The Parker Family

Evie Turns 2!!

2011-03-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

For Evie's 2nd Birthday, we had a Doggie Day Spa Party. The kids had fun making dog collars and tags for their stuffed doggies. Then they exercised their dogs, massaged them, gave them a bubble bath, had story time, blow dried and brushed their dogs, then the boys dressed their dogs in bandanas and girls dressed theirs in bows.

Evie had so much fun playing in the fake bubble bath (She and Wiley had so much fun playing with it after the party too.)

We are so thankful God has blessed us with Evie these past two years. She is such a joy to our family. We continue to pray that god will grow her into a loving and kind hearted young woman who will love Him with all her heart!

Church Planting Here We Come!

2011-02-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

I wish I had the time to write a massive blog about this, but that's just not practical right now because it's almost dinner time and the munchkins are getting restless. I just want to take a minute though to let you all know that this summer we will be moving back to Lexington, South Carolina to begin an incredible adventure of Church Planting with Columbia Crossroads Church. Church planting is a ministry that we've prayed about for over two years. We are so thrilled and can't wait to begin. Crossroads is a missional focused church who is seeking to share the love of God in Columbia and throughout the world. It is truly a great privilege to be able to partner with them in ministry.

We will be moving back into our old home and the church building the plant will be in is just down the street. God really burdened our hearts for the people of Lexington, West Columbia, Cayce and Columbia during the two years we lived back in South Carolina. We are so grateful to the Lord for opening a door for us to minister to these communities. I can't even begin to tell you how God has confirmed this decision for us in so many ways, big and small, and we are so thankful to Him for that. First Shane will be finishing out his 1 year contract with Lancaster Bible College. We are so thankful for our time here at LBC and for the ministry here. The faculty and administration have been very supportive of our decision and we thank God for this. Please keep our family and Crossroads Church in your prayers as we begin this new venture. More details to come later!

Check out Columbia Crossroads Ministry here
http://www.columbiacrossroads.org/

Winter Moments

2011-02-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

The other day we went and had a snow day with our good friends, The Pinzers. We went sledding and the boys had a snowball fight. Afterwards, Becky surprised me with whoopy pie cupcakes - yum! for my birthday :)

The bottom photos: During my massive Master Closet clean out, the kids decided to "help". While helping, Evie decided to try on my heels.

So I made it out of the Master Closet Alive! Whoo Hoo!!!

2011-02-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

So, as I mentioned in my last blog, I'm really trying to get my whole house organized. I've really been enjoyed some other women's blogs that are all about organizing (tips and such). I've listed a few below that are my favorites right now. Check them out!

http://www.orgjunkie.com/ - She gives you a 52 week challenge to organize 52 things of your choice in your home. It's basically a 1 year plan to getting yourself organized week by week. (So far my list has 40 things on it, some big and some small projects.)

http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/pot.com/ - This is my favorite so far! She gave a 21 day challenge in which she lists specific areas of your home to organize each day. I've completed the list already and it was so helpful! She encouraged other bloggers to go on her site each day and post their before and after photos for each day. I totally didn't do that, but took photos and thought I'd post them here now that I'm done. (This will be a good reminder to me down the road!) She also sells eco-friendly house cleaning products called Shaklee that are supposed to be safer with no chemicals. I'm very interested in checking into these down the road. Anyone who has used them before, I'd love your thoughts on the products.

http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/ -This last one I've posted has just cute and creative ideas. The lady lives in an older home that she and hur husband have really done a lot to in order to fix it up. I love her colors and decorating! Check it out!

So here are some of the photos of some areas I've already covered in our home. I'm sticking with it each week and knocking it out little by little. I really hope to make life much calmer and less chaotic for our whole family with these changes. I also hope to develop some new GOOD habits that I can instill in my children: Basically - to make it easy to keep things clean and tidy and to get rid of STUFF (not be hoarders!) It's so easy in our culture to hang on to junk! We are so trying to downsize everything we have before we move! Though our home back in South Carolina we will be moving back into is large, there isn't much storage space. For instance, I only have 1 closet in the entire downstairs (I'm already coming up with some creative plans for how to best utilize this space) and we don't have a linen closet in either bathroom (ugh! Again, creative thinking is already underway. Wish me luck!)

Coat Closet

BEFORE / AFTER

The Master Bathroom Linen Closet

BEFORE / AFTER

Laundry Room: Now for us, this is right inside the garage and so it naturally becomes our "dumping ground". We have a coat closet, but it isn't convenient to use it to keep our coats, purse, diaper bag, etc. So I rethought some things and am pleased with how it turned out.

BEFORE / AFTER

Under the Kitchen Sink

BEFORE / AFTER

And the dreaded Master Closet! We both still have clothes to get rid of but this is much better for now. Shane and I are doing a contest to see who can get down to the fewest items of clothing! It will be neat to see who wins!!!

BEFORE / AFTER

My new thing - Organizing!!!!!

2011-01-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

So one of my biggest New Year's Resolutions is to become so much more organized in our home. I've been enjoying reading blogs by other women about organization. My little sister would be so proud of me for doing this. I'm pretty sure she will probably be pretty envious when she reads this and wishes she could've helped. (She's a bit OCD for those of you who don't know. As a child, just for fun she would sometimes take all the things from around her room and put them in the middle of her floor just so she could clean up and put them right back where they came from! Needless to say that's why Dawn and I had to share a room while she got the guest room, the biggest room! Whenever we had company, Mom didn't have to worry about cleaning up the room. She loves things to be very neat and tidy! Shane has had countless hours having fun with this as you can imagine. Every time we would visit, he would go in her room when she was at work and move her picture frames and things ever so slightly. When she got home, she would walk in her room and IMMEDIATELY know exactly what had been moved.)
Anyways, enough about that! Katiebeth, this blog entry is for you! Just don't look too closely or I'm sure you'll find 100 other little things I could've done better. Feel free to give me your feedback though. I'm going to continue to try and improve as I go!

So I'm going to do my best to post my Before and After photos here to keep track of it all! I'm hoping I'll get addicted to it! :)

My first project was our kitchen pantry.

BEFORE / AFTER

BEFORE / AFTER

Tomorrow I tackle our master bedroom closet! Wish me luck! If you don't hear back from me, it means I never made it out!

(Just had a thought - maybe I should post a Before and After photo of my family and see if we all look a little more sane after I'm through organzing our entire home! :)

Precious Visit with the Kizziahs

2011-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we got to visit some of our most precious friends in North Carolina - The Kizziah Family! (I messed up creating this entry so you'll have to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post to read what I wrote - sorry!)

Evie crashed for part of the time on the drive there. I couldn't resist this photo :)

Evie and Claire enjoyed the playground.

Katie and Claire - such sweet ladies!

Wiley and John David - who made fast friends!

The family whose home we stayed at had these aprons. They have a daughter named Lydia, and the wife's name is Shannon but she is called Shan. Too funny!

The boys enjoyed playing dress up!

The Kizziahs are some of our dearest friends. Shane and I met David Kizziah the summer of 2001. We served M-Fuge staff with him in Philadelphia and he and Shane were put together as prayer partners for the summer and got really close. We had the priveledge of reuniting with him and meeting Katie a few years later when they were engaged. David was living in Kentucky and going to Southern Seminary the same time Shane was. Their oldest son John David was born 9 months after Wiley, and their daughter Claire was born 6 months after Evie. We have been unable to get our families together since November of 2008 when Wiley was just over 2 years. The Kizziahs recently moved to North Carolina where David is pastoring a church. Shane was so honored to be asked by David to come and preach the Instillation Service for David's ministry to the church. What a blessing on so many levels! For me, the greatest blessing was just finally getting to see them all again and to meet little Claire for the first time! They also got to meet Evie for the first time.

Though our trip was way too short, we were so blessed for the time we got to spend with them. We ended up getting to stay with them in the same house (an amazing place belonging to one of their church members - it was a gorgeous finished basement that looked like a log cabin on the inside. We all slept in full size bunk beds. It was like a very ritzy camping experience which only added to the fun of the weekend!)

Here are some of the photos of our time together. We are praying for another chance to see them again soon. Thanks Kizziahs for allowing us to come and visit you, and to be with you on such a special occasion. We are so looking forward to seeing what God is going to do in and through you as you serve Him and His Bride!

You can learn more about this wonderful family and their ministry at their blog

http://www.kizziahs.blogspot.com/

Please keep them in your prayers as they seek to serve our Lord!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

This year Christmas was a bit different for us. The whole family had been sick with a stomach bug, so we didn't end up going home to see family for Christmas. In our 11 years of marriage, this was our first Christmas without seeing family. We missed seeing everyone and spending time with our loved ones, but it was nice and relaxing just staying home and spending time together.

Because we had planned on going home for Christmas, we actually ended up celebrating Christmas twice (one on Dec 18th bc we were allowing our kids to open their gifts from us before leaving for SC and also on Christmas day). So the photos are a mixture of those two celebrations!

I loved the two of them sitting side by side eating their treats out of their stockings. I had to capture this precious moment!

On our Dec 18th celebration, we surprised the kids with Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts (We had them hidden in their new tent and they had to find them first when they came downstairs.)
Obviously, Evie enjoyed them! :)

Some long awaited girl toys - at last!

Wiley and I made Evie her own super hero cape. You can't really see the back, but it's a photo of a large cupcake with little swirls around it and it says "Lil' Cupcake". Wiley picked out the logo and said her super power was the ability to shoot cupcakes (like Spiderman shoots webs).

Wiley loves Robin from Batman and Robin so I made him this outfit. I was really pleased with how it turned out and so easy. So glad he liked it! Shane immediately helped out by playing the part of the Christmas Riddler (his impromptu, made up villian). Now sure why I don't have photos of it, but he threw together a crazy outfit and everything in the time Wiley was getting his outfit on and then the two of them had it out. Don't worry, Robin saved the day!

Wiley and Evie enjoyed their tent and tunnel.

On Christmas morning, they go another Christmas breakfast! Eggnog french toast made into Christmas trees with sausage trunks. It was a big hit!

Shane and Wiley (mainly Shane) worked several hours putting together Wiley's first lego toy - a Star Wars aircraft.

The finished product!

Later that week we had some snow (and it's still here!) We got the kids a sled for Christmas and the whole family enjoyed it.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011 Everyone

2010-12-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone from our family to yours!
(Wiley is 4 years and 4 months, Evie is 21 months)

Below are a few of our NOT SO SUCCESSFUL attempts at a Christmas photo
(taken at Thanksgiving!) I love Wiley's faces in these.

A few Christmas photos of the kids.

We hope you all are blessed with a joyful Christmas celebrating our Christ's coming and a wonderful New Year in 2011!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-06T21:50:00.001-07:00

I just want to start off by saying how much we missed our small group's Halloween party this year! We've had it the past 2 years and LOVED it. Shane and I didn't even dress up this year :( Hopefully one day we will be able to revive that party! Hope those of you from our small group had a great Halloween and were able to find another party to dress up for. Dana, did you win best costume again this year? :)

For this year though, we did enjoy trick or treating with our kids. We had some great friends over with their kids and we all went trick or treating together in our neighborhood. It was SO cold, but fun none the less! Wiley and Evie had a great time. Wiley kept changing his mind all month about what he wanted to dress up as, sometimes multiple times a day. (I had given him the restriction that he had to dress up as something he already has as he has an entire carton of play clothes). He'd finally settled on being a boxer for almost an entire week. The afternoon of Halloween, he decides he wants to be Batman instead (which was actually fine with me because it was so cold and windy that day and I was seriously rethinking how to be a boxer AND stay warm). So we quickly threw together his Batman costume! Evie went as a cute little poodle (although many people thought she was a lamb.) She really surprised me with how much she enjoyed Trick or Treating! She really took her time reaching into the bowls of candy and choosing a piece, the whole time grinning up at the people like crazy! At one point, it got so cold that I stopped to carry her and wrap her inside my coat. I planned to just skip the house Wiley and the other kids in our group had just gone to because she and I were getting behind. As soon as I started to pass the house, she immediately began protesting and pointing towards it - she was not about to bypass anything! :) Guess that's my little eater for ya! What can I say? Girl likes her food, especially sweets!!!

Gotham City was safe that night!

Evie trying to eat a sucker later that night. Oops, missed the mouth!

Now she got it!

All our cute trick or treaters together! This was the best shot I could get. Evie and Claire on the bottom step - Claire was a precious ladybug. Emily (lion), Wiley, and Samuel (jet pilot - Top Gun outfit) on top step.

