Davidson Family

Reverence

2012-01-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

At church on Sunday Tyler was talking in his usual loud voice. The lady behind us who often talks to the boys leaned forward, "Tyler, shhhhh....we need to be quiet to be respectful to Jesus." Tyler turned his head and looked at the man at the pulpit and casually responded, "That's not Jesus!"

Parker's in Charge

2012-01-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

Conversation with Parker a couple days ago...

Me: I'm tired. Can I go take a nap?
Parker: Sure
Me: Ok, Who's going to be in charge?
Parker: Me!
Me: Ok, who's going to feed Tessa?
Parker: I am
Me: What are you going to feed her?
Parker: Broccoli
Me: Where are you going to get broccoli?
Parker: At the grocery store
Me: How are you going to get there?
Parker: You just turn left and then right and then you're there!

I guess it's that simple!

The Best Part of Baking - Licking the Bowl

2011-09-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

Parker is quite fond of helping me cook in the kitchen. He will taste whatever is in the mixing bowl regardless of what stage of adding the ingredients that we are in. But licking the finished product - that is the best part! Tyler agrees!

Proud Brothers

2011-09-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

All Dressed Up

2011-08-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

All dressed up to show off at daddy's office.(attempted picture without the pacifier)

Introducing Tessa Mae Davidson

2011-08-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Meet Tessa Mae Davidson. She was born on August 3rd at 1:08pm. She was 7 lbs 14 oz. She has dark hair right now - we'll see if it lasts. She looks a lot different than her brothers. So far she is very even-tempered and we are having fun with a newborn around again.

Park Days

2010-12-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

Julie, Clemie, and Lily have been visiting from Denver for about a week. We have been spending lots and lots of time at the park with these four little monkeys. Parker & Clemie have spent lots of time playing on the playgrounds, giggling, (some fighting), and having fun. Tyler has loved the freedom to run around in wide open spaces investigating whatever strikes him at the moment. Lily has practiced walking for hours. She has gone from pretty much refusing to try to taking lots of steps all on her own. We're having lots of fun!

The Danger of Taking A Shower ....

2010-12-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

...and leaving a 3 year-old to his own devices.

So rude!

2010-10-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

A few minutes ago as we were driving in the car, Parker ripped Tyler's pacifier out of his mouth and threw it on the floor for the 3,851st time. "Parker" I reminded him, "it's not nice to steal Tyler's pacifier. How would you like it if he took the Batman that you are playing with?" To which he responded in a very sad voice: "Tyler's always takes my Batman. It's so rude!"
Funny, funny boy!

New Seats

2010-09-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

Now that Tyler is 1, Parker got a new car seat and Tyler moved up to Parker's seat. Parker was VERY excited about his new seat!

My Boys

2010-09-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

The Land of the Big Trees

2010-08-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

In July, we took at road trip to California to visit Sequoia National Park. It was great to get away for a couple days, escape the Las Vegas heat, and get to spend some time as a family. Parker loved exploring the woods and picking up sticks, riding the "vator" in the hotel, and swimming in the hotel "pond". I think Tyler's favorite part of the trip was the constant snacks in the car to keep kids happy, including a couple dum-dums. Parker didn't mind that part either :)

Apparently orange crayons are yummy too...

2010-06-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

How do they get so busy when you look the other way for a minute?

Yummy!

2010-06-28T22:54:00.001-07:00

Licking the beater is a perfect was to make a good day better!

Potatoes

2010-05-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

It was a no go on the mashed potatoes...he spit them right back out everytime I put them in. Who would have guessed?

Bananas!

2010-05-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

Apples!

2010-05-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the fact that I am letting apple just roll down Tyler's chin...I was apparently too busy focusing on the video aspect of my job. :)

Carrots!

2010-04-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

The first couple bites of carrots were ok....after that, not so good....

Naptime

2010-04-02T10:41:00.001-07:00

Naps in our house aren't too fun these days....not enough rooms with doors to keep the noise down for whoever is asleep and MANY interrupted naps. Boo!
Tyler was asleep. Parker just screamed at the top of his lungs (apparently just to hear his own voice), then leaned over and whispered to me - shhhhh....Tyler's sleeping.

This is what dreams are made of...Parker's dreams, anyway...

2010-03-29T16:21:00.001-07:00

These are the views from our window today.

To top it off, the trashman came today too. What could be better than big trucks and the garbage man coming to our neighborhood??

Tyler gives cereal a try...

2010-03-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Tyer tried cereal a couple weeks ago while Julie was in town with her two girls. Everyone got to be part of the video. Tyler is loving cereal!

Tyler is 6 Months Old!

2010-03-17T12:11:00.001-07:00

Tyler is 6 months old! He's doing great and growing fast.

We went to the pediatrian today and he is 17 lbs 1 oz (25-50th percentile).

The past month there has been lots of changes for Tyler:

-he is enjoying delicious rice cereal

-he has three teeth coming in - all on the bottom

-he can roll over both ways, but more often from his back to his tummy

-he is desperately trying to crawl, he can scoot around a little bit to get a toy nearby or that kind of thing, but no official crawling or sitting up yet

-Tyler loves to smile and laugh and does both often

The things they say...

2010-03-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

Kids do say the funniest things. When I find myself laughing at something Parker says, I often think that I should be documenting it because he will get a good laugh out of it later in life, but I forget most of the time. Here's my commitment to doing a better job.

This morning as Parker pleaded for one movie, a different movie, one tv show, etc, I said, "You're driving me nuts!" To which he responded, "You're driving me nuts, crackers!" Apparently you can substitute whatever salty snack you're craving at the time.

4 Months Old!

2010-02-10T00:15:00.000-08:00

Tyler is 4 months old...ok...you're right....today he's 5 months old and I'm just getting around to posting his 4 month pictures. I feel like such a delinquent monther! Hopefully I'll get his 5 month pictures up soon!

As you can see from the pictures, Tyler is all about his mouth these days. He loves to suck on toys, his pacifier, and clearly his hands.

Oh...and for those curious why Tyler has a scratch on his forehead...I was working one day organizing my laundry closet where I store some extra food. I have a "Can-Solidator" in there to organize canned goods. Tyler was on the floor next to me becuase I have to be within sight for him to be happy. Well, in the process of moving the cansolidator, the whole thing collapsed and pieces went flying. Of course one landed right on Tyler's forehead. Another tribute to my wonderful mothering skills. He screamed, I screamed, and Parker screamed. We were all crying. My poor baby's head. But I guess he'll do worse to himself in the future...and maybe this won't leave a scar??? We can always hope...

Happy Birthday!

2010-01-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

This is the day before Chad and I got married and my family took family pictures. The boys thought it would be funny to come out in wife-beaters for the pictures and surprise me. This picture of my dad always makes me smile.

Dear Dad,

Happy birthday! Wish you could be here so we could celebrate! I'd give you three cards like I always do. This year will have to be different, but I did find something to give you. When I was helping mom clean out the house in the process of moving to another house, I found a gift that I gave you for father's day in 2002...a tribute of sorts. I am going to share it again as it has even more meaning now.

"Dad,

I remember eagerly awaiting your return from business trips. You always brought us back a gift from your trip: the dog for the bathtub that had ears that shook water, the Alf puppet from Burger King, and the fluorescent slap bracelet.

You spent countless hours after work with me teaching me how to ride a bike without training wheels. You held me up and then pushed me off so I could do it on my own.

I loved sitting with you on the stand at church. I'll never forget how you would twist the hair at the ends of my braids and tickle my ear with it.

Every Christmas morning you made us wait at the top of the stairs as you changed your clothes, brushed your teeth, and shaved.

I remember our many trips to the hardware store, especially the tip that ended up being minature golf at Fun 'n' Stuff.

When I was in elementary school, you came early with me in the morning before you went to work to have "Doughnuts for Dad".

One of my favorite memories is when you accompanied me to the Daddy Daughter Square Dance when I was in third grade.

