The Parken Family

Prayer Time for the Parkens

2011-02-19T16:46:00.006-05:00

Instead of a baby shower this time around, I was blessed to have a sweet time of fellowship and prayer with some amazing women. I love being surrounded by these ladies and I am so thankful for the countless ways they serve me and our family. Here is a little about what we prayed about as we prepare to welcome our second son in this world....

As a follower of Christ, I am constantly brought to my knees by the grace and mercy of our Savior. As a mother, I am consistently being challenged in new ways and humbled by the ways God is allowing me to hear His voice clearly. It is so refreshing to sit in His presence, to be still, and to know that He can meet exactly where I am. He can meet me in the midst of a day where everything is going smoothly and He can meet me when I am a wreck.

Praying for my sons is of utmost importance as we want to teach them about our Creator and the importance of surrendering to Him. As Adam and I prepared for Everett and continue to pray for our second little boy, we chose their names and Scriptures based on what we felt God had in store for them.

EVERETT SHANE PARKEN was born May 2, 2009 and has been filling our lives with joy and laughter like you wouldn’t believe. Everett is already our social and outgoing one. We have no doubt he will be proclaiming God's truth to others early. He will ask the bold questions to others with a pure heart in only wanting others to know more about Jesus. Wherever he goes in life, our God is going before Him to reveal his compassion as Everett shares His truths.
[We have already seen this come true with his surgery and God's graciousness on his life to this point. And we know there is so much more God is going to do through him!]

EVERETT - "courageous"
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
SHANE - "The Lord is gracious"
"The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion." Psalm 116:5

We now patiently await the arrival our second son, JAMES ELIAS PARKEN. Servant-leadership is our prayer for James. We feel that God will use him to gather others as he serves them and shows them who our Savior is. James will be able to declare the goodness of our God through the ways that He blesses his life and our family.

JAMES - one of Jesus' first disciples
ELIAS - "You are my God"
"But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,and whoever would be first among you must beslaveof all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served butto serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43-45
" You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great." Psalm 18:35

We are so excited to see how God will use these brothers for his Kingdom. They each will have their own strengths, but they will be able to support and encourage one another through their weaknesses. We pray for Everett and James to grasp God's truth quickly and share it with others unashamedly!

Allison came in from Knoxville to help out while Adam was gone!

Friends I have had for many years - Heather and Kristen

Ladies from church - Leslie and Alicia

Parken Update!

2011-02-01T20:52:00.005-05:00

So sorry for the delay on pictures and info into our world over here. We couldn't find our camera cord to upload pictures for awhile, but alas, I have it now and can resume infiltrating others with pictures of our growing boy! Since I left off last, we enjoyed a great visit from friends we knew in Boston. Greg and Allison now live in Knoxville with their daughter Emery and Mike and Beth will be moving from Boston to Colorado in a few weeks. It was such a blast to have them in our home and ring in 2011 together!

Out in downtown Raleigh on New Year's Eve

Entire group ready to ring in the New Year

Everett loved reading and hanging out with Uncle Mikey

We had a blast with Mike and Beth!

Adam's work did their yearly holiday party with food and a casino night. It was a good time as usual and gave me another chance to wear the black maternity dress. The last time I wore it was to his work party while pregnant with Everett.

Everett is in full preparation for the arrival of his little brother in late March. He has transitioned to the bottom of bunk in his new room. The bunk bed has a twin on top and a full on the bottom. Everett sometimes looks so little in that big bed. The transition was surprisingly (and happily) uneventful. He climbed in, laid his head on the pillow, and doesn't get out until we come get him....we are SO thankful on how smoothly this all went!

Everett completely asleep during a nap....I had come to wake him up as it was getting close to 5pm and I was going to want him to go to bed at a normal time!

In true Kristen style, she SPOILED us with an extremely generous Christmas present. I gift card to Bedandbreakfast.com accompanied with a free weekend of babysitting. Adam and I cashed in this gift this past weekend by heading out to the Inner Banks for Babymoon #2. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the gorgeous Pond House Inn along with lots and lots of sleeping and relaxing!

The Bluebonnet Room at The Pond House in at Elizabeth City. It was complete with a walk-in closet, fire place, flat screen TV, refreshments, and lots of space to relax!

The view from our room

Enjoying old fashioned milkshakes at the Downtown Soda Shop in Edenton

Me and my growing belly

All ready for our dinner out and enjoying our time together

Christmas in Texas

2011-01-11T14:49:00.005-05:00

Adam, Everett, and I flew to Texas to enjoy a great week with our family and see a few friends. Everett continues to be a compliant traveler and we are so thankful for that! It was such a special season celebrating Christmas with Everett this year. We are loving our family and are excited about how we are growing!

Got into town just in time to celebrate Dad's birthday!

All the guys ready to go to the Christmas Eve service

Everett and Mommy

Adam's high school buddies and the wives

Adam's parents gave Everett a new kitchen!
He loves cooking in it and it works out well since it is in the breakfast nook of our kitchen!

Everett with Scott & Kristie

Enjoying and sharing food

Uncle Richard with all his nieces!!!

ALL the family for lunch at the Chinese restaurant!

Us with Madison and Ethan

Time in the Lone Star State

2010-11-09T14:57:00.009-05:00

Adam was headed to Brazil for a week and Everett and I got on a plane to spend time in Texas during his work trip. I was initially nervous flying on my own with a toddler, but I should have known better! Everett is an awesome traveler....he even slept on the plane both ways! Everett and I got to spend time with friends and family. Everett enjoyed the time with his grandparents and Uncle Richard along with eating LOTS and LOTS of food!

Picking Chinese vegetables with my Dad

Everett couldn't say the name of the vegetable in Chinese, so he renamed it "Bucky." We were laughing about it all week.

Picking out a pumpkin at the nursery!

Some of my high school friends from church
with all of our kiddos...Everett was napping...

Mommy friends having a picnic at the Botanical Gardens

Reading with Grandpa

Spending time with Mamma

Having fun at the pumpkin village

Everett LOVED being on this tractor!

Decorating pumpkins with stickers

Painting the pumpkins with Tony

Having a snack with my Mom

Everett loved all the food Uncle Richard made for us!

Although the Rangers didn't win the World Series,
we had fun cheering them on!

Everett's 10th Haircut

2010-10-03T22:09:00.005-04:00

Yes, our son has had many haircuts in his 17 months of life. I think we are on cut #10 now, but I'm starting to lose track. His hair was getting long and it was about that time again. I had him sit in his booster seat on the back deck while I cut his hair. We had a fun weekend celebrating Josh & Alicia's wedding and Ryan's birthday. Here are pictures of our growing boy!

Eating my snack while Mommy cuts my hair...
this is before I got started...

Haircut is all done!

Such a big boy!

Walking around waiting for Daddy at work

Everett and Daddy competing for another bite of banana pudding at the Rehearsal Dinner

Eating cornish pasties for the 1st time at Ryan's birthday party...Everett inhaled them...it was nearly embarrassing...

All dressed and ready for church

We could not get over how cute he looked all dressed for church with his hair fixed and in his big boy shoes!!!

Charleston, Knoxville, and Friends

2010-09-24T10:37:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile seen I've posted pictures, so here are quite a few to get you all caught up with life in the Parken house! Adam and I celebrated our 4th anniversary at the end of August and we were blessed by a weekend getaway to Charleston, SC. Great friends watched Everett for us and we enjoyed exploring the city of Charleston along with eating our way through the city! Charleston had so much history that we toured several homes and took a carriage ride downtown. We had amazing meals and loved staying at 1837 Bed and Breakfast.

Charleston, SC

The Carriage Ride

Gorgeous buildings were everywhere

Down by the water

For the second weekend in September, we headed down to Knoxville to spend time with Greg and Allison as I was helping with her baby shower. Allison got a great surprise as we brought our dear friend, Beth, with us! It was such an awesome weekend being around such close friends and helping the Trevathans get ready for the arrival of their little girl Emery!

Two fo my favorite girls and my favorite ice cream...BLUE BELL!

Allison's baby shower

Everett snuggling for reading time with Uncle Greg

All of us getting ready to dig into some food!

Having fun at the Tennessee Valley State Fair

Adam and Beth getting ready to have a Fried Twinkie

Adam gnawing on a turkey leg and Greg working on some BBQ

Beth loves ketchup....and, she taught Everett how to dip his food into ketchup. It was so great to have her around for a few days!!

In true Parken form, Everett is eating like it is his job. We are suspecting it is due to a growth spurt, but he has been devouring food like crazy. For breakfast one day, Everett ate 2 blueberry pancakes, a fried egg, and a bowl of applesauce. For breakfast today, he ate 1 bowl of cereal, 1 fried egg, and 3 bowls of applesauce...Adam decided to cut it off after that. Here is a before and after picture of one of his dinners consisting of bagel pizza, peas, and sweet potatoes. Let's just said Adam is proud to call Everett his son. =)

Everett's plate before we gave it to him

Everett's plate after his dinner

Everett has learned to feed himself with a spoon! It's super cute. We are still working on the fork, but it doesn't stop him from getting his food in his mouth!

Everett continues loving hanging out with his best buds. He gets to play with Dash 4 days a week and Max at least twice a week. Max will come over on Tuesdays and Thursdays when were home just to join the the fun with all the boys. Here are all the boys together from yesterday...

Everett, Max, and Dash

And, because I love shopping, I couldn't resist this hat for Everett at Baby Gap. I'm hoping it cools off soon so he can actually wear it. But, either way, here is our adorable little boy modeling Mommy's new purchase!

Totally irresistable!

Grandparents come to NC!

2010-08-19T10:07:00.005-04:00

Adam's parents came down last week to spend time with us (really, Everett) and to celebrate Adam's birthday this past weekend! We had a blast going the Durham Museum of Life and Science, Pinehurst, and the beach! Everett enjoyed having all the love and attention for the week and we were all sad to see them leave. Good thing we will get to visit everyone in Texas in October!

Riding the train at the Museum

Adam blowing out this candles on his Dr. Pepper birthday cake

The boys at the beach

Talking with Grandpa

Playing in the sand...who is the kid?

Wrote Everett's name in the sand

He loved walking all over the beach

Deciding where to go now!

Off to chase Daddy

Got him! Everett and Daddy

Trek to Mississippi

2010-07-29T21:27:00.007-04:00

Everett is nearing 15 months now and he's been eating table food for awhile. The next thing on his list was to head to the family restaurant to dine and feast like we all love to do in our family. So, we made the 12+ hour trek in the car. The drive started last Thursday night from Raleigh to Greenville, SC. Friday lunch in Birmingham and headed into Greenwood, Mississippi about 6pm. Not many people have heard of Greenwood. It's a small, charming town, but not too much there. Greenwood is home of the Viking cooking equipment and the downtown is quaint for an afternoon stroll. Other than that, we are just there for the family. My aunt and uncle own "Mai Little China" and my grandmother was in town for a visit too. We got to surprise my grandmother with our visit and she got lots of sweet time with Everett. Of course, LOTS and LOTS of food was involved during our weekend stay and I'm sure we gained a few pounds along the way.

