Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas Morning!!

 Santa filled our stockings!
Goober me, I forgot to take a picture of our tree with all the presents Santa brought.
 "Forget the stocking mom, dad has a camera out!"
 His first Christmas present for the day. Once again, no interest in opening it but he sure liked what was inside!






 He thought daddy needed help putting together his train tracks!
 Merry Christmas from the Stamper's! What a wonderful and blessed day.
 Lots and lots of trash!
 But, lots and lots of toys.

After all of the toy opening and playing, I got started on my very first Christmas dinner! We had prime rib, creamed spinach, candied carrots and horseradish mashed potatoes. I must say, Tyler Florence's recipes were AMAZING. If your looking for a fabulous dinner to eat, check out the recipes by clicking on the dish above.
Sunday, Rusty's sister and her son, Justin, came over to bring Rowynn a movie and a Chuck truck with a 4-wheeler. It took Rowynn a minute to warm up but then he was crawling all over his cousin. He even gave him a kiss and a few hugs! It was SO cute.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas Eve

 I tried to spoil Rusty over the 3 day weekend with lots of yummy cooking. One of the ways, breakfast every morning. I even had "help"!
(Please don't mind the mess or that ALL of my cabinet doors are open!)
 Loves to bang on things. We were banging on the oven door.

 "I'm going to get you daddy!"
 After breakfast and a nap (Rowynn, not the mom or dad!) we headed up to Kansas to visit Grandma. It was nice to sit and visit. Rowynn enjoyed crawling around the house!
 When we got home it was time to open ONE present.
 What could it be???
 New PJ's for Rowynn and daddy!
My handsome guys

Monday, December 27, 2010

Chistmas.... with Rusty's Family

 After a DELICIOUS dinner at Cheesecake Factory, we headed over to my father-in-law's house for some gift giving with the family.
 All the sweet kiddos went first. I am blessed with LOTS of nieces and nephews.
 Rowynn took a while but we finally got them all opened! Honestly, he could have cared less about the packages but he enjoyed the toys inside!
 Love, love, love his sock monkey jack-in-the-box.....
 and so does he!
 Love, love, love the blanket that his aunt Tiffaney made for him. Though, I believe that I am getting a lot more use than he is at the moment. Someday he will be able to use it. But, until then I will keep the blanket company on my couch!
 Oh, then there was the giant Mickey! Rowynn loves Mickey.
 Daddy's turn to help with presents!
 Wait, bottle break. A boy's gotta eat!



 Love these blocks! They are wood blocks that have letters, numbers, math symbols and animals. He likes when we stack them so he can knock them over! He also thinks they taste pretty good.


This was a wonderful Christmas with the family. Rusty and I both enjoyed watching Rowynn "open" his presents but most of all we enjoyed getting to have our baby with us.

We all walked away feeling a bit spoiled and we had such a lovely time with the family. Too bad we all don't get together more often.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Healing

Prompt #19 from #reverb10 is healing. What healed you this year? Was is sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?

I think this is the EASIEST one so far! Rowynn has healed my heart in a way I didn't think would happen. It is wonderful to have him to direct so much of my love toward.

After Abigayl passed, I just felt empty and that I had so much love to give but no physical child to hold and love. Now I am able to pick him up and squeeze him whenever I desire. Poor boy will probably have chapped cheeks from all the kisses he gets!

Obviously, the healing was pretty immediate. I didn't have to take time to get "used" to him, I just loved him with everything I had from the moment I knew he was in my belly.

For 2011, I would love for Rowynn's sibling to be a girl. I know that either way I will be absolutely in love with this child but my heart aches every time I walk by a rack full of girl clothes. There are often times I want to buy items "just in case". My prayer and hope for 2011 is 1) a healthy baby and 2) a little girl!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Lesson Learned

Prompt 17 from #reverb10 is: What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? How will you apply that lesson going forward?

I learned that I am NOT super woman!!

I can't keep a perfect house, chase a ten month old, keep showered all days, mow the lawn, grocery shop, make phone calls and run errands- all at the same time.

There have been many a days this year that I have felt that I failed in one (or more) of these areas. Honestly, if you drop by my house unannounced, I will most likely have a house that looks like a toy store exploded and a dirty kitchen from dinner the night before. I may or may not be showered. I would assume the first!

