Happy 2nd Birthday Annalee!!

My little sweet pea on her first day home from the hospital.

This was her birth announcement picture. I made a onesie with all her birth info and put it on her, so she was the birth announcement!

She LOVES her daddy!!

She chose to just put her mouth straight to the cake instead of messing up her hands.

She was still not quite sure!

Then she gave a "Are you really letting me get away with this?" look.

She sported some Mickey Mouse ears since her party was themed after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which she loves.



I can't believe that my tiny little Annalee is actually 2 years old! She started out so teeny (well she is still a little bit small), but she is rapidly catching up! She talks like an adult sometimes (thanks to big sister Paige!). She's definitely my cuddliest child yet. She loves on you like no other and gives these HUGE hugs for such a tiny person. She takes after her daddy in that aspect. I think he gives the best hugs on the planet! She had a great time at her party. Her little friends and cousins came over and we grilled hot dogs and made mickey mouse pizzas, not to mention cake and ice cream. It was a blast for her. Paige is now anxiously awaithing her birthday party! I am feeling the need to tell my children to SLOW DOWN! This time when they're little is going by much too fast for me! Happy Birthday precious Annalee!

Sweet baby Davis

I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday. I'm 27 weeks and I had my glucose tolerance test, an ultrasound to check the length of my cervix, and a nice chat with my doctor. Needless to say, it was a rather lengthy appointment! My cervix hasn't changed much, which is great. He wants to start checking me at 30 or 31 weeks because that's about the time I ended up in the hospital with Annalee. I'm scheduled to go back at 31 weeks and then he wants to see me weekly. He told me to schedule them up to 35 or 36 weeks because he doesn't think we'll make it past that! Things are going pretty well. My contractions are still on the rise, so I've been making a more conscious effort to lay down more (which is hard to do with 2 small children running around!). We are desperately trying to avoid bedrest again, and even more importantly a severely preterm baby. Davis is growing fast. He is estimated to weigh about 2lbs 7oz. right now! His cheeks are nice and chubby. He looks like he's gonna be a fat little thing, which is good, because depending on how early he is, he'll need that weight! So, everything is going pretty well so far. Thank you for all your prayers and please continue to pray for our sweet Davis Grey!

Paige's eyes

These are my Paige's eyes. I love them and think they are beautiful! We went to the eye doctor last week as recommended by her rheumatologist, and her eyes look great. When we see the rheumatologist in January, he'll give us clarity as to whether this is a confirmed diagnosis of JRA. If it definitely is, then she'll have to have her eyes checked 2-3 times a year. Apparently JRA patients are susceptible to inflammation in the eyes that is hard to detect but can really damage the eye, so they have to keep a close watch on it. If she doesn't have JRA, and we are still praying for that, she doesn't have to have her eyes checked for a couple of years. So, that is good news! She's still limping on and off even after being on the medication, but not all the time, so hopefully the meds are helping her out some.

New update on Paige

We took Paige to the pediatric rheumatologist a couple of weeks ago and he was very hesitant to make a diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). He did a complete assessment and we have obviously still been somewhat concerned because she has been limping for about 8 mos. now. It's worse when she wakes up in the morning and from naptime and then tends to work itself out where we don't really notice it. Everything looked really promising and the Dr. still ran some tests just to be thorough. Well, the nurse called on Wednesday with the scannogram results, which is an x-ray of the lower half of her body to determine any leg length discrepancies. The nurse said that her left leg was a little longer and that was consistent with JRA. He started her on some Naprosyn twice a day, which is a perscription anti-inflammatory drug. He initailly wanted to follow-up in about 3 mos., but would like to now see her in about 6 weeks after the new findings. Our next appointment is Jan. 17th.
There is a very promising side in that alot of children who are diagnosed this young with these mild symptoms, can "outgrow" it. The symptoms seem to dissipate or go away after a year or so, which is obviously what we're praying for. I think the most heart-wrenching factor is that she's probably been in pain the whole time. The Dr. said that almost all children with JRA do not express pain. They learn to compensate for it. He said it doesn't mean they don't feel the pain, that's just what they know, so they deal with it differently. I have asked Paige countless times if she hurts and she always says no. It's just hard as a mother to know your child might hurt and there's really nothing I can do about it. I know that God created everything about her. He does not make mistakes and He is very purposeful. However, it doesn't make me not want to intervene any less. We trust Him and pray that He heals her and takes away any pain she might be experiencing. Please pray with us as we daily surrender to the Lord with Paige.

