Easter 2011

Christ is Risen!  Easter is my favorite Sunday of the whole year.  It is so powerful and encouraging.  The God of the universe sent His one and only Son to earth, not to condemn us, but to die for us...for me!  But that's not where it ends...  He is alive!!!  I cannot fully grasp what this all means, but I know it's awesome.  I no longer have to endure the wrath of God, but have accepted the gift of salvation and will live forever with my Savior in heaven =)

This Easter was a little different than ones in the past.  Usually Ryan and I get together with family, but we decided to stay in Naperville.  We've never been to our church for Easter, so we wanted to stay for that - I had a track meet all day yesterday, and it was going to be a lot of driving for not much quality time.  We woke up around 6 (our alarm clock, Parker, is an early riser ;) and we thought we'd put in some Pillsbury rolls.  We didn't have any on hand, so we thought we'd make some of our own with the help of Hot Roll Mix.  Well...we didn't have any eggs either, so we jumped in the car and went grocery shopping at 7:30!  That's a first.  When we got back, Ryan made the world's greatest caramel pecan rolls.  Totally worth the wait!  We went to 11:00 church (it was packed!) and went out for brunch after.  Then we took these pictures of Parker in his handsome Easter outfit;)

Happy Easter!!

Parker's Dedication

Parker was dedicated at The Compass last Sunday, April 17.  Ryan and I were asked to think of a "hope" for Parker, find a verse for his life, and a verse for us as parents.  When we first got the questions, we were a little overwhelmed.  How do you pick a verse for your child's life?  There are SO many great ones to pick from!  After much searching, we decided to go with

James 4:7 "Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."  

We chose this because we want Parker to be equipped to resist temptation, and as a result, the devil will leave him alone!  We want him to be a citizen of heaven, and not one with the world.  We also want him to follow Jesus so closely, that he is covered with the dirt of His sandals.

It is our hope, that with our help and guidance from God, Parker will passionately pursue his maker.  That he will commit to embracing the process of sanctification and never stop chasing authenticity.  It is our prayer that he will become a biblical man of God and an equipped leader among his generation; that he will be anchored on faith and scripture and closely follow Jesus’ example of servant hood.  May Parker understand well that life in this world is not a one-act play centered on him, but rather, he has been given faith and salvation through Jesus and therefore individually chosen to play a supporting role in HIStory, a much bigger and never-ending God’s story.

 

We ended up choosing three verses for ourselves as parents...  It's a big job!

Deuteronomy. 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates."

Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it."

3 John 1:4 - "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."

It was a really special day.  Our family, friends, and church body were able to witness us dedicate Parker to the Lord.  We felt extremely supported and encouraged by everyone.  Ryan and I have really started to realize how much of a blessing it is that God has entrusted us with a child, and how important it is for us to teach him to follow Christ.  We love Parker so much and could not imagine life without him.  God's plans are truly better than ours! 

Us with Pastor Dale.

Uncle Bill teaching him how to walk.

Buddies

He loves being tossed.

Naperville in the Spring

It's official...we've fallen in love with Naperville.  Yes, the cost of living is high, but it's no mystery why so many people want to live here!  Here are a couple of reasons why we like it...in no particular order.

1.  There are parks, playgrounds, and forest preserves EVERYWHERE!  We definitely love the country life, but when you have all of these fun places to play around you, it doesn't really feel like we're living in a crowded city.

2.  The downtown is adorable.  Almost every restaurant has outdoor eating.  I don't know about you, but if it's above 50, I would prefer to eat all of my meals outdoor.  It also has a bunch of unique stores, ice cream shops, and Ryan's favorite, The Red Mango (frozen yogurt). 

3.  The riverwalk!  We have been to the riverwalk four times in the last 5 days.  I have a hard time driving anywhere near there on a nice day and not stopping.  The path is wide, brick, great for strollers, and there are daffodils and tulips planted all around it!  Lucky for me, those are my two favorite flowers and it is a feast for the eyes!  Parker likes the riverwalk, too.  He doesn't fall asleep all the time in the carseat anymore.  He likes looking around and playing with his rattle while we're walking.  He also likes stopping at the playground to swing and watch the bigger kids play.  By the riverwalk, there are sand volleyball courts, a big open area for flying kites and playing bocce ball, and Centennial Beach. 

4.  Centennial Beach is a rock quarry that was turned into a huge pool/beach.  The deep end has a few piers that the high school kids sit on all day, and there are several diving boards.  There are 5 lap lanes and a huge shallow area that gradually turns into a beach.  It's awesome.  I went a few times last year, but I'm hoping to visit more in the coming summers.

5.  Awesome location.  Right now, we live right off of Route 88, which is the highway we take home.  It's an easy route for us, and for our parents!  We also have a lot of people stop by on their way into the city because, well, we're on the way!  Best part, we can't hear the highway from our apartment.  We are 5 minutes from Target (which is good and a bit dangerous) Aldi, two malls, and all the restaurants and stores you could ever want.  We don't really go to the malls, stores, and restaurants much, but we still like living by them! haha.  On top of all of that, we are about 30 minutes from downtown Chicago.  I love visiting there, but there are so many things in our backyard that we still need to explore.

