Dear God,

Turner's prayers at night are becoming REALLY fun! Thomas and I practically ran out of her room last night to write this one down, because it was so cute!

"Dear God,

Claire (cousin) and Caroline (cousin) to be healthy. Mary to have a safe trip (cousin not taking a trip) and Ryan (cousin) to be healthy. Daddy to have a safe trip home (already home, in bed, praying with us).

Thank you, God, for flowers and Parker and his baptism and all that stuff. In Jesus -- I mean, God (early indication of trinity confusion) -- I love you so much and the world. Amen. "

Child of God

Parker Thomas, Child of the Covenant,

This past Sunday was your baptism. It was absolutely beautiful to see you held up in front of a congregation of friends and family who prayed you here and continue to pray for your health and growth. Your life is PROOF of God's amazing love and the power that flows from a praying body of believers.

Parker, you are such a blessing to your family. Your smile mesmerizes us, your coos delight us and your presence completes us. In four months, you have crept deep into our hearts and shown us a void that only you could come and fill.

Thank you, sweet son, and God bless you. I pray this day and every day...that you will grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Fun at the Park!

We have had a great finish to the week around here! Yesterday was gorgeous, and we spent it playing and picnicking in the park. These are the days that make all the tough ones well worth it!

L'il Narcissist

Notice how amused our Parker is? He's looking at himself in the turtle mirror! This is a new favorite past time. Who can blame the little guy, though...I'd look at myself all day if I were as cute as he is!!!

(He's been having a really rough time with his reflux this week, but amazingly, he still smiles between spit ups).

Siblings!

What's not to love???

4 Months Old!

Parker turned four months on Friday. He is growing good and eating us out of the house!

In fact, he has been so hungry lately, I tried a first round of rice cereal from a spoon (it's been in his bottle for months now!). He gagged a lot, but I know he'll get the hang of it quickly and never look back.

He's smiling, laughing, rolling, "talking," grabbing, kicking and loving being in the spring sunshine.

We love you, little buddy!

Censorship , Please!

So, we were at church today, picking Turner up from Sunday school. I let her run over to the water fountain to get a drink, and I noticed she was talking intently to this elderly man in the hallway. Wondering what kind of sweet pleasantry she was saying, I walked over.

Was she passing the peace? Or perhaps telling him her favorite Bible story? I had high hopes...

Instead, as I approached, I heard, "Would you like some hair? Would you like some of my hair?"

(You see, he was quite bald.)

Nice! At least she was trying to share, right?! There's never a dull moment in public with my not-so-shy three year old!

Soccer Mama

Turner and I played soccer in the backyard yesterday, and she is READY for her upcoming six weeks of micro soccer! If nothing else, she certainly looks the part!!!

GO GIRL!

Four Month Old Cutie Pie

I have never seen a kid smile so much and so freely as this little blessing! Parker (when he feels good) is the happiest little thing I ever did see! Thank you, God, for a healthy, precious baby boy.

*Push play on the last shot for a fun, interactive video clip!

Plain Mommy

So, we're on the way to school this morning, and Parker was crying a little.

Turner looked at him and said, "It's ok, Parker, THOMAS PARKER loves you." I was impressed that Turner knew her Daddy's full name, and I immediately asked her if she knew MY full name.

"Did you know I was Alison McKinnell Folse Guerard?" I asked.

"No," she said (starting to cry herself), "I just really love your regular plain self. Just plain Mommy. You're Mommy."

Ok, T-U-R-N-E-R. Whatever you want, Baby Doll.

N-O Bama

I went for a jog tonight, and Thomas had the "con." (That's our family shorthand for "you are solely responsible for keeping these kids alive and well for this period of time.")

When I got home, he ran out to mow the lawn, and somehow in the hand-off, Turner got control of our tv remote and turned the tv on to PBS (our favorite channel for "Curious George" and "Super Why").

Minutes later, she came running to my room, saying "Mom, Obama is on TV again. I don't want to watch Obama talk!"

Wow. I thought I was the only one tired of politics!

Tweet, Tweet...

