Our Dancing Queen

Coco just finished her first semester of dance class at JUMP Dance Academy in Lakewood Ranch. The first day of class she walked right in and never seemed to feel "new." I'm so proud of this part of her personality and hope it stays. There were a few bumps along the road to recital but overall she did great. Right now she says she wants to play soccer in lieu of dance class this fall but we'll see.

This is a picture of one of the "bumps." Coco is at the end pouting in protest to the Cinderella song chosen for the recital dance. She said the song "was horrible."

Sigh...she looks so grown up here.

This is her favorite dance move: the arabesque.

Mommy, Coco & Daddy after the recital.

I have to share this story. As we were walking in to drop her off backstage, I was trying to be enthusiastic and pump her up for the big show. She looked at me and said: "Mom, don't be so excited. This isn't a treat. " What do you say in response to that? Nothing.

I was so nervous before her class went on but she did so good! I caught her doing some of the steps before the teacher so she definitely knew her stuff! Her favorite part: dancing on the stage. She doesn't seem to love dance just yet but maybe she will. Donald's goal in life since the day she was born is "to keep her off the pole." Yes, he tells people this. Let's hope he succeeds.

This is a picture of her sweet class.

Front row: Delaney, Abbey, Faith

Back row: Maddie, Coco, Hallie

Feelin' Good

Maybe I've been watching too much t.v. lately but when I think about writing this post, I can't seem to get the Weight Watchers commercial song out of my head. You know, the remix of Feeling Good Jennifer Hudson sings. "It's a new day, it's a new dawn, it's a new life...and I'm feelin' good!" Yes, the days that I miss my family & friends so much it literally hurts my heart are more frequent than I anticipated but, for the most part, I am "feelin' good. " God has laid out some pretty amazing opportunities very clearly for me. As a few of my nearest & dearest already know, Donald's company didn't exactly follow through with all of the monetary promises they made when he took the job. So up until about a month ago, I was (being forced) to consider the possibility of going back to work. Doing my best to justify and even convince myself it was right, God would NOT let me get peace about it. I had an interview for a GREAT job lined up and full-time childcare in place. But, literally 2 hours before the interview, I cancelled. The peace finally came when the giant knot in my stomach released & I again submitted to God's call* to stay at home with my children. During this time I was reading the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. (If you haven't read it, READ it!) Making a long story short, that book encouraged me to start praying for the impossible: a job where I didn't have to leave my children. Crazy, right? I'll spare the nitty gritty details but about a week later, I was at our new church meeting with the Children's Director about teaching at the Parent's Morning Out/Preschool program. What an answer to prayer! Even in the midst of my doubt, the Lord provided exactly what I prayed. This job is 3 mornings a week; Coco & Sebastian will go (to their respective classes) with me; it follows the school calendar year so I'll have plenty of breaks to make trips to Tennessee! So, beginning in September, I will start my official tenure as a (assistant) teacher in the 2 year old class. It seems as if I am following in both my mother's and my sister's footsteps. And I know from watching their experiences it is not an easy job and that most days I'll go home exhausted needing to nap with my kiddos. But I am so, so, so excited about this new adventure and can't wait to get started.

Here's part 2 of the story. This summer I will be a stay-at-home mom moonlighting as a bookseller at the adorable children's bookstore on LWR Main Street, Little Bookworms. I joke that this is really a "for me" job because it's just too much fun to call work! I worked my second shift yesterday and loved every minute of it. It feels so much like being back at the freckled frog which is probably why I enjoy it so much. I work very few hours a week but on the days I leave before Donald gets home, we landed the dream babysitter. Our next door neighbor walks over & plays with the kids to bridge the hour gap. Coco & Sebastian LOVE Leah! She is a super sweet high school girl and her mom is home to help if needed. I couldn't have orchestrated anything more perfect if I had planned for a year. God gets all the credit for this one too.

He is far better to us than we deserve but we sure are grateful and will always give Him the glory. As our blog is titled, we have truly been Blessed Beyond Measure and for now The Parr Family is feelin' good!