Roomies!

This week marks yet another milestone in the Parks' household. Annalee officially moved in with Paige. The move is to create room for baby Davis to have his own space for a while. Annalee is still in her crib right now, and will probably stay there for a good while. That way she can't get out of the bed and run around. They have actually done remarkably well so far in this transition. The first day for naptime, I closed the door and Annalee immediately started crying which led to Paige promptly shout out "Mommy, Daddy, get her out of here!". We decided to just let them cry it out and that didn't last long until I heard them talking and giggling. I poked my head in and shhhh'd them and about 45 min later they fell asleep. That night we had one 3am wake up call from Paige announcing that Annalee was kicking the wall. It was very short-lived and they both went right back to sleep. Since that first day, they've actually done beautifully. I think Annalee likes it because she feels more secure with big sister in the room. I hate that we don't have space for everyone to have their own room, but part of me is excited and hopes that this helps cultivate a lifelong bond between them as sisters. In fact, I had my own room growing up, but I still chose to sleep with my sisters most of the time! I too felt more secure with them. They are precious little girls and I enjoy them so very much! I'm certain we will have our pitfalls, but for now I'll just try to enjoy the water while it's smooth!

Happy Birthday Scott!!!!!!!!!!

Well, as of 11/13/07, Scott Parks is officially 30! He has done very well with this great milestone in life! We've had to scale back as much as possible financially, so I wasn't able to give him the big 30th birthday blowout that I wanted for him, but we did have some friends meet us at a restaurant on Saturday and surprise him. Maybe we'll try the big party next year! Those of you who know Scott, know that he loves celebrating his birthday, and this year he's trying to bring it down a few notches, but what he doesn't realize is that he is so very loved and we all want to celebrate this momentous occasion year after year! He is an amzing husband, a wonderful daddy(soon to be a father to a precious son!), a magnificent teacher, and an incredible friend to many. So, today we celebrate me sweet husband for just how wonderful he really is!
Happy Birthday Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why Annie is the best wife

Today my wife woke up sick with a cold, contracting from her pregnancy at 20 weeks, dealing with 2 slightly unruly children and an out of sorts husband. She is amazing and sometimes a little too amazing. I watch her answer phone calls and make phone class and organize meals and showers for so many people and sometimes she just doesn't take time for herself. Unfortunately, I rarely have the chance to offer it to her unless she is sick or not feeling well. You see my wife is the epitome of loving others first no matter what it costs her and for that I am so blessed. However, right now she needs a little R&R and so Annie...you can say no for a while!

Change is good...

Sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is not so good. Sometimes it's awful when the diaper is leaking out the side and neither of you want to change. Right now I need a Little change in my attitude and felt like no better way than to ask the Lord for some guidance and some change. My wife knows I need to change, my heart knows I need some change, my kids know I need some change...it's just taken me a little while to learn for myself. What are some ways I can change. Well that's the next question and I'll get to that latter. But for now, I'll change our blog. At least that's a start!

Introducing...

The plague!

Well, our family has encountered, what we like to call, the newest plague. Starting off, a little over two weeks ago, Paige woke up in the middle of the night and had thrown up all over. So, like a good mom and daddy, we pick her up, love her, change her sheets, bathe her, and put her back to bed. That night was relatively ok. The next day consisted of a little diarrhea (forgive the language if it's gross to you, it's the nurse in me!), but other than that she was still ok. The next night, she threw up again, and was up a few more times with other problems. Again, the daytime was ok. The following night, you guessed it, she threw up AGAIN. This making for a very tired mom and daddy trying to still take care and love on her because she's so sick. This night, Scott gets an up close and personal encounter as Paige throws up on him as well. I know, it's gross! So, after that night she stops throwing up, but has diarrhea for a total of 6 days. So, finally she's better. I clean like I've never cleaned before and pray for a miracle that we can somehow bypass this virus. Amazingly, days later, we're still well! We're starting to get comfortable thinking we're in the clear.
Not so fast my friend! We attend church on Sunday, and apparently there's a virus running rampant there. Annalee wakes up Monday night vomiting! Aagh! Again, we're up all night taking care of our sad sick littlest one. Paige for some reason starts having diarrhea again the next day, but not bad. Tuesday was ok, just tiring. Wednesday is looking up. Annalee is on the road to recovery, and the rest of us seem to be faring well. Then, we go to bed, and Paige and I wake up in the night and take turns vomiting! Scott, followed in our footsteps about 8 hours later. It was a difficult couple of days. In fact we're still not quite right, but we're begging the Lord to spare us any more of this nasty virus (AKA the newest plague!). Hopefully the worst is behind us and we can make our way back to the livng again!

