The Gray Gab

2008-12-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

After the kids opened presents at our house and William and I took a little nap we headed over to my mom and dad's for another round of gifts.

John Parker had asked for a Wii and an electric guitar from Santa. We told him that Santa could only get one and he picked the Wii. Mom and Dad gave him the guitar but Dad wanted to trick him and wrap it up with a tag "To Papa, From John Parker."
Dad asked him to help him open it. It took him a minute to realize that it was for him.

2008-12-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

The kids woke up at 3:45 am Christmas morning!!

And worse than that--our coffee maker broke when we tried to make coffee----of ALL Mornings!!!

This was the earliest they had ever woken up. Thank goodness Santa had already made his delivery! William and I were soooo exhausted and tried to talk them into going back to bed for another hour or two but they wouldn't have it. We made them come in quietly so that we would not wake the puppies. Here are some of the photos of them opening their gifts.

Santa left a note that there was something else left downstairs in the garage.

John Parker got his basketball goal and ........

Rachel was surprised that we had gotten a lift kit (big tires and all) put on the golf cart.

She had been wanting this done for the last two years or so and we kept putting her off.

Thanks Dad!!!! I love you!!!!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-29T08:48:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve our entire neighborhood lines the streets of Wedgefield with lit milk jugs. When we first moved I thought it looked so tacky until I saw it lit at night. It really is beautiful to ride through the streets as they are all lined with lights. The kids got an early start this year and began putting the jugs out in front of the house and down our streets.

John Parker was in charge of putting the candles in the jugs

I tried to take a photo of it when dark but it didn't show up too well.

After our Christmas Eve service at church we headed over to William's brother's house to celebrate with his family. Rachel got a Hollister sweatshirt from Grandma.

Candace LOVES Hannah Montana!

Hunter LOVES the Hulk!! This present was from John Parker.

And John Parker LOVES Webkinz!! Candace gave him THREE!!!

Rachel gave Brooke and t'shirt and Sweatshirt from Aeropostle.

CHRISTMAS CAME A LITTLE EARLY!!

2008-12-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

Rachel and John Parker received an early Christmas present this year and so did we!!

As we were parked at the breeder's home his son ran into our car as he was backing out of the driveway. He was driving a Ford F350 and did not even realize he had hit us until he was halfway down the side of my car!

Both doors are dented and you can see the white streak down the side.

Fortunately, the night got better when we got home and saw the kids expressions over their new puppies!

We had to put our family pet, Peaches, to sleep in September. Willam had given her to me before we got married and she had been with us for 16 years. I had promised the kids that we would get another dog when Peaches died. Rachel had been begging for us to buy two and we had always said one would be enough. Of course, when we went to look at the last two puppies that the breeder had I could not walk away with only one!

We decided to surprise them and only give them one at first.

Rachel could not wait to call her cousin Brooke

Meet Mookie.....Rachel's new puppy
and Cocoa......John Parker's new puppy

Time for their first bath!

CLEMSON HOMECOMING WEEKEND

2008-12-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

William and the kids enjoyed a weekend in Clemson during their Homecoming game against Duke. Unfortunately, I was not able to go--I had to work. But they had a great time with their uncle and cousins!!

I put Rachel in charge of taking photos--the only problem is there are none of her!

This was JP and Brooke (my niece) sliding down one of many hills in Clemson.

They had a great time tailgating.

Honestly, I don't think there is any place my kids (and husband) would rather be...

they love it here. I just wish that it was not such a drive.

Let's throw some football....

Right before the game starts the cheerleaders and players march down the street right in front of where we tailgate and the fans can wish them luck

Then interim Coach Swinnie

I could not tell you any of these players names but Rachel can probably name every one and

tell you the position they play!

Definately the most exciting part of any Clemson game at Death Valley...the players running down the hill and rubbing "the rock"

After the game the kids like to go onto the field to get the players autographs

Panther's Football Season

2008-11-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

John Parker began his football season back in September and loved it from day one. He started out a little rough but by the end of the season he was pretty good. Now he's hooked and wants to do nothing but play and watch football! Boy, is his daddy happy!

