snapshots & blessings of today

Have I mentioned how much I miss my camera? I'm so thankful that Clay has his for us to use...I just need to get in the habit of grabbing it before I walk out the door. I left it at home for 3/4 of our day before I remembered to pick it up. I did manage to snap some cute ones of Parker playing late this afternoon though!!!

Totally in the moment!
These are the two books I'm reading this week! Love the cute illustrations & creative ideas in the first & the awesome tried & true practices with invaluable information in the second.

I said this tonight as I laid Parker down to sleep:
"Our family will never be the same,
because a special someone came.
We thank God every morning,
and we thank him every night,
when we kiss your precious head
and put you sleeping into bed."

Love the sweet sayings & blessings in this book; I pick it up frequently!!

short naps + harder playtime= happy boy ready for bedtime!

Ok, I will admit... I was a little worried when Parker was woken up from his afternoon nap today after only 20 minutes (yes, he is now taking an afternoon nap every day....this being the same little boy who for almost the whole first year of his existence would not nap...and when he did it was for a total of 30 minutes per day!!!)

I just knew we were doomed for sour attitudes & exhausting times for the rest of the day. What did I know?! Apparantly, it was all parker needed because he was perfect as a pea for the whole afternoon! I must give credit where credit is due though...i'm sure this was in part because of a visit from a girlfriend...Parker did his own thing while at the same time, showing out for us! And after that it was off to the park for a playdate with Greta & Jami! Fresh air is so good for the soul! :)

Don't let the pictures fool you though; it took like 50 shots just to get a few of them together!!! Once we would get them in the same place, by the time we would bend down to take the picture, one of them would be off starting up a slide or running to play in the waterpark!! Let me tell you, the Energizer Bunny has nothing on these two!!!

Carrie, Parker, Greta, & Jami

Love this picture of the two of them trying to hug!!! Too cute!

They had such fun going down the slides!!! Thanks for a good time at the park Jami & Greta!!! We'll have to do it again soon!

(Note for scrapbook...today was the first day Parker went down the slides on his own without us helping him sit down or push him to get him started..he had gone down some by himself with us helping him to the slide & catching him at the bottom, but he did the whole sha-bang on his own today...& of course I was a nervous wreck watching him...it actually started by him going through the playground equipment so fast that I couldn't catch him & then all of a sudden he has sat himself down & is going down the slide!!! Now to all of our loving family out there...do not worry, this was a little slide. I was truthfully watching over him & following him everywhere I went. The little stinker is just getting a little too quick for his own good.

Note to self: pump up the aerobic classes a bit!

After coming in to dinner & a bath, the little munchkin was tuckered out & ready for bed. Aaahhh...time for mama to sit down...is it sad that my legs & feet hurt from 1 hour & 15 minutes of play at the park?!?! Please tell me it isn't so! Clay baby, I nominate you for the next park visit! :)

Today you...

Today you...

-made me laugh at your silly faces
-took my imagination back to a long time ago when I would pretend the blocks I were stacking were being used to build a castle or dreamplace
-had me read your "Planes" book to you 4 times in less than 45 minutes
-laughed & giggled when we danced to "Jump Up & Down" on your "Music for Me" cd
-felt so warm & perfect as I laid beside you on the couch while you napped
-enjoyed talking to Rassie & Daddy on the phone..you didn't want to give the phone up
-had meatballs & spaghetti noodles for lunch
-said "Quack, Quack" to the rubber duckies in your bath (sounded like "Qwok")
-showed me how you could place the puzzle pieces in their exact spot on the board
-curled up in my lap to give me a hug during the middle of your playing
-had me in awe over your sweet, attentive face while I read to you
-fell & bumped your head once while playing
-crawled & climbed over & up mama like a monkey (he has recently found ways to climb onto the couch & the coffee table..all he has to do is step on a couch pillow & Vahlah! Also, last night, Clay & I were getting him ready for his bath...all he had on was his diaper...we turned around for something & had left him sitting on the bathroom floor...we hear a splash that startled us...Parker had, by himself, climbed into the tub with his diaper on!)
-went on a stroll outside
-made your daddy & I smile :)

-made airplane noises with your airplane

-cried when daddy walked out from the bedroom with his uniform on (you've figured out you know this is when he is leaving)

