Stoker Family

Sidney's Birthday.

2012-02-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sidney is 2 years old. We had a little party for her, with a few friends. If you did not notice, Sidney was born on Valentines day and for convenience sake we went with the hearts theme. But I have been advised that we are not going to have a hearts theme every year for her, so that she will feel that her birthday is separate for Valentines day. So next year when she can say what she would like to have for her birthday theme, then we will do something different.

When I had Sidney (about 10 days before she was due) on Valentines Day, I pictured in my mind a girlie girl in a pink dress each year on her birthday. I got something better. I got Sidney, who is wild and crazy and I would have to say, not very girlie.

2012-02-07T04:39:00.000-08:00

I have not blogged in a few weeks so here are some pictures of what we have been up to. Which is not much, but it is what we do.

Sidney likes to get into Brynn's chairs just to remind us that she is still a baby too.

Brynn started eating rice cereal this month. I know it does not seem super exciting, but these little mile stones are what we are about and it is a scary reminder how fast it goes.

I am not sure what to do with Sidney's hair. It grows from the top of her head straight down into her face. I try to keep a clip in it or a little pigtail up, but lets just say that Sidney has her own plans.

Gavin started karate this month and is have a really good time. He is already talking about his next belt.

We love Brynn's smile. She is so happy and loves to laugh and giggle. All we have to do is just look at her and she will light up.

Gavin's birthday was this last month and we took video, but no pictures. SORRY! Here is one of his presents that Lanny gave him. It is called Zombie Lab, you make brains, barf and snot. Then you are suppose to eat it. Making it was more fun that eating it.

Gavin is such a good big brother. He loves to hold Brynn and make her laugh.

This is an interesting phenomenon. What did we do before hand held movies and games existed?

2012-01-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks.

Gavin wanted a mohawk, so we had mohawk day.

For some reason Sidney really want to wear these goggles.

Gavin was taking pictures of everyone and he got this one of Brynn.

New Years Eve fireworks.

The fireworks made Sidney nervous so she spent most of her time in Paul's arms.

Gavin was really excited to be able to light some of the fireworks this year.

Gavin would light the firework and then run away and Sidney would hide behind him.

Brynn came out for a few minutes just to be in on the fun.

Brynn was really cross eyed here and just looked funny.

Christmas

2011-12-27T11:39:00.001-08:00

I can hardly believe that this was our third Christmas here in Georgia. The first Christmas it was Paul, me and Gavin. Second Christmas was Paul, me, Gavin and Sidney and now our third Christmas here we have Paul, me, Gavin, Sindey and Brynn. I would have to say that a lot has happened in these last 2 plus years that we have lived here.

Well here are a few photos of our third Georgia Christmas.

Brynn with her big silly grin at the ready.

I noticed awhile ago, way back when I was a teenager that Christmas did not feel same as when I was little. I know everyone feels that way, but the biggest reason for me that it did not feel the same was that when I was smaller it really did feel like it was more about Christ than it was about Santa. It seemed that Santa was over shadowing Christ little by little each year.

Now I am all for all the fun silly stuff that Christmas brings along with it, but now that I am a parent it seems that each year there is a new little (expensive) something that we have to have or do because everyone else is. Well this year it was the Elf on the Shelf. What is that! Well that is what I thought when Gavin asked if we could have that since all his friends had it. For those of you who don't know, it is all the rage this year, or maybe for a few year and I just did not notice until now.

Gavin asked if we could get The Elf on the Shelf just a few days before Christmas and I just decided enough was enough and we where not going to do it, but it is really hard to say no to my little man, so as a compromise, we made one. It is not as cool, I am sure, as the real one, but we had fun making it.

I am sure I will give in and get the real elf one of these Christmas's and I don't mean to offend anyone who has it and likes it. I just enjoy fighting against anything that is really trendy, so I can feel like I am keeping it real.

We spent two or three days making cookies this last week. It was a big mess and awesome at the same time.

Each year Grandma Stoker buys the kids new pajamas. This is a tradition I love.

Here is the result of a lot of shopping and hard work.

And several hours of manual labor by Paul. I was so excited about this gift and Paul acted like we were not going to get it, but then he surprised me and got it anyway. He is soooo sneaky.

Sidney loved her new Mickey Mouse bike and sat on it half the day, since we could not go out and ride, due to the rain.

The aftermath.

Totally worth it.

Stitches

2011-12-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

I was 2 years old when I had my first set of stitches. Miss Sidney has beaten my record. It started off as a normal Sunday morning and then the normality was shattered, when Sidney went head first into the corner of the fireplace and we ended up in urgent care.

Sidney of course was a tuff little girl and by the time we had been home for a few minutes, she was ready to say cheese for the camera.

The girls

2011-12-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls.

Paul caught me sleeping with Brynn.

This is me and Brynn waking up from the flash in my face.

Brynn has started smiling a lot lately so we love talking to her to get her to grin.

This is Sidney's cheese face again. This is going to be all her pictures for awhile is my guess. Im ok with that, because she is still really pretty and funny.

Paul making Brynn smile big.

2011-11-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a month since my last blog, so here is an update of pictures.

Gavin had a field trip to a little mini-museum, where he got to pet a snake.

Here Gavin's class was in a little dome where they could see the stars and learn about the planets.

Here are a few pictures of the family over the Thanksgiving break. Gavin spent nap time at the computer.

When Paul holds Brynn she just relaxes and is so content.

Here is Sindney helping me peel potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner and that is her face she makes when she says cheese for the camera.

Paul bought a turkey fryer and after watching several videos of what not to do when frying a turkey, he felt confident that he would not burn our home down.

The kids I rode bikes to kill some time and work up an appetite for dinner.

Then after dinner Paul wrestled with the kids before bedtime.

Brynn was not happy about getting neglected, while we made the dinner.

Sunday after church we put up the tree. It was a lot of fun of course, but it is already clear that it is going to be a long December of keeping Sidney away from the tree.

It is completely worth it.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. I love picking costumes, I love the candy, I love trick or treating and I love the carving of the pumpkin. Halloween is just a fun holiday for the kids and so I love it.

I know she should have a bow on so that people know she is a girl, but her head is still to little for all the bows I have.

Sidney and her friend Conner Noel at the truck or treat.

Sidney had pink hair and pink boots and people still called her little dude or asked me if she was a boy or girl. I just don't understand, because she is in PINK.

Gavin was awesome. He has been telling us that he wanted to be Mario for Halloween for about 6 months, but of course we got to Walmart to late and the costumes had been picked over good. We could not find Mario, so then Gavin said he would be a pirate. Well there were no pirate costumes in his size. The only costume we could find in his size was this transformer costume, so Gavin said he would be a transformer. We offered to take him to another store so he could find the Mario costume, but he was very happy and satisfied with being a transformer. I heard a lot of stories from from friends of their kids having meltdowns over their costumes not being just right, so I am so thankful for my little transformer and his easy going attitude.

4 weeks long

2011-10-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

My mom came to visit and help with the new baby. I had told her not to worry about coming several months ago, because everything went so smooth and easy when I had Sidney, that I did not think it necessary that my mom make the trip out. But, a few weeks before my due date I told my mom that she could come if she wanted to (like I was doing her a favor). Looking back I really believe that Heavenly Father was watching out for me, because when Paul went back to work I don't know how I would have survived without my mom here. I am so grateful for her and all our family and friends that have been there for us these last 4 weeks.

Gavin has been playing t-ball the last couple of months. He really liked it and can't wait for the spring season to play again.

We love are little Brynn more than ever and are so thankful to have her in our home and family. Gavin and Sidney love to hold her and help in anyway they can with the baby. We are trying to get into our new routine of having an extra little person to care for daily, but we love it.

New addition

2011-10-04T14:16:00.001-07:00

We are very happy to announce the arrival of our newest family member, Brynn Lee Stoker.

Here is the story for those of you who don't know it. If you dont want to know the details then skip ahead to the pictures. I am going to write out just what happened so that I wont forget.

It all began when I went to my doctors appointment on Friday morning. Where I was hooked up to monitors to check my contractions, the babies movement and heart rate. The doctor then checked me to see if I was dilated. At this point I was told that I was 6 centimeters dilated. The doctor looked at me funny and asked if I was sure I was not in any pain, since I was so far dilated. I informed him I was fine. At this point the doctor told me he was not comfortable with letting me walk around dilated to a 6 so he asked me to meet him at the hospital and he would break my water.

Then the fun began. I called Paul, who was just leaving town, and told him to turn around and meet me at home. Many phone calls were then made to my very wonderful and dependable friends, so that Gavin and Sidney would be taken care of for the next several hours while Paul and I were at the the hospital.

