The Ball Family

I HOPE I WIN!

2011-09-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

So... freebies2deals is having a new giveaway! An ipad2!!!!!!!!! I really hope I win. Brad wants one so badly. This website is so awesome and my "go to" for almost every deal I get. I think the best deal I ever scored from that site was getting 48 2 oz. bottles of formula totally and completely FREE!

Muscle Man/Cutie Patootie

2010-12-13T20:21:00.001-08:00

Told him to flex his muscles for me. This one looks more like a funky dance if you ask me. haha

SnOw

2010-12-13T20:17:00.002-08:00

The weekend before thanksgiving we got a good 2 feet of snow in a matter of 3 days. Funny how it takes almost as long to get the kids all geared up to play in the snow as the time they are actually in the snow. This is just on our side yard!

Tree in front of our house. Beautiful!

On the Ball Handyman Services

2010-12-13T20:17:00.001-08:00

After much thought and prayer we decided to start up a handyman business to help pay the bills while Brad is in school the next 4 years. Check out the website.....www.handymanbrad.blogspot.com

Brad also landed a VERY part time job at Channel 2 news on the production team. After his first day he said he couldn't believe he was getting paid to do this. Hanging out with the news anchors and meteorologist= heaven.

Idaho trip in August

2010-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Parker, Brad and Grandpa went fishing at the lake in their neighborhood. This is Parker's first fishing trip and first catch that he got to reel in all on his own. A word of advice... if you can't catch a fish, have Parker say a prayer. Worked at least 10 times on that trip. That little boy has so much faith and trust in Heavenly Father. Mom and Garrett hanging out in the jacuzzi after load of fun on the home made slip n slide. We had a good 50 feet of sliding fun down grandma and grandpas hill in their backyard.

Cousin fun. Parker, Garrett, Blake and Cameron

Monkeying around

2010-12-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Just a typical day in the Ball house. :)

Parker turns 4.

2010-12-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

At Parker's party Calvin and Julie and the Rossi family came to celebrate. These photos are not digitally enhanced. This really is how high the boys got in the air. THEY LOVED IT! Bonnie and Kate. Once again, not digitally enhanced...same eyes, same nose, same chin, same cheeks, same EVERYTHING! Amazing.

Kellie made a cake for Parker. Its in the shape of a cupcake. Thanks Kellie, it was delicious and FUN.

On the Road Again!

2010-12-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

July 1st,2010

We made our way back from California to West Jordan, Utah. Emily's mom and dad came along for the ride to help with the moving process. We are getting so excited to Brad to get started on his Meteorology degree and to finally follow his dream.

Fun

2010-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Half the time Parker and Garrett are best friends and half the time they are fighting. Today was one of those "friends" days. (click to enlarge the picture) Digging for pirate treasure in the jungle of death. (this is what Parker said they were doing)

This shot is from a couple months ago but I had to post it. Garrett LOVES his binkies. One day Brad figured out we could link them together. Garrett thought it was hilarious.

What... a blog entry?

2010-05-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right.... I new blog post. These photos are from our first Easter Egg hunt for Easter 2010. Not much to say except we love these boys! Oh and also, they do have Easter baskets but thought it would be way easier at this point for Garrett to run around with a bag. So, that's what both of them got for the hunt.

So, as for blogging. I kinda got in a non-blogging non- picture taking funk. No reason for the blogging hiatus, just lazy I guess. After editing these pictures, I am motivated again to get the "ball" rolling.

Another BIG day

2010-01-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

Transition to primary was seamless. From what his teacher told me, he did great and was such a good boy. We are so proud of you Parker!

Christmas Day

2009-12-31T22:05:00.001-08:00

My Cousins and Aunt came over for Christmas. This was after we were all sugared up. It was only the beginning of the night of laughter.
Playing Kismet

Christmas Morning

2009-12-31T21:35:00.001-08:00

I think this was one of our best Christmas mornings since we have been married. Parker is old enough now to understand the gloriousness of Santa and also old enough to understand it was about Christ's birth. 3 year old + Christmas= FUN! This letter to Santa are his exact words he wanted to tell Santa. Then he proceeded to draw his bike and then he said "wait wait, we can't forget about Garretts presents." He was worried Santa would forget Garrett so he had to draw a picture of his "2 presents." Then he had me write his name with dots so he could trace over it himself.
So, the morning began. ***preface, Parker is attached to his blanket*** he carried his blanket down with him and to his astonishment, SANTA CAME! He dropped his jaw and froze his body as he dropped his blanket to the floor with just a slight movement of his fingers. Still frozen he noticed his bike, but most importantly, he noticed that Santa ate the Rocky Road we left for him.

This was his face for about 5 minutes. ASTONISHMENT. (Sitting next to the rocky road plate is his elf that went to visit Santa every night to report on Parker's good/bad status)

First time on, riding like a pro.

Then there was Garrett, not quite understanding what was going on but thought it was all great. Parker being the "good brother" that he is, helped open Garrett's presents. He even helped play with his toys too.

Click on the picture below to see it better. This was his favorite toy of the morning.

December Part 2

2009-12-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

Day in the life. Parker helping Grammie in the kitchen. Pancakes for sunday dinner is one of our favorites.
Garrett snuggling with GG. He will go into her room, climb on up her lap and watch TV with her for at least 15 minutes at a time. 92 years apart in age and they still have things they enjoy doing together.

This is a rare photo. Brad and I, ALONE, in a picture. Lately we always seem to have someone hanging on us. This is from our ward's Christmas party.

Kinda random and not posed. I have been waiting for an opportunity to do a color/black&white picture. So here it is.

December part 1- short and simple

2009-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

OK, maybe not short, but simple.

I was able to get together with my two best girlfriends I have ever had and will ever have. They are simply the best. Left to right, me. Heather. Jerilyn.
This is "before" seeing Parker at preschool

After... notice a difference in the fun meter. We were really bored waiting for the doors to open.

Parker's preschool class put on a christmas program where all the kids shook their jingle bells as the parents entered the room and proceeded to sing Jingle Bells and other ADORABLE songs and poems. Those who know Parker know he is rather loud at home and won't stop singing, but in public...silence. He did 3 things during the program 1. shook the jingle bells 2. said "hey" during the song jingle bells 3. put his fingertips together above his head for "I'm a little Christmas tree." The rest of the time he smiled and did his shy face, but we could not have been beaming with more pride than we did while watching him stand still with all those little kids. This picture is of him "getting ready" to go to preschool that day. Such a cool kid with Mom's sunglasses.

Eating cookies in his classroom afterwards. What you don't see is the girl (Ava) sitting to his left...as Parker would say "the prettiest girl in his class" with out any hesitation.

Fire Station

2009-11-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the boys and I ran into some fireman in the grocery store. Parker did not let go of the sticker they gave him for the whole day. The fireman told us we could stop by any time to check out the big fire truck, so today that is just what we did. Parker and Garrett were both a bit apprehensive at first but after a few minutes they were able to enjoy the whole adventure. A special thank you to the fireman who took the time to make today special. Both boys even got little fire chief hats. If you have not done this yet in your neighborhood, I would highly recommend it. ( I would call first just in case they aren't as friendly in your town) So fun and so free!

Just Because

2009-11-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

We love you. Through your ups and downs. Through every mood. Through every tantrum. With every hug and every kiss.Every laugh and every cry. Every frustation and every joy. Every smile and every frown. You are one complicated kid and we love every bit of you.
Patiently waiting to get in the car for preschool. I couldn't resist getting out the camera.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-16T19:02:00.001-08:00

This was my first attempt at making a halloween costume for one of my boys. It could have been better, but also could have been way worse. Parker decided he wanted to be "Casper the friendly ghost" for Halloween. So, that is what he got. I spent the whole day before Halloween making his costume. It wasn't too hard to make, just a bit time consuming to get it to fit him just right since I didn't have a pattern. We wanted to use white face paint on his face but in a time crunch we ended up putting sparkly white eyeshadow all over his face. haha. I thought he was a perfect Casper with his HUGE blue eyes. When people asked him what he was dressed as he didn't just say "casper" he had to add "the friendly ghost."

