Welcome To Our Treehouse

Whoo do ya love?

2010-05-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

Got up this morning and was greeted by my sweet baby boy, "Happy day Mama! Happy day!"
He informed me very excitedly that Daddy had a present for me. It was this sweet necklace engraved with my sweet babies' names and the name of my true love.
I am one very blessed mama!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

2010-05-09T20:01:00.000-05:00

I love you!

Why I love being a mom.

2010-05-09T19:50:00.001-05:00

Early morning snuggles.

Sweet babies who warm my heart.

Big blue eyes full of the wonder of the world.

Tiny little fingers and pretty pink bows.

Nashville Floods

2010-05-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

And the rain came down, and down, and down.
Here are a few pictures from the entrance of our neighborhood which normally has NO water. Please pray for our beautiful state and all the families that are without homes tonight.

Daddy's little helper.

2010-04-28T21:59:00.001-05:00

It was time to put Lilly's crib together and daddy needed a little bit of help.

Lilly supervised.

Did you paint your tongue? Click on picture for video.

2010-04-21T00:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T22:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter my sweet friends! May you celebrate the wonder that is our Risen Savior.

Easter egg hunts begin!

2010-04-03T22:11:00.000-05:00

2010 Easter Egg Hunt

New Hope Baptist Church

Lilly is a little bit mad that she can't hunt for eggs with her brother!

Next year little one, next year!

Here is Sullivan with his one of his best buddies Judson and his Sunday school teacher John. John is his FAVORITE!

See, best buds!

Look at all my candy mama!

Jesus is Alive!

2010-03-31T22:49:00.000-05:00

Sullivan and I dyed eggs today! We had so much fun. It has been fun discussing Easter with Sullivan as he has begun to understand a little bit of the idea behind this precious holiday. If I ask him "Why do we celebrate Easter Sullivan?" he will reply, "Because Jesus is ALIVE!"

His daddy taught him to do "thums up" and say "Cool Dude!" So funny.

So pretty. So true.

Family of 4!

2010-01-15T10:45:00.000-06:00

Lilly Paige is here and we are now a family of 4! We are so blessed with this bundle of joy.

It's Costume Time!

2009-10-24T23:00:00.002-05:00

And of course, here is our little monkey. Could this kid get any cuter???

It's been a while...

2009-07-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

I am so sorry I made you stare at my kid picking his nose for so long, please forgive me. Sullivan is much less interested in his nose these days and is on to bigger and better things! The first of which would be his daddy! They have discovered playtime together and are LOVING it. Sullivan is now strong enough and agile enough to climb, sit, jump, walk and ride on Daddy and Daddy is burning some serious calories in our new after work routine. I absolutley love watching my boys roll around and play. I think Daddy is enjoying being the favorite right now too.

Another one of my favorite new things is Sullivan's new "cheese" face. We used to have to chase him around for a good shot of his face and all of out photos seemed to be of the back of his head. Now that he has figured it out, he loves being in front of the camera. He went to VBS this last month at our church and the highschool girls in his classroom would snap his picture with their phones and then show him the pic. By the end of the week he was following them around, reaching in their pockets for their phones and repeating himself; "Cheese, cheese, cheese."
Now he has "Cheese!" down and we are getting great face shots! This one was obviously at dinnertime and because he is also getting really good with his fork and his "pooooon" (spoon) he is making impressive messes too!

This one is one of my favorites this month. Sullivan has taken to the slide pretty well and is almost ready to do it on his own. He still has a hard time with the sitting down before you slide down part. He is becoming so brave and adventurous. YIKES!

This one is just plain silly. My little guy is so quirky (just like me) and makes me laugh almost every single day. For some reason he has taken to sitting on the air vents when the airconditioner is on. It is summer and I am sure it feels good but everytime he hears the air come on he makes a bee line for the vent and I can't help it, it really cracks me up. Esspecially when he gives me this look. It seems to say, "What, why aren't you sitting on the vent?"

Sullivan turned 18 months this last month and I have no idea where the last year and a half has gone. Among all of his other new talents he is perfecting he is talking up a storm. Some of the words or phrases he has under his belt so far are; Names of the people he is familiar with, mommy & daddy, Nana & Nanu, Papa, Zia (what he calls my sister, italian for Aunt), Bear (our friend Todd), Chad, Max(Chad's dog), Nummy & Doggie(his faithful companions) and of course ME, which he always says in the form of a question with both hands pressed to his chest. Other stuff; No, no, no. Stop it mommy, which sounds more like a little italian kid saying "stahppi mahmi". Bite please. Please, thanks, more, shoes, night night, water, go, door, swim, uppie, poopie, pee pee (obvious faves), seat, Lightening (McQueen ofcourse, not the act of God), book, banana, spoon, bowl, uh oh, downstairs. I have probably forgotten a few but this is the gist.
His is opinionated, knows what he wants to do and when he wants to do it. Has mastered throwing a fit, saying sorry, and melting his mommies heart.