6.  The Compass Church.  We have been attending there since November of 2010, and are really starting to get plugged in.  The best part about the church is that they are all about reaching people with the Good News!  One of their major avenues of outreach is through the children's ministries.  Their children's ministries are outstanding.  We have gotten to know several other young couples and are truly blessed by the church body.

I always write these posts, and then decide they would be way cuter with pictures.  I'll try to go on a little scavenger hunt to get pictures of all these places!

This is the life!

We have had a few days lately with awesome weather!  I love feeling the warm weather for the first time in months.  It's like I forget how great it is.  I've learned to appreciate Winter because it makes Spring that much better!

Our new favorite thing to do is go outside with a blanket and a few toys for Parker, and let him sit and play.  He loves the outdoors =)  Today he was laying on his tummy on our bed, just staring out the window.  I just imagined him dreaming of the days when he can explore the outdoors. 

We've taken him to two different parks in the past few days and put him in the little baby swing.  He loved it!  He closes his eyes when he's swinging forward and then opens them when he gets to the peak.  We were giving him kisses, playing peek-a-boo, and dodging out of the way.  He was cracking up!  He does that a lot now.  Especially for Ryan.  They already have a super special daddy-son relationship.  Parker is very blessed to have a daddy that loves him, plays with him, and is committed to teaching him how to be an authentic man!  (More about that in the dedication post that will be coming hopefully next week.)

Spring Break

March 28-April 2 was my Spring Break.  I was really excited for it because everyday I was going to hang out with a friend and their baby...unfortunately, I ended up staying home sick the first 3 days.  Boo.  I didn't have to cancel all of my plans though!

On Wednesday, I met my friend Laura and her 3 month old daughter, Bethany, at the mall.  We just walked and talked.  It was really great to see her.  We are always talking about baby stuff, running, God, and baking =)  That was also Parker's 6 month birthday!  I just cannot get over how big he is!  It seems like he has really turned into a little boy in the last month.  He is constantly on the move, talking, smiling, and laughing.

On Thursday, we headed west to Stillman Valley.  It was really fun hanging out with Ryan's family.  I got to hold baby Lena (total doll!), and play with JW and Whittaker.  They love their baby cousins so much and are so good with them.  I love watching all 4 of the cousins play together.  We tried to take some pictures.  I'm not sure that we really got a good one, but we got several funny ones! (See Below).  Ryan edited some of them to make on nice picture of all 4 cousins.
Parker got his 2nd tooth that day, too!

Such a sweet baby girl!

"Parker, you're huge!"

Some happy, some not so happy.

At least Whittaker is enjoying himself.

Big eyes!

 Parker also got to play with Aunt Bonita, Uncle Bill, Papa, and Grandma!

Nice 'toy' Papa

I'm ready to eat!  Anyone else?

I was looking forward to Friday because my BFF (college edish), Bobbi, was coming over with her daughter, Mayci!  We haven't gotten to see each other since the babies were 2 months old.  We are constantly calling each other and comparing notes.  When Bobbi and Mayci got to my parents, Parker was sleeping.  I woke him up and he was totally out of it for about the next 1/2 hour.  While Mayci laughed, smiled, and babbled, Parker just sat and stared.  I don't think he blinked for several minutes straight. 

Once I fed him, he snapped out of it.  He was probably just mesmerized by Mayci's cuteness!  It was so fun watching them stand and look at each other.  They'd reach for each other, smile, and wave their arms all over.  I love you Bobbi, and your daughter is amazing!  I can't wait to see you two again!!

Parker loved her headband!

Hey! Can I give you a hug?

They liked the camera.

After Bobbi left, my Grandma Saar and her husband Joe came over for dessert.  I felt bad because Parker was pretty sleepy when they got there, but he sure had a fun time looking at Great Grandma's necklace!

Saturday morning, Nat, Mom and I went to GVCRC to do Zumba.  It was my second time doing it, and I LOVE it!  The music is so much fun, the steps are easy, and time flies!  An hour of that was plenty, though.  My legs were getting pretty tired.  Parker just jumped around in an exersaucer the whole time.  Nat and the kids came back to my parents and we had a great time jumping on the trampoline. We got a new tramp last year but I haven't gotten to jump on it yet (prego).  Nat and I played the seat-drop game.  We used to play it for hours at a time when we were younger, but after a few minutes we were dead tired and decided to call it a tie ;)  I love spending time with my sister.  She is so easy to talk to, has lots of great advice, and even more funny stories.  She is a great mom/role-model!  I also love her kids.  They are the first kids that I have really watched grow up from birth, and I am really starting to understand why everyone says "they grow up so fast!"  Alaina and Hunter are so much fun and have so much personality!  We all watched Tangled together after we were worn out from the tramp.

Later on, I took Parker over to Grandma Ross' house.  She got a kick out of him.  Parker showed her all his tricks =)  Then we went to Grandma Hachmeister's!  Parker got to see all 3 of his great-grandma's in 2 days!  He is so blessed to have so many grandparents and great-grandparents.  I want him to get as much time with them as possible!

I always forget to take the camera to
Grandma Ross' =(