Hello from Waco!

Hello from Waco!

It is a beautiful Monday morning here in Texas! I have a quick minute before we head out to Houston so I thought I'd write an update. We did arrive safely in Waco on Friday & are having a great time visiting with family & friends! Kaylee's graduation was Saturday & we celebrated afterwards with dinner reservations at Cheeves in Temple, TX. It was delicious! Today, we are all headed to Houston to help Kaylee get moved & to take care of other business! It should be fun times! I have taken a lot of pictures the last several days & can't wait to post some soon! I hope everyone had a warm, relaxing weekend! :)

a purple gown, blue balloon...surgery - SUCCESS!

Before the surgery: We arrived at the hospital at 7 this morning. Parker was happy & such a sport through all the waiting & such! I did tell the nurse that his daddy might have something to say about the purple outfit...purple is thought of as a feminine color by the testoterone in this household...even if it does have spaceships on it! ha ha!

After the surgery: Parker still happy (most of the time) but very drowsy at first. He lit up when the nurse went & got him a special balloon! We waited around about an hour & were thrilled when we could leave. Parker was ready to be strolled out & to snooze on the ride home!

(For the record, I did not change his outfit because it was purple; it was too big & the nurse brought him a different one that fit better! :) Before the surgery, Parker was walking all over the room playing with the little trucks & men the nurse had brought for him. She was afraid he was going to trip.)

Parker is taking a nap on the couch now while mama packs for Waco, TX. Tomorrow morning we're leaving for Aunt Kaylee's graduation at Baylor University!

Thank you all for your prayers today with Parker's surgery!!! I appreciate it! (In case you're wondering, I only shed tears for about 20 seconds during a slight emotional "that's my baby they're taking back to the surgery room" moment!)

Joy

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

I hope you each have a blessed day!

(Parker is having tubes put in in the morning!!!)

sweet feet

Managed to capture a couple of pictures of Parker outside this evening...love the one of his sweet feet & the expression in the second picture of him watching the wind blow the leaves on the trees. These are the moments that bring the biggest smile to my face each day!

playing with my little guy!

If I never hear the word "grapevine" again it will be too soon! :)

I checked off 7 things on my "to do" list today! Yea!

After Parker's pre-op for tubes today (which went great by the way), I decided it was time for a treat! We went to Culvers & shared some ice cream & then drove to a nearby park....oh, how I wish I had had a video camera to capture his expression & excitement when we pulled into the parking lot & he saw the playground.

Got home from the park & needed to start on more "to do's"...but, Parker was being too cute & we were having too much fun playing together. The rest of the "to do's" can wait until tomorrow! :)

I baked Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Lasagna for supper tonight.

Parker was so happy to get his bath tonight that he gasped with excitement when I turned on the water in the tub! ha ha! (he still has orange in his eyebrows from supper even after all that scrubbing!)

I hope each of you moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mine was perfect! I got to be at home with my two guys! Clay treated me to a fantastic lunch at Red Lobster! Yum! :)

favorite finds

Garage sale was a success!!!! Everyone was pleased with the sales & it just felt great to do a little purging of the "stuff." I'll be making a trip to Goodwill tomorrow to drop off most of the rest of the items.


Here are a few of my favorite finds:

I was thrilled to be able to find some old children's books (for $.50...total!!) These were some fun treasures! I popped the oldie Christmas cds in my car & decided it was time to fast forward to Christmas just so I could play my Christmas songs in the background all day long! :) The Children's Classic Collection cd is going to be a favorite I know...I pd $1.00 for the entire collection.

And, I found these Fontanini figures & knew I had to have them! Perfect for Parker's room next year! And the best part is...he can't break them! I pd $.75 total for those 3 figurines. The "N" & "Home Sweet Apartment" ceramics were free; someone just left them & no one else wanted them...so I snagged them up! I found a couple of great other deals as well; I've decided I should visit garage sales more often! You never know what you will find! :)

leaks, garage sale, the Cat in the Hat & more!!!

...Getting daddy's phone fixed at the Apple Store at the Mall of America. They had this cool area set up for kids to sit at these kiddie tables and play games...smart marketing! Parker loved listening to the Cat & the Hat & seeing the fun pictures on the computer screen.

