Partying like it's 1999...

So, this last weekend was also my 10 year HS reunion! Did I mention our lives have not slowed down yet? It is hard to believe it has been 10 years, I feel old...but I guess the fact of life is that we all get older! Anyway, we had a great picnic Saturday afternoon for families, and then a great dinner party Saturday night at the Country Club. I graduated with almost 700 people, and we had a great turn out at all events. The pics below say it all, so check out the slide show! :) Cade had a great time moving all weekend so that I did not forget he is really the center of attention! It was so much fun to see everyone and spend time with my best friend Jeff and his wife Karis! It was a weekend we won't forget! Go RRHS DRAGONS!

Charles' Family Reunion

Every year in June, Charles' extended family has a reunion in Fredericksburg, TX. It is always a blast and we love seeing everyone. Unfortunately, this year was cut short as my HS reunion was the same weekend. We were able to make it down there Friday night for dinner and hugs. Here are a few pics of the family!

This is the quilt that "Mam-ee" made for Baby Cade! Mam-ee is Charles' Great Grandma!


Here is Mam-ee feeling Cade move and then she was quoting scripture to him. She is such a wonderful woman of God! She did actually get to feel him move, and we were so excited! Look at that BIG belly!


Charles and his lil brothers Corey and Christopher. This is a rare momment with them all smiling!


Charles' Mom Cindy on the far right, and her sisters Laura and Linda.

32 weeks along!

In case you haven't noticed, being Pregnant has not really slowed our schedule down...YET! We are still running crazy with Summer School and weekend events. Since we have not slowed down, neither has Cade. I think he is getting used to the hustle and bustle and trying to keep up! He continues to be VERY ACTIVE and we can see him rolling and kicking each day by just looking at my shirt! When he sticks an elbow, knee, or whatever it is poking out of my belly at us...he does not like it when we push back! He will generally respond by kicking back or rolling away to another part of the belly. It really makes us laugh. The down side to this is that MOMMY doesn't get much sleep! Just this week, I went 4 nights with minimal sleep before finally agreeing to take Tythenol PM. And it worked! I got 8 hours that night!! WHOO HOO!! So, as active as he is...here is an update of what exactly he was doing while he kept me up!

"By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth."
-BabyCenter.com

(PS- Look Suzi, I changed it to he!! :) )

Father's Day

Ok, the weekend was packed with fun, so I am terrible and just now getting around to posting pics for Father's Day! YIKES! But, we had a great day. Besides the fun gifts below, we were also lucky enough to have BOTH our Father's in town for the occasion! So, we cooked a big meal with steak, sweet potatoes, asparagus, rolls, salad, and dessert. It was a great celebration! Happy Father's Day to everyone out there!

Spring Shower

Grandma Cindy and my friends Carmen and Nikola honored us with a shower for our family and friends in the Spring area. We had a great time, and you can see by the slide show below a lot of love was put into the shower! We played several unique games that involved dirty diapers, feeding babies (AKA: the women feeding their men), and sculpting babies out of playdough. It was so much fun and the creativity by the hosts was amazing. Thanks for a great time, we will never forget it...and neither will the guests!

Not Just an Ordinary Day

For most of you, today is just a normal day. You might be excited that it's Friday, or looking forward to the weekend. But for me, June 19th is one of the best days of my life. 5 years ago today I married the most precious gift God has ever blessed me with, My Husband Charles. I know you all agree, but I can't let this momment go without bragging about the kind of man he is. Charles is honestly the most caring and loving person I have ever met. When he has a bad day at work, he still walks in to greet me at home with a smile. Dinner is always a group effort and sometimes done entirely by him. Yard work, house cleaning, chores, paying bills...you name it, he will step up and help me (sometimes doing it all on his own!) without being asked and never complains. I know you women are thinking, this man is not human..and the fact is he just isn't. He is a perfect best friend, husband, and soon to be Father. I never thought I could ever love someone so much, but I do. And every day that passes I love him more. Sometimes it really does hurt knowing that my world could never exist without him. So, for me...this is no ordinary day. This is a day of celebration and praise to God for this amazing miracle man he has given to me.

