Earl and Lori Stevens Family

Sophie's Dance Demo

2011-12-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today was Sophie's dance demo at her ballet/tap class. She did such a good job listening to her teacher and dancing with her friends. She loves to twirl! Here she is with her BFF Carlie.

Sliding Rock Adventures

2011-08-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

The kids weren't disappointed with their first trip to Sliding Rock. All of the kids went down - even Sophie (on Dad's lap). Lots o' fun!

Tannerite Vs. Computer

2010-11-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

What we did last Saturday.

So Cute, They're Scary!

2010-11-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

The kids had fun celebrating Halloween this year. Most of the kids had figured out their costume a month ahead of time. Annika made a fine little Asian girl, Sawyer was sure he wanted to be an army guy and Sophie was easy she wanted to be Cinderella. Stockton wanted to be Napoleon Dynamite, but we had a hard time finding a costume that wasn't too big for him. Finally, he decided to be a Mexican cowboy, unique and hilarious! We celebrated by carving pumpkins with Joe, Brittany and Luke, (Earl was out of town on business.) On Saturday, we went to a family party in Alpine and then the kids went out to trick-or-treat.

Finally, A Successful Camping Trip

2010-08-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Our family does not have the best luck when it comes to camping trips. Earl thinks we should backpack in, to the furthest reaches of the forest, where there is little to no chance of encountering another human being. I, on the other hand, would prefer a very nice enclosed camping trailer (or cabin) where all of our supplies are organized and ready to go. I would love to keep my children somewhat clean, be able to feed them easily, take care of their restroom needs and have them sleep comfortably through the night, in their own bed. After nearly 15 years of marriage, we are now compromising when it comes to camping.
No, we do not try and make 4 children backpack into the forest and FIND a camp. Nor do we have a fancy trailer, we have a nice family size tent. We do not eat Dinty Moore beef stew cold out of a can, nor do we have a solar-powered blender. We cook over the open fire. Our kids kind of have their own side of the tent with camp pads and sleeping bags. I have a nice air mattress and insist on bringing my pillow from home. We try to find nice camp spots without lots of people around. I think we are making progress.
Our latest camp out was pretty successful. We all had fun and there were only a couple of mishaps. The kids begged to stay longer, but 48 hours without a shower is about my limit.

Father's Day Festivities

2010-06-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

My kids have the best Dad in the world. He plays with them, teaches them new things, provides for them, takes them out for treats nad is just FUN to be around. This year we celebrated Father's Day in Alpine with Earl's side of the family. We had lunch outside and enjoyed Utah in the summer.

Stockton Plays for the Twins

2010-06-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

Baseball season is wrapping up for Stockton, this week is the last couple games of the city tournament. He was drafted by the Twins this year, it was an adjustment for him because most of his team lives on the other side of Pleasant Grove. He's had to make some new friends and he had a new coach. He can't seem to get enough of the game though. This year he is playing first base. He also is first hitter in the batting order. The team can count on him to get a hit, then he loves to steal. His goal in each game is to have no errors, he really concentrates on doing his best!

School's Out, Now the Fun Begins!

2010-06-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

We had a very exciting first week of summer. Mom, Dad, Mandy and her family all came to see us for Memorial Day weekend. We went to The Living Planet Aquarium and the Hogle Zoo. My kids love both of these places, so to get to do both in one week was extra special. Plus their cousins were there to make it extra fun.
The highlight of our trip to the zoo was the Tiger Birthday Party! Apparently the 3 baby tigers were celebrating their 1st birthday, so we were able to see them eat their "cake" and sing to them. It was pretty exciting! Their cakes were made out of ground meat and each one had a nice rat on top!
The kids really liked petting the rays at the aquarium, except Sophie. She wanted nothing to do with those slimy rays, her favorite thing was driving the pretend boat. The penguins were also loved by all.

The Dance Festival

2010-06-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

The kids' school, Manila Elementary, always concludes the school year with a dance festival. This year it was preceded by a family picnic. So I got to each lunch with each of the kids and then attend the festival. Earl was out of town, so unfortunately he missed lunch and the dance moves. Annika refused to look at me, while I was taking pictures, and Stockton was too busy trying to look cool to look at me, so the pictures aren't that great. I can always count on Sawyer to pose for me, until he gets older and cooler like the other two :)

Night Skiing - March 2010

2010-03-11T01:10:00.000-08:00

The kids have wanted to go skiing since we moved to Utah. Having finished the basement, the yard, and most of the other home improvement projects over the past three years, we were running out of excuses. Some highlights:

Sawyer and Annika LOVE skiing. They both took a lesson and tore up the bunny hill at Brighton for 8+ hours.
Lori was fearless as well - perfecting her "power-snowplow" technique.
Stockton had a rough time with snowboarding, but finished strong. He wasn't sure he liked it at first, but was getting the hang of it toward the end.
Earl's highlight was having to call ski patrol after watching a 15 year-old kid slam into a pole. Lots of blood, broken nose, broken teeth, and probably a concussion, but made the kid lay there until ski patrol arrived. Stockton, who also witnessed the accident, was a little disturbed and decided to unstrap his board and walk the rest of the way down.

