Stubbon Lola

In January Lola was given a mapping assignment for school. Her teacher gave her a few days to do it (a week!) Lola decided to make a map with legos and didn't waste any time getting started. I, thinking that the project could take several nights (because it wasn't due for another week), enforced bed time that first night of work mode and wouldn’t let her stay up all night to finish the map of her room that wasn't due for another week. She had a meltdown but went to sleep and finished it the following morning (even though it wasn't due for another week). It was perfect and I was excited to share in the joy of her not only finishing early but being way creative in the process. Lola then proceeded to refuse to take it to school and wouldn't tell me why. She ended up completing a colored pencil map drawing that evening (4 whole days before it was due) and turned that one in instead. Can you see the 50 million eye rolls I just made while writing this? Dealings with a 6 year old are causing me heartburn. Ooh she's stubborn that one.

Good thing she's so darn cute. Her 100 days of school costume made me wonder if she'll still be so stubborn when she really is 100.

Double Digits

Back in January on her actual birthday, Matalley woke up to balloons and ended the night with a piano concert.

 The following night was a basketball game and a single cupcake.

And we took cookies to her classmates on the 20th.

And then we had a few friends over for a pool party. So despite a crazy scheduled week, it turned into at least 4 celebrations instead of this adorable, brilliant 10 year old.

And Millie was super excited to have balloons in the house.

2018 or Bust!

We spent the New Year at home playing games and eating snacks. The night before the girls and I played Googly Eyes which is like Pictionary but harder because you are drawing with distorted vision. I can't draw well with good eyes!

And you just look silly

 Millie was an excellent guesser

 We rang in the New Year with spot-it and noise makers.

 And 12 o'clock kisses

 And I don't know why I took this picture but probably because she's just too cute!

Merry Christmas 2!

So, I'm all out of order now but still want to document all that happened the last 5 months. From my last post, we know that life was especially chaotic during Christmas, but there were 2 wonderful weeks that I was off from work and we just got to enjoy family time without any school/activity/other obligations.

We had our annual night of looking at Christmas lights with hot chocolate and popcorn. Man I wish lights were left out until mid-February. It's so cheery in the midst of freezing cold weather.

We had present opening with Bobo and Pops

And then just the littles exchanging gifts. Mille got her cash register from her siblings and she was excited.

We headed up to Denver before Christmas because of my work schedule and wanting some time with cousins.

 Beau Jo is a new addition to the Parr family and all were smitten with him.

 That's a lot of stockings! The Lanoha's stayed at Yaya and Bompa's so we could all have Christmas morning together.

 Still doing matching pjs as a Christmas Eve present.

 Christmas morning brought happy surprises

 and giggling kids

All in all we were overrun by kids this holiday...

 The ratio was not in the adult favor

 But it was certainly enjoyable and loud

Merry Christmas!

We were very intentional this year with advent and had a nightly devotional every night that we didn't miss...well until that last week before Christmas. The multitude of events and cold weather and extra tasks made for late nights and missed time together. Matt was working extra hours all month trying to get all of his clients needs finished up before the new year. This is what my bedroom looked like the entire month of December...

Our Christmas card took on the theme of one of my favorite childhood books (Simple Pictures are Best) so the kids posed with stuff that symbolized their likes/dislikes/accomplishments. I'm pretty sure I got cards out before Christmas this year.

FBC put on a nice pancake breakfast the morning of choir rehearsal for the Christmas production so that we didn't have to worry about anything but getting up that morning.

And even though Millie was too little to be in the performing choirs, she still managed to entertain (no she can't read yet).

The kids finished out basketball, soccer and volleyball season.