Our exhausted legs carried us as we ran through Disney World late one night after riding Space Mountain.

You baptized and confirmed me on November 7, 1987.

We rode Magnum together for the first time and you held my hand up in tha air as we sped down the first hill.

Throughout the years, we have shared many games of cribbage together, counting fifteens, making pairs, and forming runs.

You spent countless hours with me, working on math homework, checking and rechecking the problems, helping me to master the concepts. They may have seemed like torturous hours, yet I look back quite fondly on the time we spent together and the sacrifice you made for me.

You have filled my whole life with corny jokes and expressions. We may tease you about saying these things, but I love them. The scary part is that your words always pop into my head at the approriate times.

You patiently taught me to drive, practicing maneuverability by guiding me around the milk jugs with sticks in our culdesac.

You have always been there and have been worthy to give me father's blessings in times of need or comfort.

You have always encouraged me to do my best and excel in whatever I am doing.

You took the trip to West Point with me and my friends and their dads so I could attend the cadet ball.

Late at night we went fishing together in the canal in Key West, catching no only many snappers, but also Jim's boat.

You have noticed when I have made improvements and progress in my life.

On several occasions you have helped me troubleshoot problems with my car over the phone.

In the past several months, you have conunseled me nearly daily as to my graduate school decision, following the process every step of the way and giving me the much-needed reassurance.

There are so many more things that I could add to this list, however, if I kept writing, I would never finish. I love you dad and I am so grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for me. It could not be counted in time or money. This is just a small list to show you how much I care. Happy Father's Day!"

Now there are many more things that could be added to my list:

You danced with me at my wedding to My Girl. Although it was a difficult song to slow dance to and I kept stepping on your feet, it was a special moment.

You danced with me again during the Dollar Dance and gave me a $100 bill.

We continued to talk on the phone all the time discussing school and then jobs.

You came to live with us in Vegas for seven years, uh, I mean a couple months while you were looking for a job here.

You were one of the first people I called when we found out that Parker was going to be a boy. I knew you'd be excited to finally have another boy in the family. You had always told me that you couldn't wait to sit next to a grandson at a priesthood session of General Conference. I know you'll always be next to him in spirit.

You and Chad worked many many many hours on Parker's room so it would be ready when he arrived. The room is still the nicest in our house and will always remind me of you.

You were in the room when Parker was delivered. Although you promised to stay above my head, as the pushing went on, you moved closer and closer so you could see Parker come into this world. I'm glad you got to have that experience.

We went to Costco countless times together and sat and had lunch. Lots of good discussions.

We did lots of Durdee Furn together. You started a little iffy, trying to help me carry a mattress without actually touching it. Gradually the money must have made those mattresses and couches look a little better.

You scrubbed down lots of furniture and went as far as taking a couch in the back of our pick-up through the car wash.

You and Parker played a lot together while we were trying to work.

You anxiously awaited the arrival of two new grandchildren.

Many people gathered and filled a chapel to celebrate your life. Lots of tears were shed and many laughs were heard as we remembered you.

And we always will.

I will keep all of these memories as cherished treasures forever to remember when I miss you and to share with my children so they can know you.

I love you and miss you!

Love,

Kellie

Christmas Lights

2009-12-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

The other night we went to see the Christmas lights in the cactus garden at Ethel M Chocolate Factory. Parker with cousin, Victoria.

Merry Christmas??

2009-12-22T22:23:00.000-08:00

This is the view across the street from my house...3 days before Christmas. Seems like season confusion!

I must say that Parker is loving the leaves regardless and shouts "leaves!" everytime we drive down the street.

Tyler is 3 Months Old!

2009-12-15T23:46:00.000-08:00

We have a 3 month old! So hard to believe that Tyler is so big already. We've been having a lot of fun with him. Tyler loves to laugh and coo. He smiles when we talk to him and laughs when we tickle his feet.
Tyler is still waking up once or twice during the night to eat. I'm looking forward to when he consistently sleeps until morning! He's getting chubbier all the time. I've been putting away his 0-3 month clothes the past couple days and putting the 3-6 month clothes to use.
We love our little boy!

This picture makes me think he is saying, "mom, once I was this big!"

Love those wide eyes! Funny!

Check out my chubby face!

Tyler's Blessing

2009-12-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Tyler was blessed in church about a week and a half ago. He wore the same white outfit that Parker wore when he was blessed. It was a special day!

Playing with Tyler

2009-11-28T22:43:00.001-08:00

Side by Side

2009-11-28T22:39:00.001-08:00

Parker

Tyler

Here are pictures of both Parker and Tyler at about 2 months in the same outfit. I think it is interesting to compare the two...

Just another day in the life...

2009-11-28T22:27:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when I pour my own cheerios...

More please!

Might as well drive cars through the mess.

A typical breakfast mess

2 Months!

2009-11-28T22:05:00.001-08:00

Tyler is 2 Months Old!

2009-11-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

Tyler is 2 months old (and a couple weeks). He has grown so big in the past month! At his 2 month check up he was 12 lbs, 12 oz (75th-90th percentile for his age). He is nearly 2 lbs bigger than Parker was at this age! He is a chubby little boy, but so cute. Just like Parker, he loves to talk. He smiles, laughs, and coos when you talk to him. He is very alert and focuses a lot more on faces recently.
He is getting much much better at holding his head up, but is still a little bit wobbly. Tyler is getting better at sleeping at night. He has slept through the night a handful of times, but generally wakes up once during the night to be fed and thankfully goes right back to sleep. We're trying to develop a routine, but have no nap schedule at all...he just sleeps whenever he feels like it.
Tyler likes his pacifier most of the time, but recently he has been sucking on his hand. It seems as if he is trying to put his whole fist in his mouth. Most of his newborn hair has fallen out and his peach fuzz hair is coming in. We thought for a while there that his hair might be red, but the new hair coming in seems to be more brown so we'll see when it gets a little bit longer.
I took pictures of Tyler with the teddy bear for this post, but I'm very disheartened about how lousy the pictures turned out so we'll have to go without for now. Apparently we need to take him to a professional because my pictures are terrible!

Elmo's World

2009-11-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

Parker dressed up as Elmo for Halloween. He got to go trick or treating at the ward Trunk or Treat as well as at the District on Halloween night. Getting him into the costume was a struggle with major aligator tears, but eventually he warmed up to the idea.

He held out his bucket to collect candy and requested a "snack in the bucket".

Suckers are definitely his favorite

Tyler slept through most of the trick or treating fun...I'm sure he'll enjoy it a lot more in a year or two. (Excuse his blurry hands - they wave wildly when he gets excited)

Parker is 2!!

2009-10-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Parker turned 2! Where did all the time go? We had a little family get together to celebrate. It was all things Cars - Parker's favorite.

We had pizza for dinner. The hand from the Mr. Potato Head

that Wendie gave Parker is helping Parker to eat his dinner.

(Apparently we needed to tell the person at the grocery store who decorates the cakes that 2nd is written with an 'nd' after the 2 and not a "th". Parker wasn't have a 2th birthday) :)

The cake was a big hit and Parker was excited to eat cake, until...he realized Lighting McQueen and Mater cars were sitting on the cake. Who cares about cake at that point?

And who knew that of all the gifts, his favorite still seems to be the toys from the top of the cake?

Parker wasn't quite sure how to open the presents, but when he realized that the things inside him were for him, he quickly set the present aside to grab the next package. He was extremely quick to set all the clothes from Nanny aside in hopes for something more fun. Classic!

Parker has gotten so big! It seems like he has matured so much in the past couple of months. He if so full of personality. Here are a few things (ok, more than a few things, but I wanted to remember him at this age) about Parker at two...

-He is working on his numbers and is getting pretty good. The other day when he was playing I heard him count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12!