Oh, one other funny story to tell. In our area, there is a specific night and time set for everyone to trick or treat. Our township was set for October 29 from 6-8 pm. So about 6:15 we started getting a few trick or treaters finally coming to our door. We had the kids all ready to go so we took a few photos so we could pass out some candy. Then it took a few minutes to get coates, gloves, hats, flash lights and everything on and in hand and everyone out the door. Shane and I were the last ones out. Wiley and Evie had gone on out with our friend Brian. He told us later that while they were all in the driveway waiting on us to lock up, kids were still coming up the driveway to our front door for candy. Brian said that Wiley was standing in the middle of the driveway, holding his hands up and saying, "We're about to leave! We're about to leave!" over and over again! :) Kid knew he'd never get out of there to go and get candy if other kids wouldn't stop coming!!! So funny!

Random photos

2010-11-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm such a slacker at keeping out blog updated. Lately, whenever I get on there, I end up just posting a slew of photos because, well, let's just be honest, photos of the kids are really all that everyone wants to see anyways! So here you go . . . Enjoy :)

They are both growing so fast! I love photos of the two of them together, even though they never turn out great.

Wiley dressed as Bible Man.

Bed Head! Can you guess which side she slept on???

Evie wanted Wiley to sit on her lap! I love Evie's face in the one above - it's a classic Evie face and I'm so glad I caught it on camera!

"Driving along in my automobile . . . With no particular place to go. . . "

The blue kick board behind Evie's head is so she wouldn't get whip lash every time Wiley stepped on the gas! (So funny, but it really did help!)

Evie's 1st haircut

2010-11-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Early October, we took Evie to get her first haircut at a year and a half. We had hoped to keep waiting, but her bangs were always getting in her eyes while she was playing so we decided it was time. We didn't cut it short, just a trim all over and her bangs. She also got a free manicure with her haircut and did surprisingly well for it! Motty and Poppy were here visiting us and we were so thankful they could be there for such a sweet and special moment.

Our family just before Evie's haircut

Waiting for Evie's "stylist"

I'm ready . . .

1st manicure! She did so great!

Later that night, Motty gave Evie a pedicure with a fun pedicure kit she brought for her, complete with flower stickers!

If you look closely, you'll see she is holding a bottle of fingernail polish. She had one in each hand and insisted on holding them throughout the entire haircut. She did so great and didn't fuss or cry once!

Look how long her hair is when it's not curled up!
Wiley had to get in on the action, of course!

Ta-da!!! The after shot! (Note the bottle of nail polish still in hand!)

Wiley's First Day of School

2010-08-27T10:45:00.001-07:00

Wiley began his first day of preschool today!

(For those of you who don't know, we've found a wonderful Christian school here that offers preschool. Wiley will be attending school M, W, and F mornings from 8:10 - 11:30 am. We are very thankful to be able to send Wiley to this great school. He has 2 wonderful teachers and 11 friendly classmates, several of whom we've already gotten to meet and become friends with during the summer. It's a short 7 minute drive from our house, all on back roads, passing several Amish farms and houses and driving through a covered bridge - you can't find a prettier or cooler drive!)

He woke up this morning to proclaim he was ready to go to school. Shane told him he had to eat breakfast and get ready to go first. Wiley's response was, "I can't eat breakfast because I don't want to be late for school!" So after a nice big breakfast, he got ready and we had a brief photo shoot before heading out the door.
(Motty and Poppy: Not sure if you can tell in these photos, but Wiley is wearing the polo golf shirt you gave him - he picked it out last night all by himself!)

We got Wiley a cool Lego Batman bookbag that he is thrilled about! (Sorry some of our photos are so blurry - don't know what's going on with our camera!)

The whole family got up to take Wiley to school today. When we arrived, we walked him in to his class. He found his cubby with his name on it and left his bookbag there. When we went in, he was very brave and excited. He began playing right away and didn't look back!
When I came to pick him up, he was grinning from ear to ear and said he had a good time. His teachers said he did a very good job and was obedient and respectful! Praise God! We are looking forward to Wiley learning while at school, but our biggest prayer is for him to exhibit a loving, obedient, and respectful heart! He was very excited to tell me that he got to be the "Door Opener" today! There are several different jobs each day and he was thrilled to get this job today.

We are praying for a great year for Wiley of "growing in wisdom and stature". Thanks for all your prayers for today and please keep him and his teachers in your prayers throughout the school year!

Life With Wiley

2010-08-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Life has so many precious moments like this that are too fleeting. Thankfully the other morning, I had time to grab my camera and capture a few of these for memories! Enjoy!

Got to shave that hairy chest!!!

Words With Wiley:

Yesterday we had a pool playdate at our house. As Wiley's friends were leaving, he gave one of the boys a hug goodbye. Then he said, "That's called a man hug, my young friend!" Needless to say this drew many laughs from all us moms. I must say I believe this is one of my favorite Wiley sayings of all times!

Motty and Poppy Visit!

2010-08-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Shane's parents came for a visit just before Wiley's birthday and were here for his party. We had a great time with them while they were here.

They got to see Shane's office (and took some photos of the kids working at Daddy's desk). They also got to see Wiley's school. He'll be attending preschool this fall (beginning August 27). They took Wiley to Toys R Us and let him pick out a few birthday presents. Wiley and Evie had a blast playing with them while they were here and we enjoyed getting to spend time together. Motty gave Evie a pedicure and we all found out that Evie LOVES getting her toe nails painted! Can't wait for them to return this fall for another visit! Here's a few photos from their time here.

We got my nephew's old bike and fixed it up and put training wheels on it for Wiley as his birthday gift. He's been enjoying it!

Holy Cake and Ice Cream, Wiley Turned 4!

2010-08-25T13:23:00.001-07:00

August 17th was Wiley's 4th birthday. We celebrated the weekend before with a Superhero themed party. Wiley has been into superheroes all year and so that's the theme we decided to go with. We started the party with the kids arriving and decorating their superhero masks. Then we all went outside for Superhero training.

The training stations were:

#1 - Spiderman's Web Training - Kids swung on a rope swing and then ran over and sprayed a photo of a villain with web spray (silly string).

#2 - Flash's Super Speed Training - Shane was our "Speeding Bullet" and kids took turns racing him. Big surprise, they were all faster than a speeding bullet!

#3 - Batman's Martial Arts Training - Kids took turns punching and kicking a boxing bag with boxing gloves on.

#4 - Hulk's Super Strength Training - Shane led the kids through different exercises to build up their muscles. Then they each had to try and lift up a planet (exercise ball).

#5 - Superman's X-ray Vision Training - Kid's took turns identifying an object only by feeling it with their hand and not looking.

#6 - Superman's Flight Training - Kids took turns "flying" up and rescuing a stuffed racoon out of a tree. They flew up by lying on a towel and putting their arms out like they were flying. Two dads lifted them up and flew them over to the tree.

After the kids completed their superhero training, we had a graduation ceremony for them. Each kid was called up one by one and received his diploma, super power wrist bands, super cape, and web spray (silly string). Each child before the party had given me information about their own choice of superhero name, super power, and favorite color. I made capes for each kid in their favorite color with a logo on the back that represented their power. They looked so cute running around in their little capes and masks.

After the ceremony, the famous villain the "Birthday Basher" (Shane) ran in and threatened to ruin our party. Well what else was a bunch of new superheroes to do but capture the villain? So they all ran after him, spraying him with their web spray. It got a little crazy at this point as several of the kids had trouble getting their cans to spray. Some of the kids were even afraid of the "Birthday Basher". At this point, several of the kids began crying and it turned into chaos! Wiley was having a blast until his spray quick working on him. Then he began crying as he watched the other kids spraying his Daddy. I think he was afraid they were hurting him. This part of the party definitely didn't go the way I had hoped! Eventually the crying stopped and all the kids got the "Birthday Basher" and took him to a friend of ours who was dressed as a cop. He handcuffed the "Birthday Basher" and took him away but not before he could yell out that he had one last surprise for us inside.

When we got inside, there were bombs (chocolate donut holes with cake candles in them) all around the cake. After singing happy birthday to Wiley, he had to use his Super breath to blow out the bombs.

Then we all ate lunch which was a bunch of different superhero foods. After lunch and cake, the kids played for a bit. Then we opened presents by playing "Pass the Kryptonite" game (like Hot potato). As each kid got "out" they helped WIley open his gift from them. Everyone was able to stay after for quite awhile so they all got to play a bit while the parents visited.

Shane's parents came to town for a visit and were with us during the party. It was so nice to have them here to celebrate with us, plus they were such a huge help with the party and Evie! I'll post more about their visit in another post!

Expressions by Evie (At 16 Months)

2010-08-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

In the past 2 weeks, Evie has really fallen in love with her "B's". This has led to her beginning to say many more words. This is her current vocabulary:

* "Bohhh" (Ball)

* "Buh-Bee" (Bunny)

* "Baby"

* "Buh-Buh" (What she calls Wiley)

* "Pass" (Paci)

* "Uh-oh"

* She still says "Mama" and "Da-da" all the time

* "Bye-Bye"

And my two favorites:

* "Peeeeeeeee" (Please - usually said tilting her head to the side and with the sweetest little smile when she wants something, primarily food.)

* "Hi-ya!" (Her greeting to everyone along with a sweet little wave - she meets no stranger! This is her greeting to everyone we pass in the grocery aisles and everywhere else we go! Definitely a little social butterfly)

Playdates in PA!

2010-08-03T15:46:00.001-07:00

Some close friends of ours, Brian and Becky Pinzer, moved to Pennsylvania shortly after we did. Brian got a job at Lancaster Bible College and he and Shane are working together. They are living only about 5 minutes away from us. They have two kids who are very close in age to our kids. It is such a blessing to have these good friends living near us. Wiley loves playing with their son, Samuel, and it is nice for Evie to have a play mate too in their daughter, Claire. We are so thankful that God brought them here and that we can have this precious friendship! We try to have playdates every week. Here are a few photos from a "pool playdate" we had recently! We are enjoying every moment we get to spend with these precious friends!

(One other HUGE blessing is that Brian and Becky are sweet enough to offer to babysit for us from time to time so we can have date nights! We enjoyed a nice night out to celebrate our 11 year anniversary, our first date in 4 months! We are planning to swap off with them from time to time so we can all have some much needed time alone with our spouses. What a blessing!)

May was Wedding Month - Part 2

2010-08-03T14:59:00.001-07:00

The second wedding in May we were blessed to be a part of was Lydia's younger sister's wedding. They were married on May 23. Shane officiated, Lydia was a Matron of Honor, Wiley was a Ring Bearer, and Evie was the Flower Girl. It was a wonderful day and we were so thankful to all be a part of it!

The 3rd picture from the end is of Wiley, he decided to give an impromptu speech during the reception! It was too funny!

May was Wedding Month - Part 1

2010-08-03T14:43:00.001-07:00

In May we traveled from PA back to SC for 2 weeks. While there we participated in two special weddings. First, friends of ours Dawn Rosado and Mike King were married. Dawn is from the first youth group Shane ever youth pastored. We've kept close to her over the years and were overjoyed to be a part of her's and Mike's special day. Shane officiated the wedding and Wiley was their ring bearer. Both guys did a fabulous job (and looked really handsome too i must say!)

Wiley was too

cute when he pointed at the bride as she walked down the

aisle!

Benton Family Visit

2010-08-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of July, Lydia's parents came for a visit followed by her sister, Katie and her new husband, Brendon. It was such a joy spending time with them and getting to show them around Lancaster. We did a lot in the time they were here and had a blast!

One really fun thing we did was go to the Hershey Factory in Hershey, PA. We got to learn all about how the Hershey company got started. The kids loved the "Hershey Factory Ride" the best.

The other really neat thing we did was to eat

dinner at an Amish family's home. It was a really neat experience. There were a few other families there as well and the lady and her daughter served us dinner at their kitchen table. It was a neat experience to meet them and get to learn a bit more about their religion and culture. After dinner, she and 3 of he

r daughters sang some beautiful songs for us in German and in English. The food was DELICIOUS and probably the closest thing we have had to good ole' southern cookin' since we've moved up here :) It was a great time together and we were so thankful our family could come and visit and see where we live now. Here's a few photos my sister took from our time together.

Getting ready to go on the Hershey Factory "Ride"

Evie really liked the ride, especially the singing cows :)

This is at the Amish family's home where we ate dinner. Beautiful garden!

Random Photos of Cuteness in July

2010-08-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

4th of July, Cookout, and Sparklers

2010-08-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

Our family enjoyed a nice 4th of July this year. My Uncle and cousins had been in town for a conference so we got to spend the holiday with them. The kids had a blast playing together and us adults really enjoyed getting to visit with one another. Wiley and Evie loved the sparklers especially!

