What a character

Here's another cute pic of my Michigan man. How sweet is that eye black (which he called eye balls all night long)? 

 Parker is really hilarious. He is incredibly precocious, perceptive, and has an extensive vocabulary. It's neat because he is able to express himself so well, and most of the time able to articulate the things he thinks and feels. When we were driving to Las Vegas, he was tired of being strapped into his seat. "We're almost there" was not a satisfactory answer for him. He started screeching and screeching and it was quite unbearable. Usually I do the normal, "Stop it", "Parker, you won't get any ice cream", "Parker, that is not okay. It hurts my ears." blah blah blah. Nothing stops him when he's tantruming. So I decided to just ignore him. I told him I wasn't going to talk to him if he screamed. So he screamed for about a minute, without any response from me. And then suddenly... he stopped. A few seconds later he said in a very sweet voice, "Mama. I am going to scream and you are going to tell me to stop it." haha. Can't believe he was able to articulate his rationale for screaming, but isn't that the root of most tantrums? Freaking out causes a reaction from mom? Oh boy.

 Here's my Austin boy. I love my new comforter from Pete that he got me for Mother's Day. Austin loves it too!

 Today in the cart at Costco there was an applesauce sample. Parker was eating it with a spoon and then he leaned over to Austin and gave him a perfectly portioned, and gentle, little bite. It was the sweetest! Another day we were in Costco with my mom. She commented, "Look at the beautiful flowers." Parker said, "Yeah. Let's get some for mama."

Parker said, "God made the trees and the animals and the people. Who made the concrete?" Pete responded, "Well, God made the people who make concrete." "No... a concrete mixer makes concrete."

This kid will make me go gray in no time, but at least we have enough laughs to balance out the tough moments.

Trunk or treat

We went to a trunk or treat at the church tonight. It was so much fun. We have costumes all planned for Halloween, but I was sad I wasn't going to get to have Austin wear the duck that Parker wore at this age. So I decided to switch it up tonight. So we have Parker as a Michigan football player, and Austin the duck. Quack!

 This pics are on our patio. Love it!

 Some very well decorated trunks. Parker had a lot of fun saying "trick or treat" and best of all, I was able to hide the bag of candy once we got home so we can ration it out overtime.

 Denise and Jo the cow. Love the animal theme we have going for our babies. Wow, she looks like Lexey in this pic.

 And the best picture of all. Uncle Dave in his Ohio State shirt with his favorite nephew:)

Utah trip photo overload

Without further adieu... the rest of our vacation photos... Enjoy!

 Our hotel was awesome. Definitely recommend the Rio.
We go all the way to Vegas and where do we eat? Sonic! Parker loved the roller skates the guy was wearing. We ALL enjoyed the Oreo Blast ice cream!

 Parker taking in the Las Vegas sights, keeping his eyes peeled for celebrities going into the Palms.

 The boys at BYU. Why is it so difficult to get a still picture of them?

 Texas Roadhouse... one of our very favorite restaurants. Good thing the one in Provo wasn't open when we were there. That could have been dangerous. Parker loved the peanuts you could throw on the ground, the rolls, and the dancing waiters.

 Cornbelly's... examining the map.

 Hayride time. It was bumpy and wonderful.

 Ducky race.

 Corn pit... hope those middle schoolers didn't mind when he started burying their legs.

 Austin... four teeth fully in, with one more canine starting to poke through. Mr. Drooly!

 At Grandma Ruth's house. Her dog wasn't such a fan of us.

 Grandma and her great grandsons. She'd never met Austin before.

 Austin and Trip, my friend Alexis' little boy. About 4 months difference between them. He's far more mobile than Austin.

 Parker and Londyn. Parker was disappointed by the small tray he got on the booster seat. He was like, "Babies sit here?"

 Austin got to meet his second (or third) cousin, Drake. They are three months apart and on the same growth curve. Both have those awesome cheeks!

 The beautiful Salt Lake Temple.

 Grandma Joyce and Austin.

 Heidi and Trisha, Pete's cousins, were nice enough to include Parker in a game of ping pong. I will say he got the hang of it after a while.

 Cousin Sarah and baby Drake with Austin and I.

 Since we only get together once a year, this was a reunion/birthday cake. Plus, there were many birthdays around the time of the gathering. Grandpa Cal would have been 84 on Oct 20 and would have celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with Grandma Joyce. Wow.

 Parker got the balloons off the cake. He played with them all the way back to San Diego. When he saw the cake he was so excited because he LOVES birthdays, but he said to me, "Mama, there's no birthday candles!"

 Enjoying the cake.

 Showing Grandma Joyce the bowling trophy he won from the morning. He received the award for BEST FORM!

 All of us. We just love Grandma Joyce. It was so great to be up there with everyone.

 And last but not least, we met up with one of Pete's good friends from college. Their little girl is 2 days younger than Austin. So fun!

Phew... that's all. What a wonderful trip!

Preschool field trip

Pumpkin patch #2... this time with his preschool class. It was so much fun going on a field trip with Parker and his little friends. Of course he was wild and crazy... this boy can't help but run everywhere when he's in a big open area. But we all had a blast. 

Here's the pumpkin "lecture". This moment of stillness didn't last long. 

 This is his friend Sadie. She is as active as he is, so they are very well suited and pal around together al the time. They are so darling.

 Picking out his pumpkin. I ended up convincing him he really wanted a white pumpkin:)

Sadie and Parker... the scarecrows. I love a good head hole cutout!

 Hay ride with his main girl!

 Parker, Sadie, and Camille. Sweet little Camille goes home and tells her mom that "Parker is crazy!"

 Corn maze. How we made is through successfully I'll never know.

 Mr. Parker.

Such a fun (hot) day!