Cousin Sleepover/Bad Day

Parker had his 1st SLEEPOVER:)
His cousin Mason spent the night & Parker was SO EXCITED! They had so much fun playing together & they both slept great. It was so fun to see them in the morning. When Mason walked in, Parker's reaction was SO HAPPY that Mason was STILL HERE!!! They ate breakfast, played some MarioKart & had fun building towers out of Jenga blocks. I had a clock to deliver during the day & I had to borrow my mom's van, because the (4 ft) clock would NOT fit in my car. Mason asked if he could go to Grandma's house...so I decided that I would go pick up the van, let Parker & Mason play at Grandma's for an hour, while I drove out to Queen Creek & then I would be back to get Mason home, before his school @ noon. I was excited I wouldn't have to drive all the way out there with Parker in the car, so I thought my plan was great!

Well...that is when my GREAT day started to turn NOT SO GREAT.
1st bad move...I jumped on the 202 off of the 60, thinking it would take me South faster & I could get home faster. When the 202 quickly turned from going SOUTH TO WEST...I jumped off on Power. No biggie...I would just take Power south until I hit Queen Creek Road.
Well...guess what? Queen Creek Rd doesn't go through to Power!
So I kept driving & driving & driving & driving...and I could NOT FIND Queen Creek Rd.
Well Power Rd. finally dead ends into the mountains...and I am now on Hunt Highway?? At this point, the AC turns off??? That is weird? I look down @ the gas gauge & have a panic attack that I am out of gas & that is why my AC is out. Fortunately, the car was still moving & as I'm driving along Hunt Highway, WONDERING WHEN I will EVER see a gas station...I decide to call my sister-in-law & tell her Sorry that I am a bit lost & won't be able to get Mason home in time. My phone rings...rings...rings...DIES. Yep...no phone. Are you serious? My next call was GOING TO BE to my mom to figure out WHERE I was & WHY her AC was out.
MIRACULOUSLY, in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, a QT is in the distance! I basically coast into the gas station, completely out of gas. I MADE IT! I fill up on gas & I am on my way. At this point, I decide that I have NO IDEA where I am, but I'm sure that I'm too far SOUTH...so I decide I need to head back towards home. I'm still HOPING I can get to this house to deliver the clock & borrow their phone to call my mom to take Mason home, before his class! Well...I get on Rittenhouse...which I guess heads Northwest & I'm cruising along in the middle of NOWHERE...when I realize the car is slowing down. I try pushing on the gas & it does nothing. The guy behind me is probably saying some pretty obscene things to me at this point. As it slows even more, I pull into the center lane & put on my hazards & now I am just coasting. I'm PRAYING that I can get a LITTLE farther, because right NOW...all I see is FIELDS! I BARELY make it to the entrance of a new home subdivision & crank the wheel & BARELY make it to the edge of their entrance, before the car COMPLETELY stops rolling.
OK...so I'm pretty HOT...been driving with no AC for quite some time. My cell phone is dead. The car just died AND I have NO IDEA where I am!!! OH...AND I am supposed to have Mason home in about 15 minutes & it DOES NOT look like that is going to happen. I'm a HOT, EMOTIONAL, PREGNANT MESS.
So...I lock up the car & decide to start walking. Luckily I see a Model Home Sales Office in this subdivision, so I cross my fingers that this isn't a bankrupt community & that SOMEONE is working there!
Luck was on my side(ha!) & there was a VERY NICE MAN working & despite my sweat & tears...he said I could use his phone. He even brought me a cold water bottle to drink(so nice!)
I call my mom & I try explaining everything...she is AMAZING & runs Mason home on her way to come out and pick me up...WHEREVER I AM. I have to put the phone down, go in the other office & say, "Um...Sir...where am I? I need to tell someone how to get here." He pulls out a map & gives me directions.
OK...Now time to wait...and COOL OFF...emotionally & physically.
The man so NICELY tells me that I can wait inside & meanwhile, spends the next hour trying to sell me a home in his community:) At least he was good company & I was able to calm down from my frustrations.

My mom had so nicely picked up my sister's car so that I could still deliver my clock...so we transferred the clock, went up the road to...CIVILIZATION! I was actually only about a mile from a Walmart, Taco Bell, Autozone & MORE! We stopped & got lunch @ TB, went in to AutoZone for some fluids for the van & then went to deliver the clock...which was only about 4 miles away!
Then...back to the van to see if we could get it started. My mom got it started, but drove it for a couple of blocks & it started shaking pretty bad, so we ditched it in a parking lot & headed home.
At least my mom had NOTHING to do all day...OH WAIT...she had a very BUSY day AND now she has no car for who knows how long!!!

