sorry, reading harry potter

and i have no time to blog now! all naptimes, times when dave's home, and bedtime are spent reading harry potter. i've hardly checked anything online! i am about three fourths done with the goblet of fire and once i watch the movie, i'll promise i'll be back up to regular blogging speed. 

there is a lot to update on...tree, james and santa, wassailing, upcoming georgia trip, etc...

but it will have to wait! they are just about to start the second task, and harry just got woken up by dobby, so i must go!

now the first of december...

...was covered with snow....

this is the one day that "sweet baby james" actually rings true! i hear the song about one thousand times a day, and today, this day, the lyrics are right! there is snow! 

oh, for 70 degree weather

and we'll have it soon! the past couple days i've made several grocery shopping trips to ensure that i have all the necessary things my baby might need on his first ever airplane trip tomorrow. (that does include, yes, some baby nyquil in case things get really bad). i even got baby food in 2.5 ounce containers fearing T.S.A. might confiscate my sweet potato and turkey meal. you never know what can be accomplished with mashed up beef and gravy. i have many things to entertain him and hopefully with frequent nursing and a little tylenol his ears will be okay with the altitude. all i have to finish doing is some cleaning (bathrooms, laundry, sweeping...washing the sheets? we'll see....) and packing. but i've already made lists for jr, myself and my husband for the things we'll need. so i think i have dotted my i's and crossed my t's when it comes to preparedness...but...with a 9 month old, you can never be prepared enough? sorry to all my california family and friends if i looked 10 years older once i step off my flight. i just can't promise what my son will do to dave and i on the flight! but we are excited to see you all! 

and happy thanksgiving to everyone! be blessed!

for some free d.p....

okay so i know it's early, 7:30 to be exact (and if you really want to feel sorry for me, know that i've already been up for one whole hour) but i have a fun little tidbit of news. so james was playing with the remote control this morning and turned on the news, lucky for me when they were doing the segment on dr. pepper. apparently, dr. pepper said a long time ago that if guns 'n' roses ever came out with a new cd, they'd give every one a free dr. pepper, probably thinking this would never happen. but it did!

so if you go to dr. pepper's website, and fill out some info, you get a free coupon for one free drink! isn't that nice? well, it cheered up my morning! but you can only get the coupon today (i think there is like 16 hours left or something) so go now!!

free dr. pepper! 

nothing like a cold race in the morning

because that's was dave, susie and i did today.

we ran in the 45th annual turkey trot race at western michigan university. it was my first experience running in the cold, and i have to say, despite being only 12 degrees with snow on the ground, it wasn't that bad. it was a fun experience, with lots of middle schoolers and such running in the race. dave ran up ahead and susie and i kept it pretty solid in the middle of the pack. though my lungs where mildly burning by the end, i'm definitely going to have to do this race again next year! it is a nice feeling to come back after the race with hot chocolate and jump into a hot tub. nothing beats that feeling. (thank goodness the hocker's have a hot tub to make that all possible). now after some lunch, i'm off for a nap. what a perfect day. oh- and dave's taking me out on a surprise date later. could this day get any better?

my brilliant husband...

...fixed our computer! my apple (which last february was ruled at "broken" due to my leg kicking it off the bed when we were at the hospital at james' birth) is now working again! and soon we are going to get internet! hurrah! he completely replaced our hard drive (amazing) and got all the programs working again. so for the past long long loooong while, we haven't had a computer, and only a hundred dollars out have a whole brand new computer! go husband!

so i'll let you know once we get internet again, hopefully more posting will follow!

zoo boo 2008

so the day before halloween, we took our little golfer to the binder park zoo for some pre-halloween fun. at the zoo there were lots of wee folk, but of course, i have to say, mine was the absolute cutest. there was trick or treating, a look at the snow leopard cub, a little carnival, and a hay ride. there was also a little train ride but while were just about to go in line, it broke and about 50 people were walking back to the entrance along the track! oh well! here are some pictures to commemorate:

zoo boo!

