The Parkin Family

Halloween Fun

2011-10-31T19:34:00.002-07:00

The Loot!
Stake Trunk or Treat

The Cardinals just beat Texas in the World Series, Brad got a lot of grief for his "costume"

The handsome pirate

The cutest lady bug ever!!

Carter

2011-10-18T18:13:00.002-07:00

Carter is loving pre-school. He is so cute when he wakes up and remembers it is Tuesday or Thursday he loves to get ready. Some of his favorite things to do at preschool are music time, dress up time, and he loves to play outside. One of his best friends broke his leg this week, so Carter loves to help push him around on the office chair (the kid is too little for crutches and wont sit in a wheel chair so they use an office chair :) He is learning how to use scissors, and paint, and tell time, and what letters sound like. Overall, I love him so much and I love to watch him learn! He gets so excited and into everything new. He is wonderful!!!

My Babies

2011-09-28T18:05:00.002-07:00

I love these two so much!! I have had a sad and happy at the same time look at them this week as I realize how fast they are getting big. Carter is one of the sweetest most caring kids I have ever known. He loves Livy so much and tries to make her laugh all day long. And Livy's smile lights up the room when Carter is around her. They make everyday an adventure. They make me want to be a better person in everything I do, and I love them with all my heart! So glad they are mine!!

MIssouri Trip

2011-08-22T10:11:00.003-07:00

Brad needed some dental work done before school started so we took an unplanned trip out to Missouri. It was so much fun for the kids to see Grandma and Grandpa Parkin's house, we haven't been there since I was pregnant with Carter because Carter wasn't able to travel with his health problems as a baby. This is Carter at the St. Luis Zoo, he got his face painted like a giraffe and loved it.
Ron took Carter and Brad fishing. They caught a couple of fish put Carter's favorite part was the worms. He loved being the worm guy and get the worms ready for the hooks.

Grandpa Parkin let Carter have a dental "check up" too. Carter loves reading the Critter books and he wanted everything that the Critter gets to do at the dentist.

Ron and Margaret have a beautiful back yard and we loved having a fire out side almost every night. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, This picture was a Carter two showers-and-a-bath day. He loved working hard and getting dirty.

Livy is our water baby! She loved playing in the pool and being outside so much. It was a great trip and hard to come back to reality but school started today so hopefully it will be a good year!

Summer Adventures

2011-08-01T16:40:00.002-07:00

This summer we were busy and had a lot of fun! Carter turned three in May! Just a few days later Brad fiished his first year of law school. We then drove out to Arizona to spend some time with my family. Brad stayed for a week and then had to come back to start summer classes and work at the Texas Innocense Project. The kids and I stayed for a whole month!
We discovered Joy Land! A small, sort of creepy carnival type, but lots of fun place in Lubbock. Carter loved all the rides and was tall enough to ride every roller coaster. He is such a cute boy and loves to do stuff with his Dad!

While we were in Arizona Carter took swim lessons! He did so great and it was cute to watch. He now loves to practice in the tub!

Livy was such a tropper this summer. Just two weeks after we got back from Arizona we moved into a house, closer to Texas Tech. Hopefully being closer to the school will help us see Brad a little bit more this coming year. Just two days after we moved Livy and I flew out to Utah and Brad and Carter drove out there. We had a wonderfully family reunion with my family, and Brad's sister and brother-in-law finally got to meet the kids! I decided I love Utah! The weather was so nice and it was green and there is family there and lots of things to do!

This picture is of Carter at the Phoenix Zoo. He is such a good helper and loves to make Livy Smile! Just ten days after we got back to Texas, Brad's parents came out for a visit! We had so much fun with them!

We have just two weeks left before Brad starts his second year of law school. I am hoping that not being sickly pregnant and super tired with a new born will make for a better year. I am nervous for the year to start back up but we had a perfect summer to hopefully help get us through!

Family Pictures

2011-05-28T14:34:00.005-07:00

We got family pictures done last week and I love how they turned out! Here are some of my favorites. This is my blog so I can say that I have the most beautiful children in the world! but really I do!! I love my little family!

Carter's Birthday!!

2011-05-07T13:03:00.002-07:00

Carter and Averie meeting Chuckie! He did some silly dances with them and they were so cute, dancing and laughing the whole time!

Carter had been affraid of tunnels and slides and such in the past but Averie tells him to be brave! He likes them much better now!

Carter turned 3 on friday!!! I can't believe how fast time has gone! He is the sweetest most loving, caring boy in the world! For his birthday we went to Chuckie Cheese with his friend Averie, who he loves. They play so well together I love it. When Brad was done with his final on friday we did cake and presents at home. Carter got a bean bag chair, which he LOVES!

The past three years have been a huge challenge with Carter's health problems. From the time he was born till now he has been to hundreds of doctors appointments, had every test imaginable run on him. It is a little sad to me when he plays doctor and tells me he is checking my blood pressure and wants to know how my reflux is feeling, seriously a 3 year old should not know what that means!! But he is so brave and had gotten so big and strong! We don't know why he can't sleep, but we have a lot of theories about some of the steroids he was on as a baby that are now being discovered to lead to serious sleep disorders. Even when we are up all night with him, he is so cute and loves to cuddle. He is such a great helper and big brother too! I can't imagine my life without him, there where times when he was first having health problems that I prepared myself for the worse, and everytime Heavenly Father blessed us and has let us keep him here with us! I love my little guy!!!!

Random Fun

2011-04-23T11:35:00.002-07:00

Fun Dino tails Grandma Parkin made!

Loves her picture taken

Carter helped dog sit his best friends two dogs and they gave him this kitchen when they got back!

They always look so cute before we go to church, but something on the car ride there turns them into monsters:)

Loving the smiles!

Love these Kids!!

2011-04-10T13:36:00.002-07:00

Olivia is such a good sleeper she sleeps about eight hours a night! It is so nice! Carter is reading more and more books, he memorizes books and then reads them to me- it was really cool to watch him learn. Brad is super busy with the last few weeks of law school, which law school really sucks so if you are ever considering going don't do it when you have kids! That is my little I hate law school plug for the week! But otherwise life is going pretty good, I can't wait to go to Arizona in May. The kids and I are going to stay for a few weeks since Brad will be busy with his internship and school. Carter is really excited because he gets to take swim lessons so he has been practicing in the tub! We have our five year anniversary in a few weeks!! I can't believe how fast five years went. Life is good!

Spring is Finally Here!

2011-03-20T06:35:00.002-07:00

My Mom came and it was wonderful!

Livy is such a happy baby now that she is finally better from two weeks with RSV!

Carter is the best kid ever, really he is such a good helper and cute happy little boy!

Olivia's Baby Blessing

2011-02-21T06:42:00.002-07:00

upside down but so cute! this was my dress when I was blessed!

So these pictures loaded weird and I don't have time to fix them but you can still see how cute my kids are! Olivia's blessing was wonderful, we had so many great friends come and support us! We wish our family could have come but we will see them again soon. I can't believe how fast Livy is already getting big. I feel like we have so many first time milestones to go through with her because by the time Carter was eight weeks old he was in the hospital and on his heart monitors, so we are learning how to deal with a healthy baby who can go outside! We love them both so much!

Baby Girl!!

2011-01-10T01:14:00.002-07:00

proud big brother

i love girl clothes!

Grandma!

Olivia Anne was born on December 29, 2010 at 4:55 she weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 21 inches long. She is an angel and we are so glad she is finally here! Carter is a wonderful big brother and loves to help with everything! Both Grandmas came and were huge help, we couldn't have done it without them! I can't believe I have two wonderful kids, life just keeps going!!

Christmas Fun!

2010-12-04T15:21:00.002-07:00

Carter got to meet Cowboy Santa! (Only in Texas) We also got to decorate gingerbread men, make reigndeer puppets, get snowman tatoos, and watch a Christmas train! It was a lot of fun!

