tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49365978515905806872011-10-10T13:23:03.992-07:00Welcome to our world! This is the place for pictures and adventures of the Stevens Family in Nashville, Tennessee.Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.comBlogger1091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-36508624460678363682011-06-08T08:24:00.001-07:002011-06-08T08:34:48.952-07:00

Well here they are at last. I posted WAY to many but I had a hard time choosing favorites. Enjoy! Grandma and Grandpa there are prints headed your way!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-46464990107172613392011-03-25T12:08:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:03:35.334-07:00

We loved watching Samuel learning to blow out his birthday cake. Once he figured it out he wanted to do it all over again. Both videos are darling! Happy Second Birthday Samuel!!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-89374894195422904412011-03-25T10:58:00.001-07:002011-03-25T12:08:00.792-07:00

Samuel and I have our Birthdays four days apart so we have been having a lot of fun celebrating around here.First we went out to dinner. I have been trying to catch this cheesiness on camera for a long time.Then we had an "International Dinner Party" We invited several families who each brought their favorite international dish. Luckily everyone's dishes fit together nicely. It was

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-85723227371389402372011-03-25T10:26:00.000-07:002011-03-25T10:58:01.019-07:00

This is just classic!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-6379232870246565392011-03-24T19:06:00.000-07:002011-03-25T10:26:26.596-07:00

Here's a cute video of Brian and I quizzing Samuel on all the animal sounds he knows. It's a bit long. You tell us if he passed the quiz.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-19466668459492238402011-03-02T12:12:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:20:24.431-08:00

Now that the weather is warming up, Samuel is really enjoying the swing set in our back yard. See what a big boy Samuel is in these pics and videos. Sitting at the top of the slide!Samuel just got a hair cut. I always miss his curly baby hair when we cut it.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-50139637949909268612011-03-02T11:30:00.000-08:002011-03-02T11:38:19.302-08:00

We would like to introduce the newest member of our family! Gray has lived with us for about a week and he is a perfect fit. Compared to our indoor puppy, our outdoor, adult cat is such an easy pet (obviously, right!) . We found him on Craig's List. He came with his own kitty house, great manners and an amazing tolerance for toddlers. We just love him! He loves to hang out on the deck and he

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-46584625417843048512011-03-02T11:20:00.001-08:002011-03-02T11:30:06.497-08:00

Samuel and Mommy have recently discovered the Murfreesboro Children's Discovery Center. This place is so fun for kids, especially little boys! With fire engines, trains, a water play area, construction and mechanics displays, this is a little boys dream. Samuel will be getting a annual membership for his birthday, lucky boy!Eating dinner with friend Alex.Chooo Choo!Alex and Samuel doing some

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-32802443958750898102011-01-14T08:40:00.000-08:002011-01-17T21:14:08.662-08:00

Isn't this the cutest dog you have ever seen! This is Chaco and he was our dog for a whole two weeks. Brian grew up with dogs and wanted to get one to play with Samuel. We have a large fenced yard and thought that it would be a great place for a dog. It all sounded like a great idea until we brought home our Chihuahua mix puppy in the middle of winter. I don't know what we were thinking. He

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-11513242325043107662011-01-14T08:39:00.000-08:002011-01-14T08:39:56.420-08:00

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-49194237598969358412011-01-14T06:57:00.000-08:002011-01-14T08:24:25.209-08:00

We were able to go home to Idaho and Utah for Christmas this year. We thought we would make one more trip before Samuel turns two and we have to start paying for a ticket for him. We had a great time. Samuel got to play with most of his cousins...he has over fifty...and his Grandparents. We enjoyed being with family and celebrating the holiday. I don't know why I didn't take more pictures

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-30449278448116966722010-12-07T14:29:00.000-08:002010-12-07T19:01:35.991-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! My good friend Audrey and her mother Helen were good enough to drive all the way from Washington D.C. to join us for the holiday! Audrey and I have been friends since our freshman year of college when we were the only two freshman on study abroad at the BYU Jerusalem Center. We were inseperable and had a great time exploring the city and falling in love with the