Once at the hospital all seemed to be going fine and as normal as my deliveries seemed to be, so far. I again was hooked up to monitors and had an IV put in my hand (which, by the way, is way more painful than the epidural) and an epidural put in my back. All seemed well and good. Then as I was just about to close my eyes to take a nap (since these things can take awhile), the nurse came hurrying back in and was checking the heart rate monitor and then she and another nurse began telling me to roll to one side and then the other. The nurse then said the babies heart rate had dropped and she was trying to move her around to get the rate back up. At this point the doctor came in and advised us that this was not normal and if it continued then we would have to do an emergency C-section. At these words I got really nervous, things like this usually don't phase me, but I really did not want a C-section. I looked at Paul and told him I hope we don't have to do it, he advised me he would prefer not too either, but that we would if that would be best. I said a silent prayer that this would not have to happen, but that the baby would be safe.

A few short minutes later the decision was made to do the C-section. This is when things changed dramatically. All of a sudden we went from the calm of just a few people in the room to several people moving around doing many things at once and saying many things that I did not hear. All this fast movement made me even more nervous and of course Paul was taken away to change into some scrubs and mask, so he was not there to tell me I was over reacting and to calm down.

I was then taken to another room where I was splayed out on the operating table and a curtain was put up in front of my face. Paul was able to come in then and hold my hand, which was the best medicine ever and within what seem just a few minutes I heard the most wonderful sound of Brynn crying for the first time. She was out, safe and healthy. What more could I ask for?

The doctor told me that it seemed the placenta was starting to detach early and that is why the babies heart rate kept going down. At hearing this we were all very glad that the c-section was done and Brynn was safe.

2011-09-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have not blogged about my pregnancy much. So here is an update. I am in the home stretch at 37 weeks. I had a doctors appointment today and it sounds like this little girl should be here in the next 1-2 weeks. We still have not settled on a name, but I have one on backup. If Paul can't come up with one that we both like by the time she is here, I think I might just go ahead and put my choice on the birth certificate.

There really has not been a whole lot going on here lately, so here are some pictures of the last few weeks.

You can't really see what Gavin is holding, but it is a little frog that dried up on our deck.

A Couple of Firsts

2011-08-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

Sidney is now 18 months old and she headed off to nursery today. I walked in, put her down and she was off. The nursery leader told me she did wonderful and had a good time. Sidney has not had as long as Gavin did to be the baby, but I don't think she was meant to be a baby for long. She is very independent when it comes down to it. She still needs me, thank goodness, but in many cases like this she acts like she is old enough to get a job and move out. This kills me, just as it kills me when I watch videos of Gavin from when he was an 18 month old.

Now look at him. HE IS IN KINDERGARTEN! There is no baby left in him. He is a big boy and can handle just about anything that comes his way. He picked his clothes out and his backpack. I think the only thing I got to do was comb his hair.

These last few weeks of school have showed me that he still wants me to walk him to class and he still wants a kiss goodbye, but not in front of his friends. I can deal with that. I just hope he never gets to big or embarrassed to kiss me goodbye, even if we have to hide it.

2011-07-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hello again. So now the summer is coming to an end. We are back in Georgia after a month and a half of vacation. We started off the vacation at Stone Mountain Resort here in Georgia, where we had a lot of good times together.

The kids and I did a lot of swimming at the resort and later on in Arizona.

We went to the top of Stone Mountain where there is a beautiful view.

This is the ball barn. It is three stories high with all kinds of gadgets to shoot and drop balls out of.

Paul and Gavin on the boat ride.

We then headed to Arizona were we surprised our families with my pregnancy that I had kept a secret for 6 months. I don't have any pictures of the surprise, but I do have video. But of course I don't seem to be able to download them on the blog.

Sidney and Lanny at my Aunts pool.

Gavin and Maelynn playing the WII. Gavin did this a lot with many different people throughout the vacation.

We did the 4th of July at the Stoker's home and just set off our own fireworks.

Sidney was terrified of dogs until my nieces pulled this costume out of their closet and Gavin was able to show Sidney that dogs are not so scary.

Then for the rest of the trip it was hard to keep Sidney away from my moms old dogs.

The kids swimming again at the Junior High pool.

We also went up the mountains for a few days where my family has a cabin and the kids had a good time just running around getting dirty.

We loved being able to see our families and spend some time with them. We have been so blessed with so much family. So far Gavin and Sidney have 28 aunts and uncles, with 21 cousins so far. I felt a little bad for Gavin because everyone kept asking if he remembered their names, which of course he didn't, but he was happy when they played with him.

2011-06-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

This will probably be the last blog for the summer. We will be heading out next week for vacation and Arizona. I can't even say how excited I am to be seeing my family again. One brother I have not seen in two years. I need to meet a new niece and a new nephew. I am also hoping that I get to meet my new sister-in-law. I have to say my family has been busy this last year and I can't wait to see everyone.

Here are a few pictures of the kids from the last few weeks.

Sidney wrestling with Gavin. I don't know where she gets it from and Gavin is so good about letting her just run all over him.

Here Gavin made up a new game, where he puts Sidney in the tunnel and then fills it with every toy in his room.

Good old summer showers.

Endings and Beginnings

2011-05-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

So with May comes the end of a lot of activities. Here are a few pics from Gavin's soccor party and his last day of school.

These are Gavin's Pre-K teachers. Mrs. Sieting on the right and Mrs. Jones on the left. I was pretty sad about saying goodbye to them. They are really good teachers and Gavin has learned so much this year because of these ladies. I probably would not have been as upset, but for the fact that this is both teachers last year, so we will not be able to stop by and say hi next year. I am just at the beginning of understanding how important it is for my kids to have good, kind teachers, and so when I find them I can't help but wish they would just keep on teaching and moving up each grade with my kids.

2011-05-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

So there are four days left of school. Can we say yay!

Today was a little graduation program for Gavin and the other Pre-K kids, were they did a little singing and received certificates. Gavin was of course the cutest one there (if I do say so myself).

Sorry the picture is dark, the videos turned out better, but of course I cant download video on my blog for some reason. If you can see him, Gavin is in the middle of the front row.

Field day was next and Sidney was tired so she laid down and picked at the grass.

But Gavin had a lot of fun with the races.

They also had a tug of war with the other Pre-K class and Gavin's class won, because of Gavin's awesomeness.

Strawberries

2011-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

This week I went on a field trip with Gavin's class to one of the strawberry patches to learn about how strawberries are grown and to pick some.

They also had some farm animals that Gavin and Sidney loved looking at. There were some chickens just running around and while the kids were eating lunch one chicken really wanted Gavin's sandwich. There were 20 other kids there and for some reason the chicken just wanted Gavin's food, so one of his teachers stood by him and kept chasing the chicken off.

The kids also got to feed the horses and donkeys they had, I loved see that since both of them are usually afraid of animals that are bigger than them.

While picking strawberries I had a hard time helping Gavin pick and keeping Sidney from grabbing every strawberry in sight, including the green ones and eating them. I know it's a shocker.

Temples

2011-05-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the Atlanta Georgia Temple rededication. I have never been to one and I am so glad that I went. The only thing missing was Paul, because someone had to watch the kids. I suggested we give them a bowl of cereal and water and leave them on their own, but Paul said we probably shouldn't.

But besides that little glitch I would have to say it was wonderful. During the dedication, the Mesa Arizona Temple was mentioned a few times and it made me miss the Temple I will always consider mine. I miss living a few blocks from it and being able to have the option of several family members near by to help watch Gavin while I went anytime I wanted.

I am so thankful for the temples and the blessing we get from attending them. I love the feeling of peace I get just from thinking about the temple and hope that all of my family will be there together one day. I was filled with such gratitude for the knowledge of eternal families and that no matter what loved ones I my loose in this life, I will see them again. Over the last several years I have needed the quiet sanctuary of the temple many times, if only to get away from the hurt and turmoil I felt, for just a few hours. The temple has allowed me to come to know my Savior more personally and helped me be able to focus on my eternal priorities more fully.

I know this is an out of the norm blog for me, but I needed to write about it, so that I may remember how I felt this day.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Gavin and I dyeing eggs.

Paul and Gavin dyeing eggs. We did a lot and then Gavin put stickers all over them.

One of Sidney's favorite things to is dump all the eggs out of the basket and distribute them throughout the house.

This is our nasty family room after baskets had been ripped apart.

The kids looking like little models in their Easter best.

Then we went to our friends home for good food and a little egg hunting. We are very glad that they invited us over to hang out, because holidays without extended family seem to end really fast.

Spring is here so Paul has been planting new flowers with the kids "help".

2011-04-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sidney has now started walking more than crawling, so this should be good.

Gavin gave his first talk in primary this Sunday and he did really well. He has been asking to get a talk assignment for the last month, so he finally got it and I am so proud of him. He got up there and spoke loud and clear so everyone could hear him. For those of you who knew Gavin a few years ago, he was a completely different kid and the idea of him getting up in front of a bunch of people and talking, would have been unthinkable.

2011-04-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

I can not say it enough. I love it when people come visit. This week we were graced with the presents of Dani and Trevor (aka Cub). It was so much fun. It was a full week of awesome trips sights and some good uplifting conversation. Here are a bunch of pictures of our week. Dani and I. Yes I know I look like crap. No need to comment on that.

