Bluey Shooey (and Other Lake Adventures)

Last weekend we had the chance to hang out at Lake Conroe with our fabulous community group, minus the Penuel family (we missed you guys!). It was a wonderful time of relaxation and time with friends. We spent plenty of time in the sun, in the water (pool and lake) and chillin' on the screened porch.

The highlight of the trip was the BLUEBERRIES! It was opening weekend at a blueberry farm about half an hour from the house and we were all up, fed, and out the door, dressed in our berry pickin' best, by 8:30 Saturday morning.

At the farm we were handed buckets, directed to the prime real estate and told we were allowed to eat as much as we wanted right off the bushes. They don't use any pesticides or insecticides so all ripe fruit was fair game. Any extra berries that made their way into our buckets instead of our gullets were purchased at the bargain price of $1.50 per pound. What a deal!

It didn't take Bennett very long to remember that he really, REALLY likes blueberries. He was eating them about as fast as we could pull them off the branches. He quickly made friends with Charlotte, Lisa's three year old niece, as she fed him berries from her stash as well.

The boy was insatiable! He was downing berries by the fistful and there was no slowing him. He would toddle around until he found a bucketful to work on and then plop in the dirt to stuff his face. I wish we had weighed him on the way in and the way out to see how much he consumed.

We finally cut him off, thinking it might be possible to have too much of a good thing. The child even tried to pilfer some berries from the man in front of us in line to check out. As though he hasn't already consumed enough!

Poor kiddo was hot, tired and filthy dirty by the time we left. Jeff and I took home six pounds of the delicious fruit. All in I think our group of four couples picked over 30 pounds of blueberries!







Now, I'm sure that most of you moms that are ahead of me in your childrearing experience would not have been quite as surprised to find what I found that evening.

Yes, you guessed it.

Bennett had a HUGE, totally blue, berry-smelling blowout! It was the first of four major "Bluey Shooey" (credit to Russ Hulme for coining the phrase) diapers over the course of the next 24 hours. I could not believe how much blue poop came out of my darling child. It was absolutely amazing.

And, after the third or fourth diaper, his little bum was stained blue.

This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but you may notice the shadow of the stain creeping out between those sweet cheeks. For you to really get the full effect I would have had to take more graphic photos...so, you get the picture.


Lisa's mom made a couple of scrumptious blueberry pies AND homemade ice cream so we were all in blueberry heaven.

The rest of our time at the lake house was enjoyable and refreshing. Bennett loved the pool, he was pretty proud of himself to be walking around the wading pool like a big boy, but did not really enjoy swimming in the lake. I think he was freaked out by the sensation of floating with the life jacket on. We'll try again another time. The boat, on the other hand, was a hit. Especially since Mr. Clint let him "drive".





I know I only took pictures of my child (bad habit) but the weekend was really about getting away with some of our favorite people. The Lord has blessed us and our marriage so much through the encouragement, wisdom and friendship of these wonderful couples. We are all learning and growing together as we walk through life, striving to become better followers of Christ.

Thank you God for these wonderful people. They are all so precious to us!

Seeing Seattle

Over Memorial Day weekend Jeff, Bennett and I took a trip to Seattle with our fabulous friends Clint and Lisa Miller. Clint and Jeff are coworkers, we all serve together in Student Ministries and we're in the same community group. And now we are vacation buddies too. Good thing we all like each other!

The impetus for the trip was a wedding invitation from Joe, a a friend from Baylor that was in Chamber with Jeff and I. We decided a wedding was a great excuse for a mini vacation to a cool city. Somewhere along the way a long weekend morphed into to five days in Seattle with friends.

What a wonderful trip it was! I had never been to Seattle before and it is a beautiful city. We were lucky to experience two gorgeous days of sun and warm temperatures uncharacteristic of that area of the country. The locals were almost besides themselves with joy at the extra sunshine. I definitely still have the early-pregnancy queasiness and exhaustion going on so I didn't get to quite do and see as much as I would otherwise, but it was still a great trip.

Clint and Lisa have the fancy-schmancy camera which I covet (I'm saving my pennies for one of my very own) and I hope to share some of their pictures soon. For now I'll try to pare down my collection of less than stellar photos to a reasonable number that will give you a taste of our adventures.

