28 January 2007

Addi 's Babies

Addi loves each and every one of these "babies". She changes their diapers, feeds them and puts them down for naps a lot! Daily I stumble upon a new "bed" for her babies...could the middle of her bedroom floor, the entryway, my bed, the couch, the dining room table, or anywhere else Addi deems appropriate for sleeping. She lined them up in front of the couch and wanted a picture taken so everyone could see them.



The Youngest Parkers
(l-r) front row:
Reveille, Cookie, Freeze, Texas, Tex, Elmo, Pinky, Jelica, Cece
back row:
Beary, Strawberry Shortcake, Breanna, Clifford, Anna

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23 January 2007

Goofy Dog/Cat/Human/Bird


Our family pet, Zoe has been around a long time. Longer than either of our children. Longer, in fact than our marriage. Bryan and I got her from one of his professors while we were still in college and still had lots of time for a pet. She is undoubtedly the Best Dog in the World! Zoe has endured being the runt of a litter and the one nobody wanted. When Bryan and I went to pick out a puppy, there were only two left: a playful chocolate lab/dalmation and a small, but overweight black lab/dalmation. Some girls grabbed the chocolate one before we could. I think Bryan was ready to leave without a dog, but there was something about that fearful, pot-bellied, little dog that was endearing. I remember driving straight to Petsmart with our new puppy in my lap. Bryan and I almost dropped her off on the side of the road when we were introduced to her horrendous gas :) She was constantly shaking from fear and snorting and hiding those first couple of months. Zoe was certainly not Bryan's idea of a good hunting dog! It was during those days that we discovered Zoe thought she was a cat. She would bat at things with her paws just like a little kitty and she treated my roommate's cat like they were companions. Again, not a quality that Bryan enjoyed seeing displayed :) She endured being moved between our houses and then moved to other college houses and then to Oklahoma, which was probably her hay-day. We had a large backyard with a big covered patio and we lived across the street from a park with a lot of room to run and a creek. In Zoe's world, the only things that would make that more perfect would be unlimited food and someone to constantly throw a tennis ball. She even had a few hunting trips with Bryan and became quite adept at riding in the back of Bryan's truck. We spent so much time with her there were days she must have thought she was a human. That is, until November of 2002 when Addison was born. Zoe made the transition from human to dog without a hitch. One of my favorite memories of Zoe happened when Addi was about a week old. We let Zoe in the house often after Addi was born and one of those times I was sitting on the floor feeding her. Zoe walked over and as she turned to sit next to us, she gently tucked her baseball bat...I mean, tail between her legs. I knew then that Zoe would be wonderful with our children. We took her away from her haven and into a backyard the size of a shoebox that flooded with the first drops of rain. She allowed Addi to pull on every part of her that would be painful to have pulled. She would wait patiently while Addi dug in her food bowl. Zoe endured another move to a house where she could not roam the backyard all day. We finally put in a fence at this house about 9 months ago and she's been happier ever since. Today Addi and I took a "birdfeeder" (bagel smeared with peanut butter and sprinkled with bird seed) out to hang on a tree. What do you know!...Zoe thinks she's a bird also! I caught her trying to eat the "birdfeeder". She first tried to reach it by climbing up the tree with her front paws, but she was still about a foot shy. Then she tried to jump while she was on 2 legs...Goofy dog! That was quite a site, but I wasn't quick enough to get it on camera. Someone should tell her she isn't a real bird. A real bird would use its wings to fly up to the "birdfeeder" :) Incidentally, this is not the first time Zoe has tried/suceeded to eat birdseed. Last spring Addi wanted to feed birds. The seeds barely hit the ground before Zoe licked them up. Addi still gets frustrated when she thinks about that experience! Another time our neighbors, who own a bird, were taking care of Zoe in their backyard. They noticed she seemed to be extremely bloated and found that she had devoured almost the entire bag of birdseed they kept under their deck. Bryan and I wanted a dog, but we got so much more :) We are all so thankful for Zoe. The day is coming when Zoe's patience will be tested again by a curious and not so gentle toddler. I am confident she will be just as patient and gentle as she was the first time around.
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21 January 2007

Tune in...

tonight to ABC @ 8/7 central for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The home they remodeled is in downtown Raleigh. We aren't "usuals", but will be watching tonight. I thought about posting a picture of the finished home to ruin it for you, but decided against it :) Actually, I just forgot to drive over there yesterday and don't want to get out during our "Winter Storm Advisory" weather.

