"Our New Home"

When we first got here and we were walking around the house, I tried to explain to Parker that we were here in Kentucky and that this house is where we are going to live now.  I told him this is our new home, and asked him if he liked it.  Ever since then, he has been walking around saying, "Our new home".  When we are out and about shopping, he asks constantly to go back to our new home.

This is our guest bathroom.  Parker has to take baths in our bathroom, since this is only a shower, but I thought it would be fun to let him pick out how we decorate it, and he was pretty sure he wanted it to be a monkey shower.  
Our shelves we put up for all of Parker's toys so that they can stay in his room as much as possible.  So far it has helped so much in keeping our living room cleaner!  He only brings out a couple toys at a time, and the rest stay in there.  It's wonderful!
The Master bathroom
The view from our back patio. There is an enclosed basketball court to the left that you can kind of see.  Parker likes to watch the kids play and ride their bikes all around here.
The living room as you see it from the front door.  Parker and Lance are watching "Cars."  Parker has recently become obsessed with it and asks to watch it hundred times a day.  We try to limit it to once a day.
Here's our dining room and kitchen.  As you can see, we still need a dining room table and chairs.  The folding table isn't the best look, but we haven't found a table we like, or that we like the price of yet.
Parker and Lance chilling on the couch.
Parker's room.  A bedspread is also on our list of things we need, but i haven't figured out what i want because I want it to match whatever bedding we get for the baby.  I'm not thinking the pink quilt is the best for a little boy!
Our bedroom. 

We were a little nervous about moving into this unknown place that we had never seen before, but we couldn't be happier with it.  It is already starting to feel like home.  It is really roomy and just right for us.  We are so excited!  We have struggled a little with finding enough storage space, but that is only because we have been so spoiled with a house with oodles of room for storage.  For now, I think we have it all figured out, but when the baby comes, we will have to do some more rearranging.  

Lance starts school on Tuesday, so we will be settling into a routine soon.  Lance is a little nervous for school to start, but we all know he will do great!  We'll keep you updated!

Farewell Laramie!

Parker was very helpful with the packing process!  Every time we got another box out, he wanted to get inside it.  Luckily, it was enough just to get inside a box for about 5 seconds and then he was done, so we were still able to get a lot done.

Lance's mom and dad came up to help with Parker while we got some packing done.  We really appreciated the help!  Lance's dad thought we needed a family picture in front of our house in Laramie.  I'm glad he thought of it.  

Inside our house right before we left Sunday morning.   It's kinda sad to see your house all empty like this and realize it is no longer your home.  We loved our little house, and we will miss it.  

The moving truck just seconds  before we drove away. It was about 5:30 am, I can't believe I was even thinking about taking a picture right now.  5:30 am is not a time i have seen much in my life.  Morning is far from my favorite time of the day!

Good-bye, little house.  You will be missed!

Hogle Zoo

We spent the last week in Star Valley saying good-bye to my family one last time before our cross-country trek.  Most of the week was miserable cold and rainy and even a little snowy, so we were stuck inside a lot.  My mom and dad both had to work a lot of the week, so they didn't get to spend as much time with Parker as they wanted to, but Friday, we went to Salt Lake to Hogle Zoo.  After the zoo, we went to the Mayan for dinner.  Parker still asks every once in a while to go back and watch the guys jump in the water.  He had the perfect seat to see the diving, and he loved it.  

This first picture is not from the zoo as you can see.  On Saturday and Sunday, the weather was finally nice enough to go outside.  We did a bunch of work out in the yard on Saturday, and Parker was lot of help cleaning up the grass and mowing the lawn as you can imagine. On Sunday, Grandpa and Grandma took the kids (Parker, Hallie, and Boskey) on a fourwheeler ride up Swift Creek.

Parker loved the carousel ride with Grandma.  As soon as it stopped he asked for more.
I don't remember what he was looking at here, but he loved everything at the zoo.  It's so fun to watch him try to take everything in.

Parker and Grandma watching the bird show.  I thought my dad was crazy for thinking Parker would sit through a bird show, but he sat through the entire thing and loved every minute of it.
Him and Grandpa in front of the elephants.
I don't know why, but I love this picture.  We have very few pictures of the little man with both grandparents, so I think this is a great picture to have.
A family picture with the tigers.

We are so glad we have been able to spend these last few weeks with family.  It will definitely be tough to be so far away from everyone for four years, and we will miss them all a lot.  It has been such a blessing to have time to visit.  Parker will miss all his cousins, and has loved the time he's spent with them.  It may, however be a blessing to have him away from his Uncle Boskey's influence for a while.  Brandon may have taught him to say a few things that are better left unsaid, and he reinforced it so much that since we've been home, Parker will say the things he learned from him, and then say "Brandon says"  Oh well, I guess that's what uncles are for huh?