Bennett entertained himself for much of the flight over by open and closing the bathroom door. Again and again. And again. Are we bad parents for allowing our child to play in airplane bathrooms to avoid a meltdown? I think the other passengers probably would answer "no".

With so much baby gear to haul across the country we decided to forgo a stroller and just use this backpack (thanks Rob and Haley!). I can say, as the one who did very little of the carrying, that it worked out great! Here Jeff totes Bennett back to the hotel for a nap after a yummy lunch at Noodle Ranch on the day of our arrival. Sweet B was asleep before we made it to the room.

I think Jeff looked like one hot dad schlepping his baby across town in that backpack.

Seattle's downtown library is super-cool with interesting architecture and unique interior decor. The children's library is hot pink, there is an intense red stairwell and hallway and, my favorite, neon green escalators.

Thursday evening we drove around the outskirts of the city, checking out the neighborhoods and stopping to take pictures of the gorgeous surroundings. I'm thinking I wouldn't hate to live with this view from my backyard.

Friday morning we were up early (Bennett seemed to think 5 am was a good time to be up and at 'em). After a steep walk down the the waterfront we enjoyed a yummy, filling breakfast at Lowell's in Pike's Place Market.

Jeff and Bennett outside the market. We shopped for fruit and picked up some sandwiches for the day's planned outing to the mountains.

The drive up to the top of the mountain took a bit longer than anticipated. While stopped for roadwork inside Olympic National Park we gave in to our hunger and enjoyed our picnic in the car.

This was a reassuring sign upon entering the Welcome Center.

Gorgeous. Simply amazing.

Possibly my favorite picture of the trip. The Parker family relaxing and enjoying God's fabulous creation.

Bennett was a little unsure about the snow. For a new walker it is a challenging surface.

We had planned on some hiking during our "nature day". As we weren't adequately dressed for the snow and biting wind at the top of the mountain we drove down a bit to find some warmer temps.

Lisa, Clint, Jeff and Bennett enjoyed a beautiful mountain hike while I stayed in the car for a much-needed preggo-nap. It was fabulous.

Saturday morning we just walked around downtown a bit. My favorite area was Pioneer Square. Beautiful!

Jeff, Bennett and I grabbed a pizza lunch at this tiny Italian restaurant. Cute, huh?

I have a very long story that explains why Jeff and I made it to the wedding that brought us to Seattle just in time to see the lovely couple leave the church, already husband and wife. But this entry is long enough already.

Suffice it to say we missed the ferry across the sound. Twice. The drive the long way around gave us plenty of time to let go of our extreme frustration.

Clint and Lisa were so kind to take Bennett for the day so we could attend the wedding (er...reception). Joe and Blythe could not have asked for better weather for their lovely outdoor reception. Here we are with the happy couple and the rest of the Baylor crew. Sic 'em!

Sunday morning my precious, amazing, fabulous husband took our early-bird boy out for a walk around town and let me sleep in dark, quiet hotel bliss!

Then we joined up with the Millers and went to church at Mars Hill. We scoped out a huge REI and had a fantastic lunch that (surprise!) ended up really cheap because of their unadvertised half-off Sundays. Sweet!

Sunday night we had our "grown-ups night out". Before leaving Dallas we researched childcare options and decided to leave our darling child with a stranger from a highly-recommended babysitting service. The sweet, grandmotherly figure came to our hotel and made the easiest $64 of her life reading and watching TV. B was asleep before we left and made not a peep the entire time we were gone.

On to our date night. We ate at the A.MAZ.ING. Dahlia Lounge of renowned Chef Tom Douglas. The food was delectable, the service impeccable and the decor lovely and intriguing. Good choice Clint!

After dinner we used up the rest of the babysitter's minimum four hours by finding a coffee house (not hard to do in Seattle) and playing a mean game of Spades, girls against boys. We haven't finished yet, but upon leaving Seattle the girls were in the lead.

Before leaving on Monday we headed back to the market where Lisa and I got to witness the fabled fish-throwing in action. They really do it! I didn't catch a picture of the fish in air, so you'll have to trust me. Lisa and I felt that this was an appropriate conclusion to round out our Seattle experience.

We wised up and didn't check the car seat on the flight home in hopes of getting an extra seat on board (since we didn't by Bennett a ticket). We were blessed with the extra room and the B Boy flew home in style.

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.