Mongo the Chimp

Sometimes living with Caden is like having my very own monkey. A wild and crazy animal that likes to yell, run and throw things. While he is getting his molars he is like a monkey with rabies. An angry, vicious, fit throwing monkey that foams at the mouth and bites. I don't know if this is a Newfoundland saying or if everyone will understand this but 'Me nerves is rubbed raw!'
Translation: 'I'M GOING CRAZY!'
Generally he's a great baby, and I honestly can't blame him for being ticked...after all he has a mouth full of teeth that are breaking through his gums causing him to be congested, feverish, and the bum rash he has is nasty....but it still can be quite aggrevating...especially since I'm alone with him from 9:00 in the morning till 8:00 at night.
Imagine being trapped in a cage with a wild monkey for 11 hours a day....This was my yesterday....
I love my life, even on days when I don't necessary like it.

Random Pics

Just some random shots of the dining room chairs I reapholstered, my crazy baby and spashin in the pool on Sunday afternoon.

Memorial Day Weekend Sale

This weekend only, get 15% off all Mary Kay orders, regardless of how much or how little you buy.
You can go to MY WEBSITE to check out the latest products. If you decide to order online, it will not show your discounted price but don't worry, you don't have to pay anything until I contact you or you can always email me at kathylynnstock@marykay.com to let me know what you need.
So if you're low on the products you use or you want to try something new, take advantage of this sale before it's gone, FOREVER!!!
(cue dramatic music)

Friends, Acquaintances and Commission

I'm a Canadian living in Florida. Between birth and now (23 long years :) I've lived in 7 different cities and I've made and left many friends along the way. I miss them. Alot.
I'm very thankful to have a support system here in Tallahassee. The shear number of people who came to my son's birthday party was an indication that we are loved a great deal so I am in no way ungrateful for the loved ones I have locally. It's just that every now and then you meet people that you just click with perfectly. Who you could spend every day with and not get sick of them. People who make you laugh so hard that when you think about your past conversations in church, you start to giggle uncontrolably. Being that mutually compatable with someone happens so infrequently that it's frustrating when you can't spend your days with them. I do the best with what I have. Frequent phone calls, lots of emails and updating my blog with video and pictures on demand but I still miss you guys.
I'm learning the difference between friends and aquaintances. It's been an interesting and sometimes painful learning process but I am better for having learned it. Thank God for people who truly love others more than they love themselves. Make me more like them.
I'm glad that God doesn't make us work on commission. As someone who does the budgetting for a family who lives on commission, it can be very stressful. Basically you eat what you sell. If you don't sell, you don't eat. In most positions having a bad day is just a bad day. When you live on commission a bad day is topped with the stress of not having made the money you needed to make. Now don't get me wrong, my husband could sell hot cocoa on the beach so we're very blessed to have what we have, but there are those hot summer days when the last thing someone wants to do is buy a treadmill to sweat on and those months can be long and stressful.
Imagine if we actually had to earn our place in heaven. If we actually had to go out eachday with the idea that if we don't perform properly and do the right things, we're not going to earn God's love.
There are people in this world who actually believe that! That what we do can somehow earn our commission...our place in heaven and the love of Jesus! Talk about a stressful way to live.
Don't get me wrong. I believe we should live and act as Jesus did..in the same way that you should do your best work regardless of whether your paycheck is going to be exactly the same every week, but you know like I do that there comes a few days when all you do is hide in your office and play on myspace or youtube all day and in all honesty don't deserve the money you'll be paid for that day. I use to work in an office and I remember those days well.
Thankfully in the midst of my imperfections (as numerous as they are) God still loves me in a way I don't really understand and he has prepared a place for me. Not because I earned it but because I accepted it in exchange for my messed up self. Heaven in exchange for lame-o me....doesn't seem fair, but I've learned to not question it, just to be thankful.

Nan

Whenever my mother calls she always has me put the phone up to Caden's ear and she tries to get him to say "Nan". Usually he just smiles and pushes the buttons, deafening her. For the past couple of days he has been dropping the 'Nan' bomb, but everytime I try and tape him he gets distracted by the camera and stops talking. This morning I caught him so enjoy, Mom.

