Is it summer already?

Lately it has been so nice in AZ I can tell summer is quickly approaching. The orange trees are in full bloom with oranges and orange blossoms. There is no better smell than sitting outside at night, in the slightly warm weather and taking in all the orange blossoms. It has been in the high 70s to mid-80s which is just great weather for outside activities including walks, playing at the park, going to the zoo, and playing in the sprinklers which is what we did today. Jackson spends so much time outside right now, going in the yard by himself and playing with all his toys. He already has a small farmer's tan going on.

So as I said we played in the sprinkler today and he wasn't too sure about it. He is such a cautious child. As long as I held his hand he loved running through the sprinkler and trying to drink it. He wanted to make sure that he didn't get too close though. Lizzy loved sitting by the water and having it drip on her legs. They are so cute together, it is times like this when I am so happy to have my family.

Our New Home

I wanted to document the changes we are making to our new house so this post is mainly for me and less for the readers, however it is kind of fun to see what it looks like now compared to when we get all moved in. This isn't what it looked like when we first bought it, this is actually about half way through the renovations. This house was a foreclosure and the previous owner did not clean anything at all. The neighbors said they saw him take the trash out maybe 3 times in the 7 years he lived there. Needless to say the place was trashed. I don't know how people can live like he did. Stains everywhere, garbage everywhere, the toilets were stained and discussting, the front yard was overrun with weeds and dead trees. It was a mess. So we bought it and now we are in the process of fixing it all up. New floors, new light fixtures, granite counters, new appliances, new paint, new doors, new light switches, new hardware in the bathrooms, and a new tiled shower in the master bathroom. It has been really fun picking out exactly what I want, a little stressful, but I have learned a lot and the workers at Lowes are my new best friends. We still have a lot of work to do including landscaping, refinishing the kitchen cabinets, and decorating but I am proud of the work that has gotten done and the way the house is turning out. It is almost like a new house. And Jackson is loving going to the house everyday, and hanging with the workers.



On another note Elizabeth and Jackson are becoming best friends and I love it. Lizzy is rolling over from back to her stomach and her stomach to her back so she can pretty much get anywhere she wants to go and usually that is wherever Jack is. He gives her toys, pushes her in her walker, plays peek-a-boo with her and greets her every morning with a "Hi Lizzy". He is talking up a storm now speaking in 3 and 4 word sentences and copying whatever we say. It is so cute. He has such a great personality. They are both the best kids ever.
Here they are playing peek-a-boo in the laundry room. Lizzy still refuses to sit up on her own but she LOVES hanging in the laundry baskets.

Wait and Delivery

Today was delivery day. We were suppose to get all the appliances for the new house today including the washer and dryer. Well first, last night I was laying in bed talking with Brandon about the house and we decided (after we already bought a fridge and oven) that we want to upgrade to stainless steel. So I call Sears in the morning and cancel the delivery and we have to go through the whole return process. I know it will be worth it in the end.

Anyways, the washer and dryer are still on for delivery today and get this Lowes gives us a delivery window of 12-4pm. THAT'S RIGHT! 4 hours of waiting for a delivery at a house that has no furniture, and no floors, and 85 degrees outside. Did I mention I have to take both kids because the Stoker's are on a Caribbean cruise? So I am hoping and praying that Elizabeth will sleep most of the time and the delivery will be more towards 12 and less towards 4. I prepare myself with McDonald's for lunch (we had a picnic), lots of snacks, lots of water, and some small toys. The first hour flew by because Lizzy slept and Jackson and I just had our lunch. Then we went inside and played for a bit and I fed Lizzy. Well two hours passed, all the workers left and we were still hanging inside the house with no delivery truck in sight. So we went and played in the car in the open garage. Thankfully Jackson LOVES the car. He thinks it is so fun to sit and pretend he is driving, or climb all over the seats. So we played in the car, went for a short drive around the block a few dozen times (the kids were in their car seats, no driving for Jackson yet), and still no delivery truck. Oh yes, 4pm and no delivery truck. I called Lowes and they had NO IDEA where the truck was or when the delivery was going to take place. So I gave up and went home to make dinner and take care of two very crabby children.

