Chores

Why did I have a kid?  So, that I could get some help around this house, of course.  Get ‘em grown and get some help, that’s my motto.

So, now that Palmer is old enough to aimlessly wander the house, I’ve been putting the guy to work.  Toys?  We don’t need toys around this house.  We are a working lot, ya know.

What are Palmer’s new chores?

1.  Feed Boston.  Palmer has had an almost life-long fascination with Boston’s dog food.  So, I’ve recently had Palmer help me fill Boston’s water and food bowls.  I hope it reinforces the message that “this ain’t your grub”.

2    2.  Close the door when you come in.  He can’t open the door yet, but Palmer will follow requests to shut the door.  I look forward to Palmer opening the door one day because then I can also request that he let Boston outside.  Fun times are in store!  We Jordans know how to live on the edge. 

3   3.  Carry your own stuff.  Listen child, it’s not my fault you can’t control your own bio movements.  So, if you need a diaper and wipes (and a snack, water, sunglasses, sunblock, kids spoon/fork, bubbles for distraction, and hand sanitizer), you gotta carry it yourself.  So, take this little backpack and off you go.  

     By the way, Palmer is so proud to carry his backpack.  He gets very excited and holds out his arms when he sees the bag and puffs out his chest when he walks with it.  Sometimes the weight of the bag pulls Palmer a little off balance.  But, how are you going to learn some balance if you don’t just dive in?

-    -Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Five Things

A favorite blogger of mine does a weekly series called "Five Things" where she features five miscellaneous thoughts and ideas on her mind.  Although I don't plan to weekly feature my five things list.  Here's a random sampling of five things from the Jordan household.

1.  Palmer's books came to life when we stopped by a local firehouse over the weekend.  Palmer was pretty wide-eyed to see a real fire engine and fire man.  (I swear he wasn't as bored as he looks in this picture.)

2.  Palmer understands the concept of smiling for pictures now.  (Although that doesn't guarantee he will actually look up and smile!)

3.  Little man needs some hair product.  The fro is no longer contained with a splash of water.  With the Texas humidity, Palmer's hair gives new meaning to the Dallas big hair stereotype.

4.  It's raining zucchini and squash and okra over here.  Check out my dad's latest zucchini from the garden:

In an attempt to rid the plethora of okra, my sister and I made a delicious spicy gumbo over the weekend.  (Note: this recipe is vegetarian, but I added sausage and chicken.)

5.  Aunt Adrienne is in town from the Middle East for a visit.  We love foreign presents like this Omani national outfit!

6.  (I know, I said 5.  But, I got a lot on my mind today.  Amen.)
My son can beat your son on a scooter.  Well, maybe not quite.  But, this guy is getting really fast on the scooter.

Happy summer!
-Bethany

Golf Carts

Many little boys have a fascination with trucks and construction vehicles.  Staying true to gender stereotypes, Palmer is also interested in motorized vehicles.  But more specifically, Mr. Palmer has a new interest and thus a new word: GOLF CART.  It all started with Palmer’s school teacher telling me that he really likes a little book about trucks and asks her to read it over and over.  So, imagine Palmer’s delight when I pulled a book off of the shelf called “First 100 Machines”. 

The same little boy that seemingly never sits still immediately sat down and animatedly flipped the pages and said, “ga ca, ga ca, ga ca”.  Hmmm.  What does “ga ca” mean?  It took me a day to realize that he was looking for and calling other machines “golf carts”.  Rick did a quick google image search of golf carts on his phone and boy was Palmer ecstatic to see tons of pictures of golf carts.  

“Ga ca! Ga ca! Ga ca!”  

Haha.  We might have to bring that silly golf cart we bought for the lake to our house so that he can do neighborhood drives.

I also chuckle when we are in a Target parking lot or somewhere of the like and a security officer drives by in a golf cart.  Palmer usually spots those golf carts from way across the parking lot.

 What a funny little boy.

-Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Theatre Thursday

(Wordless Wednesday will return next week.)  :)

-Bethany

Independence Day

We had such a fun 4th of July.  

The morning was filled with a neighborhood parade.  "Dad, are you sure this is the best way to get everything to the parade?"

Sweet friends waiting for the parade to start:

The moms had the bright idea to plop the kids in the wagon for a photo op.  Bad idea.

The key to a happier snapshot is to give the kids their space and feed everybody crackers.

Palmer sat still during the parade and was mesmerized by the entire lineup. 

 

It was a bit different than last year's parade experience:

Little Miss Evie thought the parade was pretty interesting, too.  She is so precious.

 The motley crew:

After a quick BBQ lunch and nap, we headed over to the club for the evening.  It was such a fun evening of swimming and friends and American gluttony.

And after a very interesting post-bedtime hour with the young kiddos...

...the fireworks began. The show was truly spectacular as the spectacle was thrown about 50 feet in front of us and played out right over our heads.

Palmer was absolutely hilarious.  The minute the fireworks began, Palmer intently studied the explosions.  He didn't cry once.  Instead, he sat and watched with a very very serious face.  It was pretty hysterical.

And five minutes later, the fireworks "soothed" him to sleep.

Good night, sweet boy and a happy 4th of July to you.
-Bethany

Fifteen Months

Once Palmer reached the age of one year, I decided not to do monthly updates.  But, since I have new stats fresh from the pediatrician's office, I'm going to go ahead and do a status check. (I admit, it's probably more for my memory bank's sake, than yours).

DR STATS:

Height: 33 inches, 93rd percentile

Weight: 26 lb, 12 oz, 75th percentile

Head: 46.5 cm, 38th percentile

Number of Teeth: 8.5 (and that .5 is one nasty sonofagun molar)

LIKES:

TALKING:  Palmer is coming up with new words every day.  And when he isn't saying specific words (at least that I can tell), he carries on like this:

SPRINKLER HOSES AND THE LIKE: It's warm outside and Palmer has embraced all things water related...kiddie pools, big pools, sprinklers and sprinkler hoses, splash parks, etc.  He's getting quite brave at the pool and enjoys walking all the way across the kiddie pool without assistance.

SHOES: As mentioned, Palmer is becoming quite the chatty guy and one of my favorite words to hear is "shoe".  There's something about the way he says it that is so cute.  Now, sometimes he gets "shoe" and "choo choo" mixed up.  I had never thought about the resemblance until he misspoke.  Anyway, Palmer LOVES shoes.  When I'm still hanging in bed in the morning, Palmer often goes to my closet and brings a good half a dozen shoes to me.  Luckily, he also tolerates his own shoes and is willing to keep a shoe on all day.  

EXPLORING:  Thankfully, Palmer doesn't need many toys.  He makes his own fun by always exploring his surroundings.  Palmer is brave and confident and has no fear to go off and check out everything he sees.

Every day is a new adventure with this guy!

-Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany