3.30.2009

Reconnected

We have been trying to figure out when and how we could get together with the Boerners for a while now. We were thrilled to see them at Mardi Gras, but it was a short and hectic visit! David and I realized mid-way through the week that for the first time in a long time we didn't have obligations this weekend. So we called up the Boerners to see if they were free and if we could invite ourselves for the weekend!
We headed up to Brookhaven Saturday mid-morning and arrived just in time for a yummy lunch at Dairy Queen! Yum! They don't have those here (probably for the best!), so it was a fun treat!
We had a relaxed afternoon and then headed to a fun fair that night!



Lila and Bennett loved driving the cars....



Elise, Quinn, and Brad on the carousel...(you can see Lis and Tyndale in the background- sorry for the fuzzy pictures, took them with my phone)



Lila and Bennett loving their "fair food"...
After a day of fun and lots of junk food we headed to bed...Sunday we just spent time visiting and hanging out (and made sure we all got some healthy food in us!)...and then we headed back during nap time so the kids could sleep the whole way home and David and I could enjoy the peace...
It was great to reconnect with our friends. We love spending time together and our weekends with them are always casual and laid back- which we love. We feel right at home at their house.
We are so excited that we will have more room for visitors once we are able to move! Hopefully they'll come down here next!





3.26.2009

Can of worms



So, I definitely opened up a can of worms with the big celebration and jelly bean yesterday. We have been spending A LOT of time in the bathroom around here. Mostly just taking turns sitting on the potty...I definitely want to get some "potty" pics, but with all three fighting over the toilet (oh yes- Elise has to be in on the action too) I haven't figured out how to have hands for my camera yet...Got to do it though, because remember this post? One of my favorite pictures....
It is a rainy, rainy day here, but we still need to get moving!
Maybe we'll have another successfully attempt today!

3.25.2009

My big girl



My baby is getting so big! Lila went on the potty this morning for the first time! Yippee!!
Both she and Bennett have been showing a lot of interest, so when they tell me "potty" I put them on it. Usually they just sit there, do nothing, wave and say "bye-bye" to the invisible "teetee" as they flush, and then clap for themselves...Well, this morning Lila actually was successful!! We had a big celebration and I gave her a jelly bean as a reward. I am hoping it wasn't a fluke and she really is starting to get it! As much as I want them to stay little, cutting diapers out of the expenses would be AWESOME!
I'm so proud of my little munchkin!

3.23.2009

So cute!

Was catching up on some of my blog reading and I came across this adorable post! I love my "boss" and my "subordinates" very much as well....

As for the Parnell household...quote of the day goes to Elise (surprise, surprise!)...She has been waking up very early and grouchy lately and this morning she was not happy about the way her pajama pants were fitting. She sat down on the landing of the staircase, took them off, and said (well, whined actually), "Mom, I am taking these pants off. These pants don't impress me at all."
Yep. Good morning!

3.20.2009

It's tough being home...

We've all had a little let down after the big weekend last weekend. Elise keeps talking about going back to the hotel (trust me, I'd love to too!)...and we all miss all of the family and friends that we got to spend time with. But, poor Tiger has had the roughest week of all. He and Baxter got into their first fight in years after I picked them up from the "animal hotel" on Monday! The vet thinks it may have had to do with Tiger smelling differently after being boarded all weekend, and I guess that was it, because they have been fine since. But, little Tiger has been limping around all week with his red bandage on. Bax bit him pretty badly on his back leg!



Trying to give a cat antibiotics is an interesting challenge in itself. I think he has MAYBE had 1/100 of the medicine he is supposed to, but it is next to impossible to give it to him! We think he'll be fine though, as he is an extra tough cookie. He turned 12 on Sunday, and has already bounced back from renal failure!

My Dad has had an especially tough week back in reality. Like a lot of companies, his company is struggling and is having to lay off a lot of people. Because he is the VP of Human Resources, he is the one that has to break the news to those who are being let go. I can't imagine how stressful and trying it has been for him as he has to be the bearer of bad news to his employees...I know he has had a very rough week and he is definitely at the forefront of our thoughts...

Hope to get back to the fun and post more wedding pics soon!

3.16.2009

A little chaos and a LOT of fun!

