The Lowdown

Went to see the Ear-Nose-Throat Dr. this morning to see what we can do about P's ears...and the conclusion is that he's a candidate for tubes. We're working through getting the procedure scheduled quickly-- to avoid another infection-- as there's still some fluid present from his last round. So, at least there's a plan in place for getting this boy to feeling better!

Want to get to know a city?

Make a map of it. Holy COW. The design studio where I've been spending most of my time recently is in downtown Denver, and I thought I was getting to know that part of town pretty well. Okay, I can find Starbucks and a great chicken wrap. But this project for a national design organization is testing my knowledge! Denver is hosting a much-anticipated conference coming up this October, and the studio is creating a guide of interesting things in the city. I'm hoping to be able to make it for at least one day's session.

Splooosh!

The running joke around here is that we are "macaroni and cheese." You know, the kind that comes in a blue box and is the cornerstone of any college kid's (or 14 month old's) diet. Really, what mac & cheese means around Moresville, is that we aspire in our lives to be like the gourmet, homemade four-cheesy goodness with the breadcrumbs on top, but seem to miss the mark a little bit and usually end up being the humble, always-on-the-shelf basic staple. (Are you getting my metaphor here?)

Case in point. Yesterday was a cooker outside and our neighborhood doesn't have a pool. Dark clouds loomed to the west, and I feared it would be a short trip to the nearest puddle. So, we made our own macaroni and cheese version of a splash pool for Parker. We filled up a storage tub with water, added some toys and plastic cups, and voilá--pool. (Sorta.)

Parker didn't seem to mind. He got in it as though it were a kiddie pool (and hung onto the sides and dipped in his bottom as you'll see below) and played and splashed and watered the driveway to his heart's content. He doesn't care that we're macaroni and cheese. And I love him for that.

Butterfly, Flutter By

Aaah, another fun Friday together. There wasn't anything on the schedule for today, so we thought we'd make it exciting and spend some time at the Butterfly Pavilion. This place doesn't have anything on Reiman Gardens in Ames--if you've ever been there you know what a beautiful place it is to visit any time of year!

The Butterfly Pavilion was more than just butterflies--it has all kind of insects, arachnids (including a tarantula you can touch--uh, no thanks) sea life and of course, the butterfly house. Parker was really fascinated with the fish tanks and seeing them swim back and forth.

They had just turned on the misters in the butterfly house (to keep the humidity high) so it felt just like Iowa--or so we hear. :) Here's a few images from our visit. Have a good weekend!

Good news, bad news

It's been a busy 14 month birthday around Moresville...

Spent the morning with our favorite pediatrician and pharmacist after a night with a fever, and found out that P has yet another double ear infection. Sigh. We are going to see a specialist next week to determine what comes next. So, that's the bad news.

But, there's an upside! Parker's weight has shattered the 20# mark! He tipped the scales at 20#, 12 oz. when we were at the doctor this morning. YAHOO! I'm so, so excited for him.

Compare the babies

Last night I was getting boxes off the floor, onto the new shelves in the basement and came across a box of photos. So many great memories and big, cheezy smiles! In this picture I'm a little older than the one of Parker, but it's funny to see the similarities. So, at the risk of totally embarrassing myself, here you go:

Spaghetti-head

We tried Spaghetti-o's the other night just for fun and something different. He's doing awesome with feeding himself, and wants to use the bowl and spoon on his own. Ususally, though, whatever is in the bowl usually ends up being some sort of large cup, and he thinks he can drink out of it!

Not much on tap for today--we are going for a long wagon ride and checking out the neighborhood garage sales after a short snooze. Have a great weekend!

Fall is in the air

It's beginning to cool off a little here in the high country. Today is overcast and 75, and hanging in the air is that back-to-school, football-is-around-the-corner breeze. You can almost smell the freshly sharpened pencils. :) It's hard to think that the summer is almost behind us, and soon we'll be playing in the leaves (all five of them from our tree). For now, Parker can have an extra-long wagon ride and we'll enjoy the weather while we can.

Weekend photos

Back to the Hills

Headed home after a fun weekend in Iowa with Mike's family. It's always good to see the nieces and Parker was enthralled with all the activity. So many great pics to post once I get things sorted!

My future's so bright

I gotta wear shades. :)

Six degrees

We have a running joke around Moresville that we can't seem to go anywhere without Mike somehow making a hometown connection. We joke that it's "six degrees of H-town". Once again the theory has proven true!

Mike discovered a long-lost friend the other day after he was being spotted having lunch with a couple of co-workers. They exchanged emails and have been catching up on several lost years. It's nice to make another midwestern connection here, but it's just so random how it seems to happen.

Clearing the clutter

I was one of those people who swore up and down that when I had a child, I wouldn't let my house turn into one of those places were you walk in and see the pile of toys, puzzles, blocks and kid stuff which blazes like a neon sign--"baby in the house!!". Funny how things change. Seems like Parker's evidence is everywhere, and I am on a mission to reclaim my home. :) So it's my project for today since I'm home with an eye infection. Woke up this morning looking like I had just gone five rounds against Mohammad Ali. Ewww. I can't see great, but I can see dirt. And toys. And magazines and books everywhere.

We have been searching for a new way to store the toys in the TV room since the two little baskets that used to hold everything now barely contains the collection of cars. I've been looking on Craigslist--nada. Ebay--nope. Garage Sales and flea markets--sorry. We found this table and storage cart set in a catalog, and thought it would be good to grow with. Parker hasn't seen it yet since he was in bed last night when we got it all together, so hopefully his reaction will be as good as mine.






















Mike and our other Iowa friends who live here came over this past weekend and the guys built shelves for the basement. There's a lot of stuff down there--unpacked boxes from the move, I think--most of which is labeled "hall closet misc" and contains god-knows-what! Ha! I'll be glad to get it organized, though. Maybe I'll finally find some things I've been looking for since we got here?

The new red ball

Daddy and Parker went to Target this morning to bat clean-up, (since I forgot to get everything on the list when I was there the other day) and came home with a huge red ball. He's been throwing it, chasing it, and walking around with it, which is really funny since it's nearly as big as he is and he can't see where he's going.

Parker is fascinated with the big red concrete balls outside of Target and nearly jumps out of his skin with excitement and says "Ball! Ball! Ball!" as we walk up to the store. Aah, the simple things in life. :)

A new use for something old

Went to my favorite outdoor market yesterday...and discovered a new use for all those stacks of catalogs I receive! These are all made out of old magazines and catalogs--purses, jewelry, baskets, boxes--you name it, they had it. I wish I had more time for making things, but I can appreciate the time and thought that went into creating these.

100th post!

Since this has slowly turned into Parker's blog, it seems only fitting that the century post (is that the correct term, bloggers?) is about him. I feel like I haven't blogged in ages, and I'm sorry I haven't posted much this week. We've had a busy day so far with some appointments and errand running (and a tantrum or two in between) and a lunch visit with daddy. Quite nice!

We also have a new word in the vocabulary...he saw a picture of himself on the bookcase earlier today and pointed and said, "baby"...funny.








I feel like I have a picture of this exact expression somewhere when I was his age.








I'm embarrased to write this, but he had just eaten a cheerio off the floor.













I spy...












I'm in "trouble" and am going to pretend cry..(yes, he has already figured out how to be a drama queen!)