Playing with Poppa

I made it just for you.

Today was promotion Sunday at church which meant Parker had to leave the Sunday School teacher he loved with all his heart and go to a new class. I'd been talking to him all week about his new class, and we read the postcard she'd sent in the mail. I knew once he got used to the class, he'd be fine because his new teacher is probably the sweetest person on the face of the entire Earth.
However, he did throw a fit. I knew he would. And of course Phillip had to work today, so I got to deal with it all by myself. I was supposed to be helping in my 4 year old class, so I just threw him at the teacher and left. He was screaming. But, I got a text a couple of minutes later from a friend. It said, " Parker has totally calmed down and is participating. No worries." They said he cried for maybe 5 seconds. This kid knows how to play me.

After church I asked him what he wanted for lunch.  He wanted pizza, and he wanted to go inside to eat it. Off to Pizza Hut (yes, we're classy).

He was great at lunch. Ate well, behaved, etc. UNTIL it was time to pay. We had a few issues as I was paying, so by the time we got to the car, he was pouting, and I was ready to get home. As we were unloading the car at home, I picked up the picture he painted in SS, and said, "I like the picture you made." He said, "I made it just for you."

MELT.MY.HEART.

At that moment, he could have taken a sharpie and written on my walls, and I wouldn't have cared one bit. Made it all worth it.

And one day....

We always know when Parker starts a story with, "And one day..." that it's going to be a really good one. This child...wow...he's got such an imagination.

 We were at a friend's birthday party last night and her dad was taking pictures. He said, "It's not hard to take a good picture of Parker because he's always smiling." Those are sweet words to a mother's ear. I pray he continues to be a happy boy.

Conversations and a prayer

I've always heard that you should write down the funny things your kids say, and I can't think of a better way to record them than through the blog. We print out a yearly book for Parker, so one day he'll be able to enjoy these funny tidbits.

In case there's any confusion....

Parker: "I'm a boy. You're a dad."
Phillip: "What's Mommy?"
Parker: "She's a principal. (slight pause) And a mommy."

We'd been playing outside one morning, and I ran in to get some water for us to drink. Parker: "Mommy, wait for me! You don't leave boys outside!"

As we were driving by the state capitol one day...

Me: "That's the state capitol. Daddy used to work there before you were born. The capitol is where our Governor works. He's the boss of our state."
Parker: "Yeah, and Daddy's a boss, too."

Parker's babysitter broke her arm, and we've been talking about it and praying for her. This is his prayer for her.
Parker: "Dear Jesus, Ms. Vickie's arm is hurt. Make it feel better. Thank you for the blessings. Bless his name. Amen."

All his prayers end in "Bless his name".

Entertainment at the expense of his cousin

I made the mistake of telling Parker a story about his cousin Will. It's a true story, and it goes something like this:

Last week after the VBS program, Uncle Shelby and Granddad were supposed to be watching Will. They were all in the sanctuary, and there were a lot of people there. All of a sudden, Coco couldn't find Will. His daddy and granddad got very scared because he was nowhere to be found. Coco didn't get scared because she's used to this kind of behavior. One of Coco's friends found Will all the way at the front of the church on the stage. He was trying to get into a big bowl of pudding that was up there because of some dare during the week of VBS.  (Keep in mind that this is the 2nd time Will has tried to get on the stage at a church event).

Parker LOVES this story. He'll say, "Tell me the story about Will at church." Seriously, he's fascinated by it. As soon as I finish telling it to him, I have to repeat it.

Will, we sure do love you. And I'm really sorry that Parker is entertained at your expense.



The beach

     Next month my parents will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They wanted to celebrate with a family vacation to the beach. We had such a great time!!

Parker loved the beach. We were a little afraid on the way down there because I woke him up at 4:15 am to leave. He was MAD at me for getting him up. So mad in fact, that we heard the following the ENTIRE trip, "Mommy! When we get home, I'm gonna tell you a question. I'm gonna tell you, why did you take me out of my bed!!!!!" However, by the time we got there, he'd put it out of his mind (for a little bit) and enjoyed trip. He loved the water, but playing in the sand was his favorite activity.

 In this picture, he's telling us a story about Jethro. Jethro is a very mischievous little boy who is always getting into trouble.

 Happy 40th anniversary, Mom and Dad!! We love you! Thank you for a wonderful vacation!!!

 Pretty much the best attempt at a family picture. When Parker turned 3, he decided to quit looking at the camera.

Aunt Mere rode down with us, and she was very helpful with Parker! I must brag on him...he was really well behaved! We tried to follow his eating and sleeping schedule (except bedtime!), so maybe that helped? Overall, it was a VERY relaxing vacation, and no one wanted to come home!

A visit to the train museum

A few weeks ago, we took Parker to the Arkansas train museum. If you have a child who loves trains, you absolutely MUST take them there! I will say that there is no air conditioner, so either go early in the morning, or just wait until the weather starts to cool down some. Phillip went when he was little, so he's been dying to take Parker, too. As a matter of fact, he told me that he wants to take Parker to all the places around Arkansas that his dad took him to when he was little. I guess we can start checking some off the list!

 The really great thing about this museum is that you can actually get on most of the trains.