Happy (soggy, wet) Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Well, this year the weather in Knoxville decided not to cooperate. It started raining late Friday night and hasn't really stopped since then. And because you can't cancel Halloween, our neighbor went ahead with her 7th annual Halloween "pre-party" and moved all the festivites to inside her house! There were probably 30 adults and 20 kids running around eating pizza and dancing, it was great! Wild, but great! Parker the dragon/dinosaur was a bit intimidated when we first walked in but quickly warmed up and joined in on the festivites! The rain did stop long enough for all the kids to go outside for a group picture! Which, while Parker was running around in the yard, he slipped in a pile of dog poop and we did not discover until he and Robert were at their third house and Robert kept smelling "that smell" so, they had to stop with the trick or treating and get him home. It was all over his costume and his hands. GROSS!! But he didn't seem to mind, he had a great time and I think next year he will really get it and LOVE Halloween. He did have part of a peanut butter cup and a tootsie roll and loved them both! He is my child after all! I knew he had it in him!!

I am into my 16th week of pregnancy! Time is flying by! I have been feeling great, except this week I did start having some serious round ligament pain which kept me off of my feet Monday and got me to the doctors office on Wed. Apparently this is pretty common but if it continues, I might be spending more time with my feet up and resting than I would like..I go for my 17 week appt next Tues and then at 19 weeks, we get the big ultrasound!!! More details on that a bit later...Take care everyone!!

Welcome fall!

Well, Monday was officially the last day of summer (or was it Tuesday!) I think we are all ready for fall around here, it has been such a mild summer, I think we were feeling like it was fall in July! They are forecasting evening temps next week to be in the 50s! Fall will definetly go by fast, between UT football games, family visiting and a few weekend road trips, Christmas will be here before you know it! Thankfully, I will be 12 weeks (Welcome 2nd trimester!) next week and I am starting to get most of my energy back, which is great because I have a feeling I am going to need it!

Parker started a new MDO at the beginning of the month and is doing great! He attends Tues, Wed and Thurs from 9-1. He loves it! He comes home everyday in a great mood and is always bringing home a ton of artwork! My fridge is starting to look like a makeshift art museum! If anyone has any ideas on what to do with all of this beautiful artwork, please let me know!

Parker turns 2!

Friday was Parker's 2nd birthday! We celebrated by coming into town (Memphis) on Wed. His party was Saturday at the Wiseman house. All the family was there and a few friends made it to the party! Since Parker is soo into choo choo trains these days, we had the folks at Happy Times Farm in Nesbit bring up a train to take the kids up and down the street. (I personally think the adults liked it just as much as the kids!) Parker has had a blast this past week playing with all the cousins. It is so neat that they are all so close in age! They really get along and play well! We are headed back to Knoxville on Wednesday. Parker starts a new mother's day out program next week, so we must get him ready for that! Thanks again to everyone who helped out with Parker's party! I couldn't have done it without ya!!

The kitchen sink...

Everyday it amazes me the things that Parker finds interesting enough to want to play with - the broom and dust pan, the attachments to the vacuum, flashlights, the list goes on and on (toys, what toys?? I dont even know why we waste our money on toys)...But his latest fascination is the kitchen sink...He will play for hours with the water, cups and occasionally, the dish soap! Notice the big red bucket in the sink, yeah, he toted that in from the garage..The sink is the first thing he runs to in the morning and the last thing he wants to play with at night. It's too funny but not helping the water bill at all! Can't wait to see what next month's bill is...I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather!

Happy 4th!

With the weather being as nice as it has been in K-ville, 83 was the high yesterday, we decide to take Parker to the zoo. P started out in the stroller but as soon as we got to the first exhibit, he wanted out and then it was 90 to nothing! He was off like a shot and basically ran for the next hour. But he did stop to enjoy a few of the animals, the pigs were by far his favorite as was the slide on the playground! He also like the petting zoo and the elephants. We would love to take him to see the fireworks tonight but they don't start until 9:30! Way past Parker's bedtime, oh well, I guess there is always next year! Happy 4th!!

Blog back up and running....

Happy 2009 everyone! (Yes, I know I am a little late but I guess it's better to be late than never, right??) Well after a three month break from blogging, I am really going to try and rededicate myself to it. My friend Leigh had to remind me that I have a blog and it's been months since I have posted! Leigh, thanks for the reminder! So I guess we will just do quick updates on everyone in the family! Parker has definitely been keeping us on our toes lately, just when you think you have baby-proofed all that you can, your child grows another inch or two and discovers that he can pull open the drawers in the kitchen. And not only can he pull them open, he can reach in and grab stuff out of them! That sent us into a quick panic; moving meat thermometers, blades to the Cuisinart and kabob sticks (is that what they are called?) to higher ground! He has also discovered Smokey's food and water bowls. He loves to sneak into the kitchen, run over to them and then dump them out! And then once you have busted him, he runs to get a kitchen towel to wipe up the mess. It's pretty funny but a huge mess! And not to mention, it ticks Smokey off pretty badly! He is talking more and more everyday, sputtering out things like, "See ya!" or "Bye John!" (when our friend John Harris leaves the house) he can also say "Hey" with a pretty thick Southern accent! He is still going to mother's day out two days a week and loving it! I can't believe he will be 18 months on Saturday, where in the world has the time gone by?? Where is my baby??

