Fun in the Sun!

We recently went on a vacation to Destin, Florida. We go there about every other year with Andy's family. We had so much fun! Parker is a regular beach bum! (He comes by it honestly, as are Mom & Dad.) He loved playing in the sand, riding the waves, looking for crabs & his daily snow cone. Luckily while we were there, the oil was not. The beaches were white and the water was clear, except for some algae. We love it there and can't wait to go back in a year or two. Here are some pics from our fun in the sand & surf:

Daddy, Parker & Mommy in the water.

Parker in his "cool dude" shades.

Mommy & Daddy playing in the sand.

When it came to putting sand or water in the bucket, Parker was all business!

He loved floating in the water!! He called it "riding the waves" & was in hog heaven.

Sweet Skylar also loved the sand!

Three little munchkins ready for the beach.

Happy Little Beach Bum!

All dry and ready to go back to the condo or "vacation house" as Parker named it.

Each night we went out to dinner at a different yummy restaurant. Parker really liked shrimp & cod...although he kept calling it chicken :) When it got dark, there were crabs to be found and puzzles to be done. Our condo had 4 large jigsaw puzzles on a bookshelf and we completed all of them. By we, I mean mostly Andy, but with a little help from me, AJ & KK. Here are some pictures from our summer nights:

Daddy, Parker & Mommy.

Nana & Papa.

AJ, Ally, Skye, Haley, KK & Luke.

Parker found some small palm trees & was in heaven.

He's very into "cha cha" coconut trees thanks to Diego.

Ally & Haley made some new friends!

Me & Andy.

Here's Parker busting a move in the hula-hoop contest at Fudpucker's. Note the intense concentration :)

Parker & Daddy crab hunting.

Parker & Skye were more into the flash lights than anything else :)

A big ol' crab that Andy & AJ caught & brought upstairs to show everyone.


Andy working on puzzle number 3 of 4. There was also a beach scene, a golf scene and one of only dice. In 50 years, I know what we'll be doing to pass the time at the retirement home!

Thank you Nana & Papa for such a great vacation! It was so nice to spend a week relaxing on the beach & having fun with everyone. We loved it and can't wait to go back!

My Poor Neglected Blog...

My poor neglected blog... I really want to try to keep things up to date, but haven't been able to find the time. We've been to some fun birthday parties, gone on a family vacation to Destin, spent lots of time swimming in the pool, and are starting to try and get ready for baby #2. Sadly by the end of the day, I'm more likely to nap on the sofa than log onto my blog. I think my fatigue is due to chasing my 2 year old in the 100+ degree weather. Pregnancy wise, I'm feeling pretty good and moving (growing!!) right along. This week marks the halfway point of this pregnancy, 20 weeks! Pretty hard to believe! November will be here before we know it. We have a sonogram on Tuesday to check out the bambino & confirm gender. I promise to post some updates of all our summer fun soon! Stay Tuned!

Goodbye Mother's Day Out, Hello Summer!

Today was Parker's last day of Mother's Day Out. He's officially a graduate of the Rainbow Room! We celebrated the end of the year with a party. And what better way to get ready for summer than a sprinkler, bubble machine, watermelon & cookies? I think the cookies & the bubble machine were the big hits of the party. Splish-Splash Rainbow Kids!

Think he likes the water?

How do you get 7 two year olds to sit on a bench? You bribe them with cookies!!

Parker & his teachers: Ms. Jane & Ms. Marina

And just for fun, here's Parker on his first day of school & his last day of school:

I didn't really think there was a big difference until I looked at them side by side. I think our little man is growing up. Crazy how fast the time is flying!!

I'm have to admit I'm a little sad school is over. Parker loved going to school and seeing his friends. He learned so much this year and his teachers were great. I'm really going to have to step up my game to keep us entertained and busy this summer!

Bluebonnets!

