Here's what's cooking and crafting with Jenn!

I love the fall and there is nothing better then homemade soup or chili!
I found this recipe last year for New Years and it's been a favorite ever since!
White Chicken Chili If you ever get a rotisserie Chicken and have some leftovers this is perfect for those left-overs!

I also got around to making a Pumpkin Roll! There is something about having it in the fall that makes me love the season even more! The taste of the sweet cream-cheese filling is what makes it so good!

Now for the "crafty" side of me: My friend Samantha and I are taking on a new "project."

Here is what we call "Perky Pockets!"

Perky Pockets =for a nursery or room that needs a little more "organization with a little bit of perky style!"
We made this for a Baby shower gift .We had a blast and now we want to make more!
What do you think?

We can make one for you!

Boys =Buttons
Girls = Bows
Just tell us the colors and style of the room.

Email me at mjriese@hotmail.com and I can tell you the pricing for the size and style you choose.

Blessings,

Jenn :)

Where does he get that red hair?

Playing in Kayleigh's ball pit at her house!



I often get asked where Parker's red hair comes from! As you all know Mike and I = have brown hair. However, my Grandma Clark, and my dad's 2 sisters all had/have red hair! Mike's mom and grandma also have/ had strawberry blond hair! So, Parker got the recessive gene from both of us! It is funny to go out places with him and make people wonder! Somehow it is a common phrase if a couple doesn't have red hair and their child does, then the baby must be the "mailman's kid!"

LOL But our mail person is a lady!


The day he was born the nurses started joking about his hair-till they heard about the family!


Now that I have cleared that all up -it goes on about my story of the week!


I was in the garage playing with Parker & Kayleigh and Carol, our mail lady brought me up a package. (It was my new cell phone! YEAH!)


She was admiring how much Parker had grown. She said she remembered the day he was born!


I told her I had to clear up one thing with her:


The day we were coming home with Parker, my father-in-law was waiting for us in the garage. Carol (Our mail-lady) was delivering the mail and saw the blue bow on the mailbox. She shouted up "CONGRATULATIONS" to my Father-in-law said-"THANKS!"


Then she asked the name!


My F.I.L went blank. He forgot Parker's name and shouted out "DANIEL!"


So for 1 year she thought Parker was a "Daniel!"


I officially introduced Parker and cleared it up. She laughed and remembered it well. She got a funnier laugh when all say our baby is the mail-man's baby!


Nope, he is really ours!!!


We love our little red-head.





Jenn :)

Pumpkin Patch Adventure

Gas has been SO hard to get these days! I will not go into the long story, but if you hear it affecting the south it is true! We are at $4.29 a gallon right now and some days there is gas and some days you pass 12 -20 gas stations before it is available. If it is available, there might be a limit, 20-40 minute wait, or only good to get for an hour till it is all gone! So, I have been really trying to preserve my gas, and not just be "on the go" every day! Thankfully, I have 3/4 of a tank and hope it lasts a good week still.
I wanted to take Parker to a pumpkin patch (we went to 1 year ago with my sisters)however, it was a distance that was unecessary at this time. So, we went to a local Methodist Church that has a "pumpkin patch" that they create each fall! Afterall, I just wanted some cute photos and it was free! We went with Aunt Samantha, Marlee, Aunt Shawna & Luke!
I LOVE the fall! Some of my favorites about fall:
The smell of apple-cinnamon candles, freshbaked pies and breads, finally wearing longsleeves, OK, I'll admit I even like a few presents in October for my birthday , but I get really excited when all the pumpkins arrive and leaves start to change! One of the great things that our God does to bring change in the seasons and a time to reflect his beauty!
As Parker gets older, I hope he learns to love the beauty of the seasons!
Happy Fall to all of you!
Now, some homemade pumpkin pie would be perfect right now!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Softball tournament Photos

Here are 2 scrapbooks of our time in Orlando!
It was wonderful having my mom with us! As I stated earlier, I could not have been able to attend the games and be with Mike if Mom hadn't come.
The weather was in the high 80's and that made it HOT for Parker. He was a great trooper when we did have him at the Ball-park (and that was only 1 game a day!)
My mom and I took him to down town Disney on Saturday night. He was enamored by all the people and the ducks we saw on the way out.
We had a blast taking him into the hot tub at the hotel. It was mild (not hot at all) and he loved it. But he really loved riding his bike all over! He was on a first name basis with the ladies at the front desk (it was a riot)!
Enjoy the photos,
Jenn

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

And the winner is......

2008 PWC Softball Tournament Champions
ATLANTA

Wes (Senior Manager at PWC) getting the "victory water" poured on him!

Proudly holding up their well deserved trophy!

After competing in the tournament for 5 years, they finally won! They were estactic and completely speechless when they realized they won!

I was so thankful that I was able to be there for the win! Mom and Parker were back at the hotel napping. If Mom hadn't come I would have missed the championship win!

In my last blog I shared that they had won 2 out of 3 games on Friday's Round Robin. That night they got seeded 7 out of 30. Their first game was at 10:00 PM on Saturday. They played 4 games Saturday winning them all!

(Here is a photo of the bracket showing their seed on Friday night)

(Mike and I at the dinner Friday Night)

Sunday, they played for a spot in the winners bracket and got it! Their final game was against the defending champions, Tampa! (Who has won the last 3 years) ATL really wanted to beat them!) I am sure it was a huge dissappointment to Tampa, to lose. But, we are THRILLED for the Atlanta victory! I had nerves in my stomach the whole time of the championship game. I can only imagine how they were feeling!

(Mike running to 1st)

Now they are responsible for the 2009 tournament. One of the rewards(but work) for winning the tournament is to run and host the next years tournament! Sounds like a blast to me!..All of a sudden, it is alot of work. (There are 30 teams and around 13 girls teams and each team has 12-13 ...so it is alot of people to host and plan an event for!) They will have to scout out great towns since next year is the 25th annual tournament!

I am already looking forward to the 2009 tournament!

I am proud of you Mike, and (your team) for winning!

Way to go ATL!

Jenn & Parker (a.k.a-your number 1 fans!)

Softball Tournament update #1

We made it to Orlando Thursday night around 12:30!
I got my mom picked up at 11:30, Thursday afternoon and we had to go and get the rental van after lunch. It wasn't ready at the place we requested, so that put us a few hours behind. Making us get to Orlando later then planned, but so thankful for a traveling trooper-Parker! He did great!We were glad to get here. I brought Parker's bike that we got him for his birthday and we let him ride it in the room and all around the hotel! He is having a blast. It has been wonderful to have my mom here,so I can come and go to the games.
Yesterday, Mike and his team played 3 games.
They lost the first game by 1 point. (However, that team were the champions 3 years ago-so to have a score that close helped their seeding.)
The second game they killed the other team-(25-3)
Third game they won (after coming up 10 runs in the 3rd inning, before they were losing 9-1) So they won that game, 18-15!
They got seeded 7th out of 30. The good news was that they did not have to play till 10AM today! The higher the seed that later you play!
Just got off the phone with Mike (Mom and I are waiting for Parker to get up from his AM nap so we can go to the ball park) and they are in the 6th inning and winning 13-4!

We will keep you posted and hopefully have great news later tonight.
Tonight we are taking Parker to Downtown Disney/ Disney village !

Pictures to come when we return.
Jenn :)

Annual PWC Softball Tournament

Fall has arrived and it is that time of year again for the annual PWC softball tournament!
Even though Mike is now a PWC Alumni , I have a feeling he will always be a part of this tournament! The company tournament allows each team 2 alumni! This will be his 6th year participating in the tournament! (I think it is in his blood). I have my moments where I "hate" softball (because of all the hours he is away practicing& playing in games) and then my moments where I do "like" it....such as this coming weekend! LOL!
Last year I was not able to attend. Parker was just 5 weeks old! It was to overwhelming to attend the tournament with a newborn and try and cheer Mike on.
This year I will be able to attend! It is in Orlando,FL (Friday-Sunday). I am so excited, because my mom is flying in Thursday morning to go with us! She is coming to watch Parker while we are BUSY at the ball park! It is a double blessing for me! We are renting a van and driving down there on Thursday! It is only a 6 hour drive and we are thankful for that. She & Parker can come and go~ or do more fun things like swim and play in downtown Orlando. I am really looking forward to the time together. This is one of our first vacations, since Parker has been with us. However, I am praying that my 2 week cold ends soon...I would hate to have it put a damper on this coming weekend!

Mike and I at the 2005 PWC Tournament

(Myrtle Beach,SC)

(They had a Hawaiian Luau Dinner that Friday night so Mike was taking it all in!)

We are praying that the guys get 1st this year! They have done really well each year . There were 32 teams last year and they placed 8. If they win, they are in charge and run the tournament next year!! We will keep you posted.
In the meantime we have a lot of packing to do!

Jenn, Mike (and Parker)

13 Months Old

Saturday, Parker will be 13 months old!
He looks like a little boy and the baby days are fleeting fast behind us.
He got this cute green vest for his birthday from his friend, Courtney and I love it! He looks like a little "dude!" I had to much fun getting him in action the other day.
Here are some of his favorites lately:

Favorite snack-Mini Ritz Cheese snacks

Favorite meal-Hot Dogs,Mac & Cheese (and he must feed himself)

Favorite book-Peek-A-Boo (from our neighbors)

Most quoted word-"Duh" (*He is trying to say "Dog" and says it ALL day!He does know that it means Dog and he points to Abbey all the time!")

Favorite game: Peek-A-Boo

Favorite toy: Wagon (and he throws all his toys in it to play with)

We are so glad that Fall is just around the corner! It is my favorite season and I can't wait to take him to a pumpkin patch.

Happy Fall to all of you,

Jenn, Mike & Parker :)

Girls Night Out ...

Friday Night I had G.N.O with the girls from our Church Sunday School class!

It is always great to get together with the girls and vent as moms! Most of us are stay at home moms, so we love our time together. We met at my friend Heather's house and had some good snacks and made hair bows!! Hairbows? Yes, bows for little girls! I was so excited to get out, and even though I am not the mother of a little girl, I had a great excuse to go! I babysit a little girl and I can make them for her! So here are some bows that I leared how to make for Kayleigh!


In the last photo we are being goofy and wearing the bows in our hair. We had too much fun as you can see.


Maybe my "bow-making" will come in hand one day if God gives us a little girl?!


In the meantime, we are having fun with our sweet boy who will be 13 months on Saturday!

Goodtimes with Kayleigh

We have been back into our Monday/Tuesady routine with Kayleigh. Parker LOVES having her around. I think more so because, he can pull these colorful things out of her hair, or take her paci out and wonder what it is in there for ? (Since he lost interest in it-he can't remember its purpose!)
So these two are inseperable when they are together!

I have loved getting to know Liz, Kayleigh's Mom. We have almost to much in common. Just that we are 3rd grade teachers says enough. We try to do lunch each month and are always finding fun adventures to take them too! I take them to MOPS everyother Tuesday, and the newest adventure is Story & Mucic time at a Gymnastics center.
Parker got a new wagon from Grammy & Big Poppy for his Birthday and Kayleigh loves it too! If the weather is decent, I try to take them each day for a ride in it! Kayleigh has grown to love it so much ~she cried on her way out, when she had to leave it ! I am happy to report that she is now an owner of one too!

This past Thursday we went to Story/Music time. (It is free in the month of Sept. so we are all about "freebies"!) Parker and Kayleigh both have the interest in music! The interesting thing is that Parker was not into the story so much. However, he occasionally got into a song but he was really into crawling through the "fort!" (Fort= a rolled up piece of foam) After Liz and I showed him how to get in, we could not keep him out. It was neat to see him explore this "new" place. Kayleigh was constantly looking to see that Parker was still in sight when she was getting into the class. We got a free CD and he LOVES the songs! We are looking forward to next Thursday.

FYI: (Yes, that would be a little red-head boy! Who would have ever guessed that Mike and Jenn would have a red head boy! Well the roots are on boths sides.)

We are looking forward to class this Thursday, Kayleigh!

Yeah!

Parker and Mommy :)

"Dice Divas"Getaway!

Many of you know that I play Bunko each month in the neighborhood. The name of our group is "Dice Diva's". (There is another group in the neighborhood as well-so we had to come up with a name. ) We actually play at each of our homes 1 x a year and with 12 members it works out perfectly. But we decided to do something different and bond a little more... For the first time, we decided to play Bunko on a Friday night up at one of the girl's cabins! We had a BLAST!

It was my first night away from Parker. Mike and Parker got to have some good bonding. Of course I was only gone about 18 hours. The time, laughter, adventure, and "no husbands or kids allowed" was great thearapy for all 10 of us!

We were only about 1 hour away and Jeane's cabin was more like a resort. We went 4 wheeling, ate pizza, had a bon-fire, made smores,talked-talked-talked, laughed a tone, stayed up late, laughed (did I mention that already?), had to much to eat & (we did find time to actually play Bunko, and I won the prize for having a Bunko!) And of course it was an adventure to sleep in rooms with each other. (Of Course me and Lorelei, got texted in the middle of the night- to "go to sleep" because of all of laughter!!) It was just like the days of girls sleepovers!

A note about the cross photo; At the top of the hill that we were 4-wheeling on, was this cross. The previous owner had placed it there so Jeane's family left it there. I got a breath-taking photo of it, just before sunset! It made me reflect on how good our God is and all that he has done for me!
Thanks Mike for letting me go and have such an awesome time with my "Dice-Diva's."

It was awesome!

