The Parker Post

I Ain't Gonna Lie...

2011-07-06T22:42:00.001-05:00

Summer is a tough season for me. Not only will I never get used to southern humidity, but my kids are up with the rooster and don't go to bed until sundown. Add a neighbor kid or two and a couple of boxes of popsicles, and it's constant, sticky mayhem. We're pretty much stuck at home all day because it's hard to take Kate anywhere without her completely losing it. She's 5 months old and I keep waiting for her to turn a corner. She has been my fussiest baby by far.

If I do venture out, you wouldn't believe the comments I get because I have 4 kids. "Well, bless your heart" is the most polite. So I convinced Ryan that we needed to drop some coin if I was going to survive the summer. First we bought this big red-neck swimming pool.

It has a filter and I religiously dump in shock treatment and chlorine tablets, so I thought the water would stay pristine. But my kids get in and out so much that now it is a nice chocolate color due to the dirt surrounding the pool.

I call it the Water Hole and told the kids to keep their goggles on and mouths closed. Luckily kids don't care about cleanliness and things like that.

Our second purchase was this:

We got a great deal and the kids like it, but I am very disappointed. It's rickety and squeaky. Save up and buy one at Costco.

Four is not that many, right?

Riley's T-ball team took 3rd in tournament and in the fall he'll start machine pitch. He has been a huge help with Kate this summer. He plays with her and feeds her, and pushes the shopping cart for me at the store because I have to hold her the whole time.

Marissa had her first dance recital in May. I love dance, but she doesn't, so she's going to try soccer in the fall.

Sophie's new nickname is Giggles. She says the funniest things. On April 27 several tornadoes touched down in Northern Alabama. They were super scary and we spent most of the day hunkered down in my closet. When Ryan got home that night this was their conversation:

Sophie: Guess what, daddy? We had a volcano today!

Ryan: A volcano? You mean a tornado?

She paused and looked puzzled, then brightened.

Sophie: A volcano and a tornado!

Small potatoes compared to what happened to a lot of people. We are so blessed.

As you can probably tell by her thighs, Kate's nickname is no longer "The Runt." It's Baby Buggle Pants or Baby Buggles. Sometimes I call her Fussy Pants or Baby. No one calls her Kate. We survived RSV only to be in the hospital again a few weeks later because she has a severe milk allergy. Poor little baby has been through a lot in 5 short months.

Ryan has been working mucho overtime the past 3 months so we haven't seen much of him. I will say that he's back to his old tricks in the gift-giving department. Either that, or he is trying to give me subtle hints under the disguise as gifts.

First there was Christmas.

The gift: Silicon oven mitts. These babies can withstand heat up to 600F!

The pretense: Now you won't burn your hands getting corn on the cob out of boiling water!The translation: I cannot take one more Uncrustable for dinner. Please make something that requires the oven.

The result: I used them a few times, but they're too bulky and there's nowhere to store them. Not only that, they were like, 1o,oooth on my Christmas wish list, so there's a big Not Interested factor going on there.

On Mother's Day he got me 2 gifts.

Gift 1: An exercise DVD for our Kinect.

The pretense: You keep saying that you have nothing to wear. Use this DVD and you'll have a whole closet full!

The translation: Really, now, it's time to lose that baby weight.

The result: It's still in the original packaging. Not that I don't want to exercise, but it's near impossible to do it at home. There's too much laundry to do and too many fights to break up.

Gift 2: This book:

The pretense: Just an interesting book I picked up on the way home. I know how you love to read!

The translation: I want more kids but I know it's going to take a miracle for you to agree. Did the book convince you?

The result: Lemme think...NO! Although I will say that if you are on the fence about having more kids, you should definitely read the book. It's a good read regardless.

My birthday is coming up in a few months and I am going to lobby for a bigger house. Ours is bursting at the seams!

I congratulate you for making it through this post. I figure since the blog is dead 11 out of 12 months, I should go all out when I can.

Baby Kate

2011-03-05T09:29:00.000-06:00

I started this post before the whole RSV nightmare, so it's a little outdated picture-wise, but I'll post some 6 week pictures soon (I promise, mom!).

My last time being pregnant. So huge and so glad it's over. Goodbye forever to heartburn, varicose veins, and swollen ankles!Baby Kate Elizabeth. Love at first sight.

We've taken pictures of all the kids just before leaving the hospital. Only a first-time mom would dress her newborn in a heavy snow suit just for the ride home. No wonder Riley screamed the whole way.

Marissa.

Sophie. She looked a lot like Riley, although you can't tell because of the snow suit. Their personalities are cut from the same cloth too.

And finally sweet baby Kate. She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was my smallest baby. She's still looks tiny to me and we call her our little runt. That's about the only nickname we have right now if you can believe it. Ryan needs to jump on it!

I think we ended on a good note, don't you?

RSV

2011-02-16T14:21:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday, Kate came down with the sniffles. On Friday she began to cough like she'd been smoking for years, and that afternoon she was diagnosed with RSV. Then by Sunday her breathing was so rapid and erratic that I rushed her to the ER in the wee hours of Monday morning. RSV comes on fast and furious, and nothing is more terrifying than having a 3 week old who can't breathe. Nothing.

Kate was admitted to the Pediatric ICU, where specially trained nurses can monitor her at all times and where she's subjected to an IV, feeding tube, oxygen mask, and countless breathing treatments. Ryan and I have been blessed with an outpouring of friends and family offering support, meals, and child care. Strange, but no one has offered to clean our bathroom yet. Any takers? No? Well, I guess I can task that to my sister, who will be here tomorrow afternoon. (I can't wait!!)

Each night when I get home I resist the urge to break out the cleaning supplies. Sleep is more important than a mopped floor, I tell myself. But sleep doesn't come easily and a dirty house still irks me, despite the fact that my cleanliness standards have decreased significantly with the birth of each child. It's really not that I'm a clean freak. It's that I need something to distract me from the heartbreak of leaving Kate alone at the hospital, from coming home with empty arms.

Now we're just biding our time until she is strong enough to breathe on her own and all her"numbers" are at the right level. Then she'll be moved out to the floor, where Ryan or I will have to be with her 24 hours a day until she's well enough to come home.

Until then I am aching to hold her without the awkwardness of tubes and contraptions. I am angry at this virus that has robbed me of her newborn-ness, especially since she is my last baby and I intended to hold her non-stop as only a newborn will allow. But as the doctors and nurses keep reminding me, you can't rush RSV. There is no antibiotic or shot or drug that can speed up recovery. So for now we wait, and we pray, and when we can finally hold her again, we'll hold on tight.

Happy Birthday Sissy!

2010-09-20T07:21:00.008-05:00

Marissa turned 4 on August 11.

She wanted the same birthday party she had last year, except with My Little Pony decorations. And of course, "No boys, Mommy. Only girls can come to my party." Perhaps a particular older brother has indirectly taught her to be wary of boys?

She's the best older sister a girl could ask for. Sophie is extremely lucky to have her.

Nightgowns are the "it" pajamas right now. And she can't sleep without a ponytail, which I find very strange because I can't sleep with a ponytail.

She can finally write the the letter S. For the longest time she spelled her name MARIZZA. It was cute though. I have a bunch of examples saved in a folder.

When I told her I was pregnant, she didn't believe me. "You're just tricking me," she said over and over.

She finally believed when she saw my belly pop out. Then she was super excited and tells me every day that she's happy to have another baby sister. Whom she wants to name Roger.

I love her voice. It is so sweet and soft.

She's obedient, helpful, silly, and loving. Plus, I really think she has it going for her in the looks department. Sweet and beautiful--the perfect combination.

Right now we're in a "debate" about John the Baptist and Jesus. She insists that Jesus baptized John the Baptist, instead of the other way around. Nothing I say can convince her, which is kind of scary since she's only 4.

I don't know what I would do without her. We love you, Sissy!

The Fourth and Final

2010-09-08T15:14:00.001-05:00

What do these 3 kids have in common (besides being extraordinarily cute)? They are all excited to have a new Baby SISTER in a few months!

If truth be told, Riley was slightly disappointed. He'll get over it though, once he sees that being the oldest and the only boy has some serious perks.

I really thought I was having a boy and even dreamed in baby blue all night. But now that I know it's a girl, I'm thrilled. I already bought my first bag of candy corn to celebrate.

Respect the Van

2010-08-25T14:02:00.005-05:00

I've been waiting for one of these babies for a long time. For 2 1/2 years I crammed my 3 kids in the back seat and had to listen to fighting, screaming, and "Sophie's pinching me!" arguments. Yes, Sophie. She sat in the middle and bugged both older kids to death. I also really wanted tinted windows. The sun beats down too hard in Dixie.

I may or may not have gotten pregnant just so I could finally get a van. Ironically, our van seats 8 so I still cram all 3 in the back seat. They're easier to buckle and get in and out.

The tint is proving to be better than I ever imagined.

I haven't been this excited about something since you-know-who started all-day kindergarten.

He loves it too, OK?

The Story of the Four Little Pigs

2010-07-16T20:43:00.012-05:00

This is the story of the Four Little Pigs.

This (sometimes naughty) little piggy starts kindergarten in August. Three weeks and counting...

This little piggy insists on dressing herself and doing her own hair. I've learned to just let it sliiiiiide...

