Christmas Fun

Here are a few cute pictures from the last few weeks. I'm going to add some more from Christmas morning a little later. Hope you all had a great Christmas. We sure did!
Noah and Lilly getting ready to open presents at Nana's (my Mom and Dad's) house on Christmas Eve morning...

Our Christmas sugar cookies (allergen free!!!!) I have a great receipe that has no eggs if anyone ever needs it...and surprisingly enough...they taste good as well!

Me and my babies before Church on my 28th birthday...

Noah at the preschool Christmas party

Lilly taking a break for a snack at the Christmas light display at Beechbend

Breakfast with Santa at South Edmonson... where Noah spent an hour shopping for gifts for his family!

The Celebrating has Officially Started!!!

OK anyone who knows me knows how much I love this time of year. Also anyone who knows me knows that I am still a smidge sad that last years festivities were ruined by breaking my leg and spending three days in the hospital hooked to a morphine pump!

Anyway, my 28th birthday was Sunday and we started celebrating on Saturday. It's tradition that Mom and I always go shopping on my birthday. When I just had Noah we took him when he was tiny but he has since inherited his Daddy's passionate hatred for all things shopping related so he opted out this year. So me, Mom, and princess Lil' took off for a girls day of shopping and lunch, etc. It was so fun, but I'll spare you the details of our purchases!

Saturday night the kids decided they couldn't wait to give me some gifts so I opened two candles and a Dr. Oz book from them (I really truly love Dr. Oz....) Then we went off to a fancy family dinner at Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is one of the "safe" places for Noah to eat (there's only 2 or 3 we take him to) and since the manager also has a severe egg allergy we feel pretty safe in their food prep. We then went to the mall and to Kohl's with our aunt Beth (who's birthday was Saturday also!!!) We always have so much fun together.

Sunday, was Sunday school and church at Jock and the kids were all dressed in their Christmas clothes. AFter the service Mom fixed me a birthday dinner at her house. We all ate and then watched my 2nd favorite movie of all time (right behind Gone with the Wind) It's a wonderful Life. OK, so the rest of my family hates this movie, and I make them watch it every year anyway and then spend the rest of the day telling them how great it is and that I can't believe they don't like it...they continue to roll their eyes and be thankful they don't have to watch it for another year! Then we went to the Christmas Program at Pleasant Union. Noah loved it!

Anyway, it was a great weekend and I'm so glad to have spent it walking around on my own two legs instead of in a hospital bed like last year! I enjoyed every second of it! I'm now ready to celebrate Christmas and or 10 year anniversary the day after Christmas!

LOVE YOU GUYS...HAVE the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!!

PS Travis has enjoyed reminding me that I have one birthday left in my twenties and then gleefully informed me that I was now twice as old as when we first met (we started dating when I was 14) Thanks babe...love you too!!!

Finally a new post!!!

Lil's pink tree

family tree

Noah's cowboy tree

snowflake tree

Hello to all my "blogger buddies". I realize it's been forever since I posted but the photography worlds goes into high gear this time of year. I'm finally about to get caught up with orders, etc. so I am taking a break to update on what's been happening with the Parsley clan.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and ate way too much, but it was fun. We spent the weekend at the Camp for Courageous kids for a family retreat for kids with severe food allergies. We decorated the house, we've shopped, we've survived a week long (that isn't a typo) stomach virus, and we're now in major Christmas mode.

We've been spending lots of time together watching Christmas movies and drinking hot drinks in our jammies. We've had a family ornament exchange, and are planning for some upcoming events as well. All while Mommy has been staying up until 2 am to finish Christmas orders. But you know what? I'm loving every second of it. Last year (December 18th to be exact) I broke my leg and ankle and spent my birthday as well as two other days in the hospital to have a metal rod and screws inserted into my leg bones. I then spent Christmas and New Year on pain medicine that made everything a blur. So I'm going a little overboard with the Christmas festivities this year. Oh yeah...and I'm pretty sure I'm going to start my birthday celebration on Sunday and continue them until the following Sunday which is my actual birthday!!!!

I know this is short and jumbled but I'll catch up everyone more later. Enjoy the pictures!!!

Sorry for the Parsley parade of trees pictures...I couldn't resist...we've put up 6 and I wish I'd have put them in 2 more places.... I have a family tree, a Scarlett O'Hara tree, a snowflake tree, a cowboy tree, a princess tree, and a kitchen themed gingerbread tree...next year I'm gonna put one in the playroom and our bed room too!!!

PS Wish it would snow....

