YES!

I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but a couple of weeks ago, Brady passed his driving theory test...he didn't miss a single question, and if you have ever driven in the UK, you know what a feat that is.  Well, this week he had his driving practical test (for the record, Brady and I just argued a little about this, I say practicum, he says practical...if practical is wrong, blame him; if it is right...it was my idea, ha:).  Anyway, he passed!!  We decided to celebrate by enjoying the beautiful weather and pub-hopping.  To be fair, we didn't intentionally pub hop (with a toddler).  We had simply already ordered a Scottish egg (just say no) and a drink when we realized the first place didn't have any outdoor seating left so we went to another pub/restaurant nearby to enjoy the weather (and some chedder and mushroom french fries)...ummm, amazing (yep, both the weather and the fries).

Parker also had his 'first real owie' (I made the mistake of calling it that and now we haven't heard the end of it).  There was kind of a lot of blood for a skinned knee, but we solved it with a 'Cars' plaster (bandaid) and some weird pink cream (they don't sell Neosporin here...seriously).   

I am so proud of Brady and can only hope that I can pass as well...I'm preparing myself to retake it, ha:)

Pahrka

Ha, the title is supposed to be 'Parker' with a British accent...I'm an idiot.

I have always wondered if P notices the accents here.  When we first moved, I he would just stare at people when they spoke, but after a week or so, it didn't seem to phase him (probably because at least one character in every book we read has a British accent...yeah, even before we moved...again, I am an idiot).

Anyway, yesterday we were talking and this is was our conversation...

Me; 'Whatever you say Parker'
P; 'or Paahka'  (again, I'm sorry)
Me; 'who says Parker like that?'
P; 'Karen' (she is the woman in the creche at the gym...he loves her).  He then proceeded to say it over and over again in a British accent.
Me; 'well then, ok Pahka'
P; 'or Karper'
Me; 'who says it like that'
P; 'Ellie'  (she is the one-year-old daughter of our friends matt and mandy)

Yeah, I can't win...:)

park love

P and I LOVE going to the park.  We have one very close to our house which makes it really easy to make a quick trip after P's nap and before Brady gets home for dinner.  Lately, it has been so beautiful here (crazy, I know) that we've been making morning trips to the park by the mall and afternoon trips to the one by our house.  

If you could get smiles this big all the time, you'd go twice a day too:)

Lately, Parker's cars have been the focus of our trips...he loves to race them down the slide and on the ground.  He is pretty serious about these races.

He seriously makes me smile...:)

best friend ban

Warning: I am about to get on a high horse...I'll let you know when I dismount.

Recently, a local paper ran a story about some elementary schools adopting 'best friend bans' in order to keep them from feeling the pain of splitting up with the friend.  You can read the story here.  Is it just me, or are we fostering a whole generation of kids who don't feel pain, experience failure or even truly understand what their own unique gifts are?  Now that I am a parent, I understand wanting to shield my child from pain, disappointment or discomfort, however, I also know that I can't shield him forever.  My job is to help give him the tools he needs to succeed, and hope that he is resourceful enough to use them. Eventually, he is going to be living on his own (that's the plan anyway), working (hopefully), and getting married (after he is at least 27).   I know that along the way he is going to skin a knee, get his heartbroken and be disappointed with a grade, and I am going to be here to give him a hug every time.   As much as I will hate to see him in pain, I will know that at least he will survive the next time he is disappointed and never give up so he will know the joy that can come from true success.

Believe me, I understand the pain even best friends can cause (what can I say, girls are catty), but without those friends (yes, they are still friends), I would have missed out on so many joyous moments and wonderful memories.

Ok...I'm off.

Be Wilderwood

This weekend Brady helped our friends put together a swing set...P helped for a while.

Then, Mandy and I took the kids to Be WILDerwood while the boys worked...it was awesome.  It reminds me of what I think Neverland might look like with tree houses and zip-lines...totally fun.  

We had an absolutely wonderful day!

Dad

What is it about fathers and their daughters?  I am a kind of a Daddy's girl.  My mom is like my best friend, but my Dad is the one I go to when I need help...he was the first person I called every time I was in a car accident (yes, I know I make this sound like there have been a lot of these...there have been).  After I ran into the Dairy Queen sign...with my best friend's mom's van...at 15...he was silent (that incident probably deserves its own post).  I have never felt disappointment more heavily then at that moment.  I knew I never wanted to disappoint him or my mom again.  

Even though I am now grown and have my own family, he is still there to help whenever I need him.  He even drove to the Wichita YMCA once with spare keys at 5:30 AM when I couldn't get in touch with Brady (he is a hard sleeper).   He is also the person I call when I have a leaky faucet or want to demolish a room so we can start from scratch.  To me, he can fix anything.  

