A Very Special Birthday, Snow, Christmas Lights and 34 Weeks.

I feel so behind on my blogging, but the truth is...not a lot has been going on until the last few days. So since I have plenty to blog about today, I am going to get it all in one sha-bang!

First and MOST important, we celebrated Andy's 26th birthday this week. Yesterday in fact. Luckily he didn't have to go into to work until 1:00pm, so we had most of the morning just to hang out together. I made him breakfast and even put up fun birthday signs all over the cupboards before he woke up. Then last night we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner....Andy wanted a steak, and boy did they deliver! To top it off, we celebrated with carrot cake and ice cream...and a little side of 'White Christmas'. Aside from his dentist appointment and having to get a filling...I think he had a pretty good birthday over all. I move that we make birthdays into 'birth-weeks'...where you celebrate all week long. Anyone with me??

Also last night, we decided to drive through 'Christmas in the Park' with our friends Christy and Steve. There is a park here in town where businesses and organizations have little Christmas display's all lit up, and you drive through to look at all of them. I loved it, It definitley put me in the Christmas spirit! That along with the snow we recieved earlier this week....I hope we have a White Christmas!

And lastly, this weekend I hit my 34th week being pregnant. I know I promised a photo about 2 weeks ago and I am just getting around to it. Overall I feel pretty good, I get sharp rib pain and pressure daily...but I am hoping that is normal. He definitely moves a lot and we are getting excited to have him join our family. Sometimes I wake up and think ' Is this real? ' haha.

Recent Happenings!

Well, I figure since I am back in Kentucky and have more time on my hands...I might as well update the blog. A little holiday cheer for all of you Christmas lovers out there. I have been looking forward to December for a while...and am glad that its finally OK for me to listen to Christmas music publicly (I have been a closet listener since September).

Andy finally returned from his month long training in California! Lets just say he is SO happy that it is over, and we will leave it at that. Its never easy being away from each other...I envy all of you who hardly ever spend time away from your spouse...anyone in the Army knows that's usually not the case for Army families. Luckily we have the whole holiday season to spend together...along with the time when our little boy will be joining us! I can't believe how fast time is going and am still trying to prepare myself for the new adventures that I know we will experience in 2009. I am getting rather 'plump' if you will, and will have Andy take a snap shot so I can post a current picture.

Andy and I both had a wonderful Thanksgiving. He got home from California at about 3am on Thanksgiving morning...came home, slept a bit and drove to Ohio to spend the holiday with his sister Larissa and her family, along with Greg, Allice and little Gus. I know he was sure grateful to spend the weekend with them and get his mind off of work. I was originally going to stay in Idaho until December 7th so I could attend my little brother Mike's wedding, but decided it would be better for me to come home a little early to spend time with Andy. So with the help of mine and Andy's sweet parents, I got myself a flight out of Idaho Falls the day after Thanksgiving to Ohio, and spent the rest of the weekend with everyone there. We had a fun weekend...and it was so great to see Andy after a long month! We really are so blessed to have such wonderful and supportive families...and I can't express how grateful I am for all of them.

After our fun weekend in Ohio, we drove back home to our chilly house in Kentucky. I am on a heat strike...I don't want to turn the thermostat above 65 or 66 degrees because its so blasted expensive! I have been contemplating getting a little space heater to keep in our living room/kitchen area, since this is where we spend most of our time...any thoughts??

Excuse my tangent...when we made it home we immediately put up our Christmas tree and also put together our new stroller! I was so excited for this purchase, and much like my sister-in-law Allice predicted...we totally walked around the house with it after putting it together. Things are really starting to sink in!

Here is a picture of our tree in all its Glory!

Along with a picture of Andy and our new stroller!

Lastly, I made this berry wreath for our front door this year and LOVE how it turned out. I love inexpensive crafts!

Happy Holidays!!

New Favorite.

For those of you who are fans of Regina Spektor...I think you could probably also appreciate this artist. Lenka and 'The Show' - my new favorite!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nTSU-mFWGs

Catching Up!

Well its officially been too long since I wrote last...and figured since its a quiet afternoon in Idaho I had better load some of my pictures and blog them. I have officially entered into the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy and am feeling the little guy move more and more. So much so, that I feel like I have a foot or one of his limbs permanently lodged between my ribs...OUCH. My ribs ache most of the time, but hopefully that just means he is healthy and strong. My mom and my sister in law threw me a baby shower this last weekend and I will be sure to post pictures of that.

But first thing's first. Andy has officially been gone to California for a little over a week (it feels like a month)...I am really missing him and can't wait until we can both be home together. I am so happy that my parents agreed to let me stay with them, not only do I feel more safe...but it definitely distracts me and keeps me from counting every minute of every day. Before Andy left...we got together with our friends and carved some Halloween pumpkins. I know these pictures are LONG over due, but I had to show everyone how talented Andy is at carving a pumpkin. I will admit the only part I played in the whole process was spooning out the guts... Andy did the rest.

Here is Andy concentrating on drawing the face...

and here is the finished product!

We were only able to enjoy our pumpkin for a couple of days before we had to pass him on to our friends Steve and Christy to take care of for us. I was pretty impressed to say the least.

Things in Idaho are going well. My days pretty much already have a routine...I get up at 6:30 every morning (when my little sister gets up to get ready for school), eat some food and pretty much hang out. Not much different than my life in Kentucky except for the absence of Andy. I am excited to get back and spend Christmas together and know he is even more excited. I don't think a month long visit to Fort Erwin is really his cup of tea, but he is trying to make the most of it (a little under 2 1/2 weeks for him to go).

Like I mentioned, yesterday my mom and sister in law Cami thew me a baby shower here in Idaho...it was so great so see so many of my friends and family and to those of you who came...THANKS! I had such a great time and received so many wonderful gifts, I can hardly wait to use them. Here is a little slide show of the exciting event (and some good shots of my big belly):

Louisville Cardinals + Military Appreciation = Good Times

Yesterday was military appreciation day at the Louisville Cardinals game, and since Andy loves anything and everything that has to do with college football, we decided to go! On top of free tickets to the game, the University provided lunch for all military members and their families! I don't think I have seen that much food in all my life! In true Kentucky fashion the fed us fried chicken, cheese burgers, hot dogs, pizza and as many candy bars as our hearts desired. We really had the best time and it was really nice to see all the fans stand to applaud members of the military. I think often times we take them for granted and it was nice to see them all appreciated! So here's to the Louisville Cardinals for treating us right (and beating Southern Florida 24-20) and to the members of our military, they certainly deserve that kind of treatment more often!

Root Root Root for the Home Team!!

Crazy Eights!

Eight Shows I like to Watch:
1. The Hills
2. The Doctors
3. Ellen
4. Morning Joe
5. My Parents House on HGTV
6. Rachel Ray
7. Anything on Food Network
8. Full House reruns


Eight Restaurants I like to eat at:
1. Cheesecake Factory
2. CPK
3. Rumbi
4. Kneaders
5. Chick-fil-a
6. Any good sushi place
7. Jamba Juice
8. Any good Frozen Yogurt place


Eight things that I've Done today:
1. Made Andy Lunch
2. Read my scriptures and wrote in my journal
3. Loaded the dishwasher
4. Folded Clothes
5. Helped Andy pack for NTC
6. Watched part of Enchanted
7. Slept an extra hour
8. Worked Out


Eight Things I am looking forward to:
1. Andy getting home from Work!
2. My shower
3. CHRISTMAS
4. Visiting my family
5. The arrival of our Child
6. Living out West
7. Spending the weekend with Andy
8. Making Christmas Crafts


Eight Things on my wish list:
1. A new wardrobe
2. Another Car
3. Have a happy baby
4. Snow on Christmas Day
5. Andy to find a job he Loves
6. To be closer to family
7. A house of my own to decorate.
8. Open my own Frozen Yogurt Shop


Eight people to tag:
1. Larissa
2. Natalie
3. Cami
4. Kathryn
5. Christy
6. La
7. Chelsea
8. Brooke
(and of course anyone else who wants to do it!!)

