Parker Turns Eight!

Parker at 8 Years Old

Height: 50.0 in (45.8%)

Weight: 53.8 lb  (33.8%)

This guy is now eight years old and starting third grade soon!! Parker is full of sweetness,  enthusiasm, empathy, and silliness. And here is a little more about eight year old Parker. He...

• is bossy, especially with his brothers. Maybe it's a first born/older brother thing, but his brothers are not impressed. 
• continues to be really good at sharing with his brothers most of the time: toys, dessert, etc...
• is very into sports - playing, watching, talking/writing/acting out make-believe games. He really likes to be the sportscaster while also playing the game. His favorite is currently soccer, but he loves basketball and football too.
• has become very competitive. He always wants to know or tell the score of a game. "Who are we rooting for? Who is winning?" He can also get downright emotional when his team(s) lose. Oh, and he picks his favorite teams based on their colors and whether the word Philip (aka cousin Philip) is in their name. Ex. Philidelphia 76ers
• loves to retell the things that he's done or seen to his brothers and even enjoys telling these things to strangers at the playground or really anyone who appears as though they might be listening.
• still likes to cuddle! When it's time to read together he will always scooch in nice and close before getting started.
• is very protective of his brothers. He love to coach them, tell them stories, and look out for them when they're in new situations.
• loves his stuffies (especially Fluff, his little stuffed Beagle) more than anyone or anything in the world. For Christmas and his birthday he asks for things for Fluff. Ex. a pillow for Fluff, a dog collar for Fluff 
• still loves Legos. He enjoys building things from the kits with instructions, but just as much or even more so he loves to use all of his random pieces to build epic structures. 
• can be downright careless with his body and has at least one new bruise or injury every day.
• loves to make people laugh. Sometimes this is so fun and enjoyable. And sometimes it really isn't - complete chaos at the dinner table, in the classroom during a lesson.
• still loves to tinker with things and figure out how they work. He also loves to explain what he has figured out about the workings of things to others. These explanations can be fairly lengthy and it appears as though he isn't too concerned with how well the person he's explaining things to is listening. The explanation is definitely more for him than the person he's talking to/at.
• has started to notice and care about who is friends with whom and how that relates to him. Most of the time he continues to prefer doing things by himself, but sometimes he comments on who is better friends with whom. It doesn't usually seem to bother him when he isn't a person's closest friend, but there does seem to be a glimmer of awareness and emotion about it.
• is still working on controlling his body, actions, and focus - self control is a big topic in our house.
• has become pretty particular about food. His least favorite foods are squash, zucchini, and asparagus. His favorite foods are ice cream, cookies and coconut popsicles. He's still usually pretty open to trying new things, but once he decides he doesn't like something, it's dead to him. 
• is still working on using manners at the table. Actually, WE are still working on Parker using manners. He's still very happy scarfing down food like an animal.

Parker had a great time celebrating his birthday with friends and cousins at West Seattle Bowl. Friends, bowling, pizza, and an ice cream cake with his face on it - what else could an eight year old ask for?!

Happy Birthday Parker!!

P.S. Parker Turns Seven