Hello

Hello Everybody!

So much has happened since Mothers Day! Because of this, I thought I'd just give a quick run down, with a few photos that I wanted to share, of the 'happenings' big or little, that have blessed the Parish Family since our last post.

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Along with all the other real birthdays we've been having, we also celebrated Jayni's, un-birthday. Max and Jenny will be in Oklahoma, (where they are moving for Max's continued education) and won't be here for her special day. Jenny's sweet heart led her to make a beautiful cake for Jayni, and we all enjoyed a nice dinner and evening. Hooray for un-birthdays!

Sisters are forever friends.

The secret to making Lilly happy: confetti cake with melt-in-your-mouth frosting. :-D

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Simon, Jeremy, and I had the opportunity to attend a free acoustic concert featuring Jadon Latvik. The family atmosphere of the concert was a blessing, and we enjoyed this evening of praise!

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Kendra drove up for the weekend to attend a one day conference with Nancy Campbell held at the Shaw home. Mrs. Campbell spoke from her heart, and shared many treasures that have come as a result of her walk with God. Her emphasis was encouragement for mothers, but I was uplifted as well. A huge thank-you to Mrs. Campbell for traveling, for sharing words of encouragement and wisdom, and for the love she shared with everyone there. Thank-you Callis family for organizing everything, and Shaw family for hosting! It was a special day.

Ladies of all ages attended.

Mrs. Campbell provided an older woman for our Moms, a rare blessing these days. Here, they were soaking her in!

After the conference, which was documented on video by these two gentlemen, they took many interviews. Mrs. Smith was a pro at spontaneous interviews!




Just for laughs, I had to stick this one in. Phillip Callis was taking a picture of some of the gals that had helped out during the conference. I was taking a picture of him taking a picture . . . and this is what happened when they found out. :-P
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During mid May, we enjoyed a visit from our dear friends the Haymond Family. You who have read our blog for a while, or checked back into the archives, may recognize this family from pictures of our times together a few years ago. We missed them so much when they moved to Montana, but our reunion was sweet. Sharing the twists and turns of life has made the roots of our friendship run deep. It was special to see Jeff and Ashley Baird and their new little boy after attending their wedding in Washington last year!





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The Reedley homeschool choir has been a good experience for our Littles, and for Jeremy as well. We've mingled with local homeschooling families, and have established some great relationships in the process! This was their Spring concert, in which both Jayni and Jeremy preformed solos. Singing is a favorite individual and family activity in our family so choir has been both helpful and enjoyable.

If you have spent time with Jacob, you will probably remember his voice. Jacob LOVES to sing and does so often. A common sight around here is Jacob, sprawled out on the floor with his trucks and cars, singing to his hearts content.

As one of the older boys in the choir, Jeremy had the chance to encourage his younger friends to enjoy singing. Jeremy enjoys singing himself, and is learning to lead our family worship time on his guitar. Along with bluegrass guitar, Jeremy has also learned some bluegrass style voice techniques. It's great to hear his version of, "I'll Fly Away".

Jayni was so inspired from choir that she announced to Mom one day, "I'm going to start teaching my own choir now!" 'Choir' meaning Lilly. :-) Even though she was nervous, Jayni stood and sang her solo well. She loves to learn new songs, and is asking to start piano and violin.

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I noticed Dad and Jacob walk up the hill on Saturday, and trotted after them with my camera. Turns out, Dad was teaching Jacob how to shoot the pellet gun!




More happenings to come soon . . .I hope. ;-P

P.S. Happy Birthday to Jeremy today!