Army Strong!

I honestly don't know where to begin with this blog post, I have had mixed feelings about Corey joining the Army since I met him. He has always wanted to serve his country, but knew that he would only do it if he could be a nurse anesthetist for the Army! Well, we filled out the 54 page application, he passed his physical, and he was accepted into the Army's STRAP (Specialized Training Assistance Program) program. It's basically a scholarship and a commitment to be in the Army Reserves rolled into one. From what I understand the Army will give us money and insurance while Corey is in school (two great things), and then he will be required to work for them one weekend a month and two weeks a year for four years after school. Oh, and he will 100% be deployed for a period of 90 days. That's my least favorite part! To be honest, I don't really know what he is going to be required to do, does anybody really know what they are signing up for when they join the armed forces?!? That's what scares me, but it's what excites Corey! He loves adventure and is looking forward to new experiences.

On December 16, 2011 Corey was commissioned an officer in the United States Army! One of the recruiters started crying after he took his Oath of Office and it made me emotional for the rest of the night. Corey and I both felt a renewed sense of pride for our Country that day, and Adelynn has a new saying for when she does something hard, she says, "I'm Army Strong"!

 Corey took the Oath of Office with his family right by his side!

Feel free to call him Lieutenant Anderson : )

First Semester DONE!

Corey's schooling didn't seem too bad until they added clinicals to all the stress of classes, assignments, and tests! Regardless of the fact that Corey has been under a lot of pressure to succeed, he has done amazing! But, today is his last day of clinicals until Jan 11th! We have officially survived the first semester of anesthesia school. We have both learned a lot! I'm sure he could fill up an entire blog about what he has learned. But, I have learned:

- You will not see your husband the night before a test, because he loves to CRAM!
-  Prayer Works.
-  Some people are just mean!!!
-  When a person is under a lot of stress they require a lot of sleep.
-  Corey is actually really smart, and I could NEVER do what he is doing!

Corey resting after a LONG day!

Jack, Jack's First Birthday

Our little Jack turned ONE on November 30th! I'm not going to lie, this past year seems like a big blur, especially when it comes to Jack. Babies are adorable and seem so cute, but that's usually when we aren't the ones taking care of their every need. Being a mother is exhausting, but so worth it all at the same time. Jack's birthday was one of those days that was worth it! We celebrated in the morning so that he would be happy, he got tired quick, but his sugar high kept him going.

Corey decorated the cake! 

Love my boys! 

 Playing with new toys!

 Yeah for cake!

 He ate the whole piece and even licked the plate!

Proud Mom



Great Food...Great Friends!!!

Thanksgiving is an important holiday in my Stoker family; it basically means getting together, eating a lot of food, being obnoxious, LOUD, laughing, talking, and just having a great time. For as long as I can remember I have had Thanksgiving dinner with the Stoker's every year of my life (even the year we went to Shoney's for dinner)! So, obviously this year I was miles away (weepy and homesick all week), but...with LOTS of help from the neighbors we created our own little Thanksgiving Dinner. In fact, I managed to make my first pie, a double layer cheesecake pie (YUM), and my first pomegranate jello salad. In fact, on Thanksgiving Eve I was up baking until eleven and Corey said, "What happened to my wife who opens a can"? I loved cooking for Thanksgiving this year, and felt like it was my own therapy. It helped me not be so homesick!

Anyway, we had two couples (The Swifts and The Drakes) and their children over for Thanksgiving! It was perfect, the food was SOOOO good! Then, we chatted and played the white elephant game while the kids ran around. It was great food and great friends, just what Thanksgiving should be! Later that night Corey and I were able to talk to both of our families on skype! We still miss them all, but being able to see them through the camera helped Corey and I feel right at home!

For those of you who would like a more humorous look at the makings of our Thanksgiving Dinner, visit
Mama Boogie's Blog. She's an artist in every way; from cooking, writing, drawing, painting...you name it, she is talented!

 Robin making her first pie ever!

 The turkey MASTER!

 Skinny prego lady! She got a book she already has for the white elephant gift.

(Sorry, Mom. I read this book and passed it on).

 The Drakes and the kids playing with the white elephant presents.

 Corey taking a day off, this is rare!

 The Swifts, all smiles!

Football was on, but nobody watched it,

 and we had a party foul when Jack ate the potpourri!

I almost forgot to mention that it was Jack's first Thanksgiving, and I had many things to be grateful for, but I was especially grateful not to be as big as a barn this year! So, lucky to have Jack with us!