Lunch stop in Birmingham, Alabama

We were not in the restaurant for 2 minutes and
Everett is already getting fed!

My grandmother was so surprised to see us
and LOVED seeing Everett

My grandmother, Aunt Cathy, Uncle Matthew, and Everett

Enjoying one more meal at the restaurant before we leave town

These two had so much fun together

Everett LOVES LOVES his great-grandmother!!

From Greenwood, we took the short drive to Madison, Mississippi (right outside Jackson) to my great-uncle's 80th birthday. We got to see many more family members there and share in the special occasion. The trek back home started after the birthday party headed to Atlanta, GA. We were blessed to spend time with the Rollmans and truly appreciated their hospitality. We left Atlanta around 11am and made it to Charlotte for a late lunch and shopping at Ikea! This was our first time there and it was a perfect outing before heading home. Lunch was great (and cheap!) and Adam and I spent time oooing and ahhhing at all their furniture and things at reasonable prices. We will be back! We got back home to Raleigh by 7:30pm and Everett headed to bed. It was such a great trip and we are so thankful so many family members got to meet and spend time with our little boy!

Happy Birthday Uncle Fee!

Visit with the Rollmans in Atlanta

Everett and Daddy with matching camo shorts

Visit from friends

2010-07-18T21:26:00.008-04:00

Our friends Lois and Jordan came for a visit and brought their 8 month old son, Silas. We had a great weekend catching up with them, going to the beach, and watching our two boys become friends. They will be returning to China next year, so we are so thankful to have gotten time with them before they leave.

We think that Everett thought that Jordan was family because he was Chinese. Everett would want to sit in his lap all the time.
It was entirely hilarious.

Everett's best friend for the weekend

Boys Club - Everett, Silas, and Max
The boys had a great time playing together and keeping each other company. Everett was SO excited to have friends at his house that he crawled over to Max and gave him kisses.

On Friday, Jordan, Lois, and I took Everett and Silas to this extremely LARGE Kids Consignment Sale. I bought Everett this toy kitchen and he loves it. His favorite thing to do is to open and close the refrigerator.

We got a babysitter on Friday night while both boys slept. We enjoyed dinner in downtown Raleigh and Adam loved introducing Jordan to Krispy Kreme donuts!

Silas and Everett helping us carry all our gear to the beach

Everett at the beach and playing in the sand

He loved having all his sand toys with him!

Everett would look for shells and put them in his sand truck (or occasionally, put them in his mouth)

Lois, Jordan, and Silas

Family picture at the beach

Everett enjoying being close to the water

When the waves would get to tall, we would lift him up and he would run in the water and just laugh. It was great!

Everett was content to sit anywhere on the beach...in the water, in the sand, in his wagon, he just loved it!
Can't wait to go back in a few weeks with Adam's parents!

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-06T13:43:00.005-04:00

We spent the weekend relaxing, hanging out with friends, and shopping! On Friday night, we got to go watch a friend of ours, Ron, play softball with The King and His Court. It is an exhibition team of 4 players who play against a full team. Adam compares it to the Harlem Globetrotters of softball. Needless to say, it was fun to watch Ron play and see all the crazy tricks they can do!

On Saturday, Parken Family Shopping Spree was in full force as we tackled the outlet mall about 45 minutes away. Adam needed new shoes and the entire family could benefit from some new clothes. The sales were awesome and we definitely came home with a stash of stuff!

Sunday was a relaxing day of going to church, taking care of things around the house, and spending time at Kristen's for a cookout. We did get to see some fireworks from her deck as neighbors were shooting them off, but we decided to take it easy this year rather than hauling our 14 month old out to a big crowd after his bedtime. Here are just a couple pictures of Everett sporting his red, white, and blue on the 4th.

For an Everett update, he is growing! Surprise surprise! Everett's current favorite food is blueberries. He has eaten over a cup of them in one sitting AFTER a meal. We usually have to cut him off or I think he would eat the entire carton. He still does great with his veggies with a few favorites being peas, lima beans, and mushrooms. He loves ground beef, but will chow down on turkey, chicken, or tofu too. He is getting tall! He can stand up and reach the doorknobs now! Everett has loved being outside and playing in the water, especially the swimming pool. His favorite toys right now are transportation vehicles where he can push around on the floor and go "vroom vroom." From airplanes to cars to trucks, we definitely have a little boy in this house! He also is loving his books. He really has liked the books with different textures on the page. I think his favorite one right now is a farm book where you can pet the different animals. We are loving every minute with Everett and continue to laugh our way through each day as he entertains us!

Up in the Mountains!

2010-06-29T13:32:00.010-04:00

Our family went on vacation a couple weekends ago to the Smoky Mountains with our dear friends, the Merritts. We rented a cabin outside Bryson City and enjoyed the cooler temperatures, low humidity, and the awesome scenery. We got to go tubing down the river including going over a few little rapids! Everett and Ella met for the first time and they were just so cute together. It was refreshing to spend time with friends who know us so well. The mountain cities were charming and cute. We got to explore Bryson City, Dillsboro, and Cherokee. Here are pictures from our trip:

Our cabin in the Smoky Mountains

Inside the cabin

The two level deck

The breath-taking view from our deck

The mountains are gorgeous!

Enjoying the hot tub, the view, and awesome friends

Getting our inner tubes all ready

Daddy and Everett checking out the water

Me with the cutest boy in the world

Adam enjoying the tubing

Everett wants to go tubing too!

The Merritt Family - David, Beth, and Ella

Picnic at the park

Water Fun Park!

Everett and Ella cooling off in the water

Two sweet kiddos

We loved our vacation with the Merritts!

A previous mayor had the last name of Everett,
so his name was everywhere

Ella giving Everett his goodbye kiss....SO ADORABLE!

Birthday Fun

2010-06-13T15:37:00.007-04:00

On Friday night, we hosted an Iron Chef Competition with our small group and it was a blast. The secret ingredient was cinnamon and everything tasted so delicious! Adam competed in the side dish category making a salad with strawberries and a cinnamon vinaigrette. I got to compete in 2 categories (main dish and dessert) since we were one chef short at the last minute. For the entree, I made cinnamon honey BBQ beef trio. For dessert, I had cinnamon waffles with homemade cinnamon ice cream topped with a cinnamon pear compote. Needless to say, I won the dessert category! The Iron Chef winner was Rebecca with her amazing soup and sopapillas and Nathan won the People's Choice award for his awesome stuffed pork chop wrapped in bacon. We all ate very well while enjoying the company and the laughs!

My Beef Trio - topped with cinnamon tomato reduction, caramelized cinnamon onions, and apple cinnamon chutney

Rebecca wins Iron Chef 2010

Yesterday, we celebrated Savannah's 2nd birthday and I made 70 ladybug cupcakes for the event! They turned out super cute and it really wasn't that hard! The kids got to play in the water (or stay inside) since it was so HOT, but we all had a fun time!

All the cupcakes!

The cupcakes turned out so cute!

The birthday girl licking off the icing!

Adam shared some of his chocolate cupcake with Everett and he definitely liked it!

Last weekend, we spent the day in Winston-Salem to celebrate Evan's first birthday! It was a great time catching up with Matthew and Emily. We also got to see Matthew's pictures from his trip to the base camp of Mt. Everest. So cool! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but Matthew got a few great pics of our family for us!

Everett loved crawling around and chasing the ball

He tried to use the bubble wand, but he wasn't having too much success

Everett not sure about this picture taking business

He still looks a little confused

There we go! Our family!

Memorial Day Weekend Fun!

2010-05-31T21:09:00.007-04:00

We all had a GREAT weekend taking time to have fun, relax, be productive, and hang out with friends. Friday night started with an evening out with the girls in Downtown Raleigh. On Saturday, Adam and I got a ton of stuff done around the house while Everett took his 4 hour nap! Yes, it is true! Everett has consolidated his 2 naps into 1 now. So, instead of doing two 2 hour naps, he just does 1 gigantic nap after lunch. Needless to say, Adam and I can accomplish a lot in that time! Sunday was a special day because on the last Sunday before Memorial Day, we were bringing Everett home from the hospital. Our friend, Amanda, babysat for us and Adam and I enjoyed an awesome date night. Monday included a few errands and taking it easy around the house. Heather, John, and Savannah joined for a cookout feast and the kids enjoyed playing in the water on the deck. It was a fun filled weekend!

All the ladies - Alicia, Renu, Katy, Heather, Kristen, and Me

Everett rode his wagon down to the pool. He is staring intently at the other kids in the pool as he patiently waits for his turn.

Testing out his new float

Everett and Daddy in their Hawaiian shirts on Memorial Day

I love Everett's swim outfit!

Enjoying the pool on the deck

We're so thankful for good friends!

Heather and I were cleaning up in the kitchen and we looked up to find Everett like this. We have no idea how he got in his toy bin, but we were definitely laughing!

Yes Everett, we caught you!

Playtime!

2010-05-22T08:12:00.005-04:00

Everett has had a lot of fun lately spending time with some of his friends. I took him to the play area at the mall for the first time and loved climbing on the structures and being around all the kids. He is starting to say more words "ight" - light, "done" - all done, "ink" - drink, "yummy," and "night night". He is able to shake his head yes or no, and do sign language for all done. Everett loves loves making people laugh and will laugh right along with you too. He has such a charming personality and he is so very lovable! Here are some pictures of him having a good time with friends.

Everett was SO excited

He loved being in this sailboat

Everett opened his birthday present from Kyle and enjoyed playing with the card

Kyle and Everett in the pool

Sharing pool toys

Dash and Everett at the neighborhood playground

Everett loved going down the slide!

Our new playroom

Excuse me Everett, but what are you doing!?!?

Showing Savannah my tent

Random Fact from Adam: "There are more than 34,000 post offices in the country, which is more locations than Walmart, Starbucks, and McDonalds combined (Newsweek article)"

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T15:56:00.007-04:00

Adam and I are so blessed to have amazing Moms in our lives and we are truly thankful for all they do for our family! Thanks Mom and Mom!

This year's Mother's Day was quite different from last year. Last year, my Mother's Day was spent in the NICU next to Everett as he was continuing to recover from his surgery. This year, we all spent the day in downtown Raleigh as a family and had an awesome time! On Saturday, I got to sleep in late while Adam took care of Everett. Ahhhh, that felt so good! We then headed to Downtown for lunch at The Diner. Cute atmosphere and pretty good food! After filling our bellies up, we walked over to the Museum of Science. Such a cool museum....4 floors of ocean life, snakes, butterflies, etc. etc. etc. The best part of it all, Everett just took his afternoon nap in his stroller. Way to go little man!

