Family Home Evening

We enjoyed the most special family home evening on Monday at Margaret & Bob Spease's home, along with the Gardner & Bateman families. Margaret cooked all day, preparing delicious homemade tamales, taquitos, enchilada, & salsa. Then, she read stories to the kids and we all participated in acting out the 12 Days of Christmas until Santa showed up with gifts for all the kids, which they all love! I have to say, though, my gift was the greatest of the night. Words can't express how special it was to receive such a beautiful Christus that we'll have forever, to be constantly reminded of the Savior's enormous sacrifice and example to all of us! Thanks Bob & Margaret, for such a heart warming evening!

Happy 34th, Eric!!

Eric celebrated his birthday by taking me to doctors' appointments all day. We did get to eat lunch at Blue Fin, though. Yum yum. At least you got new bike clothes and glasses, right? I love you, babe!

Kami's Letter to Santa

Dear Santa, it would be cool if you gave a Wii and an idog. That would be fantastic. Thank you, Kami.

Excercise Girls

When Mom decided to try out a new workout video, Leyna wanted to join in. She ran into the garage to get a ball and joined Grandma. So cute.

Child of God

Just wanted to post a little something I hope not to forget about Gavin. Each day as he says his prayers he thanks Heavenly Father for Child of God, says he loves Child of God, and asks Child of God to make us all happy. He's been doing this for months. As you have probably guessed, he is referring to Jesus. Isn't that sweet? Jesus is a child of God, so he's right, but I wonder what it was that triggered him to refer to our Savior in just those words each time?

Kaden Christmas

Kaden wrote this letter to Santa:

Dear Santa,
Thanks for all the gifts you gave me. If you have time please make a Nintendo DS and XBox if you can. Also if you decide to do just one well for the Nintendo it will be lego star wars to come with the Nintendo and for the XBox. Please can you put in one thing with it and that is Star Wars Battle Front 2 and if you decide to do Xbox and it is to big just put it under the tree and Nintendo in the stocking. Thank you From,
Kaden

Cancer Diagnosis

All those close to our family are aware that we've had an eye-opening, shocking, and extremely humbling month. After several negative health symptoms arose, I finally got myself into a doctor, which led to tests of all of kinds, unraveling the truth about my condition: I have stage 4 colon cancer. Doctors guesstimate that I've probably been living with it for 1 or 2 years. Turns out the cancer had gone undetected for so long that it had time to not only affect my colon and intestines, but also took over my ovaries, omentum, and my liver.

I spent 11 days in the hospital recuperating from a traumatic surgery to remove as much tumor as the doctors could, but because the disease has spread throughout my liver, they weren't able to surgically remove any part of it. Because I had tumors in other parts of my body, I am no longer a candidate for a liver transplant, which means that chemotherapy and the power of the priesthood are the only options for a full recovery.

I have done one round of chemo so far and will probably do another 7 rounds (every two weeks) before doing another CT scan to determine how much of the cancer has been destroyed.

It's been physically taxing on my body to say the least, but I wanted to thank all of you who have been an overwhelming support to our family. I knew I could rest and focus on recovery in the hospital because our family was being taken care of by friends, family, neighbors, & ward members. I've been in and out of the hospital and doctors offices nonstop and am unaware of who exactly has contributed what, making it impossible for me to thank you all for your love and support. Please know that I am humbled and have shed more tears of gratitude than tears of sadness during this trying time as a result of your love.

Thanks for all the blessings, healing rocks, drinks, meals, babysitting, books, phone calls, flowers, emails, card games, foot and back massages, chapstick, lotions, socks, clothing, scrapbooks, photos, heart notes, visits, magazines, blanket, word puzzle books, gifts for the kids, and especially for the prayers and fasting done on our behalf. Time is a precious commodity and I am grateful to all of you who gave and continue to give of yourself for our family's benefit. My heart is full of love for each of you!!!

