How to stay cool in AZ summer?

That is the question I have been asking myself lately. But let me add something to it..."How to stay cool and have fun in the AZ summer?" We can only go swimming so many times before the kids get bored and mom is exhausted. So here is what we discovered in our search for fun this past week.

On Monday we went to Barns and Noble. They have a children's book reading every Monday and Friday where they read a book and then have a fun craft. This week we ran into our friends Heather and Gabriella. We haven't seen them in a really long time so it was so fun to spend time catching up. Jackson and Gabriella were so cute holding hands to go and listen to the book and then coloring next to each other. After the book reading we played with the trains and read some books on our own, then we went to the play area. After that we went to the puppy store and by that time it was so hot and the kids were so tired it was time for a nap.
On Tuesday we met up with Heather and Gabriella again at the Artville Museum in Mesa. Liz and Lexie met us there too. I have never been but it was awesome. So kid friendly and there was so much to do. We spend 3 hours there playing and doing activities. They have a music section, a train section, tables with stamps & coloring, puzzles, a kitchen/grocery section, huge stacking blocks, and a baby section just for Lizzy. Jackson and Liz were having so much fun playing that a photographer who is creating a book on Mesa life asked if he could take some pictures of the kids. They sure do love the camera.


Then on Thur we went to Toy Town and met up with some of our friends from our mother's groups. Sorry no pictures. Toy Town is awesome because it is just a big room full of toys and you can hang out all day. They have baby toys, trains, driving cars, dress up clothes, and little houses for playing house. We have been there a few times before but I have never seen Jackson have such a good time. He played with everything, and was very independent. He found these huge Nemo fish and carried them around everywhere. (He is obsessed with Nemo, everything is Nemo. Even his favorite Elmo and Curious George stuffed animals are named Nemo). We stayed for 4 hours and I had to drag Jackson out by his shorts.

The rest of the week was spent hanging at our house, cleaning and playing. Jackson is actually a really big help with cleaning. He likes to vacuum and dust for me. Lizzy loves the dish washer. She isn't much help but she is sure cute.

The last picture is everyone eating breakfast. Jackson insists on Elmo and George (NEMO) eat breakfast with him. He pretends like he is feeding them. I have to remind him to take bites too. It is so funny, I love make believe.

New Project

I have really been working on my sewing skills this summer and coming up with fun ideas for projects. My recent project was a baby present for my close friend Kim who is having her second girl in Sept. For this project I created a bib, onesie (with ruffles on the bottom of course) and a pillow case dress. The dress was my new project. I have seen them on other girls and I knew that they were really easy to make but I didn't know anyone who knew how to make them. So I went on U-TUBE, where you can find anything, and watch a few videos on how to make them. Most of the videos were not very helpful. They gave a general idea though which is what I needed. So I got to work. First I created the pillow case out of the fabric that I liked. These dresses are designed to use vintage pillow cases but you can use any fabric you want. So I cut the pillow case shape, measured the arms based on one of Lizzy's dresses, and finished the neckline with some cute poka dot ribbon. I think it turned out really well and I learned a lot about how to change it for the next time. Now all I have to do is make one for Lizzy because she looks so cute in it.

This last picture is Lizzy free standing. She is getting really good at it and I think she will start walking on her own any day now.

Elizabeth, where is my baby?

Where is my baby? That is the question I have been asking myself lately when I look at Elizabeth. She is just growing too fast. Right in front of my eyes. I feel like I blink and she is doing something new. I know the second child grows up faster than the first but I am just not ready for her to be talking and walking.

When Jackson was growing out of baby hood I was constantly looking for the next milestone. When is he going to smile, sit up, crawl, walk? With Elizabeth the milestones are flying by and all the sudden my infant is no longer an infant but almost a year old. I really need to pay more attention otherwise I will wake up one morning to make up, rock music, and a boyfriend that rides a Harley. (Every father's nightmare).

So here are her current milestones and what she has been up to.

-She is now 10 months old.
-Cruising around all the furniture
-Loves holding our hands and walking around
-Calls me mama and Brandon dada (it is so sweet when she is sad because she gets her little lower lip out and says mamamamamama, I can't resist it).
-She loves chasing Jackson around, where ever he is she wants to be
-She has 1 tooth on the bottom and the other one is coming in next to it
-She eats table food and loves everything we give her, best eater ever!
-She is a huge flirt. Flashing that smile at everyone and giggling.
-She loves people in general and loves to be held
-She is very observant. When I read books she notices when pictures match. Like the ball on the cover is the same ball inside the book.
-She is crawling and scooting. Usually scooting when she wears dresses.
-She is really good with her hands holding bottles, cups, and picking up food with her fingers
-She waves and says bye, bye
-She claps her hands and my hands when we play patty-cake
-She still has really crystal blue eyes
-She pulls up on everything
-She likes opening cupboards and drawers


The one thing I notice the most about her is she has charisma. People and children are drawn to her. Everyone tells me what a beautiful baby she is. They want to hold her and play with her. When we go to play places kids come over and want to play with her and hug her. Today she was in the daycare at the gym and a little boy went up to her and kissed her on the lips. People are drawn to her and she knows that they are putty in her hands.

