TheFriends ~
TheBetterHalf, TheFriends »
I only included a detail here, please go see Stephen Cefalo’s full picture of Matt at his website. Matt sat for our amazing friend yesterday for about an hour and this is the first of several sittings. Unreal. Un.Real. I saw it and teared up.
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Chickadee’s little girlie has arrived! I know no details. A mutual friend live-blogged what she knew, so I pass that on. Here is the link to read all about her very long day. All I know is that they are both doing fine. And be sure to stop by A Familiar Path and let her know you’re praying for her.
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Well, sure you do!
Over at a friend’s blog, Crumbs on my floor, she’s celebrating her first year blogging by giving away a Veggie Tales DVD. Stop on by, leave a comment and good luck!
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Please pray for my friend, Marsha. She lost her youngest son last night, he was 3. I am sick with grief for her. If you can minister to her in any way, please follow this link.
Rachel at Heart of the Matter said it so well…
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.1 Corinthians 12:26
Marsha and David we love you and will be here praying with you through this. We can’t even begin to fathom your thoughts or emotions right now but please know that we are here, whatever you may need. We love you.
Dozer, we’ll see you soon, sweetheart!”
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what a day!
today we had our homeschool christmas party with the drapers. fun! fun! the kids all drew names and exchanged homemade presents in homemade wrapping paper. it was awesome. and we made snow villages they were the cutest things ever! (our pizza indulgence and sugar overload sponsored by maury!)
the girls’ village
the boys’ village
and then the kids ran absolutely wild while maury rescued my kids’ room from being overrun by stink bugs. really. i’m not kidding. i hid in the hall holding my baby and trying to convince the kids to get out of the room while maury picked. them. up. with. her. bare HANDS. and threw them out. she made safe my children’s room. she did.
and then we put on a christmas play. we dressed up and performed the nativity story. and we forced the children to clean my house and then run races outside. really. we had to get the sugar worked out of their bodies somehow. and right before they loaded up and left i heard my oldest talking to her youngest, “my mom’s nuts.” “why’s she nuts?” “because she makes us clean 200 hundred hours.” yes, i am. and, yes, i do.
and then the 2 youngest just couldn’t go on anymore.
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tonight i got to experience another one of those long-awaited parenting moments. some of the neighborhood kids came to play, as they have a few times before. i’m loving these kids more and more. good kids. really good kids. so polite, watch out for the little ones, i just get such a good vibe from them. and it helps that they mirror our family. there are four of them. the 2 oldest are boys followed by the only girl and then the youngest, a boy. they’re all older. 12, 10, 8, and 6. only the 3 younger come to play with the oldest showing up to check on his siblings. tonight my husband fried some chicken tenders and i boiled some corn on the cob and served up some apple cider and fed all the kiddos while they ran in and out of the house playing. and then they decided to get together a kickball game. how long’s it been?! they took the time to teach my kiddos and hold my girl’s hand. it was so much fun! i always dreamed of the neighborhood children playing at my house with my kids and a fun game of ball in the yard.
i love living the dream!
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the grand bash has been hinted about in many places, but not openly addressed. why yes, i am always up for a good party! are ya kiddin’ me?! however, seeing as how we are leaving this residence on saturday, yes, that is approximately 3 days away, and i have yet to get my new utilities turned on, mail transferred, or my house sufficiently packed or cleaned, i am a’feared that the much anticipated shindig will have to happen after we are no longer here. mandy has offered up, with a tiny suggestion, her abode for the fun. and we will probably wait until clayton’s day off hits a weekend (since my husband would be sorely disappointed to miss him!). plus, that will get all of us mamas through the first couple of weeks of school. not to mention, it will give all you monticellonians a wonderful chance to save for and plan meticulously for the extravagant food and beverages that should flow at a parker party. so, come on, people, get to plannin’! the kids want cheese pizza. mark likes the tgifriday’s spinach artichoke dip, pearl’s fond of mandy’s parmesan chicken, lee, mandy and i are a little more than fond of any dessert with chocolate in it, and taylor, pull out all the stops we need some fine food, man! the captain must be served to a certain trooper and his ride-along buddy, the vino will be well appreciated by many, and i might even step up to one good glass of the blackberry! let’s do it!
ps, for a more informal get-together we are having one last sale/giveaway this friday and saturday and we will be packing a u-haul on saturday. come join the fun without the leisure!
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this is in gratitude to the amazing comments on the last wednesday update post.
-lou-
are you kidding me? you, of all people, would breeze through this like it’s nothin’, girl, you’ve taught me already to go with the flow.
-k.t.-
the words are sweet and the action-on-the-ready is even better. thank you for being here.
-carolyn-
a real lunch would be even better! sans kids! your excitement to see how God will provide actually stirred a little excitement in me!
-lee ann-
i like somebody that will let me cry! and where are those drinks and appetizers?
-becky-
tell your mom thanks. it made me smile! what more could i ask for? and when she tells me that things work out, that’s a woman i believe. she’s been here, done this with laughter and style!
-angelina-
i’m glad you reminded me, because i had forgotten what i was made of. it’s been a long time and you begin to think it’s mush instead. the wooden cube things were one of the few things we actually sold, sorry.
-mandy-
it’s hard to take off my cape. there are, after all, 3 little people that think i’m invincible. i have not thought, even once, that this is yet another season. where am is my head, when i can’t remember that? and, at this rate, i may call you to catch this baby!
-mark-
pandaemonium. now THAT’S a blog name! even when i make it through this, once i add the newest parker i may very well make that my new blog! life does, doesn’t it? and, look, i haven’t even added one hour to my life.
-phillip-
you made me cry. again. that was after laughing out loud at the pregnant and moving comment! how do you do it, laugh and cry in the same thirty seconds? oh, wait, i’m pregnant. your prayer was so encouraging. i know y’all are praying for us, but to see it was so much more.
-brandon-
thanks, man, for reaching out. i think pearl has plans to call you. we need a place to rent for less than the arm and leg that is required by most realtors in the area. did i mention that we need to move in this friday? for that, i might be willing to give up my little finger, but more appendages than that are gonna drive us into the hood.
-no, no place yet. we have spent 2 days of this weekend reading papers, calling people, driving around, looking at places. believe me, we are doing everything we can do. and since the weekly rate at the local motel is close to $400, we’re not sure. God just hasn’t dropped “the one” into our laps yet. but, rest assured, we have no choice but to roll out of this house, if not friday, saturday at the latest. we’re goin’ somewhere. God told abraham to go. with little directions. but he went. and then was told. so, hang on to your hats, we’re a’goin’!!