Robert and I are also doing well! Robert has been very busy with work, which is a true blessing! People in his field are being laid off all the time! I guess in these tight economic times, people need their Dollar Generals! So if there is one near you, I highly suggest shopping there! As for me, I am still working for the Keegan part time. Three days at home and two at the office. This has really worked out well for me and we all hope it continues as long as it can.

I will try to update the blog at least once a week, however if you see I haven't updated in awhile, let me know! It's hard to get anything done on the computer when all your little one wants to do when he sees you working on it is bang on the keys and try to crash the hard drive! (Don't laugh, he crashed the first hard drive I had on this laptop!)

Have a good week everyone!!!

Halloween as come and gone

Halloween this year was nothing like we have ever experienced before. When we lived in Memphis, we would get maybe one or two trick or treaters but this year living in Knoxville, was something totally different! To start, the entire neighborhood was invited to a "pre-party" at my neighbors house where they were serving pizza by the slice. There had to have been at least 40 kids running around in the backyard, all in their costumes. It was too cute! Parker was right in the middle of it! He loved being around all of those little kids! After the "pre-party" we were hit with about 40 trick or treaters - all at once! All you could see was a wall of kids running to our house. It was great and everyone had a great time (believe it or not, we did have candy leftover!) ! Parker was so glad to see Gigi last weekend. He got so excited when I brought her home from the airport. I think we are all looking forward to going to Memphis for Thanksgiving. It's definetly been awhile since we have been home and we are excited to see the family! I know Parker will love playing with all 13 of his cousins that will be there! What a family!

On another note, Robert and I went to the UT/Wyoming game yesterday with our friends, John and Rachel. That poor team, I think everyone is ready for this season to be over. How awful! How could you losing to Wyoming? Our friend John had quite a hard time believing this last night but it's true, 13-7......Oh well, here is to next year's season!

Halloween is coming!

Halloween is definetly coming! There is a chill in the air, the leaves are turning and you see pumpkins everywhere you go! We decided Parker was going to be a lion this year. His costume is way too cute, thanks to my mom! So we have been working on his ROAR! Right now its more of a grumbly grrrr but he is getting there! Thursday he gets to be in a parade at his mother's day out program and then Friday we will probably go by a few houses in the neighborhood as well as stopping by Fisher's house (Kemper & Dave's newest addition)! Ginger is also coming up to celebrate with us. We always love when people come to visit! Especially Gigi! I think Friday we will probably stay around the house but Sat I think we are going to visit some of the local gardens and hopefully go out to dinner. We can't wait for her to get here! In the meantime, I think Parker and I are going to go spend some time at Ft Sanders (our fitness club). Gotta burn some calories to make room for that Halloween candy!

Here is a little preview of him in his costume.....

I hope everyone has a great week!

Just another day at the beach..

Well, we are here! We finally got to go on our beach trip! We are at the end of day 2 and like we suspected, this trip is completely different than any other beach trip we have been on! Parker has been a real trooper! He is so excited to be here! I think he has made friends with everyone on the beach and is not scared of the waves or the sand at all. In fact, he loves it! He loves running right into the surf and laughs hysterically! Robert and I have been taking turns chasing him up and down the beach. But with all of this excitement comes the lack of wanting to sleep which can make him a bit crankey at dinner time but we are taking it in stride... It's exhausting but we are so fortunate to have such a sweet and energetic little boy! More to come later....

Sunday at Cherokee Park

Today we spent the afternoon at Cherokee Park which is in a beautiful neighborhood called Sequoyah Hills that nestled along the Tennessee river here in ol' K-ville. Parker loves it there. He loves to watch the boats cruise by and runners with their animals. He even took interest in a heated waffle ball game that was going on near us. Did I mention he loves to eat sticks? We have been having such beautiful weather, how can you sit inside? But we did have a great afternoon, Parker enjoyed it so much he took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon! We just have to get through this week and then we are off to Gulf Shores, AL for our rescheduled beach trip. Let's just say a quick prayer for good weather!

Getting ready for vacation

Well, it is finally that time of year - family vacation time! And not only is it vacation time but it is our FIRST family vacation since Parker was born. We are going down to Gulf Shores, Al for six days. As we get closer and closer to departing for vacation, I realize I am getting more and more nervous and anxious. Robert and I have never been to the beach with a baby, well he's not even a baby anymore - a walking toddler! I keep telling Robert its not going to be the same, no sitting on the beach all day drinking ice cold Corona, falling asleep with your feet in the sand, watching the sunset and then going to get a great seafood dinner. Nope, this year it was going to be totally different. Chasing a 1 year old up and down the beach, going to the pool, going up to the condo for lunch time and for nap time, then reapplying the sunscreen and going back down to the beach only to discover that the baby is much more happier at the pool. But thankfully, my mother is coming to help with Parker. Thank goodness she will be there! I think I have stressed myself out enough just thinking about it but it will be a good time and I will finally, finally get some much needed sun! Gotta love that vitamin D! Hopefully my anxiety level will decrease as we get closer to departure. We will see!

Oh here are some pictures of Parker chasing Smokey around the den. Turns out Smokey loves Parker's new Elmo chair just as much as Parker does which I must say doesn't make Mr. Parker too happy!

Happy Monday to all!

P.S. - I am new to this blog thing so be patient while I work on formats and what not...Thanks!