Pandora's Box resides with the Parr's

Running.

2011-02-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

So, I started running again. (This is Alyssa, by the way :))

I actually really like running. I mean, I don't, but once I start, I love it. And I have been learning that it is actually an amazing time for me to commune with God. I start running, crank up some great music by Fee or Tenth Avenue (yes, I am aware that some of these are not good running songs- but they work for me)...and just go. And the past few days I have actually found myself just crying out to God about many things while running. Not only does it take my mind off the of the fact that I am, indeed running, but I honestly have not felt closer to God in a while.

You know how somethings you know in your head for a long time, but it takes a while for them to click in your heart? Well, the past two days I have run, almost the entire time, I just pour my heart out to God and realize just HOW much I need Him. In every single aspect of my life. And how badly I WANT him to just take over my life. To take me and use me as clay. To let me be His hands and feet.

I know I have a long, long way to go before I am really useable (I sure do have a lot of issues that I am pretty good at hiding), but the fact that I now WANT to be useable is a really, really big step for me.

So anyone who is reading thing, just pray that it continues. I want to want to be at His feet. To commune with the Almighty.

Anyway, that is it for me. I am still panting, and need another glass of water :)

The Next Step?

2011-02-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

This is our new Blog, The Next Step?, wasn't sure if anyone was reading it anymore so if you're interested come on over

Wonderin'

2010-09-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

So- just to see...I was wondering how many people still check back here from time to time :) So, if you read this, would you post in the comments for me? Pretty please?

I am thinking about starting to blog again, and I am not sure what I want to do. Use it as a journal? Talk about the kids/life? I have no idea. But Chris and I sure do have a lot going on these days. Some things I would love to journal and post and get off my chest, and some things there is no way I could ever share with another person, especially over a computer screen!

Anyway, yeah. If you read this, post in the comments for me!

Contest

2009-09-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Something I need everyday.

A happy place in my home.

Something I once lost, but found. (The moby...not the baby!)

Something I ate today :)

Something on my to-do list.

My favorite color(s). Antiqued Red, White, and Blue...*drool*

One of my favorite books.

Something from my childhood (that is now being used for my children!)

A picture of a picture.

Something Fall-y.

Broken puter

2009-04-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

So, I am on Chris' computer now. My computer got sent in for a few week visit down in Texas with the Uber Special Geek Squad, because well, it died. I am praying they will be able to save all the pictures on it!!

So, no pictures for the next few weeks, I cant edit my pictures on Chris' computer.

My poor kids

2009-04-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

Well, I dont remember if I told you all, but we took Ryan to the doc last week after ove a month of nasty hacking and coughing. It wasnt getting better, so we took him in. The poor kid had to have THREE nebulizer treatments before they would even let us take him home. His entire airway passages in the bottom were filled with stuff to where no air was even getting through them. He was taking albuterol and Pulmicort, but we have gotten down to just the pulmicort for the next week and a half ( a steriod to clean him out). He also had an ear infection...and has a viral rash (no treatment- but it takes months to go away...ugh!)

Ryley apparently has a 102 fever. SHe had been rabby and clingy all day- and felt warm, so I took her temp and it is over 102.

For kids who never get sick, this is just too much! This is the first time my kids have ever really been sick, Ryan still hasnt ever puked (Ryley either) other than when he was coughing up the mucos (gross, I know)

I dont know what to DO with sick kids!! I dont know if I am getting overly worried about Ryley, because neither of my kids have ever had a temp that high- but I know you arent supposed to worry until higher. GAH!

Ryley :)

2009-04-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend was wonderful! Saturday was busy as anything as usual, but Sunday was just great! Since my kids didn't get dismissed last week, I used my lesson this week instead, which allowed me to stay in the worship part of service before going down. It was wonderful- I forgot how much I missed it! Then after church we went down to the Bike trail and went for a nice walk, just the four of us. I so wish I had brought my camera- the three of them were so cute walking and running ahead of me :) Then Ryan spent the night at Halmony and Grampas house, so Chris and I got to spend a few hours with just Ryley, which never happens. It was nice.

I am going to post some pictures of Ryan's playdate with Dominic hopefully tomorrow, but I just wanted to post these before I forgot :) The first pictures are of the valances my Nanny bought me- I am in LOVE with them! Are they not the cutest things ever? (And TOTALLY 100% me??) Thank you, Nanny! Like I said, I had Chris put them up the moment we got them! :)

The others are just a few pictures I snapped while we were playing with the Beast. She is just such a happy little girl all the time, and I love it! And she just relished in the single one-on-one Mommy and Daddy time :)

Every Single Tear

2009-04-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this song today, and I just felt led to post it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my3ell_ooXA

It certainly was a wonderful reminder to me today that HE is with us every single moment of every single day. HE knows exactly what is going on in each and every one of us and in our lives. I just found it to be quite a comfort to me today...

For Adrienne :)

2009-04-17T09:57:00.001-07:00

I finally got a few pictures for you Adrienne!! They aren't the greatest, but if you want any of them, let me know and I will send them over!! :) Just tell me what ones you want- and I will send the full size picture over :)

For the rest of you, these are the shirts Adrienne made for the kids- their big bro/sis shirts. We also have one for the new baby, but we obviously didn't get pictures of that! Hehe :)

Easter at Mom's

2009-04-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I did all the pictures backwards today, so if you care about chronological order, just look from the bottom up :)

Sunday after church, we headed over to my mom's for our Easter celebration there :) The kids had a blast as always :) (and the food was pretty Fab mom!- Oh, by the way, I have a few more of Emma and Callie, so let me know if you want them, or if you just want me to send them all, including the ones on here)

Easter at Dad's

2009-04-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice Easter at Dad's :) Sadly, it rained the entire time, so we didn't get to go out at all, but the kids still had a blast!

Ryan and Ryley had a ton of fun playing with Grampa again, and Ryley loved cuddling with (great) Gramma :D

Easter Part 1

2009-04-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have SOOOOO many photos to share with you all!! :) I have pictures of our little egg dying and egg hunt, I have pictures of us at my Daddy's and Tricia's, and then I have pictures from my Mom and Mike's Easter dinner as well. So I will be breaking it up into a few posts, or else everyone would go into overload (including my computer!).

We also had our u/s, MRI, and consult today. All went as well as it could...no knew info- just more stuff for Chris and I to digest, and we got a lot more info on the procedures and surgeries (joy, my baby will have 4 by the time he/she is 1!)

I love my camera!

2009-04-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Aren't my kids the cutest things you have ever seen??

It was nice to be able to get outside today, even if only for a little while :) Ryan had a blast digging in the dirt, and Ryley had a blast bringing it to me and rubbing it into my hands :) Hehe.

Pictures!

2009-04-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been down in the dumps lately, just struggling with some things, and having a hard time telling anyone about them. I guess it is just one of those weeks.

The good thing is I have my camera, I can can go crazy! I wont have my larger lens for a month (!) but I can at least play around with this lens! I am going to see if my mom has an extra 70mm-300mm until mine comes in- I really want it for Easter weekend for eggs hunts and such :)

Little Reminder

2009-04-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! You should all be seeing a few pictures up here soon! My camera and one of the two lenses I ordered two months ago are finally on the way! Apparently Ritz is filing bankruptcy :o

Anyway, As I was surfing the net today I found this site

http://faithbaby.com/

It has some of the cutest little shirts! Now, we haven't bought any clothes for this little one yet, other than it's little sibling shirt, done by the wonderful Adrienne ( www.AdrienneN.etsy.com - I have posted about her before- best ever! She is a Christian, a Work at home mom to 7 kiddos, and an absolute sweetheart!)

Well, I was rambling- anyway, we haven;t bought any clothes for the booger, because we dont want to get any gender specific. We have more than enough if this little one is a girl- and we have enough to last us a few days to have CHris or my mom run to the store and get some boy clothes if it is a boy!

