The Stover Family

December 2008

2008-12-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

December turned out to be very busy month to end our very busy year. Tyler started T-ball and it is about the cutest thing we have seen. He absolutely loves it!! Of course he is a natural and the best hitter on the team....we aren't the least bit biased. It is so much more fun that his two little buddies from his class at school, Michael and Lucas, are on his team too. Luke just hangs out with Meggie (Michael's sister). They are quite cute as well. The only downfall to the whole experience is that his team is the Longhorns. The boys don't seem to mind but Mommy refuses to wear the burnt orange parent shirt. There are just some things you can't do...even for your kids :)

T-BALL

TY'S FIRST TOOTH

Tyler also lost his first tooth this month. This picture cracks me up. He was just trying to smile so I could see the tooth he lost, instead he looks terrified! We thought the whole idea of the tooth fairy may scare him but he did just fine. The kid is motivated by money!

CHRISTMAS PLAY

Then came the boys Christmas play. Luke completely shocked us. You have to understand that Luke has been in the separation anxiety stage (only from me mind you) for pretty much his whole life. EVERY day I took him to school we would have a screaming fit because he didn't want to leave me. Luckily his teacher is an angel and just takes him and runs. So, we get to the Christmas play. I haven't taken him to school in two months because of my bed rest so we are a little worried how he is going to do separating from me and then have to stand in front of a sanctuary and sing Christmas carols. We had nothing to worry about...I have never seen such a ham in my entire life. I wish I could post a part of the video but that's way too complicated for me. Not only did he sing, he talked to us and all his friends from the stage the entire time. Then after he was sitting with us he continued to "coach" Tyler, Meghan and all their friends from our seats. You never know with him. It's a good thing he's so cute!

Left to Right: Michael, Tyler, Meghan and Luke

LUKE TURNS 3

Lukie turned 3 on the 21st of this month. It has been an eventful three years for our family and he has kept us laughing the whole way. Not only does he look like Ben he acts so much like him too. He has such a care free and happy personality...90% of the time at least. The other 10% he is about as determined to get his own way as they come. I'm afraid that part is from me...we just pray that Luke uses his power for good and not evil! He'll be able to move mountains if he puts his mind to it. He had a small speed racer party at the beginning of the month and then we went out to eat on his actual day.

CHRISTMAS

We had Christmas in Mission this year...just us. We didn't exactly plan for our first Christmas back in Texas to be alone but it worked out nice just the same. My doc said that traveling would not be a good idea in "my condition". The boys don't have a problem with it...they are celebrating Christmas four times over...with their cousins from Austin, our family, my family and then Ben's family. Christmas morning was fun for Ben and I. The boys were completely into Santa and we had the best time making cookies, reading the night before Christmas and waking up together.

UPDATE

There isn't much on Jake right now except that he is absolutely the most precious little boy. He started walking right before his first birthday (October 31st) and is so happy to be keeping up a little more with his brothers. He is such a content baby and loves to play. He talks all the time in the sweetest baby jabber. We can't get enough of him. It's hard to not pick him up and squeeze him....but he does weigh 27 lbs (5 less than Luke) so that's a tad risky for me at this point!

Ben and I are doing well. We are adjusting to life down in Mexico quite nicely. We still miss our family and friends from Georgia but the Lord is so good. I was convinced that it would take us a really long time to make new friends and then get close to them. God stepped right in and took care of that. The school the boys attend is just wonderful and the ladies I have met from MOPs are just priceless. We I got put on bed rest at the beginning of November, all of these people just stepped out of the woodwork and came to our rescue. I am especially indebted to two ladies here, Jodi and Laura. They think of our needs even before we do.

