Stevens Family

Ferry Ride Across the Harbor

2012-03-01T20:34:00.006-08:00

We decided that we need to take more advantage of this beautiful area we currently live. So one area we had not been with the kids for a while is downtown close to the harbor. This is a really cool spot that has huge cruise line ships, navy ships, and some historic ones that look like pirate ships. Our kids loved walking next to the water and checking out these huge ships.

After checking out the ships we decided to jump on one, well actually a ferry. We jumped on the ferry from Downtown San Diego over to Coronado. It was a lot of fun as we sailed across the harbor and enjoyed the sun and views. All of our kids had a blast as well which was the goal. Once we docked in Coronado we let the kids play on the beach for a little bit before heading home.

What an incredible place we live right now!!

Dylan @ 4 Months

2012-02-25T22:24:00.001-08:00

Logan's Sling -- er -- Plastic Wrap

2012-02-25T20:27:00.004-08:00

Logan came up with this creation all on his own. After seeing how much fun Mom was having carrying Dylan in the sling Logan decided to make his own. He instantly went to work and came up with this gem below. Of coarse instead of Dylan he decided to carry around the diapers that needed to be disposed of in the trash in the garage.

Not sure what the one-eyed pirate look is about, but I'm pretty sure he is feeling the effects of a dirty diaper under his nose :)

Valentine's Activities

2012-02-25T20:02:00.004-08:00

We had fun this year during Valentine's week. First was our Ward family dance which was a blast. Then on Valentine's day we had prepared for each child to get there own plastic heart shaped bowl with all sorts of goodies. We also had a heart attack from some young women in the Ward. My kids loved seeing all of the hearts in the yard. Such a sweet idea from the activity day girls.

Visit from Grandma / Granddad and Nate

2012-01-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Grandma, Granddad, and Nate came to visit us this past weekend and we had a lot fun enjoying all sorts of activities. We enjoyed bowling, going to the Zoo, eating out, and just enjoying time together.

Here are some pics from the time together.

Brayden's Love Letters

2012-01-30T20:07:00.000-08:00

Lately we have experienced a tender mercy right before our eyes from our son Brayden. It has happened many nights when I have been away on a church assignment or for work. When Brayden notices that Camille is exhausted, having a tougher time with the kids and knowing that I am not there to help, he will write a love letter to her. It has been the sweetest thing! This little 6 year old through his perceptive mind has realized that his Mom needs a little extra love. And so he takes the time to go in a private room and make a love letter for her. I have included 2 of his love letters he has created below.

#1 This one he made as a folded card. On the front it says "Love Mome". Then on the inside it states in his best writing, "I onle (only) love you. I love you. B kus (because) I won (want) to help you with the babe (baby). I wood (would) help you with evretheing (everything)."

#2 This one is a picture he made of the two of them under the sun with 3 hearts in between them. Then above them he wrote I luv you.

Camille has been so touched. He is such a special and perceptive little boy who has truly been inspired lately. We love you Brayden.

Camille's Special Day

2012-01-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

On January 2nd we celebrated Camille's 27th birthday. I had spent the prior few weeks coordinating with friends in our Ward and our babysitter to help with the kids. I had also booked a room at La Valencia Resort in La Jolla. Since moving here I have always loved visiting this hotel and wanted to show Camille the beauty of it. This resort sits right above the La Jolla Cove and overlooks the ocean. It is an Ecolab customer so we were able to get a nice deal on a room.

So after my Sunday meetings I came home and told Camille to pack her bags because we were leaving for a overnight trip. I always love surprises so throughout our marraige I have tried to have some fun ones for Camille along the way and she has done the same for me. She was totally surprised which made it so much better. Everyone did a great job of keeping their mouths shut. It was funny because a few days before this she had told me that all she wanted for her birthday was some time alone without the kids. So I knew the thought was inspired :)

It was a blast just being together alone and with Dylan of coarse. It's funny that now with 1 kid we feel like we are alone and really enjoy it. How perspective changes once you have 4 calling for your attention. When we got to the hotel I had arranged for her to be brought a complimentary desert. It was all fancy and even said "Happy Birthday" on the plate in cursive and in chocolate. She also got a specialized card which you will see in the pictures below. We slept in, walked and held hands, and enjoyed time in La Jolla. Then the next day we woke up and I went with her on a shopping spree. If you know my wife you will know that this is the key to any successful birthday, a shopping spree. So I knew I had to nail that one. Then after several hours, or maybe just a few, we came back home to reality.

What a blast it was to take time away with just us and Dylan, of course, and celebrate Camille's birthday. She works so hard as a mother to 4 - 5 boys (me included) that she deserved some time off. Thanks to all the families who helped watch our children.

Here's our hotel surroundings and a little note from the staff for Camille

More Fun Pics

2012-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Camille's New Love

2012-01-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

That's right, I've been replaced. For what you ask, a Canon T1i camera. It doesn't talk back, it always gives Camille exactly what she wants, and makes people look their best. Apparently I can't do those things as well as the Canon T1i. I'm just kidding people, take it easy.

On a serious note, Camille has loved capturing life with this new camera that we got her for / around her birthday. Here are some of the early pictures we have loved.

Brayden's Nerd Day

2012-01-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

Brayden had dress up like a nerd day at school and we couldn't help but capture this special moment in his life.

Sea World

2012-01-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with a wonderful gift from a guy I work with for our whole family to go to Sea World for free. We had to use it before the new year, so the day after Christmas we took the whole family. It was a BUSY day at Sea World that day. We got to see all the best shows: Shamu, the Dolphin Show, Sea Lion show, and a special Christmas show. The kids enjoyed the day and we were grateful at the end of the day to be able to come home and crash.

Christmas Events

2012-01-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread Men - My mom (Grandma) had bought a bunch of gingerbread man kits for the grandkids to make their own. Then after they were done decorating them Granddad gave each of them an award. Brayden's won coolest shoes because he had focused his decorating on the feet of his gingerbread man and had added about 20 M & M's to them. Logan's won coolest face because he plastered a big clump of frosting on the face and then shoved as many M & M's in that clump as humanly possible. Connor's won coolest hawaiian dude because Camille had decorated his and put hawaiian shorts on it. They had fun with this.

Temple Lights - this is a tradition we have done each year and it was a lot of fun to go with my brothers family and children. But what this involved was a total of 7 children and 6 boys!! So between my brother Ryan, my dad, and me we had a tough time keeping up. This was especially evident when out of the corner of my eye I saw Connor's legs sticking up in the air and the other end of his body was hidden. As I was rushing over to see what had happened some innocent bystander helped pull him out. As he was coming up I noticed that he was drenched and water was flowing from his clothing. Connor had managed to fall into a 2 foot space where water was and got stuck. So needless to say that was the end of the temple lights.

Dylan Baby Blessing - It was great to be able to bless Dylan in AZ with all of my family present.

Family Parties - we had both the Curtis and Stevens family parties. Both were great and included presents, food, chimes, talent shows, etc.

Suns Game - We decided to catch a Suns game since we were in town. I took Brayden and we had a lot of fun. Granddad and Ryan with his kids, were also in attendance. They got killed but it was fun to be together and watch them again.

Puppet Show - One thing my kids had to do when we were in AZ was be in a Christmas puppet show. So they got their chance and had a blast doing it.

Making and Launching Rockets - we decided while in AZ that we were going to go get rockets and build them with our kids. So we got them, put them together, and then headed to the park to shoot them off. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it...well except for Logan. That poor boy ran away screaming from the first rocket launch and never recovered through the whole experience.

Christmas Eve / Christmas Morning - we were able to come back to San Diego for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning which was nice and quiet. Christmas eve we let our kids open their one present which is always pajamas, we set out some milk and cookies for santa, and read Luke 2. Then Christmas morning Brayden and Logan came in extremely early. It is fun to have them old enough to get so excited that they come in early. I remember as a kid having a tough time sleeping that Christmas eve night. It was different that Christmas was on Sunday this year. We opened all the presents and then had limited playing time with needing to get ready for Church. Then we were able to come home and play some more. Some of the highlight presents this year included: Adjustable basketball hoop for Brayden, Remote control cars for both of them, Logan's fireman boots, and of course Connor's balls!!

We had a blast visiting family and friends. We enjoyed staying at Ammon and Nikaela's house and the Stevens for the week. Thank you for your hospitality and all the laughter!!

Jonny's Wedding in AZ

2012-01-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas we had the opportunity to go over to Arizona and be a part of my little brother Jonathan's wedding. It was so much fun to be with the entire family and celebrate the wedding of Jonathan and Aliceia. I am so proud of my little brother and fully welcome Aliceia to our family. We had fun watching them get married, having a luncheon, and then enjoying the reception. Jonny asked if I would DJ the reception and that was a lot of fun to be a part of it. Some funny moments occurred that I had to document below. The first included Logan incessantly ensuring that he was helping carry Aliceia's dress as she walked from one conversation to the next during the reception. He is always such a great helper and just could not allow that dress to touch the ground. And then Connor, as always made it into yet another funny moment in our lives. As he was watching everyone else get their groove on during the reception he could not help himself and had to join in. So he went over and grabbed the hands of Sage, his cousin, and insisted that she dance with him. He sat there holding her hands in front of him for several minutes as the songs kept rolling on. It was hilarious!!

