When the road ends, the adventure begins.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Much Love from Germany,

The Parker Family

Halloween 2011

2011-11-05T16:20:00.001-07:00

Olivia 4 1/2 months

2011-11-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Kaden, Lauren, Ava, and Olivia in October

2011-10-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ava had an Octoberfest celebration at her school. They were invited to wear German clothes. Ava jumps at a chance to sport her dirndle.

Lauren is doing well with dance,violin, and loves to pose.

Kaden is enjoying scouting, reading, and piano.

Olivia Four Month Pictures

2011-10-10T11:46:00.001-07:00

I can't hardly believe that we have had littly Livy-Love for four months already. She is such a sweet baby and truly a joy! If you ask me, I think she is a mini Lauren and reminds me so much of her big sister at this age. Some of the things that she is doing right now......

Smiling, smiling, smiling (except in these pics for some reason)

Sleeping 9-10 hours in a row at night (YAY!!)

Discovered her hands and loves to suck on her fingers much to Kevin's dismay

Pulls mom's hair every chance she can get

Drools like crazy (teeth already?)

Loves her play mat and is starting to hold toys

Gets the giggles when she is ready for a nap

First time hanging out in her Bumbo Chair.

Thanks for the super cute diaper cover and hair pretty Aunt Kelsie and Uncle Brian!

How can you not want to smoother that sweet face in kisses?

Ava-isms

2011-09-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

The other day Ava asked for some cheese. All I had in the fridge was a new German variety that she hadn't tried before. As I handed it to her, I waited patiently for her response. We've really been trying to work on manners lately. Hoping that she would thank me for stopping what I was doing to fix her a snack, I waited and waited. So finally I said, "Ava, what do you say?"

From the other room she yelled back, "I say this is YUCK!"

Oh Ava, how dull life would be without your sweet sassiness! How I love you little bug.

Suday Photo Tradition Sept 2011

2011-09-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the dresses Grammie Sue! We love you!

20110820_4570

2011-09-25T01:04:00.001-07:00

20110820_4570, originally uploaded by kpyoco.

Lauren and Dad's Frankfurt bicycle trip

2011-09-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

After some quick planning, Lauren and Dad set off on an overnight bike ride to Frankfurt. We stopped and ate some wild blackberrys along the way. Lauren is wearing her custom cycling skirt outfit. We took "Double Trouble" aka our black Bike Friday Tandem Two'sday. We were able to pack light as we planned on staying in a youth hostel in Frankfurt.

As we were riding towards Frankfurt some very dark clouds rolled in and it began to rain very hard. Lauren was cute and started pedaling harder shouting the whole way, "Parkers Never Quit". I emphatically agreed with her but decided it was a nice time to take an ice cream break under a covered patio. After the rain subsided we started back on our trip.

There was nice paths all of the way there. We rode through the Frankfurt Airport to get to Frankfurt. We finally ended up riding along the beautiful Main River. We thought this floating Imbiss/Doner shop was cool.

It was a beautiful day and the Frankfurt Youth Hostel was right on the river. This is on the bridge that is in front of the Hostel. After checking into the hostel we went for a walk to expore town. There is a video clip after this post that shows the inside of the Hostel. It was 30 euros for both of us for one night (that included a German style breakfast).

I had heard about a Jewish Cemetary in Frankfurt and I wanted to see it. We found the cemetary but it was locked. On the wall around the cemetary is a memorial to all of the Jewish people from Frankfurt that were killed in the Holocaust. There were little metal blocks protruding from the wall. Each block had a name, dates, and concentration camp.

It was staggering to see the tragic loss that was suffered. This is a section of one of the walls. These walls surrounded the cemetary.

The gates were locked and one could only look into the cemetary from the outside. Below is a view from the closed gate of the old Jewish Cemetary in Frankfurt.

Here is an informational sign about the cemetary.

Next door was a giant Jewish Museum. Lauren and I decided to check it out. They had relocated a large amount of Jewish buildings that were excavated when they were found during a construction project. There was a large exhibit about the Milkwe. The Milkwe is a bath were women undergo a ceremonial cleansing before getting married. It was a nice museum and interesting. We were able to set up a visit to the cemetary from the museumThe cemetary was mostly destroyed by Hitler during WWII. There is a small section remaning and it is protected. The headstones are beautiful and very close together. The writings are in Yidish and most of them had an interesting picture associated with them (animal, windmill, etc...)

After the cemetary we walked over the old town of Frankfurt. There is a beautiful square with some amazing half-timber buildings. We went inside of the cathedral and there was beautiful organ music being played. In the gift shop across from the cathedral Lauren bought a snow globe from Frankfurt. She has a nice snowglobe collection started.

We were getting hungry and started walking back to the hostel. We saw a cruise boat and Lauren really wanted to go on it. It was either a 50 minute or 100 minute boat ride. Lauren wanted the 100 minute one. I thought it might be a bit long but we decided to give it a go. We cruised along the Main River learning about Frankfurt. The tour was in German/English. We had a great time.

We got hungry and ate on the boat. The food was pretty good. We rode home the next morning. It was about 24 miles home and we did it in about 2.5 hours. We got turned around at one point as the route along the river is not always user friendly. This is especially true as one is approaching Raunheim on the South side of the Main river. It is near the Airport and an industrial area. We were riding by some factories and ran into a man made port where they have giant gas tanks. I think it is a fuel reserve for the airport. That cost us an extra 30 minutes as we had to backtrack and find a new route.

We had a great time and Lauren is pretty tough and a great stoker (person on the rear of the tandem. The person on the front is called the captain).

Frankfurt Auto Show 2011

2011-09-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

We hit the Frankfurt Auto Show. It was only about 20 minutes from where we live. It is the largest auto show in the world. It was pretty amazing.
Jeep had an obstacle course set up and a driver would take you around, up and down, and bounce you through crazy obstacles. Poor Ava was about 2 inches too short and she was very sad. So Dad, Kaden, and Lauren went in a Grand Cherokee for a fun ride. Mom, Olivia, and Ava got a pretzel while they waited.

Hot wheels set-up.

The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, sat in this Vee-Dub earlier in the week.

Kaden sat in this sweet GT3 RS 4.0 today. Maybe Kade has a future in Politics or racecar driving.

Lauren liked this Black beauty Cayman.

This is the set-up for the new 911.

The Parkers and the Porsches.

Kaden admiring a Bugatti.

The Lamborghini exhibit was probably the most popular. As you walked up on it all you could see was backs. You had to worm your way to the front to see what all of the excitement was about. They are pretty cars. No touching allowed.

The kids favorite was at the Seat exhibit. It was a chick on a stick. They had a model in weird geometric shape on a bendy pole. She would move back and forth and give people five. Who thought that up?

Lauren got about 5 high fives from the Damen. Ava was next and she couldn't quite reach.

Lauren to the rescue.

Great teamwork and we get the high five.

Audi had a crazy building that was a racetrack. You could hear the roar of engines and these Audis were ripping around a course.

Playing in a fountain.

Concept Land Rover.

Lauren and the cut-away Lotus.

Dad and the Lotus. A bit snooty at this display. Grumpy security guards and selective on whom they will let sit in the Lotus cars. He let one guy in. I asked to sit in it and he said, "it is closed". What does that mean? Oh well a picture from the outside will have to suffice.

This is an Arctic package Wrangler.

We were feeling bad for the Fiat stand because it was right across from the Ferrari stand. Everyone was oogling the red Ferrraris and nobody was paying any attention to the poor little Fiats. I pointed this out to Marnie and about that same time this Fiat started lifting up in the air on its nose. Then is split in half like a flower. Okay that was pretty sweet and they had a huge crowd pilfered from the Ferrari section.
Lauren's favorite car. A sweet little Alfa Romeo.

Olivia 3 months

2011-09-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Announcing...

2011-08-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Independance Day Celebration in Germany

2011-07-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

Olivia Week 2

2011-06-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Olivia Susanna Parker

2011-06-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Olivia was born on June 13th at 3:23 pm. She weighed 7 lbs and 6 ozs. She was 21 inches long. Mother and baby are both healthy and doing well.

Sunday Picture Tradition Dec 2010

2010-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Here is our latest installment of our "Sunday Photo Tradition".

Kaden is sporting his new glasses.

Sunday Photo tradition continued

2010-06-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Kevin had to leave for a business trip so he didn't attend his normal early morning meeting. Before he caught his train he took an installment for our "Sunday morning photo tradition"

Holland

2010-06-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

We wanted to do a photoshoot in the flower fields in Holland. Unfortunately, it is cold in Holland when the blooms are on. The kids were troopers to cooperate for the photos as it was mid 40's at the time we took the photos. The Tulips were just beginning to bloom but the Hyacinth was amazing and very fragrant.

Click on the next photo to see Ava smelling the flowers.

The Matterhorn and Momma Bear

2010-04-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is the last of our posts about our Switzerland trip last fall. It's a little embarrassing posting this so late, but this is our family journal and scrapbook and we wanted this experience documented. We spent a day hiking in and around Zermatt, which is the village just below the Matterhorn. It is a “car-free” village. There are several ways of getting there; bike (which Kevin really wanted to do, but it was deemed too dangerous by many locals....we even brought our bikes with us), train, or taxi. We opted for a taxi which was about the same price as taking the train for our family of five.

Upon arriving into Zermatt, we went straight to the information booth and asked how to get the best views of the Matterhorn. We were told that wecould take a train that went to the top of the mountain which provided an excellent view. It was called the Gornergrat Bahn. It was very expensive (around 170 euros for the whole family to take the train) but we rationalized the expense with, "How often does one get to Zermatt?" So we went for it. The views were beautiful and the weather was fabulous.

I have a little bit of an "Elastic Girl Hand" thing going on here...must be the wide angle lens.

Our feeble attempt at a family photo with a Matterhorn backdrop--thanks to a random hiker passing by.

There are hiking trails which will lead you all the way down to the bottom. We weren't sure that the kids would be quite up for that, so we took the train down couple of stops from the top and hiked around. They loved playing on the rocks and it was a gorgeous day.

Lauren is our little model and she loves to pose.

After we had our fill of hiking, we took the train down the mountain back to Zermatt. We enjoyed a little downtime at the local park. Our kids loved playing on the zip line. It was here that I had an unpleasant encounter with a 10 year-old French girl. She grew impatient of waiting for each of our children to take a turn on zip line before she was up. Giving up as she walked away, she muttered in English, "Stupid Americans".

I was shocked. Was she talking about us? Yep, we were the only ones using English as far as I could tell. We've heard rumors about the French general distain for Americans, but I had never expereienced it personally. Now, I'm not sure if she was French-French or Swiss-French, but my blood was boiling at this point. How kind I thought for her to use our native language to let us know how she felt about us. I just kept thinking....hmm....where has SHE heard that phrase before? (With hind sight, she was probably just being 10 years-old and wanting to look cool infront of her friends.)

However, at the time I was thinking, "If you mess with the cubs, you will see the Momma Bear." That is a promise. My children were completely innocent (this time anyways). So I followed that delightful little lady over to the swings and when she turned around to face me, I looked her right in the eye and said, "We are NOT stupid Americans." Brilliant I know. It was a surreal experience. I am not usually one to seek confrontation. In fact, I try to avoid it at all costs. But here I was, about to have it out with a fourth-grader.

I went on to tell her that just because she was frustrated and didn't want to wait her turn, that didn't give her the right to call names and use mean words. I seriously have to also add that it was not like we were hogging the zip line for any extended length of time. Each child took one ride and then ran the rope back to the next child waiting for their turn. After I let her know I felt, we went back to taking turns on the zip line...

Anyone else a Momma Bear?

Zermatt, Switzerland

Easter Marker Ronnestadt

2010-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

We went to an Easter Market at Ronnestadt which is a pretty famous Easter market come to find out. Kaden found a flyer at the foodcourt that talked about the market. We looked it up online and there are tours centered around this market. We decided it looked like fun. At first we thought it was 3 hours away. Then we realized that there is a different Ronnestadt. We adjusted the Ronnestadt in Hesse near Hanau. We realized it was only 45 minutes away and it made it much easier to attend.

The castle is quite impressive by itself. It has a large tower that is accessible. It has a well that is 100 meters deep. You could pay 20 euro cents and it turned on lights and you could look down the well. It was insane. It looked like something out of the movies because it was so deep. These women were singing by it and taking advantage of the acoustics.

We gave the kids each a euro allowance to do what they wanted. Lauren wanted to ride the donkey. She was very cute with it. They walked through the castle courtyard on the donkey and Lauren loved it.

We didn't think Ava would go for it. She acted interested so we put her on the donkey for a picture. She wouldn't get off. We asked her if she wanted to ride the donkey. She nodded yes with a cute grin. She rode around the castle and also loved it.

Kaden bought a huge candy rope with his euro. It was tasty.

They had a huge egg to paint. Ava spent some time there.

Poor Dad got roped into being part of a play. He played the part of the king. Initially the narator(person on the left) tried to get me to say some parts in German. He gave up on that when he learned the extent of my German. This is a picture of him speaking to me in German and I have no idea what he is saying.

We rounded the corner and we heard this drum beating. These guys started rocking out. They were great entertainers and it really added to the atmosphere of the market. Check out the video. They are fun to watch.

After the Market we went to Budingen. We visited this town back in 2004 and really liked it. It is a charming town 7km from the castle. We ate Doners and Fallafels and headed for home

This is the witch cafe.

Fondue on the Menu (Texas Style)

2010-03-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

About 4 years ago when we were first stationed in Germany, we began to collect fondue pots at the local flea markets. This ensued a passion for fondue and a venue for getting all of our friends together. We usually have 10-12 pot going, wear our favorite '70's attire, and stuff ourselves silly.

Pictured above is several of our good friends from Rockwall plus my cute brother David and sis-in-law Kabree who were visiting from Amarillo. I"m feeling another party coming on.....

Wanna try my Pesto Swiss Cheese recipe? It was featured on Sisters Cafe'. I promise it won't disappoint. Check it out here.

Bicycle Trip Training

2010-03-13T09:03:00.001-08:00

We have begun training for our bicycle trip this summer. We did a six mile trip through some trails by our house. A "train" this long draws some attention with the Germans. We were riding past one older German Man and he waved us over. He said he wanted a picture but that he didn't have a camera. I replied " Ich habe eine Kamera". He gladly took a took a photo for us. He wanted a copy of the photo so I asked if he had an email address. He relplied that he did. He couldn't find a pen. He asked several people passing by if they had a pen. There was no pen to be found. So Kaden had an idea that he could write his email in the dirt. He wrote his email in the dirt and I took a picture of the address. I sent him the picture that night.

Riding was a blast. At first it was difficult keeping my balance with the loaded panniers on the front fork. After a minute, I got the hang of it and it became much easier. Riding on flat parts isn't too bad but if there is any type of a hill I rally my little engines behind me to help out. They are cute and are eager to help out. Kaden has strong legs and is a good motor. It took Lauren a little while to figure out which way to turn the pedals. She figured it out and was a big help. Ava was good mannered for the whole trip. It was cold out that day and I was proud of how well the kids did.
As part of the training I wanted to eat out on the road. We loaded up some gear and food. We picked a spot not far from out house.

We sat up a beach tent to act as a windbreaker. We stoked up the Coleman stove and had some grilled cheese sandwiches, pears, and juice. The kids had a blast and loved it.

Ava preferred to stand outside of the tent.

As part of the training we decided to start getting used to sleeping in a tent. We put up the tent in the basement. Ava didn't care to sleep in the tent so She slept in her crib. Kaden, Lauren and I spent a couple of nights in the tent. It reminded me of an old joke: I have been camping for 25 years and I have never slept in a sleeping bag...but I sure have laid in a lot of them. The whole night I spent sliding off of the air mattress and trying to find my pillow. The next morning I ordered sleeping bags for Marnie and I that has a built in sleeve for the air mattress and pillow to prevent one from sliding off.

Lauren did great sleeping in the tent. We worked on controlling our volume. I explained to the kids many times that when you are camping in a campground if you are too loud they will kick you out. The first night was rough but they did much better the second night. It was some good training.

Kaden did well. He has a mild case of steamroller-itis. I would put Kaden clear on the other side of the tent. In the middle of the night Kaden was laying across Lauren's sleeping bag with his head pushing into my side. I helped him back to his side of the tent and after that He did fine.

Faschnacht Parade in Mainz on Rosenmontag

2010-02-17T13:26:00.001-08:00

Fasching is a celebration each year that originated in a way to "scare away" winter. Now it has evolved into a giant party. Everyone dresses up and hits the streets for the many festivities. Mainz has the second largest Fasching parade in Germany and it was a blast. It was freezing cold but we decided we had do our best in scaring away winter.

These guys were more than eager to pose. They also would play tricks with you. One guy had a little contraption that had two boxing gloves on it. He would squeeze two parts of the thing and then the boxing gloves would shoot 10 feet out in the air towards a person. They were hitting people with the boxing gloves. It was crazy.

Weird.

This picture gives one the scope of how many people were here and how crowded this thing was. The parade was 4-5 hours long as it made it's way through Mainz.

We took the train from our village to Mainz with our friends the Thompsons.

This guy was part of a wicked looking marching band.

Not so wicked looking marching band.

Scary clowns.

These witches were kind of spooky and definately helped towards the goal of scaring off winter. If you look closely there is a fire burning in the cauldron behind them in the cart.

Kaden's Big Award

2010-02-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

Kaden won a prestigous award today. We are very proud of him. He read 226,869 words in the second quarter which was the most of any second grader at his school. Great job Kaden!

He won a certificate and a book as his award. The book is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" which I used to read when I was a kid.

Key Lime Cupcakes

2010-01-31T23:46:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I are going on almost 5 weeks of NO sugar. So of course I am dreaming about my first indulgence. It might have to be one of these little guys.. Key Lime cupcake recipe (printable version) from Bon Appetit. It looks so tasty that I had to share. If you get to try it before I do, be sure to let me know how fabulous it is.

KEY LIME CUPCAKES
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon neon-green food coloring
3/4 cup buttermilk

FROSTING
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation

CUPCAKES
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner.
Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

FROSTING
Beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes

Hiking in the Swiss Alps

2010-01-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I have always loved the outdoors and hiking so we were excited to take our children on their first "big" hike up the Ferpecle Valley to a glacier field.

Here's the crew; happy and excited for our hike.

Just about there....you can see the glacier in the background. The kids did amazingly well for what was estimated to be a seven-mile round trip hike.

These funny trail markers would show up sporadically; especially once we left the lush trail and entered the rocky terrain.

Proudly displying their chipped "ice" from the glacier.

Ava was so worn out that the minute I took her out of the backpack, she snuggled into my chest and promptly fell asleep. Kevin and the kids continued up to the glacier while I sat down and enjoyed cuddling my youngest. There was a roaring river in front of me and beyond that I could see the back side of the Matterhorn. Every once in while the sun would peek through the clouds and light would dance on the water. As I sat there, I was in complete awe of the majesty and beauty of nature. It was deadly silent except for the roaring of the river and my slumbering baby who every once in awhile would snortle and resettle herself. I was again reassured, as I have been many times in the past, that there is a God and that He created all of this. This beauty, this wonder, this majesty all for US that we might find joy.

A perfect day.

