The Evanson Family

CHRISTMAS

2012-02-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

Christmas Morning . . . (well except the cookies for santa was Christmas Eve!)

My mom is in a few of these Christmas pictures because she came in town to watch the kids while Rich and I went to San Diego (the post right before this one).

A few days before Christmas we had a big yummy turkey dinner with some friends!!

San Diego

2012-02-07T00:40:00.011-05:00

I can't believe I took so little pictures on this trip. It was a quick get away with my husband and NO kids thanks to my mom. The army sent Rich to a conference so I tagged along. The weather wasn't nice that week but it was fun to just relax and spend time with Rich in between his meetings! We also saw his cousin Blaine and his wife Robin for a night. And I met my Aunt Julie for lunch one day which was fun! My mom did amazing back at home with the kids. She said Kendra was just the highlight of her week. She is at such a fun stage right now but she really has just been a really good baby all along! We love her. Thanks again mom! My two year old is still says at least once a day, "had fun grandma!"

Thanksgiving

2012-01-26T00:11:00.007-05:00

Wow! We originally didn't have any plans to see family for Thanksgiving. So we were really excited when my sister said they would come and visit from Michigan. We had a blast spending time with her family. The weather couldn't have been better!

Lights of the South!

At the Park!

2012-01-25T23:52:00.004-05:00

Our friends, the Ainsworth's, moved from here about 6 months ago. They came in town for a day so we had a big get together at a new park that was just built in our area. This was the Monday before Thanksgiving and the weather was awesome!! Not sure if it was quite warm enough to play in the fountains but the kids sure thought it was!

Disney On Ice

2012-01-25T23:42:00.002-05:00

Well, this was nothing compared to Disney World but it was fun to be able to go with Parker on his school field trip and spend some time with him while Ty went to a friend's house!

Family Pictures

2012-01-16T01:31:00.006-05:00

Funny how the photographer caught this cute pic of Kendra because she is never a sad baby.

She is always so happy!

http://www.dorothynicolephotography.com/

HALLOWEEN

2012-01-16T01:00:00.005-05:00

I am surprised Ty made it through Halloween with no cavities. I think he always had something in both hands!! He loves his vegetables but also has the biggest sweet tooth!

Thanks to Aunt Diane for some of these outfits that she brought us back from China years ago!

Couldn't resist not posting this last pic! My friend does a couples halloween party every year and it is always a blast. Are we cheesy or what? And just to clarify . . . Go BYU gymnastics!!!!!

Lady Antebellum Concert!

2012-01-16T00:52:00.004-05:00

A fun date night! A new amphitheater was built here in Evans & named after Lady Antebellum.

My friend camped out for the tickets!

Fall Pictures!

2012-01-02T00:54:00.007-05:00

I needed some updated pictures on the side of my blog so I attempted a photoshoot of the boys . . . kids (wow I guess I can't say boys anymore when referring to my kids!!!)

Fall Soccer

2012-01-02T00:27:00.006-05:00

The boys had a blast playing soccer. It was definitely quite the chore taking on 3 soccer schedules at different fields . . . a big thanks to friends who helped me out!

Outside!

2012-01-02T00:12:00.005-05:00

Oh how I love Georgia weather. My kids spend alot of time outside!!

Some funny stuff!!

2012-01-01T23:07:00.004-05:00

I guess Ty wanted to style his hair with my deodorant!!

Ty and Kendra have both set records!

Ty has fallen off his full size bed in the first few months of being in a "big boy bed" more than any of my other boys combined!! And Kendra . . . well I think the picture explains it all. Just gross!!!!!! Carried her and the bumbo straight to the bath!

Kendra started sitting at 6 months. And somehow without crawling yet she manages to get stuck in corners all the time!

Oh how we love Kendra!!

2011-11-16T08:50:00.003-05:00

Labor Day Weekend

2011-11-15T23:53:00.012-05:00

We went to Tennessee for the blessing of our handsome little nephew, Alec. We visited Jessie (Rich's sister) and Adam!! It was a blast because Lacey's family drove down from Ohio and Rich's parents & sister Brittney came too from Colorado. We had a fun weekend of swimming, hanging out, & playing games!! Grandma & Grandpa bought Parker and Brandt a lego star wars ship for their birthday while we were there. They were so excited to get home and put it together!! I am not sure what my boys like more . . . legos or star wars . . . they are in love with both!!

