My Colorful Munchkins. . .

Some days I wonder if I will survive this life of motherhood.   I honestly think I hear "mama" or some form of the word, at least 1000 times daily.  And, when I stop to think that it will soon be doubled when Chase Parker decides to chime in, I definitely consider that I may need a name change.  Keeping up with my colorful munchkins is indeed challenging, but all kidding aside, oh so much fun!  (And by the way, I THINK Chase Parker has said "dada" a couple times in the last day or two so even while I'm "complaining" about hearing my name so many times daily, I was secretly hoping he would say mine first!)

I definitely never thought I was cut out to be a stay at home mom.  And, sometimes I really contemplate going back to work so I can play "adult".  But, I don't contemplate very long.  As long as I am able to be home with them I definitely will be here.  As much as I complain, I really feel I am so blessed to be able to have my stay at home career.  It's challenging but even moreso rewarding to be here with them watching them “up close”.  I know these days are very short and I constantly remind myself to be “present”.  I don't want to miss a thing and as you all know, I definitely don't want my camera to miss a thing.

My boys have just been great fun, especially when I watch them together.  It's so heartwarming to see Chase Parker's face break out into a huge grin when he sees his brother for the first time each morning.  And, it's equally heartwarming to see Zachary stop doing whatever he's doing to go up to Chase and say, "gimme a smile."  Driving in the car, listening to the conversation (Zach talking, Chase squealing) in the backseat is sometimes the highlight of my day.  And, when Chase is fussy in the car sometimes, hearing Zach calm him down is so wonderful.  As much as I sometimes wish for one, there never seems to be a dull moment around here.

Zachary has been keeping me in stitches lately.  He has REALLY been into imaginary friends lately.  It doesn't surprise me since I had a ton of them growing up.  I can't count the times I have had to brush teeth, cook breakfast, put medicine on, dress, or even say goodnight to one of these "friends".  Yesterday I thought I would die from not being able to laugh out loud when this happened:  Zachary, Chase and I were sitting on the floor in a circle.  Chase was happily playing with his toys and Zach and I were playing a game.  All of a sudden Zach reached over and touched Chase's shoulder and looked at me and said, "Mom, this is my new friend John.  Please say hello."  I, fiercely trying to hold back the laughter, calmly said, "hi John" to my second born son.  The truly funny thing happened next when Zach offhandedly replied, "John is busy playing right now so he can't talk."  I gave a knowing nod and then we went back to playing.  What a trip!!! 

Well I could go on all night but I will stop here.  My "time off" to blog is up since I hear Daddy and Zach getting out of their nightly playtime in the bathtub.  Time to go put PJs on Zach and his imaginary friend.  I will leave you with some cute pictures from the day though.  Zachary actually asked me to take some pictures of his trains.  I was happy to oblige of course!

A Revved Up Relaxing Weekend. . .

Last year our family went to the first ever SuperMoto races and really enjoyed it.  Chase Parker actually went too when he was only a few weeks old.  I didn't get to take my camera since I had to stay pretty far away from the racetrack so it wouldn't be too loud for Chase.  This year Zachary was excited to go again!  Grammy graciously agreed to stay with Chase while we had a fun outing with Zach.  I was excited to get the chance to try out action photography since the only thing I ever practice is portrait photography.

Yesterday when we woke up the weather was not very promising.  It had stormed in the middle of the night but around mid morning sunshine broke through into a gorgeous day.  We arrived at the races around 11:30 and I immediately started snapping shots.  It was so much fun!

Dr. Fenn, of Fenn Chiropractic, was participating.  He came up and chatted for a few minutes and, of course, I promised to snap some shots for him.  Turns out the good doc is a pretty good racer!  He brought home the gold in two classes.  Congrats!  (I wonder if he needed an "adjustment" after the race.  Ha!)

Zachary had his ear plugs in and so did Daddy.  I was out there on the front lines with bare ears!  It wasn't too bad though.  It definitely is requires different photography skills.  I have learned to shoot in manual mode over the last several months and I'm glad I did.  That is really the only way to get a good shot.  It helps to have a nice camera and great zoom lens but it's hard learning how to use it!  It was lots of fun though, can't wait til next year.  I'm sure Chase Parker will enjoy it, he seems to be a dare devil like his Daddy.

Later that evening we met David, Deke, and Aaron at Red Elephant for a relaxing dinner.  I say "relaxing" jokingly of course.  I feel like we are now one of "those" families that people cringe at going out with because it's not so relaxing with two kiddos!  (I'm kidding mostly, our kids are usually very well behaved, thank goodness!)  Chase Parker, of course, put on a show and Zach had a blast playing in the game room.  (Thanks cousin Aaron for taking him!).

Today we enjoyed the early service at church and then just chillin' (well, not really. . . I worked HARD!) at the house for the afternoon.  I decided to not do my daily workout but instead trim a few shrubs in the front yard by hand, leaving the electric trimmers in the garage.  NOT a good decision, I should have worked out!  Whew!  I am worn out!!  Daddy kept track of the boys for me and had a good time with them.  While they were napping I walked into the backyard and found quite a sight.  See below for a picture!

After wearing my arms out trimming shrubs I decided to do damage to my back and legs.  The basset hounds were in need of a bath since their winter fur is falling out.  Crazily I decided to tackle this too.  Both of them, thankfully, behaved pretty well.  They were happy to get some doggie treats afterwards.  Chase had fun watching the bath show too.

In other news, I have once again, decided to grow my hair out. Why I decide this when summer seems about a week away I have no idea!  But, I have and I will.  Hopefully I will survive. I've done it before so I'm sure I can do it again.  Gonna aim for chin length with longer layers this time.  I'm sure it might evolve as we go.  Anyway, I thought it might be fun to post pictures periodically showing the growth and changes (ugly stages and all!)  On the left side of our blog, underneath the slideshow "our family" I will post another slideshow called "longer locks lookout".  Every 4-6 weeks I will post new pictures.  These pictures posted today are with 6 weeks worth of growth already.

Well, that's enough news for today.  Gotta go boil some eggs for Zach to take to school to decorate.  I'm looking forward to going to his school this week for their egg hunt.  Zachary is so excited too.

Here are a few shots from our fun weekend. . .

FL SuperMoto 2011!

Zach and Daddy getting their ear plugs set.

LOVE this one!  Gotta love the tie!!

Dr. Fenn

Uh Oh!!!

This little guy was EIGHT years old!  Amazing. . . 

Dr. Fenn catching some air

Two of my three favorite boys hangin' out. . . 

Crazy daddy!  NUTS!  And in flipflops!  Trying to make Chase's swing more level.

Taken when they didn't know Mom was watching.  They were so cute together.  Zach gave him kisses too!  They REALLY love each other so much.

Our National TV Debut. . .

We enjoyed watching our 10 minutes of fame with our family last night.  It was so much fun watching the show! (Well, mostly fun, but a little embarrassing too!)  Zachary was SO adorable as an almost two year old.  It was fun seeing him, especially playing with his trains that he STILL loves so much.

So many people have asked me if we are going to sell our home and move.  Absolutely NO!!  It was just our storyline to get on the show.  Even the producers knew it was just a "storyline".  As I've told many people, it started out as my husband betting me that I couldn't get us on the national tv show.  Well, as of yesterday, I guess I won the bet!  :)

Zachary found it funny watching himself.  I heard him at one point say, "There is baby Zachary!" It's funny how 2 years ago after they were here filming Zach used to ask to watch the home videos of that day over and over and over.  He knew all the crew members by name, knew the realtor, etc.  He LOVED watching those videos.  Now, he doesn't remember that day hardly at all.  I think maybe a few memories crept back in as he watched the show last night.

It was fun having our family over to watch it with us.  We all enjoyed home made ice cream and chocolate chip cookies thanks to my sweet hubby.  Yummy delicious!!  I wish we could have watched it in person with our Tennessee family but it was fun to get all the text messages while they watched.

Here are a few pictures I took last night.  I should be receiving a DVD copy of the show from Pie Town Productions soon.  That will be a fun keepsake!

Zach entertaining everyone before the show!

home made ice cream and cookies! 

our national tv debut. . . 

Paul was disappointed that Kendra didn't do our show!  

we are on the big screen!!

thankfully we got several "up" arrows!

sweet little baby Zach!

ha!  as if I am ever in the kitchen doing this! 

thanks HGTV for giving us a lot of laughs!!

Jesus REALLY Loves The Little Children!!!!

Zachary had a great time with Grammy and Papa today.  They picked him up from school and off to Thomasville they went!  They had promised him a train adventure and also to take him to a couple of parks  to play.  It was a gorgeous day for it!  Lots of sunshine and cool breezes. . .

They went to Paradise Park and Cherokee Park in Thomasville to play.  Cherokee Park has a train track that runs right by it.  They played awhile and finally sat down to take a rest at a nearby picnic table.   Zach had been asking Papa the entire time, "When is a train coming?"  Of course, Papa didn't know and kept telling Zach that.  Papa told Zachary that they needed to go soon but that they would wait until 4:15 to see if a train was coming.  While they were sitting at the table, Zachary finally said, "Papa, would you please ask God to send a train?"  Of course this melted Papa's heart and he told me later that he had already secretly prayed a silent prayer.  However, he told Zachary that he would pray for one.  So, they said a little prayer aloud asking God that if it was His will to please send a train by so that Zach could enjoy it.  At precisely 4:15 they heard a whistle!  It was a choo choo!!!!!  I'm just imagining that Zachary melted God's heart at that precise moment and He just couldn't resist sending a train.  Wow.  Of course afterwards Zachary bugged Papa to death to keep praying for more trains!  Ha!!

My mom told me another cute "Zach" story from their trip:

My Dad asked Zach if he wanted to work on trains when he grew up.  He asked him if he would like to be an engineer on a train.  Zachary said no, and that he would just like to "stay home".  Mom asked him if he would just rather work with his Daddy.  He again said no, he just wants to stay home.  Mom said, "You don't want to work so you can make some money?"  Zach replied, "No, Daddy does that. . . so we can stay home."  What a stinker!!  But a very cute, adorable, loveable, sweet stinker he is!!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for making another wonderful day of memories for my sweet boy.

