10 months

Wow! I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with things lately on the blog, so I'm going to use this post to get caught up. 

The past month has been filled with more football, reunions, hayrides, a trip to Fredricksburg, a quick trip to the ranch, and much more...hmmmm, maybe that's why I'm so behind! Miss Reese loves to be on-the-go (and her Mama does too), so we try to keep it that way.

hayride with the Ahrens fam

loving the slide and looking forward to many more days in the "jumper"

She is still not crawling as we all know crawling, but has figured out how to get around as long as she's on the carpet or tile.  Don't let this confuse you with being mobile.  She is a cruiser!  She walks laps around the coffee table, or anything else she can reach and walk to.  I'm still a bit leery of whether she will ever be a conventional crawler.

We have a great eater on our hands, although, I'm already worried we've created a monster. She would much rather have risotto and creme brulee versus Gerber ravioli or applesauce. She's got four teeth and two more on the way.  She's been a champ at transitioning from the bottle...we are just two days in to no bottles, but before that she only had one before bed, so I'm pretty sure doing away with the last one will go smoothly too.

I've been putting off  "baby proofing" my house since she hasn't hasn't been truly on the move, but I think it's time....especially since JP went in to her room this morning only to find our little lady standing up glaring at him from her crib. 

Oh, and how could I forget Thanksgiving!  Well, I know my husband would love to forget the game, but seriously, we have so many things to be thankful for, namely our Lord and Savior, and family and friends, who we love so dearly.  Of course, Reese was one of the first things that came to my mind when I thought about Thanksgiving this year because she has truly brought such joy to our lives and we are so thankful for the past 10 months as we have watched her grow.

I know it doesn't look like it here, but Reese was so happy to see Will on Thanksgiving at the tailgate...it had been a while!

....and now on to the Christmas season...one of my favorite times of year!

 Elle & Reese: already great friends! 

 with Leisha and Leslie at a much needed girl's night out at A Christmas Affair (note the tumblers of wine...the line to the bar was too long to stand in again...everyone was doing it!)

   bath in one of the new sinks at the ranch and lovin' the washcloth!

Saturday Night Lights

Well, we all know Texas isn't having their best season, but that doesn't keep us from enjoying a beautiful Saturday at DKR.  We are finally beginning to see hints of fall, which makes tailgating and watching the game that much more enjoyable.

8 Months

Wow, I can't believe we are closer than ever to the 1 year mark!

We continue to be amazed and crack up laughing everyday as Reese's little personality is coming out more and more.  I think we've definitely got our work cut out for us!

She still isn't mobile, but if we can get her on her tummy long enough (without throwing a fit), it does seem like she has some interest in moving, but just can't figure out how to get up on her knees.  She loves to stand--on her own, though.  Of course, she's not pulling up quite yet, so to get in that favorite position, she has to be put there.

Of course, it's football season, so that is really the majority of what we've been doing lately (on the weekends, anyway) and Reese is loving every minute of it.

everything still goes straight to her mouth

just look at that grin

our ball girl at the Austin Hamptons Party

Wreck'em/Hook'em?...one confused little lady

gameday with Elle Ehlert

A Roadtrip Weekend

So we packed it all up and headed to the LBK last Thursday night.  It's really the only chance I get every other year to make the trip because most of the football games overlap with Texas home games, and I'm not making the trip solo.  It was such a fun (and tiring!) weekend, though it didn't have the outcome I wanted, I think I can take it better than JP could if it would have been a loss for Texas, so there ya go.

We were pretty much on the go the entire weekend, meeting up with friends, old neighbors, and hangin' out at all my fave places from college.  I took so many great pics, too, that I decided to simply put this little slideshow together since there were just too many to post....enjoy!

