Time with the Parker's

Another fun summer weekend with great friends, who happen to be family!!

The Parker's are cousins from Michigan who spent the weekend with us. Pam and Dwayne have 8 children. They are just the nicest family anyone could ask to spend time with!
All of the children are homeschooled. This is what really brought Pam (their mother) and I together as friends. She and I bonded over cooking for 15 people. She is like a mentor to me! I am so grateful to have them in our lives!

They watched the Dr. Phil Show that we were on for the first time after dinner one night. Everyone enjoyed laughing and talking to the TV about how wrong Dr. Phil and the other school-advocates were about homeschooling. Here we were sitting with 10 kids who are all homeschooled and range in ages from 5-21. All amazing unique individuals with so much to offer the world.

I taught a natural childbirth class during their stay here and Pam sat in on it while the Dads were with our children. It made me feel so good that she shared my passions. She had 4 homebirths and all of her births, even in the hospital were natural, uncomplicated gentle births!

During the Parker's stay, we attended some amazing fireworks, went to the "bean-hole supper" at the lake, sat around a fire, swung in hammocks, filled the kitchen and cooked together. The kids played tag, hide and seek, Legos and so much more.....

There were quiet times where Pam and I sat at the picnic table and I listened to her share how terrific life is with 8 children. Our family feels so small in comparison. We laughed and talked about how blessed she and I both are. She "got" me in a way that made me feel so good about myself. To me, one of the signs of having an incredible friend is how they make you feel about yourself. I loved who I was when I was around her and their whole family! I hope I make my friends feel the same way!

I got teary when they left and had to give Pam a long second hug thanking her for being with us and sharing her beautiful family. My heart fills with gratitude for all that I learned from Pam this weekend. It was a time none of us will ever forget.