visit from baby parker

after the zoo trip, we were fortunate enough to spend time with my cousin's new baby, parker...as she is still in the hospital. a two week old gem...parker stole our hearts immediately! hampton had THE BEST time playing "mom," catering to his/my every whim. hmmm...i kinda love it! she was the bestest helper, and parker was absolutely perfect! of course, his remaining umbilical cord decided to fall off during my watch! garry thought i was crazy to put it in a ziploc...(thank heavens i did...countless people have asked me if i saved it)! parker stayed awake for so long, i was able to do a mini photo session (as his mom, who also loves to take pics, isn't able to). he was awesome! what a treat! a relatively still newborn...doesn't get much easier than that! looking forward to my next babysitting adventure, as hampton tells me i am "the best babysitter ever!" awww! (i didn't ask her about the "best mom ever" award tonight)!

lions and tigers and bears...oh my

so, today was the schoolwide field trip to the zoo. lucky for me they planned it, as hampton has not been to the zoo since infanthood! honestly, i have never, ever (in my long-legged life), seen every single exhibit in the sedgwick county zoo in one trip. today i did. hampton and friends (aka jaxon & riley) viewed each map we encountered, assurance that we would not miss an attraction! the cute necklaces that adorned their necks, were perhaps incentive to see it all. the necklaces included a square to affix a dot sticker, once they had seen that animal. we had lunch early (10.30ish), and well, the lunch i packed for us stayed in the car...we settled on cheeseburgers & fries (more walking, are you kidding me)!?! once our group had been fed, we were bound to see the remainder of the zoo...and we did. funny, i thought we'd actually leave early, but we left right on time. there was just way too much for a four year old to take in! a fun day it was, despite the wind, that honestly is the reason i am still without a voice. hampton and her friends kept full-out sprinting to the next exhibit...i would yell "hampton" and of course, she would not respond. thus, wind + yelling at a 4 year old at the zoo (for her own safety, nonetheless)=loss of voice. note to self. it still isn't back, and i have no complainers. what's up with that?

sweet sarah

a couple of pics of my sweet, YOUNGER cousin, sarah, her husband nic, 3 year old son cooper, and her newest son (now two weeks old), parker. since friday, sarah has endured more than any 30 year old person should. after two trips to the er, she was sent by ambulance to via christi st. francis, to be evaluated and treated by the best in the state. after continual vomitting, and excruciating headaches, they realized something was REALLY wrong. as of today, sarah remains in neuro critical icu, following two strokes. as of tonight, praise GOD, she is able to speak, but is still having great difficulty with her vision. according to the docs, she will remain in ncicu for the next two weeks on blood thinners, before transferring to a regular icu room. thanks to the prayers of many, sarah seems to be turning a corner. please continue to pray that she makes a full recovery!