Uncategorized
April 17, 2014

Our happy place

Being a mother is something I dreamed about my entire life + something that makes me cry almost instantly, when I stop to think about the ways it has changed my life. It is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. It has shaped + molded me into the person that I am today. These little people bring me much joy. More than I could ever put into words. Deep down, somewhere between this love + my mom-pride, comes a yearning to keep this love all to myself. A desire to protect these perfect little beings from the scariness of the world. To hold them close + never let them go. Because of this passion I have always been a little reserved about letting a photographer come into our home + capture pictures of us. You ask me to take them at the park, a studio, the lake, your house, any place in the world – sure thang. But the minute our home is involved, the guard walls go up + overprotective mom status is slapped on my forehead.  Our home is my safe haven. The place where I go to lock out the rest of the world + soak up the love that we share as a family. I’m putting these feelings out on the table in hopes of sharing how much this place + these people truly mean to me. I love the time of life that we are in right now + I am so very grateful that I opened our doors for one afternoon so that we will have these memories to look back on forever.

In our home, we play, we cry, we color, we pray, we eat, we laugh, we clean, we read, we hide + seek, we dream + we love with a love that isn’t always seen by the outside world. Our walls are scuffed with scooter marks + finger prints cover the majority of our windows. We love to dance in the kitchen + all sleep in the same bed. Also note, I take great pride in my vacuum lines. Our home is where we hide from the world, where we learn, where we forgive + where spend our waking + sleeping moments as a family.  My element, my people, my home – – – my happy.

My very favorite people, in our very favorite place.

This is my very favorite Sonnet James dress. I love that it allows me to continue to play + to clean + to chase without skipping a beat. I was so thrilled to work with some of my dearest girlfriends, Shelby, Erica + Lindsey, to capture a place or a moment that means the most to each of us. The minute I saw the BRAVE video from Sonnet James I knew we were a match made in Heaven. Remember my love for that song? click here, if not.

Right now is one of my favorite motherhood phases of life thus far. I’m not saying that I don’t look forward to nap time when I get two extra minutes to enjoy my grapefruit in silence, but these boys, they truly are my very best friends. They are my favorite part about me. I am ever so grateful for Jon, who works hard during the day so that I can stay home + take care of our boys. We would never make it without him. I love that Jonah looks after Riggins + sprints to his crib every morning. I love that Riggins laughs harder at Jonah than at anyone else. I love that they scream for joy when Jon gets home from work + that they have his “park” shoes waiting on the back step ready to go. I love that they need to be loved + enjoy our attention more than any toy in the world. I am forever grateful for Sami Jo for coming over to take these pictures of us. She has become one of my very favorite friends + is one of the most humble photographers I’ve ever known. She also doesn’t mind if you don’t have your make up on yet when she gets to your house. (uhhhhhhh- – -oops) I have learned that we really don’t need much to make us happy in life. Just gotta find what triggers your happy + stick with it. Life is too short to do much else.
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
April 11, 2014

Lemonade






















S W E E T S:  general conference | grandpa’s fruit platter. one word: WATERMELON | 70 degree weather + birkenstocks | splitting a gigantic root beer freeze | the zooooo with laura, minnie + lou |  GNO | snapping a few pics of the patten gals | front lawn shenanigans with our neighbors | surprise daffodils from kelly + her girls | dinner at EVA | completing traffic school | JESSIE’S IN TOWN #bestshoppingbuddy | 3 separate adventures to the capital to check out the popcorn trees | bella me dresses. i maybe wore the same dress almost every day this week, maybe | riggins watching curious george while standing at the side of the bed next to j | jonboy dusting off his harley + taking it for a spin | good news about my broken lens | cap’n crunch berries on mega sale, baby!

 

now, the sours. because I think they are important to document + just as fun to look back on.

