Random Pictures

Parker and Maryn in their new raincoats. I usually never splurge on clothing items for them but I bought them on a little bit of a sale and a size too big so they could wear them this spring, next fall and next spring. Maryn loves hers so much its the only coat she wants to wear right now.



Parker helping me bake Valentine's Day cookies.


Maryn playing in my makeup. Notice the blush on her overalls! (She sticks out her tongue when she's concentrating like her Uncle Joseph used to when he was little.)

Catching Up

A few random pictures...

Parker and Maryn having a picnic lunch. Maryn didn't quite get the concept as she kept crawling over her plate and getting food all over her.

Maryn's curls... best seen after a bath

My beautiful family before church

It's been awhile since my last post and we have been very busy- the circus, swimming lessons, MaeMae (my mom) came to visit, and Grandma came so Mark and I could take a much needed weekend trip. Whew!

The elephants and the tigers were Parker's favorite part of the circus although he was a little afraid that the tigers would "roar."

The weekend with my mom was great but too short. She and I took the kids to the mall on Friday and Discovery Place on Saturday. (This was two weekends ago.) MaeMae teaches preschool so she is very up on all kids books and loves to buy books for Parker and Maryn. Needless to say she and Parker read a big stack of books several times each day. We had such a nice visit.





Swim lessons for Parker are going really well. He and his best buddy Cam go twice a week for 30 minutes. They are so cute! And I am so proud of Emily for getting Cam there. She has a new baby, Tate- who is precious!!- and she is still able to get Cam to his swim lessons although they are occasionally a little late! When you have a second kid it takes about two hours planning ahead to get anywhere so I think they're doing great! And the boys have so much fun blowing bubbles, kicking and going under water. Well, maybe the last part is debatable! I have a little bit of a hard time keeping Maryn occupied. She really just wants to get in the water so I let her sit on the side and put her legs in. We both end up soaked!


Baby Tate- this is his usual position during swim lessons. He is a great baby!! Sleeps A LOT and when he is awake he is just the sweetest thing.


Maryn's usual position- sitting on the edge getting Mommy wet.


Cam and Parker


Parker swimming with Ms. Tamara. Today he went under water all the way which is big for him.

Grandma arrived Valentine's night to stay with the kids while Mark and I went to the Grove Park Inn. Our trip was to celebrate my 30th birthday. Yes, this was in September but it worked out better for our schedule (mainly Mark's studying) to go now and I am glad we waited since they were full in October anyway and we would've had to find another location.
The inn from the rear entrance. We stayed in the Main Inn. There are two newer wings that come out on either side.


An outside view of the spa


Flowers my dad and Debbie sent to our room to help us celebrate. Aren't they beautiful?

It was amazing!! We ate way too much and relaxed A LOT! We left around 3 on Friday afternoon and arrived at 5:30. Our dinner reservations weren't until 8:30 so we had plenty of time to look around and get ready for dinner. One of my favorite parts was taking a bubble bath Friday night while drinking a coke, eating chocolate and reading US magazine. All without kids in the background calling for Mommy. Saturday we went to the spa for most of the day. In one word it was heaven. You can check out pictures on the Grove Park website since they don't allow you to bring a camera. We got facials in the morning and massages in the evening. The time in between was spent in the pools, reading and napping. Fabulous. Then we were able to use their facilities to get ready for dinner that night. Wonderful shampoos, lotions, everything you needed. Sunday morning Mark was anxious to get home. Grandma said the kids were doing great so I wasn't in too much of a hurry although I really missed my babies. I think it was hard for Mark to see how much they missed us and he was ready to go. We got home around 1 and they were definitely glad to see us. Grandma said she couldn't have asked for them to be any better. Music to a mom's ears. (Although Monday while we were home and she was still here I think we got punished for being gone as they weren't great!) THANK YOU GRANDMA for allowing us to get away!!! You're one in a million!

It's Official!!

Today the SOA (Society of Actuaries, of course) posted the list of new candidates who earned their Associateship in the Society of Actuaries and my hardworking, brilliant husband is on the list!! He has worked incredibly hard for the past five years studying for these exams. Those of you who know us well know the amount of work that Mark has put into studying. Many comment that he is a professional test taker! It has been our prayer request in life group ever since we've been at NorthCross Church. I know to me and all of our friends it seems like every time we turn around he's studying again! I have complained about the hours upon hours Mark spends in front of books with his calculators and pencils. And now we, mostly he but I have some occassional moments of support, have made it to this big milestone. God has been so faithful in Mark's journey to find the right career and He has really blessed Mark in this field. It is such a blessing to have your husband happy and confident in his work. We are very thankful.

And now only two more tests to go until he is DONE. At that point he will have his FSA (Fellowship...) which will be amazing. Maybe we will throw an enormous party.

Anyway, if you want to check out the actual list here's the link (notice the high quantity of Asian candidates!)

http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2008-01-asa-names.pdf

Hooray, Mark!!!!