Mommy & Parker's Trip to Washington

Parker and I were lucky enough to get to take a trip to Washington to visit family for a week. It was amazing and took a while for us to get into the groove of having so many people around again! (We have been living in this bubble with just Daddy-Mommy-Parker...and the sudden large groups were a bit of a shock to the system!) Travis wasn't able to go with us this time...but "someone has to work" as he puts it! He was thrilled that we were able to go and get in some quality time with family and wished he was able to be right there with us.

Parker was such a trooper on the airplane this time. He is quite the airplane expert now after all our trips in the last year! We opted not to take the car seat on the plane this time...what a GREAT idea. There was so much less to haul and he is able to sit still in his seat (buckled up) without even making a fuss now! I was so proud of my little man.

{watching his movie}

We arrived in Spokane, WA on Saturday the 21st...late! It was about 9 p.m. but for Parker and I it still felt like 11 p.m.! We were both so excited to see my parents. He loves his Nonni & Papa so much. Seeing him with them makes me sad to have taken him away from the family that loves him so much! It breaks my heart a little. The next day was my cousin Ashley's WEDDING DAY! She was such a beautiful bride...congrats again to the new Mr. & Mrs. Kincaid!

{wish i had a better picture of the happy couple}
{me-my niece kearyn-my sister sara}
{isn't he just so handsome}

{nonni donna & parker}

{parker & my cousin maria...he dragged her all over the place}


{kearyn trying to escape}

{love that she only has 1 sandal on...so cute}

My dad and brother-in-law went home Sunday night after the wedding and the rest of us stayed behind to have some quality time with the kiddos. That night in the hotel was: Nonni Donna, me, Parker, Auntie Sara, Caleb, Drayson, & Kearyn...yikes! There was a lot of wrestling and Parker was just so happy to see his cousins again! The next day we decided to wrangle up the kiddos and head to Idaho to go to Raptor Reef (an indoor water park).

{the little kiddo area...please take a second to look at the giant orange bucket up above}

{parker is my water-loving, jump off the edge of the pool like a psycho child...and he was okay with the little kiddo area until we found out that the orange bucket does this...SEE PICTURE BELOW}

{the first time we discovered that the orange bucket periodically fills up and dumps all over the place was when he was in the splash zone of it and didn't know it was coming...needless to say, he was then traumatized and no longer wanted to play in the water after it knocked him down and made him scrape his knees!}

{we then spent the rest of the time on the chairs watching the others play in the water}


{cuddling with his sister}

{drayson}

{kearyn...eating the towel}

We were all pretty wiped out after the water park and headed back to the Tri-Cities! It was great to get back "home" and see my sister's new house! It is amazing! The rest of our trip was spent playing and relaxing with family. It was so great to see everyone and Parker was thrilled!








On our last night in Washington, we went out to dinner with Scott & Becky. They are family friends that are more like family. When I think back on my childhood I can't even remember a time with them not being there and part of our lives. I am so glad that they will be able to be a part of my kid's lives too!
{becky & parker}

{scott-parker-papa kevin}

{touching the crab leg}

{getting in papa's personal space}

{and scott's personal space was not off-limits to parker either as he tackled him in the booth}


While I was home my sister and mom threw me a baby shower for Delainey! It was so much fun. Here are some sneak-peak pictures from the shower...I'll have to get more from my sister!


The week seemed to fly by and before I knew it...it was time to come back home to Oklahoma! It was pretty bitter-sweet. Parker and I were missing Travis and ready to see him...but sad to say bye to family with no idea how long it will be before we see them again! (Except my mom...we know we will be seeing her toward the end of August for Delainey's birth!!!) I have missed my family so much. Sometimes you get caught up in all that you have going on in your life and forget how important all those people are. It was so nice to be able to have face-to-face conversations with the people I love...not just hear their voices through the phone! I have REALLY missed my sister. She is so amazing and we have so much fun together doing absolutely nothing at all. It was nice to be able to talk with her about anything and everything and it is always so effortless! The same goes for my mom! She is such an amazing mom and grandma! I know how blessed I am to have a great family and support system...it will be nice to move back home some day.

On Saturday, bright and early, Parker and I got on the plane and headed back to Oklahoma to see Daddy. Parks was really missing his Daddy by the end of the week and was super excited to head home to see him!

{makin' faces on the plane}




Once we were home, he did not want to leave Daddy's side. He even made Daddy put on a matching monster truck tattoo!!! Look at my tough guys!

Is it really fall already?

Where did the time go? I can't believe that Travis has been gone since June! The bad thing is that he isn't coming home yet...the good news is that Christmas (when he will actually get to come home) is really not that far away. The bad thing is that when he does get to come home around Christmas time we will only be here for a couple weeks to get things figured out and packed...then we will be moving...the good news is that we will be moving AS A FAMILY!!! Our little unit back together again and living under the same roof. Words cannot tell you all how happy that makes me. It has been forever since we all were living in the same house, in the same city, in the same state, on the same side of the country!!! We are very excited. I'm sure Parks will be more than thrilled to have his Daddy back too!



Keesler AFB, {Biloxi, Mississippi}

September 8th was our 3rd anniversary, and although we weren't able to spend it together...I was able to go visit Travis for some much needed alone time. It would have been wonderful to get to take Parker with me, but it was such a long day of airports and plane rides that he would have been miserable (and made me miserable in the process). Plus, I think it is necessary for parents to get away together free of children every once in a while! It was so great to see Travis and to get to see where he has been living and put some faces to names of "his boys" that I hear about all the time. I think it was strange for them to have someone around that called them by their first names!!! I had such a great time and it went by much too quickly. It was so hard to say goodbye to my hubby...AGAIN...and to get into a taxi and drive away. It wasn't until I was in the airplane and taking off that it really hit me and I started to tear up. Getting to see him is totally worth it, but does make it hard to get used to sleeping by myself again and it is so hard to go back to not having him around again. Boy do I love that man!!! We were so thankful to my parents for watching Parker for the long weekend. I know he had so much fun and I couldn't think of anyone he would love to get to hang-out with more! Here are some pictures from the trip:

{bowling on the base...in case you were wondering...I whooped up on all the boys!!!}

{out at Shady's...me-trav-brandon}

{out on the beach...chase-brandon-trav}

Playing at the park

This morning Parker and I went to the park with my friend Jessica and her son Cooper. Parker and Cooper play so well together and had fun playing at the park! It is nice to just get out of the house for an hour or so and let Parker get some of his excess energy out.
















Hanging out around the house

{these are the 3 toys that Parker will not go anywhere without...literally...he takes them to bed and then brings them with him when he wakes up}

{this is usually what the floor around our house looks like...as soon as Parker wakes up he dumps the bucket the toys are put away in out in the middle of the floor}