This little piggy is as wild as the hills. Maybe even more wild.

And this little piggy will be joining our family on or before January 30th.

Not my baby but you get the drift.

We're hoping for a calm piggy this time. So far we're 0 for 3.

Better Late than Never

2010-04-28T14:05:00.000-05:00

This is Sophie.

She turned 2 on April 4. You can see why we call her Sophie the Party Girl. She's always in the mood to have fun. We also call her Hoggle.
Hoggie.
Gongoler.
Gongoloo.
Bunny.
Bun.
Sophster.

Anything, really. Two important things to know about Sophie:

1. She loves her paci. Even more than Marissa, I think. But then, it's so hard to remember what life was like a year ago. We're slowly regaining out sanity around here.

2. She hates being dressed. She squirms out of all her pants by lunch.

Then she tries (unsuccessfully) to take her shirt off too. I used to care, but now, not so much. We live in Alabama after all.

Other things of interest:

Her favorite words are Mine and No.

She's a great eater but a so-so sleeper.

She gets into everything. Recently I found her on top of the counter sucking on a cough drop from the medicine cabinet. A few hours later I found her on the counter again with a big wad of gum in her mouth. I may seem negligent, but man, the girl is fast!

Usually the older sister is the bossy one, but Sophie is by far the bossier one of the two. Sweet, mothering Marissa puts up with a lot of 'tude from her baby sis. Sophie rewards her by pulling her hair and laughing hysterically while doing so.

She's a daddy's girl and waves and shouts, "Hi daddy!" over and over when he gets home.

She is definitely more spice than sugar.

I can't get enough of her blond curls, boisterous laugh, and sweet baby smell. We love you Sophie!

Man Alive! Riley's 5

2010-01-03T11:13:00.005-06:00

Riley turns 5 today and boy-oh-boy has he had a busy year.

He gets mixed up and says "cemetery" instead of "military". "Hey mom, look at that huge cemetery helicopter!" I love this and don't plan or correcting him any time soon.

He carved his own pumpkin this year. Ryan cut the top off, but Riley scooped out the guts, traced the pattern, and cut out the face himself. He also set up the Christmas tree himself.

He prefers non-fiction books to fiction. Lately he's into ones about space, dinosaurs, and volcanoes.

We took off his training wheels in May. I had him dressed in layers so when he fell he wouldn't get too many scrapes. But instead of falling he hopped on that bike and never looked back.

Every time I don't know the answer to one of his questions, he says, "It's OK mom. I'll just look it up online." Or sometimes he says, "It's OK mom. I'll ask daddy. He's smarter than you because he's older." (If only that were the reason!)

He hates being by himself and won't play by himself.

He takes a nap most days and is an excellent eater.

He can't wait to go to kindergarten and ride the bus.

A few months ago he was trying to decide who to marry: Lauren or Isabella (the cutie in the slide show). He loves girls and his best friends have always been girls.

He had a naughty year.

He painted Marissa's toenails in her room and got red toenail polish all over her carpet.
He poured dish soap all over Marissa's head and dumped sand on her head a dozen times at least.
One day I couldn't find my wedding rings. I searched and searched and a few days later I was cleaning Riley's room and found them behind his bookshelf.
Then there was the time he cut a hole in his screen and went outside when he was supposed to be napping.
I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday Bruisey! We love you!

Thirty

2009-10-22T00:01:00.012-05:00

Lately I've been in a bit of a blogging rut. I'm blaming it all on that I'm turning 30 this year. Today, as a matter of fact. So you want to know a little more about me?

1. I used to wear overalls like there was no tomorrow. I wore them in high school, college, post-college, and even while pregnant with Riley. I had 2 identical pairs. It's quite embarrassing to admit.

2. I always buy my own birthday gift. I'm OK with it and even prefer it. I do not, however, like to buy my own Christmas gift(s).

3. This year I bought myself a pair of designer jeans. When I brought them home and showed them to Ryan, he flipped. He went nuts. He told me to take them back. But I'm not going to, of course. I'm through with skinny, low-rise, ill-fitting jeans. Those are for the twenty-something crowd. UPDATE: OK, so maybe "flipped" and "went nuts" was a bit of an exaggeration. Ryan's a pretty calm guy. What he actually did was "question the economical value" of the jeans.

4. I must renege on a few items in my 100 list. It seems that back then, I didn't text, wear high heels, or get pedicures. I do all of those things now.

5. C-sections are a piece of cake for me. I've had 3 and getting my wisdom teeth out was 100 times worse.

6. I'm militant about washing my face and brushing my teeth before going to bed.

7. My sister and I are 16 months apart and did everything together growing up. I loved my childhood and loved being so close in age to my sister. I hope Marissa and Sophie are always best friends.

8. If I could relive any time in my life it would be college. I loved the 4 1/2 years I spent at BYU.

9. I paid big bucks for a spray-on tan this summer. So not worth the money.

10. My blood pressure starts to rise when I think about dinner. It's not so much the mess it leaves as it is the planning, shopping, and execution.

11. Which is why if I didn't have kids I would live on eggs, toast, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Ryan would make do with cereal and Taco Bell.

12. My mom made Easter dresses for my sister and me for several years. Learning to sew is on my to do list.

My favorite Easter dress.

13. I regret giving up tap and ballet and can't wait for my girls to dance.

14. I played softball for 6 years and made All-stars twice, but I stopped playing when I didn't make the high school team.

15. Food storage and emergency preparedness haunt me. My dream is a huge pantry with an inventory list taped to the wall.

16. I mowed the lawn for the first time this summer and actually enjoyed it. I like to capture that sweaty, gritty feeling occasionally.

17. Sleep is a necessary evil. I hate that I have to sleep when I could be reading a good book, watching Netflix, or cleaning my house.

18. I always go to bed way too late when Ryan's out of town and never sleep very well.

19. My short-term memory is great. I can remember appointments, game times, and grocery lists without writing them down. Now my long-term memory...not so great.

20. I came in 2nd place in the 3rd grade spelling bee because I forgot to add a "t" to the word "glisten." Or was it "listen"?

21. I've never liked my silhouette.

22. I giggle when I hear people curse. I can't help it.

23. The only store-bought cookies that are acceptable are Oreos.

24. I dislike Walmart but feel it's my duty to shop there because they have the lowest prices.

25. I don't coupon. At all.

26. I hate being tickled.

27. See these adorable kids?

I don't want to see a single adorable face past 8:00 pm. Make that 7:30 for the one in the middle. That said, I don't mind them waking up early in the morning.

28. All I own are T-shirts in a variety of colors. Short sleeves in the summer and long sleeves in the winter. I think I'm an excellent candidate for TLC's What Not to Wear.

29. It annoys me when people use too many exclamation points in their writing.

30. I may never forgive my mom for my first-grade appearance: a ridiculously short hair cut followed by a perm.

Now on to the next 3o years!

Three Years Old

2009-08-17T21:52:00.000-05:00

Marissa turned 3 on August 11. She's paci-free, potty trained, and sleeping in a big girl bed. Here's a few more things I want to remember about her.

1. She loves Sophie. Anytime Sophie cries she starts singing, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to help her calm down.

2. She loves to tell and listen to ghost stories. Lately her ghost's name is Poodie (???) and he is always a very spooky ghost.

3. I love her skin color, hair color, and the way her curls bounce when she walks. I don't love how it's always a mess; she hates anything in her hair except a clip.

4. Sometimes I can get her to eat a carrot if it's dipped in Ranch dressing. This summer she ate some broccoli for the first time ever (thanks, Andrew!). Mostly she's still picky as ever.

5. She changes her clothes at least 4 or 5 times a day. I'm not exaggerating one bit. The things she chooses seldom match and are usually inside out.

6. Dora and Clifford are still her favorite books and movies. I think she has all the Clifford books memorized (I do, at least.)

7. I could tickle her back and arms all day and it still wouldn't be enough.

8. Ryan and I didn't decide on her name until after she was born. It was between Marissa and Abby.

9. She still says, "Hold you" when she wants me to hold her. One day she'll figure out it's the wrong pronoun.

10. When I asked her recently if she wanted to learn to write her name in preschool this year, she answered, "No. Don't ask me again." Sheesh. I never said the girl doesn't have spunk.

We love you Sissy!

The Secret's Out

2009-06-11T20:36:00.011-05:00

I'm an excellent secret keeper and think you are too. Here are a few I have been dying to share, but please don't tell!

1. We finally got new furniture and although I love it, a part of me misses the old dumpy ones. I wouldn't bat an eye if a certain potty-trainee peed on this couch,

She went to a good home (sniff)

But I'd be a little more miffed about this one.

It needs some throw pillows.

2. I wish I were Veronica Mars.

Veronica is a high school student/private investigator who is trying to solve her best friend's murder. I love who-done-it detective stories and teenage dramas, so when the 2 are combined, I stay up watching all night. In a way I'm glad I didn't know about the show until recently because I doubt I could wait an entire season to solve the mystery. I love Netflix.

3. This past Easter I ate entire bag of mini cadbury eggs in one day and then hid the evidence. I may as well also admit that I did the same thing with a bag of candy corn last October.

Yum!

4. Our swing set is the $99 Walmart special and every day we play out there I secretly hope it breaks so we can get a nice one. Copy that for our bedroom furniture.

