Author: Stephen and Jodi

Una Vibra


The Snake whispererWe went for a little bike ride over to the nature park during my lunch hour today and within seconds of being there Mason came a running with excitement. Here is some of the excitement from my iPhone video. The little boys there called it a Vibra, Paul can translate that one for us.




Part of the crowd that loved the snake
Back to where he belongs….

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Nice little snake, Jodi seemed pretty courageous considering her feelings for animals around her. The catch and release seems the best way to go. Thanks for the blog. One of my old missionary companions told me that he could tell a lot about a man by how he treated animals.
Thursday, October 02, 2008 12:26:06 AM

Pablo said…

La vibra is a snake if you didn’t know or la serpiente. Vibra is what they say in Mexico. Hopefully Mason practico su espanol con los ninos.
Thursday, October 02, 2008 8:38:51 AM

Aunt Jana said…

Mason when I was in 2nd grade we lived out in Hibbard,and there were lots of frogs and snakes in the field so at recess I would take my purse and catch all kinds of critters to scare the other girls.I loved catching snakes and frogs too when I was your age. Fun times.
Thursday, October 02, 2008 8:53:51 AM

Profe. Parker said…

Hearing you speak Spanish reminds me of a taxi ride in Bolivia. Mucho gusto! Keep up the practice you’ll be fluent in no time. Pero se dice Como te llamas, no Como te llamo. That means What do you call me? or What did she/he call you? Instead of What is your name? Little Spanish lesson for all.
Friday, October 03, 2008 11:38:19 AM

Amy Baldwin said…

Those boys are really confused. “Why is that white man speaking our language to us? Doesn’t he only know English?”
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:42:38 PM

New Blog Look

Have you noticed that I have selected new backgrounds for my family’s blogs? If so, and you’re feeling adventurous, you can do it too. They are located by clicking on the mona lisa button. After that, scroll down and click where it says “create a custom style”. The new styles are under the outer edge drop down box…LizzieGrace and then a number next to that. On the inner image drop down box, be sure to select “no image”. The font colors are easy enough to figure out I think.

Good luck!

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Thanks. We could use the luck when it comes to computers.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:31:32 AM

Anne said…

Love it! Me and the girls already switched ours on sunday! Thanks for some fun new options!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:16:59 PM

Violin Duet


Today Alexis and I played a violin duet in sacrament meeting. We played “Come Follow Me” and “Love at Home”. Alexis did a super job! She has really great tone when she plays and she got all of the notes right in tune. It was a real treat to stand up there next to her and perform. This experience was by far one of my favorite things I’ve ever done with Alexis. I really love music a lot – I may not be the best that I would like to be, but it makes my heart happy. I hope Alexis will be able to experience some of the same feelings with music that I have. She is certainly on the right track.

I’ll say this much – I would not have consented to playing in church if she wasn’t standing there next to me. I have become too intimidated and self-defeating for exposing myself with public violin playing. I’ve taken too many years off and it’s not like riding a bike! So, thanks Alexis for making me get out of my comfort zone and trying – I did it all for you because I want you to be better than me!

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Alexis sure does have a great pattern to follow to grow up. Every since we have known you, you have been a wonderful example of talent and goodness. Alexis is a wonderful blend of cheerful and diligent all put into the body of a wonderfully lovely young lady. Keep growing together.
Monday, September 29, 2008 12:27:46 AM

Jana said…

very cool, wish we could have been a fly on the wall and be apart of your duet too! Glad that you are learning some beautiful talents that will bless the lives of others. I had a friend in high school who was an amazing violin player she was asked to play numerous times on her mission and in church. Your on the right path,keep up the good work. Thanks for your example.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 10:35:55 AM

HayHay said…

Great job, Lex!!!!!! You’re awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 8:12:14 PM

Anne said…

Good job! Hopefully next time we see you, you can play a duet for us!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:19:27 PM

michelle said…

That is so cool. I wish I had a talent like that, so keep it up Lex. I sure hope my kids find a love for music, it really is an important thing.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 4:30:19 PM

Amy Baldwin said…

Maybe you and Jed could play some violin at Thanksgiving. I’ll have to tell him to bring up his violin…and his tennis racket. 🙂
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:36:13 PM

The First Time I Met….My Brother


I went to parent/teacher’s conference this past week, are you ready for the good news? Mason got straight As and one B. The B was in writing. He just needed to turn this paper in to get an A. His teacher is nice when it comes to turning in missing assignments and gives full credit.

Kershaw Elementary has this thing called ABBIT (As and Bs because I Try). If students get As and Bs on their report cards, they earn an ABBIT card which entitles them to various free items. Alexis and I told Mason about this card and it has been working its magic since school began. He is really excited about earning the free admission to Green Canyon – I told him we could take the family if he and Alexis earned ABBIT cards. This has been such a growing year for Mason. He gets his homework done and even turns it in! All for the sake of earning that ABBIT card.

Also, the other morning he set his alarm clock for 6 am so he could practice the piano before school. Will wonders ever cease? This has been such a happy change from last year’s attitude.

Anyway, you should take the time to read his great thoughts on when he met…his little brother. It makes my heart smile :).

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

That is a great little paper, Mason. You have a fine natural ability to think do things, and now you are even writing them. Your dad was always inspired by goals too. Good luck getting your ABBIT card, and JT is surely thankful for a good big brother.
Saturday, September 27, 2008 12:09:36 AM

Grandma Baldwin said…

Mason, you are an amazing big brother! I’ve watched how good you are to JT. He has a great example of how to treat people. He will always be glad to have you as his big brother.
Friday, November 07, 2008 1:45:40 PM

He’s gonna blow!

Seven months old! Seems like passing months now are like what passing hours felt like when I was Lily’s age. Time is speeding up without my permission…did you ever see the show “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”? She could stop time by touching her two pointer fingers together – I wish I were her sometimes.

Anyway – Our family’s favorite thing that JT has been doing this month is playing peek a boo. He is so funny to watch giggle. He thinks it is so fun, maybe he is just laughing at how goofy we look trying to play with him? Mason wrote a great tribute to JT for a writing assignment (check out Mason’s blog). Lex is the queen babysitter now – able to babysit ALL 5 kids without too much stress. Lily wants to be the first one to hold him in the morning and the last one to give him a snuggle before bedtime. Stephen is enjoying JT’s age a little more – he likes it when babies are old enough be NOT be so fragile. I am feeling a lot more freedom as JT decided to ween himself. It’s crazy how I can feel two opposite emotions at the same time – elation and sadness. It is hard/sad knowing this is the last time I will get to do this kind of stuff, but on the other hand… I’m hoping to be diligent with holding him while he drinks his bottle so I won’t miss out on the one on one time with him (not wanting to prop it – although I’ve done it a few times already- oops). Nobody’s Perfect, isn’t that right Miley Cyrus? Olivia deserves a whole paragraph as to what’s been going on for her and JT this month.

Olivia has been fun to watch as she tells me to touch JT’s head gently and stroke it. She is also great at giving hugs and kisses and just talking cute to him or sing him songs or read him books. BUT, we have also been trying to be creative with how to keep Olivia away from JT – for safety’s sake. She has been found carrying him around and then dropping him, pulling his poor little arms, wacking toys on his head, yanking his feet as I carry him, she has even been known to sit on top of the guy. So now that he sits up he is usually on a blanket, we’ve been spreading it out with random toys scattered around so that he can pick them up and suck on them. One day I decided to tell Olivia that we were going to pretend that the blanket is hot lava and if she touches it she will melt. At first she still tried to carry on with the poking and prodding, but recently she has been reminding me about the hot lava and I see her hanging out around the edges of his blanket.

We were at our friend’s house the other day and explained the game that we play. Their little girl said, “I don’t like the hot lava.” She doesn’t think our game is very cool or fun. I told her that one of these days the volcano might erupt. If she sees this video, she’ll understand why…I was completely drenched tonight! This eruption happened not only once, but twice! Two different solid streams with lots of power…luckily I don’t think JT is sick – just didn’t settle well.

Here’s to another month with the coolest baby around!

Sister’s Day 2008


Lex made these cute flowers of all of our sisters for the centerpiece at dinner.Happy Sister’s Day to all of the sisters out there! We celebrated and had a happy time. Alexis and I had a sewing late over with a few mothers on Friday night. She decided to make Olivia and Lily a shirt for sister’s day…she had lots of fun picking out the fabric and ironing – I did most of the sewing, although she sewed the hem. It was fun to see her be excited to do something nice for her sisters.

On Saturday Lily showed me her loose tooth…she said she wished it would have come out sooner so she could get some money from the tooth fairy and then use the $ to buy Lex and Olivia something for Sister’s Day. I told her she could make them something, but she really wanted to go shopping I think. I offered to buy a gift certificate from her that she won at the drawing from our Rolling Hills Classic Run. (A movie/popcorn date coupon) She was excited and we drove off to Walmart. She was glad to find a box of goldfish crackers for Olivia and some earrings and lip gloss for Alexis. She had 3 quarters left and talked on the way home about how she should give them to Mason so he wouldn’t feel bad. You can count on her to be thoughtful like that.

Olivia loved her shirt and crackers and Mason whipped up all of the girls some origami figures out of their favorite colors. I am glad that Mason invented Brother’s and Sister’s Day…it’s nice to make people feel extra special and loved as often as you can!

My only regret is that I didn’t choreograph a number for them to do using the song from “White Christmas” entitled no other than, “Sisters“. There is always next year though.

