R&B News

Skeleton!

2011-10-31T18:34:00.001-07:00

Posing in front of our happy pumpkin house!

Visiting our next door neighbors, Barren, Elizabeth, baby Paxton and Monte the dog.

Ready to get my spook on!

Heading out with Daddy!

Happy Halloween!

Daddy: What was your favorite part of Halloween JR?

JR: Eating all that candy!

Halloween: the preparation begins

2011-10-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

To prepare for Halloween, JR decided to do some very good exercises in the spirit of all things spooky. Step one: dress like superhero at BFF's birthday party and run around like a crazy person. Check.

Step two. Sit on pumpkin at Nana's house to test its strength and endurance. Nana, this one is ready for your neighborhood festivities. Check.

Step three. Review and approve Nan's super spooky spiderweb on front porch. Yep, this looks good.

Step four: Give lots of love to pumpkin. After all, it has a tough job ahead!

Step five: Build up trick-or-treating endurance by taking a trial run, literally, through neighborhood with Daddy and Pop. Run with umbrella in case we have to prep for a rain plan. Rain won't stop him!

Step six: Pick out Daddy, Mommy, and JR pumpkin. Of course, Mommy's pumpkin rots before Halloween eve, so we are left with the best pumpkins (from Hall Family Farm) that we picked ourselves. Baby pumpkin gets painted.

Daddy pumpkin gets cleaned out and carved. Check.

Step seven: Try on Mommy's witch hat. It looks pretty good, I think.

I am ready for Halloween. Bring it!

Found: New Favorite Playground

2011-10-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

Alas, Charlotte does have worthy playgrounds! JR and I ventured out and found one at William Davie Park one weekend! It is affectionately called the "red, white, and blue playground" by locals. Even Batman was impressed (yes, my kid was the one on the playground with half of a Batman costume on).

Goodbye, Dupre Drive

2011-10-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

Our house closed on October 14th, 2011. We sold it to a great family--a single mom and 3 year old little girl. The mom was so excited and cried at the closing. She was having a "yay for me" party the night of her closing, which made us feel great. I know we will miss our little home of 8.5 years, but we will always have our awesome memories!

App State v. Wofford

2011-10-31T17:49:00.001-07:00

It was great to tailgate with our best buds for App State v. Wofford! GO TERRIERS!

Yay for fall!

2011-10-31T17:45:00.001-07:00

Wofford v. Clemson: A BFF Reunion and more

2011-09-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, the mighty Wofford Terriers took on the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley. The Terriers played the best they could and led through the entire first half of the game. Clemson took the first lead of the game in the 3rd quarter, and we ran out of steam. So proud of them and glad we made the trip!

The game was amazing, but what was even better were the friends and family that we spent time with! Emme rode with us, and Remsen's brother Clayton and his frat brothers were there, too. JR was able to hang out with his BFF, Elliott, and Elliott's parents, Miles and Renee. Several folks asked if the boys were twins!! From the pictures, they do look alike--and they even had the same shoes on!! The boys made some lasting memories on their first trip ever to a BIG college football stadium.

So glad football season is here....cool mornings and sunny days, tailgating, friends and sports! Who could ask for more?

Movin' on UP....to Charlotte

2011-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

It is official; we live in Charlotte now. On Labor Day weekend, we packed up a Uhaul and drove up to our rented townhouse in South Charlotte, near Ballantyne. Nana and Pop came up to help unload (after loading the night before!) and help entertain JR while we hunted for some small space furniture at Ikea. Once we got back, even JR lended a hand in putting together our new couch!

The week after we moved, we received word that we had a buyer for our house! woohoo! After negotiations, we have agreed to a price, have survived the termite inspection and home inspection (punch list to come tomorrow) and are awaiting word from the buyer's appraiser tomorrow. It is bittersweet to sell our sweet, cute house that we love so much, but the buyer is a single mom who LOVES the house and will be an awesome homeowner. She is excited, and that has made the sting of selling a bit more bearable. If all goes well, we will sell our house by mid-October.

JR started Omni Montessori today and had a super day! Now, we have to finalize our decision of which nanny to choose, and hope that the candidate doesn't back out at the last minute--this has happened to us once already, and we would really like to avoid a disruption in his schedule and life.

I start work on Monday, September 19th at Omni and could not be more excited. Staying at home has been nice, but I really need a challenge and purpose (not to mention the $$!). Can't wait to make money for my family by making money and fundraising for the school. I have a lot to learn about the community and am really blessed to have this opportunity to do it!

HHI: July with the Brannons

2011-09-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Parrish and Brannon Family vacation: AKA....adventure that we will never forget! The weather was great, but we were robbed, had a flea infestation and overall bad luck! Lucky for us, the beach was our savior and the kids had a great time! AND, last week, the police found Adam's stolen laptop and the bad guy is in jail!

July 4th with family and friends!

2011-09-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful July 4th celebration at Nana and Pop's house and had the Perry Family and Emme over for the fun. JR and Ava Grace had a wonderful time picking tomatoes and eating yummy hot dogs and fixins!

HHI: June, 2011

2011-08-13T17:48:00.001-07:00

Bet you didn't know...

2011-08-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

That JR Parrish doubles as Batman on the weekends! He is BIG on Batman!

Family Photo shoot, May 2011

2011-08-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

too, too, too long

2011-08-13T12:27:00.001-07:00

It has been waaaaaay too long since we last posted. Six months, to be exact. And a lot can happen in six months. Really, in our case, A LOT! So, I'm just going to have to give you the Reader's Digest/ Cliff's Notes version....

The spring was full of travel, and change. In February, Remsen and I went to NYC to have a fun weekend and spend some time with Remsen's cousin, Lucia. It was an amazing trip...full of laughter, sights, and food. JR was especially excited about the toys we brought home.

JR with Woody

In late February, my dad discovered his melonoma had spread to his kidney and had it and lymph nodes removed to further fight cancer. He was brave and the surgery was a success, even if he had to spend his birthday (March 29) in the hospital. Remsen and I drove down to surprise him, and I left the next day for the ACHI conference in Austin, TX, where I was presenting with co-workers about AccessHealth Spartanburg.

Austin was amazing, as was the conference; however, while in Texas, we received the news that Remsen's company, Extended Stay Hotels, would be relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina in August. This news was difficult, and it launched a full-on evaluation of our life and our options. We have lived in Spartanburg since the mid-90's, had married here and started our family. We are surrounded by friends and family, and we love our home and surroundings.

What would we do? ESH gave employees one month to decide.

Remsen was promoted to Director of Purchasing.

Should we stay or should we go?

April 29 was D-Day.

In a leap of faith, and determining that if we didn't like it we could always come back, we decided to relocate with the company. I was encouraged by the idea that Charlotte was a big city, and the big city would certainly hold some opportunities for me (job wise) and for JR (school wise), for our family (culturally, socially) and for Remsen (career-wise). And really, if we hate it, we move back. It will be our little adventure.

