Author: Stephen and Jodi

It was a quick decision. Late Saturday evening we decided to surprise our kids with an announcement  – "tomorrow after church, we are loading up and going to the cabin on the hill." There were screams of excitement and voices immediately making plans. The biggest smile came from the largest male – Stephen. Just the thought of going was golden to him.

So after church we departed after eating a bowl of cereal and a slice of peach pie. We couldn't waste time on eating. We crammed into the truck with pillows, blankets, four-wheeler, bikes, and a little food. When we got there we all felt it – peace, relaxation, RETREAT! Such a great feeling. Stephen said, "this is heaven on earth." It was so much fun being with our little family and NO distractions.

It was a special treat to get a visit from Grandpa & Grandma Parker for lunch. Definitely a memory to go down in the record books.

Back to school Feast with a summer table cloth

It's official – the children are back in school!

I was getting close to pulling out my hair, closing down the kitchen, and getting a whistle to referee. Now I am feeling like all of my friends are gone. Are they all happy, will they make good friends, will their teachers be good to them, will my kids be good to their teachers? This seems to be my plight at this time of year – completely contradictory with my feelings. Somebody once told me that they wished they could be with their children one on one more instead of collectively trying to manage. I think there is a great truth in that – it is one of my new goals: find more one on one time with each child.

Everyone was excited for school. Lex – the socialite, was excited to see all of her friends, Mason – the biker, was excited about an automatic bike ride each day, Lily – the learner, was excited about a routine & attacking cursive writing, Olivia – the pre-schooler, was sooo excited about riding the bus home with all of her siblings (her preschool is at our elementary school)! 

I've been happy to hear about Lexi's digital photography class, watch Mason becoming more responsible with his own binder and initiative with homework, Lily's report and goal of never getting her name written on the board for bad behavior the whole year, and Olivia's happy smile and new found independence.

Our back to school dinner was fun, as always – the traditions have become expectations and something we all look forward to as a symbol that change is here. The bus cake was a little rough (my fault) but it still tasted the same. The girls made the mini candy bar books, and we all tried spelling words with our alphabet soup.

After a week of the school life I can assess that it is nice to reunite at the end of the school day and nice to see them walk out of the door in the morning. 🙂 (Back & Forth emotions resurface each day)   

Ready to go…	Hitting eighth grade in skinny jeans and peacock feather earings – she bought the backpack, boots, & earrings with her own hard earned $.	Mason was totally hapy to ride his bike to school!
Mason and his teacher, Mrs. Daniels		Lily & Mrs. Gee all in purple
everyones favorite are the donuts – I think that is why we make this cake.	JT loved all of his candy and the chocolate milk with a straw!	Always a picture on the first day of school by the front door.
Olivia – first day of preschool, TODAY!	Mrs. Clarke & Olivia

pit hair blowing in the breeze – classic!

It was nice to be at Bear Lake with the entire Parker Family. Everybody made it – the kids had a blast being together. The lake was beautiful and cold. Our skin is red and itchy now. The camp trailer survived the hail and wind gusts and rain and skunk! 🙂 The jewelry making was fun, the mini girl retreat was also fun! Sand castles, lots of food, and happy people.

All equal a successful reunion. My kids are ready to go again.

tent trailer moments	Stephen and I zipped two bags together and had the pleasure (NOT) of sharing with JT and Olivia – JT is sure happy though	Paul & Karma spoiled us with crepes and nutella – so delicious!
Mason loved trying out scuba diving – thanks Trevin	such a cute boy	slender simon = crack
I sat in one spot the entire day – perfect!
		JT enjoyed the sand
Jessica Launch	Lily Launch	Taylor Launch
Duct tape shoes – another reunion hit	Parker is the king of this castle	love this picture of Steph & Brooke
life jacket diapers	typical lex posing
How cute are they!
		Running Riley in the water
	Jana looks sauve – as always	kenzie
Haley	Rick was just one of the boys
good book	look at those sweeties	Water Shy
Zach on his adventure		The trek across the water
	Grandma was popular with her treats
Eight ways to wear your new scarves ladies!	Scarve Frenzy – 5 for $10	We caused quite a scene and consequently helped sell a lot of scarves

Last Tuesday we began our journey. We were bound for the Redwood Forest and Portland Oregon.

On our way we stopped off in Burns OR, because haven't you always wanted to say you've been to Burns? We also hit Crater Lake – which was breathtakingly beautiful. After that we made it to our first two day destination, Crescent City, CA. We stayed at the Penny Saver Inn (the name says it all). It is here that I believe JT developed some illness that would cause him to puke & fever over the duration of our trip. The rest of the crew loved swimming in the pool, walking the cold beach, and of course taking in the giant Redwoods of Jedediah State  Park, and also checking out the Trees of Mystery (where you also get to see a giant Paul Bunyen and Babe). Stephen was especially excited about this part as nostalgia set in. It was a beautiful place to be and see, in person, the magnificent, thousand-year-old trees.

We spent Friday driving the winding roads along the coast to Portland. It was a long journey in the car with a throw-up episode involved. We made it to our hotel. This time being very impressed. We felt like we had arrived. It was an extended stay Inn with fridge, sink, couch, two beds, free continental breakfast,  & outdoor pool. We would highly recommend this option with a large family. It was also in a fun part of town with many stores and yummy places to eat close by.

