The Shields Adventures

Faithful by Kim Cash Tate: A book review

2011-01-28T21:49:00.005-06:00

I recently read the book called Faithful by Kim Cash Tate. This book was about a group of women best friends in different stages of their lives. Each one searching for a different meaning in their life and coping with and dealing with all the events occurring in and around their lives. This book had drama and romance from a Christian perspective. Faithful reads fast and easy and draws the reader in to find out what happens in the end. Each character has qualities that I feel we can all relate to in some way and all wonder how she will deal with it and how she will rely on God to find her way.
I enjoyed the book Faithful and would read it again. It was somewhat predictable in some ways, but in a comforting way. I appreciated being able to read the romance part of the book from a Christian perspective. I could feel how the characters were feeling and their interactions and relationships felt genuine to me while reading. The author portrayed 3 different women in 3 different life stages but yet connected them so tightly as well, helping us to remember we are all in this together. We can encourage and strengthen one another as Christian women.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Faithful by Kim

2011-01-28T21:49:00.001-06:00

Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado book review

2010-09-10T22:23:00.002-05:00

I recently read Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. This book is about using your life as a Christian to make a difference in this world. It talks about the issues going on now and in the past and how and why we need to take action now and why all of us are called to make a difference in this lifetime.

The book really hit me when the author asked hypothetical questions about what I would have done in times during World War II and concentration camps, or during the civil rights movement in the south...and what is going on now? Starvation, sex trade, etc. and what are we or specifically I doing? What would I want others and my grandchildren to see that I did. The book really helped me in stopping to think that while we see these things going on every day, they are not to just be ignored. Whether it be money or prayer or action, each of us need to take action to out live our lives and make a difference in this world as Christians, as God intended for us. The book gave many stories of current and past people including people from the Bible that have taken action to make a difference. This helped in making the the "assignment" seem more possible and part of everyday life for each of us. There are discussion questions for each chapter at the end of the book that are thought provoking and help give ideas on how to get started like by finding somone who is out living their life and making a difference now.

IF I COULD ASK GOD ANYTHING awesome Bible answers for curious kids by Kathryn Slattery Book review

2010-08-17T21:55:00.002-05:00

I recently read IF I COULD ASK GOD ANYTHING awesome Bible answers for curious kids by Kathryn Slattery. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. This book is about answering Bible questions most asked by kids. It is separated out into sections like prayer, the Bible, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The questions are real questions any new Christian may ask, they are short and to the point. They are answered succinctly enough get the answer going, and are cited by the Bible.

I feel like this is a good book. It is simple enough for children and parents to read together, but could still be used and understood by teenagers and adults new to their faith or just wanting to find "simple" answers to "simple" questions. Some questions are not all simple of course, but the book isn't afraid to answer more difficult questions as well. I think that this book is helpful and a resource that can be used for many years.

Plan B: What do you do when God doesn't show up the way you thout He would by Pete Wilson book Review

2010-05-03T12:05:00.003-05:00

I recently read the book Plan B: What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought He would by Pete Wilson. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. This book was about having a change in plans in your life either for yourself or someone close to you due to any change in circumstances. The book gives example in the Bible of Plan B situations, how God and people handled various situations then and in our own lives, as well as gives insight into why and how to deal with Plan B situations. It contains discussion questions at the end of the book for each chapter to help think about and process what the author has discussed.

I really enjoyed this book. I like that the author came across as authentic and genuine in telling the stories of his experiences and admitted when he didn’t have all the answers. The book doesn’t just give you an answer to dealing with every Plan B situation, but I don’t think that there can be, it’s not the simple. The advice that was given was backed up biblically. I did not like that the study questions were placed at the end of the book and not at the end of the chapters, as it seems less likely that a person will take the effort to go and read through them and more likely that they will forget they are there if reading the book alone. This book did give me insight and hope for myself and for helping others dealing with Plan B situations and helping to understand that we all have in mind what we want for our lives, but ultimately God knows and is in control.

April 2010: Guardian of the Parks

2010-05-02T23:12:00.007-05:00

April has been such a beautiful month in Minnesota. With all the snow melted and the sun shining, "Let's go on a walk" has become one of Parker's daily requests and expectations of activities. I think that Parker's name, meaning Guardian of the Park, is very fitting for him now. We have been to so many parks this month and played and played and played and walked and walked that I really think that he thinks it's his job to check all the parks! We have been outside so much already that I have a tan line where my watch goes! It's so nice to be able to be outside and not be 90 degrees and sweating. A lot of days we pack a lunch to eat, and one day I was thinking it was so hot, and my sunglasses were fogging up on me on our walk. Addison's face and arms were red and I was terrified that I had burned her (I didn't, whew). When we left and we got in the car I checked the temp and it was a whole 69 degrees! I laughed at myself and called my friend in Texas to tell her how silly I am to think 69 is hot when she is already enduring 80 to 90 degree weather. I have to say, I am so glad I am not! It's nice being 70, the sun is warm, warm enough to make me hot and my glasses fog up, and it's cool enough at night (and not dusty) to open the window and let fresh air in. We haven't run our heat or air all month I don't think, at least not much. :)
This month we went to the Oxbow zoo again, they had a program going on about the bear waking up from her hibernation. They hid all her food in her cage and then let her out to search for it. The kids liked it, and it was fun. We didn't have any visitors or go anywhere, but the month still flew by. I can't believe we are moving in 4 months! This year is flying by so fast. Still no idea where we are going by the way.
A big thing to us this month was that Micheal and I got to go on 2 dates! The kids stayed with a girl from church whom they have really taken too. It was wonderful to get out and the kids at least Parker was more than happy to go play with someone new. Addison does well, but she still rather loves her mommy and would prefer to be with her all the time instead.

This is a view of a river we cross on our walks.

I took this picture to show you that they are already running paddle boats in the river. You can rent them and pedal your way up the river and back.

Addison at one of the playgrounds. This is a ship shaped structure.

This is Hayden, she is 2 days younger than Addison. Her mom and I have become good friends and try to get together once a week.

I thought this was a sweet picture of them from behind.

This is Parker's friend Liam. He was also born the same week as Parker, and is Hayden's brother. They are from Arkansas and just moved to Minnesota a couple of months before us. Our kids are seriously days apart. We met at church. It was/is such a God thing that we were connected.

Addison in the playground.

Addison at the zoo. She has figured out how to stand on the foot rest and how to pull herself up to see what she wants to see in the stroller.

Another of her at the zoo.

Parker and Addison on a fine spring day in Minnesota.

And of course we did celebrate Easter this month, Parker has started this sideways head everytime you take his pictures. Funny kid. But still handsome!

We could not get a good picture of them together yet, but we will....literally, if you put Addison down, she walks, it's like one of those wind up toys. They were so beautiful though in their matching outfits. We will have a photo shoot again soon when we can get Addison to stand still!

Parker in April

2010-05-02T22:25:00.005-05:00

Parker is amazing! He has had a fantastic month! The first and most exciting thing for us, is that he is potty trained! Yay! I was going to put a more defining picture of this on here, but Micheal said no, so I guess he's worked too long in the prison, and perhaps I agree. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you! We did 3 day potty training method and it amazingly worked right away! We didn't really plan to potty train him this month, we knew we wanted to before he was 3 and my friend and I were discussing this and decided we would both do this method with our kids right now. So, we did it. At first we thought it couldn't work, but we also thought what can it hurt to try, it's 3 days, and we just need to commit. He has done great! (And so has my friend's daughter too!) He even stays dry at night....sometimes.....he is such a deep sleeper, I'm going to have to figure this one out. But, otherwise we have continued on with our daily lives...playing in parks, going to the store, going to story time, church, Bible study.....life goes on and so does Parker in the toilet! yay!

I am potty trained! yay!

Parker also started swimming lessons this month. You'll see the pictures at the last. He has been so excited about them. He has learned how to blow bubbles into the water, jump off the edge, turn around and get back to the gutter, lay on his back (but he still struggles with this, he doesn't like the water in or on his ears, I don't know which), and kicking. They push the ball with their noses and get flung around up and down back and forth in the pool by their parents. It's a bigger class then I would have liked, but it's a start, and at this age, it's not like I expected independent swimming totally! He loves the water though. Addison has to watch from the side, and it about kills her every time. She is dying to get in the water with us.
Parker continues to learn more and more. He LOVES dinosaurs and cars right now. He is always on the look out for them whether we are looking for cards in the store or at movies or shirts...there is bound to be a dino that he will see. Right now he likes the long neck ones, the brontosaurus, but he calls them long necks. It is time for us to get the Land Before Time movies I think! He loves to be outside, and he's really trying to master his hand eye coordination, wanting to try to bat a ball, and loves to play catch. He can ride his tricycle really well this spring, and the playgrounds do not slow him down at all. He has started reading the books to me or Addisy that he has memorized now, and it's so sweet to hear him singing songs we've learned at home or at story time. Parker talks all the time, sometimes I am so glad Micheal came home to listen to him so I can have an ear rest. Parker has really started to enjoy Addison even more and more, helping take care of her, but also helping to make her mad. He likes to take things from her (like her plug or stuffed animal) to make her chase him until she gets so mad she yells and I intervene. He has also had to spend some time in time out for pushing her down and being too rough with her. But, he really is still such a sweet and happy boy. We keep telling him he's a big boy now with the potty training and such. But a funny thing is, is that sometimes he'll see something he wants to do, like skateboard (there's a skate park off one of the trails we walk) and so I told him he could do that when he's bigger. He'll get a drink or wait a minute, and say "I"m bigger now." I think he has Micheal's concept of time, ha ha! Parker and I went on a couple mommy/son dates this month and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and How to Train a Dragon. He did great at both of course. He loved the dragon movie and still talks about the flying dragons. He is really starting to get an imagination and making his toys and such talk when he plays. But sometimes he is so literal...I put a shirt on him that had an alligator playing baseball...the typical little boy shirt. He said, "mama, is this a dragon or a crocodile?" Me: It says Gator baseball, so I think it's an alligator." Him: Alligators don't play baseball, they live in the water." I said you're right, they do live in the water. He is learning so much and thinking about so much too.

Parker wanted me to take a picture of him by his sled one day.....seems out of place to see him in his shorts next to the snow shovel and sled! In April, In Minnesota! Never thought this would happen!

Parker swimming with a noodle all by himself! He can use the current and his kicking to get himself from side to side of the pool width wise!

Addison at swimming lessons. She gets hot in there, but the water is freezing! When all the kids get out to jump in, they are shivering so badly that I sometimes imagine them shaking in like a cartoon.

