Thanks Taryn

I missed one day (I think just one) since I promised to write three blog posts a day for at least a week.  I almost didn’t do it tonight, then I saw Taryn’s blog and that she has been busy catching up and I couldn’t not do the same!  So three more are up.  I have now added more than 10.  Whew!  Lots more to go…not so “Whew!”.  ;-)

Could it be?!?

Don’t be shocked with surprise…

It’s time to stop pouting… (Though I will say pouting with your bottom lip is much more believable…

Than pouting with your top lip…)

And it’s time to stop being mad…

I am trying to start blogging again.  I’m slowly trying to rescue pictures that have long been trapped on my camera’s memory card (I have 4GB of pictures that have yet to be downloaded!) and record the important events that have occurred over the past months (and year!). 

Tonight I have written and posted a few blog entries, but I backdated all of them—one is Parker’s birthday post (though not yet about his actual party). 

Anyway, if I have anyone checking in, I just want to say that there are a few new ones there and more will be coming.  I will TRY to do at least three a night for the next week.  I only have neglected to write about a season of t-ball, our big move, field day, end-of-year picnics and parties, 4K graduation, Mother’s Day Tea and a bunch of other events.  Can I do it?  Can I??

Don’t laugh at me children.  I am serious. 

End of first tee-ball season

We made it through our first season of tee-ball.  In the end, I think Thomas enjoyed it, but he seems to like the more constant-action sport of soccer better.  I think tee-ball/baseball involves a bit too much of sitting around waiting for something to happen – at least as far as Thomas is concerned. 

I must also explain why Thomas’ outfit doesn’t quite match his teammates in these photos.  For some reason I had it in my head that his final game was going to be at 11:45 on a Saturday morning.  So I was quite confused when a friend called at 9:15 that morning (her son is one of Thomas’ friends and a teammate) asking where we were.  Quickly I realized that the game started at 9 – OOPS!  Trey was at the Air Force for a Reserves weekend, so I kicked into high gear and somehow managed to get the boys there by 9:30.  Unfortunately Thomas’ shirt was in the washing machine, so we had to resort to wearing his soccer “jersey” instead.  At least they were the same color!  And we managed to get there so he had time to participate in 1.5 (of the three) innings.  One final at bat!

He batted left-handed most of the season, but decided toward the end that he wanted to be a righty.  It was strange, when we used to play at home, he clearly did better batting from the left (he seemed to always hit the tee from the right side), but he definitely improved.

He got a good hit on the second swing.  Nobody’s ever out in tee-ball! 

Made it to first base!

On his way to third…

Of course he had to slide (or something like that)…

After the game, it was time for a yummy snack and the trophy presentation.  Here is Thomas with Coach Joey:

Here’s Thomas and one of his good buddies (and the two younger brothers):

We were glad he had a buddy on the team.  It always makes things easier when there’s a buddy around…not that Thomas has ever met a stranger!

It was a fun season, but we were glad it ended!  We are taking the hot summer off from sports, but will probably pick up soccer again in the fall.  I think Parker is hoping he gets to join a team soon!

They said to make ‘em big!

I was looking to see how much Thomas weighed last year to compare it with the measurements we got at his Well Child Visit on Friday.  I was looking at the numbers: 38.6 lbs weight, 40 3/4 height and thinking that maybe Parker isn’t THAT big because his measurements aren’t so much more than that.  Then I realized “Oops, those were Thomas’ measurements when he turned 4; Parker just turned 3!”

Yes, I’ve yet to make a post dedicated to Parker’s new age, but I had to share….the boy is BIG!  At the age of 3 here are his measurements:

Weight: 39 pounds

Height: 41 inches

So yeah, at the age of 3 he is bigger than what Thomas was at the age of 4.  (Just for point of reference, at age 3 Thomas was 31 pounds and 38 inches.)  And it’s not like Thomas is tiny.  He’s always been one of the tallest in his class (I believe he and three other boys were tied for the tallest boys in his class at the beginning of the school year – a girl was the tallest). 

Due to insurance issues (oh how I love health insurance) and the fact that he is not due for any vaccines, he will not have a WCV this year, but according to my calculations (looking it up on the internet), he is above the 97th percentile for weight and above the 95th percentile for height and head circumference.

It’s a bit sad to me because Parker is my baby…but at 39 pounds he doesn’t seem like much of a baby at all!

My mommy… (2011 version)

Last year, I stole this idea from my friend Nancy.  This year I did it again, but also asked Parker for his answers.

I’ll let Parker go first.  Here’s what Parker thinks of his Mommy:

Mommy's favorite color: pink
Mommy's favorite restaurant: Publix
Mommy's favorite thing to eat: breakfast
My favorite thing that Mommy cooks: Pancakes and waffles
My Mommy's best friend: Daddy
Mommy's Job: To watch news
Mommy is married to: Daddy
Mommy's favorite thing to do: cook
Mommy's favorite TV show: news
What does Mommy look like: Mommy (duh!)
Why do you love Mommy: because she cooks
My favorite thing to do with Mommy: watch tv (which is funny because Parker is not ALL that interested in tv…and I rarely watch it with him)

And now for Thomas.  Here is what he thinks of his Mommy:

Mommy's favorite color: pink
Mommy's favorite restaurant: Andolini’s
Mommy's favorite thing to eat: pizza
My favorite thing that Mommy cooks: Spaghetti
My Mommy's best friend: Daddy
Mommy's Job: To be a mommy
Mommy is married to: I don't know.
Mommy's favorite thing to do: Clean up (I think I like last year’s answer better…”to stay home and love me”)
Mommy's favorite TV show: news
What does Mommy look like: Mommy
Why do you love Mommy: “She buys me toys.”
My favorite thing to do with Mommy: play trains

Next year I need to ask them in separate rooms so I make sure they don’t copy answers!    Still it is cute to see what they have to say.

By the way, when asked what he loves about his Daddy, Thomas said, “He snuggles with me and helps me get to sleep.” 

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m not generally a big fan of what I call a “Hallmark Holiday.”  I’d prefer my husband give me a special gift on any random day of the year, than to do it on Valentine’s Day when society (or Hallmark) tells him he should.  That said, however, I am a fan of Mother’s Day.  Perhaps it is because it is my main job, or maybe it’s because I’m more proud of being a mother than of anything I’ve ever done in my life.  Or maybe it’s because it’s the one day when I don’t feel guilty about being lazy.  :)

My children are not the most well behaved, but they are the most adorable, I do love them more than I have and will ever love anything in my life.  I am proud of everything that they are – joyful, loving, kind, spirited – and I love them even though they are often wild, mischievous and challenging.  I am honored to be their mother.

It is not a job I take for granted.  We went through quite a lot to have these two beautiful boys in our life and I’m mindful of the fact that there are other people struggling in their journey to become a mother, too.  While I wish we could have had them without ever having to experience sadness, loss and a feeling of hopelessness, that part of my life has made me even more thankful for what I have now.

I am also thankful for the fabulous role model I have in my own mother.  I hope I can always be as loving, giving and supportive as she has been to me. 

The best part of motherhood for me are all of the little moments.  Yesterday I arrived late to Thomas’ t-ball game.  Parker saw me walking across the field and his face lit up instantly. He asked his Daddy for permission to come to me and then ran across the wide field joyfully screaming “Mommy!!! Mommy!!!” the whole way just as if he had not seen me for weeks. When we met, I grabbed him up and he gave me a great big hug and held on tightly for several moments. 

And Thomas, when he is not on his best behavior and I have to discipline him in one way or another, he will look up at me after I’ve finished talking to him and say, “Mommy, do you still love me?”  To me it says, “You can punish me any way you want, but as long as I still have your love, I’m okay.” 

It’s the little moments.  And I love every precious one of them.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful Moms out there!

Seersucker Easter

I was looking at the photos on my camera the other day and couldn’t believe how many pictures I have taken that I have yet to share.  I feel like I am living out that commercial where the photos are all talking to each other about how long they’ve been “captive” in the camera.  And then they have to get randomly deleted to make room for more.  Yes, that is life in my camera lately! 

I have so much catching up to do, but I’ll start small.  How about Easter?

I don’t usually like to have the boys too matchy-matchy, but how could I resist with seersucker?  Too bad Thomas’ jacket was a bit large (I hemmed it nearly 2 inches in the sleeves!).  Perhaps by next Easter it will fit him better.  We’ll have to get a new one for Parker by then though!

Not that the jackets stayed on all that much anyway!

I’ll have to post about the Easter bunny later!

Three years old!

I’m backdating this, but the truth is I have fallen so far off the blogging wagon, I can’t really see the wagon ahead of me in the distance…but I’m going to try.  Parker is now three years old!

Three years since we had this sweet not-so-little (8 lbs, 8 oz) baby boy looking so innocent in the hospital room.

My how that spikey dark hair has changed!

I have a hard time thinking that first picture is Parker at all, but with that pout-face in the second picture, I can tell that is Parker!

He was such a good little baby.  He slept through the night at nine weeks and was content to be the happy-go-lucky second baby.  He never really would take a bottle, but he went to bed easily and made life not too hard on us.  When he started smiling, he did so with gusto.  His whole face smiles when he is happy.  Here he was at six months:

All his hair fell out and it took awhile to come back substantially.  But it did.  Here he was at about one year old:

By the time he was 18 months, it was time to give that curly mop a trim…and he was still all smiles.

Before we knew it, he was two!

Then six more months passed and he was two and a half…

And now he is THREE!  THREE YEARS OLD!  I cannot believe it!

Where do I start to talk about Parker!?  He is a troublemaker!  He loves to laugh and he laughs the hardest when he knows he is doing something he should not do.  He thinks he is quite hilarious when he is being mischievous!

But while he likes to have fun and be funny, he also does not like to disappoint you or make you sad.  I’ve worried sometimes that I’m setting him up for some lifelong issues because when he will not listen and do what I ask, I will tell him, “Parker, you are making Mommy sad.  Do you want to make me sad?”  He will say no and then vow to do whatever it is he needs to do to make me happy.  If I pretend to cry, he will bawl and promise to behave.  He has a great heart.  He does not like to see anyone sad or hurt; if he does, he expresses concern and wants to help. 

He loves to give love.  He still loves for me to hold him and if he really doesn’t want me to let him go, he still wraps his legs around me like a monkey and squeezes tight.  He is still my little Monkey.  Other nicknames I call him are Monkey-doodle, Doodlebop, Parkie and Park-Park. He also is still an avid…thumbsucker.  I guess if you are going to do something, you should do it well and commit to it fully.  I’d say he is still fully committed…and he also still loves to twirl his curls (or just hold on to them) with his left hand while he sucks his right thumb.  Many nights when I come check on him he has a death grip on his hair.  So funny.

Parker thoroughly enjoyed his first year of school.  He wanted to go on days when he did not and he eagerly looked forward to the days he did go (Tuesday and Thursday mornings).  He loved his friends and teachers dearly and gets SO excited when we see his friends outside of school.  His teachers said he was delightful and loving.  Developmentally, they said that despite the fact he was the second youngest in his class (and a boy), he was developmentally on track with all the other children in his class. 

The only area in which he might lag is potty training.  We are working on it, but I think I need to get serious and throw out the pull-ups and institute a potty boot camp around here.  Strangely enough, he does great with one aspect of potty training (#2), but not with the other.  Go figure.  He must be potty trained by mid-July when he is scheduled to attend camp at his school, and I think it will happen.   I’m pretty sure his love of school will help when we tell him he cannot go unless he can successfully wear underwear!

Parker is a talker.  I understand what he is saying most of the time and he has tremendously improved his speech.  He makes a conscious effort to properly pronounce words that begin with two consonants and now it’s starting to come naturally enough that he doesn’t have to try so hard (words like “speed” were “peed,” but now he can say it right!).  He still has a bit of a problem with the letter “R” sounding like a “W,” but he is trying.  It’s funny though because today he was wearing his “Robin” costume (of Batman & Robin).  He said I needed to call him “Robin” (but it sounded like “Wobbin” when he said it to me).  I said, “Ok, Wobbin.”  He said “NOOOOOOO!!!  Wobbin!!!”  I said, “Wobbin?”  He said, “NO! WOBBIN!”  And I said, “Oh, ROBIN!”  And then he confirmed, “YES!!! WOBBIN!”  So he KNOWS what it should sound like, but he just can’t quite say it yet.  Otherwise, his vocabulary is great and he knows all of his letters and numbers (the basics). 

Parker is still an independent child.  He likes to do things by himself and he will let you know that he is perfectly capable of doing just that!  He enjoys being outside and got a bike for his birthday.  He loves riding it, but gets a little nervous if he starts going too fast!

In terms of sleeping, it’s funny that he was such a good sleeper as a baby because he is not such a sound sleeper now.  When he was about 18 months he got several ear infections in a row over the course of about four or five months.  These infections disrupted his sleep and he started learning that if he cried at night, his Mommy would come eventually.  Around that time he also seemed to start having more frequent bad dreams that caused him to cry out at night, even though he is usually still asleep.  This has continued for the past 1.5 years.  Sometimes he is crying out and it wakes me, but when I come to him, he is not really even awake.  Or he’ll be crying about something and I can’t understand what he is saying.  When he truly wakes up (after I calm him), he can’t ever remember what was making him upset.  Also, Thomas will sleep through a bad thunderstorm…Parker will not.  He also does not like fireworks or any loud noises. 

At three he is a decent eater, but he would prefer to eat fruit all the time if he could.  When we go to Chick-Fil-A, I have to beg him to eat the chicken nuggets, but he would gladly eat three or more bowls of fruit.  Frequently I have to make him eat his meat first and then his fruit/veggie.  His favorite place to eat out would probably be either Moe’s (he likes a burrito with rice, chicken and black beans) or Jason’s Deli (chicken and cheese wrap). 

His favorite person HAS to be his big brother.  He loves Thomas and wants to always know where he is.  They fight with each other sometimes, but they also love each other dearly.  I love watching their relationship grow. 

He also has other friends and he loves to spend time with all of them.  His teacher told me that he got along with all of the friends in his class and everyone loved to play with him.  He did tell me one day that his best school girlfriend told another little girl one day that Parker could not be her (the other girl) friend because Parker was all hers.    So funny. 

In looking for pictures for this post, I saw this old picture of Parker and his first friend, Sarah Ellen.

And here they were a few months ago:

It is so crazy how quickly time passes!  I cannot believe our baby boy is three.  It’s hard to think of him as a baby since he weighs 40 pounds now.  Yeah, our little boy who was born weighing in the 90-something percentile, then dropped to the 40th percentile for quite some time, is now exceeding the 97th percentile.  He is a BIG baby boy…and he is, sadly, THREE!

Slow it down, please!