O-N-E!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JOHN PARKER!!!!

We can't believe you're a year old!!!! You are an ACTIVE little man. You no longer walk but RUN every where you go. We are exhausted. You no longer say mom now that I am home with you all day...no respect. You will say dad, ball, dog, milk, gi, and something along the lines of "what's that." You aren't the biggest talker but when you do talk you think whatever you say is the funniest thing ever. You get that from your father. You love the church nursery and seem to keep the kids going in there. You will stand by the cd player (more on that later) and dance for most of the church time. You play so hard in nursery that the moment we get you in the car you crash (sometimes even before we can get the car started;) John Parker, you love other kids. You play so good on playdates, in the nursery, and with Caroline! If another kid cries you will either cry with them or go over to them and be there (I guess for moral support). It's so sweet!

Before you attempt something that you are going to do you plan it in your head. For example...if you want to steal my cell phone off the coffee table you might make a few small reaches for it but once you realize that you can't grab it you will RUN around the room and play with something for .5 seconds then reach up for someone that might be sitting on the couch (who has then forgotten that you really want the cell phone) as soon as that person picks you up and then sets back on the couch with you, you immediately and successfully reach over for the phone. I do believe pick pocketing is in your future. GULP. You are so funny and keeps us going with your antics.

You want to be so independent such as feeding yourself and wanting to climb the stairs. If we would let you, you would climb up and down the steps to our bedroom all day long. When you turned one you immediately started throwing these fits. Fits is putting it lightly. When something is taken away from you...if we don't have a backup toy waiting you will fall to the ground (face down with head resting on arms) and cry while hitting your foot against the floor. You have it all down to a science. Bless your heart. You are in the wrong family for sympathy. Your father and I find it hard not to laugh and take pictures while you lay helplessly, screaming for our attention. It's all very eye opening to what life will be like when you are two! In other ways you are SO laid back. You are so easy to pack up and take anywhere. You just go with the flow...which comes in handy when your mom and gi want to go shopping or your parents want to go on a date and leave you with someone! YOU LOVE WALMART! To the point that you squeal and scream with excitement up and down the aisles. I can only imagine what Disney World will be like some day. You also like to carry around a cell phone and will use anything in sight that will double as a cell phone when you are in a bind and can't find one.

You finally love bath time. If we ask you if you want a take a bath (like it's an option:0) you take off up the stairs for our bathtub! You could stay in water all day. You love going swimming and so far this summer we have spent a lot of time at the pool! You are fearless when we get in the pool. You hate being stuck in a tube or strapped with floatation devices. You want to be independent in the water. I am pretty sure we are a poster child for what not to do with a small kid in a big kid pool.

You are no longer on formula and drink whole milk. You drink two bottles every time it's offered to you...you cannot get enough! I did go 2 days trying to get you only on sippy cups and off your bottle but for sanity reasons I decided to try again later. You LOVE bananas, hot dogs, cheese puffs (not cheetos but the kid kind), potatoes, cheese, milk, grilled cheese, canaloupe (sp?), bread, crackers, yogurt, cereal, rice, pancakes, and just about anything else that the grocery store has to offer. You LOVE food and I am so thankful. If anything has a hull..such as a pea...you will squeeze the inside out and spit the hull part out...it's really funny and so great to clean up after you eat! You will also sign "more" the ET way by pusing your two index fingers together and you do this when you are ready for us to put "more" food in front of you. It's a little scary because now you will sign "more" when you want something other than food. Lord help us!

At your last doctor's appointment you weighed 22 pounds! Your right on target for weight and height (can't remember your height but that isn't going to change your destiny). YOU HATE going to the doctor and it's a very humbling experience for your parents. You scream from the moment we enter the room until the moment we leave. You have not passed out yet from screaming and crying but the way you hold your breath, it's bound to happen. There is a little of that Deardorff fire in you:0) You've had three recent ear infections so I understand your reservations about going to visit the doctor.

We love you little guy and we thank God for our bright, happy, healthy little man!!!

This Thursday morning (May 27th) of John Parker's actual birthday. We suprised him with a gift first thing that morning when he woke up. Notice that we used Valentine's Day wrapping paper. We were living at my parents house that week because our house was being painted so our resources were limited. Noticed we all look EXHAUSTED. It was a long week trying to get the little guy to sleep well in a different bed.
I'm pretty sure he could have cared less. We ended up wearing the hat and opening the gift for him...he just wanted his bottle.

The Party...we had it at church in the children's ministry which was perfect because I didn't have to clean house! There were around 50 friends and family that came.

The picture/thank you table. There where little rubber duckies to take home (JP's favorite) and a sign asking people to PLEASE take home a beach ball. I order both of them in bulk from Oriental Trading which everything comes in pack of 25 or more. Needless to say we did not want to take home 50 beach balls!

Out of order...hanging out with Aunt Beck and Lanie in the kiddie pool.

Gift Table (before the party...you got more gifts than that John Parker;0)

Food Table.

We had a fruit tray, deli tray, cheese tray, cupcakes, no bake cookies, M & M's, cokes, grandma's punch & capri suns. We could have fed an army! Notice the stars and dots on the wall....since we had the party in the children's church (hints the small tables and chairs) so the walls and ceiling were already decorated! We just had to do the basics!!! It was great!

Trying Grandma D's banana punch (she makes it for all the birthdays) and YOU LOVED IT of course!

Again, playing in the balls. I think Becca gave me this idea..THANK YOU!!! You have started a

trend!

The cake....you did really well but didn't dive into it. You just ate slowly taking in each morsal of sugar.

John Parker, you carried these swim trunks around the entire party. From the moment you opened them...until we got home. Thank you Mayos for the adorable shorts on the hanger. They are a hit!

Enjoying your new wagon from gi and pa pa.

Caroline & Will making "espresso" for the party guest. (It's Caroline's toy).

Posing with some gifts you got at the party.

LOVES the wagon that Gi Gi and Pa Pa bought him!

Not into the birthday hat...

Wearing down and posing with Will.

Posing with gifts after the party.

This is why we went with the ball theme....you LOVE to carry them every where!

Pics are little backwards but this was your reaction when you walked in! TOO cute!

The party went wonderful! No tears shed by children, cake was wonderful, & we got to see family and friends that we haven't seen in SO LONG! It was a great time and John Parker, you had so much fun! We love you little guy!!!!!!