Ode to Cole

Guess we're spreading the wealth to our children with this tagging business...Just in case I haven't wowed you enough in the past with the antics of my first-born son, here are 5 more things to love about Cole Garyt Parker @ 5 1/2 yrs. old:1) Cole has taken after his dad in quoting movie lines & can do so with great skill after only hearing once or twice & even adapting them to fit the given situation. He amazes me 'cuz he always seem to use them in perfect context?! Once Dane asked him to do something for him in the car & he said "What do you think I am? A mail-order brother?!" He attributed that to none other than George of the Jungle (adding that only then the guy referred to himself as a mail-order minister?!) 2) Cole leads the pack @ preschool (according to other moms & his teacher of course:)). He started the trend of girlfriends last year & pretty much paired the others up. Not hard to do with girl-boy ration of 2:1. They rotated a bit, then he decided this year that they could all just be friends regardless of gender OR he lets the girls do their own thing & prefers the company of boys (depending on the week). The others promptly followed suit with his directive:) & his influence has affected all @ TenderHearts, which, I might add, is appropriately named in this regard!










3) Cole's absolute favorite thing to drink=Chocolate milk! We can thank Grandma Neecy for introducing him to that as she is also a fan! From time to time, he'll ask for a swig of his dad's infamous Dr. Pepper or his own root beer (shame on me for being the mom of boys who are no stranger to soft drinks!); however, we've restricted him to one cup (still in a tippy cup:) 'cuz I'm lazy) first thing in the a.m. & that's it! Here he's indulging in a rootbeer float! I should probably add that he's very familiar with bribery in public settings:)4) Cole loves to know his schedule in advance & then holds me to it...maybe typical for his age?! He wants to know what weekday it is & even then, needs to know if that means a preschool day OR YMCA lessons. That determination will follow with questions as to whether or not he has show & tell, if he needs to feed his fish, if someone is coming over or he gets to play @ another buddy's house, if we are going to stay home beforehand or go home right afterward-heaven forbid I have errands & then he needs to know exactly how many errands he has to endure! The list goes on & on, but you get the idea!5) Cole is already a jack of many trades, but gets frustrated when he doesn't master them right away. His signs of maturity range from becoming training-wheel free on his bike (see post entitled Tour de Forest Creek), learning how to transform most of his 16 Transformers by himself & realizing the wide world of Lego creations beyond the directions in addition to Lego Star Wars on the X-box with his dad. He also looks forward to coach-pitch as well as kindergarten this year (he's had to be extra patient for the latter due to his Aug. b-day). He's constantly looking forward to things & if it's not the "day after tomorrow", he complains that he absolutely can't wait 'cuz "that's such a long time away"!Cole would love to hear more about Devon McCray, Connor Hill, Britain Griggs, Kyle & Jordan Coleman (like how to tell 'em apart!?!) - so tag, you're it (or your moms on your behalf!) You can include however many charming qualities or favorites you fancy in your sons, but I stuck to number that corresponds to his age to make it easier! Gotta love my OCD! (unfortunately, I think he inherited that too @ least according to his dad:))

A Little Easter Bunny Goes a Long Way...

Gotta love Easter outfits:) This shot o' the fam was taken promptly after Church or else all of the boys would've already changed into "old clothes" as Cole calls anything but what we wear to Church:) Chris is rocking a new 3-piece suit complete with pocket square-doesn't he look handsome? We recycled Cole's sweater vest from last year 'cuz I couldn't make him wear it in HI, but Chris would be proud that Dane is wearing a new shirt of his very own vs. hand-me-down!

As I mentioned in previous post, we downplayed the Easter Bunny this year; however, the day was still memorable & I think the boys really understood the balance of sweet treats & real reason we celebrate Easter!! He (are we sure it's a male?:)) did put new Easter books for Church in their baskets in addition to candy-filled eggs...Don't worry! We know some good dentists:)

All of a sudden our car resembled a bunny (with help of Shaws) while we were @ Church:) complete with a loaded Easter basket on top! Too bad the weather wasn't very cooperative for them either, but we enjoyed the scene while it lasted! The Easter bunny is treating us to our first M's game o' the '08 season on April Fools' Day too-whoo hoo! Let's hope an early victory is not a practical joke:)

Afterward the Easter bunny traveled to Aunt Amy's house with another bag of goodies for each of the boys. Apparently Bionicles are well-received year-round & candy is perfectly acceptable as breakfast, lunch & dinner on a holiday?! There we also enjoyed a delicious dinner of traditional & not-so-traditional dishes i.e. ribs-the latter was much to boys' esp. Chris' enjoyment!
Not sure you'd call Rock Band the most traditional form of worship either, but we bonded as a fam while playing that for the first time & other games together to conclude an eggstra special Easter '08! Hey, I can honestly say I have a whole new reverence for musicians on this Sabbath day:)-especially after sharing drumsticks with a 3 y.o. (but I wish that was my legit excuse for the other times I failed miserably)! I was nervous to even attempt the guitar OR vocals for that matter. I'd have to say my fav was our reinactment of SNL's cowbell routine, but I only captured the boys in action! For the record, Cole took that last pic. himself:)

