The Parks Family

2010-07-04T22:54:00.001-05:00

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Misc. Pictures of Johanna being silly and climbing all over the couch!

2010-07-02T22:37:00.001-05:00

Johanna walking around at the zoo

2010-07-02T22:31:00.002-05:00

More of Johanna walking around at the zoo

2010-07-02T22:23:00.002-05:00

2010-07-02T22:17:00.000-05:00

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2010-04-29T23:25:00.001-05:00

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2010-04-10T22:28:00.002-05:00

These are some pictures from today (Saturday). We went to the Milwaukee County Zoo and the last ones are of Johanna and dad playing on the swing set!

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Johanna's first taste of Rootbeer... or any other type of pop!

2010-04-06T22:24:00.001-05:00

2010-03-31T20:45:00.000-05:00

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2010-03-18T11:17:00.002-05:00

So I have to say something... something that drives me nuts... I went for a walk today w/ Ally and Johanna and I was walking past these 2 dudes that were out working on a house they are building, one of the guys says "You have that dog w/ that baby"... as the other guy is saying "what a beautiful dog"...

Let me just say something, if you don't like Pit Bulls b/c you don't like big dogs, that is one thing, but I get so sick and tired of people making EVERY pit bull out there to be a vicious and horrible dog. People need to realize that it isn't the bread that is mean, but it is how that dog is trained, treated and bread. Yes, there are some that could be mean and can hurt someone BUT you have to look at WHY that dog is the way it is. So many people get that breed to have them to be mean and vicious. They will breed them w/ family members, which is what can make that dog snap, and how they are trained. So many sick people use Pits and Rotts to fight and you may not realize how many fighting rings are still out there (it used to be a hobby way back in the day but now you can get jailed,.... good!). If you were to go to a local animal shelter, you would find so many abused, mangled and hurt pits and rotts that are so messed up physically and emotionally and will NEVER have a life outside of the shelter (or until they are euthanized) all b/c someone got that dog, abused it, fought it and then left it on the roadside or tied up to a dumpster for dead. It is sad but also very frustrating for my husband and I b/c we have a pit and we love her and the breed. They are beautiful dogs and frankly very sweet. Ally is the best dog we could have. She is sweet and LOVES Johanna. She would also protect Johanna if she needed to. She is always laying close to Johanna making sure she is ok and when Johanna cries, she gets worried. When we brought Johanna home from the hospital, Ally stood at the foot of the bed at bed time and looked at her until she stopped crying and then laid down right in front of the bassinet the entire night.. and that was the first she was ever around a baby.

I wish the media would show a good side of the breed and not always the bad side. I am sorry, but I have been around small ankle biters that are MEAN!... why not be scared of them and put those on the news of how mean they can be?!!.... I may be partial to big dogs b/c there are not many little dogs I like... I find them to be mean, loud and annoying! But same w/ little dogs, not all are mean.............

Anyway, after he said that, I got really mad and had to vent. As I walked a bit further, some other guys were out tossing something hard into a big dumpster that was making loud noises and that freaked Ally out. She was so scarred I couldn't get her to walk and she kept her tail between her legs... where was that man then to see how "mean" she was?

Ok... I am done venting....... it's been a while.

2010-03-07T17:57:00.000-06:00

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Florida....

2010-01-04T23:30:00.000-06:00

Here is a photo album of our Florida pictures!!!! We had a great time... now back to the grind of work!

2010-01-04T23:29:00.000-06:00

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2009-12-15T15:30:00.000-06:00

2009-12-15T15:16:00.000-06:00

Man and his best friend taking a nap! (Must have been a good movie)

2009-12-06T18:08:00.000-06:00

2009-12-06T18:03:00.003-06:00

Look who is trying SO hard to hold her own bottle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, that makes mommy and daddy soooooo happy! When I took this picture, she held her own bottle for more then 3/4 of her bottle.

SNOW....

2009-12-03T19:31:00.004-06:00

It snowed today!!! I am not a fan of the cold,... BUT I do love the first snow fall. I just love the huge flakes and how pretty the white looks on the tree branches. I also love how it shines through the Christmas lights... It is just so beautiful and that is the only thing I do like about winter and snow. I was out w/ Johanna in the snow and she just loved looking at the snow flakes. She was so cute!