our little "dwarf" outside the "dwarf house"

sittin' with some punkins

ahh! being eaten but by the lion water fountain

a blurry picture of the fam

and with my favorite mommy

yours truly


and then for the actual halloween day, we went down to corie's for some trick or treating fun. along with a monkey (lily) and a dragon (tessa) we set off for some good food. our little golfer was a little tired by then, but nonetheless, we had a good time.
my wonderful family

a nerd, golfer and fairy

the end!

my little golfer

okay i only have time for one quick photo now, but i'll put a full update up later...

isn't it great?

so the "boys are back"

and i really loved it. and trust me, it wasn't because of the boys. i just really wanted to use one of the song title in my title of this post. susie and i went to the rave theater, and let me tell you, there was certainly the mix of people there. i believe there were some four year olds (?) present, along with their moms, plus the group of screaming high school girls who loved every time zac efron's face took up the whole screen. it made for a fun environment and reminded me just how old i really am. high school was soo long ago. and further more, so was college. but i digress...

i really did like it. i love my indulgment of cheesy musicals about high schoolers sung by people my age. it always gets me in a good mood! my only negative reactions to the movie is the one number sung by troy all alone. like in hsm 2 when he sings "bet on it," "scream" was just as awkward to watch. especially with the fake lightning in the background. i had that feeling you get when someone is performing at a talent show and is so bad, you almost feel embarrased for them, you know? that's how i felt for poor troy singing this song. and even further more, for zac efron who had to shoot this number in front of all the cast and crew. poor guy.

so that's it. i think i might need to own it once it comes out on dvd. maybe even buy a couple of songs on iTunes. we shall just see. and i'd love to hear what any once else thought about it, if they saw it. and like i said, its a safe place so you can step forward and say,

"hello, my name is cerissa and i like high school musical. all three installments." (but of course, say your own name, not mine. :))

oh, and i did find a blog just dedicated high school musical. trust me, i'm not this into it.

apparently i am trying to hang on to my youth...

because i am going to high school musical 3 today but happen to have a very bad back ache right now. two words seem to be colliding...still enjoying movies of such juvenile indulgence and trying to decide how many tylenol's to take because for the past two weeks or so my back seems to be in a continual state of ache. what's the deal?

i don't know i'm hurtin' so much, but even sitting in the chair to write on the computer and driving in the car hurts. it's almost feels like it's tightening up, but sensing that its not tight enough, decides to tighten up further. ugh. seeing as i have a so many doctors who stop by to read my blog, any help? my one idea is that i've been sitting on the floor alot with james (don't think it's because i'm that good of a mom, i'm watching friends while playing with him on the floor. i'm not solely entertaining him) so maybe friends is to blame. if i didn't watch so much friends, i wouldn't need to be on the floor as much playing with him, and thus my back problem would go away. who knows. all i know is i'm thinking three tylenol's.

i'll let you all know how hsm 3 should be. i'm hoping for a good show.

and the winner is...

jones orange cream....mmhmm...

yep, that's it! this morning, when going to get something out of my car, my amazing husband had that sitting in the front seat, along with black cherry and plain ol' cream. what a treat! and what a husband! thanks for your opinion though, i do have to say, dr. pepper i think is my all time favorite. and it tasted yummy!

james finger is okay. a band-aid really wouldn't stay on because he would suck on his finger and it would end up in his mouth. so i guess the open air is just going to have to do. it's tough to keep anything on a baby, including socks, clothes, etc. i don't know why i thought a band-aid would work! :)

also, i have to admit that this friday im taking my sister in law susie who is in the sixth grade to see high school musical three. and i am excited. i fully claim to wanting to see it on my own accord. anyone else? it's okay to admit it. i'll lovingly will take you into my arms. :)

in a nutshell:

one: my baby both choked on apple and cut his finger open in the same day. somehow, it took me longer to recover than he did.

two: tommorrow after a two month long hiatus, i will be drinking soda again. since last thursday i have been thinking of what flavor i should drink and have come up emtpy. any suggestions?

three: am at season three in friends and loving it. have finally found some episodes that i have not seen. hurray!

four: in book two of harry potter. voldermort still scares me.

five: next week, taking james to the zoo boo and am really excited! bring on the golfer suit

this post reminds me of the way my mom emails in short sentences..

love ya mom! :)

got an broken ipod?

then go to this site! dave found it the other day and it can basically fix any kind of apple product, like for instance, our broken powerbook. we got a new hard drive from them. also, they are a christian company! all the more reason to visit ifixit.com

when cornered....

okay, i really love sarah palin. i do. but this video is just too funny! and dave said that when searching this snl clip, he found out that the part where tina sorta babbles on and on was word for word was sarah said in one of her speeches. take a look!

eight months!

can anyone believe it? not me! and to celebrate, here's my son, standing!


and for kicks and giggles...a side shot:


i just can't help myself. he's just too great. and right now he's wearing a certain reindeer suit that looks so adorable. maybe i'll put up a picture later, if you're good. :)

tonight we have one of many freshman football dinners to go to which on the one hand is nice because i don't have to cook dinner but on the other hand is bad because it's at richland township park outside. and it's pretty cold and rainy right now. (reason one as to why my son is wearing a fuzzy reindeer suit). but it's free food so i think i can withstand the elements for a little bit.

i've also been tired alot lately. i think my body is getting ready for hibernating for the winter. oh, to be a polar bear.

lastly, here's a shot of my husband during homecoming week at the middle school dressed up for "favorite team day" (guess which team he picked???)


(helmet design by yours truly)

he took a step!

it's true! last night, while reaching for a necklace that susie had in her hand, james took a step to get closer and grab it! not a lie! ask susie!

in other news: he's sick. i'd like to give a shout out and thank you to tessa, who as any good cousin should, shared her germs with him. :) such love!

my favorite time of year

northern michigan

this is about how a lot of the trees lining the roads look in my area. it is absolutely beautiful. fall is by far my favorite time of year and if it was this way all year long, you would have no complaints from yours truly. it's 53 degrees right now will a slight breeze and the trees are starting to change. it's also the first day of october! if i would have to do it over again, i would definitely get married in michigan in october. i don't think i've ever seen more wonderful sights!

also, the first day of october means it's breast cancer awareness month! i was watching the today show this morning, and found out about this: army of women

if you sign up, it will let you know when they are doing research studies in your area for breast cancer research. if you don't qualify for that specific research criteria, maybe you know someone who does! it will help find a cure!

lastly, thanks to my wonderful and gracious parents, we'll be coming out to california for thanksgiving! let me know if you'll be in town, because i'd love to see you! and maybe you can meet james!

running with stroller day three.

and yes, it was a successful one. but hard. very hard.

following (somewhat closely) the prescribed workout plan devised by my husband, today i was supposed to run 3 miles at a easy pace. and seeing as that today is the freshman football game and jv football game, i had to run it during the day with james because my hubby wouldn't be home until way late. so running stroller in hand(s) i set out around the block. i think the very first step was hard and people driving by must have thought i was dying or at least suffering from a hernia the way joey did when he ran out of health insurance. nonetheless, there are three good things to note from my run:

1. i finished it, running the whole way
2. it's the beginning of fall, so the changing leaves are a nice distraction
3. my son was quite the whole way

in fact, i don't think he moved at all the whole time i was out there. i even documented how he was the entire run:

also like this, after he saw me:

(also notice right hand. this is his desired way of being the entire day. he likes his right forefinger and thumb to be pinched. it's only not this way when he's either playing with a toy or sleeping)

so that was the run. yesterday, i tried running on the treadmill at mimi's house and that was succesful until mimi had to leave to pick up susie. after she left, james was no longer distracted at either a. wanted to climb up the basement stairs or b. get on the treadmill with me. both of which, are highly unacceptable to me. which, peaking of treadmills, reminds me- if any one knows of a treadmill not being used or goes to a garage sale and sees one or what to buy me a brand new one (haha) let me know. i am in the business of acquiring one since once fall is over, it will be hard to go out running with a under one year old with temperatures in the negative. so let me know. i'll pay you back if you get one. (unless of course, it's brand new, in which case, you're outta luck.)