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-59648930830242234822010-11-20T17:07:00.000-08:002010-11-20T18:37:25.565-08:00

We did it! We bought a house! After a lot of looking and a lot of prayer we finally found the right place for us. It was a long process and a learning experience for sure. After striking out a couple of times and practically giving up we feel like we were led to this home. There were a couple of interesting things that kind of fell into place that made us feel like heaven is watching

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-46033197200329100292010-11-20T17:06:00.000-08:002010-11-20T18:38:38.553-08:00

Here are the pictures of the house that were used by the listing agent. We thought this would give you an idea of the "before" pictures of our remodel. Over 1 acre lot, full brick home, with detached 26 x 26 garage, sits at the end of a cul-de-sac with trees Another view of front of house with country porch, new roof, new HVAC

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-15768066994897353152010-11-20T16:47:00.001-08:002010-11-20T17:06:18.300-08:00

Samuel just LOVES hats. He is just fascinated by them. I finally got around to getting one for him but that hasn't stopped him from creating a few of his own!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-86125455437279201512010-11-19T21:13:00.000-08:002010-11-19T21:30:01.537-08:00

Samuel has been walking for a while now but I finally got this video to load. It is just precious!

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-7115607764185436502010-10-23T07:07:00.001-07:002010-10-23T08:31:26.644-07:00

The weather has been beautiful! I love, love, love fall in Tennessee. It's so beautiful. We just had to pull out Samuel's old Halloween costume and take some fun fall pictures. (We're still deciding what he will be this year.) Hmmmm. Maybe he needs a cow costume...

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-7434168086896394752010-10-18T12:35:00.000-07:002010-10-18T13:06:40.374-07:00

Samuel can't walk yet but he can do this!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-66281384072035283472010-09-18T07:15:00.000-07:002010-09-18T20:49:34.692-07:00

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-64440110398052516422010-09-15T19:43:00.000-07:002010-09-15T20:09:37.686-07:00

We went camping at Fall Creek Falls over Labor Day Weekend. It was a lot of fun. The Falls claim to be the highest water fall east of the Mississippi. They had a really fun bike trail around a lake up to the falls. We really enjoyed it.This bike cart has become one of Samuel's favorite toys. It's a great way for mommy to get some exercise too.Here is a pic from the top of one of the falls.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-279568333196734982010-08-29T19:20:00.000-07:002010-08-29T19:40:40.527-07:00

Here are some more fun pictures of our playful boy.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-66261645630484713802010-08-29T19:05:00.001-07:002010-08-29T19:20:13.076-07:00

We went camping at David Crockett State Park last weekend. We had lots of fun. We got there kind of late but managed to set up camp with out a lantern. (We have one now for our next camping trip). We brought our bikes along and the next morning rode some trails, visited the lake and a waterfall, played in the river,and had lunch at the park restuarant. On the way home we stopped in

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-62392323234421210292010-08-29T18:02:00.000-07:002010-08-29T19:01:22.246-07:00

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-42154349695321746262010-08-24T14:01:00.001-07:002010-08-29T18:00:26.485-07:00

We had a great time in Idaho at the end of July. There is always so much to do on the farm. Everyone was able to come this year and it is was fun to be together!Samuel had so much fun playing with cousins......and.....making new friends.....and...Swimming in the buff..... and......exploring Big Springs at Island Park with Daddy.....watching Mommy go canoeing....andwishing he could float the

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-10851412781977132172010-08-24T13:49:00.000-07:002010-08-29T18:02:10.042-07:00

Here are a few more cute pics of our cute boy!