So, we embarked on all of the actions a family takes when preparing to relocate to another city.

House on the market. Check.

3 month notice given to my job. Check.

Research on Ft. Mill, SC and Charlotte neighborhoods (in case house sells). Check.

Research on pre-schools, and JR on a wait list. Check.

(And then we waited).

While we waited, some fun stuff happened.

We took a trip to Douglas to see dad, post-surgery, in April. And that is where Remsen killed a snake with a single shot-gun blast, and where JR caught his first fish. It was quite an adventure.

We attended (as always) Wofford Eggstravaganza, and we spent Easter with Mom, John, Emme, Clayton, Valerie, Mackenzie, and Abby....hunting eggs in the Spartanburg sunshine. It was a wonderful holiday!

JR potty trained (almost overnight), we went to birthday parties, Greenville Drive games, and hosted a ladies' cycling team for the Spartanburg Crit.

JR became wholly infatuated with Batman. And Scooby Doo.

Remsen gave me the best Mother's Day gift ever--a trip with my bff, Gina, to Grove Park Inn.

And we had a family photo shoot at the end of May with Erica Turner (see next blog post--her photos are amazing!!).

In June, we went to Hilton Head as a family, and Remsen and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.

In July, we celebrated my birthday, had a memorable beach adventure with the Brannon Family, and celebrated Remsen's birthday. From afar, we celebrated the wedding of my step-brother, Marc, and his new wife, Gay. And we started the countdown to football season. I started to prepare for life after AccessHealth, and participated in finding my successor (Carey Rothschild--hurray!).

So that brings us to August. Our house is still on the market (3 months, 2 open house events, and 9 lookers, but no contract), and we have dropped the price.

I am a week into overlapping with my replacement, and it is hard work trying to explain 18 months of operations in 3 weeks, but I am really glad I have this time with Carey. My last day of work is August 26.

That said, I am in the running for a position at Omni Montessori School, and I am so excited--it is their first-ever Director of Development position, and it would be a great fit for my experience and passion--marrying non-proft development work with my love for teaching and education initiatives. I have a second interview on Monday, August 15. Fingers crossed.

JR's last day of school was Friday, August 12, and although he seemed to celebrate having "No more school, Mommy", I am pretty sure he is going to miss it (especially his BFF Elliott).

Remsen reports to Charlotte one week from today (yes, a Saturday. How lame). He is taking advantage of the 3 months of hotel lodging provided by the company but will plan to commute a bit too. If our luck changes and I (a) get a job, or we (b) sell our house, we can rent in Charotte or Fort Mill. Fingers crossed this is the course, as living on one paycheck 90 miles from each other will not be easy.

Whew. It has been quite a roller coaster, and we hope for less ups and downs as we move North (and hopefully forward).....

How many posts does it take to describe JR's birthday? That's right! 3!

2011-02-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

The birthday boy's breakfast of choice: Krispy Kreme Donuts!
Aftermath of Krispy Kreme...in a sugar-filled, happy belly coma.

Look ma! Frosted fingers!

With PawPa and Grandmother Joan...so happy they could be here to share the weekend!

Looking all dapper in Nana's gift!

More birthday pictures!!

2011-02-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

JR's bedroom...in route to destruction!
Gina and Ava Grace watch as JR opens presents!

Cake time!

Cousin Mackenzie

Cousin Abby approves the cake as delicious!

JR 3.0

2011-02-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

The Birthday Boy before guests arrived--very excited about his party!The house (before the party)...decorated up for the big celebration! The very chocolate, very blue cake....made by Cakehead Bakery to match the birthday boy's request!
In full swing...the dinner portion of JR's third birthday!

Opening presents with help from buddies Sam (at right) and Bolen (left).

Snow, snow and more snow

2011-01-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2011...we awoke to 5 inches of snow, and it has just now stopped and we are now awaiting the sleet!

The New Year's Adventures of Emery and JR!

2011-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

What could be better than starting the New Year's with football and friends?

Nothing!

Friends Jaime, Chris and son Emery came up from Lakeland, Florida to hang out, celebrate the New Year and watch Clemson and USF play in the Meinecke Car Care Bowl. JR and Emery are just a few months apart in age and had a blast together......

sneaking popcorn

posing at Bull Hawg's BBQ

cartoon watching

hand reaching

book reading

New Year's Eve frolicking

and general silliness

Christmas, Christmas and more Christmas

2010-12-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

In JR's words, "Christmas is the best day ever."

But let me back up. First for family, and our Cousin's Christmas celebration in Columbia. We had a blast with all of our cousins and had a relatively mild Chinese gift swap. JR had a blast with his cousins, Mackenzie, Abby, Ella and Groves.

Back in Spartanburg, we got a chance to hang out with the Hipps (yay!) and the Brannons (double yay!), and Remsen had emergency oral surgery (pesky wisdom teeth--BOO!). We loved catching up with Aaron and Pam and hearing about their new (old) house in St. Louis, and we had a blast playing with Sarah Beth. JR was very good and shared his toys and only tried to run over Sarah Beth once with his big new fire truck.
On the mend and on Christmas Eve, we hosted Emme for presents and fun. JR opened his gifts with jubilation and excitement. He had so much fun that we completely forgot to leave cookies and milk for Santa (of course, JR didn't even notice).
Christmas morning came early (6:45am) and Santa left a LOOT of toys! We played with toys and then went to Nana and Pop's for delicious breakfast and MORE TOYS! After this, JR had the revelation that Christmas was the "best day ever!" To top it off, Spartanburg saw a white Christmas. This was great and fun but it postoned our trip to see PawPa and Grandmother Joan in Douglas, Georgia. We are looking forward to our New Year's with friends Jaime, Chris, and Emery.
Enjoy the photos, and have a wonderful start to 2011!

Christmas time!!

2010-12-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

It is a magical season for JR. He is super excited about all of the presents Santa will bring and he's being extra good because Jangles the Elf is watching over him every day. He has only asked for one thing--Thomas the Train (he is, of course, getting much more). We have yet to seek out a Santa experience, probably waiting too late to actually go. We imagine he would probably be a little freaked out by Santa anyway. He loves Christmas so much he watches The Grench every day!
JR has recently gotten really into building with Lincoln Logs (well, we build, while he hits the little people figurenes and horses with the wooden logs). He calls Becca and Remsen "Mama Bear" and "Daddy Bear" and is STILL holding on the his crib, his hoopie, his taggie ball, and holding out on learning to use the potty. Today, on the way home, JR said, "I'm a baby, Mama Bear!" Indeed. He enjoyed the end of football season (even if ended by the Georgia Southern Eagles) and is really loving Wofford basketball. We went to the game versus High Point on Saturday night, meeting up with JR's best buddy Elliott and his parents. At halftime, JR and Elliott were hand-picked from the audience to "race" in little pedal cars on the court in front of the whole crowd! They did awesome and had so much fun! They just love each other and are too, too cute.

