Yawning at 8:15

That's 8:15 AM! Yep, the sleeply time hours were not that sleepy last night! I saw the clock with David at 12:00, 3:00, 3:25...and then I lost all track of what was happening. I just know that he was not sleeping very well:( To make matters worse, I was FREEZING! Finally, I gained enough consciousness to get a sweatshirt and socks. When I returned to bed at some point, it was empty! I was very confused trying to figure out where Erik went?!?! I found him in Anna's room because apparently she began crying while I was in with David. (She doesn't usually ever wake up!) She was back up sometime this morning crying from a dream and telling me she had strep throat. Well, now David is still asleep, Anna is off to school (she was fine after she got awake), and I am yawning at 8:15!!! Of course, this musical beds night came when Erik needed sleep for his two busiest days of the week. Last night was his junoir high concert and today is his high school concert. Between all the set up, tearing down, moving equipment, setting up again, working around basketball practices, AND sorting mega boxes of fruit being delivered today from the kid's fund raisers...I'm not sure how he keeps it all straight. So, that's our craziness. I'm so thankful there is rest and peace in the Lord's presence because this world is ... hmmm ... restful is definitely not a word I would use to describe it:) By the way, the concert was great last night and our children even sat pretty quiet! (That is always a plus!)

Here are some funny pics!

Here's David learning to eat from a bowl:) He's getting ones with suction cups for Christmas!
By the way, do you notice that David's nose is bruised? He did that by flipping over on his changing table and wacking his face on the railing. It was a pretty nasty bruise, but I guess I should have tried to get a better picture.

Here's David and Anna helping Daddy put up Christmas lights back when you could stand to be outside! Now, this weather sort of takes your breath away!

Anna's Photo Shoot

Anna was playing with her dolls and the next then I knew she was getting our camera. Each of her dolls had an individual shot as well as the group shot. (I think this may have come because I have taken so many pictures of her in her little 6 years:) I'm not sure why they are posed with the Bible, but hey, I guess it is a great thing to get your picture with:)

Maybe a career in photography is in her future?

COLD!!!!

Is it suppose to be this cold? and dry? My hands, Anna's lips, and David's cheeks are so dry I think they are about to crack! We've been lotioned and chapsticked up every time I turn around, but it doesn't seem to be helping:(

David is starting to talk (a little)! Today as I was putting his socks on him, he looked up at me and touched his sock and said, "ock"! After a conversation that went something like this..."Yes! Sock!" "ock" "(smile) your sssssock" "ock" "Your sock goes on your cold toes." "ock" I decided to try for that grand word..."Say Mama, David:)" He just looked at me with twinkling eyes and...giggled! What a cutie! We then began the game of where are your eyes, nose, mouth... He also said "Anda" (Anna) and (of course) Dada very clearly the other night:)

Did anyone else have a wonderful church service yesterday? I was very blessed to be in God's presence and hear an entire message (given by my wonderful, wise husband). It's been awhile since I haven't had to attend to little guy in the nursery and last month I taught the younger kids' Sunday School class. Yesterday, David was fully entertained by Grandma Stone in the nursery and Anna was off to Sunday School so I heard and enjoyed an entire message:) So, I won't give you the whole teaching, but here is a passage and something that God has been dealing in my heart for awhile now...

Therefore gird up your loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ... knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1:13 & 18

The Lord has been settling this precious, simple yet profound truth in my heart. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Gal. 2:20 I am learning to rest completely in Christ Jesus. Whatever this life brings, I am secure in Him eternally:)


Funny, funny! David just came out of his room with a pair of dirty socks saying, "ock!"

A Little Bit of Baby Language...

Anna and David have really been playing together lately:) She loves to have him chase her or she chases him around and around and around and around... David is also babbling a lot more lately. Last night, Anna was interpreting for him and having a "conversation" with him. She turned to us and announced, "Hey, I guess I still have a little bit of baby language left in me!" Where does she get this stuff?

Other random news from the Parmenter house:

*The Christmas tree is up with lights but no ornaments. We are not so sure David could handle it. He already tried to take the lights off and today he tried to sit in the tree. The tree swayed but is still standing!

*David has mastered climbing up onto his changing table so we'll see how much longer it remains in his room.

*Anna is writing our Christmas letter this year. It was fun to listen to her dictate it to me:)

*The most precious thing happened the other night...As I was tucking Anna into bed and praying for her, I asked, "Is there anything that you want to pray about?" She answered, "Yes!" Flipped over on her face and prayed, "Dear Jesus, as I begin to see Santas and reindeer, please help me to remember that Christmas is about your birth. I want to remember you, my Savior. Amen." I need to go write this down in her journal that I keep for her. I want her to remember how God gently draws her to Himself!

