Four!

I'm taking a break from posting about Utah to giving you a run down of our day yesterday...



Parker turned four!

Now for a short 2 months...we seem like a normal family on the 2-year plan for having children...with a 4 year old, a two year old, and an infant. But come September, Gray turns 1 and it is once again very clear how close together our kids actual are.

We didn't tell Parker it was his birthday. He knew it was this week, but he didn't know the day. We actually planned to celebrate it on the weekend. But spur of the moment on Monday night, I decided I couldn't wait. I don't like celebrating birthdays any other day than the actual birth date. So I made a mad rush to the store for party supplies and presents. We decorated the house up that night. And Parker woke the next morning to one heck of a surprise party. It was fantastic. He can never sleep the night before a big event, so this was perfect.

We asked him what he wanted to do more than anything. I was willing to brave the heat to go to the zoo or miniature golf or whatever. He wanted to see Kung Fu Panda. He's been dying to see it. And really, we never take our kids to the movies. He's been to the zoo more times than the theatres. So I guess this really was a novelty to him. He went in with no knowledge of what Kung Fu actually was...and came out a Kung Fu fighting four year old. On the way home, he made Reid refer to him as "Master Monkey." And since Reid does everything Parker tells him, he did.

Parker is a picky eater so we made a dinner out of all of his favorite side dishes...including mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and fruit salad (made popular years ago thanks to the Wiggles).

I walked by a Forth of July pinata on clearance and decided to bring that home, too. The boys have never done that. He was having a superhero party (like every other boy in America who has recently turned 4) and 4th of July colors work nicely with Spiderman. So I slapped a Spidey picture on it and Parker never questioned it. He thought it was a Spiderman pinata...despite the fact that it was a flag in the shape of a star.

Gray had to be strapped in so he didn't get hurt during the shenanigans.

We took a ride on his new scooter to the park to feed the ducks and turtles. It started pouring. We got drenched, but stayed out until we heard thunder. Then headed home for cake.

Somehow, Reid ended up the wettest of everybody.

Luckily, we had a blanket in the bottom of the wagon and made a little covering for Gray...who ended up pulling it off anyway.

With no time to plan, this was my lamest cake ever. I think they should get better with each birthday. Not the case this year. I planned to make the top of a building with Spiderman climbing up. It looked more like a pyramid. I tried to talk Spence into making a run to the store for Indiana Jones paraphernalia...he's a superhero, right? So instead, it looked like a "Spiderman and the Temple of Doom" cake. I made some pretty good spiderwebs on there that at least saved the cake. Sorry, no pictures.

All in all a fun day. Parker was on a roll. He said a million funny things yesterday. I wish I could have followed him around with a tape recorder. Instead I didn't write a single thing down. I love that kid. And I love that he's growing up.