PATHETIC...

2009-12-03T19:29:00.002-06:00

We can't forget the dogs!

Cheese.................

2009-12-03T19:23:00.000-06:00

Johanna's Christmas Dress

2009-12-03T19:11:00.002-06:00

2009-11-30T22:36:00.002-06:00

This is just another video of Johanna laughing at her daddy! Nothing to exciting, I just love listening to little babies giggle and of course, it is better when it is your own baby!

Apple Sauce...

2009-11-30T22:23:00.003-06:00

Tom's mother gave us a big box of about 2 dozen apples that were going to go bad soon, so I decided to be Betty Crocker for the night and make some home made Apple Sauce for Johanna since she LOVES applesauce. So, we just got done after making 17 jars of applesauce which turned out great if I do say so myself! We have been sitting listening to the lids popping so I am guessing I did it right! Next I think I am going to make some baby food since it is so much cheaper, so I may look into doing that. I just don't know how I would come about canning Squash or Sweet Potatoes. I have never seen that except for baby food so I know it can be done! I know you can freeze it, but after all that work, you have to use it w/in a month. I would love to spend all that time at once and have it to last for a few months! We'll see. Anyway, here is the finished product!

------Toms enthusiasm!

------The finished Applesauce!!!!

2009-11-29T21:42:00.002-06:00

This little video is of Johanna on all 4's trying to crawl. It is so cute to watch her try to figure out what to do once she is on her knees! She just wobbles back and forth! What a cutie!

2009-11-29T20:53:00.002-06:00

Time to put up Christmas Lights! It is Johanna's first Christmas and we wanted her to join us for the decorating! She wasn't really into it and really tired, so she didn't last long. But mommy and daddy had fun!

2009-11-29T20:04:00.002-06:00

2009-11-27T15:27:00.001-06:00

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2009-11-23T20:10:00.002-06:00

This is a little video of Johanna. We were tossing food at Ally and for some reason, Johanna found it to be hilarious!

Enjoy.

2009-11-18T21:07:00.001-06:00

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One cute little baby...

2009-11-12T18:14:00.000-06:00

2009-11-02T20:38:00.002-06:00

We just got home today from our last vacation for the year! It was our 4 year anniversary and family vacation combined. We had a great time of just relaxing. On Saturday we went to Springfield and walked around the museum and the old capital building. We had a great time there and Johanna was interested in looking at the wax people. We came home today (Monday) and on the way home, we stopped at "Camp Butler" which is where my grandpa Eide is buried. So we always stop on the way through Springfield and say hi so this year, Johanna got to say hi to her great grandpa. So below I have our pictures downloaded. Enjoy.

2009-11-02T20:35:00.001-06:00

2009-10-25T21:55:00.003-05:00

Websites on Kevin Grahams Memorial Service.

http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-091025-soldier-memorial,0,3093995.story

http://www.wisn.com/news/21421223/detail.html

2009-10-24T12:11:00.003-05:00

This is about a 2 minute clip of Johanna and Tom. She was just laughing histarically before I recorded her and by the time I got the camera, she wasn't laughing as hard, but she was still having a good time and we were able to get her laughing.

2009-10-20T19:05:00.002-05:00

Here is a new outfit that Johanna got over the summer from a baby shower. It was a size 9 but it fit like a glove! I think it was just the brand b/c she is in 3-6 and that fits perfect on her! The orange face is due to CARROTS! She loved them too... can you tell? You have to love the posses! She still refuses to keep a smile when the flash comes on!

2009-10-19T13:56:00.003-05:00

This is the 2nd video of Johanna in her bouncy seat. In this one, the camera was having a hard time focusing, so in some spots it is blurry. This one is so funny b/c she spent the whole time looking at the camera and not me! She knew what I was doing!