I'm Thankful For...

my beautiful healthy babies asleep in the next room



my wonderful hubby (also asleep in the next room)



my parents who raised me



my in-law's who love me like I was their own



my beautiful new little nephew



my family who I love so much



my friends who I couldn't do without



my church family who I couldn't do without



my home that I love



my health



the food on my table



a job that allows me the schedule to be home to raise my kids



the fact that this week I will gather with the one's I love



I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. In case you don't know it, I'm thankful for your friendship!!!!

Pictures are coming and they are CUTE!

Ok Friends, forgive me for being out of touch. Before Darling Trav got home, myself and the two munchkins contracted the lovely stomach virus on the same day that my mom (who rescues me from all other calamities) got it. My Daddy (bless his soul) came to my rescue... and he and Pappaw Randy wrangled the two children while I chugged down Finagrin (i know that's spelled wrong) and took turns stumbling to the bathroom and praying to not pass out and rebreak my bionic leg (pet name for my steel reinforced leg bone and ankle.) Anyway, thankful that the stomach flu comes and goes violently but quickly....

On to happier news...Travis finally got home from Lousiana after 3 weeks. He took a much needed week off from work and enjoyed the time home with us. We have had so much fun having Daddy back at home and we've done the home thing a lot. (Watching TV, swinging on the swingset, staying up too late) I have flown around like a crazy woman trying to catch up from 3 weeks of single parenting (single mother's I SALUTE you...seriously I have no idea how you do it) I have tried to be a kind and loving wife and ignore the fact that Travis is addicted to FoxNews and we must DVR all the debates and such and then we must comment to the television while they are happening (as if we're cheering on a ball game.) I also find it amusing that I come into a room to find Travis staring very intently at his lap top. I think he's doing something important for work..when I inquire what he's doing, he squints, rubs his forhead and tells me, "I'm trying to figure out my fantasy nascar picks..) this takes an hour... He has entertained us with stories of all the weird things that he ate, how Hooters has the "best hot wings" hmm...is this man-code for something else?, and how they have dog sized rats in New Orleans called nutrias that sit on their hind legs. Gee Dad, who needs a new puppy, why didn't you bring us home a giant rat....

Anyway, I'm enjoying having things back to normal (or as normal as they get in the Parsley house). Even if I am back to finding spit bottles all over my house....(Travis if you're reading this...please stop dipping...I love you...I do not love your spit....)

Updates for next post...we broke down and let Noah get a new puppy (after the untimely death of Little Mel...we not have little Susie...)

We got to have Lil's birthday party. It was just family (but when you combine the Brooks/Stevenson's and the Parsley's that is over 50 people.) I'll post pictures soon.

Happy Birthday Lilly Grace!!!

My baby turned the big 1 yesterday!!!! I know I know it sounds so cliche to say "where does the time go" but really, "where does the time go?" It seems like I just found out we were having a new baby and here she is a year old.

Bear with me as I remember a few moments from the last year!!!

We found out Lil was on her way on Valentine's Day and her brother was very very sick with the flu. We were excited anyway and he broke the news to Nana by telling her that he was going to be a big sister...hmmm I'm thinking he was delirious with fever but it was cute! My pregnancy with Lilly was very similiar to my pregnancy with Noah. I was sick for about 7 months!!! Whoever coined the phrase "morning sickness" must have been lucky is all I know, I had morning, noon, night, and middle of the night sickness. But aside from that, my pregnancy passed by smoothly and rather uneventful.

Lil's original due date was October 25th, so imagine my surprise when I awoke on September 26th to find that my water had broken a full month early. I wake travis up and he is still half asleep and replies "OK what does that mean?" I inform him that it means that we need to go to the hospital." He says "OK" and then proceeds to go back to sleep. I then convince him he should probably get up and he finally rousts himself up enough to realize what I'm saying. Keep in mind, we have been moved into the house for 3 weeks and I"m supposed to have another month to prepare for this baby. Meaning there are no bags packed, there is no name picked, etc. etc. No time to worry about that though. I'm contemplating whether or not I have time to wash my hair and my dear hubby convinces me that we should probably go on to the hospital...Thank goodness for this (this is important to the story later!!!)

We arrive at the hospital at around 6ish. They confirm that indeed my water has broken, (Yes thank you very much, I tried to tell you that it had...is this something that you can really be unsure about?") I'm experiencing very mild contractions at this point. Also up until this point my baby has been in a breech position, so we have been told all along we would be having a C-section. They wheel the ultrasound machine into the room and find out, lo and behold, my little acrobat has flipped at the last minute (probably what broke my water a month early) and we are no longer having a C-section.

OK humorous break in story. (Humorous now...not so humorous then) After experiencing labor with Noah I thought I knew a thing or two....hahaha. I had a little demerol with Noah and it made me very very groggy and unable to focus on what was going on. I tried my darndest to get an epidural (which they administered twice!) and to no avail the medication never took. I mean NEVER TOOK. Nothing ever felt different. Very fun when you deliver a 9 lb baby naturally...So I decided that the demerol hadn't helped and I refused it for this labor. Let me repeat...I refused all pain medication through my IV. I found out that it really had helped with labor with Noah...too late. I've already told my nurse I didn't want it.