Born to Be

...a college football fan!  And I keep it general here, because as most of you well know, JP and I went to two different Texas schools.  Of course, Reese (just like her mama) will wear her UT best almost every weekend as we head south to tailgate and cheer the Longhorns to victory.  But, she also owns several ADORABLE Texas Tech frocks too in which I heart dressing her up in.  I guess I pass along my thinking to her in that she can cheer for Texas every weekend they aren't playing the Scarlet & Black, which in case you didn't know, is this upcoming weekend.  So, how does Reese show her loyalty in her frocks during this game? .......she doesn't.  Well, she doesn't pick one over the other.  She will be wearing a couture (designed by me, constructed by Honey) house divided dress.  Of course, we are headed to Lubbock, so throughout the weekend I have other Tech choices for her.  I mean, I only get to go to Lubbock every other year, so I've got to rally while I'm there.

even Aggies give cute gifts like this...thanks Melissa...we love it!

But, this past weekend was the first home game in Austin, and Reese joined in the traditions and fun just fine.  JP headed down to tailgate at his usual early time, while Reese and I came a little later.  She really was such a champ!  We stayed in our seats til halftime and then joined Shell up in the Club for some AC and grub.  Can I tell you what a difference the AC makes?

trying to stay cool with a cold water bottle and a fan

The National Anthem with Daddy

Thanks for bringing me to the club, Aunt Shelley!

So anyway, we had a great first game experience...and here is Reese in true tailgate fashion...filling her belly before the game.  Here's to many more!

The Old-Timer, the Newbie, and the Soon-to-be in LA for 48 hours

Sorry for the late post, but it took a few days to get over how nice the weather was out on the West Coast...
Well, although the trip was short and the outcome was not sweet, we managed to have a great 24 hours. I flew in to LAX around 10AM on gameday and caught a cab to Santa Monica...Pablo, Kris (the Old-Timer), and Mark (the Newbie) were waiting for me (the Soon-to-be) to start the trek to Pasadena. Joining in the two-car caravan was the Schoenvogel clan, who were all in attendance (6 deep these days!!!), and Walt even had his tickets... (though we had to drive back around the block to the hotel to get them!!!) Walt did snag us a great tailgating spot about a block away from the Rose Bowl.

Tailgating was great...

Meeting up with old friends...

We even bet on which Brenhamite would be the first seen...and the winner was (no shocker!) Billy Holle, fresh off a BlackJack table on the Vegas Strip!!!
The Rose Bowl...It was amazing that we were out there 4 years early.

There were of course crazy fanatics running around...

As I mentioned before, the game didn't turn out how we envisioned it, but we did get a small glimpse of the future of Texas football ... GILBERT...GILBERT...GILBERT!

Well, after a long day of drinking, tailgating, drinking, yelling, and yet more drinking we crashed hard, only to get up and head home the following day.

Goodbye Santa Monica! We'll see you again four years from now...
 

One More Hurdle to Jump

Itsy Bitsy Parker is due exactly 19 days from today...my how time flies!  I reached the 37 week mark yesterday, which makes me full-term, and essentially IBP could be here anytime.

From the beginning, there have been a couple of January events to get through before IBP arrives.  I was a bridesmaid this past weekend in my good friend Laci's wedding.  It was a fun-filled New Year's weekend full of festivities that I successfully made it through.  And what a neat wedding!  You see, the groom is a Navy Seal and along with that came a plethora of Navy guys into Austin, complete with a post-ceremony sword arch.  It was also great to see so many of my Theta girls and I'm sure they enjoyed seeing me in all my pregnant glory, too.  Hopefully my body will be back to normal for our next hoorah!  Fun times, for sure!

with the beautiful bride!

the Swordsmen arch

Mommy & Daddy-to-Be

Singing the Theta wedding song to the bride--we were a bit rusty!

Theta love!

Now for the last hurdle to jump...JP going out to California for the National Championship.  Since the beginning of the season, we felt like the Longhorns had a good chance at making it to the BCS title game this year, but once they beat Okie State, we felt like the deal was sealed so I hurried up and booked JP a flight out to LA.  I have to say I'm a bit jealous that I'm not able to make the trip, especially considering the fun we had out there in 2005, but I didn't want JP to miss out on another Longhorn football milestone, considering my due date would still be a couple of weeks out.  So, if all goes well, he will be headed out early the morning of the game and back the following day, so keep your fingers crossed that IBP doesn't make his or her entrance into this wonderful world until Daddy gets back (and hopefully with a win)!

