Long, but worth reading!!

My, how time does fly! We have had a CRAZY month here at the Parker house. I'm not even sure where to start!! I guess I'll just pick up where I left off. The second weekend in November was all about me! :) I was able to attend an all day scrapbooking event with my good friend, Jen. We had a fabulous day! 14 hours of non-stop scrapbooking!! Ok, we did take a few meal & snack breaks. But that's all part of the fun. I got a great start on a book I'm doing about our cruise this past summer. Most of all, it was a wonderful day spent with friends I adore, doing something we all love! The next weekend was a busy one! I drove Katie to North Liberty for the birthday party of a dear friend. They took the kids to a pizza place where they each got to make their own pizza. A great time was had by all. Then we rushed home so that Patrick and I could attend the annual QC Symphony Holiday Pops Concert! If you live in the area, and you have never been, please make a note of trying to go!! It is always the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and it was amazing! I'm hoping that next year we can take the kids. The symphony plays, the choirs sing, and the ice skaters delight everyone! A great way to get into the spirit of the season. The next week, of course, was Turkey Day! We spent the afternoon with my parents and Patrick's family. We all ate way too much, but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We typically attend the Festival of Trees that night, but the kids had been fighting colds, and Emily was exhausted. So we postponed that until Sunday. They were all enthralled by the beautiful lights, and the holiday spirit. Each one took a turn on Santa's lap. Emily delighted everyone by jumping right up on his lap, snuggling in and requesting a new baby doll that she intends to name "Georgia". On Friday 11/30, one of Patrick's lifelong dreams came true. We are now the owners of 13+ acres north of Grand Mound, Iowa. The property is mostly timber, and there is much evidence of deer and other animals residing on there. He and his dad spent much of the blustery, cold weekend hunting. Sadly, they came home empty handed, but they have not given up hope! They will keep trying!! This past Sunday, Patrick and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. I'm not sure where the time has gone, but we are blessed that they have been a happy & healthy dozen years! We spent a quiet day at home with the kids until it was time to head out in an ice storm to take them to the Disney on Ice performance of Finding Nemo! The expressions on their little faces were priceless! Emily is still glowing about it, and asks every day if we are going to visit Nemo again. Jacob is spending his days counting down to Christmas. He cannot wait for Santa to come! And, while Katie is also excited about the holiday, she is even more anxious about her upcoming birthday. My baby girl will be SEVEN this Friday! We're taking the kids out to try bowling for the first time. The following weekend she will be having an ice skating party with her friends. And finally, our BIG announcement. NO, we are NOT having another baby! LOL Patrick was recently approached by another firm to join them as a tax partner. The offer was too good to refuse, and he has accepted. Sometime in the coming months he will be leaving his current position, and going on to his new job at Clifton Gunderson in Clinton, IA. Because of the distance to his new office, we have decided that we will be moving. We do not know when, exactly, but it will most likely be next summer. I want Katie and Jacob to finish out the school year in their current schools. This will also give us time to find a lot and choose a house plan, as we intend to build a home there. We are certainly nervous, but definitely excited about this new opportunity!! I will keep you posted as we know more. In closing, I wish you all a VERY merry holiday season!! Be safe, and enjoy all the season has to offer!

Before & After

It's a pattern with me. I let my hair grow as long as I can stand it, then I drastically cut it off. I usually keep the shorter cut for six to twelve months, then gradually start growing it again.

Well, the time has come again. The longer my hair gets, the harder it is to manage, so I end up wearing it pulled back on a daily basis. Which is easy, but gets really boring.

So, I did a search online for some new ideas, and last Friday was the big day! I was close to having enough to donate, but not quite. And I just couldn't stand the thought of a few more months of letting it grow. Sadly, it all got swept away.

But here is a glimpse of the new look! Hope it shows up ok. :) The before picture was taken at Jacob's preschool Halloween party. The after was taken at Eagle Point Park in Clinton about a week later.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope you all loaded up on lots of wonderful candy. I promise you, we did here! All together the kids brought home more than I had to hand out. But they have been pretty good about controlling how much they eat. Above is a picture of the pumpkins the kids carved (with dad's help, of course!), and getting ready to leave for Trick-or-Treating. It's hard to see, but the green pumpkin had these cool LiteBrite type pegs punched in. It was a big hit with all that came to our door.

I knew it had been a long time since my last post, but did not realize how long until I logged in tognight. I really want to get better at that. But, what can I say? It's been crazy around here with field trips, class parties, PTA, trips to the pumpkin patch, and so much more! I hardly know where to begin. So, my plan is to get an entry a day for a couple weeks so you can all catch up on what's been going on around here. And instead of loading up the blog with pictures, I am going to upload albums to another site for easier viewing. I'll get a link up for you when that's done.

I'm exhausted from yet another busy weekend, so this will be short and sweet. I hope this finds all of you healthy and happy!! Please keep in touch, and check back soon!!

Love,

me

Jacob's First Day of Preschool

Well, I'm a big slacker! I completely forgot to write about Jacob's first day of school! So here it is, a little late, but it's here!!

Jacob was VERY excited to return to preschool this year. He had so much fun last year, and he couldn't wait to see his friends and teachers. Hard to believe that in only one year we will be sending him to Kindergarten! So far he is really having fun, and has impressed me with how much he has retained from last year. His recoginition of numbers and letters is better than ever, and he loves to practice writing his name. I think this will be a great year for him! So, while Jacob is at school, Emily get's her Mama all to herself! I think she really enjoys her time by herself, and she plays very well on her own. I think it's nice for her to be able to do what she wants to do, when she wants to do it! No one bossing her around for those few hours! I can't even think about that fact that I will be sending her off to prechool next year!

Third time's a charm!

He emerged pretty much on schedule. He formed his chrysallis a few days after the others, and he "blossomed" a few days later too. Katie was very excited, as this was "her" caterpillar, Smally. We took him outside this afternoon and he willingly stepped onto the plant in the backyard. About 20 minutes later, he is still perched in the same spot, but we expect to see him flying around soon! What an amazing experience this has been! The pictures do not do justice to how beautiful they really are.