The Christmas Parties Begin

2011-12-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

We are still two weeks away from Christmas but the craziness has BEGUN!!! Not only is the present buying madness in full swing but the multiple Christmas parties have arrived as well... This weekend we were able to participate in 3 different parties.

One was a work party at our community center clubhouse, another was a white elephant friend party, and the last was our ward party. It was a crazy weekend but a ton of fun!! It is a great time of year and especially enjoying it with friends and family.

The Ward Party was fun. There was a station where all the little kids could make crafts. Logan is getting ready to make some above and Connor is proudly showing off his reindeer craft he made.

Here is our work party at our clubhouse. It was a great setting. We had room to enjoy conversation, plenty to eat, and even pool tables, ping pong table, and foosball table. It was a good time except for the fact that I had to host and give a speech at the end :)

Lastly, at the Ward party the kids got a chance to sit on Santa's lap. They all rattled off their list and got a candy cane from him. It was a great time for all.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-12-01T21:54:00.001-08:00

We had a blast for Thanksgiving weekend this past week! We decided to stay in San Diego this year and enjoy a Thanksgiving with just us and some friends. It ended up being so much fun. So since we were technically orphans all weekend it was nice to have friends there to help make it fun. On Thanksgiving Day, The Mendenhalls, good friends of ours, took us in along with some other friends and we enjoyed dinner over there. We watched a little football, the kids all played and had a blast with their friends, and we were able to have some adult conversations. It was nice. They had the little kids all set up in another room with a coloring page and crayons at their place setting on the table. I felt like we were at an official restaurant...

The next day we went to Highland Ranch park with some friends, the Reese's and Mendenhall families. We had a little picnic lunch and were able to play croquet and latter golf. I think that was the first time Brayden ever played croquet and he didn't do too bad. Our kids also enjoyed the playground of coarse and it was a blast to just hang out again with friends.

Finally on Saturday after cleaning up the house, putting up the Christmas tree and lights, we were invited to go for a hike with the Fisher's, our friends. They took us to a really cool hike on the cliffs at Torrey Pines. We had been to this beach several times as a family and it has been a spot I have frequently surfed at, but we had never seen the hiking trails up on top of the mountain before. So we hiked a little loop that was about a mile overlooking the ocean and high up on the trail. The kids all did surprisingly well and it was a blast. Thanks for the new adventure Fisher family!

It was a busy but fun weekend!!

Brayden Turns 6

2011-11-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

Our little Brayden is not so little anymore. Just this past week we celebrated his 6th Birthday. I am always shocked by the new age he is turning for some reason, as if I didn't know 6 would come after 5.....I think it is a little bit of denial. Denial that I could possibly be old enough to have a 6 year old, denial that he has actually lived 6 years, and scared with the thought of how fast time is flying.

We are so grateful to have Brayden in our family and as our son. He is such an amazing boy in many ways and it is no coincidence that he is the oldest, so that he can set the example for the rest of our children. He is a special spirit that makes us all want to be better. We love you Brayden!!

When given the choice between Chuck E' Cheese with the family or Spy Party with his friends, he went for the Spy Party. So this last Saturday we hosted a Spy Party with a bunch of his friends. They made spy badges, followed clues to find the missing presents that someone had stolen, and played with all of Brayden's cool spy stuff that he got from his friends at the party. Overall it was a lot of fun.

This picture was after school on his birthday. They gave him a birthday crown and he was sportin it when I picked him up for school so I had to take a picture.

Drive In Movies

2011-11-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday we converted our living room into a drive in movie theater. It was all Camille's idea, of coarse.... We made the kids cars on Friday night with wheels, steering wheel, headlights, and even a hole where they could stretch their legs. Then our kids creative minds kicked in and they cut some additional holes which included a cup holder, an Ipod holder, and radio. Not sure how we forgot those but our kids were there to help fill in the gaps. The Fishers came over to enjoy the night with us. Camille made up coupons for the kids and had a little snack bar as displayed below. They were able to get 2 cups of popcorn and 3 pieces of candy.

The featured film of the evening was Cars 2. Most of the kids stayed in their cardboard cars through the whole movie which was pretty impressive. It certainly turned out to be a fun movie night!!

Oma's Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

Some friends of ours told us about this pumpkin patch that they visit every year during Halloween time. We missed out on going last Saturday before Halloween and were a little unsure if it would be worth it to go after. But we still made the trip to Lakeside yesterday to see what it was all about. As we pulled up honestly I did not think much about it....it was a farm that just looked like they had a bunch of pumpkins out.

But then we went inside........what an awesome place it was!! For the next 3 plus hours our kids were in absolute heaven and completely entertained. They did all of the following: went through a corn maze, practiced milking cows on pretend wooden cows, went on a hay ride through the farm, slid down cotton seed hill on sleds, petting zoo, played basketball, frisbee, tetherball, and football, roped a plastic cow head, jumped on a hay bed, played on their awesome playground, watched Daddy kick a 30 yard field goal, and at the end of the day picked out their very own pumpkin. Kids + Stuff to Keep them entertained = Happy Parents

It was an absolute blast and we are so grateful for the recommendation. We hear they open it back up for Christmas and we will be back for sure.

Oh Man!!

2011-11-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

As Connor moves through this sponge stage where he is soaking in all the words he can and repeating them, we are finding ourselves constantly laughing. So I thought I would capture some of his favorites on video. One being.....Oh MAN!!

Enjoy!

Logan Finishes Soccer

2011-10-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is Logan's first trophy for soccer so I wanted to capture it and post it.

Much Needed Visitors

2011-10-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed to have some very helpful visitors ever since Dylan was born. Two days after he was born my parents showed up for 5 days. Then the day they left Camille's Mom and sister Kathryn showed up to help out for a week. We are so grateful for all they you did for our family during that time. Between washing dishes, cleaning up the house, laundry, cooking, etc. we could not have done it without you.

THANK YOU!!!

Boys Night Out

2011-10-29T20:36:00.001-07:00

It seems that ever since Dylan came into our family that I have had many opportunities to be with the other boys. Last Friday was no exception. I decided to take Brayden and Logan to the RB High football game. We had a blast watching them thump their opponent in the first half. Unfortunately they didn't quite finish the job in the second half. It was a great night teaching my boys about football and supporting our team.

Dylan @ 2 Weeks

2011-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Connor's Latest

2011-10-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

I would say Connor's latest and greatest, but it seems that each new day brings something different and unique with this little man. This is the first boy we have had that has naturally been obsessed with balls since before he could even walk. With the others I have had to lay some sport influence to even get them to play baseball, basketball, football, etc. with me. But with Connor he is the one coming to me with a ball and then getting in position to catch it, throw it, hit it, or kick. In this portion of his life I couldn't be happier. In a lot of ways he reminds me of myself.

So with that background in mind, Grandma and Granddad came into town this week and noticed his love for all that is sports. So of coarse they decided to do something about it. So last night we went to Target and got him a little tikes basketball hoop and tee. If there was ever a boy who will thoroughly enjoy those gifts it is Connor. And he did not disappoint! From the moment we set up the hoop and tee he has been making baskets and hitting home runs. He was so excited that he even had to go to sleep with the basketball last night. As much as I tried to pry it from those tiny fingers he was not going to let it go. And then when I had broken down the cardboard box and was about to throw it away, he laid on top of it with his blanket to somehow protest and pay his last respect to the box that brought him the greatest gift he has received so far in his short little life.

The next on the list for him is his love for his new brother Dylan. As you might have seen in the last post where we had a video of Connor, he absolutely can't get enough of his brother Dylan. So the other day I had not seen Connor in a while and started searching for him. I never quite know where he might be hiding so I searched all over the house and outside. The last place I would possibly check would be in our room where Dylan was taking a nap. But as I walked in I was shocked when I saw Connor up inside the bassinett sitting with the baby laying between his legs :) It was a scary image but I quickly realized he was just trying to love this new little brother. When I walked up he was trying to get the pacifier in his mouth. What a great big brother!! I don't have pictures available from this one sorry.

Oh Connor, we love you more and more each day. You are hilarious.

Introducing Dylan James

2011-10-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

At 10:08pm on October 12th, our 4th son was born. We had decided a while ago that we liked the name Dylan and when he came out he looked the part and did not vere us from that pre-determined decision. Dylan was the biggest of the 4, weighing in at 8 lbs and 5 ounces and was 21 inches tall. We came into the hospital at noon and it went very smooth through the operation. Camille was able to get the all important epidural before the major contractions started which made for a nice comfortable labor until she was ready to deliver. Then all of the sudden she felt that the baby had dropped a lot. So we called the doctor and luckily she made it before the baby just came crawling out. By the time she got there Camille only had 4 pushes to go before he was out, a total of 7 minutes. Amazing!! That is by far the quickest push we have ever experienced. Dylan has been very chill thus far and seems to be a very content baby. THANK GOODNESS!! We do not need anymore noise in our house right now, just ask our neighbors :) He seems to have many of the same features of our other boys, namely the nose, eyebrows, etc. One distinct feature that only Connor and him have shared is dark hair.

