Laughing

Ok, it takes a lot of work to get this kid to laugh, you have to catch him at just the right time. I'm way excited we got this on video. I just love his giggle!

Happy October 11

Today is the seven year anniversary of our first date. I was a Jr and Troy was a Sr in High School. We went to the ice caves with Fred, Carson, and Amber. We got a flat tire and walked part of the way and had to hitch a ride with some college kids on the way back. I was so nervous and the whole time I just couldn't believe that Troy Parson had asked me on a date. Then at the end of the night he held my hand and I about burst I was so excited. Seven years later I still can't believe he picked me, but I'm so glad he did.

Epic Elephant: Shooting the Halloween Movie

Yesterday we shot the film for the Halloween party. It was pretty fun and we got a lot done. Here's some fun shots from the filming
Troy and Jordan
Fred, Carson, Matt
Jordan and Josh
Jordan: HobGoblin
Troy: Night Crawler
Alison: The cop
Rockwell
To see the film you'll have to come to the Halloween party on the 30th!

New Blog

Hey! Check out Alison's new blog Babysitting Blues http://aeparson.blogspot.com

Thoughts and insights gained in my first 4 months of Motherhood

-It was very difficult to imagine life with a child. It's just starting to become part of my "normal"

-Childbirth is painful yet survivable

-Being needed 24/7 is both draining and rewarding

-breastfeeding is dang hard but 3 months later after doing both it's SOO much easier than the bottle

-It's ok to start out the day with low expectations pertaining to housework. It spares some dissapointment

-fatigue is now my permanent companion

-it is humanly possible for me to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Who knew?

-Along with that, i actually can survive on only 6 hours of sleep instead of 9 (though I would prefer 10 if given the option)

-I've never had a job so demanding and so rewarding at the same time

-I think I have the most beautiful baby in the world. Nothing against other kids-- it's simply in my job description

-Having one kid makes having more kinds more daunting but less scary

-my sister Heidi was right-- baby smiles make it all worth it

-I look forward to him crawling, walking, talking, eating, etc

-I dread him crawling, walking, talking, eating, etc

-My house is in a constant state of mess. I can only assume it gets worse with each kid

-I hope he has friends

- Troy is great at being patient when I am frustrated

- Troy is my lifesaver

-I like being a mom way more than I ever thought I would

- It's an amazing thing to be busy and bored at the same time

- I love just holding him. It feels so right. I never knew it was like that

- Pop tarts make a great snack (fast)

- We have a loving Heavenly Father who gave mothers automatic instinct and inspiration for which I am grateful

All in all I can't believe how much I love my little boy, how hard it all is, how great it all is. After all my fears and doubts about having a baby it is the most worthwhile thing I have ever done. I have learned so much in so little time including how much I don't know yet. It's pretty much just the best job ever

P.S. For all of you who pinched his chubby cheeks or squished his little leg rolls and asked me, here's his four-month stats:

Weight: 14.5 lbs 69%

Height: 24 inch 43%

Head circ: 26.5 inch 62%

Thank you

Because....

-I needed a project while "waiting" for my baby to arrive...

-Trent LOVES blankets...

-I wanted to do something special for Dyan...

-Their wedding colors were so beautiful....

I made Dyan and Trent a quilt for their wedding! But a small project quickly turned into a huge project when I decided to make it queen sized for their bed and then hand quilt it.

So it turns out this quilt is from me, my mom, and my sisters Sarah and Heidi (without whom none of the projects in my brain would ever become a reality). I wanted to say "Thank you!" for all the time and effort they put into this also. I wanted you guys to see how beautiful it looks in her room. Dyan and Trent LOVE it. Trent says "What a blessing" they don't have to use their old black and tan comforter.
Stay tuned for my next project: I'm totally making one of these for us (in blue and brown!)

Calvin Ball

I grew up with 4 sisters and all girls in my primary class. Playtime sounded something like this:

"pretend your barbie is mad at my barbie"

and

"Say your barbie comes over to my house"

It was a great way to grow up and it worked quite well until you got sick of telling each other what to do. Now I get to babysit a 4 year old boy and have the joy of playing with him and his friends. Something I didn't know about boys: anything goes! And I love to play along! let me demonstrate a conversation we had (I'll call him J):

J (on the porch): you're, you're the bad guy. I'm shooting your ship

Me (on the ground with the younger kids: oh no I'm sinking!

J: now you back alive.

Me: Ok, now I shot your ship
J: my ship is made of stuff that can't sink. Now, now, I shot your ship adin (again)

Me: But i just put up a forcefield around my ship

J: Well I have bullets dat can shoot through forcefields

And it just keeps going until fighting breaks loose. Get the picture? It's awesome! Too bad real life can't be like this sometimes. I mean like "your bank account is empty" "Well, i just put a million dollars in it" kind of life. I guess there's no point to this post except this: every boy plays Calvin Ball.