Category: Stephen and Jodi

Back in the middle of May Stephen and I, along with our friends Casey & Diana, decided to plan a fun post Puzey move trip. We did this so that not only we would have something fun to look forward to after they moved, but give our kids a chance to interact as well. In the preliminary planning stages, we decided to keep it a secret from all of the kids.  It was kind of fun having a top secret plan going on for a month.

My niece Ashley is doing her internship with the Real Salt Lake Soccer team and we thought it would rock our kids socks to try and get tickets. We thought Ashley might be able to hook us up with a good deal and she delivered! 

The Friday before we left I told all of my children that we were going to be doing something fun the next day, but we were going to have to wake up at 6 am dressed in our bike clothes. They asked where we were going and I wouldn't give any hints. Meanwhile I was trying to secretly pack our suitcases and food, etc. It was very draining and overwhelming to do it all on my own and in secret spurts of time. Whew! Stephen and Mason loaded the bikes and I acted like I was packing a picnic that night. The next morning we woke up and were on the rode by 6:05 am. That is something for me to brag about here!

We drove and texted Puzey parents as we planned to meet them up on the highway somewhere and see how our kids would react. Somewhere around Pocatello, Mason exclaimed from the back seat, "Look, there is Puzey's van! Wait, it looks like they have their bikes too. Can we invite them to go on our bike ride?" As a matter of fact…. Stephen increased his speed and we pulled up next to their van and blowed the horn. The look on Ellie's and Sam's faces were priceless! It was the best. The rest of the day we tried to stay as evasive as possible as the rest of the plans unfolded.

We eventually ended up at Lance and Anne's house and the older kids hit a few mountain bike trails. It was so nice of Lance, Anne, and kids to help us with our surprise and plans. At lunch time I asked Alexis what she would give me if we found  tickets to the Real Salt Lake game. She told me she would clean my house for a month! Sweet!!! I tried to keep fibbing and disappointing her high hopes the rest of the afternoon.

At dinnertime we took our oldest three kids "out on the town" for dinner. They thought we were headed to DI afterward when drove past and saw the Real Stadium and the many cars exiting the freeway. We said, "Maybe we can go see if someone is scalping some tix for tonight's game." We parked and walked over to the stadium. Stephen excused himself to "see what he could do" and came back with the tickets that Ashley had placed in will call. It was such a great surprise! All of us had a blast and even though it was a tie game, we were impressed by the pro soccer skills of the Real Salt Lake. After the game, we talked to Ashley and our kids ended up getting to walk onto the corner of the field and get a picture. It was so great seeing the smiles on all of their faces. I forgot to mention that some random guy after the game stood up and opened up a box and started handing out Real Salt Lake cinch backpacks. Of course we fled to him and each kids walked away with a free pack! Sweet. Alexis gave hers to Ashley to have it signed by her now soccer hero – center mid fielder, Kyle Beckerman.

The next day, Father's Day, we drove down to temple square and walked through the north visitor's center. It was a special day to be spent with the world's greatest dad. Stephen is such a wonderful father and we are sooo lucky to have him to bless our lives.

	Ashley with a dream job
“holding” dad’s present		Draper Park – JT, Sam, Lily, Will, & Owen
Olivia and Ellie got to go on a shopping date with their moms. They both bought lip gloss.	Olivia watches as Stephen opens the gift she has been saving saving to give him since school got out.
so proud and happy	What a perfect thing to say
He’s really excited about this one. Lily remembered him telling her what he really wanted for Father’s Day
	guy with the ball is Kyle Beckerman	keeper was amazing
goal for Real	the sisters

This year we made it a family event, Jodi and Lex were a team and Mason and I were a team.  It was fun to take time and spend it playing as a family.  Thanks to grandpa and grandma Parker for their taxi service and being our support vehicle.  Next year I want to see them doing the du.