-We are also working on the alphabet. He seems to really be beginning to understand that there are letters everywhere in our world and to recognize what they are. He knows 'D', 'R', and 'O' very well. We went to Red Robin tonight to celebrate Chad's birthday and Parker pointed out the letters he knew on his menu as well as on the "Red Robin" sign outside of the restaurant.

-As I mentioned before, he loves all things Cars. He would watch that movie everyday if we let him. He comes to me multiple times a day, sometime it seems like 100 and says "watch moo-ie, I want to watch moo-ie". He loves his "Queen" and "Mater" toys.

-He also loves trucks, cars, buses, trains, airplanes, motorcycles, bikes, and anything else with wheels. He plays with his car toys most of the day everyday, driving them around, lining them up, and back and forth. It's amazing how long they can keep his attention! He makes sure he brings cars in the bath with him and to his bed every night. We must also take a couple in the car and with us when we run errands.

-He is working on his colors too...for a while whenever I asked him what color this or that is, he always responded "green". Now he seems to correctly identify green, yellow, and red.

-Parker loves to color. He asks to color whenever there is a dull moment. He always wants us to draw a truck or a car for him. Too bad his mom is such a poor artist!

-Parker loves applesauce. He goes and gets it out of the pantry and asks for apples daily...many times daily.

-He has picked up the phrase "Oh man!" from us and so now he crashes his cars together and says "Oh man! Cars crash!"

-He has flip flops that I bought him over the summer. At first he hated having something between his toes and asked for me to take them off. Now he asked for "flip flops" everyday when we get dressed.

-Parker has quite a temper and throws tantrums if he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it. We're working on it, but for now, I guess he's your average 2 year old.

-Maybe we're getting closer to potty traning time. He tells us "Diaper stinks. Change pants." when it is time.

-Parker also loves books! He isn't too discerning about the books that he picks and he could have us read each of them twenty or more times a day. He does have a favorite - it is all about trucks. Imagine that!

-Parker loves bathtime...he now lays on his belly for some of the bath and dips his head under the water as if he is swimming. He always asks for bubbles.

I'm sure I'll think of a million more things when I lay down to go to sleep, but that's it for now. We love Parker. He keeps us on our toes, but he also keeps us laughing. He's lots of fun! It is amazing to watch him learn and grow everyday and just absorb everything around him. It's hard to imagine how much he'll change by the time he turns 3.

The aftermath of the after bath...

2009-10-19T21:53:00.001-07:00

For Tyler's first couple weeks, he hated taking a bath. He cried the whole time, everytime. But now he has grown to like it quite a bit better. Tyler had a particularly fussy day today but as soon as the water turned on, he was quiet. He has always been great and totally calm for about a half an hour or so after the bath. I get him dressed in his PJs and lay him on the floor or the couch and he just looks around totally content. Tonight he was so relaxed after his bath that he fell asleep. No rocking, pacifier, feeding or any other tricks, just so relaxed he fell asleep. Maybe we need more bathtime over here...?

Silly boy!

2009-10-19T21:50:00.001-07:00

Parker loves having fun, acting silly, and laughing!

1 Month...Already!

2009-10-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Tyler is 1 month old already...which means it is time for our teddy bear pictures again, this time to watch Tyler grow. He is still a squishy newborn so getting him to sit up next to the teddy bear is a bit of a challenge. And you'll have to excuse my mediocre photography - we lost our photographer to a much higher paying job in Denver :)

Here Tyler is doing the teddy bear fall.

Parker didn't want to be left out of our little photo shoot. He's looking a bit like a ragamuffin, but happy nonetheless. It's amazing how much Parker grew when we brought home a new baby! It seems as if we should be sending him off to high school soon with how big he has gotten!

Like I said, Tyler is still a squishy newborn. It's quite a fun stage. The first month is definitely rough in the sleep department, but it's getting better.

Tyler loves to be held. He is always happiest when someone is holding him, talking to him, and changing up the scenery from time to time. He's not too fond of bath time so far or changing his clothes or diaper.

His hair color is still undetermined. It seemed pretty dark when he was born and is getting lighter but has hints of red in it so we'll see. One thing is for sure....he has one odd hairline. We'll see what becomes of that - Chad says we're going to have to keep his hair short :)

Tyler had his 1 month visit at the pediatrician on Friday. He was 22" long and weighed in at 9lbs 9 oz. 9 continues to be his lucky number!

Gratitude & Memories

2009-09-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple weeks I have spent many quiet nighttime hours awake feeding Tyler and coaxing him back to sleep. This has given me a lot of time to think. Quite a few of these hours my thoughts turn to my dad. I often think that losing my dad just plain stinks! It isn't fair. Why did I have to lose my dad? Accidents like his happen to other people, they don't happen to us. I still need him. I may be 30, but it doesn't make my reliance on his opinions and advice any less. He was way too young to go. We had plans for the future...and now everything, really everything is different.

Then yesterday I attended the general relief society broadcast. Being able to hear the words of the general authorities is a tremendous blessing. It is when I am in an environment such as this that I can feel the spirit and feel closer to my Heavenly Father than in most other places. The speakers weren't talking about this specifically, but I got the impression that I shouldn't dwell on what I have lost, but rather the blessing and opportunity that I have had to know such a man as my dad and have him as my dad for all these years. I have years and years of wonderful memories. I got to have a dad that loved me more than just about anything and still does. How blessed I am to have all of this and although he is not here with us now, his influence will continue throughout my life.

Dad - thank you for everything! I miss you!

Proud Big Brother

2009-09-24T12:05:00.001-07:00

Parker is a proud big brother. He loves to give Tyler kisses....he just has a hard time understanding that we shouldn't smother the baby. We are still working on the meaning of "gentle" and "soft". When Tyler gets a little bit bigger, I'm sure they will have so much fun and get in plenty of trouble together. For now, Parker is a little jealous of all of the attention Tyler gets, especially when it comes to feeding time. We'll keep working on it!

Peaceful Slumber

2009-09-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Wendie was in town for business for a few days so we got to have her take some pictures of Tyler for us. Here he is... 5 days old.

Introducing Tyler Christopher Davidson

2009-09-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

The latest addition to our family is Tyler Christopher Davidson. He was born this past Wednesday, September 9th (9/9/09) at 9pm. We didn't plan that - just got lucky. I started having contractions about 2:30 in the afternoon or so that were about 5 minutes apart. The intensity kept growing stronger and finally we went to the hospital at 5:30. We skipped triage and went straight to a delivery room to get started. After what seemed like a quite a while of having painful contractions, the anesthesiologist started the epidural which gave fairly immediate relief. I have to say that the process of actually getting the epidural started and in the right place was less than pleasant this time around, but it was worth it for the sense of relief that came afterwards.

Pretty soon after the epidural, Tyler's heart rate started to deccelerate and was staying low for five or six minutes. The nurse called for help because nothing she could do would make the heart rate go back up. The nurse called the doctor, requested c-section meds, and pretty much told me that I would have to have a c-section in the next few minutes because the baby's heart rate was too low and he wasn't in any position to be delivered. I'm sure my eyes were as wide as could be, but I tried to remain calm....there wasn't too much I could do at that point. The charge nurse came and checked me and said I was fully dialated and we needed to have the doctor come to deliver the baby, not to do a c-section. Apparently the reason for the deccelerated heart rate had more to do with my body changing and preparing for the birth so quickly more than any thing else. What a relief!! Sure enough, the doctor came a couple minutes later and I started pushing and shortly after we had a baby. He had the cord wrapped around his neck (just like Parker), but everything else went smoothly and we had a healthy, crying, 8 lb baby boy.

In terms of the baby's name, I really wanted to honor my dad. However, my dad didn't like his own name at all and would have cringed at the idea of passing it on to another child. I remembered a couple months ago that he told me what I would have been named if I had been a boy...Tyler Christopher. So, Tyler Christopher it is in honor of my dad. At least I know he has a shining seal of approval on that name. Hopefully Tyler can be like in grandpa in many ways!

Rainy Afternoon...