If you are a guest in my home, I just pray that I will have had time to run to the grocery store so that I may have more to offer than milk, cheese and condiments.

Going into next year, I will accept the fact that I am not perfect so that I do not self destruct when the second child of the house (third in our life) arrives to our frantic household!

Believe you me, I have been petrified by the thought of having two BABIES in this house!! I can barely keep my head above water as it is and now I think I might drown in chores.

I ask in advance, "please excuse my messy house".

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Flashback....

Here is a flashback thanks to my aunt Val! I have no idea how old we all were but my cousin, on the far left, and I are less than a year apart. That is my big brother in the middle.

Sometimes I miss childhood. Sometimes I miss the way things used to be.

Post #501!!!

Sorry for being such a slacker. Little man has been sick (and so have I) but to go along with his sniffles and cough, it seems that there may be a tooth or two coming in. Lets just say that the Stamper household has had a lot of crying, screaming and fit throwing going on. I can neither confirm or deny that this behavior has only come from the smallest member of the family.

The prompt from #reverb10 is friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

Honestly, I don't think I have had any change in the way that I view the world.

I have had a change in the way I view me....

My friend/cousin, though more like a sister, Amber gave me a new way to view myself after I had troubles answering the prompt about what makes me beautifully different. She told me that my strength is what sets me apart from others.  I have never really viewed myself as a "strong" person. I have so many daily obstacles that get me down, that strength isn't a character I would have defined myself by. After receiving one of the greatest emails, and seeing how she viewed me, it made me see myself in a whole new light.

Thank you Amber, I love you.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

11 Things

Today's prompt from #reverb10 is: What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1. Family Drama. I will eliminate this by not being a part of it. It will lift a ton of stress off my shoulders and allow me to focus on MY family and the drama free zone we have in our household (until we have teenagers or a girl!).
2. Laundry. Excess laundry piles. I will be sure to hang/fold the clothes as it comes out of the dryer instead of letting a GIANT pile form for many loads until I'm to exhausted thinking about the laundry to do it. I will feel more organized, which in turn will boost my confidence.
3. Low Self-Esteem. I will tell myself something positive every time I look in the mirror. Hopefully by doing so I can turn my self image around to be a more confident person. Confidence = Beauty. It would be nice to feel good about myself for a change.
4. Wasting Food. I will come up with exciting ways to use leftovers rather than throw them out. I am terrible about eating leftovers and I know that is just a waste of money. I will search for recipes that will utilize the food I have already prepared in the fridge. I will have more money per month since I'm not having to cook as many meals.
5. Eating Out. I don't mean no eating out at all, just a huge limit on the amount per week. We don't eat out too terribly often as it is but I think if we could cut it down to once a week we could save quite a bit of money. It would require me to cook 3 meals on weekends but I think the savings would be tremendous. Maybe then we could pay down our debts faster.
6. Cursing. I don't curse like a sailor or anything but every now and then I find a bad word slip out. I would like for there to be no foul words in my vocabulary. I want to be a wonderful influence on my baby and if I have curse words slip out then I'm not being much of an example.
7. Sugar. I know that it is not very feasible to eliminate it completely but I would like to really limit my intake. I would do this by only allowing myself a dessert on the weekend. ONE dessert. I think if I reduced the amount of sugar I ate I would see a drastic difference in my weight (after the baby is born of course!). I think it would also make me healthier and give me a better self-esteem.
8. Unnecessary Spending. If I really watch what I spend and make sure I'm only buying things a NEED rather than what I WANT I could help to reduce our monthly living costs. If I did a better job at the grocery store I could maybe lower our weekly grocery costs which would allow us to put more toward other debt. Doing this would help us feel more in-control of our finances.
9. Clutter. This is the year I need to go through all of the closest, drawers, cabinets, papers and piles to figure out what needs to be purged, donated or kept. I think if I were able to get rid of the clutter it would help my stress level. Clutter is like laundry, if the pile is big than I get to overwhelmed looking at the pile to conquer the pile.
10. Amount of television I watch. I will admit that I watch WAY too much television. I plan to turn the television off for majority of the day so that I can focus more on Rowynn and the housework that needs to get done. If I could, I would cancel our cable all together. I know that Rusty would miss having ESPN if we did though. My limiting the amount that I watch, I will have more quality time with the baby of the house.
11. Fried Food. If I were to stop ordering anything fried, I would make a dent at my weight loss goals. I also would improve my health, which would help me feel better about myself. I really want to be a good example for the kids and to do so I want to be a healthy person for my kids to look up to.