We then did a quick look around in the Museum of History as it was across the street. Not as much to see there, but still a great place to check out. I got treated to a little refreshment of an Italian Creme Soda and a coffee shop downtown as we continued to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine. One of our most favorite spots downtown is Raleigh Times for great and unique beers. We took a table outside and enjoyed yet another refreshing drink before heading to dinner. Dinner was at a new Italian restaurant called Gravy.....so delicious! The day was topped off by popcorn and watching The Blind Side at home after Everett went to bed. It really was an AWESOME way to celebrate and spend time with my family. THANK YOU Adam!

Everett loves to sit in this position in his carseat and make himself laugh. He was laughing nearly the whole time we were driving Downtown. Adam and I were just cracking up!!

The largest shark's mouth and teeth to be found

Blue Whale skeleton...this thing was gigantic

Butterfly Conservatory

Everett loved checking everything out!

Looking at the fishes

Dinosaurs!

Everett enjoying the museum

Daddy and Everett

Mommy and Everett

Random Fact we learned at the Museum: "North Carolina is the only place in North America where emeralds are mined."

Splish splash!

2010-05-06T15:09:00.006-04:00

Everett got a swimming pool from my parents and a wagon from Adam's parents. The awesome sprinkler beach ball is from the Whittingtons. It is over 90 degrees today and we thought we'd test out all of these great gifts! Thanks everyone as the boys had a blast and I'm sure they will for many more sunny days to come! And yes, both boys are covered in sunscreen head to toe!

Testing out the water

Why is that ball spraying water?

Splish splash....we're having fun!

Playing in the water spray

Enjoying the water play

Quick ride in the wagon while we dry off

All dry and playing inside

Happy Birthday Everett!!!

2010-05-02T21:46:00.001-04:00

One year ago, Everett Shane Parken was born at 9:13 am weighing 4 pounds and 10 ounces. After his surgery and 3 weeks in the hospital, he was home with us and we have been having fun ever since. Everett has such a sense of humor and overall happy personality. He LOVES playing peek-a-boo, being outside, and trying new foods. He will talk to anyone who will listen and loves to socialize. Some of Everett's closest friends are: Dash (they spend 4 days a week together), Savannah, Annabelle, and Evan. Everett has mastered the art of cruising and will take some steps if holding your hands. He is a champion eater and loves to laugh. Adam and I are truly blessed to be his parents and continue to thank God for his life. We love you Everett and Happy First Birthday!

Just born

Home from the hospital

2 months old

4 months old

1 year old

To celebrate Everett's birthday, we had an airplane themed party on Saturday. The party planning started with the invitations. I found these adorable invitations by AndersRuff on Etsy and had to have them! Check out their site as these 2 ladies have some cute stuff!!

Love these boarding pass invitations!

Then, I got slightly obsessed with the party favors. I saw the idea of suitcases for party favors from Everyday Celebrating and couldn't let it go. So, I embarked on making the suitcases myself. After 2 days of work, I got them done. I searched forever for the perfect travel stickers that didn't cost too much and lucked out to find them in the $.25 bin at Michael's. Inside the suitcases were: a bag of cookies shaped like a shirt, hat, and boot; bag of Chinese candy, and a bag of peanuts with a label reading "Thanks for flying Parken Airways!" Here's how they turned out...

The suitcases

Items inside the suitcases

Official Baggage Claim for the party

The sign on our front door for the party

After the party favors were figured out, time for the menu. We went with an international food theme including the airport codes on each food label. The menu consisted of:

Italy - meatballs
China - egg rolls
Greek - greek pasta salad
Normandy - rummagrout (norweigian rice pudding....thanks Kristen!)
France - strawberries romanoff
Thailand - cucumber and peanut salad
Germany - bratwurst
Mexico - black bean and corn salsa with chips
Lebanon - hummus with pita and veggies
Jamaica - pineapple chicken skewers
USA/DFW - hamburger sliders
And of course......an airplane birthday cake

The food spread

The cake! I can't believed I actually got the cake to work!

Everett's personal birthday cake

Tasting cake/frosting for the first time

Getting good and messy

Birthday fun!

Everett got this awesome red chair from Uncle Johnny, Auntie Heather and Savannah. He loves climbing on it and sitting in it! He also got that cute little pig flashlight from Matt and Mandy and wouldn't let it go all day. He was pretty happy with his chair and flashlight for the afternoon!

With today being Everett's birthday, we took him out for brunch after church. Everett wore his cute birthday outfit picked out by his Mama and Grandpa and he looks so handsome! He enjoyed spending time with some of his friends at the church nursery and loved talking to our waitress at the restaurant. We completed the outing with a trip to the Farmer's Market and to the Chinese store to pick up food for dinner.

Birthday Brunch at Vivace

Daddy and Everett

Looking at the fish at the Chinese store

Having fun checking out the fishies

Doing laps with my Granddaddy

Relaxing in my chair

The Birthday Boy

Mommy and Everett

WE ALL LOVE YOU EVERETT!!!
What a fun weekend to celebrate your birthday!

What's so funny?

2010-04-18T22:35:00.005-04:00

Thanks Dad for the awesome pictures!

(if you click on the picture, it will enlarge so that you can see the cute faces!)

Springtime Fun

2010-04-05T18:03:00.006-04:00

PLEASE BE WARNED....LOTS of PICTURES BELOW!

Everett is just SO MUCH FUN to play with. If you haven't come over to play with him lately, I highly recommend it. The rocking chair you see in the pictures is one from when I was little. If I remember right, it was from my grandfather. I put Everett in it to see what he would do and he liked it! So I handed him his picture book and The Hungry Caterpillar and let him have some fun. He is getting to big! AND, I love how cute is legs and feet are when he is wearing shorts!

Look at my book with me!

I love this story because it's all about eating!

Look at this page....he gets to eat cake!

Hmmm, can I hold on and still open the book?

Smiling for Mommy

So, I fed Everett part of a chicken tamale and black beans for lunch the other day. He (and Dash) were a mess. I found it entirely hilarious and took some pictures. Look at this face!

Mommy, I am eating. Why do you have the camera out?

You're not going to distract me! I've got food here!

Mmm mmmm!

The boys played outside on our deck for a little bit and got hot and thirsty. Here they are drinking water to rehydrate

With the warmer weather, I got to dress Everett in shorts this weekend. He looks so good in this outfit from Auntie Kristen!

Easter Sunday was a wonderful time at church and celebrating our Savior. In the afternoon, we hosted a few people over for a wonderful meal that I was super excited to make. On the menu, we had: deviled eggs, chilled carrot and herb soup, Caesar salad (I even made the dressing!), honey and thyme glazed ham with pineapple sauce, smoked gouda mac and cheese, asparagus, and a pineapple meringue cake for dessert. It was DELICIOUS!

The spread of food

Great friends!

Everett got the bunny ears from his grandmother and Auntie Heather gave him his first Easter basket with lots of fun goodies!

Love this picture! Everybody in pink!

Our first Easter together as a family!

Random Fact from Adam: "Some Internet 2009 stats, courtesy of Pingdom:

90 trillion e-mails sent, of which 81% were spam
234 million Web sites, including 81.8 million .com domain names
1.73 billion Internet users
50% of Facebook's 350 million users log in every day"

Let's Play OUTSIDE!

2010-04-01T15:10:00.006-04:00

Yes, the weather is sunny, warm, and beautiful and we are going to make the most of it! The boys and I get out for a walk and we play on the deck. It is great to be able to soak in the sun and enjoy the great weather. Our neighborhood is full of flowers in bloom and we are all loving it!

We are all ready to go!
(This stroller has been awesome. It was able to fit the infant carrier when Everett was really little, but now the boys both use the seats. The seats can face forward, or they can face each other, or they can go back to back like this! It has been worth every penny to be able to get out a little with Dash and Everett!)

Love the flowers that are around our neighborhood

There are a lot of these trees too

It was a little cool on Tuesday, but we still loved the sun

A couple old sheets on our deck made a perfect spot to play

Checking out the deck

Hmmm....what should I do next?

It was really bright and sunny today!

Looking for a toy

Everett is laughing at something funny!

Happy Birthday Kristen!

2010-03-30T08:52:00.000-04:00

Kristen celebrates her birthday today! Happy happy birthday to you! We got to join in the birthday party fun over the weekend with a cookout, sunshine, the game of Washers, and a firepit for making s'mores. Supposedly, Washers is a Texas game and the Texas girl wanted it at her party. She also got Blue Bell too...the best ice cream ever. I attempted to make her a cake with a high heel shoe on it. I was hoping it to be a little more pointy, but overall, it turned out alright.

Adam throwing his washer and trying to get it in one of the holes

Everett is wearing his Baylor shirt that Kristen gave him

Enjoying the sunshine

Everett and Mommy

Everett and Auntie Kristen
(yes, all of the noise you hear is from Everett even though his mouth isn't moving)

Anyone there?

2010-03-23T17:18:00.003-04:00

Dash: "Is my Mommy or Daddy out there?"
Everett: "I haven't seen my Daddy all day...Is he out there?"

Dash: "I'll come help you Everett. I'll see what I can find."

"Any luck? We can't find anyone...."

Dash: "I'll look through my window again."

Everett: "I'll check mine again too."

Hmmm....still no one there.

Oh look! I did find my Mommy! She'll play with you too Dash! Come on!

These two boys were so sweet today. They are really learning to play together and it is so cute. Adam left this morning for Las Vegas for work and Everett goes around the house saying "Dada? Daddy? Dada? Daddy?" Alas, Everett and I wait a couple more days to see Adam. We're doing just fine though and we had lots of fun with Dash today.

Here's a picture of Everett and his Daddy a couple days ago. The rocking cool shirt was from Mim when we visited her in California. Love the red and Chinese writing on it! Everett is a stylin' dude!

Everett's Picture Book

2010-03-18T09:18:00.004-04:00

Everett has this little photo album with pictures of our family in them. I wanted Everett to start learning our family even though we live far away. It's been fun to go through the book with him and he LOVES looking at them! Here is Everett with is picture book! We love this little boy!

Everett's Buddies

2010-03-18T08:45:00.006-04:00

Dash and Everett are as entertaining as ever.....Dash is walking around and Everett is quickly crawling after him. Both of them are on similar schedules which makes it nice, but lunch time is feeding chaos! Actually, it isn't so bad as the three of us just sit in the kitchen and all eat together. Here are pictures of these two guys. They are so funny when they see each other for the first time in the day or after they have gotten up from a nap. They get so excited to see each other and giggle. It's pretty cute!

Dash showing off all of his teeth! What a great smile!

Everett learning how to take things out and put them in....Thanks Auntie Heather for letting us borrow some toys!

Dash and Everett sharing

Can you tell how much my son loves meal time? Haha!

Yay for lunch!