Jenn :)
Here are some more photos that show(just a little) how much fun we had...!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Time with Gramma Riese

I finally had time to put a slide show together of Parker's time with Gramma Riese!
Happy Grandparents Day (by the way to all 4 of you wonderful grandparents)! This slideshow is especially for you, Gramma Riese! We loved having you here and I want to thank you publically for all the help you gave for Parker's party!
You are the best!
LOVE,
Parker

Make a Smilebox slideshow

"Houston, We have a problem!"

I am trying to find some humor out of our "problem" with our house! Our little A/C problem (2 mnts ago) has become a BIG problem! It is a LONG &hard to explain story over blogger...but I will try to explain it the best I can! Actually, complicated! Please pray for wisdom for Mike and I!

(This is our fake vent....) No Duct work in there!)
It all began in June of 2005 when we got the keys to our new house! The day we moved in there was NO A/C! I about died as we were moving in every box, piece of furniture and essential that we owned! We called the homeowners waranty and they covered the "so they thought repairs!" And at that time- "Ants had gotten in the A/C unit, clogged it and stopped it from running! Interresting ?But we had air again.
The problem continued on and off-but we didn't let it get to us to much, since we had & have a fully functioning upstairs A/C unit! *(Most homes that are 2 stories have 2 furnace/A/C units!)
Last summer we ignored it and this summer I had, had it! I called 1 company to come and see what was wrong! They discovered that our Air compressor was shot! The house is 13 yrs. old and (both Furnace/A/C units are the original) we needed to replace it! We called around 6 other companies for quotes. We naarrowed down the company to install a new Furnace/& A/C! We even purchased a Hepa filter (in hopes that Parker and Momm'y asthma would improve!) The engineer came out did a "thorough" check to make sure all was in the right place! Within 2 days we had a new unit! Life was great for 2 weeks! I was in tears and on the phone with them by then! When you live in GA-you have to have central air! They sent out a tech late at night and he said we had freeon leaking! To sum this all up, we called them 2 more times to fix our new A/C that was showing 80 degrees each time we had a "hot house again" and it is set for 72!
The engineer came out and said that most likely we had a broken duct and would need a simple repair!
THE DUCT WORK DOES NOT EXIST for the RETURN VENT DOWNSTAIRS! So 13 years this house has gone with a builder flaw and a fake vent! No proper airflow has ever existed....causing the duct work from the furnace/AC to be clogged ! There is a hole (which is just sheetrock/that was never drilled) that is blocking the duct work to come down to the return unit!
We had to have a certified inspector before we moved in...and it is not their responsibility to look at all the duct work! Of course I am saying what inspector is ever perfect?!
The engineer from our heating & cooling company has never seen our dilema in the 15 years he has worked for the company! He was shocked and felt HORRIBLE for us!!
So, we are in the midst of getting holes drilled so the duct work can be installed and FINALLY have air downstairs....and heat. (Here is the duct work being installed (in garage)/ the hole goes into the "fake vent (photo above) and up to our attic...connecting to the Furnace/AC! (They will be covering the ductwork and putting drywall around it!)
Looking back, I do recall some cold winter days and not thinking that the heat was working either!
So glad to finally get to the root of this! We are really unsure if the 2,500 will be given back to us from the builder! (This is a problem 13 years later!?) So we are "bitting the bullet" and covering it! Thankful to God for Mike's good job that allows us to pay for emergencies as this! And we have that wonderful Emergency fund set up too!
I will post some photos of the "before and after" for all you visual people!
Thanks for all the prayers!
SO all you future buyers out there....make sure there is PROPER airflow in any home you get!
Jenn (Mike, Parker and Abbey (she has even noticed the lack of air control and chooses to be up-stairs most days!)
PS -we are sorry to all our guests for the lack of good "air" control! We promise to have great control next time you arrive!

Parker's Party

What a fun first week it has been being 1!
We just took Gramma Riese back to the airport today (sigh)! We were so glad she got to be here for Parker's 1st birthday. But we hate goodbyes.