Parker learning to jump in and grab the noodle...this teaches him to jump in without being caught every time.

Parker and I at his swimming lessons.

Blowing bubbles in the water and kicking across the pool.

One last shot of Parker for the month of April!

Addison in April

2010-05-02T21:55:00.002-05:00

Addison is 15 months old now! She is a very busy girl. We haven't taken her for her 15 month well check yet, so I don't have the stats...but I do know she is not quite 20 pounds yet, and her legs are too long for 12 month clothes. And I know her waist is 15 inches! That's a growth of 4 inches! Why do I know this? When she was born my sister and I were amazed at how tiny she seemed. It was amazing how much tinier she seemed than Parker, we measured her waist so we could tell her one day she had an 11 inches waist! Well now, she's too tall for 12 month clothes. But 18 month clothes generally fall off of her after 5 steps of walking....so I measured her waist to get her skirts and pants taken in. Geez, what a problem to have! Addison is doing well health wise by the way. It's a 2 person job most nights to give her her anitbiotic, but we manage. She is busy busy busy. Getting into everything and figuring things out way too fast. She can blow her nose on command now into a kleenex, and even does it on her own if she picks up a kleenex, that's what it's for afterall! She can blow into a nice noisy whistle that showed up at Easter. She can push herself to go down a slide...but doesn't like it if she pushes before you make it to the bottom! Addison loves to cuddle her stuffed animals. She loves the kitchen toys. She loves the kitchen! She is always at my feet in the kitchen, and loves to "help" load the dishwasher. This mostly involves me chasing down the silverware from the the trash or where ever she took it to. She also loves Parker. She wants to be where he is, have what he has, and do what he does. He's not always happy about this and it doesn't always work out how she wants. Addison is finally getting teeth! 8 now to be exact! She's a bit of a grump sometimes with all these teeth, and a little bit slobbery too! Addison's hair is growing bit by bit, it's nothing compared to what Parker had at this age, but we know Addison does EVERYTHING in her time, no one else's. It's long enough that if I don't tie it back the front gets in her eyes, but not long everywhere so it's a tiny ponytail on top. Well, I've been putting bows in her hair since birth so that when she needed them she wouldn't fight me. Well this month she started pulling them out when I put them in and when I told her NO she would start to cry and get big crocodile tears. So, I started putting little elastics in that she couldn't pull out. This worked great! No hair in her eyes, and no bow to pull out. After a couple days I started adding bows. The crying returned, but I was determined. One morning while getting ready, Parker said " Mama, no bow, Addisy cry." So funny, he didn't want to hear it that morning I guess....well it's paid off though, it only lasted a couple weeks and now we can do elastic and bow and they stay in all day long.

Addison in the kitchen with her kitchen toys. If she is standing up, she is on the run, there is no time to stop and pose for a picture, she has playing to do!

Sweet Addison

Addison on the outside, looking in. This picture cracks me up. Sometimes it seems like she's trying to make us laugh.

If Parker can walk to the car himself I can. Addison wants to walk everywhere. Although it's not really a fast mode of transportation. Her light weight makes it way easier for me to carry her. She has started becoming limp and straightening herself into the shape of a snake when you pick her up so that she can slide out of your arms and back onto the ground/floor again.

Cheese! I'm getting to be such a big girl!

I still love to eat! Pasta is one of my favorites! Her teeth are slowing her down a bit though, she doesn't seem much in the mood to eat when they are bothering her. And the only way she lets us see is if we put her upside and make her laugh. Otherwise, fat chance at seeing those pearly whites!

Spring Break visit

2010-04-05T15:33:00.009-05:00

For Spring break, Aunt Kelly and Grandma and Grandpa Shields came to visit! Yay! We kept really busy this time as the weather was nice, and last time they came it was freezing cold and snow snow snowy! The first day they came we packed a picnic lunch and met Micheal for lunch. There was a playground there, so Parker of course couldn't eat much and only wanted to go play. I only got this picture because my camera card was then full and I didn't know it.

Addison loves to swing! I was really afraid she could fall through if there wasn't that strap in the middle!

So that afternoon we went to Oxbow Zoo, it's a local zoo here with just a few animals, but is really nice to walk around and spend a couple of hours or an hour if you want. We have only been a couple of times, but it's very peaceful and a nice walk. Easy enough for me to do myself. The next day we went to storytime at the toy store and then shopping at an outlet mall 45 minutes away. Grandma got us some really nice bargains and stuff for summer and next winter. Thank you sooooo much. The next day we went to Minneapolis and went to the Como Zoo. It's a bigger zoo, but small enough to do in an afternoon, especially in the winter when a lot of the animals are not out yet. Then since we were in Minneapolis we went to Mall of America, figured we should do it as many times as we can while we are here. We didn't do much there but eat and ride some rides. Grandma, Kelly, and Addison did some shopping.

Amma and Addison at Oxbow.

Aunt Kelly and Parker at Oxbow checking out the bald eagles.

The bird section at Oxbow, notice Parker way far ahead. The independence of a 2 year old is clearly exhibited here. He can feel very safe in going far away from us if we let him.

Parker and Pa going to check out the turkeys at Oxbow.

Pa and Parker

Amma and Parker checking out this old building.

Addison strutting her stuff at Oxbow, can't lose the cracker, had to stick it in her mouth.

Parker and Kelly, the basketball stars!

We found a Parker size basketball at the Nike outlet store, so Parker, Pa, and Kelly were practicing their basketball skills...this kids' got game, watch out future!

Go Parker!

Addison and Pa. Pa got talked into carrying her in the Como Zoo.

All of us but Micheal at the Como Zoo.

Pa and Parker on the big rig ride at Mall of America.

Look! Micheal and I do exist! Seems like there are hardly any pictures of us, let alone together anymore!

Amma, Addison, Aunt Kelly returning from their shopping trip.

Addison watching Parker on the Ferris wheel.

Pa and Parker waiting to get on the Ferris wheel in Mall of America.

Parker and Pa on the Ferris wheel.

March 2010

2010-04-05T12:55:00.009-05:00

Another month gone! It's been a crazy month. It started thinking it would be another cold month, another month of winter, and getting spring fever. I wondered why I had this feeling, I expected it to still be winter, but then I realized that in Lubbock, it was spring for sure, with warm temperatures, and high winds. The winds I do not miss at all, and am so thankful that we didn't have any respiratory issues from the winds in March either! That's a change! I already posted a couple in March, so it feels like there isn't much left really. We went to Wisconsin Dells, WI for a mini vacation with Micheal's work and had so much fun at an indoor waterpark. You can see those pictures in a post below. Grandma and Grandpa Shields and Aunt Kelly also came to visit, also more in another post!

You will also see in the pictures that ALL our snow is gone! I had to add a couple pics from April already in this post to show you the nice spring days that we have already had. Some days were even in the high 70's! We took advantage of it when we could in between activities and Addison's nap time.

Addison had lots of milestones this month. She mastered the stairs, going up and down. And she began to walk! Now she is into everything, it seems like how can I move things higher and higher, they just keep growing! She also got her FIRST teeth! Yep, her first ones! And they of course weren't the 2 bottom ones that are normally the first teeth, they are her top incisors! She doesn't seem to do much anything according to how the world expects, she does it in her own way. My brother says she's going to be a vampire and that maybe I should have named her Bella!

A nice day to take a walk. As you can see, as soon as you put Addison down she walks away. It's hard to get her to stay put anywhere, even if it's for 3 seconds to take a picture.

The lost cause of an organized tupperware and lid cupboard. Addison gets into it every day, I gave up trying to make it neat....just throw it in there.

Parker going down the slide at the playground in our complex.

Addison wanting to climb up the slide. She loves to go down the slide and has even figured out how to push herself off to go down it when you put her at the top, but she doesn't have full body control yet, and will fall over by the time she's at the bottom.

Parker stylin' his cool new sunglasses for summer.

Addison on the stairs, up and down, up and down, up and down we go.

Addison has discovered she loves to be outside. She is often at the door waiting for someone to let her out and explore.

Mommy said I couldn't go outside, but she didn't say I couldn't reach outside!

An example of Addison and the balloon, that must stay on as long as it floats in the air. It doesn't even hinder her eating.

What? You aren't supposed to chew on markers? Addison learned how to pull the cap off a marker.

We went to brunch with the Easter bunny. Addison let him shake her hand, Parker wouldn't get close enough for a picture.

And, finally, the handsome and oh so sweet and smart Parker! He is doing well too. He has learned more and more words and is understanding more and more. He can tell you what animals live on the farm, and has really grasped size. He has begun to be able to match items very well and started on pattern making. I don't have as many pictures of him as he is too busy to have his picture taken. In April he is going to start swimming lessons!

Addison is walking!

2010-03-22T14:27:00.002-05:00

Last week Addison finally got the nerves to walk by herself! She is a super mobile girl now, getting into whatever she wants. She is loving walking!

2010-03-14T22:26:00.003-05:00

A mini-vacation!!!! Micheal had to go out of town for work for a few days, and we got to go with him! We stayed at a place called Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin. It was a really cool place, it had 4 indoor waterparks, an indoor giant play fort thing, mini golf, arcades, laser tag, restuarants....on and on...it has lots of outdoor stuff too, but since it's still winter here, we didn't explore any of that! It was so nice to get away and even though we love family, it seems like one of the first and very few times we have taken a trip away and it be just us, so that was nice. It was a very nice trip. It was so wonderful to spend the day relaxing. Our room was really nice and the kids of course did great. During the day when Micheal was working we would go explore dry land things like the play fort, go eat lunch, come back for Addison's nap, and when Micheal got back we would rush out the door to the waterparks. Then we would come back after an hour or two, eat dinner, and then go out to the pools again, and still manage to be in bed by 9! Parker was so brave. He wanted to ride the big rides with us. So we strapped on his life vest and off we went...riding the big tube rides. Addison did well also, she was too little to ride rides etc, but we were able to float the lazy river and play in the toddler areas. She had fun, and even began to crawl in the water. I was worried about how she'd do, as when we were in NM she was stressed and scared of the water....but she wasn't well yet, so I think that was a lot of it. We also had to stop and buy some Wisconsin cheese curds in Wisconsin too! Yum Yum!

Parker and Micheal getting off one of the rides. I think he liked them more than us...we have to admit we are getting old, and would get dizzy riding in the dark tubes!

Parker and Addison in a raft in the wave pool. Parker really liked riding the waves...but all those pictures were blurry. He would want us to take him way up to the front with the big waves. Addison had nothing to do with it when they were going.

