The Stucky's

supernoah.

2011-11-02T23:56:00.001-05:00

noah's costume was a bit last minute this year.

if we were all hanging out together and playing that ~~horribly cringe-worthy and unfun torturefest~~ game, 2 truths and a lie, my turn would go something like this...

1. my name is molly.

2. i wanted my son to be Larry from VeggieTales for halloween, because my sweet kiddo is totally obsessed with that crazy cucumber and his veggie friends.

3. i am the most organized and "on top of it" person in the history of mankind. i have matching halloween costumes planned out for my family for the next 30 years.

do i really need to tell you which one is the lie?

hmmmm...thought not.

last week when i realized that halloween was in like...3 days...(say whaaa?)...larry boy became a non-option. shipping was $40. ummm, no thanks. i prefer to keep costs minimal for my least favorite holiday.

jordan went out and found this superman costume and i must admit, at first I was all like, "oh...sure, that's fine."

but once i saw my sweet little superhero, i was super smitten.

being his mama, it's only natural that I think he's the cutest clark kent/superman ever.

i think clark may have been even cuter if we would have cooperated with me and held his "accessories"...the notepad, newspaper and press badge that i made him.

but apparently boys don't accessorize. not even for the sake of halloween. pssshh.

even the glasses were majorly pushing it.

i also wanted to make him a cardboard telephone booth to accompany his superman outfit. but someone (ahem, not naming names) thought that would be unneccessary. and too much work. and considering it was like 11:00 the night before halloween, he was probably right. (reason #13474283 that i love my husband...he gently discourages crazy late night crafting that results in a crazy and sleep deprived wife.)

smart man.

and superman was pretty adorbs all on his own.

even when he got cranky and stripped down to his diaper, in protest.

hope that you all had a happy sweet treats day!

p.s...thank you, dear hubs, for picking an excellent and adorable costume.

p.p.s...and you're probably right. the telephone booth may have been overkill.

Insta-Friday...on Saturday

2011-10-22T23:12:00.001-05:00

1. N's first masterpiece...plopped him inside an empty cardboard box and let him go to town with some new crayons. Fun! There are few things in life better than brand new, super sharp crayons. // 2. Of course, this also led to our first lesson in, "don't eat crayons...yucky." // 3. It's slowly starting to look a little more "fall-y" up in this joint. Hollerrrr. I love Fall! // 4. Mastering those fine motor skills. Workin'. It. Out.

5. Fall wreath goodness. It makes me so happy every time I walk through my front door! // 6. Fun times playing with our buddy, Jack. Who knew sticks were so awesome? Oh, little boys...that's who. // 7. Checkin' out an airplane. // 8. One of the best things about the Fall + Holiday season is the specialty coffees! Thanks to Target for my delicious Pumpkin Pie Spice. It is YUMMY. And much cheaper than my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. And almost as good. Let's be real here, people.

9. I'm super over the moon about being an auntie to TRIPLETS! 2 girls, and a boy, arriving next Spring. YAY! Can't resist the teeny baby clothes. // 10. We are doing some nap experimentation here at our house. One nap or two naps? It's like rocket science. On one nap days someone always falls asleep during lunch. Always. He eats his entire lunch with his eyes closed. So funny and so cute. // 11. Our favorite new ctivity...playing in the (parked and turned off) car. This pictures just kills me because I know someday he will be really driving... like for real. And I'm sure that day will be here before I know it. // 12. Pumpkin crafting with Noah. He was totally underwhelmed. But I had fun.

What did you do this week?

Just a Tuesday.

2011-10-15T16:57:00.001-05:00

Just as a warning, peeps...this post may bore some of you to tears. Seriously, a total boredom meltdown.

I'll admit, it's more for me and for posterity's sake.

Because maybe someday I'll be all like,

"Man, remember when I only had 1 kid? He was so little. And so cute. What did I do all day with that cute and little kid?".

So here it is. An account of a very normal and super typical day with my cute and little kid.

With pictures. Because everything is better with pictures. Boo-yah.

7:15 - We wake up. In the guest room, because someone decided to wake up super duper early, and snuggling up with mama was the only way he would go back to sleep. So, to the guest room we went. And secretly, I am super happy because few things in life are better than snuggling with a sleeping baby.

And my Noah is a major snuggler.

7:45 - Breakfast time. Toast and yogurt. The usual. Nom nom nom.

This is his new face. i. love. it.

8:01 - I stumble to the coffee pot, so that I can, "get my caffeination on". Mornings make me grumpy. True story. I wish they didn't. "How does one go about becoming a morning person?", I wonder. Seriously, that's not a rhetorical question, people.
Someone help a girl out.

8:15 - The grumpies are going away thanks to coffee and some quick reading. I am loving, Jesus Calling. Just what I need in the mornings.

8:16 - Someone is being too quiet. I look down and realize he has decided to help himself to some blueberries. Awesome.

8:17 - Decide that I don't care, because blueberries are ~~full of important antioxidants~~ will buy me a few minutes of uninterrupted reading and coffee drinking. Sweet! Enjoy those blueberries, my friend.

8:30 - We are on our way upstairs to change clothes, when a pickup game of "curtain peek-a-boo" breaks out.

8:31 - Oops, someone tugged the curtain a little too hard.

9:15 - Dressed and out for a stroll around the block. I listen to some Francis Chan on my iPod, while my walking buddy takes in the scenery, and snacks on some goldfish.

10:00 - Back from the walk, and Noah has totally crashed. Guess the morning nap is happening in the stroller today. Not gonna lie, totally wish I could trade places with him.

I use my time very productively, lay on the porch and play some Words with Friends.

10:30 - Awake and time for some play!

Don't ask me why his jeans are unbuttoned/unzipped? No clue, that's just how we roll around here.

Word.

12:00 - 1:30 - Lunch happens...cleaning up happens...diaper changing happens...milk drinking happens...

1:30 - Headed out on the town.

1:48 - Drive by Starbucks. The internal dialogue begins..."Should I stop? Should I not stop? Molly, you are kidding yourself...of course you are going to stop. Puh-lease!". But I have to at least pretend to be conflicted, because that's what a good addict does. Am I right? I may need a part-time job to support my Iced Grande Caramel Macchiato addiction.

1:52 - Drive through the car wash. I think that clean cars are my husbands love language. I am giddy at the prospect of earning some "super awesome wife" points.

2:10 - We go on a safari.

Just kidding. We go to Michaels for fall wreath supplies.

3:15 - Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

We start our pre-nap ritual of milk (yes...in a bottle, thank you very much), reading a book and singing
.

3:20 -While Noah is sleeping, I clean my entire house, fold all my mountains of laundry, bake a delicious cake and solve world hunger.

Just kidding.

I sit my behind on the couch and catch up on the DVR. While crafting.

Did I fool anyone? No? Yeah, I kinda figured:)

3:52 - Someone is up. Sigh...Noah did you know that there are kids out there who nap for HOURS?

Or at least until Castle is over?

Yikes. Not happy. Poor baby.

4:00 to 6'ish -More playing...snack eating...general fun having.

6:00 - I'm working on dinner (tonight is chicken stir-fry) while Noah eats hummus (the kid is a hummus fiend) and Skypes with Grammy. Hi Grammy + Grandpa!

\
7:00ish - Dinner is eaten. The tot snubs the chicken stir-fry and ends up with mac and cheese. I try not to be annoyed, but sometimes I wonder if he will ever just eat what I put in front of him?

Ha. Oh, that's right. He's a toddler. Wishful thinking.

7:30 - Gettin' clean.

8:00 - Last bottle before bed, and then the jammies go on.

8:10 - My favorite time of the day! Book time. I could read book after book after book to this kid. He knows my weakness. And watching him pick out a book and run to me with it, is one of the cutest. things. ever.

8:30 - Goodnight Noah.

8:30-Midnight - Clean the kitchen and bathroom, pick up toys in living room, help Tessa with some homework, watch Glee with Tess and Jordan, waste time on Pinterest.

Midnight'ish. - Goodnight Molly. Why did you stay up so late? You will be so sad tomorrow.

A pretty good day, if you ask me.

we're embracin' the camera.

2011-09-30T00:36:00.002-05:00

growing up, my mom took lots of pictures. lots and lots and lots. we have albums, upon albums, upon albums of family photos.

she was meticulous about them. which is funny. because her pictures were the one thing in our home that she insisted were organized. haha. and all you people who knew her are laughing, because you know that is soooo true.

i'm so thankful that she was so invested in preserving our special moments and memories. she left my sisters and i an incredible gift in those pictures.

we cherish them. even more so now that she is gone. and the pictures that we have with her in them are even more cherished and priceless to us.

as i was cleaning out her house, i found this little framed picture of her and i. i must of been a little younger than noah. still an only child. i can't remember ever seeing it before, but now it's one my favorite things in the world. i keep it on my nightstand and it's one of the first things that i see every morning.

i take lots of pictures of my sweet noah. but i could probably count on my 2 hands, the number of pictures that he and i are in together. sad, sad, sad.

it seems that moms are always the one taking the pictures (awesome), but so rarely get in on the picture action (not awesome).

someday when i'm gone, i want my kid(s) to be able to look back and see lots of pictures of us together. just hanging out, enjoying everyday things. reading. playing. snuggling. being silly. being goofy. even if my hair is a disaster (yeah, that never happens)...or i'm still in my sweats (definitely doesn't happen)...at least i'm there, living in the moment with them and capturing a small piece of our life together.

today i'm linking up with emily at the anderson crew (one of my fave blogs...don't know her in real life but totally wish i did) and embracing the camera. seeing her weekly link up inspires me to capture those special moments with my son, as ordinary as they may seem.

and i hope someday when he is all grown up and maybe i'm not around anymore, they will be a small piece of me and his childhood that he can cherish forever.

so here we are at the KU legends game...where i saw approximately .02 seconds of the basketball game we were there to watch...and instead spent 2 hours chasing an energetic toddler around the concourse. even more fun :)

Insta.JuJu

2011-09-09T11:33:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took a little family outing to one of my faaaave places in Kansas City.

Check. It. Out.

Are you loving it?

Just looking at that picture makes me happy. I love places like this.

It's hip. It's funky. And they have some random shmandom stuff. And lots of awesome stuff. I ALWAYS find ~~something~~ a bazillion things that I want. It's enough of a drive from my house (25'ish minutes) that I can always justify buying something. You know..."well i drove all the way out here, so i have to make it worth the gas". Logical, right? Haha.

This visit, I was drooling over this table. I love the green legs and the distressed look. Sadly, I have no place to put it. My kitchen is inky dinky.

This coffee table very well could have gone home with me...i was debating, when i saw that nasty SOLD tag staring back at me. Booo. I love it and can imagine it painted a fun color, with a chalkboard top. Perfect for a playroom. Which I don't have. But perhaps someday I will.

Jordan was wooed by the sports memorabilia. Which I must admit, was pretty cool.

We went home with some of these - chopped up license plate numbers & letters.

We snagged our wedding anniversary date, of course.

If you are in Kansas City, you should totally check it out. You should know though that it's only open the 1st weekend of the month...friday through sunday (and friday mornings are the prime time to go, but they cuh-ra-zy)...and parking is horrendous (tow trucks are always on the prow!l)...but it's so worth it.

Oh, and you should drive a super huge SUV with lots of room for all your goodies.

Or maybe a semi.

the 1st birthday party.

2011-09-05T01:10:00.002-05:00

this summer we celebrated our sweet 1 year old with a par-tay.

while thinking about how we wanted to celebrate our Noah, we decided we wanted to keep it pretty low key. it's easy for me to get out of control thinking about party details, and trying to plan the "perfect" party. but at the end of the day, it was supposed to be all about Noah! and we did our best to keep it that way. we kept the guest list small - just family, and tried to be super relaxed and just enjoy our day with our awesome birthday boy.

that being sad, i did enjoy creating some of the small details of the party.

and I may have left just a few things to the last minute.

haha, "who me?".

now i'm not saying i did.

but it's totally possible.

but i did get super awful, no-fun sick the week before, so lets just blame my procrastination on that, shall we?

k, thanks.

thankfully, i have super wonderful in-laws and a fabulous brother-in-law and sister-in-law. they came to celebrate, and ended up being my ~~party slaves~~ assistants instead. but i couldn't have done it without all their help, and am SUPER thankful for all of them!

we didn't get too "themey", but stuck with a color combo that i really liked - pool blue and orange. they just look so happy together!

the invitations were semi-homemade. the picture was courtesy of my sister, Anna, and the invitation was ordered from here. but when it came, I decided it could use a little more "pizzazz", so I backed it in some cardstock and scrapbook paper.

and for a few little details...

(noah's first year timeline. awesome idea from this wonderful mama.)

we kept the food super simple. we had a "gourmet hot dog bar", with grilled hotdogs and all kinds of toppings. i wanted to make some things that were "specialties" of my mom and my grandma, since their presence was so greatly missed. i made my mom's sweet pasta salad, and my grandma's potato salad (one of my faaaves). easy peasy.

and of course, what party would be complete without cake?

(the orange straws were one of my absolute favorite party finds and were purchased here. and the bunting is a printable from here.)

one of my favorite party aspects were the "letters to Noah". each guest had a card at their place setting, and we asked them to fill out some of their favorite memories and some hopes/wishes for Noah. they were so fun to read, and we are looking forward to giving them to Noah when he is older.

i think the party was a success and the birthday boy had lots of fun!

(even though I may have had to rub some of that "smash cake" all over his face. i was a little bummed that he didn't go to town on it!)

he was showered with love (and awesome gifts!) from all of our wonderful family.

i can't believe that we have a ONE year old!

it was so fun to celebrate our sweet boy.