Rewind...Giving Thanks!

This year we get to add a big one to the list of all the wonderful things we are thankful for...the upcoming arrival of Itsy Bitsy Parker!  We are also so thankful that my pregnancy has been such a great one, and now we are on the home stretch (7 weeks to go)!

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, but was in usual Team Parker style, going here, there and everywhere.  We spent Thanksgiving day in Brenham at my parent's house joined by my brother, grandmother, the Parker's, and Aunt LaVerna.  Lunch was scrumptious as usual--duck breast accompanied by the Parker Italian tradition--homemade ravioli!

After lunch, JP and I headed to College Station for a little bit of tailgating and the big game between Texas and Texas A&M.  And, wow, was it an exciting one.  Leave it to the Ags to put up a good fight...heck, they killed us (Tech) earlier in the season, so I wasn't too surprised, given the fact that they pretty much always have a good showing on their home turf against the Longhorns.  I'm glad Texas pulled it out though, since now that I write this a bit late, we know they are now headed to the National Championship in Pasadena on January 7.

We headed back to Austin on Friday to prepare for Laci and Jefferey's Stock the Bar party on Saturday evening.  It was a great party and we sure enjoyed celebrating their upcoming wedding on January 2nd with everyone!

That left Sunday to rest up and begin decorating for Christmas...I love this time of year and am so thankful for all that we have. Boy will next year be different...

September Happenings

What a jammed packed month it has been! Here we are already the 21st of September (Happy 30th Birthday, Michael!) and I feel like Labor Day was just yesterday! With fall rolling in, it means football on the schedule for us during almost every weekend. We started the season out with Texas playing in Austin vs. University of LA-Monroe over Labor Day weekend. I sure do miss getting to watch my Red Raiders play, but it is always great times tailgating in Austin and cheering on UT and the Big 12! Glad I love the game, right?!



















On Sunday the 6th we celebrated Ruth & Rob's 40th Anniversary with a beautiful party in Brenham. It was such a nice day and what a true testament of love for 40 years...thanks for being great role models for Jonathan and me both! We love you!

The month kept on trucking along, with a full schedule at work. Our big annual trade show in Vegas was another great success--yet a tiresome one! I truly don't want to admit it, but being preggers does slow me down a bit. I headed out for a quick trip to Vegas on Thursday the 10th to make sure all was inline for setup of the booths and came back to Austin late Friday night so that I could be at Tyler and Jamie's wedding on Saturday.

The 'rents picked me up in Austin on Saturday morning and we headed to Fredricksburg. What a beautiful wedding for two beautiful people...so glad Jonathan and I were able to share in the day with you all!

Monday morning, it was back to Vegas for the week! Jonathan came with me, since we figured this might be the last time to really get away before IBP arrives. He did his touring around the strip while I worked during the day, but we did enjoy some good food and a bit of gambling in the evenings.

Finally, on Thursday night I was back in Austin, with a day of rest before the crazy UT/Tech weekend. It has become quite a tradition in our house divided that the week leading up to the game is deemed 'Hate Week' since Jonathan and I are both so passionate about our schools (and their football teams!). It's not as harsh as it sounds, just some good 'ole trash talking before the big event.

Gameday (in general, didn't make it down in time for ESPN's) was a blast as usual and it was so good to see some of my Tech friends that I don't get to see very often. I was sad to see the loss, but still very proud to be a Red Raider!

And, how could I forget the baby bump!? Well, let's just say that within the past two weeks, the bump has decided to come out of hiding and shy away from shyness...it's now raising it's hand yelling "I'm here, I'm here!", as I'm sure you can see from the pics!