Wordless Wednesday - 16 weeks

Decorating traditions

Does it seem like this year has flown by? I swear this year feels like so much has gone on and it just zoomed by. Fall/winter are my favorite times of year! So much fun is scheduled around this time. My son's birthday, my birthday, dad's birthday, Thanksgiving, CHRISTMAS, and New Years! Growing up Christmas was such a huge deal with my family. My mom would start getting ready for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It seemed like every room in our house was decorated except our bedrooms. I am like my mother. I can't help it. I LOVE TO DECORATE! The only reason I only have downstairs decorated this year is because I'm so busy with my newborn... or else... The whole house would have garland and lights!

I have always followed suit with what my traditions are... In fact, last year I was going about my business buying and organizing Christmas decorations that Grant stopped me and asked if we could do some of his traditions. I felt terrible. Did I make Christmas all about my family and my traditions? At that moment I realized that Grant and I will have our OWN traditions. 

What are our traditions now? We go together to get our tree, and then Grant puts the lights on the tree. Funny story about that is we were buying the lights and Grant walked up to the cart with colored lights... the look on my face must have said it all. He turned around and said he'd be back. He came back with the all clear lights. I think colored lights are great... it's just my OCD spin on having everything match. Then I really go to work. My families tradition... or my moms way is to decorate like its a model home. I follow her path until next year. Grant is ok with my tree looking uniform and perfect, as long as we put up ornaments that are sentimental to us. Sentimental? WE decided that every year we will pick an ornament that we like and we will continue to put them on the tree for as long as we celebrate this wonderful Holiday. Once our kids are old enough to choose which one they want they can pick one every year too. 

Stockings. WE decided that the stockings we buy will be the stockings we will use forever as well. This was a tradition both of us had. Grant had a stocking that was red with his initials (GBS), and I had a kitty cat stocking. So, I bought ours from Pottery Barn. Since Pottery Barn offers the same stockings just about every year this will be good if we add an addition to our family! ;) 

The rest of the house... Grant doesn't care what I do... Just as long as I keep our new traditions. And continue to create more along the way. Compromise. This makes us both happy! Who doesn't like new traditions that can be passed on?

Here are a few pictures of our house:

Cheers,

Brooke

Sneaky peeky...

I can't help it... And I know one day he will be mad at me for showing these pictures. Is it just me or is anyone else creeped out at the Santa's at the malls? Well, I'm not a fan of having my little guy sit on Santa's lap... instead... how much cuter is my little guy as Santa? Just sayin'. 

We have a wonderful photographer that is GREAT with kids. Her name is Jessica Lake. These are Jake's 3 month pictures. I have already heard from several moms and family members about how many photos I will have taken of Jake... But, come on people... He's my first baby! And it helps that he likes having his picture taken (ok really ... everyone knows I'm the Brookarazi)! hehe. Anyhow, I will have pictures taken again for Valentines Day... DUH! 

Hope everyone is having a great week... Enjoy the weekend! 

Santa Boozie

I mean... I know!

More pictures to follow! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Brooke

Prayer Request

Hi All,

This morning I went to my friends blog and saw that she just found out she has Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Today she is undergoing several tests to determine what state cancer she has. She is incredibly strong! I ask for you all to pray for her and recovery.

Here is her link. Team Stephanie

I believe in the power of prayer and positive thoughts. God is good and will be protecting her and her family.

Thank you all!

Brooke Stone

Dancing gorilla - J 14 weeks

Grant and I were at Target on Sunday and we came upon a gorilla... a singing, dancing, and stuffed gorilla! Jake was laughing so hard at it that people in the store came over to watch him. I had to buy the gorilla after that. We have this Baby Einstein toy that speaks in different languages... we have it on the Spanish setting so when the gorilla sings the numbers in Spanish he starts to laugh.

Here is a quick video of our little monkey. Enjoy!

Christmas card photo

Now that I have sent out my Christmas cards I can post a few more pictures from our newborn photo shoot. I waited to post these until after our cards went out. On Wednesday we had 3 month pictures taken and will post those soon. He did great! Some pictures were Christmas related and some were just regular photos! I can't wait to see how they turned out. My little man is growing so fast!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season as much as me! 