A view of one of the water parks. The kids could climb stairs, stand under buckets, go down lots of slides.....

Addison, ready to swim! She's easier to take a picture of these days, Parker doesn't want to cooperate a lot of the time when the camera comes out.

Daddy, Addison, and Parker in the tree swings. Addison loved these swings, her feet went in and out of the water as she went back and forth. Parker was really too big, I think he scraped his foot on the bottom from this. But, he had to do it if she was!

Addison, loving the swing!

Another one of the water parks. Parker and Addison didn't like this one as much, it had lots of spraying water...they don't want to be sprayed...just splashed.

This was the view from our patio...in the summer it would be really awesome to look out your window and see the water park and all the kids playing! But, obviously, the pool was like a giant ice cube!

Parker in the giant playfort. I had a hard time with this, because we went when Micheal was at work. It was 4 stories high, so he could climb endlessly, it was hard to keep my eye on him so that stressed me out, plus I had Addison, so what was I going to do if he got stuck!? Pull her and my silly self through this kid zone?! Thankfully he was safe and figured it all out on his own and stayed where I could see him to cheer him on.

This is Parker looking at a map on the wall to tell me where to go. He stood here forever, which his finger on his chin thinking about where we were going next. It was so cute, I had to take a picture!

Parker in the toddler area, about to slide down the beaver tail!

Addison did it!

All ready to go in the pool.

Addison after her first ride in the lazy river. All smiles!

This is Parker and Addison before we went to the pool the first day. Addison has a look of uncertainty, Parker is over filled with joy and excitement!

She can climb the stairs!

2010-03-14T22:16:00.002-05:00

Addison has learned how to climb the stairs! ARGHHHH! I can not tell you how many times I have gone up and down them lately! She can go up, but not down...so when she gets to the top, you hear her call....if Parker leads her up there, they go exploring, and chase each other in and out of all the bedrooms. Oh joy! There is no way to attach a baby gate, so below you'll see my attempt to block the stairs when I've had one too many trips....Parker though likes to dump his toys in the wagon, and Addison likes to try to figure out a way around the wagon to get back up the stairs.

She made it to the top! Yay!

Here she goes, up and up the stairs! Notice the balloons? Every week at story time the the story teller gives out balloons to the kids afterwards. Addison is in love with these balloons and now he gives her her own. She loves to have them on her wrist, and when there is one in the house that is still floating, she wants them on her wrist at all times. I insist she take it off when sleeping and when we go outside though. She does keep them on during playtime and meal time!

February

2010-03-14T21:50:00.003-05:00

Oh how the time flies again and again. A good thing I guess. This month started with us returning from our wonderful trip to New Mexico and getting settled back into our routine. We are getting a little cabin fever and ready to do some outside things, but it's still too cold, even if it's in the 30's. We had another big snow this month, getting several inches at once. We went to the bounce house place again one morning, and were able to go bowling one day too with people Micheal works with. Parker is learning more and more each day. He is really starting to know and identify so many things he sees. Parker has really grasped the concept of big and small and short and tall. And one day, I came into the living room and found that he had 2 eggs from the fridge wrapped in a blanket, for real, 2 real eggs! When I asked him what he was doing, he said that eggs had to be warm, not cold. So I had to convince him that these eggs didn't need to be warm, they needed to be cold so we could eat them. This was not an easy task, and he kept wrapping them up and walking away from me, as I was also scared he was going to drop the eggs. Eventually we agreed to put them away. Parker loves dinosaurs and we have been learning a lot about them and what they eat....leaves like grass or meat like hot dogs. He has also started singing the theme songs before his cartoon shows that he likes to watch. He loves to dance, and climb, and run. Addison is back at 100% and into so much now. She loves to explore and take things in and out still. She is learning to chase Parker, and he loves it.

This is us bowling. Everyone had the gates up on the gutters so that was really helpful in making sure Parker knocked down some pins. The balls were all too heavy for him to really roll, but he did it granny style and enjoyed it. Addison just hung out with us, after a while she was more annoyed she could get on the floor and crawl around.

They even had bowling shoes in Parker's size! So cute!

Parker's Aunt Kelly always makes this face at him, I have never seen him actually do it on his own until now.....now if you ask him to make a silly face, this is what he does.

A little blurry, but Addison the beautiful anyway.

Parker got a haircut from mommy this month! We convinced him he was wearing a superhero cape and that seemed to help...this is before the haircut, after the haircut, he stresses himself out so much he's sweating everywhere and red in the face. He doesn't like it, but his hair isn't over his ears now!

Addison loves to give love. This month she really learned how to give people kisses and hugs, and Parker is now able to handle it and she too without either of them getting hurt.

Parker can now open the fridge all by himself. And Addison thinks that whenever you open the fridge she should be in it. Yet another job for mommy!

Book Review-The Story of Easter Retold by Gwen Ellis, Illustrated by Steve Smallman

2010-03-12T14:24:00.003-06:00

On one of the blogs I follow, I saw that a friend was doing book reviews in return for getting to keep the book for free! I thought I'd give it a try for a while.

I read The Story of Easter, Retold by Gwen Ellis and Illustrated by Steve Smallman. This is a children's book, and includes a DVD with short videos related to the story of Easter. The book is based on the story of Easter as told in the Bible. It starts with the request of a donkey colt by Jesus and tell the story of how He went from that point to His death and into Heaven. Each scene in the story is referenced by the passage in the Bible that it can be found. It also as a "thinker" box that asks a question or makes a statement to help promote discussion. This book is for children as young as 3, but with the "thinker" boxes it can easily be utilized with older children as well.

I liked how this book was clear in presenting the message it intended. The illustrations are colorful and pull the reader into the story. I liked that there was the basic part of the story for young children, but also challenging things for older children to think about and discuss with a parent or mentor. The DVD that came with the book contains illustrations and animations parallel to the book. The stories are accurate with what the Bible says and are short and easy to understand. The DVD is more appropriate for older children, and a great bonus to the book.

A Vacation to New Mexico

2010-02-21T15:31:00.012-06:00

So there was a great big sale on airline tickets and we made plans to fly to my sisters, well the kids and I in January. A chance to visit and for us a chance to get out of winter we hoped for a little while! I was really nervous about flying with the kids by myself. It wasn't just one flight each way, was 2 each way. What if there were delays and what if the kids were fussy? Well, it turned out there were no delays and no fussing! yay! We didn't have any issues at all. Other passengers were so nice and offered to help me on each of the flights if I needed it. And the kids did great, Parker even took a nap on one of the flights! Addison did well also, still sleeping a lot from being sick, but was very agreeable and enjoyed it. One lady even asked me how much I traveled with them because they were "so well behaved, they must be used to all this excitement!". I graciously told her that this was the first time for Addison and Parker's second time on a plane. I gate checked the stroller and brought the baby bjorn. It was the perfect combo, as we didn't have much time in between flights, which was positive and negative. No time to change diapers, but no time to get restless in an airport either!

We had such a great time in New Mexico. We did some fun things, but also just hung out and rested. It was nice just to be. It did get cold and even snowed....gee I thought I came south for a reason! Oh well, at least we are used to it. I'll tell you more about what we did in the blurb's under the pictures, it's easier that way for me. We also had birthday cake one day for Addison's one year birthday and went swimming. Parker loved it, Addison thought it was too cold.

Addison sleeping on my lap in the plane. It was hard to take pictures on the plane, we flew in the morning and the sun was so bright out the window we couldn't really keep it open. :(

Parker watching a movie on the plane. It really helped pass the time when you can't get up and explore!

One of the first places we went was a restaurant called Weck's. We love this place and it's a must stop when we visit. Addison LOVED it, and Parker did too!

Parker at Weck's. They are famous to us for their bowl o papas...which are hashbrowns with some kind of meat that you order, then served with an egg on top and cheese. It also comes with red or green chile, we are wimps though and always get it on the side.

One day we went to the zoo and aquarium. It was a chilly day, but it was really enjoyable to go to the zoo when hardly anyone else was there. You didn't have to wait for anyone to move to look at the animals, and you could walk as slow and as fast as you wanted. We rode the train from the aquarium to the zoo and back...it was about a 15 minute ride each way. Parker loved it of course because he is so into trains and cars right now...along with dinosaurs.

Parker and Addison on the train. The way their we rode on the car that was outside, on the way back Parker picked the inside one with windows to look out.

Kelsey met us at the zoo. Addison took a while to warm up to everyone as she is so mommy attached and she had just gotten out of the hospital. But of course she warmed up to Kelsey rather quickly. Addison is so light she was spoiled and spent most of the day being carried around and not having to ride in the stroller or carrier!

Parker checking out the flamingos.

Addison sitting on a giant ant structure. Parker wasn't wanting to cooperate and be in pictures this day for some reason, so he missed out.

Parker and I under a giant garden dragon!

Addison LOVED the aquarium. She liked to look at all the fish as they swam right by her.

Parker and Addison in the aquarium.

Addison first checking out the fish. What do I see mom?!

One day we took them to the children's museum. Parker loved trying to figure everything out. This is Addison and I, she hung out in the carrier.

At this exhibit you have to figure out how to put all the pieces together and make them work like gears....Parker spent soooo much time here. He seems like such a boy sometimes! Denise and I were bored in no time, but Parker...nope!

Giant Bubbles!

Parker learning how water moves and how you can manipulate it to go where you want it to.

Aunt Denise amazingly has some empty cabinets in her home, I don't know, but she does. Uncle Lynn and Parker found them to be a hiding spot! When got home, one of the first things Parker tried to do, notice the word tried, is take all the Tupperware out of our cabinet to hide...uhhh no sir, we are not going to pick that mess up daily. Yes, Tupperware is reachable to you for a reason, but not for you to empty out everyday and hide in the cupboard!

Parker and I rode the carousel at the mall one day. He's my sweet boy.

Addison's one year birthday!

2010-02-21T15:05:00.006-06:00

Addison Paylor

Addison turned one year old! Her birthday came right after her release from the hospital and on the day of our trip to New Mexico, so we didn't do anything big and dramatic. We were exhausted and just enjoying the wonderful life she is and that she was getting better. Addison is such a fun girl. She is quiet and observant, watching first to see what is going on. She loves her mommy and is super attached to her. Addison loves to play with Parker and is learning how to get his attention and get him to react to her. Oh the fights are around the corner, I can tell already. Addison has stunning blue eyes, and we get comments on them every where we go. She still can't walk, is really close, but it seems like being so sick set her back. Addison can crawl very well and cruise very well also. She pulls up on anything to get up and see. She still doesn't have any teeth! Everyone I've asked about it says that they have never seen a baby not get teeth, so they will come in some time. She loves to eat and drink. I think she eats more than Parker! We are running out of things that she can eat without any teeth as she is tired of "baby" foods. Addison loves baskets and bags and purses. She loves to empty them and examine everything in it, and then put it back. She also loves her bear and any stuffed animal she can cuddle. It's so sweet to watch her hug and give love to her animals and baby dolls. Addison doesn't like to be cold, so it's been a long winter for her. We haven't taken her for her well check yet, but will this week. After that, I'll add her size..but I know she's about 17 pounds....seems like her motor runs faster than the rest of us! She's a little peanut, but that's okay! We love her all the same! Happy Birthday Addison! We did have some cake at my sister's!

