Hayes Family

HALF WAY!! 20 weeks

2012-02-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yay!! We finally made it to the half way mark! Getting closer and closer to meeting our son! We are actually a little over half way since we will have a scheduled c-section 1-2 weeks before the due date :)

How Far Along: 20 weeks (he is measuring 21 weeks)

Size of baby: 11 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: do I have to keep up with this one anymore? 18lbs!!
Maternity Clothes: of course
Gender: BABY BOY!!

Name: Patch for now :)

Movement: Lots and I love it all, it's good reassurance!
Sleep: ok, toss and turn a lot

What I miss: Not peeing every hour, my non prego clothes

Cravings: salty foods, frozen yogurt, any ice cream, CHEDDARS!!!

Symptoms: Just hungry all the time :)
Best Moment this week: Lots of good moments. I got a masage on Thursday that was amazing! Friday afternoon we got to see our little guy at our 20 week sonogram. He is measuring about a week ahead but everything looked great!! PRAISE GOD! They did have some concern on the placement of my placenta but since I already opted for a c-section it's no big deal. We also got to spend time with lots of different friends this weekend :)
Patch is the length of a banana this week & weighs 11 ounces!

Gaylord Texan {family trip}

2012-02-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

We got to spend the weekend at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine with family. We had a good time just hanging out at the hotel and of course some shopping!

The girls wanted to pose with their animals

This hotel was so cool inside!

Trying out the indoor pool

They had big train tracks set up

Daddy trying to tell P that the water was "ok"

Valentines Day Morning

2012-02-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

This morning Parker got to wake up to fun Valentine gifts and a sweet little breakfast her daddy made her!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

of course she wanted her picture will all of us, inlcuding Coop :)

19 weeks, looking like 30 ;/

2012-02-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: 6 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: do I have to keep up with this one anymore? 16lbs!!
Maternity Clothes: of course
Gender: BABY BOY!!

Name: Patch for now :)

Movement: Yes
Sleep: ok, toss and turn a lot

What I miss: Not peeing every hour

Cravings: salty foods, frozen yogurt, CHEDDARS!!!

Symptoms: Pain in the back of my neck & my sides fall alseep when I lay on them so I am constantly flipping around.
Best Moment this week: We got to spend time with family in Dallas over the weekend. I felt Patch move a lot and got some really cute clothes for him :)
Patch is the size of a large heirloom tomato this week & weighs 8 ounces!

Next up I will post about all the fun we had this past weekend!!

Gender Reveal Party

2012-02-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

We had our much anticipated (for us) gender reveal party last Wednesday!

We went in for our sonogram at 8:45 that morning. She let us see everything but the legs. Patch was all over the place...went from head up to head down in a matter of a second and wouldn't stay still long enough for a good profile view. When it came time for the gender she made us close our eyes...hardest thing ever!! I wanted to peek so bad! She was able to tell pretty fast and then we got more time to watch our sweet Patch move all over the place again.

After the sonogram we luckily had a busy day to keep our mind off of it. My good friend Shelley was the one to receive the envelope first but I made her wait alllll day ;) Around 3:30pm I took her the envelope and she was off to buy the reveal in blue or pink!

We rushed home after work to start cooking and getting everything set up.

We had everyone mark their guess, well almost everyone. And then they had to wear a blue or pink necklace!

I bought blue & pink cupcakes for the kiddos

Some of the decorations, I was still cooking more food!

This is what happens when we are all busy....

Pre-Reveal Pic

We had to come up with a new idea real quick from our balloon idea. But it turned out way fun!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Trying to convince Parker..lol...she still thinks she is having a sister

yayyyy! Baby Patch is a BOY!

All the kids wanted to play

Thanks to our friend Angela Pregler for taking the pics. She will probably kill me for not letting her edit before posting :) We had so much fun and definitely a day we will always get to remember. Angela's husband took video for us so I will post as soon as I figure out how! My dad came late because of work so we got to watch the video with him where it shows the sonogram tech finding the BOY parts!! It is definitely a boy! Now we have to come up with a name for little Patch but his nickname will do for now :)

Valentine Goodies

2012-02-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Aren't these co cute?? I figured since Parker's class will be slammed with candy I would make these fun little gifts for her party...and Parker loves her little bouncy balls!

http://thecraftingchicks.com/2011/02/one-more-simple-homemade-valentine-card-free-printable.html

18 weeks

2012-02-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: almost 5 1/2 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: not sure, haven't weighed :/

Maternity Clothes: YES! I bought some fun dresses this past weekend!

Gender: BABY BOY!!
Name: Patch for now :)

Movement: YES!!

Sleep: ok, toss and turn a lot

What I miss: Not peeing every hour

Cravings: salty foods, frozen yogurt

Symptoms: Pain in the back of my neck & my sides fall alseep when I lay on them so I am constantly flipping around.
Best Moment this week: We found out we are having a sweet boy!! We are so happy but I can't say I was surprised, I knew it all along. Tanner & I also got a weekend alone trip to San Anotnio and it was no nice and relaxing. He made my birthday perfect!

Patch is the size of a bell pepper this week & weighs 7 ounces!

17 Weeks! Gender week!!!

2012-01-30T06:41:00.000-08:00

YAY!! This week is finally here!

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of baby: almost 5 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: not sure, haven't weighed :/

Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy! I can still wear my non prego dresses. Leggings & dresses are my everyday wear the past few days.

Gender: find out THIS WEDNESDAY!!

Name: Patch

Movement: YES!!

Sleep: ok, toss and turn a lot

What I miss: Not peeing every hour

Cravings: salty foods

Symptoms: I have this weird pain in the back of my neck...won't go away :(

Best Moment this week: We had 8 awesome 8th graders stay with us this weekend & had so much fun getting to know them and watch God work in their lives.

Patch is the size of a turnip this week & weighs 5 ounces!

We found out on Wednesday the gender of little Patch. I am so excited to have a gender reveal party with my family and closest friends!!

I think it's a boy, Tanner wants a boy and Parker thinks it's a girl! What do you think little Patch is?

16 weeks & Planning

2012-01-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Size of baby: almost 4 1/2 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +8 lbs total, I'm sure this will be way more next week...supposedly the baby is going to double in size this week!

Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy! I can still wear my non prego dresses. Leggings & dresses are my everyday wear the past few days.

Gender: find out February 1st! ONE WEEK!

Name: Patch

Movement: YES!!

Sleep: ok, toss and turn a lot

What I miss: Not peeing every hour

Cravings: salty foods

Symptoms: I have this weird pain in the back of my neck...won't go away :(

Best Moment this week: We have movement!! Not a lot but a little flutter here and there :)

Patch is the size of an avocado this week & weighs 3 1/2ounces!

We sold Parker's crib and changer on Saturday. I put it on craiglist at 9AM that morning and it was sold, paid for and picked up by 1PM. I was very excited! I have my heart set on white furniture this time around whether it be a boy or girl. I am buying my friend Angela's crib that she was selling. Now I need to find a dresser/changer that I like.

LOVE this room for a girl, it's my inspiration!

The white & soft pink...ahhh

And LOVE this for a baby boy...

I have been planning our Gender Reveal Party for next week. I started painting my cardboard box this weekend.

We are doing the balloon idea I found on pinterest to reveal the gender.

Everyone gets to cast their vote when they come in...

My friend Angela will be there to take good pictures for us. My hubby thinks I have been slacking on pictures & things with this baby. I was on it every week with pictures and what not with Parker. So now this baby gets his/her own party!!

IMPACT Weekend

2012-01-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend is IMPACT weekend formerly known as Disciple Now or D-Now. Tanner & I decided to be a host home this year. We will have 10 junior high to high school girls staying with us Friday-Sunday. This is such a special weekend for all these young kids. Could you help me pray for them? Our Student Ministries pastors got together and these are the specific prayers we are praying for EVERY student.

We ask that starting today and continuing forward, you would join us in the IMPACT 7:14 prayer movement. Ever read 2 Chronicles 7:14-15? in case not here ya go: "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." But also we want prayer being lifted up 7 days a week 4-Teens.... ;) (pretty clever huh?)

1. That EVERY student would emerge a spiritual leader

2. That EVERY student would prioritize following Jesus
3. That EVERY campus in Midland would be converted bc of the effect of IMPACT weekend
4. That EVERY parent would become the #1 spiritual influence n their students life
5. That EVERY student would say "Jesus is enough" no matter the circumstance
6. That EVERY student would recognize that Jesus IS for them
7. That EVERY member of FBC would be awakened to the majesty of Christ

Please also pray for us host homes and leaders that we are able to influence their lives, even for a short time and welcome them into our loving family. Some of these kids are homeless, some have never sat down at a dinner table and had a meal together as a family, some of them have nobody in this world but still come to Sunday school every Sunday...wow! We need to show these kids they are LOVED!

Thanks for your prayers!!

15 weeks & a sweet heartbeat :)

2012-01-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

Not much going on this week...

How Far Along: 15 weeks

Size of baby: almost 4 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +7 lbs total

Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy! I am showing early with this baby.

Gender: find out February 1st!

Name: Patch

Movement: not sure??

Sleep: ok, toss and turn a lot

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach & my favorite jeans!

Cravings: salty foods

Symptoms: headaches

Best Moment this week: heard the heartbeat today!! 150

Patch is the size of a apple this week & weighs 2 1/2ounces!

We are having a gender reveal party on February 1st!! We go to the sonogram that morning and will have them write the gender on a piece of paper. We want to find out with our friends and family that evening!! I am so excited since this is more than likely our last baby!! I think we have also nailed down a boy name and girl name..but then again we changed Parker's 2 weeks before she was born ;)

Tanner is shooting for boy of course and I am shooting for another little Parker ;)

14 Weeks

2012-01-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Phewwww...I finally made it!! The 1st trimester this pregnancy was no fun. Now that my nausea is finally going away and my energy is returning I am excited to get into planning mode.

We cleaned out the guest bedroom this weekend that will soon be the baby's room. It was our "junk room" that I LOVED having. Where are we going to put our junk now?? We get new carpet laid this Thursday and we find out the sex in 3 weeks so then it will be decorating time!!

How Far Along: 14 weeks

Size of baby: almost 3 1/2 inches long
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +5 lbs total
Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy! I am showing early with this baby.
Gender: find out February 1st!
Name: Patch
Movement: still too soon
Sleep: Been horrible the last few nights :(
What I miss: sleeping on my stomach & my favorite jeans!
Cravings: Cheesy popcorn
Symptoms: headaches, some stretching pain
Best Moment this week: finally having my nausea subside :)
Patch is the size of a lemon this week & weighs 1 1/2ounces!