Sweet Snaps

2011-09-03T00:18:00.000-05:00

Noah got to have his picture taken by Aunt Anna, this summer.

I know that somewhere deep down inside, he was super excited.

But did he show it?

Yeah, not so much.

Seriously.

The pictures where it looks like he is smiling?

Those were mostly captured mid-whine.

When his little mouth was at least turned up in some sort of, "yeah, i guess that could pass for a smile," look.

Of course, despire a tired and hungry little man, they still turned out totally awesome.

Thank you, Anna, for working your photography magic for us!

say whaaaaat?

2011-08-30T22:28:00.030-05:00

we. are. back.

for realz.

i know! cuh-razy, right?

i hope you'll be happy to know that we are all still alive and kickin' here at the stucky's.

phew.

and just maybe you have been dying to know what we have been up to.

or maybe not, haha.

but if so, here are some summer highlights...

our little man has taken off.

about a month ago, he decided that crawling was sooooo uncool. like so totally last year. its been so fun to watch him master this new skill and start exploring his little world. the journey into toddlerhood has been a fun one.

i'm one proud mama.

my sweet little sister (she would be #3 out of the 5 of us) got married.

she was a drop dead gorgeous bride. seriously, one of the most stunning that i've ever seen.

this picture doesn't do much justice, but her professional pictures are just amazing.

a certain sweet little guy turned ONE! what? how dare he grow up on me?! we had a super fun little shin-dig.

j and i celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary. can I get a "what what"? i didn't even take a picture of us. that's lame. but it happened. and we had fun.

other than that, we have just been playing. swimming in our sweet baby pool. exploring the great outdoors. adventuring around kansas city.

it's been quite a lovely summer.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T22:40:00.003-05:00

This Easter is different and special in a unique way, because it's the first Easter spent without two of the most important women in my life - my mom and my grandma.

BUT. Right now...this very SECOND...they are in Heaven with Jesus. All because His Dad sent him here to earth...to live with stinky men...to be persecuted...to be put to death...to pay for our sins...and to rise again. All for us! AMAZING!

Thank you Jesus for thinking your Dad's plan was cool. And for the Cross. And for making it possible for us to spend eternity with You.

This is one of my fave fave fave songs.

My favorite part...

Oh death, where is your sting?
Oh hell, where is your victory?
Oh Church, come stand in the light,
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive!

HE'S ALIVE, PEOPLE!!

And here's Noah, sporting this year's "Easter casual" look. Would you believe that I didn't get one cute shot of him in his whole Easter outfit? Way to go, mom!

Don't worry. I made him put on pants to go to church. (And a diaper too).

Happy Easter!

Random Shmandom

2011-04-22T23:31:00.006-05:00

I have a small problem with buying awesome/secondhand/thrifted things and make them awesome-r. Junk just calls to me. It says,

"Mooooolllly....buuuuy me....take me hoooome....paint meeee....i just want somebody to looooove me!"

And how could I say no? Spray paint is the best invention in the world. I just bought this mirror at Goodwill. It will be delightful in our bedroom, on our dresser. After a fresh coat of paint, of course.

I have about a million DIY/craft projects going on right now. Seriously. A million. I am excited to do something with these later. I heart color.

I think I have the world's cutest child. I know, I'm a little biased. But I just gotta put that out there.

Also - who knew mixing bowls could be so entertaining?

I am loving, loving, loving the arrival of spring. Noah & I have spent lots of time outside on walks, at the park and just straight up chillaxin'. We like to put a blanket out on the lawn and read books and blow bubbles. Fun!

I'm OBSESSED with Pinterest. Like hardcore. Obsessed. I love pinning things. I love repinning things. I need an intervention. Just ask my husband. He is probably sick of hearing how amazing I think it is.

We had these for dinner last night. I thought they were yum, especially with the Cilantro Lime Dressing. Cilantro = Super Awesome Yummy Amazing-ness. Tonight we are having these. All their recipes look sooooo good.

And that's all I got.

Happy Good Friday, everyone!

Paint Date

2011-04-19T22:52:00.005-05:00

Today Noah and I had a paint date.

He had himself a little fingerpaintin' fun with yogurt.

And mommy painted her latest DIY project.

It was fun.

Also, today was "flip flops + favorite old hoodie + jeans weather".

Those are the best kind of days.

Our Day: Instagrammed

2011-04-17T22:08:00.005-05:00

9 months

2011-03-29T12:56:00.003-05:00

Oh, my sweet little Noah boy.

You are NINE months old today!!

I can't believe that you have been out of my tummy for as long that you were in it.

Crazy.

You are a BUSY boy at 9 months old!

Here's what you are up to:

You are crawling like a wild man! In the last few weeks you have really taken off and have gotten so much faster. Long gone are the days where I could set you down and you would stay in one place - sometimes I miss those days! HA!

You love to pull up on things, especially the fireplace and the coffee table.

You have 3 teeth and have been working on a 4th for the longest time. It's a nasty little booger that just won't poke through.

You are still such a good little eater. On top of nursing and bottles, you are eating yogurt for breakfast, a fruit for lunch, and a veggie and protein for dinner. You also just started eating puffs, and have a little snack every afternoon. I'm trying to get you used to sippy cups during snack time, but we haven't had much success.

You have recently learned to clap and it is cute, cute, cute!

You wear size 3 diapers, and 6-9 month clothes.

Your sleeping at night got really bad...then lots better...and now it is back to so-so. You usually wake up 2x at night and need to be soothed or nursed back to sleep. I think it's because your little toothy is bugging you. Poor baby.

You aren't a super fan of the paci these days. I'm kinda glad because I don't want to have to wean you off of it someday.

It seems that you have dropped your third nap of the day. Most days you take only two naps, a shorter morning nap, and a longer one in the afternoon.

You love to play with anything that is not a toy...keys, remotes, laptop power cords, cell phones. Silly guy.

You are slowly getting used to the nursery at church. You usually freak out for little while and have a few little outbursts throughout - but I think after a few more weeks, you will be a pro!

You love it when I wear you in the Moby wrap. I think you could spend hours in there, but wearing you around for too long is tough for Momma's back!

You are sunshine + sweetness + Daddy and I love, love, love you so!

Oh Hello

2011-03-24T23:40:00.003-05:00

We're still here.

Just so you know.

Childproofing 101

2011-02-18T22:01:00.005-06:00

Yo Parents.

Need some suggestions for corraling your little tots while you do your oh-so important adult activities?

Perhaps while you are getting ready in the morning? Doing the dishes? Sitting around eating bon-bon's?

{{By the way, what exactly ARE bon-bon's?}}

I thought housewives were supposed to sit around eating bon-bon's all day? However, I have yet to be offered one. I feel left out. Just sayin'.

Anyways.

Looking for child wrangling solutions?

Some ideas for you...

Works like a charm.

Happy Things on a Thursday

2011-02-17T22:04:00.011-06:00

In honor of the warm, happy, sunshine-y day outside, here are the things bringing a little *happy*happy*joy*joy* to my life today.

My favorite-est flowers in the world. From the wonderful Mr. Stucky, of course. What a dreamy husband.

Sonic happy hour. And I'd like to point out the coffee cup in the background, and the grande Starbuck's cup sitting next to my 32 oz. of Coke. Caffeine addict? I think yes.

Cupcakes! Can you say, "Y to the ummmmy"??

An unexpected surprise from the hubs. I was a Magic Bullet hater for way too long. I repent of my hating ways! Kitchen gear is the way to my heart.

A shopping trip with my favorite baby in the whole world.

What do I not love so much today?

The fact that a certain almost 8 month old baby I know and adore, absolutely refuses to sleep in his crib - and for the last few weeks has decided it would be sweet and awesome to wake up every 2 hours.

NOT COOL BABY!

Good thing you are cute.

my valentines

2011-02-14T22:25:00.003-06:00

i have major hearts for these guys.

one makes my heart pitter-patter.

and the other one makes me wanna smoosh his cheeks and be all like, "awwwwwww".

they are both neat.

and i love them.

Dreaming About...

2011-02-02T21:31:00.013-06:00

Craft rooms.

Lovely, gorgeous, dreamy craft rooms.

I used to have a craft room. Back in the day. It was pretty super.

Even though it had cement floors and icky wood paneling.

But it was mine and I loved having my own space to play and create.

This is where I get to create for now...while all my stuff is packed up in tubs, & totes until we move again soon.
Awesome, right? I'm glad I just have a space to do what I love...even if it's just a little table :)

I'm getting ready to start on a certain sweet little guy's baby book.

And someday...I will have an awesome craft room again.

I'm totally loving these right now.

From here

Noah vs. The Snow

2011-02-01T23:01:00.005-06:00

It came.

He saw.

He tasted.

He no likey.

Seven Months

2011-01-29T22:20:00.001-06:00

Happy 7 months, dear, sweet, baby Noah!!!!!

What's up at 7 months?

You have a tooth! I love your toothy little smile. It's adorable! (But surprisingly sharp!)

You love to practice "walking" with mommy or daddy holding your hands and supporting you.

You often "assume the position" to crawl, but have never really attempted. Probably because you think being on your tummy is pretty much the worst thing ever, and always roll over to your back within a few seconds.

We started giving you bathes in a Rubbermaid tub. Seriously. I thought that playing "water tub" (filling up a little Rubbermaid tub with warm water and your bath toys), might be a good way to acclimate you to water, thus helping you enjoy your bathes. One day, on a whim, I decided to plunk you into the tub- and you didn't scream your sweet little head off! Whatever works. We may have just solved all our bath problems. (Everyone reading, please knock on wood, cross all your fingers, toes, eyeballs, & say a little prayer).

You might be the only 7 month in the world that still sleeps swaddled. Eh.

You are such a good eater! You eat fruit for lunch everyday, and a veggie + some cereal for dinner. So far you've tried sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans, carrots, avocado, apples, pears, bananas, prunes, peaches & cherries. Yumz.

Nothing is safe when it's within your reach! Whenever I sit you down, you immediately start eyeballing your surroundings, looking for something to grab (or chew on).

You love playing with your toys - but some of your favorite things to play with are plastic water bottles, anything made of paper, the tv remote & my phone. A box of Kleenex can keep you occupied for a good 20 minutes, and the tags on your stuffed animals often intrigue you way more than the actual animal. Silly baby!

You have pulled yourself up in your crib and in the pack n' play, a couple of times. A little scary, not gonna lie.

You have awesome hair. It sticks straight up in the back and it's so stinkin' amazing. My hair did the same thing when I was a baby, and I love that yours does too!

You have turned into quite the little "snacker". You never nurse for very long periods, you'd rather eat a little, and get on with your life. Too much fun stuff to see and do, I guess.

You love to babble, babble, babble. I love your sweet little noises! You've also become a big fan of making "spit" noises with your mouth. Not as sweet when that mouth is filled with baby food.

You looove your feet and like to lay on your back, and hold onto your little piggies.

You bring so much joy + sunshine into our lives, and you are SO loved and adored!

Oh, and a big shout-out to my favorite state, Kansas, celebrating the big 1-5-0 today. Thanks for being super awesome and giving us things like Sunflowers, the guy who invented peanut butter, and the world's largest ball of twine. What, what? Hollerrrr.*

*I've had entirely too much coffee today.

Random Shtuff

2011-01-28T21:54:00.009-06:00

I'm just crazy about this sweet little guy. LOVE HIM!

This may be one of my favorite new pictures. The look on Noah's face makes me chuckle. "GEE WHIZ, she is kissing me AGAIN!" And he has a boogie hanging out of his nose. Classic.

N''s been practicing his b.ball skillzzzz. He's got mad ups.

Yesterday I made an Italian Cream Cake. Oh. Yum. But does anyone know the secret to beautifully frosted cakes? It's a talent that seems to escape me.

Do you find it annoying when mom's buy their children clothes that promote their own awesomeness? Sometimes I do. But I couldn't resist this little tee. I do rock sometimes.

I'm looking for some new books to read. Any suggestions?

Noah will be SEVEN months tomorrow! Only 5 months left to plan his 1st birthday. I'm loving the idea of a little man party. I adore the parties they feature on Ohdeedoh!

And that's all the randomness I have for tonight. Goodnight!

Today in Pictures

2011-01-19T21:37:00.009-06:00

Baby Yums

2011-01-07T23:10:00.011-06:00

Noah and I were baby food makin' machines today.

I am really enjoying making his baby food.

It's so fun!

At first I wasn't so sure that homemade baby food was for us. It sounded like too much work. But seriously - it's so easy!

And I love knowing exactly what goes into Noah's little tummy. (I have been so convicted lately about how obsessed I am about his nutrition..but how little I seem to care about my own at times? Definitely something to think about!)

My awesome aunt just gave us this book (hi, Aunt Susie!) and it has so many yummy looking ideas. I'm excited to try out more recipes in the upcoming months, when we move beyond the simple purees. We also have this book, and I've spent lots of time browsing this website. They have all been super resources.

Today we made applesauce, pears, and prunes. Which sound much lovelier when you call them dried plums...wouldn't you agree?

We cut...we steamed...we blended...we froze. Easy. Peasy. Lemon. Squeezy.

And just so you know, pants are always optional, when making your own baby food.

In case you were wondering :)

Any other mama's make their own baby food? Any tips or favorite recipes you want to pass on?

youmustmakethis.

2011-01-06T22:36:00.012-06:00

Seriously.

You must make this.

And then gobble it up.

And then love me forever, for giving you the recipe.

I kid :)

But really - it's good!

Don't let the overwhelming veggie-ness, scare you away. It scared me at first, too. But now it's a family favorite. We make this at nearly every family gathering, holiday, etc.