It has been quite a challenge to remain still. It is not in my nature to just sit without doing. We are hoping we have a light at the end of the tunnel. I am 26 weeks tomorrow. I had steroid shots for her lungs a couple weeks ago so if she did come now, her lungs would probably not be an issue. Our first goal is 28 weeks and then 32 weeks. I take medication every 4 hours right now to keep the contractions away. Right now, the doc says I can go off meds at 32 weeks and we'll see what happens. Knowing my luck I will probably go to term and have to be induced!! Of well, that is better than her being born now. My doctor here is just amazing. We are very close to my OB in Georgia and I have to say I had a hard time when I had to have someone else. The wonderful thing is that I still talk to Dr. Lonergan and he agrees 100% with everything Dr. Hernandez is doing. That alone is so reassuring. Dr. Hernandez has proven to be a God send. He has called everything that would happen every step of the way. He is very proactive and we have learned to trust him completely. He has her best interests at heart, as well as mine. Oh..if you didn't know that part...this is a girl. The drama has already begun and she's not even here yet!

The store is doing well and Ben is slowly adjusting to his different lifestyle. I don't know how many times I've heard him so that there are just not enough hours in the day! He is balancing everything so much better than I ever could. The word that comes to mind is selfless. When I went into labor the first time, that was all it took. He not only manages the store but our house and kids as well. Not to mention the care I need. I'm not used to being so high maintenance but I'm pathetic these days. Who knew that bed rest would exhaust you?

We hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and year. There is has been so much excitement this year for us and we anticipate more when our daughter arrives. As of now we are naming her Kathleen Grace...Katie for short. The middle name may change but Katie is sticking quite well.

We love all of you so much and appreciate all of your love and support this year. Your prayers through all of our transitions have been felt and treasured.

Happy New Year!

Updated pictures of the boys

2008-10-11T14:27:00.001-07:00

Sweet baby Jake

The kid has the roundest face!! We are always kissing those cheeks.

These two...they get crazier every day. They sure love playing with each other.

Luke's favorite past time this summer...coloring on himself with markers.

First time eating spaghetti

Tyler's first day of school...Luke got to start school at the same place a month later.

The worst blogger ever!

2008-10-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

I know I'm horrible, I haven't updated anyone in 4 months. I did start a facebook but this seems to be more personal somehow. I do have my reasons...I haven't forgotten about anyone! We still miss you terribly.

The update and all the reasons I have been neglecting this site...

Well...Ben did become an operator as you read in our last blog. He left shortly after for Atlanta for 6 weeks. We went to Houston for the last two weeks. Ben came home in July but we stayed in Houston for another week then week to Austin to complete his training. During that time we saw several friends we had not seen in years. We spent time with the Livesays, Huntleys and the Mays. It was great to meet their families for the first time. Afterwards we came home to a hurricane hitting two days later and then we moved apartments the next week. Then we started Ben's first complete month at the store and Tyler started school at the end of August. I've been trying to getting slowly involved. I feel very blessed to be a stay at home mom but it took me a lot of months to get used to it. I'm used to chaos and schedules and I thrive in those conditions. I wasn't used to making my own list of things to do on my time (well actually not my own time...the time the kids allowed me is more like it). I know it sounds crazy that that should be a problem but when you go from working and having kids to just having kids it is a downshift. It's getting better. After all of that, I went on a complete girls trip with my mom, sister and best friend, Crista to New York for Missy's 29th birthday. We had so much fun...ate a lot of food, walked a ton and saw Mamma Mia (completely awesome) and Lion King. I felt very spoiled.

And, lastly, the biggest news of all...

The last reason to why I can't seem to get it together and keep up with posts/pictures is that we found out that baby #4 is on his/her way. Yes, you heard me right, we are pregnant AGAIN and I am well aware of the fact that Jake isn't even 1 yet!! We've know for a while now, I'm 15 weeks along and due April 5th.

It's neat how the Lord can come full circle in your life. We found out August 1st that we were expecting this baby...6 years ago on that day, we miscarried our first baby. The due date for that baby was April 5th...just like this baby #4.

So...extra prayers are appreciated. We are moving into a house at the end of this month and then getting our things out of storage in Georgia next month. Life will be a little nuts for a while but I'll try to keep you updated!!

Love you!
The Stovers

Ben is an Operator!!