Swiss Family Parkers

2010-01-09T03:27:00.001-08:00

Grimentz, Switzerland

This was a beautiful village. Part of the old town was roped off from cars so it was great to just let the kids run wild and explore. You can't really see from these pictures, but most of the buildings were up on stilts. We wondered if it was due to problems with flooding from the spring run off, but we were told it was to keep the mice out of the housess

We planned for one more hike, but the kids were hungry and Ava was exhausted (no nap) so ended up driving up to the lake and having a picinic lunch. Amazing what P & J can do to raise your spirits!

Evolene, Switzerland

On our last touring day, we stopped for a delicious fondue lunch in Evolene (a darling little village). You can not come to Switzerland without having fondue (of course we are a little obsessed with fondue so you know .....) Well, perhaps I should clarify, Kevin and I had fondue and the kids had pizza and chicken nuggets. Wish we could get them to eat fondue - grilled cheese sandwiches they like and this is just about the same, but the cheese is on the outside of the bread ... so cheesy and fabulous! The best part was that there was a small playground on the vicinity. So the kids had a blast playing while waiting for our food, and Kevin and I actually had a chance to have a somewhat of an adult conversation that did not revolve around Webkinz or Barbies.

Wait a minute. We're missing someone. Dad? Oh yeah, he's the guy that is always behind the camera. Where's Lauren? Lauren?

There she is.

We were amazed at how the firewood was neatly stacked. It was too beautiful to not be considered art and prime candidate for a photo opp.

A sweet little pension and restaruant - the flower boxes were amazing.

Took a picture of this beauty as we were coming down the mountain from our chalet. It is even smaller than a smart car if you can imagine. It was a one seater, but she had her dog seated next to her traveling at a whoppin '10 kilometers per hour.

Natural Consequences

2009-12-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

We went to the cafeteria on base to have lunch with some friends today. Kaden's eyes were bigger than his belly and he came back to the table with a huge bowl full of ice cream. It was loaded so high, that it was overflowing and spilling down the sides. After a few bites, he announced that he was finished.

Kevin and I are working hard to allow our children the opportunity to experience natural consequences for their poor choices. So naturally Kevin told him that he would have to finish the entire bowl of ice cream. Excuse me, this is a punishment? Tell me what kid wouldn't want to eat ice cream until their stomachs ached? How can this be effective?

Kaden,of course, cried and complained, but eventually complied. When he was finished, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and with pumpkin flavored soft serve dribbling down his chin he said, "I think I lost my sweet tooth".

I laughed.

Switzerland

2009-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

More photos and journaling to come soon from our trip to Switzerland this past fall. Kaden and Lauren are posing after our hike up the Ferpecle Valley (just to the West of the Matterhorn and Zermatt).

Sasha Baby Wrap Give Away

2009-12-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

So my very lovely, and very sassy friend Jessica is hosting several give-aways on her entertaining blog over then next few weeks. Today's give-away is a fabulous baby wrap from Sasha's Impressions. I'm thinking it might be just the thing for Ava. She's like an extra apendage...but oh so adorable.

Click HERE to enter Jessica's give-away. I have to warn you though, once you find her blog, you'll be hooked!

Hessian Park

2009-12-09T02:09:00.000-08:00

We went to Hessian park which is an area where they have collected many old buildings and restored them. It is an "open-air" park with old half-timber homes, churches, and schools that have either been donated or rescued. They have demonstrations and have lots of information to help one understand what it was like living in the State of Hesse, Germany hundreds of years ago.

They had an excellent bakery and we were got some fun German treats. Lauren had a cheese roll that was bigger than her head. Ava got a buttery heart shaped pastry and Kaden got his all-time favorite the "Bretzle". We ate it around the fountain in the courtyard which was very nice.

Rudesheim

2009-11-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

Rudesheim, a romantic little village on the Rhine River, is nesstled amoungst lush vineyards in the Rheingau region whose origins date back to pre-Roman times. At only 40 mins. from our home, it was the perfect destination for a beautiful autumn day.

The photo above was taken on Drosselgassee; a narrow street, just 144 meters long, in the heart of old town Rudesheim. It was a sensory feast featuring live music, singing and dancing, shopping, and tantelizing treats.

No day trip is complete without German Eis....so fabulously creamy and sweet. So many flavors to choose from.....

Taking a break and enjoying a pretzel. I'm so glad to have found something available in every German bakery that all three of our kiddos will eat.

My handsome brown-eyed Star Wars Lover. This picture was taken just before a German shop keeper yelled at me for picking up a stuffed animal for a closer look. Apparently, she takes her merchandise very seriously. I've learned that you just can't take the grumpiness personally....not all Germans are grumpy, just the vast majority.

I loved this turquoise hat and will probably go back and get it for Lauren the next time we're in Rudesheim. Isn't she so posh?

Ava also had to be in on the hat trying action. Anything that Kade and Lauren do, she has to do as well.

Taken outside of the Kathe Wohlfahrt Store, a wonderful delight filled with German decore' and lovely Christmas decorations. This is a must stop for a truly lovely shopping experience!

Maybe in a Few more years....

2009-11-05T02:57:00.001-08:00

Had to share this little cutie today. Is there anything more adorable than pink bows and lingerie?

I can't imagine that anyone is still even checking this blog after my blogging vacation, but I hope that you still are because I have so much to catch up on. I can't wait to share all of our European Adventures with you! Life is finally slowing down (after two baby showers that I am hosting and a huge craft night at church that I am in charge of all in the next three weeks), I am just about finished decorating our home and will post pics soon. Also coming up will be pictures and journaling from our fabulous trip to Switzerland! Stay tuned....cause I'm Baaackkkk!

'Ahhrrrr We Be a Family 'o Pirates

2009-11-04T05:42:00.001-08:00

Dumpster Diving and an Unexpected Visitor

2009-08-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

Germany has an interesting garbage removal and recycling system. Basically, you have recycle just about everything except dirty diapers, seriously, I'm not kidding. It is a good thing though. I feel as though I am doing my part to be a little kinder to our planet. When we moved to Texas after four years of a very Green life, I had a hard time with all of the waste that our family threw in the trash. Actually, we just received info that our old community in Rockwall, TX is beginng a recycling program. Go Rockwall!!

Anyway, in Germany, they basically don't have a service for getting rid of large pieces of furniture or unwanted household items. Instead, they have "Junking Days". I wish we had our household goods and I could take pictures of all of the fabulous things that we have found over the years through Junking Days....Kaden's bedroom night stand (which we refinished), the red chair that I use to have in my entry way, the solid wood round table that was in my living room, the two cute chairs in my bedroom (which my mom helped me make slipcovers for).....just to name a few.

So a few days after we moved into our home, we noticed that our neighbor had a black leather sectional outside on the curb infront of her home. Not wanting to be too presumptuous, I asked if she was getting rid of it and if so, if I could have it. It was perfect for our game/toy room in the basement. She said, "Yes", and I couldn't wait for Kevin to get home to help me haul our treasure home.

We had kind of a busy evening, and by the time that we got the kids in bed and had time to get the sectional it was about 11 p.m. Although we share a fence with this neighbor, to get to the front of her house was about a two block walk. Now two blocks is a short distance to walk, unless you are carrying a heavy leather sofa. Luckily, the sectional came apart into three pieces. The first piece Kevin and I carried home together. However, half way there, I started laughing hysterically (must have been the hour) and it took me about 10 mins. to regain my composure enough to muster the stamina for the rest of the journey back to our house. Kevin threw the middle section over his shoulder and huffed it home by himself as I was still laughing. What a stud I'm married to. Finally, we realized that we had a wheelbarrow at the house which proved to be quite handy with the last piece of the sofa.

So we had all three pieces infront of our home, we just needed to carry them into the house and down the stairs. Kevin had a brilliant idea to bypass the stairs, take the furniture through the backyard, down the slope, and into the house through the walk out basement. On our way down, we found this little guy rolled up tight in a ball and sleeping in the grass. Lucky for us we didn't step on him first. We lovingly nicknamed him "Hedgy" and Kevin was as giddy as a kid in a candy store. He loves little critters.

This picture shows Hedgy unrolling a little bit. He was so cute. We learned that hedgehogs hibernate during the winter. Sometimes the young ones don't find a very safe place for their long winter nap, and Germans will rescue them, put them in a shoebox, and keep them safe in their basement all winter. Seriously, they do this. I guess it's pretty common.

Kevin was so excited, that he insisted on waking up Kaden to show him what we found in our backyard. Kade is a little dazed in this picture, but he thought it was pretty cool. How many kids can say that they have actually held a hedgehog? Good thing that Hedgy slept through it all, I'm not sure how aggressive they can be. Come to think about it, we probably should have checked into that before bringing a wild animal into our house and waking up our slumbering son insisting that he touch it.

After Hedgy's photo shoot and play date, we carefully set him back outside and continued to carry our sectional downstairs. Ahhh....finally finished. What a night!

Here We Go Again.........

2009-08-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

Same foot; different toe. There is something about broken toes and moving that seems to be a painful reoccurring combination. Just over two years ago, I was pregnant with Ava, and preparing to move from Germany to Texas. Admittedly not one of my smartest ideas, I decided to rearrange the furniture by myself one day. The result? The removal of my big toe nail. Not a pretty sight just entering sandal season in the heat of Texas. It took 5 months to grow back.

Fast forward to this past May as we were preparing to move back to Germany from Texas. If you really want to read the full glorious story click here, if not, the short story is that I broke my middle toe. Right before a trip to Disney World I should add. It took about 6 weeks to fully heal.

Lastly, just a few days ago, as we were packing our bags and preparing to move out of the hotel, I accidentlly tripped over a suitcase and broke my fourth toe. Perhaps I should start wearing steel-toed boots. Or, perhaps we should stop moving and finally settle down somewhere.

Family Photos

2009-08-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

While we were in Idaho this summer visiting family, we took the opportunity to have family photos taken. There is an old saying, "The cobbler's children go without shoes". This has been true for us with photography. When you're a photographer, it's tough to be in family photos because you're the one who is always behind the camera. For those of you who haven't seen Kevin's work, check it out here.

