Tim, Lara & Stockton

My little helper

2011-10-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to finally have some help around the house!he does dishes,
mops,
sweeps
vacuums,
sometimes he sweeps and mops at the same time!

and he does laundry!

18 months

2011-09-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today marks 18 months since our little baby came into the world. While 18 months isn't enough time to forget the painful memories of the birthing process and the 9 months prior, he certainly has proven more than worth all the work it took to get him here. Some of Stockton's fave activities as of late are:
talking on the phone and sitting on any chair he happens upon, as illustrated

He also loves smoothies:

and popsicles

Reading books

Being outside in nature

Playing in water
animals
Balls
balloons

He also loves going up and down the stairs, in and out of doors or back and forth over any uneven surface. He loves rocks and lately he's also into cars, airplanes, trucks, fire trucks etc (already such a boy). He's a semi picky eater preferring fruit snacks, crackers or Parmesan crusted chicken from Noodles and CO. He also likes the most random food like olives and pickles.
He seems to be too busy to walk anymore and runs everywhere, he jabbers all day long and while we don't understand 70 % of it he does actually say a lot of words..and animal sounds.. and understands even more! He is always surprising Tim and I with what he knows and picks up on. He wears me out with all his energy and pulls me around all day. He likes it when we sing to him or put music on and he dances around.. my fave dance move of his is the stoop down and shuffle. He likes a lot of attention like his dad ;) He likes to go places and says hi multiple times to people we see. He has a lot of nicknames including but not limited to: Stocky, Stockerton, Stocktonian, Goons, Goony Goony Gustafeson, Gooners, Goony Goony Guster, Goofy Gus,, Bubba, baby, baby boy, Kooky Kookers, little boy, stinker etc and OCCASIONALLY Stockton:). He'll snuggle after naps or in the morning. Three of my favorite things are his laugh, his hugs and his kisses. We love him so much and can't believe he's already a year and a half!

CRUISE CRUISE CRUISE

2011-06-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

We went on a cruise I'm far too behind on blogging to document it with too many words.. so here are some pics! We had a blast and somehow I survived being away from my beloved child.

hanging out at the port of the air variety.

The first of many cheesburgers.. 1st day at sea

aren't they adorable?

Grand Cayman. Where we almost died. Just asked Mrs. Kellee Messmer

Going out to see the sting ray

Stingray city! We pet them and kissed them and they massaged our backs! Too bad we don't have pics.. Kell's face was priceless:)

Roatan, Honduras

Fulfilling a lifelong dream of swimming with dolphins in Cozumel. That isn't me.. but I did it! And I didn't buy their overpriced pics so there! haha

The Mister loved the little flower shaped butter at dinner:)

The staircase on the Crown Princess

special

sexy beast

That's our ship in the background

stockton

2011-03-01T21:49:00.000-08:00

More to Come!!

Three years

2011-02-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

Been maawwwwied three years!

"It's always better when we're together"

The Glamorous life of..... a mom

2011-02-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS PICTURES OF A DISTURBING CONTENT. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

This is the first of two poops in the tub in the last month or so. On this particular occasion my dear husband was bathing our child before church and I still had to clean up the poop because apparently men don't have the stomach for such things.. WIMPS I tell ya.
This event occurred when my child barfed all over himself, me and the carpet( of the house we are taking care of) and splashed it up onto the walls. AWESOME. I just stood there not knowing what to do next.. I mean the kid used to spit up but NEVER have we had something of such epic proportions. Apparently I fed him too much. I mean honestly he didn't act sick but he had just eaten a ton! ah. Lovely. Has anyone ever thought about contacting Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) about motherhood? This job aint for wimps!

I love this guy...

2011-01-25T12:59:00.001-08:00

Everyday with him is an adventure...and I love him more and more. Nuff said

2011-01-23T14:58:00.001-08:00

We went to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving with my fam. We had a fun time shopping, swimming, going to the zoo and just being lazy!!

Stockton got to go swimming for the first time and he LOOOOVED it! It was so cute he splashed and splashed and didn't care that he got water in his eyes or that it wasn't very warm! Love him!

a jaunt up the canyon

2010-11-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

This is what you get with the canyon + cute baby boy +camera happy mom +ecstatic dad + an unfortunate chin growth. Stockton LOVES being outside, so October 2nd we took a drive up to see the leaves and spent some time in the canyon.

love this boy

2010-11-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

good news! We've finally located the camera chord and uploaded some pics so I more of this little cutie pie to come! LUF HIM...:)

check this out!

