Thanksgiving with the Parkers

We spent Thanksgiving at the Parkers in Smyrna this year. Before we left, Avery had to check her weight to make sure she didn't put on too many pounds during the feast. The first day that we were there we went to watch Uncle Adam wrestle. We only got to see one match because it is a long process. Of course, he pinned the next guy after we left!

The next day we hung out and then headed down to Gaylord to see Grinch:ICE! It was really cold, 9 degrees. It was ALL made out of ice and it took you through the whole story of the Grinch. It was really neat and also had the nativity scene made out of ice at the end. They also had a slide made of ice, but we were afraid she might fall back and hit her head. You were only allowed on it if you were under 4 years old....so she would have had to go by herself.

The next day was Thanksgiving and everyone had made it to town by then. We ate alot and played some Rook. Avery decided to sleep during lunch which gave us more time to eat! We watched the parade that morning and looked through the paper for all of the big sales!

The next morning we woke up at 4:30 and went shopping. Drew, Joann, Brittany and I headed out to Kohl's and Target. Drew stood in line at Kohl's for us and we brought him our stuff....it worked out very well! We then went back to get the rest of the gang and Avery to head into Murfreesboro. After shopping there some, we went to Joann's traditional day after Thanksgiving meal at O'Charleys. After that, we headed to Hickory Hollow to do a little more looking and then we headed home. Avery never did take a nap that day which meant she went to bed early!! We played some more Rook and ate some more!

The next evening we went to Opryland Hotel to see the lights and Christmas decorations. There was a train for the kids and Avery really enjoyed riding it! Drew rode with her and they motioned for the train horn and held their hands up like they were on a roller coaster. That was her favorite part. They also had a nativity scene outside and very big tree inside.

On Sunday, we went to Parkway Baptist and listened to the Rev preach. Avery stayed in the nursery and made some friends....after she cried of course. We then went to Cracker Barrel and Avery was very behaved so she got her first Rock Candy swivel stick. We went home and played some more Rook (that is what you do on Thanksgiving!) and then packed up to head home.

We had a really great time with everybody and wish we could have stayed even longer, but Drew had to start work on Monday. Tomorrow Avery is having her picture made with Santa at school. We will see if she still likes him or not from last time!!

Avery vs. The Leaves

Our day increased with activities....so I thought I would share some more. We decided to go outside after snack time and play in the leaves with Avery. She helped dad rake them up and then decided to play in them. She also enjoyed throwing nature at Rio.....acorns. She also thought they were for her to eat. We advised her that she isn't a squirrel. Dad and I also threw acorns to see if we could get them to hit the road. Dad accomplished this......so Avery of course had to do it also. She decided to walk AAAALLLLL the way down the hill next to the road and then throw it. Once she got down there, she decided they should go on a walk. She then proceeded to come back inside where it was warm and put her coat and hat back on because she took them off outside. That makes sense, right??? It does to a 20 month old....Happy 20 month Birthday Avery!!! She celebrated by climbing on the back of the couch and loving on Rio. Sometimes she thinks she is a dog/cat.

Packing and Moving

Today we went and moved most of our stuff out of our office. Avery helped and this made her very tired. She came home and took a nap. When she woke up, she finished watching the Kentucky game with dad and ate some pizza. Kentucky won their first game of the regular season!! Patterson must have been slowed down before by the 'fro. Here are some pics of her hanging out with dad. Not a very exciting day at the Parker household.

Halloween 2008

This is to go back and tell about Avery's halloween this year. We started the festivities by going to our church for the annual Pumpkin Patch. She had a good time, but wasn't totally awake. She got to go down the bouncy slide, which ironically was not that bouncy unless you made yourself bounce down it. She also got to ride a pony....she only went around halfway. She really just wanted to pet it.
On the day of halloween, we went to her party at school that afternoon. She got to dress up with all of her friends and have LOTS of sugar and treats. She found out she really likes Totinos Pizza Rolls! They played with each other and had a good time. We then changed her out of her costume and went out to Mimi and Papaw's to trick or treat. It was pretty cold, but we changed her back into her bee costume after dinner and headed out to get some candy. Last year was good because she was small enough to be held or ride in the stroller. This year, she wanted to walk to each house. This took a while so we only made it to about 4 houses. She wasn't really sure what it was about anyway. She would walk up and stick out her Hello Kitty basket and look at them. We went back and changed her back into her clothes and she handed out candy to the other girls and boys. She LOVED this!!! We eventually had to just go sit on the porch because she didn't want the kids to go away and got upset when we closed the door. She was not so sure about the scary ones, but she liked putting the candy in everyone's bag.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

Today is the Friday before Thanksgiving and we are preparing to go to Smyrna, TN to spend most of the week with the rest of the Parkers. We will head up Tuesday afternoon and come back sometime Sunday. We are really excited because Joann and Grandma will be coming in from Kentucky and we haven't seen them in quite a while. We are also looking forward to it because it will be a nice long visit and not a quick in and out.