So we had Addison's one year well check yesterday! All is well. She weighed 18 pounds and was 29 1/2 inches long. She has to be 20 pounds to turn around in her car seat, so I guess she'll have to wait a few more months for that excitement. I remember Parker barely made the weight cut off by his first birthday. As for her kidney and double ureter issue, we are going to have to monitor her every few months to make sure she doesn't get any infection, as well as keep her on daily antibiotics to help prevent any chance of infection. So, overall it's a good report...nothing major like surgery required or more tests, so that's good!

Addison's hospital stay

2010-02-21T14:05:00.007-06:00

Unfortunately, Addison had to be hospitalized! She hadn't been feeling well for about a week, just real fussy, sleepy, and a low grade fever. She wasn't eating well or being her normal self. We had a trip planned to fly to my sister's, and so a few days before we left, I decided I better take her to the doctor to make sure she didn't have an ear infection or something. So, in we went. They checked her out and her ear, lungs, everything seemed fine. They suspected more though, as she wasn't right and sent us to the Emergency Room. There they suggested it could be meningitis, encephalitis, a brain tumor...all kinds of things you don't want to hear them say. They were so fast and began ordering tests. I had called Micheal from the doctor office to let him know what was going on as I had Parker with me too. So Micheal worked his way out of work, and by the time he got there they had already done a Cat scan, a urine sample, a blood sample, started an IV, and did a lumbar puncture. All that was left was a chest x-ray. After that, they admitted us into the ICU while we waiting for the test results to come back. They said some of the blood cultures and spinal fluid cultures would take 48 hours before we would know anything. They started anti-viral and antibiotics right away as a way to start treatment for anything it could be. After 2 days and a night in the ICU and another night and day on the pediatric floor, we were released.

Turns out she had a mild viral meningitis and a UTI. The UTI led to an ultrasound of her kidneys and bladder, which led to further testing as they could see an abnormality on her kidneys. We have already started to follow-up with that and found out that she has 2 ureters on her right kidney...the tubes that drain into her bladder...and you are only supposed to have one. Hers also reflux, meaning it goes back to the kidney. This may or may not have caused the UTI. It's a really common issue, 1 in 100 children have this abnormality. We are still waiting to see what if any further treatment she will need.

Now is back to 100%, it took her a good couple of weeks to recover, but is back to her self and back to her routine. Thanks to God for healing her, thank you to everyone for all your prayers and support. It was scary seeing her so sick and tiny, and not knowing what she had.

Addison right after she had her IV inserted. She was a good trooper in the hospital. Mostly because I think she was too sick to fight and complain. She did cry, but would calm as soon as mommy or daddy held her close again. She got to the point where if a nurse or doctor even walked in the room she would wake and start to cry. This was in the ER.

Finally resting in the ICU.

Parker did so wonderful in the hospital. He was quiet and patient. He was so cooperative and did great while I comforted Addison during her tests. Later, some great people from church helped us occupy him with play dates so that he could get some time out to play and Micheal and I could focus on Addison.

Daddy and Addison, in the ICU. She really just wanted to be held all the time.

Finally, Addison started feeling better! This was like at midnight! Mommy was exhausted, but she was wide awake and so interested in playing, so I of course let her. She was released the next day to go home and rest, and we were cleared to go on our trip! Yay!

January 2010!

2010-02-21T13:19:00.008-06:00

January was another eventful month. Time is flying by so fast. We continued our normal routine of just playing and having fun. It doesn't seem like anything new happened, but I know it did. I have 2 amazing babies...who are growing fast into not being babies! Parker is learning to sing along the songs at story time, not being so shy and watchful. He speaks clearer and clearer all the time, and in longer and longer sentences. Parker is figuring things out and surprizes us all the time with the things he has figured out. He seems to remember things so well, and it reminds us that he is always watching and learning.

It's finally thawing out a little bit to where we are willing to go outside longer than running from the car to the house or car to the store! We took a walk one day for some family time. Addison loved being in the wagon and going for a ride as you can see, and of course again, another example of how impossible it is to get both of them to look at the camera at the same time.

Parker and Addison have really begun to play with each other and love on each other. Parker hasn't been upset about not being in his crib since we moved here and he got a way cool toddler firetruck bed. He recently decided it would be fun to lay with Addison when she wakes up. They kick their legs, laugh, and have a jolly ol' time making a racket! Happy nap Addison!

Look at those gorgeous blue eyes and that pretty smile! Addison is so sweet and loving.

Parker loves to do whatever mommy and daddy do still of course. Micheal got a new camera for Christmas, so we have been letting Parker try out the old one. He has fun, and can take some pretty good pictures!

I clearly spend a lot of time picking up! Addison is very quiet and quick about taking things out. She loves to take things apart! I made a blockade with another toy she can't move after this occurance....I don't have time to be putting DVD's back up on the shelf on my To Do list.

Addison and Parker love music! They love to dance, love to sing, love to play and make noise....I mean music. They are quite the band!

A band wouldn't be complete without drums! The music even goes into the night as evidenced by the pajama dance!

December 09

2010-02-18T13:54:00.010-06:00

December was a busy month, and it hasn't stopped it seems, thus the lapse in blogs. I always think about things to blog during the day or when I go to sleep at night, but then just don't take or have the time to do it. We have been having play dates, going to Bible Study and church events, and story time as well.....so to best describe December, I've attached a ton of pictures....enjoy!

Parker and I getting ready to go on a walk after one of the first big snows. We are definitely professionals at putting on boots, hats, gloves, and coats each time we go out the door. Since it's now February, I have to say, I am ready for spring.

Sledding is a must in the winter! We bought Parker a cheap sledding, hoping we'll only really use it one winter...we also got it big enough to fit Addison too, in hopes that it will one day be warm enough for her to go out too.....December never saw a day warm enough, with wind chills reporting it was -28 degrees...and that was in the morning when we got up! Parker loves to sled though, daddy pulls him around as they go find hills to slide down.

Parker fell asleep sledding on the pull back...strangely Parker has adapted this style of laying face first belly down a lot when sledding....I always preferred sitting on my bottom myself...

We had Breakfast with Santa this month...yummy pancakes along with a photo with Santa.

As expected, Addison was not too impressed, but Parker was excited to see Santa!

Grandma and Grandpa Pittman came to visit in December in between Christmas and Thanksgiving. It was so wonderful to have them visit us in the dead cold of winter. They also came right when there was a nice blizzard of 18 inches of snow. So, needless to say, their trip was some what house bound as it was too cold to take the babies outside too much. We went to the city of Redwing, MN one day to sight see. We saw the snow covered country side, the Mississippi River, and went to some pottery shops. We also went to the Mall of America, had a family photo taken, and just enjoyed getting to spend some great time together.

Parker is ready to go into the aquarium and see the sharks!

Grandma and Grandpa Pittman took us to the aquarium in the Mall of America. It was really fun, and Parker loved the sharks. Above, he's pointing at a shark that was swimming over our heads!
dad

Addison checking out the tortoise statue in the aquarium, it was a big turtle compared to my tiny Addison!

Grandma, Grandpa, Parker and Addison...of course you can NEVER get a pic now where everyone is paying attention at the right moment.

Grandpa and Parker rode the carousel in the mall!

Parker and Addison and mommy opening Christmas gifts.

Grandma and Grandpa Pittman got Parker a keyboard for Christmas. He loves it...it's a nice loud addition to his band.

Grandpa Pittman and Addison cuddling.

Parker and I took a walk one day, when we came back, he couldn't even stay awake for me to make him hot chocolate. He fell right asleep in Grandpa's arms.

The Shields Family also came to visit at Christmas time, just in time for another big snow! Guess our visitor's are supposed to come to Minnesota and experience the real fresh thing! They weren't here for long, so we really just stayed at home and had Christmas and played, but the company was still good and it was nice for Parker and Addison to have guests.

Parker's Uncle Schaun sent him this garbage truck for Christmas. He loves it, and when we were going shopping one day, he had to bring it in the car, then he had to bring it in the store....as you can see the reason for his stubbornness was his tiredness...he fell asleep soon after getting in the store and slept like this the whole trip.

Amma Shields and Addison cuddling.

Aunt Kelly and Parker and Addison....movie time!

Grandpa Shields and Addison...Great picture!

Amma and Grandpa Shields got Parker a train table for Christmas!!! He loves it. It provides minutes and minutes of entertainment at a time for both of them. Parker has really grown to love trains and cars in the past few months. He loves to race and to figure all the parts out.

Hmm...notice Parker is in the chair and the aunt is on the floor? Guess where Parker ranks in this world!

Addison opening some of her gifts. She loves putting things in things and taking them in and out. Purses and bags beware!

So December was clearly a busy month with visitors. It's hard to be so far away from friends and family, and harder yet to really connect and attach here when we know we will be leaving soon. Regardless though, Addison and Parker are very happy kiddos overall. They love staying at home and going out. Parker loves his sister and she him. So now, here's some pictures just from the month.

We bought Parker these chairs last summer. Sometimes it's fun to have a picnic inside and bring down your camping chairs and watch cartoons. Of course he wants Addison to sit right by him.

Parker gave up his afternoon naps months ago...but sometimes he falls asleep in the evening if he's been super busy and he stops and is still for a moment. This time he fell asleep in seriously less than 5 minutes...sitting on the floor with his head propped up! He had come in the kitchen for a snack, and I told him dinner would be ready in 5 minutes. He went into the living room and layed down to watch TV. When I called him for dinner he didn't come...when I went to get him I found him sound asleep on his elbow! So cute!

And yet another picture of him falling asleep at dinner time....it's like the first time he sits still all afternoon I guess and he falls asleep so fast! Clearly this night I got him to the table, but apparently not his plate fast enough!

Christmas brought lots of boxes to our home. Who needs toys when you have big boxes?! You can make forts, play peek-a-boo, hide, scare, and do all kinds of things in boxes!