I love this kid and being his mom!

Where is your nose Sullivan?

2009-04-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

To which we recieve this answer...

Hide & Seek

2009-04-19T16:07:00.001-05:00

Just a couple cute pics for you!

The flu hit our house last weekend. Here are my boys recovering in bed watching cartoons. Sullivan loved eating crackers on mommy's side of the bed. He and daddy hung out there almost all day.

Sully discovered a hiding place in our living room. He is soooo funny! Quite the comedian.

Egg huntin!

2009-04-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

Sully meets Sully

2009-04-10T19:37:00.000-05:00

Ya'll know the story. Here is Daddy, Sullivan and his namesake, our fave hockey player, Steve Sullivan. Daddy is so awesome and arranged a little photo-op after Sullivan's first hockey game! What a great night! Mommy is so sad she missed it.

A Boy & His Dog

2009-04-01T22:00:00.001-05:00

Sweet pictures courtesy of Natalie Pruis, dear friend.

March: For Lindsley... and the rest of my poor neglected readers.

2009-03-31T22:14:00.021-05:00

Here is Sullivan's favorite new outside toy...
(can you believe those curls???)

Here are 2 really adorable pics I snapped while he played on that new fave toy...

Here is our Wild Man just before breakfast, he loves to play outside...

Same Wild Man just after breakfast, cleaning up...

Mean Mama, I make him sing for his supper...

And then I make him cook it!

We are getting a head start and teaching him to drive...

Sullivan likes to find sticks at the zoo and carry them around all day.

Here he is scoping one out...

And here he is escaping with his treasure...

A Day In The Life - Cute and Stinky

2008-11-23T19:56:00.002-06:00

I was sitting on the couch tonight watching my son explore the living room and found it so funny that he finds something new about that room everyday. I seem to always see the same old mess but he on the other hand sees the world fresh everyday. He figured out that he could lift the cushions up and he found our warranty stickers under there. Ahhh the fun of stickers. 8 )
Just about the time I thought that there was nothing that wasn't cute about my son I took a deep breath and got a good wiff of what he was cooking up for me in his diaper.
Sorry guys, I am off to diaper duty.
A wonderful, fantastic, stinky day in the life of me.
I love it!
T

2008-11-12T22:05:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween! We had so much fun. We went to the church for our annual Trunk-or-Treat and passed out candy to hundreds of kids from our community and then went to Judson's birthday party the next day. I have posted a slide show for you to enjoy. Isn't he the cutest clown ever?!?

We Voted!

2008-10-25T21:03:00.001-05:00

It is early voting time!
We went to the library this Wednesday, the early voting location in our town, and cast our vote. As an American I believe that each of us has a responsibility to educate ourselves and then take advantage of our costly right to vote. So... No matter which side your political beliefs fall get your Red, White and Blue booties out there and vote! And do it while the lines are short. Early Vote! Make sure you are counted. Sullivan did!
~T

In The News - A Success Story

2008-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago I received a phone call from Sullivan's Glaucoma specialist, Dr. Karen Joos. I was nervous at first as I have never received a personal phone call from her before and we had been the O.R. just a few days prior for Sullivan's eye exam.

Nothing to worry about, she just wanted our permission to give our information to the Hospital Newspaper. She said that Sullivan and his treatments were a great success story and when she has a story like this she likes to show it off a bit.

Do what you want Doc! You just called us a success story!

We were contacted a couple of days later and within a week an interview was conducted and a photo shoot as well. Above are two of the photos that were taken in the exam room at Vanderbilt Eye Institute and of course a link to the story for your reading pleasure.

http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=6731

8 )

Enjoy!

Trace

Recipe of the Week - Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

2008-10-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

OK, This one saved my life after vacation so I am passing this fantastic little secret on.

CampbellKitchen.com

We came home to an absolutely empty kitchen. Shredded cheese was about the only thing left in the fridge. So I headed to the canned and dry goods. Eureka, Cream of Chicken Soup! Who doesn't have a can of this in the cupboard? I remembered a recipe I had used off of a label a long time ago and went searching for it. The website is easy to use and has hundreds of great recipes. It even has a recipe box to store your favorites in.

I had everything in either the freezer or the cupboard. This one is a great one to use on the eve of a much needed grocery shopping trip.

Campbell's® Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 5 minutes

Bake: 50 minutes

Stand: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1 1/3 cups water

3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover the baking dish.Bake for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving.Tip: To try it Alfredo, substitute broccoli florets for the vegetables and substitute 1/4 cup grated Parmesan for the Cheddar cheese. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese with the soup. Top the chicken with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Notes from Tracy:

I prefer this one without the veggies included and it is really good with the chicken cut up in tiny pieces instead. The whole pieces of chicken can be a bit dry. I also like to cover the whole thing in shredded cheddar... what can I say, I like cheese! 8 ) Enjoy!