There is a story here. Cub and Gavin decided that it would be good fun to get on the edge of this fountain and go around it. They were advised against this and did not heed our words of wisdom. Gavin at least proceeded with caution and walked slowly around the fountain. Cub on the other hand decided to throw caution to the wind and ran as fast as he could go around that thing. This plan did not work in his favor, so he had a nice swim in the fountain and spent the next 2 hours of walking around wet and cold.

2011-03-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

Ya, so I have been, whats the word? Oh, ya, LAZY! But it is not just that, I really have had nothing to blog about. I guess it is a good thing that there only about 3 people who care.

Anyway here are a few pictures of the kids. Like I said nothing has really been happening so not many pictures either.

Mom Visit

2011-03-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

My mom came and have a visit with us this last week, so here are some pictures from our trip to Savannah.

Gavin was really attached to my mom from the moment she walked through the door. We spent a lot of time explaining that Lanny had to go back home in a week and that we would go see her in the summer time.

These are just some shots of the river front downtown area.

This is the entrance to the cemetery in the middle of downtown.

Many of the head stones were to old and worn out to read, but the ones we could were usually a young person or child. I think the oldest persons headstone I saw was 45 when they died. It made me very grateful for modern medicines.

Gavin got a balloon animal and love it.

This is at the top of a light house on Tybee Island.

The pictures above are a few of many random pictures Gavin took of the lighthouse keepers home.

Paul and Gavin at an old military fort that was built in the 1800's.

And last but not least the kids at the beach.

Happy Valentines

2011-02-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day was never a really big deal to me, it really did not make sense to me to have one day designated for showing people you love them. I think that should be done most days throughout the year.

But now I have a really good reason to celebrate this day of hearts. Sidney gave me a reason to care about this day and set it apart as an excellent way to have something pink and feminine around here for once.

Sidney always smiles when she sees the camera.

These two are trouble.

Sidney really liked the cake part of the party.

Birthday Time

2011-01-28T06:01:00.000-08:00

I love Gavin's birthdays. He got to play with friends, eat cake and open presents. I say this every year, but I can not help it. This will always be the day I became a mom and it was the best birthday present I ever recieved. I am really glad and thankful that I get to spend my birthday making my little boy happy.

Gavin was trying to eat cake and smile at the same time, so it did not go so well.

Gavin always has a lot of fun when his friends are over.

Sidney's favorite part was eating the cake of course.

Gavin loved his presents. He is really into super heros and action figures now, so he got just what he wanted.

Some pictures

2011-01-24T07:19:00.000-08:00

Sidney unrolling the toilet paper.

Sidney playing peek a boo.

Gavin piling a lot of stuff up in his fort. Which is fine because a fort is a staple of childhood.

Just Gavin being cute.

2011-01-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

Some of you may not know this, but Gavin has always been a bit of a mamas boy. He even used my hair has his comforter for a while. This has slowly decreased in the last few years, but he is still a mamas boy. Now I know that being a mamas boy is not considered to be cool and I agree if it is taken to far, but personally I am hoping that he will always be a bit of a mamas boy.

It has now come to our attention that Gavin needs to make room for a daddies girl. Sidney has already claimed Paul as her one and only. She prefers him to me and she just lights up when he walks into a room. I think Paul is in trouble.

Snow Day

2011-01-10T15:25:00.001-08:00

So, this morning we woke up to this nice thin layer of snow on the ground. This also happened last year in February and we were told that it was very unusual for it to snow at all here in middle Georgia. Now here we are a year later and it has snowed again, I am wondering if it has to do with us being here.

Well, since this strange phenomenon does not occur often, we here in middle Georgia are not equipped to deal with any amount of snow or ice. This has resulted in 2 snow days from school and 1 from work also. That is right, nobody went to school and no one who works on the air force base (which is about half the people who live here) went to work.

It was great!

Gavin could not wait to get dressed and get out in the snow to play.

I took this picture because Paul had a hard time opening the garbage can because it was frozen shut.

2011-01-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

This last week and weekend have been a lot of fun. With the Christmas cleanup and preparations for the new year.

Paul and Gavin taking the tree down. Gavin was a little bit sad and said he would miss Christmas as he was putting away the decorations.

After a few minutes Gavin pooped out and sat down to watch a show.

Sidney sat in the corner and wrapped herself up in bubble wrap.

Then New Year Eve was a good time also. We had our friends over for an early evening get together, because we all have small kids that make it hard to stay up till midnight. These are my friends Erin and Heather, us moms are standing off to the side while the boys lite the firecrackers.

The firecrackers were definitely the highlight of the evening for the small boys and the big boys.

Here is Gavin with his good friends Nicholas and Zander. When these three get together, it is nonstop fun.

After firecrackers we ate a lot of junk food. It was Sidney's favorite part.

It may surprise you,but donuts are a part of Gavin's diet.

Now that Christmas holidays are over, Gavin has started talking about his birthday. One of the things he asked for was a stick horse. It was really funny listening to him describe it before he new what it was called. He said to me, "Mom, I want a horse with a stick on it." He would also use his hands to draw a picture of it in the air. We would have waited to give one to him on his birthday, but we were at Goodwill on Saturday and he found one there, we figured it was meant to be and he has been riding it around since.

Happy New Year to everyone out there and I hope you are able to meet all your goals for the year. I choose not to make any goals, that way I always exceed my own expectations.

2010-12-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

So did not realize until it was to late that we really had not taken any pictures of Christmas with the kids opening presents. We did take a lot of video though. But unfortunately I can not download video for some reason. Anyway here are a few pictures from later in in the day.

A really good weekend

2010-11-28T17:23:00.001-08:00

So this was a really long and good weekend. Starting off we decided to go out to eat for Thanksgiving. I know it sounds pathetic, but it was really nice and we were not the only ones, believe me.

Then we put up all our Christmas decorations. This was what we did on Thursday.

Then first thing Friday morning we packed everything up and headed out of town, to Savannah. Here is Sidney for part of the journey.

And Gavin watched movies during the car ride. As for Paul and I, we counted all the road kill we saw, which was a lot. We also spent some of the ride wondering if it would rain the whole weekend.

But the weather must have known we were coming, because even though it was still overcast there was no rain once we got to Savannah. We checked into the hotel and then headed out to Tybee Island. Here is Paul, Sindey and Gavin standing on a pier over the Atlantic ocean.

Sidney really liked to watch the waves.

We were completely unprepared for the fact that Gavin was undeterred by the cold and got in the water anyway.

Sidney enjoyed a nice snack if sand right after I got this awesome picture of her.

Then we ate at a little restaurant on the beach.

Gavin ate a big bowl of cheese for dinner. I kept trying to get a nice picture of Gavin, but every time he saw the red light of the camera, he would make a funny face.

We went back to the beach the next day when it was sunny and enjoyed the beach.

Sidney looks worried, but she really did enjoy the water.

We also went to the river front part of Savannah and it was amazing. We had told Gavin we would go on a river boat ride, but when we got there it was really busy and there was no where to park. We were very close to missing the boat ride, so when we found a parking spot, we jumped out of the car, grabbed the kids and ran for it. In the rush we left the camera in the car, so there are no pictures of this part of our trip. But we will go back because there was so much on the river front to look at. We saw a building that was built in 1790 and walked on a stone road that had been there during the civil war. It was so rich with history, I am really sorry that we did not get pictures of it. But like I said, we are definitely going back.

2010-11-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we were outside the other day while Gavin was picking these huge mushrooms that have started springing up everywhere. I don't know why, fungus just grows here. Anyway, I realized that it was one year ago this week that we moved into our home.

I love our home. I love our space. I love our yard and I love my family. If the Lord does not bless us with anymore children, I will be sad, but at the same time I feel very complete. I am so grateful for the countless blessings I have received in this last year. I don't think I could have planned our move across the country any better. We have made such good friends here that I get sad when I think about leaving them, even though that is not for many more years.

This last year has gone by in the blink of an eye. I was very nervous about the unknown when we started off last year, but I am calm and at peace now. There are times when I really miss my family, but as I fill my days with productive activities and in caring for my family and home, I do not have many moments of longing.

I am so grateful for the gospel and how it can make us feel at home and close to family, anywhere we go.

Halloween

2010-11-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so our Halloween adventures started last Saturday with pumpkin carving. Paul let Gavin pick the pattern of the faces, so of course he picked very complicated ones with some details on them. But Paul was up to the challenge. Long after Gavin lost interest, Paul was working hard for 4 hours to get those pumpkins carved the way Gavin wanted.

Then on the following Friday, Gavin's school had a day for the kids to dress up as their favorite book character. Gavin has really become interested in the Cat in the Hat lately and I figured I could make a hat and bow tie with little expense. Gavin really loved it and wanted to wear it everyday. Then Friday came. I helped Gavin out of the car at his school and then his panic kicked in. I have never seen this from Gavin before, so I was very surprised when he said, "Mom, they will say I am silly." I gave him a hug and told him that other kids would also be dressed up and that everyone would love his costume. He was not convinced, until he saw another kid in a turtle costume also going into school. He was still embarrassed though and the moment he walked into his class he took off his costume.

Once he was home, I asked him if he had a good day. He told me that he got to be in a costume parade. He seemed to have gotten over his embarrassment.