Halloween!!

2010-11-01T13:25:00.002-07:00

Carter and Jaxon carving pumpkins

Science Center Halloween Party

Jackpot!

Lubbock Adventures

2010-11-01T13:02:00.002-07:00

Picking Apples at Apple Country

So Proud!

Doing "Law School" homework with Dad

Lubbock, Texas Temple

2010-09-05T13:21:00.002-07:00

Nothing very new or exciting happening. Brad is busy studying and so far loves law school. Carter is so funny and we have fun everyday. We still don't have very many name ideas for our little girl on the way if anyone has any ideas!? Other wise life is going great, we like Texas so far!

May Pictures

2010-08-18T13:35:00.002-07:00

Carter waiting outside the Temple
Jason and Janelle got married

Carter turned Two

Mickey Mouse Party

May was busy!! Carter turned two, Jason and Janelle got married, Ty and Cheri got engaged, we found out we were pregnant, Heidi and Ryan got married, and we decided Brad was going to go to Texas Tech for Law school!

Texas

2010-08-15T17:41:00.002-07:00

Well we are still unpacking and I have not found the camera cord yet, but I thought I would write something anyway. We love our little house it is cute and has more room than I hoped it would so it is great. We have had a thunder storm almost every other night which is a nice change from the Arizona never ending heat. Carter is adjusting well, but he calls Grandma everyday to tell her some random but very important fact about his life, sometimes he calls twice a day. He is so cute and getting so big I can't believe it! I think most people know by now but we are excited for our baby girl to come in a few months too. Brad starts school tomorrow so he is going to be super busy but I am glad he is starting because he is that much closer to being done. Anyways, hopefully pictures will be coming soon!

Carter

2010-05-05T13:59:00.002-07:00

It is hard to believe that Carter will be two tomorow! This is the picture of him coming home from the hospital. Carter is such a blessing in our life and to everyone else too. His laugh is the most perfect thing you can ever hear! He is so cute when he wants something because he will give you hugs and kisses until he gets what he wants! He loves to make castles out of the couch and blankets. He loves to play with Grandma. He loves to sing with Dad. He is talking so much now it is hard to remember a time he couldn't talk. He is mostly healthy, he is having some problems with his reflux again and his milk alergies. But he is so tall and big you would never know the health roller coasters he has had. He is the love of my life!

California Tip

2010-04-27T13:16:00.005-07:00

Carter loved to squish Brad's sand castles
Already Burned!

A big wave took them by surprise

One of the few animals not asleep at the San Diego Zoo

Getting Warm

I am a wimp when it comes to cold water

Carter loved the water!

Brad's Uncle's beautiful beach house in Carlsbad

Our California trip was wonderful! I love the peaceful relaxing feeling when you are at the beach. It was Carter's first big trip and he did great the whole time. I am so grateful Brad's Uncle let us use his awesome house!

Easter!

2010-04-04T21:01:00.003-07:00

Well Easter was nice this year, but sadly Carter was really sick. He woke up Saturday morning saying Easter! Easter! We should have given him his stuff right then, because by Saturday afternoon he had 103 fever and was throwing up. This lasted all night and all Sunday. But he was a pretty good sport and by Sunday night he was actually enjoying his bucket with shovels that he got. General Conference was really great as well. Hope our little buddy is feeling better tomorow!

Carter and Ryden at the Museum

2010-04-01T14:12:00.002-07:00

Vanilla Cookie Monsters
The Boat Bed

Too busy for pictures

Picking the Corn

Cutest Smile Ever!

I am so glad to have some good friends in this ward you keep me sane with play dates. The Mesa Children's Museum is perfect for Carter's age. He loves it so much leaving is the only hard part of the day! He is really excited for Easter, we have been playing with plastic eggs all week. His chalk got burried in a whole when a water pipe was being fixed( it was dark and how was Brad supposed to know he had thrown it in there) but Carter tells me everyday that the Easter Bunny is going to bring him some chalk, but not just white he wants colored chalk! He remembers everything I say! Which is only a good thing sometimes!

