Easter fun times

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.