well that's about all. i'm excited for the office premire tonight and desperately want micheal to get together with holly. we will see what happens! and to leave you with...
tupperware boy!

a false representation of motherhood

i would like to say that running after pregnancy does not look like this. the media would like to have you believe that after you have given birth getting back into shape would be this easy. what a lie. it's nothing like this at all!

it's like she's saying,
"Look at me! jogging! with a baby! it's so easy! and i look nice and cute when i'm jogging! with an already thin tummy and perky boobs! with a cute outfit! and my baby's happy! and this is no pain to me at all! hurray! birds are chirping!"

don't be fooled. ooooooh no. quite the opposite. in face today when i did the same thing this lovely women is doing i looked quite awful. instead picture a woman looking not nice and cute, sagging just about everywhere, wearing a t-shirt and shorts that just don't have any drool and/or snot on them, in a lot of pain. and going a lot slower, just above the pace of a walk. about to curl over in pain over the running stroller. that's me. a nice picture, isn't it?

except for that on my 2 mile run (which i did complete, thank you very much) my baby was exceptionally happy. in fact, he was drowsy and just about fell asleep on the run. how nice.

i wish getting in shape could be that easy for me. riding in a seat as the pounds come off....oh someday...

a double income family

woo hoo!

dave got the job! as of today, he is officially one of three p.e. teachers at gull lake middle school! he interviews this morning at 8 a.m., and by the end of the school day he became an employee of gull lake community schools! go hubby! i'm so proud of you! it's been such a long road coming to this, but God is so good and has blessed us so much!

so horray! that means that both dave and i are working in about our dreams jobs. it's completely unbelievable. i started school yesterday with the girls at my home and the past two days have thus far been amazing. here's a pictures of my students on the first day of school:
makayla

mariah

they are really sweet girls and so far our relationship has been going well, i do think they like me, and i think they are wonderful. they even wanted to come with me to dave's freshman football game yesterday! and for those of you interested, mainly my mom, here's a picture of my setup in the basement: (and i'm sorry but the pictures are really blurry because we don't have the best camera right now...)
my desk/whiteboard area

the girls books and desk area

and james play area

if we ever get a better camera, i'll put better pictures up.

well, that's the wonderful news of today! thanks for listening!

a mind's ramblings

so here is what's been on my mind today....

a. mcdonald's iced mochas. amazing! there are so many good things about this cold tasty drink. one, it's about 50% cheaper than Starbucks and in my opinion, just as good. two, since i have since boycotted Starbucks because they bought out my absolute most favorite coffee shop, diedrichs (back in california they had the most amazing shop right on the beach in laguna beach. it was my favorite place to go...) it's a good substitute for that. three, did i mention it's cheaper?

b. decision 2008. i love sarah palin. i had made the decision to not vote this year (even thought i have never voted yet, not even once, for any election) since there was not candidate that i even remotely liked since good ol' huck didn't win the ticket. but once mrs. palin entered, my mind has since changed. that mccain sure knew what he was doing to sway women voters. he changed my mind!

c. jeans. not only am i able to wear my prepregnancy ones, but i am also able to wear them now since it's cooler! woo hoo! i really do enjoy them, and i think the feeling of being able to zipper and button does add to the effect.

d. the weather. goes along with "c," in the fact that it's perfect jean weather. i mean the past two days here in michigan have been amazing. in the low seventies, bright blue skies and beautiful green earth due to the rain we got this past weekend. come on fall! i'm ready.

e. my napping son. the napping experiment '08 has been a complete success! 5 out of the past 5 naps have gone as follows: turn off the lights, put on the fan, put on "sweet baby james," nurse the mancub then set him in the crib. each time there is a little going to sleep noise (but no crying) and a subsequent nap for 30 mintues to 2 hours (like this morning, in which i watched the entirety of "baby mama" by myself). i'm so proud of my little man i cannot even explain. this will definitely come in handy for when i start school, which is tomorrow.

