Hanging out

Elizabeth Anne,

It was fun hanging out with you today.

I enjoyed relaxing on the couch with our feet up watching Baby Einstein. We talked about circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. I agreed with you that the Hippo is funny.

You drank from a juice box and straw.

I took you for a ride in the wagon up to the pond where we fed the fish bread. I think I was more interested in that than you.

We went over to the park and swung. You made me sing you the echo song.

We ate turkey sandwiches, peas, and grapes. We put together a puzzle. We read Elmo books.

We played in the sandbox. We ran the water and made Chase drink it. We cut flowers.

We splashed water at each other and I helped you brush your teeth - all 3 of them.

I read you a story about bellybuttons, we prayed together, and you went to sleep.

It doesn't get any better than that does it?

Love Dad

Recent random pics

Watermelon! mmmmmm..


What now!

Walk to the Park

Elizabeth Anne and I like to walk to the park, which is about a block from our house. She talks to me the whole way. Here is a sample of our last conversation.

Elizabeth Anne, Want to go to the park?

swing?

Yes, swing

swing swing swing swing!!

sidewalk?

Yes, sidewalk.

Hey sidewalk...

rock?

Yes, rock.

Hey rock...bye rock..

doggie?

Yes, doggie.

Hey doggie...bye doggie

stick?

Yes, stick.

Hey stick...bye stick

swing?

Yes, swing.

Hey swing...swing, swing, swing!

After swinging and sliding, I asked if she was ready to go home.

home?

Yes, home.

bye swing...bye slide...

stick?

Connection

do you know what i struggle with?

connecting. connecting with people. i used to be able to connect with people. and was good at it. i could laugh, talk, entertain, enjoyed meeting new people, etc. you know connect. i could go deep, i could stay shallow. i could connect.

i can't anymore. am i too busy? selfish? tired? too old? uninteresting?

who knows?

it's too important though, to stop trying to connect with people. we need each other.

Jackson Hole

Our visit to Jackson Hole, WY was wonderful! We had so much fun getting away from it all. Elizabeth Anne had a blast and was so good. I got to see my brother who is living out there now - that was good. Went whitewater rafting down the Snake River, horseback riding up a mountain that overlooked Jackson, and drifted on an all day fly fishing trip down the South Fork where I caught 7 TROUT!! How about that for a vacation.

Here are some pics - I can't wait to go out again!

Marilyn's property that backs up to the national park.




Lauran and I on the horse trail - a 2 1/2 hour ride up the mountain.



Elizabeth Anne get's into the spirit of things..



Dinner at Snake River Grill - someone is loudly banging a fork on the table..



Elizabeth Anne hiking by Jenny Lake and the Tetons




Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera on my fishing trip. You will have to trust me on that. I really did catch those fish - I PROMISE! Our guide was with Jack Dennis Outfitters. The funny thing is that he was an AUB. Can you believe it? They are everywhere!

Can't wait to go back...

Is Jesus the Only God?

Very cool video from Mark Driscoll

Farm Animal Imitations

How funny are these! I think my favorite is the chicken, which deserves a video all by itself.

Angel

What an angel! Looks just like her mom!



Sorry about being a mush..can't help it sometimes.




What?? You've never dipped blackberries in your spagetti sauce before? Please.

Alphabet

So, I am trying to teach Elizabeth Anne the alphabet. (Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM is a great book to do that with by the way) Here is how our conversation went the other day..

O?

Yes! That's right! You pointed to an O!

O?

Mmmm. Not quite, that's a C.

O?

No, C.

O.

C.

O! O! O!

Elizabeth Anne.... C

O! (Daddy, you have no clue what you are talking about)

It occurred to me at that moment, that this won't be the first time where in her mind, Daddy has absolutely no clue whatsoever.

What's new...

Well, I have changed a bunch in a month.

I got a new hat..



like to chill and watch the tube..



enjoy the sunshine in my wagon..



oooohhhhh totally wiped out and busted up my nose!!!








ALL DONE for now..

Walk of Life 2

We did it!



Lauran and I finished the 5K in 43 minutes - not too bad for us!

I think it was because Elizabeth Anne was there cheering us on.

Walk of Life

hay!

mommy and daddy are running for my mimi! mimi teaches me about flowers and makes me breakfast in bed. and I can get anything I want from mimi. please support mommy and daddy in their walk. daddy will need your help because he is going to run.

i made this webpage without daddys help where you can click on it to support them so click here please:

http://www.active.com/donate/walkoflife2008/JParson88


thank you for supporting my family!

love elizabeth anne parsons


Walk of Life is a 5K run/walk through downtown Montgomery, which will be held at Cramton Bowl on April 19, 2008. The Walk of Life is the major fundraiser for the Joy to Life Foundation. It is intended to raise awareness and dollars to help pay for free mammograms for women under 50 years of age. All funds that are raised stay in the tri-county area.

