joy to the small world...

This Christmas was special in its own way... bittersweet really. This was our first Christmas without Ryan's mom, and without seeing any of his family... this season made us realize even more than ever how she was the glue that held the family together, and how dearly missed she is. All of us kids spent Christmas Eve with my mom, then after church we all went to my dad's to spend the night and wake up to a traditional Christmas morning breakfast. I think we are all growing accustomed to Jayme being the only one who gets presents... and this year was nothing short of being spoiled and loved on by her aunts/uncle, grampa, and nana! With plenty of surprises under the tree, Jayme had a surprise of her own to share on Christmas...

helping nana grate eat the cheese for chicken tortilla casserole

exploring a nice neighbor-lady's tree house (so awesome... i took enough pictures so ryan can one day recreate this!)

Christmas morning breakfast preparations

sock-monkey jack-in-the-box... smelling her new authentic cowgirl boots from taycie... trying out her new trike from uncle alex... stylin' with her new threads, boots, and finger in the nose (not pretty)... playing with grampa

 

 Jayme shares with Tacyie

 

Jayme's present to grampa Christmas morning

santa visit...

As we waited in line to get our picture with Santa, I grew anxious wondering if this would be the year everyone with kids has warned me about (just FYI-Brea Mall Santa is the best! The guy is the nicest and most legit looking Santa I've EVER seen... beard, jolly red cheeks and all!) Last year was great... Jayme snuggled, played with his beard, and even smiled for the camera! This year however... not so thrilled to sit on Santa's lap... She was all smiles and waves excited to see this jolly old man, UNTIL I placed her on his lap.... all I can say is- priceless.

Jury is still out on whose reaction is better... Santa or Jayme???

Santa is composed... Jayme is not

at this point I am sweating trying to dance and entertain her to get a hint of a smile

creeped out or being tickled???

"mommmmmmaaa"

"alright. you got your smirk/smile... are we done now?"

 

Parker Family Gender Reveal...

As soon as Calista told me she was pregnant, I begged to throw them a gender reveal party (where I got this idea??? why Pinterest of course! Try explaining that to the people who had never heard of a Gender Reveal OR Pinterest ...) After convincing Robert it would be "fun" to find out what the baby was going to be in front of family and friends, Calista's mom, Kelly, and I got to planning. After their ultrasound, the technician put the gender revealing ultrasound picture in a double sealed envelope (so mom-to-be wouldn't be tempted to peak before handing over the top secret info)... 3 weeks later (felt like forever with such a huge secret on my plate!)... friends and family gathered to celebrate the newest Parker-to-be's gender reveal.

the decor... dessert.... and the reveal box

the guests... sporting their team blue/team pink colors

the reveal! It's a BOY!!!! (Calista continues to be outnumbered)

big-brother-to-be... pretty excited about his correct guess annnnnd the box


The Reveal Video 

18 months...

 

It has been a whirlwind of life happenings since you have been in our lives these last 18 months… I can’t believe how you seem to grow right before our eyes in the course of a one hour nap or overnight! It’s as if we can see the learning and growing process in everything you do. You are constantly trying to mimic and learn new tasks… you love to try things yourself before asking for help (stubborn). You are one of the most social butterflies of a baby we know (even though you are technically a toddler, you’ll always be our baby girl)… You have such a sweet demeanor that quickly turns into a passionate sassy little girl when you don’t get your way (sometimes I think there is a 16 yr old inside you!), and back to sweet again when we’ve distracted you. I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… your laugh and giggles are infectious and bring so much joy to your daddy and I. I hope that spark of pure joy and laughter never fades in you as you grow. I don’t even know where to begin with your milestones, so here we go:

~You have a beautiful set of teeth (lucky for us they all came in pretty quick- teething is no fun for anyone!)

~You are a monkey who likes to climb anything and everything, including the kitchen table!

~You make the cutest sounds for a monkey, puppy/dog, kitty, cow, duck (qua-qua), sheep, monster… and let’s not forget Ariel (ahhh-ahhh-AHHH)

~You FINALLY started saying momma!

~You are a total girly-girl who insists on wearing shoes (preferably your pink crocs) right when you get out of bed, until bath or bedtime… same goes for your headbands. However, you take falls, spills and slams into the furniture with such grace (you typically get up laughing or say “uh-oh” when most kids would be crying!)

~You prefer to be a vegetarian (unless its steak or fish – go figure)… Lima beans are your absolute favorite (we’ve used them to bribe you to finish the rest of your meal)

~You are learning to pronounce words (still complete baby babble, but we semi-understand your dialect), even though you depend on your sign language to communicate for the most part

~signs you use regularly- please, thank you, eat, more, all done, help,  book, yogurt, ball, baby, play, shoes, bink (one you created on your own), on/off, friend, home, and daddy

~your favorite words to say (with such emphasis it cracks us up): hi, bye, shoes, gampa, bebba, taycie, baby, bath (you LOVE bath time almost as much as you love your shoes)

~you’re an entertainer… the words “happy feet” tell you its time to dance wherever and whenever… you are a total ham when you see a camera (on your terms of course)

~you’re a fantastic hugger (your hugs and kisses brighten up any mood)… your daddy especially loves your hugs

I love that you love to read your books, you love to laugh, you love to dance and act silly with your mommy, you give great bear hugs and kisses, you love to be outside, you love Barney and The Wiggles (even though I can’t stand either)… I love every moment we have had you in our lives these past 18 months, and I can only imagine how much you will grow in the next several months to come… we are both so proud of the little girl you are blossoming into.

Love, Daddy and Momma