Our Christmas

Our holiday began on Thursday, December 20th...that was our last day with students! Ha ha I woke up that morning to the room spinning about 90 to nothing. David helped me to the bathroom where I proceeded to get sick. I wasn't sure if it was due to pregnancy or if I was legitimately sick. Needless to say, I was sick. We left for Huntingdon on Friday after we all got out of work and I proceeded to lay in the bed for the entire weekend. David finally took me to the doctor in Jackson, TN where I was told that I am suffering from Vertigo. And guess what, they can't give me anything to take! However, it is progressively getting better. We had a great time at Mimi's and MacMac's. Parker got loads of presents, which I don't have a single picture of. If I am not the one taking pictures, they usually don't get taken! Ha Ha We left Huntingdon on Monday morning and trucked it back to Memphis. We dropped Parker at my parents for a while and David and I finished up on our shopping. It never fails that I am in the stores on Christmas Eve. I promise next year that I am going to start shopping early. We spent Christmas Eve night at my parents. Parker was SO excited. We went to church and then were back at my parents to make cookies for Santa. Here are a few pictures from us making cookies and sprinkling Reindeer food. Excuse his outfit...he picked it out.

Parker sprinkling the reindeer food!
Parker and Nana making cookies for Santa...
Parker putting them on the plate....And the final touch...the big glass of milk:) Parker was beside himself and said that Santa wasn't going to eat all of the cookies. He was going to save one for Parker to eat.

Parker went to sleep pretty easy that night. He didn't stir until 7:30 a.m. and told David and I to be quiet because he heard Santa and didn't want him to go away. It was SO CUTE. When we finally ventured downstairs, Parker was pumped about the things Santa had left. He even left a few things for the baby!




This last picture is of my brother and sis-in-law. They bought a blow up soccer goal for Parker. He and uncle Biggs went and played for 45 minutes in the back yard. They had a blast! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend the time you wanted with your family and friends. I wish you all a happy and safe New Years.

My little man

I thought I would do an update on Parker and how much of a big boy he is becoming. He is currently in school at Farmington Presbyterian Day School with 6 of the kids from his old daycare. He LOVES going to school! Probably more for his friends than the actual work he has to do. Art is not his favorite, but he does love to color in the lines. His best friend Zachary is in his class and they are definitely partners in crime. If one is in trouble, the other is usually not far behind. Parker is obsessed with ALL sports. It doesn't matter what sport it is, he wants to play it. He is watching the Alabama game as I type. His favorite player is John Parker Wilson (Alabama's Quaterback). They share the same birthday! Parker is almost as obsessed with Alabama as his daddy. He gets mad at me when I cheer for Ole Miss!

Here are a couple of pictures from my grandmother's 80th birthday party. Granny turned 80 in October and we had a family reunion/party for her. It was held at my parent's cabin in Crockett County.

My dad, Aunt Jane, and Granny
My granny, her sister Aunt Racherl(they are the only 2 left out of 11 siblings), Uncle Tommy(Aunt Rachel's husband) and James (my cousin Becca's husband)Parker and daddy going for a ride on the 4-wheeler

Parker playing on the porchParker being a monster....

My little man being calm for about 3 minutes:)The cabin....

I know this was a little random, but these are some of the best pictures I have of Parker. I will update from Christmas soon.

So major changes in our family

Considering that I haven't posted since the month of April, I figured it was time to update. As many people know by now, I am pregnant. David and I found out on Thanksgiving morning that we are expecting. We have been trying for a little while, so we are absolutely THRILLED to be adding to our family. Parker can't WAIT to be a big brother. He insists that we are having a girl and that his Uncle Biggs and Aunt LaLa are having a boy. We shall see. My parents can't wait to have 2 more grandchildren in the mix. Wes and Lauren are expecting a baby on June 28th. I went for my first OB appointment on the 18th and I was exactly 7 weeks. We were able to see the baby on the ultrasound(looks like a grain of rice) and the heartbeat(167 bpm). It's funny how things work out! I know a ton of people pregnant now. It must be in the water. With this new bundle of joy on the way, I am going to attempt to be better about updating my blog. Not sure who reads this, but for those few that do, I want to keep you up to date.

There are so many things going on in our lives right now, but one is hitting way too close to home. My dear friend Stephanie Vasofsky is dying of Cervical Cancer. She is 28 years old and has a 2 year old daughter. We have been very good friends since the beginning of my teaching career. She has had such a positive influence on my life. She has helped me refocus my life on the important things and helped me realize the things that don't matter so much. I have a huge whole in my heart thinking about her impending death. We all know that she will be in a better place and that she will feel no pain. She is the strongest Christian I know and I thank God for her daily. There were 9 of us who taught 3rd grade at Kate Bond and we have all stayed in touch. She will be greatly missed when she passes on, but our memories of her will live on forever. Please pray for her family and if you would like to visit her website it is www.caringbridge.org/visit/stephanievasofsky

Here are a few pics of Steph.....

Angie, Carn, Lindsay, Stephanie, and Me at the McDade Halloween party many moons ago!
Stephanie and her dear husband Randy in Gatlinburg,TN during Fall Break.

Lindsay, Nicole, Stephanie, and Angie

I will cherish these pictures as long as I live. The time I have had with Stephanie has been precious time. The time we have with ALL of our friends and family should be cherished because we don't know what tomorrow holds. Until next time.....

Parker....does he EVER slow down?

How life changes the instant you have a child. Parker has brought such joy to mine and David's life. He is hilarious and very caring. But he can be the toughest, meanest, roughest little boy around, too. He is constantly on the go! He loves school and asks to go on the weekends...maybe that is a hint to me that he doesn't like us! No, I know he loves us. One of his favorite things to do is go to the zoo. I thought I would update those of you who read this with a few of my favorite pics of my little man.

I remember when Parker was a baby, I couldn't wait for all of the milestones. Now I can say I wish that time could stand still sometimes. I miss his baby days. We still call him "the baby" and it makes Keith mad...not really, but he was glad when he heard David say, I have to go pick up Parker, not the baby. I miss the diaper changing, the bottles, the feeding. You new mommies, cherish every minute. Because before you know it, they will be 3 and a half and very independent and won't let you do anything for them! But every minute I have with Parker is a treasured minute. He makes me smile with the smallest of things. Like when he smiles at me, or randomly says, "I love you momma."

Now Parker is going to have his choice of women someday...Tatum, Sydney, Riley, Mackenzie just to name a few. I am glad Cindy is having a boy. He and Parker can fight over all the women:) I want to extend a good luck to all of you on your soon to be labors. And remember, I would gladly keep any of the babies whenever you need a break.

Death....and new life

A couple of weeks ago, I expierenced the death of a grandparent for the first time. My Popa passed away peacefully on March 29th and we buried him on Palm Sunday. I was so sad losing Popa. He was an AWESOME grandfather. He was always at all of our baseball, softball, basketball, etc...games. It wasn't until recently he was not able to get around. And at times, I have been very bitter that my Popa wasn't really Popa. He had not walked in more than 2 years, and he lived much of his later life in great pain and in a bed. So while I was extrememly sad when he passed, I was almost relieved. He wasn't in pain anymore and I know he is in a better place. I hate that Parker will not get to grow up knowing him, but I am extremely greatful that Parker did get to meet him and know him for the 3 and a half years Parker has been here. He probably will not remember Popa, but we have pics of the two of them that I will forever treasure. Here is one of them.

With Popa's death came 2 more deaths, a good friend from my past's grandfather and Allison's Aunt. They say that deaths and actually most things come in threes. Allison's aunt Barbara was such an amazing, gorgeous, fun loving woman. While I only met her once, she and I emailed quite frequently and talked on the phone some, too. She really might have been one of the funniest people I have ever known. I am constantly praying for Allison and her family because they are struggling with this very unexpected event in their lives. And the pain of losing a loved one is a pain like no other.

So now with all of these deaths, I realize how lucky we are to have the time we do on this Earth. And the time we have with our loved ones should be cherished and lived to the fullest. And I am reminded with death, there is new life. David and I just got word that Tanya's water broke. And Nicky and Jeremy are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sydney and we can't forget Chuck and Cindy's little boy that should be making an appearance soon, too. See, 3 of our friends are having babies. So why some lives have ended, new ones are beginning and I am very happy for all of our friends who are experiencing parenthood. And I am grateful for the memories I have of Popa. Memories are what help us go on.

LASIK....the greatest invention ever!

Many of you reading this(not sure if I should say many) probably know that I had LASIK eye surgery on Thursday, January 25th. Let me tell you, it is the best thing I have ever done in my life!!!!!!!!!!! With the exception of having Parker of course. I can't get over how well I can see. The morning after the procedure, I had to go in for a post op visit. I was reading off the 20/15 line! I don't remember EVER being able to read off that line. Now, my friend Stephanie and her precious little Zoe were gracious enough to take me to the appointment. Stephanie of course was a little wierded out she said when she realized that 3 different doctors had come in to look at my eyes. The reason being I had a fiber on my right eye near the flap they had created to laser my cornea. It felt as if I had a contact in my eye. Needless to say, after much undo worry, they removed the fiber and all is fine. I go tomorrow for the fiber removal check up and then I go Friday for the 1 week post op check up. I am so excited about this gift my parents gave me that I don't know what to do! Having the last 2 days off of work this week sure was an added bonus! Not to mention, NO MORE GLASSES!