Monday, February 28, 2011

where does the time go?





Been feeling really sentimental the past few days. Parker is definitely my last baby. When I was pregnant with him I kept thinking that maybe I'd like to have three kids. After he came, I realized how hard it was to have more than one and decided that two was enough. Plus, you have to have a bigger house, bigger car....bigger bank account. I think we can provide a nice life for our two kids. They love each other so much already - they'll have a companion to grow up with.

But I can't believe how fast they both are growing! Kalli seems like a little adult some days, the things she says never cease to amaze me. I wonder where she gets it all! And Parker!! I remember he could barely hold up his head and was wobbly for the longest time. Now, he's about to flip his jumperoo over and he's trying to crawl already. He can't even sit up!

Anyway, I find myself trying to savor all the moments with Parker - the baby phase really only lasts a year. Then it's over and you have a free thinking, talking, walking little person on your hands! I'm going to enjoy every minute.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

the only pictures I took all weekend.



Were a few minutes ago, of Kalli, sitting at Joe's workbench doing some "work".

Friday, February 25, 2011

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

happy 5 month birthday.


Just love my little Parker, it's hard to believe he's five months old today! He has brought so much joy into our lives. It's still amazing to me how much Kalli loves him. She dotes on him, mothers him, makes him laugh and most importantly entertains him :) I just cannot wait to see them grow up together. I just love my babies!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

joy.

Tonight as I watched Kalli twirl, dance and shake her booty to her favorite song my heart swelled and my eyes filled up with tears. She is so joyful, so vibrant and beautiful. I love being her mom and watching her excitement about everything. She's just so full of life. She has a big, contagious smile and I can't describe what it does to me when I see it.

I laughed as I heard her singing the lyrics "right down, right down" instead of "right round, right round" :) She's such a funny little person. I love to watch her personality grow and become even more obvious.

With the arrival of Parker I have to make sure to take special time to spend with just her and I, and tonight we had the best time. I played with her while she took a bath, we played dollhouse and danced. I'm so proud to be her mommy and I feel so lucky to have my babies.

And just about every single day Parker melts my heart. What can I say, he's just about the most beautiful baby boy I've ever laid eyes on. I literally can't stop looking at him! He's also super smiley and loves to giggle. I can't wait to see what kind of little person he'll be. He's so curious, loves books and goes nuts when he sees himself in his little play mirror. I love to watch him!

<3

decisions, decisions.

Well, after much deliberation, we have decided that we no longer want to move to Evansville. We've chosen Nashville/Murfreesboro as the area in which we will conduct our home search. There are so many wonderful things about the city and surrounding areas that it's hard not to get excited! We are still a short distance from Carmi and can see our family often. Plus, it will give them a fun place to visit.

I can't wait for Farmers Markets, concerts in the park, BIG SHOPPING MALLS! and more. There's so much fun stuff for kids to do - the discovery center, the monkey house. I want my kids to enjoy the zoo and the aquarium! I want to travel to Chattanooga and the mountains. I can't wait to make memories with my little family.

If anyone wants to comment on any areas of Nashville that they are familiar with, I'm all ears. We are most interested in good schools, convenient shopping, access to doctors and hospitals and an area with young families that we can meet and become friends with.

another beautiful afternoon.





I have never considered myself an outside person, but if you lock me up for four months I might say otherwise! Today was beautiful. We played outside and it ended with Grandma Betty and Grandpa Archie returning from Florida - and one very excited two year old!

baby days.


Just a pic of my little Parker. He's grown so much I can't believe it! He just tried the home made baby food peas I made him today and he loved them! So far he hasn't met a fruit or veggie he doesn't like. Much different than his sister, she's super picky. I'm hoping he'll just eat what I give him, like his dad :)

Monday, February 14, 2011

what we've been doing.





Enjoying a break in the weather. Just warm enough to enjoy being outside!

Friday, February 11, 2011

tea party






Two things Kalli loves right now are tea parties and princesses. Tonight she put on her princess dress and made her dad and I a hot cup of tea. She told us it was hot and to blow on it :)

happy lil' dude




Parker is full of smiles, squeals, giggles and love. He seriously melts my heart on a daily basis. I'm so lucky to have my babies. I never get sick of this face.

color wonder





Well, we finally broke out one of Kalli's Christmas presents - the color wonder paint. It's clear until you get the electronic brush close to it and then it glows the color of the paint. She loved it! She didn't want to stop :)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

fugly.

Haha. I like this word. Fugly. It's so fitting for stuff that is beyond just regular ugly. We saw some plain ol' fugly houses today on our first day of hunting in Evansville and Newburgh. The sad thing is, they looked pretty good online. We noticed there needed to be some updating - a little paint, some new floors maybe. New fixtures. Uhhh....no. Try slathered in wallpaper, floor to ceiling brown paneling, brass EVERYTHING, original vanities in the baths from the 70's and kitchens that haven't been updated since women were wearing beehives. It was like a genuine time warp! lol!

