Day at the Park

Yesterday Marci introduced me to the COOLEST PARK EVER! It's only a few minutes from my house, but I hadn't seen it or heard of it before. I'm SO HAPPY the weather is finally getting warm...hopefully for good! I didn't realize it when I took this picture, but Marci and Jacob are in it, so you can see Marci's cute pregnant belly!
Parker wasn't really sure what to think of the whole experience. I tried the swing first. At first he seemed to like it, but after a few minutes got scared every time it came forward. I couldn't help but laugh every time he screamed...I know it wasn't funny to him, but it was so cute when he yelled, "waaaaa!"
Joe came and met us for a minute since we were close to his work. He tried the big red swing, but Parker still didn't like the swinging sensation. Joe turned him around and held him facing him. Parker held on for dear life, but seemed to like it better.
Parker seemed very unsure about the whole thing. He wouldn't crawl on the wood chips...he tried to eat a few, though!
So this picture would have been cuter if I wasn't sticking my head all the way out! Still cute, though...Parker looks like he's holding himself up, but he's not.
Here's a picture of Parker and Jacob in their matching Superman hats...we weren't even together when we bought them! Jacob was a lot more excited about the park than Parker was, so in a few months hopefully he'll have more fun! I loved it, though!

First Haircut!

Here's a picture of Parker this morning in the bath before I took him to get his FIRST HAIRCUT! I've put it off for a long time and was sort of waiting until his first birthday, but yesterday at church I changed my mind. The whole time we were at church, I was trying to comb his hair and make him look less haggard, but it didn't work. I just kept thinking that everyone must have been looking at my baby thinking how unkempt he looked. His beige pants were filthy from crawling on the dirty floors, his shirt was too big, and his hair was a mess! He looked like he had a mullet in the back, and the hair hung WAY over his ears. I asked my sister-in-law Marci if she would help me cut it (she has lots of haircutting experience!) She jumped at the chance to cut Parker's LONG luscious hair!
After Parker's nap, we went over to visit Marci and Jacob. We let them play for a while first. Jacob was sitting in the laundry basket, so we thought Parker should join him. Funny boys! At least Jacob seems to be warming up to Parker...there were no tears!
We headed to the bathroom for the haircut. Parker got to sit in the bathroom sink...he loved it! I wasn't sure how he'd react to the clippers, but he actually sat really still while Marci trimmed the sides and back. It must have felt pretty good because he just sat there looking relaxed. However, while she trimmed the top, he wouldn't sit still. He kept trying to look around to see what she was doing. He could've just looked in the mirror, but he didn't quite understand that yet! Jacob sat on the counter watching. He kept thinking Marci was going to cut his hair when she turned the clippers on and was happy when she turned them on Parker!
Here's the finished product! I was going to just throw the hair away, but Joe really wanted me to keep it. I guess he's more sentimental than I am. I told him I would just take a picture of the hairs, but he didn't think that was good enough. Anyway, the hairs were really long from the sides and back...at least two inches! He looks so grown up now! We took a trip to Joe's work afterwards so Joe could see the new Parker! Joe got a haircut this weekend, so they're twins!
Here's one more funny thing we've discovered about Parker: he's totally attached to his plastic spoon! I got an email from babycenter.com recently that said most babies his age will have become attached to a blankie, binkie, etc. I thought, "that's funny...Parker doesn't seem to be attached to anything" and then I discovered that he carries a plastic spoon everywhere he goes! You'll notice it in most of the above pictures, and also in my previous post about his new jammies! He even holds on to it when I put him to bed. I thought a lot of his spoons were missing and I've been finding them all over the place...in his bed, on the floor, etc. Yesterday at church a little girl in front of us thought Parker was handing his spoon to her because he was waving it in her direction. He got really upset when she took it from him. I guess it's easier to take with us wherever we go than a blankie. Funny boy!

Big Boy Pajamas

So I lied...I'm doing ONE MORE blog for the day! I came home from my Achievement Days activity (with the Primary girls) and Joe had Parker all ready for bed in his new big boy PJ's! He's outgrown almost all of his pajamas, so we got these the other day. I came downstairs to see if Joe had put him to bed yet and Parker was climbing all over the treadmill. I thought he looked really cute, so I took a picture for my blog. Sorry about the red eyes...our camera's not the greatest and I don't know how to edit it! I wonder what Parker would have done if I'd turned the treadmill on...just kidding...we won't find out!

Future Baseball Player?

