Le Photo Bomb #2!

 Hanging out with Uncle Ben after his graduation

 Met his Mammo (who he calls 'nemo')

 He decided this was the most effective way of getting around the hotel ;)

And Mommy's most effective way to keep Parker occupied.  It lasted for more than 100 miles on and off!!!

 The Paint needed to be stacked ;)

The column needed to be painted!  He did a pretty good job, but needs some work.

Le Photo Bomb #1

Well, here's a WHOLE SLEW of pictures from my "Colors of Fall" collection

We're BAAAAAACK!

And boy are we EXHAUSTED!! Parker has been sleeping 12-14 hours overnight and 3-4 hour naps!! He also lost out on a good deal off sleep with this crazy virus he had. Beyond that, it was a GREAT trip!! We miss Uncle Ben very much, but our life doesn't stop!! We're onto working and finishing up the porch, but for my own sanity, I'm only devoting 3-4 hours a day. Beyond that, I'm spent.

Few other projects that I have going on this month:

Starting to dye the pompons for Parker's rug
Contemplating how to assemble said rug

Also contemplating how to organize and move Parker TOTALLY out of his room after we finish the downstairs and porch. After that, everyone moves UPSTAIRS to do Parker's room!!! Our goal- Have it done by his birthday. This will be a PUSH. I'm hoping for it to atleast be painted by then, to be honest. All the other 'adornments' and decor can be added at a later time and as we go.

Need to MAKE PJs for me and Parker. We are both so leggy that it's hard to find things that FIT just right. At the very least, I need 2-3 pair that are appropriate for 'society' ;) It's good to have comfy days, even at Target!

Get back to Weighted Blankets. Zach is first up! Who's next beyond that?

Finish French and Diplomacy classes.

Think about Christmas. Get decor out once we get the rooms done!!! Ben is coming, Beka's Graduating, Thomas will show up-- I'm sure, and we are going to have a BLAST! I'm baking my first cookies tomorrow that are a rum raisen :) YUMMY!

How is this going to happen? SCHEDULING!!!

We typically get up, get meds and treatments.
--- During this time, I make breakfast and get dressed myself.
We eat and get Parker dressed and ready to go
Then we'll clean up and get our schedule for the day.
(this slot is usually when we have therapy or go to Target... Which I still consider therapy ;) )
Snack and TV show/free play for Parker (sometimes more meds)
--- this is where I'll do a craft for me like cut the fabric for crafting later on, or assemble our craft for later in the day, or do general house cleaning (if he's doing really well this will last until lunch time)
LUNCH, Meds, Nap.
--- I usually jump on this time like a HAWK! This is MY time. I start off with school work and try to knock out 1-2 assignments a day. Afterwards I'll craft, though lately I've been doing the house repairs that need to be done. Today I spent about 3 hours painting and priming the porch. I'll do this again tomorrow also.
When he gets up, it's typically almost dinner time. We'll do our craft for the day, or run errands we need to get done. Afterwards, we'll make dinner together. Eat, and SOMETIMES we'll make dessert! He loves to help make things :) I've considered making a cook book for kids :)
After that, we'll snuggle in for some mom/parker time or playtime in his room. Followed by getting ready for bed, therapy, meds, and sleepy time!!!
-- Sometimes, depending on how spent or awake I am, I'll finish what I started earlier. Be-it, crafting or school work.

But tonight, I'm DONE. Goodnight world :) Picture BOMB tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow...

... we start a very crazy day! ROADTRIP!!! We are driving to see my older brother, Ben, graduate from Captain's Career Course in the Army. Both Parker and I are VERY excited as he LOVES uncle Ben :) And, Uncle Ben is pretty crazy about him too! However, there is a damper on the entire thing as Parker is sick. Yep, the first illness of the winter months has STRUCK! No idea exactly what it is, but he is one miserable baby... I will be posting pictures and tips as we go through this trip. I have some pretty awesome organizational ideas that I'm excited to share! But in the meantime, enjoy this picture from the other day as Parker was learning to paint with water colors :)

Holy Busy-ness batman!

SO, I've been one VERY busy little beaver :) Here's the rundown:

1. Started home-preschooling Parker. We spend 1 hour a morning (before snack) working on coloring or little fine motor skills. About 1-2 times a week, this is replaced with OT or ST, which I agree is an appropriate substitute :) So far, he can successfully count to five, but counting objects and toes are still coming ;) He can also draw and recognize circles and squares. His favorite activity are puzzles!!!

2. I've begun to sell Scentsy (https://catmayhew.scentsy.us) and make weighted blankets!!! It began with making Parker one, and it turned out so nice that I had orders begin pouring in! I'm loving this new creative outlet, though I need to make some Fleece PJs for us as its getting rather chilly!

3. Parker's new favorite activity is going to the zoo. He wakes up every morning saying one of two things, "where Steamer go?" (refering to his GeoTrax train) or "see Am-nals". The latter usually wins and we've been visiting the Zoo about once a week! Below are some pictures from our most recent visit.

4. The fits aren't as frequent with Parker, but they are getting bad again. He's also begun to consistantly tip-toe walk. All of things put together are not great signs, but the Doc's are keeping an eye on his psychological development.

5. Denver- oh Denver. The insurance company came back and denied everything. They are allowing us to consult with a doctor out there, but they are not allowing any proceedures to be done. So, we are in a full appeals process, and it is going soooo slow!! I will keep you posted on any developments.

Beyond that, we're doing ok :) Progress on Parker's room has been haulted as we need to finish the downstairs rooms and the porch before it gets too cold. So, that's the skinny :) Lover you!

Dun Dun Dun! The construction begins!!

Wow, what a week! And it just zoomed right past!! I have several 'must do' projects before we go to Pittsburg and getting this room done is #1! I'll be working on house clean up tomorrow as I axiously await my Scentsy order from my dear friend Lesley! (shoot me a comment, I'll send you her website. She rocks!) I've really let this place go to crap as I finished these last two weeks in school. Now that I have the week off, I'm going to get this place back in order and ORGANIZED. Y'all know me and my incessant organization... I have a 6 inch thick pile of papers to be filed.. this must be done before I loose my mind! Here's what Parker's room looks like right now:



These are the colors as they will be. The white is the woodwork, a semigloss, this will also be the clouds in the sky over the blue. That's the ceiling. And the "Aged Parchement" is the walls. Its a very pretty LIGHT creamy brown. I'm tempted to go a shade lighter than that, but wanted the room to be 'warm'

More Parker Room Pictures

Some more preview pictures :) The Green Wall is what I'll be working on today. His floor screen is acting as a 'containment' for his toys right now!






And Preview of what his room will look like from the door. I set it up to see how I would like it :) And I do!!!