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!