Build your own burrito

Here's the latest in "I can do it myself!": Parker can build her own burrito. She listed off the ingredients she wanted on it (chicken - she got ground turkey, rice and beans) and had me heat it all up, then she assembled it herself. And the best part....she ate it! She's done it two nights in a row ...last night was fish tacos, tonight was turkey tacos. Very inventive, I know.

New food group: food you can cut

I use scissors quite a bit in the kitchen when I'm preparing food - cutting crusts off of bread, chopping up salad stuff more finely, pizza, etc. Parker has picked up the habit. It's so rare that she's excited about food that Bob said "we've got to find more foods she can cut!". Here, she's cutting up pepperoni....the first time she's ever eaten it.

Also, she's wearing her ballet recital outfit from last year, and I've straightened her hair. She loooooooves having her hair straightened. She says dreamily: "I look like Barbie!"

Fun full family weekend

We had a nice full weekend at home. Parker is detoxing from being the center of attention last week at her grandparents house, so we've endured a lot of whining and fits, but I think maybe she's past it.
We planted a TON of annuals in the front flower beds...the usual zinnias and some verbena. I got Parker some sidewalk paint, and she painted and experimented with mixing colors. It's pretty cool stuff, and it kept her amused for several minutes.

Throwing a fit in the yard.....isn't she pitiful?

After nap, she finally came around and was in a pretty pleasant mood.
This evening after all the work was done, Bob turned the sprinklers on for Parker to run through while I assembled dinner.

She was pretty cold afterward.....here she is all bundled up eating dinner. She's eating a ciabatta roll in this picture. She got a kick out of the name.

As part our quest for a pleasant dinner time, we've started taking turns talking about the favorite part of our day. Tonight Parker said her favorite thing of the whole day was,
"Right now, eating this nice dinner". I'd believe her had ~I~not said the exact same thing last night. She realized that was a nice thing to say, and so she's using it now because she knows we'll say "awww, how sweet". Prior to this, her favorite canned phrase was to say:
"....and I put a heart on it....because I love you"
- a line she stole from her aunt Paula, and has gotten a lot of mileage out of.

Our lovely dinner - bbq chicken sandwiches (mine w/ mustard too) and quinoa/cucumber/tomato/chickpea salad and a tasty chardonnay (the brown thing is a rock).
A nice end to a nice weekend. Awwww, how sweet!

For Aunt Kimmie

Here's a picture for Parker's aunt Kimmie....Bob's sister. It's of Parker eating an avocado with a spoon right out of the skin (shell?). Kim loooooves avocados, and it looks like Parker, who hates everything that isn't juice or crackers, got the avocado gene. Notice she's bypassing the fishsticks on her plate, and is on her second half of avocado.

Speaking of Kim, and Bob's family in California, they are all very worried about the fire situation there. They are packed and poised and ready to evacuate if they get notice to. Their schools were shut down this morning, and freeways were closed, but are now reopened. Brenna posted some pictures of the smoke and winds on her blog: http://www.donnellydaze.blogspot.com/ (You have to scroll down past the kids )
So hold a good thought Bob's family! Hopefully things will calm down soon.

Cucumber Sandwich

I heard Parker saying "cucumber sandwich" when she was eating, so I assumed she had stacked a couple pieces of cucumber, but I didn't think she had stacked 5 of them, and was eating them that way!

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Complaint:
Parker: "I don't like that yogurt"

Me: "what's wrong with it?"

Parker: "It's too yucky"

Me "what is yucky about it?

Parker: "The yucky part."

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This week, she's been singing lullabies. She does the "Hush little baby" one and makes up her own words, usually looking at the things around her:
"Hush little baby don't say a word,
Daddy's gonna buy you a.......
bathtub.
And if that bathtub is broken,
daddy's gonna buy you a......
potty chair.
And if that potty chair doesn't work,
Daddy's gonna buy you a......
door."

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There was a comment on the previous post about her eating and holding her fork with her left hand. She holds her pencil with her right hand usually, but will eat with either, especially when eating noodles.

Eating noodles