We were driving down the road yesterday, and Turner was looking out the window.

Suddenly, she got really excited when a Cardinal flew by. "Mom, I see a Red Jay!" she exclaimed. :)

Easter

We had a lovely Easter Sunday and were filled with joy and thanksgiving for our wonderful family. God has blessed us so richly. And he has used our amazing children, our sweet parents and our precious grandparents to show us His love so clearly. Thank you!

GO RYAN!!!

We went to Sumter this past week to cheer for our sweet cousin, Ryan! It was a blast and Turner was the BEST sideline soccer cheerleader EVER!

I say Tomato...

Turner and Grandad planted tomatoes this past week! She had a ball, and we cannot wait to watch them grow! Thanks, Grandad!

Lowcountry Girls and Boys

Well, you can take some girls and boys out of the Lowcountry, but you can't take the Lowcountry out of them!!! We enjoyed smelling the pluff mud and seeing the beautiful marsh grass and water this past weekend.

The highlight, though, was definitely chowing down on MARSH PICKLES that Turner climbed under the dock and helped me retrieve. (That's what is hanging out of our mouths in Photo #3)!

He is Ridden! He is Ridden, Indeed!

There is nothing I enjoy more than hearing the Gospel from the lips of my three year old! Don't they have so much to TEACH us?!


HE IS RIDDEN!!! Errr...RISEN!!!

Best Easter Gift Ever

Turner gave us the best Easter present EVER this year. On Easter morning, we were talking in bed and had put Parker and Turner in the bed with us to cuddle and visit, and Turner leaned over, gently kissed her brother and said, "I love you Parker. No matter what, I'll always be with you."

Turner-isms

We went to a local store to get a gift, and there was a lady there who was really done-up, with over-the-top makeup, a very dramatic hairdo and bright lipstick. Turner looked at the lady and said, "You look silly." (YIKES! I had no plan or advanced thought of what I'd do in this very uncomfortable, unkind situation).

So, trying to help things, I said to Turner (in front of the lady), "Did you mean to say she looks very pretty?" To which Turner replied, "Yes, Mom, she looks pretty, but she also looks REALLY silly."

Needless to say, when we got to the car, we had a long talk about thoughts and feelings and when we share them and when we don't!

****************

Directly after the store/lady/silly incident, we took my grandmother to IHOP for breakfast-supper. There was a Spanish speaking family at the neighboring table. Turner pointed at them and said (NOT in an inside voice), "Mom, look -- it's a mariachi band!"

***************

The next morning, we were at a bagel shop, and Turner sat down at the counter while I ordered. A gentleman was having his coffee and looked at her and smiled. He asked her, "Where are you going, young lady?" Turner looked at him and said, "Mommy and I are going to heaven."

"Oh?" he said.

She looked at me and said, "We're going to heaven, right Mom?"

"Yes, dear, but hopefully not today."

The man smiled and said, "I hope I'll see you there!"

Baby Bro

Turner introducing someone to her brother today:

"This is Parker. He's my baby brother. We got him for Christmas this year! How 'bout that?!"

My Navigator

Since we've been shut in the house all week, I had a lot of pent up errands to do yesterday! But I wanted the kids to have a fun and memorable day. So, I thought really hard on how to make errands exciting, and I came up with this map. Turner and I talked about our list of things to do, drew out all the stops in order, and she stepped up to be my navigator. (Parker was my wing man). It was a blast!

And who said errands were not fun?!

Sweet Sister

Tonight, I overheard Turner whisper to Parker, "Parker, do you want me forever and ever? I want you forever and ever."

How precious is that???

(He looks like he's praying for dear life in this photo!!! ...probably not a bad idea!!!)

Sick, but still Sweet

So, the kids have both been sick the last few days! Winter is tough on a mom of two! In spite of being sick, though, Parker can still light up a room with his dimples and smile. He's quite a charmer!

I took the middle picture yesterday after I was totally worn out from him and Turner being sick and asked, "Parker, are you guys worth all this?"

My conclusion: "YES, YES, YES!!!"