This is the shhhtuff you need:

1 can corn, 1 can black beans, green pepper, green onion, cilantro, limes, cumin, garlic salt.
(I was making a double batch, hence the extra corn + beans)

Oh, and it helps if you have an adorable sous chef, by your side.

First you drain your corn...then rinse & drain the black beans.
Combine them in a large bowl.

Dice up green pepper (or red, if you so desire...red is prettier...green is cheaper!), green onions and some cilantro (yum! isn't cilantro the best??)

Add your veggie goodness to the corn and black bean mixture.

Add 1/4 c. lime juice. (And pretty, pretty please...use real lime juice. Trust me. I think it is supremely better!)

Add 2t. cumin and a sprinkle of garlic salt.

Mix it all up and serve with tortillas chips. Enjoy!

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed + drained
1 can corn, drained
3/4 c. green or red pepper, diced
1/2 c. green onion, chopped
1/3 c. cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 t. cumin
dash of garlic salt

the yarn wreath.

2011-01-04T22:03:00.006-06:00

I am super loving my latest diy creation.

Totally not my idea.

I wish it was. But I do love piggy backing on other people's awesome + creative ideas!

I saw it on this lovely little blog. How awesome is she?

And now I am OBSESSED with making these little felt flowers! So so cute. And so so easy.

I added some rhinestone embellishments and a cute little glittered friend... just to give it a little extra pizazz. And because, you know, we are all about the bling bling here at the Stucky's.

I want to make a million of these. They are so much fun!

Whattup new year?

2011-01-02T22:36:00.007-06:00

Hello there, 2011.

It's so nice to see you.

Let's just say that 2010 was a weirdzy year.

There was much celebration + happiness.

There was much mourning + sadness.

It was a horrible year in so many ways. Yet joyous in so many others.

I guess we've never had a year with such emotional extremes.

Our family has clung tightly to Jesus this year.

And that is good.

But still, I'm glad you are gone, 2010.

And now here we are.

2011.

And there are lots of uncertainties facing us.

Seriously.

I am reading this wonderful book, from a dear friend.

And while reading, I stumbled across these Bible verses.

'I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Misery has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within. But I am trusting You, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!" My future is in your hands'
Psalm 31: 10, 14-15

That's me.

Totally.

I feel sad.

Some days I feel miserable.

But God knows.

He knows all about my grief.

He catches all my tears.

And he totally knows what this year has in store for us.

I am so thankful for that.

So bring it on 2011.

Because we are in Good Hands!

6 months

2010-12-29T22:40:00.008-06:00

Noah, you are SIX MONTHS old today!

Holy cow cookies.

Half a year.

You are just growing so fast, little man.

If I'm being real with you all, I must confess that I used to roll my eyes at those mama's that said things like, "my baby is growing up too fast...where did the time go?..they are growing up before my eyes...blah, blah, blah".

But now that I'm a mom, it's turns out - it's true! Kids grow fast.

WHO KNEW?!?!

Noah, here's what you are up to at 6 months...

You loooove your baby food. So far sweet potatoes and butternut squash have both gotten two big thumbs up, but peas have gotten giant thumbs DOWN. Those pesky peas. Don't worry, I don't like them either.

You sit like a champ and very rarely topple over these days. You still hate to be on your tummy.

Squealing is your new favorite pastime and boy, you are LOUD! It's so funny to watch you discover your voice and the fun things you can do with it.

You think it's soooo funny when people blow raspberries on your tummy and your neck! You also go nuts when we pretend to "eat" your hands or your feet. I love your little giggle, it is just adorable.

You love it when daddy hangs you upside down, and when he helps you "stand up" on your own. You are a total daddy's boy!

We had our first "sick"day. Poor baby. You were a trooper, even though you had a little fever and were throwing up. Sad day.

You have quite the variety of nicknames, most which are some variation of "schno". My current favorite thing to call you is my little schnoball!

You like to chew. Anything. Nothing is safe.

You are suddenly interested in your pacifier. You've been pretty ho-hum about it up until now. But all of a sudden, paci is your buddy.

Inconsistency is the name of the game when it comes to your sleep habits. You generally go to bed between 8 and 9, but wake up anywhere from 1 - 8 times at night. And you always wake up at least once within the first hour - usually in the first 20'ish minutes. We are up in the mornings between 7 and 8:30.

You are getting so curious! Sometimes I forget that I have to be careful about where I set you down (and exactly what is in your reach)! We have had a few near-accidents.

Last night I was rocking you to sleep and thinking about what a blessing it is to be your mama. I can't believe that God has entrusted us with something so precious and special; it's overwhelming to think about the responsibility that we have as your parents. We love you so much; He loves you even more.

Happy "halfway to one year" birthday, little Schno Baby!!

o little Christmas tree

2010-12-03T23:28:00.007-06:00

I love to decorate for the Christmas season.

But sadly, our little nest is looking rather unChristmas-y this year.

Because all of our Christmas doo-dads are boxed up and currently living in the basement at Jordan's parents house.

Along with a good chunk of the rest of our earthly possessions.

When we moved, we just didn't have room for lots of our stuff.

So there will be very little Christmas decorating going on here at the Stucky's this year.

But we just couldn't go treeless.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce our Christmas Tree 2010...

Cute, huh?

Thanks, Target, for bringing a little bit of Christmas cheer to our home.

And on a semi-related note, here is a picture of our angelic son, so excited to be photographed for our Christmas card...

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a ticked off baby.

Thursday, December 2nd

2010-12-02T23:05:00.008-06:00

Our day in pictures.

Goodnight.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T17:14:00.004-06:00

Better late than never, right? :)

I love Thanksgiving.

But this year was...different.

Noah's first Thanksgiving...but the first Thanksgiving without our mom. Totally bittersweet.

It was a good day... even though it was sad at times.

There was yummy food. Like these delicious pumpkin waffles, topped with yummy cranberry butter. Mom used to make them every Thanksgiving morning. My sisters and I decided to continue the tradition.

The Macy's parade. I love the Parade.

Lots of fun times and laughing with family. They are pretty wonderful.

Noah was a great little helper while GiGi was working a puzzle.

This Thanksgiving I am very thankful for Jesus.

And extra thankful for heaven.

And of course for this sweet baby.

What a blessing he is!

And now we can check one more thing off the list of "firsts" that we have to experience without Mom. Thanksgiving...check. And now onto Christmas...

I can't believe it's already December 1st?!?!

5 months

2010-11-29T22:57:00.007-06:00

Our dear, sweet Noah is five months old today!

That means he is only one month away from 6 months...

and being halfway to 1 year old.

Yikes.

Mama isn't ready for that.

I say it all the time...but WHERE have the last 5 months gone?

I seriously feel like we just brought him home from the hospital.

Noah, here what's shakin' at 5 months old...

You are sitting up on your own! A few weeks ago you started sitting for a few seconds on your own, "tripod style" and then toppling over. But in the last week or two you have totally gotten the hang of it! You wobble a bit at times, but you rarely fall. I think you like being independent, and love being able to reach for toys and play on your own.

You are discovering your voice and all the fun noises you can make with it. So cute!

We've finally gotten the hang of earlier bedtimes...you are usually ready for bed between 9:00 and 9:30 which is SUCH a welcome change.

You love Sophie. What a funny toy. Seriously - I'm convinced it's just an overpriced dog toy. But her little legs and ears are great for chomping on and you love it! It's so fun to watch you become interested in your toys. You also like to look at books which just tickles me to pieces. I hope reading is important in your life!

I'm afraid that I'm helping you to learn bad sleep habits. I never ever lay you down to nap and I always rock or nurse you to sleep. You nap on my chest all the time...I just love snuggling with you! I probably need to start laying you down...but someday you won't be my little boy...you will be my big boy...and you won't want to snuggle with me. I want to take advantage of the snuggles while I can!

You still sleep swaddled, and in the Rock + Play at night. I'm afraid to move you to your crib. Oh so afraid. I think we will have some rough nights...I know it must be done eventually..but not yet :)

Let's just assume that you will never like to take a bath. Okay? If I set the bar low, someday I will be pleasantly surprised when you don't scream your head off. Deal? Deal.

I think you are becoming more aware of who is holding you...you have had a couple of meltdowns when someone else holds you and mom and dad aren't right there next to you. My poor grandma thinks that you hate her because lately you throw a little fit when she holds you. Silly baby!

You started rice cereal last night! I originally wanted to wait until 6 months...but you were sitting so well...seemed a little bit hungrier...and were VERY interested in mom and dad's food. I think we will start purees in a week or so - I've decided to make your baby food and have had lots of fun looking up yummy recipes for you:)

You wear 3-6 month clothes and a couple weeks ago, moved up to size 3 diapers. At your 4 month appointment (which was really more like 4 1/2 months) you were 16.2 lbs. and 25 1/4 inches long. Your head is in the 90th percentile, while your height/weight were both in the 50th. Your head must be extra large to accommodate all those brains you have in there :)

You are delightful, my son, and we love, love, love and adore you to pieces.

Yumminess

2010-11-24T00:23:00.012-06:00

I have big puffy heart love for Paula Deen. How can anybody not like her food? Butter? Yes please. Heavy cream? Sign me up.

Girlfriend knows her comfort food.

I love her Tastes Like Lasagna Soup. It is one of my all-time fave meals and it is simple, simple, simple. And Yum to the max.

*photo from here*

I made a batch for dinner tonight and if you are ever in need of a yummy soup for chilly fall/wintery days...this is it!

Tastes like Lasagna Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. thyme
1 T. packed brown sugar
32 oz. chicken broth (I usually add 48 oz.)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. salt
2 c. broken lasagna noodles
2 c. shredded mozzarella

Garlic Crostini
1 French baguette
1/2 c. evoo
2 cloves of smashed garlic
salt + pepper

Combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in large dutch oven. Cook over medium-ish heat for 8-10 minutes, until the beef is browned. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the lasagna noodles and simmer until the noodles are tender.

To make the Garlic Crostini: Slice baguette; brush with evoo and sprinkle with salt + pepper to taste. Bake @ 350 for 15-ish minutes. Rub smashed garlic cloves on crostini.

Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls and sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Top with Garlic Crostini.

Eat.

Fall in Love.

It is Yum.

Sweet hair, dude

2010-11-22T11:26:00.006-06:00

It's chilly here today.

So that means...

awesome stocking cap hair!

Five things for Friday

2010-11-19T21:53:00.008-06:00

Because I have nothing else to say today, here are 5 things that you may not know about little old moi...

1. I think that pretty much anything tastes better when you drink it out of a coffee mug. Except coffee. That tastes better out of a Starbucks cup. And it must have a sleeve. Otherwise it's just not as good.

2. When I'm alone in my car, I like to listen to slightly obnoxious and inappropriate rap music. Nothing current. Only the oldies that remind me of my college dorm room dance parties.

I liked to get down.

3. This fountain is the reason I did not go to college at KU.

In 4th grade my class went on a field trip to KU. Word on the street was that they threw you in the fountain on your birthday. NAKED. That didn't fly with me.

NOBODY THROWS THIS GIRL INTO A FOUNTAIN IN HER BIRTHDAY SUIT.

I spent lots of time wondering about the logistics of this...KU must have hundreds of students, how do they get to everyone?? How do they know where you live? What if you lock your door and refuse to leave your house on your birthday? What if you tell your parents? Wouldn't they get mad at KU?

I vowed I would never go to school there.

And come to find out. It's not true.

4. I am obsessed with the cleanliness of my son's ears. It's strange. I'm always picking at them and making sure they are ick-free. I am also obsessed with popping people's toes. Just ask Jordan. Or my sisters. Lucky for Noah, I've given him a reprieve from the toe popping until he reaches a more appropriate toe-popping age. But someday...Noah does something naughty? Forget grounding. Forget timeout. Mom is going to sit on you and pop your toes. Muaaaahaha.

5. I am terrible at directions. Both driving directions and the actual cardinal directions. As in, Never Eat Soggy Waffles. Jordan can ALWAYS tell you which direction you are facing. He could tell you which direction East is while in a new town...standing on his head...blindfolded...and being pelted with marshmallows. Me? I'm clueless. Always.

The End.

Pajama Snuggle Fun Day

2010-11-18T16:03:00.007-06:00

Today is Mom & Noah's day of Pajama Snuggle Fun!

Lately it seems like we have been going. And going. And going. And going.

Nonstop.

So this morning I decided that today would be a day for staying in our jammies...snuggling together...and having fun Mom and Noah style.

No errands...no laundry...no cleaning...no packing up the house...no life insurance or other paperwork...just fun!

We did some early morning Bumbo-ing...while mom did the crossword and drank some coffee...had some playtime...took a couple of naps...made some hot chocolate...and now I think we may snuggle down and watch a movie.

Good day.

My, what cute booties you have!

2010-11-10T23:07:00.012-06:00

Noah has some cute booties.

As in shoes. Not as in his tooshy.

Although, I think his tooshy is quite cute and scrumptious.

Just sayin'.

They were a gift from Grammy & Grandpa. I like to call them...

Grandparent bait.

Because only a grandparent can buy cute and adorable things like this for baby. Mom and Dad are too busy spending their money on practical things...like diapers...and clothes...and all that baby jazz that tends to drain the wallet. Why is it that little people are so expensive?!?

Enter grandparents...to buy all those adorable things that Mom and Dad can't!

I love these chunky monkey legs. Be still my heart.

Thanks Grammy & Grandad for the cute boots! I want Noah to wear them all day, every day...with jammies...with onesies...with overalls...in the bathtub...to bed...

You get the idea.

It's Tough Bein' A Cow...

2010-11-02T23:53:00.022-05:00

Why is little Noah so upset?

