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