Crazy Chid

Lately Jackson has had so much energy I am not sure if he has a secret stash of red bull that I don't know about. The kid wakes up around 9 still but plays and talks and screams all day. I have to put him down for a nap around 2 and make him sleep for an hour or so before he is ready to go again until sometimes 10 at night. Maybe it is all the people around or all the fresh air. . .whatever it is entertaining him all day is making me exhausted, lol.

Life at the Resort

The good thing about having no money is we get to live at Brandon's parent's house for the summer. Now it might not be our own home, and we might not have all the liberties and privacy that we are accustomed to however. . .it is like living at a resort. They have a pool with a slide and waterfall, an indoor raquet ball court, a movie/game room with surround sound TV and HD flatscreen, someone who makes dinner for us everynight, and even a few live in babysitters (between Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Missy, Uncle Cam, and Aunt Ashley there is always someone willing to watch and play with Jackson). All I can say is if we are going to live somewhere that isn't our home, the Stoker's home is the BEST!

Moving On

Today was moving day and man am I glad it is over. Well, not totally over. I still have some cleaning to do next week but everything is out and in storage. I HATE MOVING! Thankfully Brandon's family was there to help and today was not hot which really helped. I'm just glad it is done so I can get settled and enjoy my Sunday.

Best American Idol EVER!

This season of American Idol was AWESOME! I really thought it was the most talented group of people (at least the top 5 were) and to top it all off my fav KRIS ALLEN won, which makes it so much better. Jackson loves American Idol. I think it is the lights and the singing. For some reason when we watch it, I DVR it of course too many commercials, he is just mesmerised and he sits on the couch and watches it quietly unless he is singing along which he does often. Anyways, back to the show. Best one I have seen so far with all the guest singers and surprises, including Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas, Queen, Santana, Keith Urban and even KISS. Now I am not a reviewer but if you missed it you should definitely watch it on FOX.com.

Here are some pictures of Jack dressed up for American Idol. Who knows, he might be a future idol. He put the beads on himself, his new favorite thing.

Reading is fun

Lately Jackson has been obsessed with reading his books. He goes into his room and points to them until I get one down. Then he looks at it for a few minutes, stands up, and points to another one. He is so funny. The other day I went into his room to check on him and he was sitting in his rocking chair looking at The Hungry Caterpillar.

**By the way, we are moving into Brandon's parent's house this week so that we can save some money and hopefully move into a house at the end of the summer.

Turtle or Hamburger?

Well I went back to get another ultrasound and the technician confirmed that we are having a GIRL! Some of you might ask. . .hamburger or turtle? The tech guy informed me that this is how they can tell if it is a boy or a girl. Girls look like a hamburger and boys look like a turtle. Now since I already have a boy I could tell that this one is definitely not a turtle.

I know that I said that I really wanted a boy but I even surprised myself that I was really excited that we are having a girl. I started thinking about Jackson being such a good older brother, and we will have one of each which is great. . . that way when I talk Brandon into having another one (which won't be any time soon) I won't care what we have.

I know she is still in my belly but I have to say from what I have seen and felt so far she is a feisty little girl. Always kicking and moving around. She even had her little hands up in front of her face like she was boxing when we were having the ultrasound. The tech guy tried to get a 3D pic but she refused to move her hands and then I think she had enough poking and prodding because she flipped over so all we could see was the back of her head. I've got another spunky one on my hands.

BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS EVER!

I just wanted to let everyone know about this really great author/illustrator that I love. His name is Matthew Van Fleet and his books are amazing. The illustrations are awesome and they are really fun books for toddlers. The age range is usually from 2-5 years old but Jackson has two of his books and he absolutely loves them. They have bright colors, touchy-feely pages, peek-a-boo pages, and pull tabs that are so much fun for kids. Plus some of the animals he uses I have never even heard of so I know they are educational. I know you can get the books in any book store, or Target, but Walmart has the best prices. They are a little pricey (at least I think so because I usually don't want to spend more than $10 on a book) they range from $12- $20 but they are totally worth it.

Here is his website: http://www.dragonflys.com/index.shtml

I would like to recommend Tails or the Alphabet because those are the ones we own but I am sure they are all great.

The Adventures of Captain Toilet Paper

Today was the best day! It was one of those days when I couldn't help but smile all day long, and at the end of the day I just kept thinking how lucky I am to be a mom and have such a great family. So what made it so great? Well Jack woke up early (8:00am) which isn't too early thankfully but I was still a little tired. We played for awhile this morning and then we decided to make yummy french toast and bacon. This was the really good french toast out of Texas toast bread. Suffice to say, it was delicious and Jackson really enjoyed the french toast.