5. I've finally started to call a binki a paci. That's what everyone calls them here in the South, but the real reason I switched is that paci is much easier to say than binki. Say both out loud and you'll see what I mean. I'm lazy, OK?

6. I really want to go blond for the summer but I'm not sure if I have the guts (or the money).

7. When I was a sophomore I cheated on a geometry test and still feel guilty about it. I haven't cheated since and I still hate geometry.

What secrets are you dying to share?

Now, if I don't put a few pics and some info about the kids my sister will call and haggle me, so here is little recap.

Riley: Broke his collar bone a few weeks ago when he crashed on his bike. He also saw his first theater movie, Monsters and Aliens, and started biting his nails and toenails. Yuck.

Marissa: Is completely over her paci and is sleeping in a big girl bed. Next up: potty training.

She insisted on the helmet.

Isn't her bed cute? Now I just have to paint the walls.

Sophie: Has turned into a little blondie with curly hair. She started walking on her birthday (April 4) and can say dada and mama. She loves her paci and so do I!

Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do

2009-03-08T22:45:00.001-05:00

There was once a little girl who loved her binki very, very, VERY much.

Her mommy loved it too because she could give the binki to the little girl any time and like magic the little girl would stop whining or crying.

Then one day the mommy took the little girl to the big bad dentist, who said, "Get rid of her binki now or pay mucho dinero to fix her teeth later." Well, the mommy had nightmares about this:

Nor did she like the idea of spending this:

So the Binki Fairy came for a visit. The mommy told the little girl the Binki Fairy would take her binkis, give them to other babies, and leave her a treat in their place.

At first the little girl was excited, but when she woke up the next morning and her binkis were gone, she didn't care about the M&Ms or fairy glitter the Binki Fairy had left her. She cried and cried and cried, and for about a week, looked like this all the time:

Her mommy hated it because the little girl didn't sleep as well for naps and bedtime, but she loved it because there were no more frantic searches for a lost binki or return trips home for a forgotten binki.

Update: The little girl no longer cries for her binki. Nevertheless, she does make her mommy sing a special binki song before nap and bedtime. It goes like this, to the tune of Where is Thumbkin?

Where is Binki?

It is gone

The Binki Fairy took it

To another baby

Bye Bye Binki

Each time the song is sung the little girl sniffles in her crib (still!). Now, if you were the mommy, what would you do about this 11-month-old binki lover?

My Baby Boy is 4

2009-02-07T21:04:00.002-06:00

I'm a horrible mother. Riley turned 4 on January 3 and I'm just now getting around to posting his slideshow. But a month isn't long in the grand scheme of things, right?

My Bruisin' Boy

Born: January 3, 2005, at 1:36 pm in Orem, Utah

Weighed: 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 21 in. long

Now weighs: 45 lbs. and is 44 in. tall

Favorite phrase of last year: Let me do it mom. It's too tricky for you.

Is a pleaser like me, but is naughty like Ryan. So when he gets in trouble he cries and says, "But mom, I just want you to be happy."

Makes up silly nicknames. Right now I'm Mamarooski.

My baby boy. He's growing up too fast.

Ryan's Redemption

2009-01-14T20:00:00.010-06:00

Just for the record, I have not been slacking in reporting my Christmas present from Ryan. I just found out tonight that I get to keep the fabulous one he got me. Here's the Christmas blow by blow.

Christmas Eve Conversation, 3:00 pm

Me: I thought you were coming home early tonight.

Ryan: I am.

4:15 pm

Me: I thought you were coming home early tonight.

Ryan: I am.

5:30-6:00 pm

Me: Where the H are you??????

Ryan: I'm at Walmart. Lay off already.

Ah, so he is getting me a present! Sure, it's from Walmart and yes, it's the 11th hour, but it's still a present!

Riley got up at 4:45 am and wouldn't go back to sleep, so I had plenty of time to contemplate my would-be loot. Here it is:

He stuffed the shirt in my stocking and wrapped the books. All 3 were huge surprises, especially Lonesome Dove, since I was scarcely aware the movie was an adaptation from a book. I found the Barnes and Noble receipt later and saw he paid 17 bucks (!!!!) for it, which I think is outrageous for a paperback published in the 80s, but what I took it to mean was that

a) he spared no expense this Christmas, or

b) he wanted to read it himself and didn't notice the price until it was too late.

And finally what we've all been waiting for:

Redemption! Ghetto blaster be gone! The no present/lame present trend is now broken.

Like I said earlier, I wasn't sure until today that I got to keep my present. Ryan told me after I opened it that the one he wanted to get was out of stock (obviously, on Christmas Eve) and much more expensive, but he had to have something under the tree.

So for a few weeks now we have been waffling about whether to spend the extra money and get the nicer one, keep the one we have, or take it back and wait for the nicer one to drop in price. Well, we are keeping it and I indeed got my fabulous present. Expectations will certainly rise for next year, but for now, baby steps, baby steps.

My Wish List (Ryan, this one's for you)

2008-11-30T20:29:00.005-06:00

I deserve a fabulous present this year. Now, lest you think me too greedy, let's review a brief history of the Christmases Ryan and I have shared. I think you'll agree that I deserve a fabulous present this year.

Christmas 2001: This was our first married Christmas and we were dirt poor, so Ryan wanted to forgo presents for each other. I didn't think he was serious so I got him a VHS of the Hunt for Red October for 8 bucks at Walmart. Turns out he was serious and he got me nothing.

Christmas 2002: We spent Christmas in Montana with Ryan's family. We were still dirt poor, but I had just graduated and was banking on finding a job soon. I also didn't want to seem like a cheapskate in front of his family, so I bought him a nice (and expensive) sweater. He got me nada.

Christmas 2003: Yeah, I had a job but we were still poor, so we decided to do the no-present thing again. (For real this time.) On Christmas Eve I found a box with my name on it underneath the tree. Not to be outdone, I ran to the movie theater to purchase Lord of the Rings tickets to put under the tree for him. The next morning I opened my present to find an empty box with the word "Love" written inside. Sweet, yes. But once again, he got me zilch.

Christmas 2004-2006: Second verse, same as the first.

Christmas 2007: I got him a bunch of stocking stuffers and a nice shirt and tie. He got me a 3-hole puncher.

I share these stories not to villainize my darling husband whom I adore, but to merely point out that I deserve a fabulous present this year. Perhaps he just hasn't known what to get me in years past. This year he won't have that excuse.

1. New couches. Here is our current couch that will be used as firewood the second we get a new one.

It was originally my grandma's couch and she let us have it when we got married (which we were very grateful for). But now it's falling apart and very uncomfortable. The back leg is broken off so it tilts a little to the left. It's also quite embarrassing to have people over when the cushions look like this:

I don't mend, so that's not an option.

2. A music solution in our living room so we don't have to lug out this ghetto blaster every time we want to listen to music.

Then we have to place this huge book on the top so the CD player works.

3. A new kitchen floor. Our linoleum is peeling up big time. It looks horrible.

4. New cookware. I saw these at Costco.

I'm sure Bed Bath and Beyond has some nice ones too.

5. New clothes and shoes, although I will have to pick these out myself.

6. A new rug for my laundry room. I'm eyeing one at Kohl's that I will purchase in the after-Christmas sale if Santa doesn't pull through.

7. Professional carpet cleaning. White carpet and 3 kids don't mix, and with Sophie on the verge of crawling, it would be nice to have it cleaned. I've left coupons for this all over the house.

I hope you'll agree that I've made a solid argument for a nice present this year. And with gas practically free these days and our thermostat set at a chilly 68 degrees, we should have plenty of money for everything on my list.

PS. What not to get: jewelry, candy, stuffed teddy bears, or anything from Victoria's Secret.

What We've Been Doing

2008-11-19T22:06:00.001-06:00

I blinked once and October was over. I blinked again and now it's mid-November. And since I can't blame my not-blogging on a spotless house or a new hobby, here's what I have been doing:

1. Halloween stuff. Costumes, pumpkins, and the like.

Blimey!

2. Baking. My first (and last) attempt at Thanksgiving rolls.

I was stressed the entire time and they turned out awful.

3. Turning our dining room into Sophie's room. It went from this:

To this:

It's not quite done...

4. Loving on my little Hoggle, who is almost 8 months.

5. Spending time with my darling kids.

6. And finally, fielding zillions of questions a day from my favorite 3 year old.

The questions range from, "Mom, where is ancient history? Can you point it out to me on the map?" (think of the Primary song, Book of Mormon Stories) to "Does Santa wear underpants?"

????????????

Up Next: My wishlist 2008

Who will read this Tag?

2008-10-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why tags have such a bad rap. They're interesting to read and fun to complete. For the lazy blogger, there is no easier post. And after a long day, I feel like being lazy.

