Day 277

"Mommy, I don't feel good." Oh, that face just tugs at my heartstrings. I wish he was still little enough to rock to sleep like I did when he was a baby. But my big boy just won't let me any more. At least we can still have a cuddle on the couch or in the big blue chair. Give Mom a hug, Parker, that will make you feel lots better.

Day 276

Les would tell you that this is a rare sight, I am actually cooking. Alas, it's true, cooking is one of those things I "have" to do, as opposed to "enjoy" doing. It's not that I am bad at it, I just wish someone else would do it . . . all of the time. Kaitlyn looks like she is having fun, perhaps some parent/child bonding will inspire in me the joy of cooking.

Day 275

Look Ma! I brushed my teeth. (Pay no attention to the fact I got water all over my shirt, the counter and the floor. What's important here is that I am cute and my teeth are clean).

Day 274

And so begins football season 2009-2010. Les and Parker donned their matching Brett Favre jerseys and headed over to Grandpa's house to watch the Sunday games. Kaitlyn and I took leisurely afternoon naps and then went to Target & Costco.

Day 273

The McCord and Anderson families got together for dinner and a show - without any children involved! We enjoyed a lovely Italian dinner at Caro Amico in Portland (come to find out it's where my parents had their first dinner date). Then we headed up to the Clark County Amphitheater for a Pearl Jam concert. The concert was great and we had pretty good seats . . . but if we'd had a better camera you'd be able to more easily tell the guy with his arm up is Eddie Vedder.

Day 272

That smile and those curls . . . watch out world because you've got a heart breaker coming right at you.

Day 271

It's a historic moment in father-son history, when the two can sit next to each other and eat Oreos while watching ESPN on TV. Actually, it's especially miraculous that Les is willing to share his Oreos.

Day 270

Oh Kaitlyn, gone is my toddler who was content to be set in her crib promptly at 8:00 pm every night. Now it's all about laying on the couch with your brother. If we try to skip "couch" time, we are inundated with cries of "Couch!! Couch!!" from the confines of your crib. So now, we've had to readjust your bedtime ritual to include at least 10 minutes of couch time. You just hate to think you might be missing something fun, don't you?

Day 269

Clearly Kaitlyn hasn't quite managed to figure out how to put on her headphones yet. However, it really doesn't seem to bother her one bit.

Day 268

Kaitlyn is still loving her baby dolls. She is starting to play pretend with them more and more - feeding them and putting them to bed. I can't believe that she is even old enough for that.

(I like this photo because it shows off her skinny little leg! She still only weighs 23 pounds. But for such a tiny little thing, she is full of spirit.)

Day 267

All five us us stayed in the Tahoma counselor cabin, with Parker & Grayson on mattresses on the floor. It started raining in the morning and Parker was quite fascinated that he could just poke his head out and see the rain.

Day 266

After spending the day running tour groups through "Basic Canoeing - In Less than An Hour," Kelly & I decided that it was the boys' turn to take a spin around Home Lake. They were both very excited and desperately wanted to paddle. However after a few minutes of them accidentally (and repeatedly) whacking each other with the paddles, we decided it was best if only the two of us paddled. Their favorite part was the Western Pond Turtle we spotted (and promptly named Bob). If we'd let them, both Parker & Grayson would have stared the turtle down for hours.

Day 265

It was Reunion Weekend at Camp Arrowhead. Kaitlyn stayed home with Les this year, so Parker and I drove up Friday night to stay the weekend - we even convinced Grandma to come along with us. Parker was really excited because he was going to "go camping with Grayson." While Mom & I were unpacking the car and getting settled, Grayson and Parker spent the time launching themselves from a big pile of mattresses onto a small pile of mattress. Could anything be more fun?

Day 264

Up, Up and Away!

Day 263

Kaitlyn's going through a book phase right now. She likes to sit and read the stories to herself - which is mostly just looking at the pictures. She really likes it when Parker reads the books to her, because he makes up stories that go along with the pictures.

Day 262

You can't really tell, but Mama Kitty is staring down Parker. He really likes to pet her but she always runs away when he gets close. Then he roars at her and she runs farther away. One day he'll learn that's not the best technique with the ladies . . .

Day 261

I am so impressed with how Kaitlyn can just whiz through all the menus of my iPhone. She knows how to turn it on, select the game she wants, change games when she's bored . . . she rarely calls people by accident . . . but does seem to have a knack for deleting the apps. Oh well, it's a good thing I back it up everyday at work.

Day 260

Grandma and I took the kids to the zoo for a sunny Sunday outing - the new predators of the Serengeti exhibit had just opened the previous Friday. It was pretty crowded and the lions were hiding, but we were able to see the cheetah cubs dozing nearby.

Day 259

Suddenly I turned around and Kaitlyn was nowhere to be found. It was a little too quiet so I went investigating and happened upon this scene. Thank goodness that she doesn't know our desktop password or I am sure she'd already have a blog going about her crazy family with hundreds of followers.

Day 258

So, potty training is fully upon us now. We try to get Parker in unders every evening. Some days are more successful than others, but he will at least pee on the potty a couple times a night. He's all boy though and will only do it standing up. It seems that Clorox wipes will be living on the back of the toilet for a long time - hopefully his aim will improve.

Day 257

She looks so uncomfortable, with her head all cocked at an odd angle to avoid her toys. When we actually put her to bed, she was heading the other direction. Unlike Parker, Kaitlyn tends to wake up in the same position that she fell asleep in. She must have been restless this night.

Day 256

"Please, I could be an outdoor kitty. I know I could do it!"

Day 255

Kaitlyn was very excited to be wearing her "back to school" clothes - especially her new shoes. Finally, she got her own pair of "stompy" shoes that light up, just like her brother.

Day 254

I managed to figure out the timer on my camera so we could get a group shot after we tore down camp. It was a near thing, because Parker was screaming the whole time. But we managed to (in one shot) get one where everyone, even the dogs, looking at the camera with their eyes open.

Day 253

Having our tent sites next to the field at the campground was a great arrangement. Dogs & boys alike got plenty of exercise.

Day 252

Here's Kaitlyn all dressed and ready for bed, after hanging out the campfire with mom of course. Both kids did pretty well with nighttime; Kaitlyn got to sleep in her BFF Carrie's bed and Parker & Grayson shared a cot out by the fire. After the adults were all finished playing games, we then packed up the kids and carried them to the yurt. However as late as they stayed up, they did not sleep in at all :(

Day 251

The Deemers came up for the weekend and Holley & Bailey tagged along for the ride. I was impressed at how well Kaitlyn and Bailey played together. Here they are exchanging bits of dirt . . . Kaitlyn was particularly enamoured of throwing handfuls of dirt everywhere.

Day 250

Labor day weekend has arrived! While the ladies set up camp, Grayson and Parker ran around like crazy taking turns pulling each other in the wagon. Which was great because it kept them occupied and out of the way.

Day 249

When I checked in on Parker before heading to bed myself, I noticed he shunned his blankets in favor of snuggling up with Other. (Yes the cat's name is Other. We've got two orange tabbies, Fatty & Other. Yes, it's a good thing we were able to come up with real names for our children.)

Day 248

A quick trip to Ikea brought an expansion kit home for Parker's wooden train set. He was quite pleased when he was able to set it all up by himself. And although they don't quite fit on the tracks, Parker likes to have his Thomas trains line up with the wooden ones too.