Mother's Day 2014 (and a little mix of other days)

Oh blog - you have been so neglected lately.  While I long to blog more regularly (for the handful of people that might read this), I am also enjoying being wrapped up in the busyness of life.  Our days are full right now, but life is good! I have (for the most part) come to terms with fact that I will blog when I can and won't when I can't.  If I'm not blogging, that means I am neck deep in the fun and fullness of our life.  So please keep checking in from time to time, you never know when I might have a pocket of time to post some updates. 

Last Sunday was Mother's Day and it was a dandy.  We had a really nice weekend working around the house and getting more done with that and Sunday capped it off very nicely.  Our family of three went to church and came home for a lunch of leftovers and some rest.  I also worked on my coupons which is something I enjoy doing on Sunday afternoons.  After Parker's nap, he helped me open my cards and gifts.  John and Parker blessed me with beautiful, heartfelt cards and words written inside as well as a homemade card.  I received a new Bible - which I love and can't wait to start using and reading. 

My favorite gift was a DVD that John made me which was a slideshow of about 120 pictures of Parker and I together set to a song called "Guardian Angel" - about a mother and child.  To say that I cried and was very emotional while watching it would be the understatement of the year.  Oh my, it was quite a tear jerker - such happy tears though as I watched 2 years worth of "Parker and Mommy" memories through pictures.  John is the sweetest and is so thoughtful and knows just what I like.  I love pictures and homemade gifts and it was perfect.  I've watched it several more times since Mother's Day - the best gift!

For dinner, I voted for ordering pizza (Parker's favorite) and John made homemade brownies. Yum! We ate, played and had a fun evening - such a great day.  I love being a Mom and I'm so thankful to be Parker's Mom.  He's just awesome, so much fun and such a joy.  He brightens every single one of my days and gives me energy I don't have sometimes.  Being a Mom isn't always easy or glamorous, but it's so rewarding and such a treasured responsibility.       

Here is Parker and I the last two years on Mother's Day.   

And this year - this may be one of my favorite pictures of us - EVER!

In other news, we have been living in our house for almost 2 months now and are continuing to get more settled and unpacked.  We have a long list of to dos, projects and plans (inside and out), but we are chipping away at them little by little.  I know it will be months before we have everything gone through, put away, hung, organized, bought, set-up, decorated, thrown away, stored, planted, etc. but we are feeling more at home with each passing day.  We love our new house and neighborhood so much are feeling blessed to be there.  

Parker is soaking up all sorts of fun outside.  I'm so glad he has room to roam, run and play each day.  His favorite place to be is outside so we take advantage of opportunities to go out and play when we can.  He loves bubbles, sidewalk chalk, water and dirt, but is also content to just run around and be free.  He also loves to check the mail with Daddy and watch birds and various vehicles and machines in the neighborhood.  Hopefully this summer, we will get a little pool set up and have a splashing good time.         

Parker is so interested in books and learning new things.  He loves to flip through books and be read to.  We try to go to the library about once a week or so and he LOVES it. He's very curious and asks questions all through the day.  His newest favorite toy (which I got for free) is a Leap Frog writing pad that works on the alphabet.  Parker already knows the alphabet and the sounds the letters make, but he's recently, on his own, tried to write letters on the pad - so neat. 

This past weekend, we spent a lot of time on the house - outside.  John worked in the flowerbeds and I worked in the garage and shop - trying to clean out, go through stuff and organize things a bit better.  There is still much more yet to do, but we made a ton of progress. 

We have more to finish up in the flower beds, but John worked really hard and they look a lot better.  We want to add a couple more things to the landscaping areas and on the front porch, but it's shaping up. 

We are getting more done inside the house too, but I want to finish a few more things before I take pictures of all of the inside areas.  The living room is starting to look better so I though I'd snap a few shots in there for a little preview.  We have plans to do some kind of window treatment and have more decorating to do.   

This is looking into the living from from the dining area. 

This shot is from the fireplace looking down toward the main hallway.  The archway leads to our room.  I have plans to make and put a bench under that big clock.   

Another shot from the kitchen/dining area.  The mirror above the fireplace needs to be hung (just leaning against the wall now) and we want to add a little more decor. 

Looking from the back door toward the dining area.  The living room window has a great window seat in it, but I just took a few shots and failed to get a picture this time.

We are looking forward to the summer months - not the extreme heat, but time to get more done and make more progress made around the house.  I am also helping with Vacation Bible School in mid-June, we have family coming at different times over the next couple of months and we will be going to a family reunion at the end of July in Galveston.  Hopefully August will bring a big garage sale to get rid of lots of stuff and make a little money.  Whether it be the day to day goings-on around here or big events, we're always up to something.  I'll say it again, Life is Good!

Until we meet again...

Riley