8 Years Old

Happy Birthday to my darling daughter, Paige. I can't begin to describe how amazing this kid is. We always say that she tricked us into having more kids because she is so great. We just thought parenting was a breeze. (Her siblings soon reminded us that she is just a fluke.) She is just an inherently GOOD person. Her friends love her, every teacher she's had wishes they had a classroom full of her and her siblings want to be just like her. I don't know what we did to deserve to be her parents, but we are so LUCKY! Happy Birthday to a girl that is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Elves, Again!

What would Christmas be without JibJab?

Happy Birthday, Lily!

Happy Birthday to the funniest 2 year-old I know!

Home on the Range

I realize that I haven't posted a true update in quite some time. So, here is the overdue synopsis: In my post in June, I stated that the possibility of Rob getting another Engineering job in the Aviation industry in Wichita was rather small. Well, that is exactly what happened! While continuing his job search and living in Arizona/Utah, he was contacted by Airbus, North America. After phone interviewing and being flown back to Wichita, he was offered a job. Can you believe it? Back in Wichita, afterall. I think there must be some important reason we need to be here. Luckily, we had packed most of our stuff into storage here, waiting to know where we would be living. Obviously, Rob accepted the position and started back to work almost three weeks ago. I really feel soo blessed with the way things turned out. We didn't even miss a paycheck and we get his 11 week severance on top of that. Oh, and don't forget his 8 week PAID vacation this Summer. Wow! We really are lucky! The only downside is that we had to get back so soon, that we just moved back into an apartment. :< (But only for 3 months this time.) That is a small price to pay, considering what the alternative could have been. And wait, it gets better: he was offered more money and we pay *zero* for our health benefits. Yep, no premiums, deductibles, co-pays...nothing! (A raise in and of itself!) Whew! We must be doing something right. :0)

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday

We knew we were going to be back in Kansas for Caleb's birthday, so we decided to have a celebration in Arizona for him before we left. Then on his actual birthday, we just had a party with our family. He had lots of fun on both days and loved all of the great gifts he got! Here are some pictures from both events:
Waiting for the yummy cake
The colorful inside

Racing the go-carts
Can't wait to party!
Hero for the Day
Can you guess the theme of the AZ party?

First Day of School

The kids started back at school on Monday. I can't believe I have two kids in school now! Every morning for two weeks Caleb had been asking if he was going to school that day. He was excited, to say the least. My days are going to be quite different with just the two little ones.

Our Summer Vacation 2009

Wow! We have come full circle. We hit every one of these states in this order, top to bottom. We had memorable times in each place, some good, some bad. More info to follow later....

Big Update

So, the day has finally come. Rob was laid off last Friday. We were expecting it, especially since the program he was a part of was cancelled last month. We just feel so blessed that we made it through the first three or four layoffs and were able to get baby Jack here on insurance. Since the job market here in Wichita is generally in the aviation industry and there are hundreds of Engineers that have been laid off at Cessna alone, we have decided to abandon our journey in Kansas. We have very mixed feelings and aren't burning any bridges here in Wichita, so who knows. In the meantime, we are heading back to Arizona to live with Rob's mom (bless her heart) while looking for another job. We are presently packing up and plan to be there by the end of the week. In other news, Jack is 4 weeks old and getting bigger by the minute. I can't believe how time flies. We have a fun few weeks planned, hitting two family reunions, one for each side of the family. I hope to keep updating on our Summer, but if I fail to, it is only because we are literally on the road until mid July. Hope all is well with our family and friends. As for the Parry family, we are just finding "Joy in the Journey".

Don't You Forget About Me

We have had some concerns about how Lily would react to having Jack in the house. But, she really couldn't love him more. She gives Jack at least 40 kisses a day and always wants to be near him. However, she hasn't let us forget that she is still around. From a half of bottle of sunscreen on her legs, to a toilet full of paper to re-arranging her clothing during her naps, she is Lily, hear her roar!

Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Caleb is officially done with preschool. Sadly, his school didn't have an official graduation this year. There is something about little kids in graduation hats. So, instead they had a class picnic. And we live in Kansas, so of course it was at a farm. Caleb, Lily and Rob had a great time. Great job, Caleb. We are proud of you!

Kiddie Stats

We had Jack's 2 week check-up and Lily's 18 month check-up this week. With the exception of Jack's yucky thrush, both are doing great! Jack is almost back to his birth weight and is 23 inches!! Yes, he has grown 2 inches in 2 weeks. That puts him in the 81% for weight and 99% for height. Lily is finally back on the charts for weight, in the 97% and still OFF the charts for height. I sure do grow them big...and very cute!

Happy Birthday, Rob!

As usual, I am a day late and a dollar short! But I wanted to tell my husband Happy Birthday....yesterday. :) Those of you who know Rob, know just how lucky I am to have him in my life. Our kids ADORE him. He is one of those Dad's that really get down and play with the kids and it is one of the things that I love about him. I am sorry that we had a pretty low-key day, but it was great to have him home. Happy Birthday, hon! I wonder where we will be on your next birthday!!

Jack Merrill Parry

Jack finally made his grand entrance! Born:
Monday, May 11th at 2:15 pm
Weighed 9 lbs 10 oz (thank heaven for C-sections!)
Was 21 inches long
Needless to say he was HUGE! I have big babies anyway, but he was a good pound larger than my other record holder.

Here the kids are loving Jack one last time before meeting him.

Getting to hold him for the first time.

After his first bath.

The three of us.

Daddy and Jack.

YOWZA!!

Caleb finally got his brother.

Lily adores Jack....sometimes too much.

Soooo sleepy.

Monkey toes! When he came out, the nurses kept saying he was all feet and hands. They were right!
We are so blessed to have Jack finally here. Everyone is in love with him and he certainly doesn't lack attention. We wish more of you were here to meet him.

My Baby Girl

I have thought alot over the last few months about how I don't get to have Lily as my baby for as long as I did my other kids. I feel bad about that. She is so fun and loving. I can't even imagine our family without her. I am excited that she will have a brother so near in age and hope that they are very close. But, I am savoring these last few days with her as my sweet baby.

I'm a Big Kid Now

I think I can speak for a lot of parents when I say "Hooray for 18 months"!!! Lily is now officially in Nursery at church. This was a much needed change for our family, especially with Baby Jack on his way. Lily was getting sooo hard to handle and lets face it, who would rather hang out with the parents than get to blow bubbles, sing silly songs and get to snack on Goldfish galore? She did great, by-the-way. Couldn't get rid of us fast enough...jeesh. So it begins.

Link For Life Run

Paige and Caleb had a great time running in the Link for Life Race at the Zoo last Saturday. There were soo many people and tons of fun was had by all who were there. Paige got some pics with her teacher, Mrs. Dix and her husband, Mr. Dix, who is the PE teacher at her school. She also spent the rest of the day with her friend Erin, who moved to Ohio later that night. It was a last day to spend with the "other" Perry family. They will be missed.

A Minor Setback

I found out a couple of weeks ago that my C-section date had to be moved back, due to scheduling. So, instead of Friday, May 8th, we will welcome our little one on Monday, May 11th. I know, it is only a few days later, but we were really looking forward to the 8th. So, he will be here in three weeks from today. :)