Easter

4 months

Taya is already 4 months. She weights in at just under 10lbs and is currently 23 inches long. And when (or if) I find the time I'll go back and post months 1, 2, and 3. It's thanks to Jen that there's this short little post! Life still seems crazy, but I think I've come to realize that it just might never slow down and if I never actually get use to it I am okay with it. Taya has been a great baby. Very much a Momma's Girl. Which after having 2 boys who were (and still are) extremely social, and would go to anyone, it's a little weird having a baby who cries when others try to hold her. She also keeps a schedule, meaning she knows when its nap time and expects to be put down. (A child that likes to sleep, who knew that they actually existed). However life can be hard if her schedule has to be altered. She has definitely been a blessing to us, in so many ways. It's amazing how the Lord blesses you with what you need, when you need it.

Blessed

Taya Ann Stokes

Blessed Sunday the 2nd of January, 2011

She was so beautiful in her blessing dress.

Proud Parents

THE JOHNSONS
B.J., Quinn, Me, Carter, Dad, Mom, Taya, Megan, Tyson

THE STOKES
Alayna, Brady, Cale, Quinn, Me, B.J., Mom, Taya, Dad, Carter, Ashley, Casey

Family Photo (don't ask how many times the camera went off to get this)


Quinn and Carter love there little sister. They usually fight over who gets to talk to her, hold her, etc. I wonder if they'll still be that way when she can walk and talk.

I'm definitely enjoying my little girl!

Our Angel

Taya Ann Stokes

Born: November 26, 2010 at 11:16 p.m.

5lbs 13 oz

18 inches

She already has dad wrapped around all 10 fingers.

Lots of hair! Perfect for all her bows.

(The oxygen was very temporary, in fact she was released to go home before I was.)

Her brothers thinks shes awesome. The first time Carter held Taya at the hospital he wasn't sure what to think. Now he has to hold her at least once a day.

When she first came home form the hospital Quinn didn't want to go to school because he wanted to stay home and help take care of her. He didn't think it was fair that Carter got to play with her all day. Once he found out how much she sleeps he decided he wasn't missing much by going to school. Occasional he'll pray for her to grow up so she can play.

Carter turns Four (finally)

October can't pass without celebrating Carter's Birthday! And he's looked forward to being four for a very long time now! I was surprised by how badly he wanted to be 4, he finally explained that then he could turn 5 just like Quinn. I'm not sure how to explain that he won't ever be the same age as he big brother. Due to scheduling conflicts, mostly making sure we didn't interfere with anybody's hunting trips, we celebrated Carter's Birthday 2 weeks early. (It turns out that was a good idea but more on that later) Of course that meant that everyday after his party he asked, "Am I four yet?" It was a long 2 weeks for Carter.

Aunt Ashely made an awesome cake! She had it all planned out, then let Carter help. He absolutely loved designing his own cake. Aunt Ashely was an awesome sport when it came to watching him slowly change her master piece. There were lots and lots and lots of sprinkles, but it still tasted good.

Carter was excited to see everyone who came to his party. He had wanted a bunch of his friends from Laramie come to his party and I had to explain that because we had moved so far away they wouldn't be able to make it. Finally he asked, "Mom, will you come to my party?"

Luckily having his Grandparents (both sets) and family was enough to make him feel loved. Grandparents make everything better. It has been nice living closer to family! Brian's good friend from high school Kevin came with his family. He has the cutest twin girls, Lyra and Clara. Quinn and Carter had lots of fun showing off for them.

Of course once gifts were opened he forgot about everyone and everything else around him. Funny how that works. He actually did a good job sharing his new toys with his brother. It's fun to watch them play together. Of course everything had to be taken out of its packaging and set up, luckily there were enough adults around that we were able to manage. I don't know what's harder, cutting all the plastic away from the toys or trying to understand the picture instructions?

After cake and ice cream, we finished the party by having an unofficial furniture moving party. Our couch actually fits in the living room! With room to walk around it. Slowly but surly we'll actually be moved in!

Carter's actual birthday is the 26th! The night before was interesting for us (or at least me). Carter and Quinn got to spend the night with Grandma and Granddaddy and they both thought that was awesome and can't wait to do it again. I got to spend the night at the hospital because I was having contractions about 3 min. apart. This is the first time I've ever had preterm labor and wasn't sure what was going to happen. The doctor decided it was too early for the baby to come and (after a couple of different medicines) was able to stop the contractions. I'm suppose to take it easy at least until I'm 36 weeks along (Nov 10), so far so good. I was able to be home for Carter's special Birthday Dinner, Macaroni and Cheese and Pigs in a Blanket!

Cousin Cael

My boys were so excited to have a visit from their cousin Cael! (They also liked seeing Uncle Brady and Aunt Alayna.) Since they moved to North Dakota for Physical Therapy School we don't see them as much as we use to. However, they love to play peek-a-boo with Cael on Skype.


The 3 Stokes grand-boys. Have you ever seen so much mischief in one room?

2 girls on the way

It took a while but finally Cael decided he likes his Uncle Brian (at least enough to let Brian hold him without crying.)

Catch up Time

So much has happened the last couple of weeks that it's going to take several posts to get caught up on everything. However the biggest news is that we have finally finished the necessary projects (electric, water, septic system, and back steps)! And after being patient with the bank we were able to sign house papers!! We are official home owners.
Although I have to admit that it is very nerve racking to sign all those paper. I am happy that part is over. After all the work it took to get to this point I have learned that actually owning the home is not a end of "projects" but a life time of "eventual" project. "Eventual" is such a fun word because I have no idea if it means in the next 6 months or next 6 to 60 years. We've already decided to install a wood stove to help heat the home. And would like put in a sidewalk. I'll keep you updated.
I love these pictures of the kids playing in backyard. Having enough dirt for our yard was a great blessing. When the house was placed on the lot it was too high so a huge hole was dug in the backyard to obtain the necessary dirt for the front yard for the delivery of the house. As we were struggling to finish all of the necessary projects we learned that we would not have enough dirt to cover our septic system. We had planned on doing the septic system ourselves to save money but with everything else happening at the time we found it was better to hire someone. I'm glad we did because he did an awesome job and brought in some dirt to finish for us. However we still had a huge hole, and couldn't really do anything about it.
Before the septic system was done a contractor who was working on the city water line stopped and asked if there was any way he could borrow one of our infiltrators (part of the septic system). Apparently he had accidentally run over someone's and was desperate to fix it. I called Brian and he was able to help the guy out. A couple weeks later the contractors wanted to pay us back by giving us the extra dirt from their project. Wow! Now we have all the dirt we could need. It's amazing how things like that work out. And how taking the time to help someone else can allow the Lord to bless you. It really does come back to you ten fold!