Precious Baby Grant! We went to visit friends Sharise & Jimmy & James & 3 1/2 week old Baby Grant the other night! I can't wait to hold this sweet little boy soon! I might just get my chance Sunday night!!!

Walking in daddy's shoes...did you notice his booboo on the right side of his face? We had an accident a couple of days ago with the mean old concrete outside of our apartment complex. Poor Parker...he just fell right on the side of his face & scraped it all up. This is definately his biggest boo boo yet! It still hurts me to look at it. :( If it were up to the way he was acting 5 minutes after the accident though, you wouldn't think it hurt at all!

Garage sale: Friday & Saturday!!! 14783 Covington Ln, Apple Valley 8a.m.-5p.m.

Come if you're in the area! I went in with several other families to do a garage sale. We did pretty good today! You can find everything from kids clothes, electronics, adults clothes, household goods, outdoor equipment, baby toys & goods, books, etc. And the prices are great! Other than getting a good little farmers burn today, I was quite pleased with how everything went & am looking forward to tomorrow!

What you would give to be a fly on our wall this week! ha ha! So yesterday, we had 3 maintenance men in our apartment for 5 1/2 hrs trying to fix

1. leak in the garbage disposal

2. leak in the base of the kitchen faucet

3. a leak somewhere else that they couldn't find (& still haven't found even after going through our dishwasher, our bathroom cabinet & sink, the toilet & the ceiling underneath us!) Currently, our bathroom is still not fixed & things are strewn everywhere! Then I spent a good 6 hrs bringing all of our rummage stuff down to the apt & car from the storage room yesterday afternoon. Let's just say, our apt is looking very interesting right now! :)

P.S. I have no idea why or how this is underlining....I attempted to fix...sorry!

This is sweet Aiden...my friend Laura's (who hosted the garage sale) 10 mos old son. He is one of the happiest & content babies you will ever meet. He was so good today just being outside with everyone & playing out in the yard with his toys! Parker will get a chance to play with him tomorrow so it should be a fun time to watch!

This is what Parker made for me at Daycare today for Mother's Day...isn't it cute?! They cut out his handprints, curled them to make them look like flowers, stuck pipe cleaner on top & rolled the "stem" onto a pen. They then stuck all the little pens in this little pot that had coffee beans in it & decorated the outside! How creative & so special! I love having a set of handprints from every month since he's been born! It's going to be so neat to look back & see how much he has grown just in his hands!

Recap of weekend...

Memories from this weekend...playing at Granny & Papa's on Thursday, watching Jan Moody running out from the library screaming, "Carrie! Carrie!" just to catch 2 minutes to hold & take a picture with Parker :) Parker's new shoes, Taylor's graduation, going to Uncle Taylor's apartment & helping pack everything up (more like running after everybody & keeping mama on her toes while everyone else did the packing & loading!) getting to hang out with Cousins Collin & Ashland & Aunt Laurie & Uncle Butch, graduate Sunday at FBC...congratulations Taylor & Collin, strolls through Whippoorwill Cove, yummy food at Rassie's, playing with Granny's "cane" & Tonka trucks, sitting on Uncle Tay's shoulders & wearing his cap after graduation, listening to Granny & Papa's grandfather clock & going in search of it each time it chimed, sitting in one of Rassie's desks at school, eating out with the Penders in Starkville & playing in the dirt with Collin!

We were so blessed & excited to be able to spend the weekend with family & friends! What an exciting time! Clay & I appreciate everyone's help with the travel to & from the airport, the playtimes with Parker & the fun visits!!!

Parker & I had an interesting experience trying to get back to Minne on Tuesday, but thankfully, we did eventually get home! I was so proud of Parker; he was such a little pro!!! Just in case you ever wonder...