We're Back!

2008-10-16T12:36:00.015-05:00

So we are home and have been for a bit now but I have been wiped out. I am working on a slide show of the pictures for those of you who are requesting them (some of you are like stalkers, you know who you are!) It should be up today.
We had a wonderful time.
It was 6 long days of park hopping and bus rides which Tyson thrives on, and about 3 days of down time, visiting and pool time which I thrive on. Sullivan thrives on sleep so we did our best to accommodate him. We were at the parks pretty late at night so we let Sullivan be our alarm clock. We shared a room with him so when he awoke each morning he would pop his head up and squawk at us to rise and shine just like a rooster. It was a joy to wake up to his smiling face. He thinks we are great and we intend to soak that up for as long as it lasts. I have heard we have about 9 years, by 10 they are over you. 8 )

My Favorite Vacation Moment
Swimming at the hotel with my family

My Favorite Disney Moment
The Pirate Princesses

Lasting Disney Memory
My son's expressions while riding Small World (His favorite ride. He loved the clock!)

Funniest Vacation Memory
Sullivan being bashful with Princess Aurora after she kissed him. Back off Princess! He is mine for at least another 20 years. Right????? (Notice the lipstick on his cheek?!?)

Home Videos! Daddy learns to dance - Baby learns to play.

2008-10-16T11:15:00.006-05:00

A much requested video of our little boy dancing away is now here for your viewing pleasure. 8) It is a bit long but some of you will enjoy that. There is a bit of S dancing, a bit of him crawling and cruising and a bit of a guitar lesson as well - not sure who is teaching who.

Enjoy!

(BTW - The stacks of clothing in the background would be my maternity clothes ready for the attic! Yea Me!)

P.S. Sorry about the vocal stylings of the videographer. Not my best work. 8 )

I'm Going To Disney World!

2008-09-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

We are off to Disney World today! This will be our very first family vacation and Sullivan's first trip to Disney. We are very excited. Tyson's whole family will be there and they are all looking forward to their time with Sully.

They always get really excited about family trips especially ones that include Disney. We all have matching shirts and sweatshirts that the sisters made and embroidered. They are really nice so I will be sure to post pics of our giant matching clan when I can.

Included in our itenerary are the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Disney's Studios MGM. A couple of rest days are scheduled in as well. Goodness knows we will need them. Tyson has been very helpful getting ready and is so excited that I think I might be able to get the child rate for him at the door. 8 )

I will keep you guys "posted!"

M I C - See you real soon!

K E Y - Why? Because we like you!

M O U S E

Tracy & the Boys

Recipe of the Week - Easy Almond Rocha

2008-09-25T10:25:00.003-05:00

This week is a request of Mom's. With the holidays right around the corner I thought it was a good one too. I was given this recipe by a dear friend back home, Linda Baker. It is sooooo easy and very yummy!

Hope you enjoy.

Easy Almond Rocha

2 1/2 Cups Blanched and Slivered Almonds

1/2 lb Butter (2 cubes)

1 T Corn Syrup

1 Cup Granulated White Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips

1/4 Cup Water

In a heavy skliiet combine sugar, water, syrup, butter and almonds. Stirring constantly, cook to hard crack or until the almonds are toasted light to medium light brown.

Pour into a greased jelly roll pan. (smaller cookie sheet with sides)

While warm, sprinkle the milk chocolate chips over the mixture and spread when softened. If you like you can sprinkle almonds on top too. Makes it pretty. 8 )

Let cool, remove from pan and break into pieces.

The Kitchen Towell Bandit - Reward For Capture

2008-09-24T12:22:00.003-05:00

There is a Bandit loose in our home and the reward for capture is HUGE! Everytime I go to dry my hands or the dishes in the kitchen the towells are missing. If any of you have seen this Kitchen Towell Bandit be careful. Do not be fooled by his charming smile or his adorable face. He is dangerous! Just look at him!

One Pearly White

2008-09-23T20:38:00.010-05:00

Every morning at about 6:30 our little guy wakes up squawking and singing in his crib. Mommy stretches, greets the dawn and makes her way up to recieve her morning blessing. He is always so happy. We play peek a boo for a bit between the slats in the crib and now that he is pulling up on his own he likes to peek over the top and laugh at me. When we have had our fill of that game and our diaper is fresh we head downstairs and kick Daddy out of bed. While Daddy gets his shower and gets ready for work we eat breakfast.

A couple of days ago Sullivan noticed something new. He nearly pulled himself out of his highchair trying to see what Daddy was up to and what that funny noise was. It was the sound of teeth getting a good scrubbing and Sullivan wanted in on that action! We thought it was only appropriate as he is now the proud owner of one adorable baby tooth.

I put him on the kitchen floor and he scurried over to Tyson, pulled up on his jeans and begged to be included. The following pictures are the scene that unfolded with Daddy, Sullivan and his infant finger toothbrush.

This has now altered our morning routine. The minute he hears the water running in the bathroom sink he scrambles to his daddy's feet to polish his one impressive pearly white.

My Favorite Things - Part 2

2008-09-20T22:01:00.001-05:00

My Scavenger

My Little Crawler

My Escapee

My Ten Little Piggies

My Boys

My Motzart

My Mess Maker

Recipe Of The Week - Chicken Tetrazinni

2008-09-17T08:27:00.004-05:00

Allright folks, we are starting a new family blog tradition. Each week we are going to share one of our family favorite recipes. It might be one we have loved for a long time and enjoyed eating that week, it might be something new and fun that we found in a magazine or stole from a friend. (I will be sure to give credit where credit is due!)

This week is one passed along from Mom and is definatly a new favorite. It is really easy to make for a small dinner get together, a friend in need of a meal or even dinner for two with some really yummy leftovers as Tyson and I have figured out.

I chose this one because I made it for Angie a couple of weeks ago and then Christa last week and they have already asked for the recipe. I swapped broccoli for the mushrooms for the Price's version and they say it was yummy that way too.

Please comment if you try it and tell me what you think!

Chicken Tetrazinni
3 to 4 cups cooked chicken (I use 4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts out of the package)
salt & pepper
8 oz. angel hair pasta
6 T butter
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (I double this every time)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup light cream or half & half
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cooking sherry, dry if possible (the sherry is the key ingredient)
1 1/2 or 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (as much as you like really)
Paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in skillet, melt 2 T butterover med/low heat. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until golden. (I like to add a little sherry to the mushrooms as they saute) In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter, stir in flour and 1/2 t salt and stir until smooth. Add chicken broth and cream and cook, stirring until sauce is thickened. Add chicken, cooked mushrooms and sherry and heat through. Place cooked pasta in buttered 9X13 baking dish then pour chicken/mushroom/sauce mixture on top. Top with Parmesan cheeseand sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Serves 8

Monkeys belong in the Zoo!

2008-09-16T19:24:00.009-05:00

Well, we took our chances on Sunday and took our little monkey to the zoo. We went to church in the morning and after the service we took him home for a preparatory nap. While he slept the storm came in. We thought our plans might be doomed but the rain stopped and we decided to grab the umbrella and throw caution to the wind.

Apparently the Sabertooth Tiger exhibit had been precariously left open because look who we ran into before we even got to the entrance...

That would be "Gnash" the mascot for the Nashville Predators. Cool huh?

Tyson happens to know the man behind the mask and we exchanged greetings in appropriate mascot language. (Miming) He was so supprised to see Sullivan had gotten so big. As we said goodbye I felt a little silly as I hollered in his direction "It was good to see you again!"

Two reasons;

1) I have never really "seen"the guy so as far as I know he really does have a blue face and very large teeth.

2) All the other moms gave me a wierd look as they walked away.

Come on guys! Gnash and I go waaaaay back! 8 )

We had a great time just the 3 of us and here are a couple of pics from our excursion.

As you can see the Meerkats are our favorite.

We weren't sure they would let us go home. As you know...

...Monkeys belong in the zoo!

Mommy Monkey

Teeth! Yikes!

2008-09-13T17:19:00.003-05:00

We have them folks. Remind me again why we need these awful things. 8 )

Sullivan has cut one tooth so far on the bottom. You can't see it too clearly yet but it is there and reaking havoc on our household. As soon as it is clearly visable you will be getting a picture of the nasty little culprit.

Anyone out there in blogger land have any miracle advice for teething babies? Feel free to comment. We are desperate.

See?!?

Jeepers Creepers - An update on Sully's Peepers

2008-09-07T10:52:00.002-05:00

(Stole this from Mom's blog - Precious huh?)

I am so sorry that I forgot to post this much earlier. Please forgive me. 8 )

As you know, Sullivan has regular eye exams scheduled every 3 months with Dr. Joos. These exams, for an adult, would normally be all that are necessary to check the status of the glaucoma. However, because Sullivan is little and squirmy, we have to schedule an EUA (exam under anesthesia) after every other visit. An EUA allows Dr. Joos to do all the tests and measuring she needs to do to make sure we have healthy eyeballs. We will do this about every 4 or 5 months until he is old enough to sit still in the exam room. Dr. Joos says they are pretty bribe able around 3. 8 )

The plan of action with these exams is always the same; if the glaucoma is presenting active symptoms then Dr. Joos will perform a surgery to install an implant in the eye, one at a time, to control the pressure. It is kind of like a pressure valve. Basically, they perform the exam and come and report to us what they found. If it is good news we go to the recovery room and wake up our precious baby to go home, if it is bad news they go back and perform the surgery while he is out. Due to the nature of the disease you never really know what to expect.