We had a surprise visit from Matthew, Emily, and Evan on Sunday. They were driving through on their way home from Wilmington and joined us for dinner! So fun! It's always great to have friends come over!

The Dads playing the Wii and the boys trying to figure out what they are doing

Everett loves having friends over just as much as we do!

Sleepy Evan and Everett...Time for bed!

California Family Vacation!

2010-03-08T20:34:00.009-05:00

Adam, Everett, and I headed out to California a couple Saturdays ago and had a blast on the West Coast. In preparation for the trip, we pushed Everett's bedtime back about 15-30 minutes each night to help him get on West Coast time by the time we arrived. We are thankful that it worked because the transition couldn't have been any smoother! We were fortunate enough to stay with dear friends, Brandon and Melissa, while in L.A. During our tour of the West Coast, we visited Adam's Aunt Jeremy in Orange County.

Aunt Jeremy and Everett

Everett enjoyed swinging at a park near Aunt Jeremy's house

On Monday, we visited my brother at Lulu's Cafe. He is the manager there and needless to say, we got great service! We also spent the day visiting Hosea and April along with eating Pinkberry's Frozen Yogurt and dining at El Cholo. Yum!

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in Carlsbad at my Uncle Perry and Aunt Helen's home. My parents had already been there for a few days, so Joshua and I joined them with our 2 boys. Our parents were thrilled to see their grandboys together for the first time and we loved all the time with our family. From shopping to walking along the beach to eating lots of delicious food, it was a blast. We think it must have been Everett's best day of his life thus far as he laughed the entire day! It was just so sweet and such a memorable day!

I put these sunglasses on Everett while we were out shopping. He was laughing and hamming it up that my mom had to buy a pair for him. Needless to say, he's the coolest baby on the block!

Everett got this cute monkey and I love how it matches
his pajamas....he is just so cuddly!

We took lots of family pictures while we were all together, so here are a few highlights:
My brother and I with our boys, Tice and Everett

Our happy family

Our whole family together for the first time: Dad, Mom, Joshua and Tice, Adam, Everett and I

My two cool studs

Loving the beach together

No matter Everett was doing this day, he was laughing and smiling up a storm....couldn't love it anymore!

We spent the rest of the week spending time with more friends and family. From walking around in Malibu to eating a ton of great food, we all just had a fantastic vacation. It is definitely a trip we won't soon forget. These are just a few pictures from our week in California. If you'd like to see more, click HERE and view all of our fun times! The Parken Family is back home in Raleigh and glad to see the weather finally warming up over here!

Being a Mom...

2010-02-25T23:42:00.005-05:00

Being a mom no doubt changes your life. So many people told us that and I definitely was expecting it. Having Everett is like nothing else we have ever experienced. Here is this sweet, innocent, wide-eyed boy just ready to soak the world all in. In a few days Everett will be 10 months old....where has the time gone? He is no longer a tiny cuddly baby, but this extremely huggable boy with such a charming personality.

A few lessons that I've learned as a Mom....

I can't keep the house fully stocked of all my baking products like I used to. I think I actually ran out of something for the first time once I had a baby.....
No one cares if I don't shower until 4pm in the afternoon - it's even okay to not shower if I never leave the house in a day!
It's okay to do things one-handed....that means I'm holding my baby in my other arm and what a blessing having a baby is
Spending time as a family has a whole different meaning - Adam and I love our time together and we love our time as a family....we are enjoying making memories and treasuring them dearly. We leave for our first big family vacation to California on Saturday!
It is nice to have time to be outside in the real world...even without my precious son
I love cooking and baking and spending time in the kitchen and I have loved making all of Everett's food! Who knew making baby food would be so exciting to me!?!
I don't know near as much as I wish I did - thank you to all you Moms, friends, and family for all the advice and encouragement along the way....keep 'em coming!!!
Patience - really can't have enough of it
Watching your baby change before your eyes as he grows is a miracle and a gift from God...it is fascinating to see how fast Everett learns something new
Getting a hug and a kiss from my son is about the best thing in the world...yep he can do that now!

The Lord our Creator formed this precious boy and entrusted Adam and I with his life. We are constantly humbled by His gift and find more joy each day as we continue on our journey of parenthood. Needless to say, being a Mom is really the best job in the world....

More Snow!

2010-02-13T10:23:00.004-05:00

Well, it snowed again last night and we got another several inches. The snow pictures below are from a few weeks ago when we got snow, ice, and wintry mix. Our computer is back and for now, it seems like it is working normally. Yeah! So, here are some new pictures for all of you!

Snow covering our street

In front of our house all bundled up

Everett and Mommy playing in the snow

Our neighbors came over for dinner with their daughter, Kendall, since we were all snowed in

Everett loves getting to his feet

He even pulls himself up on the couch

Everett had is 9 month check up a last week and he is doing great! He is in the 50% for length, but still in the lower percentile for weight. We're doing what we can to fatten him up with avocado, butter and pasta, and whole milk yogurt! When he goes to the doctor's, he loves looking at himself in the mirror. It is so funny to me, so here are a couple pictures of him checking himself out!

Dash & Everett

2010-01-28T10:46:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the boys playing the other day. They are hilarious!

It may be a little while until the next post as our computer is getting sent away to be worked on.....We will have Adam's work computer when he is home, but I won't have a computer during the day like I'm used to for a couple weeks....bummer.

You interrupted our playing time for this?!

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-12T15:43:00.006-05:00

Here we are in a new year and a new decade! What will 2010 bring for us!? So far, we have enjoyed time with friends and loving our time with Everett. He has such a sweet personality, loves to talk, and loves to eat....he fits in our family just right! To ring in the New Year, we had friends come over after Everett was in bed for some snacks and hanging out. We also got to celebrate with our friend Matthew in Winston-Salem for his 30th birthday! Since all the festivities, Adam and I have been trying to be productive around the house when we can and trying to stay warm! It's been cold here lately! Hope the New Year is off to a good start for you all!

Adam and Matthew trying to open my large jar of artichoke hearts for the spinach dip

Everett and Evan before bedtime

The spread of food for the New Year's Eve Party

We're so thankful for our friends!

Visiting the Youngs in Winston-Salem

Daddy, I want to try your Coca-Cola....

Getting ready to eat!

Yummy blueberry pear!

Adam started installing cabinet locks since we have plenty of kiddos at our house these days. I sat Everett down next to him for a minute and he was so intrigued about what he was doing. It's just really cute as Everett sat there for several minutes just staring at Adam.

A Texas White Christmas!

2009-12-29T16:33:00.009-05:00

Oh what fun we had traveling to Texas and seeing family and friends!!! It was Everett's first trip to Texas and he even got a cowboy hat as a souvenir (see adorable picture below). We ate TONS of amazing food thanks to my parents and Uncle Richard. We literally had a smorgasbord of gourmet food for every meal all week. Adam and I even got a date night in downtown Ft. Worth! Of course, we didn't miss our opportunity for some Tex-Mex cuisine and ate at Chuy's twice. Everett had a fun time too trying new foods, meeting new people, and being the star of the show the second a camera was turned on. And if we weren't having enough fun already, it snowed on Christmas Eve and stuck around til Christmas day....it was actually a white Christmas in Texas!! What a memorable Christmas this year was!!

Rucker, Kim, and their son London

Everett petting Shasta

Amanda and her daughter Emerson

Trying out the jumper

Everett testing out a rolling walker that we borrowed

Our little cowboy

Why must you take so many pictures?

Making sure my hat works before I play in the snow

My Dad and Everett checking out the snow that is falling

Crawling around and having fun

Everett and Daddy

ALL the SNOW we got on Christmas Eve

Dinner after church on Christmas Eve

Steph's parents house when we woke up Christmas morning

Christmas 2009

Opening presents!

Spending time together as a family...Steph's Mom, Kristie (sister-in-law), and Lindsay (cousin)

My Dad teaching Chopsticks 101

Random fact from Adam: "The new $1.5 billion Oasis of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world -- 40% larger than the next biggiest. The ship:

* Is about 20 stories tall
* Is 5 times the size of the Titanic
* Has an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater.
* Has 2,700 cabins
* Can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.
* Has 4 swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts
* Has a 750-seat outdoor theater that doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean-front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot (10-meter) high-dive platforms.
* Has an indoor theater that seats 1,300 guests
* Features an 82-foot long zip line, the first zip line on a cruise ship

Ice cream, turkey, and more turkey

2009-11-27T21:32:00.009-05:00

Hi all!! It's been a few weeks since we posted due to the lack of computer access I have had lately. FORTUNATELY, we now have our own computer! We held out for Black Friday and it was a success!! Adam set his alarm for 4:45am and he was out the door. Less than 3 hours later, he was back with a new laptop that included a FREE printer! Yahoo! So now, I can update you all what has been going on the past couple weeks!

Last Saturday, we had an Ice Cream Tasting party for my birthday! I made 7 flavors and Kristen made 1 for a grand total of 8 flavors to taste. We had: Snickerdoodle, Blueberry Cheesecake, Orange Pineapple, Mango Sorbet, Coconut Sorbet, Pumpkin, Caramelized Banana, and Chocolate Rosemary (made by Kristen). They were ALLL so yummy and we are still enjoying some of them!! The favorites were Caramelized Banana and Blueberry Cheesecake so they no longer exist....I guess I just have to make more!

Yep....I made and decorated my own cake!

Lots of friends to share in the fun!

We had quite a few kiddos too -
Kyle, Dash, Savannah, Kendall, and Everett!

Last Sunday, our Bible Study group came over for a Thanksgiving Potluck. Adam and I rearranged the furniture and borrowed a few card tables from our neighbor and we were all set. We had 20 people seated around our two tables and I got to use most of my dishes! The kitchen was the buffet line and we had quite the spread. It was a ton of fun and Adam got to take a crack at deep frying a turkey for the first time. The turkey turned out super flavorful as we brined it overnight and ended up repeating the recipe for Thanksgiving Day!

Now I know we can get 20 people around the tables!

The Buffet Line in the kitchen

We were stuffed!

The other table of friends

Monday was my actual birthday and I was home sick!! Since I didn't go to work, I went to the doctor's to make sure I get better as fast as possible. I was told I had laryngitis and had to let it run its course. My voice is mostly back now and I feel just fine. Adam got a little of it, but I definitely got the biggest hit. I am so thankful that is over!

Thursday was Turkey Day and what an awesome time we had! I had a blast setting our table with these beautiful dishes and bronzeware thanks to my in-laws. Kristen made rolls, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and rummagrout. What is rummagrout you ask? It is a Norwegian rice pudding that Kristen grew up having and it is delicious! Abbey and Jerald joined us and contributed homemade cranberry sauce and green bean casserole. Katy and Branon also came with Katy making the stuffing and mashed potatoes. Matt and Andrea are friends from church and Andrea made awesome empanadas. She is from Argentina and these were fabulous. Adam fried the turkey again and I made the infamous sweet potato casserole. Thanksgiving Day was just
wonderful!!

The table is all set...where is everyone?

Much better!
The whole gang ready to dive into the yummy goodness!

A plate of yummy goodness!

Everett joined the table too!

Katy, Kristen, and I

Everett's First Thanksgiving

Okay okay, so I know many of you really just want to see pictures of Everett....here he is! This little guy is eating like a Parken, a Joe, and a Kwong (he's eating a lot and he is not picky!). We recently had to lower his crib mattress because he had figured out how to roll on his belly and swat at his mobile switch to TURN IT ON! Ummm yeah, it was a shocker to go in and get him from a nap to find that the mobile was on! Needless to say, Adam and I are just having a ton of fun with him and LOVE seeing him learn new things as he keeps growing. We are working on sitting by himself right now and he is getting close, but not quite yet. However, he has figured out how to kick his activity mat just right to make it flip over. I am serious. Adam and I really laugh at him every day. He comes up with these new tricks and some of them are just hilarious!!!

Everett is sporting his Thanksgiving outfit with the feet reading "little turkey"

So, if you don't get Everett's food ready fast enough,
he eats his high chair...I promise we feed him!!!

Everett's fish face -hahaha!

Random Fact from Adam: "North Carolina produces the second highest number of Christmas trees in the U.S., behind Oregon."

Fall in Raleigh

2009-11-15T17:41:00.013-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the weekend while I've got Adam's computer. On Friday, I hosted the infamous Cookie Party for the Whittington Family. I told Jerald and Abbey that if and when they moved down here, I would throw them a Cookie Party similar to what I did in Bosotn. For those of you who were not there in Boston, I made 24 different types of cookies for my birthday party and invited friends to come share in the sugary goodness. For the Whittington Cookie part, there were less people, so I cut the order in half and made 12 different types of cookies. What cookies were on the table you ask? We had: Chocolate Caramel Toffee, Coconut Cream Cheese, Thumbprint, Wedding Tea Cookies, Ranger Crisps, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin, White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Nut, Oatmeal Coconut Cherry, Snickerdoodles, and Oatmeal Crisps. It was tons of fun having the Whittingtons and their friends over for some cookie goodness!

The spread of cookies! Yummy!

Jerald was so excited about this party that he made his own shirt and brought gloves so he wouldn't drop any cookies! So funny!

All of us enjoying the party!

On Saturday, we enjoyed walking around the Raleigh Arboretum with John, Heather, and Savannah. It was a gorgeous weekend to be outside and we couldn't pass it up! The great weather allowed us to take some awesome picutres too!!

Everett loved being outside and looking around at everything

Can't help but love these two!

A family picture

My new favorite picture. Both Adam and I already have a printed copy on our desks at work!

Everett keeps growing and learning all kinds of new tricks. One of them is taking off his socks and then eating them. Yes, we find wet socks in his crib now so it is quite hilarious. Anyhow, this picture is of him doing exactly that.
Sorry I forgot the flash on this picture, but Adam assembled his stroller and we were testing him in it. I think he looks pretty happy! We are thinking that now that he is getting bigger, he might enjoy facing outward to see everything rather than being in the car carrier. We'll keep you posted on how that goes!

No computer....

2009-11-14T20:00:00.002-05:00

Our family home computer has crashed and we are hoping to hang on until Black Friday to buy a new one. In the meantime, Adam is going to research if we can save our computer or if it is a lost cause. For now, we do have Adam's work computer at home, so it will get us by. But, as soon as I can, I'll make sure to resume posting pictures of our happy and so very cute little boy!

Everett's First Halloween!

2009-11-02T05:42:00.008-05:00

Before we get to the Halloween pictures...We thought you should see these cute faces! Our friends, John and Heather, have moved down here to NC and they live only 15 minutes away! We were over at their house for dinner this past week and Savannah LOVES Everett. She points to him and knows he is the "baby." She loves to give him hugs and kisses....it is really quite adorable!

Savannah is so excited that Everett has come over to play!

Now, on to Everett's first Halloween! Well, on Saturday , it was 80 degrees in Raleigh. Let's just say Everett's lion costume wasn't on him the entire day or he would have been sweating! Adam and I enjoyed the company of friends and fellowship at our house for Halloween. I had so much fun making food and getting ready for our small party. We had cinnamon sugar popcorn, caramel apple fixings, black bean and avocado crostini, cheese and crackers, chips and dip and that's just the appetizers! For dinner, we made these awesome grilled pork chops, Abbey made delicious roasted potatoes, Katy made green beans, and we finished the meal with some of my homemade pumpkin ice cream accompanied with molasses cookies. YUM!

Everett helped us greet trick-or-treaters and we visited a few neighbors in the evening. We were all decked out in costumes and I feel they might need an explanation. I started out the evening wearing my masquerade mask, but found that too cumbersome so opted to change into my straw hat to be a farm girl. Adam got this genius idea that involves a pilot costume, an eye mask, and a laptop....can you guess what he is?! (answer at bottom of post). Our friends Katy and Brannon came as the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood and Jerald and Abbey sported some camo gear! Needless to say, Everett wins as the cutest of all being a very huggable lion!!!

Heather borrowed my trusty Peter Pan Costume!

They stopped by in the afternoon before they joined in on the festivities in their neighborhood. John collected items around his house and ended up with a pirate costume and Savannah makes quite a cute Little Red Riding Hood!

Us with the cute munchkins!

Who can resist the face?

When lounging in the house, Everett sported his Halloween sleeper thanks to his Grandma!

We look like quite the group.....

Visiting our next door neighbor - I think Everett was trying to go after Kendall's bottle!

Our neighbor, Annabelle, as Little Bo Peep

Enjoying a fun Halloween night!

A little worn out from all the fun....

Adam was dressed as a Northwest Airlines pilot

NC State Fair

2009-10-27T08:20:00.005-04:00

The Parken Family is enjoying the Fall here in North Carolina as the leaves are changing colors and pumpkins and apples are everywhere. Our little neck of the woods has a cute nursery on the way to our neighborhood and it is covered in pumpkins and Fall plants. We've been wanting to get out there to take pictures of Everett, but it hasn't happened yet. But what has happened....the NC STATE FAIR! For 10 days, the Fairgrounds are covered with rides, exhibits, and way too much high calorie food items. I didn't think we were going to make it this year with having a nearly 6 month old baby, but we did get to go!!! Our friends, Ethan and Ashley, had free tickets with a free parking pass, so we all made it out Sunday afternoon. Let's just say we did eat our share of fried food. We shared many items so don't think we bought one of each of these to eat on our own! Adam and I tasted: ribbon fries (thin freshly made potato chips that come to you piping hot), corn dog, funnel cake, cheesesteak sandwich, fried cheese, and the new item we tried...fried Oreos. We hunted for the infamous "Pig Licker" - chocolate covered bacon, but couldn't find it. One of my friends said she went last week and got one at noon as they were getting to sell out. That's after 70 pounds of bacon were sold! Needless to say, we'll just try again next year! Here are some pics from that high calorie afternoon!

Ahhh....the craziest of the Fair

This picture is for my Dad. He grows Winter Melons too, but I know we haven't had one this big come out of our yard!

As if you didn't know what food nerds Adam and I were, we love walking around these exhibits where they showcase the fruits and vegetables. Yes, that watermelon won a blue ribbon as it weighs over 211 pounds!

So, I can't read how many pounds that blue ribbon pumpkin weighs, but it is HUGE and there are many others next to it that are quite impressive as well!

Eating some deep fried Oreos with Ethan and Ashley...YUM

Apparently there was little to worry about regarding taking Everett to the Fair. He slept in his car seat holding his blanket in one hand and his little giraffe in the other. Bundled up with a hat and blanket, he slept through the entire thing.

Random Fact from Adam: "How do you like these (facts about) apples? According to Parade magazine:

The average American eats 17.8 lbs of apples each year
Cornell University has bred and named 62 varieties of apples, including Empire (a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh), Cortland and Jonagold (a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious)
It takes 10 years to crossbreed a new variety of apple and bring it to market"

Everett's Baby Dedication

2009-10-18T15:24:00.009-04:00

Today was a special day to us as we were able to participate in the Parent Commissioning service and Baby Dedication at our church. It was such a special time as we were surrounding by some of our closest friends. Our church organized a luncheon for us all and allowed time for Everett to be prayed for. We continue to pray for his life as he continues to grow. His Scripture verse that we have chosen for him is from Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." With Everett meaning "courageous" and Shane meaning "the Lord is gracious," we felt that this verse speaks of what we desire for our son. Life isn't always easy (Everett has already had surgery) and God has already allowed him to be strong and courageous through that. We want him to know God is with him and protecting him through everything and he has no reason to be terrified, but to be encouraged that His Creator is always there. Thank you for all of you who continue to pray alongside with us as we learn how to parent our precious Everett to know the love of God.

Sarah Fox (visiting from Charlotte), Kristen, The Finocchiaro's (Heather, John, and Savannah)

Branon and Katy, Jerald and Abbey, Ethan and Ashley

Everett getting a little squirmy during pictures

Everett and Mommy

Everett took his first plane ride and trip to Boston this past week! What a fun-filled and busy weekend we had! Everett and I flew up on Thursday and Adam joined us for the weekend when he arrived Saturday morning. We saw a ton of great friends and introduced Everett to many family members up there, too. Our friends Sandra and Nick got married on Sunday and we were blessed to stay with the Richmonds and Mike & Beth while in town. There are LOTS of pictures from the trip, so click HERE to see them all. Here are just a few highlights:

I had an empty seat next to me on the flight....this is how Everett was for most of the flight! He did awesome both ways sleeping most of the flight.

Our friend Merri picked us up from the airport with her son Eli...aren't the two boys so funny as they look completely confused at us!

My great Uncle Tony and Aunt Judy with Cousin Jason and his sons Nathan and Julien

Great friends - Sarah, Allison, and Tracy

Us at the wedding

Visiting the Federici's after picking up Adam from the airport and stopping at Blue Ribbon BBQ

My cousin Kyle with Everett and I

Everett and Uncle Raymond

Everett loved talking and laughing with my Grandmother -
it was so sweet

His first plane ride!

2009-10-07T23:17:00.002-04:00

Everett takes his first plane ride to Boston! We are all packed up (thanks to Adam) and all set to go! We'll be taking plenty of pictures, so be on the look out for those when we get back home (Oct 17th). Hope you all are doing well and HAPPY FALL everyone!

Hello friends!

2009-10-01T11:20:00.004-04:00

Nothing too new happening over here at the Parken house, but I'm sure some of you consistent readers are looking for some new Everett pictures. I haven't taken too many lately, but this is what I've got! Everett is doing wonderful and looking forward to his first plane ride next week to Boston! We will get a chance to spend time with friends and family! I'm in the process of making sure he has enough warm clothes to wear up there! Here is the handsome man:

Uncle Rock(Jerald) and Aunt Abbey holding Everett as he models his matching hat and shoes compliments of Auntie Bethie.