2010-08-30T08:55:00.001-07:00

Hey all you bored bloggers out there! Need a good story to read?!
Please check out my sister's blog here .
if you feel so inclined you can join the cause and walk or donate or if you're unable to do so, bc I know it's hard to donate when money is tight, maybe you could just keep my little niece in your thoughts and prayers ?! I would so so appreciate it:) She is such a sweet sweet girl and so brave. Especially now that I'm a mother, I appreciate so much more how hard it is for my sister to see her baby girl go through that.

family pics

2010-08-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

just some family pictures for fun.. my nephew Nicholas got baptized- WHAAAT?! ya I can't believe he's that old but here's the fam at Thanksgiving Point after. What a tute tute boy, huh? both of them:)

We had us a baby blessing

2010-07-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

At some point in May we blessed the little bambino. Here are some pics of us and him in his blessing gear:) Tim did a great job and we ate yummy food so what's not to like?! Thanks for all who attended and for those who did not- WHAT were you thinking?!? haha kidding.. Please enjoy..

OH also, they gave me this bonnet with his blessing outfit, like I would put my little man in a girly bonnet?!?! No offense if you like boys in bonnets!! Tim and I were still amused however by putting it on him and taking a couple pics.

oh and perhaps I should mention I'm so proud of Stockton for not crying during the blessing. At the beginning of the meeting he was fussing and crying and I was panicking - but he calmed down and was a sweet angel. Love him!!

We've got a talker on our hands...

2010-07-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

2 months

2010-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

My baby is two months old today!

I love all his little parts :)

Stockton's stat's

2010-05-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

okay so this is a little behind but Stockton's two week stats were:
Head Circumference: 14.5 in (46th percentile)
Weight : 7 lbs 14 oz
Length: 21.5 inches. (80.91 percentile)

The Dr. seemed way impressed with his growth, almost a pound (he was 6lbs 15oz when we left the hospital) and two inches of growth!!
We also went in at about one month and he weighed 9lbs 14 oz! Big Boy!

Showing some leg

More pics of the babe

2010-03-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Bath Time

Introducing Stockton Timothy Thorn

2010-03-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Before

37 Weeks

After- Stockton Timothy Thorn 7lbs 8 0z 19 inches

Ready to go home from the hospital

What a cute daddy

We love him sooo much and we are sooo tired! :)

As of late

2010-02-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

Here is our cute little Christmas tree on Christmas morning.. I know that was a long time ago. It is cute though. Someday we will have a large one too:)

This is on New Years Eve 28 1/2 weeks
I'd added a 34 week (now) picture and decided against it. Sorry, it's just not attractive. The only reason I'm submitting the above one is for Stef and Aubrey who are far away and miss the transformation.

It's no news...

2009-11-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure most everyone I know already knows we have a..

IN THE..

Woohoo! Here is one of my first attempts at a baby bump picture. I think I was 18ish weeks here..

And here is my 20 weeks picture! The day after this picture we went and had the ultrasound and saw our WITTLE Baby!

I think I am already the most paranoid mother on the planet. No kidding, I am always worried something is wrong and I was pretty positive they were going to find that my baby had a tail or something. Until we heard the heartbeat I was convinced the baby wasn't alive because I was no longer having nauseousness of epic proportions. ANYWHO, we were very excited to see the little guy in there squirming around and that everything appeared to be normal! Yes that's right, it's a boy! He made that VERY clear to us and kept flashing us his man parts Over and OVER again. The ultrasound technician kept joking that he REALLY wanted us to know he was a boy! We got to see all four chambers of his little heart and all his fingers and toes! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure! This is his little face! Is it just me or does his skull look ginormous? How is that supposed to come out of me again?!?!

The funniest thing was that the child would NOT stop moving! The guy kept joking he was an ADHD baby and really would we be surprised? He is going to be just like his father. The coolest thing was I could see him move on the screen and feel it at the same time so now I know I'm not just having phenomenal gas pains it's the baby boy nudging me! I feel him all the time now and it makes me laugh sometimes! Hopefully the laughing lasts and I don't get annoyed cuz he is keeping me up at night. Once you feel them move inside you and get to see them on a screen, it makes all the barfing and miserableness worth it. :)

Look at those monstrous thighs and feet!

Look at that man run!

2009-10-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

On September 19th, my dear hubby ran his first marathon! It was the Logan Top of Utah marathon, and We went up the night before so he'd be ready to go in the morning! Most of the local hotels were booked so we stayed in the Anniversary Inn! (are you allowed to stay there when it's not your anniversary?) Anyway, we got to stay in "Pirate's Paradise" and it was pretty cool! They even bring you yummy breakfast in the morning! Too bad the mister was off torturing himself so I had to enjoy a breakfast for one!;) Anyway, enjoy the following pics of Timmy at the finish line (he's not such a fan of that picture) and our Pirates Paradise!