5 Years!!

2012-01-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating our 5 year anniversary today!! I feel like 5 years is a milestone right? I love getting to spend everyday with my best friend. I would marry him all over again :)

My husband is usually bad about giving me my presents early but he did so good this year!! He kept everything a secret. And when I read my card this morning here is what it said.

This is your present:

We will be spending your birthday weekend in San Antonio at the Marriott that you have always wanted to stay at and you can go on a shopping spree!!!

WHAT???

I used to go to San Antonio every year for dance competion from about 9 years old all the way to my senior year. There is a HUGE Mariott right on the Riverwalk. When I was younger I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. All the families would stay there. But my parents would never let us stay there. Now that I am older I know why, because it is pretty $$$. I have always had an obsession with it until this day and have never stayed there. My husband knew about my obsession and is now making it a reality. I am so so excited. Best present ever!!! Besided my Abby girl...she was my Christmas present a few years ago. She is a gift that keeps on giving.

Love you Husband!!! You did so good!!!

January 5, 2007

First Dance

Honeymoon...whoa I was tan with some bleached hair haha

1st Year Anniversary we spent in Jamaica!!

2nd Anniversary we spent in Cancun with Parker in my belly

Date night for our 3rd Anniversary!

4 Years!!

Tonight we get a yummy dinner at Garlic Press ;)

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with family & friends. We have lots of family here in Midland so we never have to travel which is nice. Here are a few pics..

Our work's Children Christmas Party, not a fan of Santa

Making her decorations

Parker & Landry

Parker & her cousins

her new favorite thing!

Putting the topper on the tree!

We had a blessed Christmas & was happy to get to start teaching Parker the real reason of the season. I think next year she will really be able to grasp it!

13 Weeks

2012-01-03T09:16:00.001-08:00

How Far Along: 13 weeks

Size of baby: almost 3 inches long
Total Weight Gain/Loss: still only +3 lbs
Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy! Gender: find out February 1st!
Name: Patch
Movement: still too soon
Sleep: Been really good the past couple of nights.
What I miss: sleeping on my stomach & my favorite jeans!
Cravings: buffalo chicken tenders, yummm
Symptoms: still some nausea in the evenings, hungry all the time, and headaches
Best Moment this week: Parker syaing her own prayers at night and putting baby Patch in the list everytime :)
Patch is the size of a medium size shrimp this week & weighs an ounce! Doubled since last week.

I am so excited to move out of the first trimester next week!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! It's going to be a great one!

12 Weeks

2011-12-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

How Far Along: 12 weeks

Size of baby: over 2 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +3 lbs

Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy!

Gender: find out February 1st!

Name: Patch

Movement: still too soon

Sleep: I go to sleep so early that I have been waking up in the middle of night and have a hard time going back to sleep.

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach

Cravings: buffalo chicken tenders, yummm

Symptoms: nausea in the evenings, hungry all the time, and headaches

Best Moment this week: Talking about names & gender prediction for our little Patch!

Patch is the size of a lime this week & weighs half an ounce.

A video from Santa to Parker :)

2011-12-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/m9J7SdGDzPetmpr_D0iXQDQ

11 Weeks

2011-12-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

How Far Along: 11 weeks

Size of baby: Almost 2 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +3 lbs

Maternity Clothes: yes, they are much more comfy!

Gender: ?

Name: Patch

Movement: still too soon

Sleep: I go to sleep so early that I have been waking up in the middle of night and have a hard time going back to sleep.

What I miss: feeling normal with no sickness, I thought I was getting better until yesterday morning..ha

Cravings: kinda over the carrots and ranch, anything that sounds good at the time.

Symptoms: nausea in the evenings, hungry all the time, and headaches

Best Moment this week: We had a wonderful sonogram yesterday. Patch was right on schedule and everything looked great. We are so amazed by God and so blessed. Patch is looking like a baby now. We even got to see him squirm around :)

Patch is the size of a fig this week & is almost fully formed.

We now go in every 4 weeks and find out the gender February 1st!

Praise The Lord!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

When we first put up the Christmas tree I expected Parker to be in awe of it...but she could care less. Last night was the first time she was really into it and the presents. We sat around the tree and she asked who each present belonged too a million times!! It was really cute, she memorized where hers were :)

So we of course had to take pictures by the tree...

The dogs needed their picture too!

Saturday night our good friends, the Lamb's, had some friends over for dinner and games. We love hanging out with all of them...it's always a good time. Loaded Questions = a must for any get together!

Parker got in some Landry loving time

Last week we made some goodies for Parker's teachers at school. I got the idea from Pinterest and even got a free download to make the labels.

I am so excited Christmas is less than a week away!! I love this time of year!!

10 weeks

2011-12-13T06:36:00.000-08:00

How Far Along: 10 weeks

Size of baby: fraction of an ounce

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +3 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Not yet

Gender: ?

Name: Patch

Movement: still too soon.

Sleep: Very good, with my progesterone meds I usually pass smooth out.

What I miss: feeling normal with no sickness!

Cravings: carrots & ranch dressing!

Symptoms: nausea in the evenings, hungry all the time.

Best Moment this week: God gave me a sick free day in order to have fun & organize our company Christmas party!!

Patch is the size of a kumquat this week, a little over an inch long

We have our 11 week sonogram next Tuesday! I pray that everthing will go as smoothly as the last one. God is good!!

9 Weeks

2011-12-06T11:32:00.001-08:00

I got this cute little idea from a friend Jessica, you can see hers here.

How Far Along: 9 weeks

Size of baby: fraction of an ounce

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +2 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Nope

Gender: ?

Name: Patch

Movement: still too soon.

Sleep: Pretty good, with my progesterone meds I usually pass smooth out.

What I miss: feeling normal with no sickness!

Cravings: carrots & ranch dressing!

Symptoms: nausea all day long, it is getting somewhat better though.

Best Moment this week: At our 8 week 5 day ultrasound we got to see the heartbeat, best little movement I've seen in a long time!!

Patch is the size of a grape this week, an inch long

Snow Day!

2011-12-05T15:29:00.001-08:00

We woke up this morning to tons of SNOW!! I go to bed so early that I wasn't expecting this at all until I saw a text from my dad saying schools were closed. Monday's are my busy days at work so I knew I needed to go in. But Tanner also has a busy week so he needed to as well so we took turns all day. I went in first, then came home, then went back and so on. It actually worked out really good.

Parker and I had a fun day!! We made cookies, played in the snow, played tea party, made snow ice cream, puzzles and did each other's hair a million times! Love days with my little girl.

She loved the snow!

Pretty cookies ;)

I am having so much fun with my new iphone & the camera apps!

I am trying to not get my hopes up but yesterday and today have actually been mild sick days. I am still a little nauseas in the evenings but nothing like it has been. This can be a really good thing or a scary thing, I don't want my symptoms going away too soon since that is a big sign of miscarriage. I am 9 weeks tomorrow & my dr said usually it peaks at 10 weeks and then go down but of course everyone and every pregnancy is different. We just made our 11 week ultrasound today for December 20th. Hopefully everything will go smoothly until then. Thanks for all your prayers, they are much appreciated!!

YAY for a late start tomorrow! Hopefully we get to sleep in!!

Family time

2011-11-26T13:15:00.001-08:00

Laneybug & Landon at Fiddlesticks

The wind was crazy!

Not interested in pics

OK, I get it! :)

Pics before family pics

Daddy & P

Painting ornaments

She had so much fun!

She was so proud of her ornaments!

Thanksgiving Day 2011

P & her best friend

Daddy was helping me out this morning & thought he would fix Parker's hair. I couldn't help but laugh, it's piggies with a mullet ;)

Want to know something cool? {really LONG post}

2011-11-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

I have a sweet baby cooking in my belly! Cool, right? I thought so :) Here is my journal posts from the day after I found out. I had to find a way to keep up with all my emotions and everything I was going through. I didn't do this last time and I wish I did so I could remember.

November 5, 2011

I'M PREGNANT!! I'M PREGNANT!! I keep having to repeat this to myself. All 3 times it's so hard to believe when you feel fine and you look the same. My last pregnancy I had a bad feeling from the beginning but this one feels much better so let's hope it's true. Praise our amazing faithful God, I am pregnant!

Tanner & I have been trying for the past couple of months. We decided after my miscarriage a year ago that we were going to wait awhile and enjoy Parker. And we did just that! We had an amazing last year with lots of vacations & tons of one on one time with our P. Kinda crazy that all 3 babies were conceived in the same month of different years. October must be a lucky month for us :)

Back to a couple weeks ago. When I was pregnant with Parker I found out my thyroid was all jacked up. They put me on medicine right away. After I had her it didn't get any better so they pretty much told me I would be on it the rest of my life. A couple months ago I ran out. I called to get it refilled but a nurse told me I had to come in for my yearly first. They couldn't get me in until October 19th. So once I went in on the 19th I told Dr. L about my weight gain, tiredness and haven't been able to conceive for a couple months. He instantly asked if I was still taking my thyroid. I told him no and he said my thyroid controlled all 3 of these and to start asap. He said it might take a few weeks to kick in and be able to conceive. So this past weekend I was out of town with Shelley in Canton getting ready to shop!! I hadn't started yet so Shelley talked me into buying some cheap dollar general tests. We bought 3. We got back to the hotel and I took one thinking nothing of it. A little faint line appeared and slowing grew darker..I'm freaking out. I take another one not believing it and bam..positive! Shelley decides to take the 3rd just to test them since they are $1 pregnancy tests. Her=negative. OMG...I'm pregnant! I immediately text a pic to Tanner and he doesn't believe me, he was in the same mind set as me. Once again one of us is out of town when we find out. (He was out of town last time). I then think about my progesterone medicine. I knew I needed it quick! I needed it last 2 pregnancies. I had some left over from last time but it was at home. I called Dr. L and he calls me in some to the Walgreens in Canton, this makes me feel much better. I tried not to think about it or worry about it all weekend and God definitely gave me the peace I needed. I can't quit thanking Him every second, He is so faithful!! My main prayer is for this baby to be healthy and growing like it should. But I also pray for peace with His plan and I do feel peace about it. I know I will get through no matter what. I also have an amazing husband behind me 100% that has complete peace so he helps me too :)

My $1 pregnancy tests :)

November 7, 2011
It's finally Monday, it couldn't get here fast enough. I went in this morning to get my levels checked. I tried to stay calm for the past 7 hours but really, who stays completely calm when you are waiting on an extremely important phone call. I got a call from Brandy around 3:30 and PRAISE GOD AGAIN!! My levels looked great, even my progesterone was where it needed to be!! Woohoo!! Given my past pregnancy I have to go in again on Wednesday to recheck my levels to make sure they are doubling like they should. Ahhh, another long day of waiting...but worth every second!! If these levels look good they will schedule me an 8 week sonogram to make sure they can see a heartbeat. This is when we found out we lost our last baby. Whew, this will be a tough one but I know we will get through it. I have such a good feeling about this baby!!