Fun at Camp Willow Run

2010-08-03T13:26:00.001-07:00

Our family had a blast as always at Camp Willow Run in Littleton, NC, the first week of July. Shane was invited to come again this summer and speak for their high school week to the campers. It is always a real treat and joy to visit Camp Willow Run and get to see everyone who works there. It is a joy for Shane to get to preach again and work with students, as he doesn't get many opportunities for that anymore. And, of course, it is a REAL treat to get to spend the week together as a family! The kids had a blast and were a big hit with all the campers! Here's a few photos of our week. (I had to include these top ones of Evie. She had her hair in pigtails that day and it looked so cute when I took the pigtails out - she reminded me of the "Mad Hatter"! Jonathan, I thought you especially would like these :) And Katie, we missed you like crazy this year!!!!!)

Words With Wiley

2010-08-03T13:23:00.001-07:00

* "Away, away, away in Sou-fen Dixie! Did I sing that right Mama?" (Southern Dixie)

* Wiley - "What do pigs eat?"

Us - "Slop, which is the leftover food people don't eat."

Wiley - "I wish I had a pig. Then it could eat my salad so I won't have to."

So lately, Wiley's cute Wiley-isms are coming from the fact that he can't quite remember words and names of things correctly when he's playing. It makes for some pretty adorable goofs:

* Wiley's Pirate impersonation: "Aarr, me Artie!" (Instead of Me Matey)

* "Harcey Two Pick" (Harvey Two Face, villain from Batman)

* "Mad Hatarin" (Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland)

* "Air-Pin" (Apron)

* "Would you like a re-frill?" (Refill)

* "Daddy, I just Bible-tized my guy" (Baptised)

* While discussing a wedding he was recently in, he asked, "Why did I have to wear a tux-scooto?" (tuxedo)

Words With Wiley

2010-06-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

"Vanilla Wivers" (Vanilla Waffers)

" The Milk-un Falcon" or "Milikin Falcon" (The Millinium Falcon - space ship from Star Wars)

Me: "Wiley, do you want raisins?"

Wiley: "No, I want the purple stuff that rhymes with raisins." (He meant craisins!)

The other day Wiley had gotten into trouble and was standing in the corner. Here are a few cute things he said while standing there very obediently:

* Evie was trying to get his attention so she walked up to him and laughed. Wiley responded by keeping his face in the corner but putting his hand up at her and saying, "Not right now, Evie. I have to get disciplined."

* (He sang this to the tune of Hokey Pokey) "You put your nose in... You put your nose out..."

We've been working with Wiley on the proper way of asking to be excused from the table. This is how it comes out . . . "Mommy, may I please have some excusement?"

"Counting Dooku" -Count Dooku from Star Wars - Wiley always wants to be "Counting Dooku" when we are playing Star Wars. It doesn't seem to matter how many times we tell him it is Count and not Counting, it always comes out "Counting"

(Random Wiley thoughts . . . No idea where he comes up with some of this stuff!)

Me: "Wiley, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Wiley: "A decorate player."

Me: "What's a decorate player?"

Wiley: "Someone who dresses up for Halloween and plays a forest game that's real scary."

Me: "Why a game that's scary?"

Wiley: "Because when I grow up, I want to be brave!"

Today Wiley and I were playing Batman and Robin. He was asking me who some more of the villians were and I said Harvey Two-Face. Wiley responded, "Okay, Mom, you can be Harpy Toothpaste and I'll be Robin."

Father's Day - "If It Weren't For Daddy . . ."

2010-06-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

If it weren't for Daddy . . .

I wouldn't know I could be Superman!

If it weren't for Daddy . . . I'd never have any spending money in my purse! (Hey, a lady has got to shop!)

If it weren't for Daddy . . . I'd never know how to stick up for myself when a big boy comes and takes my things! "Hey you, Give that back!"

If it weren't for Daddy . . . I'd never know how to cook awesome pancakes!

If it weren't for Daddy . . . I'd never get to eat the awesome pancakes :)

If it weren't for Daddy working hard everyday

so Mommy can be at home, then I'd have to spend my days in day care and I would

never have time for important things such as:

Going to story times,

Learning to brush my doll's hair,

Getting to play with my sibling all the time,

Practicing our Jedi moves,

Practicing my model poses,

Getting to use my creativity and imagination to be Darth Vadar!

If it weren't for Daddy . . . Our home wouldn't be such a happy place! We love you, Daddy! Thanks for all you do for us and all the time you spend with us! Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!

Pool Play

2010-06-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

The other day the kids had a little pool party. They had a blast! I couldn't pass up posting a few precious photos from that day.

It was so precious that they wanted to sit here together. It was even more precious when Wiley got up and went around and kissed Evie on the cheek by his own initiative! Thank you, Lord, for creating love in their hearts for one another. May they always love each other and put the other before themselves. Amen.

Photo Shoots

2010-06-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Just some random photos taken during April and May.

Wiley has tried his hand at photography and does surprisingly really well! The last 4 are photos he has taken!

Bob the Builder

2010-06-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Shortly after moving to Pennsylvania, Marlene (the wife of Shane's boss - we lived near them during our time in Kentucky) and I took the kids to a Bob the Builder exhibit at a nearby museum. They had a blast! Wiley most enjoyed one exhibit where he put balls into a pipe and caught them on the other end with a bucket (represented water going through pipes). Evie most enjoyed the slide (This girl LOVES slides!)

Move and Easter

2010-06-09T11:24:00.001-07:00

Long time, no post! It's been a crazy couple of months with moving away from SC and moving to PA. Things are going well and we've finally gotten all settled in. I'm finally getting around to updating our blog so here comes a lot!

So we relocated to Pennsylvania on April 1. Shane's parents came up and stayed the weekend to help us with the kids and help us unpack. For Easter, Mott fixed us a nice lunch and the kids had an Easter egg hunt in our nice, new, fenced-in back yard :) Here's a couple of photos of the kids from that day!

Expressions by Evie

2010-06-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Evie's words:

Da-da

Ma-ma

Uh-oh

Mm-Mm (Evie's version of "woof, woof")

Hi Duh (Hi there!)

Eees ... Eees (Cheese)

Her most common expression is "sss . . . sss" while pointing at whatever she wants to draw our attention to.

Words With Wiley

2010-03-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

I've been jotting these down as they've happened but am just now getting a chance to post them. Enjoy! I expect your sides will hurt with laughing over some of these!

* "Why do bigger people have bigger noses? I don't like the way of that. Cause I have a little nose."

* "You're beautiful, Mommy."
Me: "Awww. Thank you, Wiley"
Wiley: "You're not as beautiful as a mermaid though. You're just a little beautiful."
(Hey, what woman can compete with a mermaid? :)

* Me: "So, what do you want for breakfast?"
Wiley: (Standing beside me with us both looking into the pantry) "You know what I want?" (Turning to me with a huge, mischievous smile) "I want a kiss!" (Obviously I gave him his breakfast request!)

* "Evie's super powers could be that she can spit up on bad guys and the other times she can cry loud and hurt their ears."

* Wiley came over to me, climbed up on my lap, and said, "You're my sweet darling. You're a lovely mommy." (Needless to say, my heart melted!)

* Me: "Wiley, what does the rain help us with?"
Wiley: "When it rains and it puddles, you can put your GI Joe scuba divers in it!" (Of course! That's why God makes rain.) :)

* The other day Wiley had his shirt off, wrestling his stuffed lion, and pretending to be Samson from the Bible. I made him go get me some toilet paper to blow his nose with. Afterwards in all seriousness he said, "When Samson was fighting the lion, Mommy, he didn't blow his nose."

* He is constantly trying to negotiate with us and here is his most popular tactic:
"Because I'm 3 years old, may I have 3 cookies?" OR
"May we wrestle 3 times before bed since I'm 3 years old?"
He's really gotten smart lately - If I say yes to something, he'll follow it up with
"How old are you, Mommy?" (Oh no you don't - We don't even have that many cookies!)

* I love how he says these words:
"Camel lope" (cantaloupe)
"Pwug-lix" (Publix - our grocery store)

He's such a neat, smart, funny, silly, creative little guy! We are so thankful for the honor and privilege of being his parents.

Evie turns 1!

2010-03-20T13:35:00.001-07:00

I wish I could've updated you on Evie's 10th and 11th months but life has been crazy! She has been growing like a weed though. She just celebrated her first birthday this past Sunday, March 14. We can't believe a whole year has passed since our little lady has joined our family. We were so thankful to still be living in SC so that we could celebrate her first birthday with our family. We kept things simple and just invited our immediate families over for pizza, cake and ice cream. Evie's party was a ladybug theme, as that is the nickname her Motty and Poppy gave her along with the fact that we've called her our "little lady" from almost the beginning. My sister made an adorable Ladybug cake for her - thanks Aunt Dawnie! I made Evie her own personal little ladybug cake, which she had a blast digging into! We all, of course, had a blast watching her!

* Evie had been standing on her own for brief seconds, but really stood on her own for quite awhile on February 7. It was the night before Shane flew to PA for his new job. He had just put Wiley to bed when she stood by herself. We got so excited and immediately began trying to get her to walk back and forth to us. She took her first steps that night and has been getting better and better, and braver and braver about it ever since. She can make it halfway across our big living room without falling - way to go, Lady! (I'm so glad we could both be there for her first steps!)

* She weighed 17 lbs and 8 oz at her 1 year checkup and is doing really well - just "little" :)

* Her favorite thing to do is eat, and boy can she eat (which is so funny since she's so little).

* Her favorite playmate is definitely Wiley, and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon.

* She loves to dance and play peek a boo!

* She loves taking baths!

We are so thankful to be her parents and for the blessing of getting to see her grow each and every day. We love you, Evie Lydia Louisa Parker!!!!!!! Happy First Year!

Long Time, No Blog! A Lot to Update You On

2010-03-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last posting and I'm sorry. I've finally gotten a chance to sit down and download some photos. A lot has happened with our family since our last posting so let me update you on the biggest things:

Shane got a great job as the Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is working under his former supervisor from Southern Seminary (who he really admires and loves working with). He began the job mid February and has been commuting by plane every other week since then.

We listed our home for sale mid February, but after a month on the market with absolutely zero activity, we have realized that it is not God's plan for us to try and sale at this time. (Due to the market, if we were to sell at this time, we would accrue a great deal of debt just to get out of our house. So, like always, God was watching out for us and prevented us from even getting any possible offers that we may have been desperate enough to take.)

Instead, God has provided a wonderful Christian family to rent our home from us! We are nervous about the prospect of renting our home out as that can always be risky and renting a home is also so very new to us. However, God is in control and we must leave it in His hands.

Shane has found a great home near his work in PA for us to rent. So as it stands now, we are moving up to PA on April 1.

Due to moving into a rental, we really needed to find another home for our dog, Jed. Most of you know Jed. He has been with us since January 2003. God graciously provided a wonderful home for Jed. Some friends of ours had been wanting a dog. God really worked out all of the details and Jed has made a smooth transition over to their family. He has already fallen in love with them it seems and they with him. Thank you, God. We will love and miss you, Jed.

I wanted to fill you in on all that has happened to say . . . "Our God is good! God graciously provides! I praise You, God, that You always see and know all the details, that You always have a plan, that Your plan is always for our good and Your glory, even we we don't see and our faith is failing. Thank You that when we think we know what is better, You ALWAYS know what is best! God, You rock!!!!!!!

New "do"

2010-01-09T06:40:00.003-08:00

I put Evie's hair into pigtails for the first time today and wanted to share a few photos. I also had to include a cute one of Wiley giving her a kiss - so precious! Enjoy!

Words with Wiley

2010-01-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

This morning Wiley, Shane and I were hanging out in bed for a few minutes before getting up. These are two of my favorite Wiley quotes from our time together:
* Wiley said, "Mommy, let's give seal kisses!" (He loves to rub his nose on mine for seal kisses in the morning.)
* We were practicing putting sounds together to make words. I was saying, "s . . . at" over and over again and he was guessing what word that made. We had just done cat and hat. As I started saying, "s . . . at, s . . . at" Wiley shouts out his guess, "chummy!" (no idea where that came from:)

When Shane was putting Wiley to bed, they were singing a few songs about God. Wiley then began to sing "Happy Birthday, dear God". Shane told Wiley that God doesn't have a birthday because He has always existed. Wiley said, "Oh, I see." Then they said their bedtime prayers. This was Wiley's prayer, "God, I pray that somebody would give You a birthday." He meant birthday party - he was sad that God doesn't have a birthday.

