Our Rarely Dull Stories

Reflections and catching ups

2011-09-21T17:47:00.006-05:00

As I look at all of my friends and their wonderful posts I realize it has now been over a year since I wrote anything! Oops, time flys what can I say! I am now very happily the 4th and 5th grade Social studies teacher, it has been amazing and challenging at the same time! But I must admit I am much better suited for this than Math!
My baby boy is now in Pre-School at a real big kids school (YIKES!) and he is loving it! He comes home with new words everyday such as, predicament, concentration and perplexed. Pretty big vocab words for pre-school if you ask me! :) We had a wonderful summer and P and I enjoyed me not being in school (at all) how weird is that? This was the first summer we've been able to just hang out ALL day and not worry about anything! So, that is pretty much it, Gordy is still in the same job and loving it. I am happy to report our marriage (after 8 years) is still going strong and is (it seems odd sometimes) even better than when we first got married!
So, if this works correctly here are some pictures from this summer! Parker's Tball
Last years 4th grade team!

Amazing!

2010-08-19T08:04:00.002-05:00

As my last summer as a college student begins to wind down I feel a little bit of anxiety! I start student teaching in one week and I am not sure what to expect, although I am excited as well as nervous. I am student teaching at Evans and Hutch, awesome!! I can't wait to get out there and meet my teachers and kiddos, and to finally graduate! It is hard to believe that in this short amount of time I will be moving from being a Tech student to a teacher (and hopefully, God willing) getting a job in January). It's amazing to see how God works, and how, despite what I think, He is in complete control of everything. I never thought I would be so happy being a teacher, but I have to say I am pretty excited about this! Also, we got a new car, after much prayer, tears and wondering what we were going to do. My little blue car that got me through junior college and most of Tech decided to quite working for me (blown engines will do that) and so we had to find something else! God is amazing and with the help of Hayes motors (they're AWESOME!!) We found a Buick Rendezvous with 3 row seating even! God took an amazingly sticky situation that seemed to have no hope into something better than anyone could have expected, and He gave me a car that I actually wanted! Just thought I'd post how amazing our summer has been even though it started off a bit rocky!

2010

2010-01-20T18:13:00.003-06:00

As the new year flings into full speed and I am caught running with my shoes untied it seems, I thought I would sit down for a minute and catch a few ideas I have for this year.
1. Grow, in God, relationships and my marriage
2. GRADUATE!! I only have 1 more semester as a Tech student and then I student teach, I feel like December can not get here fast enough!
3. COMPLETELY potty train Parker. Last year we started, had it down for a few months, and now we are back to almost square 1...depending on what day and moment it is.
4. Become more organized...mainly in the house, but in school life as well. After all being a teacher is going to require me to become more organized!
5. Become an AWESOME teacher! I am SOO excited to begin my career (not only for monetary gain all though this is a great incentive since 2009 was a bit financially stressful) but to begin what I know I have been made for. This is my dream and my passion and God is SO good to allow me the opportunity to be where I am at!
Here is where I am going to copy and paste an amazing quote that Amanda has on her blog, although oddly enough I came across this quote when I started this education adventure and it hangs on my office wall!
"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."

Dr. Haim Ginott
I feel that this sums up so much of what we've learned so far and my prayer for my classroom is that God helps me to remember this and not only to practice it everyday in my classroom but everyday at home as well. There is 1 thing that I have learned being Parker's mommy is that my mood affects him regardless of what is going on.
6. My final goal for this year is to be a better Mommy, more patient and understanding. Usually when Parker does something he has good reasoning (or at least at the moment it seemed good to him) and I want to learn to see that. 2009 was very stressful, at times hard and all at the same time it went by really fast!
I want to see things for how they are, learn to love the moment and even though this one will be really hard, enjoy the day and not look forward to or dread the next day!

water or rocks? Both please!

2009-12-02T15:07:00.003-06:00

I was recently asked if I would rater be a rock or water. Of course me being the way I am I immediately yelled out "A rock!". With a look of not quite disapproval my teacher calmly looked at me and said, "Tell me why you choose that." I replied that a rock is strong, dependable and mostly unchanging." She smiled and replied "yes that is true, now tell me about water." I said well "Water flows, and is never still." She smiled again and said "Very true." Then she began to tell a story, a story about water and rocks. While the rocks sit in one place and are unmoving, they are indeed constant but they are slowly being changed by the water. A rock is hard and unwilling to move, but none the less the water calmly, patiently and quietly changes the rock, most of the time without the rock ever knowing it is being changed. After she read the story with the grand canyon of course being the main example I quietly smiled at her and when she asked me what I'd rather be I replied "the water." "Good choice" she said as she smiled at me. Then I said "and the rock as well." She looked at my with a question on her face, clearly not expecting this answer. She said "Go on." And I told her that I would rather be the rock at times and the water other times. There are some times in our lives where we need to be a rock because a rock in the river is not taken into the current with all of the debris and garbage. A rock is strong and sturdy, never faltering in what it believes in or thinks. Now the water is good to be at times because it is better to do and lead by example than to try and make someone change. Now my teacher is not a Christan and she has voiced many times that Christianity is not allowed in the classroom, but I find this idea interesting because is this not a Biblical principle? Did Christ not lead by example as the water, quietly changing people's hearts and minds. He was also the rock however, because he refused to be swept down the river with the debris the water carried along with it. I love the analogy of water and rocks, but I want to be both, not one or the other.

observations of kids

2009-10-08T17:22:00.002-05:00

I have been in the public schools now for 2 weeks observing. First observation: kids are crazy Second observation: kids will make you crazy if you let them. Third observation: kids are like sharks, they smell fear. SO DON'T be afraid of them, encourage them, help them develop and always remember SMILE! Remember today's choices are tomorrow's consequences! Love to all, I've had the busiest craziest and downright nuttiest day I think ever! Someday I might blog more, but this is just a list of my small observations. Too bad I can't write than in my formal portfolio for class!

Project 365 idea...

2009-09-22T22:59:00.002-05:00

Well as life is back to it's busy schedule of school and work (for Gordy) and homework I find it hard to remember the days that have gone by. So while playing around on face book tonight one of my good friends had this cool idea (that she also stole from a friend) posted. It was called project 365, and the basic idea was to take a picture (most commonly of everyday life, which is after all the best sometimes) and document it. I believe I am going to try and start this. I think it would be so cool to take 1 picture a day of something that you want to remember about that day. Anyway, I thought I would share that. I am getting ready for my first certification exams and have been taking classes for computer proficiency training in order to have a computer in my classroom when I graduate. I know I graduate a year from now but I still have so much to do! I don't want to forget anything about this last year of school. I have been so blessed to be able to finish up my degree and I have also met some amazing friends along the way! Love to all, hope your're having an amazing week!

First Day of school

2009-08-25T11:20:00.004-05:00

So today was Parker's first day of "school". He was pretty excited, I must admit I was a little sad to see him go. I don't usually drop him off on his first day, I am usually in school too. But for some reason this year he started a day before me so I got to take him! He was sad until he saw some old friends from last year and he kissed me goodbye, waved and grabbed the little girls hand and walked right in. It was nice to see him go on so easily, but a little hard for me hah. As you can see from the pictures he has moved on up in class so he now needs a nap mat. (Which he was VERY excited about!)He also got a new lunch box to take (which he was quite proud of!) We had such a great summer together, we got to spend an entire 2 months together, Which has never happened! We had SOOO much fun and it makes me almost want to cry to think it is all over! Love to all, hope everyone has a great week!

we're there!

