Atticus' Welcome to the World Party

We were finally able to have our baby shower for Atticus. It was originally set for the last weekend in June. We thought that would be okay, as he was due on June 12. However, he ended up making his debut a week late, and then he landed in the NICU for a week with pneumonia. Thankfully, he was okay. But of course we postponed the shower, which we had today.

So many attended, and we are grateful for everyone's support and love. Kris and Sterling have traveled a long road to become Mom and Dad to this beautiful boy. One thing's for sure ... he will be truly loved and cherished. Welcome, Atticus! We're wondering, though - will your nickname become Attie? Or Cus, as some speculate? Or just Parker, which is Krissy's vote?

This boy is going to be styling. Is there anything more fun than shopping for baby clothes?

My grand-niece Marina (the redhead in the photo above) and my nephews David and Kevin (below) were going directly from the party to the airport to spend time with Karen and Mike in Phoenix (I know ... crazy, huh?). Marina was a little nervous about her first trip without Mom.

This apparently is Teagie's standard photo-posing smile.

Atticus Will Parker

At long last, Atticus Will Parker has arrived! It seems to have been a longer wait than usual for me for two reasons: one, because he is a gift from a selfless mother who wanted a better life for him ... and the whole process is fraught with a degree of uncertainty; and two, because this (thankfully) has all been happening locally as opposed to from afar (as was the case with Kaiya and Teague, whose births seem to come up fast from the time the pregnancies were announced). We are just so happy to have him here at last! Kris and Sterling will be such awesome parents.

Unfortunately, he has developed pneumonia, and will be in the NICU for a few days. May God watch over him and over Kris and Sterling until they can at last be united as a family.

But our Atticus is strong ...

Teague Oliver Turns 2!

Our handsome little man turned two on June 11. He had a party on Sunday, which was VERY well attended by all the people who love him. He was absolutely buried with presents, had a great cake and THREE kinds of ice-cream (including Toy Story Lemonade), and a pinata (which kept spinning around and bonking him in the head, so he wasn't too sure if he liked it until the candy finally came out with a little help from Alex). He was perhaps most enamored with his balloons and kept reminding us of the colors (blue and red) and noting that there were no yellow balloons. It was a lot of fun!

On his actual birthday, Steph and Mickel asked him where he wanted to go to dinner. First answer: Grammie's. But, since I was still in Las Vegas, he had to come up with a second choice. "Steak" he told his mama, so they went to Lone Star. Unfortunately, it was so bad that Kaiya and Teague ended up eating only their broccoli. :-/

Since I did not have the blessing of having a son, it has been a very special thing to have Teagie in my life. He is all boy! He's so sweet and loving, it melts my heart each and every time I'm with him. And soon we will have our next little boy ... Atticus William Parker. Stay tuned!

Rising Star 2010

Well, yet another Rising Star convention has come and gone. It's always so crazy to prepare for, and then over before I know it and all of the sudden it's a month later. We had a GREAT group this year ... smaller in size but they sure made up for it in enthusiasm! I'll tell you what - if you need a job where you receive love for what you do, you should go into event planning. Of course, you also sometimes receive unwarrented criticism, and you have to work long hours ... but all-in-all ... it's pretty uplifting.


The Japanese women are always so great to wear their kimonos. We love it!

Had to take a rest during the visit to the manufacturing plant. The participants are there for several hours, conducting quality tests, making their own formulas, and seeing exactly how Nature's Sunshine makes the best products available. They always leave with a renewed commitment to NSP.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm so thankful for all the mothers in my life - the young, and the young at heart! Especially my own dear mom, who is the sweetest spirit ever sent to this earth. And for my darling daughters: Steph, who is an amazing mom - always loving, always patient (I know, I know, sweetie. Not always. But 99.99% of the time, which is a much better record than I ever had :) ). And Kris, whose heart was broken when little Kade left us too early, but now has been granted the blessing and gift of Atticus William Parker (or whatever the final name is!). Kris, you've had a mama's heart ever since I can remember.

So Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's, Mama's, Ma's ... whatever your babies call you!

Here's a quote true to my heart from one of my favorite authors (Toni Morrison): "Grown don't mean a thing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older ... but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart, it don't mean a thing." Amen.