But, I saw these two shirts, and I may just have to splurge and get one. It was just another simple reminder to me that God knows exactly what He is doing with this little one in my womb. There is a reason we are being both blessed and surprised with this one coming to us with some special needs. All in God's plan, and we just need to trust Him, that all of this is going to work out for his good.

Anyway- the shirts :)

Well

2009-03-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well then. Since I wrote past, we had a level 2 u/s, and the little one does indeed have a cleft lip and palete.

We will be spending the day at Childrens in Boston on the 13th of April. (We have to be having the u/s at 7:45 am!!!!!) I will be getting a level 3 u/s (like a 3d, but more detailed), an MRI, and then we will be meeting with the surgeon Dr. Mulliken. He is supposed to be one of the best out there. Praise God that we are around such a wonderful childrens hospital! One of my friends mentioned that this may be why Chris has been stuck on his weight. Had he joined the air force- we would be all over the place, moving, struggling to find a surgeon, and then moving from the surgeon. And we are still here- near one of the best hospitals for children in the country, surrounded by some of the best childrens plastic surgeons.

Anyway, I wish my camera would just be shipped already! My kids keep doing the cutest things known to man kind that I want to share with you all! Right now, they are laying together on a chair, hugging and talking to each other in their own little language.

Unexpected

2009-03-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well- I have two bits of news for you all! One of them we are excited about, and the other- I am asking for prayers.

First off- we will be having a homebirth! We met with a homebirth midiwfe twice now, and will continue to see her, and we will be having this darling little booger at home!! :) No more surgery, no more slicing me up, no more taking my organs out, placing them all over the place, ripping out a child, and then putting the organs back. Yeah, I know graphic- but in todays world c-sections are just so common...and when you think about it, it isnt exactly a pleasant experience! :)

Anyway, we had our 20 week u/s done on Wend. and other than the fact that the u/s tech couldnt even get me a decent profile picture to take home because the thing moves so much (this child...never...ever...stops...moving!!!!!).

But, we were told that this child will have a cleft lip. In the grand scheme of things, it is by far not one of the worst things that could happen. But it WAS (and still is) a shock to us. We have been blessed with two beautiful, perfect children, who have yet to have an ear infection, flu, anything.

We are praising God because this child is not being born with a congenital heart disease. This child is not being born with missing organs, organs in wrong places, or failing organs. This child is being born with a cleft lip.

We are still very nervous about the whole thing. My child wil lhavs surgery within the first 6 months of its life. And possibly many more. We will be needing speech therapy, Early Intervention, and we will be working closely with a team of doctors, specialists, and therapists for quite a few years to come.

The good news? The new echnology, medical discoveries, and amazing work doctors can do- will mean that by the age of 6 or so, it wont even be noticable. We will be starting speech therapy as soon as possible, because the eariler you start, the better chance you have of your child learning how to speak around it, and not speaking with a slur or lisp for the rest of their life.

Anyway, keep us in your prayers. Sometimes it is really hard to trust God- but we are putting it all in his hands. He wants us to have this child for a reason. Who knows, maybe we will witness to someone in the waiting room- or will be able to be a testimony to someone we otherwise would not have been able to. Only God knows what the future will hold, and what amazing plans He has for this little child.

Anyway- that is an update on what is going on around here! I am still (im)patiently waiting for my camera to get here. As soon as I do there will be pictures of the kids, the new apartment, and all sorts of other fun *ahem boring* parts of our life! :D

I know

2009-03-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

I know it has been forever- please forgive me! :D I will catch you all up on our lives soon.

My camera is (finally) being shipped tomorrow...after a MONTH of Ritz being absolutely terrible in customer service. I was amazed to be honest. We went with them, even though they are slightly pricy-er, because they are supposed to be awesome. Ugh.

So, I will get some pictures up of our new apartment, and some with the kids in I am sure. We havent been out in the backyard much since all the yucky weather, but we do go on long walks everyday to get us out of the house and in the fresh air :)

:)

2009-02-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

Woo! :) It has been a few weeks- but we are in!! :)

So, we are debating getting a new camera. We wanted to put a certain amount away into savings from the taxes, and right now, after Ryans bed and a few other things we have a little over what we were wanting to put away. It is really tempting because I have no camera- and I am really missing taking pictures of my boogers...and I would love to show you all pictures of our new place and all that fun stuff!!! So, it is really tempting to get the camera. We would still have a good amount to put away, even if we do get it, but it owuld be less than we planned.

Ryley is starting to RUN everywhere...she doesnt just walk, she books it across the room and it is so funny!

We also bought Ryan's new big boy bed (twin) and it will be delivered on the 24th (Our anniversary!) He is so very excited about it!!!

Anyway, I hope to post soon- I just feel silly posting without any pictures.

OH OH OH!!! I am working with the best ever to design the kids big brother/sister shirts- and one for this little booger as well. She is the great one who designed Ryley's birthday shirt, even though I was a horrible customer. I made her change things a million times. She said she loved it, but I dont know if I believe her! Hehe.

Anyway, I just wanted to post her website and her blog. She does a ton more than is on her site (custom things) These are her first big bro/sis shirts, and I am so excited to be her first!! :)

http://www.personalityplusboutique.com/

http://www.stitcheroos.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to show you all the final design we come up with :) I am LOVING the mocks we have so far--I can't wait to finish and put them on the kids ;)

Wowza!

2009-02-05T06:29:00.001-08:00

Well, we are actually moving THIS weekend! The landlady said it was fine if we wanted to move in this weekend, and we are!!! We figure we are paying for it, we may as well use it! :)

Anyway, Chris called all sorts of people this morning so we have electric, phone, cable, and internet all taken care of.

Chris and Ashley are going to help us move, but it is just going to be the four of us!! I really hope we can get it done in a weekend with just us four :o We would have put it in the church bulletin for help, but seeing as it would be going in AFTER we moved, it isnt going to help us out very much!

So anyway, I am nervous we will be able to do it all, but so excited to be moving- so here is to hoping!!!

*Hey, if anyone has a truck and time to spare, let me know! We could use ya!!

Moving :)

2009-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

Chris, I and the kids will be moving either the weekend of the 13th or the 20th (this month) Our new address with be
460 Rollstone st. Apt 1
Fitchburg, MA
01420

The place is SOOO pretty! The whole inside was taken apart and remodeled, so everything is brand new and SO pretty! We fell in love when we walked in. Seriously- Hard wood floors, gorgeous yellow kitchen, everything! There is also a large yard in the back, which was an absolute must.

It is a two family apartment, so it is a really good sized place. It sounds like the people moving in the other place is another young family with three young children, and one on the way! I am hoping we will have something in common. It would be nice to make a new friend so close by!

Anyway, I will have my mom take pictures of the place when we are moving, so you can all see it :)

Oh- I also sat in my first sunday school class last week. I will be teaching in March! I am excited, but pretty nervous too! I think Ryan has a longer attention span than some of the 5 and 6 year olds in the class! I will actually be putting Ryan in the class this week to see how he does. Honestly I think he will do really well- we will see!

Christmas pics

2009-02-02T11:17:00.000-08:00

I stole my moms puter to get the only few christmas pics we got :) We didnt get many this year- we were so on the go that it just didnt happen!

Anyway, here they are :)
Ryley and her great great gradmother!

Is she not the cutest thing with that headband?

Eating....whats new?

No idea what Ryan is doing here...so dont ask! Hehe

Or here....

I LOVE this picture :) Seriously- Chris looks so good, and he is wrapped around her finger- and she is already turning into a total daddy's girl!!

