Things that are Growing in our House

Baby Pigeons! A co-worker in Bruce's clinic was gone for a few days and left her window open. When she got back to her office, she found a pigeon nest on her desk with a pigeon in it. The pigeon was chased outside, but she felt so bad about the nest that Bruce offered to take the nest home to see if the baby pigeons could be saved. So for the last couple of weeks, we've had a pigeon nest on our kitchen counter. Bruce read up on how to hatch and take care of baby pigeons and we've been very excited. However, they were supposed to hatch a couple of days ago, so we've kind of given up on them.


Seedlings! We've started Roma and jellybean tomatoes, jalapeno and bell peppers, basil, and broccoli from seed and are looking forward to transplanting them soon.


Myra! Myra seems to be in a constant growth spurt, it seems. We celebrated her half birthday a couple of weeks ago, thanks to Alice, who started the tradition.



Myra loved getting messy but didn't really ever try to eat the cake. She has been eating lots of baby food lately and just loves anything that is mixed with cereal.


Here she is with the giraffe Alice picked out as her present.

Myra had her 6 month appointment and it still off the charts for height, weight, and head circumference. She's now 22.5 lbs and 27.5 inches. To put this in perspective for weight, Myra is in the 95th percentile for a 9 month old. Also, Alice is only 8.5 lbs heavier than she is.

10 x 10 = 100

10 favorite pictures from Florida:













10 things we did in Florida:

1. Went to the beach (Alice got knocked over by a wave almost immediately and wouldn't go near the water after that, but did have fun building sand castles with Memaw)
2. Fireworks! Both Alice and Myra loved them.
3. I had a one hour full body massage courtesy of Pepaw, which was very welcome after lugging all 22.5 lbs of Myra.
4. Picked strawberries.
5. Went to Lake Alice.
6. Played with bubbles and water guns in the pool and went to a few parks.
7. Went on walks in the nice weather.
8. Got some good ol' Sonny's BBQ and had some other wonderful dishes cooked by Memaw.
9. I went to the movies with my brother John--we saw Vantage Point, which I highly recommend.
10. We wore shorts and flip flops while it snowed in Iowa!



10 things eaten Easter weekend:

1. Ham
2. Holiday Potatoes
3. Broccoli Salad
4. Jello Salad
5. Yeast Rolls
6. Blueberry Crisp
7. Jelly Beans
8. Chocolate Eggs
9. Malt Ball Eggs
10. Pizza



10 Alice sayings:

1. Hard do! (translation--drop everything you're doing to come help me because I can't figure out how to do this immediately)
2. Aya Happy! (said fervently every time we mention the 'N' word)
3. No, I Aya Parson. (whenever we suggest she pretend to be something)
4. Jello _____. (fill in the blank--this always gets a big laugh, at least from Alice)
5. You're as pretty as a princess! Say cheese! (sayings she picked up from a toy camera)
6. Myra stinky. (Alice says this when I tell her we need to go change her pants--always blames it on the baby)
7. Mommy, hold you? (translation--Mommy, hold me on your lap instead of Myra)
8. Doh Dee Doh (not sure what this means, but it's almost as hilarious as jello)
9. Aya big girl. (we're hearing this more and more often)
10. Dirty table. Make Aya sad. Mommy wash? (Alice is very particular about cleanliness when it comes to the table and her hands)



10 places Bruce is thinking of or has thought about job-wise:

1. Memphis, TN
2. Temple, TX
3. Wilmington, NC
4. Killeen, TX
5. Cincinnati, OH
6. Oklahoma City, OK
7. Tuscaloosa, AL
8. Jacksonville, FL
9. Fort Myers, FL
10. Naples, FL



10 things Myra can do:

1. Roll from back to stomach
2. Roll from stomach to back (did this for the first time for in Florida for Pepaw)
3. Eat rice cereal
4. Sit up for a couple of minutes
5. Pull hair (hers and ours)
6. Sleep in a crib (until a few days ago, she was still in her bassinet--knees bent to fit)
7. Grab toys away from Alice, if given the opportunity
8. Fit into 12-18 month clothing
9. Spit
10. Sleep through most of Alice's night terrors



10 things that will be in our garden this year:

1. Broccoli
2. Roma & Jellybean Tomatoes
3. Cucumbers
4. Onions
5. Beans
6. Peas
7. Carrots
8. Squash
9. Basil & Cilantro
10. Bell & Jalapeno Peppers



10 things we plan on doing this Summer:

1. State Republican convention in Des Moines.
2. State Fair.
3. Star Trek Festival.
4. 4th of July Fireworks in Hills.
5. Finish exploring Nauvoo.
6. Camping at a state park.
7. Parkinson Family reunion in Montana.
8. Host the 2nd annual Blueberry Potluck.
9. Can TONS of salsa.
10. And last but not least, house hunting! (destination unknown)



10 books I have read multiple times:

1. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
2. Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes
3. Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen
4. These Happy Golden Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder
5. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
7. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
8. The Firm, John Grisham
9. Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen
10. Pollyanna, Eleanor Porter



10 places Bruce can fall asleep:

1. Curled up in the Lazyboy
2. On the floor with Alice crawling all over him
3. Couch (any kind, anywhere)
4. Bed (his or any other)
5. Alice's Bed (during the bedtime routine)
6. Car (when in the passenger seat, of course)
7. Airplane (I'm jealous about this one)
8. Scrunched on the Loveseat
9. In the grass
10. Standing up (this one is yet untested, but I bet he could do it)