Taylor's Decision

Well, we have been so super busy this summer. There are so many things that I'm going to post about in the near future. But right now, I have to take time to make a special post. This is my favorite one so far! As most of you know already, last Wednesday, July 16, 2008, Taylor was baptized!! Dusty and I are so proud of her! It is an AWESOME feeling to know that your child has made that first step to leading a Christian life! Taylor has grown and matured in so many ways. She has been an example for Dusty and me already and I know she will be that for others as well. Especially her brothers and sisters. They look up to her so much. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters in Christ for being such encouragers! It is wonderful to be surrounded by such caring individuals who are so strong in the Church. Please keep Taylor in your prayers that she will remain faithful in her Christian walk. What other way to end this than to say: Taylor, I love you, I'm proud of you, and I will do my best to strengthen and encourage you!

P.S. - One down, Four to go!

TAYLOR'S BIRTHDAY

Well, I have finally decided to take time to post on my blog. We have been running around like crazy. To catch up on a few things, we have been to Grimsley, TN on a mission trip with the church. We had our VBS at church and my sister and I were teachers in the 2 year class. Dusty had an opportunity to teach the junior high class. Let me take a moment to say I'm so proud of Dusty and where he is today. He is a wonderful, strong, Christian man! He is a good father and husband! Thank you, Dusty! Needless to say, we have been busy!!

The reason for this post is also to talk about Taylor's birthday!! Happy Birthday, baby girl! You are growing too fast!! Taylor turned 10 on her birthday. She says that she is now a TEN-ager. I thought that was pretty clever. Anyway, for her birthday, she and I had a Mother/Daughter day. We started off by stopping by her choice for food. She chose Captain D's. After that, we went to the mall and had a blast! She got a chance to be spoiled and have all the attention on her. We first went to a booth and made silly pictures. That was fun! Then we went to Build-A-Bear where she got her present from her Mimi and PaPaw in Texas. She still had some money left over from Mimi and Papaw so we went to the Disney Store. She was able to buy a remote control car and Hannah Montana tank top with the money left over. They were having such a great sale on their clearance, that I bought her a couple of outfits for her birthday. Next, we ventured over to Bath and Body works where she was able to get some of her own lotion,etc. After that, we went to Starbucks and splurged on a couple of Frappucinos (Delicious!!). We then went to get her haircut! She loved having the attention! And last but definately not least, She got to get her EARS PIERCED!! She was surprised because she thought I was going to make her wait. She has been asking me for over a year now and I decided she has shown more maturity. We had a wonderful day! The next day she went the Granna and PawPaw to the store. They gave her some money for her birthday. She was able to combine it with the money she had been saving and finally got her camera!

For Taylor, I love you and how much you have grown. I'm so proud of the young woman you are becoming! Keep up the good work! ~ Mom

As Promised!

Now that Summer is here, I hope to be able to blog more often. But for now, here is a short one.
Taylor has officially received her $20 for her first outfield catch! She is so excited because she is saving for a camera. I think that put her over her mark. Here is proof:

Congrats, Tay!!

Jake's Birthday

On April 25th, we had Jake's birthday party. All the kids seemed to have had a blast! I think the parents enjoyed themselves, too! We had his party at the Birmingham Barons baseball game. Before the game, there was an event hosted by Principal Financial Group. There were so many activities to do. They even got to meet two of the baseball players! You can see for yourself in the pictures how much fun everyone had. Even Jace loved it! Thanks to all who came and made Jake's party so memorable for him! Happy Birthday, Buddy!! We love you!!

Well, I have been so busy that you would think I have something to blog about everyday! Having five kids in your home, I could blog about something everyday. It is finding the time that is the tricky part. The kids had another weekend of ball games. I'm so proud of all of them! They all do so well! Highlights of games: Cailey ran all the way from outfield to tag the last batter right before he crossed home plate! That made us win the game! Kota played first base and got plowed over by a big ol' boy! She was trying to make the catch that the third baseman threw to her. Poor thing she didn't even know what hit her! But believe it or not, she stayed in the play and chased the boy down to home plate! Then she cried! She has a bruise on her left cheek, but she stayed in the game. What a little skrapper! Taylor caught her first outfield popfly! It was an awesome catch!! Now I have to cough up $20! We told Taylor and Jake last year that for the first popfly they catch in the outfield, we would give them $20! Taylor didn't forget about that promise! Great catch, Tay! Jake had a double-header. Won the first game and lost the second. He played outfield most of the time. Not alot of action for him this time.

