LittleShortyMonkey.com

HOOK ‘EM, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

You can see that Parker is still working to recover from the University of Texas losing the national championship game. Of course, Texas is Holly’s alma mater, so she is training him well. He has learned how to say “hook ‘em horns”. He is saying all sorts of fun things – some of his other favorite phrases are “all good”, “where you goin’”, and “cheese please”. He also loves to chase the dog and giggle and say “Cay-Cay”(short for Cayman).

ROSY CHEEKS, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Here’s Parker after spending a little time out playing in the snow. We got about two feet during the big December storm. He had lots of fun playing in it – though he made it clear that he is adamantly opposed to mittens. The snow was so deep that every now and then he would topple over and yell “I stuck! I stuck!”

HMMMMM…, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

I’d like to say that Parker is pondering nature…having a Henry David Thoreau moment when i took this photo. Actually, i think he was tired of having his picture taken as i tried a little too hard to get just the right holiday photo.

SLINKY, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

I loved my Slinky when i was a kid, so I am happy to see Parker enjoying one too. His friend, Emily, got him this special Halloween Slinky for him.

TRICK OR TREAT, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Halloween 2009! Here is the little man out trick or treating in the neighborhood. He dressed as a park ranger. He doesn’t totally understand the candy thing, but he sure did like barging right into people’s houses! He hasn’t learned to say trick or treat yet. Mostly he just greeted people with a very sweet “hi”. Almost as sweet as the candy! He also liked hanging out back at the house – enjoying friends and checking out Holly’s new fog machine.

THE ARCH, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Parker loved sprinting around the beautiful park that surrounds the Arch in St. Louis. I took this picture lying on the ground. He is super curious, so of course he wanted to see the camera lens. We took a ride up to the top of Arch – 630 feet!

ROUTE 66, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

I took this photo of Parker at a diner on Old Route 66 in Oklahoma. I am trying to pay a visit to every state in the U.S. This trip should get Parker going on his list of states too!

THROWIN’ ROCKS, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Parker loves to be outside. And what’s more fun than throwing rocks with Maddie? This picture was taken at Holly’s Dad’s house in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

ALL SMILES, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

We are trying to take advantage of the last little bit of summer over this Labor Day weekend. Parker went swimming today and explored the neighborhood on a nice walk. As you can see, he has switched out of his high-chair and into a more grown up chair. He loves playing with trucks and he is great at blowing kisses!

THE WIGGLES!, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

This was Parker first “concert”. We saw The Wiggles in Hershey, Pa. He’s a big fan. Grammy and Pappy Parker met us there. Parker appeared to be in a trance for the first few songs. The trance was followed by dancing, sprinting around the theater, etc. He had a great time. And those Wiggles were pretty impressive. Did you know they just surpassed Nicole Kidman as the highest paid entertainers in Australia?

POSING FOR THE CAMERA, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

“Little” Parker is now almost 3 feet tall. He’s growing like a weed, but what’s really amazing us is how fast his vocabulary is growing. In the last week or so he’s started to say many new words everyday. He surprises us all the time. His favorite word is still “hot”. He has also learned the word “no”. We’ll be hearing that for twenty years or so! He now knows the names of everyone in the family – even the dog.

, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

This is Parker during a trip to the aquarium in D.C. it’s so nice to see him pause for a moment. We’re used to the blur of him being constantly on the go. He did enjoy the fish, but mostly he just ran laps around the aquarium.

COOLIN’ OFF, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

We spend a lot of time exploring the backyard and we’re always looking for ways to escape the summer heat. Here Parker’s pouring water from his bubble jar. He also loves to play with the hose. He hasn’t really figured out that he can squirt us. I’m sure it won’t be long!

TICKLING THE IVORIES, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

This giant keyboard may have been Parker’s favorite part of the Please Touch Museum in Philly. He loves music and never passes up a chance to do a little dancing. He also always gives himself a round of applause at the end. Hoping he didn’t inherit his rhythm from me!

