Tonka Mania

I have grand ideas when it comes to cake decorating, but I always seem to have a little problem with the carry-out, especially in the frosting department. So although it's not what I envisioned, Parker got the truck cake he asked for.



We let the monkeys out early on Parker's birthday...which explains the PJ's. We're on a bug hunt here. We caught a cricket, a roley poley (aka "holy poley") and a beetle.



Reid, also in his PJ's, is a little bike theif, enjoying a ride while Parker is on a bug hunt. And of course he's enjoying his cake in the first picture.



Birthdays are always fun to the max at our house and we just got to celebrate Parkers this weekend. He turned three and it shows. I think he's grown up quite a bit lately. I've noticed him catch himself before throwing a tantrum and deciding otherwise. I've even caught him being nice to Reid out of his own free will. I think he's getting old enough to occasionally recognize that there are consequences for his actions. And he's spent a lot less time on "time-out" lately. I don't know what it is about being two that makes it so terrible. But it's not just one of those catchy phrases with great alliteration. Parker really hit terrible two's just before his second birthday and grew out of them just before his third. Now I can't wait to see what my three year old has to offer.

Parker was quite insistant on having a "Truck Party" so we truck-partied from dusk til dawn and we all had the time of our lives. To stick with the theme, all he wanted for his birthday were trucks...and hot rods. And thanks to a Tonka Truck sale at K-Mart, thats exactly what he got. Plus a bug collecting kit from Grandma Benson and a tricycle because I feel every three year old needs one. It's so easy for me to shop for Parker. He gets excited about everything. So, naturally, I want him to have just that...but at the same time remembering how much I hate toys in my house. That's my one link to reality in the toy store. It's the only thing that keeps him from getting one of everything. Plus, with him being the oldest, we don't "already have one." We had no Tonka trucks before this weekend. But when Reid turns 3, we'll already have some. Plus a tricycle and all the other important three year old toys. It's a lot easier to over shop for Parker. I feel bad for Reid, but even worse for Smith Boy #3 (which is what we've decided on for his name by the way). I suppose we can just re-wrap the Tonka trucks every time a kid turns three around here.

It's been one of those days where Parker, while going down, or fighting to go down, for a nap woke Reid up 45 minutes into his nap. And in turn, Reid woke Parker up about 45 minutes into his nap by trying to get into his room. (Now that Reid is upright, it's opened up a whole new world of trouble making...including doorknobs.) So my boys both had short naps that didn't over lap and it's high time I get off the computer and end the WWF match going on in my family room.