He survived!!

Jeff made it home from Scout Camp and had a great time. He said that he missed the mountains. He was 5 hours from Midland and there were actual mountains. (the mountains that are closest to Midland are more like hills).He also said that the weather was perfect. It was in the 70s during the day and even colder at night. They got to go target shooting, hiking, and much more. He only got to stay for some of the time and wished that he could have stayed the whole time. He had a great time!!

Here comes trouble!!!

The other day Addison took three steps to me. I was sitting on the floor next to the couch and she reached out and walked right to me. This video is for all of those not able to see her each day (or on the video phone). Hope you enjoy it!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Gumball Presentation

Jeff wanted this on the blog...it's very interesting!!

Friday Fill ins

1. She had a great way with children.

2. My blackberry is by my side, always.

3. I know this: There is not enough hours in the day

4. Hold still.

5. These words apply to me: Overworked and underpaid.

6.Mom the sun was shining. You said I could get out of bed.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to family time, tomorrow my plans include planting flowers and going on a date and Sunday, I want to take a nap!

Free Editing Class

I know that there a few of you out there and would love this. I just learned about it and I am stoked to take this class. Jessica Sprague, who is a digital goddess, is teaching a free class. Love it!! Can't wait!! If you want to know anything about editing join and remember it is totally FREE!!!

"All kids do this in June mom!!"

So what do you do in June when it is 110 degrees outside and the middle of the summer? You make your wish list to santa of course!! Parker informed me that we needed to go to the mall so that we could put it in his mailbox. He was very sad when I informed him that Santa wasn't there yet and so he found an envelope, not just any envelope but a tithing envelope. Then he was confused as to why it would go to the bishop if he used that envelope. Finally he found the right one and is now putting Santa's address on it and ready to send it. What am I going to do with this kid?? (if only you could see the actual list!!)

Can't get enough of it

We really cannot go swimming enough in Parker's book. We went again today and had a great time with our friends the Ripee's. Loved their pool (best part about it is that it is a neighborhood pool) and loved their neighborhood. We may just have found a place where we want to build a home.

Popcorn Balls

What do you do when daddy's gone and you want to do something fun??? You have a movie night and make yummy treats!! We made Popcorn balls and had so much fun!! Parker loved being able to pick out the mix-ins and help to make them. Addison tried to get in on the treats....luckily she couldn't reach them. They turned out yummy, but now we have a dozen popcorn balls and not sure what to do with them?

What a busy week it has been!!

This last week started off very uneventful!! But it ended up being crazy!! Here is just a snapshot at what we did this week.

-I started off last week with going to a spin class at the YMCA. LOVED IT!! I am planning on throwing that into my routine. It worked me so hard!! I thought that after I was done I wouldn't be able to sit or walk the next day, but my muscles were not sore at all just my bum from where I sat on the bike. I went twice last week. Can 't wait to go again.

-Went to a magic show at the library. Parker loved it and now wants to be a magician. I now have to be careful what I give to him. That day he was making everything disappear. Luckily it didn't go far. But we now have a magician in the house!!

-Got Jeff ready to go to scout camp. He is gone until Tuesday and we will miss him but that doesn't mean we won't have a good time without him. I think we will survive, but the question is, will he?

-Parker went to pirate birthday party and now I have a pirate around the house as well. He has been wearing his costume since he got home (luckily I convinced him that it wasn't appropriate for church, but he did wear it in the car to church).

-Found out that we have to get a new roof. Oh yippee!! We do have 365 days to get it done, which is a good thing because all of the roofing companies are crazy busy. Our insurance adjuster did tell us that it wasn't going to leak and so we shouldn't have to worry about all of the rain we have been getting.

-It all ended today with us going to the Sprayground. We got there and it was being repaired. We did run into some of our good friends, the Wrights. We waited for about an hour, the kids had a good time and Parker loved it!!

And especially to the daddy of my kids…the best daddy in the whole world He is the kind of dad that lets them get muddy, says yes to donuts and ice cream, tickles them, plays with them, wrestles with them, and looks forward to being with them…all because he loves them.

So to the daddy in my life and to all the other daddys out there, have a wonderful day. Even though you are far away you are missed!! May you know what a precious gift being a good dad is to those little (or not so little) people who look up to you and need your love and acceptance. I think you have one of the most important jobs ever.

To my father, thanks for all the love and support you have given to me over the years. I know now how hard it is to be a parent and how much worry you have for your children and how much you can only do. I know mine are young and the decisions they make now don't mean a whole lot, but I do know how hard it is to sit back and watch them make those mistakes and love them anyway. And not just any kind of love, but unconditional love. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!! I love you!!!

The funny things he says...

Parker says some of the funniest things and they just need to be written down!!