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-92206089406735686222010-08-24T11:51:00.000-07:002010-08-24T13:49:17.964-07:00

We celebrated the Steven's Family Holiday "Bob Day" on July 24th in Logan, UT. It's a long standing tradition in Brian's family. Every year they eat shish ka'bobs, have a "bobstacle" course, bob for apples, make cookies for anyone they know named Bob, and even mow the word BOB into the lawn. It's a fun tradition and if your confused don't worry it doesn't really have to make sense. The

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-25839324560936447032010-07-16T15:22:00.000-07:002010-07-16T15:30:31.981-07:00

Yep, it's true. We are no longer buying a home. The deal fell through at the last minute. We found out from the appraisal that the seller had the sq. footage wrong and it was about 300 sq feet smaller then they thought which reduced the value of the home significantly. The inspection also came back with some pretty expensive issues and since it was a foreclosure we would have had to take care

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-6177457444911013742010-07-09T06:16:00.001-07:002010-07-09T18:57:58.485-07:00

We're buying a house! We have lived in Tennessee for two years now and finally decided to take the leap. We started looking this spring in hopes of finding something in time for the tax credit. After a couple of offers on other properties and a lot of looking we finally found this nice foreclosure a couple weeks ago. We have it under contract and plan to close at the beginning of August. Let

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-48605533557047203012010-07-08T19:53:00.000-07:002010-07-08T20:03:28.226-07:00

We got Samuel a Mr. Potato Head. This is what he likes most about it!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-44484991497728723662010-07-06T13:43:00.000-07:002010-07-08T20:05:42.173-07:00

This is Heather. She is gorgeous. She is amazing. She is my friend. While working at Utah State as an adviser for Student Government, I had this student who would drop by my office all the time to hang out, talk, and basically made me be her friend. I am so glad. Heather is wise. She is a girly girl. She is a fighter. Heather's example and advice brought me through some tough situations to

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-7054628851913473112010-07-06T13:23:00.000-07:002010-07-06T13:42:58.811-07:00

Once again I am catching up. Brian had a fun Father's Day. He picked out some great gardening books and tools and I made him a nice dinner. Went took Samuel to the park to play and had a blast. Samuel looks so rosie and sweaty because it was 95 degrees and totally humid. I love my guys!!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-17446460686039397822010-06-08T07:10:00.001-07:002010-06-08T07:21:48.414-07:00

We went camping at Land Between The Lakes National Park for Memorial Day weekend. It was fun. The camp ground we stayed at was pretty crowed, noisey and hot so we headed home a day early. But, we had a great time being together, eating hot dogs and marshmellows, and checking out the park. We went to a blue grass festival at the Home Place which is a working 1850's farm. It was cool! Samuel

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-3654993139047335172010-05-24T18:39:00.001-07:002010-05-24T18:58:24.344-07:00

Samuel turned 14 months today so I thought it was about time that I posted his one year pictures. Sorry for the delay.We love our little boy. Here are some cute things he is doing lately.Claps his hands for the players when we watch Wheel of Fortune. Says...more, yes, mama, dad, hi. Gives mom kisses. Still scoots around on his bum...but recently started to pull up once in a while. Loves all

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-42714908151713139322010-04-13T15:25:00.000-07:002010-04-14T13:45:50.535-07:00

We stayed a couple nights in Cocoa Beach. We loved introducing Samuel to the ocean. Here are some fun shots at Sunrise! Notice Samuel's little trail in this one. He Looked Like a little crab scooting along the sand. We love our cute little beach bum.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-48870167774007182762010-04-13T14:45:00.000-07:002010-04-13T15:25:22.997-07:00

Here's Samuel Playing Pick-a-boo with Mommy at Down Town Disney

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-68519161976930636542010-04-08T07:15:00.000-07:002010-04-08T08:07:46.055-07:00

The next few posts are kind of going to be a travel log. Sorry. Remember this blog is for Samuel's Grandmas and is my version of scrapbooking so sorry if it gets kind of dull. We checked into the Shingle Creek Resort and stayed here a few days for Brian's conference. It was so nice to have such a great place to stay and relax. Samuel and I had a lot of fun while Brian attended his conference.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-31138258796250391222010-04-07T19:29:00.000-07:002010-04-08T07:07:42.726-07:00