So I was excited for our photo session with Caralee Case, a friend from high school. She did an amazing job, and if you're in South East Idaho, lucky you!

Our kids were really tired because our session was scheduled at their normal bedtime...darn natural light and summer nights. Anyway, they were a little on the grumpy side, but after lots of bribery and sugar, they did come around a little. Caralee was able to get some great shots regardless...check them out - Now I just need to decide which one to frame....

I Love My Job

2009-08-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

She was sophisticated, beautiful, and exquisite. She floated into the room with a perfectly manicured child clutching her hand. Both were all smiles. Designer heels and bag accented her tailored plum colored dress perfectly. She wore a floppy staw hat with a plum colored sash. Who wears a hat to breakfast in a hotel? I was a stark comparison in my GAP jeans, T-shirt, Mary Janes and bed hair. Honestly, I was just happy to make it down to breakfast with three kids who were at the very least dressed before the the doors closed.

As luck would have it, the stylish woman in purple and her adorable daughter sat at the table next to us. The kids hit it right off and chatted about everything from losing teeth to what books they were currently reading. There amid juice boxes and Fruit Loops, we learned that their family lived in Ukraine and were just passing through on their way to Florida for a vacation. I'm not quite sure why formal introductions were never exchanged, perhaps it had something to do with my squirmy toddler who wouldn't stay in her seat and kept bolting out the door or the bowl of oatmeal that was spilled all over the carpeted floor.

As she was about to leave the breakfast room, she clutched my arm urgently and said, "You really should consider a live-in nanny." She gushed about how much more time I would have to travel, spend with my husband, sleep, and take care of myself.

I replied, "I think I would miss my kids too much".

"Of course you still see your children", she continued, "but you see them when you're at your best".

I thought a lot about our conversation today. Would my children be better off just seeing me at "my best"? Even at my worst, am I setting a good enough example for my children as they gain an understanding of the importance of Motherhood? Sure, Motherhood isn't always glamorous; especially when it includes bodily functions or temper tantrums.

I don't even know her name, but she had a tremendous impact on me. The answer is no, I don't think I would want a full-time live-in nanny. I would miss chubby arms wrapped around my neck whispering secrets into my ear, wonderful sticky kisses, and the 3 a.m. wake-up calls and sweet snuggle time when the rest of the house was quiet and sleeping. I would miss Kaden's contagious laugh when he finds something hilarious in a book that he is reading. I would miss Ava reaching up to me with arms outstreached and saying, "Hold you". I would miss snuggling with Lauren and scratching her back as she drifts off to dreamland. I would miss being a full-time Mommy. So thank you beautiful, elegant, lady. Thank you for bringing me perspective at a stressful time in my life and reminding me of all the reasons why I love being a Mother.

How blessed I am that our Heavenly Father trusts me (ME with all of my imperfections and many faults) to raise three of his sweet Spirits.

Click here and here for spiritual enlightenment and perspective on the sacred calling called Motherhood.

Schloss Vollrads

2009-07-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

My last post was depressing...even to me. Things are looking up. We are all healthy now (everyone got sick but Kevin) and we even found a beautiful home. We get to move in, in two more weeks. Yahoo!!! Somehow knowing that makes living in the hotel for 14 more days a bit more tolerable.

Saturday we ventured out to see some of the local architecture. Schloss Vollrads is about 15 mins. away from our hotel. The original palace, built in the first third of the 14 century, consisted of the tower you see below surrounded by a rectangular moat that is only accessible by bridge. It was inhabited by a family who shaped the destiny of the palace and viticulture (vineyards) at Vollrads up to the days of our time: the dynasty of the Barons of Greiffenclau.

The building of the actual palace – next to the massive tower that Goethe described as »unusual« during his visit in 1814 – was commissioned by Georg Philipp von Greiffenclau in 1684. Subsiquent heirs continued to add to the palace and gardens over the next several hundred years.

With the untimely death of Erwein Count Matuschka-Greiffenclau († 1997), the proprietorship of SCHLOSS VOLLRADS and its vineyards passed to the Nassauische Sparkasse (Nassau Savings Bank). It carries on the estate’s great viticultural tradition.

The gardens are amazing. We arrived quite early in the morning and some of the grounds were gated off, but we hope to go back when we can wander through the stone paths, vivid blossoms and follage. There is also a restaruant inside one of the side buildings that we were told has excellent food. If any of you care to venture over to our side of the world for a visit, I promise to take you there, my treat.

Sinus Cold and Too Much T.V.

2009-07-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Germany Wednesday, July 15 around 11 a.m. The flight over wasn't quite as smooth as I had hoped for. Ava was awfully cranky from SLC to Chicago. She finally calmed down as I stood with her in the back of the plane and bounced. To make matters worse, my head felt like it was about to explode. I came down with a sinus cold the day before we were scheduled to fly. The second leg of our flight went a little bit better and the kids ended up sleeping towards the end of the flight.

Gratefully, our sponsor came through and was waiting outside of baggage claim to pick up our little family of 5, 8 humongo bags, 3 car seats, a stroller, and a partridge in a pear tree. We were quite the spectacle to behold. I only wish I had the forthought to take a picture of our little entourage.

Off to the hotel we went to check in and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Not quite as easily done when you have three kids. Kevin went off straight away to in-process and the kids and I hung out in the room. I was in a cold medeicine induced coma haze and could hardly function. Thank goodness for t.v. and the family channel. My kids were in heaven watching t.v. the entire afternoon. I can't remember the last time we watched hours and hours worth of t.v. Every once in awhile I would crash only to be woken up with, "He took the remote" or "I want a drink" or "She's bugging me".

The military hotel where we are staying has their own little compound. It is gated off from the rest of Weisbaden and is a couple of blocks from base. With three little kids, a sinus cold, and no sense of direction, it may have as well been 3 miles from base. Truth be told, I really don't feel well enough to leave the room.

Fast forward to today (Friday). We were suppose to drive down to Landstuhl for Kevin's promotion ceremony....that's right...........soon to be MAJOR Parker. Ava was up last night off and on all night with a fever. This morning she got up to 104 degrees and has started vomiting. I just didn't feel good about taking her with such a high temp, not to mention that I still feel pretty yucky. So I'm missing the ceremony, and Lauren and Ava and I are staying yet again in the hotel to watch t.v. all day. Please pray for us that we can recover quickly and find a home soon.

We are Still Alive

2009-07-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone really checks this blog regularly, however, I have had several people tell me that they are so tired of seeing "Free KFC Chicken Dinner" that they could scream! I am finding a few quiet mins. to blog this afternoon while Ava naps and the rest of the cousins and aunts and uncles are at the park with my kiddos.

The next several posts will be playing catch up. So much has happen in the last two months. I have literally just been too busy to blog or check blogs...sorry. Here is a quick recap, and I will be posting detailed posts and pictures eventually.

May
*We ship our van May 1st so it will be in Germany when we arrive in July
*Kevin has a dental conference in San Antonio
*Lauren has her marathon Ballet Recital (she is precious)
*Kevin takes his Pediatric Dental Boards (so happy this is behind us.....just waiting on scores now)
*Heavenly week long family vacation to Disney World
*Kevin spends a week in Hawaii (lucky guy) for a dental conference
*Marnie turns 31 (Ekkk!!)
*My 7th Mother's Day
*Miss May Vernon Field Day- Kaden takes home a 1st place in the 50 meter dash and a 2nd place in the standing long jump.

June
*Baylor Graduation for Kevin
*Scottish Rite Graduation Picnic
*Children's Hospital Graduation and dinner at the Arboretum ( I finally got to wear my fabulous black dress. It cost more to alter than buy in the first place).
*Kevin's 34th birthday
*Our 12th year Anniversary
*Ava turns 2
*Lauren turns 4
*Our wonderful friends host a Fabulous Going Away party for us
*My cute brother and sister-in-law come for a visit
*Kaden graduates from first grade
*Kevin's 7th Father's Day
*We pack up our home and say good-bye to all of our wonderful friends in Texas!
*The kids and I head to Utah/Idaho to spend some time with family, while Kevin stays in TX for another couple of weeks.
*Kevin is booked solid with photography sessions wrapping up his photography business in TX. *I get to spend a week with my darling sis and her boys in Clinton, UT.
*Fun lunch at Liberty Park in SLC with all of my sweet Sterzer cousins and their cute kids.
*The kids and I spend some time with my family in Idaho - Kevin joins us towards the end of the month.
*We take our kiddos to West Yellowstone for the first time with my parents.

July
*Combined birthday party for our three kiddos. I wish I could talk them into that every year. :)
*We get to spend some time with our dear friends the Galbraiths.
*Reunion in Salmon, Id to spend some time with my grandma and grandpa. (I haven't seen them for almost 4 years).
*Lauren's first firework show for the Fourth of July.
*We get to spend a lovely evening with our dear friends the Greenhalghs at their new home.
*Family pictures from the lovely and talented Caralee Case (We will definitely be posting these soon). Check out her blog for contact info if you're in Southeastern Idaho.
*Parker Reunion in Plano, ID
*Trip to the dunes on the sand rail (the kids loved it!)
*First ride on a homemade Ferris Wheel (thrilling and unsettling)
*Leaving for Germany on 7/14...........wish us luck!

I will be posting as often as internet access will allow over the next couple of weeks. If you don't hear much, it is because we are house hunting and getting settled in GERMANY, our new home for the next year.

Happy Summer!

Free Grilled KFC Dinner

2009-05-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

I read about this on my friend Rachel's blog. She is the queen of great deals and I wanted to pass this one along. I seriously never thought I would use the words grilled and KFC in the same sentence.

Compliments of KFC and Oprah. You can print up to 4 coupons and they are good until May 19th.

