Seasons of Thanks

I decided this year to have a basket of blessings on our dinner table throughout the month of November. We have little slips of paper that we write our blessings on and then throw them in the basket. We've all been doing it throughout the day and even Li Na has joined in:) I can't wait until Thanksgiving Day to get all of our blessings out of the basket giving Thanks to the Lord for each gift we've been given!!!

As I've added my own blessings to the basket I've thought about all the things the Lord has done for us over the past (almost) six years. We have been through our fair share of trials and transitions, but the more I ponder all of those things the more I realize that without all of those "tough" things we would not have half of the blessings that we have scribbled on those pieces of paper. That basket is full of blessings because God in His perfect timing with His perfect love and faithfulness has taken our family on a journey that is written specifically for us and for our good.

I am humbled as we move into this season of thanks. I LOVE this time of year, and I am hoping to be acutely aware of how blessed I am as I look back on where I've been and as I look ahead to where God is leading!

I have also been making a little Christmas keepsake book for our family. "Through the Years" is the theme that keeps coming to my mind. It's been so fun to look back on each Christmas we've spent together and how things have changed. So, I'll give you the "blog" version. Things have definitely changed for our family even though it's only been six years!!!

Christmas 2006- This was taken in our apartment in Birmingham. I was seven months pregnant with Lydia. We were raising support to go to Puerto Rico. This picture represented how we would react when we reached 100% of our goal!2007- We were living in Ben's grandparents house in Wedowee still raising support to leave for Puerto Rico. I was about 3 months pregnant with Thomas.

2008- Living in Puerto Rico. This was the first time I wore shorts and short-sleeves putting up our Christmas Tree! Side-note: I wasn't pregnant in this picture!

2009- Recently moved to Montgomery, AL. Six months pregnant with Sam:)

2010- Still in Montgomery, AL, but in a different house. Here's the crazy thing about this picture. Lord willing, we will be sitting under this same mantle in this year's picture. As you can see we have celebrated Christmas in a different place every year.

This will be our third Christmas here in Montgomery and our second Christmas in our house. The only difference this year is that our kids are bigger and we have a dog. Another side-note: I will not be pregnant in this year's picture;)

Thanks for sharing the past with me now let's all look with hope and great joy to the future that God has for each of us and our families!!!

Forgot one...

I had to add this picture of TW. I don't know what it is about this boy, but he has completely stolen my heart! I think it may be all of the trauma we went through during his birth. He is the sweetest little guy, and I am so thankful for him!!!

Has it been Six Months?!?!

I have sat down numerous times to post something new from the "Parmer's Perspective," and I could give about 50 reasons why I haven't. Here are just a few... we have had 12 cases of strep in our home since the beginning of May, I have three small children, we adopted a puppy, I take all my pictures on my phone, and I'm too lazy to take the time to e-mail them to myself and post them, the list could go on. But, tonight my kids were asleep by 7:45 and just in case anyone is still checking to see if we're alive I thought I would take some time to post a few of my favorite pics from the last six months. I would love to sit down and write the details that I have missed in not posting, but that really overwhelms me. So, here are some pictures, and I'll try to post more often!
(Sorry these pics are so small, I know what I did wrong and I'll fix it next time!)

This is the newest member of the Parmer Family. Meet Joanna (JoJo)!!! We love, love,love this dog. She is our 10 month old Pit Bull Terrier Mix that we adopted in May.

Sam absolutely loves to mow the lawn! On this particular Sat. it was blazing hot, so he had to have a bandanna on just like daddy! (he doesn't actually mow, but he really enjoys riding in the backpack)

Thomas is still very much attached to his "mimi." I think he will end up taking it to college with him, but that's OK with me:)


Not sure if you can tell because the pic is so small, but today the kids were coloring in their Publix coloring books and Sam decided that he should color his face!

Yes, this is JoJo in our bed! She is sleeping and so is Ben. Let me just say that Ben loves this dog so much! At first he didn't even want her in the house, but as you can see he has since changed his tune!

The Birthday Boy

Today is our little guy's first birthday. Wow, how this year has flown by!!! I remember this time last year "vacationing" in the hospital. I had no idea what life was going to be like with three babies, and this afternoon I sit here realizing that this house is no longer full of babies. We have a little girl who is growing so quickly, a boy who is becoming more and more independent (now no longer in diapers, thank goodness!), and our baby who is now a year old... almost walking, and loving life! This precious gift has been our most challenging one of the three in different ways from food allergies to quite the dynamic and determined personality. He is throwing fits at a year old that Lydi began to throw when she turned three. OH MY!

All that to say that I have mixed feelings about the fact that everyone is a year older, and I know that I will not be having another baby. I will never again experience that first full year. As hard as it has been at times I will miss certain aspects of it. I know that Ben and I both feel that our family is not yet complete, but we will not be having anymore biological Parmers; however, I know that out there somewhere are babies that will one day join our family. Who knows when or how it will work out, but for now I will be content with my three kiddos that are teaching me so much. I am so thankful for their lives, and I am so thankful that the Lord loves them more than I could ever think of loving them. That's hard to imagine...

We are celebrating Sam's birthday today, but I am celebrating life in general. Thankful for his life and his first year, but looking forward to the many FUN years to come!!!

Some fun facts about Sam:
- He makes this amazing sound that literally sounds like a wild animal. It's quite impressive, and I'm pretty sure my hearing will forever be damaged.
- He is little, but it's because he is NEVER still. Even in his sleep he is active!!!
- He loves to play in the toilet, and putting the lid down only makes him want to do it more.
- He laughs at everything; mostly his brother and sister.
- He is not very fond of riding in the car.
- He loves to swing.
- He crawls faster than Thomas walks.
- He has brought me so much joy as a mom. I LOVE watching him interact with the world around him. I love watching his determined spirit solve problems and figure things out when they won't quite go his way. I have a feeling his toddler years are going to be very interesting. I think we need better insurance:)
Happy Birthday our Samo!!!!!!