3 more (long) days...hopefully they'll go fast!

It has been quite a journey the last 2 weeks. Mike is into his last 3 days of working at PWC. I am physically worn out from being a "single parent" since Mike is not getting home until after 10 PM! I am so thankful for the new transition that will take place soon! I feel bad for Mike and Parker, not seeing each other! Our prayer is that with the new job (GE) will allow a few hours a night for Mike and Parker to bond! I do have to say that so many of my friends (especially Lorelei, Aunt Yvette, and Samantha have all helped me stay "sane!" They have been great to give me breaks when I've needed it!) I really do not know how single mom's do it? I am so thankful for the support that I do have from Mike overall and really appreciate it when he is here! I am physically drained and Mike (as you can imagine) is mentally drained from the world of "audit!" He is not really going to miss that at all!
Keep us in your prayers these next 3 days~ Thanks!
Off to put a fussy boy down for a nap...fighting it today!
Jenn

Here is Parker in action...eating a lemon.

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I Love my Pedi-Ped's "Aunt Juey"

My sister Julie passed down Jack's, Pedi-Peds (shoes) to Parker. I fell in love with them instantly and have wanted another pair for awhile! They are not cheap, but a great shoe. (Here is Parker wearing the red ones from Jack).

Parents magazine had a coupon for free shipping on Pedi-Peds,so I opted to make this "must-have" investment in these shoes. I really have NOT bought many things for Parker at all! He got so much stuff from all his showers, and dear cousins! (Josh, Sam & Jack!) So, I splurged and made this nice little investment!
I LOVE THEM! They are real leather and comfy to be like a slipper too. My main reason is-he needed a great pair of dress-up shoes for Sunday. I also think he will get to wear them for Uncle Phil's wedding! I got the 6-12 month size...and they are great. I am in love with their boy shoes...but oh my goodness, the girl ones are adorable! (Maybe someday!)
We also love Robeez but Pedi-Peds are our favorite!
If you want the code for free shipping-just email me!
Here is Parker trying out his new shoes!
The hat is compliments of " Aunt Juey" too!




THANKS-for introducing me to Pedi-Ped's, Aunt Juey!
(I got a pair for Jack too, for his first birthday!)

Love,
Parker (& Mommy)

Back to the world of Soccer

Mike is a soccer player (big time) and always has loved playing it! He played on a league 2 years ago on Sundays & he's gotten back into it! It is a great workout for him since the work week consumes so much time! So off we go on Sunday afternoons to watch him play! Next thing it will be time for Softball!
Here is my soccer player....before to long we will have Parker out there too!



Here is Parker and Kayleigh bonding the other day while they were waiting for me to feed them!!




Blessings,
Jenn

No wonder it is called Domestic Engineer

What a day! I did 7 loads of laundry yesterday, dusted (discovered the ceiling fans needed it badly), and sorted out some old clothes! I was worn out after 4 hours of it! I have to say that I still found time to get on the treadmill and shower during Parker's 2 hour morning nap!
I remember the days when I loved to do all our "weekly" laundry! The first year we were married, I would make Saturday morning my "laundry day!" Well, that is in the past and no longer an option!( I don't miss having to go hunt down quarters for the apartment machines!) Well, I feel that if I now choose to take 1 day off of laundry, I am backed up for the next 3 days! So 1 load a day I must do! Of course, Parker being on food now means lots of bibs! But I am really thinking that I need to get a bib that is re-usable and cleans quickly!(There are some great silicone ones!) I think I will be making this a purchase real soon.
I absolutely love being home, but some days I am completely struk back at how fast the day went by, or in this case (what the daily activity was)!
So glad that I can enjoy the day today with Parker!
We are headed to Lunch with a friend of mine from my college BBC.(She just moved here!) I will post more about how we got connected in our church! (It is really neat-you will have to come back later to hear the story!)

Blessings to you all,
Jenn

5 months old!