Many people have asked me, so are you going for a basketball team? To this I have replied, "yes", and now it is complete :) With 4 boys and me as the veteran (other word for "old") member of the team, it seems that we have officially created a basketball team. We love our boys and so grateful they are a part of our lives. Today we had Brayden, Logan and Connor come to the hospital to meet their new little brother. It was so much fun to see how excited they were to enter the room and each hold him for the first time. The funniest one was Connor, who once he started holding him would not let him go. He would get mad at Logan and Brayden for even trying to touch the baby while he was holding him. He is already a very protective older brother!! Of coarse there is a video of this below that I am sure all will enjoy. We also got a visit from our friends the Mendenhall's, who brought us our favorite, pina colada with strawberries from Jamba Juice. Thank you guys, that was so timely. And it was great to have your company.

We are so glad to welcome this new addition to the Stevens family! Welcome Dylan James, we already love you so much! And a special tribute to the families watching our boys during this time. THANK YOU for your help and service!! We couldn't have done it without you.

Logan's Indoor Soccer League

2011-09-28T00:49:00.001-07:00

We signed up Logan for a soccer league and it turns out that it is an indoor field. It is really cool. So the kids just practice for about 10 minutes before and then play the game against the other team. This is Logan's first year and so it is obvious that he is learning the ropes, but I have been proud of how hard he is trying to run and kick the ball the right direction. Brayden is going to play in this same league next month.

Stevens Annual Beach Trip

2011-09-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

This year it was a "stay-cation" for us. We played chouffer and taxi as the parties arrived by car and plane. It was so much fun again to have all of us together and to be able to enjoy most of the week on the beach. We did have one day in the middle that we spent at Sea World, which was a blast, and a day that the kids really enjoyed. We did the usual nightly rituals of playing games and shoving our faces with Red Vines, which could be the single greatest thing to snack on while playing card or board games. Well that is until the morning hits....UH!! Then of coarse Ryan and I were able to get out each morning and surf, which was a blast this year because I had been going more often prior to this week. We did the occasional horse shoes, frisbee tossing, smash ball, sand castle building, boogie boarding, and trips to Cessy's Mexican Restaurant. Oh the Carnitas plate is to die for!! Anyway...it was a lot of fun to spend time with the family. And one highlight we had in the middle of the week was a surprise retirement party for Kent Wells. He is finally retiring on October 1st!! Congrats Dad. So we got him gifts, had a DVD made for him, did a little roast, and had a lot of fun with him. The kids all played great together. Chad, Brayden and Logan spent most of the time on the beach standing on top of the boogie boards and waiting for waves to crash so they could surf on them. Connor and Sean were following each other around trying to find new things to jump off of. Everyone enjoyed the time and it was a huge success. Some great videos below of the boys surfing on boogie boards and Shamu. Well, I think I covered it all.

Kennedy's Visit

2011-09-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

The Kennedy's paid a visit in early September and I wanted to make sure I documented, so here it is. It was great to see Kevin, Angie, and their cute little Reese. We ate dinner at Old Town Mexican Cafe, one of our personal favorites, then hung out in Del Mar at the beach the next day. It was short and sweet.

The Famous Black Out

2011-09-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

So at the end of my work day I was visiting one last account when all of the sudden all of the street lights started flashing red. Traffic started backing up and my cell phone kept dropping calls. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I couldn't call my wife because her phone was broken and it was madness. The last call I went to was useless because their power was out and all our equipment was off. It turns out the whole San Diego County power went out from some power plant in Arizona and it shut us down from about 3:30pm to 3am. How did we find out that it turned back on at 3am you ask? Well we woke up to Connor screaming "HEY, HEY!!" So we walk in his room and his light was completely on which had woke him up. I would have been screaming "HEY" as well. Every hotel, restaurant, and grocery store was completely out of power so it was a little crazy.

So what better to do than enjoy the experience. We busted out the candles, the flashlights, lanterns, and the kids slept in their tent in the living room. We tried to eat anything remaining in the freezer that might go bad. We went over to our neighbors and ate all their popsicles. It was a good lesson in testing how prepared we are with our emergency kits. And it turns out that lack of batteries for flashlights isn't a valid excuse when you can't run to the store. What a wake up call! Anyway, it was a fun time.

Logan Birthday Part 2

2011-09-25T20:23:00.001-07:00

Next was the friend party. Camille went all out for this one. From the driveway out front, through the house, and finishing in the backyard our house was turned into a full fledged Fire Station. It was a lot of fun. The first thing the kids did when they came in was built fireman approved camp fires out of food on paper plates. We did hot potato with a fireman ax, pin the badge on the fireman, and even an obstacle course where they had to save a baby from a burning fire. Good time had by all.

Logan's Birthday Part 1

2011-09-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Logan finally turned 4, although he might deny that if you asked. He keeps insisting that he is 5. Logan was fortunate enough to have two celebrations, one with our individual family and one with his friends.

Our family birthday started off with breakfast at Denny's. We love this spot because the birthday individual gets a free meal, so we frequently spend birthday mornings here. Next we came home and Logan got to open his presents. This year Logan got a tent and a bunch of fun camping stuff, an umbrella, a really cool music player, a construction worker vest, and many other things that any boy would love. Logan specified that he wanted to have a candle that had a "big number" on it so we got a big number 4 to put on his cake. The rest of the day was taken up by Logan playing with all of his toys with the neighbors. That is one thing we love about him, that he actually will enjoy his toys and play with them. So every birthday and Christmas is a success.

First Day of School

2011-09-02T01:25:00.001-07:00

Brayden and Logan's first day at Highland Ranch.

Brayden's Self Portrait

2011-09-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

We had a "welcome back to school night" at Highland Ranch, where we spent time with Brayden and Logan's teachers and learned what the year would entail. So while sitting in Brayden's classroom I stumbled upon this gem. This is a self portrait that he drew of himself the first day of Kindergarten.

Summer Activities

2011-08-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Camille has kept our boys very busy with some great summer activities. Some of which include swimming lessons, basketball, beach (of coarse), getting books / videos from the library, and enjoying time with friends in the Ward. She has kept them busy and I have been watching from afar. Here are some videos from swimming and basketball.

Connor's Spaghetti Beard

2011-07-31T20:14:00.001-07:00

Connor loves eating. He will sit in his high chair and be the first to start eating and the last to finish. He eats more than Brayden or Logan usually and competes with Camille pretty often. Tonight we had Spaghetti and boy was he loving it!! His face and spaghetti beard say it all.... Pictures below with a special inside video where Connor laughs at seeing himself with the spaghetti beard. Pretty funny.

Neighborhood BBQ

2011-07-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a neighborhood bbq. It was a lot of fun. We enjoyed spending time with our neighbors and our kids loved playing with their friends.

La Jolla Caves Date

2011-07-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Since moving to San Diego it has been hard for Camille and I to get out with just the two of us. But our wonderful neighbors insisted on watching our kids and letting us go out for a night together. So Camille and I took them up on the offer. It was so nice to go out together with no kids and explore this beautiful area that we live in. We decided to go to La Jolla Caves / Cove because we had heard that it was a fun place and wanted to check it out.

We ended up having so much fun. We were able to walk above the caves on some rocks and look down on them. The view was unbelievable and it is a really neat area that we will for sure share with our out of town visitors. There were some seals just lounging on the rocks and every once in a while making loud seal noises. I don't know how else to describe the noise. Then we walked on down to the cove, which is a really cool, secluded beach area, that has clearer water and caves that you can walk in. There were a ton of people with snorkels on, swimming in the cove and just looking at the wonders under the water. One day we will come back and do that for sure because it looked like a lot of fun.

Then a critical part of the date that we had to make sure happened was eating Thai food. So we found a place right by the La Jolla coast and ate some Pad Thai. Wow was it amazing! Thai in the mouth, some calm Enya like music in the background, and the coast in our view. Can life get better...I submit that it cannot.

Overall, it was a great night out. Thank you to our neighbors for being so kind to make it happen. Date nights are good to have often. That is a reminder to me to ensure I make it happen :) Warning - there are a ton of pictures. I just couldn't decide what to take out with so much to see.

Connor @ 16 Months

2011-07-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help myself.

A Visit from Friends

2011-07-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had the privilege of having Ryker, Amanda, Kalil, and Mason over for a quick visit on their way to Huntington Beach. It was great to hang out and enjoy the beach together.

My boys getting ready to rock the boogie boards

Brayden, Kalil, and Logan standing on my surf board fantasizing catching the big wave

Kalil and Connor putting sand all over my board. Connor as always is caked with sand all over his face.

Camille and Amanda

Ryker and the boys. My boys were so fascinated with Ryker. Well really, who isn't... It was fun to watch them hang out with Ryker.