No serious accidents within our family, and all want to try it again soon!

Fun at the Gym

2010-02-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

The girls are really having fun with their gymnastics. Sophie just started a couple of weeks ago. Annika is trying to master the back handspring. I took them to the gym today and they had a lot of fun. It was "open gym" so they were allowed to play on everything. I think we will be going more often. It is great exercise for them during the long Utah winter.

Sawyer went too, but he was mainly interested in jumping from high places into the foam pits. Maybe he'll become a stunt man. The other kids in the photos are our friends who live next door.

Uncle Bubbles - Rest In Peace

2010-01-29T15:33:00.000-08:00

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Uncle Bubbles. He had just recently been released from prison, and was making excellent progress in the battle against his lifelong popcorn addiction.

Uncle Bubbles met his unfortunate end sometime last night when he was locked inside the Towne Cinemas ("Sticky Shoe Cinemas") in American Fork. Police reports indicate that he demanded his money back after an unsatisfactory viewing experience. After being turned away by theater management, he retreated to the men's room to regain his composure. Upon leaving the restroom, he found that he had been locked inside the theater complex for the night.

An unidentified cinema worker found his lifeless body behind the snack bar this morning. Before succumbing to the popcorn, Bubbles managed to scrawl short note on a box of Sour Patch Kids:

"Tonight I dine with Orville in Elysium"

Bubbles' tragic death is a shock to us all, but we hope that this most unfortunate event will raise public awareness to the gravity of popcorn addiction - and the unscrupulous tactics of the popcorn industry in general.

Fat People on Scooters

2010-01-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

Utah, Colorado, and Connecticut are always coming out on top in the "healthiest state" rankings. Maybe that's why I'm always shocked to see so many fat people on scooters when I travel out of state. Granted, Utah isn't totally devoid of battery-powered leviathans, but you usually have to hang around Wal-Mart or the post office for awhile to see one.

On our recent trip to Florida, I had fun taking pictures of these creatures (hunting licenses aren't yet offered).

One of these large mammals got in line with us at Disney World and a Brazilian guy caught me gawking. He quietly motioned toward the scooter and said "the people walk more in Brazil". We watched in silent awe as the creature consumed two churros and a frozen coffee drink. Thanks for the cheap sugar, Brazil!

Annika and Chorus

2009-11-21T23:12:00.001-08:00

Annika loves to sing. She has been steadily developing this talent for a couple of years now. She joined the school chorus last year, so this is her second year. She is only required to attend pratice once a week, but that's not enough for her she insists on going twice a week. She adores Mrs. Elliot the music teacher at her school, and the chorus director. Annika also participates in a children's choir during the summer and of course, she sings regularly at church. Well all of this singing is really paying off for her lately. She recently auditioned for a solo and found out on Friday that she got it! They announced it over the intercom at school, even her brothers heard the announcement. She is so excited and we are very proud of her accomplishments.

Sophie Attends Princess Party

2009-11-21T23:01:00.001-08:00

Sophie was invited to her 1st friend birthday party this weekend. It was a princess party for her friend Bella. She knows Bella well, because she is in nursery with her at church, I am also Bella's Mom's visiting teacher and friend. Therefore, Sophie has been to her home on several occasions, however this did not stop her from pitching a big 2yr old fit when I tried to drop her off for the party.
I finally got her to stay after spending 15 minutes helping her fashion a crown. She was happy an hour and a half later when I went back to pick her up. I knew she had a great time because her shirt was covered with frosting and she was happily toting her party favors around in her purse. She is such a girl!

Autumn Leaves

2009-09-27T17:39:00.001-07:00

We decided to take a little drive and hike near squaw peak to see the changing maple leaves. We hiked up a mountain biking trail that Lori and I had been on in the past. We knew there were lots of maple trees in the area because we had been attacked by some maple-loving caterpillars there last year. Luckily, the caterpillars were gone, and they'd left enough leaves for us to enjoy.

Unfortunately, the caterpillars don't eat Zoobies - - plenty of them on the trail. Well fed too. They're probably the ones who ate the caterpillars. I don't really know how the BYU food chain works. Anyway, the leaves were gorgeous, and we all made it back down the mountain with minimal whining.

Stevens clan 1st day of school

2009-08-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

The kids went back to school on August 20th. They were excited to start another year. Stockton is now in 5th grade, Annika is in 3rd grade and Sawyer is starting the 2nd grade. Sophie is back to chilling out with Mom all day and watching her favorite TV shows. (Sorry no picture of Annika, she had a wardrobe issue and did not want her picture taken, maybe we'll try again next week:)

Sophie and Kate

2009-08-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Sophie really likes to visit my cousin Kate. Just thought I'd share some pics I took of the two of them during our visit last week.

Riding in Grandpa Cleverley's boat

2009-08-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

We took a weekend off and went to Idaho before the kids started school. Grandpa Cleverley was kind enough to take all of the kids on a boat ride around the Snake River near their house. The kids had a ball riding on the boat, looking for bugs and snails and eating snacks provided by Grandma.

Angie's Birthday Hike - Lake Hardy!

2009-08-02T21:35:00.001-07:00

Chris and Angie were kind enough to invite Stockton and I on her birthday hike to Lake Hardy. What a great time! Chris and I try to do this hike each year, and it is not an easy one, but it's worth it.

The trail begins in Alpine, at about 5,200 feet, and ends at Hardy, which is just over 10,000 feet. Five miles one way, which means you gain about a thousand feet for each mile you hike.

I was worried about it being too hard for Stockton, but he did great! We saw deer, grouse, and rock chucks. Stockton was particularly interested in the "blazing fast" lizards we saw on the trail.

Upon arriving at the lake, we had lunch and took a swim in the ice-cold water. Chris, Angie and I did the swimming; Stockton refused to swim in the "snow water".

Before hiking back, we pulled out the Hostess cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to Angie. Lots of fun and thanks to Chris and Angie for inviting us along!

Independence Day 2009

2009-07-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

I know it's the end of the month, but I thought I would post some pics of the family at our 4th of July bar-b-que. There are a couple cute pics of my brother's baby Luke and of course my cute kids! We ate a lot and set off a bunch of fireworks!

The Boondocks Bash!

2009-07-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

Sawyer turned seven on July 31st. This year he wanted to go to Boondocks for his special day, he wanted all of our family who lives here to come and his one special friend Seth. We all had a blast! The kids enjoyed squirting each other on the bumper boats, Earl, Ken, Chris and Stockton loved the batting cages. Annika did everything in her power to acquire TICKETS! Sawyer shot like a pro at laser tag and Sophie was running around just trying to keep up with it all. We were there about 4 hours and it was a lot of fun. Happy Birthday Sawyer we love you.

My New Hair

2009-07-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I went to my hairdresser last week. I was really tempted to cut my hair, like always during the summer. Finally, I decided to get some bangs. So here I am with my "new hair." Sophie was very impressed and kept saying "Mommy hair cute!" I love this kid!

Directions for Beet Salad

2009-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Wash your beets and remove the tops. Place beets in a saucepan and cover with water, boil until fork tender, 30-40 min. depending on the size of beet. Let them cool and then peel the skin off and dice them. While the beets are cooking you can make the candied pecans. Put the pecans in a frying pan over med-low on stove top to roast them for a few minutes, stir them. Then add about 3 Tablespoons maple syrup and stir. Next, whisk the olive oil, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar together for the dressing. Arrange baby greens on 4 plates, put diced beets on top, then sprinkle on candied pecans, add your chicken and Feta cheese, then drizzle dressing on top. YUM!

Best Beet Salad Ever

2009-07-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

I have never been a fan of beets. Maybe because I never had them cooked correctly. I have always thought they were a gross, slimy thing my Dad liked to eat out of a can. I've had some health issues lately, so I'm trying to eat better, meaning more veggies less fat. I also decided to grow beets in my garden this year, mostly because Stockton seemed to like them. I have come up with one of my favorite salads of all time! I have to post it, because I'm now a fan of this yummy red superfood.

Serves 4

one pound fresh beets tops removed
4 cups baby salad greens
1/3 cup pecans
3 tablespoons maple syrup
4 oz. Feta cheese
4-6 chicken breast tenders grilled and cut up

dressing
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Oregon Trail Addiction

2009-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's 1:10 AM and I'm sitting here watching Lori play Oregon Trail on her new phone. She usually hates video games, but she's been sitting here for the past 90 minutes, looking very intense, complaining about bear attacks, poisonous food, etc.

I've been married to this woman for fourteen years and thought I knew all there is to know. Well. . .today I learned something new. . .She is not immune to video game addiction. Btw - newsflash: She just arrived at the fort and has enough money to fix her wagon!!!

And for my future tormenters in hell - - the Oregon Trail theme music now moves Tim McGraw to page 2 of the demon hymn book.

Sophie: Crunk Ain't Dead

2009-06-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

I guess I should be proud that my kids hate Country Music as much as I do. But when the two year-old answers questions "Lil' John" style, it might be time to tone down the Crunk. Here's what I mean:

Dad: Sophie. . .Sophie!

Sophie: Whaaaaat?

Dad: Sophie, come here and get your shoes on.

Sophie: Whaaatt? Oh-Kaaaaay Lil' John!

(for those who have not yet had the pleasure of listening to Lil' John, click here for a sample of his work. Heck, this is his entire body of work)

Babies Everywhere!

2009-06-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend with new babies. Earl's sister Siouxzy had her little girl June on Sunday and my brother Joey blessed Luke on Sunday as well. It's nice to share their babies, since the only baby at our house is Sophie and we all know she's really not a baby anymore :)

Memorial Day Salad

2009-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

This one was a big hit, so I'm posting it for anyone who needs a new summer salad recipe.

Dressing:

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and refrigerate.

Salad Ingredients:

14 oz. Cooked and cooled cheese tortellini
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1 red pepper jullienned
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 pieces of cooked bacon crumbled

Layer the ingredients and refrigerate for 1-3 hours. Then drizzle dressing over the top and toss.

Stockton's Baseball Game

2009-05-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Baseball season for Stockton is in full swing. He is averaging 2 games, plus a practice each week. It is really keeping us busy, but Stockton loves it! He usually plays third base. He made a good hit that resulted in a run tonight. I took some pictures with my new camera so I thought I would share.

Sophie's 2!!!

2009-05-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit slow posting this, but Sophie turned 2 on April 24th. I can't believe my baby really isn't much of a baby anymore. She talks nonstop and has developed quite the stubborn little attitude lately. If she doesn't like what one of the kids is doing she yells, "NO, Go away!" She also loves to sing, especially songs she learns at nursery and rap tunes like, "Kiss Me Through the Phone" (courtesy of her Dad) Here are some pics of her birthday celebration.

Spring pictures

2009-03-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to get their pictures taken on Friday. It was a hectic afternoon, but well worth it. I was able to get pictures of all of them, including Annika's baptism dress pictures. Kudos to a patient photographer and my 4 very cooperative kids. Now this week I can concentrate on Annika's birthday festivities.

More church

2009-03-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

Mobile devices are an essential tool when it comes to church survival. I learned this from the 15 year-olds I taught in Sunday school a couple of years ago. Upon receiving the calling to teach, I was told that they were the class from hell and that they had chased away "a couple" of teachers over the past year.

I was pleasantly surprised, my first week, when the kids sat quietly and politely nodded at appropriate times during my lesson. After that first class, I remember thinking "Wow, I am an AWESOME teacher. I really hit it out of the park with those kids!".

Week 2 went much the same. . .Week 3 brought me down to earth. During my lesson, I made eye contact with one of the girls in the class and called on her to answer a question. She nodded politely. I asked the question again. . .another polite nod. The class became strangely quiet, and the kids looked awkwardly at the girl and each other. After a few moments of silence, I heard a faint t-t-t-TSSSS-t-t-t-t-TSSS. I took a closer look at the young girl and noticed little white wires, cleverly hidden under a sweater and behind hair, leading to her ears. i-Pod.

After killing the i-Pod craze in my class, the looks of boredom and sketchy behavior I was warned about quickly surfaced. They were a good class and I enjoyed the year I spent teaching them, but they certainly weren't the "angels" I had seen that first week.

Fast forward a year or so. . .My kids have inherited my "love" of long, boring Sunday meetings. To keep them in their seats and behaving in a semi-civil manner, I admit using a mobile device, once in awhile, to help break up the monotony. Annika and Sawyer "write letters" on the notepad of my CrackBerry, Sophie tries to dig the trackball out of the device, and I take unflattering pictures of Stockton and Lori during the service. Good times.

"If the pen is mightier than the sword, does that mean Shakespeare can kill Jedis?. . . .zzzzzzz. . .uh WHAT, HUH?"

"TWO high council speakers??"

Sophie Goes to Nursery

2009-02-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

We started dropping Sophie off in nursery last October when she reached the ripe age of 18 months. Things went well until our church time changed from 11am to 1pm. After the time change, nursery time encroached on nap time, and it became an entirely different game.

One of my old work buddies sent me this video, and it is pretty damn close to my nursery drop-off experience this past Sunday. Sophie is the "irritated" lady, I play the role of the kind but clueless elderly man trying to console her. The nice nursery lady plays the part of the young gate worker/enforcer with the radio.

PS: According to the nice nursery lady, Sophie pitches a fit for about 10 minutes before falling asleep in the corner for the next 90 mins.

Disney Pain

2009-01-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

Before the Race: "Team Duda"

During the Race: The only reason I'm smiling here is because I just passed the 12 mile marker and I know I'm less than 10 minutes away from breakfast. Thanks to Stan for beating me by 30 minutes - plenty of time to grab a camera and backtrack a mile! And thanks to Dad for waking up at 3am to get me to the starting line!

After the Race:

I did finish - believe it or not. Didn't hit my goal of 2 hours (finished in 2:13), but did meet my goal of no stopping/no walking. No style points for this win, but a "W" nonetheless.

The Stevens at Disneyworld

2009-01-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

I haven't been a very diligent blogger lately. We were pretty busy over the holidays and then we made our trip to Disneyworld. We are back and I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Earl did really well in the half marathon and it was fun to escape the Utah chill for a few days.

Run Forrest, Run!

2008-12-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I've been running three times per week for the past 14 years, and I still get the "Run Forrest, Run!" shout-out from passing cars at least a couple of times per year. Other "exciting" things have happened during my runs including: (a) being chased by coyotes, (b) being hit in the chest with a can of Rock Star, (c) and doing a Warrick Dunn spin move to avoid being hit by an elderly man pulling out of the temple.

