A Temple and a Nap

The other day, we took a walk up to the temple. Parker loved it!  He climbed all over the stairs and absolutely loved the lights!  He tried to touch every light within his reach.  He could have stayed there for hours, but it was FREEZING and I still wanted him to have hands when we got back. We'll have to do it again during the day or on a warmer night.

Sometimes Parker beats me to his nap time. I usually put him in his crib around the same time everyday, but several times he has decided that his nap time cannot come soon enough! He climbs into my arms in front of the computer with the intent of being able to do whatever Mommy is doing, but he gets bored.

Daddy's Boy

I just wanted to post how much I love my husband and, of course, how much Parker loves him! Whenever Greg comes home, Parker gets a huge grin on his face and shouts, "Daddy!" It's the sweetest thing. Even though Greg is so busy with school and homework, he always takes time to play with Parker. Here they are below doing their usual rough-housing.

Parker wants to be just like his Daddy.  Here's a little story to explain. When Parker gets up in the morning, as part of his usual routine, he gets a couple of cartoons. One morning, I had some homework to do so I put him on the couch, gave him his sippy cup, and set the remote by him. When I finally resurfaced from my concentration, I turned to see that Parker was no longer watching cartoons... he was watching football! And he was really watching it too. Greg would have been proud.

Here they are watching TV together (some sport, no doubt).

So, I love that Greg spends plenty of time with Parker (trust me, it's not all in front of the TV. They love going to the park).  He's a wonderful Daddy, not to mention an awesome husband because he does plenty around the house, including making dinner!  I love you Greg!

Parker's Profession

This video tests out different occupation options for Parker. What do you think he should be?

Would you like a Grape?

My Mom did such a wonderful job of taking pictures at Pebble Beach that I forgot that I had some pictures of the trip on my camera!  Most of them were similar to my Mom's (though not as good), but here is one I know she didn't take. Don't those grapes look yummy?  Take a closer look. Leave it to Greg to play with his food, or rather, my mom's food. The two "grapes" on the left are actually olives.  Lucky for Mom, she noticed before she popped them in her mouth!

Oh How Lovely Was the Morning

This is Parker on his way to church. What a handsome boy!  I think he looks like a pioneer. Parker walked into a little "grove of trees" and Greg started singing these words, "Oh how lovely was the morning..." I started laughing. He really did look like a miniature Joseph Smith. Too bad he's not looking at the camera, but the story was too cute to pass up.

Another Day at the Parker... oops, I mean Park!

Everyday, Parker and I make a trip to the park.  We could literally crawl right outside Parker's bedroom window and we'd be there!  So, of course, he now understands me when I say, "Do you want to go outside?"  He immediately heads for the front door and whines until I open the door.  How could I not take advantage of the sunshine while it lasts?

Parker and his girlfriend, Audree

My cute friend, Mele.

Her eggo is prego.

Eenie Meenie Minie Moe... these next three pictures are the same, but different.  I wasn't sure which one I liked better.  Which one do you think is better?

Dressing in Drag

When I was younger, I used to dress my brothers up in my dresses.  It was always so much fun to do and ended up being great blackmail for later.  I, however, never thought that I would stoop so low as to dress my own son in girly clothes.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, that day has come.  Well, "came" would be the proper way to say it since it happened Saturday.  We were at Parker's girlfriend's house (Audree... he even knows how to say her name.  So cute!) when Parker had an embarrassing moment in front of her... a diaper blowout! Well, for the sake of modesty in front of his girlfriend, we couldn't just leave him in his diaper and we didn't have an extra outfit handy.  Audree was kind enough to let him borrow some overalls that she couldn't fit into yet.  And... much to Greg's dismay, Parker didn't mind his new outfit one bit! So, here is a picture to go with the wonderful story (and yes, he does look like a hick without a shirt). 