Thank you Father for working in our children! We know that they are Yours for Your glory and purpose! Praise the Lord!

Thanksgiving: Part 2

Here we are...The Ralph and Pat Johnson family:) We were all gathered together at my Aunt Janie and Uncle Joda's house. There are 43 of us as of Nov. 27, 2008.

Here's the breakdown...
Grandpa & Grandma (the original 2)
5 children (+3 spouses)(+my dad in heaven:)
12 grandchildren (+6 spouses)
15 great-grandchildren (+3 on the way:)

What a blessing!

Thanksgiving

What are you truly thankful for? Sometimes it's not so easy to live with thankfulness in our hearts, but if we stop and quiet ourselves for a moment...WOW!...the blessings abound all around us!

So, I probably won't blog tomorrow because we will be celebrating with over 50 family members at my aunt's house:) Here is my 2008 thankful list...

Good Health
Erik's opportunity to go to Guatemala in June
David's adventurous personality and sparkling smile:)
Anna's heart that is truly growing in the knowledge of Him
My WONDERFUL husband
Our precious families
Our church family

(Here come some simpler things...)
Puff's Plus for David's running nose
the baby gate containing David's climbing to one room
Chapstick (Erik says I'm addicted!)
Erik's mom for teaching Anna to tie her shoes:)

Most importantly...
The work of the cross of Jesus Christ--SALVATION--complete and finished with the life, death, and resurrection (I am so glad that I cannot add anything to His work! What would I add? My strength? My wisdom? My effort? Please...it is by His Grace alone--ALONE!)

Happy Thanksgving

P.S. What a great holiday--a time to give thanks to the Lord for His provision (in this life and the next)!

4,3,2,1

I think this is the first time that I have sat down today. Our house was busy with 4 little ones dragging out every toy they could find:) I realized as they were climbing all over me and the castle that they are Teleah (4 years), Nate (3 years), Kinley (2 years), and David (1 year). It was fun to have all of them here today. But now Kinley has gone home, David is napping, Nate's at preschool, and Teleah is "resting" while watching Dora:) So, we were having lots of fun and the 4 of them polished off a box of mac and cheese, when the real craziness began. David wet through his pants because I hadn't changed his diaper. I was putting it off just in case that after lunch duty came along (all mothers know what I mean). Nate was ready for preschool, but his ride did not show up to get him today. Of course, on the only day his ride does not show, I have an extra child and Erik took the van to a meeting out of town. So...do I load them up in the truck? I called Nate's Dad who is a city policeman to let him know and got the OK to load them up with not "proper" car seats. (I did have David's seat, one booster, and the seat belt for those of you worrying about safety.) So, off we went to the preschool to deliver Nate. By the time we returned home, David went down easily for his nap and Teleah is happily playing with blocks and watching Dora. Now, I must tackle the mountain of dishes in the sink! I guess this was just a little break for me to say ahhhh...no one is asking (or in David's case--grunting at) me for anything:) By the way, the sunshine today is making me smile:)

Realization...

Here is Anna's 1st grade school picture.

Lately, I have come to a realization that my baby girl is growing up. Whether it is the way she suddenly doesn't need my help with everyday tasks like brushing her teeth or hair or getting dressed or putting on her shoes and coat...I am not complaining that she has become more independent with some things. At the same time, growing up comes with growing pains. She has been through a few emotional situations as a big first grader that makes my heart groan with mother pains. And I know that this is just the beginning of letting her grow in her knowledge of a heavenly Father who loves her no matter what! It makes my heart soar to see her step into worship and sing to the Lord or ask amazing questions about the Lord or His word or share an insight of Jesus and what He means to her. It makes my heart groan to know that she has and will go through life with its hurts and bruises and mistakes learning to live in the Grace of God that covers all. Today she came home not really herself. She was happy with her papers in her folders, but every little thing set her off or brought quick tears to her eyes. Finally, I found her in the bathroom crying. Well, she accidentally broke a friend's bracelet today and felt terrible about it. She said that she told her she was sorry and her friend said it was OK. Anna made her an apology note to give to her tomorrow, and we had a long talk about forgiveness. So what I learned today...motherhood continues to be best handled on my knees looking to my Father, my darling, precious daughter is learning to trust her heavenly Father for her peace and strength, and my little one is growing up and I must trust our Lord and Savior to finish the good work that He has begun in my daughter. She was humming the hymn "How Great Thou Art" tonight...I'm sure it made our heavenly Father smile.

