Always in control...

I am so thankful that we serve a God who is always on the throne. He's never surprised or taken back by the events of the day. A friend of ours just lost his mom and the sovereignty of God is so comforting in great times as well as sorrowful. No matter the roller coaster of emotion we might ride in our own human nature, the Lord is constant. He is comfort. He is peace. He is unwaivering. He chose me. I ONLY love Him because He loved me first! As much as I would like to think it had something to do with me, I would never have chosen Him in and of myself. He sought me out! I swear I will never understand why He would choose a sinner like me, but I rejoice in being a daughter of the King!

Looooonnnngggg day...

Today was one of my long days. I wake up at 5:45 to get children as well as myself, out the door and to school on time. It's a relatively normal day from there, other than I have bible study on Thursdays. However, just before the kids go to bed, I leave for work. Not to complain though! I have been called off alot lately, so it was good for me to be able to put some time on the clock in order to bring in some green:) It's just that it makes for a long day! On that note...goodnight all!

The little things...

It really is the little things in life that I get excited about. I got a notebook and some baseball card organizer sheets so I can put all of my coupons in them. It's ridiculous how happy I was over that! I'm not completely done putting them in yet, but thus far it's just beautiful:) See...the little things.

Memories...

We are about to head to Mississippi to watch my neice play softball! For those of you who don't know, I played fastpitch softball for a good portion of my life! I pitched and played shortstop or first base usually. My neice, Jill, is pitching this year too! So, It's gonna be exciting to see her play and let the memories come flooding back:) Go Jilly!!!!

Antsy

I'm feeling antsy lately. I want to train for another race, but there are no half or full marathons anywhere near until the fall because it's so warm here already! So, I'm needing something. I'm considering a sprint triathalon, but I don't have a bike and I'm probably gonna need some swimming lessons to make sure I swim with good form. That's a thought. I think maybe I'll look into it since I'm already on the internet:) Happy Monday!

Sunday

"How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!"

Rain Rain

It is stormy stormy in Mobile, AL today so we've spent alot of time indoors. We did go to a friends birthday party so that was fun. Whenever I'm stuck inside I always want to start cleaning and organizing. I have also been bitten by the spring cleaning bug and a yard sale is in my very near future. That makes me VERY excited! I love to get rid of stuff and my house inherently tends to just collect junk without even trying! So, off I go to clean some more:)

I interupt this blog for a special report

Let me just deny some previous thought about Annie Parks not being mom of the year...because SHE IS!!! Previous reports of ridiculous doctors have not explained the serious thought and precaution put in place by Mrs. Parks. Eye witnesses to this story report that after the said fall of her oldest child, Mrs. Parks took her to a close friend who happened to be an occupational therapist. After much deliberation and testing on her daughters arm, it was decided to wait til morning to go to the doctor. 4 adults including Mrs. Parks felt this solution was the best. The following morning, after Paige Parks, the hurt 6 year old, woke up and complained of a little pain, she took Paige and 2 two year olds to the doctor with her! Reports from the doctors office state that all children had snacks, drinks, and toys to occupy them as they waited for xrays and the doctors. Not only that but after the appointments and days events, she took all three of her children and 1 of our neighbors for the rest of the day concluded by a trip to the Princesses and Princes Party at Chickfila until she left for a baby shower dinner at 6:00 where she did not return home until 10:30. That's when she woke up for Wednesdays crazy double backing doctors decisions. Let's just say if Mom of the year is not the award for Mrs. Parks, then perhaps its because Mom of the Universe, Super Wife, Friend of the Decade, and Babysitter extraordinaire are already locked in . Scott Parks Channel 13 news.

Moving day!

Scott's mom is moving back to Mobile and she will be here later today! Scott and a few friends are hoping, they can possibly get her moved in rather quickly tonight, but with the rain coming soon, I'm not really sure what that's gonna look like! Hopefully they can get it in quickly. I think she packed rather light. She's moving into an apartment and it's on the first floor which is a blessing in and of itself:) We are glad she's here and my kiddos especially, are super excited! They will also have access to the pool there this summer, but I'm sure that has absolutely no bearing on their excitement:)

Such a big girl...