Eggstravagant Spring Traditions

The boys had their share o' egg hunts over Easter weekend & loved every minute of it! The Spring Eggstravaganza actually started off as Primary activity last Sat. in which they had to earn the eggs via relay instead of literally hunting for hidden variety & then were able to fill a dozen eggs per family with symbolic ways to represent the atonement, crucifixion & resurrection of the Savior. Each egg contained a printed description/scripture reference & object to take home & hopefully develop new tradition for future years:) Pics. courtesy of good friend Kristie Marcotte whom we imported with her son Seth!









Cole's preschool friends got together on Fri. afternoon for more Easter fun & games. Dane was, of course, just happy to be invited along for the ride:) Notice the Spring weather has so far left much to be desired as the boys frolicked around Skyler's yard in winter coats & rainboots considering we'd seen sleet, dark clouds leading to periodic downpours & only glimpses of the sun that afternoon?!









Then festivities continued on Easter morn wherein we decided that they could see the empty eggs laid out on Sat. night only to discover that the Easter Bunny filled 'em with candy & "hud" them (as Cole would say in past-tense) around our downstairs by Sun. We, I mean the Easter Bunny, included the dozen created @ the Primary activity that had symbolism instead of edible treats inside. Once they were sorted & fairly distributed in their respective baskets, that combo made for great little lesson & focus on real meaning of the holiday when we opened each after breakfast! Please disregard random jammies, but take Cole's advice & buy yourself some Willy Wonka golden eggs! They trumped butterfinger kind this year @ our house:)











Last but not least, Aunt Amy spoiled 'em as usual with an egg hunt @ her house as well-I actually had to go back to our house to grab our meager contributions to dinner that we'd forgotten on maiden voyage, so I guess no pics. were taken during actual spree but memorable nevertheless.
Guess we'll enjoy these innocent games now before they want to start hunting for actual chicks as teenagers:)

Here Come the Irish...

So t'is a bit belated, but had to capture our St. Patrick's Day celebration...If I was smart, I would've drafted the text back on Mon. so the date would be correct even if I added the pics. in retrospect courtesy o' Chris' computer:) Anyway, we were obviously adorned in green & leprechauns even visited Cole's preschool so he came home with a little pot o' gold. We saw a rainbow en route to my parents' house, but weren't able to capture it due to the psychotic weather here in the great NoWest. I fixed green eggs & ham in the form of a dyed breakfast casserole that was only edible according to my boys (including 31-y.o.) & sisters if they closed their eyes. I think the "who-hash" turned out the weirdest 'cuz I put food coloring in hashbrowns as well & it changed the consistency so it looked more like spinach:) Guess who got to eat the leftovers all by herself for the next 2 mornings?? We decorated remaining cupcakes from Primary activity with green frosting, etc. Here are our creations below: (LtoR Cole's leprechaun, my ode to St. Pat himself, Dane's smudged rainbow (predominantly purple for the Huskies even though they were humiliated in the CBI-ugh!) & Chris' shamrock:






















The boys watched the cartoon version of the aforementioned classic (apparently going to the opening night of Horton Hears a Who was not sufficient dose of Dr. Seuss) & we ended the night with one of my favorite children's authors=Max Lucado's story entitled "If I Only Had a Green Nose":) I think we can safely say we "went green" to the best of our abilities-especially considering we're Irish wannabes for the day & proud of it:) Wouldn't mind of some of their luck rubbed off on us, but our spiritual msg. of the night was, in fact, that we are all Latter-day Saints & should act accordingly...

So close yet so far away...

I'll admit that I like to stay up way too late for my own good & couldn't help but reflect last night on the lives of our beloved betta fish. T'is true that Princess Bedo has her castle (latter half of name courtesy of Dane, but I didn't think feminine enough so I enhanced with royal title that she shares with Brooke from Homecoming) & Viking can dig for treasure (or colored rocks 'cuz I was too cheap & his bowl is too small for a ship or "No Fishing" sign:))...But can you imagine being contained to such a small space & separated from the one you love by glass? Sure he yells @ her & us from time to time, so best to control his temper! Nor do I want her life to be shortened by his cannibalistic ways as is his nature. Yet I've also seen her build a few bubble nests that I'm sure he'd like to enjoy with his lady friend, but alas! He can't get to her & must look longingly or resort to swimming another lap...So for now, they'll go on living (sing along) separate lives!

