The elves have been busy 'round here!

We are all decked out for the holidays! Santa's elves have been busy...and by elves I mean me! Parker and Andy have been helpful, but most of the decorating has been my job. Mostly because I want everyroom in the house to be festive. It's starting to look a little like Santa's workshop exploded! I'm just happy to have it all finished and enjoy it for a few weeks.

This is Parker's first ornament he made at school. Is it not adorable?? I was so happy to help him hang it on our tree. And, boy was he proud. It took us a few tries to find just the right home.

Here's the ornament I made for our tree this year. And by made, I mean I bought it and wrote our names and the year on it. :)

A few days after Parker came home with his ornament, he brought home this precious angel. He kept kissing it and "accidently" removing the halo.

It's been the perfect topper for his Christmas tree. He loves having a tree in his room. It may have to be a permanent fixture.

Here's our big tree. Andy helped me decorate it. I think we did okay! Parker's done really well with it. He messes with a few ornaments here and there. Oh, and he adds to our decor! He likes to put his stuffed animals in the tree. I'll try to get a picture. It's pretty funny to find a big yellow duck sitting in the middle of the tree.

Here are our stockings, hung with care. In hopes that Santa will soon be here!

These are some cute frames I found. They're made from old ceiling tiles. I added bows to make them more festive. I might have heard Andy muttering about having to see one more bow....

Lastly, here's our family room tree. It seems a little sparse on ornaments. In the future it'll be full of Parker's handmade creations. I can't wait!

Now this elf is off to finish her shopping, wrapping, ribboning, and bowing!

Santa Baby!

Parker & his Santa Hat. Oh, how he loves this hat! It's gone to Kroger, Target and today he packed it in his bag for school. It's almost too small, but he seems to enjoy wearing it. I think it's pretty cute. And, of course, I like it with the matching shirt...

Here's his new "fake" smile. He squints his eyes and says "cheese." While I prefer his genuine grin, he's actually smiling and looking at the camera so I'll take it!

Today was his last day of MDO until after the holidays. We celebrated with a little party. He and his friends made a Santa face and heard a story. The goody bags were also a hit! I'm sure he'll miss his friends (and I'll miss trips to the grocery store by myself) but it'll be so nice to have some down time with my guys over the holidays. :)

The Jackson Five

Last week KK and I tried to get some cute pics of all the kids. Ever since Baby Luke joined the party, we've needed an updated group shot. I don't know what it is about being 2 years old, but Parker and Skylar are over having thier picture taken. They would much rather play than sit still and smile. After several rounds of jingle bells and promises of Dum-Dums, we did get a few cute pics.

Not that I'm biased, but I think it helps that the kids are all so darn cute ;)

The Jackson Five

AJ & KK's Cute Crew

Haley

Ally

Skylar

Luke

And as promised, Dum-Dums for everyone!

And speaking of cute kids, Jennifer and Madison came over today. We ate lunch, played, chatted and made some crafty items out of diapers. Oh, and took pictures of Madison!! I so miss the days when Parker would sit and smile. Good thing I have Miss Maddie around!

What a precious baby!!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent the day at Nana and Papa's house with Mimi, Uncle AJ & Aunt KK and crew, and a good friend who's family is out of Texas. We ate way too much, watched the kids play, the Cowboys win and the Aggies loose, and Skyped with out of town family. All in all it was a nice relaxing day with people we're so thankful for!

Mommy and Parker getting our Veggietales fix before lunch. Parker is obsessed with Veggietales!! It's the first thing he asks for in the morning and the last thing he wants to do before bed. He even dreams about them! Last night he was talking in his sleep about Larry and Bob...too funny!

Eskimo Kisses for Daddy!

Our Little Picasos, Parker and Skylar, loved the art easel! They erased and drew and erased and drew for hours!!

I finally got a pic of sweet baby Luke and his pretty Momma, KK! So cute!

Today we opted for rest instead of fighting the crowds on black Friday. This is the first time ever I haven't battled the crowds for bargains!! And I didn't even miss it. I think I'm going to be kicked out of shop-a-holics anonymous :)

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday weekend!!

Where have we been??

We've been sick!! First, Andy came home sick a week ago Friday. He was down for about four days. I thought I had successfully taken care of him and Parker without getting sick, but I was wrong! I started feeling bad last Tuesday and am just now getting back on my feet. It's been rough 'round here. Thankfully Parker has remained healthy. (It leads me to think he might have carrier monkey-ed our illness to us!)
Right now my camera has a layer of dust I'm itching to shake off! I'll try to catch some cute pics and post them soon!
Hope you're all healthy and happy! Take your vitamins!!

The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

We recently took Parker to a pumpkin farm. We thought he'd enjoy it...and I thought there might be cute photo ops! It was a great way to spend the afternoon. Despite the 2 lane country roads where my husband becomes Mario Andretti, it was lots of fun. I definitely recommend the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm for a pretty day with no plans!

First we feed the animals. There were goats, sheep, and cows ready for snacks. Some of the really hungry critters pulled the cup right out of your hands! Parker preferred the "baby goats." They were a little more laid back.

Next up a tractor train ride! While Parker enjoyed this, I felt a little too big to be on the tractor train. It took some creative maneuvering just to get in there. I'll spare you the play by play pictures Andy took. And the seat in the barrel was a 2 by 4! How it didn't crack under my behind, I'll never know! Next year he'll be big enough to ride alone. (Thank god!!)

