Birthday Daddy

Despite everything else going on, a certain Daddy decided to have a birthday.

Parker was not amused.

Below is Ella's card for Brian.  It looks something like you would find on the wall of a serial killer's home.  The faces were cut from puppets she had made from a magazine of Halloween costumes.

What is even scarier is the pile of headless puppets now sitting in our sunroom.

He is kind of the best dad ever.  Like ever.

While the Kids are Away, the Mice will Play

So, the first day of preschool was a bit delayed this year.  Over the summer mice - yes, mice - decided to make their home in the school.  It was perhaps the worst year ever to be Maintenance chair, which, ahem, happens to be our job.  Luckily the preschool director took the lead (she works harder than anyone I know) and Brian spent many hours getting the school back in order, while I was home snuggling a sweet little baby (best excuse ever).

But, the first day finally arrived - and here he is, looking oh so grown up (and a lot like his Daddy!).

Parker J is 2 Months Old

Two month check up today.  Healthy and doing great!  90th percentile for height... we'll see if that continues.  Might take after his Baba and Uncle Brent??  Too early to tell.

He is the BEST baby.  Simply the best.  Almost never cries.  Just wants to be held and snuggled.  But oh did he cry after his shots.  And oh how sad I was to hear it. 

Do you see those sweet eyes?  I look at them everyday and say I will do anything for you.  I will always love you.  How can you not? 

He's discovered the mobile on the swing.  As you can see, he got very excited about it!

Catch Up

Just a few pics from the past few weeks... 

Night before first day of K.  She was ready!

Kindergarten orientation!

Parallel families - Zoe and Ella's younger siblings!

Pretty excited!

Cooper's Deep Thoughts

So - I always want to write down the crazy things Cooper says.  After this most recent tidbit, I promised myself I would come straight inside and write this one down.  So here goes.

We've been out all day - play date, lunch, errands.  I'm tired.  We're driving home.  Now that Ella is in school all day, it's just me and Cooper -- and for those who know Cooper, you will know this means my day is both hysterically funny and ridiculously exhausting.  I had pretty much reached the exhausted stage at this point.

Cooper is incapable of an internal monologue.  Every little tiny thought that pops into his head must be voiced -- and must be acknowledged or else he will repeat it endlessly at an increasing volume.  It is his own form of Chinese water torture.  He had asked me what the wood frame at a construction site was for, insisted my name for it was wrong, that Daddy had told him it was something different, then asked me if we can go back to that place with the "light that changes colors."  I can't figure out what in the world he is talking about, which does not please him.

Then he starts this little gem of a conversation.

Cooper: "Mom, do we have Wii at home?"

(Okay - we do, but I do not want him to know this because this means I will have to set it up and help him with it and answer questions about it and so on and so forth.)

Me: "I don't think so."

Cooper: "Then why do we have a Wii board under the couch?"

(Crap.  I've been caught.)

Me: "I don't know Cooper.  I'll ask Dad if we have Wii."

Cooper: "Mommy, do you know only boys know how to work Wii?"

(I know where this is coming from.  We were at Mimi and Poppa's house and Mimi was having trouble getting the Wii to work (because it hadn't been used in forever) so Cooper ran to get Poppa to get it to work.  However - if I go with this, maybe he'll believe I don't know how to use it and I will never have to set it up for him!)

Me:  "I didn't know that Cooper - but I guess that's right."

Silence for 10 seconds.  This is a LONG time for Cooper.

Cooper:  "Do you know boys have something different in their bodies that makes them know how to work Wii?"

Me: "What?  I don't think so Cooper."

Cooper:  "They do!"

Me: "What do they have in their bodies that girls don't have?"

(As soon as I asked the question, I realized I had set myself up and was afraid of the answer.  But it was worse than I expected.)

Cooper:  "A brain."

OMG.  It was lucky I had just pulled into the driveway otherwise I might have just driven right off the road in a fit of desperation.

Family

 Just some pics of the fam and me and my Parker J.

First Day of K!

That's right - the day has arrived.  My first baby in Kindergarten.  Hard to believe.

The only time I got a little sad was the night before when I was at the grocery store.  My mind started trying to grasp onto every little memory of her as a baby and toddler and I started panicking that I couldn't remember her that way.  Have I lost that sweet little chubby-faced blue-eyed baby?  She was my whole life when she was that age.  And now I can hardly remember her that way...

But she was beyond thrilled to start and has just looooved it so far.  I'm sure the novelty will wear off at some point but right now she basically skips her way to the bus stop and arrives home with a huge smile on her face.  It doesn't hurt that her very best neighborhood friends are also on the bus with her.  And that BFF Zoe is in her class!

 Seeing the bus coming down the street was surreal.

As soon as it arrived they started running!  It was like they just got sucked up by the bus.  I didn't even hug her goodbye!!

 Coming home - so happy and with a big hug for mommy!!

First day success.