Happy 30th Birthday Bronson!

Bronson turned 30 last Saturday, but we have had several parties starting two weeks ago! Two weekends ago we had a joint birthday celebration for Brons and his Dad because his Dad turned 50 two days later (Sorry Doug...I hope you don't mind that I just disclosed your age. :)


Saturday was a lazy day for us around the house and it was actually nice to have Bronson home for once doing exactly what he wanted to do....tinkering with the Vette. By the way, we sold the T-Bird and got a '77 Corvette. I'll save that for another post....but it's safe to say, my husband is officially obsessed with collecting Corvettes now!


Then Saturday night we had dinner with my parents and he opened his gifts from Jack, me, and my parents. I got him the audio version of The Last Symbol to listen to on our way to Mexico, the Complete Book of Corvettes, and a Wii. My parents got him the Wii Fit. I know we are a little behind the technology curve considering the Wii has probably been out for 2 or 3 years now, but better late than never.





Bronson and my Dad admiring his pink cake. I didn't really think about the fact that I was making him a pink cake until my Dad made some smart remark. It was strawberry and I know that Brons likes my strawberry cupcakes.....so sorry for the pink cake babe!





And of course Grammy couldn't show up with presents for Brons and not bring something for Jack. So he got some early Halloween goodies including a talking candy bowl, and halloween cup, and a bouncy ball made out of rubber eyeballs!





Then Sunday evening we had Bronson's celebration at Tracie's. She and Jamie made their delicioius homemade ravioli. I know it's an all day process and we REALLY appreciate their hardwork. It was wonderful, as always. And this time we actually got to finish our dinner without being interrupted with a trip to the ER like last time, if you remember. We tried to keep Jack's hand out of the hot ravioli this time.

Jack at 15 Months

First, I want to apologize for not posting in a week. Things have been really busy around the Parrish household. Between my work and business trips and Bronson's usual non-stop pace, we have had little time for anything other than work. Bronson's 30th birthday was today, so I will be posting more on that in a few days.


On Thursday, Jack turned 15 months and we had our well check with the doctor on Friday. Here is a run down of Jack's current stats and what he is doing these days:


The fact that Jack came into this world 3 weeks early and still weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. was a sure sign to me that Jack was going to continue in the Parrish tradition and be a big baby. However, that doesn't appear to be the case. He is 30 inches tall and weighs 23 pounds. For height he is just under the 25th percentile and for weight he is between the 35th and 40th percentile. In fact this morning it was a little chilly so I put him in a little Adidas outfit that he wore last winter and spring. The outfit is 12 months and still looks a little big on him!! I guess I'm going to have to stop calling him biggin'. He might be taking after me in regard to size. I am a little vertically challenged at a whopping 5 feet 3 inches! Sorry Jack, I know that is one trait you could have stood NOT to inherit. (By the way, at the same age, Bronson was 27 pounds.)


He also gets around really well and actually is quite fond of running which explains the seemingly permanent bruises on this legs, face, and head. He still doesn't talk a lot, but he understands almost everything you say. His babysitter tells me all the time that he's very smart for his age.


But he is still as sweet as ever. He still sleeps like a champ and we couldn't ask for anything more than that!

An Early Birthday Present?

I guess that was a good enough excuse for Bronson to make this purchase today.....





This morning we got up at 4:30 a.m. to travel to Mazon, IL (up by Chicago) to pick up this Bobcat. It's not exactly how I wanted to spend my Sunday, but I have been promised a stop at the Tuscola Outlet Mall on the way home, so it does make the trip seem a little more worth my while. I think I've already established that the Parrish boys love their implements and I guess Bronson felt we needed something else to push dirt around with. I gave up trying to understand that fascination long ago. I just hope he has fun with his new toy!

Happy Birthday James!

Yesterday, James celebrated the big 30 and Brittany invited some friends and family over for a little get together. (By the way, Bronson's big 30 is coming up in 8 short days!!!) Brit and I talked about having a joint party for them, but we figured we would do the REAL celebrating in Mexico in 3 weeks!

