Three Years Old...Almost!

Tomorrow is Olivia and TJ's 3rd birthday!!! Here are some pictures from their holiday/3rd birthday "photo shoot". Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

This past weekend was a busy weekend for the Parks...

This didn't happen this weekend, but I thought this was a pretty funny picture of how Olivia sat at the table the other day and ate her spaghetti. Reminds me of the that boy on Fat Albert.

Here are the kids in their cute jammies courtesy of Gma.

Some more fun jammies...


They had tons of fun at Daddy's first home basketball game of the season...we colored in Daddy's office while watching cartoons, we ran around the gym with the players, we spent some quality time playing with Daddy and watching him get ready for the game. They had a blast!

They were right at home on the basketball court :) The players on either team didn't seem to mind sharing the court with the kids...

Unfortunately they didn't get the concept of NOT running on the court while the game was going on so we spent most of the 1st half outside playing. By the 2nd half they were exhausted and took a long nap ...TJ in my arms and Olivia in Gpa's arms.

After Terry's game, we all went to yet another basketball game at ERAU in Daytona. It was the first time the kids saw/heard a live band. They had fun playing in the stands together...

As you can see, they enjoyed having daddy with them in the stands rather than sitting on the bench.

Although I don't have pictures, Terry and I went to see The Color Purple on Sunday in Orlando. It was spectacular. I have loved loved LOVED that movie for so long and the play didn't disappoint. We had a great date and the kids, of course, had a fantastic day with Gma and Gpa.

Overall, a wonderful weekend for The Parks! Good night!

Parks Halloween 2009

A new blog post is long overdue. So much so that even my husband has noticed. But that, folks, is a sign that basketball season is here! That, and the fact that it now gets dark at 6pm. BOOOOO. But here’s a rundown of what’s been going on for the past month.

1. We had a few "cold fronts" blow through. We even got to wear long sleeves and pants once or twice. Not so much anymore...it got back to the mid-80's quickly...which is why I love Florida so much:)




2. TJ caught the H1N1 virus (aka swine flu)...surprise surprise. My poor child catches everything it seems. I innocently took them to get their seasonal flu shots one Saturday morning and by the evening he had a temperature that he couldn’t/didn't shake for a week. After his temperature spiked to 103.9 on Monday night we took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday and they diagnosed it. We were all put on Tamiflu and needless to say they enjoyed a week of ‘vacation’ from school spending quality time with Mommy and Daddy. Luckily the “only” symptom that he had was a fever. He never stopped running around and playing and being “upbeat” so that was great. Olivia, miraculously, only had a slight fever for day. Usually whatever one gets the other catches, but not this time. Glad that’s over.

3. The day TJ as diagnosed, was the day before we were to leave for Star’s wedding in Charlotte. What timing! It was a crazy week at work because Terry and I split the responsibility of staying home with the kids b/c I was in a training class that I couldn’t miss. We switched off half days…I worked in the mornings and he worked in the evenings. (Which, I must say, one could get used to). I reluctantly headed for Charlotte leaving my husband with the one sick kid and one potentially sick kid, but he insisted that he had it under control and I could NOT miss this wedding (I really like that boy). He was right. The kids and Terry had such a good time while I was gone! When I got home the kids were healthy, happy and the house was clean! Good job, Daddy Parks, Jr! (Sidenote: My kids think that “Jr.” is a part of our last name. Olivia’s name is officially “Olivia Janae Parks, Jr." TJ’s name is, rightfully so, "Terrence Raysean Parks, Jr." …and my name is "Mommy Parks, Jr.")

So Star’s wedding. WOW. I had a such a great time hanging out with Star and Carmen! We ran errands in the mall, Michaels and Harris Teeter, fixed up her cupcake stand, helped her with her centerpieces, straightened up a little bit around the house…and on the day of the wedding we made countless trips back and forth to the church 30 minutes before her wedding started because she kind of needed her bouquet and jewelry for the ceremony...it was the least we could do. The wedding and reception was beyond beautiful (I’m pretty sure Star should be in event planning or something). It was just a great few days. Knowing that TJ was feeling better helped me relax and enjoy the time away. I was able to get back home by Friday afternoon and I still had the weekend to enjoy with my family. Good times.