Here's the link! http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090430-tows-kfc-coupon-download

More Easter Fun

2009-05-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy getting ready for our move, that blogging has taken a back seat. Since this is also our family scrapbook and journal, I am going to try to play catch-up over the next couple of days.

We had a lovely Easter Day. The kiddos were little angels at church, and afterwards, our good friends the Palmer had us over for dinner. Patrick is a fabulous cook and we jump at the chance every time an invitation is extended. We had a delicious ham dinner and Creme Brulee for dessert...sinfully divine.....

The master and his canvass.

The kids enjoyed an indoor scavenger hunt while we waited for dinner.

After filling our bellies, we headed outside for another egg hunt. Each child had specific eggs that they were looking for so it was a fun twist on the traditional game.

Ava really got into it as well.

It was a beautiful Easter Day filled with family and friends. How grateful I am for our Savior Jesus Christ and his Resurrection. I loved that Kaden and Lauren were old enough this year to understand the real reason why Easter is celebrated.

Eggs Hunts and Coloring Eggs

2009-05-05T08:37:00.001-07:00

The city of Rockwall sponsored an egg hunt the Saturday before Easter. We thought the kids would enjoy it and it would be a fun Pre-Easter activity. We were completely overwhelmed with the amount of eggs and candy they had. Thank goodness for friends that we could pawn some off to, to help share in the hyperactivity and cavities.

Our friend John Hrabar was staying with us for the weekend. I love this photo of Ava reaching for her basket.

The girls looking for treasures in the grass.

Kaden with his insane haul.

Coloring Easter Eggs

Coloring Easter Eggs was one of my favorite childhood memories. Our kiddos enjoy it too.

Happy Easter

2009-05-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet Sissy

2009-05-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

This Little Piggy went to...

2009-05-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

.........the ER. Ok, I didn't really go, but I was going to, seriously, I was halfway out the door before deciding to diagnose myself online. My research concluded that there isn't really anything that can be done for a broken toe (YES, A BROKEN TOE) other than taping it to its' friend next door. Not wanting to spend hours at the lovely ER and catch whatever walked in the door or lurked in the hallways there, I decided that I could tape it at home and hopefully could handle hobbling around while attending to three kiddos and organizing an international move over the next few weeks.

Let me start at the beginning. Yesterday, our neighborhood had their biannual garage sale. It is against the HOA to have a random sale at one's leisure. Heaven forbid you choose a day that is actually convenient for you. You can only sell your junk at two predetermined times per year. In preparation for our upcoming move and keeping in mind our shipping weight limit, I felt frantic to quickly throw some junk out on the lawn that we didn't want to send clear across the world.

Kevin's pediatric boards are in a week, so I promised him that I would handle the sale and the kids on my own so he could hit the books at the library. Little did I know that it would be such an eventful day.

Eventful Event #1: Front door left open for undetermined amount of time and little sparrow decides to make a new home in our living room. Sparrow flies right through the open door and smacks the back window painfully hard. Lucky for me, Kevin was still around and the bird was slightly dazed. He was able to catch it and return it to the wide open skies. I did have the presence of mind to grab the video camera and will post the video soon.

Eventful Event #2: While carrying an armful of clothing down the stairs and trying to maneuver myself and my stash through two baby gates, I happened to forget the pile of shoes laying at the bottom of the stairs. As I hit the shoes, my legs buckled underneath me and I prepared to hit the deck. To the rescue came my middle toe and took the brunt of my weight while I managed to stay upright and retain my precious bundle. My toe hurt, but I didn't think too much of it since I had a garage sale to manage by myself and kids to keep out of the streets.

Eventful Event #3: Fast forward to Saturday night. My toe hurts so badly that I can hardly put any pressure on it. Forget closed toed shoes. I successfully finished up the garage sale (good bye Total Trainer and Exercise Bike) and even mowed the front lawn until the mower ran out of gas (right before the torrential downpour). I did wear flip flops and the words of my dad echoed in my mind the entire time, "You'll chop off a toe".

Eventful Event #4: We attend a fabulous birthday party for a family friend's cute little boy and miraculously no one steps on my toe.

Moral learned?

Maybe it's not a bad idea to wear shoes in the house...

It's Just so Texan

2009-04-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

We've wanted to do it ever since moving to Texas two years ago. Everyone else does it. It's practically UnTexan to not do it. What am I talking about? Taking pictures of your children surrounded by the Texas state flower--The Bluebonnet. We caught the flowers toward the end of their peak, but they were still beautiful.

A huge thanks to Lydianne and her super secret location...

Sunday Photo

2009-04-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

We tried diligently to capture an image with Ava, but to no avail. She is just too stinkin' fast. Kevin did get a cute photo of my two oldest though.

Super Sissy

2009-04-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a more adorable Super Hero in your life?

Lauren's friend was having a super heroes birthday party. "Super Sissy" made quite the fashion statement and fought crime with the best of them.

Lucky the Leprechaun

2009-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

We have a little Leprechaun friend named Lucky who likes to visit our home on St. Patrick's Day. Sometimes he plays tricks on us like turning our milk green or making messes. We like to trick him back by decorating a treasure box and enticing him into hiding his treasure and goodies inside.

We can always find where he has been by following the green footprints to the treasure box.

See you next year in Germany Lucky! You won't have quite so far to travel next time.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cowgirl Marnie

2009-04-16T08:50:00.001-07:00

Kaden's first grade class has been learning about Texas. I thought it would be fun for "Cowgirl Marnie" to dust off the 'ole cowboy boots and ride on in to Miss May Vernon to read some cowboy books to his class. Putting on the appropriate duds took me back to my short-lived cowgirl days in Jr. High School (Don't ask.....my school went through a cowboy phase....everyone was doing it. I do still occasionally enjoy country music though.)

My favorite cowboy

Mrs. Barnard's First Grade Class

Lully The Puppy

2009-04-06T04:26:00.001-07:00

M Camera Nov08 156, originally uploaded by kpyoco.

Lauren loves pink puppys and actually makes a pretty cute pink puppy impersonator.

The Magic Time Machine

2009-03-11T04:57:00.000-07:00

Our friend David C. was in town to defend his thesis this past weekend. He had Saturday evening free so we decided to go out to dinner. When they heard that Dave was going to be in Dallas, our other good friends The Hrabars came down from Witchita Falls to celebrate with us. We were all stationed in Germany together a few years ago.

We decided to eat at The Magic Time Machine in Addison. What a great little restaurant! Don't let the smell of mothballs deter you upon entering. The Dallas location is housed in a very old, funky building with antique furniture. I'd recommend going early on the weekend, as they don't take reservations Friday-Sunday. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. and were seated immediately.

This steakhouse features a wait staff dressed up as storybook, cartoon, entertainment and historical characters to entertain and serve you. The character-driven theme of this restaurant creates a very colorful eating atmosphere. You may find yourself ordering your meal from an Elvis impersonator, Hercules, Tinker Bell, Joe Dirt, Henry VIII, Hannah Montana, Cinderella among other characters. Enjoy a good meal while you watch the uniquely dressed wait staff parade by your table.

The atmosphere was awesome. The booths were also decorated in theme. One booth was the "Great Pumpkin" from the popular Charlie Brown Halloween show. Another was an actual school bus. Others included: a tee pee, Mexican themed, Italian themed, space themed, a box of crayons, etc.

The Magic Time Machine is very kid friendly, and they even offer magic shows and face painting for an additional fee. My kids' favorite part of the experience was walking around after dinner and getting autographs from all of the characters in an autograph book that was provided at the table.

The kiddos.

Ava playing in the phone booth.

Kaden checking out his autograph book.

A very happy David.

Our server was Captain Jack Sparrow. Maddie was thrilled and wore her "Future Wife of Jack Sparrow" t-shirt just in case she saw him. The food was delicious and the portions were generous. We actually split a kids meal between the three of our children. Each entree receives unlimited trips to the salad bar. A little pricey- but definitely fun for every once in awhile.

Stephanie and Maddie

HAVE YOU DONE THIS?

2009-03-02T06:40:00.001-08:00

Tag Rules-

“Bold the items” you have done:

1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars.

3. Played or sang in a band…

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a Praying Mantis.

10. Sang a solo.

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Been to the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre

20. Slept on a train.

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch-hiked.

23. Taken a sick day, when you weren’t really sick (Yes, but my boss was in on it)

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny-dipping.

27. Run a Marathon- are you kidding?

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run.

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.

35. Seen an Amish community.

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful Geyser erupt.

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (It was spam at 7-11, but it's what he wanted)

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing. (On our honeymoon and I threw up the entire time we were at sea)

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.

52. Kissed in the rain.

53. Played in the mud.

54. Gone to a drive-in theater.

55. Been in a movie (close, I was offered the part of an "extra" in the Tommy Lee Jones film, "The Hunted", which was being filmed infront of my office in downtown Portland. I didn't want to take a personal day....)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class. (Does self-defense classes count?)

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone Whale watching.

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.

71. Eaten Caviar.

72. Tied a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a Bone.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book.

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper.

85. Read the entire Bible (close)

86. Visited the White House (Just outside, didn't want to wait in line)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (ehh!)

88. Had Chickenpox.

89. Saved someones life.

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (But I saw Torrie Spelling in the L.A. Airport once)

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Visited Italy

And the Winners are......

2009-03-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

Garmisch, Germany

www.kevinparkerphotography.blogspot.com

Announcing the Lucky Winners of our Fabulous German Care Packages:

1. Emmaline Hoffmeister

2. Carrie Stokes

3. Sami Carter

Congratulations dear friends! We had Kaden and Lauren choose the winning post numbers by selecting three random numbers between 1-64. You will receive your delectable goodies in September allowing ample time for the weather to cool down and so we can obviously shop in person.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and sentiments! You're the best!

We Finally Have Our Assignment!

