R and R in Oklahoma

My "Daniel Fast" Journey

2012-01-30T07:33:00.000-06:00

On the first of January I decided to dive into a vegan diet that, along with cutting out any animal product, also cut out sugar and it is referred to as "The Daniel Fast". I picked up a copy of this book and used recipes from the book and this website. The Daniel Fast is a 21 day "fast" from animal products (meat, eggs, cheese, milk, etc.) but also from sugar and all drinks except water. I ended up setting my goal for 20 days but ended up doing 19 since I WAY cheated on the last day.

My original goal when starting this was strictly to lose weight, but after reading through the book it became much, much more. I began a journey in my faith that I have never taken before and that was diving feet first into the Bible and actually trying to understand the scripture I was reading. I have set out before to read my Bible but it wasn't to read it and understand, it was just to read it from cover to cover. I failed miserably at that! But by devoting my morning to the Bible and a relationship with the Lord, I have grown so much in the past 30 days. I say 30 because though my "fast" ended, my devotion to grow as a Christian did not.

In the book that I purchased, there is a 21 day devotional to go along with the 21 days of the fast. I decided to use the daily devotional, but I also started reading Proverbs. I chose to read one chapter of proverbs each day and then I would have Proverbs finished after 31 days. On the first devotional I had an "ah ha" moment, (as Oprah would put it) she talked about first fruits and how God wants the best of everything we have, including our time. He doesn't want to be second to anything or anyone. Seeing that my morning routine was to roll out of bed and immediately workout and then begin my day as mommy, I decided that I would roll out of bed and spend what time I needed to read and then use what time I had left to workout and then allow my day to begin after that. Though there were mornings that I didn't get to workout, I was able to grow spiritually and it set in motion a new way of thinking.

This was a wonderful way for me to grow, gain knowledge, gain understanding and find focus on what truly matters. I see myself taking this journey whenever I start feeling a need to focus on prayer or when I feel that I am drifting away.

As for the weight loss, in the 19 days that I cut out all the stuff I cut out, I lost 8 pounds and 7 3/4 inches!! Plus, I now have a whole bunch of go-to recipes to eat vegan/vegetarian. I plan to continue eating that way 3-5 day a week because I feel my body was in far better health when I was eating so many fruits, veggies and grains.

My running total for weight and inches lost since starting to workout and track starting in September: 14 pounds and 21 inches! I learned that the best way to see a difference is to cut out sugar (at least hone it in a little!) because I cut out sugar in October and lost 9.5 inches and 3 pounds. Therefore, October and January were my two biggest loss months. Bye, bye to my daily sugar fix and hello healthier lifestyle.

This And That

2012-01-17T12:18:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we were able to make a family trip to the zoo. It was an unseasonably warm day, which we have had a lot this year, and a nice afternoon out. Rowynn was able to ride the merry-go-round for the first time! He was very unsure at the beginning and was asking to get down almost as soon as I got him up on the tiger. After going round and round and up and down, he was asking for more as soon as the ride ended!

Brennyn just continues to grow! He now has his bottom two teeth and he has one of his top teeth poking through. The horrible part, he grinds his teeth together. I'm not sure how he is able to grind his teeth when the top tooth has barely broken the skin. Some how he pulls it off and he sends chills down my spine every time.

To aid in the teething, we decided to offer him a pacifier. I think this one was a little to small.

I sure love this super handsome boy

We now read lots of stories. He loves to grab a book and climb on a lap and just read and look at pictures.

I now combine bath time. I love it. It is cute and it saves me time. It will be wonderful when Brennyn can sit up and interact with Rowynn.

Big Boy

2012-01-03T14:11:00.001-06:00

Brennyn had his six month check-up today and all I can say is HE IS HUGE!

I kind of already knew that we would be in for a big baby, especially since he is sporting twelve month clothes and wears a size four diaper, like his brother!

Here are the stats:
Length: 27 inches (75%)
Weight: 23 lbs 4.5 ozs (off the chart!)

In the words of my pediatrician: "you sure grow them big at your house".

The Daniel Fast

2012-01-02T08:29:00.001-06:00

A couple of years ago my brother-in-law did the Daniel fast. At the time, I had no idea what it was except that it was a very strict eating plan. Something along the lines of no dairy, meat and sugar. He pretty much only ate salads and fruit.

Well, I decided a week or so ago that maybe doing some sort of cleanse would benefit my body but also (most importantly!) my waistline. I originally was going to do Dr. Oz's 48 hour cleanse until I remembered Wayne doing the Daniel fast. I researched the Daniel fast and found that there were a couple of books available and headed straight for the bookstore.

I picked up a copy of The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory and my plan to help my body become more healthy (and my waistline smaller) turned into something much more. Through reading the book, I decided to use the next 20 days to grow my relationship with God. Since I rarely devote any time during the day to praying or studying I decided to abstain from Facebook (I am on it WAY to much), follow the diet (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts) and most importantly, study my Bible every morning before I workout (God doesn't want to be second best to anything, not even my workout!).

I have chosen to do the daily devotional provided in the book and also read a chapter of Proverbs each day. My goal is to gain a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father and spend time actually reading the one book on this earth that truly should be read cover-to-cover. I have yet to read my Bible cover-to-cover in my ~~thirty~~ twenty-nine (I only have 20 more days in my twenties. Yikes!) years on this earth. I know I am not doing it right now but, I think tackling one chapter at a time is the way to go.

I originally started down this road so lose a few extra pounds but I am hoping at the end of this 20 days I will have learned something, grown closer to my maker and be able to be a better roll model for my kids.

I did start yesterday. Well, partially since I had to do all of my grocery shopping. My breakfast was oatmeal with cinnamon and pecans(yup, no sugar). It was hard to choke down! I am so used to having one teaspoon of brown sugar in there and that one teaspoon makes a HUGE difference. I did cheat and have a cup of coffee (you're only supposed to drink water) and I did make a black eyed pea dip that had dairy in it. But, dinner was a vegan chili that was absolutely delicious. Even Rusty really enjoyed it!

Thankfully, Rusty is being very supportive of my decision to do this fast. He said he is willing to eat the vegan dinners with me at night so I am not having to whip up two meals. Thank goodness!!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Phone Pics

2012-01-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

Here are all of the pictures I had sitting in my phone. Just wanted to share all these sweet images.

Brennyn

All of the bundles our stork has brought!

This kid loves him some yogurt!

He also loves some cupcakes!

First time fishing...

He caught one!

Sleeping on daddy's chest

Tuckered out from a day of play with grandma and grandpa

Before...

After

His sweet cousin let him borrow her pillow pet

My big brother with my baby

It may be blurry but I still love it!

My boys!

Look at those eyes!

Chunky Monkey!

Rowynn's first art project

My favorite view... all of my guys

Probably one of the best pictures I have ever seen of myself

My ghostly groom on Halloween

Thanks grandpa

Mmmm.... whipped cream

Absolutely love

Time to paint!!

Rowynn's stockings

One cool dude

Oh my, how he has grown. I can't believe he is six months already.

Say, "cheese"!

For the Rim Family

2011-12-28T11:41:00.001-06:00

This post is to thank the Rim Family for the wonderful gifts they sent Rowynn and Brennyn. Kaitlyn, Ivan and Leslie, Rowynn loved opening all of his presents (his brother's too). He has been using his blanket often and we have watched the videos numerous times! Thank you all so much.

Lots of love from the Stampers.

Thank you so much!

Our Christmas

2011-12-27T15:30:00.002-06:00

Get ready for a long one! I can't have a Christmas with TWO kids and not have a ton of pictures. This has to be the best Christmas, ever! I loved getting to watch Rowynn open gifts and play with toys. It was a day full of relaxation, eating, gifts, playing, eating and relaxing. Perfection!

Our tree on Christmas morning. Look what all Santa brought the boys! (The table was a gift from Alaska grandma but we had to throw it in the mix)

Stockings were brimming with goodies from Santa

Here is Rowynn coming in on Christmas morning:

Time to play!!

Rowynn opening his stocking:

More playing!!

Our little chunk

Funny story about Rusty's gift. I went out one day to find him the perfect rocker/recliner. I made sure I didn't give away what stores I went to or what I was even looking for. I got home late that evening and had been unable to drop it off at a friend's house before heading home. We woke up that Sunday morning and Rusty said, "sorry we didn't make it to church this morning." I replied, "That's okay. I didn't think we would be going this morning anyway since the recliner is in the back of the van." He replied, "Oh, so that's what you got me?" At that point, I believe a look of shock and horror crossed my face as I threw my hands to my face and just started crying. I tried so hard to keep it a secret and then I just blurted it out.

No one said I was the brightest bulb in the box!

Here is Rusty's recliner. He did great and didn't open it until Christmas day. He tried to make me feel better by saying that he may have known what it was but he had no clue what color or fabric it was. Such a sweet husband.

I'm not sure who likes it more, Rowynn or Rusty.