Because....

wait for it...

he has mad cow disease.**

**Disclaimer: No little cow was harmed in the making of this post. He was promptly cuddled and snuggled by mama :)

Moo

2010-10-31T15:47:00.007-05:00

Happy Halloween from our cute little cow!

Noah's Digs

2010-10-30T13:05:00.048-05:00

This is the view from the door. We don't have a "theme" for the nursery...just lots of blues and greens...and all for cheap! Yes, inexpensive was definitely the name of the game. We did lots of little DIY projects and repurposed many items from other areas of the house.

Noah's little cube shelf. I made chalkboard tags for the bins; they hold some toys, blankies, and stuffed animals.

Unfortunately, this is the only window in his room. We live in the basement, so windows are scarce! The green & blue pom-poms were made by the lovely Tami - adore them! I whipped up the bunting with some scrapbook paper because I didn't have any blue/green fabrics handy.

I looked EVERYWHERE for a dresser to refinish and use as a changing table. I never ended up finding exactly what I wanted, so we improvised and used my great grandma's old dresser. We sanded it down, painted it white, and added some new hardware. She was really special to me, and having something that belonged to her makes me happy. The mirror above the dresser was a garage sale find and has been painted at least 3 different colors since it came to live with us :) I think it will stay blue/green...at least for now:) You can see a little peek of the closet curtains...we decided to do curtains in lieu of closet doors for an extra punch of color.

I wanted something fun for above the crib, but didn't want anything heavy that might fall off the wall or get pulled down by curious little hands. I bought a huge piece of foam board, cut it into 10x10 squares and covered them with fun papers. Easy. Cheap. And I like how they turned out. The mobile was a quick diy project made a few weekends ago, and inspired by these fun garlands (LOVE her blog)! I wanted to use felt for the circles, but the Hob Lobs was seriously lacking any cute colors, so I resorted to cardstock.

We spend lots of time rocking in the glider and reading books. It belonged to my mama and she used to rock her babies there too. It makes me so happy that I can rock mine there now.

The "Reading is Cool" print is from here. Love her stuff. I made the elephant print and the N, out of what else...scrapbook paper:)

Noah's bookshelf with all our fun books! I really hope that he loves to read someday. We read a book everynight as part of our bedtime routine. The vintage chalkboard is one of my favorite finds, from Good JuJu.

And of course, the tour wouldn't be complete without a cameo from the little guy who lives here!

The room is still a bit of a work in progress. I want to add some more pictures, and paint his little rocking chair a fun color. He may or may not be in college by the time I actually get around to doing those things. Eh, I have good intentions!

Thanks for checking out our little man's room!

Noah { 4 months }

2010-10-30T00:24:00.006-05:00

Noah, you are 4 months old today!

Where has my squishy faced little newborn gone?

You have been up to lots the past few weeks...

You just started rolling from your tummy to your back. You are SO proud of yourself - it's adorable!

You've finally gotten the hang of tummy time. No more crying and burying your face into the ground...you like to hold yourself up like a big boy!

I think we might start wearing 3-6 month clothes in the next few days. You are wearing size 2 diapers.

You drool like a crazy man and want to put EVERYTHING in your mouth. Sometimes you have trouble getting things there and you get MAD. You don't like to play on your play mat anymore because the toys don't quite reach all the way to your mouth.

This is your favorite toy right now. Whenever you are fussy and we turn it on, you immediately stop crying and just stare. You also like Sophie the giraffe, but sometimes you have a hard time holding onto her.

Bathtime...well...let's just not go there. Someday, my son, you will enjoy your bath. Right? Hopefully? Please?

We finally moved you into your nursery to sleep at night.You are still sleeping in the Rock n' Play...just not next to our bed anymore. It was sad at first (even though you are literally like 7 steps away from me) and I checked on you about a million times that first night...but now I think that we all get a much better night's sleep.

You still get swaddled to sleep. You sleep so much better when swaddled. What will we do when we outgrow our Swaddleme blankets? Hopefully by then you will get the hang of un-swaddled sleeping...

You love to look at yourself in the mirror and flash yourself a big grin! You also love getting smooches from mom and dad!

Your future wife was born this week. Oh, have I not told you that I am arranging your marriage? Well she looks like a doll. I'm sure you will love her! :)

You are quite the night owl. I wonder where you get that from...surely not from your mother :) Okay...you definitely get it from your mother. You don't like to go to bed until 11:oo'ish. Lately you have been sleeping about 6 or 7 hours...waking up to eat...going back to bed for a couple more hours...waking up to eat again...and going back to bed for another hour or so. Your sleeping is getting SO much better!

You take an hour'ish long morning nap, a two'ish hour long afternoon nap, and several little catnaps throughout the day.

You still love your bumbo seat and have started to spend a little time in your walker. Dad loves to put you in the Bumbo and then hide you from me, in some ridiculous place...like on top of the fridge...or on the top shelf of the closet. It's very amusing to find you in these strange places.

Noah, daddy and I think you are a JOY! The first four months have been really good...but really hard too. Not just because I've been adjusting to being a new mommy...but also because of losing my own mom. Most days I feel sad. Some days I feel stressed. Lots of days I feel like I am losing my mind. But your sweet little smile can always brighten my day and bring me a little sunshine when life is gloomy. You are so special and I LOVE being your mommy!

*Tomorrow Noah will be giving a VIP tour of his crib. Here is a sneak peek... :)

Last October 25th...

2010-10-25T12:35:00.005-05:00

We found out I was pregnant with Noah.

I had just been feeling a little off. So I took a pregnancy test. That was nothing out of the ordinary. I used to be The Girl Who Cried "Pregnant".

I felt the slightest weird twinge? I must be pregnant. I had a stomachache? Oh, definitely pregnant. You get the idea.

So at midnight on a Sunday night, after a late night drive home from Kansas City...I took a test. Just to put my mind at ease. Confirm to myself that I was definitely not pregnant. Without telling Jordan. Only because I knew he would roll his eyes and make fun of me (and rightly so).

It was positive.

To say that I "freaked out" would be the understatement of the year. I told Jordan. He freaked out. We drove to the store to buy every brand of home pregnancy test under the sun. We had to be sure.

I took 7 tests that night. Yes...7.

Seven positive pregnancy tests leaves little room for doubt...but I went to the doctor the next morning and she confirmed. Definitely pregnant!

We were terrified...excited...joyful...nervous wrecks. I didn't want to breathe wrong, for fear of losing the baby. We weren't planning on starting our family right then...but we were THRILLED that God changed our plans for us.

And now a year later, I am typing this while holding a beautiful, snoozing, little baby boy.

Oh how things change.

We are so so blessed and I can't imagine our lives any other way!

Smart Baby

2010-10-14T17:59:00.005-05:00

This evening Noah and I had a very serious conversation.

It was brought about by the KU vs. K-State football game tonight.

"Noah, are you going to go to college at KU?"

Crickets.

"Noah, are you going to go to college at K-State?"

Heck yes I am, Mom!

3 months old and already so wise.

(Oh, and just ignore the KU bib...it was his Father's doing!)

Who knew?

2010-10-10T22:22:00.006-05:00

Alright all you former Sunday school'ers out there.
Sing along with me...

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

And now onto the next verse...

Hide it under a bushel, NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? NO!
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine let it shine.

What's that you say? Those aren't the words? Well up until yesterday, if you'd asked me to sing that sweet little ditty...those are the exact words I would sing.

Apparently I have been singing it WRONG for the past 26 years.

As I belted out this song to Noah yesterday, my wise husband informed me of my heathen ways.

Our conversation went something like this...

J: "Did you just say, 'Hide it under a bushel'???"
M: "Uh...duh. Those are the words."
J: "No! It's hide it under a BUSH, OH NO!"
M: "No way. I've been singing that song for 26 years."
J: "Trust me. I know these things. My mom is a Sunday school teacher."

A visit with Mr. Google confirmed that Jordan was indeed correct. Dang. I hate it when that happens.

I must admit that Jordan's version makes much more sense. As a child I always wondered...what exactly is a bushel? Isn't it some abstract form of measurement? How can one hide something under it? I was puzzled. But hey...it was Sunday school. Far be it from me to question the musical stylings of the church.

Yet this unexpected revelation leaves me with so many unanswered questions.

How many other Sunday school favorites did I butcher? Does Father Abraham really have many sons? Or does he have twenty nuns?

Were other Sunday school children aware of my faux pas? Was I the laughing stock of the childrens ministry?

Oh the shame.

For Auntie Melissa :)

2010-10-04T18:29:00.012-05:00

Noah { Three Months }

2010-09-30T23:44:00.006-05:00

Little N turned a whopping 3 months old on Wednesday! CRAZY CAKES!

Where have the past 3 months gone?

Sigh.

Noah, here is what you are up to at 3 months...

THE BIG QUESTION that everyone is asking is, "Does he sleep through the night?" And right now the answer would be a resounding...no. We are usually up 2-3 times a night (sometimes more). But that's okay! You are only 3 months old. If you aren't successfully sleeping through the night by the time you are 18...then I will worry. But for now...just do what you do, little man :)

You still like to nurse every 2 - 2.5 hours during the day. You tend to be what I would call a "grazer". You like little meals throughout the day. The pediatrician said you can start solids next month...but the jury is still out on that one. We may wait till 5 or 6 months. That just sounds like something for...gulp...old babies. Sniff sniff.

You are wearing size 0-3 month clothes, and size 1-2 diapers.

You recently discovered your hands and you LOVE to try and suck on them. It's so adorable to watch you try to get them to your mouth!

You are slowly becoming more interested in toys. You love to look at the toys on your play gym and especially love staring at yourself in the mirror.

You like to suck on people's noses. Weirdzies. It's funny for now...but maybe that's another behavior you should kick before you turn 18, okay?

You really like it when Mommy sings to you! (Okay, I may be humoring myself here). But you do at least smile when I do it. There is a good chance that it's more of a "Sheesh Mom, you are so weird!" smile, and less of a "Woohoo Mom, this is so fun!" smile. My favorite songs to sing to you are "Skinamarinky Dinky Dink", and "You Are My Sunshine".

Speaking of smiles, yours is just adorable. It totally melts me.

You really like to sit in your Bumbo chair and it is a HUGE lifesaver for Mom. As much as I love snuggling you, it's nice to be able to put you down for a minute to fold laundry or cook dinner!

You still get swaddled at night and for your long afternoon nap.

I swear, your eyelashes have grown a mile in the last month. They are so long and gorgeous, just like your daddy's. Unfair. You boys have no idea what I would do for eyelashes like yours!

You are back to your old bath time habits. I thought for a short while that there was hope for you because your screaming seemed to subside for a couple months. But now it's back... with a vengeance.

You love to go on walks and sit outside on the porch swing.

You think tummy time is the worst. I hate making you do it because you just totally lose your cool. So we don't do it as much as we probably should. Eh. You will get the hang of it eventually!

Of course, we still think you are the sweetest and wonderful-est baby in the world and we just love you to pieces, Noah Jordan!

Adventures in Parenting

2010-09-26T23:16:00.006-05:00

Check out this adorable and angelic little squirt...

He is the picture of sweetness. But looking at this picture, I'll bet you'd never guess that we'd just experienced the phenomenon known to parents everywhere as a good ol' "up the back poop". For those of you unfamiliar with the science of baby bodily functions, an "up the back poop" is exactly what it sounds like. A poop so powerful...so explosive...that it shoots out of the diaper and up baby's back. Charming, huh?

Even Noah agrees that it's troublesome.

Oh the joys of parenting.

This particular poop incident happened this morning...while visiting a new church...in the Mother/Baby room...while N was lying on a WHITE couch. (Public service announcement to churches everywhere...white furniture in your Mother/Baby room is probably to be discouraged). So there was little old me, staring in horror at this giant poop stain. Mind you...at a church where I know absolutely nobody. Awesome.

I honestly considered covering it up with a throw pillow and making a run for it. Mexico...Canada...anywhere with sensible beige or brown couches in their Mother/Baby room!

But my conscience got the best of me. Dang that conscience.

I tracked down a very nice usher...who tracked down a very nice janitor...who scrubbed the poo out of the couch.

They were very cool about it.

I'm so glad that if we visit that church again in the future, I can be known as "poop girl".

And just for the record, I never imagined that I would take the opportunity to write an entire post about poop. Nor can I guarantee that this blog will be poop free in the future.

Parenting is what I like to call, glamorous.

Yum.

2010-09-21T23:48:00.004-05:00

Everyone loves Chick-fil-A.

Even babies.

Introducing...

2010-09-17T01:38:00.002-05:00

THE BLOB BABY!

Soon to be terrorizing a city near you.

Sistah's

2010-09-15T23:27:00.005-05:00

I am very blessed to have 4 amazing & beautiful little sisters.

And boy howdy, are they cool. And talented.

Anna is hip. Her and her equally hip husband live in Portland. She just started a wedding photography business and in my opinion her pictures are totally GORGE!

Sarah is a beauty. She is getting married to Jarrett in June (that's some fun alliteration). They are a darling couple.

Anna just took S + J's engagement pics and they are b-e-a-utiful! (Although I have to say that it is probably next to impossible to take a bad picture of Sarah or Jarrett!) These pictures make me wish that I could go back and take engagement pictures again. In fact, I may just have Anna take some, "We're already married, but think you take awesome pictures, so please take some of Jordan and I", pictures.

Anyways, here are some of my favorites from their shoot...

Awesome, right?

If you know anybody who is getting married and is looking for an awesome photographer - or maybe if you just want to see some gorgeous photos - you should check Anna out!