2009-10-19T13:31:00.004-05:00

Johanna was in her bouncy chair today and was just having a blast. I usually take a ton of pictures when she is in her chair b/c that is when she is the happiest. But today she was just having a blast so I recorded it w/ my camera. It isn't the best quality, but she was going to town and it was so funny to watch her. The only downside is that I had the chain thing in the way and I didn't notice it until I was all done. I have another video that I moved it, I will download that after this one. OH and I sounded really stupid so ignore me, but Johanna was really squealing, so you have to have the volume up for it! In some spots she was bouncing so hard, you have to wonder how she didn't get whiplash!

Johanna and her Butternut Squash! (4 month follow-up)

2009-10-17T23:22:00.002-05:00

Well Johanna had her 4 month check up and she is doing really well. She is now 14 .5 LB's, 25 1/2" long. The doctor said she is doing really well for her age. She has been eating cereal straight from a spoon for the last few weeks and the doctor said that since she is going so well w/ that, we can start giving her baby food. We are staring out w/ the orange veggies and from there, trying the greens and then fruit. She said if we start w/ fruit, we will have a hard time getting the veggies down. I gave her Butternut Squash today for dinner and she LOVED it!... hence the picture below. I was alone (Tom was at a Men Retreat w/ the men from church) and she kept trying to stick her fingers in her mouth, so I was only about to get one picture before the fingers went into the mouth! Kevin and Stephanie were over and they were really excited to see her see her start something new! It was exciting! She did however get shots yesterday and that has not been fun. She got 3 shots total, 2 in one thigh and 1 in the other, plus an oral treatment. She cried SOOOO hard I wanted to cry w/ her. I told Tom that next time, he has to come w/ b/c that was just to hard. She has had some bad side effects this time. She has been very tired, warm and clingy. I have been giving her the Tylenol, but she spits it back out, so she really isn't getting much. Our doctor doesn't recommend us getting her the H1N1 vaccine, so she will not need shots for another 2 months and then she will get those when her daddy is with us!

2009-10-17T23:14:00.000-05:00

2009-10-11T19:14:00.001-05:00

Because the pictures in smile box came out so small, I am adding this picture b/c it came out so cute. I had it printed up from Walgreens and I love it!

Johanna's First Pumpkin

2009-10-11T18:22:00.002-05:00

Johanna got her first pumpkin! She was to tired to stay awake for her daddy and mommy to carve it, but she did get to see it when she woke up and we took pictures of her IN IT! When I was small, my grandpa bought a HUGE pumpkin, hallowed it out, and stuffed me in it... so we decided to follow through with that!

Here is another smilebox w/ all the picures we took. Enjoy!

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2009-10-03T19:03:00.003-05:00

These are more pictures of Johanna in her tigress outfit!!!!!!

Our neighbors

2009-10-03T18:45:00.007-05:00

So, we have this nasty farm next to us that we are not always enthusiastic to have it next to us, but there are times that we find it fun to watch the stupid goats. Well today Tom and I were sitting on the couch and I happen to look out the window at the goats in the pasture and this is what I saw: (you may have to click the picture to see it better)

---So if you can see it, it is a goat standing on the cow that was chilling out in the pasture. For a while, the goat was laying on the back of the cow. It was just so cute and all the goat wanted was to chill out w/ the cow. We think that the goat was supposed to be a Billy Goat!

Our lil' miss tigress

2009-10-03T18:33:00.003-05:00

Johanna had a new outfit that we were waiting to put her in till it was cooler out. Here she is in it. She is into "growling" which is a grunting squeal so we call her our little tigress! Now she has an outfit to go along w/ her growling!

---Here she was getting really ticked at me and started to scream, so that is why she looks so mad! That is why in the other pictures, she had a pacifier in her mouth! It was keeping her happy for a few minutes.

A quick update on the family and a few misc. pictures of none other then Johanna

2009-10-01T19:57:00.005-05:00

These are just some cute pictures I took of Johanna trying to get her to smile. She stops the minute she sees the light come on for the camera but I was able to get some cute pictures. A lot of them are w/ her in her bouncy chair. She LOVES to sit in that and bounce away. Her feet now touch the floor so she goes NUTS in it! She also discovered her froggie and she sits and talks to him and tells him stories. She also learned how to move the rings and pulls on the links around her chair.