And then there was the actual Halloween costumes and trick or treating.

Sidney did not know what was going on, but she sure did love those m&m's she got to eat.

Gavin and his friend Zander ended up picking the same costume, because they are that cool.

Just passing on something good.

2010-10-18T12:17:00.003-07:00

So, in the last year or so, Gavin has become quite the jokester. Almost everything he does or you ask him to do, he tries to make it funny. For those of you who new him 2 years ago would not think it is the same child.

So the other day, Gavin took off down the hall declaring he had to go to the bathroom. A few minutes later he emerged completely naked and declared he wanted to eat candy naked. I of course could not help but laugh and told him he had to have his cloths on before he could have candy. So he went back to the bathroom to get dressed. He then came back fully dressed, but with his underwear on over his pants. He cracked himself up at this, thinking he had made such a good joke.

So, now I am going to give you some background info on myself. When I was younger I had an issue with saying thing in the wrong order. Such as, poop dog. There are many more and if you want to know them, then ask my dad. He still loves reminding me it. Another thing my dad loves to tease me about is the fact that I almost always wear my pajama shirts inside out or backwards or both. It is just something I did because I was going to bed anyway and was too lazy to care.

Well I think I might have passed these traits on to Gavin. No matter how many times we correct him he always says gotfor instead of forgot. I don't now why, he just does. Also after Gavin's fun joke of putting his underwear on over his pants he put everything back on the way it is suppose to go, so I thought. About an hour or so after he fixed his underwear I noticed his pants and shirt were on backwards.

Time to let go.

2010-10-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that this is pathetic, but I did it anyway. I have had a certain pair of size zero pants for the last 10 years or so. For the first few years I wore these pants and loved them. They were my favorite pair of pants and I thought I was hot stuff in them.

Well for the last five or six years, I have not worn them. I have kept them in my closet always thinking I would wear them again someday.

Today I thought I would try them on. To my surprise I was able to get into them with no problem, but getting them buttoned was another issue. It was then I realized no matter how much I workout or how much weight I loose, I can not make my hips as narrow as they use to be.

Thank goodness I have become a wise old being in these last 10 years, because this realization might have depressed me otherwise. I have these to make me feel like hot stuff now.

More Pictures

2010-10-12T08:47:00.001-07:00

I could not help it, so here is another tub shot of Sidney.

I got Halloween makeup and Gavin wanted to use it now, so this is what he got.

I just think she looks so pretty in her hats.

Gavin and Paul putting up Halloween decorations.

Pictures

2010-10-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures for your enjoyment.

Gavin got a tattoo and he was really excited about it. He would hike up his shorts and show everyone.

I could not resist taking this picture and I am sure she will hate it later in life.

Gavin playing in the hose outside.

Sidney had her first ice cream on a stick and she seemed to like it.

Gavin took a picture of himself.

Gavin took a picture of Sidney.

Letters

2010-09-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

So since Gavin has started school full time this year, Paul and I have been work on his letters and numbers. For the last several months, Gavin will shout out every time he spots the letter G and say, "Look G for Gavin." Well he was very proud the other day when he wrote his whole name all by himself.

It is a big milestone, but at the same time it is just one more thing reminding me that he is getting older.

cooking

2010-09-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Cooking is something I would like to do well, but it just seems to escape me. This is a dish I have actually made before, but this time something went wrong.

This is what it was suppose to look like.

It is banana bread. I realized while making the second one that I used powered sugar instead of flour. I know this seems to only happen on sitcoms, but I seems to pull it off in real life.

This concerns me sometimes. I would really like to be able to come up with great thing for my family to eat and actually be able to make it. It tends to get discouraging at times, because I don't want to spend a bunch of money on ingredients, spend an hour making it and then it turns out to be crap.

Then I got Sidney. I know this is a weird transition, but food and Sidney go hand in hand. I know that no matter what it is she will always eat it.

Soccer

2010-09-13T09:11:00.001-07:00

Gavin had his first soccer game on Saturday. It was great. He had a lot of fun, which I was worried that if he did not get to kick the ball all the time then he would be upset. He was not even a little upset that he was not the fastest or best kicker on the field. He was just so happy to get to kick the ball once in awhile.

He did get three goals during the game. One was in the other teams goal and he had picked up the ball and threw it in. The next one was in his teams goal, but also was picked up and thrown in. The third one was kicked in very slowly, but it was in the right goal.

I have to say I love this kid. He has come a long way from where he was 2 years ago. He goes with the flow pretty well. He still likes to get his way, but he also likes to please those around him. He wants to play all day long, and turns almost everything into a game.

The uniform was of course huge on him. I was even able to find someone to hem everything up, but he still swam in it.

Random

2010-09-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

I had nothing deep and meaningful to say this week so here are just a lot of pictures.

Sunday Tradition

2010-08-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Having seven brothers made things interesting when I was younger and it still does well into my adult years.

Now to my point. Yesterday was Sunday and I had a quick trip down memory lane when I stop and noticed how similar the pile of shoes and pieces of church clothing looked to me.

Taking you back to about 10 years ago, when my six younger brothers ranged in in age from 17 down to 6. My parents weekly battle to get all of them ready and presentable each Sunday to enter the house of the Lord was a sight to be seen. But my parents where pros by then and could handle it. My brothers always looked very clean and handsome with hair combed and ready to go well in advance to the time of departure. This was Sunday before church.

Sunday after church went like this. My mom combing the church building to make sure everyone got in the suburban to go home, to avoid any return trips. The car pulls into the driveway, is put in park and all doors fly open. All the boys are through the back door before my mom has a chance to breath and leaving her to close any car doors left open. From there my mom would go into the house and see a trail of shoes, shirts, ties and even pants, strung through the kitchen and family room. Leading to the couch where the boys would be sitting in their underwear watching tv.

This memory came back to me as I saw our little pile of church clothing yesterday. It is not has big as my parents was, but I am glad to carry on the tradition.

What just Happened

2010-08-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

Something strange happened today. Gavin took a big step toward growing up today. He left for his first day of school today. This is not just preschool were he goes half day or a couple of days a week. This all day everyday. It is not easy giving up your baby to the care of others. This is not something I would have done if I did not truly believe it was the best thing for Gavin.

For along time it was just Gavin and me all day everyday. I am going to have to adjust to this new routine as much as he is. No more putting of house work or organization to play with Gavin. No more cuddling on the couch for morning cartoons. I have moved on to a time in my life that I am just waiting for the next break and next summer, when I can have him to myself again.

He will always be my baby.

No matter how big he gets.

kisses

2010-07-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ask anyone in my family, and they will say that I am not a very touchy feely type person. They may even say this is an understatment.

I do not know why, but I have always felt akward about hugging people for no real reason.

But then I realized the other day that I hug and kiss my kids a lot. Every time I am holding Sidney (which is half the day) I kiss her and squeeze her. Even if I have her facing away from me I kiss the back of her head.

I am sorry to say that Gavin does not let me hug and kiss him as much as I would like to, but he never forgets to let me have my fill when he is leaving or going to bed.

I was just thinking about this the other day when I was with friends and around a bunch of people. I was holding Sidney, facing away from me, and I kept kissing the back of her head without really thinking about it. When I noticed what I was doing, I got a little embarrassed, thinking that people where watching and thinking my lips are always glued to my kids.

This lasted for a few moments. Then it accrued to me that I don't care what people think.

I am going to hug, squeezed and kiss them anyway.

Coming Home

2010-07-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

This last week in Arizona might have been a little more fun filled than I can take.

Our last week with mine and Paul's families was interesting. We tried to cram in time with everyone and everything. I was a little disappointed that I did not get to spend more time with some of my good friend in Arizona, but hopefully next year I will be better at this.

I am very thankful for our big crazy families. Things never get boring around the Johnson and Stoker homes. While there are somethings that I do wish were different, I am grateful for loving parents and good siblings.

My awesome sister Julianne took a bunch of really good pictures of my kids, so that we could surprise Paul with a couple of framed photos.

My youngest brother Justin rides bull's for fun. I know what you are think, but this is just how my family is. Well anyway, he was riding a bull that did not like him much and decided to let him know by stepping on his face.

He is very swollen and is jaw is wired shut, but other than that he will be ok. This is a mild injury for my family, since it was not life threatening.

We finally made it back to Georgia, all in one piece. The kids were very glad to see Paul again, and I have to admit I was too.

I was very glad to see that our trees in the front yard, finally bloomed.

Arizona Mountains

2010-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Arizona mountain in the summer time are so pretty. Growing up in a really large family, we only went on vacation or family trips once or twice when I was growing up. But we went camping a lot and we always made at least one trip to the mountains in the summer. It is one of my favorite places, because it is a dream come true for little kids. The days are filled with running around, being dirty and no TV or video games.

This is a tradition I would love to continue with my children.

This is us (minus Paul) at the Springerville fourth of July parade.

This is at one of the many beautiful campsites in the mountains.

When I was little we use to ride horses all the time. If at all possible I really believe it is something everyone should do at least once in their life.

Sidney did not care to much about the ride but she will someday.