No pictures

2009-01-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I have TONS of pictures, but no camera dock. Our dear little Ryley managed to get into our room and pull my dock down. I have no idea how she broke it, but it was a little wet. I dont know if she brought her sippy cup with her or what (this is what happens when mommy showers...)So, needless to say, I highly doubt there will be pictures for quite some times. The camera works fine still, but I just feel wrong shelling out money for a new dock, when we want to get a new camera all together in the future. So, who knows if I will cave and get the dock or not (around $50)

But, anyway- we have been apartment shopping and we found our place :) The lady said she would hold it for us until march, which is more than enough time (if our darned W2's will come in!) It's in fitchburg, and the outside of the house itself isnt flattering, but you walk in and it is SO pretty! They people just bought the place, and tore eveything inside down, and redid the entire place with wood flooring, tile, and carpet (in the respective rooms) the place is big, has a yard, is really pretty, all new appliaces, and is in our price range! Yay!!

Chris and I were juts making a little list of some household items we are going to need to get, and Ryan wanted to help. Here is his list of things he thought we would need for the new house:

Roof
Door
Toys
Milk
Noodles
cups
tables
food
bowls
Friends
apple juice
and pencils :)

This ladies and gentlemen, is all you need for a house :D

Enjoy the History, Ignore the Politics

2009-01-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

My cousin Beth posted this on her facebook this morning, and I took it to heart, and thought I would pass it along :) I should have a few pictures up later this afternoon (I hope), but for now, enjoy :)

Enjoy the History, Ignore the Politics

Why conservatives should be looking forward to the Obama inauguration.
By Rachael Larimore

Posted Monday, Jan. 19, 2009, at 6:59 AM ET

As a conservative, I think I may actually enjoy Barack Obama's inauguration more than my many Obama-supporting friends. I'm not planning a special trip to Washington, D.C., or stocking up on commemorative coins or coffee cups. Throughout the campaign, I considered Obama to be an impressive orator, a compelling candidate, and, as we got closer to November, the likely victor. But, at the end of the day, he was still—in my eyes—just a politician, and, perhaps more distressing to his legions of fans, a human being. My hopes and expectations for Obama, therefore, are much more reasonable, and I will be able to take in the history and the pomp without the accompanying anxiety that Inauguration Day will bring to my more liberal friends.

For years, conservatives liked to mock those who became unhinged in their hatred of President Bush by saying they had Bush Derangement Syndrome. I could see a similar malady developing over the next four years: Obama Disillusionment Syndrome. And I fear that many of the same folks now just recovering from BDS are most at risk for ODS. Is it possible for anyone—even the great Obama—to live up to such heightened expectations?

We've already seen hints of this anxiety. Look at the tumult that resulted from Obama announcing that Rick Warren would give the inaugural invocation. Gays and lesbians who supported Obama canceled their inaugural parties and debated whether Obama was reaching out to those with different views or overreaching and selling out.

The conventional wisdom is that Obama has had a smooth transition, but from my perspective, I saw more than a few bumps. He upset the anti-war left by picking Hillary Clinton for secretary of state. The Bill Richardson snafu showed that maybe his vetting process wasn't perfect. And even though Obama wasn't implicated in the Rod Blagojevich mess and subsequent Roland Burris kerfuffle, the way the Democrats handled it can't put too many people at ease as to how Congress is going to perform, even with a majority in both houses.

Share this article on DiggBuzz up!Share this article on BuzzObama has an unenviable list of concerns waiting for him on Jan. 20: the economy, the fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip, the decision on whether to close Guantanamo Bay. (What does it mean if he issues an order to close it within a week of taking office, but it takes a year to get it done?) The Iraq war is no longer something he can campaign against—it's now something he has to oversee. His supporters are waiting with bated breath to see how quickly and how often he can repudiate the policies of the Bush administration. But what happens the first time he has to make a hard decision about a threat to our nation? And if he errs on the side of security over liberty, who is going to be angrier—the left or the right? Ironically, I think he's more likely to get a pass from those of us who got tired of hearing how President Bush has been shredding the Constitution for the last eight years.

This doesn't mean the Republicans can kick back and put their feet up while disappointed liberals go on the attack. If and when Obama does something we disagree with, we have the right and obligation to speak out, as Bush's opponents have been doing for the last eight years. But, more important, we have our own list of unenviable tasks waiting come Jan. 20. The party is in disarray. There's no consistent message, other than the e-mails I get from various groups asking me to "help shape the new Republican Party." The contest for the RNC chairmanship has been a comedy of errors, and House Republicans are unhappy about rule changes that they believe will hinder their ability to challenge legislation in Congress. And now conservative writer Jennifer Rubin points out another problem: Obama's move to the center since winning the election threatens the party's very existence.

My fellow conservatives, take a deep breath. In four years—actually, the next presidential campaign will begin in about two and a half years—the economy will either have recovered, in which case defeating Obama will be almost impossible, or we will still be floundering and we'll want to throw the bum out. That's how our democracy works. Oh, sure, I suppose Obama could be ineffective and still get re-elected. But if that's the case, I'll save my sour attitude for the 2013 inauguration.

In the meantime, I plan to watch the Inauguration Day festivities, even if for a Republican they feel a bit like hanging around for the trophy presentation after your team just blew the Super Bowl. I have no bitterness left from the election—there were no controversial vote tallies, no charges of fraud or cheating—and I think that Obama won a fair campaign against John McCain, a great American whose service to and sacrifice for his country deserve respect, regardless of whether you agree with his politics. As long as the networks don't cut away to Obama spraying a cigar-chomping Joe Biden with champagne in the Oval Office, there's no reason not to tune in.

Ryley went outside! :)

2009-01-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

*edited to add a few words I forgot

Just a few odd pictures for you all :) The outside ones are about a week old, and I was bad and didnt upload them :o This new little one is just kicking my tush this time around! I have food aversion like no tomorrow (tastes, smells, and even textures bother me), along with the usual day sickness, swelling, heartburn, and total exaustion. But hey, it is totally worth it in the end :)

Anyway, enough of that. Here is Ryley on her two favorite toys; the stairs, and this random box that we haven't put away (and I am in no rush t do so, since she loves sitting on it so much). Seriously, is she not one of the cutest things you have EVER seen??

She has been picking up new words like crazy! A few weeks ago all she could say was:
Hi
Bye
Kitty
Mom
and Dad

Now she says:
Hi
Bye
Mom
Dad
Ryan
Kitty
ROAR!
This (as in whats this?)
Go (as in lets go, or here you go)
Vroom Vroom (driving a car)
Night Night
Kiss
Five (as in High Five)
Mouth
Ut-oh
and she has two words she has said twice, but I am thinking they were flukes- Cheese and eye

----
And I am sure this list will keep growing :)

I actually managed to get Ryley outside for about 15 minutes before she freaked out! I know, huge step in the right direction :) Maybe by the time she is 10 she will want to play out in the snow. Ryan on the other hand, can't get enough of the snow. Often, I will just sit in the kitchen with Ryley and let him play outside with me watching him from the window because I just feel so bad for him not being able to play outside. We also go out while Ryley is napping sometimes- but she doesnt take much of an afternoon nap any more.

Oh dear

2009-01-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

I am hoping to post a few pictures later today if the ones I took came out alright- but I had to post this. It is cute, but rather creepy at the same time.

Ryan just told me that he needed to go pack his toys in his backpack because Jesus was coming to play and then to take him to Heaven with him :o

Poor Baby :(

2009-01-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting, no new pictures. Sorry!

I just wanted to say how cute my kids are. Honestly- they are really starting to play with eachother now, and it is so darned cute! Ryan was "cooking" Ryley lunch today. And she was just eating it up...both literally and figuratively.

Ryley has been teething the past few days (why I have no pictures). The poor kid won't eat (and anyone who knows her knows that is a BIG deal), she will barely drink, she screams, whimpers, cries, has trouble sleeping. We are doing everything we can, but it has got to just HURT her. Normally she is just the happiest little bugger, and I miss that little girl. She also has a cold on top of it all, so she is all snuffly.

