Happy Halloween!

Parker went "trick-or-treating" a day early this year. Just this week I became "Wife of the Year" when I scored tickets to the Georgia/Florida football game. Joshua will get to fulfill his goal of seeing Tim Tebow play in person before he graduates. Being a "house divided" when it comes to football...tickets to this game were a good compromise. So we are headed south today! Mamaw is coming to keep Parker and tend to our trick-or-treaters. I couldn't leave town without seeing my "chunky monkey" all dressed up! So, we went to see Grandmamma and Grandaddy at Grandaddy's office. We also went to see our good friends the Stansberrys....more on that visit later.

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Peanuts, Eggs, and Rat-Tails, Oh My!

We found out that Parker is severely allergic to both eggs and peanuts. We fed him a scrambled egg one night for dinner and he broke out in hives and threw up violently. That was our first clue. One trip to the allergist and some awful tests later, it was confirmed....eggs and peanuts. So, now we carry an Epi Pen at all times and read labels with scrutiny. Apparently there is a "severity scale" for food allergies. Parker's egg allergy is considered mild, which means he will more than likely outgrow it. The peanut allergy, however, is considered severe. It is about a 50/50 chance that he will outgrow that one. I'm amazed at how many things have peanuts or are "processed in a plant that also processes peanuts." Sigh.

In other news, Parker has a "rat-tail." Joshua is lobbying to have the official "first haircut," and I'm resisting. The rat-tail is most noticeable when wet. Once his hair dries, it kinda curls up and doesn't appear so "rat-tailish." I just can't justify cutting it yet.

We spent a few days at Mamaw and Papaw's in Rabun this past week. We are on Fall Break. Parker enjoyed being King of the Castle and I enjoyed being lazy!!

Papaw pushed him around his his "car" for hours.Mamaw provided snacks at the drive through.Aunt Meredith and Parker chillin' in the box.Staring contest with Uncle Kolby.Snuggle and Snack Time with Papaw.

Classic

I'm thinking Christmas Card....

Bringing Up Boys

Parker is becoming quite challenging. He is really testing his boundaries lately and it is about to put Joshua and I over the edge! The child had a red spot on his leg the other night from us popping him repeatedly for climbing on the hearth and then trying to propel himself onto the recliner. He would do it, we would pop him, he would cry, then he would walk right back over and do it again! It was a battle of wills....and he's only 13 months old. He loves to climb and bang and be loud and throw things. I guess you could say he is "all boy." Gone are the glorious days of putting him in the jumperoo and letting him entertain himself for an hour or so. We are constantly running to rescue him from some peril danger...like watching him push his riding toy to the table, stand on it, climb in the chair, and climb halfway onto the table in 2.6 seconds flat...or cleaning up some mess that he created....like when he pulled the floor lamp down and glass shattered from here to Alabama....or when he pushed the garbage can over....
And just when I think I'm about to go nuts.....he pulls out the charm. The video below is proof. He was laughing hysterically at me popping and un-popping some bath toys. And there you have it...all is forgiven.

Musical Entertainment

Parker decided to provide me with some musical entertainment while I cooked dinner last night. It was such a LOUD beautiful serenade. This is just 43 seconds of what lasted for about 45 minutes!!!

A Boy and His Balloon

Parker has a new found LOVE for balloons...of the helium kind. It started with Aunt Beth bringing him a balloon as a "special prize" one afternoon. At first, he was scared of it. But once he got acquainted, it quickly became love at first sight. Parker and his balloon are now inseparable. He doesn't put it down. I literally have to pry it out of his hand for him to eat. It has become quite a handy "tracking device" throughout the house. Need Parker? Just look for the balloon. We have had many different balloons since that first "prize" about two months ago. (yes, it's been going on that long) Parker shows no attachment to the "flavor" of the balloon, just the fact that it floats. Although... it is a sad, sad morning when we discover a "fallen" friend. Currently, we are toting around a "Bob the Builder" balloon from Great-Grandma. Obviously, the way to Parker's heart is helium.

Running Barefoot

Apparently Parker will be running barefoot for a while. We went today to purchase the inaugural pair of shoes for our walking babe. I must admit, I have been very adamant that those sweet baby feet be bare until absolutely necessary. I'm thinking that my perseverance in this endeavor has come back to bite me. Let me just sum this trip up for you in pictures...

Grandmamma, Great-Grandma, Aunt Beth, Mommy, and Parker all arrive for the BIG milestone occassion.

Our excitement is palpable.First order of business...measure the foot.

Size 4 Xtra Wide.

Shocked? Not really.Look Parker! Do you like these? They are cool!

(and the only shoes in the store in an EXTRA WIDE)You do like them! Awesome!

Let's try them on!Oooh! Looking good! First one on!Next shoe. These are looking good!Ok! Got them on! Let's stand up and

take them for a test drive!And....he HATES them. He refused to walk. He just sat down and SCREAMED.

He kept pulling at the shoes and looking at us.So, I took them off and Granmamma took Parker outside....

Where he quickly got over the whole incident

by driving a bus....

BAREFOOT.

We ended up NOT buying the Stride Rite shoes. They were the only style available in EXTRA wide and I wasn't 100% in love with them. (neither was Parker apparently) I did find some at Target later and brought them home thinking Parker might like them better in his own environment. WRONG. Same scene as before. He did take two steps in them and then sat in the floor and screamed again. I'm considering that progress. Do they still enforce the "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policy? Cause we might have a problem.