Dash and Everett talking to each other

Everett is all ready to go to bed! He loves sucking on that thumb lately. We're starting to wondering if we've entered the teething phase as there is lots of drool and lots of toys being put into his mouth!
I'm such a happy boy who loves to talk to anyone who will listen!

Random Fact from Adam: "44 percent of undergrads drop out of college, according to "Crossing the Finish Line" from William Bowen, a former president of Princeton University. Other data from the survey:

The size, location, and racial mix of a student's high school don't appear to influence his or her ability earn a college degree
This one's really interesting: those who attend "safety" schools are far more likely to drop out than those who get into "reach" schools.
3.0 in high school is the magic number. Students who earn at least a 3.0 grade-point average are far more likely to graduate from college than students just under that mark.
Bright, well-prepared community college students are 36 percent less likely to make it through to a bachelor's than similarly qualified students who start their degrees at four-year schools.
Live on campus (if you can afford it): Colleges where most students live on campus and schools that create "honors" groups and "learning communities" are far more successful at graduating students than other universities."

Everett's cuteness

2009-09-22T11:20:00.005-04:00

Yes, we think Everett is just too cute!!! Check him out!!!

Adam may kill me for putting this on our blog...but really, who wouldn't smile looking at Everett in that outfit?!?!

Playing with Dash
They are having way too much fun!

HUG ME!!! I am irresistible!!!
Thanks Auntie Kristen for my outfit! I think it suits me just right!

Random Fact from Adam: "The potato blight organism, which caused the Irish famine of the 1840s, is responsible for annual global crop losses of an estimated $6.6 billion, according to the Financial Times."

Everett's Weekend Fun

2009-09-19T14:31:00.003-04:00

On Friday night, we all went over to see our friends Will and Janice and their new townhouse they moved into. It was great to finally see their place and dinner was yummy! Thanks guys!

Saturday started off great as Adam and I made blueberry pancakes, sausage, and eggs for breakfast. Afterwards, we all headed out to the pool to get in a little more time in the water before it's too cool. It was a little cool in there today, but we still had fun! Check out Everett sitting in the water!

Heather and John are in town and we look forward to spending time with them. Heather had bought this outfit for Everett awhile back and he fits into it very well now! He makes a very cute cowboy!Random Fact from Adam: "Fact: bears eat a lot more than beets. To prepare for hibernation, bears consume 20,000 calories per day (!!!) and have to eat 20 hours a day to do it. Apparently, they'll even consider coming into your house to do it, too."

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T21:23:00.007-04:00

We had a wonderful relaxing Labor Day weekend spending time together as a family and with some of our friends. On Saturday, we took a drive to Winston-Salem to visit our good friends Matthew, Emily, and their 3 month old son Evan. We enjoyed some western style BBQ downtown and hanging out at their house for the day.

Everett and Evan playing on the activity mat together

Everett testing out the Bumbo seat and practicing sitting by himself! He's getting so big these days!

A fun day together!

On Sunday, we all went to church and Everett is doing great at the nursery. He's too active these days to keep him in the service, so he is in the "Cuddlers" class and gets plenty of cuddling. Everett had his first taste of rice cereal this weekend! It's still a little tricky, but he does great sitting in his highchair and opening his mouth for the spoon. The difficulty comes in with trying to use his tongue to maneuver the food around. We have no doubt he'll get it soon enough! We all ran errands in the afternoon and relaxed in the evening. With us all dressed for church, I thought we'd take some family pictures while it was nice outside.

Okay, I'm all ready in my high chair!

Hmmmm, this doesn't seem too bad

Well, this is definitely different...What is this you're putting in my mouth?!

OH! It's not that bad after all.

A new family picture

Everett and Mommy

On Monday, Adam and I made breakfast together after sleeping in for awhile. Friends came over for a cookout and we had delicious burgers, corn on the cob, watermelon, and more! We had a great time of fellowship, food, and fun!

Taking a break from getting the house clean to play

Do you want to come over and play with me?

Our Labor Day cookout

Everett and Daddy with the same crazy hair!

Random Fact from Adam: "Alaska's Rat Island is apparently rat-free now, which would make it the third-largest island in the world to be freed of rats (out of about 300). Most recently: Anacapa Island in California's Channel Islands National Park . There are about another dozen rat-infested islands in Alaska's Aleutian chain."

A few milestones!

2009-09-04T14:50:00.006-04:00

Adam and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary last week and what a wonderful time it has been! It is so exciting to look back on our 3 short years together to see where God has taken us and how we have grown. We know He has so much more in store for us as He is always faithful. We are so blessed to have started our own family and can't put into words the joy Everett brings into our lives.

Everett is FOUR MONTHS old now and growing like crazy. He had his check up today and now weighs in at 13 pounds even. He is over 24 inches long and catching up fast! Everett isn't lasting long in any of clothes. I've already had to take out some 6 month clothes for him because he's so tall! Some of our favorite things Everett can do now:

Sleep about 8 hours at night! Yeah! We are coherent and functional adults again without caffeine!
Roll from his tummy to his back
Have a conversation with you! This makes us laugh so hard! He is really talkative after he eats and really needs to tell you EVERYTHING before you do anything else!
SMILING!!! He will really steal your heart with this one....

Everett has also made some friends here now! Here are few pictures of him and his buddies:

My good ole buddy Dash...He comes to play with me at my house on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I get to play with him at his house on Mondays and Wednesdays. We're just talking to each other here and helping each other endure tummy time. That's what we get when our moms are therapists.

Kyle lives down the street from me and we even have matching pajamas! It was so fun going over to his house while my Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a potluck breakfast for dinner meal!

This is my new friend Cindy. She is only 6 weeks old, but is great company! I didn't mind sharing my toys with her at all!

Here I am running in place.
I like getting my exercise in when I can...

I just had a bath and I am ready for bed. I can get pretty tired being a perfect little angel all day!

Random Fact from Adam: According to a Cracker Jack prize, "a typical pencil can write 45,000 words or draw a line 35 miles long."

Happy Birthday Adam!

2009-08-16T17:21:00.005-04:00

Adam celebrated his birthday on Saturday and we had a blast. Some of our best friends, Beth and Mike, came to visit from Boston and we got to show them some of our favorite places in the Triangle. Several of us went to dinner on Friday and to get Everett ready for the festivities, he got his first haircut! It was long overdue as he had plenty of hair reach down to his earlobes.

Trying to cut those sideburns so they won't be tickling his ears!

Everett was not so happy about the results

Everett was a lot better once we got him in his party outfit and realized everything is going to be okay!

This is the best coconut cake I've made so far. Every year, Adam gets to pick what kind of birthday cake he would like. He chose coconut for this year and turned out much better than I was hoping! It was accompanied by homemade pineapple ice cream! In my ice cream making attempts this week, I also made a caramelized banana ice cream. I rarely ever like banana flavored anything, but could have eaten a bucket of this stuff. We drizzled caramel sauce on top and it was one of the best ice creams I've made. Yum yum!

And if homemade desserts were not enough, I ordered Adam his own set of beer glasses. Thanks to Hosea for designing the awesome logo!

Celebrating Adam's birthday together!

Random Fact from Adam: "An average of 1,231 new cars hit Beijing's roads every day from January to July 2009, according to the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau. Beijing has 5.5 million drivers, out of 17 million residents."

Summer Update

2009-08-11T10:46:00.007-04:00

We have quite a few weeks with lots of fun this summer! The stream of wonderful visitors ended after the Red Egg party and I got some quality time with my sweet son before heading back to work. Fortunately, I am only working TWO days thanks to my awesome husband. I go in on Monday and Wednesdays and Everett spends time with our good friend Jenny. Jenny is a physical therapist who works with me who has a 6 month old son, Dash. It works out great because Jenny works Tues/Thurs and Dash gets to hang out with Everett and I at our house.
Aren't they cute?
Before going back to work, we decide to have a little party. A wine and chocolate tasting party! Kristen and I hosted it, but really Kris did all the hard work. With her working at a wine store now, she knows her stuff! It was such a blast having friends over and seeing how wonderful the pairings worked out. If you ever need a good party idea or any help, Kristen is your girl!
Of course, I had to take pictures with me when going to work, so I had took a recent one of Everett. Who can resist this adorable face?!?! We just love him so much.
We finally made it out to the BEACH! It is summer here and we wanted to get out in that sun! Fortuantely, North Carolina has plenty of great beaches with warm water to play in. Our friends Katy and Brannon invited us along as they have 4-wheel drive and can park right on the beach. It worked out great as Everett could sleep in the back of the Jeep. I had to prep Everett for the beach, so here he is testing out his beach hat! I think I am way more excited about it than he is!
Carolina Beach was gorgeous and we had a great day for it. Everett enjoyed testing out the water and playing the sand. Everett did awesome all day and we just had a blast. Other friends Cole and Joy joined us as well and we had ourselves a little party on the beach. Thanks everyone for such a fun time! We're definitely going to want to do it again soon! For more beach pics click here or check them out on Facebook...

The whole gang

There was wind at the beach and Everett's hair got a little crazy!

Testing out the water with Daddy...
we think he really liked it as there was no grimacing or crying and we played out there several times!!

Our first family trip to the beach

Random Fact from Adam: " William Shakespeare enthusiasts released 100 starling birds in Central Park in the early 1890s, according to the All About Birds guide from the Cornell University Lab or Ornithology. Today, the European starlings' population in North America is about 200 million birds, stretching from Alaska to Florida and northern Mexico."

The Red Egg Party

2009-07-28T20:04:00.006-04:00

We celebrated Everett's arrival in our family with a traditional Chinese Red Egg Party a couple weekends ago. The red egg party symbolizes luck, happiness and the renewal of life. Parents traditionally give guests red-dyed eggs and introduce the child to loved ones, who officially welcome him into the family and the large community. Both sets of parents came down along with our brothers and my grandmother. We had lots of friends joining us in the celebration with lots of food! It was great having our family in town and spending time together.

My grandmother holding her great grandson for the first time!

Everett loves checking out his handsome self in the mirror...he will often smile at himself too! It's quite adorable!

Out to lunch at The Pit for some delicious N.C BBQ

Dessert at Locopops!!! My FAVORITE!!

Kristen helping me prep for the party

The food spread....yum yum!

Four generations

Steph's side of the family: her mom, grandmother, Dad, and brother

Adam's side of the family: sister-in-law, Kristie, brother, Scott, and his parents

The whole clan

Random Fact from Adam: "Vermont, the nation's biggest producer of maple syrup, yielded 920,000 gallons in a one-month period starting in late February, up 30 percent from the year before, according to New England Agricultural Statistics. Producers tapped more than 3 million Vermont trees, about 20 percent more than in 2008. One gallon of syrup requires about 40 gallons of sap."