4. The next weekend Gma and Gpa kept the kids so Terry and I could enjoy some time together on this last free Saturday (except for the ones after Thanksgiving and Christmas) until mid-February thanks to basketball season. We had a good time spending time together in Orlando. We made our inaugural trip to the IKEA store…yeah…never again! We walked around the Mall at Millenia and happened upon their version of Fashion Week! We saw our first runway show which was pretty fun and just enjoyed the atmosphere. After about 10 laps around the mall we went back to our hotel/resort, which we really loved, and ate lunch before playing our complimentary game of golf on their 9-hole, par 3 course. (I don’t think I’ll be on any LPGA golf tours anytime soon!). It was especially fun watching Terry, who plays golf pretty regularly during the off season, play with clubs that were meant for someone 7 inches shorter that he is. That’s what happens when you have to use the complimentary clubs at the resort... After playing golf, we checked out a basketball and shot around on the basketball court on property...fun:) We ended the evening watching Auburn and Florida football. It was a great day, except for the Auburn loss. We ate breakfast the next day at Mimi’s Café (love it!) before going to pick up the kids from Gma and Gpa’s house. Thanks Gma and Gpa...I don't know what I'd do without them:) Really...

5. We had planned on heading home when we picked up the kids after our weekend in Orlando, but Dad mentioned that he wanted to take the kids down to South Florida to his family’s house. The kids have actually never met my paternal grandmother (their great-grandmother) or most of their 10 aunts/uncles and countless cousins so we took the opportunity to make a trip down South with the kids. They had a great time playing with Dad and one of their 2nd cousins in the yard. They played catch, “climbed” palm trees and just ran around having fun. Most importantly my grandmother got a chance to meet them and enjoyed our company. Again, a great day.




6. So, now we come to yesterday, Halloween. A holiday that I’ve never particular gotten into, even as a child. I was never a fan (and still am not) of purposely being out in the darkness so trick or treating was never “my bag”. Keeping that in mind, the last two years of the kids’ lives that we could have participated in Halloween/costume activities, I just haven’t gotten around to it. And they were too young to care. But this year, I figured they would enjoy it so I made it a point to do something with them. My sweet coworker brought in two homemade costumes that she made for her kids (now 12 and 15) so I was all set. Terry had a game in less than 30 minutes from where my parents lived so we came to Gma and Gpa’s house for the weekend. Gma and I took the kids to a little pumpkin patch at the First United Methodist Church in Deland and they loved seeing all of the pumpkins.






They, of course, tried to pick up the biggest pumpkin there...and had fun playing with the "baby pumpkins". A cool thing is that, as usual, I was representing Auburn University with one of my many t-shirts cute and a mother of 3 (1 girl and 2 younger twin boys) asked if I went to Auburn. Her parents both graduated from Auburn and she grew up in Columbus (Terry’s hometown). What a small world! But eventually we picked 2 out and were on our way. We stopped to a few stores on the way home and then went home for lunch and a nap. Unfortunately for the kids (but of course I didn’t care), they napped right up until we were to leave for Terry’s game so we didn’t get a chance to dress them up in their costumes or attend any of the Trunk or Treat activities that we had planned on taking them to. Instead we put their Halloween t-shirts on and headed to Terry’s game…late :(



We picked up Tara and headed to Daytona with Mickey, Minnie, their orange and purple plastic pumpkins and baby pumpkins in tow. We arrived to Embry Riddle at halftime (i.e. LATE) and sat on the front row with our pumpkins and proceeded to have a “Reverse Trick or Treat”! We had so many people (who looked as if they were grandparents themselves) walk by with bags of candy and drop little goodies in the kids’ pumpkins. One guy gave them each $1. (Which is not the 1st time this happened. The day we got the pumpkins we went out to lunch and some random couple eating in the restaurant put $1 bills in their pumpkins). They are not candy eaters so I didn’t let them eat anything, but they really enjoyed getting treats in their pumpkins! Thanks ERAU fans! The kids had a blast during and after the game with Tara and Gpa..





During the ride home they noticed a star in the sky and that sparked the beginning of a mini-concert that my sister absolutely loved. They started with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, moved onto the alphabet song, then Itsy Bitsy Spider, Bah Bah Black Sheep and, finally, Wheels on the Bus. Overall it was a great Halloween even though the kids didn't get to dress up.

So that's a rundown of the past month or so in the Parks Household. Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! Hopefully I can get another blog in before Thanksgiving! We shall see!

The kids and I went to DeBary this weekend while Terry was out of town. This morning we went to the church that I grew up in, Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in Orange City. My mom is still a member...actually not just a member....but the usher, the secretary, the treasurer...the list goes on. Everyone was happy to see the kids and I could tell my mom was happy to have us back. Attendance this morning was 19 including the pastor...which is normal in this tiny church. This morning as we were singing a hymn, as you can imagine the congregation acts as the 'choir', TJ decided to join in and sing...which was nice. Always nice to have the children involved. The only thing was...he decided to harmonize with the alphabet song. So while we were singing "Father I Stretch My Hand to Thee", TJ was in the background singing "A, B, C, D, E, F Gggggg!". Bless his heart. Time to get ready for the week. Until next time!