A- Age: 28
B - Best Friend: My sister
C - Cake or Pie: Both. I like every kind of cake, but I only like pumpkin or chocolate pie.
D - Drink of Choice: Ice water. Milk if I'm eating brownies.
E - Essential Items: Chapstick, lotion, and a microwave. Oh yes, and pajama pants too. They're pretty sexy, so of course Ryan loves this about me.
F - Favorite TV show at the moment: Lost and Friday Night Lights
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms
H - Hometown: Sandy, Utah
I - Indulgence: Peanut Butter anything
J - January or July: July
K - Kids: 3
L - Life is incomplete without: Family
M - Marriage Date: August 21, 2001
N - Number of Siblings: 3-- 2 brothers and a sister
O - Oranges or Apples: Apples. I like oranges too, but you always gamble on an orange. Apples require no guess work.
P - Phobias or Fears: Extreme sports. I'm a HUGE wuss. Also, I hate snakes.
Q - Quote: There never was a child so lovely, but his mother was glad to see him asleep. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
R - Reason to Smile: There is a big bag of candy corn sitting in my cupboard that no one knows about
S - Season: Fall
T - Time you woke up today: 5:45 ish
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I consider sleep a necessary evil and only do it because I have to. Also, I dislike getting wet. This includes swimming and being out in the rain. Yeah, I know it's weird.
V - Veggies or Fruit: I like all fruit except melons and I like most veggies. Frozen green beans are out because they're squeaky on my teeth. Lima beans are out too.
W - Worst Habit: Wearing the same pair of contacts for months and months
X - X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds. I live for them when I'm pregnant.
Y - Your Favorite Food: Anything I don't have to cook myself
Z - Zodiac: Libra

TGIF (Thank Goodness It's Fall)

2008-09-17T20:14:00.005-05:00

Fall is the best season ever. It's long-sleeves-only in the day, an extra blanket at night, crunchy leaves in the yard, and most importantly, it's candy corn season. I bought my first bag today. My teeth feel like wool sweaters, but let's just say it's not by chance that my dentist appointments are scheduled every November and May (after Halloween and Easter). Here are a few other reasons I love fall.

1. Jonathan apples. They're small and sweet and don't need caramel dipping sauce to enhance the flavor like most apples do.

2. Apple attire suits me just fine too.

As you can imagine, Marissa looks super cute in this outfit despite not allowing me do a thing with her hair. It was well worth the bundle I spent on it.
Private note to Ryan: By "bundle" I mean something very tiny, small, and minuscule.

3. Pumpkin bread, cookies, cake, seeds, and the newly discovered waffles out of Simple and Delicious magazine. I just made a double batch of these last night and YUM! They were better than I thought they'd be.

Pumpkin Waffles
1 cup plus 2 T. flour
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 T. butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients; stir into dry mixture just until combined. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden brown.

4.It will soon to be too cold to play in the sandbox.
The Great Offender
I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong and boy was I wrong about this. I thought the sandbox would be a great opportunity for the kids to play by themselves while I took care of things in the house. But as it turned out, for every minute they played out there I spent a minimum of 10 minutes on damage control. So much for a break.

Initially the sandbox was filled with 15 bags of sand.

Four of those bags were washed down the bathtub drain.
Three were dumped into the kiddie pool or on the grass.
Two went through the washing machine.
Three were thrown at playmates/siblings, and usually at their faces.
Two were vacuumed or swept up and thrown away.

That leaves one bag of sand remaining in the sandbox, and it's filled with spiders, ants, dead leaves, and more than likely, cat poop.

What do you love about fall?

What do you do when your lawnmower won't start?

2008-09-03T09:05:00.002-05:00

First, try starting it again. Then, check to make sure it has gas. Twist the cap off and peer inside. Finally, shriek out loud because the entire gas tank is filled with dirt and grass.

To Ryan's credit, he was quite calm about the whole matter. Much more calm than I would have been if, say, I had discovered my washing machine filled with dirt.

It's a fact that kids wreck stuff. It's just what they do. They don't grasp the concept of choice and consequence-- that the lawnmower won't run if it's filled with dirt. As a mother of 3 little people, I understand this. Nevertheless, there is a 3 year old up for sale today. If you come this morning we'll throw in his sister for half price.

8 Years Ago, I Kissed a Boy and I Liked It...

2008-08-21T06:41:00.001-05:00

He liked it too. So we decided to get married.

The weather was nice right up until it was time for our outside reception to start. There was a thunder and lightning storm followed by sheets and sheets of downpouring rain. A tornado touched down somewhere in the valley. But everyone who braved the weather kept telling us that a rainy wedding day is good luck.

And it was.

It was good luck at How to Host a Murder parties.

It was good luck on the beach.

And on graduation day.

Christmas time too.

And pretty much all the time.

Now 7 years and 3 kids later we are on our way to living happily ever after (well, most days).

A few things you may not know about Ryan and me:

1. We've lived in 5 apartments and 1 house.

2. Two of the apartments were HORRID. I could go on and on about them. One didn't even have heat and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

3. Today we look back on those poor newlywed years with great nostalgia.

4. We would both be willing to pay an obscene amount of money to sleep in one morning until 8:00. Make that 8:30.

5. Our 2 recurring arguments are: a) Ryan's less than perfect punctuality near the dinner hour, and b) when we are moving back to Utah. He says never. She says tomorrow.

6. We went on our honeymoon to Idaho. It wasn't as bad as it sounds.

7. Our first date was to a Ukrainian dance concert.

8. Neither of us are big on birthdays, anniversaries, or Valentine's Day. He'll probably stop by the gas station on his way home from work tonight to pick up a card. And that's OK.

9. Our ideal date is a nice dinner and a movie. Our typical date is pizza and Netflix.

10. We love sweets and always split a dessert when we go out to dinner.

11. He's in charge of the yard work; I'm in charge of the housework. Neither has any desire to do the other's job.

12. He's in charge of making the money; I'm in charge of spending it.

Look Who's 2!

2008-08-11T06:00:00.013-05:00

The Sister McBaby turns 2 years old today!

Marissa Cynthia Parker
Born 8/11/06 7:35 am
8 lbs. 7 oz
20 inches long

Favorite Foods:

Waffles

PB&J

Mac 'n Cheese

Strawberries

Pears

Loves:

Dora and Diego

The Christmas song, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." I have to sing it all the time!

Water slides

Jumping

Swinging

Bedtime and Nap time (really)

Trying on clothes and shoes

Her binki, much to my chagrin

Does not love:

The produce section at Costco. She screams like crazy if we even get near it (cold, mommy, cold)

Running through the sprinklers

Veggies

Brushing her teeth

Doing her hair

Socks

The Reason I Can Never Lose Weight

2008-07-16T21:06:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I went running without my music or one of my kids in tow. I rarely have a second to myself these days, so I thought it would be nice to be alone with my thoughts. You know, maybe I could set some goals, fantasize about a clean house, the usual. Strangely enough I found myself thinking about food and how I couldn't wait to snarf the dinner that was waiting for me at home. Then it hit me: Every time my clothes start to feel a little loose, or the scale drops a few pounds, I think, " Yes! Now I can have 3 peanut butter ice cream sandwiches instead of the 2 that I was going to have."

This is completely the wrong mindset. What I should think is, "Sweet! My jeans aren't snug anymore, so if I lay off the junk food I can drop a dress size by my 10 year HS reunion!" The same problem exists outside of my own thoughts. After Sophie was born, someone said, "You look great!" What they meant was: "You look great for just having a baby", while I took it to mean, "Sweet! Now I can make cookies and eat half of the dough!"

So there you have it. You know why I can never lose weight, and you know what I think about when there is nothing to think about. Now get to Walmart and buy some peanut butter ice cream sandwiches!

P.S. You can tell I have been feeling nostalgic about high school and reading through my old journals because "Sweet!" is my exclamation of choice. I have been using it like crazy.

What's in a Name?

2008-07-04T21:55:00.013-05:00

Sophie is only 3 months old and already has a nickname. This, of course, is Ryan's doing, so brace yourself.

Here it is: Sophenhoggle.

I don't even know how to spell it.

Not only is it a mouthful, but it's a horrible mouthful. More often than not just gets shortened to "The Hoggle." As in, "Where's The Hoggle?" Or, "Can you put The Hoggle to bed tonight?" Or my personal favorite, "Don't hassle The Hoggle." Because here's what happens when The Hoggle gets hassled:

Unfortunately Ryan's nicknames have a knack for sticking. That's why 3 1/2 years later we still call Riley "Bruiser" or some variation thereof.

On a side note, today is July 4 and I am blogging instead of watching fireworks because Ryan has been gone all week on a 50 mile Scout hike. He missed seeing the kids in their darling outfits (thanks Grammy!) and someone needs to appreciate their cuteness.

Bruisey, Sissy, and The Hoggle. Perfectly normal sounding names. Right?

One Great Week

2008-06-15T22:32:00.003-05:00

Last week was great! Ryan had the week off while he was waiting for security clearance for his new job, and I never have anything going on these days, so we decided to have some family fun. Typically our free time gets frittered away by yard work or errands, so it was a nice change of pace. Here are a few things we did:

We took up mini hike up Wade Mountain (although I use the term "mountain" very loosely). The older kids ate wild raspberries and had fun jumping off rocks. Sophie slept the entire time.

Marissa slept on the way down. Is that a familiar image or what?

It kind of reminds me of this one 10 months ago.

Ryan built a sandbox. It took a little pestering on my part, but now Riley and Marissa will play outside without me being out there with them. The downer is that now we have sand EVERYWHERE all the time. I didn't think about the mess beforehand, but I still think it is worth it. So far the sand-throwing has been kept to a minimum.

