Parker's Birthday Party...and Other Things!!

The happy family on the fire engine. Boy do we match outfits well?? We are the busy shirt family.

Kind of blurry...but this is everybody on the fire engine!

Parker checking out the fire engine...

Sorry for the delay in posting. It has been quite hectic since Matt's parents left this past weekend. They came in town from Michigan to help celebrate Parker's 3rd birthday and it was non stop from the time they got here until they left. Needless to say, we all had a wonderful time and it was great to see them!

Parker's birthday party was a blast. We barely beat the weather but it worked out great because everybody who wanted to ride the fire

engine got a chance to ride a few times. All the kiddos were great and all had a fun time. Mollianne was not too hip on riding the fire engine but she loved watching it. Parker got some great gifts and fun was had by all. We are so thankful to have such wonderful friends!! We missed our friends who couldn't be there!

On a sad note, the night before the party, my beloved cat Merlin died. I honestly still think I am somewhat in shock from the whole thing. Merling was a big cat, as most of you who have seen him know (he was a 22 pound cat), but otherwise very healthy. He had shown no signs of any problems lately. Matt's mom, Parker, and myself came home Friday night from dropping off Matt's dad at Matt's work to find Merlin lying on the floor. Now this was not usual at all as Merlin was basically a sloth. (He was my cute fluffy sloth.) What was unusal was that his tounge was hanging out of the side of his mouth and he sounded like he was gasping. I ran to the phone and called our vet who had the emergency vet's number on there. Well the emergency vet was all the way off Greenville and 635...hello. So I called my Mom in a panic to drive me there...by this time Merlin had made his way to my bathroom floor. He was laying there, tounge hanging out, foam and stuff coming out of his mouth and gasping. I kept petting him and telling him to hold on...and then he died. All within a few minutes. I started crying. Not just crying. "Lifetime Movie" crying. How about "Steel Magnolias" crying. He was such a great cat and he was so affectionate. He slept with me every night and he had the best purr. My vet finally called me back because I paged her and after she apologized for not being able to meet me at her office (she was out of town) she said it is most likely a heart attack. I can take comfort in knowing that he wasn't in pain. I think he actually waited until I got home because it happend so fast soon after. I think part of it is that he misses his friend too. Our other cat Mikey, had to be put down in March. He was very sick and Mikey and Merlin were buds. At least they are together. Stack that on top of the fact that we put our dog down in February because he bit Parker a second time (he was a troubled dog that we had rescued from a no kill shelter 6 years ago) and the odds are not in favor for an animal entering our house.

I have had a cat as long as I can remember so now that I am without an animal it is strange. I am going to hold off on getting a pet for awhile. Merlin was only 10 but was with us since before we were married. It is so hard to replace an animal and I could try to being to. We got him at the SPCA downtown and he was great. Love you Merlin! I will try to find a picture for you guys.

WE GOT IT! WE GOT IT!

I know I have already shouted from the rooftops but I will do it again...

WE GOT OUR I171-H YESTERDAY!

This is basically the last huge hurdle before we send our paperwork back to our adoption agency and then the dossier will be sent to China by them. I have a few things to do such as getting this form a few last things Authenticated but I am hoping to do that at the latest by the first week in October. I could probably do it faster but it is so crazy right now.

Gotta run, my in-laws are here and we are running out the door. Parker's birthday party is tomorrow morning and there is no rest for the weary until the earliest being Sunday afternoon. I will be diligently working on my adoption finalizations then. Is FedEx open on Sunday???

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY PARKER!!

Hard to see but this is the first time I held Parker. He as two weeks old. The bandage on his back is from his PDA ligation surgery. He was only 28 weeks gestation age in this picture.

Parker today eating his birthday cookies (he likes cookies not cake) and being his cute self.