2008-06-07T13:48:00.001-07:00

I know the posts are out of order but I wanted this to be the first update. Ben got the call on May 16th that he was officially being selected as the operator of Jackson Ave FSU in McAllen, TX. We were waiting outside to officially congratulate Daddy.

Luke had run up the apartment stairs, that's why there is no picture with him. I meant to get one later but just forgot...side affect of having kids!!

Gladys Porter Zoo

2008-06-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Ben has had the whole week before he leaves for operator training off. We took the time to spend some much needed time together after our crazy month of May. Of course, two our of the three kids were sick but we still found time to go to the zoo and hang out at the pool. Which, by the way, this zoo is probably the best we have been to. Last year the boys and I got to go to the National zoo in Washington D.C. and that was pretty cool too. but the animals were so active, it was a lot of fun.

If I ever doubted why God gave us all boys I think we received some clarity today. Ben and I were just as excited as the boys going from one exhibit to the next. We loved see how active the animals were and just had the best time with the boys. And, I can't believe I am going to write this, the snakes were pretty amazing.

Yes, he was that close...as you will see in the next picture.

Luke sat there and watched him sleep the whole time. Eventually, he woke up and just stared at Luke. It was a little unnerving.

Luke loved the birds, monkeys and snakes.

Tyler's favorite

Sweet angel baby...he was wonderful and we know he felt rotten.

There was a robotic dinosaur exhibit which was so fun for the boys to see. At first they weren't sure (actually Luke still isn't in this picture) but eventually they both warmed up to them just fine. Poor Jake just fell asleep and buried his head in my shoulder.

I would love to say "come on over" and we will go down with you but the zoo is in Brownsville and it is quite a hike for anyone but us!! But if you are in the neighbor, let us know, we will happily go again.

Jake's Photo Shoot

2008-05-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

It's hard to not do the same things for number two and three as you did for one...not because you don't have the same desires for them but because you no longer have as much time or money!! We took Jake to picture people a couple weeks ago and I am so glad we did. You can really see the red tint to his hair in these pictures. When he did his naked pics they had to take him to the front...the place right by the window to the mall. I think 7 or 8 people stopped and watched him take pictures...there is just something about a naked baby that makes people smile and laugh, especially when they have so many rolls like Mr. Jake. It was a lot of fun...thanks Mom! It was a wonderful Mother's Day gift.

Tyler turns 5!!

2008-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Bed head and all!

So I didn't win the award of the most pictures taken on your child's birthday. I had plenty of opportunities...the kid celebrated his birthday for about 2 weeks...party at Chucky Cheese with Caleb and Noah, celebration with Mommy and Daddy and then unexpectedly a Pappasitto's celebration with the grandparents. He did well for himself. I think we all kind of over did it out of guilt because all his little friends (besides Crista's kids) are in Georgia. Anyone that has boys and needs to give a gift soon...the speed racer track (the one that flips the cars 2 feet in the air) is awesome and remote control dinosaurs are very cool (have to have two though so they can fight). He also loved the transformer in the picture...the one I thought he wouldn't like because it stayed in robot form and almost took back...its the one toy he hasn't put down...go figure.

Jake turns 6 months!!

2008-05-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt the kid is a boy...he wrestled this dinosaur for 20 minutes!

He is becoming our boy of many faces...we can't believe the things this kid can do with his eyebrows!

We go back and forth on who he resembles the most. There are so many times I think he looks like our nephew, Noah, when he makes all of his faces (Josh and Teresa's boy) but he is also very much a Nicholas (my mom's side of the family). You can't see it so much here but in some other pictures taken he has a very distinct red tint to his hair and he obviously has huge blue eyes...all of which are from Mom's side. Ben's mom sees my uncle all the time in him (Jack Nicholas) and last night Ben said he looked like a Bobinski (which would be my mom's sister). We'll see. One thing I know for sure is that I am in love with this kid and he is a complete angel!

Tan Boys

2008-04-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

Slowly but surely they are soaking up the Texas sun (with 50 sph on!)

