K4 graduation

It's official, folks.

This big girl

That used to be this little girl

Is now a graduate of Pre-K. My, my! 

Her class put on a great program. Libby had a long part and did an outstanding job! Funny that the same girl that's shy around most adults can stand on stage and proudly say her lines to an audience of 150+. 

They performed cute songs with motions. They showed off how they've mastered their letters, numbers, days of the week and months of the year.

They even did a cute "Three Little Pigs" skit. Libby was Pig #2. She really got her "piggy" on!

Lastly, she received her official K-4 walking papers. Next stop: kindergarten.

She had a big cheering section - both sets of grandparents, her Uncle Drew, Mom, Dad and GK.

And she raked in lots of cool graduation gifts. 

I don't want to write the obligatory paragraph about how I can't believe my baby is growing up so quickly. But...I just have to. How in the world could she be five and ready to walk into the doors of a big kid school this fall? I don't know how to justify time flying by, but I do know that she is a very smart little girl and will excel in kindergarten. 

Happy Pre-K graduation to my favorite five-year-old!

Mother's Day Fun

Mother's Day weekend came and went. But before it's long gone, I must share about the fun I had. 

The girls' daycare had a special "Muffins for Mom" event Wednesday morning. Libby dined on a cinnamon rolls and I let Georgia Kate gum on pieces of muffin. She loved it! 

Now tell me these aren't beautiful children?  

Sunday morning Libby proudly brought me a singing Snoopy card and a gift card to spend on whatever I want. The girls and Drew also had flowers waiting on me downstairs. They were lovely!

This picture was taken on our way to church. Can't help but chuckle at how out numbered Drew is. Girl Power!

After church we enjoyed a big lunch with our family. We had a special treat this year, my parents and brother joined us for lunch at my in-laws. So we got to have our entire family all together. It was great!

The weather was so nice. And check this out, the kids took turns riding, Sky, the pony.

This last picture is three generations of Raiford/Parkman girls - my mom, me and my girls. I'm very proud of this picture. Sweet, sweet moment!

I hope you celebrated, honored or remembered your mother. And if you are a mother, I hope you got loved on by your children. Being a mother is exciting, exhausting, wonderful and wild. And I thank God for giving me a chance to raise these girls. I promise I will always do my best for you, Libby and Georgia Kate. I love you!

Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day weekend I am sharing these fitting and so southern quotes from Southern Living's "The Daily South" page. 

Here are a few of my favorite...

And last but not least, a southern point of view regarding thank you notes. Mom, did you submit this quote? 

Feel free to share your motherly or southern advice with me in the comments. Happy Mother's Day to all fellow Mamas out there! 

We're Here...

Hello faithful blog readers! The Parkmans are here and on the go. It's been a very busy few weeks. I enjoyed a weekend adventure in Chicago with two great friends. 

Kathryn and I were all smiles waiting to board our flight in Birmingham. Little did we know SNOW awaited us in Chi-town. Yikes.

It was a fun weekend and I'll post a recap of the trip soon!

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I finally have an Instagram account. (Mom, I'll fill you in later.) Follow me: BethPark888.

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And the Mr. and I celebrated our eighth anniversary this week. Eight years, wow!

In other news, May has snuck in and we have a month full of activity awaiting us. Lots to keep us busy. 

Have a great weekend! 

Cowgirl Up

Yee Haw! Libby celebrated her fifth birthday in cowgirl style - with her hat, boots and headed for the farm.

The weather has been all over the board this spring. Warm, cold, storms and everything in between. So I can't say I was totally shocked when a a day before the party the weather forecast changed from a slight chance of rain to 80%. Oh no!

But like a good cowgirl would have us do, we pushed on and partied with a house full of friends, despite the weather. 

There were several outlaws spotted on the property.

And no party is official without cake and ice cream.

Thanks to so many of our friends that came to celebrate with us on such a rainy afternoon. It made Libby's day to have you there!

Happy Birthday, Libby! You are a joy to us and I can't believe five years has passed just like that. We look forward to each day with you! Love you, Lib.

She's Five!

How can it be? Libby continues to sneak behind my back and grow up on me. She turned five-years-old this weekend. My oh my!

Saturday morning she requested to cook birthday pancakes for breakfast. 

She was tickled that we put a candle on her pancake. 

She had a weekend full of birthday fun.

Happy birthday to my hilarious, pretty, sometimes sweet and always smart oldest daughter. I love you, Libby!

Gulf Getaway

A few weekends ago Drew and I got the chance to get out of town without the kids. Did you get that? ALONE. I haven't been out of town without a child in over a year. The last time Drew and I traveled alone I was pregnant with Georgia Kate. So you get why "alone" was in all caps. 

After working out a master plan for the girls for the weekend (thank you parents and in-laws!) Drew and I headed south. Our first stop was Apalachicola, FL. Drew talked me into taking a detour on our way to Panama City Beach. We picked up his boat, he did some work on it, we ate dinner in Apalach then pulled the boat to Panama City Beach.

Saturday morning after sleeping past 7 am, but sadly not much later, breakfast and coffee, Drew couldn't stand it. He HAD to get his boat in the water. So we headed to St. Andrew's Marina in downtown Panama City.

*This was the first time we'd been to this part of town. It is so cute! Market days, coffee shops, cute stores, beautiful boats and lots of people walking around enjoying the beautiful morning. If you frequent PCB and have never been to this part of town, do it on your next visit.

We (mostly Drew) got the boat in the water and we were off to see what the Gulf had in store for us.

Drew fished and fished. 

I supported him while working on my tan. 

It got pretty breezy as the morning went on, so we made our way back to the marina. But not before Drew caught some speckled trout that we ate for dinner.

Once back at the condo, I headed for the white sand. I sat in my chair while reading a magazine and people-watching. I LOVE THE BEACH!

After cleaning the fish, Drew joined me.

And fished some more. (Getting the idea how much my husband loves to fish?) 

It was so nice to just do whatever we wanted. We grilled out adult food and there were no puffs or cups with lids. :) When we packed to leave, all of our clothes fit in one bag a piece. Life with no kids!

But even with the ease of the weekend, we were both very ready to see the girls by Sunday afternoon. I think I kissed GK at least 10 times in the first few minutes I held her. 

It was a great trip and I can't wait to get back to the beach. I guess we'll be kind and take the girls with us next time. :)

Have a great week.