Ethan had his check up this morning-he weighs 39.2 pounds, putting him in the 40th percentile for weight and outweighing Kamden by exactly 1 pound-but he is in the 90th percentile for height and has always been tall for his age. The worst part of the entire day was when it came time for shots. Kamden had to get a booster shot for his flu vaccine and started freaking out before the nurse even came in to give the shot. Then Ethan hid in the corner saying "I'm staying right here!" because he knew he was next.
Kamden, through his tears, was yelling, "I don't want my brother to get a shot! I don't want my brother to get a shot!"
I'm sure they are both going to be traumatized for the rest of their lives; I can still remember getting vaccines when I was little. So they both were crying and I had to pry Ethan's death-grip from my arms and pretty much hold him down while he got 4 shots and screamed bloody murder, all while Kamden pressed up against the door trying to get as far away from all the carnage as possible.
Ethan is still milking it for all it's worth-he's been limping around and sniffling while asking for bandaids and making certain we are noticing his suffering.
Yep, deffinitley an event from their childhood they'll remember.

But, thanks to my brother Ryan and a family day-pass to the Discovery Center, I was able to redeem myself somewhat. They spent nearly 2 hours exploring the different exhibits and Kamden didn't want to leave the little grocery store section. At least I know I'll have someone to help me bag my groceries if I ever need it!

Owen is trying so hard to roll over...

...but it's hard to focus on the task when there are yummy fingers to chomp on...

...and a silly mommy taking pictures while a bright flash goes off...

...and fun socks to tug at...

...and try to pull off...

...and, of course, eat...

...and a draft coming from somewhere...

...he hasn't quite gotten it down yet, but he's almost there!

Christmas Recap

We spent Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family and had dinner at my aunt's house. There was another visit from Santa Claus, the boys' fourth time to see him this year! They are going to start wondering why he has so much free time to come visit them when he should be getting his sleigh ready to deliver gifts! On the way home we looked at Christmas lights and even found a few displays that were coordinated with music.

Christmas morning did not go according to plan. Ethan woke up at 3am and vommited. When I took him back to bed I found Kamden had also thrown up and was sleeping in it. So I got him up and Jeff helped him shower while I cleaned it up and loaded the bedding into the washer. Ethan followed me downstairs and saw that Santa had already come and gone; the milk cup was empty, only part of a cookie was left on the plate, the stockings were stuffed, and the boys each found a set of cars under the tree from the Disney movie 'Cars'-one of their favorites. So, before heading back to bed, the boys got to open the cars. We slept in and opened gifts around 9, then spent the rest of the morning relaxing while the boys played with their new treasures.
They were running around and feeling fine, so we joined my family for Christmas dinner as planned. They are doing much better, thankfully I didn't have to spend the holiday cleaning up barf.
It was Owen's first Christmas and he tried really hard to open his gifts. He has been fascinated by the tree lights, sometimes when he's fussy i'll put him on the couch and he will just sit and stare at them.




It was Christmas all over again when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit the next day with more gifts. Then we had Ethan's birthday party that evening and Kamden had a hard time with Ethan getting gifts when he didn't. Ethan was so nice and let his little brother help him open them, but yesterday Kamden was still asking if there were any more presants.
They each got what they'd asked for-Ethan wanted Optimus Prime (it took Jeff about 3 hours plus watching the video on youtube to get it transformed the first time, but he's getting pretty good at it!) and Kamden wanted Chick Hicks and Mr.King from the 'Cars' movie. We had a great Christmas and have enjoyed the time we've been able to spend with our family and friends!

HaPpY BiRtHDaY EtHaN!

eThaN LoVEs:
*MeATLoAf (tHe FoOd, NoT thE siNGeR)
*LeARninG
*SpORts-wATcHinG aND pLaYinG
*THe CoLoR BLuE
*HaYLee (He'S PReTTy SuRe thEy'Re GeTTiNG mARRiEd SoMeDaY)
*TrAnSFoRmeRs
*HiS FRiEnDS aND FaMiLY
*SpOnGEBoB sQUaRepAnTS
*GoiNG tO ViSiT FaMiLY; AuNT KRiSteN, GrANDmA's & GrANdpA's, CoUsiNs, & pLAyiNG raCeTraCKs aT AuNT sHeLLy'S HoUSe
ETHaN sAyS:
*"MoM, maYBe iF yOu HaVE aNoTHeR BaBY, wE cOULD naMe iT KRypToNiTE oR SuPErMaN."
*"ThAt wAS WiCKeD CoOL!"
CLicK HeRe, HErE, HeRe, hERe, oR HeRE, HERe, heRe, Or HeRe FoR moRe FunNy THinGs THaT cOMe ouT oF HiS mOUtH.
eTHAn iS:
*LoVinG
*a GReAt BiG BRoTHeR
*SMaRt
*GoOd aT reMemBeRiNG tO mAkE HiS bEd
*cOmpAsSioNaTe
*MoM's HeLPeR
*ConCeRneD aBouT oTHeRs
*GrAteFuL & aPPreCiaTivE
*A BLeSsiNG

