A Tooth, A Tooth!!

Tonight I just felt that Parker has a tooth! It is like a little razor on the bottom in front. He cut his first tooth about a month earlier than Josh did. Not that the tooth will do him much good since he resists food of any kind, but it is a step in the right direction! Plus, it explains some of his moods the past couple weeks.

Cousin Jillian

David's cousin, Ashley, has a baby girl named Jillian who is 5 months old. She is just darling. Check out the pictures of the kids together. Man are my boys all boy!

The Mills Birthday Celebration!

It is so fun to get to celebrate my birthday with Dave's birthday. Tonight we had a joint birthday party with the Mills/ Monteith Fam. It was great! Gramma Jean, Aunt Teri, Aunt Diana, Peter & Janell, came with "guest appearances by" John & Cindy, plus... Jillian (pictures above). The food was excellent we had london broil, baked beans, a green salad, potato salad (my favorite thanks Gramma!) and rolls. Then for dessert Dorene made her delicious angel food cake with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. Doesn't everything just sound tasty! Thanks Dorene and Jeff!

Of course Josh was delighted to get to help sing and unwrap gifts with us. Everyone got us such nice things. We are grateful to our family and their hard work to make us feel special!!!

Snapshots at the zoo

Happy Birthday Dave

Today is my Pavo's birthday. (That is my nickname for him, it means turkey in spanish. There is a story to it.) Dave and I have now known each other for 5 years 7 months. I am so grateful for the blind date we were set up on so I could meet him. We had many things in common when we met, but even more interesting was that our birthdays were just 4 days apart (David's older). It turned out after further investigation our parents were married just two weeks apart, same year, and our siblings follow pretty closely in age. (Not to mention the array of red hair throughout our two families.) It just felt meant to be. As we celebrated his birthday today, I just appreciate the person he is. The list of qualities that mean so much to me could go on and on.

Today, Josh was extremely excited to celebrate his dad's birthday. He sang to him many times, assisted with delivering cupcakes and lunch to him at work, and of course helped open presents. Josh's gift to his dad was the gift of miniature golf. (He's had an obsession since our friends got him a kit to build his own miniature golf hole.) We enjoyed a dinner with our friends Ruth & Bracken, along with Peter & Janell tonight. It was a treat! We also celebrated some yesterday since Dave was off and enjoyed he some birthday golf.


Pavo, we love you and hope your day was special!

Our favorite web video

We can't help but chuckle every time we watch this clip. The expressions on both the boy's faces are too cute. Enjoy a laugh!

Charlie bit my finger - again !

What a crack up...

For the past week I have been trying to add this You Tube video to our blog about the March of Dimes. Every time I posted it, it hasn't worked. Then I pulled up the blog tonight and it has posted 5 times. I guess I really did figure out how to use it!

A Good Cause

Since David is now an RN working in the Neo-natal ICU he has decided to support the March of Dimes. This group raises money to find cures for premature births and other illnesses related to babies. As a couple who experienced what it was like to have our child in the NICU for two weeks, we appreciate all the efforts that are made to create the best care for babies. David will be walking on April 26th for this cause. If anyone would like to make a donation or find our more information you can visit his website at http://www.marchforbabies.org/nurse_mills.

Happy Easter

I love Easter, but this year it came too fast. I wanted to enjoy it a little longer. Oh well, we did have a good weekend though. We had a special Easter Family Home Evening on Monday. After Monday, Josh woke up every morning this week wanting to know if it was time to color eggs. Josh loved coloring eggs. Then on Easter Sunday we enjoyed our ward and then surprised David's family at theirs. Later in the day we went to Gramma Jean's for a delicious ham dinner. My parents joined us there. Believe it or not, the Easter bunny even made it down to Gramma's house to hide eggs. Josh was delighted, so was Parker! He like holding the eggs and trying to stick them in his mouth.

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Kimbery's Shower

Wedding proofs

The wedding we went to in Santa Barbara was David's cousin, Fallon. Her pictures turned out fabulous! If you want to take a look here's the website and info. Enjoy!
username: guest
password: love
http://www.attasalina.com/clientgalleries.htm

St. Patrick's Day

Well, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Saturday this year (with the catholics). We feasted on a green meal comprised of green salad, green beans, green broccoli & cheese rice-roni, green cream cheese (dyed) celery and chicken bake, with green pink lemonade, and of course mint chip ice cream with green shamrock sugar cookies for dessert. The lemonade is what really threw us off. All of it was tasty and will become our St. Patty's day tradition.