Well on the way home from work Brandon receives a call from Lowes saying they will be there at 5pm so he stopped by on the way home to meet them. They finally installed the washer and dryer, hooked them up to make sure they worked and as they are leaving Brandon notices a small puddle forming under the washer. Turns out there was a cut in the hose. Thankfully Brandon caught the Lowes delivery men before they left, they loaded the washer in the truck, and are bringing us a new one. But now I have to go through that delivery process all over again! AHHHH. Why can't they just call when they are almost there and I can go over and meet them? Why does this have to be so hard? Why did I waste my entire day doing nothing but waiting around for nothing?

Okay, now I feel better and got the frustration out. It is hard to be mad when it is something that you just can't control.

Stoker Update

We have been so busy around here I haven't even checked my email in 3 days! Yikes. Usually I check my email 3 times a day. Here is what has been taking up all our time.

-We bought a house. It was a foreclosure that Brandon's dad bought and we decided to go with it and totally update the whole house. This included all new floors, granite counters in both the kitchen and bathrooms, new appliances, new light fixtures, paint, and landscaping work. It has been really fun to pick out all the stuff I love for the house, almost like getting a new house, but very stressful too.

-Jackson has been talking more and more. He says a few 3 word sentences and is using new words every day. He has been letting up on the tantrums too which is good for mom. Lately he has been driving me crazy because he hasn't been eating very well lots of junk and very little real food. Some days are good some not so good. I guess that is typical of toddlers but it is something that I have trouble. He likes doing Sat. chores with the family including mowing the lawn and watering the plants.Wearing dad's shoes.

-Lizzy got her helmet today. It was harder on me than her. I think of it as having braces, kind of uncomfortable at first but then you get used to it. She didn't seem to upset about other than trying to take it off and getting frustrated. It should help her head even out and get to be nice and round just like the rest of her body. She should only have to wear it for 2 months which is perfect because hopefully it will be off by the summer time. She is eating all kinds of homemade baby food now including peas, squash, peaches, applesauce, carrots, and green beans. She also started eating graham crackers and cherrios which she totally loves. My baby is growing up.

All and all things are good here and we are growing together as a family.

Half Way Point

Well Elizabeth is 6 months old now. We have officially reached the half way point of the first year and let me tell you it couldn't be better. She is such a little sweetheart. Just content as can be. Happy, healthy, loves her brother, and so cute. I thought Jackson was a good baby but compared to Lizzy he was a challenge. She is so laid back and lovable. Likes to snuggle, play with her toys, watch Jackson, kiss mom, be tickled, grab her toes and just be around people. Here are a few other things she is doing these days:

-rolls over as soon as we put her on her tummy and just smiles at me when she does it
-eating baby food including rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, peas (hates them), sweet potatoes (hates them more), squash (loves it), applesauce, and peaches
-still takes naps in her swing and sleeps in the bassinet (but will be moving out soon)
-likes playing peek-a-boo with both mom and Jackson
-still has beautiful crystal blue eyes
-loves standing on our legs, hates sitting up on the couch
-not sitting up on her own yet
-makes razz noises and talks like she knows everything
-sleeps 12 hours every night
-prefers to be facing out when being held so she can see what is going on
-loves the bath
-can make the walker go forward and backward
-loves being naked
-no teeth yet but drooling like a faucet so I am sure they will poke through soon

She is such a gorgeous baby, I know Brandon and I are going to have to keep an eye on her. I have had so much fun with her over the past 6 months watching her grow and change and I am just so glad she is my sweet little Lizzy bug.



On another note for those wondering about post baby mama I am still pumping (planning on doing it the full year if I can), and maintaining my pre-baby weight but still working on losing another 10lbs. I know when Lizzy starts crawling it will be no problem to lose the weight chasing after a crawler and a 2 year old ;)

What have we done lately?

We have been busy people. Looking for houses, going to playdates, working on crafts. I am loving the weather in AZ 70 degrees and sunny. Life is good and we are happy. A little stressed about the house and about Lizzy's helmet but other than that we are happy.

Happy Girl wearing the dress Grandma Miller made her.

Colin and Jackson playing in the car at Toddler McDonald's

Jackson and the girls taking a ride on the Kamodo Dragon at the zoo. (not the real lizard)

Lizzy at the zoo riding in the front of the stroller and loving it!