We had her 9 month check-up a week ago and she didn't even cry when she got her shots. So brave. Here are her stats:

Height: 30 inches (97%)
Weight: 19lbs (75%)

Confessions

Confession #1: I cleaned the whole house today from top to bottom. I vacuumed, mopped, cleaned windows, counters, bathrooms, and dusted. The house was completely clean for a whole hour while I took the kids to Costco. Thankfully it was still clean enough that Brandon noticed when he got home which was nice. Then tonight, after I put the kids to bed I sat and watched mind numbing TV for 3 hours. I love teen drama shows. Even though most of the time the acting is awful.

Confession #2: I looked at my old yearbooks from high school for an hour by myself. My mom sent them to me in the mail and I was just glancing until I got into reading what all my friends wrote and looking at all the old pictures. I know a lot of people look back and think, "what was I thinking" when they look at old pictures. I look pretty much the same. I would like to think that I have gotten older, more mature looking, maybe even more beautiful since I am now a mom, but I have to admit I look just about the same minus some really bad wardrobe choices. Whoever though shell necklaces were cool should move back to Hawaii where they belong.

Confession #3: I went to the gym today and worked out really hard. I did the stair climber and I was actually dripping sweat by the time I was done. Gross I know but it felt good. Then I came home and ate 2 Albertson's chocolate chip cookies. (my favorite) So much for working out.

Confession #4: Today at Costco we ate some lunch and this elderly women was looking at Elizabeth and smiling. Then she told me that Lizzy is so beautiful and has the roundest head she has ever seen. Can you say irony?

Check out Lizzy's tan lines in this picture. She has a better tan than me.

It's Hot Hot Hot

Wow it is definitely summer time here in Arizona. It is at least 105 every day now. I love the sun but the heat is really tough with kids. I have to make sure to slather them with SPF 50 every morning, turn on the air conditioning in my car and let it cool down before I put them in where ever we go, and keeping them hydrated is a constant battle. It is hot. But the water play is so much fun. This week we went to the pool and the splash pad.

As many of you know I belong to a mother's group. It is a group of moms that I met through the internet. They have kids ranging from newborns to 5 years old and live throughout the valley. We get together at least 1 time each week for different activities. One place that we went to was the Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center. It is a really fun pool that has a zero depth area (deepest part is like 3 ft), water slides, and a giant bucket that dumps water every few minutes. At first the kids were hesitant but we have been a few times now and they love it. Well this week I got really brave and I took the kids by myself. We had a great time. I thought I would been to overwhelmed to enjoy it but once we got there it was really nice to spend some time with just the kids and myself. Lizzy loves the water but since she is such a mover now I had to hold her the whole time. Thankfully Jackson has been really brave and independent for the past week and he played in the water with out having to be permanently attached to my hip. He went down the slide all by himself, pulled the levers that dump water on his head, and every time the big bucket dumped the water he would yell, "ooohh, BIG Water Dump." We spent 2 hours there and by the time we were done the kids were sleeping soundly in their seats.
Then on Friday we went to a splash pad at a local mall. You might be asking yourself, what is a splash pad? It is a place that has water that shoots up from the ground at different heights sporadically. They have a lot of them throughout the valley but the one at the mall is close and easy. Jackson doesn't usually like splash pads but in the past few days he has learned that they are really fun. He was running through it, putting his face in the water, and sitting on top of the water that was shooting up. It was so much fun to watch him play. And Elizabeth loves the water. She tries to grab it and splashes around. As I was watching her play she leaned over and opened her mouth to try to drink the water. Then the water started to go down so she leaned farther and farther until her face was on the ground sucking the water. Really gross I know, but it was so funny. She is fearless. She likes to be right in the middle of all the excitement so I can usually find her crawling over to the most powerful water splashes. My little baby daredevil.



We also went to the mall and walked around to get out of the heat. Jackson loves shopping and Lizzy likes the stroller so it is a nice break from the heat. While we were walking around we went by a small carousal and Jackson jumped on to go for a ride. The carousal was broken so it wouldn't go around by they still had fun pretending they were driving. They are really great kids. A lot of work and tiring but I love them so much I can't spend a day away.

Yeah I Know

Yeah, I know. It has been forever since I last blogged. To tell you the truth I have just been lazy. Every night I think I should get on the computer and give an update. . . but I don't. So to all you fans of the Stoker family I have finally gotten motivated and am ready to start blogging again.

Here is what we have been up to lately.
We went on vacation to Seattle for 2 weeks. We stayed with Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Derek and had a great time. Unfortunately Brandon could not take work off so it was just me and and kids but it was still fun. thankfully Brandon's family decided to go to Seattle as well and we were all on the same flights. That was such a big help because I don't think I could have taken both kids on the plane by myself. Jackson had his own seat (we have to pay for him now which sucks because he spent most of the flight in my lap anyways) and Lizzy spent most of her time with Grandma which was so nice. The kids were really good on the flight. Very little crying for how long it was. On the way there we had to go through San Jose so it was a 2 hour flight, 1 hour lay over, and another 2 hours to Seattle. Needless to say they were tired by the end. And one more thing to complain about the airlines, they are so stupid about baby stuff. They made me open every bottle of breast milk I brought so they could check the vapors, and all the baby food I bought on the plane which really stinks because once it is opened it has to be used that day. Plus I had to take all the kids stuff off including Lizzy's shoes, and put my stroller on the xray machine. What a hassle. I am just so glad Brandon's family was there to help.
We finally made it to Seattle and it was of course raining. I expected rain in June but more of the overcast sprinkle than the pouring rain that we got. It rained almost every day we were there except for 1 Sat and I think 1 other day. Jackson thought it was awesome. He ran around with the umbrella stomping in all the puddles in his dinosaur hoodi
es. Thankfully we got a few good days to do some fun things.