A couple days after we returned from California we had an EUA scheduled for Sullivan. While I was gone I had to stop the drops we were administering to Sullivan's left eye twice a day in order to get an accurate reading of the health of that eye. I was so nervous doing that. Sometimes having something to do helps you feel like you are in control but the truth is that we are not in control, He is. So I asked God to take my fear and to continually remind me to release Sullivan to Him. He is the one person in this world who loves him more than I do so those hands are more qualified anyway.

Thankfully as you have already read, Paige was there to sit with me and help me out. She was great to have along because she is really supportive and positive. Thank you Paigee!
Tyson would have been there but we have spent just about all of his vacation hours on Sullivan's prior surgeries. We both had a good feeling about the outcome so he decided to sit this one out. To be honest, if this is going to be our routine until he is 3 I really need to get used to going alone.
Sullivan did great. It was different this time because as he is getting older he is getting wiser too. He is starting to get a bit of separation anxiety and knows something fishy is going on. He didn't like the little sensor that they put on his toe or getting his temp taken but he did okay. The nurses said that around 1 year is when they start having to give "Pre-Meds" to them to calm them down prior to surgery. We'll see. It was early morning so he didn't have to go hungry for too long and once you give him a cute nurse to flirt with gets preoccupied. 8 )

After about an hour and 15 Dr. Joos and her assistant came back to tell us that Sullivan's eyes are doing great and that we can take him off of all meds. Soooooo Awesome!!!! His optical nerves look healthy and the left eye is slightly less far sighted than the right which means that when his eyes are fully developed he may be slightly nearsighted in that eye.

Soooo, at this point we have no symptoms of glaucoma! Yeah!

I'll Call You Squirt Too

2008-09-05T12:55:00.002-05:00

I have called my sissy Paige "Squirt" for as long as I can remember and I don't think she even notices anymore. I don't really notice to be honest. I think that if I used her actual name she might think I was upset or something. It is the fondest in terms of endearment as far as I am concerned. I am not sure that there is any one else in the world quite like her. She is quite possibly my favorite person in the whole world.
Having said all of that, I have to admit that my life has come to include a "Second Squirt". Sullivan Shawn has captured my heart and undoubtedly the heart of the first "Squirt" as well. I had so much fun watching Paige enjoy her time with her "Sully Wully Bonker Head" as she has named him.

We got to see quite a bit of her while we were in CA but stole some TN time with her too. Such a treat! She flew home with us making for a very fun flight for all three of us. When Paige visits we like to relax and hang out. Not much planned activity. It makes for good quality time. Which we have recently learned is one of her love languages. I think that I am beginning to truly realize and appreciate the the beautiful woman God has created in her and I am so proud of her.

Her sense of humor is one of the many things I love about her and she has been dating a really neat guy named Thomas who has a great sense of humor too. He came to visit while Paige was here and we had a great time getting to know him. They got out to see the sights of Nashville and ran into this crazy guy! ----->
They were pretty excited as you can tell.

Thomas & Tyson babysat for me and Paige so that we could go to a women's praise and worship event at the church and the boys really impressed us. Not only did I get to enjoy the whole event, Sullivan was fast asleep when we got home. Ahhhhhhhhh. So nice. Way to go guys!

I think Thomas and Paige had fun with Sully and we enjoyed every minute of their visit too. We miss you guys!

Jiggity Jig

2008-09-03T21:21:00.019-05:00

Well, this is my adorable little man helping me pack for home as our fabulous California vacation came to an end. We were there for almost 3 weeks and we had such a wonderful time! We stayed with my parents in their new home in Yuba City for the beginning of our stay. They have a pool in their new house which was REALLY great as it was sooooooo HOT there. Going swimming in a pool was just one of the many "Firsts" to be had on this fun adventure.

Another "First" was the plane ride out and back. I was really nervous but shouldn't have been, Sullivan did great. I had my sissy Paige with me for the trip home which was very nice. Sullivan was very well behaved and recieved many compliments. I would like to say he was a perfect gentleman but it appears that he may have picked up on one of daddy's bad habits. As the flight attendant passed by he smacked her square on the tush and when she turned around to investigate he gave her a huge smile. I am pretty sure that was when he won her heart. 8 ) Goodness knows thats when Tyson won mine. ; )

He is apparently more like mommy than I knew. He pretty much tried to talk to everyone he could make eye contact with and when they weren't looking he tried pretty hard to get their attention. Here are some photos from the plane ride. You will see in the 3rd one Sullivan found a friend behind us.

I fall more in love with that kid everyday. I wonder sometimes if God watches us as we learn, mature and experience the world and finds just as much joy as I do watching Sullivan.

My parents were great hosts and there new home really is beautiful. Sullivan and Nanu had great bonding time, we played with the doggies (the bumpy one and the mean one) and Nana bought way too many adorable outfits for Sullivan which I have been happily rearranging in his closet ever since we got home! 8 ) Thanks Mom!