I'm still feeling pretty good when they hook me up to the devil of a drug...pitocin. This takes my mild little contractions to full blow being run over by a train contractions in about 3 minutes. Apparently my body is very sensitive to pitocin.... Anyway, I have nothing to dull my mind or make me groggy at this point...so I spend the time between contractions not as you hear recommended (relaxing, focusing, whatever) nope I spend it trying to convince travis to get the IV out of my arm and to take me home! The pain apparently is getting to me at this point!

Anyway, short story even shorter, I ask for my epidural. While I am leaned over so the dude can give me an epidural I inform my nurse that I'm feeling the urge to push. Those of you who have experienced this know that this is not something you can control, your body takes over and you just go with it. She ignores me and the doctor is trying to find the spot to put the epidural. Another contraction hits and I look at my nurse and again say, "I have to push." Apparently she hears me this time and tells the doctor to quit...rats another foiled attempt at an epidural (I hear they're wonderful). Basically I then am moved around by the nurses and with one push Lilly Grace makes her appearance full speed ahead into the world. She didn't even wait for the doctor, my wonderful nurses delivered all 6 lbs 12 oz of her after about 3 hours of labor.

OK during labor I was regretting the decision for no narcotics but as soon as Lilly was born I didn't regret it at all. With Noah, I had to fight the grogginess of the drug to truly experience the first moments with my newborn and I didn't have to with her. I lay there listening to her first cries and thinking it was one of the most precious sounds I've ever heard in the world.

I also decided to keep her in the room with me for longer and we did skin to skin contact for nearly 2 hours. She was able to breastfeed very soon and being born and she was very calm and alert.

Fast forward a little. Lilly Grace has been nothing but a joy to our family this year. She has been a very loving and easy going little girl. She took to nursing like a champ and continues doing it to this day. She slept through the night at 5 weeks and she has been sick only 2 times. She is the light of her brother's life and she has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. I can't wait to watch all the things that this little girl will do.

I think most Moms will agree with what I'm getting ready to say. I enjoyed my first baby immensely. I loved the experience of becoming a Mom. However, I worried and second-guessed myself so much that a little bit of the joy was overshadowed by anxiety and exhaustion. However, with my second baby, I was much more sure of myself and my decisions. I was more able to enjoy the moments and I mean all of them. The middle of the night feedings with Lilly were even enjoyable because I realized how fast they went and that she would only be this tiny little newborn for a little while and I savored it. I didn't push her to turn over, crawl, or walk too early as I looked forward to with Noah. I have let her be my little baby, and I've enjoyed every second of it.

Travis and I discuss the idea of having more kids, but right now, we are perfectly content with the family God has blessed us with. We have two beatifully healthy kids and if that is all we every have, I couldn't have asked for more.

We're waiting to have the party after Daddy gets home, but we did have some fun yesterday. We took sis to Toys'R'Us and bought a big toy. We went to the paintin' place and did a footprint tile and then we came home and had a cupcake (allergen free that is!) We had a great day even though we missed Dad alot and brother was sick, we still made the best of it.

A Little Sentimental

So I guess that Lilly's birthday coming up this week and being by myself alot lately after the kids have gone to bed has given me some time to think and contemplate this whole being a Mom business. I went into this knowing that I would love my kids and want the best for them, but never did I realize how all-consuming and heart-wrenching that love can be at times.
I've thought back at some of the more stressful times of my journey of being a Mom and at the time I wondered what I was doing wrong, and looking back I can see that things were being put together for a reason.

When Noah was around 18 months old, we were aware that he had food allergies, but we were under the mistaken impression that they were very mild. The original physician that diagnosed us thought there was no reason to prescribe epi-pens (the medication that has saved Noah's life on more than one occasion.) At 18 months, I was very very stressed out because the primary babysitter who had kept Noah since birth while I worked 3 days a week was going to be unable to keep him anymore. At the time, I thought the easiest solution was to get him into a day care. We tried for 4 days. My child would not just cry when I left him, he would stand at the window of the place and sob the entire time I was gone. He tried to leave with any adult that was leaving. My mother's intuition kept kicking in and telling me, "This isn't right...don't leave him here." Don't misunderstand my meaning....the facility was great and the lady who ran it was fantastic. However, it was common for the kids there to be fed peanut butter, etc. No doubt, had I left noah there until he got used to it, he would have come into contact with some food with peanuts, had a severe reaction with noone realizing what was going on and would probably have not had access to epinephrine until possibly too late. Even after I took him out of daycare, sitter after sitter after sitter fell through. At the time, I kept questioning my luck...why could every one else find childcare for their little one's except me? Looking back now I know without a doubt, it was God's way of insuring that my little boy was cared for by me so that I would be ready when those reactions happened, and he had only a few minutes to spare.