4th of July Extravaganza

2011-07-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity of having the whole Curtis crew over at our house in San Diego over the 4th of July weekend. It was a lot of fun. We were busy going to the swap meet, doing a talent show, going to the beach, enjoying 4th of July festivities, 4th of July pancake breakfast, parade, watching fireworks, surfing / boogie boarding, swimming / jacuzzi at the community center, and enjoying time together.

Our house felt like a hotel with 22 total people sleeping here. We had people in every room and even some had the opportunity of sleeping in the garage :)

It was a great 4th of July with the Curtis Family.

Mormon Night at the Padres

2011-06-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

We have been looking forward to this night for a few weeks. Anytime we have an excuse to go see a Padres game as a family we are in. So tonight the Padres recognized Mormons before the game and most everyone had on their "Mormon Helping Hands", a service activity that we had done in the community a little while back. It was a great opportunity for the LDS community to be recognized in front of thousands of people. We were actually encouraged to go to this event from the First Presidency over the pulpit. I am sure that will be the only time we hear over the pulpit from the Brethren to go to a Padres game. Pretty Cool. So we went as a family and Slade tagged along. Everyone had a fun time. Brayden really was into the game and recognized foul balls, strikes, hits, and even a home run. It was fun to teach him some of the basics of the game. Connor was also really excited and even did the pitching motion for a good 30 minutes of the game. The video is below for all interested. He kept saying "ball", which is no different from when he is home. We had peanuts, saw and talked to a bunch of our Ward members, and sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" before we left. It was a lot of fun.

Garage Sale

2011-06-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Finally after 6 and a half years of marriage we were able to part with some presents we got from our reception. I will spare commenting on the specific items because I do not want to offend anyone that might have given them to us. And boy did it feel good. With each move we have had I have picked these said items up and asked my wife "so, is it time?" and the answer was always "let's wait just a little longer to throw it away." So now that we are in San Diego and are trying to de-clutter, it was a perfect time for a garage sale. It just so happened that our neighbors picked the same day so we were able to combine forces which made it even more fun. We all had our roles during the sale. I was the introduction guy, helping the buyer understand the significance of the item and the history behind it. Camille was the price nazi, who early on put higher prices on the items and then quickly learned that it really was junk, and lowered them down to market value. Logan was that guy that just sat on the chair and stared everyone down, making them anxious to purchase quick and without thought. Connor was the destroyer. Whatever was glass or easily breakable, Connor was heading for it. Slade (Camille's Brother) was our helper, with his experience from having garage sales at home. And then there was Brayden, oh Brayden, he was the closer. One particular example of this was after I had been talking to a lady for quite a while about a few items, Brayden came over and said, "so are you going to buy it or what?" He was no non-sense, no beating around the bush, and really helped people get off the fence. He sold us quite a few items with his bold sales ability. He taught me a thing or two about sales :)

Brayden Learns to Ride

2011-06-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

As a Father, I feel I have a manly duty to my children to teach them how to ride a bike at a young age. I have been slacking over the past year thinking of doing it. Since we came to San Diego and the weather is beautiful all the time I have had no valid excuses. So this past week I took the training wheels off and we have gone out there every night practicing. Finally tonight HE DID IT!! I have to admit, I think I was just as relieved as he was excited to have him finally be able to ride a bike. Check out the footage below:

Homemade CD Players

2011-06-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

For some reason, unbeknown to Camille and I, Brayden and Logan decided that they wanted to make a CD and a CD Holder out of paper. So they spent much of the night last night constructing these CD's out of paper and then made these holders that they could slide them in after they were done listening to the music. We both were pretty impressed at the creativity exemplified in these little minds and how they actually came out really good! So when I came home from work today I walked into homemade CD player heaven. Camille had taken a milk carton and a shoe box and made each of the boys a CD Player. She spray painted them both blue and drew knobs for sound and tuning on the front. Then she even wrote the songs that the boys wanted to be playing on the front of the player so they could jam out whenever they so felt the desire. Brayden's song choice was "Jack Johnson", which I guess would include all of him compilations, and Logan's was, of coarse, "The Rainbow Song". So I immediately started capturing the moment when I arrived. Enjoy!

How could Brayden possibly load a CD in his player without the tongue to help with concentration?

Paper CD's

Brayden showing off how he gets the CD from his nifty case. All paper by the way. And don't forget the tongue for concentration again hiding in the shadows.

Logan's Tribute

2011-06-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

So, What Have I Chosen?

2011-06-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am giving a lesson in High Priests today and came across this quote from C.S. Lewis that I had to write. He has always been an author who's words have had great influence on me and this quote is no different.

"If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead. Those are hard words to take. Will it really make no difference whether it was women or patriotism, cocaine or art, whisky or a seat in the Cabinet, money or science? Well, surely no difference that matters. We shall have missed the end for which we are formed and rejected the only thing that satisfies. Does it matter to a man dying in a desert by which choice of route he missed the only well?"

Shootin Some Hoops

2011-06-04T21:38:00.001-07:00

At our community center by our house there is an adjustable basketball standard so we were able to go shoot tonight. Brayden, Logan, Connor and I had a blast. Pictures and video below.

A Great Memorial Weekend

2011-06-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were able to have a visit from my parents and it was a blast. They arrived on Thursday night just in time to say good night to the kids. Then Friday after the kids rode their bikes all around our street we went to Old Poway Park. We had fun on the playground, hitting the baseball, throwing football, and relaxing in the shade. After the park we went to Chuck E' Cheese's where the kids had a blast. They even got to meet Chuck E Cheese himself as you can see in the pictures below. Other than the fact that the pizza tasted exactly like cardboard with tomato sauce spread on top, it was fun to see the kids having so much fun. Saturday and Monday we chose to go to the beach, of coarse, had so much fun, and Sunday enjoyed the Sabbath day with Grandma and Grandad. My mom taught Brayden some songs on the piano and we have a little performance video below. At the end of the experience we were sad to see them go but truly got the most of our time together.

Connor enjoying his fantasy boogie board ride As you can see the mouse won him over Logan was afraid of the mouse so he had to lure him in with a free ticket. My parents with Logan and Brayden watching Tangled

A Day at the Beach

2011-05-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

Today while Camille was at a Relief Society function I took the boys to the beach. Last week on our date Camille and I found this really cool spot of beach, where you have your own secluded cove to yourself. So I took the boys there and for a while we were the only ones on this cove enjoying the sand and water to ourselves. We had a blast building drip sand castles, playing soccer, baseball, eating snacks, and enjoying a beautiful San Diego day.

As crazy as it may sound, this was my first opportunity to actually go to the beach and sit to enjoy it. I have driven past it, walked on it, and seen it plenty since we have been here, but never gone to just sit in a beach chair and enjoy. So that was nice! That just goes to show how busy / crazy life has been since we moved here. Between work, family life, and moving into our new house, I have not had many spare moments to breathe. I know this because the beach has been on my priority list and it took me this long to get there.

What a fun day with the boys!!

Neighbor Ella's Birthday

2011-05-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to our neighbors birthday at the park. Let me just pause one minute to express how grateful we are for our neighborhood. We are SO BLESSED to have moved into the neighborhood we are in. The neighbors on either side of us have kids that our kids play with and the neighbors directly across the street have a little boy that my kids love to play with as well. It is so great to have our kids involved with all the kids in the neighborhood. So the little girl next door was having a party and we were able to go.

It was at a really amazing park here with a train that ran in a circle around it, huge trees with trunks that the kids could climb on, and all the grass imaginable. At the party there was a clown that did balloon animals, face painting, and a magic show, the food was catered, there was a pinata, and a bunch of new friends that we were able to meet. This is a Polynesian family, so we had a true Polynesian feast including a pigs head! Logan made mention that he would like to eat the ears but when they offered it to him, he seemed to chicken out pretty quick. Logan is also obsessed with trains so when we went on the one there he couldn't contain himself. Brayden got his face painted with a ninja sword and then today when we showered before church he was so upset that we had to wash it off. Our kids had a blast and with a full belly combined with kids enjoying themselves, Daddy and Mommy were happy too.

Fathers and Sons 2011

2011-05-15T21:20:00.001-07:00

Well a few weeks ago it was time to go to Fathers and Sons with the boys. So we packed up and headed out to Julian, a place called William Heice Park. The nice thing was that it was only an HOUR from our house!!! I know, crazy huh?! In fact everything is so close to us. Costco, Home Depot, Beach, Mountains, Mall, Great Restaurants, are all so close. This is huge for us because our last home was at least 20 minutes from anything.

Anyway, so we had a blast up there in Julian with our new ward. I was able to meet some new guys and my kids had plenty of friends to play king of the mountain, wiffle ball, sword fighting with sticks, and all other games that little boys love. After we got there and set up our tent, Logan immediately set up his toy grill and food on the bench right by the fire. He was serious about having his own spot to grill his food. He even put some dirt on to marinate :) We had hot dogs for dinner that we cooked over the fire and then had to roast some marshmallows. This year we got the boys their own sleeping bags so they were so nice and warm through the whole night, which was very different from last year where we camped with snow on the ground. The next day we woke up and went camping with a group of us to the top of the mountain. It was so much fun.

I always look forward to time that I get to spend with my boys. I love them so much!!

