Our Weekend in the Mountains

About a month ago, we went with our small group (Pete, Debbie, Emily, Richard & Rachel) to Linville Falls for the weekend. We stayed in a beautiful cabin for a great deal, thanks to Pete & Debbie!

The cabin had a ping pong table that kept the guys entertained for quite a while...I think they even got the rules of the game straightened out by the end of the weekend!

They had a golf cart that Parker loved riding...and driving!

We're on our way to hike!

I couldn't find any good family photos for our Christmas card this year...how did I miss this one??

Can you tell how tired Parker is in this picture?? He slept terrible while we were there...actually he didn't really sleep much at all. He did okay Friday night but had a short nap Saturday afternoon. And Saturday night? Let's not even go there...

Emily & Parker didn't spend much time playing together, but they enjoyed each other's toys!

We're so lucky to have such an awesome small group...what a great weekend!

Carrie Underwood

For their anniversary, we took my in-laws to see Carrie Underwood while they were here visiting at the end of October. I have to admit that I was not all that excited about going. But I have to say that once we got there, I had a great time. She was very entertaining and so down to earth!

My friend, Julia, babysat Parker...and they obviously had a good time!



My camera took terrible pictures so these are pretty blurry but the backgrounds she had were amazing!

For those of you who listen to Carrie, you know she sings a song with Randy Travis. During her concert she said how much she loved The Grand Ole Opry and since she couldn't be there singing, she decided to bring the stage with her. As she started singing "I Told You So", Randy Travis appeared on stage with her. I thought it was pretty obvious that it wasn't really him, but these four ladies behind us were convinced that he was really there! They kept going on and on about how they thought it was him...I'm pretty sure they never figured out that he was just a special effect!

Even Chad was impressed with this Ford pick up truck that they suspended in the middle of the Coliseum...Carrie told us how they told her she could have anything she wanted for her tour. She said she wanted sparkly shoes and a bright blue truck and this is what she got. She said next time, she was going to ask for a million dollars...I'm pretty sure she's already got that!

Aww...Carrie & Mike!

And the Cutest Little Lion Award goes to...

Parker of course! He was a lion for Halloween this year, thanks to his friend Ethan who let him borrow his costume. It was the perfect costume for him because he has a lion (Leo) that he loves and sleeps with at night. Aunt Danielle & Uncle Mike gave it to him when they came back from Las Vegas this summer. I wasn't too sure he was going to wear it, especially since it was a little tight to get on over his head. But he didn't seem to mind...and I was shocked when he actually let me paint his face. He sat just as still as can be!

We went to a costume party at Northeast Park and the kids played on the playground and did crafts. Parker made an adorable pumpkin...actually Mommy made an adorable pumpkin but he helped glue it together! He had fun with his friends, especially Emily!

Parker loved this bouncy horse and frog. They don't have them at the playground we normally go to so he was quite fascinated with them.

Fall in NY!

I think one of my favorite places to be in the fall is at Danielle and Mike's house in NY. You can see the Hudson River from their house and with all the colorful trees in the background, it's beautiful. And luckily this October, we got to fly up there to visit for the weekend! Chad was a happy camper...he got to spend the whole day golfing Saturday with Mike and his friends, although it wasn't really golf weather. Usually my sister and I shop when we get together but now that Parker is in the picture (and is not always a happy shopper), we decided to spend the day just enjoying time together.

The first thing Parker did was to find the candy cabinet and was relentless about going in it. He also found the snack cabinet and tried to climb in a few times!





Then he found the piano...it took some practice but eventually they sounded pretty good (if you plugged your ears!).

After playing the piano he moved on to the eliptical...he had himself a good time climbing all over it. Aunt Danielle got on with him for a few minutes but I think he had more fun getting on it himself!

We also got pumpkins from the nursery up the street and carved pumpkins. We thought Parker would love playing in the seeds and goo but he didn't want anything to do with it. He did help Aunt Danielle draw the design on hers but that was as involved as he got with the pumpkin carving. Danielle carved a ghost and I did a cat...and I have to say that I was quite impressed with how they turned out!

On Sunday we decided to take him to the park. The was the weekend he started walking so we had a good time walking him try to walk from one toy to another (with a lot of encouragement since he still wanted to scoot!). They have a great park near their house that has a playground full of toys, which are all faded and broken because they just sit outside all the time. But Parker was all about trying to ride in a car that had bent wheels and just didn't understand why it wouldn't go anywhere!

After the park, we went a pumpkin festival at the Beacon train station and Mike took Chad to football at his friend Tommy's. Football Sunday is a big deal with Mike and his friends...they go to Tommy's house for all of the games and even have two TVs set up so they can watch all the games that are on. Bless Tommy's wife who allows this to happen every Sunday!

Thanks, Aunt Danielle & Uncle Mike for flying us up for the weekend...as usual we had a wonderful time!