We went to the water park--twice!

I love baby cheeks.

Lastly, Ryan and I finally had some adult time together. Whenever the kids were napping we sneaked into our room, closed the blinds, shut the door, and....watched as many episodes of Friday Night Lights as we could before the kids woke up. Ryan likes it because it's about football. I like it because of the OC-like drama. (Ryan also enjoys this factor although he won't admit it.) Yes, it's a complete waste of time-- especially since all I've done lately is complain about how I have no time for housework--but now we're addicted.

Thank you Netflix on-demand. Go Panthers!

We had a great week and loved having Daddy home!

No, she's NOT hungry!

2008-05-28T14:14:00.002-05:00

Why is that whenever babies are fussy in public everyone automatically assumes they're hungry? It couldn't be that they're tired or hot or cold or over-stimulated or bored or whatever. No, babies must only cry because they are hungry.

I've gotten several comments about this in the past (usually by older women) when one of my babies has been crying in public. The most recent was at the library when Sophie was squalling and the lady behind me said, "Sounds like someone's ready to eat!" even though I had just barely fed her before we left. Ha! If only she had only looked a little closer she would have seen 2 chipmunk cheeks and 2 roly-poly thighs that are proof that Sophie never misses a meal.

Does this ever happen to you?

Back Among the Living

2008-05-23T13:20:00.009-05:00

I'm back (sort of), after being under water for the last 7 weeks. I credit a few things for helping me emerge:

I'm finally getting more of this.

Because Sophie is doing less of this.

And more of this.

I finally did this last night.

Having a clean house shouldn't matter when I have 3 beautiful babies and a great husband, live in the richest country in the world and can practice whichever religion I choose. It shouldn't matter. And yet it does. It's amazing how much better I feel when my house is clean (clean being a relative term lately). I have more patience and more fun with my kids, and a more sunny disposition in general.

Last night I was stressing about housework and Ryan said to just "let it go." What? And lose my sunny disposition? But since I really don't have a choice right now, I have temporarily lowered my standards until Sophie is older and I have my nights off again.

Ryan's family came for a visit.

It was fun seeing everyone and I had a ton of help with the kids. I think everyone agreed that life below the Mason-Dixon line isn't so redneck after all.

Sophie is smiling.

It's unfair that she is bowless in all of her pictures when Marissa had a perma-bow in all of hers. Oh well.

Marissa actually let me do this to her hair.

If you know Marissa, this is a big deal.

Of course, this didn't hurt either.

And neither did this.

Now I just have to hit this. Stat.

More Backyard Pics

2008-05-11T14:33:00.004-05:00

Backyard Fun

2008-05-10T00:19:00.002-05:00

Wanted: Maid and Cook

2008-04-18T13:05:00.006-05:00

I don't really have time to blog, but apparently it is less overwhelming than the 18,000 shirts that are hanging in my closet waiting to be ironed. I could be cleaning the junk yard that is my living room, where all hell breaks loose every time I nurse Sophie. I would show you a picture but I'm too embarrassed. Toys and couch cushions are everywhere. I think every toy we own is in the living room right now. Although I have kept up with the laundry (favorite chore) and the dishes (personal pet peeve to have dishes in the sink), for the most part my house is a disaster and I don't have the energy to do anything about it.

I take heart that everyone is bathed and dressed in a timely manner every morning, but morning is where the routine stops. We've eaten Mac and Cheese and hotdogs every night someone hasn't brought in dinner. Marissa is in heaven. I used to clean during nap and bedtimes, but now I just want to hold Sophie since I hardly get to when the other two are awake, and she may be our last child. I love how she cuddles up in a little ball on my chest and goes to sleep. I love how I can feel her heart beat and hear her take slow, sweet breaths. Aside from a sleeping one, newborns aren't my favorite (dare I admit it?). Sure, they smell nice and look sweet, but those don't compensate for the no sleep and the endless dirty diapers. Plus, I always worry about that darn head getting flat!

Having 3 is not as hard as I thought it would be, but still I have not found my groove, and I need to find my groove. In my friend K's blog, she said, "Nothing very good and nothing very bad ever last very long." Not that this is bad per se, but I am still figuring out how to juggle 3 kids. Give me 2 more weeks and all should be well. Maybe.

Welcome, sis.

2008-04-12T14:00:00.002-05:00

Starting at Right Tackle...

2008-04-09T20:33:00.003-05:00

One foot seven inch Freshman from Huntsville Alabama. Weighing in at 8 pounds 15 ounces...Sophie LaRaine Parker! Born at 1:58pm on 04/04/08.

-Ryan

At least I don't have to worry about knicking my ankle when I shave

2008-03-29T21:25:00.002-05:00

This is what my right foot looks like right now.

OK, so it's not actually my foot, but it may as well be. I tried on my church shoes tonight and they won't even buckle, so I guess I have no choice but to wear my flip flops tomorrow. Nine-month pregnant ladies get a pass, right? I could probably wear sweat pants to church and no one would think the lesser of me. Say, that gives me an idea...

All my bags are packed; I'm ready to go

2008-03-21T12:59:00.005-05:00

I'm ready. You can come any time, baby, and I'll be ready. My house is clean. My laundry's done. All your newborn clothes are washed, folded, and put away. I hauled your car seat from the shed to the garage and set up your bassinet. I got out all the baby toys from the closet and and made sure there were fresh batteries in the swing. I paid all my bills and stocked my refrigerator and pantry. I've done my visiting teaching. We finally ordered another camera. All of my maternity clothes are too small. So are my flip flops because my feet are swollen beyond recognition. I waddle. I can't sleep and I get heartburn after eating anything besides carrots. Please, baby. Give me back jeans that I can zip up and let me sleep on my stomach. Let me eat tomatoes and walk up a flight of stairs without feeling winded. Allow me to paint my toe nails again and actually notice if I spill on my shirt. Lastly, and above all, just let me hold you in my arms and sing you soft lullabies. Let me kiss your tiny toes and smell your sweet scent. I'm ready.

Excuses, excuses

2008-02-28T19:19:00.003-06:00

So, our camera has been broken for several weeks. I know it's no reason not to post, but I feel like it gives me an excuse to put blogging on the back burner. Also, I'm nesting like crazy and trying to clean every square inch of my house. You know, just in case. I received the following material in an email but decided to post it here because I need to post something, even though my last entry was in the same question/answer format. Please forgive the repeat!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00.
2. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Mission Impossible 3. It's been awhile.
3. What is your favorite TV show? Lost. It's the only one I watch.
4. What did you have for breakfast this morning? Toasted Corn cereal. It’s the Walmart brand of Corn Chex, but cheaper and every bit as good.
5. What is your middle name? Anne.
6. What is your favorite meal? Anything I don't have to cook.
7. What foods do you dislike? Pickles, cottage cheese, black licorice, hot or spicy stuff, melons. Many good fruit salads have been ruined by adding melons. Even if I can avoid them in the salad, their juices still ruin it.
8. Favorite chips? I'm not too big on chips, but possibly Chili cheese Fritos or Sour Cream and Cheddar.
9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't really have one, but my new favorite song is a lullaby I heard on the movie Waitress. I sing it to my kids and they both love it!
10. What kind of car do you drive? Honda Accord.
11. What is your favorite sandwich? Turkey with all the fixins except pickles.
12. What characteristics do you despise? Lying, laziness, not following through. I guess the latter could be attributed to laziness.
13. What are your favorite clothes? Pajama pants and flip flops.
14. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation where would you go? Somewhere warm and without kids. I would really love to go to Cancun.
15. Favorite brand of clothing? Um, I’m not sure. I’m not too picky about brands as long as it fits me well.
16. Where would you like to retire? Somewhere warm (but not hot)!
17. Favorite time of day? Bed time and nap time.
18. Where were you born? SLC, UT
19. What is your favorite sport to watch? What's sports?
20. What are your favorite teams? If I could name one I would tell you.
21. Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi.
22. Beavers or ducks? Ducks.
23. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Definitely a morning person. After 9:30 pm I'm pretty much a useless zombie. Not to mention a cranky one.
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Nah, just really looking forward to receiving the Bush stimulus package money. But really, my sister is coming for a visit on Saturday with her little boy who is Marissa's age. I can't wait!
25. What did you want to be when you were little? First an astronaut, then a reporter.
26. What is your best childhood memory? Playing Barbies and Cabbage Patch Kids with my sister and going on family vacations.
27. Piercing? One hole in my right ear, two in my left. The second hole will not grow over despite the fact that it has been earingless for years.
28. Ever been to Africa? Yes, to Egypt. Yikes!
29. Ever been toilet papering? Yes, but just once in 6th grade.
30. Been in a car accident? Yes.
31. Favorite day of the week? Saturday.
32. Favorite restaurant? I remember loving the Cheesecake Factory. I haven't been there since I was 18 though, so I hope it's not overrated in my mind.
33. Favorite Flowers? It changes. Right now I’d like anything as long as it is brightly colored. Spring can’t come fast enough!
34. Favorite ice cream? Anything with caramel or PB. The more ingredients the better. Vanilla Shamilla.
35. Favorite fast food restaurant? Subway.
36. From whom did you get your last e-mail? Someone from my ward.
37. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? J Crew or Banana Republic. Or I could really max it out at Gymboree, Children's Place, or Baby Gap. Or I could really, really max it out at a nice furniture store and get new bedroom, kitchen, and living room furniture.
38. Bedtime? Usually 10:00, sometimes 9:30.
39. Who are you most curious about their responses? Everyone.
40. Last person you went to dinner with? Ryan and the kids for my birthday.
41. What are you listening to right now? Complete silence except for the typing of the keyboard. It's heaven!
42. What is your favorite color? Pink.
43. How many tattoos do you have? Zero.
44. Favorite magazine? Kraft Food and Family. It’s free and I use it all the time.
45. Who's your presidential hopeful right now? I was a devoted Mitt-head, so now I don’t really care.

