Will he ever come out?

Just an update in the stomach department. Is that a baby in there or some crazy growth that just keeps getting bigger and bigger and never coming out??!?!? Good night nurse!!

Giddyup! The Rodeo is in Town!

We had a rootin' tootin' jolly ol' time in Old Town Folsom today for the annual Folsom Rodeo Cattle Drive. There were about a million people there, lining the sides of Sutter Street to see the long horn cattle being driven through the streets. Paige got one of the best seats in the house - up on daddy's shoulders.

We got to see lots of horses, the Ben Ali Shriners and Keystone Cops, the Mutton Busters and various other cowboys and cowgirls. Paige even told me, "I like horses!". This coming from the girl who once screamed in terror over the Bradford's turtle.

Grandma & Grandpa even got to come with us! And the El Dorado Outlaws (the ladies who dress up like prostitutes and the guys who dress up with guns on their belts, in the words of Dad) were there to entertain us with shootouts. Lots of fun for all!

Mommy's Helper

Grayson is always such a wonderful helper. For example, yesterday he decided to go ahead and clean out my cupboard for me by taking everything out, then he went ahead and inspected it for me just to make sure it was clean!
Good thing he's so cute!!!

Paige is THREE!

How on earth did Paige turn 3 already??? We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon birthday party to celebrate the occasion. The birthday girl was so tuckered out that she actually slept through the dinner portion of the event, but was ready to go as soon as she heard that it was time for presents and cake and ice cream.



She was so excited to open her presents, including the Dora the Explorer trike from Grandma Shanna and Papi Kerry. Lucky!!! The fact that she can put things like her new Barbie Doll ("Like Kissa's {Carissa}") in the back has just added to the fun! Ask Dad to explain all the rules that came with the instructions for the trike. I think we broke about 5 of them right off the bat! Paige is blessed to have so many generous Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents who send presents, cards and call on the phone to help her feel special on her birthday.



We rounded out the evening by partaking in the lovely purple birthday cake that Paige requested. Paige did a great job blowing out her three candles! "Commence sugar rush....."

What a wonderful birthday!!

Run For The Heart Of It

Carrie (not dad) asked me to let all of you Steeders know about a special fun run to benefit her soon to be born nephew. Here is a little background on the situation from Carrie:

"My sister is planning a fun run to fund raise for her little boy. I can't remember if I told you about him, he has been diagnosed with Hyperplastic left heart syndrome (he has no left ventricle). My brother in law has to take off over 2 months of work and they will temporarily be relocated in San Fran for his birth and surgeries and recoveries. In order to afford all that stuff and pay for some of their son's medical costs, they are doing their little fund raiser."

UPDATED RUN INFO: The fun run will take place August 18th at Pleasant Grove Creek Trail in Roseville. Wouldn't it be great if some of us could get together for this? I know Mom and Dad have reserved Wright's Lake starting August 27th, so maybe people could come up a little early? Here is the link for the fun run website: FUN RUN INFO

The Return of Dark Helmet II

Return of the blue helmet with mining bunnies. This is Evan's contribution to the infamous helmet of Matty Lyons. We finally got around to buying bikes and a bike trailor complete with helmets for the whole family. Evan loves to look at himself in the mirror with his helmet and see how cute he is. And he is so cute!

Kindergarten Culmination

Well you all missed quite a show today at Calahan Elementary School. Featuring songs such as "Each of us is a Flower", "Ballin' the Jack", and "Who Let the 'A' Out?", it was both entertaining and cute. Here is Carissa between sets. Her friend Trinity is in front, and Mathias is behind her.

Grayson and Derek enjoyed the performance, but prefered playing outside the auditorium.

After the show, the class was presented with their yearbook, a scrapbooked collection of pictures and work from the year. Then we all enjoyed cookies and punch outside the library. IT was a lovely morning!

Happy 1st Birthday Evan!

Evan's 1st Birthday Party was a lot of fun. He slept through most of it but that was just so he could muster up the energy for CAKE TIME!

He started out a little timidly, but once he tasted that sweet Philadelphia cream cheese frosting, he was ready to get down and dirty...

and messy...

and squishy...

but, mmmmmmmm, yummy!!

Happy Birthday Evan!

For more of the Evan Birthday Cake experience, visit http://youtube.com/steedfamily

Effort Over Victory Indeed!

Despite my best efforts to totally dehydrate myself and fast for three days straight before running my first marathon, I still managed to keep enough food and water in on Saturday to make a marathon attempt. I had major doubts that I would make it very far without hitting a port-a-potty or the wall, but my little friend Immodium did not let me down. Here I am at mile 12, getting ready to take my Power Gel, which I conveniently forgot in the trunk when Lee dropped me at the starting line, but which Erin, my personal trainer, gave to me on the course.Although I kept a respectable pace for a bulk of the race, toward the end the 4:15 pacing group passed me by like I was standing still. Yikes! But...I had no injuries, no chafing, no dehydrating, not even a blister! I was pretty lucky to make it through in 4:26 without getting carted off by an ambulance like some guy I saw at mile 23. Here I am after reuniting with Lee, Erin and Grayson at the finish. Yes, I was that tired. After about 30 minutes of recovery I was feeling much better.

Meanwhile, it was party time for Carissa and Derek back at the Wilson's! A trip to the park, a waterballon toss, surf trip to Malibu with snacks on the beach, then pizza!! What a weekend! Thanks Suz and Tyler!

The Ragin' River

I took some friends rafting on May 19th and 26th. The first weekend we got a great flow. It was 3500 cfs and it was a perfect level for the gorge. The weather was also beautiful and we didn't need to wear wetsuits, which was great.

This is us going through Satan's Cesspool. I think 3500 is the prime level for Satan's. So fun!



The next weekend, I took another 6 friends down the lower, but we didn't luck out with the high flows like the previous weekend. We only got about 1600 cfs, but we still had fun. Here's a picture of us before we put in at Beaver Point.


On the way back to Coloma, we got a flat tire on the van. It was not so fun. Fortunately, I had some guys who were willing to get dirty and change the tire.

How Paige is preparing for baby brother's arrival...

I'm beginning to think Mireille and I are the only people who know how to post something to the family blog! Come on all you Steeders!

Paige is so excited for little brother to come, she has taken to testing out all the things he will be using. For example: she brought her baby to the dinner table the other night in baby brother's car seat to see how it would go. We can check that one off the list: Car Seat is good to go!

Next, Paige showed off her concern for others by getting a blanket to cover up baby. The car seat is still working like a charm, and she will be quite a helper making sure baby brother has a blanket whenever he may need it.

Finally, Daddy set up the crib this morning and Paige immediately needed to test it out to see if baby brother would like it. She requested a sippy cup of milk and a nap for her testing. Crib is also good to go.

I'm wondering how she will feel about baby brother after he makes his arrival. Will she want to give him back? I hope not!

ps - any new name ideas???