15 Months

Parker had his 15-month check-up about a week late.  I didn't think he would need any shots for this appointment, but as it turns out, he didn't get all of his 12-month shots so he had to get two shots today.  Poor guy.  He just stuck out his bottom lip, looked at me, and started crying (not too loud, thankfully).  It's the saddest look!  It was like he was almost saying, "Mommy, why are you letting them hurt me?"  Awww!  Anyway, it was over before he knew it and once he was able to cuddle up next to me, he was fine.  Alright, now on to Parker's stats:

Weight: 27.4 pounds (I thought it was 26.4 on the scale, but this is what she printed for me so who knows!) That puts him in the 83rd percentile.

Height: 33 inches (92nd percentile) When the doctor saw this the conversation went as follows:

Doctor: (Looking at me with the expression that Parker is definitely not tall because of me) So, is your husband tall?

Me: Umm... not really... umm, well he's under 6 feet.  I'd say 5'10 or 5'11, I think.

Doctor: (Has a look on his face that says Parker's height is not because of how tall Greg is) Well, he's getting tall genes from SOMEWHERE in the family!

It was pretty funny.  So, at least for now, Parker is tall for his age.  And last, but certainly not least... Parker's Head Circumference.

Drumroll please...

...

...

...

19.8 inches, which puts him in the 99th percentile!!!!!!  Parker, you officially have one of the largest heads for kids your age.

Oh yes, you are a Stauffer. Was there ever any doubt? :)

Papa Callender... Parker's Great GREAT Grandpa

Papa lives in Mississippi and he just so happened to be in Utah when we were there!  What luck!  Parker was able to meet his only living great great grandparent.  I just wish we had taken more pictures of the two of them together!  Regardless, we had a great time and I sure enjoyed getting to talk with him.

Parker was taking turns giving kisses to Aunt Sharon and Krystal.

Krystal, why is Parker trying to get away from you?

Oh, now I know why!

Just kidding, he loves you Krystal!

Aunt Millie was there too!  That was a great surprise!

Next, the person Parker feels completely at home with... the person who takes care of him better than his own mother (okay, maybe it's a tie)... Madison!  What a lucky boy Parker is, to have so many people that love him!

Imagine my surprise when I stepped outside the house and managed to catch a picture of... Big Foot!  Okay, so it wasn't big foot, it was Uncle Tom! And trust me, it's just as hard to catch a picture of him as it is big foot.  Boy was I lucky!  :)

I was also so happy that I got to see Aunt Bettie again!  I felt like it had been forever since I had seen her!

Parker was trying out new ideas for this Halloween... what do you think? Thanks Hensley for letting him try it on!

We were also lucky enough to be there for my cousin, Derek's, birthday!  Happy Birthday Derek and thank you Uncle Tom and Aunt Sharon for two wonderful dinners while we were there!

Grandpa Great and Parker

Parker had a blast playing with his Grandpa Great (I know some of you think I have those words backwards, but it's a family thing that started with my cousin, Shane... when he was little, he mixed up the order of the words "Great" and "Grandma" and so we've kept it that way on the Stauffer side).  Every time I turned around, Grandpa was stealing Parker away to play with him.  I loved it!  They just so happen to have a sand volleyball court in their backyard, which is a perfect place for Parker to play!

Parker loves puppies!  Every dog is a puppy to him.  Here he is trying to pet the neighbors' dog, Juno.

Can you guess... where are we?

First Clue: Parker's eyebrows are raised, which means he's looking at something very interesting...

Second Clue: Who's that man Parker's watching?

Third Clue: Greg caught a TON of these...

I'm not going to tell you where we were, but Parker's Grandma and Grandpa Great took us there in Utah and it was oh so yummy!

Great Grandma Nelson

Right before leaving Sacramento, we visited Parker's Great Grandma Nelson.  He had a lot of fun exploring her house and we got a lot of exercise while trying to keep him from breaking anything!  Parker's going to miss you Great Grandma!

Let the injuries begin...

Don't you just love when your kids start walking?  In the past few months, we've had lots of bruises, scrapes, and who knows what else!  This recent injury bled more than the rest of his injuries combined (even still, there wasn't too much blood).  Parker tripped on the sidewalk and got scraped up just below his bottom lip.  Poor guy.  He was a real trooper though.