Chippey Day 2

Reese had a hard time finding Chippey this morning.  I guess I'll blame it on this tiny cluttered temporary apartment we're in or maybe she has similar genes as me (my parents always said I ran around looking at the sky and trying to hunt Easter eggs--I still deny it).  So, I ended up having to pick her up for her to notice him hanging out in the strainer full of rice crispies on the pot rack.  You can't see it, but he made quite the mess on the counter below too.

Look! He's Back!

Chippey's back, making his appearance this morning holding on tight to the star on top of the tree.  He left Reese absolutely speechless this morning...just take a watch.

We read the book last night to prepare for his arrival and it's amazing how excited she is about all of the Christmas Magic!

My goal is to have a little more fun with Chippey this year since Reese is at an age to better appreciate and my goal is to try and post his shenanigans each day too (hopefully I can succeed!).

I hope all of you are enjoying a little Christmas Magic at your home too.  I just can't seem to get the little jingle from the movie out of my head "Look! He's Back! The Elf on the Shelf, Christmas Magic in this little Elllllffff".

Around Here

Well, we sold our house and close on the sale on Monday...woo hoo!  It took a bit longer than we originally expected, given the way the house sold when we bought it, but then one weekend we ended up in multiple offers.  We were on the market a little over a month, and now here we are ready to move out this weekend.

I wish I had a beautiful picture of the new house we are moving to, but the truth is, we haven't found it yet, so we're moving to an apartment (almost next door) for a (hopefully) short time so that we can take our time and find the right house--it's pretty slim pickens out there right now.

So prayers are appreciated for the process to go quickly, smoothly, for nothing to get broken and for Team Parker to get along ok in 1050 square feet for the next couple of months.  It will be a change, but one that will be for the best when we find that perfect 4 bedroom house!

Rodeo Drive sure has been good to us the past 6.5 years, but we are ready for the next step!

Halloween

Reese really got into the Halloween spirit this year.  I guess with each year, her love of candy grows!  We did it double time this year with a trip to the Theta house on Tuesday before the actual Halloween extravaganza on Wednesday.

The Texas Thetas rolled out the red carpet with yummy snacks, face painting, and all the candy we could handle.  It was a fun event with our friends Tom (Goose), Olivia, and Alex the sock hop dance star!

On Wednesday, she was off to school in her Tinkerbell costume for her fall party and parade.  Then we headed over to Ehlert's on Wednesday for more trick or treating with friends.

It's always fun to get the little ones dressed up and see their eyes light up as they add more candy to their bags, but I'm glad it's come to an end.  Now I can hopefully wean myself of the candy high I've been on for the past 2 weeks, I mean, I was just doing my due duty and not letting my toddler eat too much--she does have a dentist appointment later this month!

Happy Halloween!

We're headed out for round 2 of costumes, trick or treating and FUN!

Where it all began

It's hard to believe I started this blog over 3 years ago announcing the birth of then Itsy Bitsy Parker aka Reese.  Well, I'm going to keep things short and sweet because I'm headed out for a week long business trip and there is still packing to do. 

But word is starting to spread, so I figure I can make it official.

Summa Summa Time

Well, now that summer has past, I guess I can blog about it.  I really hate playing catch up, but considering my last several posts have been the same, it might be a habit.  Isn't that what they say, once you've done it 3 times, it becomes a habit?

So, with May came a wonderful trip to The Players Championship in Jacksonville, Florida with our good friends Matt & Shelley.  It was an adult trip and sooo fun!  We spent Wednesday afternoon and Thursday on Amelia Island eating some great fare and doing a little relaxing before spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the course at Sawgrass watching the pros.  Of course, Tiger is so intriguing and has continued to maintain quite the following, but we also enjoyed following Phil, Rickie, Keegan and many others before camping out at 18 on the last day to watch them all!

In our Mother's Day PINK

San Fernandina Beach

Then came a TON of traveling for me... I think I was traveling part of every other week for about a month and a half--glad that's over!

Reese progressed quite well in swim lessons this year.  She started out in group with 1 or 2 other kids, then I moved her to private for another 4 weeks.  Her lack of fear for the water is both good and bad, know what I mean?  So out come the floaties when we all need a break!