~Briana

Halloween

"Not Joan"

During October, Leyna stayed several days with Eric's parents, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Larry. After some time with them, she was passed onto my parents, Grandma Teri and Grandpa Boulter. The funniest thing was that no matter how hard my mom tried, she couldn't get Leyna to call her grandma. Instead, when asked what her name was, Leyna would say, "Not Joan." Well, a few weeks later, our whole family went out to AZ for a trip. Even then, Leyna hadn't forgotten the name game. For the whole trip, she continued to call mom, "Not Joan." Technically, she's right, but how funny that a 2 year old would discern the two grandmas in such a way. We thought it was hilarious!

Kade's 2nd Grade Photo

Kami's 1st Grade Photo

Too Cool for Kisses?

Well, it took until 2nd grade, but Kaden finally admitted that he doesn't want to kiss me goodbye at school in front of his friends. It's too embarrassing. He didn't want to hurt my feelings, either, so he told me he would kiss me two times at home to make up for it. I can handle that; sounds like a good compromise to me.

It reminded me of when I was in about the 3rd grade when I was distraught over how to tell my mom that I didn't want to call her "mommy" anymore. I thought I was too grown up and should just refer to her as "mom." Funny what little kids think and worry about, huh?

Morning Hike with Gavin

Sweet Sleeper

Are they ever as sweet as when they're sleeping?

It's magic

Gavin was playing with his cars yesterday. When one of his miniature motorcycles magnetically stuck to the hood of a large car, he brought it to me and said, "Look, Mom. It's like God." Did I hear him right? "Like what?" I asked to clarify. "It's like God. Magic."

Wow. I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right, Gavin.

It's birthday time again.....

We've had a birthday, shout hooray!
Gavin turned four years old today!
One year older and wiser, too.
Now he thinks he can wear Kade's shoes. (and he did...he wore Kade's old baseball cleats all day!)


Gavin said family prayer tonight and thanked Heavenly Father for every thing special about today: got a new bike, toy motorcycle from Walmart (yep...he actually said that), Spiderman plate, M&Ms from friends, cake, swimming tonight. To end his special day, he wanted Kaden to sleep in his bed with him. Easy enough. I can accomodate that.


I asked Gavin what he wanted for breakfast, lunch & dinner. His response has been consistent for a week: I just want cake and cookies and M&Ms. For dinner, I literally just fed my kids birthday cake before heading off to swim at the pool. I know...so unhealthy, but what the heck. How many times is the kid gonna turn four and make such simple requests?

Baseball & Soccer Begin

Saturdays are busy with Eric and I trying to squeeze in some physical fitness of our own before heading out to drop Kami off at soccer and Kaden at baseball. Every week they overlap in times and, of course, do not play at the same location. Should be intersting when Eric goes out of town.

I'll get some pictures of Kami playing soccer with the Blue Dolphins team next week, but here are a couple snapshots of Kaden playing with his Boston Red Sox team today.

For me, baseball is just so slow and looooong. I asked Kaden, "Are you SURE baseball is the sport you really want to play? You have to stand around a lot waiting for action." Mr. Maturity responded, "Yeah, but Mom, it teaches me patience. And it teaches me to wait to use the bathroom." Guess I could use a little patience myself. Maybe I should pick up the sport.

Thank You!

To everyone who helped make my birthday a special one, thank you so much! Natalie watched the kids for me so I could go on a long mountain bike ride with Eric and Kim. Tiffany treated me and the kids to lunch at the country club (delicious!). I appreciated all the phone calls and emails. It was a great day!

The Secret's Finally Out!

After a period of hush hush, it's a relief to have it out in the open. I was set apart as the Young Women's President of our ward today. I'm super excited about the calling. I know it'll be exhaustive, but oh so rewarding. So as you all come across great ideas, please pass them my way. You know I'll be needing them!

Where Does God Live?

