Good Things Come in Small Packages...

And we couldn't me more excited about the tiny package that should arrive in our home right around Christmas this year! Baby Parker the Second, affectionately dubbed "Dos", is hard at work growing those brain cells and sprouting fingers and toes. Our precious gift is due December 23.

Mommy is doing well, Daddy is thrilled and big brother is likely to be forever confused about the definitions of the words "baby" and "tummy" because for some reason people keep pointing to mommy's belly and saying "baby!" It's a complicated world for a little guy.

Please keep our little one in your prayers for healthy growth and a safe arrival.

Catching Up!

I apologize for having gotten so terribly behind on my updates. I decided to do a number of separate posts and save them as the dates they should have been written. So you can either scroll down and read them all or click the following links that are of interest to you.

Bon Voyage!
Jeff and Stacey take to the high seas on a fabulous Caribbean cruise.

Bye Bye City Home!
Could it be true that we're going to close the sale of our condo?

Date Night
Bennett and Stacey's night on the town.

Belated Mother's Day
My boys spoil me. I love being a mommy.

Belated Mother's Day

Since Jeff was out of town last weekend we decided to postpone our Mother's Day celebration. I was sweetly surprised when my precious boys woke me up Saturday morning with breakfast in bed, a beautiful rose and an appointment for a 90 minute (that's an hour and a half people!) pedicure scheduled for that afternoon. We enjoyed a laid-back day together as a family. My favorite! And, if anyone is asking, my 90 minute pedicure was divine.

Check out what a difference a year makes! Pictures from mother's day last year and this year.

I could not be happier to be mom to this darling little boy. Bennett brings such joy to my life each and every day. I feel so blessed and challenged to have been given the responsibility for this priceless treasure. I hope and pray that I am daily growing towards becoming the godly woman that he needs to guide him as he grows.

Thank you Lord for my son!

Flashback #2

Since I still can't get my pictures on my computer I thought I'd share a little moment from my pre-blogging days when Bennett was about five months old.

To get a good nap out of Bennett today I laid down with him on our bed this afternoon. I was reading a book next to him and eventually dozed off myself. As I was waking up I was conscious of the sound of rustling paper but it didn't make much sense in my half-asleep state. I opened my eyes to find my darling child covered in tiny bits of paper and this:




I thought I was raising a baby, not a puppy!

I have no idea how much paper he consumed but he seems to be doing fine. I'll just consider his afternoon snack to be a little extra fiber for his diet.

Date Night

Jeff was out of town this weekend and so Saturday Bennett and I treated ourselves to our first mommy and son date night. We found a little Tex/Mex (mommy's favorite!) place just down the road from our house and decided to check it out.

Bennett was a sweetheart. He smiled and waved and everyone who walked by and stuffed himself silly with avocado, beans, tortillas and even some of my enchilada. I enjoyed an evening out with my precious son and hope that it is just the first of many!

Bye Bye City Home!

Fabulous news! We finally have a contract on our condo! We couldn't be more excited about becoming a single-mortgage family. Closing is set for May 22!

I thought I would be sad to leave the cute little place Jeff and I came home to after our honeymoon. It is where we became "The Parkers", where I learned to make Jeff's favorite meals, where hope sprang and was crushed with each Mavs season, where we became parents and where Bennett spent his first year of life.

But I'm not too sad. I'm ready to have my furniture back! We left almost all of our furnishings there so the condo would remained "staged" for potential buyers. Therefore we've been living like college kids...sleeping on a mattress on the floor , eating at a card table, sitting on a hand-me-down couch (thanks Mom and Dad!) to watch TV which is sitting on an end table. All of our books, movies, office supplies, etc. are still in boxes because we don't have a our book cases, armoire or desk.

Seriously though, God has taught us a lot about trusting him day to day as our carefully laid plans didn't go exactly as we hoped or expected. It is a joy to tell you that He has been more than faithful to provide for all our our needs. He has given us peace and patience with our circumstances that looked different than we had envisioned. When one began to feel restless, stressed or anxious Jeff and I were able to take turns reminding the other of the ways the Lord has always cared for us.

I know that financial uncertainty is a small thing compared to the challenges and heartbreak that so many people face. I count this as one more way we can look back on and remember His faithfulness to us when difficult circumstances arise in the future.

And even if for some reason this deal falls apart in the eleventh hour I will still say, "God is good!".

Bon Voyage!

Jeff and I had a wonderful opportunity to go on a "work cruise" with our great friends/neighbors Rob and Haley. "What exactly is a work cruise?" you might ask. Well, in this case Rob and Jeff's company (Igniter Media) was a sponsor of a worship conference that took place on a cruise ship. The company paid the sponsorship, Rob and Jeff taught a class about media and worship and voilà, we all went on vacation! What a deal!

Jeff and I enjoyed our first cruise experience. It was incredibly relaxing. We got to spend a lot of time in the sun, do a little shopping, a lot of eating, plenty of napping. Jeff played in and won a dodge ball tournament. We did some rock wall climbing. I even read two books! We also bested Rob and Haley at Spades and went parasailing for the first time.

Four nights is the longest I've ever been away from Bennett but he was in great hands with my parents and sister and we all survived. Jeff and I both missed him greatly but it was easy to call home and get updates. I'm not sure he even noticed we were gone as much fun as he had at Gran and Papa J's. It was a sweet reunion when we returned.

I was kind of a slacker about taking pictures while we were gone but here are a few from our trip.

Practicing for a potential "Titanic"moment.

My attempt at haggling over the price of a pair of earrings.

In Nassau with Rob and Haley.

The knock-you-on-your-behind (or your face) waves at the beach in Nassau. Good sandy, salty fun!

I'm so glad Jeff believed me when I told him I was pretty sure we needed to pack for a formal dinner night.

Jeff at dodge ball. I have to brag on my husband. At one point in a critical match his three team mates were all out and Jeff was facing down three guys at one time. In a matter of a couple of minutes he took all three of them down with his quickness and accuracy. I was so proud!

A pretty sunset.

Haley and I model our sassy new bags.

Parasailing in Key West was fun!

Showing off our ultra-luxe and spacious accommodations.