Up until recently we had a gorgeous field of bluebonnets growing near our house. I had envisioned getting great pictures of Parker sitting nicely in the bluebonnets. I even thought of hiring someone (aka: Sarah or Tom) to do some family shots in the flowers. What can I say?? I love bluebonnets! After Andy nixed the family photo option, Val & I decided to get some pics of the kids. While it didn't go quite like we planned, (Read: Both kids ran around like they were monkeys just escaped from the zoo!!) we did get a couple of cute ones.

A side note: I did fix Parker's hair before we left the house. He's into "crazy" hair these days, where he messes up all my hard work in about 15 seconds! Oh well, the tousled look is in, right??

I think he's still pretty cute, even with the crazy hair.

Mother's Day 2010

Better late than never....here's how we spent our Mother's Day: Andy & Parker took me out for brunch and gave me tickets to Wicked. Yay!! I love Wicked and am so excited to see it again, especially from some great seats!

In the afternoon we headed over to Nana & Papa's house with Mimi, AJ, KK and crew. We had a delicious dinner, courtesy of Papa. That man can grill!! I need to beg him for his BBQ sauce recipe.

This is how I'll always remember Mother's Day 2010:

Yes, Parker is wearing goggles. He found them in the pool toys & wore them for hours. We tried some photos without the goggles, but he was too concerned with getting them back on his face to smile. Oh, well. No shortage of personality here...

Mimi & Parker, pre-goggles

Goggle Boy!

Skye was equally enamored with the bubbles!

KK, Luke & Skye

I love this pic of Uncle Andy & Luke!

We had a great day! I am so thankful to be Parker's mother. Everyday is full of adventure and fun & I thank God for him daily! I also feel so blessed to have such wonderful mothers in my life. From my own, to my mother in law, to grandmas, to all my friends who are mom's; I know so many special ladies who are awesome mothers. I appreciate all the advice, support & love! Happy Mother's Day 2010!

Some BIG News!!

Drumroll please.....

Our little Parker is going to be a BIG Brother!

We're happy and excited to let you know that we're expecting baby #2 in November. We are so looking forward to meeting this new member of our family! I can't wait to see Andy with a tiny newborn again & to see Parker be a big brother. My official due date is the 17th...just in time for Thanksgiving! I'm almost 14 weeks along and starting to feel human again. I have been very sick at night & pretty tired during the day. I'm hopeful that moving into my second trimester will be the end of feeling under the weather. Even with the morning (noon & night) sickness, I'm sooo thrilled about this baby!

Have you ever felt blessed beyond words??

We've had a few sonograms so far & the bambino is developing right on track.

At 12 weeks, our doctor predicted, with 80% certainty, that it's a GIRL. Dr. G. then said I can shop for pink, but need to keep my receipts & I can't cry if he's wrong and it's really a boy :) We're looking forward to the end of June when we will know for sure! Either way would be fun!

Here's a pic of "her" face:

Here's a profile shot:

I'll try to keep you updated on all the baby news. That's all I know for now.

Oh, and by the way, I'm huge!!! I'm in full on maternity gear! I look as pregnant as I did with Parker at 5 months. A little bit worried as to how large I'll be come November... I'll put up a giant belly pic next time :)

(Those of you who already knew about this, just pretend to be surprised!)

Fun in Florida!

We recently took a trip to Orlando. Our friends Clint & Nina were getting married & Poppy and Momoe live there, so....2 birds, 1 plane ticket :) It was such a fun weekend. We really enjoyed getting to visit with family & friends. The weather was great & we got to stay at a fun new resort. It was equipped with a waterpark that Parker LOVED!! He's becoming quite the waterbaby. Several times this week he's requested baths just to play in the water. Sadly our tub isn't equipped with water slides & fountains, but it's holding steady until it's warm enough to hit the pool. Here's a few pics from our weekend:

Thanks to Poppy, Momoe, Erin & Gpa for a great weekend!! Congratulations to Clint & Nina!