Parker's First Christmas

It's been a great holiday season, as Jaimie, Little Man and I travelled to Austin for Christmas with the Osburn side of the family. I must admit, no other baby on the planet travels as well as Parker. Whether or not this statistical anomaly holds up, it remains to be seen. But overall, this kid knows how to fly. Eat, sleep, laugh at the old lady sitting behind us, flirt with the stewardess, repeat. This is what it's like to fly with Little Man.

We arrived in Austin around midnight, with the three of us flying on a different airline than Gramma Osburn, who had spent the past few weeks with us in Pasadena. Papa and Aunt Lisa picked us up and we gathered our luggage as we waited for Gramma to land.

Another 1st since Parker has joined us: For the first time I had to pay $3.00 for one of those luggage carts to carry all the crap we brought with us.

We spent most of the holiday season visiting and playing with Little Man's cousins, aunts and uncles. With the relocation of Aunt Jody, Uncle Mark and Cousin Maddie, Sunday after church we made a road trip to San Antonio for an overnight visit. On the way, we stopped off in San Marcos to visit our friends, Jeremy and Ryan at their restaurant, Zookas. As quick as Sunday and Monday went by, it was great to see everyone.

Christmas was a blessing, a blast and a whirlwind all at the same time. Parker had a wonderful time watching mommy open his presents for him, trying to eat the wrapping paper and ribbons as they came within reach. Cousin Cole and Cousin Maddie both took turns showing Parker his gifts, playing with him and teaching him how to use some of his new toys. We spent the evening playing games, watching A Christmas Story for the 16th time and talking about our future trip to Snowbird in Salt Lake City. All in all a fun couple of days!

For all of you that received Mickey's Christmas letter, I apologize for his negative attitude towards having to write it. It's one of those family jobs that he just has to deal with, similar to taking out the trash or washing the car. Regardless, he has been feeling a little neglected as the holidays closed in on us. We had to leave him for a week and it was obvious that he wasn't happy once the suitcases came out. How fair is it that the "new kid" gets to go, while Mickey has to stay home and watch the house and the cat?

If you did not receive Mickey's letter, please let me know by adding a comment. If we know you, we'd be happy to send you one. If we don't know you, I feel a little creeped out right now. But Merry Christmas anyway :)

To Grandmother's House We Go

For the first time in Parker's new little life, we are about to enter the Christmas holiday season. I am so excited I cannot stand it. And even thought he will not remember this Christmas, I will. I will remember how he spent his first Christmas with his mommy's family in Austin. I will remember how his older cousins were with him, his aunts and his uncles. I will remember how blessed we were to have him come into this world and join our family. And, lucky you, will get to read about it. Then, maybe someday, he will be able to open this back up and read it as well. Knowing full well that his daddy could not have been more excited to have him come into his life.

So bring on the holidays! Bring on the travel and the car seat maneuvers. Bring on the timezone changes and the new climates. I welcome the new surroundings and the new noises. It's all part of what it means to spend time with family. And Parker has already gotten a taste with Grandma Osburn staying with us for the past few weeks. Let's turn it up a notch.

We leave for Austin on Thursday. I'm sure there will be LOTS of stories to tell. So, until then, enjoy the holiday season and stay safe.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Davis!!! We love you!

Day Care

On Wednesday, Jaimie, Chery, Parker and I went to visit the USC day care facility... AKA, Parker's 2008 home for the workday. We met the facility coordinator, a number of teachers, and toured the facility.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the set up. The infants have their own room, with a 3 to 1 ratio of babies to teachers. The room is small, but perfect size for little ones. There is also a toddler room, then 2-3 and 4-5. The ratio of teacher to child decreases as the children get older, but overall the level of care seems to be really high.

The advantage to this daycare facility, above all else, is location. Jaimie's office and the daycare actually share the same parking lot. This means it would take Jaimie about 30 seconds to WALK over to visit Parker. It's the same commute to work without a detour. She can pop in whenever she wants to. Convenience can be a huge advantage!

So, once we finish up the paperwork, Parker will officially be a student at USC. I am not sure how I feel about that small detail, but it's something I will learn to get over. GEAUX TIGERS.

OHIO STATE / LSU

It's Official...