Connor's Overnight Revelation

2011-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

We have all seen the magical stories where one character proclaims that something amazing will happen or makes a wish, and the next day it comes true. Well this was very similar. One night Camille and I were talking about our kids as we frequently do and all of the sudden I said, "Connor is going to start walking and talking in full sentences tomorrow." Up to this point Connor had been crawling and only walked with the help of our furniture. So when I said that Camille and I looked at each other and smiled as we went to bed knowing it was far fetched.

Well there was a magical breeze in the air that night because one of the first things that Connor did in the morning was start standing up by himself. He would stand on his legs with his hands on the floor and then push himself up and just stand there. We were amazed and his biggest fan through this whole experience had to be Brayden. He was such a proud older brother and kept saying phrases like, "I am so impressed with him right now." So from the courage of Connor trying to teach himself how to stand and the rest of us with our encouraging words, Connor started taking a few steps after he would stand. It was unbelievable and we laughed knowing what I had said the night before. So I had to capture the moment on video and picture.

Easter 2011

2011-05-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

In our family Easter is always a tough balance between the worldly version of Easter with the bunny, easter egg hunts, etc. and the true meaning of Easter, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So this year was no different. We started the morning with the kids searching for their easter baskets and then we had a easter egg hunt in our playroom. The kids were able to play with their toys a little and of coarse have a complete sugar high from the candy they found in the hunt. Below we have a video displaying the fun.

Then we watched the Living Scriptures "He is Risen", a cartoon rendition of the Savior overcoming death. We also discussed this at some length with our kids.

Overall it was a wonderful day.

Connor's Personality Surfaces

2011-03-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

St. Patty's Parade

2011-03-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Camille looked up on a website a hundred free things to do in San Diego and one of the first things on the list was a free St. Patrick's Day parade in Balboa Park. So we headed over and watched the parade and then enjoyed some of the festivities afterward. Brayden loved the different men in kilts that would come by playing bagpipes. Logan loved all the firetrucks and policeman. And Connor loved sitting back in his stroller and grubbing on all the snacks that we had brought. Everyone was satisfied. A lot of fun. I put a video for Logan's sake in here. He was begging me to do it and I gave in.

Connor's 1st Birthday

2011-03-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

So a week after we arrived in San Diego it was Connor's birthday and the day came so quick upon us that we had to figure out a fun activity fast. A saying we have quickly come to love is, "when in doubt, head to the beach." So we made and brought dinner, cake, and presents and had a birthday picnic on the beach. It was a blast. I can't think of anything that Connor would have loved more than getting extremely dirty, eating sand, eating food with sand on it, and playing with balls. And he got to do all of that and more.

Maricopa to San Diego

2011-03-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

The semi-truck pulls up and we hear a knock on the door. As we open the door a burly man and a crew of guys say, "We're here to pack you up." And suddenly it all became reality. We were really going to be moving from our Maricopa home that we had lived for 5 years to San Diego. And quickly (within 2-3 hours) as our house was quickly being dismantled, it all hit. Within 2 days our house was completely empty and we were cleaning the little scraps and walking out of our home that we had shared as a family for many years. This was the place that all of our children had grown and we had become a family. It was a strange bitter sweet feeling.

Although moving to San Diego never sounds painful and I will assure you it isn't, in some ways leaving our home in Arizona was tough. We left the place that both of us grew up, our families, and so many friends that we had made along the way. We will miss the desert sunsets, the free family babysitting, the cheaper home prices (not that we ever took advantage of that) and knowing many familiar faces that we loved and cherished so much. So here we go to start a new life in San Diego.

I got a new position within Ecolab so that is the reason for the move. They moved us into corporate housing, which is a 3 bedroom apartment in La Jolla, until we find a house to live permanently. We have been here a little over a week and already we have been the beach many times, met our new Ward which is awesome, and loved the beauty of this place. We also live really close to the temple, which is beautiful, and one night we were eating dinner we looked out the window and saw the temple out the windown. So fun!! That picture and others below are of our early excursions here. Some of these include walking on the beach, the Mormon Battalian, and visiting the seals in La Jolla.

Lynette and Jeff Tie the Knot

2011-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Lake Oswego, Oregon was the sight of the first part of this wedding. Camille and I, with the some other members of the Curtis clan, headed up there to be a part of Lynette and Jeff's wedding at the Portland Temple. It ended up being such an amazing trip where we were able to stay a couple days and sight see some. Lake Oswego is on the outskirts of Portland and is like a lush rainforest, which is certainly a habitat I prefer. It was a nice break from the brown desert landscape at home we have grown so accustomed to. The morning of the wedding we helped Lynette get ready and all primped, then we witnessed a spiritual feast at the sealing. I've got a video below of Lynette and Jeff coming out of the temple. Congrats you two!! After visiting Mount Loma falls and walking around downtown Portland, it was time to go home. The second portion of the wedding took place back home in Arizona. We enjoyed a reception for Lynette and Jeff. The third portion was a private hang out after their honeymoon in San Diego, our new hometown. I feel like they just wanted to keep extended out this wedding. And so they should live it up as long as possible. We were able to go to the beach with them and then hang out with them the next day as well. It was fun to see the excitement of this new marraige. It reminded me of how giddy it is when we are all first married. Not they we aren't later in our marraiges as well. See I covered myself babe. Anyway, congrats to Lynette and Jeff Martin. Pictures and movie of the events are below. ENJOY!!

The Morning Of.....

2011-01-18T23:57:00.000-08:00

This year Brayden reached the overly excited age where he had a tough time sleeping and came into our room at 5:30 ready to go. Logan obviously is not quite at that point because at about 7:00 we had to drag him out of bed to open presents. They had so much fun opening their stockings and new toys this year. Some of the monumental presents this year were Brayden's new bike that has a sound like a motorcycle, which he likes to show to anyone that will listen, the trampoline, Logan's curious george stuff, Brayden's magic set, their marble tower, and many more. And because I had the next week off we had some time to pull out each gift and enjoy it. Here are some pictures and a video below to capture the mood of the morning.

This picture says it all. Logan is yawning / exhausted and Brayden is happy / delirious and ready to go.

And

Our Hobby of Choice

2011-01-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

A hobby that we have loved to do since we have been married is snowboarding. I have snowboarded for some time now but was able to teach Camille about 4 years ago. So this winter season we had to ensure that this was on the priority list. So Camille and I took off for her 26th Birthday up to Sunrise Resort. We were able to snowboard for 2 full days. It was a blast. Below is a video that I took of Camille shredding down the slopes and some fun pictures.

Christmas Events

2010-12-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

As always our Christmas season is full of lots of different events with Family and Friends. And this year did not disappoint.

We have been able to go to the Temple lights which is a tradition that we absolutely love. This year we went and saw the Christus and also looked at all the international nativities inside the Visitors Center. We wanted to take them to the temple first to ensure that we remembered what Christmas was really all about.

We also were able to go to the Polar Express up in Williams, AZ. This was quite the experience!! Camille and I had never been and we decided that we wanted to take Brayden and Logan up there since they are getting more excited about Santa and the whole Christmas thing. So we got in the car on Wednesday right when Brayden got off from school, luckily it was a half day that day, and headed up to Williams. It was a 3 hour drive and on the drive we had them watch the Polar Express movie to get them ready. So we got there and got on the train. Once we got on the train chef's started serving us hot chocolate and cookies while the train traveled to the north pole. When we got to the north pole Santa was there with his reindeer and he was waiving to all of us. On the way back home Santa went from train car to train car saying hello to the children and passing out Christmas bells. I included a video at the bottom of the pictures where Santa is entering the car. We were singing Christmas carols as loud as we could to get him to come and then we started chanting his name and I got it all on video. Watching the excitement of Brayden and Logan the whole time made the experience completely worth it. Once we got off the train we drove home and finally ended up at our house around 1:30am. A long day of fun!

We have also been able to go to many other Christmas events / parties. We went to my friends and wives white elephant gift exchange, Curtis family puppet shows, Stevens family party, and our Ward party. One of the puppet shows that we went to was in a Southwest Airline hanger and there was a car show. Logan was so excited to see all these cool cars so he had me take pictures of him by some of his favorites.

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope you are able to feel the spirit of Christ during this season.

Thanksgiving Events

2010-12-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

We had another wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends. First it started off with the Turkey Trot with the Curtis Family. Camille's family every year has a breakfast Thanksgiving morning where we eat, play ultimate frisbee, and then ride whatever we have that has wheels around the church. We had a blast once again this year.

Next up was our family hike that we have started doing the last couple of years. We hike up the mountain that I proposed to Camille on :) It was a lot of fun and this year Camille and I were done by the first flat spot and our kids wanted to keep going to the top. I am sure as the years keep coming that will continue to become more and more of what we should expect..... our kids outperforming us and having way more energy.

Lastly, I could not have the Thanksgiving weekend pass without a flag football Turkey Bowl with my close friends. This is a tradition that we have kept every year and is a blast. Each year it seems that we are panting harder and running slower. But nonetheless, it is still a ton of fun.

