New baby comes to our home

I guess it is about time I updated this blog. We have had a bunch of changes that have come into our life since my last post. Probably the one that has taken the most getting used to was adding a baby into the mix. Actually, this baby is a lot of fun for 2 old people. Our new baby's name is Lucy and she is a miniature schnauzer. Lucy has been a lot of fun although the house training has been a bit frustrating at times. She has really done well with only a few mishaps in the house. We got Lucy in August and she has almost doubled in size since then. She has definitely brought life into our house.



Lucy at 5 weeks


It doesn't get any cuter than this does it?

It took Randy & I almost 2 years to get over having to put Popeye to sleep, but this new puppy has been a good addition to our life. Of course, she has added a new dimension of love for us to give and get. It is a big job to take care of a new pup, but well worth the trouble.

Family Fun

Boy, the 3 months went by fast since I last posted on this site. We have had a lot of good things happen and a lot of fun with our family since then. This summer has been a great one for family and I love it.

Before we get to the summer fun though, I need to post about our fun trip back to Virginia to see Brandon, Sara & Roxie in May. We only had a long weekend to be there, but we had great fun talking, playing games, going to the Washington DC temple, going shopping and almost getting drenched in a monster rain storm and visiting Mt. Vernon. We hate having Brandon and his family so far away, but love to visit them when we can.


Brandon, Sara & Roxie on their patio.


The first day in Virginia


Roxie loved Grandpa's hat


Our little trip over to the Washington DC Temple


Our trip to Mt. Vernon.


Grandpa, Grandma & Roxie at Mt. Vernon

We were sorry it was such a short trip, but had a great time while we were there.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2009

Over Memorial Day weekend, Kate's family came to visit us. We so love to have family come down to see us and try to make the most of their time here.

Half way through our hike in Zions' canyon



At the top of the lookout to Zions.



Our picnic in Red Rock canyon didn't quite work out, so we came back and swam in the pool and had the picnic on the living room floor.




YELLOWSTONE TRIP 2009

Our next adventure was going to Yellowstone with all our kids and grandkids except Brandon, Sara, and Roxie. We did a lot of road trips, but spent some of the days just relaxing and playing games at the condo in West Yellowstone. At one point we had 4 SUVs in a caravan into the park. It was so much fun that I'm planning our next adventure already. I took so many pictures of the trip and then realized that I didn't get a picture of the whole family on the three days that Matt's family was there. What a crazy grandma.

The Lower falls was one of our first days in the park. Matt's family and Lesli's husband Russ hadn't made it up to Yellowstone yet.


Norris geyser basin.


We saw a lot of animals in the park including some bear. This bison was with a group of about 15 bison that walked right by our car (on both sides) and were a little too close for me. We saw so many bison that we got sick of them, but we did get to see a bunch of baby animals on this trip since it was so early in the year.


Of course, we had to go to see Old Faithful.


A side trip Randy and I, Kate and her kids, and Jessica took on one of the days over to Mesa Falls. What a beautiful place and we had driven past so many times before without even knowing it was there.


The brink of Upper Mesa Falls.


The week after we got home from Yellowstone, Sara & Roxie came in to help Sara's sister with wedding preparations. We had a family dinner at Matt & Becky's so that we could see them again. Sorry Brandon that you weren't able to be there. Also, Lesli and Russ couldn't come up north that weekend, so we missed them too.

What a cutie and she even remembered Grandma!


The Stevenson's can fill a house up pretty quickly.


A beautiful day on the patio at Matt's home. Jess loves this picture!


Roxie loved her Uncle Matt and Uncle Shane. Maybe they look a "little" like her daddy.




The cousins all had a great time playing on the swing set, trampoline, and basketball court, while the adults just visited and got acquainted again.





I can't wait until August when Brandon and Sara will be in again so we can get together. Hopefully, Grandma will remember to take lots of pictures for posting and include some of everyone there.

Sorry this post has been so long, but you have to realize the I SURE LOVE THESE GUYS.

Savanna's blessing

Be sure you read all the way through 3 blogs to get the full effect .

Savanna was given her name and a blessing last Sunday by her Great Grandpa Shields. We were so glad we were able to go up and be there for this event. Matt, Becky and their kids came and stayed on Saturday night with us. Our house was full, but happy. We love having all the kids come to see us. This was a short visit, so we expect a longer one soon Matt & Becky.

Anyway, we all traveled up to Fillmore on Sunday morning to go to Savanna's blessing. Jessica also traveled down from Salt Lake for the event. Even though the wind was pretty wild, we had a great day. Savanna made sure everyone heard from her during her blessing, but it was great anyway. We all met together at Russ and Lesli's house for dinner and had a great time. The ride home for Matt's family was a little slippery, but since they live in "Snowy Liberty" they are used to traveling in that stuff. Randy and I were glad we were once again going south, away from the snow.

Jessica stayed overnight with Lesli on Sunday night and then went back to Salt Lake to get Jared and Luke to their parents. Good times were had by all and Savanna was certainly the star of the day.


Yes! I got my name!!


Boy, did she ever pose for the pictures.


Does she love her Grandma or what?


First time meeting Uncle Matt!



She just can't resist!


Good times for all.