To the Laughlin Families

So...I am going to try and make another calendar for Grandpa and Grandma Johnson for Christmas this year. Would you guys be willing to send me some pictures of your children? I thought I would make it online so if you could email me pictures that would work great or you could bring them to me on a disk at Thanksgiving. How I have it set up is each family will get a page. I can put up to 3 pictures on a page so I need a picture of them all together or separate. Also, if you have any pictures with all 7 of them in combinations, I will try to use those too. I thought I would just communicate this by blogging rather than write on each one of your blogs. Let me know if this will work...My email is live42prayz@aim.com. Thanks--by the way, Grandma doesn't check our blogs anymore because their computer was zapped by lightning. And I know that she really liked her calendar last year. Thanks--see you guys next week!

Anna's Creative Side

Anna has been in a very creative stage lately. She wants to do "crafts" which means anything from painting to making books to gluing things together. Well, here is her latest painting. Notice the Thanksgiving turkey has a nest full of eggs:) She spent a long time on this "master piece", and I actually had an idea. She is blessed with lots of grandparents and great grandparents. As she was painting this, I was thinking could she make five of those? I had a brainstorm...I took a picture of her picture and we are going to create cards on the computer using it. I'm sure that I am not the first to have this idea, but I thought I would share it. We have tried in the past to make pictures for everyone, and a lot of times the fun is gone by the time she is done. Has anyone else found this to be true? So, I thought the picture and card idea might just be a great answer. I think Anna will also like learning how to do more things on the computer:)

Here are some of her castle creations from the last few nights. These blocks have been in the closet for awhile and Anna and David have both had fun with them lately. Although it is challenging to keep David from knocking down her creations! Have a great weekend!

Monday Morning

Well folks, it is Monday morning and a bit chilly out there! Anna wasn't thrilled that I made her wear her winter coat. She said it was too fluffy to walk in, but she seemed to manage just fine:) Speaking of her coat...it was one of my greatest garage sale finds this summer. It is a Columbia coat that looks brand new-just her size! Now, I am deciding which projects to tackle this week. Does anyone else do this? Usually, every Monday morning I sit down and make myself a day by day list of things I want to accomplish this week. It helps to motivate me. Plus, seeing three or four things a day seems very doable. I sometimes include meals to make each day, too. I guess then I only have to think one morning...today:) Not that I follow the list each day every week, but it does seem to work for me. Anyone have any great "get the house under control" motivators? I have to say that the number one motivator is to invite someone over!!!! So, who should I have over this weekend:)

I am a little sad to see all of the beautiful leaves falling from the trees. I personally could see the awesome fall colors stay around a lot longer!

The greatest news of today is that David slept through the night last night:) I almost overslept this morning because I have become so dependent on him waking me up. I am certainly NOT COMPLAINING about continuous sleep:)

OK-those are my random Monday morning thoughts...Have a great day! No school tomorrow--Christmas shopping is going to begin!

Did you vote?

Did you vote? I suppose I have to say no, not yet. I hope that you did.

This is Anna's new favorite thing to play in the evenings. Volleyball with Erik and I. Yes, we are playing in our living room. By looking at this picture I see that maybe we should pick up the toys so we don't end up with another broken ankle:) And yes, she is playing in her dress and high heels:) She has been changing into a dress when she gets home after school. Tonight, we are going to go watch my cousin Alyssa play in her sectional volleyball game. That's about it...nothing exciting happening here today.

Thanks Jason and Laura for a fun cookout Sunday night!

Just one more blog for today:)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Erik! We love you so much!

Here are some of things we love about you...

Anna(these were written by me not her)
1. All of the fun family things you come up with:)
2. Wrestling times even though Mommy thinks they are too rough sometimes:)
3. All of the things you have taught me-shooting a basketball, hitting a ball, practicing my math facts, lately, volleyball...
4. How you read to me, sing to me, and pray for me as you tuck me into bed:)
5. Just being my Daddy and ALWAYS loving me:)


David
1. Rocking me in the middle of the night
2. Chasing me around the living room
3. Setting up my castle in my room
4. Making me smile and laugh
5. Being my Daddy who is always there for me

Me
Oh how I love it when...
1. you vacuum and change diapers:)
2. you say, "I'll get him this time" in the middle of the night:)
3. you rub my stinky feet!
4. you listen to me talk in circles about something that could be said in one sentence or really doesn't need to be said at all.
5. you play with the kids and take time with them.