She has been learning so much lately. She is talking and squeeling a lot. Each morning to my moms, she tells me stories and chatters the entire drive. It is so fun to see and hear her growing up. She will be 4 months on the 8th. She has a doctors appointment on the 16th for her next set of shots. That is very difficult to sit w/ that, but it needs to be done.

As far as Tom and I... we are all good. Just taking each day as it comes. We are going to Barry at the end of the month for our 4 year anniversary and Johannas first trip. We are also taking the dogs w/ so we will have a packed car. The dogs LOVE Barry and it is a really good time to get them out before the long winter. The house has a fenced in back yard and the dogs spend hours out there just running laps. It is especially good for our Pit who has a LOT of energy! We are talking about going to the Mark Twain Caves and walk the easy cave w/ Johanna. She will have no idea what it is, but it will be a fun family vacation. A nice time to get away.

Here are the pictures. Enjoy.

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2009-10-01T19:44:00.003-05:00

Look who is eating cerial!

Johanna was just never content after eating and was hungry so soon after eating, so I decided to just give her some cerial. We were giving it to her in her bottle since she was a month old, but that is just not enough. So here are a few cute pictures of her eating her cerial and mostly making a BIG mess!

2009-10-01T19:26:00.004-05:00

So can you see a resemblance?

This is a picture of my Grandma Ruda when she was a baby. You can really see the Getty in Johanna and if you had a baby picture of mine when I was a baby, we all look identical!!!

2009-09-08T19:29:00.003-05:00

2009-09-01T20:56:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update:

Johanna is doing well. She is growing so much. She will be 3 months old on the 8th (of September) and it is so hard to believe.

I am going back to work tomorrow (Wednesday the 2nd)and I am not looking forward to that, but I need to go back, so I will get over it. My mom will be babysitting, so I know she will be in good hands.

Tom is doing well. He is praying about a new job. Things are to slow at work and each day is not promised to have a full day of work and we can't afford any more early days off. Other then that, we are all doing great.

Below are pictures of Johanna w/ her new toy. She really likes it, but she isn't that fond of laying on her back, so she doesn't last long. Adventually she will like it more.

Enjoy

Johanna's New Toy

2009-09-01T20:40:00.001-05:00

2009-09-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

A bunch of cute pics of Johanna for her grandparents

2009-08-17T23:31:00.002-05:00

2009-08-17T23:10:00.005-05:00

Johanna made her first attempt to pick something up. She worked so hard on picking up her pacifier and we were SO proud of her! She however lost interest FAST! Now just to get her to put it in her mouth, that would be a big blessing!

2009-08-17T23:07:00.000-05:00

Johanna's trip to Grandpa and Grandma Parks

2009-08-17T22:54:00.008-05:00

This past weekend, Johanna got to spend some time w/ her Grandma and Grandpa Parks, Uncle Adam and Great Uncle Mark.

Grandma Terri

Uncle Adam

Great Uncle Mark

Johanna and Aunt Carolyn

2009-08-17T22:49:00.002-05:00

Johanna got to go to her first baby shower this past weekend and Aunt Carolyn had her time to enjoy her nieces.

Our newest visitor...

2009-08-17T22:36:00.007-05:00

Tom woke me up last Wednesday morning all excited to tell me we had a new visitor and I had to run out side and see what it was. So I ran out of bed w/o glasses or shoes to see what was making him all excited and this is what saw!.....

That stupid thing scared the crap out of me and I screamed (mostly b/c I wasn't expecting that,
I though it was going to be a cat or some kind of bug, but not that). Anyway, Tom tipped the can over and it took off running. I think it was mostly scared but thankfully it didn't jump up at Tom or Ally, she was the one that found it. I guess she was going nuts when she went out and that is how Tom discovered it.

Trip to the Edwards!!!

2009-08-17T22:28:00.003-05:00

Johanna got to meet Tom and Kirsten the weekend before last and here are a few pics. Kirsten is due w/ a girl in November, so Johanna is going to have a friend that is close to the same age as her!

Candid shots of Johanna

2009-08-08T11:00:00.001-05:00

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2 Month Check-UP

2009-08-08T09:59:00.003-05:00

Johanna update:

Johanna now is about 12 1/2 lbs and 22 1/2" long. She has really plumped up since her last visit when she barly hit the 8 lb mark! She was really long when she was born so we don't have to worry about the fact that she gained 4 lb's but is only 1 1/2" longer then when she was born!