Way to go, Tay!!

Taylor had her first ballgame Thursday night. She was the lead off batter and was very nervous. Her position was left field. She didn't get any hits her way but she did get to bat. She walked on her first at bat and then stole second and third. On her second at bat, you will have to watch the clip provided to see what happened. I'm so proud of you, Taylor!

Happy Birthday, Dana and Dusty!

Sunday, a week ago, was my sister's birthday. We all went out for Chinese after church. This is the family chowing down. After lunch, Dana and I enjoyed a trip to the GAP. My sister is my best friend! We don't spend as much time together as I would like, but we make time as often as possible. Thanks, Dana, for always being there! Love Ya!

THE BIG 30!!!

As for Dusty, his birthday got caught up in the mix of everything. His birthday was the Monday after we got back from Nashville. The kids and I didn't forget about him, though. We got together a couple of gifts and a birthday cake. He worked late that night, so the kids wanted to surprise him. When he got home, we had all the lights out and the kids were hiding under the kitchen table. When he came in, the kids jumped out and screamed, "Surprise!" He was truly surprised. Thank you Dusty for all the hours you put in for this family! You may not realize how much we notice and appreciate all that you do. You have become such a good husband, father and most importantly, Christian these past few years! I'm proud of you! I love you with all of my heart! Happy Birthday, Honey!

Take Me out to the Ballgame!!

First off let me start by saying, "Whew, I'm tired!!" The ball season has kicked off and I mean it is in full swing (no pun intended!). Between the four that are playing, we have practice every night of the week except Wednesday. This past weekend was the Kickoff Tournament for Jake, Cailey, and Kota. However, their tournaments were not in the same places. Cailey and Kota played on Thursday at Sumiton Park. Jake played Thursday at Union Chapel in Jasper. Cailey plays shortstop and made a homerun on her first at bat of the year!! Awesome!! Kota played third base. Her first at bat, she got on base and just laughed. They are planning on moving her to outfield because they want someone out there who can throw. Unfortunately, they lost their first game, but had a wonderful time. Jake played right center and "behind" catcher. They played the best team in the tournament on their first night. He lost, too. Jake was to play on Friday, but of course if you had planned to play on Friday, you could forget about it! What a storm!! His game was rescheduled for Saturday at 9am. Cailey and Kota had their second game at 11am. Let's see if I can shorten the rest of this story. Jake won his first game, so had to stay for a second. Rushed Mom and the girls to their game in Sumiton. Rushed back to Jake's game. They won again!! Rushed to get Mom and the girls from their game(they lost). Rushed back to Jake's third game. He won again! So we are all at Jake's fourth game of the day. The winner plays the championship game and the loser gets third place. Jake played catcher the whole game. First inning, with two outs, a brutus of a boy hit one to the outfield. Jake throws his helmet off waiting....the outfielder throws to second, second relays to home, Jake makes the catch! He's standing his ground as the boy has already rounded third base and WHAM!! The boy lays Jake out on his back. Jake sticks his arm up with the ball in hand and the umpire yells, "OUT!!" What a play!! I was sure he was going to be hurt but he ran to the dugout with everyone cheering!! They were winning the whole game but it came down to the bottom of the last inning. They were exhausted and just couldn't close the deal. What an effort, FOUR straight games! We left the ballpark around 5pm. Needless to say, we were all exhausted. It is worth it, though. I love to watch my children in anything they do! The twins and Jake have another game on Saturday and Taylor kicks her season off on Saturday, too. Makes for another busy weekend!!