I know that he will always be there for me and my family and will drop anything to help (well, maybe not a really good golf game, ha:).   He has also taught me the importance of being there for your friends when they need help.  My dad is one of the most loyal people I know and will do anything for a friend.  

Not having my parents nearby has been one of the hardest experiences I have ever gone through.  They are the most amazing people and I am so, so lucky to be their daughter.  I only hope Parker turns out as awesome as Landon and I did...ha, j/k!!

We love you Dad!!  Happy birthday!!

today...

Today I cried after I called and put Parker on the list for preschool in starting in September.  I know that he needs it, but I don't have to like it...

Today I learned to never say never...P had a meltdown...in public...I seriously did not know what to do.  Once we got home, he guzzled an entire glass of milk and slept for 3.25 hours...apparently we found the problem.

Today my fear of almost stepping on a mouse came true...wait, I mean rat...notice the big black blob toward the middle...Parker said, "mommy, are you scared of the little mouse?"  "No, Parker, I am afraid of the giant rat!"  Big difference.

Today it was so nice I let P wear shorts...seriously, I love spring (I am telling myself that the sunshine will last).

Today I realized that yes, some driving license pictures are worse than others...warning, never get your picture taken when you feel like poo, haven't done your hair and your face hates England (on second thought, that zit gives me a little Cindy Crawford flair, ha).

marry you

Parker finally let us record him singing "Marry You" by Bruno Mars.  He got a little tongue-tied in front of the camera, but it is still a proposal that would be hard to refuse:).  The first video is without music and only around 45 seconds.  The second video is P with music...including the 'rolling pin' dance move...if you have 3 minutes to spare...:)

lucky mummy

I'm such a lucky 'mum' (sorry, I couldn't resist:).  Today was Mothering Sunday.  I didn't really know if Brady would embrace the day or wait until the US version in May...he definitely didn't disappoint.  I had an amazing day.  Despite an extremely grumpy Parker (we had friends over the night before and Parker played hard with their girls...two hours past his bedtime) and missing church, it was a wonderful day.  I am such a lucky mummy!

Mommy and me photo shoot...one of the few times you'll see my picture:)

One of my favorite restaurants for lunch (free glass of Prosecco), tulips, a card
and a surprise spa gift card (Brady is a great gift-giver).

After a THREE hour nap, Parker was in great spirits!!  A trip to the park
always makes our day!

finals week

This week is Brady's finals week...no, not really, but I have had flashbacks of what Brady was like during finals; studying during every free minute, a little on edge.  As I type, he is taking his first test of the week...his driving theory test.  If he passes, he can continue as planned with his driving practicum test in two weeks.  If he passes that, he can drive (HALLELUJAH!)  

Immediately after he finishes his test today, we are driving to Lincoln so that he can take his fertilizer test first thing tomorrow morning.  He has been taking classes and preparing for this test for the last two months.  Normally, I wouldn't be worried because Brady is a smart guy and usually doesn't do anything halfway, but this test is hard and there are more than a few people in his class that have failed it multiple times.  He has worked and studied so hard for this so I'm saying a little prayer right now that all of his hard work pays off!

Good luck Daddy!!  We love you!

I think I can, I think I can...

Yesterday I watched my friend's youngest daughter, Ellie.  I was a little nervous.  Ellie is 9 months younger than Parker and so sweet, but I usually just have Parker.  I was worried that Parker would act out if I had to give more attention to her or that I wouldn't be able to entertain both of them.

I was wrong.  We had a great day...went to the park and the library and I was able to get both of them to nap at the same time.  Don't get me wrong...I'm not clueless.  I know that I'm not going to pop a baby out and he/she and Parker will automatically start playing together and be able to communicate what they want at all times.  However, it did alleviate a little of my fears regarding having another (I wish I could say this was the only one...its really just the tip of the iceberg).

Let's be honest, if Brady and I had stuck to our plans and our timing, we still wouldn't have Parker.  I've been thinking about that a lot lately.  God's timing is so much better than our own.  Parker wouldn't be the same spunky little man he is, if we hadn't been so clueless when he was born.  Because of this, I sometimes wonder if we shouldn't truly let God have all of the control back.  Don't worry, I am not turning into a Dugger, but I am feeling like God wouldn't throw anything at us that we couldn't handle (saying a little prayer to avoid multiples right now...:).  Who are we to judge what is best?

I realize these are a lot of random thoughts, and no, we are not pregnant...just thinking out loud...

