More than just Memories...

Today was Grandma Stevenson's birthday.(Brian's grandma who just passed away) Brian's Mom, Aunts,Uncle, & Grandpa put on a fun party with yummy food, a beautiful tribute movie of Grandma's life, & a GREAT activity! They wanted to do something that would be of service in honor or celebration of their Mother's life, so after talking with Brian's brother Jeff (who is a paramedic) about what they could do, they decided it would be neat if all of the great-grandchildren and grandchildren could bring stuffed animals for the paramedics to give to all of the little children that have to ride on the ambulance. Our kids were SO excited about this. It was such a neat activity, and there were over 75 stuffed animals. We enjoyed taking a tour of the ambulance, a short ride, hearing the sirens, and loading the stretcher with stuffed animals. Everyone had a great time & it was WONDERFUL to be with the Stevenson family again, and even though Grandma is on the other side, I'm sure she was there smiling and showing & telling all her friends... "yep.. that's my posterity... aren't they great!" What a neat way
celebrate Grandma's birthday!
Here is our little family. I HOPE this is the ONLY time we will be near an ambulance. :)
Jackson was so excited about it. He even saved a marshmellow candy to give to Jeff, because he thought Jeff was so cool. On the way there I noticed the candy was kind of wet, and I said, "Jackson, did you lick it?" Jackson said, " No Mom! First I blowed on it, and then I licked it!" Great! I'm sure Jeff will Love it! :)
Here is Jeff & his supervisor and his partner, and of course all the little kids. I think the sun was a little too bright. :)
Morgan held onto these stuffed animals as long as she could. Both she and Jackson loved throwing them up on the stretcher and then in the truck.

Memories continued...

Oh, don't worry... my son is NOT kissing the disgusting class window!!! I didn't realize how DIRTY it was while he was doing it... I was just thinking... wow, he is so cute and funny. Then I see the pictures, and I pray that the dirt is on the outside of the ambulance, and not disgusting guts on the inside. :)
Here's Jeff & his work buddies. I admire these 3 guys, and I only know one of them, but here they are saving lives EVERYDAY! They see some crazy stuff, to which most times I can't even hear about without getting sick. (Have I ever mentioned I don't do well with germs, death, bleeding, other people having health problems, needles, etc... oh yeah... and SAVING LIVES!) Wow! I admire these men & women that work in the ambulance everyday & all that they do to serve & help.
Now look very close at the picture of Jackson in the corner... Mmmm what is he thinking? They were supposed to be waving goodbye to the stuffed animals, but I think he is thinking with his hands rubbing back and forth "Mmmm what can I do to sneak in the truck and keep one of those stuffed animals for myself?" :)
As you can see, we all had a great time. It was such a neat activity, and the kids LOVED it! Jackson loved the ambulance ride (of course I felt a little sick, hoping this would be the only time I would EVER have to be in an ambulance, or near one with any of my little family.) It was neat for the kids to give something away & see what Jeff gets to do everyday. Thanks Jeff for being such a neat guy & taking care of so many people. We are proud to call you our Uncle/Brother!

My Mini Me...

When I was a little girl, I would tease like crazy!!! Yes, I finally admit it! ;) This is how my conversation with my dad always went
Dad: Melissa! Stop teasing your sister!
Me: I'm not teasing her, I don't know why she's crying, I didn't do anything!
Dad: Jen, stop crying.
Dad: Melissa, one day, you will have a little girl just like you.
Me: I know, and she will be cute & sweet & wonderful just like me! :)
(Can you tell I was a little sassy?) :)
Honesty this is how our conversation went many many times. I got away with a lot of teasing, because of my charming words. ha ha ha
Now, fast forward 15 or so years and this is the conversation I have with my own daughter...
Me: Morgan, stop teasing Jackson! Jackson stop screaming!
Morgan: But I'm not teasing him (with that little glint of teasing in her eyes) I don't know why he's crying! I didn't do anything to him! (Now, where have I heard those words before? Oh wait! Me)
Me: Morgan I have been teasing for the last 27 years! I KNOW what teasing is and you were teasing him.
Morgan: Just kind of smiles as this point... caught in the act!
Me: Smiling at this point (Dad was right) Guess what kids...
Kids: what
Me: I think Heavenly Father sent me a little Melissa named Morgan and I think he sent me a little Brian named Jackson.
Jackson: And Jesus sent me a big mommy named Melissa!

Oh, they are such funny kids! I honestly am in trouble here. I even tried to tease her a little bit yesterday to see how she would respond, and she LOVED it! She said smiling, "hey you're teasing me!" Well, I guess I really do have a "mini me" on my hands. Let's see... how would I handle myself? :)
Here's Hallie relaxing on one of her birthday presents. I made a boppy for her (more like a pillow) since the other kids have pillows they use to watch movies or play with. This was the first sewing project for me since highschool, and I told my mom as she was helping me that at least I would get an "E" for effort if this was for a grade... in other words... I can't sew! Luckily she's only 1 and doesn't see all the mistakes. ;)
The other day Morgan was doing Jackson's hair... Once again... just like a mini Melissa and mini Brian. I was always doing my sisters hair. Jackson just sat patiently and let Morgan do her thing, and even posed for a picture because she wanted him to. Now, Brian won't let me put flowers in his hair, but I have tried once or twice to put a little clip in his hair... he's patient, but for some reason he doesn't really like that sort of thing.