If you are still with me...I am sorry...but thanks for allowing me to vent...

On a SIDE NOTE...PLEASE LOOK AT THIS & YOU CAN SEE WHY I AM HAPPY, DESPITE MY BAD DAY...
Mason gave me this present for "Washington"(the name he has given my unborn son) when I picked him up to spend the night. I about died. SO CUTE. I can't WAIT to dress my little boys alike!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH JULIE!!! I LOVE "Washington"...and Parker's gift!!!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

Drum Roll Please...

...have you been WONDERING if we are having a BOY or a GIRL!?!

Well...stop wondering! We are having a...

We couldn't be MORE EXCITED!!! I think Matt is QUITE RELIEVED that we will not be going bankrupt from buying bracelets & bows & clothes & shoes & bedding & all that girly stuff...
We already have EVERYTHING for a boy!

I do have to say, that it was quite a shock though, since my husband has been ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that it was a girl for awhile now. In fact, he didn't even see the need for an ultrasound...he was THAT SURE!!! Well...our little guy showed him! And BOY...did he SHOW US! The doctor barely touched the doo-hicky on my stomach & up popped what APPEARED TO BE A VERY VERY OBVIOUS BOY...BUT...our doctor didn't say anything & quickly moved it to a different position & started taking measurements of the head, ribs, etc...so I thought I might have seen it wrong. After a good 10 minutes, he says, "OK...ready to see what you are having?" He proceeded to show us a clear shot of our little BOY:) I HAD to ask him, "Could you tell right away, because I was pretty sure I saw it RIGHT when you started?" He admitted that it was obvious, but he didn't want to give it away that quick, so he tried to quickly move it away. I think he just wanted to give Matt a couple more minutes of being "right" before he was proven WRONG! Although Matt said he saw it right away as well & we were both wondering the same thing in our heads the whole time! I think our little baby boy was trying to say "HEY DAD!!! I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS REAL OBVIOUS FOR YOU...I AM A BOY...SO QUIT CALLING ME A GIRL!!!"

Nursery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

18 Months!!!

Parker is 18 months old!!! You know what that means!?! Today was his 1st day going to NURSERY!!! We were a LITTLE excited to say the least.
The last few months have been VERY DIFFICULT with him climbing, jumping, running...doing anything and everything to make it so we could NOT sit through a lesson at church. Matt & I have done a pretty good job of switching back & forth, but we both teach sometimes & it has been fun trying to figure out who gets to take him each week. The girls in Young Womens LOVE him, but are also SO DISTRACTED by him...we definitely KNEW it was time for him to go to nursery!
--------------------------------------

I went to drop him off & the kids were playing with Legos & he headed straight for the tub & started building. I sat down in the room & talked to the teachers for a minute or two & then got up to leave...he didn't even notice.
When I picked him up after church, they said he did GREAT! I figured he would be HAPPY to be ANYWHERE but Sunday School, but it was a relief to know that he did so well :) Hopefully every week can be just as easy!

And now for a little journal update:

Eating Habits:
Parker eats ANYTHING & EVERYTHING & especially LOVES fruit.
He is still on Whole Milk, but prefers water & LOVES when he gets juice!

Sleeping Habits:
Parker takes ONE nap a day...usually from 1pm-4pm & sleeps at night from 8:30pm-8:30am...I know, I am VERY LUCKY that he sleeps in this late! I'm afraid baby #2 is going to be an early riser:(
He still LOVES his blue blanky & has to have it, before he goes to sleep. We JUST took away his pacifier this week...which was probably why he is such a good sleeper...so we will have to see if it continues or not...

Play Habits:
Parker goes, goes, goes & goes...all day long! He is a BUSY boy & it is a MIRACLE if you ever see my house clean. He LOVES to dump things out, clean out cupboards & throw things around the room. We are WORKING on not doing that as much, but thankfully he is pretty good about picking up his toys if I ask him too! He loves to go outside & looks LONGINGLY out the window every day, as I tell him it is too hot :( He has been having fun swimming this summer & loves the water, but would rather be standing outside the water, throwing toys in the pool. He is going to be quite the little athlete...he's got a good throwing arm on him & will show you anytime you want. He could play catch ALL DAY LONG! He LOVES to throw balls, kick balls, (tries) to catch balls & can even hit a ball off a tee! He is all boy!