Haven't I Seen You in Here Before?

That seemed to be the question to ask us at lunch today. We went to eat at a Chili's near our house. We've probably been there 3 times in the 2 years we've lived in this house, but when our waiter welcomed us today, I recognized him as Ben, the waiter we'd been served by in a previous visit. After I placed my order, Ben smiled and asked, "Isn't that what you got the last time you were here?" "Uhhmm, errr, maybe", I stumbled. It is very possible that I got the same thing since I rotate between about 3 meals there, but really how do I know what I got the last time I ate Chili's?! While waiting for our meals, a manager stopped at our table. She talked with us for a few minutes and then stated that she knew we must be in there a lot because our girls looked so familiar! We must have a "family twin" because we seriously do not eat at Chili's enough for all that. The ironic thing is that we actually did patron the Chili's in Lawton, OK a lot with our good friends. Bo, Melissa, Bryan and I could be spotted in Chili's at least once a week and never without a Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie. We never experienced anything like this though :) In any case, Bryan and I decided we would not be visiting that Chili's again...it was a little embarrassing!

18 January 2007

Welcome Winter

This is what greeted me as I looked out my front window this morning. We finally are experiencing some winter weather and my girls are delighted! Although I am not a big fan of cold temperatures and all that goes along with them, I was feeling a little cheated when temperatures were in the mid-70s a few days ago. Bulbs were blooming, our magnolia tree was sprouting buds, and winter coats were collecting dust. Gone are those days so the weather-man is saying. Below are a few photos of my girls playing in the snow.


Yesterday: Hello, Daffodils!

Today: Goodbye, Daffodils!

14 January 2007

Momma's Daughter

Addison is her Momma's Daughter and it was confirmed today after she and Bryan returned home from an NC State Womans' basketball game. They walked in the door and I asked her if she had fun. She said she did and that "the cheerleaders did this (shook her bottom) and this (raised her arms above her head)". Bryan said Addi stood up and shook her rear every time the cheerleaders danced. I asked her if she thought she would like to play basketball one day. She said, "No because I might fall down and hurt my knee like the girl did." Trying to still steer her more toward basketball than cheerleading, I asked her if the basketball players were tall. She said "Yes and the one girl had her hair like this, right Daddy?!" And she proceeded to show me how one of the basketball players had their hair styled. Bryan's hopes and dreams of having a child as competetive as him is falling to the younger of our girls :) Addi seems to be following in my footsteps. Not that I'm not somewhat competitive...I did run cross country and track in high school and even played some basketball in 7th and 8th grades...but my family still laughs at the 4 year-old me who would rather pick flowers than play at my soccer games and dreamed of one day becoming a Dallas Cowboys' "Cheeleader". I've never fulfilled that dream. Maybe Addi and I could be the first Mother-Daughter combo on the squad :)

12 January 2007

Family Pictures (TX Trip - Part 3)





Our most recent trip to Texas was fast and furous. We arrived the morning of Friday, December 29 and left in the early morning of Saturday, January 5. While there we filled our bellies with Mexican food, delicious home cooking, Whataburger and Blue Bell, went to see some of Bryan's family in East Texas, saw an REK concert at the beautiful Bass Hall, hung out with lots of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, played lots of tennis on a Wii, saw my parent's beautiful, brand-new house, celebrated my Mom's birthday, caught up with a few old friends including our friend from Japan who happened to be showing Texas to his fiancee, played games late into the night, visited Sam Moon, and took pictures with Addi, Libby, and Ethan and with my Mom's side of the family. Above are a few of the pictures of the Bentleys/Millers/Parkers and I will post some of Addi, Libby, and Ethan when I get them - hint, hint, Clay :) We had a great trip and can't wait to get back, especially since we will have a new baby to hold!