Parker's 4th Birthday Party - Chuck E Cheese

When Clay and I started asking Parker where he wanted to have his 4th birthday party, there was no hesitation...."CHUCK E CHEESE!!!!" We gave him several other options, but his little mind was set. ;) Once again, the playland for kids (and adults!) did not disappoint. Seriously, I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or the daddies. I think Parker met his older matches with Mr. Gooch and Mr. Eric. :)

I had assembled party treats for girls and boys for two different ages. For the younger tots, playdough and goldfish. The older boys got a Hot Wheels Car, candy and goldfish. The little girlies got a sparkly princess lipgloss, stickers and candy. So fun!

Clay decided to help Parker in the ticket blaster this year. :) Last year, our little man was a little unsure of this fast, wind-blowing machine. On this day, Parker was excited to be inside the little room with tickets flying all around him. He was quite happy to stand there, smile and watch the flying paper surround his little body. Clay, on the other hand, was on a mission...he was determined to get all the high value tickets that were available within that contraption. After all, a small nerf gun at the rewards center in this place is only worth about 20,000 tickets! ha! I must say, Clay succeeded. Parker stood there happy as all get out, grabbed a few tickets along the way, and dear hubby stepped out with tickets coming out of his pants! ha ha! We left with a LOT of tickets to be put towards future use! :)
Cooper enjoyed his time with the Barney, Bob the Builder, and Chuck E Cheese rides. He also had a blast climbing up and sliding down the little play area for babies and smaller tots. This little Mr. Mr. was all smiles. I really appreciated all the extra helping hands we had with this little fellow while mama was trying to organize everything and take pictures of the event!

Parker enjoyed every minute of the afternoon, and we appreciate all of our precious friends who came to help us celebrate. We are so thankful for each of you.

Until next time, Chuck E!!!

my saturday at home

Pearhead Baby Handprint/Footprint Ornaments

Saturday...
I painted my fingernails...and toenails.
Parker played with his trucks and dinosaurs
I put away laundry.
I built a fire in the fireplace and wished dear hubby was home to build it for me. (It takes me a little longer) :)
My floors were covered with toys of all shapes and sizes
I tried not to think about work.
Cooper did some serious walking.
We crafted new handprints of the boys.
I laid on the floor and played...hard.
We totally had a pajama day. Loved every minute of it.

And I had to put this picture in here from the other day. I couldn't believe it when I walked over to see both of my boys sitting quietly thumbing through books...at the same time. AT THE SAME TIME. To some who might not be as familiar of the nature of our household, that might seem ordinary. However, I do not remember a time since Cooper was a baby and sleeping a lot during the day, that both boys were quietly entertaining themselves at the same time. Do not fear though. I can assure you that this moment was just that...a moment...that lasted about 21 seconds. Mmmmm...what a blissful 21 seconds.

And then I smiled when both boys were ready to tussle again. Aaahhh, now that's more normal.

P.S. This post was typed on Saturday...and then here we are on Monday night....when I finally have time to load the pictures. ;)

5 years ago today

Five years ago today, my precious daddy went to be with his Father in Heaven. Finally, his earthly pain was taken away. This man put up an unbelievable fight for longer than he probably should have...but man, I am so thankful he did.

Our family has numerous times joked that while Heaven was having a party for receiving him, we were crying like babies at losing our "gentle giant." (my mama's endearing term for her husband) While we were thrilled that he was no longer suffering, it was hard to say goodbye. Really hard. It still is hard. There is not a day that passes that I do not think of him. I miss him so much and would give anything to have one more day. One more day to see that huge proud smile that he always smiled at my brother and me. One more day to tell him about the last 5 years. One more day for him to excitedly tell me all about Heaven and what we have to look forward to. One more day to show him Minnesota and our "Northern life" up here. :) One more day for him to meet and play with his grandsons, Parker and Cooper...he would love every second of it.

I can list out a hundred things that I would do with him and say to him if I could have that 24 hours. I also, however, think back to how thankful I am for the moments he was here to see (the doctors were suprised he lasted as long as he did.) I am beyond thankful that he was here to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day...to meet the man that I would spend the rest of my life with and to know that this guy would take care of me after he was gone...to see me graduate with a overall plan and goal for my life...too see and know that we would all be ok.

Man, how grateful I am for that time..for those moments...for those memories made that I will cherish forever.

Every day that passes our family gets stronger. Each day we miss him. Each day we celebrate the time that we were gifted with Rickey Jones. Each day, I thank God for helping and allowing him to hold on to life as long as he did. I am blessed to have known him. I am blessed to be able to call him my Daddy.

I love you Daddy.

a "pizza-for-supper" kind of day...

This little one is fighting a full-blown double ear infection...

Between that and all the other random things going on around here, I quickly determined it was going to be a pizza-for-supper kind of day. No one was complaining here (well, except that little twinge of guilt I felt for Cooper that made me pull out peas, fruit, and other healthier leftovers for his little tummy!) ;)

The one weekend this month that we are playing it low around here...should be fun. Now, I just hope Cooper perks up soon. He is pretty pitiful at the moment.

Around New Year's I found my 2012 planner, so I have been diligently filling out dates and notes in there...and have been having quite the fun with it! The green one was last year's (that I found on sale at Target and LOVED!). This year, the pink was the only one left in the formatting style I wanted, so I grabbed it up quickly and decided I could adjust my liking to the color. (pink has never been a favorite color choice of mine.) I think it is already growing on me.

