Happy 10th Birthday Parker!

Today (December 23rd) Parker turned 10! It's hard to believe my oldest is now a decade old!! Where has the time gone? I still remember going to the hospital to be induced to have Parker 10 yrs ago. Eric made me dinner (just pancakes) since I was going to be induced. (I didn't want any big meal that would cause me to have to go to the bathroom. Ha ha, the thing I always worried about regarding delivery - there were no problems BTW in that area, phew! :) Not only did Parker turn 10 but it marked 10 yrs since Grandma H has been gone. She passed away on the exact day I had Parker. Not only did she pass away on this day but she was in the same hospital as me (I was on the 2nd floor, she was on the 3rd.) I had gone and visited her that night (she had had a stroke a couple days before while at church) and told her I was coming to have my baby. We were able to talk for a few minutes, little did I realize that would be the last time I would talk to my dear grandma. She passed away the following day around 2:10 pm (no one told me she had passed away since they didn't want me thinking about that since I was getting ready to deliver a baby.) Ironically right after 2pm was when I finally started dilating and making some progress. I had Parker at 6:43 pm and then learned from someone that my grandma had died. Some part of me believes one spirit had to go so another could come to earth. I know they passed one another and she got to meet Parker so that's a nice thought.

So for Parker's birthday we had the family over for a little party with snacks, cake & ice cream.

He enjoyed the attention and loved all the gifts everyone gave him - things like Guitar Hero 3, a remote control alien spaceship, a big NERF gun, clothes, a remote control truck, a safe to put his money in, and some games.

Since Parker is now 10 (he's sporting the double digits, apparently that meant he got to light all the candles on his cake my 12 yr old nephew informed me,) here are 10 random things I love or appreciate about Parker:

1. How naturally athletic the kid is - he quickly picks up on any sport or physical activity (the latest being snowboarding) and looks like a natural right from the get go.

2. His gift of gab. He will strike up a conversation with anyone. I always hear him talking to grown ups passing by saying something like "Hi Steve, how are you?" Etc....

3. His looks. People always commented on what a beautiful baby he was and that hasn't changed, he's just a goood looking kid with that great skin, eyes, hair.

4. His handyman skills. He's great with a screwdriver, etc. There were several things Eric showed him how to do just once and now that Eric is gone he totally remembers how to do them and is so helpful in doing things around the house for me, it amazes me. He also can just figure something out if it doesn't work right and fix it so it does work.

5. (He won't appreciate that I'm posting this one) but I like that he still likes to be tucked into bed and has to give me a hug and kiss each night, it's sweet and endearing. He also will come up behind me at random times to just lay his head on my shoulder or to give me a hug and tell me he loves me.

6. Parker always likes to lend a hand and help others. This can sometimes be a little annoying since he appears "too helpful" at times, but I put it down as something I like about him since teachers or church leaders will often comment on how much they appreciate the help Parker will offer them.

7. He likes to listen to all the songs I play in the car, like BNL, Michael Buble, Pink & Katy Perry (OK, I'm a bad mom to admit those ones) and even things like WICKED and Mama Mia.

8. His ability to make friends easily/quickly.

9. His loyalty to me or his dad.

10. His thoughtfulness. He had to buy me a Christmas gift with his own money & thought long & hard about what I really needed before buying something.

Happy Birthday Parker! We LOVE you!