And I have to say, that realtors must take a class on taking pictures of rooms to make them look like, a bazillion times bigger than they really are. I swear someone at remax has a fisheye lens and they're using the heck outta that thing! Because how do you make a 10x11 room look like a 25x25 room? It's magic. Only, it's not magical at all. It sucks. You think if you get someone in there to look at it they'll excuse the poor floor plan or tiny rooms?

*le sigh*

On a bright note, our realtor is awesome. I loved her. Maybe it was because Parker had a major poop explosion - it was literally down both legs on his FEET - and she helped me. Yes, in a vacant house, I had my four month old poop covered son sprawled out on the floor while she held his feet and I tried to clean him up. My husband was running around crazy looking for plastic bags and more wipes. He bolted like lightning :)

Monday, February 7, 2011

hope.

It's amazing what a little bit of hope can give you. I know that there have been times in my life where I thought I had nowhere else to turn, nothing else to look forward to and then....a tiny glimmer of hope. It's crazy how just a little thing can flip your whole attitude - make things feel possible again. In all situations, there is always room for a bit of hope.

So, I've gathered a few fantastic hope quotes that made me feel good today. Maybe they'll help some of the people reading this blog. Because, hey, we could all use a little hope :D

"Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it has all finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You'll look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself..How did I get through all of that?"


^^ Whew! Isn't THAT the truth?!

"May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy."

^^ I just liked this one :D

"It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about."

^^ This really gave me something to think about!

"First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst."

^^This. Sometimes when I'm really scared or anxious about something, I ask myself, "What's the worst that can happen?" and then I realize it's usually not all that bad. And, if it is really bad, it's not likely to happen anyway.

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible. " ~Christopher Reeve

^^ Love this.

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~Author Unknown






Friday, February 4, 2011

oh my Sarr.

It's no secret that Sara and I have been best friends for over 20 years. It's crazy to say that and remember it! My dad used to tell stories that started with "twenty years ago" and I thought that sounded like such a long time!

Anyway, I've really been lucky because she has been home while her brave and patriotic husband has been deployed to Afghanistan. But, now she has to leave and fly back to Germany soon and I find myself feeling heavy hearted. We have always managed to stay close even though we have not lived near each other in at least 10 years. We talk weekly, sometimes daily, no matter how far the distance.

I found myself trying to explain to my two year old daughter that "my Sarr" was going to be leaving soon because she had to go home to "her house". I tried to tell her she lived in a different country and that meant that she would be getting on an airplane and flying home, to Germany. Kalli just says "Gerrany??" And promptly (because it was bedtime) said "My Sara pat me...?" - meaning she wanted Sara to rub and pat her back when she went to bed. Bless her little heart. She has grown close to Sara and I know she will miss her! And I also know she won't understand.

When you have children you want as many people around them that will love them as you can get. I feel sad that Sara loves my munchkins (and they her) and she won't be here to watch them grow up. I think one of my biggest sadnesses is that my very closest friends - Jessica, Cat and Sara - don't live close to me. Jessica has a little girl of her own and I would just love to watch her and Kalli grow up together. I would love to share in motherhood with my best friends. I have to say that they help me feel less lonely, even though we are miles apart, through frequent emails and phone conversations. I often Skype with Jessica so we can see each others little ones and how much they have grown. Preslee smiles so big and waves the whole time - so precious.

Friendship really does transcend distance. I'm so thankful for my friends, even though I'm sad when I have to say good-bye. At least there's always email and the phone :)

Love you, girls :)


Thursday, February 3, 2011

adventures in cooking...






So, today I wanted to throw something in the crock pot because I don't feel like cooking dinner. It needed to be low calorie and contain ingredients I already had. I looked a bit online and everything seemed too involved and had tons of stuff that wasn't already in my pantry.

I'm sort of an okay cook. It's hit or miss. When I try something new there's a 50% chance it will be good....and that's when I follow a recipe. But, today, I threw caution to the wind and made up my own soup. It's pretty tasty - not super filling. I think we'll have to eat a grilled cheese with it. But not bad for "made up soup".

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 carrots
4 celery sticks
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can mexicorn
1 can black beans
1 can green chilis
1 can 98% fat free chicken broth
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

a love for books.



If you open a book and share it with Parker he instantly becomes mesmerized. He really looks at it, studies both pages, reaches for it, grabs the pages. He loves being read to. His big sister has loved books since infancy also. I can honestly say that she played with books more than any other toy. I love that my babies love books :) I hope that never changes.