Tyson was able to fly out in the middle of our trip and sneak in some time with his family too so we headed down to the Bay Area for a few days where Sullivan got to meet the rest of the Pardee family for the first time. Most importantly his Aunt Tiffany who has been DESPERATE to get her hands on him and then ofcourse his cousins who he enjoyed playing with thouroughly!

And the highlight of my trip was getting to see my grandparents love on Sullivan and get to play with him. They fell in love for sure and so did Sullivan. I have been so eager to see them myself and to watch them enjoy Sullivan was such a joy. We went to church with them 2 of the 3 weekends that we were there and spent the night with them too. Being in their home really does feel a bit like being home again. I miss it deeply.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-07-25T01:54:00.000-05:00

Basically Saturdays are a giant collage of my favorite things. My hubby and I and my little man get up, watch cartoons, eat waffles made by the hubby, play and laugh and stay in our PJ'S all day long. Sometimes we don't even comb our hair as you can see in the picture above. 8 )
Saturday is our day for letting it all hang out and as you can see we have taught our son well. Look at that belly!

These are just some more cute after bath photos.

Enjoy!

5 Great Years

2008-07-19T01:24:00.004-05:00

Well I have to say that the last 5 years have been the most fantastic and adventurous years of my life. I am blessed with the most handsome hubby in the world (sorry ladies) and the most adorable little boy ever (sorry mommies).

We celebrated our anniversary by catching the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight" and eating lunch at our favorite place "Baja Burrito." The movie was fabulous! If you like the first one you will love this one! AND, if you havn't eaten at Baja, you need to. It is the BEST!

Christa & Chad kept Sully for us and he did great. The return of dating to our marriage was a sweet reunion!

Bath Time!!!

2008-07-09T01:04:00.001-05:00

We love this time of day. Sullivan loves to splash and play and wind down before bedtime. Thanks to Nana and Nanu for the new sink and faucet making such bath time fun possible!

Love you.

BTW - Like the haircut?

Granny & Papa in Tennessee!

2008-07-05T00:37:00.000-05:00

We had such a great visit with Tyson's parents here this month. We enjoyed the 4th fireworks together and a great day at the zoo as well. Papa and Sullivan even got some fishing in at the BassPro Shop. Well.... sort of. 8 )

Thirsty?

2008-06-23T23:35:00.000-05:00

Say Cheese

2008-06-17T00:03:00.001-05:00

If those bright blues don't melt your heart I don't know what would. We are so blessed! These are some of our favorites from our family photo shoot. Hope you like them!

363 Un-Birthdays

2008-06-15T21:46:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not our little guy is 6 months old! We decided to celebrate half birthdays in our house and here is a couple of pics of our little man and his first half birthday present, some squishy squeeky blocks! He is pretty good at sitting up now and keeps me pretty entertained.

Clear Eyes

2008-06-12T21:34:00.001-05:00

An unbelieveable update on the vision front. We took Sullivan to the Opthamologist this week and the report was fantastic! Sullivan has absolutley no damage to his vision from the glaucoma or surguries so far. The Doctor said that if he hadn't read his medical history on the computer he wouldn't have believed me if I told him Sullivan had Glaucoma.
The main worry was nearsightedness. The first thing the Doctor remarked on was that "This kid is definatley not nearsighted!" After more testing he also told us that the optical nerves looked great.
We couldn't have asked for a better report.
Praise God!

We will call this day 'The Lord Answers Prayer' - Gen. 22:11-14

2008-05-16T23:46:00.005-05:00

We are sooooo excited to post this new news! Sullivan's eye exam went great and we went home with NO EYE PATCHES!!!!! 45 minutes into the exam while Sully was under anesthesia Dr Joos came back to the parents waiting room and announced that the pressure on the right was a 9 and the pressure on the left was a ... ... ... bum bum bum bum... ... ... 14!
She told us that we would not be putting the valve in and that we would cut the eye drop medicine in half! Is our God awesome or what?!?!?
So many of you reading this prayed so hard for this and we are so blessed today by answered prayer. I wept the whole way home from the hospital.

It dawned on me as I was reading the passage I noted above (the story of Abraham & Isaac) that I have the authority as a believer in God and as a parent to mark a specific day or time in our families lives for the remembrance of God's provision/answered prayer.
Abraham named a specific place 'The Lord Will Provide' for God's provision of a ram in place of the sacrifice of his son. The scripture says "Abraham named that place 'The Lord Will Provide', so today it is said "It will be provided on the Lord's Mountain."

I have felt as though God was calling me to release Sullivan and his eyes and trust Him to provide for my son in ways I was not able to. Seemingly unbearable and impossible, I can't begin to describe the strength I have gained and the amazing lessons I have learned. When I replaced the worry with prayer and relied on the faith I have been cultivating in my short 28 years My God grabbed my hand so tightly and never left my side. Some of my most intimate moments in this sweet relationship I have with my Savior have been shared over my son Sullivan.