Okay, now we are almost up to date. Shane's family is with us this weekend, so we will need to update again after pictures are taken. Love to all!!

Jared and Luke stay with Grandma & Grandpa

One of the most fun (and most tiring) things we have done for a long time was having Jared and Luke come to stay with us for 10 days while their parents went on a trip to Brandon & Sara's house. Grandpa took vacation from work to stay home during the day and then Grandma took over at night. It's been a long time since we have had little kids in the house without their parents to run for them. We really enjoyed having them here, but we are also glad we could get them back to Kate and Dave safely.



Dave, I'm sure you will love this one. Luke loved
this crown that was brought in your toys, so I had
to have a picture of this. He also spent a fair amount
of time in the laundry basket while he was here.



My Jared, always ready with a big smile for
the camera.


Luke found this silly pillow and walked around
for a whole day using it as a life jacket.


Almost every time I would tell them to smile,
Jared would pull a face. I finally just took the
picture without correcting him.

The first night the boys were here alone with Grandpa & Grandma, Luke had been in bed about 10 times and kept coming out to the living room. I finally picked him up and made him sit on my lap with me (even though he threw a royal tantrum). He finally stopped fighting and turned around, pointed his finger at me, and said "No, No, Grandma". Well, what could I do (besides laugh). I put him down, he drug his blanket into his bed, whimpered a few times, and went to sleep. What a kid!


Grandpa, Jared, and Luke became great friends playing
the Wii during the day. Jared is quite the bowler and boxer.
Luke is so cute when you tell him to BOX!

We loved having these boys here with us and invite any other grandkids to come stay too. Of course, you will need to bring your parents with you. JK

Finally an update!!!

Okay, I was told by a good friend (thanks Jen) that my blog was very boring and needed to be updated. Hey, it's only been 2 months. Anyway, I will attempt to update the happenings of our life since Savanna was born.

We have had quite a few visitors come and spend a few days with us. Lesli, Jessica and Savanna came down and spent a weekend while Russ was gone to California for more job training. We sure enjoyed having them come and see us.

What a cutie. She already knows how to use that smile!






Savanna & Mommy




Grandma & Savanna having a little snuggle time (Jess caught me)

Sorry Jess, I guess we didn't take any picures of you and Savanna on my camera this trip.

Welcome Savanna June

We are so happy to welcome Savanna into our family as the number 13 grandchild. She is such a beautiful baby and Grandpa and I spent the weekend just holding her and loving her. Lesli and Russ are so excited to finally have her here (especially Lesli). She is a good baby and on her way to be extremely spoiled by all. I just got a "few" pictures while we were there. Here's a sample.


Grandma & Savanna meet at the hospital


Proud Grandpa


Pretty in Pink


So sweet and peaceful


Tons of dark hair, Grandpa says it's close to a mullet



When the eyes are open, the mouth is too.

She is such a cutie. We wish we could have stayed longer, but it's back to work tomorrow so we'll have to wait until next weekend.

The Dreaded January Birthday

Not really much to blog about, but I do have some feelings about January. First of all, we had a great December getting Jessica home, visiting family up north and having a great Christmas with them. Unfortunately, it's downhill from there. JANUARY!! You know I really hated January all of my adult life for assorted reasons. The biggest reason was how cold it usually was and the snow I had to deal with. Well, I can't complain so much about that now can I. The next reason was the inversions that usually set in while working in Salt Lake that made the depression even worse. Well, I can mark that off my list also. But, the biggest reason I didn't care for January is that I had to realize I was another year older. As a kid it wasn't too fun having a January birthday because no one really wanted to buy presents so soon after Christmas or celebrate so soon after New Years.

So, now that we've moved to Hurricane, I've pretty well taken are of the first two reasons I hated January. Any suggestions or remedies for the third? Let me know.

By the way, I'm working hard at learning how to work out with the Wii Fit. Haven't had this many sore muscles for ages, but I'm enjoying it (except for some of the Yoga poses, no one should be able to do THAT)! And what's with the shape of the Mii it created for me! So rude.

Happy last week of January. Looking forward to seeing Brandon, Sara, and Roxie in a couple of weeks and meeting our soon to be born baby girl Shields tomorrow or soon thereafter we hope, don't we Lesli? Well at least that baby girl will help to make me like January better.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Our Christmas was great spending time with our family. We had everyone together again except Brandon, Sara & Roxie. We sure missed you guys. The snow up north made Randy and I even more grateful that we made the move to Dixie last year. That driving on icy roads is for the birds. I don't know how I made that commute to SL everyday for so many years in that stuff. It was fun to see a white Christmas, but not so fun to drive the roads on the white stuff.

We had great fun getting to know the grandkids again and spending time with them. Grandma even tried out the Wii sports (tennis) and Wii Fit (just loved that pudgy little person it pictured for me) which convinced me we should have one. Not so lucky yet in finding one to buy because everyone is sold out, but I will have one soon. That means that maybe Grandma Steve will have something around the house to entertain the grandkids when they come to visit (hint, hint).
The New Year came in pretty quiet this year, but we look forward to another great year for all our family. Jessica is going a little stir crazy being in Hurricane and "away from the action", so she will be heading north soon. I promise to get some pictures up from our visits up north soon, maybe even today.