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.

Follow up on Hudson

Hudson had his MRI this past Friday. I was so thankful to be able to go with him this time, since last time I was pregnant with Smith and couldn't go. Hudson's spine MRI came back normal and we couldn't be more thrilled! Again, thanks to the stellar radiologist, we found out right then and there. Major props to him for being so kind and  helping us be able to have a peaceful weekend. Now, we are just waiting for the neurosurgeon to review his brain MRI and spine MRI and decide if in fact she even needs to see Hudson.  She is going to give a yay or nay on something called Chiari Malformation.  You are more than welcome to google it . I really have a peace about this either way today. So for now, we are continuing Hudson's growth hormones. He wants to be basketball player when he grows up, and I am going to be his biggest  cheerleader!

What do we do when God doesn't meet our expectations?

My heart has been wrestling with expectations of God lately. It seems that's a theme amongst others I've been in contact with as well. According to my expectation of what I thought God should do, I should have my own syndicated court room drama on the CW. Can't you hear it, "Judge Marci"? And yet, here I am. I'm in Arkansas, a pastor's wife, with 5 kids, ha. Seriously, though, what do we do when we feel like God has dropped the ball? I have some specific instances that I prayed for, was sick over, and still did not get the outcome that I expected.

One of those was my sweet neighbor's daughter, Abigail. She was born premature, fighting for her life. I remember waking up at all hours of the night begging God to intervene and give her life here on this Earth. And, yet, she has been in heaven for 2 years. I've prayed for God to not send a diagnosis of down syndrome to a friend's daughter, I've prayed for healing for a little girl's traumatic birth injury, for cancer to be gone, for certain jobs. I expected my 5th child to be a girl, but I'm loving on the chunkiest and cuddliest baby boy. I fully expected God to hear my prayers and give me exactly what I asked for. Sometimes, it just doesn't go according to my plan.

Little Guy, Big Gift

If you haven't noticed, our 3rd son, Hudson, is on the short side. We have done numerous genetic testing, blood work, and X-rays to see why he has fallen off the growth chart. Finally, in January 2014, we did a MRI of his brain. The results came back that he has something called an ectopic pituitary, which to our understanding means that his pituitary gland never formed completely in my womb. There is no known cause, just something that happens. The treatment for this is growth hormones. We honestly were relieved to finally have answers to why our little buddy had been growing so slowly since he was about 15 months old.
   

Tulsa Thursday

It was the kids' spring break week so we wanted to do something fun. We did not make an overnight trip this week because we are going on a few trips between May and August. So we headed about 2 hours west to Tulsa. None of us had ever been before, so it was fun to see a new state. We went and ate at Ted's Cafe Escondido and it did not disappoint. They also serve complimentary cheese dip and sopapillas and both were scrumptious.

All in the name of love

I'm not really a romantic. I consider myself of a more practical person. Every now and then, it's nice though. I love it when Ronnie leaves me random notes or cards. When he surprises me with a manicure or cute pair of shoes. It's just sweet and fun. It's definitely harder to be romantic towards a guy. What do you buy? Golf balls, ping pong paddle, cologne, coffee? I seem to recycle the same gift ideas over and over. Ronnie has been talking about this coffee cup that he has really wanted from Onyx for a few weeks now. I thought that maybe this would be a fun surprise.... until I found out it was $22.  For some that's not a big deal, for frugal Marci, I basically just laughed. I'm the one who has a tough time paying $8.99 for the one from Target.  Anyway, Ronnie has been super sweet to me and I really wanted to do something nice. So I gritted my teeth and happily obliged and bought him this to-go cup. I left it on his desk for him to get as a surprise when he returned to the office. I will admit it is fun to bless others and I always like to see the joy a little unselfishness can bring when I get off my agenda. So without further ado, here is the cup: