Some of My Favorite Things

As we get ready to close out another year, and we prepare to get back to our daily grind I'm reflecting on some of my favorite things from the holiday season. This was truly the best holiday I've ever had. Spending time with my family was much needed, especially after the events from two weeks ago. The boys stayed home with me every single day and Daddy P was even home a lot this holiday. I am going to miss our lazy days together. I'll also miss things like:

• Ryan and Evan hamming it up and making us laugh
• Looking at my Christmas card tree and being reminded of my family and friends each day
• Having my kitchen smelling like cinnamon and vanilla
• My favorite Christmas tree ornaments
• Making crafts with my Peas (thanks Pinterest and MK's mama!)
• Cooking dinner and looking out into the family room and seeing my fellas  (who am I kidding, I do this nearly every single day, but it felt different this past week!)
• Smiling each time I opened the fridge because I saw more Christmas cards and R & E's Christmas projects from school
• Having Evan, the keeper of the tree, turn on the Christmas lights first thing in the morning and then demand breakfast

It's been a great break. I can go even further...it's been a great year. We've had our ups and downs of course. Each day isn't easy; we've had our challenges. But, through it all we're still standing. God has never left us. We've been blessed tremendously with new opportunities. We have each other...it's been a great year indeed. 

First & Last Snow Storm of 2012

We had our first significant snow storm on Saturday. It snowed all day, so we spent the entire day inside lounging around. It was great! We were able to get outside later that evening for a little snowy work and fun. I am not an outside kinda girl, but I must say that playing in the snow with my Peas was pretty awesome!

Happy Everything~Christmas 2012

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year. I can certainly say that we had a perfect holiday. It was exactly what I wanted: quiet, relaxing, and fun. Of course we wished that we could have been with our families, but we made the best out of it just being the four of us. Christmas Eve started early, as usual! I can't wait for my boys to learn the art of sleeping in! We headed out to breakfast and to run a couple of last minute errands. We made it home early afternoon and got dressed in our pjs. I dreamed about just staying at my home in my pjs the week before Christmas break! We had company for a little while and I started my baking and treat-making for our neighbors. We rocked out to Christmas music and enjoyed each other's company. I was all nostalgic and thinking about my mommy so I decided to make one of my favorite dishes of hers~ chili. I'm sure mine didn't even come close to hers, but it made me feel like I had a little piece of her still right here with me. We ate dinner together and just hung out some more.

We set the timer on our camera to get a rare family photo.

Ryan and Evan took a few minutes to play with last year's Christmas present~finally!

We even had a white Christmas! It was the perfect kind of snow~ pretty to look at, but not enough to shovel and it was gone the next day. That's the kind of snow I don't mind. Finally, it was time to put the Peas to bed so we could set up for the big day. Let me tell you, toy makers today make sure that their products are secure! Took me forever to get some of their toys out of the package! I rewarded myself with a little play time for my hard work though. I'm just a big kid, and Thomas the Steam Engine sure was fun!

We knew they were going to be so excited! Those drums? My boys LOVE the drums! Ryan especially has a love of music and each Sunday after church he makes a beeline to the drum set if he can. We seriously want to get him in music lessons when he gets a little older. Here is where I should post a video of Ryan and Evan waking up and seeing their presents. Let's just say one of us ran into some technical difficulties and thought we had everything on camera. Turns out, we had nothing and only a few pictures!

It was hard to convince the boys to leave their toys, but we had a church service on Christmas morning. Afterwards we had a luncheon where we served lunch to the homeless and gave out presents. What a wonderful experience it was! It was an honor to be a blessing to others. What a blessing it was to just be together. After all, isn't that what Christmas is really about? I know that the boys are still too young to understand any of this, but I hope that these seeds we are planting will sprout later on. It truly was a very Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

The Parker four would like to wish each and every one of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas. As we enjoy this Christmas Eve, dressed in our new pjs, listening to Christmas tunes, eating dinner and treats, and preparing for tomorrow's festivities, we are reminded of what this holiday is really about. Before we open one gift tomorrow we know that we've already received the most precious and priceless gift of all~ a loving Saviour in Jesus Christ. We wish you much peace, love, and joy.