November 9, 2011
I have to keep writing eventhough nobody will see this for awhile. It helps me keep sane while waiting on phone calls. I went this morning for more level checks. I'm praying that they are doubling like they should and that God has his hands wrapped around my little baby in my belly. Should get a call today around 3:30. FINGERS CROSSED!
***Side note...I LOVE the new lady that takes your blood. I have horrible veins and usually it's a struggle to find one but this chick is awesome!!
3:45PM - Finally got the long awaited call!! Seems like forever. Dr L said my levels were an appropriate rise from Monday so we scheduled an 8 week sonogram on December 2nd...pretty much a month from now! Another long wait but I can do it! This is the sonogram when we found out with lost our last one little one. But I have crazy faith & good spirits about this one.
***Another side note: I had a dream a few weeks ago. Jesus came to me and told me I would get pregnant and have a son and was to name him Liam. I always thought people were crazy when they would say stuff like that but this dream felt so real?

November 11, 2011 (11-11-11)
5 weeks and about 3 days along, super early. I am still feeling great but I don't think I started to get the "yucks" until about 6 1/2 weeks with Parker so I know it's coming. I feel like satan is trying to interfere and put fear in my mind. Maybe since it's getting close to the time we lost our last one. But I am trying to force him to leave me alone and stay positive because I know God is watching over us.
I just want to shout it to the world, I'm so excited! I am always so quick with things so of course we have already started to talk about names. This time I want to be sure and not change the name 2 weeks before he/she is born. I really feel like it is a girl, so does Tanner. We've been talking with Parker about it and love to hear her say "brudder" or "sitter"...ahhh love it!

November 13, 2011
It's Sunday and I hate this time change. It feels so late and I just want to go to sleep :) My first pregnancy symptom is a stuffy nose. I had it the entire pregnancy with Parker. It immediately went away as soon as they popped her out. I hate having my nose stopped up so I was basically addicted to nose spray last time. On Friday night I slept with Parker (we love sleeping in there) and was up all night with a stuffy nose. I am so thankful for this symptom...I only pray the symptoms keep coming...just means this baby is growing :) Parker's new name for the baby is Patch so that's what we will call him/her while we have no name!

November 17, 2011
I have had a pretty yucky week. I have a nasty head cold that wouldn't be too terrible but mixed in with nausea all day is pretty rough. I have been home all week and hoping to make it half a day tomorrow. I'm glad it's right around the holidays so nobody is at work so they could care less if I am there or not. I don't mind the nausea, it just reminds me the baby is still growing. I actually pray everyday for whatever morning sickness or yuckiness to come my way if it means my baby is growing! Tomorrow marks the day that are last sweet baby quit growing so I am praying that I don't think much about it tomorrow. I can worry myself pretty sick. I have felt really positive all week though I was tempted to call my nurse a couple times and ask for another level test but I know there is nothing they can do if they were to come back not good. And I know it's satan's way of putting fear in my mind. Another symptom I'm having is HUNGER! It gets so bad that I eat and eat and eat and I still have this knot in my stomach wanting food. I guzzle water like crazy hoping that will help but nope. I gained 50 whopping pounds with Parker, I am hoping I don't gain that much this time around!
I'm excited for Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for. An loving faithful God, an amazing relationship with my hubby, a healthy & precious baby girl, our health, & lots of loving family & friends! Please don't judge my punctuation on that last sentence :)

November 21, 2011
7 WEEKS today! God is definitely answering prayers. I had a sickly weekend, my nausea lasts all day. I am hungry all day long and nothing sounds good. I loved sweets with Parker but this time I find myself leaning towards salty foods. I amthankful for another few days of having this sweet baby growing inside of me. Praying for many more, even if it means many more weeks of nausea!

November 26th, 2011
wow, what a crazy Thanksgiving holiday. I have been so so sick. I never threw up with Parker but this one has my tummy going crazy. Thanksgiving afternoon and all day Friday I couldn't keep anything down, not even water. I felt like I was going to pass out any second so the on-call dr told me to go to the er and get some IV fluids. So we did just that. They also gave me some Zofran to help with the nausea. I felt a TON better and so glad I went. Zofran=AMAZING!!! I don't know how I did it the past 2 weeks without them. Besides being sick we did get to spend some time with family & be thankful for so many things!

November 28, 2011
8 WEEKS! The baby is the size of a kidney bean. I feel like I have gained a couple pounds, not sure how since I haven't been eating much. I am craving salty foods, I guess that's where the pounds come in. I don't really have to pee a lot but that's probably because I don't drink enough water. Bad me :(

December 2, 2011

It's here!!! My much anticipated doctor's appointment is here! We go in at 11 for our sonogram.

Jesus, please be with us at our appointment. Please be with our precious baby. I pray for peace no matter the outcome. I know your plan is the perfect plan. Please give the doctors and nurses wisdom. We love you Jesus and forever grateful. Amen

PRAISE GOD!!! We have a heartbeat!! Our little baby is growing growing growing!! I am 8 weeks 4 days & due July 9th!!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

We had a kids party at my work so we brought Parker up to play. She loved it and was the center of attention!

My little kitty cat!

She was SO excited that she won a cupcake ;)

International Food Fair

2011-10-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today we had our last event for our United Way Campaign. Well I guess our last big event. We still have an auction going on and a gun board and raffle tickets. I am really hoping I win that ipad2 next week ;) We have had a super busy October with this campaign. We had a huge turnout at today's event. Different employees from other countries cook popular dishes from their countries and everyone is invited to come taste test everything. We have tons of employees from various countries. At last minute Olga & I were asked to take over USA. After a quick thought we decided on corn dogs, apple pie and hamburger cookies...ha!

Aren't these the cutest things ever?? They were a huge hit and I can't wait to make them for another party or event. Parker would love them!

Shooting Range

2011-10-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tanner & I had a date last Sunday. At first we had planned on a movie but then I decided to surprise my hubby with a date to the range. My husband loves guns and loves to go shoot so I figured it would be fun to go together. I loved every second & actually do pretty good!

I was a little proud ;)

Little piece of heaven...

2011-10-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

A little Rangers game before bed, Parker was so into it!

Of course we had to invite Coop into the picture

Riding at Papa's house, our daughter is obsessed!

Mommy's turn

Watching Gigi's concert at Lee

Prayer Request

2011-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Please pray for a a sweet family that just found out they lost their baby at 11 weeks. There is nothing worse than hearing you lost your sweet baby no matter how many weeks you are. This couple already has a 7 year old boy and they have been trying for a long time to get pregnant with other miscarriages. They finally got pregnant on their own and then lost the baby this morning. My heart is breaking for them. We lost our sweet baby a year ago but it still feels like yesterday. I don't think you will ever forget the feeling. Please pray for comfort and peace for this family as well as a safe d&c this afternoon for Stacey. Thank you!

Weekend

2011-10-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Friday night I got to attend a MAASquerade ball benefitting Midland Area Aid Society. It was a lot of fun, we got to get really dressed up, wear fun masks, eat great food and do some dancing! I had to leave early to get up really early for the garage sale the next morning but I still got a few hours of girl time!

Saturday morning started off with some AMAZING rain that we are all so grateful for. It did put a damper on my garage sale but it was so worth it. We still had a pretty good turn out but we didn't have a lot of the big items we were hoping for because of the rain. We still made some money that is going to a great cause.

The rest of the afternoon we had to spend with our little crazy 2 year old. Her fits these days are Crazy!! I feel like I am constantly telling her to go to her room. But admidts her craziness she is learning so much. She talks in long sentences that always catch us off guard; kids this age are just sponges. She brings home new projects everyday from school showing all the fun things she is learning. She loves her new daycare by the way. She gets very excited to go every morning. She is still sleeping in her bed very well. Normally Tanner and I will lay with her for awhile but we always end up falling asleep in there. Ever since we moved into this house we also have said her room is so comfortable. As soon as we walk in there we want to crawl in bed. Here she is looking all grown up. Daddy just painted her finger nails and toe nails. Such a good daddy =)

I also FINALLY got rid of the volvo. Woohoo! I did go back to the Ford Edge like I had before the Volvo. I just loved it so much and was sad to get rid of it in the first place. Here is my new little beauty.

We had a busy weekend and now we are ready for another busy week. I am heading to see Taylor Swift in Lubbock on Friday...I am so excited like a llittle junior high kid =)

ConocoPhillips Garage Sale benefitting United Way

2011-10-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

I am planning a Huge Garage Sale in front of our ConocoPhillips offfice at 3300 N "A" St. It's this Saturday from 8AM - 12PM. There are lots of activities going on this weekend...Stanton Trade Days and the Air Sho but you can get your shopping done early and then head to the other events!

All proceeds are going to our United Way campaign. We have tons of families contributing so we should have tons to sell. All clothes, shoes, toys & linens will be for $1...great deal huh? You can even fill a grocery bag for $5!!

Hope to see you there!!

Masterpieces Update!

2011-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Yay! We finally finished our "All about Parker" wall. well....sort of. I found the clips I wanted at Target but they only had 6 of them when I need 8. So I am waiting for them to order more. But here is what we have so far. I am so proud of this because I am so proud of our little girl :)

Blessed Day!

2011-09-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today was amazing!! My 14 year old niece was baptized today!

Of course ever baptism is special but knowing my niece's background this one seemed extra special ;)

I am so proud of her and will forever remember this day. I am so glad my whole family was able to be there even Landon, Cara, Laney & Kip joined :)

Bored...

2011-09-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, my entire hallway is empty, nothing due, can't online shop because I am saving for Canton so I thought I would fill out a questionnaire. Yes, an old school Myspace thing that we used to fill out constantly...or maybe that was just me. Anyways, here we go...

