Stoecker Family

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T20:18:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season kicked off for us with Jalen's first school concert on December 5th. Only problem is that (in addition to me forgetting the camera, oops!) Jalen was buried behind a few other boys who were all as tall as him. We caught glimpses here & there of him but never a clear enough look to get a picture on Mark's phone. So the pictures will start with the Ward Christmas Party and my handsome shepherd and ADORABLE little sheep.

Jalen the Shepherd

Lizzie the Sheep

Kate isn't in Primary yet so she "helped" Mark take pictures of the big kids.

We almost had the same problem with documenting Elizabeth's first school concert that we had with Jalen's. I remembered the camera this time (it was on 12/19 so with Abby being here my brain was working a bit better!) but she was behind a ton of other little girls, all nearly her same height! Thankfully the younger kids are more fidgety so we got more chances to see Liz and capture her cuteness.

Liz at the concert

another of Lizzie at her concert

I'm not sure why Lizzie looks so annoyed in this picture but I think it is a cute picture of her anyway!

Our next Christmas adventure was Jalen opening his gifts. Since he was traveling to Montana to spend Christmas Day with his dad & stepmom we opened presents the day before he left.

Jalen "thanking" his sisters for the gift they got him.

Katy and Liz opening stockings

Katy, all dressed for church (and, apparently, really ticked off)

No more naked Barbies at my house!

Mike is now a part owner of the Green Bay Packers

Grandpa Chip got a REALLY cool coffee maker (he was more excited than he looks!)

Santa knew Lizzie really wanted a nutcracker for Christmas

Lizzie got a handmade Cabbage Patch doll (that used to be Aunt Sarah's when she was little)

Katy got one too (and loved on her LOTS!)

Santa (or was it Mark?) knew I really wanted a new crock pot.

Abby got a playmat/baby gym~she likes it for about 10 minutes at a time.

Mommy & Abby saying "good-night" after a wonderful Christmas day.

2011 in Pictures~Part One

2011-12-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of things we did this from around September on. I'll post the earlier part of the year as soon as I get a chance.

Ready for the Primary Program

Katy got a new friend

Katy LOVED the bounce house at the GoDaddy picnic

Look at that smile!

Jay & Liz on the inflatable obstacle course

Jay, sliding at the end

Liz made it to the end too!

Jay, jumping like a spider monkey

Jay loved the climbing part

"I'm triumphant!"

Liz liked the bounce house too

sisters, playing together

Jay turned 10 and got his Webelos colors

and a new neckerchief to wear with his uniform

Mark & my bedroom got a makeover!

Liz & Jay go to a uniform school this year (and Liz ROCKS the uniform)

We added a new family member~this is 2.5 hours before she joined us!

And here she is!

Abigail Jane 9lbs 15oz and 21.5 in~born 12/08/11 at 8 a.m.

Jay meeting Abby

Lizzie meeting Abby

Kate meeting Abby

I have THREE daughters!!!

another shot of my sweet Abigail Jane

Just some fun pictures from the last few months

2011-04-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have been TERRIBLE about updating over the last few months but here are some fun (or maybe not so fun but I like them!) pictures of some stuff we've done since last November (when I last updated!)

trick or treating at Aunt Sarah's house Halloween '10

my 2 fairy princesses & Anakin Skywalker

one of only a few pictures showcasing my red hair with bangs look ;-)

it was crazy hair day. think this look qualifies?

Lizzie LOVES making crafts & this one was her FIRST!

and a front view of her handiwork

Kate got to place the angel last year~now all 3 kids have done it!

Mark & the kids showing off their decorating skills

Me & my BFF Stephanie~her planning made my 30th birthday something I actually WANTED to celebrate!

My handsome hubby & me, enjoying my birthday dinner.

And there you have it. I probably have a few more pictures stashed safely away on the memory disk of my new camera & as soon as I get motivated enough to get them on the computer I promise I'll share them!

For what it's worth, the kids are all healthy & growing like MAD, Mark is doing an amazing job providing for our family (he recently got his, I don't know, 10th-or something like that- promotion & raise) and is LOVING being the cubmaster of Jalen's pack. I'm still working on being a mom (seriously, what a work in progress!) and being a homemaker (another MAJOR work in progress!) and learning how to balance everything that goes along with those 2 most important jobs. We love & miss all of our family and friends we don't get to see regularly (or at all!) and want everyone to know that Arizona has an open door policy so PLEASE come visit! We may not have 5 star accommodations but we love house guests (my mom is a frequent overnighter) and our pool and new infrared grill are DYING to be shown off.

My home is ALMOST complete!

2010-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

We have been living in our house for just over 6 months now & for some time now I have been feeling disappointed. Mostly because we had the furniture from the 1100 sq. ft condo in a 2100 sq. ft. house & it was NOT what I envisioned our home looking like.
Well, it looks like that NO MORE! A few weeks ago I went to a furniture store, bit the bullet & bought a BEAUTIFUL sectional for our family room & an AWESOME dining table & stools for our dining room. Here is our family room before the new couch:

And here it is now!

We were sporting the same empty look in the dining room (please ignore the various bits of clutter!):

Now, here is our new table! (plenty of room for big dinner parties! YAY!)

It has an internal leaf that adds about 6 or so inches to the length. Also notice the little table behind it. That will be the "star" in a little DIY home improvement project I have planned. SO EXCITED!

We've also been kind of scanty in what could be in our front room & I'm pleased to say that is no longer the case! Here's the front room now:

This isn't EXACTLY what it will ultimately look like (or even what it will look like for long, we had to move a few things so the delivery guys could bring in the new furniture) but I'm happy to have furniture in there! I feel like we actually LIVE here now, not like it's just somewhere we happen to be staying.

Oh the JOYS of home ownership!!!

And one more picture, just because it's awesome:

Katy, chillin' on the new sofa.

The Primary Program

2010-10-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Primary Program for our ward & since Lizzie is a Sunbeam this year it was the first time we had two kids participating. I've been sick WAY more than usual this fall so we must have been home the Sunday they announced it & passed out parts because I was informed LAST Sunday it was coming up this week! Thankfully we were able to get the kids' parts from their teachers & they got to attend practice on Saturday so they were well prepared.
One funny thing happened. When I heard Lizzie say her part at practice on Saturday it sounded like she said "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He gave me a body & found me a beautiful world." I was pretty sure that wasn't what her line actually was so I made sure I got her script so we could practice it together and she could be more clear on Sunday. Well, practice we did. Lizzie memorized her part (the actual line is "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He gave me a body, a FAMILY and a beautiful world.") and I gave the kids a pep talk as we drove to church. When Lizzie's turn arrived she walked up to the microphone, stuck her face in it & said...something completely different! We think that another child must not have shown up because Lizzie's line wasn't said AT ALL! At first I thought "Well, THAT was a waste of time, practicing her line!". Then I laughed because she didn't seem confused at all when the Primary President "fed" her the different line. Apparently she couldn't tell the difference!
Jalen also got to sing a duet with one of his friends from his class (the kids all sang "Follow the Prophet" and each verse was a solo or duet, it was GREAT!). It was so fun to see him perform so boldly & without any apparent nerves or anything! He had his speaking part memorized too & it was one Mark said we get to remind him of often. He said "Jesus was obedient to Heavenly Father. I can be obedient to my parents." I think Mark may be right, we'll be using this on more than one occasion in the future!
Since we had quite a few loved ones who couldn't attend I took some pictures of my little cuties before we left for church. Here they are!

My big kids, ready for the program

Kate, because she looked so dang cute!

Jalen's Birthday Party

2010-10-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

There is this SUPER fun place we found called Jump & Shout and I was smart enough to book it for Jalen's birthday party this past Friday. He invited some friends from school & scouts and we were lucky to have Grandpa Gus, Aunt Stephanie & Uncle Chad on hand as well. Uncle Andy & his girlfriend Alexa also made it and we were so glad to have them. The kids all had fun climbing, sliding & bouncing and the adults had fun letting them! The party included pizza & cupcakes and even balloon animals! We all had a great night & I'm thinking we may have found our "go-to" party place! Here are all the fun pictures from our party adventures.

Jalen in the play structure

Plenty of room to run!

Even Kate could play!

Lizzie contained, we HAD to document that!

Pizza for dinner, what 9 year old WOULDN'T love that?

They really worked up an appetite

See what I mean?

See the 2 bites out of Lizzie's pizza? That was ALL she ate!

Plenty of grown ups got in on the fun

Jalen, thinking of what to wish for

Take off the glasses, add the scar & Jalen IS Anakin!

All the super fun friends who helped us make Jalen's birthday party the best EVER!

Happy Birthday Jalen!

2010-10-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Something strange happened today. I woke up & had a 9 year old where my little boy should be! It seems like not that long ago he was brand new, my little buddy, my baby. Now he is so big!

It's kind of hard to believe that the handsome, smart, funny guy living in my house is the same child that changed my life when he was just a baby. Where did the time go?

So here he is, my beautiful boy, one of the loves of my life. What would I do without this face?!?

Happy Birthday Jalen!!!

More Pictures from Billings

2010-09-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Me with my baby & my bro!

Me with my OTHER bro!

Marissa (Red) was instrumental in bringing Mark & me together! We love her for it!

Lizzie was the photographer (That's why we look like giants)

Lizzie & Mommy

A Long Time Coming

2010-09-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Jay in the wave pool

Kate in a life vest (how CUTE is that?!?)

Love her smile!

Katy &
Mommy

Mommy & her girls


Look how Kate loves her Uncle Ted

Before (getting ready for the water)

AFTER the HUGE bucket dumped TONS of water on her!

Lizzie posing before going on slide

Lizzie at the opening to the slide

Lizzie coming down the water slide!

She loved just floating along on her back, CUTE!

Did you think Jay was too busy for a photo op? You were basically right!

Daddy & Katy

Can't get enough of that little SMILE!

Lizzie on the merry go round at the park I played at as a little girl

She wanted me to make the tire swing go "Super fast!"


Kate was a totally happy camper on our EARLY flight!

Easter Pictures

2010-07-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am pretty behind in getting these posted but they were worth the wait (in my opinion). Enjoy!

Katy's First Birthday pictures & other random bits

2010-06-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

Since it has been FOREVER since I blogged I'm not going to go into a ton of detail about life. Things are going REALLY good for us right now. We have been in our home for a little over a month and we are LOVING being in a house that we OWN! Katy & Lizzie BOTH got sick the weekend we moved and it also was Kate's birthday weekend so that wasn't as much fun as we all would've liked. Thankfully she'll never remember it! School let out on the 27th of May and so Jay is now gone to Montana until August. If we get our way though we'll get him back a touch early so we can visit Uncle Bob, Aunt Olivia & Uncle Gino and our super fun cousins! We'll see how all that pans out. Lizzie finished her second session of preschool on May 21st and we decided to take a break for the summer. Since our new house is 2 doors down from the school Jay will be attending we are looking into having her do Pre-K there in the fall. Since she'll be 5 before the school year ends we feel like she could use more focused kindergarten prep. She loves to draw & has been having fun "writing" me notes and has learned how to "spell" mom--mmo! I tell her that it is actually MOM but she forgets the order. Oh, well, she has the letters down so far! Katy finally got some teeth a couple months back & is now the proud owner of FOUR teeth, her bottom two & top two right in the front. She eats anything & everything though & must have gums of steel! She also "talks" quite a bit and just the other day said to me "I want that" when I picked her sippy up to fill it with water. I thought I misheard so I said back "You want that?" showing her the sippy and she said "Yeah!" so cute & fun! She has a teddy bear that she just loves and she sleeps with it for every nap & bedtime. I love seeing how happy it makes her when she picks it up & gives it a big hug. Mark is LOVING having a yard to care for. He has mowed the front twice & will (hopefully!) get to the back soon. He took out a HUGE bush that was growing over the security fence to the pool. When we heard that it would get us a discount to NOT have it we were certain it was coming out! He has also been hard at work doing web designs and I am so proud of what a wonderful provider he is! My only complaint is that I wish he could play with us just a bit more, I remind myself that he is doing all this work for the kids and me & I relax. At least he can do most of his work from home! I LOVE that! I'm still in the throes of my fitness "quest". One day I'll reach my goal and then I'll be happy...just kidding! I LOVE working out & getting fit & remembering how strong I am keeps me positive on the days that I have little to no will power to stop eating junk! I have a couple goals this summer. The big one is to get comfortable enough in my swimming abilities to look into doing a triathlon. I'm not much of a swimmer in my opinion but I want the challenge so I'm working on getting better. I also have to goal of NOT ending the summer as blindingly white as I've been the last 5 summers we've lived here. So far so good, I've been out in the pool every day since Saturday!
Enough about all that, here are the pictures!