She also had her first set of shots and oh how terrible that was. She screamed so much, the top of her head turned RED. It didn't help that she was falling asleep waiting for an hour and 45 mintues in the doctors office for her appointment. She was really grouchy from waiting and being really tired. The nurse came in and gave her 2 shots, one in each leg! To top that off, Tom and I then took her to Claires to get her ears pierced! We had gone weeks ago to get them pierced and we were told that we had to wait for her first set of shots, so, we figured that since she already had the Tylonol in her system and was already mad from the shots, we would just get it ALL over w/ and get her ears pierced right after and get it all done w/. We got her birth stone put in and oh she looks SO cute! Earing really look nice on her and she looks like a girl now. She is so precious. She didn't like getting it done but we both agree that when she is older, she will be thankful that she has them already so she doesn't have to remember the pain she had to endure!

I will take a picture of Johanna w/ her earings and post it. I have one and it is the last picture on the new smilebox, but you can't see the earing very well, so I will get a better one and post it as soon as I can.

2009-07-27T19:20:00.002-05:00

...more pictures of Johanna that I put together. Something for the grandmas to oh and ah over.

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Baby shower

2009-07-26T19:15:00.005-05:00

We were given a baby shower this past weekend and here a few pictures. Most of the pictures didn't turn out, but we did get some nice family pictures.

2009-07-26T19:14:00.001-05:00

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2009-07-21T21:36:00.002-05:00

2009-07-20T09:23:00.003-05:00

I got more pictures and videos from my mom from when Johanna was born, so I am going back and posting more. This video was shortly after she was born and she was getting all cleaned up. It is really funny to hear Kevin b/c he was so worried about how rough the nurse was handling Johanna.

2009-07-20T09:11:00.002-05:00

At the hospital I had Johanna at, after each baby is born, they play a lullaby. This is Johanna's lullaby.

"chillin' w/ Johanna

2009-07-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

2009-07-09T13:23:00.001-05:00

Below are a few more pictures that I took of Johanna. I was able to catch her happy, so I took a bunch of pictures before she started to cry!!!

2009-07-09T12:14:00.001-05:00

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4th of July

2009-07-07T20:04:00.002-05:00

For the 4th of July weekend, we went to Dodgeville, WI and we "camped" in a hotel while my parents did the real camping at Gov. Dodge State Park. We had a wonderful time, here are a few pictures of our trip. As soon as my parents are back and I get a copy of their pictures, I will post Toms fish that he caught... a 25lb, 15" catfish. That was a hoot, so as soon as I get those, I will post it!

2009-07-07T19:55:00.000-05:00

2009-07-07T14:37:00.002-05:00

Johanna was born on June 8th at 1:49 p.m She was 7lbs 6oz and 21".

She had a tough start but is doing well now. Her lungs were not fully developed so she was kept on oxygen for a few days. She stayed in the hospital one extra day to make sure she was ok and was then able to come home w/ a billiblanket. She was jaundice but only had to stay on that one day and was better the next day.

I have put some pictures together,... see below and make sure to have speakers on and click play. You will sit for a long time if you do not.

Johanna is here

2009-07-07T12:30:00.002-05:00

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Update...

2009-05-20T22:13:00.004-05:00

Well, I ended up having another ultrasound. At my last appointment that I had last week, my doctor said that the baby was measuring about 37 1/2 weeks instead of 35, so she told me to get another ultrasound to see what is going on. I had one done today and the baby is approx. 6 lbs 14oz and the radiologist said that she is in the 85th percentile (which I guess she is above average size for her gest. age). I have another doctors appointment this next week to find out what the deal is. If she is to big, they may end up inducing me a little early but we won't know for sure the deal till the appointment.

We just joke that it is a water logged baby from all the watermelon I have been eating the last few weeks!

We do have pictures and my mom scanned them, but I can't get them to open, so I am going to have her send them to me under a different file. For know, I will just keep the update on here.

Mothers day...