 

S O U R S: olive breaking her poor little arm | diaper rash | jonah packing 2 new duffle bags for his baseball game every half hour | leaving the wash in the washer over the weekend | sensitive teeth {I LOVE POPSICLES, DANGIT} | jonah falling off the swing-set | weeding all the flower beds | seth + mikell leaving for texas | broken internet | traffic school | burning frozen pizza. hello, embarrassing | jonah’s reeesty sock hating feet | all caught up on parenthood | the tears when we left grandma + grandpa’s house | flat tires on both of our road bikes | not getting our car rack in time for this weekend’s adventure
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
April 8, 2014

favorite weekend of the year







Family time is my most favorite time of all. We packed our weekend with special little moments + enjoyed every last second of our time together. I love that we can do absolutely nothing + still find ourselves in a hiccup invested puddle of happy tears in an instant. The boys went to the Jazz game on Friday so us girls went for ice cream. They went to Priesthood together on Saturday + we threw a little girls night at Bella Me Boutique. We woke up to homemade cinnamon rolls, raspberries + fresh orange juice from my mom. That lady, she is the most thoughtful, loving, down right classy woman on earth. I don’t know how I got so lucky! We were enlightened by the incredible words from the leaders of our Church + their beautiful testimonies. I put together a few things for Jonah to work on during conference because when you’re little, 2 hour increments with everyone watching TV are a very long time. 🙂 He is growing up so fast. He is eager to learn + very receptive to projects, if I take the time to plan them. We would all melt into a puddle when he would say amen after each speaker.


General Conference left me feeling like I could conquer the world. Ready to take things on head first. We drive by the Conference Center almost every day + often take it for granted. I love the tulips + the blossoms that this time of year bring. I especially LOVED elder Uchtdorf’s talk about being grateful in all circumstances. (BUT I still can’t spell his name for the life of me) We should strive to incorporate gratitude into our daily happenings. The good, the bad, the happy + especially the hard times.  

 “We need to seek gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation, whatever that may be. They choice is ours. Being grateful in time of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges. The choice is ours. We can choose to limit our gratitude based on the blessings we feel we lack. . . or we can choose to be grateful no matter what. This type of gratefulness transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the blessed warmth of summer.” 

 I love that. Am I still grateful when things aren’t exactly going my way?  Everyone is fighting their own battle, whether it’s plastered for the world to see or not. You can listen to this amazing talk right here.

Next time we drive to Logan for a visit, I need to take a video when we turn the corner before Grandma + Grandma’s house. Jonah starts screeching “I can see you playhouse, I can reeeeally see you. hi Gampa’s Tramp, hi “my” playhouse, Hiii Bo. I see you Gamma’s Flowers. I seeee you” He loves it + I love that he loves it because I LOVE IT too! Even Riggins starts crawling extra fast + drooling the big drools when we get there. I adore watching my parents eyes light up when we pull in + getting texts from my dad asking if we are here yet before I’m even out of bed. They make the best grandparents. I’m grateful that they have always put their family as first priority. They make us feel so special + so loved every single time we visit. Absolutely no place like home.
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
April 7, 2014

a quick list of loves

  • i love homemade cinnamon rolls.
  • i love my sisters + sisters in law.
  • i love b+b handsoap. especially vanilla.
  • i love the blossoms blooming on the loop home + fresh laundry after it’s all folded.
  • i love conference + technology that allows me to it listen again + again.
  • i love my mom + dad more + more every single day.
  • i loved hearing the words “i love you, mom” for the first time tonight.
  • i love memories + reflecting on them often through all of my pictures.
  • i love grandma larsen + how she offers everyone her seat, no matter what.
  • i love my boys – they are my ultimate pride + joy
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
April 4, 2014

lemon.ade.



















S W E E T S:  a surprise snowmobile date with juan | spending time with Dan + Mo | freshly trimmed locks | SPOTIFY i love you, free music | house warming at seth + mikell’s BEAUTIFUL new home | park city pizza + ice cream | update our make-up bag date with morgan | trimming the bright yellow bushes from the neighbs yard to brighten our kitchen table | making general conference journals at young women | SNAPCHAT | happy mail from ky | “booberrie mussins” | getting daddy date pics from jon + jonah on their date at the hockey game | riggy drinking his bottle by himself | completing week 3 of slim in 6 | jonah’s bandaid obsession | putting furniture together for the new ronald mcdonald house | the laughing game | blossoms blooming on capital hill | greek jalapeno yogurt dip from cotsco

 

now, the sours. because I think they are important to document + just as fun to look back on.