The latest chapter of running adventures involves me being sucked in to a half marathon. This has been interesting because, in all my years of running, I have never ran more than 6.2 miles (a 10k) at one time. A half marathon is "only" 13.1 miles, which Stan (my boss) claims is easily done by his pre-teen daughter.

So, for the past eight weeks, I have roughly doubled my running mileage as I complete my half-marathon training program. I have dropped 15 lbs and hope to be below 200 lbs when I run the race in early January.

I am running under the "Team Duda" banner which seeks to raise awareness and funds for Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. More information on Team Duda and our fundraising efforts can be found here
.

Numa Song

2008-11-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

and after dance lessons (thanks to Brad and Mandy for this one). . .

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Our New Kitten

2008-11-02T17:24:00.000-08:00

We have a new pet at our house. I finally relented and let the kids have one of grandma's baby kittens. We are not sure if it is a boy or a girl yet. The kids are having a lot of fun taking care of the kitty. Sophie loves the kitten.

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about our neighborhood is that we know everyone. We go to church and school with all of them, so trick-or-treating is really fun for the kids. There is even a family in our neighborhood who pass out hot chocolate, hot dogs and show outdoor movies on Halloween. The kids brought home tons of candy, but were very tired afterwards. Sophie had to come home early, she only lasted about 45 minutes.

Antelope island

2008-10-24T22:30:00.001-07:00

Our kids have been asking about the Great Salt Lake - a prominent feature on the Utah map, but something they've never seen before. We decided to drive out to Antelope Island and show them the sights. Lori and I hadn't been there in 20 years, so we were a bit curious as well.

We loaded Pepper in the back of the truck and made the 80-mile drive up I-15 and across the causeway to the island. The first snowstorm of the year had hit the mountains the day before our little trip, and the views of the mountains from Antelope Island were awesome!

The kids enjoyed skipping rocks in the GSL (there were millions of perfectly flat skipping rocks on the beach, as you see in the picture above). The kids tasted the water and Annika said it tasted "saltier than the kind of salt you put on your eggs". Pepper was absolutely disgusting. There were piles of dead brine flies/brine shrimp on the shore (darker looking spots in the photo above) and the stupid dog thought they smelled so good that she rolled around in them. I had to load her into the truck at the end of our little jaunt and she smelled like the Denny's dumpster on a hot August afternoon in Houston.

There was plenty of wildlife out there too. We saw a buffalo, and we saw some idiots walking up to the buffalo to take its photo. We waited around hoping to catch Mr. Sideways Hat do his best rodeo clown-in-distress act, but the buffalo was patient and wandered off.

We also saw a coyote, some chukars (birds), and some live, non-stinky brine shrimp at the visitors center. On the way out of the visitors center, we caught some European tourists taking a picture of Pepper in the back of our truck. Couldn't figure that one out. . .maybe Black Labs in pickup trucks represent something uniquely American in Slovenia. I felt like pestering them to buy some folk crafts (we had legos in the back of the truck).

Anyway, nice to get out and get some fresh air after the cold, snowy weekend!

Fall Break

2008-10-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

The kids were out of school part of last week, so we decided to go to Lagoon. My kids love amusement parks. They did not get this genetic trait from me, I avoid roller coasters as much as possible. Earl has tried to get me on one for 13 years and has yet to succeed. I think he's given up. He has moved on to persuading Annika and Stockton to ride all things scary. Stockton is an old pro, he'll ride just about anything. Annika rode 2 roller coasters at Lagoon, including the old white rickety one, that I won't go near. It was a fun day with perfect weather. I had a good time taking Sawyer and Sophie on the baby rides, while Earl turned Annika and Stockton into little daredevils.

Annika's New Hair

2008-09-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Annika wanted to change her hair and since it has been a real pain lately to keep it washed, conditioned and brushed I let her. She is VERY happy with the new do and wants everyone to see it. I was happy that it took about 5 minutes this morning. Maybe, she can get to school on time now.

Redneck Chuseok

2008-09-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

I used to travel to Korea quite a bit, and the Koreans celebrate a holiday in September called "Chuseok" (meaning Fall Harvest). Everything shuts down, and folks travel back to their hometowns so that they can stuff themselves with food, hang out with living relatives, and then fix food for and visit their dead ancestors (while wearing weird clothes). Kind of a weird hybrid of Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and fermented cabbage.

Anyway, in the spirit of Chuseok, we decided to have our own celebration. No kimchi or bulgogi. Just guns and hostess baked goods.

We traveled west of pristine Utah Lake, to a point where the mosquito density appeared as precipitation on News4's doppler radar, and where mullets, minitrucks, and wrangler butts still reign supreme.

We set up a variety of targets - - cement forms, pop cans, water bottles, and other junk from the garage. Grandpa Ken, Grandma Retta, and Sippy joined us in our little celebration and we all had fun pumping lead into the targets.