While Shane was telling Wiley a Star Wars story the other night, he said, "And then the ship came out of hyperspace. And what do you think they did next?"
Wiley replied, "They took off their seatbelts."

Today it was rather warm for a winter day so I took the kids for a walk. Towards the end of our walk, Wiley lay down on the edge of our neighbor's yard and said with a big smile, "Today is a GREAT day!" He then proceeded to get up, come and hug me and Evie and tell us each that he loved us.
(Yes, I must agree, a great day indeed!)

The other day Wiley and I were having a discussion about my engagement ring. I told him that Daddy gave it to me and asked me a question. I said, "What question does a man usually ask a woman when he gets down on his knee in front of her and holds up a ring?"
Wiley's response, "I like it in Who-ville, I like it a lot!" (From Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who)

While playing with Evie today Wiley said, "Evie and I are having a date!"

Most everytime Wiley sees me and Shane hugging, he will ask, "Are ya'll getting married?"

A few nights ago Wiley had the hickups. He wanted to wrestle with Shane before bedtime but Shane told him he couldn't unless his hickups went away. When they began to pray for their bedtime prayers, Wiley prayed, "God, please make my hickups go away so I can wrestle with Daddy." At the end of their prayers, his hickups were gone. Shane asked him if they were all gone. Wiley opened his mouth for a moment and sat there listening for them. Then he nodded his head, smiled, and pointed into his mouth and said, "See, they aren't in my mouth anymore!"
(This has happened a couple of times now and we are so thankful that God has allowed Wiley to see in such a clear way that God hears him when he prays. Needless to say, Wiley and Shane have celebrated afterwards each time and thanked God - then they wrestled!!!)

Christmas and the New Year

2010-01-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

So thankful for the blessing of Christmas and a New Year!

We celebrated Christmas Eve with Lydia's family, Christmas morning at home alone with the kids, and Christmas evening with Shane's parents. We had a great time with all our family and were so thankful to be living near them all this Christmas. (We are still unsure of what job the Lord is going to provide for us and don't know where we will be living come next Christmas so we are thankful for the time we have now to be near our families.) We also got to celebrate Lydia's Grandfather's 95th birthday with him on December 21st and to go visit Shane's Grandmother and extended family the day after Christmas.

We spent a few days at Myrtle Beach before Christmas visiting with Shane's Aunts. Wiley and Evie got to see their cousins and had a blast playing with them. We had a great visit and were so thankful to get to spend this time together with Shane's family.

I had to include these photos of Wiley telling Jed a story (a captive audience) - too cute!

We love you all and we hope you had a great Christmas and New Year! May God richly bless you all in this new year. Love, The Parkers

Evie at 8 and 9 Months

2010-01-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Some fun photos of Evie over the past 2 months

I'm ready for my close up!!!

Evie loves to sit on Daddy's shoulders.

I've tried my hand at some sewing and made this dress for her out of an old maternity shirt I had. I think she looks like one of the girls from Little House on the Prairie. Now all she needs is a little bonnet :)

Our little Christmas Elf!

November and December have shown lots of growth and changes in Evie. She is crawling and cruising all over the place. She has stood on her own a few times for brief periods of time but usually sits right down when she realizes she's standing and seems to be fairly cautious - very different from bigger brother, Wiley. Her hair has grown a bunch and is turning very blond - like her Daddy when he was young. Her bottom two teeth have grown in well but no others yet. She started saying Dada about 2 months ago and Mama just yesterday at 42 weeks of age. She loves to eat, especially her fruits and banana puffs. Evie absolutely ADORES her big brother. Wiley can make Evie laugh like no one else and it makes us so happy to see them laughing and "playing" together. Everyday we are seeing more and more of her precious personality and are so thankful for the sweet spirit God has given her. She is a very quiet and observant little girl. My prayer is that God would remind me every moment that she is always watching me and that I would model for her a "gentle and quiet spirit" which is what the Lord finds beautiful in a woman. Wiley continues to be a loving and protective big brother. (He got a plastic sword for Christmas. One of his favorite things to do everyday is wait for Evie to wake up and then go in with us to get her up. He always brings his sword and goes in and "fights off" all the bad guys and says, "Evie's safe now. I got them all.") He does a good job of teaching Evie new things and sharing with her. We are so thankful for their friendship and the love they have for one another. Praying that above all else, God would grow our children to love Him with all of their heart.

October Happenings

2009-11-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

Introducing the amazing . . . Banana Boy!

I love my young man!

Sibling Fun!

I love my little lady!

This Halloween, we had a variety of costumes. Wiley couldn't decide what he wanted to be. We had multiple events the last week of October, so he started as Indiana Jones, then he became a carpenter, then ended as a doctor. Evie was a bunny but went on Halloween night as a doctor due to the hot temperatures. The kids had a blast!

We had a Halloween party with our small group again this year and had a great time. Shane dressed as a magician and Evie was the rabbit in his hat. Wiley was Indiana Jones, and I was Strawberry Shortcake.

The magician and his rabbit in the hat!

Indiana Jones!

Beautiful Bunny!

Fun at the pumpkin patch!

A Book by Dr. Parker

2009-10-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Shane worked very hard last year on co-authoring a book with a friend of his. The book is getting published spring 2010! Here's the link to the book http://bhpublishinggroup.com/productDetail.asp?isbn=0805447741 The photo above is his book cover. We are praying God will use this book in mighty ways to impact people for missions! I'm so very proud of you, Shane. I love you!

Soccer Time

2009-10-17T09:53:00.001-07:00

So we decided to sign Wiley up for 3 year old soccer this fall. He has enjoyed it, but I think his favorite part is the snack he gets after the games! It is too cute watching those little ones running around out there. They don't have a clue what they are doing and it is too funny! Wiley spends most of his time out there playing in the net, falling down, and tackling the other kids. He can't seem to get it that there is no tackling in soccer :) We are thankful he has a good time and that it's such a fun way to get exercise and maybe make some new friends.

Evie has been enjoying cheering for Wiley at his games and practices!

Edisto and Family

2009-10-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a great visit mid September with Shane's parents at Edisto Beach. Wiley went a few days early with them on his first out of town trip without Mommy and Daddy and had a blast. Thanks Motty and Poppy for the special memories he was able to make with you. We came a few days later. Evie got to have her first trip out on the beach and enjoyed a nice nap while there. Beautiful weather and beautiful time with family!

Sibling Fun!!!

2009-10-17T09:08:00.001-07:00

Wiley and Evie always have fun together. Wiley loves playing with Evie and always asks to do so. Evie eats up every minute with him and it's obvious in her eyes that she absolutely ADORES him!!!

Wiley loves to get in Evie's crib with her. The other day when Evie awoke from her nap, Wiley climbed in the crib and they enjoyed Daddy reading them a story.

I love watching them play together and am praying they will grow to be best friends, always loving and putting the other before themselves.

Wiley loves when Evie "tickles" him - of course, as ticklish as he is and with her little fingers, any kind of touch from her absolutely makes him squirm and laugh!!!

Lord, thank You for allowing us to know Wiley and Evie and for the privilege of being their Mommy and Daddy. Please grow them to love You and to love one another more and more everyday. May they always treat each other with love and respect. May they encourage one another to look to You and grow in You moment by moment. Give us the wisdom to raise them to be a man and woman who fear You and seek to honor You in all they do and say.
Amen.

Evie is 7 Months!

2009-10-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

This has been a big month for Evie. There have been lots of firsts!!!

* First started crawling - September 21st, 27 weeks old

*First pulled up and standing - 28 weeks old

* First ate solids - 28 weeks old

* First time on the beach - September 14, on her 7 month birthday :)

* First started babbling. Her new sound is "buh, buh". Wiley is very encouraging as her older brother and often says, "Good job saying your buh's, Evie!"

* She is about to cut her first two teeth on the bottom and is drooling everywhere and chewing on everything!

Evie is 6 Months!

2009-09-08T19:15:00.001-07:00

Evie turns 6 months old on September 14th! Wow! Can't believe our little lady has been with us for half a year already. Time has flown by. God has blessed her with such a sweet disposition and she has brought so much joy to our family! We are praying she will continue to grow healthy and strong and most of all that she will grow to love the Lord!

This month has been a big month developmentally for her. She began pushing up onto all fours and rocking about two weeks ago. She can get her knees crawling forward but hasn't yet figured out she needs to move her hands so she keeps doing face dives (which Wiley finds simply hilarious!) Also, September 5th she sat up unsupported for the first time. She is really getting mobile and we just know she'll be crawling anytime now.

I had to include this photo of Evie with my mom. I think it's a great photo. (I love her cute little pose with her feet too - she looks like she's just chillin!)

Crazy Wiley Moments

2009-09-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

The other day we were coloring with markers. One fell under the table and Wiley crawled underneath to get it. He wasn't under there but a few seconds and this is how he emerged! "Look Mommy! I made a moustache!"

Lately we've found Wiley has been climbing out of his bed and sleeping in the rocker in his bedroom. Couldn't resist snapping a few cute photos for memory sake (notice the drool on the ottoman!) We have since removed the rocker and he seems to be staying in bed better.

What can I say about this one... He's his mother's son (fell asleep reading)!

Note on previous post

2009-08-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of ours, Katie Kizziah, is a very gifted writer. This was her comment about my previous post of Wiley telling me he loves me and my savings at the grocery store:

"Praise the Lord for moments you can't put a price tag on and for those moments you don't have to pay the price on the tag!"

Amen to that, Katie!

Blessings

2009-08-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

This morning I was sitting at the kitchen table preparing my coupons and grocery list. Evie was still asleep upstairs and Wiley was playing in the Living Room (Shane is out of town for a couple of days teaching). Wiley suddenly stops playing, runs over to me, and says, "Mommy, I've got to tell you something!" I asked him what and he whispered, "I was you!" (Which is how he says I love you) It was one of the sweetest moments! Needless to say we had a very sweet and very fun hug/tickle session right after that!!!

(On a much smaller note, I got $87.00 worth of groceries for only $23.00 today. I'm loving this whole couponing thing! Double blessings so far in this fine day!!!)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2009-08-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 24th, is my parents 35th Anniversary. My siblings and I decided to give them a nice celebration. We did a renewal of their vows ceremony complete with a mini reception. We surprised Mom with having Grandaddy there to "give her away again". Shane officiated the wedding and wrote out a beautiful service for them. It was really special when he asked, "Who gave this woman to be married to this man 35 years ago?" We are all so thankful that Grandaddy was able to be a part of this special event. My youngest sister and brother stood in as Mom's maid of honor and Dad's best man. The 3 grandsons walked in as ring bearers and the eldest granddaughter Kirsten carried the other granddaughter, Evie, in as flower girls. We got their original kneeling bench down out of the attic. Grandaddy made this for them to use in their wedding 35 years ago. They were very surprised to see the old bench! It was a beautiful service and very special for us kids and grand kids to be able to watch this renewal of their commitment to one another!!!

After the ceremony, we served them a private meal. Kirsten was their waitress and did a fabulous job!

After dinner, we had a mini reception. My sister Dawn made a precious wedding cake for them. There is a story behind the characters on this cake. Years ago a friend of my parents drew two precious cartoon characters with the saying "Love is..." . These framed drawings have hung over their bed for as long as I can remember. So my sister recreated the characters, though a little more gray and a little more bald, and wrote on the cake "Love is...35 years together"

After the cake, we watched a wonderful video that my sister and brother put together. It was really creative and well made. The video opened with footage of each member of our family then was followed with a slide show of photos put to music. The photos chronicled Mom's and Dad's relationship from dating, engagement, and marriage and ended with photos of the grand kids. Dawn made copies of the video for all of us to have. After we watched the video, we sent Mom and Dad home. We had decorated their car and we blew bubbles as they went to their car.

It was so much fun and very special to be able to do this for Mom and Dad. They have demonstrated a beautiful marriage relationship to us 4 kids and are now doing so for their grand kids. Thank you Mom and Dad for honoring your commitments to one another and to God over these past 35 years. We are praying that the Lord will bless you with several more years together, happy and in love! We love you!

Wiley Playing Indiana

2009-08-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

Shane's Aunt Paula and Uncle Bill gave Wiley this cool Indiana Jones toy and he's had a blast playing with it. Wiley often hums the Indiana Jones theme while he is playing. This was too cute to pass up filming. (Of course, as soon as I got the camera out, he started looking at me, but he often plays very intently while just humming away!) Enjoy!!!

