Two Things

There were two things that I wanted to do in this new year. First, I wanted to create one a memory jar that I pinned to my Pinterest board a few months ago. The idea is that you keep a jar and write down your memorable moments all year long. On New Year's Eve you empty your jar and reflect upon all those special moments. I think it's an excellent way to be reminded of all your many blessings. I can only speak for myself, so I confess that I get so caught up in day-to-day life sometimes that I sometimes forget to take life in. I wanted to do better this year. I'm so glad that I remembered that I had this pin. I washed a pasta sauce jar, fancied it up a bit with some scrapbook paper, ribbon, chipboard, stickers, and mod podge. I keep it in my kitchen and I have been intentional about writing down things that happen that I want to remember.

Next, I wanted to journal for Ryan and Evan. These years are going by so, so quickly! Our boys are growing and changing so much. They say and do the most outrageous, funny, sweet, scary, and shocking things and I want to remember these times. I want to bottle them up and have them for always. Plus, I want them to know about their lives when they were young. I want to give them this journal one day and share with them these funny and embarrassing stories.  Most of all, I want them to know how loved they are; that's what really matters. Life is so precious. It's also fleeting and can change at any moment. There's nothing like the tragedy that happened in our little state just a few weeks ago to remind us of this.

I think everyone needs a memory jar. It's a great visual reminder of how blessed we are. And our jar? It's filling up fast. Bring on 2013!

Riding Their Bicycles

Ryan and Evan learned how to ride their bicycles a few days after Christmas. Looks like they'll be riding in the house for the next couple of months. It's cold up here, y'all! R & E would like to thank their grandparents for the awesome bikes. They are really enjoying them. :)



disclaimer: I have three year old twin boys...we are in their play room...the play room is PLAYED in...a lot...yep, it's messy! 

Introducing....

The Parkers singing their latest hit, 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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.