Friday, February 6, 2009

My Guy is Nine and That is Sublime

My first love, the person who opened my eyes and taught me more in a second than I'd learned in the twenty-something years before he came into my life put together, turned nine today (well, I'm writing this after midnight so yesterday). He is an amazing young man and I love him more today than the day he was born.
I asked what he wanted for breakfast, anything at all...he opted for his usual two bowls of oatmeal with flax seeds, molasses, and berries. This is so Parker. For Christmas his favorite stocking stuffer was a container of organic stuffed grape leaves. He is so easy to please. We played and read books all morning and then left via the bus to have lunch at Y Eatery for vegan pad thai. Parker ate his dish of pad thai and half of his brothers (Dema likes to eat all the tofu and seitan and leave a lot of the rice noodles).
Then, as requested, we went to the Urbana Free Library for more books and some computer time. After the library I suggested we look at Art Mart (a locally owned toy store) to see if they still had the "trainer chopsticks" Parker wanted for Christmas. He didn't like that the chopsticks are plastic (have I mentioned how much I adore him?), but we made due. We went to the co-op to buy blueberries for his requested dessert (we had a family dinner with my dad, my sister and Stuart - Karen's boyfriend, and us) and I said he could have a ABC cookie to eat while waiting for the bus. He said "no thanks". He continued to say "no thanks" when Dema kept offering bites from his cookie while we waited in the cold for the bus. He has so much more balance in his life than the rest of us. Where did he come from?He was so happy to have the family over for dinner (we ordered vegan pizza...he originally asked for homemade tamales and Rob made some over the weekend, but they were gone quickly and it has been a busy week so he said he was fine with his favorite delivered pizza - black olives, green olives, and pineapple). Karen read Star Wars graphic novels, which I found at the library and they turned out to be a big hit with both boys, and snuggled with him on the couch after dinner. Dessert, as requested, was Blueberry Coffee Cake from Vegan with a Vengeance.Parker fell asleep on the couch next to Stuart and Karen sometime before midnight. We will have a party with all of his friends later on this month, but he said he had a great ninth birthday.

14 comments:

mydogoona said...

HI Linda,
Indeed, you have a most wonderful son in Parker. Which leads me to a very dumb question. Is his first and last name both Parker?

VeganLinda said...

Hey Mel,

Thanks and not a dumb question...we get it a lot from people who knew Rob before me. The kids all have my last name. :-)

mydogoona said...

I figured as much. But I like the symmetry of it--father to son to mother. I can't wait to eat at Parker's vegan restaurant. He seems destined for such a career. ciao!

Jumbleberry Jam said...

:-) Rob, too?

Happy Birthday, Parker! What a beautiful birth story. Thanks for sharing it last year, Linda.

Lady Sterling said...

Awww, Happy Birthday, Parker! You are such a handsome young man with a bright future because you are bright and special boy. Glad you enjoyed 'your' day!

Loretta said...

Happy belated birthday, Parker! You're a really awesome and special guy, and we are so glad we know you!
love,
Kieran, Teagan, Loretta, and David

nachamu said...

Happy birthday Parker!
Linda, he sounds like such a perfect little guy, so kind and mature. Whenever I read about him, I'm very much looking forward to having kids of my own.

Lisa -- Cravin' Veggies said...

Happy Belated Birthday, Parker!!!

The Voracious Vegan said...

Happy Birthday to your amazing son! What a great person he is, I'm so in awe of your wonderful family.

Stef said...

Parker is an amazing person! What a fantastic day. Tell him happy birthday from us!

VeganLinda said...

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!!! Parker

Jennifer said...

What a great post... Parker is such a sweet person. I enjoy hanging out with him every week.

the sandwich life said...

Parker is indeed a wonderfully special guy!

All about... (vegan) food said...

Parker is an amazing person! What a fantastic day.[2]

So good to find your blog. I'm planning to have kids and it's awesome to read about vegan families. Thanks for sharing this.

Take care!