Almost a FIRE?????

2011-11-09T14:55:00.004-05:00

Parker . . . now that he is 5 has become quite independent!! He was home with me for another month after elementary school started before his school started. One day I was upstairs putting Ty and Kendra down for naps. I always stay upstairs getting stuff done because Ty kept getting out of bed when he transitioned to a big boy bed!! Ty was still climbing out of bed when I heard Parker calling for my help. It wasn't a desperate call though. He just quietly said my name. Normally I would have said, Parker, "I'll be down in a few minutes . . . I have to put Ty back down for a nap." Well, for some reason, I just happened to go right downstairs to see what he needed help with. He was standing on the countertop facing the cabinets away from the microwave that was about to explode. Parker had no clue. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I smelt the smoke. I think my microwave still smells (2 months later!!). Parker has never used the microwave before. I tried having him tell me how long he tried warming up the cheese queso for . . . or what numbers he pushed. You can't see the second picture very well but the time says over 38 minutes left!!!! I am so so thankful that I came downstairs right away. If I had waited until Ty fell asleep for his nap I would have been upstairs another 15 minutes for sure. I am thankful that Heavenly Father watches over me as a MOM EVERY DAY!!

Happy Birthday Brandt & Parker!

2011-11-09T03:04:00.005-05:00

Well, it has become a tradition in our family for each kid to have an ARMY BIRTHDAY PARTY!! Brandt has been looking forward to this for a year and a half (when Jay turned 7). We definitely made the obstacle course even more awesome this year . . . running through tires, throwing water balloons, jumping over water barrels, climbing the rock wall and rope ladder, etc. All the boys had a blast!! Happy 7th Birthday Brandt!!

Wow! 3 birthdays all at the end of August definitely keeps us busy (mine is in between Brandt and Parker's). For Parker's 5th birthday, we took a few of his friends bowling. They all had a blast and it was sure fun watching them be SILLY the whole night!!

We love you Parker!!

More Summer Fun!!

2011-11-09T01:15:00.004-05:00

Here are a few more summer photos at the pool and at laser tag with dad!! I had to catch a few of Ty and Kendra since they weren't in any of the swim team photos.

Family Vacation in Michigan!

2011-10-28T00:07:00.006-04:00

Finally posting - it took me forever to go through all the pictures from the trip . . . A fun week in Michigan back in July with the whole Parkinson family (except my brother Joe who is serving a mission) . . . we had a blast hanging out on the lake, skiing, tubing, playing games, and much more. Thanks again Mark & Rhonda for letting all of us stay at your awesome lakehouse!

Swim Team

2011-07-13T20:36:00.009-04:00

Parker stopped napping when he turned 3. Swim team sure wore him out!!

The boys had an AWESOME swim team season! It kept us busy and we are sad that it is over.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-13T20:32:00.001-04:00

Kendra's Baby Blessing

2011-06-22T23:04:00.004-04:00

Kendra's Special Day . . .

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Evanson for coming to visit us!

We love you

FREE Bowling Fun!

2011-06-22T19:51:00.003-04:00

I love free stuff!! If you have Brunswick Bowling in your area . . . check it out. They do a free bowling party every year. It was 2 hours of bowling, pizza, and drinks. Everything was free. There were about 6 or 7 families from church there and all of the kids had a blast!

We Miss You!!

2011-06-22T16:05:00.006-04:00

This post is devoted to the Ainsworth Family . . . some of our favorite friends here in Georgia. They moved to Maryland last week and we already miss them tons. We had one last pool get together before they left.

Me & Kathleen - the KIDS!!

Owen & Brandt - Ty & Caroline

Kendra is 2 Months!

2011-06-22T15:53:00.003-04:00

13 lbs at her 2 month check up! She's a chunk but we love her so much! She is such a happy baby and very content & GOOD. Just what I needed for a 5th baby! And she is sleeping great too.

Ty turns 2!

2011-06-22T15:16:00.003-04:00

We love Ty. I can't believe he is already 2!! He fits right in with his older brothers . . . just full of energy! His favorite thing to do is anything that requires a BALL. He is such a good kid!

Thanks Grandma!

