Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am so thankful for a lot of things, but the first thing that always comes to mind is my family. I am so grateful for them. I would post more things I'm thankful for, but I need to put Parker to bed so I had better make this quick. Just know that I am making sure I count my blessings.

We went to Jerry and Cheryl's house for Thanksgiving dinner and of course, it was super yummy.

Parker found the toy closet

Aunt Shelly was kind enough to feed Parker his dinner.

Parker's best friend Maggie.

Me, Shelly, Grandma, and Cheryl

When we got home, Toni and Matt came over to visit. We're about to head out to a movie!

Toni and Grandpa

The Boys

Trip to Utah Pt. 4 - The Box

Memories!!!!!! For those of you who really know my Grandpa Stauffer (Parker's Grandpa Great), you'll know what I'm talking about when I say we always had more fun with the boxes than what was inside them! And finally, it was Parker's turn to experience the wonderful world of living in a box. A huge package arrived in a big box and once we emptied the box, Grandpa Great got to work on creating Parker's house. Parker was really confused at first, but quickly realized how much fun it was! Now we frequently find him hanging out in his box.

Grandpa Great introducing Parker to the box while adding some finishing touches. Notice Parker's expression looks a little wary.

Getting comfy in the box



Parker doing a little remodeling on his home.


Grandpa Great taught Parker how to open and close the window.

Parker loved all the stares he was getting from his spectators so he frequently peeked his head out of the window.

And this one is my favorite.

Trip to Utah Pt. 3 - Aunt Sharon's House

Parker and I took a trip to Aunt Sharon's house to see the whole family. It was great because Madison was afraid we were going to leave before she got home from school so we decided to play a trick on her. Krystal moved my car around the corner where Madison wouldn't see it and then Hensley, Parker, and I hid in Krystal's room. They told Madison that I had to go home and she was totally bummed. Krystal sent her downstairs to "get something" and we jumped out and surprised her. So fun! Right before I had to go, I took pictures of everyone with Parker (sorry you weren't there for the pictures, Krystal and Tom).

Aunt Sharon

Hensley

Madison

Derek

Trip to Utah Pt. 2 - Jenna's House

Stacy Robbins was kind enough to plan a trip to Jenna's House! She came by and picked me up and together, we drove to Jenna's. Porter and Parker kept staring at each other in the car. I'm sure they were wondering why they were sitting next to complete strangers because this was their first meeting! So, we got to Jenna's and had a blast visiting. The kids all played together, which was great because then we women were able talk as much as we wanted. Jenna also made us this really yummy salad that she said is just like the one they make at Cafe Rio. I haven't really been to Cafe Rio that often so I can't compare, but I sure loved what Jenna made (Jenna, if you're reading this, I still want that recipe)! Anyway, we had a great time! For some reason, I wasn't able to capture Roman on camera. He is just too quick for me!

Me and Porter

Stacy and Jenna

Parker sitting on Joslyn... for some reason he kept trying to do this and after multiple times of trying to get him off her, Jenna finally decided that we needed a picture! So here it is!


Stacy getting Porter to laugh for the camera!

Trip to Utah Pt. 1 - Jeff's Mission

Okay, I'm finally trying to catch up on what we've been up to so far on our trip here in Utah. It is going to take several posts now and I'm sure several later when the week is over and I have more pictures. To start off our trip, we met up with Greg's family... at least three of them anyway. Parker loved getting to spend time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Jeff. We spent our time getting last minute items for Jeff's mission. He went into the MTC last Wednesday and will be serving in the Idaho Pocatello Mission. So, for all my friends who live in Rexburg and I.F., keep your eye out for him! We sure love him and hope he is doing well.

Parker with Grandma and Grandpa

Greg and Jeff, just before we said goodbye.