Could it Get any More Extreme?

This next month Andy will be spending all of his time at the National Training Center (NTC) in Fort Irwin, CA. I don't think I have publicly announced it, but Andy will probably be deploying to Iraq next October 2009 and NTC is a month long training in preparation for the deployment. Needless to say I am not excited about either trip. Unfortunately this means we won't be able to spend Thanksgiving together this year or next. Luckily I will be spending a lot of time with my family, and hopefully that will distract me from the fact that my husband is far away. Andy isn't super excited for the trip either, but this will make our Christmas all the sweeter! SO...in honor of our upcoming trips I thought I would show you what we have to look forward too:

This is where we currently live:
Although the fall weather here is beautiful, we are still in the 80s. Hopefully sometime this week it will drop below 75. I only wish!

This is where Andy will be for the next month:
Welcome to the desert! Hopefully the weather will be a little mild, after all it will be November!

And lastly, this is where I will be for the next month:
BURRRRRRRRRRRR! It makes me cold just looking at it!

24 Weeks

Since Andy is downstairs engrossed in the Dodgers vs. Phillies game, I decided to take advantage of the the moment and post a new picture of myself. Please note that at this point in time I am not super photogenic, so don't hold it against me. However, our little boy seems to be very photogenic! I am feeling him kick more and more...he seems to be very active and if I am sitting down I can even see my stomach move in all directions. Hopefully he gets all of his energy out now, because I am sure when he finally gets here I won't have much of it myself!

All Stockhoff Generations Think Blue

The last two nights have been fantastic for Dodger fans throughout the world. Our boys beat the favored Cubs twice in Chicago. Now, we need just one more victory to win the series and move on to the next round of the playoffs. I am absolutely loving every minute of it. And as it turns out, I'm not the only one! We have a new ultrasound picture that we didn't post before, and it looks like our little man is taking right after his dad! Another Dodgers fan is born....or will be in a few months.

Who Knew He was Such a Natural?

This last Saturday Andy and I, along with our friends Christy and Steve, went to a lake near by to enjoy a day in the outdoors with a family in our ward. It was such beautiful weather and we really enjoyed ourselves. Andy even had the chance to try wake boarding for the first time, and I think he really loved it! Christy was nice enough to snap some shots of Andy in action as well as some sweet pics of Andy and Steve on the tube. They make quite a pair, especially the picture of them doing the Dodger dance....I am sad I missed seeing that in person.

'Vote Your Conscience'

I found this video posted on a friend's blog, it was recently put out by the Catholic church, and although I myself am not Catholic, the message is powerful and will hopefully inspire people to vote this election. As they say in the video...'Vote Your Conscience'. Thanks for sharing Shawna.

And the Gender is...(drum roll)

We went in today for the big 20-week ultrasound. Most importantly, they check to see if the baby is healthy, but usually by this point, they can also tell the gender of the baby. And of course, we absolutely wanted them to tell us, if they could catch a glimpse. After perusing around the little body, it didn't take long for the ultrasound technician to spot the goods, and she asked us if we wanted to know. We replied "yes" and she said, "you're definitely having a boy!" She then pointed "it" out to us, and sure enough, he is 100% dude! As the future father, I swelled up with pride at my little man, and I can't help but imagine all the good times to come. It really was an incredible experience to see our son moving around in Melissa's tummy. In fact, he was very active during the whole thing--flailing and squirming around. We got some great shots from the ultrasound that the technician was kind enough to print out for us:



This is a great shot of his little face. While looking at this picture, I did notice that it looks like his arms are just floating, which reminded me of one of the Mii's from the Nintendo Wii. Just an observation.



Thumbs up, dude. A nice clear shot of his arm, giving a shout out to his mom and dad.

We were also able to see him clearly sucking his thumb. We tried to get a picture, but it didn't come out well. Still, it was great to see him doing human things. It makes it so much more real for us as future parents. We absolutely can't wait for him to arrive and be part of our family.

Chairlift:Bruises

I love this song.

Family Fun and Pictures!

Well, Andy and I had a great time in Idaho this last weekend...and I can't tell you how bad we wish we could have stayed longer! It was SO great to see everyone and to spend so much time with family. It's also great to have Mike home, he certainly has grown up a lot and now the family is once again complete! Our weekend included: two 12 hour days of travel, playing the Wii, a trip to Smitty's for breakfast, family pictures, my moms chicken enchiladas, making rolls with Grandma, playing the harp with Jayni, Mikes homecoming talk, a huge family lunch at my parents house, beautiful weather, lots belly rubbing and college football. We packed every minute we could and enjoyed every one. My mom burned me a CD with a bunch of pictures on it, but I can't seem to get it to work on my computer...so here are some of our family pictures that I had on my camera...hopefully there will be more to come! (PS. if you look closely you can see my every growing baby bump!)

He's Back!! Well, Almost.

Tomorrow Andy and I are heading up to Idaho for a long weekend to celebrate the return of my little brother Mike, who is home from his mission! This will be the first time all our family has been together in 2 long years and we can't wait! He officially comes home later this afternoon, but I just had to give him a shout out and tell him how excited we are to have him home, and how proud we are of him for serving 2 years.

We will be sure to take lots of pictures to document the events!

I Love Surveys, and I've Been Tagged!

A friend of mine, Lianna, tagged me to do this fun survey! Enjoy, and look for your name at the bottom..you may just get tagged yourself!

First one:Post these rules on your blog.
List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

3 Joys

1. The thought of being a Mom really excites me!
2. Andy, of course
3. The holidays coming up, I can barely wait!

3 Fears

1. Loosing Andy or a member of our family
2. Being attacked by a stranger
3. Getting a flat tire or breaking down on the side of the road.

3 Goals

1. Be a good mom
2. Eat better now that I can eat real food!
3. Budget better

3 Obsessions

1. Making sure my eyelashes don't clump together
2. Frozen Yogurt
3. Window Shopping (and buying when I have the funds)

Facts About Me

1. I am almost a year older than Andy. A somewhat tradition in my family since my mom is older than my dad and my brothers wife is older than him. Just call us Cougars! Rarr.
2. Coldplay's song Clocks is probably my all time favorite song.
3. I really dislike it when people touch my face...nor can I sleep on the same pillow (or pillowcase) as anyone else. Even my husband.

Second one:Rules:Each player answers the questions themselves.At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names.

Ten years ago…

1. I was 16 and had just started my Jr. Year of High School
2. I was an employee at Kathy's Hallmark and loved to eat the Russel Stover's Mint Marshmallows while I worked.
3. This year was the year I became closest to my brother Nate.
4. Pretty sure I might have had a crush on a guy with the same last name as me. Don't worry, we were NOT related.
5. I wanted to be a movie Director. I am not sure where that aspiration came from?

Five things on today’s “to do” list…

1. Do the Firm...
2. Shower and get ready for the day (try to find some clothes that fit)
3. Take our rental car back to Louisville
4. Pick up our hopefully 'repaired' car at the Volvo dealership
5. Pick Andy up from work!

Five snacks I enjoy…

1. Pears
2. Apples
3. Popsicles
4. cold cereal
5. Chips and salsa!

Five things I would do if I was a millionaire...

1. Pay off debt
2. Buy another car so I am not a hermit
3. Share with family! That's what family is for!
4. Go on a long vacation with Andy
5. SAVE SAVE SAVE

Five places I have lived…

1. Idaho Falls, ID
2. San Diego, CA
3. Orem, UT
4. Fort Leonard Wood, MO
5. Vine Grove, KY

YOU ARE IT!
Now I am tagging .... Darcie, Chelsea, Jenessa, Bob and Kathryn ...and anyone else who reads my blog and wants to do it ! Comeon, give it a try!

Greg on Gameday!

Once we got word that Greg was heading to Atlanta for College Gameday, we became excited at the prospect of seeing a Stockhoff on national television. Greg kept us posted throughout the show to let us know when he might have made it on camera. And shortly after Erin Andrews did a lead-in to a commercial break, they panned across the crowd, and there he was! For about 5 seconds, Greg was the King of New York--or Atlanta. We boot-legged this video on our camera, so that all could partake! Please enjoy and feel free to comment!

The Sound of the 80s is Back!

I am a lover of all 80s music...there is a distinct sound of the 80s that you don't hear very much anymore (unless your listening to an 80s song that is). I was excited to hear this song from the band 'Black Kids' called 'I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you' Am I wrong or is the sound of the 80s coming back?



In other news...I decided that I would post of a picture of myself. This is me at almost 18 weeks. I have also recently started to feel the baby moving, which is really exciting. However, I am ready to have a little more of a pregnant belly so at least people can explain why I am always eating :) Lets just say once this pregnancy is over I am swearing off cereal and toast!

Did you hear?

All you Twilight fans out there, the movie release date has been moved up to November 21st! Read it here, straight from the horses mouth! http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_movie.html

Kentucky State Fair and Then Some...

So this last weekend Andy had Friday off, to make up for all the time he was out in the field and away from home. I love his days off and we took the grand opportunity to spend 8 dollars to attend the Kentucky state fair! Granted I am use to the days of my childhood where I faithfully attended the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot Idaho...what a gem of a place. My favorite part? Tiger ears! For those of you Idahoans you know what I am talking about. Anyway....Andy and I had a fun time at the fair. I forgot that since Andy and I don't like the sickening carnival rides, all you do is walk around and eat greasy food...chicken nuggets please. We enjoyed ourselves and you better believe I was POOPED and crashed for a little over 2 hours when we got home. Here is a special picture of Andy in front of the fountains! Wheres a picture of me you ask, I am not so photogenic these days...but sometime I will post a pick of me and the ever growing stomach!


Also, as many of you know...I am a big fan of the Hills. Call me pathetic or even immature...but I can't stop watching the drama. If you aren't a fan you can skip this part...or heck...take a peek, you may become a groupie like me. Here's a little preview of what this season holds!



Lastly, I found this sweet link on a friends blog. Just to give you an idea, here is what our child might look like.


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


Don't worry, I tried it for both baby girl and baby boy and the picture was exactly the same. We must be having identical twins! ha.

Is it time to put up the Christmas Tree yet??

First of all, let me just say how great it is to finally have my husband home and out of the field! Sheesh! He was gone for almost a full two weeks and I missed him terribly. He also made a quick trip out to Utah to help his brother Greg drive his moving truck across the country. Greg and Allice will be making their home in Clemson, SC so Greg can attend graduate school! I am excited to have them so close (yes an 8 hour drive is close!).

Unfortunately Andy also caught some sort of flu bug and was out (and I mean out) for part of the afternoon and all night Monday night. I decided to play it safe and sleep on the couch...heaven knows I throw up enough without the flu on top of that. How miserable! Luckily though, I am starting to feel so much better! I hardly ever feel sick anymore...in fact the only time I feel sick is after I take my vitamin! With food, with out food, in the morning or at night, with tums or with out.... I can rarely keep it down! Any suggestions??? I hate taking them because I am scared...that's now how it should be right?

I am also getting super excited for the Holidays..I can't help but burn holiday candles and watch good holiday movies like Elf. I think its a disease! Anyway since Andy will be gone for the full month of November to Fort Erwin, CA (yes he will be gone for Thanksgiving...isn't that nice?) I have decided to hopefully spend the month in Idaho with my family! I can't wait for that...but even before then...next month on the 11th of September, my little brother gets home from his mission! I can't believe how quickly time flies by! Andy and I will be making a short weekend trip out to Idaho to welcome him home and we can't wait to see all our family!