Fast forward a couple of years and we are blessed to have a new home, a wonderful four year old who is thriving in preschool and a new baby girl. I was very very happy, but also very very busy! I was staying home with the kids during the day, and working all evening and weekends. Basically spending very little time together as an entire family. I was letting my work put me under so much pressure I had little time for anything else. I do not think it is a coincidence that the VERY DAY I got my last order done for Christmas I fell and broke my leg and ankle and ended up with surgery and being in the hospital for 4 days and basically house bound for 4 months. Let me tell you, that four months did several things. First and foremost, I had more time to think about my priorities that I ever though possible, and I really realized that mine were slightly askew. Secondly, the Lord showed us that we could make it one basically one income and still provide for our family and our children. Last, but certainly not least...I really learned to depend on my friends and my family. Those days home alone would have been impossible withought the help of my family taking care of the house and kids, and my dear dear friends who called, brought meals, and basically got me through. I realize that a broken leg and an ankle is so mild compared to what other people go through, but let me tell you, going from being able to do anything I wanted to having to depend on a wheelchair and someone else to get me in and out of the shower and to and from the bathroom will humble a girl really quick.

Anyway, this rambling perhaps doesn't make sense to anyone but me. But there are a few things that I've learned on this journey of motherhood that I started nearly five years ago. I've learned to trust my gut. I've learned that time passes by way too quickly, and above all, I've learned in the middle of the night, when I feel like I don't have anyone else who understands me, I know the Lord will answer my prayers, he has time and time again.

Some cute pictures

Noah dressed up for old-timer's day at school complete with metal tractor lunchpail!


OK, one look at this picture will answer the question as to whether or not Lilly Grace has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger or not...

Lilly was getting tired while visiting Nana and Papa so she climbed herself into her carseat and started waving bye-bye

Nana, always cautious of the kids falling off her step, has already taught Lilly to turn around and scoot to come down, the child can't walk yet, but she sure can scoot!!!

Papa only thinks he's going to get an afternoon nap...

Lilly Grace has discovered the joy of suckers...notice the creative hairdo her brother has concocted.

Noah helping uncle Scott to work on Mammaw's grill (notice Scott's festive apron...)

My sweet, sweet nephew

Just trying to update some cute pictures for Daddy to check out while he is in LA. I'm beginning to worry a little about him being exposed to the cajun cuisine however, he informed me that yesterday he ate something made from pig intestine and then tonight he ate Lebanese/Greek lamb that was making him sick....

I am in awe of all single mothers out there who do this all of the time. I have great help with Mom and Dad around but keeping up with my two babies day in and day out by myself is a full time job. By the time I get them both in the bed I am ready to pass out on the couch! I've always appreciated what a great Dad Travis is, but I appreciate him even more now! Noah has asked me everyday, "Is Daddy coming home today?" and he saw on TV that there was another hurricane in Texas and wants to know if Daddy has to go there too. I told him I don't think so (at least I hope not!) Lil just wanders around hollering "Da-Da" every so often. I'm usually to busy to think much at all but around 1 or 2 in the morning I get to thinking that this house is too dark and too quiet, so I've been sleeping with the TV on and coming up with plans in my head of how I would protect my munchkins against a home invader w/out Dad here...pretty sure I can figure out how to load his shotgun and at least aim it the right direction.

Food Allergy Awareness Walk

As you guys know, I'm a board member of FEAST (food enducation/allergy support team) of KY. Anyway, this weekend was our first annual awareness walk and festival to raise community awareness (and funds!!!) for our kids with severe food allergies. We held the event at Preston Miller Park in BG and we had a great turnout. We had nearly 200 participants and raised nearly $6000 for our group! Best of all our kids got to run and play in a completely SAFE environment where they got to socialize with other kids who are just like them. I have such great family support and we had a lot of family members come out to support Noah!


Noah's favorite part of the entire day I think was getting his face painted....

Lil used the day to practice her new skill...standing up by herself. It hasn't occured to her to take a step yet, but I know that's coming any day now.

Noah touring the ambulance and visiting with the EMT's.

See You Soon Daddy!

