Parker's Room

Do you remember Parker's old room?

No more living in a closet for this little nugglet! He'd like to take you on a tour.





Where's Parker??

This is the view from his window. We spend a lot of time at that pool!

Also, please note these awesome blackout curtains that I made:
Here's a picture when the curtains are drawn. It's actually not as dark as this picture makes it out to be, but it still blocks out a lot of light which has been very helpful for naps and sleeping in past 6:00am.

It's Hot!

I've become a softie- anything above 90 degrees makes me melt. At our old apartment we had central AC and discounted utilities, so we had no problem keeping the thermostat set at a comfortable 74 degrees. Aah... those were the good old days! Now we have a wall unit that only cools down the front room, and I think that even if we ran it all day, the temperature in our apartment wouldn't fall below 78. At least we're in a downstairs unit. Most of the time we just leave the AC off and hope that the fans will provide enough relief. We are adapting, though, and have closed off the entrance to the kitchen (which has a big window facing the sun) with our shower curtain and we keep the bathroom door closed too. It helps, but I'm certainly looking forward to cooler days.

Here's Parker beating the heat at one of the local splash pads:

Beach Day

This week Huntington Beach hosted the US Open of Surf and this morning we went to go check out the action. We've been in the past, but always on Saturdays, and it's always been so crowded. Lucky for us, this year we got to go on a Friday (since Paul has Fridays off) and we got front row seats on the beach to watch the surfers. Also lucky for us, we got to see Kelly Slater surf and Paul and Parker got their picture taken with Rob Machado.

Afterward, we went back to our apartment to meet up with our friends Nate and Brittany and then went to Surfside Beach where Nate and Paul caught some waves of their own while Brittany, Parker and I played on the beach.

OC Fair

The moms in our ward have dubbed Wednesdays as the "Boredom Buster" day. It was apparently started at the beginning of the summer for older children who are on summer break and each week one mom hosts a field trip. Some of the activities are beyond Parker's appreciation, but last Wednesday we joined the group at a park with a splash pad and yesterday we went to the OC Fair. I'm not sure how it worked with the older kids, but for the younger ones, we all just showed up after naptime. Unfortunately we didn't see any other kids from the ward... or maybe we just didn't recognize them- we're still getting to know people, but it was still lots of fun! Kids under 5 are free and I got in free with some clothes donations. All we had to pay for was parking. Score!

We started at the petting zoo. You could buy food to feed the animals for $5, which we opted not to do... obviously. I'm not spending five bucks on a handful of stinky little hay pellets. Plus, Parker wouldn't know what to do with them anyway. Well, when a little old grandma offered some to Parker, I was sure he'd eat them himself or just throw them on the ground. I was so surprised to see that after he watched some other little kids feeding the animals, Parker knew what to do with those pellets. Granted, he was too scared to actually open up his little hand and we left without the food being eaten, but it was cute nonetheless.

We then made our way to the other animals- camels, birds, goats and Clydesdales. Then we stumbled upon the arts and crafts tent and next the food competition tent. It was so awesome! We saw everything from quilts and paintings to cookies and cakes. We were there about two hours and Parker was so good! No crying and he didn't even get antsy from being in his stroller for such a long time.

Parker Likes Dogs

Our neighbor has two little yappy dogs and several other people in the complex have small dogs too. Whenever Parker hears them he gets so excited and starts either woofing at them or talking to them in a high pitched voice. It's so cute to see and I've always sworn that I'd never get a dog, or any pet for that matter, but seeing how much Parker loves them might someday make me change my mind. The other day we showed Parker a YouTube video of a dog to see how he'd react...

#PlacesParkerGetsKickedOutOf

Getting a library card was one of the things at the top of my list when we moved to Tustin. I have lots of little projects I want to get started on, like planting an herb garden, sewing curtains, etc., and wanted to check out some books on those subjects before I dove in. Before we moved I checked to see if they have a toddler story time (they do!), which we loved going to at our library in LA.

Anyway, as you can see, that first trip to the library was filled with so much excitement and anticipation! I realize that sounds nerdy, but I really was so excited. I guess Parker wasn't as pleased to be there as I was; he was screaming to get out of his stroller and when I let him walk around he started pulling books off shelves, so I ended up just carrying him, which he also hated and vocalized... loudly. I think that Parker has the loudest, shrillest scream I've ever heard and it leaves your ears ringing. Those of you that have been around Parker, can I get an amen?

As I was talking to a woman at the information desk to help me find a book, another library employee came up to me and said that she's had several complaints about my son's screaming, and can I please get him to stop? I think my first thought was, "Really? It's possible to get kids to stop screaming?" Then I was embarrassed. I told her I'd make him stop if I could, but it's beyond me. I could tell she was trying to be nice about it, and she even offered to help if she could. I could feel myself getting flustered and starting to blush and I told her that we'd be leaving soon, then she said, "Ok, but if he screams again like that, please step outside." I was already upset and embarrassed, but I guess that comment pushed me over the edge. I started crying, which is very out of character for me, put the books down that I was going to check out, and bee-lined it to the exit. I know that we were being loud in the library, but haven't any of these people had kids before? I guess just not as loud as Parker.

That was last week and I'm over it now, but it took some time. We've since been back to the library, but this time I let Parker play with our GPS in his stroller to distract him and I knew exactly what books I wanted to check out and I knew where they were located.

We've Moved!

To beautiful Tustin, California! Paul accepted a job here as an associate dentist at AA Family Dental Group and is loving it. I am loving Orange County for many reasons, but particularly because there is a Target and a Trader Joe's nearby. I also LOVE our TWO bedroom apartment! That's right, no more sleeping in a closet for Parker. Our apartment also has a washer and dryer, built in dishwasher and a small patio that is one of Parker's favorite spots. The complex has several pools, hot tubs and a playground. But really, all of that seems measly compared to the fact that there is light- beautiful, warm, natural light that illuminates the whole apartment. Seriously, could a girl have it any better?? I feel like I've died and gone to heaven!
We just got our internet service hooked up a couple days ago and I've been dying to share this little gem. Even after watching it 20 times it still makes me smile.