If this doesn't make your day...

...I don't know what will:)

Happy Weekend!!

to london we go!

a trip to london on our own

plus

navigating the buses

plus

walking through the National Gallery

plus

chasing the birds in Trafalgar Square

plus

having lunch with one of my oldest friends

plus

dinner out with daddy so mommy doesn't have to cook or do dishes

equals 

a truly spectacular day

Thanks for hanging out with us Kara!!

Hot Mess

I have been thinking a lot about Kiana, one of my favorite little Collegiate students back home...if she could see me right now, she would probably call me a 'hot mess.'  Shoot...she would be right.  Which is precisely why there are no pictures to accompany this post.

For some reason since moving, ok lets be honest...since having Parker, I haven't had a clue what to do with my hair.  I used to get both highlights and lowlights, and was good.  That was before I went a year without dying my hair and my hormones went crazy and lets face it...I got old...and grayer.  Shoot.  Then, my hairstylist told me I didn't come in often enough to do an all over color and highlights so we just did an all-over...dark...too dark...one of those colors that you don't like until 3 to 4 weeks later.

I have paid to have my hair done once since moving here (if you're keeping track, that is once in 8.5 months...seriously).  It was lighter and shorter, but I just didn't know if I really liked it.  Part of me wants to try longer, but then I get to the awkward stage and chop it.  Too many options...bangs, no bangs...layers, no layers...oh geez...I need help.

The hair alone might not be that bad except that I have also recently decided to let my eyebrows fill in a bit (you should be really glad there are no pictures right now).  Have you ever over-plucked and lived to regret it?  Yeah, regretting it right now.  It is not pretty.

Oh, and let us not forget the face...my skin hates England.    I'm pretty sure it wasn't very fond of Wichita for the last 6 months before we moved, but it really hates it here.   My dermatologist told me it might be my birth control...well, lets hope this gets better when I get rid of that in April (yes, I realize this is probably too much information...oh well:).

So I guess what I'm trying to say is...would someone please fly here and help me out?!?  Haha, you have to pay your own way and I can't promise my cooking will be that great, but it will be fun...I swear:).

The weekend according to my phone...

My friend Lindsey did this last week and I am totally stealing it from her.  Some weekends I end up with a lot of random pictures and no idea what to do with them (I know, I know, that probably means they are not post-worthy, ha).  Don't worry, I realize this is more for the grandparents than anyone else!

Anyway, here are a few highlights!

Parker's first experience in a ballpit...I had to overcome every germ fear I have to let him go in after lunch with my friend Mandy and her girls, Gracie and Ellie.  It was also Parker's first ride down a twisty, tunnel slide.  It was a lot longer than I thought and we had tears by the time he made it down.  

Saturday morning we went to Cinema City for Kids Club.  I can't believe we haven't done this sooner.  The theatre is inside of an old church and very retro.  I love it.  Every Saturday, they have older kids movies and entrance is only a pound if you're a member (membership was only 4 pounds).  They even have a coloring activity before the movie starts and let the kids yell at the projector to start the movie.  So fun.  We saw Ratatouille....and, even though he spent most of the movie worried about the Remi finding his family again, P loved it.  I think I'd like it more if this new animation wasn't so life-like...rats...ugh.

Sunday brought a quick trip to the park before getting ready for church.  Thank goodness...we didn't realize this would be our last tolerable hour of weather for a while.

Walking home from church...pretty sure he could not see where he was going, but sometimes you have to pick your battles.   

LOVE weekends like this!!

Today...

Yesterday I joined a running club (check one on my resolutions...yay!)
Today I can't walk (plyometrics on Tuesday + stair exercises at running club on Wednesday = sore sam)
Today P and I did the 'walk of shame' home after he had an accident at the park...his first accident in almost 4 months!
Today I began to LOVE literal Parker...
      P, "Is this yours mommy?"
      Me, "yes, that is my shampoo."
      P, "Can I use it?"
      Me, "No, it will burn your eyes."
      P, "oh, I don't want to use it and have fire in my eyes!"
      hahahaha
Today I was thankful that it was nice enough to go to the Park!!  No coat...no wet surfaces...yay!
Today I was thankful for the entertainment value P's tent brings...I wish I could say that I haven't also been stuck in the tunnel.

Today I was thankful for small pleasures...like watching the swans.

Today I learned never to turn my back on a finger-painting Parker...this is when he realized he was a mess.

Today Parker learned to hop like a leprechaun (so that he could see the bottom of his shoe)...he was really proud...I tried to catch it on camera, but after dropping my iphone, it is a little slow.

LOVE what today brings!