He had practices 4 times a week for 2 hours each and after several weeks he did begin to get a little "worn out" but he pushed through and we all hated to see it end. I didn't realize how much fun it would be watching him play.

Here are a few photos from his practices and games.

"Six inches" was his least favorite of the exercises.

He could not wait to try everything on when he got his equipment.

And of course he had to try out throwing with his pads on

He looked so cute with all of this on!

Some more practice photos...

Needless to say, my car did not stay clean until after the season was over!

Time for the first game

John Parker is #15. He was running this pass for the extra point after the touchdown, but a flag was thrown on the defense and so they did not get to complete the play. He scored several of these extra points throughout the season.

This was after their last game. JP is the one on the right with his helmet off. Before and after each practice and game they huddle together and chant "What's our goal--Superbowl!" Their record was 6-1 and they made it to the playoffs where they lost by 6 points to Andrews. They were so disappointed!

This is a photo from the Georgetown Times during their playoff game.

Our Summer Cruise

2008-10-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Rachel was so excited

John Parker watched Titanic a few weeks before we left and he was a

nervous wreck at first, but he quickly got over it.

JP had to check it ALL out right off the bat!

My Mom and Dad went with us. This was their first cruise and they had a blast!
They have already planned another one with my aunts and uncles for February.

We took lots of photos as we toured the ship waiting to set sail.

There was even a putt-putt course on the top level of the ship

There was a huge waterslide at the back of the boat. I thought for sure that the kids would
never leave it but they stayed at the pool the entire time.

Rachel was not excited about the Muster Station drill.

It didn't take long for William and JP to find a football game on TV.

There was an ice sculptor on board and he did a great job sculpting our ship.

Nana and Rachel relax in the hot tub

John Parker could not wait to return to the cabin to see what

"towel animal" we would have each night.

By the end of the week we had a room full of animals.

Our first port of call was supposed to be Grand Cayman Islands but we had to redirect

due to the tropical storm so we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico first.

We had a GREAT TIME in Mexico. The water is so blue and clear and there was so much to do.

We decided to go to a local beach resort called Playa Mia. They had water trampolines,
an iceburg to climb, jet skis, parasailing, kayaking, and banana boat rides. I think we did everything except the banana boat because we ran out of time.

It was a fun-filled day!

JP decided at the last minute that he would go parasailing with his Papa. There were several people ahead of us so the boat ride and waiting took a long time. The longer it took the more nervous he got.

Rachel and I went first. We had a blast! We did not get to dip in the water because we were running so late and had to make sure that we got back to the boat in time. That was disappointing because we were looking forward to that part, but it was still so much fun!

Now it was time for JP and Papa

Rachel and I were nervous watching. We did not know if JP was going to like it or not until we saw his face and that big smile as they were coming back in.

The next day we were able to stop at our second port of call which was Grand Cayman Islands. There wasn't much time to do another excursion so we just decided to shop around.

We found out that Guy Harvey actually lives in the Cayman Islands and was at his store there painting and signing autographs. The kids thought it was so cool that they actually got to meet him and they now have a t'shirt signed by him.

This was probably their favorite souvenier

Our waiters, Made and Berting, were the absolute best!! They took such great care of us and they fell in love with John Parker. He was treated like a King. If he asked for ice cream they brought him three bowls! It was ridiculous!!

John Parker said they were his new best friends!

JP doing his Elvis impersonation.

This kid LOVES Elvis--I have no idea how this came about, but I think we may have
a star in the making

Elvis came on the big screen when we were in Hard Rock cafe in Cayman Islands and I had to take a picture

His Pink Cadillac was hanging on the wall. John Parker was amazed!

Our Summer Mission Trip to Pennsylvania

2008-09-22T13:45:00.001-07:00

This summer the kids and I went with our church on a Mission Trip to Hazelton, Pennsylvania.

It was a thirteen hour trip and I was very surprised at how well the kids did. John Parker was on the van with me and Rachel was on the van with the other youth. She said she slept most of the way.

We stayed at a church that we helped while we were there. Our room had a Foosball table and the boys loved it!

Work at the church

2008-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

There was a huge pile of mulch that had to be spread out into the playground that was built at the church where we stayed. The boys did a great job of that in between playing around.
I was so proud of John Parker and Matthew--they got up at 6am with the men to start working.

