Again For Sure

The Bigs recently had a first that will not be a last. They participated in a kids' triathlon sponsored by our local neighborhood. Neither of them had trained for such a thing, but could do all three events separately. Nathan took them out twice to practice the main idea and distances and then we gave it a good old Lino try. Girly Girl had to swim 25 meters, bike 1 mile and run a quarter mile. Toads' age division had to do double all of her distances. Swimming is not a forte of either of them, but they made it through. We tried to stress to them that being the best at one thing was not the goal, but watching all of the local swim team members roll up in their team suits was a bit intimidating. The transition was a whole experience on it's own due to some poor planning on the part of the event organizers. Let's just say this momma was not happy. Nonetheless, off to the bike they went. Biking is Toad's strong suit.  He made up a tremendous amount of time. Girly just learned to ride a bike a few months ago but actually did fairly well. Except for the volunteer sending her the wrong way on the course it was a good bike segment for her. She hit her stride on the run coming in second on that segment. They both finished the run up strong and had a great first race. We loved seeing their determination and watch them try something new. They are both all set to do another one. Training will be in order, but the Six Linos are up for the challenge.

The photos are not in order, but you get the main idea. A great time was had by all! 

Must Take Pictures

three Parker kids: Derek , me and Drew - August 2011

I understand now why we always saw our parents taking pictures with their siblings whenever they were together. As time goes on, we get busier and our time together just doesn't come as easily. Now, my two little brothers and I take pictures together whenever we manage to get us all three in the same room. I love these two guys and wish we saw more of each other. They are both fabulous little brothers to this bossy big sister.

The Fancier the Better

the fancy birthday girl and her big sister

Samoosa should probably be called girly girl. She is the one who really likes the girly things. She plays in my make up, is always wearing jewelry, wants plenty of accessories and loves to carry her purses everywhere. Her birthday was no exception. She has fallen in love with the series of Fancy Nancy books, so we threw a birthday soiree. The Fancy Nancy tea party was a big hit with this little birthday girl. I took many of the ideas from the books and she loved being fancy with her friends. The little people did beautifully with real tea cups and saucers - some even tried tea in addition to apple juice. The fancy cupcakes and cookies went perfectly with the parfaits, jelly rolls and tea sandwiches.....all eaten with 'pinkies up'.

Samoosa is growing into such a beautiful girl. She is a precious gift that brings such joy and excitement to our family. There is nothing she won't try and no opinion she won't express. She is confident, loves life and absolutely adores her big sister. She speaks the same language as her daddy....they are on the very same page and completely 'get' each other. She requires very little sleep and has enough energy for the six of us. She is our little lefty and thoroughly enjoys learning new things. She firmly believes she can do anything her older siblings can do and will go down trying if necessary. Her will is strong and determined. She has a goofy side that sucks you in to her world of dreams. She is spectacularly perfect in every way.

Only Three Times

only two were happy to be here

I have recently come to the conclusion that I will say or think "we get to do this three times" more times that I can count in my lifetime. Having the three little girls is just a big thrill. I love it. It is a bit petrifying a times, but absolutely fabulous. Girly Girl is showing us the ropes and Samoosa is not far behind her. Right now, they are age 6, 4 and 2. With each new dramatic moment or great memory I remind myself we have three amazing girls that we get to do life with. I wouldn't trade them for anything! I love these three.

All About the Pose

Just had to post these two cuties.........they have a plan when ever the camera comes out. They learned it from their big sister. It was t-shirt and pizza day at school.

9-8-11

The Littles Are Getting Big

String Bean and Samoosa, September 6, 2011

It's nice having two pairs. The older two, aka Bigs, often go together and the younger pair, aka Littles tend to partner up as well. After sending Toads and Girly Girl off to school several weeks ago, it was time to get the Littles ready for their big day. Going to 'school' is something they both love and meets a need in all of our lives. They feel very independent and look forward to all of the 'big' things they get to do on school days.....take a lunch, carry backpacks, do work, play with friends. I look forward to accomplishing a long list of to-dos in record time. Tuesday and Thursdays are good all around. Here they are being big on the first day of school.

Just No Time

I have failed miserably at keeping up with any form of blogging. Just the few minutes it takes to write a post has been too much in my schedule for the past month. We have enjoyed such a busy season over the last few weeks. Truly, it was worth it. We had ten different evenings of member gatherings for coffee and cupcakes in our home. The NEHBC membership was invited alphabetically to join us for a time of just visiting and enjoying each other's company. There were people I had not even met before and it was such a blessing and reconnection for me personally. I find it very challenging to be what amounts to a single mom of four young children on Sunday mornings and still maintain some sort of ministry role to the people around me as well. This time together was just what I needed. Now that we are done hosting them, I shall attempt to get back to some blogging. Much has happened outside of our evening social calendar.