Swimming

2010-07-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went out to my sister Jaime's house in Buckeye. Let me tell you swimming is always a good idea in Arizona. It was a whopping 111 degrees out yesterday and the pool felt great.

This was Sidney's first time in a pool and even though this picture does not show it, she really loved the water. It only took me and both of my sisters to get her into this swimsuit.

Gavin was the first one in the pool and it took some convincing to get him out. With his imagination, Gavin is in a whole new world in the water.

This is my mom and sister Julianne. The general place for the mom's is off to the side, were every subject is discussed and the kids are properly looked after.

My sister Jaime and my sister in law Melanie.

Arizona

2010-06-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking on the blog, so here a few pictures from this last week and a half.

Sidney and me, chillin.

Gavin, riding one of the 20 power wheels in Paul's parents backyard.

When you don't have a pool in Arizona, then you should at least have some type of water slide.

Gavin being weird.

A picture from the circus we went to yesterday. I had never been and it was really cool. All the kids loved it. All I could think about was the cartoon, Dumbo.

Our Blessing

2010-06-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

There are so many blessings to count that could never fit them all into one blog, so here are just a few.

1. A husband who holds the priesthood and is worthy to use it. A father who will take a lot of time to think of what he wants to say in a blessing for his little girl.

2. A fun loving 4 year old boy, who loves being a big brother.

3. A beautiful baby girl who does not have to do anything but be here, for me to love her with all my heart.

Yesterday was Sidney's blessing. We chose to have it at Paul's parents home, so that everyone who could be in the blessing circle was. There was over 60 people at the blessing, only a hand full of them were not immediate family. At times this number is overwhelming, but it also makes my heart burst with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for letting me be a part of that number.

Let it Rain

2010-06-05T19:07:00.001-07:00

This last week here in Georgia has been interesting with regard to the weather. We have been experiencing the lovely southern humidity. But along with it being humid everyday, it also has rained almost everyday. Not just rained, but poured buckets of water. I have never seen so much rain in my life.

Today we were at Walmart (the great American past time) and it began to thunder so loudly that we could hear it very well inside the store. Also at one point the lights in Walmart flickered out. We were hoping that it would be a short rain, which it was, but not short enough. We were done shopping, had checked out and were standing outside, undercover along with about a dozen other shoppers, trying to decide which course of action would be best.

At first we thought it would be better if Paul took the groceries, ran to the car, and then come and get me and the kids from in front of the store. But this was put aside and we decided to cover Sidney as best we could, we told Gavin to stand on the front of the cart, so we could go faster, and we ran for it. We got to the car wet and safe. Sidney looked surprised, Gavin was laughing and Paul and I were completely wet, but it was fun.

Because truthfully, it is only water.

Bowling

2010-05-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

We went bowling on Saturday with some of our friends, Erin, Thomas and their two boys Nicholas and Connor. We made the mistake of buying two games. The boys lost interest after the first game, but that first game was really fun.

Here I am trying to impart my awesome skills too Gavin.

Here is Gavin and Nicholas waiting for the ball to come back. This was one of the best things about bowling, don't you know.

This is what Sidney did.

Just some Pictures

2010-05-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

Sidney looks really cute with bows on her head, but they don't seem to want to stay there.

Gavin has discovered computer games. Notice how Paul has his laptop going at the same time. I wonder where Gavin gets it.

Josh and Emily came for a quick visit. No visit would be complete without a wrestling match.

Here is a picture that Gavin took. We always know where Gavin has been during the day by looking at the full load of pictures on the camera.

Frogs and more

2010-05-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

In Arizona we had geckos (little lizards) that we liked to have around to eat all the nasty bugs. Well here in Georgia we now have frogs. There is a retention area back behind our home where a lot of these frogs have a home. This has provided some good and some bad times. Here was a good one.

There was a little peeper frog on our back door last night. This meant a good 30 minutes of entertainment for Gavin while the frog ate a bunch of little Nat's and flies.

While we were watching the frog on the door, Paul noticed his friend had gotten inside. This was interesting, since these little buggers are really fast. Paul chased the frog around the living room and Gavin chased Paul.

And here is Sidney trying to lift her head up.

Here is Sidney's back. Yes she has a lot of rolls.

Big Brother

2010-05-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Gavin I remember having a discussion with Paul about how this baby would be the oldest of our kids. It was hard to imagine since he was still in my stomach and once he was here it was hard to imagine any other children we might have.

Gavin and Sidney are four years apart and we were a little worried about how Gavin would react to a new baby taking away the undivided attention he always had.

Well, over the last 3 months Gavin has made it very clear that we had nothing to worry about. Tonight I was holding Sidney and she had only her diaper on. This scene made Gavin think Sidney looked like a super baby. So he ran to the kitchen and got a hand towel so that she could have a cape.

Will it Never Stop?

2010-04-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have had difficulty getting pregnant and staying pregnant over the last several years. I will spend months trying to get pregnant and then when I do I spend months trying to stay pregnant. With each pregnancy I try to not let myself get too attached (ya right!) because I do not know if it will last. Even with my two pregnancies that were successful I spend a good portion of each day silently praying that the babies heart is still beating. When I being to feel movement I then panic if I do not feel something at least once every half hour. So to say the least I am pretty stressed out for 9 months straight.

Then with the blessing of a loving Heavenly Father I get to take guardianship of a beautiful and precious soul. I am still in aw of the two wonderful gifts the Lord has given me and thank Him each day for them.

But once that 9 months is over, one would think the stress would cut back a little. No, not even a little. Last night Sidney slept for 9 hours straight. When I woke up and realized what time it was I freaked. I ran to her room and felt for that breath of life and of course it was still there. I automatically said a prayer thanking my Heavenly Father, that she was still with me. Then of course I could not take it and I woke her up to feed her. Once this was complete I then proceeded to Gavin's room to make sure he is still breathing and of course he was.

I know that it will never stop. And it will only get worse when they get older and are no longer with me for every minute of everyday. All I can do is say a prayer and check for that breath of like.

Because they are still with me.

Strawberries

2010-04-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great time picking strawberries a couple of days ago. I can not believe what a difference it makes to pick them fresh. Even Gavin could not resist eating several hand fulls when we got the berries home.
Oh, and don't you love Gavin's cool shades.

Gavin would show the strawberries to Paul for an inspection. Just to make sure they were red enough.

Lane Packing, where we picked the berries, also has a really nice playground and tractors that kids can climb on and ride. Gavin thought he was pretty cool driving the tractor, but I think he was disappointed that it did not really go anywhere.

And Sidney enjoyed it also.

Shots!

2010-04-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

I really hate doctor appointments in general, but the ones were shots are involved are the worst.

Sidney survived the ordeal and she weighed in at 13lbs.

Lawn Work

2010-04-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well when spring comes so do the flowers and grass. I am not sure if everyone is aware that if you have a house and yard, then you have yard work. Paul and Gavin have been very busy this week with maintaining the yard. Paul spent many hours coming up with a design plan for our curb appeal. It is not done yet but will be within the next couple of weeks.

Putting together the new lawnmower.

Gavin decided that bring the plants to Paul like this was more efficient.

My hard working men.

Easter

2010-04-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

I love Easter. It is not as expensive or time consuming as Christmas, but the kids have almost as much fun. The only things that were a little disappointing about this Easter was first, not having the usual family get togethers and second conference is not on TV here so we will have to wait and read the talks in the ensign.

Even without all the family shindigs we usually have, I think Gavin still had a good time.

Gavin on his very own Easter egg hunt, so he got about 40 eggs to himself. Not a bad deal.

Sidney did this the whole time we looked for eggs and got the candy.

I was trying to take a picture of Sidney while she was awake, but Gavin had to get in on the action.

Even with the distractions, I was able to get a good picture of her with a little grin on her face.

I am so thankful for my little family and all the joys they bring to me. I am grateful for the atonement and Resurrection of Christ. I believe the moving here to Georgia has given us the opportunity to do things that strengthen our testimonies and bring us closer to Christ. I am very thankful for the love and support of all our family and friends, both in Arizona and in Georgia. But mostly I am thankful for the gospel and all that it does for me and my family.

Spring Outings

2010-04-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Gavin and I had a great day yesterday. We went to a place called Daucet Trails. It is like a little zoo, but for free, which makes it better. We went with a bunch of families from our ward, so it made it a lot funner with so many people. Here are a few pictures of us and our friends.

This is Me with a couple of my good friends, Heather
on the left and Erin in the middle.

Gavin and Nicholas feeding some huge fish.

Gavin being cute and looking at some hawks.

These pigs stunk really bad, but Gavin did not mind.

Gavin loved this alligator. He stayed and looked at it

for a long time. Until I made him move on.

This is how Sidney looked from my point of view.

Gavin and his friend Xander, as we are heading out.

Gavin and Xander on the way home.

Mommy Visit

2010-03-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

My wonderful, lovely mother, came to visit this week. We did not do a lot, but just having her here was great. I have not experienced any really home sickness, but now that my mom is leaving I am starting to feel it. I can not wait to visit and see my whole family this summer. Here are a few pictures of my mom and the kids.