-loved dunking your whole head in your bathwater to show me how you can blow bubbles

-tried taking things out of my kitchen cabinets 3 times

-danced to "Imagination Movers" when they sang

-ate with your fork in your left hand again

-went barefoot the whole day

-got excited & pointed as usual as soon as you spotted an airplane outside

-wore a blue summer onesie that really brought out the blue in your eyes

-made me realize again that I am the luckiest mom in the world!!!

summer 2008 memories

As I was going through pictures while scrapbooking today, I came across some of my favorites that highlighted some of our activities from last summer: hiking to Minnehaha Falls & sitting out over the MS River on Memorial Day Weekend, grilling out on the 4th of July with family, relaxing on blankets outside on the lush grass, a memorable trip with Clay's sisters to Duluth, MN, Parker's baby dedication, trips to MS to visit friends & family, sunny days at the pool, outings to nearby lakes & beaches, & just sunny days in general.

Since living in MN, I have learned to appreciate the warm, sunny days so much more! So far this summer, we have been on several fun, unforgettable trips. While those are things that we always look forward to, I'm also excited about the simple, lazy summer days outside at the pool, hikes to new places, & basically just being a tourist of this state while enjoying new sights & adventures.

This summer, one of my hopes & goals for our family is to visit some of the State Parks. What are some fun things you plan to do with your family over the next couple of months?

good to be home! ...finally! :)

I have to say, sleeping & waking up in my own bed last night & this morning felt terrific! After blogging, laundry is one of the first things on my to do lists...probably because I'm so excited about getting to do it! :)

After getting back from vacation late Saturday night, Parker & I took an early morning flight down to Memphis on Sunday & just got back last night. It was so much fun getting to see family again, but we were looking forward to getting home as well!

Here are some fun pictures from our beach trip to Mexico!!!

Where: Riviera Maya, Mexico

Fun excursions: ATV & Wave Runners through the Maroma Jungle, the Chichen Itza & Ik-kil Tour (ancient mayan ruins & a sacred well), Snorkeling in the Caribbean

Things Parker loved: playing in the sand with his sand pail & shovel, going into the ocean with mama & daddy, playing at the kiddy pool & play area with Rassie, the PEOPLE everywhere, the food & of course the airports!!!

We missed: Taylor!!! Wish you could've been there! My little brother is such a hard worker!

Things we will not miss: the humidity in our rooms (no vent fans in the bathrooms)

One huge negative on the trip: my camera was stolen along with my 4 gb memory card that held over 800 pictures from the first 4 days of our vacation...so thankful that Rassie had her camera too, but am missing sooo many of the pictures that I remember taking & being so proud of! Those are memories that I will never be able to get back! :(

Thankful that we were able to go on this trip! Beautiful resort, great food, fun memories made & new things learned! First time any of us had been to Mexico! Let's see...where should we look at for next year? :)

back in the usa!!!

Just flew in from Mexico a couple of hours ago...it was a lot of fun! This is how we feel right now though (see picture above) :) I'm on load number 3 of laundry for the night & am about to hit the sack. I'll share some fun pics & memories from our vacation soon! I'm proud to say we all got great first tans of the summer!

Though it was hard leaving that tropical paradise, I am glad to be back in the states!!

Off to Mexico!!

A few fun things in my bag for Mexico!!!

Baked these yesterday for the goodie bags for when we're on the airplane...of course, Clay & Parker wanted to help!!! Parker had so much fun helping with the cookie cutters!
The cookies were by no means perfect, but they were definitely fun to make!!

Of course, by the time I had put in over 3 hours of prep work baking the cookies, making the icing, etc., that icing was just slapped on!! ha ha!

Clay's surprise goodie bag for the plane!!! I had so much fun putting these together!

Mexico, here we come! :)

the birthday boy!!!

Happy Happy Birthday to my Baby!!!

To the sweetest of sweets, the one who can brighten my day no matter what, the Apple of my Eye, most caring of caring, smarter than the average bear, the one who is always up for adventure & fun, the charmer of charmees, the true love of my life:

I Love you,

Carrie

365 picture of the day

I wanted to share my "picture of the day" from Wednesday with ya'll. This is Parker at his post-op for his tubes. His daddy & I were so proud; he handled the wait time, the tests...everything like a pro!

