Camping on the Deck

It is too hot still in Arizona to go camping, besides Brandon can't take off of work so Jackson and I decided we were going to pretend camp on our porch. We set up the camp chairs and sat out there early in the morning and ate our breakfast. Jack loves being outside. I think he takes after his Grandpa Miller in that respect. Here are some picture from our very brief porch camp-out.

US OPEN

One thing that I would love to see in my lifetime is the US OPEN in NYC. It is all amount drama and intense matches. Plus a little bit of Hollywood with celebrities and fashion on the court. This year I am really hoping that Roddick makes a run for it. He is by far my favorite player because of his charisma and power. I love that he wears his heart on his sleeve in the match and sometimes lets his emotions out (reminds me a little of myself back in my tennis days). Yesterday he had a great match against Santoro who is know to be a wall and a frustrating opponent to some of the best players. He just needs to keep that one-two punch with the power serve and the forehand slam.

Other players to keep an eye on:

Marat Safin: aka the Mad Russian
The Williams sisters: always dominating!
Mardy Fish: girlfriend is a Deal or No Deal model
Fernando Verdasco: hot Spaniard
Novak Djokavic: my prediction to win it all
James Blake: already two close matches and one lucky b******

Good luck to all and enjoy watching some great tennis over the next week and a half. Maybe next year I will get to see the live show but until then I will have to settle for watching it on our HD flatscreen.

Cake Making

Sundays are cake days in the Stoker house, or at least they used to be until Cameron got too cool to make them anymore. So Jack and I decided to make one and start the new mother-son tradition. This week we made Better than Sex Cake. It is my favorite cake: chocolate with caramel and sweeten condensed milk, toffee bits, and whipped cream on top. Here you can see Jackson was in charge of the topping.

Hmm, what's in here? It is pretty tasty? I think I'll have some more.

Let me just get a big handful. What mom, I didn't do it! (Hand caught in the cool whip jar)

Don't worry the lid was on so he didn't actually eat any cool whip, but it sure looks like he is helping himself to a serving or two doesn't it. Not yet little Jack, not yet.

New Car

Did somebody say Mustang Sally? As some of you already know about a month ago I was hit from behind while waiting at a red light and the Grand Am was totaled. As fun as it is to buy a new car it is not so much fun when you have to pay for the new car. Thankfully we had some money saved up because the insurance only gave us $5000 (which I guess is really good but it doesn't equal the price of a new car). Since Brandon has been working so hard we decided that he deserves something fun for him to drive. And so we bought Frank, a beautiful blue 2007 Ford Mustang. We got a great deal and the mileage really isn't too bad for driving to work everyday on (mainly on the freeway). I know it is not a family car but that doesn't seem to stop Jackson from loving to ride in it.

Jack is about 15 years and 8 months shy of driving on his own but that doesn't mean he won't end up a speed demon like his dad.

Toy Time

I am loving this age. I know that every age has it's good times and bad but 4 months is a blast (other than the teething). Jackson is so smart. That might just be a mother thing but I really think he is. He likes to play catch with his duck, has started to figure out his rings, and is playing with lots of other toys too. It is so cool to see him observe me doing something and then doing it. Here we were playing peek-a-boo and he was cracking up! First I was putting the cover over his face and then he started doing it on his own.He has also started to become very shy around people he doesn't know. He will look at a person and smile and then he will put his face into my shoulder like he is hiding from them. It is so cute.

4 Months Fly By

Jackson turned 4 months last week and he is gigantic! He is 27 inches long (which is off the chart for his age). He is also 16.5 lbs which isn't too big (75th percentile). He is laughing a ton now and very ticklish which Brandon loves. He has also discovered how to play catch with himself. He picks up his duck and throws it to his side and then he picks it up again and throws it to the side. It is really funny to watch. We are still working on the tummy time. No rolling over yet but I try to encourage him. He has gotten close so I am hoping it will be any day. I think he is just not interested in rolling over right now because he hates being on his stomach. He still cries every time we put him down on his stomach and just waits for us to come and pick him up.

Our family is staying at the Stokers right now while they are in Scotland with Ashley and Caitlin. They really are world travelers. It is very interesting taking care of two teenagers and a baby. I tried to help Missy with her math homework the other night (Algebra II) and I realized how long it has been since I was in Algebra II. I had to look up factoring on the Internet so I could explain it to her and I still couldn't help her with all the problems. I guess it is good practice for when I will have to help my kids in the future. The first week at the Stoker's was really tough on Jack but once we brought his swing over he felt more at home.


Brandon is in the process of looking for a new job. Working from 3:00am to 5:30pm (sometimes 6:00pm) is not good for him or me. They are running him ragged and it doesn't seem like it is going to change any time soon. I feel so bad for him because all he does is come home and eat dinner (holding Jack in the process so that he can get some father-son time in) and then he goes to bed. Most of our talking during the week is on the phone on his way home from work. Hopefully he will find something soon because I don't know how much longer he can take it

Overall things are great (other than the tough work schedule) and we are happy in Arizona where it is still 109 degrees.

Baby Olympics

I know a lot of people are bashing on the Olympics with all the drug related violations and being in China this year but I still love to watch them. I am amazed by the athletes and their abilities, especially some of them being at such a young age. It is also fun to see all the different events. I watched badminton the other day, how crazy is that? To be an Olympian for badminton. My favorite is obviously the swimming with gymnastics, diving, tennis, and volleyball close behind. I make Jackson watch Michael Phelps in hopes it will inspire him, not that he knows what is going on but you never know. I am convinced he is going to be a great swimmer because he has huge feet, and long body (26 inches already!) and he loves the water. Maybe he won't be an Olympian but he might swim in high school or college. A mother can always hope.

Lazy Saturdays

This is Jackson's new favorite thing to do. On Saturdays he gets to hang out in his PJs and be lazy with his dad. This is the one day I get to sleep in so it is just the boys and Brandon is too lazy to change him so he ends up in his PJs or most of the time in his diaper until about 11:00am. Brandon sleeps in too, but since sleeping in for him is waking up at 6:00am (he usually gets up at 2:00am) it is the perfect father son bonding time. Eventually they come in and wake me, but I don't get around to changing Jack until noon or so. I actually like that about Saturdays. It is the one day I think it is ok to just relax and hang out in your pajamas. Especially when you look as cute as Jackson does in his DI-NO-SOUR PJs. AHH, being lazy is the best.

By the way that is Howie the duck, Jackson's favorite toy.