A few moments

2010-03-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Here is Sidney in her first dress and all ready to go to church for the first time. She still gets upset when I put the bow on her, but I think she will get use to it.

I took this picture, because it was at one of those reflective moments in life. Yes, even I have a few of them, not many, but a few. This picture was taken in the middle of the night at one of those late night feedings. I was looking at Sidney and realized that this is a moment that no one else will have with her.

New babies are hard and you do not get your normal amount of sleep when they are around, but these moments do not last long. The moments were it is just you and your baby and she is looking at you and all of a sudden there is a big smile on her face. I know that it is said, that new babies do not really smile, but have gas. Well I new that this was a real smile and it was just for me.

betrayal of the toys

2010-03-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Gavin has a toy that he plays with almost everyday, it is a gross rubbery lizard. Well one of the things that Gavin loves most about this toy is that it can be stretched really far and according to Gavin it is really funny to let it go and watch it snap back. Unfortunately in the last two days this toy that stretches so wonderfully and snapped back at Gavin and hit him squarely in the face and has left a couple of nice welts on his cheek. Which you can not see in this picture, but they are there.

After this second whack in the face, Gavin took it personally and declared that the lizard was going in the garbage. I tried to get him the rethink this decision, but he was would not be dissuaded and stuck with his original verdict.

(don't worry I rescued the lizard and Gavin and he made up)

Gavin went on with his life and eventually, later that morning, came to build a wonderful collage of toys that he declared was a boat. I thought it was an awesome boat and a very original design.

Our First Visitors

2010-03-03T07:24:00.001-08:00

We had our first visitors here in Georgia. Paul's mom, sister Cassie, and niece Maelynn came last week for a visit and to see Sidney. It was really great to see family again and harder than I thought it would be to say goodbye again. We love and appreciate our families in Arizona and I hope that in the years to come it will be easier to visit them more often throughout the year.

Here are a few pictures from the visit. I did not get any of Paul's mom or sister, which is weird, I know.

Paul's sisters Cassie and Teresa have already had girls of their own and have become expert bow makers. They know that I have a issues with the really big bows so they made a hand full of very cute little bows for Sidney. But I don't think she has learned to appreciate them yet.

Cassie really liked this outfit when she saw it in Sidney's closet, so we had to get a picture of her in it.

I just really liked this picture, because she is in her baby camo. I will have to get her real camo when she is a little older.

Here is Maelynn and Gavin going for a walk with Paul, back behind our house.

Mae and Gavin doing everyone's hair and loving it.

Sorry that I did not take very many pictures. I am one of those people who always intends to take lots of pictures and then I forget. So I hope you enjoy what there is.

The Baby is Here!

2010-02-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well we were definitely surprised to welcome our little girl this Sunday. She decided that she wanted to have her birthday on Valentines Day, instead of two weeks from now. I shall now give you a play by play of this event, without to many of the nasty details.

It started off as a normal Saturday, which contained a lot of driving from store to store and walking around. We returned home at about 6pm and had been in the house for about 15 minutes when I felt the need to take a bathroom brake. Well right as I walked into the bathroom my water broke. I say thank goodness for small miracles that it did not happen in one of the stores we were in that day. I have to say I was surprised and had to call my sister Julianne to ask what it felt like to have your water brake, just in case I was mistaken. She confirmed that it actually had, so we began to put our plans into action.

I called my friend Erin to come and get Gavin for the night and Paul and I headed off for the hospital. From there everything went very nice and easy. I should mention that one of the reasons I was unsure that my water had broke was that I was not having any serious contractions. I know I will make some people mad by saying this, but through the whole pregnancy and delivery at most I was uncomfortable. The nurse and doctor were wonderful. Before the doctor ever come to the hospital he told the nurse to go ahead and put me on patoson ( I dont know how to spell that) and give me my epidural so that I could progress as fast as possible. I have to say I like their way of thinking. So from start to finish the most I felt was some pressure and I only had to push through 5 or 6 contraction and I was done. It was the best way to have a baby I can think of.

Sidney is beutiful and very well behaved little girl. We of course feel all the blessings of having this little spirit in our home at last. We love you all and we will post more pictures soon.

Let it Snow

2010-02-13T06:19:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it snowed this much here. Gavin had a lot of fun playing in it. We might have to invest in an actual jacket that repels the wetness. Gavin also tryed eating some of it but I don't think it tasted as good as he thought it would. If it is going to snow then this is the way to do it. It snows, stays long enough to play in and then melts away.

Getting Dressed

2010-02-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

How long should it take to get dressed in the morning. Gavin and I have been working on the art of dressing ourselves for a few weeks now and while the technique is improving, time is not.

1. 15 minutes to put on underwear, so that Gavin can run around with it on his head laughing.

2. 10 minutes for pants, so that Gavin can roll around on the ground with both legs in one leg hole.

3. 10 minutes for the shirt, so that Gavin can run around with both arms and his head in the shirt, saying "where is mom."

4. 10 minutes for shoes, so that Gavin can walk around with them on his hands, thinking he is making a really good joke.

So how long is too long. I personally think this is a perfect amount of time.

Gavin's First Georgia Birthday

2010-01-28T18:01:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Gavin's birthday. I just invited a few kids from Sunbeams over for cake and ice cream. It was really simple, but I think Gavin still had fun. I am very thankful to be living here, I have been able to make really good friends in a short amount of time. It was nice to be able to invite them over and know that they would come and help make Gavin's birthday a good one.

OK, OK!

2010-01-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

I have been asked by a few people to show a picture of myself being very pregnant. So here it is, but like I said before, my prego pictures are hideous.

Be Happy!

2010-01-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

This blog is a little different from my others, because I am going to discuss my feelings on a certain subject.

To start, I will begin with the fact that I was a very unhappy person in my early years. I was usually upset or angry about something or other. But I am happy to say that in my later years I have discovered the value of not sweating the small stuff. I have realized that if I dwell over the little things then I am making myself unhappy and that if I don't let them go then I will not have the strength to deal with the really difficult stuff that comes along.

I have come to a very important understanding with myself. I am the only one who can determine if I am to be happy or not. Regardless of what others say or do and those hard circumstances that may come along. Another individual my say or do something that offends me or hurts my feelings, but I am the one who will decide how much it will effect me. Will I dwell on it and dissect it piece by piece until I go crazy and end up disliking the person. Or will I let it go and choose to focus on something good that has happened that day or something good about the person who offended me.

I really do understand that there are going to be situations in life that can definitely make me unhappy, but again I have a choice. Stop everything and fixate on things that are outside my control and go nuts, or change the things that are in my control, mainly myself. I will always try to remember that getting upset and throwing that anger at everyone around me, will not change or help the situation. It will almost for certain make it worse, so why do it.

You may be wondering why I am writing this. Well these thoughts have come to me recently due to watching others around me making themselves miserable and bringing others around them down by focusing so much on things that really mean nothing in the big scheme of things. These things will pass, but these people will have left a bad taste the in air for a long time to come, by their words and actions.

I am just hoping that I can always choose for myself to be happy.

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.

2010-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

Gavin is now a big boy Sunbeam. These first couple of weeks of Sunbeams have gone really well. I was nervous that me being in primary with Gavin would be trouble. Meaning, he would through a fit if I did not show him proper attention and let him always be the helper. I don't know why he surprises me anymore with how grownup he is acting.

Also Gavin gave the closing prayer in primary yesterday and of course I helped him, but it did not phase him to get right up to the microphone and repeat every word I said. I am so proud of my little man and I am a little sad at how fast he growing up.

2010-01-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

I am realizing that the little routines that we come to have in our everyday lives will, I hope, become memories that my children will always have with them. I often look back to when I was really young and my dad would do small things that would make us kids laugh or scream with excitement. One of those memories is of my dad being SUPER DAD. When all us kids were sitting in the kitchen, my dad would leap and fly out of the room. To me a 5 or 6 year old this seemed very really and for a long time I thought my dad could fly.

Well, I realized last night that Paul has planted a nice memory for Gavin. Every night after family prayer, Gavin will shout, "I want to ride the elephant." At this point he will run and leap on Paul with delight and anticipation and he will get to ride the elephant all the way down the hall and onto his bed. This started out as an easy way to transition Gavin into going to bed mode, but I think I look forward to it almost as much as Gavin does.

Was I insulted

2010-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

So I am trying to get a hang of this new calling. One of the things that the primary president would like me to do is make a list or outline of all the music for each month and give it to her and the secretary. This did not seem like a hard thing to do. The previous chorister would make a spread sheet with the information on it. I thought I could do that. So I got to the task at hand and made a spread sheet to email to the them. I have never made a spread sheet of any kind, so looking at it I thought I had done pretty good. Until I asked Paul how I would go about emailing the document to these women. He looked at the spread sheet and said, "Give me a few minutes. If other people are going to look at this, I can make it 100 times better."

So now I am wondering if I should feel insulted or just be thankful he wants to help me with my new calling. I think I will go with the second one.

