Soccer Practice in the Gym

Yesterday it was rainy/potentially rainy and the ground was wet outside so soccer practice was held in the gym. Imagine approximately 30 three and four year olds with their parents, all with their own soccer balls, attempting to kick them in the right direction-- all on one basketball court. It was a sight to see. Matt said that it was like trying to herd cats-- haha-- he was exactly right. Parker still looks forward to soccer practice but tires out after a while. But she seems to really like her coach and was asking about him before he arrived and as you can tell, she always likes to sit right next to him when he is telling them what to do next.

Tea Party and Disney on Ice

On Saturday, Parker went to a birthday party for a friend from the Big School. It was a Tea Party at a location where they allow you to dress up in their clothes and drink tea in china cups. The other mothers and I were looking strangely at the china placed in front of these three year olds but they all did great. Not a single broken dish or spilled cup. The head lady of the tea party gave all of these three year olds lipstick and blush to put on to appear like "real ladies." Oh great- lipstick. Glad I had wipes in my purse, b/c Disney on Ice was next. Near the end of the Tea Party, Matt had to pick us up a few minutes early so that we could make it to Disney on Ice. Parker's favorite character in the show was of course, Ariel- the Little Mermaid. She told me that she did not like that Big Ursula. The other characters were from Peter Pan, Lilo and Stitch, and the Lion King. I think that Parker's favorite part of the show was when the whole cast skated around and waved at everyone in the audience. She really thought they were waving directly at her. So, a big day for Parker and an exhausting day for the pregs mommy.

GrassKickers 2

Another soccer practice with the GrassKickers. Parker really likes dribbling the ball across the field and kicking it into the goals but she is not so much into working on the techniques of the sport. She has a lot of fun until they start working on kicking with the inside of your foot or changing from one foot to the next. I think she just kind of likes to do it her own way. Soccer practice lasts about 45 minutes and after about 20-30 minutes, she is really tired and just wants to hang out. 45 minutes is a long time to focus for a three year old!! Oh well- at least she is having fun.

Visiting the Lux Family

On Saturday, we visited the Lux family in Fayetteville with the intentions of heading to the Red/ White game. Well- it ended up being so drizzly for most of the day so we didn't even venture out with the girls. But Parker got to have a full day of playing with Vivi and she really enjoyed it. She especially liked squirting Play-Doh for Vivi to touch and look at. Matt and Damian headed out to the game and after the girls went to bed and the boys returned, we had a fabulous adult dinner-a wonderful night!

The GrassKickers Begin

On Tuesday, Parker started her soccer league. Her team is called "The GrassKickers." She was super excited about practice and was having a great time when we got there, kicking the ball from goal to goal.

After a while, she did get a little tired and wanted to take a break. Playing Soccer is hard work!!

And sometimes you can even get distracted counting your teeth while the Coach is talking. hehe. Overall, she had a fun first practice and we can't wait until next Tuesday.

Easter Weekend

On the Saturday before Easter, we took Parker to Hot Springs to the Races. We headed down from LR after nap time so we only got there by about the 7th race. The weather was awesome and it was lots of fun. We headed out ot the infield, which was really crowded and had a few snacks there. Parker loved watching the horses run and would cheer and clap for them as they raced by. After the infield, Parker wanted to go back to the other side so that we could see the ponies better. We grabbed a top seat on the outdoor bleachers and sat there for the next few races. It was a great view of the track and for people watching. Parker and Matt tried to count how many people had hats on and we got to hear the little band as they walked around and played. Here she is looking at me, annoyingly, as I snap away pics of her. Our pick for the Arkansas Derby was Papa Clem. He came in First!!! We cheered and cheered as he crossed the finish line. It was our best day at the races this year!! Parker P was such good luck!! On Sunday morning, we awoke to discover that the Easter Bunny had visited our house. Parker said that he came down the chimney like Santa Clause. :) He brought Parker lots of goodies for being such a good girl. Later that morning, CeCe and Pappy came to visit and we grilled out in the rain (Thanks to Matt, not for the rain but for the excellent grilling- hehe) and had a wonderful Easter day.