2011-06-17T16:13:00.003-04:00

Grandma Jacobs made this quilt for Kendra. I love it. She is so talented. Thanks Grandma Jacobs. Kendra will have this forever!!

Where did the NICKEL go??

2011-06-15T00:58:00.003-04:00

This happened about a month ago. This is the nickel that Ty swallowed and it came out 8 DAYS later! Yes, I searched his diapers for a week straight and it was the most disgusting thing ever. I was at Walmart with the 3 youngest and Parker & Ty wanted to put money down the spin thing that donates money to the children's hospital. Parker put his penny down but Ty just wanted to play with his one nickel. He didn't want to officially push it down the machine but also didn't want to leave the machine. He just kept acting as if he was going to push it down. So I hurried out of the store pushing Kendra in the cart and carrying Ty as he cried. After a few more errands and 2 hours later we were finally heading home. All of sudden I heard Ty choking. It was a quick loud choke and by the time I turned my head while I was driving, he was done choking and bursted into tears. It was a very sad cry and he kept saying "money in my mouth". I immediately thought of the nickel because I had no idea what happened to it after I carried Ty out of Walmart throwing a fit. I couldn't believe it. Ty is my little talker so I knew it had to be true that he put the nickel in his mouth. It is funny to look back at now but it was definitely a scary moment when it happened. I am so thankful that he is ok and that the nickel didn't get stuck anywhere. It is just one adventure after the next with this little guy!!

the MUD RUN!!

2011-06-12T15:23:00.005-04:00

Check out this 3 minute video . . . hope it works since this is my first time to add video

The kids had a blast doing the mud run this year. I am 0 for 3! We only have 2 years left and I can't wait to have the chance to do it next year. Rich did it 2 years ago a week before I had Ty and last year we were in Utah for it. I was debating about letting Jay and Brandt do it because I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull it off with having a new baby and Rich couldn't be there because he was on call at the hospital. I got a sitter for Parker and Ty and I brought Kendra and carried her in a snuggly. The kids mud run is only 1 mile instead of 5 so I ran along skipping the obstacles, holding Kendra, and videoing the boys!! It was pretty funny. I could barely keep up with Jay and Brandt. Kendra was 6 weeks and I had not exercised at all!! Brandt lost a shoe in the very first mud pit so he did the whole thing with no shoes!!

FLORIDA

2011-06-10T17:20:00.006-04:00

The Army sent Rich to Gainesville, Florida for an orthopedic conference so we decided to tag along and drive with him. The kids got to see more of dad this week than a normal week at home so it was worth it!! We relaxed at the pool every day.

Kendra is 5 weeks here!

I was excited to see how Ty was going to like the pool now that he isn't a baby anymore. I'll have to be careful with him . . . he is a daredevil just like Parker! And this is him watching some guys play basketball. He is mesmerized by this sport. Just loves it!!

Kendra

2011-05-20T16:45:00.005-04:00

Spring Break, Grandma, & Easter . . .

2011-05-18T01:31:00.005-04:00

EASTER

Grandma Parkinson came to help with Kendra. It was also spring break week so it was really nice to have my mom's help Kendra's first week home!! The weather was nice too so we took the kids to the lake one day.

Some of our best friends from medical school came to see us. The husband was here for a conference in Atlanta which is 2 hours from us. I was so glad the timing worked out ok because I had just gotten home from the hospital the day before. Thanks Codd family for coming . . . hope we can see you again soon!

Kendra Jane is Here!!!!

2011-05-18T00:17:00.007-04:00

Leaving the hospital . . . the adventure begins. I can't believe we have 5 kids and finally a GIRL!!

What we've been up to . . .

2011-05-13T19:24:00.008-04:00

spring soccer

Jay & Brandt had fun being on the same basketball team this year!

Ty had his cast for 2 weeks. He was still his happy little self! He got it off the day before I had Kendra . . . his new baby sister.

Broken Arm

2011-03-19T20:26:00.002-04:00

This is a little update on Ty. He is our little climber. I took these pictures a month or two ago but he continues to climb on our table and island every day. This past week he fell off the kitchen chair and broke his arm. Just crazy that it could happen off a kitchen chair that is much lower to the ground. Last weekend was his first time to climb out of the crib too. I am 2 weeks away from having the baby so I am glad Ty is still his happy self with his cast on. The next morning he was running around dribbling his basketball with his left arm. He is such an active little boy! It has been hard keeping up with him this last month of pregnancy. At his brother's soccer games he'll dribble a soccer ball two fields over . . . a very independent little boy and doesn't care if mom and dad are following.