Bushes Before & After

Katy's latest "trick"

2010-04-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

Who is that?

2010-04-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

Some random pictures

2010-03-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have been REALLY lame & not posting much lately. Things are going pretty great right now. Lizzie finished her first session of preschool a couple weeks ago & she starts a new 8 week session on the 29th. We're giving the 3 day a week one a shot & she'll also be going in the afternoon. This is creating an opportunity for Jay to show how grown up he is since pick up time for Liz coincides with when he gets out of school. We've got a couple different game plans and we'll see how it goes. I'm excited & sad all at the same time! My boy is getting SO BIG!!!
Katy is FINALLY getting teeth. I was beginning to wonder if I should be concerned when one day she just had one! Now she has a second & I'm pretty sure a couple more are on the way. She is crawling/scooting all over the place and has been pulling up & "walking" around on things for quite some time now. She has little to no motivation to stand or walk which is a blessing & a curse. I'm glad she isn't in a hurry to stop being my baby but she is almost 23 lbs! That is a pretty hefty load to be carrying around! She is also babbling like crazy & she has a few "real" words to her credit. She says "yeah" when we ask her questions & "na-na" when she is tired & wants to sleep. She has also decided that she can STOP torturing me & has begun saying "mama". Occasionally I think she even means ME when she says it!
Mark has been doing great at work & he has been Jay's cub scout leader since January so that has been fun for the boys to do together. Right now they are hard at work creating "the best Pinewood Derby car EVER!". The race is this week & I'm really excited to see how they do.
I'm still working on getting fit & have some goals I'd like to reach before summer gets here. My "big" goal is still out there but I know I'm getting closer. I have the goal of running 3 miles non stop before the end of the month & I'm confident I'll get that one soon. Feel free to stop over at my fitness blog anytime to check out my progress!

And now, the long awaited random pictures!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

I have never really been one of those girls who needs a big romantic gesture to feel loved. I have probably gotten flowers few enough times in my life to count on one hand (I literally can't remember if its been 3 or 4 times, it may be 5). I don't even have a great proposal story, unless you consider the fact that there was no actual proposal a great story!

Because of all this I can honestly say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this year was the BEST Valentine's Day EVER!

We were originally going to go on a double date with our best couple friends, Chad & Stephanie. They decided (kind of last minute) that they would stay home and have a quiet night to themselves while they still can (Steph is pregnant & due any day now!). I was feeling a little overwhelmed so I asked (in a REALLY not nice, more of TOLD kind of way) Mark to plan a date for us. I had already gotten a sitter lined up for the kids (Thanks Ted! Love you brother!) so for me it was not even an option to just stay home. Mark graciously said that he would be happy to and Valentine's Day arrived.
My day semi-started around 5 or so in the morning. Mark has had a head cold for a week or more & his sick-snoring woke me up & that combined with the neighborhood dogs barking I couldn't fall back asleep. I decided to see if I could get any more sleep out in the living room. I sleepwalked to the couch & got about 2 more hours of sleep. When I got up to start getting ready for church I saw a bouquet of a dozen white roses in a vase sitting on the dining room table. While Mark didn't know he knew it white roses are one of my FAVORITE flowers!
We went to church together after we all got dressed in our Valentine's Day best and Mark left after sacrament meeting to finish preparing for our date that evening. I had a couple meetings after church so Mark came back to get the kids so I could attend my meetings. When I got home, he went to pick up Ted. All this time I hadn't really wondered what he had planned and at this point I didn't have anymore time to wonder. We were out the door & on our way to our first destination. Before church Mark had "let slip" something about Chandler Fashion Center so when we started driving north to the 60 instead of south to Chandler Blvd I kind of wondered what was up. Once or twice he asked me if I wanted to know where we were going and I said 'no'. When we got off the 60 at Greenfield (the exit for my sister Erika's house) I momentarily wondered what was out there BESIDES my sister & her family! We turned south rather than north and again I was immediately stumped about what was happening. We drove south until off on the east side of the road I could see three large crosses standing in front of a church & then I knew. "We're going to your church?" I asked. "Yep" he replied as we pulled into the parking lot. One more time he asked if I wanted him to just tell me what we were doing and one last time I said no. "I honestly don't care much what we're doing. We're out together, that's what I wanted." I told him. We got out of the car & headed into the new sanctuary.
As we entered the foyer we could hear beautiful music and a woman handed Mark a program and told him there was plenty of seating still. I had a very brief moment where I wondered if maybe we were attending a concert when I saw the front of the program in Mark's hand; "Vow Renewal Ceremony". I was shocked and truly surprised. I'd had zero idea! When we were seated the music ended quickly & the pastor stood. He invited all the couples to stand and say their names along with when & where they were married. We were impressed to hear 3 couples who were married for 50+ years, one had been married almost 62 years! By the time the microphone came to us it was pretty apparent that we were the "newlyweds" in the group. After all the couples spoke the pastor began a beautiful sermon with scripture from 1 Corinthians 12. He then spoke about the ways we can keep love in our relationships. It was wonderful & lovely. There was another musical number & then it was time to recite our vows. I'm sure I shed a few tears on our original wedding day but it was NOTHING compared to the flood that I cried on Sunday. I was so moved by the sermon & so touched by Mark's love for me that I didn't even attempt to keep my tears in check. I heard someone say once that tears are joy leaking out your eyes & I was feeling MAJOR joy! Unfortunately I didn't come prepared for such a flood & I had no tissues in my purse. Thankfully a woman behind us could see my predicament and she passed Mark a tissue for me. When the vows ended the pastor said a wedding blessing and a few other remarks that are hazy at best in my remembrance then the ceremony was concluded. Before we left we had our picture taken before the altar & we spoke a little with the pastor and some of the other couples who'd taken part in the renewal ceremony.
We got in our car and made our way to our next stop of the night & I was preoccupied for the whole drive so if you want to know where we went other than the name you'll have to ask Mark! We pulled into a parking lot about 15 minutes after leaving the church and the first place I saw was an Applebees. I knew that couldn't be where we were going but I made a smart aleck comment to Mark anyway. Our actual destination was Broadway Palms, a dinner theater! Just the night before (or, more accurately, that morning at 2 a.m.!) Mark had come across something about dinner theater & found that the Broadway Palms still had tickets available for the evening performance of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". There was a nice buffet dinner complete with dessert (SUPER yummy pecan streusel & Boston creme pie!) and we were seated at a table with 3 other couples & 2 older, single people, a man & woman. While introducing ourselves they told us that they had been in line together chatting for 10 minutes or so before being seated and it was only when they arrived at the hostess podium that they realized they were seated at the same table, directly across from each other! Their names were Harlin and Nancy and it was really nice to chat with them throughout dinner & then during intermission. The play was ADORABLE and when it was over (really before we even started eating!) Mark & I were talking about going again and what we'd like to see next!
As we were driving home we both agreed that we'd had a really wonderful time & that we wanted to go out more often. It was really nice to spend the evening together, just the two of us. I can honestly say that I am more in love with Mark now than I was before and that is almost 100% attributable to the AMAZING date he planned for us. I felt so special the whole night, knowing how he values me & that he would marry me all over again-he'd even plan it this time!
One item that is big to me but kind of small in the grand scheme of things. I've been working to get into better physical condition and just a few weeks ago I was back to a size where my wedding ring fits me again. I hadn't been able to wear it since about 6 months into my pregnancy with Lizzie so it felt really nice to know that while we were renewing our vows I was wearing the ring Mark gave me when we exchanged our vows 5 years ago!

Because of all this I can honestly say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this year was the BEST Valentine's Day EVER!

Lizzie's Birthday

2010-02-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am feeling like pretty bad mom right now. I didn't get a single picture of Lizzie either on her birthday or at her birthday party two days before. However, I want to take this opportunity to say how much I love her & what a wonderful, smart and funny little girl she is. She has blessed my life in ways I can't begin to number & being her mom is simultaneously the hardest & most rewarding thing imaginable. Happy birthday Lizzie! (Even if it is minus pictures & two days late!)

My new venture

2010-01-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

I looked around for a fitness blog to follow when I first started working out (not hard or extensively but I did look!) and didn't find one that struck my fancy. To that end I decided to start my own. I won't be dispensing advice or breaking new ground. I will be keeping a journal of my progress, posting articles I find of use & anything else fitness related that I feel like posting. I will probably post 3-4 times a week. Spread the word to anyone who you think might be interested in following me or my progress. Thanks!
lwatchmeloseit.blogspot.com

Band-aids as accessories

2010-01-21T12:11:00.001-08:00

One day about 2 weeks ago I was reading a little story on the internet about Carrie Underwood & her use of "Hello Kitty" band-aids to cover a pretty bad scrape on her knee & wearing them with a matching dress on some red carpet or another. I thought it was HILARIOUS when I came out of the kitchen the other morning & found that Lizzie had provided Katy with a similar accessory, although Katy's was STRICTLY for fashion reasons!

Lizzie the Ballerina

2010-01-21T12:04:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday the 13th Lizzie started her dance class that was one of her Christmas gifts. Although it is technically a Disney Princess dance class I got her traditional dance clothes. I'm thinking she probably gets to be in come sort of dance class or another from here on out! Anyway, here is Lizzie at home & at class looking adorable!

Lizzie in preschool!

2010-01-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, the 12th, Lizzie began preschool! It was high time (in my opinion!) and so far she has LOVED every minute of it. She is in class with a little boy from church & has wasted no time in making other friends. She was telling me the other day that she has lots of friends at school & that she was only a little naughty at snack time! Here are a few pictures of her first day of school.

Katy opens her FIRST Christmas gift EVER!!!

2009-12-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the sideways movie but it is worth the sore neck! A momentous occasion!

A Merry Stoecker Christmas!

2009-12-29T09:09:00.000-08:00

Three generations of Stoeckers

Mark & his dad, Chip

Mark wielded the camera most of Christmas Day so here is the lone shot of him, courtesy of Lizzie!

Lizzie is just so beautiful it almost breaks my heart!

Katy had too much new stuff to look at all at once!

Lizzie "helped" Katy open her gifts...

Grandma Dee cried over the new family pictures...

Mike got a video game (surprise, surprise!)...

Mr. & Mrs. Donnie Kaufman's first Christmas!...

Can you guess what Lizzie got for Christmas? (Besides what's pictured here?!? Hint: it rhymes with shmance lessons!)

Katy is more interested in my reaction to our AWESOME gift than in the gift itself...

One of Katy's first Christmas gifts...

Katy knows where you put a tic tac...

Lizzie, glammin' it up in her new hat & scarf...

Beautiful little cousin Emma...

When one baby cries, they all cry. And, apparently, clasp their little hands in despair!

