My Gum Flavor

You Are Fruit Flavored Gum

You are quirky and independent. You don't tend to follow any one style or rule book. You are a mix and match type of person, and you draw inspiration from many sources. While you're definitely a bit unusual, you get along well with other people. You're eager to welcome anyone into your world. You are not judgmental at all. You form close bonds with your friends, and your relationships tend to be very secure. You hold firm to your beliefs and values, and you don't let anyone talk you into compromising them.

What Flavor Gum Are You?

Loganisms

Here are a couple funny Logan stories. 1. Yesterday I was changing Logan's britches and he says, "Ouch! that's spiky, like a bunch of spikes, like a porcupine! Yeah, like a porcupine." You probably guessed what the spiky, porcupine culprit was. Yeah, you got it, my legs! I thought that was very funny! He is very descriptive.
2. I sent him to his room for talking back to me yesterday. When I went in to talk to him, I got down to his level to explain why he was in his room. As I am trying to talk to him he grabs me by both cheeks and says, "Momma, will you please be happy with me." I tried to explain that I am happy with him but that it makes me sad when he talks back to me. He then repeats the same statement and gives me this hopeful smile. He can be very sweet when he wants to be.

Oh, the Bitter, Bitter Disappointment!

Dustin had a meeting with his bosses today. They had told him that the meeting was no big deal. WHATEVER!! Dustin meets with them to find out that our trip to Cancun that we were leaving on in less then three weeks was postponed until October. Talk about disappointment! I have been so excited for the break, the beach, and the alone time with my honey! So, I am now trying to cope with my loss. At least it gives me much more time to attempt to get a beach body!

Celebrity look-a-likes!

What do you think?! I thought this looked like fun! Thanks Megan for the idea!
Just so everyone doesn't think I am the meanest wife around, I did get Dustin's permission to put this picture up of him.

Spooky!

I scare pretty easy. I will admit to that before I get this started. I laid the kids down for a nap today because we are going to be out late tonight. I am bushed after walking 3 miles this morning with my mom and then going to the gym and working out for 1.5 hours. So, I laid down myself. I had only been laying down for 5-10 min. when I heard what sounded like something falling down in my attic followed by footsteps running from the spot. Chills went down my spine and my legs felt somewhat paralyzed as I listened intently to hear if there was any more noise coming from the attic. I heard a little noise here and there. I don't know what is in my attic, it sounded big and I could make out individual footsteps as the "thing" ran. I called my mom and she said it was probably a squirrel. Who knows, it sounded HUGE to me! I went out to make sure the garage doors were locked and they were. I am at a loss, but I will most certainly not be the person to stick my head up in that attic to investigate!

Pretty Toes!

I decided to try painting Ashlynn's toes today for the first time in her life. She did very well, stayed very still. Of course Logan wanted in on the action and I tried to tell him that if I painted his nails, Daddy would not be happy with Mommy. He was adamant so I decided to put some nail art on his big toe. He was rather content with this solution. I noticed that within a 1/2 hour one of the stickers had already fallen off. Fun times in the Parker house, wouldn't you say!

Procrastination!

My Nursing Licence renewal is coming up in a couple of months. Every two years I have to have 20 hours of Continuing Education in order to renew my license. I renew my license so I don't have to ever, ever, ever take the dreaded Nursing Boards ever again. I have procrastinated doing all of my continuing education until now. I have finished 10 of my 20 hours thus far. It is hard to concentrate when I have my kiddoes needing this and that and fighting like cats and dogs. It is kind of interesting to exercise my mind though, after such a long period of inactivity!

Eden is home!

The Doctor decided to send Eden home this past Tuesday while they continue to try to figure out what kind of cancer she has. The two types they thought she had they have ruled out. They also said she does not have cancer in the bone. So, she will be able to spend Easter at home and I guess they will start treatment as soon as they find out what they are dealing with. I really appreciate all the prayers that were said in her behalf!

Back in the Saddle, Again!