And just a note- my due date got pushed back a few days. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things- but we are now due July 23rd :)

Meeting Rachel and Nevan

2009-01-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

I got the pleasure of meeting up with Rachel and Nevan yesterday :) They are one of the few Christian Mommies that didn't make it up last July to Chicago with us, so I didn't get to meet her. She is up near Boston visiting her siser for the week, and we got to meet up! We took the buggers to the Burlington Mall. We had an amazing time, she is just as great as I thought she would be, and it makes me wish for May to come soon!!! I can't wait to get with all my ladies again- this time with kids with some BIG personalities! Hehe

Its hard sometimes. I spend time with a young adult class at church, I will be teaching sunday school, we go to a few play groups here and there, but the people I click with most, are spread across the country. Seriously- these ladies are just so wonderful. They are the people I run to when I have a question about parenting, my walk with God, anything. I love that we are all Christians, because I know that their advice they give is always godly. They pray about their answers they give, instead of just the first thing that pops into their head. We truly tell eachother everything. We are able to vent about life, our hardships, our hard days with hubby. And yet, they push me to be a better woman in Christ. When we complain about your husbands, we are constantly reminded that we need to be careful what we say, as to not be dishonoring. We push each other to be better Christians, better wives, better mothers, better people. We hold each other accountable for weight loss, specific personal goals we all have. I love you ladies!!!

Anyway, there are still some really cute pictures of Ryley and Nevan playing together in the (remarkably clean and sanitary) playplace at the Burlington Mall!

Big News!!!

2009-01-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the newest addition to the Parr family! This U/S was taken at 10 weeks :) This little one is due July 20th, 2009. I just hope that it doesnt come too early and end up on Ryan's birthday!

We will have our other ultrasound at the usual 18 weeks. It's pretty cute, isn't it :) Chris and I want four little buggers, and we would like to be done in the next few years.

Oh, another fun tidbit? You will all have to wait until this little one is born to find out the gender! We have a little boy and a little girl, and are going to be surprised at birth what this little one is!! :) If it is a boy, he will be Roman Howard- but we are at a loss for girl names we can agree on!

This little one is an absolute brat. I have been sick constantly, heartburn up the wazoo, already swelling, of cours tired all the time and have also been having anxiety attacks that for now the midwives and I are going to try and treat with excersize and a slightly more strict diet. We will see if it helps. I have never had them before now, and they are NOT fun!!! Seems that the pregnancies get worse as I go along...good thing we only want four! Hehe.

Snow!

2009-01-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

Here are the two snow storms (not to be confused with the Ice Storm) that I got some decent pictures of :) The first set of pictures is the 1 inch we got (the calm before the storm) but Ryan was so excited, as it was the first snow of the season- so we had to bundle up and go out and make a snowman (you will see him- he is rather cute. about 3 inches tall :)) and all that jazz.

The second set of pictures of of the first real snow storm. Nearly 2' of snow...my goodness. We brought the kids out to play while we got a head start on shoveling. Ryan had SO much fun....he even helped us shovel a little bit.

*Note- there will be very few pictures of Ryley as long as there is snow outside. She HATES snow. Cant stand it. Sh just screams- and even when I bring her inside, it takes 10 minutes to calm her down. Needless to say- we dont take her out much more other than to get the mail (or out to do errands and such). I just take Ryan out while she takes her naps :)

I also will have a few exciting bits of news for you all coming in the next blog or so :D

Ice Storm

2009-01-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

This was the horrible Ice storm that took out New England and left us without power for more than a week! Thank goodness we had the Wood stove or MAN we would have been cold. We didnt have water for a while, which stunk, since ours is attached to the electricity. Anyway, enjoy the photos.

Pictures of the kids in the snow storm and christmas and such will come soon :)

Back!

2009-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I got it back today, so I hope to get the pictures up next week :) Sorry for taking so long, silly thing doesnt like me.

Power Outage

2008-12-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Well, since the power outage, I still havent brought in the computer yet- we plan to do that this Saturday..I really hope it isnt that bad. I am thinking about downloading the pictures to Chris computer since I have so many of the ice storm (just out backyard) on there that it is full...Yikes!
But then, I wont have them on my computer, and that will stink! Oh well :)

Man, that storm was/is pretty bad, huh?? I will talk more about it when I get the pictures up.

Broken computer

2008-12-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

I am using Chris' computer- but that means no pictures for a while. We are going to bring it in to Best Buy on Saturday and hopefully I will get it back in a week or so. It turns on, but the screen wont light up. It is rather aggrivating! Anyway- just letting you know I may be out of commission for a little while. I am taking pictures sparingly, as no computer means I cant get the pictures off of my camera until after I get the computer back- and that may be weeks, especially with the holidays coming up.

Little Love :)

2008-12-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

I have a few absolutely adorable pictures of Ryan, Ryley, and Callie :)
I know I haven't said much about our lives and such, but it has been nothing but normal. Nothing new is happening, everything is really kind of stuck at a standstill! So, I will let you all know when there is something to share!

December

2008-12-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it took me an hour to get these loaded. My internet is being wonky! And then it managed to delete half of the photos I finally got deleted. So, what you see is what you are getting for now! hehe

Anyway, here are just us playing in our SIXTY DEGREE Dec. 1st day! Holy cow was it nice out there!

I am currently curled up by the fire watching "The Holiday" I love this movie :) I will hopefully get you all some good pictures tomorrow!

Yikes

2008-12-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Wow....it has been a LONG week!

Anyway- I know I haven't posted in quite some time! Sorry about that- it has been a long weekend running around from place to place, trying to get errands done in between, helping Amanda move...It has been a week for certain :)

Anyway- I think I have a few (probably not very good) pictures of the kids, and I will try to get some this afternoon when we head out as well :) Here is to hoping! I will get some pictures up tonight!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYLEY!

2008-11-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

Well, the little bugger snot did not give me one opportunity to get a picture of her. Her cold is pretty bad and she was just cranky.

But, I just had to post today, as it is my Princess Pea's first birthday today. Wow. I have no idea where that went. I swear it was just yesterday she was born. Just yesterday she was this teeny tiny little bundle of redness. Just yesterday we were waiting for her to come home to us :)

I do not have any of her baby pictures on this computer, so I am going to try and figure out how to get them on here, but for the mean time, I am going to go have myself a little cry and figure it all out later :)

Mumble Jumble :)

2008-11-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

Hey all :) It was so nice out today :) I do believe it went a little over 40...so it was nice to get outside withour Ryan whining the whole time telling me he was cold! Ryley is absolutely adorable in her new garb she got for her birthday :) Her hat, coat, and boots are so cute together, and I am madly in love with them! The pictures arent that great today, but I do like to update you all anyway...and I am a picture fanatic...man I need a new camera :)

Anyway, there is a picture that Ryan made in here. He made it at rainbows (the 3-5 class on wend. night at church) and he is very proud of himself :)

I will also have to get you all a picture of the chore chart we made together. His chores are:
Get Dressed
Brush Teeth
Feed pets (black eyed susan and Sportaus)
Read
Play Outside
Clean room
Clear Dinner plate
and Brush Teeth (again)
We picked out stickers to go along with the words, to help Ryan associate all the chores with where they were on his chart so that he could do it all by himself. It has helped him remember to do all the things he has to do, and has helped with our structure during the day as well (Keeps me on my toes...I should make one for me! Hehe)

Ryley is loving all her new toys :) The ride on horse stays at Sang and Jim's, there house is a lot better for it. Sh cuddles with her two dolls at night, which is so cute! And she (and Ryan!) LOVE the bear and the (I dont know what you call it...) toy you press the button on top and the balls inside spin in circles. She has learned how to do both of them on her own. She sings and dances to her learning bear (and tries to eat him...but hey, whats new?) and she can actually press the green top and get the balls to spin all on her own :)

Oh, as a reminder to myself, I REALLY need to get thank you cards out. I am totally slacking :o

Inside

2008-11-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

Yes...I took pictures inside today :o Holy COOKAMONGA!