We just returned from a super fun family vacation to Florida. Brian's research was accepted for presentation at a engineering conference in Orlando, Florida. Of course Samuel and I were happy to come along. We started our trip at the happiest place on earth...the Magic Kingdom. It certainly was a magical day! We were lucky enough to be able to be part of the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day"

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-6440644528414959722010-04-07T19:13:00.000-07:002010-04-07T20:03:43.767-07:00

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-70048003823558370552010-04-06T11:55:00.000-07:002010-04-06T18:47:03.710-07:00

Samuel's First Birthday was on March 24th. We had a birthday party for him the weekend before. It was a lot of fun! We had a scavenger hunt for the kids, a trivia game for the adults, and lots of yummy food. Everyone had a great time, everyone that is... except for Samuel. He was pretty miserable. Of course I couldn't get him to go down for his morning nap and we were so busy partying and

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-68999593670468759172010-04-06T08:57:00.001-07:002010-04-06T11:55:08.989-07:00

Samuel loves to feed himself. This time it got a little crazy.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-7507146100641702992010-02-02T07:05:00.000-08:002010-02-02T07:14:43.206-08:00

Look at those big blue eyes!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-44641927651860109642010-02-02T06:35:00.000-08:002010-02-02T07:05:24.157-08:00

Samuel loves to play the piano!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-6878274335611425072010-02-02T06:19:00.001-08:002010-02-02T06:35:22.852-08:00

Bath time is so fun!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-77080411112854849562010-02-01T19:53:00.000-08:002010-02-02T06:19:09.207-08:00

Samuel learned a new trick. Look out Mom!

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-50633881096617505892010-02-01T17:20:00.001-08:002010-02-01T19:27:53.966-08:00

Samuel woke up with this crazy hair and we had to take pictures. We love our funny little man!

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-4938984419744075082010-02-01T13:39:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:34:11.395-08:00

The Stevens Family has a tradition of having fondue to celebrate New Years. We had a lot of fun making and eating our yummy fondue dinner! Brian made a really good cheese fondue and then we cooked meat and vegetables in a broth fondue. It was such a fun way to spend time together! A great way to start the new year!

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-2949048219137161262010-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:002010-02-01T13:39:18.169-08:00

Here is a little video of Samuel opening Christmas Presents

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-91945255195188808512010-02-01T11:49:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:38:16.108-08:00

This was Samuel's First Christmas and our first Christmas on our own. We missed our families but had a fun Christmas together. Samuel loved the stockings, presents and wrapping paper. We loved his giggles and excitement.Brian's brother Paul and his family joined us Christmas evening for Christmas Dinner. We loved having them here for a few days. Here is a picture of them in front of a sleigh

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-74931658037520091302010-02-01T10:00:00.005-08:002010-02-01T19:36:10.905-08:00

Samuel's first encounter with Santa was pretty typical. A candy cane helped a littleHere's our little family in front of the Christmas Tree.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-62585787668363973162010-02-01T09:34:00.001-08:002010-02-01T09:59:56.755-08:00

We went back to Idaho and Utah for Thanksgiving this year. It was so nice to be with family and close to the mountains.Here's Samuel hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa StevensWe got to visit some old friends/roommates in SLC. It was so much fun! (Heather, the one on the right, was on her way to a crazy 80's party)We also stopped to see Brian's Aunt Marva in SLC.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-3347756441612197062010-02-01T09:09:00.001-08:002010-02-01T09:32:52.995-08:00

Our Honda Accord was totaled in November. Brian went into Walmart for about 15 minutes to buy a lunch box and returned to this. Another driver had a seizure in the parking lot and hit our car. The rear axel was broken and the repair would have been super expensive. We were worried about how everything would turn out and joked that Brian had a very expensive lunch box. We had a rental car for

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-66947609987350082712010-02-01T07:42:00.000-08:002010-02-01T09:06:27.401-08:00

We love fall in Tennessee! The leaves are so gorgeous! Samuel had fun playing in the leaves and trying out his new slide in the front yard.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-42558548800554976182010-02-01T07:27:00.000-08:002010-02-01T07:41:36.000-08:00

Here's a little video of Samuel learning to sit up at about seven months.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-59830424194168900272010-01-31T17:24:00.000-08:002010-02-01T07:25:55.506-08:00

So cute...enough said. Why do babies always make this funny face?