Jay's Baptism

2011-03-19T17:05:00.004-04:00

We are so proud of Jay. And what a wonderful experience for us to have our oldest get baptized and for Jay to have an understanding as to why Heavenly Father wants us to be baptized and the importance of this ordinance. Grandpa & Grandma Evanson came in town from Colorado and Grandma Parkinson came in town from Utah. It was a special day for Jay!

Snow Days in Georgia!

2011-03-19T13:47:00.002-04:00

The kids had no school for 2 days right after Christmas break. It was more of an ice storm rather than snow! Never thought I would get a picture of our house with snow on it!

Maternity Shoot!

2011-03-18T15:01:00.010-04:00

I had a friend from BYU, Becky Kimball, take some pictures of me pregnant! She is an amazing photographer and I am glad we were able to squeeze in a little shoot while we were in Utah with how busy we were with my sister's wedding. I will be having this baby in less than 2 weeks and I am definitely quite larger now!! I love these pictures . . . thanks Becky!

Merry Christmas

2011-02-09T13:00:00.005-05:00

We'll just call this Christmas morning . . . even though it was really the 26th. We had a blast in Utah but our travel plans home were a nightmare. We flew home Christmas day and our original flight was cancelled. They separated our family on different flights. I guess Delta didn't realize my kids were not old enough to fly alone. They were able to get our whole family on a 1 am flight back to Atlanta. Ty never slept on an overnight flight. Crazy!! And then it was completely snowing in Atlanta and the 3 hour drive back. A Christmas we'll never forget. We got home at 10 am Sunday morning and walked in the door and celebrated Christmas. Rich and I were exhausted but the kids seemed to have enough energy opening their gifts!!

This razor bigwheel was a hit from Santa!! The boys love it and fight over it every time we go outside. I guess Santa needed to bring 3!

Merry Christmas

Stacey's Wedding

2011-02-09T11:25:00.006-05:00

Stacey & Andrew Jones

December 21, 2010

the RECEPTION

Utah . . . the week before Christmas

2011-02-08T21:59:00.014-05:00

We went to Utah for my sister Stacey's wedding (pictures to come) Here were some other fun activities from the week . . .

all the COUSINS!

The Parkinson Family Christmas Dinner

(an annual tradition held at Magleby's Restaurant)

The Nativity . . .

thanks to my sister Christy for her amazing collection of costumes

The kids were very excited that it SNOWED alot while we were in Utah!!

And of course . . . we couldn't leave Utah without a SKIING ADVENTURE!! This was a first for the boys. Thanks mom for watching Ty so we could take the kids up to Snowbird. After 5 hours of preparation and rounding up stuff from the fam the boys were finally ready to hit the slopes. I told Rich on the drive up that it was going to be a disaster and that it had already been too much effort just getting the stuff together and adjusting skis, etc. It turned out to be an AWESOME day and all 3 boys loved it!!

My sister Christy's family came skiing with us. Her kids love it. Michael, her 4 year old, skis the tram!! Fun Fun

Thanksgiving with the Evansons'

2010-12-07T22:51:00.005-05:00

Thank you . . . Lynette & Terry, Brit, Tara, Jessie & Adam, and Lacey & Stew and the boys for coming to visit us!! We had a house full for 5 days and it was a blast. Lacey and her family drove in from Ohio. Jessie and her husband from Tennessee, and the rest flew from Colorado. It was really nice to spend Thanksgiving with family!

This is has been a tradition for us each year to go to 'Lights of the South'. The kids see Santa and have fun seeing all the Christmas lights.

First trip to the ER . . . and Surgery!!

2010-12-06T14:51:00.007-05:00

Brandt came walking over to me from the tramp and told me that he had fallen off and his arm was hurting. I could see his arm dangling at that point. I grabbed Rich and they headed straight to the ER. I guess one trip to the ER is pretty good for having 4 boys!! I hope the future trips don't lead to surgery like this one. Poor Brandt has had a rough month. He got his cast off last week and is doing great now. He can almost straighten his arm completely. He was so brave when they pulled his pins out!!

