Easter Morning

We had such a beautiful Easter morning for more than one reason! The weather was warm and sunny and we got ready quickly giving us plenty of time for pictures outside! Most importantly, we were able to worship at church and give thanks for the death and Resurrection of our Lord! Hallelujah! The Easter pails were all ready for the girls!!

Anna loved all the candy in her pail!

Claire, surprisingly, seemed more interested in the Easter egg stone with her name on it!!

My sweet Claire!

And... my sweet little Anna!

My girls in their Easter dresses!

I love, love, love my girls!

My favorite people in the world!!!

Happy Easter!

EaStEr EgG HuNt - 2

The second egg hunt we went on was at Kirkmont Church. This was the third year we've gone and it's such a great egg hunt that incorporates Jesus' death and Resurrection into the fun with a puppet show and other fun crafts and games! We always have a great time and truly appreciate all the hard work that goes into this amazing outreach!

The sweetest moment of the day was when Anna saw a kid without any eggs in his basket and without any prompting, she took one of her eggs and put it the empty basket. She really is so sweet and kind hearted!

Claire & Caroline getting ready for their egg hunt!

Grammy said that Anna winning a big Easter basket was her reward for being so thoughtful & giving!

Anna & Catherine looking CUTE!

My big girl!

Claire was all about getting as many eggs as possible! She was quick!!!

Grammy & Papa with the girls and the creepy Easter bunny! Half bunny, half man!

EaStEr EgG HuNt - 1

We were able to go on two Easter egg hunts and we had BEAUTIFUL, warm weather for both of them. It was so fun!! The first hunt was at the home of Sherry, one of our friends from church. She was such a great hostess and was able to incorporate the true meaning of Easter into the party. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves!!! There was lots of time for fun play!

And of course... lots of great food! Claire & Caroline are pretty much inseparable!

So sweet... Anna & Catherine!

Most of the group! I think there were around 25 kids!!

Sherry explaing the resurrection eggs to the children.

Claire finding an egg on the hunt!

Anna sees an egg, too! So much fun!!!!

Grammy's Birthday

Last Saturday was Grammy's birthday. She was kind enough to watch my girls so that Ben and I could go to my Grandpa's funeral without having to worry about a 2 & a 3 year old. Thank you Grammy & Papa!! We celebrated that next day after church and had a wonderful time!

We are so thankful for the influence you have in the lives of Claire & Anna (and our lives too for that matter!!). Thanks for all you do for us! We love you!

Every year around Grammy's birthday her wildflowers appear, so we try to get a birthday picture with the pretty wildflowers!


Blowing out candles!

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

My Grandpa

Karl Russell Stephens was my Grandpa and I loved him! I had the privilege to be at his side when he took his last breath at 11:54 am on Thursday March 25. He entered peacefully that day into the arms of Jesus and heard the words "Well done my good and faithful servant!". He is now whole and complete, worshipping at the feet of the Lord.

I am so thankful that I had 32 years with him! He was a true treasure in my life and I learned so much from him. He gave me wonderful insights into life and showed me how to love completely. He was passionate about everything he did and he was good at almost everything. He was very competitive and loved to play games. Shawn and I were discussing after his funeral that Grandpa played with us and gave to us because he wanted to, never out of obligation. He truly enjoyed being with us and being silly! He got joy out of making others happy. Sometimes I think he thought it was his job to make people laugh! He was one of the funniest and wittiest people I've ever known. I loved his silly sense of humor and his love for his family. There was only ONE Karl... and he was GOOD!

I love you, Grandpa! Words seem inadequate right now as I try to explain what you meant to me and how much I love you. I will always love you and miss you. I'm the person I am today because of your love. Thank you for just being you and loving me without fail.

This is my favorite picture ever! Grandpa Stephens with all seven of his great-grandchildren! He was the happiest when he was with his family!

Shawn & Grandpa were great buddies!



Classic Karl!


4 Generations!

Nobody could get my girls riled up quicker than Grandpa. They were wild around him and he LOVED it!

He always tickled and the kids always came back for more!

He was a kid at heart!

He had the best smile! His whole face would light up and his eyes sparkled!

All the men on the Stephens side of the family and since there have been six girls born after Connor, it hasn't changed in almost 13 years!

They truly loved each other!

This pretty much sums up our visits with him... silliness!

Anna poking his eye out!

My favorite photo of Grandpa & Anna! He was magical with children. Kids were drawn to him!!!

The last photo we have of him, taken three days before he passed. I am so thankful I visited and took pictures. I will miss seeing him, but we have been given this amazing assurance in Christ that we will see our loved ones that believed again! See you soon, Grandpa!