I always say Charles is "my favorite dream come" and I cannot wait to see what God does in our lives together.

I love you Charles...Happy 5th Anniversary and SHMILY!

The Best Friends ever...

So, a group of my close friends decided they needed to spoil Charles and I with a baby shower! Now, before you get confused about the pictures below, let me just explain that the theme was our favorite TV show, "The Office" from NBC. Everything from games, decor, and guest goody bags were based on that theme! I have the most loving and creative friends EVER! They even included Charles with a "Proud Dad" hat! It was a night I will never forget! I love you girls!

Meghan's Amazing Diaper Cake with Echo's "Agenda" for the evening

Cade's beautiful cake...RJ Goodies...YUMMY!

Take note of the Beets from the Shrute Farm and bobble heads as table decor

All our favorite characters and quotes!

Jenn's Guest Goody Envelopes with Dunder Mifflin supplies enclosed

"That's what she said" sign and balloons by the "Party Planning Committee"

My best friend Lizzy of 20 years, and sister Mendy drove into town for the shower

Some of the gals completing the dirty diaper game..GROSS!

Also, can't let the week go by without mentioning what Cade has been up to this week!

"This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy." -BabyCenter.com

Here we come 30 weeks of Pregnancy!

Cade has been quite the active little man the last few weeks. He kicks constantly and will roll across my tummy appearing "alien like". Almost everyone who has seen me in the last few weeks has felt him move! Most of the time I laugh and just stare at my tummy...but as we get farther along, he is realizing that my ribs are quite fun and appear to look like monkey bars on a playground to him. I enjoy knowing he is active and feeling him move, I have just had to get firm with him and push back when he gets in the ribs! Did I mention that he also enjoys night time the best? Apparently, when I try to sleep it signals Cade that this is "special time" with Mommy and it becomes his goal to keep me awake with him. Well, like I have said before he is a smart one and it works. Here is what he is doing developmentally this week!

"Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)" -Babycenter.com

Baylor tuns 5!!

I cannot believe my Baby is actually 5 years old now. Time flies so fast, and I remember the day we picked him up. Only 9 weeks old and weighing 18 pounds. Now my 55 pound Baby is even more spoiled and I cannot imagine our lives without him! We had to celebrate with a cake as we do every year, sang him "Happy Birthday", and watched him eat a large piece first! Happy Birthday to our Baby...we love you.

Catch up!

Ok, with the last few weeks left of school, blogging has been a little harder...so here comes the big catch up! I am not crazy...and do realize I am doing one post with a million different things...hang with me! First off...here are the "Parks Lillies" as our family has nicknamed them. They are blooming and have overtaken our front walkway. My Grandpa Parks first planted these almost 20 years ago when he was still with us. Since then, the original bulbs have multiplied and now are planted all over Texas in at least 5 of our family homes. We continue to have to split the bulbs (I need to split these...they are HUGE!) and love passing them on. I love the fact that it is a beautiful legacy and when it blooms I always smile knowing my Grandpa is watching over me. Love you Grandpa!
Next, we finally hung letters above Cade's crib! So far, this is the only "wall decor". It might stay that way as Charles likes to keep things simple. They look beautiful!

Also, here is what Cade has been up to! He has been a busy little man and moves constantly in Mom's belly...sometimes well into the night. I think we have an active one on our hands!

"By this week, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world." -www.babycenter.com

I also got the chance while Charles went on a "Boy's Fishing Trip" in the Gulf to visit my parents, sis, and niece Mackenzie last week. We had a blast and I love how her personality is really coming out! This picture says it all!

Keep hangin in there...few more updates! A few nights ago we were able to see some good friends of ours at dinner before they head to Canada for a few years (hopefully less). Their precious daughter Avery Grace is 9 weeks old, and we just fell in love with her. Here are some pics at dinner!

Another important even of the week was Sonic's "Free Float Night" on Wednesday!! How could I resist pickin up some friends and headin to Sonic? Well, unfortunately, one Sonic turned into 3 and by the time we were done...we each had enjoyed 3 small root beer floats...but they were free! LOVED it and can't wait till they do this again!