Addison has gotten very mobile this month. She continues to pull up on everything and cruise but not walk on her own. She can clearly by this picture in December hold herself up well enough to open the lid on the trash can and not fall, but in the middle of February when I type this, she can still not walk!

Even though Addison didn't really plan to pose like this for this picture...it's still funny and a glimpse of how her personality really is!

With all the snow we can definitely not ride outside...so why not ride in the house?

Addison really began to crawl well this month...I thought she'd skip crawling, but finally figured it out.

And finally, Parker was in the Christmas program at church! They had 2 songs to learn. Of course not one of them sang the words. The 3 years old though knew all the words when they sang. It's amazing to see all the different stages of each age group as the performed. Thanks Grandma Pittman for the oh so handsome Christmas outfit! It was perfect for the program.

Winter Minnesota Culture

2010-02-18T12:09:00.005-06:00

This Parker climbing a snow drift.

This is me in front of a snow pile after one of our "really big snow" as Parker calls them. This piles remain in the parking lots as they only get bigger as snow continues to fall.

So, here we are in Minnesota for our first and I think only winter, and it is an experience. As you will see by the pictures, we have gotten a lot of snow and cold. Addison hates the cold, she cries if the wind blows on her and is just miserable being outside if it's too cold. Parker on the other hand loves it! He's always loved to be outside, and the snow and cold doesn't seem to hinder him, except when it was -28...then he was a little whiny about it.

So here's a list that I'll keep adding to of things that stick out to me about Minnesota....

1. Shoe etiquette.....since it is winter out, whenever you go in a building or house from outside, you are bound to track in salt, snow, water, and dirt....so you have to take of your shoes as soon as you go in the house....now since you don't take your shoes off when you go into Walmart or wherever cuz that would be weird, their entry ways are constantly being cleaned and look dirty! But, I have it interesting how quickly kids catch on....Parker for example knows that when you walk in a house, you don't go past the rug before you take your shoes off, and you have to take off your coat and hang it up. He has of course learned this at home, but it carries on to when we take him to a friends house, he does the same things...stops in the door way so no one else can enter, wonders where he should sit to take off his shoes, and takes off his coat.....hopefully remembering to hang it up on the coat rack we hung right at his level and not leaving it on the floor to be picked up by mommy later. I've observed this same behavior from other kids...they walk into a house, sit down and take off their shoes before even greeting someone.....

So, since you are now at a a stranger's home without your shoes/boots on....you might want to bring your slippers/house shoes or at least that's what I've seen people do here. Now I know some of you take your shoes off in non wet places summer and winter when ever you walk into your home, which is fine and normal too....and great for your clean-up! But I never thought of having to bring my slippers with me when I go to someone's house on top of myself, my kids and all their stuff and whatever else I might have brought! But you really might want to....the ground is cold, thus the cement your house is built on is cold, thus your floors are probably cold, and therefore...where slippers so your feet don't freeze! (When my dad came to visit, he noticed how cold our floor is...so he bought us a thermometer to put on the floor to see how cold it really is...it's around 60 or less!)

2. Check your coat please. When you go to a church or really large public place that you have sit down in....there is most likely a place to hang your coat in the entry way! Which makes sense, if all of us brought in our parkas to church service, our coats of ourselves and our children would take up the rest of the pew!

3. Car Washes. So when it snows they salt...which helps melt the snow and ice...but then gets on your car...so you have to wash it frequently. Giant chunks of ice also accumulate under your car and wheels because while you are driving they get wet, but when you stop, it never gets warm enough to melt, until you drive again, so ice and snow build up...well the car wash has a garage door that opens and closes on each side! So when you go into the car wash, the exit is closed, and then you close where you entered. This makes it warmer when you are washing your car in 10 or 20 degree weather...and I imagine helps keep the car wash from turning into an ice rink!

4. School delays and closings. This winter has been frigid cold and we have gotten tons of snow! Well, I expected this, but I didn't expect to see that school would be delayed and closed so often. And when school closes other things are cancelled as well of course. But, it snows and is cold every winter....so why are they cancelling school? I mean at this rate, the kids will be going to school until July! And the city schools haven't been cancelled so much as the surrounding areas...but the city activities would be delayed or rescheduled...So, one day I asked a local what this was about. I mean I know it's cold waiting for the bus, but I don't think the low is getting out of the single digits anytime soon. She is said that it's not because of the cold so much but because the smaller communities are made up of lots of farmers....their roads aren't plowed as efficiently as our city, and so they can't get out safely on the gravel roads that lead to their home and ultimately the highway they need to get to to catch the bus. I don't know what you know of Minnesota, but I was surprised at how much was farming...there are corn fields everywhere, and driving to Minneapolis you see tons of old and new farm houses and farms...it's really kind of pretty to see the rolling hills of white snow or green grass, with the giant barns and farm houses.

Cole's at NMNI

2010-02-08T13:31:00.006-06:00

Well I have lots to blog, but I wanted to put this one up right away so family could see some pictures. My nephew Cole is attending New Mexico Military Institute, and he just finished his first 28 days.....it's the first period of "boot camp" you could say and adjusting to being away from home, to a new school with high standards, and lots of physical training. He seems to be doing well, and enjoying it. I hope he sticks it out and continues to see the benefit of this opportunity and experience!

The whole family, my brother Paul, Cole (nephew), Wendy (sis-in-law), and Bailey (niece)
Hmmm how did Cole get so tall, or maybe Paul just got so short!

Wow, what a shot!

Cole doing the obstacle course

The Zoo and Science Museum in Minneapolis

2009-11-25T12:13:00.006-06:00

This past weekend we decided to take a trip to Minneapolis just for fun. We went to the Science Museum, mostly to see the dinosaurs as Parker's loves "Rarrrrrsss" as he calls them. We also like to look at all the science experiments. Parker loves to try and figure it out and see what happens, but I'm not sure he knows what he's doing yet! Then we went to lunch and then to the Como Zoo. We had tried to find this zoo on a previous trip to no avail....but it was a great zoo to go to. It was small enough to do in a couple hours, which is what we wanted...and the animals were all awake and having fun in their winter enclosures. The monkeys were especially active. They were swinging all around back and forth. Addison wanted to be as close as Parker to the window, and would yell until we got her right up close. She is really wanting to be in Parker's business these days. The seals were great also. There was a big one and a much smaller one...they were playing. The big seal seemed to be showing off. He would talk...and it was quite loud. He or she, I'm not a seal expert, would come to the glass right where Parker was and talk to him and show him the ball he was playing with, dive down, and do the same thing. It was like they were playing with each other. Parker loves to play ball, I'm sure he would have been so ecstatic to play ball with a real live seal! In the summer they have sea lion shows, so we'll have to go back again then. We did see penguins, lions, jaguars, zebras, giraffes, reindeer, gorillas, sea lions, a giant tortoise...a real one too, not just the one you see below, and some other's I'm sure I'm forgetting...It was a great trip to spend as a family. Parker soaks up so much and watches everything. He seems to remember everything he wants to....the next morning when he woke up he asked me if we were going to the zoo.

Parker checking out the triceratops fossil.

Parker, Addison, and Daddy listening to stories on the phone about dinosaurs. Parker couldn't seem to comprehend putting it on his ear...he always wanted to have the mouth part up. Really, it's funny he knows how to use this kind of phone!

Addison is kind of bright in this picture, but she liked exploring the exhibits just as much as she could!

The was at the zoo. Parker and Addison were riding a tortoise! Addison has to do everything Parker does, so of course she got up there with him, and he gladly held on to her.

Parker and Addison checking out the tortoise before climbing up on it.

My handsome Parker

We tried to take a family picture with the time....kind of good.....at least we tried!

2009-11-25T11:41:00.003-06:00

Micheal had Vetern's Day off, being a federal employee now and all, so took a family day. We decided to go to this place here called House of Bounce. It's a giant warehouse, filled with tons of bouncer things....Parker had so much fun, as you can see. They had stuff for toddlers all the way to adults....Parker of course went on all of them. Look how tall that blue slide is! The picture doesn't even get the top or bottom of the slide...this is just the middle section! He would crawl all the way up there by himself and slide down! (the first time daddy went with him, this calmed all fears he had, after that, it was solo) Addison just hung out with me and watched, until she was so tired she fell asleep.

It was nice to take a lazy family day in the middle of the week. Parker loves to get out and doesn't prefer to stay home all day. He's a busy boy! We then went out to dinner....Addison tried more foods than Parker did...I think she ate potatoes, bread, yogurt, pudding, carrots, key lime pie....the list could go on...she will put anything in her mouth that you let her. She loves to eat. Parker on the other hand at that age, would gag if I put something "foreign" in his mouth.

Parker loves music and his daddy!

2009-11-10T13:16:00.002-06:00

Daddy, I love you!

Parker is 100% boy most of the time. He loves to run, play, and attack! He's become quite the climber and is fast, he can climb and attack you anytime, so be on the look out. Sitting on the floor, on the couch....he does know to stop though, so that's good, but he loves to rough and tumble with daddy, boys will be boys I guess. Addison is just hoping to stay out of it and be a spectator.

Parker loves music. He dances when it comes on TV, and has figured out how to set up a band. He sets up his xylophone and drums and sings loudly to us daily. He also has a harmonica and a tambourine, and a some maracas....he puts them to good use, singing, dancing, and making a beat. Addison is kind enough to clap along, as she has figured that out this week.

Just a virus

2009-11-10T13:06:00.005-06:00

This past was a long week. Addison caught a virus of some type. I knew it wasn't H1N1, but it was something giving her a fever and making her just not feel her happy little self. After a day of fever, I took her in, in case she had an ear infection. Everything was normal, so it was just a virus, a couple days later a rash broke out, just like the one Parker had at that age, so I wasn't worried about it, and knew it was just part of the virus. We stayed home, missing story time, Bible study, etc, so she could rest and not expose other babies. Addison weighed a whole 15 lb. 3 oz. That metabolism is fast! She loves to eat. Now she is feeling better, and off to explore again.

If there has to be a best part about Addy being sick, it was that she was so cuddly. She usually just tells us she's tired, we put her in her crib, and that's it...she puts herself to sleep, good I know, but part of me still wants to rock and cuddle her to sleep. While she was sick, she would cuddle and fall asleep and stay asleep in our arms. But, now that she's better, she's not having any of that cuddling, she will squirm and squirm til you put her down, and that second she closes her eyes, and she's out.

