Parks Family Photo Shoot

Over Thanksgiving, we had the opportunity to take family photos with the whole Parks side.  It was fun and hard to believe we have not done this in almost 9 years!  Mom/Dad had no idea when they got married almost 35 years ago that God would turn the two of them into 10 people.  Their love and commitment to each other has made our family grow like it has.  Since the last family photo (I believe at Charles/I's wedding) we have grown by 4.  We have added the most vibrant and fun 4 children the world can offer.  At the time of this photo shoot the kids are: Mackenzie- 6yrs, Cade- 3 yrs, Jaxson - 2 years, and Caelin- 1yr.  It is a joy to watch all of them grow together.  They each have their own personalities and keep us in stitches when they all get together.  Thank you God for the amazing photos and this special time as a family!

Deckin the Hall's 2012

Today was a laid back day of decorating for Christmas.  We played Christmas music and had fun watching the kids open all the tubs and help "decorate" for the season.  Cade selected all the trains and Nutcrackers and played with them on the dining room table where Caelin couldn't "destroy them".  Caelin had her own ideas which included picking up everything we tried to decorate with and making a pile of her own.  She loved all the singing/light up toys best.  At one point I think she got a little tired as she drug over a Santa stool by the window, got herself a drink, and just sat down to enjoy her milk while looking out the window.  She kept us laughing for sure.  After lunch while Caelin was napping Cade and Daddy put up the train around the tree.  Cade got a little tired of "all the hard work" and decided to retreat to watching Scooby Doo as a break.  Once Caelin woke up, we finished the big tree and decorating outside.  Caelin would just throw ornaments into the middle of the tree, while Cade picked them up and hung them for her.  I call that a good system and we had that tree decorated in no time!  Outside, the kids and I played while we watched Daddy put the lights up.  Daddy even put up our big candy canes and nativity scene.  Yeah Daddy!  It was a fun day of decorating and Cade is looking forward to Jingle (our family Elf) visiting for the first night tonight.  Let's hope Jingle doesn't make too big of a mess while visiting each night...

Bears over Raiders X2

Couldn't be prouder of our Bears as we shut down the Tech Red Raiders yesterday with a 52-45 win!  All my side of the family is from Lubbock, so you can imagine the Raider blood in most of my family...except for my Sis and I.  We were driving home as the game was going on, so we watched the game after the kids went to bed.  Man, what a game!  It started a little slow, but we never lost faith that our boys would pull it out.  Second half was a nail biter, and kept us screaming on the edge of the couch...but we were glad it turned our way in the end.  This win makes our #6 win of the season and qualifies us for a bowl game!  There is talk we may be asked to the "Heart of Dallas" Bowl, which would be perfect for us!  I put some comments below from our Baylor Proud Link in case anyone missed the game and need highlights...hehehe!  One more game left of the season..."Rip 'em up, Tear 'em up, Sic 'em BU!"


"With RG3 on the sidelines cheering on his former teammates, Baylor football claimed a thrilling overtime victory versus Texas Tech on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium, 52-45.  After falling behind 21-7 in the first half, the Bears battled back to take their first lead of the game at 35-31 early in the fourth quarter on a 55-yard interception return -- one of four turnovers forced by Baylor's defense on the day. The Bears and Red Raiders then traded leads three more times before a BU field goal tied things up with less than three minutes to go.  Baylor scored first in overtime, then batted away a fourth-down Red Raider pass to end the game and give BU its second-straight win over Texas Tech.

The Bears will go for win No. 7 next Saturday (Dec. 1) against No. 21 Oklahoma State at Floyd Casey Stadium; the game is set for 11 a.m. on FX. A victory would give Baylor three straight seasons of 7+ wins -- something the program hasn't seen since 1949-50-51."

Happy Thanksgiving Yall!

The past few days have been spent in Round Rock with my side of the family for Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for, and these last few days were a great reminder!  We started by celebrating Jax' BD Wednesday night and the excitement didn't seem to die down until we were in the car driving home!  It is always fun to get the whole fam together and enjoy one another.  Even if it requires the adults to drink wine, Papa to take out his hearing aides, and Nana to cater to all 4 kids wanting something (juice, milk, cookies, M&M's...the list goes on).  You know you have a party when you have 4 kids ages: 6, 3, 2, and 1.  Wow...that is all one can really say at the end of the day.  Nonetheless, we wouldn't have it any other way and cherish every moment as they grow WAY TOO FAST!
For Thanksgiving Day, we spent the day at Nana/Papa's and were even able to make it out to the park for a few hours to play and picnic.  The kids had lunch at the park, so once we got home and kids were napping, the adult enjoyed a QUIET meal!  Hehehe, we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves!
Friday afternoon was even more exciting as Nana/Papa took everyone to enjoy "Cirque Dreams Holidaze."  We were all praying that the kids would like it and be entertained and THEY WERE!  The 2 hour show held all their attention!  The first 20 minutes were filled with us adults watching the kids who had mouths open and staring at the stage.  We laughed so hard.  The show including juggling, acrobats, dancing, singing, lights, costumes, jump ropes, tight ropes, and so much more.  Thank you Nana/Papa for treating us to such a special event.
Finally, today we finished off with family pictures at Old Settler's Park.  All 10 of us dressed for the occasion, slicked back the hair, and put on our best smiles.  I am confident that we have some AWESOME pics to show, but that will have to be a later post so the photographer can get the pics to us.  We took all kinds of mixed pictures of the separate families, Nana/Papa with the kids, the original 4 Parks Fam, grandkids, etc.  I can't wait to see the pics as there was quite a bit of creativity going on in the pics with our wild bunch.  After pics we all ate lunch together before we headed home.  The kids were so tired that they were asleep within minutes of us starting the drive home.

Thank you Lord for our Family, Friends and blessings all around us.  We are grateful for everything you have given us and so much more.