Paige had a field trip scheduled to go to Dauphin Island to the Estuarium. I wasn't able to go because I didn't have a sitter for Davis. She forgot and asked again this morning if I was coming with her. I told her I couldn't and she got a little weepy. So, I called my neighbor and she said she could just take Davis to bible study with her and that would free me up to go. I proceed to tell Paige that I can now go and she says:

P: "It's ok mommy. You should just stay home and take care of Davis."
M: "Paige, I have a sitter, so I can go with you!"
P: "I know, but it's ok with me if you just stay home and take care of him. I'll be ok, and I'll tell you ALLLLL about it when I get home! Ok?

I mean really...how old is she?

Aw man...

This follows in perfect line after my last post. I took the kids to school this morning and was getting ready to meet a friend at the park to go running. I got a call from the nurse at the urgent care clinic we went to yesterday. She said that the radiologist came by to take a look at the xrays and he found a small displaced fracture and she was making an appointment for me to see an orthopedic! Please keep in mind that, yes, my child is at school running around with a broken arm!!! I was so upset! Mainly with myself, feeling like I should've just brought her to the hospital where they have a radioloist in-house. So I call the school to let them know how great of a mom that I am who sent my broken-armed child to school, and asked if they could relay the message to her teacher so she didn't go on the playround or to P.E. in the meantime. I went and got her from school to go to our appointment and my sweet parents met me there to keep up with little Davis:) They did more xrays and the doctor basically said that there are several growth plates in the elbow and he thinks that the other radioloist read it wrong and that she should be fine in a few days. Oh, and if she's not, then I should bring her back in next week and maybe there's a hairline fracture that hasn't shown up yet. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they didn't find anything, but really?! I've been walking around all day with the mom of the year award feeling like dirt, and then he talks to me like I'm stupid for bringing her in? Crazy, I know. So, it's been a little bit of a roller coaster day and I have a whopping headache to prove it. Thankfully, my baby girl seems just fine and hopefully this is the last of the doctor visits for a while:)

"Mom of the Year"

I thought I was about to win another mom of the year award today. (Please take note of the extreme sarcasm used in the previous sentence:) Paige fell at tennis practice yesterday and landed on her arm. I am not an over-reactor. In fact I err on the side of under-reacting in some situations. This was no different. I looked at her arm and had her do a few range of motion movements and she seemed to be ok. So, I wiped her tears and kissed her "ouchie" and sent her back on the court. I was deliberately downplaying the situation as well, so I could assess what was really hurt as opposed to what got alot of attention. For the rest of the evening, she continued to favor her arm, so I started to worry a little bit. I gave her some ibuprofen, put her to bed, and decided that if she woke up in the morning and it still hurt then I would take her to the doctor. Well...it still hurt this morning. I took her in to an urgent care clinic because they have an xray machine in the office. I also kept my neighbor's 2 year old today as well, so that office visit was super exciting with two 2 year olds in tow. (Again...note the sarcasm:) I just kept thinking that I was definitely gonna be that mom who let my child walk around for an entire day with a broken arm just so I could 'assess the situation" thouroughly! That would definitely be worthy of mom of the year, right? Well, thankfully, it's just bruised and possibly a little sprained so it might be stiff for a few days. Here's to looking forward to what tomorrow will bring!

Back to reality

I woke up bright and early this morning and it was back to reality for sure! It was like I lived on some alternate universe last week. I almost forgot what our routine was! We barely made it to school on time, and I worked at the gym after that. I forgot my p90x dvd's last week while I was at the beach so I ended up just running everyday to at least do some cardio. It's been hard this week though, to get back into it:/ So...here goes another week! Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better as far as our schedule goes!

Soul couple

Our friends Ben and Katie are in town for the weekend with their 3 year old daughter. They are two of our very dear friends whom we feel like the Lord created specifically for Scott and I sometimes:) We met them not too long after we had Paige and the ride has been crazy from then on! They know us like nobody else. Hanging out with them is refreshing, and easy, and fun to say the least. Oh how I wish they still lived in Mobile!! My girls adore their daughter and Davis doesn't think she's half bad either:) Scott refers to them as our "soul couple". Katie is definitely a bestie and I love her and thank God for the gift of precious friends like her. Scott and Ben are two peas in a pod and is considered a brother to him in every sense of the word. They have been there as we've walked through many hard times and have rejoiced with us when it was time to rejoice. They are precious blessings and I am so very thankful for them!

Home

Home at last! Even though I love love love the beach, it's always good to be home:)

Ahhh...

Again...I heart the beach. Which obviously explains my delinquent blogger self:)

Grace

God's grace. Isn't it amazing? He lavishes it on me, and yet somehow, I have become so accustomed to it, that I don't recoginze it all the time. I relish the points in the day that He shows it to me and I can be overwhelmed with thankfulness. I have loved being here at the beach and have been blessed daily by God's creation alone. I have had lots of girl time and great conversation. Scott got here today with Davis and we enjoyed the sand and then the pool of course! And for the last few days He has genuinely engulfed me with His grace. It's been a sweet time and I'm wishing that the time would slow down so I could stay just a little it longer:)

Again...

Again...I,m the worst! Scott is at the beach with me now so I have a computer! I feel really guilty when I miss a blog day! So, this is a quick catchup post to apologize for my absence:)

Fill in for Annie day 1

Ok, so Annie went to teh beach today and I stayed home with Davis. We had a blast just being a dad and son having all the time in the world doing nothing and everything we wanted. From eating lunch at Chickfila to going shopping at Target and finally going to Stockton to see our friend and Pastor Jim's family, we had an amazing time doing everything together. We ate with Jim and Scott at the Stage Coach Cafe and Davis didn't stop talking from 3:30pm til 7:30 pm. He was such a ham. We loved the day. May head to the beach to join the girls tomorrow or may have another mans day. We'll see.
Scott Parks
(Sorry I am not Annie)

Almost here...

Tomorrow we are leaving for the beach and I am so excited:) I am bringing the laptop so hopefully everything will cooperate and I can blog while I am there! I don't have much time to blog today, however, seeing as how I have to basically pack up our entire house to go somewhere for just a few days! Goodnight all!

Superstar!

My husband is a superstar!!!! He ran a half marathon today!!! He did absolutely wonderful and I am so terribly proud of him! He's feeling pretty good so far. a little stiff, but doing great! They finished in 3:16 and did awesome! I had fun being the cheerleader. Knowing how helpful being cheered on was for us, we tried to go all out for them:) Again....he is fabulous:)

Oops!

We went to Pensacola yesterday for Scott's half marathon that he ran today. We spent the niht so we didn't have to et up at the crack of dawn to get over there. In the craziness of packing us and my kids up...I forgot to blog yesterday! Oops!

My hubby

My husband. There are just not enough words to describe how precious he is. He is so wonderfully gifted! The way the Lord utilizes his gifts and talents is amazing to me! His willingness to be used is inspiring. I am in disbelief sometimes that the Lord chose to give him to me:)
Today, Annalee's school went on a field trip to Scott's school! Scott and the club that he sponsors, put on an Autism Awareness Assembly. The kids performed the "Cha-Cha slide" and they did fabulous:) Scott is the head of the autism department there and sponsors a club called Project Outreach. Those students basically befriend and help the students with autism and learn that they get back much more than they give by being involved with them! This is similar to the model they use at Annalee's school.
Scott's heart for mercy shines through when it comes to this. He has advocated for his students, and the students involved in the club cannot help but witness the gospel thru him. He is certainly a superstar there:) He has loved on his students and accomplished tons of goals. All the while, acknowleding that the Lord is the One who gives him and blesses these abilities.
He is my precious husband and I love him so very much!

Sweet sayings...

I had bible study this morning and Davis stays in the back with childcare. Today I went to pick him up and the teacher was reading a book. He immediatley got up and ran to me. He was very excited to see me. We got in the van and this conversation took place:

D: I read book momma!
M: I know! What was she reading you?
D: Jesus.

Sweet to know that the Lord is committed to my children even more than I am. He turned two in February and understands more than I realize already. Simply amazing, and good for my heart:)

Another good day!