1. What is your dream job?

I would love to own my own clothing/jewelry boutique. I have a husband that is wonderful with numbers so we set it all up one time and he really pushed me to do it but I love contentment with my job. Its safe and secure so I stay where I am at.

2. What is your favorite fragrance for Winter?
Honestly I don't change my scent for the different seasons. I'm picky about my perfumes, certain smells bother me and give me headaches so I have to choose carefully.

3. How do you take your tea/coffee?
I don't drink coffee & SWEET tea all the way.

4. What is your most important beauty secret?
My secret is I break out so easily, it's not so much a good secret. I use Proactive everyday and it's the only thing that keeps it under control but I still have horrible flareups.

5. If you had an all expenses paid vacation, where would you go?
I would go to Bora Bora! Abosulutely stunning but very $$$. I love beaches and my husband loves site seeing and historic things. So I would definitely have to win on this one :))

6. If a genie popped up in your lap right now and offered you three wishes, what would you ask for?
1. World peace, sounds cheesy but honestly true
2. that my daughter will grow up fearing our God & be kind & respectful to everyone.
3. Cure for cancer.

7. If you could only have breakfast, lunch, dinner or desert foods for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
DESSERT! Addiction

8. If you were Hello Kitty what color hair bow would you wear?
Wow, random...White

9. What is your biggest makeup pet peeve?
foundation lines but I am sure I am guilty of them too just harder to see them on yourself.

10. If you could wear only one piece of jewellery for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My wedding ring :)

11. What one talent do you wish you had?
I wish I could sing. My friend Ashley once said she wanted to be able to do backflips everywhere she went..haha..gotta love her!

12. Which product will you continue to purchase?
Young Blood make-up, love it!

13. If you could look into the future, would you? And what would you like to know?
Not sure. But if I did it would be to see if I would get pregnant again or adopt :) Big question for us right now!

14. Who is your biggest celebrity crush?
George Straight...always will be no matter how old he gets!

15. What made you start a blog?
I have so much time at work (not complaining) that I have to find fun things to entertain myself!

Masterpieces

2011-09-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to pinterest. They have a million and one cute ideas. I will never even attempt 97% of them but it's nice to dream. This is one I am sure you have all seen but I have loved it since I first saw it. And I have seen a million people repin from other people's pins. I have a huge blank wall in my kitchen. I recently sold the decorations that were on that wall in our garage sale this past weekend. So my husband and I are going to make this for our wall. I already ordered the "Masterpieces" sign and should be sitting in my mailbox today. Parker comes home everyday from school and from church with new artwork. I currently have them covering my fridge which eventually get yanked off by her and torn or get dirty. So what better way to display them than by putting them where we spend most of our time at home! The Kitchen! Super easy project because we all know I LOVE easy :) I will post the instructions with the final picture as well.

When she gets a little older I hope it shows her how much we adore all her art work that she brings home. I will show you a finished product tomorrow!

I am off to visit little Landry Lamb :)

Recipe {Vegetable Pizza}

2011-09-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

My good friend Shelley hosted a 31 gifts party last night. I was excited to go for the cute things to buy but I was really excited about the food. Shelley always has fun food ideas, she is a great cook. One appetizer she had was a vegetable pizza. Super super easy and very good. Even Parker loved it!

Vegetable Pizza

Any size of pizza crust you want

Vegetables (she chose squash, zuccini and red bell peppers)

grated cheese (amount depends on the size of your crust and how well you like cheese)

Cut up your vegetables and spread them out on your crust

Layer your cheese on top

Put in the oven at 350 until cheese is melted

Cut into squares or slices!

This is great if you are hosting a party and need an extra side dish. Or if you are like me and have to sneak in vegetables to your child :)

Stella & Dot Party

2011-09-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Woooweeee! I had a wonderful turnout for my party last night. We got to see some amazing jewelry and I think everyone enjoyed looking through the catalogs.

Thanks to my amazing friends & family that came!!! After everyone's orders at the party and online we sold over $1000! I was able to get $300 worth of free jewelry as well as (4) 1/2 off items!!!

Everyone should host a party just to get the amazing benefits!!

Some hot items from the evening...

2011-09-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

First night in her big girl bed...she passed smooth out! She has done so good. Not one bad night...yet ;)

Daddy must not know what "no show" socks are!

Bed head!

Angela & Brandon's "wedding party" night

My better half :)

This is how Parker went all weekend...trying to potty train...UNSUCCESSFUL!

Elmo has to eat too!

Recipe {Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken}

2011-09-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

We had a girls night last night and my friend Shelley made this for us. She found it on the back of the Ranch Dressing bottle. It is so easy & CRAZY good!

Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken

4 small boneless chicken breast

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

2 Tablespoons of flour

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. In a bowl combine the ranch dressing and flour. Dip each chicken breast in the mixture until well coated. Transfer to baking dish, cover chicken with grated cheese, and bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until cooked through.

You won't be disappointed!

Recipe {Taco Pizza}

2011-08-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

THIS IS DEFINITELY A FAVORITE!!!

I made this last night and it was a huge hit for Tanner & I, Parker..not so much! She did indulge in the guacamole and chips though. I originally got the idea off Pinterest. I can't get on pinterest at work and I wanted to run to the store on my lunch break so I googled it and this one popped up...easy peasy!

TACO PIZZA

1 lb hamburger meat

1 12in pizza crust

1 bag of Mexican shredded cheese

Taco Bell Seasoning (any taco seasoning you want really)

Toppings! We chose:

shredded lettuce

chopped tomoatoes

avacados

salsa

Brown the hambuger meat and then add the seasoning and 3/4 cup of water and let simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Layer the meat & cheese onto the pizza crust and bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Then top with whatever toppings you choose. SOOO GOOD!

Big Girl Bed

2011-08-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

Parker slept in her big girl bed for the 1st time last night...we just started the second night. She did AMAZING last night. Cried for about 3 minutes then was out. We have heard way too many stories that started off like this and then got worse so we aren't getting our hopes up quite yet. I don't think she knows she can get off the bed on her own. She still asks us to help her so we aren't telling her just yet :)

She looks so tiny in this big bed...sniff :(

But she was so excited!

She of course had to have all her favorite animals with her :)

We are still working on her room. Lots done but lots more to do. Her daddy did an amazing job on the stripes! I feel like I go too fast sometimes on her growing up. Now that we did all this room transformation I wonder why I hurried it so much? She still had time but oh well we already came this far :(

Parker also has moved up to the 2 year class at church. Tanner and I start volunteering in there next week so we will get to be with her.

A little picture taking before church this past Sunday.

Parker is also able to sing her ABC's, count to ten and sing all of "Jesus Loves Me". We are slowly working on potty training. I really don't think she is fully ready so we are not pushing her. She has gone 3 times in potty the past 2 weeks..haha...little progress right? :)

Stella & Dot

2011-08-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

In a couple weeks I will be hosting a Stella & Dot party at my home. I am so excited because for one they have amazing jewelry and also because I love hosting parties though I have never done one of these before.

http://home.stelladot.com/

Check out their amazing pieces. I will put another post that you can order from for my party once we get it set up if you can't make it.

Here are some of the fabulous pieces I have bought recently and LOVE!

I got these little beauties just for signing up to host a party! I have a silver pair that I wear about 6 days out of the week. They go with everything even when you are dressing very casual.

Just got these in the mail, haven't got to wear them yet!

Love the new wrap bracelets! I got the silver one and sporting it today!

Recipe {Swiss Chicken}

2011-08-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

I will only make simple recipes. If they require more than 6 main ingredients then I usually don't make it. I have never been a cook but I do try hard sometimes to make meals and eat at home. I made this last night and it was delish!! And it was so simple ;)

SWISS CHICKEN

5 boneless chicken breasts

1 cup milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 stick of butter

6 slices swiss cheese

1 box of stouffers chicken

Cut thawed chicken breasts and lay at bottom of 9x13 baking pan. Mix together the milk and soup and pour over chicken. Lay the slices of cheese over that. Then pour the box of stuffing on the top. Melt your butter and drizzle it over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. I made green beans to go with it.

GARLIC GREEN BEANS

1 bag whole frozen green beans

1/2 stick butter

garlic salt

pepper

Put your green beans into a small baking dish (8x8). Melt your butter and pour over green beans. Put as much garlic salt and pepper as you want. Bake beside your chicken at 350 for 45 minutes.

Easy Peasy!

Luckily Tanner & I both had a free lunch at work today, free dinner with work tonight and another free lunch at work tomorrow. I don't have to cook for a couple days :)

my sweet girl..

2011-08-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

I gave myself and Parker pedicures the day we got back last week from our trip. She was so proud of her painted finger nails and toe nails.

She got new My Little Pony underwear and she loved unfolding them and folding them back up.

She is really into her babies lately. A few days ago she came running into the kitchen saying "baby...spill...waderrrrr". I went to see and she had tried giving her baby some of her ice and water and it went everywhere. She then said "No baby, that's Parpoo's waderrrr"

Punta Cana, DR

2011-08-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

This was probably my favorite vacation! I am usually not a big fan of food in other places but the food here was great (I'm a picky eater)!! The friends we went with were so much fun and the hotel was huge and gorgeous. The people there weren't the friendliest though. We got to do parasailing, I can now mark it off the bucket list but I can't say I would do it again. We stayed in the pool most of the time but did enjoy the beach, casino and buffets too! Tanner and I got massages on our last day there while the rest of the group with snuba diving. It was a perfect vacation to end our Summer with.

Leaving Charlotte headed for DR!

Our jacuzzi bath

View from our balcony.

First night there we hit up the pool & bar :)

Headed to our steakhouse dinner

The gorgeous Punta Cana beach

First time to parasail!

I'm not going to lie, I was freaking out!

Walking the beach of our resort

Josh's 30th birthday dinner!

Our last night we ate at the Japanese Restaurant and it was amazing!!

I left all the crazy photos out from our trip to save embarassment from all of us :)

I'm sad all of our trips are over with but I'm excited for the Fall with our family and all the holidays!!

Funny Pics

2011-08-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

It all started down hill from here..

This one is hilarious of me!

I had to post these sweet ones...

Big Girl Room

2011-08-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

I have been obsessed lately trying to find different ideas for Parker's big girl room. She is still good in her crib so that leaves me with plenty of time. Before she was born we were trying to sell our old house so I couldn't really paint or put much on the walls. So this time around I feel likegoing all out.

