These aren't the best pictures to capture the new haircuts, but you can definitely tell that Thomas is proud of his new ride. He LOVES his new car!!! This was a Christmas gift from my Dad and Janice (Pawpaw and Mawmaw). He absolutely loves it. When we were at their house to celebrate Christmas my sister gave TW his first haircut. He looks like such a big boy now!!! I really couldn't believe what a difference it made. It was taking some convincing on my part for us to cut his hair; for some reason Ben was opposed to the idea. However, in Publix one day a woman came up to Ben and Thomas and said "SHE's so cute!" So, he immediately found me in the store and within two days his hair looked like this:)
Lydi also got a haircut. Not her first, but definitely shorter than it's ever been. The day after she got it cut I went into the bathroom and she was standing there looking in the mirror. I asked her if she liked her new haircut, and she replied with this... "Yeah, I do. It makes my eyes look bigger!" She looks like such a big girl with her short hair. Both of our kiddos look so much older, thanks Aunt Kellie for keeping my kids looking as cute as they can be!!!
Obviously, living in Puerto Rico our kids did not need winter jackets. I think that Lydi had a hoodie, but never wore it. So, when we heard the forecast for the weekend we decided that we might need to invest in some winter apparel! Also, when I took Lydi for her check-up on Friday morning she kept telling me how cold she was. I did have a fleece on her, but apparently that wasn't enough for the 45 degree temperature outside.
So, after we left the Dr. I went out to find the perfect winter coats and I was hopeful that I could find a good deal. I ended up at Kohl's, and I found a deal that seemed too hard to pass up even though the jackets weren't my favorite, but they would be warm and that's the whole point, right?
Well, not entirely satisfied I called my good friend who is also one to find the bargains and she told me to check out Children's Place. I got home from purchasing the jackets from Kohl's and got on-line to check out what the Place had to offer. I was blown away!!! As soon as I put the kids down for their nap I went out again in search for the right sizes and the right style at Children's Place. (Ben is working from home primarily right now, so the kids weren't left alone)
I got there and of course the jacket that I had picked out for TW was there, but not in his size. So, I asked the lady if there were anymore in the back, and there was!!! After being really excited that they had the one I wanted for him, I went to the other side of the store and found the perfect jacket for Lydi. I spent less at Children's Place and I was also able to get them these super cute hats!
Now, this may seem like a totally pointless and unnecessary post, but I have been so excited about these purchases. I guess I am also a little enthusiastic about the fact that our kids actually need winter clothes again.
I very rarely post something without pictures, but I had to record this story as soon as possible so I wouldn't forget.
I had to take both kiddos to the Dr. yesterday, because of runny noses and coughing. I was so sick of the snot! So, turns out Lydi has an ear infection (2nd of her life) and TW has a sinus infection. Not so bad, we've had a lot worse, so we're thankful that they should be on the mend soon!
Well, as you know I am currently 25 weeks pregnant, and I was at the Dr. with my 2 1/2 year old and one year old. As we are leaving I am holding Thomas and Lydi is walking with me. Ahead of us was a lady with her teenage daughter. When I say ahead of us I mean by about 2 or 3 feet. Anyway, we were walking out behind this lady, and for whatever reason she decided that she would not hold the door open for us. Now, it's not that big of a deal, and maybe she didn't know we were there. However, my little girl says... "Mommy, that lady did not even hold the door open for us. I want to talk to her about it!" At this point the lady and her daughter were very aware of our presence.
I didn't know what to do other than snicker under my breathe, because the truth is that at the end of the day with two sick kids and one on the way I would appreciate some common courtesy. But, again, maybe she didn't know we were there. But, Lydi was really upset by the fact that she did not even hold the door for us. So, I just said "you're right Lydi, and that's OK we just need to remember to do that for other people." She just replied "Yep, we do." That was it, until I realized that we were parked right next to one another. It obviously didn't take Lydi long to get over her frustration, because before the poor lady could retreat to her car, Lydi was holding her hand out demanding that she say "bye" to us. As I am putting Lydi in the car she is telling the lady and her daughter "bye and have a good day!"