Beauty Shop

2009-11-01T20:18:00.005-06:00

Parker decided that he wanted to do Addy's hair like I do his. I normally spray it down with water, as I'm letting it grow out for the cold Minnesota winter from his buzz cut he had for the hot Texas summer. He generally screams and says no when I do this, and then rubs his hands over his head to mess his hair up, only to make me determined to start over until his hair is combed. I'm going to groom this boy into a gentleman somehow!

This Addison checking out what coming up behind her, Parker is smiling so innocently and proud of himself.

This is Addison reacting to being sprayed by the water bottle! Am I mean by letting this go on? She needs to learn what's going to happen with an older brother at an early age.

This is Parker combing it into his style, doesn't she look pretty so far!?

First snow

2009-11-01T20:09:00.002-06:00

We got our first big snow this month on October 23. They say that it is early for the snow, but I don't know, it is the end of October, I really expected there to be snow stuck on the ground by November. All this snow already melted. Parker wasn't sure of the snow at first, but once Micheal showed him how to ball it up and throw it at me, he was quite happy. He has his snow boots, snow pants, gloves, and a Pistol Pete hat, so he is set for winter....Bring it on! We'll build a giant snowman, and perfect little snow angels!

Addison is 9 months old!

2009-11-01T20:06:00.002-06:00

Addison is now 9 months old! It's amazing how fast time flies. She's healthy as can be, and doing well. She weighs a whole 14 lbs. 9 oz, which puts her at the very bottom of the weight chart, technically every baby is bigger than her in weight at this age. She is 26 inches tall, which is in the 50th percentile. Addison learned how to use her car walker to walk across the living room all by herself!!!! She can stand alone for a few seconds at a time as well. Can she crawl? NO! Does she have teeth? NO! but I bet in a month she'll be walking pretty much all by herself!

October Activities

2009-11-01T19:20:00.004-06:00

October has been a fast and fun month. We did lots of activities as you can see in all the blogs. The kids continue to grow and grow and grow. Addison is showing her little personality more and more and Parker is learning how to think things through and verbally express himself better and better. They are so sweet and such a joy to be home with everyday. I wouldn't trade this experience now with anything. I truly love staying at home so far and being with my kids each day. To get to know them and watch them as they interact, grow, and learn is amazing. I'm able to show them God's love and teach them first hand about the glory of God. I have so much more want to do with them, and each week is so fun. We go to a toy store weekly for story time still and I go to a Bible study each week as well. Even going out twice a week minimum is enough to keep us busy....it's a lot of work to get them ready in the cold and carry them out and about! We did the Pumpkin Patch, a trip to Oklahoma, flu shots, had our first snow, and skipped out on Halloween, too much effort for us when they are still too little.

A good shot of Parker. He loves staying at home and not having to get up and go, on the other hand, there are times he doesn't want to come home. As soon as we pull into the driveway, he'll say "No home mommy, no home." It sounds very sad. But, he just wants to keep playing and exploring. He can say church now, and since we go there twice a week and he gets left in the nursery to play, he requests to go to church.

Parker rides his tricycle in the house sometimes, on this day, he wanted Addisy (what Parker calls her) to ride with him. He let her have to front seat, and he rode in the bucket in the back. She of course had smiles of fun doing what Parker does.

Parker took this photo of Daddy, he's learning to become a photographer...he's getting really good and aiming and shooting I think! Daddy's head isn't all the way cut off, and it's not a picture of half a leg or a thumb!

So, Daddy and Addy playing on the floor....they played so much they could take no more!

Parker saw his swimming floaties in the closet, guess I didn't hide them well enough. Well, the pool's are all empty for the winter, besides the fact that even if they were open, it is way too cold to go swimming. Parker talked daddy into blowing up his floaties, and I was talked into letting him take a bath with them! At one point, the arm floaties, the beach ball, and this floatie were in the tub. I guess this is what you do for fun in the long winter in Minnesota, and it hasn't even really started!

Addison is so ready for teeth...if only they would pop out! Some how, the two of them were in these spots, and I check on them and she has a Taquito in her hand! I don't know if Parker gave it to her or if she took it, I wouldn't doubt either....and she is just sucking away on it. Now I grind up whatever we cook for dinner for her, she loves it, and has become a baby food snob.

Look! I'm eating a biter biscuit, man I wish those teeth would come!

We were eating dinner at the table....Micheal and I were paying attention to Addison, we turned back around to look at Parker, and he had fallen asleep with his head propped on the wall behind him! He was so tired. Parker gave up his nap a few weeks ago, fighting me more than it's worth to take a nap. Usually he makes it through the day until bedtime unless we get in the car between 4 and 6 pm...and then he'll fall asleep...

A sleeping angel. She become very attached to this bear...which is hers...but Parker remembers it being around before Addison was born, so he thinks it's his. You should her scream at him if he takes it, or if she sees it and can't get to it. She definitely gets his attention!

Parker and Addison were sleeping together in my bed. They had the whole california king size bed to spread out, and here they lay, entwined with one another....bear included!

Addison learned how to use her car walker all by herself to walk across the living room!!!! She can stand alone for a few seconds at a time as well. Can she crawl? NO! Does she have teeth? NO! but I bet in a month she'll be walking pretty much all by herself!

Parker Hall

2009-10-31T22:01:00.005-05:00

Many of you know the story, but some don't....but it's important to us, so I wanted to include it on the blog forever to be seen. Micheal and I met when we both lived in Parker Hall on campus way back when......when we were choosing a name for our Parker 8 years later, we debated and debated on what to name him. It's such a big decision, and it's a life long choice that will effect him for life! We had the name Parker on the list...it had a significant meaning to us, we loved the name and we lived in Parker, it's where we met, which clearly all led to us ending up getting married and having a baby. So, after much debate about whether or not a biblical name would be better, or a name that meant something different than "keeper of the park", or "guardian", or if we chose Parker would our other children feel like their names were just as special? We decided Parker was the best...so here's to our Parker!

First time Parker visited Parker, Homecoming 07

Parker Hall....a smaller dorm on campus, I lived on the 4th floor, Micheal on the 3rd.

Parker and Micheal in Parker Hall, Homecoming 09

Random pictures from homecoming...

2009-10-30T14:27:00.009-05:00

There are so many pictures from our trip to sort through, probably over 100, seriously! So, here are some random good ones I wanted to include....eventually we'll put all 100 on our picasa site, so if you want to see all the house dec pictures or more family pictures, let me know and I'll guide you to the picasa site.

This is a sweet daddy son moment in the pool. Who knows what Parker was telling his daddy?!

In order to make it to Stillwater, we took 2 days to travel down and 2 days to travel back up to Minnesota. On the way down we stayed in Topkea, KS. The hotel had a pool, so we decided to take the time to swim in hopes to wear the kids out before bed after sitting in the car all day.

Parker is usually too short to touch the ground in the pools we've been in, in this one, he could walk on the edge, he loves the water.

Parker was coming up to Addison and acting like he was taking a nibble out of her each time he got out of the pool and jumped back in. She thought it was funny, and he had a blast getting in and out.

Tracy and Addison at lunch, both looking so pretty!

Jon and Parker watching the ducks and geese at Theta Pond.

Parker fed the ducks while Bristol and Addison watched.

Family photo! Addison loves to touch and grab whatever is in her reach....Parker is of course 2 and dramatic about it most of the time. He doesn't want Addison to grab at him, but of course he can grab at her anytime!

Addison showing Aunt Kelly her stuff! Maybe if I weren't so skinny, my pants wouldn't fall off, and I wouldn't get them caught in my feet when I'm trying to walk, and then I could learn to walk faster...

How old do you first discover you can roll down a grassy hill? Apparently at least by the age of two.

Kelly's all hyped up about......?

Grandpa Shields "Pa" and Parker watching a movie in their pajamas.

Grandma Shields "Amma" and Parker walking side by side, who do you think the leader is?

The Fletcher's! Thanks for babysitting for us during the game, I hope you survived!

Parker and Aunt Kelly playing piano in the lounge.

OSU Homecoming football game

2009-10-30T14:06:00.004-05:00

Here come the Cowboys!

Pistol Pete!

The marching band, in the form of the state of Oklahoma. Notice the sea of orange!
Orange Power!

We're gonna score a touchdown! Go Poke! Way to go Cowboys!

The star Kelly...sister-in-law extraordinaire! We have fun being cozy at the game, it was quite chilly, in the 40's according to my sister in New Mexico via texting during the game!

Guyla and I before the game, before we were Popsicles!

We won! Yay! All of us at the end of the game. It was a late night, the game started at 8:15 pm! So we were quite chilled by the end, but it was worth the fun. It's been so long since we had gone to a game, thanks for the tickets Guyla!

The OSU Walk

2009-10-30T13:49:00.006-05:00

Two hours before each home game, the team does what we call "The Walk". They start at the student union and walk to the stadium. The band and cheerleaders and Pistol Pete are all there before hand and have a mini pep rally. We all line the street to cheer them on before the big game.

Guyla and I at the walk.

A view of the crowd just in our part. There were hundreds of people there.

The marching band drum line.

Some of the players walking by....I'm not a fan enough to know their names and faces...sorry.

Barry and Garth are in the letter jackets. Mike Gundy, our coach is in the suit.

OSU Homecoming Parade

2009-10-30T12:29:00.003-05:00

Garth Brooks, Barry Sanders, and Robin Ventura all OSU alums were the grand marshalls of the parade this year, as they were being inducted into the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame. I have to say, Garth Brooks seemed to take the spotlight over the other two. They also seemed t always come as a package so you couldn't get a picture of each one. Below is a picture of Garth Brooks, courtesy of Guyla.

Parker seemed to enjoy the parade. He especially loved Pistol Pete and the horses. We spend the whole weekend watching out for Pistol Pete and the week after we continued to look for him as Parker always asked if we could go see Pete. Addison slept through most of the parade, it was in the afternoon this year, so it was her naptime.

Part of the crew at the parade.

I don't know how we don't have a picture of Pistol Pete walking in the parade, but oh well.....heres a giant Pistol Pete at least!

OSU Homecoming house decs

2009-10-30T11:47:00.004-05:00

So, I wanted to share part of the great things that draw us to homecoming each year. Besides the family and friends we get to see, OSU is deemed America's greatest homecoming for a reason. There are tons of activities the students do the week before, from blood drives, food drives, a harvest carnival for the community,painting community windows with OSU spirit, the pep rally,the orange and black basketball game, the walk, the parade, and lastly the football game too of course!

Above is a painting...it's on a very large piece of plywood board. Each organziation like a dorm or club or fraternity/sorority paint a sign to be displayed on the library lawn...they have to meet the theme, this year's was Branded for Life. Each "event" like the sign painting or house decs is scored at the end for a trophy and bragging rights.