With cousin Emma on Christmas Eve...

My girls in their Christmas dresses on Christmas Eve...

Before & Halfway to After

2009-12-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

At the request of some of my boot camp buddies I am posting some different before & halfway to after pictures. One of my friends (who I LOVE more than words can say!) said I just look too good in the picture I posted with my Turkey Trot update from November 28. So here it goes. Enjoy if you can!

5 Years Ago Today

2009-12-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

My life changed in so many ways 5 years ago today. I was blessed with an amazing husband who loves and adores me. I was blessed with a father to my son & a father to children not yet conceived but very much desired. I was blessed with a trusting friend who is always there for me. I was blessed with a provider who works hard to care for our family & to bring us the things we want & need.
I may not be the smartest woman in the world (and let me tell you, he is smart enough to back me up when I claim that I am!) but I made the best & smartest decision in my life when I said "I do" 5 years ago today.

I am as happy today as I was in this picture. The joy in my heart is as overwhelming and abundant as it was 5 years ago today. The love I have for this man is even bigger & richer than it was 5 years ago today. When I look at my life & wonder on what decisions I made that could have changed my path I thank Heavenly Father that I made the choices that brought Mark into my life. Being his wife & the mother of his children is so much more than I once dreamed I would ever have.
On a traditional 5th anniversary a gift of wood is given. In the modern "tradition" a gift of silverware is appropriate. When I think back on the five years since the day in these pictures I realize that I lack nothing in my life that I would as for today. I have all the gifts I really "need" & my one desire is that Mark can say the same.

7 Months Already!

2009-12-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

Katy my love is 7 months old (as of yesterday) and I can't believe that much time has already passed. She was being incredibly cute yesterday after eating her lunch that I couldn't resist taking a few pictures to commemorate her day!

Katy's Big Day

2009-12-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

On Friday November 27th we blessed Katy at my mom & dad's house. My dad performed the blessing & this is a picture of the special girl with her grandpa.

We have had two REALLY awesome missionaries in our area that we have grown to love quite a bit. They stood in the circle while Katy was blessed. It was great to have them there for the special day. Unfortunately Elder Naglis (the blond) was just transferred! We will miss him & look forward to keeping in touch with him when he gets home. (Elder Curtis is great too!)

Here is the family together for a little picture. There are a couple others where Lizzie DOESN'T look like she's in front of the firing squad but Katy has her head on my shoulder & I LOVE that!

By the time we had this picture taken Lizzie had completely lost patience with the whole thing so we are missing her. Other than that I think it is a nice picture of our family & mom & dad.
It was a wonderful time all around & I am so grateful for the MANY honorable men in our family who could participate in the ordinance. And thanks to all the other amazing men who make up the male side of our family. You guys rock too!

I am the Champion, my friends

2009-11-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Aug. 29, 2009
(I'm on the right in the green dress, you can't miss me)

In Mesa, AZ every Thanksgiving there is a 10K run held. It is the largest 10K in all of Arizona. You have the option of running either a 1 mile fun run, a 2 mile fun run or the 10K (in case you don't know that converts to 6.2 miles). On Thursday November 26th, 2009 I ran the 10K. I finished in 1 hour 27 minutes & 41 seconds.

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I ROCK!!!
(In case you can't tell, I'm the skinny girl in the hat!)

Our little football fan

2009-11-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty cute "conversation" that Mark & Katy had a couple weeks ago.

And here's a picture of our little superfan!

Happy 6th month brithday Katy!

2009-11-02T09:38:00.001-08:00

Happy 6th month birthday my sweet little Katy! I am so happy that you are my daughter & I am so blessed to have you in our family. Your sweetness and love add to everything we do & I cannot imagine not having you here!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-11-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

The whole family

If you look closely you can see the snakes in my hair & that Mark isn't just "posing" he's frozen in place. We were Medusa & a man turned to stone. I think we pulled it off pretty well.

I thought about making my Katy-bug a lady bug for Halloween but the thought of the wings made me rethink that plan. Then I saw this ADORABLE flower costume & I knew it was perfect. The prettiest flower around!

Jay as black Spiderman (NOT Venom!) doing his best web-slinging pose!

Beautiful Lizzie as Cinderella. The costume was a little itchy that explains the white t-shirt underneath. Not sure how to explain the goofy side smile!

We had a blast at a couple different parties & trick or treating yielded PLENTY of candy for the kids. I almost can't wait for next year!

My mad chili making skills

2009-11-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

My ward had a fall festival party on Friday the 30th & part of the festivities was a chili cook off. I am pretty confident in my skills as a cook but I am not so confident that I would KNOWINGLY sign up for a cook off of ANY type! However, I did sign up for this (I originally thought I was just signing up to bring chili for a potluck, I didn't realize until AFTER I had signed my name in pen that it was actually a cook off!). Well, I decided to really go all out. Even though it has been FOREVER since I made chili with the beans made from scratch I decided to do that this time. I soaked my beans overnight on Thursday & when I got up on Friday they had done what dry beans do and that is they absorbed the water and tripled in size! My ENTIRE crock pot was full! Thankfully I mentioned this to my friend Kym & she graciously said she would take some of them off my hands. After getting those beans (Literally HALF of them!) I started my beans cooking. I diced up some onion & minced some fresh garlic and put them on low with LOTS of water! When they were nice & tender I started browning and seasoning the ground beef (all 2.25 lbs of it!). I added my diced tomatoes & tomato sauce & some seasoning. I have recently discovered how much I enjoy the flavor of cumin but I went INCREDIBLY overboard while seasoning my chili with it. It was ALL I could taste! I called my mom & sister for some advice on what to do to make my chili taste like something OTHER than cumin & the "helpful" advice I got was to add a ton more garlic & chili powder. Well, I did, and wouldn't you know it? It worked! I gone THIRD prize out of around 20 different chilis! I was SO shocked & excited. I didn't get to have a whole bowl of my award winning chili but I still have a little leftover & I have had one request so far to make it when the family is all together for Thanksgiving this year. Anyway, here is a photo of me with my "trophy" and a close up of the trophy.

In case you were wondering...

2009-10-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

THIS is what happens when the baby & the big sister start sharing a room & nap time gets interrupted! Go ahead & laugh, we did!

Katy's BIG milestone

2009-10-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

Katy started doing this (watch the video!!!!) earlier this week & Mark was able to catch her on video yesterday. We are SOOO proud!

Mr. & Mrs. Donnie Kaufman

2009-10-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister-in-law, Sarah, got married to a really great guy, Donnie Kaufman, on October 10th, 2009 in Billings, MT and we were so blessed to get to be there for that. Lizzie & Katy were the flower girls and Grandma Dee made them the CUTEST dresses. We had such a fun time in Montana, seeing family we hadn't seen for awhile & meeting and getting to know new cousins. We are so happy for Sarah & Donnie and so glad they are our family! Here are some pictures from the reception.

One of the favors were purple m&m's in cute little jars. This is the aftermath for Lizzie!

Jalen danced ALMOST as much at this wedding as he did at Mark's & mine!

Instead of a traditional cake Sarah wanted a cupcake cake. Her topper was a precious moments figurine, a tribute to the collection she's had since she was young.

Mark got to "play" DJ for the reception. He had fun & Lizzie liked being up there with him.

Jay was having fun, Lizzie wouldn't come near me so I nabbed my Katy for a quick photo. She was SUCH a good girl for both the ceremony & the reception. She did pretty good for picture time too!

Jalen's Birthday

2009-10-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

This is the AWESOME cookie cake from Wal-Mart

The toy Katy "picked" out for Jalen

From Mark & me, does he look excited? Well, he was!

A Spiderman piggy bank from Grandpa Chip & Grandma Dee. He LOVES it!

His old Bumblebee transformer broke so Uncle Andy got him a new one. He was VERY happy!

A Ben 10 Omnitrix (whatever THAT is!), thanks Aunt Rachel, Uncle Spencer, Maddie & Ian!

No Girlfriends!

Too lazy to make a whole cake I made 2 dozen cupcakes instead!
Happy 8th Birthday Jalen! We love you & are SOOO glad you're a part of our family!

Jalen

2009-10-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

So Jalen turned eight yesterday & while I am happy to have such a big boy around I sometimes miss what he was like when he was little. Here is an awesome video from kindergarten ( I think!) to illustrate how cute & fun he was back then. He's still cute & fun, just in a big boy, kind of grown up way!

Cute pictures of the kids & something unrelated

2009-10-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

*DISCLAIMER: The following post has NOTHING to do with the pictures.
I just wanted to share my cuties with you.

I just found out this morning that the older brother of a friend of mine from childhood had died in a plane crash earlier this week. He was also best friends with my older brother & he and his wife came to my brother's wedding 3 years ago in California. He was 32 years old & he and his wife had (according to the article in the paper) 6 small children. He was a really nice & funny guy. I remember having a crush on him when I was a young teenager. He was handsome & he let me borrow his leather jacket once. I felt so special wearing it, like I was prettier & older & "cooler" just by having it on. His brother (my friend) was always there from 3rd grade all the way into my adulthood. We lost touch around the time I had Jay but I still consider him a friend. He was loyal and we always had fun when we spent time together. My heart is aching at the thought that he is sad and that I can't comfort him. I want more than anything to be able to tell him how much I still love him & how sorry I am that he has lost his brother in this way. I think of the wife and children left behind and I want to cry. I have been blessed with a kind, loving husband & beautiful, healthy children. I thank Heavenly Father for every day I have with them and pray for more days for a long time to come. My heart & my prayers go out to the families who lost this man.

Katy is FOUR months old!

2009-09-22T08:21:00.001-07:00

This picture may fool you into thinking that Katy has decided she likes her high chair. If you thought that you're mistaken. She actually HATES it but she was in it for a few minutes the other morning being VERY happy while I got Jay breakfast & ready for school. She is getting so big! I DO have a couple rolled up towels in there with her for support but she doesn't REALLY need them, I just like to keep from MAJORLY slumping over. She has yet to eat more than a few bites of ANYTHING semi-solid so her high chair is mostly decorative but she looked so cute I just had to post this picture for everyone to enjoy!
She is also OFFICIALLY four months old (almost five now, I'm slow with my updates!). She is 16 lbs & 13 oz & TWENTY SEVEN inches! She is my "little" behemoth! She LOVES to be balanced while she stands up & she has (FINALLY) realized that when she is on her belly she can lift her head and see what is going on. (She used to just lay there with her face buried in the bed or blanket, silly girl!) There is some speculation that she is working on getting some teeth but I "think" she is just pre-teething. The pediatrician says this is the age that most babies begin to feel their teeth but that they won't some in for a few more months still. I'm just waiting to see what happens.
She has recently decided that, in addition to waking up for a bottle at 4 a.m., she is ready for the day to begin at 6:15 a.m. I have decided that I REALLY don't like having my sleep interrupted for a bottle run & then been awakened (FOR THE DAY!!!) just over two hours later! Such is life with a baby! We still do a nap or two during the day & she goes down for the night at 7:30 pretty regularly. Now I just get to work on convincing MYSELF to go to bed before 10 p.m. so my night doesn't feel so short!
All in all she is a great baby & a MAJOR joy in our lives. I can honestly say I love being a mommy!

Me

2009-09-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Usually when I look in the mirror a number of things run through my mind; "Ugh", "Eww" or "another zit. REALLY ?!? what am I, 12?".
That was not the case today. As I got out of the shower and began the process of doing my hair & makeup I looked at myself and thought "wow, I have REALLY pretty eyes". Weird!
When I was done "primping" I looked at myself and thought
(at the risk of sounding conceited)
"I look pretty today. Huh."
I was planning on just going about my day. I had a check up with the pediatrician for Katy, laundry to be done & new & old clothes to be sorted.
Instead I decided to document this with a photo. A self-portrait of this...anomaly.
Not the "me being pretty" part. The "me thinking I look pretty" part.
So here it is, ME.

