NYE 2013

This year, we spent NYE with the Neel's and the Day's in Charlotte. Carrie and Andrew have a lovely home and invited us all to stay for the night. It was so much fun. We got dressed up, made a nice dinner, listened to music, took lots of pictures, drank wine (or sparkling juice with a splash of wine for me), and laughed incredibly hard. I love having an "event" for NYE, but I also love staying in the coziness of someone's home with close friends. 

We didn't need entertainment... We can entertain ourselves. :)

Love these sisters- we've all been friends since 1988! I don't know what I'd do without them.

Next year there will be a little addition to our family! Although hopefully he'll be asleep at midnight. :)

The whole group!

 

Ginna's mother-in-law gave her a pinata for the party. It was a little random, but kind of fun! Maybe it'll be a new tradition?  

We made it to midnight! Barely....

The next morning, Carrie made an amazing New Years Day brunch. Our friends the Gregory's came over which was so fun! We sat around the table for almost three hours! We could have sat around for longer, but we had to hit the road...

We celebrated Christen's birthday!

 

Such a fun way to start 2014!

2014 is going to be an exciting and interesting year for the Parker's. Lots of changes will be happening... Baby Parker is just six weeks away from his due date. That will obviously be the biggest change. Brian will finish up with computer programming classes in May and probably start looking for a new job. I will switch from working full time in the schools to hopefully part time at a private practice. New jobs could mean relocating, which we are considering. So many things to think about! I could easily feel anxious and stressed, but am trying to take it one day at a time and trust that God will lead us in the right direction. Honestly, it's hard for me to think of anything besides having this baby. We are getting more and more excited to meet him every day. 

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving break was filled with family and friends. Carrie and Andrew stopped by for dinner on Wednesday night since they were spending the holiday with Andrew's sister here in GA. It's always so fun to have them over! 

Brian's parents and brother came down for a few days, so we celebrated Thanksgiving with them! Toby loves visitors. :)

Here we are on Thanksgiving Day! 28 weeks pregnant. Next year, we'll have a 9 month old! Hard to believe.

Our niece Meg wore one of my turkey onesies. So festive!

I love this picture of the whole family.

 Uncle Brian and the nephews!

It was a wonderful week off of work- I got much needed rest and even finished a project for the baby's room! More on that later. :)

trip to boone!

Every fall we try to make a trip up to Boone. This year we met the Neel's and Gregory's for a weekend together... With the dogs of course! Brian's 30th birthday was a couple weeks before our trip, so we decided to have a little celebration! Hats make

 

We tried a new cabin this year which was close to Banner Elk. It had a gorgeous view of Grandfather Mountain!

On Saturday morning, we took a little hike from our cabin to some waterfalls close by. 

 We made the dogs pose for a picture together on the way.

Our little family of three, almost four! 

 It was a beautiful day!

We went to lunch at Woodlands which was amazing, and then headed for a little walk at Bass Lake! One of my favorite places... Also the place where we got engaged five years ago!

Next year we will go a few weeks earlier when there are still leaves on the trees!

We walked through downtown Blowing Rock.

We picked up pizza for dinner, took it back to the cabin, and had a cozy evening in. They guys battled the freezing cold outside and hung out in the hot tub while the girls crocheted and talked in the warm indoors. On Sunday morning before heading back home, we had a fabulous brunch at Melanie's. 

We always leave this town wishing we had just one more day! Next fall will be quite different with a little one around, but I hope to continue visiting every year! 

GA baby shower!

Back in the summer, when we found out we were expecting, my sweet friend Anne asked if she could host a shower here in town. I've been looking forward to it for so long! I started working closely with Anne last year, and she has become a dear friend. I can't say enough about the shower. I am still overwhelmed by how wonderful it was. The people, the food, the decorations, the gifts... Anne knows how to throw a party! It was fabulous, and I felt so blessed by everyone who came! This baby is already loved by so many! 

My mom, sister, and sister-in-law, Shelby all came in town for the shower. This ended up being an O'Steen holiday weekend- it was the first time we had all been together in two years! I'll post more on that later, but here are some pictures from the shower.

 Aunt Natalie! 

Shelby, Mom, me, and Nat

The decorations and details were so lovely.

Look how cute this diaper cake is! 

The food was so yummy! 

Baby stuff is so fun! 

Loved this fox pillow Julie made!

Me and Kristin.. So thankful for this friendship- I don't know what I'd do without her! 

Julie and Susanna! (Baby Parker's future girlfriend) 

I love these ladies so much. Anne (who hosted the shower) is on the left and Krissy is on the right. They make my job easy and enjoyable. They work full time in the self contained moderate class at school, and I'm the SLP who serves those students. It can get a little crazy at times, but those are the moments we find ourselves laughing to the point of tears. I am so thankful for both of them!

Joy Lynne, Meg, and Susan

 Both of baby Parker's grandmothers! 

When we got back home, we unloaded the gifts in the nursery and just looked at everything. It was so fun imagining our little baby wearing all the cute outfits and playing with the toys. Natalie and I kind of wanted to keep these hats for ourselves. :) I can't wait to see them on our little boy!

It was the sweetest shower and such a special memory. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it!