2009-08-14T10:37:00.004-05:00

Well, I have good news! Parker is officially potty trained! He even sleeps in big boy undies for his nap!! The only time we have a pull up on him is at night. YEAH for us!!! I am so glad that he finally gave in and just started to use the potty. We have moved the changing table out and have placed some table and chairs in his room (cars, who would've guessed). He LOVES it!! He sits in there and colors and plays play doh for hours on end...which is nice for me. He has also dubbed the other chair "his Abbie's" since we just got it they haven't been able to come over for her to sit in her new chair. And, he also got a new bed that's a car, it's way too cool, or at least he thinks so.In other sad news, our first fish....has gone to a better, well different place. I tried to clean the water out for him and he met his demise soon thereafter. It was sad, but I think I was more upset than Parker was. We have a new fishy now that is black and has appropriately been named "Red". Who knows what goes on in a 2 year olds brain? Anyway, love to all we are trying to enjoy the rest of our freedom these next couple of weeks!

Correction...

2009-07-22T11:18:00.002-05:00

I feel that I might have been a bit misleading in my previous post on the potty training issues at hand. Yes, it is true that we have started potty training but it is not true that he will go to the potty everytime by himself, or that he will tell me when he needs to go potty. He has had a few accidents and he waits to be smelly all throughout his nap instead of just using the potty for that. BUT I am not giving up, after all Rome was not built in a day and my amazing awesome man of God won't be molded into that in a day either :) When Ed used to say the best thing you can do as a parent is be consistent and determined I never really knew that that meant...until now. Here is a fun swimming picture, has nothing to do with this blog really but I thought it was cute. When you tell him to smile he does a crooked smile, it's funny. love to all!

our new pet

2009-07-15T12:08:00.006-05:00

We are now proud fish owners! Parker is (for the most part) potty trained. This does not mean however that we still don't ask him every 30 minutes or so if he needs to go potty. But I feel that the major trauma of potty training is over. Thank you God!! Everyone have a great week, we're still enjoying our summer fun! Meet Nemo, Kitty Cat or Mr. Fishy...depending on who he is telling the story to.

How has this been done for centuries?

2009-07-02T13:32:00.003-05:00

Potty training....ugh! I have promised Parker a goldfish when he is successful at this potty training bit. I must say this morning when I told him it was time to start he was rebellious and non cooperative to say the least. (this is mildly putting it because at one point I was pulling him on the floor towards the bathroom with him dragging his bike and something else along with him in order to try and stop me.) I quickly gave that idea up, sat down with my coffee and prayed a bit. Afterwards I realized that small trinkets and stickers would not do with this kid. I was going to have to up it a notch. For the past few months he has been begging Gordy and I for a fish (no, really BEGGING for one, yesterday he even had enough sense to bring along money he found at home in order to try and con me into getting him one...I usually tell him that we don't want to waste money on them.) So, upon thinking of this I calmly went to the garage and got down a bubblegum machine that is actually a fish tank. (Thanks Lynn!!) Parker and I set it up together and he is excitedly using the bathroom (almost) each and every time he needs to. Tomorrow we are moving to big boy undies (he is also excited about this.) So I am attempting to get him regularly going (every 30 minutes, set on a timer as advised) so that he will be ready for his big boy undies tomorrow. (And the Lord willing a goldfish soon, because that would mean we've done it!) I do have to say I never imagined this fish thing would work as well as it has so far. I guess my big lesson here is that sometimes you need to calm down, step back and talk to God about the situation. I always try and fix it my own way, of course it never works! Everyone have a lovely 4Th of July and a great safe weekend!

This is the end

2009-06-28T19:06:00.004-05:00

of summer school that is!! I managed to survive summer school yet once again. Now for the next 2 months (Until late August) it will be nothing but fun and sun for us!! I am SO relieved to be out of school for a little while. Anyway, one semester closer to the end of school all together (well as a student at least). For those of you that don't know I am in the education program at Texas Tech and I graduate in December of 2010, which sounds like a long time but it's really only next year. I does depress me however to read Amanda's blog and she is already taking the certification testing!! I wish I were there already, good job Amanda! Love to all, have a great week!! I know Parker and I will, while we're doing NOTHING!!

Six years!

2009-06-15T15:57:00.004-05:00

Happy 6 years of marriage to us! That's right, Gordy and I have been married 6 years yesterday. It wasn't really that great of an Anniversary but it was nice to at least be together. We went to Palo Duro Canyon with Kids Connection (our children from church) and had an AMAZING time! Pat did an excellent service Saturday night and we amazing worship with Frontline (well, they weren't REALLY there, it was off of my ipod). But even though they weren't there God sure was! It was so great to hang out with all of our amazing kiddos, they are so sweet! I even got some cards from them and Nelda had the group shout "Happy Anniversary" to us. (Which is so sweet!) Then Sunday (which was our anniversary) we packed up and went home (boo!) and then Gordy and I came home to a sick child (boo again) and went to bed early. But, as exhausted as we were I wouldn't have traded the day for anything (well, maybe the throwing up Parker part...but nothing else). Next weekend we will probably do something more romantic, and just so you all know Parker is fine today (thank goodness.) He is FULL of energy and running about like a maniac (and also eating again, which is a good sign.) Oh, and I have no pictures of us on our anniversary, needless to say we were pretty gross and sweaty so it was not a picture moment in time (although Kara might have one or two of us in the canyon..hope not yikes!) So I LOVE YOU BABY and I am glad that I have had the last six amazing years with you!!

Do Angles get overtime?

2009-06-09T14:56:00.004-05:00

So, last week my Dad was in a little "accident" and let me start the story out by saying that he is doing great. I think this is an amazing testament to how God takes care of His people! My Dad is borrowing Gordon's truck right now and it is a Dodge full size truck just so you can get a picture as to how big a vehicle it is. My Dad was out at the Ranch he visits regularly and he was stopped looking at something he was hauling. He got out of the truck, didn't put it in park and suddenly noticed that it was rolling backwards. At this point he tries to grab the steering wheel and misses. The truck door slams him into the ground as the truck rolls over his left leg and coming to rest on his right leg (ankle). For 10-15 seconds he can't think of what to do, so he pushes on the truck wheel dislodging it from atop his leg. He proceeds to then get up and limp back to his friend that was nearby. Not only was nothing broken, damaged or fractured he also worked helping on the Ranch the next day. After forcing him into going to the Dr. yesterday they agreed that there was nothing broken but that he needed a Doppler done on his leg to ensure there was no blood vessel damage. He came home this afternoon with a clean bill of health merely saying "there is some bruising and a few open wounds around the ankle bone." When I think of this story ALL I can think is angels placing themselves over my Dad's legs and then pushing the truck off of him. I honestly can say I have NEVER heard of anyone getting "run over" and walking away from it basically unharmed. In a time where most people feel unrest and uncertainty this is a blatant statement from God I believe showing us that He is indeed amidst us and in OUR lives, EVERY second of EVERY day!! So, be encouraged He loves us and is involved in our daily lives!

still alive

2009-06-03T14:44:00.003-05:00

Yup...that's right we're all still alive! I am going to summer school (just for the first session) and while I am there Mon-Fri Parker stays with my Dad Mon-Wed and Kara Thurs and Fri. It's been adventerous so far. Poor Kara had to have her gall bladder out on Friday of last week so Parker only when to her house Thursday. I came home today (of course my Dad has been with him) and Parker is wearing a pair of boxers as shorts. I asked my Dad where he got those "shorts" and he said Parker got them from his closet (they're toddler boxers, crazy I know I didn't even know they made them until Gordon's mom bought them and sent them down.) Anyway, Summer school just started last Wednesday and already pretty much everyday I have had a good story from Dad of something Parker has done. Monday Parker peed in his closet floor (thank GOD we have hard wood floors, and in my Dad's defense we are trying to potty train right now.) Parker's favorite phrase is "I DO". Anyway, that's my update I am sure I'll have even better stories to tell as the weeks progress.

