My Eating Machine

Have I mentioned that Parker likes to eat???

Seriously, this kid is going to live up to the "going to eat you out of house and home" phrase! If Parker is not sleeping or running around exerting more energy in 10 minutes than I have for the whole day, then he's EATING...maybe that's why he has so much energy?!?!?!?!

When he gets upset about something and won't calm down, all I have to do is offer him a little snack and he's as happy as can be. As soon as he wakes up in the morning he drinks his milk, but the second after he polishes that off, he heads to the kitchen (blankets in tow...my very own Linus) and goes straight to the cabinets, points his finger up and says "bowl". And of course, I oblige his one word request that I know means to fill up his bowl with cereal (Corn Pops are his fave) and he carries it to the living room and begins to chow down. Sometimes he decides he wants more, at which point he goes back to the cabinet points and says "more". He also loves to go to the pantry and pull out exactly what he wants to eat and bring it to me.

He is definitely a more adventurous eater than Tristan has ever been, but he still has own peculiarities and won't try everything, but lots more than his picky brother! Funny thing is that he doesn't seem to like any of Tristan's favorite foods, like bananas or turkey...true opposites!

I recently discovered a new love for him...ketchup. He LOVES the stuff, especially on his chopped steak/hamburger meat or just licking it straight off his finger, which majorly grosses me out! He also loves to sit in his chair while he is eating and throw his fork or spoon, put his hand over his mouth, and say "uh-oh", all while looking at me with his giant eyes. Yes, I know it sounds cute, but when it happens at least 10 times at every meal the cuteness begins to wear off, lol!

I guess I can't complain because at least he does eat well, even if I do have to fetch utensils the whole time. Hopefully he will grow out of his food allergies soon and he willbe able to enjoy even more yummy stuff!

Enojying some corn on the cob at Rudy's...corn is one of his faves!

Tristan's New Gal

You may have remembered my post a few months back about Tristan's love for his friend Katie at school last year...well, apparently a new school year brings a new love interest!!! This year it is Emma. He's actually known Emma for awhile but this year they are in the same class and he just can't get enough of her!

Apparently, they are always hugging and kissing at school, so much so that the gymnastics teacher who comes out to the school on Tuesdays even mentioned it to me when we saw her at Gymnastics Open Gym on Monday. My little boy is already a ladies man that the teachers are having to keep an eye out for!

Here are a few pictures Emma's mom sent me of the two of them at the end of this summer...

Showing each other some love

Kisses for Emma

And big hugs too (the only reason Tristan is naked down to his skivvies was that his clothes had got wet outside at playgroup that day so while they were drying off he ran around like this!)

Time for Some Video!!!

As promised in an earlier post, I captured some video of Tristan singing his favorite new song from school, "Wheels On The Bus". And, I happened to get his second favorite song as well, "Happy Birthday"...now, the only reason this probably ranks in his favorites is because he has heard it so much recently. We have been to 10 birthday parties in 5 weeks! But, I guess it was good practice for him since he was able to sing me happy birthday this past Saturday and it was music to my ears!

Tristan singing "Wheels On The Bus"

"Wheels On The Bus" again, but this time in fast forward!

Tristan singing "Happy Birthday" to his friends

Mommies Are Tough

The following is an article I saw online at FOX Sports, written by Mark Kriegel...I think all the mommies out there will appreciate this, especially since it was written by a man!

The beginning of the NFL season inaugurates a de facto debate at the watercooler, or thereabouts: who's the toughest guy you saw this weekend?

Tom Brady? Maybe.

Richard Seymour? If I'm the Patriots, I wish I never let him go.

But I want to run something back here, an athlete whose virtues were lost in the news cycle, woefully unacknowledged by the first week of pro football. Turns out the toughest guy isn't even a guy. She isn't even a football player.

Kim Clijsters. Yes, that's right. The U.S. Open champion, mommy.

Look, I've been on the field and seen, no, felt, the concussive hits up close. I've been ringside for the most brutal knockouts. But I've also been in the delivery room. It's like the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" — except it goes on for hours.

I'm a devout believer in the miracle of birth, which, like most miracles, is a test of faith.

Happens the same every time. The nurse says, "There it is. See?"

And the guy says, "Where?" All the while thinking: "Are you ------- kidding me? No way that's getting through there."

