While Dad Was Away

While Dad is away, the family will play, and be quite productive! I had to take off work today to wait on the insurance adjuster to look at our hail damage, so I decided to be productive in the meantime. He decided our roof was totaled, we will get new gutters and screens, new patio furniture, new pool gauges, new turbines/vents on roof, new outdoor grill and repairs to our fence. (Nationwide is on your side!!)

To Do List:
* Thank you's for Parker's birthday party sent
* Kitchen cleaned
* Bills paid
* I negotiated lower interest rates on cards we don't even use
* Organized office
* Made diaper cake for baby shower
* Baked cake for shrimp boil tomorrow night
* Played with Parker and got 1000 kisses
* Let Parker paint my face along with his picture


Then, I guess God thought I should slow down.... because around 2:00 in the morning I woke up with a horrible stomach virus. It is no fun taking care of a very busy toddler when you are running to puke every 5 minutes. I finally found a Good Samaritan, my sister-in-law, to take Parker for a while so I could crawl up in bed. I got some much needed sleep, thanks to Shannon, and am feeling about 50% today. Maybe by Monday I will be back at 100% just in time to work.

Let's all cross our fingers that Parker doesn't get sick. Daddy doesn't handle puke very well. So far so good.

On another note.... anyone who feels like being truly blessed should read the blog on the right called Bring the Rain. Angie Smith is my new hero... read her blog and you will feel the same way that I do. Her story is amazing and her words are powerful. She makes me want to treasure even the moments where I am sick and Parker is tugging on my arm to go play. I want to enjoy every moment.

Still a Girl!

We had our 20 weeks sonogram today and they confirmed, it is definitely a cute little girl. She was scratching her face in some pictures and shoving a fist in her mouth in another. She was kicking a bit and looked really healthy. Her kicks are definitely strong enough for me to feel now, but not strong enough for Jared yet. I couldn't be more thrilled to be having a girl this time. I can't wait to dress her in cute little dresses and bows.... Yes, I am one of those moms who will subject her baby to bows on her head!!! I LOVE THEM! She could look like this little angel one day.

By the way to all my blogging buddies... we have decided on her name. Drum roll please..... Da Dum Da Da Dum...

Avery Elizabeth Anderson

Stupid People Beware

WARNING!!! THIS BLOG CONTAINS COMPLAINING AND JUST PLAIN BAD ATTITUDES!!!



Okay so this post has nothing to do with Parker. (shocking!!) This is my complaining session dedicated to all the stupid people in the world. I find it amazing that when you are pregnant, women feel the need to tell you every horror story about pregnancy, childbirth, birth defects, etc. Well, let me tell you these stupid women have caused me loss of sleep lately. When Parker and I were at the hair salon a couple of ladies asked how far along I was, I innocently replied 20 weeks, not knowing the aftermath that would ensue. They proceeded to tell me about their neighbor who miscarried at 20 weeks, a friend with a baby born at 21 weeks that is still in the hospital 2 years later, an acquaintance whose baby kicked her way out foot first during labor, and any bizarre story that popped into their heads. These women with diarrhea of the mouth gave me horrible nightmares. I had one dream this week that during my sonogram on Tuesday they discovered the baby had no brain, and yet another horrifying dream that the baby's cord had ruptured.



Now, I know all my friends reading this blog can empathize because I have intelligent, wonderful friends who would never do this sort of thing. For real, ya'll, what are these people thinking when they say things like this to you??? That you will just go merrily about your day without a second thought to their horror stories? They must not know the way my brain works... it takes a small worry and turns it into the most horrific nightmare ever. My husband actually woke me this morning because I was crying in my sleep and my breathing was erratic. So, if you wonder why I have dark circles under my eyes, thank the stupid women with no filter between their brains and their mouths.




