happy annibirthary 2010!!

iiiiiiiiiit's that time of year again!
for those of you who may be new to team stephens, you might be wondering what our annibirthary is?
you see, on august 14, 2004 dathan & i got married. then, on our 2 year anniversary, we had our first child, sean. so, i got tired of describing august 14th as "our anniversary and sean's birthday" so i just put the words together and decided to call it annibirthary. we love it!

2004. the last time august 14th was on a saturday (as it is today) was on our actual wedding day. i cannot believe it's been 6 years!! it was a hot summer day and about 450 people we love came to celebrate with us!

2005. i got dathan a grill for our 1st anniversary (awesome wife, right??). on our anniversary we invited my parents over to our friends house for a "bbq to celebrate our anniversary." but really it was a surprise "25th" anniversary luau for them! we put "25th" in quotes because their actual 25th was 10 days before our wedding so, needless to say, they didn't get to do anything. they were definitely surprised and we had a great time!


2006. sean was born 12 days early. 7lbs 10oz. 21.25in. 7:43am. not exactly how i thought we would spend our anniversary, but he was the greatest anniversary gift we could ever receive! he was just our present baby- we found out we were pregnant with him on Christmas eve, so he was our Christmas present. my very first ultrasound of him was scheduled on my birthday, so he was my bday present. then he came on our anniversary. what a precious gift that he still is!


2007. we realized that we no longer had an anniversary on august 14th, but sean's birthday became the priority ;) that was ok, we can celebrate on another day. we threw sean a big "surfer" birthday party. and i don't think we did anything for our anniversary. whoops!


2008. we drove to oklahoma for my brother brian's wedding on our actual annibirthary day. the weekend before we threw sean a finding nemo party at our house. we were able to "celebrate" our anniversary by staying in a hotel in oklahoma for the weekend while there for the wedding. my parents even took sean one of the nights so we could be by ourselves ;) i was about 11 weeks pregnant with nolan and had just had our first ultrasound of him a few days before we left.


2009. sean had a super hero squad birthday party at the church. we were determined to do something for our 5th anniversary even though we had a 5 month old who i was still nursing. my parents were visiting from california and agreed to watch the boys for a weekend so we could go. we went to huntsville and spent some great time together. my parents went to dathan's parents house where the 4 of them watched the 2 boys together :)


2010. we are in california! sean is having a toy story birthday party today (2:00 pacific time). we are not doing anything today for our anniversary but plan on dinner and maybe a date to paint a dream one night this week. i cannot believe dathan and i have been married for 6 years! we have been through so much and God has done so much in the both of us. i'm blessed beyond measure. and sean is 4 today! wow! he's so grown up, i really don't know what to think. i just signed him up for preschool this week... total mixed emotions about that (he, on the other hand, is SO excited to go to school). so really i've been thinking... aren't dathan & i too young to be married 6 years and have a 4 year old? i think so! ;)


i love to see how our family grows and changes each year on annibirthary day! who knows what's in store for the stephens clan in 2011.....????

the story behind us

on october 3rd, 1979 in colorado a rather large (9lb 13oz) boy was born to a young teenage mother. she could not care for her son so she immediately put him up for adoption. when he was several weeks old he was adopted by randall and kathy, and they named him sylas dathan (with every intention of calling him dathan). they were missionaries in south africa until dathan was 4 and then lived in several different southern states while dathan's dad pastored different churches, and they eventually settled in alabama. dathan turned away from the Lord in his late teens and ran into some trouble. God grabbed ahold of his heart in february of 1999 and he has sought after His face ever since.

on february 6th, 1983 in california a girl was born to rick & donna, and they named her erica. she grew up in the same area her whole life (the antelope valley) and went to the same church her whole life (lancaster first assembly). she was a good girl who loved Jesus from an early age and followed Him her whole life. she always wanted to please Him on a daily basis and loved Him with her whole heart. she was a great student and goody-goody, trying to do her best in all she did.

as completely opposite of pasts that we led, God had an ultimate plan to bring us together. he took a broken yet healing young man from alabama and a bubbly naive young lady from california and crossed our paths in illinois... yep, illinois.