Other than the impending Santa-fest, we have been keeping busy with a few other things. Becca has been hard at work raising money for AccessHealth, and recently learned that the employees of Spartanburg Regional Hospital System have committed $400,000 to her program! Wow!

We spent Sunday celebrating Christmas with family in Columbia. Will post some pictures later!

Tomorrow night, we get to have a special visit with Aaron and Pam Hipp, as they take a quick stop in Spartanburg before heading to Hilton Head. YAY! We get to spend Christmas Eve with Emme and Christmas Day with Nana and Pop! After Christmas, we'll visit Becca's dad and stepmom in Douglas, GA and then return to Spartanburg to spend time with friends Jaime, Chris and Emery and go to the Meinecke Bowl to see USF take on Clemson! Woohoo!

Remsen will be having oral surgery on this Thursday to have his wisdom teeth extracted. He had hoped to wait until 2011, but his stubborn back toofus begged to differ, swelled up and forced the appointment for the eve of Xmas eve. Hopefully, the tooth fairy and Santa will combine forces to reward him for his troubles, and Christmas won't be too bad after all!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Oh the fun past month!

2010-11-26T04:10:00.000-08:00

The past month has been amazingly fun--from football games to Halloween to Thanksgiving, we sure are enjoying life! JR is looking forward to Christmas and Santa; he can't wait for a Christmas tree and is already thinking about all of the toys he wants Santa to bring. Jangles the Elf will be joining our family on December 1st, so stay tuned for holiday pictures (once we buy a new camera!!).....

Until then, enjoy these pictures from the last few weeks.....

JR and Mackenzie at Furman v. Wofford home football game!

JR as a witch (or warlock?) for Halloween.

Enjoying turkey leg at Emme's Thanksgiving feast!

Grrrrr

2010-10-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

JR's shirt says it all. 2.5= GRRRRR....

He's had a rough couple of weeks. This was one of the first times in days that we have actually seen him smile!

HHI trip September 2010

2010-10-19T15:54:00.001-07:00

Here are the much delayed photos of our trip to Hilton Head Island back at the end of September....we had a lovely time thanks to the Hipps!

The absence....the updates!

2010-10-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we've been lax. It's football season, and our camera is broken. Booooooo! In the last month, JR has really blossomed at school and is developing quite the clownish personality (in his own words, "I'm funny!") He is loving football season and his new best friend, Elliott. They are so cute together--very boyish and active and copying everything the other one does. It is hysterical.

We went to Hilton Head in late September and had an amazing time, thanks to Jim and Edie Hipp. We played on the beach in beautiful weather, swam in the ocean and at the pool, and enjoyed visiting Harbortown (including the lighthouse!) and seeing boats. The oysters weren't half-bad either!

JR continues to work with his speech therapist, Ms. Kim, and knows his colors, can count to ten, and is working on singing his ABC's. "Fire truck" doesn't come out quite the way it should, but we know what he's saying (even if it sounds like cursing!). He says new words everyday. Today it was "bell" and "trophy". He also started apologizing for naughty things (like spilling or hitting) and woke up today and said (very honestly), "I'm sick Mommy. I want apple jacks." To be fair, he has had a random high fever since yesterday and can be pretty pitiful when feeling yucky.

JR and Remsen love to make up games to play; the games du jour are "Tent" and "Teddy Bear Tackle". Both of these games are played on our King-sized bed (as JR is still in a crib, and therefore too small for such games). Tent consists of being under our blanket (as if it is a tent), usually with a football or teddy bear, where we have an imaginary campfire on which JR cooks imaginary hot dogs and then feeds them to us, first warning that they are hot. Then he goes through a bunch of other foods and non-foods (like pizza and dirt and sand), saying yum or yuck. He has a great imagination and is really funny. The second part to the Tent game is being chased by "bears". Any noise outside the tent (outside traffic, dogs, whatever) triggers the same response from JR: "What's that noise?" "Oh" (makes o with his mouth and his eyes get really big). "Bears." On top of this step, our golden retriever Sadie, will sometimes act as our bear, sticking her nose in the tent, howling, and jumping on the bed to try to get us. It is awesome and makes JR squeal with excitement.

Teddy Bear Tackle involves JR's new BuildABear Workshop Bear (named BA-BALL) and Remsen runs the bear all over the bed and JR tackles him. He loves to tackle and loves football.

Potty training is coming slowly, and we aren't pushing him. He is getting more comfortable sitting on the potty but would rather just run around in a diaper. He does know how to take off his diaper, though, and is working on getting dressed and picks out his clothes and shoes.

Official growth stats (from this week's doctor's visit):

Weight: 35.5 lbs
Height: 36 inches

We are really enjoying our baby before he completely turns into a big boy...hope to post some pictures from Nana's borrowed camera soon.

CakeHead Bakeshop and the JR!

2010-09-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

So, one of our favorite friends, Liz Blanchard, opened her very own bakery a few weeks ago in downtown Spartanburg.

Cakehead Bakeshop(www.cakeheadbakeshop.com) is located in the old Masonic Temple building, sharing a space (and great energy) with The Coffee Bar (Little River Roasting) and the Hub City Bookstore. I could hang out in the space all day and never tire of the experience, the people, the sights and smells. It is divine.

The bakery offers muffins, scones, cakes, pies and best of all.... cupcakes. One of the cupcakes offered is called "The JR", named after our very own kiddo! The flavor (taken from the menu): The JR: devil’s food, peanut butter icing, chocolate ganache, and toasted peanuts.

Devil's food cake....sounds about right, right?

JR enjoys cupcakes from Cakehead Bakeshop!

Interesting conversations with JR

2010-08-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

This morning....

Me: "Good morning bubba! What would you like to eat for breakfast?"

JR: "Ummmm," (stopping to ponder--you can see him thinking) "I want poop."

Me: "Poop? For breakfast?"

JR: "Yeah (smiling now. because he knows how silly he is)."

Me: "That's gross, baby. We don't eat poop."

JR: "Yeah. from ou-side"

Me: "Not gonna happen, J. Pick something else."

JR: "Why?"

Me: "Because we don't eat poop. It's yucky."

JR: "Oh. Oh-tay. I want snack."

For the record, he next asked for an icy pop but settled for applesauce, which he only half-ate because he then asked for yogurt.

Sigh.

Countdown to football season: Terrier Tales Event 2010

2010-08-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Terrier Tales Reading Program Kick-off Party was held by the Wofford College athletic department at the Spartanburg County Public Libraries tonight to celebrate "Terrier Tales." The event featured interactive games for kids, and we had a chance to meet several Wofford football players, including Mike Rucker, Pat Illig, Clark Bishop, Trey Johnson, Ben Wilmoth, Jared Singleton, and Eric Breitenstein (whose #7 jersey is shared by JR)!. JR had a blast showing off his football skills--throwing the ball, catching, running, and tackling. The best part was giving the players high fives! He impressed the big boys!

Prediction: Tall like Daddy....O-LINE all the way. Mommy's shorty genes: FULLBACK

Wofford, Class of 2030

August in pictures

2010-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

So here's August in JR's world.

