Testing...one...two...

Well, I know that I am a bit behind on blogging so I will take a few minutes to update you...

The biggest news being that we SOLD our house. Correction, God sold His house. In early April when we listed the house, I was nervous about it selling and us having to pay out of pocket to sell our house. We have only been in it a little under 2 years and you really need that third year to build any equity in a house. The market here is not like it was in Virginia. There we listed our house on a Thursday and by Friday afternoon we had 4 bids!!! Here, not so much. But a sweet friend of mine in a very stern but loving way grabbed my shoulders and said to me, "Jen Parrott, who's house is that?" I answered "Gods house" She said, "Listen, God is sending you to Germany, God will sell His house!! God will put people in that house that he wants in there when HE wants them there!!!" It sounds simple and easy to say but there was so much more to what she was saying.

We knew before Christmas that there was a chance that Mark would get picked to command a squadron and that would mean a move. We were having some obstacles in our lives here with job, Church, and friendships that we thought were more grounded than they had proven to be. I guess you could say that we were at a crossroad where something had to change and we were just waiting on God and praying that He would be clear in his direction for us. Then it came, we had been told about some bases in the states that had been looking at Mark and were prepared for any of those. Then Mark learned we were going to Germany!!! WHAT?!?!? We were a bit taken back. Just didn't see that coming. But we had trusted that God would show us his direction and that seemed to be a pretty obvious one. One that was not even a thought in our mind, which gave me a peace about us going there.

So, if I can trust that God is going to send us where he wants us to go then why not trust that He would take care of us here?? I began to pray that our transition there would go well. That we would have a nice place to live and that everything there would come together well. And He answered our prayers quickly with providing housing and a car and good sponsors and a good school and the list goes on and on. Still I didn't give him our house here in LA. Why was that up to me? So when my friend said that to me she should have been shaking her finger saying "Shame on you Jen, how dare you box God in like that and not let him take care of you!" So I committed the sale of this house to Him. Was it easy? You would think so, but no. Our neighbors house went on the market for 5k less, then another house similar to ours for 9k less. Then our neighbors sold. I was sick. Mad really. It was on the market for 1 week!!! but I heard God tell me "trust me". One friend of mine would ask me if we had sold the house yet, then would correct herself and say - I mean God's house. I was never sure if she was making fun or just liked the perspective. Just before going to NJ for Mark's brothers wedding I found myself doubting and on the plane there I recommitted the house and decided to stop comparing it to other homes and just TRUST that it would all happen in God's time. About 30 min before the wedding on 19 may our realtor called and told us that we had an offer on the house. Praise God!!! They offered our asking price and we will not have to take anything to the table at closing!!! In fact we will walk away with a bit! God is so good and showed me once again that if I just trust Him and shut up and color, that He will do great things!!! What a gift to now be able to focus on packing and all of the mayhem of moving without having to fret on the sale of the house.

My spiritual mentor, Beryl, gave me this verse last I saw her: Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

We have probably heard that verse a million times but it has been especially relevant to me these last few months. So thank you to those of you who have been praying along side of us about this house. Thank you to those who have listened to me complaining about the other homes selling... And thank you to those of you who helped me to remember to TRUST!

Graduation Days...

Preschool graduation was 17 May at Eastwood Baptist Church. Morgan was excited that her big day had arrived. She had two Bible verses to recite and had been practicing them for weeks! They are: A - All have sinned and come short of God's glory. Romans 3:23 and X- Exceeding great and precious promises are given to us all. 2 Peter 1:4. She was fabulous of course! She was also glad that Mrs. Julie & Kaitlyn could be there and Mrs. Kristy and Connor too! One of the last songs that they all sang was "Happy Trails to You". Morgan told us that it was about a horse, and she had "NO idea why they were singing about a horse at her graduation!" Who could argue that?

Next was Madison's Kindergarten Graduation from Stockwell Elementary. First I just can't believe that Kindergarten is over. Where did that time go?!?! My Madison will be going into FIRST GRADE!?!?!?! No way! I must say first that I never remember having a graduation for Kindergarten. But let me tell you, this is a big deal! You would have thought that it was a college graduation! Parents were decked out and brought gifts and the picture taking was like the red carpet at the Oscars!! We did our share of taking pictures, but at one point the principal had to ask parents to sit down. In hind site, we are in Louisiana and they are ranked number 49 in the nation for education, so maybe completing Kindergarten IS a big deal. :-0 Just joking. So her are some shots of my baby girl.

AWANA Awards

AWANA - Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed - AWANA has been a wonderful program that our girls have been involved in for 3 years now. We started in VA with Madison in Cubbies. When we moved to LA we looked for a church that had an AWANA club. We thought this would be great for the girls- something constant for them while we move. Even though they are in a new location, there would still be children learning about God's word with an AWANA club. Every week they have to learn a verse and what the verse means to them. Despite Mark and I slacking every once in a while, the girls were still very successful in completing their books. Here are some great pictures that were taken before my camera was stolen (another blog).

Isn't this just precious! Nothing stills my heart more than seeing my girls pray! They really get it! They know who they are praying to and they know that we should pray even for the littlest things. I will catch myself in the car saying "well lets just pray that..." and boom, Morgan breaks out in prayer.

Madison surprised us by winning a trophy for "Outstanding Clubber". This meant that she had more points than the rest of the Sparks in Kindergarten. Well except for the boy that had the MOST points. But hey, well take it! She was thrilled and surprised herself!

