Parker Family Christmas

Front:  Mia, Kelty, Shannon, Bryce, Chad, Kaitlyn

Back:  Matt, Ava, Laura, David (Papa), Cade, Cynthia (Nana)

We made so many memories with Matt's family over Christmas break.  The five cousins (ages 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1) played tremendously together.  I can just see Bryce and Kaitlyn and our kids becoming good friends over the years, and watching them play was one of the highlights of the trip.  We enjoyed the Parker-traditional sirloin tips for our Christmas evening meal after opening presents, and no one fought (too badly) over all the new toys.   Chad and Matt got to steal away for a mountain bike ride on another afternoon, and we were able to make a trip to the NC mountains to visit with the Smelser side of the family (also a blast) where we met another cousin for the first time, little Britton.  We hadn't seen many of those precious folks for several years, so it was nice to have time to catch up with them . . . and play games, of course, complete with prizes.  Connection with family is such a gift . . .

Cade "feeling the music" with his new "rock guitar" and Kelty's microphone.

Nothing quite like a Grandmother's hugs and love.

And some more favorites from the trip . . .

(click to enlarge)

. . . 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.

Not Moving on Too Quickly . . .

I just read a post from Ann at Holy Experience.  It brought tears to my eyes and proved to be a beautiful reminder not to rush past the Gift of Christmas too quickly,even though January has arrived and the decorations are back in the attic. 

Enjoy.   Why the Babe Always Stays

Catastrophe on the Escalator

(click to enlarge)

Highlights of our expedition to the fancy-shmancy Broadmoor Hotel to gawk at the gingerbread houses and Christmas decorations . . .

1.  Having Ava and Cade get soaked at the Wishing Pool Fountain in one of the lounges (See picture above.  And, yes, that is our two-year-old's entire arm submerged in the water as she tries to steal someone else's penny).  And then having to walk around outside--wet--in 20 degree weather at night.

2.  And, as we walked around, dripping and in barely-matching outfits, feeling inadequate trying to corral our children amid wealthy people in evening gowns walking to very-important dinners.

3.  Spending 20 bucks on two hot chocolates, one coffee, and two cookies.  Really.  And that was everyone sharing everything.

4.  Trusting Cade with said-very-expensive hot chocolate while going up an escalator, amid said-very-dressed-up-adults-with-lots-of-big-diamonds.  Watching as Cade loses his balance, tries to catch himself with his broken arm, misses, and falls flat on his back, upside down on the escalator steps. 
Spilling said-hot-chocolate. 
Everywhere.

I'm afraid, once again, the Parker family misses the Norman Rockwell one's mark by just a teeny bit.
Oh, well, it makes for a funny story, and I reckon that's worth something.

Colorado Christmas

No, I have not been struck by a meteor,
nor have I been kidnapped by aliens,
nor have my hands been rendered typeless because of some rare skin disease . .  .

I just had Christmas.  (So sorry for the unwarned two-week blog-silence.)
We actually just stumbled home yesterday from two weeks with our families in North Carolina.  I will post more pictures of that time (as well as lessons learned along the way) in the next few days, but I wanted to put up a collage of our family Christmas here in Colorado.  We gave the kids each three gifts (We said, "If it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for you."  I know, ba-hum-bug, but they're little and were still thrilled.)  We played games as a family (always a gift we give each year), ate cinnamon rolls (not homemade, of course, it's me we're talking about), stared at our 12-dollar ghetto-Christmas tree we bought last-minute at Walmart, and read the Christmas story of Jesus's birth.  That evening, we headed out to the Broadmoor Hotel to see the gingerbread houses and lights.  Gosh, I love Christmas--even if the cinnamon rolls are just Pillsbury.  
 

Click on the collage to enlarge the pictures.

- 30

Nope, that's not a typo.

Yup, that was the temperature (with the wind chill factor) last night up here in the Rockies.

And, YouBetcha, the trampoline has been lonely (and the television has been very-not-lonely) the last few days in the Parker household.

Gotta love winter.

"Not Excited Anymore"

"Mom, I'm excited about Christmas because the point is the presents," he says with hopeful eyes, thinking about a rock guitar and a new Hot Wheels track.
"Well, actually, " I declare, "the point of Christmas is that Jesus was born as a baby."
Face falls.  Eyes squint.  Sigh escapes. Voice hardens.  "Well, then," he huffs angrily, "I'm not excited about it anymore."  

And, no, I'm not freaking out that my kid wants Star Wars gear more than the knowledge of God walking on earth.  He is, after all, just four years old.   Actually, I thought it was pretty funny and very human.

A Thursday in November

We were able to spend Thanksgiving this year with some precious friends from Denver.  Just living in the States for four months now, this was their first "American Thanksgiving."  My wonderful friend Elinor and her two children Ethan and Hannah celebrated with us, as well, while her husband had to work (bummer).  Cassie did an amazing job cooking up all the traditional foods, and the rest of us did an amazing job eating them.

After stuffing ourselves with the meal, we walked to the park behind our house where the perfect snowy hill awaited.  It was the first time for our Denver friends to go sledding, and we had a blast in the warm sunshine with eight kids and two sleds. 

 

And a short video of one of the sledding moments . . .

And then, of course, back to the house for some pumpkin pie . . .