Pause

I wish my life had a pause button sometimes. I especially wished this yesterday when I was at St. George Island with my family. Jay is on vacation this week which is much needed considering he hasn't taken a whole weeks vacation in the 4 years we've been married. Yesterday we packed up and went to beach for the day. I was imagining that Caden would be difficult and cranky in the sun and that I wouldn't get much time to relax, but it turned out to be such a rejuvinating time for everyone. This was the first time we'd taken Caden to a really nice beach, one with big waves and alot of white sand, and I think it had a very calming effect on him. He sat on the towel with me playihng and laughing for hours. He splashed in the water and was amazed by the seashells.
Meanwhile Jay acted like a ten year old on the boogie board and had the best time catching the waves and wiping out in them. I was sitting on the towel with Caden, watching Jason splash around and I felt so completely at home and so completely happy. I watched months of stress about money and work fade from Jay's face and he was just having 100% pure fun.
I played the bongos with Caden on the tupperware containers we brought our snacks in and laughed hysterically as he yelled at the seagulls.
I love the ocean, but the beauty of the beach and shore pale in comparison to the beauty of my family. I am an overwhelmingly blessed woman.
Today Caden is a cranky pants. We ran some errands and now we're home. My back hurts, I have a bit of a burn from yesterday and I was begining to become a bit of a cranky pants myself, so I came into the office to recap on the joys of the beach.
As I'm typing, Jay and Caden are in the other room playing chase, screaming and laughing at the tops of their lungs and I'm realizing that every single day is coated with joy and fun...I just need to choose to find it.
Now if you'll excuse me I have a tickle fight that I need to join in...

For the grandparents....

Yet Another video of Caden being both cute and funny.
My mom is now addicted to these.

More Visual Love

Caden and his pet giant.


Jay smokin some bbq on the new smoker/grill.


Here is a coffee table that I bought and refinished. It was a beaten up, ugly, brown stain. Now it is an elegant place to set our drinks.


"Caden, how many times do we need to tell you, You're NOT fat!"


Caden takes staying hydrated very seriously.

Sorry to anyone who is sick of looking at us, but the fam have been violently demanding picture and video.

Here is some footage of Caden toddling around the back yard.

Caden being cute and funny

Welcome Back Mr. Internet

Ahhhh....now I feel connected to the world again!
After having 0 luck with comcast cable, we decided to go with a satellite dish and embarq phone/internet service...so far, so good. We just got hooked up with the home phone so Mom, you can call me whenever.
I realized on Saturday that I have been going WAY over on my cell phone minutes so this home phone thing ended up being a really good decision. If anyone wants the number you can call my cell and hear it on the message or you can email me and I'll send it to you. I guess livin out in the country without media entertainment caused me to talk on the phone a lot....woopsies.
Crawfordville is a nice little town. It's about 30 minutes from Tallahassee and it is C-O-U-N-T-R-Y. I mean people selling BBQ on the side of the road, mullets as far as the eye can see, friendly folk and country roads. Pictures to come of the local meat store with the red,white and blue statue of a pig out front and the trailor down the street with two pet goats in the front yard who play soccor and drink out of a child's swimming pool. It's glorious out here.
Caden is loving the backyard. Speaking of kiddie pools, we bought a big inflatable one, not big enough to have a filtration system or anything, but too big to keep dumping and refilling everyday. Any tips on how I can keep the water clean? Is there some kind of chlorine solution I can throw in there like people do with hot tubs? Any tips would be great.
The A/C man is coming tomorrow. It is working, but it makes a strange sound when it cuts on. We were very perplexed as to why. At the same time I was very perplexed as to why there were constantly pieces of paper all over the floor. I thought it was the dog but I couldn't figure out where she was getting the paper. Then I looked up and saw that there were shredded pieces of A/C instruction manual in the vent above my head in the bathroom. After checking, I realized there were shredded pieces of manual in every vent in my house. The genious who installed the system left the booklet inside of it and it blows out threw the vents everytime the A/C comes on! The problem will be corrected tomorrow. The woman who scheduled the appointment could only laugh on the other end of the phone.
These are the types of things that could only happen to the Stock Family.
I'll try and get around to posting new pics and video ASAP.