God called both of us to master's commission, which is a discipleship training program held at many churches all over the country. but out of the hundreds of mc's, God led us to the same one in rockford, illinois. i did my first year in 01-02 and dathan did his in 02-03. when you are a first year you are not allowed to date, so when dathan came for his first year i paid no attention to him. i mean, we were friends but i never once even had a crush on him. looking back i remember two specific instances where he did something and i thought to myself "i want that quality in my future husband" but the thought was never "i want him to be my future husband."

we were both very involved in the missions program and became friends there. towards the end of the year dathan started 'noticing' me but i was clueless to all of it. i just thought he was a cool guy. when the year ended in we both went our separate ways and during the summer of 2003 we started talking, almost every day... either on our cell phones, IM, or email. i was at a point where i was ok with being a young single female serving the Lord. in fact, when i first realized i had feelings for dathan i fought them for over two weeks. i had told the Lord that i didn't want to get into another relationship unless it was with the person i was going to marry, and what i didn't know was dathan had told God the same thing.

the day that i admitted to myself that i liked dathan just so 'happened' to be the day he told me he liked me. to be sure we were doing what God wanted, we decided to fast from each other and spend the time we would have been talking in prayer about our relationship. 3 weeks from that day we were going back to rockford, and so dathan said he would pick me up from the airport. that would be the day we would talk again. during that time i pleaded with God that His will would be done and not ours. that if it wasn't His plan to make it not work, and that when i saw dathan in the airport God would let me know if it was right or not. dathan was praying the same exact thing and we had no idea.

that day at the airport is engraved in my memory. i can still see his face and feel the overwhelming emotion that filled my heart the second he smiled at me. we went on our first date that night, and our relationship grew from there. as busy with ministry as we were in mc, we tried to take time to strengthen and grow our relationship. this picture is after a looooooong 2 weeks of ministry and little sleep.

we were both involved with missions again and worked together well. we had a LOT of fun together and enjoyed each other's company SO much (he is the tall guy in the back of this pic and i am right in front of him... we were going to see pirates of the carribbean with our fellow missions dept members

we weren't perfect and God had to work a LOT in our hearts. but it was His hand that put us together and He had (and still has!) big plans for us. in january of 2004 dathan proposed (i blogged about it a few months ago here) and i could not believe i was walking out my dreams with a man who was better than i dreamed (although when i look at this picture i feel like i shouldn't call dathan a man cuz we look like KIDS)!

on august 14, 2004 we said our vows in the very church that i grew up in. i remember being a little girl and dreaming of walking down that aisle with my husband and my dream came true that day! God is so good!

i want to encourage all the single girls out there that God has such a better plan for your life than you could plan out for yourself. delight yourself in Him, follow after Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart. it's ok if you've made mistakes, it's ok if you're not perfect... because it's in our weaknesses that HE is strong. and He wants to bless you with more than you can dream, but it has to be in His timing. and until that time, enjoy yourself! live your life to the fullest and give all you have to Him. instead of worrying about finding a man, focus on falling in love with your Savior. prepare yourself w/ a firm foundation to lay your marriage on, and strengthen your heart so you can be a proverbs 31 wife one day :)

i cannot believe it's been over 5.5 years since dathan and i got married! we have grown and changed so much and God has done so much in us as a couple. it's a daily choice to love, and it's the best choice i could make. it's not always easy, it certainly isn't a honeymoon 24/7, but it's our life and i am so thankful for it. a friend once said that our story could be a cheesy christian movie... i suppose it could, and i'm ok with that ;)

i'm linking this story up to kelly's site where you can read other stories of how girls met their men ;)

not the same

"there's nothing like returning to a place that's unchanged to find the ways on which you yourself have altered"

my friend posted that as her status on facebook last night and i could not think of a better way to describe our trip to illinois, at least for me. you see, when i was 18 years old i went to master's commission in rockford, illinois. master's commission is basically a ministry training school, but more on that another time. i spent from the fall of 2001 to the winter of 2003 there, and although it was only a little over 2 years, so many things that changed the course of my life happened. some are deep and personal, not yet ready to be revealed to the blog world. others are pretty obvious, such as meeting dathan, who i later went on to marry :)

the trip was a last minute, spontaneous decision to hang out with friends and meet with different people. it has been over 3 years since the last time we had visited there, over 6.5 years since we left master's commission. that is just nuts to me! in that time i have: moved from illinois to southern california, got married, moved to central california, got pregnant, moved back to southern california, had a baby, moved to alabama & had another baby (and those are just the "major" changes)!

