Lucky Lit'l 3 Year Old

While away on our adventure, Parker decided to have a birthday so he was fortunate enough to celebrate multiple times. He started his birthday a day early with presents from us because we weren't going to be together on the actual day. What kid doesn't enjoy getting some new toys for a trip?

Jill and the kids were able to share his actual birthday with Gma & Gpa Vdm in Cincinnati. A little time at Chuck E Cheese is always fun for the kids. I suppose we can endure the adventure every once in a while.

I'll give Jan credit for making a 3 year old's dream cake come true of a real dinosaur. Jill was expecting a sheet cake that had a picture on it, but no... Jan took his time for a masterpiece! A sugary delight with different shapes and textures. Good job Grandpa on the cake!


Since the family was able to come to Chicago we were able to have another celebration for Parker and my brother Jay at the same time 34 candles on one cake was pretty extreme but the two boys were able to handle the heat. Thank you uncle Jay for sharing a cake with Parker.
So for Parker better not get used to multiple events, multiple cakes, and multiple presents all the time. It just happened to play out that way this year.

Back Again

So for the last few weeks we have been out of town on some adventures. And now it's back in the desert to try and get into our normal routine.

Jill and the kids had a trip planned to Cincinnati to visit her parents. Since they were headed out of town and since I don't have a regular job right now I decided to go back to Chicago to be slave labor to my parents for some things that they needed to get done. So as usual, Jill and the kids played while I worked, just a different kind of work.

The kids had a great time in Cincinnati. They were able to swim all the time and play with loads of toys in Jan's basement (one of the perks of being a toy maker). I'm sure Jan and Martha had fun with the kids but guarantee that they were worn out to some degree. The best part of the trip for Parker was he decided on the second day of the trip that he wanted to start using the toilet instead of a diaper so we had some success. The one drawback for me was a joked with Jill saying that if she got him potty trained before they got back that I would get her a new video camera. I thought there was no possible way but as a result I guess I have some shopping to do.

My vacation as I stated was filled with work. I spent most of my time building a paver patio for my parent's house or other little projects that needed to be done. It was hard work but in the end it looked good and the parents were satisfied so it all worked out. At this point I had to remind my dad that if I come to do any projects that I am in charge since I'm the one that knows what's going on. Since this is my 6th paver patio I feel I'm getting the hang of it.

As part of the stint in the midwest, Jill was able to come up to Chicago for a few days to spend some time with my family and friends. It's amazing how much of a mess the kids can create regardless of their surroundings. During their visit we were able to sneak up to Michigan and visit with our good friends the Bindrups. David and Katie are in Law School so it was a good chance to catch up even it was just for a short time.The break from job hunting was nice but short lived. Chicago is a good place to visit but it got below 50 degrees while I was there and that quickly reminded me why we moved to Phoenix. Jill on the other hand thought that moving to Cincinnati would be fun, I beg to differ. We missed our desert life. It was a comfort to get off the plane and step into 90+ degrees.