Parker is 3!

I can't believe my little boy is 3! We had 2 parties for him. In the morning we went to Safari Sam's, which I explained to him, is like Pizza Planet from Toy Story 1. There is a huge jungle gym and lots of games. He loved running through the minature golf course because his socks were glowing from the black lights.

Toy Story Playdough from Grammy.

Bizzzz! Parker had his Buzz Lightyear lazer on his arm and was bizzing people.

Grant and I bought him a big Buzz. He says 60 sayings and his head moves. He is Parker's favorite new toy.

Celebrating after blowing out all 3 candles on his cake.

In the evening, we had a second small party at our home to watch "Toy Story 3." We had watched it twice in the theaters, but now we own it. I borrowed a screen and projector from the school to create our theater. We had popcorn and lots of candy.

The refreshment table.

Parker with his best friend from daycare and cousin.

Parker loved his parties. He did think that he should have a third party because he was 3. :) We would talk to him about his upcoming birthday and say, "You are going to be 3" and he would say, "NO! I'm 2!" He didn't want to be 3, but now has accepted it and says he is a big boy.

Baby Shower & last week of school

My last day of work was November 1st. When I was pregnant with Parker, I worked past my due date. This is a different pregnancy. I have gestational diabetes and have to do 4 glucose tests per day and administer an insulin shot every night. I also have had low fluid around the baby and have to go to 2 appointments per week for non-stress tests and ultrasounds. My doctor and I thought it would be best for me to take off work early to get more rest and stay off my feet. He put me on modified bedrest. It is great being home. Much less stress and I'm feeling more ready for a second baby.

My awesome 5th grade team threw me a baby shower before I left. Isn't that diaper cake so cute?! I got an infant car seat (Parker's was a hand-me-down that was 7 years old), diapers, a new bottle system, clothes, and many other neccessities.

Halloween

"I'm Astronaut Parker!"

Aunt Kristen brought over her kids to Trick or Treat with us.

Grant was an astronaut too. He wore my flight suit from Space Camp. One neighbor laughed and said that Parker had the best costume of the night. Watch the video.

Disney on Ice

We woke up one Saturday morning and wanted to do something fun, so we headed to the Rose Garden to try to get tickets for Disney on Ice. We got pretty good seats.

My attempt to take a picture of the two of us. Parker would see that the flash was coming and close his eyes every time.

Parker's favorite part- Toy Story!

My 35th Birthday

34 weeks pregnant
Grant booked this amazing hotel (The Elizabeth Street Inn) for a night. All the rooms have an ocean view. Our room had an electric fire place. It was wonderful! They serve smoked salmon chowder and warm chocolate chip cookies every night and have a great breakfast. I'm so glad we got away before the baby comes. Thanks Mom for watching Parker!

The view from our room.

Grant and my Mom suprised me with a laptop for my birthday and some friends watched Parker on my actual birthday so we could go to Benihana for dinner. I was totally spoiled! I can't believe I'm 35!

Fall is here

I love Fall! We went to this apple farm and to a couple of pumpkin patches. I love giving Parker these experiences of tractor rides, seeing farm animals, and running through mazes. Such fun!

A special treat- A ghost donut from Krispy Kreme. He just ate the frosting off.

Riding "Scout" at Lee Farms.

We invited Grant's sister, Kristen and her children to the farm.

This was a very bumpy tractor ride. I should have skipped out on this one at 8 months pregnant.

The chicks were so cute and so was my niece!

Carving pumpkins. Parker just made holes. I've never used a template before and it did not work out for us. We also carved our pumpkins way too early and they all rotted before Halloween rolled around. I guess we were too anxious.

I love these pictures. Parker was practicing blowing out his birthday candles with the candle in the pumpkin.

End of Summer

Parker and Daddy playing at our favorite park's sandbox.We went to the Oregon State Fair with my best friend, Niki and her family. I love his smile in this picture!

Oregon Zoo with the cousins.

Checking out the dinosaur walk. This was a mixture between excitement and some fear.

Our finished playground. Grant worked SO hard on this project. I'm very excited for my boys to use it for years and I feel lucky that we got it for free!

Flying High

Albany's Art and Air Festival was started by my Dad 11 years ago. Last year we went with Parker. I look back at this post and tear up. He was still a baby. He has changed so much this past year. The weekend did not go as we planned. We got down there too late and missed the Night Glow. Parker woke up with a rash all over his face and torso, so we made an Urgent Care trip up to Salem and missed the launch of hot air balloons. We hung in there though, and I'm so glad we did. We were taken up for free airplane ride by a pilot that knew my Dad. What an amazing, unforgettable experience.

I wasn't sure how Parker would react to flying in a small plane, just sitting on my lap. He LOVED it! He was laughing louder than I've ever heard and pointing out all the train tracks, cars on the freeway, etc. He saw a dry field and said, "Look, a desert!"

Our little underwear model. We are working on potty training. My goal was to have him potty trained by the end of the summer. We were so busy going on little adventures that it was hard; we really needed to just stay home for several days and dedicate lots of time to it. We'll get there. These are Toy Story underwear, so he was pretty excited about those.

Powder Fresh

Parker usually does not get into much he shouldn't, but this day was an exception. After his bath on Sunday morning, while Grant and I were busy getting ready for church, he went into the spare room and grabbed the powder Grandma left out and covered himself! He was SO proud of himself!