Parker in April

Parker is amazing! He has had a fantastic month! The first and most exciting thing for us, is that he is potty trained! Yay! I was going to put a more defining picture of this on here, but Micheal said no, so I guess he's worked too long in the prison, and perhaps I agree. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you! We did 3 day potty training method and it amazingly worked right away! We didn't really plan to potty train him this month, we knew we wanted to before he was 3 and my friend and I were discussing this and decided we would both do this method with our kids right now. So, we did it. At first we thought it couldn't work, but we also thought what can it hurt to try, it's 3 days, and we just need to commit. He has done great! (And so has my friend's daughter too!) He even stays dry at night....sometimes.....he is such a deep sleeper, I'm going to have to figure this one out. But, otherwise we have continued on with our daily lives...playing in parks, going to the store, going to story time, church, Bible study.....life goes on and so does Parker in the toilet! yay!

I am potty trained! yay!

Parker also started swimming lessons this month. You'll see the pictures at the last. He has been so excited about them. He has learned how to blow bubbles into the water, jump off the edge, turn around and get back to the gutter, lay on his back (but he still struggles with this, he doesn't like the water in or on his ears, I don't know which), and kicking. They push the ball with their noses and get flung around up and down back and forth in the pool by their parents. It's a bigger class then I would have liked, but it's a start, and at this age, it's not like I expected independent swimming totally! He loves the water though. Addison has to watch from the side, and it about kills her every time. She is dying to get in the water with us.
Parker continues to learn more and more. He LOVES dinosaurs and cars right now. He is always on the look out for them whether we are looking for cards in the store or at movies or shirts...there is bound to be a dino that he will see. Right now he likes the long neck ones, the brontosaurus, but he calls them long necks. It is time for us to get the Land Before Time movies I think! He loves to be outside, and he's really trying to master his hand eye coordination, wanting to try to bat a ball, and loves to play catch. He can ride his tricycle really well this spring, and the playgrounds do not slow him down at all. He has started reading the books to me or Addisy that he has memorized now, and it's so sweet to hear him singing songs we've learned at home or at story time. Parker talks all the time, sometimes I am so glad Micheal came home to listen to him so I can have an ear rest. Parker has really started to enjoy Addison even more and more, helping take care of her, but also helping to make her mad. He likes to take things from her (like her plug or stuffed animal) to make her chase him until she gets so mad she yells and I intervene. He has also had to spend some time in time out for pushing her down and being too rough with her. But, he really is still such a sweet and happy boy. We keep telling him he's a big boy now with the potty training and such. But a funny thing is, is that sometimes he'll see something he wants to do, like skateboard (there's a skate park off one of the trails we walk) and so I told him he could do that when he's bigger. He'll get a drink or wait a minute, and say "I"m bigger now." I think he has Micheal's concept of time, ha ha! Parker and I went on a couple mommy/son dates this month and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and How to Train a Dragon. He did great at both of course. He loved the dragon movie and still talks about the flying dragons. He is really starting to get an imagination and making his toys and such talk when he plays. But sometimes he is so literal...I put a shirt on him that had an alligator playing baseball...the typical little boy shirt. He said, "mama, is this a dragon or a crocodile?" Me: It says Gator baseball, so I think it's an alligator." Him: Alligators don't play baseball, they live in the water." I said you're right, they do live in the water. He is learning so much and thinking about so much too.


Parker wanted me to take a picture of him by his sled one day.....seems out of place to see him in his shorts next to the snow shovel and sled! In April, In Minnesota! Never thought this would happen!

Parker swimming with a noodle all by himself! He can use the current and his kicking to get himself from side to side of the pool width wise!

Addison at swimming lessons. She gets hot in there, but the water is freezing! When all the kids get out to jump in, they are shivering so badly that I sometimes imagine them shaking in like a cartoon.

Parker learning to jump in and grab the noodle...this teaches him to jump in without being caught every time.

Parker and I at his swimming lessons.

Blowing bubbles in the water and kicking across the pool.

One last shot of Parker for the month of April!