Our Christmas dinner was horseradish crusted prime rib, mashed potatoes, burgundy mushrooms, maple bacon brussel sprouts and buttery rosemary rolls.

Rowynn's face in the above picture cracks me up!

Rowynn helped Brennyn play with his new toy

Rowynn will most likely be a musician, he received drums and a keyboard this year and hasn't stopped playing since he got them.

All-in-all, it was an amazing day. We are so blessed. It was a wonderful day with our family as we celebrated our saviors birth. We will always instill the true meaning of Christmas to our children.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T09:34:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve was spent with Rusty's dad, step-mother, brother (and family) and sister (and family). It is always so wonderful to get together with everyone. Though we are all within close proximity to each other, it seems as though we only see them a few times a year. I always enjoy getting together for Christmas because all of the family is in one room.

Rowynn certainly enjoyed himself! He was SPOILED this year.

Brennyn got spoiled too!

Going to bed in their matching jammies and ready for Christmas!!

2011-12-22T11:28:00.001-06:00

How cute are they?! I love seeing them together. It never gets old.

The other day I bought Rowynn these foam stockings and my friend Katie said she had a bunch of stickers that she would give me for him to decorate with. He had a BLAST! I think Rowynn is sticker crazy.

Here he is, hard at work.

He was saying, "cheeese"

Always wanting mommy's camera

Rowynn's sticker creations!

I was so happy that all three of us made it in the picture! Awesome.

Here is my happy, chunky baby. Who, by the way, is getting his two bottom teeth! I can't believe he is getting so big.

Rowynn is also changing everyday. He says new words every day and is becoming a little more independent. I'm loving every moment with these boys.

Merry Christmas Abigayl

2011-12-21T15:24:00.001-06:00

Gingerbread Fun

2011-12-21T10:32:00.002-06:00

Last week I got together with four of my girlfriends and their little ones to decorated gingerbread nativity scenes.

After a stressful few hours of trying to make a template, I decided a simple design for the scene would save my sanity.

So, here's what I came up with! I cut the 3 walls all the same size rectangle and them cut a big rectangle for the roof. I hot glued the walls together and left the roof detached so the kids could decorated the inside.

I made the manger out of 3 pieces of a graham cracker where one laid flat with a stripe of icing and then the other two pieces made a "V" in the icing.

Baby Jesus was made of 3 gum drops on a toothpick and then wrapped in fruit roll-up.

I ran out of gingerbread dough so I made Mary, Joseph, an angel and a star out of sugar cookies.

This was probably only 1/3 the candy and sprinkles that we had!

How can you celebrate Jesus' birthday and not have a cake?!

Let the decorating begin!!!

Rowynn did a ~~little~~ lot more eating than decorating so I "helped" him decorate. By help, I mean that I decorated Rowynn's first gingerbread house!

I love the kids' faces in the next few pictures! It is funny to see how their attention to the camera changed in each shot:

Rowynn's nativity

Rhema Time

2011-12-14T06:59:00.000-06:00

Going to Rhema Bible College is a yearly Christmas tradition. The lights are so magical and the displays seem to get bigger every year.

It was wonderful having two babies to take this year and they both seemed to enjoy looking at all the pretty lights.

Out of four attempts, this was my favorite!

Our sweet, blurry Brennyn

I think this was Rowynn's favorite part. It is a duck pond with lots of ducks and a fountain. He was pointing saying, "duck, duck".

I'm thankful that we went last night, the temperature was ~~warm~~ warmer and though it had rained on and off during the day, there was no rain!

I am so ready for Christmas!! The presents are all bought and wrapped. That just leaves us with waiting.

To Use or Not to Use

2011-12-08T14:42:00.001-06:00

For the first time in my 10+ years that I have been on "the pill", I looked up how it works and now I am having inner conflict.

With all the hormonal contraceptives and the IUD, it doesn't necessarily prevent the fertilization of the egg but it does make an "inhospitable environment in the lining of the uterus where a fertilized egg can't imbed". So, that means that there is a chance that an egg can be fertilized but just not have a place to go. Which leads me to the conclusion that my birth control pills are, in a way, acting as an abortion.

Seeing that I do not support abortion and that I believe that conception starts the minute an egg is fertilized, I guess I can no longer use medicinal forms of contraception?! Yikes, let's hope God isn't ready to bless us with another little one any time soon!!

Rowynn Words

2011-12-08T11:07:00.001-06:00

Rowynn has started making an effort at some verbal attempts. Here are some that he's working on:
juice (oose), jump (yump), here you go (hereago), there you go (ereago), shoes (oosh) (he said daddy shoes today!), keys (ees), cheese (sounds like keys), yuck, duck, knock, train, bye, hello (hewhoh), down, thank you, please plus, his first animal sound was "hee haw" like a donkey but he has also added monkey sounds to his repertoire.

With all of that he still uses his sign language for more, please and all done. Plus, when he wants to wash his hands he will rub his hands together and point to the sink.

Just Like Daddy

2011-12-06T06:51:00.001-06:00

Dinner Adventure

2011-12-03T06:09:00.001-06:00

First I want to start out by telling you that ~~the whole week~~ yesterday was a true test of my patience. Brennyn, who is typically a baby that doesn't cry, wanted me to hold him all day and cried a lot. Where Rowynn was just super fussy (pretty normal), didn't want to play by himself and wanted to drag me all over the house.

Rusty called me on his way home to see if I wanted to try to take the kids out to dinner. Yay! I get to change out of my mommy sweats and actually look like a real woman. I spring at the chance.

I put Brennyn in his swing while I went to make myself decent. I had to listen to Brennyn cry for 10 minutes before he put himself to sleep and I think my blood pressure was through the roof the entire time. For those of you with kids, you know how hard it is to hear your baby cry. I knew he was super tired though and I wanted him to have a couple of minutes of sleep before we headed out. Whew, one kid was taken care of for the moment.

Rowynn on the other hand joined me in the bathroom while I beautified my face. This kid will not stay out of my make-up case! I push it to the back of the counter and he just stands on his tippy toes to reach. I tell him no touch and he tests me. While putting on my mascara I hear a bunch of stuff hit the floor. Thankfully he didn't break one of my eye shadows again but by the look of it, he broke an eyeliner. AAHHAAHH!!

Nope not broken. Whew. I hate having to spend unnecessary money.

We load up and head to Cracker Barrel. We walk in to a line 10 people deep and are unsure whether it's to put a name on the list or just to be sat. We really didn't want to wait in a line for 10 minutes just to find out there was a 30 minute wait so we headed back out.

Rusty suggested we head down to Tulsa to have Famous Dave's. They are our trusty standby since then never have a wait. After a 25 minute drive we pull in to a packed parking lot. Unload, once again, to find out they have a 35 minute wait! What? Are you serious? I just want some food in my belly.

Next up on the suggestion list was a to go order from The Cheesecake Factory. After a quick run inside to grab a menu, I accidentally hit on the poor guy behind the counter. I asked "Can I get your number? Well, this number. Sorry, didn't mean to hit on you! My husband sure wouldn't like that!!"

We call in the order, after a 8 minutes on hold, which actually I had started to walk into the restaurant when she came back on the line. Seeing that it was a 20 minute wait for the food, we headed over to get some Baskin Robbins. We thought rewarding Rowynn for sitting in the car for almost two hours with almost no complaint was in order. Plus, we thought 20 minutes of just sitting in a car with it not going anywhere wouldn't have worked out well!

After almost two hours out trying to snag some dinner we were joyfully on our way back home. Eating way to much bread. Truthfully, after a cake bite from Baskin Robbins, the 4 pieces of bread in the car and the half of a Tex Mex egg roll on the way home, I only took 4 bites of my chicken Marsala. My cheesecake went in the fridge untouched.

It may be cheesecake for breakfast and at least I have lunch for tomorrow, with no drama to get it!!

Fair Fun

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-06:00

It looks as though I never posted the pictures from our state fair this year. Well, it may be 3 months late but here we go!

Before ever having kids, the petting zoo was the highlight of my fair trip. Now that we have kids, it is still pretty high up there but I sure don't get the opportunity to do much petting! I am far to busy chasing.

Rowynn really enjoyed getting to see all the different animals but he was pretty partial to the....

emu?!

I think it may have been for the fact that the emu stayed right there in the corner and Rowynn could actually reach out and "pet" the giant bird.

After our adventure at the petting zoo, we headed to a building I had never been in. It was a building full of kid activities. Inside and out of the heat! Score.

His first activity was playing on all the toys with wheels. He had a blast but I had to keep from having a heart attack every time the little girl perched on the scooter that looks like Rowynn's would zoom to close. See the lady in pink? The one on the cell phone? Well, that was her mom. It wasn't until I flashed a couple of dirty looks at the little girl that she finally reigned her in, a little.

Next up was the GIANT sand pit. Rowynn's reaction when he first stuck his bare feet in the sand, priceless. It was like he stepped in doggy mess! After some time of being shoeless together, he eased up and started playing.

He preferred sitting for a while but I think watching all of the other kids play really helped encourage him to move around.