purses and such

2009-04-14T20:10:00.005-05:00

So Parker goes to Kara's on Wednesdays. This Friday I guess he got his days mixed up and was convinced that he was going to Kara's. He kept saying "Ara, Abbie, Ara, Abbie!!" I kept reminding him that it was Mommy and Parker's day to play. To which he quickly replied "NO Ara, Abbie!!" I guess Mommy and Parker day was not as much fun as I thought :) It also took me a while to figure out what the heck "Ara" was, for a moment in time I thought he wanted to do laundry...of course we use Era! So, I asked him if he was ready to go to Wal-Mart (NO!) BUT he did put Mommy's shoes on and adorn his outfit with my purse. I guess he doesn't want to be left out at Kara's, he must have the proper accessories! So my question is Kara, does my child use a purse often at your house or only once in a while? Hope you love the picture! (You know me, I HAD to take a picture of it, you're welcome proud Daddy. At least he's wearing manly gear....the hat does count....)

Easter fun times

2009-04-13T15:30:00.004-05:00

Here's my little man all dressed up for Easter!

For some reason Parker and Abbie look a little mad, I am going to say it was the sun. Easter was a lot of fun this year. Parker is actually able to hunt for eggs and we got to be around not only my crazy family but our friends as well. Here is just one of the many pictures we took this weekend, I think we make a pretty good group. Scary that this is the majority of the leadership team at church! Thanks guys for hangin out with all the crazies! Love to all, hope everyone had a great Easter!

Inspirations from unlikely sources

2009-04-03T10:18:00.003-05:00

I recently read a book by Hal Urban that has really inspired me to change a few things. Nothing big really, but it is the little things that truly make up our lives anyway. I would like to lie and said I read this book on my own accord, but I did not, it was for a class. I do not have the will power to read books that might change my life...that's the craziness of it. Anyway, a part of the book talks about being thankful, and not just at Thanksgiving. It is hard to be thankful for things when life is busy and crazy and there is little time for personal reflecting. But, as Hal has pointed out, we lose ourselves and the beauty of life if we don't make time. So, I am going to make some time here to make a list, of course I cannot possibly list everything I am thankful for, it would take me years! Anyway, here goes:
1. A God that loves me with new love everyday and one that gives me free will to make the mistakes I do to learn from.
2. My husband, he is the best one in the world that loves me no matter what I forget (dinner in the oven, or to pay the phone bill...oh yeah it happened!)
3. My beautiful son, I was going to lump 2 and 3 together but I think they deserve their own number. He is a handful at times but he is one of (after #2) the best things that has ever happened to me!
4. all of my friends! MAN I am so blessed to be surrounded by individuals that truly care about my family and I, most people have only a few best friends during their lifetimes, I can truly say I have multiple best friends right now! I feel I should also include a few names here..but this does not in anyway reflect on just these guys, there are more. Kara-she has really helped me to see what a good Christian wife and mother one can be, she also lest me whine and cry on her already cram packed shoulders, she also makes me laugh! She is really a funny girl :) (And here I should mention Pat as well, he's been a great friend also) Heidi-she has also been a great friend and advisor to many things. Rose-best friends for life at this point (why not we've known each other since the 1st grade) Rebekah-even though she's gone a lot we're still close when she is here, MAN she makes me laugh! Mary- a true woman of God and one that I can rely on to give me the right advice no matter how much I try and convince her my ideas are better :) Robyn-she makes me laugh!
5. For the people that have inspired Gordon and I, such as Connie and Ed, Donna and Steve Deke and Carrie, Pat and Kara, and the list goes on from here. There is really something to be said on those who do not give up on you even when the world thinks they should. I have no doubt that if God had not placed these people strategically in our lives we would not be where we are today.
6. This is the part of material things, not as important but still crucial. Gordy's wonderful job, our house that we own, 2 cars that we own, college (seems silly here? 3 years ago I was never going to college, now next year I will be graduating and trying to inspire others like me to go), our church building (loving it!) and my ipod. (it's the best to have when walking across campus in 40 mph winds!)
That's it for now, this is my list. It looks much like the personal one I wrote down on a piece of paper and read pretty often (as Hal has suggested doing). So if life seems to get you down, I urge you to do this, amazingly enough the small things aren't that important!

Daddy's Boy

2009-03-18T15:08:00.002-05:00

Just thought this was a cute picture. Daddy's work boots are still a little too big for him! He is talking more everyday and repeating everything we say! It's so much fun! He is also in a "big boy bed" as he calls it, which means he has free roaming privileges if he so chooses. He's done pretty good so far, there have been a few nights he has snuck out of his bed but other than that he's doing good with it.

Two Years ago

2009-02-20T14:07:00.011-06:00

Of course here he is today!

He's always laughed, even when he was this tiny!

This is Parker's dedication, back when we were in the old building. This was so special for us, especially Gordy because Ed is like his Dad, we're so blessed to be part of their lives!
Here's the proud Daddy and Parker when he was so tiny (well compared to now!)

Anyway, I was just looking at some old pictures and thinking of how much our lives have changed since 2 years ago! If only I knew things would be this much fun I would've never been so scared! :)

Our last couple of months

2009-02-19T20:17:00.011-06:00

Well, I must admit it has been a while since I last blogged. Life just doesn't seem to leave me enough time in a day. We have had wonderful last couple of months it has been family filled and fun. First, Lynn (my mom-in-law) came to see us. She hadn't seen Parker in a year but he didn't let that stop him from conning her into anything and almost everything he wanted. He was thoroughly involved with "Mamaw and Arker B" time...which is what he calls her and himself. It was nice to see her and I must admit I really kinda miss her. She did laundry (I feel like it was almost the entire time she was here!) Cooked, cleaned, entertained the boys (yes both, a trip to Toys R' Us will do that) and ran all of my errands for me. She left on Friday night and then Wednesday my Aunt and Uncle from St. Louis came for a week. It was also nice to see them but I must admit I am enjoying my alone time again. (What TINY little bit I have). Also, Gordon is officially back in town (yes he moved his trailer FULL of stuff back home...along with the laundry bag if that tells you how official it really is).

So things are getting back to normal. I am still trudging through school and loving (almost) every minute of it. This semester is filled with my days of actually spending time with students and I am LOVING every minute of it. On the off chance of sounding a bit like Ed this is my passion, it is what I was meant to do! Also, in the midst of all of this somehow my baby boy has turned 2. It is crazy to think he could be 2, but alas I guess he is! He is also acting 2 (yes fits involved which include but are not limited to kicking, screaming and throwing anything that it is near). He has also added quite a few new words to the vocabulary, as well as some choice phrases. He LOVES to mimic anything you say, so that has been fun. He told Snoopy, our dog yesterday that he was"a stinker" which is what my Aunt has been calling Parker. It was pretty funny actually.