Playgrounds and trains

Silliness!

Starting a new school!

Watermelon!

Golf and veggies

2010-08-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

JR and I picked our last bounty of the summer season...our final squash zucchini and watermelon. JR took a break from teeing up his golf swing to help.

JR the builder

2010-08-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Remsen's Sunday project was to make a cornhole set for the upcoming football season. After JR's nap, he decided to pitch in and "help" and had some fun with tools.

JR and Tay-die

2010-08-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

JR loves Sadie. And Sadie tolerates JR.

Choo choo tRain

2010-08-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else love the IKEA trainset as much as my child? I don't think so! He plays with these every day and never tires of them. Wearing funny hats during train play is just a bonus.

JR version 2.5

2010-07-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the long absence. We've been busy bees lately. After getting back from our family vacation at Edisto, we had my 33rd birthday celebration and were excited that Dad and Joan could be in Spartanburg to help me celebrate! We had a big weekend, which included a trip to Gramling Farms! We pet a pony and took a carriage ride, too. JR had a blast! Many thanks to Grandmother Joan for sending us the pictures above!

On Sunday, Mom and John hosted a lovely birthday breakfast, and then Remsen and JR took me to Greenville for dinner and a Greenville Drive game! Even though the game got rained out, we had a super fun time! Plus, my big present was a flip video camera, so I am working on figuring out how that works and hope to upload some videos soon!

JR is 2 1/2! He has really started talking and singing. The transition from vacation back to preschool has been very hard for him though, especially at drop off. He'll be moving to a new school in August, so I hope this stage passes quickly! We've been swimming a lot at the Spartanburg Athletic Club pool, and JR LOVES the water. He will jump off the side of the pool into the water (usually wearing water wings but sometimes without!) and is getting really great at kicking. We have to drag him out of the water. His love for trains also continues to grow and he still watches one episode of Elmo's World just before bed. JR is silly and active and sits back and watches other kids in social situations. He is a super athletic and still has a great gap-toothed grin. We just love him to pieces!

AccessHealth Spartanburg opens its doors on Monday, and work has been crazy. We were featured on the local news on Friday night in a piece about the huge number of uninsured patients and the long waiting lists at our free clinics. It is an overwhelming issue to tackle, and I am excited to be part of the solution. Unfortunately, the work won't wait....so I am signing off for now!

Edisto 2010 Part 2: I want Abby!

2010-06-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

At home, JR is forever asking to see pictures and video clips of his cousin, Abby. Not only are they close in age (6 weeks apart), but they also understand each other and can spend forever babbling and laughing together here at the beach. They pretend to go night-night, they play in the sand together, drink juiceboxes, eat snacks and have singing contests on the beach house porch. And this is just the beginning....to think that they will grow up together (and grow up faster than we want) is amazing and exciting.

Cousins forever!

Edisto 2010, Part 1

2010-06-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Cousin fun

Football preview magazines with Daddy

Whoa, DaDa, whoa!

The Palmetto Peach

On Sunday, we made it to Edisto, and to the Palmetto Peach (a house that is not peach in color but turquoise blue...go figure!). Upon arrival we discover that the A/C unit is leaking and pouring water into the house (as JR says, "Oh no, wain mama, in da house!"). We quickly discover that the brand new unit, installed earlier that day, had some issues, so the repariman came back Sunday evening (and then again Tuesday evening) to fix it. The house has been quite an adventure, experiencing brown outs and broken washing machine, shower faucet, and screen door. It pays to be handy on vacation; we finally got things working! Peachy keen!

The Parrish cousins arrived on Monday at lunch, and we have been having a blast together so far, and it has been so much fun having our nieces, Abby and Mackenzie, around. JR is so funny with them--he is much more silly and social, and he has picked up lots of new words hanging out with his cousins.

And of course there has been swimming....lots of swimming, and sandcastles, and jumping waves, and playing with toys (the kids), and margaritas (adults only, of course), and yummy seafood, snacks, reading sports magazines on the beach, sunshine and a little rain.

More updates and photos to come!

Charleston Trip 2010

2010-06-29T10:21:00.001-07:00

We started our family vacation in Charleston and went to the James Island County water park, hit downtown Charleston for shopping and oysters, and found ourselves at a Charleston Riverdogs game (against the Greenville Drive)! Before we headed to Edisto, we spent Sunday morning at Isle of Palms.

Below are some great shots from our pre-beach weekend adventure.

Mackenzie's Birthday Celebration!

2010-06-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our niece, Mackenzie, just turned 6 and we were very excited to celebrate with her in Augusta, Georgia last weekend. It was a super pool party, with cupcakes, presents and an almost indestructable pinata!

Mackenzie!

Above: Abby and the cupcake

Below: Blades of grass beneath JR's toes

Mackenzie gets a boost from her dad, Clayton

JR and Remsen hanging out below the float!

Two going on sixteen

2010-05-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh. This is JR going on sixteen. Ready to drive!

AccessHealth Spartanburg: the identity!

2010-05-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

It is time for the big reveal! AccessHealth Spartanburg has a logo and is settling in to the new office! Staff is coming on board and we will be ready to open soon!

Big boys, big dogs, and BIKES

2010-05-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Offroad, baby!
Racing Daddy

Having too much fun!

Big smiles

Hanging like a monkey at Happy Hollow Park

JR at school (He has his favorite "bub" shirt on--aka bug)

Sadie (or, as JR says "Tay-die")

Polk...yeah, he is peeing. It is the only time we can get him to stand still for a picture. And JR calls him "Pope."

Goodbye Rav-4, hello new Highlander

2010-05-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yay for a new car for our family. Third row seat! V-6 engine! Red! Shiny!

Parrish family garden...in bloom

2010-05-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

So, about a month has passed since planting our garden, and we now can report some progress! Squash and sunflowers are fighting to be the stars of the garden. Unfortunately, they are also fighting weeds. Cilantro is also growing well in the pot at the corner, and the tomato plant in the Topsy Turvey is doing much better than tomato plant in a pot on our back deck.

Parrish Family Garden

2010-05-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

It started on Easter Sunday with a little plot in our side yard, the sunniest spot we have for a garden. Remsen dug and prepped the soil. So, we took out our seeds and went to work planting. JR loved pushing the seeds into the ground.

Then it was time for the water! This was the best part of all! After we watered the garden, JR ran through the spray, squealing all the way!

It is small, but this is how our garden started!

With work and play done for the day, JR celebrated with a juicebox. Ahh, the life of a kid!

On this Mother's Day, 2010

2010-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

On this Mother's Day, 2010, I look at my child and think about all the fabulous things about being a mom....sweet smiles and kisses, hugs and laughing, silliness and love. I am so lucky to have the best family on earth!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, to Emme, to Joan, and to all moms out there! You are special!

