An update and random pics

Okay, so it has been awhile for me. I guess two kids does make a difference in how much free time you have. Or at least naps and cleaning my house have become much more tempting than going online. So everything is going great here. Carson LOVES his new baby sister. Carson calls her Kate or Baby Kate. He is so sweet. He gives her kisses all of the time (he kissed the screen while I was loading a picture of Kate for this post). He'll ask about her or want to know where she is. He is possessive of her and is sure to notify me if someone outside the family is holding her. He knows to be soft with Kate and, for the most part, is very gentle with her. Such a good big brother.

Carson also just had a birthday. He is now two years old. He'll tell you so if you ask him (but I don't think he knows what it means to be two). We did a Halloween themed party and it was so much fun. We had a cookie decorating table and balloons and toys scattered all over the floor. Plus, we had the kids dress up in their Halloween costumes. It was a toddlers paradise. Carson got some great gifts. My friends were paying attention to Carson's likes. He got cars, trucks, a guitar, and iron man stuff. It couldn't have been any better for him. Unfortunately, my camera was not working, but my brother-in-law Nate took a few pictures, so hopefully I'll get those from him soon.

Ben just finished his classes for his Masters program. Now he just needs to take the comprehensive exam on November 19th and he'll be all done with that. He got straight As of course. He's such an amazing guy! Going to school full-time and working full-time is not easy.

I am training for a half marathon in California with a couple of my friends. We have been really good at keeping to the training schedule. The run is not until March, so we'll have plenty of time to build up our miles. Right now we are only doing 2,3, and 4 miles and I can't see myself doing any more than that right now. Training for an event is the only way I can get myself to workout regularly. I'm so glad that there are so many of my friends training with me. It makes keeping to schedule and staying motivated so much easier.

My sister Rachel stayed with us for almost a week before she left for New York City. I REALLY miss her. She is so great with Carson and a huge help around the house, plus, she's just great company. She is really enjoying her experience living in the Big Apple and calls constantly telling me how much she wants us to visit. For those of you who do not know, she is performing in "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, with the Rockettes". If we can make it work, we are so going to go see her. I'm not excited about how cold it will be, but I think it will still be a lot of fun.

We had Katelyn's baby blessing yesterday. The entire weekend was nice. I was able to visit with Seth and Riva and their kids and Isaac and Allison and their kids. Trick-or-Treating in my in-laws neighborhood went really well too. Carson enjoyed going house to house more than the trunk-or-treat. Gloria, my mother-in-law, made a beautiful blessing dress, together with a bonnet and little shoes. Katelyn looked so pretty. I'll post some pics as soon as I get them. Speaking of which I have a few random pics that I was able to load to the computer. Hopefully, I'll have a few more to post before the end of this week.







Katelyn with her cousins Olivia and Viola.


My sweet grandmas Laura and T.J.

Katelyn Juarez

So Tuesday, August 11th, Katelyn Guadalupe Juarez was born. 4:17am. 7 lbs. 4 oz. Her due date was September 3rd, so she was quite early. I started getting contractions Monday afternoon. I went into the hospital with mild but regular contractions around 5:30pm. My cervix did not dialate within two hours, so they sent me home. My contractions increased from 5 minutes apart to 1 1/2 to 3 minutes apart while in the hospital, but since I was so early (not yet 37 weeks) there was nothing that they could do. So... I waited at home and my contractions started getting stronger and closer together. Finally at 2:00am, Ben and I drove back to the hospital, I was dialated to a 5, and Katelyn was born two hours later. We are so happy. Katelyn is beautiful and healthy. I worried that I would deliver early again and that there might be health concerns, but she is perfect.

Here are some pics of our new baby girl, plus some photos of Carson enjoying his time being spoiled by his aunts.

Baby Shower and Bedding

Last week I had a small family baby shower. It was probably the best baby shower I have ever had hosted for me mostly because of its size. We all sat at a table and visited with one another. It was so nice. If I ever throw or recieve another shower, I think I will make it small. Sometimes there are so many people at the shower that you really do not get a chance to visit. I also LOVED the activity we did. We all made hair bows for my little girl while we visited at the table. I figured that everyone would make one bow, but we had so much fun that I think we made almost three a piece. It was also neat to see the creativity and talent that everyone had. Here are pictures of the big bows. We made some small ones too. You know, the kind that you glue on the baby's head.

Also, I finished my little girl's baby bedding. Well, I still have to go to the quilting shop to finish stitching up the quilt. I like how it turned out. I think that she will really like the bright colors. Now we just need a baby. I've got another month yet and I am hoping that she doesn't come early. She's a lot easier to take care of inside the womb. She can take all the time she needs.

Midway Vacation

The Stephenson family got together for a week in Midway, UT. We had so much fun. The week went by way too fast. We went biking, tubing down the Provo river, hiked to the Timpanogos caves, Lagoon, a little shopping, temple open house, Freedom Run, and a family softball game. I maybe overdid it a little, being 7 months pregnant, especially running the bases during the softball game, but no early labor or anything - thank goodness! Carson loved all of the attention from his grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles. Here are a few pics that Kim and Corey took. We lost our camera so these are all the pictures I have...

I basically felt exactly how I look in this picture by the end of this 5k. And NO, I did not run a single bit of it. Walking was enough for me!


Our family hike to Timpanogos Caves.



Carson playing in the fountain at the softball game with the help of his aunt Rachel.



As you can tell, this was a very intense game!



My sister Audrey striking a pose.

Carson waiting in the dugout.

Carson tired of waiting in the dugout.

Carson playing in the dirt while we played softball.


Carson on a family bike ride through Midway.


Kim, Corey, and my brother Trent are about to swing through the air at Lagoon.

Us waiting for the rain to die down.

Rain, rain, go away...

Carson playing in the fountain at Lagoon. He was soaked, but it didn't matter because it started raining about an hour later!




Kim at Lagoon