Then this morning I get am sleeping soundly in my bed and I hear a door slam. Of course this really scared me because Gordon was gone and Parker was sleeping, or so I thought! So I jump out of bed and run around the house as fast as I can (with cell phone in hand and 9-1-1 already dialed so as I come upon anything or anyone in the house I can merely push send.) After a thorough investigation of the house nothing seems to be amiss, aside from the dog missing. So I go back to my bedroom and sit on the bed wondering what in the world was going one when I hear laughing on the monitor. So I go to open Parker's bedroom door and it is locked! (MUCH to my surprise!) So I get a penny (yes they're the easy to open ones, SMART thinking on my hubby's part) and open the door. The dog is sitting in the middle of Parker's bedroom while Parker is running cars all over him and making car noises. Parker looks up at me and says what sounds like to me Mornin mama. It was pretty funny, but this whole situation scares me, because this means that not only can Parker can climb out of bed, (which he has done before, so no surprise there) but now he can open his door and lock it as well. I guess the good news is the dog was entertaining him in his own room and he was not wondering around the house doing who knows what. I guess next he'll be serving his own breakfast and turning the cartoons on Saturday mornings. Where does the time all go? So anyway, now that we are all officially caught up on my life I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Nearing the 2 year anniversary of mommyhood

2009-01-19T11:03:00.005-06:00

As my experience of motherhood nears its 2 year anniversary there are a few things that I have learned along the way. I would like to share a few of them, of course hopefully these are only a few and I have learned much more than this list. So here goes:

1. Laughing-it is better than crying and water proof mascara isn't really water "proof" more water "resistant"

2. Febreeze and stain removers were invented my a mommy

3. Duck tape does keep a diaper on, masking tape doesn't stick to the slick surface as well

4. "No" at age two can mean yes, maybe, I am hungry or anything else

5. "Fine" can be used by a 2 year old and in the proper context

6. When a favorite snack food is found (such as the new Cheerios Chex Mix) buy it in stock. United, Target and 2 Wal-Mart's might not have it when you run out.

7. And, go easy on that "psycho" mom in Wal-Mart with the crazy hair and the stuff stuck to her kid's hair and face. She might be sick with 2 papers and a test due the next day. She might also never look like that, it might have been that there were no diapers anywhere near the premise that she calls home. So when the mom is yelling at her kid to "just sit down in the cart!" for the 15Th time try to have pity on her and not scorn. It might just be an off day. *Side note* For those of you that have the "perfect" child and not the one that just wants to go home and "play" just wait. Your time will come, if you ever plan on having more kids the next one might be just like my strong willed spirited child, so judge not lest you be judged.*End of side note..now on to

lessons that can be learned from the dog:

1. Staying on the opposite of what mom is vacuuming keeps you from being sucked up because she must change the vacuum setting before she gets to your part (ex. stay on tile if she's vacuuming carpet, visa verse)

2. Taking up maximum room on the floor is best, never give up your floor space to adults or cats

3. Anything can be chewed

4. Any food needs to be at least tried, one good lick should suffice

So, honestly looking back I can say I have learned a lot about myself. I really am blessed with a good kid, even if he does throw tantrums and he is strong willed. I can't imagine having a child that does everything I want him to at every moment, MAN would life be dull. I look back over these last 2 years and so many things have changed! There have also been so many good memories already made. There have been moments of crying, yelling and lots of laughing. I just pray that during these next long months of this new journey most often referred to as "potty training" I can remember how to laugh, lots.

My very bad no good day

2009-01-12T20:10:00.005-06:00

If I were to ever write a book of quotes from my Dad, and I could, fill a whole book that is, this would be at the beginning of them all. "My dad used to tell me cheer up kid, things could be worse, so I did, and then they got worse." That is about how my day has felt. It has gone from mediocre to horrible. The title of my day were it written in a book would be called the Very Bad No Good Day. I don't really have time to explain it all, I just wanted to vent. It has been a Monday, and as I was receiving my wonderful Sonic food (just in the middle of the bad day, not even near the end) the guy giving it to me said "It looks like someone has a case of the Mondays". No kidding. He really said that, I didn't even respond. At that moment in time there was nothing polite I could say, and you know what Thumper's mom and my Dad used to say, If you can't say nuthin...and you know the rest. I sincerely hope that everyone elses Monday has gone better, and I also sincerely hope this is not the beginning of a horrible week. It can't get any worse right? I try to never say that, in fact I am not going to say that out loud. I would post some pictures but alas I have no camera, so there are no cute pictures. And Parker is sick so he's not looking too cute right now anyway so I guess it's OK! Love to all, sorry if this is blah, I just wanted to write, and a short story not a novel.

These are the days

2009-01-05T22:52:00.008-06:00

Well, just to let everyone know, since my last blog was very gloomy, irrational and a bit angry...Samsung is going to fix my camera, or replace it for us. So good news there! We had a wonderful Christmas (since my last blog did not really reflect the correct holiday mood) haha. We went to Dallas and spent Christmas eve and Christmas day with Gordy's brother and sister-in-law and her family. She has a huge family, with her sister contributing 4 children to the chaos. It was nice, they are all blond so Parker fit right in! There were twins that are almost 3 (of course Parker could have taken them if the need had arose, they're pretty little) and a 10 month old. So he was right in the middle (age wise, of course size wise he was a little closer to the 6 year old). Then the day after Christmas we drove to one of my best friends in the worlds house that lives in Texarkana (Mary for those of you who know her) and we met her new son Brendan who is 2 months old. It was a time full of joy and a lot of running around (mainly because of my child, who of course seems to never sleep!) We are really blessed that we have so many great family members and friends that let us crash parties and hang out with them. Then this last week we just spent it taking down Christmas decorations (sad day!) and hanging out together, it was a much needed rest. Of course since it was New Years Gordy came home Wednesday night and was home for 4 days! Now the sad part is he still has another 2 or 3 weeks left down there, this week is going to be hard, for 2 weeks now we've only had to miss him until Wednesday, and of course this week it's back to the norm. So I guess keep us in your prayers and thoughts, mainly that he gets it done and can come home. On February 1st Parker turns 2 and we're going to have Gordy's mom here (YEAH!) no really I mean it, no sarcasm, she hasn't got to see Parker since this time last year and I know she is dying to see him...oh right and us too of course :) And then my Aunt and Uncle are flying in from St. Louis too. So, I really need Gordy home, plus I start school this coming Wednesday. Love to all, hope 2009 has gotten of to a great start for everyone!!

Could it get any worse?

