Top 10 Reasons Why I Love General Conference

Oh, how I love General Conference weekend! Let me count the ways... all Top 10 of them.

#10. I swear that I am much more perceptible to the Spirit when I am not wearing nylons and heels.

#9. When the kids act up, I don't have to walk the hall. I just push 'pause' and yell.

#8. I get to fantasize about being in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir... with my very own camera close-up shot!

#7. I learn new beat patterns and choral conducting techniques as I gaze at "Mack Wilberg The Great!"

#6. I feel my spirituality growing... even as I doze.

#5. I marvel at how a particular address (or "little prophetic epistle") was written and delivered just for ME!

#4. I am reminded that having a living Prophet on the Earth is no small thing--but a miracle and gift from a loving Heavenly Father.

#3. I am reminded of God's purpose, work, and glory as I learn of new missions, members, and temples spreading across the world... and amazed that I am part of His great plan.

#2. I am filled with gratitude for God's guidance in my life.

#1. I turn off the television with a renewed hope, strength, and determination to "Be" an "Do" better. (Thank you President Lynn!)

Carson's 5th Birthday

Avast! What be this vile-smellin' swill? What be this fog on the horizon? For it can only mean one thing, me hearties... We be in the presence of pirates!

For Carson's 5th birthday, we celebrated with a pirate party. Swords, danger, adventure... truly a little boy's dream! Carson's colorful personality made this party all the more fun! To deliver the invitations, he dressed up in full pirate attire, practiced his pirate accent, and gave quite a performance at each of his friends' houses!

The treasure box cake was quite "bonny" if I say so myself. I must admit that it twas a wee bit hard to cut it up so soon after slaving over it!

In true pirate fashion, the party had plenty o' sword fightin...

A crew of scally-wags...

Pirate jigs and sea chanteys...

And o' course... grub for a hard day's work!

What say ye? Ya think this one looks a wee bit too sweet to be a pirate, eh? Just look at that scarfed cake... a pirate appetite fer sure!

Aaarrrgh!

No pirate party could be complete without a treasure hunt! Twas the wee pirate's favorite part! Yes... true pirates fer sure, they were! Gold lust was a pumpin' through those scrawny veins! While in the search, my how the crew got a kick out of riddle #4. It went like this:

Aha, you are smart ones... you've found clue 3!

The next you shall find in a room that's STINKY!

You sit here so often, as we all must do.

Be careful, me hearties... Don't step on the poo!

(Clue was on the toilet. Sorry... what can I say? I'm way too fluent in boy humor!)

'X' marks the spot!

Quicker that you can say "scurvy dog," those little pirates relished in their discovery of chocolate coins, ring pops, and candy necklaces!

What a boatload of fun!

Alright... enough of this pirate talk already! The birthday party was actually the day before Carson's true birthday--so his big "day" was actually a "2 Day" celebration! After digesting all that pirate treasure, it was on to breakfast in bed the following morning!

In celebration of Carson, we chose to eat his staple of life for dinner. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this food alone has kept him alive for 5 years. Carson's more than "picky" when it comes to food. He's more of what you would call a "non-food" human. Thank goodness for blessed peanut butter! Though he has a peanut butter sandwhich for dinner every night of his life, the rest of the family always has something different... so we decided to join him. I made homemade bread in an effort to make our PB&J's a little fancier... if it's even possible to make a PB&J fancier.

Of course, we had to add his other food favorite: Chocolate milk. You would have thought we had given him a ticket to Disneyland. He was pretty pleased with dinner.

He was also just "a little pleased" to receive the puppy that he met and fell in love with at Toys R Us. A week or so before his birthday, we ran in the store to buy a present for a party Kyler was attending, and by the time we made it to the cash register, Carson had already completely bonded with this little hound. Tears and drama came rushing out of Carson as I had to literally pry "Lucky" out of his hands. (Yes, he had already named it and dubbed him Lukey's twin brother--that would be his other toy dog at home.) Needless to say, he was super happy to be reunited with this doggie!

He also loved the vet kit!

Such a funny boy... he freaked out when he realized he hadn't made a wish before blowing out his candle... SO... we had to re-light it. He took plenty of time to make sure that he made the PERFECT wish!
After all of the wishing, singing, and picture taking, this is how much cake he ate. Not even a full bite. See... I'm telling you... he doesn't eat much.
We had so much fun celebrating Carson this week! He is quite an individual--always making us laugh at the funny and quirky things he's constantly spurting out! He adds so much life and light to our family. We love him so very much! Happy Birthday Carson!

