Happy 40th Birthday Cathy!

It's the Big 40 for my wonderful sister Cathy. Happy Birthday Cath!!!!!!!! I have been thinking about you and all your many accomplishments in life. I have put together a list of the top five accomplishments in the life of Catherine Stevens and here it goes.........

1. She has written an important book containing incredible facts about Charlies Angels, The Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot.
2. She managed to run over her younger sister with a bike and amazingly enough did not get in trouble for it. Not many people have accomplished that.
3. She secured the starring roles of both the beautiful Jill and Kelly, while "letting" her sister be plain Sabrina, time and time again.
4. She was able to save several companies from bankruptcy. J Crew, Banana Republic, and Anthropologie would like to thank you for all your support.
5. Most recently, and the most exciting accomplishment in the life of Catherine Stevens is..........
HAVING THE FBI AFTER YOU. Seriously the things you do for attention.

Happy Birthday to an incredible sister, fantastic mother, and unbelievably generous person that is loved by all. I hope this year brings you all the happiness you can handle!

I am not that desperate!

As desperate as I might feel to go somewhere warm, I couldn't imagine relaxing at this beach. I would have a complete panic attack. There are certain things that are important in a good beach spot.

1. At least 10 ft of sand around me that is not occupied by anybody I don't know.
2. A good view of the kids in the ocean.
3. At least two beaches away from any bad country music blaring on a boom box.
4. It's always a plus to stay away from couples that spend the whole time making out and what not.
5. Bring extra family, you never know when someone will separate their shoulder out in the ocean, and you will need a little bit of extra help.Thanks for all the help, Matt!

Follow these simple rules and a good time will be had by all!

The Man Cold

A painting for a month.

When Renan and I first got married, like most newly married couples, money was a little tight. One of our favorite things to do was go to the downtown library and checkout a painting. Maybe many of you didn't know that you could do that, but at that time you could. Every month we would go there and spend time deciding which painting would look great above our fireplace for a month. It was always an exciting time for me because I loved to decorate my house. The painting that spent the most time in our house was this beautiful Van Gogh painting. Whenever I see this painting it brings back some great memories. The library is one place I couldn't do without. I love walking into the library, knowing I will go home with a good book, maybe some new music and a movie.

Some favorite photos, some favorite times.

This picture was taken in Hollywood. My friend and I seriously thought this was Bruce Willis. We spent a whole lot of time following this car around, almost missing our flight home, only to find out it wasn't Bruce Willis. Doesn't it look like him? When the car stops and you get a good view of him it absolutely doesn't. But it gave us a good laugh!



Since not all my family lives here in Utah, I like to look at all the many pictures of them and remember all the fun times we have had. I love my nieces and nephews as if they were my own!



Renan and I can't take a good picture together to save our lives. It all started with our pictures for our wedding announcement. We were supposed to look into each others eyes and there you would have it. Every time we would look at each other we would start to laugh. We truly annoyed our fabulous photographer(Renans brother, Greg). So to this day there really isn't a photo that Renan and I both look our best in. In this picture it looks as if I have my face tatooed and Renan has an upset stomach. But there you have it!

How I deal with JANUARY!!!!!!

About this same time every year, I start to feel a little crazy. I long for summer and being outside. The best thing for me is to plan a trip. Not just any trip, but a trip to the beach. Last summer we thought we could get away without going because the remodeling of the house took a lot. By the end of July, we knew something was missing from our summer. So we packed our bags and headed to the beach. Just as I thought, that did the trick. What is it about the beach? I believe we love it so much because it is so relaxing and kicked back.


Our favorite place to go is Laguna Beach, California. It is a home away from home. I went there as a child and loved it. When Renan and I got married, I was worried to take him there, because I wanted him to love it as much as I did and still do. Why worry, it's Laguna Beach, of course he loved it. It is so beautiful there and I love the smell of eucalyptus when we are walking down to the beach. Zoe and Ezra love it there also. So, here I go making plans to go to the beach and that is how I deal with JANUARY!!!!

Am I a bad mom?

I've been told that people avoid driving down our street because of all the kids and the crazy things that their moms let them do. Does that make me a bad mom? I don't think so. But then again I don't take criticism well. I do in fact tell Ezra to be careful and clean up as soon as he is done. There was one bad experience when Rachel Heath's Grandpa Joe almost tried to jump his big Grandpa car off Ezra's ramp(not on purpose of course). But other than that, we have not had anything major go wrong. I usually watch the kids, when it is warm, of course. I have also heard Sam, our neighbor, yell at his kids "Gutter". Apparently that is supposed to make them go to the side of the road. So far it has just ended up making his kids laugh and run faster in the opposite direction. But we all try!

This year for Christmas Zoe and Ezra got unicycles. Now this could truly annoy the neighbors. I have watched my kids try to master this skill. If they are on the unicycle and moving, nothing will stop them, not even a car coming. It takes so much effort to get going they are not about to hop off for any old car, maybe the garbage truck. They have been known to be afraid of that big truck. But watch out to all my neighbors, for my kids have dominated Saturn Ave. The road blocks will be put up soon! They are good kids with sweet spirits, I promise.