I've accepted that chaos is just now a constant part of my life (and most others with young children, I would imagine) and this weekend was no different! On top of the usual chaos, the French Quarter was extra crazy Saturday due to St. Patrick's Day and an Italian celebration that was going on. Monique and I found out the hard way! We drove to our 2:30 make-up appointments, which was walking distance away, because it was raining...We figured we would be back in an hour or an hour and half. We were led to believe we would be having our make up done simultaneously, and this was not the case. Our make-up artist was fab-u-lous, but he also took his time.....really took his time...So, we were behind schedule to begin with. Then, it took us almost 40 minutes to get back to the hotel due to all of the celebrating going on!! We got to the hotel at 5 and were supposed to be ready to leave by 5:15. STRESSFUL. Needless to say, I don't think I am going to be in love with any of the pictures of myself from that night. Although, at least my make-up looked pretty good. Was probably a good thing we didn't spend too much time on our hair, because we just ended up getting rained on anyway!
Just a tiny bit behind schedule me, Mo, Phillip, my Mom, and the three kids (not dressed yet) piled into my SUV and headed to the church. At 5:55 (the wedding started at 6!!!!!!!!!!) we FINALLY got there! Traffic was a nightmare and we went through the middle of a St. Patty's Day Parade!! My Mom still had to put her dress on (it was silk and we were afraid the rain would ruin it) and so Mo went to help her get ready so she could be seated. My savior of the weekend, Shelley, was at the church and she and I got all three kids dressed and ready to go in under 5 minutes. I don't think Shelley knew what she signed up for this weekend (but she had a smile on her face the whole time!)....Then we headed to the bus to hang out with the bridesmaids and bride until it was time to walk up the aisle... Since it was raining, they just decided to hang out on the bus and then head straight up the aisle....worked out really well!
Erinn looked absolutely beautiful. She had her dress made and it was inspired by a Monique Lluhier, with her own touches....It fit her perfectly, and, as Elise said, "She looks like a princess!"
The kids did great going up the aisle...I only had to stop once to compose myself during my reading..David was a perfect groomsman and the rest of the night went really well! Once the kids had "performed" I was finally able to BREATHE and have fun!!!
We let the kids come and say hi to family friends and dance to a couple of songs...then we sent them back up to hang with their new favorite people, the Adams. Shelley said not more than 15 minutes later Lila said, "YaYa (how she says her name right now), nite nite." So, she asked Elise and Bennett if they were ready for "nite-nite" and they both were! Exhausted from their big performance!!

Here are the first groups of pictures I have gotten...So, they will be kind of out of order...But, I'll continue to post as I get more! I didn't have hands for pictures, so I am relying a lot on other people to send them to me! I am so thankful for the ones I have received already! Can't wait to see more!


Getting ready to become Mrs. Legendre....



Mr. and Mrs. Legendre at the reception.



Of course, Bennett had to find PaPa right away. He was soooooo excited to see Mimi and PaPa.



First Dance...



Jared and Elise....(so sweet)


SuSu and G and the girls....I loved my Mom's dress....She looked AWESOME!
Elise with her second cousin, Stephanie...

Bennett and Lila finding Mimi and Grandpa! Hooray!!
More to come....Also, make sure to check out Mo's blog for tons of pictures!

Saturday Morning

David and I took advantage of waking up (early) in New Orleans Saturday morning to take the kids out and about. We started off with breakfast at Cafe Du Monde. As you can see, Elise was loving the beignets!


Ironically, Lila, who loves food, would not take a bite of a beignet! Bennett and Elise finished them off though!
Elise and I went to find a potty and she fell in love with this big crawfish! She thought it was definitely necessary for her to take a picture in her crawfish dress next to the giant crawfish!

Afterwards, because it was raining, we decided to take the kids to the Aquarium. We are members, but it had been a while since we had made the trip over. They loved it and it was a great day to spend some time on a rainy day...
Their favorite part was the children's area- mostly because they could run around and explore and were not confined to their stroller...The stroller is becoming less and less popular these days...they just want FREEDOM!

Elise and Lila posing for pictures!

Elise in a giant oyster!!

Waving at the penguins...This exhibit was also one of their favorites!


Elise sitting pretty on top of a giant frog in the amphibian area.
After this we took a rainy walk back to the hotel for naps and wedding prep! Almost time for the big night!!