Now for our little CHICKEN. I did NOT make Garrett's costume and I am so glad I didn't take the time to make one since he wore this for a total of maybe 3 minutes. He hated it. "but isn't he smiling in this picture?" you ask. Yes he is, but this was literally the only smile we got out of him. Distraction I tell ya, distraction. Both boys did well with staying up past their bedtime to trick or treat and surprisingly even better at church the next day. Shocker!

A special thanks to my Aunt Linda and my cousins coming over to hang out and trick or treat with us. We had such a great time with you!

Happy 1st Birthday Garrett!

2009-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

October 24, 2009

Garrett turned 1 YEAR OLD! He has been the absolute happiest and cheeriest baby that I have ever met. He is completely FULL of snuggles and hugs and kisses. He will stop playing just to come over and put his head down on Mommy or Daddy's lap. 100% Snuggle Bug! Brad was out of town on his actual birthday so we celebrated a few days after with few of our friends and their kids. I totally copied this cake idea from my friend Cari Jessup from Utah and she won't even know it until she looks at the blog. Her "banana" cake turned out much better than this.

Here are all the kids at the party. From left to right, Parker and Garrett, Dallin Stewart, Henry Tingey, Kate Meulleck, Sam Tingey and Ashley Stewart.

Garrett wasn't too sure of the cake but he WAS NOT afraid to get down and dirty.

Pretty intense present opening. This isn't scared, this is determined.

Here are the words he can say at 12 months. Some words happen everyday but a few are just here and there.

Ma ma
Da da

Parker = DA-kur

night night = nana

yeah

all done= a-DUN

cracker = Kakur
thank you = tay too

hi = ha

At his one year check up he weighed 21 pounds 2 ounces(25%) and 30 inches tall (55%)

He loves to wrestle with his brother, eat as much food as possible, smile whenever he gets the chance, drool, sleep through the night, drink any liquid I can give him all day long, point at things, climb up and down the stairs, his binky, his monkey (hence the monkey party-inspired by his favorite stuffed animal from mommy's friend Jerilyn)and most of all he loves his mommy and daddy!

Food, Glorious Food

2009-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Name that food... Peanut Butter, yes that's the EASY ONE. The other food on his face is yogurt. Lately he has been getting really messy at lunch time. Parker has also been way into taking pictures so I take them whenever he lets me. Even with that messy face he is still the cutest! And then there is Garrett who is always messy. Here is the classic spaghetti mess picture.

CLEAN OR DIRTY, I LOVE THESE BOYS!!!

It's cuter up close

2009-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Click on this storyboard to make it a bit bigger so you can see the lizard better.
So Brad caught this and brought it into Parker and he was in HEAVEN! He was so gentle with it and let it run all over his arms and back and even on his head. He is definately his father's son... really good with little crawly things.

He was devasted when we told him he had to put it back in the "wild." So to comfort him we told him this was just a baby and it's mommy lizard was probably worried about him and we needed to put him back. Like most of our plans, it backfired. Parker came up with an even better plan. "why don't we just go get the mommy lizard so they can be together and we can have both of them."

One of those days

2009-09-15T13:51:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those days as a mother where you can not help bursting with pride while tearing up from both joy and sadness. Parker had his very first day of preschool today. He simply could not wait for this day to come. At his school they have all the kids bring buckets instead of backpacks. So cute.

I could not handle the excitment in Parker's face in first picture. So cute. Just ignore that he looks like he is doing the potty dance, just a coincidence.

On the drive to preschool I was prepping him on minding his manners and all those things mothers say. Plus I explained to him that I was going to drop him off and leave. Here is how the conversation sounded....

Me: "When we get to preschool I am going to come in with you but when you are comfortable I will leave."

Parker: "But then you'll come back?"

Me: "yes"

Parker: "NO! don't come back"

Me: " Parker, I have to come back and get you...You can't stay at preschool forever."

Parker: "But why?"

Needless to say, he was little excited for this day to finally come. When we got there he jumped right in and gave his teacher, Mrs. Kircher, a really big hug. (He knew her already because she came to visit him at home a couple weeks ago) Next, he was off to playing with toys. I stood by him and watched him play a bit like all the other mothers until Parker stopped playing, stood up and said in a very loud whispery voice...

"Mommy (pause) you're supposed to leave."

I asked him for a kiss and hug and I was off. He didn't even watch me leave. Heartbreaking and reassuring all at once.

Two and half hours later I patiently awaited with all the other parents for the gate to open. I will always remember looking through the window and seeing my little baby sitting on his square on the floor with his classmates. He looked up and saw me in the window and his face lit up and waved. So well behaved and so innocent. I love him more and more with every milestone in his life.

Just Hangin' Out

2009-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Updates:
Garrett will be 11 months on the 24th and eating as much big people food and as we can shovel in. He loves to laugh and literally wrestle with his big bro. He is our little dare devil and my guess is he will be walking before we even know it.
Parker starts preschool tomorrow and can not wait. He has been asking to go to school since we enrolled him back in April. He is becoming such a little man and an AMAZING and patient big brother.

I took these pictures on sunday afternoon while they were playing outside to get all their wiggles out from church.

Garrett loves the camera and could not stop smiling,
Parker on the other hand.....

They love each other so much already. I always hoped my two boys would be like this together.

Orange County Zoo

2009-08-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

Cute little zoo for a cute little family. This zoo was just the right size for us. It only took 1-2 hours and we were done. But there were plenty of fun things for Parker to do.
Garrett even loved it.

They had a little area where the kids could not just pet the goats, but brush them with cute little brushes. Parker dove right in and loved it.

Outside the zoo they had some pony rides. They had "walking" ponies and "troting" ponies. First Parker went on the walking one and enjoyed it so much we thought we might give it a try with the trotting ones. I wish, oh I wish I had a video camera for the troting one. His whole body bouncing up and down with a permanent grin on his face. No, my hair did not grow in seconds, this is a girl that worked at the place. She was tied to Parker's pony so she could control the speed.

Garrett with Daddy on the sidelines waiting to get big enough for his turn. So proud of his big bro.

the walking pony.

Some of the animals we were able to see. Not pictured was a couple of bears labled as black bears, but they looked pretty brown to me.

Parker and Garrett

2009-08-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the pleasure of driving to Mission Viejo to spend the afternoon with Sara Lehman and her family. Sara was one of my great friends from High School and college. Parker had such a great time with her boys. Their youngest (wes) and Parker are only a couple months apart. Their personalities are very well matched. We can't wait to hang out with them again.
Behind their house they have a 54 acre park with all kinds of paths, a playground, rec center and kiddie size hedge maze. Such a blast.

THis is going to be one of those SUPER embarrassing pictures for his future girlfriends to see, but as a mother I feel it is my duty to not only take a photo like this, but to post it. Reading the Kohls ad with his bathing suit tan lined legs waiting for that perfect moment on the potty to complete his "mission."

Garrett peeking through the stairs sporting his fashionable two bottom teeth.

Pretty Sweet Sale

2009-08-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

My vinyl lettering business has been on the back burner since I had Garrett until pretty much yesterday. I checked out the uppercaseliving website and found this awesome sale going on and it inspired to start things up again.

I had to add this photo cause I think this Alphagator is the cutest idea ever! Anyway here is the info on the sale...

"Buy Two, Get One FREE!
Purchase any two items from August 5 to September 10 and you’ll get
an additional item of equal or lesser value absolutely FREE!*

Choose from any item we offer, including all of our new Fall/Winter
accessories, expressions and embellishments, Chalk Wall kits and theme
packs, or even a MyDesign Suite™ custom expression. There’s no limit
to the ways you can enhance your home or the number of FREE items
you can get!

Don’t miss your chance to Buy Two, Get One FREE!"

You can view the catalog on my website or just contact me and I can help you out.

emilyb.uppercaseliving.net

Catalina Part 2- read the first post first.

2009-08-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

I looked at the earlier post and realized I left some pictures out.

I just wanted to add this picture of Brad and I that's close enough to tell it is actually us instead of just a dot in the sky.

