Category: Stephen and Jodi

It was our lucky day! Mason has been begging for a snowboard and when I mentioned it to my friend Dana she said Mason could have Ashtons…it even came with boots! Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays! I LOVE it – it is fun to celebrate how much we care and love each other. I love Stephen! I love Alexis! I love Mason! I love Lily! I love Olivia! I love Joshua! My life is happy because of them. Wouldn’t it be fun it everyday were Valentine’s Day?

Proud owner of his first snowboard!	Stephen didn’t want to feel left out…he went to the pawn shop and found this little sweetie.	JT loves squash and sweet potatoes!
I made these peanut dolls for the girls for Valentine’s Day.	Personalized even!	Mason was stoked about getting the rest of his calendar – I hope he will stlil shovel my side walks :).
My other favorite boys- we made Stephen breakfast in bed, but decided it was more fun to be with the rest of us.	Every girl loves a flower! Thanks Stephen!!!!

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

We love them all too. What a blessing to have someone to love who loves you too. Behold, our joy is full!
Monday, February 16, 2009 12:22:26 AM

michelle said…

Fun valentines day! I love the little dolls-you guys have a great mom! I also love the flowers-you guys have a great dad too!
Monday, February 16, 2009 3:51:31 PM

Kate called earlier today and invited us to go ice skating with the “Parker Clan” for FHE. What a fun time it was to play a bit and enjoy some of Stacie’s nice Hot Chocolate (with creamer in it). JT and Olivia were ready to leave after 1 1/2 hours of cold, we had to persuade Alexis, Mason and Lily it was time to go. Thanks for the good times.

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Great fun! You might have to make a portable hut for JT and Olivia and other little ones that is heated. At least you are playing in the snow and ice. That’s how you stay in love with Idaho.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:24:08 AM

Stacie said…

Great pics! Thanks for coming! We had a great time! It was good to see your family again!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:42:01 AM

John said…

You are all penguins. It looks like a great time. We hope to see you in the Olympics. Fun times!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:30:16 PM

Rex”Burrrrg” is a quaint little town with great community events! It is fun to go and supports such great family events – even in the most chilling weather (burr). The first one of the year is “Snowfest”. There are many Snow activities made available for enjoying the snow. Our family favorite has become the Polar Bear Swim.

For the past three years since moving back to Rexburg our family has gotten a thrill out of jumping in a pool of ice water immediately followed by a dip in a hot tub, this is called “The Polar Bear Swim”. There is something about it that makes us want to keep making it a tradition. Alexis almost passed it up this year, but cute cousin, Hannah, inspired her to do it. They are loving the cool brown hats that proclaim them members of the Polar Bear Club.

Cousin Ashley and her friend Courtney who were up this weekend on a road trip came to witness the event – I’m not sure if they were happy or sad that they didn’t bring a swimsuits?

Comments:

Grandpa and Grandma Parker said…

It looks like that would be a shock to your heart when you hit the water. Way to make memories with the kids.
Sunday, February 01, 2009 9:23:34 AM

Magan said…

Jodi wear is your brown hat!
Sunday, February 01, 2009 3:28:23 PM

Stephanie said…

I will do it next year if they let me wear a wetsuit. And if Jodi does it too. Gear up Jo!
Monday, February 02, 2009 9:38:34 AM

Patricia said…

I can’t decide if you are all “cool” or “crazy”! I’m glad you had fun!
Monday, February 02, 2009 9:43:33 AM

John said…

Nice work! It looks pretty chilly. You don’t forget good times like that one. Jodi is going to glide the whole distance underwater next year!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:18:45 PM

The Family wagonWe went to the cabin in Island Park this weekend because our kids were out of school on Friday. We had loads of fun and having Paul and his friends come up made it all the more fun.

