James Gentry Parsons

James Gentry Parsons Birth

James Gentry Parsons was born on December 5, 2013 at 11:43 am. He was 9 pounds, 2 ounces and 20.1 inches long! 

My labor was quite short. I was given pitocin at 9:30am, epidural at 9:45am, water broken at 10:00am, and then had James within about three pushes not too much later. Dr. Burt barely had time to get his scrubs on before James was born! 

There was a huge ice storm that hit Dallas the weekend James was born, so we went home the next day (Friday) to avoid as much of the bad weather as possible. While we were in the hospital John stayed with Grandma and Grandad. Grandma, Grandad, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Shane, Aunt Elizabeth and Mema came to visit and see James for the first time. Nana and Bubba came to visit Saturday through Monday. Luckily their flights were on time and they were able to rent a four wheel drive car to see us. 

Below are some of the pictures from James' birth! We are very blessed with a precious, healthy baby!

 

 

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Since I was pregnant with James and about a week from my due date, Jay's family came to visit us in Texas this year. Here are some pictures from the weekend ... we all had lots of fun!

Thanksgiving Dinner at Silver Fox

Christmas Gifts

John's Big Wheels

Elizabeth is excited about her gift ... Tea Pot

Charly's gift ... Washer Toss

Ball Pit to John from Charly ... lots of fun and static!

Lunch at Kenny's BBQ

Boys at Legacy

Girls at Legacy

John - 17 Months

John at 17 Months

John is a very lively boy. He loves to run and play, especially outside or basketball.

He got tubes put in his ears because he had multiple ear infection that would not clear up.

He is a man's, man. He loves playing with his Uncles and wrestling.

Since he got tubes put in his ears, John has started talking much more ("uh-oh", "moof", "ball")

John can be very opinionated when he wants something organized.

These pictures were taken the day before John became a big brother. 

He is growing up so fast and will be a wonderful big brother!

We love John so very much!

Name for Baby #2 Will Be ...

Choosing a Name

We have chosen a name for baby #2 ...

James Gentry Parsons

Just like with John's name, James is a family name. "James" is Holly's dad's middle name and "Gentry" is Holly's maiden name. We like that both boys will have their grandfather's middle names as their first names. Also, both boys have strong, manly names! 

At first we were between James and Luke. Jay mentioned Luke during the first trimester and we both liked the name, but ultimately settled on James because it was both a family name and we liked it. 

James has significance on both sides of the family:

Holly's Dad's middle name

Holly's great-grandfather's name

Jay's great-grandfather's name

We cannot wait to meet James ... 13 days and counting!

John - 16 Months

John at 16 Months

John weighs about 31 pounds.
He uses the signs "more", "love", "thank you" and says "yes" and "dada" very clearly.

John is getting a big personality and very opinionated about what he wants, when he wants it.
He loves to play outside and play basketball.
Still loves to read and loves music.
He has his daily routines and does not like to stray from those routines.
When we ask where baby James is, he will point to Mommy's stomach and then to his stomach.
 He has had an ear infection since September that we cannot seem to clear up. However, he is still a very happy boy. We go to the ENT on 11/22/13 to see if John will need tubes.
John loves to go to CLC. Teachers say he is a flirt with the girls, is a rule follower, and naps well.
John is a very sweet boy ... and will soon be a big brother!

John - 15 Months

John at 15 Months

John weighs 29 pounds 13 ounces and is 32 inches tall (as of October 4, 2013).
Since starting CLC, we have noticed that he knows the motions to "Wheels on a Bus" and "Pat-a-Cake".

Will raise his hands above his head when asked "How big is John?" or "How much does ___ love you?"

Wakes Mommy up every morning by coming in our room and giving hugs.

Loves to plop down on the bed or bedspread because it is "so soft".

Loves to throw the ball with Daddy, especially over the kitchen counter and watch it drop or when sitting on the stairs.

Whenever he accomplishes something, he claps and wants us to clap with him.

Has started backing himself down the stairs and off the furniture.

Enjoys reading lots of books.

Whenever we go get the mail, he likes to stop at the step, sit down, and read the mail with Mommy.
John now likes to brush his teeth at night because we put non-fluoride toothpaste on the brush. 
When we pray John folds his hands to pray with us. 

John - 14 Months

John at 14 Months

John gets bigger and bigger each month. He is now in 2T shirts and 2T pants. The pants are still a little too long, but he needs the room in the waist. Had to get him new shoes again (6.5).

Loves to throw the ball and play with his train.
He likes the big basketball in the car to play with and bounce against the seat.
He also likes to read "God made Families" in the car. 

Started CLC at Prestonwood once a week (Thursdays) from 9am to 2pm. 

Eats a lot of food for each meal ... more than Mommy!

Finally got over a cold/virus/ear infection that lasted 6 weeks.

Enjoys time with daddy when he gets home from work.

Loves to walk and play outside. He has been especially interested in chalk and bubbles lately.

Still says animal sounds when asked. He has added sheep ("baa")  to his repertoire.
Each morning after breakfast John helps Mommy put the dishes in the dishwasher (by getting his own soap bottle out) and by sweeping the floor (he has his own "sweeper", which is actually a marinade brush).
When asked where baby James is, John will point to Mommy's tummy (bellybutton), pat Mommy's tummy and then look for his own bellybutton or Daddy's bellybutton. Not sure he understands he is going to be a big brother here in a few months!
 

Babymoon - Colorado and Utah

Jay and I took a couple babymoon trips over the last couple months. The first was to Colorado and the second was to Utah.

Colorado (July 12 - July 14)
We stayed in Denver, but visited quite a few of the surrounding cities. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Shane and Uncle Matthew kept John while we took our trip to Colorado.

Friday, July 12, 2013: We flew into Denver Friday evening, went to dinner at Freshcraft and walked around 16th Street Mall.

Saturday, July 13, 2013: We slept in a little and then took a tour of Hammond Candy Factory, ate lunch at a little pizza buffet, toured the Coors Factory, went to the Buffalo Bill Museum, and walked around historic Central City (old mining town). We enjoyed dinner at Lou's Food Bar and then had an after dinner snack, in the rain, at Little Man Ice Cream. This was a full, fun day in the mountains of Colorado!

Sunday, July 14, 2013: We had a fun day exploring Denver with their "rent a bike" program. We went to brunch, biked around City Park and visited the Colorado State Capital before Jay took me to the airport to head back to Dallas. Jay stayed in Denver for a work conference.

Utah (August 23 - August 26)
We stayed in Salt Lake City, but also visited Park City while in Utah. Nana came to stay with John while we took our trip.

Friday, August 23, 2013: We flew into Salt Lake City Friday, mid-afternoon and walked around Temple Square. In Temple Square, we had a little ice cream snack, visited the Family Research Center, and ate dinner at a quaint little Italian restaurant. We spent most of our evening in the Family Research Center looking up our ancestors and tracing some of our genealogy. Some of Jay's family went all the way back to Joseph of Arimathea!

Saturday, August 24, 2013: We visited Park City, the home of skiing jumping for the 2002 Winter Olympics. We watched ski jumping (into a pool), road up the chair lift to the top of the mountain and then walked down while watching people bobsled (on sleds with wheels, since it was summer). Saturday evening we explored the "Alphabet Streets" and found a great lookout point.

Sunday, August 25, 2013: Before heading back to Dallas, we had a nice brunch at Wild Grape Cafe, visited the State Capital, toured the Mormon Church History Museum, and walked on the beach of The Great Salt Lake.

We love spending time together, especially exploring new cities! 

John - 13 Months

                    John at 13 Months

- As on August 9th he weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces. Had another cold, which he gave to both of us. 

- Basketball star...learned how to catch, dunk and starting to shoot

- Shakes his head "no" a lot

- Will respond with animal sounds when asked; duck ("dac"), cat ("meeow"), dog ("ruf"), snake ("ssssss"), elephant (uses arm and lifts up like the trunk of the elephant)

- Does not talk all that much, but points and grunts at what he wants. He is becoming very opinionated. 

- Insists on a fork or a spoon at meal time

- Not eating as many vegetables, but will eat asparagus right now. Really likes fruit. 

- Loves Mac n cheese 

- Loves to play outside, especially in the evening when we go for walks. He runs/walks up and down a hill in our neighborhood.

- He is starting to walk much faster ... almost a run. 

- Does not like when Daddy has to get ready and leave in the morning. And he takes it out on Mommy

- When we lay him down for a nap he throws his dog, George and both blankets out of crib before laying down. After waking from his nap, when we get him out, he points to the dog and George on the ground and insists we put them back in their places. 

- He loves to read books (Hello Testudo, the Bible, Happy Hippo Angry Duck, What Does Cow Say?, Little Red Car) 

- Daddy introduced him to Curious George TV shows and he likes to get the controls to tell us to turn the TV on to watch his show. 

- When we ask where the baby is he points to our belly buttons.

- Likes to point out planes in the sky.

- Likes the nursery at church.

- Likes to wrestle with daddy, but he doesn't fight fair (sits on face, pulls hair, grabs face, etc.). He thinks it is so funny to tackle daddy! 

Hopefully I'll keep these monthly blogs up when baby #2 arrives. For now this has been a great way to keep up on John's development each month! 

Baby Parsons #2

Baby Parsons #2

This post and announcement is long overdue, but ...

John is going to be a BIG BROTHER! 

Baby Parsons #2 is on the way December 4, 2013! 

We were not necessarily planning on getting pregnant this quickly, but we welcomed the idea if it was God's plan. Well, apparently it is God's plan that we have two BOYS seventeen months apart! :) 

We are very excited! However, John really has no idea that I am pregnant other than the fact that he likes to see my bellybutton! 

I am currently 21 weeks. The doctor says the baby is growing on track and has a strong heartbeat! Over halfway there ... with lots to do for baby #2's arrival! 

John's First Birthday

The Big O-N-E Year Birthday Celebration

We had a big birthday bash for John's first birthday! John had grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, cousins, extended family and friends join in the fun! 

July 4th: We had a pizza party, complete with watermelon and angel food cake to celebrate on John's actual birthday. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Shane, Uncle Matthew, Nana, Bubba, and Uncle Charly joined in the fun for the evening. We topped off the evening watching fireworks in our neighborhood after John went to sleep. 

July 5th: With lots of extended family in town and living in the area we had breakfast with Jay's grandfather and his wife (Baupa and Granby). Jay went to pick up Grandfather Parsons and Joyce at the airport with Charly and his dad, and that evening we went to Hard Eight BBQ with extended family from both the Parsons and Virden family. 

July 6th: John's First Birthday Party ... We had 40 people at our house, both family and friends. We served BBQ brisket sandwiches, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, chips, lemonade, tea, and of course cupcakes! John unfortunately had a double ear infection all weekend that started on the 4th, but that did not stop him from having fun at his party! Everyone was extremely generous and John has enjoyed playing with all of his new toys! He was definitely not feeling well before the party, but having everyone around really seemed to take his focus away from the discomfort. 

We are very thankful for all the love John is surrounded with by his family and friends! God has blessed us mightily!