Escape to Georgia

At the start of residency, Devin requested to be off for the weekend of the Fall Festival in Watkinsville, GA and was given the whole week off!  It was amazing to have a little escape from our busy lives and Devin's very busy work schedule.

We considered caching a couple days back in, but decided to make a week out of it when we realized we could see Devin's Grandmother if we did.  We enjoyed the first couple days with her, and she enjoyed time with Calvin, Blue, and Moose.

We tried out a really neat, new playground with Grandmother and Devin's mom.  I was pretty excited to have someone there to take photos of the three of us together!

Seriously, it can be sooo challenging to get a candid family picture!

We planned a trip to the Georgia Aquarium during our visit.  Calvin loves to point out "glub glubs" in books and such, so we thought he'd enjoy this a lot.  And, while he did think the fish were pretty exciting, the best part was by far walking up and down steps...over and over and over again.

Devin has a history with a giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium.  He wanted to make sure Calvin was acquainted with them as well.

One of our very favorite places to eat in Athens is Cali-N-Titos.  They have lots of old school playground equipment around their outdoor seating.  This was our first trip there where Calvin was old enough to play on it!

When the weekend arrived, we were pretty excited about the fall festival.  This was of course the reason we scheduled a trip for this week.  Our very favorite part was the "Agriculture Education Center."  There were a lot of animals, a live milking demonstration, a corn pit, and information booths.  Calvin gladly played in the corn while we enjoyed funnel cake and pulled pork sandwiches.  He probably would have stayed in the pit all day if we'd let him.

Calvin has mastered the art of authentic sounding oinks.  He was pretty excited to see the pigs as a result.  He also neighed at the horses, baaa-ed at the sheep, and moo-ed at the cows.

At the end of the visit, we rode a hayride back to our cars.  Our driver was kind enough to let Calvin try out the tractor.  This little boy was so excited to have his hands on such a big steering wheel!

Other highlights of the week included a couple dates, Devin and I running together after dark, and lots of other favorite foods.  We can't wait for the next trip back!

Tiger World

Tiger World is by far one of the best little gems we've found since moving to North Carolina!  We decided to check it out when my sister Jess and her boyfriend Tom came to visit for the weekend.  It's an amazing exotic animal rescue center that makes a perfect little zoo for Calvin.  They started out saving tigers, branched out to other wild cats, and now have bears, wolves, wild dogs, kangaroos, primates, parrots, and various reptiles.  We didn't even make it to the ticket counter before seeing the first tigers and Calvin practicing his roar.

The tigers were absolutely beautiful.  We were there in the morning shortly before their scheduled feeding time, so they were all very active and vocal.  It was SO much fun to see!

White tigers are apparently very rare but Tiger World has seven (or more?) of them!  They also have a liger with with the giant gene (so he is HUGE) as well as a large ti-liger.  This white tiger was paired with the two of them.  They had had a large enclosure but had to be separated to eat, unlike the other pairs, because of safety concerns for all of them.

Once they started feeding the animals, we followed the truck to see it all.  The caretakers explained their diets, fasting schedules, and eating habits along with giving us lots of background information on all the animals.  I loved watching the tigers eat.  The whole chickens were exciting to see, but the tiger growling at us while defending a deer leg was absolutely stunning!

We were pretty excited to find a tiger named Calvin while we were there.  My Calvin was wearing his favorite shirt with a tiger and carrying his Hobbes, so it made taking a picture with the sign even better!

Of course, one of the best parts of the whole experience was that I got to spend time with Jess!  I don't get nearly enough sister time these days, so the weekend felt far too short but wonderful.  And, Calvin absolutely loved having her here...there's nothing quite like getting spoiled by an aunt!

101 in 1001

A couple years ago, I started seeing blogs popping up with people completing the Day Zero challenge.  It seemed like a neat idea, but wasn't something for me at the time.  In the back of my mind, I thought it would be great to line it up to complete by my 30th birthday.  After coming across it again about a month ago, I realized that the timing was perfect.  I turn 30 exactly 1001 days from today.  I plan to post updates on my progress over the time.  I am very excited about all of these things, so here is to an amazing 1001 days full of lots of things to enjoy!