New Moon

Okay, so I know everyone who has seen Twilight has something to say about it. I have a lot of complaints about the movie, but when it comes right down to it, I was thrilled to see the characters from the book come to life on screen. I was so worried though, that because the movie is a lot different (and I'm not exaggerating), people would hate it, and then they wouldn't make any of the sequel books into movies. I liked it enough that I want to see all the books on screen. So, I'm here to officially announce (for those who don't know) that Summit Entertainment has given the green light to film the second movie! In fact, they may film books two and three back to back to save cost. I don't care how they get it done, I'm just thrilled! Yay!

New Moon... we'll see you soon!

We Miss You Becky!

It's already been a week since we had an awesome visit with Becky! We sure feel special because she drove all the way out here to see us last Thursday and Friday. Parker and I (and Greg) just wanted to say that we miss you and we can't wait to see you in December!

As you can see, there was still a little snow on the ground for Becky's visit, but it's all gone for now! Maybe Rexburg won't get anymore until after we move. Cross your fingers!

Tristan and Markie sittin' in a tree...

Umm.... yep! You guessed it! It's been over two years, but the counting stops today... TRISTAN KISSED A GIRL!!!!

Alright, you can be the judge... does Tristan look any different now? Here is Parker congratulating his Uncle Tristan for, as David would say, gettin' some chop!

Oh how the years go by... wait.. isn't that an Amy Grant song?

I've decided to do another tag. For some reason, I find myself bored on a Friday night...

This one is called 10, 5, 3, 1. Let's get started...

10 years ago

Freshmen!!!!!! Wow, I felt extremely awkward then! I was still styling the perm that was so popular, although towards the end of the year, a dear friend, Chelsea Sellers, convinced me to brush it out and never go back. Thanks Chels! Aside from the hair and awkwardness, I was in a seminary class that basically consisted of the whole freshmen basketball team and one or two girls. Lucky, right? I seriously had no idea how lucky because it was there that I developed a HUGE crush on a cute point guard named... GREG NELSON!

Normally, I would never have shown this picture, but it is the only one I have that is not in storage, although this way, you get to see how frizzy my hair was after brushing out my perm.

Like I said, our high school pictures are in storage, but here is a newspaper article so you can see how cute Greg was as a freshman... actually, he was a sophomore in this picture.

5 Years ago

Let's see... in November 2003, I was still in Folsom going to school at the community college. I had been accepted to BYU-I and was leaving just after Christmas. I had graduated the year before and in the Senior Favorites section of the high school newspaper, Greg and I were voted couple most likely to be married with six kids at the ten year reunion. Well, we have one kid so far, but I don't plan on having five more before 2012. While I was at school, Greg was on a mission in Italy.

Sorry, pictures of my single college days are also packed away! But I did have the section of the high school newspaper that we were in!

Here's a mission picture. Aren't little old italian men cute?

3 Years Ago

Greg and I got engaged on January 1st 2005 and then we were married in March. In August, we moved to Donnelly, Idaho where we lived for a year while working at Tamarack Resort. We also bought a house. If you wanted to know what we did EXACTLY 3 years ago, in November 2003, we had our first Thanksgiving by ourselves.

We got engaged on this beach in Mexico.

Random Wedding Picture

Our house, not quite finished, in Donnelly, Idaho.

Our first Thanksgiving Dinner by ourselves

1 Year Ago

Parker was born last year. Yay! He's been such a joy in our lives. Need I say more about this year?

And there you have it! You're all caught up on what I've been up to!

Happy 25th Birthday Greg!

First I'd like to give a quick birthday shout out to my cousin, Megan. Greg and Megan share the same birthday! Anyway, on to Greg's birthday. Happy Birthday Honey! I know everyone says they have the best husband in the world, but really, it's true... Greg is the best husband!