 

S O U R S: this headache from H-E double | teething riggy | crawling riggy – possibly a sweet but not really.  | missing uncle chaddy’s birthday party | my failure of a NCAA bracket | forgetting j’s scooter in Logan | never ever ever ever ending runny noses | thinking it was friday on thursday morning | diaper blow outs at 3 am | losing my debit card every time i go to use it | more snow | our children museum pass expired | stubbing my toe on the vacuum worse than i ever have in my life or in my dreams. still can’t wear shoes | our water bill | j sneaking over to the crib to wake up riggins EVERY SINGLE NAP
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
April 2, 2014

Do you know how to share?









Sharing is hard when you’re 2.
Sharing is hard when you’re 3 + 5 + 18 + 27, too.
Who teaches people to share, anyways? Birds?
Because I often think sharing is for the freaking birds.

Jonah has had a rough time sharing lately. But the other day he shared his “special baseball” with Riggins without being asked + I was floored. THIS IS HUGE, guys. He doesn’t share that thing with an.y.b-o-d-y. He will share his regular baseball + dad’s baseball mitt, but if you ask him to have a turn with his baseball mitt or his special baseball, I’ll bet you a buck it ends in tears.
This S word has been consuming many of my thoughts. Sharing is interesting on many different levels. The opposite of Sharing? Not sharing, simple. Or keeping it for yourself which is aka being selfish, right? My mom has super powers in the sharing department. I can honestly say that I don’t ever remember fighting over clothes growing up, or french fries, or anything with my siblings really. She taught us how to share from a very young age. She might have a different side of the story, but that’s how I remember it. Why can’t I do this with my kids? Granted they are currently 2 years old + 6 months, but still.
I have decided that sharing is something we learn over + over + over as adults. I’m talking deeper than the “he gets 3 minutes with the baseball, then you get 3” kind of sharing at the park. I’m talking really, truly, sincerely, genuinely being happy for the success other people are having when you want it SO bad for yourself. This motherhood rollercoaster brings out this sillly “my way is the best way” obnoxious beast in each of us at different times. One of my favorite blogs, Lunchpails + Lipstick put this quote on instagram the other day – “CHEERING FOR THE UNDERDOG IS EASY, NOW TRY CHEERING FOR THOSE WHO ARE DOING BETTER THAN YOU.”  Gulp. Amen, amen + amen. I love that. I feel like it’s much harder, but it’s so much more important. It feels like we live in this world where the more followers or friends you have the cooler you are. These numbers prove that you must be a better mother or friend or neighbor + definitely a better decorator. 😉 You know, like when someone has 4,000 more twitter followers than you do when you have been tweeting some super hilarious jokes or posting the best pictures ever? What about congratulating your cousins who found out they are pregnant when you have been trying for 3 years. It might sound stupid, or harsh, but when I compare these situations to sharing a “special” baseball in the grand scheme of life, it’s all just as important. How do we expect to teach our kids to share, when we don’t know how to share ourselves? Whether it’s happiness or success or chips + salsa. Don’t be afraid to share your “special” things, not just the stuff that is easy to share. We all need each other + as soon as everyone is on the same page that there isn’t a cap to the amount of success we are each allotted, we will live in a much, much happier place- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – drops the mic awkwardly + walks off the stage.
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
April 1, 2014

Remembering Grandma Webb

Days like today remind me of what’s truly important in life.
Days like today remind me to hold my loved ones a little bit tighter + to never leave without a hug.
Days like today remind me to live each day without regrets, to be kinder, softer + to love more fully.
Today my Grandma Webb’s turns 82 + I miss her more than I ever thought possible.