We had our cousins Jeff and Kairsee join us. Every time Jeff comes over Josh runs off and says, "I'm afraid Mom!" I know Jeff is scary, but Josh is finally starting to warm up to him (just kidding Jeff). We also had Devon, Jesse, and Aida over for games. We really enjoyed their company. Aida and Josh had fun together. They enjoyed decorating cookies, eating popcicles, and playing indoor baseball. I wish I had a picture of the two! Now on to Easter!

Date Night

Josh and Aunt Teri when out on a date. Not a first for the two, but it was Josh's first movie. He went and saw Horton the Who. He loved it. He couldn't believe how big the screen was and all the popcorn they had at the theater. Surprisingly he wasn't heavy enough to keep the booster all the way down so his seat wouldn't fold up. It didn't bother him though. After the movie they went to the mall to add a few new pegs to his crocs and play on the indoor playground. They had a blast! When they got home, he was out cold. He didn't even notice me changing his diaper in his sleep. Thanks Aunt Teri!!

Recovery

Our little Parkeroni is recovering well. His eyes are still red, but are straight. Dr. Satterfield was happy with the results of the surgery. These pictures were taken the next morning. The Dr. will follow up with us next week and then he will go in April for another exam. He will probably start some patching then to help with his weaker eye. Even Josh misses the patching, he put one on himself!

Seeing a new world!

It seems as though Parker's surgery was a success. What a day! I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for the blessings we were given throughout the surgery process. Last night I was starting to get a little nervous thinking about Parker having to fast, have anesthesia, a tube for breathing, & the recovery. Everything went as planned and better than I expected.

I woke up and fed Parker at 3 am. We got to the surgery center at 7 am. We were checked in and then they sent us to prepare for surgery. There were a few other children there for other procedures such as tonsils, tubes in their ears, teeth surgery, etc... Parker was perfect. They gave him a gown that was probably child's size, it was huge! It included a cap and ankle socks that went to his knees. He was popular too, all the ladies had to see him and couldn't help but admire his cheeks. After they took his vitals we had to wait an hour for his surgery. I was worried he was going to start getting hungry and fussy, he didn't. He actually was pretty tired and I got him to drift off to sleep. He slept until it was time for his surgery. Dr. Satterfield came in and checked on us then prepared for the surgery. Parker had a nurse that was a man, I thought that was cool since Dave is a nurse. The surgery took about an hour and a half. They had trouble finding veins to use for his iv's in his meaty little body (which they gave to him once he was asleep). The dr. said he was probably poked about 15 times and he has the evidence. They finally got a good vein in his foot by his ankle. When I went to recovery he was so sad and still trying to wake up. He was just in a diaper and a blanket. His eyes were a little puffy and bleeding. I felt so bad for my boy, but all the nurses were doing everything to make him comfortable. His little jaw was chattering and he had a horse cry because of the tube that had been in. They decided to give him a couple other medications to help calm him. They worked and we were able to take him home.

He got some good rest this afternoon and has been a very happy boy. It seems like he is seeing the world for the first time. He is in awe of everything! When he saw my mom he kept looking at her and feeling her face. This evening when Josh got home, Parker was so excited to see him. Josh got him one of those Fisher Price ring towers and Parker just loved it! His eyes already look better. His left one (the weaker one) is still a little turned in, but we already knew he will have to do some additional patching for that eye. It is a relief that this surgery is over. We are thankful to Gramma Jean for watching Josh, Grandma Mills for staying with us during the surgery, and Grandma & Grandma S for taking Josh for the evening. Not to mention the calls from our family and friends to check in on our Parkeroni. Tomorrow he will have a follow up appointment to see how everything turned out.

Interview with Josh

I always think about video taping my boys and never do it. So, I taped a little conversation with Josh. He has such a cute voice, I'd like to have record of it. Of course I had to get a shot of Parkeroni too. Like his foe-hawk?

Pictures from Fallon's wedding

I was sorry to disappoint with a lack of pictures from the wedding, but Paulette (Fallon's best friend) came to my rescue. Here are some pictures.

My Buddy

Josh and his friend, Chloe, have been buds since before they were born. They are just one day apart and have always enjoyed each others company. This past week we had the pleasure of having "Chlo" come stay with us for two days. They had so much fun together. To prepare for Chlo's stay I cleaned the play room, so we could set up her air mattress. Well, check out this photo... after we were visiting with Ruth and Bracken we went to get things set up and the two managed to pull every toy out. They had a party for sure. It cracked me up, I had to take a picture.