Our family. Thankful to have these boys in my life.

Little hunter like his daddy!

Father and son

Daddy, mommy, and baby

Our angel

Now it's time to Christmas shop online! Send me your favorite websites to shop through!

Love and cheers,

Brooke

Stone household

We are getting into the holiday spirit over here! Jake has about 10 holiday outfits and we are going to be putting presents under the tree soon! :) Over the weekend we bought our tree, decorated it, and also hung our stockings. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here! Soon the house will be filled with family in town, and we will all be celebrating Jake's 1st Christmas! SO excited!

Just wanted to post a quick pic of my little guy and me. Tomorrow we have our 3 month photo shoot! Hope Jake does better than his 1st months shoot. I will post decoration pictures soon!

My little man and I decorating the tree

Have a good week!
Brooke

Babblings

As a mother I feel like no one can do my job like me. I know what sounds my baby is making and for what reasons, I know the schedule he is on, and so on... Well, I would like to talk about last night.

Last night Jake was very fussy. I was pretty tired and trying to rock him to calm him down and put him to sleep. Being tired I was sitting in bed doing the rocking. Grant got out of bed and asked for Jake. At first I told Grant to go to bed (since he was getting up at 4:30am to get to a case), but he said insisted. The next thing I knew Jake went from crying to sound asleep. I was pretty amazed. Usually I'm the one that can console our little angel. This time it was Grant. Grant told me to get some rest and laid with Jake and then put him to bed. I woke up this morning to feed and change him around 3:45am. Grant woke up to check on us and we were both happy that Jake had been asleep as long as he had. 

Daddies touch? I think so. I'm the type of mom that picks up my little one and takes care of it without relying on anyone since I'm always with him during the day. Grant knowing that I don't like to ask for help will just jump in and take his little monkey! Grant is a great father. He loves Jake and I so much. What a good feeling to have someone love you that much. Even though he had to get up he saw how tired I was and helped. Jake passed out the moment Grant took him and started rocking him. Grants shushing, talking, and rocking did the trick. I had the biggest smile and had lots of love in my heart! 

Its funny when you become a mom all that matters is your little ones happiness. If Jake isn't feeling well or just simply wants to play I don't leave the house. Even if I want to work out, shop, get nails done, etc. I'd rather spend that time with Jake. Once Grant gets home from work I know Jake is in great hands and then I'm more likely to leave. My favorite is when we all go together though! And when we all go to eat Grant makes sure I'm eating and will hold Jake if he wakes and is fussy. On Sunday we went to our favorite cafe for breakfast and when I was walking to the restroom the owner pulled me aside to say, "how does it feel to be adored"? I stopped for a second and had to think about what she was talking about... then I sat back down and Grant put his arm around me and kissed me. I immediately knew what she was talking about... She had mentioned to me the last time I was there that it's refreshing to see a young couple in love. I kissed my gorgeous husband back and said a little prayer thanking God for my life. :)

Anyhow, I don't mean to go on and on about my husband... but, with some dads that don't help or participate I feel blessed to have a husband that can't wait to hold his son... and can't wait to make sure his wife is happy. Thank you Grant for all you do for us.

Mini Grant

Jake loves his daddy.

~ BROOKE ~

3 MONTHS

Jake turned 3 months on Wednesday. I can't believe how big he is getting! I bought these stickers from Picky Sticky so that I can take a picture of my little guy every month. I didn't want to buy the onesies with the months on them because he's already in 6 month clothes... and in the picture below that is a 9 month onesie.  How would I choose the sizes? So instead, I found this website and bought the stickers I can stick on my own onesie or shirt! 

I'm 3 months!

I'm always talking!

Tummy time

The swing isn't so bad!

I met Victoria... She is a month younger than me. 

Have a great week everyone!

Brooke

Santa Barbara wine tasting

Refer to the following blog for my notes...

WINEGIRL15

XO

My little rockstar!

My little man

I'm a lucky mommy... I know!