First Christmas

2009-12-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it is over. Our first Christmas in our new home and all on our own. There are definite pros and cons. First is was great to wake up and have just our presents under the tree and to be able to start this wonderful morning with just our little family. But I have to admit when the presents were done that was it. Where as in Arizona the afternoon would have been spent at Grandparents homes with brothers and sisters and cousins. Gavin did spend the rest of the day playing with all his new toys and Paul spent the rest of the day writing a talk for Sunday. I was very excited for this first Christmas to ourselves. But I have to admit I did miss the rest of our family too.

Here is a picture of Gavin opening his presents in the morning. I would not have traded anything for this moment.

Church Callings

2009-12-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

Well I am actually glad to say that Paul and I have new callings in our ward. Paul was called to be first counselor in the Sunday school presidency and I was asked to be the the new primary choristers. I have never done the music thing officially, but I feel that in primary it is more about entertaining the kids and teaching them the songs, more than being a musical genius. Speaking of musical genius. Paul was first asked if he wanted to be the primary chorister and the Bishop said this is because it was said by someone that he was a master musician. WEIRD! Anyway we are happy with how it turned out. That is all for now. Thanks for reading.

Hurray Christmas

2009-12-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

Gavin helping Paul with lights.

Gavin helping Paul with the tree.

Gavin realizing that the Christmas tree box is funner thatn helping.

Gavin discovering a new hiding place.

I have to say I am loving doing all our own Christmas stuff this year. I probably am liking it more because Paul is actually doing most of it, with Gavin at his side of course. I am so glad that Gavin is finally caring about the holiday seasons this year.

We are not going all out this year with lights and decorations, because I cant stand the fact that the week after Christmas all that stuff will be half the price or more. So we are doing the minimum this year and then we will pimp it out next year.

Thankful

2009-11-28T05:46:00.000-08:00

I am thankful full for a husband who works hard and will clean all the thanksgiving dishes. I am thankful for a little red hair boy who wakes me up in the night because of a bad dream. I am thankful for little kicks and big kicks in my belly. I am very thankful for the gospel and foundation it provides for me and my family.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

2009-11-25T04:39:00.000-08:00

I learned the other night that certain concepts are learned earlier. About 2 nights ago, Gavin and I were sitting on the couch when Gavin picked my hand up and bit my finger really hard. While he was doing this he looked like he was spaced out, like he was not really aware of what he was doing at the time, but he seemed to think it was kind of funny when I pulled back and said ouch.

At this moment, I am sure as you can all understand, I was pretty annoyed. I turned to Gavin and let him know that biting me was not funny at all. He of course tried to change the subject, once he new he was in trouble, but I did not let the issue drop. I made him look at the bite marks on my finger and told him, "That hurt mommy, that was ouchies." At this time Gavin looked at my finger and he really seemed to be thinking about what he had done. He tried to wipe away the teeth marks and I told him that he cant wipe them away. So then He thought about it some more. This is were I learned that kids figure out certain things on their own and early on. Gavin held his finger up to my mouth and said, "bite me mom." I looked at him and said, "No, I don't want to hurt Gavin." But he was persistent. He opened my mouth for me, put his finger in and then closed my mouth on his finger. I of course did not bite him and he said, "harder." He really seemed to want me to get even, so I put a little bit of pressure on his finger with my teeth. He pulled back in mock hurtfulness and wanted me to kiss his ouchy. Then he looked at me and said, "There."

This seemed to solve the issue for him. I was so taken back that I did not now how to respond. Gavin at 3 years old came up with the solution of, "EYE FOR AN EYE" and then everything is even and no one is mad anymore.

I probably should have said something very wise at this point, to teach a life lesson, but I had nothing to say. So I am sure everyone is thinking of things I should have said, but it is to late now and I will have to wait for the next opportunity to spread adult wisdom.

GO GAVIN!

2009-11-23T06:59:00.000-08:00

Mr. Gavin Stoker is now potty trained. I know that he is old enough and should have been potty trained awhile ago, but that was my fault. I was not ready for the struggle, knowing that we would be moving. I usually expect the worst and so I was now prepared for at least a few months of accidents and bribing before really getting anywhere. But he was really ready, after only a few accidents he now goes in the potty every time and he even wakes up at night to go if he needs to.

Blogging about being potty trained might be TMI, but I am really proud of Gavin and wanted to tell someone, anyone, about it.

Our Home

2009-11-13T07:57:00.001-08:00

We are here in our new home. Here are some long over due pictures. Please excuse the mess we are still in the moving in process. Also the long grass, we have not got a lawn mower yet.

I only am going to post some of the more acceptable views. The other rooms are not ready for public viewing. But I have to say that I love this house. There are four rooms and a big den for Paul, so if anyone does decide to come visit we will have a guest room.

I love this backyard. It is so peaceful, when you stand on the deck at night and listen to the wind go through the trees. I know it sounds cheesy but it is true all the same.

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-01T04:47:00.001-08:00

Let me just say that we were a little nervous that this Halloween was going to be a bust. It rained half the day yesterday, sprinkled for another part and kept threatening to open up on us any minute. But thank goodness it did not rain while trick or treating. We were not quite sure were to go for trick or treating this year, so we settled on the new neighborhood we will be living in. It was great! There were a lot of other kids in the area and Gavin had fun.

Of course the first thing Gavin asked about this morning was, where is my candy.

We are Here

2009-10-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday Gavin and I officially became Georgians. It was a tough weekend, saying goodbye to everyone. My hardest moments were when Gavin was hugging and saying goodbye to all his cousins that he plays with so much.

We will miss all of our family and friends in Arizona, but hope this new chapter in our lives will produce many more life long friendships.

Also I forgot to mention that on Friday I found out I am having a girl. Let me tell you, it was a big surprise, since I thought it was genetically impossible for Paul and I to produce a girl.

The airport would have been more difficult with two rolling carry on bags, but Gavin was a huge help. In fact he insisted on helping and handing the gate agent his own boarding pass.

Paul and Gavin when we got home doing puzzles together. He really missed his dad. He just wanted to play with him all night.

Paul had Gavin's room set up so cute with all his toys out.

Yesterday we went to the Air Museum. Gavin loved every moment with all the airplanes.

This is a picture Gavin took of me and Paul, but he actually got his feet.

And here is a picture of what most of Warner Robins looks like. It is really green and the trees are huge.

Moving Day

2009-09-24T15:45:00.001-07:00

Well we got everything loaded up, except enough cloths for Gavin and me to get by on for a few weeks. Paul left for Georgia on Tuesday and him and Ben drove 22 hours straight to Louisiana, slept for a few hours and then continued on to Georgia. They arrived there today and hopefully will get a good nights rest tonight.

Gavin and I will follow in an airplane on the 11th of October at which time we are officially no longer Arizonans. I am sorry that I will not be here for Gary's homecoming or for my brother Jeds wedding, but I think we will have to get use to missing somethings now and then. With families the size of ours there seems to be something going on about once a month.

Gavin has obviously noticed that things are changing, he notices all of our stuff is gone (except our beds). Gavin wont sleep the night through anymore in his room, I think because it scares him now that it is so empty. But I cant say that I am sorry he sleeps with me in my bed, because I have to say it is weird trying to sleep alone.

We will miss all of our family and friends here in Arizona, but we are definitely looking forward to our adventure in Georgia and hope to make new friends there. All I can say is that I am very thankful for the church at this time, since its like there are already friends waiting there for us and that in an unfamiliar place one thing never changes and that is the gospel.

Are we going to move this time.

2009-09-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

If you don't know the story here it is. Paul and I obviously did not go to law school. After much thought and consideration we decided that going into over 100,000.00 dollars worth of debt was not what we wanted to do. So for the last month Paul has been sending out applications for electrical engineering positions all over the country. Well we received a job offer in Warner Robins, Georgia. It is a smaller (60,000 person) town in the middle of Georgia. Paul will be working for the department of defense, designing and upgrading special-op aircraft controls and wepon systems. Paul is very excited to be doing something that is so interesting to him and we are excited to start our adventure finally. Paul will be starting his new job on September 28th. Gavin and I will follow the first week of November, after my brothers wedding. This next months is going to be hard and busy, but we are ready for it. We are very thankful that in this economy Paul was able to find such a good job. Hopefully everything goes as planned and in a couple of months I will be blogging from across the country.

The News

2009-09-04T10:25:00.001-07:00

Well if you don't know already. I am pregnant. I was really nervous, but today was my 15 week appointment and everything was still good with the baby. I am due on Feb 26th and will find out what I am having next month.

Brooklyn May Packer

2009-08-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

HERE SHE IS! Oh my heck she is so little and cute I did not want to put her down. Little Brooklyn May Packer is now the 11th grandchild and 5 granddaughter for the Johnson clan. Even though she is so little, she is health and happy. Gavin loves little babies and wanted to keep holding her, but I was so afraid he was brake her, it turns out 3 year old boys are not that gentle (who new).

Well congratulations Jaime and Lamont, she is beautiful.

2009-08-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

On last Tuesday we went with Paul's sisters and their husbands to the lake. It was a lot of fun and even though Gavin's face does not show it he had a lot of fun on this tube.