He is the king of funny faces & scowls. He always looks like he is concentrating on something & his cute little eyebrows furrow up, when he is thinking. He is SO MUCH FUN...Matt & I just can't stop telling each other how cute he is & how much fun he is & how we can't believe that he has gotten so old! He doesn't talk much...but understands everything! He has a couple words in his vocabulary, but we are trying to get him to become more vocal. He gets his point across pretty clearly without words though, so he probably doesn't see the point of talking:) He's at that wonderful age where he loves to be around other kids, but DOES NOT LIKE IT when they touch his toys or his chair or ANYTHING that is his & will take it right back or give the kid a shove. Hopefully this does not keep up in nursery & he can learn to share! He loves to play @ Grandma & Grandpa's houses & we are SO THANKFUL to have both of them so close, so Parker can see them often. Probably Parker's FAVORITE thing to do is play "Hide N Seek" or "Peek-a-Boo"...he LOVES to hide & is always finding new places to hide from us:)We can't believe he is already 1 1/2 years old!!!
We LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!

Goodbye Tate!

My baby brother entered the MTC today...he leaves for HONDURAS in 3 months after a crash course in Spanish/Mission Prep in Provo, UT! I am so excited for him!!!

Here is a picture of him Sunday night...saying goodbye to his g-friends...no more hugs/kisses for 2 years!!!

Other Exciting News of the week...
Micro-burst hits our house.
It rained so hard & the wind was so strong, that every window/sliding door in our house was leaking water. I was a little worried about our house flooding.
luckily it didn't.
A chunk of our roof is now gone. That should cost a pretty penny to fix.
Our power was out for awhile...but not as long as Rob & Julie's...so I can't complain.
Overall...we were grateful for the rain & had fun hanging out in candlelight, watching out the window...as chairs/branches,etc. flew across our front yard.

I've been busy painting lately...

...which means Parker gets to paint too!!!

We bought a hat for Parker. I thought he might hate it. He LOVES it. He always wants to wear it & walks around like he is so cool, when he is wearing it:)
I would too...if I were this cute.

Oh yah, he answers to the name "Superman" now:)

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Tuesday, July 22nd
Decided out of the blue that TODAY is the day we say GOODBYE to the pacifier. I hadn't really thought much about HOW I was going to do it...so I thought I would try cutting the tip off(since I've heard this worked for many). I gave the pacifier to Parker & he stuck it in his mouth, quickly pulled it back out...looked at it very curiously...and then stuck it back in and smiled, as if to say, "Ha...nice try Mom, but I can still hold on to it with my teeth".

DAY ONE:
1:05pm-Tell Parker his pacifier is "Broken" & tell him to throw it away(I thought if HE threw it away, then he couldn't be mad at me"
1:10pm-laid him down for his nap...immediately starts crying.
1:30pm-still crying...check on him & find his pacifier & blanket across the room(I think he was a LITTLE mad his pacifier wasn't working)
2:oopm-Decide that 1 hour of crying is pretty long time & pull him out of bed & try to calm him down with some TV, thinking he will fall asleep while I am holding him.
2:15pm-Running around, happy as can be(did not fall asleep, as I'd hoped)
2:20pm-I think, "Ok...he isn't going to fall asleep out here...so back to his crib."
2:21pm-Lay him down/he starts crying
2:45pm-Still crying...geez kid...aren't you SO TIRED!?!
3:00pm-I start crying...I get up to give him a "working" pacifier
3:01pm-I resist & sit back down
3:30pm-Still crying(yes...both of us)
3:31pm-I decide that 2 1/2 hours is long enough & I pull him out of bed.
3:32pm-He is Happy as can be...despite NO NAP & crying for 2 hours!
4:00pm-Tell Parker he can have a popsicle if he throws his pacifier away
4:00-4:10pm-Parker stands by trash, trying to mentally figure out if he would rather have his pacifier or a popsicle. He can't seem to decide. He REALLY wants that popsicle, but won't throw his pacifier away.
4:15pm-I put Parker in his highchair for a snack, with the trash beside him.
4:20pm-I hear a scream of delight & I come in to see his pacifier in the trash!
4:21pm-I give him a big kiss & a couple high fives and TWO popsicles...Parker seems VERY satisfied with his decision.
6:45pm-Matt & I need to run some errands
6:48 pm-I turn around to find Parker sound asleep in his carseat.{a LITTLE late for a nap!}
7:30pm-We return home, Parker wakes up from his cat nap...despite my original thought that he would sleep the rest of the night, since he had no nap today.
8:30pm-Lay Parker down for the night...Parker starts crying
9:oopm-Still crying....
10:00pm-Parker falls asleep


DAY TWO:

7:37am Parker wakes up...slept all NIGHT...without a pacifier.
1:00pm-Parker falls asleep in car on the way home from Peter Piper
1:05pm-Transfer Parker from car to crib...no problem! Hooray! Much easier than yesterday.
2:30pm-Parker wakes up crying. Probably searching everywhere for his pacifier...can't find it, can't go back to sleep.
3:00pm-I get Parker up after 30 minutes of hoping he'd fall back to sleep, while listening to him cry.
9pm-Put Parker to bed...didn't make a peep :)

DAY THREE:
7:52am Woke up
1:02pm-Put Parker down for nap....started crying...
1:15pm -No more crying...he is asleep...not bad.
2:43pm-Parker wakes up...not good.
3:35pm...still crying...I am thinking how cranky he is going to be the rest of the day!
3:4opm-can't hear him anymore...I pray that he has fallen asleep...
3:41pm-No such luck...more crying
8:30pm-Laid down...no crying:)

DAY FOUR:
8:30am-Woke up!!! Hooray for a full 12 hours!
1:15pm-Lay Parker down for nap...immediately starts crying
1:50pm-Parker falls asleep
3:10pm-Parker wakes up...these 1 1/2 hr naps HAVE TO STOP!
8:45pm-Parker lays down, no crying!

DAY FIVE:
7:50am-Parker wakes up
1:50pm-Lay Parker down...thinking he will go RIGHT to sleep, because we had been swimming in the HOT sun for the past couple hours! Nope...starts crying...
2:20pm-Falls Asleep
3:50pm-Wakes up...what is with these 1 1/2 hr naps!
8:45pm-Put Parker to bed...falls right to sleep

DAY SIX:
7:30am-Parker wakes up
12:45pm-Put Parker down for nap...doesn't make any noise, lays right down!:) HOORAY!
12:47pm-Hear him crying...quietly though...not as angrily as the past 5 days...
1pm-Asleep
2pm-Awake:(
8:45pm-Lay down for night...right to sleep

LUCKY DAY SEVEN:
7:30-Wake up
12:35pm-Lay Down for Nap...starts crying
12:40pm-Asleep:)
4:45pm-Woke up:)

Put yourselves in MY SHOES...what would you do!?!

I'm SOOOOOOO ready to give him back his pacifier! He is normally the BEST sleeper. Doesn't make a PEEP when I put him down for naps or at night & USUALLY sleeps from 8:30pm-8:30am & naps from 1:00-pm-4:30pm...I've tried it for a weej & I'm ready to give up...but I also don't want to go through this all over again in the future. I HATE listening to him cry himself to sleep & I HATE his short naps!!! I don't know if I can last another day!!!!!!!

WHAT WOULD YOU DO!?!

Shanell & Brittany Tagged Me...

{Three Joys}

My Family
The Gospel
Icecream
(really...is there ANYTHING else in life besides these 3 things!?)

{Three Fears}

Losing someone close to me
Elevators...I'm getting better though...probably because the alternate option is stairs
Scorpions. I have been stung 14-ish times & I still squirm at the thought of them...I NOW fear about Parker getting stung more than myself. Both grandparents houses have these lovely, creepy, crawly things...ughhh

{Three Goals}

Get the office cleaned out & decorated as a nursery :)..AFTER we find out what we are having!
Exercise on a regular basis
Make a quilt out of my wedding dress...don't try telling me not to cut up my wedding dress. I WANT to.

{Three Current Obsessions}

My hubby. You would be too if you were married to him.
Wii. Exercise WHILE playing video games. Genius.
Taking Pictures...I ALWAYS take TOO MANY pics of EVERY stinkin thing that happens in my life. Thank heavens for blogging, so I actually have something to do with the pictures now.*By the way...if you haven't already...you need to turn your Blog into a BOOK. Another Genius idea...automatic journal/scrapbook of the year!

{Three Surprising Facts About Myself}

I wanted to marry Matt since Jr. High
I had my papers & Bishop's interview for a MISSION & really wanted to go. The Lord(and Matt) had other plans for me.
I'm a bit OCD about certain things(my house) & not at ALL about others(my car)


I tag...everyone that is RELATED to me!

I Survived...

5 DAYS without my BOYS!!!
I am back from Girls Camp & am TRYING to recover from pure exhaustion. We had an ABSOLUTE BLAST, despite the fact that I was constantly thinking about Matt & Parker. The girls had SO much fun & we had such WONDERFUL leaders up there. It was a GREAT SUCCESS! I will post pictures soon (as soon as I get some...since I FORGOT my camera...I'm still sad about that!) I was AMAZED at the amount of work that went into camp(you don't realize that as a Young Woman--but notice every detail as a leader)

Did I mention that my husband is INCREDIBLE & took off work for the week, so he could be home with Parker...just so I wouldn't have to worry. He's incredible.

