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Happy Balloon Navy Birthday Invitation

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Merry Christmas 2010

Retro Plaid Christmas 5x7 folded card

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Summer has quickly come to an end...

As the nights get cooler and the sun sets sooner, the realization that summer is ending comes with sadness and anticipation for Fall. Does summer ever last long enough?? I feel that the sunny, warm days of fun end way too soon for my liking. The Stevens Family had a very eventful summer filled with days on the lake, road trips and fun with friends and family. Scarlett also had many firsts which include riding on a boat, road tripping to San Diego, eating solid food (FINALLY!), and pulling herself up on everything!!


Summer in Spokane started a bit late this year with the warm weather finally coming at the beginning of July. We had a great time on the 4th of July weekend...this weekend traditionally is always full of fun for me and John, now we happily get to share it with Scarlett. We love packing the weekend full of fun to celebrate our nation's freedom! Although our beach days have ended, we played for a day on Loon Lake outside of Spokane on July 3 with our friends, The Starr and Dickerhoof families. John had his first tube ride, Scarlett went for her first boat ride bound up like a mummy in her infant life jacket, and I got up on waterskis for the first time in almost 3 years! The night ended with some amazing pulled pork, s'mores on the fire and a beautiful firework show on the lake. John and I felt so complete at the end of that night because Scarlett woke up to watch the fireworks, it was such a fun family day.

The 4th of July was a bit cooler, but we braved the elements and drove to Lake Couer'd Elaine to do a bike ride with the Dickerhoof family. Riding in a bike trailer was another first for Scarlett and I wish I could say she enjoyed it as much as the boat...but no. Almost the entire ride she screamed in the trailer she shared with Brittan Dickerhoof...oh that poor little girl had to listen to Scarlett's cries the whole way! But she was so patient and we made the day fun regardless. John and Tyler Dickerhoof sped ahead with the Dickerhoof boys in the trailer, while Kelley and I leisurely enjoyed the ride. The halfway point was an amazing ice cream shop where we all enjoyed HUGE scoops, then headed back along the lake. It was a good adventure, but not sure Scarlett will be up for bikeriding again anytime soon...;-) That next week brought great visitors to the area, our friends Derek and Kristina Hall came over for a barbeque and I had some good girl time with Kristina! We were in both of each other's weddings, and there is nothing like catching up with a true friend.

Mid-July John traveled to Wyoming with his reservists to do some training for a little over two weeks. They shot the big artillery and spent days out in the middle of nowhere, John even had a badger confrontation while in the field! He slept on his hummer every night and ate MREs (meal ready to eat) every day. We missed him a lot like usual when he leaves...

Laura, Katie S., Chelsea and Katie E. (Bend High friends)

The weekend of July 17 brought so much fun for me as my Mom, Scarlett and I traveled to Portland for my friend, Kristy's, beautiful wedding and my friend, Katie's, bachelorette party! Kristy was a stunning bride, and it was a gorgeous wedding. San Diego roommate, Emily, and I watched her get engaged, so it was really special to celebrate with her. It was a blast reuniting with high school friends at Katie's bachelorette party and having a fun night on the town with the girls. I was SO lucky to have Gami babysit Scarlett back at the hotel, my Mom is such a blessing to me. As we were driving back to Bend, we found out she won a BMW motorcycle that weekend too...pretty fantastic huh?!

The girls in on the road trip!

Marie and I decided to make a last minute road trip down to San Diego with the girls! It was my biggest summer adventure!! I drove and Marie was the co-pilot and both girls really did great in the back seat of my Altima. We were able to spend 5 memorable days down in San Diego seeing family, friends, playing on the beach, going to SeaWorld and eating as much frozen yogurt as possible. My Aunt Pam is bravely fighting breast cancer, so it was just a blessing to see her in person and she loved seeing the girls. It's always special for Lexi and Scarlett to see their great-grandparents too, and I can honestly say that Marie and I had some major sister-bonding while on the trip. It will be a very special memory for us, and we have already forgotten how tired we were by the end...haha.