Cakes!

2010-03-22T13:34:00.005-07:00

I would really like to start making cakes again, so I thought I would post some pictures of cakes I made last year. If you know anyone who needs a cake you should let them know I make them for really cheap and they are always yummy! I can make all kinds, sizes, and flavors. Thanks!

Pictures Finally!

2010-03-21T13:21:00.005-07:00

Carter

Loves his Orange Dino Jammies

What a Stud!

Always Smiling

His Cheesy camera smile!

Carter will be two in May and at times I feel like the terrible two are never going to end! But for the most part he is so fun and cute and talking up a storm that I love spending all my time with him. right now he loves to play with his Doctor kit Grandma gave him. He checks my temp and heart beat all day long! He plays outside, loves dirt, bikes, cars, and watching bugs! Brad is 99% sure he will be going to Texas Tech for Law School in the fall. He is flying out on Thursday to check it out, but he was excepted to five other schools so it is still up in the air a little bit, but Texas offered him a really great scholarship! That is about all that is happening, I am so happy Brad firgured out the dumb camera problem!

Life with no pictures!

2010-02-02T14:27:00.002-07:00

I haven't blogged because the computer wont upload pictures and posts without pictures are usaully boring but I decided to anyway. So this is a boring update of our lives with no pictures, sorry. Brad has been accepted to four law schools! University of Nebraska, Texas Tech University, St. Louis University, and Creighton University. We are still waiting to hear back form six other schools so there is no decision yet. But we are excited to finally be getting some letters!

Carter is officially the cutest kid ever! He is talking so much, he even talks in his sleep- seriously this is cute at first but then annoying cuz I always think he woke up so I go check on him and he is still asleep but then cuz I went in there he wakes up! He loves bubbles, trains, books, and stickers. He tells me all day long that Dadda is his best friend (thanks to Brad's great teaching) and he wants to call Brad on the phone all day.

My mom bought a house so we are all moving in about three weeks, which is great news for her I am really excited for her. However, I really am tired of moving and once we move to law school I want to live somewhere for a long time! This will be our sixth move in four years=way too many times!

Anyways, life is good and busy and exciting right now!

Christmas Day!

2009-12-31T14:01:00.002-07:00

Carter loves trains right now so we got him Thomas the Train PJs for Christmas, now it is hard to keep them off of him because he loves them so much! He was so much fun this year opening presents. He did a great job doing one at a time and he kept telling us his toys were stuck in the boxes! We have had a great 2009 and can't wait for the adventure of 2010!

Christmas!

2009-12-07T14:42:00.002-07:00

I don't have any pictures to post because my camera wont load for some very sad reason. But I haven't blogged for a very long time so I decided a little update is over due. we had a great Thanksgiving with everyone home for the first time in four years! Carter has gotten so big I can't believe it. He is talking up a storm, but he is so shy around other people no one would ever believe he talks at all. Brad is anxiously waiting to hear back from all the law schools he applied to. I am just loving playing with Carter all day, he sure keeps me smiling! I am so excited for Christmas and I can't wait for Carter to open presents this year and actually understand what is happening! Hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Update

2009-07-20T07:39:00.001-07:00

I found the camera cord! We went to the Tempe Splash park with some friends, and the others are just Carter posing! He loves to take pictures now, it is so cute!

2009-06-30T14:33:00.003-07:00

One year ago today Carter stopped breathing and we found out about his breathing and swallowing problems. The year has been full of long nights sitting over his crib to make sure he was breathing, lots of doctors visits, lots of prayers, and even more blessings! A year ago when all of this happened I was a wreck. I thought that our life could never be normal again. But it is, and today life is great. Carter has gotten so big and strong. He loves to run and laugh and watch Barney. We love him so much and we are grateful to Heavenly Father for all of the blessings he has given Carter.