My aunt always told me that it is okay to complain about someone's shortcomings, as long as you say "Bless their Heart" after the comments. Such as, "that man is a drunk, Bless his Heart." Or "that woman has the ugliest haircut I have ever seen, Bless her Heart." So Bless your Heart all you pregnancy horror story-telling women out there. I forgive you. Here's your sign.

A Party Animal

The birthday party was a big success this year. Parker definitely enjoyed himself more than last year. He was totally into the presents, he just didn't understand why he couldn't open every bag as it came in the door.

He had so many wonderful friends at his party. The kids had a blast in the bounce house (thanks Chris and Janet). Parker's not so great at the bouncing but he loves the slide!

He was very neat with his birthday cake... no mess at all. He was very good at sharing with MaMa too!

He has not quit playing yet. My favorite discovery is the Aquadoodle that won't be messy in my house.. plus I love how Parker calls it the AppleDoodle! Thank you to everyone for making this such a special birthday for our boy! He is growing up so fast that we wish we could hit pause at times.

He loved his Elmo Bubble blower too! There are so many cool things he got. My parents bought him an art easel for his masterpieces. We can finally quit painting on the washer and dryer!

We have wonderful friends and family! We were so happy that you all came to his party. Please look at the kodak gallery link to my pictures later this week for all the pics We have some cute girlfriends for Parker to choose from one day!

Things I Learned About My Son

I had the day off work today to just play with Parker. We had an extended date today. He taught me several things about himself today that I thought I would share. It was one of the best days we have ever had!! It made me so excited to be a part-timer come September so I can be home with him more.

1. Parker likes rap better than Christian music. I turned off my Casting Crowns CD and the radio was blaring "Get Low, Get Low" and he started singing and dancing like a fool in the backseat. "Baby Got Back" is also a big crowd pleaser with him.

2. Parker picks up on everything I say! After visiting Nana at school today we drove off and he said, "Bye Bye Nana! See ya soon."

3. Parker can be in a phenomenal mood with no nap at all. Silly me, I thought HE needed a nap. Truth is mama needs him to take a nap, so I can get stuff done. We got home from our date around 3:00 and some friends from work came over to scrapbook. He stayed up the whole time playing without one fussy moment. It seems he only has a fussy time of day when I work. He just misses his mama!

4. As long as there are girls to flirt with, life is good. He flirted with Trinh, Mary and Kris like a champ tonight. When they left he said "Bye girlfriends!"

5. The cheapest birthday present will undoubtedly be his favorite. He played with a tiny howler monkey from his Diego rescue set all day. The Diego set was maybe 10 dollars, but that was his favorite thing he got. (The empty bag with tissue paper is of course a close second)

I LOVE MY KID!!! I hope this is the first of many dates we get to have when I stop working full time. It is great to be there from the time he wakes up till the time he goes to bed.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Maybe it is the hormones, maybe it is the sappy blogs I have been reading (thanks Carole), or maybe it is just the crazy love I have for my son.... But I stared at him in awe tonight of how perfectly beautiful and wonderful he is and got quite teary! I love his blue, blue eyes, his soft skin, his precious freckles, and the way he smiles when he doesn't even know anyone is looking at him. He is just joyful! What a miracle God gave us on April 16, 2006! Sometimes I can't believe how much he has changed in two years. It seems like only a few weeks ago that I gave birth to him. I remember the instant relief of pain and complete joy I felt the second I got to hold him. Funny how God erases the pain and fills every ounce of your soul with joy.



Top Ten Reasons I Love Being Parker's Mommy:

1. I love, love, love his curly hair. Dada hopes he outgrows it because he thinks he'll look like Will Ferrell one day, but I think he'll look like Justin Timberlake and should keep those goldilocks!

2. I get lost in his blue eyes. Jared says they are the only feature he got from me, but I think his are 10 times more beautiful than mine. He doesn't need the eyelash curler and mascara to make them POP!

3. I love his voice. I have enjoyed these last few months of constant speech because he has the most precious voice. Especially when he says "I Wuv U Mama!"