Bluebonnets

2008-04-05T15:49:00.001-07:00

Spring and Fall are my absolute favorite seasons in Georgia so when we moved right before everything bloomed it added to my sadness. It was such a wonderful feeling to drive into Texas and see the beginning of bluebonnets. I haven't seen them in 4 years and they were a wonderful sight. I wish the boys were as excited as I was but they stayed true to form and make the experience as challenging as possible!!

Tyler/Jake

2008-04-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

These pictures caught Ty in some good moments...he can't stand
taking pictures and I hear about it constantly. Jake is the

happiest child but stops smiling the moment anything tries to record/take his picture.

Luke

2008-04-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

This picture cracks me up because it is Luke in a nut shell. The boy can turn it on at the drop of a hat and make you feel like you are the most horribly mean individual that ever came in contact with him. You notice that Tyler is not even phased by the drama.

2008-04-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Not liking that he has to sit still for literally 2 minutes to take pictures.

2008-04-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

...and he is still not happy.

The Beach

2008-03-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

Luke quickly discovered he had a love for sand.

We went to South Padre Island yesterday. Luke was hilarious. He hated the water. From the moment it touched his feet he took off screaming and running. He spent the majority of his day chasing/feeding the seagulls and rolling around in the sand. I'm not kidding, as you will see, the kid would just lay in in the sand. I couldn't believe that he would sit there and let seagulls eat out of his hand but was terrified of the water touching his feet. Tyler had a blast as well but he is in that "I hate the camera and the fact that my mommy takes 10,000 pictures" stage so I didn't get many good ones of him. We also forgot how strong the Texas sun can be. Before we left the house, I put 50 spf on the boys and they still got burned!!! Needless to say, today has been a barrel of laughs recovering from too much sun and hurting skin. I did manage to get all three boys to take a nap at the same time...that has only happened one other time so I was a happy camper.

We have discovered that Luke is incredibly determined. Here he is chasing seagulls, convinced he would get one if he kept at it long enough.

Still running....

Friends

2008-03-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Crista, and her family came to see us on their spring break this week. From left to right the kids are Luke, Noah, Caleb and Tyler. Missing from the picture are Jake and Elli (they just adopted a little girl from Gautamela).

The Wind

2008-03-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

Since we have been here the winds have been a little out of control. We went to the park the other day and poor Lukey could barely walk the wind was so strong.

We Made It!!

2008-03-20T12:48:00.001-07:00

Our new Texas terrain...mesquite and cactus!

Well, we are finally here in McAllen. We (me, my brother Jamie and Jake) left Georgia on Thursday, the 13th at 4:00 am and arrived in Houston 13 hours later. Ben’s sister, Emily, got married that Saturday so Ben flew in from McAllen Friday morning and we stayed for a couple days. It was a very sweet reunion between Ben and the boys…I don’t think I have ever seen Tyler run so fast when he saw him at the airport. Sunday morning the whole family, along with my mom and dad, did the last 7 hours to McAllen. I was a little shocked my first couple days here. Not because of the mesquite trees, cactus or palm trees but because of the constant 50 mph winds. Apparently, that is not normal but it has been going on for a month now. We felt like we were in a hurricane. On Monday and Tuesday, the wind kept taking the power out. I also experienced the worst Wal-mart of my life. It was like the day after Christmas times three. I didn’t know that many people could fit into one place. I had been warned against the McAllen Wal-mart and it didn’t register why until I went. The people are perfectly nice…there just happens to be thousands of them! Oh yeah…it was also 95 the day we arrived. A cold front came through yesterday so now our high is only going to be in the low 80s…I can handle that. I guess it is a good thing we grew up in Texas because we are getting introduced back to the heat very quickly. The boys may not adjust as quickly. Both of them got sunburned the first day we were here and the next day I put 50 sunscreen on them and Luke still got burned! These towheads don’t stand a chance. My parents left yesterday so today is our first day alone. We went park exploring and thought we hit the jackpot until we got to the playground and thousands of little nat like creatures swarmed us and stuck to the sunscreen…it was a pleasant experience J. Next week my best friend Crista and her family come down…we will brave the beach then. I will continually update this blog so please check back as often as you can. Please forward this to anyone you can think of. There are so many people that I do not have their email addresses.

