Happy Halloween!!!

So this year we decided to dress up as Pirates. It was a last minute decision, but it all came together pretty well after a very long trip up to Vancouver, WA to get Parker's Costume Thursday Morning.

On the 30th We went to Grandma Eaton's Home for Trick-or-Treating, and then met Tony's Dad for a late dinner. Parker's Trick-or-Treat ended up being more like Treat, and he had to be prompted each time. He also was not that into the candy which I guess is a good thing. Except for the Suckers. He really wanted to open all the suckers right away. However we had a good time, and were home before bed time.

However we had a little bit of excitement at 11:30 that night. I woke up to Tony yelling at me to get out of bed, that the police are outside. I ran to be with Parker as Tony tried to determine what was going on. He saw the some people wrestling around on our dark back patio. The Police finally knocked on our back door, and Tony turned on the patio light to find 2 police officers, and a young man handcuffed with his head in my Dahlia Plant. We were then told that there was a party a few houses down and the cops were called for a noise disturbance. When they arrived one of the attendees of the party decided to run from the Police, right through our fence and into our back yard. Yes I said "Through our Fence". Our Fence had a huge hole in it, and Parker's Picnic table was broken all up. Needless to say it was a little hard to get back to sleep after all that.

Now onto the 31st. We went to Chelsea and Bryan's for some homemade Pizza, the Duck game, and then some Trick or Treating around their neighborhood. The first two houses we went to gave Parker suckers so we had a mini meltdown when I wouldn't open them right then for him to eat. After we got over the disappointment that I wasn't going to do that we went to a few more houses before Avery declared she was done and wanted to go home so she could eat her candy. Great thing about trick-or-treating with toddlers. We did convince them to go to a few more houses, but then we did decide to head back before the end of the game. The kids ran around the house and stayed up way past their bed time. It was a fun, safe evening, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

This year we went to Hoffman Dairy Garden to find our pumpkin. There were lots of activities for Parker's age group, but the pumpkin selection wasn't great so I guess I will be getting our Pumpkin at the Grocery store this year. However we enjoyed feeding the sheep and goats, and seeing all the exotic animals they had there. They had a full size tiger which was stalking a man walking outside his cage. Tony took a video of it and posted it on YouTube. I found it a little disconcerting the amount of interest this tiger had in this man, and was glad that there were two cages keeping the tiger in.

It has been awhile so I will update you all on the latest in the Abbott family. Parker has already had his first ear infection, and I have been battling a cold these first few weeks of the term. On a better note I have lost 20 pounds, and have been working out on a regular basis. I am hoping to be at pre-pregnancy weight by his 2nd Birthday. It will be close, but it can be done. No Halloween Candy for me. :(

Parker is becoming more of a little boy and less of a baby each day. Sometimes it makes me sad, but mostly I am just amazed at how far we have come. He can count to 5 by himself, and is starting to work on his ABC's at daycare. We have started working on the potty training, but we are a ways out from that. He was doing pretty good for a few days, and now doesn't want anything to do with it. He will say he wants to go, but as soon as we go in there he just wants to run around without his diaper. So we are taking a break, and know that when he is ready he will tell us.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween. We will post all the pictures for Halloween and the Pumpkin Patch after this weekend. Take care.

Cannon Beach 2009

So we just returned from a wonderful weekend at Cannon Beach. It was a much needed break from work and our everyday life. This was the first time we have been to the beach since Parker started walking and boy did he have a blast. Wasn't too much into digging into the sand, but he was all about the Ocean. He loved dabbing his feet in the cold Pacific, and running away from the waves as they crashed on the shore. He thought it was great when the waves would catch us and I would lift him into my arms to carry him back out to dry land. Then he headed back for more. The first day I was wet up to my knees, and the second day the water came up to my thighs. By the third day we were just trying to keep dry. Every time we hit the beach he would point to the Ocean and say Wah-Wah and start running for it. He also loved seeing all the birds and dogs that were on the Beach each day.

Along with spending many hours playing on the beach we visited Seaside on Friday where they had their annual Wheels&Waves event. Tony loved all the wonderful cars, and he took pictures of some of his favorites. We also made a trip to the Seaside Aquarium where I fed the seals, and Parker saw his first Octopus. We also had to take a ride on the Carousel where Parker rode on a Kitty as he would say. This is his current Animal sound. He was saying Moo, but now everything says Meow. He is very into Annabelle our Cat. She is not so into him, but she is pretty tolerant.