2009-02-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

Neauswanstein Castle

Bavaria, Germany

This summer we will be moving to.....(insert drumroll please)

Wiesbaden, Germany!!

In celebration of our exciting news, we will be hosting our first ever blog give-away! Leave us a comment and tell us how much you love us and how excited you are for us. We will then randomly select three lucky individuals who will receive a fabulous German care package from yours truly. You'll have to wait, of course, until August after we arrive and can personally select your scrumpdiddlyumptious goodies. Have I mentioned that the Germans make fabulous chocolate?

You all have a personal invitation to come and stay with us and we will show you why we love Germany so much. Whoo Hoo!

To read more about our soon to be new home, click HERE.

WE DID IT!

2009-02-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Just booked tickets and made reservations for a week at Disney World this spring! Yeah! I can't wait. I think Kaden and Lauren are at the age where it will be sheer magic. Ava, well, she is going to be a bit harder, but what the heck? A week of missed naps....I'm game!

So here's a question for all of you experienced Disney Vacationers- which parks were your favorites? What should we avoid and what are the things/activities that can't be missed? I'm especially interested in which of the two water parks are the best (we plan to jut hit one of them).

Pay it Forward...

2009-02-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

So I just checked out my little sis's blog and she is participating in a "Pay it Forward" thingy. It sounded like fun and I LOVE to get crafty and creative so I thought I would play along as well.

This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones! Good Luck! Start commenting people!

For All of my Military Friends

2009-02-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

You may or may not have heard of the wonderful incentive Disney is offering to military members through the end of the year. I found the following article here.

This year, through "Disney's Armed Forces Salute", a family vacation just may be within your reach.

From January 4, 2009 through December 23, 2009, all active duty or retired members of the US military are eligible to receive a free five day pass with park hopper and water park options!Â The ticket is valid for five days of admission into the four Walt Disney World theme parks, plus a total of five visits to a choice of a Disney water park, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park along with a few other attractions.

During this time period, active duty and retired military members can also purchase up to five companion tickets for family members and/or friends for $99 each plus tax. The park hopper and water park option can be added to this deal for an additional $25 per ticket.There are also deals for military families this year at Disney's Moderate Resorts, up to 40% off of the advertised rate. Don't forget that Shades of Green is a resort on the Disney property in Florida that is available for all military at a reasonable rate as well as the Armed Forces Vacation Club nearby.

If you have always wanted to take your family on a Disney Vacation but couldn't afford it, don't let this opportunity pass you by!

An Unexpected Phone Call....

2009-02-07T09:28:00.001-08:00

Scrambling to find a babysitter...

A night out on the town with my sweetheart...

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra ...

Invigerating..Energizing..Magical..Perfect

What happens when Batman meets....

2009-02-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

Pirate....meets....

Sharkboy.....

click here to see his sidekick Sharkgirl

Argh...matey! Don't mess with me.

Biking with the Palmers

2009-02-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

Kevin heard of a new trail in Dallas called "White Rock Creek Trail". So of course we wanted to try it out and invited our good friend the Palmer to come along for the ride. I can't believe that I didn't get pictures of everyone in the fancy biking gear, oh well. It was a beautiful day and the kids were great sports. When we found a park along the trail, of course we let the kids out of the trailers to stretch their legs and play.

Ava hanging out with dad and happy to be out of the trailer.

Kaden found that log and carried it around with him the entire time we were at the park. Boys will be Boys.

Prior to leaving, Kevin checked to see where the nearest ice cream parlor was. We thought it would be fun to stop along the way and get ice cream. On his map, it looked as though Braums was just a couple of blocks off the main trail. A couple of blocks turned into a couple of miles on a highly trafficed road uphill the entire way! The worst part was that the sidewalk ended after a few blocks and we were forced to ride on the side of the road. Picture lots of honking and dirty looks. We were on a mission and wouldn't be deterred! Oh the things one will do for a Braums ice cream cone! We did make it.

The Palmers

Ava loves straws. She doesn't care what she's drinking as long as she has a straw.

After a delicious high-calorie meal and a giant serving of ice cream, we hightailed it out of there because it was almost dark and we still had a several mile ride back to the car. Lucky for us it was almost all downhill and we made much better time getting back. All in all, a good day.

2008 KID AWARDS

2009-02-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

I found this darling idea on a friend of a friend's blog. The credit goes to Rachel T. in Portland for this fun idea which is sure to be one of our new favorite traditions.

We had a "2008 Kid Awards" night where each of our children were presented with medals for outstanding accomplishments or new skills learned in 2008. Here they are with their awards:

Kaden takes home *Best Webkinz Knowledge* award

*Super Bike Riding Skills* award

*Skilled Reader* award

Ava cleans up with *Best Stinky Face* award

*Increasing Vocabulary* award

*Finally Walking* award

Lauren is proudly displaying her

*Beautiful Ballerina Gymnast* award

*Big Girl Potty* award

*Super Sharer* award

Mercy Please!

2009-01-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Day--

A couple of days ago, Kevin and I had a wonderful teaching moment with Kaden. The topic of "mercy" came up and we had a lovely discussion talking about justice and mercy. We discussed how justice demands that if a law is broken, there must be a penalty. However, someone could intervene and satisfy the law of justice, and thus show mercy to the individual. He seemed to hang on every word, and I was so impressed with his comprehension of this gospel principle.

Fast forward several hours......to bedtime. I had an opportunity to discipline Kaden for a poor choice that he made. He looked up at me with his big brown eyes before heading to time out and said, "Mercy please?"

Parker Family Movie Night

2009-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

What exactly is a

"Parker Family Movie Night"?

Yummy Mona Lisa Pizza...........

A pile of blankets and kids.........

and a Redbox movie rental.

One of our Favorite Family Traditions!

Puppy Love

2009-01-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Day:

Kevin is taking the girls to ballet today while I head up to the school to have lunch with my little man. I was helping him get them loaded in the van and noticed that Lauren brought a little stuffed poodle to keep her company in the car. Ava immediately started throwing a fit because she wanted to hold the puppy.

I asked Lauren if she would share with Ava and give her a turn with the poodle. Lauren put her little hands on her hips and replied, "No mom, she's afraid of little babies like Ava".

Hmmm....afraid of babies or has a protective owner who doesn't want to share the puppy love...?

Biking White Rock Lake

2009-01-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about still being a student is two weeks off for Christmas Break. Kevin didn't have class last year during the break, but was on-call last Christmas and New Year's with the hospital. It was amazing to him to ourselves this year.

Since moving to Dallas almost two years ago, we have been wanting to bike around White Rock Lake. It is a 9.33-mile loop and we had a beautiful day for a bike ride.

Kade and Ava chilling in the Chariot. Kaden is doing really well on his two-wheeler, but nine miles is a long way to go. We are considering a tandem attachment that would hook onto Kevin's bike.

Lauren rode behind me on my bike, and Kevin pulled Ava and Kaden in the trailer.

We stopped half way around the lake and let the kiddos out to play at a park. Kade spent most of his time jumping off this rock. Can you say broken leg?

Daddy and Ava infront of White Rock Lake. She was happy to be out of the trailer for awhile, but not happy to be held. She wanted D-O-W-N!

I love Ava in her little bike helmet that looks too big for such a tiny head.

Much deserved bannana splits. We let the kids dish themselves. Can you tell?

Bleisgeissen to Celebrate the New Year

2009-01-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

While living in Germany, we were introduced to the German New Year's Tradition called Bleisgeissen. In Germany, people would drop molten lead into cold water and try to tell their future for the upcoming year from the shape it made.

My disclaimer, which sort of sounds like something you might hear in an infomercial: Please note, this activity seriously needs parental supervision. Do not let your children try this at home alone.

A candle is lit and small pieces of lead are melted in a spoon over the candle.

The molten lead is then quickly dropped into cold water, whereupon it hardens and takes shape.

The best part is interpreting what your shapes have become. Traditions states that you can predict your future by recognizing each shape. A heart or ring shape means a wedding, a ship foretells of a travel and a pig shape signifies plenty of food.

We thought this looked like an Olympic Torch (sideways-sorry for the picture). This symbol is very fitting as one of my goals this year is to run a 10K Race, and Kaden wants to run a 5K or in a "Fun Run".

This was our favorite and most discernible shape. We call him "Sparky the Dragon". We couldn't quite figure out what a dragon might symbolize for the coming year so I turned to the internet. According to: http://www.index-china.com/index-english/Dragon-year.html :

"If you are a Dragon, this is a year of great potential for you, and it is a good year to learn. As the noble animal symbol that represents the Chinese emperors, Dragons are born leaders and masters of ceremonies. And because of this, every Chinese parent is hoping to have a Dragon child. Dragon people get things started and keep them moving. They are feisty and gifted with power and luck. Most people look up to the Dragon.

Dragons are born monarchs. As far as they can see, their power is indisputable. Dragons are idealists, perfectionists, they are born thinking they are perfect and they are inflexible. Dragons are also aggressive and determined, going after what they want is second nature to them. And due to their hunger for power, Dragons are not well suited to growing old. The prospect of losing power, the helpless feeling of youthful strength ebbing away is unbearable to them."

I think I like the idea of

"Year of the Dragon"

Sunday Photos

2009-01-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

No meeting for Kevin today, which meant we were able to take photos of the kiddos on our way home from church. I'll let you in on a little secret. I am trying my hand at photography. Kevin is teaching me and I get to practice with his "old" camera. The first three photos from the shoot were taken by me. I have a long way to go, but not too shabby from a gal who has only known "point and shoot" for the last 20 years.

A New Year

2009-01-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

(image via http://www.rubberball.com/)

We recently sat down together as a family to review 2008 and the goals that we had made individually, as well as a family last year. You know what the amazing/pathetic thing was? Our children attained each of their goals, while Kevin and I fell grossly short. I was so proud of them and disappointed with myself at the same time. What a great example my children are to me. I do appreciate the New Year, and the opportunity to begin again.

