Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Out With the Old.. In With the New

Well, the time has come... no more onesies! I am sad :( This small not important fact signals to me that Parker is no longer a baby. I obviously know and understand this but it still doesn't make it any easier to pass on these cute little one onesies that we (I) love so much! :) This post is mostly for me to come to terms with this change & documents how cute & small Parker was at this point in time.


Thursday, December 13, 2012

New Adventures



Aren't they cute?!?! Parker loves to read before bed. "Little Blue Truck" is read every night along with a few other favorites.

Ray and I have been together for about 15 years and married for going on 10 years! Just typing that makes me feel old!! He has worked at Best Buy for 14 years so retail hours have always been a part of our lives. He has worked in many different departments requiring very different hours. Working late nights and weekends is what we know.

When Parker was born Ray was able to adjust his schedule so that he could take care of Parker when I went back to work. We made this work until Parker was about 8 months old. We were very lucky to have him home for 8 months before starting daycare.

Through all of this it's been hard for Ray not to be with Parker (and of course his awesome wife) in the evenings and on the weekends. Well, all of that has recently changed. The stars have aligned, Ray is still with Best Buy, and he is now working in a new position. What does this mean? It means that he is working Monday through Friday day time hours!!! I am beyond excited and proud of him for landing this position! He started this week and I can already see a difference in Ray & Parker!

I might need to seek counseling since I will actually see my husband on a regular basis! ;) We can now make plans for the weekends or even evenings. A real date night that does't need at least 2 week notice to plan!?! This is a game changer and I am so looking forward to positive outcomes!!

Congrats Ray (AKA Daddy)! We are so proud of you!!



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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Baby Jesus :)


YouTube Video

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Christmas time is here!

Holiday Lights at the Columbus Zoo!

Parker was so surprised to see the tree all lit up! He loves waking up each day to see the tree downstairs!!

Parker & Daddy checking out the tree before bed time!

Parker helped us decorate the tree for the first time. He wanted to put more "balls" on the tree! He loves all of the decorations on the tree and has a few that he can touch and turn on himself! :)

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Check Up...



Parker had his 2 year check up yesterday and all is well! Here are his stats:

Weight: 29lbs (50th percentile)
Height: 34.5 inches tall (75th percentile)

His ears look great and his eyes look good too! Parker was at Urgent Care just 4 days prior to this for a bad cold that wouldn't let go. He has been on antibiotics and he is feeling so much better.

He had to give a sample of blood from his finger. He wasn't happy at first but quickly starting talking about Lighting McQueen (from Cars Movie) and was happy again. Then came the shot. He watched it go in his arm he screamed and then stopped. He was happy to have two bandaids one being Spiderman! :) It matched his shirt!

The doctor was very happy with his speech and was pleasantly surprised when Parker was using sentences. He was saying, "Mommy I need that!" Better than the one word he likes to use ALOT = NO!

We really can't get anything past this kid! Parker loves Thomas the Train. For his birthday he got his first train set and loves it! Ray and I were talking about how cool it would be to have a train set for around the Christmas tree. The next thing we know Parker is carrying his wood track into the living room and trying to put his Thomas the Train around the tree! The set is not very big so it didn't work but he tried!! We will get a train set for around the tree of next year! :)



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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Parker is 2!

Where has the time gone? Parker is turning 2 years old today!! He continues to amaze us everyday. There is never a dull moment and he keeps us on our toes. We recently celebrated his special day with friends and family. Parker had a blast seeing everyone and eating the DELICIOUS cupcakes!!

I promise he was really happy! The pic below is when everyone was singing to him... kinda freaked him out but when we were done he blew out the candles like a champ (we have been practicing)!


Parker is surround by some pretty amazing people. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family around to help Parker grow and develop. Thank you to everyone who was able to come help us celebrate Parker's special day!

He is still doing well at school and continues to amaze us with his smarts. Here are the fun things he says...

- PleaseThankyouWelcome (yes all one word)
- Come on, get up mommy/daddy
- I need that
- Cookie Monster (say it a quiet voice, in the dark) he calls all scary things Cookie Monster
- He sings "Happy Birfday to you, Happy Bifday to you, Happy Birfday to you"
- NO!

Conversations
Mommy: Do you want to have some milk?
Parker: Yes...because

Mommy: What is that animal?
Parker: Ummmmmmmmmmm....because

When he asks a question and I don't have a good answer I will just say "because", so now he does the same thing. He is a sponge!