So the Parsley family is minus one member for the next 2 or 3 weeks. Daddy "or Da-Da according to Lil" has been sent to Baton Rouge Lousiana by ATT for hurricane relief. He says he should be able to check the blog and has told me repeatedly to post pictures of the kids so he can see them. The longest he's been away from them is a night or two I think. I heard from him earlier tonight and he arrived safely and was headed out to try some cajun food before clocking in tomorrow. The man loves work is all I know, they're scheduled for 12 to 14 hour days and he will get a day off after 13 days straight. I asked him last night if he dreaded it and he shrugged and said, "It's just work..." I however would be wailing to anyone who would listen if I had to work those hours. That's why I'm glad he's the breadwinner! OK and I'm also very glad that they managed to find him a hotel room because some of the linecrew that was going were unable to get vacant hotel rooms so they were putting them in , I'm not joking, spare cells at a correctional facility (aka I'm assuming prison...) They were instructed not to talk to the inmates...no need to tell me twice, Thanks.

Anyway, so I'm blogging at 10:30 pm and trying to not notice that me and the baby are the only ones rambling around this house that seems much too big and too quiet with Dad gone...

Anyway, we'll miss him alot and I hope that he doesn't wear himself out. I also am hoping he isn't caught in the wake of hurricane Ike. Anyway, he'll have lots of work to keep him busy and then there's always the TV to keep him company, especially with all of the news coverage of his new fantasy woman, Sarah Palin. He loved to remind me that the woman is for guns, babies, and Jesus...and also has killed a moose or something. I've been married to the man for 10 years and given birth to his two children and I still don't think I can compete with her.... Oh well...

Catching Up....

I realize that it's been forever since I posted anything new so I decided to do a catch-all of what we've been up to lately. Noah's back in preschool (which he loves) and so I added a pic of his first day back, he was excited to be one of the "big kids" meaning he was a 4 year old and had done all of this last year!

He also had a blast at the yard sale with his little lemonade stand which turned out to be a great learning experience. He helped make the sign, gathered his supplies, sold his drinks, and then collected and saved his money to go buy a toy he's been wanting.

Noah's favorite pastime with "Precious"

It never occured to Noah that he was too big to get in the sink bathtub...

Poor Little Lil' has been trying her best to cut 4 new teeth and it's not going so well. She's had a constant runny nose and has been waking up about 5 or 6 times a night fussing with her gums. She usually sleep all night and has since about 7 wks old so this is a hard adjustment for her!

Labor Day weekend has been SO busy but fun. I worked Saturday and then Sat afternoon we went to a cookout with our friends from Russellville, Sunday another cookout with family, visited with more family on Sunday night. Noah decided he wanted to spend the day at Nana's so Travis took me and Lil to the Olive Garden and to Opry Mills in Nville. It was fun!

Noah is super excited to see that they are starting to put up fair rides today...

Lilly is still pulling up and practicing all of her words, (Mama, Dada, Bubba, byebye, uh-oh) and she's getting really good at sign language for the word "more" which we taught her at around 5 months.

We're planning her first birthday shindig and I can't believe it's almost here.

Work is busy busy busy...finishing up seniors, and working on fall pictures...you wouldn't believe how many Christmas sessions I already have booked.

Sorry this isn't very exciting guys, just trying to get caught up a little!

Funny stuff...

OK I must make it quick, I'm taking a tiny break from hours of photo editing!!! Just wanted to post this before I forget how funny it was. Today Noah and I were discussing that it's almost Lilly Grace's First birthday (can't believe it...) but anyway Noah informs me that he wants to get her a Mermaid Dora Doll to go under the water (which he won't admit but I think he wants to play with!) Anyway, the funny part is that he says, "And I know what I'm going to write in her card, I Love you LIlly Grace, I'll never give up and I'll always save you from the bank robbers." OK how sweet is that, does LIlly have the Best big brother in the world or what???

Another funny, but slightly sad note...Noah is trying is his own little four year old way to recover from the death of little Mel (the puppy). He has come up with a solution. He wants three puppies. That way, he explains, if one dies, he still has two, and then if another one dies he still has one. Poor little baby, he is a little obsessed with death since Mel's untimely passing...

We also have spent part of the day in our submarine (the toyroom) looking for mermaids (his sister) and putting on our scuba masks (fake fire helmets). Noah has an imagination that will go for days. This was after he built a fairly accurate "chute" for his rodeo bulls. He made my little plastic man be the clown that kept the cowboys from being trampled by the bulls. I'm not so experienced at being a rodeo clown and he kept correcting me in my cowboy rescue technique.

He told his Dad today, "Well Dad, I am certainly not your amigo!" After Travis regretfully informed him it was bedtime...

The Parsley family will be trying our best to have a yard sale this weekend and my little entrepreneur has decided he will sell lemonade. He says that he will not pay me a paycheck for helping in his stand but at the end of the day I am to write him one. Is it bad that my four year old is already quite adept at finagling money from his Mommy?

Blog has been Hijacked...