The Celebrations Continue

Hallie's 1st birthday couldn't be complete without her own cake to eat! Last night we had both of our families come over for some high-quality entertainment. :)
I made 2 cakes (one for all of the family) and then I divided the other one into one round cake and 12 cupcakes. I set the timer and then Brian & I fell asleep for a quick Sunday afternoon nap. I felt that I was sleeping lightly, because I was listening for the timer, but it never went off! (At least I didn't hear it go off) My mom called and I woke up and realized the cakes were still in the oven. The cupcakes were just barely too brown to serve so they made their way to the nice tall white container under the kitchen sink, and the little round cake... well, I wanted to save it, and the edges were all that were really a little brown, so I cut out a number one shape, frosted it pink, and viola... no one ever knew. :) Thankfully I cooked the main cake when I was awake & aware of what was going on in the kitchen. Hallie didn't like us singing to her, but she LOVED her cake! She ate almost all of it, and quick too. She then entertained us by playing "Peek-a-Boo" with the plate. She is such a fun little baby & always makes us smile.

Happy 1st Birthday Hallie!!!!

I can't believe my little baby is one today! I think that was the fastest year of my life. She has grown up so fast, and I think she looks so big and grownup in these pictures. I had to take 2 separate "photo shoots" of her because she was acting so serious, which isn't like her at all. Usually she is such a tease & a little goofball (like in the last picture), but today, she was a little more serious. Maybe even more of her personality is coming out.

Hallie is such a sweet & fun baby! She is starting to walk, and loves to follow Jackson & Morgan around. She loves playing peek-a-boo, and she seriously thinks she is so funny, which she is. She will do things to tease Brian and then after he responds, she sits back and does this cute little laugh... he he he... she's my kind of girl... always teasing her Daddy. She LOVES to play, and recently has loved cuddling. I am so grateful to have her as a part of our lives. She brings so much joy & sunshine into our home.

When Hallie was born, Brian and I had chosen Camille as a middle name, but as the day went on, it didn't feel right. Brian then thought of the word in spanish (Saga I think is how you say it) which means Sage in English, and he asked me what I thought. I told him I loved it! We looked it up and the name Sage means "wise," which fit even more perfectly. I had felt many times during my pregnancy, that the baby I was carrying was very wise, and had a really strong & important mission to complete in this life.
I am amazed at how smart this little girl is. I might be in trouble in a couple of years if she gets to smart though. :)

I am so grateful for her! I'm grateful for all 3 of my kids, but there is something so special about babies... maybe it's the satisfaction of being needed so desperatly by another little person, that you do anything & everything for them because you know they can't do it themselves.
I LOVE this little Chick so much! I'm excited to watch her grow even more.
Happy Birthday Hallie... I Love you with all my heart!
There's that winner smile!

I did want to put this on here, just in case your interested. ; ) I love the meaning of names.

Our kids names mean....

Morgan: Girl by the seashore
(Definatly Morgan! Morgan is the kind of girl that is fine with the flow of things. She would be fine just walking calmly along the seashore all day, and taking in the peace and calmness around her)

Jackson: Full of Personality
(Now really, do I need to explain anything here? I think the meaning & name explain Jackson 100% perfectly.) :)

Hallie: High-Spirited
Hallie is always happy & ready to play, or ready for action. I really can see her be a positive & happy little girl who is always optimistic.

And what the heck... here's our names too :)

Melissa: Honey Bee, or sweet as Honey... doesn't that describe me PERFECTLY! ha ha ha never
moody or ornery, always pleasant & sweet... maybe you should double check with my family before
you think of that as 100% accurate. :)

Brian: Man of strength & honor
Well, I think you all know that Brian is really STRONG, although,
according to Jackson, "Daddy isn't very strong like uncle Jared,
because Uncle Jared can climb to the top of our big cement wall in
our backyard (yes, we have a HUGE cement wall in our backyard)
and Daddy can't. " I think Brian's strong though. :) Maybe this
means "mentally/spiritually" strong . And Brian is a man of
honor. He is very honest, and always does what he knows is best.
* Well, there's a little more about our family... hope you enjoyed it! :)

Sweetly Sleeping...

Last night when I went to kiss the kids goodnight, I saw this. They have been doing this every night for the last week. We put them in their separte beds, and they always end up falling asleep in the same bed. When the kids woke up this morning I showed them the picture and this was our conversation...
Me: Look at this funny thing I saw last night
Kids:(looking at picture & smiling) oh :)
Me: Jackson, what are you doing in Morgan's bed?
Morgan: His leg was burning & so I was rubbing it for him, and then I said a prayer for him.

Is that not the sweetest thing!!!! It made me want to cry. They are so sweet to each other and best friends. They have their moments, but overall they are inseparable. I am so grateful to have them, and for the reminder of prayer.
* On a side note, Jackson's leg was not burning. I think it had fallen asleep. ;)