What do you do in a situation like that??? I just laughed and when I got home told Ben about it, and we laughed some more. Maybe next time this lady will be sure to look behind her before not holding a door open!
Well, we have arrived in Montgomery and have been in our new house for almost a month. During this past month there has been a ton of stuff going on. The most fun news we received was that baby number 3 is going to be a little nino (boy). We are so excited!!! We have also picked out a first name, but we're not sure about the middle. His name will be Samuel, and our plan is to call him Sam. As Lydi says that her brother's front name is going to be Sam and his back name will be Parmer.
Speaking of Lydia this move has proved to be the toughest on her, because she is a little older now and definitely notices when her surroundings have changed. She left many good friends behind in Puerto Rico, and she doesn't understand why she can't play with them living here in Montgomery. She really is our social child, and it is a priority for us to find her some playmates ASAP here in Montgomery.
I do have a funny story about transition stress and getting called out by my 2 1/2 year old. I was in the kitchen doing one of my many tasks recently and Lydi was in there needing my attention for some reason. So, in my sin and imperfection I snapped at her in a very short and unfriendly tone. She proceeds to look at me and say "Mommy, I love you, but please don't speak to me like that!" Talk about being humbled. Ben and I will often say this to Lydia when she is being disciplined, and she used my own words to really put me in my place. It is so tough to keep my cool in the midst of chaos, but I am learning that the little eyes watching me and little ears hearing me don't miss anything!
So, all in all the transition is going well. We are excited about the new ministry God has called us to, and we're still working out all of the details of our transition from PR and ILead into this new ministry in Montgomery with IXO. We are thankful that God has brought us here, and we look forward to what He has in store for our family!
Lydi had her first sleep over this past Saturday night. It was so much fun. Her sweet friend, Bethany Teague came over to spend the night. Since our apartment is the casa de chaos right now, we are letting Lydi sleep in her tent at night. She thinks this is the coolest thing, so for the night she gave up her tent and let Bethy sleep there while she slept on a mattress on the floor right beside the tent. It was so cute, after they went to bed I could hear them in there talking and giggling. I remember those days. I can't believe my little girl is old enough to have a sleep over!!!
Bethany is 8 years old, and has become one of Lydia's favorite people here in Puerto Rico. She is going to be terribly missed by our whole family, but especially our little girl. This was a special treat for Lydia! She thought she was such a big girl; she even told me that she didn't want to sleep with her pacy, because she didn't need it anymore! (some of you might be thinking... she is too old to still be sleeping with a pacy, but if you've kept up with our lives over the past 2 1/2 years, you should understand why I haven't taken it away!)
So, here are some pics of our FUN night. The next morning, we went to Krispy Kreme, and of course they loved it. We had a lot of fun, I think I might have had more fun than the girls did!
I've also attached some random pics just for fun... I didn't want the little man to feel too left out.
I realized that after we posted this detailed version of what God has next for us, that we forgot to mention to our faithful readers that we are expecting number 3 sometime mid-February. I am sure that those of you who read this already know, but I felt like we were kind of cheating baby Parmer, by not announcing the news on our blog. We don't have a good ultrasound pic, but soon after we get back to the States we should be able to get one. Anyway, just wanted to add that our family will be adding yet another wonderful little blessing. I remember a while back when one of my dear friends wrote on her blog about some of the responses she had when people found out she was having number three, and let me say that I echo everything she said!
I have been overwhelmed knowing that we are having number 3 just four years into marriage and seven moves under our belts, but I have to really remind myself of what God's Word says about children. They ARE a BLESSING!!! There is no other way to look at this pregnancy. Yes, it will be tough having 3 three and under, but God never promised that he would call us to things that are easy. My children are a joy (most of the time), and I am thankful that God has chosen to bless us with one more!
Muchos Cambios…You may remember seeing these words three years ago as our family set out to begin a new journey living and ministering on the Isla de Encanto—the Island of Enchantment known as Puerto Rico. We left the States to work in Puerto Rico with MTI. We hoped that God would do many things in and through us, and that is exactly what has happened. God has taught us so much about ministering to people of other cultures, lifestyles, and languages. He has continued to shape our heart and desire to reach the nations for Him.
