happy annibirthary 2009!!!!

today is such a special day in the stephens family!!! it is our official "annibirthary" 2009! annibirthary is a word i made up because our oldest son sean was born on our anniversary. i got tired of saying "our anniversary & sean's birthday" so now we say "our annibirthary" :)

5 years ago i married a man who far exceeded everything i ever dreamed up and prayed for in a husband. he makes me want to be a better person and loves me with everything inside of him. i would do anything for this man & love him more than words can say. we make such a great pair! we've been through a lot of ups & downs the last 5 years, but God has just blessed us tremendously!

aug 14, 2004

we spent our 1 year anniversary throwing my parents a surprise 25th anniversary luau.

aug 14, 2005

we got the best anniversary present a couple could ask for on our 2nd anniversary- our son sean! happy birthday little sean sean!! he was 7lbs 10oz and 20 1/4 in. just a bundle full of sweetness!!!! who knew how much this little man would change our lives and the course of our lives! we are so thankful for this blessing we call sean!

aug 14, 2006

well, since sean was born on our anniversary, our 3rd anniversary was spent throwing a 1st birthday party! it's amazing how much kids grow their first year of life, and how we grew as a married couple our first year as parents ;)

aug 14, 2007

we spent our 4th anniversary in oklahoma for my brother's wedding (him & his wife got married in january but had their actual wedding ceremony in august). this is one of my all time favorite pictures of us! i was also about 10 weeks pregnant with nolan here! we were so hopeful for all that was yet to come!!!

aug 14, 2008

and here is our family today! well not today literally, i'm gonna have to wait for our official annibirthary picture later tonight when dathan gets off work ;) but anyways, sean is 3 years old & our marriage is 5 years old! we have added another blessing, nolan, who is almost 6 months old. we have moved from california to alabama. we have been through many jobs. we are finding our place in ministry at our church. we are excited to be the family that God wants us to be and fulfill all the plans He has for us as a family. we are dreaming big dreams, and allowing God to guide us!

happy annibirthary (aug 14) 2009!!!!
i wanted to add this post to beki's fingerprint friday because i don't know what could possibly been a more encouraging, fun, & uplifting fingerprint then to see how God has moved in our marriage & family! His fingerprints are all over our lives!!!

fingerprint friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god, When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god, And I know its true
You're a masterpiece That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Blog about it then let me and beki (the mastermind behind making sure that we maintain the right focus) know about it, or just check out other fingerprints at her site. :)

the miracle of life always amazes me. i don't think there is a grander way that God has shown Himself miraculous than the journey a baby takes from conception to birth, and the extreme changes they go through the first year of their lives. with both my pregnancies i often wondered how people could be pregnant and not believe in God, i mean really. from the beginning "peanut baby" ultrasound to hearing the heartbeat to finding out the gender to eventually giving birth- WOW!

all that being said, 1 year ago today we found out we were pregnant with nolan. of course, we didn't know he was nolan yet, he really just looked like this

and my husband looked like this. HA. i love this picture, i took it when i showed him the above pregnancy test. we were on a date :)

and then a couple months later, in august, he looked like this

and a couple months after that, in october, he looked like this

the way life had it, exactly 4 months ago today, nolan looked like that GINORMOUS belly in front of me... sweet heaven i was big.

and then exactly 4 months ago today nolan looked like this. yep, he was a big baby... hence the big belly. he was born 02/26/09 at 4:27pm (cst) measuring 10lbs 23in (no, i did not have a c-section. yes, i did have an epidural :))

and now he looks like this! happy 4 month birthday sweet nolan! i see God's fingerprints every single time i look at this adorable face!!

fingerprint friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god, When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god, And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece, That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

where do you see God's fingerprints? is it in His creation? in your family? your friends? whatever it is you can join in beki's fun by blogging about it, then let me and beki know, or just check out other fingerprints at her page!

today is my dad's birthday, so of course i see God's fingerprints in his life! my dad is one of the hardest working men i know (besides my husband of course). last week he retired after 29 years as a california highway patrolman (chp). he worked hard protecting california (as well as all the "important" people who visited california- like presidents clinton, bush, & obama). not only that, but him & my mom are the directors of their church's royal family kids camp (rfkc) which is a camp for abused and neglected children. in fact, he is spending his birthday folding shirts & cutting name tags for camp which starts on monday :) being the man of God he is played a role in me being who i am today, and i am thankful! he's the kind of man that my huband says he is one of his heroes. happy birthday dad! this first picture is the one taken when he entered into the chp academy haha

also, i cannot blog about the goodness of God and where i see Him without publicly acknowleding that He is a healing and good good Father. 13 years ago (which was half my life ago since i am 26) today i fell off a zip line in between 18-20 feet and landed on the ground. i fractured 2 vertebrate and was very seriously injured. but because of God i was only in the hospital a few days, had to wear a back brace for a couple months, and couldn't play sports for a year- that is it! praise God, it could have been so much worse! yes, i know, what a fabulous birthday present to give my dad, right??

