Oma and Opa...

Today I miss my grandparents and would love to talk with each of them on the phone.  But alas, that is not a possibility.  My comfort is that they are with their Savior living for the glory of their Lord and one day I will be with them once again.  I have many memories that will put a smile on my face that center around them  ...  and for that I am most thankful to my Lord!

Trying for THAT picture...

Long gone are the days when I try to get that ONE picture of our family or with the grandparents.  While I do love the "posed" perfect picture, I have come to really cherish the "messed" up ones more.  They usually have more of a story to them.  They have more life to them.  They have more of the people's personalities to them.  I can look at them and smile bigger because I can relate to the face that I have been given more often than not!  The kids jumped up on the tractor when we first arrived at the orchard.  I, of course, wanted to snap a picture.  Grammy and Pops were more then ready to join in the picture, which I was happy to take.  The first .... Grammy was not "ready" and therefore no smile, but Jack was ready with a smile and his usual eye squint ... especially when it is so very sunny out!  Pops was just loving on Molly and bringing a true smile to her face.  The second ... Jack and Pops were talking about something.  The third ... Pops was kidding with the kids about something and not even paying attention to what I was trying to do.  All in all ... there is not one picture of all of them looking at me, BUT I can recall being there and watching the interaction of my kids with their grandparents on such a wonderful day doing something that will last as a memory, hopefully, for all time.  More priceless than the perfect picture!

A story in pictures....

 Look at those apples up top....

 Just got to bring the branch down a little bit more....

 There I got them, now put it in the bucket....

Detering's once again ...

It was a beautiful fall day to go to the apple orchard!  This was the seventh year in a row that the kids and I went out to Detering's orchard to do some apple picking and enjoy the treats that they have on an October Saturday!  This year was even better because my parents were in town and got to experience it with us.  Kyle was not able to do, but he was there in spirit and he got to enjoy the most amazing apple pie that night!

 Molly in an apple tree enjoying a pick of her own

 Doesn't she look big here ... look at those LONG legs ... notice the K-State wildcat tattoo on her leg (thanks grammy and pops!)

Jack, a little out of focus, but still willing to pose by the pumpkins

 A loving picture with grandparents

 Some sibling love on the old old old rusty tractor

 Grammy taking a big ole bite out an apple

 Jack's pick

Jack up a tree, with a mouth full of apple, handing more down for the spoil

The chicken made it over....

Our neighbor to the rear of ours got some chickens a while back.  I thought they might be noisy and a little bit of a nuisance, but I have kind of grown to like their little "clucks" during the day as we sit out back!  A little while back I saw the rooster up on our fence.  He did not make it over to our yard, but I thought it was only a little bit of time before he ended up in our backyard.  Well, tonight was the night.  I was serving up dinner for our family ... an enchilada quiche (quite good!) when Jack shouted no way!  He told me that the chicken was in our yard, and of course I questioned him because there was no way he made it over.  I hollered at Kyle to go out there and "throw" him back into his yard.  Kyle does not like chickens ... unless he is eating them ... but he dutifully went out there to try and "throw" him back. Jack and I watched from the window with smiles on our faces.  It was a bit humorous to watch him chase the chicken around the shrubs.  He gave up, because it was time for dinner and it is no fun chasing a chicken.  While we were eating, the rooster went around the grass eating yummies.  Then next thing you know, we hear him making quite a bit of noise.  He had "flown" into the red rhodie in the back and was a bit out of sort about being stuck in the rhodie.  Kyle went out there, got his hands on him, and "tossed" him back over.  I think he will come back and we will have to talk with the neighbor about keeping them out of our yard, but Kyle said that he did not like him handling him and he might not come back.  We will see ....

Molly, the storyteller....

Molly has recently shown in interest in writing a little more as of late.  She sat down the other day and wrote the following ...

"I love high shoes and I love my blanket and I love my red blanket.  Dedicated to Daddy from Molly"

As she was drawing the picture of herself, I encouraged her to not draw with stick figures but to start to put some dimension to her figures.  I drew an example and said ... now you try it out.  The picture above was her second time doing it, and I think she understands what I was getting at.  She says that she likes to draw, and in the last month she has done a collage on her own with a glue stick and pieces of fabric that she cut and pasted all on her own.  She has also listed on her VIP poster for school that when she grows up she would like to be an artist!  Who knew ... certainly not me!!