Saturday we packed a picnic lunch and headed to Fort Stevens. They have many cement bunkers for us to wonder around in, and that particular day they were having a living history event from World War II. They had many extra authentic World War II vehicles around, and had men dressed in uniforms, and acting as if they would during war time. It was interesting to Tony and I, but Parker was more interested in picking flowers. We also visited the Peter Iredale ship wreck that is on the beach at Fort Stevens. Of course Parker loved that, but that was because once again he was able to play in the wah-wah. All and all it was a great trip, but as the rain came in this morning we were excited to be headed home.

For more pics follow the link: Cannon Beach 2009 Pictures

18 month Appointment

We had our 18 month appointment today. The doctor says Parker is looking good, and is recovering from his two ear infections that he has had these last two months. He does have another runny nose though so we are keeping our fingers crossed that doesn't turn into another one. He measured at 33 3/4 inches and weighed 25 lbs 13 oz.

I can't believe my baby is a toddler. Although there are many days when Tony and I are amazed at how much he can do, and the developing personallity there are those days we just wish we could go back to before.

Parker is walking up and down our front steps much better now. He even can go up and down himself while holding onto the railing. Although sometimes he prefers to hold mommy's hand as he walks down. He also has discovered how to get in and out of his highchair by himself. This has been very useful, but in the same day he discovered how to climb up on the kitchen table. I can only imagine where he is headed next. I am excited and scared to see what the next 6 months hold in store for us.

Looking forward to summer!!

So it has been awhile and things are changing so quickly so I thought I would give a general update. So we have been eagerly awaiting the sun here in Oregon. Finally it looks like it is here!!

Parker is starting to talk more, but still hard to understand. He says words like thank you, dog, bye, and of course Mommy. He also points to lights and says something which I have had a hard time understanding. According to the babysitter it is the word "on". He is running everywhere and loves playing at the local playground. It is amazing the difference in a year. At the very end of last summer he barely was crawling, and this year he is running and playing like a mad man. Yesterday while I had a wisdom tooth pulled Chelsea watched him at a sprinkler park near their house and he had a blast. It was hard to keep him out of the water when we were ready to go home. We also went on our first sail a few weeks ago on Papa Wayne's new boat. We had a rough start, but then I think he enjoyed it in the end. I think we will be spending lots of time at the outside this summer which I am looking forward to.

Tony has been trying to get out and golf, but probably not as much as he would like. He gets off work at 2:30 so he can fit in a round of golf after work. Unfortunately many evenings he needs to come home since I have to go to work. Hopefully he will be able to do this more now that I am not working evenings this summer. It is always nice to have your own playtime.

My newest adventure is my garden box. We had one behind our house when we first moved in, but it had become overgrown with weeds and grass over the last 4 years. Mom spent many Friday's helping me get it cleaned out and ready for planting. I then planted most of the standards like tomatoes, lettuce, beans, strawberries, and even a watermelon. I have never had much of a green thumb, but thought it would be fun to give it a try. I don't have high hopes, but I have already harvested 3 huge batches of lettuce!! Everything else is growing well and I am anticipating a lot of fresh vegetables this summer.

Hope everyone else is enjoying the summer weather and hopefully we will get to see most of you during this summer.

Tulip Festival

We went to the Tulip Festival today in Woodburn, OR. We thought the weather was supposed to be nice, but woke up to rain so it made it a little muddy. They had lots of fun activities for the kids, and we got some good pictures. However we found out today that Parker has his first ear infection so he wasn't quite feeling up to it. I am hoping that later this week when the weather is nicer, and Parker is feeling better Tony and I can go out there and give it another try. Also I need Tony there to take the pictures because I am horrible. I think I need to take a class.

1st Easter Egg Hunt

So the Easter Holiday weekend has begun. Today we had a very exciting day. We started the morning by coloring eggs at Chelsea's House with Avery and Oliva. Then after nap time we went to our first Easter Egg Hunt at Great Grandma's Apartment complex. We didn't get too many eggs, but we did manage to find the special gold egg after some help from a very nice lady. Funny thing was that we had been playing in this sitting area for a good 10 minutes without noticing the egg sitting right there. Then we were sent back by one of the workers to look for the special egg and another lady pointed it out to Parker. It was quite exciting to see probably the youngest child there get this special prize.

Parker wasn't too sure about the Easter Bunny, but he was quite impressed with Buddy the Bunny. Buddy is the pet of a resident there and was very friendly. We all enjoyed Petting him. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and I am just hoping that tomorrow will be just as nice. We are planning on going to another egg hunt tomorrow so Tony can join in on the fun, and hopefully we can get some good pictures of the actual hunt. I have also heard there are some other real cool picture opportunities so we will see what we get.

Our Easter weekend will be ended with a nice family brunch and afternoon at Chelsea's House on Sunday. It will be a busy but exciting weekend. We will post all the pictures after the weekend was done, but couldn't wait to post this one.

My Super Hero!!!