Cheers,

Brooke

Thanksgiving 2010 - Jake 12 weeks

This Thanksgiving there was so much to be thankful for! Other than health and happiness for my family and friends... I was the most thankful for my son Jake. What a wonderful little boy I have. He's just perfect! :)

Grant and I reflected about where we were last year this time... We were on our belated honeymoon in Antigua (Caribbean). So much has changed since then! I feel so lucky and blessed for all that Grant and I have. Holidays are so much better with a baby!

This year Grant's dad Larry and his wife Marcine came to visit us in California. We had Ginny, Dave, Larry, and Marcine all here to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was so nice having a house full of love and laughter. Larry and Marcine have been wonderful grandparents. Jake just loves to smile and laugh with them!

Larry and Marcine not only made us all breakfast, but they made our Thanksgiving feast! We drank wine (Nickel & Nickel, and Kenneth Volk), ate TOO much food, and watched a little football. What a day!

Here are some pics of Pops and Cine:

Pops and Jake

Cine, Pops, and Jake

He HATED the hat! But was a good sport for his mama. :)

One more pic!

Happy little guy!

A nice walk along the bay after dinner

Jake already in his Bumbo chair... He's only 12 weeks!

Stone family party of 3 - 2010

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.

Love and cheers,

Brooke

Uncle and Auntie Badanes

On Monday, Grant's sister Ginny and her husband Dave came out for the Thanksgiving holiday. This was their first time meeting Jake. He took to them right away. Jake LOVES his auntie Ginny! He loves to smile and talk to her. He loves to lay on his uncle Dave's lap as well! 

It was so nice having them here to visit. Ginny was SO much help! She held Jake while I was able to sleep a little and even take a shower. I was able to relax on the couch and DRINK WINE! Yes folks... I drank some wine (I pumped ahead of time)! They are leaving today... and we are sad to see them go. It's so hard having live far away... Grant and I will be planning a trip to Anapolis, MD this spring/summer! 

Ginny and Dave

Uncle Dave

Talking to his auntie Ginny

At our favorite breakfast spot: Coffee Cup Cafe

Can't wait until your next visit! We love you guys so much!

Brooke

Month of thanks... week 4

First of all...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm thankful for so much in my life. It's really hard to do it in only 4 posts. Next year perhaps I will post daily for my all my thanks.

This post I would like to thank my friends. Since my family is far, my close circle of friends have become family. I don't want to say names... you know who you are. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded with such wonderful people.

With parents and family living far I only have Grant to rely on. I understand this is apart of marriage... I'm supposed to rely on him. I'm lucky to be in a good marriage. He is such an active father. But, there is something to having a mother close to help baby sit or give advice when ever I need her. Being able to stop in whenever I want to have dinner or have her baby sit while I run an errand. Even though I have always surrounded myself with people I trust only few. My best friends will tell you the same. My best friends are like my sisters. They have been there for me all through my years growing as a woman, getting married, and now having a baby. I have had girls help me move (because I was 6 months pregnant), bring me dinner (after I had Jake), clean my house (after my c-section), walk my dog, and check on me repeatedly. Just because. :)

It has taken me years to figure out who had my or my families best intentions. I can say that I am surrounded by the best people. I'm lucky to have such an amazing family... and the friends that are my family as well. Not all people have both. I do. I'm thankful for all the people that make my life better. The friends I can't wait to see on a regular basis.

Thank you to my besties. I love you all and am appreciative of our friendship.

Love and cheers,
Brooke

Month of thanks... week 3

I can hardly believe it's almost Thanksgiving. At the beginning of this year I was pregnant and starting to think the end of the year would never come. Time flies. I know my mom used to say repeatedly, "Brooke, the older you get the faster times goes by..." Well folks, she was right! The older I get the faster time does go by. My son is approaching 3 months this Wednesday. That is also hard to believe. All that preparation and now this little guy is here.

This week I would like to thank God. I know there are people that don't believe... that is your right. My right is to believe. Thank you America. I don't know where I would be without God. There were times growing up I faltered in my beliefs or questioned way too much. And now looking back if my faith was stronger or I was more mature in my faith I would have realized that my life is not up to me... it's up to God. I make choices that are game changers of course, but I cannot change who comes in and out of my life.

