So much for more consistency...

I had fully intended to be more consistent with my blogging, but you see how that went. Life has been more busy as the holidays approach. It's fun and exciting getting ready to celebrate Evan's first 'real' Christmas. Yes, he was here last year at Christmas, but he was a week old, and didn't really 'get' it, if you know what I mean.

I can hardly believe that Evan will be a year old this Friday. How is that possible? Wasn't it just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital? Looking back over the year, it's been one exciting milestone after another with Evan. It's been so exciting! We're just on the verge of walking now, and his vocabulary is bound to expand any minute.

We are SO thankful for what a wonderful little boy we have. We are SO blessed to have such a great little guy. He eats well, sleeps well and pretty much listens when we talk to him. He's our little angel.

He is every highlight of this year. We've had plenty of struggles. Specifically financial, but God has proven faithful over and over. We are blessed with family who love and care for us and who are willing to help out when it's needed.

We're excited about what 2009 is going to bring!

Catching Up!

I am going to try to be a little more disciplined in my blogging. For one thing, my son is just that cute. I need to share more about him! True, but not totally honest. I have ulterior motives that I will share at a later date.

I do want to share about my uber-cute son. First of all, we have celebrated our first Halloween. I think Evan is still working on forgiving us for that one. It may take awhile. Why, you ask? We dressed him as a penguin. He was so adorable, but we really don't think he appreciated it. You be the judge...


He's lamenting his situation with a nearby kid at our church's Costume Carnival.

Caught in the act!

Getting some Daddy comfort.

The best photo we were able to capture. He's a penguin on the edge!

Help me Grandma!

Back from Vacation.

Robin, Evan and I recently got back from our vacation to Pennsylvania. It was fun, but not as nearly restful as we had hoped. We even planned in time to rest, but we didn't get too much of that done.

We got to visit with the McNaughton clan and a bunch of various friends from where I used to work. It was totally awesome seeing Stacey, Trish, Linford, Jadon, Ann, Stray, Melody, Evie and Heidi. I was especially excited to meet Evie (she's a little older than Evan) and to get to see how Jadon has grown (he's FOUR... as he would tell anyone who asked).

We also got to travel to Gettysburg to visit the battlefield and other fun spots. Robin was doing some research for his next book. I'm not giving any details. It's not about Gettysburg, but we did some research there anyway. You'll just have to wait to find out.

We also were able to find out how great a little traveller our little guy is. He was super in the car and staying at various strange places. He got used to Grammy and Grandpa's house after a day or so. He LOVED hanging out with them.

All in all, it was a good time, but I can now use a vacation from my vacation, and I wish I could have hung out with my friends longer, but gas prices and time would not allow it.

Here are just a couple of the multitude of photos Robin & I took. Robin has a bunch of his up on his Facebook account, and I'll be adding mine soon.


This was Evan's 'Fall Pose.' He didn't really know what to make of the hay bale and the pumpkins, so this was the best we could do. I was really hoping to get a photo of him in the middle of a pumpkin patch, but Robin just didn't want to stop along the highway to plop him down in the middle of one. I just don't get it... :)


This was taken at Evan's first trip to an IKEA. It was very exciting for him. He even had Swedish meatballs. It may have been a little overwhelming, but I think he enjoyed it.

Like Father, Like Son

I'm trying to get caught up on sharing the news in the Parrish household, but there's just too much going on, so instead, I'll share this great photo (and a few others) that we took of Evan's new adventures in beverage consumption.


No, he didn't REALLY drink the WHOLE bottle of Cheerwine (ok, not any) but his Daddy was proud of him for wanting to!

Look, Mommy! I can hold my sippy cup all by myself! I'm SO BIG!

I LOVED my first taste of Krispy Kreme.

Like I said, like father, like son... loves his Cheerwine and his Krispy Kreme. Lucky for all of us, he also loves his oatmeal, fruits and veggies.

I have a tooth!

Exciting news in the realm of babydom. Evan has his first tooth! Bottom right incisor! It's all very exciting.

We've been expecting this for quite some time, and it's finally here! I came home to check the status and stuck my finger in Evan's mouth to feel his little gums and there it was! A sharp little tooth right on the bottom!

In other Parrish household news, Robin & I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary tomorrow (Sept. 10th). We'll be celebrating at Macaroni Grille, thanks to our parents (all of them)!

Here's our little guy at his first church picnic!

Thanks for the food, Mommy! I LOVE you!

Pancakes!

