Holiday Pictures

We’d been wanting to get our family pictures taken for quite some time, but we also wanted to wait until Emery was a bit more energetic. For those that know her, she’s always smiling and we refer to her as Skittles, Happy Baby, Miss E., Pumpkin and E. And being that we have amazing friends that take awesome photos, all of this came together on a fantastic early winter day.
We chose a park near a home that sits on top of a little hill and has some fantastic white trees that are neatly spaced to allow for some incredible photos. Our great friend Melissa Warner took some awesome shots and we couldn’t be more thrilled with how they turned out. The boys were very patient throughout the whole thing and Emery did such an amazing job.
What an amazing day to get some great shots as a family. We’re excited at how they turned out and can’t wait to get more of these as our little family grows.

Dear Santa

So, to start this one off, we are so excited this year for Christmas! The boys finally fully understand who Santa is, what he does and the real meaning of Christmas. What we didn’t expect was how excited they would be to get the ‘wish list’ off to Santa.
One Family Home Evening we decided to have them cut out pictures of what they wanted from the many advertisements that have flooded our house. We honestly wanted to get an idea ourselves of what their list looked like. It really is a little sad to see how ‘commercialized’ Christmas has become though. We try really hard to instill within our boys the true meaning of Christmas, that what we are really celebrating is Jesus' birth, and definitely that Santa can’t bring everything that they want. We want them to be thankful for what they have. They understood, but that didn’t stop them from cutting out almost everything!
And it didn’t stop with just that Monday night’s activity. A number of times we would catch Lucas going through the newspaper, taking out the Toys R’ Us, Target or Fred Meyer Ad, pulling out his scissors, and sitting down at his desk to cut out even more toys! We told him that we had already mailed their lists to Santa, and he politely informed us that he was working on his list for the next year!

"Dear Santa....please have some of these toys for Christmas. I have been a good boy. -Dylan"

"Dear Santa, please have some of these toys. I listen to mommy and daddy. I don't hit my brother. -Lucas"

What a blessing it is to not only be parents, but be parents to twin boys who are the delights of our lives. Their genuine love for this time of the season is reflected in their excitement in the little things; Santa lists, asking us to go down a certain road every night we come home to see the Christmas lights on nearly every home, and the joy they get by singing (more like belting!!) Jingle Bells. To Dylan and Lucas, thank you for your bright little spirits that make us as parents so proud. We love you!

Here we go.....

So, I need to get in a ton of posts before the year is officially over, so here we go.....

Christensen Thanksgiving in the mud!

Since we have such a large extended family, we decided to do Thanksgiving a little earlier with Teage’s family this year. We settled on the weekend of November 12th as that is Jesse’s birthday. He would have been 35 and we wanted to do something together with Teage’s brothers and sisters. There was a special 5K scheduled for that day in North Bend. It’s an annual run and it’s called the Pineapple Dash. Essentially you get dressed up in Hawaiian gear and run over and through obstacles as a team. You get really muddy and at the end there’s a slip n’ slide that you do. Tawna flew into town with Brook and Susie. A few days before the event Teage threw out his back so Tawna, Brett, Sunni and Brook ended up running the race. Here are a few pictures of the event, of which they finished 23rd over-all for a mixed team for times. Not bad for a bunch of Polynesians!

After the run, everyone came back to our place to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. And guess what? I cooked my very first turkey! In fact, I cooked two of them. I now feel like a real live grown-up! We had the works for dinner....turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, etc. It ended up being a fantastic meal!

Over-all, it was a fun weekend to spend with Teage’s family and to get to know Susie so much better. We hadn’t seen Brook and Susie for almost two years and seeing them and getting to chat with Susie was awesome. Brook has someone really special and we’re so glad to have her as part of our family. And....the kiddos had a blast with all of their cousins!

Although we were all together this weekend, it did seem a little incomplete without Jesse physically being there. We did sing happy birthday to him and talked a little about him. It’s still hard to believe that it’s been 6 years since he passed away. But knowing that he is watching over all of us brings a sense of happiness, joy and peace. We look forward to continuing this tradition of family, mud and memories for years to come!

Jake and Spiderman!

Halloween was so fun this year with the boys. They have finally gotten into the tradition of costumes and candy, to the extreme! Once the boys decided who they wanted to be and we bought the costumes, they didn't want to take them off! I think they asked me just about every day if they could wear their costumes for the entire day. Even after Halloween was over. The day after they were asking me how long it was going to be until it was Halloween again. :)

This year Dylan decided to be Jake from his favorite Disney show 'Jake and the Neverland Pirates'. Jake is a "good" pirate who saves the day all the time and Dylan just thinks he is the coolest. So, we went and found a pirate costume for him and he was so excited and happy about it.

Lucas went the superhero route, deciding to be Spiderman this year. He was so excited about his new-found muscles that he was showing everyone who would watch! He even got a fun spiderweb on his face for our church Halloween party this year, which he thought was really cool.

We even dressed Emery up, even though she wasn't so excited about being a big puff ball. :) Her costume was a chick, and she was so stinking cute in it! She really didn't enjoy the "hat" but we couldn't resist putting it on her for some pictures at least.

Isn't she adorable??

Our family right before trick or treating. Teage and I even got into it! And the boys ended up getting SO much candy, we may have left overs for the entire year.

The boys with their buddy at the church party

Pumpkins

I think one of the most difficult parts of losing a loved one is getting "back" to real life again. I am a mom of three children, I can't just turn my brain off for a few days. As much as I would like to at times.....

So, I decided to blog about some of the fun things that my family has been doing lately, and there are a lot of those things, thankfully. I will start with catching up though....

We were a little late out of the gate for Halloween this year. We didn't get our pumpkins until just a few days before, didn't finalize the boys' costumes until just before, etc. They didn't seem to mind though, so that was a good thing. Just a day before, we finally got around to actually carving our pumpkins, and the boys were not so sure about this practise. It was hilarious actually, Teage was much more excited then the boys were and thought up of all these elaborate designs he wanted to do. The boys took one look at the "guts" of the pumpkin and decided they would rather play baseball. :) In the end, they got to pick what Daddy put on each of their pumpkins, and thought they were pretty cool once done. And the seeds were a delicious treat as well. :) We even got Emery a small one and put an E on it for her.

Dad

My stepmom did a beautiful job writing an extended obituary for Dad. She put so much thought and love into it, I thought I would share:

David Bruce Parkinson

November 25, 1953 – November 12, 2011

After six years of a determined and courageous battle against cancer, Dave died at home in the arms of his wife and best friend. With great sorrow, he leaves behind his loving and beloved wife Lisa, his four children Erin (Teage), Sean, Lindsey, and David, grandchildren Dylan, Lucas, and Emery, and brothers Ken(Judy) and Roger(Lisa). Dave attended Highline High School, where he played baseball and the saxophone, participated in Hi-Liners Musical Theater, and formed many life-long friendships. He was proud to be a University of Washington alumnus, having earned a master’s degree in civil engineering. He worked for the Coachella Valley Water District for two years, followed by ten years with the Seattle Water Department, then spent the remainder of his career as a Water Resources Manager with CH2M Hill.

He loved history, travel, fine wine, Hawaii, the ocean, Husky football, Mariners baseball, and over-the-top Christmas light displays. Most of all, he loved being a husband, father, and grandfather. When Dave became interested in something, he would immerse himself in it: An interest in American history led him to read about it voraciously, including a book, in chronological order, about every American president. After that, he had started the process of reading about all the English kings. An interest in wines led him to visit dozens of wineries and begin a collection. His enjoyment of Christmas lights led him to create holiday displays that are regularly featured in newspapers and attract thousands of visitors.

When he did something, he did it big. Dave was grateful to have had enough time to cross some things off his ''bucket list'': He had been monitoring the progress of the development of the Chevy Volt for 5 years, hoping to be able to own one some day; earlier this year he became the proud owner of the first Volt in Washington. For one game during each of the last two seasons, he rented a luxury suite at Safeco Field and watched a Mariners game in style with his extended family. Two years ago he traveled to Europe for the first time, bringing his children with him, where the whole family fell in love with the Tuscany region of Italy. And last year, he was able to take another trip with his beloved family, grandchildren too this time, to his favorite place to travel - the Big Island of Hawaii.Dave was a man of great integrity, intellect, and profound love for his family.

He was honored to be the father of four wonderful children, and “Papa” to three beautiful grandchildren. His hazel eyes and photogenic smile; his love of the game of baseball; his strength of purpose; his strong work ethic; his calm and thoughtful approach to solving problems; his intelligence and curiosity about the world around him; his empathy for those who are vulnerable; the value he placed on education; his love for and dedication to his cherished family; these things and more will live on in the children and grandchildren he so loved. His passing leaves a deep ache in the lives of the many who loved him in return.

An endowment in Dave’s name is being established at the University of Washington. This endowment will benefit the UW College of Engineering in perpetuity. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Dave, remembrances may be made to the University of Washington Foundation (DBP), c/o UW College of Engineering, Box 352180, Seattle WA 98195-2180.

For My Dad

I am not sure I am ready to write about Dad quite yet, but I tend to express my feelings through pictures. So, I made a slideshow for him, mainly of the two of us and our relationship together. I miss you Daddy....

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Fun Photo Shoot

When Emery turned 4 months we decided to do an impromptu photo shoot with the kiddos. I just wanted a few of all three kids while she was still this young. The day was beautiful, one of the last sunny warm days of the fall. We were able to use our friends' front yard with their fun bench, and it turned out really well! I absolutely love some of these shots!!!

4 Months

Now that Miss Emery is already 5 months old, I guess I better blog about her 4 month milestones. :)

Our little missy has started to become such an adorable little girl. Some of her very favorite things are smiling at her family, wanting to stay awake so she wouldn't miss anything, and eating as much as possible. I am thankful this girl can eat! I think that rice cereal is just going to be the beginning! :)

Emery is so aware of what is going on around her. She will strain her neck just to see what everyone else is doing. She is also miss independant, wanting already to do things on her own. She is wanting to hold her own bottle, even though she can't quite do it. She is turning over from front to back and back to front, and already wanting to follow her brothers around, even if it is just by turning her head. And I absolutely LOVE the way her face lights up when one of us comes into the room. She is also very particular, especially when it comes to sleep. I am pretty much the only one who can get her to sleep, something about the way I feed her, rock her, etc. She also has to be swaddled super tight, upright a bit, and have her binky in her mouth. Once it falls out, crying ensues. Thankfully, she is getting a bit better everyday. I can already see the signs though....this little one is going to give me a run for my money when she gets older! :)

AND.....her eyes are still blue!!!!! WOHOO!!!!!!!!!