Status Report

• weeks trav has been gone: 3
• phone conversations: 1 (15 minutes)
• letters written: countless (almost 1 per day)
• letters received: 0 (he has no time!)
• letters trav has gotten to read: 1
• times parker has been to time-out since trav left: i've lost count
• poopy diaper changes trav owes me when he gets home: at least 20 for the obscene amount that i change everyday (and that's me being nice)
  
• my mood: surprisingly upbeat most of the time...but too upset about my almost 2 year old's behavior the rest of the time

things i'm missing most about trav:

• his presence
• having someone around, company
• the way parker listens to him with just a stern look
• back-scratches--he is the best at it...he might even rival my grandma sy who gave amazing back-scratches whenever i wanted (which was usually every couple hours) and even taught me how to ask in japanese when i was teeny-tiny
• seeing him and parker play together
• snuggling on the couch while watching tv at night
• just about everything!

in other news...

on friday night we went to cool desert nights. it is a classic car show. parker had a blast looking at the old cars drive by. here are some pictures from the night:

drayson. nonni. parker

papa. parker (chowing down on goldfish pretzels)


auntie jaysh. kearyn (the sweetest little girl i have every seen!)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things:

So, I thought that it would be fun to jot down some of Parker's favorite things right now. It will be nice for me to be able to look back on it and for those of you who don't get to see him all the time to get some insight into what makes our little man tick! Let's get right to it...here are a few of his favorite things!!!

• Word World: For those of you who don't know, Word World is one of the best shows for small children. I say this not only as a mommy...but as a teacher, too. If your kiddo has never seen it, you should check it out (CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WORD WORLD WEBSITE).
  

• Sports: It doesn't matter what sport...he is obsessed with them all. His favorite word is "balls" and if he sees a picture of a ball he will stop and say it about 10 times before we can move on!

• Books: He loves to have people read books to him. All day long he grabs books and climbs up in my lap for me to read them to him. Here are some of his favorites:

• Water: Parker loves water out of the hose, in a pool, on the ground, in a puddle, in the bath, in the shower...the list could go on and on! It could be freezing cold outside and he would jump right in and roll around.

• Movies: He loves Finding Nemo, Shrek, and so many others. Hopefully that will keep up at least until after our flights to Texas and Hawaii!

• Cookies: He will do just about anything for a cookie!

• Rice: You should hear how he says it. It is so cute. It is one of his best words! That 1/8 Japanese really comes through when you put a bowl of white rice in front of him!!!

• The Plasma Car: My sister and brother-in-law got their son Drayson a Plasmacar for his 2nd birthday. Parker loved it and cried when he had to get off of it. Needless to say, I ordered one after he went to bed that night! You swivel the wheel back and forth to make it go, so it is easier for him to do than pedal a trike. He was hilarious on it!
  

• Pushing it to the limit: Welcome to "terrible twos"...I think that terrible is the wrong word to describe it...I am going to have to get out a thesaurus to find a better one. If I come up with a better word to describe what my child can be like right now...I will let you know! I was able to talk to Travis on Sunday for about 15 minutes and one of the first things he asked was "Is Parker listening to you?" I had to laugh! I simply said NO! Sometimes he can be so sweet, but he really does like to push things just about as far as he can. It usually lands him in time-out...but he does his time and then is right back to pushing the limit 5 minutes later. He does always come and give me an "I'm sorry Mommy" hug and kiss after time-out though...somehow it makes it all worth it!
  

Gettin' His Handsome From His Daddy!

I am still not sure exactly how long mail is taking to get from us to Trav...so in the interest in him getting his Father's Day card on time we took pictures of Parks in his new shirt to send to him. I thought that Trav would get a kick out of it! If you can't see it...the shirt says,
"I GET MY HANDSOME FROM MY DAD"
I thought that it was all too fitting and my boys really are oh so handsome!

Parker is even flexing his muscles in some of the pictures...trying to one-up Daddy already!

still waiting

From the phone call I got from Travis telling me his address, he made it sound like he would get to call this weekend. I waited by my phone all day long and shouldn't have gotten my hopes up the way I did. I know that I shouldn't be surprised...but I was really hoping for a phone call.

It has been so hard to write letters telling Travis what is going on here without having any idea what he is doing there. I wish I had at least some idea of how he is doing. Hopefully this week will go by very quickly and I will hear from him next Sunday.

Until then, we are still waiting...

Daddy?