Some highlights:
Stockton and Sawyer - 9mm pistol - rapid-fire urban assault on cement-form target.
Annika - Hitting a target with the 17HMR
Lori - Hitting a tennis ball with the 17 HMR
Grandma - Able to shoot both left and right handed
Grandpa - Sneaking a goose load into the shotgun behind a couple of target loads - nearly knocking Earl on his butt
Sophie - Eating dirt and playing with the "Da-Dog"

All in all - a good Redneck Chuseok.

Stockton's Free-Throw Challenge

2008-09-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of times each week, Stockton and I play the "Free Throw Challenge". He shoots 10 free throws and I shoot 10. The best out of 10 wins the round. The first one to win three rounds wins the set, and the first one to three sets wins the match.

Stockton won his first set today - 3 rounds to 1 - despite my best Utah white-boy trash-talking efforts. After the beating, I spent the evening nursing my bruised ego and abusing mildly caffeinated soft drinks while plotting my revenge: I will take him out on the court tomorrow, lower the rim to 7.5 feet and hammer him with the most powerful two-handed tomahawk jam that my four-inch vertical leap will allow.

Consider yourself warned Stockton - - straight from the gutter like cheap butter.

Update: 9/16: Sawyer enters the fray, goes 5/5, and wins his first mini-round!

Mission Accomplished!

2008-09-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I have a difficult time sewing. It does NOT come naturally to me. This however does not keep me from trying. A month or so ago, I bought a new machine. My 1st machine came from Ebay and it worked, but it was a pain. My new machine has made a difference, but I still have been struggling. I finally finished a valance for my craft room that would have taken a normal person an hour or so to finish, if that. It took me about 2 weeks! Well tonight I actually finished a sewing project in one evening. Not only did I finish, but it looks pretty good. I made Sophie a beanie blankie. I saw the idea while we were in Idaho. She is already asleep, but I think she'll love it. Check it out!

Labor Day in Idaho

2008-09-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Stevens have spent most of the summer at home, nursing a new backyard. So we decided to take a break and go to Idaho for the weekend. We stayed with LeeAnn and Mark in Idaho. It was a blast! They were fantastic hosts, I hope we didn't wear them out. We visited Yellowstone with Grandma and Grandpa. There was a great spot where we enjoyed a picnic, we saw some buffalo and of course Old Faithful and lots of hot pots. On Saturday, the Guisingers took us off the beaten path to an underground cave near Rexburg. It was neat, but I must admit a little dark and scary. We felt like real explorers. On Sunday, Grandma made us a great dinner and we were able to visit with aunt Missy and Harry and Brenda. It was nice just ti hang out with everyone, stay up late playing games and eating junk food. Thank you all for the relaxing weekend! We needed it.

2008-09-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Our trip started on Thursday with a visit to the Dinosaur park at the mouth of Ogden canyon. We spent a few hours there before making our way to Idaho. We really enjoyed it. There were a lot of cool rocks and gemstones in the museum, in addition to the dinosaurs. There were even dinosaurs that moved robotically (Sophie was terrified of those...and so was Annika!)This place is worth checking out if you are passing through Ogden.

Mr. T for President!

2008-08-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

What kid growing up in the 80's didn't like Rocky movies, Indiana Jones, the A-Team, and Star Wars? Our kids are already in love with Star Wars, but imagine my delight when Stockton asked me if I had ever heard of "Mr. T". "Heck yeah", I said. We immediately got on YouTube and checked out some vintage Mr. T material.

During our YouTube research session, we found some fairly recent Mr. T work. The kids must have watched this particular segment about a dozen times. It's an Aussie TV commercial that delivers a nice combination of violence, political incorrectness and machismo that is all but extinct in mainstream entertainment today ("So You Think You Can Dance?" give me a break).

It's Still Summer

2008-08-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

Although the kids headed back to school this week, we are still enjoying every last minute of summer in Utah. It was hot again this week and I finally broke down and bought the kids a fun water toy. They get out of school about 2:oo, which leaves a lot of hot afternoons of me trying to entertain them. This waterslide is just what we needed. The kids are having a blast on it! It is easy to put up and take down too. The only drawback is that our back lawn is still a work in progress so I've been setting the slide in my neighbor's yard. It all works out because our kids all play together anyway. I haven't had a chance to take a ride yet, but all my kids give this toy a big thumbs up!

A New School Year

2008-08-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

The kids went back to school on Monday. This year everyone is there all day except Sophie. I'm not sure what I'll do with all the extra time. Probably, the same Mommy tasks, except with one child in tow rather than 4. Everyone was excited. They were all up at 7:20 eating and ready to get going. Sawyer seemed the most excited, maybe because he gets to stay all day and eat lunch at school. I was a little worried that Sophie might get lonely, but she was happy to play by herself today. We'll see if it lasts. I'm posting the pitures taken before they left the house on Monday.

A Fun Week with Aunt Mandy

2008-08-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

This last week Mandy, Dominic and Jade came to visit. We had so much fun hanging out. Venturing out with 6 kids can get a bit hectic, but we managed. We were able to go to the Hogle Zoo, a favorite place for my kids. I thought I would post some of the pictures. I also want to thank Mandy for taking some great family photos for us.