Biketown and Team Treads.com/DFT

2010-05-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Biketown and Spring Fling! On Friday night of Spring Fling, Spartanburg hosts cycling races downtown as part of a professional series called Speed Week. This was the 6th annual race, and it was a blast (as always!). We have been every year, but this year we decided to open our home to host a cycling team...and 3 out of 4 ladies from the Treads.com/DFT pro team stayed with us. We had an awesome time spending time with our ladies--Liza, Linsey, Cat, and Tiffany, and having a team to cheer for made the event really amazing! Plus, Liza and Tiffany placed 4th and 5th!

Wooohooo! We were so glad we could go to this fun event with Emme, Nana, and Pop!
JR watching the men's race with Nana--Nana and Pop hosted a men's pro team: Hotel San Jose.

The men line up at the start....Nascar on Two Wheels, for sure!

JR enjoyed the race and liked the cookies from the VIP tent! Yum!

The women's pro race in action--they were really fast and had no crashes!

Treads.com/DFT team member Liza! GO LIZA! It took JR most of the weekend, but he finally learned to say her name!

Haircut results--the after!

2010-05-02T05:38:00.001-07:00

From the Crit race in Spartanburg, Friday, April 30th. JR wanted more cowbell.

First haircut

2010-04-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

JR went to get his first haircut at a salon today! Remsen's hairdresser, Kelly, did a great job and JR was a very good boy. He watched an Elmo video on Remsen's computer while I fed him fruit snacks.

We'll post the after picture tomorrow!

Like father, like son

2010-04-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

We've got some rabid Tiger fans in our family. Clemson Tigers to be exact....this was proven on Saturday when we went to see the Clemson Spring Game in beautiful Clemson, SC. The weather was perfect for our trip, and Emme joined us and we had a blast!

JR got a special treat with a new purple Tiger paw foot ball ("buh-ball") and his first real ballcap. He loves his hat so much that he will not go outside to play without it! What a special day!
Happiest sports fan ever. Now if football season would just get here already!
Focusing on that Tiger offense. Go, go, go!

What do you think? I think orange might be my color, Mama.

Easter 2010

2010-04-12T19:02:00.001-07:00

Oh what a wonderful Easter celebration we had with Nana, Poppy, and Emme! We hunted eggs and had a yummy lunch!

Easter bunny, easter bunny, bring me some eggs

2010-04-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Easter celebration was a blast and started with dying eggs (only slightly messy and dangerous).

Douglas and Jacksonville: Mommy and JR's Big Adventure

2010-04-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is old news....Wofford made the big dance, and JR and I went to watch history...along with most of Spartanburg.

We had a wonderful trip and even though our Terriers lost in the final seconds, they played tough and can be proud of their performance. It was great to be a part of that.

Even better, we got to have a long weekend with PawPa and Grandmother Joan in Douglas, Georgia. This meant we ate good, slept good, played hard, and visited our favorite spots, including Danny's Pizza, Norris Shoes, the downtown fountain (where we made wishes), and the historical museum (which had a WHOLE train section). It was awesome!

Catching up, part I

2010-04-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I've been slack on the pictures and stories. Believe me, it is not a lack of events, pictures, and stories to share....on the contrary, the Parrish fam has been very busy the past few weeks. I started my new job and am loving it (but have little time for fun things like blogging). Spring has ushered in lots of fun things, like Jazz on the Square with friends, walks on the Cottonwood Trail, Easter celebration, Clemson Spring game, a trip south to see family (and the Terriers in Jacksonville!), and planting our summer garden.....and of course, general merriment and frolicing outside while it is warm (but not too warm) and sans bugs.

JR is getting taller, but remains squatty, and is chatting much more now. His vocabulary has doubled and it sounds like he is really trying to make sense of the English language. He is, of course, still precious. He has adjusted well going back to full time days at school and loves playing with his friends. He is still sports-obsessed, but has branched out to watching Elmo's World on t.v. (otherwise, he could care less about cartoon bears or talking dogs).

Enjoy the new posts....and keep those comments coming!

Sandbox fun

2010-03-13T12:48:00.001-08:00

JR got a sandbox for his 2nd birthday and is enjoying it now that it is put together (and warmer outside). I don't really think he understands that the sand is meant to stay in the box, as his favorite activity is throwing it out.

Hey! This is fun!

So much fun, I am going to flash my fake smile at you, Mommy!

Pow! I throw sand to the left and to the right--right onto Daddy!

Uh-oh. That was naughty. Sorry, Daddy.

Kisses to make it better!

Dancin'

2010-03-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

Wofford makes the big dance! Woooohoooo! We will find out where we go and who and when we play on Sunday, March 14th during the Selection Show!

Will the Terriers play close enough to go?

Will I be able to convince my new boss to let me take vacation to go?

Stay tuned!

What I will miss when I am no longer part-time...

2010-02-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

Playing basketball
Above and below: Helping JR learn how to use his new potty (ok, maybe I won't miss this, but he is very excited when he sits on the potty bench...even if he isn't "using it.") Below, JR has fun opening the Potty Bench packaging

Naps. Enough said. Yeah, that's me in a crib.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

To our family and friends....we wish you love and happiness!

JR and the neverending birthday celebration

2010-02-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

JR is two, and it only took a week and a half to celebrate!

The festivities began on his actual birthday weekend, with a visit from PawPa and Grandmother Joan. During their visit, we got our first snow/ice of the season in Spartanburg. The snow was fun, but it cancelled our plans to have his birthday party on January 30th. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time, and JR really enjoyed his big present from PawPa and Grandmother, a big boy basketball goal!

The next week, we had a second birthday celebration with Gance and Poppy! What a great dinner we had (mostly because it ended with cupcakes), and JR is super excited about his sandbox....which will be installed once the pesky snow is on its way out!

The first weekend of February, JR had his third birthday celebration at Emme's house Friday night with Uncle Clayton, Mackenzie and Abby. More food, delicious cake (Thanks Cakehead Liz!) and more presents! Yippeee! Saturday afternoon JR and his girl cousins had a great time playing, and Saturday night we took him to the Wofford basketball game and were joined by family and friends to celebrate JR's love for "bahball". JR even got to be on the court during the introductions of the Wofford players!

All in all, JR celebrated TWO like a champ....now if only he can manage the age as well as all the parties!

Big change!

2010-02-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

As of February 19, I will no longer be Assistant Director of the Preservation Trust of Spartanburg because I have accepted a new position as Director of AccessHealth Spartanburg. The position is a grant funded initiative of the Duke Endowment and housed at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, which means fabulous benefits. I will be responsible for hiring and overseeing four employees: an IT person, a nurse, a social worker for case management, and a scheduler. Together, we will build a strategic plan to lead efforts to find medical homes for low income, uninsured patients, coordinating efforts of health-related non-profits in Spartanburg County, providing solutions for issues like payment, transportation to appointments, easing the application process for patients and having them in a "system" where care can be coordinated and information shared to best assist patients with their health needs. AccessHealth South Carolina is our state-wide resource: http://accesshealthsc.net/

More details to come!

Hello my name is....

2010-01-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

JR!