Ryley's party :)

2008-11-17T10:44:00.001-08:00

Hey all! I know it has been a while, but I have been rather busy! Ashley came over as soon as she got home on Friday, and we spent the day shopping, cooking, and making decorations for Ryley's birthday party :) Then of course Sturday was her birthday party, which I think went quite well :) Here are a few pictures! Sadly, we didnt get too many- as I didnt get the chance to pick up my camera, and callie was stuck to moms hip (there were a lot of people, and she is rather shy). But here is what we have, and I like em! We got some good ones of the cake, and a few good ones of her opening her presents. Which by the way, Ryley is LOVING them all :) She keeps going from toy to toy, not sure of which one she wants to play with :) I will have to get some pictures of her playing with them all. Proably not for a few days- Ryan and Ryley both have colds, and Ryley is absolutely miserable, not sure what to do with herself.

Oh, by the way? It's snowing outside!!!!

Kids

2008-11-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

My little buggers. Nothing new on the homefront, just me stressing about Ryley's birthday party, and the fact I have 763 birthdays this month (ok, it is 6- but hey! That is a ridiculous amount!!).

Anyway, here is what ya'll came for :)

Ryan's Craft

2008-11-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

I am going to post two blogs today, because I wanted Ryan to have his own blog about his "craft" today :) While Ryley has napping, we sat down for an hours and worked on his "telescope" :) The pictures are pretty self expanatory, but he did such a great job! Everything was his idea! The only thing I did, was draw his tree, and write the words next to hi monsters and elephant :) Everything else, he made. He chose where to put the stickers and what to draw. How awesome???

He is such a big boy :)

Playmates :)

2008-11-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Ryley are really starting to play more together (and get on eachother's nerves as well!), and it is just the cutest thing. Here are the two of them playing together, and a few pictures of Daddy!

Busy Weekend

2008-11-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

I will put pictures up a little later, for some reason my computer wont load them on here- maybe it is because my connection is bad, who knows- they ARE coming though :)

Busy weekend again this weekend, but I'm alright with that :) Since I only get out on weekends now that Chris works late and we have no time to do ANYTHING during the week, the weekends we get everything done. Errands, just going out to be out (window shopping), and all that fn stuff :)

The kids are really starting to like the library, which is nice. I am loving the weekly trips to get the kids new books, me new books, Chris new books :) I got a few new ones that I am excited to read, although, I cannot get the The Left Behind books by Jim LaHaye out of my mind! MAN, they were good, great, amazing. They took you over for the entire 12 books.

Chris and I actually had a date, and it was awkward ( Will explain) His parents gave us some money, and told us they would watch the kids while we went out to eat! How awesome is that? We went to Chili's and got burgers....delish! Anyway- we had nothing to do, and it felt funny. We talked, and it was nice, but we were fidgety....there were no kids to entertain, to feed, to take to the bathroom, it was just weird. :) Maybe it is because we get time to ourselves after the kids go to bed that we dont need ot date to connect...who knows :)

!!!!

2008-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Oh my!!!

Well, I cried today. My baby girl took her first step!!!!

It was only one step, but she did it many, many times, and she is just THRILLED with herself! She stands, holding onto the kids little table, lets go and takes a small step forward, and then flings herself at me the rest of the way, it is SO cute!! :D

Meh

2008-11-05T16:17:00.001-08:00

Hey all :) It has been a few days, so these are just some pictures of the past few days :) Nothing special, none I am attached to, but I do love having pictures of them nearly everyday :) It is fun to take them, and a lot of fun looking back on them as well :D I cannot belive my little girl is nearly one!! Look at some of these photos- where did my baby girl go??? She is starting to get excited about walking now- I know she can, she just hasn;t been interested, but yesterday and today she has been looking for my hands and walking!!!!

Another thing she does (she has been for a while, but it just cracks me up!) is if you are sitting anywhere near her, she will come to you and sit in your lap and either just cuddle, or try to get you to play with her :)

Soon she is going to be running around with the rest of them, and I am not looking forward to it. I miss my baby girl!!!

I am adjusting to Chris getting home at 10 every night :) Its rough, but I will get used to it :) Good training for when he goes to basic, right? Pray that his MMA classes will help him drop the rest of this weight that is holding us back. I cannot wait to get started on our new adventures together!!

Presents

2008-11-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

I hope none of you take this as I am looking for presents for Ryley's party- as I will be just as happy with just your presence there! But, I just wanted to list a few things that we would love for her for those who just dont know what to get her.

~Sippy cups. The good ones with the two handed grips :) They seem to get lost when we go out :/

~A baby doll. She LOVES holding Emma and Callie's babies, and I would love for her to have her own :)

~Hats. I think my mom may be getting her a few of these, but if oyu see the perfect one, Ryley just ADORES hats, so it wouldn't be wasted!

~Diapers are always a nice thing! Boring I know, but hey!

~ We are lacking some new educational toys for her. There are a few really fun ones at Walmart we have been looking at to get her.

~She LOVES music, toys she can make music with and dance to. Ryan has one but he doesn't like her playing with it! Hehe

Once again- PLEASE don't feel like you have to bring anything! :) We are more than happy just to have you with us :D

Hodgepodge

2008-11-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is just a hodgepodge of pictures over the last few days! We have been really busy this weekend!
Friday was a normal day but then we went trick or treating in Ayer, which was fun :) I think Ryley enjoyed it more than Ryan did (I mean, she got CANDY! She was so funny. We didn't bring a basket for her or anything, but some people insisted we get some for her anyway) We took the stroller and just walked down all sorts of roads- we were out nearly the two hours, but we didn't hit a ton of houses. It was nice to just walk around :)

Saturday I went shopping with Sang for the ingredients for Yaki Man Do, then came home and made that (really tedious...took about 3 hours total, frying included) but they were delicious and didnt have any to bring back home on sunday (which I was sad about, but thats ok!) We also had Jim and Sang order Ryleys carseat, which they are getting for her birthday (SUCH a relief!)
http://www.target.com/Graco-Comfort-Sport-Convertible-Seat/dp/B000WGYI5K/qid=1225737178/ref=br_1_3/601-2331015-4856124?ie=UTF8&node=3579961&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=3579961&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=2

Sunday we got up, got ready and went to sunday school/church, I got my Cori form and application papers for teaching, went to Nanny's and had lunch with Uncle Mark who was up this weekend, visited, then headed back to the church for the International Food festival (SO good! There was food from so many nations...it was DELICIOUS!) then took the kids and went upstairs to bible study ( it was informal, so we just stayed with the kids :)) Then came home, put the kids to bed, read a while, and then totally crashed! LOL

Anyway, here are the pictures!- Oh, not to spoil it, but this is Ryley's onsie for her birthday party. I was going to hold off on posting them so you all didn't see the onsie, but she was just SO gosh darned cute that I had to post them :D

Nothing Special

2008-10-31T06:27:00.001-07:00

I hope you all haven't gotten bored of the every day pictures again! It is nice to have my camera back, even if it is a cruddy one! Hehe. I was looking at cameras...yet again, and I can get some nice ones for under 300, but those wouldn't have any interchangables lenses and such- but the moment that is a possibility they jump to atleast 800...and that doesnt come with the extra lens or anything. So, I think I will be going with http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_s8100fd/index.html at least, that was my decision for now. I still have months before I should even be thinking about it- although, I may ask the IL's to get it for me for Christmas- We told them not to get me a present for my birthday and just hold on to whatever they were going to spend and put it toward my camera when we could afford the rest- so I may ask for that, which would be SO exciting!!!