My Little Baby

2009-06-05T22:03:00.002-07:00

So, today my little baby is 13 months old! And because he is a giant, he weighs 27.3 ponds and is 33 inches tall, we had to buy him a toddler bed! It is a super cute little sleigh bed, dang we don't even have a cute sleigh bed, but holy cow my baby can't possibly be a toddler, who has out grown his crib! So I am writing this post to all mothers who can understand why I am emotional, and sad even though Brad just asked me, "What's wrong with you?"

Carter Update

2009-04-27T07:23:00.002-07:00

Life changes so fast sometimes it's crazy! Carter is walking, well running is probably a better way to say it. He is quick and seems to know every exit to a room. But we love it and he is so cute running around in is tennis shoes, he doesn't like the sandals as much. We also have exciting news we just bought a town house! Not the one we live in but the new one is much bigger, 3 bed rooms, walk in closets and lots of storage! So we are excited and nervous and can't wait to move in.

Spring Break

2009-03-21T11:53:00.002-07:00

All though it has not been much of a Spring Break for Brad, because he has worked overtime all week, Carter and I have loved hanging out with Grandma and all the other family that is in town. We planned this family night picnic at the Park of the Canals in Mesa. It was really nice and Carter loved the swings! He was laughing so hard we had to stop him so he could breath!

Fresh Orange Juice

2009-03-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

Carter has been watching the oranges grow on the trees in Grandma's back yard for months now! He was so excited when we actually let him help pick the oranges. He loves the juicer and thought it was the coolest thing to juice all the oranges. He is so smart and cute I can't believe how big he is getting!

2008-12-30T11:23:00.002-07:00

This is a very old picture (I think Carter was three weeks old in this one) but we have been crazy busy and this is all I had time for. But to fill in everyone on our life, we had an adventurous Thanksgiving with a water pipe breaking at my Mom's house so we moved in two days earlier than we planned. We love our new place it has great space and Carter loves it too. We had a wonderful Christmas this year! It was so nice to get to talk to Jas, or Elder Watson, in Russia. He will be home August 17! Brad's job is going well but we are excited for him to start his Masters program in May. He is getting his Masters in Higher Education, so he can teach high school. I am loving being home, and I have been getting creative on ways to keep busy. Thanks go out to everyone we know for making this a great year! Happy 2009 to all!

Crawling!

2008-11-17T17:33:00.004-07:00

Today is a monumental day, Carter is officially crawling! Not his little worm scoot, but actually one hand one leg at a time. Oh man life is so fun watching little babies figure things out! So that is our exciting news, and of coarse he has figured all of this out just two weeks before we move into the town house that has stairs, good thing someone invented baby gates! We are so excited to move, and exited that Carter is doing great! Brad and I are doing great too!

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-03T14:20:00.006-07:00

Carter was a skeleton during the day and a tiger at night. Both costumes were very cute, so thank you to both Grandmas who bought them! I think the cutest part was Carter attacking the candy bowl. He loved all the colorful candy wrappers, just wait till he can actually eat them!

Grandpa's Number One Fan

2008-10-28T15:13:00.007-07:00

Grandpa Parkin has started Carter early on cheering for the Rams! He picked out this jersey for Carter last Christmas when I was just five months pregnant! But Brad loves it too, he can't wait to have his little linebacker in Pop Warner Football.

2008-10-22T10:30:00.002-07:00

This is a picture of Carter, two days old. It was just too cute not to use. But lots of people have been asking questions about Carter and what he has, because I have been so bad at keeping in touch with everyone and keeping people updated. So I thought I would write a little bit about him and what has been going on since he was born.

Carter was born May 6, 2008 in Idaho. We moved back to Mesa, AZ three weeks later. On June 30th Carter stopped breathing while my Mom and I were shopping at Wal-Mart. An employee did CPR until the paramedics arrived. He was admitted to the Pediatric ICU for a week, where he was diagnosed with Gastro Esophical Reflux Disorder, Tracheal Malasia, Laryngal Malasia, and a narrowing in his airway to his right lung. Sounds like a lot of big words. But in short what happens is he reflux when he eats and he has a floppy airway so the food gets into his lungs and closes off. This makes him pass out and stop breathing.