Daddy's Girls!

I took this picture one night before I left for work. On those nights the girls get some good sweet time with their daddy before bedtime. They absolutely LOVE it. I'd like to think they would be all sad because I leave, but their not! They just say "Bye Mommy. See you in the morning!". Makes me a little sad! They practically push me out the door because they get daddy all to themselves. They dance and sing and run around the house pretending to be different characters. Then daddy reads the final bible story for the night and they get tucked in by the man they think must have hung the moon! Although we're teaching them about the God who really did hang the moon! They adore him and he reciprocates. I think it's just the sweetest!

Heat Wave!

Ok, so last Friday, Scott and I went to bed only to be awakened by this squeeling noise in the middle of the night. We jump up and realize that it's our air condition unit. We decided in our sleepy stupor to just turn the air completely off and deal with it in the morning. The next morning we called an A/C company and they came out. Of course our air broke on the weekend, and not just any weekend, but a long weekend because of Labor Day. So, we had to pay double for the guy to even do a service call. Well, it ended up that some wire shorted out and put a hole in another tube and all the the cold air leaked out. To fix it on the weekend, the LONG weekend, it would've been in the 700 to 800 dollar range as opposed to the 300 dollar range if we waited until Tuesday, after the LOOOONG weekend! Because we're obviously not made of money, we opted to wait until Tuesday and literally sweat it out! We had geneous friends and family who loaned us plenty of fans. We would try to leave in the morning and go places until the girls' naptime, put them down for a nap at home, and then leave again until bedtime. Because we did that, it wasn't as bad because we weren't here alot. So if we stayed really still in front of the fans we were ok. However, I had the grand priveledge of being here on Tuesday, after the LOOOOOOOOOONG weekend, and wait for the A/C servicemen to come, which of course would be here anywhere in between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Annalee ran around playing like she always does and was ringing wet becuase she was sweating so profusely. Paige stayed relatively still because I let her watch way more t.v. than normal, so she was ok. I had to finally do some housework which I tried to avoid in my hot and humid house, so I was beading up quickly. We finally got it fixed around 3:00 p.m. and I was super thankful that God has allowed us to live in the cool air. I'm thankful that we had electricity so at least we could have fans going. I know people not too long ago lived without A/C and did just fine. In fact, many people still do. I just realized how spoiled we are! The funny thing is that if Scott were telling this story it be almost completely different!. As many of you know, he is a good 20 degrees warmer than the average person at any given moment. So, when I would say that it wasn't THAT bad, he would refute me immediately and say "For You, Maybe!!!". It was definitely an experience and one that is full of laughs now that we're in the cool!

Happy Birthday Annie!!

Today is my beautiful wife's birthday. Unlike me, Annie really tries to down play her birthday and uses her gifts for things like groceries and things for the girls. She also tries to make it seem like she's not really special and as all of you know that is not true. If it weren't for Annie, our house would be a disaster, I would wear dirty clothes and eat cereal every day for every meal, our girls would never look as cute as they always do or be so obedient and seeking after the Lord through what she teaches them, our friends with babies would never have two weeks of meals, she could never answer any nursing questions, she could never hold my hand in church and squeeze it 3 times just to say she loves me, and I guess the biggest for me is I would be without my best friend, my biggest fan, and the love of my life. Yeah, she may try to down play it but lets face...We're all better of with my wife...AND SHE'S MY WIFE!!!!!! Happy Birthday baby!

A little OCD...

So, those of you who know me, (Annie), know that I'm a little freaky about certain things. Like, I'm a germaphobe for sure. I wipe off anything with Clorox that I can find, before my children get anywhere near it. I'm nuts about a good schedule. My brain can't compute how people can live without having their kids on a good schedule. (Even though I know people get along just fine!). I have to do certain house chores on certain days, to feel like I did them right and productively. I'm alittle wierd about how I eerily remember numbers. Scott thinks I lean a little towards the autism spectrum when I do that! Ok, so stop judging me, I know I'm quirky!
Anyway, I didn't realize how much this is rubbing off on my children. Paige, especially! Annalee already sings the cleanup song when I look at her and then a mess! Paige will NOT sit on a public restroom toilet unless I wipe it off with Clorox and then put a seat cover down. (My fault, I know!). And to top it all off, yesterday, when we were getting ready to leave the house, I told Paige to put the pillows back on the couch. To my surpise, (and delight I might add), she put them on the couch just the way I had them. There's 5 pillows and they all have a specific spot in my mind, and Paige evidently has picked up on that! I guess my OCD is a little contagious!