I was so proud of my marathon running husband!
It was interesting to be at the finish line and see how some people get very emotional, and some people barf! Kind of inspiring..kind of gross! When he finished, Tim said it was the hardest thing he'd ever done and he wasn't sure he'd do it again, but now he's already planning his next one!

Be yourself!

2009-10-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just liked this! Sometimes it's hard not to compare ourselves to others and think that we need to be like them, or that we would be better if we were like them. I am always comparing myself to others and I thought this was a refreshing take on being ourselves!

Being Ourselves
-- by Patricia Holland

“Our Father in Heaven needs us as we are, as we are growing to become. He has intentionally made us different from one another so that even with our imperfections we can fulfill his purposes. My greatest misery comes when I feel I have to fit what others are doing, or what I think others expect of me. I am most happy when I am comfortable being me and trying to do what my Father in Heaven and I expect me to be.

For many years I tried to measure the oft times quiet, reflective, thoughtful Pat Holland against the robust, bubbly, talkative, and energetic Jeff Holland and others with like qualities. I have learned through several fatiguing failures that you can’t have joy in being bubbly if you are not a bubbly person. It is a contradiction in terms. I have given up seeing myself as a flawed person because my energy level is lower than Jeff’s, and I don’t talk as much as he does, nor as fast. Giving this up has freed me to embrace and rejoice in my own manner and personality in the measure of my creation. Ironically, that has allowed me to admire and enjoy Jeff’s ebullience even more.

Somewhere, somehow the Lord “blipped the message onto my screen” that my personality was created to fit precisely the mission and talents he gave me. For example, the quieter, calmer talent of playing the piano reveals much about the real Pat Holland. I would never have learned to play the piano if I hadn’t enjoyed the long hours of solitude required for its development. This same principle applies to my love of writing, reading, meditation, and especially teaching and talking with my children. Miraculously, I have found that I have untold abundant sources of energy to be myself. But the moment I indulge in imitation of my neighbor, I feel fractured and fatigued and find myself forever swimming upstream. When we frustrate God’s plan for us, we deprive this world and God’s kingdom of our unique contributions and a serious schism settles in our soul. God never gave us any task beyond our ability to accomplish it. We just have to be willing to do it our own way. We will always have enough resources for being who we are and what we can become.”

(Portraits of Eve: God’s Promises of Personal Identity, Patricia T. Holland, LDS Women’s treasury: Insights and Inspiration for Today’s Woman {Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997}, 97-98.)

Kona!

2009-07-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

So I've had this post saved to drafts for quite awhile and I've just been too lazy to write anything to accompany it. Still too lazy..not writing much! haha but enjoy the pics! Basically we went to Kona back in May and had a blast! We finally discovered you can buy a cute little collapsible cooler and have cold sandwiches and beverages on the beach! We are such experienced beach goers now.

Let's see, to sum up these pics we went to the place of refuge, kayaking to Captain Cook monument, snorkeling, visited a volcano, a zoo in a rainforest and ate lots and lots of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and other delicious treats!
p.s. I know I put the same picture twice but I'm not about to change it!

Happy late birthday to Tim!

2009-06-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

So I'm a horrible wife and didn't get a happy birthday blog to my hubby on time. In my defense, we were in Hawaii and I tried to write one on Tim's phone but it wasn't working out too well. Anywho, May 26th was my dearest husband Timothy Russell's birthday. We spent the day kayaking and snorkeling around Hawaii so I don't think he can complain too much :)

Now for the sappy part, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. He happens to be ridiculously good looking as you can tell by the following pics. He is also surprisingly hardworking despite his ADD tendencies. Not to mention he is such a positive person and always is there to point out the bright side of situations for me. And, let us not forget he's pretty darn hilarious and can always manage to make me smile :). We've been through a whole heap together and I'm really blessed to have him by my side through it all.. Happy late birthday babe, I love you!

a new niece and an update on the little bug...