Here's Wiley being Indiana Jones. This was a rare treat for him to play with this "real" whip that we'd borrowed from my brother for the party.

Indiana Jones Birthday Party

2009-08-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday we celebrated Wiley's birthday with an Indiana Jones party. He is really into Indiana Jones (I just want to say for the record that he does not watch the movies - though we have let him watch a few scenes before). He just likes the hat, whip, and swinging like Indiana Jones. Every time we ask him why he likes Indiana, he says, "Because he protects people." (Happy parents about this answer!)

Disclaimer: I'm giving all the party details for my own record, and for some of my out of state friends who wanted to hear all about the party. Plus, I got most all my ideas from reading about others' parties online so thought I'd post our details in case any other moms out there are trying to find Indian Jones party ideas).
For the party, we decorated our front room up with a tent, a large tiki statue wall cling, plants, and stuffed jungle animals. We had a great turnout for the party - 11 kids total!

When the kids arrived, they had to hunt through the front room to find little treasure boxes I'd hidden. When they found their treasure box, they brought them into the Living Room where they painted them and decorated them with stick on jewels.

When they finished, we called everyone together and said we'd just gotten a phone call that something had happened and we had to turn on the news. We turned on a videotape that my niece made where she pretended to be a reporter. She said that Indiana Jones had been hunting for treasure when he got trapped by a booby trap. He was in need of hero crusaders to go and rescue him. This began our hunt to save Indiana!!!

The hunt began with the kids playing a game of pin the hat on Indiana Jones (Because, of course, he needed his hat before we could go rescue him!) Shane did a great job drawing a picture of Indiana. When they finished the game, they got their first clue.

The clue sent them through the Forbidden Forest. Here they had to climb through a large spider web made out of rope and through the jungle vines (hanging streamers) and find their second clue hidden in a plant.

The second clue sent them to the Cave of Mystery but they first had to disable the booby trap leading to the cave. To disable the trap, they ran through a tunnel made by the parents (like parents make after a soccer game), while I chased them with a giant boulder (big exercise ball). When they got to the end, they had to throw a bean bag through the hole in our corn hole board.

After they all disabled the booby trap, they had to use a pretend torch and crawl through a pop up tunnel into the Cave of Mystery (another tent). Once inside, there was another board with a hole in it. They had to put their hand inside the hole and say the magic words, "Goblet, goblet, go goblet!". Then my brother who was hiding behind the board put a little goblet in their hand.

After all the kids got their goblet, the next clue sent them to the Sands of Sapphire to dig for gold. I found crayola sand at Wal-Mart that is blue. I spray painted rocks gold and burried them in the sand. The kids had to dig through and find 3 gold nuggets each to put into their goblets. Once they all got their gold, they received their final clue.

The final clue led them to Treasure Cove (our garage) where Indiana Jones (Shane) was caught under a net. The kids had to pour their gold into a bucket that was tied to the net by a long rope. When they all poured their gold in, the bucket lowered and pulled the net up off Indiana. Indiana then got up and thanked all the kids for being hero crusaders and rescuing him. He then led them the final few steps to find the treasure.

For the treasure, we'd made an Ark of the covenant out of a styrofoam cooler and gold spray paint. We set it in the laundry room and turned off all the lights. We put electric candles inside the cooler so when they opened it it would glow. They all carried the ark out into the Living Room where the parents were waiting to cheer for the hero crusaders!

The treasure was full of candy and small toys. Indiana used a golden goblet to scoop treasure and pour it into each kids' bag. After the treasure was passed out, it was time for cake and ice cream.

I was thrilled about how the cake turned out. Again, found lots of great cake ideas online. My sister and I worked together to make the cake. It was a 3 layer cake of Indiana on top of a mountain with a waterfall coming out of the top. There were vines and leaves coming down the mountain. I found these awesome milk chocolate candies at Wal-Mart that looked just like little rocks so we sprinkled them around the water. We made a large whip out of fondant and wrapped it around the bottom layer of the cake. Then we made a little Indiana hat and put it out front and stuck the candles in that. We decided at the last minute to just write Wiley's name on paper and stick it on the cake at the bottom of the water. Shane wrote the name for us. I had no idea how awesome it would turn out. He colored the letters to look just like Indiana's name on the DVD cover!

After the cake and ice cream came the presents. Then the kids all got to take home their bags of "treasure" and chests they had decorated.

It was a really fun party and Wiley had a blast! Can't wait till next year's!!!

Happy Birthday Wiley! The Big 3!!!

2009-08-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today is Wiley's birthday! He is 3 years old. It is so hard to believe that 3 years have passed since our Wiley guy entered our lives. God is growing him into such a fun and loving little boy. He is very energetic and loves sports, running, wrestling with Daddy, pretending to be Indiana Jones, having people tell him stories, being tickled by Mommy, eating, making Evie laugh, making anyone laugh for that matter - we are realizing that we might have a little comedian on our hands. He is very loving and gentle and a great big brother! God has given him such a great personality and we look forward to seeing how God will use him as he grows up. Our prayer is that he would learn to love God with all of his heart from a very young age and that he would seek to glorify God in everything he says and does. We love you, Wiley and we are so thankful God has allowed us to be your Mommy and Daddy!!!

A few photos of Wiley's new scooter, spider-man helmet, knee pads and elbow pads.

Evie is 5 Months!

2009-08-17T07:28:00.001-07:00

Our little lady turned 5 months old on August 14th. She is getting so big and so mobile. Her current favorite activities are watching her big brother play (so far he can make her laugh more than anyone else), grabbing our faces, kicking, and learning to use her hands. We are so thankful she is happy and healthy and are praying for the Lord to make her heart love Him as she grows up.

Expressions by Evie

2009-08-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

So I don't want Miss Evie to get jealous about all of the "Words with Wiley" blogs so I thought I'd give her her own. Here are some of Evie's more common "words":

* Grrrrrr (This one is usually made with a thick gurgling sound)

* Ahhh (A high pitch squeal)

* Ooh (Her owl sound)

* Hah (made with a sort when we tickle her neck)

Words with Wiley

2009-08-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

The other morning, out of the blue, Wiley asked his Daddy if they were going to go to his Motty and Poppy's house to play. Shane replied, "I hadn't planned on it." Wiley responded, "I had planned on it."

The other day Wiley was standing on a step stool and I was kneeling in front of him helping him get dressed when he looked down at me and asked, "Mommy, will you marry me?" (Precious! I think he thought about that bc I was kneeling in front of him on one knee - except that he got the roles reversed!)

Potty training has been going very well, however, the other day Wiley had a bit of an accident because he wasn't looking where he was pottying while sitting on the toilet. I cleaned up the mess while he was sitting on the toilet but he said, "Mommy, I don't want to get into that mess, so I better swing like Indiana Jones to get down." (You have to understand that swinging like Indiana Jones is his favorite thing to do lately. This simply means hanging onto our arm and jumping/swinging off of stools, couches, beds, or anything else that is up off the floor. He's tricky - he'll try anything to get a swing in!)

Yesterday I asked Wiley to dance with me. He said, "No, I want to break dance instead." He then proceeded to show me how to breakdance. Then he stood up and said, "That's how you break dance. You go whirrr (spun his finger around while saying this) like that and then on your head. Then you play a basketball game when you finish." (Needless to say I laughed hard at the basketball part. Not sure where he's been watching his breakdancing!)

Today Wiley was noticing our green mouthwash. He asked, "What does Daddy turn into when he drinks this? Does he turn into the green hulk?"

Trying This Coupon Thing!

2009-08-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the other night a woman's small group from my church held a coupon class. I attended and am determined to join the crazy world of couponing and save my family tons of money. There's a lot to figure out and it's fairly time consuming (at least initially), but I can't justify being a good steward of our money when I know I'm basically throwing money away if I don't take the time to look for deals. So, after my first shopping trip with this, here's how I came out:

First time shopping at Publix grocery store
First time using coupons (at least, effectively using them)
I purchased $114.62 worth of groceries and only paid $31.32!!!
(I even got 9 double shot espresso and cream starbucks drinks for my hubby for free and actually made .09 cents by doing it :)

I'm thrilled! I know it's going to take a lot of work to understand this whole "coupon world" and I don't want to become the crazy coupon lady, but I do want to be wise with the money God has given us and my husband works so hard for! Pray for me as I try to be faithful with all that we have.

Moments with Wiley

2009-07-19T14:22:00.001-07:00

Some cute recent Wiley moments:

* When he saw a man with long hair ride by on a bicycle he asked, "Is that a girl or a girl-man?" (Needless to say, Shane was quick to explain that it was a man with long hair and that sometimes men have long hair too.)

* In the car yesterday, Wiley reached over to Evie, tickled her toes, and sang, "The itsy bitsy spider, went to the market." (So cute that he got his spider and little piggy songs mixed up!)

* Every time Wiley watches the Sesame Street movie, Follow That Bird, he cries when it gets to the part where Big Bird flies away on the plane (regardless of how many times he watches it). He keeps wanting to watch it though and we just hug him each time, while he cries as if he's lost his best friend, and explain to him that it is just pretend and Big Bird will return to Sesame Street at the end of the movie.

* Out of the blue the other day Wiley just up and asks me, "Mommy, are you good at sports?" I replied, "Not really." His response, "That's okay, Mommy. You just gotta keep your eye on the ball!"

* Shane is always teaching Wiley that it is his job as a man to protect Mommy and Evie. Today while potty training, Wiley had an accident. After cleaning him up, I asked him what he should do next time he needs to go potty (expecting him to say somthing along the lines of, "Go and potty on the toilet") His answer was, "Protect you and Evie from the potty!" (At least some things are sinking in :)

Here are some potty training photos. (We bought a huge tarp and spread it over the living room floor. It's definitely paid for itself already!!!) He is doing a good job overall though we do have accidents from time to time. This morning in nursery, he stopped playing on his own and went to tell his teacher that he needed to go potty and he held it until he got in the bathroom. Way to go, Wiley!!!) We are so proud of you and we love you very much!!! What a big boy you are becoming!

Baby Dedication and Picnic

2009-07-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Evie's baby dedication at our church. We are thankful to the Lord for lending this precious little girl to us for a brief time, and we seek Him for the wisdom to raise her. We pray that we would "raise her up in the fear and admonition of the Lord." We pray that her heart would grow to love God more and more with every passing day!

Our family was able to be there, including my Grandfather. What a special blessing that Evie's Great Grandaddy was at her dedication. This is the husband of my late Grandmother (the lady who Evie and I were named after).

After church, we went and had a picnic in the horseshoe at the University of South Carolina. My younger sister and brother went with us. Here are some photos from this great time together - gorgeous weather!!! Thank you, Lord.

We tried to take some photos while there. We managed to get a few good ones, even with Wiley not really wanting to cooperate. Why is it that it's much harder to get a good photo of a 2 year old than a baby? Shouldn't the opposite be true?

Thought I'd post a few of the crazier ones since this is really how the "photo shoot" part of the picnic went.

Wiley kept saying he wanted to do "funny pictures" so this is his version of a funny pose apparently - and no, I don't have a clue what he was doing!

This is pretty accurate for what it's like trying to get a decent family photo!

Evie is Almost 4 Months

2009-07-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

Evie will be 4 months on July 14th. She has grown a lot this month and experienced a lot of firsts:

First Laugh - The night before Father's Day I was bathing her. She was in a playful mood and so I called Shane in to come and be with us. He was making kissing noises at her and she laughed right at him. What a Father's Day present for him. (She's so sneeky. She must've been secretly working on her "present" for him.)

First Rolled Over - Tuesday, July 7, Evie rolled over on the couch but she was sort of in the crevice of the pillows so we weren't sure to count that or not. Friday night she rolled over on the bed when my sister was watching her but again the mattress was slanting down. Today after church, she was lying on the floor on her blanket and rolled completely over from her back to her stomach so it's official!

First Found her Hands and Feet - She found her hands awhile back but has just recently found her feet. She is constantly grabing her left foot with her left hand and pulling it up and down. Looks like she's practicing her cheerleader moves again!

First camp experience, road trip and July 4th - See next post for some of these details. The night of July 4th we enjoyed watching a fireworks display out of Wiley's bedroom window. Don't think Evie cared about the fireworks at all, but Wiley sure did!

First big showing of her personality - She has become so much more active and animated over the past few weeks. She is a very happy baby, which we are thankful for, and a very loud baby too! I've never known another baby to be so loud when she is happy. Quite the little squealer!

We are going to have her baby dedication next Sunday at church. Looking forward to it!

Thank you, God, for a wonderful 3rd month!