Comments:

Anne said…

Looks like a great time! My kind of family fun :).
Monday, May 30, 2011 7:21:05 AM

Michelle said…

Way to stay active as a family-looks fun!
Wednesday, June 01, 2011 8:34:04 AM

I love productive Saturdays! It is such a good feeling. The boys joined forces to move some trees out front and make the mom of the house happy!  We decided to move all of the young pine trees in our front yard to the forest and also cut down the curved tree that used to be out front. The boys had to add a line to the sprinkling system to ensure water will reach all of the transplanting that is happening.  We will also get to plant a little grass where the trees were. It is exciting to make goals and see them accomplished.

Stephen also mounted our bench on the deck on wire to become a porch swing. It was quite a task and he even broke the chain link on his first try at sitting on the bench. A quick trip to Cal Stores and we were back in business with a stronger option. It is fun to gently rock on it. It is my job to sand it down a little and stain it to match things on the deck. Fun project for early summer days.

This year I "uncharacteristically" became the [nice?] scrooge of Easter. I mean I'm usually all for complicating and specializing in holiday celebrations! Go big or go home is usually my mentality. It isn't that I was trying to make some sort of official point of rebellion against commercialism. I just wasn't gravitating toward it this year for some reason. I am pretty sure it was a bit of let down to my younger three children who have been pumped up at school and in every store they visit. I provided no coloring Easter eggs, no Easter candy, and no Easter basket. I told them I even asked the Easter bunny not to stop at our house this year! WHAT?! Lily thinks I am insane…she really just wanted his autograph. Only a new Easter Church outfit from me and a delicious Easter dinner provided by the famous Grandma Parker were the physical evidence that Easter came and went. (Oh, I forgot that we went to the Sugar City Easter Egg hunt with grocery sacks in hand so that JT, Olivia, and Lily could feel festive)

What happened on the inside though, I wonder? My children and husband were very supportive and "got" what I was doing without complaining or feeling left out of the Easter social circle so to speak. Just goes to show that once in a while – it is refreshing to be simple and stick with the basics. I hope their thoughts were able to be directed to the miraculous and awesome gift that our Heavenly Father and Brother Jesus Christ allow for us: the opportunity to be able to live with them and our loved ones forever! As for me: "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at His grace that so fully he proffers me….I know that my Redeemer Lives! What comfort this sweet sentence gives."

Comments:

Stephen said…

It really was nice to be focused on the real reason to celebrate.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 8:25:31 AM

Michelle said…

Good for you-it is easy to get caught up in the fluff! I love the dresses-super cute!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 1:06:47 PM

Stephen has a goal to recruit 100 riders to cycle in the AMA Challenge this year – his goal is to raise at least $1000. I am helping with publicity and most of the time word of mouth works the best. So please put some of these words in your mouth when you are talking to fellow bike riders. It is a great ride for a scout working on a merit badge too….

back drop is Arches National Park – simply beautiful ride!

Our little family vacation was all it was hoped to be. Many great moments and memories were made: The rocks were still spectacular, the rides were thrilling, the sun peering through the blue skies was medicine for the soul. We were seriously debating coming home. Stephen and I have decided that in a few years (when we retire) we are going to become snowbirds during the winter and migrate to the south and then spend our summers in Island Park when it is too hot in the desert. We think our kids will still want to come and visit us – maybe even come more often. 🙂

Mason is still planning on his honeymoon spot for Moab so as he gets increasingly older please be picking out some tough and rugged girls to introduce him to. The first night we got there he practically jumped out of the car and dismantled his bike for some slick rock ride practice loop teasers. Friday we spent most of the day in Arches National Park and did a couple of the hikes there, but Mason was having a hard time resisting the call from his bike strapped onto the back of our van. Stephen understood his desires and drove us (after our Park fun) along a scary mountainous ledge – as far as I could handle – for the bikers to ride to Gemini Bridges. They loved the thrill of it all. Mason was amazing and finished the full slick rock trail with Stephen and Puzey friends on Saturday morning, he then rode the Bar M loop with our family. and was genuinely upset when we wouldn't let him get his bike off the rack at the city park that evening. I personally couldn't believe his rear wasn't telling him to take a break! We ended our vacation out at the Moab Diner for dinner and Stephen gorged himself with the "best green Chile in the state".  Our kids had fun there.  It was fun to choose from a menu with Moab wording and the milk shakes and malts were as big as the Moab rock mountains! Sadly, Stephen spent the duration of his his time in Moab cuddled up to the toilet – sick as can be. I think I counted him throwing up at least 3 times. Poor guy, he is just glad it didn't come on until the last night. Needless to say, I drove all 8 hours home while he nestled in a blanket in the passenger's seat. 

