you say it's your birthday...33 reasons i love you

since it's brandon's 33rd birthday today i thought i would list the top 33 reasons i love my man!

1. handsome
2. hard working
3. favorite food is steak (who doesn't love steak)
4. best dad
5. takes care of me
6. understands me
7. loves his family
8. loves the gospel
9. lets me sleep in on saturday
10. cleans the gutters without complaining
11. likes to organize the garage
12. loves to cook waffles on saturdays (oh, and eat them too)
13. enjoys doing his church calling
14. can play any sport (little story: when we were 12 my dad took our sunday school class out boating and brandon had never waterskiied but got up on the first try)
15. really good at showing off on the wakeboard
16. gets an amazing tan in the summer
17. gave my 2 oldest kids their adorable looks (the 3rd kid is still TBD on his looks)
18. i had a secret crush on him since high school (how could i resist his HOTTNEESS?)
19. he is willing to try ANY food but doesn't take a liking to them easily
20. incredibly smart--the vocabulary on this guy alone is something to talk about
21. not afraid of a polar dip in the winter (i have pictures to prove it and man does he look amazing!)
22. determined to figure all things out
23. wants to make me happy (and HE DOES)
24. likes to eat before bed and cooks up the most amazing concoctions...it always makes me hungry
25. two words: Pearl Jam
26. fixes anything and everything in our house...and my dad's house too
27. loves innocent banter with his dad
28. and speaking of his dad, he came with the best family
29. loves tools, to collect, own, and use them
30. genius-can figure out how to do any home-improvement trade
31. sensitive but doesn't like to show it
32. gets along with everyone
33. loves me, puts up with me, and makes me happy

i love you, brandon! happy birthday!!

you should be kissed, and often

rhett is so kissable...
my dearest friend, molly took the most amazing pictures of rhett on his one week birthday

~i love you molly

please come see me again soon!!

tell me they aren't gorgeous!

i dare you...

i love her....


keeber love her...

i'm saving the date february 21st...it's gonna be a party y'all!!
for more pictures

macrae, the LADIES MAN

today we had some friends over...while all the bigger kids (you know, the ones who aren't old enough to be in school but can TALK) played upstairs macrae entertained all of the women and the ladies who can't walk...chloe and charlotte.

the entertainment included:
flexing his muscles, falling down deliberately, turning circles...you know, all the things that make a 1 year old giggle.

i wish i had taken some pictures. good thing laura took pictures of his date with chloe last week. thanks laura, you are awesome!

dads make the best pies

when i was a little girl my dad owned a pie restaurant. i remember watching my dad and the pie crew make millions of crusts and fillings. today, my dad still makes delicious pies (if you like pie, that is). i'm not even going to talk about his sour cream lemon pie. DELISH! anyway, last monday brandon asked me to do the FHE lesson. i snarkily told him i had too many jobs still to do (blame the post-baby horomones, okay?) and maybe he could do it. (the horror! shame on me! i know!!) so he decided that it would be an activity family night. he and isla made a perfect apple pie! it not only turned out gorgeous but it was pretty dang good! what a great dad he is! only one more reason i love him so!

i am one today

on january 5th my baby Rhett boy turned one week old. gosh, it's already going so fast! we are doing well. he is so content and adorable. his smell just makes me want 100 babies. dang, newborns are addictive! this was him the day i took him home, less than 24 hours old!
here are a few pics i snapped of his yumminess at one week old...

(my dearest friend, molly took some pics on the same day but i'm not going to pretend that they are MINE since i obviously have no photography talent and she soooo does! i can't wait to see them!)

Rhett Timothy Parker

(i'll get back to christmas later)

THE NEW BOY

was born December 29th

9:07 pm

7 lbs 5 oz

19 1/2 inches

"what's the name?" the question of the year. i know! not even on MY radar. brandon has loved the name rhett since before we were even dating. and while i was in labor we talked about two different names. but the next morning i woke up and looked at him and just thought, "he looks like a rhett." needless to say i like the name, now. it fits him perfectly.

how come newborns are so yummy and precious? i mean, they smell so sweet!! what an addiction.

and a VERY special thank you to my photographer for the most precious photos at the hospital. and also my brandon and the rest of my cheering section (kjrst, keirra, mare, jenny, mom, dad, duff, and keith) at the delivery. (no, my brothers and dad weren't in the room...just the cafeteria.) i don't know if i could have done it without you.

so far, he's a really good baby. he hardly cries...well, unless he's hungry or needs his diaper changed. i mean, what a blessing!