The next day we got all ready and headed to the park. Josh likes to help, so he assisted Chloe with putting her shoes on. (She doesn't need any help though, she's got that down) She is also potty training and Josh would come in to pull toilet paper off the roll for her. (What a gentleman). They did just about everything together for the two days, even brushing their teeth together on the same stool. They are pretty darn cute. When we took Chlo to her grandparents, Josh was sad to see her go. (Plus he was afraid of her Grandma and Grandpa, that's Josh for you). We loved having her, she was a treat.

Every parent should see

My mom forwarded this link to me. If you have a pool or children, you definitely should watch.
Truly amazing!

http://www.childdro wningprevention. com/index. html

The Wedding

"The Wedding." There is quite a story that could be told to explain how Fallon and George got to this day. All that was important to them was that they made it. I think it was practically perfect in their book too. Fallon has been planning this wedding for two years now. She has put a lot of effort into every detail and it was beautiful. Not only was the wedding beautiful, but she was beautiful.

We started at the chapel where everyone arrived according to plans. A quartet played beautiful music while Jordan and Nathan (our cousin) ushered in guests. George escorted his mom to her seat and then the bridal party got into position. This was where I began to sweat it because Josh was the ring bearer. He had practiced, but he was fresh from a nap and not refreshed. (If you know Josh, you know this is a bad thing.) He started to warm up, but the flower girl was quite upset herself. The florist put these cute fake butterflies and bees in her bouquet. She was so afraid of them. So her mom was trying to calm her down. I was standing outside of the chapel at this point, with Parkeroni in my arms. It came time for the two little ones to walk and Josh freaked. He didn't want to let go of my hand. I thought, great now I have to walk down the aisle. So, I passed Parker off to some lady who runs the chapel and started down the aisle carrying the ring barer football. Josh cried the whole way down and was requesting I pick him up. Eventually, he just walked without me tugging and we made it to where Dave was standing. Then the poor flower girl started out and her hoop slip slid off, so her mom had to pick her up out of it and walk her down the aisle. It was pretty cute though. Josh did escort her down the aisle when it was over.

The ceremony went on and I stood in back with Parker. I wanted a quick escape if he was loud. David spoke and gave the nicest reading. He talked about marriage and how it is a journey. He talked about the blessings that come when you work through trials and tribulations. He gave a little advice and shared some scriptures. I think it meant a lot to Fallon. The ceremony lasted for probably 30 minutes. We took a couple family pictures and headed off to the reception.

Okay, now here is where the story gets good. There was no drama for the bride and groom, but for me! My stomach started to feel a little upset during the ceremony. As we started for the car I thought, this isn't going so well. We hopped in and since we knew where we were going, the Mills family (3 cars) followed behind us. Well, the stomach pain started to get worse. I have never actually experienced the feeling that I had to find a restroom right away. I don't think David understood at first how bad I really felt. He offered to get me a bag, but I told him, seriously? Plus, it wasn't that kind of stomachache. Dying, I just am looking for any option in case of the worst! We came to a stop light and I look over to see a public bathroom. Aawww! I think there were angels singing... I said come back and get me. I got out of the car and ran straight into the restroom, yep all the cars watched wondering what in the world I was doing. Thankfully I had changed into flatter shoes in the car. After about 15 or 20 minutes there I was able to get out and find David circling for I don't know how long. We hopped in the car for just long enough for me to run into the resort to find the next restroom. Which pretty much explains the rest of my evening. I felt good enough to walk to where the reception was and get a sprite. Then to head to the closest restroom and stay for the next two hours or so. You would be amazed how many nice people I met though. I met many of George's family and Fallon's co-workers. Not to mention my own family paid me plenty of visits. Thankfully there was a fantastic couch for me to rest on. They would bring Parker to me to eat and then send him back to Dave. Everyone helped Dave with the boys. At one point Teri came to check on me. Talking to me through the stall I informed her I might need a bag or bucket because I was starting to think it was food poisoning. (Which thankfully it wasn't). She came back with the largest garbage bag I'd ever seen. I honestly could fit my whole body in it. It was all the gal at the desk had. (It ended up being a great dirty clothes bag for the way home) So, finally at about 8 pm, I felt confident to leave the restroom. I think the reception started at 5:30 or 6 pm. I missed the first 2 courses and the sorbet. I did make it for the entree, which since I knew how much was spent on me being there... I ate it. It was the best fillet I'd ever had. Shortly after that Parker was ready to go. The music was too loud for him and he kept squirming. It had been a long day. Needless to say, I didn't get any pictures of Fallon except for this one. No pictures of the reception either!