More visitors!

2009-07-09T21:49:00.008-04:00

Heather and Savannah came to visit us all the way from Boston! It was so much fun showing them around the Triangle and trying to convince them to move down here! We spent the 4th of July in downtown Raleigh and time soaking the sun by the pool. Heather has started doing photography as a side buisness and she is quite talented. You MUST check out the pictures she took of Everett because they are TOO cute. Click HERE ! Once on the site, click "newborns" and then "Everett" to see our sweet boy. Here are few other pictures from their week in North Carolina!

Savannah playing with Everett for the first time. She was so excited about the "baby!"

Heather's daughter, Savannah and Melinda's son, Tony meeting each other for the first time. It was seriously one of the cutest things ever watching them interact.

Heather and Savannah enjoying the warm sun down in the South

Downtown Raleigh on the 4th of July

Heather and Savannah checking out the ball pool at where I work! Yes, I love my job as I get to play all day!

Nunez to North Carolina!

2009-07-02T09:54:00.004-04:00

Melinda, Daniel, and Tony came to visit us!! They arrived last Sunday and they are leaving to drive to the beach today. Melinda and I have been friends since 9th or 10th grade, we've been in each others weddings, and now get to introduce our sons to each other. We've had a blast hanging out and letting our boys get aquainted with one other. And, we even got to eat Locopops on multiple occasions! Yum yum! Everett shared his toys with Tony and didn't mind at all letting him test out they toys he's not quite ready for yet. We love you all and can't wait until we see you again soon!

We loved having the Nunez family visiting us!

Tony practicing sitting in a chair

Tony coming to play with Everett on his activity mat...So SWEET!

Everett and Daddy sporting their baseball clothes!

Random Fact from Adam: "1 out of 6 visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America's most visited national park, never turns off his/her car engine, according to the Charlotte Observer. "

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T14:39:00.005-04:00

Adam gets to celebrate his First Father's Day today! Everett and I love him being a Daddy and can't wait for many more fun ahead! Also, Happy Father's Day to my own Dad and father-in-law. We actually get to celebrate today with my parents as they are still visiting here in NC. They were planning on leaving yesterday, but due to cancellation of flights, they won't be able to leave until tomorrow (or maybe Tuesday). So, they get more time with their grandson and we get to have wonderful quality time with them too. Here is what we've been up too this week:

We all helped to finish Everett's nursery as I found some nice additions the past week or so. Check out his super awesome "transportation" themed room! And yes, the red hanging airplane is our favorite!

Thanks to Melinda for making Everett's letters!!!

They are SO awesome!

My parents celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary this past weekend! Adam and I took them to one of our favorite restaurants, The Mint. It was a great time and Dad got to use his camera some more for family pictures...

Random Fact from Adam: "According to N.C. Gov. Beverly Purdue, there are more generals at Fort Bragg (NC) than anywhere in the world other than the Pentagon."

Yay for grandparents!

2009-06-16T15:48:00.005-04:00

My parents are in town and Everett is getting a healthy dose of being spoiled. My mom was here for a week before my Dad came and joined her. We have been enjoying shopping, going out to eat, and spending time with Everett of course! My Dad bought a new camera before coming to NC and needless to say, he has been testing it out. He is still working on figuring out the right settings, so some of the pictures have a yellow tone to them. I think he waited about 10 minutes upon walking into our house before taking it out and shooting pictures. Here's a small sample of those pictures...

I'm a sleepy boy

Taking another nap

Hanging out with Auntie Kristen

Having dinner with Dad

Getting vitamins from my Mommy

Yay! I'm doing great!

All clean after my bath and in my pajamas

Goodnight!

Random Fact from Adam: "Wow: "Texas created more new jobs in 2008 than all other 49 states combined." Texas is also one of only three states that is cutting taxes this year (Georgia and North Dakota are the other two), according to an editorial in the Wall Street Journal by the authors of "Rich States, Poor States" by the American Legislative Exchange Council."

Joining a family of eaters...

2009-06-04T10:31:00.003-04:00

Everett is successfully eating like a champ like the rest of our family. Most of you know that my family loves to cook and loves to eat....and we can eat a LOT! Well, Everett is no different as he loves to eat as well. He enjoys eating so much, he gained 13 ounces in one week!!! Everett is weighing in now at 6 pounds, 7 ounces! We are loving his chubby cheeks and watching him get bigger every day.

Random Fact from Adam: "According to the Associated Press, the number of bald eagles in the continental U.S. went from 50,000 pairs down to 417 pairs by 1963. Today,there are more than 10,000 pairs, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some populations by state:* Maine: 500 * New Hampshire: about 12* Vermont: 1* Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida: more than 1,000."

He's growing!

2009-05-31T21:18:00.004-04:00

Everett is 4 weeks old now and has been home for a whole week! At his check-up with the pediatrician this week, Everett is approaching 6 pounds and has added 1 inch to his length. He is looking great and keeps adding to his chubby cheeks. Adam and I are enjoying him being at home and spending quality time as a family since Adam is off from work for 2 weeks. Everett has been getting his tummy time with his mommy and daddy and keeps eating like a champ! We welcome all those who want to visit this cute little guy as he is very fun to hang out with! =)

My sideburns keep getting longer!

We're HOME!

2009-05-25T10:36:00.007-04:00

Everett was discharged from the hospital yesterday morning around 9:30am. He weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces on Saturday! We gladly packed up and headed out of there. He is adjusting well to being at home and really likes his new room! Everett did well in his car seat and did not make a peep during the car ride. It is so great to have us all home!

I am all clean after a bath!

Daddy does such a good job feeding me my bottle

I love stretching out my legs...look how tall I am getting!

Me and my cozy blanket from Allison

All dressed and ready to go home

The car seat isn't that bad

Count down to Sunday...

2009-05-19T11:55:00.005-04:00

It looks like we will be able to be discharged from the hospital on Sunday as long as Everett keeps doing as well as he has. With me staying overnight in the hospital with him, I have been able to nurse him for nearly all of his meals. He is consistently gaining weight now and even gained 3 ounces in one day! We have LOVED having visitors and letting our friends meet this cute boy. Here are a few more pictures for you all:

Hanging out with my Daddy and I am starting to fit into newborn clothes! It must be because I love to eat!

Auntie Kristen is the best! She brought me and my parents all kinds of treats in the hospital! Thanks!

This is me sleeping. I like to move my hands around when I sleep. My hands end up in all kinds of positions while I sleep.

All clean after a bath and back to snoozing

In a new room...

2009-05-16T21:02:00.004-04:00

Although we are still in the hospital, we have moved to a new room. Everett is in regular hospital room (no longer in the NICU) and we can stay with him. So, I have a bed, Adam gets a pull out chair bed, and Everett has his bassinet. Adam won't stay the night during the weekdays, but it's good to have him here when he can be. It took us a little while to get settled in, but all was better when the nurse told Adam he has a PlayStation he can use in our room.

We already had visitors (thanks Branon and Katy for bringing us dinner!) and we CAN have visitors now that we are out of the special nurseries....whoohoo! Unfortunately, we will be in the hospital until Sunday, but at least we can be with him in our own room now. Everett has been nursing great and Adam gives him a bottle a couple times a day to get some practice too. Here is a picture of him sleeping and getting ready to wake up for some dinner:

Still in the hospital...

2009-05-15T08:24:00.003-04:00

But, still very very cute! Our little guy is doing awesome. We are still in the hospital because he is finishing a course of antibiotics. Hopefully, by next weekend, Everett can come home. In the mean time, here are a couple new pictures of our adorable son!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T17:46:00.007-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all your wonderful moms out there! Adam and I got to spend the morning with Everett. We were hoping he would get his tube out of his mouth today, but we didn't expect that he would remove it himself. Apparently, he was done with it and took it upon himself to take it out. Fortunately, he does not need it anymore and the doctor said he is looking great! We can start feeding him tonight (8pm) which is super because this guy is hungry!!! Check out our little video....he is so hungry he'll eat his hand (and fingers) if you let him!

We got the chance to give Everett a bath today too. He wasn't all to thrilled with the idea, but he survived and now is all clean!

How cute is he?!?!

2009-05-08T16:37:00.003-04:00

I got to spend more time with my little man today. He is doing just awesome! His bowel functions are coming back as I got to change his first poopy diaper! Everyone at the hospital keeps telling me what a content and happy baby he is which is great as he didn't even need pain medication after the surgery! Now, he is just recovering nicely and spending time relaxing while he gets more of his strength back. Before I got to snuggle with him, we did a little photo shoot....Check out this adorable boy!!!

"It couldn't have gone better..."

2009-05-05T21:24:00.006-04:00

....that's what the pediatric surgeon told us after he had finished Everett's surgery. Everett did awesome and it took the surgeon half of the time he had allotted because Everett was such a champ! We were told that the blockage was fixed and Everett has no other concerns. While they were doing the surgery, they were checking the rest of the digestive system to make sure all of the other parts were working okay. Fortunately, it was just the one blockage and it is all fixed now!

We were able to see and hold Everett before he went into surgery and we got to see him once he was out. We made Everett a sign for his bed that shared the meaning of his name:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Shane - "The Lord is gracious"
"The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion." Psalm 116:5

Everett is recovering well and just taking it easy. He will be under sedation for about 48 hours while his body recooperates from it all. Adam and I are so proud of him. We are continued to be BLESSED by God's faithfulness and protection over our family. Thank you for your support, prayers, and love!

Kangaroo Care with Everett - Adam did get a turn too!

Loving on our son before surgery

Everett Shane Parken is HERE!

2009-05-02T19:09:00.003-04:00

Our lives have beautifully changed forever as our son, Everett Shane Parken, entered this world today. He was born at 9:13am weighing 4 pounds 10 ounces and 18 inches long! My water broke around 4am, but I must have been in labor without knowing it because by the time we got to the hospital around 5:15am, I was already 8 cm dilated! It was truly a blessing as I did not feel pain until the last hour. I had some not comfortable contractions starting after 8am and then the last part of pushing for 20 minutes was the hardest, but he and I did great! No medication, great nurses, and Adam and I are just elated! Our current pics can be found here on Picasa, but we will take more as we get to see him more!

Since Everett decided to make an early appearance (35 weeks), he is being monitored at the Special Care Nursery. He is really doing just fine, but they want to make sure of that. Everett needs to be able to eat on his own and keep is oxygen levels stable and then we'll be able to take him home. There is a chance we may go home before him, but not by much (one day or so). We keep praying for him to gain his weight and eat his food! I already told him eating runs in our family, so he might as well get on it! We can't wait to introduce you to our precious boy....he is an amazing gift from God!

Weekend of Productivity!