Over the weekend he said, "Mommy, I spank you butt and timeout! Wow, guess he really is listening!! :)

My heart melts when I see him and Ray together...my boys :)




More pics and sappy stories to come :)
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Monday, November 19, 2012

Halloween Fun


















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Monday, October 22, 2012

Friends

Carter (2.5 years old), Parker (22 months) & Barrett (1 year)

Wow! This pic makes me tear up!! I have been blessed with great friends and seeing our kids growing up together makes me smile. Natalie is Carter's mommy and Sarah is Barrett's mommy. We have been friends for a very long time. We will be friends for a very long time to come... we know to much about each other!! It's funny to thing we all had boys. We are in for an adventure of a life time and I am happy to share this experience with such great friends. Thank you ladies!! :)

Saturday, October 13, 2012

New Technology & Reclaiming Our House

I am in love with new technology! I just got a new keyboard for my iPad and I'm in love!! I am using it now and hope this will inspire me to post for often. The simple of things of being comfortable helps in more ways than you will ever know. Kinda like me HATING jeans... not going to lie I would live in yoga pants if I could and I bet I would be more productive if I could!! :)





So for other news... our house is off the market! We are thankful that we went through the process and learned a lot about ourselves along the way. We have realized that what we have is great and we want to make it ours. Of course we would love to have all the money in the world to buy land and build a Gibbs/Mehl/Hix Family compound! :) We would all live close and have fun everyday.... but you know what we already have that! The times we get to spend time together are more special because we don't see each other everyday...We have our space and we don't complain about driving to and from. We are good and very happy & thankful for what we have!!





Parker Update: He is doing GREAT!! It's mid October and knock on wood he hasn't been sick since he had his new tubes put in and his adenoids removed in late August! He really has been healthy and just a runny nose here and there. He talks non-stop! Here are the funny things he is saying right now...

- If you sneeze, he asks "You ok??" (tilts his head and looks up)
- He wants everything so he says, "I hab-it?"
- He says "Peek-e-boo!"
- He can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- He will grab a bucket and say, "I leaving you mommy!"
- He will ask you to stay in a room and then he says, "Right back, stay!"

He will repeat anything you say! So we have to very careful how we word things. He loves animals and can now identify lots of them. He has a pillow case that Grandma Terry made that has animals on it like Zebras, Dinosaurs, Lions & Monkeys. He loves them all.

Another reason we are happy to stay in Grove City is that we love his daycare. We feel so blessed to have started him there. He has actually been there a year this month. He has grown and developed so well. The teachers and kids love him and he loves them all even more! :) It makes us feel good to have him somewhere we trust and that he is thriving. He makes us cute things like this too! :)




He will also now eat just about ANYTHING! He loves grapes. Today we had to make a special trip to the store since we have been out for a few days. Melt downs have happened due to not having grapes!





I know long post right!?! I love this new keyboard!! We are really enjoying life right now and all of the surprises each day brings. We (I) take tons of pictures of Parker and the family everyday. I am trying to figure out the best way to share and store my photos. Since our home computer is on the fritz I don't really edit or store pics there anymore so not sure. Hoping to have a solution in the next year or so. I love to have my pics organized so I can easily find them and share. Just rambling now but here are some more pics! :) Parker is 21 months old here...

Daddy reading to Parker before bed...






CHEESE!







Keegan and Parker at the park...



Uncle Jimmy reading to Parker (matching hats required)



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Saturday, October 06, 2012

October! Happy Birthday Ray!

Parker is 22 months now and more advanced than ever. I know, he is my son so I would say that... But really he is pretty smart & very vocal. Where do you think he gets that from?? :)

YouTube Video

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Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Feeling content... It's a good thing

Tonight I am feeling content. My usual feeling are of being rushed, hurried, tired, stressed, overwhelmed or anxiousness. I feel content. I feel happy and thankful.


This little man stresses me out and in the next second he makes me cry with joy (sometimes out of frustration but mostly joy). This journey of becoming a parent is more that I could have ever imaged but in the same breath I wouldn't change it for the world. I am so thankful for my husband who puts up with my craziness and still loves me the same. I am thankful for my parents who love and adore Parker with all of their being. They are always willing to help us especially with Parker. I am thankful for all of my friends, family and coworkers who put up with me and love me each & everyday.

