Wakeboarding in Carlsbad

This weekend we had the opportunity to go wakeboarding with my good life long friend Lance Alder. Lance and I grew up together through elementary and still remain friends. He lives in Newport Beach and has discovered this sweet spot in Carlsbad where you can rent a boat and wakeboards by the hour. So Lance and his dad Mike and all of the Stevens crew hung out on this boat. It was so much fun going wakeboarding!! It has been a while for me so today I am very sore. But I have missed it since going quite a bit in the lakes of Arizona growing up. Here is some footage from our experience. So grateful that Lance called up and we were able to join him. Our whole family had a blast and I loved seeing him again.

Mothers Day

I always enjoy mothers day, a day to spoil our mothers, who deserve all the spoiling possible. It is such a great day, because typically mothers do ALL of the work and sacrifice their own interests for others. But on this day we try and do the opposite. So we cooked Camille breakfast and let her sleep in a little bit. Then after breakfast the boys had their mothers day gifts they had made from school. It was so cute to see how excited they each were to give their presents to their mommy. Then I was able to stay home all morning and help the kids get ready for church, which is a rarity. Camille was able to relax, enjoy more time with the kids one on one, and actually get the adequate time needed to get ready. I am so grateful for all of the Mothers that have influenced my life. Starting with my own mother, who taught me to love unconditionally and forgive quickly. I am so grateful for the example of selflessness she showed me and continues to show throughout her life. And now with the mother of my children, Camille, who has taught me patience, charity, sacrifice, and complete devotion to family and children. I have certainly been blessed by your influence in my life. THANK YOU!

Street BBQ

We had a blast with our neighbors having a bbq this past Saturday. We did a similar one last year but a lot smaller than this year. This year we had 3 BBQ's out on the street cooking halibut, burgers, chicken, and steak. It was nice to spend some time with our neighbors while all the kids were riding their bikes and scooters. After we ate for a while we celebrated Ella's birthday with hitting an Elmo pinata. It was a great night.

Fathers and Sons 2012

This past weekend Brayden, Logan and I headed up to the mountains for our yearly Fathers and Sons campout. We had a blast as we do every year. From the moment we got there Brayden and Logan were off playing with their friends and enjoying every minute. We set up our tent and had some smores around the campfire that first night. They both slept good, which is always a concern of mine, and we slept in until about 6am, which is a HUGE success compared to other campouts we have had. We had a great breakfast and I let the kids play for a few hours before we had to rush off to get to their baseball game. This camp site had a lot of open space so the kids enjoyed playing football, baseball, and finding bugs (Logan). Overall it was a blast and another successful year with just us boys. It was the day before Mothers Day so it was nice to give Camille a little relief as well.

Brayden's 1st Lost Tooth

For a while now Brayden has shown us how loose his bottom two teeth have been and we have wondered when they are going to come out. Well IT HAPPENED!! Last night Logan and him were doing some wrestling, a very common activity in our home, and one of the teeth fell out. For a while we couldn't find it and then we heard Brayden shouting "I found it!" He was shocked because it seemed so much smaller than he thought it should be.






Brayden had to tell someone, so we called Grandma and Grandad on Facetime using our Iphone's so they could see the missing tooth. Pretty fun!



So we explained how this tiny tooth will be replaced by a bigger tooth and that means that he is growing up and getting older. He wasn't sure how that would work and followed with several questions. One of which was, "What if only a few big teeth grow in and I still have all my other small ones, won't that look funny?" I thought that was a very thoughtful question and simply said, "yes it would, but they will continue to fall out and it takes time for the big ones to grow in."

Logan was very intrigued by this whole topic as he is ALWAYS trying to find ways that he can grow up faster. So after about 5 minutes Logan came over and started telling us that he had a tooth that was loose and he wanted to go wrestle so it could come out :)

So the stage was set for the tooth fairy to make her entrance last night and slip in a prize under Brayden's pillow. Well, unfortunately Mom and Dad totally spaced it and forgot to get the tooth fairy to put something under his pillow. So first thing in the morning Brayden came in shocked and wondering how the tooth fairy missed this tooth. So we went through some scenarios. Maybe it was too late when you went to bed and the tooth fairy couldn't make it. Maybe she was so busy and only came by our house when you were awake and she had to keep moving.

To all you professional tooth fairy parents...take it easy on us, we are rookie's at this. This is our first tooth that has come out and we are certainly due for a mistake or two, right? :)

So I told Brayden I was certain the tooth fairy would do it tonight if he put the tooth under his pillow. We shall see...

Easter Activities

cEaster started a week early when Brayden's school class did a easter egg hunt at Highland Ranch Park. There were thousands of eggs scattered all across the grass and it only took about 3-4 minutes for the kids to race around and get them picked up. It was a blast. They also had a section for siblings so Connor and Logan got to enjoy an Easter egg hunt as well.





Then Easter morning came. We had the kids hunt for their baskets first because they were hidden. Then after they enjoyed their baskets for a little while we had them sit and watch the cartoon version of "He is Risen", a video about the Savior's resurrection. My family was in town and came to our church because they wanted to behold the singing of our bishopric performing our special musical number "There is a green hill far away". It turned out pretty good. I think many in the congregation were surprised :)





After church we raced to Carlsbad and had another easter egg hunt which was a lot of fun. After a wonderful dinner we had a special FHE about Christ. This was a great way to end this special day. The spirit radiated through the room and I was filled with gratitude that we have days specifically set aside to remember the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So grateful to spend Easter with family that we love and celebrate the true meaning of this special day.

My New Love

Ever since moving to San Diego I have fallen in love with surfing. When we lived in Arizona I would come over each summer and attempt to surf for a few days and then return home feeling like I had not progressed at all since last year.

So when we moved here I was determined to learn how to surf a little better. And that was my initial goal. But everytime I have gone out I have truly grown to love this activity. So after Camille bought her camera this past year it was my turn to buy a new surfboard.

And over spring break in Carlsbad my brother and I were able to go every day.

I just feel so grateful that I live close enough to surf often. I've got to take advantage of it. What a blast it has been!!