Christmas Cards from Shutterfly

Well, like always I have waited until the last minute to do my Christmas cards...I've read the blogs of all of my friends who completed this task (some who even got them for free from http://www.shutterfly.com/). I was about to order them and just pay whatever it cost to get them done until I talked to a friend who told me she hers for FREE through Shutterfly! Who doesn't love a good deal at Christmas time (or anytime for that matter)?? I have not ordered cards through the site before but have looked at them several times before. We took Parker to see Santa last year and ordered a package which came with a Shutterfly gift card to use to print photos. You can go here to see some of their holiday cards. You can make personalized photo calendars by visiting this link. And it's not too late to order your New Year's invitations here. Unlike last year's card, we will not be including a family photo...we had great professional pictures taken of Parker and decided to use them (makes me a little sad when I look at last year's picture since Sadie isn't with us anymore...). I guess you'll have to wait to find out which card we choose!

Thanks, Shutterfly for offering this great deal...I will definitely be using you for future projects!!

J Razz & Tazz Pumpkin Patch

J Razz & Tazz Farms is the pumpkin patch we took Parker to last year, and it was so cute we decided to go back this year. And since he was only 4 months old last year, he was much more into this time around. We went on the hayride, and he was very happy checking out the machines and crops for most of the ride. He got a little restless towards the end and just wanted to climb on the hay. He sat on and drove most of the tractors, and had fun crawling all over the hay bales and through the pumpkins. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be venturing back there next year due to the fact that the owners are quite grumpy with people who don't know the rules about paying to get in, even though there is no sign explaining the rules...I have since heard of some other pumpkin patches, one right here in Graham, and plan to check a different one out next year!

It's Finally Happened!

Parker is walking! Yay! We have been making him walk everywhere lately while holding our hands, but he has been afraid to let go and walk on his own. While we were in NY this weekend visiting my sister, he finally let go. And while he's still choosing to scoot most of the time because that's what he's comfortable with, if we pick him up and put him on his feet he'll walk. Parker, we're so proud of you!!

Vacation on the Beach

A few weeks ago we took a trip with my parents and Danielle & Mike to the Outer Banks. Despite the fact that the weather was absolutely miserable the entire week other than the day we got there, we had a wonderful time. Our house was in Salvo, just past Rodanthe. Normally we don't spend much time in the house but we definitely got our money's worth this vacation! It rained everyday and the wind blew so hard the house shook. Most of the area was flooded and at one point we wondered if we were going to be able to get off the island!

I'm glad we took Parker swimming the first day because it was the only chance we got to get in. We did walk down to the beach once in between the rain showers and Parker loved walking in the sand (he's still not a fan of the water) and chasing the birds. The mosquitos were horrible and Chad ended up with 15 bites in one walk down to the beach. We attempted a walk one morning but Parker ended up getting stung by a bee twice so that outing didn't last long.

We made a trip to the Food Lion every day to get something that we didn't really need, but it gave us something to do and was the closest thing to us. We did spend some time in Nags Head and went to the NC Aquarium one morning (which I wouldn't recommend to anyone...either we missed part of it or it's just that lame). Since Danielle is getting married in May, I decided we should make her Save the Dates since I have a Cricut. It was a HUGE project and a lot of work but they came out so cute! Not sure I will attempt to make a hundred of something again...

Parker likes the water but isn't so sure about floaties.

Grampie was so happy to see Parker sporting the outfit they bought him in Hawaii last year...he blended right in with our couch!

So snuggly after a nap!

Giving Aunt Danielle advice on her picks for football

One of my favorite pictures ever..love the hairdo!

Aunt Danielle & Uncle Mike taught Parker how to pet an alligator

As Parker would say..."Uh oh!"

We were supposed to stay until Saturday morning but it ended up raining Friday, even though they said it wasn't supposed to so we left and came home a day early. I guess you take a chance with the weather when you plan a vacation at the beach at the end of September. But we had a great time just being together. Can't wait for the next one!

Labor Day in NY

Labor Day weekend we surprised Chad's family at their camp in Speculator, NY. We first drove to my sister's and picked her up and took her with us. We decided to make the LONG trip because Chad's Uncle Bob was home from Africa for a visit. We had such a good time...Chad & I haven't been to camp in about 4 years so it was fun to be back there. The weather wasn't that great but we all enjoyed the break from the hot weather. Parker was happy as a clam because we spent the entire weekend outside, which is his favorite place. I'm pretty sure he'd live outside if we let him! We went on a hike while we were there, and Parker was so comfy in his backpack that he took a nap (which was nice because he didn't sleep very well while we were there). Unfortunately, we were too far from my parents to be able to see my family this trip, but we saw them two weeks later in the Outer Banks. It was a long drive, but well worth it!

Parker loved this swing...can you tell?

It's very difficult to get Parker to look at the camera for a picture these days!

Parker & his Aunt Shannon

Megan & Molly put Parker in this basket about 20 times...He is actually having fun although you can't really tell by the look on his face!

The girls are seeing what it's like to scoot!

So happy! Time for a snooze..

Parker & Aunt Danielle

Shannon, Wade, Megan & Molly