CAROUSEL , originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Uncle Rob took this photo at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. it was truly mesmerizing!

FUN FELLOW, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Parker loves to play! I took this picture while he was in the tub. He loves all things with wheels – especially cars. He also loves to read. He is obsessed with cleaning supplies – brooms, mops, etc. Mostly, he loves to race around outside in the big, wild world.

BIG SHOES TO FILL, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Right now Parker is very interested in trying on other peoples’ shoes. He’s interested in a variety of styles – heels, sneakers, etc.

BEACH BOY, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Parker got his first real chance to play at the beach. He hung out with his buddy Cole at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Parker raced right down to the water. He would certainly have jumped right in if we’d let him. As you can see, he also enjoyed playing in the sand.

THE WHITE HOUSE, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Thanks to a friend of a friend, we scored some tickets to the White House Easter Egg Roll. We saw the Obama girls, Sasha and Malia. Parker wasn’t very interested in them, but he did like having such a large lawn to explore.

EGG-CELLENT ADVENTURES , originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

This is Parker at our neighborhood Easter egg hunt this weekend. He’s using the same basket I used as a kid. it’s a bit tattered, but it does the trick. It took Parker a minute to figure out that the eggs go in the basket. Once he figured out how the whole thing works, he was digging it!

BEST BUDDIES, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

As you can see, spring has sprung in Washington. The cherry blossoms and tulips are amazing. This photo was taken around the corner from our house. Now that winter’s fading and Parker is experiencing the outdoors, he can’t get enough of it. In fact, he gets pretty mad when we head indoors. It’s so confining!

CHEAP TOYS, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

You can buy all sorts of expensive, intriguing toys, but let’s face it, there is nothing as fun as a paper towel roll.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Here’s Parker deep in thought while wearing his silly St. Patrick’s Day headgear. However, it appears Cayman is the one who is truly concentrating…trying to figure out if those clovers are edible.

OUTSIDE!, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

We finally got some warm weather this past weekend. it was a whole new world for Parker. For the first time, he got to run barefoot through the yard. He climbed all over the porch and raced down the sidewalk. It’s so much fun to watch him explore the world. The only bad part – when we made him come back inside!

FIRST HAIRCUT, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Parker is experiencing many firsts. Today he had his first haircut. Just a little trim. We insisted that our hairdresser not cut off his wonderful curls. He was bit confused by the process, but never got upset. Gilbert, who cuts our hair, is a pro at handling kids.

We marvel at the many things Parker is learning to do. Yesterday, he was playing with his bib and I heard the Velcro open. I looked over and he had put his bib on all by himself.

Pasta for Parker, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Here’s Parker honoring his Italian roots. He has really transformed into a little boy. Holly has been teaching him to eat with a spoon. it’s a work in progress, but very fun to watch. He has already figured out how to “sneak” food to the dog. His favorite foods right now are blueberries, broccoli, and, of course, cookies!

WALKIN’, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Parker has been a man on the go for quite a while, but now he’s mastering a new trick. He’s walking. He still walks a bit like Frankenstein, but he’s getting the hang of it. It’s very exciting for us to see him looking so grown up.

WINTER WONDERLAND, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

OK, it’s not really a winter wonderland – just our backyard. We bought Parker a baby sled, strapped him in and enjoyed our two inches of snow. This is Parker’s first real snow in D.C. He didn’t seem to mind the cold and he laughed a lot.

SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

This is the “hill” in our backyard. Parker enjoyed the adventure. We also pulled him around the neighborhood on his sled. We’re hoping for some more snow. He’s clearly just getting started.

INAUGURAL TOUR, originally uploaded by littleshortymonkey.

Today, when Parker woke up from his nap, we headed downtown to check out some of the inaugural decorations and preps. We were all happy to spend most of the tour in the warm car instead of outside in the cold. We did pop out to take a few photos to document this historic time. We enjoyed all the buzz. Parker liked watching all the people.