This is one of the house decs. They are giant displays, made out of tissue paper in chicken wire, and much more. This one has the "flap" that goes up and down. Often there are fountains and other mechanical parts to make them even more grand. They are very tall....as tall as their 2 story house behind it. The house decs are made by a sorority and fraternity that are paired to work together.

It's amazing how real they look, considering what they are made of and how they start out.

The details are amazing.

Oops, my head is in the bottom of this one under the date! The very first Sonic was opened/built in Stillwater, OK...I'd say that is branded for life....Sonic, yum....I miss Sonic!

These look like the actual photos would in real life! You can see the top of their house behind it on the right corner.

This one shows how big they really are. There's a whole giant house behind it! There are tons of people that go too, this is nothing...we started while it was still light, once it's dark, there are lights on the house dec, and the streets are so crowded, you just move with the pack.

You have to include Eskimo Joe's, it's such a part of Stillwater and OSU.

Another one...with the cover of Sports Illustrated this fall made into it, with our star Cowboys! Go Pokes!

You walk many street blocks looking at all the houses. Addison was carried in her sling, this is what she thought after taking it all in, it was too much to watch all the people and stay awake. She has her hands of course, and slept quite well and snuggled as a bug.

Cousins

2009-10-27T20:59:00.006-05:00

When we made the trek to Oklahoma for OSU homecoming, we were able to see Tracy and Jon and Bristol, as they braved Stillwater to come see us! yay! It was so good to see them and spend some time with them, as who knows how long til we get to see them again! It was fun to see Bristol and Addison together. They are only 9 days apart, so fun for Tracy and I, and I hope it will be fun for them as they get older. Hopefully we'll be able to coordinate them having lots of time together as they grow, it will be fun for them to have that like Tracy and I did when we were little.

Addison and Bristol are so different. Addison was all about touching Bristol and checking her out and wanting to give her love. Problem is, Addison can have a killer hug with the strength she's gotten from always holding her own hands together. Bristol just watched her. Addison is super skinny and light as a feather, Bristol feels like there is a brick in her bottom.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-23T12:30:00.008-05:00

This month we went to this place called Tweite's Pumpkin Patch. It was really quite a cool place. It was really made for kids Parker's age and older, and not so much for kids older than 5th grade. They had tons of things for kids to do, like slides and swings and walls to climb. They had a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, so we all piled on and rode to to see the pumpkins. Parker was a little stressed when the tractor turned around to get another crowd, he thought it was leaving us there....but he figured out soon enough it would come back and get us and he could ride on the hay ride again. This trip, Addison wasn't too impressed. It was chilly, so we tried to keep her bundled up, plus she was too little for all the activities. Parker had tons of fun, and we definitely tired him out!

Parker is clearly 3 feet tall this fall! Parker picked this winter coat, when given a choice between colors, he frequently chooses red or purple.

This was made to be a dinosaur fossil the kids could climb on, pretty cool idea. Parker did great with daddy's help jumping from one tire to the next. Next to the fossil you could dig for bones in a sand box...which was good until all the toddler's started wanting each other's shovels as you could imagine.

It was in the 40's when we went, Addison refused to keep her hands in, I could get her mittens on for a while, but then she would take them off trying to hold her hands. She has to have those hands!

Daddy and Addison watching the stick horse races! Go Parker Go!

Parker raced Mommy in the stick horse race. It was a large meadow area, with trees, so you could pick your horse and have a race! Fun, Parker won of course!

And the star of the of the pumpkin patch! It was too cold to get Addy out and make her sit on a pumpkin, maybe next time.

September activities

2009-09-29T12:01:00.022-05:00

So, I'm way behind again. It's been a busy couple weeks it seems. Parker has given up his nap for the time....so that makes for more fun. We've been keeping busy and trying to find new things to do. We've found a church we are going to go to, so that is one thing out of the way. I'm going to a ladies bible study now on Thursday mornings, and Micheal will go to a men's Bible study on Tuesday nights. Tomorrow we were invited to a story time and lunch by a lady we met at church. Her kids are the same age as Parker and Addison, so I'm excited about this connection.

The first cold front came in yesterday, it's only 48 degrees outside right now, and I haven't seen the news yet today, but I wouldn't be surprised if it froze last night. Well, most of what we've done, I'll describe in the captions, that seems the easiest!

Parker loves to read! He spends time each day reading or being read to. He likes to sit in his wagon and read, and sometimes we get Addison in the wagon too, and take a ride. Addison loves it when Parker invites her into the wagon and he pays attention to her.

Parker is 2! When he gets mad at us or even if we get after him for something he goes and lays on this rug by the door. It's either out of pouting or embarrassment. I had to take a picture so we could remember his terrible two's!

Parker took this picture! But, as you can see, Addy is quite strong on her legs. She can push her walker and stand up well, but she can't keep her legs going with the walker...so what happens is she is holding on tight while her legs and body become parallel to the floor! She can't crawl yet, but yesterday I did get her to stay on her knees for a couple of seconds when I put her on the floor.

I love to stand! In fact, Addison doesn't want to be sat on the floor anymore, she wants us to hold her up to stand all the time. She has steps figured out for the most part, but no balanced of course.

I can even stand well enough mommy will leave me at the couch to cruise all by myself!

Addison and I, under a tree in Rochester. Fall is here!

A river at a park here in Rochester. We like to walk here, there's a nice paved walkway trail, and a playground area. The leaves are starting to change. I feel like we have to take in every season right away since we are only supposed to be here a year.

A bridge in the park we were walking at. But, I took the picture, because as you can see, Micheal and Parker are all the way at the other end already, he's riding his tricycle! But, when we cam to the the bridge, he knew it was a bridge and said "bridge!" I didn't know he even knew that word, and it's not a word we use everyday, especially in Lubbock where there are no bridges, or real ones over water anyway. I guess all the train track building and playing has paid off!

Parker riding his bike down a hill, all by himself! We decided to let the stroller go by itself down the hill too, and Parker and Addison had a race, Parker loves the word race and to race (thanks Grandma Shields!). It was way fun though!

A view of Rochester skyline from the park.

Addison is happy about being an OSU fan! Getting ready for her cheering at homecoming!

Yes, even in Minnesota, Parker and Addison where their OSU gear on game day!

Parker loves the cartoon, Go, Diego, Go still. He can watch it on the computer, and it holds Addison's attention too!

Mommy bought Parker some water color paint! He loves to paint now, we do it almost everyday!

Addison can't crawl yet, but she can scoot on her tummy backwards wherever she wants to go.....this time she was mad because she scooted across the whole rug and "crashed" into this table toy, she had her legs straddling one of the legs, so she was very stuck since she won't pull herself forward.

My two cute and beautiful babies!

And finally, the day is done, it's time to rest! Addison has always loved her hands. She holds them all the time, when she is sleeping especially. I think she's always praying for us. Sometimes we have to pry them apart to change her.

Flower garden

2009-09-29T11:54:00.009-05:00

I took some pictures of the flowers in the touch and smell garden. It's not winter here yet! There were way too many bees for us, and the the monarch butterflies migrate south from this area in the winter.

Red Wing, MN

2009-09-29T11:01:00.016-05:00

Addison, admiring the Mississippi River. Ok, she probably doesn't know what she's looking at yet, but she still looks beautiful and was happy to be out and about.

View upriver.....towards the town of Red Wing, of the Mississippi.

Down the river, we saw several boats go by while we watched and played.

A view of some of the pumpkins waiting for their turn to be weighed. This was an official weigh-off, as they called it. There were many rules like the pumpkin could have no holes in it and the vine had to be all the way cut off. They used trucks with trailers to bring them in....and a pulley system to get them moved around.

Parker and Addison by one of the giant pumpkins!

Weighing one of the pumpkins...I think this one was 856 pounds.

A GIANT pumpkin! Can you read the sign? It was 1502 pounds! This one stunk, like it was rotting from the inside, none of the others smelled at all though.

Parker pointing at the barge on the river, he was pulling 3 of those things. I don't know what they are called, I missed river education.

Look at us! In front of the river, with the barge floating by.

Addison in her swing, She giggled every time it swung forward, she loved it.

Addison looking at the flowers, in a touch and smell garden by the cool playground we found.

View of Red Wing, MN from the bluff. Imagine what it will look like when the leaves are all red and yellow.

This past weekend we decided to go to a small town (16,000 population) nearby, well about 45 minutes away. We went to see the leaves that are supposed to be turning and to see some giant pumpkins being weighed. We had a wonderful trip. We first went to the visitor's center, so we would know what was going on in town and hopefully get some good directions. We then went to the park where the pumpkins were being weighed. It was right on the Mississippi River. The side of the river we were on was Minnesota, the other side was Wisconsin. We watched boats in the river, both recreational ones and work ones...like barges, etc. We found a really cool playground at one of the parks we went to, it had a great view and lots of playground stuff that was perfect for Parker. Addison even sat in a swing! We the ate lunch and went and had some ice cream at a little local store on one of the downtown main streets. The ice cream was very yummy! Our last stop was a trip up the bluff, to have a big view of Red Wing....beautiful. Things we didn't get to see in Red Wing, were all the leaves changing, we came too early I guess, so hopefully we can make another trip before it's too late. I was really looking forward to that. We also didn't see the giant Red Wing shoe that is there.....has us waiting in suspense!

Growing is amazing

2009-09-25T11:43:00.002-05:00

So, the other night, Parker woke up with a bad dream, and came to my bed....I had heard him talking in his sleep and awaited for his arrival. In he came of course. He does this often, and falls right back asleep as soon as I put him in our bed. As I was laying there holding him, I was thinking, is he asleep enough to put back in his bed yet? and then I thought do I want to put him back in his bed? He's so sweet, and he'll only be little for so much longer and I want to enjoy this time with him. So, then I started thinking about him growing. I could feel how long he was from his head by my head, and his feet by my knees......and I thought about what it would be like if I was holding Addison right now instead and how their size is so different, but that Parker used to be where Addison is now, and that before that...they were both microscopic...Wow! God is amazing to create us, so small, and we grow so fast, but then not so much in the same ways....I mean think about what would we look like if we always grew at least a foot a year? It's just so amazing to think about our lives and how God created us, and we grow each day....Parker and Addison are still so small, I can't imagine what they will look like in 6 months, but 6 months ago? They were so much different, and the time and the change goes so fast, it seems unnoticed at times...but wow, stop...look at your kids, look at you....how have you grown for God, because He's the one who has allowed it......I'm so thankful to God for my children and the glorious and wondrous changes and "growing pains" we will experience together.

