Mini Vacay

Get The Net!

ryan and i took a much needed, wonderful, mini-vacay to lake texoma this past weekend. we went to play on the water, get some sun, and also visit ryan's best friend, Jay, and his wife, who lives on the lake. we had such a wonderful weekend and caught tons of fish! not to mention that i got to play with their sweet 4 month old baby, Kenzie Kay...she is absolutely adorable. Can you say baby fever....yup!

ryan and sweet kenzie.

jay just happens to be the best fishing guide on lake texoma, and so we were lucky to have an awesome guide, who knew right where all of the good fish were. the boys kept us so busy that we didn't really get much laying out done. i found that you can't really lay out and fish at the same time...i tried.

thank you to fuller's guide service for a wonderful time fishing! we caught tons of awesome stripper and he knew all of the best spots on the lake. if you are interested in a guided fishing trip, feel free to contact me and i can give you his information. below are some pictures from our adventures. enjoy!

according to jay and ryan, you aren't fishing the right way unless you wake up at the crack of dawn. yup, we woke up at 5:30am, only because i slept in, and saw the sun rise on the boat...it was actually really fun...after i got over the fact that i was up when it was dark :)

one of the first catches of the day!

Reeling in a big one!

Jay's wife, Laura, and I enjoying the boat ride.

Laura and Jay. Laura caught a big stripper!

and another!

We were catching them left and right. so fun!

me and my sweet hubby.

i had to document almost all the fish we caught :) lol.

awww i love him.

one of my larger stripper that i caught.

laura and i took a golf cart ride around the lake in the evening, while the boys went bass fishing. it was so fun. the lake is sooo pretty!

my sweet aunt paula watched our two little doggies, beau and sissie, and when we got home, we walked up to the door with them waiting for us. so sweet. i love coming home to our sweet pups.

XOXO The Stephens



When your're 40 you get attacked by silly string...Truth!

hi friends! i am a little behind on my posts for the week, and there was lots of fun had over the weekend and the last few days. lots of good family and friend time :)

Saturday was a jam-packed day of birthday party fun. Saturday evening after the "bieber fever" birthday party, we celebrated ryan's good friend from work, Robbie's 40th birthday. we started off with some volleyball. apparently, this was "extreme volleyball", as the boys were very competitive. or at least when you mix beer and volleyball, and some good ole country boys. we rocked out to Eric Church all night, ate great home-cooked food (smoked pork shoulder...yummm), and had a few birthday shots with the birthday boy. it was a great night. and is totally our kind of fun.

then, apparently, when you turn 40 years old, you get this.... yes, a bunch of children attacking you with silly string. good times.

then followed up by the perfect attire....

my sweet husband enjoying the party. he is such a great hubby.



saturday evening when we got home after the cookout/birthday party, I found a nice little surprise on our door step from Ryan's dad. since he knows my love of horses, since Ivy is staying at his ranch, he has been teaching me all about horses and riding. i rode horses as a kid, but i have certainly never trained one. he thought this horse book would be good for me to read while i learn about miss Ivy and how to train her :) so sweet of him. it was such a wonderful surprise.

in our efforts to eat healthy, i cooked ryan and i salmon and vegetables this week....i was really excited because with a little seasoning, it turned out really yummy. i had no idea salmon from wal-mart (not farm raised...it is fresh) would be so good. i was convinced that only the restaurants could make salmon that good. i was wrong. :)

Of course I have to do a review of my favorite shows of the week.....

As our monday night ritual, we watch the bachelorette...and by "we", I mean me and our dogs. Ryan sometimes joins in...if he is really bored. lol. he watched previous episodes that were interesting, but he has found emily's season to be a little less drama filled (less interesting). but ryan's mom understands the need to watch the bachelorette and so her and i decided to watch the "men tell all" episode this monday together, while the boys swam. after finding out that the men didnt really tell all, and all that they did tell we already knew.... we decided swimming was the better option. We ended the night in the pool making a wave pool with ryan's nephews. way better than "the men tell all". psh.

for all of those pretty little liars fans, yes I am one of them....it's bad. last night's (tuesday) episode was PACKED with clues on who "A" is. i picked up on several. it was one of my favorite newer episodes so far. We found out that Garrett is no longer on the hook and being charged with murder, and the clue (anklet) that Spencer and Jason found changed everything for the case. Emily found some clues possibly leading to Mya, and the list goes on. i also have a weird feeling that Spencer has something to do with the "A" crew..she knows a lot and seems to be involved in everything. at the end of the episode she broke down once she found out that Garrett was no longer being charged with the murder. What does she have against Garrett if he isn't guilty? maybe that she will now be the one in the spot light? for those PLL fans, share your thoughts!