We have all been trained in infant CPR now and are as prepared as possible to help him. Since he has been home we have had several reflux seizure episodes, but we have been able to keep him breathing each time. We are preparing ourselves for the winter season because if he gets RSV or pneumonia it will be very difficult for his airway to stay strong. Anyways, I hope that was a helpful update. We are so grateful for all the help we have had from friends and family. Overall, Carter is doing really well for his condition and we count our blessings everyday!

2008-10-17T13:34:00.004-07:00

Carter has been doing so well lately that we have slowly been trying going out more, like to church on Sunday and little things like that. But this past Sunday after a busy weekend Carter had another horrible reflux seizure like episode that lasted about an hour. The doctor stayed on the phone with us until Carter fell asleep around 10 that night, but it really shook us up again. I know that we have been so blessed that he is doing so well, it is just hard to remember how sick he really is until he has another episode. Brad and I stayed up a lot of the night to watch his breathing. He is doing better this week but we are back to staying in the house 24/7. This gets hard, but our little buddie is worth it!

Elder Watson

2008-10-17T11:59:00.005-07:00

So I thought I would write a little Jason update for everyone. He has been in serving in Novosibirsk, Russia now for thirteen months! The time has flown by so quickly all ready. He is doing great, and he is currently serving as the Russian traveling secretary. I had no idea what that meant so you probably don't either, but basically he is in charge of getting the travel documents ready for all the missionaries in Russia. Pretty cool if you ask me! We miss him tons and I can't wait for him to come home next year and meet Carter!

2008-10-02T12:04:00.002-07:00

Today is the dreaded second series of Carter's shots. You would think after holding him through CAT Scans, EEG, Brain Ultra Sounds, IVs in the Head, and many other horrible things that should never happen to babies, that I would be strong about these dumb shots. But no, we have exactly two hours before we have to leave for the doctor and I just don't want to go. There is just something awful about holding your sweet little baby down so someone else can inflict pain on them. Oh well, hopefully Carter will be stronger than me today!

October

2008-10-01T12:43:00.002-07:00

Brad and I were talking the other day about favorite holidays. Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday, but I really love the fall. Even though we recently moved back to Arizona and by looking out the window on any given day of the year, you would never know it was fall rather than summer because there are no trees with leaves, and therefore they cannot fall. But nonetheless I love the fall and I can't wait for it to cool down and wear hoodies again.

Carter Update

2008-09-15T12:47:00.003-07:00

Carter has been doing really great this week. He is laughing and giggling more everyday. He loves to jump around in his jumper and roll all over the floor. He scoots around too, but he usually rubs his nose into the carpet and gets frustrated. I think he just can't wait to crawl around! He gets his second set of shots in two weeks, which we are not looking forward to. He is getting more fun everyday!

2008-09-08T12:54:00.001-07:00

Carter was born May 6th weighing 9 pounds 2 oz and he was 22 inches long! He is the perfect liitl baby and we are so glad he is finally here!

2008-02-25T21:52:00.002-07:00

We are now just eight weeks away from my due date, and we can't wait. It seems to be going really slow but when I look back it is also going fast. Brad is staying really busy at school, work, and his internship. Work is going well for me. Brad will be leaving for New York in three weeks to debate on the BYU-Idaho Model United Nations Team. He is really excited!

2008-02-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

No, we don't live in Antarctica this is Rexburg! We have had record snow fall this year, and we are getting used to digging out the car every morning. February is the worst month for snow so hopefully Spring is just around the corner!

2008-02-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Parkin Family Blog! Brad and I got married April 22, 2006 and we are living in Rexburg, Idaho. We can't wait for Baby Carter to join us in a couple months!