What's going on now....lol

Well, as usually, the Stevens household is crazy busy.
J.D. is going to school taking 16 credit hours, and applying to Dental Schools, and getting ready to re-take the DAT. He just got a calling in our ward, but it is more of just a sunday job and doesn't take up time on any other days.
Me: I am going to school and being a mom. I have 1 class that i'm currently working on. I plan to have it done in 2 weeks and i will then have my ASSOCIATES! Finally! I have more than enough credits, but I was missing a 1 science credit...so I will have that soon!! I am excited to have something to show for all the work I have done. I have a calling as enrichment cordinator-which does take up time, but it's stuff that's right up my alley of fun. I stay at home with Dawson all day and take care of him. It's been easier to do that since he is more independent and growing up so much.
Dawson: He is talking and conversing so much! He loves to tease his mommy, and push every button as far as he can. He is so smart too! He likes to do everything that I do-which J.D. doesn't always approve of..things like painting nails, wearing earrings and necklaces, cooking, and cleaning. He also likes to copy J.D. when he shaves his face. haha! He is so much fun!

We just go all the time and try to enjoy life day by day.

My Cute Baby Boy

Dawson is so much fun! He has SSSSSSSOOOOOOO much personality! He is learning so much. There isn't a day that goes by he doesn't make us laugh. He loves to help J.D. and I with everything! Yesterday he helped me glue jewels on invitations, and then went to help J.D. build fence. He doesn't just watch, he holds things, or gets things, and he picks up the process of how to do things really quick! He keeps us both on track.
I don't know if he's ready to be potty trained or not, but he loves to tell me every time there is "yuckies" . I love this little man so much! He is so creative in how he plays, and talks, and he even likes to play jokes on J.D. and me.

After telling me he has "yuckies" Dawson will run away and play catch me if you can game..

Dawson feels that his stuffed animals all need to experience the thrill of riding his horse, Don't forget your hat Mr. Bear!

Dawson found ribbon, and wanted to wear it..So I tied it around him-he's such a cute present!
SUCK IN!!

I love my little cowboy! (we brought a horse down to ride, and so i put J.D.'s saddle on our foot rocker so Dawson can ride a horse anytime- he always asks, but I can't saddle a horse, only J.D. can...so this is our at home horse)We have been in Holden a lot lately. Dawson loves his new cousin Destry, but he especially loves her toys. So here they are playing together.

A weekend in Kanab, he found Aunt Amy's doll chair.
He thought it was just perfect for his size!

Besides the saddle/foot rocker horse, we also have this horse. And Dawson goes to town on it! His face tells it all. We have taught Dawson to wear a hat if he doesn't want mom to do his hair, and he has to wear one when he rides a horse. So if he can't find his cowboy hats, he resorts to others...

and another other...he is so funny!

And too end off our busy days, Dawson loves to sleep with his daddy. :-)
I love how J.D. holds his head

So there's our little boy in a nutshell, however he is much more than all of this. I don't know what we'd do without him. I love spending my days with him. I'm pretty sure I'd be lonely without him.

Brithday fun, Lake Powell, and playing

J.D. had a birthday on the 31st of July- we went camping up in Holden with J.D.'s family. It was so much fun! We went shed hunting, cooked dinner in the dutch ovens, roasted smores, watched the Blind Side on a projector up in the woods, made a dutch oven breakfast, played phase 10, and went hiking

Here's our little man, loving the outdoors.

Taylee's family didn't know we were going camping, so they didn't bring any camping clothes. They found some of Parkers old clothes for Taylee- although if you've seen her, she is the smallest, and lightest little girl. So her dad got creative and tied some twine to make suspenders... Dawson thought he'd use the twine for other purposes like- a rope to tag around with taylee. The things kids come up with...Dawson has the funnest faces!

CHEESE!!!

Here is Taylee and Parker roasting those YUMMY mallows!

. We went to J.D.'s parents later that night and i asked J.D. if his birthday was everything he wanted? He replied, " well...there's really only one more thing I want to do." I asked, " What's that? I was thinking intimately, but he said, " Go for a horse ride." :-) So we did.

I can't tell you enough how Dawson just loves animals- especially horses. He was really good about giving the other kids turns, but when it wasn't anyone's turns Dawson was ready to go again.



2 days before J.D.'s birthday I had my family come up and we had a brithday dinner with cake since I wasn't going to attempt baking a cake while camping ON his birthday.
Here's Jori posing so dangerously...lol!

Dawson decided to share the frosting with grandma,

and mom......

and then helped himself to the rest...HAHA!

He tried to eat the candles, but soon learned that it didn't taste very good..lol!

He really loved the cake. He kept putting the candles back in the cake after licking them off, and wanted us to keep lighting them so he could blow them out again. It was so cute! i think he will be well practiced for his birthday coming up.

Here is J.D. and his cake. He loved it!

J.D. got a nice chrome toolbox earlier in the year- I told him since it was so pricey it would count as his birthday gift. He was completely fine with that. He also got a new truck- which I will have to post pics when its all clean.
I found a pic of a truck and my mom drew it on the cake and put the musketeers to look like the toolbox. That we he would be reminded of what he did get, since we didn't get him anymore gifts.

For dinner we made the Famous SECRET Tortellinni by my brother Chad. It is so delicious! Carson couldn't get enough of it.. as you can see... haha! He just helped himself.

We headed to Lake Powell after I had spent a week in Kanab helping out with my sister's kids. J.D. came to pick me up and we decided we might as well go to Powell for the day.

J.D. buried Dawson in the sand!

I really think Dawson loved this. He held so still while J.D. covered him. Dawson absolutely LOVED the water, jet ski's, and playing in the sand. I think it helped having all my sister's kids playing with him-plus the water was 83 degrees!

Here is our nephew Layne... he's totally pushing his muscle up...lol!

On tuesday we went to KOA campground by glendale to meet my sister. We brought Jessi over for the week to hang out with us. While we were waiting, I couldn't help but take a picture of J.D. and Dawson playing together.