"What to do with a one year old at an airport for 7 hours":
1. Go to a quiet gate area & let him push his stroller & romp around for awhile
2. Show him the airplanes, the trucks & the people outside...listen to him make the "bbbbbbuhhh bbbuhhh" truck noises as the vehicles go by
3. Take him to a restaurant & let him eat a BIG breakfast!
4. After exhausting him with fun, help him fall asleep by strolling him through the airport
5. Let him wave & talk to people as they go by
6. Play silly games & make faces at each other
7. Eat a good lunch
8. Stroll through the airport some more...going to terminals at the complete opposite side of the airport just to see new things & make the time go by
9. Stop in the bookstores/stores & point out cool things!
10. Smile & breath a sigh of relief when your name is called to board the plane...have fun & enjoy the ride!

Jan Moody & Parker at Kirk on Thursday

Rassie & Parker at the hotel in Starkville on Friday

So proud of you!!!!

Taken during the graduation ceremony

Shaking hands with Shorty & congrats from family & friends!

Taylor & Fair

Love this picture of Taylor with the Penders!!!

Shorty, Taylor & Mama Sam...let me tell you...these were some proud grandparents!

Family photo!

Family picture at church on Sunday

Cousin Collin & Parker at FBC...thank you for sharing the picture David! (This picture was compliments of David Cummings.)

LOVE this house...love this neighborhood...

Had such fun watching Parker look out the window of the airplane on the way home on Tuesday...he was so relaxed!

...and before too long in the air...fast asleep...

Congratulations Graduate!!!

Congratulations Taylor! We are so proud of you & love you! Thank you for letting us be a part of this special time!

My little brother graduated college on Saturday! He was at MS State in Starkville. He has accepted a great job position with a construction company as their Project Engineer for a project out in Pensacola, FL. I am so proud of him & his hard work! And we are all sad & EXCITED that he is going to be in FL for awhile; I feel a beach trip coming along!!! :)

It is hard to believe that he is already out of school though; for me, it's kinda bittersweet. It seems like yesterday that we were playing outside together after school & on weekends in the old treehouse & behind Sonic. It seems like yesterday that all of his friends were coming over to the old house to shoot baskets for several hours & to eat all of our food. :) It seems like yesterday that we were hanging out on the weekends when I'd come home from MC to watch movies, go out with friends & just have some old fashioned family fun. It's amazing how fast "yesterday" goes by...

Taylor...Clay, Parker & I wish you nothing but the best in life & can't wait to share so many more fun memories with you! We love you & can't wait to come visit you soon!

Thursday fun

Here are some fun pictures from Thursday afternoon & evening...

The boys working outside...

Chitter Chatter...my mom talking to Anne :)

Cousin Collin & Parker playing outside

Silly face!!!!

Parker & Granny having storytime

Parker looking outside at Granny & Papa's house

Parker & Ashland outside of Kirk

"Excuse me please teacher; I have a point to make!"

Cock-a-doodle-do morning

4am - alarm goes off, carrie gets in shower

4:15 - carrie wakes clay up to get in shower

4:30 - finish last minute packing & prep

4:42 - suitcases by door ready to go, get parker up & head out the door

5am - head to airport

5:20 - park at humphrey terminal, walk & take tram to Lindberg terminal

5:50 - security checkpoint ...this is always the fun one...strip down to practically nothing so that the airport security people can make sure you're not planning an attack...what cracks me up is when we have to take off Parker's shoes & part of his outfit...check all bottles, medicines, breathing equipment, etc. Break down stroller, place all 6 bags on conveyor belt & hope that you didn't forget to take something off/out while the people who do not have kids stand there tapping their foot impatiently. Clay in uniform....thank you Lord for easy access through security this morning! And thank you Clay for wearing your uniform so that I could bring more things! :)

6:05 - head to McD's for a sausage biscuit & juice

6:20 - arrive at gate...we're on the flight! Yes! (that's because most smart people were in the bed at this time of the morning!)

6:30 - Board flight

6:55 - take off for Memphis!

7:05 - Parker is asleep..time for a snooze for mama & daddy

7:20 - paranoid girl who is afraid of flying taps Clay on the shoulder to wake him up & inquire about turbulance

7:55 - paranoid girl is still afraid...wanted to know what keeps the plane from falling apart in the air...clay is talking her through all of her questions

8:15 - gave up on sleep but girl is starting to settle a little bit

8:35 - starting descent...we're almost to memphis!