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-78353117294460452602010-01-31T17:14:00.000-08:002010-01-31T17:35:41.616-08:00

Samuel just hates tummy time. Here's proof.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-65430683121926639612010-01-31T16:32:00.000-08:002010-01-31T17:14:26.385-08:00

This is a cute video of Brian and Samuel. I think this was taken at the end of October.

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-69165799834194903272010-01-31T16:05:00.001-08:002010-01-31T16:32:12.504-08:00

For Brian's Birthday we went to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville It was a lot of fun. Brian is a terrific gardener and he really enjoyed seeing the gardens. They also have a very nice Art Gallery inside a large mansion on the property. It was a fun way to celebrate Brian's special day!Samuel had a great time too!

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-28353675667006918102010-01-28T07:27:00.000-08:002010-01-28T08:49:56.623-08:00

This video is pretty cute. Samuel loves this game! This was recorded in Oct. 2009.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-6761100003167452672010-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:002010-01-27T12:47:09.017-08:00

Samuel was a Moose for Halloween. He loved it! Brian dressed up as Rocky the Flying Squirl and they were quite a pair! Nellene's Parents came to visit from Idaho in October. We had such a great time visiting historical and Civil War sights while they were here. Samuel loves his Grandpa and Grandma!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-89560919135123094132010-01-27T11:56:00.001-08:002010-01-27T11:59:36.852-08:00

This picture was taken in October when Samuel was six months old. It is his first professional photo. What a handsome fella!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-80660469189641427102010-01-27T11:53:00.000-08:002010-01-27T11:55:58.598-08:00

Once again we have had some computer problems that have kept us from posting for a while. Hopefully we have things taken care of. Watch for a whirlwind tour of the last few months.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-54473221496076601362009-09-23T21:29:00.000-07:002009-09-23T21:46:38.055-07:00

Some friends invited us to a Murder Mystery Dinner. We were supposed to play treasure hunters and so we brought Samuel along as one of our "treasures". We dressed him up and told everyone he was the "Crown Prince of the Amazon People" or something silly like that. He obviously had a great time.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-26684906403953835872009-09-07T10:54:00.000-07:002009-09-07T11:14:55.146-07:00

Samuel is just over five months old and as cute as ever! "Hi Grandma and Grandpa!!"

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-67175450336273736582009-09-07T10:05:00.000-07:002009-09-07T10:53:09.981-07:00

At the end of July two of my college roommates Rebekah Severn and Katrina Gray came to visit us here in Nashville. We had a great time! We caught up, laughed about old memories, and acted like tourists! Thanks for coming girls! The babes and babies at the Parthenon.Yummy food at the Loveless Cafe!Bekah and Samuel at Loveless.We drove down to Huntsville, Alabama to visit the space museum. Here

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-20750509842277334542009-09-07T09:41:00.000-07:002009-09-07T10:04:25.461-07:00

We took Samuel swimming for the first time about a month ago. He loved it! Don't I have two handsome guys in my life!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-14419196337674227372009-09-07T07:44:00.000-07:002009-09-07T09:37:38.937-07:00

Mom, look what I can do. Samuel has never taken a Binky but at about four months old he figured out how to suck his fingers like this. He does it ALL the time. It has been nice for him to have a way to soothe himself but I sure hope he out grows it before kindergarten. These pictures were taken at the beginning of August when he was just over four months old. What a handsome little guy!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-89820765041860007812009-09-07T05:26:00.001-07:002009-09-07T07:42:36.295-07:00