Brittany had great BBQ, beans, and potato salad and I brought my salsa and some cookies. Here are some pictures from the evening...


Jack quickly found all the toys in Isaac's room and didn't waste any time getting down to business.



Isaac is on the right and the far left and middle children are Brittany's niece and nephew.



Jack's always got to have his "after dinner" paci.....



....and hanging upside down is, of course, his favorite past time.

The LBD Party

This was our second year attending the 3rd annual Little Black Dress Party in support of the Carbondale Women's Center. For two years now, Tracie, Debbie, Jamie, Melissa, and I have been in attendance. It is a GREAT fundraiser for a GREAT cause. This year, over 2,000 women attended the LBD party that was held at the Great Boars of Fire Lodge in Anna...the place was PACKED! Just let me say, it's difficult to have a bad time when in the company of these great ladies!














But the night did end a little crazy! Tracie and the girls took the shuttle bus that got stuck in the mud and they didn't get back to Marion until 12:30 a.m., which is pretty late considering they tried to leave at 9:45 p.m. or so. And my shoe got stuck in the mud when we were leaving. Melissa thought it would be funny to take these pictures...

The Lost Symbol

Today, Dan Brown's much anticipated new book hits the shelves. It has been 6 years since The Da Vinci Code made it's debut..... so "anticipated" may be an understatement!!

So, I will be in line this morning when Barnes and Noble opens to pick up my reserved copy. The problem is that I could probably stay up until midnight and read the entire thing today, but then I'm stuck waiting another 6 years for his next book. I really need to savor this one! Maybe a chapter a day will suffice!?

Fall Fabulous (Part I)

Even though it is still summer, it is September, so in my mind that means Fall is HERE! Fall is officially my favorite season. I love the decorations, the food, the clothes, and of course, the holidays. And I have been in a Fall decorating frenzy lately. I have done some decorating around the house and Melissa and I have some major front porch, Martha Stewart-style decorating up our sleeves, so stay tuned for Part II.


Now don't be fooled by the pictures I have attached on this post. I know they look straight out of a magazine, but they are actually pictures I took of a wedding shower Melissa threw for one of her friends from college. I was so taken aback by the simple beauty, I had to go home and grab the Canon for a photo shoot.


Melissa held the shower in a shed (a.k.a. small house) in the back of her in-laws house in Herrin. She worked so hard and was so anxious for someone to see her masterpiece that she called me up on Friday and asked me to stop by. When I walked in it brought a tear to my eye (no lie). She had candles burning with the sweet smells of Fall and Nora Jones playing in the background. My pictures don't do the room justice, but I hope I can convey just a hint of the elegance of this fabulous Fall shower!

Let the Spoiling Begin

Last night was ladies night out, so Jack stayed with G'pa and G'ma Parrish. I will reserve details from last night and the LBD party for another post.

So G'pa and G'ma could not resist a stop at Wal-Mart and in particular a visit to the toy aisle. And Jack came home with this......




G'pa said Jack couldn't get home fast enough to open what was in the trunk. He knew it was for him. But, Bronson and I both agree that Jack will learn the value of a dollar through hard work, because we were both raised that way. However, we realize that with three sets of grandmas and grandpas.....we have a little competition!

The Driveway

We are getting closer to having a complete house and finally this week we started our driveway. You are probably as tired of hearing about my half-finished house as I am tired of having a half-finished house. But if you remember, for the last several months our yard and driveway have looked like this:






Since we have been in our house (we moved in January), I have been braving the gravel driveway every morning and every evening. Now that might sound a little dramatic, but I can say I have honestly mastered the art of carrying a child and balancing my computer and bags all while wearing high heels, in gravel. Though I think I can consider my heels a casualty of the driveway. To show my point, here is a picture of my favorite yellow heels now gnarled from the gravel:





So sad!


So Bronson has worked several long days and here are a few shots of the guys in action!









When Jack came home today we had him put the finishing touches on the driveway. Bronson put his hands in the concrete and then wrote his name and the date.











And this was the finished product!





And finally the boys had a little fun with Daddy's cowboy hat. I just can't decide who looks cuter in it!