Enough camera talk- here are those cute little buggers you come looking for :D

And oh, my children may be THE most adorable children ever born to man-kind :) In fact, nursery was so funny- I was dropping her off last week and they said "You know Alyssa, Ryley is just so cute! In fact, she may be TOO cute, because she gets away with everything in here!" That just made me chuckle, because she does really get away with a little too much :o If I say no, I mean no, and don't go back on that, but sometimes if she is just doing something I would rather her not do, I don't say anything to her becasue she is so cute while doing it! LOL

I should be getting Ryley's birthday shirt in the mail today! I actually traded a few bow sets in exchange for the onsie, so it didnt cost me a thing! (And it is SO cute!!)

Tubby time

2008-10-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

The lighting in the bathroom is horrible for pictures, especially seeing as it was near nightfall, but hey! Everyone loves tubby pictures non-the-less, so here they are :)

The Soap you see Ryan with is his beloved soapsicle. They are SO easy, and he (and I) are in love with them. It allows him to be able to wash himself (and wash well!) because it is mounted on a popsicle stick. He can hold the stick and wash with the soap. He will be getting a few in his stocking this year for sure!

She is great :) Last order I made, I just ordered one soapsicle, and she sent me FOUR! I mean, how awesome is that?? (we are a rather good customer, I get them for Ryan every time he runs out...luckily the last a LONG time, even with a three year old playing with them...and a one year old trying to eat it *rolls eyes* She has a lot of other fun little soaps in there that are really neat too- We got Ryan the Little Piggy soaps for his birthday as well, which were a hit, but just didn't last long enough to be worth it- that is more of a soap art! Hehe

Ryan especially loves the blue coconut one, but he has loved all the scents we tried so far!

Anyway, I blubbered about soap long enough, here are the pictures :)

Some Crummy pictures

2008-10-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

After using Mom's camera, I am beginning to dislike my photo's even more. The quality is just crud!!! So, depending on what we get back for taxes, and how much debt we have left (which is, amazingly, very little) we may get me a new camera! In case you are interested, these are the ones I have narrowed down to (as of now, I have been doing a LOT of research) I really don't want to spend more then $300-400, but still get something that will take pictures faster (my camera has like a 3 second delay...VERY hard to get a skittering baby!)

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_s2000hd/index.html

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_s8100fd/index.html

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-Camera/26114/COOLPIX-P80.html
Anyway, here are the pictures :)

I should be back later today with some tubby pictures if ya'll are interested :) None of them are that great, my RYan and Ryley are SO cute, that it doesn't much matter :D

Sept.

2008-10-27T12:26:00.001-07:00

Here is Ryley's invitation! All of you should have recieved it by now :) Is it not the most adorable thing you have ever seen? I ordered them from
http://www.etsy.com/keepsakesbyjanell.com
She was SO great to work with!!! We stayed up until the wee hours of the night making this EXACTLY how I wanted it, and I paid no more for them than I would have bought the generic ones at Walmart. I am so happy, I ordered an extra one for us to keep, and an extra one for her scrapbook! :D She is so great at what she does- If you are planning anything, I would HIGHLY recommend her :)

Just a few pictures I took at the IL's before I forgot it there for weeks! Hehe. Leave it to me...I am so happy chris remembered to bring it home this week!

As usual, the boring stuff for those of you who care at the bottom:)

Not *too* much going on around here. It is Chris' last week of training, and then he will be working cruddy hours :(

We went ovre our test scores at Bible Study this week ( last week we took tests on what our gifts are) I was the ONLY one out of 30 something kids with the 1st gift as teaching (My second and third gift tied...hence why I have them bth counting as a gift! hehe. Anyway, it is compassion and giving)! Wow! Anyway, I have been asked to pray about teaching the 4-5 year olds Sunday School class, so please pray for me as I pray about it and ponder it, and the responsibilties that come with it :) I am honored and excited to have been asked, but scared non-the-less! It was really fun and interesting to take the test and go over the results with the class. It was helpful to get to know many people, as Chris and I are FINALLY getting involved in teh churh (yeah, I know it took a year and a half...we are slow, but thrilled to finally be getting there!) Also, it was so neat to see how it panned out on why we are the way we are, how we react to the things we do etc. It made it a little easier not to judge yourself, or your friends too harshly, but the point was also made that that doesnt mean that we are just ok with thse flaws. In fact- we are to work even HARDER! :) Yikes...I have been babbling :o

Still trying to find some interesting appetiers and such for Ryley's party, which I am pretty excited about! I ordered her 1st birthday onsie in exchange for a few bows, and I am THRILLED! It should be coming in the mail by this thursday :)

A survey about me :)

2008-10-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog and decided to fill it out because it looked fun :)

Ten Things I Wish I Could Say to Ten Different People Right Now:
1. I wish you had the decency to tell me to my face.
2. I love you far more than even I can understand.
3. I hated the face you made when I told you I didn't go to college. It made me feel dumb.
4. Stop being so self centered, everything doesnt evolve around you, despite what you think.
5. Thank you for supporting me through everything. I love you so much!
6. You are, by far, one of the best friends I could have ever asked for, thank you so much for being everything to me when I need it.
7. Why drink? You were such a good kid....
8. I can't believe you are dating him. I mean, seriously??
9. I'm so thrilled to be part of your life- I love knowing I mean that much to you.
10. What a loser, I wish you would just go away and leave her alone!

Nine Things About Myself:
1. I MUST sleep with my feet and body fully tucked in. (Hence why Chris and I have two seperate blankets.) But, I dont like sleeping bags
2. I have a REALLY bad temper.
3. I make a lot of promises to myself that I don't keep.
4. I stand amazed at my God so often. He is so faithful, so loving, yet so truthful and just. I am in awe of Him every single time I tae the time to stop and see what he has done for me.
6. I am a chocoholic.
7. I spend waaay too much time at this computer.
8. I am scared to death of Chris' and I's decision of joining the AF, yet so excited to get it started! 9. My favorite season is Fall...the temperature is so perfect, the scenery so beautiful, the food so delicious.

Eight Ways to Win My Heart:
1. Give me chocolate- especially fudge.
2. Adore my children, spend time with them. Show me you care about THEM! You care about them proves you care about me.
3. Listen to my rambling and philosophizing and ramble and philosophize back.
4. Show some vulnerability. Prove you are, indeed human :)
5. Make me laugh. vulnerability.
6. Don't make me feel stupid.
7. Pretend to care about my great finds at stores :)
8. Give me unexpected little things-- notes, treats, hugs, etc.

Seven Things That Cross My Mind a Lot:
1. My children and their salvation, their safety, their happiness
2. Chris
3. Money- do we have enough, where does it need to go?
4. Etsy
5. Keeping my home in shape/ having dinner ready and things prefect when my hubby comes home :D
6. Creative little ideas... and guilt about not completing them
7. That I need to continue in my steps and walk with God.

Six Things I Do Before I Fall Asleep:
1. Check my list of online sites
2. Go to the bathroom (bathroom, teeth etc.)
3. Crawl in bed under the comforter and adjust my top pillow/blankets
4. Kiss my hubby
5. Roll over in a specific pattern
6. Close my eyes :)

Five People Who Mean a Lot:
1. Chris
2. Ryan
3. Ryley
4. Mom and Mike
5. Ashley

Four Things I'm Wearing Right Now:
1. old faded jeans
2. black top
3. white undershirtward" stamped typewriter key necklace.
4. wolverine socks :)

Three Songs I Listen to a Lot: [at the moment]
1. Blues Clues
2. Glory Defined by Building 429
3. Shadow of Angels by Building 429

Two Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
1. Own a house
2. Go to college

One Confession:
1. I really don't enjoy being out without my children. I spend the whole time worrying about them, or missing them. So it annoys me when people tell me I NEED time alone, because I don't.

pictures of me :o

2008-10-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, no laughing allowed, ok? I will ease you into *my* pictures with a few of us three girls (my full sisters ( I hate saying that, because it is weird- I have 3 other sisters that I consider totally my sisters as well! It is just the only way i can think to say it :o) Anyway- here they are. If you feel the need to run and puke, feel free, just dont tell me about it, ok?