Three years ago today my little guy entered the world 14 weeks early weighing 2lbs and 3oz. It was the most wonderful day of my life and also the beginning of journey that make me stronger than any person I know. He spent 84 days in the NICU and things were looking very grim on his seventh day in there before he had his PDA ligation (heart surgery). From that day on he had his ups and downs but he did so well and we were so very fortunate. He never had any brain bleeds, infections, eye problems, gastro problems, etc. We took him home on December 9th, 2003 and he has continued to grow, thrive and amaze us ever since that day.

I am honored to be his mother and every time I look at him, I remember how fortunate my husband and I are and how precious life is. I am amazed how quickly three years have passed. In three years he will be going to school and from there on time will pass even more quickly. I am so happy that he made me a mother and I cannot wait for him to meet his little sister.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY PARKER! COUNTDOWN TO 4!

I'm Here! Woo Hoo!! Back with a Vengence!

My sincere apologies to anybody who reads my blog. I have not posted in almost a month and I apologize. It has been a busy month as I have returned to work, went out of town for a week to California for training, and then my computer died. So after I got raked over the coals by my wonderful ladies last night, I vowed to not allow that much time to ellapse again without posting.

Work is going well. I am picking up on it very quickly and getting busier day by day. The days typically go by very quickly. Then I go to pick up Parker and we spend the rest of the night just hanging out. It is fun. I do miss him during the day but he has so much fun at his preschool and it is really helping his speech and his social skills. Plus, the potty training thing is coming along. Go Ms. Charlotte!!!

So life is good, I am making money again, my kiddo turned three today (will post seperately), and I had the best time with my Mommies Who Lunch group last night. Erin, Kelley, Christie, Robyn, Valerie and myself had the best time last night. First of all, Valerie, thank you for hosting our get together at your beautiful house! Valerie has the most magnificent house and she needs to be an interior decorator. She has a knack for it and she claims to have done it all on a budget but it absolutely does not look it. Aubriana's room is gorgeous and oh how I love the fact that she has seasonal bedding!

We had the best time laughing and eating last night. Kelley was such a trooper with her gimpy but newly beautiful foot. She even hopped up and down the stairs to hang out with us and we were glad she was there. We missed her after she left but I think she was much more comfortable at home!

Christie was the smartest one there. Even though I gave her flack for her gigantic fruit and veggie trays, it was great to have them there and it was all so wonderful. Plus, it avoided the massive guilt that goes along with eating everything else. You are a hoot and I just love hanging out with you! Glad to know that we are girls that you like to hang out with especially since you don't have "girls as friends".

Robyn is always a hoot and can always keep us laughing especially with her, "I'm from the country stories". She is always so great to bring her camera so we can capture these priceless moments just as she has of me on her blog. Also, I am waiting for a picture of Paul in his spandex leggings you said he has. That would be a hoot if you could get a picture of that on your blog!

Erin is always wonderful! Plus I never knew she has the funniest laugh I have ever heard. Oh and how I loved the story of the chili pot yesterday. That is great. I love the quirk that you can stand food in water. I would have never thought about that but hey, I hate mayo so we all have our weird things!

I had a blast last night just laughing and hanging out with my girlfriends. We really should make this something we do at least every other month. I know doing this and the lunch and with the holidays coming it is a lot but it was so great to just hang out. Sorry if I was getting tired at the end, I had an early morning with Parker on Saturday. I also was give my complete thanks to Erin for bringing us all together. Without her, we wouldn't all be friends now. I cannot wait to see how all of our daughters play together. I am so THANKFUL to have you all as my friends and to be going through this journey with you all (even if you think I am the rumor queen Robyn :))! I hope we remain friends forever...boy does that sound corny or what but I do really mean it!

Sorry I didn't post any pictures. I tried to copy them from Robyn but I am having the picture posting problems again. BooHoo!

P.S. Okay, so I will never forget gum in the dryer or using my dryer as a safe for that matter! Or our jokes about the "PP"...think really hard and you will figure out what that stands for.

Love You All!