Old Settler's

2010-09-14T13:25:00.003-05:00

Every September in my hometown there is a big extravaganza (for lack of a better word?)...with a carnival, arts & crafts fair, yummy food and most exciting...a parade. The biggest parade in Kansas, to be exact. (Although I think it is appropriate to note that biggest doesn't necessarily mean most exciting!). The participants mainly consist of local high school bands, churches, and politicians, with a few local businesses scattered in (think funeral homes, plumbers, etc...very exciting). It's totally Olathe at it's finest. A little cheesy. But still something that we look forward to every year.

Noah was super pumped...

But I guess he stayed up a little too late last night - the excitement of his first parade was just too much for him!

Thankfully he woke up in time to see a little bit of the action...

Does he not look so adorable rockin' the polo and jeans? Babies in jeans just slay me.

I think he would give his first parade experience 2 tiny little thumbs up!

Noah & his G.Ma

2010-09-14T13:16:00.005-05:00

I'm SO happy that my mom got to spend 8 wonderful weeks with our little Noah.

When we found out we were pregnant it was a HUGE shock. Definitely not something that we were expecting - we were planning on waiting a few more years before having any kiddos. But now, looking back, I can definitely see God's hand in the timing of it all. I love it when that happens.

When mom got sick again they told us that we had less than a year left with her - Noah was supposed to be arriving in only 5 weeks. At that moment, I was SO thankful that Noah was on the way and knew that his arrival was a God thing. I was thrilled that mom would get to experience being a grandmother, even if it was only for a year. I knew that she would be an amazing grandma. But then her doctor's changed their minds (don't they love to do that?)...they told us that we had only a few more weeks with her. She said often that all she wanted to do was make it long enough to hold her grandbaby. And she did. And then they had 8 whole weeks together. I think that Noah brought her lots of joy during a really painful and uncertain time.

But I wish she had longer with him. It makes me so sad that she won't get to see him grow up. She won't be there for his first steps...his first day of school...all his soccer, tee-ball & basketball games...it breaks my heart that she won't get to meet any of our other kids, and any of my sister's future children (at least this side of heaven)...I hate that when I ask Noah if he wants to go visit G.Ma, we will have to go to the cemetery instead of her house. It. Just. Sucks.

I can't wait to tell him all about her. And how much she loved him. And what a wonderful G.Ma she was.

Whoopsy.

2010-09-08T21:56:00.006-05:00

Sometimes...

being a baby...

is exhausting!

Mom

2010-08-26T11:39:00.005-05:00

My sweet mom is face to face with her Savior today. She has been gone for 24 hours and at moments it still doesn't seem real.

We knew this day was coming. But I don't think that makes this any easier. The end was different than I thought it would be. I had expectations of what our final moments with her would be like. I thought she would be coherent and that when it was time to go she would just "know" - and that she would have the opportunity to impart her last bit of "motherly love and wisdom" to the 5 of us. I thought she would hold my hand and call me her Molly-girl, one last time. I thought she might tell me that she loves me the bluest. I hoped she would tell me that I am a good mama to Noah. And then after she said her special goodbyes to all of us, she would drift off to sleep and Jesus would take her. I feel foolish now for thinking that. That's not how it was at all. And that's okay. The important thing is that we were all there with her, holding her hand.

I hope she felt loved.

I am not looking forward to the upcoming days. Prayers would be appreciated! :)

Progress...

2010-08-18T23:35:00.006-05:00

We have come a long long way since this post!

Little N doesn't exactly LOVE bath time now. It's more like an, "I guess if you people are gonna FORCE this upon me, I might as well make the best of it", attitude. But hey - we'll take it!

Little Slugger

2010-08-13T20:16:00.005-05:00

Last night Noah got to experience his first Royals game! Yes, we like to start 'em young here at the Stucky's. He even sported an adorable little Royals onesie...I think he was definitely the cutest fan there;) We had lots of fun - especially because we got there after the sun went down and it was a little breezier. (Cooler weather, please some soon?!? PRETTY PLEASE?!?)

Noah and Daddy...

7th Inning Stretch...

The new Kauffman stadium is actually really cool - the kids area is AWESOME! I think we will have LOTS of fun with him there in a few years. And mommy will like it too, because it means getting to do something BESIDES watch an entire baseball game! :)

For Grammy & Grandad

2010-08-09T21:36:00.006-05:00

Dear Grammy & Granddad,

This is how I feel when you are not around! (I'm sorry that you have to turn your heads to see me...my mommy is not very technically capable). I love you and can't wait to see you again soon!

Hugs and Kisses,

Noah

j + n

2010-08-06T23:22:00.004-05:00

my favorite little guy and my favorite big guy.

i just love these two.

Noah's Birth Day

2010-08-05T00:10:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure that anyone in the blog-o world is remotely interested in reading about the day of Noah's birth. But I always like reading about birth stories - and I decided that I would write about it here more for my own sake than anything else, just so that someday I remember all the wonderful little details:)

My official due date was July 6th - but we decided to induce early at 39 weeks for some crazy insurance reasons. I really, really, really didn't want to induce and was praying that I would go into labor on my own - my doctor even seemed to think that I would. But alas - no such luck! I just didn't like the idea of taking something meant to be so natural and forcing it to happen. But in the end...it all worked out!

And here is our condensed time line version of that very special day...

6:00 - Alarm goes off after a very NOT restful night of sleep...we are too excited!

6:45 - Leave the house, but not before taking one last pre-baby belly picture...

and our last official picture as a (very sleepy) family of 2...

7:45 - We arrive at KU Med and check into our room on the labor & delivery floor and get hooked up to what seems like about a million different monitors! I text with my dear friend Anne, who was very encouraging and helped me take my mind off of my nervousness :) Thanks Anne!

8:30 - Received IV from slightly nervous medical student. There was lots of blood. And lots of pain. Poor guy. (And poor Molly!!)

9:15 - I'm dilated 1 1/2 cm. but my cervix isn't't as thinned out as they would like it so I receive some Cervidil. Its not so bad, just makes me feel some mild cramping. So far so good!

9:45 - Jordan and I watch The Proposal on our laptop. Such a good flick! I'm really glad we have something to pass the time...

11:45 - All is well. Jordan helps me draft a killer fantasy football team (needless to say, that was his idea, not mine)

12:30 - I take a little snooze and think about how easy labor is (just kidding!)

1:30 - Tim & Darla come to visit and bring Jordan lunch from Oklahoma Joe's. I am super jealous. I eat another ice chip and dream about their french fries.

1:33 - I am dilated to 3 cm. and so they start me on Pitocin to get the contractions going. The contractions definitely pick up pace after that, but they are still fairly mild and I am able to breathe through them. Jordan continues to be super great and encouraging!

1:35 - I text my mom, "I am not having very much fun...I'm hungry and I'm thirsty AND I'M ADOPTING ALL THE REST OF MY CHILDREN!!!" She tells me that I will change my mind. And guess what - I did:)

1:40 - We skype with my family, who have lots of nice and encouraging things to say. They are pretty great.

3:15 - After much indecision, we decide that I have NOT wet the bed - in fact, my water has broken. Phew. Close call.

4:00 - The contractions have been getting more and more intense for the last couple of hours and I'm starting to wonder why I ever considered doing this naturally?? I am a very cranky lady. We watch TV and chat, trying to take my mind off of it.

4:30'ish - I hit my limit and beg for an epidural.

5:00 - The anesthesiologist is nowhere to be found. I am seriously desperate and in my desperation, tell Jordan to go roam the halls of the hospital until he finds him (it seemed logical at the time...sorry Jordan).

5:15 - FINALLY receive epidural and a spinal block from a resident. (FYI - when administering an epidural it is NOT a good idea to say things like, "Oops...that wasn't supposed to happen." It tends to make a poor pregnant girl a little nervous...)

5:16 - I am floating on a cloud of bliss. Spinal blocks are AMAZING feats of medicine. It was so nice to look at the monitor, see that I was having super strong contractions and not feel a thing!! I lay back and get some rest, while Jordan is relieved that his happy wife is back!

5:30 - I'm dilated to a 5 and don't have a care in the world. I repeat...spinal blocks are incredible!

6:15 - The spinal block is wearing off. BLAST! It was nice while it lasted. I begin to wonder if the epidural was done properly because I am feeling much more pain than I anticipated, and one leg is not numb at all. Nobody at the hospital seems to give it much thought (thanks, KU Med!!!)

7:53 - I'm fully dilated but baby is still at a station o. We push a few times and then the doctor (not my OBGYN, who was unable to make it for our delivery) decides to let me take a little break to see if baby will drop down on his own.

8:30 - Begin pushing again. It hurts hurts hurts, and they finally decide to turn off my epidural machine because I am obviously feeling everything and there is just no point anymore! I am getting really discouraged because the baby is just not dropping down. He also isn't responding well to my contractions and his little heartbeat just plummets each time that I push. They put an internal heartbeat monitor on him and give me some oxygen (which for some reason causes me a GREAT deal of anxiety). Then they start discussing the possibility of having to use forceps... and then tell me that i have 3 more hours before they make me have a C-section...NOT what a pregnant woman wants to hear! I was super determined to get him out on my own, and thankfully after some more pushing...

9:58 - Noah Jordan makes his entrance into the world!

The rest of the night was a blur of happiness and visiting family - we finally moved to recovery and crashed at about 2 a.m, totally exhausted but thrilled with our new little man.

I think that I am already experiencing post-labor amnesia because thinking back on the event, it doesn't seem like it was all that bad. And at the time, I know that I thought it was super painful and much more difficult than I was anticipating! But of course, it was all worth it in the end and I would do it a million times over to have our little Noah :)

Two

2010-08-02T18:04:00.002-05:00

On the 25th of July we celebrated two years of wedded bliss!

It's crazy to think how quickly the past 2 years have gone...but at the same time, it feels like we have been married forever. I have a hard time remembering what it was like before we were the Stucky's :)

Here are a few of my favorite wedding pics to commemorate the occasion...

Jord, you are such an AMAZING husband. You make my life so much fun! Everything that has been going on the last couple of months just makes me love you more! There is no one I'd rather walk through life with - thanks for asking me to be your wife and for loving me so well for the past 2 years :)

Bring on year 3!

Rub-a-dub-dub...

2010-07-31T13:15:00.002-05:00

...NO FUN IN THE TUB!

Someone here at our house does NOT enjoy his bath time!

I know that someday he will be a splish-splashin', rubber ducky lovin', prune fingered, bath machine. But for now...
YIKES!

Noah { One Month }

2010-07-29T22:12:00.011-05:00

**N was a little fuss monster during our impromptu 1 month "photo shoot" and this was the best picture that J and I could manage:) Aunt Anna is taking his pictures tomorrow - maybe she will have better luck! (It helps that she has stellar photography skills and an awesome camera) :)

I can't believe that our little sugar booger is a whole month old today! The past month has gone so quickly...and at times it has been a sleep deprived blur...but despite the sleep deprivation, the fussiness (Noah's AND ours!), and all the clumsy new parent moments, there have been so many wonderful times! It hasn't always been the easiest and there have been moments that both Jordan and I have been exasperated beyond all belief...but I think that's pretty much par for the course for new parents :)

Little Noah, you have been such a blessing to us already! You have changed our lives in such a wonderful way and it has already given us so much joy to watch you grow - I can't believe how much you have changed since you were born! We think you are amazing and feel so blessed that God has given us the opportunity to raise one of his precious little ones. We LOVE you!

Here's a snapshot of your life at 1 month...

You weighed 9 lbs. and were 21 1/4 inches long at your 1 month appointment. Mommy and Daddy were so happy (and proud!) because we were having a few issues gaining weight back in the beginning. But you are really making up for it now!

You still wear the teeny tiny, adorable little newborn clothes. I will be really sad when they don't fit anymore - they are so sweet! We finally started putting you in size 1 diapers today...we have been stuffing you into the newborns for as long as possible because we didn't want any to go to waste - sheesh, diapers are expensive! :)

You are a bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, baby - you LOVE to be bounced by mom and dad! You are pretty indifferent towards your actual bouncy seat (go figure). You really aren't crazy about your swing either. You last about 10 minutes when we sit you down in either of them, and then you get mad. Like, "If you don't come pick me up and pay attention to me right this second, I will LOSE IT!", mad!

We have had lots and lots of long nights trying to figure out how to get you to sleep. You fall asleep just great...but you do NOT like to sleep on your own, you would much rather be held. After you fall asleep we try to lay you down, but you wake yourself up within a few minutes and just can't settle back down. So we start the process all over:) We were planning on having you sleep in the Pack n' Play next to our bed. But you just won't have it! We have spent lots of nights staying up holding you, or sleeping with you in the recliner. We MAY have found the solution to our problems...but it's too soon to tell and I don't want to jinx it by blogging about:)

You think diaper changes are the WORST! Bath time is a close second. How DARE mom and dad try to keep you comfy and clean?!?!?!

You love to be swaddled. Your SwaddleMe blankets have been a real life saver!

We've already had lots of "oops" moments during diaper changes. So far you've managed to spray mom, dad, grandma's couch, mom's pillow, our couch, a few walls, and the new carpet. The first time it happened you actually peed all over your face and mommy felt SO bad (but I admit I did laugh pretty hard)!! I'm finally starting to get smart and cover you up during diaper changes. I don't really like being a moving target :)

You are nursing every 2-3 hours...I wish we could go for a little longer stretch at night but I know it will happen eventually. You also like to fall asleep while you are eating and you are TOUGH to wake up. Perhaps you inherited that trait from your mother? :)

You love to be outside. If you are ever having a fussy moment, you settle down instantly when we walk outside with you. Are you going to be an outdoorsy boy?

You do GREAT in the car and just snooze away whenever we take you somewhere. Today you went to Target for the first time - better get used to that place because Mommy will be taking you there LOTS!