Olivia & Gino's Wedding Weekend

2009-09-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Olivia & Gino were married on Saturday August 29th, 2009 & I was blessed enough to be able to attend. I was totally flattered when Olivia asked me to sing a song during the ceremony as a surprise for Gino. I (of course!) accepted so I don't have any photos from the actual ceremony. I DO have LOTS of photos from the cocktail hour/reception & from other times during the weekend. Here are a few.

Here we are, all but one of the beautiful Koernig girls. From left: Marian Koernig, Rachel Rands, Olivia Castellino, Erika Checketts, Maggie Stoecker

Olivia with Marley her daughter/flower girl

So happy!

Handsome brothers with beautiful bride. AJ Koernig, Olivia, Bob Koernig

Grandma Koernig with Olivia & Gino Castellino

The whole family who was able to attend. Although you can't see her I am holding Katy. She was tired & hungry & being pretty grumpy.

Olivia's boys Ethan & Cyrus
Ethan was ring bearer & Cyrus gave Olivia away. SO sweet!

Erika & Emma

Katy

The view from the porch

Olivia & Gino

Just Thinking

2009-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

It has occurred to me that BALANCE is something that I want/desire/strive to have in my life. I was thinking about the many different ways to achieve it & have come up with one that I felt like posting about.

Almost a year ago now my sister Rachel told me about a satirical blog called "Seriously So Blessed". It is a fictional blog by a woman who sees the humor & {sometimes} ridiculous nature of the "Mormon Mommy Blog" culture. Her blogs are "profound" {questions like, is "permanent make up against the plan?" and "does online shopping on Sunday break the sabbath?"} or "WAY FUN" {blogs about cupcakes, Lake "Pal" and her adorable and fake twins Aliviyah & Tridger}. I read this blog faithfully because I am always rewarded when I do. It is funny & thought provoking {Babies wearing playcothes to church. sinful or darling?}.

The other blog I follow is Nie Nie Dialogues. It is the blog of Stephanie Nielson, a woman who I've never met & probably never will. Just a year ago (interesting timing, huh?) she and her husband were in a plane crash that took the life of the pilot & left her with burns covering 80% of her body & in a coma for 5 months. She is just 28 years old (familiar?) and is a mother to 4 little kids. Her husband was also severely injured in the crash & over the last year her blog went from being about the usual stuff you'd expect (family life, photos & whatnot) to updates posted by a family member while she (Stephanie) remained in a coma to Stephanie returning to write her own updates from a new and incredibly grateful perspective. She has a gratitude & reverence for her (and all) life that is awe inspiring.

When I read the first blog I find myself laughing at the ludicrous & all-encompassing selfishness of the "blogger". Then I stop to think about the fact that their REALLY are people who only think of how every single thing affects them & ONLY them. It causes me to think of ways I am like that in my own life. When I read the second I marvel at how Stephanie can be funny & brave and graceful at a time when simple every day things are a struggle due to her new physical limitations. I think about how grateful she is for simple & beautiful things that are only beautiful when you stop to think about them (being the one that hears day in & day out "Moo-Omm!", getting to be the one to change the baby's diaper & prepare her bottle at 2/3/4 in the morning and be rewarded with her face splitting grin.). I stop to think about the times that instead of cherishing everything that is positive (and really, isn't it ALL positive?) in my life I complain about the things that I would desperately miss if I didn't have them.

I feel like one without the other would be kind of flat. If all I ever read was "Seriously So Blessed" I'd still find it funny but would I stop to insure that I am more thoughtful & considerate of others in my daily life? Or would I see myself more & more in her posts? And (unfortunately) if all I read was the Nie Nie Dialogues I would still marvel at her strength but would I appreciate the blessing of being in a healthy body with a full range of motion? Or would I begin to think or say "Well, yeah, if I'd almost died I'd be more grateful too!" without stopping to think of how horrible & ungrateful that would be to my friends, family & my Heavenly Father?

I'm grateful for BALANCE and all the ways that life offers the lessons I get to & want to learn. Today, I am grateful the I get to BE...

Grandma Barb gets married...

2009-08-14T08:42:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of my BEAUTIFUL Grandma & the man who has stolen her heart, Lincoln Raynes. They were married Saturday August 8th in the Mt Timpanogos temple in Utah. We were blessed enough to be able to go & witness this sacred event.

While most of the adults were in the temple at the wedding ceremony a few brave
uncle/dad/cousin-type men were on the temple grounds with the kids & babies. This is a picture of my cousin Jennie's boys Ty & Elijah. Lizzie managed to get in this shot as well!

Jalen had been gone to Montana until 2 days before the wedding and was super happy to have some fun boy cousins to play with. Here he is with Elijah. (Grandma's wedding theme was Hawaiian, hence the shirt!)

Oh how we love & miss Uncle Bob! My brother Bob lives in Billings, MT still & my poor kids only get to see him once or (at most!) twice a year. I'm so blessed to have a brother who loves his nieces & nephews so much!

There are a MILLION (or so) new babies in the family. Here are the three that are closest related to me. From left: Katy, Sadie (get those toes!!!) and Emma.

This is my cousin Bret holding Marcus, Jennie & Geoff's new baby. He was kind enough to volunteer to stay with the kids outside & let his wife go in for the ceremony. SO nice!

Here is Emma again, almost too cute for words!

Lizzie & Kamea are only a few months apart in age & they had LOTS of fun being cute girls together at the temple!

Brother Andy, another of the brave men who stayed with the young'uns!

The reception that followed the wedding was held at Lincoln's son Joe's house. It was a blast to be able to spend time with all my family I grew up with (here my dad is talking with my cousin Jesse. See the woman to Jesse's right? That is his wife Brooke, she is NINE months pregnant and they drove from Whitefish, Montana to be there for Grandma. What a trooper!!!) and to have a chance to visit with the new family members I got that day.

And last picture, Lizzie at the dessert table. This is actually one of four pictures of Lizzie hanging around the dessert table taken at various times during the reception. She just couldn't stay away, my cousins did such a great job making everything look SOOO yummy!

So we had a WONDERFUL time in UT last weekend, long drive and all. The kids didn't love every minute of it but they did exceptionally well for their first MAJOR road trip. We are sooo happy for Grandma & Lincoln & so grateful that such a joyous occasion brought the family all together for the first time in a long time.

My AMAZING sister-in-law

2009-08-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

I can't let too much time pass before I document what an amazing sister Mark has.
When Mark & I got married I hadn't spent that much time with Sarah & really didn't know her that well. Then we moved here to Arizona & it wasn't until she moved here with her boyfriend (soon to be husband) Donnie that we began to really get to know each other. They moved here when Lizzie was a baby & Sarah started taking Jalen out for some fun one-on-one time so I could have a little time to rest & relax (at least as much as Lizzie would allow!). This has continued & progressed so that now she'll take Lizzie out for a "special day" a couple times a month (or week if you ask Lizzie!).
Well, Tuesday was my turn! Sarah & I have gotten so much closer as the last three years have passed and when she told me that she would like to assist me in getting some things that I have been MAJORLY procrastinating done I was grateful & ready to accept her assistance. She came to get me & the girls around noon on Tuesday & we headed for the Social Security office to get a replacement card for Jalen (his got lost/stolen almost 5 years ago, see what I mean about procrastinating?!?). When we reached to office near my place & discovered that they don't do replacement cards anymore. We were told that we got to go to Phoenix to the office near the airport, about a 20-30 minute drive away. Sarah didn't even blink, just put the address in the GPS & we were on our way. We got there & waited maybe 10 minuted before it was my turn to be seen. Fifteen minutes later we were getting back in her Expedition & heading back towards the east valley. Lizzie was hungry & Katy was tired of being in her car seat so we stopped to have lunch before heading to our next stop. After a semi-relaxing lunch (those of you with little kids know restaurant dining is never THAT enjoyable when the kids are present!) we headed to the office for Child Support Enforcement. A little over three years ago Jalen dad's stopped having wage garnishment so we stopped receiving the child support that was agreed upon when we divorced. Well with Sarah's kind insistence I got on the ball & filled out all the paperwork so that we can get that going again. We got to the DCSE & Sarah waited with the girls while I went back to fill out a little more paperwork & get things going. After maybe 30 minutes we were back in the car & headed to Target. Two things that I had dreaded doing & put off for at least three years were over in a manner of hours! All thanks to Sarah & her love for me & my kids. She is an awesome sister/aunt/friend! We had so much fun & I LOVED every minute of that day! I had so much fun that when she asked me if I would go with her the next day to pick out patterns & material for the girls flower girl dresses (Sarah & Donnie are getting married in October & the girls are the flower girls, cute!) I was more than happy to agree! Wednesday was just as successful as Tuesday & just as much fun! My girls LOVE their Aunt Sarah & I can honestly say that I am INSANELY blessed to have her in my life!
Did I mention that Sarah had taken BOTH girls for a few hours two weeks before so that Mark & I could go out & that Lizzie had a sleepover that night? And that on Monday this week Sarah came & took Lizzie shoe shopping? AMAZING!!!

My cute girls

2009-08-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

A day just isn't complete if I don't take at least ONE picture of my girls loving each other! Just kidding (but seriously--SOOO cute!).

Katy's smile is so photogenic, I just can't resist!

Katy ALMOST giggling

2009-08-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Literally just before Mark start taping her Katy was giggling like CRAZY when Sarah would pull the handle on this little vibrating toy. It was the cutest little giggle! She is being cute & smiling a lot in the video though so I decided to post it anyway!

Random Cuteness

2009-07-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Could her smile BE any cuter???

Katy LOVES her tongue!

Not sure who Lizzie gets her fashion sense from...

Dancing Queen

2009-07-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

The title says it all...

Conversation with Katy

2009-07-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Katy just wants to talk & talk. This is a video of one of those times.

Katy is Two Months Old!!!

2009-07-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

We had Katy's 2 month check up today & she is doing great! Her doctor is really pleased with her growth & is confident that she is reaching all of her developmental milestones. She weighed in today at 13 lbs 11 oz & measured 24 1/4 inches. She is (still) in the 95th percentile for height & weight while her head circumference (15.5) is totally average. She got her first set of vaccinations & that has made her pretty fussy today. No fever so far but I think her legs hurt where she got poked.
I am still astonished every day that she is here & I am so grateful to have three beautiful, happy & healthy children. We are truly blessed!

The latest

2009-07-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

So here it is, two months after our beautiful Katy joined us! I can't believe how that last two months have flown by! It seems like just yesterday that I was still hugely pregnant & getting ready for our little blessing to arrive.
As you can see Lizzie LOVES being a big sister & Katy loves her. Lizzie was the first person to actually MAKE Katy smile. She had given Mark & me a few random ones here & there but Lizzie walks up to her, talks in a silly voice & Katy grins from ear to ear! I love it!
Katy has also begun "talking" more & more. She even will "sing" with me sometimes. I REALLY want to get that on video so as soon as I do I'll post it. It is sooo cute! Right now her favorite song to sing is "Unknown Legend" by Neil Young. She's got great taste.

She is such a trooper when it comes time to get dressed for the day. She lets me dress her up & play with the different headbands we have for her. She'll even pose for a quick photo shoot too! And she is getting so big! Things that looked like they may not fit her till August or later are almost too small, she has to get dressed every day whether we go anywhere or not just so she can wear her ADORABLE clothes!

New pictures

2009-06-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

This is Lizzie in her new nightgown from Grandma Dee.
She LOVES it!

Katy is quite the "smiler" these days!

