My favs

Dear Parker,

This has got to be quick because I'm tired and it's only Wednesday, but I wanted to jot down some of my favorite things about you right now.

*You love to play rhyming games at dinner.  You will randomly start with "What rhymes with...??  And off we go!  You are good at rhyming and will rhyme with real words or made up words.  It feels pretty smart to me because you seem to know to put the beginning sounds on the rhyming part - including the blends like sh etc.

*You are currently calling wedgies, "Woodgies"  It's hilarious.

*You call spaghetti strap style tank tops "handle shirts."

*Tonight you asked to watch "that video with the blue handles."  Turns out you meant the youtube clip of Sutton Foster performing Anything Goes.  It's a rehearsal clip.  She's wearing a blue tank top.  ;)

*You sat and looked at your Mom's Wizard of Oz book for a really long time tonight.

*You saw a sock monkey in Meijer that you said you wanted.  I said maybe you could ask for it for Christmas.  Then you said, "but Mommy, that's too much."  I love that you are worried about asking for too much!

*You love dancing to all kinds of music.  Right now, you love dancing to Christmas music.  I love that.

*The other night we drove around looking at Christmas lights.  You have this little whistle and you blew it whenever you say some.  I was laughing pretty hard.

*You had a mild obsession with Christmas lights.  You love them so much that we bought some to put up outside.  It's not going too well.  Maybe tomorrow it will get done.

There is so much more, but I have to go to bed.  I love you so much.  You are no longer and baby or a toddler.  You are just a small person.  It's amazing.  I am beyond excited about Christmas.  I can't wait!

I love you, bits.
Love,
Mommy

A Great Day

Dear Parker,

Today was such a great day.  This morning we got up and ran some errands.  You were so well behaved.  At the library you whispered the entire time.  We played blocks and chose some books.  You didn't even need reminded to get off the "balance beam" in the parking lot on our way out.  We got home and put on some Christmas music.  We danced around and played and then drug the boxes of 'stuff' out of the basement.  You were really helpful (no, really, you were!)  You helped me unwrap all the the decorations and then went around and collected everything we need to pack up.  You dusted the places that needed dusted, hung up all the door hangings and even put some decoration out where you wanted them.  We had lunch, you took the world's shortest nap, but didn't get cranky!  You read books to me while I helped Mom prep dinner and after dinner we decorated the little tree in the loft.  You had such fun.  Then we turned out all the lights (except the tree) and had a dance party.  Your bath went really well and you fell asleep quickly.  It was a perfect day.

I'm so looking forward to the holidays.  I wish that I had more time off before Christmas, but we are going to have so much fun anyway.  I love you more than anything, and I'm so grateful to have you.

Love you,
Mommy

Today

Dear Parker,

Today was so amazing.  Your mom had a conference until around 4 and you and I cleaned up the house.  Well, I cleaned and you got out all your toys and strewed them everywhere.  But, you were very cute and well behaved.  You read books to yourself for at least 30 minutes.  You were great.

Mom came home and you played with her for awhile.  You wanted to play doctor so you made her lie in the in the bed and you came back with your doctor kit and white coat.  You even made sure you had a notebook and pen to write down "important things."  You were very cute.

Then, we were going to run over and get some dinner.  When we got there we discovered that the Hamilton Towne Center was having a giant fair thing including the arrival of Santa.  You were SO excited.  There were carolers and you loved listening to them.  We walked around and picked up the free glo necklace and balloon, ate some dinner, got some candy and then waited for Santa.  You were unbelievably excited.  I actually almost cried because you were so happy.  There were supposed to be fireworks afterward.   We waited around for quite awhile, but then decided we needed to go home. You were pretty bummed. We got home took a quick bath and as we were getting your pj's on, they started!  We could see them from our porch, so we threw a blanket around you and ran outside to watch.  It was a great way to end the night.

I'm looking forward to the holidays with you.  You are so full of wonder and belief.

I love you more than you will ever understand.
Love,
Mommy

Sleepover

Dear Parker,

Last night you had a sleepover with your cousins.  You were so excited.  You were going to a concert first and you thought you were BIG stuff.  Two days before you kept asking if it was time to go to the concert yet. We met Uncle Stu and Aunt Lauren at the concert and you were such a big girl.  You were just like, "Bye Moms!"  We had to ask for hugs!   You had a great time.  But, Aunt Lauren said that you were scared of the smoke detector in the room you slept in and so you didn't fall asleep until 2am!  Yikes.  Then you got up at 8.  This did not make for the most fabulous of days.  But, we all made it through and now you and I are cuddled up on my bed watching Wall-E while your Mom is at her meeting.

I love you, bits.  I hope you always want to snuggle me and watch movies.
Love,
Mommy

Trip to the Dentist

Dear Parker,

This isn't going to be very long because I don't really know what I want to say about today, but I feel like it's something that I'm supposed to document.