Today I woke up and looked to my left...and do you know what I saw? I saw Deacon...that's our dog. In place of my wonderful husband I saw our dog. It was so sad and I have to say that I am very surprised that I didn't cry. Although I am getting a bit teary-eyed right this second. It is always harder to recap when you actually have time to think about things...when your kiddo goes to bed, things are quiet, and your mind is not preoccupied with tantrums/cuddling/diaper changing/etc...! I am usually pretty strong until someone calls/texts/facebooks/stops by and asks me how I am doing. Don't get me wrong...I am so lucky to have all of you wonderful people who care enough to check on me and Parks...I love you all very much...it is just hard to talk about it.

Today when Parker woke up he looked back at our bed and said, "Daddy." My heart sank. It was so hard to hear his sweet little voice and have to tell him, "No, remember baby...Daddy is at work and we won't see him for a while." During the day he heard the front door close when my mom came home for lunch, and he stared at the door and said, "Daddy." Again, I had to remind him that Daddy is away for a while. I am bracing myself for the next several days when he realizes that Daddy still isn't around.

Today I talked to my husband, knowing that it is the last time I will hear his voice for the next couple weeks. Time for the letter writing to start! It is a good thing I love to write...it must be the teacher in me!

Today I felt God watching over Parker and me as we begin this difficult new lifestyle. I want you to know that your prayers are working and appreciated! Keep 'em coming!!! Lord know we need all the help we can get!

Today we miss Daddy and know how much it is breaking his heart to be away.

...and now we wait...

Today my husband left for Air Force Boot Camp. I cannot tell you how proud I am of that man. Travis has always wanted to join the military and is excited for all that it holds for our family. I am excited, too...but it took me a while to get there!

Today I dropped him off and had to watch him walk away. I know that his heart was breaking after saying goodbye to Parker and me. And I know that he knew mine was too. Two months seems like it should fly by...but when you feel like you aren't quite whole...it is very intimidating.

Today I realized that I am stronger than I thought...perhaps I really am ready to be an Airman's Wife. Yes, I am sad that my husband will be gone...but the thing I feel most is love. Love for the man that loves his wife and child so much that he is willing to do something so difficult...being away from the people he loves most in order to provide for his family. My heart is overflowing because my husband knows that his wife and son love him so much that we are willing to sign on for this crazy 4 year journey of uncertainties.

Today I am worried about the next several weeks, when Parker starts to realize that Daddy is gone and hasn't come home from "work." I am worried how much it will break my heart to see him sad.

Today I am looking forward to Trav's Graduation from Basic. It will be so wonderful to see him again. It seems so far away...but we are counting down the days.

Today I am asking for prayers. Prayers for Trav as he starts this rigorous experience. Prayers for me as I miss my husband. Prayers for Parker as he misses his Daddy.

we have been BUSY!

playing at the park:
today we went to the park to let parker and deacon run around for a while. he was throwing the ball for deacon and it was so funny...he kept throwing the ball at the tree so that it would bounce off and deacon would go running after it. there are also some adorable pictures of parker and travis swinging next to each other. parker wanted to hold his hand!

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babysitting kearyn:
on wednesday we watched my sister's daughter kearyn while she was at soccer practice. parker was in love with holding her and giving her very slobbery kisses (he doesn't know how to give them any other way!).

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wedding in spokane:
trav's old boss from papa murphy's, jameson, got married on the 28th. we packed up and headed to spokane for the night. we had a lot of fun and parker really enjoyed the hotel and going swimming with daddy!

the reception & the kazoos--

in case you didn't know...the best way to keep a toddler contained in one area and quietly entertaining himself is with a giant pile of kazoos!!! parker spent most of the reception under our table playing with kazoos. we thought that it would be a one-night deal and that as soon as we got home he would be "over the kazoos" and this was not the case. he is as much obsessed and in love with the kazoos now and he was that night!

the kazoo train

our little man was still smiling at 10 p.m. what a trooper!

taking advantage of our little family being dressed up--

silly walkin'

the ceremony--

every camera he saw in the church he thought was there to take his picture...we kept having the "shhhh" him when he would loudly say "cheese!"

the first day we got the suit and tried it on him he literally strutted around the room thinking he was the coolest kid on earth!

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cheesin' for the camera:
parks has become obsessed with having his picture taken and smiling for the camera...he finds my camera wherever I put it and brings it to me saying, "cheese!" it is hilarious and he knows that he is funny. there is one picture where i told him to make a funny face and trav and i think it is hilarious!!!

funny face

showin' off his muscles