Lizzie LOVES to hold Katy, cute, huh?

Katy in the bath, sorta liking it.

Back to the gym

2009-06-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

I got back to the gym tonight & I feel AMAZING! I did 30 minutes on the elliptical & it wore me OUT. We are going again tomorrow & I am way excited. The point of this blog though is to get the support of my friends & family in my fitness goals. I will be posting regular updates about my progress & any bumps or breakthroughs I have along the way. I weighed myself today & I am down to 223 lbs. My goal for June is to be down to 210 lbs by the end of the month. I'll post an update next Monday with my workout results & my "new" weight.

An Update

2009-05-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Katy is almost 4 weeks old so I guess I can give an update of the last few weeks.
Mark went back to work on Monday the 18th after taking a three week leave to take care of me & the kids. I was a little afraid of how things were going to go (it had only been 2 weeks since the c-section) but everything has gone really smoothly for the most part. Katy is beginning to know that we sleep at night so I am getting a decent amount of sleep (on average 6 hours) but she LOVES to be held when she is awake so I am not getting much done during the day. I just borrowed Erika's bouncy chair that Emma has outgrown so we'll see if Katy can hang out in that so I can get laundry & some cleaning done during the day! Keep your fingers crossed for me. As you know Katy was 10 lbs 11 oz at birth & she was down to 9.13 at her 2 week appointment which is when most babies have gained back all their lost birth weight. Well, we had a weight check yesterday & she is back up to 10.7! I am SOOO relieved! The pediatrician wants to see her the end of next week just to be sure but she said she looks great & is gaining weight at the appropriate rate. I was nervous but now I am reassured that I am doing the right things for her & keeping her fed. PHEW! She is also beginning to love to eat almost as much as Lizzie did so we are nursing on a VERY regular schedule. We are supplementing with a few ounces of formula after every feeding though, something I wish I'd done with Lizzie. This way she is eating every 3 hours rather then every 1-1 1/2 hours like her big sister did.
Lizzie LOVES being a big sister & has discovered that she is just strong enough to pick Katy up out of her bed. I've been able to persuade her of how dangerous that is so she doesn't anymore, I think she just likes knowing she can. She likes to give Katy her pacifier when she is upset & ALWAYS wants to hold her. Lizzie also got to get some shots last week & she has told anyone who will listen that she is NEVER getting shots again! She was incredibly brave though, mom was super impressed!
Jalen thinks she is adorable & like an angel. He is a good brother & will go fetch things for mom when asked. He can even warm up her bottle in the microwave if mom asks! He is done with school for the summer & will be going to Montana for 10 weeks with his grandparents. When he gets home he will be starting SECOND grade! I am always amazed when I realize how much time has passed since he was my baby!
Mark is still working at GoDaddy in server support & he is so good at what he does! I am always so grateful that he works in the computer industry, we really haven't felt the bite of the recession. We are super blessed in that way. He is also working on some side business opportunities that he really enjoys & that he sees having great potential in the coming years. He has been having fun cooking something fun & new almost every night using the Biggest Loser cookbook I mentioned in my Mother's Day post. I am so grateful that he likes to cook, we would be eating PB & J (or PB & Honey for Jay) every night if it were up to me! I am motivated to get myself in shape but not really up for cooking much lately. Easy & fast is what I'm into! Thank goodness for Mark!
I am healing really well from my surgery. I feel better & better almost every day. I am SUPER excited to get back to the gym next week. I will be able to do cardio for two weeks & then I will have my 6 week check up to get cleared for doing things like strength training & swimming. I can't wait! I am so glad that I was able to get to the gym so often when I was pregnant. I know that is the main thing that has been making my recovery go so quickly & easily. I aim to get in EXCELLENT shape & then (if we decide to have more!) stay in shape through regular exercise. That is something I've never done before I really look forward to making that lifestyle change!
Well, things are going pretty great right now & Katy just went to sleep so I get to go do some laundry.

Pictures of Katy

2009-05-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of Katy that Jay took.

Grandpa Gus with Jay & Katy

Mommy & Katy

Katy sitting on the couch at Grandma & Grandpa's house

Such a pretty 3 week old

Mother's Day

2009-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's been over a week since Mother's Day but I REALLY want to brag about the AWESOME gift Mark & the kids got me this year.
As most of you know I had been working on my physical fitness when I got pregnant with Katy & since being pregnant isn't the best time to lose weight (at least for me!) I went out of my way to eat healthy & get to the gym at least 3 days a week while I was still pregnant. I still gained quite a bit of weight but as of last Friday I had already lost half of what I'd already gained & with the AMAZING Mother's Day gifts I know I'll lose the rest in no time. In case you can't tell, we love the Biggest Loser & the books are the 30-Day Jump Start (workouts & meal plans) and the other is the Budget Friendly Family Cookbook. We have already begun using the cookbook (REALLY yummy recipes & Mark is doing most of the cooking, this gift just keeps on giving!) and in a few more weeks I'll be able to begin working out so I'll use the 30 day jump start at that point. I am INCREDIBLY excited to get back to the gym in two weeks. I'll be able to do cardio then & two weeks after that I'll be able to do some strength training. The best part? Mark is going to come to the gym with me! We will go when he gets home from work & then come home for dinner. I am so happy we have a plan! Besides all the health benefits I have the goal of running the 10K Mesa Turkey Trot with Rachel & Olivia this Thanksgiving so that is a major motivator for me as well.
SOOO grateful for a loving husband who loves me regardless of my size but loves me enough to be supportive of my fitness goal, enough that he will join me & get our kids to be a part of all this as well. I am so blessed to have him!

More Pictures

2009-05-16T10:44:00.001-07:00

Katy & mommy

Katy

Maddie & Lizzie @ Chuck E. Cheese

Katy thinking deeply

Super Smiley One Week Old!

Mommy & Katy cuddling

One blessed mommy with 3 beautiful kids

Pictures & the rundown

2009-05-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

This is me waiting in triage to be taken to the OR, the last pregnant picture. Notice the big grin? I'm WAY excited to be almost done being pregnant!

This is Mark just before entering the OR. My midwife, Janice, was kind enough to take this shot. Even though you can't see his face I know that he has a big grin under that mask. We were both SO excited & happy!

Mark took this one when he was finally able to come into the OR. They were still doing a little bit of prep for the surgery but it could've been almost over for all I knew. I couldn't feel a thing! Spinal blocks are AMAZING once you get past the side effects of feeling like you can't breathe and that you're going to puke. Once I got the puking out of the way I could breathe just fine! I think the oxygen mask was precautionary.

Once Katy was out I told Mark to hurry and get some "gooey" pictures of her. I have the mental image of my other kids like that but with the c-section I didn't want to miss out on those memories!

The nurse from the nursery brought Katy over to me after they did the initial clean up before heading to the nursery & Mark took the top photo. Then she was kind enough to take this one of the three of us. I couldn't stop looking at Katy even long enough for the picture. She is SO beautiful & she is FINALLY here!

For those of you who can't imagine it, here is a picture of Katy on the scale in the nursery, minutes after birth. The reading is 10 lbs 11.4 oz. At 22 inches long I feel like she can't really qualify as a newborn, can she?

Here are Mark & Katy together in triage where we went to recover until a regular room had opened up. I honestly have zero memory of taking this picture so I REALLY hope one of the nurses did!

This is Katy with Aunt Sarah just a few hours after birth. It took a little while before we got into a regular room & Aunt Sarah came within minutes us getting settled! We had to document the big alert eyes. She looks like a baby who is a few weeks old in this one, not like a baby just hours after being born!

Here is another of Katy's very first visitors, Uncle Mike. You can't tell by the smile on Mike's face but he was a little nervous about holding her. He did though & he has even held her a few other times since then as well! We think he is a great uncle & the kids seem to agree!

This is the first time Jay & Lizzie met their new sister. When we went into the hospital last Wednesday for the big fake out we were happy to notice that the visitor policy for children was that siblings could visit, any non-sibling children visitors had to be 12 & over. Well, on Thursday that changed the rule to no children in the hospital AT ALL due to a late RSV season & the swine flu outbreak. The kids had seen pictures but were disappointed in getting to see the real thing until we were released on Monday. Contrary to the look on Lizzie's face in this picture they were both very happy to meet Katy & to get to see mommy again after almost 3 whole days!

Katy was already showing off what a good sleeper she is in this picture. We were outside the hospital, waiting for Mark to bring the car up & she slept & slept & slept! She is still doing her long sleep stretches during the day but last night I got about 4 hours in one stretch & then we were up for about 2 hours with gas pain before she was able to fall asleep again. After that I got another 3 1/2 hours so she is doing pretty good so far!

This is Katy meeting Grandma Dee for the first time yesterday. Grandma got here yesterday morning & will be here until next week & Katy got to go to the airport to pick Grandma up. It was fun for the whole family to go & see Grandma arrive & then we spent the day at Aunt Sarah's house playing and taking turns holding the baby when she wasn't eating. It was a nice day all around.

There it is, all the pictures so far & the rundown of how things are going so far. We are so happy to have Katy here & SO blessed to have so much loving family around to take care of us while we figure out how to take care of Kathryn. And even though there isn't a single picture showing it, I do hold the baby & often!

The BIG One

2009-05-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Kathryn Grace Stoecker arrived in all her glory Saturday May 2, 2009 at 9 a.m. She weighed in at 10 lbs 11 oz and is 22 inches long. Yes, she is bigger than Lizzie was & she is much more calm & sleepy then her big sister. She has short brown hair all over her head where Lizzie's grew just on top & she arrived via c-section.
I had an ultrasound on Friday that estimated her weight at 10.6 lbs and after talking things over with Dr. Kells my midwife, Janice called to let me know my options & to fill me in on some of the risks that go along with a baby that big. Basically we could either continue waiting for things to happen naturally or we could have a c-section. Mark & I discussed it & decided that the inconvenience of recovering from a c-section was more worthwhile then any risk of injury to the baby so we decided to do the surgery. We got scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning & felt REALLY good about our decision. Mark would've felt better with a later appointment time but I was SUPER anxious to have my little girl here. We arrived to check in at 6:30 in the morning & after a little bit of paperwork & surgery prep I walked to the OR at 8:15 to get my spinal block. At 9 a.m. exactly she was here! She cried & scored a 9 on both her APGAR tests and Mark went with her to the nursery while I got myself put back together.
We've been having a REALLY great stay in the hospital, the nurses and aides are taking really great care of us. We may be going home tomorrow & I am feeling pretty ready. I miss Jay & Lizzie and because of the swine flu they haven't been able to come visit us in the hospital. They have seen pictures & Lizzie was pretty sad yesterday when she couldn't come but they are excited to meet their baby sister.
I am so happy & grateful that everything turned out so great & that Katy is here safe & sound. We are still having an adjustment period (for some reason I can't stop comparing her to Lizzie, she is SOOO different!) and I am excited to have her home & get back to life.