Chris' Baptisim

2008-10-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so these are a little off, but I found them and figured you all would appriciate me posting them! Chris got baptized this August, and here aer a few pictures. He had everyone crying with his testimony (which was pretty amazing by the way- very few people know HIM and his life before me...and even after me :o) Anyway, It was wonderful :) We all cried, we laughed and it was pretty awesome! Our two favorite pastors Pastor Dave, the associate pastor, and pastor Darryl, the new youth pastor beaptized him- it was so wonderful. pastor Dave was the one who we had pre-marital councelling, and who we have gone to to speak with often. He is such a wonderful mn! And Pastor darryl is turning out to be SUCH a wonderful man of God, we are currently taking calss with him about seeking God's purpose for our lives- what HE has us on this earth to do for Hm and HIS glory! :)

New pics :D

2008-10-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here they are! The light of everyone's life who takes the time to get to know them :D Seriously- I have soon good (not to menton cute!) kids :D As per the usual, I will tell you our boring life updates at the bottom :)

Not much going on around here. Chris is on week three of his training, last week will be his last \week before the crummy hours start :/ (10:30-7...EWW! The kids will be in bed by then :()

I am starting to work on Ryley's birthday party :) I am getting the invites out, and have her onsie all bought :D I am not sure what I am going to do for appetizers and such, so if any one has ideas...let me know! I am not looking for adult ones- I am looking for cute ones- like bugs made out of food that RYLEY can eat. I am not about to serve a bunch of food I dont want Ryley to eat! Hehe :D I am also trying to find a super yummy cake reicpe :)

Other than that- there isnt too much! Oh! Chris and I get to go on a double date, yeah! Nanny is watching the kids at her house and we are going out with Chris and Ashley to Longhorn *drools* They lost a bet we made while playing a game so they have to take us out! Sounds good, huh? Been FOREVER

I am going to post a few pictuers of Me (yeah you heard that right! Shocking, I know :o) in a little while :)

How about this?

2008-10-16T19:32:00.001-07:00

Lets try this!

Bear with me, I am working on Ryleys Birthday invites :D

Just to let you know...

2008-10-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

I found the camera! It was in my diaper bag the whole time! Arg...but then of course I left it at the IL's-- but good news is I wil have ew pictures up here sooner or later. Chris and I have to talk to them anyway. We are going to see if they will let us have Ryleys Bday party there so no one feels odd coming here :) Heres to hoping they will let us have the place!

Anyway- over the past two days, I have read the first 3 out of 16 of the Left Behind series. We have a random assortment after that of the novels, and sadly we dont have #4 and it is KILLING ME!!!! So, to get my mind off it, I started the book CHris got me for my birthday- The lucky one by Nicholas Sparks :) I am about 130 pages in and loving it (what a surprise huh?)

Chris and I watch Pan's Labrynth the other night...really good, but man was it eerie!! I hid for a good portion of the second half because of just pure AH! (and some gore too...ugh) It was really intense and quite a good movie. That is the second movie in a row now that we just haent nkown what to think of afterwards. (Can you all tell I am *trying* to watch things other than romantic comedies?)

One quick thing

2008-10-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

Happened all of 10 seconds ago, and I just have to tell you all. It cracked me it!

I was in a grumpy mood, and when I have a grumpy day, or just dont feel good about myself, I put my wedding Tiara on for a little while (just to be silly and feel like a princess all in one!) Anyway, I was wearing it and Ryan looked at me and goes, I want to wear that! I said, I bought this when I married your daddy. Only married people get to wear Tiaras. He goes Well, Im Married! And I said, Yeah? Who are you married to? And he goes, Ummm...Ryan!!

Thank you everyone for my birthday cards I got today (Gramma, Ryan wrote you a letter the moment he got his in the mail...He so loves getting them from you!)

For your reading pleasure

2008-10-10T07:26:00.001-07:00

I took a few notes yesterday about our day for your pleasure. I will save the best for last :D

First of all though, I have to brag. This kid shares SO well. He shares everything he has, food (even things he really likes) his toys, anything anyone else wants or may want, he is just happy to surrender it and share. And as of late, Emma and Callie have been pretty mean to him (not letting him in their room, not letting him out the door...just things like that, and he is still nice to 'em :)

There are just a few silly things, day to day stuff he does that just cracks me up!

For instance, we were playing outside and we have this toy house that he loves to play in and "cook noodles" but anyway- He was outside in it, and he had his car parked outside. He got out of the house, pushes his car about 20 yards, then tells me that he is going to drive home. He gets in his car, starts to go, and realizes that he left the house door open. He jumps out of the car, runs all the way back, closes it, and then runs back gets in his car and drives there. It was just funny how Non-efficient the whole thing was!

He has also been into showing everyone his "muscles". His "muscles" are his elbows. Instead of doing the arm muscle pose, he points his elbows at you!

Lately, if anything is missing...its dead. I am not sure where this came from, as we dont let him watch anything that something may die in, and nothing has died around here lately. So I dont know where it came from, but everything is dead. Ex) Ryan, where are your trains? "They died" or Ryan, why arent your undies on "Because they died"

Oh! Ryley is a hoot. I have been doing emma and callies hair every morning and putting bows in them- Anytime Ryley notices they have one, she rips it out and tried to put it in her own hair! Apparently she knows they are hers and does NOT want someone else using them :o

Also, it was a little windy yesterday, and Ryley was sitting on her trampoline outside (she loves to climb on the mini trampoline and just sit there. That is where she stays for the majority of the time we are out there) Well, everytime the wind blew, she stopped what she was doing, giggled, and clapped ;)

Ok- here is the best part :) For your reading pleasure, I gave Ryan an interview, and then had Daddy ask all the same questions when he got hom to see how much was the same :) Here we go! :

Me: What is your favorite color?
Ryan: Red. No wait...black. No wait! Red. Yes, red.
Me : Favorite food?
Ryan: chicken
Me: Snack?
Ryan: Cake
Me : Sister?
Ryan: Ryley
Me : Brother?
Ryan: Me, RYAN!
Me : body part?
Ryan: My heart...thump thump thump thump!
Me: Best friend?
Ryan: Daddy
Me: Kitty?
Ryan: Black Eyed Susan (our cat)...that is a male by the way...
Me: Drink?
Ryan: Milk and apple juice and water wiff ice and grape juice
Me: Game?
Ryan: Playing stickers
Me: Outside game?
Ryan: Um, I dont know
Me: Inside toy?
Ryan: My train tracks
Me: Treat?
Ryan: Candy...the ball one (?)
Me: When is your birthday
Ryan: The straw one... ( I have no idea what this means mind you)
Me: What do you want for CHristmas?
Ryan: A new swing
Me: TV show?
Ryan: Super Why and Blues Clues
Me: Book?
Ryan: Tick tock dog, my Bible, Good night Moon, Blessings [to] go...as he trails off

Then when Daddy did it, I will just repeat the answers instead of typing all that out because I hve children getting restless!

Red
Giraffe
Chicken
Cheez-its
Ryley
Punka Mike (papa Mike)
Nose
Jackie (I have no idea who this is. When we asked he goes "A friend"
Black Eyed Susan
Milk and Apple Juice
Stickers- I like stickers
Play
Alphabet and Train tracks
Straw one (again...what is that!??!?)
A worm
Super Why and Blues Clues
Book- The Korean one (we have some books from sang that are written in Korean)

Hope you all enjoyed reading!

