FAIRMONT — Erica and Bo Parker moved to the area about a year ago.

She’s still not used to its beauty, she said. But their two daughters — Alayna, 10, and Alivia, 9 — make sure they see as much of it as possible.

Both from Greensboro, N.C., Erica and Bo have been married for 15 years and lived in Atlanta for 14 years. They moved here about a year ago following a job opportunity for her.

Bo works from home, telecommutes. So he’s around during the day to help shuttle the girls around to their various activities. And he even does the dishes.

“That’s his mom,” Erica said with a laugh.

Because the girls are only 15 months apart in age, they’re interested in pretty much the same things: soccer, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, 4-H and their newest passion, acting.

“Yeah. They’re real drama queens,” Erica said.

But because they’re new transplants to the area, they’re still figuring out what their interests are, she said.

“They don’t know what their passions are, so we’re dibblin’ and dallyin’ and exploring all the different options.

“I have this feeling that we’ll be having singing lessons at some point, too.”

There were more activities in Atlanta, she added, but in a way, not.

“There was tons of stuff to do, but with the commuting and traffic, it wasn’t logistically possible to do much.

“You’d sit in traffic for hours and hours. It was horrible.”

Now there’s more family time.

“We can have dinner, they can do their homework and there’s still time before bed to do things. The quality is much better here.”

Anyone with active children knows you don’t have to have a houseful of kids to be a busy household. The Parkers keep track of everyone’s schedule on the family calendar.

“But my husband never remembers to look at it, so the girls make sure we know what’s going on.”

Sometimes they’ll write “appointments” on the calendar to make sure things run smoothly.

“It’s like running a business. And the girls are the CEO and president! They’re good bosses though. They haven’t fired us yet, so I guess that’s a good thing,” she said, laughing.

Every night when possible, they gather to eat dinner together. That’s important to her.

“A lot of time, we’re tired and just don’t feel like talking. But someone always says, ‘So how was your day? What did you do today?’ So then we all pitch in. And usually it’s Alivia who’s the motivator.

“This is a time to reflect on the day. We all go in different directions with work and school. We get to have glimpses of what goes on in our lives. This keeps us cohesive as a family.”

They also celebrate the good things that happen. The other night, Erica had a really good work day, so the family headed out to their favorite restaurant.

They might take family trips.

“Every month we go to different places within driving distance. We’ve been to Stonewall, Oglebay and Tygart Lake.”

They plan to visit historical sites, like Harpers Ferry and Antietam.

“We’re still new to the area and I hope we never get used to the beauty. People just don’t ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhh’ about it, but it’s so beautiful here.”

The girls still miss their friends and family back in Atlanta.

“That’s why we keep them busy. It’s important, especially since they’re new here. There’s a lot of stuff to do here. You just have to look around and do it.”

The girls especially liked the production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Fairmont State last year.

“They were speechless, although they wanted to know how they could do ‘Charlie Brown’ without Peppermint Patty,” she said with a chuckle.

She knew marriage would be a challenge.

“But it’s a walk in the park compared to having a family. You’re responsible for their lives. You have to take good care of them. Every decision I make when they’re concerned is very carefully thought out. It’s tough.

“But it’s fun. It’s fun watching them experience things and seeing them grow. I love to look at their baby pictures and see where they are now. It’s remarkable.”

Bo and Alivia are alike, she said.

“Alayna is more like me.”

They just came back from an ice skating birthday party. Alivia put on the skates “and there she went. Alayna took two, three steps and said, ‘Yeah, this isn’t a good idea. I’m gonna get my shoes now.’

“It’s just so cute to see their personalities.”

The other night, Alayna was upset about something.

“‘I just can’t live like this,’ she said. I was in tears,” Erica said with a laugh. “That’s just like me: overdramatic.”

Email Debra Minor Wilson at dwilson@timeswv.com.