It has been TOO long since my last post. It seems the longer I go without posting, the more overwhelming it is to produce a post.   Lots has happened in the past month.   I flew to Virginia to visit my friends Valencia and Marcus over Labor Day weekend.  I first met Valencia while living in Charleston and we have kept in touch ever since.  She has a wonderful husband, Marcus, and a little one on the way.  They were awesome hosts.  I even got a driving tour of DC...it was my first time.  Of course since she's in her first trimester, we did a lot of resting and eating, which was right up my alley.  We ate lunch at Jackson's in Reston (can we say, Ozzie Rolls!).  

Look at my California Roll. It was so pretty, I didn't want to eat it!
Ate Sunday brunch at Georgia Brown's in DC (can we say, FRENCH TOAST!).  

I also enjoyed visiting her church and going with her to some real estate appointments.  It was a lot of fun, can't wait to see her next month when she visits Florida:)

Since I was gone for a few days, Terry's mom took the opportunity come visit for a few weeks to help out while I was out of town.  The kids loved having "Wan-ma" at home waiting for them each day when we came home from school.  She is on her way back today...she will be missed around here.  

As far as the kids go, they are growing up fast.  TJ has pee-pee'd in the potty 3 days in a row at school and at home (yesterday he did it 3 times!).  Olivia will probably fall closely behind.  That's how it has been with everything else ...walking, etc.  They absolutely love their pull ups with Dora and Diego on it.  I believe that is why they want to go potty so much, to "get a new Dora/Diego".  They are very much involved in picking out their clothes.  Olivia loves to wear dresses and the color purple (no pun intended, since she was named after a character in the movie "The Color Purple").  TJ still loves orange, specifically his "shark shirt" that he has on in the picture above.  They love to play together.  They love to play "rocket ship", which involves sitting on the "bench" (the couch) and putting the pillows over them.  They love to "sing songs", especially singing along with a new children's CD that we got the other week.  Their favorite songs are "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", "Wheels on the Bus" and "Down by the Bay".  They have moved past daily dinners of oatmeal...we now love grilled cheese sandwiches and will even eat biscuits and oven french fries. It's nice having options:)

That's about all from the Parks household.  Hopefully I will do better at posting this month. Until next time...

Pump It Up!

So yesterday marked another milestone for the Parks twins.  Our first birthday party!  We have been invited to several of these events, however there is ALWAYS a scheduling conflict.  So we were super excited to get an invitation to our classmate Jolie's 3rd birthday party at "Pump It Up" and realize that we could actually attend!  Terry had basketball lessons in the early afternoon so I was left at home to get the kids down for a nap, eat lunch and prepare for the party.  Well, of course, the kids did not get a nap, which meant that I had little or no time to wrap Jolie's gift (which luckily I bought the night before while out and about with my friend, Jen).  So in the course of 35 minutes, I fed the kids, wrapped the gift and actually got them loaded into the truck so we could get to the party on time, which was an amazing feat.  They slept on the way to the facility so I thought they would be good and ready to have fun!  Not. So. Much.  Despite it being a private party full of very familiar faces of current and former classmates there at the Montessori School, they did not want to play on the inflatables.  It was as if they were attached to my arms and hip.  Terry got there a little late, but when he got there he thought that if he got in one of the inflatables with them they would be more comfortable.  Again...Not. so. much.  In the slide show you will notice pictures of TJ attached to Terry's leg inside of one of the inflatables.  By the time he got out of it, his entire body was shaking in fright and he was no good.  Olivia did not even allow me to take off her shoes, which is why she is not in many pictures.  Luckily we were not the only parents dealing with this, out of the 25-ish kids that were there, I'd say 4 or 5 were hesitant to try, although only one was as hysterical as TJ was. We'll give it another try one day, but for now...no more "Pump It Up" for the Parks twins!  And how funny is it that a day later, upon seeing these photos, TJ is exclaiming that "we went to a party!"  Sure wish he was this excited YESTERDAY!

Luckily the day wasn't completely lost because our FAVORITE teacher from the Montessori came over to visit.  She is just so wonderful...I mean, you would think after being around kids all week she would cherish her kid free weekend.  But she was so excited to spend some time with the kids and the kids were equally as excited. She brought them books and kiwi fruit and little organic cheese puffs.  Olivia did not leave her side the entire time.  She stayed through bathtime and then had to leave :(  We love Ms. Kim!

That's all for today. 

Star

So usually this blog is about the kids...however, for the sake of all of my friends that I reconnected with this weekend at Star and Travis' couples shower, here are some shots that I took during the event. It was a wonderful shower held at the beautiful home of Mark and Sarah Armstrong. The setting was perfect, the food was wonderful, and I was happy to reunite with old Auburn friends...good times. Oh, and Star got some really nice gifts:)  Terry and I were able to get away for this event together without the kids. It was our first trip away from home without the kids since the Final Four in 2005. Crazy.  The only downfall of the trip was that I was not able to drive around Auburn's campus to see how much has changed over the yaers.  Next time we visit Columbus, I'll have to take some time to do that.