While I was in the bathroom though, Josh enjoyed himself thoroughly. He loves receptions. He can barely sit in his seat with the music going. He ran around in his little suit with his bow tie. Every toast that was given he had to clap for. Then he figured out how to take pictures with the disposable cameras. Everyone that came in the bathroom had to comment on how cute he was. One lady asked me if I was Josh's mother. It cracked me up that someone knew him and I didn't know her.

Even though I didn't get to enjoy everything, it was beautiful. There was a great band and dj, they had casino tables with prizes, and great food. With all the hard work Fallon put into this day, I think she was successful in making sure everyone had fun and enjoyed themselves.

The beach!

You can't drive all the way to Santa Barbara and not go to the beach! We all woke up Saturday morning, caught a warm breakfast at the hotel and headed for the beach. Josh has been to the beach in Hawaii, but he was too little to enjoy it. This time he loved it. We have been talking about the beach for a year now and I think it was everything he expected. Parker was a trooper too. It was perfect temperature at first, but then got a little windy. We slipped Parker into Josh's sweatshirt and he just dosed off in the backpack. He is such a good boy. I appreciate his willingness to sleep just about anywhere.

Dorene loves the beach and like a pro went to the sand looking for neat shells. Which there were a ton, the biggest I'd ever seen at a beach. Gramma and Teri joined her. Josh got to work on a sand castle with Dad and Jord, but soon the water was the most interesting. Him and I had a great time letting the waves try to catch us. We stood with Aunt Teri in the water and enjoyed the sand in our toes. (Speaking of, Teri went for a pedicure the other day and was so relaxed she told the girl to paint her toes any color. The gal painted them blue, surprise! I would think she would have chosen pink or red. Oh well, Teri was cool with it.)

I think one of the best parts besides watching Josh's face, was watching Gramma feed the birds. At first there was only one, but before we knew it they started coming from every direction. I couldn't help but think of Mary Poppin's "feed the birds..." song. She was so proud that she ended up with probably 30 birds around us. No one got pooped on though. One did almost land right on Josh's head.

The time at the beach made me really appreciate this time of my life. It is so fun to share new things with my children. I love to see how they react and to get to listen to the stories after. I also love spending time with my husband. Even if it is a seven hour car ride or time on the beach, it's just nice to be with him.

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The Rehearsal

Fallon and George chose the El Presido Chapel in Santa Barbara for their wedding. Historically it was last in a chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish along the coast. It was beautiful and unique with the detailed painting throughout the chapel. We met there on Friday evening for the rehearsal. Things went very smoothly, even our little ring bearer and flower girl walked down the aisle (at least during the rehearsal). Fallon looked amazing. She was calm and very well organized. She knew where everyone needed to be and what they needed to do.

After the rehearsal we were treated to dinner at Cafe Buenos Aires by Richard a close friend to George & Fallon. The staff there was extremely helpful, even offering to watch our children for us. (Thanks, but no thanks). The appetizers were wonderful, but our kids were done before dinner came so we took our steak and chicken to go. They even sent me with one of their steak knifes to cut my steak at the hotel. That's service!

I know I do so many slide shows, I probably need a new venue, but I had too many pictures to show. Enjoy to the slide show below.

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We're on our way...

Our Friday morning started out with our favorite we're on our way song, "on our way to Fallon's wedding!" We left at about 8 am and had a beautiful drive down I-5 to Santa Barbara. Our state is beautiful! There were lots of animals and fruit trees to watch along the ride. Josh saw all kinds of walnut trees and wanted to stop to eat the "popcorn trees."

It was tempting. Parkeroni was a trooper! He is not a fan of the car in the first place, but did great! As long as he was fed I would let him cry. That would last maybe 10 minutes or so and then he would take a nap. He slept a lot of the way. I actually got to just sit and read a book. I almost didn't even know what to do with myself! That was a treat.

It got a little hectic when we hit traffic near Santa Barbara not because of the kids, but because he were cutting it close for the rehearsal. All went well though. Our hotel is great and we enjoyed some time in the hot tub. I don't think the couple being "romantic" (that is be conservative) appreciated us joining them with a two year old, but hey they obviously had a room in the hotel. It is fun to be here with all the family.