Sunny afternoon outside

2010-01-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Lucky for us, the sun came out yesterday afternoon, so we took advantage and had some fun in the yard! JR obliged a mini-photo shoot beween throwing, kicking, and hitting balls.

Zoo Atlanta

2010-01-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Train ride! (Or as JR would say "toot, toot")
Remsen and JR hanging with the monkeys and birds

JR doing his best scary lion impression

Hugs for the giraffe statue

Watching flamingos

Atlanta trip

2010-01-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Martin Luther King, Jr holiday weekend found the Parrish family in Atlanta, Georgia to have fun as tourists! We headed down I-85 on Saturday afternoon in the rain, and we found a great hole in the wall barbeque restaurant called One Star Barbeque. Mmmm....it was tasty.

On Sunday we rode the MARTA south to Peachtree Street then walked to the World of Coca Cola Museum to take a tour. It was really neat, plus we sampled beverages from all over the world!

Next, we toured the Georgia Aquarium, with a ton of other people....it began to rain again and so it was a great indoor activity. JR loved the sting ray pool (he especially loved tasting the water--blach!), and he loved watching the divers swim with sharks and fish in the huge glass tank.

Sunday night we joined friends Adam and Kent Brannon at the delicious Brazilian restaurant Fogo de Chao. Bottomless meat + great conversation=fun evening! JR especially loved the meat tongs and dessert.

Best of all was Monday morning...we went to Zoo Atlanta! What a great experience. JR made animal sounds and fought to stay in the chimpanzee area to watching the wrestling brother chimps. ..see next blog for Zoo Atlanta pictures!

Trees, glorious trees

2010-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

When I look out into our backyard, more often than not, this is what I see.It is beautiful and peaceful. I am so grateful to our backdoor neighbors who, like us, value the trees that make up this former WPA project pine tree farm turned-neighborhood.

I also love that across the street, SPACE has protected acres of land known as the Edwin M. Griffin Nature Preserve, home of Lawson's Fork Creek, miles of trails and you got it, even more trees. See what I mean at http://www.spartanburgconservation.org/

It is times like these that we are reminded of how amazing life is, with a nice cozy home in the trees!

Superman and the toilet paper caper

2010-01-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

Uh-oh. The wicked, dasterdly toilet paper villan struck again!

Luckily, Superman came to the rescue to help roll the toilet paper back into place (and roll his magical Little Einsteins great shrinking ball).

We practice rolling and tackling!

This ball will help me learn to roll! Thanks Mommy!You deserve a kiss for being a good superhero!

My work is done. I'm outta here.

Cold doesn't stop the kid

2010-01-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

I don't think little kids realize when it is cold outside. How is this possible? Are they just so energetic their little bodies stay warm? Is it how parents bundle them up (ala A Christmas Story, when the little brother has so many layers on that he can't put down his arms)? Do they just not notice outside conditions at this age?

Whatever the science, JR is bound and determined to play outside. Today I was up for it, because at least the sun was out.

Bring on the bubbles. I am not sure I have blogged about JR's love for the art of blowing bubbles, but it is the best and most joyous thing to watch. Even when he attempts to eat the wand...not even the slightest sour face with the taste of bubble juice. Uh-oh. The old "soap in the mouth for dirty words" trick might not work on JR in the future!

A lesson in cookies

2010-01-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

Cookies are a univeral like. I have never met a soul that would turn one down. Martha Stewart made them "good things." They are tasty, the sweeter the better....and you can't frown when sprinkles are around!

We started a family tradition of baking cookies and decorating them on Christmas Eve (for Santa, of course....nevermind that we ate most of them!). Having just attended a cookie swap (with very tasty and highly praised homemade peppermint chocolate chip cookies), I decided to make sugar cookies (and icing) from scratch, rolling it out and cutting it into shapes. My stock of cookie cutters are weird...a star, a heart and umbrella (the strange one!). The stars ended up like bloated starfish, the hearts more like the Gaffney Peach, and the umbrellas looked a bit like mushrooms. No matter! They still tasted yummy and were perfect for decorating. Note, JR LOVED the red sprinkles, emptying almost a jar on one cookie.

Although not holiday-themed, the umbrellas made sense after all...it rained on Christmas!

Santa says, "Ho, ho, ho"

2010-01-04T19:44:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve, JR finally got his "ho, ho, ho" down....just in time, too! We were so excited that we woke him up at 7am and led him into the toy-filled, present-stocked, living room (see evidence of the riduculous scene at left.)

His "big" gift was a play kitchen, which he LOVES. The burner and microwave make cooking noises, which leads us to agree that today's toys are WAY better than the toys of the 1970's and 80's! Note, that Santa also brought a very cool remote-control Publix truck. JR loves this because it is a "Vroom, vroom", and goes really fast! How did Santa know we love Publix so much? I don't think JR was able to mention this to the three Santas we saw, as he doesn't talk yet and became increasingly afraid of the bearded old man in a crazy red jumpsuit with each encounter.

We have lots more pictures to post from Christmas....stay tuned!

Great grands....

2010-01-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas time found us yet again gathering at Remsen's grandmother's home in Easley for the Cousins Christmas celebration. We had an awesome time and enjoyed watching all of the great grandchildren play together and (barely) pause for this picture:

On the bench: Abby, Ella, and JR; Seated: Mackenzie and Groves

Oh, oh 2010

2010-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Mmmm....eatin' on cookies.

Before we know it, our little baby boy will turn 2! We can hardly believe the past two years have gone by so quickly, and as we embark on this New Year, we can wait to see what is in store for our family.

We are so excited that JR is turning into such a big boy! Still a bit slow to talk, he uses sign language and expressions, plus says typical words like mama, dad, dog, bird, tree, yes, no...you get the picture. We'll be fighting quite a battle when it comes time to say "adios" to his pacifier.

He is very funny and very physical. He throws and catches, and kicks balls like a pro. He tackles and understands football and basketball games. He loves to laugh and be silly. He remains short and stocky....come on, Daddy, where are those tall genes??

JR is a super sweet boy. He gives kisses and hugs and says hi and bye to everyone in a room (including inanimate objects). He LOVES to read, bath time, and sleeps with his most treasured Taggie ball.

JR sleeps and eats like a champ, although sometimes he is hit with a nightmare that really shakes him up (that happened this morning). He is more interested in figuring out how toys work that the toy itself, and he's never in trouble at school.

The next few months we'll watch him develop leaps and bounds with language, hopefully grow taller and move through year two with (fingers crossed) grace and good behavior.

Happy 2010!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

Promise to post fall stories and trips, plus more Christmas photos and links to video!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

All we have to say is "Blue 92! Green 19" and JR is "hut-hut" off and running as the most awesome little Wofford Football Player ever! He really enjoyed going to the Wofford game and running around in his rain boots, and then going trick-or-treating with his daddy! Halloween wore him out!

More fun fall pics

2009-11-02T08:26:00.001-08:00

Fun fall photos

2009-10-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say hello and post some pictures of JR....we have lots of blogging and stories to catch up on (ie, trip to Madison, Wisconsin and Homecoming Weekend!), but today is all about recent shots of JR! Enjoy!Above: Book, book...the kid loves a book!