Today I call this day 'The Lord Answers Prayer' so that generations of the Pardee family will know 'The Lord has never left us.'

My Future's So Bright

2008-05-12T17:08:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day & A Baby Dedication

2008-05-11T23:42:00.003-05:00

I could very possibly be the luckiest momma in the whole world. This is what I woke up to on Mother's Day. My whole day was bright after that.

At our church we don't baptise the babies because we believe that children need to make that decision on their own when they are old enough to. Instead we dedicate them, which is more for the parents than the kiddos. Basically we dedicated ourselves to parenting in a way that would honor the Lord and bring Sullivan up to praise the amazing God that has blessed him and protected him so faithfully already.

Next to me is our children's ministry director Teresa and our Pastor, Raymond Vogtner (Sullivan's Tennessee Grandad) We are so blessed to have them in our lives as both our friends and spiritual leaders.

Madison Creek Farms - Mother's Day Early

2008-05-10T23:40:00.006-05:00

We decided to spend this beautiful Saturday on this adorable organic veggie farm we stumbled upon. They were celebrating their season opening with a bluegrass band and fresh strawberry shortcake. Mmmmm! Sullivan loved the bunnies.

They also have a great garden of cutting flowers and you can pick your own bouquet.

Lazy Days & Sunday Best

2008-05-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

Just a few recent pics of the babe.

Can Zaden Come Out To Play?

2008-05-07T21:36:00.002-05:00

My girlfriend Lindsley came home for a visit and Sullivan and Zaden finally got to play!

Look how cute these boys are!

"Hey, what flavor do you have?"

What a party pooper. A cute one though!

My Gloriously Cloudy View

2008-05-06T09:57:00.000-05:00

After 4 nearly sleepless nights, mom gone, and Tyson back to work after a long weekend, by myself for the first time in a month, I lug my giant baby boy - car seat and all out the front door, "click-click" safely latched into the car seat base and with a turn of the engine we are on our way to downtown Nashville and included in our itinerary is our favorite stop - Vanderbilt Eye Institute. Another pressure check.

Exhausted and sleep deprived I started to cry. I turned the radio off and just listened to the quiet. Funny what you hear when it is quiet. Sullivan was snoring and the whir of the tires on the interstate caught my attention. It dawned on me how much at that moment I identified with the over worn tires carrying me to our destination. We have had these tires since we moved here 5 years ago and they have carried us, faithfully, so many places. It dawned on me, this is what moms do. They carry us, faithfully, along our journey even when they are worn and tired.

As the tears stung my cheeks I prayed; "Lord, today I need good news. I need a bit of sunshine to get me through."

I sat in the exam chair with Sullivan almost forgetting the desperate request I made 15 minutes ago and waited for Dr. Joos. She came in and took a look at his baby blues and was surprised. She stated that she hadn't expected them to be so clear after our last visit. (His pressure had been up then.)

She was eager to get a pressure reading so we dropped the numbing drops in which always get him good and pissed off and I nursed my starving child while she probed away. Surprisingly, Sullivan sat still for both sides and her readings were clear for both eyes. She always gets the readings on both sides and then shares the much awaited info. Finally she says, "14 on the right and 18 on the left!." My jaw dropped. Two weeks ago it had been a 24 on the left. I was elated.

As if all of the good news had already been received I start to ask questions regarding the upcoming surgery. Dr. Joos informed me that she thought that we might be able to control the glaucoma with the eyedrops on the left side and that she would know better after the exam but she didn't think we would do the surgery. We might wait on the shunt and see.

What?!?!?

I couldn't believe what she said so I asked her to explain and sure enough that is what I heard. Possibly no surgery. We talked for a while and and she answered my endless questions. We confirmed the exam date and time and I was on my way. As I heaved the car seat back into the car with a smile on my face and a cheery kids song on my tongue for the benefit of my son I realized.

I had gotten what I asked for. The tears stung my cheeks again and only because of my foolish pride did I not hit my knees right there in the Vanderbilt parking lot. I quietly sat in my seat and thanked God. I had gotten a gift today. Even when I didn't expect an answer and quite possibly my request had been made in vain in the first place, my God answered me.

Today as I drove home in the rain, traffic and all, I was very aware that the tires were not the only thing I connected with. Each raindrop that clouded my view on the windshield served as a reminder of how raw this world would appear if His many blessings didn't cloud my view.

Bye Bye Nana! 8 (

2008-04-30T09:34:00.001-05:00

That really is mom eating the watermelon! Cute huh?