Anytime John leaves, I honestly feel like a part of me is gone too...we really only feel complete as a family. As a military wife, I know this is something I must get used to, but honestly am unsure if I ever will completely. But, in the end I think that's a good thing and it really makes me admire the women who deal with so much more separation from their spouse then I ever have. We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary apart, but he did send me some beautiful flowers and a card, such a sweet man. I have a feeling this is not the last anniversary we will spend apart...

The end of July brought another amazing lake day on Long Lake, just about 10 minutes away from our house. We took advantage of the military discounts and rented a boat from Fairchild Airforce Base. My parents and Suzie and Kelly Phelps drove up to join the fun! We spent two fantastic days on the lake, again despite the fair weather...we tubed and waterskied, and the guys even spent a morning fishing before we joined them. John, Mom, Dad and I all got up on waterskis and my Dad rocked Kelly and John on some fun tube rides! Even through moments of rain, it was SO much fun and really made John and I dream about the day we can have a boat of our own. Scarlett again enjoyed the rides, and most of the time fell asleep quickly once the boat started. Suzie was a trooper and was a great flag girl, since she was preggo with Baby Claire and couldn't do the watersports. Another fantastic summer weekend which again made us also appreciate having two guestrooms to accommodate everyone...we are ALWAYS open for visitors. :-)

Gami with sleeping Scarlett on the boat

Laura up on waterkis!

The men on the boat, my Dad was the captain

John up on water skis!

We had some moments to relax and recuperate the beginning of August, then headed to Bend for Katie and Ryan's wedding weekend! Friday, August 13 we went to the rehearsal dinner and then out in downtown Bend with everyone after...loved having a night on the town with my man! My parents were so wonderful to babysit, and we really had a very fun night. Saturday was the fun wedding in Eagle Crest Resort, and I was so lucky to get all done up by Miss Chelsie. She drove in from Prineville to spend time with me and work her magic on my hair (which I loved)! John did some extensive beer tasting of all the local micro brews in Bend, and we managed to fit in some fun time on Sunday with my parents after all the wedding festivities. We are SO happy for Katie and Ryan Tiktin and I was honored to be apart of their special day!

Before the wedding with my girl...

Sadly, the last two weekends of August were work weekends for John, so Scarlett and I relaxed and had fun playing together. Chelsie made a quick visit to Spokane for work, and what girl doesn't love having her best friend in town?? I am making some wonderful friends here, but nothing can replace the life-long friends. I am sure that is also something that other military wives can relate to. I did have a lunch to invite all the Marine wives in the unit over while the guys were working...three came. Haha, that is how small our Unit is here! But, we had a great time and it was obviously intimate which I felt allowed for great conversation. Moments like that make my heart long to be apart of the "Big Marine Corps" as John would say, but I realize that God placed us here for a reason. So, we will continue to make the best of it while in Spokane, and I am lucky to have really enjoyed the Marine wives and friends in the community that I have met here. One year down in Spokane, one or most likely two more left in this chapter of our lives.

Goodbye summer of 2010...thank you for FANTASTIC memories!

4th of July 2010

Summer has FINALLY arrived and we are trying our hardest to enjoy the outdoors here every chance that we get. Being a military family has helped us realize that during every move, we must make a concerted effort to enjoy everything that our new state has to offer...and Washington does not disappoint. I love the smell of the fresh mountain air that comes in the mountain climates in the Pacific Northwest and over the 4th of July weekend we defied the elements and played outside all weekend in the gloomy weather, breathing in that crisp air. Saturday was spent on Loon Lake with the Starr and Dickerhoof families which included water skiing, tubing, pulled pork, a bonfire and even fireworks! John and I kept talking about how July 3 on the Loon Lake was the most fun we have had outside since we have lived here...and Scarlett LOVED the boat, falling asleep twice and woke up so we could watch the fireworks as a family. It was very special for me and John!
The 4th was spent bike riding around beautiful Lake Coeur d Alene with the Dickerhoof fam, Scarlett experiencing another first while riding in a bike trailer (she didn't like it very much to be honest). There were ups and downs, but it was such beautiful scenery that nothing could ruin our trip...screaming babies, bloody noses and all!! We drove down to the lake and road about 8 miles around the lake to Harrison, Idaho. It was an adorable town with the BEST ice cream we have had in a long time...huge scoops! John, Scarlett and I took a moment to dance to the music of the country band that was playing and I played with Brittan on the play ground. The wind was blowing and the sky threatened rain, but we made it back to our cars after a great workout on the ride back.