2009-09-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

...at least for 10 minutes.

Rainstorms are definitely a novelty around here. Parker is enjoying every minute of it!

Update for Dad

2009-08-06T22:21:00.001-07:00

Dear Dad,
It's been a week now since you've moved on to bigger and better things. It has been a blur of a week to say the least. We have been going nonstop. We got back from Key West yesterday and are trying to get back to "normal". We are all exhausted from being so busy and the time change. Wendie and Nate are packing up the house to move so we've been busy trying to help them as well.
Everything in Florida went pretty well considering the circumstances. We did our best to keep it together, especially for all of the relatives. Some of them have been taking it pretty hard, understandably. We hoped to be able to share some of our hope with them that we would get to see you again someday...that this isn't so much a goodbye as it is a "see you later". Clearly, that doesn't mean we don't feel sorrow because we definitely all miss you terribly, but it gives us a lot of hope and clarity to know that we will get to see you again when we are done with our time here on earth.
The funeral went very well. It was a nice service and a lot of people came to support you and our family. Many, many of the firefighters came on behalf of David. Lots of people came from near and far and filled that small chapel. The fire trucks led the processional to the cemetery. We had quite an impact on traffic! As Wendie said, "I bet dad never thought he'd stop traffic in Key West." Well, for one day you sure did.
The people in your ward here in Henderson really wanted to do something to celebrate your life here so they are putting together a memorial for tomorrow evening. Hopefully all goes well with that.
No new news in terms of durdee furn....there were a lot of calls when we were gone, but I did my best to avoid answering the phone. We'll get back into it one of these days when we're feeling a little bit more ready. I listed stuff for Wendie today for some things she doesn't want to move, but that's about it. I'll keep you posted.
We'll keep thinking about you lots and lots and lots!
Love,
Kellie

Durdee Furn Update

2009-07-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Dad,
I know that this is about as insignificant as possible in light of the events of the past two days, but I also know that you'd be really excited to hear about our recent sales.
The man did buy the tiger picture. It was right where you said it would be on the couch rack. It'll continue to amaze me what people buy!
Someone came today and bought the black leather couch set you bought and the king bed from the Salas's house. Quite a sales day....and we really weren't trying! I knew you'd be excited to hear we sold the couch set since you told me to make sure we sold it while you were gone.
The lady also got the tan couch where you sewed the arm today, just as you had scheduled.
Chad had to put more gas in the truck. It really does suck it down.
I love you and miss you so much already. We all do. Hopefully we can celebrate your life in a way that does it justice over the next few days. We'll try our best to take care of mom.
Love,
Kellie

Cranky Pants

2009-07-22T14:28:00.001-07:00

We took Parker to a city water/splash park earlier this summer when Clementine was in town. We thought Parker would love it, but he was being a crank pot this afternoon. Oh well...he looks pretty cute anyway (especially with his swim diaper sticking up above his shorts).

A trip down memory lane...

2009-07-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Last week Chad, Parker, and I packed things up and headed up to Salt Lake for Jen's (my good friend and roommate from BYU) wedding.

We did a few other things while we were there that took me on a stroll down memory lane. We stopped in Provo Canyon on the way up there and walked around the trails and saw Bridal Veil falls. It was good to let Parker run and splash around after being cooped up in the car seat. The weather there was absolutely beautiful!!

We also walked around some of BYU campus and checked out the good ol' bookstore. We got Parker the obligatory "Y" hat even if Chad would have preferred him to be wearing a UNM hat :) We also got to take a tour of the new Hinckley Building which is really beautiful. Campus has changed a lot in the seven years since I left! Chad made the comment as we walked around, "Do all of the people seem really young or is it just me?" How things change!!

The wedding at the Draper Temple was beautiful and they were very happy. It was fun to participate in the festivities.

It's a ...... BOY!

2009-06-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

I've been a little bit delinquent in posting about this because we found out several weeks ago, BUT, baby #2 is another boy! We're on our way to that basketball team Chad says we're going to have.
I am 29 weeks now and everything is going well. I'm feeling about as big as a house already and am already having trouble bending over, rolling in bed, etc. Oh what fun! But, I'm glad I'm feeling good and feeling the new little guy flipping and moving all over the place. Less than 3 months left to go...

San Diego!

2009-06-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Chad and I had a little get-away to San Diego for a couple days. My parents watched Parker - it was our first time to leave him for a couple days. I think he had a blast getting spoiled with lots of attention while we were gone.

We enjoyed a few days in much much cooler weather with high temperatures only in the upper 60's. We stayed on Coronado Island and spent quite a bit of time just hanging out there, walking around the shops and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

On Saturday it was a little drizzly outside so we opted for some inside entertainment and took a tour of the U.S.S. Midway. It was interesting to see what life was like for all of those people that spent time on the ship.

Chad is proudly displaying his headphones for our audio tour.

Saturday night we got to drive to the San Diego temple and see it all lit up. It is quite a sight off the side of the freeway!

We spent Sunday at the zoo before making the drive back to Henderson. It was fun to have a weekend together to celebrate our 4th anniversary and just get away from work, if only for a couple days.

Boy or Girl??

2009-04-26T08:07:00.001-07:00

Well, many of you know, but some do not, that we are expecting baby #2. Right now I'm 19, almost 20 weeks along. Nearly halfway and I've been slacking in posting about it here. My due date is September 16th. The first half hasn't been too fun, but in the past few weeks I have been feeling SOOO much better! I'm starting to watch my belly grow a lot more quickly.
We have a doctor's appointment this week and may or may not find out the gender of the baby, but if not, I know it will be soon. We are excited to find out! Chad is convinced we are having another boy....he thinks we are creating a basketball team. I'm not sure that I'm totally convinced. I added a poll to the side of our blog so YOU can weigh in on this - do you think the new baby is a boy or a girl??

Water Fun!

2009-04-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Parker will have a fun summer with different water activities. He LOVED playing in the mist from the hose the other day. He just couldn't get enough!

Sixteen going on Seventeen...

2009-03-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Parker is 16 going on 17 months. He is so full of personality and keeps us laughing all day!
Now that the weather is great here in Vegas, Parker loves being outside! I think he would choose to be outside all day if it was up to him. He loves watching the airplanes fly overhead and points them out every 30 seconds or so. He also likes to collect rocks and throw them. He is trying to perfect the art of stepping up and down the curb, but not without many falls. He currently has quite a bruise on the side of his face from a curb misstep. His most favorite thing is dogs! He finds every dog that walks by and listens for their barks around the neighborhood. He usually barks back at them. Too funny!
Parker is still a big eater. He knows we keep the food in the fridge and a certain cabinet. If he is hungry or bored he goes in the kitchen and pulls on the fridge or stands in front of the cabinet and whines. Other kids aren't allowed to have snacks around him without him letting them know that he needs to have some too. He doesn't care if the other person is a complete stranger - he feels perfectly entitled to whatever they are eating. He is starting to get a little pickier when it comes to dinner time and not wanting to eat meat (he is too much of a carb lover!!), but overall he's a pretty good eater.
Parker loves to load and unload most anything. He has been in this phase for quite a while now. He will spend the longest time completely entertained by moving his books from one basket to the other basket, moving cheerios from one bowl to the other, etc. It's so funny that something so simple can keep him entertained for so long.
Parker's favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. When he hears the intro music and realizes it is starting he comes running. He loves listening to the same silly songs over and over and sometimes likes to get his groove on too.
Parker has quite a bit of attitude these days too. He knows too well how to throw himself on the ground and pout if things aren't going his way. He makes sure this happens somewhere we can watch so we will know how upset he is and hopefully give in. I'm working to break his habit of pulling my hair when he gets mad at me. He is going through more of a mommy-attachment phase too.
He loves to give hugs and kisses. He is very loving when he wants to be. We're having lots of fun with Parks!

Food Storage???