4. His greetings when I get home from work. I thought doggie greetings were fun, but Parker's joyful cry "Mama's home!" takes the cake!

5. Bedtime stories. Parker is the best kid ever at bedtime. Around 8:00 he tells us he wants to go read, crawls in bed, picks out 3 books to read and then sweetly tells us "Night Night." He is so easy and cuddly at bedtime.

6. I love that he's a Mama's boy. I created a monster by loving on this kid constantly his first 2 years because now he's a hopeless Mama's boy. I love it though. He can stay that way forever.

7. He's a streaker. His favorite part of the day is when he gets to run naked through the house after his bath. You have to catch him to put on his diaper.

8. I love how much he loves to remember the whole family at bedtime. When we used to rock he'd say night, night to Nana, Papa, Uma, CiCi, Brady, Brooke, Shannon, etc... until we went through everyone including the dog. Now he just wants to call everyone on the phone.

9. His sweet nature. I have never seen a kid smile as much as he does. He smiles while he's playing, watching cartoons, painting, riding in the car, you name it!

10. Dancing. His dances are wonderful. He got his Dada's goofy style.

Tearing it up on Rock Band with Mama and Dada!

Happy 2nd Birthday Parker. You are deeply loved. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for our family.

It's a ........

Girl!! We are tickled pink.

We had our 3D sonogram today. It was not a whole lot different than a regular sonogram, except that you got to see snapshots up close of the baby's face and little body parts. Our little girl was being quite uncooperative by sleeping in a little ball throughout the sonogram. She didn't want to jump around as much as usual. But Jared and I are thrilled to be having a little girl this time. Parker is so special and I know he will love being a protective big brother!

Now we have the daunting task of picking out the perfect name. It is really difficult to name a human being and know that this will be such an important part of their lives. Big Pressure! Jared and I both have commented before on how strange the emotion is when you find out the sex of your child. You spend 4-5 months picking out names for a boy and girl, planning nursery themes, and making plans for what life will be like with a boy or girl. Then, when you find out the sex.... you say goodbye to one set of ideas/dreams. So, it is mixed. We were both hoping for a girl this time, but it is still sad saying goodbye to your imaginary boy. Funny how God implants a deep love right away. We feel so blessed that God has decided to let us raise a son and a daughter together.

I promise as soon as the scanner is working I will post pictures of her sonogram.

Dumb Moments and Fun Times with Parker

Okay, so this was the sign that someone should have stapled to my forehead today! I swear that pregnancy causes exponential loss of brain cells. I was putting Parker in his car seat, while talking to my friend Heather (never multi task when operating with low brain cells) when I locked my kid in the car! He always grabs the keys from me, but I usually manage to wrestle them away before he hits anything, but today he locked it before I tossed them to the front seat. Luckily, we were next to an automotive shop and they felt sorry for me and helped me out. He was only trapped for 2 minutes, smiling the whole time, but I still felt like a horrible mother. He thought we were playing a fun peek-a-boo game. Oh, well. I am sure this is the first of many goof ups I will have with two kids.

So, Jared and I got to experience life with two kids this week. We had our nephew Brady stay with us for 6 nights while his mom was in Germany on business. It was such a joy in many ways because he loves Parker and is so good with him. It was challenging to make lunches, study for tests, do homework, keep up with soccer/baseball practices, and attend games. We are exhausted but had a blast. Parker has decided that he likes to watch baseball a lot more than soccer. So, here's our little slugger enjoying the game. If we were all inside Parker's head the recap would have sounded like this.....


When the other team was at bat.... "Batta, Batta, Swing Batta!"


Before Brady went to bat... "Okay Brady, keep your eye on the ball and your elbow up, and you'll be fine."

"Go Brady, Go! You can do it!!!"


Brady got a hit straight down the third baseline and batted in one runner!

"My work here is done. Time for a snack. I had no idea popcorn was so tasty!"


Be sure and vote on the sex of the baby. We will find out this Wednesday if you are right!