it was a perfect getaway – o.k. everything except Stephen's flu bug…lol. 🙂

	tired little children	Bar M Loop Riders
		biking babe
	Happy before the flu storm hit	wow! she had to share 2 pancakes with JT because it was “too much food”.
Lion’s Back Breakfast/Dinner	Olivia was thrilled to choose the baby Lion’s Back for dinner	Evolution of the bums
had to fit a little soccer in	we are a little crazy and gave this burley rental a run for it’s money!	Yeah! for Lily – this was an overwhelming ride that she conquered
Mason is in heaven	Lex is excited to fit in a more light hearted ride with her “relic” bike	This was probably one of my top 2 favorite we did in Moab!
The Orage Crush was a good ride	how sweet is this? Can’t believe he can sleep through the bumpy terrain	Yikes
double yikes	cutie
	Gemni Bridge Ride in his newly purchased helmet	a little chocolate mustache will do ya good
that is some slick rock
slick rock fun		big bike @ Poison Spider
		lizard lovers unite
	the windows
	my dad is the strongest guy of any guy around	look closely for Olivia’s lizard is about to be caught
so excited	finally o.k. with the rule of “catch and release” – she’s ready to let her lizard go back to it’s natural habitat	farewell
parade of the elephants		imprressive?
lots of bikes		is this for real?
almost	fiery furnance	Lots of comments from people on the amount of bikes we fit on here
hiking to landscape arch	always ready to pose for a climbing picture	this is a happy 12 year old
fun surprise sand	truth behind the picture	Fiery Furnance again
		made it to landscape arch
boy on a rock
up for a better view	love this picture	unloading for the first ride
Finally!		excited the pool is open!
Happy to have survived an 8 hour drive without getting car sick!		happy to play outside
ready, set, go!	JT took time to snuggle with mom	looking for lizards on the slick rock
	beautiful girl	petroglyph art is one of my favorite things
playing at another park		happy on a donkey
	happy thoughts going on inside

Comments:

Stacie said…

That looks like soooo much fun! I wish I was going in 3 weeks. What a great place to visit!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:19:46 AM

Michelle said…

What a fun time! Great memories-I’m impressed with the biking skills of your kids! That warm weather sure looks inviting!
Thursday, March 17, 2011 8:34:33 AM

Anne said…

Oh YEAH! I am SOOOOOO excited to go on our adventure in a few weeks! Looks like some great memories were made by all! Just can’t beat spring fever any better way than heading south :). What a cute and adventurous family you are!
Thursday, March 17, 2011 3:27:08 PM

The excitement at our house is so thick you could cut it with a knife!!!!! We are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited to load the bikes Thursday morning @ 6 am for the Redrocks of Moab UTAH. The best traveling birthday party Mason could have hoped for. We were originally going to try to surprise our kids with this vacation, but totally failed with keeping the secret because WE were too excited not to talk about it. Stephen surprised me with a new mt. bike for valentine's day and my little "orange crush" is calling my name! Mason is almost more excited for me than I am for myself. 🙂

Check back for a full report.

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Have a great time.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011 9:04:10 PM

Anne said…

I am sooooooo excited for your family! You know how much I love it in Moab :). Hope Mason enjoys his b-day trip. Your kids are going to want to repeat that birthday party for sure.