Camp Willow Run

2009-07-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

The week of June 28 - July 4 we got to go to camp. Shane was invited to speak for the high school summer camp at a great camp in Littleton, NC. This is a camp that we've been to several times before with our own youth when we lived in NC as well as for speaking engagements. This was Evie's first official road trip, first time leaving the state, first camp experience, first boat rides, lots of firsts...

(Road trip there to meet Shane. The kids did great there and back!!!!!)

Shane went on Sunday, June 28 and my sister Katie, the kids, and I all came up on Wednesday night. My sister very graciously agreed to come and spend the week with us to help me with the kids in the car and at camp. Thank you bunches, Katie. I know it wasn't all pleasant but I'm so glad to spend that time and experience with you!!! S hane did a wonderful job preaching for the students every morning and evening. He also celebrated his 33rd birthday while there! Here's some photos from our time there. (The camp has 2 rows of train boxcars that have been converted into bunkrooms. We always stay in the boxcar reserved for the guest speaker. It has a nice living room/kitchen , bathroom and 2 bedrooms. Wiley and Shane shared the room with 2 bunkbeds and had fun "camping" together while Katie, Evie and I shared the other room.)

We went on two boat rides while there. When we arrived, Shane had arranged for us to take a sunset boat ride as a family. Very awesome! This was the smallest life vest I'd ever seen. Evie loved the boat rides and both times ended up being "rocked" to sleep before they were over!

Wiley had fun swinging on the low ropes course. Evie celebrated her first July 4th. She was wearing her special little July 4th outfit (It's hard to tell but it's a cute little outfit with red, white, and blue ladies bugs with little stars on the front pockets. She looked really cute, but in the photo it just looks like a red crayon exploded all over her. I think we could hear the song playing, "The lady in red...")

I painted mine and Evie's toenails to match. Wiley and Daddy had to have a photo of their feet taken too!

"God, I want to be just like You, 'cause he wants to be just like me"

2009-07-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a conversation between Shane and Wiley from the other day:

Shane: "Wiley what are you playing?"

Wiley: "I'm going to work."

Shane: "What kind of work do you do?"

Wiley: "I preach."

Shane: "Where do you preach?"

Wiley: "At Camp Wiwo Wun." (Camp Willow Run - see the post above)

Dear God,

As the Christian song says, please help Shane to be like you since our son so desperately wants to be like him. May we both model Christ for him in all we do and say. We pray no matter what "work" you will one day call Wiley to that he will glorify You and "preach" the truth of Your Word with his life. Amen.

Fun Night Out!

2009-07-12T11:55:00.001-07:00

Shane and I had a blast on our anniversary. Here are a few photos from our night out. The first was taken before we left. (It is rare nowadays to get any photo of the two of us dressed up so nicely. I had so much fun getting to dress up and eat out at such a nice restaurant. I definitely took this for granted before kids came into the picture. Thank you, Shane!)

We took the second photo out on the balcony of our hotel room the following morning before checking out. We had a wonderful night out and fun morning together sleeping in and getting breakfast together before heading back home. (The only not so fun moment was being awoken in the morning because someone was singing at the top of her voice in the stairwell next to our room. After an hour of this, I finally had to go and ask her if she could dial it down a little. Fun times!!!)

The highlight of the night for me was when Shane carried me over the threshold of our room, just like on our wedding night! Glad to know that after 10 years and 2 kids I haven't gained so much weight he couldn't lift me!!! :)

Happy Anniversary, Shane!

2009-07-10T05:22:00.001-07:00

Today is mine and Shane's 10 year anniversary! We are spending the day together as a family and then tonight we are getting a sitter and spending the evening out. We are going to dinner at the restaurant we went to for our 1 year dating anniversary (and we haven't been back since so I'm really excited). Then we are staying the night at the same hotel and even in the same room where we spent our wedding night. It's going to be a wonderful evening of remembering old memories and making new ones! I love you Shane. Thank you for a wonderful 10 years.

In honor of our 10 year mark, I thought I’d list out 10 of the things I love most about you.

1. First and foremost has to be your love for Christ. It is out of this that your love for me, our children, and others flows. It is out of this that you are the man you are.

2. Your love for Christ’s truths. You are passionate about basing your thoughts and decisions on His truths and you love nothing more than getting to share these truths with others.

3. You are my teacher. I have learned so much about my God through you. You have taught me a right understanding of who God is. When I read things I wrote years ago, I am amazed at how theologically inaccurate and shallow I was. I see how much I’ve grown in my understanding of God and his truths over the years and I know this is because of your teachings in my life. (I look forward to growing in Him more each day with you.) Thank you for teaching me about the glory of God! Thank you for your patience with me and my lack of understanding so much of the time. Thank you for taking so seriously your role in being responsible for my spiritual growth and for seeing that I am taught Biblical truths. Thank you for sharing with me what God teaches you. I love you so much more for all of this!!!!!!!!!!!

4. You are such a wise and Godly spiritual leader of our home. You always seek the Lord in matters of our family and home. You seek to honor and obey God in all your decisions and so I can trust in you without worry because I know you have sought Him first before making a decision. What a beautiful example this is to our children too.

5. You are a man of humility. You’ll never know what an attractive trait this is to me! My whole life, the biggest turn off to me in a man has been arrogance. Thank you for being a man of humility and for allowing God to work that out in your life. I know you would be the first to say that you “mess up” a lot of the time. You have no idea how much God uses those times to make me love you all the more because in those moments you come to me or our kids with a humble heart and ask for forgiveness. This is one of the two greatest ways you show Christ to me.

6. You are a man of sacrifice. This is the second greatest way you show Christ to me. You always put my needs and desires and the needs and desires of our children before your own. This never ceases to amaze me.

7. You are a man of integrity. This is a truly rare trait to find in people. I am so glad to know that I can trust you with anything and everything. I am so thankful God has made you a person of integrity. I am thrilled to know that our children will be raised by a father that models integrity for them and desires to instill it in them.

8. You are such a hard worker. You have always sought to provide the best for me and our kids. You are a wonderful provider. I can never thank you enough for working so hard to ensure that I can stay home with our kids. I appreciate so much that you see the importance of my calling as a mother (in fact, you are the one who often reminds me of this). Thank you for believing it is important for me to be at home with them and for working hard to make this possible. I love your work ethic and am again grateful that you are modeling this for our children.

9. You are a wonderful Daddy! You love our kids passionately! You are such a great father and you truly love spending time with our kids. I love watching you play with them, sing to them, tell them stories, tickle them, wrestle with them, and entertain them. I also love watching you teach them God’s truths. Thank you for taking the time to love them and to “raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.” It is so hard watching them be disciplined, but I know you do it out of love for them and your obedience to God and I thank you for this. It is so tough at times, but you are diligent to stick with it. Thank you for teaching them to honor and respect me. Thank you for teaching Wiley what it means to be a man (and husband and daddy). Thank you for Lin-Chin!

10. Your smile and laugh (silent though it may be at times :). There’s nothing I love more than laughing with you!!! I think this will always be one of the most enjoyable aspects of our relationship. I am so thankful that God gave me a husband who I can laugh with. I love your sense of humor too. You can make me laugh like no one else. Our kids are so blessed to have such a fun and funny Daddy. Somehow you manage to get my quirky and goofy humor. You have made our life together so enjoyable and entertaining. I can always count on you to put a smile on my face and laughter in my heart.

Happy Anniversary, My Love! I'm looking forward to celebrating our life together with you today!

A Word from Piper About Idolatry

2009-06-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

So my Godly husband, who is my spiritual leader, forwarded me this e-mail the other day. There are 12 things John Piper mentions in this article about idolatry in our lives. Too many to post here so I thought I'd just post the ones that hit me the hardest. You can read the full article by clicking below. Enjoy!

Discerning Idolatry in Desire
12 Ways to Recognize the Rise of Covetousness
June 17, 2009 By John Piper
Read this article on our website.

Most of us realize that enjoying anything other than God, from the best gift to the basest pleasure, can become idolatry. Paul says in Colossians 3:5, “Covetousness is idolatry.”
“Covetousness” means desiring something other than God in the wrong way. But what does that mean—“in the wrong way”?

The reason this matters is both vertical and horizontal. Idolatry will destroy our relationship with God. And it will destroy our relationships with people.

All human relational problems—from marriage and family to friendship to neighbors to classmates to colleagues—all of them are rooted in various forms of idolatry, that is, wanting things other than God in wrong ways.

So here is my effort to think biblically about what those wrong ways are. What makes an enjoyment idolatrous? What turns a desire into covetousness, which is idolatry?

1. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is forbidden by God. For example, adultery and fornication and stealing and lying are forbidden by God. Some people at some times feel that these are pleasurable, or else we would not do them. No one sins out of duty. But such pleasure is a sign of idolatry.

2. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is disproportionate to the worth of what is desired. Great desire for non-great things is a sign that we are beginning to make those things idols.

3. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is not permeated with gratitude. When our enjoyment of something tends to make us not think of God, it is moving toward idolatry. But if the enjoyment gives rise to the feeling of gratefulness to God, we are being protected from idolatry. The grateful feeling that we don’t deserve this gift or this enjoyment, but have it freely from God’s grace, is evidence that idolatry is being checked.

4. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it draws us away from our duties. When we find ourselves spending time pursuing an enjoyment, knowing that other things, or people, should be getting our attention, we are moving into idolatry.

5. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is not working a deeper capacity for holy delight. We are sinners still. It is idolatrous to be content with sin. So we desire transformation. Some enjoyments shrink our capacities of holy joy. Others enlarge them. Some go either way, depending on how we think about them. When we don’t care if an enjoyment is making us more holy, we are moving into idolatry.

6. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when its loss ruins our trust in the goodness of God. There can be sorrow at loss without being idolatrous. But when the sorrow threatens our confidence in God, it signals that the thing lost was becoming an idol.

For myself and for you, I pray the admonition of 1 John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

Happy 3 Months, Evie!

2009-06-16T13:25:00.001-07:00

Happy 3 Months, Evie Girl!

We are so thankful that God has entrusted us with you for this time.

Here's my song for you:

(To the tune of You Are My Sunshine)

You are my Evie,

My only Evie,

And I am happy,

That God made you.

And my prayer for you,

Is that you will grow,

And learn to love God

With all of your heart!

We love you, Little Lady!

Words With Wiley

2009-06-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

(Okay, so when I started this blog site, I never intended to put so many entries of things Wiley says. They are just so funny and cute and I love to share them. Plus, my main reason in blogging is to keep a record for me, Shane and our kids one day. So with that said, here comes some more!)

This evening Shane and I were standing in the Living Room talking and hugging. Wiley was in his high chair finishing his dinner. He looked up and said, "Are ya'll getting married?" (Too funny! Not sure why he asked this since he often sees us hugging like this.)

While making Wiley a sandwich, he pointed at something on the peanut butter jar and asked, "What's that?" I replied, "Peter Pan. This is Peter Pan peanut butter." Wiley asked, "Where's the Captain Hook pea-ut budder?"

This morning Wiley and I had this conversation...

Wiley - "Wanna go on my fari wif me Mama?" (safari)

Me - "I'd love to go on your safari with you. What animals are we going to see?"

Wiley - "Um, wike (like) cows an beaws."

Me - "Bears! Scary!"

Wiley - "I protect you. I'm In-in-a Jones!" (Indiana Jones)

Me - "Thank you. What other animals will we see on the safari?"

Wiley - "Um, wike Superman." (It was an interesting safari!)

The other day Shane was working in his office upstairs when he saw a turtle outside in the road. He ran downstairs, got us, and we all ran outside to see it. (Thank you, God, for allowing us to see this turtle. What a nice surprise.) He was a fast little guy and very brave. Even with all of us standing around him, he kept right on walking. He was on a mission. Here are some cute photos and comments Wiley made:

"Hey there, Turtle!"

"We're takin' a walk together!"

(For all you concerned moms out there...No, it was not my intention to let my child run around barefoot in the street! But hey, sometimes you just gotta live in the moment and not miss out on fun memories like this! :)

Why Does a Kid Need to Know How to Count?

2009-06-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

(First a side note. Today Wiley is pretending to be the "PS Guy" - which took me a minute to realize he meant the UPS Guy.)

So the PS Guy and I were working on counting today. He does really well up until around 14 and then he gets it all mixed up. I was counting for him and when I got to ten, I slowed down and clearly pronounced each number. When I got to 20 I stopped and looked at Wiley. He smiled and said, "Ready or not, here I come." (Silly me! I guess hide and go seek is the only reason a kid needs to learn to count :)

Playtime

2009-06-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

* Me - "Wiley, what do you want to play?"
Wiley - "I don't know what I'd like to play with you. Maybe something fun. Maybe a game, or balls, or a game, or soccer, or football, or basketball..."
(No wonder it takes forever to play.)