2009-05-11T21:35:00.004-05:00

Mothers day this year was so exciting b/c even though the baby is not here, I guess I am still a mother! I got some gorgeous flowers from Toms mom that she sent me and I got 2 roses from church. After church, Tom and I went to a lunch buffet in Lake Geneva, and I got a rose from there too. It was supposed to be a family thing, but the twins were sick, so just Tom and I went. It was still a wonderful day. Then to end it, Tom took me... but it was really a treat more for him... to see the new Star Treck movie. I told him I may be busy or not in the mood for fathers day, so I let him take me for mothers day. Tom is a MAJOR Treck fan so he enjoyed it more but it wasn't to bad so I didn't leave mad that I waisted the time or money to see it. I knew enough of the show to get by. We did get Coldstone and that just made the day right there!

These are a few pictures of the flowers I got...

More work that we did to the baby's room.

2009-05-02T21:59:00.005-05:00

I decided to paint the dresser too w/ the remainder of the paint I had. Tom sprayed it w/ the glittery spray, but it is hard to see. We had it sitting outside to dry, so you can't see it very well. I wanted to add just a little more color to the plain plywood room!!!

***This room is just about finished for now. All we need now is a baby to enjoy it!!!

2009-04-30T21:18:00.005-05:00

We have decided on a name... now lets just hope that it really is a girl or a boy will have a very feminine name!!! I took a few more pictures of Johanna's room. Just about done!!!

These letters we got from Hobby Lobby and I painted them last night and then Tom took them outside and sprayed a glitter spray on them. You can kind of see the shimmer (that is why I have just a picture of one letter too, so you can see it. If you click on the picture it will open but blown up and you can see the color much better). And... the blocks are our make-shift dresser. Our house is very small as is the baby's room, so we had to go w/ something small so it would fit in the room. It is a tight fit, but it works, so we can't complain. Good thing baby clothes are so small. We don't have much of a color theme going, but the drawers we got were purple and teal, so that is what we decided to keep for her name. I actually like the color combo, so we are going to keep that for now, even though we are mostly doing Winnie the Pooh.

Oh... and stuff I JUST HAD TO BUY!!!

2009-04-03T20:14:00.001-05:00

These 2 dresses I just had to buy b/c I thought they were just to dogon cute. The last two are outfits that Toms mother bought the day we found out we are having a girl! We are keeping the tags on just in case something happens to "pop" out that we weren't expecting.

Newest decor for baby room!!!!

2009-04-03T20:01:00.000-05:00

These things I got from Target and they are stick on's!!! If I want to go back and completely change the layout, I can peal and place somewhere else!!! And the best part is they were on clearance!!!

3rd Trimester!!!

2009-03-26T20:56:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update...

I am now in the 3rd Trimester which I am so thankful for!!! I am feeling the heart burn more now then I have this whole time but thank goodness there isn't that much time left!!! Baby is doing well and still growing.

Tom is doing well although he is working about 70 hours a week, so prayer for him would be great!!! He won't be working that much for long, but for the next few months to help pay things off till the baby comes!!!

Other then that, we are all great!!!

Happy Spring!!!

Our crib set

2009-03-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

Grandma Parks bought the baby a crib set and here it is!!! It is a beautiful set and we are very thankful in many ways... one, that we finally have a set after the fiasco we went through w/ Babies R Us (which we will never go back to) w/ the first set we picked out, and second, that it FITS in our small second room!!! There is enough space to move, which was a worry of ours!!! We went to a total of 4 Targets (2 the same store but twice). In the middle of rain too we went to a Target in Chicago w/ Toms mom and they had NOTHING except loud screaming mammas and babies!!! Then we came back to Kenosha where we found the set we wanted but the only store that had it in stock was in Waukegan, so we flew there w/ Kevin and mom and dads van... then to find out once we got to Waukegan that they did not have the matrice, but Kenosha did!!! So we had to go BACK to Kenosha and get that. After driving to South Elgin, then Chicago, then Kenosha, then home (to let the dogs out), Bristol, Waukegan, back to Kenosha, home to drop it off, back to Bristol so Kevin could get church clothes b/c he wanted to stay over to help put the crib together.... home again and then up till midnight putting it all together... On top of all that,... a time change and church the next morning!!! What a day!!! But it all worked out and we are thankful for that!!!