He wanted a "Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and Buzz Lightyear" cake...I thought and thought about how in the world I was going to manage that...this is what I came up with. I used crushed Oreos for the batman signal and added sprinkles to the red frosting since it turned out more pink than red. Ethan loved it and said maybe next year he'll want that cake again.

Dear Friends & Family,

I'm going to use the excuse that "I just had a baby" so I didn't get Christmas cards sent out. Never mind the fact that my baby was born 5 months ago. So, to ease my guilt for not having sent any in the mail, I'm going to use our family's blog to wish you all a Merry Christmas and update you on the happenings of our year. But, if you are a regular reader of our blog, I'm sure you already know more than you wanted to about the life of the Stokers in 2009, so consider yourself loved and read on if you want.

2009 has been a busy and eventful year for us. The begining of the year marked the begining of my second trimester of my third pregnancy. Owen George Stoker arrived one day after his due date on July 22, 2009 weighing in at a healthy 9 pounds 3 ounces. He is a very happy, content little boy who has been a wonderful addition to our family. He loves cuddling and being in the water, sweet potatoes and pears are among his favorite foods, and he is spoiled with hugs, kisses, and being held by his two older brothers. Owen is working very hard at getting his teeth and he chews, chomps, and drools on anything he can get his hands on.
Kamden celebrated his third birthday this year and is still as busy and rambunctious as ever. He loves dinosaurs and the movie 'CARS' and is anxiously awaiting the warmer weather so that he can run free outside again. He enjoys counting things and doing puzzles, reading books, and looks forward to being a Sunbeam in the coming year. Kamden loves being with friends and playing with his older brother, but he is also perfectly happy to do his own thing.
Ethan is a wonderful big brother and a great helper. He started preschool this year with a group of 7 other kids and has made some good friends and had the opportunity to go on a lot of fun fieldtrips. Some favorites so far have been going to the pumpkin patch where he got to go on a hayride, learning about letters at the post office, sitting in an ambulance at the EMT building, and learning about wildlife and the outdoors at a local nature center. He enjoys Primary each Sunday and is very excited to start Kindergarten in 2010, though I am deffinitley having mixed emotions about it! In 2009 he made his first trip to the ER when we weren't sure if he'd broken his arm or not; thankfully no cast was needed. He was also able to be the ring bearer in his Uncle Jeff's wedding in March. Ethan had a lot of fun playing on community soccer and t-ball teams and looks forward to doing so again. He will be 5 years old later this month.
The boys keep me busy and entertained and I have also taken up photography, though I am still learning. We have been in our home for 3 years now and still have several projects to occupy our spare time. This summer we were able to fence in the backyard which has been really nice, especially since the boys practically live outside during the summer.
Jeff is now working with Wells Fargo as a Business Specialist and deals with commercial accounts, he is enjoying the change from insurance and we are grateful for all he does to provide for our family. He was recently called to be the Young Men's president in our ward; he works with the boys ages 12-18, mainly the 16-18 year olds, and is having fun planning camping trips and other activities with them.
The year has also had some low points as I lost my grandmother just days after Owen was born. She was an amazing woman and a great example. She is missed but left behind a legacy of love and faith that has been a strength in my life.
Some fun things our family was able to do this past year were: taking the boys to their first hockey game, going to Utah and spending a day at Lagoon, riding in grandpa's boat, and celebrating 6 years of marriage.
We have been so incredibly blessed throughout the past year. Among our greatest blessings are our wonderful friends and family members. We are thankful for this Christmas season and for the opportunity to celebrate the birth and the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. May the new year bring you blessings and joy.
Love,
Jeff, Holly
Ethan, Kamden, & Owen

5 Months

Owen is 5 months old today-of course, I can't believe it. He is eating solids now, first he tried sweet potatoes and loved them. Ethan asked to try the sweet potatoes-he wasn't impressed. Owen has also had carrots, green beans, and pears. The picture is of his first time trying peaches-he wasn't so sure about them and more ended up running down his chin than in his tummy.