Halloween & Fall Fun

2010-12-04T15:26:00.015-05:00

Wow . . . I should be posting Christmas pictures right now. I meant to post these Halloween pictures a few weeks ago but you know how that goes. Brandt broke his arm, then we had tons of family in town for Thanksgiving, and now we are getting ready to leave for my sister's wedding in Utah in less than 2 weeks! Anyway, we did some fun Halloween activities throughout the month . . . but never ended up trick or treating on actual Halloween. We didn't want to since it was Sunday so we threw a big party the night before. And then on Sunday we ended up going to the ER for Halloween. We took down our net on the tramp the day before because it got a huge hole in it. We had a new one in the garage ready to put up. On Sunday after church my kids were jumping few for a few minutes while we were waiting for a family to come over for dinner. Brandt fell off and broke his arm. He stayed the night in the hospital and had to have surgery and get 2 pins the next morning . . . pictures to come!

Our friends throw an adult halloween party every year. It is always a blast!! This year they sent us on a scavenger hunt that was quite crazy. I threw in some pictures from Rich's group because they won!! Anyway, just to explain that gross picture . . . one of things was to deposit road kill at a certain tree. Crazy!! One group even found a deer.

STAR WARS . . . it is always fun for the boys for mom and dad to dress up!!

We had a blast having a bunch of families over for a Halloween party this year. We had dinner and played lots of games!!

Ty!!

2010-11-15T15:33:00.003-05:00

Well, Ty didn't get to be in the soccer post so I thought I would post these. My innocent little one year old is finally starting to get into things!! He has still been the easiest baby ever and I can't believe how grown up he is getting. The whole family just adores him!

Fall Soccer

2010-11-15T10:34:00.005-05:00

Lance's Wedding in Seattle!

2010-11-12T17:38:00.003-05:00

A couple days after getting back from Disney, Rich and I took off to Seattle for Rich's brother's wedding. It was a very quick weekend trip with 2 5am flights and a 3 hour time change . . . very nice that we didn't have any of our kids with us. They all stayed with friends. I am so grateful to have such amazing friends here. It was fun to see family and share that special day with Lance and Alyssa. The temple ceremony was beautiful! We also got to see our best friends from medical school, Missy and Miles Layton, who are doing their residency there.

DISNEY WORLD!!

2010-11-11T11:56:00.017-05:00

I have lots of catching up to do this month so I can then post Halloween!! Here is a vacation we took in September. It was one last get away for my brother Joe before he went on his mission. I can't believe Disney has done such amazing deals for the military 2 years in a row!!

-FAMILY FUN-

Ty finally learned how to walk at 15 months! Parker wanted to be tall enough for every ride. For only being 4, he was able to go on everything but two rides.

STAR WARS!! This year Parker got to participate in becoming a Jedi since he is 4 years old now. My boys loved this!!

This is my brother Joe. As soon as he got home from this trip he went on his mission. It was fun to spend time with him right before he left. He will be serving in Tampa, Florida . . . Spanish speaking.

Parker's Batman Birthday!

2010-10-28T13:14:00.004-04:00

Parker turns 4!

It was perfect celebrating his birthday a few weeks late because then the weather was 85 instead of 100 degrees!! We had a lot going on in September . . . Disney World and a quick trip to Seattle for Rich's brother's wedding. Parker didn't forget when everything was over and it was time to plan his party!!

Brandt's Pirate Birthday!!

2010-10-20T21:23:00.004-04:00

Brandt turns 6!!

Indiana & Michigan

2010-10-14T22:25:00.014-04:00

On our way to Michigan we stopped in Indiana to watch my brother, Joe, play in a golf tournament. It was so fun to watch him. I don't think I have ever seen him play in a real tournament. Just a few months ago, he won the Utah State Amateur which is HUGE!! He has a full-ride waiting for him at BYU when he gets back from his mission. He just left for Tampa, Spanish-speaking. We are proud of him.

Another fun trip to Michigan. This one was planned last minute. I picked up and drove 12 hours by myself with the 4 boys!! The boys did amazing. The car was the problem . . . a dead battery and then a nail in my tire. It was a fun get away the last week of summer. Rich happened to be in Chicago for a convention that same weekend. He took the train 2 hours and was able to meet us for a day and then we all drove home together!!