Anyway, the first set of pictures are of the host couples and the second set of pictures are just pictures taken during the shower. I want to thank my fellow blogger and friend, Jane Ash, for opening my eyes to the wonderful world of collages! Thanks, Jane Ash!

 

 

 

At the Car Wash

Like I said, washing cars is one of my dad's favorite pasttimes so it should come as no surprise that he is getting TJ and Olivia excited about it at such a young age;) Enjoy!

July

Cannot believe it's August already. Not sure where the month of July went...had to go through my handy dandy pictures (since I am a picture taking addict) to see what exactly we did this month. Here is a no-so-brief synopsis of our month:

We began the month with a houseguest.  My former coworker and friend, Amanda (aka Prairie Dog) came to visit us for a week before she joined her husband out in Colorado.  The kids enjoyed having another playmate and I enjoyed the company in the evenings.  We especially enjoyed watching one of our favorite reality shows together, So You Think You Can Dance.  We miss you, PD!

The next weekend we headed up to Columbus, Georgia to visit Terry's family and friends for the 4th of July. We had a wonderful weekend. The kids had a nice visit with their grandparents and were able to meet/bond with two of their great aunts and a great uncle. We also were able to spend time with several of Terry's friends and friends' families who were having 4th of July BBQs. Good times...

The following weekend we headed to DeBary so that we could see my family and I could go off and spend a day with another set of friends/former coworkers that I get together with every year.  Terry was in Oklahoma at an exposure camp with one of his players so he met up with us in DeBary after he returned home on Saturday evening.  The kids enjoyed a few days playing outside with Gpa - listening to the birds chirp, sitting in their favorite work truck, and riding their trikes; as well as spending time with their Gma and Great Gma at church and around the house (Olivia actually ate some ox tail and rice that my grandma made in the crock pot...go figure).  We also enjoyed seeing the Burnells, including our favorite class of 2009 high school graduate, Kevin:)

Next up was some QT at the house.  Olivia caught a fever on a Monday and was kicked out of daycare until she was without fever for 24 hours.  My sister, who teaches high school, was gracious enough to drop everything and come stay home with us for the entire week so that Terry and I didn't have to take time off of work.  What a blessing to have such a solid support system.  Olivia ended up staying home for 3 days and spending some quality time with her Ti-ti while  TJ, for the first time, went to school by himself.  They both had a rough time when they were separated initially, but soon got over it as we knew they would.    Thanks, Tara for your backup services!  We love you!

One of my favorite memories of my dad was when he took me to school every morning in elementary school.  Our school had low overhangs (relatively speaking for someone who is 6'8) over the sidewalks.  Dad would pick me and my friends up, similar to what he's doing to Olivia and TJ with the arches in our house, and let us look on top of the 'roof'.  We loved it!  So, anyway, when he started to do this with TJ and Olivia it brought back fond memories.  Sure wish he could still pick me up!  Needless to say the kids got a kick out of it...they kept yelling "Gma, I see you!!!!!!"

Next up, a wedding!  My dad informed 3 days prior that I was going to be his date to a mid-week wedding.  Luckily I had a dress collecting dust that I wore to a wedding last summer so it wasn't as dramatic as it could have been.  The wedding was wonderfully unique.  It took place on a cruise ship!  I have known the bride since before I can remember.  Our Dads coached together for many years at Stetson University.  The wedding was a like a mini-reunion of old Stetson basketball coaches.  The bride was beautiful!  Most importantly, Dad and I got to spend some quality time together.  Good times.  

After the wedding the kids and I hung out with the garage with Terry and he hung hooks in the ceiling for our nice FREE gifts that were given to us by my coworker who has 6 year old boy/girl twins. They are a little big now, but we gladly accepted them. I'm sure they will grow into them before we know it. Thanks, Lorri!





Okay, so now we're to last weekend. Terry had to recruit over at Disney so, of course, we took the opportunity to go hang out in DeBary with the family. As always the kids had a ball. They are pedaling their trikes now with ease; they got a lesson on car-washing (dad's favorite pasttimes). Also part of their Gpa experience was riding on the riding lawnmower.

This weekend we are hanging out at the house while Terry is away. We decided, after so many weekends away, to just hang out at the house. So far so good...if by "good" you mean getting little sleep because they have decided to stage a protest against sleeping in their own beds while Daddy is gone. LOL. Right now we are dancing to my Janet Jackson station on Pandora and playing "rocketship". Not sure what we will do with ourselves today...should be interesting!




...so basically that was our July! If you made it to the end of this blog you get a gold star! Hopefully I won't go a month without blogging anymore! Have a nice weekend!