SOA (sons of anarchy) starts September 11th! GET READY!

Happy Wednesday!

XOXO The Stephens

Bieber Fever

yes, that would be a "bieber fever" birthday cake....ryan's sweet niece, Jayce, has already established the type of guy she likes...the bieber types. as a kindergartener she is pretty certain that she is in love with him, and decided that she wanted a Justin Bieber birthday party. the beebs was quite popular at this birthday bash. the bieber fever birthday for miss Jayce took place at Skateland, and everyone had a blast.  ryan's sister, casey, and i decided we were determined to out skate the young ones, and reflect back on our 7th grade days where we spent our Saturday nights at Skateland....shuffling. for those of you who don't know about shuffling, you are misisng out. :) of course shuffling these days is quite different, apparently, as the regulars were quick to correct us. we attempted to show them our 7th grade ways, and requested "The Dity" by paperboy...and they had NO CLUE what it was. are you kidding! omg! I thought everyone was aware of "The Dity" song! we officially felt really...really old, and settled for Vanilla Ice. the birthday girl was happy, and we had such a great time. we are so blessed with amazing family. below are some of the candid's we snapped of the partay. 

the birthday girl right before heading to the party :) giving nonnie a little pose. so sweet!

 

miss payton is ready to skate! her very first time on skates. so sweet!

aunt Pam is explaining how the skates work and sweet payton is listening really closely :)

success! she is loving it. my mother-in-law, carol, and ryan's grandma are helping payton get started.

then payton decided she liked the race car game a little more than the skates :)

brayden loved skating. this was his first time on skates and by the end of it, he was skating all by himself...at 2 years old. he  kept saying "im doing it guys"....such a cutie! precious...these are the moments we will remember forever.

Casey and i had a lot of fun :) we forgot how much fun we used to have in 7th grade at good ole' skateland.

we may have had even more fun than the kids...HAHA!

Kameron decided he didn't want to wait for the cake to be cut. LOL! what a cutie.

Jayce, the birthday girl, decided to go ahead and join in.

Jayce got tons of dolls, hello kitty items, and of course...Justin Bieber things. even a Justin Bieber doll, which came with his CD.  she left the party carrying the doll and her new Justin Bieber backpack. love it. definitely Bieber Fever going on around here.

Payton cheering everyone on! so precious.

all in all, the birthday party was a huge success and we all had a wonderful time. we really enjoy family time and i couldn't think of any better way to spend the afternoon. the kids grow so fast and i can't believe jayce is almost in kindergarten. such a sweet, big girl. happy birthday Jayce Ann...uncle Ry Ry and Aunt NaNa love you.

XOXO The Stephens

Fashion Friday

TGIF! the weekend couldn't come sooner. i am really looking forward to a fun-filled weekend of family time, summer breeze concerts, birthday's and BBQ's. ryan's sweet niece Jayce is having her birthday. ryan and i will have a chance to break the dusty 8th grade speedskates out, and hit the skating rink at "skateland" for her birthday. yes, we still have our speedskates...don't judge. this should be good and i hope to get some candid shots of us on skates :) ryan's work is also having a big birthday bash for a friend he works with, which means tons of BBQ and great food, out on their land. we always end the evening with a game of sand volleyball. ryan and i have gotten kinda good and it has turned out to be a pretty serious competition with the bob's plumbing guys. the summer breeze concerts are this weekend at lion's park and so we just might have to take the doggies to listen to the bands. and of course I couldn't end the weekend without seeing miss Ivy League, so we will go down to the ranch and visit her. we have a jam-packed weekend, but tons of fun. i will be sure to share photos of the weekend festivities.

since it is Friday, i will do a "fashion friday" post. i wanted to share a favorite Stella and Dot item from the new collection, a DIY item, and a cute clothing item. The new fall collection is super cute, and i couldn't wait to see it. to have a party or purchase contact my friend Christine.


i am loving this Stella and Dot Olivia necklace, it is super cute. and goes with casual and dressy.

my friend ashley also made this super cute turquoise one that is a little similar, and best part is it is a DIY project! to see how she made it, visit her blog. i definitely plan on making this :) hehe. i will certainly share my experience. thank you ashley!