Of course, playing and petting animals weren't our only activities. There was lots of eating to do! Rowynn had some chocolate chip cookies (mine are way better) and Rusty and I didn't eat as much as we usually do at the fair.

I was on a "30 days no sugar" thing but I splurged that day to eat a DELICIOUS caramel apple! It is worth the calories every time. There is one specific cart we go to every year. The caramel is soft and the apples are set in sugar to keep them from sticking to the paper liner. YUM!!!

Solids for Brennyn

2011-12-02T11:25:00.001-06:00

Brennyn had his first taste of brown rice cereal!!!

Being the plump little guy that he is, he loved it.

He had rice cereal for a few days before I introduced some yummy veggies.

I found Ella's Kitchen baby food and I really like it. It comes in a squeeze packet and I feel like I waste less. So far my chunky baby has had: broccoli, pears and peas and also spinach, apples and rutabaga. He didn't reject either one!

Maybe this boy won't be a picky eater? I can hope and dream! Rowynn won't even take a bite of macaroni and cheese. That's a whole other post!

Family Photo Fun

2011-11-25T15:13:00.001-06:00

We had a spectacular Thanksgiving surrounded by a lot of Rusty's family. Rowynn enjoyed running around being a little ham while Brennyn just smiled his face off at anyone who would look at him.

The only thing Rowynn would eat, during the four hours we were there, was a chocolate chip cookie. A full on Thanksgiving feast and all the kid will take a bite of is a stinking cookie? How is this kid mine? He is so picky. I'll eat anything you put in front of my face.

After we got home and I realized I didn't take one single picture, my husband prompted me to set the camera up with the timer. Good thing I'm married to such a quick thinker because I was on the fast track to a Debbie downer moment. I mean, it was Brennyn's first Thanksgiving and I didn't have one speck of evidence. It is so hard juggling two little ones and trying to throw a camera in the mix.

So, here are our attempts at a family photo:

Oh crud, no flash...

Still no flash but the lighting is somehow better?!

Brennyn, look at the camera! Wow, mommy is bug eyed and Rowynn is tired.

Finally, we are all looking. The colors are a bit on the bright side but oh well, it will do.

Big Boy Bath

2011-11-18T06:34:00.001-06:00

Brennyn had his first bath in the big tub! I think he really enjoyed getting to splash his legs and feet in the water. I'm sure stretching out was also nice. Normally he's pretty packed into the baby bath tub.

After Brennyn's bath, I tried my hand at giving this boy a much needed hair cut.

I think it turned out all right!

It is amazing how much a hair cut can make my baby look like a toddler.

On a side note, last night Brennyn rolled from his back to his belly for the first time!!

Rowynn in Video

2011-11-17T15:20:00.001-06:00

Rowynn claimed this walker as soon as I brought it out of storage! When I would put Brennyn in it he would try to get him out. Silly boy.

And, here's what Rowynn thinks of spiders...

SKP - Brennyn 3 months

2011-11-16T10:25:00.001-06:00

Our wonderful photographer, Kristen Mackey (Son Kissed Photography), once again did a fantastic job! Here's our sweet little man at his three month session.

This and That

2011-11-14T14:55:00.001-06:00

As you may know, from my lack of blogging, things around our house are a little hectic. Rowynn does well at playing by himself but, he wants you in whatever room he is playing in. Also, he is not keen on the idea of me sitting at the computer. I assume it must be the fact that my back is turned to all of his cuteness.

And there is a lot of cuteness.

Rowynn continues to be such a wonderful big brother. He constantly kisses Brennyn and tries to "share" his toys. His big heart never seizes to amaze me.

Now that Rowynn is 21 months, he not only enjoys being covered up with a blanket but we have finally allowed him to have one in his crib with him. I started by letting him have a blanket during his nap and then camping out by the monitor for the two hours that he slept. Once I was comfortable enough with that we moved on to letting him have one all night.

Brennyn is huge. We had his 4 month check-up a couple of weeks ago and he weighed 18 lbs 12.5 ozs (97%). He measured in at 25 inches (85%).

Rowynn has a new found enjoyment in coloring (with mommy's lip stick that he stole from my purse), crafts and playdoh. I am trying to find activities for his age. I'm hoping to get him a little table and an art easel for Christmas so he will have his own space to do crafts.

Rowynn has also turned into quite the climber. He can now get on our bed all by himself. He enjoys getting up there and sitting on a pillow, covering up with a blanket and turning on our TV.

Not only is he climbing, he can reach ALL of the door knobs (and deadbolts) in the house and the light switches. Thank heavens for the child protectors for the doors. Who knows where he would be!

Our chunky bear is all smiles, all day. He wakes up with a smile and when I put him down for his rests he typically smiles up at me. He rarely cries. He is really good about sitting in his swing, bouncy chair, jumper or walker, with no complaint.

He loves bath time.

I love seeing all of his rolls and dough like skin.

Just look at those thighs!

I think this was the only toy I have ever seen Rowynn not willing to share with his brother. I pulled it out of storage so Brennyn could watch me do dishes and Rowynn claimed it. Crawled in it and wouldn't get out!

That is a mischievous face if I have ever seen one!

I sure love this little stinker.

Rowynn plays with his playdoh at least once a day. I have finally given in and let him use a handful of my kitchen utensils. Eventually I may look into what kind of playdoh tools are available so I can have all of my kitchen items back!

Now, I'll try not to wait 2 weeks before my next post!!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T13:54:00.002-05:00

Halloween was an absolute blast this year. We decided to dress Rowynn as a fisherman and Brennyn as a clown fish. It was such a cute combination!

Here's the little fisherman now. He had to explore the yard before we could head out. In all actuality, this was the only way to allow Rusty time to get his costume on.

Here is my hat and pole mama!

Look at that catch!

And here is our little clown fish!

Happy as a clam. No wait, happy as a fish.

That's a HUGE fish!

Has to get a better look....

*smooch*

Rusty and I decided last minute to dress up. Thankfully we have a few costumes on hand so we were able to get ready fairly quickly. We decided on him being a ghost groom and I was his ice princess bride.

Thankfully we went trick-or-treating with our friends and their kids so it allowed Rowynn a glimpse at how this whole Halloween thing works. He was a little skittish at first but, he warmed up by the third or forth house.

Once he was used to going up to doors and getting to put candy in his net, he then wanted to take things a bit further and try to enter their house. Yup, our boy has no fear of strangers.

He would even get more candy out of their bowls after he had already gotten a piece. He just got down right demanding toward the end of the night.

It was all right though. He seemed to have really enjoyed his evening and that's all that mattered to me.

Having fun with my angel of a friend.

Love that Katie is a picture taker. She got some shots I didn't think to! Like: Daddy and son

Brennyn on his first ever trick-or-treating adventure

Rowynn with his minnow net candy bag

This is how I spent the majority of the night, pushing the fish around the neighborhood.

Rowynn trick-or-treating

I am so glad that Katie and her family let us join them on their Halloween festivities. Seeing that we live "in the country", it was nice to have a neighborhood to go have fun in. It was also nice getting to just visit with me friend while the kiddos made their rounds.

It was a perfect night!

Has it Really Been That Long?!

2011-10-26T13:39:00.001-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts. I am amazed at how busy a twenty month old and a four month old can keep me! Brennyn is growing like a weed and I can tell he just wants to get off my lap and play with his big brother!

You think this is chunky? Wait until I post the pictures I took at bath time last night. He is HUGE!

He is such a sweet boy though. My goodness this kid doesn't cry. He is happy and content no matter where he is. He lets me put him in his jumper, bouncy seat or swing so I can get things done. So sweet.

I'm pretty sure that Rowynn enjoys being a big brother. He still kisses and hugs Brennyn all the time. When it is time to get Brennyn up from a nap, it is Rowynn that is the first one through the door to get him.

Kisses for his little brother ALL the time.

I'm just so elated to be able to post all of these family pictures. It is such a blessing having our family grow. Things are crazy, sometimes frustrating but always joyful.

Fall Wreath

2011-10-12T13:46:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my new obsession with Pinterest, I have been bitten by the craft bug! I have found that I thoroughly enjoy getting my craft on!

I had seen a "pin" of a really beautiful ribbon wreath that was available for purchase on Etsy for $30-$40 but couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a wreath. I decided that I would do my best to make my own.

These are the goodies I brought home from the craft store. I ventured into Hobby Lobby and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had ribbon for 50% off!! I am also aware of the Internet coupon they offer each week and was able to get the straw wreath for 40% off. My trip to Hobby Lobby cost me $17.

I started off by roughly measuring the ribbon around the wreath and cut it where I wanted it. I then tested out that strip to make sure it was the right length. I think it ended up being ~12 inches. Throughout the process of cutting ribbon, I would test a strip around the wreath to make sure I wasn't losing length.

Once I had a giant pile of cute ribbon, I started trying them on (in knots).

I got this far with the 10 spools of ribbon I initially bought. I would suggest buying multiples of your favorite ribbon so you are sure to have enough the first go around.