Her crib turns into a full size bed with a headboard and footboard. Luckily we already have a full size matress. Her furniture is black right now so I will have to spraypaint it all white. Her headboard has bars going down so I am going to cover it with fabric. I haven't found the exact fabric I want but I do want it to closely resemble this but in a lighter pink.

Next up...the bedding!! I searched and searched for the perfect bedding and I finally found it on laurenslinens.com and for a great price. I can only imagine how many times I will be washing it with a 2 year old that isn't potty trained yet. So I went for cheap :)

I chose the mint green color.

I have been eyeing some really cute lamp shades from Hobby Lobby. Tanner is off for a few days so he was nice enough to go buy them for me!

I keep going back and forth on the walls. I know I want 3 walls just a basic white/creme color. Too much pink/color freaks me out after awhile. The main wall, where her bed is at, I want either painted stripes or a stencil. I just don't want it too busy.

I love the big horizontal stripes on this wall.

Stencil with light pink.

I can't get on pinterest at work so I have to resort to my blog for idea posting :)

Family Pics {Angela Pregler Photography}

2011-08-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

We got Parker's 2 years pics made awhile back by my friend Angela. We decided to wait and do family pics until our lives slowed down a little bit. Well that never happen so we went ahead and got a few taken this past Sunday morning. Parker was a terd most of the time but we did manage to get a couple smiles. I have some more hilarious ones that I will post later off the CD I have at home.

Bittersweet

2011-08-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

This morning has been tough...I had to give a 2 weeks notice to the wonderful ladies that have taken precious care of Parker every day for the last 2 years. Parker loves her current daycare. She goes to Animal Krackers and I highly reccomend it. The ladies there are wonderful and Parker gets so excited to go every morning. She especially loves her "Benda"! Brenda loves her like her own child. Parker has even learned all her letters by referring them to kids in her class...that's how much she loves this place.

Well, why are we switching her? Tanner got a new job! Praise God!! He will be the new Economist Planner here at ConocoPhillips and we will be on the same team though I am sure we will maybe see eachother once a week at work. He interviewed a few days before our Rome trip and my boss Mike was nice enough to call us the day we were leaving to offer the job to Tanner so we didn't have to stress on our trip!! Have I mentioned I have the most awesome boss ever?? I work for Mike directly but Tanner will be working for another guy directly. He happens to be my really good friends husband. And he reports to Mike so we are all connected :) We couldn't be any more excited about this new chapter!!!! God is so good all the time!!

Back to the daycare. We live really close to my work. I can get to work in less than 5 minutes. Animal Krackers is downtown so it takes me 22 minutes on a good day to get there. I have been timing it because I was really debating whether to switch Parker. Tanner's "old" job was right next to her daycare so he dropped her off and picked her up most days. Well now that he is going to be working with me it would be out of our way to take her everyday to Animal Krackers. Well during the time Tanner was interviewing I got a call from Midland College daycare saying they had a spot for Parker. I called them when I first found out I was pregnant and haven't talked to them since. So out of the blue they call. Well we live right down the road from Midland College, like 2 minutes away if there is traffic. So we can drop her off and get to work within 7 minutes or so.

So all of this is exciting for us but I really want to look out for my baby girl. I pray pray pray this is what God wants for her. Normally my mommy, gut instinct kicks in and I do feel like this will be a great thing for her. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Midland College. Though Animal Krackers did say we can bring her back anytime if MC doesn't work out ;)

Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

2011-08-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have been trying new recipes this week...here is another one we really enjoyed!

BEEF STROGANOFF

1 lb hamburger meat

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom

1 8oz sour cream

1 white onion chopped

1 bag egg noodles

1 can crunchy chinese noodles

soy cause

Brown hamburger meat on stove. Add onion in while cooking the meat. Then add in the soups & sour cream. Let that simmer for 10 minutes. Cook egg noddles on stove (these get soft really fast). Once the noodles are done you are ready! Get your plate...first get a scoop of egg noodles, then a scoop of crunchy noodles and then a big spoonful of the meat mixture. Then pour some soy sauce on top (sounds really weird but I promise the soy sauce makes the taste wonderful!)

ENJOY!!!

Compassion's Water for Life

2011-08-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.compassion.com/contribution/water-life-air1.htm?referer=119759

I heard about this all day yesterday while listening to Air 1 and KLOVE. I heard all the real life stories happening to these poor kids. It's sad to think our "drought" that we are going through here in Texas doesn't even come close to their water problems. These children are dying from dehydration but if they drink the water they are getting very sick and having horrible diarreah which then turns into dehydration. They have no hope. With just $55 you can buy a family a water filter system that lasts FOREVER!! If you watch the video on the link provided it shows how the filter works, pretty cool. Just think, instead of going out to eat tonight you could save a whole family!

Weekend

2011-08-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

We had a fun-filled weekend. Friday night I got to have dinner & drinks with sweet friends while daddy & P got an evening together.

Parker loves ice, she always wants it. I know the dentist will not love this ;)

Saturday I helped host a baby shower at my house for my good friend Erica. She is due with baby Lyla in about 5 weeks and she recieved so many cute things at her shower that will definitely give you baby fever!!

The hostesses

My silly girl wanted to play dress up with all of her jewelry!

Sunday we were invited to the new waterpark in Big Spring with our brother & sister and some friends. The kids really enjoyed themselves & parker LOVED the slide! I have more pictures but these were taken by Greathouse Photography :)

10 Days...

2011-08-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

In 10 days we are off to the Dominican Republic with 3 other couples! This is the longest we will have ever been away from Parker, we will be gone for 7 days ( a couple of those days in Dallas with friends because of flights). But we are so excited!! Our goals: parasail, get massages and Tanner scuba dive! Isn't this hotel a beauty? It can't come quick enough! We are going for a 30th birthday for one of the guys. These boys do it big for their 30th birthdays! I guess I need to start planning something fabulous for mine in 3 years.

It's called the Majestic Elegance in Punta Cana. As I was looking up pictures it made me a little sad. They have a fun fun splash park for kids that I know Parker would love. But maybe next time :) Last big trip of the Summer!

Parker's Big Party

2011-07-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting pics from Parker's birthday party. It was a huge success. Parker had lots of guests, lots of food, and lots of fun!! There was an overcast that day so luckily it was a "cooler" day for us with made it somewhat better but still hot!

Saturday morning I started getting everything made & set up. First up I started the oreo pops! Very easy to make and makes very cute table decorations.

Blooming cheesecakes, an idea I got from my friend Jessica.

Party favors - Little shovel, bucket, swirl pop, crazy straw& flip flop gummies

A few decorations inside

After that we worked on the cake table once it was close enough to the party and the icing would melt in this heat! I didn't think ahead about a couple things so I had to buy a simple Happy Birthday banner last minute and use a picture to tape on the wall to add some extras.

Parker's cake made by KK's sweetstuff, the cool stuff was inside!!

My flash was so bright in every picture but I made cute little labels for everything. I ordered them from Tom Kat Studio.

Outside set up with the snack foods!

On to the FUN stuff. We rented a giant blow up water slide that the kids LOVED. It barely fit in our backyard ;)

Of course we set up Parker's mini splash park as well for the smaller kids but the big kids liked it too!

Parker & cousin Laney

Pictures from the party

This is the best family photo we got, lol

Super fun cake!! Tasted good too!

Spoiled ;)

Yummy Recipe

2011-07-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Shelley made a few of us girls a cookbook. She always has easy, fun recipes that are delish! Last night I made my first one. It was so so so good, I even ate leftovers for lunch today & their is still a ton left. You can cut the recipe in half or do the full recipe like I did and invite people over or have lots of leftovers.

Broccoli & Cheese Bake

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts

1/2 block of Velveeta Cheese

2 cups of rice (white or wheat, I used wheat and you couldn't tell)

1/2 stick of butter

8 oz sour cream

1 white onion

1 bundle fresh broccoli

1 can creme of chicken

1/2 cup of milk

First, you want to start cooking your rice. ( I learned my lesson last night..the rice takes the longest.)

Then you want to boil your chicken breasts. Once cooked, shred/cut into pieces and line the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Melt a 1/2 stick of butter in a pan and sautee your broccoli and onion. Once cooked spread on top of the chicken.

Melt your Velveeta cheese with the milk in a pot. Once melted add your sour cream and creme of chicken until well mixed. Once mixed together poor on top of broccoli/onion layer.

Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes on 350.

** Optional - when about 5 minutes is left, take out sprinkle grated cheese and stick back in. Mine was cheesy enough so I didn't do this part.

ENJOY!

Goodbye Facebook, for now...

2011-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

I decided to deactivate my Facebook. I didn't completely delete it because let's be honest, I am sure one day I will "need" it back. I love having Facebook to keep up with friends and relatives far away. But I feel I was on it WAY too much and taking precious time away from my Parker, Tanner and God. I would lay in bed on my phone when I could be reading my bible. I would sit in Parker's room, on the floor, with my phone in hand while she is begging me to play. I would be on Facebook in the car when I could be getting in valuable talk time with my husband. I hate that! So I am going to try really hard not to get back on...unfortunately when you deactivate all you have to do to reactivate is log back in...ugh, so easy! I love being able to get on at work but I was abusing it. So please update your blogs so I can keep up with everyone!! :)

2 Yr Checkup

2011-07-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Parker had her 2 year checkup this morning. It was only about 30 minutes, I wish they were all this fast.

NO SHOTS this time so we were excited about that. Last year her shots made her miserable for about a week and even landed a couple days before her party.

Dr Reese said everything looks great and she is on the right track. She does have a big head though :)

Height: 33 in. (40%)

Weight: 28 lbs (60%)

Head: 19 in. - not sure %, she just said it's BIG!

We talked all morning about Dr Reese and that she is nice. We also talked about no crying while we were there. So the whole way to the appointment Parker would say, "Dr Reese, no cry". So what was the first thing she did when she saw Dr R? Started bawling..haha. What's new ;)

She said Parker is ready for potty training but we are still waiting on the daycare, I would hate to start and them not follow through at daycare. She starts at her new daycare on August 22nd so we are praying about that!

Parker's 2nd Birthday!

2011-07-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

We started off Parker's birthday with a Happy Birthday song while she woke up...she wasn't impressed :) We did get it on video though! Next up...

DONUTS with mommy & daddy!!

"Parker, how old are you?"...this is what she holds up!

