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.

febrile seizure

We had a terrifying moment on Monday...one that seemed to make time stand still. Everyone is okay now...but it has taken us a few days to recover from the experience. This picture was taken on Tuesday. He was still so tired!

Griffin had a febrile seizure while we were at my parent's house. This may sound slightly dramatic, but I really don't want to recount the whole experience at this point! Long story short, he spiked a fever, went into convulsions, turned blue, was unresponsive for a bit and took his first trip in an ambulance to the ER. It was scary. Have I said that already? Seeing Griffin's little face all blue and his body shaking uncontrollably are images I've been trying to forget. It took a couple of days for Joel and I to start feeling more normal and now I feel like we're over the hump...thankfully! Griffin is fine now and back to his feisty ways! I have to admit that I've been a little more protective of him over the past few days--and he may have gotten away with a few more naughty deeds:)

We're so thankful for our sweet Griffin.

two words...

Woo Hoo!!!

As far as I'm concerned, the right David won American Idol last night! I know Archuletta has a great voice and all, but Cook definitely is the whole package. And I don't care what those judges say--American Idol is not just a singing competition. You have to have more than just a voice to make it in the music industry. You have to have a presence and style....Cook's got it all. A great finish to a fabulous season of Idol.

And now I'll officially begin my Idol withdrawal.

freely and lightly

I turned 27 yesterday! My birthday used to be not such a big deal to me...but now I love it! It is such a great time of the year, the lilacs are always blooming, and I love to reflect. I LOVED being 26--it was seriously the best year ever. Last year at this time I was feeling worn out and discouraged and now, a year later, I have learned to live freely and lightly! And I now know in my heart that my heavenly father has promised to restore my soul. I am so thankful!

Thank you all so much for the wonderful birthday cards, calls, messages, gifts and visits. You all have blessed me.

I believe this picture is the only one we have...and boy is it a doozy:) Oh well, Red Robin was singing Happy Birthday and I was digging in to my ice cream. Good day!

P.S. Idol finale happenings this week. I will either be ranting or raving on Thursday!!

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...

doing something

Often when I read the news, I feel totally helpless...but I thought this article was a great way to give us a way of doing something to help. Very cool.

How To Help- Some groups working on Myanmar cyclone-relief efforts

C*R*A*Z*Y

I am very thankful that I didn't know much about this rafting trip beforehand!

Recently, Joel went rafting with most of the guys in his family. It was an all day adventure...full of risk and adrenaline. They truly had the time of their lives! But it really was one of those days that I was quite thankful to be a girl--and not to be invited. I enjoy skiing and hiking and such, but I was not born with the desire to risk my life in the name of adventure! I really don't think that terms like "fatal swim" and "class 5 rapid" sound fun... I also hate being cold and it just happened to be snowing that day. Fun!

However, I'm so glad that the guys were able to quench their adventurous spirit and that they told me about the level of danger after the fact:) Aren't these pictures amazing?

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!

Ready...set...GO!

For all who love Griffin...but especially for a special someone who is on an adventure a world away. We miss you.

things I love - #2

NAPPING!!!

After 3 years of motherhood, I have finally figured out that taking a nap when time allows is not a guilty pleasure. There should be no guilt associated whatsoever! I am more patient, more fun, and just generally a better mom and wife when I am well rested--and sometimes this requires a nap. Aaaaaaahhhhh, naps! Freedom! Parker doesn't take a nap everyday so I don't always have a time when I'm not needed, however I am jumping at every chance I can get nowadays. Wonderful, I tell you! I'm just not sure why I didn't figure this out sooner. Restorative sleep is so much more important than a clean house:)

And for fun....pictures from this very day in May in 2007. How they have grown!

Finally...

Been meaning to post these for a long while. These are the pictures taken after the infamous buzz cuts! Griffin looks better with more hair, in my opinion:)