Below: All smiles on fall picture day (for preschool)

Above: Lookin' like a big kid (minus the lovie!)
Below: Lovin' the Publix car buggy (thanks, Gance, for snapping this pic!)

Wofford v. Wisconsin

2009-10-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

A second trip for football? Why, yes indeedy. This time we hit the road (actually the air) to Madison, Wisconsin to see our beloved Terriers face the Badgers. Oh yeah, and to eat cheese, drink some brew, and hang out with our friends, Aaron, Pam, Kristian, and Bethany.

It was awesome...despite the loss.

SUPER....BOY

2009-09-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Words cannot describe the joy of watching a little kid in a costume. JR truly acted like Superman when we put on (half) of his new costume. He was running around so much that we couldn't get his red shorts on.

Kisses for the Raulersons...all around!

2009-09-11T09:59:00.001-07:00

JR was not stingy with his goodbye kisses on our recent visit to Aunt Christine's house for a yummy lunchtime cookout! Here, JR doles out kisses to Sheree, Aunt Evelyn, and Aunt Christine....

Below, Becca poses with cousin Mark

Labor Day Weekend 2009!

2009-09-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

What a great trip we had down to Florida for Labor Day weekend! We flew Alligient from GSP to Orlando/Sanford airport and headed to Lakeland to stay with friends Jaime and Chris (and son Emery) before heading to the Wofford v. USF game on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. We had a blast with friends and family...even if our Terriers lost to the Bulls! Sunday we had a great cookout with the Raulerson family and then got to see the Lamars that night! We didn't get to see ALL of the family friends that we wanted to see, but that just means we can plan for another trip in the future! It was a fabulous trip....many thanks to Jaime and Chris for their awesome hospitality!

Parrish family at the tailgate!

Becca, Jaime, and the boys at the game

JR

Emery loves the Terrier!

Boys in the back of the car at the tailgate

Will post pictures of the Raulerson family visit later!

Back into the swing of things!

2009-09-02T13:31:00.001-07:00

Before you get all excited, just stop. We have no pictures to post today.

We can tell you about JR's first week back at school (last week), marking his official move from the baby room to the Toddler Room. He is a big boy now, eating lunch at a teeny table with all of his friends, time on the playground and napping on a little mat! Moving up also means dealing with very serious matters, such as attacks from a class bully (on the first day of school, no less). Luckily, teachers Sarah and Dudley seem to have nipped the bully in the bud, so no more acts of violence and "incident reports"! We get a daily report and now a weekly newsletter on the curriculum (they are studying the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see and are learning all about animals (noises, colors, habitats, diets).

JR continues to be one with a BALL. He is not a ball snob, any 'ol ball will do. Any size or shape, he will throw, kick, and now (his newest trick)...hit with a mini-baseball bat. This is is very favorite activity du jour, and he gets very upset when you suggest any other activity instead. I caught him on video showing off his baseball skills and will upload the video soon and post a link here on the blog!

Pawley's Island trip

2009-08-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

These pictures are from the first week of August, from our trip to Pawley's Island for the Simmonds family vacation....enjoy!

Edisto Beach vacation 2009, Part III

2009-07-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

As promised, this is the third and final installment of the Parrish Family Beach Vacation posts!

Now that we are back in Spartanburg, with pictures downloaded and memories recorded, we can say with 100% certainty that vacations should last forever! We had a blast...Gance and Poppy came to visit for the last week, and I celebrated my 32nd birthday. We posed for family pictures on the beach, had two beautiful days in the sun, and said goodbye to Edisto (for now!).

Enjoy the last of our family beach pictures!

Edisto Beach vacation 2009, Part II

2009-07-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Our vacation continues its wonderful experience. PawPa and Grandmother Joan came to visit Monday through Wednesday, and we had a wonderful time. We also had a great visit with the Heslop family and the Williams cousins! We wanted to bring you more pictures of our Edisto Beach vacation...

Edisto Beach vacation 2009, Part I

2009-07-10T04:46:00.001-07:00

Being on vacation is fabulous. Now that JR is fully upright and walking, it is hard work to keep him from running into the ocean....even if he does so cautiously. He really enjoys being in the water with his daddy in his special ring float, and he has been sitting in the surf with his mama, searching for coquinas and eating sand. Ah yes, the eating of the sand...this is his very favorite part of the beach. Dipping his fingers in the ocean and sucking on them (mmm...salty goodness) is a close second. Dogs on the beach make him smile, but seagulls make him squeal with joy; he could watch them for hours!

Here are some pictures to enjoy from the first few days of our beach getaway at Edisto....

Mmm...this sand tastes like chicken!

Standing tall in mama's chair

The goings on in the Parrish household...

2009-06-28T13:16:00.001-07:00

We've had lots going on lately, so please forgive cramming all of the happenings into one blog entry!

We've been painting (the outside of) our house over the past two months, and it is pretty much completed! We had a huge black snake come and watch the production...yikes.

See below for the grand reveal (TA-DA!):

JR started walking last week, so we have been chasing...he is so happy and very proud of this new accomplishment. He has also started dance-walking in his room (the new moonwalk, really, in honor of Michael Jackson); he starts at his music table and runs to the rug, does some funny looking squats (this is the dancing part) and bouncing, and when the music stops, he runs back to the table. This can go on for ten minutes with intermittent giggling and pointing, gibberish and waves to the dogs.

Note JR's newest shirt...HOPE>FEAR, from our favorite online t-shirt website, Sandbox Threads!

In other news...these boots are (not) made for walking.

Father's Day 2009

2009-06-21T05:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there....we know this dad is AWESOME!

It's been a while....

2009-06-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

We know; it has been a while since we last posted. We've been busy bees....painting our house (yes...the outside...yes...by ourselves!), celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary, buying a new (counter-depth) fridge (enter sigh of complete and utter excitement!), moving the old fridge to the garage (now Remsen's beer fridge, which actually holds more soda than beer), watching as JR begins to walk on his own, talk, laugh, joke, get MORE teeth, etc!

Lastly, we've been hoping for the swift recovery of Meredith (in the hospital now after surgery on Tuesday) and Wayne (also in the hospital after surgery today)...send healthy thoughts their way if you can.

We'll be posting pictures of the house (almost finished!) this weekend! In the meantime, enjoy a big smile from our little J.R.!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

We made our yearly trek to Edisto Island for our annual Memorial Day fun weekend with cousins and friends, and we had a blast...until JR got sick!

Poor baby had to make a trip to MUSC Children's Emergency Room in Charleston (closest doctor on a Sunday night during a holiday weekend!). He's still not 100%, but getting better every day.

Before JR started feeling whimpy, we had some beach time and got some great photos...

Updated photos of the fam

2009-06-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

Another ear infection...when will it end?!
Fun with cousins Mackenzie and Abby

With Gance and Emme!

