The Beach

We took our first family vacation to Navarre Beach this year and it was a great trip. Hudson did send me into a panic attack when he started vomiting on the way down, but thankfully whatever he had stayed with him and only lasted 12-24hrs. We also went with Ronnie's parents and it was super helpful to have them there to keep an eye on all of our munchkins! So let's recap in photos:

The first experience

Being a " Yes" mom

I used to be fun I think. Now, to make this Parrott ship run, I've noticed myself becoming more structured and less carefree as the years go on. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Organization, structure and discipline are all good things that should be encouraged. There are 7 of us and if we didn't have the above mentioned, I'd be flat out crazy. :) Lately, I've been doing my best to say, "yes" when my kids get a random whim, within reason. It has paid multiple dividends and has been fun for all of us. So here are a few things we have done in our " yes" category:

Painted marshmallows with food coloring and milk

Ronnie tried to get Jack's tooth out with string and a golf swing. It didn't work.

Indoor camping

Staying up past bedtime 

Playing in the rain

Throwing things :)

Drama Queen

Believe it or not, when I was in high school I played two sports. The first was softball and I played at second base. The second was cheerleading and I was the captain during my senior year. Blah blah blah, people say cheer isn't a sport, but I beg to differ. I remember one basketball game in particular we were playing a rival and the score was neck and neck. The opposing team had a player that kept making dirty moves and getting away with them. Our school was fired up, we were all cheering, and on the inside, I was plotting. After our team won, the crowd went crazy and tons of people ran onto the court. I'm not sure what came over me, but I found that 6ft something guy, walked up to him, and shoved him down to the floor. I think the only reason he fell down was out of pure shock that this obnoxious cheerleader just took him out. I told him he was a turd and walked away. real mature, huh?  

Cereal

Someone tried rice cereal for the first time this week. I just wanted to see what Smith would think before we dive in in a couple weeks. I can't believe it's almost that time ago. He was just too cute!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Anna Kate is our little Mama...

     She loves helping others. It's in her nature that God designed. She genuinely loves to help and then loves to get the praise of a job well done. At this point, I'm thinking words of affirmation is her love language.  She loves to leave notes on Ronnie and I's mirrors. She is so thoughtful. This is obviously God's grace, because at age 3 I thought we were going to throw down :). I remember calling a mentor of mine and asking for advice and thinking Lord help me. She said just wait... around age 4 things will change. Sure enough, things did change.  Of course, she has her moments, we all do. She's got a little sass and its kind of cute...for now.
    However, I am loving this season with her because she is so fun. It's fantastic having a girly girl in the midst of all these crazy boys! She loves ballet, music, and all "cute" animals. I can already see the hand of God taking root in her and I'm so thankful.  We pray Anna Kate has a tender heart for Jesus and others.

Smithers

    Smith sometimes gets called, "Smithers". Poor thing, but it's really cute when Anna Kate says it! Smith is 3 months old and could not be any sweeter. He's been sleeping through the night for several weeks now and we are loving it. Sleeping through the night in the Parrott house is a minimum of 8 hours. He loves to be talked to and He loves talking back. He eats every 3 hours during the day and nurses for about 10 min at each feeding. It's crazy how fast he is. He is SO laid back. I even asked the pediatrician if he sleeps too much. He is our first child to be on the upper guidelines of sleep. Can I get a hallelujah?!  However, he is also the first to hate tummy time. I guess he can't be completely perfect.

The musings of Silas

Silas, aka the wild bull, is our fourth child. He came out with finesse and hasn't failed to disappoint.  He loves planes and trains, cars and balls, and pretty much does the exact opposite of what he's told the first time ;). He is hilarious. He marches to the beat of his own drum. I'm going to want this crazy 2 year old stage back, I know I am, but today he's giving me a run for my money. I'm told he's "normal", but I have my doubts. Ha. Today he decided to color on the van seats and I asked him,
"why?" He just said, "because" and shoved 2 cheese puffs in his mouth and walked away. I hear the song, "I'm the man" by Aloe Blacc in the background.