Wednesday, October 29, 2008

NBA. . .It's on like Donkey Kong

Can I just say it was a long summer with my beloved Sun's going out in the first round. So I only think it is fitting for their first game to be against San Antonio (the team that dismissed them last season). And the Spurs are up to their old tricks. Hack a Shaq, flops, throwing elbows left and right. Only two things can make me happy when I see the Suns play the Spurs. First is us beating them, which we did tonight (103-98). Then seeing Ginobli out for the first part of the season. There is not a player that I loathe more than Ginobli. Both of those things happened tonight and the Suns have started their 08-09 season 1-0. Only 81 games to win! Don't get me wrong, I know they won't win all 82 games but beating the Spurs is definitely a good start. The team looked good tonight. I like the new additions, especially Matt Barns, and I have a feeling the new coach is going to do a great job! Still the same old Suns running and gunning, but slowing down every once in a while and playing some tough D. We are going to the game on Saturday, but before they beat down the young Trailblazers they will have to play the Hornets and another player I hate, CP3. Chris Paul is a great player but Nash is still the best and most effective point guard in the game. Tomorrow will be a good example of Nash's impact and greatness. Tune in to TNT for a great game.

GO SUNS ALL THE WAY!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Hot Mommas keep me sane





So I am in this mother's play group called the hot mommas and I love it because I can get out of the house (and not just to Target where I spend way too much money). We do all kinds of fun activities. Last week we went to the zoo which was so much fun. I love the zoo. The Phoenix zoo is pretty nice. Not as good as San Diego or even Point Defiance (in WA) but we had a good time. Jackson liked the giraffe because it can right up to the fence and he sees giraffes in his bedroom all the time. I actually think he recognized the giraffe from the ones in his bedroom which is exciting. It is amazing to see babies change and grow. We also painted pumpkins the other day. Jack is not so good at painting but he did like smearing around the paint that I put on the pumpkin. Thankfully it was non-toxic, washable paint because as soon as he was done he decided to give the pumpkin a big, open mouth kiss. That crazy kid puts everything in his mouth. I guess it is a good thing I'm not obsessed with germs. Anyways, thank you Hot Mommas!

Check out the drool machine. He is like a faucet.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

1/2 a year


Here is an update on Jackson's stats. He is 6 months old now and doing everything a 6 month old should be able to do. He talks (mama), sits up on his own, can hold objects and switch hands (although he favors his left so I think he is going to be a lefty). He is also looking like he wants to get in position to crawl but he is just not sure how to do it yet. He is a really good boy and we are so happy to have him in our lives. We had a photo shoot the other day and here are some shots that I thought were cute.
Height: 28.5 inches (95%)
Weight: 19lbs (85%)
Head: 44 cm (75%) He has a pumpkin head.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

No Peas Please


I read in some text book in college that it takes 7 times for a child to like a new food. That means that it takes 6 failures of introducing a new food until they finally will eat it. Well I thought I was ahead of the game because the first time Jackson tried anything new he liked it. He would eat peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, any kind of fruit, everything was the same to him. Now that he is getting older he is learning that some foods taste better than others. For instance peas and green beans=yuck. .. peaches and pears=yummy. I am trying to provide the best nutrition possible but it is so hard to get the kid to eat a green vegetable. Every time I offer it he makes a sour face and then gags. Brandon finds it very comical while I am beginning to get a little frustrated. I guess I will have to offer them a few more times before I get him to like them, but until then it will be green bean spew.
This is our getting ready for bed ritual. We put him in his PJs and then we make him laugh like crazy to wear him out. It is really funny and it works because he usually sleeps 10-12 hours a night. How lucky are we?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Pumpkin Picking

I love this time of year: the cool breeze, the changing colors on the trees, the Autumn smell. . . Arizona has none of these fall symptoms. There are also no real pumpkin patches here. You know the kind where you go to the pumpkin farm and there are dozens and dozens of pumpkins still on the vines waiting to be picked up and placed in a wheel barrel to go home with eager pumpkin carving families. I guess I might be dreaming of memories that I had from my childhood but I still miss it.

If I may be nostalgic for a bit. . . Halloween is my favorite holiday and I think that is because my dad made it so exciting and memorable. He loved Halloween too. Going to the pumpkin patch and picking out our favorite pumpkin that year. Adam always wanted the biggest one he could get his arms around. I need the perfect pumpkin with no flat sides, but I always had trouble deciding if it should tall and slim or short and fat. Sarah liked the little pumpkins for less digging out of the guts. Mom would pick one just because everyone else got one, but she was always more interested in watching us than carving her own. And dad picked one that complimented the others, sometimes it was the strangest one in the bunch but he always had great ideas for his pumpkin. Then we would set up the newspaper in the garage and begin the gutting. This took several hours most of the time because all the kids got sick of it after 10 minutes and dad ended up doing the dirty work. . . but he didn't mind. Next we would get out the pumpkin carving kits and pick our favorites that year. All the little holes to outline the design and the little serenaded knives for the carving. Finally when all were finished we would put them on the kitchen counter, light them up, turn off all the lights and admire our hard work Then out on the steps they would go for the whole street to enjoy.

So in grand tradition we decided to go on a search for the perfect pumpkin but no farms were to be found. So we ended up at a small display (they called it a pumpkin patch but it was mainly barrels of hay with pumpkins all over). It wasn't the farm but it would have to do. It wasn't
crisp outside (95 degrees) but we still had fun looking over all the pumpkins and choosing our favorite family jack-o-lantern. The carving is still to come but for now you can enjoy the idea of the pumpkin patch and Jackson's first Halloween experience.



Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Jammin'


I love homemade jam. This time of the year is wonderful for making jam too because of all the great deals that you can get on fruit this time of the year. I recently made some with Grandma Stoker and it was delicious and easy. We made pear and peach jam. All you have to do is cook the fruit in hot water (just to remove the skins and soften) and then cool to touch. Then peal off the skin, and put the fruit in a food processor. Then follow the directions on the pectin package, pour into jars, put the lids on, flip over the jars (this locks the seal), and let cool. It was really fun and I encourage everyone to try it because there is a real sense of accomplishment when you are finished and you see all those yummy jars. It is a great Christmas present for friends and neighbors. Here is a picture of Jack helping out. As you can see he wasn't too helpful, but very cute.