Coming off a long weekend and even longer for me as I tacked on some vacation. It feels good to be caught up. It feels good to have connected with family. It just feels good to be content tonight. I am off to bed early. Praying everyone sleeps well and that the rest of the week is as peaceful as tonight! :)

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Sunday, September 02, 2012

Ice Cream to Beat the Heat




Parker is enjoying an ice cream bar, for the first time! If you couldn't tell he loved every...lick!! We can't believe that almost a year ago this little boy wouldn't try much with out gagging. He has come so far and now he will eat just about anything.

It's the second day of September and it's so hot & humid. Hurricane Isaac is dropping some much needed rain on Ohio but it's so sticky and muggy. Not my kind of weather!! I am really looking forward to a nice cool enjoyable Fall. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

It's been good but busy around the house. Lots of decisions to be made. Do we keep the house on the market (contract up in a month) do we not. Just not sure what to do with a lot of things right now. I know I need to put these big things in Gods hands to lead us down the right path... Just hard to do when I am a control freak! ;)

Night, night for now...


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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Parker's Tubes & Adenoids, all done

He did great! The pic below is before the loopy medicine. He was sporting his OSU hat!! :)


Parker is semi loopy here. He had a strawberry scented mask.



The recovery room was the worst! He screamed the entire time. He hated the I.V.!! I think the nurses felt sorry for us so they let get out of there very quickly! It was tough for all of us. He did say bye bye to everyone. :)


Daddy went to Target to pick up Parker's ear drops. While he was waiting he picked up some blocks for the boys to play with!! :)


Winding down this long day with a good book with Daddy! We are hopeful that this is the beginning of Parker feeling better!!


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Monday, August 20, 2012

New tubes... New words

Just watch and you will hear some of Parker's words!
YouTube Video

He is trying to see himself on the camera so I am chasing him during this video! :)
August has been a better month. We now have an idea why Parker hasn't been sleeping well and we are going to fix the problem later this week. He will have his tubes replaced and his adenoids removed. He had his first set of tubes put in exactly 10 months ago today. He was 11 months old. He couldn't talk (just a few words) or walk. Boy, will this time be different. He talks ALOT and RUNS everywhere. I am not sure how any of us will do this week. I know it will be fine but it's hard. I want to have this done to help make him feel better. Please pray that it makes him feel better!
He has been in a vicious circle of ear infections since April. It starts Easter night when his right ear started bleeding. Yeah, I freaked out. Then each month we were back at the doctor. In July his right tube was blocked and then at the beginning of August both tubes were blocked. It was decided that new tubes were needed and to also help stop the cycle his adenoids will be removed. This is a picture of Parker & Ray at the doctors office. They were looking for trucks! :)

On to the fun stuff! Parker is 21 months old today!! He is such a big boy. For all of the issues with his ears we are very lucky that his hearing & speech seem to be doing fine. Once he has his surgery it will be interesting to see how his voice changes & how well he can hear. He likes to say, "Huh??" if he doesn't want to listen, we know he can hear us! :)
He repeats EVERYTHING and he is pretty good at repeating what he hears... Good sometimes and bad other times! Here are a few of his favorite words or phrases...
- I coming (going up & down the stairs like a big boy)
- turtle
- noodle
- smoothie
- chop, chop (heard mommy say this in traffic. Chop chop people!)
- clean up (in a singing voice)
- Cheerio (the eating kind) :)
- cow, moo
- night, night
- motor (motorcycle, he can hear or see one a mile away)
- Caillou (tv show)
- go, (mommy, daddy, maw maw, etc... As he is pushing or pulling said person)
The best one yet... When he asks me, "where daddy?" I say at work. So now whenever I ask him where something is he says, "at work!"
Me: Where is your turtle Parker?
Parker: At work!
We are having a blast with him! We have our hard times but just writing about him makes my heart smile!

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Sunday, August 05, 2012

Unconditional love...

Dear Parker,

I started this blog to share our lives with friends and family. During the past 5 years we (Daddy and Mommy) have had some tough times. We have been very sad and also very happy. There have been many crazy days and nights. More often than not we have had joyful and happy days. You are so young but have touched us and so many people in wonderful ways. Your smile and laugh melt our hearts. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. I share your pictures and stories with anyone who will listen. If you can warm someone's heart and make them laugh then it's worth all the posts and pictures. I want you to look back and see how much love you brought (and still bring) to us and everyone in your life.

I also want you to know how special you are to Grandma Terry (Mawmaw) and Poopa (Pawpaw). You bring so much joy to them just by being here. Just this past weekend you went and spent the night. Pawpaw wanted you to come over as soon as possible on Saturday so that he could have extra time with you. As your parents we felt a little guilty taking you over early but we ended up having a house showing so it all worked out. You played all day with Pawpaw, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Tammy, your brothers from another mother and Mawmaw. Daddy and Mommy spent the day together and enjoyed a nice dinner. It was good for all of us. You love all of the attention and play time. You stayed with Grandma until almost 2pm the next day. This is because you took a nap with Pawpaw after a busy working at church and breakfast!! When you woke up from your nap Pawpaw knocked on the wall for Grandma to come get you. I said to Grandma, "I will go get him." She said,"No, I love to see him when he first wakes up he is so much fun!" Not that I didn't already know how much she loves you but in that moment I knew this was their special time with you. They both adore you and love every minute they have with you. There goal is to make lasting and fun memories with you. They are doing a great job so far!

Parker, we love you so very much and are so grateful for you. As you read this later in life I hope you feel the love I am writing about!

On a fun note. Here is a cute video of Parker at 20 months walking in Mawmaw's shoes! Cort this is for the kids to laugh at!! :)
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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Tough month...

And I hoping & praying for a fresh start in August.

Very little sleep has taken place in the Gibbs Household this month. Parker has made so many changes this month I think he is out of wack as well. Our little boy isn't so little any more! It's been hard on me. I am starting to realize that I have to embrace the changes & help him move forward. These latest changes just seem to be more drastic to me then any other time. It's the little things... All new cups, no more soft nipples, he has too many teeth & likes to chew. He now say "I dot it" which really means "I got it". These small but big signs that is is growing up & I guess so am I. :)

Here is to a great & productive month! Please pray we all get more sleep! :)




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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

20 months old!

Well, life at the Gibbs house is always in a state of constant change. Yes, I should be used to this but some consistency would be nice too! :) We are so blessed with a healthy and happy little boy that we adore. He is our life, he is our everything. That doesn't mean that we don't get tired, angry, frustrated or many other emotions. We have our challenges just like everyone else. We are learning to take one day at a time and enjoy every moment. We want to surround our son with love and I think that we are doing a good job with that.

Parker is now 20 months old. What does that say to me? That we are 4 months away from him being 2 years old!!! Really?? This is such a fun age and many more changes and challenges than before. The picture below is Parker playing this his "counting" bears. He loves to dump them from cup to cup and just play. He will sit for about 1/2 hour or so and just play.


We are very lucky to have found a wonderful daycare that Parker has been at since he was about 10 months old. He loves his teachers and all of his friends. He was recently moved up to the next room. So he is out of the infant room that is from 6-weeks to 18-months and now in the 18-month to 2 1/2 room. Now that he is in this new room it came with lots of changes that we didn't really think about...

- He now sits at a table to eat. Um, yeah... now he doesn't want to sit in his high chair. We had to quickly change his seat at home. We have an awesome Graco Highchair that we LOVE! It converts like 4 different ways and has saved us lots of money.

- He now sleeps on an open cot! The first day he went right to sleep with no issues. The teachers were amazed and so were we! He has been taking naps at school like a champ and no issues with the cot. Grandma Terry took a full-size pillow and cut it in half, sewed it up and made him a pillow and pillow case for school. He also has a small quilt blanket that Grandma made him that fits perfect. This also means that sleeping in a crib at night, at home was out of the question. He really has been a great night time sleeper, for the most part, for the majority of the time. Now not so much. More to come on that topic later. Just know he is now in his toddler bed.

- He can now participate in special events at school. They have water day on Wednesdays and special events like picnics and such at the daycare. When he is 2 1/2 he will be able to participate in field trips outside of daycare.

I knew he would grow up fast but man, this month has been full of changes for him and us! :)

Here are some pics that should make you smile!


PawPaw and Parker lounging in the living room. Parker rubs his ear just like his mommy did when she was little! :)


Daddy & Parker playing golf! Grandma Terry found these golf clubs at a garage sale for $2!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that?? Score! I see lots of trips to the driving range and the golf course in their future.





Oh look it's PawPaw again! Also known as PooPa!! :) Keegan and Carter do not look thrilled but they were having fun! Look at that grin on Parker's face!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Before you go to sleep tonight...