Jcrew is having a sale....and i like this corally sweater. best of all its only $29.99. fall is coming soon, right?

and i would definitely need the Stella and Dot horseshoe necklace to go with the sweater.

a fashion friday thought of the week....i really, really wish they would open up an H&M here. i know, we live in norman, but STILL. i am dying for an H&M right now.

XOXO The Stephens

Birthday's and Dominoes

so i had to share a few things going on in the last couple weeks. it has been a busy busy few weeks, but so much fun. July was definitely the month for birthdays and celebrations :)

my uncle bob turned 50! big time - yay! Happy birthday uncle bob! his sweet wife angela put together a full day of events for him and our family and friends. it was such a wonderful time, and she couldn't have planned the day better. everyone truly enjoyed it, and more importantly the birthday boy was so happy! the boys started off the day playing golf. and by starting out the day i mean a crack of dawn tee time - 6am. they all had a blast and the shanking of golf balls was kept to a minimum. then we all got ready for a wonderful dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant in Moore called "Banchettos" (pic below). it was really yummy. after dinner we all went and saw The Amazing Spiderman in 3D at Warren Theater. it was such a good movie, by far my fave of the spidermans.

the birthday crew...

ryan and i enjoying bob's birthday party...love my hubby. im so lucky.

the yummy birthday cake from cheesecake factory - peanut butter cup cheesecake. it was seriously amazing. if you haven't had it, it is a must! the best part about this picture is bob and his "50 attire". his wife angela (in the background) made him wear it proudly :) hehe. he enjoyed it.

one of my BFF's, Kelli, also had a birthday on July 5th :) Happy birthday to one amazing bestie. i am so blessed to have such a great friend. she is truly wonderful. we celebrated with dinner on lake hefner at Mama Rojas. it was my first time to eat there and i have to say it is now my new favorite mexican restaurant!



The first week of july we celebrated ryan's nephew, Konnor's, birthday with a family dinner at Los Dos Amigos - one of his favorite restaurants. it was so much fun! ryan and i love family time, and i am so lucky to have the most amazing in-laws. blessings! the best part was Konnor wearing the sombrero and the singing. every middle-schoolers most embarrassing moment. at that age, being cool is a must. love it.

first comes the hat....

then comes the singing....



then one of my dearest, greatest, long-time family friends, Anissa, turned 21 this week (July 11th)....and we had to celebrate with a lemonada! Such a sweet girl and so glad we got to celebrate.

we rounded of our wednesday evening last night with a good ole domino game of "Mexican Train" with my sweet grandparents. we love playing this game as a family, it is such a blast. grandpa fixed us salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies to start...then the competition began.

serious competition going on....grandpa's move.

and my winning hand finished off the two hour long competition....grandma looks as if she thinks maybe she has the winning hand :) hehe. love my sweet grandma.

a few people have asked me how to play this domino game of Mexican Train, so i thought i would share the "how to"...click here to learn how to play. Note : we use the double 9 domino as our first play. the instructions say to use the double 12 domino to start the game. this is not a requirement...you can just use the highest number you have in your set.

because i love to include random things in my posts, i had to share a "must have" item of the week, which i have to purchase. Christine Rorabaugh, a good friend, suggested this item for me as a must have....duh...due to my love of horses :) She knows my obsession. This is a super cute horseshoe charm necklace from Stella and Dot. Christine sells Stella and Dot jewerly, so if you are intereted in purchasing or having a party (to get free jewelry) contact her. The parties are a blast.

and because i love my horses....i had to end the post with a sweet picture of miss Ivy (Ivy League) getting her bath. she LOVES the water.



XOXO The Stephens