The Little Things

My children hit new milestones almost daily. They're growing up so quickly. It's funny how I get used to them saying different words "their" way even though we always say it correctly, so they'll eventually say it right. I secretly love the alternate ways they say things! For instance, Paige calls strawberries "strawbabies". I love that. It's just the sweetest. Well, the other day we were watching a video and she said "Mmmm, mommy, it's a strawberry." What!?!? Is it possible? She said it right? I tried to ignore it, thinking it should be a one time event, but no. She officially says it right now. It just makes it so tangible that she's growing up so fast. Luckily, Annalee still says "strawbabies", so I guess I'll hang on to that for a little while longer!

Beach Days

Here is the picture we had taken at the beach. My friend ( and business partner in our photography business Bo Winter if you are looking for a good photographer) took this picture of us.

Orlando pictures finally!

More than meets my car...

Ok, so I know I have the mind and heart of an 11 year old, but last night I went to see the Transformers movie with 2 other guys form church and I must say, Transformers are still really cool to me. I still imagined on my way home, my 2000 Mercury Mountaineer talking to me and turning into a really cool Autobot to help save the world from Megatron and fight for the rights of all sentient beings. All I got from my truck was the low fuel light on the ride home and the constant nag of the stereo that doesn't light up so I can't tell what station I am listening to. Maybe my next car will have a little more luck.

Welcome to the new ATT...We'll mess with you alot!

As the world takes another corporate combination, Bellsouth has become... "The New ATT." Since "The New ATT" has taken over, we have had our phone line messed with, lost our DSL, turned it back on only to find out the request to turn our DSL back on was not met because when they didn't do it after the 3 business days they spoke of...we didn't call them back. Yeah, that's right. They did not turn our DSL back on so we were supposed to call and tell them that they hadn't turned it on. Wouldn't you know if you turned something on. When I turn the light on in a room, I know I did it. Or more importantly when I run into a wall in a dark room, I realize ... I didn't turn the lights on! (Hypothetically of course) On top of that when I got off the phone today I was asked, "I've sought to give excellent customer service and would like for you to rate me on a scale of one to ten. I told the lady, "I gave the last person a 10 and I got no DSL for an extra week. Call me back on Thursday and I will rate how well the installation went on Wednesday and I'll be glad to rate you at "The New ATT."

We're almost back!

Our internet has been on the fritz for the last couple of weeks. Everything should be back on track by Thursday or Friday. Lots has gone on and I will elaborate on everything soon with pictures. We took our vacation to Disney World and Sea World. It was a blast and I have a few fun stories of how much Paige enjoyed herself.
Paige is still limping, but it seemed like it might be getting better. Our pediatrician wanted us to watch her for a couple of weeks and if it didn't get better or was getting worse, then she wanted to refer us to a pediatric orthopedic. We're still a little unsure about what to do. I don't want to put her through more and more tests, but it is not normal for a 3 year old to be limping fo months. Please continue to pray with us as we seek to make a decision that is best for her.
Paige went to VBS at my mom's church last week and had a blast! She is getting so big. She's also super social. She just made herself comfortable in a church and classroom full of people and children that she had never met. It reminds me of haw adaptable children are.
Annalee has been talking so much, and I swear her vocabulary increases by 10 words daily! She's so funny and sweet. Her personality is so much wilder than Paige, so she has been different to raise. It's been fun though, for the most part.
Well, that was just a small recap and I'll fill in more later!

Congrats!!!!

Proud Daddy!!

Big hands!!!!!

Congratulations to Amy and Demetrius Summerville on their newest arrival. Baby Jayden arrived at 1:24 pm on Monday June 11, 2007. He weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was 21 inches long. He's definitely a sweetheart and Amy and Demetrius are going to be wonderful parents. Amy is doing great and has really been a trooper! Enjoy the pics!!!!