Since I haven't posted anything for over a week, I'm making up for it with THREE new posts today! I guess we haven't done much of anything besides stay home being sick and lazy, so I haven't had a lot to talk about! Anyway, Joe's work just joined a softball community league, so Joe's on the team. He was really excited about it, but nervous because the last time he played any kind of organized baseball was in the second grade (coach pitch or something like that). We decided to go to the batting cages one day last week so he could get in some practice. Parker was really excited about all the balls. I even did one round...it was great! I think I would like to play softball, but only the hitting and running part...I can't really throw and I think I would be really nervous if a fly ball was coming straight at me! Actually, I broke my thumb once while playing with my dad...he ended up drilling a hole in my thumb nail to relieve the pressure...it was horrible! ANYWAY, Joe's first game was last night. I was really mad at myself for not taking my camera with me...oh well! He did great! Both times he was up to bat, he hit the ball (and made it to first base one of the times)! Who cares that their team lost 23-9...I was just glad he didn't strike out or run the wrong way...just kidding! He'll probably be embarrassed that I even wrote this blog, but it will be fun to go to his games. I really was proud of him!
I'm sure you're all wondering what this picture is...it's not of the fence at the baseball game. Any guesses? It's actually our screen door. Last Sunday night, Michael stopped by for a minute on his way home from my Grandma Hand's house (who by the way has her own blog now...we're so proud!). Anyway, when Michael got to our house, there was some excitement across the street. There were several police cars and a girl getting arrested. I didn't recognize her, so hopefully she's not my neighbor. I really wanted to take a picture for my blog, but was too embarrassed to go outside on the porch, so I was hoping to get a good one through the screen...nope. I'm sure the cops saw the flash from my camera anyway, so I should have just gone outside. Who knows what was going on, but it was exciting! Hopefully we don't see too much of that around here, though...I thought we lived in a pretty safe place! Anyway, that's all for the day!

Blast From the Past

Last Saturday we went to my friend Alyson's little boy Max's 3rd Birthday party. Alyson was my best friend when we were little...we went to kindergarten together, etc. We kept in touch for a few years when we first moved to California, but sort of lost touch somewhere in Junior High. When Kimberly was getting married, Aly and her mom LaDean came to her bridal shower at my aunt's house. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I'd seen Aly in a REALLY LONG TIME! When Aly got married, I think my mom flew to Utah to go to her sealing which meant a lot to her! When Joe and I got married and lived in Utah, Aly and I sort of reconnected and became good friends again. She's actually been better than me at keeping in touch, but I'm so glad because I hate losing good friends! It was funny because when we were little, we got the same bikes for Christmas twice. A few years ago, we got together for Christmas and had both gotten each other the same thing (a Willow Tree Statue). It's crazy because she has a little girl (Annie) who's in Kindergarten and Max who just turned 3. It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were in kindergarten together. She came to our house every morning before school...I think I was a really bossy friend! Anyway, her whole family was at Max's birthday party, so I got to see her mom, dad, brother Nate, sister-in-law Carrie (whose husband Kirk--Aly's brother--died of cancer a few years ago) and all their families. Anyway, it was really fun seeing them.
Aly and Chuck have this dog named Mokey (if that's how you spell it). Parker LOVED him as long as he was sitting still. Once Mokey started moving and getting really close to Parker, though, he got a bit scared. It was really cute. Someday we'll get a Golden Retriever like Dutchess...every well adjusted family has to have a dog, right? They also had a big Elk head hanging in the living room. I would have taken a picture of Parker with it, but THAT was definitely too scary!

Sick Days Are Over!

Here are some pictures of Parker and Joe last week while we were all sick. It was so sad watching Parker just wanting to be held. He's now a million times better! I knew I would get sick the night Parker slept with me since he was breathing on my face all night long, but I guess that's what happens when you're a mom! His medicine gave him diarrhea, so he has a really bad diaper rash, but other than that, he's GREAT! (Sorry if that's too much information). Once again it seems like Parker is growing and changing like crazy! I was talking to Kimberly on the phone a few days ago and told her that when I say "no" that he repeats back "nah nah". She told me that it's him talking...so I guess "no" is his first word! I didn't think we said "no" that much, but apparently that's what has stuck! Joe and I have been testing his language skills out...it's SO CUTE! If I say "da da," he says it back. He also repeats back "ma ma," "ha ha," and if I say ball, he says "ba ba". I LOVE IT! He's been babbling for a while now, but just barely is starting to imitate sounds that we make! Of course every parent thinks their own child is just amazing and so do we! Joe's mom told me today that Joe was a really LATE talker, so I guess Parker's not taking after his daddy in this area. Joe turned out OK, though!

Happy Birthday....yesterday!

