Sugar & Spice, and Everything Nice...

That's what our little girls are made of:)
--January 2010, (cute new dresses from Grandma Nea)

--Jayda & Jodee January 2010, (cute new dresses from Great-Grandpa Gripentog) I'm not really sure why Jodee's head is cut off, I know it wasn't cut off when I took it... I'm a little frustrated about it, cause it's a pretty cute picture:)

Finally... New Beds...

For almost 6 months now the girls have been troopers at bed time. Rhenley grew out of her toddler bed just in time for Jodee, who grew out of the crib, just in time for Jayda, who grew out of the pack n' play. Jayda had been sleeping in the crib, but was ready for a big girl bed. Rhenley mostly slept on the floor, but sometimes would sleep on the toddler bed, after convincing Jodee it was fun to campout on the floor:) Thanks to Lucas' Christmas bonus this year, we were able to buy a very nice bunk bed w/ trundle bed for the girls... THEY WERE SOOOOO EXCITED!!! I also got them new bedding, Rhen got Disney Princess, Jodee got Tinkerbell, and Jayda got Littlest Pet Shop.
--"I can't believe we got new beds... I'm so happy"
--Yea, new beds! (Grandma Jiggy came to help, and play with the girls:)

--The girls really wanted to help, here they are giving the trundle parts to grandpa:)

--How many Stevens' does it take to put together a bunkbed?... Just 2, when you're smart, you're smart:)
Thanks Grandpa Ray, and Daddy, for putting the bed of dreams together:)
--Here's the finished product, and 3 very happy little girls:)


What do you do with cardboard boxes...the girls loved playing in the cardboard, it was quite the ride down the stairs, I even tried it, our stairs were a little steep and I hurt my bootie, but it was pretty funny to watch:) (wish I would have gotten better pictures:(

A Few of our favorite gifts...

--Tessa's hubby Darren made this for me (Tessa probably helped, so thanks to both of you:)
--Kyra's hubby Jake drew my name this year, and scored some major "in-law" points for getting me "The Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing, Grilling Machine" I Love My George!:)

--Auntie Tessa was very busy this year making stuffed animals for every niece & nephew, as well as this adorable barbie furniture just for Rhenley (cousin Kloee drew Rhen's name for xmas, thanks Kloee:)
--Lucas loved his Emergency blanket from his mommy, thanks mom for keeping us prepared:)



We were very blessed, thank you family for ALL the gifts, many of our gifts were made with love, they were extra special, thanks for all your time and effort:) We Love You!

Christmas Talent Show...

The Christmas Talent show this year was hysterical, we had some really great acts, and memorable moments:)

--Robbie, Megan, and their boys did a very cute rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"... "You'll go down in history" (echo..."like Ron Weasley") It was super funny and creative:)

--Luke's parents, and little sister Erikka sang, Alvin and The Chipmunks, "Christmas Don't Be Late" (They changed their voices with the help of "fake" helium... they pretended to suck the helium out of the balloons and then sang like the chipmunks... it was pretty funny stuff:)

I didn't take pictures of Tessa & Darren, or Kory & Abby:( Sorry guys, but thanks for the slideshow of our year in review, and the funny story:)

Our family did a fun rendition to "Let it Snow"...
"Yellow Snow"
Oh, the weather outside was whitening
‘Til the dog did something frightening
He’s got no other place to go
Yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow

And he doesn’t show signs of stopping
As he sniffs around his dropping
You see him everywhere you go
In the snow, yellow snow, yellow snow

When he finally goes outside
He’ll be frolicking ‘round in the storm
He’ll be marking our yard with pride
You can tell by the steam that it’s warm

When the snow begins it’s thawing
It reveals those puppy drawings
He’s a frisky little pooch van Gogh
Yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow

Come here, Yeller. Come on boy. Good doggie.

Oh, not on Frosty.