-The other day as we were in the car he was telling me something and I rudely interrupted him and he got so mad at me and then was yelling at me, "mom you hung up on me!!, don't do that!!" I really need to keep my mouth shut.

-He was eating lunch and said that his tummy was full of cereal, but then he said now I want a sandwich and yogurt. He didn't tell me that it was full of the sandwich and yogurt, just cereal. I guess his belly has a preference. Whats funny is that he ate the cereal and then the sandwich and yogurt. He is a big eater!!!

-He thinks that because he is bigger than Addison that he can discipline her. When she gets into trouble we sing a little song, "uh oh, looks like a little bedroom time" and then put her into her bed for a minute or so. It works really well. This morning as I was taking a shower I gave him the job of watching Addison (it wasn't hard, she had just eaten and was happily playing with toys). He said that if she got into trouble he would take care of it and sing the song and put her into her bed. I just hope that when Addison gets older she feels she can do the same to him.

-He is convinced that our last name says Jeffrey. I wrote down Addison's name (first and last) and he shouts out, "Addison has the same middle name as me??" It doesn't matter what I say to him he is certain that Tew says Jeffrey. Any suggestions on how to change his mind??

Friday Fill-ins

1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting them to listen to you.

2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a a good winner.

3. Stupidity is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.

4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy reading mega long bills, that don't really need to pass, that take up all their day and going on vacation.

5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combinebabysitting and watching sports, they are already experts.

6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without cheerios or juice in it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a date with my hubby, tomorrow my plans include sending Jeff to Scout camp and Sunday, I want to do some digital scrapbooking!

The Letter

Jeff came home from work and was adamant that I read this letter. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The thing he had me read is an open letter to our nations leadership. This woman from Arizona wrote this letter to our nations leadership. It is all about how she feels about what has been happening with our nation and what the leadership (not the best word for them) has done and continues to do. Here is a link to the letter. I agree with every word that she writes and I signed the petition. Go read it!! It you don't agree I understand we are all entitled to our own opinions but at least read it. There is alot of dishonesty that is going on and they need to be stopped. Something has to happen. All I can say is that you have to at least educate yourself on the activities of the government and what is going on in the nation!!

Night with the Rockhounds

We were able to go to the Rockhounds game last night with our ward. It was a lot of fun, but very HOT!!! The Rockhounds lost really bad (when we left it was 12-2), but we left early because it was a really long game. It was only the top of the 6th at 9:30...way too late for the kiddos. Parker enjoyed a snowcone and Addison tried some for the first time, she loved it!! She also had a slim jim, she loved that too!! Parker also enjoyed some time with his best buddy Cache. They had fun at the playland. It was a great night!!

Girls Night Out and Camping

This last weekend Jeff took Parker to the Father and Son's outing. They had a great time. Parker was just bummed that his little friends were not there. He had a good time anyway but was sad. They went to a lake that is about 80 miles away. Jeff said that the highlight of the trip was the boats and also the rock throwing. Supposedly he woke up at 6 am on Friday just to throw rocks into the lake. They had a great time. (Sorry about the picture selection. I told Jeff to take some photos and this is what I got, it is much better selection than last year.) While the boys were away the girls had to play. We went shopping and then had a movie night. Addison usually is a horrible shopping companion but she did great. And she stayed up for the entire movie. I am not sure why but she would not go to sleep. The next morning I thought that I would get to sleep in a bit (my 7 am alarm clock was away) but she woke up at 6 am. Usually she sleeps until 8 or so. Not that day, oh well. We had a great time while the boys were away!!

BTW...if you see my husband, tell him to cut his hair, do you like the bozo hair?? It looks really nice when he actually does it, but 95% of the time it looks like that. He keeps telling everyone that his barber went on strike, but she didn't, I promise!! I would cut it if he would let me!!

Climber to be...

So I am afraid to type this because I don't want it to come true, but I think that she may take after her brother and be a climber. (this is just the start of it) But she has a really good example to follow. I still find him climbing. When I tell him to stop climbing he will tell me, "It's okay mom, I am a really good climber and I can get it!!" I think that every mother should have a climber just so that they know what it is like. I guess she comes by it naturally!!!

Kitchen Helper

Parker has always been a really good helper in the kitchen, today he discovered the CHOPPER. I love this kitchen gadget and now I have competition in the kitchen. He has asked me twice since he went to bed tonight if he can help cook dinner tomorrow.

Fun Friday

1. I grew up thinking that this world is much bigger than I ever thought it was.

2. Weather.com was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don't you do what you said you were going to do?

4. Digital Scrapbooking helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the prayers.

6. Dishonesty is very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a girls night with Addison, tomorrow my plans include A 4 mile run with my new watch (yeah!!!), possibly circuit training with friends and Sunday, I want to take a nap!

The Stats are in...

