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Friday, January 31, 2014

Five on Friday

This week was a good week! Here are my top five from this week:

[ONE]
Easy Dinners. Music to any mom's ears! I tried some new recipes this week and they were a huge hit in our home. I can't wait to share them on the blog because who can say no to an easy dinner that also happens to be good? Hint: they involve this guy...
[TWO]
Green Drinks. We I have been using our new Vitimix to make green smoothies each morning and Honey and I are both loving it! I'm trying different recipes so that we don't get bored (thank you Pintrest!) but getting a great dose of vegetables first thing in the morning feels pretty darn good!
[THREE]
Moisturizer. It is no secret that I am a devoted believer in the importance of anti-aging products for our skin. I was getting concerned about this dry Kansas winter and (as usual) my mom came to the rescue with a new (to me) moisturizer to start using. Ahhh, hydration is so good for the skin!
[FOUR]
Tunnel Vision. In play group this week Parker was uncertain about crawling through a tunnel in the indoor play set. After watching his friend Everett do it and some cheering-on from me and some other mommies, he finally crawled through the tunnel! There was quite a celebration afterward!
[FIVE]
Girl Time. Yesterday I hosted a ladies luncheon with the wonderful ladies on our street. Girl time is so important! I'm so glad we all made time to get together. Everyone brought a dish and it was so nice to have that time together!
Happy Friday All! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
THE GOOD LIFE BLOG

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Christmas Part II - Christmas at "Home" with Family


Although we treasure our Christmas spent at home starting our own family traditions, Christmas just isn't complete until we've spent time laughing, eating, and sharing gifts with our families at "home". This year due to Honey's school schedule we had to travel "home", which of course means to the south, to see our families after Christmas.

So three days after Christmas, we woke up before three a.m. and boarded a flight at six in the morning headed to Dixie Land! Parker was a trooper and as usual a very good traveler. He took hold of my "cutie" in the car around 4:30 a.m. and didn't let go until he fell asleep on the flight!
We flew to Atlanta where we met my parents at the airport. They let us borrow a spare car to drive to Birmingham to spend the first part of our trip at Honey's parents house. Our four days there were packed with family and fun!
Parker enjoyed playing with his cousins O and EG!
He got lots of kisses!
Honey and I loved getting to love on the littlest Snowden, Baby S!
And Parker loved making faces with Uncle Joey!
We had a "Christmas Morning" with Honey's parents and just the three of us. While we sure did miss having a "Christmas" with the rest of the family and sharing in those special memories together, I think Parker enjoyed having all the attention! Hopefully next year we'll be able to have a "Christmas" altogether.
Parker loved playing with his new books and toys!
 The weather sure was warmer than what we were used to in Kansas! We took some time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!
 Parker convinced his daddy to push him around in this box which was wonderful fun!
 And Snoopy and Honey got this toy train out for Parker to ride. This belonged to Honey when he was a little boy and Parker? LOVED IT!!
 In addition to spending time playing...
 Accompanying GiGi for her birthday lunch (we forgot the tray for his portable chair so Parker thought  he was so big sitting at the actual table with us!)...
 Checking out his big cousins train table...
 And seeing his first ever doll house (he wasn't sure what exactly to do with that)...
Parker kept busy!
He took one last chance to play with Uncle Joey right before we headed home.
After a wonderful visit in Birmingham, we loaded up and drove back to Atlanta to spend the remainder of our trip with my family in Roswell. Our time together there was so wonderful, filled with laughter, good food and more laughter!

 We kicked off our visit by spending Christmas morning altogether! It was a wonderful treat to have my brother and his family join us in staying overnight at my parents house. It felt like Christmas never had to end!
 All three little cousins were excited to open presents together!
 Parker was so excited to show his Daddy his presents.
 And check out what everyone else was getting too...
 Big Cousins D and R were so sweet to Parker and wanted to be next to him at every opportunity!
They had a great time!
I just love this one:
Another big excitement for Parker was taking his first ever ride on a 4-wheeler with his Daddy!
 
Here is a short video of them riding together:
I think both boys are hoping Santa brings one for our family next year...

After all the fun of Christmas together, we spent the last night of our trip enjoying a fabulous dinner with my parents at a wonderful restaurant in downtown Roswell. Roswell is such a special place to us because it is where Honey and I first met many, many years ago. I love that I get to call this place my hometown!
We were sad to leave but happy to be fortunate to spend this special time with those dearest to us!
We had some significant travel delays at the airport. Who would have thought finding a pilot would be difficult? In an airport? But Parker was a trooper. 
And arriving home at midnight, in the snow, nearly seven hours later than we were supposed to arrive home, never felt so good!

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

These Busy Days

Being a stay-at-home-mommy who isn't all that often "at home" sure does make for some busy days! Now that we are in the new year and the countdown to being a mommy of two is just over three months away (can you believe that?) I wanted to take a minute to share what our days are like lately. Mainly so that down the road I'll remember. Too soon they will be gone like all the others before them. And I'll wonder just what I did...