When I ran back to Hobby Lobby that night I grabbed 3 more spools and decided to hang a letter in the center. I scooped up this "S" for 2.99 and grabbed some "pumpkin orange" acrylic paint.

When I got home I painted my "S" and finished cutting and tying the rest of the ribbon. When I woke this morning I hot glued a strip of ribbon onto the "S" and then held it in the center until I figured out how far down I wanted the letter to hang. Using a little more hot glue, I glued the ribbon in place on the wreath.

I clipped another length of ribbon and figured out how I wanted it to hang on the door. I then glued down the two ends (the brown flanking each side of the white strip) and got it up on the door!

TA-DA!!

Though it took me a few hours to get the ribbons cut and tied, I am SO pleased with the results. I believe the total amount for the wreath was ~$20-$25 and I don't think that is to bad since I'm planning on reusing it next year! So long as it holds up to our Oklahoma winds.

Photography Practice

2011-10-11T11:13:00.001-05:00

Our full moon to the east

and the sunset to the west

Rowynn, watch out for that....

2011-10-10T13:53:00.000-05:00

goose!!

(Disclaimer: this video was shot a while back and I'm pretty sure I'm not this big anymore. At least, I hope I have lost a good chunk of the baby weight.)

Who's Got The Giggles?

2011-10-08T09:14:00.002-05:00

Brennyn does!!

Here is some proof.........

Just ignore my high pitched, annoying baby voice!

Brotherly Love

2011-10-05T12:29:00.001-05:00

Here are some great videos of the boys together. My favorite thing is watching my two babies interact. It is crazy the amount of joy that these two little beings can bring me.

It is also unreal how much frustration they bring along with the joy, sometimes.

Though, it's more joy than frustration.

I think.

No, really, it is overwhelmingly joy.

Most of the time.

Blog Love

2011-10-05T12:22:00.005-05:00

My wonderful sister-in-law put up some more pictures and wordage over at her blog that goes a little further into my trip up north. To check out her spot, click -------->here<-------- and it will take you straight to it! I must say, I strive to one day be as eloquent with words as what she is!

Flying High

2011-10-04T18:57:00.003-05:00

My mom made it possible for Rowynn, Brennyn and I to visit my family in Alaska. She was gracious enough to fly down one day and then turn around and fly back up with all of us in tow the next!

Unfortunately, it was another trip without Rusty and I'm pretty sure I won't be traveling with the kids without him again!!

Rowynn has discovered plugs and now he is obsessed with them! The hard part at airports was keeping his sweet little fingers off of other peoples plugged in electronics.

Rowynn thought it was pretty cool to see the big airplane sitting right out the window. Granted, his interest in this big thing lasted all of two seconds before he was off to find more plugs!

Our adventure started here in Tulsa and took us to Salt Lake City where we had a relatively short layover before we boarded our plane for a 4-5 hour flight to Anchorage. In total, we traveled for roughly 10 hours in which Rowynn slept for a whopping 40 minutes. It was a long flight up! Though, I am so thankful that neither of the boys fussed.

Once we arrived, I soaked up as much family time as I could! It had been 2 years since I had seen my brother and his wonderful family. It was such a long over due visit and I am so grateful that I was able to bring both of the boys up to meet their aunt, uncle and cousins.

My sister-in-law soaked up quite a bit of baby holding! She had Brennyn trying to giggle but he just wouldn't let it out. The crazy part is that he finally giggled just a few days after I arrived home. Thanks Rach for warming him up to it!!

Rowynn really took to all of my family. It was so special for me to get to see all of my wonderful family showering both of the boys with so much love. My niece absolutely loved Brennyn! She was such a little mommy to him and it was so stinkin' cute! The boys on the other hand would talk to Brennyn but, they really liked Rowynn. They kept him constantly entertained and I think Rowynn was missing them after we got home to our quiet and "boring" house!

Thanks to all of Rowynn's cousins, he can now go up and down stairs! I was a basket case for the first week of the trip because I was always worried that he was going to take a tumble down the stairs. By the end of the trip, I was absolutely at ease.

It was so great to get to be back in a state with real mountains! Look at that view, breathtaking.

The the boys kept trying to take Rowynn for rides in the "boy" Jeep, Rowynn preferred the Barbie Jeep! I think it was because the doors opened and closed and that it didn't move while he was in it!! Every time he got in the "boy" Jeep while his cousins were driving he would start to cry. Poor little scared boy.

There is a lack of pictures this time around because I consistently forgot my camera throughout the whole trip. So, one big event that I didn't get one single picture of was my mom's wedding. Yup, my mom got married while I was up there and I didn't get one single picture. This time it wasn't a lack of having my camera, it was lack of two or three more hands! My little children sure kept me busy that day!

My mom looked beautiful and it was a very sweet ceremony. I wish her and her new, very kind husband the best of luck and many wonderful years together.

Thanks mom for getting me up to Alaska. Thanks for helping with my kiddos for a couple of very long travel days (the leg coming home was a twelve hour day that included a 5 hour layover in SLC).

Three Years Ago....

2011-09-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

On this day, three years ago, I had to make the worst phone call of my life. I had to give CPR to my baby girl when I knew there was no point. I had to see my husbands face when he walked into our home that was filled with emergency workers. I had to hear the news that my baby became a statistic to SIDS.

On this day, three years ago, I gave thanks to my God. I thanked him for the four months he gave me with my beautiful daughter. I thanked him for every smile, giggle and sweet moment I was able to share with Abigayl. I thanked him for a husband that never placed blame on me. I thanked him for letting my husband come home for lunch that day so my husband could play with our daughter one last time.

As much as this day hurts, it is also a reminder of the amazing love God has for me. Though my heart aches everyday, he gives me many reasons to be thankful.

Randomness

2011-09-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

Rowynn really likes to be "helpful". Here is a prime example. Surely daddy must need help on this step stool! Good thing there were no tools lying around, that's when it really becomes a headache.

'Look mom, I'm a big boy'

Guess who figured out how to remove his diaper?! Little stinker.

Rowynn's first trip to the McD's play area! He didn't really get into it because he was to busy watching all of the other kids play.

He did go down the slide a couple of times. Nothing he hasn't done at home so he wasn't very thrilled. The funny thing was that we bought him an ice cream and he completely ignored it so he could watch the other kids. Is this my child?!

Here's what Brennyn thought of the whole thing!

Daddy bought Rowynn his first coloring book and crayons. Yay! (dripping with sarcasm) Now Rowynn can "color" the walls and doors.

Mommy bought a puzzle because I would rather pick up the eight pieces every day rather than clean off the walls every day.

I must say, he is getting VERY good at putting together his puzzles.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-07T12:31:00.002-05:00

Labor Day was Brennyn's first trip to the lake and both of the boys road on the boat for the first time. It just so happened that we went on Saturday and I am so glad we did since it was the warmest day. We had a major cool down for the rest of the weekend that would have made it just a tad cold for the boys to be on the water.

I love that Rowynn started holding hands. It is one of the greatest feelings to have him reach up for your hand.

Ready to ride and he is much more comfy in this life jacket.

Our poor butterball had to endure the bulky life jacket! But, I think he rocked it pretty good.

Vroom, vroom... I got this grandpa!

The cousins are ready to ride the hot dog!

Snack time!

All About Rowynn

2011-09-07T07:03:00.000-05:00

My sweet lil' man really enjoys his morning Caillou! He now hands me the remote if something else is on and grunts. He may be a man of few words but he sure gets his point across.

Getting ready for some pool cleaning...

is it okay, mom?

Loves to "color" with his chalk... on everything! Doors, windows, columns, his tongue. Let's just say that nothing is off limits in his world.

Though he generally hates wearing it, he asked for me to put it on him. He's silly that way!

Roll Over, Roll Over

2011-08-26T10:28:00.001-05:00

I'm a bit late getting this post done but, this is from the first time I put Brennyn on his mat for tummy time. I believe he was about 3-4 weeks!

Yes, we have another strong necked child! He's been pulling this maneuver since he was in the hospital.

What was most shocking was the stunt he pulled....

He decided to roll over!! Ever since that day he pretty much always rolls over when I put him on his tummy. We will see if the strength sticks or if his weight starts to hinder his ability.

For now, we are enjoying every second we get with him. (knock on wood) The last three nights he has slept from 9pm until 7:30am without waking up in the middle of the night!! I rarely hear this little guy cry and he loves to smile at his daddy (mommy gets a few sometimes). It also seems like he is trying to "coo" at us and that just means that giggles are around the corner!

TVP Giveaway

2011-08-24T09:10:00.002-05:00

Once again The Vintage Pearl is having a giveaway on their blog! Head on over and enter :-)

My Favorite Sound

2011-08-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Rowynn's First Catch

2011-08-22T07:33:00.000-05:00

Well folks, looks like we have a fisherman on our hands! Rowynn caught his first fish. Pretty fun stuff getting to watch my baby grow into a big boy.

My big boy still refuses to talk! He still loves his paci but I'm planning on working with that hurdle as soon as I get back from visiting my family in Alaska next month. I figure the plane ride will be "easier" with the paci!

Rowynn is my smarty pants, he loves playing with his transportation puzzle and does a good job of matching up where they are supposed to go. He understands almost everything I say and I'm just waiting for him to bust out in sentences any day now!

My Sweet Brennyn

2011-08-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

Brennyn is an absolutely wonderful baby! He sleeps through the night (most nights) and is just always happy. The only time I hear him cry is when he is ready to get up and have a bottle!

The first time I put him on his tummy time mat (around 4 weeks old) he rolled right over! I have it in picture sequence but not on video. I wish I could figure out how to combine all of the stills to make it move like a video. I've seen it done but, I have no clue how to do it myself!!

I promise I will get back into my blogging. I have been trying to figure out how to juggle keeping the house clean, laundry from piling up and taking care of two sweet kids plus my super amazing husband.

Bath Time

2011-07-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

Brennyn's umbilical stub fell off and I was finally able to give him a real bath!! (Around July 15th)

I was so happy with how well he did. Especially since Rowynn through big fits if he wasn't changed and bathed in a nice warm environment!

Brennyn on the other hand, he didn't make a peep when I got him undressed or pulled him out of the warm tub. I even had the a/c on!!

Love those cheeks!

The sleepless nights are the only hard thing about having two children. Even though I have two that are under the age of 18 months! I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I am still able to accomplish. My house chores are what suffer the most but, that would be because I don't like them in the first place!

My husband and Rowynn have good, homemade food to eat. My babies are clean and changed and we even have clean laundry!! I can say that the clean laundry most likely isn't hanging on a hanger or nicely folded in a drawer but, it's clean!

Let It Begin...

2011-07-26T09:37:00.000-05:00

While my mom was here, she bought the boys TONS of clothes. On one of our shopping trips we spotted this super cute dino outfit for Brennyn. What made it a must have was this...................................................

It came in Rowynn's size as well!!!

SKP Pictures of Brennyn

2011-07-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

Once again, our amazingly talented friend and photographer captured beautiful images of our newest member. Check out Kristen Mackey's site: www.sonkissedphotography.com

My mom brought this hat for Brennyn all the way from Alaska. A friend of ours makes AWESOME hats for kids and adults.

*her site*

Isn't Kristen just a marvelous photographer?! If you are getting ready to have a baby, I HIGHLY suggest her. She is so sweet, pays attention to detail and is just a phenomenal photographer.

First Bath and Miscellaneous

2011-07-21T12:13:00.000-05:00

This site will NEVER get old!

Sponge bath time...

Grandma Diana....

Aunt Tiff

I don't think he could get any cuter!

First Doctor Visit

2011-07-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Brennyn's first visit to his pediatrician!!

When we left the hospital, he had dropped from 8lb 6oz down to 7lb 12oz. I was eager to see if he had gained or was continuing to lose. Brennyn was successful at latching on so I was able to breastfeed him but, the whole time I was nervous that he wasn't getting enough. I had been looking forward to this appointment since the day we left the hospital!

He gained!!!

He was 8lb 3oz! Not only did he gain weight, he also grew in length (or they didn't measure right at the hospital). He was 19.5 inches at the hospital and he was 20 inches at his appointment. That put him in the 50 percentile for both height and weight.

Proud daddy...

and mommy!!

(don't mind the swollen face... thankfully it has since gone back to normal)

I love watching Rusty be a daddy...

he just beams!

So far so good! Brennyn is a good little eater and we are working on getting him on a good schedule. He typically eats every three hours which makes for long nights! Up an hour, sleep two... up an hour, sleep two...repeat!

Besides the schedule, I couldn't be any happier. I love having and watching our two sons. Our lives are a lot more hectic, we lack sleep but, we are full of joy.

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-15T13:15:00.000-05:00

Coming home was such a wonderful time for me. I had missed my little man, my bed, hanging out with my mom and husband, sleep and I was all around ready to leave what is my most expensive "hotel" room I will probably ever stay in!

Rowynn was all about seeing Brennyn! Mom turned into chopped liver during my two nights away.

He was touching him, trying to get in the carrier with him and once Brennyn was out Rowynn just hugged and kissed on his new little brother.

Seeing Rowynn and Brennyn together is such a special thing for Rusty and I because we have waited a very long time to see two of our own children get to interact.

Rusty and I know that we are so blessed. We found each other and we were given three beautiful, wonderful and perfect children.

Our new family!!!

Daddy with his two boys....

and loving every minute!

Brennyn with his great-grandmother, Iva Jean

Both of our kids are lucky enough to have two great-grandmas, three grandmas and an amazing grandpa!

Strike a pose

You know it's official when the stork lands...

another bundle to put up on our "trophy wall"

(it's how Rusty referred to the wall where we have all three of the bundles hung in the garage)

Sadly, after returning home from the hospital I found that my feet were getting very swollen. Poor Rowynn had to interact with me while I stayed planted on the couch with my feet propped up.

I called my doctor about the swelling but through our conversation I had told her about headaches I had been having. Long story short, I found that my blood pressure was 195/107 and they asked me to come in for a check-up. After putting me on blood pressure medicine it still isn't back to perfect but it has gone down. My hope is that I won't have to be on it much longer!

Striking a pose out in the Oklahoma heat while daddy was showing Rowynn some of the fun kiddie fireworks.

So far Brennyn has been a fantastic baby. He sleeps well and eats pretty good. My one hope is that he will be like his sister and brother and start sleeping through the night soon! Abigayl started sleeping through the night at six weeks and Rowynn started at eight weeks. I know, I know.... we've been spoiled!

Brennyn Laen

2011-07-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

Forewarning, there are 51 pictures to this post!! What can I say, it was a big day.

On June 28, 2011, Brennyn Laen was born at 7:28am. He weighed in at 8lb 6oz and 19.5 inches. He is perfect and wonderful!

My final pregnancy shot! Not that there were many this time around. It was almost time to head to the hospital!

It was time to hurry up and wait!

At least I had a handsome hubby by my side to keep me company

Just in case the c-section didn't work out, Rusty was ready to catch Brennyn!!

He's here! He's here!

I finally get an up close view and a little snuggle. It is a sigh of relief as soon as I hear the cry and then it is pure anticipation knowing I'll get to snuggle my baby.

There are times when I wish they could leave him with me while my WONDERFUL doctor finishes up the surgery. Unfortunately I don't get to hold my little man for 20-30 after he is born.

Isn't he perfect?!

Our first picture with the our new baby!

One of my favorite shots from delivery!

I know I am biased but, my goodness he is a perfect little thing!

First time meeting his grandpa...

and grandma Patty.

Three generations of Stamper men!

My turn!!!!!

My breastfeeding guru and best friend!

Time for his first bath

Finally my little man showed up and it was time to introduce him to his new baby brother

Time to meet grandma Diana and big brother!

Rowynn was so good with him! He just hugged and kissed him. And it has only gotten better since we arrived home!

Grandma and baby!

Rowynn's best friends! I have a feeling that Brennyn is in for a treat having three older "brothers"

Rusty's uncle Jerry

My dear friend Sara

My three amazing guys!

Ready to go home!!

Good bye hospital...

Let's go home!!

Shower Fun

2011-07-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

My sweet and dear friends, Jill and Katie, volunteered to host a baby shower in honor of Brennyn's arrival (a mere two days before I delivered!).

At one point we were uncertain about whether it would take place because I came down with a nasty case of PUPPP. After speaking with my physician and realizing that there was nothing he could do or prescribe, I headed for Google and found MANY women who swore by Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap (used in the shower 2-3 times daily with a vigorous scrubbing) and two glasses of V8 per day. Amazingly, 2 days after using the soap and V8, the rash was gone!

With the party back on, my awesome friends threw such a wonderful shower.

See those cupcakes all staked up on the tower and plates? BEST cupcakes! Jill made every one of those from scratch. There was coconut with a coconut cream pie filling and then chocolate with a chocolate pudding filling. DIVINE!!

Katie used her crafty genius to make the signs and both Jill and Katie made the diaper cake.

What made this shower so super special was that my mom was actually able to attend. Both of my previous showers were a month or two before I delivered and my mom was unable to attend since she lives in Alaska and can't fly down every time there is an event!

Thanks to all of my friends and family, we were completely ready for Brennyn to enter the world. All I can say is that we were COMPLETELY spoiled!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really had a wonderful time and walked away feeling extremely blessed.

Brennyn even has his own monogrammed burp cloths!

Not only did Brennyn get tons of goodies but, Rowynn's grandpa and grandma Patty brought him this rocking chair! It beats sitting on the fireplace and he loves to rock in it!

While enjoying the festivities, Rowynn decided to "borrow" a pair of sweet, little white shoes! Let's just say they weren't from the boys section!!!

He loved them though!

After a long day of partying and playing with a bunch of new friends, it was time for some down time with daddy. Got to love the matching outfits!!

