Lucky

Yesterday I got in a wreck. I was on my way to pick Parker up from school and got rear ended by a man in a big truck going about 50 mph. He threw my car so far forward that I hit a car that was several feet in front of me. I hadn't been in a wreck since I was 7 years old, so needless to say I was a little freaked out. Not to mention, he did about $5,000 of damage to my vehicle that I've only owned for 2 months... All I could think about was how thankful I am that Parker wasn't with me. How lucky, blessed, whatever you want to call it. My neck is sore today, but other than that I am not hurt. But what if Parker had been with me? He could have seriously been hurt by that kind of impact.

PLEASE, wherever you are driving, pay attention. If you are in the middle of town and the speed limit is 30 mph, don't go 50! There is nothing so important that you need to endanger the lives of other people and yourself... your children.

There are many blogs that I follow of people who have lost their children. I cannot imagine (nor would I want to) what kind of pain they face every day. Most of these people have lost their children from SIDS, and as yesterday was SIDS awareness day I wanted to pass along some tips to reduce SIDS. Kellie, from Another Day Stronger, lost her sweet baby girl, Maddie, to SIDS and shared these tips:

1. Back to sleep- NEVER place a baby in a crib on their stomach!

2.Use a firm sleep surface

3. Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib (blankets, stuffed animals ect..)

4. DO NOT USE BUMPERS (if you choose to do so..use breathable ones only!)

5. Do not smoke during pregnancy - Do not let your infant be around smoke at all!

6.A separate but proximate sleeping environment is recommended

7. Consider offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime

8.Avoid overheating- Install a ceiling fan in the babies room. Put it on low.

9.Encourage “tummy time” when the infant is awake and observed.

I pray for all of my blogger friends that have had to deal with the loss of a child, for whatever reason, and I know that each of them simply wish that they could prevent other people from living this horror. Here are a few of my friends that I follow if you wish to stop by and leave them some love...

Four Plus An Angel

The Broken  Road

Katie's Keepers

Holy Pee Stick, Batman

The Ramer Bunch

Once A Mother

My Life After Loss

Epic Fail

Easter 2011

We had a wonderful Easter, I love any time we get to spend with our family. Of course, I had to work until 3:00 but since our Easter celebration started at 4 that wasn't a big deal. I let Parker open his Easter basket the night before because I didn't want to have to wake him up at 6 in the morning, and I knew I wouldn't want to wait until I got off of work. We also read The Easter Story a few times, he really loved it. Of course, he loves it anytime I read to him. =)





This is Parker waving & saying Hi lol

I put him in his Easter basket for a picture... He didn't wanna get out lol

His beauty amazes me

Dying Eggs was quite an experience this year! He understood what we were doing and he wanted to be a part of it! Which is good, until he decides he wants to spill the dye everywhere! Luckily I stopped him before it got anywhere besides his tray lol.

The girls weren't quite as excited about dying eggs...





Mommy & Parker



This picture cracks me up!

Happy Easter!

Easter Bunny

Easter can be so much fun! We took Parker, Kadence, & Kollins to see the Easter bunny and he really loved him. I knew he wouldn't cry or be scared, because let's face it, Parker is not scared of anything. However, I wasn't sure if we would be able to get a picture of him smiling with him... boy was I wrong. He was actually giggling pretty much the whole time. Of course, Kadence & Kollins could've cared less, but they took some pretty pictures in their matching easter dresses.

Giving the Easter bunny a hug goodbye!

I am so in love with the fact that Parker has 2 cousins so close in age to him. Also, Parker's Aunt Sarah (Matt's sister) is due with twins this October! He is going to have TWO sets of twin cousins, what a lucky little boy. =) Hopefully Sarah will have at least one boy so he isn't surrounded by girls hehe.

Yesterday we met Matt at the mall so he could get Parker new shoes for Easter (he wanted to get him a basket full of candy... I suggested shoes lol.) They are so cute and Parker thought he was big stuff! I didn't even know Under Armour made shoes, but I love the breathable material for summer and you don't have to tie the laces, woo hoo!

Love them! =)

What's normal anyways?

So we took a family picture the other day while Matt was over playing with Parker. I was thinking about how we aren't the most normal "family" but if I were Parker I would want pictures of us all together. Honestly, though, what IS normal? Families are so different now than they used to be, and I'm not saying that it's right but it's just the way it is.