Pregnancy Woes

Here is my view of my feet at 32 weeks-- see how they are non-existent. haha. Just thought this was a funny pic. Things are going great and we are getting really excited about New Baby Boy getting here. At 34 weeks, I get another ultrasound and we are going to make sure that he is doing well and we will hopefully know about how big he is to this point. Parker was born at 38 weeks and my Dr. seems to think that he will be born around that time too. That will move up his arrival to mid- May. How exciting! Things I won't miss about being pregs: 1) not being able to turn at the waist. Turning around to give or get something from Parker in the car is tough. 2) bending at the waist. I swear that Parker's little socks are the bain of my existence. I ALWAYS manage to drop several (at different times) while folding clothes. They are so little and seem to constantly slip from my hands. Matt told me to leave them and he would get them. But seriously-- hey Matt, I know you are in the kitchen but can you come in here and pick up these three toddler socks. 3) bumping into things and getting stuck. I am constantly running into corners of counters or desks or doorways or practically anything where I am thinking that I totally have plenty of room and then I manage to knock my belly into it. Poor baby boy- he has had more wrecks in his "car." On the stuck side-- I seriously thought that I was going to get stuck in the pantry the other day. Ours is one where it opens the cabinet, and then there is a rotating shelf-like thing that swings out and then you can get food and items off of the back shelves. Well, I needed flour from the top back shelf. So, I SQUEEZED in-- I mean, really squeezed-- I was almost out of breath after getting in the cabinet. Barely was able to reach up and grab the flour and then barely able to rotate around to get out. And then I realized that I could not get out. I sat there for about thirty seconds thinking about how embarrassing this was going to be when Matt home and I was stuck in the pantry. I couldn't reach the phone. At least I wouldn't starve. hehe. Anyway- I sucked it in as much as I could and then barely managed to squeeze out. After that- it was funny, but for those 30 seconds I was horrified. Oh well- there are other physical things about being pregs that I won't miss but I am really rambling and better sign off for now. :)

Easter Festival

On Saturday, we had friends in town and headed down to the Clinton Library grounds to check our the Easter Festival and Egg Hunt. It was really crowded and the big kids had already hogged up all of the eggs so we just walked around the area looking at all there was to see. The weather was beautiful, and Parker really enjoyed getting out. They had a small petting zoo there, but Parker wasn't quite sure about getting so close to the animals. She had to watch them for while before she would even get the nerve up to touch their backside when they would turn around. On Sunday, the weather was great again and we headed out back to play with our chalk. The favorite letter of the week is "H" so Parker proceeded to draw lots and lots of Hs along the concrete. A fun weekend with the Henrys. I only wish that camera hadn't been acting so strangely and I had been able to get more pics of Parker and Holland. It was doing this shaky thing, but I think that the wind was throwing it off for some reason. Oh well- I will get more pics next time.

The New Mia Hamm

Parker was having her dinner last night and about 5 minutes into it, decided that she absolutely must have her sunglasses. Mommy, Mr. Sun is out, so I need my sunglasses, OK? She ran to her bedroom and found one pair, but they were not satisfactory. She located this pink pair and proceeded to put them on and eat the rest of her dinner that way. Strange! But I guess that I shouldn't be surprised, she is VERY into costumes and probably eats her meals costumed as a princess at least twice a week,. After dinner, we went outside to play a little more soccer. She got a new ball, shin guards, and new soccer shoes this weekend so I think that she really wanted to try them out. It was actually pretty cool. She was kicking the ball around like a real person, not like a three year old-- much better than I could anyway!! We were so impressed. So, here's a little clip of her "handling" the ball back and forth across the grass. We're just waiting for the Gatorade or Nike people to be calling any day now. hehe. :)

