Coming attractions...

House updates coming soon. Keep watch!

Cousin time # 2...

Eleanor and Molly playing dress up with my old doll (Oma made the yellow coat with mink trim!) ... Swimming in the backyard pool...

A group squeeze...
A group reading right before bedtime... Rynn and Molly look like they could be sisters...

Cousin time..

At the Boulder county fair... At rope world...
At the park with some water...
Patiently waiting for lunch...
At the park with water, only the boys...

Cherished time...

One last picture session with Granma the day we left...
A picnic and a hike with Grammy in Rocky National Park...

Oma reading to Molly before heading to bed...
Grammy holding on tight to Molly while one last boat ride...

Pops "teaching" Jack to drive a boat...
Another teaching tool, the toy boat practice at a local pond...

Opa got caught with his eyes closed, because we had to take so many pictures to get the kids to join in. The kids are yelling "cheese"...
Oma helping with the craft of the day...
Granma cheering Molly on to climb to the top, only it didn't work..she said no thank you...


Granny with the babies after running around outside in the heat...

Granma loving on her first born love...
Grammy loving on her little "bear"...
Pops reading to Jack (notice what it is he is reading, and remember that Jack was really into it!)...
Oma holding Molly

Knitting...

While I was in Colorado, my mom took me to her knit shop. I have just started to knit. My mom taught me last Christmas while they were visiting. I have only made three bags and part of a scarf. I would like to do more, but have found out that knitting is not a cheap hobby. Well, this knit shop is amazing. It is in a little cottage house behind the owners home in the old part of Fort Collins. You walk through a little white gate and down a path through a beautiful backyard. They even have a chicken coop! You walk through the door and there are all these wonderful yarns. There is a little table they use for classes or just sitting to knit and chat with whomever is around. You make your way upstairs and there is even more amazing yarns. The best part about it all is that throughout the store there are these little plates of yummy treats for you to sample with looking for that perfect yarn and/or pattern. It was such a neat place. It just made you want to give up everything that you are doing and knit forever. While we were there, Molly had to go to the bathroom. Well...that is in her own home. You get to wonder through this home to use the bathroom. Also while we were there, there were several streams of ladies coming to knit. There is such a community to knitting. Anyway my point, while there I discovered that I wanted to make a family blanket for us Parkers. There was a beauitful one there. I would love to do it of squares that are all different colors and patterns sewn together to make a big blanket. I asked my mom and Oma how much yarn that would take, and they said a lot. So...I will keep dreaming until I have saved enough money and carved out enough time to make it happen.

Here is the link to the website...check it out... www.mysisterknits.com

The life of a mother...

The post that follows this one was interrupted suddenly because the kids were in the "gunroom" with me while I worked on the computer. They had been playing nicely for quite a while. Lunch was cooking, and we were just waiting. We have a corner cupboard in one of the corners of the "gunroom." There is a cabinet in the bottom of it. They love to put toys in there and very creatively think of random things it could be. All of a sudden, there was a loud crash and some screams. Whatever they were doing pulled the corner cupboard over. They are all right...no scraps or cuts. But everything on the shelves came crashing and breaking to the ground. There were a bunch of fames, which all made it. But up on top, there were some vases and a glass oil candle...they broke. I am sad about what broke, but it can all be replaced. I am sad that candle oil went all over the floor, but at least in the "gunroom" there is not any carpet. I had to put the other post on hold and do a quick clean up, then get lunch on the table. But since I too am selfish, I still wanted to finish the post So while they ate, I finished the typing. All in a day's work!

Pictures...

I realized after my trip to Colorado that once you have kids it is very easy to slip into taking pictures of them with family members as much as you can while visiting. It is very easy to forget to include yourself in the pictures, or just take a picture here and there of yourself with family. Afterall before the kids, you were just possibly the focus of the picture with family. However, I have been replaced by my adorable kids. We were lucky to get this picture of me with my Oma and Opa, which I love. I don't remember the last picture I have with them. There are many in my memory, but few real ones. I have to give my mom credit for this picture. She was the one who thought posing us. So here, she proves my point. There were no pictures taken of Oma, Opa, and my mom...just her daughter (the grand-daughter) and the grandparents. Just the picture I would take now that I have children...

My big boy...

Today was quite a day in the life of Jackson Miles Parker. We went to the doctor for his 5 YEAR CHECK-UP! (Now if you know when his birthday is, you might be doing some calculating in your brain and realize he is not quite 5 years old - which is correct.) We did the check-up early, because you now have to have a hep A shot to enter school. Today, Jack had 5 shots. He would openly tell you that he had 3 in one arm, and 2 in the other arm. He screamed and tried to move out of my arms so as to not get them, but then the nurse started and he stopped crying. I asked if they hurt, and he replied..."no." All of his crying was because he saw the five needles and the anticipation got the best of him. He made it through. He did continue to walk around like his arms were in casts until he woke up from his nap. I am proud of him, but realized that we are that much closer to kindergarten with the advent of school shots. Oh how life flies by!