Swim Team

2010-10-09T21:31:00.006-04:00

We love swim team. I think we will do it every summer we are here. It is a great summer activity for the boys!!

Summer Fun at the POOL!

2010-10-06T14:26:00.008-04:00

In Georgia we live at the pool all summer. We go almost every day for at least 3 hours!! This year we joined a different neighborhood's pool instead of the one a block from our house. Crazy . . . but this other pool offers swim team and has diving boards and a slide which my kids had a blast with. They think our neighborhood pool is boring now! We will see what we decide to do next year.

This was the 4th of July. We went to the fireworks at Fort Gordon!!

Parkinson Family Photos!!

2010-07-31T13:44:00.001-04:00

The Whole Family (and one soon to be member of the fam!)

We went to Utah for Stacey's mission farewell (Philippines) but now she is engaged!!

I guess we will be coming back to Utah in December.

Of course we cannot forget a picture of just the girls!!

All the cousins messing around in between all the pictures!!

2 Weeks in Utah!!

2010-07-27T17:06:00.014-04:00

It had been two years since we had been to Utah. We headed to Utah the last two weeks in May for my sister Stacey's farewell. We had a blast seeing most of our families. The weather was crazy but we still did alot of fun stuff. The kids went from wearing bathing suits to snow stuff and back to bathing suits on Memorial Day. Rich and I even had a chance to ski for a day thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Evanson for taking the boys!! Well, even though there was no farewell (long story . . . but Stacey is getting married instead!!) it was still worth the trip!

We celebrated Ty's birthday at the Classic Fun Center. Ty wasn't old enough to do anything but all the cousins sure had fun!!

We also did a fun little hike in Pleasant Grove!

Some of the Evanson's came in from Colorado to see us. It was nice to be able to see both families!!

OUCH!!

2010-05-11T23:49:00.003-04:00

I just had to post one last picture of Ty . . .

He is finally crawling . . . 2 weeks before his first birthday!!

He has been falling asleep like this the last few days. Crazy!!

Should I be worried???

2010-04-24T14:17:00.008-04:00

This is quite abnormal. Ty is 11 months now . . . the happiest baby ever, but he doesn't crawl because he is so flexible. He just does the splits. Check it out . . .

a weekend trip to HILTON HEAD!

2010-04-24T13:23:00.004-04:00

The boys and I had a fun spring break. The weather was great so we hit the lake one day, but the highlight of the week was going to Hilton Head to hit the beach for the weekend. I think this was a few of our boys' first time to the beach. We need to take advantage of only being 3 hours away!! We also did a little dolphin cruise and the boys had fun seeing the dolphins out in the ocean. Hopefully we can do a few weekend trips to the beach before we leave Georgia!!

I'm a little late . . . EASTER FUN!

2010-04-20T00:07:00.007-04:00

HAPPY EASTER

I attempted to get pictures in their Easter sweaters. It was really windy and cold that day. By the following Sunday it was way too hot to even wear the sweaters. Gotta love Georgia weather. So these will have to do! I love the individual of Parker!!

The boys had fun coloring eggs. I think the eggs only lasted a few minutes before breaking. Rich and I loved the fact that they wanted to write BYU on their eggs!! Go BYU!

Easter morning! The kids got a lot of pool stuff for this summer. Parker immediately went upstairs and came down with his bathing suit and goggles on. The boys are anxious for the pool to open . . . only 4 more weeks!

We had a few families over for dinner and we did a little easter egg hunt for the kids.

More Family . . .

2010-04-17T21:55:00.002-04:00

Wow!! It was totally last minute but my sister Stacey and my mom came for her spring break the day after my sister Jody left. Stacey is getting ready to leave on her mission to the Philippines on June 2nd so it was really nice to be able to spend the week with her!! I thought these last few months would be a little dull . . . so it was really exciting to have family come and visit for 2 weeks in a row!! Thanks guys for coming to visit us (maybe the boys won't get confused anymore between Aunt Lacey and Aunt Stacey!!)

BASKETBALL

2010-04-17T20:36:00.005-04:00

Brandt and Jay had a blast playing basketball for the first time. I loved the fact that it was only 2 minutes away!!