Three Year Checkup

Today, Parker went for her 3 year checkup. She has hit all of her milestones and is doing great. She is 31 pounds and in the 50 percentile for weight, and she is 37 inches tall and in the 55 percentile for height. Woo Hoo!! I would be so thrilled to be above-average for height but I don't think that is even remotely in her realm of concerns. She actually loves going to the Doctor's Office and when we told her that we were going she said Yeeeaaaaaa!!!!! Dr. Martin made the comment that Parker really does talk a lot, doesn't she. hehe. Parker did get one vaccination and only cried for just a second and then was thrilled to get a band-aid and a sticker. She couldn't wait to get back to school to show everyone her new band-aid.

Sunny Sunday

Now why couldn't the weather have been this nice at the Zoo?? We got back from Marianna and went to the backyard to play. Parker will be joining a soccer league in April so we thought we might try to kick the ball around a bit. Well, I say it's a league but really it's like practice for 3 and 4 year olds. Their team is called "The Grasskickers." I'm sure I'll be updating on that soon. Anyway, Parker likes to kick the ball around and really likes when we chase it.

Matt was trying to teach Parker some basics, like not touching the ball with our hands and how we can run and kick and run and kick at the same time.

Running around chasing the ball got a little boring and so we moved onto bubbles- her favorite.

Although Blowing Bubbles can be a tough job!!

We got our patio chairs out and Parker decided that she wanted to sit in her chair too. I think that it's been in the trunk since our trip to the beach last year. Nevertheless, we got it out and all sat around while Parker blew bubbles. A nice end to a fun and busy weekend.

Memphis Zoo

On Saturday, we headed to the Memphis Zoo. We were hoping that the weather would be cool but nice-- that wasn't really the case. I guess we can be thankful that it wasn't storming or just pouring down rain. It was drizzling when we arrived, so we stopped by the gift shop and got a rain poncho for Parker. I don't think it was her favorite thing to wear, but she didn't complain about it. At least the drizzle stopped completely after about 30 minutes in the Zoo. Parker and CeCe walked along the exhibits checking out some of the smaller African animals. Parker and Matt watched the hippos for a while. The main thing that Parker wanted to talk about after that, was that one of the hippos pooped in the water while we were there-- ICKY!!!

Near the Panda Exhibit, Matt and Parker stopped to pose inside a hollowed tree- although it looks like Parker was trying to peek over at the pandas.

Parker and CeCe rode the Carousel. Parker did not want to ride on any of the animals but wanted to sit in the bench seat instead. I guess that turned out to be a pretty good call because CeCe was looking pretty green when they got off!!

We left the Zoo around 1:30 and headed out to eat. We ate at Neely's BBQ on Jefferson. Not the best part of town, but the food was good. Isn't that how it seems to go sometimes?? Parker was great since it was WAY past naptime and we eventually headed back home without a nap for the day.

Pizza and Cupcake Day

On Friday, I took Pizza and Cupcakes to Parker's school for a lunch time birthday party. We thought that Parker might not want to eat or take a nap afterwards if I was seen or stayed around so I passed my camera along to Miss Robin who took some pics of the class for me. I did stay in the office and peer through the tinted window at them, although the kids can also see through the window and they will rat you out in a second. I felt like a prarie dog bobbing in and out of the line of site of these kids. I thought at any second one would say Hey, Parker, there's you mommy!! Luckily I was not found out and got to watch a few minutes of the party. Parker got to sit at the head of a table and wear a silly birthday hat. She was grinning ear to ear as the kids sang to her. Those kids are pretty quiet when food is around. I thought that lunchtime would be very hectic and messy but those kids all sat quietly in their chairs and chowed down!! The pink cupcakes were a big hit.

Here is Parker with a couple of friends, Addison and Auburn.

Chloe, Parker, and Ella.

That night, we went to Marianna for a Family Birthday Party. Parker was very excited about her Snow White cake. It even had a small Dopey on it. After cake, we opened presents and Parker headed off to bed a couple of hours late after all of the fun festivities.

