2011

We wish you peace, happiness, and joy in this new year. Before the Peas went to sleep tonight they gave me a message to pass on to all of their readers:

"Nighty noodles."~Ryan
"Happy Birthday! ~ Evan




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Peas Take on NYC

We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and took a trip to NYC today to see the Christmas tree and to hang out for a few hours. It was crowded, chaotic, crazy, and FUN! Ryan and Evan loved it! I was a little worried about taking the boys over, especially since it was sure to be super congested because of the holidays. It was really easy, though. We can't wait to head back and take the Peas to Central Park and to the museums.


This is how they were the entire time~ heads turning back and forth. So much to see!


The Hollister store was pretty cool. There was actually a line to get in. I think if I had to stand in line to even get into a store I just wouldn't go!


I took this picture of St. Paul's Cathedral for Evan. He loves pointing out churches.


Lots and lots of walking


We finally made it to Rockefeller Center.


And there it is!


Too bad we didn't get a chance to see it all lit up at night.


I muscled my way in to get a glimpse of the skating rink.


Evan sat on the edge of his seat most of the time. Ryan knows that you have to have on your "mean face" in the city!





Is that who we think it is?


Elmo! We didn't see him at Sesame Place, but here he is now!


It's no surprise that Ev wanted to shake Elmo's hand.


Ryan...not so much! But he did tell Elmo bye-bye!


Mommy and Daddy take a rare picture together


Parker wanted to go in Harry Winston to buy me some new diamonds, but I told him that's okay. I already have enough high end jewels! Maybe I'll let him buy me some next time. HA! :)

What a fun way to spend the next-to-last day of 2011!

Christmas with the Parkers~2011

Christmas 2011 was a merry one indeed. Even though we wished we could have celebrated with our families, we enjoyed the festivities with just our little family of four. Here's a short recap of our Christmas celebration:

We spent Christmas Eve in our Christmas pj's making gingerbread cookies

And eating them too!

Next, we took a few silly photos

And gave good night kisses before the Peas headed to bed

Next Mommy and Daddy started the task of getting presents put together and set up

Bright and early Christmas morning and I'm not sure if we were more excited or Ryan and Evan

The keyboards were a hit

And so was Muno!

Not to be left out, our Badgie Boy joined in on the fun

Our baby boy was really into opening presents this year

And was glad to score a set of Barney DVDs

After opening presents we headed to church. This little cutie has suddenly refused to leave his mommy's lap during church service. Yet he also refuses to sit still!

And this little cutie's main goal is clear: must get to Daddy in the pulpit! This explains why Mommy looks exhausted so early in the morning!

Speaking of Daddy, he played one of the wise men in our Christmas production. It was fabulous!

Afterwards, we headed home to eat dinner and get back into our Christmas pj's! Daddy read Ryan his special copy of The Crown on Your Head, which is Mommy's new favorite book.

Ryan and Evan enjoy playing with their felt play mat. In fact, they are all about anything having to do with cars right now.

~

So, that's how the Parker's spent Christmas. It was a quiet, low-key holiday with just the four of us. We missed our families back home, but we talked to them throughout the day to say our Merry Chritmases, thank-yous, and I love yous. We gave gifts to each other and to our loved ones, yet we focused on the knowledge that the greatest gift of all has already been given to the world. It was a Merry Christmas indeed.

Saturday Fun

My sweet boys went to the Autumn Gold Christmas party on Saturday. When did they go and grow up on me?! Sometimes I look at them and am amazed because they seem to be changing so much and so fast. Once my babies, though, always my babies!












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mommy's Reindeer

As soon as I took his picture Ryan handed me his antlers and said, "Okay, Mommy. There you go." Ha~Love these two!

Felt Car Play Mat is Done!

Ryan and Evan have really gotten into cars lately. Ryan loves to drive his cars all over the furniture and people sitting on the furniture! I wanted to make them a homemade gift of some sort and once again Pinterest came to the rescue. I really, really love Pinterest! I kept seeing felt car play mats all over the site, and they were all no-sew! All you need is felt and hot glue- lots and lots of hot glue. I knew that this was the DIY project for me.

My inspiration for this project came primarily from Kimbo at A Girl and A Glue Gun. I also checked out Oopsey Daisy's blog too. Oh, and I can't forget Iowa Farmer's Wife either. They have such great ideas. I gathered my supplies, did some research, drew my plans and got started.




The felt is 36x36 and I used ribbon around the edges. You can buy felt this size, but I just cut a yard of it in half. Special thanks to my husband for helping me. This was the hardest part. It was tricky getting a template drawn while keeping the lines straight and making sure everything connected.

Next came the fun part! I wanted our mat to represent our neighborhood and our lives. That meant including our home, our dog Badger, our church, and my favorite store~Target.



I had to include exit 46 because Evan knows that exit! That's one way we can get home, and if I pass it and go another route he gets mad! I also added a school (PES) Parker Elementary :) and a McDonald's. The park was a fun scene to make too. I added the baseball diamond because the park felt a little empty.



This was time consuming, but fun. I burned my fingerprints off again, but who cares?! I love to craft and I love making my boys happy. This was a win-win situation! I think they'll love this gift, and I can't wait for them to see it. I want to make giving homemade gifts a part of our family's Christmas tradition from now on. How neat will it be for them to have this mat for years to come and know that their mommy made it just for them.

Check out the blogs I mentioned above if you want to try this yourself. They have tutorials that are easy to follow, and really cool play mats that will inspire you to make one of your own.

Christmas Picture Out-takes 2011

I tried taking the boys to a studio so we could get professional pictures taken this year. Big mistake! I don't even want to think about what happened. I had seriously given up all hope of having a holiday picture taken this year. Lo and behold, though, the Peas cooperated with me before church on Sunday. I think even the out-takes are kinda cute!

YGG

I've never been a fan of the big blow-up decorations for the yard. No offense to anyone who has them, but they are just not my style. But when the boys and I got home from school the other day and found out that Daddy had a big surprise waiting for them, that all changed.






I didn't even know they made Yo Gabba Gabba blow-ups! I couldn't help but smile when I saw Ryan and Evan's faces light up when they saw this. They are still goo-goo for Gabba! Each day when we get home they run to the front yard to see Muno, Todee, Foofa, and Plex. It's the cutest thing! Noticeably absent from these pictures is Ryan who prefers to greet the gang from afar! Maybe he's trying to figure out how in the world they ended up at his house! Evan, on the other hand, doesn't mind getting up close and personal.

I'm 2peasmama and I'm the proud owner of big blow-up yard decor! Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

Christmas is in full gear here in the Parker household! This is my absolute favorite time of the year and we are looking forward to the big day. The day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Ryan & Evan wanted to take part in the festivities by helping decorate the tree. I've been busy making something special to put under this tree for my favorite Peas! I should be finished soon, so more blog posts are on the way.

:)

My sweet boy was so proud of himself for building this tower tonight!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone