Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Black Eagle
Well, hello there! It's Friday night and my babies are in bed and my husband is at work so I have time to blog - yea! Let's see if I can stay awake long enough to give a few updates about the boys.
T1 continues to have a great time at camp. We were thrilled to learn that he has been nominated to be a Black Eagle. What's a Black Eagle, you wonder? Here's an excerpt from an email my BFF's dad sent me the other day (he was a counselor at this camp many years ago):
"...this is one of the highest honors given to a youngster at Camp, and I am so very proud of T1. This honor is bestowed upon the campers who have a friendly, positive attitude. It is for kids who help other campers and counselors alike, and for kids who work hard and never complain. Politeness, courtesy, decency, and a willingness to always try hard to be the best as well as being a good sport are some of the qualities of a Black Eagle. Selection is NOT due to academic or athletic ability, but rather on being an all around "great guy"."
Here's an excerpt from an email we received from the Camp Director:
"Overall, to be selected as a Black Eagle is to begin the path of learning the secrets of the Black Eagles and understanding and practicing the mysterious connection between service and leadership. The Black Eagles exist to recognize and develop important life leadership skills, not the least of which are responsibility, honor, dependability, service, wisdom and humility." I'm so proud of T1! We'll find out if he made Black Eagle during closing ceremonies. Speaking of closing ceremonies...there's only one more week until we pick T1 up and bring him home. I can't wait to see him and hug him!
T2 is making progress on the potty training front. When all else fails, try bribery. We're many, many months into the whole potty training effort and T2 is finally expressing an interest in using the potty because we're giving him one Skittle every time he pees in the potty and two Skittles every time he poops in the potty. It's working, so I'm happy! On a different note, tonight out of the blue T2 called me a knucklehead. Where in the world did he get that and why does he think that name fits me?
T3 is trying so hard to talk and he's really coming along. He's growing very fast and as he gets bigger T2 gets nicer, primarily because T3 is learning how to defend himself. They've been playing better together lately, and T2 has even taken to calling T3 "little buddy". T3 still copies everything T2 does, and one of their favorite activities is to wear capes and run around the house "getting the bad guys". I feel so protected! :) Would you believe it took T3 almost 2 hours to fall asleep tonight? He was having issues because I couldn't find his blue blankie. Yes, he's very attached to this blanket. I finally found it a few minutes ago and he was asleep within 20 seconds. That blanket must bring great comfort!
T1 continues to have a great time at camp. We were thrilled to learn that he has been nominated to be a Black Eagle. What's a Black Eagle, you wonder? Here's an excerpt from an email my BFF's dad sent me the other day (he was a counselor at this camp many years ago):
"...this is one of the highest honors given to a youngster at Camp, and I am so very proud of T1. This honor is bestowed upon the campers who have a friendly, positive attitude. It is for kids who help other campers and counselors alike, and for kids who work hard and never complain. Politeness, courtesy, decency, and a willingness to always try hard to be the best as well as being a good sport are some of the qualities of a Black Eagle. Selection is NOT due to academic or athletic ability, but rather on being an all around "great guy"."
Here's an excerpt from an email we received from the Camp Director:
"Overall, to be selected as a Black Eagle is to begin the path of learning the secrets of the Black Eagles and understanding and practicing the mysterious connection between service and leadership. The Black Eagles exist to recognize and develop important life leadership skills, not the least of which are responsibility, honor, dependability, service, wisdom and humility." I'm so proud of T1! We'll find out if he made Black Eagle during closing ceremonies. Speaking of closing ceremonies...there's only one more week until we pick T1 up and bring him home. I can't wait to see him and hug him!
T2 is making progress on the potty training front. When all else fails, try bribery. We're many, many months into the whole potty training effort and T2 is finally expressing an interest in using the potty because we're giving him one Skittle every time he pees in the potty and two Skittles every time he poops in the potty. It's working, so I'm happy! On a different note, tonight out of the blue T2 called me a knucklehead. Where in the world did he get that and why does he think that name fits me?
T3 is trying so hard to talk and he's really coming along. He's growing very fast and as he gets bigger T2 gets nicer, primarily because T3 is learning how to defend himself. They've been playing better together lately, and T2 has even taken to calling T3 "little buddy". T3 still copies everything T2 does, and one of their favorite activities is to wear capes and run around the house "getting the bad guys". I feel so protected! :) Would you believe it took T3 almost 2 hours to fall asleep tonight? He was having issues because I couldn't find his blue blankie. Yes, he's very attached to this blanket. I finally found it a few minutes ago and he was asleep within 20 seconds. That blanket must bring great comfort!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Awesome Note From T1
We've been pleasantly surprised by the receipt of two awesome letters from T1! The letter we received today confirms that he takes with him the teachings of his father even when he's not with him. Read below to see what I mean (typed exactly as written) and then check out a few pictures from the camp website.