Happy 2nd Birthday P!!

At daycare they had a little party, that came with sprinkle cookies with her friends! Brenda, her teacher, sent these to me!

Later that evening we met up with Shelley & her kids, Angela and her kids and Nana for some Chuck E Cheese. Not my favorite place but Parker and the kids enjoyed it!

She loves Elmo & this is her first Elmo doll!

After dinner we went home & she got to see her gift from mommy & daddy

Daddy showing her how it's done

She loved it!

Next up...the big party!

Big day coming up...

2011-07-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun planning Parker's 2nd birthday party!

We are doing a colorful Splash Party!!

We are having her party a little late, her actual birthday is this Thursday :)

Rome, Part 2

2011-07-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

Friday was our "free" day to do whatever. First up..shopping!! They had a street named Via del Corso that was filled with stores & was pretty packed. We spent most of our day here walking the strip.

It was here that I found this little beauty. It was 4 stories of greatness! Tanner was such a trooper. He would sit outside and people watch while I got my fix.

After some shopping we went to see the Pantheon. We got to see Rafael's tomb. The architecture is amazing!!

On our way back to the hotel for a quick nap before another night on the town I took some pictures of some old architecture that is still standing. Pretty amazing!

This told a story, it had different images chiseled all around it.

We did a TON of map reading!!

And a lot of resting. I wish I wore a pedometer to see how far we walked the whole trip. I think I lost weight instead of gaining it!

These are all pretty brief but I have a million pictures and it would take forever to put all of them up.

Rome, Italy Part 1

2011-07-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

We took off to Rome for Tanner's 30th birthday!! We enjoyed our time together without Parker, phone, computer, etc. The flights were really really long but we managed to pull through and have a wonderful time.

View from our hotel balcony!

Our first stop was the Coliseum

Beautiful!

Our first night we headed out to have dinner. There were food places everywhere you look. We headed towards the Trevi fountain and found this cute little restaurant. We loved sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Tanner ordered a cappuccino. It was more like a double shot of coffee. Tasted horrible but really gave you a boost!

Their food is quite different. I had lasagna the first night and it was pretty good, you can really taste all their ingredients. The salad wasn't too great and it was $11, just for a side salad. Crazy!

After dinner we walked to the Trevi Fountain. It was PACKED!! It was really pretty at night though. I knew I had to throw a coin, they say if you throw a coin in this fountain you will return to Rome.

I laughed so hard about this picture. Tanner did so good about taking mine at the perfect time and then when I took his this is what I got, haha.

ROMA!

2011-06-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

We will be in this fabulous city in 2 days!

Saturday my hubby turns the big 3-0!!!

What better way to spend it than in this gorgeous place?!?!

Parker at 23 months!

2011-06-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my little girl will be 1 month shy of TWO! These 2 years have been a joy. Now that we have decided to wait awhile for another one we are enjoying our almost 2 year old! This age is very testy and requires a lot of patience but it is also so fun, expecially seeing everything in her eyes and hearing her say many new words each day. I can't even keep up with her vocabulary..she repeats everything we say. She even has her own language for things and no matter how many times we say it the correct way she still says it her way.

My sweet friend Angela moved from Katy a few months ago. She is slowly growing her photography business so I asked her to take some photos of Parker for her inivitations. I knew I wanted it colorful but Angela did the rest!! She had some really cute ideas. We split it up in 2 sessions, thank goodness we did because she is hard to make sit in one spot for very long. Luckily her daddy came with us to make her smile!

An update on my little Cooper:

Last week we helped a co-worker out by adopting a Catahoula Mix. The owner of the dog had passed away so my coworker went and picked up the dog. We had it about 4 nights. On Thursday the catahoula and my youngest dog Cooper got in a fight and Cooper got bit twice which we didn't know about until we took him to the vet! Cooper has so much hair I just though he nipped him a little bit. But once the vet shaved him down found 2 really large bites especially for Cooper being so little. Dr Valle was amazing and fixed my baby up quick and is now home and healing. Poor guy is itching pretty bad and he is not allowed to touch the wounds so they put a soft collar on him. He is going nuts!! I feel so bad for him but so thankful he is alive and the dog didn't hurt Parker or Abby!

Countdowns!

2011-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Another holiday passed and we are about to enter June! This year has flown by, they says it goes faster with kids and now I believe it!! We had a fun filled, long weekend. We got to hang out with family & friends and enjoy our little Parker. Besides the crazy heat it was a great way to kick off the Summer!

Our countdown for Rome is getting close...30 days until we fly out. I have already started getting major anxiety about this trip. The long flight scares me but the beauty and awe of Rome will make up for it...and also the shopping! We are going to Rome for Tanner's 30th birthday and his actually birthday falls on a Ssturday while we are in Rome..how cool is that? A birthday he will definitely always remember!

45 days till our little girls 2nd birthday! I am in full party planning mode. I start early but it helps elleviate stress when the time comes. We are having a "Splash Park" party in the backyard! So fun!

We have 73 days until we fly out to Dominican Republic, woohoo! I guess we have awhile for this one but I am most excited about!! Sorry Tanner :)

I have tons of pictures from the past couple of weeks that I will upload later. But I will leave you with a couple pictures that my SIL Cara took of the girls.

bahaha, we didn't even tell them to do this! Must run in the family :)

3 beautiful cousins! Laney - 3, Jillian -4 1/2, Parker - almost 2

Family Trip {Part 2}

2011-05-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

After the zoo we headed back to the hotel for some swimming. Parker wasn't a huge fan of the water. She did enjoy sitting on our laps while we floated the lazy river though. The water was a little chilly but we didn't let that stop us. Parker's main fun was the playground...she played and played on that thing!! After a day full of zoo and sun we headed to dinner and shopped some more & of course made it back to make s'mores! They had s'mores everynight as well as a big movie screen on the lawn.

Our final day Tanner kept Parker while I ventured to the La Cantera shops!! I got to shop at Forever 21, my favorite, so I was a happy camper. The rest of the day we enjoyed the water and sun some more and then headed to the River Walk. We ate at the HardRock outside and Parker was very entertained by the birds and ducks which got very close to us. Tanner had never seen the Alamo so we walked a couple blocks to see that.

We had a crib in the room but Parker is at an odd stage where she won't sleep in it if she can see us in the bed next to her and there was no room to put her in. So she slept with us every night...her dady LOVED it because Parker would lay on his chest every night and snuggle with him. But she would wake up manyt imes in the night crying or trying to run off the bed (not sure what that was about) so needless to say we barely got any sleep.

So now we are trying to catch up from our vacation!!

But we are back and eventhough is was difficult with a teething child we still have wonderful memories with our little girl!!

Family Vacation {Part 1}

2011-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

We left last Thursday for what we thought was going to be a fabulous little getaway. What we didn't realize is that Parker would be getting in 4 molars the week we left. I had no idea she had some teeth to still come in, I thought she was done. She had been extremely fussy the few days before we left. I even had my mom, grandma and Parker daycare teacher ask us if she was teething and we brushed it off like they were crazy. She is done...we thought!

We left Thursday morning and headed to San Antonio. We made great time and actually Parker did very well on the way there. We also didn't get lost which is a first with Tanner & I together. We arrived at our resort a couple hours before checkin but they let us check-in early. We got to wander around the resort and check everything out. I honestly didn't know these types of resorts were found in Texas. I thought you had to go to Mexico or something to found a "resort" type of hotel. Shows how much I get out.

This place was beautiful and full of activities. There was so much greenery, watefalls, lazy river, 3 pools, big playground, walking trails, and a top rated golf course. It had rained that day so everything was pretty wet the first night so we headed out of the resort for some Rudy's BBQ and some shopping.

S After shopping we made it back to the hotel to make smores and play on the playground.

We decided to go to the zoo the next day. Parker LOVED the monkeys, they were her favorite. We went right around lunch time so a lot of the animals were sleeping and we couldn't see them well. But the monkey's were all over the place so we hung around them for a long time.

It was then we realized she had a nasty molar coming in and it clicked. Luckily her daddy remembered to bring all her medicines for instances like this so we loaded her up.

What will it BEE?!?!?

2011-05-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to a fun little Gender Reveal Party. My sweet friend Ashley and her husband Clay are expecting their first baby in October. They found out a week ago the gender and kept it in for a little over a week from everyone, including family...big props to them. I can't keep secrets like that very well. But it was all worth it when they got to reveal it at their party last night...though it slipped out to a couple people but a few of us were left to find out!

Lauren, Ashley & I

You had to wear pink or blue depending on what you thought it would be. Of course, I had to dress Parker in pink because we were really hoping it would be a girl. Though I was 100% sure it was a boy!

The grandma's cutting into the cake!!!!

YAY!! It's a GIRL!!

Ashley also made cute cupcakes with pink icing inside :) YUM

Also, whoever guessed right got scratch tickets!

Daddy & Parker having some fun at the party

Parker going in for a kiss...

Ewwww.......

We are so excited for the Lamb's! Baby girls are so much fun and we know they are going to be awesome, fun, loving parents!!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

We had a fun and eventful Easter weekend. Thursday we went to a Rockhounds game with lots of friends & we used Friday to reflect on what the day really meant and what Jesus did for us rather than just a day off from work. We just hung out at the house all day as a family. We try to work Jesus into many coversations with Parker as we can. She is still too young to get it but we threw it in extra this weekend. The past couple of weeks she has made fun crafts at church that represent Easter! I love all the fun things she creates...they are plastered all over the fridge and hanging on the door handles in our home.
(21 MONTHS)

My niece, who has only attended church maybe 3 times in her life, has started going to church with us. This was her 3rd Sunday and she was able to come home afterwards and tell us what Easter meant...it made me want to cry. She is listening!! God is answering my prayers!! She has a long way to go but don't we all?? :)

Beautiful Tulips my momma sent me last week :) I love her!!

Saturday Parker & I got to do some shopping with my mom. This used to be a weekly thing but lately has become maybe once every 3 months. I was so happy to get to hang out with her for the day. We also had a family dinner at our house to celebrate Easter. Tanner's family came as well as my mom, niece and grandma.We cooked dinner, colored eggs, had many Easter egg hunts and just relaxed in the backyard. (my sweet sweet husband has been working so hard on our backyard. He has laid sod and planted cute bushes and roses, it feels so nice to sit back there now compared to the dirt that was there before.)
Before

It's getting there...