This one is to show you how stinkin' high we were.

This one just cause its cool. Allison and Michelle pre-the lens incident.
And also this one just cause I love this boy.

This one cause Allison is such an awesome Aunt she deserves another picture posted of her in "aunt" action. She is always so excited to wisk the kids away for activities outside or games to play. The kids are NEVER a burden to her. She loves them and they absolutely LOVE her. Most importantly, we love her and appreciate her and the amount of love she shows us and our children.

Catalina Family Trip

2009-08-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

We went on a Ball family trip to Catalina. We had such a blast. We were spoiled with wonderful views, perfect weather, fun cousins for our boys, beautiful condo, endless golf cart driving, swimming, guided deep sea fishing, delicious food, quality family time, massages, and para sailing.

Our view from our balcony.

Brody

Michelle's 3 boys. Ethan and the twins Ashton and Slater inside the back of the golf cart.

Another view from our balcony.

I'm pretty sure this is Ashton. I think. They are identical twins with only a few things to identify who they are.

Allison is looking "too cool for school" in her hat.

Parker and Mykalah coloring together on the way home on the Catalina Express.

Here we go...... PARA SAILING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not very glamorous, but here you go.

Something to notice: Allison only has one sunglasses lens. She lost it when they "dipped" her. I laughed so hard I could have peed my pants cause she didn't even want to be dipped in the first place.

This is my favorite picture. Grant and Becky are so fun.

The next pictures are of Brad and I. Para sailing was so peaceful yet a little scarier than I thought it would be. I heard the boat that we took takes you much higher than all the other boats. I believe it, we were up about 350 feet or so. We asked the driver to dip us to our waist and we ended up soaked from our shoulders down. Such a fun experience! I would totally do it again.

This when we were about to be dipped.

We had such a fun time. Thank you for all who helped make this happen. We love you!

Get ready for a long one.

2009-07-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

So in the last month we have been doing so many things where I happened to bring my camera so, sit back and relax and get ready to look at lots o'pictures. First off are just some random shots that I am just in love with so I had to post them. Garrett is now 8 1/2 months and the light in the room. He is crawling (sort of, it is more of an army crawl/the worm, has two bottom teeth and LOVES food. He says "dada" and only says "mama" when he is upset in his crib(aren't I lucky?)
Go ahead, I know you want to....pinch those cheeks!

I promise you when I say, this was not posed. He honestly was just sitting there like that.

I know he looks so serious and the light makes it look like he has dark circles under his eyes. but there is something about this picture I love.

Alright, now for the pictures with more of a purpose. We went on a family reunion camping trip near Arches National Park in Utah. My parents had all 5 kids, spouses and 16 grandchildren all on the same campsite. Parker sure did have a blast playing with all his cousins! We had such a great time with everyone there. I have some great bros and sis's. One our second day we drove into the Park to check out some of the Arches.

Garrett and Olivia are exactly 1 month apart to the day. Parker had such a great time climbing up all those rocks. He wasn't scared even a little bit.

Fishing with his very own fishing pole off the dock near our campsite. (Don't be fooled, this is obviously not a real fish. It came with the fishing pole)

Then back in CA, we had a bonfire at the beach with my parents, Dave/Jill and their kids(Luke, Ella and Olivia) and Jills parents.

JULY 11TH, 2009....Parkers 3RD BIRTHDAY!!!! We didn't really mean to do it, but all his gifts had a sports theme. He loves his new B-Ball hoop. Thank you Grammie and Grandpa! Sorry the b-ball pics are so tiny. I would highly advise clicking on it so you can enjoy those pictures more thoroughly. It will make them more clear and easier to see.

This has to be on of the funniest pictures. Parker in the background all serious talking to Daddy and Garrett looking at the camera mischeviously laughing his head off. Classic. Parker's GG (Great Grandma) has to be one of the sexiest almost 93 year old alive.

Oh the FUN!

2009-06-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Garrett is 7 and a half months and his smiley face still holds strong. Well, the last couple days we haven't had as many smiles as normal cause he is finally cutting his first tooth. Drool drool drool.

Our little pretender. Little boys are so fun. I am so glad superman lives at my house. I feel so safe now. Funny thing is.. he doesn't even know who superman is. Months ago his Aunt Bonnie taught him he could tie his blanket around his neck and fly like superman. Bonnie, he hasn't forgotten about it. So much FUN.

On one of Brad's day off last week we had SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER! Brad and Parker went to a hobby shop and then assembled a model rocket that could shoot 600 feet into the air. To our surprise, Parker actually helped build it instead of ya know "help." Parker was so into it. Once all the glue dried Brad, Parker, Garrett and I took a walk to the elementary school field to blast off the rocket. It couldn't had gone any better. Parker Loved it with a capital "L." He went crazy pretending to be the rocket in the air. He couldn't stop talking about it....."it exploded and went up and it was great, and it exploded and then it went shzoom" with hand motions and all.

I had to add this picture I took of Brad shortly after our "rocket" time. Isn't he handsome? Yep, that's right, he's mine. All mine.

They weren't hyper the whole time. Oh those eyes. Have I mentioned Garrett is a major binky baby. Parker wasn't so this is all new to us.

Three Things I Am in Love with Right Now....

2009-06-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

My husband, my boys and Photoshop! I am finally figuring it all out. This is my new favorite picture. Parker and Garrett's personalities shine through. Parker is full of life and spunk and Garrett is always so content with nothing to complain about.

Our Very First...

2009-05-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Family Trip to the Beach!

Warning: You might be blinded due to albino-ish tints coming from the people shown in these pictures. Please look at photos with caution.
Both Parker and Garrett (well, actually all of us) were not too fond of the artic cold ocean water, but the sand was a blast. Brad was a trooper and toughed it out and swam for a bit. Parker loved the shells and sand crabs.
Garrett loved being near the shore until we made him stand in it. The 85 degree air felt much better than the freezing water.

How could I resist posting such a classic father-son phot0. Love it!This is another first. Garrett never falls asleep on me, but he was tuckered out from the day o' fun. I was eating it up. On our walk back to the car he just kept getting snugglier and snugglier by the minutes until he gave in.

He warms our hearts

2009-05-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

So far it seems like the worst of the terrible twos are over. His "cute" moments are starting to overpower his screaming moments. We have our Parker back. Here are just a few of those cute moments....

** As he finished all his drink he said " I killed it"

** I don't remember when he said this but he looked at me and said "Chill out mom, you don't have to cry about it."

** He ran into the kitchen and said in the most urgent voice " wait wait wait, I have to tell you something...." then his voice became very sweet and sincere " I love you."

Here's the newest gardener in town, he works with his shirt off and is pretty free with his kisses. Hubba hubba!

He loves his Daddy.

Can you believe it?

2009-04-25T21:06:00.001-07:00

Our little Garrett is already 6 months old. He has been in our lives for half a year and yet I don't know how we survived with out him. He brings so much joy into our family. He is such a calm tempered guy. Nothing phases him and everything makes him smile. He is our binky baby which I am not sure if I am pro or con with that one. He is so cuddly and with those squashy cheeks oh man.... he can easily melt anyone. He is great buddies with his bro Parker. They are starting to "play" together now. There is nothing better than watching your two sons love each other and be buddies. I can't wait to see them grow up together.

Hmmmm... you think these guys are brothers or what?

FOR SALE

2009-03-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

We having been selling many of our things to make our move less hectic and heavy. We have managed to sell almost everything expect for a few things. So, if you are in the area and you are interested in any of these things just send a comment or call/email us and we'll answer your questions.

This is JVC Home Audio Receiver- $90
JBL Surround Cinema Speakers (everything pictured plus 2 more stands) $125 If you want both the speakers and the receiver we will give you both for $200. Playstation 2 with 2 controllers and all wiring that came in orginal box $70 (we are willing to mail this one if you don't live near us)

Sony FD Trinitron WEGA 27 inch -$125 UPDATE: This TV and Playstation2 are now SOLD.

GOODBYE WEST JORDAN, UT...

2009-03-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Fountain Valley,CA!!!