Up Close & Personal

Live from the Stevens' computer room, we are here with the upcoming birthday boy himself, the ever charming CARSON LUKE STEVENS! Thanks for joining us today Carson! In less than four days, you will be leaving the magical age of four and moving on to the exciting age of five! Big things await you, Carson... bus rides, hall passes, girl cooties... we're dying to hear all about your take on life as boy who is soon turning five.

* Let's jump right to it! How do you think life will change as a 5 year old?

"Uh... I'll turn five."

* Wow... That was deep! Can you expound upon that?

"Me and my friend Noah will be the same. He's 5 and I'll be 5."

* Let's get to know you better. What are you good at?

"Beat boxing, sword fighting, soccer, baseball, kinda' good at reading, and video games!"

* Who's your favorite super hero?

"I have a lot. Can I tell you all of 'em? Batman, Robin, Superman, Iron Man, and The Hulk."

* If you could have any super hero power, which would you choose?

"Speed, lizard eyes.... Oh, and a arm that can lazor!"

* If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?

"A cheetah 'cuz they run very, very fast!"

* What do you want to be when you grow up?

"Buzz Light Year 'cuz he can fly... or maybe a pirate 'cuz they get to swing on ropes... Hmmm. I'll have to think about it."

* Okay. Enough of the small talk. Let's talk about feelings. What makes you angry?

"When Kyler says that I love Reagan."

* What makes you laugh?

"Funny jokes."

* What makes you cry?

"Well, sometimes when I don't want to try food, and I have to sit at the table all by myself, and I'm asking for a PB&J."

* What makes you feel loved?

"When people help me read, when people help me find things, and when people give me Valentines."

* What makes you scared?

"When McKenna and Kyler scare me which is so mean. Sometimes they go, "ROOOAARR!" Also, when I see skeletons, when people look like real vampires, and when it's dark at the front door... so I do Karate stuff."

* Name some things that you think are cool.

"My dad, Kyler, and this power ranger toy at preschool."

* If you got to meet President Monson, what would you say?

"Uh... I don't know. But I would ask VERY NICELY if I could shake his hand."

* Your transition from Nursery to Primary was a little rough. What do you think would make church better?

"We could like... do you know what... we could invite Noah to come, and we could bring our guns and fight!"

* We know you LOVE babysitters. Would you rather go to Disneyland for a week, or have Cortlyn babysit you for a week?

"Maybe one day I'll go to Disneyland and then the next day I'll stay home and she can babysit me."

* What is your birthday wish?

"An iron man costume, a spy watch, and that puppy that you wouldn't buy me at the store!"

* What are you looking forward to most about Kindergarten?

"Playtime."

* Yes, playtime... but aren't you looking forward to anything else?

"Nope."

An Afternoon With the "Bodies"

This past Monday, our family had quite the eye opening experience. We were introduced to ourselves... our INSIDE selves, that is! Our local museum is featuring the "Bodies"-a traveling exhibition that features cadavers, fetuses, and over 250 human organs.

Our kids were a little nervous about hanging out with dead people... I can't imagine why! Carson kept, saying, "What if when we're looking at them, their hearts start beating?!" Sounds exactly like a scene straight out of a horror movie, right? I have to admit that even I was very conscience of the the fact that these bodies were once living, breathing people as I toured the exhibit. I kept imagining their spirits watching us gawk at their innards. I wondered if they would be honored to be preserved for education... or utterly humiliated to be in the most naked form possible: Skinless.

I have seen pictures and drawings of body parts, but it was nothing like seeing it in the flesh! Here's a peak at a few of the superstars from the show:

The highlight of the tour for me came from a comment made by my sweet, naive daughter. While looking at the glass case containing the female reproductive system, I carefully said to Kenna, "Look. Those are the ovaries. That's where the eggs are." McKenna gasped and exclaimed, "We lay eggs!? I didn't know that!" Oh, I still laugh every time I think of her face in that moment! However, the funniest part probably came from my pathetic response. I said something like, "No! We don't lay eggs. We just have them, and they... ya know, they.... never mind." Those conversations are unchartered waters for me!