* "Mommy, I'm playing hockey- scos" (hopscotch)

* While playing grocery store, Wiley was the grocer and I was shopping. The time before, I had his Curious George doll with me pretending it was my baby. It wasn't with me this time so he asked where my baby was. I told him he was at home with his daddy.
Wiley said, "I'll go see him."
To which I replied, "You can't. You don't know where I live."
Wiley, "Where do you live?"
Me, "I'm not telling you. You're a stranger."
Wiley, "No. I'm the Piggly Wiggly guy!"

(For those of you who don't have them, Piggly Wiggly (or "Pig-a Willy" as Wiley says it) is the name of one of our local grocery stores.)

Don't Talk to Strangers!

2009-06-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've been teaching Wiley about strangers and safety. It seems to go in one ear and out the other most of the time. The one time that he seems to REALLY remember this topic is in the grocery store for some reason. A week can pass without ever having talked about strangers, yet we go to the grocery store and the reminder comes flooding back to him it seems. We will be walking down the aisle with Wiley riding in the buggy, someone will start to pass us with their buggy and he suddenly asks VERY LOUDLY and POINTING, "Is that a stranger?!!!" Oh. . . the joys of motherhood!

The Wonderful Gift of a Sibling

2009-06-04T10:28:00.001-07:00

(I just love this photo!)

Today I took Wiley and Evie to a playdate at a local park. I had an okay time being with the other moms, Wiley had an okay time playing, and Evie had an okay time sleeping in the baby wrap. But what we all had a really good time doing was just being together. After playing, we sat down at a picnic table and had lunch. I was sitting next to Wiley holding Evie on my lap as she had just woken up from her nap. I just sat there with my two kids and watched as Evie smiled and cooed at Wiley, and Wiley smiled back, leaned in, kissed her and said, "I love you , Evie."
The other day Wiley woke up from his nap and came into the room where Evie and I were. He was still a bit sleepy so he lay down on the couch and asked if Evie could lay beside him (he loves when I let them do this). So I put Evie beside him and they just lay there together. Wiley gave a huge smile and said, We're laying beside each other!"
I knew joyous moments as a mother of one, but none of those moments for me even begin to compare to the moments like this when my two children are sharing a moment of love together and I get to see it! I had no idea how special these moments are!!!!
Thank you God for the gift of having a sibling that you have given to our kids. I pray they would always love one another deeply and put the needs and desires of the other before themselves. May they be each other's best friend! Amen.

Words With Wiley

2009-05-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share some sweet and some funny comments Wiley has made lately!

While I was opening the Living Room windows, Wiley said, "May I play outside, Mama? It's such a nice day out there!" (said with such a sweet and irresistible smile.

"Let's make a hosey like the football players do." (huddle)

"Sam-iche" (sandwich)

Shane has been teaching Wiley about football plays. This morning he said, "Daddy, I want to do a plassing pay." (passing play)

Wiley had a boo boo and I told him I'd put some neosporin on it. He replied,
"Don't put some neosporin on it. It's just a baby size one." (And yes, he says neosporin correctly!)

"Evie's not spit-uping. She's doing a good job obeying. She's not spit-uping."

While putting Wiley down for a nap, he asked Shane what they were going to do after his nap. Shane replied, "Right now we're going to lie down and then when you get up, we'll take it from there." Wiley replied, "What does it mean, we'll take it from there?"

Wiley was asking me if he could play Shane's big guitar. I told him no but was somewhat distracted. He kept asking and then said, "Please may I play Daddy's guitar, it's good for me."

Everyday there are so many, I can't even begin to record them all, but thought I'd try with some at least! Enjoy!

I Love My Kiddos

2009-05-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Though everyday has its challenges, I love being Wiley's and Evie's Mama and wouldn't trade it for anything. Just wanted to share some of my favorite recent photos with you.

This photo is so typical - Wiley (quite literally) has me in the choke hold while Evie is getting fussy at "just the right time", meanwhile I'm tricking myself into believing that we are posed and ready for the camera! Ahhh... the joys of motherhood!

Wiley, being his cute little self.

Evie striking her, "Aren't I just too adorable?" pose!

Evie is 2 Months!

2009-05-25T10:36:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Lord, for such a happy and healthy "little lady". You have given Evie such a sweet personalilty and disposition. We appreciate all her smiles and coos and look forward to many more. Guide us in raising her to be a lady who loves you with all of her heart, soul, and mind. Amen.

Thought I would add these last 2 photos for fun! I caught her sleeping in this pose - looked like she was trying to listen for something. The other photo was taken right after her nap. She had slept on her side and her hair was sticking straight up on the top like a miniatrue mohawk. Cute face too!

Words With Wiley

2009-05-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

* Shane was sitting on the floor. Wiley came and sat down behind Shane and said, "Look behind you, Daddy." Shane turned part way around to look at Wiley. Wiley could only see half of Shane's face and so he said, "Where's your other eye?"

* Shane was sitting in Wiley's room during naptime trying to get Wiley to sleep. Wiley was very squirmy and kept moving around on his bed. At one point he moved forward to where his head was hanging off the bed. Shane said, "Why don't you scoot down so your head is on your pillow." Wiley replied, "Okay. That's a great idea!"

* Every time Evie spits up or poops, Wiley says, "Oh, I don't like that!"

* Shane was reading Wiley a book before naptime. Wiley kept asking Shane what the different things on each page were. He thought Wiley was asking because he was curious, but apparently he was quizzing Shane instead because at one point he said, "What's that?" Shane said, "It's a bird." Wiley replied, "Actually, it's a robin." (We had read Wiley this bird before and it does say "robin")

* This morning, Wiley was sitting in his high chair, playing with his food. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing and not paying a bit of attention to Evie who was over in her swing. Suddenly, he said, "Evie has little ears, Mommy."

* Abra Brr-dabra - Abra Cadabra

* Are we going to Kirsten's concrete? (Kirsten's concert)

* Wadies an Genwamen - Ladies and Gentlemen

Words with Wiley

2009-04-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

Some days Wiley watches Winnie the Pooh. On that show there is a porcupine character. This morning we were watching it together and I was asking him what kind of animal each of the characters are. When the porcupine came on, I asked him what kind of animal it is. He replied, "a pine corn." Too cute!

Shane and Wiley were just playing. Shane was picking Wiley up and dropping him on the couch. Wiley was just laughing so hard and kept saying, "Again" over and over again after Shane dropped him. They were both laughing so hard then all of a sudden Wiley got real serious, got up off the couch and said, "that's enough" and walked off to go play with his toys. He's too funny!

We love you Wiley and all your cute little words!!!

Teachable Moments

2009-04-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

This morning Wiley ran up to me, hugged me and said, "Mommy, I did a bad thing." (He's never said this to me before.) Surprised, I asked him what he did and he responded, "I don't deserve to be your son." My first thought when he said this was to be upset that he would say or think such a thing. It took me a minute to understand what he had said. Then it was all I could do not to laugh. You see, Wiley has a children's book that is the story of the prodigal son. In the story the "bad" son took his inheritance from his daddy early, went away and spent it all. When he returned to his father he said, "Father, I am sorry, I did a bad thing and I no longer deserve to be your son." We have been reading this book to Wiley and often try to explain about sin and God's forgiveness. I never really thought he was listening but apparently he was. So this morning when he said that to me, we took a moment right then to learn about how we are God's sons and daughters because He made us. When we do bad things, this is sin. When we sin we do not deserve to be God's sons and daughters anymore. But just like the father in the story, God forgives us and gives us grace whenever we come to Him and tell him we are sorry.

We often miss opportunities and moments to direct Wiley's thoughts towards God, so I am thankful that God sometimes drops those opportunities right into our laps so that we can't help but to recognize those moments for the teachable times that they are.

Thank you, Lord. Please make us into faithful and Godly parents who seek to always, moment by moment, direct our children to the things of You. Amen

By the way, I never did find out what "bad thing" Wiley thinks he did.

Sweet photos!

2009-04-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

These are some sweet photos that my sister Katie has taken and e-mailed to us. I just love them and wanted to share with you!

One of Wiley's all time favorite things to do is sit on Grandaddy's lap and listen while he tells him a story. (My dad tells the best stories and I remember this was one of my favorite things to do as a child as well.) We are always amazed at how still Wiley will sit for one of Grandaddy's famous stories!!!

I love this funny photo! Two seconds before both Wiley and Evie were perfectly posed and ready for a photo. Of course, as soon as Katie clicked the camera button they both moved. Wiley is talking (big surprise!) and Evie is stretching (or in this case giving us her cheer leader pose! Rah - Rah - Ree!)

Motty (Shane's mom) gave Wiley this cute doctor's outfit complete with adorable coat, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and many more "tools of the trade". He's had lots of fun giving everyone shots and writing us prescriptions! You won't find a healthier family while Dr. Parker, Jr. is on the job!

I'm so proud of you, Shane!

2009-04-15T10:26:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute to share some news with you all. Yesterday we received two journals in the mail. These are Shane's first published works! The first is Christian Education Journal's Supplemental Issue: Christian Education: A Field in Motion. When Shane began his PhD at Southern Seminary, he agreed to be a part of a research team made up of faculty from various Christian institutions. They began a 3 year research project with the purpose of getting "a field study to better understand what was happening in Christian education preparation programs at Bible colleges, Christian liberal arts colleges and universities, and evangelical seminaries in North America." After lots of hard work and several trips to California and Colorado to meet with the team, their report has been published. Our prayer is that this research will be useful in furthering Christian education around the world.

The second journal is Christian Education Journal's Spring 2009, Series 3, Volume 6, No. 1 issue. In this issue, is published Shane's first article. It is entitled, "The Supervisor as Mentor-Coach in Theological Field Education." His article "examines the role of the field education supervisor as it relates to function and process." He focuses on the supervisors two main responsibilities of mentoring and coaching. Congratulations, Shane!!! I know how hard you worked on both of these projects and I'm so very proud of you. I pray the Lord will use your writings to further His kingdom! I love you!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We hope your Easter day was beautiful and full of worship of our Lord and Savior. We went to church on Easter for the first time since Evie's birth. It was wonderful being at church together on the Lord's day. I don't think we realized how much we'd been missing it. Shane's parents came with us and enjoyed the service. After church we all came back to our house and had a nice lunch. Wiley and Evie opened their Easter baskets from Motty and Poppy and then Wiley had an egg hunt in the front yard. Then we went over to Lydia's parents house and had a great time visiting with them. Lydia's sister's family came over too and Wiley and his cousins had a great time doing an Easter egg hunt and playing. Overall it was a wonderful day, and we are really glad to be living near family to be with them on special holidays such as this.

We had pictures taken for our Easter photos and for Evie's 1 month photos. She is 1 month old today!!! Enjoy the photos!

3 Weeks Later

2009-04-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Evie is 3 weeks old and things are going well. She has gained over a pound and her bilirubin levels have lowered. Wiley is becoming a better big brother each and every day. Evie seems to really like Wiley, and he has a nack at calming her down that even Mommy and Daddy don't seem to have. Just thought I'd post a few photos of some sweet times with Evie sleeping and getting kisses from Grandaddy while being held by Aunt Katie.

Wanted to post some close ups of Evie. Also I love this photo of Wiley: He was so good at Evie's 2 week check-up. He said that he wanted to be a doctor too and so Shane promised to get him some doctor toys for being so good at the doctor's office. Would you believe Wal-Mart didn't have any!?! So Wiley chose to get a Handy Manny toolbelt kit instead. Here he is wearing the toolbelt, gloves (that are way too large!) and Shane's shoes!

Evie Is 1 Week Old

2009-03-23T12:22:00.001-07:00

Our little Evie has been with us for 1 week now and we are loving every minute of it! She has enjoyed being at home and has had a few visits from her grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins. Here she is meeting her Great Grandfather (husband of the Great Grandmother she was named after).

She is gaining weight. She was 6 lbs 6 oz at birth and weighed 6 lbs 8 oz at her 1 week check up. We have been trying to get her in the sun to get her bilirubin level lower and it seems to have helped. Her big brother has taken her on two outings. Once to the park and once to the zoo. She slept through both of them, but had a good time none the less. Here are some fun photos to share with you!

Evie loves being carried in her baby wrap!
It usually puts her right to sleep.
This is Evie at the Park - Her first outing at 6 days old! She enjoyed the merry-go-round.