Headed to Church

I'm pretty sure this was the last time the boys (and Daddy P) would allow me to dress them in longalls, so I'm savoring the moment! #southernboysinct

Meanwhile, this was Happening..

I was supposed to be wrapping presents and making peppermint bark, but instead I was cleaning the walls.

I learned two things tonight: ALWAYS do a room sweep for crayon contraband before bedtime and NEVER run out of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.

E is for Evan

Look at what our boy did yesterday! While waiting for his dinner Evan decided to write his name. While he didn't write his entire name this time, check out the E that he wrote. It's the neatest, most perfect E ever, and he did it all by himself! Way to go Evan:)

Loves of My Life

Newtown

Eta I started this post yesterday As I sit to write this post today I'm about 10 miles from Newtown. Newtown is a quaint, sleepy little town not too far from our new church. Two of my coworkers live here. When I saw Newtown for the first time I remember thinking how cute and peaceful it was. Now 20 babies lay dead in the area morgue.

I found out about the shooting at the end of my third period class yesterday. We teachers talked in hushed tones about it. We wondered if our coworker's son was old enough to be in school yet. What about his wife? Did she still work in the system? I'm sure my colleagues were thinking the same thing I was thinkng~ what would we do if that had been us? We have a plan, a signal, and a procedure. But will anything really save us from a madman(a mad man?) with a gun intent on shedding blood?

My babies....what about them? I knew at that moment that they were safe. Still, the what ifs haunted me, and still haunt me right now. How do I keep them safe in this world? Realizing that that isn't totally possible is frightening and it leaves me feeling hopeless.

When I picked my Peas up yesterday, I couldn't stop hugging and kissing them. I doted on them the whole night. I couldn't help but think about those parents, 20 sets of them, who weren't able to do the same. Then I thought about the family members of the teachers who lost their lives. After all, aren't we always our parents' babies? My daddy called me when he first heard the news. I had a class, but I answered his call because I knew what he was thinking: please let my baby be okay. I wept for those families and I'm sure there are more tears to come. I'm challenged as a teacher too. I can absolutely think of a few kids who have similar traits that the media is reporting the shooter had. How do I deal with them and not be afraid? I know it's not right to presume, but these are my honest thoughts. What if this happens to us? Will I know what to do? Am I as brave as those teachers who sacrificed themselves for their kids? Would I be able to keep calm? Could I think fast? Would I just freeze? I don't know. I went to church today and there was a heaviness in that place. People were crying; it was sad. But just being in the house of the Lord, feeling his presence, hearing the encouraging words from our pastor...I realize that I still have hope. There is still hope for us all. May the Lord rest the souls of those who we lost senselessly and way too soon. May the Lord wrap his loving arms around the grieving parents and loved ones and comfort them as only He can. May the Lord keep us all.

Latest Obsession...

is watching Michael Jackson videos on YouTube! What can I say, he was the greatest entertainer of all time!

Now, can we have our iphones back? Please and thank you!

Out of the Mouths of The Peas

I need to keep a notebook of all the hilarious things the boys have been saying lately. I'll put a few here for safe keeping:

Ryan: 
Thank you, Princess! (when I handed he something that I can't think of right now)
I'm Ryan to the rescue! (donning his Batman pjs!)


Evan:
Mommy, do you have any money? (he whispers this to me when we were out to dinner with a large group!)
No, Mommy. It's not good for me. (as I try to feed him broccoli!)

I'm certain there will be others! I always hear things and say that I need to write them down and then of course I forget. These are few of the latest laugh out loud, make your heart melt, and or side-eye worthy humdingers R & E have come up with!

Where Shall I begin...

