One Already?!

It's hard to believe this sweet little thing is already one!! It's funny how time works. It doesn't really seem like just yesterday that I was pregnant with him or that he was a newborn, but then again, I can't believe he's already so big and just turned one! Wow!

Parker had to prove himself to be a tough little guy from the very beginning. At three weeks old, this little guy ended up in the hospital for seven days. He was poked, prodded, scanned, and messed with constantly. He had iv's, spinal taps, antibiotics, ultrasounds, and vitals checked. But he was so tough. I knew then that we had a special litte guy....a little trooper. And the Lord protected him then, and has continued to protect him! The final conclusion was that Parker had bacterial meningitis. Because we caught it early, the doctor was hoping for little or no lasting side effects. As of now, Parker is healthy and right on track developmentally! Praise the Lord!

Parker quickly won the affections of his big brother and sister! I'm not sure they could love him any more! They are always wanting to be near Parker and touch him, hold him, wrestle him, feed him, etc. And I am always amazed at how they never get mad at him. Parker can pull hair, swipe a toy, or hit and they just "correct" him and move on. It's really cool. And man does he love his brother and sister in return. He is always following them and wanting to be a part of what they are doing. And he and Payton seem to have a special connection. Lately, I've noticed that when Payton is throwing a fit and sent to her room upstairs, Parker quickly wanders off and is always found playing in Payton's room while she is in time-out. I guess that's his way of checking on her and taking care of her! :)

See those big blue eyes? Yep, those define Parker. That's what everyone first notices and comments on. Those eyes are going to get him into a lot of trouble some day!

Oh ya, and the drool on the t-shirt....yep.....his shirts STILL look that way!

Ahhh....those blue eyes!

This is Parker boy celebrating his first birthday with a chocolate cup cake. He may look like it was no big deal, but boy did he demolish that cake! We celebrated with a small family get together and it was so fun to watch him dig in!

Ohhhhh the curls! How I love those blonde little curls. Besides his blue eyes, the curls are also noticed. I just can't bring myself to cut them yet!

Parker is such a joy. He is so fun and so stinkin' cute! He has a stalky build and reminds us of a little body builder. He's into EVERYTHING.....and I do mean EVERYTHING! He climbs, bullies his way through, throws, demolishes, eats, drools, laughs, giggles, wrestles, and every now and the sits still long enough to snuggle!

Parker boy....you are so loved. I can't wait to see what God has planned for you!

Soccer Time!

With the arrival of May comes the arrival of summer soccer! This was Preston's third year to play and he loved it! We were so blessed that our good friend, Stuart, was his coach this year. Pres played on a team with Diego and Max too. Although he had to miss the first two weeks of soccer due to an unexpected trip to Texas, he got right in there and looked forward to every game! Stuart quickly learned, though, that Preston and Max shouldn't be on the field at the same time....something about them always having their arms around each other and goofing off instead of watching the ball! Huh....I just can't imagine that! :)

Preston is in the middle row, far right with Max right above him.

After watching for two summers, Payton finally got her chance to play soccer! I love the way the YMCA has it set up. Although their on different teams, Pres and Payton played at the same time each week on field right next to each other.

Payton was also very fortunate to have another of our good friends to be her coach....Coach Brad! Payton loved playing soccer. She got so excited each day she got to play and she looked adorable in her uniform. She never hesitated to go out on the field, but actually watching the ball and attempting to go for it was a different story! Payton loved running around, checking on the kids who had fallen, and running past me smiling and waving! In fact, the only times she ever kicked the ball was when Coach Brad led her by the hand right to the ball. And she thought that was so fun!!

Payton is in the first row, second from the left....right next to her buddy Xavier and below her friend Faith.

Preston, Payton, and Max! This reminds me of an old picture of my brother, me, and my cousin Ronnie when we played T-ball together!

And here is a classic of my funny Payton girl and her silly faces!

Well, we survived another soccer season! Although it's fun and the kids enjoy it, twice a week can be time consuming! I'm glad it only lasted 6 weeks!
(Can you get any cuter than that little blondie learning to play soccer?!)