I went to Publix again today! I normally go on fridays, but can't go this Friday, so we made a Wednesday trip instead:) Also, this month I'm gonna see if it's worth going weekly, or if every other week is a better option for us. I really look forward to going every week! Sad, right? This is what couponing has turned me into. I'm kind of addicted:/ This week, however, I spent $28 and saved $70! I knew I was gonna feel like it wasn't that great compared to what I saved last week. I'm gonna be ruined by that!

Almost forgot...

I can't believe that I almost forgot to tell this story! I preface with the fact that something always goes awry Easter morning, and this one was no exception. Now, I love my children, but getting them dressed on Sunday mornings does not bring out the best in me:/ Scott has to be at church so early, that I am by my lonesome trying to get them ready as well as myself and try, at least, to get there on time. So...it's Easter morning. I get up just before six in order to give myself plenty of time to make it to the 8:30 service. To start it off, I hear a loud scream and cry coming from the girls' room. I run in there to find Annalee out of the bed crying because she hit her nose on something. I reprimanded them for being out of the bed and told them they needed to stay in their room a few more minutes because it wasn't time to get up yet. Of course all that loud screaming, wakes Davis up, so now they are all awake before due time. I finish making breakfast and go get Davis up. I didn't dream of getting him dressed because he had an all white, cute as pie, little john-john awaiting him. They eat, I get the girls all dressed in their sweet dresses. Meanwhile, Davis spills his entire cup of juice in their room. No major biggie. I grab a towel, clean it up and continue. Then, Davis decides to stick his hand in the potty in the girls room and stir it! Yes...there was pee in it:( Deep breath. I wash him off, all the while thankful that at least he didn't have his outfit on yet. Finally, I get Davis dressed, and go to my room to put on my dress and jewelry and lipstick, of course. During that short span of time, my Davis, crawled on the table, grabbed a twix out of his basket, chewed through the wrapper, and made his way to my room so that I could behold what he had just done. That's right folks. My child had dribbled CHOCOLATE all the way down his all WHITE outfit!!! Really?! I was ready to scream and throw things at this point! Thankfully, I have a precious friend who lives in my neighborhood who happened to have an extra white outfit that went perfectly with what my girls were wearing. So, I loaded up the kids, Davis was just in his diaper, and swung by Katie's and we made it to church on time...almost:)

Countdown...

The countdown to the beach is on! Yippee!!! Next week is Spring Break and I will be heading to the beach with some friends. I am gonna bring my girls with me and Scott is gonna bring Davis with him for the latter part of the week. Did I mention that I LOVE the beach? I mean, really, it's just the best! It's also that really nice time of year where it's not unbearably hot here. We all know that only lasts for a small window of time around here:) The beach just makes my heart happy. It is the epitome of the word "vacation" to me:) So, just 7 more days until we leave!

He is Risen!

He is Risen, indeed!!!! Happy Easter everyone:)

Easter Egg hunt

We had our annual easter egg hunt today! It was complete with first the gospel being shared, then hunting colorful eggs, trading them in for a goodie bag, a yummy lunch and to top it off this year we had our own rendition of the game "Chubby bunny", in which we renamed "Chubby Peeps"! It was fun times:) And now my friends, we nap!

best savings yet!

Ok folks! I went to Publix today and saved the most money yet! I am so excited:) I spent (drumroll please)...$28.29 and saved...$121.14!!!! Eek! I almost did a little dance in line at the grocery store, but thankfully, I contained myself:)

Crazy eaters!

Tonight we went low key with dinner and had pancakes. Mmmmm...I really do love pancakes:) Well, as most of you know, it's not uncommon for Annalee to eat like a grown man. That is the case most days. She, however, doesn't love pancakes. She likes them and will eat 2 or 3, but we wouldn't put that in her "love" of food categories. Davis and Paige especially, L-O-V-E them! Davis put down 5 pancakes without blinking tonight. Paige...she ate 8! That's right, it's not a typo...she had 8 pancakes for dinner, and asked for more! I had to obviously cut her off, for fear of her tummy exploding without warning. isn't that unbelievable? I don't know of many, if any, little 6 year old girls that can claim that title:)