Update Overload

I have finally gotten around to blogging about all the fun things we've been up to these last few months.  So keep scrolling down, and down, and down...

Fruits of His Labors

Paul planted three jalapeno plants a couple months ago.  As they've ripened one by one, he's made guacamole and pico de gallo, but this weekend there was a major haul and he made jalapeno poppers.  By the way, did you know that jalapenos turn red if you leave them on the vine?  Paul was hoping that they would be extra spicy, and they were!  Way to go on your garden, Paul!

Matt's Open House

My brother Matt got married in April in Colorado.  I love my new sister-in-law!  Her name is Jamie and she's the best.  Their wedding and reception were beautiful and I'm so glad we got to be there.  It was actually a close call; our flight got delayed 5 hours because the Denver airport got shutdown due to a blizzard.  A blizzard!  In April!  Craziness.

Anyway, I offered to plan an Open House for them in Boise and that was pretty much all I did from the middle of April to the middle of May.  I'm grateful that I was in a position to help, and I would do it again in half a heartbeat, but I'm glad that it's done.  I was starting to get stress headaches and stomachaches and I'm sure that Paul and Parker are happy to not be so neglected anymore.  The Open House was a success and thank goodness for the people who helped set up and take down, or I don't think I could have pulled it off.

Instead of having a traditional guest book, we had a photo booth where people had their picture taken.  Then, they signed a scrapbook page which I mounted their picture to once I got it developed.  Here are some of my faves:

 Matt and Jamie:

 Papasan:

 Jamie and her niece Talia:

 Aunt Emily and Uncle Dave:

Parker and Grandpa:

 Me and Parker:

Four Generations!

 

 Grandma and all her boys:

Silly brothers:

 Table with the props and scrapbook pages:

 A shot of the table decorations:

 

My friend helped me design these cards to put on the tables:
 

It was such a fun Open House and I'm happy I could be a part of it!

4th of July

We had a wonderful 4th of July celebration.  We went to the Lake Forest parade in the morning where Parker got to wave a flag and eat lots of candy that was passed out.  The highlights were definitely the classic cars and VW buses. 

After Parker's nap (yes! He stayed in his bed for a nap!) we went to Aunt Karen's for dinner.  They just moved into a beautiful home not too far from us.  They had several fountains in the backyard that Parker and a new friend played in until they were soaking wet.  After dinner we played Ticket to Ride, the American version, obviously. 

Then home again, home again.  We set off for the church parking lot to do some sparklers and a few small fireworks before bedtime.  Here's a couple videos that accurately portray Paul's and Parker's reactions to the fireworks:

Paul loves fireworks:



Parker doesn't:

Paul's Golf Course

Over the last year Paul has taken on the project of creating a golf green on our back patio.  Here's the finished project.  Note that it's complete with a sand trap and water feature (between the edge of the concrete and the rough).  Isn't it beautiful?!  What a green thumb he has, unlike myself, who has killed off too many plants to count. 

Newport Harbor Boat Rental

For Paul's birthday he bought himself a Groupon for a boat rental in the Newport harbor.  The boats max out at 5mph, so there weren't any daredevil stunts, just a nice relaxing cruise at sunset.  For weeks afterward, Parker couldn't stop talking about driving the boat. 

Double Whammy

Parker has successfully learned how to climb in and out of his crib.  Climbing in is pure comedy- he literally goes end over end- hopefully someday I'll be able to catch it on video.  Any parent will immediately understand the unpleasant ramifications of this new skill.  First, sleeping is compromised.  If the kid doesn't have to stay in his crib when it's naptime, then why would he?  Playing is so much more fun than sleeping.  Yesterday at naptime Parker was out of that crib faster than I could let myself out of his room.  I bought myself some time by putting a nightstand in front of the door, but that merely delayed him a few minutes.  Finally, I ended up locking myself in my room and watched an episode of Dr. Who with my earphones to block out the crying.  An hour later I opened the door to find Parker curled up in a ball, asleep, just outside my door.  If there is any silver lining, it's that I've been dragging my feet about putting Parker in a toddler bed (which he really needs- at 28 months he's way too big for his Pack N' Play) because I didn't want to deal with him getting out of bed, which is no longer a novel issue.

The second reason this is so difficult is because the Pack N' Play has also acted as Parker's spot for timeout.  I loved this because I could put him in there, walk away and even give myself a personal timeout.  He had time to cool off and then I felt like we both were better able to communicate after I went and got him.  Parker doesn't go in timeout often, but when he does it's for good reason- like hitting, running out in the street, or throwing food.  He'll have weeks where he doesn't have timeout at all, but then there are those magical days when it seems like he ends up there at least every hour.  Yesterday he was there for throwing his fork in a fit of rage, and it didn't take him long to figure out that he could get himself out of timeout quite easily.  From there he purposely did naughty things to be put in timeout.  Literally, he would hit me and then excitedly say, "Time out?!!!"  I tried putting him on a timeout chair, which seems to be the best option at the moment, but I didn't like having to stand guard over him as he slid off the chair as soon as he was set on it.  Usually after timeout we have a little chat and he always gets a hug and kiss at the end of it.  Let me tell you, I was not in the mood for any affection after forcing him to stay on that chair. 

I know we'll figure this out and it makes me chuckle a little bit to think that this is only a very small example of what parenting is all about- being creative and adapting to new situations before you feel you're ready to.