Dear Mom and Dad,
By this time you should of gotten my first letter. I've been having a great time since I last wrote. I'm getting along with all my cabin mates. We have hideout tonight. Tommorow is commesary breakfast we get donuts and other kinds of goodies. I'm doing perfectly fine without vidio games all the other people are playing it 24/7. I don't know why there into vidio games so much. My boots are super hard to get off. So I am sometimes late after horseback riding. I swear some of these kids couldn't survive by themselves in this wild for 1 hr. let alone not have vidio games. I think W's are going to win and make history of 6 years in a rows of wins. Sorry I have to ask you this but can you send me The She book and my flip flops if you haven't. I still haven't met richie but I probably will.
I Love you.
Love,
T1
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Nontoxic Exposure
Hypothetically speaking... if you buy a bottle of 60 Spider Man vitamins and your husband gives the cool Spider Man bottle with the child-proof lid on it to your 3-year old to hold during the three mile drive from the grocery store to your house and you arrive home with only 42 vitamins left in the bottle, it's a nontoxic exposure and there's no need to worry.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Another Crazy Day in the Parker Family
We dropped T1 off at camp yesterday. He saw friends as soon as he walked to his cabin and they were all excited to see each other again. Surprisingly, I felt good leaving him there. Don't get me wrong, I hate that he's away from us for so long, but I have a peace about the experience knowing that he's making lifelong friends and creating wonderful memories. Matt and I got online last night and we already saw several pictures of him having a blast. His smile was so big that he looked like the Joker! I can't wait to get our first letter from him, but I'm not holding my breath.
We introduced T2 to a portable, on-the-go potty on our way to camp. He wanted to hold it, so I passed it back only to have him put it on his head and call it Mr. Hat. Within a couple of minutes, he had managed to twist and pull it down pretty far on his face and was crying because it was stuck. We had to pull over and finagle it off of his head. With our poor luck in the potty training arena, I wouldn't be surprised at all if T2 never uses this potty because he's now been traumatized by it. Speaking of potty woes, we found another big poo in the potty tonight after the boys were in bed and, after some investigating, were able to confirm that T2 had once again pooped in his pants, transferred it to the potty by hand, and put clean undies on. Disgusting. Repulsive. I'm seriously tired of potty training; don't they have special schools for this sort of thing?
Could there be any additional potty issues for the Parker crew? Yep, you better believe it! This time it was T1. He had to pee on the way to camp yesterday, but Matt refused to pull over because the little guys had just fallen asleep and he knew they would wake up as soon as the car stopped. So, what did T1 do? He found an empty soda bottle and drained his lizard in it. Gross! It stunk!
After we dropped T1 off at camp, Matt and I took T2 and T3 swimming in the river near T1's camp. We were there a couple hours and the babies had a blast. You have to put your towel and belongings on the dam of the river, which is only about 10-15 feet in width. I was nervous as heck because there was deep water on one side of the dam and a relatively long and steep slope on the other side. Water was slowing cresting the dam in the middle of the dam and there was a group of kids sliding down the dam like it was a great big slip-n-slide. Of course, Matt was tempted to slide, but he hesitated because he didn't have T1 to do it with him. He was pleasantly surprised when T2 decided he wanted to slide down the dam. They were having fun sliding together, but T2 quickly decided to slide down on his own. He's a pretty brave 3-year old! While Matt and T2 were having fun, T3 and I were swimming together in the river. Unlike T2, T3 was pretty scared of swimming in the river. He's never scared to swim at the YMCA where the water is clear and shallow, but he was definitely fearful yesterday in deep river water.
See below for a few pictures from our day. The first one is T3 playing on T1's bed in his cabin. The second picture is T1 and I in his cabin. The third is the dam that Matt and T2 were sliding down. If you look closely, you can see them on the dam (look for the yellow floaties on T2's arms). The fourth is a snapshot of Matt and T2 swimming on the other side of the dam.
We introduced T2 to a portable, on-the-go potty on our way to camp. He wanted to hold it, so I passed it back only to have him put it on his head and call it Mr. Hat. Within a couple of minutes, he had managed to twist and pull it down pretty far on his face and was crying because it was stuck. We had to pull over and finagle it off of his head. With our poor luck in the potty training arena, I wouldn't be surprised at all if T2 never uses this potty because he's now been traumatized by it. Speaking of potty woes, we found another big poo in the potty tonight after the boys were in bed and, after some investigating, were able to confirm that T2 had once again pooped in his pants, transferred it to the potty by hand, and put clean undies on. Disgusting. Repulsive. I'm seriously tired of potty training; don't they have special schools for this sort of thing?
Could there be any additional potty issues for the Parker crew? Yep, you better believe it! This time it was T1. He had to pee on the way to camp yesterday, but Matt refused to pull over because the little guys had just fallen asleep and he knew they would wake up as soon as the car stopped. So, what did T1 do? He found an empty soda bottle and drained his lizard in it. Gross! It stunk!
After we dropped T1 off at camp, Matt and I took T2 and T3 swimming in the river near T1's camp. We were there a couple hours and the babies had a blast. You have to put your towel and belongings on the dam of the river, which is only about 10-15 feet in width. I was nervous as heck because there was deep water on one side of the dam and a relatively long and steep slope on the other side. Water was slowing cresting the dam in the middle of the dam and there was a group of kids sliding down the dam like it was a great big slip-n-slide. Of course, Matt was tempted to slide, but he hesitated because he didn't have T1 to do it with him. He was pleasantly surprised when T2 decided he wanted to slide down the dam. They were having fun sliding together, but T2 quickly decided to slide down on his own. He's a pretty brave 3-year old! While Matt and T2 were having fun, T3 and I were swimming together in the river. Unlike T2, T3 was pretty scared of swimming in the river. He's never scared to swim at the YMCA where the water is clear and shallow, but he was definitely fearful yesterday in deep river water.
See below for a few pictures from our day. The first one is T3 playing on T1's bed in his cabin. The second picture is T1 and I in his cabin. The third is the dam that Matt and T2 were sliding down. If you look closely, you can see them on the dam (look for the yellow floaties on T2's arms). The fourth is a snapshot of Matt and T2 swimming on the other side of the dam.
Friday, July 3, 2009
T1's Summer Adventure Continues
T1 is the luckiest kid, I swear! He's having a great summer! Last weekend we went to the beach for a few days. He played for hours in the waves, went on a dolphin watching boat trip (we didn't see many dolphins, but we did see tons of crabs and a starfish), and had his favorite warm chocolate brownie sundae from a hole in the wall ice cream parlor we love. Then, this Tuesday he drove to Amarillo with Aunt Lisa to see Adam, Marie, Tanner, Matthew, and Morgan. He went to Palo Duro Canyon, saw tarantulas, went swimming, built a fort, stayed up late, watched The Matrix, and got a massage from Uncle Adam. Sounds fabulous! He's going to spend a few days at home now, but he leaves for summer camp on Tuesday and won't come back home until August 1. He loves going to camp and I know it's a wonderful experience, but I am going to miss the heck out of him.
A few notes about the little guys...
T2 has taken a liking to Spanish (Mexican?) music. I'm taking Spanish II at school this semester and I'm nervous about grasping the vocabulary and verb conjugations, so I thought exposing myself to a little Spanish radio might help. I listened to it for a few minutes and didn't understand a word, so I changed the station and T2 immediately started whining that he wanted the Spanish song again. So, the radio in my car has been set to a Spanish station ever since because T2 whines any time I try to change it. Odd child.
T3 is mimicking T2 more and more every day. If T2 were to jump off a cliff, T3 would be right behind him. Watching him repeat and imitate T2 can be really cute. I wonder how long this will last. Forever? Hmmm... T3's favorite word continues to be "No!' and he points his finger at you when he says it. I wonder where he gets that from. He loves spitting, hates eating (yeah, that's a new challenge), and is completely attached to his blue blanket and Scooby Doo pillow. The blanket has gone in the swimming pool with him, in the ocean, and has been dragged all over God's green earth the last few months. Unfortunately, he's so attached to this blanket that I have to sneak it away from him when he's sleeping in order to wash it or he freaks. I'm weak, I know, but he's my baby love and I pick my battles.
Well, that's it for now. I'm off to read some Janet Evanovich before going to sleep. I hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July. Stay cool in this blistering summer heat!
A few notes about the little guys...
T2 has taken a liking to Spanish (Mexican?) music. I'm taking Spanish II at school this semester and I'm nervous about grasping the vocabulary and verb conjugations, so I thought exposing myself to a little Spanish radio might help. I listened to it for a few minutes and didn't understand a word, so I changed the station and T2 immediately started whining that he wanted the Spanish song again. So, the radio in my car has been set to a Spanish station ever since because T2 whines any time I try to change it. Odd child.
T3 is mimicking T2 more and more every day. If T2 were to jump off a cliff, T3 would be right behind him. Watching him repeat and imitate T2 can be really cute. I wonder how long this will last. Forever? Hmmm... T3's favorite word continues to be "No!' and he points his finger at you when he says it. I wonder where he gets that from. He loves spitting, hates eating (yeah, that's a new challenge), and is completely attached to his blue blanket and Scooby Doo pillow. The blanket has gone in the swimming pool with him, in the ocean, and has been dragged all over God's green earth the last few months. Unfortunately, he's so attached to this blanket that I have to sneak it away from him when he's sleeping in order to wash it or he freaks. I'm weak, I know, but he's my baby love and I pick my battles.
Well, that's it for now. I'm off to read some Janet Evanovich before going to sleep. I hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July. Stay cool in this blistering summer heat!
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