I recently came across a quote that spoke powerfully to me:

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." --Emerson

So as I look toward 2009, considering all that we have planned, and that which is to come, it is my hope that as a family we will laugh often and much, enjoy and build loyal friendships and family relationships, find the best in others, and maybe even plant a garden.

Happy New Year to our friends and family. May you enjoy all of the wonderful things that 2009 has to offer!

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

2009-01-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

We wanted to do something memorable to celebrate grandpa's 64th birthday, which was just a few days after Christmas. Kevin took me to Medieval Times almost two years ago when we first moved to Texas, and we thought grandpa would enjoy it as well. It was fun keeping our celebration a mystery. Kevin kept saying things like, "I hope you don't mind getting wet" or "Do lasers bother you?" My personal favorite was, "Dad, just to give you the heads up; you'll be wearing a wet suit tonight".

The dinner theater and show takes you back to the 11th century.

From high above, King Philippe and his daughter-in-law, Princess Leonore, preside over a four-course feast. Below, privileged royal guests are transported to faraway lands including a romantic snowy rendezvous in the woods and an authentic medieval tournament -- with the help of Hollywood-caliber special effects, of course.

We purchased a special "Knighting Ceremony" for grandpa. It was a complete surprise to him to be called out of the crowd and be made a knight of the realm.

Lauren received so much attention. It appeared that every single person that saw her or walked past us had to comment on what a beautiful princess she was. She, of course, loved all of the praise and was more than willing to pose and bat her eyelashes in response.

Sir Kaden and Princess Lauren

My handsome photographer and knight complete with cheesy paper crown

Kaden and Lauren posing in front of the torture chamber.

Grandma and Grandpa Parker

Once the tournament and show began, Kaden was completely enthralled. He would hardly look away and was completely disinterested in his dinner. I knew he would love it.

Our knight the "Blue Knight" kissing a carnation just before he threw it to Lauren. Good thing for her that her daddy was willing to climb under the bleachers to retrieve it for her. She

I have to admit that Lauren, grandma, and I all had a bit of a crush on our knight. He was so suave and pretty good at knighting too! We actually think he looks a little bit like our friend Tyler Jensen. What do you think Candice?

The horses were magnificent.

The display of skills during the tournament was quite impressive. In the photo above, you can actually see our knight breaking his lance on his opponent's shield. The screens were a much needed safety precaution. Probably my favorite event was the sword fighting though. The knights actually came at their opponents so forcefully that you could see sparks as the blades met.

Quote of the Day

2009-01-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

Girls Are Very Observant--

Have you ever noticed that? Girls pick up on things that boys are clueless to. This morning as I came out of my bedroom, Lauren ran over to me and said very enthusiastically,"Mom, your shirt is beautiful!"

What a great way to start the day with an awesome compliment from my darling three-year old. I'm not sure if Kaden noticed that I was wearing clothes instead of pjs. I guess the fashion conscious begin early in life. Look out Giorgio Armani!

Black Bean Salsa

2009-01-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

Since I am on a recipe posting kick, here is one more. I received this recipe from my friend Chalon. This is another one that I receive requests to bring when we attend a pot luck or party; and it couldn't be easier to make.

Black Bean Salsa
1 can black beans, drained
1 can black-eyed peas drained
1 can yellow corn, drained
1 can shoe peg corn, drained
6-7 green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 avocados, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian Dressing, prepared

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips. You can make this recipe ahead time and refrigerate. If you choose to do this, add the chopped avocado right before serving to prevent browning.

Holiday Cheese Ball

2009-01-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

This is seriously the best cheese ball I have ever tried. I got this recipe from my dear friend, Kristine, who is a fabulous cook. Every time I take this appetizer to a gathering, I receive recipe requests. Here you go--

Holiday Cheese Ball
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped (I use a bit more)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste
dill weed (optional)
diced thin corn beef
crushed walnuts

Mix all ingredients together with the exception of the walnuts, and form into a ball. Roll cheese ball into the crushed walnuts. Serve with crackers.

Lion House Quiche

2009-01-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

I made this delightful quiche for Christmas morning to balance out the sweetness of our cinnamon rolls. It was super easy and delicious. The lemon zest was a surprisingly delightful twist! The recipe came from "Lion House Entertaining". Which is a fabulous little cookbook in itself.

Lion House Quiche
pastry for one 9-inch pie crust
1 teaspoon green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon green pepper, chopped fine
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup ham, cubed small
1/3 cup bay shrimp (optional)
1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
5 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon dry mustard

Fit pastry into a 9-inch pie pan and sprinkle with green onions, green peppers, bacon, ham, and shrimp. Sprinkle on cheese. In a medium bowl, whip eggs with half-and-half, lemon peel, salt, and mustard. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 mins. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ringtree Farms of Waverly Hill Baked French Toast

2009-01-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

I had an opportunity to try out several new recipes this holiday break, which I will be posting in the next few days. The first was a delicious orange zesty baked french toast. I highly recommend it, although it is pretty sweet to be much more than an occasional special treat at our house.

Ringtree Farms of Waverly Hill Baked French Toast
4-5 whipped eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
orange zest
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 loaf of French or Italian bread cut into 1 inch slices

Combine eggs, sugar, milk, orange juice, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and orange zest. Dip bread slices into the mixture coating both sides well. Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray and stack the slices in layers in the pan. Pour remaining mixture over the bread slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter to coat a large cookie sheet or use baking spray. Arrange slices in a single layer and bake uncovered for 20 mins. Remove from oven and sprinkle the sliced almonds over the slices and return to the oven for an additional 10 mins. Serve with orange sauce and fresh berries.

Orange Sauce
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 oz. orange juice concentrate

Combine and heat until sugar melts, but don't boil. Whisk together orange sauce with maple syrup and serve over the french toast.

BBQ and a MOVIE

2009-01-07T11:33:00.001-08:00

I'm keeping it real here. Kaden is obviously upset over something, but I thought Lauren looked so cute. Such a contrast of emotion in this photo! Besides, what is a dining out experience without someone losing it over something?

Grandpa told us he wanted to do two things while in Dallas. The first was take everyone out to BBQ. Yum!

The second was see a 3-D Movie. We discovered that "Bolt" was playing in Dallas. Here is the fam displaying their sexy glasses! I took Ava shopping since I was certain that I would have spent my time at the movie in the foyer with her anyways.

Christmas Morning

2009-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Coming down the stairs youngest to oldest, to see if Santa Clause came last night. We were able to hold the kids off until 8:30 a.m. hoping that Ava would wake up and join in our festivities. After an hour and a half of playing upstairs, we just couldn't ask them to wait any longer so we got started without the baby.

Lauren modeling her beautiful princess dress. I wish I could get away with wearing beautiful, sparkly dresses too.

Ava finally woke up around 9 a.m. and ran straight for the pony. This was a record morning of sleep for her by the way.

Miss Ava was more excited by the candy than anything else! She's not letting go of these goodies for anything. The blissful joy that pure sugar can bring to a toddler.

Grandpa Parker sneaking more chocolate to Ava. We caught you in the act Grandpa!

Ava loved her new bike. You can practically see the smile behind the paci. It's all in her eyes. Notice, she is still holding onto the candy though....

Kade and his fancy missionary tie from mom. We've graduated from the clip to the zipper! Very suave.

Kaden loves chameleons and named this little beauty "Rainbow".

Lauren trying out her new horsie, which she named "Syrup". She wanted to ask Santa for a real horse, but gratefully we compromised on asking for a rocking horse.

Sir Kaden wearing his knight tunic and Princess Lauren holding the soft, pink pony that Kaden and Ava gave her for Christmas. Notice a horse theme this Christmas? Grammie Sue and Grandpa Ric sent her a beautiful princess stick horse, which Lauren named "Sticky".

My friend Sami made this beautiful photo collage for Kevin. Click here for her Etsy shop and info. I love that the mat features photos from our family over the last seven years (since Kaden was a baby). The mat frames, The Proclamation on the Family, which is a statement put out by the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It contains our beliefs on the importance of marriage and the family unit. Click here to read more from The Proclamation.

Kevin's Christmas present that was delivered on Christmas Day. Can you believe the USPS had people out making deliveries on Christmas? Kevin has spent the last several months researching watches and determining every detail and feature that his dream watch should include. We finally found it! An Accutron VX-200 Chronograph fit the bill, and even better, it was a screaming deal off ebay! He tells me "this is the last watch I'll ever own". We'll see about that (he owns two other Seikos). I think he is a collector. I love you sweetheart!

We had a lovely day of eating delicious food, playing games, enjoying Grandma and Grandpa and lounging in our pj's all day. Most of all, we are grateful to celebrate the birth of our Savior this season. We will be eternally grateful for his life, his ministry, and his saving grace.

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

What a special surprise it was when we learned that Kevin's parents would be spending Christmas with us this year. The last time we had family for Christmas was three years ago, just shortly after Kevin returned from his year-long deployment to Iraq.

They had an early evening flight into Dallas, so we curtailed a few of our normal Christmas Eve activities due to time constraints. We of course didn't mind at all, because having Grandma and Grandpa with us was the best gift of all. We love you guys!

The kids were able to open one gift each. Of course it was their matching Christmas pj's. Don't worry, Ava had a pair as well, but she was already dreaming of sugar plums.

Lauren pleading for "one more cookie". Of course I said, "Yes". It's Christmas Eve after all.

Our Christmas Eve Tradition of decorating sugar cookies for Santa Clause. Looks as though someone is sampling more cookies than he is decorating.

Cookies for Santa. We hope he likes them! Not pictured is the healthy snack of cherry tomatoes that Kaden also remembered to set out for Santa. Who says that P.E. teachers don't have an influence over their students?