We had planned on going to Amici's for dinner tonight like I mentioned in my previous post, but we drove up to the restaurant and guess what? They are closed for this week only to do a remodel of the inside! Ahhh! Of all the weeks! Well, we weren't about to let that ruin our night out so we headed to Applebees. Oh, and the Cheney's were kind enough to watch Parker for us while we went out. Yay! We came back to pick up Parker and surprised Greg with a cake at the Cheney's house. We planned to bake it over there so Greg wouldn't notice the smell in our own apartment and well, with such a crazy day, Mele really ended up making the whole thing for me. Thanks Mele! Also, while we were at dinner, Mele and Brian went and taped paper balloons and candy all over our apartment. Greg was so surprised! There were 25 paper balloons in all (one for each year) and each year I listed a memory from when he was that age. Of course, I really didn't have any memories of Greg from before age 14 (other than a tap dance I saw when I didn't know who he was) so I called his Mom and she was kind enough to spend some time grabbing memories from his younger years. And great news, the present I got for him arrived in the mail today! How lucky is that? Alright, I'm sure I've written a ton so I will get to the pictures now. We didn't really take any during the day so we had a mini family photo shoot to have something to post.

Parker and the Birthday Boy!

Parker was loving all the picture taking.

Greg loved this one! Every time we would count to three for a picture, Parker would yell or make a face and jump at the camera. We loved it!

Let the rough housing begin. Parker is about to get tackled.

Parker loves this game! Look at what good form he has in the air! Maybe he should be an olympic diver.

And of course, football with Daddy is always a favorite.

Parker throwing...

Parker not catching...

He's a little more comfortable in this one, but his eyes are still closed and he's still not catching it.

Anyway, Parker and I hope Greg had a fun birthday. Happy birthday Greg! We love you!

Tag Time!

Alright, Stacy Robbins tagged me so here we go!

8 Shows I Like to Watch

1. Prison Break

2. The Office

3. Lost

4. Friends

5. Everybody Loves Raymond

6. Roswell (I'm so sad it's gone!)

7. Handy Manny (okay, so Parker's the one who likes this show)

8. Spongebob Squarepants (I actually think this show is annoying, but Parker loves it!)

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Johnny Carinos (the one in Sacramento doesn't have the potato soup I like though)

2. On the Border

3. Wingers

4. Macaroni Grill

5. Olive Garden

6. BJ's Brewery

7. P.F. Chang's

8. Amici's (I'm hoping this will be a favorite. We've never been there before and we're going tonight because it's Greg's birthday and he loves italian food!)

8 Things I did Yesterday

1. Showered in the morning (you don't know how wonderful that is when you have kids, or one kid, in my case. Sometimes I don't get a shower until Greg gets home from school!)

2. Walked onto campus with Parker to say hi to Greg and steal the car from him

3. Went to the storage unit and pulled out three huge boxes filled with random things

4. Went through the boxes to get rid of what we don't need anymore

5. Played with Parker

6. Had a video chat with my Mom

7. Found out which person I have for our Secret Service Santa (it's a family thing).

8. Checked the mail (nothing there and I'm getting nervous because my present to Greg isn't here yet!)

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Two weeks in Utah for Thanksgiving!!!!!

2. My english class to end

3. The big move to Cali!

4. Getting settled in a nice apartment in Folsom and finally being able to have all of our stuff in one place!

5. More siblings for Parker in the distant future.

6. Greg's Birthday dinner tonight

7. Getting an actual big crib for Parker that turns into a toddler bed (poor kid is in a little wooden travel crib and he's getting a little big for it)

8. Christmas!

8 Things on My Wishlist

1. A big crib that turns into a toddler bed

2. A Vacation

3. A House

4. Tuition money

5. I like Stacy's "get in shape" wish

6. Being an awesome Mom

7. Get Accepted to BYU-I's online graduation program

8. My Bachelor's Degree

8 People I Tag (only if you want)

1. Jenna H.

2. My Mom

3. My brother Brandon

4. My sister Jamie

5. Mele C.

6. Lisa G.

7. Toni C.

8. Julie K.

Ducky Day

We took Parker to see the ducks last week and I've finally put the footage up. He loved it! He kept saying "ducky" and quacking at the ducks. It was too cute. Just an FYI, if you look closely at the top of the falls, there are geese lined up all along the edge. Parker thought it was great!