Our church schedule is quite late, we start at one pm. So this morning my mom and I decided to take lunch over to my cousin and her family at the hospital. Eden seems to be recuperating well from her surgery and walked outside today and had lunch out on the patio of the hospital. It was good to see her up and about. One of her best friends from school has a baby sister that was also recently diagnosed with cancer and is on the oncology floor with Eden. Her best friend was at the hospital today and was able to come see her. It was sad to me, as I sat in the lobby of the hospital waiting for my Aunt, seeing all these families coming and going, knowing of the heartache that they must be going through. My day to day life goes on as usual and there are people out there that don't know how they can possibly suffer another day longer or watch there loved one's suffer. It was very sobering to me to think of all those people around the world that have such horrific trials, and how I am so oblivious to it all.
Today was the first day in several weeks that we have gone to church as a family. We have all taken our turns being sick and seem to be all good for the time being. I forgot how much of a headache church can be with two small children. Logan and Ashlynn like to fight over things during sacrament meeting. Ashlynn likes to use her "outside" voice and does not understand the concept of whispering. We got through sacrament and the kids were both very excited to go see there friends in their classes. We received positive feedback from their teachers, which is a refreshing change.

Update on "E"

Today "E" had her surgery. The Doctors were unable to remove the tumor as it was stuck to the pelvic wall. They took a biopsy of the pelvic bone and the results have come back positive for cancer in the bone. So, at this point they plan on hitting "E" hard with chemo to try to shrink the tumor and then hopefully they'll be able to remove it, at which point they will do radiation. This coming week "E" will be subjected to a battery of tests to determine if and where else the cancer has matastetized. The family is completly devastated and scared. Please keep them in your prayers.

The Fragility of Life

Today I received some very upsetting news about someone very close to my family. I will withhold names for the time being for this families privacy. Last night, my friend was bathing her daughter who very recently turned six years old. She found a lump on her daughter's belly and took her to the ER. After being there throughout the night, this family found out that there six year old daughter has cancer. The very good sized lump in the child's abdomen was not the starting point of the cancer but the cancer had originated in the child's pelvis. So, tomorrow, this little girl is going to have surgery to remove the tumor and to see what all has been affected and if the cancer has spread to the bone marrow. How devastating this is! Within a 36hour period this family went from business as usual to having there daughter in an operating room to remove a tumor from her body. This is such a sad reminder that life is so precious and that we should not take for granted any healthy moment with our families. Please include "E" and her family in your prayers.

A Child's Prayer

In the past, Logan has prayed by repeating what Dustin or myself was saying, he would sometimes addlib. Friday night Dustin asked Logan to say the prayer at bedtime. Logan just started in on his own and said a sweet little prayer, giving thanks for each member of his family and for the beautifaul day. What a sweet and simple prayer that it was. I was telling my mom about this today and we were discussing the mixed feelings that a parent has in seeing their children grow up. It truly is a bitter-sweet experience. It is so wonderful to see them reach certain milestones in their life but a bit sad to let go of that sweet baby that you will always remember no matter the age of your child.

A Mothers Favorite Words.

Logan is so good at telling Dustin and I that he loves us. Out of the blue, Logan will say,"Mama, I love you so much!" I think these words have some type of warming effect when coming from a child. I always tend to feel a warmth in my chest when Logan speaks them to me. Ashlynn will attempt to say "I love you" when prompted but has not quite mastered the art as of yet. I know I need to cherish the moments in which my children express there affection to me because the days are certainly numbered. I know that the teenage years do a number on your children and their ability to express any kind, loving emotion toward their parents.

Let it Snow

So, it snowed pretty good yesterday. We probably got about 6 inches. So the kids and I went outside to play in the snow. Logan gathered a handful of snow and said, "Snow Fight!" He then started throwing snowballs at me. The snow was perfect for snowballs, it packed really well. Logan would turn his back to me and I would throw snowballs at his back and he would giggle and giggle. I asked Logan and Ashlynnn if they wanted to build a snowman and Logan said, "No, I want to make an igloo." So I made my first attempt to make an igloo. As soon as I would start building a wall the kids would come over and kick it down. They were driving me CRAZY! We eventually got a routine down. Logan would shovel the snow for me and Ashlynn would get a tiny handful of snow and place it on top of the wall of snow as I frantically tried to build the darn thing before the kids became ultra destructive again. I did not finish the thing, I will have to go back out this morning to get it done! We had a lot of fun. Logan's favorite thing to do was run everywhere and make snow prints. By the time he was done, mom's yard was completely covered with little Logan prints.

