HAPPY BIRTHDAY PK!

Someone is celebrating a birthday!

Woohoo!
Happy Birthday Parker, PK, P-Sizzle, Park-Park, Bubbsy, Sir Bubs, Angelface, Tiny Baby!


In honor of this momentous occasion,
I’ll share 15 things we love about Parker.


Parker is kind and loving.
Everyone knows that those are our family bywords and he personifies them.
He’ll cook for his brother, fetch things for his mom and dad, play with babies, offer to help out, do his fair share plus everyone else’s and he NEVER complains!


Parker is big!

He may look small but he is mighty.
He stands up for what is right and he won’t be bullied.
He holds his own at home, on the field and in school.


He’s a force to be reckoned with.


Parker is athletic.

He crawled and then he ran.
I don’t think we have ever seen Parker walk.
He’s quick, he’s agile, he takes a lickin and he keeps on tickin!

Parker can cook.

So maybe I don’t appreciate it when he starts crème brulee at 10 pm

or when he comes up from the basement with frozen chicken breasts to make homemade chicken strips at 10:30 pm. But that boy can cook.

When he was 3, he asked for his own Kitchenaid.

When he was 8, he asked for a Panini maker.

When he was 10, he asked for a “professional” fryer.

Last Christmas, he wanted a mandoline.

And his fondest wish has always been a butane torch.

Parker is a hard worker.

Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he gives it 110%.
He takes his responsibilities seriously.



Parker is fearless.

He'll always try new things.
When he was about 10, he built a ski jump in the front yard.
It was large.
He would practice helicopters off of it.
People would drive down our street just to park and watch.



Parker makes us laugh.
He’s not the class clown,
he’s just funny.
His perspective on life is so………matter of fact
My brother was lamenting the fact that whenever he takes his children on a road trip, someone gets carsick. Everyone was sharing their horror stories.
He turned to Parker, then 9, and asked, “Have you ever gotten carsick?”
Parker: “Oh yeah, when I was 6 we were driving on these winding roads through Tuscany. We were on our way to Montepulcino to the Prada outlet…………”
My brother just burst out laughing at the ridiculous frame of reference.

Parker is wise beyond his years.

When Parker was six, he lost his first tooth.
I feigned excitement (come on, he’s my last!) and I said,

“Oh you better go get your tooth and put it under your pillow for the tooth fairy.”

He looked at me and cynically replied,

“Nah…it’s just you.”

Me: “Oh no……the tooth fairy is beautiful. She has has pink glittery wings and…”

Parker”…..right…..and she wears a white t-shirt and pink pajama pants.”
Lost childhood.

Parker is determined and he works hard to achieve his goals.

We applied to have Parker enroll in kindergarten when he was 4.

The school district routinely turns down 100% of the applicants.

But when pressed, they would allow those who successfully passed an enrollment test and had principal approval to come to school.

I thanked the principal and promised her that I wouldn’t ask anything more from her.

I wouldn’t demand morning or afternoon or request a special teacher.

Her reply: “It’s not you I’m worried about, it’s Parker.”

As we prepared to meet with the principal so that she could tell us her decision,

I prepped Parker.

“Now, Parker, if she tells you that you get to come to school, DO NOT ask for a special teacher or to be in class with friends. Just thank her.”

Principal: “Parker, I have reviewed your tests and talked to the psychologist. Congratulations! You get to come to Creekside Elementary!”

Parker: “Thank you very much. But I’ve decided I’m going to skip this school and just go on to middle school.”

The principle just turned and rolled her eyes at me. I think this is exactly what she meant.

Parker has a strong sense of right and wrong.
He’s always had to stand up for himself, so he’s not afraid to do the right thing, even when it’s not popular. He makes really good choices and is good at seeing the possible outcomes of his decisions.

Parker is respected.

He doesn’t come across cocky and he doesn’t judge.

He just does his thing.
People know he works hard.
His teammates and classmates respect that.
He was selected as the JV Lacrosse captain and elected Sophomore class president






Parker is in charge.
He’s confident and there isn’t anything he can’t accomplish.
When Parker was about 5, he went to the school pumpkin patch.
We live right behind the elementary school, so the pumpkin patch was almost in our backyard.
After perusing the goods carefully, he rolled a large pumpkin up to the cashier.
Parker: “I’d like to get this pumpkin.”
Lady: “Oh my. That’s really big. You better go ask your mom.”
Parker: “Pretty much…………..I’m in charge.”
The neighbor lady who was working the patch turned to the cashier and said,
“Yeah, he is.”
She sold him the pumpkin and he rolled it home.



Parker is loved.

He’s nice to everybody.
Everyone wants him on their team or in their group.
He gets along with elementary school kids, seniors in high school and adults.





Parker is comfortable with himself.
He knows who he is and he likes himself.
It’s working for him.
We like him too.




Parker is always up for fun.

I’ve never heard anyone laugh so much or so loud.
But then if you were Parker,
what’s not to laugh about?
We frequently say that in our next lives, we want to come back as Parker.

Happy Birthday Parker!
We love you!