The Challenge: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. 

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Items in blue are completed; green items are a work in progress.

1.  Learn to play 20 useful songs (hymns, carols, children's songs) on the piano.

2.  Go apple picking.

3.  Make play dough with Calvin.

4.  Cook an entire holiday meal.

5.  Organize the garage.

6.  Grow a salad.

7.  Sew a quilt.

8.  Replace all gold light fixtures in our home.

9.  Make a wreath and hang it up.

10.  Chop our own Christmas tree.

11.  Read every Ensign cover to cover by the end of the month for a year.

12.  Cook spaghetti squash.

13.  Make a menu plan and stick to it for a month.

14.  Read a book in Braille.

15.  Go star gazing.

16.  Make (and print!) a family photo book.

17.  Attend a football game.

18.  Go to a concert.

19.  Paint the guest bedroom.

20.  Learn to make crock pot desserts.

21.  Go camping with Calvin.

22.  Make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch.

23.  Make homemade caramels.

24.  Make a busy book.

25.  Sew Christmas puppets.

26.  Fill my empty frames and hang them.

27.  Find a better way to organize all our important paperwork.

28.  Make something to decorate my walls.

29.  Go on a picnic

30.  Make a toy with Calvin.

31.  Find/make a nativity set.

32.  Decorate Calvin's light switch plate.

33.  Run a race 10k or longer.

34.  Read the whole Book of Mormon with Calvin.

35.  Make and send 20 homemade cards.

36.  Have a family photo taken and hang it up.

37.  Find/make a good bookshelf for Calvin's books.

38.  Plant, grow, and use at least 3 herbs.

39.  Put together 72 hour emergency kits for our family.

40.  Figure out how to make use of our back patio,

41.  Have all clean clothes put away before bed for a month straight.

42.  Sew a cover for the foof chair.

43.  Learn to index for FamilySearch.

44.  Teach Calvin to bake and share the goodies.

45.  Hang a ceiling fan in Calvin's room.

46.  Sew curtains for the whole house.

47.  Make Christmas stockings.

48.  Find a new dentist for Devin and me.

49.  Read 5 classic novels.

50.  Find good nachos near us.

51.  Read the entire Bible cover to cover.

52.  Blog at least twice a month for a year.

53.  Prepare a whole chicken.

54.  Get a new computer desk.

55.  Brush both dogs at least once a week for the whole summer.

56.  Do temple work for at least 5 ancestors.

57.  Take a real family vacation.

58.  Do something special to celebrate Devin.

59.  Decorate a big boy room for Calvin.

60.  Back up our computers.

61.  Update/replace Devin's and my dressers.

62.  Make apple butter.

63.  Find an exercise video I like and use it.

64.  Visit Helen, GA.

65.  Hold a 10 minute conversation in German.

66.  Give up a guilty pleasure.

67.  Take Calvin to the Georgia Aquarium.

68.  Paint sugar cookies with Calvin.

69.  Write 5 letters to give/open in the future.

70.  Decorate a fun cake.

71.  Go a full weekend without being bossy even once.

72.  Frame a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.

73.  Go to a baseball game.

74.  Leave a 100% tip.

75.  Update the background on my blog.

76.  Compile a photo album.

77.  Visit Kings Mountain National Military Park.

78.  Decorate for a holiday other than Christmas.

79.  Take Calvin to the zoo.

80.  Can a food.

81.  Get a new camera.

82.  Journal every day for a month.

83.  Throw a party.

84.  Try 5 new fruits/vegetables.

85.  Leave a surprise on at least 3 doorsteps.

86.  Visit Andersonville, GA.

87.  Decorate the bonus room.

88.  Learn to make pastries.

89.  Create and share a Mormon.org profile.

90.  Give 5 home sewn gifts.

91.  Consolidate our bank accounts.

92.  Figure out a good calendar system for our family.

93.  Shop at a consignment store.

94.  Make homemade applesauce.

95.  Buy a pair of jeans I love.

96.  Play in the rain.

97.  Deep clean our carpets.

98.  Replace Devin's car.

99.  Sing in a choir.

100.  Plan a big end of residency celebration.

101.  Have a collection of 200 children's books.

Calvin at 14 months...