so here we were, staying at my old home-opener's house (home-openers are people in the church who allow master's commission students to live in their home & be part of their family. i lived with mine for my entire 2nd year and part of my 3rd) which looked almost exactly the same as it did when i lived there 6.5 years ago. but, as i looked at myself, i realized i look nothing (on the inside and out!) like i did when that was the place that i would lay my head on my pillow every night. situations i have walked through, choices i have made, prayers i have prayed, and life itself have all played a role in making me... me. but the majority of those changes happened slowly over the years, almost to the point where i haven't really noticed them. but to be able to physically sit and have memories & feelings from over 6 years ago flood my mind again really showed me that i have changed. and i am thankful for that! God never stopped working in me, i never stopped self-evaluating and adjusting areas in my life that were lacking. though i am no where near where i would love to be, it was encouraging to see that i have made progress :)

i am the girl in the green shirt ;) this is what i looked like when i lived with my homeopeners (and to wear that size of jeans again would be fabulous!). one of my responsibilities in mc was running the coffee cart, and these were my fellow coffee cart family members ;) we were able to take a trip to chicago to learn how to make better lattes and then we got to eat at gino's east. so fun!

i do have pictures of our actual trip that i want to share. but i have been sorting out so many thoughts from being back in that place that i wanted to share it with you first. i don't know if anyone really is even interested in my deep thoughts since i usually stick to lots of photos and updates on our family, but every once in awhile i do want to allow all my blog readers to see a bit deeper into me.

ONE!!

happy birthday to you

happy birthday to you

happy birthday, sweet nolan

happy birthday to you!!!!!!!!!

i love you, my sweet baby boy! you are such a joy and blessing to our family and we cannot imagine our lives without you!

the proposal

**i wrote this post back in january but today (june 18th) i'm linking it up w/ kelly's korner for show us your life!**

six years ago today dathan proposed to me. it has been, is, and will always be one of my most favorite memories (not to mention one of the best decisions we've ever made!). people always ask me how he proposed, and since he did such an amazing job i thought i would share it on here for everyone ;)

we were here in alabama and i was going to be leaving in a couple days to go back to california. we were not going to see each other for about 3 months, not to mention he was going to miss my birthday and valentine's day. so, to make up for it he planned a special day for the two of us.

he told me at the beginning of the date that he had 5 small gifts for me and that he was going to give them to me at different times during the date (please note that we had just left ministry school and he had no money, so a proposal & ring that day were not expected by me in any way!).

we went downtown where we had a cute little lunch at a bistro and he gave me a few of the gifts (just random little things like a picture frame, stuffed monkey, etc). after we were done eating he wanted to take me to his favorite spot he would go to when he wanted to think, pray, & write. well, we stepped out of the bistro & it was raining, and his "spot" was outside. i told him ya only live once and that we should just go ahead and go on an adventure.

we hike through the woods in the rain and get to a clearing that was absolutely beautiful. there was a bend in the stream, trees, and river rocks everywhere. we stopped and he started singing 'our song,' which is "i can't help falling in love with you" while we danced in the rain. he then pulled a garbage bag out of the backpack he was carrying, laid it on the ground, & asked me to sit on it, remove my shoes & socks, and roll up my pant legs. he proceeded to do the same.

he then got in the creek and started to wash my feet. as he washed my feet he explained to me that Jesus washed the disciple's feet as a sign that he loved them and wanted to serve them, so he was washing my feet to show me that he loved me & wanted to serve me. as he pulled a towel out of his backpack to dry my feet off he said "oh wait, one more thing..."