When I tucked the boys in bed last night, we were reminiscing about several things and I wanted to share a funny story we laughed about when Kaden was 3 years old. We had just moved from Arizona to California. Kaden was afraid to go to sleep because he thought the green light on the smoke detector was a monster's eye looking at him. I tried to comfort him by explaining that if he'd just close his eyes and say a prayer that Heavenly Father would help him feel better and he could know that he was protected by Him. After a moment of contemplation, Kade said, "But Mom, I thought you said Heavenly Father lived in Arizona." He thought when we moved to California that we'd left Heavenly Father behind. It was a great opportunity to teach him that Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost can be anywhere at any time that we seek their companionship, a fact I obviously hadn't been able to make clear until then. I love the simplicity and innocence of childrens' minds.

How Do You Know You're Loved?

At dinner last night, Kami said, "Dad, I know you love Mom." When asked how she knew that, she said, "Because you always hug and kiss her." Gavin added, "And you always touch her butt!" We laughed hysterically. I'm glad to know that our four year old equates that with love -- but hopefully he won't try it out on other people he cares for.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

One of the greatest things about being with kids all day is to watch them learn and develop a new vocabulary. I just wanted to share some of the funny things the kids have said lately so I don't forget them.

Kaden: We had to go into the bank the other day. Later that evening a commercial came on advertising Hawaii or some getaway vacation and in the bottom of the screen was the logo for Bank of America. Kade said, "We've been there!" Knowing we hadn't taken the kids to that exotic place, Eric asked, "Been where?" "Bank of America!" said Kaden. We laughed and laughed. Poor Kade didn't see the humor in it.

Kambria: Whenever we eat out, Kami always wants a hangaber. No matter how many times we try to get her to pronounce HAMburger, she still doesn't quite get it, so she's given up trying and now asks for crabby patties, instead. She's also cute when she tries to mimick the fairy godmother in Cinderella. Instead of saying Bippity Boppity Boo, Kami waves her magic wand and says, "bittiby bottiby boo!"

Gavin: Gavin is hilarious! He says something outrageous and off-the-wall at least ten times a day. This morning he asked if, instead of taking a nap, he could watch "Chicken and a Boom Boom" (instead of "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom"). Another time he asked to watch "Smoking Hot". That one took a long time to understand. I finally asked him to bring me what it was he wanted to see and he brought "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." Remember the scene when he's in the factory and stirring pots with lots of steam? From that one scene he's dubbed the movie "Smoking Hot."
One more for Gavin (there's so many to choose from). We were driving down the street the other day and Gavin said, "Mom, that lady has a secret." "Oh?" I asked. "How do you know that?" "I can see it," said Gavin. Curious, I looked over and saw the lady smoking a cigarette. Secret, cigarette...it's all the same, right?

Leyna: Being 2 1/2 Leyna is funny just trying to annunciate words like the rest of us. My favorite is when she calls her brothers and sister. Kaden = Kadee, Kambria = Beebah, Gavin = Gaddy, Leyna = Eena. When it's prayer time, Leyna likes to mimick everything that's being said. The other night Eric was praying and getting annoyed at Leyna copying him. He kept saying, "Sssh," and Leyna kept copying him, "Ssshhh." It was hilarious.

Newfound Admiration

When Eric would come home from his weekend bike rides and be utterly exhausted, I thought I understood. 5+ hours doing physical exercise is tiring. He got to the point, though, where every time he went out he was riding extraordinary amounts of mileage and I began to think it must not be that big a deal. Well, I learned my lesson today. Kim and I met up at 6 am this morning and rode to Leo Carillo Beach from our house, a 60 mile outing. Did I mention we did it on mountain bikes? We'd be pedaling like crazy on our mountain bikes, only to be passed by riders on their road bikes zooming past us. It was an eye-opener to see the difference that tires can really make. So our 5 1/2 hours of riding was slow compared to others, but we had a lot of fun. My legs are definitely feeling the exertion, though, and I realize that an 80+ mile ride is nothing to be casual about. So way to go, Honey! You're my fitness hero!

Zuma Beach

Back to School, Back to School

Yippeeeeeee!!! School is officially back in session! My friend Tiffany called just after dropping the kids off at school and asked me if I was in tears. I laughed. "Tears of joy!" is how I replied. Am I the only mom that thinks a 3 month summer vacation is way too long? I don't understand why year-round school isn't implemented everywhere. I'm looking forward to another great school year, watching the kids learn and grow, in addition to special time alone with Gavin and Leyna. Here are photos of Kaden on his first day of 2nd grade, Kami on her first day of 1st grade.