So, here's the story... not even two weeks ago I was awake in the middle of the night feeding Garrett and I was thinking, thinking, thinking of what we could do to get financially ahead without Brad getting 2 jobs. The thought popped into my brain "maybe we should sell our house," but then I was filled with sadness plus I had no idea where we would move. I couldn't go back to sleep cause my brain was running wild. I then talked to Brad about it and he had the thought that we should look for job openings in the Huntington Beach area and we could move in with my parents. I wasn't too sure about it, but I called my parents anyway to ask if we COULD find a job if they would be willing. They were.

Then that got our wheels turning even more and conveniently the next day was Fast Sunday. We fasted and prayed and felt really good about pursuing this idea. Which we thought would be a big deal to make happen. Getting a job in this economy and selling our house in the economy might take a long time.

To make a long story short; within a week Brad got a accepted for a job transfer to the Irvine Lowe's where he would still be a department manager but he would get paid more. The store manager wanted him there by April 4th which was less than a month away. Now we had to sell our house. Two days later we put our house up for sale and within 4 hours of our sign going up in the yard... SOLD! Sold to the women I visit teach (Petra)and her family. I had told her about our house a couple days previous to putting it up for sale and they liked it, but already had an offer on a different house. Once the house went up online they decided they needed to come over for another look. Our house is absolutely PERFECT for them even down to the paint colors in the bedrooms already being the right colors for their kids. They will move in and not have to change a thing. They wanted to close as soon as possible. We are closing March 31st which means our WHOLE famiy can move to CA before April 4th!

Is this the Lord's will or what? From the time we decided this is what we should do it only took a week and half to get a job and sell our house. The Lord knew this would be coming and put everything in place for us. Why was I Petra's visiting teacher? If I wasn't, I would not have known she was even looking for a house. Why were there openings in CA Lowe's but nothing here in Utah? Heavnly Father loves us and we love Him. We give Him credit for all things and we could not live our lives with out Him at the head of our home guiding us. We can't thank Him enough for going above and beyond our expectations. The blessings are overflowing and we can't thank Him enough.

Mommy WOW....

2009-03-05T20:53:00.001-08:00

I'M A BIG KID NOW!

He did it! We did it! Parker is now wearing big boy underwear all day, everyday except for at night. He wakes up most mornings dry, but I don't want to chance it yet. It took a solid week, but I think it is safe to say he is potty trained(mostly). I am so proud of our "not-so-little" guy. We have gone to the store and other outings and he holds it... he actually does it. Today at a little play group he was doing the potty dance so I asked him if he needed to go pee and he went in his friends potty with out even getting nervous. (this was his first time using someone elses potty) Every time he finishes "peeing like Daddy" he glows from head to toe with pride. Parker amazes me. How are we so blessed to have such a wonderful child. Every big transition in his life so far has been so much easier than I thought it would be.

This is parker showing me his BIG muscles.

Big boy bed... big boy underwear... Parker, you really are a big boy now. It is hard to believe that in 4 short months you will be 3 years old!

Who couldn't love these boys?

2009-02-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

Their new "brother" thing to do is play in Garrett's crib together. Garrett absolutely ADORES Parker.

Melts me everytime. And yes, that dark area on his shirt around his tummy IS drool. He is my drooly baby. He is always making bubbles and eating his hands. I think he might be teething already, but we shall see.

Little Einsteins is one of Parker's favorite shows. I love that he watches this show cause it teaches him so much about music (he sometimes beats his dad at naming instruments) and his vocabulary is so much bigger from it. What 2 year old knows what a Petroglyph and what metamorphosis is? He knows that this picture has the rings of Saturn in it? Are you kidding me? Who's kid is this? If Parker turns out to be some genius when he grows up, I can't take any credit for it. Thank you television for educating my child. What would I do with out you?

P.S. At what age does this cheesy/fake smile go away?

This picture illustrates why we call Garrett "chunk a lunk."

Parker is getting so old. I just want to slow time down or on the other hand, maybe I want to speed up time so we can by pass the rest of the terrible twos and most likely threes and go straight to four. Any potty training tips? Potty training terrifies me. I don't want to deal with it. But I've got to. He is ready and I can't miss this window of opportunity. I'll take any advice.

I love these boys with ALL my heart. Being a mom is the coolest thing in the world. Hearing Parker calling ME Mommy and telling me he loves me and watching Garrett's face light up every single time he sees me makes everything worth it! I love you Parker and Garrett. You are MY boys for eternity and I am so proud of it.

Time Flies with two kids

2009-02-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here is our little 3 month old "Garritto." One day that name just came out of my mouth and it stuck, I don't know if I even like that nickname, but what's done is done. Other names he goes by are chunk a lunk and little cutie. Garrett has turned into such an easy going baby. All he does is eat, sleep and hang out with out complaints. The only time he fusses is if he is STARVING or super tired, but both of those are easily remedied. Garrett can not take his eyes off his big brother and I can tell he is already looking up to Parker. We love this little guy more and more everyday!

His little infectious smile is the best. Sometimes it seems he looks for reasons to smile. He has brought so much joy into our lives. If he is in the right mood we can even get him to be ticklish around his neck, armpits and legs. Honestly.. LOVE THIS KID!

Here is Parker attempting one of his "death defying tricks" I don't know if I like this one. He is also a pro at somersaults, spinning and doing animal imitations on the ground. Parker has also become WAY into singing. I probably hear him sing Twinkle Twinkle little star about 50 times a day especially while he is trying to fall asleep in his room and most of the time it morphs into the ABC's because they are the same tune. For instance..."A B C D E "best" G, how I wonder what you are" Yes... you did read the word "best" in there, for some reason he doesn't say "f" , its "best."

I know this is an awkward angle but I had to share it. I was taking a shower and told Brad to watch the kids. When I got out this is what I found on our bed. Brad fell asleep snuggling with the boys. Notice, the kids managed to stay awake. Brad sure does love his naps.

So much to share!

2008-12-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008 is definately one we will remember. Blizzard, snowed-in for half the day, and the power out for over an hour. There was so much snow that the main road leaving our neighborhood was closed the whole day. We couldn't go anywhere even if we wanted to. Later in the day though we were able to go to Bonnie and Mike once the snow was plowed on the main roads.

All this snow from one storm!

Ususally snow doesn't even touch our front porch, but the winds were going crazy. Consistently between 25-30mph.

This was during the storm.

A couple of the things Santa brought for Christamas...tools and big boy underwear. Parker is not potty trained by any means, but this is a start. He loves his big boy underwear, he just doesn't love the potty.

GARRETT IS NOW 2 MONTHS OLD!!! Always smiling and always sleeping. He slept 8 hours last night! His hair is still long, his eyelashes are getting longer, his eyes are getting bluer and melting our hearts everyday.

Last year we started a tradition of making an igloo in our backyard. Here is our igloo for winter 2008-2009. The igloo before our Christmas Day blizzard/storm...

After...

A day in the life of a BIG brother

2008-12-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Once Garrett fell asleep in his swing these were the things that my little helper said Garrett "needed." Luckily Garrett slept through the whole thing.
Parker trying to stay out of the way of the swing to see the results of his big brother skills.

Snuggling on the couch with his "cowboys." Kim Hoke made him this blanket before he was born. This is is favorite. He can't snuggle or sleep with out it. p.s.--he piled both those pillows up so he could be more comfortable to watch his movie.

A day would not be complete with out a little rockin' out in the kitchen. Thanks Grammie and Grandpa for teaching him that the canisters can be drums.

Cheesy smile. But we love it. This boy needs a hair cut.

Garrett's Blessing Day

2008-12-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat

2008-11-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Garrett is already over a week old! Time sure does fly. I can't believe I forgot how much newborns sleep. Too bad it will only last a little longer.

We still don't know if he will keep his dark hair and dark blue eyes. We'll just have to wait and see.

Parker's first Halloween to go trick or treating. Our little lion was even excited to sit still so I could put on his make-up.

Garrett, we couldn't imagine our lives with out you. You are such a wonderful baby (if we don't count night time) and a cute little brother. And those CHEEKS.... I can't get enough!