My Cali Surprise Trip

2010-10-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

So I wake up on my birthday, which was August 28th by the way, and my wife says October 8th I will give you your present. So a month and a half later I wake up on "October 8th" at 4:30am to go play basketball, but no.......Camille tells me I need to get ready because we have to go. So I'm thinking 4:30am, wow this is going to be a long day! So after I get ready I am thinking we need to wake up Brayden and Logan but no, Camille took them the night before to my parents without my knowledge. So now I am thinking, WOW, she is getting very sneaky here. So then we start driving with Connor and end up meeting Kathryn at the Airport for the drop off. So she takes Connor and now it is just Camille and I walking into the airport to fly who knows where because she won't tell me. Then we get up to the ticket counter and the guy spoils the surprise!!! He says, "so you are flying out to SANTA BARBARA huh?!" And I say, "Uh, sure......" I have been to Santa Barbara one other time and loved it so I am very excited to go again. So after we take the flight and land Camille had arranged for a rental car by herself, with a little help from my Dad, which I was very impressed with by the way. Then we start driving and we end up at this hotel that is right on the beach looking over the ocean...HELLO!! Is there any better way to tell me that you love me.....NO!! Not only is the hotel right on the beach but it has complimentary breakfast, free jacuzzi, and complimentary beach cruisers! These are all required on my list for hotels to have by the way.... So she nailed it! She gave me the greatest surprise gift I have ever received. With the exception of Connor! Ha. But wait there is more....While we are sitting in our hotel room after taking a nap....What? That's right..a nap. A word I have seldom used over the past 5 years of our marriage but a word that I love nonetheless. So after this nap, she pulls out this paper and says, look at where we are going tonight! And I swear there were angels in the faint background singing Hallelujah as I opened the paper and saw......JASON MRAZ concert tickets!!! In two hours we were going to see Jason Mraz, one of my favorite musicians, and someone I had never seen before. What a gift! Well anyway, it was an amazing show. He brought out Colbie Caillat to sing "Lucky" with him, he sang "Im Yours" or course and was very engaging and fun throughout the whole night. We both even got Jason Mraz t-shirts as a souvenir from this trip.

We had so much fun together walking along the beach, riding our beach cruisers along the beach, relaxing by the pool and jacuzzi, shopping of coarse for Camille's sake, and just being together ALONE without kids, which a rarity. Thank you Camille for great trip and memory.

Here are some pictures and videos:

6 Months Later.....

2010-09-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Finally I have decided to update the blog. Between work, school, family, church, and some slivers of relaxation, I have had no motivation to post anything new. It is only fitting that the last blog I wrote was the birth of Connor, the addition of a third child to our lives. This was the precise time that our lives became crazier than they ever had been before. So I will share some updates from the past 6 months.

Updates

- Brayden Started Kindergarten and loves it
- Logan turned 3
- Justin Graduated College finally!
- Camille has been busy being a Mom, no surprise there
- We took a few trips: 1) to Carlsbad for a week on the beach. 2) Camping at Bear Canyon Lake
- We have swam a lot this summer
- Brayden played T-Ball this summer
- Justin started a softball league

Other than that here are a few pictures from a recent flood on our street, of Connor getting older, and our recent camping trip.

Introducing Connor Adam Stevens!!

2010-03-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 3:29pm Camille delivered our 3rd baby boy. It was a wonderful pregnancy, labor and delivery for Camille. We feel so blessed. Both Connor and Camille are doing wonderful. He weighed in at 8lb. 6oz. and is 21 inches tall. Unlike our other children when they were born, he came to us with a full head of dark hair. He is so precious and already a wonderful eater! Truly a Stevens trait we have maintained with the first two and I am glad it will continue. It took us a few days to name him but we finally settled on Connor because we had liked this name for some time and it means "strong willed." He was 9 days over due so we thought that meaning has represented him thus far. Also we again used a biblical middle name "Adam" to keep with tradition of our other two boys. Brayden's is "Michael" and Logan's is "Daniel". So without further adieu, here is our little angel.

Logan Workin It

2010-01-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

I couldn't fit the two videos on the same post. Without any further adieu.....Here's Logan!!

Camille's 25th

2010-01-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

Although you do not see Camille in many of these photos or videos it is because she is the one behind the camera most of the time. That is Camille- unselfish. She is the greatest mother to our children, the best spouse to me, and helps us all to want to be better than we are. A few weeks ago we celebrated her 25th birthday and of coarse the day was all about her. We woke her up with breakfast in bed. The boys did such a good job of whispering and being so sneaky in the kitchen so we didn't wake her up. One of the things on her list was eating at Chipotle for lunch. I definitely did not complain about that so I made sure that got done. Later we met up with Kathryn and Brent and enjoyed a romantic Olive Garden dinner overlooking Phoenix city lights. It was a great day for her, I think...... We love you Camille!!

Brayden Workin It

2010-01-16T20:36:00.001-08:00

I tried to put these two videos on here but they wouldn't fit. Our boys love to dance and I thought it would be good to have a record of it. Brayden is spastic and Logan is slow and robotic!

Our White Christmas

2010-01-16T20:15:00.001-08:00

I can't think of a better picture to start this post off with. Here is Logan in the back of our rental car on the way to sledding. He has so many layers on we could hardly put the seatbelt on him and as a result he cannot move. What a good sport! He looks like the marshmellow man.

This year we visited my brother Ryan and his family in Appleton, Wisconsin. We went from 75 degree Arizona to 15 degree Wisconsin. It was so much fun! We were expecting to get a few snow storms but instead we got ice storms. We were able to do some sledding, making snowman (out of icy snow), play basketball, and have lots of fun in their big basement. We love spending time with them and so everyday was filled with activities. Brayden and Logan loved playing with their cousins Allison, Tate, and Chad. It was so much fun to have a white Christmas this year. It definitely felt more like Christmas in the snow.

Thanksgiving Festivities

2010-01-16T20:03:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is so nice! A few days off from work, a lot of food, ping pong tournament, football, dancing, and more food. You can't go wrong. This year did not disappoint! We had lots of fun with the Curtis' and the Stevens families. With the Curtis' we met at a park in the morning and ate breakfast, then played a competitive game of ultimate frisbee. Of coarse my team won but who is keeping score. We were all winners. Then we headed to the Stevens for the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner followed by the Famous Stevens Ping Pong Tournament. You will know why I use all caps to describe it by the photos you see. This is no joke, very serious and you better bring your "A" game or you will be knocked out quickly. To end the evening we went to the Curtis' family dance. It was a great Thanksgiving.

As you can see this is serious business, with brackets, rules, and prizes.

For some reason it always ends up with Johnny and me in the championship. Sadly this year he got lucky and won. I wish I had an excuse but I don't.

Brayden's Super Hero Birthday

2010-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

Brayden decided he wanted to have a superhero birthday party. So not only did we have a cake with superhero's but we had each kid make his own cape and had superhero training. This training consisted of push-ups, running and jumping into the sand, and an obstacle course where they got to punch a bad guy, i.e. Me. We had lots of kids from our ward and family. It was a blast. Brayden had such a fun time and felt so loved from all who came. Here is the cake with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

Here is Brayden knocking the "bad guy" down. His name was Evil Fro Man, and evil he was.

Here are the kids wearing their cape's and flexing the muscles.

Here we are crossing the street with a big rope, the superhero chain gang.

Here is Brayden and friends opening presents. He got hooked up with lots of cool presents.

Brayden's Soccer

2009-11-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Brayden started his first year of soccer and is having so much fun! Because he began before he was officially 4 he is by far the smallest kid on the team. These photos tell it all. Check out how large the jersey is on his little body. This is one of my favorite memories as a kid and I am excited he gets to play.

Summer Camping

2009-11-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

We took two camping trips this year: One with the Curtis's and one with the Stevens. The weekend with the Curtis family it was supposed to rain and didn't and with the Stevens it wasn't supposed to and hailed. One of the joys of camping is the unpredictability I guess! Here are some pictures from our experience.

Before and after the hail

Logan and Brayden were painting some rocks they found at the creek and got paint on them so they had to take a bath. A true outdoors bathing experience. They also helped cook breakfast, got to go a fish hatchery and watch the fish jump like crazy at the food, and had a blast with all their cousins / family.

As If 2 Weren't Enough

2009-11-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

It is by no design of my own that I will be surrounded by boys and testosterone for the rest of my life. I grew up in a family of 4 boys and no sisters and now Camille and I will have our 3rd boy on February 29th. My poor Mother and now my poor wife...... I know that they both love their boys and wouldn't trade them for anything.

So Brayden has decided to help us name this little boy. Here is the list so far of names he has come up with:

Wilson- He thought of this all on his own and we don't know any Wilson's.

Connor- This is a family favorite.

Rock- He chose this with a little help from my brother Nathan.

Erik, Derek, and Heiric- After Brayden had spent time with a friend named Eric he decided to think of all rhyming names of Eric.

PingPongTwo- This is my personal favorite and has a nice ring to it. One long word that says it all!

So keep tuned and we will announce the official name of the baby on a later date.

Our Visit to D.C.