Addison went to the doctor and she gave us a few surprises. The appointment went great, there were no shots for today. Gotta love that!! She weighed in at 17 lbs and 28 inches long. She is the 15 percentile for her weight and the 75th for her height. The doctor checked her ears and asked me how she has been feeling and she has not been any different than she normally is and so I wondered why he asked. Well come to find out she has a double ear infection. (She must take after momma, from what I am told I never showed any signs either). She is on an antibiotic and hopefully it will go away. Other than that she is doing great!!!

Parker had his 5 year old appointment with his doctor and he is doing great!! He is 47 lbs and is 44 inches tall. He has grown so much recently. He is the typical 5 year old. He does have this virus on his neck called molluscum. Doctor says it will go away with time but is quite contagious. And he is showing signs that he has his daddy's eyesight (thank goodness, momma's is horrible).

I have had high Cholesterol since Addison was born and have had to keep getting it checked to see if it has lowered. Well it has lowered quite a bit. I went and got a test the other day and had to take the kids and Parker was so nervous for me. I have had too many needles in my arm for tests and giving blood that it isn't a big deal but when Parker saw the needle his eyes got huge and he made a scary face. He watched the entire time and I just kept reassuring him that it was going to be okay. Then he was worried that they were going to take all of my blood. Once he was convinced that they weren't going to take it all he did not settle down until the needle was out of my arm. It was cute. Anyway, the test came back much better. My last test came back at 270 for my cholesterol and this time it was 204. According to them it is supposed to be below 200 and so what I am doing is working. YEAH!!! All my hard work is paying off.

Sprayland

Our friend Brittany invited us to go to this awesome place a SPRAYLAND. Parker was so excited and loved it!! It was way fun and we had a great time. We got a little lost on the way. (It was in Odessa) It had this huge bucket that would fill up and then spill over and that was everyone's favorite place to be when it came crashing over. If you look hard you can see Parker standing there (on the left in white and green) with his hands on his hips just watching. Addison loved it and would crawl around like a bear. It was funny to watch and there were lots of people watching her. What a crack up!! After going to the sprayland we had to stop at Sonic. It was a perfect day and we had a great time!! Parker has already planned our next visit.





For those of you who want to see bigger photos you can click on the collage and it will become larger. :)

I was that lady

We have been working on food storage lately and we ordered some roller shelves. LOVE THEM!! They are awesome. If you are thinking about it, do it!!! Jeff finally finished (well almost, it doesn't have doors yet) my shelf in my laundry room. (pics to come when he gets it done) We are able to stack our washer and dryer and so it opens up a big space for food storage. I am excited to have the shelf (it was a Valentines present). Jeff has taken his sweet time with it. Anyway, yeaterday was the day to get the roller shelves filled. I noticed so many people staring at me. Then when we went to check out I was the lady that you don't want to get behind (only because I had a whole cart full). The lady checking us out did not look pleased and the bagger looked even worse. We needed two carts to get us out to the car. Then the guy who helped us to the car said, "I hope you have a can opener!!" It was funny. You can tell that he was wondering what I was going to do with all of that. We did have alot of stuff, but it is a great start on our food storage. I just felt like a weirdo at the store. I have never gotten so many stares in my life. But now I feel a tad bit more prepared.

My kiddos

I had no idea how hard it was going to be to take photos of these two together. Taking them separate was easy and I got some great shots but what a challenge!! I am okay with how they turned out but have decided that I need some help with the next ones. But I am thinking that when Addison can walk it will be easier.

Tough Enuf to Wear Pink

I did it, I ran another 5K race and it went better this time. Other than the wind that we had to run into during the last of the race. I ran it in 34 minutes and 5 seconds. The family didn't come over to this one but I was able to meet up with some friends there and we had a great time. I am still pushing to run the 10K in September. I have a friend that wants me to run a 10 miler one month from now but I just don't think that I will be ready. The race was for cancer research (I think) they gave us all pink t-shirts and talked about cancer survivors. I should really pay more attention.

9 things about our 9 month old

Addison is going to be 9 months tomorrow and I don't know what to do. It feels like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is such a crack up and we love her.

1. She loves (did I mention loves) grapes, well food in general but grapes for sure are #1

2. Not yet sleeping through the night, we oops I mean I, have high hopes that this will happen soon!!

3. Still walking around the furniture, but we think that walking will happen soon. She pushes things around the floor

4. Loves the water, bathtime is lots of fun, not to mention swimming

5. Can do the ASL sign for milk

6. Smiles all the time

7. Loves her older brother (it's funny, she laughs when he cries)

8. Pretty good at making messes (and is quiet when she does)

9. Loves to listen to music and likes to do singing time with mommy (If she is crying in the car me and Parker can sing to her and she will stop crying.) This is the opposite of her brother.

We are so glad that she came into our lives. She is such a joy to have around and is the happiest baby!! We love you Addison!!