Just Daddy and Me

Devin is normally a pretty light sleeper, but last night after having little or no sleep for 48 hours I thought I was going to have to throw something sharp at him to wake him up. I started out with a gentle calming voice and eventually had to yell to wake him up. So this is what he looked like today.

This picture is kind of fuzzy, but it almost looks like he is smiling. He is really good at burping for Daddy, he makes it really hard for Mom, but he gives it all up for Dad.

Mission Impossible...

The nursery is finally complete. Not a moment too soon either. Devin and I were on the verge of killing each other. It turns out neither one of us like to decorate and we don't agree on what is straight or level. I like to just eyeball things while he had every leveling laser money can buy trying to get things right. All in all, we ended up making a great team. Our only dissapointment was how dark the changing table turned out to be. That's what I get for ordering on-line instead of going to the store. I decided I didn't care though. The baby surely won't care, and so we decided, neither do we. It turned out pretty cute for two people who gave up caring!

This is the before..notice his "Happy Face!"

Here is the crib. Who thinks that stain looks Awesome? (side-note...don't look too closely!)

It was those circle things that we were fighting with hanging. They aren't perfectly round and the hangers on the back are not centered, and Devin was using WAY too much math for me. Needless to say, they are up...now what should I hang on them?

The window. Which I had to make the white ends on the curtains because the little valance wasn't long enough. Thank goodness for my sewing classes from Tiff. These actually turned out pretty good and I got them right on the first try! (Amazing I know)

And here is the baby's rocking chair. He likes it already. If I sit in it and rock, he gets all crazy and starts moving. Our stroller is in the closet behind the rocking chair. It won't stay there of course, but I'm too lazy to take it down to the car just yet!

On that note, I went to the Dr. yesterday and although I am not dialted much (a very small one), my Blood pressure was pretty high. That made her a little worried, so I am going back tomorrow to check it again. If it is still high, she will schedule me to induce me. So maybe he really is coming out. I was starting to think I would just keep him in there forever. We will keep everyone updated!

Oh and I just noticed that there isn't even a picture of the changing table. Oh well...maybe another day

The Baby Belly

Here it is! The big old belly. I feel HUGE, but then I see other pregnant people and I look down and think...it's not so bad. Or is it? I had Devin take this picture last night around 10:00 P.M. I am tired and ready for bed, so hence the reason my hair is so cute. Thankfully he didn't get too close, because my face is so hidious right now. I am blaming the Maryland water, not the baby, he gets blamed for everything else. It amazes me that there is a 7 lb little human in there. I don't like to think about it too much. I do know however that if I open my mouth wide enough you could see his foot!

"Pink Christmas" in July

Hey Everyone! I know that this isn't much of an "Update" and I promise once the nursery is done I will get pictures taken. (Yes, Miss Phelps, I saw yours and now and I want you to see mine :)). BUT in the process, my cousin showed me this cute bog and the girl is doing this thing called "Pink Christmas". You can read all about it on her blog: www.everythingispink.blogspot.com 

I signed up because I think it sounds so fun and once I saw some of the gifts last year I REALLY wanted to do it! It's a lot like the apron swap a bunch of us did recently, but you don't have to make an apron. (For the Apron swap, you signed up, got someone else's name and address, made an apron, sent it to them, and you got an apron from someone else = a swap. The girl does one in the summer and one in the fall, so you can sign up for the fall one pretty soon..I LOVE my apron that I got!) Actually you don't have to make anything at all...you can buy the gift. The catch is it does cost $15.00 to sign-up, but, as you will read all the money is going to help a family in the D.C. area that needs help (it's a long sad story, read it yourself). In addition to the $15.00 sign-up you have to make/buy the gift and mail it, but it isn't due in the mail until December, so you have plenty of time to save up and get some ideas. Maybe I am crazy, but I think it will be fun and just think you will get a fun surprise in the mail too!! I SO wish I lived closer to Tiff because if she does this...her gift will be the best. Then again maybe we will end up getting each other's names (How freakish would that be?). Okay, I will be done going on and on about this, but sign-up. It's for a great cause! They girl that puts this all together lives here in the area and is a member of our Stake. Honestly it's not just a scam for her to get your money, she has been doing it for a few years now and gets requests to do it more than once a year! It should be fun!

Our New Home

We Made It! It was a long trip, but we survived. It is so beautiful in Maryland...very, very green! We have a great ward and we made new friends already. Devin is looking forward to starting work tomorrow and I am going to see the Doctor. Our house is still in a mess, but it's coming together. I will post pictures of our new place when it is cute and all put together. So far so good...wish us luck!

Look how FAR we traveled to get to our new home! :)

But we finally made it! We were SO blessed! We made it in two and a half days. We didn't get swept away down the Mississippi River or get blown away in any tornados! The day after we drove accross the Mississippi, it flooded and all the roads were closed. We know how truly blessed we were to arrive here safely with NO set-backs! Here we go!!

A street named after our family! It didn't have any wild-life anywhere near it, so I think it was misplaced!

We didn't stay here, but I thought it was pretty exciting to know that we have a hotel named after our family. I was just telling my G & G Stevenson that they needed to do their geneology...I guess this is a start. (Springfield, Illinois)

Devin's New Office!


The Washington D.C. Temple (our stake temple now!)