We turned him loose in the pumpkin field. He ran around like crazy!

He enjoyed collecting pumpkins. He was quite selective and built up quite a pile. I was afraid there might be some tears when we didn't take home his 8 favorite pumpkins. Luckily we lured him away from his pile with an...

Empty bounce house!! A sight I had never seen! It was like a unicorn. For those of you without little ones, usually bounce items are full of much bigger, wilder, crazy kiddos. If you put a 2 year old in there, you are guaranteed a broken bone. We took advantage and let Parker jump his little heart out. Daddy supervised!

We also went on a hay ride, ran through a hay bale maze, and ate a hot dog.

I'd post pictures if I hadn't ran out of battery power. :(

All in all, it was a fun filled afternoon! Lots of activities, beautiful weather, and a happy 2 year old. And all for the bargain price of $7!

Right On Track

Today was Parker's 2 year check up. According to his doctor, he's right on track. He's now 28 pounds (65 percentile) and 38 inches tall (92 percentile). His head was 19.75 inches (85 percentile). For the first time in his whole life, his head was NOT his biggest percentile. He's officially out grown being a bobble-head baby.

The doctor predicted his adult height to be around 6 foot 1. His exact words were for me to "get my licks in now, because by jr. high, he'll be bigger than me." Not shocking that he'll pass my staggering 5 feet 4 inches. It was also nice to confirm the "cold" we have (AGAIN!!) was allergies and that his asthma is under control.

I finally had my camera at an appointment and took a few pictures. The doctor asked him about all his body parts. He knew all of them, including his heart. I was surprised by that one. His feet were very interesting today. I don't think he'd ever noticed the lines on the bottom before. Maybe we need better lighting in our house....

"What shot?! I have to get a shot?! Shoot!!"

"Oh, Wow! A sucker? Gee...thanks! I'll use both hands so I don't drop it!"

"See Mommy?? Orange Sucker!!" That he really did say and it was cute!

He throughly enjoyed said sucker. Not only did he suck on it the whole drive home, but he rubbed it all over his face and stuck it in one of his ears. We needed about 10 wipes to be sucker free, but it was worth it.

Next stop, potty training! We're going to need a lot of suckers....and wipes!

Happy Birthday Parker!

Yesterday was Parker's 2nd Birthday. We had such a nice day together!

Here's our day in photos:

We went to lunch with Nana, Papaw and Mimi. Here is Parker waiting for his food, with his hands folded, smiling nicely. Now that he's 2, he's so mature! Yeah right....This lasted about 5 seconds, but it sure looked cute!

"Winking" at Papaw.

Running off his birthday cheesecake down by the creek.

"Mommy, horsey says Neigh, Neigh!"

After lunch, KK, Haley and Ally stopped by with a birthday surprise for Parker. He inhaled his second serving of "happy pumpkin cake" and loved his lego Elmo.

Thanks again for being so thoughtful!

Daddy even passed on the Cowboy game to spend time with his little guy.

Here's a comparison, Parker at 1 year vs. Parker at 2 years:

We can't believe he's 2. Time really is flying! He's talking in sentences and learns 10 new things a day. For example, he loves to get water from the fridge, pour it on the floor with an "Uh-Oh," and tell me that the floor is "sippery." He then gets a towel and tries to clean it up.

He's also really into choosing my footwear these days. He likes for me to match him. If he's in soccer shoes, Mommy should be, too. If Parker has on brown shoes, why would Mommy wear black?? I've actually changed my clothes to go with the shoes he's selected. It seemed easier than trying to explain the theory of coordinating accessories. I feel like that's more a 3 or 4 year old conversation.

I'm also wondering how long it will be until he drives. Yesterday before lunch Parker and Daddy were playing in the garage. Parker took Andy's keys, got in his car, put the key in the ignition and tried to turn the car on. Luckily he's not strong enough, but he can match the symbol on the key to the right car. Scary!!

My favorite thing about Parker right now is how caring he can be. He'll ask me if I'm ok, give me hugs and kisses, says thank you without being prompted and tells me he loves me. It makes my heart melt! I love him so much and feel so blessed to be his mom. We'll see what the next year brings!!

All Aboard!!

Last Saturday was Parker's 2nd birthday party. It was a train themed event. We had train napkins, cakes, balloons, a conductor outfit and a "choo choo car" to give rides to all our friends. You people know how I love a theme!!

Parker had a blast!! We're so thankful to have had our friends and family help us celebrate this special day. We had so much fun, we forgot to take pictures! I promise Andy was at the party, he just didn't make any photos. Here's some pictures from the day:

Isn't this the cutest conductor ever?? Don't be surprised when you see this outfit next weekend. It's also our Halloween costume. Two birds, one outfit!

Parker was so excited about his "Happy Cake!" He's still talking about it. Thanks to Traci's Temptations for doing such a great job. They were as tasty as they were cute!

All our other goodies! The best thing about a morning party....yummy breakfast breads and Gayle's delicious fruit dip!

All Aboard the Big Blue Choo Choo!

Parker and Mommy on the train.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the train, kiddos and parents!

Parker and his cousins.

Parker was adamant that his great grandmother, Granny Wanda, hop on the train with him.

I love this picture of Emma. She's loving her cupcake and collecting trains...not even 2 and she can already multi-task!!

Parker and his railroad crossing sign...just what every 2 year old needs!

We had so much fun! Good friends, beautiful weather, cupcakes, and a choo choo car....what else could anyone ask for??