Saturday was Super Hero day at the Children's Museum in Portland. We dressed up the boys in their superhero pj's and let them enjoy the special day. It was a packed house. They had a group that was dressed up in Star Wars costumes that did a little skit. We didn't know they were going to be there when we made the plans to go, but it gave something for the daddy's to enjoy as well. Parker wasn't quite sure of what to make of them in their costumes and pretty much stared at them with a look of concern. After we got done with looking at all the costumes we let the boys play.

Parker had a great time playing with Carter, and the many other kids that were there. I was afraid it was going to be hard to get him to want to go, but unfortunately he hurt himself just as we were getting ready to leave. It is amazing how active he is getting and starting to learn what he likes and doesn't like. Sometimes I had a hard time getting him to move onto the next exhibit, and then I was chasing after him because he decided he wanted to move onto something else now.

Here is a link to the rest of the pictures we took. We haven't really had a chance to go through them so beware there are a lot. Super Hero Pictures

Stacking and Climbing!!!

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Abbott household. I just finished Winter term, and am enjoying what I can of Spring Break before the start of the next term. Last weekend I left Tony and Parker at home, and went to a Scrapbooking retreat in Lyons, OR. It was productive, and I had a good time. However, I was ready to come home on Sunday.

When I got home I discovered that Parker was doing many new things. His newest accomplishments are that he can now climb up on the kitchen chairs, and is trying hard to get on the couch. Luckily our couch is still a little too high for him, but it won't be long. He also is trying so hard to start talking. It is mostly mimicking our sounds, but it melted my heart on Sunday when I said "I love you" he would say "I u". Of course it is still very hit and miss, but we are getting there.

The last thing you can see in the picture behind Parker's smiling face is he is starting to stack things. While I was passed out on the couch trying to recover from my long weekend Tony let him play with the Paper Towel Rolls I just bought. He got them stacked at least 3 high at one point, and Tony said he did it all on his own and had a blast. I am glad to see that he is finally getting a little constructive because up till now I swore he was going to be a demolition man.

So that is it for now. Looking forward to the upcoming Spring so that we can get out and play.

Bath Time Fun

So it has been awhile since we have posted an update and he is growing so fast. He got this towel for Christmas. I have been dying to get a picture of him in it, so tonight after bath time we let him run around a bit. He loved it as can be seen in his big toothy grin!! He is basically running everywhere. This makes getting ready in the morning a little complicated as I have to chase him around the house trying to get his coat on. We have all been dealing with cold and flu symptoms the last month or so. No fun. Parker also has his 13th tooth, and we expect to see the 14th any day now. This has also been making him a little miserable. Can't wait for this winter to be over, for the weather to be nice and sunny, and the flu season to be over with.

However we have been keeping busy during this very cold winter, and Parker is learning more everyday. Parker is saying many more words now. He will say Uh Oh, Yeah, and of course the dreaded No. Still not really with meaning, but he definitely is picking up new words and sounds everyday. He is also getting big into mimicking me as well. Today I was putting a toy on my head and then he started putting a similar toy on his. It was way cute. He has also learned how to stick his lower lip out to pout, probably learned that one from me as well. Tony does not find this very funny, but it makes me laugh every time I see it.

Hope everyone is staying healthy and warm during these Winter months, and looking forward to the quickly nearing spring time rain.

Children's Museum

Our little boy is growing up fast. He now has 12 teeth, walking, running, and pretty much becoming a busy toddler. He started daycare this term and seems to be enjoying playing with the other daycare children. He is saying things like dada, mama, yeah, etc... but hasn't really gotten that the words have meaning. Ususally mama is when he wants something or is upset about something no matter who it is, and dada is more when he is happy and loving. I don't know how I feel about that, but I'm hoping it is just because I am the one that services his needs and makes him feel better. Hopefully this phase will pass soon.

We went to the Children's Museum with the Stewart's last weekend and had a blast. If you want to check out all the other pictures check out http://picasaweb.google.com/Tony7511/ChildrenSMuseum124# for all the fun shots. It was a little busy, but we had a good time. It was the first time that Parker really got to explore the whole place. We kind of just put him down and followed him around instead of us deciding where to go next. He really enjoyed playing in the water, but it was still a little hard for him to reach a lot of it. In a few months though he will probably be splashing around like a champ. That is about it in the Abbott household for now!

First Blazer Game

It has taken me some time to get this from Tony, but here is Parker and me at his first Blazer Game on December 30th. We got him this Brandon Roy Basketball, even though he wasn't able to play. Parker LOVED the ball, and enjoyed the game for the most part. He got a little tired toward the end of the fourth quarter, but with it being such an exciting game he wasn't able to fall asleep. Blazers Beat the Boston Celtics 91 to 86. Way to go Blazers!!!