Food

2009-09-25T11:33:00.002-05:00

Hmm...what could a post with title food have in it? Well, it's not about Addison and her new foods as she grows and tries a new one each week. But, about Parker and his pickiness. A while ago, we were eating dinner, it was a rice and meat casserole type thing, all ingredients Parker has eaten before and has liked, but on this night, as soon as I put it in front of him, he said "Yuck!" I told him he didn't even try it, and showed him how we were going to use a tortilla to eat it. He decided he would eat the tortilla, but not with the rice in it.....the funny part is that if there was any part of the rice that had touched the tortilla, he gave it back to me and told me "eewwww" and wouldn't eat that part. So picky, and observant~! It reminded me of me.....I am still picky and I remember being that picky. It's interesting to me how this is occurring, like it's hereditary or something. I don't really know how to handle it yet....I want him to have healthy eating habits, and I know he liked what we were having, just being picky that night for some reason, but I also know how miserable I was having to eat all these foods I did not like. And believe me, some of these foods, I would much rather eat, my life would be so much easier, but I still do not like them, even if I try them. For example, Micheal and I don't really like green beans, but we eat them now because we know they are good for us, and to set an example. But, can I really force a 2 year old to eat green beans just because they are good for him? So, Parker had a piece of plain bread for dinner instead, when he asked for snack...that's our solution for now....as he gets older, maybe I can convince him to try it and eat a little, but I don't know how I will force him to eat something he doesn't like.......sometimes we just don't like things!

Play Play Play

2009-09-09T14:16:00.036-05:00

It's been about a week since my last blog, so I figure I should update you on our little family way out here in Minnesota! It's been a good week. I'm really loving staying at home and it keeps me plenty busy. It's so nice to be able to be there and pay attention to my family each day, and not be stressed by worrying about other children, being on-call, or other work duties. Don't get me wrong, I still loved my job, and do miss it....I will work again someday I'm sure, but right now my place is at home, and I'm so at peace with that. I find one of my biggest struggles right now, is balancing time for me, keeping things clean the way I want, wanting to start projects like mail out pictures, scrapbooking etc.....is all overpowered by playing with the kids. They need to learn to become independent, but with me home I also want to give them all my attention and enjoy them while they adore me and need me so much. It will be all too quick before they don't want hugs or to hang out with mom. I hope that never really happens, but I know there will be a time when I have to share their wonderful personalities with others.....I don't want to share! So this past week, I spent it playing, taking walks, and playing. Thankfully, cooking is therapeutic for me, so I've also been able to cook each night and not feel like I have to cook whatever is the easiest and quickest to meet my familys' needs....I can cook what we want and plan ahead...it can be simple or something that takes some time. I made some yummy french toast, homemade meatballs to go with spaghetti, and taco salads to name a few.

Parker continues to learn new words all the time. He has also decided this week that Diego the animal rescuer, and asks to watch it ALL THE TIME! All of our walks and playing have also increased his coordination at running, and I'm amazed at how fast he can run....I was never a runner.

Addison continues to love to eat and play. She loves to watch Parker and loves it when he talks to her or plays with her. She is slobbering like crazy all the time, but still no teeth. She can't crawl yet, but is very strong on her legs. When you try to put her down, she wants to stand and hates it still when we put her on her belly. She figured out this week that it makes a fun noise when she babbles when she is on a bumpy road in her stroller or when she sits on your leg and it shakes. She loves to give hugs, but is still a mommy's girl. She's super fast at grabbing things, and is always on the look out for something she can grab. You have to watch where her arms are in relation to what's around you whether you put her down on the floor or are carrying her around...she can also bend from the waist in any direction but backwards and get herself back up, so she has a very large wingspan! And did I mention, she is FAST!

Parker and I made cupcakes one day....we even made our own frosting that Parker taste tested throughly as you can tell. We put fruit roll-up pieces inside the cupcakes for a fun sour gummy surprize when you bite into the cupcake! The frosting was made out of a marshmallow creme, it's yummy. Parker preferred to eat the frosting alone, using the beaters as a spoon!

We went to another playground we found, we're getting good at finding them! This was a truck Parker was driving....Addison looks concerned he's not watching where he's driving, if only she could talk! She loves to go to the playground here in our community and elsewhere. Even though she can't do much yet...she loves to watch Parker laugh and run around and go up and down. Parker loves the playground and loves to try to climb everything. He is getting better and better at figuring out how to climb by himself, and he climbs so high. One playground here has a slide that he has to climb up 3 levels to get to....he climbs all the way up the ladder and goes down the long tube slide with no fears at all. He loves to wave at mommy from the the top of the slide.

This isn't the tall slide I was talking about, but a picture of Parker getting ready to go down another slide. Notice the green grass in the background.

This is Silver Lake Park, it's really close to downtown. There's a lake as evidenced by the name in the park clearly, but a walking trail with "little kid" stuff, like shapes to name, colors, letters, etc all painted with signs to give parents hints on how to interact and teach their kids. There's alos a skateboard park, a large swimming pool (that's already empty), and a very nice playground. I took this picture, even though it's kind of dark to show you the scenery around here. I love the trees and the green, it's beautiful and a breath of fresh air. You can see the geese on the ground, which apparently summer here I think? I read somewhere that they thought that they were an extinct species of geese until 1914 or around there, when they found a gaggle of them here in Rochester.

Parker and Micheal went swimming last week before the pool closed for winter. It was way too cold for Addison and I to brave, and we only let Parker stay in it a few mintues before he was shivering! It wasn't cold outside, but the water was definitely not Texas warm! They've already started emptying it out for the winter....guess we should start getting ready to be cold! A lot of things here seem to end their season at Labor Day, not to mention that school didn't even start until the day after Labor Day, a vast difference from those in Texas and Oklahoma who started way in August!

The next one, I just thought I should include a close up of Addison for all to see. She has the biggest blue eyes and a smile like Parker's that comes so easy and rarely leaves. She also has a cute dimple, and as you can see from the slobber, a hope for teeth to come soon.

Who says you have to have girls to play with their hair?! Parker let me put his hair in a mohawk for fun one day. I don't have strong enough gel to keep it up all day...besides his daddy says that boys don't wear product in their hair. But he looks cute and he thought he laughed when he saw himself in the mirror.

Addison took her first bath in the sink! Yes, 7 months before her bath in the sink....usually we put the kids in the tub together, it saves time and water I suppose! But Addison needed a quick bath, and I didn't want to take the time to fill up the tub, so I put her in the sink. She really thought it was fun....and probably enjoyed not being splashed by Parker!

They have Kemp's ice cream factory or something here, not really sure yet...but there's a big billboard downtown with a cow on it, and every time we pass it, Parker says "MOoooo" We decided to try this ice cream, and it really is good...as you can see Parker is a fan already and he's only had a couple of bites!

A walk to get out

2009-09-03T11:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Parker would not take a nap! So after 45 minutes or so of fighting with him, I told him he could get up, but he had to read some books quietly for a while, which he did. But, as the afternoon went on, he was grumpier and grumpier. Addison woke up from her nap then of course all happy and rested. We decided to take a walk. I am very talented, I must say, as I had a boy on a tricycle, and a girl in a stroller...and the boy on the bike can't quite pedal up hills and such so I had to push a stroller and a trike! You should have seen us go! We were super wide, taking up the whole sidewalk. Anyway on our walk I saw a grasshopper, calmly perched on a railing. I told Parker to look, but he couldn't see so I picked him and brought him closer to the grasshopper. He looked at it, as it sat still and watched us. Parker started saying "die, die" (who taught him this during the few weeks up to and during the move by the way?? He says this when we swat at flies too) We talked about how the grasshopper wasn't bothering anyone and didn't need to die. Not sure what he really understands about dying other than he sees us swat a fly and put it in the trash, and he knows the trash is "ewwww" Then the grasshopper started walking....this freaked Parker out...he wanted down and away from his sight immediately. Amazing how he can be so fearless sometimes, feeding a deer even, but this tiny grasshopper left him terrified of the unknown, not knowing what the grasshopper would do. It makes me think about and remember how much our children learn and take in everyday. It's so nice to be here with him to experience and watch new things.

A positive on our walk though, I found a Dairy Queen within walking distance! Now, in the warm days we have of course, we can take an afternoon walk and go get an ice cream for snack if we want! How fun! We'll have to try it out soon.

Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo

2009-09-01T14:51:00.003-05:00

We found out about a county park, very near by to our home. They were having activities so we though we'd check it out, plus it was a nice day out. The park was so pretty, it had so many trees, and fields of green. You could go camping there if you were set up for that (which we are for sure NOT), a playground area, walking trails, and picnic areas. The zoo had lots more animals than we expected...from wolves to a cougar, to birds of prey to otters to turkeys, goats, and chickens, to deer and buffalo! Parker loves to look at animals. He sas able to feed a deer some grass from his hand and wasn't even scared! He is 110% boy and not afraid of anything if mommy and daddy are around. Parker did very well riding around in the stroller, following directions as asked this time and not fighting getting in and out of it. Addison got to ride in the sling around daddy....which she totally loved and it kept her warm and out of the wind. Everyone who passed us smiled and many commented on how she looks like a real baby doll. She is rather cute I must say!

Trip to the Minneapolis Science Museum

2009-09-01T09:13:00.002-05:00

Parker and Addison at the Dinosaur exhibit.

We had a weekend before Micheal started work, so we decided to head to Minneapolis, before the winter comes, and while we had the chance. We were going to go to the zoo, but got lost...or misguided by the GPS, and it looked like it was going to rain so we decided to go to the Science Museum instead. They had a dinosaur exhibit, and Parker is so into growling and roaring and dinosaurs!

We made it to Minnesota!

2009-08-31T14:58:00.001-05:00

So, here we are, in Minnesota......we're all settled in and unpacked....now we just need a routine. I don't know my way around yet, but we've found some nice parks to play at and the mall. That will at least give me somewhere to go and get out in the winter months! Minneapolis is only an hour away, so we hope to take some trips there and make the most of what we have while we're here.....hate to sit at home and miss it all when we have the chance to explore!

Parker and Addison are doing well so far. Parker just seems so happy that he's somewhere home all day with mommy or daddy. He's already figuring things out, like how to go up and down the stairs, where we keep the snacks, and how to get around our new neighborhood. Addison doesn't seem to notice the change, she's just soaking in watching her big brother play. She loves to give hugs now, and seems to be so much more independent than Parker was already! :(