Walking Video

Told you I could do it!

FIRST STEPS!!

Elizabeth Anne took her first steps yesterday evening! Three separate times she took about 4 or 5 steps all by herself! She was walking to Mommy first, then me later.

We tried to get it on video, but she wasn't in the mood. Of course, we will try to capture this and post it.

My little baby is growing up. Awwwwwww.

Elizabeth Anne's vocabulary

Elizabeth Anne is now 13 months old. Here are the words she can say:

1st word: Mommy
2nd word: Elmo
3rd word: Doggy
4th word: Bama
5th word: Daddy (notice a trend here?)

Other words in no particular order:

Thank you
Help me
Bye Bye
Hey
Banana (nana)
Eat
Out
All Right
All Done
Wagon (...well, more like gagon, but we understand)
Flower
Bee
Anna
Eye
Duck
Bear
Night Night
Baby
Happy
Me
Pooh
Apple
Owl
Ball
Bunny
Car

And can make the sound of a Monkey, Cow, Dog, Sheep, Horse, Lion, and Fish upon request.

Amazing. I bet if she was a boy the list would only be half this much. Kidding of course.

Random Thoughts

I write here in hopes of one day Elizabeth Anne, and hopefully her siblings will oneday read this and better know their Dad. That being said, here are some random thoughts going through dear ole dad's mind:

I can never quite seem to find what I'm looking for.

I love to read and just ordered three more books from amazon.com

Jack Johnson is currently my favorite singer and Lauran bought me his new CD.

I spent today with Elizabeth Anne, took her to see the ducks. When they flew towards the bread I gave them, she laughed so hard she had gas! I wish I had a video camera with me.

I am going to drive my car unitl it has over 200K miles on it. It's green and I can't stand green cars. But, it's paid for so I'll take it.

I get anxious sometimes that I won't be able to provide for my family.

Next weekend is Basic Weekend at Frazer. I am spending the weekend with the 11th grade boys youth group and am already dreading the no sleep factor.

I bought Lauran flowers today.

Day care is so expensive and we may have to find a new one.

Your grandmother - Anne - can make some really good chili. It has been my last three meals.

I HAVE to get in shape and start working out.

I have discovered that I am a very patient person. This helps at work. I don't have a temper either. That also helps.

Good friendships are hard to find and very hard to keep, but important and worth nurturing.

Lauran is passionate about dancing. I am trying to find something that I am just as passionate about.

If I had to money to blow - I'd have a Porshe 911 convertible.

I love my family - every last one of them.

I think consistency and endurance is an important trait. Like running a marathon. It works in investing, business, fitness, relationships, parenting, and worship. It's hard though, cause we so desperately want to sprint to the finish line.

I really do believe in God and Christ as my savior. When you study the Bible, it's hard not to. I think it's important to take time to read the Bible. I like the NIV, NLT, or Message versions. It's important to pray too.

I'd like to be famous, but I think I would hate it after a while.

The world is so violent now. It's getting worse every year.

That's all for now.

Oh yeah, I am soo sick of Bama losing to Auburn. This year, we are going to start our own streak.

Happy First Birthday!

I blinked and Elizabeth Anne turned 1. I can't believe it. It was just the other day that she was born right??

We had a big ole ELMO party.

Here are some pictures and what she had to say about the day:



This looks interesting....






Mmmm....What is this amazing stuff in my mouth???






Mommy and Daddy got me a WAGON! Easy living..



mY BirthDAY was FUN. I ate CAKE. ADULTS are funny. I like MY WAGON its red. CAKE is yummy. WHY does everyone go oooooooohhhhh when I TAKE a bite? Ice cream is cold, not thrilled with it. When can I do this AGAIN?

Healthy again!

Well, it felt like forever, but after a week Elizabeth Anne seems to be back to normal. That was a long hard week - physically and emotionally. It is so hard watching her be sick, wishing you could make it go away and praying it's nothing serious.

But we are back, bossing daddy around, making him hold her, pointing at the dog, and laughing at the ball.

Just in time for her ELMO birthday party! (She can't read yet, so it's ok that I let the cat out of the bag)

We are just going to let her roll in the cake! I can't wait...

Sickness

Elizabeth Anne is going through her first real illness, and it's so awful! Trust me, we know because we got it too.

I haven't been that sick since I was 11 months old!

My baby girl is still getting over it, it's a double nasty stomach bug.

All I want to do is make it go away and for her to get better. It is so hard watching her all sick and lethargic.

Doctor says she seems to be on the way up, so I am ready for her to play with me again.

