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Happy 5th Birthday Parker

Whew...he is getting old! Already 5 years old! We had his birthday party on Saturday last weekend and had friends and family over. Some of the family pooled some money together to get Parker a basketball goal, so he and his buddies were outside playing with that most of the afternoon. It was a little cold, but I guess the new "toy" trumped the weather. Thank you so much to everyone coming over to help celebrate his 5th birthday.

January Stuff

I can't believe that I haven't updated in a month. Where did January go? What have been so busy with? Well, it seems that January has been a pretty nice weather month. Whenever I get home from school, it is so nice out that that is exactly where we go. Kendall loves to ride around in Parker's truck. She get the biggest grin on her face when they go driving off. Parker is a little bit over it, but he loves to make his little sister happy. Parker's new "thing" is playing basketball. He just got a goal for his birthday, but before that, he just wanted to dribble (ALL the time!). He does a great job at it! He can dribble with both hands and does good dribbling while on the move. He can almost dribble without watching the ball. Kevin and I have really enjoyed watching him learn something new and excelling at it. Parker started playing basketball at the Y last weekend. Again, he does great at dribbling, but we got to get him more aggressive. I'm sure by the end of the season, he will get the hang of it. While I'm on the subject of Parker, he got his "report card" from school. This is his second one and it is great to see him improving in areas. He has never been fond of writing (or coloring), but just him writing his name is WAY better!  He can orally spell him first and last name and we are almost to the point of knowing my cell phone number. The teacher reports that he is a very social kid, but can sit and listen without interrupting and has self confidence. He participates in group activities, can follow 3 step directions, and has an "I try" attitude. He does need to work on controlling his voice volume. Mrs. Webb feels that he is right-hand dominate (however he hits, throws, shoots baskets with his left). He is still working on holding his pencil correctly. His gross motor skills are great - kicking a ball, jumping on one or two feet, walking a balance beam, etc. As for his cognitive skills, Parker excels at matching and sorting objects, doing puzzles, and can count to 19. He knows about 1/2 the letters in the alphabet when shown them randomly. Parker knows his colors, shapes and recognizing numbers. We are very proud and can't wait for him to start kindergarten next year! Parker is very independent and likes to play in his room by himself. He always wants the door closed and that is a battle are having right now. Every night before bed Parker and I pray; and I don't know how to describe it, but he is the BEST prayer. He knows exactly what to say and he is only 4 (almost 5). He always asks after his "amen" if Jesus is smiling (because of his prayer). And I know for a fact that He is!
Now my sweet Kendall...getting more snuggly. When she was a baby, that wasn't her thing to cuddle up together. But now she likes to snuggle with Kevin and I with her "night-night." Thank goodness she has 3 blankets she likes so we can cycle through them and wash them. There is nothing overly special about them; they are just BIG blankets. She have some blankets that are the same material, but smaller and she doesn't like them. Kendall LOVES to eat! Sometimes Kevin and I have a hard time keeping up with her. And boy does she put it down! It isn't unusual for her to eat 2 full slices of pizza, but don't be suprised if she eats 3. Or 8 chicken nuggets. WOW! She is still working on using a fork and spoon. Spoons are easier for her. Also, don't mention "bath" around her. She will go running for the bathroom. She loves to take a bath and she is set in her routine of dinner, bath, book, bed all in about 30 minutes. She is AWESOME to put to bed! She will talk for about an hour (maybe 2), but she never complains about her crib. Even in the morning, she will play/read in her crib for an hour or 2. And even then she still doesn't cry; we just feel bad that she has been up that long and go rescue her. Usually she is up around 7:30, naps at 12:30-3:30, and then back to bed at 7. She really enjoys getting out the house. She is excited when we go "bye-bye." Kendall LOVES her brother too. She gets so excited when Kevin and her pick him up from school or when she watches him play basketball. She claps on the sidelines for him. When we are at home, she likes to play with her jewelry and books. She rambles a lot; still working on the word thing though. But animal sounds - she has that down. I can't even count how many animal sounds she knows - dog, cat, bird, camel (still my favorite!), bee, deer, bear, lion, tiger, duck, monkey, fish (cute kissing sound!), snake...and I KNOW I'm missing lots.
Kendall and Parker play very well together and God has blessed Kevin and I with them. They make us smile everyday!