TAG!

2008-02-12T20:47:00.004-06:00

First of all, thank you to those who voted in our baby name poll. Sophie was the clear winner, but we still haven't decided. We'll let you know by April 4th. By the way, only one person confessed to voting for Kangaroo. Who were the other two wise guys? Come on, 'fess up! Now it's time for a fun Tag game:

How long have you been together? 6 1/2 years.
How long did you date? We went on our first date in September and got married the following August.
How old is he? Just turned 29.
Who eats more? Ryan.
Who said "I love you" first? Ryan.
Who is taller? Ryan is, even in my highest heels.
Who sings better? Neither of us are that great, but I love hearing Ryan sing to the kids, especially the songs he makes up!.
Who is smarter? Ryan, no contest.
Who does the laundry? I do, thankfully. It's actually one of my favorite chores.
Who does the dishes? That'd be me again.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I sleep on whatever side the nightstand is on so I can see the clock in the middle of the night. Currently it's on the right side so that's the side I sleep on.
Who pays the bills? I do, if I want them to get paid. Keeping up with bills and due dates isn't one of Ryan's strong suits.
Who mows the lawn? Ryan, thankfully.
Who cooks dinner? I do, unless we're grilling.
Who is more stubborn? I'm not too sure on this one. I really don't think either of us are that stubborn, but if I had to choose I guess I'd say I am.
Who kissed who first? Ryan kissed me first.
Who asked who out? Ryan asked me. We went to a Ukrainian dance concert at the Marriott Center.
Who is more sensitive? I am.
Who has more friends? Who knows?
Who has more siblings? Ryan. He has 5, I have 3.
Who wears the pants in the relationship? Uh, both of us? It depends what the issue is.
Who are you tagging? Melissa, Lindsey, Lorie, and Sharon.

It's about that time . . .

2008-01-25T13:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it's about time to start thinking of names for our new little girl. Please vote on your favorite name! We are open to suggestions(for a middle name too)!

Happy Birthday Riley!

2008-01-18T13:03:00.000-06:00

I know this is a wee late, but better late than never. Happy Birthday Riley! Here are a few of his favorite things:

1. Soda pop, hands down his favorite thing ever. Maybe this is because we never let him have it.

2. The "blankie" Grammy made for him.

3. Playing outside.

4. Asking impossible-to answer-questions all day long. Here is an example of one of millions asked in any given day. We were driving somewhere and Riley saw a small dirt pile off the side of the road in front of a pasture.

Riley: What is that dirt doing over there?

Me: I'm not sure. Maybe someone put it there.

Riley: Who?

Me: I don't know. Maybe a farmer.

Riley: Why did the farmer put it there?

Me: I'm not really sure. Maybe a farmer put it there because he had lots of extra dirt.

Riley: Why did he have extra dirt?

Me: Maybe he didn't have room for any more on his farm.

Riley: Why?

Me: I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And on and on.

5. Kallianne Borden, his little "crush."

6. Helping mom cook, clean, pay bills, etc.

7. The Henry and Mudge books.

8. Playing hide and seek with dad.

9. Peeling oranges (but then not eating them).

10. Jay Jay the Jet Plane movies.

11. Easter egg hunts. We've been hunting for months.

12. Dancing to music.

13. Marissa.

14. Swimming.

15. His soccer shirt. He wants to wear it every day.

16. Going to Target. Free cookie anyone?

17. Those jeeps that drive like a real car. Keep dreamin', kid.

18. Anything to do with tractors, dump trucks, or cement trucks, including talking about, playing with, thinking about, etc. He told me he is going to be a "tractor man" when he grows up.

Here is a list of his not-so-favorite things:

1. Getting in the tub.

2. Getting out of the tub.

3. Marissa.

4. Picking up toys.

5. Mac & cheese. Hard to believe, I know, but he has never been a huge fan.

6. Motorcycles. He only likes them from a distance.

7. Coloring. Booorrrrriiiiiiinnggggg.

8. Ants. The ones here in the south are vicious.

9. Time-outs.

10. Lotion or chapstick anywhere near his lips.

So much for clutter-free

2008-01-11T13:39:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted in awhile because I am working on Christmas pictures and a slide show for Riley's 3rd birthday that should be done soon, even though his birthday was last Thursday. (I'm going to use the pregnancy card on this one--I often resort to it when I have procrastinated certain chores.) Anyway, in the meantime I would like to discuss clutter. I have prided myself in the past on keeping a mostly clutter-free home, but yesterday I had this overwhelming hankering to clean under my bed and realized that I am slacking a bit. Here is a list of what I found:

1. A book that I started reading months ago and forgot about. Must have been a real page- turner.

2. Four journals--2 for the kids, 2 for me, although I haven't written in mine since Marissa was born.

3. A host of parenting magazines that were ripped to shreds. One dated back to January 2007. Also, one lost Ensign magazine and one Men's Health magazine that I'm sure Ryan picked up in an airport somewhere.

4. A duffel bag from our vacation last summer with socks still inside.

5. A really, really dusty Bible.

6. A hair claw.

7. A hair clip.

8. A bobby pin.

7. Two thermometer covers.

8. Three used dryer sheets.

9. A plethora of toys that apparently nobody has missed. These include but are not limited to: a ball, a piggy bank car, a small wooden book, a helicopter, and a very annoying guitar that I was probably trying to hide. Because they were not missed, I should probably just take them out to the trash.

10. A box filled with last year's tax information. So that's where that went.

11. A hair appointment reminder card for June 8. Year unknown, but I know it wasn't last year because I can't remember the last time I went to that salon.

12. Marissa's physical therapy appointment reminder card for Wednesday, February 7, 2007 9:20 am.

13. A Babies R Us catalog.

14. One dum dum sucker wrapper.

15. Ryan's broken word pad.

16. Tons of lint, dust, and dust bunnies, especially on the baseboards.

The junk is gone! Now on to the closest . . .

Ryan is 29!

2007-12-17T13:16:00.000-06:00

Twenty-nine years ago today Ryan was born in Columbus, Montana, so I thought I'd share 29 things about my one and only:

1. He's a trivia whiz. He knows things a regular person would never even think to think of. No one can ever beat him at Trivial Pursuit, and he has statistics to back up everything.

2. He's also a brainiac about things that matter. He was valedictorian of his high school and has known the answer to every single question I have ever asked him. His intelligence does not bode well for me in heated marital "debates" because my emotional responses always sound ridiculous in comparison with his logical ones.

3. He hates it when I try to nestle my freezing feet against his legs in bed at night. He says it's like being branded.

4. He played the clarinet in high school.

5. He was also captain of the football team, participated in the high jump in track, and won the district agronomy contest. Is there anything the man didn't do?

6. He's the only one who can get Marissa to sleep during church.

7. He desperately wants a gaming system, but realizes the chance of divorce sky rockets if he actually goes through with it.

8. He's worse than a girl about eating desserts. He wants some sort of dessert (preferably chocolate) every night.

9. He hates fiction and has fallen asleep while reading Harry Potter and a host of other great reads that are page-turners for the general public.

10. He has never once complained about what I make for dinner or that we eat a lot of leftovers.

11. If I had a penny for every time he was late . . . (no offense, babe).

12. His favorite 4 talking points are politics/economics, philosophical ideas, relationships, and sports. In that order.

13. Once when we were dating he was out of food. So he just squirted some ketchup in his mouth and went to bed.

14. He has a great build and height. It was one of the first things that attracted me to him over 7 years ago.

15. I always think of his build whenever I watch While you were Sleeping. Jack falls on the ice and asks Lucy to borrow some of her pants. She says, "If you fit into my pants I will kill myself." I feel confident that Ryan and I could never share pants and I love him for it.

16. He's a steak and potatoes type of guy. We usually go to Outback when we go out to eat, but the rare times we do branch out, he always says afterward, "We should have gone to Outback."

17. Riley and Marissa adore him. The second he gets home Riley is pestering him to play and Sissy wants to sit on is lap while he eats dinner.

18. He loves rain and overcast weather. I cannot understand this.

19. Most of our movie queue on Netflix are documentaries, although he enjoys many different genres. His favorite chick flick is Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.

20. He is fairly non-picky about his clothes. He has worn (and liked, I think) everything I have bought for him over the years.

21. He has lost 2 wedding rings. Does anyone know where we can buy a third one on the cheap? Odds are that it will get lost too.

22. He's not afraid of anything that I am afraid of: extreme sports, spiders, burglars, or the possibility of one of the kids getting injured. He's definitely the more easy going parent.