2009-05-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday April 29th, my sister Amanda gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Sophie Grace Volcansek. I was able to be there right after she was born (she came so fast I missed the birth!) and she's so cute!
Now, fast forward to the next day when husband of said sister takes oldest daughter Emma to the Dr. only to discover that she had Type 1 Diabetes! :( she was admitted to the hospital just down the hall from her mother and new baby sister.
My sister now has a 4 year old with Diabetes, an almost two-year old and a new baby. She and Jonny are both amazing and faithful and I know that they will survive this trial but it's going to be a big adjustment! Here are some pictures of the cute little bug Emma
It was very hard to see her at the hospital hooked to an iv and getting poked all the time! The poor thing would jump anytime someone would come into her room for fear of them poking her!
Here is Emma with her new baby sister and swollen eyes from crying :(

Now she is home which is much better and Amanda and Jonny regulate her blood sugar levels by giving her shots everyday. She has been such a brave little girl and even though it hurts my heart to see her go through this I am proud of her! I'm also proud of Jonny and Amanda for trusting in the Lord during this trial - what good examples they are! I sure do love my sister and niece and I'm glad things are improving! I appreciate everyone who prayed for them and please keep sending those prayers!

Happy Birthday to my BFF!

2009-04-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Today is my friend Courtney's birthday! Court and I met in the second grade when she moved into my neighborhood and we were in the same class! Since then we've been through a lot together.. awkward stages, first kisses, fun times... all of it! Here are some photos to take you through our journey together.. Happy Birthday Court! I love ya!

Please Help!!

2009-03-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

So I've been thinking greatly lately (greatly lately?- ha!) on a subject and I've decided I need some help. Tim and I have been married a year now, and I think it's time we were considered one, don't you? I just need help forming our names together i.e. TomKat, Brangelina... should we be Timara? Larim? Or, perhaps we use Tim's full name Timothy so..Larimothy? I'm just totally lost on the subject and could really use your wise input. Please, feel free to make up your own!

Happy One Year Anniversary to us!

2009-02-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

Monday the 16th was our one year anniversary! Woohoo!

“The trick, my brethren and sisters,
is to enjoy the journey, traveling hand in hand,
in sunshine and storm,
as companions who love one another.”

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

“The best thing to hold on to in life is each other.” -Audrey Hepburn

someone special..

2009-02-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

The Rules: 1. Go to your documents/pictures. 2. Go to your 6th file. 3. Go to your 6th picture. 4. Blog about it. 5. Tag 6 people to do the same. 6. So here we go...

Isn't he special? This is the man that I love! hehe.. This was two days after Tim's birthday in 2005 and he had just bought his digital camera. Thus we went up the canyon with some Magleby's takeout and took a LOT of pictures...

This is what happens with a new camera, a park, two willing subjects and too much time!

Now I tag Amanda, Aubrey, KBFF, Mandy, and Ryan M. Go!

Dahh puppy pup!!

2009-01-09T13:28:00.001-08:00

I just want one sooooo bad!
Do you love them like I do?!

Christmas tag!

2008-12-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged for the first time ever!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Uh, I use bags a lot bc, let's be honest, I'm lazy! But, Wrapping paper is the way to go and definitely more fun!
2. Real tree or Artificial? My family used to always go pick out a big ol, real tree and it smelled great.. but always died of course! I still love real trees but right now Tim and I have an artificial 3- footer from Wal-Mart. He didn't want a big tree- Ba Humbug!
3. When do you put up the tree? As soon after Thanksgiving as we get to it!
4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever it dies or it's embarrassing to still have it up, usually after New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes I do! but I do water it down with milk.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? hmmm... Twins, Kodak art kit, Littlest Pet shop?!?
7. Hardest person to buy for? Parents, Courtney, Jade
8. Easiest person to buy for? uh me? hehe...
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes! Thanks mom and dad!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? neither till I have kids, right?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A lump of coal ;)
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? so many! Christmas Vacation, Elf, How the Grinch stole Christmas
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I started way early this year.. but then stopped and didn't finish till just barely!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, only white elephants!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Egg Sausage casserole and Court's mom's Chrismas Tree on Christmas morning!
16. Lights on the tree? Of Course!
17. Favorite Christmas song? I don't know! Tim tells me it's Little Drummer Boy! hehe
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We stay home. One year my family went to Hawaii on Christmas morning when I was ten and I was sad at the time cuz I wanted to play with my toys! Now, Hawaii sounds like a Merry Christmas to me!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes, would you like me to? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen.. and Rudolph!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? My family's tradition growing up was to open one present on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Trying to get around at the stores and mall in crowds of insane shoppers! (i'm not one of them of course)
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I'm gonna copy Court on this one and say Snowflakes... I really like red and silver.
24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? it's all good, homemade rolls, sometimes we have Prime Rib and sometimes Ham and cheesy potatoes and now I'm hungry, thanks!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A puppy pup pup! But I can't have one :(
Merry Christmas!
I tag Amanda, KBFF, Aubrey, Jade and Jaclyn!