On their way out Trick or Treating his bag was empty while holding Daddy's hand. When they came home Daddy was holding Parker in his arms with a loot of candy in his pumpkin bag. At each door Parker would say, "trick or treat" "thank you" and "Happy Halloween!" Seriously, do you see that little tail? So cute!

Carving pumpkins with Daddy.

Garrett Douglass Ball

2008-10-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Born at 12:18 am on October 24th, 2008.

7 lbs. 8oz.

21 inches long

(More details to come but I thought you might want to see some pictures. Can you tell Parker is a proud big brother?)

TOMORROW!!!

2008-10-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

My Dad and I comparing "bellies." I think I win!

Tomorrow is the BIG day. I am scheduled to be induced in the morning but there is a chance it will be post-poned if the hospital is too busy. I am both SO nervous and SO excited all at the same time. I think everything is ready to go, so wish me LUCK!

Is it really that time of year already?

2008-10-12T20:05:00.001-07:00

This is what we woke up to this morning. Compared to the storms we will have in the future this is nothing at all, but it is mid-October! The snow is fun now because we know in about a week it will be warmer again.

This is a summer blooming flower in our front yard....apparently it is a little confused.

Belly picture, as promised. Ignore my somber face. Brad waited for-ev-er in between each click while taking my picture so I didn't really know when to smile. This was taken about a week ago. I feel like my belly has grown even more since then. Have I mentioned I am ready to be done being pregnant? I am so grateful for the bond that pregnancy brings between me and my children (oh wow, that is the first time I have said "children" and not just "child") but I am ready to NOT have another human taking over my body anymore. I already love Garrett so much, I can't wait to hold him and kiss his little toes.

OK, I couldn't resist. Parker was having fun striking poses for me before church this morning.

Perfect Moment

2008-10-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

I put Parker to bed tonight and like always he asked me to snuggle with him a little longer. I told him I would go get Daddy and he could snuggle with him instead. A few minutes later Brad and I got distracted and we heard him call out from his room.."Daddy.......Daddy......" So Brad went in as I had promised and he laid down in Parkers bed. Brad whispered to Parker asking him to hold his hand, which he then did. Parker then took his available hand to softly rub Daddy's hand. Thinking that the moment couldn't get any sweeter than this with his 2 year old son he asked "Parker, what is your favorite thing that Daddy does?" He thought about it for a minute and slowly said in his sweet little innocent voice "Daddy loves Parker's Mommy." Priceless.

OK OK... I get the hint!

2008-10-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, I never thought I would be "that" blogger than didn't post anything for 2 months. Well, I guess I am. Many of you have given up on me so I don't blame you if it takes a month for you to even notice that I am updating things. Here is what has been going on since the last post.

1. Brad turned 28. For the first time in my whole life, I planned a surprise party. It was a success. We had many of our close friends from in and outside our neighborhood and Bonnie/Mike's family. Our good friend Stacey babysat Parker while Brad and I went to the Cheesecake factory ALONE! That was a treat all by itself. I was so nervous he would suspect things, but everyone was so great helping getting everything set and ready while we were gone. Thanks again! Brad really was surprised and he felt so loved.

2. Parker and I went to CA to visit with his Great Grandma (GG) while she had some alone time in the house before my parents got home from their mission. Traveling pregnant, alone with a 2 year old is not recommeded. Getting on the plane on time was seriously like that airport scene from Home Alone. Once the luggage was checked I had to get myself, Parker , a stroller, a back pack and a car seat on the plane with out any help. NEVER AGAIN! Luckily once we got on the plane he was pretty much an angel. So, Heather and Brandon Stewart picked me up from the Long Beach airport (thank you by the way) and to put icing on the cake from the whole traveling experience...I was pushing the stroller with Parkers big carseat resting on it while Parker sat in the car seat. We all "thought" it was secure until Parker took a face plant on the asphalt in the parking lot leaving a nice bruise on his forehead, a scratched up nose and a bloody chin. Oh yeah, to make things worse, I left the camera in Bonnie's car when she dropped me off at the airport. I felt so sad that I couldn't take any pictures of our 10 day trip.

On a VERY positive note. We had a great time while we were there. We ate at In N Out, El Torito, and El Pollo Loco. Spent lots of fun times with Heather and her family. Heather did take one picture while we were there. Maybe she can send it to me so I have something from that trip. hint hint Vanessa from the 1st ward was so great and let us hang out with her and play with all of Sam's toys. Parker would have been bored out of his mind with out those toys. THANK YOU!

Parker and I had such a wonderful time spending so many quality moments with GG. First thing every morning Parker wanted to go into GG's room to see her and play with her and get a jelly bean of course. He instantly fell in love with GG, (who wouldn't though). 2 months later he is still talking about GG. One of GG's favorite things was when she showed parker a Book of Mormom and asked what it was and his response was "Book of Morning." She said "well, I guess I DO read it in the morning most of the time. She would ask him this question multiple times a day and it never got old. Honestly, he is too cute. I know I am forgetting so many details, but we had such a great time and miss seeing GG every morning.

3. Next in events was on the 12th of September my parents came home from their mission. We didn't get to see them until the 26th. I have not been in "photo" mode so this is the only picture I got while they were here. I promise to get more when they come to visit when Garrett is born. we love you and we are so glad you are home. Parker misses his Grammie and Grandpa. He asks about them all the time.

4. Last thing is about ME. I am doing pretty great considering I only have a little under 3 weeks until I am induced. My doctor is awesome and scheduled me to be induced on the 23rd which is 5 days before my due date. I am ready to get Garrett out of me. I am running out of room for him. Is my belly big? Yes. Where is a belly picture then? Coming soon, I promise. Are you nesting? Big time. Is Parker excited for a little brother? I am not sure, but he sure does talk about Garrett all the time. Am I ready for Garrett? I am so nervous to be a mom of two kids and I don't know how I"ll handle it, but I do know I WANT HIM OUT. Any middle names? not yet.. any good ideas?

CAMPING near Bear Lake!

2008-07-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

***DISCLAIMER: I can not take credit for that new picture of Parker at the top of our blog. Our friend Peter Loosli took it today while we were visiting with their family. Check out his site...www.looslitaken.com***

We just got back from a 4 day camping trip at St. Charles Campground with most of Brad's family and our friends Calvin and Julie. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again. Camping pregnant? Yes, I did and it really wasn't much different than camping not pregnant cause we had a nice comfy air mattress. There were swarms of mosquitos everywhere and I seemed to be the only one to be full on attacked with bites. Brad had 1 bite, Parker had zero and I walked about with about 40! Lucky me, maybe they are attracted to pregant blood or something.
Brad is making a weird face, but I had to post this cause it is Parker's first official pair of bunny ears in a photo. I didn't even notice Brad was doing it until I downloaded all the pictures to the computer. Silly Guy.
I cropped Brad and I out of this picture so you could see Parker up close. Irresistable! CAUTION: Child in picture is not as innocent as he appears.

I honestly LOVED Bear Lake. There weren't any mosquitos there at all. It had sandy beaches perfect for children. The water is super shallow at the beach and takes a while to get deep so I could just sit on the shore and watch Parker play with out any worries.
This is what Parker does when I tell him to smile.
Nothing sexier than a man in waders. Give me a piece of that. OK, maybe not so sexy but Brad had such a great time fishing in the little river at our campsite. He caught a good amount of fish and enjoyed spending time with his brother, Dad and his friend Calvin(the one in the picture).

Also, while we were there, all the women threw me a little baby shower. They gave me some more maternity clothes (which I really needed) and a few outfits for Garrett. This was such a nice surprise. It made me feel so loved. Thank you so much Allison for thinking of it.