Ok, we're getting a little adventurous in the food tasting now. We're not going crazy or anything, but the other night, we went out to IHOP, and Evan got to try pancakes for the first time. Not syrup drenched pancakes. Just the bread part. He got a tiny bit of syrup right at the end. Again, nothing crazy.

Here's a minute long video that we took of him 'enjoying' the pancakes. Even with the faces, he did keep asking for more, so we're pretty sure he liked them.

Our little giggle box

This is one of the cutest things... EVER! He does take on a little maniacal look, but he's a cute little maniac!

Oh, he's up to SOMETHING, you can tell...

Our little guy had quite the night on Saturday into Sunday. I won't complain too much, because he really is a good sleeper, but this night... he was not.

At 2:15am, our little boy woke up and promptly started screaming at the top of his lungs. Mommy got up with him, though Daddy was also awake, and tried to calm him down for about 45 minutes. When I couldn't take it any longer, Robin got up... and it was ON. Daddy would not be defeated, but Evan's will proved stronger than Mommy's AND Daddy's combined.

All he actually wanted was to lay down in our bed and sleep the rest of the night. There was nothing WRONG with him. He just wanted to scream for 2 hours straight until he got his way.

Bless his little heart. We are parents UNITED! He won't get away with it again... we really hope.

You can tell he's up to something in this photo, can't you? He's plotting... I just know it...

Evan's Learning to Drive

Ok, not quite, but he does have a little Jeep that Ben & Diana let him use. It's just one more thing to keep him entertained. And entertained he is... take a look:

Icky Icky Icky

My son is easily amused, as demonstrated by this little video I took with my cell phone. I can pretty much say anything I want to him, over and over, and he finds it totally amusing.

Now, I can't use the same material more than once. He's a very demanding audience. He must have new material every time, but, as you can see from this video, the simple words, 'Icky, Icky, Icky,' repeated over and over are enough to keep him giggling.

Photos, Photos, Photos!

I wore this on the Fourth of July, because I'm so patriotic!

Daddy took this photo of me with his new camera.

I am mastering the fine art of Thumb Sucking. Do not bother me... this takes a lot of concentration.

I'm sittin' with Daddy... watchin' Mommy.

Mommy let me wear my Hawaiian shirt because Daddy's out of town. :)

I'm learning to sit up like a Big Boy!

Practicing in my Boppy!

Mommy and Daddy let me drive my own car...

I've just got to adjust this mirror...

Just prior to the throwing up incident... see below. I don't want to talk about it.

Daddy's In Orlando!

This weekend, Robin left for Orlando for the annual ICRS (International Christian Retailer's Show... or something like that) to promote his latest book. Evan and I really miss him.

Yesterday, we tried a video chat, because we can... and Evan just didn't quite get it. He was very upset that Daddy was in the computer and not right there where he could touch him. Every time Robin said something to Evan, Evan would stick his little pout lip out and start screaming.

Eventually, after about 15 minutes, he started getting it and even gave him a little grin.

Evan had a little episode on Saturday, right as we were taking Robin to the airport. We had stopped for a quick dinner at McAlister's and were all enjoying our food... Evan was eating peas, when suddenly, without warning, Evan threw up every single little bit of the peas he had just eaten. It just kept coming. I've never seen anything like it... poor little guy.

I scooped him up and was wiping him down while Robin went up to the counter to inform the workers they had baby vomit to clean up. They were very nice about it. The guy that came over to clean it was super understanding, and the manager came to see if everything was ok. So, GO MCALISTER'S! They remain one of our favorite restaurants.

Evan is feeling MUCH better now. He's gobbling up rice cereal and applesauce like there's no tomorrow. I admit I am relieved he didn't continue to throw up, not just because I don't want him to be sick, but because I would have had to deal with it on my own. Everything is easier to deal with when Robin is around. :)

So, thankfully, that drama did not last long. And Robin will be home soon! In the meantime, let's all enjoy some more cute photos of the little guy!




My friend, Mr. Fred and his family gave me this snazzy basketball outfit. I love it. (and so does my mommy!)


I would really like to be able to crawl. For now, I'm laying on my stomach and flailing my arms and legs. Somehow, I don't think it's quite the same thing.

Daddy's New Camera

Robin got an early birthday present yesterday. It's a shiny new Kodak Easy Share Camera. July is the month of business trips. First, this weekend, he's going to Orlando to ICRS to promote his book, and then at the end of the month, he goes to Comic Con in San Diego.

