What's Up Life...

Exactly... right?
Here comes a new and improved Blog for you all! It's literally been forever since I last wrote, no I am serious we are talking 15 whole months!! Life gets crazy sometimes and to be quite honest life is crazy ALL the time these days around our house. So I thought what better way to relaunch this blog than with a new name that really fits this season of our life! "What's up Life"... I really wanted a name that could represent all the "stuff" that we have going on, all the activities the kids are involved in, what the husband and I are up to, and so much more.

Yes, the last 15 months have been pretty crazy, and if you don't follow me on social media then I'm sure all the updates will start making sense soon. I really did miss my little blog and my readers during my break and I thought about things I could blog about often. It was simply a matter of finding time to sit and write. I've always loved writing and it has been a way for me to connect with others so for 2019 I'm bringing it back. I've learned from the past and my time away that it really doesn't matter how often I blog, what matters is that I make a connection when I do. I hope that you will find the same blog you remember from before with just a bit more fun and laughs.

Now for a quick update...
All the happenings in 2018
-We went north for Christmas (2017) and we all came back sick! It took us nearly the entire rest of winter break to get back to feeling better.
-The twins finished up VPK and moved up a level in Gymnastics, and of course started kindergarten in the fall
-Madison was involved with Odyssey of the Mind and her team won at the county level and went to states, they didn't win but it was a fun experience for us all
-Curt (the husband) coached several soccer teams and had a blast. The kids he coached really loved him and our kids loved to watch the games and eat all the snacks from their Aunt Bridget
-Kendal finished up her first year of cheerleading and rolled right into her 8th grade year of cheer.
-Parker really grew a lot during 2018, she found her voice and her words and there has been no stopping her since!
-We went to New Mexico in May to visit with my side of the family. My nephew graduated from high school and we all came from different parts of the country to celebrate
- I am continuing to coach my health and fitness groups and have started substitute teaching, it has been on of the biggest blessings for my personal growth
-WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! Yes, in May we finally bought a house in Florida! What we thought might not happen until the end of the year came much quicker thanks to our amazing realtor and our willingness to take a leap!


So of course there's probably so much more I could share but that is the quick version! I can't wait to share more the life we've been living with the seven of us. we have many adventures planned for this year and it's going to be amazing!

Welcome back friends... I am so glad you're here!

Parker Elaine - TEN months

Double digits .... she's almost ONE someone please tell how this happened? Last year at this time we were just finding out baby girl would be coming early and we couldn't wait. We wanted to hold her so much and see what she looked like.. see who she looked like. I prayed for her every single day hoping my condition wouldn't harm her. I tried so hard to remember every single movement of her's. And now here we are 2 (very) short months away from her Birthday. The party planning has commenced and let me just say it's going to be amazing.

Miss. Parker is such a blessing (of course all of our girls are) but there is just something different about her she really brightens each and every day and every one she comes in contact with. Her smile is so amazing and love and happiness just oozes from her. This little life  knows no sadness no hardships just love unconditional love from everyone around her.

This month Parker got her first TWO Teeth it was quiet the shock and I honestly didn't even see it coming!! One on the top and one on the bottom... leave it to this little one to get her first teeth this way! She seems to have another one coming in on the top and this time we know all about it. She's definitely been a little on the fussy side the past few days. Our whole family had a the worst stomach bug about a week ago and poor Parker got in on the action as well... watching a baby puke is absolutely the worst. She also ended up with a UTI which helped us also discover she is allergic to penicillin. I tell you this girl is really blazing her own trail in life and I love that about her.

She's not quiet crawling yet but loves to turn herself in circles both on her belly and on her butt. She pulls herself up to kneeling and I caught her sitting herself up in the crib the other day! Thanks to a trick we learned from cousin Paisley she is able to stand on her own against the wall. She also loves to stand and hold the couch. It's just a blast watching her find her way, with no pressure to crawl. Another trick we learned from cousin Paisley... she will do it when she's ready.

This girl is a whole 22 pounds... and the chunk is just adorable on her and I can't imagine her without it. She LOVES to eat and will eat ANYTHING we put in front of her. She's about given up on the baby food and prefers to eat what we are eating and LOVES carbs (Just like her mama). I'd list her favorites but the real story is.... everything is her favorite.

Parker loves playing and we can tell she is just ready to get on the move to chase after her big sisters. She claps her hands, signs more (sometimes), says baba and (I think) she says hello when she puts her hand to her ear like she's on the phone. She loves mamas glasses and would love for mama to hold and be near her ALL.THE.TIME... and mama would love the same.

I wish daily for time to slow down but until that happens I'm just going to love on this little one for as long as she will let me.

