Parker's First Thanksgiving in Nebraska

Parker's 1st Thanksgiving in Nebraska was awesome! He did very good on the way up and the ride home. He slept great during the time we were there and was a very good little boy. I think he enjoyed the cool Nebraska air. It really wasn't too cold while we were there. Brad and I also got to go to the Nebraska/Colorado football game while we were there. Nebraska won 40-31 and it was a very exciting game. We went with Brad's good friend Nick and his wife Amy - we had a lot of fun. Parker also got to see lots of his relatives and friends. He got to meet many of his great aunts and uncles and his great grandma. He also got to spend some time with his grandpa for the first time since he was born. Jake did good too. He was a little jealous of the attention at first, but soon got over that. Brad's sister, Jenny and her kids were also in from Colorado, so they kept Jake busy and entertained. We are very thankful for all our family and we hope all our family and friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving!


Parker with mom and Jake and his great aunt Corrine.


Parker with his 2nd cousin Courtney from Iowa.

Parker with Grandma Kleeman

Parker with one of his great aunts, Corrine, who lives in Nebraska.

Parker with cousin Michaela from Colorado.

Parker with cousin Christiana from Colorado.

Aunt Jenny and cousin Veronica who live in Colorado.

A great picture of a tractor plowing the field. This is the view from Brad's parent's back yard. It's a beautiful, huge corn field. On this day, the farmer was plowing the field with the tractor. It was really neat to watch!

This is what the Nebraska squirrels look like - much different from the gray squirrels we are used to in Georgia! I think they're a little more pudgy to deal with the cool Nebraska weather.

This is Jake when we took him hunting. Brad, his dad, myself and Jake went to their blind in Rising City, NE. We left the house at 5am and once we got there and were in the blind, we got to see a beautiful Nebraska sunrise. Jake did good while in the blind. He sat with me by the heater. Luckily, Brad and his dad didn't see any ducks, so no gunshots were fired. This was Jake's first time getting to "hunt." When we were ready to leave, I played fetch with Jake in the cornfield and he loved it. He also "left his mark" all over the area around the blind.

Parker with Grandma and Grandpa Kleeman.

Parker with our family friend, Kathy. She sang songs to him to calm him down - great singing Kathy!

Parker is not happy that daddy shot these poor ducks.

Jake doesn't know what to think about these ducks daddy brought home after hunting.

Jake kept Parker warm on the ride to and from Nebraska. It was so funny because he curled up on Parker's feet on the blanket and looked right at him.

I love you and will miss you Uncle Carlos!

Today my Uncle Carlos passed away after a 3 year battle with melanoma. He was a wonderful uncle and I loved him very much. He will always be loved and missed deeply. This picture and the following pictures were the most recent ones I have of him. Our family had just gotten together for a cookout a few weeks ago. We were able to see each other after several years of being apart from one another. Looking back on it now, I am so fortunate to have spent that time with him. Uncle Carlos is my mom's brother and he is married to Debbie and they have 3 kids: Eric, Anson and Colby (my cousins). We were always close growing up. We would go to my grandparents house every Sunday for dinner and we all looked forward to that time. Of course, that was when we all lived about 20 minutes away from each other. Now, we're all spread out between different areas of TN, GA and VA. It's harder for us to get together like we used to. We had said at the cookout that we were going to start getting together more and were planning to get together for Christmas. I am hopeful that will still be able to happen even though he is no longer with us. I know my uncle is in a better place and is not suffering anymore. He is now another angel that I know is watching over his family along with my grandparents and my dad. May you rest in peace Uncle Carlos!


Uncle Carlos with my brother Ryan and my cousin Anson


A great family picture of my Uncle Carlos' family and my mom's family. The only people missing are my Aunt Sandy and my sister Amber and her family, husband Kevin, and kids, Dustin and Shelby.


Uncle Carlos chatting with my brother's wife, Donnie.

Parker is so tired!!

Parker is out after a full day of eating 28.5oz!!


Jake is glad Parker decided to go to sleep so he can be the center of attention!

Parker is with Christie, one of my good friends, and who I taught with when I taught 1st grade. She is known as the "baby whisperer," because she can calm a baby like no other. Of course, she worked her magic on Parker. We were at a Mexican restaurant celebrating a former teacher teammate and a good friend who is getting married next month. Parker was a little fussy and Christie told me he had a little tummy ache. She held him and soothed him and he slept in her arms for about 30 minutes. This is a picture of him just starting to wake up. Thanks Christie!