Just before you go
to sleep tonight,
check this list:
Did you get up
on time?
Did you make
your bed?
Did you eat
a good breakfast?
Did you read something
interesting?
Did you learn something?
Were you polite?
Did you help a
friend?
Did you do some work
around the house?
Did you try to earn
some money to help
pay for your clothes?
Did you think about
your future?
Did you read a
newspaper or watch
a newscast?
Did you brush
your teeth?
Twice?
Did you tell your
parents how much you
appreciate them?
Imagine how good
you’ll feel about
yourself if you can
say “yes” to
these questions,
today,
and every day.


- Franklin University Leadership Center
 Another Gray Matter - originally published in the Wall Street Journal from February of 1979 until November 1985.  They were the idea of Harry J. Gray, former Chairman and CEO of United Technologies (reprinted with permission).   For a more detailed explanation see Gray Matter.  This particular Gray Matter was published in June of 1982.

I read this a few days ago and I can't stop thinking about it... Please read and share with others. It's important we go to bed each night with our affairs in order! :)

Monday, July 09, 2012

Commitment Issues

Do I seem like the type of person that has commitment issues? From the outside I look pretty committed; same job for 12 years, married for 9 years, 2 houses in 12 years. Those are the bigs ones. For those who know me REALLY well know that there are other topics that I strive to stay committed to but haven't figured out the balance.

Sarah Petereit, how many times did we sign "contracts" with each other committing to exercise? Oh, wait even better, how about when we tried to save up money to buy American Girl Dolls? Hey, don't judge we were like 12 years old. But even back then I didn't put my mind to the task at hand and makes it happen. I would give up on the exercise (still don't find it enjoyable) & I got the doll for Christmas.

As an adult I have said I want to do the following and just can't seem to make it happen...

- eat better
- plans meals
- exercise
- clean a little each day
- using up what I have before buying more
- reading, yeah I start but never finish (Twilight series is the last I read, all the way through)
- oh the big one, stop wasteful spending

I am sure there are more but those are the major topics. I usually overwhelm myself by trying to change all items at once. I jump in without a clear plan and I don't change anything to really make it possible to succeed. It's weird to me that there are parts of my life I have "it together" and others I just do "ok".

I just finished up a weeks vacation from work. It was a crazy week with the heat & storms. To top it off our air went out. We were very lucky to have it fixed quickly and for a low price. This event made me slow down, think & prepare a small game plan. I tried not to overwhelm myself with so much to accomplish that in the end it would lead to nothing getting done. I made one day my running around day to get supplies & the next day my action day. Here is what I accomplished...

Pantry, spice cabinet & lazy Susan; cleaned & organized...






The dining room now has blinds! Last room in the house & most important room since the sun comes in the back & this room has the thermostat. Thank you Ray for hanging these!


I also...
- started an iCloud calendar that we can plan meals on. A month seemed overwhelming to met so I am taking one week at a time. After a month of planning I can look back and "reschedule" meals moving forward on the calendar.

- went through all on my makeup & beauty products (thank you Sephora). I have the in ziplock bags so I can see that I have 20 samples of a face cream & before I buy new I need to use these.

- I am taking my spending more seriously. One day at a time. Thinking about what I need versus want. Those lines are often blurred for me. One day at a time.

I have changed my way of thinking & trying to stay calm, cool & collected. The first step is admitting I have challenges & now you can help hold me accountable!

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Sunday, July 01, 2012

July Already?

Wow, where has the time gone? I can't believe it's July already!! We usually go on vacation the last week of June but this year we decided to stay put. There are just so many things going on it just didn't happen. Now here it is July 1st and now I am on vacation from work I am just staying home. Ray is off a few days & with the July 4th holiday right in the middle we should have some nice family days. We jus had two terrible storms rip through so it's been scary for everyone. We have been lucky enough to keep our power but we have now lost our A/C. Nothing to do with the storm just bad timing. It might be a total loss! :( Not what we had planned. Oh, did I mention that our house is still on the market??
Ok, enough winning for tonight. We did go to Ash Cave & Cedar Falls in Hocking Hills. We wanted to have a family day but something that would try and keep us cool. It's been really hot here. It's about an hour drive from our house and Ray took the scenic route. By the second trail & almost 90 degree temps we were all done for the day. Then we came home to a warm house. Here are cute pics from our trip!





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