OK so Travis has officially breached the secuity of my blog...(haha) He's been bugging me for weeks that it's our "family" blog so I guess it's only fair to get Daddy's take on the business of running the Parsley family. But seriously, I'm a lucky girl...

Travis has his hands full being an engineer in the daytime and coming home and being a great Dad and husband to his crazy family. He'll do anything for us (with a little coaxing...)

We've been on this crazy road together since I was 14 and he was 17, we've learned alot along the way and had alot of fun. There have been some not so great times but mainly it's been better than I could have hoped for. I sometimes question his sanity, (he still thinks it's a grand idea for us to have 4 or 5 kids...)

And that's the end of my being nice to Travis for today....I still wish he'd give up dipping and would fully understand the secret to a happy wife is jewelry and putting your dirty clothes in the hamper...I know you're reading this Travis...I love you!!!

Dad's Take

Aha, I figured out Jess' password (which wasn't hard since she uses the same password on everything).

First of all, as soon as I can figure it out, the background MUST change. The pink and brown has to go. Noah would like a little green and yellow on here (John Deere). I'm thinking maybe a little UK blue. Get rid of Rascal Flatt's and put a little Johnny Cash on here. I'll try to figure all this out sometime.

Second, need a few pics of Jess on here. The ones of me on here are not so great. The one at Louisville Zoo looks like I'm about to hurl, and my birthday pic looks like me and the kids on a "Feed the Family" episode. So, I going to snap a few of Jess in her glory to put on here.

In Jessica's last post where she lays out her day, there needs to be a few corrections. She does get up and feed Lilly around 5am most mornings, but I swear, she never wakes up. I don't know how it is to feed a child w/ my body, but I don't know how you could sleep thru it. As for her late night computer "work", she left out her "blogging" past time. I'm sure that should be around midnight to 1am. Kidding aside, Jess works hard all day, so I better lay off or I'll be fixing supper tonight.

I guess thats it for my first post and hopefully Jess won't change her password and ban me from "Our Family" blog.

Working in the wee hours...

Warning: this blog may not interest anyone in the least...I'm burning off computer buzz so I can go to bed....
I realize that it is now midnight and I just got done working for the day but I needed a little "blog-time" to wind down. At this time of night I find myself sometimes questioning my sanity in career choices...
Not to say I don't love my job...I adore taking photos...I just don't adore my insane schedule at the moment. Basically my day looks a little like this...
5am feed Lil and get her back to bed
6am get up
6:30 here comes little man needing cartoons, and a milk sippy
Throw in laundry and make the bed Start breakfast before princess arises
7 Lil's up!
Coffee..coffee..coffee (I realize that it in not advisable to breastfeed and drink caffeine, but it keeps Mommy from walking around the house in a stupor"
Breakfast for the babies
More coffee...
8Play time... laundry...chores...showers (on a good day)
9 Check email and get computer work started
9:30 Feed Lil
More computer work
11 get ready for lunch
12 lunch...clean up...more laundry
Errands...Start getting ready for afternoon customers
1 Noah nap (Please Dear Lord let him take an afternoon nap...)
Remind self to go to the bathroom and stop running around like a mad woman...
2 Noah's up...Time for Lil's nap
Run like a chicken with head cut off to get things done while one babe is sleeping...
Noah snack and play
3 customers getting ready to arrive
4 start supper
5 Trav's home...eat supper...hand the baby duties to hubby and work until 7
Get kids settled and ready for bed
Clean kitchen
9 kids in bed (hopefully)
10 start computer work
work...work...work...
1 or 2 ish go to bed...
5 am start it all again!!!
(Add in diapers, breastfeeding, solving 4 year old catastrophes, ("Mom, will you go upstairs and find my batman..No not that batman...the one with the cape ripped off...you know I had it the other day at Nana's...then in the yard..."
Mom can't find said Batman...will superman work....tears ensue...

Only mothers understand how this type of day can work! I honestly wonder what I did what all of the time on my hands before I had children.

Would I trade a minute of this chaos for another job...Not a chance! I get to get my kids up, feed them, play with them and I don't miss a minute of their day until late evening when they get to have time with Daddy.

When I worked a "regular" job I recall thinking how wonderful it would be to own my own business...Little did I know that I could leave those jobs at work when I came home. I have to try really hard to seperate home time from working time...I catch myself constantly thinking about what needs to be done next.
However, looking back, I think that things worked out the way they did for a reason. I'm thankful for my kids, my hubby and my home, and I'm so grateful to be able to stay at home with them full time while still working from the house.
While I wouldn't trade a second of my life with anyone... I would love to have a dinner out with my husband that didn't involve a meal that includes a plastic toy or wearing a shirt that didn't show the baby food splatters so much! Oh well, there'll be time for that when my angels are in college I suppose!

