Wednesday, June 29, 2011

SUMMER BUCKET LIST: Easel Painting

It's hot out peeps! Like in the 100s for several days and no relief in site. Easel painting was on my list but it was to be done outside. So we improvised a little. Parker didn't know any different. I gave him a bowl of water, several paint brushes and some crayons.

Good thing is, we can reuse the paper once it dries :)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Splashing @ Frisco Commons

This morning we met some friends at Frisco Commons, which is a huge park that has a splash area for kids. That is the part that we checked out today. It's very nice! However, there is little to no shade....thank goodness for the wind this morning!!!
Notice the X-Men in his hand:
Gabby, Parker, Riley and Andrew:
Snack time (I think I used a little too much sunscreen...he looks like a ghost):
And when Luke got there, Parker wanted to show him his favorite splash spot....Luke however, was not wanting to get wet today:
Fun times this morning but happy to be back in the A/C!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

SUMMER BUCKET LIST: Host a Party!

We finally hosted a backyard party! It was a bittersweet time for all of us as we are losing some good friends that are moving to Colorado. Deon, Paula and Ian will be leaving Plano in a couple weeks so that Deon can further his career at the University of Colorado AND to be closer to family. We miss miss them a lot!!!

Deon (not smiling...), Libby, Patty & Paula:
The lovely Jessica and baby Reece (who is Rachel's little girl):
And thanks to Grandma, the kids (and some adults....) enjoyed some Capri Sun:
We had a great time chatting and playing with our friends! The kids loved the waterslide and I loved having everyone over :) We will miss you Pfenning family!!!

Friday, June 24, 2011

SUMMER BUCKET LIST: Visit Cabela's

I have been wanting to take Parker to the Bass Pro Shop or Cabela's so today while we were in Allen, we decided to check it out. There is a lot to check out if you are a little boy who loves animals, tents, fish and much more! I could have done without some of it but for the most part, it was very cool. First up, the fish:
And after checking out all the camping tents and beds, we had to see how comfortable the camp chairs are:

After an hour or so of being "outdoorsy", we took our little camper home!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Dinner with Matt & Carrie

We had dinner with our neighbors tonight and this is what we were served..... We were both speechless! We probably looked as though we were born and raised in a small town and had never been served a steak that was bigger than our faces. Seriously, it was HUGE! Matt's parents raise grass-fed cows and so they have an endless supply of beef.

We had a great time chatting and laughing! Carrie and I have the same taste in decorating and Bryan and Matt cussed and discussed medical stuff (Matt & Carrie are both nurses). We also found out that Carrie's brother is married to a girl from Angleton....small world!

When we first moved into our neighborhood, I was very disappointed in the lack of family-oriented interaction. It's not really that much better but it has been nice getting to know a few of our neighbors over the years. Matt & Carrie have sure been fun to get to know and hang out with :)

One GREAT Waterpark!

This morning we met some of our friends at the Jack Cater Pool that is near our house. I am not really sure why we haven't been to this pool but we will be going back there WEEKLY! It was great! Take away the wind and it would have been perfect. Parker, Caroline and Gabby enjoying the cold water: Lots of splashing:

Trying out the waterslides:

Gotta have snack time because swimming can make you very hungry:

And then it was time for some "sewer" playing:

The best three-bucks I've spent in a good while!!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

SUMMER BUCKET LIST: Help Daddy Build Something

Parker helped Daddy and Dampa build a pergola over Father's Day weekend!




He had so much fun playing with the tools, shoveling the dirt and climbing the ladders! Pictures of the pergola will be posted soon :)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

And Now He Naps....

After the first night of sleeping in his big boy bed, Parker woke to Bryan cheering for him! Parker was so excited and I could hear over the monitor, "Par-ker....sleep....in bed....". We had one crying-fit at midnight that lasted an hour but if that is the worst that happens, I am totally fine with it! So, before Bryan took the dogs to the vet this morning, he disassembled Parker's bed:
While Bryan and I were a little sad, Parker on the other hand was happy watching, reading his truck book and eating breakfast:

And then Daddy needed some help:

While I was trying to "re-do" Parker's room, he was talking to Daddy on the phone (I love the hand motion!!!):

So sad about him growing up! But I do have some good news.....Parker has not napped in 5 very long days but as I type, he is napping in his big boy bed :)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A Sad But BIG Milestone!

Today while Parker was suppose to be napping, this is what he was up to! When I first walked in the room I found him sitting on the side of his bed with his leg stuck. It made me so upset at the thought of him falling. And then I had to pull the bed away from the wall to get his leg unstuck :(

After catching him twice trying to climb out his bed, Parker had both of his parents in a little bit of a dither! I, of course, consulted with my pedi, my Toddler 411 book and my mommy-friends but I really didn't have a definite answer. Bryan and I discussed what we should do and agreed that we should: 1) buy a video monitor 2) buy a bedrail 3) put him his big boy bed (the twin bed that is in his room). I am not sure if this is the right answer but for now, it's working:

We had no intentions of doing things this way and we were not prepared for this! In the short period of time before going to bed, we talked up the big boy bed with Parker. After bathtime he was excited to use his stool to get in his bed. I set him up like I do every night and after reading 2 books, singing 4 songs and saying our prayers, I put him in the bed. I told him that the only rule when sleeping in the big boy bed was that he is to stay in the bed until Mommy and Daddy come in to get him. He cried for less than a minute and has been asleep for about an hour. I am interested to see how things go tonight and tomorrow.....

Fire Safety Town in Frisco

It makes me sad to know that I have a TON of posts to make and I just can't find the time to do it! If I don't do a post on the same day as an event, etc., then there is no emotion in it. I forget the little things and so on. Each day I promise myself to be better because let's face it, some days I can't remember my own name.

So with that being said, this is an event from this morning! We went to the Fire Safety Town in Frisco. THIS is an amazing place! Our teacher gave us some helpful hints regarding fire and safety with little ones. The kids were able to climb on a fire truck and see/touch some of the tools firemen use:


Then we went outside for the coolest part! And by coolest, I am not talking about the temperature outside (we went at 11:30am and it was HOT!). Our teacher talked about safety on the roads, reading street signs and what to do if you encounter a fire safety vehicle:

And then we were free to explore the "town". This town was a miniature replica of the city of Frisco. There were street signs and signals, stores, banks, churches and lots of other buildings. One of the things our teacher told the kids to do is always hold an adults hand when crossing the street and never run into the road (Parker and Shelby holding hands while crossing the street):

This is a look down through the center of "town":

Once the kids get older we can bring them to an extended class where they can ride bikes and battery-powered cars to cruise the streets. This is a really neat program that teaches kids and adults all about street safety.


We will have to bring Bryan to the Friday Family Night so he can check it out with us!

Snipits of Our Day: Rice

This morning, shortly after STSK was over, Parker went to play in his room and I went to clean up my craft room. I started feeling a little dizzy and remembered that I had not had breakfast. I went to the fridge and grabbed some leftover rice. Parker was immediately at my feet and was fussing and pointing at my bowl. I asked him to use his words and said "you don't even know what Mommy has in her bowl". Parker responded "rice?". REALLY??? Then, out of my child's mouth came the best part, to which I was reminded how much he is like his father who doesn't ever miss a beat:

"Rice-a, Rice-a, a-baby"

Friday, June 10, 2011

A Blast From The Past!

YES, this was my kitchen!!! Can you believe it??? When we bought our house the kitchen was so icky looking but I saw a lot of potential.

Oh the memories of remodeling our kitchen.... I am sure round two is right around the corner :)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Pretend Play

I've been wanting to buy some Wedgits for Parker for some time now so the other day while we were at Tuesday Morning, I found the mini-frog set. He had no idea that I bought it and I waited a couple days to bring them out. Once I got them out of the package (why do they package toys like there is gold inside??!!), Parker was very interested in how they all work. After we built a few things Parker wanted to show Sid how it's done. He proceeded to bring Sid over and set him down next to us on the floor and put a couple of Wedgits in his lap. Parker "showed" and "explained" to Sid how to stack the pieces. It was VERY cute to watch and I did not want to leave to grab the camera because I was afraid it would interrupt his "teaching time".

Monday, June 6, 2011

Bite Update

We did end up going to see Dr. Eastman this afternoon. I called to ask some questions about the medicine that was given by the ER doctor and Nurse Jan (our fav!) really wanted Dr. Eastman to check it out. Dr. Eastman did confirm that he was pretty sure that it was a bite of some kind and not MRSA (infection). He explained that we need to keep a close eye on the white center and should it become darker, we should bring Parker back to the office. We will continue with the antibiotics and steroids and watch his leg closely. BTW, Dr. Eastman did say that the steroids might make Parker act a little crazy....

Note to self: I have a bad habit these days of not recording important things that Parker does and says, other than places we go. So in an effort to be better, I would like to note that Parker said "eas-man" (for Dr. Eastman), "nus-jan" (for Nurse Jan).

Baby, Bouncing, Bite & Berserk

Yesterday I hosted a baby shower for Abra and Baby Ava:
And while I was doing that, Bryan took Parker to the new trampoline park near our house:
And once the shower was over and the boys were home, everyone (except me) took a nice, long nap. When Parker woke, he continued his fussiness from before nap and was limping around. Bryan thought maybe is hurt his leg or something earlier in the day. We ate dinner and then I noticed this on Parker's leg:

I will admit that I freaked a little! We headed straight to the ER and was in and out of there within 2.5 hours. After some x-rays and medication (fyi...Benadryl makes Parker berserk!), the ER dr thought it was a bite. It was very hot and swollen when we got to the ER but after an hour, it wasn't hot. And today it looks like this:

It's more like a bruise or a deep tissue injury. There is no topical rash so I don't think it's from the bounce houses but what in the world bit him? Not sure but as soon as Bryan got home last night from the ER, he totally dismantled Parker's room trying to figure it out. There is no telling....he could have been bit anywhere.


We will watch it close and then go visit Dr. Eastman tomorrow for a check-up. Prayers are appreciated!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

SUMMER BUCKET LIST: Dessert First

All around blogland there are Mommies making Summer Bucket Lists for their children so I thought I would make one for our family. Mine is "full of firsts, family, friends and FUN". So since today is the first day of June, we decided to dive into the list....






While we were at the mall today playing with friends, we stopped off at Sugar Queen Cupcakes and bought two for Daddy and Parker (none for me!!!). One was chocolate peanut butter and the other was red velvet. Once Bryan got home I announced that we were having dessert first and then dinner (which to Bryan's surprise was a meatless version of spaghetti). There were no objections!


There are many more days of summer and many more items on our list so stick around for the fun!!!