...available for a limited time only!  Every time I hear those Disney commercials, I am just so thankful that I get to soak up each day with this amazing, happy boy!

We have an amazing park.  In addition to playgrounds, wandering trails, and a train, there is a fantastic splash pad where we love to play!  It's so much fun for both of us!

We also have a budding little musician.  We play music most of the day, and he gladly dances along.  He LOVES to play the keyboard and finds other ways of making noise frequently, too.

Calvin is also in love with his stuffed animals.

I'm super excited he's learned to give real hugs and kisses.

He's also a master of funny faces.  It can be super tricky to discipline him with this skill, though!

And, who doesn't love some awesome little boy bed head?

Life with Calvin is just too much fun.  He's still loves so many books.  Some of his favorite toys are his dinosaurs.  I'm so excited that he is now trying to talk all the time, and he has a few recognizable words!  Life just doesn't get much better than this!

Too Quick

Before I've barely even blinked my eyes, we are coming up on a month in North Carolina.  Where does time go?

Calvin is loving (almost) every minute of his life these days.  He lives to be outside and really enjoys our new backyard.  He is walking (and trying to run!), using a few words, and pointing to everything.  He tries to sing along to his favorite song (La la Lemon).  He'd rather be collecting leaves than playing with just about any toy he owns.  He mostly eats whatever we do but loves cheese, strawberries, watermelon, and cheerios.  Calvin loves the dogs but is especially partial to Blue (he tries to say his name!).  I love watching Calvin's curiosity grow day.

Devin is really enjoying being a resident.  We had two weeks of orientation before diving into cardiology.  There is a great group of interns, and that has made a big difference.  He is figuring out a pretty good work/life balance at this point but is definitely enjoying the weekends off this month.  Thanks to all the rain, we've needed our grass cut weekly, so those weekends have been useful for Devin.  They've also allowed us to explore the area, as well.  And, we did get to take a quick trip to Georgia this past weekend.

As for me, I'm finding that mothering a toddler keeps me much busier than mothering a baby did.  We go to the library and the park frequently.  Grocery shopping has become something I mostly do without Devin (we did it together 95% of the time until now).  We meet up for play dates and have started having visitors (with 4 more lined up before the month is over!).  There have been residency events I've been able to accompany Devin on--both with and without Calvin.  Additionally, we have found renters for our house in Augusta, so I've been back and forth with our realtor on that.

In short, we are keeping busy but loving our lives very much.  We count ourselves very lucky to have ended up living in Kannapolis, NC.  We're one month in out of many, many more to come!

Another Fourth

We have spent a very good day celebrating our first Independence Day here in North Carolina.  

Happy Fourth of July from the Stephens Family!

Early Birthday Celebration(s)

Because we are moving the week of Calvin's first birthday (this week!!), we've had the chance to celebrate early.  One party was with friends, the other was with family.  The day of Calvin's birthday, we'll celebrate with just us in our brand new home.  I wanted to share a few pictures before it was too far in the past.

The party with our friends was more of a "one last get together" than a true birthday party.  But, we had cake and presents, so it counts.  Calvin only tasted a bite of cake, but LOVED tearing the paper off presents.  He got his first hard plastic dinosaur toy, and he fell in love with it.  He also got an few books, a puzzle, and new bedding.

For the family party, I decided to make a dinosaur cake.  That first dinosaur toy triggered a fascination with them, so it was only fitting.  I was pretty proud of it!

From family, Calvin got a few toys, several books, and a couple CDs of music.  His very favorite was his xylophone.  He was so, so very excited about it!

This time, we let him have a piece of cake.  He was a little unsure at first, but after a few tastes he let out a loud "mmm!"

He ate a few bites of cake and then proceeded to make a fun mess.

We've still got a few days until his actual birthday, but I've been thinking about it a lot these past couple weeks.  It's a little crazy to realize it's nearly here.  But, we couldn't be happier in any way with this wonderful little boy of ours!