In the last year...

I have never claimed to be a true blogger... but a lot has happened in the last year and I have done a HORRIBLE job at documenting it. Oh dear. So, I will do the best recap I can, in the short amount of mommy time I have.

In the last year...

MARCH 2010

- Had a baby: Quinnton Mel Parks. We call him Quinn. He gets the name Mel from his great-grandpa who was the wonderful patriarch of the family. Quinn's "due date" was on Grandpa Parks' birthday. We gave him the middle name Mel as a sort of guidance for Quinn's life. It meant a lot to Grandma Parks.
- Almost died from child birth.
- Lived, but got bad post-partum depression. It's the pits.

APRIL


- Matt got a job in Park City with Athletic Republic as the Revenue Manager.
- Matt graduated (yes, in that order).
- Matt won the best husband of the year award (not really, but he should have).
- Went back to work when Quinn was 2 weeks old (Tutoring Connection). That was the stupidest thing I did.

MAY



- I went to AZ and OR for a combined total of 3 weeks while Matt moved (with the help of a few dedicated friends -- thank you Manwarings!).
- I returned home to a beautiful little condo in Heber. We began the "real life" (vs. the "student BYU/UVU life")

JUNE



- With the loving help of my sister, Amber, I was able to come out of the depression a bit and started enjoying motherhood...
- Quinn was blessed in church. What a wonderful day. Such a wonderful day I hardly got any pictures.

JULY


- Got laid off from Tutoring Connection. Yep.
- Spent most of our time in Park City with my parents. It was so much fun!
- Did a lot of hiking.

AUGUST


- Continued hiking.
- Went to AZ for Amber's baby shower. I love my sister. I love my sisterS! They are my besties.
- Finally LOVED being a mom.
- Quinn got the stomach flu. I clearly remember this.
- Quinn started teething.
- Still loved being a mom.

SEPTEMBER


- Thought... "we should buy a house now that I don't have a job!"
- Looked for 2 weeks with the wonderful David Medina.
- Found a dog-pit of a foreclosure in Heber and an opportunity to build a new ivory home.
- Decided being house-poor would stink.
- Bought the foreclosure for a great deal. 3B 2.5B, unfinished basement, large backyard full of weeds, disgusting inside.
- Sold our contract at the rental condo.
- Packed our stuff into the Spray's garage and basement across the street from our new home.
- Moved with 2 suitcases into my parent's Park City home until we could move in.
- Quinn got his first tooth!

OCTOBER

- Spent every night fixing up the house. Repainted every wall and cieling, changed every light fixture, replaced the balusters and stained every piece of wood in the house. Wished we could change the floor. Whimpered when we saw our jungle outside.
- Started working from home with CareMinders Home Care.
- Quinn learned how to sit for extended periods of time and play with toys. NOTE: This may look like it's related to the previous statement, but I can assure you it is not. I still love being mom.
- Quinn was Jack-Jack (from the Incredibles) for Halloween and play the part tremendously.

NOVEMBER

- Quinn got the stomach flu again. This time it was bad. Almost hospitalized over Thanksgiving (Pediatricians are nice to nurse-mamas).
- That's the only thing I can remember in November.

DECEMBER


- Spent Christmas with family in Park City. Both sides of the family got to play with Quinn. It was absolutely wonderful!
- Quinn started "rowing". Not crawling. He would switch his arms from side to side while he dragged his be-hind along. Really, it's genius if you think about it. He went really fast and his arms never tired.
- Quinn had 8 teeth by now. Pediatrician said he wouldn't get anymore until around 18 months - 2 years.
- I knew my child was a genius and I REALLY started loving being a mom.

JANUARY 2011



- Quinn continued getting teeth.
- Quinn started crawling... the correct way.
- Quinn and I went to AZ while Matt was away on a business trip. Did some hiking and attended Jim Jarman's funeral. Sad, short, but nice trip.
- Returned to the freezing cold arctic of Utah. Played in the snow with the Manwarings!
- Quinn and daddy went to Cabela's and Quinn loved it (to say the least).

FEBRUARY




- Aaaaah... American Idol. This year Matt is watching too.
- Matt got a promotion at work. He is now the manager over all the accounting department. I don't know what the job title is.
- I told you he deserves best husband of the year award this year too.
- Went to the aquarium with the Manwarings. Quinn would have lived with the stingrays if we let him. We brought him home. But, when he becomes a true toddler, we know where to leave him. Just kidding.
- Quinn learned some serious tricks: high five, feeding himself, clapping, big-boy, peek-a-boo/where's-Quinn, nose breathing and became an expert french kisser.
- Quinn won the diaper dash. He subsequently lost in the championship since he never even left the starting line. We were proud of him!
- You should know the trend of genius continued... yes, these are some seriously amazing tricks. BUT, when he plays peek-a-boo/where's-Quinn he does NOT cover his eyes. In the event his eyes were truly covered for the trick, he would fail to see his mama's elated facial expressions. Only a genius would know that!
- Quinn got RSV. It was a bad one. It lasted nearly 4 weeks. YUCK.

MARCH





- Quinn turned ONE! We had 2 birthday parties. One with his future wife at the Kamas pool. One with family and friends at our home. His love for cake grew tremendously... surprisingly not due to it's deliciously sweet taste. Instead, he loved the mess he could make and the laughs he got out of the spectators.
- Quinn at one: clown, sensitive, mama's boy, daddy's helper, great sleeper, almost walking, scaredy cat, love's babies (especially his cuz, Tucker), independent player, serious ball player, stranger anxiety, loves the Backyardigan's, animal enthusiast, ADORABLE. He's our favorite child.
- Haha... tricked you... he's our only child.

APRIL
- The sun made my flowers grow.
- Started the yard work. SO EXCITED!
- It continued to snow and ruined the yard work.
- Michelle Williams came for a quick visit. It was lots of fun to catch up. But, she still owes me pictures from the week... ahem!
- Quinn started walking. He's neither fast nor good at it, but it has begun.

The moral of the story...
- We're alive and doing excellent. I truly have the best little family. I live a modest, yet exciting life. Not exciting due to extreme adventure... exciting because it is everything I've ever dreamed of. I thank my Heavenly Father for it every day.

Townhome for rent in Heber, UT!

We are trying to find someone to assume our lease on our townhome in Heber so we can buy our first home.

Details:
3 bedrooms (all on 2nd floor)
2.5 bathrooms (1/2 bath on main floor, 2 full bathrooms on 2nd floor)
Office nook
Master Suite with soaking tub, huge walk-in closet
W/D hookups
Open floor plan
Kitchen includes: Microwave, Stove/Range, Dishwasher, and Refrigerator
1 car garage
Fenced backyard with patio and grass
New paint, carpet & blinds. Slate tile.
Lots of storage & closet space
Central A/C & Heater
Animals allowed
Utilities Included: Water, garbage, sewer
Amenities Included: Pool, hot tub, club house, laundromat, fitness center, 2 playgrounds, lawn care, snow removal
Across from new Richmond homes development, beautiful area!

Rent: $1050/month.
Call Aubreigh @ 801-830-4073

Quinn suprises Ashlyn, again.

Napping is never safe when you mix Matt, Austin and Quinn. Together the 3 boys will torture anyone possible. Poor Ashlyn... she always gets the gross stuff. Sorry Peeps!

Quinn's Favorite Things...

Here are some of Quinn's favorite things this summer...
Taking naps with mommy.
Chewing on anything possible. He loves fingers the most... his, mine, daddy's, etc.

Spending time outdoors. He fits right in with this family.

Hiking on Daddy's chest.

Hiking the Timp Caves. Mommy almost died of heat stroke, but Quinn loved every minute.

Showing off his "muscles" before bath time. This picture cracks me up. He looks like a body guard with no neck. I promise he has one... it's hiding under that HUGE 95% head!

July 2010

A quick day camping trip with the Sprays. Our newest Heber buddies!

Hiking somewhere in PC. Quinn loves Grandpa Kevin.

We spent most of July in Park City with my parents... hanging out and hiking. Matt went on his annual Cederlof fishing trip to Grey's River and loved it. And...I was layed off from Tutoring Connection... gasp... I know. It was completely unorthodox and very surprising, but it is giving me lots of time to spend being a full-time mommy. I am enjoying all the wonderful things to do here in Heber and Quinn loves my full attention. We are meeting good friends here and truly enjoying the wonderful opportunities the Lord is blessing us with.

The Quinn Update:

Quinn and his "girlfriend" Auntie Amber. He is going to have severe jealousy issues when Tucker is born in October!

• Quinn laughs hysterically at Grandpa Kevin and Mommy.
• He is starting to "talk" when he wants attention.
• He loves when mommy fake barfs on him. Nana Heidi calls it a language of love... afterall that's what he heard for 9 months straight.
  
• Quinn got sick with a 103 degree fever and got the whole family sick.
  
• He rolls from front to back... hated it so much he immediately learned to roll from back to front.
• He was diagnosed with horrible acid reflux. He sleeps well still, but cries tremendously when he eats. It is a battle every time. He is on special formula, special bottles and prevacid. It is an ordeal to feed him. Poor guy! Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated here :)

Well, more to come when I get the rest of the pics off Matt's IPhone.

June 2010

Quinn is getting to be so fun. He is finally sleeping well through the night. He sleeps an average of 11-12 hours a night. Hooray! He loves going new places to see all the new scenery and loves to play. He just started smiling and is so close to laughing!

Quinny a little concerned with the Mexican food.

Quinn loves Daddy. He loves to smile for him!

Quick family shot.

We blessed Quinn in the beginning of June. Matt's parents were able to come out for a quick 2 day trip. It was so nice to see them and spend a short weekend with them. Thanks to all the family and friends who were able to come down. In the excitement of it all I barely took any pictures. I blew it... no big family blessing picture. Oh well.

Great Grandpa Rowley plays with Quinny

Mama, Daddy & Quinn (I'm not even ready for church... so it goes)

Quinn loved Grandpa Parks

Great Grandma Rowley & Grandma Parks (Quinn barf on both of their pretty dresses)

Quinn loves his bath time!

May 2010

We moved... well, actually Matt moved while I was in Portland. :) One of these days I will get around to posting pics of our cute little townhome. We absolutely LOVE Heber. The scenery and people are beautiful. We feel so blessed to be here.

Not too much happened this month. But, I turned 25... yay! Matt took me to a beautiful dinner at Snakecreek Grill. Amber came up to watch Quinn and he threw an absolute fit. 30 minutes into our dinner I got a panicked phone call from my very capable sister. We rushed home and it took mommy 20 minutes to get him calmed down. The beginning of reflux starts... (to be continued).

May is spent unpacking and setting up the new home. During the day I work from home with Quinn except for 1 or 2 days when I commute to Pleasant Grove to work for TTC. Amber is Quinn's favorite babysitter. She comes twice a week to play. Quinn think she is his girlfriend and he is completely in love.