Today my mom goes home to her hubby(my dad), home, two dogs (one nice, one that bites, yikes Bear!) my sissy Paige and the beloved Sewing Room. Her Bear creations and many funny, odd, eclectic dolls miss her terribly I am sure. We have hogged her selfishly for the last month and would have gladly kept her another but Nanu was really starting to get down hanging out by himself for so long.

It was so nice to have her here to talk to during the day, help with house stuff and meals, and love on Sullivan. He misses her already! We can't wait to have her back.

Manny the Manipulator

2008-04-29T15:20:00.000-05:00

Some of you may very well remember during my pregnancy my very good friend and alter ego Veronica. If not, you are probably better off without making her aquantance. She would often visit during my more hormonal or should we say "out of balance" days. She was not one of Tyson's favorite people and surely she made some of his days miserable but we both agreed that we would give her a name and acknowledge her presence and somehow that helped us find humor in all of the craziness of awaiting baby. She has not visited since the birth of my adorable son except MAYBE once or twice!

We do, however, have another visitor in our home. His name is Manny. Manny the Manipulator. He happens to be my sons good friend and alter ego this time. His first visit came a few days ago when I was frantically trying to figure out what it was that was making him so upset. He had been entertained, changed, loved on and fed in the last two hours so I was at a loss. I sat him down on the couch and took 5 seconds to prepare myself to feed him again when he kicked it in to high gear. He was ticked and you could hear the anger in that cry.
I looked right at him and in a stern voice I said;
"Sullivan Shawn, that is enough."
He stopped, looked right at me with a straight face as if he hadn't been crying in the first place and stared for a moment.
Just as quickly as the tantrum had stopped, it began again and I said once more in a stern voice "I mean it, that's enough."
And the scene repeated itself.

I then introduced myself, with an amused and adequatley perky mommy voice, to Manny. With a smile and a giggle he introduced himself as well. I picked the little booger up, gave him his afternoon nip and he was off to dreamland. It seems I have made a new friend.

I had to take a moment to laugh with my mom who had witnessed the whole thing. Again, I am learning that a hearty sence of humor is priceless in parenthood.

A Silly Video of Dad & Babe

2008-04-27T21:01:00.005-05:00

For The Love Of The Game

2008-04-27T17:34:00.002-05:00

(Please forgive the old post. This video was taken April 12th.)

Sullivan Loves hockey and really gets into the games. (Probably because he was just a couple weeks old when we took him to his first game.) It really is the only thing other than Winnie the Pooh that captures his attention on the television. Well, our boys didn't bring their "A" game today and Sullivan had a few things to say about it. Take a look. Enjoy!

Toes! I want to eat them!

2008-04-21T10:11:00.006-05:00

Sullivan has found his toes! He is so funny, he grabs on to the big toe and hangs on for dear life. We think he would be chewing on them if his pudgy little tummy was not in the way. 8 )

Sunday morning cartoons? Nope, prunes!

2008-04-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

Slept in today, thought we would try some prunes...

...we likey!
We have tried sweet potatoes too and we like those as well.

Surgeons on Saturdays

2008-04-19T15:56:00.002-05:00

We went to see Dr. Joos this morning. I started to see symptoms of increased pressure on the left side so we made the trek down to Vanderbilt again. Sure enough, the left side is back up to 22 and we are back on the eye drops on that side.
Basically this means that the second procedure on that side was unsuccessful and we will be having the shunt put in on May 15th. This was originally scheduled as an eye exam under anesthesia with the possibility of the shunt in the left side. So much for possibilities.
The right side pressure was good at 16, there is my silver lining. 8 )

A Healthy 4 Month Old

2008-04-15T22:37:00.004-05:00

Today is Sullivans 4 month birthday and we also had our 4 month Dr. Appointment. What a way to spend your birthday huh? Poor guy had 5 different vaccinations. Yikes! He is getting sooooo big. 15 lbs 15 oz, 26 1/4 inches. These pictures are from the night before the big vaccine filled day, hence the smiles.

The doctor says we can try baby food now so here we go! We will surely have good photos of that soon.

One Vice Or Another? No I Will Not Choose!

2008-04-12T23:24:00.001-05:00

So sorry for the bad quality photo but I thought you would get a kick out of this. Yep, that is my son sucking his thumb AND holding his pacifier.

The Latest

2008-04-10T22:57:00.002-05:00

Ok, the latest news on the Glaucoma front.

We have completed the second surgury on both eyes. Little guy came through the procedure better this time with regard to recovery. Because the waking up part was so bad last time the nurses made sure Tyson and I were right next to his bed as he came to. I was able to feed him immediatly and that helped quite a bit. In the days to come we could tell that this time around was more painful for him but as usual my son is quite the trooper.

We will wait to see what his pressure levels are in two weeks. We are praying that this will be his last surgury. It is so hard to watch him go under each time. We are scheduled for an eye exam under anesthesia on May 15th and we have signed permission slips for the shunt on the left side but again... we are praying they won't be necessary.