Then there is Bro. Keith. What a silly one he is! He is fabulous with the children and the girls just adore him! Maybe it's because he relates to them so well! All kidding aside, Bro. Keith is a wonderful Pastor and I am glad that our girls have had an opportunity to have him in their lives as AWANA commander and Sunday School teacher. He will be greatly missed by us all!

AND - Can you believe that there is AWANA in Germany! The base chapel has a club there!!!

Patience Please...

To all the Parrott fans out there - be patient. Pretty soon you will have more to read than you can stand! The Parrott household has been under a whirl wind of adventures and I am excited to share them all with you. So yes Christa & Kristy, I am dusting off the cobwebs and will be back at it here soon! Graduations, weddings, house, packing, illness, awards, you name it we have been experiencing it over the last 3 weeks! Stand by....Thank you for tuning in!

drop a line...

Did you know that you can comment on any blog I post?
Down at the bottom of each entry you will see line and in smaller print it says "Posted by Momma bird at blah blah blah"...then it says 'comments'. If you click on the comment word you can then see what some have to say about that entry and you will have the option to leave a note and tell me what you think. Please be sure to put your name and not just leave it as Anonymous. Thanks & enjoy!

We need a boulder...

This is the front of our house in Germany. Cute huh? Just let me ask you if you have seen the first Shrek movie? Look at our chimneys - then go watch the Shrek movie. All I can think is when Donkey is insulting Shrek's home before realizing it belongs to Shrek. He then tries to back track and spots a boulder and says "look at that boulder, that's a nice boulder!"

We need a boulder! A nice boulder. Are you with me on this one? Our house really is nice. There are three floors. This is a picture of the front entrance which is actually the second floor. We wont have to worry about cutting the grass in the front since it seems to be a parking lot! Just kidding - this is our drive way.

Here is a picture of the back of the house which gives a better view of size and location... 3 bedrooms & bathroom on the top floor. Middle / main floor has the kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, and a den (future scrap booking room). Bottom floor is set up as a separate apartment but we will be renting both units. There is a bedroom, bathroom, living/dining area, kitchen (so I will have 2), bathroom, laundry room, & storage room. So you should come and see us since we can give you private living quarters! You pay your way there and you already have a fabulous place to stay! I am already planning what will go where and making the house our next perch. I am excited about what God has in store for us there! Thankful that we will be there well before school starts so the girls can play a big part in making our home ours. I loved being settled in so quickly here - I had tons of help from Mark's parents! So I am hoping that I can be organized and that the packers will pack in an organized fashion to make unpacking a breeze. Okay - for all you military wives reading this - just let me have this fantasy for a few months okay!!! I mean it - stop laughing!

Stockwell Place Elementary Field Day!

Friday, 4 May was Field day at Madison's school. What a good time! We were a bit concerned that it would be cancelled because it had been raining most of the week. But the sun was shining bright first thing Friday morning.

Each grade had a color t-shirt assigned to them. Kindergarten was ORANGE. Not just any orange, but the purest form of crayola orange found. Cute on a 5 & 6 year old. Cute even on someone size 6 or 8. Not so cute when you look like a caution billboard. Yikes. But I wore the stinking shirt anyway. Madison was proud. The children played tons of games. They played with chalk, bubbles, parachute, jump rope, bean bags, ran obstacle courses, and hit a big ball up and down the track with a hockey stick.

I think the picture of Mark & Madison playing tic-tac-toe is sweet. Although I adore every father daughter shot I have.

Finally Finished!

There are many crafty things I like to do. Just to name a few, there is Scrap booking, Quilting, Writing, and most recently I am finishing up a latch hook thing that Morgan so desperately wanted to do. That is until she did a few hooks. Anyway, I love to quilt but it is rather time consuming and so I only quilt for super special occasions. I like the type of quilting that actually requires your hand to hold a needle. Not the type that you sew a few squares together and send it soaring through a machine and then wa-la you are done the entire thing in an afternoon. No I like to commit myself to the challenge - and spend the time thinking about the things that the quilt will possibly be a part of. From keeping a baby warm, spending tummy time on the floor, snuggling with a loved one, and even when it gets tied around the child's neck and becomes a cape. I like to ignore the reality of vomit, poop, pee, and mud puddles. I have been working on a quilt for my neighbors daughter Kaitlyn. Time got away from me and so I had to present the quilt at Julie's shower followed by a "yeah, I am going to need that back so I can finish it". I thought I would have PLENTY of time until the lil dear came 3 weeks early! So now that she is a month old, I have finished it. Yahoo! I selfishly want for it to be a special blanket for her, but most of all I want her to know that someone somewhere loves her, was blessed by watching her grow in her Mommy's tummy, and will be praying for her often.

Now this is sleeping!!

This was last Wednesday morning. Usually the girls get up about the same time and first I get Madison ready and off to school. When the bus rolls away then Morgan gets ready for school. Well this particular day, Morgan was determined to stay in bed. Blinds were open, covers pulled away, and she was told that daddy was leaving - no movement, then when I told her that Madison was leaving she said "I'm sleeping." and rolled over. The girl was sacked! I let her rest as long as I could until we had about 25 minutes until we needed to leave for school. I had to take a picture. She will hate this when she is older. But this my friends, is sleeping well. Not a care in the world. Hair has had a tough time in the night with all the tossing and turning. Those of you who know Morgan know that she is NEVER still, even in her sleep.