Ooh, I just love getting organized!!! I am certainly not always on top of things, but I like to think that I would be a walking and living disaster if I was not as organized as I am now. It is totally true. Plus, taking notes, setting goals and organizing gives me this amazing high that usually evokes quite a few silly squeals and jumps from my body...in addition to a few curious looks from my husband. ;)

A few of my general goals (I do not care to post my 2 page detailed listing of goals for 2012 for I know you would either laugh, roll your eyes or both...but you'll get the jist from this):
Laugh and play more. worry less. love wholeheartedly. Capture and document. Read. Learn. Listen. Travel. Cook healthier meals. Exercise consistently. Sleep more. Strive. Run. Dream and Soar...and stay on top of my laundry like I did up until 3 months ago.

And to fulfill one of those right now, I am off to bed. I have a feeling my little "Mr. Mr." will be needing me in the wee hours of the morning.

Our FOUR Year Old!

To our precious 2008 miracle...

To our sweet angel...

To our little adventurer...

To our little jokester...

who likes to cut up like his daddy...                       

To our little charmer...

To our enthusiastic-about-life happy little boy...

To our little helper...

To our little Northern Child who loves the cold and the snow...

To our Handsome little man...

To our smart little observer and thinker...

To the best big brother...

Your daddy, Cooper and I love you so very much. We are so proud of you and thankful for every little bit of your spunky and lively self.

Happy 4 Years Old Parker!

Facts about you at 4:

Wearing size 4T/5T in clothes.

Height: 41 in     Weight: 39lbs

Shoe size: 11

Food: not picky. will eat anything. loves healthly stuff. Hard to pick favorites...you still love fruit though.

Loves anything outdoors.

Likes any and all sports: talks about baseball, basketball, football, soccer and hockey..a lot.

Enjoys traveling. Always up for an adventure.

You enjoy showers and bathtime.

Bedtime Routine (more often than not): Supper, Bath/shower, quiet time play 6:45-7:30pm (when I'm putting Cooper down you play quietly downstairs or watch television and if daddy is home, you help him build a fire or play with him...after I put Cooper down, you and I will snuggle for a few minutes on the couch, read, put puzzles together, play a boardgame, or play with cars or animals), Brush teeth, potty, bedtime story and prayers, lights out at 8pm (in winter anyway...in the summer, we tend to keep later hours because usually you're playing outside in the evening)

Things you are into right now: Cars, trucks, animals, airplanes, sports balls, puzzles, books, figurines (ie Transformers, Spiderman, Superman, Iron Man, army men, pirates...truly any kind of little man, robot or creature...this is a newer development), anything that moves and is fast (ie Power Wheels Truck, remote control car, etc), tools and things that you can "play" build, puppets, board games, racetracks, dinosaurs, legos...

Movies and tv shows you like: Classic Disney Cartoons, Cars, Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Lion King, Curious George, Cat in the Hat, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Berenstain Bears, 101 Dalmations, Callilou, other Sprout educational shows, Aristocrats, Toy Story, Pinnochio, Looney Tunes, Wacky Race, Smurfs... 

Personality: Outgoing, Lively and active, enthusiastic, kind and caring to others, confident :), an observer, a thinker, likes to build things, enjoys solving his own problems/situations, a good sleeper (you do not like extra sleep though...just enough is all you want and then you are bouncing out of that bed ready to go!), a big helper to others (you have always liked to help mama and daddy and others...now you also like to volunteer in Sunday School and other places when you see opportunity), independent, social, very flexible (for a 4 year old), a traveler and adventurer (although after a period of time, you will play really well by yourself in the quiet of our home...but if given the choice, you would rather be out doing something with others), you love your mama but are all about daddy!, a talker, loud (versus quiet..ha!), smart, coordinated (with sports and balancing), an amazing Big Brother (you love being a big brother and tell me all the time you want more babies and a sister..ha!)

I could go on and on about all sorts of fun things about you, but most importantly, know that your daddy and I love you so very much and could not be prouder of you. We cannot wait to watch you grow more each and every day...as our little man. Always be true to yourself. Do not take life too seriously. Trust and love God always. Be a good friend to others. Family always. Strive to learn something new every day. Never stop having fun with life. Laugh and smile every day.

Love, Mama and Daddy

December wrap up

The boys have had so much fun playing with all of their Christmas toys and gifts over these last several weeks. With us having this unusual year of a lack of snow, it has been great on warmer days to get out and take little rides around the yard in their new truck. Luckily for them, unlike years past, I have not finished putting away Christmas stuff and all of our gifts; I do believe they are thoroughly enjoying that their dear ole' mom is running a bit behind.

The month of December seemed to pass us by in only a few days but with a number of exciting activities and memories made. To ensure that I did not forget to record something, I would sit down for about 5-10 min as many nights as I could and post pictures from the day's events, but without taking the time to record any journaling and such. My thought was that when I had the chance to go back and write down the details I would make the post live.

Well...here we are into January, hubby had a scheduled OSU Fiesta bowl game to cheer for (quite enthusiastically I might add!) and I took that as my cue that I could get some blogging time in. Whew! I think I added 9 or so posts from the month of December....and I kept them at their original start date so that I wouldn't be posted all about Christmas during the entire month of January.
So, if you would like a complete feel for our December, go back to the December 1st post and work your way to January. ha ha! You might want to sit down first...it might make you dizzy. ;)

I'm keeping this short tonight, even though a part of me wants to draft up a post about several of my favorite holiday finds...the house needs me. It is crying out for me to come clean and organize something.