Homeless in Puyallup:)

Just wanted to echo all of the other sickies who lamented about the flu or cold bug that rocked their households in the past couple of weeks. Here is a classic shot of the boys asleep in a grocery cart so I could pick up some more cough medicine & acetaminophen-sp? They fell asleep in the car after the YMCA 'cuz I can't seem to stay home long enough for them to recover...Plus if any of you have the cough that we've endured, you know it sticks around & the show must go on! But I had to stop @ the grocery store while we were out, so I decided to make 'em comfy:) & couldn't resist grabbing the camera knowing we'd get a few strange looks in the aisles as well. Ah, the joys & glamour of motherhood!

What's in your 3 y.o.'s pocket?

So I've been noticing posts that list contents of friends' purses a.k.a. Bag Tag & I thought it'd be appropriate to show this instead...not that I'm feeling left out, just 'cuz it's along the same lines:) Dane likes to "sneat dust a wibble bit" in his pockets when we venture out of the house if I'm interrupting his playtime. I had to laugh when he managed to fit this entire army into his jeans the other night:) I seriously had no clue until we got home & he started to empty 'em out! Who needs a purse??:)

Spring Training

While it'd be nice to join my parents this weekend in sunny AZ for spring training, the M's aren't the only ones who are getting in gear to excel in their respective sport's season:) The Parkers are also representing a variety of sports this spring...See we're not just spectators!
Chris=Reduced Consumption of Dr. Pepper:) Went out with a bang courtesy of authentic kind bottled in Dublin, TX. Not pictured: Marathon hours @ The Lab-ugh! Doesn't leave time for much else along the lines o' physical activity, but he did mow the lawn on Fri. 'cuz it had grown 1/8" over winter & he always manages to squeeze in nightly wrestle with the boys or bout with super heroes:)










Beckie=Attempting to train for Tacoma City Marathon (half marathon version) on May 10th...Guess I have to do it now that it's posted, eh? Personally would've been fine starting out with 5 or 10K, but I succumbed to peer pressure-Just think how great it'll be to feel in shape before summer actually begins! Yeah, gotta stay positive:) Wouldn't be able to do it without LtoR: Juanita, Krista, Lori & Brittany!! It's been a challenge even to fit in runs while occupying the boys elsewhere, so we improvise every day...but we managed to get in 5 mi. last Sat. & I haven't run that far in @ least a year! Just gotta triple that for the real thing-no problem?!Cole=Tae Kwon Do @ YMCA...3rd session as white belt & I don't think we have any intention of testing up; just passing time until coach-pitch baseball:) He's not old enough until kindergarten for flag football or basketball-ugh! I think his favorite part of TKD in meantime is looking cool in the uniform & with equipment! He's also a starfish with swim lessons, but his membership will probably be revoked if I try to sneak a pic. in the pool due to privacy policy-duh! Just picture him in your minds complete with a sweet new rash guard ('cuz the pool he's in this session is colder & deeper), frog goggles & shark towel:)







Dane=Gymnastics @ YMCA...Chris said as long as he doesn't pursue it for long or too seriously, can't help but improve coordination:) Should explain the middle shot is a "pencil jump"? I've never seen that on the Olympics, but ya gotta start somewhere. He's also an eel with swim lessons, but not able to capture on film once again!

Fortifying FHE

The past few FHE nights have been the kind that you can sit back with a sigh of relief & realize that you're finally putting it all together with a nice hands-on approach that will enable a 3 & 5 y.o. boy to not only enjoy the gospel but retain the principles. At least I've been able to keep their attention & that's an accomplishment in itself...It all began when we used rice krispie treats to make a wall on which Samuel the Lamanite could stand. We pelted him with rocks (cocoa pebbles) & arrows (from their lego sets), but he stood boldly & they learned that he was protected as a righteous prophet until it came time to eat the wall:). A couple months later we bought plastic armies from the $1 store & went through 10 war chapters from Alma! Cole's army became the Nephites with Captain Moroni & Dane had to be the Lamanites & cross the River Jordan. The boys couldn't believe that the Lamanites weren't protected with armor & we compared that to how they need to guard themselves in the latter days as well; they had learned about the armor of God @ our Primary breakfast so that helped to enrich the lesson.

Last but not least, we brought back the plastic armies & rice krispie treats then added Lincoln logs to build fortifications & dig trenches just like in the ensuing chapters...even when there was peace they learned that they need to work hard to defend themselves against the opposition!
I was just amazed @ how riveted they were to the scriptures as they came to life for them. Cole kept asking what happened next & wanted me to read more! So I'm telling you mothers of lil' boys, try out this method! I'm no expert & they have a long way to go until they've returned with honor from missions (for which I know I won't be able to take full credit either:)), but I was thrilled to see their interest when I tried to make more consistent & effective efforts with FHE lately 'cuz I know we need to start those righteous habits in our home now! Not sure what the plan is next week, but we're all about that book "Lessons that Teach with Treats" since Cole is a growing boy & insists he's hungry like every half hour!?! It's gotta be green too for St. Patrick's Day too?! Hmmm...maybe that we can't need to rely on gospel vs. luck to succeed in life & that we're all latter-day saints:)not just Patrick!