Halloween!

Halloween was fun with the boys. Although, I could barely keep up with them as I waddled along behind. We trick or treated with our neighbors, the Cooks. Their son, Ryan, is John's age and they have become fast friends. All three boys get along well, and they were a force to be reckoned with as they darted from house to house. Here are some highlights.

Introducing Scooby Doo and Optimus Prime…




Along the way, we met a very intimidating Storm Trooper…

…who quickly held James up at "gun point" for the loot.

Somehow, we made it home with goods. Here is Matt with his stockpile.

Here is John with his haul.

A few too many pieces of candy later and what do you get? What one does…

…the other does, too.

Annual Pumpkin Carving!

Every year, we carve a jack o' lantern with the kids and try to make it a lot of fun and a cool tradition that they will remember fondly. This year, with my trip and the boys getting sick, we were down to the eleventh hour, but we did manage to get a pumpkin carved the night before Halloween. Here are a few pics from the big event.




LOVE this one! It's the Great John-John, Charlie Brown!

The finished product!

October Updates

October has been a busy month in the Stevenson house! I can hardly believe so much time has gone by so quickly. Here is a quick overview to catch you up on what we've been up to. I found a cute little Halloween candy house (like a gingerbread house) made out of chocolate cookies and we made a family day out of decorating it. I made the "grass" out of coconut and food coloring. See how "Martha Stewart" I've become?!? (Without the felony record, though.) I'm not sure what percentage of icing and candy ended up on the house versus what ended up in our stomachs, but we had a blast creating the perfect scary candy house.




A couple weeks ago, James let me take a quick trip back to San Fran to visit my dear friends Laura and Melissa. James had taken a trip to Maui, Hawaii, in Sept. without me to visit his BFF, so it was only fair that I get to jet off somewhere, too. At least that's what my argument was. Yes, I know many of you are snickering right now. The irony of my trip is not lost on me, either. I spent the last 41 months screaming, crying and begging God to get me the heck out of California, and at the first opportunity, I go right back. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment… and a sucker for excellent Chinese food! It was also really cool to take the trip with reverse round-trip tickets. =)

While it was VERY good to see my dear friends and my FCC family (Fremont Community Church), I was also quickly reminded why I never quite fit in there. A perfect example… Melissa and I hit up Chinatown, San Fran, on Sunday afternoon and we get there via the BART (Bay Area rapid transit) train. I was 23 weeks pregnant and the train was full. Most seated were men because they were headed to the Oakland Raiders game. (Not a crowd you want to mess with. Raiders fans are not known for their compassion and good graces.) Not ONE person – male, female, or child – offered to give up their seat so I could sit down. So I spent the fist leg of the train ride, hanging on for dear life while my lopsided sense of balance (thanks to the pregnancy) tried to keep me upright. Melissa and I joked that it would have been poetic justice for me to have lost my lunch in somebody's lap. But then again, that might have gotten me shot. Sorry to all my Cali friends that I did not get to see… I was only there for 3 days. Next time, I will come for longer and get to see everybody!

Here is my dear friend, Laura, and me.


Here are Melissa, her adorable daughter, Haley, and me (minus lipstick – yes, it happens occasionally).


I was so excited to see baby Haley! She was only one week old when we moved back to TX. I felt cheated that I had "gone through" the entire pregnancy and delivery with Melissa and then didn't get to love on the baby very much. *Cue the tears.* Who couldn't love this face…


…or this hair! Short of shaving her bald, ain't nothing gonna make this girl's hair lay flat. Better invest in some hair bows, Haley. =)


Many of you have been bugging…uh…er…begging me to post tummy pictures. I have to say, I am not a fan of having my picture taken when pregnant. I know what I look like. I do not need to memorialize it on the internet for all to laugh at… uh… see. However, my dear hubby managed to take these two little gems that, I must admit, are not half bad. So, dear loyal readers, for your viewing pleasure, here is my growing midsection for all to enjoy. These were taken at 22 1/2 weeks and I'm just now 24 weeks, so they are pretty much what I look like right now. I have to say, I am not nearly as big with Jossilyn (so far) as I was with the boys. Thank heaven for small miracles.