Science

This what parker does during Christmas break: experiments. Vinegar, flour, baking soda, salt, apple juice, sugar. Nothing makes him happier than playing scientist or farkle these days.

He just told me he wants to be an archaeologist. I hope that doesn't mean he'll move far away from home. Never:)

Awe-thum!!

Parker just lost is third tooth... but this is, by far, the most exciting and noticeable! I hope that his new tooth is huge because that gap is ginormous! He is thuper cute:)

Parker's big week

Our little guy has had quite the week!

1. He was so, so sick. Honestly, over never seen any of my kids that sick for that long. Vomiting & diarrhea for 5 days straight! He couldn't even keep down a 1/2 teaspoon of medicine. So sad.

2. On a brighter note, he lost his first tooth!! He was so excited! And for the record, the Tooth Fairy showed up. She left some $$ & a poem...such a sweet fairy.

3. And then he got his first stitches. The boys were wrestling and things got a little out of hand, I guess. Split the back of his head open and had to go to the ER. He was so brave and charmed all of the nurses and doctors while they stitched him up. Of course...he's been doing that sort of thing since birth:)


Such a big week for our boy! I'm hoping for less action this time around :)

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pd's b*day!

Parker's special party turned out to be a beautiful day. Great friends and family joined us in our backyard and I think Parker loved it all!

the start of something new...

*Griff has decided that he loves baking with mama. But he really loves eating the batter.
*Parker loved his first SoccerTots! Look at that form! And here he his with his bud Kaden!
*It has been so fun watching Audrey and Parker develop their friendship...now we're beginning to see some real friendship sparks with Griff and Elliot! They were so excited to be in the bath together.

p.s.Elliot loved the bath so much that he decided to get back in...completely clothed!

sweet moments

We decided to do our gingerbread houses on New Year's Day instead of Christmas to avoid the rush...and it ended up being a lot of fun! Parker was really interested in helping me so I decided early on to surrender and let it be his moment. I was really proud of him for helping me and staying focused for so long. And it was also impressive that he touched (and tasted) the frosting....this is a big step. I frosted the entire structure and he decorated the entire thing....love it!

inside their heads

I found these little signs on the outside of Brooklyn's "office". I think they are the rules she made for her space....so darling.

I'm in the process of making a thankful wreath with the four kiddos. Today, we cut out paper leaves, and then I had each child tell me what they were thankful for and I wrote each item on their leaves. They are almost done coloring the leaves and we will glue them tomorrow. It is so fun to get inside their heads and hear what makes them tick. Here are some of the things the kids are thankful for...

Brooklyn (note her very mature answers--she's five!)- "my mom, my dad, my brother, Daisy the dog, friends, My God"

Parker(3.5)-"going to the lake,riding in race cars, riding on motorcycles, God, Mama, Daddy, Griffin"

Tallan (2)- "ME!" Yes, he is thankful for himself--he is very self assured!

Griffin (1.9)- "Daddy!"

And by the way, Parker HAS NEVER ridden in a race car or on a motorcycle....I think he confused me with Santa Claus...geesh. Motorcycle? Not on your life, mister:)

breaking leaves

You've probably heard of raking leaves....or maybe even breaking bread....but have you ever heard of breaking leaves? Yeah, well me neither. Until Parker educated me on the matter today.

I'm blogging with my coffee (two loves), waiting for my youngest to wake up from nap, and watching two of my boys raking leaves outside in the perfect weather. Good day!

Jack

Have you met Jack yet?

Let me introduce you...
He's very, very cool. Oh, so cool.

Jack is...
about ten, we think
white, spiked hair
He knows how to water ski
and he can do flips
very agreeable and patient
not required to sit in a car seat
always makes it to the bathroom on time
not afraid of monsters
a skateboarder
the best playmate ever
a constant addition to our dinner table
and he eats pizza, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and more
can shrink himself

Jack showed up at our house a few months ago and he is Parker's very best imaginary friend.
We love you, Jack;)

Why Watch?

I am going batty. Okay, so if I had a job that paid and gave sick days and all that fun stuff, I would seriously be taking a mental health day. They are driving me insane. "They"=mylovelytwoboys :) I know it probably happened gradually, but it seems as though Parker and Griffin each learned a new word today and are using it proficiently.

Griffin's new word is "watch". Actually, it comes out "OTCH!!!", but I get the idea. Watch...as in:

"Watch me throw food!"
"Watch me eat this dirt!"
"Watch me run and trip!"
"Watch me bounce my head on the floor!"

And I have to admit, Parker's new favorite new word to use is not as cute. Really, not as cute. It was the first time, but after a few thousand repetitions, it loses the cuteness. One word...why?

Me: Parker, it is time to go home now.
P: Why?
Me: Because it is time to go home.
P: Why is it home?
Me: Because it is the house Daddy and I chose.
P: Why did you choose it.
Me: Because it is green:)
P: Why is it green?
Me: Because green is pretty...
P: What?
Me: You heard me
P: Why
Me: What?!!!
P: Why?

He also really likes what, who, where, when and uses them in the wrong way sometimes. Ugh.

what a boy!

This picture captures my oldest baby in all of his glory! The expression is sooo Parker. I love this picture. I love this boy...

p.s. thanks dan:)

pictures from life

Since my blog has been sparse in the way of words...a few pictures from life these days:)


Parker going in for a kiss with Oma during Kelsey's birthday celebration:)


My dad trying to control Griffins craziness at dinner. Totally impossible! Maybe it was the two plates of pasta?