No Longer a Villian...at Least Today

I was talking to my friend Julia yesterday and she was laughing about a story I has previously told her about how Parker ALWAYS makes me the villian. At our house, we have to pretend to be Disney characters, usually princesses, a lot. For the longest time, I have to be the evil person. Parker is , of course, the main character- usually a princess. Matt is always the prince and every now and then, the daddy. I am religated to Jafar, Ursula, the "e-bil sep-mudder", Miss Hannigan, or some other mean character. Matt thinks this is hilarious. Well- this week she has been trying out some new Scooby-Doo fruit snacks and she looks at the snacks and we talk about which characters they are. She has seen a Scooby-Doo Christmas or Halloween special so she is vaguely familar with the characters. While pretending to be the girls, she told me that I could be DAPHNE. At last, I get to be a cool character!! Yippee! My excitement was quickly put in check when she evaluated my growing mid-section. She says that the Dad on Family Guy has a loooooong belly. For months, when I asked her, she would always say that I had a little-bitty belly. The other day, she said that Mommy now has a looooong belly. So much for being Daphne. hehe. :) Will update with Pizza and Cupcake Party Pics ASAP.

Parker's Birthday

It hard to believe that three years have gone by!! On one hand, it has flown by and on the other, it seems like she has been with us forever! She had a great day at school but we are waiting to do a Pizza and Cupcake Party on lunch box day this Friday. Of course, she had to wear green b/c it was St. Patrick's Day too. Parker and Daddy getting ready to leave for dinner at Benihana's. We thought she might like the dicing and chopping. The girls hanging out before heading to dinner. Me at 29 weeks pregnant- ick! At least as the photographer, Matt was a little discreet about my huge belly. The photo guy at Benihana's got me broadsided. We are going to try to see if we can scan it to post, but we are not sure if it will work. Parker had a great time at dinner. She got to have strawberry lemonade in a special cup and we ordered edamame and a sushi roll that she tried. She ate a bite of the Wyndham shrimp roll but she really liked the edamame. She kept popping the beans all over the place though. After some practice, she finally got the hang of eating them out of the shell. Her favorite part of the evening was when the Benihana guy brought out a cake and sang Happy Birthday to her. Everyone in the restaurant clapped. They had a trick candle on the cake and she teared up a bit after blowing it out like 3 times. I think that she was embarassed that it kept lighting back up. She said It won't turn off! It keeps turning back on! She ate a pretty decent dinner, but EVERY morsel of her cake.

When we got home we opened a couple of presents. We are saving most of her presents for her family birthday party this weekend in Marianna. Parker loves to play doctor and loves to dress up so she got a pet doctor costume. Her favorite part to play is giving shots. She'll say it not hurt, it not hurt. Here, you can pick out a sticker. :)

Dino Dash Training

Monday the weather was pretty decent so we headed out for another bike ride. Parker thinks that she is practically a pro now. She doesn't want us to touch the bike while she is riding. She can pedal pretty well but her steering is horrible. It takes us like 10 minutes to get 50 feet. At least she looks cute riding. Now, if she wasn't so bossy!! :) Parker has decided that since Matt is running in races that she wants to run races too. She and Matt practiced running down the block. Banjo and I could not even keep up. Well, Banjo wanted to, but I had to keep him with me so he wouldn't get all tangled up in their feet. Parker has running form like a wet noodle. HA! After admiring Matt's medal from the half marathon, Parker has decided that she wants her own "necklace" for running a race. She wants a blue necklace or a pink one. Matt had to explain to her that she had to run in a race first, and then she could get a medal. She looked at him all funny and said But we are running in a race right now!! Well, yes, I guess technically- a foot race with Daddy might equate to "a race." We have been joking that Parker is training for the Dino Dash 1K, yes 1K. It's usually the last weekend in May and they have a regular 5K and a 1K for the little kids. I think she'll be ready. :)