I look back on 2006. This was a tough year for me. I won't get into details, but it was a tough one. I wonder why everything was happening the way it was and why was it happening to me? Poor little me, right? Well, NO! See, God had a plan for me. I had to fall and not believe to start to believe again. Makes sense? It might not. Basically, I had a rough go at lots of things. There was a major death in my family and I felt like my world was ending, a sickness of a VERY important person that went on for months, and a few relationships that needed to end. Part of me needed to start over. I remember just really feeling down... almost depressed. I'm not pessimistic... I'd like to think I'm very realistic. It all came to a crashing end one plane ride home from a trip. Starting to wonder why all this was happening I realized... I'm not in control. I got home and began to write. Pros and cons. A major question was, "Why do I still live in California, when my entire family lives in Idaho now". Why were all these horrible things happening? Why was I so unhappy? I have always been in control and got everything I wanted because of how hard I worked. It all didn't matter anymore. I was wondering how I got to this point of unhappiness.

I started my night time routine preparing for yet another pointless week when I began to sob. I was crying so hard I couldn't stand. I hit the floor. Sobbing. I began to pray. "Please Lord... help me". I went on for almost 30 minutes! I prayed about everything. The last thing I did was to put it all in God's hands. I asked him for help. I stopped crying. I opened my eyes and felt peace. I cannot describe the feeling. It was amazing. I felt clarity. I took my shower, and went to sleep.

I woke up and I had a new perspective. I knew that this was going to be a good day. The death of my loved one was out of my control. Even though I was at the hospital sleeping in beds and the on even floor... I couldn't keep my grandfather alive. It was God's time to take him. What did that teach me? Lots. My grandfather was like a father to me. He still means so much to me. He's my guardian angel. I truly believe this. I smiled with that thought. Why was the person in my life sick? What was wrong with my father? Why so soon after losing my grandfather? Well, that week they figured it out. He was going to be OK. Peace. I got to work and I was given a new territory. Northern California. Then I suddenly realized that I should ONLY surround myself with people that have my best intention. Everything was falling into place.

I asked God into my life the night before. I had always been a Christian... but, I needed to reassess my life. I needed God. I will say that everything has really fallen into place ever since then. Does this mean everything will be great for the rest of my life? NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. I will have loss, I will be disappointed, etc. But, I know this is God's plan not mine. He doesn't want to hurt us. He wants us to be happy. But, he wants us to be close to him. I believe that sometimes you need to fall to see this.

I am lucky. I am thankful. I love God.

I thank God.

Hope everyone is thankful for something this year. Life is good.

Cheers,
Brooke

Rolling over - 11 wks

I know everyone thinks there child is a prodigy... But, today to my amaze, my son starting rolling over. This was his first attempt. I of course am a proud mama. Now that I have figured out this YouTube thing I'll be posting more!

Does anyone use a flip video cam? They are the best! If you don't have one and have a baby... GET ONE ASAP!

Flip Video Camera

Jake Stone

Cheers,

Brooke

Month of thanks... week 2

This week I would like to thank my parents. I have such incredible parents. I know I have blogged about them in the past... but, I can't have a week of thanks without mentioning them!

I am very fortunate to have such thoughtful, loyal, loving, and patient parents. Looking back at all I had and all I got I was very lucky. My parents were children when they had Marty and I (Mom was 18, Dad was 21). We all grew up together as a very tight family. My parents taught Marty and I to love and take care of each other no matter what goes on in life. Marty is one of my closest friends to this day. Family is everything. That is the motto I live by and will raise my children to believe. No matter what happens in my life my family will always be there for me and my family I'm creating. At times (mainly as a teenager) I sometimes hated how close we were. I felt like I had NO privacy. My parents by design filled our home with love and laughter. We were the family that all the neighborhood kids went to. I would come from skating and have friends at my house hanging out with my parents until I got home. This is the home I wish to have.

