Last week of summer

We've had another long week. This was really our last week of summer, since school will start on Friday. This week, Parker had a little stomach bug on Monday, so we had to hang around the house a lot more than usual. This is the day after she was sick....she felt like an "airplane ride" might be fun.

Bottom row: New Baby, Little Baby, Car Baby, iLean the one-legged barbie, Parker
Top row: Animal Blankie, Mommy (not pictured), Food Baby, Big Baby

She felt better by Friday, and we met some friends at the pool for swimming. The night before, she kept telling Bob that what she would really like is a swimsuit/partydress. There has never been a child more obsessed with dresses. I'm having a tough time assembling a fall wardrobe for her, because dresses that meet her specs are hard to find.

In other news, we started remodeling the downstairs guest bath last week. I'd like to blame it all on just another one of Bob's crazy projects, but this was my idea too. Last weekend was demolition, and this weekend we are hoping to get the walls done and the tile started. Bob promised me that if we get in over our heads, we an call in the pros.

I forgot to take "before" pictures, but this is an "in the process" picture:


Hopefully, the next time you see this wall, it will have a new vanity and mirror on it.

It sure is quiet....

....wonder what Parker is up to.
And it is interesting that her right hand is colored the most, since she writes with her right hand. Wonder how she managed that.

Longer update later.

Comments and Questions

Here's Parker's latest trick to try to prolong bedtime (aside from picking out clothing, undies, hairbows and bracelets for the next day, and arranging them on her dresser).

She and Bob had struck a deal that he would read her 2 books.
He read book #1, then book #2 and said, "ok, night-night".

Parker, holding up book #2: "Will you read this book?"

Bob, "No, remember we agreed to just read two books. Not three".

Parker: "I don't want three books! I just want you to read this book again!"

So in other words, she thought she could get around the 2 book rule by having him read one of the 2 books twice!
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She is forever peppering us with questions.
Questions from this morning:
1. "Where was I before I was born?"
2. "What is this (kneecap) for?"
3. " Who built our house?"

She's really hung up on 'who built our house', she's asked me that several times.
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Blah blah blah, here's the picture:

Puzzles and dancing

We've had a very busy week, although we didn't really have much going on. I didn't work this week, and Parker didn't have school or babysitters, so we spent a LOT of time together this week. Several trips to the pool and a new ballet class and some playdates helped fill the time.

I was surprised to see that she can do a puzzle! She was puzzling and I was on the computer, and I could her her telling the pieces "you don't fit, and you don't fit" and I expected to find it mostly undone. Imagine my shock that she had nearly completed it!

We started a new ballet class this week. It's Ballet, Tap and Tumble. But mostly ballet. It's a little more pricey, but it's much nicer. Right now there are only 2 girls in the class, so it's like private lessons, but we expect more will sign up after Labor Day. I won't do pictures EVERY week, but I just thought I'd share the ones in the new school.

"Lipchaps"

Here's Parker applying 5 types of lipgloss. She's doing a move called "fishlips" that Bob taught her so she could learn to drink out of a bottled-water bottle. Turns out, it works for lipgloss too. Parker calls all lip stuff "lipchaps", and I can't bring myself to correct her because it's too cute. If you're wondering why a 3 year old has amassed such a large collection of lipchaps, it's because I though I was buying nail polish and got these by mistake. 5 kinds of nail polish would have been ok.

Funny things she's said lately:

(lifting the seat on the commode)
"This potty has a tee-tee mustache"
(I guess that's like a milk mustache, but with teetee, and on a potty)

Tonight, telling Bob excitedly:
"Daddy, Daddy, we washed my blankie and now it doesn't smell like food or bug spray anymore!!"

Other funny phrases she's mixing in are, "while you're up, will you get me...." and "I've changed my mind".

And the best thing happened today: Parker leaned how to use the computer mouse!!!!!! We've tried here and there w/out success, but today, it just clicked (haha). Of course I'm not thrilled about her using my fancy 5 button wireless mouse w/ the buttons I've programmed and I use for work, but it was very thrilling to watch her drag and drop (!) dressup clothes onto dolls and to click and color pictures. I have video of it, but I need to cut it down. It's cool to watch how proud of herself she is, but not for 5 minutes.

First Haircut

Parker had her first haircut Thursday. Finally. Actually, her Gigi trimmed it up a couple years ago, but this is the first 'store bought' haircut.

I took her to a fancy place - Sweet and Sassy in the mall. They do dress up parties and 'makeover' sessions and whatnot for little girls. It's very pink and sparkly and girly in there. Parker was thrilled. I figured at the rate she gets haircuts, I could splurge and go to the fancy place and make it special.