Sunday morning we woke up and got to show Parker what the Easter bunny left her! The first thing she saw and only cared about was the lipgloss, she is obsessed. We had a wonderful time at church and heard a great story during our Sunday School. We love our new church! We had a huge Easter egg hunt with the church a week earlier.

Sunday night we headed out to my dads for some great food, more egg coloring, more Easter egg hunting and some 4 wheelin! Parker loves to ride and wanted to go and go and go.
Easter 2011

HE IS ALIVE!!

Happy Easter!!

Speaking in sentences :)

2011-03-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my dad's birthday so I had Parker call him up to tell him Happy Birthday!

Me: "Tell PaPa Happy Birthday to You"

Parker: "Happy to You....Happy Hi Papa"

Ahhh, it was so cute. She is a little sponge lately and repeats anything we say. She is putting lots of words together and it's fun to see the way they come out. She did say "scuse (excuse) you dada" yesterday that was pretty funny. She also kinda stutters when she says Thank you. "Tank Tank Tank you Mama" haha love it!

We love watching her while we pray. She will shut her eyes really tight and then open them with a squint and look around at me and Tanner to see what we are doing :)

We have spent so much time outsided lately. As soon as we come in the door she is running to the back door "side...side...side". Her favorite obsession is balls and bubbles. And of course she loves every dog she sees. "Doooooooog"

Of course Mallory came through with precious Easter pictures!! I can't wait to see the rest!

Houston Trip

2011-03-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

The past few Spring Breaks we (my dad, my niece, Parker & myself) have gone to Houston during Spring Break. I have family in Baytown, Katy & Cat Springs. It was great to see the family we only get to see once a year and Parker has grown a ton since the last time we saw them.

Drinking a fun drink from the bowling alley

We were constantly outside playing on Granny's slide

She was so big climbing up!

Meeting her 3rd cousin MaKenna

Loved driving around

"Can we pleeeeease go outside??"

Loves her PaPa

Cousin GiGi kept her entertained

Along with all the fun animals on Aunt JoAnn's farm

First time on a horse

Took several rides on the 4 wheeler and kept saying "Weeeeee"

Playing with the dogs!

Ran all over the place!

Sat in some bluebonnets

Went riding in the jeep with PaPa

Took many rides in the wagon

She LOVES animals!

We had a great trip but glad we are back home to daddy!

Lake Trip!

2011-03-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday we loaded up and headed out to Shelley's inlaws lake house on LBJ. 4 Adults & 5 kids...all under the age of 3...what were we thinking?!?!?!

This house is AMAZING! It was built a year ago, 3 stories (which killed our legs haha), 4 bedroom, 4 bath, gorgeous view, fully stocked, outdoor firepit, huge balconies on every level, it was definintely a home away from home. Though I do not advise taking the kids when they outnumber the adults ;) Overall they were good but there were definitely those times where they were all crying or fighting over a toy and us momma's were beyond stressed! Next time the daddies get them! Shelley fixed us up some great meals, we played a lot of Phase 10, built fires outside every night and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The kids had fun playing with eachother too. Us momma's had great team work! After the kiddos went to bed we got some good R & R and girl talk. When I got home yesterday Tanner had the house spotless which made me happy and took P so I could take a loooong nap :)

Ahhh funny story. So Jenna & Shea went to the store and Shelley & I were left with all 5 kiddos. 3 year old, 2 year old, 19 month old, 13 month old and 4 month old. Yikes, sounds scary! Shelley got the grand idea to give all 5 kids a bath together. So the 2 year old is up first, he gets in and is an angel. Off to a good start. the 3 year old is next, she begins to scream because the water is burning her scrape on her foot. So then the 13 month old gets in and he is a basket case. 1 kid ok, 2 screaming. So the 4th one goes in which is my daughter. She is screaming so hard that I immediately take her out. So she is naked and is running around on the wood floors. During all of this Jett, the 4 month old, begins to cry on his mat so I go to pick him up when he then begins to barf all over me and the floor. At that same time Parker pee's on the floor and then walks in it, slips and busts her head. My reaction is to put Jett back down and grab Parker. Well then Jett begins to choke on his throwup. Shelley comes to get Jett I put Parker back in the bath. Parker and Jensen are still bawling while Madison and Harrison are looking at them like they are crazy. Right around then time Jenna & Shea thankfully show up in time to help get all the kids out. I seriously wish we had this one video. I have no idea how someone can have this many kids. I would have to be admitted...

Happy Heart Day!

2011-02-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Even though Valentines might be a cheesy holiday we still like to have fun with it and show the ones we love some "extra" love :)

We made fun heart shaped rice krispy treats for her school party!

Headed off to her V-day party at school

Happy Valentines Day!!

My sweet hubby had some fun surprises waiting on us when we got home!

Parker digging into her gift

Yummy candy & a puzzle

P was definitely shown some love by all the cute gifts from all her loved ones. This holiday is extra fun when you have a little one running around :)

2011-02-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is what every picture looks like now...Parker chasing me and reaching for the camera.

Little princess

Getting a snack with daddy

Going to check the mail

Teasing the dogs

Loves to swiiiiing

Enjoying the nicer weather..

Helping dad give treats to the dogs

Sweet girl

Beginning her meltdown (I wouldn't give her the camera)

Still at it and chasing me..

Poor baby, I finally gave in. Who couldn't with this face??

All my favorite ladies at the Garlic Press for my 27th birthday!

18 Month Checkup

2011-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Parker is in lala land right now after her sad experience at the doctor. She had to get shots which we weren't really expecting and they had to poke her finger and squeeze blood out for what seemed like an hour. It wasn't an hour but it did take about 15 minutes of squeezing, all while she was screaming and crying.

Weight 24.6 lbs (she finally slowed down on weight ha) (50%)

Height: 30 1/4 (25-40%)

She had a great check-up and even gave Dr Reese knuckles afterwards:)

New Luggage!

2011-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

With all our trips planned I, of course, had to get new luggage to take with me :) I really did have too. The last time I got new luggage was 5 years ago from my momma as a pre wedding gift. But after the many flights I have been on since then it was time to upgrade. I love Kathy Van Zeeland bags so I decided to go with some of her luggage. My husband thinks I am quite CRAZY, but I am in love with my new luggage.

Carry on bag

Ok ok it's a little out there but it's fabulous!!! And of course it will be easy to spot once we get off the planes. I get to try it out this weekend when me and my best girlfriends head out to San Antonio for some much needed shopping, drinks and laughter. These girls are so fun and I can't wait.

My poor husband has been sick with the FLU for the past couple of days so we really haven't got to see him much. Parker & I have been trying to keep our distance. He is finally starting to perk up though...just in time for his daddy-daughter weekend. My husband definitely knows the way to my heart when he surprised me last week for our anniversary with a new CHI blowdryer! My husband says our life revolves around my hair, if you knew how much hair I had and how curly it is you would understand. This new CHI makes blowdrying so much easier. My husband, on the other hand, thinks us ladies are nuts for spending this kind of money on a blowdryer...ha!

This past weekend I finally booked our hotel for our family trip to San Antonio. We are so excited to take Parker to Sea World and to the zoo. She has a ~~slight~~ major fascination with animals! But everything to her is a "doooohhhhhg"! Our cousin told us about the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa so I looked it up and was sold immediately! It's beautiful and perfect for our trip! We leave May 12th!

They have a deal right now...buy 2 nights & get the 3rd FREE!

http://www.hillcountry.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

4 Year Anniversary!

2011-01-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to be celebrating our 4 year Anniversary! I know 4 doesn't sound big but that only means we have several more years to enjoy eachother. We have enjoyed eachother even more with our little Parker around. Seeing eachother as parents really gives us a deeper bond & deeper love for eachother.

Last year at this time we were moving houses and had a little 6 month old. This time our little girl is 17 months (almost 18), we are very settled into our home and have many things to look forward to this year! We had a rough past couple of months (with the miscarriage) so our plan for this year is to fully enjoy every second as a family of 3 and take lots of TRIPS! Girl's trip, Sea World, Vegas & Rome are on the line-up right now. Rome is a little out of the ordinary for us but it's for my husband's 30th birthday and it is on his
Bucket List.
Back to my wonderful husband...Tanner is a loving, kind, God fearing man and I am so thankful I have him to share everything with. We are blesssed with jobs where we email constantly throughout the day, meet for lunch, call just to chat & take off days together. Watching him be a full hands on daddy makes me fall in love with him all over again. Is all this mushy enough for you?? :) ha

Happy Anniversary Love!!

2007

2008 - Jamaica

2009- Cancun with Parker in my belly!

2010 - In our first home together

2011!

We had a fabulous New Years eve hanging out with some of my best friends.

Hello 2011

I love these girls!

Us 4 leave for our San Antonio shopping trip in 10 days!!

The whole gang

Hope you all have a blessed 2011 :-)

Holidays!

2010-12-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

I am so bad about waiting to give presents so we gave Parker her chair from Pottery Barn ~~a tad bit~~ way early. She loves it! She also loves standing on it so we are constantly teaching her to sit on her bottom, a saying we use very often.

We went super cheap this year and had some pictures taken at Portrait Inovations. We actually went to get pictures of my sister, my neice and us 3 but I can't post those because they are presents to my parents. Parker hammed it up the whole time.

Our Christmas Tree!

Parker has about 3 balls towards the bottoms that we just have made hers, so she can play with them as much as she wants. I didn't want to be having to tell her no every 2 minutes.

Some more cheesy pictures but we hardly every take pictures of just us 2 so I really enjoyed this :)

Sweet Parker on Thanksgiving Day! This time she was big enough to play with all the kids.

My daughter loves jewelry and will say "piiiippppy". I gave her all my old stuff and put it in her own drawer so she loves to play dress up. That's my girl!

The ladies loves fixing Parker's hair at daycare everyday. I really wish I would remember to take pictures of all the neat things they come up with. Parker barely lets me run my fingers through it..I have no idea how these girls get her to sit still long enough.

Parker is saying so many new words, she has about 30 in her vocabulary. She says "peas" (please) when asking for something but we can not get her to say Thank You. We have been teaching her to say Jesus and love those words coming out of her. We also work hard on Love You but thay is another tricky one for her. She loves animals and LOVESSSS, I mean crazy loves books. She constantly wants us to read to her but mainly only the animal books. Her first thing she does when she comes home every day is head straight for the snack cabinet and wants rasins. She is cutting her 15th tooth right now and loves to show people her "BB" (bellybutton) but then she also wants you to show her yours so watch out. This little girl wears a size 12M in pants but a 2T in shirts...lol, her ~~little~~ chuncky short body is the best. She has begun her fit throwing and half of the time we can't help but laugh because she gets serious about it. She is just changing so much and each month brings new funny quirks about her :) Right now we are planning a Sea World trip for next Spring. She she has a great love for animals and will be close to 2 by then we figured Sea World would be a huge hit.