Season of Thanks

Remember our Tree of Thanks?  Over the past few weeks, it has gotten full of leaves, each declaring a gratitude.  Things like:

opportunities to be humbled

crackers

family

my Wednesday lunch friends

paper towels

date nights

Jesus

a warm house, though it's snowy outside

God's word

grace to make it to naptimes

Gratitude is a key ingredient to joy, wouldn't you agree?  I am learning that the more I choose to practice it--in my heart, in my prayers, and especially in my words--the more I get to eat of its fruit.

Enjoy this little Happy Thanksgiving from our family here in Colorado.  (And yes, I recognize that their outfits--sundresses and Star Wars pajamas with bulky snow boots-- are much more real-life than Norman Rockwell.  But, I guess I can be thankful for that, too.)

May your cup runneth over, friends--and may you recognize it--during this season of thanks.  Have a great, grateful Thursday.

Last Day of Summer

Our back porch this morning

It was the Last Day of Summer yesterday . . .  and we are reminded that with the closing of one season, something new and different enters (Yes, it snowed two inches here in the mountains of Colorado last night).  I'm learning that one of the keys to joy is found in embracing each season (in the natural world and in our human lives) for what it is and for what it offers.  So, here's to hot chocolate and sledding and fires in the fireplace and rummaging around for hats and matching gloves.  It's not the season I would choose, but it is the season that is upon us, nonetheless.  Here's to enjoying its unique gifts and beauty . . .  

Our New Summer Weekly

My new summer venture with the kids is to make a run/walk/scooter ride/stroller ride to Starbucks in town, about a mile from our house, at least once a week. We have a route that goes along sidewalks and is a good distance (i.e. the complaining about "how far" it is is generally kept to a dull roar). Like in all physical adventures, we start off strong--I'm jogging at a pretty good clip and the older two are scootering their little quads out. Then, we hit a hill (common in a mountain town, of course). The result of the upslope finds me precariously balancing both scooters on the back of the stroller while everyone piles in, and I laboriously push 100 pounds in a two-child stroller with three kids up an incline. We reward ourselves by sitting outside at Starbucks with one donut, split three ways, ice waters, and an iced tea for me. Then we make the trip back.

Gosh, I love summers with these three.



The Upslope. Poor Kelty has to lift her feet nearly the whole time while poor mom has to try to keep the sccoters from flipping off the stroller handles (see them in the picture?).


Obviously didn't get the little guy's hair brushed this morning. It's the details that'll get ya.



Outside at Starbucks.

The "view" from the Starbucks parking lot. Holy cow, we live in a gorgeous place, and I am so thankful for its beauty.

Photo courtesy of Cade.

As an encouragement to you Moms of babies and toddlers-- now that my youngest is almost 2 years old, I feel like life is getting much, much easier. Schedules and daily life just seem to be less physical and emotional work than when I had lots of little babies running around. I know that there will be other challenges, but the daily grind seems to be a bit less grinding. Hang in there, Moms. :)

Tea Party!

To celebrate Kelty's Sixth Birthday, we hosted a dress-up tea party this morning from 10-12 at our house. We had six little girls come, complete in fancy garb and a plethora of jewelry. Amid giggles and crafts, we had a blast celebrating Kelty in total girly fashion.

The tea party set-up on the back porch. I broke out all of my "real" teacups which I have collected over the years (per inspiration from my own mom).

We did a fruit-flower-kabob centerpiece. I roughly copied the idea from a magazine I saw recently. Kelty had a fun time this morning stringing the fruit on the kabob skewers.

The Crafts: I bought some flip-flops and some metal hair clasps from Hobby Lobby, along with lots of fake flowers, buttons, and two boas (that we cut up for the material). Each girl decorated a pair of flip-flops and two fancy hair pins, while the adults hot-glued like crazy.

Matt was a real trooper in the midst of all this girliness. He took care of Ava, cleaned the dishes, and hot-glued pink feathered flip-flops like a true crafty-man.

Matt made this charming hair pin for little Ava. He didn't want her to feel left out. Thankfully, my precious friend Paige took Cade to play with her son Josh during the party. I don't think he would've been into the sparkly hairbows, anyway. :)

The girls.

I have fabulous friends! This is Heather helping Kelty with her flip-flops, and I also had another mom-friend, Pippi, who made three gorgeously decorated cakes (vegan, too!). Heather and Pippi both stayed and helped during the party, while Paige helped with Cade. (I am so fortunate to have these women in my life.)


Flip-flops--the final product. Plenty of Bling.

The Tea Party. (Isn't that cake precious?!)

The presents . . . lots of generous gifts.


This is a purse that Heather and her daughter Gracie sewed together for Kelty. They even sewed a horse on the back! It's made from a pair of jeans. So Cute!

All the girls.

We played a game of Pictionary after the presents, which seemed to be a hit. (And check out all the new bows . . .)

We also went out on the trampoline and played a few games of the standard "Popcorn," along with a game of "Copycat" where the girls got to show off their moves. It was so fun to watch everyone bouncing in their fancy outfits.

Kelty's turn in Copycat.

What a memory! These are those events that are precious to look back on and remember. I love having a little girl like Kelty to celebrate, and I loved watching her get to share this tea party with her sweet little friends. Oh, man, I'm gonna miss these days!

Here is the short video of the Happy Birthday Song . . .