My Mother's Day Card

My family can be the first to attest to my slacker-like ways when it comes to birthdays, anniversaries and any holiday besides Christmas. I usually don't do anything for anyone, and if I do by a card, I never mail it in time. The amount of sealed cards addressed to family that reside in my junk drawer is ridiculous.
For mother's day this year I was on the ball. I sent a card to my mother about 2 weeks ago along with a box full of MK products. Proud of myself, I was certain that this time I was gonna get it right.
Monday morning I come home from Walmart with Caden and there's the mother's day package I had sent my mom, sitting on my step.
The label read "CANNOT SEND INTERNATIONALLY DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS!"
Who knew Satin hands and facial moisturizer were considered hazerdous....
So my attempts to be on the ball for Mother's Day failed miserably. Since we STILL don't have internet access at home, I decided to steal Jay's work computer for a few moments to express just how I feel about my mom.

They say that when you have a child you begin to have a new found appreciation for your mom. I disagree. I have always appreciated her. Since having Caden I am a little irritated with her. After all, she is the most amazing mom. She is a pillar of sacrifice, love, kindness and patience. She sacrificed her career and some of her sanity :) to be home with my sister and I, playing Barbies, dress up, judging colouring contests and baking endless loaves of homemade bread. We didn't have alot of money, but we never did without anything. I always had a new dress for the Christmas concert and the best halloween costumes that she worked tirelessly to create on the sewing machine downstairs. I remember her always making me feel like I was smart and unique and that I could be anything that I wanted to be. She never treated me like an annoying little kid, when I'm sure I was from time to time. I always felt validated and loved.
I remember being about 4 or younger, and I had this little blanket that I would try to spread out on the floor without getting any wrinkles in it. I would grab the ends and lift it up, hoping that it would land in a perfect square on the living room carpet. I tried over and over until finally it worked! It was perfect! I ran to mom who was on the phone to show her my masterpiece and she showed an equal amount of enthusiasm, as though I had just teleported or found the cure for cancer. I have a million more memorable moments of love and fun with my mom, but I think about that one whenever I see Caden proudly showing me how he can drum with a spatula or how funny he can be when he puts a shoe on his head. I want him to feel as special as I did.
Mostly, my mother loved (and still loves) life and she modeled that for me everyday. She taught me how to be happy. How to be positive. How to be a Christian wife and mother. She taught me that money and things pale in comparison to time and love, to order your life according to God and then family and to do the best with what you have and to thank God for it.
So why am I annoyed with her? Because now that I am a mother, I have such an incredibly high standard to live up to! If she could have been a little less involved, a little less caring, a little less creative...I wouldn't feel so much pressure! I guess I just have to do my best and if I can be half the mom to Caden as she was to me then he will be one blessed boy.
Happy Mother's Day mom. I miss you and I love you.

Hi Friends!

We still don't have internet or cable at our house. Comcast is taking their sweet time setting us up, so hopefully this time next week we'll be enjoying technology again. I'm writing at Jay's store and Caden is throwing pieces of ham around, so I should probably go. Just wanted to let everyone know that we LOVE the house. I'm pretty much completely unpacked. We built a shed, errected a mail box and bought our very first lawn mower. We are loving the back yard but found out the hard way that Dakota is a digging escape artist...she dug out of the back yard and had a rendevous with the doggies next door. Other than that, life is great.
Caden is walking like crazy and is learning new things everyday. Mama, Dada, Dog, Car and something that sounds like 'cup' is the extent of his vocabulary but I think he'll start spewing out more words anyday now. He's getting so big. He plays chase and is begining to understand and listen to the word 'no'....maybe 60% of the time. He's so stinkin cute though that it's hard to keep a straight face when I'm trying to discipline him.
Our cats are back inside. They lived out on our deck for almost a year. Now they have their own room inside with the fam. Sampson is overly affectionate and thankful to be back with us. Mocha has developed an attitude about the whole thing and wants nothing to do with us. She'll come around.
Alot has happened over the past week. Several episodes of Caden shooting poo out of the bottom of his pant legs (sorry, but it actually happened!) alot of frustrating projects like hooking up the washer and dryer and building that shed from hell...but I've learned alot and think I may have a future in the janitorial, mechanical or construction industry...ok, maybe not.
I'll post some pics of the house later!
BYE BYE!