We loved the sledding hill despite a few minor injuries. The first day Jodi bruised her tail bone on a crazy run (that will explain some of the classic facial expressions in the pictures) and Mason accidentally went over a jump that made him fly about 6′ in the air and landed on his back – he’s a tough kid. It would have been a good shot on camera with that air. Our favorite photo is of Stephen floating through the air in the black sled that is parallel with the ground. It really looks like he is flying…”I can show you the world…on a magic carpet ride. A whole new world…”

We all had fun playing Wii fit too! We were so happy when Matt got the high score on the ski jump game and we all loved the hula hoops. Paul proved that he is indeed balanced as well. It is great burning calories while you play in front of a t.v.

The air in Island Park is good to breath.

Happy days!

Paul is the king of the hill
	Go Paul
Lily had just told me the story of Great Grandma Parker putting her leg out and getting hurt. Guess she wanted to try too.
	JT waving at Mason
Ouch	Olivia and Lex Loved it
no shoes
		“I can show you the world”
		Queka time
coveralls and a snowboarder perfect match
	Mason was the official Taxi	A seat just for JT

Comments:

Mom and Dad said…

Fun pictures! It was good to see you guys using that snowmobile. I was afraid it would just set and plug up the carburator. It looks like the snow is good to play in already.
Sunday, January 2
5, 2009 9:28:14 AM

Paul said…

Thanks for the fun! It was good to get in the outdoors and play around a little.
Sunday, January 25, 2009 10:53:55 AM

John said…

Looks like a blast. Nothing quite like floating through the air in a sled. It looked like a wonderful time with some great people. Thanks for sharing.
Sunday, January 25, 2009 9:10:03 PM

Jana said…

Thanks for the laugh!! You guys have all the fun…we expect a call so we can come try out the wii fit. Looks like you all had a blast, sorry about your bum!
Monday, January 26, 2009 8:50:44 PM

We all made some resolutions for 2009, and we are starting off with a bang!

Top of our list, like always, is having lots of fun together. Our friends built an ice skating rink in their yard and invited us over for some fun. Here are some pictures of it…

Comments:

Dad and Mom Parker said…

Looks like lots of fun, and the weather looks great,at the time of the pictures. That is a great goal, and it is in the family proclamation too. Wholesome family recreational activities. We love to see you having fun as a family.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 10:29:52 AM

John said…

Michelle is jealous. She wants a ice rink in our yard but the weather is just not cold enough. Having fun together is a great goal. Thanks for the great picts.
Thursday, January 08, 2009 6:00:09 PM

Here are the goals we have made as a family for 2009:

As a Family
1. Gather and have family prayer in a more timely manor
2. Treat others with respect
3. Go on a family vacation bike ride in August
4. Read Scriptures as a family daily.
5. Go on family hikes this summer.
Stephen
1. Run Marathon
2. Bike a Century
3. Read the Doctrine and Covenants
4. Keep A1C below 6 all year
Jodi
Alexis
1. No Broken Bones
2. Save $100 in the bank
3. Read the Book of Mormon before my 12th Birthday
4. Say Personal prayers daily
5. Go to Girls Camp
6. Be Nice
7. Make a quilt with Mom
8. Run a 5k
9. Finish Faith in God
Mason
1. Finish my Origami Calendars
2. Read the Book of 1 Nephi
3. Hike Teewinot with Dad
Lily
1. Get my ears pierced
2. Get Baptized
3. Read the Book of Matthew
4. Run fun run
Olivia
1. Play with Ellie
2. Whisper in Sacrament Mtg
3. Read book about me and Ellie
4. Learn to swim
JT
1. Learn how to walk
2. Learn to say at least 10 words

We were happy to get to celebrate Grandma Baldwin’s birthday with her this year! We even made her wear the birthday crown…it will be a doubly special day for us now as we get to celebrate little Josie Michele along with our Grandma!

