Super Stephens Reunion 2013

The Stephens Reunion had the theme of "Super Stephens" and the kids had so much fun at Super Hero training.

They had to be lightning fast through the obstacle course, dead on with the marshmallow guns, destroy kryptonite, have stellar x-ray vision, and agile with Wiggle-Lo.

At the end Grandma and Grandpa told each grandkid what their super power was.

Bentley-obedient
Lincoln-courage
Gracie-cheerful

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1. Chocolate cake and spaghetti = bathtime for this girl!
2. The annual horseride with Grandpa Stephens turned into a rodeo and Grandpa and Bentley both got bucked off. Bentley's horse came down on his arm, but he escaped with little more than a gnarly bruise and some scrapes. Grandpa's fall was a little harder.
3. Washi tape makes an excellent quiet toy.
4. You don't have to have all your ducks in a row, you just have to have a duck to start.
5. Swimming lessons, round 2.
6. All summer they begged to have a lemonade stand. This day their dreams came true. Business was slow, and they spilled the lemonade twice.
7. I can never find my name on pencils or keychains, let alone a tanker truck.
8. This kid. Didn't pack any pants/shorts and jumped in the river with his only pair of shoes. Life is always an adventure with Lincoln. #superstephens #stephensreunion
9. Sometimes my best ideas come at the last minute. And then I stay up all night sewing super suits. And it ends up being so worth it. 5 more supers not pictured. #superstephens

Chickens and Trampolines

 Summer nights. Chickens. Trampolines. And nakie babies.

 Gracie had just got out of the bath, but loved joining the brothers outside.

  

 Lincoln and his ladies

 

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1. Dalanie painted Lincoln's fingernails. Blue. Because he's a boy.
2. Crossing off Dalanie's to-do list. First stop Aggie Ice Cream
3. Number 2, ride the bull. (She may have called it a buffalo and yelled "BYU, but the boys lined her out.)
4. Number 3, play in the creek at Mack Park. (Sidenote, these 2 are almost friends).
5. These 2 are going to get married. Scary.
6. Number 4, sleepout on the trampoline.
7. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
8. Super Lincoln
9. Gracie had a death grip on this jewelry, so I had to buy it.

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1. GJ showing off her arm folding during FHE.
2. Sam's Club's icees only come in 1 size, but she didn't mind.
3. And no I know where I fit in.
4. Wowed my Activity Day girls with my friendship bracelet making skills.
5. On an impulse I took Gracie's pacifiers away. She protested a little.
6. I like big cups and I cannot lie.
7. Kidnapped Dalanie and Ruby for a few days and it was non-stop fun.
8. These clowns pulled a Curious George and painted everything they could find (with wet sidewalk chalk)
9. Picked a good one.

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1. Wish you were here Tameka, Deidra, Warren, Patrice.
2. Pretty sure I saw Napoleon Dynamite's grandma today...she even had her 4-wheelers loaded. Probably heading tot he dunes.
3. Good morning sleepy heads.
4. When they leave home they do it in style. Ready for any adventure.
5. Love my lefties.
6. Because of bears and raccoons our tuck in treats aren't going to be edible.
7. Back from 4 days of camping with some awesome girls.
8. As soon as they got home from Grandma's they ran to the backyard to check on things. They've gathered eggs, picked strawberries, found plenty of zucchini, and updated me on the height of the corn and my flowers that have bloomed. They are their father's children.
9. Hipster

Thursday night with Grandma

Occasionally we tag along with Chod on Thursday nights to Kaysville. He teaches his class, and the kids and I get to spend time with his Grandma Luain.

I'm not sure if she or they look forward to these visits the most. I usually drag the kids to Target before we head to Grandma's and they beg to get to her house the whole time.

 They like playing on the rope swing and trampoline in her backyard.

We always seem to get there just as she is finishing up mowing the lawn or working in the yard. She's 82 and tells me stories of her friends that are so "old" and how she doesn't like to go to the senior center because the people there have walkers. She mows her own lawn, and watches her great grandkids who help keep her young.

And even though she would rather I not take pictures of her, I want the kids to be able to look back and remember our Thursday nights at Grandma's

 Picking peas.

 We love Grandma Luain!

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1. It's amazing how much fun you can have in the playroom when you aren't tripping over toys. There's a serious Nerf war going on.
2. Who is this harder on, mom or the boys?
3. Counted down the minutes until bedtime all day. And now? They are playing so well together and being stinking adorable. I think they do it on purpose..."if we're good she'll let us stay up."
4. Little dude busted out 3 miles on our bike ride tonight, sans training wheels.
5. Where's the cupholder on this thing?
6. Go ahead and count 'em. Broken eggs are an all to common occurrence.
7. Cause someone's got to supervise Dad while he changes the oil.
8. Things are getting serious. Waterfight.
9. Waterfight anyone?