VBS- My first Year

Well it is Sunday after Vacation bible school has ended. It was my official first experience ever. Yes, I did not have the joy of growing up going to bible school and singing songs like "a bundawonderful life in Jesus" as Annie tells me are true traditions, but I will say it was a huge success. With my lack of knowledge and my only comparison to being involved with college ministry, VBS became a Summer Beach Project Vision Rally every night with videos, music and really cool hand motions...well that may be solely a VBS thing, but it was awesome. What was great for me was the amount of people in our church who helped out. The kids enjoyed hanging all over college graduates, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, the youth director, the worship leader, and the pastor! It was great! I'm preparing a slide show as we speak that will have some of our friends excited to see what VBS was really like.

Sorry It's Been a While!

Sorry that it's been a while since our last post. We've been pretty busy. The latest update on Paige is that her labs testing for arthritis came back normal, and for that we are very thankful! She still, however, is limping. Our pediatrician wanted us to just keep an eye on her for another week or two and if it's still there or worse than she'll refer us to a pediatric orthopedic. It's looking like that is the direction we're going in. She still has a remarkable limp in the morning and after naps. We are more than grateful for everyone's prayers and ask that you would continue until the Lord reveals more to us.
We're scheduled to go on vacation next week to Disney World with my sisters and their families and my mom and dad. Paige is SUPER excited. We want her to have a good time and also try to limit as much as we can how much she walks during that time. We're bringing our double stroller, but anyone who has a 3 year old knows that she's not exactly gonna want to spend a great deal of time in the stroller! We're praying that God will protect her and allow her to enjoy herself.
Also, Paige has attended her first night of VBS. Her daddy is the children's ministry coordinator, so he planned the whole thing and we are very proud and impressed at what an incredible job he has done. We'll post pictures at the end of the week. Paige calls VBS "BBS". She had a wonderful time and there are many people praying that God would use this time to mold these little hearts and eventually draw them to Himself.
By the way, Scott took the picture that I posted of Paige and I absolutely LOVE it!

Update on Paige

We went to the doctor today for Paige again. The results for the x-rays were normal. They did some blood work and Paige was so very brave. She didn't shed a tear. She talked to us through the whole ordeal and lingered on the promise of a lollipop after it was over! Her blood count was done while we were in the office and showed that there were no preliminary signs of cancer. It doesn't completely rule it out but gives us a good idea that that's probably not what it is. They sent the rest of the labs off so it will be a while before we hear back about those. They are testing for signs of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. That can be treated but not necessarily cured. Still, better than cancer. So, we're still in somewhat of the same boat because we don't know what it is. However, we are able to mark some things off that it's not. Thank you all for your prayers and help so far, and please continue to come alongside us in prayer as we find out what the cause is.

Paige's Leg

This picture cracks me up! She was laughing so hard!

Anyhow, as most of you know, Paige has been limping for about 3 1/2 weeks now. I took her to the pediatrician last Thursday and she recommended we try a few days of giving her Motrin 3 times a day to see if it was some sort of inflammation or tendonitis somewhere. Well, as of this morning she was still limping, so our next step was to get some x-rays of her whole right hip and leg. She did great and was such a big girl! We have to wait for a radiologist to read it and we should know more today or tomorrow. We will be going back to see the pediatrician tomorrow regardless. Please pray with us that it would be something simple and easy to treat. There are lots of possibilities to narrow down what it could be, which in turn makes me very nervous. Being a nurse is to my detriment in this case because I know too much! She is not complaing of pain at all, but sometimes children won't express pain even if they have a broken bone. We love her dearly and it makes me so sad to see her limp. We pray that we would know something quickly and will be able to treat it promptly.

Me and My Girls

Well, in light of the upcoming Mother's Day, I figured I would muse a little bit on just what a gift it is. I have to remind myself of the good things alot, because we most definitely have days where I'm about to pull my hair out! I love, love, love having girls. I like to dress them alike, and do their hair, and love on them like little girls should be loved on. They really do make my life better. Having them has never made my heart feel more vulnerable. I know that the Lord has ultimate control over their lives, and my job is to mother them the best way I know how. To love them dearly and to guide them to the Lord with an open hand, fighting the urge to hold on very tightly! The tears flow more easily and the laughter comes more quickly. Sometimes it's frustrating when I'm trying to get ready for work or to go somewhere and they are attached to each leg, making it very difficult. On the other hand, I realize that they long for my attention, always, and don't understand why they shouldn't be the most important people in the world! They look to ME to kiss their hurt away. They look to ME to dry their tears. They look to ME to hold their hands. They look to Me to feed their little tummies. They look to ME to laugh when their being silly. They look to ME. And fortunately I can look to the Lord to sustain me and to give them all that they need. He chose ME to love and lead these beautiful girls through His guidance. What an amazing job! A job that I continuously feel most unqualified to do! Thank goodness He is there for me to guide me with the ultimate Handbook! So, to all the special mommies out there who can relate, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!