With our bodies broken and a grand feeling of accomplishment, Sunday evening was spent laying on the couch enjoying time as a family. It was the PERFECT 4th of July weekend., and we are realizing that every holiday is so much more special now that we have Scarlett...photos to come.

Thank you Reese for making Scarlett's beautiful patriotic bow!

Pups...

Even after having Miss Scarlett, we realize that the pups are such a big part of our life...it brings daily amusement to watch Scarlett smile and giggle as she watches them play and I cannot deny the fact that I love when they cuddle on my lap at the end of the night. So, I thought I would give a little background on our other two "children."

Latte, who is now 6, is a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix that I bought right before my senior year of college with the money I saved as a nanny that summer. I decided upon his name while I was working at a local coffee shop, he was cream colored and extremely hyper in the morning= Latte! He has been my buddy through everything in these past years and John has done a wonderful job of "adopting" Latte as his own. He is now turning into a quiet old man, who has his hyper moments, but truly enjoys being a lap dog and laying in the sun. 

Mia, who is now almost 2, is a Chihuahua mix that we adopted from a rescue while we lived in Oklahoma. We think she may be a Jack Russell terrier mix as well because she jumps SO high and can be very hyper, which looking on the positive side, really amuses Scarlett. She was going to be euthanized at a shelter in Oklahoma when a rescue decided she was adoptable and I found her on their website. We went up to visit her in March and fell in love right away...she was about 4 lbs. when we adopted her and has now tripled her weight to about 12 lbs.!! She is a loving little girl that follows me everywhere and still has her tentative moments with men...but we love her and John has a dream that she will be Scarlett's dog once she is old enough. With her snaggle tooth and crazy expressions, Mia truly is so ugly she is cute!  

6 months...

Scarlett at 6 months is:

29 inches

18 lb. 12 oz.

A BIG girl! :-)

She is rolling...almost crawling! Scooting everywhere and propping herself up on one elbow. She smiles and giggles ALL the time and is just starting to eat solids. We are so in love with her!

And it begins...

We have both talked and talked about starting a blog, and now we have finally done it!
To begin, I feel that I will give an overall update about us and our fantastic life...
John and Laura (the parents) have been married since July, 19 2008. John was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps and was working at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Laura was an account coordinator for the Active Network. We met and were married in the beautiful city of San Diego, it was quite a dream come true. Our wedding took place on the 50th Anniversary of Laura's grandparents, Barbara and Wally Doren, and in the same church, Torrey Pines Christian Church, where Laura's parents, Mark and Kathe Beardsley, and all of Laura's aunts were married.
In December of 2008, the Marine Corps took us on our first adventure...off to Lawton, Oklahoma! John attended an advanced artillery school for Officers and Laura tagged along for the fun!! Trips to Texas, Arkansas, Nebraska and even driving through 8 states on our trip out brought lots of new experiences...more about that later. Mid-April of 2009 we found out something extremely surprising...we were pregnant!! So, the next months were spent fighting morning sickness and the Army hospital for appropriate care, by the end we were REALLY excited to leave.
Next stop we thought would be North Carolina...oh, but God had other plans! Off to Spokane, Washington...so we spent some great time in Nebraska before taking off to Spokane in August 2009 and had more fun experiences driving through Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and finally Washington!! It was SO refreshing to be back in the Pacific NW. Laura was happy to be out of the car being about 5 months pregnant and the pups were ready to run...
The end of the summer brought some great visitors and we really enjoyed experiencing Spokane. John is the Inspector Instructor of Batter P, a Marine reserve artillery battery. Miss Scarlett Marie Stevens blessed our lives with her arrival on December 7, 2009 and our story truly begins...we have started our family!