We took you to the dentist for the first time today.  I suppose we should have taken you earlier, but we are neglectful parents like that. ;)  Anyway,  you were amazing and great!  I thought that you were going to cry or get all shy, but the hygienist and the dentist were both so amazing with you.  You got to wear little sunglasses when they shone the lamp on your face.  The hygienist pretended that the toothpaste was sparkles and she put them on your teeth with the brush,  You thought the sucky thing was hilarious.  I was just really impressed that you did so well and that they were so good with you.  You are often a pretty tough sell and they sold you.  I was very proud of you.

I was not as pleased with the potential retainer/orthodontics prediction, but we have at least a few years to worry about that!

I love you so much, baby girl.  I can't believe that you are big enough to really go to the dentist!
Love,
Mommy

Making friends 'n stuff

Dear Parker,

I am typing this from the deck with the sun glaring on my computer screen.  I am out here because you are playing next door with the neighbor.  She is 6 years old, in kindergarten and you adore her.  I'm not sure how much actual playing happens, but you seem to enjoy each other's company.  I feel a little anxious about you being over there by yourself as you are only 3 years old and there isn't an adult in the backyard, so I sit on the deck and sort of monitor.  Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I think you are still pretty little to be hanging out with such big kids by yourself.  But, anyway.  You just like having friends.  I hope that it works out and you can keep playing with her.  Right now they are trying to explain Girl Scouts to you.  It's kind of interesting.

Today, I went to Orchard's Parent Preview while you went to school in the morning.  I really like Orchard - particularly the lower school.  I think it would be a really good place for you.  I do worry about the music program as you get closer to middle school  The band program, at least, is pretty crappy right now, but I'm hoping that by the time you are in 5th grade someone else gets hired.  We'll see.  I suppose we can always supplement your musical education.  It does make me a little sad that you won't have the same band experiences that I had, but I think having a better overall education is worth the trade off.  While I say this I still don't know if you have been accepted or if they are going to offer us enough money for it to be a reasonable thing for us.  We'll just have to wait and see.  It's going to be okay no matter what ends up happening.

I went to your school to pick you up around 10:45.  You were in your centers and wanted to stay, so I just hung out with you for awhile.  It was interesting to watch what your day is like.  You were more aggressive than I thought you were, which makes me both a little happy and sad.  I don't want you to be aggressive, but I do want you to stand up for yourself.  It's a fine line.

We came home, took a nap and then went for a cupcake picnic.  We got cupcakes from the Flying Cupcake and then went to Holcomb Gardens at Butler.  You had SO much fun playing in the leaves, sitting on tree stumps and looking at the flowers.  You made a leaf pile and jumped in it, lied in it, took a "nap" in it and threw it in the air.  We played hide and seek in the trees.  You picked a million little berries, flowers and leaves to bring home to your Mom.  It was  a great time.

And now, you are home and sitting in the fort with 2 big girls.  I think this may have been a perfect day for you.  Here are some pics of you from today.

Laughing in the leaves

Sitting in your pile of leaves

Throwing leaves in the air

I love you so much, P.  I had a great day with you.

Love,
Mommy

Mish Mash

Dear Parker,

Okay, so now I have been writing this post for multiple days (weeks) and it’s all over the map.  These stories are weeks old, but I had written these little snippets, so I wanted you to read them later.  We are about to embark on a break together, so hopefully, I will write more soon!  Until then, here is your mish mash of memories...

It has just started to be cooler outside.  So, we have been trying to play outside in the yard after school.  This is good both for you and your Moms!  You love to play tag, although you are very demanding about who is tagging whom as well as kickball and Frisbee.  For some reason, whenever we play Frisbee, you feel the need to place your Mom and I in specific places along the fence.  You then go to the opposite side of the yard and throw the Frisbee.  You can only throw it about a foot.  And we are much more than that away.  You get very upset if we try to move closer to you. It’s pretty funny.

The other night, for some reason, you insisted that you and Mom look at the sky for airplanes.  When I looked up, you got very upset.  You kept telling me that I could only look at the ground.  This evolved into you telling both your Mom and I to “snuff the grass.”  For some reason, you forget the word “sniff” and say, “snuff” instead.  It’s hilarious.

The other day I came to pick you up at school and you were playing with your friend Abby.  You were just walking around the playground, hand in hand.  You came up, gave me a hug and asked if you could go play.  I let you.  Then, you asked me to play with you.  Apparently, you were playing house.  Abby was the Mommy and you were the baby.  It was cute, but also interesting to see how you interact with other kids when you aren’t paying much attention to me. 

I love you, Bits.  You are becoming so grown-up.

Love,

Mommy