Just A Few...

2011-07-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

Until I have a little more time to get a blog in, here are a few pictures of our newest member. Brennyn Laen was born June 28, 2011 at 7:28 am. Weighing in at 8 lb 6 oz and measuring 19.5 inches.

Laughter

2011-06-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love his laugh!! It is a sound that will NEVER get old.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

When God placed Rusty in my life, he gave me a man that is my own prince. Rusty has always been so good to me. He takes care of me. He is my biggest cheerleader. He loves me no matter what (even when I'm looking like I crawled out of the bottom of a hole!).

What I never anticipated was what an amazing father he would be. My kids are so lucky to have a daddy as wonderful as he is.

He is so hands on when it comes to our kids. I never have to worry that he won't change a diaper or give a bath. I love that he is as excited as Rowynn to come home from work. I love how much Rowynn lights up when Rusty walks through the door. I love that Rowynn cuddles with his daddy EVERY chance he gets. I even love that Rowynn chooses his daddy over me most of the time!

Thank you Rusty for being such a wonderful father. Abigayl, Rowynn, Brennyn and I all love you very much.

Six Years

2011-06-17T07:15:00.000-05:00

Six years ago in the sweltering heat of Lafitte, Louisiana, I married a man that I was madly in love with. In our short six years of marriage, we have been put through the wringer but, we always find a way to make it out stronger than we were when we went in. Rusty is not only the man I am even more madly in love with, he is also my best friend, my confidant, my rock, my security blanket and my biggest supporter.

I can't say that I have had to put forth quite as much effort as Rusty. If it wasn't for his understanding, patience, unconditional love, patience, support, shoulder to cry on and did I mention patience?! I'm not sure if our marriage could have survived the extremes we have had to weather. It takes a lot of patience to be married to me! Thankfully, God gave Rusty and immense amount of patience.

I love my husband more today than I did on the day that I married him. I would marry him again in a heartbeat and I know that we will spend the rest of our lives together, loving each other and supporting one another.

Water Fun

2011-06-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

Rowynn's favorite pass time? Playing outside. Specifically, playing outside with the hose!

Thinking he's a big boy because he can fill up his pool all by himself!

I guess my belly is so big that it wouldn't fit in the picture ;-)

It is crazy, we are down to only 12 more days!! I'm trying to soak up as much time with Rowynn because I know we are both in for a big change.

Rowynn isn't doing anything majorly different. He can understand SO much of what we say but, he still refuses to use his words! He can sign "please" and "more" (which he uses as all done as well). He loves to brush his teeth and wash his hands, I like that he will have great hygiene!

Also, Rowynn has his 13th tooth pushing through!

This and That

2011-06-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Rowynn's first big booboo. We have a small step off of the front porch that he just so happened to fall off of while in the crawling position. He went face first into the sidewalk and both of his parents about had heart attacks!

Later that week I had a doctor appointment and my doctor commented that it looked like a curling iron burn!! Hahaha... I can just imagine the scolding I would get from Rusty if I tried to curl Rowynn's hair!

After working a job that only required the small tractor, Rusty brought it home and Rowynn decided it was his toy!

What has been fun to watch, over the last couple of weeks, is how much he mimics Rusty. If Rusty has a screwdriver and is fixing something, Rowynn finds a screwdriver and does whatever Rusty is doing! All he wants is to be just like his daddy.

Toys Galore

2011-06-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

Not only did Rowynn get a swing set over Abigayl's birthday weekend, Rusty and I decided to spoil him with a couple of outdoor toys since our weather has transitioned to spring/summer.

Rowynn can now practice his lawn mowing skills so that he is fully prepared to push mow all 6 acres!

Even more exciting, he got his first Power Wheels!!

It is crazy that he is big enough to ride on a battery powered 4-wheeler!

Now, if he could just master keeping his feet up so the tires won't hit his heels!

Thank You Grandma Diana!!!!

2011-06-10T07:38:00.000-05:00

During Abigayl's birthday weekend, Rowynn was thoroughly spoiled!! He grandma Diana bought him this play set and it has been one of the greatest additions to our backyard!

He loves to slide and he has even attempted to teach himself how to climb the ladder, which makes Rusty and I pretty nervous!

At first he just tried climbing up the slide. I liked that a lot better!

Every smile...

and every giggle is so worth any nervousness I get from this play set!

The swing! Rowynn LOVES the swing. Granted, the first day he was on the belt swing but since then we have bought him an infant/toddler swing.

Rowynn spends a good hour or more (total for the day) in his swing. He even likes to take cat naps while he relaxes in his comfy swing.

Thank you Grandma! I think we get as much joy out of this set as Rowynn does!!

Mmmmm.....

2011-06-07T15:32:00.000-05:00

My son is officially a country boy!! He runs around with bare feet, most of the time, and he has started drinking from the water hose!!

I even let him walk from the dog yard to our house with no diaper! I really wish I would have had my camera to capture all that cuteness. I must say, my kid has one cute little booty!!

On a side note, I finally bought an external card reader so I will be posting tonight or tomorrow!!!!!

First Hair Cut

2011-05-31T14:58:00.000-05:00

Rowynn had his first hair cut today!! Thanks to my wonderful friend, Tammy Duff, who works at Sculptures salon, my little boy now looks like such a big boy. As you can tell, his hair was a little unruly before the trim!
*Sorry for the grainy, low quality pictures. These were taken with my cell phone since my camera battery was dead*

He may have had some fly away hair but, he sure is stinkin' cute anyway!

After his cut, there were no more fly away strays. He just looked like he was ready to be shipped off to college. tear

Look at my handsome boy!!!

So grown up.

Ready to take on the world as a "man". Well, our little man.

Since it has been forever since I posted, I decided to get some of my cell phone pictures uploaded just to tide you over until I get a new card reader. Believe me, once I get a card reader, you are going to be bombarded with pictures!

Rowynn's dream car!! He threw a mini fit when we took him out. Maybe in another year little man, you can't even reach the peddles yet!

Rowynn's first carnival ride!

He loved it! Thanks to daddy, he got to go down the slide four times.

Trying

2011-05-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

Howdy my wonderful followers. I know it has been quite a while since I posted some sweet pictures of my little man and I do apologize. Please bear with me as I try to figure out why my card reader and card have decided not to cooperate with each other. I promise, as soon as I am able to figure out how to get my computer to read my card again I will post some pictures.

If you have ideas on how I might be able to remedy the situation, feel free to leave me a comment!!

Much love.

Three Years

2011-05-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

Today we "celebrate" and remember the birth of our beautiful daughter, Abigayl Marie. Though it is not an easy day, we are so thankful that we were able to hold her in our arms for four amazing months.

She was, and still is, the light of our lives. She helped us grow as parents, Christians and husband and wife. She showed us what unconditional love is. She brought so much joy to our lives.

I know that today, in heaven, she is having the best birthday party a little girl could ask for. I know that she is surrounded by her siblings we never got to meet, family that are no longer with us on earth and all of the wonderful friends she has made. I know that the angels are singing her the most beautiful songs and that Jesus is holding her in his arms for us.

Happy Birthday, Abigayl Marie. We love you more than words can express and we miss you every second of every day.

Sliding

2011-05-15T18:15:00.000-05:00

After going to a birthday party this weekend and seeing how much Rowynn loved going down the little slide, we decided to take him to the small carnival that came in to town. They have a large slide!!

It was fun to see the smile on his face when he would come down that big slide.

I just wish I could have gone down with him a couple of times. Darn pregnancy!!!

TVP Giveaway

2011-05-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

Once again, The Vintage Pearl is doing a giveaway on their blog. If you haven't already done so, go check out the website and take a look at all of the wonderful, personalized pieces they have.

Stats and Names

2011-05-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

Rowynn went in for his fifteen month checkup and he is growing like a weed! Our "little" man measured in at 32 inches, which put him in the 90th percentile! As for weight, he is 24 lb 14 oz which puts him in the 50th percentile.

He did have to have one shot but, he took it "well". "Well" meaning he only cried for a short time.

Crazy to think that we will be seeing his pediatrician in 7 weeks but this time it will be for the new baby.

Speaking of new baby, I had originally announced that his name would be Nolynn Oliver but, things have changed! New baby has a different name......

Brennyn Laen Stamper (the middle name is pronounced Lane)

Hopefully this one is the keeper! Though, it better be since it will be stitched on his blanket!!

My Little Man

2011-05-08T16:09:00.001-05:00

This weekend ended up being a busy one! Saturday night we headed out to the Bixby BBQ and Blues Festival and Sunday we went to the Renaissance Festival.

Sadly, we missed the competition BBQ Saturday but we were still able to eat some yummy fried shrimp and ice cream. Plus, we enjoyed the petting zoo and a little music as our background noise.

When we ventured out to the Renaissance Festival is was a cool 85 degrees! It was hard to get many pictures since Rowynn tends to ride around in his stroller but, he did enjoy some time with the peacocks and a very sweet long haired cow from Scotland.

