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??

What a Cutie!

Parker and I were playing in his room the other day. It's been super rainy lately and we've been playing indoors a lot! We've been working on Parker putting his own shoes on. This is the first time he did it by himself. What a big boy! It's hard to believe that a year ago he took his first steps. What a difference a year makes! While his birthday isn't till the 25th, we'll be celebrating this weekend. Hopefully we'll get some cute pictures of Parker and his friends on the "Big Blue Choo Choo" train.

What a cute little Andy! This is my new favorite picture!!

Parker putting his shoes on all by himself!

People tell me that Parker is a "Mini-Megan." I've never believed it...until I saw this picture. Pretend that you told me something shocking and funny. Now tell me this isn't the face you'd see! This totally supports my "Parker looks like Andy, but makes my facial expressions" theory. Stay tuned for birthday party pics!!

A Day At The ZOO

On Saturday, Daddy and I took Parker to the Zoo. It was a beautiful Saturday, everyone was up and ready to go early, and we thought it was a great way to spend the day. We had so much fun! It was probably the first of many trips to visit the animals!

Parker and Daddy checking out the lions.

"Two Elephants, Daddy!!"

Parker loved feeding the birds! He thought it was the coolest thing ever. We spent about 30 minutes in this area. He was surprisingly quiet and gentle with the birds, despite his excitement.

"Yum-yum for Birdie."

He had to stand on his tip-toes to reach. So Cute!

His current favorite book is about bears. He thought this open log was a bear cave. He was so excited to hibernate and look for honey!


After the "bear cave" it was on to wrestle alligators.

Then we rode a merry-go-round.

"Hi Daddy!!"

We finished up our trip with a ride on the train. It was a yellow train, so there was some debate on whether it was a "choo-choo car" or a school bus. By the end of the ride it was a train. Parker wanted to sit with Daddy. Can't you tell they're best friends? So cute!