It's been a long time since I actually sat at the computer and wrote a blog post. Life seems to have gotten in the way of my little ol' bloggity blog, but if you've been checking back over the last few weeks thank you so much. Please know that all is well with the Parker four. Ryan and Evan are growing like weeds and growing UP even more! Oh my, three is a tough age! Ryan and Evan definitely have their own opinions and they are more than happy to let us know what it is they want, don't want, will do, and won't do! Case in point? Before I snapped this picture this morning I had a two minute argument with Evan about the shoes that he would wear to church. He insisted that he would not wear these shoes, that he would wear his "brown" shoes. But, Evan these shoes are brown,  I tried to explain. He was having none of it! Well, of course I got my way, but the drama! And Ryan?  Ha! He'll inform us in a minute that, and I quote, "I'm mad! I'm going to my room!" Oh boy! It gets real around these parts folks! BUT, I must say that they are still super sweet and funny. Sometimes I just listen in on their conversations and crack up laughing. And the questions they ask us? Let's just say I won't be posting those on the web, but let me tell you! You can't pull anything over on these two. They are smart as a whip. They know their full names, how to spell their own names and each others, they know our full names ( I'm Mommy Mistee Joy Parker), how to count to 100, they know their birthday, their address, and we're working on their phone number. They can identify all the letters in the alphabet and we're working on a few sight words. We're working hard (along with their teacher) with these two. 

They are excited about Christmas this year! Though they are not exactly sure what this means, they kinda get it. We asked them what they want and Ryan is pretty easy to please. He wants a birthday hat, of all things. Evan wants an Ipad with a blue cover O_o  . Guess which one of these he won't be getting! We drive all over our neighborhood each evening to look at Christmas decorations. Ryan, especially, gets really excited. I love to hear him say, "It's Christmas time, Mommy." It's our favorite time of the year!

Flashback

I was going through my drawer and found these pants this morning. It's funny how memories come rushing back at you when you least expect it. Evan wore a pair of blue pants just like the ones he's holding home from the hospital. If you don't believe in God, ask me about my miracles.

Early Bird

Thanks to Evan I've been up since 5am.
Me: Evan why are we up so early?
Evan: I don't know!

Gotta love a kid this cute!

Checking In

It's been a long minute since I've been on my own blog! I'm giving myself the side eye on this one, folks. I mean, it's down right shameful! On a brighter note, check out Swipers 1 and 2 stealing trumpets from my Christmas decor stash! Yes, my tree is currently ornament-less! I can't with the Christmas tree tonight. At least it's up...right? Ha! I'm twopeasmama y'all and I need to get it together! Be back soon:)

Introducing.....

Spider-Man and Ryan the Robot! Hurricane Sandy put a damper on our Octoberfest plans, but that didn't stop us from having fun. We dressed the boys in their costumes and headed to the mall. Since most people were still without power (we just got ours back yesterday!) it was really crowded. We made the best out of it though and had a good time. I tried getting better pictures of these two, but they were having none of it! Octoberfest will be rescheduled (but then it isn't Octoberfest any more is it?) and we are all looking forward to it!

Sandy

Pb&j by the fire. No power, but we are safe and warm (a little) and very thankful for our blessings.

Me and My Boys

Love these two to pieces!

Happening Now

Fall fun!

Fun Night Out

Every mama knows that it can be tricky taking kids out to dinner. Kids are unpredictable; you can never be sure that things will go well. Now to be fair to Ryan and Evan, we always get compliments whenever we take them out to eat. People tell us how well behaved they are, and often they are impressed that they didn't even realize toddlers were sitting at the table right behind them. Never mind they fact that before we made it into the restaurant there may have been a screaming match going on or shoes being hurled between the two of them! I guess what really matters is that these two know how to turn on the charm in public.

Still, sometimes I'd just rather stay at home. After a long work week, lately I've just been wanting to come home, put on my sweats and fuzzy socks and curl up in front of the TV. I'm glad we decided to take the kids out for Hibachi a couple of weeks ago, though. It was the best night! You know the kind of night when everything just falls in place and you have fun? That's what this night was like. It was the boys' first time having Hibachi and they had a blast! I was worried that they'd be afraid of the infamous fire, but they surprised me. We had good food (way too much of it!), good conversation, and good company! 

Rice, noodles, and "trimp"...my boys are all in!