There are many changes happening now three years later both in our family and also with the work in Puerto Rico. Our vision however, has only grown stronger as God has given us clear direction in how He wants to use us to build His Kingdom.
The program in Puerto Rico has been successful in training missionaries and sending them out to continue their ministry in different parts of the world. The seminary classes and hands on ministry experience has shaped everyone that has played a role in what God has begun in Puerto Rico. There will be a small team continuing to plant a church in Puerto Rico and also continuing to develop the training programs that have begun here. However, we feel that God is calling us into a new and exciting opportunity to reach the nations.
We left the States sure that we would be moving to China after our time in Puerto Rico was finished. Here we are 3 years later still convinced of the need to reach the Asian nations, but we have learned more about a very effective way for us to reach these people. After much prayer and thought, we are currently pursuing work with International Students in the States. We were in the States for a while this summer to investigate possible opportunities. We feel even more passionate now, after our training in Puerto Rico, to reach the nations that are living in our own backyards. So, we began pursuing a new position state-side. We were hopeful that we would have very clear direction by the end of the summer, and that’s exactly what God has done. We have returned to Puerto Rico to pack up our things and say “good – bye” to those that have enriched our lives over the past 3 years. We are very thankful for the work God has had for us in the past, but we are also very grateful for the opportunity that is now in our future.
After packing up here we will be returning to Wedowee, AL on Sept. 1st. We will spend the month of September preparing to move to Montgomery, AL. We will begin working with International Exchange Organization (IXO). This organization is committed to building relationships through business and educational exchanges in China. www.IXOonline.org
One of the many things we have learned from our experience here in Puerto Rico is that Ben is a “hybrid” of sorts. Which means that he enjoys administrative tasks and projects, but does not thrive being behind a desk from 8-5. He wants to be involved in the lives of people as well as use his administrative gifts. This job will allow him to do both administrative projects as well as International Student Ministry. It is very exciting!!! I (Nikki) am looking forward to really investigating ministry with international students because our home will be a prime place for ministry which will allow us to use our gifts as a couple to reach the nations. We will also be involved in short-term trips and teams going to China. Ben has this saying that seems to describe this new opportunity perfectly; “we’ll be fishing on both sides of the pond.”
We are very grateful for all of you that have invested in us! Thank you for being patient with us and praying for us over the summer as we really sought out what the Lord would have for us. Please continue to pray not only for our upcoming transition, but for our good-byes here in P.R. We will be saying good-bye to dear friends locally, and also on our team. We are looking forward to what God will do with each of us as we move into new ministry opportunities. We know that God is committed to the people here in Puerto Rico, and we consider it a privilege to have experienced life in Latin America. God has taught us many things, and those things will be very valuable as we embark on this next journey.
We also hope to spend the month of September visiting supporters, friends, family, and speaking at churches to update all of our recent changes. Please e-mail us or call us with any questions you might have about what the Lord has done and is doing.
OK, so I realize that TW's birthday was more than a month ago, but I am just now getting a chance to post some pics from the big party! We had a lot of fun in North, AL celebrating with his cousin, Luke who turned one two weeks before Thomas. It was a blast. We had a monster truck party, and my very creative sister made everything look so great. I can't believe he's already one, and now almost 14 months old. Well, Happy Late Birthday to my sweet little boy!
The other night Ben was putting away the left overs, and as he was searching in our rubbermaid cabinet he became a bit frustrated with the disorganization of the cabinet and began to throw things out on the floor. I call this cabinet our "angry cabinet", because I always get frustrated when I am looking for something.
Well, Lydi heard the commotion in the kitchen, and went in to see what was going on. When she walked in, she saw this mess and she said "Daddy, this is ridiculous and it makes me nervous!!!" It was hysterical. Ben and I both started laughing so hard! She definitely likes to have things neat and tidy, so she proceeded to help Ben clean up the mess.