First steps...torture for our JR

JR and Abby enjoying big kid crayons!

Mothers Day photos...better late than never!

2009-05-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

In the flowers at the Biltmore

Outside the winery

With Gance and Poppy

Walking off the brunch!

Happy Mother's Day!

JR in stats

2009-05-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Our fair son has been doing great...sleeping, eating, chatting, etc! We went to the doctor today and he weighs in at 25 pounds, and is 30 1/2 inches tall. He's a little short, but he makes up for it in big ways:

Teeth count: 8! His molars came in and he didn't even fuss about it!

Words: Da-da, ma-ma, uh-oh, hey, whoa, ball, "dis", "dat"....he is working on bird, boat, and book. He also says "mmmm.." when you ask if he is hungry! It is precious!

Actions: Brings a toy when asked, points at eyes, nose, ears, and mouth when asked, dances, throws balls, claps, plays peek-a-boo, waves hello/goodbye, turns pages of books and points to pages, pulls up and cruises on furniture, walks behind push toys, goes up and down stairs, walks holding on to your hand (otherwise he's a knee-walker!), and as of last night, he was going from sitting to standing without holding on! He is feeding himself and trying to use baby fork and spoon (loves to eat!), and puts the phone/cell phone to his ear and says, "heeeey".He is also starting to pay attention to cartoons on t.v. and tries to brush his hair. His level of independence is growing daily!

FUN with Polk

2009-05-05T08:26:00.001-07:00

JR and Polk have had some bonding moments over the past two weeks. JR pounces and pets; Polk just lies there and takes it. What a good dog!

Trip to Douglas!

2009-05-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful trip to Douglas, Georgia a few weekends ago to see my dad and Joan. We have discovered the trick to long road trips is driving at night, while baby sleeps. JR did great in the car and had a blast with his PawPa and Grandmother.

It's OPEN WINDOW season!

2009-04-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

If you look closely, you'll see the canine (and human) Parrish kiddos, enjoying a warm, breezy, open window Saturday afternoon. The dogwoods have bloomed and the azaleas are just now opening up all over the yard. Spring really is beautiful in Spartanburg.

We're in the midst of Spring Fever; getting outside more and embarking on home improvement projects. 705 Dupre Drive will soon lose its grayish-purplish color and be a nice neutral khaki. We can't wait to post pictures of the newly painted house next week...weather permitting!

We'll soon be posting pictures of our big trip last weekend to Douglas, Georgia. As always, PawPa and Grandmother Joan were fabulous hosts. JR had a big time! PawPa will have surgery in Valdosta on Monday, so we'll be thinking healthy thoughts for a speedy recovery!

Oh Easter Bunny!

2009-04-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Happy belated Easter! We have had a wonderful two events to blog about...the Wofford Eggstravaganza, and our family Easter celebration.

Wofford holds a fabulous family event on campus with egg hunts, picnic lunches, bouncy castles, and an Easter bunny. JR almost slept through the event...we arrived late but had a great time lunching on the lawn of Old Main and walking in the grass (chasing a ball of course). We saw lots of friends and had a wonderful time!

Our family Easter lunch and egg hunt at Gance and Poppy's was just perfect. JR was a big boy and picked up each egg, gave it a shake, and put it in the basket. Gance, Poppy, and Emme watched him...it was amazing to see him hunt the eggs. He walked (with help) all over the beautiful backyard and took a long nap afterward. Finding plastic eggs in the garden is hard work! While he napped, we watched a family of geese (with five babies!) in the lake. It was a perfect Easter Day!

Ode to March 2009

2009-04-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Happy, happy April! We are so excited that it is finally springtime, the weather is getting warmer, and JR is getting bigger! March was a fun month...full of adventure! JR took his first trip to the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. We ate a yummy Sunday brunch and then went to the stables to see the horses. The staff was nice enough to let JR see the horses up close and personal--he was so excited! It was a wonderful trip with Gance and Poppy.

Of course, March wouldn't be complete without March Madness! JR cheered for Clemson basketball, but they got knocked out in the first round....better luck next time Tigers!

JR got hit with a pretty nasty ear infection in March, so he looked like the picture below for quite a while!

Now he is feeling better...he knows that Easter is on the way!

Hanging out

2009-03-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, everyone!
love,
JR

March Happenings

2009-03-13T12:39:00.001-07:00

February was a blur, and March is escaping almost as quickly. So before the month completely gets away from me, I wanted to share some recent stories and happenings...

JR got to visit with his favorite girlfriend, Ava Grace Perry at his favorite lunch spot...Nu Way! Ava Grace is getting prettier every day and is such a big girl now!

JR has been practicing feeding himself with a spoon the last week or so...what a mess! He is also pointing at everything, which makes it a little easier to understand what he wants.Now listen, spoon, you do what I say, ok?

I'm starving!

I got this!

Remsen and I took a much-needed trip alone to Chattanooga for the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament. Our Wofford Terriers were defeated in the first round, but we stuck around to watch the other games (specifically Davidson and junior standout Stephan Curry). We had a blast stopping in Atlanta on the way to see Adam and Kent, and enjoyed Chattanooga...below are some pictures.

JR has yet to start walking, but recently got himself some PURTY shoes, thanks to Gance and Poppy and their shopping endeavors...finding wide shoes is hard business! JR is also not much of a talker, but knows how to use a telephone, and plays like crazy. He still loves music and dances by bobbing his head all around. He is a big clapper...a very happy baby overall!

In other news, we are very thankful that Remsen's mom Meredith (JR's Emme) will be having much needed surgery next week to repair a hernia and remove her gallbladder. We know this is a hard surgery to endure and are so proud of her strength to tackle it and get healthy!

We will post some pictures on Sunday after our BIG trip to the Biltmore with Gance and Poppy! So exciting!

Blizzard 2009

2009-03-02T12:27:00.001-08:00

Ok, so it wasn't a blizzard, but the five inches of snow certainly made for a winter wonderland in March!

Surviving the NYC

2009-02-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Parrish fam set off on the most spontaneous trip to date....NYC for Valentine's Weekend with a one year old.

And it was a success. JR not only earned his wings (no joke, Continental gives tiny wings to babies--what choking hazard?!), but he also loved the long strolls throughout the big apple, made especially long because Mommy didn't have her navigation hat on straight...and Daddy's navigation hat does not exist....fahgetabioudit! Sure it was a wee but chilly, but LOVE in NYC makes us warm!
We hit all the kid-approved spots: giant Toys R Us at Times Square, FAO Schwartz, Rockafeller Center, and Children's Museum of Manhattan. Mid-day naps at the Sheraton were also enjoyed by all.

The most rewarding aspect of the trip was visiting with friends and family: Lucia and fiance Brian, and Aaron and Pam. It is so fabulous to connect with folks, get in some truly great bearhugs, and meaningful conversation.

More from the First Birthday Celebration!

2009-02-05T08:54:00.001-08:00

New ball!

Birthday bear!

New wagon!

Lots of fun gifts to open!

Rain boots!