---------------------------
On a SIDE NOTE...we find out whether we are having a BOY or GIRL next week...
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ARE HAVING???

Popular Day!

July 7th just got a little busier for our family!!!
My brother Matt's Birthday was yesterday...July 7th. He is such a wonderful brother & unfortunately his birthday has been overlooked somewhat for the past...oh 7 years. WHY?
Because my nephew Mason was born 7 years ago...on July 7th!
I CANNOT believe my little nephew Mason is SEVEN!!!
It really has been quite fun celebrating their birthdays TOGETHER for the past 7 years...we usually have combined parties & Matt is nice enough to let Mason have most of the attention:)

Mason chose to have a POKEMON party...and Matt didn't even complain:)
We had fun eating pizza, swimming & eating delicious dessert with them lastnight!AND....then we left a bit early & we were off to the hospital..

We have a new nephew! Matt's brother Craig & his wife Heidi had their beautiful baby yesterday! One more July 7th Birthday! They named him Brogan & he is absolutely perfect! I guess this is what a family of 4 will look like when December rolls around!

Heidi looked AMAZING just hours after delivery! She is incredible & everything went so well with the labor & delivery! Craig & Heidi are such great parents & I can't wait to see big sister Talia with her new little baby brother!

The Allen Boys:)

CONGRATULATIONS CRAIG & HEIDI!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT & MASON!!!

4th of July

We had a WONDERFUL 4th of July weekend!!!
We got to escape the HEAT for a few days & enjoy the weekend @ my family's cabin.
Parker LOVED it. He has been DYING to play outside lately, but it is just TOO HOT. So he loved that he was free to go outside ALL DAY LONG!
Parker got to meet some new cousins...Matt on the left & Jake on the right.
He had so much fun with them!

Here we are @ the 4th of July Parade! Yes...those are Llamas. Gotta LOVE small towns!

Watching the parade...it was sprinkling a LITTLE...but not much...

...THEN...out of NOWHERE...starts POURING & HAILING on us! We had to all jump in the truck, because the hail was so big it was HURTING us! I felt bad for all the people in the parade...which QUICKLY ended!

This is looking out our window...there was a little running stream of water in between our tires on the side of the road within minutes!

We SOON realized...we weren't going ANYWHERE. We were STUCK!

After the hail stopped, a NICE man tried pulling us out with a rope...but the rope snapped in half...and we were still stuck...We EVENTUALLY found a way out & back to the Ranch we went!

When we woke up Friday, it was 86degrees...after the parade @ 1pm...we came back & it was 54degrees. It literally dropped more than 30 degrees in 1 hour! This is my sis-in-law Julie & her daughter Gemma & Me & Parker...sitting around the fire we built to stay warm.

Parker was LOVING the cool weather!!!

Grandma...making 4th of July cupcakes with the kiddos. Thanks JULIE for bringing them up for us!

Saturday we were off to the Williams DEER FARM!!! Ever since I was a little girl, we have gone to the Deer Farm by our cabin & it is always fun to watch the kids reactions to the animals.
We walked in the gate & I had poured deer food on Parker's stroller tray & they pretty much attacked him. Not a good start.

Julie, My mom & My sister Heidi...feeding the Deer:)

It didn't take Parker long to decide that he wanted to try. He would put the food right into the Deer's mouth!

Watch out Matt...that Camel is going to bite your ear!

My dad & nephew Tanner & my mom having lots of fun:)

Our little family @ the Deer Farm

Aren't they the CUTEST boys ever!?!

Looking through the gates @ the animals

These are my (2nd?) cousins Melinda & Scott & their CUTE boys, Matt & Jake. It was so fun to meet her kids & get to know them better over the weekend!

Parker was brave enough to let Matt put him down & he just walked around by the deer.

Quite a CUTIE!

"Mom...haven't you taken ENOUGH pictures of me?"

All the kiddos that were at the Ranch!

It was SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND! So RELAXING & COOL!!! Couldn't ask for MORE!
They did cancel their Fireworks because of Fire Danger...which I was a little sad about, but I got over it:)
-------------
The ride home was...Miserable. Parker was NOT HAPPY. I thought he would sleep the whole way home, since he was SO TIRED, but I think he was OVERLY tired from his fun weekend & refused to sleep & wasn't happy the entire car ride!
We finally took a break @ Anthem Outlets & got dinner & they had a Splash Pad, so Parker was in HEAVEN...running around & playing:)

It was a much needed break from the car:)

And now we are home....back to the YUCKY heat, but we were glad to be able to get away for a few days & have a little vacation!!!
We had a WONDERFUL weekend!!!