Great Food, Great Friends!

I had a great shower in Utah before we left. My cousin Amie, Aunt Christy and my Moms did a great job. The food was FABULOUS and it was so great to see so many good friends. I have so many memories of growing up in Deweyville with such great people, and there were many, many who came to the shower and supported me. Thank You all! Brooklyn was a great helper with the presents as you can see. It was so hard to leave those girls (okay..all my family), but Brook has a tender little heart and I am not sure if she cried more, or if I did. All in all I am so glad that we were able to spend a little time at home before the big move. I got my hair done (finally), my mom rubbed my feet for me and made them all smooth and we all laughed and shared some tears. I already miss everyone, but I am looking forward to what's ahead!
OK my face is ridiculous in this picture, but it's because I am crying. My sister Kaylee made a blanket AND a matching diaper bag for the baby. It is SO cute and she made up the pattern for the diaper bag all by herself. (She is 15!) It really meant a lot to me that Kaylee would take the time to make something just for me (and the baby). I love it, and I can't wait to use it! Love you Bug!!

Lindsay (my best friend from college) even came to the shower. I was SO excited to see her! She is super funny and lookin' so good. I have missed spending time with her, we had some crazy times together. Thanks for coming Linds!!

Chad's finace...Natalie. (Nice face Taryn ! :0 ) She gave us the CUTEST diaper bag. We can't wait for her to be in the family!

Brooklyn the Helper

He Popped the Question!!

Well....He did it! Chad Popped the question! My "little" brother is getting married! I almost couldn't believe that he actually committed. I knew it was serious though when he said he wanted Devin and I to go to dinner with them. So when we were home over memorial day we went with them. It was way fun! Her name is Natalie. She is from Avon,UT (it's by Logan-she is NOT a mail order bride) and I really do like her. I am excited for them. Last I heard the date was August 19th. I don't think I will get to be there (Due to the fact that the baby will only be a few weeks old), but I am excited for them. I am not sure what temple they have decided on either. Maybe I should have got some more details before I posted this. Oh yea, and that cartoon above is totally Chad. He is so tight, I hope this girl really knows what she is in for!! Congratulations kids! We are so excited for you!

Moving Buddy...

We Did It!
We finally decided where we should move to...well, more like we took the offer that we had :)
This is our new home.....move over Hillary! That's right! We are moving to Washington D.C. I am excited, scared to death, nervous, anxious, scared to death, happy, sad and SCARED TO DEATH! We went to the temple on Friday, and when we left, I just knew. I have known ever since Devin got back from Washington state for his interview with Amazon. He didn't say hardly anything positive when I talked to him during his layover. I hung up the phone and although I was a bit disappointed (and did I mention scared to death), I knew that if it was the right thing to do, we would figure it all out and make it work. So that's what we are in the process of doing; figuring it all out. We are going to have to fly out there to find a place to live before we actually move, so we have been looking at flights, moving vans, moving pods, you name it, we have been looking into it. The good news is that Devin does have family and Maryland that have been helping us and even offered a place to stay while we are there looking for a place to live. He also has a brother in Connecticut so that will be fun. It will be a drive to see them, but they will be closer than before. All in all: Everything will be new. New place to live, new side of the USA, new baby boy , new job for Devin, and I will get to stay home for the first time in our married lives. I gave my notice at work today and even though my Doctor was upset, I felt like a whole new (scared to death) woman. Wish us luck!

The other member of the fam...

This little dog is Charlie. He lives with my Mom and Ray. He is like the third child in our family. He gets whatever he wants, and if you hang around him long enough, he will talk to you. Sometimes he says mean things, but usually he is a pretty good dog. Devin loves him, and he loves Devin. He likes men better than women (hmm...) and favors Ray over my Mom. He "Tolerates" me and little kids, but would rather chase birds and cats. Devin wants to get a dog like Charlie, and I can't wait. I think every little boy needs a dog. Schnauzers don't shed, so they are easy to keep in the house. We love you smalls!

Bittersweet

Well, He did it! On Friday, Devin graduated from Thunderbird. It was such a great day. The actual graduation was long, but was so good and in a wierd way, uplifting. The CEO of Forbes' Magazine was the keynote speaker and he was so good. He talked a lot about how making goals and keeping them is essential in life. For those of you who didn't know, coming to Thunderbird was a goal/dream of Devin's from the very beginning of his undergrad at UVSC. While he was going to UVSC he always talked about T-Bird, and how great it would be to go there. Thunderbird is THE #1 International Business School in the World!!! So when Devin found out he had been accepted, we cried. I am not kidding he called me in tears and I was freaking out until he said, we are going to Thunderbird. We have love, love, loved Arizona. We have made great friends, learned even more about each other, and Devin has so enjoyed his time and Thunderbird. During the ceremony on Friday one of the speakers really stressed how much family and friends helped the graduates. Devin looked over at me, and we cried together again. This was literally a "Dream Come True" for us both. Now, for the job hunt. Devin was offered a position in Washington D.C. working for the Department of Labor. He is also flying to Washington (the state) on Monday for an interview with Amazon.com. So we will be moving, but we have yet to see where. We will be praying, and looking for answers as to what we should do. We are excited...and yet a little nervous. I am so proud of Devin and I look forward to going with him, wherever he will go!