Fun with cousin NORA!!

2010-04-16T16:46:00.004-04:00

My sister Jody and her daughter Nora came to visit us from Utah. We had a fun week. She is getting ready to have a baby boy in a couple of weeks and then she and her husband are moving to Michigan for law school. Nora had a blast running around with so many boys!!

More Ohio . . .

2010-04-08T20:51:00.002-04:00

Thanks Amy and Beckie for letting us come visit for a night! We had a blast catching up on old times!! We miss you guys.

Ohio!

2010-03-06T23:35:00.005-05:00

A quick trip to Ohio for President's Weekend . . .

Rich had a 4 day weekend so we decided to go and visit his sister Lacey and her family. We also stopped in Cuyahoga Falls where we lived for 2 years and visited our medical school friends (pictures to come later!!). It was a long trip for a short weekend but we still had a blast. We drove 10 hours to see SNOW and it just happened to snow in Evans, Georgia for a day while we were gone (the first time in like 8 or 9 years). I am very bummed that I missed out on getting snow pictures and a picture of our house with snow. Of course it melted in a day and we missed everything. The kids sure had fun playing in the snow in Ohio with their cousins. I realized how much I love living in Georgia after a weekend of cold weather and snow in Ohio though. I am not sure Lacey will ever want us back considering Parker passed on pink eye to all of her kids on top of Ty (the perfect baby who sleeps 12 hours every night) being a little fussy at night cutting his first tooth while we were there. Sorry Lacey . . . but it was sure fun to see you guys!!! Most of us managed to get pink eye after getting home. Not fun!!

Ty lasted about 10 seconds sitting in the snow . . . not long enough for a cute pix. Lacey & Stew have all boys too. We had a house full of wild boys!!

THANKS Lacey & Stew for letting us come and visit!!

Wow! I have a 7 Year Old!

2010-02-03T23:50:00.005-05:00

Jay saw an army cake last summer and couldn't stop asking for an army birthday party! I had fun planning it and finding lots of good ideas on the internet. We did some fun games. We still had a blast even though it rained throughout the party. We were still able to do the obstacle course that was set up in our backyard . . . I even borrowed some real tires from the car place. This party will probably be a tradition for all of our boys! Rich enjoyed being the drill sergeant. We all had a blast!

HAWAII

2010-01-23T14:39:00.010-05:00

Rich got accepted to present research at a military convention in Hawaii. He and a few others from his ortho program were going the week before Christmas. I decided to tag along and make a fun vacation out of it! Had to take advantage of those military covered expenses!! And we brought little Ty with us while Grandma came to watch the rest of the boys. The entire trip was a blast. Ty was an amazing baby like always. We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, kayaked at Kailua Beach, saw the sites at Pearl Harbor, hit some fun stuff on North Shore, etc.!

THE LUAU

Ty just loved all the attention he was getting and lots of time with Dad!

The military had a few fun games planned throughout the week. There was a big contest between the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Hiking Diamond Head!

Fun with GRANDMA!

2010-01-23T14:04:00.005-05:00

The boys had a fun week with Grandma & Aunt Lacey and her boys! Grandma came to babysit the kids so Rich and I could go to his work convention in Hawaii! We are excited that Lacey's family lives in Ohio now (much closer than Colorado) so they drove down to spend the week with Grandma too!

The cousins had a blast together!

FLORIDA

2009-12-29T23:44:00.019-05:00

I promise . . . this is our last trip to Disney World in a long time. We had to use the rest of our military passes before the amazing deal expired. It was a fun trip & we had Grandma come along with us. I can't believe it has already been a month and a half and I am just now posting. We went the week before Thanksgiving!

This was still the boys' all-time favorite!!

Parker was tall enough to go on almost everything . . . splash mountain, space mountain, tower of terror, etc. I don't think most 3 year olds can go on these. He wanted to go on everything he could not realizing that some would be scary like this dinosaur one at Animal Kingdom!

This was so much fun for the boys! I love Brandt's face. He was very serious the whole time learning how to be a jedi.

My kids call the Epcot Center the big "golf ball" and for some reason they call the monorail the "bullet train".

Thanks Grandma for coming with us for a few days!

We also hit Seaworld for a day for our first time. Military families can go once per year so we thought we would check it out!

More Christmas . . .