I can not figure out how to put the video on the blog, but Gavin started school this Thursday. All morning he was saying he did not want to go on the bus and that he was tired. But as soon as he saw the bus out front he yelled bye over his shoulder and he was off. Yes, it did make me sad, but I also know that this preschools is really good for him.

The last thing that just happened at 5 am this morning was that my sister Jaime had her baby. This is her fourth child and first girl. She was born a month early so she was only 4 lbs 12 ounces. I cant wait to get some pictures of her with her brothers, they were all so excited. Dallin kept saying I finally have a baby sister.

A lot can Happen in a 2 weeks

2009-08-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well quite a few things have happened these last few weeks. First the Saturday before last, Paul, me and Gavin went out to the desert with my dad, brothers and nieces, to ride motorcyles and cook hotdogs.

Here is Paul and Gavin walking up on a ridge, exploring. This just before the whole adventure went to crap. Because right after this my two brothers, Jeran and Justin came flying down this ridge on their motorcycles. About half way down Jeran dropped his bike without turning it off and ran the rest of the way to us. He was holding his arm against his chest so we all thought he had broke his wrist or something that was not a big deal or emergency. But then Jeran started saying we needed to go right away because he had been bitten by a rattle snake, so that was serious.

It turned out to be a good thing that Paul and I were there, because we were able to get in our car with Jeran and get out of there a lot faster. We called 911 on the way to the highway and met an ambulance there, but not before Jeran barfed all over our car, awesome I know.

Jeran had to stay in the hospital for 6 days and has to get his blood checked every few weeks, but he seems to be ok. His finger were the snake bit him looks gross, because the doctors had to cut away a big chunk of his skin that had died from the venom.

But I can say I feel to bad for Jeran, since the reason he was bitten was that he had picked the snake up by the tail and thought he was fast enough to grab its head before it bit him. So you see it really is not that sad.

2009-08-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

We love super uncles and cousins. The last few times my sister Jaime and her kids come over, her youngest Mikey and Gavin like to tie capes around their necks and fly around the room. It is also really nice to have my brother Jake always willing to take to time and play the his nieces and nephews. Rarely will and opportunity go by that he wont wrestle with the kids or take them outside for Popsicles.

The Blogger

2009-07-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ok Paul found this picture and thought it was so funny that I should put it on our blogg, so here it is.

BIG WEEK LONG WEEK

2009-07-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend Gavin and I rode with my sister Julianne and her kids, up to the Huber Family reunion. It was great! I love visiting with all my cousins, first cousins once removed and second cousins that I grewup seeing a lot more than I do now. Gavin loved getting dirty and playing with the endless amount of other kids his age. Here are a few pictures of the weekend.

Day 2 of Gavin's filthiness.

Gavin spent a lot of time playing in the dirt and climb rocks. Which was great, he loved it and everyone commented on how great he looked with all the dirt on his face.

The Huber's are so good at coming up with activities and skits that every kid of every age can be involved in. Gavin loved being apart of the skit and relay races for the 3 and 4 year olds. I did not get a picture of it, but Gavin had missed his age group in one relay race so he went with the teenagers. I have to say I was impressed with how well he kept up. He was not to far behind them in crossing the finish line.

I absolutely love this cabin. My Grandmother West's family, the Huber's own this cabin and I have been going to it every summer since I can remember. It has a lot of room for a family of any size to enjoy it and there is 15 acres around it to provide plenty of adventure for all the kids. Of course things are a little bit different now. With over 100 decedents of this family going to the reunions it is to crowded for everyone to stay in the cabin, so there is a lot more camping out around the cabin and staying the hotel a short distance away. Parents seem to be a little more concerned about where there children are and how far they have gone. When I was little, my cousins and I would be gone all day, being to busy with mock battles, building forts and tree climbing to bother with what the adults were up to. The kids of course still have a great time doing all these things, it just seems a little more subdued. Probably because I am not involved in these activities any more. Even with all the changes over the last 20 years it is a wonderful place to feel at peace and enjoy the company of so many cousins that I may only see one time a year.

Grandma

2009-07-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Friday was My Grandmother's birthday. I new this, but when I saw my sisters blog about her I decided to make my own tribute to this woman, whom I wish with all my heart was still here.

My grandmother was such a loving person I could write all day and still have things to say about her. I love the memories of Sunday evenings at her home, playing capture the flag with cousins in the backyard. I love remembering the trips to the grocery store where she would buy you the biggest bag of candy there. I really loved the fact that she could make you feel like her only grandchild, even when there were dozens. I love to wear the diamond necklace she gave me when I was 15 on special occasions.

I wish she could have met Paul.

I wish she could have met Gavin, even though she probably did in heaven.

But most of all I wish she were here to talk to about the many heart aches I have had in losing babies and not getting pregnant. She is the only one in my family that knows how I feel, since she had all the same problems and more. I love my mom and my sister with all their love and support, but it is hard to talk to people who have no concept of how you feel. My grandma lost two babies after they were born, experienced many failed pregnancies and the heart ache of not being able to get pregnant when she desired it, and still she had such unshakable faith. Whenever I need a little boost I will read her words in her memory book, so that I can feel her testimony. I never thought I could miss her more every year she is gone and I can not wait to see her again.

Where did Gavin go.

2009-06-13T14:29:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I was sitting in the blazing heat, out in the Stoker's massive backyard. In this backyard there are many toys and distractions for kids of all ages. Well my kid found his distraction in one of the many power wheels dotting the yard. I could not see the kid going around and around in a circle, but I could hear him go. At one point the consistent buzz of the battery powered truck stopped. Naturally I thought to myself that my kid was finished with this distraction and was on to the next. After about 2 minutes I realized I had not heard or see Gavin come out from behind the playhouse that was blocking him from view. So I went to investigate, because naturally if things are quiet no good is happening. And this is what I saw. At first I thought he was sad and and just sitting there, but I soon discovered that he had put himself to sleep going in circles.

Water Fun

2009-06-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday Gavin and I went to Sunsplash, which by the way is not as fun as it use to be when I was a kid. Gavin had a good time though, he did refuse to go down any slides, but the shallow water, lazy river and wave pool were fun for him. Of course that night he got diarrhea and is just now getting over it. Paul declares that we will not go back to Sunsplash, because obviously Gavin swallowed poop.

On Friday Gavin and I went with Paul's sister Teresa and her kids to Fountainhill were there is a great splash pad area.

Right by the splash pad is a lake with ducks, were we broke the rules. This is when the ducks were nice, soon they became aggressive and one duck even got in a tug of war with little Beck, over a piece of bread.

There also was a great play area nearby that was shaded. I love that some communities have started covering their parks. It makes it bearable to go to the park in the summer.

2009-05-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Gavin and Dad playing a new game.

Maelynn and Gavin walking through the mall. This is always a fun past time in the summer, when it is to hot outside.

Gavin Passed OUT!

2009-05-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well it has happened! Paul has graduated. It only took 6 years, but of course it will be worth it. Now every time Paul says he does not know how to do something, like starting the dishwasher, I can say, "You have an electrical engineering degree." I still can't believe it is done. Probably because it is not done. We still have law school.

Even with law school ahead, this is a great accomplishment for Paul. He has worked so hard for this and we are all very proud of him.

My Redheaded Angel

2009-05-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here is Gavin eating a pop tart while waiting for me to spin him in the chair.

I may not be as busy as someone who has 4 or 5 kids, or even 2, but if I have made Gavin happy I feel pretty good about my days work.

When I use to think about my future, I did not dwell much on the thoughts of, "what if I can't get pregnant." When I am feeling really bad for myself over the fact that I can not get pregnant easily or the loss of the other 3 pregnancies I have had, all I need do is make Gavin smile or laugh and life is good. Gavin is not prefect, but he his mine and if he is the only special spirit the Lord gives me in this life, I will never take him for granted and love him with all my being.

I often think of something my Grandma West said once, instead of thinking "why me", try to think "why not me." I will always look to my Grandmothers example of faith when things don't seem fair. I have been chosen to experience this trial in this life and will try to learn what I need to from it.

University of Arizona

2009-04-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

It looks like UofA is it. Paul and I spent Saturday in Tucson at UofA going through presentations on the school. We then drove around a few neighborhoods. I have to confess that I am really nervous. This will be the first time I will live somewhere that I don't know exactly where everything is.
Paul and I are going back to Tucson on Monday to look at some homes with a realtor and get more familiar with the area. We will not be putting any offers on any homes right now, but just looking at homes will make it more really for me. Just thinking that in just a few months we will have our own home.
I am also very nervous about having to actually make friends. With such large families on both sides, we have not really felt the need to branch out and make friends beyond our family and ward. So this should be interesting.

Law School

2009-04-07T10:45:00.001-07:00

Well we finally have an update on law school. We are very happy to tell everyone that Paul has been accepted to the University of Arizona. We are really excited to be staying in Arizona and not too far from family. The only thing that could change things now is if Paul gets accepted to ASU and they give him some money.

The Zoo

2009-04-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

We also made a stop at the splash pad after we had our fill of animal viewing.