We are both going to be starting new jobs the Monday after we get back. Drew has taken a position to run Hixson Family Chiropractic and will be starting training for about two weeks. I will be going to work at Mia & Maxx Hair Studio as a hairstylist (finally!!) and will go in to observe and help out until my TN license comes in. We are really looking forward to all of the changes coming up and can't wait to get started.

Avery is now 20 months old (atleast will be tomorrow). She is trying SO hard to talk. She understands alot and communicates with us very well, but still can't get all the words she wants out. She is starting to learn Spanish now at Tree of Knowledge. She is now a butterfly and will be in that class until she turns 2. She is learning more sign language also. She knows thank you, please, eat, more, go, hungry and sorry. She loves to give Rio treats and have him sit....and also tell him no when he is not doing what he should. She had her Christmas pictures made last weekend and will have some more Santa pics made Dec. 4 at school. We will see how they turn out. She actually liked him this year. She told him hi and gave him a hug!

The Beginning

I guess I will just start at the beginning. We are the Parker Family. Drew and I met through Ridgedale Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN in January of 2004. We made an instant connection. Drew was still in college at Life University in Marietta, GA while I lived in Red Bank, TN. We saw each other on the weekends and talked on the phone. On April 2, 2004, Drew proposed to me at my townhouse. I came home from work to find candles everywhere (I LOVE candles!!!) and over 2 dozen roses on a lighted arch. We were married exactly a year later on April 2, 2005. We had to work around Drew's school schedule to plan the date and that just happened to be his spring break.

I went to cosmetology school when I moved to Marietta to be with Drew after our wedding. I graduated in April 2006 and received my license in May 2006. I decided to hold off on the career since we would be moving back to Chattanooga when Drew graduated the next March. I got a job at Atlanta Nephrology as a front desk clerk. In July 2006, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. We had decided to try and if we got pregnant great. We were very excited and couldn't wait!!! I found out my due date was March 17, 2007. In November 2006, we found out we were having a girl!! I was very excited because I was sure we were having a boy. That seems to be the Parker trend. Girls are very rare and special. I wouldn't have cared either way, but I am very girly!!

On March 19, 2007, we went for a check up to see if our little girl wanted to come visit us or not. I was not contracting or dilating, but my labs were a little off. They decided to have me come in for an induction the next day. I got there around 8:00 pm.....I remember getting in bed just in time to watch American Idol!! I was contracting too much to give me the drug they had intended, but not enough to go into labor. They had to do a different drug instead and the next morning nothing had happened. They left the IV in until dinner time and took it off for a few hours to let me rest. They hooked me back up that night and tried again. Still nothing the next morning. The midwife came in and was determined to break my water to get this going. She made good on her promise and the labor finally began. I was fine, but once it kicked in more I called for the epidural!! After that I slept. Everyone thinks I am crazy, but I felt nothing and was tired!!!! I woke up around 7:15 pm and said I felt like it was time to push. The nurse checked and said she thought I was ready. She got my midwife (the 3rd in my stay) and I started pushing at 7:30 pm. At 8:00 pm, Avery Elizabeth arrived. She was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 3/4 inches long. It was very easy labor once it started.

This is when the craziness began.......we had her on Thursday, March 22, 2007 after 2 days there. We had to stay 2 days since the labor was so long, we both had slight fevers. We were fine, but hospital rules. We left the hospital at 8:00 pm on Saturday. We moved back home to Chattanooga, TN on Monday. Drew started his new job on Tuesday. It was a crazy week....Oh, yeah. Drew also finished school that week. He was at school the Friday after she was born to finish up and graduate.

Fast forward to today.....Avery is now almost 19 months old. She went for her 18 month check up yesterday and weighed 26 lbs. 10 oz. (75th percentile) and was 33 inches tall (90th percentile....I don't know where she gets height!!). She goes to school at Tree of Knowledge. She is doing so well there. They teach sign language and she is in the process of moving up to the next class. They also teach sign language and they teach Spanish. She is a big reader and loves all animals. She likes to make animal sounds and look around the house for the cats and dog. She is growing up so fast and changes daily. We are so amazed with her and she keeps us entertained.