2008-12-30T20:43:00.004-06:00

So last night ended horribly. I went to take a picture of Parker opening some late Christmas presents and as I went to focus the camera the doorbell rang. I sat the camera on the kitchen counter (where my mom was standing) and went to answer the door. When I came back I picked up the camera and turned it on expecting to see my sweet darling child through the screen. Instead of that wonderful picture, I got a screen that looked like someone had thrown a baseball at it. I turned it off and then back on hoping that something was just momentarily wrong with it. Of course I was wrong and my little birthday present that I had saved up to get was broken. No big deal right? I bought it at Wal-Mart less than a month ago and surely they would help me get my memory catcher back to working condition, or at least replace it for one that is the same. WRONG! So this morning we went traipsing off to the store that sells anything you need with high hopes and great expectations. I left the store near tears and full of disappointment. Apparently they ONLY refund or exchange cameras 30 days after you buy them, of course my little jewel had decided to break 1 day too late and I decided to try and get help 2 days too late. After speaking to 5 different managers and having 1 of them tell me that I could exchange it for any camera I wanted as long as it was comparable in style and capabilities to the one I had that was sad and broken I felt much better. I went to the camera department, found the camera that was exactly like mine except for the fact that it was black instead of red and 80.00 more than the one I had purchased (Because I had purchased it while it was on sale). I went back to customer service (And let me tell you they should change the service part to let me just screw you out of any money or whatever you are trying to do, you should just know that all sales are now final) and of course this was only my 4Th time to stand in the long line, I got to the front excited and relieved that everything was indeed going to be OK. The lady rang up the broken and sad camera and rang up the new camera and told me it was going to be 80.00, of course I say, no the manager flagged me down and told me that I could pick one comparable to the one that I have. Then much to my relief the manager walks over just at that time, seemingly to me like she is going to save the day. This is one day I was wrong more times than right in my assumptions. She looks at the 2 cameras (which again I add were the exact same make, just a different model) and then tells me it will be 80.00 dollars. I of course ask her exactly what she said then when she flagged my mom and I down in the middle of the store (this was after of course I was ranting like a lunatic that everyone should buy their electronics at Target, Best Buy or Circuit City and not here), she tells me what she thinks she told me and I tell her that is not what she said. At this point she says "Well then, since you didn't understand me the 1st time let me be clear this time, you can buy this camera or you can take your broken one home". Of course by this time I was seeing red, and it wasn't just because the camera that I held so near and dear was that color. I snatched my camera from her (with my receipt, fat lot of good that piece of paper has done me) and walked off. Of course after telling her that it was fine I was just never going to buy any electronics from Wal-Mart again, what's the point? Now let me add at this juncture that not every Wal-Mart employee is mean and horrible, the 2 ladies that were originally helping me were very nice and kind and you could tell that if there was anything they could have done they would have. The thing that gets me is that Wal-Mart would not even give me my money back because it had been TWO DAYS too late, you see their 90 day return policy does not apply to cameras. I thankfully bought the extended warranty through Samsung and hopefully in the morning will have better news to tell. I am just praying that they help me, because Parker turns 2 in a little more than a month and it would be very sad if I had no camera to document the occasion. Especially if I did not have one because Wal-Mart is not willing to loose 80.00 to do the right thing. (Of course we all know they wouldn't loose a dime in the matter, they would just ship it back to the company) So, the point of this blog is: Buy ALL of your electronics ANYWHERE but Wal-Mart, they will not help you, replace it or exchange it. And if it's 30 days out they will not even refund your money so you could go somewhere decent that cares about their customers happiness. My advice is Best Buy or Target, we've had some problems with products from there and both places were helpful and courteous and it did not take me more than 2 hours to get the run around. Love to all, hope your day was better than mine and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

what could it change? I mean really...

2008-12-22T10:37:00.000-06:00

Well, I have already written this story once, but somehow it was deleted off of here, and I hope this one isn't going to be deleted. I will save it on my computer and I will repost this as many times as I have to! Anyway, on the insistence of my friend Heidi (I love you!) I am going to rewrite this. This is a testament to how great God is even when we're not trying to be involved in others lives and even when we're not trying to bless others necessarily. The other day Parker and I were going into a store and it was cold and windy, and all I was thinking was "Where is there a cart" and looking for one that I could hoist my 32 pound son into and my Mary Poppins bag. As we approach the entrance I see and old woman and a little boy probably 3 or 4 sitting on a well worn bench. Thinking nothing of it really I proceed to enter the store (or at least I try). As we near the entrance Parker pulls on my hand so hard we are no longer going towards the entrance but towards the woman and little boy sitting on the bench. As I am trying to get my scattered thoughts around what is happening Parker pulls off his hat and puts his brand new shiny hot wheel into it handing it to the little boy. He is sitting there looking at his grandmother and then to me. All I could think to say was "He has a big head the hat should fit." Now upon a closer examination the little boys hat is see through and the their jackets are clean but well worn. He asks me if he could hug Parker and of course I say "sure". And as he hugs Parker the Grandmother stands up, well worn with time and age and says to me "I have been sitting here praying to God asking how I was to get something even small for my grandson for Christmas this year, my husband has just lost his second job." Her eyes are threatening to spill the tears her eyes are producing and as I stand there with my son that is not even 2 yet, I realized how God takes care of everyone that is His. This woman is a faithful hardworking lover of God and even though they didn't have a lot of earthly possessions you could see the love and concern for others in her eyes. She asks me if she could hug me and of course I say yes, even though I am not a big fan of hugs from people I have not known a long time. I warmly take her hug and am appreciative that she does not see my own eyes rapidly filling up with water as well. All I could think to say as I took Parker's hand once again was "Merry Christmas and God bless you." As we turn I shove my hand into my pocket feeling a couple of dollars (Which is SO weird because I NEVER have any money) I turn back around and I hand her the cash saying "I know this isn't much but maybe you could buy some gloves or something". She says thank you, but more with her eyes than words. As we are heading into the store I see an old beat up van on it's last leg pull up with a cheerful old man driving. He shouts to the woman and little boy "Get in Ma", and his face lights up despite the cold and lack of heat in the van. Parker gives one final wave to the little boy who is now wearing Parker's old hat, and who knew, Parker's big head was the same size as the older boys. God is so amazing, and even when you're busy and bustling through life He seizes every opportunity to help everyone, even if He has to show a little boy not even 2 yet how to bless someone else's life. I can't wait to see how God is going to use my little man's life, it is amazing to me that He already is! After hearing Ed's sermon yesterday at church this story has even more impact on my life now! Love to all, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! And don't forget, you never know how some "silly" thing you do might be the very thing someone else has been praying for!

That's IT I AM DONE!!!

2008-12-09T14:22:00.000-06:00

With finals that is! The pressure is off, I took the LAST FINAL OF THE YEAR today. It was actually pretty easy...that might be because I have been studying for it for the past week. Amazing that feeling of knowing all of the answers and not having to cram the night before! So now I am sitting here wasting time...because my kiddo is at PDO and I have NOTHING else to do. Well I guess that is a lie, I could be cleaning the house or making desserts for my family Christmas party coming this Saturday. But it feels nice just to sit and waste a whole bunch of time doing nothing important! MAN I never knew how much fun it was to surf the net without guilt gnawing on you because you know you should be doing homework instead :) It's a NICE feeling! Love to all, have a wonderful week!Oh, and this picture has nothing to do with this blog, but I thought it was cute. So stay warm today (Since it is FREEZING HERE!!) But just think, if you're cold remember all of us that had to trudge across Tech campus this morning in the freezing rain, snow mix. Glad I'm home now!

unhappy?

2008-12-04T11:05:00.001-06:00

"If you are unhappy with your material possessions it's not their fault, it's yours. It means you need to work on your moral life." This was said by one of my Professors on the last day of class and I thought about it all day yesterday. It's really true. There is no reason in this country to be as unhappy as some people seem to be. I have food, a house, cars, a warm bed at night, people that love me, friends and my puppy. AND I do have MORE material possessions than one person would really need. So if this Christmas you are finding yourself feeling depressed because you didn't get your cool new red pair of skates, ask yourself..."Is it really the skates I am missing or something more?" At least you have a warm home, food and family. Don't forget the beginning of the word Christmas, and the holiday cheer that goes with it. I am so frustrated with people today talking about the new ipod or 1,000 inch tv they got for some great deal. That's NOT what this is about at all!! There are men and women that do not get to be home for Christmas instead they are fighting for our country. (So don't forget to pray for them and their families). I am sad that Gordon is not home every night but I am thankful that he gets to come home on weekends and he's safe in Texas. SO go out there, show some love and be lovable people!! (Myself included haha) So I LOVE YOU ALL!! And am so grateful for all of my fabulous friends new and old! Love to all, just thought I would share this thought have a great week and a wonderful CHRISTmas break!!

the days of being 26

2008-12-01T11:16:00.000-06:00

Yup, I am posting 2 blogs in one day. But I couldn't fit all of my cute Abbie pictures in with my other ones so I had to do 2, so sorry! So I am now 26, officially. I have to say that this has been one of the best birthday yet (even though we were sick all throughout the weekend). One of my closest friends (the one that everyone thinks is my sister) took Parker and I to lunch at the Olive Garden, then I had a party on Friday and we had a great time! Then on Saturday we hung out as a family and that evening Gordy took me to the drive in and then Logan's. It was really nice, even though Tech could have won the game for me, but I guess not everything can be perfect. I got some terrific gifts but I think the best thing about it all is how many people showed they care about me. It meant a lot to me that everyone came to my birthday party and then all weekend I kept getting phone calls and e-mails. It made the whole thing well worth it. When I was a kid I wanted a lot of people to come to my birthday parties so I could get a lot of gifts, but now I just want people to come so I can see them (But I must say I did tell everyone not to bring gifts to this party and EVERYONE was so sweet and brought me awesome gifts anyway. You do all love me!). It was especially nice to see everyone since a lot of us are so busy that's about the only time we have. So love to all, I hope you had a wonderful Thanskgiving and I hope you have a great week!