I have to say that though the show left me feeling slightly sick to my stomach, I am so thankful that I had this fascinating opportunity. I left feeling humbled by God's existence and power. In today's world, we marvel at the latest electronic gadget--when in reality, these complex machines don't hold a candle to the greatest machine of them all: Our Bodies. So many different organs and systems all working together.. and yet we never give a thought to this MIRACLE that is going on inside us all of the time! ... Can't you just hear Jack Handy saying, "Deep thoughts by JoLyn"?

Though we weren't allowed to photograph the bodies, here's our family in the Idaho History section of the museum.

Kenna... our actress.

Three little indians.

Don't let the binki fool you. Ash is much more of a kid than a baby these days.

My boys are somewhat obsessed with wolves. This is Carson's 'cool' pose.

"Ma"Kenna with her rough and tough brothers. We let the kids play in the kid's room forever. We wanted to get out money's worth... and I think we did! What a great, educational day!

The Diaper Ditcher

Let's face it. We're all human. Every single one of us has a bad habit, and the Stevens family is no exception.

Justin drinks directly from the sink faucet.

I use the same knife for the peanut butter and jelly.

McKenna forgets to flush.

Kyler enjoys flashing his sister.

And Carson can make himself vomit at the drop of a hat.

But none of these vices are as foul, nasty, and decrepit as the vice of our darling baby boy...

Ashton is a DIAPER DITCHER!

In the last few weeks, Ashton has figured out how to remove his clothing. He disappears and then reappears minutes later running euphorically naked around the house as he swings his diaper around his head. Sometimes he even flings his diaper at me as he runs by... Talk about rubbing it in my face! But here is the real problem... Our miniature streaker strips for one reason, and one reason only: TO POTTY!!!!

I can usually catch him before things get out of control, but every once in awhile... let's just say that things get 'messy'! Last Thursday was one of those days. It was literally a CRAPPY day. I was so beside myself at the poop mess that Ash created that my sweet Dad rented me an extractor from The Cleaning Center.

Trying to see the glass half full, Justin and I hoped that maybe Ashton was ready to be potty trained at a mere 21 months old. So, we lugged out our very cool singing potty chair in hopes for a miracle. Here's a look at our attempt...

Does this look familiar?

Remember this?

And this?!

When is this kid going to realize that a toilet is not a wading pool?

After the fun of playing inside it wore off, Ashton found more uses for this new, interesting toy. He filled it with milk.... one drip at a time.

Sorry for the risque photo, but this was just too funny!

By the end of the day, most of Ashton's belongings had had a personal tour of the potty chair. (I love sentences when you get to use the same word twice in a row!)

I think my dreams of being diaper free will have to wait for awhile... in the meantime I'm considering a temporary baby loaning operation. At no cost to you, you can borrow this adorable child. Yes, he smears poo in the carpet, but he does lots of charming things too... like wall murals and redecorating. Call if you're interested!

Hot 'N Cold

This is from a few months ago... McKenna performed in her school's lip sync assembly. She and her two cute, girlfriends are angry bridesmaids. (McKenna is the one on the right with the serious hip shake.) Kyler makes a quick cameo as the indecisive groom and cousin Jaden plays the Preacher. Look out for the totally radical "Robot Dancing" dance break...

More quotes from Carson

Carson was sitting on the toilet the other day and yelled for me to come wipe him. After I quickly did the job, he said:

Carson: "Is it shut?"

Me: "Huh? Is what shut?"

Carson: "My bum... Is it shut?!?"

One of the male contestants on American Idol has long, curly red hair. The family was watching the show, and when this contestant (Brett) came on screen, Carson says:

"I hate that girl! She's got a beard!"

There's a cartoon called "Ed, Edd, & Eddy" that we don't like the kids to watch because it's a little crude. I caught the kids watching it the other day, and Carson says:

"Sometimes we watch it, but we don't do drugs."

At Fiesta Ole, Justin says to Carson:

Justin: "Carson, stop dropping your tator tots in your cup of ketchup."

Carson: "I'm not dropping them, Dad! I'm just setting them in and letting go."

Just today, Carson was drawing on a piece a paper and proceeded to draw an impressively symmetrical heart. I say:

Me: "Wow Carson! How'd you learn how to draw a heart?"

Carson: "T.V. and Elmo. You kinda showed me.... but Elmo teached me better."