Umm...using chopsticks?! This one will try anything.

I think somebody ate too much!

Ryan Kicks

Not to be outdone, my Ry-Ry can kick the boards too! He's a little shy in class, of course. This is just his way. He actually refused to even go out on the mats at his first trial class. At their second trial class he ventured out and participated. Last week he did a great job. Now, I need to convince these two that we only do karate at karate class!

Evan is a Beast!

Check out Evan at his karate class last week. This was his very first class in full uniform and he is a natural. Master Purifoy said that he's never seen a three year old kick the boards like this. I think he was able to break six or seven of them. Evan is the smallest kid in his Tiny Tigers class, but nobody bothered to tell him that. My kid is a beast!

Happening Now

"Hey, Mom. Look we made a train!"

Bananas!

Fresh Beats!

:)

Before The Fresh Beats, it was the ER!

Yes, that is blood on my child's shirt! SMH...

I don't even really know exactly how this happened, but Evan is sticking to his story, so I guess I'll roll with it. The Wednesday before the concert I was in the kitchen about to cook dinner. I heard a blood-curdling scream and in comes Evan. I grab him and ask him what's wrong, where does it hurt, do you want Mommy to kiss it...you know, all the usual questions. I notice at this point that blood is dripping out the side of my baby's head. His head! My baby's head! I did one of those deep suck-in-inhale things that signify the onset of a freak out! Evan was shocked by my reaction and started to giggle. I realized then that I didn't have the luxury of freaking out. Somebody had to be in charge here, so I quickly calmed down, walked in circles looking for the phone, fumbled to find the pedi's number, and then as best as I could explained the situation. The nurse told me that I needed to go to the ER because they didn't do stitches and that Evan needed to be checked for a concussion. I called my husband and told him to meet us at the ER stat and we were off.

Now, this was all very exciting for Mr. Evan. He was totally calm, playing, laughing, and chanting "We're going to the hospital!" Serious side-eye to you, sir! I'm trying my best to hold it together and this one is having the time of his life! Poor Ryan was just trying to figure out what in the world was going on. We made it to the hospital and were seen fairly quickly. Evan charmed the nurse and even managed to fool her into thinking that he had taken his Tylenol! Clearly, his faculties were in order.

The nurse scared me when she said that he may need a staple. Lord, Jesus a staple in my baby's head?! While we were waiting on the doctor this one was busy jumping/flipping/climbing on every single thing in the room! I'll say it again, clearly his faculties were in order! Finally the doctor came in and thank God that his cut wasn't deep or long enough for a staple. He didn't even need a stitch. Turns out, the scalp bleeds like crazy and it was just a small prick. Evan told us that he ran into the wall, so I guess that's what happened. I hate to say it, but after watching storms Ryan & Evan tear through that hospital room, I have an eerie feeling that I haven't seen the last of the ER! 

The Peas & The Fresh Beat Band

We celebrated Ryan & Evan's third Welcome Home Day by going to see The Fresh Beat Band in concert. The Peas love, love, LOVE The Fresh Beats, and when I found out that they were going to be in our area, I just had to score some tickets. There were probably 5,000 shows in New York City and all of them were sold out! There was only one show here in Connecticut and I couldn't get four tickets. The only  other option was New Jersey, so after Daddy P finished giving me the side-eye he agreed that we could head to Camden. As it turned out, Camden is only a stone's throw from Philadelphia, so we were off for yet another adventure.

I'm not sure the name of this bridge, but it was right across from our hotel and I thought it was pretty

Since we were in the city of brotherly love these two decided to pose for a picture together

It was hard to cram all four of us into this picture,  but Ryan was too busy dancing to care

After  R & E saw this they finally understood that they were going to see The Fresh Beats

Evan was too funny! He doesn't like loud noises at.all. and sat this way for most of the show

Ryan had the time of his life! My boy was dancing and singing his little heart out (video to follow)

I must admit, I had a good time too. He'll never admit it but Daddy P was heard singing along and clapping his hands too! We had a great time and I'm so glad we made the trek to Philly.