Very Similar!

Who's Who? I've forgotten already how similar Paige and Annalee look at the same age. They looked just alike as newborns, but as Paige has grown her look has changed and I forget I guess. Paige was a little chubbier than Annalee though! I can't believe how fast their growing. I'm literally afraid to blink!!!!!!!

Little Miss Manners

Yesterday, Paige, Annalee, and I went to Target to get Paige a new swimsuit. This weekend I'm taking Annalee to spend the weekend with my mom and Paige and I are going to spend the weekend at the beach with some friends of ours. Well, Paige was very excited about her new swimsuit. We picked it out and made our way to the check-out line. There was a lady in front of us that the cashier was still ringing up. Paige very impatiently says "I got a swimsuit!" The cashier giggles and says "Oh good, I'll even put it in your own little bag". This makes Paige even more excited. She announced two more times that she has a swimsuit still before the lady in front of us was finished. Well, alas, it's our turn. She rings up the swimsuit and hands it to Paige in her very own bag. Paige in response says "Oh, thank you!" We finish geting the rest of our stuff and Paige says "Bye" which invokes Annalee to start her continuous "Bye Bye". As we were walking away, Paige ran back up to the cashier and said "Oh, thank you so much for putting my swimsuit in my bag"!

It was a very cute event, but the Lord again has taught me to be thankful even for the little things. Bagging groceries is what the cashier has to do all day, but my little one made her really smile and feel good about what she was doing and recognized what she did as important. Ahh, the lessons I have to learn!

My hilarious 3 year old!

Paige has really been cracking me up lately. She's really starting to come into her own! Most days at about 12:30pm, I take a shower. Annalee's still down for her nap, and it's 30 minutes before Paige naps, so she's having some downtime on the couch watching a cartoon. Needless to say, I take advantage of this opportunity. We go for a walk most mornings and then to the park, so I welcome a good shower! Well, this morning we had bible study, so I didn't need a shower. Well, this throws a wrench in Paige's thinking! So, as 12:30pm approaches, Paige, very matter of factly says, "Mommy, you need to take a shower. You're stinky." I laughed so hard!! I can't imagine life without her!

When you know you haven't spent enough time with your spouse...

I was on my way home today from a class I was teaching so I was more late than usual but less late than noraml since I was going to miss our staff meeting at church, but I digress. Anyway, Annie puts Paige on the phone to talk to me. We say hello and she says, "You need to come home and see mommy!" Annie and I both laugh but the reality shows...if she knows I need to then I really need to.

Yes I know it's past easter...

...but I think we really needed the world to see how cute our easter was. Paige held a baby, Annalee hunted her first egg, Paige fed a cow, Annalee pet a bunny, I mean this is amjor life firsts here all in one day. And that doesn't compare to Paige answering my favorite question indpendently, "Why do we celebrate Easter? " and I quote, "Cause Jesus died and rose again!" And yes she stresses again. It's great to be a daddy.

Daddy Time

Time with Daddy is a coveted time in our house! Scott works very hard and has several different jobs including: full-time teacher, part-time children's director at our church, phtographer, and several other little jobs that aren't labelled. Now, we love our daddy dearly, and the children literally fight sometimes to get the closest to him. Annalee had the luxury the other day of having him all to herself. She ate it up too! She has him wrapped around her little finger you know (but don't tell him I said that!). They read and played and laughed hysterically. Annalee is Miss Personality now, so she is so much fun these days. Daddy enjoys the time as much or more than they do. We love him so much and are happy to say that as of today, he starts his spring break, so we get him for a whole WEEK! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Paige's Debut

Paige had her big debut at the Easter Egg Hunt this year, as she deemed herself as a very qualified babysitter. This came about as she got to hold our friends Ben and Katie's baby Campbell. She took her pacifier out and carefully placed it back in the baby's mouth. She hugged and kissed her gently. She talked to her in her soft baby-talk voice. So, in her mind what else is there? She did it all. Therefore, she must be capable of caring for this tiny individual! She really was precious. They both were!

The Cutest Little Cotton-Tail!

