The Parkers

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!

pregnancy: weeks 22-24

Weeks 22-24 were pretty good... Baby Parker continues to grow! I was still running during these weeks, but it definitely started getting harder. Any time I felt weird pain, I'd stop. Mostly, I'd feel pressure on my bladder which wasn't very comfortable. The only reason why I was still running was because of running club, but that is finally over! I'm still enjoying the higher level of energy! The highlight of these weeks was feeling the baby kick for the first time! I felt the first kicks from the outside while I was in Charlotte. I had been feeling movement internally, but it's so fun to finally feel real kicks.

Week 22

Week 23

Week 24

I've been working on the baby's room more, trying to finish little projects as I find the time. I made these felt animals for a mobile one rainy Saturday. I found a mobile on etsy that I loved, but it was $88 for three animals, so I decided to make my own!

Toby continues to love this spot by the crib. The fact that there are stuffed animals in it might have something to do with it.

I stopped at the Pottery Barn Outlet on my way home from Charlotte and found these two cabinets. They were the perfect dimensions for the space under the window in the nursery. Even though they weren't matching, I bought them because they were a great price.

When I got home, I painted the inside of the cabinets with gray chalk paint. I think they turned out great! The paint was still wet in this picture which is why it's blotchy.

I love that these cabinets close so it won't look so messy when we fill them with baby things!

I also got this little hedgehog sippy cup because it was just too cute not to buy. :)

I also ordered a few prints from etsy and have a little collage wall finished above the crib, but I'm not ready for that reveal yet. We think we know the name, but we're not ready to make an "official" announcement. Naming a human is a big deal!

Hamilton Lakes Girls Weekend 2013!

For our third annual Hamilton Lakes Girls Weekend, we all went to Carrie's house in Charlotte! She greeted us with a yummy lunch and the most adorable place cards. :) With this group, there's no telling what will happen. We all talk at once and jump around from topic to topic about the most random things until we're laughing to tears. I don't take these friends for granted. It's rare to have friendships that are 24 years strong.

Reagan got to join us again this year! She had changed so much in a year. She's so grown up!

Last year, she wasn't as mobile, so it was easier to take pictures of her, but this year she was on the go!

We spent the afternoon at a park in Uptown. Reagan got to run around.

My little etsy shop model with her fall leaves onesie. We're going to need to switch to tee shirts soon!

We stayed in and cooked dinner at Carrie's which was so nice and laid back. As you can see, we got lots of laughs in!

On Sunday morning, we woke up slowly, drank coffee, and went to Toast for brunch. It was so yummy!

I love these weekends so much and look forward to them every year!

quick visits with sweet friends

This past weekend, I drove to Charlotte for the annual Hamilton Lakes girls' weekend. I need to make it a new rule, that whenever I visit Charlotte, I stay for days because there are so many friends to visit! I wanted to stop at Mary Jo's to look for crib bedding fabric, so my fellow crafting friend, Christen met me there! She also has an etsy shop and wanted to look for some fabric! It was a short visit, but so fun to see her face!

If you've never been to Mary Jo's, you need to go! I ended up not finding the fabric I was looking for, so I didn't buy anything. I could have walked out with a ton, but I only had a short time to shop and didn't want to make any impulse purchases.

Once I got to Charlotte, I stopped to visit Nina and William! The last time I saw him, he was only weeks old. I love seeing my friends' children and them as parents. Will is just the happiest little guy. Just look at him.

He laid on his blanket and showed me his kicks. He has such a sweet demeanor. Pure happiness. I can't wait for baby Parker and William to become friends!

Asheville Girls' Weekend 2013!

I love the traditions of annual trips. In past years, we have had a cabin trip to Boone with these friends in the fall and a girls' weekend in the summer, but we merged the two trips to a fall girls' weekend! I am so happy that Ashley moved to Asheville- it's the perfect midway point for us to meet, and it's one of my favorite towns!

We spent the afternoon on a little fall adventure. First stop was Sky Top Orchard (a first for all of us).