After driving so many days in a row, going to bed late, and waking up early, Stephen was totally wiped out the night before he was to ride 100 miles in the Tour de Cure. As all know, he has a lot of heart and pushed through the pain! I dropped him off and took some pictures at the start. I was tearing up with pride as I saw him in his red rider jersey. Most people wouldn't set out to do a 100 mile bike ride, especially if one has an auto-immune disease and a permanent shot in your backside. All of these red riders were inspirational and just made you proud! He has tough blood rolling through his veins though and is – mentally and physically. We were all so excited to cheer for him along the route. Mason hopped on his bike and rode the last 16 miles in with Stephen. We celebrated by eating at "On the Border" last night!

After considering JT's recent sickness and suspecting Olivia to possibly follow with something similar, we decided to make a marathon drive home from Portland without our planned night over in Boise. Instead we stopped in for delicious chocolate cake and ice cream at Eric & Magan's house and continued on down the rode. Olivia has practically slept the entire day and only had 3 caprisuns, 1 glass of oj, and 1 popscicle to eat all day. Hope she is just really tired and keeps sleeping all night long…poor thing! She gets the award for best traveler today!

It has been a wonderful vacation to record in our memories. Our children have been outstanding travelers in the car – even JT (when he wasn't puking)! One thing is for sure – We have gotten very familiar with the inside our our car and I'm certain that our rears are more flat & wide. 🙂

	Cresent City Beach	Beach Bums
this is a really cold beach – 58 degree, she’s trying to smile!	Charming lighthouse, no?
	proud of her find
Vidael Falls @ Crater Lake	Rougue River Gorge
trees of Oregon line the road	tin foil art	tin foil art
Happy to make it this far!		dip baby dip
wizard island @ crater lake	Everyone should go here – it is a beautiful spot on the map	Wishing he could climb this baby
Crater Lake		feeding the friendly chipmunks
Pristine Water – so beautiful!	Phantom Ship Rock @ Crater Lake	JT hiked the entire 1/2 mile of this hike!
Mom Surprise was something looked forward to each day. It was a little something to make traveling in a car more fun. (coloring books, tin foil, pipe cleaners, a card game, etc.)	did a lot of picnicing	trying to get warm!
Stout Grove – the place Jurassic Park was filmed and also Return of the Jedi
		Shot from the sun roof
Our whole family fit inside this tree! It was also hollow the entire way up.
		monkey
	ring around the redwood	The man who got us places
Our van in Jedediah State Park
We found duct tape @ the dollar store – it made for hours of car enjoyment
	He is really tired here!
		Stephen actually rode 112 miles because he took a wrong turn. 🙂
had to be at hillsboro stadium @ 5:30 am

Comments:

Mom and dad Parker said…

What a beautiful trip. You have a great family. Any lack that you might have in physical strength, you make up in heart. We’re proud of you guys
Monday, August 02, 2010 8:26:25 AM

Michelle said…

Looks like a great trip filled with memories. Poor JT, that is the worst kind of sick for traveling. Looking forward to seeing you guys soon at Bear Lake.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010 3:08:28 PM

Baldwin Cousins minus Kate, Audrey, & Simon 🙁

Baldwin Family Reunion tim!. Stephen and I were on queue to plan the party so we invited all to our neck of the woods and did things Parker/Baldwin style – which is what we are all about (obviously!).

Young & old alike enjoyed the zip-line adventures at the Parker cabin. My dad even surprised us all by making the excursion  down. We were glad nurse Magan was there in case of any unforeseen challenges, but luckily we didn't need her expertise. Wish I had pictures!

The weekend soo fun-filled there was little time for sleep. On the agenda: baptisms for the dead @ Rexburg Temple, canoeing, feeding fish at Big Springs(thanks Brad), camp fire sing along songs sent  from Austin,TX by Scott's fam (thanks Stephen for projecting them and Scott for his talents), roasted marshmallows, LOTS and LOTS of food/treats, a trip to Yellowstone National Park to see geysers and beautiful waterfalls while wearing matching Baldwin shirts (thanks to Eric & Michelle), Playmill Theatre with famous fudge, duck tape shoes & cute cousin bracelets (thanks Emily & Ashley), talent show (Stephen dazzled us with his fire jumping abilities), mission call viewing (Congrats to Carter! Paraguay!!!!) family quiz (lucky charms/marshmallow mateys #1 cereal choice), and a heritage devotional (thanks Mom & Dad).

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did! I loved being with my family, they are all amazing. There is a lot of age ranges (age 20 down to age 1), but the older "cool" kids were so sweet and kind to the little guys. It made my heart smile. 🙂 My brothers and sister (as well as their families) are very kind,  talented, giving, and fun! I am proud and lucky to have been born to such a wonderful family. Of course it all stems from being raised by great parents.

Ash & Olive	Mason, Carter, & Jake	Lex, Brian, Emily, & Bridget
Jed, Dallen, Abby, Lily, & Brad		Ashley made all kids a bracelet
	Like father like son!
Meet Ashley the frog		just got bit by a deer fly!
		The famous Eric (One of Mason’s go to guys for Bike Emergencies)
Loves Cousin Time
Sunroof Shots with Michelle	Olivia wanted to say hi
Duct Tape fun		JT bonded with Carter
Everybody loves Grandma	Happy Times	Emily & Michelle
Magan, Grace, JT & Bridget	Rocking it with Bridget – One zesty & fancyl gal.