We are glad that Grandma was born – she is a woman who makes a lot of little grandchildren feel extra loved and special. She has a talent for that – it’s always fun when Grandma comes, especially for Christmas and her birthday.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We are walking in a winter wonderland! It has snowed continuously for the past few days – we feel like we are living in a Gingerbread House in the middle of the woods, and that somebody shook a globe and we are living in the middle of it.

Life is good when you’re snowed in – it forces you to stop and enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive.

		RED KETTLE FUN! They braved the cold elements (-8 below zero). It was fun thto see the can fill up with money!
Making chocolates at Stacie’s house, a Parker holiday tradition seemd a little odd without Sharon. But they still taste good!	Olivia babysat JT while we loaded up oranges.	Got to help the Good Fellows bag oranges that will be distributed along with all of the food from the scouting for food drive.

Comments:

John said…

What a fun Christmas you are having. My on ly thought is this: Where is Stephen’s coat in the 8 below zero weather a jacket just doesn’t cut it. Great memories for a great family.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008 6:18:50 AM

Jana said…

What fun memories you are all making together this time of year.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:49:04 AM

AMX Christmas Party – we were given two styrofoam balls and five toothpicks to create a snowman for a prize… we won!We have been enjoying our Christmas Season … it is nice to have the heart opened a little bit larger and eyes more forgiving and countenances more full of light. Here are some pictures of a few of our simple pleasures over the past week.

A new friend at the nursing home named Agnes.	Have I done any good in the world today?	Olivia had a run in with a fork – it was a traumatic experience. Mason (and all the others) were quick to her aide. Mason volunteered to read her a story and she stopped crying and he read her to sleep. sweet moment!
Charity taught us about toys for tots.	Telling the Fire Fighters in Rexburg “thank you and Merry Christmas”. When we went to leave Olivia said, “we didn’t go to the fire station”. She wanted to see a fire truck – so we went back and showed her the brand new “lellow” fire truck!	Alexis put on 10 pair of socks over her cast so she wouldn’t get left out of the winter fun! It was funny watching her crawl around on the snow.
We missed the Baldwin Christmas party in Blackfoot because of a nasty storm…we decided to use our white elephant gifts and have our own party.	Mason found out that White Elephant gifts aren’t always a good deal.	This guy had a lot of fun with an almond m&m he found on the floor.
Now exposed – Uncle Trevin was employee of the month and didn’t even tell us!	Parker Snowflake Production	Having fun in the snow.
Trimming the tree downstairs. Our favorite tree to unpack the ornaments each child has received over the years – it’s very nostalgic, but Olivia doesn’t understand why Alexis has more than her.	Thanks to Grant and Grace who gave our family a Gingerbread House kit for Christmas! We had a lot of fun for FHE decorating it.	Our Christmas Elf, Charity, left popsicle sticks for us to make snowflake ornaments for the Nursing Home residents…Mason and Lily wanted to get right to work.

Comments:

Jana said…

What fun times and great memories…on the Craigos billboard it says “make memories this year not landfills” Love that you are doing just that with all your fun family events.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 7:15:08 AM

Anne said…

Looks like you are enjoying the holidays! So fun! It all looks like good times!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9:00:52 AM

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Looks like lots of fun times. It looks like it will be a white Christmas there. Merry Christmas to you guys.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 12:00:49 PM

Tio Pablo said…

Thanks for inviting me too! Maybe Charity told you to invite me over cause that really made my day. Thanks!!!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 3:44:44 PM

Magan said…

Fun Stuff!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 4:16:29 PM

Olivia, Alexis, JT, Mason, and LilyHere are pictures of the individual families in their Portugal Shirts – just in case anyone wants one of their family and didn’t get one. There are 26 cousins and 2 more on their way.

Jessi, Kenzie, Zach, Haley	Sami, Kassie, Owen, and Will	Jana (sitting in for baby Brewer), Harry, Hannah, and Carson
Matt, Riley, Parker, Taylor, and Brooke	Cooper, Kate, Quinn, Paige, and Rhett