You've Got Mail

You know times are changing when you no longer get messy, handwritten notes and drawings from your kids.

You get emails!

I knew Kyler was up to something when he was secretly working forever in the computer room the other night. He had that look in his eyes when he is really excited about something. He kept yelling questions to me, but panicked if I came even remotely near the door. He needed to know my favorite color, how to spell dozens of words, and how to move the cursor down a line... This small note took him at least an hour to type. I assumed lots of things, but I wasn't expecting this:

To ThePRETTIEST girl in my family

Five things that i love about you

#1 you take care of us and help us when we are hurt or in danger

#2 you take us to do FUN things

#3 you teach us how to do hard TALENTS

#4 you help us do the things that help us

#5 and suport us in special times

I LOVE YOU

KYLER

Sweet, huh? I miss the stick figures, but I do appreciate the spell check! (Some of their notes can be pretty tough to decipher!) I took the liberty of sizing down the capitalized words. (They were about 300 times bigger!) I was particularly touched by #3--since Kyler HATES piano lessons right now! I was also touched by something else... Though Kyler is literally the reincarnation of his father, he has yet one of my traits... He makes lists! Even if it's just this once, I'll take it as evidence that he does have a Luke gene somewhere in his body.

Today, I was reminded that I love being a Mom. (I forget sometimes.)

"Tressed" For Success

When it takes wire cutters, fake birds, and sprayable super glue to get your kids ready for school, you know it can mean only one thing...

IT'S CRAZY HAIR DAY!!

If you know our family very well, you know that we like this day... a lot. Crazy Hair Day is right up there with Christmas and Easter.

For McKenna's annual 'do,' we pick a theme each year. We had this spectacular idea that we'd been planning for weeks, but the night before the big day, we stopped in Michaels to pick up one last supply... and that's when she saw them: Fake Birds. Amongst all the Easter/Spring stuff on display, a pillar of light shone upon them. And that was that. She was in love. Thus, our new theme, was born. We call her look: "SPRING FEVER!!"

One thing you should know about McKenna is that her middle name is 'Competitive.' If she's in it, she's in it to win it... even Crazy Hair Day. She's won the last three years, but when the door opened and slammed shut at 2:50 p.m. today, I knew it had happened.

She lost.

It wasn't a pretty sight. She's not what you would call a 'Good Sport.' And to make matters worse, she loss by one point to the one girl in her class that she loathes!! (Funny side note: When I asked Kenna why she didn't like this girl, she replied, "She laughs like a clown with a rat in her throat!!" Ok...) Anyway, losing is always a good learning experience... especially for Miss McKenna Lyn.

Kyler has a love/hate relationship with Crazy Hair Day... depending on his current mood. (Seriously, he's worse than a teenage girl.) For days, he insisted that he was NOT participating in Crazy Hair this year, but then at 9:00 p.m. the night before the big day, he was bawling that I hadn't bought anything for his hair!! That his how he ended up with his sister's tights on his head. Sometimes you gotta make do with what you have, ya know!? We call his look: "THE TIGHTY WHITEY!"

And... the last minute "Tighty Whitey" won him first place in his class! Being the sweet (and moody) soul that he is, he shared his candy winnings with his demoralized sister. With that single act of compassion, all was happy yet again in the Stevens home.
Though not yet a Rimrock Raptor, Carson was a rock star at preschool with his spiky, blue locks! We call his look: "THE AVATAR!" Look out up-coming Kindergartners! Carson's totally gonna rock Crazy Hair Day next year!
As for Ashton, he didn't get into the fun this year. He was slightly in shock at the sight of his bizarre looking siblings. But next year... he too will be getting CAH-RAZY!!

Happy Crazy Hair Day from the Stevens Family!

34 Days

34 Days.

That is the number of days since Kyler's Birthday party.

That is also the number of days that this purple balloon has been hanging out with my 2-story ceiling!

34 Days!!!

We've tried everything to get it down. ...Shooting it with Nerf bullets, throwing Ash's ball collection at it... we even put an extension on our central vacuum and tried sucking it down!

Us-0 Balloon-3

What is the moral of this story? Next time you buy a balloon bouquet at Zurcher's, DO NOT pay the extra .47 cents for 'High Float!'

P.S. The balloon mysteriously made it's way to Kyler's room this morning. He burst into our bedroom exclaiming, "I got it! It's finally down!" Thinking it was dying, he let go of it... and it floated all the way back up to it's original position! I'm starting to get scared of it now. Maybe 34 Days is just the beginning... tune in to see just how long this possessed balloon will torment the Stevens family.

An INCREDIBLE teacher!

For Teacher Appreciation week, I was asked to decorate Kyler's teacher's door. Mrs. Melander truly is a wonderful, sweet teacher, and I was happy to do something fun for her. I was a little worried that she would be embarrassed to see herself transformed into a volumptious Super Hero, but to my relief, she doubled over in laughter when she saw it! The best part of it, though, was that Kyler thought I was super cool for once. It takes a lot to get Kyler's "cool" approval... so I felt pretty incredible myself!

For the Love of Balls!

Ashton's vocabulary may only consist of a handful of words, but those few words enable him to get exactly what he wants 100% of the time. However, these few words do more than communicate the needs and wants of a stocky 21 month old. They reveal what this little boy truly cares about. Just take a look at Ash's first words, and the order in which they were learned:

First word: "Ba-ba" (Translation: Bottle. This kid loves food above all else!)

Second word: "Ma" (Translation: Mom)

So, what word do you think came next? "Da-da?" "No no!" "Mine?" .... Nope. His third word revealed, yet again, what his brain thinks about all day long... second only to food and Mommy.