*Let me elaborate that I fully believe all moms are created perfectly and God's blueprint for my family looks a lot different than His blueprint for your family. Being a stay-at-home mom is as much a calling as being a working mother and is in no way better or more righteous. I know this can be a sensitive subject for some mommies and I don't want to project any judgment. God bless the working mothers reading this because I honestly don't know how you do it all!

My Little Models

I am beside myself excited! Coco and Sebastian got to model for the 2011 Fall Catalog of Sarah Louise children's clothes! Sarah Louise is a company based in England but their U.S. offices are headquartered in Sarasota. Since it is a brand that the freckled frog carries, Mom wanted to go visit her rep and the check out the facilities while she was in town visiting. In true "proud grandparent" fashion, they were showing pictures of the kids off while they were there. One of the owners asked how old Coco was because she needed a 4 year old model for a dress that didn't get finished for the first catalog photo shoot. We all went back the next day for a preliminary fitting to see if she could wear the dress. It fit like a glove! And, when they saw Sebastian, they said there was a sweater that needed to be shown and asked if he would model too. This is really a case of being in the right place at the right time. So, with our list of what not to do (no shoes that would mark her feet, no chocolate milk or dark fruit juices before the shoot, no ponytail or clip in her hair, etc.) we booked our very first photo shoot! Here are 2 of the shots they e-mailed me that will appear in the catalog; the catalog that gets distributed across the world!

They both did such a GREAT job and have been asked to model for the Spring 2012 catalog too! Here's the kicker: they both actually get little paychecks! How cute! Dare I tell them that we would gladly do this for free?!?! Nah...

Raise in Pay

Since this is our family blog, I am committed to recording as much about our life as I can. Even the silly and seemingly inconsequential things. That being said, I'm proud to say The Parr Family just got a raise in pay. Donald begrudgingly traded in his GMC, V8 Engine, gas-guzzlin' truck for a new, much more economical Nissan Altima. For a man who drives 100 miles a day, going from 19 mpg's to 32 mpg's is a really. big. deal. While Donald is not super thrilled about giving up his truck, I personally think a man in a car is suave. It's sort of like wearing a pink shirt; only the cute guys can pull it off. So cheers to my cute guy, his pink shirt and his cool new car!

Visit from Grammy & Namps

I just lived the shortest week of my life. Mom and Dad came to see us and we crammed 5 months of missing one another into 7 action packed days: Coco's first dance recital, Busch Gardens, several days of poolside fun, Marina Jack's, St. Armand's Circle, quick & rainy visit to the 2011 Most Beautiful Beach (Siesta Key), morning at Anna Maria Island, movies, shopping on LWR Main Street and lots of family time. It would be impossible to recapture our week of adventures in words without turning this post into a short story.

So, I'll let the pictures do the "talking."

Namps & Sebastian at the beach: "reverse tater sack!"


Coco was less than thrilled when I snapped this picture. I was actually trying to capture her pouty face but ended up with a dreamy face that looks adorable.

Namps & Grammy at Anna Maria Island

Coco finally realized her dream of sitting on our tree limb...thanks to Namps for the lift.

Lunch at Marina Jack's

Sebastian enjoying the swing Namps hung. Our neighbor later stopped me to tell me how it thrilled his soul to see Dad hanging this swing for his grandchildren. He told me it took a special grandfather to literally climb out on a limb to get the job done. I told him I already knew my Dad was super special and that he was THE BEST grandfather in the world. Of course, I had to say it quickly and leave because the tears were filling in my eyes. :-)

Grammy reading Coco her new mermaid book. This was her treat for doing such a great job at her first dance recital.

Grammy & Namps eating dinner on the lanai. We eat every single meal outside. It's one of those perks of Florida living that I love. The cage around the pool and patio keep the sun at a minimum and the bugs OUT!

There's no story to this picture other than it's just so good. Mom doesn't like the camera in her face so getting a good "alone" shot doesn't happen often. What a treasure.

What started out as a game getting him to copy Coco's pout face has backfired. Sebastian has mastered his very own pout face and knows just when to use it. Hmph! and all.

Silly Coco "Bean"

Some much overdue R & R for Grammy & Namps