Collin's Last Day of Preschool

Today Collin had his last day of preschool. He has loved going to school and absolutely adores his teachers Miss Tina and Miss Laura. He talked about them constantly and woke up almost every morning asking to go see them. They definitely won his love and a special place in his heart. We are amazed at the progress he has made this year. He started off very quiet and hesitant to try new things and now both teachers say he is talking up a storm and trying everything. We are so proud of him and the strides he has made!

Yellow River Game Ranch

Today we decided to take a family outing, along with Uncle Jon and Aunt Lotis, to the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn. This is a mile long trail that has various animals along the route for you to feed and interact with. Some of the animals we saw were deer, bunnies, peacocks, chicken, sheep, goats, bears, buffalo, a mountain lion, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys and a ton of birds. Collin absolutely loved interacting with all of the animals. At first he was a little hesitant but after he saw Uncle Jon and Aunt Lotis feeding the animals he decided to get in on the fun. He liked feeding the deer the most since they were the most personal and would eat out of his hand. He also loved looking at the big black bears. He would throw animal crackers down at them and just giggle when they started making noises. For some unknown reason he really liked the chickens although they would run up to him as if they were begging for food. Parker, meanwhile, sat in the Baby Bjorn and looked at some of the animals before he fell asleep. All in all, we had a wonderful family day of fun!

Parker In The Bumbo

Since Parker likes to sit up and look around the room with support, we decided it was time to introduce him to the Bumbo. Collin was not really a fan of this seat but Parker appears to love it! As soon as we put him in it he just looked around the room and at the toys we held up for him. Big brother Collin even got in on the action and literally brought Parker every toy from his toy bucket and stacked them up in front of him. I'm sure Parker was wondering what in the world was going on!

Happy Baby

Parker is such a happy, easy going baby. He smiles and is content all day unless he is hungry or overtired. Lately he has loved looking at himself in the mirror and gets the biggest smile on his face when he notices himself. He is such a sweetheart and brings so much joy and happiness to our family.

Parker's 1st Playgroup

Today Parker had his first playdate! Ironically four of our six playgroup mommies had babies in the months of February and March. Our friend Tania invited the playgroup over to her house and Parker got to meet two of the new babies, Addison and Connor. They did not really do anything other than sleep in the same room and lay on toys beside each other, but the older siblings and mommies had fun getting out of the house. It is so neat to know that Parker will grow up with these babies and become childhood friends with them just like Collin has. I am so blessed to have met such a great group of friends who are in the same situation as I am to do life with.

Mother's Day 2011

Mother's Day is such a bittersweet time of the year for me. I am blessed beyond measure to be the mother to two precious, healthy, and perfect little boys but I am also reminded of how much I miss my mom. I know that God has a plan in taking her from our lives so soon but it is still hard to bear. It is hard not to be able to pick up the phone and talk to her daily. She was such a great mom and a wonderful woman. It also breaks my heart that she is not here to enjoy her grandchildren as I know she would have loved them and spoiled them rotten. Although she is no longer here, her memory lives on. I also love the fact that the older Collin gets the more and more he favors her. Several family members have commented on this and it always brings me to tears. She would have been so happy to see the boy he has become and our newest bundle of joy. I know she is looking down on them from Heaven and will always be their guardian angel.

My boys, however, went out of their way to make my day extra special. I got a sweet card from Collin and Parker as well as a bracelet that was engraved on the inside, "We love you, Mom. Love-Collin and Parker". They also treated me to dinner so I did not have to cook and clean the kitchen. Although being a mother is a demanding job that never allows you to take a break, I would not trade it for anything in the world. My boys are my life and I love them more than words can express. I thank the Lord daily for giving me two precious boys and allowing me to be there Mom. I love you, Collin and Parker!

Parker's Two Month Doctor Visit

Parker is officially two months old! He had his doctor's visit today and got another clean bill of health. He now weighs 12 pounds, 5 ounces (50-75%),and is 23 inches long (50%). His head circumference is 15 and 5/8 inches (25-50%). Although he had gone up in his weight percentage, the doctor was not concerned. He said he can continue to eat as much as he wants to and will stop when he is full. Parker also had to get two shots today which he was not happy about. As soon as the first needle went in, he turned bright red and let out a huge cry. We are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy little boy!

Parker Is Two Months Old

Parker is now two months old! It is crazy how fast the time has flown by. He has grown and changed so much in the short amount of time he has been with us. Parker has shown us that he is extremely easy going and has a very sweet personality. He loves to be held and cuddle with us but is also content laying down simply observing what is going on. We are very fortunate he is such a good baby!

Parker is starting to establish a pretty good schedule. He is sleeping about five hours uninterrupted each night, gets up once around 3:00 am to eat and then goes right back to sleep. Beginning at 7:00 am every morning, he eats every three hours on the dot. After he eats, he has playtime. Parker spends his playtime doing many activities including laying on his Boppy and staring at the toys we hold up for him, making faces at us and trying to mimic ours, sitting in his bouncer and watching the monkey and bird go up and down, and laying on his mat that has tons of animals dangling from it. The mat is by far his favorite toy! He loves to stare at all of the toys dangling from it and try to reach for them. Parker also does tons of tummy time, although he is not a huge fan of it. He is able to hold his head up on his own and turn it from side to side for several seconds. He occasionally rolls over when he gets very frustrated in an effort to end tummy time. Although I do not think he has mastered this skill, I am going to brag on him anyway.

Parker has also learned many new things this month. He found his hands and loves to suck on his fingers when I do not give his pacifier to him soon enough. He has also started making cooing noises when someone talks to him or he sees a toy that he really likes. Parker is also constantly kicking his feet when he gets excited. It is so funny to watch him in his bouncer with his feet just a kicking, catapulting him up and down.

One of the sweetest things Parker did this month was start smiling. Whenever someone looks at him and smiles, he will give them a big, gummy smile too. It absolutely melts my heart to see his smile and reminds me of how lucky I am to be his Mommy.