Abbie days

2008-12-01T11:04:00.000-06:00

So I got to watch Abbie the other day, and even though she slept most of the day we had a blast! I thought I would share a few of the adorable pictures I got. Of course this was before my new camera so they're not as of good quality as my pictures will be from now on. Parker LOVES her, he is now calling her "my abababy" It sounds like he saying my baby abbie. It makes me laugh. He cried when she left, and when she fell down (because she is not even 8 months old but she wanted to walk around with Parker) he ran to her and held her hand. It was so sweet! Then he held her hand as she held onto the couch and walked around that way. He also tickled her (even though she didn't laugh because she's not very tickilish) and he wanted to help feed her. Of course I only let him watch, I drew the line at him holding the spoon, it just didn't seem like a good idea.

2008-11-19T13:32:00.000-06:00

We went to Tech on Sunday and took some pictures for our Christmas cards. Yes I know it seems a bit early to be thinking of that, but I have to send them out soon!! So, if I have your address then be looking for them in the mail soon! Since I am really bad about snail mail, you might want to wait until AFTER Thanksgiving to start looking for those. I figure I do not have class all week, (Except for Tuesday when one of my HUGE projects is due, and YEAH for me I am already all ready for it and VERY proud of myself) I will start addressing and sending those cards out. I am having the 1 year anniversary of my 25th birthday on Saturday so Happy Birthday to me! I am sure I will be blogging about how wonderful my husband is sometime in the near future everyone have a great week!! OH, and the pictures were taken by Erin Burgess, isn't she WONDERFUL?

What one year can do

2008-11-12T11:33:00.000-06:00

So here are 2 pictures of my baby. This is exactly one year apart...of course as you can guess they are both Halloween pictures. It seems that everyone I know is having babies right now (THANK YOU GOD I already have mine!!!) I was looking through pictures of Parker when he was little and thinking how amazing he was, yet how scared sensless I was. I am becoming to believe this is a normal feeling and all new mother's feel this way. This did not stop me from thinking that I was not really made to be a mom however. Everyone that knows me knows that I do not always revert to the "Mommy thoughts" as quickly as most of my fellow mommy peers. But somehow this little guy (now big) has managed to survive, and pretty well I would like to add. So as I am going into my field soon and becoming a "real live teacher" it gives me great confidence that if I can raise this little guy than I can do anything! Of course I must say that I am very blessed because he is one of the best kiddos there is. Of course he is full of ENERGY but he is very compassionate, helpful and very smart. I hold whole length conversations with him, which I always have done for some reason. Now he actually responds to what I am saying, so it is really amazing to see how far he's come in one year! It's hard to believe that he was once as small as all of my friends kiddos are now. I know I say this with EVERY life stage that he is in, but I think this is my favorite stage thus far!! He is SO curious and bright. If he can't figure something out the first time he doens't throw it like most of his friends, he sits down with it and keeps trying. He actually put a puzzle together this morning with my Dad. My Dad said he did very little, he just watched Parker figure it all out! Of course it wasn't 1,000 pieces or anything, but it is still amazing. It's also funny to see how much like my Dad and my Grandpa he is. He has the same personality as both of them. If it stays that way he will make an amazing Father and husband himself. I can't think of three better men in the world than Gordy, my dad and my grandpa. I also want to add that even though Gordy is gone during the week Parker and I have not only bonded more (if that's possible) but we've started to learn to cherish the time that we do have. Last week in our small group Donna and Steve asked us to share what God has been showing us. I think that through this ordeal God has been showing me that we need to cherish everything we have. In this time of economic crisis, meltdown or whatever you want to call it, we need to realize exactly how blessed we are. Every moment I have with Gordy now is cherished and I realize EXACTLY what he means to me. Before when I saw him everyday it was easy to take him for granted. Now I thank God everynight that I have such a wonderful man in my life and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him and raise our amazing son. I also think Parker is learning this too. We count down the days until Daddy his home again but at the same time we have fun together during the week. When Gordy is home on the weekends Parker takes full advantage of his time with him, and I love that! We only have 2 more months until Gordy's job down there is finished and I am expecting God to show us so much more before that time! Love to all, sorry this is so long!

Officially one of "them"

2008-11-03T21:25:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was a lot of fun! So, I feel that I am now "officially" a Red Raider. I can honestly say this is the first time I have watched a game and actually cared who won. Not only did I care but I was one of the mindless fans screaming at the TV as if the people could hear us. It was ridiculous, but fun none the less. We actually missed the first part of the game because we were at the Corn Maze with a bunch of fun kiddos, Pat and Kara. Halloween was fun, we took Parker Trick or Treating, really for the first time. We actually did a lot of driving because there were so many people that wanted to see him so we just drove to friends houses and COTR for the candy and festivities. He had a BLAST! And he was actually allowed to go into one of the jumpers by himself because there was no other kiddos in line. (Thank you nice lady at COTR you made my baby boy's night!!) He was having so much fun I thought I was going to have to climb in there and get him! Sorry there are no pictures...well there are but I am not going to find the camera in my sea of papers and essays to download them right now. I promise I will post them later, hopefully before next Halloween. Love to all and WAY TO GO TECH PLAY THAT GOOD THIS WEEK PLEASE!!! OH and tomorrow is voting day DO NOT FORGET! And if you have any "I voted stickers" you can pass them to Parker on Wednesday night or Sunday morning depending on when you see me :) He was decked out in them all of last week, it was great. SO get your voice out there and VOTE. Again, love to all, I am now done with my public service announcment, carry on back to your lives.

pumpkin madness

2008-10-23T23:03:00.000-05:00

So last weekend we had some friends over and we carved pumpkins! There is a picture of our finished pieces. It was so much fun and it was nice to see some people. Parker was a HUGE helper, he thought it was the coolest thing. He kept taking all of the pumpkin lids off and looking inside. I think he kept thinking "I know this was full of stuff a minute ago!" There are a few new words in his vocabulary now. He says "bubbles, outside" which sounds more like ouchide and he shakes his head yes and no with the correct word now. He is growing up TOO FAST! He can also drink from a straw, which I know most kids can do long before this age but for some reason he never wanted to try and drink out of one. Well now he wants a drink of everything! And he follows me around the house saying "Mo Mama Mo" even when I have nothing to give him. It's amusing. He also "helps" we with school work. As long as I give him a sheet of paper and a pencil he will help me with "sool" which is what he calls it. Love to all I know I haven't posted in forver! Homework and student teaching is getting the best of me I am afraid!

