Not A Telemarketer..........

Yesterday I got a random phone call from one of my old really good friends. I looked at the Caller ID and didn't recognize the name, so I thought it was a telemarketer, but I answered anyway and am SO GLAD I DID! It was my friend Gretchen...she was on my floor my Freshman year at BYU and then in my ward again a few years later. The last time I saw her was at my wedding reception and she was 6 months pregnant with her first baby. I guess she had looked up my name and found my phone number. I think it's SO COOL that she was brave enough to call...I always think about calling old friends, but then don't.
As it turns out, we would have probably eventually run into each other anyway. She lives ONE MILE away from me and is in my Stake (which in Utah means you have to live pretty darn close). It was so fun to see her and her cute kids. Another fun surprise was that she has a boy named Max who is the same age as Parker....they were actually born on the SAME DAY. They were cute...if we live here long enough, they'll go to school together...we're determined that they WILL be good friends! Here's a picture of Gretchen and her daughter Ava (she'll be 3 in October...hopefully I spelled her name right). She was a super cute girl...Parker thought she was hilarious. He laughed at everything she did.

We had a fun morning with 3 1/2 years worth of things to talk about....it was great! Her house was really cute. I was really jealous of her big backyard...another reason we'll have to hang out more often!

Family Reunion

This past weekend, we went camping for our annual Gadd Family Reunion. It was actually a lot of fun. I personally enjoyed it much more than last year's (I was kind of a wreck with a 2-month old baby). I'm still kind of a stress-case when it comes to Parker's sleep, but I've definitely learned to let go a lot. Joe's parents bought a paddle boat for the occasion...it was great!
Parker was kind of attacking/wrestling Jacob. Parker was laughing, but I think Jacob was a little nervous.
Pictured below are all of the cousins (minus Baby Tate or Brian and Carrie's kids...). This was right before Jacob rolled off the bench onto the cement floor. It left a pretty good mark.
If you want more details, read on........

Thursday
4:00 pm--Joe gets off work
5:30 pm--We're finally on the road
7:00 pm--We realize that we left our air mattress home, but it's too late to turn back
7:00-9:00 pm--We set up camp, eat dinner, let Parker play for a bit
9:15 pm--Try to put Parker to bed...he looks REALLY tired, but the second I leave him in the tent by himself he FREAKS out. This continues for two hours.
11:00 pm--Joe and I take Parker for a drive...he falls immediately asleep. We put him in his pac 'n play and join everyone else for games and fun.
11:15 pm--Everyone else is already gamed out, so we all go to bed.

Friday
1:30 am--Parker wakes up SCREAMING hysterically.
2:00 am--He finally calms down and sleeps on the hard ground with us for the rest of the night.
7:00 am--Surprise! Parker is up for the day, so I guess we are too.
8:00 am-1:00 pm--Breakfast, fun on the beach, paddleboating, kids' games, lunch, etc.
1:15 pm--Put Parker in his stroller for a little nap...he falls right asleep and sleeps for 2 1/2 hours...yay!
1:30-7:00 pm--More games, kids' crafts, family pictures, etc.
7:00 pm--Parker is exhausted, so we decide to try the stroller method rather than the pac 'n play...he lays in the stroller for two hours looking really relaxed, but never falling asleep. SO, we keep him up.
10:00 pm--THUNDER, LIGHTNING, and RAIN!!!!! We all go to bed.
10:15 pm--Parker bounces around the tent for awhile before realizing he's tired. He sleeps in the middle of us (on the air mattress that Matt and Erin brought us...thank goodness) but gets really excited everytime the lightning lights up the tent.

Saturday
3:00 am--Joe wakes up along with his dad and brother to drive to Salt Lake to watch the Key Bank building implosion from his brother's office next door.
7:00 am--Parker's awake for the day (but he did sleep through the night...yay!)
8:00 am--Breakfast, the crazy boys return, we clean up our sopping wet camp.
10:00 am--We drive home...Parker and Joe sleep the day away while I enjoy a nice shower and flushing toilets, then go work out and learn how to become a Group Fit Instructor (Kimberly did too!)....more on that later....

Sunday
11:00 am--Go to church, then come home and sleep for two hours (all three of us)
8:00 pm--Michael arrives to pick up his car after his long drive from Tennessee (with a super cute girl....)

Monday
Pajama Day!!!!! Stay home, let Parker sleep lots while I start reading the first of the Harry Potter books...I've read books 1-4, but that was pre-mission, so I'm starting at the beginning again and am going to go straight through (thanks to my padre's for the box set for my Bday). If all goes as planned, I should finish in the next few weeks....I'm already done with #1!

The End

Parker vs. Brenden

For the past week, I've been babysitting my friend Sabrina's little boy Brenden (two months older than Parker...the picture's a few months old). I have to say that if I had to CHOOSE a child to babysit, it would be him. He is SO WELL BEHAVED and EASY. Sad to say, but him and Parker are pretty much COMPLETE opposites. I'll explain why.....

1. If I tell Brenden "no," he stops whatever he's doing immediately.

When I tell Parker "no," he either laughs at me or totally ignores me and carries on whatever he is doing.

2. At the grocery store--Brenden sits contentedly in the back of the cart.

Parker won't stay sitting even when he's strapped down in the front.

3. Brenden knows the sign for "please."

Parker uses his deafening scream to get what he wants.

4. Brenden doesn't budge or blink an eye when Parker takes a toy from him.

Parker FREAKS out.

5. Brenden's cry is a sweet, quiet whimper.

Parker has a loud wail.

6. Brenden practically BEGS me for a nap.

Parker kicks and screams (OK, not all the time, but he NEVER looks longingly at his crib).

7. Brenden doesn't make ANY noise when he wakes up...I have to open the door to check. Almost every time, he's sitting up playing happily in the pac 'n play.

I definitely know the INSTANT Parker wakes up.

8. Brenden eats whatever I feed him.

Parker spits most things out.

And Brenden's most redeeming quality.....

9. He poops once a day.

Parker....3 or 4 times.

I really do adore my child, but I apologize in advance to any of you I ask to watch him....he's a handful!

What August 1st Means To Me

(Joe blogging)
On August 1, 1980, the love of my life came into this world. I remember clearly the first day I met Robyn. I thought to myself, "She's beautiful and capable." 'Capable' was the best word I could think of. She speaks Finnish and Spanish; she's participated in multiple study-abroads; she's a beautiful singer; she exercises regularly; she worked all through college to help pay for school; she served a mission; she's a wonderful cook (that won me over very early on!); and so on, and so on. But beyond all of these awesome qualities, what attracted me to Robyn the most is the way she makes you feel when you talk to her. She listens to you and has a genuine interest in what you have to say. She has a way of putting you at ease when you talk with her. I think this partly explains why she has so many friends that she still keeps in touch with. After our first meeting, I knew I wanted to get to know her better. She (reluctantly at times) cooperated with my plan and here we are today, 3 years happily married with a kid and 1/3 to show for it. Happy Birthday, Robyn! I love you!