I didn't realize how hard it would be having my parents move and live far from me. It has been VERY tough. It's not the easy road trip either. Selfishly I wish they still lived in La Mirada. Even though they love living in Boise, and I love that city... I wish we were all close and living in So Cal together again. My parents came into town when I had Jake. That was so helpful and I was thankful for their help. My mom still has it. She knew exactly what to do and gave me so many helpful tips. My mom and dad could have had a house full of children. I hope to become a mother like mine. I hope I can create the kind of home my parents had for my brother's and I.

Thank you mom and dad for giving me a wonderful childhood. I love you guys so much... And I can't wait to see you all for Christmas.

Love,

During there visit in September... I had just had Jake a week before this photo.

Brooke

Wash your hands!?

I came across a good article about washing your hands this flu/cold season before touching babies tiny hands since they put them in their mouths... There is a sign I just bought that you place on their car seats... I recommend all moms buying one! Over kill or a reminder of keeping hands cleaned to protect our little ones? Either way... I got one! Jake constantly is putting his fingers/hands in his mouth now... So I think this is just a good reminder!

They come in blue, red, and pink!

Click here for Tiny Hands link...

Pic:

Winegirl15

I started a blog awhile back called "winegirl15"... where I blog about my favorite wine finds. I had to stop the journey when I got pregnant for obvious reasons! ;) Well friends... It's back! Go on over and check it out! Hope you all will click to follow that blog as well.

CLICK HERE FOR WINEGIRL15'S BLOG

Cheers!

Month of Thanks... week 1

I usually blog about why I'm thankful on a weekly basis... It's usually coupled with baby postings. I wanted to do something a little different this month mainly because we are approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. I want to blog once a week (day will be based on when I have time with a newborn in tow) to say thank you to those special people or things in my life.

Week 1.

I would like to express my thankfulness for my hubby. My husband has been very supportive of me and my needs throughout my pregnancy and postpartum journey. No matter how busy or tired he is he makes sure I get time out with the girls or that he takes Jake so I can sleep extra hours here and there. In September my husband threw me a surprise 30th birthday party, sent me out shopping, and helped with the baby while I recovered from my c-section. This continued into October with shopping sprees with my best friend, lunches, dinners, and an occasional happy hour with my sorority sisters. November just arrived and I already have a spa day/wine tasting set up, walks with my loves (hubs and baby on Saturday mornings), and sleep days already lined up!

I'm blogging to say thank you to my wonderful husband Grant. Thank you for all you do without me asking. I'm so very grateful to have you come home when you are tired from your busy work/travel schedule and do things that I need help with. I love being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and I especially love being Jake's mom and YOUR wife. You make me happy and I'm so thankful for you. I look forward to celebrating the holiday season with you and our family we are creating together.

I appreciate all you do and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Love your wife,
Brooke

Lately...

Lately, I haven't been sleeping really well. Jake only sleeps 3 hours at a time and it takes me an hour to get him back to sleep after he wakes and I feed him. So I get about 4 hours a night of sleep... max. Grant hasn't felt all that well this week so he hasn't helped as much as he usually does and 1 night ago he slept in the spare bedroom so he doesn't get the both of us sick. Last night Grant was feeling better, so he slept back in bed with us. He woke up every time the baby did and gave me the support I needed to get through the night. This morning at about 7am Grant took our little guy knowing I was up for the majority of the night and he told me to sleep. I slept for 3 hours straight. Want to hear something weird..... I had a dream! I haven't had a dream in weeks because I don't ever get into the full REM cycle (I assume). ;) I took a long shower and came downstairs. When I came downstairs Grant mentioned going on a 3 mile walk and getting lunch on 2nd street in Belmont Shore. So, we put the little guy in the baby Bjorn (the Organic Synergy - LOVE), grabbed Grant's diaper backpack (Quiksilver - thank you Aud), the dog, and went on our way. What a fun lunch! When we got home I went upstairs to take another shower (taking advantage of all showers) and came downstairs to the 2 of my boys sleeping. My heart just melted. These are my babies. I love my boys more than anything. After I saw this I realized being a stay at home mom is exactly what I want to do. Even though some days I struggle being home all day... and not being in the working world... I would NEVER want to miss a single moment of my sweet babies. I thank God for all that I have and am grateful for the opportunity to be a wife and a mother.