We moved! We were both raised in the country and were feeling a little “fenced in” at our apartment in Nashville. We posted an ad on Craig’s List in the “housing wanted” section looking for a country home where Brian could put in a vegetable garden. After getting a bunch of messages from realtors trying to sell us a house we were contacted by someone who told us that they might have just

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-50876813289160510372009-09-06T21:37:00.000-07:002009-09-06T21:58:08.292-07:00

Samuel and Mommy like to play a game we call the Burrito Game. Check it out.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-76906962376624556362009-09-06T20:00:00.001-07:002009-09-06T20:00:35.732-07:00

Hello all we are finally back online! Sorry we have not updated our blog for such a long time.  We finally signed up for internet…(rather than stealing it from Starbucks)…and we will be updating our blog with a vengeance. We will probably back track for a few posts since I refuse to scrapbook and plan on printing this blog instead, so sorry about the old news you will be seeing here for a few

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-3745766946191589602009-07-22T18:41:00.001-07:002009-09-07T06:12:14.612-07:00

For the 4th of July we decided to brave the crowds and go camping in Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We had a great time! Being from the West we didn't expect the Smokies to be that impressive as far as mountains go, but we were pleasantly surprised. They were really tall and it was awesome to be close to mountains again.It was so much fun to go camping. This was our first official camp out

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-16287061204592528962009-06-22T13:01:00.000-07:002009-06-22T14:04:03.958-07:00

Samuel started laughing this week. It is so fun to hear his cute little giggle. We finally caught it on camera!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-71456192705476762392009-06-22T12:58:00.001-07:002009-06-22T13:48:51.268-07:00

We celebrated Brian's first Father's Day yesterday! It was a really special day. It was so nice to be able to do a few little things to show Brian how much we love and appreciate him. The best part was that Brian was asked to speak in church and share his thoughts about becoming father. It was a beautiful talk. I and a lot of other people cried through most of it. With Brian's permission I

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-6224793096429659242009-06-22T11:36:00.001-07:002009-06-22T13:31:19.227-07:00

We have really been enjoying the summer here in Nashville. We've had a lot of fun finding new things to do and see. Last weekend we went to Percy Warner Park for a picnic. Here's what Samuel thought about it.Later that week Brian and I got to go to Nashville Sounds baseball game with a group of young engineers from the American Society of Civil Engineers. We met a few nice people and had a

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-33594424943090732922009-06-22T10:04:00.001-07:002009-06-22T11:31:55.743-07:00

We found some great baby things at a garage sale this week. This "Bumbo" chair was Samuel's favorite.He looks like such a big boy in these pictures.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-10270156420454922452009-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:002009-06-22T11:34:44.328-07:00

Here are a few more cute pictures of our cute baby. If you ever get sick of cute pic's remember that there are two cute grandmas following this blog!Samuel totally has the eyelashes of a girl! Too bad he gets them from his Daddy!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-8636412175366418942009-06-03T12:25:00.001-07:002009-06-04T10:39:21.717-07:00

Sleep is a beautiful thing and it has thankfully returned to our home. Samuel started sleeping through the night last week!Tuesday of last week he didn't take a nap all day and every time he dozed off he would wake himself up... By the end of the day I was going a little crazy. But, that night he slept from 9 PM until 5 AM and has pretty much done so ever since!!! Hurray!!!We are all feeling

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-57223629818645820192009-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:002009-06-03T11:40:09.783-07:00

Brian caught Samuel in a particularly good mood for these pictures! They are pretty cute! (Sorry we didn't edit out the red eye.)