We couldn't forget the reindeer. So outside we went to sprinkle highly nutritious reindeer food on the grass so Donner and Blitzen could keep their energy up. Oatmeal mixed with glitter can do wonders for a weary reindeer.

Then finally to bed at last, but not before Kaden and Lauren serenaded us all with a few Christmas carols before warily, but blissfully climbing into bed.

Happy Holidays....

2009-01-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

to those of you whom I didn't have addresses for.

A Favorite Quote.....

2009-01-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

President Gordon B. Hinckley said,"You have nothing in this world more precious than your children. When you grow old, when your hair turns white and your body grows weary, when you are prone to sit in a rocker and meditate on the things of your life, nothing will be so important as the question of how your children have turned out. It will not be the money you have made. It will not be the cars you have owned. It will not be the large house in which you live. The searing question that will cross your mind again and again will be, How well have my children done?.....And so I plead with you tonight, my dear sisters. Sit down and quietly count the debits and credits in your role as a mother. It is not too late. When all else fails, there is prayer and the promised help of the Lord to assist you in your trials. But do not delay. Start now, whether you child be six or sixteen."

Christmas Traditions

2009-01-05T04:08:00.000-08:00

I love the musical Fiddler on the Roof. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each daughter's choice of husband moves progressively further away from established customs—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.

At one point in the musical, Tevye proclaims, "Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as, as... as a fiddler on the roof! "

I love Christmas traditions. I feel our traditions be it religious or family or a combination of both, mold us into the people that we are today. When Kevin and I were married, I was excited to blend our previous family customs from each side into the traditions that we would enjoy for years to come in the future.

Marnie's Christmas Traditions:
*Helping a family in need
*Christmas carols
*Homemade wassil and cinnamon rolls Christmas morning *Theatrical rendition and reading of Nativity Story Christmas Eve
*Candle lite dinner Christmas Eve
*Decorating sugar cookies
*Kids slumber party Christmas Eve
*Torture of waiting for dad to shave and shower Christmas morning before opening gifts
*Homemade Egg Nogg (Is that even safe?)
*Christmas Advent Calendar

Kevin's Christmas Traditions:
*Helping a family in need *Spending Christmas Day with Grandma and Grandpa
*Eating Take Out on Christmas Eve *Traditional ham, rolls, and potato salad for Christmas Day dinner

Our Family Christmas

Traditions:

*Christmas Advent Calendar
*Christmas carols
*Helping a family in need
*Gingerbread houses
*Homemade gifts
*Homemade ornaments
*Christmas crafts
*Looking at Christmas lights
*Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving
*Christmas cards
*Fondue Christmas Eve (waiting for kids to be a little bit older for this one)
*Fancy breakfast Christmas Day
*Lounging in pjs' all day Christmas Day
*Traditional ham, rolls, and potato salad for dinner on Christmas Day

*Theatrical rendition and reading of Nativity Story on Christmas Eve. This photo was taken Dec. 24, 2007. Isn't Ava a sweet baby Jesus? This was always one of my most favorite traditions growing up.

*Decorating sugar cookies for Santa

*New Christmas pj's- that are opened on Christmas Eve and worn to bed.

*Christmas Books- A few years ago we started this great tradition. I have been collecting Christmas books for years. The beginning of December we gather up all of our books and wrap them and place them under the tree. Kaden and Lauren love to help me do this. The kids take turns choosing and opening one book each night in December and that is our nightly story. Some of our very favorites include:

The Tale of Three Trees by: Angela Elwell Hunt
The Crippled Lamb by: Max Lucado
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by: Dr. Suess
The Twelve Days of Christmas by: Jan Brett
Snowflake Bentley by: Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Polar Express by: Chris Van Allsburg
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by: Susan Wojciechowski
The Christmas Pea Coat by: Richard H. Schneider
The Nutcracker by: Susan Jeffers
Away in a Manger by: Thomas Kinkade
Merry Christmas Little Mouse by: Don and Audrey Woods

*Homemade Wassil- my Grammie Stokes Recipe:
2 1/2 cups of sugar
4 cups water
2-4 cinnamon sticks
10-15 whole cloves
4 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
2 quarts apple juice

Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add spices. Let sit for a few hours or overnight. Drain spices and add the rest of the ingredients. Heat to serve.

*Gifts for Jesus- This is something that I want to start next year. Especially since Christmas had come and gone and I am playing catch up with all of my posts. I have heard of a couple of different ways of doing this.

The first idea is to have a beautifully wrapped shoe box with a slit cut out in the top. All month long, family members write acts of love and service that are preformed on slips of paper and put them in the box. On Christmas morning, before any other gifts are opened, the "Gifts to Jesus" are read. This suggestion came from my friend Heather.

Another idea came from my sister Amy. It is similar in theory to the first, and probably better for young children who are not writing by themselves yet. You find a small basket which will represent Baby Jesus's manger. When acts of love or service are rendered, you give your child a piece of straw to add to the manger. On Christmas morning, you place baby Jesus (a doll) in the manger and sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

I am excited to add one of these, or maybe both, to our list of traditions for next Christmas.

Family Day @ Ballet

2009-01-04T18:56:00.001-08:00

Ward Christmas Party

2009-01-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely ward Christmas dinner and talent night. Our family was involved with two performances and so little Ava was passed off to many willing hands that night. Thank goodness for friends who were willing to help and a friendly little Ava who loves attention.

There was even an a special appearance by the "Big Man" himself......

Ava didn't cry; but she was quite perplexed by the facial hair and not about to let go of her yogurt puffs for anyone or anything.

Lauren was thrilled to tell Santa all about the riding pony that she hoped he would bring her. She and I compromised on a rocking horse instead of a real pony. Phew....

And our handsome Kaden who informed me that he knew how it worked. That this was only "Santa's Helper" and that the REAL Santa was busy at the North Pole.

Lauren's ballet class performed for the entertainment portion of the party. The girls were adorable and often looked to the right to mimic their ballet teacher Miss Melissa. We moms got together to make the tutus a few weeks ago, and I made the hair accessories for the girls. We were going for an "Ice Princess" theme.

I pirated the video below off my friend Aubrey's blog since I didn't have a chance to take video that night. Thanks Aubrey and Jared!

Tess' First Ballet Performance from Jared Crookston on Vimeo.

In my opinion, the best talent that night was from the 1997 Arizona State YoYo Champion, who also happens to be my handsome husband. He dazzled the crowd with is two-handed yoyo tricks and super suave moves all the while rocking to "Stayin' Alive". I wish I had a picture to post, but you'll just have to form your own mental image.

Funny story about Kevin and his yoyos. When we first started dating, he didn't tell me about this unusual talent. I think he was afraid that I would dump him after I learned of his unique skills. If you ask him, he will claim that he didn't want me to love him for his yoyos. We were practically engaged before I learned the truth. Seriously though, he is amazing and paid for our fabulous honeymoon to the the Bahamas by preforming at elementary school assemblies.

When the road ends; the adventure begins

2009-01-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Day:

Several of you have asked about our blog's new title. There is actually a very cute story behind it. Kevin took all THREE kids biking a few months ago on some trails by our home. The trail started off kind of rough and at one point completely disappeared. Kevin was debating out loud whether or not to continue.

This is when Kaden piped up with, "Dad, don't you know when the road ends the adventure begins?" Nothing could be a more perfect mantra for our family. This has been Kevin's life long theme and one that I adopted (not so willingly at first, but have grown to embrace). Life is an adventure and how could it be any more delicious than having the ones you love along for the ride.

So back to the story...did they continue without a trail? Of course they did; and we continue to blaze trails together as a family.

A Teddy Bear's Christmas

2009-01-03T07:17:00.001-08:00

The first graders at Miss May Vernon have been working hard on the their Christmas play, "A Teddy Bear's Christmas" since September. Kaden was chosen to play the part of "Grandpa". He has worked so hard memorizing his lines and had several ideas on ways to enhance his costume.

Pictured here with his good friend Savanna, who played the part of one of the children in the play. At the end of the play, each child was given a stuffed teddy bear.

>Pictured are the following from left to right: Grandma Cloe", "Grandpa Kaden", "Mother Lauren", and "Father Logan". All of the children sang well and acted their little hearts out. I was so proud of Kaden. Way to go Kaders!

I have the cutest video that I would love to upload, but for some reason, I have never been able to post video through blogger. There must be a problem maybe with the format or the way the video is saved from my camera. Anybody know? I"ll keep trying to upload the video.

White Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

2009-01-03T07:08:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite family traditions growing up was making dipped pretzels with my mom. She always used a double broiler to melt her chocolate, but as a 21st century homemaker, I turned to my trusty friend the microwave, and it worked beautifully!

Where was our little Ava monkey while I was in the kitchen with my oldest two?

Dumping an entire canister of chocolate milk powder on the carpet of course! Which brings me to mention another dear friend that I just couldn't live without.....Mr. Oreck!

Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments

2009-01-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

We decided to try something different this year from our traditional gingerbread boys and girls Christmas ornaments. My friend Heather blogged about applesauce cinnamon ornaments and we thought we would give them a try as well. They are super easy.

The Ingredients:

1 cup cinnamon

1 cup applesauce

Mix together ingredients together. Roll dough between two pieces of wax paper and use cookie cutter for desired shape. We used a straw to punch a hole at the top to loop a ribbon through for hanging. Allow 48 hours to air dry.

We soon gave up on mixing with the spoon because....

mixing with our hands was so much more fun!

Make sure to roll out your dough between two pieces of wax paper, or the mixture will stick to your rolling pin or surface.

Lauren loved to help me cut out the ornaments with cookies cutters while Kaden decorated and enhanced the ornaments.

The finished product! We doubled the recipe and it yeilded 24 ornaments. It takes about 48 hours for them to air dry and I turned them after the first 24 hours. Thread ribbon or cording through the hole and hang on your tree. Bask in the yummy cinnamoniness all month long!