The reason my heart beats...

Here is my other munchkin:

Cheers,

Brooke

 

More pics...

Here are a few more pictures from our photo session... I will post more pictures after we send out our Christmas cards. I can't believe this was already over a month ago. Jake looks so different... he's really filling out and getting so big!

My baby

Our family of 3

Cheers,
Brooke

"Bugs life" Halloween

Jake's 1st Halloween!

What a fun week! I knew it would be fun to have babies during holidays... but, I had NO idea how much fun! Even though the little guy didn't trick or treat, it was fun getting him all dressed up and to watch my husband take him around to our neighbors homes. In fact, it was so cool watching the daddies take their babies around while the mommies stayed back and drank a little vino. ;)

I made baked ziti, garlic bread, pumpkin cake, cookies, and I had PLENTY of wine! I had the house all ready for our guests... and of course Jake was ready as a spider! Funny thing is that I'm allergic to spiders! How funny that I dressed my little man up as one? My husband is so cute... he wanted me to get all dressed up... but, after having a baby 8 weeks ago I don't feel as sexy as I did last Halloween... I chose to wear scrubs! Yep. Dr. Stone. Listen, when your breast feeding every 2-3hours... a cute little sexy outfit just wont do! 

This week is going to be all about changes! First change... I'm going back to spin tonight. I love getting on that bike and pushing myself to the limit! It burns so many calories and I really do enjoy it! The more extreme the better. I have decided that when Jake gets a little older/bigger Grant and I are going to get bikes and actually bike. I enjoy it so much! The weather is always good in CA and we live at the beach. Why am I not already doing this? And then another change this week (maybe tonight) is that Jake will be sleeping in his own room and in his crib... This is NOT by choice. The doctor seems to think that he will sleep better if it's dark and if he doesn't hear Grant and I moving or snoring (Grant snores... not me of course)...And not to mention we'll eventually sleep better too! But, now I need to buy ANOTHER chair for Jake's room... one that will fit up the stairs! Any suggestions on places to buy a nice rocking chair? 

Moving right along... Let's take a look at our Halloween! Earlier in the day my brother and sister in law came over and brought us lunch... they really wanted to see Jake so they came down early in the day. Vicki was still here so she was able to love on Jake for his first Halloween as well! Grant took his momma to the airport that afternoon... she'll be back to celebrate Christmas with us. Later that day, Grant and I had some couples and friends come over for dinner and drinks. It was so fun! 3 of the couples brought their little ones... Looks like we were all on the same page for dressing our little ones. We all had a bug theme... 

I would like to call the theme of our Halloween: "BUGS LIFE"

Without further adieu... 

 My little spider

 Stella - Lady Bug, Jake - Spider, and Adelyn - Catapiller

 Our family 

Daddies with their babies,,, getting ready for trick or treating

FOOD

Mantle

Pumpkins on a stick??

 A few pictures from the week:

Like father... like son...

 Grant, Grandmother Stone, and Jake

Have a great week,
Love and cheers,
Brooke

2 MONTHS OLD... And Grandma Stone's visit!

Vicki came into town the day after my grandmother left. It's been nice having another grandma come and see their baby Jake. Jake has LOVED being held by his grandma... he falls asleep pretty quickly when she picks him up! Jake is now constantly smiling! It's so awesome!

Today Vicki and I took Jake to his 2 month baby well check up. Jake is 12 lbs, 11 oz, and 23 1/2 inches. He is above average in height and weight. He is a healthy and happy baby! The pediatrician said it's about that time he should be sleeping in his crib. I almost let out a NO... But, I kept my composure. It's true... It's time. His room is completely ready and I do own a video monitor. Looks like I'm going to try this weekend... wish me luck!

Loving my grandma:

 My little pumpkin!

 I love my cousin Amanda!

I LOVE bath time!

Will post more pictures later! Can't wait to get Jake in his Halloween costume!
Cheers,
Brooke