That was super hard for him because he is no morning person!!

The boys were looking for fool's gold.
They must have broken every piece of coal that they found .
Time to take a break!!

Backyard Bible Club

2008-09-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

One of the outreaches that we did was a Backyard Bible Club in two of the local parks. We canvased the neighborhoods inviting children to come. We set up a mini VBS and had a huge inflatable jump castle and slide. Our kids had a great time as well.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ACTION SHOT--LOOK AT THAT HAIR!!!!
Rachel and Andie helped out with crafts

and baby sitting sweet Ada

2008-09-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

While in Pennsylvania we were able to see an actual working mine up close.

It was really neat to watch.

After a long week of work...it's time to have some fun!!

2008-09-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

The day before we left for home we were able to stop at Hershey Park and have some fun. The kids had a great time with their friends.

John Parker's Favorite Candy Bar

2008-09-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

He tried very hard to talk me into buying "The World's Largest Hersey Bar" which is his FAVORITE candy bar. He wanted to take it home and show his dad so we took a picture instead.

My Cousin's Wedding

2008-08-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Stephanie, was married in June and Rachel was a bridesmaid. Stephanie was the flower girl in my wedding and now MY daughter is in her wedding. Boy, do I feel old!!

Fishing with dad

2008-08-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

When we went camping the kids wanted to fish out of the lake. They had a great time and caught lots of fish, though none were big enough to keep.

This girl can bait her own line...worm and all!!

Water Wars...Girls vs. Boys

2008-08-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

GOTCHA!!!

2008-08-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

Now this is serious concentration!!!

Memorial Day Getaway

2008-05-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

We decided at the last minute to get away and go camping with our friends, Jack and Kim Powers, this weekend. The kids had a blast sleeping late and roaming the campground on their bikes.

Little Miss Responsible-- we never left the camper without locking it--Rachel thought it was unsafe if we left it open--I think she got that from her Nana!!

2008-05-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Putt-Putt at Pirateland is a must!! It brought back many memories of my favorite childhood times there. Jackson and John Parker had a great time and Jackson beat us both by four points!! The girls watched for a while and then decided to ride the paddle boats while we played putt-putt.

Time to cool down...

2008-05-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday was beautiful and EXTREMELY HOT!! The kids swam and had Tropical Ice as a cool down.

John Parker's 9th Birthday Party

2008-05-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

All of the "kids" enjoyed playing the games, singing and a little gymnastics at The Filling Station

SSHHHHHH!!

John Parker and Shawn Lindsey caught doing their SECRET handshake

The MOST IMPORTANT guest at the party was Isabella--John Parker's "girlfriend" for the last year or so. This is TRUE LOVE--they are already planning their honeymoon to Hawaii!! I have never seen a boy so whipped at such an early age!!

John Parker received lots of gift cards and money. He loved all of the musical cards and he especially loved the Elvis t'shirt.

WHAT A GREAT DAY WITH THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT "GIRLS" IN MY LIFE!!

The Pre-Party

2008-05-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

The party started Friday night with a house full of boys!!

Lucky for Rachel, she was at the beach for the weekend with a friend.

Saturday morning he received his gift from us--THE GREEN MACHINE!!

He was so excited

AND HE"S OFF!!

AND THEN HE'S DOWN!!

THANKS, MOM-- I LOVE YOU!!

ART AWARDS PROGRAM

2008-05-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Both Rachel and John Parker were honored at the Art Awards Program at Georgetown High School.

John Parker even won 2nd place in the three dimensional artwork for the Elementary School age group!!

John Parker with his art teacher, Mrs. Lindroth. He thinks she is the greatest!

Rachel's 12th Birthday

2008-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Rachel turned 12 on April 18th and decided that she wanted a sleepover birthday party. I vowed once before that I would never do that again, but I gave in like always!! She also wanted us to take all of the girls to the mall. That was the easy part! But because she is 12 now and "so cool" she had a fit when I tried to pull out the camera. I was able to capture some photos when we returned to Doodlebugs for the cake and opening presents.

She loved the Guy Harvey t'shirt Miss Jodie gave her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!