Stevens Family

Friday, 4 February 2011

Happy Chinese New Year!

Both boys are learning about Chinese New Year at school. Samuel got to visit Chinatown with his his schoolmates. They walked down the street and checked out all the menus from the restaurants. The were spotting dragons and Chinese decorations. Samuel got to buy some special snacks in the Chinese Supermarket and we finished up with lunch at a Chinese Buffet. Owen learned at school that he is the year of the Rooster, He also learned that Samuel was the year of the dog. I was interested to see if there was an accuracy in the Chinese zodiac, so we looked up the meanings online, and I couldn't help but look up the rest of the family as well. .

Owen year of the Rooster: Hardworking, strong-willed and confident. Well organised and good time keepers. Enjoy being the centre of attention and love flattery. Often outspoken and hate criticism of themselves though they can be inclined to find fault with other people.

Samuel, year of the dog: Faithful, honest and ready to serve others. Believe in truth and justice and loyal to friends. Always willing to listen to people’s problems and is able to gain the respect of others. Will share their thoughts but do not easily forgive those who cross them. Trustworthy. Tend to worry too much.

Mackenzie, year of the rat: Ambitious, clever and devoted to their family. Hard-working and imaginative. Not always sure of themselves and do not always plan for the future. Will always stand by their friends.

Joni, year of the goat: Elegant, artistic and good-natured. Inclined to worry too much. Peace-lovers who prefer to avoid disagreements. Others may put upon them, but they are stronger than they seem. Family is very important.

Mike, year of the Tiger: ,Sensitive, emotional and adventurous. Confident, risk takers and dislike taking orders. Good at seeing problems, but less able to see the solutions. Often seek a shoulder to cry on when feeling down. Warm and generous to the people they love.

Gate into Chinatown

Samuel's favorite teacher: Joanna

One of Samuel's best friends, Kaliyan, but he calls her Kurlyann

Monday, 24 January 2011

Boys and their music

The boys love listening to their MP3 players and dancing around.

Samuel can't sleep

We have a problem in our house. Owen can't fall asleep unless he has light, Samuel can't fall asleep unless it is totally dark, and neither one of them wants to have a room all their own. The street light right outside their window shines in pretty bright, and Owen likes to open the curtains so he can let the light in, but this makes Samuel very angry. So one morning when I came in to wake them up, Samuel had tried to block out the light coming in the window, by piling all the blankets and stuffed animals in the room in a pile.

Brothers

Monday, 3 January 2011

Home for the Holidays

We had such a wonderful time being home for Christmas and New Year's. We got to spend a lot of time with familyand friends. We started it off at the bowling alley to celebrate Owen's 5th birthday. The boys were very excited to go spend time with their friends Addie and Romie and see how big Sully has gotten. We then had Christmas with Bette and Grandpa Woody. We actually got to spend a lot of time with Grandpa Woody and Bette, as they were kind enough to let us stay with them. Samuel fell in love with Murphy Dog and now can't wait to get a dog of his own. Christmas Eve we spent with Mike's family, which was great! We made Christmas cookies and the boys got to spend time with their cousins. We moved to a hotel, which was absolutely fantastic, and what a joy it was to wake up with all three kids on Christmas morning! Then on to Grandma Sandie's for more Christmas festivites, where the boys were spolied, and of course we ate way too much! The boys had a fun staying with Briahna and Logan, and Samuel has informed me that I just don't color as well as Briahna. We also got to go out and see the McClellen's, where Owen has declared that Conner is his best friend. It was great to catch up with Kristin and get to meet Baby Drew! We had fun boucing around at Monkey Joes with the Branaman clan and Grandma and Grandpa Stevens. I got to go out with girls and catch up, and see Patty and Josh's condo. We also got to ring in the New Year, Euchre style in remeberence of Grandma Reed. It was Whirlwind, but it was fantastic. The flight back proved to be a little more challenging than the flight over, but we made it and are now starting to recover the time difference and get back on track.

Real Reindeer outside of the Yultide Celebration. Bette and Grandpa Woody treated us to lunch at LePeeps and an afternoon at the Symphony!

The best part of the trip was being able to spend so much time with Mackenzie! We miss her so much!!

Baby Reed, absolutely precious! Samuel has now decided he needs a baby sister, named Tinker Bell!

Christmas cookies with the Branamans.

It was so much fun to watch Nolan decorate his cookies, but by the time everyone else was done, his cookies were gone, he made them into sandwhichs and ate them all as he went along.