2009-03-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

At dinner tonight, Parker seemed to think that peas are supposed to go in our ears. Who knew??
(Sorry for the extremely blurry picture)

Red Carpet Fashion

2009-02-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

This years red carpet fashion...

...off-the-shoulder dino PJs with just-out-of bed tousled hair.

Whirlwind!

2009-02-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. I lost my job a month ago now. Not two weeks later, Chad got a call at his office from corporate letting them know that they would be closing the Las Vegas office. Goodness! Both of us out of a job with no warning and seemingly no preparation for it. Well, the job never was Chad's dream job so he had been looking and keeping his options open even before learning the news. He had interviewed with a CPA firm earlier in the week through a lead from church. It was just a day after getting the dreaded phone call from corporate that the CPA firm called Chad back and sent him an offer letter and wanted him to start immediately.
He has been at the new job for a little over two weeks now and it is working out great. We are in the midst of tax season so Chad is crazy busy at work. He works most days until late in the evening and works on Saturday as well. So, we don't get to see him a lot at home, but we are SO grateful that he has a job!! ...and it is something that he really enjoys doing and is getting to use all those years of education with plenty of room for growth!

Talk about a man with a foot fetish!

2009-01-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Parker's has recently started obsessing over my feet. He is constantly trying to get to them so he can lick or bite me. I have no idea why??!?

Stay-at-home mom??

2009-01-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

For better or for worse, for long or for short, I'm now a stay-at-home mom. I lost my job yesterday. The company that I was working for is a sinking ship and is going into survival mode by tossing employees overboard. I won't be marking it down as one of my better days.
So, now we're at a turning point...where do we go from here? what next? We'll see....

Snow Day!

2008-12-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

Little did I know that the little bit of snow that I saw outside of my office window yesterday was just the beginning. I left work shortly thereafter and it took Chad and I about 2.5 hours to drive to my mom's house (a drive which would usually take 15 minutes at the most).

These are some palm trees that we saw along the route while we were at a stand still. Just ironic to me. It kept snowing the whole drive and actually sticking to the streets. The closer we got to my mom's house, the more snow we encountered. After the long drive and horrible traffic, we decided we weren't ready to turn around and make the even longer trek back home. The snow didn't let up so we stayed overnight at my mom's. In the morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. They got about 10 inches of snow!! Turns out all of the schools were cancelled today. We don't have much in the way of equipment (snow plows, salt trucks etc.) to deal with the snow, so it doesn't take too much to shut things down. It is the first time school has been cancelled in 30 years!!

We took Parker outside so he could experience snow for the first time. Let's just say he wasn't too fond of it!

(Please excuse the quality of the pictures and video - I wasn't prepared with a camera for such a large snow storm...I only had my cell phone!)

We're not in Vegas anymore Toto!

2008-12-17T15:54:00.001-08:00

The view outside my office today! We may not have to dream of a white Christmas afterall!

Thanksgiving and a recap...

2008-12-08T14:15:00.001-08:00

I've been quite a blogging slacker as of late. I always keep up with everyone else when they put up new posts, but sometimes forget about updating my own. Make sure you leave a comment if you stop by to check on us just so I know who is out there reading about our humble lives.

The past few weeks have been busy and full of lots of activities. Over Thanksgiving weekend we got to spend lots of time with both of our families. We had Thanksgiving with Chad's family .... lots of people, including most of the nieces and newphews. Parker had fun running around with all the kids. I forgot to bring my camera to capture any of our stomach-stuffing fun :)

Julie & Clemie came out to Vegas again to visit because Brent had a dental rotation that was going to keep him away from home a lot for a couple weeks. We had a lot of fun hangning out with both the babies. As always, having both of them together there is never a dull moment. We ran lots of errands together and went on a couple walking excursions with Parker and Clemie.

"Hey mom, why did you park us with the sun in our eyes??"

Yes, you're seeing it right...those are big horn sheep....in Las Vegas! Ok, well, in Boulder City, just about a 15 minute drive from home near the Hoover Dam. They just hang out and eat right next to the playground and don't even give as much as a thought to the people walking around.

One of our Thankgiving weekend traditions is a rousing game of bowling. Here we are in all of our blowling shoe glory.

Parker caught a cold Thanksgiving weekend and it has been lingering since then. He spread it to Chad so we had a sick Chad and Parker the past few days. Parker is improving, but it's no fun having a sick and snotty kid!

We are excited about the Christmas season! We put up a little tree and got out some Christmas decorations. Yesterday we went to see the Christmas lights at the Cactus Garden near our home. It has even been a little chilly outside the past few days - helps with the Christmas spirit!! :)

1 Year Old!

2008-11-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

This post has been a long time coming! Parker is 1 and has changed so much in the last month! It almost seems as if this month he has changed more than in any other month previously.

He has really gotten a lot better at walking. He can walk across the room without a problem. He's a little wobbly, but he can do it. He just really isn't all that motivated to do it yet and prefers to crawl most of the time.

He talks all the time!! He has all sorts of things to say, I just don't understand most of it. However, much to our dismay, he has mastered "no".

Parker has developed a lot more attitude than he ever had before! I think he is getting frustrated that he can't tell me what he wants so he screams or points and grunts. When I tell him "no, no", he gives me quite a look. If I pick him up when he is headed towards something he is not supposed to get into, he yells and lets him arms go limp so I have a hard time hanging on. He's tried out his toddler tantrum skills a couple times :)

Most of the time Parker is very sweet. He still loves to give kisses. He also loves to laugh. We can tell when it is getting close to bedtime at night because he becomes more and more silly and laughs hysterically at the drop of a hat.

During dinner time at least half of his food ends up on the floor. Some days he just decides he doesn't want to eat what we're having and takes each bite out of his mouth, examines it, and casually hangs his hand over the side of the highchair tray and drops it to the floor.

In the last week or so, he has really been working on his waving skills.

I hired a girl from our ward at church to watch Parker two of the days during the week that I'm working. It seems to be working out well so far. Parker likes her and she lives so close! It gives my mom a little bit of a break so she can have some time to herself, but she still helps us out one day a week.

Parker has mastered drinking through a straw. He loves his sippy cup with a straw. I fill it with water and he sucks and sucks like it is the most delicious treat I have given him. Whatever keeps him happy!

At Parker's one year appointment with the pediatrician he got 5 shots! He screamed during the process but calmed down as soon as I picked him up.
His stats:
Parker weighed 22lbs 1 oz - 25-50% for weight
30.5" tall - 50-75% for height
47 cm head - 50-75%

We are looking forward to Parker learning some new words in the coming months so he can express himself a little bit better!

Birthday Celebration!

2008-11-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

For Parker's birthday we went to Red Robin and then had family over for cake, ice cream, and presents. Enjoying some pre-birthday dinner cheerios :)

Balloons are so much fun!

Parker wasn't quite sure what to think when they came and sang him a birthday song.

Oh boy! More cake!!

Yea for chocolate!!

We had cake absolutely EVERYWHERE, but it was definitely worth it to see him destroy the cake!!

Birthday cake!!

2008-11-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

What's the best way to go about eating this cake??

Now I'm getting into it!

Yum!

Alright mom, I think I'm about done!

Happy Halloween...

2008-10-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

...from our little tiger!

Happy Birthday to my Chaddy!

2008-10-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

(An oldie but a goodie - pre-marriage and pre-Parker)

Happy 27 years to Chaddy!

Happy birthday to my little boy!

2008-10-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday, but we've come so far...

Here is the video Wendie put together for us shortly after Parker was born. What a day!

And now we have Parker today...

Happy Birthday buddy!

(Thank you to Wendie for capturing a year of photos and memories!)

Little Sneak!

2008-10-21T09:54:00.001-07:00

Here's our little sneak making himself at home in the tupperware cabinet. What could be more fun?