Stockton's Chicago Dog

2008-07-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm in Chicago working this week, and passed an interesting family landmark on my way out of Midway airport. A couple of months ago, on a layover on our way to Florida, we had a couple of hours to kill and decided to hit the food court. Stockton had heard how great Chicago hot dogs were and wanted to try one. He chose to sample the fare at "Gold Coast Dogs".

With the exception of the "sport peppers", and the absence of ketchup (a no-no for Chicago dogs), he thought it was OK. That all changed during our flight to Florida when the dog came back to haunt him (I'll leave the details to your imagination). Anyway, Stockton has avoided hot dogs of all sorts since then. He also has an irrational fear of sport peppers (it was the residual sport pepper juice, apparently, that caused him distress).

Do you like tacos?

2008-07-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Our kids have different but equally strange senses of humor, which is puzzling given their buttoned-up prim-and-proper whitebread parents. In any case, they've done their research and are proud to present their picks for funniest t-shirt of all time. Sawyer has memorized the "taco" t-shirt and repeats it often to anyone who'll listen. Here are their picks:

If you're curious and want to see more, visit www.torsopants.com

Sophie Loves Spaghetti

2008-07-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sophie's pediatrician told me to stop feeding her baby food a few months ago, reasoning that kids who are spoon fed by Mom for too long never learn how to eat. It is really difficult for me to not always feed Sophie and this is why. She is developing her independence and tonight she refused to let me help her. Finally, I let her go for it. She really likes spaghetti!

hunter-seeker droid

2008-07-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Look out! The hunter seeker-droid attacks unexpecting enemy starships without them even knowing!This robot looks like space junk when it's folded up, but this robot can destroy anything with it's laser cannons!

Lori's version Voodoo Chicken salad

2008-07-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, several of you have asked me for this recipe. Sorry it has taken me so long to get it to you. I love this salad and we eat it about once a week. It is relatively healthy and the dressing has a bit of a kick so Earl will eat it. I hope you all enjoy! The dressing makes a lot. I make it in a big Mason jar and keep it in the fridge. The dressing is the hardest part to make, so once that is in the fridge you can make the salad quickly.

Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing

3 tsp. chili garlic sauce (SRIRACHA brand is what I use, get it in Asian food section)
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil (whisk this in slowly)

3 cups salad greens (I use the ones from Costco)
2 tablespoons Feta cheese
1 large diced tomato
2 chicken breasts cooked and diced (season w/teriyaki sauce or lime juice)
2-3 handfuls crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup Niblets corn
3 tablespoons red onion
sesame seeds (optional)

The corn, black beans and onion are not in the original recipe, but I really like a hearty salad so I add them. I season and grill the chicken on the indoor grill or outdoor grill. It is also a good way to use up leftover chicken. I hope you enjoy.

Fourth of July Festivities

2008-07-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Our family had a fun Independence Day weekend. We spent the 4th at Uncle Chris and Aunt Angie's bar-b-que. The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousin Cole. A special thanks to Angie for having a party while 7 plus months pregnant. Annika made some pretty special cupcakes for the event, be sure to check out the pictures. Earl thought Sophie would be scared of the fireworks, but she wasn't. She didn't cry once, although I did see her try to plug her ears during the Piccolo Petes.

Saturday we went out on Utah Lake with our friends Tara and Jason. The kids had a blast riding their 3 person tube behind the boat. Annika and Sawyer were a little scared, but after a lot of persuading (Earl basically threw them onto the tube) they had fun. Annika loved it and wants to go again! After the lake, we went to our neighborhood fireworks show and it was fantastic! The fireworks were like a professional show, and we were right under them. At one point, the ashes were falling on Sophie and I had to move a bit.

Pleasant Grove Road Rant

2008-07-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

The roads here SUCK. The city installed a pressurized irrigation system last year (which has been good), but they had to dig all the roads up, leaving a network of bumps, sinkholes, cracks, and any other road deformity you can think of.

This being the case, I thought I'd spruce up the City's logo and web banner a bit to better reflect the unique character of our city.

Our Kids Love Smores

2008-06-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

Our kids are having a lot of fun cooking outside. Smores are a favorite, thought I'd share the pics!

Bike Wreck!

2008-06-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Lori is certainly paying her mountain biking dues. I wanted to embellish this story to include “table topping” a Volkswagen, ditching the cops, and a grand finale involving Mt. Timpanogos temple security and an inconveniently-located dumpster.

I was told that if I was going to write anything, it had to be the truth, so here goes. . .

We (the whole family) decided to ride our bikes to Grandpa and Grandma Stevens' house in Alpine for Grandma Retta's birthday. For the sake of the younger members of our family (insolent whiners!), we drove the truck to Lone Peak High School and unloaded the bikes, cutting about 2.5 miles off the trip.

Our travel plans had Stockton, Lori, and Earl riding non-stop to Alpine, with Sawyer and Annika switching off at the halfway point. Lori bought this brightly-colored trailer setup for Sophie, and Annika and Sawyer took turns riding with Sophie.