Wiley took Evie to the zoo when she was 8 days old! We had a blast!

Thankful He's Their Daddy!

2009-03-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

I am truly blessed to have Shane as the father of my children. He is such a Godly man and Daddy. He is so very loving, tender, patient, and consistent with our children. I love him all the more for it! We are trying really hard to be sure Wiley gets our time and attention, especially with little Evie arriving. One of the best ways we are doing this is with Shane and Wiley's "guy time". Shane came up with the idea for he and Wiley to make a list of fun "guy things" they are going to do together over the next few weeks. Some of these started before Evie was even born. One special thing he has planned is that he and Wiley are going to fix up Wiley's room together. They are decorating it with a sports theme, of course! I'm so thankful for my "guys" and the love they have for one another. They have a very special bond and I'm thankful to God for that. I am truly blessed to have a husband that loves his family with all of his heart (second only to the Lord) and loves spending time with them. My children are truly blessed indeed to have Shane as their Dad. Here are just a few of my favorite photos of Shane with Wiley and Evie.

Oranges for teeth! Silly guys!

I love this photo! It was taken right after Evie was born. They took her from me in the tub and she went straight into Shane's arms while I got out. This was the first time he held her, just minutes old.

Shane took Wiley to a USC foootball practice and scrimmage on Saturday, March 21.
Also, he has begun taking him 2 Saturdays a month to Lowe's where they build something together in one of the workshops for kids and parents. This first time they built a wooden race car. Wiley got his own pair of goggles and apron and he gets a badge to sew on his apron each time he builds something. He's holding up his badge in this photo.
Wiley just adores his Daddy and I know Evie will too!

Big Brother

2009-03-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wiley is doing a wonderful job as Evie's big brother. He is being as gentle as he can be with her and loves to hold and kiss her. We have been amazed at how caring for her needs he is. The Lord has been gracious in leading Wiley to have a caring heart for her, especially during times that we were most worried about such as in the car when they are strapped in side by side. These have been some of the most precious moments with them so far though. Once when Evie was fussing in her car seat, Wiley said, "It's okay, Sweetie!" Another time when Evie was trying to find her hands to suck on them, Wiley thought she was hitting herself in the head. His response to her was, "Evie, don't do that. You're a nice girl." Again, we thank God for the sweet heart we are seeing in our little boy and are so thankful that out of all the boys in the world, He chose Wiley to be Evie's big brother! She is truly blessed!

Introducing Evie Lydia Louisa Parker

2009-03-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Evie Lydia Louisa Parker
(Evie is pronounced with a soft "E" like "ever")
Born March 14, 2009 at 5:35 am
6 lbs. 6 oz. 19 1/2 inches

God blessed us Saturday morning with our beautiful and healthy baby girl! His mercies are new every morning indeed!!! We are so thankful to God for a safe and healthy birth. Both Mom and Evie are doing well and our whole family is just enjoying being together and resting. Thank you all for your prayers. We would appreciate you continuing to pray for us as we all adjust and as little Evie grows and develops.

Wiley is enjoying being a big brother and is very loving and affectionate. We are working hard at teaching him the meaning of the word "gentle", but he is such a big helper!

Preparing for Baby

2009-03-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well we are less than 2 weeks away from our due date and awaiting the arrival of Baby Parker. (Here's a belly shot at 38 weeks pregnant.) Things have been very hectic trying to tie up all lose ends before her arrival. We are enjoying time as a family and trying to wait patiently upon the Lord's perfect timing in her coming. We thought she was going to be here a little early when we began having contractions March 3, but she was just teasing us. Needless to say it helped us get on the ball with getting everything packed and ready to go. We're all preparing for her coming, even Jed is getting himself groomed for the special occasion and, as I'm sure you can guess, he's simply thrilled about that!

Here are some photos from the baby shower that my family and friends threw for us. It was so nice and I have to say without bias that it was the most fun I've ever had at a shower. We had an ice cream bar and Dawn made the cake. I have to brag on my sister and her cake decorating abilites for just a minute. In January, she made me a birthday cake for my surprise party, and it was beautiful - her first attempt ever at using fondant icing and it turned out gorgeous!!! This cake was only her 2nd time decorating with fondant and it was amazing!!!!! The pictures don't do it justice at showing the detail that she put into it. I'm trying to convince her to start her own cake decorating business!!! Enjoy the photos! We'll post when Baby Parker is born. Please remember us in your prayers over the next few weeks!!!

Wiley and Shane decided to "crash" our party. When Wiley woke up from his nap, Shane asked him if he wanted to go crash Mommy's party and eat everyone's ice cream. Wiley's response was (with a big grin), "Let's do it, Man!" He came in with the biggest grin on his face and indeed had his share of ice cream AND cake!!!

Words With Wiley

2009-02-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Lord has blessed Wiley with such a precious personality! We love listening to him talk and seeing more and more of his character every day. Some of his words/phrases/comments make us laugh like nothing else can! Just thought I'd share some of his most recent with you:

* "Bangcocks" - Gamecocks

* "Don't worry, I'll protect you, Mommy!" - after telling me the "Hulk" was after us.

* "Sninks" - Stinks. Of course, this is always said with a curled up nose!

* "Darth Vadar Water" - When I asked him what my bouquet of flowers smelled like. And no, we have no idea what that means!

* "You want marshmalls on your salad?" - While playing kitchen. Marshmallows (and no, we don't use marshmallows as a sallad topping in our house!)

* Mommy - "Wiley, we're home. We're going inside."
Wiley - "I take my shoes off."
Mommy - "That's good. That way we won't get the carpet dirty."
Wiley - "Oh no! We don't want that to happen!"

* Wiley giving Shane a toy ice cream cone - "Daddy, hold it by the handle." (Referring to the cone.)

I'm So Slack!!!!

2009-01-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry, to those of you who actually look at our family blog, for all of the time I've let pass without updating this! It's kind of been a crazy few months. So to make up for it, I've posted several new updates below. Enjoy! We love you all and hope you had wonderful holidays!!!!!

Big Boy Bed!

2009-01-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

Wiley has officially made the move to a big boy bed. He's been sleeping in it since January 12th - almost 2 weeks. He has not fallen out of the bed at all (knock on wood) and has done an AMAZING job of staying on his bed and not getting up during naps and at night. He loves it and is very proud to show it off to each family member who comes over. We are so proud of him for making this move so well. Our little baby is growing up!

Precious Moments!

(Sorry for the bad photos - sometimes I only have time to use my camera phone!)

Snow and Motty!

2009-01-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Our first snow of the year was on January 20th. That morning Shane flew to Denver for a missions conference and will be back the end of the month. We are missing him bunches but keeping busy. Shane's mom has been here this week and we've been having fun together. She came over later that morning and played with Wiley in the snow. He made 2 little snowmen and one of them had a carrot nose and a real corncob pipe. Unfortunately he annihilated the bigger snowman before we could finish taking pictures. I know all you guys who don't live in SC are thinking, "What snow?" Trust me, we did have a light dusting on the ground before these photos. Thankfully Shane's car had a good bit on it that we could use. Hey! For South Carolina this is big time!!!! The next day Mott and I took Wiley to Chuck E Cheese where he enjoyed getting to choose just how he wanted to spend his tokens. There was this one game that he played literally over and over again before we could get him distracted enough to move on to something else! The next night I had a childbirth class so Motty came over and kept Wiley. She and Shane's dad had gotten Wiley a play kitchen a few weeks ago and they spent a lot of the night "cooking". We've had a blast with you this week, Motty! We love you!

Wiley's crazy hat hair after coming inside! And our beautiful snowman before a certain somebody demolished him!

Christmas

2009-01-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

This was the first Christmas since getting married in 1999 that Shane and I did not have to travel at Christmas! What a blessing! I can honestly say this was probably our most relaxing Christmas together so far!

On Christmas Eve, my family came over and we celebrated together. (Last year my family began a new tradition of having the adults each draw a name and only buy for that person. We still all get the kids gifts but this sure saves a lot of time and money since my family is so large. We each match the amount we spent on our person and we combine that money together. On Christmas Eve after opening all the gifts, we total up the money and decide on a way to use it for the Lord. This year we decided to send it through World Venture to help their missionaries buy supplies for those in the Congo who are being greatly affected by the genecide. - Please be praying for these individuals. Regardless of what the news is reporting, they are indeed suffering and being murdered each day! - I'm so glad our children will be growing up with this wonderful tradition of giving gifts for the Lord. Shane and I hope to add many more moments like this in our kids lives where they are taught to seek to meet the needs and wants of others before their own - of course this is an area Mom and Dad still need lots of work on too!)

Christmas morning we woke up and had a wonderful time together as a family. Wiley's big gift this year was a drum set (actually two drum sets but of course the first one was broken by lunch!) He has been having a blast with his drums and shows a lot of natural talent. I'm sure our neighbors have really loved us since then! That evening Shane's parents came over and we had our Christmas dinner together and opened gifts. Wiley had so much fun showing off his new musical instruments and playing with his "band", aka - Motty and Poppy. I'm not sure though if he had more fun playing with his new toys or Poppy's new golf "toys".

Overall, we really enjoyed our time together and with our families. God has so richly blessed us beyond what we will ever deserve!

Belly Shot on Christmas Eve! 27 weeks Pregnant!

November - December for the Parkers

2009-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

So to try and play catch up...

November and December were busy months for us. Shane was busy wrapping up his classes at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia and finishing a book he was co-writing with a friend. It should be published next spring. Here's a few of the highlights during this time for us:

We are loving being back home and for the first time were able to "host" the holidays at our house! My family came over Thanksgiving day and we had our Thanksgiving lunch. I finally cooked my first turkey (I know married almost a decade - first turkey - what!!!) with mom's help and had a blast. The boys enjoyed football outside. On Friday, we drove down to Edisto to spend the weekend with Shane's folks. We had a blast! Wiley spent his time at Motty and Poppy's house playing a new guitar they gave him and Motty's make-shift drums - I'm sure the neighbors loved us! We attended a Christmas party while we were there and Wiley had a blast running around, making his own cookies, doing crafts, and eating hotdogs. Santa didn't get to come b/c he got a call from his other job - fireman - but we had fun anyways. While we were there we got to attend the annual Edisto Christmas Parade. This was Wiley's first parade and he loved it!

In mid December our church put on a Christmas play and Wiley got to be in it as a sheep. He followed the shepherds onto the stage (even though he wasn't supposed to) and had a blast rocking the "Baby Jesus" back and forth. I'm not sure how much fun the poor baby had. We were afraid Wiley was going to rock him right out of his car seat carrier. He also enjoyed taking the presents the wise men brought to baby Jesus. Overall, though a crazy couple of months, we were able to make some wonderful memories.

Ultrasound

2008-11-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Shane and I decided to have an ultrasound to be sure baby Parker is growing fine and healthy. Praise the Lord, the report we got so far is that all looks well! Baby weighs about 15 oz and looks to be measuring right on time for a March 22nd due date. We just wanted to share baby Parker's photo with you all. We immediately told the technician that we did not want to know the sex before she even began the ultrasound. Not even 2 minutes in to it, Shane said, "I think I saw something." I replied, "Well if you think you saw something, it's obviously a boy!" So throughout the rest of the ultrasound our conversation sounded like this...

Lydia: "I don't want to find out the sex, but if you are pretty sure you know what it is then maybe we should ask."

Shane: "I'm not a technician, but I'm almost positive it's a boy."

Lydia: "Well should we find out. I don't know. I don't want to know but if you think you know then maybe we should find out."

(I'm sure the technician just loved us!!!) So just to be nice (or to torture us) at the end of the ultrasound, she scrolls down to the genitals and just leaves the screen there with the arrow pointing at "it". As we look, still undecided if we want to know the sex, we both see... I say, "Shane, there's no penis there!" I think I repeated this over and over, each time getting louder and louder! I immediately changed my mind at this point and said, "Should we find out? Don't you want to know? I think we should find out. Let's find out!" To which Shane replied, "That's up to you!" with a huge grin on his face. So after all of that, we decided to find out. The verdict: Baby Girl! Needless to say we are very happy and can't wait to see Wiley with his baby sister. (Of course, one can never be too sure of these things until baby is born! Let's just say I'm not going to buy too much pink stuff before baby arrives - just in case!) Anyways, I just thought all our family and friends would love to hear our cute story of finding out the baby's sex. I guess we'll have to wait and be surprised with the sex of baby #3 if God allows us to have another! We love you all and appreciate your prayers for the healthy growth of our little one!

The verdict is in... Baby Girl!