He’ll be marking our yard with pride
You can tell by the steam that it’s warm

Well, he’s happy and his tail starts waggin’
But the snowman’s left side is saggin’
There’s a little puddle right below
Yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow
Yellow snow, yellow snow

The girls had little doggie ears, and were supposed to crawl around and lift their legs while Lucas and I sang... Jayda did it a few times, but Rhenley and Jodee just sat there:) Maybe next year girls (we'll use it for my family's talent show:)





--Stay tuned for more Christmas... Seriously I have soooo much to post...:)

Our Christmas Tree...

It was so much fun to be able to go up into the mountains and cut down our Christmas tree. Before we went to find our tree, Grandma and Grandpa had surprises for the all the grandkids. They made, wooden sleds, wooden snow-shoes, and hats for all the kids. It was so special! Plus Grandma & Grandpa got each kid their own little backpack and water bottle for the Christmas tree adventure, plus to have for adventures in the future.
--Rhenley loved her snow-shoes, they were really easy for her to walk in:) Grandma made sure their cute hats matched their coats, Thanks Grandma!:)
--Jayda & Jodee thought their sleds were GREAT!:) And the hats were so cute on them... don't you think?:)

--Our family all bundled up, and ready to find that perfect tree...
--Darren, Tessa, and baby Kloee, geared up and ready to go:)
--Erikka, it really wasn't that cold outside:)
--My adorable nephew, Zakry, he was so cute all bundled up, trying to walk in his snow-shoes:)

(Grandma Jiggy with "The Tree":)
So, we got all bundled up, and went to find "the perfect" tree. The perfect tree for one person, wasn't the perfect for someone else. It took a little while to find just the right tree. In the end, the tree they chose wasn't my favorite, wasn't my first choice. However, I was pleasantly surprised how beautiful it was once it was decorated:)
--The kiddos decorating the tree...
...stringing popcorn with Grandma...


--The finished product... it really was very pretty... every family brought 2 ornaments per family member, we made ornaments as craft projects throughout the week, we made paper chains, and popcorn strings... So much fun for everyone!:)

Added Bonus: Our tree only cost $5.00:)

Stay tuned for more Christmas in Wallace... (I have a lot to post, hence the delay in posting... it's a little overwhelming:)

Christmas in Wallace, Idaho...

For Christmas this year we were able to spend an entire week away from home. We stayed in a house in Wallace, Idaho, a little town, tucked into the mountains (southern Idaho, just about 20mins. from Montana's border.) The scenery was beautiful, lots of pine trees, and some snow. (Not as much snow and we were expecting, but we got some snow:) The house is mainly used as a bicycle retreat in the summer time, but they do rent it out during the holidays as well. We got a screaming deal for the week, it was worth every penny:) It was a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, and plenty of space for all our stuff:)
Welcome to Wallace:)


--It's a little hard to tell from the pictures, but the town of Wallace really does sit right inside the beautiful mountains. These two pictures are the view to the left and to the right of the house.

Anyway, Christmas was spent with Luke's family: Mom & Dad, Kory & Abby and their 3 kids, Megan & Robbie and their 3 kids, Us and our 3 kids, Tessa & Darren and little girl, and Erikka. We had a full house... it was so much fun!
--Santa had a lot of stockings to fill:)

Stay tuned for more Christmas in Wallace...:)

The Nutcracker Ballet

When I was quite a bit younger I went to The Nutcracker Ballet performance twice. I remember then how amazing the dancers were, their beautiful costumes, the beautiful scenery, and their dancing abilities.
This year my mom invited Rhenley and I to go to The Nutcracker with her. (My sister-in-law April, her mom, and her two kids came as well:)

Rhenley was so excited for the performance, we counted down the days til The Nutcracker. I gave Rhenley a nutcracker ornament while at the ballet, and my mom bought her a ballerina ornament

I was so impressed with the performance, it was beautiful, the costumes were amazing, and the dancing was wonderful. Rhenley had the best time, and is so excited to go again next year. (I wish I could have taken pictures, but it wasn't allowed, pffft!:)
--Rhenley was able to get one of the dancer's autographs after the show, she was so excited, the girls were beautiful.