Tears at My Computer!

OK guys, not that I didn't know it before, but I have the best group of friends (and fellow Mommy's and Daddy's) in the world. When I posted the food allergy spill I was feeling very low and very helpless but you guys have totally give me a boost and reminded me that this is nothing that we can't handle with a little faith and some extra precautions. I love you guys so much!!!!

Ok, a sad note at the Parsley house... little Mel (Noah's puppy) has passed away. Unfortunately Noah was the one to find him, and of course it broke his heart. We can't tell what happened to him we think he just got sick or something. Anyway, we've had a long discussion about how pets sometimes are not with us very long, etc. Then Noah informed me that it was Ok because Mel went to live with Jesus... (OK anyway....)

Lil has spent her day blissfully crawling around the floor in search of something to pilfer through. I can see that the time has come to break back out all of the babyproofing gadgets. She will be heartbroken when she finds her way back to the cabinet doors only to find them mysteriously locked! I'm not even sure why I bother however, by the time Noah Thomas was 12 months old he could open all of the babyproof locks and would even assist Nana in opening the doorknob covers which were supposed to be babyproof for up to four year olds! I also hope that there is nothing toxic in dustbunnies because Lilly managed to scoot her round little body under the edge of the bed while I was cleaning the bedroom today and when I fished her out from under the bed she was chewing on a dustbunny like it was the yummiest thing ever! She was irate when I insisted on fishing the soggy remnants of it out of her chomping jaws with the grand total of 4 razor sharp teeth.

Speaking of razor sharp teeth, (OK if there are guys reading this post you perhaps will want to skip this paragraph.) I didn't breastfeed Noah for nearly as long as I have Lilly and I experienced what those little teeth can do to a sensitive area of the body the other day. Hello...can you say pain!!! I'm not sure labor was much more intense than that! Ok that's enough of the exciting details of my day for now.

PS Just a warning...Travis has been whining that he wants to post something and I have thus far refused to give him the password for fear of him taking over my blog by keeping everyone updated on the glorious highlights of Nascar, or his recent disdain for a few of the upcoming presidential cantidates...sorry babe if you're reading this...you know I love you... Anyway I will try to hold his political views and overly zealous sports trivia at bay a little while longer. He is a great Dad though...this evening he single handedly grilled out steaks, cooked veggies for the children...got Lil to bed and buried the dog all without breaking a sweat. I have to hand it to the guy in the department of husbands and Dad's he is a keeper (even if he hasn't learned in the 14 years that he's known me that No I do not care who wrecked in the second to last lap and I don't know or care what Shaun Hannity or whatever his name is says about the upcoming election.) He also is a large softie...Noah is sleeping with his Dad tonight cause he's sad about his puppy dying.

Tears at My Computer!

On a Lighter Note

Just had to tell Noah's funny comment about Sunday School this morning. We had a lesson on John the Baptist and when he baptized Jesus. After the lesson and some crafting time Deanna was asking the kids to remember who the story was about and what happened, etc. Noah promptly reporter that Bob the Baptist (is he related to Bob the builder?!?) took some people down to the river and then the dove got saved.... hmm...

Also during church Lil's wet diaper leaked out all over my hand and so I took her to the bathroom to change her. I then set her down in the floor beside my feet so I could wash my hands quickly, well by the time I was done washing she had pulled up the toilet and was having marvelous fun splashing her hands it it... so then I had to wash her hands...and something about that made her have the urge to then dirty her diaper and on the saga continues...

Why I Hate Food Allergies
OK guys....this one is a downer...you may not want to read it but I'm venting...


As you guys all know, our family struggles daily with food allergies. I'm not sure if anyone who doesn't deal with this on a day to day basis understands what this is really like. We coast along and seem to be doing fine and then out of the blue a reaction sends us into panic mode and back to the ER.



Basically there are few restaurants that we can enjoy together as a family and that Noah can safely eat there. We met with friends last Saturday night at a place where Noah has eaten many times before after we have spoken to managers, wait staff, etc, and he's always had a good, safe experience. Basically, after eating food that should otherwise be safe for Noah, he starts to climb in my lap and tell me that his throat feels funny and he wants to go home. This immediately makes my Mommy instinct kick in that somthing is not right. I take him to the bathroom to talk to him calmly about how he's feeling. He tells me that his throat and tongue feels funny (for those of you who don't know what a life-threatening allergic reaction does it basically can cut off your airway completely) and that his belly hurts. I then escort him back to our table to get his Daddy when he starts to projectile vomit. At this point his little body is flooding itself with fluid trying to rid itself of the offending allergen so he is vomiting what appears to be clear water. He is then paniced. (Adults with life threatening food allergies describe feelings of panic and doom that accompany an anaphylactic reaction)