Our Journey through Connecticut

2008-10-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last week Parker and I traveled with my mom and my sister Wendie to New Haven, Connecticut to visit my younger sister, Julie and her family. They live in a cute high-rise apartment nearly on Yale campus. It was beautiful there - especially with the start of the leaves changing colors. I love, love, love the fall!!! It is definitely my favorite and I was more than happy to head east to experience some true fall-ish activities and scenery as we don't have too much of that in Las Vegas (although it is an unseasonably cool 55 degrees this morning here).

Parker went on his first flight! He loves watching airplanes up in the sky, but I'm not sure he had any idea that what we were doing was the same thing. I have to say that overall, the long flights went pretty well. There wasn't too much crying or screaming, but I was a virtual jungle gym. We were all continually thinking in order to come up with something new to entertain him.

We were grateful that Parker had his own seat on the way there so we didn't have to hold him the whole time.

We were also very happy that he slept about an hour on the way there and a couple hours on the way home! :)

One of those fall-ish activities was going to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch. There isn't too much better than an apple right off the tree! We had to go on quite the stroller adventure down steep dirt and rock bumpy roads, but it was well worth it for the delicious apples!!

Julie lives just a couple minutes away from beach. Unfortunately, on the day we went to check it out it was only 55 degrees or so with 50 mph winds. This is about as close to the water as we got. It was pretty...just a little too chilly!

We spent another chilly day in Newport, Rhode Island - about a two hour drive from Julie's place. Although it was cloudy, it was still a pretty place. We took a walk along the coast to see the houses that were built a long the water.

Our babies were all bundled up for the day! This is Julie's daughter, Clementine (Clemie).This is just one of the many sets of stairs that we had to carry the strollers up and down on this trip.They're building my new summer home. Pretty nice, huh?

We took a short day trip to New York City by way of a two hour train ride from New Haven to take in the sites and enjoy some famous frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity. Absolutely no strollers allowed in Serendipity - we asked the guy in the parking garage across the street to hang on to our strollers while we ate. $6.

We loved our frozen hot chocolate and side of hot fudge sundae! Who could have too much dessert?

We took a quick stroll through some of Central Park.

We stopped to see one of the temples for our church that is located right smack dab in the middle of the city - not too far from Central Park or Times Square.

I love the energy of the city with all of the people going so many directions. It was fun to see a few sites of the city.

Thank you Julie for the great accommodations and for putting up with all of us overtaking your apartment! It was lots of fun to see where you live and to take in some of the feelings of fall!

11 Months!

2008-09-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Parker is 11 months old!

Parker is now much more interested in walking as shown in the last video. He can take a few (falling) steps before he dives. He is getting better and better at walking circles around the coffee table.

In the last couple of days Parker has also started crawling like normal up on his hands and knees. That would be a welcome change for me after the constantly dirty shirts from cleaning every floor with his chest.

Parker has taken new interest in the toilet. If we leave the bathroom door open, it won't be long before we find Parker swishing around in the toilet. Yuck!

Parker LOVES airplanes! We have a lot of planes flying overhead all the time in the Las Vegas area. As soon as he hears the Plane noise he looks toward the sky to find the plane and laughs.

Parker has a walker at my mom's house and has recently taken it to street! Last week he was found racing up and down the street with my mom and loving every minute of it.

Parker now has...count 'em.....14 teeth! He's working on four new ones on the top and two new ones on the bottom to add to 8 front teeth he already had.

This has led to Parker eating mostly whatever we have for dinner. We have been phasing out baby food for the most part. He loves eating whatever we have, but has led him to be a little bit more picky. Tonight we had dinner at Chad's parents house and we had mashed potatoes, meat loaf, and broccoli. Parker ate every bit of meat loaf and potatoes. Each bite of broccoli he reached in, pulled it out, and threw it on the floor. Lovely.

Parker also loves the stairs. If it was him, I think we'd go up and down the stairs all day. He climbs up them so quickly!

Our little guy is quite a character and is getting more and more personality everyday! The big birthday is right around the corner! ...so hard to believe!

And we have lift off...almost!

2008-09-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

Mmmm....Spaghetti!

2008-09-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Bathtime Fun!

2008-09-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Parker anxiously awaits bathtime each time as we

wait for the water to get warm. I love this shot!

Parker loves bathtime! So much fun splashing and playing. One of these little cups he plays with in the bath has two little holes in it. I fill it up with water and hold it up above him. He always tries to drink the water as it comes down and ends up getting most of it in his eyes :)

10 Months Old!

2008-08-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

Parker is now 10 months old and these photo shoots with the bear are increasingly more difficult for me on dive duty and Wendie for her patience with Parker's less than developed attention span. I know that Wendie is counting down the photo shoots we have to do with the bear and the couch (just two more left now). This one above is about as good as it gets for both parties sitting up. :)

Parker is hilarious....and he thinks that nearly everything else is hilarious. He laughs so much!! He is pretty easily entertained. When we have dinner as a family he spends his time trying to get everyone to pay attention to him and he'll keep us laughing however he can. I think we have the class clown on our hands. He's definitely taking after his dad...

Parker is ON THE MOVE! He can't sit still for a minute! Changing his diaper is like an all-out wrestling match. I have yet to perfect the art of changing a diaper while Parker is standing up. Which leads me to my next point....Parker is pulling up on everything and standing. Gone are the days of finding him in the morning peering over the bumper in the crib smiling at me. Now, I find him every morning and after every nap standing up in his crib holding on to the rails and yelling...sometimes happy yells and sometimes not-so-happy yells.

After watching olympic diving, Parker is

practicing is his couch diving technique.

Earlier this month Parker had a fever which would go down with medicine, but always went back up. The fever remained for three days and Parker kept feeling worse and worse. On day three we took him to the nurse practicioner at the pediatrian's office and her diagnosis: Ear infection. For a mom who studied ears for four years you would have thought I should have caught on sooner....oh well! I have to say that his ears didn't seem red to me, but with some antibiotics Parker was back to himself in no time. Thank goodness!

Parker loves my keys...he always has, but this is the only thing that could get him to sit still for a second for the photos.

Here Parker looks as though is is directing
the orchestra in a very spirited song.

Parker has just recently started to have more of a preference for certain foods and if he doesn't like what you give him he will make a terrible face and spit it out.

Parker now has two more teeth coming in to total 10 teeth so far!

He's quite a character. I just asked Chad if he could think of anything about Parker to add for this month. He said that Parker is just plain wild. He said we should auction off the parental rights to him and start the bidding out low knowing what a wild animal he is. :) I think we'll have to pass on auctioning him off for now. We love him lots and lots even if he is crazy.

Who could resist that face?

Sprinkler Fun!

2008-08-23T22:18:00.001-07:00

Not too much better than a little stroll through

the sprinklers when it's over 100 degrees outside!

Parker went on an all out strike against naps today which led to this...

Happy birthday to me!

2008-08-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and now I'm one day closer to the big 3-0! We had a fun day. I had the day off of work so I got to spend lots of time with Parker.

We went to lunch with Wendie and my mom at Olive Garden for our favorite budget lunch of soup, salad, and breadsticks. We did our fair share of eating and boy was it yummy!

Last night we went to dinner with the whole family to Fukuda, a local Japanese restaurant with a tepan grill. That is one of my favorite restaurants and it has been a tradition to go there for my birthday. It was delicious!

Parker had his first experience with chopsticks

He was also fully entertained by the flames, flying food, spinning eggs, and banging tools in the little show the chef put on.

I also had a pre-birthday lunch at Sammy's while Julie was still in town and Julie, Wendie, and I enjoyed a gigantic sundae! Not too much better than that!