Elder Grillone has entered the MTC

After 19 years of waiting, Quintin entered the MTC last week. We now have three nephews in the mission field: Shadd Stephen, Curtis Raymond, and Quintin Grillone -- all of whom are and will be remarkable missionaries!
Here's Curtis at the MTC also. I wish I had a picture of Shadd.

Family Fort

The kids made this fort yesterday, which Kade and Kami slept in last night. Eric and I laugh at how much they remind us of a married couple all the time.

sweet sistas

My heart melts whenever I look at these girls.

Fogelbergs Visit!

Time spent with the Fogelbergs is a guaranteed good time, so we were glad they came by for the evening after a day at the beach. We're just bummed you had to head back to Merced so soon.

Cheri & Val with their kids Keenan, Brett & Genny. I wish we could have seen Tony, too.

Cheri, Bri, Genny

Leyna grooming and talking on the phone -- typical girl.


Kaden riding BMX

Stephen Families

Happy 27th, Serena!

Hope you have a rockin' birthday on Sunday with your fellow Okies! Love you!

Happy Belated!

Happy Birthday, Sis! Wish I could have celebrated with you all in AZ this year. Closer than Texas, but still a state away. April and Serena's boyfriend, Kevin, both celebrated a birthday on July 24th. Another year wiser, right?

Gavin's Nap Time

Aren't they always the sweetest when they're sleeping?

Mountain Biking

I've taken a break from running the last little bit and fallen more in love with mountain biking every day. Why the pink and purple? I want every guy I may pass on the trails to have no doubts that a girl just went by them! ha ha ha ha ha! I admit there's a hint of truth to that, but mostly I just love those feminine colors.

5.4 Earthquake Shakes Los Angeles

Today I experienced my first earthquake. I was making lunch at the stove when the water started sloshing in the pan, fan blades began bouncing, and the ground moved under me. It was pretty trippy, but only lasted 10-15 seconds for us here in Simi Valley (about 70 miles from Chino Hills, the epicenter of the quake).

3 Month Old Angels

Because Sometimes We Need a Good Laugh...

I was looking through old photos and died laughing at some of these family snapshots.

Looking Back

The past decade has been everchanging and enlightening. A glimpse back reveals a little bit of our journey(most of these photos were taken before we had a digital camera, so I scanned them all into the computer which explains the poor picture quality, but I'm grateful to have them on cd now.):

1. owned 4 homes, rented twice
2. lived in Mesa, Merced, Carlsbad & Simi Valley
3. had 4 children
4. 6 dogs
5. 13 vehicles (3 company cars)
6. obtained associates, bachelors & a masters degree
7. competed in road biking and running events and taken on new interests, including surfing, paintball and mountain biking
8. made several close friends along the way
9. learned, and continue to learn, a lot!
10. and had a blast doing it all!

10th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary, Babe! Ten down, eternity to go! I'm so lucky to have you!

More Beach Fun

Lazy Days

We had so much fun at Joan & Larry's timeshare in Indio this weekend. They have a huge pool and kiddie area, but as you can see, most of our time was spent in the lazy river.

Seaward Beach

We had a good time at the beach. Kaden bit into a nectarine and his loose tooth went flying into the sand. It was hilarious. He loves losing teeth for the tooth fairy visits.

Going to the Beach

Mom's attempt at putting Leyna to sleep

Dad's successful attempt putting Leyna (and himself) to sleep

Zack Attack

What do you think? Does he look like he'd make a good addition to the Stephen family?

Independence Day

Proud to be an American! So grateful for this land that we love!

Kami's a Graduate!

Today was Kambria's kindergarten graduation ceremony, the best children's program I've ever attended. I wish our video camera worked so I could post some of their songs. Kami had a speaking part: "What has a long nose, big floppy ears and tons of wrinkles?....You guessed it....an elephant!" One year of school completed. Only 20 more to go!