Parker turns 2!

Parker turned two in April.  Of course we had a Buzz Lightyear Birthday Party for him.  It's funny how kids lock onto a character and that's what makes them happy.  Buzz it was!  We had a couple friends over for the festivities.  We played some games like shoot Zurg, walk on the moon, and then Buzz's spaceship brought some candy. Happy Birthday Parker!

Some things about Parker at age 2:

- He continues to snuggle and cuddle

- He get's really sad when Jack has to go to school or somewhere where he can't go too

- He thinks telling me what his burps taste like is funny (such a boy)

- He loves to wrestle with dad and Jack, and he can't get enough of wrestling/or tackling Jack's friend Luke

- He is quietly mischievous

- LOVES to play in water.  Bathtub, pool, water "shooters" or his water table is where he can be found.

- Gives the BEST hugs

- Loves to read books before bed 

- Is really into singing "Happy Birthday"

- Favorite song to sing at night is "Childs Prayer"

- Is a serious talker, talks, talks and talks

- Loves fruit of every kind

- Is happy and has a roll with it kind of personality, but is definitely in the exploration and "do it my self" phase.

We love Parker so much and are so thankful that he is part of our family.  He is a bright spot in our lives and we can't wait for more Birthday's to celebrate.

A quick side Birthday story for Parker.  After we opened the Piñata and got all the candy out, Parker walked up to the spaceship and looked to the side that Buzz's picture was on and he said over and over again, "thank you Buzz, thank you Buzz".  It was so darling- just goes to show underneath that two year old, there is a thankful boy who loves his Buzz!

Shooting Zurg

Getting our Space Ranger Stickers

Walking on the moon (aka jumping on Bubble Wrap)

Buzz's Spaceship

Sucker time

Parker loves to dress up.  An Elephant with a light saber... good choice.

Guatemala 2012

Rob and I traveled to Guatemala with our friends the Morley's in the middle of April.  It was such an amazing trip.  Rob served his mission in Guatemala and when we moved to our home and met the Morley's we found out that Becca also served there.  Ever since we've been dreaming and planning and scheming ways to get there and visit.  Rob and Becca had both been back since their missions, but always dreamed of showing their missions to their spouses.  The stars aligned and we were able to put a trip together.  We traveled through Guatemala for 8 days and loved every minute!

We landed in Guatemala City where we got our rental car and headed to Antigua.  Antigua is a really cool town with Spanish architecture and cobble stone roads.  We walked every inch of the city and ate some great food.  We shopped, went to a Jade museum and saw how the Jade was made and set into Jewlery. We also went to a chocolate museum, danced to the marimbas with a Guatemalan tour guide and made some great memories.  

Next we traveled to Panahachele, where we spent a couple days on Lake Atitlan.  This is supposedly where the Waters of Mormon are.  We relaxed, took lots of walks, meet up with some of Becca's friends, and went to the market day in Chichicastenago.  One of my favorite memories of this town was tracking down Becca's friend.  She lives in a town called Solola.  It is located in the mountains of Guatemala, about a 15 min drive from where we were staying.  We stopped by her home on our way in, but she wasn't there.  She does not own a phone, has never seen the internet, so it was amazing that we were able to track her down.  Our next attempt  was a little more successful.  We went to her home and talked with her son who told us that she was working in her and her husbands butcher shop that day.  We went to the market...the LOCALS only market, and it was the inner market at that.  We had to ask a couple people where her shop was- we were quite the spectacle, 4 tall Americans walking through a market in the Guatemalan mountains.  We were successful and we found the butcher shop- the reunion between Becca and her friend was priceless.  We visited in the butcher shop for a while and then left.  Needless to say a butcher shop in Guatemala is a lot different than here in America...meat was off the menu for me for the rest of the trip :).

Our next stop was the beach house on the Coast.  We drove from Panajachele to San Marino where our home awaited.  We drove up to our beach house and were thrilled with the accommodations. We had our own pool, maid and pool boy.  It made us all laugh because this was something we were not accustomed to. We sent the maid home and told her to come back the last day so she could do her cleaning after we left.  We went to the beach, sat by the pool, took naps, went deep sea fishing and cooked our own food.

Our final stop was Guatemala City. We got into the city and checked into our hotel and then we met up with on of Rob's friend Erwin from his mission.  Erwin was the ward mission leader when Rob was there and Rob became really close to him and his family.  Erwin came and picked us up and gave us a little tour of Guatemala City and updated Rob on the changes since his mission and then we went to dinner with him and his family.  What a grand experience it was to visit where Rob served his mission and meet some of his friends that changed his life.             

Antigua

Arch in Antigua

 Catholic church  in Antigua

Pila, or group washing area for clothes

Need a ride...how many people can you fit in the back of a truck?

Lake Atitlan

Big Sail Fish

They caught eight of those fish- can you tell how happy they are

Black sand beaches on the Coast

Market day in Chichicastenago

Hanging by the pool

Taking naps in the hammocks

Volcano

Erwin, Rob and Meggan at the Guatemala Temple