Battlefield

In honor of Amy and
dances that (don't qualify for the Flamingo and) are completely unplanned . . .

Denver Getaway

Hi!

I am feeling like I want a separate place just for family and friends where I can post our more personal pictures.  Some stories and videos I may not want the whole world to view, and yet with our move overseas, I want to keep even more connected than I am now.  So, shhhh  . . .  I am resurrecting this site.  Do me  favor and don't post the address on your blogs, but feel free to come back and check it often. It will be a quieter site.  (I tried to do this one other time, too, "Parker Family Journey" . . . sorry for the confusion on that.  Just go ahead and delete that one!)

So, go ahead and feel free to leave lots of comments.  I am not going to give this address out to many people, so it will be a bit more private. You can totally share the link with family/friends, but I won't be posting it on the other, more public site, Life Overseas.   :)

And for our first little post, here's a slideshow I put together with Kelty of our family getaway a few weeks ago to a hotel in Denver. . .  Enjoy.

Love you guys. 

. . . and Mom Got the Flamingo

Living a 24-hour drive away from family, the 10 days we spent over the holidays with our families in NC were precious. There really is nothing like family . . .

Front:  Kelty, Michelle, Grandma, Mom

Back:  Matt, Cade, Ava, Laura, Steven, Cassie, Amy, Will, Dad

Napping and Not Pictured:  Gannon

Quick Snapshots of Time with the Ragan/Abels/Stewart/Parker Clan:

1.  Dance-Offs in the Living Room, including a choreographed number to "Battlefield" by Amy, Kelty, and Myself.

2.  In true Southern fashion, shooting the ol' gun off the back porch at targets in the field behind the house.

3.  Smore's with a firepit and Christmas lights.

4.  Reading Amy's middle school love letters, including the now-famous quote:  "Please don't hate my gutes."

5.  Girls-Day Out.

6.  An epic meltdown from my kids on Christmas night.

7.  Playing with Gannon, our first cousin on my side of the family.

8. After gun-shooting, classic rummy, a fast spoons game and several rounds of "Time's Up", Mom took home the treasured Pink Flamingo  . . .

until the next family competition.

9.  A meal (that only took three hours to cook) from Julia Child's cookbook, thanks to Amy and Cassie.  And, yes, it included real hollandaise sauce.

10.  Squirrel-stories.  That's all I need to say about that.

The Sisters:  Me, Amy, Cassie

Some more . . .  Click to enlarge.

Each time I walk away from time with my family, I am reminded of how good it is to be known by a group of people who love you anyway and who will stick with you for the long-haul.  As I've gotten older, I see that no one is thrilled with your own kids like your own parents and siblings, and I have grown to appreciate how much I just laugh when I get to go home.  And that's a gift enough in itself.

A Last-Minute Gift of Grandparents

A week before Matt left for Thailand, my parents decided to make a quick trip out to visit us.  We haven't seen them since June, so it was a true gift to spend four days with Dad and Mom, who flew in Thursday night from North Carolina.  They are both such dilligent servants and practically helped me in countless ways--Dad did projects (fixing bikes and installing lights to name a few) and Mom did laundry, organized kid-drawers and cleaned like the Queen was coming for a visit.  We also took a few day trips to see some Colorado sites, as well as hit the mall and a movie when it started snowing on Sunday. I was reminded once again that Grandparents adore their grandkids in ways that are pretty unique and extravagant.  It was so good for my mother's heart to watch my kids being loved well, and it was even better for my daughter's heart to taste the richness of connecting with my own parents.  We had good conversations at night over Irish Coffees and in front of fires, and I got to have extra hands to lighten the mothering load.  It was such a gift on so many levels.    

First Stop:  Manitou Cliff Dwellings

These are caves where the Native Americans lived about 20 minutes down the mountain from Woodland.  There is a museum there, as well as a tunnel of caves to walk through and explore.  The Dwellings are nestled beautifully in the moutnains, and we enjoyed warm Fall weather.  We were so excited to have Matt's Uncle Glen, as well as his cousin, Renee, drive down for lunch and a visit that Friday.  It was so fun to be able to reconnect with our Tenessee family.

What's a fun family outing without at least one good fight?  Here is a pciture of Ava getting all two-year-old-territorial with the horse ride. 

And here she is with Glen and Renee.  Our Aunt Carol had given her a little Disney princess dress, which she didn't want to take off.  She made quite the vision in her snow boots and dress--not the best attire to have an unstable toddler crawling around caves in. . .

  Second Stop:  Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun

If you have a Colorado Springs zoo pass, you must go visit this monument  in Cheyenne Mountain (it is free with a zoo visit).  It is full of history of the Springs and Will Rogers, "cowboy-philosopher" who died in a plane crash in the 1930s.  The views of the Springs are incredible from the top of the tower.  This was probably our most-enjoyed "event" of the weekend.

My favorite takeaway from learning about Will Rogers's life was his most famous quote:

"I never met a man I didn't like."

What an inspirationally positive outlook on people that I so want to adopt myself.

What a gift grandparents are. 