Steamboat and Baby Marcus

Last weekend, we (Grandpa Anderson, Loren and Kaycee, and us) all headed to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to see Lance's sister Leah and her new baby boy.  We had a great weekend with everyone, and we were glad we got to see them before we head out.  Parker was really good with the baby.  He didn't really want to hold him much, but he was constantly giving him little kisses on the head and he still asks to go back and see baby Marcus. We are hoping and praying, he is still so sweet and gentle when our baby comes along.

8 Random Facts About Me

Thanks to Natali, I have been tagged, with this 8 random facts tag.  I am really bad at coming up with these kinds of things, so they are really boring, but here goes.

1) I LOVE ice cream.  My intake of ice cream can not be humanly healthy.  When I am home, I eat ice cream probably 4 times a week.  Accept when I am pregnant, I eat it pretty close to every night.  It's my favorite late night snack.  I wish I could be content to just end my day with a healthy cracker or something, but I have to have a heaping bowl of ice cream every night.

2) If I was given three wishes, I think one of them would be the ability to do fix my hair so cute.  I am secretly so envious when I see women on TV or at the mall or anywhere, with such beautifully curled hair.  I try quite often, but I am never successful.  I can't do anything fun with it.  No matter what I try, my hair just looks like a frizzy mess.  If anyone has suggestions, they would be more than welcome!

3)  My very favorite possession in the whole world is my blankie. I have had this blanket since high school, and I am ridiculously attached to it. She even has a name (Myrtle).  I have to have Myrtle to sleep at night, and I take her with me whenever I travel.  I hate the feeling of getting into a bed and sleeping next to the sheets, it's just not the same as curling up with Myrtle.  My grandma tells me that someday I am going to have to grow up and get rid of the blanket, but it's not going to happen.

4) I am a reality TV junkie!  It's embarrassing!  I am so addicted to them and I plan my activities around many of them.  American Idol is my number one, but I also love the Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars, Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model, and many others! I need to get a life!

5) I love to organize.  I hate cleaning, and I am not a very good housekeeper, but for some reason, I really enjoy organizing random things.  I like to color- coordinate my clothes, and organize Parker's toys, I alphabetize my cd's and sometimes my movies, or any other random things around my house.  Many times I do these things so that I can feel okay about putting off doing the real work around my house that needs to be done.

6) I am deathly afraid of snakes!  Almost anyone who knows me at all is already aware of this, because it is a crazy out of control phobia I have.  I can't see pictures of them or see them on tv, or be near toy snakes.  No, nothing traumatizing ever happened to me to bring this about, it's just one of those lucky things I was given at birth.

7) I am terrible at keeping in touch with friends and family.  It's not that I don't like to talk on the phone or can't find the time, it's just one of those things I don't do and wish I was better about.  I have lost touch with so many good friends because I am so awful about picking up the phone.  Another reason I am so grateful for the blogging world.

8) I love crafts.  I am not very crafty, but I love to do anything crafty, and learn new fun things.  I usually get excited about them for about a week, go out and buy all the materials for a specific project, start on it, or finish one or two, and then never touch it again, but I still love it.  and I continue to do this with every craft i learn.

I tag Gina, Meagan McDavitt, and Brittany Cook.

Lance got his gun out to the other day, because his brother is going to keep it while we are away. Parker was pretty interested in it, so Lance decided to take this picture.  Lance thinks it's the cutest thing ever.  I'm not much for the whole hunting and guns thing, but I have to admit, it's pretty cute.  With any luck, though, he won't want anything to do with it when he gets older!  Just kidding.  

This is the only picture we have taken lately, so I don't have anything else to post.  I had a couple videos to post, but I haven't figured it out yet, so until then, this is it.

Something to Laugh About

Parker is getting to the age where he says some hilarious things, so I just thought I would share a couple of them.

A couple of days ago, he spilled my scrap booking brads all over the carpet, so I made him pick them up, and while he was cleaning up, he just kept saying "Hakuna Matata" as if he was trying to convince me not to be mad!  I don't think he has any idea what it means, but I thought it was funny that he would choose that moment to say that for the first time.

Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came to visit last week, and they got here just in time to take us to breakfast, so they just brought their bags right inside the door and left them there until we got back.  As soon as we walked back in the door from breakfast, Parker pointed at them and said, "Mommy, Grandpa's Messy".  It was so cute to see the look of complete disgust at his Grandpa as he said it.  

Last week during the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting, I told Parker to close his eyes, but he wasn't listening, after telling him like 3 or 4 times, he got mad and started yelling, "Mama,  close your eyes"  It was so loud and I'm pretty sure everyone in the chapel was laughing!