You will notice that my child is missing from this photo. I'm guessing we were on our way to a volleyball game or some other year end event (or Lola was in the bathroom). I don't have Matalley's photo. I'm guessing some other Mom took those. (Insert rolled eyes)

That's what happens when your schedule is overrun...just hang on and enjoy the ride. Grayson had his end of year choir and band concerts for school. We were happy that band decided to showcase each instrument individually to limit the number of evening performances. We were also pleased that one of Grayson's best friends was in percussion with Grayson, you could tell they have a lot of fun in class together in a healthy competitive way. After the performance, Grayson's band teacher told us that he really loved having Grayson in his class and something about stunting his growth or desire for sports so that he would stick with music. It was sweet and such a welcomed comment, especially when we thought he might be in trouble with talking to his friend.

There were lots of end of year parties too. Matt's office is good to include the kids. Millie requested a Minnie Mouse cash register and a doll (because she doesn't have enough...insert eye roll) and Lola requested a hatchimal and flipizoo.

I think I wore this blouse to 5 parties in the span of 2 weeks and I haven't worn it since. It was retired with the end of the year.

And that's a wrap on end of year events. It was kind of like my bedroom the entire month of December and then you put it all away until the next year.

Mermaid Tales

Lola is riding her bike without training wheels and lost her second front tooth over the weekend. To top off the reminder of fleeting time, she had her 7th birthday party this weekend. It was a mermaid party with friends and her last "big" shindig for a while (1st grade is the last time we throw a party with lots of friends...at least that's what we've managed for 5 years with Grayson and Matalley). We hosted it at a pool so Matalley and Grayson invited a few of their buddies too and we realized how ready we are for summer. Warm late nights, chlorine and fun friends.

Millie is ready too. She is all sugared up on pupcakes from the chicken and I have had to stop her from eating a third one just today (I just look at one and it's like I've eaten 10). She is already planning her butterfly birthday in which she wants just pink and purple cupcakes, not the blue ones.

Matalley is also in the early planning stages for the 5th grade talent show, which will happen a year from now. She and her friends are writing a scene. Of course there is a little drama over who will get which part and what they will say and I'm thinking, "why are you arguing about something that will happen a year from now?" It makes me think that middle school drama is going to be HORRIBLE! 

What in Tarnation?!

Life is funny. I've driven a Honda van since 2009 when I was in a car accident on Coulter. I was driving North to the discovery center to grab Grayson from science camp when a guy pulled out in front of me to go south. I slammed on my breaks but was surrounded by other cars so couldn't swerve. He hadn't seen my little green Honda from his big big truck. And while Matalley and I were okay, the Honda was totaled. This summer, we decided it was time to trade in that van as the mileage was over 160k and visits to the body shop were more frequent. The changes in just 7 years (we found a new 2016 in Colorado...one of 3 still available in the US) were awesome...they fixed a glitch with the sliding doors and having to be in parked position, they added Bluetooth...no more phone on speaker to avoid breaking the law in the midst of conversations, the middle seat had a cup holder, usb ports and outlets everywhere and more room in the front seat. If ever I coveted something, that van was surely it. The kids weren't allowed to even bring water into the van for a good 3 months.

To be fair, I spend a good amount of time in the car. Most days afterschool I spend at least 3 hours toting kids from place to place and that doesn't account for morning errands or weekend trips. So having a home away from home that I don't detest is a treat.

Fast forward just 5 months and I was headed North again on Coulter. This time to take Matalley to gymnastics. We were at a stoplight behind 2 other cars and all of a sudden I just saw white and heard a lot of noise. My brain took about 30 seconds longer to catch up to Matalley's brain and she was already screaming before I could figure out what was going on. My ears were ringing from being hit from behind and then hitting the 2 cars in front of us. Plus the air bags deploy and darn it those suckers are loud! Glass was everywhere. And the white was the car in front of us, behind us and the airbags. I kept saying "Matalley we're okay, it's just an accident." But I couldn't get out my door and I couldn't find my phone...it had flown from my purse to the front window shield. It sounded like the car was accelerating so I looked down to see if I had my foot on the break and I did so I quickly shut the car off worried it was about to blow up. The noise was still there so it was coming from the car behind me. I just wanted to get out. Matalley had the presence of mind to unbuckle her seatbelt and grab the phone to hand to me. I climbed out the door and went around to open a door for Matalley. I pulled the door open and Matalley was gone (I panicked) and then she comes from behind the van to give me a hug. Poor girl was crying and scared...those air bags are loud! The guys in front of me were so kind and we all went to the girl behind me that hit me and she was just out of it. I asked her if she had tried to stop and she shrugged her shoulders. Then she tried to back up. My van looked like an accordion. The firetrucks and ambulance arrived right away. We were all walking around. Lola's teacher saw it all happen and pulled over to see if we were okay. I asked her if she could take Matalley to gymnastics (guess I was just trying to keep everything normal...but who sends their daughter to gymnastics of all things...what if she'd had a concussion?). Mrs. Webb was so kind and took Matalley without calling me crazy. I called Matt. The police started asking questions and then I watched as the lady that hit me walk around her car and that's when I thought, "She's drunk."

I know her. We were in the Junior League together. She's a sweet mama but obviously has issues. The sad thing is that another friend texted me to see if we were okay (a LOT of people drive that intersection and Amarillo is a small town) and when I mentioned who hit us and that I thought she was drunk, my friend said, "that doesn't surprise me." I watched as the police officer made her walk the line and touch her nose. She was belligerent and slurring her words. When he told her to put her hands on the car, she lounged on it like she was wearing a cocktail dress and backing up to a piano. He told her to turn around and cuffed her. I didn't think to film it because I was just embarrassed for her.

The floor board wrapped up around the back seat (THANK GOD Grayson and Lola were not sitting back there like they would have been had Grayson's soccer coach not pushed soccer practice back 15 minutes so that I had time to go back and get him) and crushed the rear axel so that the car couldn't even be towed without putting it on trailer wheels.

The accident was November 9. I called her insurance on Friday, November 10 to ask about a rental. They told me it would probably be Tuesday or Wednesday before they could process everything because if she went to jail, it would take a while to post bond and then for them to talk to her. I think I should have just called my insurance to begin with but I didn't. I had faith that it would all turn out all right. I think I was feeling especially blessed that we weren't seriously injured. It could have been SO much worse. I had just finished a bible study on how God NEVER leaves you, even when you are in the muck and what a hopeful feeling that is. And I remember recalling that thought right after the accident. God is with me.

We were in a rental for a month. Traveled to Dallas and other long distances waiting to hear back from insurance. A phone call to them after Thanksgiving resulted in heated discussions about the value of our mostly new mini-van that was rated good, not excellent because there was trash on the floor (there was also broken glass but apparently the trash made it not as valuable) and the representatives would not transfer us to anyone else because "they'll just tell you the same thing." My favorite was when I was chastised for expecting to be taken care of when they were still dealing with Houston flood victims that have it worse than me. In the end, I realize that it is just money and though frustrating, so much better to deal with than funeral expenses or crazy medical bills because  it could have been so much worse.

The kicker is that our Honda van was recalled a week after the accident for a 3rd row seat latch. There is not a fix yet so all Honda 2011-2017 vans are not available for sale from any dealer. Our only easy option was to go with a more expensive Toyota or an equally expensive brand new 2018 Honda (or another vehicle entirely but that is another headache) so we settled on a used Toyota that had less than 10,000 miles and all the bells and whistles our crashed Honda had but cost less than a brand new Honda. So after 18 years of driving a Honda, I opted for Toyota. It's a very nice vehicle...nicer than the one I had and I feel safe. I am still leery of Coulter and check my rear-view mirror more than necessary but thankful that God is with me always.

We're official

Last week the family was dunked for an official Baptist baptism. Matalley has been asking about baptism since July (I think her camp leader must have talked a lot about John the Baptist). She asked, "Have I been baptized?" And while technically the answer is no since she was only dedicated when she was a baby, she has long believed that Jesus is her Savior. And after lots of discussion, Grayson also asked, "Well, have I been baptized?" And so we took them to see our pastor, Howie. And after talking to them he said they were most certainly good to make a public profession of faith.