2009-04-26T14:23:00.005-04:00

Adam and I had a great weekend being home and getting things done! To kick off my weekend, we went to a Jimmy Buffet concert on Thursday night. I have to say, it wouldn't be my first choice being 8 months pregnant, but Adam won free tickets through our newspaper and the seats were decent. The crowd was outrageous, but the concert was quite enjoyable.

On Friday, I enjoyed some shopping with Kristen while Adam was at work and long afternoon nap! We got BBQ at our favorite place, Allen and Sons, with friends and took it easy for the rest of the evening.

Saturday - Adam spent hours outside planting herbs, mowing the yard, and more. I spent time inside in front of my sewing machine and FINALLY got the sewing done for the nursery. So, we have the crib bumpers completed and I covered the cushion and foot stool for the rocking chair too. I actually had the curtains done a few weeks ago, but it took much longer for me to design the bumpers in a pattern I liked. But now, I LOVE them and feel a LOT better that these are finished!

We're going for a transportation theme for the nursery

Kristen got a job and back at Fidelity too!! And we went out to celebrate at our usual place...Frazier's! Kristen bought me this cute maternity top to wear for our evening out! Congratulations Kristen! We're so proud of you!

Sunday - What's a weekend if Adam and I don't make breakfast together one day!? Adam found this awesome recipe for some blueberry pancakes and accompanied them with a maple butter sauce. It was definitely the best pancakes this Parken house has ever seen! We're still cleaning up and being productive this afternoon before we head to church in a few hours.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Random Fact from Adam: "The Philadelphia Inquirer says the recession means less trash. According to Waste Business Journal, trash declined from 513 million tons in 2006 to 208 million tons in 2007 to 505 million tons in 2008."

Baby Shower #2

2009-04-19T22:11:00.004-04:00

Adam and I headed to Boston on Thursday for our co-ed Baby Shower on Friday. It was a blast seeing friends and being blessed by so many loved ones! Here are a few pictures....click here for more.....

The awesome dessert spread

Cute onesies for our little boy!

Us with Heather, John, and Savannah

Wesley and Samantha decorated onesies for us

Veda opened her home for the shower...Thanks!

Beth helped organized and hosted our wonderful shower!

My mom, grandmother, and Aunt Karen

We got lots of fun gifts! Thanks everyone!

Random Fact from Adam: "Our prison system is something else. According to Sen. Jim Webb (D -- Va.):

- The U.S. has 5% of the world's population and nearly 25% of the world's reported prisoners
Another 5 million people who recently left jail remain under "correctional supervision," which includes parole, probation and other community sanctions.
- 1 in every 31 adults in the U.S. is in prison, in jail or on supervised release
- Local, state and federal spending on prison adds up to about $68 billion a year.
- 16% of adult inmates in American prisons and jails -- more than 350,000 people -- suffer from mental illness
- Drug offenders rose from 10% of the inmate population in 1984 to 33% in 2002
- African-Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, and they accounted for 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted and 74% of all drug offenders sentenced to prison

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T21:31:00.008-04:00

We had a nice sunny Easter weekend here in North Carolina. On Friday, Adam and I enjoyed spending time with our friends Katy and Branon and playing games. On Saturday, Adam and I got to go to the ballet! First, we ate dinner at The Mint (yes, this is the same place we had Kristen's birthday dinner). We love their $23 three-course menu and the atmosphere is awesome. The Carolina Ballet was quite enjoyable and we enjoyed our second row seats from Adam's company! And today, we celebrated Easter with spending time in worship and fellowship at church. Can't believe the weekend is over and it is off to bed before another week starts!

The UNC Tarheels won the NCAA Championship and Krispy Kreme made their glazed donuts with the infamous Carolina Blue....Adam couldn't help but to try one....

Saturday night dinner at The Mint

We love having a date night in downtown Raleigh!

Our Easter picture in our backyard with my 32 week belly!

Random Fact from Adam: "Remember this line in "You've Got Mail"? "The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall! Decaf!" Well, Joe Fox has a point, as the Los Angeles Times reported that Starbucks offers more than 87,000 possible drink combinations."

Baby Shower #1

2009-04-04T23:26:00.009-04:00

Today was my first Baby Shower! We had it at Kristen's home and it was a Tea Party! All of us ladies had a blast with the beautiful decorations and wonderful food! The Tea Party consisted of three courses...

Course 1 - Earl Grey Rooibos Tea with Mini Sandwiches - We had 3 different kind of sandwiches in cute little shapes. There was olive tapenade sandwich on pumpernickel bread, cucumber and chive on white bread, and pear lavender spread on wheat bread. They were all scrumptious!

Course 2 - Blood Orange Pear Tea with Scones - My friend Janice made cranberry lemon scones and plain scones with the option of raspberry preserves or homemade devonshire cream or homemade lemon curd. This was also very delicious!

Course 3 - Chai Tea with dessert treats - Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Tarts, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Cranberry Ginger Biscotti, and Vienna Bread (a very yummy almond treat that I love from Kristen's family recipes).

It was so fun enjoying an afternoon of friends over tea! Thank you for all who came and for all the generous gifts!

While I was out enjoying my afternoon with the ladies, Adam had some of the husbands over to our house for some good guy hang out time. They played tennis at our neighborhood court and watched a boy movie (The 300). They even had good guy snack foods I made for them: chips and queso, haystacks, chocolate chip cookies, and man dip (sausage and cheese goodness as Adam likes to call it..)

It was a great time of fellowship for all! Adam and I are so thankful for everything and for all your friendships, encouragement, and support!

Here are some pictures from this afternoon. For additional pictures, click here.

Janice, Ashley, Me, and Emily

Ready for Tea!

Enjoying our first course

Yummy desserts!

A perfect outfit for our little cowboy...Thanks Aunt Jeremy

Me and Emily at 31 weeks...my belly is definitely bigger!

Thanks to our lovely hostess Kristen!

Random Fact from Adam: "There are 3 creameries for milking water buffalo in the U.S., including Bufala di Vermont, based in South Woodstock, Vermont, which was the country's first water buffalo farmstead creamery. According to the company, "Water buffalo produce approximately 15% of the world's milk, primarily in Southeast Asia, South America and Italy. Italians have been using water buffalo for over 200 years where the meat and mozzarella are highly regarded delicacies."

Hanging out in Raleigh

2009-04-03T22:23:00.005-04:00

We have had a quite a week over here! Last weekend we celebrated Kristen's birthday with a fabulous evening out on the town! We enjoyed a three course meal at The Mint followed by drinks at Bogart's. The bartender was nice enough to mix up a non-alcholic concotion for me. Happy Birthday Kristen! We love you!

On Monday, we received this awesome handmade blanket for our little boy from the the McMurrays. Thank you Katie, Jim, and Natalie. It is amazing! Adam was so excited he wanted it for himself....it's just a little small though....

Adam left on Tuesday for a work trip to Las Vegas. He got to see a couple of his high school guys who came in from LA to hang out with him. For me, I was home in our new house for the first time and did alright! I worked on the nursery and did a little shopping =) Adam's plane should land in a little bit and it will be great to have him back home!

Random Fact from Adam: "What's the fastest-growing metropolitan area of the country? Well, it's Wake County, NC, of course (the county where Raleigh, Cary and several suburbs are). Population here grew 4.3% between 2007 and 2008, beating out the Austin, Texas growth of 3.8%."

Asheville and the Third Trimester

2009-03-19T21:16:00.009-04:00

Adam and I spent last weekend in Asheville as a getaway for just the two of us. We had a great time relaxing and checking out the Biltmore. The Biltmore is quite impressive and really an awesome place to see. And, we knew our friends Matthew and Emily were going to be in Asheville last weekend too, but we never thought we'd run into them at the Biltmore of all places! It was a fun time eating TONS of really great food (the food nerds in us couldn't get enough of the unique foods we had in Asheville)! A few highlights of our cuisine included: Rosemary peach lemonade, tupelo honey on fresh biscuits, Adam's Beer Ice Cream Float, hot chocolate with maple and smoked sea salt, and a multitude of yumminess at our Sunday Brunch at the Grove Park Inn.

All done touring the Biltmore

Matthew and Emily....they are having a boy too!

The impressive view of the Biltmore Estate

Adam enjoying his maple cake with himalayan salt and his beer ice cream float

Time is flying by fast as I have started the third trimester! Fortunately, I have all of my fabric for his nursery and need to get going on my sewing machine! We also were lucky enough to get another ultrasounds to see our little boy today from a friend. He is so cute and we are loving his chubby cheeks! Check out more of those pictures here.

28 weeks and still feeling good!

He's so adorable...

Hope you are all doing well! We miss all of you who are far away!!!

Random Fact from Adam: "According to Reason, there were only 44 American breweries in 1979. Now, there are 1,463 breweries, including 975 brewpubs. The spark: legislation signed by Southern Baptist President Jimmy Carter. By point of comparison, in 1872, there were 3,421 commercial breweries in America, or roughly 17 times as many per capita as there are now."

House Warming Party

2009-03-08T22:01:00.003-04:00

After getting all of our pictures hung and boxes unpacked, we had some friends over last night for a house warming party. It was so great to use all my fun hostess servingware and cook up a storm. We had plenty of food and friends and even great weather. It has been warming up here in NC where we got to enjoy the deck this weekend! Hope you all are doing well!

Random Fact from Adam: "The Australian spider Golden Orb Weaver can kill a bird. Don't believe me? Check out these photos and accompanying news story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/10/22/easpider122.xml. "

The tour of our house

2009-03-01T15:34:00.002-05:00

I know many of you have been asking to see the inside of our house, so here we go with some pictures! We finally got things more or less where we would like them, curtains are up, and the pictures are hung on the wall. We have our official house warming party next weekend, so it will be great to have friends over in the new place! Click HERE to see the pictures! I realized I didn't take a picture of the laundry room, but we do have one and it has your usual washer/dryer in there...Enjoy the tour! Hope you all have had a great weekend!

Random Fact from Adam: "The fact is, 99.23 per cent of the water on earth is not usable by humans unless something is done to it first," said Dr. Mark Shannon, director of the U.S. National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water Systems. "And, the remaining 0.77 per cent is currently being contaminated."

He's moving!

2009-02-03T21:38:00.003-05:00

That's right....our baby boy is moving around as he is growing. Adam felt him kick for the first time yesterday! I have been feeling his movements for a couple weeks now, but it is definitely more noticeable these days. It was really funny (and cool) when he was moving a ton on my way home from work and I was thinking, geez he must be doing karate down there. So, I turned down the music and just started talking to him. What do you know....he calmed right down and mellowed out. Adam also does pretty good with calming him down by just talking to him or putting his hand on his belly. We'll see if we are this effective once he is born! Anyhow, that's the latest baby update for now. Here is a recent picture of me from this past weekend....22 weeks down!

Random Fact from Adam: "You can hit a fake rubber hand with a hammer and feel you own pain. Well, you can if you do The Rubber Hand Illusion, supposedly."