Once a week, Parker and I attend a baby music class. Our class has about 10 babies close to Parker's age and lasts about an hour. We sing, we dance, we clap, and we play musical instruments. Parker's favorite part is when we dance and sing the "freeze" song! It is impossible not to laugh with him while he dances like a little free spirit!

Every week, Parker and I meet up with our play group. For an hour Parker is completely involved in unstructured play time with about 10 other children. I love this time to play with Parker and some different toys as well as chat with the other mommies all about baby stuff. I have found this time and the new friendships we are making to be so wonderful!

Also once a week, Parker and I have physical and speech therapy. In our home! I will share an update in a separate post about Parker's 5 months in physical therapy, but one huge update is that we have made some changes and are now doing therapy in our home. It is wonderful for his therapists to see him in his natural environment! He is learning so much! We continue to be amazed with our little Parker.

Each week, Parker and I also make a run to my doctor's office for my weekly progesterone shot. More to come on how this pregnancy is progressing and Operation Keep-This-Baby-In-Full-Term. Fortunately the office is close by so we usually swing by after play group.

Music class, play group, therapy, and the shot are the four regularly occurring items on our calendar. In addition to that I try to schedule other social activities for us like play-dates and dinner with friends. I enjoy having a play-date each week or every other week to give Parker some one-on-one time with a little friend. And me the chance to catch up with a girl friend! And then Honey and I try to get together with another couple and their littles for dinner a few times a month too. It's nice to get the families together! And of course there's the occasional party, luncheon, or get-together that I find myself at the center of. But I welcome these opportunities to get together with friends and cherish the time we have with them.

Parker and I usually spend one half-day running errands and at least one day every week is spent completely at home. I am not one of those moms who "has to get out of the house every day"! We are perfectly happy at home playing with our toys, reading books, and talking about trucks. I absolutely treasure my one-on-one time with Parker! Although our weeks get busy, I don't want to have a calendar so jam-packed with events that I miss out on these wonderful moments to share with my sweet boy.

After all we have Cash Dog to remind us to get outside for at least a few minutes each day no matter how cold it is! So don't worry, we're getting our Vitamin D.

Parker still takes two naps a day and I find myself using that time to manage our household from phone calls to emails to laundry to dinner prep. We have settled into such a nice pattern... what a great way to close out the last months of "just the three of us".


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Monday, January 27, 2014

Home Is Where the Army Sends Us

Coming from a girl who lived in her hometown her entire life until a man in uniform whisked her away to parts unknown, this hometown girl knows that the meaning of home is not a house with four walls.

But don't worry, this is not a mushy post about home is where the heart is and all of that, this is a post about our actual home. Well, our next home, after Kansas.

You already know that we are only in Kansas for one year. We are here for my Honey to complete one year of school required by all officers of his same rank in all military branches. He is also completing his master's degree. (He's been busy. To say the least...) And if you saw my post in September about Where We Might Go After Kansas, then you know that we had a top five list of potential options.

From Germany, to Colorado, to Savannah, the Snowden family was dreaming big! The idea and the promise of adventure was looming before us and we were excited about the options. Of course since we are an Army family, the decision is not exclusively ours. The factors that go into deciding where we go next are very similar to non-military jobs. Honey is an aviator (one reason he looks so good in that uniform!) so we are first limited by locations that need pilots that can fly what he flies. After that there are things like qualifications and job availability, just like a normal job.

As my husband began looking into what was available at the places on our "Top Five List", it looked like we had some exciting decisions to make. Generals from these different places were flying in to meet with students, like my husband, and Honey's schedule was filling up with interviews. It was pretty exciting!

Then something happened that we didn't see coming whatsoever. We got a call from the unit that my husband was in before we came to Kansas. The one in Fort Campbell, Tennessee. They had a job and they wanted him to take it. We talked about it but there was not much of a decision to make.

This was an easy one for us because we already love that unit. They are not like the regular Army and their unique situation fits our family so very well. Then of course, going back there is like going home for us. After all, that is where we lived after we were married. That is where Baby Parker was born. And out of all the options available to us, it is the closest one to both of our families. Since we will be returning with a teeny, tiny, newborn baby, being close to family will be a fabulous blessing!

Honey accepted the job and we celebrated that the decision was made and we would be returning to Tennessee. Back to one of our favorite parts of the world of course, THE SOUTH. Home might be where the Army sends us, but the south? Well that just feels the most like home to this Army family!

We are traveling back to Tennessee in a few weeks to shop for homes. A home that we expect we will be living in for at least 3-4 years with the possibility of more. And that? Never sounded so sweet to me!


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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Silent Sunday

A few of our favorite moments in pictures from this week...

Tippy Toes

 Parker reading a book that was one of my childhood favorites!
 I can't stand this cuteness...
 
The nurses at my doctor's office are seriously the best!
 I love how much they love each other.
 Parker takes his Sunday morning nap in church thanks to ear plugs. When he wakes up he isn't quite sure where he is...



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