23. I do not trust him to drive on road trips unless I make it a point to stay awake and make conversation. Once when we were driving to Lake Powell (in the middle of the day) and on countless excursions to Montana I have looked over and his eyes have been closed.

24. He is very unselfish. I first learned this about him while we were dating and he didn't mind if his roommates borrowed stuff without asking (food, underwear, you name it.) Now he unselfishly sacrifices his time and money to his 3 liabilities.

25. He's not controlling or scary at all. I have never been afraid to tell him about running the car off the road, dropping the brand-new camera, bleaching his swimsuit, or losing important documents. (All hypotheticals, of course.)

26. His olive skin makes him look tan year round and I am incredibly jealous.

27. I think his idea of a perfect day is doing something active (golfing, hiking, whatever), relaxing with the latest non-fiction word (book or blog), and going out to dinner with me.

28. He has nicknames for everyone, even if they don't know about it.

29. There is no one I would rather talk to or spend time with. Happy Birthday Baby Beaw! I love you!

'Tis the Season

2007-12-04T20:19:00.000-06:00

Things I love about Christmas:

1. Peppermint ice cream. Ryan's philosophy is, "If it ain't chocolate, it ain't dessert" but I love the light pink coloring intermixed the little bits of candy cane. (You can put chocolate syrup on top, babe.)

2. Buying gifts. I love this all the time but especially at Christmas.

3. Kids. Riley sort of understands Christmas this year and dictated a letter to Santa, which I transcribed and "mailed." Here is his list, verbatim:

--Bulldozer
--Vacuum
--Iron
--Mixer
--Grocery store
--Cash register
--Dump truck
--Trampoline

4. Josh Groban singing O Holy Night.

5. Yummy scented candles.

6. Packages in the mail, even if I know what's in them.

Things I don't love:

1. That annoying song about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas. I can't decide if the voice or the lyrics irk me more.

2. Holiday traffic. One thing I love about not working is that I can run errands during the work week and not deal with Saturday traffic. During Christmas the traffic is Saturday x 10.

3. Eggnog. Quadruple yuck.

4. Tacky outdoor Christmas decorations. Lights are one thing, but we drove by a house the other day with a banner that said, "Happy Birthday Jesus." Our neighbors across the street have this exact Spongebob, among several other scary holiday inflatables.

5. Taking down inside decorations. It takes forever and is the biggest mess. Ideally all our stuff would be down by December 26.

6. Mindless Christmas movies like The Santa Clause and The Christmas Story, although I think I am the only person alive who doesn't like the latter.

It's A . . .

2007-11-20T13:15:00.000-06:00

Thank you to everyone who voted in our baby gender poll! For the 44% of you who voted girl, you were right! The ulatrasound showed that the baby is healthy, active, and 100% girl (not even a chance for a maybe). We are excited for a new little girl in the family. Let the name debate begin!

Baby Gender

2007-11-14T20:14:00.001-06:00

Ryan and I find out what we are having next Tuesday, so please vote in our baby gender poll!! The results will be posted sometime that day, pending baby cooperation.

Rough and Tumble

2007-11-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

Every so often, when the weather is too yucky to go outside, we throw the couch cushions on the floor for some rough and tumble play so the kids can burn off some energy. I probably wouldn't recommend it if you have nice furniture, but we plan to use our couch as firewood the second we get a new one.

Even the Sister McBaby gets into it.

Double, double, toil, and trouble

2007-11-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

Riley LOVED scooping out pumpkin guts.

I was hesitant to post pictures of our pumpkins after seeing Nathan and Lindsey's, but the monkey holding the princess was too cute to pass up.

Typically I'm not big on dressing myself up for Halloween (not that you can call cutting a couple of holes in a sheet dressing up), but yesterday I decided to be a fun mom and make a ghost out of an old paint sheet. It was super improv, and ended up looking more like a burka than a ghost, but the kids got a kick out of it. For that reason alone it was worth it.

Riley came home with a pretty big candy stash. Let's just say that half of it is already mysteriously gone and he didn't eat it.

Captain Underpants

2007-10-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

I recently did something incredibly brave. I ran an errand with Riley while he was wearing underpants. I was terrified, but he didn't want to put a diaper on and I had to run the errand, so . . . I decided to chance it. At the store I must have asked him 100 times within 20 minutes if he had to go potty, even though he had just gone before we left. I whizzed down the aisles in record speed and was home in a jiffy--whew! Since then we have run many errands sans diapers, all disaster free. But I'm still a little tense about it. After all, accidents happen all the time to quasi-potty trained kids, and what would I do if he were to have one in the produce section of Walmart? Do I tie his jacket around his waist and make a beeline for the car, leaving a cart full of groceries? Am I supposed to pack an extra pair of pants and underpants so that I can just change him there? Will people smile that "Oh honey, I've been there" smile, or will they be disgusted? Maybe I'm just supposed to stay cooped up at home until I'm certain no accidents will occur (however long that takes). I'm looking for advice. Anyone?

Tate Farms

2007-10-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'm always complaining that we never do anything fun as a family, so a few Saturdays ago we decided to be spontaneous and go to the pumpkin patch. Despite the heat (over 90 degrees), we had a great time. There were tons of things to do for Riley's age group, like a hay maze, sunflower maze, and cotton jump. At the end wetook a hay ride out to a huge field of pumpkins where Riley and Marissa each chose a pumpkin straight from the vine. We paid for our pumpkins, waved goodbye to the scarecrows, and got in the car just before heatstroke set in.

Riley made Ryan jump with him the first time, but did it twice by himself afterward.

They had these cute little corn rides that are pulled by a tractor. Last year he was too scared to go but this year he had a blast.

Later that day we found corn kernels in his diaper . . .

And in Sissy’s too.

The cotton jump.

100 Things

2007-10-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

I've seen this done and challenged myself to think of 100 publish-worthy things about me. I don't know if I succeeded, but here it goes:

1. I used to be able to do the splits.

2. My favorite kind of fruit are Jonathan apples that only come out in the fall. Unfortunately, Walmart doesn't sell them so I can only buy them when I go to Target.

3. I was a shamelessly devoted fan of The O.C. for all 4 seasons. Who can resist the geeky but hilarious Seth Cohen?

4. I got my first kiss in Las Vegas. I was 19.

5. My mom did my hair until I was 17. No wonder I have no idea how to do it now.

6. If there's no chap stick or lotion in heaven, I'll choose hell.

7. I am not a napper.

8. I hate camping. There, I said it.

9. I wish I were a better mom. You know, the supermom type who make their kids' Halloween treat buckets out of paper mache and have every second of their lives documented on video and/or scrapbooks.

10. Cleaning baseboards is my least favorite household chore. I would rather clean 100 toilets.

11. I talk to my sister on the phone every day. We both need the company and we're on the same network.

12. I don't like drinking water unless it's cold, preferably ice cold. With lots and lots of ice. The crushed kind you get at gas stations is my favorite. It melts in your mouth.

13. I never once sluffed school. Even in college, I only ditched one class, one time freshman year. I guess you could say that I'm a little goody two shoes.

14. My favorite animal was a poodle we had growing up named Jumper. I loved that dog, but now I don't really like animals and don't want any pets. Go figure.

15. I think the no pet thing comes from Ryan. Once a co-worker was looking for someone to take care of his dog while he was in Europe. Ryan said, "I'll take care of him for you. Permanently."

16. The one frivolous thing I'm going to buy if I win the lottery is a boat.

17. Well, maybe some new clothes too. Most of mine are (sigh) from high school or college before I got married.

18. I used to want to name my first daughter Cora. Oh, how I laugh at that now.

19. I wrote in my journal religiously every night starting from when I was a senior in high school until I got married.

20. If you cut me open, you'd find that I'm 1/4 peanut butter (creamy Jif, precisely). Ironically, the taste or smell of it when I'm pregnant makes me gag.

21. I don't miss the mountains as much as I thought I would.

22. Fall is my favorite season. I enjoy raking leaves and eating Jonathan apples.

23. If you want to make me cry, force me to wear a turtleneck.

24. If I have to sing Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree one more time I think I might self-combust.

21. I love nutella. (It's especially good on top of peanut butter.) If you put me and it in a room together you'd have an empty jar in about an hour.

22. The best sound ever is my kids laughing those big belly laughs. Second best? The garage door opening signaling that daddy's home. Third best? Thunderstorms.

23. Biggest accomplishment to date: Keeping a straight face when, during bedtime prayer, Riley said, "Please bless that we can eat cake and brownies."

24. It rained on our wedding day and we had an outside reception. Everyone said it's good luck, and so far I think they're right.

25. I don't own one pair of high heels. I would break my ankle if I did.

26. The most recent Neftlix movie we saw was Big Trouble. If you haven't seen, make sure you never, ever do. If you have, I'm so sorry.

27. Easter candy is my favorite candy, especially Cadbury eggs. Ryan recently confessed that until we got married he thought there was real egg yolk in them. I bet they'd still be yummy even if it were true.

28. Two summers and two garden failures later, I have finally conceded that I do not have a green thumb.

29. I would never admit this to anyone, but if asked point blank I could not deny that our old nasty couch is nothing more than millions of dust mites holding hands.