Parker is a great 5 month old and I am getting a work out already with him!
I took him on Friday to see a physical therapist for his head & development!
He is developmentally doing great. His flat head in the back, is the result of how he positions himself while he is sleeping! We had a scan of his head and has a mild case, so he is most likely not going to need a helmet! We will go back in 6 more weeks to see how he has improved. (They will do another scan.) He is up alot more (and loves being in the jumperoo!) The more he is up and off of his head-the better it will form on its own!
Here is another photo album of some of his latest!

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On the homefront here-I am the new Neighborhood Social Comittee Coordinator! I am in charge of planning all the neighborhood events-primarily for the kids! I told them at the meeting, I can't do it alone! I had a sign up sheet for some of the yearly events and I got a ton of volunteers! I am praying that it is a successful year and the help will pull through! The first big event is the Easter Egg hunt! I am looking forward to it! It makes me laugh and wonder if God was preparing me in college? I was the dorm social coordinator for a year!
Enjoy the photos!
Jenn

"Goodbye, P.W.C.-Hello G.E!"

YUP! The title speaks words to all of you who know that Mike works for PWC! As of February, he will no longer be with PWC, but an official employee for G.E.~(General Electric)!
During December, Mike was interviewing all over metro Atlanta to seek a new job! This was a big step for Mike to leave now (since it is busy season), but last January he worked about 18 hour days and he can not do that to Parker (or me again!) More then that-he was bored with "5 years of auditing" and tired of the long hours and wanting to do more with his Finance degree. He posted his resume online and the recruiters began calling! He was overwhelmed at first ,but knew he was doing the best thing!
He actually had 5 job offers from the 2 weeks of interviewing! (He even got one right on the spot!)
-After all the interviewing,Mike was in awe of how well he could do by leaving the firm and how much more TIME we can have together! The new job is 15 miles from us! The benefits were outstanding and the position was a deep interest for Mike! He will be a Controller for the company! Our good friend Cari, works for GE and she was very encouraging to Mike about potentially working with G.E.! She shared the pros and cons and coached him during the whole interview process! After lots of praying and seeking out which way to go, it was best to go with G.E. He could have taken a job right here in Kennesaw, but we had some red flags and weren't as familiar with the company. We feel that because he made the decision to leave PWC and is striving to put the family first, God is now going to give Mike a 36% increase in his salary (with GE)! PTL! It will be a blessing to know that he is much closer and not coming home around 2 AM (like he did sometimes when he was on clients with PWC)! We are praying that he is happier in the end with this new field of work!
Please keep Mike in your prayers as he embarks upon this new journey with G.E.!
I have to say that I am very proud of him and thanking him publically for making this big step to make time for us a family!
I love you Mike! You will do great at your new job!
P.S.
Some of you have asked if Parker has to change his name since Mike is leaving PWC (which is Parker's initials) NO!!
Maybe baby # 2 (one day) will have G.E. as their initials! (We really do not plan the names based on Mike's job!) It was just a fluke with Parker!

Rejoicing for Mike's new job,
Jenn, Mike & Parker

January Days with Parker!

4 month checkup

Parker went to Dr. Mc Gee on Friday for his 4 month check-up! He is always SO happy when we go and ( clinging to me when we leave)due to his shots!
He is 15.4 lbs (50 percentile)and he is 25 & 1/2 in. long (75 percentile)! So he is doing great and Dr. Mc.Gee is thrilled with his growth! He is on food and LOVES to eat it! We have introduced cereal, pears, green beans, plums and this week,peaches and carrots! He was so funny on Saturday, he saw me eating some apple slices so I gave him a lick of it! He was so mad when I took the apple-slice away! Mike ended up letting him lick it, while I went and got some baby food for him! I think we have a baby BOY who will LOVE all kinds of food! "If it has flavor he happily accepts!"
On a more serious note-we have to go get some physical therapy for his head! Dr. Mc.Gee wants to make sure he is prevented from having a helmet in 6 more months! He has a flat head in the back-(basically as a result of a very deep sleeper...who sleeps around 14 hours a day;~9-10hrs.at night and then another 3 hours of napping!) So we will begin it soon and hope that more tummy time and therapy will prevent the helmet!!!
Today we were back to Kailee's! We go watch her at her house on Monday's, and Tuesday's she comes here!It is a great way to have a variety of toys for them...and it gets me going for the week. Here is a photo of her napping when she was here last! She is a great baby-like Parker! They love being together!

We are in the midst of getting back to the normal routine and Mike is back to work! We will keep you posted on life here in GA!
Until then-we hope the New Year has been off to a great start for you all!
Blessings,
Jenn, Mike & Parker

Parker's first New Year's Celebration with mommy, daddy and Friends!

Parker's First Christmas

We had a wonderful time in NY with the Riese family! Here are the photos that captured some of of time there! Parker was a great traveler and I had a fun time in the back seat, while Abbey bonded with Mike up front! We hope you all had a wonderful time this Christmas too!
May God bless you all in the New Year!
Jenn, Mike& Parker

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Christmas Letter -2007

WOW! Here we are again! It is amazing how fast the year flew by! Of course, this time last year-we had just found out the exciting news that we were expecting! The wonder of whom this "first" baby would be, would it be a healthy pregnancy and would he/she be with us for Christmas 2007?! Well, God answered our prayers and gave us Parker on August 27th and we rejoice for his healthy birth! At this time of year,we are reminded of the most precious baby given to us all, Jesus! He is the joy and the reason for the season! We are so grateful to God for ALL that he has done this year for us and we look forward to so many "firsts" in the next year with Parker.
Here is a reflection of the year for us:
Mike consumed more hours then he ever would have imagined with PWC and is grateful that the "distant-travel" to clients has dropped! He stayed involved with men's softball (and that is where we were most Friday nights)! Despite his crazy work schedule, he still finds time for Me, Parker (Abbey) and the good ol' X-box!
Jenn-finished out 7 years of teaching in June! We knew with the intense work schedule as a teacher,(the papers, being a leader of a team, (need I say any more) it would be so intense for me as a first time mom! God has allowed for me to stay home (financially) and do what I have dreamed of for many years- being a mom! It has been the most rewarding and challenging job! My day begins about 5:30 AM and I am ready to crash around 9PM! Yet, I have found the time and energy to continue playing "Bunco" in the neighborhood! It has been a great time for me to fellowship with the girls- and Mike to bond with Parker! ( I love the first Tuesday of the month!) I just took on a babysitting job 2 days a week! I watch a little 5 month old girl, Kailee! Her mom is a 3rd grade teacher (2 days a week) in the public school setting! I am BUSY these 2 days and yet, so thankful that God opened the door for a small job for me and some great socialization for Parker!
Mike and I have taken a year off of teaching Sunday School this year so we can focus on being "new parents!" We have been ministered to on Sunday's through the Young Marrieds Group . It has been a joy to have the prayer, support and hear their sides of being parents too!
Our letter would not be complete with out a few words about Parker and must we not forget "Miss Abbey!"
Parker will be 4 months old on Thursday! WOW! He is a blast! He has been very predictable with the sleep world- he crashes around 7 PM and he is up around 5 or 5:30! We are very grateful for the "sleepful nights" (knock on wood)! His personality is coming out more and more each day! He is grabbing for things and loves to smile when you sing to him! We can not wait for Christmas next year and see him "so into everything!"
Abbey has had a year of changes with Parker and my new schedule of being home! She has accepted Parker and has even protected him already (one night she was winning in his room, and basically told us he needed to be changed!) She LOVES having me home and being able to have time all day to chase her friends! She will always be our "girl-" but don't tell her that we love Parker more!

So here we are with Christmas just 6 days away! We will be joining Mike's family for Christmas and we are in the chaos of packing, (I am baking cookies like crazy) and wrapping gifts for my family. We would love to spend Christmas with all of you! We have really treasured the time so many of you took this year to visit and the gifts that were given as we welcomed Parker! It has been such a blessed year we have continually appreciated all the love and prayers!

