Surviving the NYC

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!

New ball!

Birthday bear!

New wagon!

Lots of fun gifts to open!

Rain boots!

Boy VS. Cake!

Well, our baby is on his way to becoming a little boy! He had his 1st birthday on Friday, got to visit with family, had a great birthday party and everything!

First, Aunt Karen and Uncle Mark came to visit from Seattle and the Parrish fam had a wonderful time with them! We had a great dinner at Gance and Poppy's where JR got an early birthday gift!

Shirtless, thanks to baby throw-up....don't ask.

PawPa and Grandmother Joan came to visit for the birthday weekend, too! What fun!

JR's birthday party was a blast and attended by Mommy and Daddy, Gance and Poppy, PawPa and Grandmother Joan, Emme, Uncle Stewart, Aunt Cheryl, and Nena! What a crowd! JR had a blast opening presents and eating his birthday cake! He also loved watching a picture slideshow that Daddy created on his ipod nano...

Will post more birthday pictures tomorrow!

2009...so far

I can already tell that 2009 is going to be trouble.

Instead of focusing on the recent death of my grandfather (Pop-Pop, bless him), potential health scares of family members and friends, and economic issues affecting this economy (and jobs), I am trying to look on the positive side of life and all of the fun developmental changes in JR's life. To make the long list short (and show you photographic evidence)...here we go....

Officially playing with Polk and Sadie (crawling all over Polk and rolling the ball to Sadie)

Showing off those top toofies

Practicing his strut. JR is also walking behind "walker" toys with no problem at all

Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy

Officially raiding the fridge...this must be a boy thing

Expanding his musical talents to include the tamborine

Uh-ohs, toilet paper, and the great Christmas celebration!

Whew. We have had a very busy holiday week here at the Parrish home. First and foremost, JR has mastered the phrase "uh-oh" and uses it all the time...when he falls down, when toys make a loud noise, and when things drop on the floor (or before he drops something on the ground)! He is also known to repeat it over and over again...just because he can. He is on the verge of lots of other words and seems genuinely interested in trying to say new sounds and phrases. So far, "dada" and "didi"are under his belt, as is "ba-ba" for bottle. He is getting the hang of "bu-bu" for bye-bye, says "heeeey" for hello, waves and claps.

JR has also discovered his love for, albeit not conservation-minded at all, unrolling toilet paper. He had a field day with it, causing quite the ruckus in his bathroom. He delighted in spinning the paper at first, and then realized the magical tp comes off in vast amounts and can be pulled and eaten and draped and dragged. Lucky for us the camera was close by and caught most of his devilish toilet paper caper.

And on to Christmas. What a special first Christmas it was! We discovered that not only does JR love all of the presents from family and friends, but he also LOVES the bows and ribbons that adorned the packages! He had so much fun! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Parrish Cousins' Christmas

Cousins' Christmas in Easley

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with Remsen's cousins, mom, aunt, and grandmother. A fun time was had by all...some photos are below:

Mackenzie and Abby JR in the holiday spirit

Ella and Groves

Christmas on its way!

We finally feel like Christmas is upon us! We bought our Christmas tree today, and let JR do the picking. Of course, procrastinating the task meant slim pickins in the Christmas tree lot, so it made his choice pretty easy. After getting the tree, JR posed for some pictures at Gance and Poppy's house...pictures we will be sending out with our annual Christmas card.

Tomorrow we head to Easley to celebrate the Parrish Cousins Christmas! JR is very excited to see his see his cousins ( cousins Mackenzie and Abby and Groves and Ella, second cousins), his great aunt Stella, Emme, and Nena.