Two Months

Little Parker-roo you are now 2 months old! Where did the time go? I haven't held you or snuggled you nearly enough and before we know it you'll be off and running.

Jan 19th: 2 months old

At two months you can focus very well and track things with your eyes. You're aware of the noises that are EVERYWHERE around you. You raise your eyebrows in curiosity when a cat walks by you, or if your sister is talking to you. You're Dr. checkup went very well, you took shots like a man and slept it off. You're officially 9lbs 4oz and 22" long. You're in the 10-20th percentile in those categories.

Week 5

You've grown to enjoy music. Probably because all your bouncy chairs, swings, or play mats have some music and light get-up that we force you to listen to when we're not holding you. However, you really study the source of lights and sound and don't often complain about it.

Week 6

Your gooey eyes are out of control, but like your sister we know it will end. Those tear ducts will be just fine with a little more refinement :) It's hard for me as your mother to look at your cute face with your eye lashes 'glued' together and your mouth in the biggest smile.

Week 7

Which reminds me, you started smiling officially this month. It is hard to get a rise out of you, you are calm, mild, and even tempered but you can smile with the best of them! I've noticed the smiles happen most often when you haven't seen a family member in a long period of time. For example, after the long night hours you'll wake up and look me in the eye and beam that toothless smile. I think you're extra camera shy by the way, I took me 3.5 weeks to catch that happy gesture 'on film'. You make the silliest faces and drop the smile whenever I pull out the camera.

Week 8

In the past few days you've started to blow spit bubbles. I now have to find your bibs and start hauling those silly things around.

This month alone you've traveled to and from SLC 5 times. That's a lot of hours in the car and you take it like a champ EVERY time. If only you could teach your sister how to sleep in the car...

Dearest Parker, we love you. You add a calmness and peace to this house that the female hormones were trying to destroy. Your Mommy, Daddy, and Sister always want to hold you and kiss you.

Redneck Wednesday

I'll start this first yokel experience with one of my own:

This is my new-to-me fridge from a used appliance store. I took a gamble and well, lost. This bad boy tricked us by working in every way except in pumping cold air. Shane says it's the compressor; to me that interprets into a vital and expensive part...

We moved into the Cedar City house taking care to plug it in and get it running right away. After all I moved with 6 weeks of stored up breast milk, the last of our freezer meals, and what was stocked up of my Costco meat (there is no Costco in Cedar). Plus we had just stocked up on a few essentials to get through the week. *sigh*

Imagine my dismay when we filled the fridge and freezer that day and woke the next morning to meat juice oozing onto the floor!

Alas, I took what I could and threw it in a box to store OUTSIDE, in the snow, with the freezing 10 degree weather. And my daughter had the gaul to ask for milk instead of water for almost every meal. 

That ugly lamp was taken and thrown in the back yard into  our waste pile. I took it back out to stick on top of my box so the neighborhood cats didn't get into the box at night.

The contents, dismal as they are.

An example of breakfast needs.

 With it being so inconvenient, and uncomfortable to go outside to my 'fridge' we tried to grab and remember everything for a meal in one outing. On the plus side, it's too cold for any neighbor to be outside to judge me, and at least it's cold enough to try and salvage some of our groceries...too bad breast milk is so difficult to replenish and basically worth more than gold.

We Moved Again!

We enjoyed Christmas and quickly shoved everything we owned back into boxes to move 4 hours south, where there are more horses and cows than people.

I never thought I'd live in a town this small. The city population rivals that of my university Alma mater.

I'll be hosting a 'Redneck Wednesday' blog post for as long as I continue to notice funny and strange small town happenings. In other words until I become redneck myself :)


In the meantime here are a few things that prove a move:

Emma has been doing a lot of movie watching.

Box towers, I mean cat toys, have invaded our space.

Too many late nights and long days lead to involuntary naps.

Christmas Vacation

So my kiddos don't have a school break yet, but this year Shane finished up his training just in time for Christmas, allowing us family time together in what felt like ages. Some of our vacation events:

Watching Star Trek...yes it seems we have young trekkies in the making 

Hanging out on the play mats

trying to smother snuggle the baby

Dancing up a storm just because we can

Our vacation also included our big anticipated relocation to Cedar City. More info on that to follow...

Christmas 2012

Well like many others, our family was plagued with the dreaded cold that's been going around. It made for one of the longest and most miserable  (too honest) tiresome Christmas Eve I've can remember.


We did the normal traditional things: Christmas story, why we open and give presents, cookies for Santa, etc.

Plus we attempted our Parent slumber party: Shane and I pull the mattress out into the front room to sleep by the Christmas tree (hoping to catch that man stealing my cookies!).

Emma was so sick and so miserable that it was a wonder Santa made it to our house at all. But let's skip the gory details of not sleeping and threatening to cancel Christmas and just show some of the pictures to remember that we were still capable of being happy...

One Month

Today is Mr. Man's 1 month mark.

Parker, you are well on your way to being the meek, mild, and calm one in this family. You could very well be our peacemaker.

You make your entire family happy (including the fur babies). Emma loves to be your big sister and does a great job. You love to hear her voice and look for her when she's singing to you. Zoe guards over you while you sleep and stares us down if we let you cry too long. Olivia might just like how soft your blankies and outfits are, but she snuggles with you like she loves you just the same.

You smile, often these smiles may be deemed unintentional, but others seem so timely that you must be expressing happiness.

Your favorite place to stare is out the window or sliding glass door. I think you enjoy the sunlight. I also believe you notice the color red more than other colors.

You are the most snuggly baby I've had thus far, you tolerate being put down but would rather curl up in someones arms to fall asleep.

You love your mama, probably because your daddy is temporarily extra busy, but I couldn't be happier with how you want me to hold and snuggle you. Sometimes it's a shame to have obligations like work, cleaning, packing, and errands looming over me while I try to mother.

You sleep through the night well enough, waking around 2am, 5am, and 7am. No matter how well you sleep, as your mom, I'll always be tired so I'll take what I can get.

If you make any noises at all it's a grunt or a growl. It's the funniest thing to have you tell us that you're hungry because you snort and growl cute little pirate Arrrrrr sounds. If you think you've been left alone in a room you'll wail-you can yawp with the best of them when you decide it's important enough. You also enjoy your binky but if you'd prefer food (which is all the time) you'll grunt in-between sucks to let us know your frustration-I'll have to get this on film before you outgrow it because your sounds are so cute still.

First day home.

Big yawns (first week).

Daddy snuggles (first week).

Bundled up for Temple Square Christmas lights (second week).

Sister wants a picture with you (third week).

Enjoying the window by your changing table (forth week).

One Month Old Today.

Emma and Parker: Dec 19th 2012

Happy big sister.

Parker-roo, we love you! It is a blessing and a joy to have you in this family.

Photo Shoot

       We met up with some of our favorite local photographers (who are running a Christmas special) and got the younglings photographed. I've included my top 10 favorites, in no particular order:

Some of these may look the same to everyone else, but these are my kids and I can see a thousand thoughts in each expression-I love it!

Ewww, she's kissing me!

Starting to get used to the kissing by now.

One more thought:

While in the car yesterday, I took 20 minutes too long to pick up some bread from the store. Mr. Man started crying out of pure starvation and I reached back, while at a red light, to help him with a bink. I couldn't tell which way his head was and could barely reach so I asked Emma for Help:

"Emma, where is his mouth?"

The reply: "It's right next to his nose."

I almost cried from laughing so hard. Thanks Emma, you really are a great big sister.