Daddy and Uncle Kevin putting the set together at 11:00 PM (on a Saturday night AND a TIME CHANGE)... 2 tired men in church the next morning!!!

The finished product!!!

Another baby update!!!

2009-03-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

We have finally found out that we are having a baby girl!!! I had an intuition and I was right!!! I had a 3D/4D ultrasound done this last Saturday!!! We had to go to South Elgin for it but was well worth the trip!!! The 3D pictures came out ok but were kind of blurry. The placenta is sitting on top so it makes the visability of the baby a little harder to see a clear picture. It was however awesome to see our baby doing well and also to find out that it is a girl so we can buy pink clothing!!!

Check out this website, this is where the pictures are!!!

http://www.babypeeks.net/user/aprilparks

Baby update...

2009-02-02T20:58:00.001-06:00

Well, it's a.... we don't know what the baby is b/c it was sitting the whole time w/ its legs crossed... so we have to wait till it comes out to know what we are having. At first it was sitting Indian Style and then near the end, it stretched out and feel asleep w/ it's back towards us!!! I guess some things are supposed to be kept a secret!!! So for now, it is still an IT!!! We did however get to see it moving so that was really cool!!! Just wouldn't spread eagle!!! We did get 2 really good pictures.... the 3rd, I really don't know what it is. All I can think of is the back.

April's first Hockey Game!!!

2009-01-18T20:06:00.000-06:00

At 12:30, this (Sunday morning)... yes mid-night, Tom was online and found cheap tickets for the Milwaukee Admirals Hockey game. I do have to say, it was a BLAST. Very new for me especially b/c I am a HUGE Cubs fan and that is far as I go for sports!!! But this was a blast and we want to go again in March and take Kevin, that would be his cup of tea!!!

This air balloon was so cool. Some guy was flying it over the crowd!!! It was dropping things, but I don't know what.

Oh we are so cute... except for the fact that Tom had his thumb over the flash button!!!

...And do you know that they get in fist fights and DON'T get kicked out of the game... for good? They only go into a penalty box for a few minutes and that is it and all the people in the crowd, cheer them on when a fight is coming!!! My thought, if you are spending the money for a fist fight, why don't you go to a wrestling match instead?! Then the players get humiliated by having cameras on them w/ a song playing... like "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "All By Myself". This was the first fight and I started to worry that someone was going to get in serious trouble, just to have them put in a little box! I didn't get it.

... could this picture say any more but the fact that we are from Wisconsin? All we are missing is the Polish Sausage (which you need to go to a Brewers game for him) and Sour Kraut!!!

Tom got to ride on the Zamboni at the end of the 2nd period. He was so excited and it was so funny to watch him. He was just chatting up a storm w/ the man driving it. I told him after that he looked like he belonged on Miss America with his waving!!!

The Admirals lost pretty bad (2-5) but it was still a fun game and a good experience for my first time going to a Hockey game!!!

... and last but not least

2009-01-13T14:50:00.001-06:00

These are some pictures of just the 2 of us.

W/ this being Toms first time at Disney he insisted that he got mickey ears... then he made me get them. Not the best look, but the castle was so pretty that night!!!

Florida 08

2009-01-13T14:37:00.000-06:00

This past Christmas we went to Florida for 2 weeks which was our first time together since we were married and this was Toms first time ever going to Disney and Epcot. Tom was unbelievably funny to watch for he was JUST like a little kid. We both had a blast although I was kind of bumbed that I couldn't go on a lot of rides at Disney b/c I am pregnant, but it was fun just to see Tom being a kid for a day. That was all worth it. I did however get to walk up in the lines w/ them and take a picture before they went off, so I was thankful. I was glad that I didn't have to sit on a park bench for 45 minutes talking to myself waiting for them to get out. Here are some pictures from our vacation... I had some WONDERFUL sunset pictures, oh to be back!!!

Oh, and the picture of Pooh and Tiger is b/c we are going to be doing the babies room in that.

