Dreary Monday

This past weekend went by too fast! Friday after Bradley got off work, I met him at the park with Parker. I had to go meet with a family for work so Parker was in good hands with his daddy. They made a trip to wal mart and bradley took Parker to eat chinese. Parker loves chinese food. He eats mostly vegetables (crazy, right?) and some chicken. When I was through with work I met them for dinner. I must say, it is a blessing to have a husband who is just as active in parenting as I am.

After dinner, Bradley's truck was on Empty so we drove across the street to the gas station. Parker loves gas stations for one reason...candy! He walks inside and is just in awe of all the candy there. He looks at just about everything before choosing what he wants. He usually picks up M&M's ("um's) or hershey's chocolate. He is a chocolate fanatic.

Saturday my mom came to visit. When she comes she usually gets here early Sat morning but this time she was a little late. She was late because my dad was going to try to come but when she woke him up he said he couldn't make the trip. We have lived here since Sept and my dad has yet to visit. As I've mentioned previously, he has Parkinson's disease. We've all been on the roller coaster ride with him for a long, long time. Some days are better than others for him. He has these leg cramps that come and go. He is afraid of riding in the car and the leg cramps will begin. It makes me really sad to be so far away from him. I realize his quality of life isn't great. It's really sad; I'm really sad about it. It's something i'm trying to deal with.

We had a fun day with my mom. Parker was beside himself to see my mom. We planted some seeds for a garden, walked in the woods, and played outside. Time always goes by so fast when my mom is here. I really hate for her to leave.

Sunday we went to early church and came home and played. Parker was pretty good during church. He's gone to the nursery several times but I feel it's important for him to be in church with us. Thank goodness for starburst....they keep him busy!

Parker has been wearing his new boots a lot lately. He rarely takes them off. We have a difficult time getting them off of him for a bath. Here are some pictures of Parker in his boots.

Precious Parker moment

We have a bedtime routine with Parker. Bath is at 7:30 (ish), and usually his daddy bathes him. (I'm usually in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner). Parker loves for his daddy to give him a bath, and vice versa. Lots of laughing goes on during this time.

After he gets his bath and gets his pajamas on, I have a snack ready for him on his Elmo table in front of the TV. Parker catches one of his favorite TV Flicks (varies from Blue's Clue's, Wonder Pets, Olivia, or Elmo) while he eats his snack. After snack time, Parker usually gets out some toys or books.

Around 8:30 we brush his teeth. Bradley and I equally hate this task. Parker screams and cries and kicks and spits. He hates having his teeth brushed and we hate doing it too. We alternate nights because it's so bad.

After the terrible task of brushing teeth, we gather up his favorite stuffed animals. Always included is, Piggie and Cat. Sometimes he picks out another one or two in addition to PIggie and Cat. We then start by going up to each of Parker's dogs telling them "night night," telling them "I love you," and either blowing them a kiss or giving them a kiss. After he's done this to all three dogs, it's momma and daddy's turn. After all the kisses and i love yous are said we have a bed time prayer with Parker. We ask him to make his prayer hands, bow his head, and close his eyes. We say our prayer and he tries to repeat what we say and then we ask God to bless all the people in Parker's life...and we name just about everyone, or try too.

Well last night we said our bed time prayer, and Parker kept saying something over and over. Brad and I were desperately trying to figure out what it is that Parker was wanting. We couldn't figure it out and finally decided that he was just trying to pro-long going to bed. We walked in his room and he said the same thing again but he made prayer hands. What he was saying was "pray." He wanted to say another prayer. It warmed my heart and my soul. It was a really precious moment and I am thankful for my precious little boy.

A little about me...

It seems appropriate to allow you readers to get to know me a little bit.

I had a wonderful childhood, the best parents and two fantastic brothers. My dad is a Methodist preacher so we moved around Arkansas a lot. My mom was a "stay at home Mom" but she did so much more than that. I loved being a preacher's kid (p.k.) and everything that came with it. My dad no longer has a church as he is battling Parkinson's Disease. My mom is no longer a "stay at home mom" because when my dad went on disability she was forced to go to work. She works at the VA Hospital in North Little Rock.

I married my husband 12-31-05. We were friends throughout college and I knew that he was the one I was going to marry but never dated him until the end of college. We each had a dog of our own and adopted a third dog just before we got married. Let me tell you about my 4 legged children...

I adopted Ellie Mae when she was a puppy from Saline Co. Humane Society. She was my pal...we did everything together. She even went to work with me; (I did work at a vet clinic.) She never meets a stranger and barks at the vacuum. I love her and it makes me sad that she will be 8 this year. She's my girl.

Bradley had Emma. Emma was a stray and she was found walking around a creek in Little Rock. She had the fattest puppy belly you've ever seen and was as cute as a button. They looks can be deceiving and I believe in her case, they were. Brad lived in Little Rock with Emma. He would take her for a long walk and as soon as they walked in the door, she would poop or pee on the floor. Frustrating, but she was so cute...right? She had many nick-names from "Knuckle head" to "little poop (insert other 4 letter word here) in the corner." She finally grew out of her knuckle-headed ness around 2. Who knows what life was like for her before we got her. She is rather spooky about things and barks at a leaf flying in the air. Despite her quirks, I love her.

Then there's Alex. I mentioned earlier that I worked for a Vet clinic. Alex came in to the vet clinic because he had been hit by a car. This nice lady, (his guardian angel), was on her way to work and she noticed a dog laying on the side of Hwy 5. As she drove past him she looked in her rear view mirror and saw him try to lift his head up. She stopped, picked him up, and took him to us. There was a rope tied to his collar and she said someone had tied him up on the should of the road. I guess whom ever did this to him didn't want him any longer. I've heard the phrase, "someone's trash is someone else's treasure." And, that is definately true in the case of Alex. He had many wounds from the car running over him. He had a fractured skull, wounds all over his body, and one of his eyes had bulged out of socket. He also lost his vision. Before we adopted him, I remember spending time with him while he was recovering. He didn't care about getting a treat, he didn't really care about going potty. All he wanted was for you to pet him. I can't imagine how scared he was. I quiver now when I think about it. We adopted him into our little family. He is extrememly resilient and is a complete love-bug. He adjusts so well to new things and sometimes I forget that he can't see. His disability doesn't hold him back. I can't imagine what my life would be like without him...without any of my dogs. They have taught me so much.

Parker was born 3-19-2009. He was cuter than I had ever imagined he'd be. I was very lucky to have Bradley's help with Parker as a newborn. Bradley didn't mind changing poopy diapers, spending time with parker while I got away for a while, or getting up for those mid-night feedings. Parker makes my life complete and I can't believe he is my little boy. He is full of himself, hard-headed, and very sweet. Did I mention he is cute? I could go on and on about my precious baby boy. God has really blessed my life and I am so thankful to be his mommy.

We moved to Batesville, AR at the end of Sept. Bradley got a better job where he has no travel and a higher salary. We love our house and we have about 3 acres where we can explore new things. It has taken some time to adjust to living here. I miss Little Rock and most of all that comes with it. My family lives there, we had a fabulous neigher, MR. Cox, some of Bradley's family lives there and there is so much to do. I really miss my parents and wish I could just go see them whenever I wanted. But, I can't and it makes me sad.

I guess enough for now. I hear my precious little boy waking up from his nap. Can't wait to go play outside in this beautiful weather!

My First Blog

For sometime now I have been reading some of my close friends blog enteries. I have been wanting to start one of my own, so here it is. I am completely new to this so bare with me! I would appreciate any suggestions from you pro bloggers.