Can’t wait to hear about it!
Wednesday, March 09, 2011 12:33:39 PM

Life is going by quickly; seems I'm constantly trying to be flexible with delays and disappointment; it is full of side track distractions; the smoke of stinky bathrooms & laundry always piling up; dust (literal dust) in every room – especially on top of my black furniture; cinders of irritation come when my patience is lacking; and jolts of reality that things aren't going to happen the way that I want them to.

But then I'm given a day like this past Sunday and it makes all of "that" ok. I am thankful to a loving Heavenly Father that all of us are given the opportunity to be born with a body to experience mortality and partake in "all" that He sees fit to teach us with here on earth. I'm equally grateful for our spiritual brother, Jesus Christ, who provided a way for us to all live together forever someday.

This past Sunday was a special day. The "special"ness didn't come wrapped in a fancy meal or exciting get together, it wasn't even attending church. What made it special to me, this time, was spending simple, uplifting, reflective, & quality time with my sweet family in the comforts of my own home. To others it would just seem a regular day of Sunday activities, but to me it was the perfect day. FYI – Sunday is my favorite day of the week.

We casually woke up (church is now at one!) and socialized while making a yummy breakfast together of french toast and coconut syrup.

We spent the morning playing music at the piano and singing, practicing articles of faith, Mason looking up merit badge requirements, Lexi working on personal progress, and then all us girls' choosing the perfect Sunday outfits to wear to church.

Everyone grabbed their scripture bags and we experienced a typical Sabbath day in Sugar City. Having the opportunity to partake of the sacrament is always special – especially with my family. JT only had to be taken out of Sacrament meeting once – and it was to go to the bathroom! Hoorah for no accidents.

We came home to a crock pot that was a little slower at cooking our meal than we planned, but this freed up time to spend enjoying family home movies and past baptism video from Lexi, Mason, and Lily. Finally dinner was ready after Stephen came home from his second meeting of the day (7pm). While we were eating dessert JT climbed onto my lap and fell asleep! I took him downstairs, eased him into his PJs and tucked him under the covers where he stayed the rest of the night. The rest of the family cleaned up all of the dishes together.

The remainder of the evening consisted of readings from the Ensign, New Era, and Children's Friend. Lexi read from the book, "Others" and told us a story that reminded us to be good examples and friends to all. Lily and Olivia spent time on the Children's friend website and composed talks to give to the whole family before we closed our eyes to go to sleep.

When I laid in my bed I was genuinely happy and at peace. My children were at peace, and had opportunities to strengthen their growing testimonies this day. I cherished each moment as I reflected on the day and numbered it as one of my favorites in the days of motherhood. This was one of the occasional, "beautiful vistas" that President Hinckley spoke of once upon a time and I wanted to take time to seal it up – never to be forgotten.

 

"Life is like an old-time rail journey–delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." President Gordon B. Hinckley

We had a fabulous and fun-filled holiday. It will take me a while to journal about it, so for now I am just posting photos. We had a full month and enjoyed it all! I love Christmas and the opportunity it gives to reflect on Christ solid for a month. We should do it all of the time, but let's face it – Christmas time magnifies the thoughts (at least for me). It is also exciting and fun to listen to and sing/play Christmas music, watch the twinkling lights, see the beautifully wrapped gifts, express love through gift giving, spend time with family and friends and, of course, eating the yummy foods that go with it! We seriously had something fun planned for every day. My kids loved it, I loved that my kids loved it! BUT I was very happy Monday morning when life resumed and things were back to "normal". My dishes were in the dishwasher by 9 am and the kitchen stayed clean until 3:25. That was a pleasure. Plus, I don't know why, but I love it when all of the Christmas decorations get put away.  Actually, I just realized why – less clutter!

Is it me or does his forehead look very tall?

Stephen has been feeling self conscience of his thinning hair line so I decided to get him a toupee for Christmas. Which one do you like better?

Just Kidding – We have been having fun with the app John told me about called Old Booth. I have been laughing and having fun with the hilarious transformations. We pulled out our phones to show the Puzeys last week. One of my favorites is the picture of our friend Casey below. He looks like a news anchor from the 70s – and like a real person. I laugh every time I see it.