You really don't have very many fussy times. You calm yourself down pretty quickly when you are picked up. Overall you seem to be a very content and happy baby (as long as we aren't changing your diaper) :)

We think you are the most wonderful baby in the world :)

Finger Farewell

2010-07-10T21:33:00.007-05:00

Well, we are officially minus one little digit here at the Stucky household. More specifically - one of Noah's fingers is no longer attached to his little hand. Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Good grief, Molly!!! Has nobody has told you that successful parents manage to keep all of their childrens appendages intact??" But let me assure you that this was in fact, a good thing!

Because our sweet little Noah was born not with 10 fingers, or even 11...but with 12 little fingers. No joke. After he was born I was just hanging out, getting some stitches (pleasant, yes?) and I heard one of the nurses across the room say, "Oh..he has 6 fingers!" I must admit...I was slightly freaked out for a mere moment. But I reasoned that there are MUCH MUCH worse things that could have been going on with him. Six fingers is no biggie (apparently it isn't an uncommon occurrence)! In fact, I think it will make a kind of funny story when he is older :)

Thankfully, there aren't any bones in them - it's more like they are extra little skin tags (although they do have fingernails!). The doctors debated how to get rid of them and in the end decided to tie them off with some string to cut off the circulation. So they slowly turned white, and then a lovely shade of bluish, purplish, blackish. And now one of them has fallen off. Although, I have no idea where exactly it fell off - I noticed it was gone only after the fact. And now I am slightly fearful of finding my sons shriveled up little finger somewhere on the floor in our house. Ha! That sounds slightly disgusting and morbid. But kind of funny.

So now he is left with 11 little fingers. Only 1 more to go! And hopefully that will be the end of it. If he loses more then that, I will give you all license to question my parenting skills:)

Introducing...

2010-07-06T23:29:00.006-05:00

Noah Jordan Stucky
Born June 29, 2010 @ 9:58 p.m.
7 lbs. 13 oz.; 19.1 in. long

we are so in love.

Changes

2010-06-21T20:35:00.005-05:00

Lots of changes going on here at the Stucky's. First off - we are no longer Wichitans (or I guess Kechi-ans, more specifically). Oh, you didn't know we were moving? Well - neither did we:) At least it wasn't in our plans to move quite so soon. But we did. And now we are official Kansas Citian's (okay...Olathean's).

And just in case it is ever in your plans, I do NOT recommend packing up your entire house and moving to a new city while 36 weeks pregnant. But we survived. Thanks to lots of help from our friends and family. But poor, poor Jordan. I was probably not very much fun to live with during moving week! And my poor little feet. I don't think they have ever been so swollen. I looked like Shrek. (Actually, I still do!) Oh the joys of pregnancy.

It's nice to be back home in Kansas City, but I wish the move was happening under better circumstances. My sweet mom is very sick and not doing well. Cancer is back unexpectedly, and it is bad, bad, bad. Jordan and I both thought it would be best to be close to her and my sisters right now. I don't know how much detail about her condition she wants floating about the internet so I won't go into much on here. But please, please, keep her in your prayers.

And here in the midst of all this craziness - we are about to become parents! Pretty much any day. If little boy isn't here in the next week, we are inducing on June 29th. As in a week from tomorrow. Eeek. The past few weeks I've been feeling like I'm a little too overwhelmed to be a mom right now. Our child's birth, the event that should probably be at the forefront of my mind right now, has sort of been pushed to the back burner because of everything else going on. I might be the only woman in the world who is 38 weeks pregnant and just not quite ready for the baby to come!

I am trying to remember that everything will be okay. God is in control, no matter what. But still...sometimes things are just crummy.

Purging!

2010-06-07T15:39:00.009-05:00

I am a bit of a magazine junkie. I LOVE reading magazines and I have a very hard time parting with some of my favorites.

Which is precisely why I have Real Simple magazines COMING OUT OF MY EARS!!

Seriously. There are stacks and stacks of them in my craft room. WHY, OH WHY, OH WHY???? Well I have 3 theories...

Because I am a pack rat. Sad but true. I'm working on it.
Because I have every intention of going back and perusing them again someday. But have I? That would be a big fat, "NO"!!
BECAUSE SOMEDAY I MIGHT WANT TO KNOW HOW TO USE A NEWSPAPER TO PRESERVE MY ANTIQUE GLASS!! OR USE OLIVE OIL TO PREVENT CAT HAIRBALLS!!! And if I don't have my Real Simple's, however will I know how to do those things?

But I'm tired to carting them around each and every time I move. They have made 3 moves in the past 4 years. And I am determined not to make a 4th move with them. So I figure it is time to PURGE! But before I cart them off to a used bookstore, I thought I would offer them up here. So if you are interested - they are yours - for FREE! All of them, some of them...whatever floats your boat. What a deal!! I have them going all the way back to February of 2006 - with a couple of issues missing here and there.

Anyone interested? :)

Melissa: A Poetic Offering

2010-06-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

In honor of the birth of the amazing Melissa Dorsch (26 years ago today), I have prepared something special. An ode, if you will. Yes, an ode to Melissa...in the form of haiku. Though they are not Biblical in nature (Biblical haikus are my particular specialty), I think they are okay nonetheless.

Melissa wrote a particularly sweet blog post for me on my birthday, accompanied by some of the most d-lightful pictures of me. She is very lucky that my scanner is broken. Because otherwise, I would be inclined to post some equally delightful pictures of her.

But here is one that I already had on my computer, just to show you the quality of friend that Melissa is. She is the kind of friend who would take your jeans off for you on your wedding day.

Isn't she nice? I can only hope that all of you have a friend as great as she is.

And now without further ado...

Melissa: A Poetic Offering
By: her humble servant, Flat

She came from afar
From the home of Moofasa
To THE Kansas State

In Boyd Hall she dwelled
With Annie Beverlin Kurtz
In room 4-2-2

Next door lived Flatty
Who let her borrow a pen
And a friendship bloomed

They bumped and grinded
All during sophomore year
And "Jumped on It" lots

She liveth in France
Now, far from her Flatty pants
Flat misseth her much

But now she is home
We will partay this summer
Happy Birthday, Dorsch!

It may not be my best poetic work. It is much harder to write in Haiku then I thought it would be! But the point I am trying to get across is this: Melissa Dorsch, you are great! And I'm so happy that we are friends.

Happy, happy, happy Birthday, Dorsch!!!

And now, I am going to go do a celebratory round of "Jump on It", in your honor.

Crafting with Molly

2010-05-11T22:35:00.011-05:00

I have been a scrapbooking machine lately. I tend to go on these spurts of craftiness. Sometimes the creative juices are flowing freely...and other times...not so much! I have hardly scrapbooked at ALL recently - my poor little craft room has been neglected and is covered in a layer of dust. But I am a woman on a mission. A mission to FINISH our wedding scrapbook, AND make a scrapbook of my trip to France. Because come July, I will have bigger and better scrapbooking projects oh the horizon (baby scrapbooks, of course)!!!!

Oh, and I FINALLY finished our Honeymoon scrapbook - almost 2 years later. GO ME! At this pace our child will be lucky if the scrapbook documenting his 1st year of life is finished before he graduates high school. Eh.

And my scanner has decided to go ka-put. So I took some pictures of the pages I've been working on :)

A few from our honeymoon scrapbook...

The honeymoon scrapbook was a toughy for me. It's an 8x8, and I always have such a hard time with that size of layout. But it's done. Though actually, seeing the pages on the computer screen gives me new perspective and so I MAY still add a few extra touches to some pages. A crafter's work is never finished, I suppose!

And the cover page for our wedding book...

It's still a work in progress. I think it needs something more to just give it a little more "ooomph". I'm just not sure what that is yet?

And now it's back to more scrapbooking. And some sewing. And lots of nursery decorating. So baby Stucky, if you read our blog...please do not come early, momma still has things to do!

For our Momma's

2010-05-09T17:06:00.003-05:00

Happy Mothers Day to our great and wonderful mothers!

This is one of my favorite pictures of them from our wedding...

Don't they just look like fun?

J and I both agree that we have AWESOME moms (and mothers in law)!!! We feel so blessed to have mothers who love us unconditionally and who have sacrificed so much to raise us, and shape us into the people we are today.

As I prepare to become a mommy myself, I hope and pray that I can be even just half the mom that these amazing women are.

We love you, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Nursery Progress Pt. 1

2010-04-27T18:24:00.005-05:00

When it came time to pick paint colors for the nursery, I spent lots of time browsing the aisles of Home Depot looking for the perfect shades...I took them home....taped the swatches to the walls...pondered them in different lights, and at different times of day...revisited them again and again and again...

...and then after I thought we picked the perfect color, we ended up changing our minds. In the middle of Home Depot. Total spur of the moment. But thankfully, I think it turned out pretty great!

Painting was the first "official" nursery project that we conquered, and considering I just hit the 30 week mark, I think it was high time.

It went quite well, except for one slight mishap. This was sad...

Whoopsy. Silly little me.

Thank goodness for drop cloths. (But can I just say that I think gray paint on the carpet would be an improvement over the brown icky-nasty-blah-ewwww carpet that is there now!!)...no offense to our sweet little rental house. But what it lacks in modern updates and aesthetically pleasing carpets, I suppose that it makes up for in charm.

Our next project - assembling the crib! More updates to come...

Blast from the Past

2010-04-15T11:44:00.008-05:00

Yesterday J and I journeyed to Manhatty - the place where it all began for us. He had to deliver a car to a customer and I was super excited that I got to come along for the ride :)

Jordan went to school at KSU his freshman year. I was there too, but we didn't know each other. Isn't that sad?!? A whole year wasted. I like to imagine that we used to walk by each other all the time and exchange romantic glances and subtle arm brushes. Very doubtful though. It was so fun to drive around town and remember some of the fun times we had there.

We hit up Gumby's for some super yummy pizza and PEPPERONI ROLLS! BOY HOWDY, I forgot how much I love pepperoni rolls. Oh, how I wish they delivered to Wichita.

We drove around campus. Dorsch, do you remember our great times in Eisenhower Hall with TD (and the girl in the front row with the insanely long nails!)? Melissa and I had an English class together and I think we were the only ones who appreciated the teacher and his dry/strange sense of humor. I got to this class late almost everyday (because truth be told, I am a chronically late person), and I would always be totally exhausted and sweaty because I rode my bike to campus. Good times!

And we went by some of my old apartments...

This is where Jordan and had our first date. 1410 Watson Place, Apt. #2. We ate pizza and watched The Sound of Music. Say it altogether now...AWWWWW ;)

And there were lots of fun times to be had in this apartment...

We finished off the journey with a trip to the Bux. Oh. Man. It's a really good thing that Starbucks wasn't around in Manhattan when I lived there. Because I would have spent all my moolah there. And somehow it probably would have led to me skipping even more classes than I already skipped. The Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade is my new FAVE. And it has no caffeine, which is a bonus for pregos everywhere.

Ahhh good times!

Random-nicity

2010-03-23T17:39:00.006-05:00

I am home from Florida and it was a lovely time. The one exception being the trip home on Saturday, when our flight from Charlotte, NC to Kansas City was canceled due to "mechanical problems". They didn't have any flights going out to KC until Tuesday and so we ended up spending the night in Charlotte...flying to Minneapolis on Sunday morning...and then renting a car and driving the rest of the way home. It was great. But better than crashing to my demise on a faulty plane, I suppose.

I am 25 weeks pregnant today. It's going SO fast, I can't believe that in only a few months we will be meeting our little guy! I am starting to actually enjoy being pregnant.

I decided today that it's time for my coffee maker and I to get back on friendly terms. Poor little thing has been shunned for the last couple of months, and the time has come to un-shun him. Ugh, coffee just has not sounded good to my pregnant tummy up until now. But I think it will be a blissful reunion.

My attempts at healthy eating during pregnancy are quickly going out the window. Today I wanted a doughnut. No, not wanted a doughnut...NEEDED a doughnut. As in...IF I DON'T GET A DOUGHNUT RIGHT THIS SECOND, I WILL DEFINITELY LOSE IT ON SOME POOR AND UNSUSPECTING PERSON. (Probably Jordan - poor guy). But I made a terrible and awful mistake...instead of getting just one calorie filled doughnut, I got an entire BOX of Krispy Kreme doughnut holes. There is no way to describe the pure and total bliss...and I'm hesitant to admit that when Jordan gets home from work tonight, they just might be gone. The. Entire. Box. Not kidding. I'm just going to go ahead and blame it on the baby.

The weather outside today is just making be HAPPY! I am ready for Spring. And green. And flowers. And flip flips. And open windows. I think that this week is the perfect time to spring-ify our little house!

Ahhhhh...

2010-03-15T12:25:00.019-05:00

This is where I'm spending the next week...

Lovely huh?

I left poor Jordan at home in cold, icky Kansas and am spending the week on a "girls vacay" in Florida, with my mom and sisters. I miss him. But hopefully he will have fun being a bachelor this week! (Ummm...not TOO much fun though, okay J?) :)

We arrived in Florida yesterday and are ready for a week of relaxation. So far things have been pretty uneventful, but here is a little peek at the kind of things that happen on our family vacations...

Anna has an extreme fear of flying and so she took some medicine to help her sleep. Hilarity ensued. She lost her boarding pass (which we found crumpled up into a ball, and at the bottom of one of her bags); she dropped her camera on the bathroom floor (which is actually very sad because it is very nice and expensive); and she managed to fall asleep on the plane in the most awkward and uncomfortable looking position known to man. (See picture below- she is the headless one on the left). And the greatest thing is that she has no recollection of any of these things occuring. And thanks to yesterdays events, we have suggested that she cut her dosage back on the trip home!

