Turkey Talk

Reece is now getting to be quite the " Verbal Vince", this as everyone knows is the male version of "Chatty Cathy" These are some conversations that took place on Thanksgiving Day up in Fayetteville, NC while visiting Grandpa Wojtanik and Miss Annette.

While on a walk of their neighborhood :

Reece- Look Grandpa, a dead squirrel! They better be careful, cause someone could pop a tire on that squirrel.

and as a side note Emma agreed fully, because you know how sharp squirrel's claws are.


LATER that same day while watching Star Wars Episode One- The Phantom Menace


Reece- There were not enough Darth Maul parts in that movie for me and I don't know what to do about that.

Sundays are always more fun with Dad around

Rick was home on a Sunday for once, so he took the whole family fishing out to a Gulf Breeze fishing pier. A man near us had caught about 25 little mullet and let the kids have 10 of them. We had them in a bucket and they kept leaping out onto the dock. Everyone had a great time. Each kid has a net to try and catch things. Rick broke his casting net on some sharp rocks, but maybe that's a good thing, b/c if he had caught anything, I think no one would be gutting a fish in this family. Emma suggested we could run them over with the car tires and then cook them. Yum, tread! I guess you'll never see us on Wide World of Fishing or Bass Master.

Pug Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire

If Bandit wasn't neutered they would be roasting by the fire, we won't tell him though.
On the coldest night so far this year in Florida, we lit a fire in the fireplace. This is my first time lighting a fire in 5 years. Rick refused to let us light one in the other house due to the fact that it was a brand new fireplace and he didn't want to tarnish the effect. But, Mommy cracked out the Yule log tonight and the kids and pets were like a moth to the flame. Adeline kept her distance, but the pug was the first to cop a squat front and center.

Then Cinder joined the pillow party. Her and Bandit tolerate each other. He keeps his distance and she will every now and then give him a gentle head rub or show him he claws.


OK, now here's a picture that needs explaining. Emma likes to create masterpieces in the kitchen and calls them her creations. When she was 3 she used to pour cookie sprinkles into cupcake holders, then stick them in the freezer and she declared them delicious. I remember as a kid going over to a friend's home and the 2 of us mixing ketchup, mayo, hot sauce and peanut butter and forcing each other to try it. I think it wasn't THAT bad. So, if Emma wants to dabble in the kitchen, I let her eat the rewards. The other evening while I was bathing the littler two, Emma quietly came up stairs and said " You better go get the camera." She then held out THIS. She named it Banana Bed, and it's a banana in a bed with lettuce as his covers, a licorice smile and peanut eyes. Pretty creative Emma Roo. She ate it all!

More Sausage Reece?

Yesterday was Reece's Little Thanksgiving Feast at his preschool and they all processed in dressed as Native Americans and Pilgrims. They each had a place setting for them they had made.

Then the feasting began. What was served you might ask? Probably the same thing the early settlers ate, little smoky links, pancakes and brownie bites. Because nothing says Thanksgiving like little wieners and lots of syrup. The funniest thing was that Reece just ate very mechanically, and didn't talk or look around. And every time the staff came around with the HUGE sausage tray, they would ask Reece " More sausage" and he always said YES. That boy had 4 helpings of 3 sausages each helping. What the stank Reece, put on a snout and call him piggy. Reece never has a second helping of sausage at home. Then when they brought around the brownies, they asked if he wanted one, and he said No. But the girl gave him one anyway, so he ate it.

The little girl next to Reece wouldn't touch her food, so I pretended that Reece's turkey was going to eat her food, and she just looked at me very violated. I guess 4 years have no sense of humor.

Gobble Gobble Reece

Brownies and Baby Shower

Wild and Crazy Troop 540 I love my troop

Poor Little Jenna here on the left knocked out a baby tooth, before we had even started the trail, while running back from the bathroom on the cement. But what a tough Girl Scout, she stuck it out even with skinned knees, elbows and hands.

Getting our Owl Nature Journals ready for the nature hunt

My good friend Marybeth Cyr is expecting her 4th baby this February and her husband planned a surprise baby shower for her. We have been friends going on 5 years and I couldn't be more happy for her expecting a girl after 2 boys in the middle. She was truly surprised by the shower and had a blast. Adeline apparently isn't one who is up for parties yet and forced our day to end early. It seems like only a few months ago that I was having my own girl baby shower for my " baby" who will be 2 this upcoming month. Does that mean we should try for number 4?