As I side note...I finished the final book in the Twilight series...Breaking Dawn. I am not going to lie...I may have taken a peek at the ending just to see if it was worth it for me to continue reading...and of course I loved it! To me it was a great ending to the series! Next comes the movie in December. Can't wait.

Historic Glendale!

Yesterday my good friend Christy and I went to Historic Glendale Kentucky! We had such good time shopping at the little boutique craft and antique shops and catching lunch at the Whistle Stop Cafe! I can't wait to go back during the Holidays! Here is how much fun we had eating...who doesn't love a good meal right??



I had such a great time, and Thanks to Christy for keeping me entertained while Andy has been out in the field!

As a side note...Christy and I found a pretty spectacular product on our journey to Glendale...at the 'Sisters Shop'...something I think the mother of any little boy should own. Here's a little intro..

'Changing a baby girl is not all glitz and glory;
Changing a baby boy is an even bigger horror story.
You hold his feet in one hand, and the diaper in the other;
The whole time praying, "Please don't pee on your mother!"'

What product could I be endorsing you ask? Why the Pee Pee Teepee (for the sprinkling wee wee) of course...just take a look for yourself! You better believe that if we are having a boy I am getting one of these for myself...and everyone else I know who are having boys...which seems to be a lot of you. Why didn't I think of this??? Check them out...HERE!

Andy's always singing this song...

I think he likes it!


This is Home- Switchfoot

Beware, This ones a Doozy!

Well, since I have been delinquent in my blogging...this post may exceed the length of any normal post...so bear with me...it has a really good ending!!

First off..4th of July. Although the 4th was over a week ago, I have to share some of the fun pictures from our adventurous weekend. Over the holiday Andy's sister Larissa, her husband Spencer and their two boys Cole and Jack, came to visit! We had such a fun time! We picnicked, lit some fireworks, went to the Fort Knox water park and even did a little neighborly BBQ. I think the boys enjoyed the park the most...especially the flocks of geese that wanted to eat all our food!

Jack in one of his many times down the slide!

Cole and Jack enjoying the view.

Uncle Andy and Cole riding the dinosaur, cowboy style!


Cole warming up to a sparkler.

Thanks to the Zitzmans for coming to visit, we really had the greatest time!

Onto this weeks events...our good friend Bob and his girlfriend Kylee payed us a fun visit for a couple of days! Bob will be heading off to Korea in a few weeks and we are so glad that he took the chance to stop by before he left! On Friday night we took Bob out to dinner for his Birthday, which was back in June. We decided to hit up BJ's in Louisville, for any of you Californians out there, you know what I am talking about. It was sure tasty! We will really miss Bob while he is in Korea, and can't wait for another fun rendezvous.

Also this weekend, Andy ran the Fort Knox 10 mile qualification race...the top 8 runners are automatically sent to Washington DC in October to compete in the Army 10 miler...each post sends their top 8 runners to compete. Well, as no surprise to me, Andy got 3rd place for Fort Knox and will be sponsored in the October race in DC! We can't wait, I have never been to DC and can't wait to join him in the fun (from the sidelines of course!).

Lastly, the news you've all been waiting for! The reason why you muscled through the beginning of this long post! Andy and I will be expecting the newest addition to our family around February 1st 2009! That's right, a baby (in case you needed me to make it more clear). We are excited, surprised, nervous and very blessed! How can I be sure? Well...if feeling lethargic, throwing up, being nauseous, getting zits, loosing my appetite, throwing up and feeling lethargic aren't enough to convince you...this should! Here's the little bean in all its glory (we will be referring to the baby as an 'IT' until sometime in September when we can find out the gender). Go a head, take a look-see!
Feel like offering me any motherly advice? Go right ahead, I am accepting all the help I can get!
Love
Meliss