We love you Parker Elaine... Happy Ten Months!

PS Did I mention my child has EPIC hair?????? No.... see below

Parker Elaine - 9 Months

I am in complete denial that my youngest daughter is a mere 3 months away from turning one. My oldest daughter was asking me if we were going to have a big party for Parker and I said yes. She then asked me if it was going to be bigger than the twins party... ummmm yes!! I'm even pushing her "party" off a few weeks so that my sister, my mom, and my in-laws can be here for it! But rest assured we will still have a small celebration for her on her actual Birthday.

Nine months of Parker Elaine and she has changed so much! She's an extremely happy baby learning new things each and every day. She loves to play and gets excited over the smallest of things. She still has the whole body excitement thing going on; she straightens her legs and arms and her face lights up each time she sees one of her sisters or any of her family members. She has started to become very vocal regarding knowing exactly what she wants and when. Don't even think about squeezing those chubby cheeks of hers or giving her too many kisses, she will let you know just how much she dislikes it. Charlotte is our repeat offender in the area, she always wants to kiss on Parker (and rightfully so... she is just THAT cute) but is just a bit aggressive! I like to say Charlotte does what we all are thinking... you know.. we just want to eat her up she is soooo stinkin' cute.

Parker loves to clap her hands and if she hears someone say Yay! Or hears others clapping she must join in and of course she's wearing the biggest smile ever. She can turn herself in a full circle while on her belly or on her butt. She likes to pull her sisters hair and anything else she can get her hands on. For this reason alone we cannot leave ANYTHING within her reach because she WILL grab it.

Parker has 3-4 bottles a day depending on if she decides to wake up in the middle of the night (you know for fun). But typically we stick to one in the morning around 6 then one around 12 and one at bedtime around 6:30. This girl loves to eat (something you've never heard before, I know) she has eaten everything I put in front of her. While she still doesn't have any teeth she is a master at mashing up food. She has had pancakes, chicken, green beans, mandarin oranges, eggs, and ground turkey, I am sure there is so much more to come this next month. As I said she still doesn't have any teeth, I am thinking there is one about to pop through any day now but hey I've said that for like the last 4 months... I guess I was wrong.

It is so crazy sometimes how much joy this little one brings to our lives, I find myself near tears at times because I just can't imagine life without her. We love you so so much Parker Elaine.. here is to month TEN!

Parker Elaine ~ 8 Months

Eight months ... Say what??? Usually the months seem to go so very fast but I am happy to say the past month was an exception. Maybe it was because Parker got to travel to Pennsylvania for the first time to see her Auntie, Uncle, and cousin Paisley. Or maybe it's because my entire house was sick for the past month. Either way month 8 was slow and full of changes for Miss. Parker. This is a really fun age because these little minds are so full of learning and it is so much fun to watch them each day.
Up until recently Parker's favorite noise to make was something relating to a monster all.day.long you could hear her making these growls and yells and we ate it up. Over the past few weeks she has started making more babbling noises and hearing her little "voice" is just so adorable. I may or may not be working on her saying "mama" over and over! 3 out of 4 of the girls' first word was DaDa and one was BaBa, so mama has to get a win at some point!  (update... she's been saying mama for the past few days now!!)

Parker has started trying out some new solid foods (or table food)... thanks to cousin Paisley. She has tried bananas, green beans, mashed potatoes, and pretty much anything else we think might be ok for her to try. She is more than open to trying new foods and possibly taking food off our our plates and trying to get food from her sisters. And while we are on the topic of sisters, the twins absolutely love to try and give Parker their food... for example seeing Parker in the living room with a cracker in her mouth and Livy proudly telling me "I give Parker cracker".... uhhhh ok.

Parker did so well on her first flight, she pretty much behaved the best I could have asked for. We got lots of smiles and compliments from other passengers and there may have even been a little flirting going on by Miss. Parker. It was so much fun to watch Paisley and Parker together they played and played and maybe even tried to give each other a hug or two. Parker learned a lot from Paisley in the few days we were there... I'm pretty sure that's how she learned to babble instead of always making her monster noises. Paisley taught Parker how to pick up her puffs and put them into her mouth as well as try out some new foods.

Although we haven't been to the doctor since 6 months Parker is definitely a chunk and I'm sure around 21-22 pounds. She is just making the transition into 9-12 month clothes with some 6-9 months still fitting. She is just as full of life as she is chunk... and it's no surprise given how much she loves to eat! Her smile is contagious and her blue eyes sparkle just like her big sisters.

So very close to ONE ~ time just moves so fast ~ We love you so much Parker Elaine.