Parker update...

Okay, so my brother Andrew was bummed that my last post said nothing of Parker... so, here you go Andrew!



Somedays I would like to drop him off on the side of the road with a $20 bill attached his collar... you know, down payment for the "lucky" person who finds him, but most days I don't mind having him around. In fact, there are many moments throughout the week that I feel grateful we have him - he's Gracie's playmate (I can only imagine how much he dislikes all of her shinanigins - but he puts up with it), he's my jogging partner (by default - Mark takes the stroller so I'm stuck with the 80lb giant with 4wheel drive... it's frustrating at first when I'd like to start out with a nice steady pace but it's wonderful towards the end of the jog when I'm feeling too tired to finish - he sort of carries me home), he's the ferocious protector of our home (when there's a knock at the door he barks in his deep barotone voice like a warrior hungry for a kill but that ceases the minute we open the door and he sees potential hugs and kisses from the poor frightened person on the other side) and he's a constant wet mop for the messy spills on our kitchen floor - with a 2 1/2 year old, there's always plenty!
He can be rather annoying and even disobediant... but, all in all, he's a wonderful addition to our family and I recieved no stretch marks in the process! :)

Trying to catch up...

It seems like time has somehow created itself a new and improved set of wings with lightning speed capabilities... is it really already July? It's hard to believe that 3 months have slipped by me - so much to catch up on!
Let's see... in May we flew to Cleveland to visit Mark's brother Brian and his family - he graduated dental school then and we most definitely wanted to be there to support him in that accomplishment. We had a great time hanging out with them and we were able to make the most of our time while we were there - We went to Niagra Falls, we stayed at the Great wolf lodge (indoor waterpark), we went to Kirtland and we went to a neat petting zoo - it was great fun! Even though Mark and I loved being there a small part of us wanted to rush home so that we could take a pregnancy test - I was 99% certain that I was pregnant and we we're both so excited to find out! In fact, that was the first thing we did when we got home and it turned out that I was right! A little baby was growing inside of me! Finally after nearly a year of trying we had successfully created another baby! Things were going smoothly for the first couple of weeks in June - we took Gracie to a lot of parks and started finishing some projects around the house...then bad news came knocking at our door: I began cramping - not normal pregnancy cramps - far more painful - 48 hours later I began bleeding. I tried convincing myself that a miscarriage was NOT happening but my heart knew it was! I was only 8 weeks pregnant but I already felt a connection with my baby and as soon as I started to bleed I felt him/her slip away. I had a difficult time letting it go - I told myself many things but in the end I had to face the music and realize that the baby that was inside of me was not meant to be - I know it might sound crazy to some of you but I loved that baby and it felt like I had lost a child. The tears eventually dried up and I took great comfort in the words of my closest friends and family. Mark was a ton of help during this difficult time for me and I couldn't ask for a better husband! I love him so very much! He truly is the greatest friend I've ever had!


Within the last three weeks we have had great weather here in Washington and we've been able to do a lot stuff outdoors. Two weekends ago we went shooting with Mark's dad ...




There's something completely sexy about a man that can hold a pistol!


Then again, there are women out there that prefer a more "dainty" approach and for them I give you...


Mark's dad, Lynn. He prefers to "model the entire package" - it's a technique he learned at "Smith & Wesson's male modeling academy" - he was their top 'hand held gun model' from 1984-1988! :)

We've spent a lot of time at parks!





We bought a new Jeep... no photo yet.

And last weekend we enjoyed the 4th of July in our hometown of Sedro Woolley. We thought it was going to be super lame - you know , small town - small budget, but we were wrong! It was a great day! Mark's parents drove up and spent the whole day with us, and we had a wonerful time. We went to the Logger rodeo, listened to some blue grass music, went home and had some delicious BBQ chicken, went to the carnival (where Gracie had the time of her life!) and then we pulled out the folding chairs and watched a surprisingly good firework show! All in all: a great 4th of July!!





We are currently counting down the days until Mark has his vacation time - less than two weeks away! We are planning a family trip to Yellowstone on the 18th of this month and we are far more excited for it than any grown adult should be!
I look forward to sharing photos and stories of our trip - until then...