Father of all cheapskates

Yep, you guessed who this blog is about, none other than Ricardo. I pulled out an old picture to put on this one. As if I thought my husband couldn't get any more " frugal" as he phrases it, I walked into the kitchen and caught him in the middle of something. As my Dad nicely put ,was he eating his boogers?, Nice Dad, No he was NOT eating his boogers. Let me give you first a little background info. For those who haven't seen my girls up close, they are rail thin and need every extra calorie that goes into those torpedo like bodies. So, we of course buy the whole milk at the store and I prefer Organic for the lack of pesticides, and hormones. So, YES it does run us more at the check-out for these high priced items. Rick however, drinks heavily hormoned, chock full of steroids and antibiotics skim milk. We were almost out of the kids milk this morning and so, do you see where my story is going?............. Yes, he was pouring his milk into the kids milk container, thinking that I would never catch on. Naughty Rick! Don't you know I am the woman of the house and this is my domain. Don't you think I would already know we were low on milk last night and therefore be very suspicious if suddenly the milk was "magically" full this morning. Yes, Virginia, Rick Parrish is the cheapest man on the planet.

Out of the mouths of Babes

Reece yesterday in the car:

Mom- Look Reece, a sign at that vet says cat grooming on Mondays should we take a cat to be groomed?


Reece- No, Mom because my cat is dead


And you know there's nothing worse than a dead cat that needs grooming
As a side note "his favorite" cat Mocha died in April and so sometimes his conversation does bring that fact up, but not this apparent as the groomer comment.




Emma in the car on the way to gymnastics last night -

Mom: Look, there are some Christmas lights over there already. Wow they put those up early.

Emma: Mom, don't you just love the joy of Christmas? The cold weather, the people putting up trees and lights, getting toys, singing songs, having your mom burn something in the oven and it sets the smoke alarms off, the house fills with smoke and you all go outside in the yard because the house is too full of smoke, so you drive us around to look at Christmas lights instead and when we come home the house is still too smoky so we all sit in the garage?


I kid you not this child has the memory of an elephant. I forgot I had set the oven to self clean last year and some grease caught on fire in the oven and the WHOLE house was smoking and it was unbearable. We did exactly as she described and I can't believe she actually told a joke.

Addie Boo Boo got a Boo Boo

Poor Little Adeline was so excited running in our driveway to greet Daddy on Thursday and took her first major fall. Actually none of my children have had a serious spill yet, and this was my first bloody incident. She put her top teeth through her lip and split the bottom as well. She screamed and carried on(rightfully so) for the better part of an hour. Baby Einstein videos come in handy in a moment like this. This is what the lip looked like the following day. Remarkable how well mouths heal, because here we are Sunday morning and it is almost 80% healed. Let's hope this is our last accident for awhile.

oooooooo, went the wind and out went the lights and 4 little Parrish's rolled out of sight- to start trick or treating

One little Red Riding Hood created and designed by Becky Baldwin

One peacock warm and snug on Halloween night, already eating candy from our candy bin

And a Luke Skywalker light saber ready

I had to include a picture of our neighbor's son Levi, dressed as a skateboarding grandma, ha ha, very creative

Emma at her 2nd grade pumpkin patch, hearing a ghost story

The Parrish Children and ready for a Halloween night in our new neighborhood, what treats await?

The "whole" crew minus Daddy, who is stuck in Orlando eating hot wings and looking at John McCain lookalikes. I must say a funny part of the night was when some couple down the street, asked the kids, if I give you a treat will you do a trick for an extra treat? And the Dad said how about a Forward Roll? Reece refused and hid behind me, but Emma was all for that and quickly launched forward and back up on her feet like a flash, and poof, another M&M's pack was in her bag, so Reece not to be outdone, launched into a somersault as well and then asked where his treat was? Pretty funny and warmed them up too since it was pretty chilly last night. Adeline actually left the stroller for a few houses to hold her treat bag up and then take what she wanted out of the bowls of candy. Daddy asked for someone to share their candy with him when he gets home and Reece made a huge pile of chocolate and gummies and put it on Rick's side of the bed. What a sweet little guy. The kids went to bed already discussing what they will be next year. I am hearing tiger and Iron Man. We'll see.