The LR Marathon

So we really did have great plans and expectations for the weekend. The Saturday plans were to pick up the mattresses (check on that one), and then after nap, to go to the Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival down by the Clinton Library. Well, it was just cold and damp on Saturday so we skipped the Festival. At least we would have the LR Marathon on Sunday. Matt left the house on Sunday morning to head down and run the half marathon. Parker and I were going to meet him at the finish line and take pictures and celebrate. Somehow, Matt and I both missed the accurate starting time for the race even though both of us had looked at the materials. We thought it was supposed to start at 8:30 but it really started at 8:00!! Matt made it to the starting line just in time before the gun sounded. According to his estimates, Parker and I would meet him down there a couple of hours later. OOPS!!! Parker and I were standing in the stands looking for Matt and he came up behind us. We had missed him at the finishing line!! B/c of the 30 minute mess-up, we had missed him. Sorry Matt!! The Marathon Celebration was fun but crowded so we didn't stay that long and eventually headed home. We ended the weekend with Matt and Parker playing computer games. As usual, she is dressed as a princess, crown, dress, and all. Congrats Matt on a great half marathon!!

Out of the Crib!

The mattresses for the princess bed finally arrived. Parker spent Friday, the 13th as her last night in the crib. She knew that we were supposed to pick up the new mattresses on Saturday so upon waking that morning she was very excited. We went almost three years with no falls or accidents associated with the bed. Seriously, THE day she was moving out, our luck had run out. Although it really was totally my fault. I felt sooooo bad. Parker was dancing around in her bed with her blanket on her head pretending to be the pizza man or somebody. I lowered the rail on the crib and turned around to get some clothes for her. The next thing I know there is a huge thud and she is laying on the floor. She flipped, face-forward and handsfree, out of the crib. Poor thing!! She was crying and I think that it scared her even more than it hurt. I thought she might have a knot on her head but nothing appeared. But all was well when she finally got sit on her new bed for the first time.

No Zoo Today

On Saturday morning, we had planned on going to the Zoo. Well, it was free admission day at the Zoo but we didn't realize it would be so hectic. We were driving along the interstate and all of the sudden the traffic stopped and was starting to pull over to the side. I was thinking that there must be a wreck or something. Oh no, it was the line for the exit for the Zoo. Are you kidding??!!--- It was like a Razorback game!! There were at least 30 cars waiting along the interstate. OK- time to re-evaluate the Zoo situation. Matt and I decided that going that day would be miserable so we headed for the next exit to figure out a new plan. Parker was so sad that we weren't going to the Zoo, however, she quickly cheered up when we asked her if she wanted to go for a cupcake. So, we headed to Cupcakes on Kavanaugh at about 10:45 in the morning. I was thinking that we might be the only family there, if they were even open. But, every table was filled!! Glad we're not the only ones that let our child have cupcakes before lunch!! I had a red velvet, Matt got a carrot cake, and Parker got a Black Tie cupcake, which was chocolate cake with white icing, and chocolate sprinkles. Such sophisticated Taste!! I thought, for sure, that she would go for the rainbow sprinkles! Of course, she proceeded to lick all of the icing off first and then had just a few bites of the cake. Next, we headed downtown to play on the outdoor equipment by the river. It was such a nice day and really crowded. Parker really enjoyed crawling through the tunnels and especially sliding down the BIG tube slide. Some of the big kids were kind of pushy but we made sure that we got our turn!! By now, it was lunch time so we headed to Flying Fish. Downtown was so crowded with people from the Volley on the Rock volleyball tournament and the SEC women's tournament at Alltel. The line was long but it went by quickly and we were able to get a table by the open windows. Parker watched the people go by and loved when the horse and carriage would drive past us. Here she is watching the traffic.

We ended the day coloring and drawing on our big notepad. She practiced drawing different letters and wanted us to write a lot of different names. She also likes to draw our family and friends. Don't you love Banjo's long stick tail? (He's the blue one below his name.)