If you're not familiar with the concept of 365 you should check it out!

It's simple: you take one picture every single day of the year. That one picture should capture the thing you want to remember from that day...whether it's furniture in your home, a first for your child, a birthday, etc. Even if you're not a scrapbooker, you can do this!

Step 1: Snap a picture
Step 2: Print the picture
Step 3: insert picture in album & write a quick blurb about it!

Here are a few more of my recent "pictures of the day" from this month.

Me taking a picture of myself...it's not very often you will find me without this camera in my hands. (I was actually in the middle of doing laundry & any other quick thing I could get done earlier in the week while Parker was napping & ran in to take a quick picture of me doing what I love to do...taking pictures of everyday life!)
Parker on his second day of daycare in the toddler room; he's graduated to the big boy room! (And yes, out of about 12 shots, this was the best I could come up with. He was all over the place with excitement when we pulled up! I can't be sure but I think he was pointing to an airplane or an animal in this picture.)

So now it's your turn! Dust off that camera & get to work. One picture a day....of anything you want it to be about...you'll thank yourself later for taking the time to capture the little everyday moments!

a hiking we will go...

So excited to see this package arrive on Monday! Clay & I decided it was time to invest in a backpack carrier to haul Parker around on some of our hiking adventures this summer! It came just in time!

I don't know who was more excited...Parker or us. As soon as Clay started opening the box, Parker rounded those cute little lips & let out a long "Ooh..." (Although I think Parker was more anxious to play in the big box & the cute little carry-on teddy bear that came with the carrier than the backpack itself.)

As soon as he saw mama & daddy trying the new object on though, he wanted a turn too!
We'll be trying it out next week so we'll let you know how it goes!

playtime at Rassie's

Parker had so much fun playing at Rassie's while mama was in Bermuda! Though I missed him terribly the whole time I was gone, I knew he was in good hands!

Fun things to remember about Parker's trip to MS:
Firsts: watermelon (thank you Mama Sam & Shorty!), black olives & turnip greens

I was amazed when Parker could point to all of the objects & animals on the back of the Little Golden books...he didn't miss a one! He now has started pointing to objects in his other books like butterfly, squirrels, boats, etc. And, when you show him family pictures (even distant relatives) he can almost always pick out everyone in the photo. He didn't really do this before he left for MS but all of a sudden, it's like he can point to almost anything you ask him to point to! It's really cute to see how excited he gets over the littlest things!

Rassie also taught him how to fold his hands for the blessing; so presh!


This album was wrapped & waiting for me when they picked me up from the airport.

Rassie had stayed up late every night putting this scrapbook together so that I would have pictures & memorabilia of his "first trip away from mama & daddy!" It is such a treasure & is now propped on one of Parker's shelves in his room. He likes to get it down & look at it often.

Thank you mama for the perfect gift! I love it! (And Parker loves it too!) :) I know he's already looking forward to his next MS trip to visit some of the grandparents & great-grandparents, great-aunts, uncles, etc. etc. etc. :)

birthday cake & crosses!

Had a fun birthday on Saturday! My mom drove Parker & me to the airport to head back to MN. Parker got so much enjoyment watching our airplane from the window & waving at the people outside! Saturday night, Clay surprised me with a yummy cookies & cream birthday cake. It was sooo good that as of last night I'm sorry to say it's all gone! :) Hey, you only get a birthday cake once a year though, right?

I have to admit, this year, I wasn't too thrilled about turning a year older :)
You know what kinda got me excited about it though?! (Some of you are about to either think I'm pathetic or crazy!) ...when I opened up my inbox & saw like 15 emails from places like Red Lobster, Cold Stone Creamery & Wendy's that were either giving me some free stuff or sending a monster coupon! THAT got me excited! ha ha! If you don't have you & your family members registered on your favorite places' websites you are missing out! Seriously though, you can get some great deals by doing that!

Ok, enough about the birthday deals! I was ecstatic to open up 2 packages that held crosses in them! Thank you Fair & Mama! The ones on the left & the right are new (the picture doesn't capture the true colors & such..sorry!); the large cross in the middle was a wedding gift & I have been wanting to add to it & start a collection ever since! I just think they are so pretty! Each time we sit down to eat dinner at the table, Parker just points at them & starts telling us all about them! Clay & I are both amused by it!