Wheeler Farm

2008-07-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the photo I promised.
Brad had a whole entire day off of work so we thought we would do something a little different from our everyday life. We went with our friends the Loosli's to Wheeler Farm. It is such a great place for picnics and to see all kinds of animals. While there Parker was able to feed ducks, geese and a donkey AND he was able to see real live cows, horses, pigs, chickens and turkeys. He had such a great time impressing everyone with his animal noises. We will have to go back there again sometime soon, maybe when it isn't over 90 degrees outside. Honestly, if you ever come to visit us we will have to take you. There were old barns and houses through out the property and antique farm equipment all over the place. I know that doesn't sound TOO exciting, but it really does make a fun afternoon with plenty of room to run around. Plus....its Free. You can't beat that.

Parker is 2!

2008-07-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, I should have plenty of pictures to show you from Parker's little birthday party, but I had the camera on a weird setting and everything turned out blurry. This is the only salvagable picture. Bonnie and Mike and the girls came over for cake and ice cream along with our friends Calvin and Julie that live in Provo. We can't believe our little guy is growing up so quickly. He is officially sleeping in a big boy bed for night time AND naps. He loves his bed. He made the transition from crib to bed like a champ! We love you Parker. You are such a big boy now!

Priceless

2008-07-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I need to post pictures of myself. I will, I promise next time. I just couldn't wait to post this one. We went fishing with our friends for the 4th and had a great time. Parker doesn't get to spend as much time with his Daddy as he used to since he is working so much right now, so every moment they can spend together is treasured.

Such an angel! (Most of the time)

2008-07-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

All these pictures show his "angel" side which is probably about 85% of the time but man oh man...you can definately tell he is turning two soon. You've gotta love the two year old whine/scream when he doesn't get his way. It drives Brad and I up the wall. We are trying our best to teach him it is not OK to scream but sometimes he doesn't really care what mom and dad think.
Now for the angel part...Parker loves to start at the top of our driveway, pick up his feet and say "WEEEeeeeee" until he gets to the sidewalk.

Ready.....set.....GO!!!
His face is just getting so grown up!
Parker LOVES to snuggle. Multiple times through out the day if you are sitting or laying down he will just come up to you and say..."snuggle" and nuzzle his little body as close as he can. He will also ask maybe a million times a day..."draw?" And then he will proceed to tell you everything he needs whether it be a pen, crayon or pencil and then paper of course and sometimes he will request to sit in his "chair" which is the stool at the counter. In this picture he was lucky enough to both snuggle and draw at the same time. He was in heaven. Check out Brad's sexy shirt tan....hot stuff! ;)
I couldn't resist this picture...

Fun in the Sun

2008-06-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

I told them to be silly... Kellie was telling me a story about her friend that can do this but she can reach her foot practically to her chin.

This is not blood, just popsicle juices.
Parker's cousins Kellie and Kate came over today to play with him in the backyard. They had so much fun laying on the hammock, running through the sprinkler attachment on the hose, spraying each other with the hose and eating popsicles. Oh and at the end of the water fun, I didn't think it would be a good idea to have the hose running anymore, so I ran inside and grabbed a mixing bowl from the kitchen, filled it with water and behold...a new water adventure. They all had a blast taking turns jumping in it, sitting in it, drinking from it and dumping it over theirs heads and then refilling. To my surprise this was the part they seemed to have to most fun with... a bowl a water, who knew?! We were having too much fun to get any photos of the "playing" part, but hey, at least I got the camera out for some of it. Thanks for coming over to play girls. Parker and I had such a great time with you!

Daddy's Boy

2008-06-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have always thought that Parker looks a lot like my side of the family, but then there are sometimes like this picture where he looks just like his Daddy, but with just bigger blue eyes. They are both such cuties!

Happy Father's Day Brad!

2008-06-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Reasons You Are a Wonderful Dad! (in no particular order)
1. I NEVER have to worry when you are left alone with Parker. You always know what he needs and you make sure he is taken care of.
2. Parker will always have a buddy to to eat ice cream with
3. You not only take time to play and wrestle with Parker, but I think you like it more than he does.
4. You jump in and help when I have lost all patience.
5. Garrett isn't even born yet and you want to make sure he is safe.
6. Because of you our family will ALWAYS have a protector and we never need to worry about our safety. Your presence alone brings comfort to our home.
7. You can build or fix literally ANYTHING!!! And in most cases you will do as good of a job as a professional, if not better.
8. You bring the priesthood into our home worthily and are always willing to use it.
9. Our family NEVER has to worry if you love us or not. If hugs and kisses were food I think we all get enough hugs and kisses from you each day to feed at least the state of Utah for a month.
10. You will do almost anything to make sure that our family is taken care of financially. You are working 70 hours a week right now and you still have time to mow the lawn (by the way, it looks like a baseball field it is so perfect) take care of the yard and most of all you are still happy and you show us love.

SOLD!

2008-06-09T16:03:00.001-07:00

After a couple weeks on the market, we sold our 4Runner. The buyer is picking it up today. Nothing more to say about it except that we are so thrilled it sold and at a price we were happy with. Goodbye 4Runner, you have been good to us and you will be missed!

Parker is THRILLED to say....

2008-05-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

He really is excited to have a little brother, but not so excited to hold the sign. It is practically impossible to get an almost 2 year old to hold a sign facing forward and smile at the same time.

We found out a couple weeks ago that we are going to have another boy and are so thrilled for Parker to have a little brother to play with. Plus, Brad is relieved because he wasn't quite sure how he was going to handle changing girl diapers since you can only wipe one direction. We have decided we are going to name him Garrett but not sure on a middle name. Any good ideas?

Born to be Wild

2008-05-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

Well, the time has come to do something about the high gas prices. Fortunately for Brad that involves him "giving up" the Toyota 4runner to purchase a motorcycle to drive to and from work. Brad was absolutely GLOWING all day yesterday while riding/thinking about his new bike. I have never been a motorcycle fan but I have to admit...it IS a gorgeous bike and it is loads of fun to ride.
As you can see in the background of the photos, we still have our 4 runner. We are currently trying to sell it, so if you know anyone that would like a 2000 Toyota 4runner. Let us know.

I felt special today!

2008-05-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Here is just a small sample of what I experience for dinner tonight. This is the first time Brad fixed me a meal that wasn't from a box or cooked all day in the crock pot. First of all, for dinner he barbecued the most amazing steaks I have ever had in my life. (Not a joke, melt in your mouth goodness) On the side he prepared watermelon, baked potatoes and a side salad. I don't even think we got to the salad because he were so stuffed from everything else. Then for desert he made creme brule, a scoop a strawberry sorbet, a filleted strawberry and a sprig of parsley as a garnish. He even thought of a garnish! Needless to say, I had an amazing dinner which included no whining from Parker while we sat at the table. He chowed down on potatoes and watermelon and didn't make a peep.
Many of you have requested more belly pictures. Here you go. I am almost 16 weeks and my belly is much larger than anyone that I know that is at this stage of pregnancy. Yeah for me. (sense the sarcasm) But, isn't this picture adorable! Priceless of Parker smiling up at me.

S'mores and Fish

2008-04-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

With Brad's mom visiting we thought it would be fun to go to our little local aquarium. Parker LOVED it!!! One of the first things we saw was this frog. They had a pool where you could touch sting rays; Parker tried to touch them, but he wouldn't put his arm in deep enough.
They had a cute little play area for the kids.

S'mores in the backyard. Once again, Brad got an AMAZING deal at Lowe's on a little fire pit. This was the first time we used it. It was so much fun. The downside is smelling like camping when you walk in the house. If you listen closely, you might even be able to hear Brad's laugh through the picture. He got his laugh from his mom, so when the two of them get together and start laughing...priceless.

I love this KID!

2008-04-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Parker is such a loving and snuggly guy. I love him so much, I just hope he knows. I do my best to take care of him, but lately he seems to be taking care of me. When I was feeling my worst with morning sickness, all I could do was lay on the couch all day and watch him play. So, he adapted, he started to bring me all his toys so I could help him or just crawl up the couch, get under my blanket and just snuggle. He never complained that I was acting like a bump on a log. He just kept showering me with hugs and kisses and even softly played with my hair a couple times. Now that I am doing a little better, he still wants to take care of me. If I am laying down with out a blanket he will go and drag Mommy's big blanket, put it on me and tell me "night night."