One last thing…thank you so much to our Georgia family. There is no way I could have handled this move without your help. I was overwhelmed at your generosity and consideration while I was a single mom for a month. Thank you for forcing your help on me…I don’t delegate so well, I appreciate your help. We love you so much and already miss you.

Emily's Wedding

2008-03-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Cousins...Noah (Stover) and Tyler, Luke and Annabeth (Stover)

The flower girl and the ring bearer...what a pair!

We are Moving!

2008-03-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, it has been awhile since we posted last but it is with good reason...we are moving to Texas! Don't get too excited yet though. We are starting out with a temp assignment in McAllen (yes, the city practically in Mexico) for 6 months....then we have no idea. We have several opportunities. One, we are up for a store in Nacogdoches. Second, we could go interim manage a store in Alabama or third we could get offered this store. Bottom line is we have no idea and we are completely trusting the Lord. This is a huge step of faith for us. We are giving up our house in Fayetteville, putting most everything in storage and hitting the road. It is incredibly bittersweet. I go from being completely excited to so sad I can hardly stand it. We LOVE Georgia and the family we have made here. Next week is going to be very difficult.

Ben is already there and has been for two weeks. The boys and I leave a week from Wednesday, my brother is flying in to drive with us. We make a quick stop in Houston for Emily's (my sister-in-law) wedding and then we head down south. We would appreciate your prayers!

I'll post an update when we get there. Starting next week our email we no longer be stov275@bellsouth.net or our home phone 678-364-9838. We will be using this account (email: stoverfamily99@gmail.com) and our cell numbers 678-416-6788 (Ben) and 678-416-6789 (Amanda).

Talk to you soon!

Snow Days!!

2008-01-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

We got an unexpected surprise and got snow today! It will probably only be 2 inches but we will take it...Tyler has been praying for days for snow. When he prayed last night he told me that he would ask but didn't think God had enough time to make all of the snow before tomorrow...He proved him wrong and Tyler was so excited!! Of course they lasted a whole 30 minutes before hands were freezing and the whining started. It was fun though...we may get more tonight.

A New Year

2008-01-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

Hello Family and Friends,

I thought we would try something new this year and start a family web page. 2007 was a busy year for us. At the beginning of March we found out we were expecting another baby, much to our surprise. Little Jake was not in OUR plans for this year but definitely in the Lord's. Jacob ("Jake") Ryan Stover was born on 10/31 weighing 8lbs. 6oz, 20 inches long. He is so beautiful and peaceful, a welcome addition to energetic household. In May Ben finished his degree in Business and officially started the process in obtaining his own Chick-fil-A. July was a busy month...the boys and I (Amanda) went to Baltimore to visit my sister and her husband Mark and then turned around and went to Ohio to visit Grandma Stover. In August, Tyler started pre-K at the local elementary school and joined a soccer team! He loves school...soccer was pretty hot and cold...but what is to be expected when they won't ever share the ball (Ty's words)! In addition, Luke had to have a CT scan because his soft spot still had not closed...all results showed that he was developing normally. September and October were full of anticipation for Baby Jake as he tried to make his appearance a little earlier than expected a couple times. For Thanksgiving, the Stover family came to meet our new addition and spend a fun-filled holiday together. In December we made a trip to Spring, TX to help open a new Chick-fil-A. We gladly spent two weeks at home visiting our family. We made it home just in time to celebrate Christmas in Georgia. Yesterday, Luke had his 2 year check up and Jake had his 2 month. Luke is doing wonderfully...no worries as of date (except for continual ear infections) and he is actually no longer on his medication for the Sandifer's Syndrome. He is a joy to us and we pray that there will be no new developments with him. Jake weighed in at 14lbs. 6 oz...quite the chunker!

Now, we are here starting a new year. We hope the new year will bring a Chick-fil-A store back in Texas, a little peace and quiet and no more babies (at least for this year :)