It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace. ~Christopher Morley

If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse

Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting. ~Author Unknown

A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world. ~Charles and Ann Morse

What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret

Boulder

One of my favorite cities in Colorado is the college town of Boulder. It's about 2 1/2 hours away from us, but I love to make the trek at least once during the summer months. Pearl Street is a walking mall downtown with vendors, cute shops, and street performers galore. They also have rock climbing parks and splash fountains for the kids. It's a great place to people watch and spend 14 bucks on three kiddie cones of icecream (ah-hem). Matt was in Denver with work, so Cassie was a trooper and braved the trip with me to meet him there for the day. (I LOVE having her back.) We ate at our favorite place ever--The Cheesecake Factory, we splashed in the fountain, we ate icecream, and we were entertained by about six different street theater shows.


Enjoy the collage--click on it to see the photos better.

This was a small ostrich puppet that actually moved and looked like a real little pet. Ava thought that "Jones" was a live creature, I think. So cute.

Sisters

The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend. ~Cali Rae Turner

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply... ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~Author Unknown

Amy and Will, Collage and Top Seven List

Enjoy some more pictures from our visit with my sister and her husband. Click on the collage to enlarge the photos.

Top Seven Things Learned During Amy and Will's Visit:

1. Flat-iron your hair whenever possible.

2. Married-in family members (i.e: Matt) CAN win the Flamingo (a little statue our family plays for whenever we get together).

3. Sometimes those fish just want $1.50 worms from a gas station, instead of fancy tied-flies from an expensive fly-fishing shop.

4. Trying to "pop" three adults and two children by yourself on the trampoline is not for the faint of heart, lungs, or legs.

5. Pack a toothbrush and a change of clothes in your carry-on . . . just in case the airline sends your luggage to Cincinnati accidentally.

6. Adding a toddler with a spoon into a competitive fooseball game makes the game much more interesting. (see top left pic. on the collage)

7. Apparently, you aren't supposed to share a golf bag while golfing, as is the "rule on every golf course in America."

Thanks, Uncle Wilbur

We took the kids this Saturday to Uncle Wilbur's Fountain in Co. Springs. It is in the heart of downtown next to a big park and is totally free. Every half hour, the fountain does a music and water show which is quite entertaining. Ava loved it when the water squirted up in her face--but only when Matt was holding her. You can click on the collage to see the pictures better. :)

Watching Fireworks

On the spur of the moment, we loaded the kids in the car in their pajamas to watch the local fireworks, which take place after a Symphony performs at the Middle School field. We drove a bit away from the crowd, put out a blanket, and huddled close to watch the explosions in the sky. We actually got to watch the moon rise, too, which was Kelty's favorite part of the night.

Lovill Gulch Trail

Despite the complaining that it was "too far" after about 17 steps onto the trail, Kelty getting attacked by an over-friendly and unleashed dog, an unsuccessful search for a grasshopper, and hurt backs over carrying our little girl who suddenly doesn't feel so little anymore . . . we (at least Matt and I) actually enjoyed our family hike this Friday. We went to a trail my friend Heather reminded me of which is about 3 minutes from our house. Hiking with small children can be such a challenge, but we are trying to "break them in" early--because whether they like it or not, it IS good for them AND and it's a free family activity.

Colorado in the summer is pretty Divine, and being in Nature reminds me of that even more.

The wildflowers are out and splash color everywhere this time of year.

The view of Pikes Peak from the trail.

Looking for ladybugs.

Taking a break and eating snacks on a fallen log.

This is our little Naturalist Kelty discussing ladybugs.

Beach Vacay, Part Two

I finally have gotten around to posting pictures of our second wonderful week at the beach, this time with Matt's family, the Parkers. David and Cynthia (Matt's parents) generously rented a condo on the oceanfront of North Mrytle Beach, SC. The complex had a pool and a lazy river, which the kids loved. It also had a super nice stretch of flat beach that entertained everyone for hours. We were so thankful to have some precious memory-making times with Matt's parents and his brother, Chad, and his wife, Shannon, and their two adorable children, Bryce and Kaitlyn.


The whole gang: Cynthia, Shannon, Bryce, Chad, Kelty, Kaitlyn, Laura, Cade, Matt, David, Ava

Matt and his dad, alike in so many ways.

Bryce and Ava inspecting some marine wildlife. Kelty actually caught a small fish in the surf.

Watching the movie "Cars" one night before bedtime.

In keeping with Parker family beach tradition, we made a trip to Klig's kites to buy the kids their first kites. It was perfect kite-flying weather.

The girls in the pool.

Me and my girls

We spent lots of time playing in the pool--a perfect refreshment after the sandy beach.

What's a beach trip without icecream?

Ava loved playing with her Nana in the waves. She would kick her feet way high up in the air to "jump" the waves.

Kid Party! Since all five of the Parker grandkids have summer birthdays, we did a big joint celebration for them all.


Snackin' on the sand with our cousin, Bryce.

Be sure to check out our "Collage, Numero Dos" for more pics from this part of our vacation this year. It was an awesome week reconnecting with this part of our amazing family.