Comments:

Grandpa and Grandma Parker said…

Sounds like a great idea. We have been learning about charity this transfer and it sounds like we have some good examples in the family. Way to go, thinking of how to make someone else happy always makes you feel good. Thanks for being great examples to us.
Monday, September 22, 2008 11:36:38 AM

Meg the Gem said…

What a fun memory. I’ve been trying to think of different ways to “set up” experiences for my kids to serve each other. This is a great one!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 5:13:49 PM

Jana said…

looks like another successful “sister’s day” at the Parkers!! Fun stuff.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 8:39:52 AM

Amy Baldwin said…

Okay, where in the world do you find out about all these special days? I struggle just to celebrate birthdays and holidays, let alone these other days. You are the ultimate mom. I don’t think that your girls will be able to compete.
Friday, October 10, 2008 12:32:18 PM

Fall Foliage Photos


We just couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful the fall foliage was today as we drove through Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. What a treat to get us all excited for the days ahead. Alexis, Lily, and I decided to do a little photo shoot while Stephen had his bike challenge.

It is absolutely my favorite time of the year…wearing sweaters, drinking hot chocolate, looking at beautiful foliage, pumpkin stuff!, the scents I can burn in my scensty candle warmer, making soup, cinnamon rolls, AND STILL NOT BEING TOO COLD.

Perfectly perfect.

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Oh what stunning beauty! And the leaves were pretty too. It’s a great time of year. Way to seize the day.
Sunday, September 21, 2008 1:09:51 AM

Dad said…

Some good looking kids. You can clearly see they get it from their mom.
Sunday, September 21, 2008 10:39:34 AM

michelle said…

I love fall-what a beautiful day! We are hoping to have a photo shoot tomorrow up the canyon! I hope it is as pretty as yours!
Sunday, September 21, 2008 5:41:21 PM

Aunt Susan said…

Terrific pics- what a beautiful family. It’s definitely time to go for a drive up the canyons here. Love to all,
Sunday, September 21, 2008 6:29:16 PM

Mom Baldwin said…

I loved your photo shoot pictures!!! Thanks for sharing. It’s almost as good as being there. I just love the beautiful Fall colors! Your dad and I will be taking our annual drive up into the canyon in the next couple of weeks so we can experience the “awe” of Fall, too. My heart swells with the beauty of the earth this time of the year. We are so lucky to live in this wonderous world where God’s creations can take our breath away and we can witness His hand all around us!
Sunday, September 21, 2008 10:26:38 PM

Mom/Grandma Baldwin said…

What beautiful girls are in the photo shoot!!!
Sunday, September 21, 2008 10:39:56 PM

Where’s mine dad?


Olivia wanted to know where her computer was as she watched Stephen work the other day. He gave her an old one to feel like she was cool.

Comments:

Dad said…

She loved it, she didn’t want me to log in for her, because she liked hearing it beep at her when she typed the wrong password. I think she thought it was her cash register because she kept selling me pages from her coloring book.
Sunday, September 14, 2008 10:11:25 PM

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

The glasses are a nice touch. Here comes the next generation of computer whizes.
Monday, September 15, 2008 12:51:50 AM

Jana said…

too funny, I love that girl!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 8:25:28 AM

Tah Tah, My Love!


See ya later old friend….my mom surprised me and took me to get my cast off earlier than I was supposed to. My friend, Ashton, was having a swimming birthday party Friday night so my mom called the doctor and I got to get my cast off just in time (5 days early)! I told my mom that I had a tan when they took it off, she said it was just caked on dirt – it is a bunch of dead skin waiting to come off. Gross! It feels weird having it off, but I am very happy. When I threw it in the garbage at the doctor’s office I was a little sad because it had been a part of me for 6 weeks and I really liked the attention!

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

That was kind of a cool cast. You wore it well, and you didn’t let it slow you down much. Thanks for being such a fine grand-daughter. We are surrounded by spiritual giants.
Monday, September 15, 2008 12:47:30 AM

AUnt Jana said…

YIPPEEEE!! What a cool mom and Dr.to hook you up for Ashton’s party. Glad your arm is all better.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 8:26:55 AM

Quality Family Fun


FriendsToday our family participated in the Rolling Hills Classic, a run benefiting Autism Awareness. We had a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day in Rexburg, Idaho. It was fun to cheer for each other and be proud and spend time together doing something good for our bodies.

Comments:

Dad & Mom Parker said…

Sounds like a worthy cause and a fun family activity too.
Sunday, September 14, 2008 7:27:29 AM

Jana said…

I can cheer like nobody!! I love a good cause to cheer on my family at any event.
Sunday, September 14, 2008 7:16:14 PM

Stacie said…

We have such a cool family! I was happy to be the cheerleader! Way to go all ya’ll!
Monday, September 15, 2008 9:46:25 AM

michelle said…

Looks like a fun time! I love that kids got to run too! You guys all look great. I love the hair Jana!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:24:04 PM