But, it got her well-prepped for our trip to Destin in August.  She loved every minute of the pool and beach and we did too!  My parents drove down, picked us up from the airport in Panama City and we enjoyed a very relaxing 4 days.  It was a true vacation in that I did not leave the house but once the whole trip, except for the beach or pool, just a few yards away, of course.  There was no agenda, just fun, sun and relaxation--exactly what we needed!

In late July we decided to make the leap and put our house on the market in late August.  So we whittled away getting it in tip-top shape during evenings and weekends and listed it a week ago.  It's been an amazing home for us the past 6+ years, but we're ready to make a move for a bit more space and a bit different area.  We've had some good looks, but no offers yet--fingers crossed for things to go somewhat quickly!

So I think that's my best effort at catching up.  And here we are less than 2 days away from September 1 and while I'm extremely thankful for the summer being a bit milder on us (compared to last year), I'll gladly welcome fall temps whenever they want to show their face.

Oh, and hooray for football season because aside from selling the house (and buying a new one) it will pretty much consume our lives for the next several months.

Texas Spring

What would Spring be in Texas without a climb into patches of our native flower, posing for the parentals in hopes of that perfect photograph being snapped, all while praying there are no snakes hiding out in the same patch?  Well, I guess last year we didn't succumb to the typical Texas spring because I did not get any pics of the little lady.  So this year, I tried to make up for it--and it was worth it!  It's amazing to see her growth in 2 years from this.  And quite frankly, we just didn't have the crop of bluebonnets last year compared to this year.

These are from the ranch of Easter and I just LOVE how they turned out.  Hat's off to JP!  And thank you, Reese, for taking my bribe to smile and look at the camera!

An Egg-cellent Weekend

We enjoyed another lovely Easter at the ranch this year.  We love that place, and Reese does too.  She's been asking this week if we are going there again this weekend.  The answer is no, but I can tell it is becoming one of those places she is giddy about, just like I was when I was a kid.  Oh wait, I still get giddy about going to the ranch--it's just that kind of place.

Because at the ranch you get to drink ice cream from the bowl at 10:15 pm with Uncle Mike

It was nice to sit back, relax, enjoy some great food and wine and watch take it all in.  We've been talking about Easter for a few months now and the children's book "All About Easter" gives a really good glimpse of what this great holiday is all about for a 2 year old.  She understands that it really is all about Jesus, and that's what is important.  Several weeks ago I asked her "Reese, where are we going for Easter?"  Waiting for her to say "the ranch", she quickly replied "church".  She.gets.it.

She also gets the Easter bunny and all he does.  She has hunting eggs down pat.  And eating candy, too.  I think there was one day over the weekend that the only thing wholesome she ate was a few bites of fruit for breakfast and a bowl of beans at 8pm.  Thankfully, we're back to a normal eating routine.

A little bit of chocolate on the face for the first of many times that day

And, if you're gonna live in Texas, you gotta break a pinata for Easter.  (make sure you sing that to the tune...If you're gonna play in Texas...it makes it that much better).  It's always a hit with the kids and there is no shortage of roadside vendors making a buck from them.

I hope you and your family enjoyed a blessed Easter and remember that HE died and rose for US.  Hallelujah!

I've Joined the Club

Yep, I'm there plus 2 weeks. I joined th 30 club on March 28. The day came on the third day of back and forth business trips to San Antonio, so the day itself was low key, but I did get to enjoy some of my fave sushi for dinner.

But then came the weekend. Several weeks earlier JP had suggested we get everyone together for crawfish to celebrate. Sounded like the perfect idea to me and the perfect way to celebrate my Dirty Thirty.

It was a ball of a time being with friends and family. And the crawfish and beer was delish and the perfect companion for enjoying the backyard on the summer-like day. (if only it would stay thar temp through summer)

Love.It.

Pretty sure this is my little lady giving me a high five after I tried to pretend like I was 21 again.

So what happens now? Eating a little better, working out a little harder and wrinkle cream, right? All those things might be needed, but Praising the Lord for another wonderful year and looking forward to what He has in store for me for the next 30 is what I'm thinking about. It's a beautiful life...bring it 30!