He was under the incorrect assumption that I would be able to part with our camera for the two weeks he was away. My immediate reaction was 'WHAT!? What if Evan DOES something!?' Meaning... anything. What if he would wear a new outfit? Gosh, I need pictures of that! Looks at me with a cute smile? Yep... I need that, too. Burps? Can I catch it on film? I'll give it a shot. In other words, I really couldn't be separated from the camera at all, so Mom came to the rescue and gave him an early birthday present. Yay Grandma Lu!

So, of course, the first thing he took photos of was our son, and I want to share them with you...


When Mommy shakes her head, her hair makes me laugh... every single time.

Look Daddy! Mommy's making me laugh!

I'm sitting up in a highchair like a big boy. I think I'll throw all my toys over the edge. Woo Hoo!

I love my Mommy...

Mommy brings the food! I really like my green beans. Yum!

Cell Phone Phenomenon

Our son has an interesting reaction to the cell phone camera. I thought I would share it with you.

When I pull out my cell phone camera and point it at my ever increasingly adorable son... this is what happens. Automatically, mind you, without any provocation:


What's that you got there, Mommy? Oh, I know what it is...

I see you! How's my hair?

I want to get as close as I can, because I'm so cute!

I hope my hat's on straight!

Surgery Report!

Evan came through like a little trouper. He did great. Aside from the loud screaming heard throughout the surgery center once he got to recovery, he was completely fine. Really, the doctor said everything went really well and we're really glad to have it over.

We got him home by 10am and he was a little angel. Very sleepy most of the day, but when he was awake, he was just about back to his old self. Smiley and happy. He did wake up at 3am this morning, but we were told to expect that because of the anesthesia. We should be back to 'normal' in a few days.

Thanks so much to everyone for your prayers. We certainly felt them through the whole process.

One more set... Krispy Kreme and more!

Lounging with Daddy.

I'm a big boy!

Hi! I can say 'Da-Da!'

Don't make me wear the hat, just give me the donuts...

Why won't you just give me the donuts!?

Here are some recent photos of the little guy...

Me & Aunt Susan, hanging out at Chili's!

Me & Uncle Scott. We like to dress the same (totally unintentional... really!)

Evan's Prayer Request

Hey all! Just a quick request to pray for Evan over the next few days. He's having a outpatient surgical procedure on Wednesday, and we would really appreciate all the prayers we can get.

Supposedly, it's a 'routine' procedure, but I'm a basketcase the closer we get to the date. This is my son, people. Nothing is routine.

So, please pray especially for Evan, that he won't be too hungry going into the surgery, for the doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, receptionist, basically, whoever may come in contact with him on Wednesday, and for those of us who love him, me, Robin & his grandparents... so we can be calm for him. He always knows when something's not right, so help us be a calming influence on him, not another source of anxiety.

Thanks so much!

And because I can, here's another photo of the little guy, from my cell phone...

Evan's getting a new car!

That is the reality of it. If it were just the two of us, we would probably not be getting a new car this soon, but the little guy is MUCH too special and important not take care of. SO, as of tomorrow, we will most likely be joining the ranks of the Honda owners of the world.

Robin & I went out to dinner on Friday to celebrate our 1,000 day-a-versary (that's the date we've been married 1,000 days, in case you didn't know), and we went to Gianno's (which happens to be our favorite restaurant). Right across the street is a highly recommended used car place (Rich's in High Point, in case you're looking for a new car in NC).

Actually, it was a little blue Jeep Liberty that caught our eye, so after dinner, we drove over there, not really intending to look too seriously, but we ended up parking right behind this shiny CR-V.

Long story short, Randy Rich came out and let us look at the cars and before we knew it, we were talking trade-in and test drive!

Saturday morning came and we went over, got Robin's car looked at for the trade-in, took it for a test drive, got Grandma's seal of approval, and more importantly (no offense, Grandma Lu), Evan's seal of approval (he likes to sit up high and look around). We walked out of there with the paperwork to go to the bank on Monday! So, come Monday, we should be tooling around High Point in a shiny gold Honda CR-V.

There are so many reasons that is ironic, but I won't get into them just now.

First Mother's Day

As a ploy to post more photos, I'll just say I had a very cool first Mother's Day. First, Robin let me go back to sleep rather than get up with our very talkative, possibly whiny boy at 6am. THAT... WAS... AWESOME!

I also got some very sweet cards from both my cutie little boy and my wonderful husband. We had a nice lunch out after church and a pretty calm day. All around, it was fantastic...

And now, the real reason for my post... more photos of Evan...