No one should ever come back from that kind of physical trauma. No one.

Now you want me to weep because Brett Favre got his shoulder scoped? Please.

Favre had the trainer from Minnesota flying out to give him pep talks and shoulder rubs. New mothers are sent home, still wounded, and left to deal with prolonged sleep deprivation and psychiatric torture that would've shamed the most sadistic masters at GITMO.

Which brings me back to Kim Clijsters, who has an 18-month-old daughter named Jada, winning the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

I know other athletes have done extraordinary things after giving birth. There are those crazy distance runners, and Dara Torres and Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, to name a prominent few. Still, with another NFL season now begun, the attributes celebrated by the TV announcers like John Madden were best displayed by Clijsters.

There goes your week's toughest ballplayer. Turns out Clijsters is the first mother to win a Grand Slam since Yvonne Goolagong won at Wimbledon in 1980. But she's also the first unseeded woman to win the Open, and she only had to defeat both of the Williams sisters to do it.

As comebacks go, I'll take that over Brady's knee and Favre's shoulder.

Anyone who's witnessed the metamorphosis — from woman to baby mama — would tell you the same: they're tougher than we are.

One of the cutest faces you've ever seen!

My "little baby" turned 16 months old last week, and I seriously think he gets cuter and cuter every day! Victor likes to joke that he was a little scary looking when he was first born, but he sure is cute now...I know, it sounds horrible, but I think he means it in a complimentary way...Parker was just really swollen when he first came into this world, guess that's what happens when a 22 inch, 9 pound baby is all squished up like a ball in his mommy's tummy!

Anyhow, just wanted to share a few recent pictures of Parker since I haven't posted much lately, for which there is a good reason...I still haven't got a new "diaper bag camera" to replace the one Parker threw in the potty, and I don't like to haul around my big camera from place to place. But don't worry, I think a replacement is coming soon since my birthday is this weekend, so the days of blog posts with tons of pictures will soon resume! Enjoy these few for now and check back soon for lots of new posts, with lots of pictures, hopefully!

Things I Love About My Babies

1. That Parker almost always wakes up happy.

2. That Parker loves to blow "farts" on anything. I often hear him first thing in the morning making this sound by blowing on the top ledge of his crib!

3. That Parker throws everything (pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, pacifiers) out of his crib once he wakes in the morning or from a nap (must have learned this from big brother since he did it too!)

4. That Parker always gives open mouth kisses

5. That Parker copies everything Tristan does

6. That Tristan will go up to Parker and kiss him for no reason whatsoever.

7. That Tristan tries to reprimand/discipline Parker, which he usually gets in trouble for doing but it's still cute! I often hear Tristan saying "no Carker, that's Mommy's" when Parker has something of mine and next thing I know Tristan has taken it from him and brought the object to me.

8. That Tristan cracks himself up, all the time...the loudest laugh you have ever heard.

9. How animated Tristan is with his facial expressions.

10. That when Tristan does something to Parker that he shouldn't, he says "sorry Carker" within seconds of doing it or sometimes while he's doing it...in his mind if he says sorry then all is well!

11. That both of my kids always applaud for themselves. Parker loves to throw his diaper out in the garage and as soon as he throws it and closes the door, he stops and claps, then he's on his way. Tristan appluads for himself after he eats something he doesn't noramlly eat, and then expects me to applaud for him too!

12. That Tristan tells me "good shot mommy" when I shoot the basketball in the hoop" or "try again Mommy" when I miss!

13. That Tristan loves to cuddle up in bed, usually with Daddy, but when Daddy's gone, he comes to Mommy.

14. That Tristan says "hold Mommy" or "hold Daddy" when he really wants Mommy or Daddy to hold him!

15. That if you ask Tristan about something he did earlier in the day or the week, then he acts out what happens and can repeat what he said at the time. Funny example: he had a potty accident at the gym daycare during his first week of potty training and when I went to get him out of the daycare they told me about his accident. I then asked him if he had an accident to which he crouched down, looked at the floor, grabbed his shorts, and said "oh no, what happened, help"...apparently this is exactly what he did when he had the accident!

16. That Parker loves to go into Tristan's room while he's asleep. He heads off to Tristan's room and turns around to see if I'm coming after him and has the most mischievious smile you've ever seen! (I may not actually love keeping him out of Tristan's room while he's napping, but I do love that smile!)