example of one napping position:

in case you can't tell, he's sitting up in the corner of his crib with his pillow over his legs. as he naps. i have no idea how he got there.

f. baby mama. love it. i haven't laughed so hard at a movie in a looong time. definitely in my top 10 list now. "i don't mean to sound dramatic when i say this but i'd rather shoot my face than eat this crap" -Angie Ostrowiski. probably one of my favorite lines from the movie. i've been waiting for this to come out on dvd and now that it has, i think ya'll should see it too, if you haven't!

and to end with for your viewing pleasure, more of the man in my life, james.
taking a rest...

getting into mischief

almost there...

got it!

swimming with daddy!

laughing with mommy!

and flirting with my girlfriend eva!



that's all! i can't believe he's seven months old now. closer to one year than birth. it is true, they grow up so fast!

just a warning...

to all who i have had contact with, let's say, the past week and a half of my life.


i apologize for any crabbiness, meanness, over happy, sadness, grumpy-grouchiness i have protrayed. it seems that mother nature has once again decided to visit my body after a very long absence (a year and a half???) and with that has come the jekel and hyde version of cerissa hocker that, let's be honest, isn't pleasant. i think since i did miss so many, you know whats, that my body has seemed to store up all the bitchy-ness for just one time, and it's pretty bad. just ask my husband.

so again, i apologize. it's not me, i promise.


my "gift" from mother nature

a random assortment of updates...

so i feel there is a lot to update, seeing as i haven't posted a legitimate update in a while, but i feel that quite a lot has happened....

1. summer was very busy. between all the visitors, flood waters, baby dedications and the like, i feel like summer was about a month long. it was a wonderful summer, and i am thankful for all the people who came out to see us -- rebecca, the wood family, and traci. we were blessed to have you all here!

2. school has once again commenced which means my hubby is back at work. which i am really excited and proud of him for...but i do miss him at home and i do miss the option of sleeping in every other morning as we would switch off which parent would get up with the wee one. but the good thing is that he has been sleeping later, which is good. anyways, so dave is in full swing teaching and coaching, and it's been fun. every wednesday there is a football dinner which we go to and is quite fun because i don't have to cook and it's yummy food. last week was the freshman team's first game, and sadly, they lost 48-8. better luck this week?

3. i start school next week which i am really excited for. hopefully, we are going to turn our basement into a classroom which should be really fun for the girls and give james lots of crawling around room during lesson time. i think i get my curriculum soon, and i'm excited to start planning my lessons. for those of you who don't know, this year i am going to be homeschooling to twin fifth grade girls every day at my house from 9-12. God pretty much blessed our socks off with providing this job, because i get to teach and stay home with my boy! except i am surprised their mom trusted me with their whole education for the 5th grade? hopefully, i won't let them down!

4. james is pretty much amazing. we've been working on getting him to sit down for naps because i'll need him to once school starts, and so far, it's been going great. sometimes we'll let him cry it out, sometimes bounce him a little, and sometimes sit him down once he's asleep. and every way seems to be successful guaranteeing a 1/2 hour to 1 and 1/2 nap. i feel pretty blessed and thankful for this! what a lil' buddy...Also, he's been on the move lately. crawling like no other, going from room to room, basically being an independent little man. he's been pulling up on anything he can from coffee tables to fireplaces to chairs to parent's legs to well, anything. this also includes cribs, which proves to be a problem when you've laid him down for a nap only to later hear him banging on the crib railing because he's stood up. this also proves to be a small hinderance to naptime. but good news is he just last week learned to get himself down from standing which is an improvement from his previous method- falling back and hitting his head on the floor. other than that, he's been a complete joy and i can't believe in a few short days he'll be 7 months old. where has time gone?




also, he's easting solids pretty regularly and not nursing as much during the day, mostly because he has so much to do (crawl, stand, sit, etc...). this however means he's nursing a ton at night. let's just say i have coffee every morning. we also ordered his halloween costume and i'm pretty excited for it! he's going to be a 1920's golfer and i can't wait to see him in it!