So, maybe we aren't normal, but that's okay. We are a family, we love our son more than anything, and we love each other because together, we created the most perfect little being we could've ever imagined.



Welcome Summer!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this weather? Spring Summer is finally here. We didn't really get a spring here. One week I had the heat on and the next week I started having the run the air. But no complaints here, because Spring/Summer/Fall, those are MY seasons. I love them, I enjoy being outside so much and my little angel is just like me on that aspect. I'm ready for camping, water parks, swimming, all that summer entails. Do you ever wake up in the morning and the sunshine is spilling through the curtains and you just think, "Man, Life is GREAT." It's one of those days for me. Yesterday I found out that they are bumping me up from "per diem" to "part time," which is great. That means guaranteed hours and a lot of other good things! =) This morning as I was leaving for work the sky was gorgeous, so I stopped to take a picture even though I was already running a little behind. I was just in awe.

Yesterday after I got off work me and Parker went to eat supper with my mom on her break. Then, we decided we would go to the movies. The movie didn't start until 7 and it was only 6 so I thought it would be a good idea to go to the park and take a walk. I walked 1.3 miles, which would have been great, except for the fact that I was in flip flops... ouch. I have a huge blister in between my toes and it really hurts =( Good thing I don't have to run again until tomorrow, hopefully it will feel better by then. This is what Parker does during our walks...

hehe It's exhausting for him too!

We went to see Hop at the movies, and let me tell you, it was really good! I found myself laughing a lot. It was a little too long, though, after 90 minutes we got out of there because Parker was getting tired and it didn't seem like the end was anywhere near! All in all it was a good time though.

Oh yeah, here are some updated pics of the twins!

Kollins

Kadence

I'm Baaack

Sorry I have been MIA lol I had the past FIVE days off with Parker and I decided to enjoy it! I spent as little time on a computer as I could, but it was still a lot because I had quite a few photo sessions to edit. Last weekend I did Mini Spring sessions with baby chicks and that left me with a lot of editing to do this week. However, I got all of the sessions edited but 2, and I plan on finishing them by tomorrow because I have a 1 year session afer work Sunday! If you wanna check out my Photography blog it's HERE or my photography site is HERE. I've had so much fun with it, I honestly just LOVE taking photos, editing them, everything.

Wednesday I started the Couch to 5K (C25K). I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't easy and my lungs felt like they were about to explode but I did it! I was so proud. Thursday we met Bethany & Carder at the park. First we took pictures of the  boys in their matching outfits we bought a few months ago, then we went walking around. Final distance 2.9 miles. Yay for us! We are planning on meeting every Thursday now to do this. Last night I did my second day of C25K and it was surprisingly easier. I didn't feel like my lungs were going to explode, although it was still pretty hard. I felt so accomplished afterwards. Bethany & I are planning on running at 5K in June and I can't believe it. If you told me a year ago I'd be preparing for a 5K I would have laughed, I've never been a runner but I find myself enjoying it. Here are some pics of our handsome little men.

Parker's daddy has been coming to see him more. It makes me happy for Parker, he gets so excited when he sees him and he has so much fun with him. I know it's good for him to have Matt around. We all met at the park Thursday after lunch with Bethany, Carder, Gina, & Gio and we had a blast. Parker even went down the big slide (with the help of his daddy lol.)

I promise to do better about blogging! It's so hard to do when the weather is so nice. I'm going to try to catch up on everyone's blogs at least a little bit. 

16 Months Old

Today you are 16 months old. You are honestly the sweetest little boy I could've ever hoped for, and then some. Everywhere we go people comment on how well behaved you are, and you reward them with big cheesy grins. You make friends everywhere we go... restaurants, the mall, birthday parties, you name it. Your favorite game is still "I'm gonna get you." You instantly start laughing and running away from me, and your giggles are contagious. Your friends at preschool all love you and as soon as we walk in they are all saying "Hi Parker!", ready for you to join in on the fun. You fuss a little as I'm leaving, but of course that is perfectly normal. It breaks my heart just a little to put you down and walk away as you cry, but as I step into the doorway where you can't see me, the crying stops. You start playing with your friends, you're very happy to be there, and relief washes over me. Independence is so necessary to teach you, but I can't say it's easy. Everyday you teach me new things, and everyday I feel blessed because of you. You are such an angel, and I am so proud to be your momma.