May you all have a wonderful Christmas Holiday!
Love and Prayers for the new year!
Mike, Jenn, Parker and Abbey Riese

3 & 1/2 month old update

Parker is 3 & 1/2 months old~It is amazing how he has changed in just 3 months!
He is a drooler (big time) but a very happy ,baby boy! Mike loves to come home and have a "conversation" with him! It is really funny to watch them!
We are enjoying his new phases and looking forward to his first Christmas with Mike's family. With that said...Our biggest challenge is car rides...if he is tired he does not mind his car seat and will fall asleep quickly! However, if he is not tired-HE WANTS OUT! He does not like being confined to the car seat. So, Baby Einstein toys and some other gadgets have seemed to entertain him (from the top of his car-seat) for most of the car rides! Since this is our biggest challenge...we are planning to get most of the trip to NY done during the time he sleeps! (Looks like we will be driving during the night!) It will be an adventure!

Blessings to you all,
Jenn

Thanksgiving photos and time in TN

Here are the photos I have been wanting to share!
We hope you enjoy the photos.
Jenn

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Trey & Parker

Well I just got back from TN!
Parker and I went up for 3 days to spend time with, David, Joy and his new "cousin" Trey!
Their first real visit together was ;sleeping and eating!
It was a memorable time for Joy and me. I will post more photos on a slide show and share more memories later!
I am off to bed and need some rest before Parker wakes up!
Jenn

Parker's Baby Dedication

"Like Father-Like Son!"

(The program from the bulletin)

"Aunt Yvette feeding Parker during Lunch today!"

Today we had Parker's Baby dedication! It was a special way to end this Thanksgiving Holiday. Parker is our special gift this year that we are so thankful for him! It was a special day that we will remember. We were so thankful for special friends,"Uncle Kendall & Aunt Samantha & Aunt Yvette" who came to be a part of this service today. We had a special reception time with 8 other couples before the service and even got a professional photo as well! It will be neat to see which of the boys become some of Parker's buddies.(We got a kick out of Parker's name today; one of the boys has the name" Parker" as his middle name and 2 girls have "Reese" as their middle names!) We never knew how popular "Parker" and "Reese" would be!

Mike and I are recognizing the vast responsibility of parenthood! It is our deepest prayer for Parker to one day come to know the Lord as his personal Savior!A special thank you to our parents, who have been so influential in our lives! You have helped mold us to be who we are today! We pray we will be encouraging and godly parents to Parker, like you were to us! We know that the 4 of you (Big Poppy & Grandma Riese & PaPa& Grammy Clark) wanted to be here, but the video camera was there today to record this milestone for us all!

Parker, we love you!
We are praying for you to be a godly man!
(II Timothy 2:15)
Love,
Mommy & Daddy

3 Months old!

We took Parker to an Atlanta Hawks Game (Tuesday night) so here are a few photos from the event! Mike got us tickets in the PWC box so it was great to have that space for the sake of Parker! Mike is happily kissing Parker's belly (as I was trying to put his pj's on!) The last photo is our good friends, Kendall & Samantha who joined us for the game last night!
As of 11/20 Parker is 3 months old! He is so happy and LOVES to make "loud screams of joy, and usually kicking his feet!" (I think he takes after his dad!) We are looking forward to celebrating Parker's first Thanksgiving on Thursday!

We have 6 guests coming to celebrate with us. Mike's friend Chris Bray (his parents and Brother) and Mike's other 2 friends, Chris Fox & Erin will all be joining us! Today I am preparing my mom's homemade rolls (they have taken me 5 years to succeed at) and I am making 2 other casserole dishes! I keep hearing about this thing called "Turducken" (it is a turkey, with a duck and chicken inside of it) and I am really curious if any of you are going to attempt to make one or eat one this holiday?

We hope you all have a Wonderful Thanksgiving and reflect on all that God has given to you!
We are very grateful to God for our little Parker and look forward to his first Thanksgiving Celebration!
Blessings to you all,
Jenn, Mike and Parker

He's Engaged!

