old friends. new babies!

how sweet it is to gather with your oldest friends! the glencoe girls recently got together for our annual christmas reunion...and we all got introduced to precious jackson, the little boy our friend amy just adopted...whom many of you prayed for! ginny has started her first teaching job and is really enjoying it, holly was back for her first visit from germany and got to meet anna caroline and see amanda as a mommy for the first time... and update us on life overseas. it was a fun night! God has been so faithful to all of us this year through granting us health, the provision of new jobs, safe travel and new babies!

a home for gingerbread men

last night, we in the parris household made our first gingerbread house.
the boys LOVED it! sumner said it was more fun than Zoolight Safari :)
they did all the decorating, except for the "snow....i found this craft very addicting and had to die to any perfectionism that i might would have exercised during this family activity!
i could totally go buy more of these sets and spend hours making these little houses. but, alas, there is no time for that!
amazingly, we had enough candy to decorate the house with....grayson would eat one gumdrop for every one he placed on the house ;)

kids say the darndest things....

a few recent quotes from the boys....

Grayson to Mommy-"Did you get married?"
Me-"Yes, I married Daddy"
"Who are you going to marry?"
Grayson-"Suhner!"
Me-"You can't marry Sumner, silly! You are a boy and need to marry a girl."
After some thought, Grayson said, " I'm gonna marry Mommy!"

*exactly what a mommy wants to hear :)


Upon coming downstairs from room-time, Sumner, dressed in Jamie's work gloves, a cowboy hat, and carrying his K'nex container, he looks at me through squinted eyes (his mean face) and says, "I'm going to take all your nickels and dimes!"
(pretending to be a bank robber....a great aspiration :)


Studying his drawing of Mary and Joseph from school, Sumner said, "Mom, What if it happened this way? What if Jesus was in the trough and got eaten by the animals?"



Also, we've been trying to explain smoking to Sumner and why it's bad for you. From time to time we'll see someone out in public who is smoking and this sparks conversation. After explaining that smoking hurts our bodies and can make you sick and die, Sumner pointed out a man smoking and said, "You reckon he'll die?"
Yes, my child used the word "reckon."
I told him that he might if he continued to smoke and Sumner said "I reckon He wants to die."


After I closed the door to Grayson's room for naptime, he starts yelling, "HEY! HEY! Come back Jessi-ka!!!"


And one more....
When putting Grayson down the other night, I told him, "I love you sooooo much, Grayson Ford." He replied, "I love you, Mommy Ford."