Baby Update #2

2009-04-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

So yesterday afternoon I began having contractions sometime between 2 & 3 & the were pretty mild (almost unnoticeable) at first & they got stronger to the point that I decided to sit down & pay attention for a little bit. Well, they were regular, every 4-5 minutes lasting for 45 seconds to a minute. I kept an "eye" on them for a while longer & just went about my business. After about 2 hours of this I realized they were getting stronger & a little closer together, more like every 3-4 minutes & still lasting a minute each. After debating with myself about it I decided to call my midwife & she told me to go ahead & go to the hospital & have a baby! This was about 5:45-6-ish. We got the kids over to Sarah (THANK YOU!!!!) & headed to Chandler Regional. By the time we got back to triage it was just about 7 & by the time I was all hooked up to the monitors my contractions were coming about a minute & a half to 2 minutes apart & they felt pretty strong, not painful, just REAL. Well, we got there pretty much right at shift change for the nurses so it took a minute to get checked to see if I was dilating at all but when I did I had the happy news that I was open just a bit, dilated to 1 cm. HALLELUJAH!!! In my previous pregnancies I have NEVER dilated before actually being in labor so I was VERY happy! That isn't enough to be admitted though so after the triage nurse spoke to my midwife it was decided that I would walk for an hour, see if we couldn't move things along (that is usually how it works for me). Well, we walked & the whole time I felt like I was carrying the baby around between my knees, she felt that low. When we got back to triage after our walk they hooked me back up to all the monitors & I was still contracting every minute & a half to 2 minutes but the strength & length of my contractions had lessened some. I got checked again after monitoring me & baby for about 20 minutes & I was...wait for it...STILL only dilated to a 1! So disappointed! We came home, ate some dinner (we neglected to eat on the way to the hospital, too distracted I guess LOL) and went to bed. I was feeling discouraged & more then a little disappointed. I REALLY wanted my baby here!
Anyway, I think I am still on the induction list (we were put on hold due to LOTS of laboring mothers who did it on their own) & I am determined to get her here ASAP!!!
Thank you for all your positive thoughts & prayers. Keep 'em coming!

Baby Update

2009-04-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have a belly pic for this week because I TOTALLY expected to be having a baby as we speak (or as I type, whatever!). I DO have some good news though & here it comes! I am scheduled for an induction Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. YAY! We will leave the house around 7 a.m. to get to the hospital & my wonderful sister-in-law is going to come over before then to get Jay off to school & to be with Lizzie while we are at the hospital. SOOO excited!
So keep checking, I'll post pics and stats as soon as possible.

Funny things Lizzie says

2009-04-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lately Lizzie has been putting more & more big words & phrases into her vocabulary & the results are often hilarious. For example the other day she was telling me that when she grows up she wants to be a Fire "Angel" & rescue kitties from trees. She then told me I would be the kitty...when she & Jalen discuss what kind of cars they want to drive when they get big enough Jalen wants to drive all the sports cars on the road, most specifically a red Mitsubishi Eclipse (Like Aunt Sarah's, only red!) and Lizzie also wants a red vehicle. A BIG red truck with ladders on it. I wonder if she really is going to be a fire "angel" when she gets big?!?
Jay made me VERY proud this morning by telling Lizzie, in a VERY matter-of-fact tone, that "People can't have babies in high school, they're too young!". I whole heartedly agreed with him, such a smart boy!

~38 Weeks~

2009-04-20T09:54:00.001-07:00

Here it is, not "the Big One" I'd hoped for but just another week of pregnant belly. I'm feeling pretty good still, really quite tired all the time but other then that good. I am feeling like she is getting herself in the best position to be born because it seems like my belly gets lower every day! I've been walking A LOT to get the most out of gravity & I feel like that has definitely been a good thing. This morning at the gym one of the staff trainers said something to the effect that she thought I was going to give birth right then & there. I'm sure that is only because of how big I am, nothing else. When she asked how much longer I had she was impressed that I am still working out (so was everyone in the lobby at the time!). I guess I am pretty impressed with myself!
We had a little "scare" last week that kind of (totally!) freaked me out. When I woke up from napping on Thursday afternoon I realized that I hadn't felt baby move much all day. She is usually VERY active in the morning & settles down mid-afternoon until around 7 or 8 p.m. when she gets active again until I go to bed. She also moves some during the night. Anyway, I hadn't felt much from her all morning & when I woke up at 2 p.m. & still hadn't felt much I got worried enough to first call mom & then my midwife. She instructed me to head DIRECTLY to the OB triage at the hospital. I made arrangements for the kids (THANK YOU SARAH!!!!) & called dad since Mark had taken our car to work that day. I also e-mailed Mark at work to let him know what was up & gave him some advice I was struggling to follow myself: "DON'T FREAK OUT!". Well, Mark got to the hospital BEFORE dad & me so dad just dropped me off. We went in, filled out a little paperwork & then was quickly seen in the outer part of triage. My mind was almost instantly put at ease by hearing her heartbeat, nice & strong. PHEW!!! She still wasn't being active so they took me back to the curtained area, had me change into a gown & hooked me up to the heart monitor & the contraction monitor. Again, SOOO relieved to hear a strong, loud, steady heartbeat but not much movement. After monitoring us for a little bit I drank some ice cold orange juice (that seems to get her to move pretty consistently). She wasn't moving as much as the triage nurse thought was appropriate after that so she brought in something called an acoustic agitator. It looked a little like a microphone and when she put it by my belly & pushed the button it made a noise similar to an alarm clock set to buzzer setting. She put it in 3 different places and, wouldn't you know it!, baby began moving like CRAZY!!! It was like she had been sleeping all day & just needed to wake up. We left a short time later & called everyone who we had let share in our freak out to let them know everything was fine. She has been back on her "regular" moving schedule since then & that is a major relief!
I was told by both the new midwife & the triage nurse that it looks like she is shaping up to be as big as her sister & while I don't exactly like that I know that I will be able to handle it much better this time around!
So she is big & healthy & a good sleeper apparently! I can't wait to meet her & get to know her personality. Not too much longer (thank the stars!) & she'll be here!!!

Just Because

2009-04-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Lizzie is getting so big & is as goofy as ever. I love her sense of humor & how she seems to learn something new EVERY day! Just yesterday her most used phrase was "Hey" whoever she was talking to "wanna hear something?" and then she would proceed to "whistle". She was mostly just making a very quiet whistling noise through her teeth but it was too cute. When I asked her where she learned to whistle she quickly pointed to me! Man, was I shocked. I had no idea I was such a great teacher, I don't even remember it happening! She also has this ADORABLE little bike that Aunt Sarah bought for her & yesterday she rode it when we took Jay to school & picked him up. She isn't the best at steering but she pedals like a champ! Sometimes she wants to go as fast as she can & I have no hope of keeping up with her! She wears her little helmet when she rides as well & after school she got a Popsicle from Jay's teacher for wearing it! SO nice! It is really nice to have her bicycle at our house for now, we walked Jay to & from school most days this week & the umbrella stroller has handles that are just too low! It REALLY bothers my back to push her in that! Lizzie's little bike has a handle that comes out behind the seat & is MUCH higher then the stroller handle. It is awesome! She has a new piggy bank also and our deal is that any money she finds on the ground is hers. She has a pretty healthy amount of pennies but a surprising amount of nickels & dimes as well. It is pretty impressive! She loves to get her money out to "count" it. She doesn't worry about the value of the coin she is counting, they all equal "one" to her!

Jalen is almost 7 1/2 and I am amazed every day by what a big boy he is getting to be. He is almost finished with first grade & he is already reading at a second grade level! He is a curious & funny little guy. He likes to read the reference books from the library (books about dinosaurs, sea animals, plants, etc.) and then tell me about the things he's read. It is also fun to talk to him about Star Wars. After all these years it is still his favorite & he LOVES to talk about the Episode 7 movie he wants to make when he gets older. His imagination is endless & he draws what he imagines. He is a really good little artist & I am proud to say I can almost ALWAYS tell what it is he has drawn. In the picture above you'll notice his hair is EXTREMELY short. He was sort of growing it out but now that it is getting ready to be hot again we decided to do a buzz cut. He really likes having his hair this short but I have to admit, it makes him look older so it isn't my favorite! Am I the only mom who feels that way? Does anyone else want to stop time & keep their kids little forever? I LOVE my boy so much it makes me nostalgic to think about him getting older. Anyway, Jay is an amazing student when it comes to his "seatwork" and I am proud/frustrated that the time honored practice of spelling out things we don't want the kids to hear is pretty much out the window now that Jay is such a good speller! He can decipher almost everything we spell & then says it out loud so his sister knows too! Oh well, we get to practice talking in code or something!

The kids are getting bigger, the time for baby is getting closer every day & we are so excited! Life is really great right now & I know it will only get better as time goes on!

Jalen Update

2009-04-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

So I alluded to it in an earlier post but I want to give a quick update on Jalen for those who may not know. Last Friday (the 3rd) Jay was pretty sluggish after school & not his usual self. While having dinner with Mark I noticed he was feeling kind of warm so I gave him a little ibuprofen before bed, hoping to knock out whatever was making him sick. Well, it didn't work! He was sick all weekend, even throwing up once on Sunday (I think he gagged on something he attempted to eat, ALL food tastes weird to him when he is sick). Since Sirrine has a 24 hr puke policy (Your child must be 24 hours vomit free before they can return to school) I kept him home on Monday. He didn't have a fever & felt well enough to fight with Lizzie all day so I figured he MUST be well enough to go to school! I sent him on Tuesday & he came home all sluggish & tired again. I kept him inside rather then let him out to play with his neighborhood friends and we had an early bedtime. Wednesday morning I could barely get him out of bed and when I took his temperature it was 101 degrees! Needless to say he stayed home on Wednesday. I gave him more ibuprofen & put him back to bed. He slept until almost noon & then dozed off & on the rest of the day in the living room. We went to mom & dad's for Ted's birthday dinner & Jay spent all but the few minutes eating dinner laying quietly on the couch. When it was time to leave he got his shoes on & just laid down on the floor by the door. Dad finally walked him out to the car & he fell asleep on the way home. I had already decided to keep him home again on Thursday & while he was MUCH cooler (temperature-wise) he was still VERY sleepy & gave me zero argument when I suggested we all take naps. He was much better again on Friday & just got better & better all weekend. He still has "sick-eyes" but I know he is feeling better, no fever at all & just a little cough that is on its way out. Thank goodness! I was beginning to get a little nervous but he is such a trooper!
So that is that. Oh yeah, through all that you'd think Lizzie would have gotten a little something wouldn't you? Oh no! She has been healthy as ever all along!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the kids together (looking like they actually love each other even!) in their new Easter clothes. I had wanted to put Lizzie's hair in curlers last night but she absolutely refused! We did two ponies instead & I think she looks REALLY cute!

Here is Jay in his new clothes & with his new haircut. It almost breaks my heart to see how grown up he looks! It is so crazy to think that in a little more then 6 months he'll be getting baptized. My goodness, time flies!

Here is a full length picture of Lizzie. Can you tell that she is pointing at me with her middle finger? I noticed it & find it hilarious. But she looks so pretty and sweet otherwise right? Notice all the decorations on the front door? Lizzie has been doing that lately. The hearts are from a set of fairy princess wall decorations that Aunt Sarah got for her & the others are drawings (or signs) that Lizzie has made and put on her door. Now they are on the front door & I LOVE it!

The whole family going to church together on Easter morning! I LOVE IT!!! I was so happy & had such a nice time listening to the talks & actually hearing what was being said. Lizzie loved having her daddy there to sit with & to take her out to get a drink or go potty (Mommy loved that part too!). The Primary sang a song too & it was nice to see & hear Jalen up there with the other children. All in all a WONDERFUL meeting!

Here are a couple pictures of the kids on the hunt. We went over to Sarah's house to have food & our Easter egg hunt so that we could be done early. We could have been a part of the party at Rachel & Spencer's but we were done by 5:30 p.m. & that was about the time things were getting started over there. It was SOOO fun to cook in a different kitchen & to get to spend time with Mike. We had a great time & were home for an on-time bedtime!

It looks to me like we weren't the only ones who had fun! We love having so much family around and getting to spend time with them! It is really fun for the kids to have an uncle like Mike who loves to play just as much as they do!

