Houston, TX

    Our next adventure will be our move to Houston, TX!  Matt graduated this December from his graduate program and was officially offered his dream job as a Global Petroleum Geologist with Halliburton in Houston!  We are so excited for this next stage of our lives and have been busy arranging our move and house hunting!  The most exciting part of all of this is that we get to share our excitement with Parker who we can tell is already excited to have his own backyard, a neighborhood swimming pool, and to be close to some of his cousins! We are excited as well for the warm weather, no snow, and I will be able to continue teaching my course online for BYU-I in our new home! We have been spending this transition time with both sides of the family, and we will definitely miss each of them.  Parker will especially miss his time with both sets of grandparents and all his aunts and uncles both in Idaho and Nebraska!

     Parker turned 1 in March!  Oh, how time flies!  We were able to go to the zoo for his birthday, and he had a blast!  He loves anything that has to do with animals!  In fact there is a picture below of him feeding the giraffe! His favorite animals were the jelly fish, the lions, and giraffes, but definitely not the goats!  Feeding the goats was one of the first times I have seen Parker truly scared! Then we came home to a big celebration with the family! He got some much needed new clothes for the warm weather in Houston and lots of toys!  One of his favorite toys had to be his new baby drum set which he hasn’t stopped playing since! He loves music! 

     His first birthday calls for a lot of new updates about our growing boy!  First, Parker is walking! He took his first steps just a couple weeks before his first birthday, but seemed to prefer crawling.  It was just this last week that he has really started walking EVERYWHERE and now he is testing out his own version of a run!  We are definitely getting ready for this whole new world of a toddler and being able to walk. He still talks all day, although we still don’t know what he is saying all the time.  He has mastered “Mama”, “Dadda”, and “Baba”.  He loves to clap and play Peek-A-Boo.  Parker will play Peek-A-Boo anytime, anywhere, and with anything!  Parker is a fan of books and loves to be read to.  He especially likes books with animals, and right now his favorite book is “Baby Touch and Feel Animal Farm” from his Grandma and Grandpa Morton.  He is eating totally solid foods now and we still haven’t found any food he doesn’t like! One of the things that has surprised us the most is how Parker has almost a full set of teeth! This does make it easier for him to eat his favorite food, Goldfish crackers!  His easygoing, kind, and calm nature have continued to grow with him. He is already over two feet tall and over 25lbs!  His gorgeous head of hair continues to grow and he has already had three haircuts!  Parker truly is a ray of sunshine everywhere he goes and to everyone he meets.  He is constantly smiling. Matt and I often comment on how his smile and hugs still melt our hearts every single day.  He is our biggest miracle and greatest blessing!

     Here are some of our favorite pictures from his first birthday and our most recent family photo shoot!  

Our Life in Fast Forward

Because I have neglected this blog for so many months, here is an update of our life in fast forward:

On Nov. 7, the adoption was finalized!

On Nov. 23rd we were sealed to Parker as a family for time and all eternity!

Parker is happy, healthy, and still the cutest kid EVER! He is already 10 months old. He is crawling, standing, and trying so hard to walk. He is eating grown up food and just discovered the joys of a sippy cup. He loves to laugh and enjoys anything with music. His favorite songs are "Parker, I Love You" written by Mom and Dad :-), "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus", and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam". He is constantly on the go and curious. He will put ANYTHING in his mouth. He has over 9 teeth and they are still coming in like crazy. He had his top four teeth and bottom four teeth by the time he was six months! His two favorite things to play with are people and animals. He makes friends with every kid he meets. He loves to talk although the only audible words so far are "Momma" and "Dadda". I can honestly say those are the sweetest words and it melts my heart every time he says it. Matt and I talk literally everyday about how blessed we are to have him in our family!

After 3 months of adoption leave, I returned back to work part-time. After a month or two and a lot of prayer, I decided to quit to be home with Parker full-time. Shortly after that, I was offered a position at BYU-I to teach an online course in Family Studies. This has allowed me to stay home with Parker while still bringing home an income. I am so grateful for this unique opportunity and blessing. 

On Dec. 21, 2013, Matt graduated from SDSMT with his Masters in Geology!  We are so proud of him!!!! He has been actively job hunting and is currently interviewing with several companies. It has taught us patience, but we know the right job is just around the corner! In the meantime, we have temporarily relocated to Boise to spend some time with our family while we enjoy this "limbo" phase of our lives. It meant we had to leave so many incredible friends and family in Rapid City who we miss dearly, but we look forward to our upcoming adventures.

We have had the chance to go on so many adventures as a family these last few months. Our travels have brought us to Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  Although we got to see many sites, if Parker could talk I am sure he would tell you his favorite part has been playing with all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins!  Here are some pictures from a few of our adventures over the holidays:

 

Halloween 2013 

  

Lights at Temple Square

 

Christmas 2013 at Grandma & Grandpa Morton's

 

 Christmas Morning

 

~Happy New Year 2014~