We helped Grandma plant flowers.
We went to the zoo with Uncle Adam and Alex. The zoo was a disappointment. There were barely any animals. They got two new lepards that hung out in their tree house, the tiger just had babies so she was in a room with a video camera linked to it, and the walruses and polar bears were lazy and boring. Jackson loved the sharks and all the fish though. He kept saying Nemo and Dori. It was really cute. His favorite by far was the peacock. The zoo just lets the peacock and chickens rome around where ever they want so Jackson spent a good portion of the time chasing the peacock and yelling, "peacock, peacock). It was really cute. I think it was really good for Adam and Alex to come too because they really bonded with the kids. Adam said he was sore the next day from carrying Lizzy around all day. HAHA, now they know the joys of motherhood and why I am so buff.



We also had a BBQ with all our family at my mom's house. Yummy food and we went on an exploration in the woods. It was so nice to see my family. They love the babies so much and are so supportive of our family. I haven't been down in the woods in years, since I was a child actually. We used to play capture the flag and go exploring down there. It is really fun to experience that with Jackson as well. And when we were down there we found 3 old Christmas trees that my Uncle Jim had thrown down there. What a scrooge. Throwing his Christmas trees in the woods to be forgotten and die.

After the BBQ we had a bonfire at our house with Alex and Adam. We just hung out, talking, and eating yummy oversize marshmallows and s'mores. It was so great talking to my brother and cousin because they have been through a lot in the past year with dependency and legal issues. I am just happy that they are now healthy and happy, and being good citizens. I think that the two of them, especially together, are the funniest guys I have ever met. They feed off each other with quips and sarcasm where they can only laugh at themselves.

We also went to the Seattle Aquarium and I haven't been there in years. I love the waterfront. That is what I miss the most about living in AZ. The smell, the sounds, and fresh salty air. And the food. Where else can you walk down the pier with your choice of any fresh fish restaurant within a mile? We ate clams and clam chowder on the pier and fed the seagulls. Then we headed to the aquarium. It was awesome to see all the fish from around the sound. But the best part was the two humongous octopuses. They were amazing. Long tentacles and big, black eyes. They also had a tank in the shape of an arch that had tons of jellyfish in it and you could walk under it, so in a sense you were surrounded by jellyfish. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have any sharks or whales there, and I am not sure it was worth the $17 each to go in (kids for free), but it was still fun.

For father's day we spent the say at my grandparent's house on hood canal. It was really nice to spend time with my father's parents and family since he is no longer here. My grandpa reminds me of my dad so much, he is kind and generous, and always looking for an adventure. It was fun to introduce Lizzy to them as well. My grandmother was never a big baby person, (although she had 5 of her own), but she is wonderful with my kids. She knows to put all her breakable stuff up and out of reach and then she just likes to sit back and watch them. She has been such a big supporter of me and my family choices and I am lucky to have such a wonderful women as an example to me in my life.

We spent the day hanging out on the beach collecting baby crabs and throwing rocks in the water. Jackson was fearless! He picked up those crabs with no hesitation. Even my cousin Alex who is 23 years old won't pick up the crabs, lol. We put them all in a bucket with some water and showed them to the family. Then my grandpa and Jackson went down and released them back into the wild. It is really important to preserve the crabs there because they are almost non-existent on the canal now. I remember as a child we would collect tons of crabs and star fish just walking down the beach. My grandma would put large sheets of newspaper on the table and dump a bucket full of cooked crab that my grandpa caught earlier that day, all for us to enjoy. We would dig clams right in their front yard and bake oysters on the beach. It was at their house that a learned to LOVE seafood. Jackson also enjoyed playing the organ with my grandpa. I can't tell you how many hours I spent jamming on that organ. It is fun from generation to generation. It was a really nice day, calm but adventurous.
We had a nice 2 weeks but like I always say about vacations, I need a vacation to recover from my vacation. It is stressful being away from home, especially with two kids. We missed our house and Brandon. I am glad we went and got to see all our favorite people but it is always nice to be home.

Pre and Post Band

We had Lizzy's last Doc Band appointment yesterday and she is all cleared from the band. Here are some before and after pictures. You can see from the pictures that her head shape has dramatically improved (especially when you look at the middle pictures) and even her posture has improved. Before the band she would compensate by raising her should. She gained length in her head shape as well as height in the forehead which is what effects the eye evenness. I am really glad we decided to put it on her head and I am really glad it is off before the hot AZ summer (high for Sunday is 109).