My heart is heavy. I didn’t sleep well last night. Ironically, neither did Jon. Neither did Jonah. Neither did Riggins. We all ended up in our bed, naturally. We were all a bit testy this morning, but I was in denial about it. Jonah pushed the heaviest of the kitchen chairs down the stairs + I blamed it on the weather when I called Jon in tears? But no, it was not the snow’s fault. One of my closest friends explained to me that when someone is rude to your or lashes out at you, it is most likely because they are hurting inside. Today this was the case. I miss my Grandma so much it hurts. I miss her big glasses + her perfectly manicured nails. I miss the way she would change her voice when she was being sarcastic or the way she would put her head down when she went really fast in her jazzy. I miss seeing her name pop up on my phone at 4:45 every day. I had to put her on my “five faves” phone plan, which meant that I could talk to her for as long as I wanted because she would send me over my minute limit otherwise. She taught me that the little things do indeed matter, that relationships define who we are + that everyone deserves to be happy. Our relationship left me changed. I remember being completely shocked at her funeral when I wasn’t the only one that she shared this very intimate, unconditional bond with. She had a heart made of gold + enough room for everyone in her life. She made everyone feel special. Which teaches me a valuable lesson in the kind of light I want to be for my friends, my family + my own children. How often do I take the time to let my people know how I feel about them? Charity never faileth! I know that Grandma is near. I can feel of her love. Although she took a good piece of my heart when she left this life, I am eternally grateful for the knowledge I have that I will be with her again someday. Death is one of the most heart-wrenching, hardest blessings to understand in this life. It hurts in such a way that is too intense for words. It really doesn’t seem fair. But I believe with all of my heart that God knows exactly what he is doing. He is so infinitely good. He loves each of us with the purest love there is!

 

Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
March 31, 2014

a quick list of neverland

 – curated by Jon Michael, not Peter Pan –
  • – Climbing to the attic to find my banana onesie for our snowmobile date.
  • – Lighting my favorite candle for sunday dinner.
  • – “Fluff Jon’s pillow” alarm scheduled in my phone.
  • – Making up songs after work with the kiddos.
  • – Holding jonah on the stand in Sacrament Meeting.
  • – Paying my speeding ticket without telling me.
  • – Putting my phone “on a diet” last night because I couldn’t do it myself.
  • – Parting jonah’s hair on the wrong side after the tub.
  • – Kicking my trash in chess e v e r y freaking time. I love to hate that.
  • – His 5 year plan to become a stay at home dad.

 

Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
March 28, 2014

Lemonade on Friday













Happy Friday! Last week I explained right —here— what Lemonade Friday is. I loved jotting down some sweet moments as well as a few sour ones throughout our week + I am thrilled to squeeze a quick recap for you.


SWEETS: R I D I N G in Grandpa’s work truck. P L A Y I N G with Collins in gma + gpa’s playhouse + S I N G I N G Frozen nonstop. A T T E N D I N G the biggest park play group in Parrish history. U P D A T I N G  the sweets page of our blog with our favorite posts. S C O R I N G the cutest new pair of cutoff shorts for Riggy boy. Cutoffs all around in this house.  F E E D I N G the ducks at Liberty Park.  S U P R I S I N G Jonboy with a sticker card at work. S I N G I N G every word to Lil Bow Wow’s Basketball song with Mo + Ky.  P L A N N I N G a little summer getaway with the Patten’s + the Pennington’s. We love our friends + can’t wait until June. H E A R I N G Jonah sing the Daniel Tiger sharing song at the park to his friend who kept hogging the shovel – Proudest Mom moment to date.

