All I want for Christmas is ....Paper. That's all he really cared about. So much for spending money on "educational" toys.
We had a Great time in Northern California at my parents home...A different party each night...The Nutcracker, plays, concerts and shopping in San Fransisco. The flu did hit us all, but didn't damper the fun. We hope you all had a Wonderful Christmas!!
Well, this week we found Thomas' FIRST tooth. I kept trying to fish out a cracker when I realized it was a tooth. So, like any good mother, I forced my way into his mouth screaming to take a photo of it.
He also had his first touch of snow..I took pictures like crazy...only to realized I had the lense on... way to go Kate.
We went to Thanksgiving Point Festival of Lights and drove through with our good friends the Larsen's. Though much of the time was Julie and I trying to figure out which one of our kids smelled like vomit? Tommy saw his first Reindeer, and could have cared less, with his bottom lip shivering.
Tommy and I leave to go home to my parents house for Christmas on Monday, and Rob will follow on Friday after his finals. Cant wait to be at home and see Grandmas house all done up!!
Happy Thanksgiving to All. Hope you all stuffed yourselves! We spend Thanksgiving with the Stokers each year...this year we actually decided to do some documentation of how many of us there are...Rob's parents in the middle, and all the siblings on chairs with their spouse behind them...the rest are yes...Just all their kids. Always a full house! But tons of fun.
Rob and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on November 29...5 years...it seems longer, not in a bad way though. Just cant remember a time when my life didn't have Robbie in it. I would like to forget those few years when he was in Iraq and all...but that is what makes us so freaking amazing! That's right baby...we rock! We did it, 5 years...many more to come! Hopefully with many more laughs and smiles than anything else.
Just think 5 years ago, we knew what it was like to sleep in on Saturdays...
So, we had some pictures taken of Thomas the other day, and we wanted to get one of his Halloween costume! We don't do the usual costumes at the Stoker home...It was this or a whoopee cushion. he also would have made a good Michilin Tire man with those arms...Go Tommy! I would so hang him in my car...wouldn't you? But I cant promise anything... smells may be a bit different than the real thing.
Halloween is almost here...so we let Thomas have at it! I guess I am one of those Mom's who doesn't let Tommy get messy often, cause when he had the chance, HE WENT FOR IT! Here are some pictures of our family home evening.
I snuck this pix in here...it was a few weeks ago when my parents were in town...But Thomas' face was just priceless...Really, he does love his Grandma and Grandpa...I think he was just mad we made him wear a skeleton instead of Superman or something.
Rob got a call from Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ this afternoon and guess what...HE GOT ACCEPTED! Rob was much more impressed with every aspect of this school than he was to Touro in Vegas...so we've decided (barring an acceptance to a better school) that we're going to Arizona! It's going to be really hot and I'm going to sweat all day, but I think we'll be able to afford a bigger place and I'll be able to decorate it so cute. I think I'll be able to survive as long as I am always in the Air Conditioning! On top of that amazing news, Rob also got word from the University of Utah and he has an interview scheduled for some time around November 10th! So, we're keeping our fingers crossed for that as well. Life is so good and the Lord is blessing us immensly!
I KNOW you cant BLOG TWICE in one day...But I never seem to get to have time to do this...so take it or leave it! Thomas got a "early" Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa and LOVES it. He jumps and plays for a long time...that's why I love it too! Daddy can get him going with his gut laugh, but by the time we grab the video camera, he decides he wants to stop. Luckily, this time I had the cell phone handy to capture this brief moment in time. It's a bad video, thus taken from a cell phone. But you get idea...How cute is this little man???
PS- we have no idea what Robbie is saying to Thomas...
We saw this and just died. We thought we needed to share this with all we love. Enjoy. PS- You will have to push pause on our music on our blog to the right to hear this awesome video.
I made this shirt for Thomas to wear on the day Rob took his MCAT. It's Yoda saying, "May the force be with you today daddy." Apparently it worked! Rob got his first acceptance letter to Medical School this past Thursday. He interviewed on Monday and got an email on Thursday giving him the good news. There were over 35 people interviewed and 4 were chosen, including Rob! We're so excited. The school is called Touro University School of Osteopathic Medicine. It's in Henderson (Las Vegas), Nevada, so we're going to be sweating to the oldies in the 130 degree summer heat for 4+ years. Touro is not the top school on Rob's list, by any means, but it's feels so good for us to have our foot in the door anyway. He has another interview in Phoenix, AZ in 2 weeks, so that's also a possibility. Most other schools will most likely contact Rob in the next month or so. So, We're going to MED SCHOOL! You can see the relief in Rob's face. He's so excited to be through the application process, MCAT, etc. So, Rob just has to finish up this hard semester and next semester he has 6 credit hours. Then we're off to our future adventure! Ready or not, here we come!
Hi. I am Thomas. I am 5 Months and 2 Weeks Old now. I run the ship around here, in case you were wondering. Here are some things about me right now:
I know...it's hard to believe that our little bundle of Joy...Ok...little tub of Joy hates to eat. he hates eating his bottle...we've tried every kind...every formula...he's an odd kid! So we tried rice cereal today, mixed with apple sauce...he hated that too. He was way more interested in how to get the spoon from Mommy's hands and into his own. He did succeed eventually, and gagged himself. He didn't learn cause he continued to gag himself over and over. I can tell I am a bad mom cause I giggled...I think I will be one of those mom's who laughs when my kid does something wrong and I am suppose to be so mad, but cant help but laugh out loud! Grow up Kate!