Why can't we all love others unconditionally like our little children. Yesterday, I tried to not take my nausea medicine (it didn't go well) so I was eating some chicken noodle soup at our coffee table for dinner. Parker insisted to not just sit on my lap, but totally invade my space so I could barely even get the soup to my mouth. I kept telling him in an annoyed tone..."move over," "Parker, mommy needs a turn, GET OFF" etc... I was getting so bugged that he wouldn't just let me eat in peace. Not only was he invading my space, but he kept trying to take my spoon and put his chicken nuggets in my soup. As my frustration grew, he lovingly put his cheek on my cheek to be close, then turned his head and gave me a soft kiss. If that didn't melt my heart, he stood up, turned around and gave me such a long and warm hug around my neck. I then realized, I didn't need to get mad at him, he just loves me and wanted to be close. Even though he knew I was so frustrated with him... he still showed me love.

I LOVE THIS KID!

Is this a joke?

2008-04-16T20:30:00.001-07:00

#1- Remember the last post, it has been snowing off and on the last two days. It has been getting down in the low 20's at night. Is this a joke? If so, I don't think it's funny.
#2- I am not saying my belly is huge by any means, but HOLY COW! I don't remember my belly being this size until I was around 5 months with Parker. I am only 12 weeks. I know the second pregnancy most women's bellies "pop" earlier but wow. All of you mothers of multiple children, please tell me I am not going to be a blimp by the end. Will it slow down? If it kept growing at this rate I would look like I was having triplets. Don't worry..only one baby in there.
FYI- I am still taking Zofran, but I am feeling a lot better than before. I think I might even be able to get off the meds soon. I still throw up here and there and always in the mornings, but I can handle that. I have a lot more energy and I am actually getting things accomplished around the house with out having to lay down every 5 minutes.

Pure Heaven

2008-04-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

It was nearly 80 degrees today!!! Too bad it will be back in the mid 40's by Wednesday. So, we found the only shorts and short sleeve shirt that we own that still fits Parker and we played outside. Brad got out the hose and Parker loved it. Parker's new favorite thing to do outside is to run back and forth next to our back fence. It's pretty funny to watch. This summer is going to be so much fun. I can't wait until we can go swimming.
Later in the day while Brad was at work, I mustered up enough energy and took Parker to the park only to find about half our ward there. I guess we all had the same idea. He had a great time though, eye-balling everyones bikes(his new obsession) and running after someones kite everytime it went in the air. He didn't even play on the slides because there were a million kids swarming around them, but he had a blast just running around and trying to keep up with the big kids.

Memories

2008-03-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Parker was so tiny! The memories of him that small seem like a distant memory. Parker will never be that small again, but we will get to experience this all over again and have another itty bitty baby in our arms at the end of October! Yep, I am pregnant. 10 weeks on Tuesday. We have had an ultrasound and everything seems to be going well. I am A LOT more sick with this one than I was with Parker. No need for the details, let just say I couldn't keep ANYTHING down, literally. The doctor put me on some beautiful medicine that helps so much. I still feel yucky all day, but I can at least eat and drink a little bit. I am so grateful for modern medicine, if not for this medication I would probably have made several trips to the hospital due to dehydration. I am so grateful for ZOFRAN. I highly recommend it for anyone that gets bad morning sickness.
So, as you can guess this is why I have not had a blog entry for over a month. I haven't been up to doing much. But, I am so blessed to be pregnant again. And I can't wait for Parker to be a big brother.

"Please"

2008-02-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

Once again, our good friend Peter took a BUNCH of amazing pictures of Parker. He got a new lens and wanted to try out different lighting situations.I wish I had video of this, but still shots will work. During the shoot Parker sat and stood on the stool so he could jump into my arms. He was having so much fun. He kept asking and signing "please" so he could keep jumping. So here it is "please" in two parts.

Gohs, aka "Socks"

2008-02-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Parker loves socks for some reason. He calls them "gohs." He looks forward to putting them on everyday and if he sees any dirty or clean, he can't survive with out holding them. I love this kid!

A week of play dates

2008-02-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Bonnie and I took Kate and Parker to McDonalds for lunch so they could play together on the slide after. Kate took Parker under her wing and helped him until he became comfortable to do it on his own. She was so patient with him as all the other kids pushed their way passed them. As Kate would say, she loves her little "Parkie."

It only took a couple times until he wanted to go on his own. The boy couldn't be stopped! He ran to the steps as soon as he finished the slide. Bonnie and I were giggling at him the whole time.

Kate told me " ok, Emily, I am going to go up and then this time when I come down you need to take a picture of me." When she reached the top of the slide she yelled down to me, "OK! I am ready, take it NOW!"

Logan Ball (no relation at all) from down the street and Parker are only a few weeks apart and they had there very first alone play date. They laughed at each other, shared with each other, screamed at each other (if they didn't want to share anymore) and had lots of fun together. It was the cutest thing watching these two little guys(well, Logan is not much of a little guy, he probably has about 10 pounds on Parker) interact with each other. Parker's personality is coming through and let me tell you, it will just melt your heart.

Kickin' it with his homie!

What a surprise!

2008-02-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so last night I came home from doing an Uppercase Living party at about 9:30. I spoke with Brad on the way home and he said he would be in bed when I got home because he had to get up at 4:50 in the morning. Well, when I got home all the kitchen lights were off exept for the one above the stove to spotlight this cute little surprise Brad thought up for me. He had made some sugar cookies and cut them up so he could write this little message to me. Honestly, I must have the best husband! Even though it probably only took him a few minutes to put this together, the fact he thought of it really impresses me. I know my husband loves me, but it is nice to be told in creative ways sometimes. I love Brad and marrying him was the best decision I have ever made. He has filled my life with joy and lots of laughter. I am so thankful he chose me!

He is getting so OLD!

2008-01-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

Our good friend/neighbor Peter Loosli took some more amazing pictures of Parker the other day. He was taking pictures for fun for only about a minute and managed to get some really cute photos of Parker. He is so great. If you want to see more of his stuff I have put a link to his website under our Friends and Family links. http://www.looslitaken.com/

Parker is just getting so old! He goes to nursery and LOVES it! He doesn't even notice when we leave the room. ( I am so proud of him, but it breaks my heart knowing he doesn't need me) He is such a big boy now. He repeats most words back to us and almost every day he'll come up with a new word all on his own. He loves to color, play with anything that has wheels, play with his ball, and dance to fast music! He loves to drink juice, milk and he even asks to go to bed at night. (Such a blessing) He tells us when he has a messy diaper and we all probably get 20 kisses a day from him. His favorite time of day is when Daddy gets home from work and when the three of us play games together. He loves to wrestle on the floor with Daddy and cuddle on the couch with Mommy. His favorite phrases to say are "What's this?" and "Who's that?" He uses sign language through out the day with us... he will sign the words "Please", "thank you", "hot", "eat", "more" and "all done". We love our not so little Parker and we are so proud of him.

More Igloo FUN!

2008-01-20T20:39:00.001-08:00

Brad's mom is just so much fun. She hitched a ride with one of her good friends to visit us here in Utah. She was only here for a few days, but Brad managed to make sure she had a great time. The plan was for Brad and his mom to have a little hot chocolate party in the igloo one morning, but we ate breakfast and they were too full for hot chocolate. Instead they just sat in the igloo together and talked for a few minutes. Isn't she the cutest!? Parker has such a fun Grandma who is willing to try almost anything! Thanks for visiting, we had a great time.

Brad is proud of these new shots of the igloo. So.. here they are, posted.

Brad's project

2008-01-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

After watching our neighbors across the street attempt and fail to build an igloo in their front yard, Brad discovered his own talent in the trade. Once the igloo began he realized this will be his last igloo built by his own two hands. (Too much work) But like any project Brad takes on... it was a success and fully functioning. The three of us can sit inside of it (tightly), it can support the weight of a person (ok, maybe only a little person), and it is about 5 feet high inside. It is made purely of packed snow. I was thinking I might eat lunch inside it sometime, since it will probably be in our backyard until spring.

