Happy Birthday Mr King

Parker: "Is today a school day mom?"

Melissa: "No, it's a stay home day. Today is Martin Luther King Jr's birthday!"

Parker: "I know! Let's get him a toy from Toys R Us!"

Melissa: "What would you get him?"

Parker: "I think he would like Hot Wheels."

After we came home from playing with our fabulous friends...and seconds before nap time...

Parker: "AWE!!!! We just forgot to go to the birthday party!!"

Melissa: "Who's birthday party?"

Parker: "That one guy!"

(brief pause as I'm racking my brain)

Melissa: "You mean Martin Luther King Jr?"

Parker: "Yeah!"

Melissa: "We're not going to a birthday party for him. We just celebrate how nice of a person he was and all the good things he did."

After we decided we were going out for pizza...

Parker: "Let's get dessert, and sing Happy birthday for that guy."

Melissa and Matt: "You mean, Martin Luther King Jr."

So, today at Old Chicago, the Wilcox Family sang "Happy Birthday to Mr. King."

He would have been 80 years old last Thursday.

Just thinking of you...

About 10 years ago, Matt's mom brought home the CUTEST black lab! Much to Matt's protest, his brother named her Scarlett. Scarlett is your very typical lab. She eats anything and everything, drinks from the toliet, takes YOU for walks, chews through seatbelts, sits on your lap as you try to drive, and will always wag her tail and give you slobbery cat box kisses! I'm not joking on the taking you for a walk thing either. Matt's mom actaully broke a bone in her foot taking her for a walk once! Oh, and did I mention that she's not one of those "little" labs...she has got to be at least 100+ pounds! Friday, Matt's mom had to take good 'ol Scarly (Parker's nickname for her) to the vet. She pulled a "Marley" and twisted her tummy up. Please remember that this is Matt's mom's dog. She doesn't live with us, I don't see her everyday, at most once a week. But let me tell you, when I saw her hiding under a folding chair barely wagging her tail at me, it took everything in me to keep it together. Helping Matt load her into the back of the Explorer was one of the saddest things I've done. I truly thought I was saying my goodbyes... Fast forward two days and a million dollars later, Scarly is resting comfortably (I hope) at home. She has a shaved belly and staples in her tummy, but she was a trooper! Thank you Banfield Pet Hospital and Dove Lewis for taking care of our Scarly! We don't know what we would do with her comedic entertainment!

Parker "loving" on Scarlett 3 years ago.

December and Early January

December: Matt and Parker went to a Blazer game with our neighbors. Parker got to go out onto the court, and hi-five the Blazers as they came out!!! Then he got to sit on the bench while they had their warm up! If you ask him his favorite part, he will tell you all about the hot dog and bubble pop that Daddy got him. If he only knew how lucky he was!

What? We still haven't gotten our tree?

Due to snow (and Melissa being lazy) we got our tree a couple days before Christmas this year! Yeah!!! No more "tree-pee*" for our house!! We got to have a lovely smelling one this year!

Keaton opening his first Christmsa present!

And Parker with his "waterfall" book that PopPop made him...

Parker holding on for dear life in the Earthquake House at OMSI...

January:

Happy New Year!!

We celebrated at our house with a "few" neighbors...

Toddler Tyler's hand in the popcorn bowl...

Keaton reading his book from Aunt Kathy...

Keaton meeting his baby cousin (2nd cousin) Olivia Kay...

* The "old" station that Matt was with had an annual "tree-pee" in the parking lot. You brought your dog, and the first tree that it peed on was your tree to take home. Can you believe that they actually turn people away from this event?? Gross. Our tree has never been peed on, but I swear, last year it smelt like it.