Upwards Basketball---Season #3 begins

The boys started their new season of Upwards Basketball. The season actually started last Saturday, but with a super busy week, I forgot to post any pictures. The boys are really excited, as they both made 5 baskets in their game today (but, who's counting??? :) ) It is an excellent ministry in our church, as only 30 of the 185 players are from our church. It is an excellent opportunity to meet families from the community and invite them to our church. The boys have a blast, too.

As I post this blog, it reminds me of my first post, exactly two years ago. This post was also regarding Upwards basketball. I have to thank Danielle for getting me started in this endeavor. It has been a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. Thanks for all who visit and leave comments, too.

Well, here are some pictures from last week. The boys have been pretty excited about football lately, but it was good to see them focus on another sport.

More of our Get-away

Family Get-away

Christmas break ends this next week for both the boys and myself. So, before we all headed back to school, we took one last "HOORAH!" It was a nice get-away for two days. I will show some of my favorite pictures from each activity, but use the slide show to get the rest displayed.

We started with another day at Knott's Berry Farm. Andrew experienced his first "real" roller coaster. It was Wesley's favorite, so he talked Andrew into going on with him. Andrew ended up riding it four times total. The picture below is of the three kids on the kiddy coaster.


After spending a night at a hotel, we went to Anaheim to spend the day Friday. We started at Camelot Golfland and Laser Tag.

To kill some time, we went to see the Angels' stadium.

Our last activity was a hockey game Friday night at the Honda Center to watch the Anaheim Ducks play. I was worried that Brooke would not stay awake during the whole game, but we were all completely entertained for the duration.

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year! I use to be an advocate of resolutions; however, after repeated years of not keeping them or feeling discouraged about my failure in accomplishing as much as I had hoped, I threw out the whole resolution idea. This year is different for me! I have set two major goals, which I will not share. They are very personal items that I have set as a target for myself in my own personal life. See, this year is somewhat important to me: the 9's have always been years of significance in my life. Let me explain what I mean:

1969: I was not alive during this year, but my parents got married in 1969 and that was important in my own welfare :)

1979: This was the year that I developed Type I juvenile diabetes. As a young child, my life changed dramatically. I will never know what it is like to be "guilt-free" in eating. I must continually juggle the amount of activity I do with the foods I eat, the stress I am under, and the amount of insulin I have taken. The Lord gave me a disease that I can live with, and He has used it in many ways to bring His name glory; however, 1979 was the start of the lifelong challenge for me.

1989: This was probably one of the funnest years of my life. I graduated from high school and started college at Maranatha. As a young adult, I really enjoyed myself and my new-found freedoms.

1999: This was the year that I gave my birth to my firstborn, Wesley. I love being a mother, and it all started in 1999.

That brings us to 2009. These former 9's, you must admit, were all life-changing and rather climactic events. So, the question looms......What will happen to me in 2009??????

I am not worried, nor am I apprehensive. You see, I am not superstitious, either. I don't think the number of the year plays any role in life events. But....you must admit, it is rather ironic.

Some Christmas Pics

Children's choir at Ventura Baptist Church

Gramma bought Brooke her Christmas dress (with dolly to match!). She was our Christmas princess.
Andrew and Wesley were part of our children's choir this year. I was happy to be able to help direct. They played bells also, which was fun for me. It brought back the days of Maranatha Handbell choir.

The children were asked to come forward as our family pastor shared the Christmas story with them. Brooke got right behind the choir risers, which made for an interesting picture. It was a fun day of worship and praise this Christmas season.

Look at Brooke! She is five

When I asked Brooke what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday she said, "Chocolate with chocolate frosting." I asked her what kind of shape or design she wanted. The kids usually get creative with their cakes, and I have fun doing that with them. Brooke said simply, "I want triangles." So, it was not too hard for this math teacher to figure out how to cut a rectangle into some triangles.


To celebrate Brooke's birthday, we had a "girl's day out." Brooke, her best friend Malia, and I went out for lunch at Applebees (Brooke's request), played some games/rides at Chuck E Cheese, and then the girls got their nails done.


We bought Brooke a bike for her birthday. Last night, after dark, she was out riding on the back patio.

Wesley and "The Three Trees"

Wesley's class did a reading/acting in the elementary chapel service today. They did "The Three Trees." It is a good story about how three trees wanted to be something great and were disappointed when they were made into a trough, fishing boat and a plain board. They later grew to realize their use by the master as they played the part of the manger, the boat from which He calmed the storm, and the cross upon which he died. Wesley did the main narrating part, and he did an excellent job. It is fun to see his "drama" side. To read the full story, click on the link: http://www.pennyparker2.com/trees.html

We got snow!

The kids were just watching a Christmas cartoon (Charlie Brown's Christmas) and we noticed that we are under a winter advisory. It was also nice to wake up this morning, and while taking the boys to school, see the snow covered mountains. I just wanted to let all of my mid-west family know that, though we live in CA, we still get to enjoy the beautiful snow (sort of). Now, I just have to persuade Gary to drive us up in the mountains over Christmas break to let us play in the snow :)

Christmas Traditions

Christmas brings out traditions in many people. I remember when we were first married, Gary and I started traditions of our own. I love them! One tradition we have with our children (and one that they love) is the Christmas advent calendar. Mamaw Beard started and created our first one. She filled each pocket with goodies for the kids. Since that time, we have mixed it up, but they always enjoy coming down the stairs each morning and opening their "pocket." Many of the pockets this year hold cards with different activities that we will do. These pictures are from our "let's build a gingerbread house today" card. The gingerbread house, in my opinion, does not taste that great, but it is great fun to create! So, a new tradition begins :)