This is how much they cut off - they offered to let me save it, but I just did a photo instead. I know lots of people save their kid's locks of hair but I think a digital photo sufice.

At the end, they put a glitter star on her face - she was THRILLED - and she got to pick out a sucker.
I put the before and after pics in a seperate post. It's easier that way.

First Haircut con't

Before

After

Flashback Friday

Walking tall on the playground at 16 months.

Cuts with Scissors

Somewhere along the way, Parker has learned to use scissors. I think at the Baptist Mother's day out perhaps. She prefers to hold them upside down but can do the other way too. She holds her pencil wrong too. I'm hoping they'll straighten all that out when school starts.
She can use the heck out of a glue stick too. I'm sure scrapbooking isn't far off. She can start by making her own baby book.


Toothbrushing is another thing she's started doing herself. I still follow up behind her. Prior to this I'd just hold her in a headlock and do it all myself. She has started doing more and more things on her own, and consequently, it's taking us longer and longer to get things done.

Doll Diapers

Look what we got! Doll cloth diapers! I ordered them from Etsy - it's like Ebay but for handmade crafty type stuff. The normal doll diapers bug me - they never fit right (see picture) and if she takes them off, then it looks like we have diapers laying around the house. These are flannel w/ velcro closures.

Before - disposable doll diapers

After - cloth diapers ....much better!

The only trouble is that they are too small for Big Baby. She is still in the disposable kind, but I'm hoping to find some cloth for her also.

Chives

And in landscaping news, my chives are blooming. I hardly ever even use chives for cooking, but I keep them around because I love their blooms. They bloom late in the year after everything else has started to dry up.

More Ballet pics

We went to ballet again on Friday. Parker did great again. She was the leader of the line the whole time. She did a much better job of watching the teacher for instruction instead of just copying what the other kids do. These photos are a bit grainy because I have to take them w/out a flash on a high shutter speed so they're not blurry.


Doing leaps over a shoe

Pointing her toe

Volunteering


admiring her skirt

Walking on tiptoes with swooping butterfly arms.

Visit from family

We've had a wonderful day today! Parker's Aunt Paula and Cousin Emily came to visit! Parker is showing off one of the many goodies that they brought - a bracelet made of beads that spells out Parker's name. Paula made it while she was here, and left the big box of beads for Parker to keep. After they left, before they were even out of the driveway, Parker was working on a bracelet for me.

favorite authors

When we read books, I always tell Parker the book and author's name, mainly so I can remember what I like when we go to the library. She's memorized some of the names, and for a while she was stuck on Jane Cabrera, then Matt Novak. Every book title I'd read, she'd say "by Matt Novak". I guess she's got a new favorite now.

Riding back from the library today, Parker told me
"My favorite (author) is Matt Novak. No, wait, my favorite is.... (pauses to think of the name).... Nancy Carlstrom. Is that right?! " She was very pleased with herself for remembering the name.

I don't even think she understand the concept of what "by" means, but I just think it's funny that she remembers the names.

Quick ballet class pics

Here are some quick pics I took at ballet today. I'll have commentary later.

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So today was the first ballet lesson. As you can probably tell, I didn't take her to a big fancy dance studio. We starting off at the rec center. A month of lessons there costs the same as the enrollment fee at the fancy places. I didn't want to take the chance on her not liking it, so we're starting here.
She did really well. She watches the other kids a little more than watching the teacher for examples, but that's ok. She performed just as well as the other girls at all the tasks, and at some things she was better. She had no trouble being first in line or running/hopping/skipping alone when it was her turn.

Creeping slowly like a cat

Walking on tiptoes with swoopy arms.



Leading the pack in being distracted by the pool outside.

Letter recognition

"Those sticks make and "E' "

clarification: When we were riding back from the pool, she saw some sticks on the ground that looked like the letter E. This is the first time she's mentioned something looked like a certain letter shape.

Ballet - Before

Tomorrow we're hoping again to make it to ballet lessons. She can point her toes and put her feet in 'first position'. I will never understand what the big deal is with the ballet feet positions, but whatever.
I haven't mentioned tomorrow's lessons to her yet, but I know she'll ask tonight. Every time she goes down for nap or bedtime, she asks "after I sleep, where do we get to go after I sleep?" , except she runs it all together, "after I sleep, wheredowegettogo after I sleep?". I guess I could just tell her "I don't know". It's nice to prep her for things, plus it's nice to have something to threaten to not do if she doesn't go to bed.

Volunteer tomato

Ignore the child, look at the tomato plant. This is a volunteer plant that has popped up from our hydrangea bed. It's huge! Bob reminds me daily that it's the best looking tomato I've got (the rest are in pots and not doing so well). We have a couple more coming up in the daylily bed too.

Trampoline Leapfrog

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