8:56 - Land in memphis tired but excited to be here (and to have some peace & quiet from the paranoid girl)

9:05 - gate change, delayed on plane for 15 minutes

9:25 - meet Anne Pender at pick-up point at airport!

9:30am-Yea! Headed to grenada...time for some fun!!!


First, Anne drives through & treats us to Chic-fil-a biscuits...yum!





Don't we look perky at the cock-a-doodle-do hours of the morning! :)
Parker was asleep before we had even finished taking off for Memphis!

packing & leaving things in order

Tonight...I have been packing to leave for MS tomorrow (at 4:30am to be exact!)

Making sure laundry is done before leaving; I love it when my basket is totally empty before I head out on a trip! :)

Cleaning kitchen, doing dishes, taking out trash...these are the things that I HAVE to do before I leave on every trip. It makes me feel like everything is complete & in order!

Clay, Parker & I are headed down to MS for the weekend; my brother is graduating from college. Whoohoo! I am so proud of him & can't wait to see everybody! I'll try to update with pictures while we're down there!

summer you

Friends & family have been asking me to post some of the scrapbook pages I have done recently (since I talk about scrapbooking all the time! ha ha!) Let's just say that I talk & dream about it a lot more than I actually get to do it! But, lately I have been able to do a bit more so I thought I would post one of the ones I finished today. It's simple & fun! It was cool to do a page from Parker's first summer even though we're not quite here yet this year...lovin' the sunshine that's out today though! :)

fun details

Smart boy: So on Sunday when we were coming back to the apartment Clay said, "Why don't we see if Parker knows how to get home from here?" (we had just gotten out of our car & were headed from the parking garage to the elevator to our apt). Parker led us to the right door and then to the elevator (after trying to take the stairs first). Finally we got off the elevator, he made a left turn to go down the hall & walked straight up to our door! He can even reach the doorknob now so he tried to open it! We were some proud parents! :)

The whole weekend he discovered he could open doors at Ashley & Jason's so now he's doing it at home!

Not so fun...in 3 day Parker has had 3 accidents:
Saturday - fell down face first on concrete, bit inside of lip, lots of blood, no fun
Sunday - shut finger in door (was a minor incident, but still hurt)
Monday - fell off of couch & bumped head on corner of coffee table

This boy is all over the place; we're REALLY having to watch him carefully because over the last several weeks it's like he has no fear!

Funny: A friend of mine made the comment to me today that her daughter had taken a 4 hr nap yesterday (this is not the first time she has done this in the last couple of weeks.) I asked, "Can kids really sleep that long during the daytime?" We're lucky to get a half hr nap during the day with this little fellow! We are sooo thankful that he is such a good sleeper through the night though!

Oh! And I can't forget about this because I am so proud!!!! Clay did his first ever aerobics class with me today! And he did great! He admitted it wore him out (totally different than the workouts he's used to) but he impressed quite a few ladies!!! :) He even stayed & did CORE with me afterwards! You had the best punches in there, baby! Now we just have to get you to the FIT class... :) I'm sure you'll be excited about that!

This entry is short & sweet; just wanted to record some details of the past couple of days I didn't want to forget!

pics from our weekend in Memphis!

Walking with Ashley to see the ducks at the neighborhood pond.

Enjoying some ice cream at Baskin Robbins...notice the boo-boo on the chin & under the nose...Parker fell on the concrete earlier in the day & bit his lip hard...he has the battle scars to prove it!

Will, Clay, Dan, Jason & Justin hanging out at Benihana's

Eating out at Benihana's...yum! It was way past Parker's bedtime but he did sooo good at the restaurant!
Clay taking Parker to a nearby park for a few minutes!

Big Bubbles!

Ashley showing Parker how to use the bubble blower!

Samson & Parker....They followed each other around everywhere throughout the weekend. I think by the end of the weekend though Parker was chasing Samson more...poor cat! :)

Jason grilling out...yum!

Delicious chicken & pineapple dinner! Thanks Jason!

We had another fun weekend in Memphis getting to see some friends! And it was beautiful warm weather the whole time we were there! Thanks for letting us stay with you Jason & Ashley! We had a great time!