My birthday is the start of a new year in my life and gets me thinking about goals and things I can do to improve myself and my family. I have had a lot of things lately that have gotten me thinking about how blessed that I really am, even though on certain occasions it doesn't always feel that way. I have so much to be grateful for! On days when Parker is acting like a wild indian, making big messes, picking, pulling, and pinching everything he can on me, breaking all my jewelry, exhausting me and on and on....I need to remember that I am so blessed to have a son that is healthy and beautiful and we get to have him in our home. He is amazing and has been such a blessing in our lives. On days when I fret about making ends meet and worrying about this bill and the other, I need to remember how lucky we are to have the jobs that we have and the other opportunities for income that have been presented to us so we can make ends meet. As Chad frequently reminds me, "It always works out." There are so many things that I want do to be a better person and hopefully this new year in my life will be just what I need to make some of those things happen. Here's to a new year!

Cousins!

2008-08-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Julie and Clemie came and spent a week with our family. It was so much fun for us to watch Parker and Clemie together and see what they thought of each other and how they interacted. They are so different from each other!

Clemie is so petite in all of her features and Park is a chunky monkey. Clemie tends to be a little more on the serious side and Parker is very easily entertained. Clemie is a night owl and fairly flexible with her schedule. She stayed up until after midnight with us one night while we were playing a game. Parker goes to bed every night around 7pm and there isn't too much deviation from that schedule or you'll have quite an unpleasant baby on your hands. Parker loves his bath and doesn't mind getting his head wet to wash out the soap. Clemie does not like water in her face at all.

Nevertheless, they are both very mobile! Clemie is on the verge of walking and goes everywhere hanging on to what she can and loves to climb the stairs. If you turn your back for a second she is already halfway up. Watching both of them together was completely exhausting, even with two moms! Clemie and Parker have matching dimples. They each have one dimple on their left cheek. So cute.

We took them to Costco and they sat in the basket together. We were the hit of the party over there! It was as if no one had ever seen two babies before with all of the oooo-ing and ahhh-ing.

We had lots of fun with Julie and Clementine in town and look forward to seeing them again soon! I can imagine lots of fun cousin time in the future. Thanks for the visit!

These are just a few other shots of our wild indian from the same day...

(Good shot of that aforementioned dimple)

Buddies!

2008-08-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

On the Move...

2008-07-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here's our little guy on the move - showing off his army crawl...

9 Months!

2008-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Our little photo shoot this month was quite a challenge. Parker wasn't into sitting on the couch - he mostly just wanted to dive off head first. We'll see how the next few months go with these teddy bear shots...

Parker is 9 months old now and growing like a weed. At his 9 month visit to the pediatrician last week he was 20 lbs 6 oz (25-50%) and 29.5 inches long (75-90%).

As I mentioned in the last post, he is on the move all the time and trying to get into everything. It seems as if he has a radar for whatever he is not supposed to get into and that is the first thing he heads for.

He still loves eating and there really isn't anything that he won't eat. He's upgraded to eating some cheerios now. At Costco not too long ago they were handing out samples of strawberry Go-Gurt. Well, I let Parker have a sample and I'm pretty sure he thinks that is the best thing he's ever eaten. He continued squealing for more yogurt throughout the whole store. He ate all of it!

Parker can now give kisses, well, at least his version of a kiss. I tell him to give mommy kisses and he leans in for a face plant. Works for me :)

Parker has also been practicing his high-5's and is really starting to get better at it.

Can you say "handful"?

2008-07-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Parker really is a handful these days!! He keeps us busy and on our toes, that's for sure. He loves to pull my hair, especially if he can reach around and grab the ones on the back of my neck where it is the most tender.
A typical day consists of Parker trying to eat every cord that he can find, trying to skydive off the changing table without a parachute, cleaning all the floors with his clothes, crawling in the bathtub, attempting to chew the bathtub, performing gymnastic stunts while we change his diaper, adding fiber to his diet by eating whatever form of paper he can find, and cleaning the fireplace the best he can. The list goes on... he's a normal, active little boy!!

(Title and Picture taken from my sister, Wendie)

Music Time!

2008-07-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Parker loves music! He has loved music from day 1. His two favorite songs are "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Popcorn Popping", but he will really will pay attention to most any song. He is not too particular. He loves to listen to me sing. A sure way to stop Parker from fussing is to break out into "The Wheels on the Bus" when driving around.
Lately he has really started to take note of the music at church. When the piano starts, he perks up in anticipation. He loves watching the chorister lead the music. He will even imitate by waving his little arms around, so excited that she is up there. It's too funny! Maybe we will have a little musician on our hands....that is, if he can sit still long enough to learn some music :)

8 Months!

2008-07-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Parker is 8 months old and getting bigger all the time! It's so unbelievable to see how much he changes each day!

Parker is a baby in motion!! He reaches and grabs for absolutely everything! He has moved from rolling to where he wants to go to army crawling. He hasn't yet mastered the traditional crawl. He has sort of a swimming motion with his arms and pushes with his legs and he can get to whatever he is interested in. He particularly likes the computer cords, but will really go for anything that he isn't supposed to have. The other day he was playing in his jumper which we hang in the doorway to our downstairs bathroom (really the only doorway downstairs). Well, I turned my back for a minute and he swung over to the toilet paper and and continued to pull it off the roll and stuff it in his mouth. I successfully rescused some of it, but when I tried to get the last piece out of his mouth he promptly swallowed it. Oh well! Due to his mobility he has gotten quite a few bumps and bruises, wacking himself with toys, crawling into walls, falling on the tile, and he hit his face on the pew in front of us at church.

He really looks to me to find out how he should respond in certain situations. If new people come up to him to talk and smile he will often look to me to see if he should be smiling back at them. If someone else is laughing, he looks at me to see if I am laughing and if he should be laughing as well. When he falls over or hurts himself and I give him a big smile and tell him he's ok, he usually smiles back and we can avoid the dramatic crying. A few times he has pulled my hair so hard that I sort of yelp in pain and he gets this terribly sad face, knowing that he did something wrong.

Parker went swinging on the baby swing at the park for the first time and he totally loved it!! He thought it was just absolutely hilarious. I am sure we are going to have a little dare devil on our hands and we'll really be in trouble when he can walk.

Parker is turning into more of a thumb-sucker all the time. He used to just suck it when getting ready for sleep, but lately he has been doing it more and more often. He has worn a callus on his thumb. For better or for worse...it is what it is.

My favorite time of day with Parker is when I go into his room in the morning after I hear him making noise. We have lowered his crib and he can now pull himself up a little bit when he's on his stomach to peer over the bumper. Each morning he pulls himself up and greets me with the biggest smile in the world. It melts my heart!

Parker has a walker at my mom's house and that is one of his favorite things. Apparently he takes after me in this regard. I hear that I zoomed around our house like crazy in my walker when I was a baby. He has gotten really good and a lot stronger so he pushes it all around. Their house is mostly tiled so he chases my mom around. She hides and he races to find her, laughing every time.

Look how big my little boy looks here! I can't believe it!

Cousin Time!

2008-06-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my sister Julie and her baby, Clementine (Clemie), came to visit us while her husband moved all of their worldy belongings from Ft. Lauderdale to Conneticut. We had lots of fun watching how Parker and Clemie interacted with each other and comparing their personalities. The above picture took place with both Julie and I singing "The Wheels on the Bus" at the top of our lungs trying to elicit some smiles, or at least a look in our direction, from two tired and cranky babies.

We went for a swim together and the babies had fun splashing while sitting on the top step!

The babies took a bath together...Parker loved splashing, but Clemie wasn't such a big fan of the water in her face.

We attempted having the babies nap together in Parker's crib, but that didn't go over very well. Parker was ready for sleep wondering who in the world was in his bed with him. Clemie found a new friend and wanted to fully explore him, sticking her fingers in his mouth, ears, etc. Maybe she'll grow up to be a doctor.

We can't wait to see you again! Hopefully we'll get to come out to see you in September!!

Cowboy

2008-06-20T15:57:00.001-07:00

Just a picture of Parker from a recent photo shoot that I found again in my email today...

Baby Food!