I got the honor of being the pack animal for the trip. I've seen ladies in our neighborhood pulling these trailers around, so I didn't think it'd be a big deal. Well, it feels like you're towing one of those fat Wal-Mart security guys back to the golf cart recharging depot. With that in mind, it was 95 degrees, and uphill all the way to Alpine.

OK, so I can handle the physical abuse - - it's the mental abuse and male ego-bruising that was the most painful. Annika's constant commentary from the back was mind numbing: “Why are you going so slow?” and “Why are you breathing so hard?”. I looked back once to respond to one of her questions and saw, for the first time, the spectacle of our journey. It looked like a gay Mardi Gras parade: Rainbow colors, loud squawking, garish costumes. . .yes, the stares were long and frequent.

Anyway, the journey went as expected. Annika and Sawyer each whined the entire time their feet were on the pedals. Stockton and Lori performed admirably, and we all eventually made it to Alpine.

After celebrating with Grandma Retta, Lori and Stockton volunteered to ride back down to the high school to get the truck (no way we were going to get the whiny little ones to ride back). Ten minutes later, Stockton came running back in the house shouting “Mom biffed it!”. We found mom in the bathroom nursing her wounds. She had moved off the sidewalk to avoid a trailer parked in the way. When she tried to merge back on the sidewalk, there was a disagreement of some sort between her tire and the curb. I opened the bathroom door to find Lori nursing some nice road rash.

Lori's face and knee received some TLC from the sidewalk. Luckily, she was wearing a helmet, otherwise we'd be talking about more than road rash. Stockton later said that he saw mom “just laying there” on the sidewalk, and that he was really scared. A driver saw the event and stopped to offer help, which was nice. Anyway, we were all scared there for a bit, but the damage is temporary and cosmetic. The nasty chin abrasion is healing fast (no, I do not point at her and yell “leper” in public places). The big knee bruise/abrasion will take a little longer to go away, but it will also heal.

I thought Lori would be a little gun shy after the wreck, but she climbed back on the bike two nights later for another family bike parade up Provo Canyon. A big shout-out to my trail-warrior wife!

Cascade Springs

2008-06-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit us this week and we had lots of fun. We went for a drive up American Fork canyon and then onto Cascade Springs. The canyon is really beautiful right now, since we had lots of snow this year. We hiked around a little and looked at the fish. We also saw two cool waterfalls on the backside of Mt. Timp. Hopefully, we didn't wear the grandparents out and they'll come see us again soon.

Lori's five-floor pagoda of birthday fun

2008-06-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, she got the VIP treatment this year. Our June two zero included three out of the following five amazing activities:

1. All-night dancing, and Patron/Henny shots at Skybar (are those still the high-end liquors of choice? Probably not if a white guy from Utah knows about them).

2. Fondue adventure at the Melting Pot in SLC. No burns, spills, or bum attacks at the ATM!

3. No kids for 24 hours (thanks Grandma 'Retta! We owe you a night on the town a la #1 above)

4. Full Mexican dinner immediately followed by a romantic off-road jeep excursion at the Saaaand Dunes.

5. Lori's maiden mountain bike voyage: 1,000 vertical-foot climb in 1.5 miles. She conquered the 3-mile loop like a champ, with minimal whining about the heat, caterpillar attacks, my map-reading skills, and two flat tires.

OK, so I had fun on her birthday. . .I've yet to get much feedback from Lori -- she's still a bit groggy from the Henny -- but at the barely-legal age of 34, she'll bounce back.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

We hope you all had a nice Father's Day. We had a fun weekend at our house. Earl built a fire pit on Saturday. These are standard equipment in a Utah yard, gotta have somewhere to roast marshmallows and cook Dutch oven. I'm going to enroll Earl in Dutch oven cooking classes to get back at him for the cyberbulling post. In case any of you don't know Earl well enough... the whole cyberbullying thing is his creation. Anyway, the fire pit is half done, we are going to add a paver patio around it. Hopefully, we will also have some grass soon.

Annika

2008-06-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Annika. And I love stuff like babies, parks and friends. and the thing I do best is play, do chores.and I hope you like this blog bye!

Sophie Sprouted Pigtails

2008-06-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have been toying with the idea of cutting Sophie's hair for the last few days. She has super fine wispy hair and it is all different lengths. Earl suggested I try pigtails so she would look more girlie. I gave it a try this morning and here are the results! She looks cute, but I still think her hair may grow better if I take her for a trim. The kids call her pigtails (Yoda ears)!

Stockton's LEGO blog

2008-06-04T14:39:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm stockton. I started this blog for you to see my LEGO creations. My favorite things to build are robots and spaceships, mostly from Star Wars.But you will see many other creations also.so come see my new LEGO models!!

Hello Everyone

2008-06-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have decided to start this blog as one of our summer projects. We have been checking out our friends' and family blogs. You all are doing a great job, you've inspired us! I also think this may be a fantastic way to occupy some of Stockton's immense free time. I hope you all look forward to his posts.