Reunion 2010.

Dustin and I have been throwing a couple ideas around about the family reunion that we are in charge of planning in 2010 for Dustin's family. Our favorite idea is to go to a dude ranch. They have a couple really fun places around here that offer horseback riding, water park atmosphere, line dancing lessons, cattle roping, and Texas Bar-B-Que. So far this idea seems to be the best. Does anyone have any suggestions? We also are throwing around the idea of going to a new resort that is family oriented in Grapevine called The Great Wolf Lodge, I think. It has the largest indoor water park in the state. It looks like fun but doesn't have too much to do outdoors. Give me your input as to what your expectations are.

Texas Weather

Yesterday was a beautiful day. We were all wearing short sleeves and enjoying the warm sunny day. The high yesterday was in the mid 70's. Today on the other hand is rather cold, for Texas. The high being 41 degrees @ 6 am and falling from there. We went to the gym this morning and when we came out it was raining with some hail mixed in. We stopped at the store on the way home and when I came out it was snowing. What a beautiful sight, the flakes are so huge. I took a couple pictures around our house of our March snow storm. I hope that all of our plants that have recently sprung up don't die. Only time will tell.

No Pain No Gain

Dustin and I, and the kids, joined L.A. Fitness a week and a half ago. We haven't gone to the gym until this week, really, because we've all been sick on and off. So, this week, we've been feeling better and I have gone 3 days in a row. I was told by one of the personal trainers that you need to rotate your emphasis on certain body parts until your muscles are no longer sore. So, that's what I've been doing. I have no clue what I'm going to do tomorrow because my entire body is sore! I am having a blast though. Logan and Ashlynn love going to the gym because they get to go play while Dustin and I are working out. It works out pretty well, we're just trying to figure out the best time to go so that the kids are well taken care of. Tuesday they had at least 20 kids running around with only three girls watching them. So, we tried the morning today and it was a little better. Regardless, my kids have a blast, I just worry about there needs being met to my expectations. I'm hoping that we can keep it up and continue to do this as a family.

My Book

I started writing a book last night! This is not my first attempt at becoming a bestseller, so we'll see how far this goes. I am kind of excited as my storyline seems pretty solid. I will keep everyone updated on the progress of my book on love, loss, and finding love again. I'm a bit disappointed that the whole vampire storyline has been done so well in the Twilight series. Oh well!

Grease Monkey!

Yesterday was another beautiful day here in Texas. The kids and I decided to go play at Grandma and Papa's house. There was a lot going on at Grandma's house. Papa was helping Tarak change the brakes on his car, needless to say Logan took over. He loves to help Papa work on cars. He took off the lug nuts on the tire and started working on something under the car. It was hilarious to see this little boy slide under the car and start fiddling with this and that. He is such a crack up. Both kids took rides on the creeper, going down the ramp. Logan could not get enough of that, he went down over and over. Tarak was making fun of the country kids and how they like to play in the bed of a pick-up truck, work on cars, take creeper rides, and feed the goats. It's pretty funny though. I remember as a little girl going to Papa Jim's house and having the time of my life playing on the hill of sand he had in his yard, climbing on his drilling rigs and tractors, looking for lizards and stink bugs in all of the pipes he had piled up. Those were the days. It's funny how children are entertained by the simple things in life.

Great Movie

Last night, Dustin and I watched Martian Child. I highly recommend this movie to you. It was a great story, very touching. The movie was inspired by actual events, which makes it even better. It is totally worthwhile entertainment.

BYE BYE, Daddy!

Most of the stories I have here are all about my children. Mainly because, they are my life. Well, this morning is no different. Dustin was heading out the door and told the kids goodbye one last time. Logan sprang up off the floor yelling "Wait, wait" with all the desperation he could muster. He runs into the kitchen to give Daddy a hug and says, "Bye, Bye, I love you so much, Thanks for coming to my house." He then pauses and then says "Can you go to work now?!" I thought it was pretty cute. I thought it was funny that Logan thanked Dustin for coming to his house, like he doesn't live here or something. He is a goofy little man! He is so loving and always has to walk us to the door when one of us leaves.