Like it's 1999...

The last few days have been full of parties~first off, we had some of our friends over for an evening with lots of good food...

and I think it's safe to say that the kids all had a good time...

The next night, Jeff and I were able to enjoy an evening without the boys while we went to his work party.
And over the weekend we've been able to spend time with my family and even had a personal visit from Santa-though Ethan knew something wasn't quite right with this particular Santa. He kept giving him a curious stare, but he wasn't too worried about it when "Santa" started handing out gifts. After Saint Nick left, Ethan mentioned to my mom that that hadn't been the real Santa. He pointed to the picture on the fridge of the boys with him and said "That's the real Santa. The one here was just wearing a costume because his beard kept falling off."
So I explained that it had been one of Santa's 'Elves' who had come to help out since Santa was busy preparing for Christmas Eve. He thought it was pretty nice of the elf to help out, but he didn't notice that Uncle Jeff didn't get a chance to sit on Santa's lap...

Doing the laundry is exhausting...

But somebody's gotta do it!

27

In honor of the big day, here are 27 great moments/memories from my life:
1.First is the day I was born. Of course I don't remember it, but I'd like to point out 2 things in this picture: my dad has a sweet 'stache and Ryan-this picture is proof that that teddy bear was mine before it was yours.

2.camping with my family-growing up we got to go camping a lot. My favorite things were s'mores, swinging on this swing made from the seat of my dad's hang glider, the mountain man that lived next door to where we'd camp-he entertained us with his guitar and stories about hunting bears, and the pink outhouse my dad & grandpa built.

3.Going to the mountains to get our Christmas tree & play in the snow (that's me at the top) I've deprived my children of such memories...maybe I need to rethink my priorities.

4.The Christmas my dad built me my very own kitchen set and doll cradle. I also loved those purple Rainbow Brite pajamas I have on.

5.Being the flower girl in both my sisters' weddings. If this isn't the perfect picture of a 1980's wedding, I don't know what is.

6.The year that my cousin & I both dressed as Christmas Candles for the school music program. Funny story-I lost my shoe between the stage and the bleachers. It fell down on the floor and, not wanting anyone to see that I only had one shoe on, I stood on one foot and tucked the other up behind my candle costume. My aunt said I looked like a little flamingo.

7.The long bikerides we used to go on as a family.

8.Being baptized.

9.Seeing the ocean for the first time.

10.Graduating High School! I remember counting down the days before we were even halfway through the school year...I thought I'd never make it and now I don't know where the time has gone.

11.Going to college-the things I learned about life, myself, and the friends I made. Stacey got me through a lot-we went to San Francisco together & walked too many miles to count, visited just about every art museum in the city, I ate a disgusting portabello mushroom sandwich, and had the time of our lives.

12.Finding an amazing man to spend my life with.

13.Going to Puerto Rico with Shannon-hiking in the rain forest, nearly getting killed driving in that crazy traffic, riding horses on the beach and wondering if I was going to survive...my horse had a mind of his own, that's for sure.

14.Seeing Ground Zero and getting a glimpse of the reality and devestation of that day.

15. Getting married!

16.Sailing the Caribbean with my new hubby...remember those crazy Canadians we ate dinner with every night? Watching the sunset on the ocean, the wild horses that ran through that little village where we went to see the Myan ruins. And our waiter with those funny songs he'd sing us? Then we came home and had 2 receptions in 2 nights-standing in the receiving line feeling like we were swaying back and forth on the boat.

17.Our first home-a 1 bedroom apartment-and the simplicity of newlywed life.

18.The first time I felt life growing inside of me and the hellish 9 months it took to get him here.

19.Realizing that I'd relive every moment of those 9 months if it meant having him.

20.The trip we took to Florida-you know the one, Jeff, where we almost didn't make it back for Ethan's first Christmas because someone looked at our seat number on our plane tickets, thought it was the gate number, and we ended up on the wrong side of the airport and missed our flight home? Good times, good times.

21.Welcoming another sweet spirit into our home-and learning the hard way that modern medicine (epidurals) are given to us for a reason.

24.Adding another happy, healthy little boy to our family. (This time with the aid of an epidural!)

23.Moments like this, watching my husband teach our children and be involved in their lives.

24.Getting to dance with my husband.

25.Seeing the boys play together, watching them become the best of friends, and how much they love each other and their baby brother.

26Our family trip to Utah last summer, taking the boys to Lagoon and watching their excitment. I didn't ride a single ride but it was the best trip.

27.Realizing what true happiness is.