Tommy now likes to try and help hold his bottle, which usually is just a contest to see who can hold it in his mouth the longest before he pulls it out again and laughs. He has a problem eating a lot because he smiles and laughs so much. I find I cant talk to him or smile at home sometimes when I am feeding him or he is a gonner, and into deep gut laughing and thee is no chance of getting any food down him. Rob is the worst. He comes home for lunch and dinner just to see his little man...and the laughs that come from Tommy are unreal! Rob is the best daddy ever. He and Tommy have their time together each night...play, bath and bottle. I love it too cause I get a break!!
Tommy tried to keep his white skin out of the sun...
I just got back from one of the best days of my life (Next to getting married to Kate and having a child). It was unbelievable. I was in the mix of some 108,000 fans, screaming our heads off. It was something I doubt I'll ever experience again. The immensity of the Big House was overwhelming. I was there with some really good friends. Brett Raddon and his dad were there, Jeff Quigley, Kevin Stoker, Kevin Christensen, and Scott Bower too. I sat with Quigs during the game and texted with Brett during the game. There were so many people crammed into the place that it took about 5 minutes for my text to finally send. The craziest thing to see is how fast the 100,000 UM fans quieted when Utah dominated their team. It was erie. There was the time in the 2nd half where they came back and it was incredibly intimidating to hear the level of sound raining down on the team. But, they hung on and got the W. We also went to a Detroit Tigers game and it rocked. It was a beautiful stadium. To get there, we followed some signs that took us straight down the middle of the ghetto. I swear I saw crack whores, drug dealers, and all the buildings had bars on the windows. A lot of the buildings had the glass broken out of the windows and there were some buildings that had been burned to the ground and they were just left there. It was CRAZY! I think I went about 15 minutes without seeing another white person. The trip was well worth it and I can't wait to go to South Bend in 2012 to watch the Utes stomp Notre Dame!
Here's a video of Thomas smiling. He's figured out how to do it, so it's a great break from the crying....I think babies should start out smiling, then ease into the crying thing. It would make life so much better. Either way, we sure love our little guy!
We got some beautiful pictures of our baby taken from our friend Becca. They turned out great! Here are a few we wanted to share! Ok, I know I am one of those Mom's who said I would know if my kid was ugly and I would be ok with it, knowing they would grow up to be cute. I wouldn't be so naive to think that everyone who is telling ,me my baby is perfect is telling the truth... Well, I SWEAR I KNOW my baby is beautiful...I think...or am I one of those mom's?? Either way, I made him, so I am pretty proud. I mean people make cookies, houses, or machines to save teh world...I made a baby. That is pretty cool. Here he is to show off!
Grandpa, or Pop Pop Tom ( We named Thomas after him)
Thomas waking up
Thomas trying to poop (he turns red and grunts)
Thomas resting
Thomas and Great Grandma Wanda, a surprise visit for Mothers day!!!
So...I am alive. I know many think that I ran away with the circus (I have thought about it actually), but I am still here, trying to be a Mom. I feel a bit betrayed by all my close friends who are Moms for not warning me how HARD these first few weeks are...thanks a lot. I figured it out pretty quick though. I knew babies cried...but a baby with terrible colic (according to the pediatrician) is a WHOLE other ball game. HOURS of crying. Poor little guy. I bet he is so confused too! We switched him to soy formula, but that is helping little. So, the pediatrician said that bad colic peaks at 6-7 weeks, and then gets better. We are at week 5...lets hope so.
On one of my breakdowns of tears last week, Rob decided to give me the best Mothers day yet. he packed the car in record time and drove us to California to see my Mom for a week. When in doubt, send her home!!! ha ha! Mom, or what Thomas will call her is mana (what my nephew max calls her and has set the standard) was thrilled to see her grand baby, along with Poppop Tom. They made sure we rested well and saw movies as much as possible. It was a great break for me, and a wonderful mothers day. Although, Rob has been holding down the fort here. he deserves the mother of the year award if you ask me. The pregnancy and delivery did more than a number on my poor body, and it is not wanting to bounce back. he is wonderful with helping with night shifts, diapers, and baths. Could he be any more wonderful???
For the next few weeks, we will be in survival mode. Rob got back his score for the MCAT and feels he wants to retake it and try for a better score. So back to the books for a test on June 13th in Boise Idaho. Yes, it was the only opening for the test near our home! So, he still gets no break. PLEASE keep him in your prayers. We need him to nail this...which he will!!! I finally got back into the Pain clinic at the U here. The Dr who preformed previous surgeries on me is working with me. I'm going on a heavy regiment of Nueropathic drugs to help with pain. I hope my body can take it all right now...Lets hope! I need to be a Mom now!!!!
Thomas is almost 10 lbs now. Its hard to think he is growing...but his newborn clothes are getting smaller each day...so I guess he is! he definitely knows my voice and will follow it when I walk by him. He likes to be in his bouncy seat, only if rob bounces it so hard he almost bounces out. have yelled at him saying he would bounce him out, then I saw that they baby stopped crying and I shut right up! he does smile, I'm not sure if it is pain or gas, but I like to think it is at me. He likes his walks I take him on, and always needs to be held. he is a party animal in that way. We got some pictures of him taken by our friend Becca for his announcement, so i will post those soon, but here are some from our little trip. Please, don't think I am rude if i cant call you back. I'm trying to keep it all together, but I appreciate your message!!