4. training has once again commenced for my half marathon. it's only a month and a half away and we are in full swing of running. we had to take a big break due to visitors and moving and such, but i feel we are back on track. it's october 19th in grand rapids, any of you who are interested.

5. dave and i really like watching "america's got talent." we hope frank sinatra wins!

6. i really like this drink

especially the nectarine and raspberry flavor. go try it!

that's all! goodbye for now!

the cousins....

i mean really, can it get any better?


tessa, lily, and james

and everyone's gone....

including my husband...traci...and well, i guess that's all.

but my house does seem really empty nonetheless, though the olympics are greatly helping things go by easier...except darn that micheal phelps and those eight golds. but that's besides the point. my house is eerily quite and to be honest, i'm enjoying the time at night once james is good and asleep to get out my book, put the olympics on mute, and read. in the quite. such a wonderful feeling!

also, james is for sure crawling now. not just the army crawl either, totally legitimate crawling. this morning at nursery he took about 4-5 steps all in a row! what a stud. and while playing with auntie suze he pulled himself up to standing by the coffee table. i'm a beaming proud mama!

dave comes home tommorrow, and i'm happy for that. i sorta miss him....

she's comin' on the train...

traci is coming today! hurray! let's now just hope that i get my house cleaned in time...

what a fun day...

i mean, it's 08.08.08 which only happens like what, once in a millenium? and it happens to be my very dear baby boy's half year birthday...meaning he's already six months old! holy cow! then it's the olympics which is pretty fabulous AND we are leaving to go camping for the weekend. could life get any better?

my "bucket list"

so lately, i've been thinking of all the things i want to do in life. sorta like mandy moore in "a walk to remember." for some reason, all the big things that are on my mental list have been racing around in my head recently. and today, i decided to write them down, because, i mean i don't want to forget them, right? so this morning while dave was holding james during his nap, we composed such lists, one for each of us. for the purpose of time and interest, i will only list mine here:

-get a LVN degree
-start a younglife group with dave
-read through the Bible in a year
-learn to play the piano
-be a missionary for a year
-have confetti rain down on me (like when teams win the super bowl)
-get chinese takeout delivered to my house (in the red and white boxes)
-meet the cast of "the office"
-go to a taping of rachel ray
-go to niagara falls
-be in the crowd of the "today show"
-climb a big mountain in colorado
-run a marathon
-go to the olympics
-visit the redwoods in california
-the mall of america
-get a tattoo (a real one, not a rub on)
-visit mt. rushmore
-have a tour of a factory (maybe crayola?)
-go on an african safari
-go to a bronco game at mile high
-fly first class
-go on an extended backpacking trip
-watch all "top 100" movies
-go to the wimbeldon
-take tennis lessons
-be on a game show
-get involved in politics
-run the susan g. komen run
-go to a NASCAR race

...and more to be added, later. and of course on the list is to travel, but to list all the places i want to go would take up way to much space. and as i think of more, i will update. but what is your list? i'd love to hear what other people want to get done in life, to read your "bucket list." oh, and if you want to hear dave's, you'll have to ask him. it's pretty long.

project pink

you all should do this!

www.munchkin.com/projectpink

it helps support breast cancer. everytime you email a duck or forward it to someone, munchkin gives 5 cents to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation. you can even buy your own duck too! it's for a good cause, and doesn't take much out of your time!

happy birthday dave...dave it's your birthday!

here are some photos...as promised...

dave walking in to be surprised...except i think james was more surprised than dave was!

let's party!

more party people...

could there be any more babies present?

mmm...good food....

all the peeps involved...

our buddies...and lil' buddies too!

boys playin' bball

blowing out candles


so that's it. sorry no rockin' pictures of the kickball game that happened after- but trust me, it was great. (and i mean, our team won :)) so thanks to all who helped out and all who came, you guys were awesome!