I want to give a "day after her birthday" shout out to my wonderful mom! Her birthday was yesterday and I wish we could have been in Tennessee to celebrate it with her! I'll try not to get too sentimental since my mom won't be the only one reading this, but I am SO THANKFUL for her. I love the stage of life that we're in right now--I guess it will be this way forever now--that my mom has become one of my best friends instead of just my mom. We were always really close and I always felt like I could talk to her about ANYTHING. I hope to be that same kind of mother for my kids...I think having a mom that I could confide in kept me out of a lot of trouble! Now that I'm married and have a child, I understand so much more why my mom worried about me, why I had rules growing up, why she waited up for me every night until I got home, and why she still worries! The last week has been really hard having a sick baby (and husband and now myself). All I've wanted is for my mom to come take care of me and everyone else! My mom has always inspired me to be the best I can be in whatever I choose to do and to always be nice! When I was little, I remember her telling me that even if I didn't like someone, I still had to be nice. My mom is probably one of the most genuinely nice people I know. Anyway, Happy Late Birthday Mom! We love you!

Pneumonia!

I am sad to report that my cute little baby has pneumonia! He's been sleeping TERRIBLY for the past week and has had a fever almost every night. Last Friday night was particularly bad, so we took him to the Doctor's office on Saturday to find out what was going on. I was sure it was an ear infection, but nope! Our doctor was out of town, so we saw another doctor in the office named Michael Johnson...funny, huh. Anyway, Dr. Johnson told us that it was just a cold and that it's normal to have a fever in the first few days of a cold. He told us to watch him for a few days and if he didn't get better to bring him back in because it could develop into an ear infection. Well, he seemed to be getting a little better with just had a runny nose until last night. We got home from our LONG walk to the library, and I tried to feed Parker dinner, but he was NOT INTERESTED! I got him ready for bed and he fell asleep at 7:00. Around 2 am he woke up with a fever and didn't really go back to sleep until 5 am. He had what felt like a really high fever. I didn't take his temperature until later this morning...it was 102.5. All morning long he just wanted to be held, wasn't hungry, etc. I called and made a Dr.'s appointment, but then decided to cancel it and just watch him (since it was just a cold supposedly). After talking to my mom and sister I decided to call and talk to the nurse. She thought I should bring him in, so I did. She thought it would just be an ear infection. It wasn't, so Dr. Johnson sent us to the hospital for a chest X-Ray and blood test. I was a wreck! I called Joe and my entire family in tears. You know how your mind plays tricks on you and you expect the worst...that was me! Parker was a trooper, but not me! I had to leave the room while they took the X-Ray and I felt so bad listening to him cry through the door. At least I got to hold him while they took his blood...I think I cried more than he did. They sent us home to wait for the doctor to call. He finally called at 6:15 tonight to tell me that Parker has pneumonia! It's just a small infection in the lungs, so he prescribed an antibiotic. I feel terrible...at least I listened to my mom and sister (and my motherly instinct). Joe and I both thought it was just a cold, but deep down I knew better. I think we're in for a long night, but hopefully the long nights are short lived. One more note about how my mind was playing tricks on me. While I was waiting for Dr. Johnson to call me, I was of course still thinking the "what if" worst, so I was sitting feeding Parker dinner and my eyes kept welling up with tears. Isn't that funny how you just think something and your mind thinks it's so real that you actually believe it for a moment? I guess that's why you have to cherish every moment just in case the "what if" actually comes true. I won't be annoyed at Parker tonight when he wakes up screaming...poor guy...I'll just enjoy being able to hold him and rock him since he won't be a baby forever!

Mr. Personality

Lately I've just felt like my little baby is growing up WAY TOO FAST! He's doing so many cute new things all the time, so I want to write a few of them down before I forget. One thing that he learned to do several weeks ago (right after learning how to crawl) was learning to stand up in his crib. It drove me crazy at first, because I would lay him down for bed or a nap and he would immediately roll over and stand up. He doesn't know how to get back down, however, so I would have to go in over and over to lay him back down. One day (Michael's Birthday) it took me 2 hours to get him to take a nap. I felt so bad because I would leave the room, he would stand up and start crying, then he would get really happy and excited as soon as I came back in the room, then I would ruin it by laying him back down...poor guy! After this incident, I resorted to kneeling down next to his crib so he couldn't see me with my hand on his chest so that he couldn't get up. He never protested, but it got pretty tiring kneeling down every time. One time I thought he was asleep, so I took my hand off him. He immediately rolled over, stood up and pressed his face against the crib looking down at me crouched on the floor. I started laughing and he started laughing like "real funny mom, I know where you are!" It was pretty cute. I've finally gotten him to the point where he knows that standing up won't get him out of taking a nap, so I don't have to wait while he falls asleep anymore. Joe and I both still love walking in and seeing him standing, though. In the above picture, I was letting Parker cry for a bit before laying him back down. I think if I had waited any longer he would have fallen asleep standing!
This picture was taken yesterday at the library. Parker woke up from his afternoon nap and I decided that we needed to get out of the house. We live pretty close to the library, so I decided to walk there. We started going and I realized it's much further by foot than it seems in the car! I still need to clock it, but I think it's about 2 miles from our house. I know people don't really think anything of it when they see a mom walking, pushing the stroller, but I felt really silly walking down the busy streets in my normal clothes. I called Joe when we got there to see if he could come pick us up, but of course he was still at work. Parker had fun at the library, though, crawling around and playing with the toys and the other kids in the library. He discovered the mirror in the picture and just sat there babbling to himself for a while. We made it home two hours after leaving...so much for a quick trip to the library. It was a beautiful day, though, so it was nice to be outside. I wish people in the United States were more like they are in other countries...in Finland EVERYONE would walk to the library!
The other thing I wanted to remember is how Parker is becoming Mr. Independent. He refuses to eat baby food and really just wants to feed himself. I'm trying to become creative so that he still eats healthy meals instead of just Cheerios and bread, since those are the easiest things for him to feed himself. I'm just having to close my eyes and not worry about the mess he's making. These pictures were taken the other day while he fed himself a mixture of spaghetti, vegetables and mashed banana...looks appetizing, huh? I bought this little high chair for our trip to St. George and have just kept using it because he really likes sitting on the counter. I've also started using it in the bathroom...I can't set him in the sink anymore (he learned to turn the water on), so I set him on the counter in front of the mirror if he's being fussy in his little chair and he has hours of fun. What a boy!