This picture needs some explanation, but basically we were taking a picture and right before we said "cheese" Marcelo planted a big kiss on Lydia. Ben didn't get the kiss on camera, but he did get the reaction. My two favorite men! Eating a yummy Puerto Rican pastry! One of my favorite things about Puerto Rico is how much the local people here value relationships. We were recently invited to our neighbor's baby shower, and it was quite the cultural experience (in a good way). We arrived an hour late, and we were some of the first people there. Ben went with me as well as the kids, because when I called to say I would be coming I was told that my whole family should come as well. I am used to going to a baby shower that is a room full of women and lasts maybe an hour or two. Well, not this baby shower! We arrived around 3:00 and we were on our home a little before 7:00.
It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed spending some time out in the campo (country). It was nice to get out of the city and also to spend time with our neighbors and their family. We left very motivated to learn more Spanish! We hope to spend some more time with our neighbors soon. Their little girl is here and she is beautiful. What a joy our friendship has been with this family!!!
This was our second trip to the Mayaguez zoo, and it was just as fun as the first! We were excited to have G-Daddy and G-Mommy with us on this trip. We were able to see more of the animals, because it was a cloudy day, so they weren't all trying to hide from the blazing sun. We had a great time, and we loved having the G-parents with us!!!
Our first year in Puerto Rico was spent visiting the doctor every couple of weeks, and since we moved into the new place we have not had a sick child at all! Praise the Lord, we are more certain now that environment was one of the biggest triggers for Lydia’s asthma flare ups, and Thomas was going down the same road. Nikki took Thomas in for his 10 month check-up this week, and that’s the first time we’ve been to the Dr. since Lydi got out of the hospital in Feb.,. so we are very thankful!
TW was 10 months old on April 30th. We feel like these past 10 months have felt like 10 weeks, it has flown by! He is growing so much, and now he is on the move! Nikki thought she was busy before, but now it’s at a whole new level. Lydia and TW love to play together, and he has even started the occasional hair pulling. It’s fun to watch them growing up together. We weren’t sure what it was going to be like having two so close, but so far it’s been so much fun!
OK, so I have officially decided that it is way too overwhelming to go back through all of these pictures and tell the stories that go with each. I'd love to, but if I wait around to find the time for that then I'll never post these pictures. So, I'm trying slide for the first time and hopefully it will work out, and I can get some pictures of our kiddos on our blog! I have really dropped the ball lately on updating about our lives, but I've also been without a computer, so I do have an excuse! Enjoy!
This is one of the most recent pictures that I've taken of TW. I finally decided to start giving him some "real" food, and he LOVES it!!! I guess the picture kind of makes that clear. He continues to be such a joy, and we are so thankful for our little man!
I must confess that I am very overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I need to write to update everyone that keeps up with us through this blog, and also all of the pictures that I would love to share. SO much has happened since we have last updated, but for now I will give a recap of the most recent happenings. Maybe one day soon I will have a chance to catch up and post pics as well as stories of the past couple of months as well as our time spent in the States.
However, I don't think that will be happening anytime too soon, because we are moving again. Yep, sixth move in 3 years!!! We are not leaving Puerto Rico, we are actually not even leaving our little gated city, but we are moving into a new neighborhood. Why you might ask? The main reason is for Lydia and Thomas's health as well as our own. We have some serious mold problems where we currently live as well as carpet in the bedrooms (which does not work well here in this climate with all of the humidity) and a house full of people with allergies, and most recently I have found out that cooking with a propane oven / stove can also cause some respiratory problems. We have all of the above factors and we were recently told that Lydia is now going to be treated as an asthma patient. She is on 3 different medications to prevent another episode like her most recent one.
We spent the weekend of her 2nd birthday in the hospital. We went in on a Friday because she had a fever and no energy at all. She had thrown up a couple of times that morning, so I was afraid she would become dehydrated. We went to the Doctor and he sent us to the E.R. to start her on iv fluids because in fact she was dehydrated. We were at the hospital all day with her and she slept the entire day. She started to feel a little better that evening, and we were getting ready to leave the hospital when the E.R. doctor looked at Lydi's chest x-ray and said we couldn't go home because she had pneumonia. So, we spent the next 3 nights and four days in a hospital room hoping to be released and hoping for her recovery.
We got to come home on Monday and I took Lydi in for a follow-up visit last Thursday. We talked with the Doctor about possible causes of all of her respiratory problems that started when we moved to Wedowee when she was six months old. We came to the conclusion that she does have some respiratory problems and the environment of our home was not good for this. Namely, the carpets and gas stove. So, alas we have found another apartment without carpets and gas in the house, and we are hopeful that this will reduce her trips to the Doctor. It's trial and error right now, because it might not help at all, but we are praying that it will.
Please join us in praying for our little ones. TW has also had some problems. He had his first case of bronchialitis when he was four months old and has been on an inhaler 3 times since to treat inflamed bronchial tubes. So, we have been through the ringer these last few weeks with Doctors visits and hospital stays. Now, we are gearing up to move again. Please pray that we will make the right decision about which apartment we should move into and that we could get resettled quickly. Here are a few pics of Lydi after we returned home and were able to celebrate her birthday! Special Thanks to Uncle John and Aunt Sue! You guys were such servants to us as we went through the whole experience with Lydia. Thomas loved his time with his Uncle and Aunt! Thanks again, we love you guys so much, and we have no idea what we would do without you!
We are currently in Pune, India visiting a seminary. So far this has been an awesome trip. We have been amazed at how God is working in this country. It feels like we have been here for weeks. We've done outreach in the slums of Mumbai, networked with local churches, visited a school in the slums, and loved on kids at an orphanage. Tonight we leave Pune and drive back to Mumbai and get on a plane to Bangkok. I'll update more later.
So, it's been since Thanksgiving. That's a really long time to go without updating those that keep up with the Parmers. I guess our lives since Thanksgiving have been absolutely crazy, so blogging has been placed on the back burner. But, I have a little time with Ben being away to catch up on some much needed updates!!! Mostly, I will post pics, because I feel like the kids have changed so much. They are doing many new things, the most recent news is that TW (Thomas Wilson) has his first tooth as of yesterday, and Lydi has four new teeth as of two days ago! Yeah, two babies cutting teeth (six total) and my husband is on the other side of the world. If that doesn't warrant prayer, I'm not sure what does!
Here are some fun pics of time with family and just some random cute shots. I'll post more soon.
Hands down this is my favorite picture that I've taken since we've been here. We were able to go and spend the night with my Grandma and Papoo and this is a picture taken while Granny was telling Lydi stories before she went to bed. My Grandma is a really great story teller, I can remember her telling me stories before I went to sleep at night. What a special time and fun memories!
Hanging out with my PawPaw. Thanks for the hat Aunt Kellie!
I just love this picture. This is how our son wakes up every morning as happy as he can be! This picture is taken at my Dad's and this is about the fourth place we had moved his bed, but he doesn't care. He just wakes up so happy, I had to capture it!
I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture, but Lydi is eating strawberries. This might not seem like a big deal, but to Lydi and me it is! We hardly ever eat strawberries in PR, so G-Mommy got some for us as a treat! We love them (the strawberries and G-Mommy).
I mean, is he cute or what??? Ben finally found this hat that looks so good on him (we have searched for one since last year), and so we thought it would probably look good on TW as well. Looks like we were right!
We made it. Got here last night. I Thought that I would be able to use my phone for email and text messages but that isn't working out. So I will have limited access to email and communcation but will take every opportunity that I can to communicate.
it was a long long long flight...over 15 hours from ATL to Mumbai and a total travel time of 24 hours. I slept for about a combined 1 hour the entire time of traveling. I slept for about 4 hours once we arrived and I feel good this morning.
This place is overwhelming...the smells... the poverty...the masses of people...it's hard to explain...hard to understand.
Today, we will visit one of the largest church movements in the city. Chris will be preaching tonight...pray for him. Pray for me as I prepare my sermon for Sunday. I will be preaching at 7pm here. There is roughly a 12 hour time difference between here and there (central time).
I’m (Ben) back in Puerto Rico getting ready for our trip to India and Thailand while Nikki and the kids remain in the states. We will be leaving Wednesday and heading to Mumbai, India. We will be in India for a week and then head to Thailand for a week before coming back to PR. I hope to update the blog every time I have access to the internet. I’ll write more each day as we get ready to leave with details and thoughts.