Wedding Festivities

It was a bumpy week getting ready for the big wedding weekend....Elise and I were sick, then David was sick, and then I lost my voice... but, in the end we all made it! I am so thankful to my family and friends that helped me out last week and eased the stress. It definitely "takes a village" and I am so appreciative of all of the help I had. Special thanks to my Mom, Aunt K, Kimberly, and Suzanne for making yourselves available last week if and when I needed you! THANK YOU!!!

David was able to take the day off on Friday...he was still recovering from a stomach bug, but he said he was well enough to handle all of the kiddos so that I could head down to NOLA early for the bridesmaid luncheon. We had a great time at BACCO, and it was nice to get to know Erinn and Jared's friends a little more. Here is a picture of the beautiful bride-to-be (in green and white) and her bridesmaids.....






Friday night my parents hosted a wonderful rehearsal dinner at Muriel's on Jackson Square. The food was delicious!!! Jared and Erinn really wanted more of a "party" feel, so it wasn't a typical sit down dinner. It was buffet style and it really encouraged everyone to mingle. I thought it worked out really well. Muriel's is such a neat restaurant..the atmosphere was great! As usual, my Mom did a great job of planning everything! Monique designed the beautiful invitations...

David and I were so fortunate that Shelley and Gray offered to babysit the kids so that we could enjoy ourselves at the dinner. They met us at the hotel after the rehearsal and changed the kids and got them ready for bed. The kids were LOVING it! It was so nice to know that they were in good hands and having fun...made it easy for us to enjoy ourselves and the party! We are so lucky to have such great friends that would give up BOTH nights of a weekend (yes! they helped for the wedding too!) to help us out and spend time with our kids. Elise has not stopped talking about them!

Below is a great picture of Erinn, Jared, and some of the groomsmen at the dinner. I wish I had taken more pictures....I am hoping to get more from family and friends, and so I am sure this will be the first of many posts about the big event!!



There were lots of great toasts that night. I thought my Dad's was very special...he and Jared are extremely close. They talk at least once a day, sometimes more, and I thought he did a great job of both expressing his pride in his son and his hopes for their future as a married couple. David gave lots of great advice and got a little sentimental as well. Monique wrote a really cute poem that we read together that summed up what we wanted to say about the happy couple! Lots of their friends spoke and the common theme was that everyone thinks what is best about them as a couple is that they are more than just a couple, they are absolutely each others best friends as well. They HAVE been dating since junior high school!



When everyone finished Jared spoke. He thanked everyone for coming, especially during tough economic times and said how much that meant to them both. He then did one of his trademark poems- it was a hit! They are such a cute couple and we are so happy for them!

More to come...stay tuned....

3.15.2009

Field Day

I had the great pleasure of accompanying Elise to her preschool's Field Day last week! We had a great time. It was nice to get to know some of the other Moms, as well as her classmates that she talks about often...
There were various stations, and we participated in most together! It was so much fun! We did an obstacle course, bean bag relays, jumped in a big jumper, played duck duck goose, shot soccer goals, had a snack, and then finished it up with a race!



Above you can see Elise getting ready for the "race" around the gym...



Doing the obstacle course...



Lining up for the bean bag toss!

As always, I enjoyed spending quality one on one time with my sweet girl!

On another note, my little brother is officially a husband! We spent an adventurous weekend in New Orleans for the wedding and are back home attempting to recover. Everything was beautiful and we saw lots of family and friends! In addition, the kids were GREAT as flower girls/ring bearer! Lots of posts to come....(maybe after some sleep!)

Happy Happy Birthday to Aimee! Love you!
Also, happy 12th birthday to our cat Tiger! You are a blessing and a curse! :)

3.10.2009

Popsicles...then puke!

We were so excited Friday to have a fun play date with Erika, Abby, and Nicholas (Nickel) Rase on Friday. They live right down the street from us. The kids' school schedules conflict, but it was a school holiday so everyone was off. We look forward to getting together with them more this summer! The kids had a great time playing and were worn out!

After nap time, we continued enjoying the great weather by playing out in the backyard. I decided it was warm enough to be a "Popsicle" day! Our first one of the spring! (We don't really have spring in Louisiana- we just skip straight to summer!)



As you can see, this went over VERY well! Kids are so great because the littlest things make them SO happy!


(*Side note: The dress Lila is wearing is one of my absolute FAVORITE from Elise. I always loved it. It is just a cute little Old Navy dress perfect for "transition" weather! I am so sad because Miss Lila Sue is about to outgrow it! Bye-bye dress! I am finding more and more that I struggle with my babies getting big! They are growing up so fast! We'll have to send this cute little thing to Myrt the Squirt so someone else can enjoy it as much as my girls have!)