my cave

2008-09-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

So, many of you have been asking how things are going. I NEED TIME!! There is NOT enough hours in the day to get everything done. I am trying to prioritize and just get the MOST important things done, but sometimes I feel like I am not doing a very good job at it. I have so much to do, and yeah I know here I am typing a blog! But in my mind this really helps reduce my things to do because now I don't have to answer the questions! So, we're doing good. Gordon is out of town Mon-Fri as some of you know. It's been hectic, homework, writing papers, homework, taking care of Parker, cleaning. You know busy day stuff. It's been really hard with Gordon being gone and some days I just am amazed I am able to get anything done. My child is into EVERYTHING!! But, thus far I have failed nothing (well one measly little math test...but I actually got one of the higher grades in the class) so I guess somehow I am getting it done. And even though I have not vacuumed the house in longer than I would like to admit there is no dirty dishes or mold anywhere. We're also all running around in clean (mostly) clothes, so I guess everything is getting done somehow. I just can't think about energy levels. On a better note my mom took Parker and I to the fair yesterday (it was his 1st time ever) and it was a nice break from writing papers and studying. Even though we only spent a few hours in the general population it was still nice! Parker wanted to pet the cows, of course I told him we couldn't, GROSS!! So, to everyone that ever reads this, caffeine is my best friend, lamps and my kitties keep me company in the late hours and pony tails have become the norm. I will hopefully talk to some of you in person when I can come out of my cave that has become my existence, a good time line for this would be after December 10Th :) Have a great week!

Pen snobbery

2008-09-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

There never seems to be any time to do anything, yet somehow almost everything gets done. Although the laundry never seems to be finished, it is like a large animal of sorts waiting to attack me as soon as I step into the laundry room. Recently I bought some really nice pens. I mean, these are the pens that God intended people to use, they’re smooth flowing, perfect color and never seem to run out. Unfortunately for me they are rather pricey, but I have recently realized that my hand cramps do not care about price, just quality. So last week I decided I was going to become a pen snob, and yes it has gone straight to my head. Well, the other night I was getting ready to dig into a very long and labor intensive paper and I needed my snobby pen in hand. I proceeded to look in the obvious places, you know, the desk, chair, bed, dog toy bin, child toy bin and everywhere else a pen might escape to. After fruitless efforts of looking for my long lost expensive yet worth it pen I decided to give up and lower myself to the .99 pen from Wal-Mart. Just as I sit down to start writing my 19 month old son runs up to me yelling “Mommy, Mommy Mommy!!” Very loudly and very urgently. Of course I was at first inclined to ignore him and yell at my husband to come and get him. You must realize this was my only moments of free/quite time that I had sat aside and allotted just for this occasion. But anyway looking up at my son I see him running at me with fist high in the air holding something thin and small. His hand is an oddly stained dark color (from who knows what, and after living with him for these last 19 months I really don’t even try and speculate until I can get close.) As he is quickly approaching me I get a good look at his clothes and realize this dark substance has somehow traveled to his clothes as well. “Odd” I think. As he leaps into my lap proudly displaying whatever it is he has obviously won and grinning as large as he can. He hands me my sad, chewed, bleeding snobby pen. At that moment in time I can honestly not say if I was more upset about his clothes and inky hands or my dilapidated little friend that had only had the privilege of serving me but once in its sad and pathetic little life. Of course I wanted to yell, and cry and all of the above, but the look on his face made me stop. He had been looking ALL over the house for that pen for me, and even though he had, unfortunately for all of us, decided to take a chew while retrieving the pen for Mommy, he had still found it. So, on our way to the bathroom I tried (calmly tried) to explain that we cannot chew on pens because it has ink in it and it’s bad to get that in your mouth. Of course I am sure he didn’t really care, it has cool colors in it! Luckily this small sad moment also forced me to do some laundry, so there’s one chore down that I didn’t previously have done. I guess there is a silver lining in it after all. I have decided to traipse of to the store today and by myself another snobby pen. Hopefully this little troop can survive the Thornley household a little longer than its fallen comrade before it.

copy cat

2008-08-30T12:30:00.000-05:00

Well, after such a wonderful first week of school I am feeling very confident about this semester as a whole. I am now going to buy a bicycle so if anyone has any suggestions feel free to throw them out there for me. Parker has done really well with me being gone so much, of course next week he starts PDO so I think that will be much more fun for him than staying at home all week with various people. Of course on Tuesday he stayed with Connie, and they apparently had a blast, of course tomorrow I will get a better story I am sure. My mom went and picked him up so she didn't really tell me any funny stories. I feel like Parker has grown up just in this week. We've started trying to potty train him (just getting him used to the idea) and this morning he went in it!! We think. You see we weren't exactly watching him 100 % so it could be from him..or his sippey cup. It's up for debate. But I would like to think he went in it. He also imitates everything Gordon does, I tell him he's being a copy cat and he throws his head back and laughs.(Which is something else he LOVES to do, I think he's being sarcastic because he crinkles up his nose while he does it, but it still makes me laugh) This morning we went to the store to get various things and Parker wasn't sitting in the cart he was walking (as he LOVES to do and rarely gets to). Gordon was squatting down looking at something and Parker walked up next to him and squatted down just like him and started pointing to things and looking at Gordon. It was SO CUTE! I would've LOVED to have had my camera. He says "dere" now, which I am interpreting as "there" although I could be way off. Anyway, that's not much news but I just wanted to share the "first" moments with the crazy "potty"time thing.

traipsing off to big BIG kids school

2008-08-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

Well, today was my "official" day at big BIG kids school. Gordy and I used to call SPC big kids school so when I started applying to Tech he told me I was going off to big BIG kids school. The first day went pretty well. I wasn't hit by a bus, run down by a fellow biker or kicked in the head. I also had my shoes tied tight so I wouldn't get in a fight. I found my classes pretty easily and found a parking spot right off the bat. Of course I was there before 8, and there were hardly any left! Today I only had 1 class so tomorrow I feel will be the real challenge...since I somehow have to make it to 5 classes. But I am feeling much more confident than I was last week. And I KNOW Gordy loves me because last night he surprised me by taking me to the campus and walking around to the different buildings to find the quickest route. You see when I say "I would be lost without Gordy" it is not some figurative cutsie thing, I mean it literately. I would really be LOST without him, because I have NO sense of direction or a head for maps AT ALL!!! But he was so cute last night holding my hand and showing me landmarks that I could remember to help me find the right building. Because to me besides the library and the business building they all look the same. At least after all of these years he has finally learned I can not get a sense of direction by scouting out a bush or looking at the direction of the sun. All that does for me is want to make me sit in the shade and try not to stare at the sun too long before I go blind. I guess if I had been in the Army I would appreciate these things more, but alas I can not. So, here's to me sitting in my quite (Parker is napping thank you God!) cool office enjoying this moment instead of having tire marks on my forehead or roaming aimlessly around campus thinking "Man I thought I parked here!" And to all of my friends that went to Tech you should also be happy that Gordy helped me because you might all have a frantic phone call from me asking to help me find where I am :) And oh yeah Brandi I have your number now! Haha. So here's to a great semester, if all (or at least most, lets be realistic here) days go this well!!