Then after I cleaned up we went down to the pool for a bit of a dip. There was no one there so we had the whole pool to ourselves. Jackson played on the steps for awhile while I got some much needed sun, then we swam together and he even jumped in (from a sitting position) to me a few times. We played for about an hour and I think that was enough because Jack was looking pretty tired. So we came back up to our apt and Jackson took a good 2 hour nap while I did some work, played on the Internet, and took a shower. After Jackson woke up from his nap we had some late lunch and I am so proud to say Jackson ate a whole baby bowl of mixed veggies and a string cheese. He never eats all of it without me reminding him about it like a million times but today he ate it happily. Then I rewarded him with a few fruit snacks which made his day!

***SIDE NOTE: everyday Jackson goes into the pantry and brings me a bag of fruit snacks pretty much telling me to open it. I say thank you and put them behind the couch or somewhere else that he can't see. Then he goes back to the pantry and gets another bag. This will happen about 5 times before I finally give in and give him a few. It is pretty funny actually. OK back to my day. After lunch we played in his room and listened to music. I did some scrap booking and Jack decided he was going to help me put some stickers on the pages. He loves the scrapbooks. He also read the Hungry Caterpillar or I guess looked through the book all by himself for like 20 min. He is so funny. Then we played a rousing game of peek-a-boo where Jack held the blanket up in front of his face over and over again and just laughed at himself.

After that we started to make dinner. Jackson helped his dad get ready for his meeting while I made spaghetti and meatballs which is my all time favorite meal. I am cooking when all the sudden Jack comes out draped in toilet paper waving his arms around and yelling (talking loudly). It was SO FUNNY because the toilet paper was draped all over him and there was a long strip down his back that looked like a cape. Then Brandon had to leave for his meeting so Jack and I ate spaghetti together. He ate all of his meatballs, along with another piece of french toast, and another bowl of veggies and a whole cup of milk. I was so proud of him. We finished our day with a bath, books, and a little bit of video taping peek-a-boo. Then around 8:00 Jack quietly went to bed with his puppy dog and blanket in hand. All I got today was smiles and fun. It was the best. Here's hoping tomorrow will be just as good.

Mother's Day

So my first year as a mother has truly been the most gratifying of my life. I love Jackson and I really do miss him when I am away, even if it is only for a few hours. With the next one on the way I wanted to reflect on what I love about being a mother.

1. I love seeing a smiling face when you walk into the room
2. I love snuggle time, even if it is only for a few seconds
3. I love taking care of someone that is more important than myself
4. I love watching my son learn, and knowing that I taught him that
5. I love having someone to kiss goodnight, every night
6. I love having a person to hangout with all the time. . .I hate being alone
7. I love sharing food with Jack, he eats just enough to cut the calories but not too much that I am still hungry
8. I love the innocence of children
9. I love feeling the new baby grow and move inside me
10. I love how close our family has become with the addition of 1

One thing that I hate about motherhood is the out of control feeling you get when you can't fix something or make it right. Jackson was walking around and he tripped and got a bloody lip (from his own teeth) yesterday and I felt totally helpless because I couldn't stop the bleeding or make it feel better. All I could do was hold him and let him know that I was there. I feel that way whenever he is sick or hurt and I know that this is only going to get bigger and harder as he gets older. I just need to remember that ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE and everyone has their own agency. All I can do is be there and hopefully that will be enough.

Motherhood is the most humbling and rewarding experience in life, and I wouldn't change anything about it.

Girl or Boy?

Today was my mid-point ultrasound and I have a feeling that Brandon and I are going to have our hands full with this next one. The baby was moving the entire time, so much in fact that the ultrasound technician had to follow the baby around my tummy just trying to catch a picture. He got a couple of good ones, however to our dismay the baby would not stay still enough to see if it is a boy or a girl. I am a little bummed because I wanted to start picking out baby room stuff (I am going to make everything this time. . .maybe you have some tips for me Jor), and the name game is easier when you can narrow done the sex of the baby. This wiggly baby syndrome is not a first in my pregnancy. Every time I have a checkup we can hear the baby kicking so much that it is sometimes hard to hear the heartbeat. Thankfully the ultrasound technician said that if we want to come back when the place closes or opens he will check it out to see if he can figure out the sex for free. I wasn't so sure about having a guy do the ultrasound, but he was really nice and funny so I am happy with the results. Here are a few pictures of the pregnancy, Jackson, and the new baby. Happy weekend everyone!




19 1/2 weeks and feeling good



Jackson and me hanging out on the porch in the 105 degree weather. . .that's right 105 today!

Shabby Blogs

I found this new website thanks to a wonderful photographer and friend from the HOT MAMAS! It is awesome for blogs. It has really cool designs and backgrounds that are free, which is great for MEEEE. Hope you all check it out.

http://shabbyblogsblog.blogspot.com/