fingerprint friday

steven curtis chapman sings a song:
i can see the fingerprints of God, when i look at you
i can see the fingerprints of God, & i know it's true
you're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds
and you're covered with the fingerprints of God

once again i'm choosing to join beki's fingerprint friday. take a minute & think about where you see God's fingerprints- in anything! then let me & beki know if you blog about it, or read other fingerprints at her site :)

the "super e's"
erica & erin
she doesn't have a blog or i would make her name bold with a link in it.
hint hint cough cough i know you read this
we've been friends since 1993, "best friends" since 1994 (when we had really awesome bangs)
long lasting friendships are such a blessing
and very rare
we've been through a lot together
like summers full of ministry at missionette's campor the ups & downs, heartbreaks & triumphs,
every cool kid had one of these pics taken high school years
we left for ministry school at the same time.
her to clearwater, florida
me to rockford, illinois
what we thought were worlds away
(little did we know...)she was in my wedding
because, well, that's what best friends do
we're the kind of friends that probably bug some people
we have too many inside jokes
like the super e's
hehahehaheha
or the hook man
peaches, plums, & alfalfa
shhhhhhhhhhhh i'm trying to sleep
and our newest one
G.we've been growing up
life has been changing all around us
she even lived in ireland for a year & a half
i moved to alabama
she's going to school full time
i'm a wife & mother of 2 kids
yet through it all, our friendship is still intact
(warning, this is my favorite picture of us. ever.)
and why do i blog about her today?
because she came to visit me!!!
that's what best friends do, too
spend their own money to fly from cali to bama
to spend time with me
and see my kids
i know our friendship is rare
not many people are blessed with one like ours
i love her & am thankful for her friendship
she has always been there for me.
even in the suckiest times of life
we can be honest. brutally honest.
and still love each other
she's a blessing from God, with His fingerprints all over her!

fingerprint friday

steven curtis chapman sings a song that says "i can see the fingerprints of God when i look at you... i can see the fingerprints of God & i know it's true... you're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds... and you're covered with the fingerprints of God."

there are fingerprints of God all around... in our everyday life... even in the littlest things. blog about where you see those fingerprints and then let me and pamperingbeki know!

my fingerprints are in those little moments. last saturday it was a beautiful day. dathan and sean were outside playing with the hose... i mean washing my car. it was lunch time and i decided we were going to have a picnic in the front yard.
it was so simple, yet so much fun. enjoying the sun... enjoying each other... laughing at sean... i just kept thinking of that country song "these are the moments i thank God that i'm alive..." it's the simple things, those things we take for granted- those are the things that i think God's fingerprints are all over.

like the silly moments with my oldest son sean
and the sweet (or even bittersweet) moments with our baby nolanit's taking a dancing break in the drivewayand attempting to take a picture of my 3 boys
don't let these little moments pass you by. if you look closely, you will see God's in them too :)

fingerprint friday

this is my third week participating in pamperingbeki's fingerprint friday and i am enjoying it so much!

there is a song by steven curtis chapman that says:
i can see the fingerprints of God when i look at you
i can see the fingerprints of God and i know it's true
you're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds
and you're covered with the fingerprints of God

where do you see God's fingerprints? it could be anywhere! blog about it then let me and beki know, as well as check out other people's fingerprints!

i have been having a rough couple days. nolan has not been feeling good, he has his first cold, and the sweet little guy has cried the majority of the last few days. on top of that, sean must not like the extra attention that nolan has been getting and has been trying and testing both dathan and myself (in those wonderful ways that only a two year old can do). among other things, the cherry on the sundae is that dathan will be gone for work on mother's day... my first mother's day with two kids. i am so thankful for the work that he has and would by no means want him to turn it down for mother's day (cuz in all actuality it IS just another day, right... right?). still bums me out though. all that to say i almost didn't do fingerprint friday today, cuz i was just tired, no... exhausted. but then i started thinking about how good God is. that yes i may be tired and bummed, but i am SO BLESSED. my husband won't be here because he has to work... there are so many people with no work right now. and i have 2 boys who are growing and healthy and strong, regardless of how they may act or feel from time to time. so, if you just look at this face
or this one

how can you not see the fingerprints of God??

fingerprint friday

there's a song by steven curtis chapman that says;

i can see the fingerprints of God
when i look at you
i can see the fingerprints of God
and i know it's true
you're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds
and you're covered with the fingerprints of God

it's fingerprint friday from pamperingbeki's blog, and i am once again taking part of it. it's so good to sit and think on something positive to encourage others! so where do you see God's fingerprints? blog about it then let me and beki know!


yes, that is dathan and i- 4 1/2 years ago, childless, living in california, and oh so in love. i see God's fingerprints ALL OVER our marriage! although 4 1/2 years has gone by, we've had 2 kids, and moved to alabama... the constant in that is we are still 'oh so in love.' now the love looks much different. it has grown and matured as we have. we've gone through some tough times and some amazing times. God has been so good to us through it all. if you really knew our story, what we've fought against to get to where we are, you would see God's fingerprints too. i think i needed to be reminded of that more then anything. thank You Lord for my amazing husband, and all that You've done and are going to do in and through our marriage!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by steven curtis chapman that says:
i can see the fingerprints of God
when i look at you
i can see the fingerprints of God
and i know it's true
you're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds
and you're covered with the fingerprints of God

i'm taking part in pamperingbeki's fingerprint friday. look at the world around you and see where you see God's fingerprints. share them then let me (and beki) know when you do!

there is nothing like a newborn to show the fingerprints of God. i look at sean and am in awe of how time has flown and how much he has changed and learned in the past 2 1/2 years. i look at nolan and am reminded of the miracle of life that God gives us. and what a beautiful day to be reminded of this as today is Good Friday, and this is the weekend we celebrate the new life we are given in christ!

newborn sean


newborn nolan
it's amazing how much they look alike!