Tired and HOT!

That isn't a sun burn on my Rowynn, it is just heat redness.

Lovin' on the cow!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

I'm a very lucky woman, I had the privilege of being raised by an super amazing mom. She did it all on her own and I am proud to get to call her my mom. Thanks for being awesome, mom. I love you.

Leaky Faucet

2011-05-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

That is the only way to describe me today. It has been one of those days where I just almost couldn't make it through. If it wasn't for my gorgeous son, I don't think I would have had much of a smile on my face nor would I have been awake for most of the day.

Thanks to a shopping trip to buy Rowynn an outfit to wear for his photo session tomorrow, I have been an absolute wreck. I think it may have started when I saw all the cute girl shoes lined up at Target. It only got worse when I went into the clothing section and was bombarded with frilly, sweet, girl outfits and slim pickings in the boys section. It really hit home how much I miss getting to dress Abigayl up in sweet outfits.

Coming home and feeling a little empty, I found myself surrounded by Mother's Day commercials and it felt like every one of them had a mom with a daughter. It just really hit home how much Mother's Day hurts for me. I know I have Rowynn and I am so thankful for him but, I do miss having my little girl. Though I have Rowynn, I still have a large part in my heart that just feels empty sometimes.

Being that it is the month of May doesn't help much either. This month is typically a hard month for me since Abigayl's birthday comes up quite quickly. It makes it to where not only do I have to make it through Mother's Day knowing I should have one more child helping me celebrate, I also have to live with "celebrating" my deceased daughters birthday. It is never easy to plan the day for the 23rd of May and this year is not much different.

I'm just praying that the rest of the weekend will be better. I know God will carry me through these hard times and I'm thankful for my faith when I have days like today.

The Vintage Pearl

2011-05-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

For those of you that didn't check out The Vintage Pearl last time I posted about them, today is a good day to go browse!

What says, "I love you mom", like a custom piece of jewelery?

Also, at The Vintage Pearl's blog she is doing a giveaway for 5 special moms that are nominated with addition to giving away a gift certificate just for telling her what your favorite TVP piece is. No more excuses. Go check out her blog and company website!!

Junk Food Junkie

2011-05-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

I said I wouldn't do it. I said that my kids would be fed only healthy things. I said there would be no candy, soda, ice cream. I said they would only eat fresh fruits and veggies. I said NO JUNK!

Skinny Cow doesn't count as junk, right?

Skinny Cow can't be junk. Rowynn put away a whole ice cream bar and only shared two licks with his mama.

It just can't be junk.

Who am I kidding? My kid is a junk food junkie. He loves tater tots, Cheetos, ice cream and chocolate.

I guess I broke all of my own rules.

Oops.

Beep, Beep

2011-04-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

Who got the keys to the ~~Jeep~~ Coup?! (Name that song)

Rowynn does!

**video alert**

Rowynn was so excited about his new toy that he barely let Rusty put it together! Between playing with the unfinished car and trying to steal his daddy's tools, Rowynn made this quite the job.

He knew exactly what to do with it... sit inside!

His face is saying, "why won't it go?!"

He was checking out the new stickers I put inside!

Daddy's little "helper"

Vroom, Vroom

He got tired of waiting on us to push him around so he decided he would push for a while.

I think my son has as much patients as I do!

Egg-citing Coloring Time

2011-04-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

**video in the mix, make sure to shut off the music down below**

We are so excited that we finally got to experience the joy of egg dying with our wonderful son! I know there are many parents that fret about the mess but I say fun trumps mess! This will be a joyous and yearly tradition for all of us.

Speaking of mess!!!

Looks like a blue egg is out of the question.

Yes, my son had bluish green hands in the end and it lasted for a couple of days!

But look at the smile on his face! Worth every spill, clean up and minute.

The shiny one is Rowynn's first ever colored Easter egg!!

When he finished coloring eggs, he decided the cups needed to be stacked. Full or not!

It sure was messy but, it sure was FUN!

Basket of Fun

2011-04-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

*be sure to turn off the music, there is a video*

We finally got to make an Easter basket and it was all I wanted it to be! It is amazing how long you can anticipate something that a lot of parents take for granted. We really enjoyed finding all the goodies for him.

I think he enjoyed it as well!

Sam's had this big dog book and I love that there are spots on each dog where you can "pet" the dog.

I'm currently enrolled in a photography class and will hopefully succeed at taking better pictures, I have a long way to go!

Mmm... chocolate bunny on a stick!

Rowynn got his first fishing pole!!

Go fish!!

"Here daddy, you eat the fish"

I love how Rowynn opens his mouth when he feeds us!

I know it is blurry but, I sure love his facial expression.

2nd Annual Egg Hunt

2011-04-25T14:05:00.000-05:00

This year we hosted our 2nd annual Easter egg hunt and it was a blast! It is always such a joy watching all of the kids hunt for the TONS of eggs that are out in the yard for them to find. Plus, the food this year was pretty awesome!

I decided to make it a potluck lunch and I am very glad I did! Each dish that was brought was so scrumptious! I contributed the Italian sandwich that is pictured above along with pineapple cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes and an eclair cake. Let's just say that my pregnancy taste buds wouldn't let me make only one dessert so I went a bit overboard on the dessert making!

The pineapple cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes and eclair cake were all made super low-fat so it wouldn't interfere with bathing suit preparations for all of the guests!

This year we had 20 adults and 16 kids! It was fantastic!! Here are a few pictures of our wonderful friends:

Rowynn did had a ball trying to keep up with all of the bigger kids. I was so impressed with how great he was, especially since he woke up at 6:30am and didn't take a nap until 2:30pm.

His first hunt and he captured 4 eggs!

Oops, a little chocolate drool!

Then the chocolate drool became a chocolate fountain!

He wouldn't carry his own basket but he sure was ready to steal the eggs from the pretty, pink, frilly one.

Rusty wanted to have a few eggs colored for Rowynn to hunt in the morning so we stayed up late a dyed a few. We left some uncolored so we could watch Rowynn dye his own eggs.

Not too shabby for us adults! I'm looking forward to a lot more egg dying next year!

I'm also looking forward to our 3rd annual egg hunt! We are already thinking that next year we may rent a bounce house so the kids (and adults) will have some fun activities to do. I'm also thinking that some good ol' fashion games might be a great idea for next year! Can you say gunny sack races? Or, egg toss?

Rowynn Stories

2011-04-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

I apologize in advance if my story telling isn't eloquent or funny. I really just wanted to put these here so I would have a FOREVER record of the cuteness of my child!

1. I was sitting on the front porch one afternoon and pulled the tag off of the table that we bought last summer. As I had the rolled up tag in my hand, Rowynn came over and took the paper from out of my hand. I looked at him and said, "trash, that is trash". Rowynn took off for the front door (walking!) and proceeded for the kitchen. When we got into the kitchen, he pointed at the trash can!!! I couldn't believe me eyes. So, I lifted the lid to see what would happen and sure enough, Rowynn tossed the tag in the trash. Let's just say that at that very moment I was one very proud mommy. It is incredible to watch your kids start to recognize words you don't really feel you ever teach them.

2. I was in the kitchen prepping for our annual egg hunt (post to come) when Rowynn came in to "help" me. He spit up a little and I said, "uh oh, spit up". He took off for the living room and all of a sudden Rusty said, "Raychel, Raychel" when I responded he said, "you'll see" and two seconds later my son came toddling in the kitchen with a burp rag in hand. Even more amazing, he sat down where he had spit up a little and wiped up the mess!!
Rusty said that after I said, "uh oh, spit up" that he came crawling in the living room, as fast as he could, headed straight for the burp rag basket!

I think my son is a genius!!

Chocoholic

2011-04-21T10:07:00.000-05:00

*video at the end of the post, be sure to turn off the music*

Thank you Grandma Diana!! This is the egg that Rowynn got in the mail yesterday (mommy got a box of nuts and chews from See's!).

Trying to get it open

Then he decided he needed to put it back in the box!

So mommy opened it and there was so many goodies inside!

Rowynn enjoyed eating a few pieces of chocolate before bed last night. Sorry the video is the wrong way. I promise that eventually I will learn!

Thanks again mom! We are one happy household with all these goodies around.

Rowynn Time

2011-04-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

*Make sure to scroll to the bottom to turn off the music, there are THREE videos*

My little walker in action!! Can you believe how big he is getting?!

Plus, I finally got it on video!

After walking all over the front porch, our sprinkler system turned on and then it was water time for the Rowynn!! This kid loves water.

When he was all done with that one, it was time to go find daddy!

Look at those cute, little, wet footprints! Oh how I love this boy.

Kind of a mess, but that's okay. He had a ball!

Let My Garden Grow

2011-04-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

Replaced the pond/waterfall with a rock garden and fountain

We had a busy weekend of gardening and beautifying the front of the house. Lets just say that Lowe's made a killing off of us this weekend!