Yes, the sweet, defenseless little brother is bullying the older one...naughty, but funny!

more of parker...

Three things about Parker that make me laugh these days....

1. Fanfarro= a word he made up for the high hat on his drum set. Have no idea where it came from but he is so adamant about it. He must be a genius.

2. Sharp= We often spike Griffin's hair with a little gel because a spazzy kid needs some crazy hair. Parker, our more conservative son, prefers to have "sharp" hair--not spiky. Hmmm. I think sharp means clean cut and super-duper cool. Definitely.

3. Bummets= Another made up word. We believe this means dominoes. Who taught him this one? Parker looks at us as though we're big dummies whenever we say dominoes. Bummets? Weird.

a parker list

I know these are the things I'll want to remember someday...the little things. Some random things about Parker at 3 yrs. one month:

in love with Dr. Sarah*not a fan of the dentist yet*afraid of the sprinkler*loves salsa*loves to snuggle with mama*could eat Pocky all day long*calls his dark tennis shoes "Diego Shoes" and his Tevas "Teebas"*sings the best rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" ever*asks to read the "God Book"*loves his bike and helmet*very cautious*chews on sippy cups*likes to read books about school*still mixes up breakfast and dinner*thinks that when he grows up he will be a baby again*likes to cut with scissors*eats popcorn and watches movies when he is sick*my big helper--really into making bread*only eats the frosting off of cupcakes*eats ketchup by the spoonful*

I love that boy! More to come as I think of them...

time well spent....

I've had some people ask me when I'll start blogging more frequently again. Well, I'm not sure. You see, I used to blog partly to help me manage stress and anxiety...which was great. But now, I'm feeling so good and blogging is just fun now. I don't NEED it anymore. Sorta sad that I needed it for a while! What have I been doing instead? Taking care of myself in different ways...napping, reading books, exercising, eating better. It feels good to take care of myself. It is definitely time well spent.

And speaking of time well spent...took the boys to the dentist today. I took them to a great pediatric dentist here to try and avoid the major anxiety their mama has about going to the dentist. I hope it works. This place was awesome...pretty much like a kid's dream! However, since I took the boys at 11:30 (right before naps and lunch) and Griff had a poopy diaper, the experience still was par for the course:) I'm not sure why I didn't plan this appointment for a day when Joel and I could have tag-teamed it. Perhaps I thought I could hold two nervous children... and two balloons... all while capturing the exams on camera? Nope, not Super Woman!

But Parker is totally Superman! I was so proud of Parker. He was very nervous, but trying to be brave!

Springtime Fun

I have found it is really pointless to complain too much about the weather...because we have absolutely no control over it. Oh, and gas prices...totally not worth spending time complaining about. But I'll admit, I do both from time to time:) But let's just say that spring has sprung verrry slowly in these parts and we'll take any sunny day we can get. Yesterday was one of them. I failed to take pictures because every time I went to look for the camera, something happened. It was a beautiful day and we spent much of it outside...how refreshing! Parker was even able to use one of his birthday gifts and I'm now a huge fan!

These outside paints are so cool! I love being able to let the kids loose and not worry about a mess inside. The paint easily washes off with a hose and the boys have fun making colorful art--what could be better?

Looking forward to more Springtime Fun!

Happy Birthday Parker

My first baby is THREE
How can it be?

He says it best all by himself...

delayed gratification

It seems that for an almost three year old, delayed gratification is simply torture during the "delay". Who can blame him? I don't particularly enjoy it either. Parker has been asking endlessly about his upcoming birthday. I went out this morning to get some party decorations and he started crying when he couldn't play with the plates. The poor thing...a big package was delivered to our house today containing a delightful birthday gift. He knows it is for him but he isn't allowed to open it yet. Oh, the torture! And we've literally been telling him for months that his new bedroom is almost ready....and that day still hasn't come. Very soon, maybe even in time for his party on Saturday!

Exciting days ahead! And about that mysterious box, a little hint:)

shhhhhh...

I'm whispering this because it is just too good to be true--don't want it to go away! Let me just tell you what has been going on in this house. Well, not everything...we've been busy with just about every single thing, including the house. But here is the good news...

I took Parker in to our pediatrician a few weeks ago because my mama heart just didn't feel right about how things were going with Parker. He just hasn't seemed healthy in forever. Our doc decided to treat him for asthma and x-ray his chest and head just in case. Long story short, turns out Parker has had a severe sinus infection for quite some time. I really don't want to think about how long he has had it...makes me too sad. However, the great news is that Parker has responded so well to antibiotics! He is the old Parker again, the Parker we haven't seen in months and months. He has energy, an appetite, and doesn't cry most of the day anymore. I can't tell you how happy I am about having him back! And since he can taste food again, he is beginning to try some new foods. I've never seen him eat this much in his whole three years.

All of this good stuff may be why I'm not much in the blogging mood--I'm just having too much fun with life here. But I'll get back into it at some point...these days must be documented!

maybe if we had talked...

This is what happens when couples don't communicate well enough...

I came home from grocery shopping last night to find out that Joel had given both boys buzz-cuts--the day before their scheduled portraits! Joel didn't know. The picture on the right is a clump of hair I found on Griffin's highchair! Oh well, it is only hair and only a picture. So funny!

Oh, but Griffin totally looks like a super-duper old man in his pictures. No hair and his goofy smile!