Hunger Games

So how does a book make the blog? Well, when a book is so time consuming, and is the topic of frequent conversation, to the point where it became a race to see who would finish it first, that is when a book qualifies to make the blog.

It took us awhile to catch up with the times, having first heard reviews from family, then friends, until finally we both got it in our hands and couldn't put it down.

Fortunately for Parker we have finished the trilogy and now can return to being parents again!

Thief

Growing up we would play cops and robbers. I always wanted to be the cop. Perhaps it was my mom's "it just isn't fair" attitude that caused me to gravitate to the good guys. At the age of 2 Parker, completely uninhibited and to the chagrin of his "fair father", is aligning himself with the masked bandits.

This armed bandit seems to have his eye on anything that is the neighbors. As of late his filthy paws have grabbed hold to a pink scooter that makes the Jazzie look like a race car. The only guilt that is displayed during this act of burglary is that of dad when the battery dies and the prison known as home is the only escape.

Though a little worried about his interest in pink, I will embrace the pink all that I can to prevent him from stealing the hearts of the girls in the neighborhood. After all, who wouldn't want a 2 year old heart throb that melts your heart as he waves from the pink cruiser?

Jammin' with Grandma

Nothing like hanging out with Grandma, eating strawberries and pushing the buttons multiple times on the blender. We had a good time making jam and loving the product that came after that can rest in our freezer until we need it. Can't go wrong with homemade jam!

Careful What You Pray For

When we planted the garden back in June I was skeptical, knowing my gardening skills and knowing that it was late in the season. With a kind rebuke from my father who helped us plant that June day which said, "Pray over your crops and see what happens." With a little prayer, still not enough attention to the daily weeding and tending to make my ancestors proud, we went to work. As a result we have cucumbers growing out our ears and finding their way in Salsas and to neighbors doorsteps (wanted or not). We have a freezer full of peppers, squash, and zuccini. Raspberries surly are manna from heaven knowing that Parker would be devouring them. Tomatoes (thankfully) have transformed into the family favorite marinara sauce. The only casualty seemed to be the pumpkin, but thanks to Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin Patch", we can take care of that.

Such a harvest has us begging the question, "Did we really pray for all of this?" The answer just might be, "Be careful for what you pray for." How thankful we are for answered prayers to fill our freezer, fridge, and home with memories.

Traditions of our Fathers

I was fortunate enough to wake up before Melissa on Saturday morning. Usually she is the one who is the early bird getting the worm but not on this particular Saturday morning. By doing so I was rewarded with the benefits of passing on a "tradition of our fathers". Call it coercion, persuasion, convincing, brainwashing, instruction, or whatever methods are used to gain an ally in the attempt to win another Cougar fan in the home, I went forward in such a venture, claiming that it was a "tradition of our fathers. What resulted nearly brought tears to my eyes and screams from the room as Melissa awoke to such a scene:

It is unfortunate that such a scene couldn't spur the Cougars on to victory. Perhaps mom should pass on the "tradition of her fathers". Better wake up a little earlier on Saturday!

Such a stunt probably spurred mom to have me make the breakfast this morning.Happily I obliged, in the hopes for peace and harmony in the home. At any rate, Parker was happy because he individually put raspberries in nearly every hole in the waffle.

Raspberries

This year the raspberries have been good to us, especially Parker who is always up for a trip out to the garden to pick some "berries". Here are some action shots of some raspberry picking.

To finity and BEYOND!

This is what an obsession of buzz will do for you:

We need to work on his enunciation of some words, but I guess when you are a space ranger you can do as you please! (No your sound on your computer isn't messed up, its Parker's volume when he transforms into Buzz Lighyear!)

LABOR DAY

In the spirit of Labor day we did just that, Labor. It was fun labor, though, as we spent the weekend in Wyoming helping family lay sod and other yard work. Though sweat was dripped in the winds of Wyoming, there was plenty of fun to be had, thanks to cheap ice cream (Courtesy of Little America, WY) and priceless entertainment, provided by cousins aunts and uncles and grandparents.

Changes

The news of adding a boy to the family triggered a number of changes to the home. One of the first changes was the painting of the new baby's room. After a few tiring nights and a few painting blunders (by Devin), some painstaking patience and pinpoint painting precision by Melissa and her mom, the room was transformed into a colorful checkerboard of sorts. We hope that this will be a welcoming sight for Baby #2 who we can only hope will be our next chess champion!