and grandpa Mc's for a babyshower for Hailey. There weren't that many people able to be there, but, I still thought it was a ton of fun.
Not the best picture of it, but, I made Hailey a diaper cake - much to the amusement of Jake since he couldn't figure out how I expected her to get it home (it might have also been the three huge bags of present stuff he had to load in our already overly full car).
I love making these things, I think they are so much fun!
I was going off of Hailey's original idea to do nursery rhymes in their nursery so I based it on the theme of "Hey Diddle, Diddle" (thank you to my genius sister Shawna who came up with how to get a cat in there, since all I could find cat related was Hello Kitty, and that's not so manly)

Wednesday I spent another day without Kaleb (sometimes it's nice to not be a mommy for at least a week)
I went to my sister Shawna's house, picking up Michelle and her boy Lucas. Shawna showed me how to make granola - yum! (I wish Emily could have joined us)
Just because Shawna will love her facial expression in this picture, I have added it for your enjoyment...
This is a true working momma...apron on, baby attached to the front, and dealing with tax clients on the phone, all at the same time! Women are amazing muti-taskers, if I do say so myself.


I must say, my niece Sabine is rather cute...
After Shawna's I dropped Michelle off and went to pick up Hailey so we could go shopping. Here n' there - this n' that - until home again home again.
Thursday: We left in Dad's truck with Raygan and Hailey to head South for our first annual Stevens siblings camping trip at Sand Hollow Reservoir. Mom and Dad weren't able to come due to the fact that they were busy with preparations for a youth temple celebration.
Kaleb did so well sleeping in the tent, seeing as he was crammed against the side of an air mattress and the side of the tent. I think it's time we get a bigger tent, no way is another kid fitting in our 'four' man...what were they judging the man size on anyway...Chinese women? (no offense to any Chinese women who happen to read this blog, not that I can think of any)
Friday: We enjoyed the dry heat by heading to the lake. I personally thought it was freezing (as is typical) Kaleb seemed to love it, just kicked back and relaxed.
We got him this swim flotation outfit wet suit. It makes him look like he's putting on body armor, or like a turtle popping out of his shell. He didn't complain too much, although we were all laughing at him.

He didn't seem to like being in the water with only his suit on, he wanted his throne for easier lazy bobbing.
Ahhh, this is the life...isn't it tough being a one year old?

The wind started picking up and the clouds were looking a bit black and ominous so we decided, although we had paid for and reserved two nights, that we were going to let the wind blow us out of town. No point in everyone having a miserable nights rest when grandma and grandpa were 15 minutes up the road. We packed everything up as best we could with the wind whipping us sideways. Our tent looked like someone had dumped a bucket of sand in it. Even more fun, we had left our suitcases open so even all our clean clothes were full of sand. At least our teeth were getting polished from all the sand chewing and grinding.
We stopped for pizza on our way and headed to clean showers and comfortable beds (even with Jake's legs hanging over the bottom edge)
Saturday we just hung out...Sunday mom and dad drove in to town in our car. We went to church to hear cousin Blake report on his mission to Costa Rica. It was great to see more family and hang out at Betty and Bruce's eating fresh pineapple warm from sitting in the sun.
We had to leave, but, at least our journey home was starting our quite a few hours shorter. We arrived home late Sunday night and are still shaking sand out of bags and clothes.
I'm so glad we were able to take this trip to see the family (we missed Cam but know we'll be seeing him sooner than later. Our hearts and prayers are with him, and he was there in spirit)
Until our next trip! We love you all and are so grateful that we have the best family ever!
I had another ultra-sound the day after we got back - all is well, baby is growing as he should be and weighing in at about 2 1/2 pounds. They want to do one more ultra-sound just to be sure and keep an eye on this little guy (I really think it's just to earn more money for themselves, but, hey, I won't complain, I like seeing babies growth)
P.S. Happy birthday on the 29Th to my sister Shawna, and happy birthday on the 30Th to Jake's sister Shawna (funny huh?) We love you both so much and are glad we kind of got to be there for your birthdays...although we missed the actual parties.