HaLlOwEeN!

2008-12-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Why am I so bad at blogging? Oh, I don't know, probably because I don' t like it much! Now that it's almost Christmas I figure it's about time I got some Halloween pictures up here! We had my nephew's birthday party we dressed up for and then on Halloween we also went to Tim's aunt's party and went and saw some Thriller action put on in a nearby neighborhood with some friends. Another successful year of forcing Tim to dress up and winning a prize for our awesome costumes. I was a Flapper Girl and Tim was a gangster/mafia man? Why does he always complain when I always make him look SO GOOD?!

My new sweet baby - Tanith!

2008-12-02T14:40:00.001-08:00

What do you think about my little new baby Tanith?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

This isn;t working out.. it's not you it's me

2008-12-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

You may be asking yourself why you never get the the privilege, nay, joy of reading new posts from me. Well, truth be told I am currently on strike because I've written a couple of posts and I can never get the pictures to post with them because our internet is too slow..

2008-10-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Go CoUgS!!

Happy Birthday Emily!

2008-10-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

so yesterday was my sister in law Emily's birthday. Emily fits in great with our family and always has. One of the things that I love about her is that she just says what's on her mind and can ask people questions no one else dares to! You know the questions that just make the rest of us squirm! Somehow she manages to do it and it seems like no big deal.. she just has a way of making those around her feel comfortable. She gets along with everyone and has a very fun personality! she's also very creative and artistic and is always making or trying new things. Happy Birthday Emily we love you!

Happy Birthday Amanda!

2008-09-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yay I finally have a good reason to blog! Today is my lovely sister Amanda's birthday! Where do I begin on my love for my sister?! She is one of the funniest people I know and thus tells the best stories:) One of the many things that I admire about her is that she has always been really good about keeping in touch with everyone and writing to our grandparents etc. Because of that she forms special relationships with people. She is very thoughtful and sensitive to others. She and I have always been close and when my parents were in Argentina she was like a second mother to me :) We also share a similar disease and I appreciate that I can call and complain to her at anytime and she pretty much knows what I'm going through! Now I appreciate all the years she went through her disease alone and admire that she was so strong and I didn't ever hear her complaining. She is an amazing sister and friend to me and I love her to pieces! She probably will not appreciate this picture I'm posting with this (She was very pregnant) but it was the only one I have on my computer of her and I together! I will see if I can find a better one later.

I did warn you

2008-09-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

alright folks, I know I haven't blogged in a long time and I've received a lot of grief for it but I have nothing exciting to blog about! I could get on and rant and rave about politics like some do but I really don't want to turn my blog into a forum for arguing:) I promise I'll try and do something exciting soon so I can write about it. Please don't hate!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-08-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I decided to follow the cute example of my big sister Amanda and start dedicating posts to people on their birthdays. Today is my wonderful dad's birthday. I don't even know where to begin on how I feel about my dad. He is amazing in so many ways. He has many people ALL OVER THE PLACE that love him and look up to him. He is super friendly and always remembers people's names.. I can't tell you how many people have told me that they worked with him or knew him and they were so impressed that he always said hello to them and remembered their name. He is a very hard worker and has always taken really good care of our family. He has taught me a lot, especially by his good example. He has a way of making you feel loved unconditionally, that you're perfect the way you are, and yet he makes you want to be even better! Thank you daddy for everything! I love you lots!

Memory Tag

2008-08-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a tag I saw on a couple of my friend's blogs. Here's how to play:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember (but it better be nice)!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Newport and frozen bananas!!

2008-07-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

So Tim and I ventured to Newport California for the Independence day weekend and hung out with my fam! It was a little too short but we had a good time. Here are some pictures of the event!

Tim's favorite part was going to Open Sesame his favorite restaurant in Long Beach

My favorite part was going on my friend Kellee's brother in law's boat!

Look! Tim's smiling!

and of course, I had to get a frozen Balboa banana! (wish it was Bluth's)

Peer pressure

2008-06-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

So I've been hearing for quite a while now that I should start a blog. Apparently "everyone is doing it." After reviewing others' blogs and the blogging world I soon discovered that I didn't feel up to the task. Mostly, I am just too lazy and would rather spend my time spying on other people's blogs and lives than writing about my own. Why start a blog now you may ask? Well, deep down, I'm just a scared little girl who wants to fit in. Oh, and I give in to peer pressure like a ding dong at fat camp. So, here we are, just don't expect any extreme blogging..