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1. I saw a mouse in our front room. Chod went to great lengths to find it. He's ripped the bottom off the couches, set 3 traps, and is looking in every nook and crevice with a flashlight. All because he knows how much I hate mice and won't go to sleep till it's dead. That's true love.
2. It may not be blue, but it is definitely Thing hair.
3. Barely got it out in time to make it on the Tooth Fairy's rotation for tonight.
4. Can't believe this is the same kid who freaks out when water hits his face in the shower. He's picking up diving sticks (with his eyes open!) in swimming lessons. So proud of him!
5. Facetiming cousins wearing twinner shirts. Even though Deidra and I haven't shopped together for a long time.
6. Closed down the pool.
7. We don't feed her.
8. I'm not sure which one is enjoying this the most. Gracie's dad is the best.
9. Anyone else have binders full of magazine tears for good ideas? Before there was Pinterest.

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1. What's not to love?
2. Rented kayaks for the weekend.
3. This kid cannot get enough. Bentley loved being on the water.
4. Super sonic jet pack marshmallows - secured with washi.
5. What is stronger, the bug spray Lincoln found in the back or lilacs?
6. Such a dainty eater.
7. Introducing Ike to the dark side (green tractors).
8. My pet project.
9. At what point does this become a problem?

Maiden Kayak Adventures

We spent Memorial Day weekend on the river. We rented kyaks from the ORP on campus and spent Friday, Saturday, and Monday at Benson Marina kyaking. We had never been kyaking before, and didn't know what to expect. But the most intimidating part was visiting the ORP. Friday night, Chod and I went kyaking for our date. Then on Saturday we took the boys with us. And then Monday we took everyone, including Gracie.
 

I liked it a lot, but Bentley LOVES it! He was all over the place, and as always, had no fear of the water.

He went out by himself on Saturday and on Monday, and I can't wait to tell his OT about it. We even talked about buying kayaks (that's how much he liked it), but after doing a little math decided we'll stick to renting them for now.

 

We didn't take cameras out with us because we weren't sure how steady the kayaks would be, but it was fun to paddle around the marsh and see the birds, and have fish jumping around us. Bentley said his favorite was when we went under the bridge that was covered in Swallow nests with birds flying all around. It reminded me of floating the canal next to our house growing up. 

 

 Lincoln had fun as Chod's ship mate. He's still too little to paddle on his own, but did well as skipper. And Gracie....well she did great for the first 20 or so minutes. Just long enough for us to get a good distance from the dock before she decided the sitting still business wasn't for her. I tried a lot of tricks to distract her, but settled on wrapping my legs around her to keep her from wiggling out (since both hands were needed for paddling) and paddled as fast as I could back to the dock. She seemed happy to lose the life jacket and was content to sit in the car and watch Curious George. And Bentley was more than willing to take over my kayak.

 

 

 Pretty sure it will be something we do again.

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1. When my original plan didn't work, I turned to paper and paint at the last minute.
2. These 2 have no idea what they are doing. #puzzles
3. Love Cache Valley
4. Grace turns 1.
5. Our kitchen update on thecraftingchicks.com
6. Busted cup and a short straw. #sonicfail
7. And you thought her hair was crazy before. #trampolinehair
8. Because I can always think of 4,500 other projects to work on instead on doing the 1 that I have to do.
9. At least it doesn't say "I hate you" like the notes he leaves me on the wall?

Gracie's First Birthday

 

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1. Soccer season begins. Mines the runt in orange.
2. Where did my baby go?
3. And then there were 10.
4. Four sisters = Four Cousins born within 9 months. Truman, Delsie, Tuff, and Gracie
5. Replacing the kitchen faucet resulted in a backhoe in the front yard.
6. So proud this one is mine. #lovehim
7. The old Ford pulled out the tree stump.
8. Take that CPK.
9. Happy Cinco de Mayo

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1:: Kitchen success
2:: Shamrock Shuffle
3:: Me vs. Baby Grace for the staple gun
4:: Lunch time with a bucket head
5:: Oh yeah, that just happened
6:: Painting marshmallows
7:: It was hailing, so this kid grabbed his coat and scooter
8:: Hoppy Easter
9:: Just lounging in a hole

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1:: Handsome Linky
2:: Papa's circus act
3:: "Where to boys?" After many hours in her carseat Gracie took over the wheel at a gas station,
4:: Multnomah Falls
5:: Grace loves Tillamook ice cream, and cheese, and fudge.
6:: The Baby Loaf
7:: We learned all about cheese-it starts with the cows.
8:: Sometimes when you want cookies you have to take matters into your own hands.
9:: Craft fail.

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1:: All hands on deck to make soil tins.
2:: The best free stop in town. A clean ring for me and Oreos for the boys.
3:: Oh he is cute.
4:: Strapped on the snowshoes to check on the chickens.
5:: Gracie loves snowshoeing.
6:: Race to the car.
7:: How we survive Sam's Club. Yes he has on shorts and snowboots.
8:: Can't decide which room to use this fabric in.
9:: Let the room and she snatched the bowl of carrots from off the table.