I have lost faith in the public school system thanks to a layover we had in Washington D.C., and the following conversation that ensued between Kayce and I...

K: I don't understand why we had to fly all the way to the West coast when we are trying to get to Florida.

Me: Kayce, we aren't in Washington state, we are in Washington D.C.

K: Wait...Washington D.C. isn't in the state of Washington?*

Me: Blank stare

Me: Oh. Sweet. Heavens. No. It's definitely not.

*Disclaimer - Kayce is actually a very smart cookie. Let's blame this incident on the fact that she hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours. And perhaps on some teacher who "dropped the ball" sometime along the course of her education!

We have eaten lots of Key Lime pie, while simultaneously singing the Kenny Chesney song of the same name. Yum!

And now I am going down to the beach. Enjoy your week!

Nursery Inspiration: Part 1

2010-02-27T20:38:00.013-06:00

One of the funnest (YEAH I SAID IT!) things about this pregnancy so far, has been dreaming about our little boy's nursery. I LOVE all things related to home decor and design, so it has been particularly thrilling for me :)

We have done absolutely nothing nursery related - it's still our guest room/Jordan's closet/the office/room of hodge podge-ness. But I've been keeping a file of some of my favorite nurseries so that I can gain a little inspiration and just drool over them every so often!

I love this one because it is just so bright, airy & cheerful!

From here

And I really dig the cool geometric-y curtains here...

From here

I think this one is so fun and eclectic looking - somehow all these unrelated pieces work together. And the stripes? Swoon...

From here

And I just ADORE the yellow Jenny Lind crib in this room. I love Jenny Lind cribs, but unfortunately all of the ones I've looked at just look a little...flimsy. I'm pretty sure we will go with either this crib...or perhaps this one. But who knows?

From here

While we haven't made any major decisions, I am pretty sure (at least today!), that our little man's nursery will have lots of aquas, greens & chocolate browns. I'm not really into the cutesy "themes"...no Dr. Seuss or Safari's going on at our house. They are "oh so cute", but just not really our style. Instead I think we are going for a mix of modern-ish/vintagey/eclectic/nursery of fabulous-ness.

I know at the end of the day, he doesn't give a hoot about what his room looks like..but it sure is fun for mommy! :)

Just because...

2010-02-25T17:29:00.001-06:00

...it makes me chuckle :)

I LOVE my hubs!

Disclaimer

2010-02-20T20:51:00.004-06:00

ATTENTION BLOG READERS...

I'm afraid that there is a terrible tragedy at hand. Thanks to this post, several people have told me that I am running the risk of letting the world think that I am...gulp...A BAD COOK! Well I just can't go on letting people think such things of me. After all, THIS BLOG IS ALL ABOUT PROMOTING ONLY MY BEST AND BRIGHTEST QUALITIES!!! HA! (I'm kidding, of course - I have no problem with "keeping it real"). But really. I want you all to know that if you are ever invited to my home for a meal, you will not be served meatloaf (at least not THAT meatloaf)...and you will most definitely be served something that is at the very least, edible. But hey, what can I say? If I have another kitchen snafu, I will at least take you out for some delicious fast food. Or perhaps feed you a yummy frozen dinner. So take heart! (And anyone who has been to dinner at our humble home can feel free to vouch for me:) )

And just to put this issue to rest, here is proof that all is not lost when I am in the kitchen. Tonight I happened to make a very mean chicken and rice. (I'm waiting on that call from the Food Network.)

And a special note for my dear hubs...you no longer have to worry about people taking pity on you because of your wife's lack of cooking abilities. Allow me to shout it to all of the internets..."I CAN COOK!!"

(At least, most of the time)

A note from Baby...

2010-02-14T20:27:00.007-06:00

See you in July!!!

Growing...

2010-02-13T17:33:00.004-06:00

Look at Baby Stucky grow!!

Here's Baby way back in November, at only 7 weeks...

Just a tiny little bean!!

And here's Baby on Thursday at 19 weeks...

What a difference, huh? Baby is starting to look like a real little person! SO COOL!!

And yes - we were able to find out the gender! We are beyond THRILLED and can't wait to share with you all, but first we have to finish spreading the news to our family.

We will be making the big blog announcement on Sunday evening. So stay tuned :)

Tomorrow...

2010-02-10T17:29:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow is a BIG day here at the Stucky's!

It's the day that we FINALLY get to find out whether Baby S. will be made of...

sugar and spice and everything nice
or
snips and snails and puppy dog tails

I am beside myself with excitement! We set our appointment up this afternoon, and it is seriously all I've been thinking about:)

Any guesses as to what we are having??

There wasn't much throwing up going on in the first trimester - instead I felt nauseous ALL DAY LONG. Ick.
Baby's heart beat was 160 bpm at 14 weeks & again at 15 weeks, and 15o bpm today at 19 weeks, 3 days
My face is breaking out more than ever. It's so fun to relive those teen years!
I have to shave my legs twice as often as I used to because the hair just grows so darn fast!
I have craved SALT, SALT, SALT! And citrus fruit. Lately I have combined the 2 into one awesome craving and all I want to eat are Limes with salt on them. Oh yum.

I've had a suspicion all along about what baby is. I am VERY interested to find out if I am right!

Let's all hope that Baby Stucky cooperates! Keep your fingers crossed that the legs are NOT crossed :)

Meatloaf Meltdown

2010-02-05T23:45:00.004-06:00

I like meatloaf. I'm not gonna lie. But it is my opinion that meatloaf has a bit of a bad reputation among the masses. Because...well...it's a LOAF...of MEAT. It doesn't sound super appetizing, does it? (Loaf is a very unappealing word, in my opinion). But I think that meatloaf is comfort food at it's finest. And it is yummy!

Well...sometimes it is.

But sometimes meatloaf goes wrong. Very, VERY wrong.

Sometimes you eagerly try a new meatloaf recipe only to be repulsed by the outcome.

Sometimes you make meatloaf and at the end of the night it looks like this...

Gelatinous...foamy...disgusting.

Sometimes meatloaf gone wrong can make you cry. Not just cry...sob. Well, not just sob...but TOTALLY LOSE YOUR COOL. Over a little old loaf of meat. (Pregnancy hormones are awesome, by the way).

But thankfully you have a super nice and wonderful husband. A super nice and wonderful husband who calms you down, loves you despite your meatloaf failings, and even takes you to Sonic for a chicken strip basket. What a guy!

And then all is right with the world again. But you just might never make meatloaf again.

Trust me...it's probably for the best.

PW comes to town

2010-02-03T21:24:00.004-06:00

Well technically she didn't come to OUR town. But she was in Kansas City, and that's close enough! (And technically this wasn't a RECENT occurance...it was october...november? My little prego brain doesn't remember!)

I love the Pioneer Woman. Love her, love her, love her. Oh, you don't read her blog? WELL YOU SHOULD! I remember the first time I heard about her. My mom was trying to explain her awesome-ness. I remember thinking, "Yeah mom, that sounds...boring". A housewife documenting her life living on a ranch in the middle of nowhere? Yawn-y, yawn, yawn. But I was wrong (as I so often am). Seriously - this woman can make calf nuts seem humorous and interesting. How many people can say that? :)

So when I found out she was going on a book tour to promote her new cookbook, I was super pumped. Even MORE pumped when I found out she would be in KC. My sister and mom are fans as well, so we made a night of going to see her!!

Here they are! Look at those excited faces!

I was a little concerned that she wouldn't be as awesome in person as she seems on her blog. But thankfully - she was! She was incredibly gracious and sweet. It was a late night - the event started at 7:00, and we didn't get to meet her until after 11 - but it was worth it! And just so you know, I was more than a little starstruck.

And I would like to point out that in the above picture, PW is wearing a PURPLE VELOUR JACKET. Who else could do that and look cute? I'm afraid that if I tried to pull off that look, I would look like I was channeling Prince. Or worse...Barney. SHUDDER!!

We even got to meet her cow wrangling, chaps wearing, cowboy husband, Marlboro Man. What a trooper. I don't think that Jordan would want to follow me around the country while I met strangers and talked about my cookbook.

We'll find out someday when I write my best selling cookbook.

It was a super fun night. And her cookbook? Yummy, yummy, yummy. I think I make something from her arsenal at least once a week. It comes highly recommended by me!

Have you checked out her blog yet? Well go, go, go - what are you waiting for?!? :)

Christmas baking!

2009-12-23T00:48:00.002-06:00

Confession: I love, love, love holiday baking. It's true. (But as long as I'm confessing, I must admit that I like EATING holiday goodies even more than I enjoy making them!). Yes, baking has always been one of my favorite Christmas traditions and I have lots of wonderful memories of helping my mom whip up yummy treats like peanut butter blossoms, spritz cookies, chocolate rounds, oreo truffles - YUM.

But this year...I just haven't been in the holiday baking mood. Instead, I've been in the mood to lie on the couch...take lots of long naps...and eat my weight in dill pickles. Yes, this year I've decided to forgo the normal cookie baking so that I can work on some baking of a different kind. This Christmas at the Stucky's we are in the process of baking something MUCH sweeter - and a little more time consuming...

A sweet little someone who we are expecting in early July :)

Lately

2009-10-20T17:00:00.001-05:00

What we've been up to at the Stucky's...

We went on a fabulous vacay to Branson. I LOVE to rag on Branson. Let's face it - Branson is such an easy target. It's so fabulously and delightfully hokey. But secretly, I think it's super awesome and fun - (but I guess it's not a secret anymore!). And hey - I was with my hubs, which is always WONDERFUL!

Last month I left J at home in KS, and took a big jump over the pond to visit this fabulous girl in France. It was super fun. More to come on that later!

I had my first IKEA experience! It was everything I dreamed. And yes, I bought...ummm...way too much stuff. Some girls love shoes. Some girls love purses. I love home decor. It's kind of a sickness.

Jordan was a car selling stud during the month of August and sold 21 cars! He's so dreamy. Here he is showing off his "20 Car Club" trophy from Suzuki. He's the Tiger Woods of car selling. And I'm super proud of him!

And speaking of jobs, I don't work at the lovely Pier 1 Imports anymore. Can I get a "what, what"?! Retail just isn't my future and it was time for a change. I will admit that the 25% discount is greatly missed. But it's a small price to pay for my sanity :) Now on to something new.

We painted our living room a lovely new shade of bluish-greenish-grayish-awesomeness. It just makes me HAPPY! White's out, & color is IN, people. At least at our house. I don't think the picture does it justice. I totally love it.

So obviously we won't be winning any awards for "Most updated blog of the year". But thanks for sticking with us anyway :)

1 Year!!

2009-08-05T17:57:00.007-05:00

July 25th, we celebrated our 1st year of wedded bliss. SO CRAZY! It's gone so fast, and has been so amazing. I knew that marriage would be great - but I had no idea it would be so much FUN!

We celebrated by spending the night out on the town, and with a stay at the Hyatt - where they had a fireworks show, in our honor. Actually - I'm pretty sure that it was for the Wingnuts game. But, we can pretend that it was for us, right? :)

Of course, we had to follow newlywed tradition and eat some anniversary wedding cake!

Isn't it cute? It survived an entire year in Tim & Darla's freezer - but after a few hours in my care, it looked like this....

A little wonky...but (hopefully) still edible.

Of course, we had to do the ceremonial cutting...complete with our wedding cake servers, our "You are Special today" plate, and our wedding toasting glasses!

I must admit - I was a little skeptical about eating cake that has been just chillin' (HA!) in the freezer for a year. And apparently, so was Jordan...

But it turns out that our skepticism wasn't necessary....

It was actually really yummy!

Year 1 has been so wonderful - full of lots of new experiences, new traditions, and GROWTH! We feel so blessed to have each other...

...NOW BRING ON YEAR 2!!!!

This week...

2009-07-15T00:12:00.018-05:00

I've been "home" in Kansas City for the past week, and it has been totally lovely! For a lack of better things to post about, here's a quick (and very random!) glance at what I've been up to this week...

First and foremost, I've been missing this guy. He's the greatest. He's home in Kechi and I have missed him every second. Can't wait to see you tonight, honey!

He sent me these flowers today - aren't they gorge? What a peach!

And he sent these beauties to my sweet mama - which in my opinion, makes him even peachier.

I've also spent lots of time going through shelf after shelf of old books in our loft. Weeding out the ones that we don't need anymore, and remembering old favorites. Like this book. It was my absolute favorite, growing up. If you are looking for a great book for a young girl - this it it!

Ahhh....nice and clean now:) I just love looking at shelves full of yummy and delicious books. It makes me happy. I wish that I could sit down and read all of them.

The people at Half-Price Books, swear that there is no limit on how many books you can bring in to sell back to them. But I have a feeling that they might change their minds when they see me walk in with all of these...

And that's only half of them.

My sister Tessa got me hooked on the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. I think I can dance...but not like these people! This is my new fave routine. Maybe I can talk Jordan into learning the choreography and making this dance a husband/wife duet?

I also got to take a much needed trip to Crate & Barrel, and West Elm. But don't worry J - I managed to spend less than $10 at each store! That's pretty good, for me! I've decided I need to start saving my pennies for this coffee table. Isn't it great? I totally dig it.

And speaking of shopping, I also got to visit Good JuJu for the first time. It's a store that has this funky, garage/estate sale/thrift shop vibe going on. Just tons and tons of vintage-y and retro-ish stuff. It's down in the West Bottoms of KC, and it's only open the first weekend of every month. I got some totally sweet stuff! My mom kept walking around saying stuff like, "Oh, we had that hamper when I was little," or, "I used to have that jewlery box!". It's kind of like they raided your grandmother's basement and picked out all of her coolest and quirkiest stuff.