Plus - she has a BIRTHDAY coming up in a week and a half!

Kicking the ball

My conversation started like this.

Hey sweetie, how was your day?

Ball..

Were you a good girl?

Ball..Ball..

Did you miss me?

BALL...BALL...BALL...BALL..

Well, ok.

So our conversation turned into this......

It's what I do. : )

You Version

Here is something new and cool. It's called You Version.

It basically a community Bible developed by the Lifechurch team. On the left side is the Bible, on the right side are posts based on whatever passage you highlight.

What a great idea!

Linebacker

Elizabeth Anne is showing early signs that she will be a linebacker.


*NOTE: No person or animal was injured in the shooting of this film. Do not try this at home without supervision. The result of this tackle were many giggles from the tackler - the bear however, wasn't laughing.

Remarkable (pt 2)

Having the desire to be remarkable is one thing, actually doing something about it is a whole other ballgame.

It reminds me of a verse in the Bible that says "Let us not love with words or tounge, but with actions and in truth."

In other words, talk is cheap!

Andy Stanley goes into more detail in his message "The Path Principle", which is "the path you are on will lead you to your destination. We can desire something, wish for something, even write down plans to do something - but all that means nothing if we are not walking the right path.

For example: I want to be a remarkable dad. You say - that's great, way to go! You should be saying - so what are you doing about it? What little things are you doing everyday to become a remarkable dad? Are you on the right path toward your destination?

Here are some things I think I am going to do:

1) Every morning I tell Elizabeth Anne that I love her, and that if I could choose any girl in the whole world to be my daughter - I would choose her! (see Matthew 3:17)

2) Subscribe to Family Times when she is a little older and make it a priority to teach her values and virtues.

3) Take her on dates.

4) Pray with her.

5) Apologize to her when I mess up.

6) Love her mother like I want her future husband to love her.

7) Give her lots and lots of hugs.

8) Care enough to discipline her when necessary - and be fair about it.

9) Care enough to get involved with her life as she grows older.

10) Look for her gifts and talents and encourage her constantly to go for it.

11) Write a blog about her for her to read one day. : )

These are just a few thoughts, and I would love more ideas.

Remarkable

One of the books that have had an impact on me is Purple Cow by Seth Godin.

In short summary, it's about being remarkable. That in today's world, good doesn't work. You have to be remarkable - worth talking about, worth paying attention to. If you aren't, you just get lost in the crowd.

To me, one of the main reasons I think some people don't go from good to remarkable is because of plain laziness. They are satisfied with just being average or good and don't want to put in the extra effort it takes to make a lasting impression. Come to work, get by, go home.

It is a great business book, worth reading.

But what about in our personal life. Why not be a remarkable dad, a remarkable husband, a remarkable friend? Why not strive for excellence in those areas? You know, do the little things that make your wife, children, or friends day. In the business world we spend so much time thinking about and working towards blowing away our customers - but do we put in the same effort at home?

The same culprit stops us - laziness. Come home, get by, go to work.

It is hard work, takes extra effort, intentional action, and dedicated focus to be a remarkable husband, dad, and/or friend. I would say harder than whatever it is you do for a living.

But the thing is - in the long run, it pays better. So, why not strive to be remarkable? I can't think of any unselfish reason not to.

Lifehouse's Everything

Stick with it - this is truly moving.

Elizabeth Anne laughing at Daddy

Although the lighting is not good, this is my favorite video of us. I got her laughing at me so hard she had tears in her eyes.

Little Things

She makes me read her books over and over and over, I don't mind

She sings along with Snoopy her ABC's

She can throw a ball, a bow, a brush, a remote, food, my cell phone, .....

She dances

She cuddles with me when we watch her Baby Einsten DVD

She claps and waves bye-bye

She points things out to me and tells me what they are - hey, she knows what she is saying

She pulls out Chase's hair and hands it to me

She tries to say Thank You

She sleeps with her knees tucked under her stomach

She giggles at me when I chase after her

She likes to run when I stand her up and hold her hands

She turns her head sideways and down when I say "aaawwwww"

She ALWAYS smiles for the camera

So I have started blogging again..

Wow.. 4 months and not one post. Frankly, I just got tired of it. But I have decided to start blogging again.

Not because of my HUGE fan base (all 10 of you), but simply because I hope my children will read this one day.

Little things happen every day with Elizabeth Anne that I know I will forget one day and this is the best way to capture those memories.

I will start catching up on those later, but for now take a look at how my little girl has grown!




Since my last post (when she was 7 months), she is now eating real food, crawling with ease, pulling up, cruising on her own, pointing out familiar objects (cup, apple, dog, etc), and bossing me around!

Time is flying.