"...i always said whenever i washed a girl's feet that it would be the girl i was gonna marry." he unfolded the towel and the ring was inside. since he was already on a knee he asked me to marry him & i, of course, said YES (actually i believe i was so excited it was more like "uh huh!" lol).

like i said, best decision we ever made :)

2009 year in review

january
rang in the new year with good friends at a japanese restaurant, then the church, then our house * our worship team did a live CD recording (you should listen to some of it here, it's amazing!) * dathan decided to go back to school * sean was in the hospital for 3 days with a 104.7 temp and severe dehydration. it was so sad to see him so sick, and it was so uncomfortable to sleep on a pull out chair (not couch) with a huge baby belly

february
we had a baby shower for nolan @ church * i turned 26 and had a fun game night w/ friends * spent valentine's day walking around the park trying to go into labor * finally was induced & nolan richard stephens was born on 02/26/09 weighing 10lbs and measuring 23 inches (yes, he was that big & no, i did not have a c-section)

march
my parents were here visiting from california * spent the beautiful days outside, even some watching dathan play baseball with other guys from church * we started working on our laundry room/extra half bath (and by we i really mean dathan) * i decided to start a blog

april
made my first attempt at shopping by myself with both boys * we did a walk to raise awareness for child abuse & funds for prevention * my brother brian & his wife candace came to visit and all of my siblings were here at the same time * we spent easter at my in laws house * our church did an outreach at the university of northern alabama

may
dathan was gone for work in north carolina & i spent about 5 days at home with both boys (and several teen girls from church who kept me company) * i got my hair done for mother's day * sean got a hair cut as well * spent a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather having picnics in our front yard & coloring with chalk * had a wonderful memorial day with close friends

june
one of my best friends, erin, came to visit from cali * spent practically every day at a park or in the water at the splash pad * my brother timmy moved back home to california (he lived here in alabama) * i decided to go back to school * dathan built a beautiful deck onto his parents house * we celebrated father's day grilling out on that deck * sean had his first dentist's visit * sean went to his first vbs * nolan went swimming for the first time

july
we had a big 4th of july party at our house * we spent even more hot days at the playground and/or splash pad * our church did a worship outreach at the park downtown * my parents came to visit again * a big storm knocked a huge chunk of our tree onto our house but the Lord protected us and we had no damage

august
we went on a riverboat with my parents & dathan's parents * nolan had his first haircut (and cried the whole time) * dathan & i celebrated our 5th anniversary and were able to get away for a few days and enjoy each other with no kids * sean turned 3 and had a super hero birthday party (which my brother & sister in law drove from oklahoma to come to) * we went to the children's museum and zoo

september
we went to the beach with our close friends * i shot my first wedding at the beach * our church had it's first annual hillbilly dinner

october
dathan turned 30 and i surprised him with getting to dj on a local radio station * i shot my second wedding * we went to the pumpkin patch with my in laws (dathan's parents, sister, and her daughter) * our church had a fall festival for the kids * spent halloween at a local church for a fall family festival

november
nolan was dedicated at our church * our tree exploded with leaves and we had a lot of fun playing in them * i shot my third wedding * we celebrated thanksgiving at my in laws

december
my parents & brother came to visit * we drove to nashville to go to the pioneer woman's book signing * had an early christmas with my family at our house * enjoyed looking at lots of christmas lights * i did countless family photo shoots * went to our friend's tacky christmas party * spent christmas at my in laws * both boys got sick (sean with bronchialitis and nolan with a double ear infection and rsv) * my best friend erin came to visit again * spent new years eve playing wii and fun games with good friends

2009 was an amazingly blessed year yet such a trying and testing one as well. we are so thankful for all God blessed us with... especially the miracle of life in nolan joining our family! we are so excited to have said goodbye to 2009 and embrace 2010 with open arms! we know this year is going to be great for us and we are claiming the goodness, favor, & love of the Lord over our family and yours!

happy new year!

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!!!