(*Side note#2 :Elise is very into doing her own hair these days. She likes lots of accessories. And always a headband. Sometimes she even incorporates a bow by clipping it to the headband first. Don't want to stifle her creativity, so I let her go for it! )

A fun Friday turned into a not so fun Friday night when Elise woke up around 11:30 throwing up. Poor thing. Then I joined in on the fun around 1 a.m. Yikes. No fun! Lila and Bennett never threw up (THANK YOU GOD!) but were definitely not themselves all weekend. In fact, we are all still moving a little slow after the weekend sickness.... Takes a lot out of you! Thanks again to my Mom for helping out during the super rough moments since David was out of town....
David partied it up with Jared and his friends in New Orleans this weekend for the bachelor party. I think he was feeling a little old. Kind of hard keeping up with guys 8 years younger who are used to still staying out late on a pretty regular basis. Or at least I would imagine...
I got the night off last night as payback and enjoyed a nice long bath and some Dancing with the Stars while he took care of bedtime with the kids...Was NICE!
This was Bennett Saturday morning have trouble staying awake DURING BREAKFAST. A definite sign that things are not 100%...breakfast is always their biggest meal!



We have lots to look forward to this weekend with the BIG wedding coming up! I am definitely kicking it into manic mode trying to cross everything off my numerous lists to get ready! And the packing....the hotel staff is going to think we are relocating there permanently!! Should be lots of fun though, and a little bit of preparation stress never killed anyone. Right?

3.04.2009

Ladies Man






Elise and I stopped by the Brister house for a little while this morning to visit with Suz and Jacob. Someone was coming to look at the house and Suz opened her house up to us!
Jacob is precious!! He was having lots of fun smiling and flirting with Elise. He is also at that adorable age where they reach for everything....and he kept reaching for Elise...it was soo cute!
It was great to spend some relatively low key time with them...I feel bad even saying this, but without Lila and Bennett there (they were at school, not locked in the car with the windows cracked or anything), I was able to actually visit with Suz, and play a little with cutie pie Jacob! Soon enough he'll be running around causing trouble just like his older friends L & B!
Also, We want to wish a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kimberly!!
We love you!
And I got some very special and exciting news from a super special friend today! I can't wait to reveal it, but for now I'll keep you guessing!
Goodnight! (Got to go recover from Britney. She's BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

We like Mike!

Last Saturday morning David took the kids to Baton Rouge to visit his parents...they had a great time, and it allowed me to get the house ready for an Open House our agent was having that afternoon. For David, a trip to Baton Rouge would not be complete without a trip to see Mike the Tiger at LSU...








He caught this cute picture of the kids on the way home..A full day of visiting and seeing Mike wore them out!






3.03.2009

No naps, No posts

Life has not been running oh so smoothly in the Parnell household the past few days. A certain 21 month old little girl thinks she is too old to nap, and therefore doesn't think her brother should nap either! In addition, Elise thinks that hearing Lila's screams means it is ok for her to sneak into their room and climb in bed. Then they gang up on Bennett together! I don't think I realized just how much I need the time to decompress until it has been gone. Yesterday I was really struggling to stay patient, and not doing a very good job of it. A Mom with no patience left, and 3 kids who are extremely over tired does not mix well on a Monday night at 6 o'clock! Solution- a ride in the car to kill some time until my reinforcements (aka Daddy) arrived home.

Thank you, thank you, David, for convincing me that we DID need the DVD player in the car when I thought it was an unnecessary extra! A little Elmo goes a long way!

But, today has been a new day. Sweet Aunt K came over this morning and we enjoyed chatting, playing, and folding some clothes. She named two of the squirrels that play in our back yard and Lila and Bennett had a blast looking for "Jack" and "Bob" out of the window. (Still a little too cold for outside). Always helps to have another set of hands here for a little while and she is a big help with house work as well. I think there was a sense in the universe that I had reached my limit, and today all THREE (even Elise- MIRACLE!!) are napping!!! In addition, I get the great reward tonight of going to see BRITNEY in concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooo excited. Looking forward to a little escape!

YEAH!!!

I forgot my camera at Mimi and Grandpa's on Saturday, so I'll post some pics when I get it back!

Hope ya'll are surviving your weeks as well!

Love, Nic