Wecome to the Family!

Hello baby Jackson! Welcome to the family!!

Good job, Steve and Bethany!  :)

Big Boy Bed

Ty has been successfully switched from the crib to the big bed. 

Finally.

Halle and Cate were both out of the crib before they turned two.  Of course, we also had another baby in the house before they were two.

He calls it "my bunkbed!"  Haha!  We don't correct him!

 So-
Preschool time: Check.

Potty Training: Check.

Big Bed: Check.

He's well on his way to really being a kid, and not my baby. 
*Sniff.*

baby names

We tend to be last-minute namers.  But even if/when we do choose, we keep it to ourselves.  However, there are some rules we follow when naming our kids-

1) We name them what we'll call them (JD's rule.)

2) The name is connected to family (my rule.)

Halle Grace Parker

-named after Helen Grace Colyer (my great-grandmother) and Grace Parker (JD's great-grandmother)

6 months:

Cate Madelynn Parker

-named after Kate Day (my great-great grandmother) and Nancy Lynn/Rebecca Lynn (my mom and I.)

4 months:

 Ty Jonathan Parker

-named after Tyler Martin (my brother) and Jonathan David (JD)

5 months:

So- this new little guy will likely have a short name with some sort of family significance.  And I think we may have it chosen.  Unless we change our minds.  Again.  We do have 3 more weeks.  :)

Updates. {Lots of them.}

Charlie is gone.  We came back from a long trip North a few weeks ago and he wasn't doing well.  We took him to the vet (not wanting to spend any a ton of money) and after a teary goodbye we came home without him.  BUT we got a number for a lady with bigger kittens, and now we have a little Sunshine at our house: 

 This cat is Cate's baby.  She lets her haul her around and purrs the entire time.  For an outdoor cat, from a non-cat person, Sunshine is a keeper.

Halle "loves every minute" of Kindergarten.  Loves it.  And the rest of us are getting used to her being gone all day.  :)  (And no- I haven't cried at all, for those who have asked.  Not one tear!)

 Potty training is going really really well.  Ty tells us when he needs to go, and he typically makes it on time.  He wears a pull up at night and when we leave the house, but lately he's been staying dry until about 6:30 in the morning when he yells that he needs to go potty.  And he tells me when we're out and about too, and hasn't had a problem using public bathrooms.  (Fingers crossed that this continues!!) 

 This dog lives with us.  We've given in and I guess we're claiming him now, although we've never touched him.  We call him Chief.  He and Indy (and Sunshine) are inseparable.

 We're loving our new place.  I would take our old house over this one, but not the location.

The only view we ever see:

 The back patio:

My dad installed my new toy- I have wanted a clothes line for years:

It was mentioned that Chief looks a lot like my Granddad's old dog, Bob.  I actually think of him as Chief Bob now...

He's a beaut:

 Ty's reaction to the words, "It's time to go!"

Baby Boy will be here September 6, unless something crazy happens.  I'm finally starting to think about it.  Today I even (literally) dusted off my sewing machine and started to work on my to-do list.  We do not have a name picked out.

I haven't blogged much lately because I haven't taken many pictures.  I'll blame the heat.  :)



Kindergarten!

 She's off to school!!

Halle was excited and ready to go this morning- she would've just walked in without looking back if I hadn't asked for a picture!

And when she saw her buddy was at the same table, she couldn't stop grinning!

 August 2012:

August 1987:

Yesterday we had a little Back-To-School-Eve party.  Sadly, my camera battery died after one picture.  But it was a fun "party":

 

We live in an area where holding a 5 year old out of kindergarten is pretty unheard of.  I know I posted about it last year, but I feel the need to say this: 

I am SO glad we waited.

Even though I know that Halle is starting out ahead of the other kids (she reads at about a 2nd-3rd grade level) a year has made such a difference in her confidence level.  She's so much more mature, and if we can see it now, at age 6, I'm believing it will make a difference at 13 and 16 and 18.  

The Reader

I love it that Cate and Ty both ask Halle to read to them now.

She is really easy to listen to.

School starts next week- we're all super excited for Halle!

Michael Phelps III

Meet our newest pet:   Michael Phelps III

Every four years we've gotten a new one- starting the year we were married.  Remember M.P. II?  (Geez, where did those four years go?!)

(To be honest, we started with 2 fish- Ryan Lochte already got the flush...) 

Hooray for the Olympics!!

Go USA!