Stitches, Slump and Sledding

2008-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

STITCHES:

We spent our Sunday morning in the E.R. Parker tripped and sliced his head on a piece of furniture as he fell. We weren't sure if he needed sitches; we didn't want to look stupid when the doctor said it was just a cut and to put a bandage on it. Brad said it looked really deep so we went to the E.R. anyway. Brad and I are glad we did, as you can see he ended up with 5 stitches on his forehead. I fought so hard to not be one of the weaping mothers while I watched them restrain Parker and stick a needle in his head to numb the wound. I almost lost it. The poor little guy was such a trooper though. While screaming, he kept saying "all done" to the doctors, hoping it would get them to stop. He then got so worked up that by around the 4th stitch, he started to fall asleep. Once we left the hospital and entered our car, I lost it. I just cried as I watched him fall asleep in his car seat on the way home. He will get his stitches out on Saturday.

SLUMP:

Mark and Carrie and the boys came to visit for New Year's along with Leavitts. Our family has a game called Slump. It is a horseshoe type of game but you play it with the stacking baby toy. Each ring gets harder and harder to throw on. We have an official SLUMP KING! Mark was able to successfully toss the top ring on with out even breaking a sweat. This is an amazing feat. No one in the history of Slump had yet to do this until this marvel of man created history on the last day of 2007. Bravo Mark, bravo!

SLEDDING:

New Years Day many of us went sledding. This was so much fun. This first picture was taken BEFORE sledding. Parker was so tired from playing with all his cousins all day that he fell asleep even before we left our driveway.

Parker (aka "Ralphie") and Emma had a good time playing with the snow at the bottom of the hill.
Shane... faster than the speed of light.
Brad put a ramp on top of the ramp... genius idea.
Emily...sporting Brad's sunglasses. Hers are still MIA.

Bradley... fearless. Shane took this picture, isn't it awesome.
Mark and Ryan soaring down the hill while the crowds cheer.
Miles was an animal. He wanted to try everything. HE kept wanting to do whatever made him go the fastest. "Will someone big go with me so the tube will go faster off the ramp?" This is what Brad was doing. Brad lifted him up at the last minute to save Miles from the impact of the fall.
I told Ryan to smile, but the sun was reflecting so bright he couldn't keep his eyes open. Too cute!
Parker had such a fun time going down the hill with his Mom and Dad. We got going down the hill so fast sometimes the it would make his eyes water.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas Day

2007-12-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

Ok... so these top two pictures are from the Sunday before Christmas and not Christmas Day as the title says, but who's counting.

Christmas Eve we all smothered anything we could find in chocolate. My favorite is the chocolate covered cinnamon bears.

Parker first wondered if this really was for him.
He clearly got over wondering once he jumped on. This is his dancing/"I'm having fun" face.

What good is snow with out a snowball fight. Brad's mom was the target. This is the view from Brad's parents back yard...isn't it beautiful.

Almost every day of our trip, Parker would wake up from either a nap or in the morning with a new scratch on his face. So for Christmas morning he had a total of 6 scraches on his face. Crazy sleeper. His nails aren't even long.
You can never start learning to be a handy man too early. Brad was putting together some shelves for his mom and Parker had to be a part of it. He didn't want to let go of the screw driver. Brad was so patient and let him help.

All aboard the Polar Express...

2007-12-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

Brad's Jacket is OLD! It belonged to his Grandpa. Brad told everyone his Grandpa used to go hunting back in "Nam" wearing this jacket. Hunting=True, "Vietnam" = False.

A few days before Christmas we jumped onto the Polar Express to go to the North Pole to Santa. Wow, it was cold at the North pole. We were served cookies and milk, sang carols and of course went to Santa's workshop. Santa even came and visited us on the train on our way home from the North Pole.
Here's the train. We had so much fun!

No melt downs... Can you believe it? I think the candy cane was the trick.
They didn't know I was taking the picture. No smiles- oh well. Cool train though.

Is Thanksgiving really gone already?

2007-12-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

The second picture was before our first HUGE storm... see, no snow. But isn't Parker just so CUTE in his coat and hat? We couldn't find his mittens that day so we put some socks on his hands. Laugh if you want, but I think I will do socks more often, they stay on better than his mittens.

The rest of the pictures are right after we got 8-9 inches in probably about 12 hours. We had our good friends Rob and Jocelyn come out to play and try to get a fun family picture. As you can see, we had a good time.

Brad's pride and joy... the piles of snow by our driveway. ( Well, Parker is his pride and joy too of course) Every winter when the snow starts accumulating, I laugh whenever I drive into our driveway. It really is an art form to get the snow berms to come to a perfect point like that.

Fun with Grandma

2007-11-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Grandma ball came to visit for about 5 days. Her first day here we all went to the park by our house. Luckily she remembered her camera so we could capture this time with Grandma.

Yes... that is Brad's bike. He has had this pocket bike for about a year now. He loves it. Grandma even got on the back for a while with Brad. I have to admit, it is pretty fun. I won't drive it alone though because you have to shift gears...makes me nervous.

Dinosaurs say "ROAR!"

2007-11-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Parker had so much fun at our trick or treat! He could not stop walking all over the place. Parker doesn't know what a dinosaur says so when we wanted him to roar we would whisper in his ear "What does a lion say?" which would be followed by Parker yelling "Roar!" to our friends. Everyone got a kick out of it.
One of Parker's many girlfriends... Emma. Neither of them were thrilled to be in their costumes.

Parker does have a mom!

2007-10-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Contrary to the beliefs of those that have seen our blog. Yes, Parker's mom does exist. Brad finally got behind the camera and took some pictures of Parker and I. Parker sure is growing up so fast!!! 15 months old.. Can you believe it? He talks non-stop (most the time I have no clue what he is saying... but he jabbers anyway.)

OK, I know...it's been awhile!

2007-10-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

Parker finally had his very first haircut. Such a handsome little boy.
Parker has many silly faces... while he makes this face he breathes in and out really fast through his nose.
Here is another crazy face. I don't know where he learned this, but he clenches his fists and squeezes really hard while tensing up his face. Honestly, does it get any better than this.

We had our first snow of the season last week. We ended up getting over an inch. I can't believe it is only October and we are getting sticking snow!

This started out as Daddy's drumstick, but Parker took over.
What you don't see is that he finished off the whole thing all by himself!

Grammie and Grandpa Wirthlin

2007-09-01T13:51:00.001-07:00

Elder and Sister Wirthlin have now been out on their mission in Geneva, Switzerland almost 6 months. They are in front of the Swiss temple in both of these pictures. Happy Birthday MOM!

Loves to play outside!

2007-08-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since camping... all Parker wants to do is play outside.

CAMPING at Cloverleaf!!!

2007-08-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Who is this sexy mountain man?

Playing in the dirt is now Parker's new favorite thing.

Parker absolutely loves his Uncle Mark!!!

Carrie... trying to hide from the paparazzi.

We had so much fun camping with Mark, Carrie, Miles, Ryan, Jonathan, Becky, Shane, Bradley, Emma and Lindsay. Our trip was filled with yummy dutch oven cooking, joking, hiking and crying babies!

Parker's 1st Birthday!!!

2007-07-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Daddy smashed his cupcake on his face so he would get messier. This is one of Parker's favorite new toys. He thinks he is such a big boy on his bike!

Parker wasn't too fond of the pinata- probably because it was about 100 degrees outside.

Parker had so much fun playing in the pool and watching his bigger cousins play on the slip n' slide at Grandma and Grandpa Ball's house.

Look who turned 1 !

2007-07-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Our photographer friend, Peter Loosli took these photos! Aren't they amazing. So, Parker is now one year old and just a bundle of fun. His two main words are "dada" and "bye." He loves to wave goodbye. He could go up and down our stairs all day if we let him. He is walking around along the furniture and before we know it he will be walking all on his own. Such a big boy!

Thanks for visiting our blog!

2007-07-07T08:27:00.001-07:00

Parker at 11 months old. Such a happy boy!

Brad finished our deck in only 5 days!!! This one sure beats our little 4 X 4 deck that didn't even have stairs to the backyard.