~37 Weeks~

2009-04-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

So here is baby belly week 37. I am feeling as big as I look & VERY ready to have this little girl here & in my arms. I am pretty uncomfortable when I sleep at night, waking up every 45 minutes or so to change position. I also get to go to the bathroom every other time I wake up as well so that is ENDLESS fun! *L*
I have my next appointment on Wednesday & I get to meet the new midwife. At this point I am praying that either Katy or the new midwife (Ramona) takes pity on me & we figure out a way to have this baby by next weekend AT THE LATEST! I really have loved this pregnancy, I REALLY feel though that it is time to experience the next phase, y'know?
Check back next week to see if my next post is "the big one!".

Random Lizzie Cuteness

2009-04-06T15:26:00.001-07:00

So this is the outfit Lizzie decided to wear yesterday. It is her Christmas dress over a pink tunic style shirt with striped socks & tie up tennis shoes. Not sure why this is the ultimate outfit but she felt "BE-YOU-TI-FUL!" as she would say. We got to do our grocery shopping yesterday afternoon so the patrons & workers at Wal-Mart were blessed enough to see this in person. She really has a knack for making a fashion statement, no?
This is Lizzie in her tutu that she got from Maddie for Christmas. She was wearing shorts underneath & that is her ACTUAL outfit today, she just decided to put her tutu on after naps for a little bit.

In Jalen news, he has been under the weather since Friday afternoon. He has had a fever, no appetite & a little bit of belly trouble. He stayed home from school today & I can tell he is feeling MUCH better! I'm looking forward to him going to school tomorrow even if he isn't! *L*

~36 Weeks~

2009-04-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

Here is baby belly week 36. Getting closer & SOOO ready! I thought I might be going into labor last night when I woke up around 3 a.m. to use the bathroom & get a drink, I went back to bed and almost immediately began having contractions. They were every 8-9 minutes and lasting for most of a minute. I couldn't fall back to sleep & kept changing positions, nothing worked. A little after 5 a.m. they finally stopped & by then I had to pee again (go figure!) but for a while I was pretty sure it was time!
I saw my midwife this morning & while nothing is going on (effacing/dilating speaking) my midwife, Janice (LOVE her!) says that I can have this baby anytime & she won't stop me. YAY! The practice has just acquired another midwife so my next appointment gets to be with her (in case I go into labor when she is on call, I'll already know her). Janice wouldn't be surprised if I have baby before then, it's a week and a half away. That is also good to know!
Anyway, still feeling good, getting to the gym 3 times a week. I'm changing my workout from the stationary bike to the Treadmill or elliptical machine, I've decided to let gravity do some of the work in getting the baby here!

Single Brother Sunday

2009-03-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday (for the last month or so) we have had over Andy, Mike & since he moved here, Ted. We invite them over to eat, play games & basically just hang out & have fun. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. A couple are examples of Lizzie's photography skills & the one of me was taken by Jay. We LOVE our single brothers and are SOOO glad they come over to play!

You may be tempted to think that this is the dress Lizzie wore to church yesterday. You would be wrong. She is in a (please let it be!) stage where she insists on changing her clothes multiple times a day & she puts on her fanciest dresses as often as I allow it. Since we were done with dinner (for the most part) and the outfit she ACTUALLY wore to church was dirty I allowed this get up last night. She is so girly sometimes! *L*

These are the photos taken by Lizzie. Doesn't Ted look HUGE!!! Gotta love the 3 year old perspective!

Ted took this one of Jay & I think it is a really cute picture.

Jay took this picture of me right after the camera got dropped on the floor. That explains the blurriness (and why I look so fat...Just kidding! *L*). He posed me and everything. "No, mom, put your head like this!" He has had LOTS of school pictures taken!

Mike DID come over last night but this is actually a picture from a couple weeks ago. The kids LOVE having an uncle/jungle gym to play with! Mike is more then willing to let the kids climb all over him & he accommodates their many requests to be picked up & put on the ceiling or for him to lift them like weights. Lizzie clearly enjoys employing him as her main mode of transportation!

So that is that. We cook, single brothers flock to us & we all have a great time! This is a tradition I would be more then happy to keep going & that could even come to include more then just the single brothers. I love my family!

~35 Weeks~

2009-03-30T09:29:00.001-07:00

Here is a shot of my belly progress. It is a bit different then the rest since I had a different photographer (thanks Andy!). I looked at it upside down at first and was majorly freaked out. It looked weird with my bum in the place I expected my belly to be and my belly where my bum should be. Strange...thankfully Andy was there to correct my misconception & I could look at the picture correctly. Phew! I have been felling bigger the last week or so. I think my brain is finally catching up to the idea that I will be having this baby soon & that translates to my body as me being gigantic. Oh well, it'll be over in a few weeks & then I can get fit after I am cleared to work out again. So here it is, baby belly week 35.

Baby Shower

2009-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

So today was my baby shower & it was SOOO much fun! My wonderful BF Stephanie was kind enough to throw it for me & open her home to the craziness that is hosting a party. Above is a picture of all the beautiful women who were able to attend. From left is Rachel, Stephanie, Erika, Me, Kym, Mom (Vickie), Marian holding Sadie & Sarah.
It was a fun afternoon/evening that held food, games & LOTS of talking! Below are some pictures of me looking cute while opening gifts. It was so great to have fun & think about what a major blessing friends and family are when a new baby is on the way. I am blessed enough to have wonderful people around even when a new baby ISN'T on the way! Love you all! Enjoy the pictures...

Spring Break

2009-03-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

Last week was Spring Break for Jalen, Maddie & Shallon & Draven so (as promised) here is a rundown of our week.

On Monday we went to my mom's house to play with cousins. Since Rachel & Spencer live there with their kids & Erika came over with her kids it was a fun, unplanned afternoon. I had just wanted to get out of the house & take the kids somewhere they could play outside & Mom has a nice, big backyard. It worked out REALLY well that Erika was coming over & that Rachel got back from running errands shortly after we arrived. The kids had SOOO much fun playing together that we made plans to all get together at the park later in the week. In the first picture you can see that dress up is a favorite game for Lizzie & Maddie, we had been there for maybe 15 minutes before the girls were out of regular clothes & into "Princess" clothes. In the second picture you can see that the family room (where the moms & grandma were talking) was the most popular room in the house! And in the bottom picture you can see how big Emma is getting! At almost 5 months old she is so big & so cute! I like to call her "little Draven Face" because she looks so much like Erika's younger son. So cute!

This is Rachel's son Ian being a "turtle". He takes one of Maddie's play baby carriers & puts it on his back & then announces to whoever is around "I'm a turtle!" It is SOOO funny & cute. Ian is such a smart little guy & he speaks so clearly. It is lots of fun watching him create games & activities for himself. The turtle is just one of many!

After Erika & her kids left to go have dinner at home Jay, Maddie & Lizzie were still playing in the backyard. As you can see in the top picture Lizzie decided at some point that it was too hot for clothes (she had picked out a dress with leggings that day). I LOVE this picture. Add a trucker cap & a beer & she is a little redneck! In the bottom picture is what I like to call "Rachel & Jesse the next generation". It almost looks like a posed engagement photo. Jalen's new thing is giving people bunny ears but look how sweetly Maddie is posed.

Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day & I got as festive as I'll ever get & the kids & I all wore green. In case you can't read it Jay's shirt says "If you're lucky you'll be like me someday". When I saw that I knew it was perfect for my little man. He knows how cool he is & I LOVE it!
Rachel & her kids came over that afternoon & we worked hard doing some more baby prep. Since we are staying in the condo for a few more months (August 1st at the latest is my new goal) I have decided to embrace the nesting instinct I am (FINALLY) feeling & get my house in order. We worked in Lizzie's room to get toys, clothes & beds under control & it turned out really nicely. I am going to get a new crib mattress for the crib & some more hangers for baby clothes but other then that I could have baby & even have a place for her! YAY! We also worked on getting Mark's laundry all caught up & getting my kitchen clean. The kids had fun playing in Jay's room & out on the deck. They got to eat Popsicles so that was pretty special!
No pictures from Wednesday OR Thursday because I forgot to bring the camera anywhere but on Wednesday morning the nesting continued & took us into Jalen's room. We got his clothes gone through so you won't see him wearing any more high water pants or shorts that end above his knee. I feel MUCH better about my parenting skills now that that particular job is done! We got a place for all his toys & books & even got him a pencil cup to keep on his desk so that he has his pencils, erasers and scissors readily available when he does his homework. After naps we went to the AWESOME park over by Erika's house to play with cousins and the kids of Erika's friend Michelle. It was fun & we spent almost 3 hours there. Before heading to the park I stopped at Wal-Mart & was able to find the cutest material for mom to turn into receiving blankets for baby. Mom was kind enough to make 4 for Lizzie before she was born so I imposed the same request upon her again. I found amazing material and for $13 feel like I got a heck of a deal. Lizzie still uses her blankets so I know $13 over 3 years or more works out AMAZINGLY!
We didn't really do anything on Thursday. We bummed around at home, I did some laundry, the kids played with the neighborhood kids & we went to bed. In the morning Lizzie & I did go to the library to get some books & I realized that I NEVER want to take her there again unless she is safely strapped into a stroller from which she cannot escape. Library + active 3 year old does not = Superfun!

Mark took Friday off from work so in the morning we decided to take advantage & go to Costco to pick up some "essentials". These three pictures illustrate the different way my kids interpret "get dressed to go to the store". Lizzie insisted on her red "Christmas"headband & her black mary jane church shoes, Jalen is practically in pajamas. Girls & boys are VERY different!

After Costco, while Lizzie napped, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go get a pedicure. This is a picture of what my toes look like, notice the mild swelling as well. Cute, huh?

We went to mom's again on Friday afternoon & I couldn't resist taking this picture. One day Lizzie may be VERY upset that this picture exists but it is too cute! She had just come out of the bathroom from going potty & hadn't quite gotten herself put all the way back together. Too funny!

On Saturday morning I went to the salon and, in addition to getting my last pre-baby haircut!, I decided to get some highlights as well. This is how they turned out. I wanted a subtle change that wouldn't grow out too noticeably. I REALLY like it, I'm excited to be light haired all summer!

Since I now have a limited number of days that I can go out "kid free" we took the chance Saturday night to go out to dinner with Mom & Dad & Rachel & Spencer. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Elephant Bar. It was really fun & REALLY good food. We are blessed enough to have a great babysitter who will watch not only our kids but Rachel & Spencer's kids as well. It is fun for us to have another couple to go out with & it is fun for the kids to get to have some time to play without their parents around.
That was the last of the Spring Break festivities. If this epic post bored you I apologize. Next year we want to actually GO somewhere for the week so maybe next years' will be more fun! Anyway, it was a week that went by really fast & was really fun!

~34 Weeks~

2009-03-23T16:56:00.001-07:00

Here it is, week 34. I saw my midwife this morning & things are looking good. She is MAJORLY on board with my desire to have this baby a little early so that is awesome! At my next appointment (36 weeks) she'll give me her cell phone number so that I can call her directly when I go into labor, rather then calling the answering service & waiting for a call back. She did say that she wouldn't have me labor at home for too long since this is not my first rodeo! She encourages calm, gentle, natural labor & getting to the hospital with a crowning baby is more chaos then gentleness, in her experience. I happen to agree! She also let me know the 2 nights that she gets to take off so I REALLY get to have this baby on a weekend (her "days off" are Wed & Thurs).
I talked to her about some of my contractions I've been having as well because I've had a few that feel like "real" labor but they have never gotten regular & they go away with various different things. It's really getting down to it & I am SO excited! My baby shower is this Saturday so that is making me even MORE excited. I am just having a great time getting ready for my girl & time can't go fast enough for me!