I also have to share a poem that Kris wrote for me when she was about 8 or 9. I keep a copy close at hand, if only to prove that I was once a domestic goddess!

As I sit in my yard trying to think
To describe my mother is quite hard
As I grab my pen and ink.
To describe her face,
Her brilliant green eyes,
I have given it so many, many tries.
When it comes to her, there is none other -
Not her sister, not her brother.
Cannot compare to her because
She's a cooking, cleaning mother,
Scrubbing, leaning like none other.
Doing the dishes,
Cooking the fishes,
Doing all the sewing like a woman.
Making the dress,
Getting the trim.
Don't forget the sweepin' and the moppin'.
She's always up and hoppin'.
So please don't ask
For another task
As I sit in the yard
Thinking so hard -
My mother
Like none other.

Kaiya's Swimming Lessons

Kaiya has been taking swimming lessons, and since I took today off I was able to go along. And it just so happened that Mickel had a day off. First, we went for lunch (but we all had breakfast, except Steph, who had a cheeseburger) at the Park Cafe, a place I haven't been to for years. We thought if we went early we'd get a table ok - which we did, but it was still pretty darn crowded! Then it was home for a few hours while Teague took a nap, Daddy and Mommy went to run errands and Kaiya and Grammie read and read and read! Our favorite thing.

The awesome thing about Kaiya's swimming lessons is that she is no longer using floaties, AND that she is able to go under water quite nicely. She is the first to volunteer to do things, and is really learning quickly and having fun. Grammie is very proud of her Kai Bear!

First Event of the Year

The first event of 2010 was the CEME (which stands for "Canada, Europe, Middle East") Leadership Conference. We were scheduled for two days of meetings in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, followed by a short cruise to Key West and Nassau (Bahamas). We expected approximately 160 people from the various countries. However, thanks to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, we very nearly didn't even have an event! Flights all around Europe were disrupted, delayed and cancelled, and it didn't look good for the participants from the countries "across the pond." We thought we might just have the Canadians. But slowly, we started getting messages that flights were going ahead as scheduled, or that participants had found a different way to get there. When all was said and done, there were about 40 people - mostly from the Ukraine, but also Russia and the U.K. - who were not able to join us.

We stayed at the Hyatt Bonaventure in Weston, Florida - a very nice property overlooking a golf course. Here's some of the views, including a very interesting palm tree that I had never seen before (you may not be able to tell from this picture, but it's flat when viewed from the side).


The meetings went very well, in spite of having to move the agenda all around, to accommodate the speakers who either were late getting in, or didn't make it at all. The Savchenkos did an admirable pinch hit job, considering they had only a few hours notice.

These are some of my friends from our Russia/CIS (a term used to include the former Soviet republics, such as Ukraine, Belarus, etc.). We may not speak the same language, but we still find a way to communicate! I have to give a big shout out to my Utah colleague, Irina, who provided much needed translation and other help for these markets. What a lifesaver!

This lovely couple are the Yakolev's. I have known them for several years, and they are always so warm and friendly to me.

At breakfast one morning. The weather in Florida was delightful.

The hotel arranged for buses to take us to the pier to board our cruise on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, something went amiss in that plan, and the buses never showed. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but the hotel somehow managed to drum up a dozen shuttle vans, and we managed to get everyone - AND all their bags, thank goodness! - to the ship on time.

The next day we docked in Key West, which I had not been to before. Once we got the Russia group on to their various tours, Gayle and her sister Julie and I went in to "Old Town" in Key West. The town has a great personality - the kind of place you think you would be happy living in. We went for a delicious lunch in a seafood place on the water, did some shopping, took the "train" tour of the town, and visited Hemingway's house. Did you know he had a thing about cats? They still live there (well, I'm sure these are ancestors of his cats by now, but they still rule the roost. They even have their own cat condos.).

The following day was our day in Nassau. Unfortunately, it rained most of the day. As I had been there before, I just walked into the portside shopping area for a bit.

Monday night we had a short reception on the ship to bid adieu to our NSP friends, until we meet again next year in Barcelona!

Here's our two Jenn's ... Jennifer Cole (NSP Canada staff member and my partner in crime), and Jennifer Penner, an up-and-coming distributor in Canada, who was also one of our speakers. Thanks for letting me hang with you, guys!

A beautiful sunset at sea ...