Beach Bums

We went to the beach about a week ago with Michael and Lanette, and we had so much fun. This was Parker's very first trip to the beach, so I was anxious to see if he would love it...or hate it. He had a really great time. He did get sick with a sinus, ear, and throat infection on the last day, but a trip to the after-hours clinic on the way home took care of that! Michael and Lanette were great sports and a huge help with Parker. We can't wait to go back!! How about next weekend??!!


Getting used to the sand and water

Waving at everyone from the water

Parker loved playing with his sand toys

We even got to go look for hermit crabs one night. They were everywhere!

A new love...

Parker got a new toolbench last weekend, and he LOVES it! My grandmother gave Parker money for his birthday so we could get him something fun for the summer. My mom found this at a consignment sale, and we're so glad. It provides hours of entertainment...literally. He will stay outside as long as we'll let him, but we don't have to chase him all over because he gets so caught up in playing!! It could be my favorite toy of the summer.


Hammering nails in the wood

Getting a little more play in before bedtime

My dad took on the huge project of expanding our pantry, so Parker loved to go in and "help" him. My dad left to go overseas for a business trip, but Parker keeps walking into the pantry looking for him!!

Hat, Hat, Hat!

Hat is Parker's new very favorite word...and he says it all the time. He wants access to every hat in our house, no matter what kind, and he wants everyone to have one. He will stand and point at a hat saying, "Hat! Hat! Hat!" until we give in and get it down for him. It was so cute at first...now it's borderline annoying!! I kinda hope he finds a new obsession soon!

Sad times around the Hill house...

We're all a little sad around the Hill house these days. My sister and her husband have officially moved. Sam took a job at First Baptist Church of Monticello as their youth minister. He actually started the job a couple of months ago, but Alyssa was still here, and they still had a house here. They sold their house over the Christmas holidays and were homeless for a while, but that was ok because we still got to see them a lot. They needed a place to stay sometimes!! But now they have their very own house...in Monticello. It was so nice to have them here so close. I always had a friend to go shopping with or meet for lunch or try crazy projects with, and Lee always had someone to play golf with or build something with. And Parker always got all of their attention. He loves them both so much. It's really become comical how much he likes Sam. If Sam is in a room, Parker makes a b-line to get to him and is content to just be with him...he doesn't care what anyone else is doing! We're sad they're not still close, but I guess our out of town trips will become more frequent as we try to make up for lost time!

Settling Back In...

What a whirlwind the holidays were for us...which is why I haven't blogged in a while! The stomach bug hit our house hard the week before I got out of school. Lee had it first for a few days, and I woke up with it on Thursday and was miserable for two days. For those of you who haven't had it, let me just say that it was absolutely the worst thing I have ever experienced. Awful. We were so lucky first that Parker didn't get it and second that we had it at different times. Taking care of a baby is the last thing on one's mind when struck with this awful thing!

Being sick made the weekend a whirlwind as we tried to wrap everything up before leaving for our tour of Mississippi to see everyone for Christmas. We managed to finish and get to Pontotoc Sunday night. Parker's first one-year-old birthday party was in Pontotoc on that Monday followed by the exchanging of gifts with Lee's immediate family on Tuesday, dinner and exchanging of gifts with Lee's mom's side of the family on Wednesday, and Christmas breakfast Thursday morning after which we went by Lee's other grandmother's house to visit with family for a bit. After wrapping things up there, we hit the road and headed to Jackson. But not to our house. Because everyone in my family is so spread out, we rent the cabin at Luckett Lodge, which is literally 10 minutes down the road from our house, and we all stay there for a few days. It's so nice, and we had a great time. But by the end, Parker was worn out. We ended up coming home at 1am on the last two nights because we couldn't get him to go to sleep, which is so unusual for him. He was just too tired. My youngest sister was sick with the stomach virus on Saturday and missed Parker's second one-year-old birthday party, and my mom and grandfather got sick on Sunday, the day we left. From Luckett Lodge, my mom and youngest sister and Parker and I came back to my house while Lee, my dad, and my cousin got ready to go on an annual hunting trip at Lake Forest Ranch. After unloading everything on Monday and giving my mom a day to rest, she and I got busy "de-cluttering" our house. WHAT A PROJECT!! It took us two full days of nonstop work and a whole bunch of garbage bags that will be taken to Gateway, but we did finally finish. Now my house is in order, and everything has a place. Whatever didn't have a place is now gone! So Lee got home Thursday evening, and we spent Friday and today just hanging out as a family and running a few errands.

Whew! We love seeing everyone for the holidays, but it sure is tiring. I go back to school on Monday and am so sad. I have loved being home with Parker and playing with him all day and having time to do other things that have been on my to-do list. But...enough whining. It's coming whether I like it or not, so I'll just enjoy every last second of my last day of the holiday. Hope everyone else had a great Christmas and New Year!

I'll post pictures of Parker's parties soon!