30. I wish Ryan would let me buy flannel sheets. I love them, even in the summer.

31. I don't have OCD or anything, but I am picky when it comes to towels. I won't use a community hand towel and if someone has used my hand towel I have to get another one. And wet towels in general? Ewwww.

32. My favorite book is Les Miserables.

33. My favorite young adult book is Trick or Treat. I've read it so many times I've lost count and I'm still not sick of it. If you want to borrow it, just give me a holler.

34. I listen to Sarah McLachlan when I'm sad or stressed. Her voice calms me somehow.

35. I prefer bar soap over body wash.

36. Ryan and I both promised to get remarried if the other dies. This did not surprise Ryan's co-worker, who said, "Parker? Yeah, he'd take a date to the funeral."

37. My favorite girl scout cookies are Samoas.

38. I hate stepping on wet surfaces with bare feet. The worst is the shower area of any gym. If I forgot my flip flops, you can bet your bottom dollar that I won't be getting anywhere near the locker room.

39. A bookstore is the only place that I have ever wished I drank coffee.

40. When I was little I used to write articles for a make-believe newspaper. My pen name was Ricky Henderson.

41. I'm ashamed to admit that I took 3 years of Spanish in high school and 4 semesters in college, and still I can barely count to 10.

42. Not a day goes by that I do not wish I lived closer to my family.

43. Marissa's middle name is Cynthia, after my mom. I could not think of a more appropriate person to name my daughter after.

44. I went to Egypt for a week when I was in Jerusalem for study abroad. I would never go back.

45. I would, however, love to go back to Jerusalem. I miss the feeling of the old city, and hearing the call to prayer.

46. When our kids are older we are going to go on a Disney cruise.

47. Our next car will be a minivan, and I can't wait.

48. I worked at the law library in college, where my co-workers nicknamed me Punctual Parker. I hate being late. I also hate when other people are late. Too bad my husband doesn't have a problem with either.

49. I love spy movies, like the Bourne trilogy, but I also love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Sweet Home Alabama.

50. It scares me that I have started to pick up Southern slang like "fixin'" and "holler." Apparently, though, I can't be considered a true Southerner until I've eaten fried catfish and I'm sure that will never happen.

51. I really, really doubt I could live without my cell phone.

52. My hair was straight before I had kids. Now it's super curly but just in the back. It's horrible.

53. Clutter annoys me. I throw stuff out the first chance I get.

54. I named my first bike Sally. She had a pink and white banana seat and a pink basket on the front.

55. I despise texting. I guess it's a good thing I'm not a teenager or I'd have no source of communication.

56. One of my favorite songs of all time is Flake by Jack Johnson.

57. Changing my own kids' diapers doesn't really bother me at all. Other people's kids' diapers are another story.

58. I am not embarrassed to admit that come the first day of school, there will be a skip in my step rather than a tear in my eye as I walk home from the bus stop.

59. What I wouldn't give for a personal trainer.

60. I've never had a pedicure but would really, really love one.

61. You'd never believe the number of times I've been asked if my middle name is Jessica.

62. I was named after my grandad's grandmother, Sarah Ann. Except I'm Sara Anne.

63. Monday is cleaning day. The house gets trashed on the weekend, so what better way to start the week?

64. I put ketchup on my tacos and thought everyone did until Ryan told me it was weird.

65. I have a bachelor's degree in English from BYU with an emphasis in editing.

65. My minor is in TESOL (teaching English as a second language). It was a pointless minor, but they didn't have an editing minor at the time. They do now.

66. I have all my homework and lecture notes from college sitting in a big box in the shed. It's one of the few things I can't bring myself to throw away. Yet.

67. The first apartment Ryan and I rented didn't have a heater. In the morning there would be ice on the dishes that we washed the night before.

68. I'm hardly ever the perfect temperature. It seems like I'm always either freezing or burning.

69. We rarely call our kids by their given names. Riley is Bruiser, Bruise, or Bruisy and Marissa is Sissy or Sister McSusan.

70. One of the hardest things about being a mom is determining what is just a phase and what's going to be a habit.

71. I'm not huge on romance. Ryan's off the hook when it comes to flowers, jewelry, and giant teddy bears.

72. I wish I were more spontaneous. I've tried, but it's just not in my bones.

73. Giving up piano is one of my biggest regrets.

74. Kirk Cameron was my biggest crush all throughout the Growing Pains years.

75. I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.

76. I had mono in college.

77. One of my biggest gripes is when people wear overpowering perfume or cologne. It gives me a headache.

78. It took me many years to discover that Napoleon ice cream is really Neapolitan ice cream.

79. I wish my feet were a size 7. I wear a 9, and whenever I see a shoe I like and they bring it out in my size, I never like it anymore.

80. I'm not a big risk taker. I have no desire to bungee jump or skydive or do any other extreme sports.

81. I cringe when I see pictures of myself in junior high wearing overalls and a flannel shirt around my waist.

82. I've learned there is a difference between rewards and bribes. I think most seasoned moms have known this for years.

83. Speaking correct English is important to me. It hurts my ears when I hear things like, "Me and him", "They was", "I ain't", etc.

84. I've never been tanning.

85. Ryan and I are are debating what to put in the Christmas stockings this year. In his family the stockings were filled with candy. In my family they were filled with practical things like makeup and nylons.

86. I get car sick, bus sick, train sick, you name it. I also get sick on 90% of the rides at amusement parks.

87. My first job was working part-time at a snack bar at a swimming pool.

88. I only wore braces for 9 months.

89. I can name all 50 state capitals. Just ask me.

90. Shopping makes me happy.

91. I went rock climbing once, and my arms hurt for 3 weeks afterward. Apparently you're supposed to use your legs more.

92. Garage sales make me crazy. Spending all day looking through junk just to find one good deal is unfathomable.

93. Chinese jump rope was one of my favorite games growing up.

94. I don't know how to french braid.

95. I played softball for several years. My favorite position was first base. My least favorite was catcher.

96. Cran-apple is my beverage of choice on airplanes.

97. I never skip breakfast.

98. I don't understand guys and video games. What's all the hoopla about?

99. By the end of book 3 I was hopelessly in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen.

100. I never, ever thought I'd have 3 kids ages 3 and under.

Riley's Nap Struggles

2007-10-03T13:17:00.000-05:00

I don't really consider myself a super-strict mom. (Ok, strict, but not super-strict.) I draw the line at things like eating candy for breakfast or using scissors and markers on things that are non-paper. But I don't have a problem with most absurdities that kids are bound to want to do. If Riley wants to wear his waaaaay too small Lake Tahoe shirt with his plaid shorts to the store, I shut my mouth. If he wants to get out every toy we own to put inside his pillow fort, and then leave it up for weeks on end, I won't bat an eye. But one thing I am Nazi about is nap time. Riley has been challenging me on this lately and it's making me crazy. One day last week he came into my bedroom while he was supposed to be asleep. When I told him to go back to bed, he whined and cried and whined and whined, obviously too tired to put two word together. Before I could say anything else he put his head on our treadmill and closed his eyes. He slept that way for about 30 minutes, snoring and all. A few days later he refused to take a nap again. I said he could have a candy corn if he stayed in bed and took a nap, and I guess he thought that was a good trade because he jumped in bed and fell asleep. Hey, I only said I don't let him eat candy for breakfast.

The aforementioned pillow fort.

Summer Vacation

2007-09-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

We started out our summer vacation in Montana with Ryan's family. We had a great time, but neglected to download our pictures on the right computer. I'll try and post some of those later. After Montana, we met up with my family in Jackson, where we slept in cute little cabins and enjoyed the great outdoors. This particular day we took a boat ride across Jenny Lake to hike to some waterfalls on the other side. You can tell Marissa is really thrilled about being in the backpack.

2007-09-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

Marissa has never missed a nap. Ever. If for some reason we're not home for naptime, she finds a way to catch her zzz's. After a long day of hiking, she fell asleep on the way down the mountain. And it was a very steep, rocky mountain. Another example: Last weekend Ryan's co-worker invited us to his parents' lake house on the Tennessee River. We got on the boat and Marissa immediately fell asleep on Ryan's shoulder, not minding that it was hot, humid, windy, and the sun was setting right in her eyes. It shouldn't surprise me though. I used to vacuum under her crib when she was a baby in order to get to to wake up after sleeping all day. And even then she still kept snoring away. Last October I got her picture taken in her Halloween costume. She fell asleep in the car on the way there, and didn't wake up the rest of the day. Not when I took her out of her car seat, not when I changed her into her costume, and not when the photographer was squeezing a rubber ducky and flashing the lights. Nope, I came home with pictures of a little Pea in the Pod with her eyes shut tight. That's just our Sissy. She really likes her sleep.

2007-09-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

The best part about having a girl is being able to put a dress on her anytime, even when it's not Sunday. Here's Sissy on Pioneer Day, all decked out in dress, bloomers, and all.

2007-09-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

Do you think Riley likes the water?

2007-09-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

2007-09-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

2007-09-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

2007-09-08T21:02:00.000-05:00

2007-09-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe Sissy and McKay are only 5 weeks apart.

2007-09-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Marissa! She's looking a little apprehensive about the cake.

2007-09-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

2007-09-08T20:39:00.000-05:00

2007-09-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

Cousin Collin, having a party of his own.

2007-09-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

Grammy with the kids on Quarry Trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon.