Friday, April 30, 2010

3rd Annual Stevens Lifeclass Beach Retreat

Last week of April means the beach in our Life Class, which is our Sunday School class. We have been in this class for a little over 4 years now and these people have really become a second family to us. This was the third year that we have gone to Oak Island and we really look forward to it each year.

It was a little more special and fun this year because was able to play and really enjoy the beach. Last year he was only 4 months old , napped alot, and really just sat there staring. But this year, he was off exploring, digging, chasing birds and throwing the frisbee with us. SO FUN! Here are some pictures:

This is our life class. It has gotten to big that this is only half the class.
My family, which I'm always thankful forI'm usually the one behind the camera so pics of me and the boy are super special to me. Here we are all showered and clean after a long day at the beach and ready for some dinner! Here's the beach belly at 21 weeks. By the way, don't you know I was so excited to find a polka dot swim suit for the belly!!! YAY! And here are the two (soon to be three) boys! And finally, the boy. This is probably my favorite picture. When I first saw this I thought of Zoolander and my little male model. Doesn't he just look like he's strutting his stuff with his Blue Steel face? It's the beach walk-off! LOVE IT! You go Isaac!

Here's a slideshow of some other picture from the weekend. Enjoy! note: some of them are the same as above.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Yardwork Is Never Done

Mowing the lawn. Sweet boy. He just LOVES playing outside and I just LOVE having a fenced in backyard!!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

What Missy Does......

when we go on vacation!Check out Todd and Leah's Blog to see the adventures they had dogsitting The Miss.

Thanks again for helping us out guys!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Isn't that Raquel Welch.......?


Great. She's making her big comeback......as are the memories of childhood ridicule

"What's your name?....Ohhhhh, like Raquel Welch!"

Thanks

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Luke Wonka's Chocolate Factory

This is what Luke did on Sunday after lunch. Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Sandwiches SMOTHERED in chocolate.Yum yummy! Isn't he talented ladies? He did it all on his own. Perfect snack for a Sunday afternoon!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Afternoon at the Braddy's

Isaac on top of the Braddy's awesome playset

Spring Fling

This past weekend, Josh and Bianca Thompson threw a Spring Fling for friends. It was so fun and so family friendly. And it was very social which just pumps me and Luke up. They had crafts, blow up jumpers, swings and yummy yummy foods. Here are some pics:Here's a family picture that we took in front of their beautiful azaleas.We have matching shirts because earlier that day Luke and I volunteered for the Special Olympics. This was also a great time as we got to hand out the awards for the swimmers! I think it was just as rewarding for us as it was for the swimmers getting the ribbons. Plus, we did the "Disney Give a Day, Get a Day" which means we're going to Disney World!!! FOR FREE!!! This is pending alot of things, specifically the birth and the newborn, but still! Disney World!!!

Implicating Myself

Laundry. It's a love hate relationship. I'm sure you think this is the dirty laundry but alas, it's the clean. I HATE FOLDING THE LAUNDRY!! I don't mind separating it, putting it in the washer or in the dryer. But boy do I hate folding it and putting it away. It truly is my bane. Sometimes it stays for days and days until I finally have to stick it back in the dryer to get the wrinkles out!

One thing I remember my mom always telling me, that I hated to hear then, but now know it's true, is that all my laziness has done is create even more work for me. ugh, she's right! So mami if you're reading this, you were right!

On another note, here's a little nightie we bought for our little man, the other one:) We started this tradition when we found out Isaac was a boy. We went out right away to get a little outfit. It turned out to be what we took him home in. And this will probably be what we take our new little guy home in.

Still no name, but here's the belly at 19 weeks. and as is also tradition, The Miss right at my feet.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Sunday Hymn Sing


All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

It's A........

BOY!!!!!
Praise the Lord! Our dream of a family of boys is coming true. Isaac's going to have a little brother. We are so thankful and humbled by God's love for us in such a specific way.

Thanks for praising God with us.

P.S. Unfortunately, we were fully prepared with a girl name but have NO CLUE for a boy name, so we welcome your suggestions! Just make sure the name can also be said in spanish.