Here are some pictures that Mom took from their fun day. . .

Cherokee Park

has an old train track that runs over the lake (this track isn't used though)

Grammy with Zachary

all the roses are in full bloom in Rose City!

the answer to prayer train!!!!

Zachary had a blast!!  He loves his life!!

Breakfast Is A Very Tasty Dinner. . . Yummy!!

What a surprisingly COLD day!  Wow.  I loved it!

Zachary was so excited when Uncle David called early this morning and said he was headed over to play.  He had a blast with his uncle.  Chase Parker did too.  Uncle David is just cool, as an uncle that is.  As a brother, he's a different story!  Just kidding!

After hanging out with Uncle David it was time for the kiddos to head to Grandma's.  They stayed at her house for a couple hours while I helped Daddy with a project at his office.  My sweet hubby also took me out to a nice lunch too.  A nice little break for me!

A little later in the afternoon Grammy stopped by to see us.  It's so heartwarming to see Chase Parker's eyes just light up when he sees his Grammy.  His little arms start waving around and he starts making his noises, anxious for her to pick him up.  Zachary had fun with Grammy as well.  She read him a Thomas Train story while she visited.  Tomorrow after school Zachary is going to Thomasville with Grammy and Papa to see the trains and play at Paradise Park.  He is excited!

This evening I decided I wanted pancakes, eggs, and bacon for dinner.  Paul stopped by the store on his way home for some bananas and whip cream so Zach could have his favorite smiley faced pancake.  He loved it and ate every scrap on his plate.  Then, unsolicited, he told both his Daddy and me thank you for making him his dinner.  What a sweetheart!  (Wonder what he's sucking up to us for?)  :)

It was a great day and now I'm ready for my relaxing bubble bath with my hubby after he and Zach get back from the driving range.

Ah. . . hopefully the kids will go to bed SOON!!

fun with Uncle David!

yummy breakfast for dinner!

now THAT is art!

after I took this picture Zachary told me that every time I take pictures of him he "itches".  Poor kid has actually developed ALLERGIES from my overexposure of him!!!  :)

Family Fun Filled Weekend. . . and HomeMade Ice Cream For Dessert!

Ah. . . the weekend finally arrived.  Saturday morning came and I woke up bright and early and hit the tennis courts.  Had a pretty good workout and came home to spend the afternoon with my two sweet boys. My "big" boy was going golfing so I had kid duty.  Zach, Chase and I had a fun afternoon together.  It was a wonderful day to play outside.  I discovered that Chase's front top two teeth had come in.  FOUR teeth in one week!  Yeow!

Saturday evening was date night with my sweet hubby.  We enjoyed Outback for dinner and then just spent some time together.  It was wonderful.  Thank you to Grammy for keeping our boys!

This morning we decided to go out for smiley face pancakes and then play at the park.  Chase Parker and Zachary thoroughly enjoyed being outside in the cool morning air.  We came home and let Chase crash for a nap while we went outside to wash the Rover.  Zach had fun riding his F150 and pretending to be a tow truck driver.  He is a trip!!  It was such a beautiful day that we decided to eat lunch out on the porch.  Chase Parker enjoyed swinging and also enjoyed fun with his brother.  It is SO heart warming to see them having fun with each other.  Zach had him belly laughing this afternoon and I caught it on video.

After Zach's nap he enjoyed some time at Grammy and Papa's house.  Of course they had races.  When he got home Daddy had a special surprise for him.  After grilling out burgers we enjoyed home made ice cream that Daddy made for dessert!  Yum! Yum!!

Simply love these spring days when life seems to be so enjoyable.  No mosquitos to bug us (at least for a short window of time), no muggy humidity, just beautiful spring weather!  Even Alex and Jessi enjoyed their day thoroughly just lounging around their yard.  It was a FUN weekend.

Hope you all enjoyed yours too!!

Chase Parker LOVES swinging!!

there goes that thumb in the mouth. . . . 

yummy home made ice cream thanks to Daddy!

even the pups enjoyed their weekend!

sweet Alex!

Brotherly Laughs. . . 

Chase Parker. . . growing up!

My sweet little baby boy recently turned eight months old.  It's really amazing to me how time seems to move so slow some days and then, in the overall picture, really just flies by.  I can still remember being pregnant, still remember being miserable, and still remember when Chase was just a brand spankin' newborn.  He was SO little at 5lbs. when he first arrived.  Now, you just would never guess it.  He weighs 22lbs. 6oz right now.  He has his two middle bottom teeth and his two front top teeth are coming in any day now.  He is healthy as a horse and a very happy little boy.  Our family is very blessed to have him with us.

Here are some pictures I took of him recently.  And a very cute video of him belly laughing with Grammy!

The sweetest little dude. . . 

his Kung Fu move!

Chase adores Grammy!

Belly Laughing is SO cute!!