Those are things that you do...but our wonderful husband and dad, that is not who you are. You are a blessing from the Lord to us. We are eternally grateful of your wisdom, love, and care that you give to us. You are a man of God because of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are blessed because you love and obey Him.

We love you forever...Us

P.S. We seriously need some pictures of us (me and you) together:)

Fall Photo Shoot

We took the kids to the park yesterday afternoon to enjoy the fall day and possibly get some pictures. So, Anna was in a great photo mood, and David--well, we got a couple of cute ones.

By the way, David had tubes in his ears yesterday morning. What a weird experience that I would rather not repeat. We had to have him at the hospital at 5:30 AM. After putting a little hospital gown and maroon "footies" on him, they gave him some "happy juice". He slowly relaxed back into my arms and I began to wonder if we could have some of that for the middle of the night!(Just kidding!) Soon, they came are carried him off--very strange feeling! About 20 minutes later, we heard crying as they came to find us in the waiting room. He chugged a bottle and was pretty much himself within 5 minutes:) They told us to watch him and try to keep him "not too active" because the medicine could effect his balance. (They obviously don't know our son! Would they like me to strap him into his carseat all day? Because that is the only place he is "not too active":) We were home by 8:30 and all three of us were sound asleep until 11:00! I guess we all needed some catch up sleep! Today, he is back to going full force:) The only problem is he hates the ear drops I have to put in his ears 3X a day!

So, back to the pictures...Here they are...I know I post a lot of pictures. Mostly, they are for me because I love pictures, and I know there are grandparents who probably enjoy them too. (I promise to get you copies of these!)

End of the Season

Marching Band is done for the year. Erik and I have really enjoyed this season. The kids have been great and worked hard. These are my five seniors. I will really miss them next year! Down below are all my girls minus one. These pictures are from the last football game--senior night. It was kind of a bummer because during the National Anthem before the game it started pouring and then hailing. So, everyone and everything was soaked. When it started lightning, Erik called it quits. The kids didn't get to perform for the last time, but we had a party Tuesday night to celebrate the season. It was fun, but we are really glad to have Saturdays back:)

Safety First????

Do you notice the door knob cover? Yes, it took David 1 DAY to figure out how to get it open. Thank you Safety 1st! I think David should be the kid they use to test their products! Thankfully our bathroom door kind of sticks so he isn't splashing in the toilet all day long:)

Here are my boys...Even though they are two years apart, they still have lots of fun together:)

Random thought for today...Have you ever noticed how much creative and problem solving ability little children have? Do we kill that somewhere in life? Perhaps...public school? (Yes, my husband is a teacher as well as me.) I think that if we turned over Congress to the little people in our lives, they might be more likely to come up with some creative plan to help with the mess our country is in. For example, my 16 month old seems to have more of a sense of right and wrong than some of these men who are "leading" us. Enough of my random thoughts...Oh, I can't help myself...US-problem?-SIN-Answer-the awesome life saving and redeeming power of the life, death, and resurrection power of Jesus Christ...simple, yet profound. The state of our country (the people) breaks my heart...

Mother and Daughter

Lately, as I look at Anna, the realization that my baby girl is growing up sets in and makes my heart ache a little. I love my girl so much! Have you ever seen the movie, What a Girl Wants? At the very end the Dad gives this line to his daughter..."I wouldn't change one hair on your head..." Even though there are times as a mom that I wonder if I am making any positive impact on Anna, I wouldn't change one hair on her head... I love her imagination, strong personality, creative responses, and constant drama (most of time this is a positive thing)! Here are some fun self photos we were laughing about a couple of nights ago:)

SURPRISE! She definitely has better surprise eyes than me!

MAD!

Silly Faces:)

Lovin' Mama

A couple of funny Anna quotes from this past week...

We have been working of doing "family" exercise. So after supper one night, I asked Anna what exercises she wanted to do. She was very tired from the school day and responded, "Mom, I just want to color. It is good exercise for my hand." Exercise for her hand?????

Thursday morning we ended up with both kids snuggled in our bed. David was crazy man, floppy boy all over the place. He landed on Anna a few times as she announced to him, "You hit me in the nuts!" Erik and I just looked at each other with puzzled expressions trying suppress laughter as she said it again! Erik asked her where she had heard that expression. Shyly she said she didn't know. I had the job of simply explaining that she didn't have any "nuts" as that expression was referring to a boy's private parts. We made it clear that wasn't a nice saying and she shouldn't say it. Her response, "Oh...OK." By the look on her face I'm sure she won't ever forget it:)

One more...today she told me three different times, "You could blog about that:)" I didn't even realize she knew that I blogged that often because I usually do it at night!

Ah...the joys of motherhood:)

The Cross...Again

I know that I already posted this picture a couple of weeks ago. This was the view from my kitchen window. What an awesome sight to remind me of the depth of the Father's love for me.


Now, if the jet streams were not impressive enough, I looked up while doing dishes and noticed this amazing shadow...from my kitchen window.
The Cross...Where Jesus Christ paid the price for my (our) sin. His blood shed for me that I may be forgiven and found in Him forever and ever...Amen.

Aren't these pictures really awesome?

How you know that you are not a teenager anymore...

This post is dedicated to those wonderful "band kids" of ours. We are ending the marching band season this Friday at the last football game. This past weekend we took the band to St. Louis to perform in the dome in the Bands of America competition. We saw awesome bands and enjoyed our time with the kids by staying over night in the Edwardsville High School. So, the past couple of days we have been playing catch up on our sleep...which has inspired this blog.

You know that you are not a teenager anymore (or anywhere near their age) when...
-you have no idea what they are talking about when they discuss music.
-you watch them sleep soundly on a tile floor and not mention it once in the morning.
-you fall asleep in the afternoon after one night of short sleep (on an air mattress).
-they call you "mama"
-you feel slightly sick watching them eat only potato chips and pizza and monster drinks for 48 hours
-you wonder if you ever acted like they do when you see them interact with the opposite sex:)
-you have more concern for "safety" than for excitement (this also comes with the responsibility of 60+ kids)

We had a great time enjoying amazing marching bands from several different states. I think there were 56 bands in all. If you have never seen a real marching band show (not a football game performance), you are missing some interesting entertainment. Some of the shows included: a mountain with an avalanche scene, ninja warriors, and all sorts of creative, impressive talent!

Forgive us, Lord Jesus

If anyone reading this has not read Jody Laughlin's blog, please do. Click on the link and watch the videos. Have mercy on us, Lord Jesus!

Climbing Adventures

Ok, I have been capturing David's progression of climbing techniques on camera or trying to. This post is dedicated to our little monkey boy who has incredible problem solving strategies...


Here is his latest invention--riding toy turned step stool. He has mastered pushing his riding toys around to climb into the chairs and on the couches.

His fire truck never gets "ridden". He uses it to stand on or in.

Here he is showing how fun it is to rock on the step stool. He is also admiring Nate, the master climber! Notice the "caveman" outfit. He kept pulling his arm out so I finally just let him be "caveman" for the morning.

This is the "caveman's" pose when told he had to get out of the rocking chair:)
His heart is really for this climbing stuff.

Here is the caveman in "thinking" mode. Where are my riding toys?
What else could be used as a ladder? Maybe my toy tub...


Where did my mom put my riding toys? (I put them in a closet for awhile. It was just becoming crazy around here! See next picture...) So, today he has mastered carrying around this little tub to give him a boost to any service he wants to scale! I have decided the chairs and couches are fine, but the end tables are off limits. He usually doesn't agree, but he is getting the idea:)

OK, so here is the explanation of why the riding toys will only come out for short, very supervised play times! First, David's shirt is soaked because he figured out how to get the lid off of the baby wipe container--enough said. Can anyone spot the nose sucker in this picture? (Yes, it has another name...nasal aspirator.) Did you find it on the shelf above his changing table? Note...that shelf is at least 5 1/2 feet high. The other day David wandered into his room which he does often to play in his castle. A few minutes later I heard a thump followed by crying. I found David sitting on the floor holding the...yes, you guessed it...the nose sucker! He had pushed his fire truck up to his changing table and climbed up to reach that nasty, snotty gadget! He must have fallen stepping back down on his truck because as soon as I picked him up, he stopped crying. Thankfully, he was not hurt. That answers the question of why the riding toys are put away for awhile.

P.S. I did purchase one of those monkey backpack/harness things with the tail being the "leash". I decided that we would definitely be putting it to use for safety reasons in the future. :)

When people ask me if David is different than Anna was at this age,
I just smile and nod my head:)

The Cross

This is the "picture" that I saw out of my kitchen window this morning. I went outside to take the picture because my window is so dirty you would not have been able to see "the cross":) Isn't this neat? The Cross--should be our focus forever and ever... The work of the cross--Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection! Thank you Father for making a way for us to be reconciled--saved, delivered, and healed!