The family (Little, that is)...

I asked my mom for some old photos so that I could compare myself with Molly at the same age.  She sent me some GREAT family photos that I have not seen in years.  I loved them, and thought they would be fun to share with those that might read my blog.  So enjoy a little flashback the early years of the Little family!

I was about 2 1/2 years old in this picture, which means that Jason was 5 1/2 years old.  Look at how young my mom and dad look.  They were about 27 years old - so young!  (Sorry, Mom.  I had to reveal all ages)
I was about 4 years old in this one, which means Jason is 7 years old.  I LOVE the glasses my dad has on his face.  I am sure they were stylish, but look at how large they are on his face.  I see alot of Molly in my face in this picture.
I was 6 years old in this last picture.  I remember the dress I was wearing.  Jason has such a serious look on his face.  I think this might have been a classic church picture.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  The make me smile, and realize that my family - the Parkers - need to get on the ball and get some family pictures taken that are posed so that Jack and Molly can look years from now at the outdated fashion, hairstyles, and comparisons to their children faces!

A week of first...

...for Jack.  Yesterday at the coast, Jack tried and LIKED blackened shrimp and halibut.  He could not get enough of the shrimp.  I just sat and smiled.  Then today, he ate and LIKED the oven roasted potatoes.  He could not get enough of them.  He said they were his new favorite.  I have been trying for years to get him to like mashed potatoes and other potato items to no avail.  Today was a milestone...a potato he will eat with pleasure!  Yeah.

Playing with pictures...

My sweet little Jack.

I thought the color on this was great between the pink hat and the pink on her sweatshirt.

Our day...

Yesterday, we went to the coast after church.  It was supposed to be really warm and sunny in Eugene, so we thought the coast would be the same - and it was.  We tried a new beach, which was great - although a little too windy for us!  It was a wonderful family day, and the kids loved going to the beach to play with the sand.  The sand constantly amazes me at how much entertainment it can provide for a child over and over again!  Below are some of the pictures that I captured of our time on the beach.  Enjoy!

Molly in her cute pink hat.  The scrap on her nose if from a rocking chair incident.  Shortly after this we were walking back to the car and she fell on some rather sharp rocks and blood flowed thereafter.  Right now, she looks as though she has had a rough week.  Her legs are bruised and scraped from yard work, and now she has TWO "owies" on her face.  We are definitely not taking any portraits this week!
Jack LOVED the water and the rocks.  He would stand in a spot and let the water go out and he would sink into the sand.  It was fun to watch his curiosity take over and have no fear.  At one point, Molly was about to go under and she was little scared but big brother was there to life her out.  It was good to see his helping side, and to hear afterward how proud he was of himself for "saving" Molly (by the way, she was in no real danger in case you were thinking we were being bad parents).
The three Parkers who were willing to brave the way too cold water.  They liked the water and were not aware of how cold it was until they came out!
Jack posing for me to take a picture.  He was helping Kyle build the sandcastle.  He recently got this new hat, which we do not know what the letters stand for, and promptly decided that it would become his "work" hat like his dad has one.
Hard at work on the sandcastle.  It was pretty good one.  Kyle worked the hardest on it, of course, but the camera lost its battery and Jack knocked it down before I could get a finished picture of it.  So...it will live only in our minds.
A little team effort on the castle!

After the beach, we were going to visit another beach where the wind was a little less intense but we happened upon the Coast Guard station instead.  If you know Kyle at all, we had to see about a tour.  We were able to go on the two boats they have docked there.  The guy that gave us a tour was great.  The kids got to climb all around the boats, and Kyle got the low down on how fast, what kinds of waves it can take, and the fact that one can roll and roll and still float onward.  It was pretty cool, and I am glad that Kyle talked me into stopping!  Then we stayed in Florence for dinner, and then headed home.  It was a wonderful day for our family.  We often don't do fun things like this without a LOT planning, so this was a great memory for us.

I think the earth stood still...

Kyle has eaten salad as his meal TWICE in three days, and has not sworn off doing it again in the future!

Enough said.

Easter...

"Serious Root Beer"...

The other day I went to the grocery store.  I thought I would surprise the family with some root beer as a special treat - we are no longer drinking Pepsi on a regular basis!  When Kyle and I got married he introduced me to the world's best root beer - Henry Weinhard's.  I love root beer.  It is one of the childhood memories I have - my dad and I would drink root beer when it was a hot summer day in Texas.  I LOVE Henry Weinhard's root beer.  I got home, and Kyle was telling the kids about the root beer.  He made a statement to Molly that it was "serious" root beer.  Well, that stuck with her.  Later that day she came up to me and asked for some "serious" root beer!  I was not sure what exactly she was saying, but caught on pretty quickly when I realized and thought about the previous conversation.  Kyle often uses the word "serious" as a descriptive word with the kids.  So every time Molly thinks about root beer, it is "serious" and it makes me smile - hopefully she will keep this as a childhood memory of her own.

Jack & Molly...

We had an Easter egg hunt this morning at the house.  It was overcast, BUT not raining and not too cold.  The grass was wet, BUT really really green.  We had people over from the church.  It was great fun, but over in a split second.  They were great hunters.  I tried to get some pictures.  I also tried playing with the iphoto stuff on the computer.  I kind of like the "off" color pictures.  I am curious how they would look actually printed out.  Just thought you all would enjoy seeing some pictures!  Jack was a mad man on the loose going as fast as he could to find the MOST eggs.  Molly was a diligent hunter.  They were excited about the candy inside and have been wanting to eat it all now today!  It has been fun to enjoy Easter that much more with the kids this year being older.  This morning Molly was sitting in Kyle lap and I asked her why and what we celebrate Easter.  She was able to tell me in her own words that today (Good Friday) was when Jesus died on the cross, that Sunday was when he was alive again, that he died for us and our sins for his glory.  It was a great conversation to warm a mother and father's hearts that she is indeed learning, AND we are indeed remembering to teach in the midst of a crazy life that sometimes is not focused on the important things nearly enough! 

New sparkly shoes...

I thought Molly needed some new shoes, and this is what I picked out.  Kyle is still not sure what he thinks of them.  I can assure you that Molly knows what she thinks of them...she LOVES them.  They have not left her feet.  She can wear them in the house right now because she has not worn them outside to make them dirty on the bottom...so for a couple of days they are great play shoes.  They will look great with her Easter dress.  Check back for pictures of the cutest Easter bunnies you have ever seen (at least in my mind's eye!)

You only thought....

...they were called pigtails, but in our house they are called "treeheads."  I have been putting pigtails in Molly's hair for some time now.  She loves them, and always asks for them.  She no longer is satisfied with just a clip.  However, one day she asked me for "treeheads."  I told her I had no idea what a "treehead" was and that she needed to explain to me what she wanted me to do with her hair.  She did that successfully, so now in our house we have "treeheads!"