Snow Days

My sister-in-law recently asked if I enjoyed the quiet on the kids snow day. I had to laugh because I'm sure she envisioned the kids out all day while I had the house to myself. Sounds delightful but so opposite of what I have around here, ever!

The kids love snow days and so do I. The kids all head out for sledding with friends and then end up back here completely soaked and ravenous, with multiple non-Parkers in tow. This is our 3rd snow day in a row(Th, Fri plus Sat,Sun, now Mon) and I have had no less than 9 kids here everyday. They are fun. They are polite. They include everyone. They play together. They eat a lot! and boy are they loud! Then they head out to do it all over again. Macie takes my cell phone and they check in with me every hour. They even take Avery to the hill next door. She can totally hang with the big kids. I am glad that ours is the house where they end up but I finally had to tell my 4 no more today! This mama needs to get her house in order!

A Murray Christmas

Somehow I managed not to get a single picture of Steve and Lori. They were there, I promise!

Either we have a serious problem with a sock-eating monster or my kids know how to go through a pair of socks! Here's hoping Santa brings a sleigh full!

Go Cats!

To say that we are Kentucky fans is an understatement. Thanks to Stew I became a fan early on in our relationship. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have married me if I hadn't. Our kids have also been inducted into the fan club as well. The boys are, well they are KY Crazy! They love anything and everything associated with UK. In fact, the boys room is completely decorated in a UK theme as well as our basement and Stew's bar.

Macie is probably the least biggest fan only because she isn't a huge sports enthusiast. She gets into the big games and the big rivalries but doesn't follow the regular games as much. She does always seems to find one basketball player that she really likes. This year she is into Josh Harrelson. He's a senior who is actually from St Charles. He went to St Charles High and knows a friend of ours who coached Owen's football team.

Last week she was playing around on her ipod and started searching for email addresses for Kentucky players. She found them and decided to send Harrelson an email. She told him she was a huge fan of Kentucky basketball and so was her family. She told him that she was from St Charles too, what grade she was in etc... To her surprise he responded! They have corresponded a few times and she is thrilled! Secretly, I think she is excited because she is one up on her brother's who would do just about anything to talk to or meet a Kentucky player. Anyway, I thought it was very sweet that he even thought to write her back. What a caring and thoughtful young man. He has surely brightened Macie's world and speaks volumes to the kind of kids that play ball at Kentucky.

Go Cats!

Avery's Christmas list

1. Cinderella backpack

2. purple shoes

3. Skecher's

4. clothes

5. Mickey Mouse dance thing

6. Cinderella toy

7. shark toy

8. wand

9. Big Teddy bear with eggs in the Teddy bears' tummy

10. Princess phone so all of my friends can call me

11. purple dress

12. a computer like mommy's

13. Cinderella sunglasses

14. fruit snacks

15. oranges

If only it were always this simple.

A family affair

Scott and Laurie

All I can say is that it has been a long time since we attended a wedding with such heartfelt emotion. Such a small gathering but such a huge statement for how far Scott and Laurie have come to find each other. It was truly a family affair as a wedding should be. It was beautiful in every way and we are so happy to have Laurie as a part of our family. It feels like she's been part of us forever.

It reminded me of what life is all about. God, family and friends.

The Breath You Take by, George Strait:

Life’s not the breaths you take
The breathing in and out
That gets you through the day
Ain’t what it’s all about
Ya just might miss the point
Try’n to win the race
Life’s not the breaths you take
But the moments that take your breath away