2009-10-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Camille and I visited Bryan and Heidi in D.C. this past weekend. It was a blast!

Here is Camille and I in front of the Capitol building.

The week before we came it was in the 40's and chilly, but when we came the whole weekend was in the 60's and 70's and the leaves had changed colors. It was paradise.

This is Camille and I in front of George Washington's house in Mount Vernon.

Just chillin with the Washington's before our tour

Us with Bryan and Heidi in front of the White House.

In front of honest Abe'

Lincoln Memorial and reflective pool

Camille wanted this shot because of the architecture. It was awesome everywhere we went.
The temple right before we left

We had so much fun with the White's and appreciate their hospitality. This was Camille's first trip to D.C. and we tried to fit it all in. We probably walked a total of 50 miles throughout the trip! We are grateful we were able to go and for the babysitters that helped watch our boys.

Lake Powell 09'

2009-08-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell is a tradition that I grew up with every summer and so far my wife and kids had never been. So this year when the time came we had to go, despite the fear of our children not sleeping, the hot weather, eating insects, and how we would possibly pile on enough sunblock for everyone. We are so glad we went because we had a blast!! Anytime we were not on the house boat, we were in the ski boat, on the Jet Ski, floating in rafts in the lake, or fishing. Brayden had so much fun fishing with Richard and Andrew and floating in his life jacket in the water. Logan loved playing on the beach, riding on the Jet Ski and playing on the beach. The landscape of Lake Powell is so beautiful, especially when the sun is setting. It was great to see family that we rarely see and have time away.

The Cali Fix

2009-07-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

As soon as the 100's hit in AZ, it was time to head to Cali for our fix. We have been able to go to Cali twice in the past 3 weeks and have loved it over there. The first trip I went over to L.A. on business and then Camille brought the kids and her sister Lynette for the weekend. We went stayed in Long Beach and went to the beach there. Brayden and Logan absolutely loved it! They enjoyed running away from waves, chasing seagulls, and digging in the dirt for hours. I think that is Logan's calling in life...he is a dirt digger. Whatever construction crew is hiring in 15 years, he will be ready! Brayden actually became a lot braver and went in the waves with me. Camille and Lynette did there best to lay out, enjoy the sun, and have some serious girl talk time. Whatever that means.... The weekend was short but we got a whole day on the beach and it was well worth it.

The next trip was over 4th of July weekend. My Mom and Dad rode in our car on the way over, which was quite an experience in itself. My Mom and Camille were constantly busy handling the snacks, working the DVD player, and doing whatever else possible to keep the boys happy and most importantly quiet. I had a great time talking with my Dad up front. Then Jonny and Blake his friend joined us later. We were able to spend two full days on the beach and at the end went straight into the hotel jacuzzi, which was simply amazing and much needed. It was amazing how after each time soaking in the tub Logan still had a bunch of sand in his ear. The hotel was so awesome! We had amazing continental breakfast's everyday: French Toast, Pancakes, and Biscuits and Gravy. They also had a half court basketball court that Jonny and I got some use out of. We were able to enjoy fireworks of Legoland from a far. We watched them from the side of a road overlooking Legoland in our beach chairs. At the beach there was a lot of Frisbee, Boogie Boardin, Body Surfin, Sand Crab catchin, Horse Shoes, Sand castles, eating snacks by the truck loads, and most importantly relaxing in 75 degree weather. That is the best part about the beach, is that it is a perfect family vacation with activities for all ages. My Mom and Dad had the relaxing down, Camille and I had all of the above, and Brayden and Logan enjoyed digging in the sand, making sand castles, and digging for sand crabs. Overall it was a blast and was the fix we needed.

Chillin at the Pool

2009-06-16T09:05:00.001-07:00

For Memorial Day or Veterans Day or one of the recent days off that I had, our family went swimming and had a bbq at the Stevens Home. It was a blast. As you can see Brayden has already learned the way to relax at the pool. Right when we told him that we were taking a picture, he posed, and put out the peace sign on cue. He is a total Stevens! Of coarse I am sportin the farmers tan like it's going out of style. I am getting blind just looking at myself on the screen, so sorry for that for you viewers out there. How nice it is to have pools around us in this summer heat. Thanks to the Stevens for the hospitality. And thanks to Brayden for this candite shot, without which this post would not be possible.

Brayden Graduated Preschool

2009-06-16T08:51:00.002-07:00

Our little Brayden graduated his first year of Preschool! We are so proud of him and how much he learned throughout the process. I wanted to capture this graduation through the pictures on here because it was quite impressive! I have been at High School graduations that were not quite as nice as this. Well, probably not..... but just about. There were rows and rows of people there watching all of the children graduate. They had a table up front that the children had to walk up and receive their certificate. They also had them wear the hat with the tassle and even played the famous graduation song. It was awesome!

The first thing they did was have all the kids go to the front of the room and perform some songs they learned for us. They also recited the days of the week and months of the year. I looked over at Camille in amazement because we didn't even know Brayden knew that yet. I was also able to get a picture of Brayden's teachers that did such a great job for him and he loved going to preschool with them. Grandma Stevens, Me, Camille and Logan were there to support. Great job Brayden!

Fathers and Sons 09'

2009-05-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Brayden and I left Mom and Logan at home and headed up to Mount Lemmon for Fathers and Sons. Mount Lemmon is 8,000 feet above Tucson and is a beautiful area that we have gone the last 2 years. Brayden really enjoyed cooking marshmellows and finding sticks in the woods to throw in the fire. Since our Ward is fully stocked with 3-5 year olds, Brayden had lots of friends to play with. This year we were totally civilized and slept in the back of our new minivan. The only problem was that our air mattress went totally flat by midnight so I was sleeping on all the bumps in the floor. So it was as close to the outdoors ground as possible for me. Because my side was totally flat, Brayden's still had quite a bit of air in it so he had a nice comfortable sleep. In the morning we had to keep with tradition and play some wiffleball. I am not sure if that is spelled correctly but I decided that when I can't spell a word that I should just spell it how it sounds. Anyway, it was a great trip and next year I will bring both my boys.

Mother's Day

2009-05-24T16:02:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post some pictures of our Mothers Day celebration! We had a wonderful day pampering and spoiling our Mother, Camille! Of coarse Brayden, Logan, and Daddy got up and cooked her breakfast and let her sleep in. Then she had fun opening up earrings that Brayden and I picked out, soft lips, and a bread maker. After church the Stevens came by and it was nice to be able to see my Mother on Mothers Day. My Dad helped me on our wonderful Ritz Chicken dinner with cheesy potatoes and brocolli. All these items were made by the Dad's and Jonny Rocket so it probably was as good as it could have been. As you can see, I had to sport the apron to ensure that I was the official cook in the kitchen and no Mother was allowed this day. Also I just couldn't resist the flowers. One of the best things of the whole day was when Brayden went up with the Primary children and sang, "Mother, I love you". Overall we had a great Mothers Day with our Mothers. I hope I wrote Mothers enough for everyone in this post, I counted up 9 in total.

Our Family Garden

2009-05-24T15:51:00.001-07:00

A few months ago our Stake volunteered plots of land as a garden to any family that wanted to plant vegetables and fruits. We had never planted a garden and so we decided that it would be a fun experience. Every week we have been going to our garden and pulling weeds so that our stuff will grow. One week recently we got to the garden and our plants had grown 5X's as much as the last time we were there. Not only were the plants large but the vegetables were HUGE as well! We had never seen zucchini or squash so big. In fact we brought out the measuring tape and captured the size of one zucchini at 16 inches!! As you can see from the pictures it is comparably large to Camille's head and Brayden's body.

Brayden's Primary Excitement

2009-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

As illustrated in this video, Brayden has really enjoyed being in Sunbeams and learning all of the primary songs. The Primary President gave us a cd with all of the songs they are supposed to learn for the upcoming program and he knows all of them already. It makes us so proud as parents to see our boy learning these songs and enjoying them. As you can tell from the video Brayden has quite the voice and even adds some vibrato in there also. For Mothers Day last week Brayden went up with all of the other primary children to sing some Mother songs to Camille. As I watched him up there knowing and singing every word I couldn't help but feel a deep appreciation for this boy and realize that he is a special child. I scanned the other kids in the front row and it looked like they were typical sunbeams; some were looking off into space, some playing with their neighbor. But not our Brayden boy, he was fully attentant and singing with all his might. I know that he is unique and so I want to relish this moment forever. More important than him I believe he was sent to us to teach us. At least once a day he is setting an example for me and sometimes even telling me how I need to be better in certain areas. For example, just tonight we had dinner at our pool and when all of us started eating Brayden interupted and said, "Daddy, we need to say a prayer first." Sheepishly I said, "Brayden you are right. Thank you for reminding us." What a child!

