my parker boy

we've had a rough couple of days here in the rucks home last week.

parker was either crying or whining ALL DAY LONG.

i was losing my patience quickly, and told jared every night,

"seriously? how do people do this more than once?" 

parker doesnt like us to stick our fingers in his mouth,

but i finally got one finger in, and sure enough, there was a sharp little molar poking through.

i think i would have been crabby too. 

he woke up this morning a completely different kid, and i told jared,

"okay, now i know why people do this more than once."

seriously, its crazy how the good days completely wipe away all the bad days

when it comes to kiddos.

and now everything you wanted to know about my parker boy!

i just cant believe how big he is getting. 

minus the tempertatrums, this 12-18 months has been my favorite age so far.

parker really isnt saying very many words yet, but he does say a few: 

mama, dada, ball, bubble, jesus, amen, and occasionally all done.

and he can now tell us what sound a puppy, kitty, duck, monkey, lion and snake can make.

he is an absolute pro at using his fork and spoon.

he still loves books and would sit and read them all day if we sat and read them to him.

he loves his water. ive tried to give him juice multiple different times, and he doesnt care for it.

he will drink milk in the morning with breakfast and at night, but definitely prefers water.

he must get that from his grandma allred. 

he is a people watcher. (just like his daddy)

when we take him to the park he is very content to watching the other kids play

before he braves the toys with them. 

 we love going to the duck pond. 

and throwing rocks into the water.

we've discovered chalk:

and enjoy wearing mom and dad's shoes:

in just the short 17 months he's been here, he sure has taught me a lot,

mostly patience. and i try really hard everyday to be patience with him. 

this mom thing has been the hardest thing ive ever done in my life.

but good days, or bad, i sure love my parker boy.

weighing on my mind

its amazing how quickly blogging and facebook seem to be taking over our world.

i love being able to keep up with old friends through thier blogs and facebook.

and am the first to admit, if i dont get on the computer all day i feel so "out of the loop."

back in january i was reading a friends blog and she had a link to The hansen family blog.

they are your typical lds family living in dallas texas. just graduated from law school bought their first house, and living the all american dream. they have 2 cute boys.

atticus is 4, and isaac is just about 6 weeks younger than parker.

in january atticus was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

ive been following their story since janauary, and atticus is absolutely a 30 year old man

trapped in a 4 year old body. he is so witty and too smart for his own good.

since january, things have gone from really good to really bad to really good again for him.

just this past week though, things have taken a turn for the worse, and sweet little atticus will probably not be on this earth much longer. 

im not really sure why im writing about this. ive never met this family in my life. but as i read the comments left on thier blog im blown away by how much love and support is shown to this family by their family, friends, and even complete strangers.

and everyday i read updates on atticus, im reminded how precious heavenly father's children are.

and all of a sudden reading the same book to parker for the 50th time that day isnt a "chore."

and ill read it 50 more times until he goes to bed at night.

and his temper-tantrums that he throws when we leave the park dont seem to bother me as much.

  because he is able to run and play.

and he is happy, and healthy, and at home with me, not sick in a hospital.

what more could i ask for on this beautiful mothers day?

 so if you remember, keep sweet atticus and his parents in your prayers. 

time, it just gets away!

apparently its been a while since i lasted blogged

 because blogger is totally different now.

 but really, jared graduated a month ago?

and we are moving in 3 months?

crazy crazy crazy.

 though time has been moving very fast, 

i cant say we have been up to too much since easter.

parker and i have been busy enjoying 

some BEAUTIFUL weather outside.

and when i mean beautiful, i mean like in the 70's.

it was awesome. too bad it didnt stay.

because parker sure looked DANG cute

in his summer clothes.

we have also stayed busy by:

perfecting our spoon skills.

 playing in the laundry basket:

this seriously kept him busy for almost 2 hours!

playing with the ipad:

and watching thomas the tank engine:

parker has never liked watching any kind of show or movie,

until now. he used to only watch the intro music.

but now he will watch one episode.

which is really nice for me because now i can take a 5 minute shower

instead of a 2 minute shower.

and dont worry, we still sleep with our bum in the air:

we are also watching hayden again,

but only on monday wednesday and friday mornings

i was a getting a little burnt out 

and needed a break during the week.

but parker has started to turn into a little bully to hayden.

we are working on the "no hitting" thing. 

seriously, where do kids learn that?

and his temper-tantrums.... my goodness.

i need to record one and show it to him 18 years from now.

they are a little ridiculous.

but we still love him... (most days)