Aquarium Restaurant and Opryland Hotel

First of all, let me start off by apologizing for being so sparatic in my blogs. Any of you that know me, know that I'm not a very busy person so I have no excuse(yeah, right!!). As I have already mentioned, we went to Nashville for the convention. We had a blast! Even though it makes for a very busy weekend, we still use it as a mini-vaction for the family. We treated ourselves this time by going to the Aquarium Restaurant. Loved the food, however, it was pretty expensive. The kids enjoyed the atmosphere. I think the adults did, too. Jace was a little unsure if we got him to close to the tank. He wanted to enjoy from a distance. We also enjoyed going to the mall and looking around. Dusty paid for me to get a massage at one of those kiosks. I felt a little awkward with people walking by, but let me tell you, it was awesome! I have never had a professional massage before. Sad, isn't it! Thank you Dusty for thinking of me and knowing what I need.

As everyone has mentioned in their blogs, we lucked out this year and got balcony rooms at the hotel. It was so nice to go out there and people watch or just listen to the waterfall. All in all, we had a wonderful trip and look forward to next year!

My Children at Lads to Leaders

As everyone knows, we went to Lads to Leaders Convention in Nashville this weekend. Taylor competed in several events. She was a participant in Good Samaritan (Platinum Level), Know the Books, Oral Bible Reading, Bible Bowl, Pearls, Black/White and Color Photo, and Songs of Praise. I'm so very proud of her! She made finalist on Bible Bowl Team (7 & 8th grade division) and finalist on Songs of Praise. This is only her second year to compete. She has already accomplished so much and I'm sure there is much more to come.

Jake, Cailey, and Kota participated in the K-2 program. They were involved in Good Samaritan (Platinum), Songs of Praise, Song Leading, Oral Bible Reading, and Know the Books. I'm so proud of all my children!! I know that being involved in this program will help them on their journey to becoming strong, proud Christians.

Christy has more pictures of Cailey and Kota with their songs of praise. I will try to download them later.

My Baby is 2!

Well, my baby has turned 2!!! He is growing so fast and changing so much! It is amazing to look back at the journey we have had in just two years. Jace has changed our world in so many ways. He makes us laugh, daily! He is quite the character. We didn't know what to expect when we were suprised by the news of having our fifth child! But what a joy he is and how he has made our lives complete! We love you so much, little man!!!

We had a family get together at McDonalds this weekend for his birthday. Of course, his two best buddies had to be a part of the celebration. Thank you Lori and Todd for joining us on his special day!

The past few weeks have been exhausting and I'm sure the next couple will be even more so. I probably will not be able to post until we get back from Nashville. Keep all of us travelers in your prayers this weekend that we have a safe return home. Until then...have a good rest of the week!!

Jake's field Trip

Jake and I went to the Anniston Musuem of Natural History yesterday. We had a wonderful time! He wanted a picture in front of this elephant (in case you can't tell what it is!) saying "Roll Tide!" I have raised him right!

Turning 2?!

I can't believe my baby is turning 2 on Friday!!! It is breaking my heart and filling it at the same time! What a joy Jace is in our lives! We plan to have a family get together this weekend for his birthday. I will post pictures of the party over the weekend, hopefully.

Recent Activities: Lori and Todd came over for dinner Sunday after church. We had a great time! Just in case I haven't told you lately Lori, I love you and you're the greatest!

As for the rest of the Quints, I love you all, too! Can't wait for Jennifer's shower!

Hello, friends. This is my first time using a blog, so it may take me some time to get things going. Not only that, but you know how busy I am with the kids. Thought I would give it a try though, since "everyone is doing it"! A brief update about what's going on in the Parker world. As many of you know already, I had a Girls Night Out for my birthday. Just want to say a quick Thank you to all those girls who made that night special. I had a blast!!!

As for the major part of my world, my family, we have been super busy. Taylor has started softball season and is excited about the possibility of getting to be a pitcher. She has been so busy in Lads to Leaders and is preparing for the convention. Jake is getting ready to start baseball and wants to be the "behind catcher". That's what he calls it anyway... lol! They both barely finished basketball season and are already in another sport. We were going to try to get Cailey and Dakota in T-ball this year, but finances are tough and Dakota would rather be a ballerina.

As for Dusty, he has been really busy lately with different little projects. He has really been generous lately with his time to provide the best for his family. I hope he reads this and knows how proud I am of him. He and Todd have really become friends and I think he needs some time to go hang out with the guys, so Todd, if you read this, you need to find a time to steal Dusty away for some golf or something. My permission has been granted!!