Last night's football game...

This past weekend the forecaster predicated that we were going to be hit hard with our first rain of the season.  It did rain a bit on Friday, but then it was just overcast the rest of the weekend.  Monday is the day the rain came to Eugene, Oregon!  Molly and I stayed home for two very good reasons ... one.the game did not start until 7pm.  two.it was a down pour of rain!  Kyle and Jack came home, and this is what I was greeted with.  So what does one do ... grab the camera!

(notice the really white socks ... how did that happen?)

Mind you ... I have already washed the uniform and everything successfully came out!
By the way, the mighty Hawks beat their opponents 8 to 12 with only 8 players to the other team's 13 players.  Way to go guys!

What have we been doing? ....

...one might be asking themselves since it has been over a month since my last post.  Whenever I post, I usually make a mental resolution to do better with the blog ... post more often ... share more thoughts ... be more witty ... entertain those few that keep up with this blog.  But alas, I have failed myself again.  I guess one could argue that I have just been doing too much living to take the time to put it into words and pictures.  One could also argue that I am just lazy about it.  I do enjoy writing about the Parker clan because there is a sense that I am reliving the fun memories when I take the time to recount them for you all.  I am often smiling when I type a post or add a caption to a picture.  I guess that is one reason that I continue with the blog.

So I am going to literally list a few things that have happened in the last month.  I have not taken many pictures so words will have to tell the story this time!

1.  I am again training for a half marathon.  It is on November 3rd (I will be running while I think of Opa and the fact that he would have been turning 94!)  So this means that I am amping up my running and that means that Kyle is kind enough to indulge my love of running by watching the kids on Saturday morning.  Of course, this gives him a great excuse to watch Game Day on ESPN.

2. Jack has started another season of flag football.  This year is much better and fun to see the improvement from last year.  He has many more buddies on his team and really enjoying.  I love to think about how he thinks he is black and really really really really really really really fast as he practices running with ball.  I have to fight my practical boring live in the truth side of me and not burst his bubble that he is not LaMichael James and playing for the mighty Oregon Ducks.  They named their team the Hawks.  Jack was hoping that they would have red jerseys, but they got grey.  He was hoping a mother could do add some hawk feathers to the back of the jerseys and they would all get red Under Armor long sleeved shirts with red shorts with red socks and they would transform into Hawks each game.  Alas, that did not happen but I could only smile at the creativity and passion that my son showed in dreaming up such an outfit.

3. Molly FINALLY started gymnastics!  and she LOVES it.  It has a big learning curve, but I have been most proud of her for tackling it.  She really did not know what she was getting into but has taken it on and really made it her own.  She has not given up and I have even seen some really good improvement.  Of course there might be more improvement if there was actual practicing that happened at home!  I have some pictures but have promised not to put them on my blog because she is waiting to put them on her blog.  She too thought that she was going to go in there and be Gabby from the Olympics ... so cute to see the dreaming of a six year old!

4. The picture below is of Jack while he is doing his "presentation" of himself to his class.  He was chosen to be the first VIP of his class this year.  He was so very excited, and he worked very hard on the poster at home.  Each day of that week he took something new into add to his collection of toys there.  I think that he really like the attention of what it was he had brought that morning.  He was not nervous at all to be in front of people.  And I enjoyed getting one of the many projects done and out of the way so early in the school year ... score one for mom!  (Molly is also the first in her class and does it next week ... stay tune for her picture!)

5. My parents came for a visit, but I am going to save the pictures of that trip for another day!

6. The usual church activities are in full swing and keeping us busy.  A little more so this year since Kyle and Davina and their kids are gone.

7.  The kids had their annual Jog-a-thon last week.  I missed it since I was at presbytery with Kyle but my parents got the joy of being there for the kids.  We did a horrible job of raising money for the school, but the kids did well at running/walking.  It was a BEAUTIFUL fall day in Eugene.  Molly ran 11 laps, and Jack ran 16 laps.  So proud of them ... maybe they will be future track runners with me.  I can dream of one day running a marathon with them ... wouldn't that be a hoot!  (YES, I did just type hoot)

Of course there is more, but I do believe that is enough for now.  Besides, it is 1pm here and I have to eat something before I walk to get the kids from school.  It is their Friday ... no school tomorrow!