Summer is finally HERE!

School is out and our family is ready for some R & R time!  Well most of all that is.....Richard likes to always remind me that he does not get the summer off and can not just take off with a whim - told him he needs to change jobs! lol  I actually am off from work until the end of July and have lots of things on my list to do and a very long Honey Do List :))  So much can happen in just a few months.......

Mr. and Mrs. Tatum 

Kiana is deep into her RN program and is doing awesome and loving it.  Well ...not sure if she is loving the studies but she loves where it will taking her.  Her and Ryan are still living in downtown Houston in the med center.  He has that awesome schedule like I do....gotta love teaching.

John John - the big brother!

Kila and John are so busy just trying to keep up with their little ones.  John John is learning to swim this summer and loving the water, while is sister Kennedy is staying one step behind him all the way.

Miss Kennedy - at her 1st Birthday party!

Kila is still being a stay at home mom and loving getting to spend everyday with her babies, while John is working very hard at keeping her happy ;)  They are currently enjoying a week in the Keys for the Savoy Family reunion.  Hurry home...Bebe misses you guys!

Charles and Blair are still enjoying the married life without children and working hard with their new jobs -  Blair in the law profession and Charles working in the Health profession...lets just say they both deal with "interesting" characters..lol

The family is very excited that we will growing in size again this year.  Raymond and Mariesa will be getting married on August 4th in South Africa.  Richard, Kai and myself, along with Aunt May will be traveling there on July 28th and looking forward to a great trip and sharing in the wonderful wedding activities they have planned.  Mariesa was born and raised in South Africa and met Raymond while on a work visa in England.  We are very excited for them and can not wait to meet her and her family.

Kai has finished the 9th grade and is currently at T Bar M camp in Austin Texas on Lake Travis.  It is so hard to believe that this is his 7th year to attend T Bar M.  He loves going there and I must say we love taking him.  It is an incredible camp that offers so much for the kids that have the opportunity to attend.  It is a christian based non denominational camp run by one of my favorite people of all time Mr. Johnny Polk. I have known Johnny for over 14 years when I first started taking my dance teams to their summer camps in conjunction with Crowd Pleasers Dance Camps.  My team at Friendswood, La Porte and Deer Park all have gone in the past and I hope to one day take my current team at Langham to have a T Bar M experience. The house is a little quiet at the moment with both Kai gone to camp and the grandbabies off on vacation....guess I will get some of my items crossed of my list...or better yet...just lay by the pool and relax! (naaaaa...I am not good at that lol)

Richard and I are leaving tomorrow for a week in Sandestin, FL - solo...no dogs are kids coming along!!  Richard is looking forward to sleeping in (or so he thinks) and I am looking forward to hitting the beaches and water.  Regardless we will get in some much needed R & R and give Richards knee time to recoup from the surgery he had on Friday.  When we return he will have the other knee done so that it will be ready for our big trip in July to South Africa.

Kai gave his dad some awesome glasses for fathers day...and of course dad had to put them on like this......

The Big BAD Dad!!!  (lol..he is really a softy....its all a show!! )

Here is wishing all my family and friends a very happy and relaxing summer.  Enjoy time with your family as it  goes by way to fast!

It's full speed ahead - 2012 is rolling right by!

Well the Parker train did not slow down or even hesitate when we rolled into 2012. Everyone is back to their jobs and families. For myself it is the "push" season with contest right around the corner. The team is putting in extra hours to fine tune all their contest routines with hopes of bringing home those 1st place trophies before they head off on their big trip to HAWAII! It is going to be one exciting plane ride with 49 girls who are all extremely ecstatic about the trip. (I do feel a little sorry for anyone else who has tickets for that same plane ride!!)

Besides my work I have been very busy with my cycling ~ getting ready for the MS150 this year, riding again with Team Texas Children. And have really found a new love for knitting. I have always tampered with it but now I find myself knitting everyday and tote it with me everywhere I go. After finding a neat little knitting store over in the River Oaks area of Houston called Knitting in the Loop I have not put it down. I try to stop there a few times a week and spend a few hours with the ladies. Very nice shop with wonderful yarns and you meet some very sweet people. Makes you sorta want to just retire and spend everyday there :) I could do that!!

On a more exciting note..Richard has decided to ride the MS150 with me. He has purchased all of his cycling gear and has ventured on a few rides with me. To date he has gone 28 miles in one trip. I hope the cycling bug bites him hard cause I really would love to have a cycling partner since the kids have all tried it once or twice and then candy out :/

We received great news this year at Christmas time when Raymond called us to announce his engagement. We are so happy for him and his fiance' Mariesa. The wedding will be on August 4 and we will be traveling to her home country of Africa to partake in the wonderful day! We were also very happy that Raymond is back in northern England and no longer in Turkey.

Kila, John and the grandchildren are all doing great. She is a very happy stay at home mom and loads her days with great activities for the kids - from play groups and outings, to the Children's museum and zoo. They stay very busy and are loving having their mommy at home. John John goes to a Mothers Day Out program three days a week and enjoys his time with friends.

Ryan and Kiana are settled down after their year of wedding festivities - but I won't say they have slowed down at all. Ryan went straight from coaching football to basketball along with taking care of his class loads, while Kiana started UTMB nursing school this past January. She has 15 months of hard studies to do - but then all her "blood, sweat and tears" will start to pay off $$$. She is very happy and loving all of her classes and clinical training.

Blair and Charles are busy busy with work. I know Blair is very happy to be finished with law school and now has a great job that she is enjoying while Charles continues to bring home the best stories ever of his work experiences. I really think he should write a book...and retire. It would be a #1 seller. They are both still crazy football fans and once again hosted the football fantasy party for the family and friends that participate. This year the BIG winner of the trophy (yes, they had a real trophy made for this) was Richard...and it is very coveted.

This brings me to my youngest child - K A I!!! All I can say at this time is Kai is being Kai! If he lives to his 16th birthday it will be a miracle. Nuff said!! :/