It has been a rough transitional year for our family. We have slowly moved from First Pres to First Baptist over the last year. In September, we made it official when we walked to the front of First Baptist to join. We miss lots of things about First Pres and especially the people. Lots of tears have been shed, but we know that there are lots of good people at First Baptist. The great biblical foundation began at First Pres will continue to solidify at First Baptist. First Baptist is big, much bigger than First Pres, so Grayson's Sunday school class of 5 is now 40. It's an adjustment for all of us. We do love the pastor and he has been so good to us. Because I have never been fully submerged, I had to also be baptized and because I was doing it, Matt joined us as well. So we had a family dunking last week. 

Matalley was so happy. She really couldn't contain her excitement. I love her face in this picture. Pure joy.

 Pastor Howie was very kind

I asked her the next morning if she felt any different and she said she felt cleaner:). I dared our friends to bring noise makers and a celebratory toast but in the end settled for a sermon by Pops. He preached on the importance of children and our children/youth pastors loved it!

A time for Thanksgiving

I did it! I'm all caught up on the 2017 blog. Did I leave some things out? Sure I did, but limited time, limited facts, limited mistakes.

We are getting much better at packing for long trips but the actual driving part is about the same. We left on Wednesday to get to Dallas just in time for an afternoon at 6flags. It was a chilly day and the fast rides made it even chillier but the kids had a great time. I thought I might snag a Christmas card photo, but no such luck.

We got done in time to grab some pizza to go and take a quick swim in the hotel pool. The pool was green and extra salty which I remember seeing at the last Summer Olympics. I kept telling the kids, "It's okay, it just looks funny. They only delayed the diving competition because they couldn't see the bottom." I'm not sure that is actually true, perhaps the Olympic competition was delayed because it's not healthy to have green water.

On Thanksgiving, we headed further South to meet up with the McDannel clan in Waco. Matalley was looking forward to the Green Bean Casserole and Millie was excited to see Mac'n cheese. Grayson happened to step in a fire ant pile as we were exiting the car so he wasn't very excited to sit still and be reminded of all his itches. (Poor G is still scratching at those bites). Lola wore a dress my Great Grandmother made for my Mom when my Mom was in 1st grade. I love the pattern and that Lola was so excited to wear it.

We spent the afternoon playing Dutch Bliss, putting puzzles together and eating. Unfortunately the pool at the second hotel was an outdoor pool so we bypassed swimming but enjoyed a Hallmark movie and multiple trips to the van to bring up stuff we'd forgotten.

On Friday, we drove to Groesbeck to see Mimi and enjoyed some good conversation before heading North to Dallas. We ate at a yummy Mexican restaurant named Matt's that had a kid at every table even though there wasn't any kids entertainment. It was the oddest thing to see so many families but also refreshing and a relief to watch other parents chorale itty bitties. We got to stay at Aunt Jackie's new home which was very nice and had a play room. Bedtime was the most difficult of the trip Friday night and I lost my patience several times. Millie kept asking me, "are you mad Mommy?"

We helped prepare a second Thanksgiving meal with the McDannel clan which was also delicious and then headed over to see Santa. Millie was just in awe of the man and kept touching his beard. Grayson said he would take a picture but would not sit on his lap. We attended a story time with Santa earlier and Millie was so taken by Santa and followed every word. It really is magical to watch kids interact with Mr. Claus.

With that, we grabbed a couple of black Friday deals and headed home to Amarillo. We rolled into our garage a little after midnight and claimed it a successful trip. I can't say that I wasn't totally exhausted but I loved having Sunday to relax and put up our Christmas decorations. Whether we are ready for the Christmas season or not, it's on it's way and I'm so grateful we have it to look forward to!