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-26490078787414837042009-06-03T11:29:00.000-07:002009-06-03T12:25:04.054-07:00

I have a friend who lists things that make her happy on her blog from time to time. I am going to steal the idea and make my list of "lil' happies" once in a while. (Thanks Ash!)Number 1: Dates with my Husband.Now that we have entered the parenting portion of our lives I understand more and more why the prophets tell us to plan weekly dates with our spouse. This week Brian and I tried a fun

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-27306685847428302952009-06-03T10:21:00.001-07:002009-06-03T12:16:33.222-07:00

This little curly 'Q is Samuel's belly button. Now I know where the phrase "cute as a button" came from!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-59828339371594410602009-05-26T19:50:00.000-07:002009-05-26T21:02:13.274-07:00

Brian planted a beautiful garden on our porch and he let Samuel help him plant some magic beans!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-77020384574682266992009-05-26T19:38:00.000-07:002009-05-26T19:41:59.709-07:00

Samuel turned two months old on Sunday and boy is he excited!!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-56286283099854296062009-05-26T19:11:00.001-07:002009-05-26T19:49:04.776-07:00

We were able to bless Samuel in Logan on May 10th. I couldn't have asked for a better first Mother's Day! We loved being able to share this day with our family!A happy little family.All my siblings were able to come. Most of Brian's brothers and sisters were able to come as well! It was so nice to be with them.Our Little Angel!Mommy made these booties for Samuel on Sunday before the

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-22006643435166379302009-05-26T18:56:00.000-07:002009-05-26T19:08:56.780-07:00

We were excited to go to Utah the first weekend in May for Brian's brother's wedding....Samuel was excited for his first flight. He did great and was quiet and happy all the way there.Lorin and Tammy coming out of the Logan TempleThe Happy Couple!Brian and Samuel had fun at the reception.What a handsome little guy!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-57972433511985000982009-05-26T15:50:00.000-07:002009-05-26T21:13:35.654-07:00

There is nothing like a wedding or a baby that will encourage people to make you a quilt. We are so thankful for the beautiful quilts that were made for Samuel from his Grandmas, Aunts, Cousins, and friends. Here are pictures of a few....Quilts from Aunt Jenn and Stamper kids Quilts from Grandma HowardQuilt from Aunt ArleneCan you find the baby? Don't worry Samuel promises to share

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-68346979666834338142009-05-26T15:42:00.001-07:002009-05-26T15:50:36.204-07:00

Samuel is 4 weeks old and about eight and a half pounds in these pictures.One of the first smilesChill'in with Dad.Sleepy cuteness.Family Home Evening at Couchville Lake.Sammy at Sunset!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-44260048201740146962009-05-26T15:05:00.000-07:002009-05-26T15:42:02.501-07:00

These cute faces were made at about three weeks!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-3355911196892924742009-05-26T14:55:00.000-07:002009-05-26T15:50:19.824-07:00

Samuel was born with a faux hawk and a mullet and here are the pictures to prove it! These picutres were taken at about three weeks!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-82642949497858070342009-04-13T13:50:00.000-07:002009-04-13T14:01:34.102-07:00

Lots of people have asked us if we are ok with them calling Samuel nick names like Sam or Sammy...and we are. She chose the name Samuel because we like both its nick names so either one is fine. However, we haven't been able to get ourselves to use them yet and mostly just call him Samuel.However, Samuel probably will not learn his real name from Mommy because she hardly ever uses it, since she

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-60402661884613150252009-04-10T09:46:00.000-07:002009-04-10T10:42:09.343-07:00

It has been a fun first two weeks at home with Samuel! He is growing and changing so fast. After losing a little weight his first week he gained a whole pound his second week! Mommy was so proud. We are enjoying all the sweet snuggles and cute faces.Grandma Howard came from Idaho to visit and help out. It was so fun to have her here. She of course brought lots of great clothes, quilts, and

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-11182543490222768432009-03-30T18:58:00.000-07:002009-03-30T19:08:24.819-07:00

Sunday night before Samuel was born I had a crazy dream and I thought it was funny enough to share.I dreamt that I had contractions through the night and woke up ready to have our baby. About five minutes later I was holding our baby in my arms. Brian was in the shower so I took the baby into him and said,"Hey Brian, I had the baby.""Sweet!" Brian said.Then I went into the living room and a