It's been a fun week, but it's always so sad when I have to leave. But I'm anxious to get home to J! If only Wichita & Olathe were just a little but closer...

Tap, tap tap...

2009-07-10T22:54:00.001-05:00

...is this thing on?

We're back.

Date night

2009-04-19T22:42:00.003-05:00

Tonight, J and I got to enjoy a night out on the town together!!! Okay, so we actually just went to the movies...that's about as fancy as our dates get...but it's always a fun time :) We've always wanted to eat dinner and watch a movie in the balcony at the Warren, so we decided to shake things up tonight and give it a try! It was so fun, but definitely not something we will do again for awhile - it makes for quite a pricey($$cha-ching$$!) night at the movies - but we enjoyed ourselves and had a great time!

By the way, we saw a super-manly flick. With lots of action. It was called 17 Again. Starring America's heartthrob, Zac Efron. Okay, in all reality, it's the opposite of an action flick. I'm just trying to beef it up and make it sound more manly and awesome for my husband's benefit :) And by the way, it got 2 thumbs up from me :)

J is such a trooper, and he almost always let's me indulge in my love for tween flicks. What a guy! But so far he has drawn the line at going to see the Hannah Montana movie with me. I can't say that I blame him. It's just that deep down in my heart, I think that I am still a total tween. Like, omg.

One of the absolute highlights of the night was seeing the following sign in front of BG Bolton's:

Yes, we stopped to take a picture because it is JUST SO STINKIN' EXCITING! Jose Pepper's is coming to Wichita! Do you all know about the fabulous-ness that is Jose Pepper's?? Prepare yourselves. It's amazing. There is one in Olathe, and it's always been my family's restaurant of choice. And there is a good chance that since they are opening a location in Wichita, that I will eat every single meal there for the rest of my life. Their chips and salsa should be one of the 5 food groups. I'm just sayin'.

All in all - a fun night for the Stucky's!

April 10th...

2009-04-10T00:30:00.006-05:00

...is a special day! Today my dear hubs turns the big 2-5. A quarter of a century old. Halfway to 50. Smack dab in the middle of his twenties. Scary, huh? :) I have a theory about birthdays. I always say that 50 is like the new 40...and 40 is like the new 30...so that must mean that 25 is like the new 15, right? (I'm really saying this for my benefit more than J's...I am having a hard time coming to turns with my own 25-ness. It's been rough on me :) )

Jord, you are such a wonderful husband, and are an incredible blessing to me! I'm so excited that I get to celebrate the rest of your birthdays with you :) Welcome to the wonderful age that is 25.

Today is also my little sister Kayce's b-day! 16. Oh. Sweet. Heavens. I can't believe she is 16 today - I remember the day she was born SO well. And it seriously seems like my own 16th birthday was just a few weeks ago. Wasn't it? No? It was 9 years ago? Boo.

Kayce is probably one of the funniest people I know, and is a true, true beauty. Sixteen is such a fun age, enjoy it sis! And if you need a new ride, let me know - I can get you a great deal on an '89 Mazda with leather, heated seats :)

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the GREATEST husband in the world, and ONE OF THE 4 GREATEST SISTERS in the world :)

The Honeymoon: 8 months later!

2009-03-26T23:12:00.006-05:00

So we went on a Honeymoon. 8 months ago. And now we are just getting around to posting about it:)

When we started thinking about honeymoon destinations, we were kind of stumped. But I was fairly insistent about two things:

1.) We would not be honeymooning at Sandals. Or Couples. Or Beaches. Or any other hokey/cheesy sounding all-inclusive resorts. I'm not really sure why I was so insistent about this? Perhaps because just the mere mention of Sandals brought to mind giant heart shaped beds and scandalous romps on the beach. Can I say "scandalous romps on the beach" on this blog? Well, I just did. In reality, I'm sure that Sandals is a lovely place and a perfectly amazing place to honeymoon. And if any of you reading this happened to have honeymooned there, you can tell me about all the wonderful things I missed out on because of my Sandals snobbery.

2.) We would definitely not be honeymooning in Branson. This was Jordan's suggestion. He was joking. At least I think he was. Call me crazy, but I never dreamed of spending my honeymoon with the Dutton's. Or the Baldknobbers. Or Yakov. Shudder, shudder, shudder.

So somehow - not sure how - we settled on San Diego. I have no idea who suggested it, or how it came about - but we both agreed! We spent lots of time searching online for a place to stay - finally, by someone's recommendation we ended up choosing this place and it was AMAZING! Couldn't have been more wonderful. One of our wedding presents from my dad was our airfare and hotel for our honeymoon and that was a HUGE awesome blessing.

See? Isn't it so cute and pink?? :)

And this was the view from our balcony- ahhh, lovely.

San Diego was super fun because it gave us the opportunity to hang out and relax yet also have plenty of fun activities to choose from if we wanted to get out and do something.

One day we went to Sea World - I LOVE Sea World!

We saw some cutie-ootie dolphins

And J got up close and personal with a sting ray...

We saw this little guy and he totally melts my heart...
I just wanna squeeze him. And bring him home and keep him in my bathtub.

And of course...there was Shamu.
He is always a crowd-pleaser.

One day we went to the zoo. Also super fun.

Pandas were my absolute fave...

But I also have a soft spot for the Polar Bear...

We mini golfed. And I ALMOST pulled an upset. That would have been so monumental. I never win at mini-golf. Seriously. Never.

We had our first encounter with sushi. We were so super cool and Californian...until we tasted it.

Blech. Not for us!

It was a totally wonderful and amazing trip. The perfect mix of relaxation, fun stuff, and enjoying the beginning of our wedded bliss :)

And speaking of the honeymoon...I just began working on our honeymoon scrapbook. And speaking of the honeymoon scrapbook...I just started a new blog about my adventures in crafting and domestic engineering. And I think my first post will be a preview of the scrapbook. But more about that later when it is officially up and running. Hopefully it will be fun :) And hopefully it won't just be me talking to myself :)

$15,667.93

2009-03-05T22:51:00.010-06:00

That's the amount of money that Etsy's Cora Playground Project raised as of this afternoon. SO COOL, RIGHT? Super amazing and awesome. So I thought I would take this opportunity to show off my purchases :)

This super cute and adorable messy flower pin is already adorning my purse. The colors make me so happy!

Yes, this is a pacifier clip. And it's true that I currently have no use for it. But it has matryoshka dolls on it. And I have a small obsession with matryoshka dolls. In the meantime, Jordan is going to use it for his ring pops :)

And last, but not least...this super adorable bluebird stationery. Love it, love it. But I "got no love" for real life birds (thanks to that horribly traumatizing and AWFUL Alfred Hitchcock movie...which I was FORCED to watch in 9th grade English class.ICK .) But despite my negative feelings- I love this little cutie. He doesn't look like the type of bird that would attack you and poke your eyes out.

Today is sweet little C's birthday. I can't imagine what her parents and the rest of her family are feeling. It just shouldn't be like this! Days like these make me so extra glad for Jesus and the peace that can only come from knowing Him. J &J, Anne, Rachie, all you Beverlin's & Mac's- you guys are ever in our prayers.

Wedding Weekend Fun:)

2009-02-23T00:23:00.005-06:00

This weekend I headed home to Olathe (yes - it's still home, even though I don't live there anymore!) to attend the wedding of an old friend. Poor Jordan stayed behind in Kechi because he had to work and also has been feeling a little under the weather:(

It was such a great weekend full of old friends, and lots of family. I MISS LIVING IN KANSAS CITY! But I guess that it makes time spent at home extra fun and special. And maybe someday we can move?!? :) I totally dream about it.

Katie's wedding was super beautiful - one of the most unique services I have ever been too, but definitely in a good way :) They are such a sweet couple - it was unbelievably evident how totally in love and enamored with each other they are! I totally heart weddings :) Especially when it is a couple who loves God with all their hearts.

Yay for sweet old friends...

And speaking of weddings...our photographers recently designed our wedding album, and I am so beyond excited about it! You can see it here, if you so desire. Super pumped to have it in my hands in a few weeks :)

Molly vs. Melissa

2009-02-19T16:06:00.010-06:00

I have a confession. I am totally into The Bachelor. I'm really not proud of it. But it's the truth. What can I say - I'm a sucker for mindless and dramatic reality TV! It's my guilty pleasure.

Melissa has been my favorite from the beginning and every week when Jason says her name during the rose ceremony, I am completely giddy with happiness. This past Monday, I even screamed in excitement, much to Jordan's shock and disapproval. Molly is okay. I just get this vibe from her. This vibe that says she and I would totally not be friends if we ever met. Which is such a shame, because her name so totally ROCKS. AND NOW, there are all of these Bachelor conspiracies circulating around the internet. You can read about one such theory, here.

Oh, what to think? Will he really propose to Melissa and then dump her to date Molly? Oh the DRAMA! Anyone care to weigh in with their thoughts? Probably not :) I have a feeling that most of our blog readers have better things to do than watch The Bachelor and obsess over which girl he will choose - and who in all probability he will dump within a few months time . Unless my grandparents are reading this. They are as big of fans as I am :) Any thoughts Grandma & Grandpa?

(You know that it's a slow week at the Stucky's when I resort to writing about The Bachelor!!)

I'm a PC and I'm 24 and a 1/2

2009-02-18T17:29:00.007-06:00

I can't get enough of this commercial.

Jordan is so tired of having to rewind it multiple times, every time we see it on TV! I don't really get into/care about the whole Mac vs. PC debate. But this commercial might make me a PC user for life :)

Etsy + Cora's Playground = Super Cool

2009-02-15T21:12:00.006-06:00

I have debated whether or not I would post anything about this. Because everyone who reads our blog (all five or six of you!) are surely already aware of this. BUT. I figured that if even one more person stumbles across our blog, reads this sweet family's story and is able to pray for them - then it is a wonderful thing. Their sweet baby girl is with Jesus after a short fight with cancer. It's heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and it leaves me at a total loss for words. Now they are building the Cora playground in her honor. Such a cool, cool idea. And there is a totally awesome way that everyone can get involved and contribute.

I've been a huge fan of Etsy for a long time. It's a website where crafters of all kinds can create their own online "shops" to sell their handmade goods. There is some really neat stuff on there - and some totally crazy stuff. And a group of Etsy-ers has gathered together to create and sell items, with %100 of the proceeds going to Cora's playground. You should check it out! It's so neat that all these people (many of whom don't even know the Mac's) are getting together to honor this little girls memory. And there are some CUTE CUTE CUTE things! I'm planning on buying lots of goodies. I wonder if I can get that amazing fuchsia tutu in my size? Every girl needs a tutu!

Last Tuesday

2009-01-16T21:24:00.010-06:00

Sooooo. What do me, Jordan, and Sherron Collins all have in common? Well...not much. Except for the fact that last Tuesday night we were all at the same place at the same time - Allen Fieldhouse for the KU vs. Sienna basketball game!

It was a super fun time. We had a yummy dinner, walked around Mass street for a bit, and got to see some sweet KU memorabilia. We even sported matching KU t-shirts, courtesy of Jordan's grandparents :) Thankfully KU won the game - otherwise it could have been a long car ride home! And of course, we snapped some pictures...

Jordan's really excited to be on the road!

Allen Fieldhouse, in all it's glory...

The National Championship trophy! Even I, being as clueless about sports as I am, can appreciate the coolness of it...
Did you know that you can buy your own "Beware of 'The Phog'" banner? Who knew? Maybe the Stucky's need one of these in their house? I think it would look nice in Jordan's man cave.

Also, did you know that Jordan used to play bastkeball? You probably did . But even more shocking - did you know that I used to play basketball? Seriously. Fifth grade. I made one basket the entire season. I was NOT awesome.

Here's Jordan during his organized basketball playing days...notice the intensity and determination on his face. I'm sure he's thinking about something basketball-y and totally relative to the game.
And here's me...yes, that slightly geeky looking girl on the far right, who's staring at the coach with a slightly confused and clueless look upon her face. I'm probably thinking something like, "Why did I have to choose a sport that invovles so much running?", or even more likely, "When will this shin-dig be over so I can catch up on the latest antics of the Babysitter's Club?".

Needless to say, I only lasted one season. Hopefully our children will inherit Jordan's sports genes, and not their mothers! :)

Totally Gratuitous

2009-01-04T16:19:00.002-06:00

This post serves no purpose other than to show the world how totally hip and fly we are. And to show off our awesome "bling" that we won at the bowling alley.

Word to your mother.

Michael Phelps : The Fish with 8 Lives?

2009-01-01T22:48:00.005-06:00

We recently had some exciting new additions here at the Stucky household! This year for Christmas, my loving and wonderful husband got me the greatest present - 3 goldfish!

Meet Ariel, Gill, & Michael Phelps Stucky...

Miraculously, they survived the trip home...

And the transfer to the bowl....(always traumatic)

And here they are in their new home...

Look at that speed!

And things were good.

For a day.

But tonight when we got home, Jordan announced that two of our fish were "goners".

"Nooooooo!!!", I cried! "I haven't even gotten to blog about them yet!". I rushed over to the bowl, only to find Michael Phelps & Gill floating upside down at the top of the bowl, eyes bugged out of their heads. I was totally bummed. We held hands, had a moment of silence and began preparations to transfer them to their watery grave.

BUT, as we scooped them out of their bowl, Michael's tail gave a little wiggle. We quickly dumped him and Gill into a waiting bowl...they floated to the top, bounced around for a minute or two...and then began to swim! Feebly, mind you - but they were definitely alive. So we scrubbed their bowl clean, gave them fresh water, and some food. And as I write this, all three fish are happily swimming in their new bowl. Phew! What a close call.

It is so exhausting being fish parents.