The Fire Truck

2009-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Recently our community had an activity day with a bunch of activities for the kids and free hot dogs and chips. I personally do not remember any other reason we were there but for the free hot dogs. Brayden and Logan had playing on the blow up jungle gym and slide and then they caught view of the "Fire Truck!" Once they saw the fire truck had pulled up it was over. Logan started running with his tiny legs as fast as he could to go and see it. Brayden loved sitting inside and asked me what every little item inside the truck was.....literally every item, no joke. More than the fire truck itself, Logan loved the fireman. One of the fireman was holding Logan and he would not stop kissing him, which is weird for more than one reason. But Logan usually is particular on who he will allow his lips to kiss, so it was so funny, because he would not stop kissing this fireman. I had to pull him off him at the end so that we could go. Overall, this was a great day and fun time together.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-28T21:21:00.001-07:00

Of coarse this year we had to have our variety of Easter egg hunts. In total our kids had 3 this year and each one was harder to control the candy and chocolate intake. One of the biggest hunts we had was at Brent and Kathryn's house. There were about 6,000 easter eggs all throughout their backyard. It was a lot of fun.

We also celebrated the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and wanted to share this clip from Elder Holland about our Savior. More important than all the eggs and fun, we wanted to make sure our kids understood the Savior's role in our lives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

Brayden's Preschool Field Trip

2009-04-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Brayden is in his first semester of preschool and has been loving it. He has learned every letter of the alphabet, how to sound it out, what words start with that letter, and even some Spanish along the way. The other day when I came home from work he said, "Daddy, do you know what green in Spanish is?" I was surprised by that, especially when he was able to answer, "Verde!" He even pronunciated it correctly. I hope I spelled that correctly... So one of the activities that his preschool did was go on a field trip to a petting zoo out in where we live. So Camille took Brayden and Logan and they had a blast.

Snowboarding Trip

2009-04-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

I surprised Camille with a snowboarding trip for our Anniversary. It was going to be so romantic, just the two of us up in the mountains, cuddling by a fire.....And then I told her that we were going with a Boy Scout group. So the romantic balloon that had been getting bigger and bigger was popped. So we left the kids with Kathryn and took off to Sunrise Resort. What made the trip even less romantic is that Camille and I actually stayed in separate cabins because they wanted to ensure that the boys and girls were separated. On a more positive note, we had a blast and were able to snowboard for 2 full days, sleep in condos for 2 nights and food was included for a cheap price. This was the second time we have gone together and Camille is getting really good. Here is a picture of her carving it up down the slopes. Also I added a picture of me launching of a lip on the top of a black diamond. What a fun time!!

Christmas at the Beach

2009-01-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas our family went with the Stevens crew over to Calsbad in California to spend a week at the beach. Even though it was December, we were lucky to have all of the days with beautiful weather. We were able to get to the beach every day. There was plenty of time for frisbee, baseball, football, 3-fly's up in the waves, and body-surfin. My brother Ryan and I tried to surf but the waves were flat all week. We had full body wet suits of coarse:) The beach is such a nice vacation and we really enjoyed ourselves. Brayden had fun building sand castles and of coarse making his latest birthday cake out of sand, which included ingredients such as, french fries, syrup, hot cocoa, and gum, to just name a few. Everytime I turned around Logan was eating sand and what made it better is that with his constant running nose, he always had snot/sand clumps under his nose. Camille and I were able to really enjoy the sun, play smash ball and frisbee together, and go shopping for her b-day. Overall it was an awesome trip!

Family Christmas Parties

2009-01-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

I probably should have just added this to the other Christmas party but there is just so much to write. Of coarse, we had the famous nativity experience at each family event this year. Brayden was able to be a king in both of those and had so much fun. At the Stevens Christmas party we always have a talent show and Brayden did the whole song of "The Frosty Way" and knew all the words and dance moves by himself. I was so impressed. And of coarse he had to put on the shades to perform. He is such a pre-madonna. It was so fun to be with family and friends during Christmas. Since both families live in the same state as we do we are blessed to be able to only drive a little ways to see everyone. Merry Christmas to all!!

White Elephant Party w/ Friends

2009-01-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

This has become a favorite tradition for me and Camille throughout the years. My friends and wives or significant others get together and have a white elephant gift exchange. It is a great time to catch up and get some interesting gifts. This year the most interesting was Bryan Barney's wrapped up hamburger that he had gotten from Sonic earlier. This year it was at Jenna and Kevin Lee's, who did an incredible job at the smorgasbord. We even had a chocolate fondue fountain flowing. You can't beat that. It was great to catch up with everyone and see some newcomers that we had. I added pictures here of the wives, the friends, and the presents for some reason.

Annette's Birthday

2008-12-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight we spent the evening with Annette Stevens, Chris' wife and both their families and kids. It was a blast!! We had a blast playing on all of their instruments, eating a wonderful authentic mexican meal, and Brayden's favorite......"Opening presents". As you can see Brayden is sitting on Annette's lap while she opens her presents. Not even her own daughter was up there. Leading up to the opening of the presents Brayden kept asking, "When are we opening presents and who are those presents for?" So when it came time to actually open them, he was all over it. This was a fun night with our friends.

Babysitting Co-op Madness

2008-12-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

Every Friday night we have our babysitting co-op, which is an opportunity for Camille and I to get out of the house and go on a date without the boys. We drop them off at one of 5 other families, and we just rotate. Just as a side note, and critically important for this story, each family has 4 kids except for us. So all you doing the math at home, that is 16 kids plus our 2. So in our home which is perfect for 2 kids, we have 18 running around every 5-6 weeks. Well it happened to be our turn this last week and I just thought it would be fun to show everyone a little glimpse into our experience. Here are all the kids sitting around are tiny table. They actually have to share chairs because we don't have enough, and some of them even sit on the floor. Then at the end of the night, after running around for 4 hours, here is the typical scene. 3 kids, which are not even mine and Brayden, sitting around me and one falling asleep on me waiting for their parents to come. So fun!! Also I couldn't help but get a picture of Brayden's new little girlfriend, Aubrey. Everytime we have this co-op at our house they play together the whole time and they always sit by each other when we watch movies. Don't worry, Brayden doesn't even realize what kind of trouble his charm will get him into in the future.

Temple Lights

2008-12-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

Every year we have a tradition of going to the Mesa, AZ temple and enjoying the beautiful christmas lights that they display on every little living vegitation. This year we had so much fun!! Logan loves lights and was constantly wanting to get out of the stroller and pull on every one. He wanted to take them all home with us. Brayden really enjoyed the Nativity scenes and watching the Christ statue in the visitors center. It was a beautiful night, not too cold, and we were able to see a lot of our friends there; Melina and Jonathan Crosby and Jessica and Bryan Knight. As our kids get older this tradition will only get better and better.

2008-11-17T12:16:00.001-08:00

Oh Sweet Cali

2008-10-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

At least a few times a year our family has to get to the beach. We love getting out of the heat and getting our beach fix. Just recently we went to one of our favorite California beaches, Newport. It was Logan's first time, so he kept feeling the sand on his hands and feet and getting really excited, but more importantly, he had to taste it for the first time. Brayden loved making pictures in the sand and making muddy sand castles. Our kids loved playing and we loved soaking up the sun.

Disneyland in October

2008-10-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, our family took a much needed trip to Disneyland. Since we have season passes this year we have been trying to get here as much as possible. In October there are a lot of fun things they do at Disneyland, including this huge mickey mouse head pumpkin. Camille and the boys sleep on the drive over, have fun all day, then sleep on most of the trip back. It is quite an experience for them. While Dad, spits mouthfuls and mouthfuls of sunflower seeds and drinks caffeine to make it through the drive. We had a blast together as a family and made it all home in one piece.

Complete Family Support

2008-09-29T20:39:00.001-07:00

Recently we have been trying to get Brayden excited to get potty trained. We thought that if we showed him how cool these underpants were that he would want to put them on. What we didn't realize was that Brayden got so excited that he put them on the wrong end.... So we decided to join him.

How it all began.......

2008-09-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

I had just returned from my mission in Montana Billings and was invited to a get together at the "Curtis Home". This was a well known place where friends would go and hang out and this particular night across the circle sat my angel. I was really interested in the conversation but I have to admit, I was much more taken with that blonde haired beauty who sat across the way. After our discussion, I decided to go and introduce myself to her and eventually ask her out. Now anyone who knows returning missionaries knows that they can be incredibly dorky, in a good spiritual, girls are bad, kind of way. So I was nervous but on that first date it was as if I had known her before. Everything just clicked. It sounds like I should be saying, "And the rest was history..", I don't think so. That next week I had to go up to Utah for school. So for the next year Camille and I would talk randomly over the phone and everytime I came down to Arizona we would hang out.

After my first year at Utah Valley State College, and dating my share of "not Camille's", I came down to my parents for the summer. And of coarse, I hung out with Camille. But this time it really clicked and after dating others I knew exactly what I wanted and that she was the one. Unfortunately, Camille did not know quite yet. So I did the ultimate step into the dark by deciding to stay down in Arizona and going after this blonde beauty. After a lengthy and impatient 2 months having to sell her on me, we were engaged and got married on February 17, 2005. Now, September 26, 2008, we have 2 beautiful boys, Brayden and Logan, live in Maricopa and are happier than ever.

I wanted to make sure and clear up this story since many in the family are under the impression we only knew each other 3 weeks.