Here is the next Mr. & Mrs. Riese... officially in May 2008!

Baby Phil (as Mike and his brother Brian call him) is officially engaged!
Last Saturday, Phil proposed to Miracle at Camp BaYouCa (where they met-just like Mike and me) and she happily said "Yes!"
This is a big year for Mom & Dad Riese as they have many milestones to cherish; Grandma Parker's homegoing (Feb.),Phil's College graduation (May), first grandchild-Parker(Aug), Brian's wedding (October), and Phil's engagement (November)! This will be a very memorable year for all of us Riese's!
The Lord has really blessed us all this year. It is a true blessing for me to be a part of such a wonderful in-law family! I feel very blessed.
Phil and Miracle, may God bless you two in your future marriage!
Love,
Mike, Jenn & Parker

Training for the 4th of July

I have a new goal that I am aiming to reach on the 4th of July;
Mike and I are planning to run "The Peachtree" Race in downtown Atlanta on the 4th of July! It is 5 mile race! I am running on the treadmill 3-4 times a week and do 1 & 1/2 miles in 20 minutes! So hopefully, come early spring I will be close to the goal! I have never run a race before, and really look forward to it! We will be joining our good friends Samantha and Kendall! I know Samantha is looking forward to running it for the 3rd year in a row! Also, she will have just had their first baby 2 months prior...so it is her goal to be in it following birth! Being a "stay at home mom", I am now able to do some things for myself now that I never did when I was teaching! The most challenging part about training is just trying to figure out how long Parker will actually sleep and getting the running in~ I will keep you posted on this goal. We have to sign up for the race immediately when it comes out in the paper because so many people apply each year! If you don't do it right away, you won't get a number! Fingers crossed and aiming high!

Parker's update:
He is 12 weeks old!

Here is a picture I love...Abbey protecting Parker while he was taking a little nap on Sunday afternoon! Abbey has really accepted Parker, but she is still trying to figure out what great "food" item is caught in his mouth at times! (Translated, she found a pacifier on the floor one night, and she brought it up to Mike! We were laughing so hard! She really wanted to know what to do with it!)

Blessings to you all,
Jenn

Parker's First ...and Mommy's first!

Parker (11 Weeks old) & Trey Ashworth (1 week old)!

The Proud Parents:
My best friend Joy, her husband David and their new bundle of "joy":
Thomas David Ashworth III (Trey)
Born: 10/30/07
Weight/ Height: 6 lbs. 14oz & 19 inches long

Parker's newest playmate- Trey

Parker is 11 weeks old and ok "we will admit it~ 'perfect in our eyes!" We adore him more and more each day! Not a day goes by where we do not thank the Lord for him! He is getting more aware of his surroundings each day and has discovered Abbey the dog! He doesn't mind her licks at all. His "coo's" and "caw's" are music to our ears right now! He has got to be close to 15 pounds by now! He is growing like a weed and from what I am told - he has inherited the "Parker family -baby phase- chubby legs!"

Yesterday, Parker and I went for "his first" time to TN! We went to meet his new "cousin" Trey Ashworth! It was "my first" time to ever leave the house for a daily adventure, with NO WALLET! Thank goodness that God protected me and after 2 and 1/2 hours I made it with out running out of gas! I did not realize that I had "no wallet" until we had gone out to lunch! Joy and David filled me up with gas before I returned home! What are great friends for?!! I am so glad we made that decision to take Trey out for the first time and have lunch! (I could have been stuck on the side of the road some where if we had never gone out to lunch!) I drove home carefully, so no cops would notice me at all!
Parker seemed so "BIG" compared to "Tiny, Teriffic, Trey!" It is special to Joy and me to have had our first babies just 2 and 1/2 months apart! We feel extra blessed that they are so laid back, great nursing boys, and each have great temperments (thus far!) We hope it lasts a long time! It was a special treat to see her mom too who is visiting till next Tuesday. Parker and I will go back up next Wed and stay for a few days to keep Joy company and get to know Trey better!

Blessings to you all,
Jenn, Mike and Parker