On (8/20) Parker's real birthday-we got an ice-cream cake from DQ ! We allowed Parker to devour it...but instead he cried...(why?) it involved the candle getting a little to close! However ,he finally got into the whipped topping (and there was no burn...it just scared him)and enjoyed his share of the ice-cream cake.
On Saturday, Aug.23rd we had 25 guests (mainly our friends...a few of Parker's) join us for Parker's first birthday party! When it was time for the cake... it was all to familiar. He started to cry when we had the cake in front of him! (We think he is tramatized by birthday cakes and candles now....( the past: he burnt his finger with my family, he did it on Wed. and the 3rd time around he remembered and didn't want anything to do with the cake!) Poor little guy!
So this will explain the photos a little more clearly.
It was wonderful to make so many memories and have so many of our friends come out and support us and Parker for his 1st birthday.
Highlights of his party:
Theme: All-Stars First Birthday (so we geared it all around sports...especially Baseball) (Hence the sports theme for the slideshow)
Food: We had NY chicken spedies, Hotdogs, cold salads, watermelon (Parker's latest favorite fruit),
Gifts for guests:goodie bags for all (related to baseball),
Decorations: balloons (18 to be exact-and Baseball ones too!)
Special surprise: we showed his Birthday video!
Thanks again to all who came out to celebrate!
(I will post another slide show of our visit with Gramma Riese.)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Blessings,
Jenn, Mike and Parker :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Parker!

How do we sum up the year with some words and memories?? I can't, so I decided to recapture Parker's first year by making a video! I am not a scrapbooker! Howe ver, I do love my blogging and videos! So, Mike & I decided that each year for Parker's birthday (and any other future kids we are blessed with, ) we will make a video for their birthday yearly! So here is how I sum up the highlights of the year with Parker as we celebrate his birth today!

We have been so blessed this first year!
We remember this day like it was yesterday, and some days it feels like it was months ago!
We love you Parker and wish you a happy first year!

Here is a look at what our first year was all about with Parker! (Get the Kleenex ready!)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Looking forward to his 2nd year!!
XO
Jenn & Mike

New Look & Parker's Photos...

I finally got around to giving my blog a makeover! After 2 1/2 years I was ready for a change! I loved SO many of the pretty pinks and browns! I just couldn't make that my new look, since we are "The Riese's" I had to stay loyal to our favorite "Orange!" (So fitting too, since we are SU fans!)

If anyone wants a free, new "look"/layout for your blog checkout this site: http://www.simplyfabulousbloggertemplates.com/

Thanks Christy (who has an awesome blog) for directing me to the website posted on your blog. I love your purple stripes blog! So fitting for you!





Last Saturday we took Parker for his 1 year old photos! It was fun!

Here are just a few of our all time favorites!

August Update

Trey 1 month old, Parker 3 1/2 months old)




(Look how much the boys have changed!


Parker 11 & 1/2 months-Trey 9 months)


Last Wed. Parker and I went to Knoxville (1 last time) to see Joy, David & Trey. They are moving tomorrow to Phoenix,AZ (sigh)! We will miss them! We have been spoiled being just under 3 hours from them. I am thrilled that God has opened this door for them. Joy will be back to her old job (working Labor & Delivery at Good Samaritan Hospital & David is going to school to become a pilot) I told Mike I would love a flight out to Phoenix for my birthday! It has been a great 2 years being so close to you Joy! We wish you , David & Trey God's deepest blessings as you embark upon this new journey as a family!
We got a cute video of the boys "Sharing" a straw...in the world of teethers they loved chewing on this straw. (See below)
We will miss you all dearly and pray that you have a safe trip out to AZ...they are driving 1600 miles....! (Been there-done that-Best of luck!)






Upcoming Adventures:






Next Monday Gramma Riese will be here for Parker's first birthday and a nice 10 day visit. Not sure what all we will venture off to each day...but we are excited to have her come!




Saturday, Aug. 23 is the Big Birthday Celebration...we are still deciding on the cake. Daddy really wants an Ice-cream one and I am leaning toward a regular Publix cake (along with a child's first cake!) Hmmm!


LaborDay weekend -we are still unsure of our plans!!



In September we are headed to Orlando for the annual PWC Softball tournament and my mom is coming with us! YEAH...(to be the sitter for Parker-so I can be the scorekeeper for the team) This is pretty much our vacation get-a-way (apart from our family visits).


Our biggest Vacation will be in Feb (7-14); We are headed on Disney Cruise with my whole family!!!! We are headed to the Bahama's to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary (just a few months early-(8/30/2009) ! We are not sure how often we will be able to get away on big family vacations, so we are doing this now since the grandkids are all young and out of school! We can not wait! Mike and I went on a Carnival Cruise for our honeymoon and we absolutely loved it!We have only heard the BEST about Disney cruises so we are anxious and excited for this upcoming adventure. The funniest part of this whole adventure is that my babysitting money is paying for our cruise and Mike is matching whatever I save toward it...so he is calling it the "401 Mike" fund!! LOL



Looking forward to these adventures but much to do between now & then.. (ieike celebrating a birthday soon!)


Blessings to all of you,
Jenn (Mike & Parker)