Our Baby

2009-01-13T14:24:00.000-06:00

As I would guess, everyone knows that we are expecting our first baby, and if not, here it is!!! We are extremely thankful and also SO grateful that so far everything is going smooth. I have been sick A LOT but I keep telling myself that it will all be good in the long run and not to complain b/c that means that the baby is doing well. I am right now 17 weeks along and in 3 weeks, I go in for my 5 month ultrasound. We will at that time find out the gender of the baby. I would like to know so I can plan and I persuaded Tom that it will be fun to know. These pictures were my first set at 8 1/2 weeks. It was just a little peanut. The baby has moved a little last Monday but that was the last it moved and I knew so it could have moved a lot and I just don't know. Tom is extremely happy and already is a great father. He likes to sit and read the bible to the baby and he likes to talk to it. It is kind of funny to have someone talking to your tummy, but it is supposed to be good for the baby and it can hear, so I let him talk away, since it IS Toms 1st nature!!! He is very much the worry wart though. He gets on my case if I don't eat enough or if I am sleeping on stomach, he makes it a point to wake me up and tell me to roll over!!! How sweet of him and he is lucky I haven't been that grouchy b/c I would any other time smack him silly for waking me!!!

I am hoping after my next ultrasound to put the pictures up for everyone, so in a month, check it out and see.

Our mutts

2009-01-13T14:18:00.001-06:00

Our pets...

2009-01-13T13:51:00.000-06:00

We have 2 dogs and one cat... here is a bit about them...

Freckles is a Beagle and is about 5-6 years old. We adopted her a few months after we were married. She is a great and quiet dog, but doesn't like to be bothered. She is really a drama queen if there ever was one!!! She does LOVE attention and loves her blankey!!! It was once mine till the first 5 minutes in our house when she took custody of it and since it has been hers. She drags it behind her throughout the house when she wants to take a nap. All I have to do is tell her it is nap time and she will take off for the bed room and get it, and comes running back out. It is very humerous to see a small dog dragging a big blanket through the house. She likes to sit and suck on a corner (yuck!!!) and falls asleep w/ it between her paws. She doesn't like to be bothered w/ it though, so that is her quiet time alone!!! If you try to take it away, she will grawl!!! She isn't an outdoor dog in the winter but in the warmer months, she will go out and lay for hours in the sun!!! She isn't a very active dog outside of that. She is though a great camper, so we have had good times w/ that.

Ally is our American Pit bull Terrier. She is now a year and a half. We got her when she was 4 months old... although at that age, she was already huge!!! She is only really to our knee's, but she is HEAVY!!! I haven't been able to pick her up in a year!!! She is a very sweet and loving dog. She LOVES people and LOVES to cuddle. Unlike Freckles, she will curl up and sleep for hours in only my lap. She isn't to fond of Toms lap, although she does like him when it comes to feeding time!!! She is a bowl full of energy so she has to go out A LOT and run it off. We now have a big back yard that she LOVES!!! She can be stubborn at times, but when it is just Tom and I, she can actually be a lot smarter then one would think. She even knows every house in our park that has food sitting out, so she will run down the road and eat all the cat food, then she will come back nice and full!!! She also LOVES to go on car rides. All we have to do is pick up our keys and she will run to the door and wait for us to leave. Till we tell her she has to stay home in her cage, she then pouts and gets in her cage. Because of her breed, she likes to chew a bit to much, so we still keep her in a cage b/c she just hasn't gained my trust yet.

And last but not least, I still have Rhett, my Siamese who is about 8 or 9 years old but still acts like he is 2!!! We swear that he knows how to read the clock b/c about 5 minutes before Toms alarm goes off for work, Rhett will walk up and down the hall meowing as loud as he possibly can!!! Other then that, he is still the same fat and lazy cat as he has always been. He is much nicer though. He used to be mean b/c of Kevins constant abuse, but now he has a nice quiet house and no need to worry so he is much nicer and actually likes people other then me and dad!!!

That is our pet population and we want no more at this time!!!

Moving up in the world!!!

2009-01-13T13:44:00.000-06:00

WOW... Look at us, we are finally moving up in the world and becoming more technically advanced... and who would have known we MET on the Internet?!!!

Here are some things that have been going on w/ us for the last few years... and our future family that is still growing!!!

Enjoy...
Tom and April