SOURS: S N O W I N G – what the heck! It was bound to happen after the 65 degree weather we had at the first of the week. T E E T H I N G – good thing Riggins is the happiest baby on the block, because teething is for the birds. L O W E R I N G the crib a few notches because Riggins can pull himself up + always tips over. Growing too fast for my liking Mr. Rigg. D R O P P I N G my phone in the full garbage can that was already on the street + having to lug the ladder out to search inside of it before the garbage man arrived. Embarrassing.  R U N N I N G out of wipes in the middle of a “Riggy treat” as Jonah says. R E D E E M I N G our Cold Stone Valentine gift card + having Jonah throw his entire ice cream away after five bites. M I S P L A C I N G my shears. Jonah’s mane has been extra long, lucious + untamable this week.
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
March 27, 2014

1, 2, 3, 4 VISITORS




Grandma, Aunt Ky + Aunt Mo came down to spend the day with us on Tuesday. We didn’t necessarily plan anything huge or fancy. A day for whatever our hearts desired, no pressure to entertain, no expectations to fulfill, just the way we like it! A whole lot of laughs, a little hair doin, some basketball shooting, a few too many tantrums, crawling encouragement, tired shopping feet +  a full belly with a happy face to prove it. We LOVE visitors. Especially the kinds that leave our house cleaner than they found it. How does that even happen? I wish I would have snapped some more pictures throughout the day, but this broken lens business has been a little frustrating to say the least. I’m sorry for the crappy image quality, I’m really hoping to replace my lens this weekend. Looking passed the fuzzy pictures, this was one of our favorite days in a long time. One that I want to be able to look back on a year or two from now. So, on the blog it goes. We love you guys. A whole whole lot. Thanks for driving down to be with us. Please come play again soon!
I swear this song keeps coming back at the most appropriate times in my life. It’s always been one of my favorites + when it played on the radio yesterday, I found that Jonah totally digs it too. But he got  all kinds of confused when they skipped 7 + 8 + I laughed for a long time. Little cutie smarty pants!
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
March 25, 2014

sun-kissed with a happy belly






Yesterday we spent the majority of morning + our afternoon playing at the park with some of our dearest friends. I hope you were outside as well because IT WAS MAGICAL! Couldn’t dream up better weather. About an hour after we got home the faintest little red rosey cheeks seemed to appear on both of the boys. Not enough to make me feel guilty for forgetting the sunscreen, but enough to make me smile because Spring really truly here. First sun-kissing of the year in March? Not bad Utah, not bad at all! We went grocery shopping for FHE + Smith’s ever so conveniently had the mustard + ketchup placed on the end of the aisle.  If you know me well, you know that I could eat a hotdog for breakfast, lunch + dinner. BBQ season is here + we are thrilled to say the least. Jon lit the fire pit, we put our Oh Joy for Target plates to good use + had our first sun-kissed cook out of the season.
Leave A Comment
Uncategorized
March 24, 2014

a quick list of s m i l e s

 – – – – sami jo photography – – – –

 

“Being a mom isn’t for sissy’s.” I laughed out loud when my mom said that to me over the weekend. How true it is! AMEN + AMEN! My Mom has this incredible way of finding joy in EVERY moment. The good the bad the hard + the happy. Her ability to stay positive is a trait that I’ve always admired. I told Jon this story last night after the boys were in bed + he so kindly told me that I do the same thing?! I cried. It was not the answer I had expected. A truly humbling moment for me to step back to + stop being so hard on myself. I’ve always been big on writing down the things I’m grateful for + trying to train my mind to recognize the positive throughout the day. I can see that when I am constantly recognizing the things that I have to be grateful for, the hard moments seem to get a little easier. Pat on the back for list making + positive living. I write a new word on my calendar each week to really focus on. My word last week was SMILE. So here you go, a quick list of moments or things I smile about.

  1. Jonathan Michael Parrish. Duh!
  2. RICE! My skinnydippin’ phone is like new today after it’s tub dive on Thursday.
  3. The COLLECT app. We streamed our daily captures with the Apple TV last night.
  4. Grandpa + Jonah singing Frozen on repeat.
  5. Grapefruit all day every day.
  6. Riggins pulling himself up in his crib by himself.
  7. Cody + Ash playing in the playhouse with all the grandkids.
  8. Jonah getting out every single ingredient to make a smoothie.
  9. Parks. Liberty Park in particular this week.
  10. Watching my sister pour her heart into what she loves at Bella Me Boutique.
Leave A Comment