It is all kind of random but there you have it, 11 things I would like to eliminate (or cut back on) in 2011. I can't wait to share another year with you wonderful folks.

Wisdom

#reverb10 prompt for December 10th (yes, I'm late again!) was wisdom. What is the wisest decision you made in 2010 and how did it play out?

The wisest decision I made was to take a photography class. I am not a great photographer but hope to become a good one over the course of next year. I know I still have plenty more classes to take on the subject and I look forward to getting to photograph all the cute kids I know in my life.

So far, it hasn't really gone anywhere but I hope that next year I can write about a profit!!

Friday, December 10, 2010

December 9 Prompt: Paaarrrtty

What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010?

I have to say that before Rowynn was born I held a couple of dance parties for my lady friends at my house. I was lucky enough to get Just Dance for Wii by hosting a "Your Shape house party" (click here if you missed the post) and that game became my favorite of 2010!

Us girls would DANCE for a few hours and just laugh and have fun. It was a great time to hang out with just the girls and shake our groove thing.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Beautifully Different

#reverb10: Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all things that make you different- you'll find that they're what make you beautiful.

Whom ever comes up with these prompts are GOOD. I have felt stumped many a days trying to write out my response to the prompt. Today is no exception.

I'm not sure how to answer this one. I have pondered it for a few hours but I'm totally dumbfounded.

You may have to check back tonight to see if I come up with anything!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Community

The prompt from #reverb10 is community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I have found community here on my blog and on the bog City Mom, Country, Mom. I have a community here of family, friends and strangers who give me support, put up with my craziness, read random stories and share in the ups and downs of my life.

As for City Mom, Country Mom, it is a community of parents who have also had an infant or child pass away. It has given me a place to voice my pain, fear and joys. It gives me a platform to open up and know that there are others out there who know what I am going through and deal with the same struggles I go through. It is a place where some are further along in their journey so I can learn from them and then there are the ones that can take from my journey. I love knowing that we all help each other.

My goal for 2011 is to contribute more to the City Mom, Country Mom blog. I also hope to keep all of you coming back each day to read this little ol' blog!

Thanks for coming back each day, week, month or year!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas......

 Rowynn, Rusty and I went out this weekend to decorate Abigayl's spot.
 It always makes me feel good to have her spot decorated for this wonderful time of year. I just wish that she could have been here for a Christmas. I would have loved to see her reaction to all of the lights and prettiness that occurs this time of year.
 I just hope that she enjoys the little things we do. It is our way of having her be a part of this time with us. We miss her so much. As we were leaving the cemetery, it hit me that never in a million years would I have thought that at 28 years old I would be decorating my daughters resting place for the third Christmas after her birth. That is a pain that sever seizes to let up.
 But, here is the brightest spot of our Christmas season this year. He helps the pain be a little less. He gives us another focus. He gives us joy. He fills us with love.
 It always moves me to see him at his sister's place. I love watching him touch the plaque. It helps me feel that they can be "together" in some way. I know that this is the only way I'm going to have them in a picture together.

 It was nice watching Rowynn "help" his daddy decorate Abigayl's spot.
 Even though it was cold, I think he really enjoyed getting to crawl around and touch all of the pretty things.

 Abigayl's decorations on our tree....

 This ornament and the one below have been hung up on Abigayl's tree at her spot for the last two years. We decided this year to bring them in to our tree so they don't get ruined.


 We finally put up the tree! We were waiting until we bought a baby gate but after going to a friend's house and watching Rowynn ignore the tree we decided to put it up with out the gate. I am so glad we did. He does really well around it and it saved us some money!

It is so crazy to have FOUR stalkings on the fireplace this year! What even more crazy? Next year we are going to have FIVE!! Wholly moly, I am the mother of THREE children.