Love, The Parrs :)

Updates on Ryley

2008-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't see her often Ryley has learned a few new "tricks"

-She now waves Hi and Bye bye and will say bye bye.
-She LOVES to clap :) She claps at just about everything, and every time she does she giggles :)
-She blows the BEST raspberries- seriously they are LOUD. She pulls up my shirt and blows them until I make her stop.
-She is walking around on furniture and bends over to pick things up.
-She is also trying to stand on her own. She lets go of everything and weeble wobbles for a few seconds :)
-This kid can EAT! She actually eats larger portions than her brother at every meal- and that is along with ber breastfeeding!

I can't believe that she is almost 1 year old already! To think that an entire year has gone by.

My little Man

2008-10-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am going to start telling you all the funny things My Ryan says again (I cant recall any at the moment, but they are everywhere!!)

Anyway- I just had to write this post

I am so proud of my little man. He shares so well! Callie was having a melt down as she wanted a certain cup, and Ryan was using it. Without me saying a thing, he walked over to her and just said "Callie, do you want my cup?" She said no, and continued to cry. A few minutes later she had calmed down a bit, but still wouldnt use a different cup, and Ryan walked over to her again and says "Callie, re you sure you dont want my cup?"

Im just so proud of him. He may not share all the time, but things like this let me know we must be doing *something* right. As I have mentioned, he may not be the sweetest little boy all the world, but he just amazes me sometimes :D

Well, that was the momma brag for the day :D

The last of 'em :)

2008-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the pictures I will show you all of the lovely photoshoot we had :) After this, it may be a little while for more photos, seeing as I cant find my charger/base for my camera after we moved downstairs :K However, I am not getting anything for my birthday/Christmas and I am going to put away any money i get and I am hoping to buy a new camera if there is anything left over with tax money :) After using moms camera instead of my own....I am addicted and want a REAL with a nice lens and all. (of course added over time) If you have a camera you adore that isnt going to make me keel over at the price (I am hoping for 300 or under...I have found a few with good reviews online so far), let me know!

Did I tell you all that Ryan is FULLY potty trained? He is obsessed with pooping on the potty- Literally can go six times in a day somedays :o And the lucky mama here (not!) gets to go look at his poop and check his bum everytime! But really, I am very excited. We are saving a ton n diapers as a box lasts us almost 3 months vs under 1 month. Now...lets get Ryley trained! HAHA

My happy princess pea :)

He looks like such a big boy here, doesnt he?

Chris and I watched Children of Men last night and it was a VERY interesting movie. Rather frightening as well. Not necessarily the fertility issue, as I know God will come back before that happens, but just how mankind reacts to issues. I don't really know what to tell you all about- to watch it, to not...it was just really very interesting- and different than what you would normally watch :)

Chris' first day went well :) Seems to be an easy job, and the pay will rise quicker than originally thought.

Photoshoot :)

2008-10-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

This Sunday afternoon after church was just too gorgeous, so I packed up the kids and got some photos (ok, Mom took a lot of these- but I did take at least half of the ones I am going to show you- so I can call them mine :))

Anyway, I am going to try and split it up into two days worth of photos (and waht I show you isnt even a quarter of the pictures that we taken :o)

After the photos I will tell you the little new bits of our boring life. Notice that Ryley has pigtails! Are they not the CUTEST thing you have ever seen?? Seriously

Be forewarned, Ryan is weird. That is all I have to say.

Anyway, today is Chris first day at his new (real!) job. He will have training for four weeks, and then he will start workin. The training is 8-5, but then the real job is 10:30-7:30 (ick!...with the kids ed tiome a little after 6, it means we wont be together as a family other than on weekends :( )

Im baack!

2008-10-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so maybe I didn't realize that people were actually READING this blog. So I am going to attempt to get back into the swing of things, and keep you all pdated. I do have to say I dont have a ton of new great pictures, as my camera is moody and isnt letting me take more than 3 pictures without the battery dying. And seeing as new batteries are a million dollars that we just dont have, I will do my best to get a few new pictures :D

In the meantime, I will get you some pictures, tell you about 'em, and then tell you all about whats been going on in the Parr's life :)

Our favorite place to be :) The Playground- M1 and M2 attempting to share the plane

Ryan on the slide! He loves this slide the most :)

Daddy pushing both kids so I can attempt to take pictures :)
She adores the swing. She just giggles and giggles :) Its pretty cute!
And our daredevil little man here likes to go higher than we can get him to go!

Ryley eating one of her favorite snacks, grass.

Dont you love the hair? I have got to get some good pictures of her in pigtails! I will try over the next day or s if we can get some sun :)

My little hambone. Dad and Tricia can account to that- as Ryan was all over tricia with the camera!

Ok- now that I have given you the picture fix, I will fill you in on our life a little bit.

Chris took the ASVAB (the Air force entry test) and did WONDERFUL! He is actually over-qualified for an inside intel job! So we will be going over the jobs and seeing what we want to do. Right now we are thinking Linguistics, since he can already read Korean.

Another praise- We were able to put in our two weeks at the lovely (im joking) Wal*mart and McD's and he starts training at his new job this coming monday!!! What a praise!!!

I will be posting some pictures of my Chicago trip in a little while :)

On another note- I have been struggling with me (hence why I haven't been writing on here) I have been struggling with who I am, and why God put me here on this world. Chris and I started taking a bible study on Sunday afternoons while his mom watches the kids :) It is all about Lifes Purpose, and what God has put you here for. I have been studying proverbs- and I know that God wants to speak to me- but I need to be open and listening. Anyway- that was enough on that before I bore you all to death.

The pool!

2008-07-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today was a historical day in the Parr household :) I managed to get Ryan IN the pool!!! We played for about a half an hour, just the three of us. He was crazy in there too. We can barely get him to dip his feet, and today he just jumped and splashed like a fool! I didnt ge too many photos because I was holding them both for a good chunk of the time- but here are the few I got.

Still no word about the hearing yet- lets hope we hear something monday!! And all of the interviews were flops as well....All in God's timing....

Just a day

2008-07-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I am not blogging everyday anymore- but I'm tryin! :) Here are some GREAT pics of the kids I have to share with you all :)

Ryan's THREE!!!

2008-07-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ok- I am SUCH a slacker! We took Ryan and Ryley to Sandy Pond for Ryan's birthday on Thursday- and I forgot the CAMERA!!!! It sat at home, on the dining room table awaiting for our return. I am so mad I could smack myself. Ugh. Anyway- the two of them had the greatest time- ever! Ryan actually went into the water all the way up to his neck! As long he knows he can touch, he is happy (hence why he wont go near the pool). So, Ryan was in the water until we stopped. We "raced" to the shore line, splashed, blew bubbles- it was a blast. And of course- Ryley being Ryley hogged most of the compliments with her big blue eyes, crazy hair, and enormous smile. In any event it went very well :)
Then we came home, took naps and woke up to Pizza and Dutch Kitchen Cake. Ryan was THRILLED. He got a cool Cars doodle pro which he hasnt put down yet. It has a wrentch for the pen, stencils, and Lightning McQueen comes off and actually draws :) My mom took those pictures, so I will get back to you later on those.
I do have a few pictures for you though. Nothing special- but someone gave us a little hammock that the kids are in love with :)

On the job frontier- nothing. We are getting more and more discouraged by the day. Chris is going to try a different temp agency, and try on of those things where you get hired for the day. Ryans birthday money was put away for the next set of diapers that we need. We have the credit card company calling us everyday which is just such a downer- we had such great credit! We cant go ANYWHERE- we havent gone to see Gramma in a few weeks because it just eats gas. We have been invited to a few BBQ's and paries over the past few weeks and we had to turn them down. It's all in God's timing I know...but sometimes it is just really hard to wait. I guess we just havent learned whatever God has in store for us! Just keep praying for us that our spirits will be lifted.