Daddy & son bonding

..and a straggler Temple pic. Saturday afternoon Ethan & daddy went to the Atlanta Braves game. They had great seats, for a great price and, of course, enjoyed a foot long hot dog. Ethan must have been in hot dog heaven! Sadly I'd left my phone at home but Anthony was sweet and made sure to call. We ran into other ward friends (who have moved) that also headed to the game.


Anthony said Ethan got antsy by the 3rd inning, no surprise there. We spent a lot of the weekend on a goose chase with him!

Glad they had fun and were able to spend time with us and unwind before bed.

Atlanta trip

On Friday evening we left for Atlanta. We were looking forward to the Atlanta Temple open house. The Temple is being re-dedicated on May 1st. This is one of the smoother trips (road or flying) we have made as a family. Lots of preparations as always and many details to organize. It was great to see a big city though I found the 7 lanes (in each direction) on the freeway a bit crazy! We made it through insane tornado weather and arrived safely at our hotel. Evidently there were 100 across the south that day! Some friends in our ward happened to be staying there as well. It was great that Ethan had a friend to run around with on Saturday (and company for us). We enjoyed the spirit of the Temple and then went to a mall nearby for lunch & attended to other things. From there we went 'home' to relax a bit before
the boys left for the Braves game. Parker & I stayed plenty busy and enjoyed a little quiet.
We loved having time to enjoy with just each other. Loooong overdue and much needed! I will post again shortly with the baseball & aquarium pics..

"Happy Birthday"

One week ago today my brother Ron had another Birthday.
We were able to celebrate both his 47th, and Pops 89th birthday together, yesterday on the 10th.
It was great to meet with the few family members that are here in town, but it made it even better when Sandi and Eric surprised us all with their visit after traveling in from Utah.
I'm not to sure how much Pops took in, but he was sure excited about the cupcake, and ice cream. We barely got him to blow out the candle before taking a big bite of the cake. Nothing was slowing him down.
Tony's mom, Blanche has always been very supportive in celebrating with us for many Birthdays. It was nice to have her with us.
I think she enjoyed it as well.
As I get older I get more and more sentimental about the time I am able to spend with family. It seems to be few and far between anymore.

Mother was tickled to have us together. Linda, and Lonnie you were missed.

Ethan's 4th birthday & other recent happenings

Life spins out of control at times but we love our time together. We enjoy celebrating important (and 'ordinary' days). It makes the constant 'up to our eyes' a bit more balanced and worthwhile. In general things are beyond busy each day and there's a lot of 'extra' lately with Airman leadership school, appts and more running around. I know Anthony & I are hoping this next month goes smoothly--and incredibly fast.

Monday was Ethan's birthday & we had a party as a fam once daddy arrived home. Anthony came home during lunch which was a nice surprise too. We'd just come in from the store & he helped us with a few things before having to leave. Ethan had a super early bath and (somewhat comical..but not) I juggled making dinner, appeasing the boys, setting up the party and cleaning in the frenzy..all at once. We had fun pinning the tail on the donkey after dinner followed by cake, ice cream & gifts. Last night he & I had a belated birthday outing to see Hop. It was a cute show & nice to get out with just him. He had a bit of a rough time being the antsy boy he is. He and Parker also had immunizations yesterday. Due to the fact, he was not a big fan of walking. Big days...more exhausting!
In our haste the candle was put on after everyone had a plate..



Anthony & brother during the singing





Ethan's done great with school time (about two years now) and Parker started veggies & fruits this last week. He's also been eager to scoot and talk.


We are looking forward to the Atlanta Temple open house. It will be a first for me going through an open house and also being in Atlanta. Anthony has a date planned with Ethan which they're excited about. We're planning to see the aquarium before heading home. It will be a blur but nice to get away. Lots of sacrifices on everyone's part..I think after this school business is over we need a vacation just to recover and celebrate. I'm proud of my hubby and our two sweet boys. Love & hugs from Georgia

Precious Parker Pictures

"It's all about Parker, little words, and allot of pictures"

What can I say, It's like looking at his daddy all over again, except he actually does sleep at night.

It is hard to believe that he is only 5 months due to his size and actions. Both say he is older in these pictures.
The funny thing I would try to capture special moments with others, and Parker would always stop what he was doing to look at the camera. A bit of a ham I would say. I guess he just knows how cute he is.

Grama's and Grampa's were trying to soak in as much as possible before having to leave.
Fun and tender moments.
The best part is that he will cuddle, and laugh most of the time, and we all took enjoyed every minute of it. Quite the fun toy.

Ethan can just about always make him laugh. He loves his brother.