No baby

2008-08-18T13:43:00.000-05:00

Everyone has always told my "Kids grow up too fast." I always politely agreed with them, and now I find myself telling other people that. I have just gotten home from visiting my family in St. Louis and when we get home Gordon tells me that Parker has changed while we were there. Of course he is always growing taller (no really he is, one morning I went to put an outfit on him he wore the day before so we could run to the grocery store and it would no longer snap at the bottom.) Don't ask me to explain that, it just happened. So I have been watching him today trying to figure out exactly what Gordon meant. Of course I see Parker every day and here recently all day everyday. When I was in school I would go to pick him up and be amazed at how different he looked than what was in my mind's eye. Sometimes I still catch myself thinking that he is still a baby. Which I only think for a second as he runs the other way laughing or jabbers to me in his own language. So, here is some changes that have occurred in merely one week. He says "yeah" but only to something he wants or wants to do where last week it was "yeah" to anything, including a nap or bedtime. He takes my hand and walks me to the changing table when it is needed. (Don't worry we've gotten a potty chair and are currently getting him comfortable with it as told by multiple books and mommies we should do.) He can bite into an apple actually chewing the chunks up where before he couldn't bite into it and if he did it was reduced to mere dribble down his nicely stained clothes. He can also meow like a cat when he sees one (no really, I thought it was actually the cat this morning) I was surprised to find the cat in the other room and Parker pointing to the empty doorway meowing. Before it was a silly sound and not really recognizable by others. He can also take the back off of the remotes, which means no more play time with them. He also officially has 13 teeth, I think, of course this count could be off it was just merely done by identifying the amount of dents in my skin. I think that is about it, of course everyday there is something new, it's just so hard to keep up. Gordon swears by the time he gets home on Fridays Parker will be driving. Oh and one last thing he does, which is very funny, when you ask him where the baby is he says "No babeeee"

Traumatic cooking experience

2008-07-24T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I was not going to share this story because as you will be able to soon imagine it is highly embarrassing. The only thing good is that my family hates computers and even more so the Internet, so I am safe in assuming that they will never read this. The other day I was feeling very inspired and decided to cook a family meal that would be different. Because you see I have this feeling that we eat the same things all of the time, which is really not so much a feeling as an actuality. So I get out my little cook book and I come across a wonderful sounding recipe that involves chicken, cheese tortillas and some various other parts. Of course this sounds very easy (and wonderfully delicious). So Parker and I go traipsing off to the store to get all of the essential ingredients. While I am standing in the produce section of our local grocery store I must have looked very lost (Of course you must understand I rarely buy fresh things that are unknown to me). I try very hard to stick to known substances which would be the major food group items. But for this recipe that I can already see Gordon raving over I needed fresh parsley. As I am standing there and Parker is looking at me like come on mom! a very nice older gentlemen that works there asks me if I need help. Of course I am not one to turn down free advice (especially not from him because he miraculously always seems to be where I need him when I need him and his advice has yet to fail me). I tell him I do indeed need help and I tell him what I need. He immediately turns to the section (obviously marked parsley) and pulls down a beautiful bundle of the aromatic green bundle. He asks me what I am using it for, and I tell him what my intentions are. He kindly informs me to remove the end form the skinny stalks before putting it in my soon to be delicious mix of things. I go home and start making it. Gordon gets home and starts helping me (because little did I know you have to cut things up, stir the hot boiling oozing cheesy stuff AND get the tortillas ready) all at the same time. To an expert this is nothing, to me this is a disaster. So while Gordy is stirring things I proudly produce my fresh parsley from the fridge. I wash it off tear the tops off and proceed to throw it in. As I finish the last bit of throwing the parsley chunks into the melting lava that was at one time cheese Gordon yells "WHAT are you doing!?!?!?!" Of course since I naturally have a sweet nature and am not at all given to panic I answer "putting in the parsley" which he then says to "You have to cut it up!! LOOK at the picture in the book, they are NOT hunks they are tiny pieces." Of course my first thought is to remove the large hunks of parsley, which at this time is looking more and more like spinach from the moulting lava. Of course after 5 years of marriage and being able to read me pretty well, Gordy at once says "just leave it, it'll be ok." Which is his code way of saying "I am not putting burn ointment on your fingers every 4-6 hours and cooking dinner!" So we mix the rest together put it in the tortillas and place them safely in the oven. As we are eating my fabulous dinner we had to occasionally pull out chunks of a spinach like substance that oddly tasted of parsley. Needless to say we did not eat all of the 12 chicken cheese things that it made. My dreams of a beautiful amazing tasting dinner was out the window, but who cares right? We didn't starve AND we got some good tips for next time we cook something that requires fresh items. Needless to say I don't think I will ever make that again, the huge chunks of parsley will haunt me forever. And when I go back to the store I will not be sharing my horror story of how the parsley ruined my wonderful dinner to the kind elderly gentleman that had faithfully guided me in the right ways of cooking for countless years. I just can't let him down.

Daddy running away with junk

2008-07-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

So because I am not in school right now I have had a lot of time to look around the house, something I rarely have time to do. It has come to my attention that my house is very cluttered. Every closet is filled to the brim and every nook and cranny has something in it. Of course you have to realize that we've been in this house for over three years, but this is still RIDICULOUS!! So, Gordy and I have been VERY motivated these past few weeks (I really have NO idea why) and we've been cleaning things up and moving things around. The first weekend we cleaned the backyard up...which is AMAZING, it still has stuff to be done but it's getting there. Then the weekend before we cleaned out the garage (that was NOT fun) but it is done now. AND this past weekend we cleaned out the office closet! I am so proud of us. The stupid thing is there was still clothes in there from when I was in high school. I decided that since I am a Mommy now it wasn't really very cool to be wearing scooby-doo shirts and care bears. I think I will leave that up to Parker. The sad thing is there is so much stuff in our house that we will never need! I really think there is elves of clutter in my house. It's as if there are little elves running around our house putting random things in our closets. Some of that stuff I have NO IDEA where it came from. BUT I am watching out for them now that I am aware and all of the stuff we don't need is NOT getting put in a closet...it's just going to Goodwill. Yes, I sent Gordy packing yesterday with his truck full of things that I hope others will love as much as I did...or at least not throw it in the closet and forget about it. So, the really cute story out of all of this mess is: As Gordy was leaving (with a ton of bags of useless junk and old clothes) I say to him "Are you running away?" And he says yes, with all of my old winter clothes at least I won't be cold in this 90 degree weather. And he walks out to the truck. Parker RUNS full speed to the front door, hits his palms on the glass and screams "NO DADDY NO Please No Daddy!!" It was pretty cute, well sad but cute. So I yell at Gordy to come back inside, because by this time there is a puddle of tears on the floor. It took everything Gordy had to take Parker seriously, it was quite hard not to laugh. Of course I have NO IDEA where my son could have gotten his dramatic streak. It surely is NOT from me, I am NEVER over dramatic. But what ever dramatic DNA Gordy and I have, I think we doubled it in Parker. Nothing is ever small with him.

No Sacred Place!

2008-07-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well, our stories are not legends and folklore yet but I am confident that we will eventually be the crazy old people of the family. I have all the faith in Parker that our crazy lives will be retold in our family for generations to come. I also have no doubt that "Great Great Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Ruth" are destined to be loonies and will create much embarrassment for future generations. Of course this being my first "official blog" there is too many stories to tell and I would hate to make this very long. Here is the one story for this first blog however. This morning I wake up and start making coffee as usual (you know, the much needed first cup) and I am getting Parker's breakfast ready as usual. I walk into the dining room from our kitchen to find Parker sitting on the dining room table eating a (who knows how old) bagel he found. He was also happily sipping on a (also who knows how old) Dr. Pepper. Breakfast of champions right? Sadly enough our dining room table is no longer a sacred ground for the much needed place of inappropriate children's items. Soon there will be no safe place from the octopus arms that are attached to my child's body.