Minnie Mouse

2010-11-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

Holidays are so fun when you get to see them through your child's eyes! Though Halloween is a very strange holiday to celebrate I still think it's fun to dress up and get some candy. Parker got the hang of it real quick...

All dressed and ready for the Trunk or Treat!

We battled with the ears

Stuffing her face before getting candy

Minnie & Me :)

15 months and new little one to love on...

2010-10-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Parker is 15 months! Her vocabulary is expanding as well as her attitude but she is so much fun to be around!

Getting ready for Halloween...we carved our first pumpkin!

Parker on Halloween a year ago :(

Going for our evening walk

Playing in daddy's shoes (5 fingers) with attitude

won't stand still long enough for a picture...she wants to see the other side of the camera :)

Waiting on baby Jett...we spent the whole day at the hospital and worth every second!

He's perfect! Jett Ryan Fietz

We were so excited to meet him...Jenna & I ran down the hall like little junior high girls

He is so sweet and very quiet...

Parker wasn't too sure what to think..

Kisses for sweet baby Jett!

Ready for HaLlOwEeN!

2010-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

The girls had pictures together last Saturday. Laney 2 1/2; Parker 15 months.

One year ago...

2010-09-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

A much needed night out! Great food & lots of dancing!

P stayed with Shelley and got to take a bath with Madison & Jenson. They look real happy right?

First time to Chuck E Cheese & hopefully the last...that place is icky

cheeeesin for the camera

Loves hanging out with cousin Laney

Start to FALL!

2010-09-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

We had a fun, busy yet relaxing weekend! Here are some pictures to recap our weekend!

Parker's first "real" ponytail. The daycare workers have played with her hair before with mini piggies :) her hair is growing like crazy and it's super thick & curly like her mommy & daddy!

Daddy & P before he ran his first 10K

Good luck kisses <3

She loves playing with tags or paper....oh & the chip clips, new favorite!

Some of Tanner's co-workers

And he's off!!!

Playing around waiting on daddy

After an hour and half she was done!!

He made it!! We are so proud of him!!

(funny story...a 10K is 6.2 miles but after they were well on there way someone realized that they marked it 2 miles over...so really it was 8.4 miles. There were some pretty ticked runners that were running for time. And it was funny for Tanner because he was pretty confused the whole run thinking there is no way this is 6 miles :))

Silly but normal for her

Today she started making a "cheese" face when we held up the camera!

Looks so grown up (notice the chip clips)

Trying to take our own picture, ha ha

Septemberfest!

First seeing all the animals...wasn't too sure about it

petting the animals

Had to post this one bc of Tanner's position =)

My loves

The baby goat was eating Tanner's shirt

Embarrassed I am taking this picture, ha

Heading home...long day but a fun one!

Long post but we took lots of pictures! So happy it's Fall & we can spend more time outside.

Parker will be 14 months this week. She is learning so much. her newest thing is she thinks every animal is "Abby" (our oldest dachshund)...she just recently started saying (a-ee)..it's pretty cute =) Her new body parts we have been working on the past week are her belly & toes, i think she has them down! The toes & nose confuse her though since they sound so much alike :-)

Have a great week!!

Playdate with Macie

2010-09-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

P with her bud Macie

Little daredevil! Macie wanted to try everything all on her own and she figured out how to do it.

Then you have my laid back Parker that doesn't dare attempt those things.

They are so fun to sit back & watch

Sweet Macie with the most precious little face =)

P at Hud's 1st birthday party! We tried to match her to the pirate themed party...this was the best I could do lol ;)

"Hud....where ya going?"

As soon as we got to Hudson's party I sat P on the floor. Little Hudson came over to her, gave her the "look" and then hugged her. I think they have a thing for eachother =)))

The girls

2010-08-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Typical Parker...

Modeling her new leotard

Silly daddy

Poor Coop ;)

At least she is consistent with her pose =)))

Sweet cousins & a scared Parker!

13 months!

Sweet, sweet curls

Ready for church!!

Birthdays!

2010-08-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

It must be the months of birthday’s & baby showers!! We have been busy busy attending lots of parties =) This past weekend we started off with a baby shower for my friend Candas. Then Parker was invited to Atleigh’s 1st Birthday party…it was Circus themed and Meagan did a wonderful job decorating…it was Amazing! That evening we had a birthday dinner at Ghengis Grill for “Pops”!

Lovin' the balloons

Parker being Parker ;)

First time at Ghengis Grill...yummo! Happy Birthday POPS!

Busy!!

2010-08-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Our last couple of weeks have been quite busy! But I love busy so I am good with that :)

My family has a time share on a condo in Ruidoso for the first week of August. So it has always been a family thing each year. My grandparents are too old to go now so it kinda turned into a small Girl’s Trip. This year it was my mom, her befri Cathy, my niece and me!! I was looking so forward to this considering I haven’t had a weekend away from Parker since October of last year…whew! P stayed home with her daddy and they did lots of fun things together! Us girls ate at our favorite Ruidoso restaurants, went to the horse races, shopped (I love Ruidoso boutiques), went sight seeing and we took Lindsay to their fun amusement park.

Last weekend we had birthday parties, more shopping & dinner & swimming with our old neighbors.

Parker is learning so much everyday. Her new favorite obsession is destroying her room. She likes to throw out all the clothes from her dresser. She has her 4th molar coming in right now so cranky would describe her mood. She makes funny goofy faces. She gets lots of visitors at daycare just to see these faces of hers. She can say the noises of a horse, cow, cat, sheep & lion. She can also tell you where your nose is. Her form of peek-a-boo is quite entertaining…her hands land on her head rather than over her eyes. She will give high fives, turn anything into a phone & try to copy anything you do.

We leave for the lake this weekend with lots of friends! I can’t wait to be on the water!!

Pictures

2010-08-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Loves watching daddy work outside! She will bang & bang on the door & give it kisses.

Pointing...her new thing ;) She points at everythiiiiiing

Headed put for some Saturday afternoon shopping

Roaming around at Macie's party!

P with her friend & birthday girl Macie! Macie turned 1!!

The Big Party! (Long Post)

2010-07-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had Parker's 1st birthday party & it was a huge success. I had debated in the beginning whether to have a small, family type party or go all out. Well I love planning parties so after I started I couldn't stop so the party grew and grew. I loved every minute of planning her party. I got wonderful ideas from my friend Ashley. I have also looked at many many blogs. A friend Jessica has planned precious parties for her daughter so I got a few ideas from her awhile back. I LOVE TomKat. Many of my ideas also came from countless hours searching Etsy.
We planned a cupcake "tuptake" themed party for P. It all came from an inside joke between Tanner & I so we went with it.We had tons of family & friends that clebrated her Big 1 with her! She recieved tons of fun toys and a mound of precious, precious clothes! She even devoured her cake :) Parker recieved her One year shots on Thursday & the nurse warned us that she would be cranky for a couple days and probably break out with a rash (measles/mumps/chicken pox vaccine). Great! She did very well but you could tell she didn't feel wonderful, poor girl. We didn't get many smiles from her but she seemed in a good mood the whole party. Sunday we had to wake up early to get ready for pictures; we got a few smiles out of her there.
I am glad it's over though I had so much fun planning it. I really should have thought about party planning for my career. It's over now & we have a
ONE YEAR OLD!!!
Enjoy the Pictures!!

Some pictures from her actual birthday!

Some yummy dinner at Outback followed by Your Way Yogurt

And of course some present opening =)

ok, back to the party...

DECORATIONS

Ribbon Topiary Tree

Goody Bags!

Cookies & iced animal cookies

Her "smash" cupcake!

My good friend Ashley Long made this & it was oh so yummy!

Dropping off the cupcake

Happy Birthday Parker

really hard to see in this picture

Highchair cover

Cupcake table

Closer look

Strawberry Maltballs & pictures

Another Happy Birthday banner & present area

More yummy candy

PARTY

(I'll only post a few to make it short)

Mommy & Birthday Girl!

Cupcake Outfit

Sharing her cake with the girls

Loving the cake

Our family :-)

Cake Everywhere!!

PRESENTS

Read some cards...

Opened some gifts...

Loved her Minnie Mouse

One spoiled girl

Thanks to all our family & friends who shared this special day with our little girl <3

One Year Old!

2010-07-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

We have a 1 year old! As of 10:59 pm July 14^th :) Oh my precious Parker, you have made this last year unbelievably amazing! You have been the best baby. You gave me an easy pregnancy, super easy delivery and have been a laid back, easy going baby. We are honestly scared to have another ;) But as we started inching towards the big 1 your ornery side has definitely started coming out…but we know you can’t help it because you get it from your daddy ;) Trying to change your diaper or clothes is a huge obstacle now, you love your doggies and really love to feed them, bath time is also a new obstacle because you like to take your baths standing up but mommy and daddy keep telling you to sit down and you get pretty mad, you hate the word NO and it only inspires you to keep doing it, you get very excited to ride your “car” outside, you still hate for anyone to touch your feet or hands – shoes are going to be tricky, you could live off tomatoes and watermelon, you love playing with momma’s jewelry, the toilet paper is the first thing you head for in the mornings, Baby Einstein can keep you interested all day, your Aunt Cara taught you how to blow kisses & your cousin Lindsay taught you how to say “uh-oh”, you can give the best kisses, you have trained your best friend Cooper (our dog) to love babies, you love to say mama and you really love for us to chase you around, you start dancing at any sound of music & just recently took your first steps!!

We have so many precious moments to look back on over your first year of life

One year stats:

weight - 21.7 (40%)

height - 28 3/4 (40%)

head - 18 1/4 (80%)

Big Birthday Party this Saturday!! Lots of pictures to come :)

4th of July

2010-07-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

We spent 4th of July evening at a Rockhounds game with some old friends. Parker wasn't interested in the game because she was busy entertaining all the people sitting around us with high fives, grumpy faces &

peek-a-boo!

Early into the game, playing with daddy's hat

lots of silly-ness =)

OUT! right before the fireworks :( She lasted so long though!