2009-12-29T23:41:00.009-05:00

Santa brought the boys a trampoline!! Parker was a little less timid once dad set up the enclosure to it. The boys have had a blast these last few days!

Lights of the South . . . a fun family activity!

2009-12-29T22:14:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T10:02:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy month . . . still need to post Disney World and Hawaii! We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and we wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Soccer

2009-11-14T09:46:00.004-05:00

Riding Bikes . . .

2009-11-14T09:07:00.004-05:00

Yeah for Parker - learning how to ride a bike!

More Halloween

2009-11-14T00:50:00.005-05:00

HALLOWEEN FUN

We had our friends over for a quick dinner and then we all went trick or treating together!

What a cutie!! I had this cute bat costume for him but it was too hot to even wear it.

the Abell kids

Jay as BATMAN and Brandt as a NINJA TURTLE!!

I gave Parker 2 options . . . a skeleton or an army soldier . . . and he chose a pirate (which is what he was last year). He has been so picky lately. He wants to wear his gym shorts every day. I will finally get him dressed in the morning and then we get home from one errand and he changes right back into his shorts.

Our friends, the Passey's, throw an awesome Halloween party every year. Rich and I were an angel/devil. I tried getting Rich to spray paint his hair white but he was on call so he didn't want to have to go into the ER with white hair. Party pooper!!! Anyway, we had a blast!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T07:40:00.000-04:00

Hanging Out!

2009-10-28T17:37:00.003-04:00

Updated Pictures of the BOYS!

2009-09-28T19:48:00.002-04:00

LABOR DAY!

2009-09-20T02:33:00.002-04:00

Ty's Baby Blessing

2009-09-20T02:14:00.004-04:00

Ty was blessed on September 6th. It was fun having Rich's parents and sister in town for it.

Ty's Update

2009-09-20T01:33:00.003-04:00

Ty is 3 months here! He loves to smile and drool big time. I have never used these bibs for any of my kids but Ty definitely needs them. He is still a great baby . . . sleeping through the night since 6 weeks and is now going 12 hours every night. This has been a huge blessing! None of my other kids did this!

I thought this picture was pretty funny. Check out Ty's drool!

And yes . . . we have a thumbsucker. He spits out his paci, fusses for a few seconds, and finds his thumb every time now. Let's hope he doesn't have to get a plate in his mouth when he is older like me!!

Parker turns 3!

2009-09-20T00:56:00.004-04:00

August is a big BIRTHDAY month for our family. Brandt turned 5, I turned 29, and Parker turned 3 all within a week! FUN FUN! We had a little barbeque for Parker and the kids had fun on the slip n' slide and playing with water balloons!

Brandt's 5th Birthday!

2009-09-20T00:25:00.002-04:00

Brandt & MONKEY JOE!

Brandt turned 5 a few weeks ago. We won a birthday party to this place and the kids had a blast having the party here. It is one of their favorite places to go on a rainy day!!

SUMMER is over & SCHOOL has started . . .

2009-09-19T22:42:00.005-04:00

One last little get together at the pool with friends before school started . . .

Every year there is a fundraiser basketball game between some lawyers and doctors. The boys had fun watching especially since dad's team won. And . . . I actually did a raffle and won a birthday party to Monkey Joe's (a fun indoor inflatable place). I was just starting to think about what I was going to do for Brandt's 5th birthday since it was 2 weeks later!

Wow! Can't believe school has already been going on for a month now! Jay is in first grade and Brandt is doing a pre-k program that is done here in Georgia. They are both gone all day. It is so different just being home with a 3 year old and newborn. Parker definitely misses his brothers during the day. He is doing a little preschool one day a week and it includes a little gymnastics class which he loves!

VACATION!

2009-08-15T22:01:00.019-04:00

Every other summer, the Parkinson clan heads to Michigan to stay on a lake for a week. My mom's cousin has a beautiful lakehouse that we stay at. We had a blast! It was a bummer that Rich wasn't able to go. He wasn't too thrilled about me flying by myself with the 4 boys but we made it safe and sound! It is one of our favorite vacations. The kids had so much fun seeing their cousins and doing all the fun water stuff . . .

Thanks MOM for planning a fun trip and thanks MARK & RHONDA for EVERYTHING!!

WHAT A TRIP!