17. That Parker now knows when we go somewhere he likes and gets excited. When I pulled up to the gymnastics place the other week and went to get him out of the car, he immediately pulled his pacifier out of his mouth threw it at me, and pretty much got himself unstrapped as soon as I clicked the buttons on his seat and started pointing at the door! He's actually done this little routine for awhile now, but I still think it's cute that he gets so excited!

18. That both of kids LOVE to get on the ride-on toys and chase each other around the house and race up and down the hallway.

19. That when I say "1,2,3" Parker follows it with "go"...I guess he's pretty much heard this phrase his whole life since I always say it to Tristan for one thing or another and Tristan is always counting himself off to do something! Also, as soon as he gets dressed for the day, he heads to the door and yells "go, go"!

20. That Tristan is such an affectionate, lovey child. He hugs and kisses me, Victor, his grandparents, his friends, and just about anyone he feels comfortable around, all the time!!! Today, his teacher told me that he wouldn't stop kissing all the girls in class...and his kisses are quite involved, he grabs your face, pulls it to his and smooches you right ont he lips for at least 5 seconds!!!

It's September and that means back to school!!!!!!!!

Last Tuesday was Tristan's first day back at school (aka Mom's Day Out)! He had been talking about school for the last couple of weeks, constantly repeating that he wanted to see his friends and every time we drove past he would yell out "there's my big blue school!"...the school isn't really blue but the tarp that covers the front playground is blue and I guess that is what he was really focusing on!

The Thursday before school started up we had meet the teacher night and Tristan was the first child in the door to school and the last one to leave his classroom, he was so excited! We got to meet his new teachers, check out the bathroom (a very important thing to Tristan at this age, gotta see the potty!), find his cubby in the room, and of course, play with the toys. His class, the 2 year olds, has 2 teachers and 12 kiddos, 8 of which are boys...I feel sorry for those teachers!!!

He's one of the oldest kids in his class since his birthday is only 2 months after the September 1st cut off, so I am hoping and praying that he behaves and is nice to all the other (younger) kids. Although, if he doesn't behave, I have my very own little spy for who can fill me in on all the daily happenings. Tristan's little friend, Kinsley, is in his class this year and after the first day of school her mommy asked her what she did at school, to which Kinsley replied that they played, sang songs, ate lunch, took a nap, all the normal stuff but added in one other piece of info that my son neglected to tell me when I asked him how school was that day. Kinsley told her mommy, "Tristan got in trouble" and her mommy naturally asked "why?", to which she answered "he pushed" and then her mommy asked "who did he push?" to which she, in all her 2 year old wisdom answered, "somebody"!

After hearing this story from Melissa, Kinsley's mommy, I asked Tristan if he got in trouble at school and he answered yes, like it was no big deal. I guess he just left that part when I had asked him how his day was! But, I am happy to report that he did not get in trouble on Thursday...we'll see if he can keep it up!

So, when he's not getting in trouble for pushing at school, he's really busy learning. The kids go to gymnastics, music, children's church, fine arts, play outside, do arts and crafts, have story time, eat lunch and take naps....busy, busy busy! After his first day at school, he came home and went back to sleep (I had to wake him from his nap at school to leave), and he slept another 2 hours. He never ever did that last year!

My favorite thing from school this week has been listening to Tristan singing " The Wheels on the Bus", a song they learned during music time on Tuesday...he sings it complete with hand gestures and all. It is so cute, I am really going to try to capture it on video this week. I can't wait to see what this year of school brings for him and am excited to see him growup into my big 3 year old!!!

Here's a few pics from his first day!

Backpack on (sort of) and ready to head out the door!

Wondering if Mommy was going to let him take the sticker off hi new shirt to school with him..nope!

Way more proud of the sticker than anything else that morning!

Closest shot of him with his backpack and lunch box as I could get

Standing by Mommy's car, waiting to go inside

Making himself at home with the toys in class...one great thing abotu school is that he can play with the play kitchen, which he loves and doesn't have at home because "he's a boy, and boy's don't need kitchens" (Victor)

Hilarious!!!

This picture cracks me up...Tristan enjoying a little bit of light reading while doing his thing on his Elmo potty!!!!