5 THINGS FOR NOW

Being a female, a wife, a mother, a friend, a daughter, and a pastor's wife are all nouns I would use to describe me. It's hard to juggle all the roles in today's society. So here's a short list of what I'm learning and working through:

1. Sometimes God does not meet my expectations. However, that does not mean I'm right or that He loves me any less. Sometimes junk happens, it stink for sure. It should serve as a reminder that the Earth is just temporary. We are all passing through; some of us just get a head start. Romans 8:28, " and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. "

2. Grace is real and should be accepted fully. I tend to go over scenarios in my head of how I could have handled a situation better. Romans 5:20b says, "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more". No matter how many mess-ups I have, the grace of God trumps it. Matt Chandler talks about how Jesus paid all our past sins, current struggles, and future screw-ups on the cross. So we should live in that freedom.

3. I'm weak and that's ok. I typically think I should be known as Dr. Marci Parrott, PHD, MD, MSN, PLLC, all knowing guru. The truth is that it's ok if I don't know something and I'm not perfect. When I'm not perfect it creates a need for me to lean into and depend on the one perfect god, Jesus.

4. Be Honest. Some days I just don't feel like it. I don't want to read my Bible or pray or sing or journal...gasp. Remember that grace, it hopefully is something I let reign in me and feel the freedom to pour my heart out to the Lord. Ask him to change me. Psalms is full of prayers from David asking the Lord deep questions and searching his heart for truth. I know that most often when I do not feel like spending time with God, that's the time I most need to.

5. Finish Well. We've all been there where we look at the clock praying for bedtime so we can tuck the kids in, eat ice cream, and watch our dvd'd shows. Just as you get cozy under the blanket and take your first bite, someone starts whining they are thirsty, need an extra hug, or a bedtime story. We get annoyed, lose our temper, and tears roll. Nevermind the fact that you have played patty-cake 100x, thrown the football, painted nails, and cut out cute pumpkin shaped pb&j's. It can all be undone in a matter of 120 seconds if we don't take a step back, breathe, and offer grace to those special people in our homes.

Hudson's growth 1 year later

    I can't believe we are at the one year mark of Hudson being on growth hormones. I was so hesitant to begin them at first. Today, I can say I am so thankful we started them. We continue to pray God makes him big and strong in all aspects of his life. In one year Hudson has gone from weighing 27lbs to weighing 36lbs. This puts him in about the 20th percentile for weight. More importantly, he has grown 5.5 inches!! He's on the growth chart at the 4th percentile. His bone age is still about 12 months behind, which means he has added time to grow. We are thrilled!! What a great year.

Hudson and growth hormones

 Hudson has been taking growth hormones for about 7 months. In the 9-ish months between the top and bottom pictures, he has grown tremendously! He has gained about 4lbs and has grown about 4 inches!! We are so thankful they are helping our buddy!

Momagenda

  People often ask me how I stay organized with 5 kids. To which I'd say I am semi-organized.  Really it comes down to discipline. You can have all the resources and tools, but unless you determine to use them, who really cares? You'll often see me shoving, er ushering, my kids through the doors on Sunday. Anna Kate has the most spastic hair, so it will often be a hot mess. There may be some mac n cheese stuck to a shoe and Smith will most definitely have some spit up somewhere. I have long since let the perfectionism go. Probably left it around kid #3. However, I do have somethings that may be helpful to pass along. We have 5 kids ages 7 months to 7 years, so we are bound to have stuff. The key to keeping me sane, is that all of their stuff must have a spot and that spot must not me in the living room, kitchen, or dining area. I purge stuff a few times a year. The saying, "Less is more", rings very true in our family. Structure your day. Whether its TV time, play time, school time, or rest time, structure your day. At times I have rebelled against structure, mainly because of pride and the mentality that I can do it all on my own. Nah, the brain is overloaded. Everyone functions better with structure. It provides security and safety. Not rigidity, just structure.

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?