Clara & Janie - Our Beach Babies!

Uncle Ryan ties the knot! Yay!

Welcome to the family Auntie Hailey!!

 

The big excitement in the Stevens' family this past year is that Ryan, who we once feared would forever be a bachelor, fell head over heals for sweet Hailey and after dating several years popped the question on New Years Day.  Together they planned a family-centered wedding at her parents property and what a beautiful day it turned out to be.  The weather was perfect, the décor was personal and unique, the setting was peaceful, the gathering was large  but full of love, and as can be expected with Ryan, the party was epic!

Everyone in our family was asked to be a part of the wedding.  Clara & Janie were overjoyed to get to be flower girls and would tell anyone who would listen about their upcoming roles.

 

Good work, Ryan!  You picked a wonderful woman for your bride!  Love seeing you both so happy!   We are excited to see what adventures are in store for your marriage.

 

The (new) Stevens Family

 Kevin & Erin getting to walk the isle together!  Nine years later after our

wedding!

 

 

There was such beautiful décor and one of the sweetest moments was the dance shared by Grandma & Grandpa Swanson who have been married 62 years!

 

Janie's Big Girl Room!

 

Sweet Janie is ready for a big girl room!  We had to do a little construction project to create a new room for our little gal.  The nursery she had been in for the past 3 1/2 years wouldn't really fit a twin bed and our other empty bedroom was the biggest is really too big to give to one of the girls.  We had been talking about closing in part of our loft for a while and when we found the right contractor to do the work, we were eager to get going.  The girls & I left town for a few days while the majority of the work was done and then we lived creatively for the next few weeks while the job was being finished. 

 

In all, it took about 3 weeks, but the end result was a great room for our big girl!  Plus the huge benefit of filling in loft means the house is a lot quieter.  Janie decided she wanted an "It's a Small World" bedroom with purple and so Mommy had to get a little creative with the design but once it was complete, our Janie was a happy girl. 

 

Daddy's project was constructing (and finishing, which was quite a job) this neat loft bed.  Since the room has such high ceilings, we figured the best way to use the space was to go up.  Daddy spent weeks looking for plans and decided on modifying this one from a website.   Once it was complete and in place, Janie was over the moon with her big girl room.  And Clara was a little envious.  Luckily they both get to enjoy playing in here.