One of the biggest things was that Rusty finished his transition from pond to rock garden. Though we loved the waterfall and pond, we felt that it just wasn't conducive with having young children. We never want to have something around that could be harmful to our babies and it was to much of a drowning hazard. So, Rusty took out the pond and filled it in with dirt and added lots of rocks and a small "fountain" in the middle rock pile.

Along with the rock structure, we had lots of plants that needed to go in the ground. Before we could start that, Rusty did all of the weeding in the garden.

We decided to plant nineteen ground phlox in hopes that our garden will become a carpet of purple flowers in the next couple of years.

Starting to come together

While Rusty worked hard in the main flower bed, I was hard at work getting flowers planted in the nine planters we have on the front porch. Rusty put a banana tree in each of our two large pots and I surrounded them with some pretty yellow flowers.

Next up were the four planters that are around the front entry. In each of these we planted rhododendrons and some small purple flowers in front.

I'm very pleased with how they turned out

We had also planted a few more ground phlox plants in Abigayl's garden last weekend. See the size difference between the ones in the front and the plants behind? That is the difference one year can make!

Walka, Walka, Walka

2011-04-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

We officially have a walker on our hands!! Rowynn pretty much walks everywhere he wants to go but there are times he resorts to his trusted crawling.

He has also started saying mama a lot more. It makes my heart melt EVERY TIME I hear him say it.

Rowynn is also sprouting 2 more molars! It has made for one very grumpy and sleepy little guy. Thank heavens for orajel and tylenol. That brings Rowynn's teeth total to ELEVEN teeth! Sure, the molars aren't pushed all the way through yet but, they sure are a spiky mess back there.

Rowynn may not be much of a talker but we are noticing that he can understand a lot of what we say. We can tell him to get his ball and sometimes he will even touch his feet or nose when we ask. So, I think we are on the right track!

As for the other boy, he is a KICKER. I think the baby is in constant motion. Sometimes it makes it hard for me to be comfortable but, the up side is that I know that he is doing well. Can you believe we only have 74 more days?! YIKES.

Food Revolution: Much Needed

2011-04-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

Last year I started watching the first season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and I was BLOWN AWAY by the lack of knowledge by children about basic fruits and vegetables. Not only do many children lack any understanding of the fruits and vegetables around them but they are fed JUNK on a daily basis by their parents and then at school.

After last season, I swore off chicken nuggets. I mean they are not allowed in my tummy or Rowynn's unless I get them from Chick-fil-A or make them fresh in my kitchen. I'm not sure if the above link will have the exact episode I watched last year but I highly encourage you to go take a look at the videos just to get a taste.

Last year Jamie headed to Huntington, WV, which was considered the most obese city in America, to help reform the public school lunch program and to educate the citizens of their city. It was absolutely moving to see what kind of junk is pushed into our kids, both at home and at school. It was sad to see that brown bag lunches no longer consist of fresh fruits, healthy sandwiches and veggies sticks but, instead are laden with Lunchables dripping in preservatives, corn syrup and fat. Plus, every school offers sugar spiked milk (chocolate and strawberry) that is obviously the first choice for most kids rather than pushing the healthy white stuff.

This season, Jamie is taking on the glamorous city of LA and is having a hard time getting into the schools to even have a look. Last night was a shocking episode and left me feeling disgusted and sad. Disgusted because we as Americans have NO IDEA where are food comes from or what is in it. We are more concerned with price rather than what we are consuming as fuel for our bodies. I was left feeling sad because our kids deserve better than what we, as parents, or the "government" are providing for our future generation. I encourage you to take a minute and watch the episode.

Stamper Family Vacation

2011-04-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

*scroll to the bottom of the page to turn off the music, there are two videos in this post*
Rusty and I took Rowynn on a family getaway before the poor guy has to deal with a sibling! We headed south and decided that a trip to Sea World (in San Antonio) would be a perfect vacation for such a little guy, especially since he is such an animal lover.

We learned a valuable lesson, plans and little ones do NOT go together!! We definitely learned a lot about flexibility over this trip.

Our original plan was to drive to Dallas and hit one of the zoos that they have in the area and then grab a bite at one of our favorite Dallas restaurants before continuing our drive south. Well, we left the house by 10 am and pretty much made a stop every two hours so that our little man could "stretch" his legs. By the time we got to the Dallas area the zoo was close to closing time, there was the beginning of Dallas traffic and he had finally fallen asleep so a stop to eat was out of the question.

We journeyed on and stopped to eat in Waco. After the limited research I could do on my phone, we stopped to eat at a little Cajun place on the water where Rowynn got to enjoy his first coloring experience!

It was so fun to watch him "color"! I just love watching him hit milestones and develop into a little toddler.

Plus, he did great about not eating the crayons!

Enjoying the fish ~~pond~~ river outside of the restaurant.

After dinner our goal was to make it the Round Rock, TX. My BRILLIANT husband had remembered watching the show Donut Paradise on the Travel Channel and that there was a donut shop in Round Rock that was supposed to have AMAZING donuts.

Well, at 8 pm we decided that a stop 30 minutes from the donut shop was work well seeing that our little man was getting a little restless and needed some much needed walking/crawling time.

The next morning we hit the road and stopped to devour this:

The Big Texan at Round Rock Donuts!!

Let me just state, these were the BEST donuts that have ever passed through my lips and over my taste buds. They were so good that we hit up Round Rock on our way home! I will not tell you how many donuts I ate because the number is just flat embarrassing. But I will say, if you are in the vicinity of Round Rock Donut... STOP AND EAT A DONUT!!!!

Thankfully, after my glutenous encounter at Round Rock Donut, we headed straight for the San Antonio Zoo. We did a few hours of walking and I was pleasantly surprised by how many birds they have. Rowynn really enjoyed watching all of the different kinds of birds. Probably a mix of the colors and all the movement.

This bird was 4 feet from Rowynn! If Rusty wouldn't have moved the fishy crackers from Rowynn's snack tray, I have a feeling this guy would have perched himself on Rowynn's stroller and helped himself to a little afternoon snack!

Between these porcupines and the hippopotamuses, my zoo trip was a total success! There were three porcupines and one food bowl that had food still in it and these porcupines, fighting over food, were hilarious to watch.

Rowynn loved having his own vantage point where we didn't have to hold him!

After a full day at the zoo, it was time to check in to our hotel. We booked a room at Omni Hotel and I am so glad we did. Our room was spacious and much more compatible with the pack-and-play than what our room in Salado plus they had an indoor/outdoor pool that was refreshing in the 90 degree heat.

Seeing we had such a taxing day of walking, we decided to grab dinner at our FAVORITE steakhouse in Texas, Saltgrass Steakhouse. Once again, we were taught flexibility because Rowynn did not want to sit and watch us eat! We were forced to take our order to our room and eat it luke warm in the comfort of our room and the comfort of Rowynn toys!!

Friday was our big adventure day! We were headed for Sea World and we were excited. Rusty and I had not been to Sea World since Abigayl passed and we were really excited to get to take our little man to a place that helped us smile after such a huge loss.

Isn't that quite a site?!

Rowynn enjoyed the penguin experience!

Look, it's Shamu! No not me silly... BEHIND me!

Rowynn enjoyed an ice cream snack before heading in to watch Believe (the killer whale show).

Ready Rowynn?

Though he didn't pay much attention to the show and I was to busy juggling him to get much out of it, I do know that it was better when we went three years ago (click the link to see some great pictures).

The highlight of the day had to be this water sprayer and the kids water park! Rowynn had a ball at both.

He would actually point down because he knew that when I stepped on the button the water would spray! I loved listening to him giggle when the mist would hit his face.

I guess I had some fun as well :)

Crazy as it sounds, we actually made the dive home in one day! We made a few stops on the way home but we were still able to make the drive in eleven hours. Thank goodness I had some Round Rock Donuts to keep me company.

I am also thankful that we had bought a car DVD system for Rowynn and a Wiggles DVD and Finding Nemo. If it wasn't for those things on the way home, I believe it would have made for a much longer trip. All-in-all, it was a great trip and I am so thankful we were able to do it before our family gets bigger.

The Vintage Pearl Giveaway

2011-03-31T09:16:00.000-05:00

If you are a Pioneer Woman blog ~~stalker~~ follower like me, than you have seen the company, The Vintage Pearl, featured a few times. Well, this week The Vintage Pearl is doing a giveaway on their blog!!

Just by commenting on the blog you are entered to win a $100 gift certificate to their store! Lets just say they have some super cute, personalized jewelry. So, go check them out!!

We Have A Name!!!

2011-03-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

At this point I was going to post a picture of our little man since I had an ultrasound last week. But, my scanner isn't hooked up and my point-and-shoot camera has seemed to have sprouted legs and left the building. So, no picture with this post. Just a name.

Drum roll please..........................

Nolyn Oliver Stamper is growing in my belly as I type! He is healthy with both feet (the reason for my ultrasound was to check for his lower legs and feet since they were tucked back at my 20 week appointment) and weighed in at 1 lb 12 oz. Not to shabby for 25 weeks!