Third word: "Bull" (Translation: Ball)

Seriously, the kid loves balls. Actually, 'love' is too weak of a word. The kid is OBSESSED with balls! And to Ashton, anything resembling a circle--is a "bull." Clocks, oranges, Christmas tree bulbs, balloons... even the moon to Ashton--is a ball! When he sees one, his face lights up with pure delight as he announces to everyone that we are in the presence of something truly extraordinary: A BALL!

Seeing this "ball" in the grocery store just about made him leap out of the cart with joy.

Here is his basket of toys that I keep in the Family Room. Cars, blocks, animals... they do nothing for him. Come on, you can't dunk a toy car!

Sadly, here is one of my decorative porcelain balls. It only lasted a week... it was a stupid purchase. Deep down, I knew it was doomed from the beginning.

The only problematic thing about having a kid obsessed with balls is that it's a little dangerous. Besides getting whacked in the head all day long by air borne balls, my house has become a mini Wipe-out zone. I'm constantly stumbling and tripping over those darn balls! I dare a robber to try to get through my house in the dark! He'd never survive!

On the bright side, perhaps Ashton's obsession is the foreshadowing of some incredible athletic talent! A future basketball star, quarter back... or linebacker. (Food is his first love after all!) Whichever sports star he becomes, I'm just sure he destined to be pictured on a Wheaties box! In the meantime, I'm perfecting my hook shot and trying to keep my tail bone in one piece.

A Crafty Valentines Day

Isn't Valentines Day supposed to be about quiet, romantic dinners with your spouse? Bouquets of roses? Heartfelt letters and poems? Spontaneous romantic getaways? I ask... because the last time Justin and I had a Valentines Day like that was in February of 2000! With the birth of our firstborn, I believe we kissed away all things personal. It seems that everything in our life is all about the kids... even the holiday celebrating romantic love! Our 2011 Valentines Day could hardly be described as romantic. A much more accurate description would be... CRAFTY!!! Romantic--no.

When I was in grade school, we put our Valentines in brown paper bags. Well, that's not how it works anymore! Bags are just too easy and economical... soooo not hip!! McKenna was "assigned" to create a Valentines box that represented one of her hobbies. What does she come up with...

A grand piano box!!

Most sane and reasonable parents would talk her out of it... but fortunately for McKenna, she has a Father who can build anything!! (I have a reputation for being crafty... but it is all a facade! Justin is my own personal Martha Stewart---my secret weapon!) Within a half hour, he designed a grand piano out of a Fruit Loops box--complete with engineered supports.
As the piano project progressed, we were more and more amazed at our collective awesomeness! We kept thinking of ways to improve it... and between paint and glue drying... the project took an entire Saturday!! Crazy? Maybe... but I have to say that seeing McKenna carry her box across the school playground with pride and self esteem made every second worth it!

The top of the piano says, "Music is the 'KEY' to my Heart!"

For Kyler's box, he had one requirement: nothing too' Lovey!' Together, Kyler and I came up with this very 'boyish' Love Eating Monster box... which I think turned out pretty hysterical! Warning: Fake fur is terrible to work with! I still feel like I'm covered with fur! .... What I do for my kids!

And of course, I'm a fan of homemade Valentines... you know, because I like to make my life as complicated as possible!

Between all the painting and glueing, we found time for lots of chocolate and our traditional Family Valentines dinner.

As we celebrated with our rowdy, rambunctious children, I have to admit... Justin and I did actually have--a moment. Nothing big--really, just a moment... but a moment meant just for the two of us. The night before Valentines Day, we were kneeling down for family prayer. We decided to tell the kids our 'story' of how we met and fell in love. McKenna was a giddy and giggling fool as we told her of every wink, every date, and every love note... and as Justin and I reflected upon that special part of our past, we made eye contact from across the room--and just smiled--because we knew that we really do have something special.

It's Great to be Eight!

It's official! Kyler F. Stevens is the newest member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints! On February 5th, Kyler was baptized and confirmed with the Holy Ghost.

As a mother, I am beginning to recognize that nothing makes a parent happier than seeing their children make righteous choices that you know will bring them peace and joy throughout their life. As Kyler was confirmed, my heart was so full--knowing that he was receiving the greatest of all gifts.

I am so proud of Kyler's choice to be baptized, but also for the choices he makes each and every day. From the time he was a baby, I knew that Kyler had a uniquely kind, sensitive, and obedient Spirit. Kyler doesn't draw a lot of attention to himself, but those who know him well understand that he simply radiates "goodness". My neighbor told me that when she sends her own son off to school, she says, "Remember to be like Kyler." Kyler's Kindergarten teacher described him as a "quiet leader"--one that leads by example.

Friends and family gathered together to celebrate Kyler! We felt very blessed with all of their love and support.

An eighth birthday wouldn't be complete without a birthday bash! We had a sports themed party with 14 boys!! (That right, I said 14!!) I can accurately describe the 90 minute party in one word: LOUD! I tried my best to wear out this gang of boys with relay races, but I think the only worn out and horse-voiced person was me. Yes, you can mail me my Mother of the Year award any time...
I am happy to report that the only damage that the house sustained was one torn off door knob.

And so it begins... along with the eighth birthday comes... this!

Yes, the whole Scouting thing terrifies me, but it's hard to not catch the Scouting fever with such an excited little boy! At Kyler's first Scout meeting, he received his Bobcat patch!! He (okay we) also made this awesome cake for the Wild West themed Blue and Gold Banquet.
"On my honor, I will do my best to be a good Scouting Mom. To do my duty to sew on patches, and learn all sorts of things that scare the daylights out of me--like camping, and all other dirt-related activities."

Happy Birthday Kyler!