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-10897096672385105462009-03-27T05:14:00.002-07:002009-03-27T10:05:15.574-07:00

This video of Samuel was yesterday (1 1/2 days after being born)Cute!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-88112751109793073422009-03-27T05:14:00.001-07:002009-03-27T05:14:32.991-07:00

Samuel is such a cute baby! We took this video at the hospital the morning after he was born -Enjoy!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-67286188274307288332009-03-26T19:15:00.001-07:002009-03-26T19:41:07.289-07:00

Samuel Brian StevensWe are so excited to tell everyone our baby's name. We decided on Samuel Brian after many many name configurations. When Nellene and I first found out we were expecting our baby we wrote down about 20 girl names and 15 boy names. Samuel was one of the top boy names. Some of the other name configurations we thought of were Samuel Abraham and Brian Ammon (and call him Ammon).

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-61237045937871974492009-03-25T17:33:00.000-07:002009-03-25T18:20:14.313-07:00

Our baby boy has finally arrived!!!! Well late last night our cute baby boy was born! Nellene did a great job and she and baby are doing really well. We have surely been blessed greatly to have had such a beautiful healthy little boy born to us!We have yet to finalize on a name – but we will decide on a name for our boy soon.Over the weekend Nellene and I went for a walk near the Cumberland River

Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444695090668550586noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-5935049746065896062009-03-12T15:14:00.001-07:002009-03-22T21:02:57.837-07:00

Six months!Surprise, we are expecting a baby boy in......THREE DAYS!! (March 25th). Of course we have known about this for quite some time...... But as you may have noticed we don't update our blog very often.We surprised our families with the good news at Christmas. It was a great Christmas present but when they were honest about it some of my family members...(ok, my mom)...were kind of

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-82392640571636637612008-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:002008-10-13T18:22:11.264-07:00

Hello All. Life is good here in Nashville. A couple of weeks ago Brian and I went to the African Street Festival and Tennessee State University. There were tons of fun booths and music. We were definitely the ONLY people there who were not black, and we felt a little out of place, but we had a lot of fun!We went to see a Nashville Predators pre-season hockey game last Thursday. Brian's work

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-81498528136852182452008-09-19T11:58:00.001-07:002008-09-19T12:44:51.314-07:00

Brian created a new blog just for recipes. You can check it out at http://stevenscookbook.blogspot.com/. It's so great to have a husband who loves to cook!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-59344525200330079932008-09-19T11:58:00.000-07:002008-09-19T12:12:44.565-07:00

It has taken forever but I wanted to post some wedding photos. Some of you have already seen these. I really liked how they turned out. We were sealed at 3:40 PM on December 28, 2007. By the time we got out of the temple it was getting pretty dark but things turned out great because we got to have the Christmas lights at Temple Square in our pictures. It was wonderful day...a dream come true!

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-15787114314195276192008-09-14T21:09:00.000-07:002008-09-14T21:22:58.063-07:00

Here is our favorite bread recipe! It is good as-is or with wheat flour added. It is also divine when made into scones! Alora's Famous White Bread*combine and let stand 5 mins.2 quarts (8 cups) warm water1 C. sugar1/4 C. yeast*then add:2 Tablespoons salt1 C. milk1 C. oil*stir gently to mix*then add:10 C. flour*blend well*Then add flour 1 or 2 C. at a time until it just looses its stickiness.

Brian and Nellenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358559277470819221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4936597851590580687.post-60145874856005768942008-09-14T19:35:00.001-07:002008-09-19T12:20:27.549-07:00

Hello friends and family. We are really going to try to be better about updating our blog more often. We have been here in Nashville for just over a week and so far we are really enjoying it. Nashville is a nice city. It's called the Athens of the South because it is considered the education center of the southern states. There are tons of colleges and universities here. We've always liked

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