We had some time alone with Annalee last Friday night because Paige was spending the night with Scott's mom. It was great because we were able to get the camera out and treat her like she was an only child for a few hours. We have a ton of pictures of Paige and alot of Annalee, but not quite like we do of the first. The funny thing is , I decided since we have such a petite little one, that I would try on this Easter outfit from last year (which was 3-6 mos. and she is 15 mos.) and it Fit! It was hilarious. So, we definitely had to get som pics. She was so fun because this year she was able to play. She thought the plastic eggs and the basket were the best toys ever. They kept her very busy for a while! She is so enjoyable. Her little personality is just blossoming daily, along with her vocabulary. I guess talking so much is an inevitable side effect of having a 3 yr. old sister who talks non stop! So, at the end of the night though, we were convinced that we must have the cutest little cotton-tail EVER!!!

Everything I need to know...

I was thinking today, about how much I learn on a daily basis from my children. I think that the Lord must laugh regularly as he teaches me my life lessons in such simplistic childlike ways! Like the picture above, I am reminded from my sweet Paige to pray. I wish that I would think to record her prayers some time. She is so honest and trusting and isn't afraid to let the whole world see her heart. She has no concept of holding her emotions inside. She asks countless questions. She sees common things as if its for the first time. She's not afraid to be silly. She dances when she hears music ( and sometimes when she doesn't!). She cries when she's hurt or upset. The list goes on and on. It is no wonder that the Lord calls us to childlike faith. And what a blessing it is to raise children and see how sweet the Lord is to show us firsthand what that looks like. Paige, in particular, has a very sensitive spirit. The other day, she saw a Disney cartoon. It had the normal mean character who tries to ruin something, then the main characters jump in and save the day. The whole good triumphs over evil thing. I noticed that when the mean character was on, that Paige hid her eyes and ran from the television. At her nap that day, she woke up crying because she had a bad dream, which she wouldn't elaborate on. I immediately decided to not let her watch that. But, I was also very thankful that she is so sensitive. I realized that through seemingly harmless cartoons, my child saw what her heart was not inclined to. I pray for my children daily that He would incline their hearts more and more to Him, and draw them to Himself at an early age. I enjoy watching Him work, and in turn, I can't help but be drawn to Him more myself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTI!!!

AttentionWorld:

Today is my sweet sister's birthday! I dare not tell you her age for fear of her wrath, but even though she's my older sister, many would venture to say that I am the older one! She's tiny, spunky, active, hilarious, tender, and beautiful. I could go on, but it would take all day! She understand's me in a way only a good sister can. She's always been there for me with no questions asked. So, Christi, I love so very much, and I hope you have the best day celebrating your birth today!!!

She Walks!

My baby Annalee decided on Saturday the 17th of March, 2007, that she was going to walk. She held on to the door, pushed it away from her as if saying "I don't need this anymore!", and walked into the kitchen, like it was an everyday occurance! I've thought for the last 3 months that she would walk any day, but she wanted to do it in her own time. She's so very cute, and because she's a little smaller than average, it looks like she should be too little to be walking! I was so excited for her accomplishment, but in a way it was bittersweet. This is literally her first steps as she grows and develops and eventually won't need me to hold her hand and help her. My mind races forward to when she's grown, and I can't stand it! I pray that the Lord would help me to remember and record these milestones in life. I want to enjoy every stage of life with both of my girls. I don't want to look back and see that I rushed them through just because life can get stressful at times. They are sweet sweet children and the Lord has given them to us as the most precious gifts.

sisters

not sure how to turn the picture!

I love watching my girls play together. I like to see how Paige can make Annalee belly laugh like no one else can. It makes me so thankful that God allowed us to have them and that they have each other. What a sweet God to give us sisters! Siblings in general I guess, but there's something so precious about sisters that is personal, obviously because I only have sisters! Paige and Annalee are only 22 mos. apart, so they are inevitably close by age. But, I can see already how Paige mothers her sister and loves on her and even protects her. I pray that they have this bond forever and that the Lord one day draws them to Himself so they can share an even more intimate part of themselves with one another. I know that my sisters are such a blessing to me and there's a connection that is matchless to anything else. I love that they will grow up together and be silly, and laugh, and cry, and mature and struggle even. I look forward to watching the Lord walk them through life and really can't believe He's chosen me to parent such beautiful beings! What a huge responsibility. Good thing I rely on Him and not myself or else we could have one big mess on our hands! The Lord has truly blessed us.