The Boghies

This past weekend we had a lovely visit from our friends Amy and Jason Bogh. Amy was one of my MTC companions (from England). We were companions again in Finland when we'd been there for four months. Jason also served in Finland. Anyway, they came and stayed with us Friday and Saturday nights with their cute little boys...Alex who will be 3 in July and Aidan (9 weeks old). It was a lot of fun....Amy is one of those friends who I feel totally normal and comfortable around no matter how long we go without talking or seeing each other. They're moving to Utah in May when Jason will start school at BYU! Parker LOVED watching Alex, but he was even more interested in Aidan. I don't think he's used to being around babies that are younger than him...he's usually the youngest (except for Blake, but they're the same size).

Alex is potty-trained. I walked downstairs and saw him in his Elmo underwear, so Amy and Jason had him do his "Under-oos" dance for me. It was really cute watching him dance and sing "Underoos....hey! Underoos, underoos...hey!" Amy always has the funniest words and sayings since she's from England.

We went to my mission reunion in Provo Friday night. It was a lot of fun...we saw President and Sister Hoyt for the first time since they got home. They are so cute! President Hoyt called me "Sister Gadd" which sounded really weird coming from him. I guess when you're a mission president, your missionaries are like your children because he remembered EVERYTHING! He knew that my dad worked for Nissan, he remembered me and Sister Pryor emailing from the mission office every Monday morning, and he sort of remembered giving me 50 Euros so that I could go shopping! I liked this reunion more than the ones right after I got home because back then I felt like everyone was just trying to impress everyone else (including myself), but this time I was really just happy to see and talk to people. I saw Angela Pryor (my last companion) who I haven't seen or talked to in a long time and Katrina King (my other MTC companion) and a few other people. It was fun to look back, but also made me REALLY grateful for Joe and Parker and the stage of life I'm in. I loved being a missionary, but it's nice to have that part of my life behind me...not that we shouldn't still be missionaries, but you know what I mean!

By the way, I titled this blog "the boghies" because Amy thought it was really funny that she was going to marry a "Bogh" because they call boogers "boghies" in England. So now she's Amy Booger instead of Amy Oliver!

Easter Egg Hunt

Every year, Joe's mom has a little Easter Party with an Easter Egg Hunt for the grandkids. I think Joe and I had more fun finding the eggs and candy for Parker than he did, but he loved playing with the basket afterwards. It was really funny because he kept taking the plastic eggs and kind of throwing them behind him, but they kept getting stuck in the collar of his shirt, so he would sit and squirm trying to get the egg out.
Of course I had to implement the tradition of putting eggs on his ears. At first he didn't mind, so I got a picture (luckily). After a while he started shaking his head to get the eggs off.
This is a funny picture of Parker and Jacob (Marci's little boy). He's 6 months older than Parker. Parker LOVES Jacob. It's pretty funny because once Jacob started crawling and walking, he became pretty uninterested in Parker, but now that Parker's crawling, he is ALL OVER Jacob. If Jacob's in a corner somewhere, Parker will find him and crawl on top of him trying to get whatever he has. Jacob usually just lets him, but sits there looking worried. Parker stole Jacob's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and was kind of whacking Jacob with it! Poor Jacob!
I had to take this self portrait to show off Parker's hair...it's officially long now! I guess it'll be time to cut it soon...maybe in time for his birthday. I'm kind of scared to do it myself, so we'll see what happens.