~33 Weeks~

2009-03-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here it is, week 33! It's getting closer & closer, I'm getting bigger & bigger. We couldn't be more excited (well, maybe after we get a bunch of good stuff at the shower ;~) ). I'm feeling pretty good still. I have some times where I am COMPLETELY exhausted after being awake for only a few hours (and a full night's sleep) & other times where I'll go, go, go all day long & STILL can't fall asleep at night. Crazy! I have my next prenatal appointment next Monday & I am really excited for that. I think I will be going weekly to see my midwife at that point & that will make the time FLY! I am doing more & more to get the condo ready to have a new inhabitant & it is getting REALLY hard to not go to the baby aisle every time I enter a store!
Anyway, life goes on around the baby prep as well. Jay didn't get a 100% on his "Star Speller" test this quarter because the teacher grading it said one of his letters looked like another. I think his name will still go out on the "Star Speller" portion of the next school newsletter but he didn't get a toy like a couple of his friends did so he was pretty sad. We stopped to chat with his kindergarten teacher & she was upset FOR Jay. She feels like that was grading the penmanship which isn't something the schools do anymore. For those of you who've never seen it, Jay has AWESOME handwriting for a little boy, sometimes he just isn't as careful as he could be. I'm fairly certain that is what happened. He got over it pretty quickly but it was a blow & we talked about how he can do better next time.
Lizzie is getting so big it is INSANE! She talks to me about all the things she will when she is the big sister. She was wishing on the "wishing star" last night that she will get to give the baby her bottles sometimes & that we will let her hold the baby when she sits on the couch. TOO cute! She also likes to "help" in the kitchen so we make things that can be stirred as often as possible. She also likes to butter her own bread so we have been going through bread rather quickly lately!
Well, it is Spring Break this week & we plan on having fun of some type so I'll bring the camera along & keep you updated on our doings...

Preparing for baby

2009-03-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

So today Erika & Ted came over to assist me in cleaning out my closet so that I would have more room for baby when she decides to "Grace" us with her presence. I am something of a packrat & I realized that I have been holding on to some things for the MOST ridiculous reasons. Erika was rewarded with lots of clothes that will fit her during this transition time until she gets back to her pre-Emma size & Ted gets to have a shelving unit that I get to NOT have anymore so that I can have a bed for baby in my room. While we were going through my closet & dresser I got to think A LOT about how my life is about to change. It also got me thinking about what life was like just a year ago. I started thinking about the AMAZING cruise Mark & I went on last May and decided it would be fun to write about it now since I didn't back then, so here goes!

This is a picture of me as we are leaving the San Diego port. It was BEAUTIFUL but a little cold if you spent too much time out of the sun. One of the things I love the most about this picture is the dress I'm wearing. It is a maternity dress that I still wear as often as I can get away with! It is so comfy & long. LOVE IT!

This is the ONLY picture of Mark & me together from our camera. We bought a few of the ones the ship photographers took but our scanner bit the dust last summer so I can't post those. (They are ALL better!) You can see the San Diego skyline in the background and a bit of the port. Again, beautiful!

This is a picture of the real life "Black Pearl" from Pirates of the Caribbean. Our tour guide told us that they were preparing to begin shooting the fourth installment in Miami & the ship was docked there in Ensenada before going on to Florida for the movie. We didn't get as great of a shot as we would've liked but it was pretty neat all the same!

This is a picture of our ship taken from the tour bus on a high hill overlooking the city. It (apparently) is a smaller ship. We found it plenty big and quite impressive...

This is the chef who taught the Mexican cooking class we took. It was salsa, guacamole & tamales. Nothing too intense but fun. He had a great sense of humor & kept things fun & light hearted. I can't recall his name right now but I can guarantee that Mark remembers if you REALLY want to know!

This is a GIGANTIC Mexico flag that flies in the harbor in Ensenada. It is one of three (I think, maybe four) that fly in different places throughout Mexico. It is a point of pride & was a great honor to the city when they were selected to get a flag.

These are the towel creations our AWESOME room steward created for us during out cruise. I think we had one more that for some reason we didn't get a picture of but these we DID capture I think the frog is too cute. Lizzie just now saw the picture of the monkey & said "Is that me?"I told her it was a monkey, not my monkey which is one of my many nicknames for her.

Here we are in the San Diego airport, waiting to go through security. We were VERY excited to see the kids but had had SOOO much fun we were sad to be coming home. We can't wait for our next cruise, when we can take the kids and go for a week. We love the pampering and total freedom "cruising" gives you! It is the only vacation I've ever been on that didn't require any recovery time once we got home. You can also find AMAZING prices for cruises online as well so they are affordable too!

I just wanted to take a little trip down memory lane & share with you what I was doing a year ago. We got home the day before Mother's Day and this Mother's Day I will have a brand new baby. SO exciting!

~32 Weeks~

2009-03-09T09:17:00.001-07:00

So after a little critique from Rachel I had Mark widen the shot of my belly this week. This should look more accurate as far as growth is concerned. I still don't think I look like I should be having a baby any day but you be the judge! One thing of interest from this last week, when I went to my prenatal appointment last Monday I measured 33 instead of 31. I have NEVER (even with Lizzie) measured bigger then the current week of my pregnancy so I have high hopes that this means that I will get to meet my little girl 2 weeks early. She has already begun dropping & this makes walking kind of uncomfortable. Imagine walking around holding a bowling ball between your knees. That is what I have been feeling for about 4 days now. Fun, huh?

And now for the GREAT news! I was able to get back to the gym today!!! YAY! After two weeks of pain & inconvenience I went to the gym and did 25 minutes on the elliptical machine. Before I hurt my back I was doing 30 so I haven't lost much at all & I feel so awesome! My goal for the rest of my pregnancy is to go at least 3 times a week & I KNOW I will be able to meet & possibly even exceed my goal. GO ME!

About my back

2009-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

So this is a bo-ring, text only blog...sorry! I just wanted to post a quick update about my back. I am feeling SOOO much better! It has been getting progressively better since my chiropractor adjusted me on Monday, even with doing my mom's daycare the last three days! I haven't made it back to the gym yet but I have a plan to get me there starting on Monday. I am so grateful for my good health & the gifts of healing that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I am also incredibly grateful for my fantastic husband who has taken care of me & the kids & been super nice & concerned! I really got WAY more blessed then I thought I deserved when I found Mark! Anyway, I am getting a little mushy in my hormone-crazed state so I'll leave it at this, I feel better! YAY!!!!

Little cheerleader girl

2009-03-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

So this is just a cute picture of Lizzie wearing her Seattle Seahawks cheerleader dress. She got it from Grandpa Chip & Grandma Dee for Christmas & she LOVES it! She had actually been out playing with some of the kids in the neighborhood with Jay the day we took this picture. She also has some pom poms at Aunt Sarah's house that she likes to play with. It is too cute.

Even though it isn't terribly clear you may notice the tatoo on her right forearm. It was of Boots from "Dora the Explorer" & she was so sad once it started to fade. She likes to tell people about it & how it "went away". TOTALLY cute!

Also, her hair is just starting to get long enough to go into a half pony. Lots of hair won't go up in the back & her cute little curlies in the front stay down too but it IS growing! Slowly, but growing! As far as I can tell, her self hair-cutting phase is behind her as well. Thank GOODNESS!

~31 weeks~

2009-03-02T09:34:00.001-08:00

Here it is! Baby belly week 31. From my perspective not much difference but some people I see want me to be having this baby in the next few days. I don't think I look THAT pregnant! On the other hand, I do remember my other pregnancies & I know I am capable of getting MUCH bigger before baby arrives!
I have been FEELING very pregnant this last week. I (somehow) hurt my back last Sunday night & when I woke up Monday morning I could barely move. I have numbness on the bottom of my left foot & the back of my left leg is tight & sore. I've been to the chiropractor twice already & I get to go again this afternoon. I am putting it out there that this will be the last appointment & that I will be back to feeling great again. It has been sad having this pain because it is distracting me from my pregnancy which I am still LOVING!!! I also haven't been able to get to the gym (I can barely walk from my bed to my bathroom, not EXACTLY "workout" ready!). I love my morning workout, it makes the rest of the day go so great!
Anyway, this is week 31 & I wanted to share it with you all!

2009-02-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

I am officially 30 weeks today so I thought it would be fun to post a weekly "countdown" picture. I know that the last 10 weeks or so is when the baby will grow the most & I would like to see just how much bigger my belly can get! I also plan on having Mark take a picture of my belly before we leave for the hospital so that this can be as accurate as possible. The shot on the right is a picture Lizzie took of me this last week, she really loves to take pictures! She looks at the little screen & pushes the silver button. SO easy!

Anyway, check in every Monday (at least!) to keep an eye on my (and baby's) progress!

Lizzie's 3rd Birthday

2009-02-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

So these are just a few pictures of Lizzie & her cake from her birthday party last week. It was a really fun time with the family & Lizzie got so many cute new clothes that I don't think she even noticed that she only got a couple new toys. She is such a girlie girl that clothes were a perfect gift! We also got her this really cute Leapfrog movie Rachel has for Ian called the Letter Factory to get her going on learning her letters & the sounds they make. She LOVES watching it & will watch it over and over and over if we let her! She so far has been the most interested in wearing the new clothes that Grandma Dee made her but I think she'll get excited about wearing the stuff Mark & I got her & the TOTALLY cute stuff she got from Aunt Erika, Uncle Ken & her cousins. It was a busy couple weeks getting ready for her party & Mom (me) felt like she went a little overboard but everyone had fun, Lizzie was excited about EVERYTHING we did & no one cried (much!*L*). It kind of makes me excited to have TWO little girl birthday parties to plan next year & grateful that Jalen is happy as long as his party includes pizza & games of some type!

Lizzie Update

2009-02-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Lizzie on Halloween in her Tinkerbell costume. She had been telling us for WEEKS that she wanted to be a Princess so imagine our surprise when she came home from costume shopping with Aunt Sarah & she had been VERY insistent that she wanted to be Tinkerbell this year. She looked adorable & she still puts on her costume from time to time to play around the house. She says next year she'll be Princess Fiona from Shrek but we'll see what costume strikes her fancy once we actually go shopping!

Quick Update

2009-02-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

So, this is Jalen on the first day of the 2008-2009 school year. He is a first grader & he is doing SO well! He LOVES to read and he has been a "Star Speller" each quarter so far. He sometimes struggles with math but once we all calm down & talk about it he gets it SO quickly that I am astonished & so proud! We had talked about moving into a new home before the baby comes but that would have us moving to a new school district before the school year ends & I just didn't feel that great about doing that. We are SOOO blessed to have AJ & Marian for landlords & they have told us that we can stay in the condo until the end of the school year. HALLELUJAH! Anyway, Jay really loves his teacher & she really loves him so we are having a great first grade year!

Baby in T-minus 99 days & counting!!!

2009-01-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

So today is a majorly momentous occasion! Not only did I go out (without Jay & Lizzie!) to register for baby shower gifts I discovered that I officially have fewer then 100 days to go until my new baby arrives. YAY!!! I have really been enjoying this pregnancy so it's not that I'm eager to be done with that part. I am just WAY excited to meet my little girl. It will be so awesome to have her here in my arms & to feel the innocence & purity that only a newborn can bring.
Anyway, so excited for that & I wanted to share!

So here it is...

2007-07-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

So here is a warning to all of you out there NOT currently blogging, Rachel is really, really good at peer pressure!
I was not planning on starting up a blog but after talking to Rachel & checking out other various blogs out there (Nate's is funny!) I succumbed to the pressure & here it is.
This may not be the most exciting blog out there and if you don't want to hear about what my kids are up to it will probably be boring. For the rest of you, watch out! I love to talk about my kids and I will take many oppurtunities to post blog after blog about how cute & funny they are!
That is all for now...I'll post more later.