Lazy Spring Evening

Our new hammock. I love our backyard.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Easter Sunday

What a great Easter we had here. We hope you and your family also had a great day celebrating Christ's resurrection! Here are some picture highlights of our Easter at Luke's parents!

You all know how I LOVE matching my family for special occasions! Well, Easter is no exception. Here we are in our matching yellow gingham tie, romper and skirt! Some of the eggs had money in them and Isaac found $10 in one! woohoo! Of course, as you can tell by his face, he was disappointed there wasn't any candy in that one. But I was sure excited. And here he is with a mouth full of chocolate he snuck in his mouth, wrapper and all, when I wasn't looking. My two boys. Oh how I love my family! and here's The Boy on the hunt. And just for fun, here are the cupcakes and the cupcake stand I made for dessert. Check my craft blog soon to see how I built it. Some of the cupcakes were already gone by the time we took a picture. P.S. we go on Wednesday to see if we're having a boy or a girl. Stay tuned!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week and Holy Week (or Passion Week) is the week before Easter. In the last few years, Easter has become more and more of a celebration in my heart and therefore in my home. I have tried to decorate and anticipate Easter in the same way that we do Christmas. It is so important to us to teach Isaac the importance of Easter just like we do for Christmas. Christmas is when God came to earth in the form of a baby but Easter is when Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and when He miraculously rose from the grave, just the way he had said. HE IS RISEN! Our SAVIOR is ALIVE!

So back to the point of this post. Everyday this week, we have tried to follow the week Christ had in Jerusalem as laid out in the Bible. I have a handy dandy map in my NIV Study bible that has the day of the week and verses to read that correspond to what Jesus was doing. Well, Maundy Thursday is when Jesus washed His disciples feet to show His humility, celebrated the Passover supper, The Last Supper, and when Jesus shared communion with His disciples. Luke and I thought we would spend our evening in the same way Jesus did. So here is how our evening went. We used Matthew 26 as our guide through the night and in all we did, we read in the Bible beforehand.

First I made a Passover dinner. Now this wasn't the full supper, with the matzha balls and ceremonies, just a really simple one that followed some of the simple rules. I made roasted chicken with herbs, honeyed carrots, and roasted potatoes. I used a book on family devotions and celebrations for Easter to help guide me. We also had lemonade to drink but that's just because that's what we wanted :)

After dinner, we as family washed each others feet. We read the Beginner's Bible version of it to Isaac first before we did. Here are some pictures. Isaac really was helping. Daddy washing Isaac's feet: Daddy and Isaac washing Mami's feet: Mami and Isaac washing Daddy's feetFinally, we took communion together. I made this with flour and shortening, but most importantly, no yeast. Though Isaac didn't eat and drink, he sat with us and Luke read from the Bible and explained what it was. It was a great time to share the gospel with Isaac. In Matthew it says that after they did this they prayed and sang a hymn together. So we finished by singing "Jesus Paid it All". My favorite verse in this hymn is

"And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete; Jesus died my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow."
It was a sweet sweet time in our family and we are excited to continue this tradition for years to come. I'm so thankful that we can celebrate this. I'm so very thankful for a husband that leads our family to Christ and that he's so open to my desire for spiritual traditions.

And today is Good Friday, the day when Jesus breathed His last and said " IT IS FINISHED".

As a side note, people have commented to me on some occasions that Isaac won't remember, Isaac doesn't understand and Isaac is too young. All those things may be true but that doesn't stop me because here's what Isaac WON'T remember. He won't remember NOT hearing the gospel, he won't remember NOT hearing about Jesus everyday, and he won't remember NOT celebrating spiritual holidays with his family. He will say "We've always done it, since as far back as I can think". And that's what's important, and God will honor that, and that's why Luke and I are faithful to God in teaching our son.

So even if you have a newborn, infant, or toddler, don't hesitate to start teaching him just because "he won't remember". Because the last thing you want to hear is, "but why do we have to do it, we've never done it before."

Happy Easter from our family to yours!!!

For ideas on how to decorate your home for Easter in a Christ centered way, please visit my craft blog, SOMETHING WONDERFUL, and leave me a comment!

P.S. stay tuned after the weekend for posts about our recent trip to Texas and our supper club last weekend!