2008-06-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

Several people have asked me about baby food so I thought I'd do a little post following a weekend of making more baby food. As we started adding "solid" food to Parker's diet a couple months ago I had saving money, time, and Parker's health at the forefront of my mind. So...I got a couple of books on baby food from the library, consulted with my mom, and got to work. It has been an easy process...I feel like I've saved time, and I feel like Parker is eating healthy foods.
The books talk about how to prepare different foods, which food combinations often go over the best with baby, and which foods are appropriate to freeze.
Carrots and apples are two of Parker's favorites. I just boil them until they're soft, drain and puree in the food processor. No, I don't make food for Parker everyday. That is the last thing that I'd want to do after coming home from work. When I do make food, I make big batches of everything and then I put the food in ice cube trays. Once the food is frozen I pop the ice cubes out and keep them all together in a bag in the freezer. When it comes to meal time I pop out however many I need, heat them up, and I'm good to go. We have done this with a lot of different fruits and vegetables and it works great.
Now I'm trying to leave foods a little bit chunkier to help Parker get used to some new textures and eventually transition him to eating what we are eating. It's always fun to watch his reactions to new things and I look forward to Parker tasting new foods soon!

Ma Ma Performance

2008-06-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

This is just a little clip of Parker's "ma ma"s today...

Ma Ma

2008-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning Parker woke up saying "Ma ma" and he continued throughout the day. I know that he doesn't have any idea that what he is saying means what it does, but it is fun anyway. We are excited to hear what babbling sounds come next!

Messy Boy!

2008-06-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

The other day I gave Parker a Biter Biscuit and boy did he make a mess! But he sure did enjoy himself with "mmm"s the whole time he enjoyed his treat!

Turkey & Apples

2008-06-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

Broccoli!

2008-06-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Seven Months!

2008-06-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

Parker is 7 months old!

He is quite the screamer these days....high-pitched and about as loud as he can! He is also no respecter of where he screams. Church is fair game...during prayers, even better :) He is also starting to understand taking turns in "conversation" and will take turns with me or whoever screaming back and forth.

Parker now realizes that when you put something away or set it down that it is still there and he tries to find it. He does this especially with his bottle and his books. He will lean over and crane his neck as far as possible to find what he wants.

No longer does Parker sit peacefully and drink his bottle...now he needs to check out all the action. No sound goes unnoticed. He has started to want to fully sit up and have me feed him the bottle - it is starting to look like he needs a gerbil feeder.

Parker loves having us read his books to him, especially "Brown Bear, Brown Bear". If we get the page turn started he will turn the page on his own.

We are getting closer to having a crawler, but definitely not there yet. He is getting more and more practiced at sitting up.

Parker is now eating three meals a day with bottles in and around. Eating time has always been and still is Parker's favorite time.

Wendie did an all out picture shoot of Parker last week, so there are lots of pictures yet to come!

First Swim

2008-05-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Since the bath water was such a hit and because today was a hot day, we took Parker on his first swim in the pool. He loved it! He splashed all around and we bounced in the water. We even dunked under the water. So much fun!

This is Parker pre-swim showing off his cute new swim trunks.

Splashing around

Warming up after the swim

Bathtime!

2008-05-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Since Parker has learned how to sit up on his own, he can now take a bath sitting up in the tub. Saturday evening was the first time he got to take a bath like this and he had a blast!! He was a little startled when he made his first spash and the water hit him in the face. He looked at me and I smiled back at him. When he realized it was ok, he started laughing. He proceeded to splash and laugh for the remainder of the bath. It was so fun to watch him as he discovered water and how much fun it could be.

Tonight he spent quite a bit longer in the bath because he was having a lot of fun. Of course he was a little distracted by the camera when I tried to capture the splashing on video, but oh well. I'll try it again another time.

Six and a Half Months!

2008-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Parker continues to change so fast so I felt the need to do a mid-month post before I forget.

Parker loves to do his high-pitched squeal. I think he has figured out that he can really get what he wants a lot more quickly if he squeals as loudly as possible.

In the past week he has really been working on perfecting the art of sitting up by himself. He is getting a lot better and his falling over to the sides or backwards is becoming much less frequent. He will stay entertained for quite a while sitting up by himself and playing with his toys. A whole new world for him!

Parker reaches for EVERYTHING! If he can reach it or can stretch to reach it, he will grab it. And boy does this kid have a grip....especially on my hair! Gone are the days of eating pleasantly or playing a game with him on my lap. Thank goodness he can't crawl...yet!

Tummy time is becoming much more acceptable these days. He can really pick up his head and look around and play while he's on his tummy. He has been getting his legs up underneath him but doesn't know what to do next. In fact, much to our efforts to keep Parker sleeping on his back, we find him sleeping on his tummy in the morning most of the time now.

His personality is showing through more all the time. When he gets mad, he really gets mad and lets you know! His crying has reached a whole new level when we aren't doing what he wants us to do. Thankfully though, most of the time he is very playful and loves to smile and laugh. He will always laugh with you if you are laughing. It's quite contagious!

He has sampled a few new foods lately that I haven't blogged about...yogurt, bread, pancake, and some frozen yogurt from Golden Spoon. Oh, and my dad gave him a couple bites of the devil's food cake that I made for mother's day.

Parker's hair is growing like a weed and getting a little long for the spikey-doo.

"Mom, I think it's time for a hair cut!"

In honor of mother's day I will share my gratitude for being a mother and for having Parker in my life. I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. I am very grateful for Chad for helping me to make my dreams of having a family come to fruition. Parker is more work than I could have imagined, but he also brings more joy than I could have imagined. It's hard to be sad when I'm around him....I can't help but smile when I see him light up. He is beautiful! Sometimes I'm in awe that Heavenly Father sent such a sweet boy to me and to our family. I look forward to all of the future experiences that motherhood will bring and for the other children that we will add to our family down the road.

I am also very grateful for my own mom for all that she has done for me in the past and all that she does for me now....especially her help with Parker. I would really have a hard time leaving Parker with anyone else. It makes leaving Parker a little bit easier knowing that I am leaving him with someone that loves him as much as I do. Her service can never be repaid. Hopefully his smiles and laughing helps to lighten the load! I am hoping that it won't be very much longer before I get to stay at home with him full-time. Chad and I are continually working towards that goal. I can't wait to be a stay at home mom! I love what a former Las Vegas news anchor said last year as she quit her job to stay home with her child. "There are hundreds and thousands of women qualified to do my job at channel 3, but only one woman in the world qualified to be the mother of my little girl." I know that the same holds true for myself and am looking forward to the time when we can make that happen!

Morning Jog

2008-05-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today Parker and I went for a morning jog in our "new" jogging stroller. My visiting teacher, Bracken, was nice enough to give me her jogging stroller that she no longer needs. It offers such a smooth ride and Parker loves it! Now, if I could just master jogging with my hands pushing the stroller....

Potatoes!

2008-05-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

I left the potatoes slightly chunky the first night and that didn't go over too well. Since then I have whipped them and he has been liking them a lot better!

Dr. Davidson

2008-05-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day to introduce myself as Dr. Davidson to one of my patients. It is something that I will have to get more accustomed to doing. My last job with Newport Audiology was my first job out of school. The company preferred that those of us that have our Au.D.'s not refer to ourselves as doctors because they felt like the geriatric population that we work with would mistake us for physicians. So, for a few years I have just been Kellie, the audiologist. Well, now it's time for a change! A new job, a new title! I think it can bring a whole new level of trust and respect from the patients that I see. Right now it's just feeling a little bit odd though. I guess it's time to let all of those years of education and all of those years of tuition (yet to be paid) shine. Introducing Dr. Davidson!

Sunny Days!

2008-05-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is Parker on one of our walks last week. It's heating up here in Las Vegas! Not too many outdoor walks left....a little sad because that is our escape from the house, especially when Parker is getting a little cranky. A walk will fix whatever is bothering him. We'll have to move our walks into the air conditioned mall!

Going Green....Peas & Green Beans!

2008-05-01T20:31:00.000-07:00