At this point his Daddy runs with him in his arms to take him outside to administer his epi-pen (an emergency injection of epinephrine that we carry EVERYWHERE we go). Basically he is in too serious of a condition for us to make it outside and we have to stop in the lobby of the restaurant to give him shot. Noah is so scared that he is screaming and crying and in a total panic. We manage to get him his shot and we immediatly load him in the car and drive as fast as we can to the hospital. (Normally we would have called an ambulance, but he were in closer driving distance.) Thankfully, epinephrine works for Noah's reactions and he has always been treated in a timely manner and his reactions are controlled with epi and a round of steroids. We then have to monitor him for 2 days because you can actually have a reoccurance of the reaction several hours after the initial reaction. And at this point we thank God that we are one of the lucky ones because every year people die from this same type of reaction.



So I guess I'm venting to all of my friends who are mothers out there whom I love and depend on. I know that when people hear the word "allergy" they think sniffles and sneezes, but in my family it can mean so much more. Also, Noah's reaction was not caused by actually consuming any food with his known allergen. Apparently, he got a trace amount of an allergen onto his mouth and somehow that is enough to send his supersensitive little body into fight or flight mode. His immune system then attacks a harmless substance (trace amounts of a food protein that we suspect was egg) and treats it like a dangerous invader.



I then spend the next two days watching my four year old be afraid to eat anything, even food that he knows is safe for him because he's afraid of having another reaction. I stay up nearly all night Saturday night watching him sleep and wondering how many more times my baby is going to have to go through this in his lifetime. I wonder if I'm ever going to be able to take him to a ball game, on an airplane, or even to get an ice cream without being afraid that he's going to come into contact with something that could endanger his life.



I try to be optimistic and be hopeful that one day there will be a cure for this condition, and until that day comes we just have to do the best we can. However, even my best outlooks are hard to come by when Noah asks me if he can have a bite of whatever someone else is eating or he asks us why he can't have the same birthday cake or treat as all his friends are having.

We went for Lil's 9 months checkup and she's a grand total of 18 pounds and 6 ounces and she's still a shortie... less than 10th percentile but it's OK! She had a grand time shredding the paper on Dr. Simmon's examination table. She then had to go for her finger stick and blood test. I was totally prepared for wails and tears but she was content to watch the lady and to play with her bracelet with nary a tear shed. OK needless to say, she did not get this from her Mommy, I get woozy at the first sight of a needle! Ususally Noah is game for accompanying us on our errands but couldn't bear the thought of seeing "Sis" get her blood drawn so he opted to stay with Nana. He's growing up so fast... I can't believe I"ll have a five year old in a few months.

Noah Thomas has also been in "casting" lessons with Papa. I'm ashamed to report that he is much better at casting a fishing pole than I am. He also then attempted to help me out and instructed me to "just take your time Mama..."

My little beach baby

OK so how cute is this little beach baby? I realize that she looks like "Pebbles" with her leopard print bikini and the ponytail but it was too cute not to post!!!!

Her Daddy says that I better enjoy this picture now cause there will be no more pictures of his angel in a binkini when she gets older. I love the little belly roll hanging out from her suit around the middle.

Perhaps I've figured it out...

It's amazing to me that I can design and build my own photography website and I can't seem to figure out how to post these photos any larger. Assistance anyone???

Thought you guys might want to see some highlights from our recent family excursion to Cincinatti/Lousiville. We had a lovely time! However, we mistakenly let Noah pick out a CD to listen to on the ride there and we ended up listening to "I"m Hunting for Dracula" no less that 900 times I'm sure...

Lil was just glad to be along for the ride and Noah was absolutely beside himself with excitement of going on "bacation." He insisted that he would miss Nana terribly. Keep in mind people we were gone a grand total of three days...

Happy Birthday Daddy!

OKOKOKOK!!! Thanks to all my friends who have gotten me hooked on this "blogging" business. As if I don't have enought irons in the fire! Oh well, this will give me a little free time for Mommy and maybe I can keep up with my friends whom I don't get to talk to on a regular basis! Exciting news in the Parsley family...

Dear Daddy is now the big 30, which we celebrated at home with his favorite meal (BBQ ribs and dirt cake!) He got a new grill that we are happily using, and then we all went to revival @ Jock! It was a great day and I am dutifully reminding him that he has crossed over to the thirties while I blissfully remain in my twenties (shortlived as they may be...)

Today we became an aunt and uncle as Travis' brother and sis-in-law welcomed their beautiful baby boy to the world. We love him already.

I think that's enough for my first post...I'm supposed to be on the treadmill and yes it's 10 at night and I still have some hours of computer work ahead of me...