Today we saw this rainbow just above our house. It was beautiful and you could see the entire rainbow on either side. Too bad Parker missed it (he was sleeping).

I'm a big boy!!

Since I am 2 months old now, I thought it would be a good idea for me to show Mom and Dad that I could sleep in my own room in my crib. So, for the past few nights I have been doing that. Mom and Dad are really proud of me and it's actually quite comfy! My Mom really likes that I have been sleeping through the night (sortof). My bedtime is around 6:30-8pm and I usually sleep between 7-10 hours straight before I decide I need to eat and be changed. Lately, I've been waking up around 4-5am and I've never seen Mom so happy after me sleeping that long!


I'm trying so hard to sit up for Mom to get a picture.


Uh-oh, Mom, I'm starting to fall over!


Ok Mom, I've had enough!

This is one of my big boy outfits. It's a size 3months!

Monday, Mom took me to see Dr. Wagner for my 2 month check-up. I thought I was going for a "fun" visit, but Mom failed to tell me that I was going to get some vaccines. This is my face once I realized what was going to happen! However, I do have to say that after it was all over, it wasn't that bad. I got stuck 3 times in my thighs and the first time was ok, but the next two times - I didn't know what was happening and just wanted it to stop. I remember that Mom and the nurses were laughing and later Mom told me the reason was because I had the "cry" look on my face, but no sound was coming out. Yeah, that's funny to you Mom, but you weren't the one getting poked! After my vaccines, I wasn't too hungry, but very sleepy. I slept lots and lots that day.

This is my last attempt at sitting up before I go to sleep.

Ahhh, one of my favorite positions on Daddy. My brother Jake is right there beside me.

I have on one of my sleepy outfits. At this point, I can't decide if I want to go to sleep or eat.

I think I've decided to eat first, then I'll go to sleep.

My 2 month old adventure!

Today we all spent my 2 month birthday together at Kennesaw Mtn. National Battefield Park. We had a good time and the weather was beautiful - about 65 and a little breeze. Even my brother Jake went and he loved it! We walked up the path towards the top of the mountain. We didn't make it to the top because I decided I was hungry on the way up. So, we turned around and made it back just in time for me to eat. When Dad took this picture of us, I had just about waited for my food long enough. After we left the park, we went to eat at a sports bar in Kennesaw and I was fascinated by all the tv's. It was a great day!


Mom and my brother Jake sitting on a rock. We had to stop a couple of times because both of them got out of breath on the way up.


This was one of the views looking out when we were walking up the mountain. In the far distance, we could see the skyline of downtown Atlanta. Also, where we were standing, you could see Midtown, Buckhead, and Stone Mountain. It was really cool!

A look at the path as we walked up the mountain. The trees were really pretty - lots of yellows and golds.

Fun Pics of Me!

These are just some fun pics of me. Here I am in my crib. I don't go in here much, but mom will put me in here for a little bit a few times a week during the day.


Me just hanging out in my crib.


This has come to be one of my favorite positions, especially when my tummy hurts. I like laying across mom's legs, but I LOVE laying this way on daddy!

Hey everyone! Look at me!

I am starting to like my tummy time mat more. I get a good arm and leg workout in when I'm on my back and tummy. I'm still not a big fan of laying on my tummy - I prefer laying on my back. In this picture, I got such a good workout in that I wore myself out and decided to take a little nap.

My First Halloween

This was my first experience with Halloween and trick-or-treaters. I didn't get to go trick-or-treating this year, but next year I will for sure! I did help mom and dad pass out candy - we had 80 trick-or-treaters. Mom said that was the most ever! Jake helped too - he would bark everytime the kiddies rang the doorbell. He also greeted everyone at the door. I enjoyed my first Halloween and am looking forward to next year.


Here's me, mom and Jake finally getting to rest after all the trick-or-treaters were finished. It was a fun night. Jake has his trick-or-treat shirt on, so we all matched!


This is Mrs. Jenna holding me - she's our neighbor and she loves coming over to see how much I've grown. Mrs. Tonya, her son and their family were mom and dad's neighbors before they moved. Mom enjoyed hanging out with Tonya and they stopped by to see us and for a special treat bag for the boys.