Look who turned 3!


Pretty little lady with her chosen pink heart birthday cake with sprinkles.Here she is – the newly turned 3 year old, miss Olivia Michele Parker. She had a great and fun day and enjoyed her moments in the spotlight. Mason, Lex, and Lily were sure to remind her of what a special day it was because of her. We sure love her.

Our family went on a bike ride up Summer’s Hill (8.5 miles round trip). Ollie liked riding in the bike trailer with JT and Lex. Mason’s bike tire went flat after the first 1/2 mile and Alexis was happy to lend hers to Mason. Stephen pushed us forward through the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I was happy to catch up with Mason and join him at the top. Once we were all there we stopped for a family photo in the field of wheat…the clouds were such a beautiful contrast with the wheat.

Olivia also got to go get a happy meal from McDonalds for lunch with her dad and Mason. She was hoping for a cute Polly Pocket, but when they got there they found that they only had Star Wars toys.

Later, we invited friends and family over to help us celebrate with a hot dog roast and cotton candy. Olivia loved all of the cards and gifts she received – thank you for thinking of and loving her!

Three years can go by so quickly. It is fun to think back on all of the joyful and fun times that Olivia has brought to our family. She is one special lady!


This is Olivia’s cute little friend, Ellie.
Stephen had her sit in the tractor bucket to blow out her candles.
Having her cake and eating it too.

This here my friends, is a crazy, pregnant, canning queen! She amazes me.
Let the cotton candy begin.
Tanner Puzey grew a quick beard for the party…then he got stung 4 times by some wasps. ouch.

Ashlyn (Tanner’s sister) also got a sting. Yikes.
Little Brooke got one too – right by her eye. Double yeowee. Olivia was so excited to have her friends, Brookey and Ellie, come to her party.
Love this picture of Kate.

Love in my tummy…
Sticky/Dirty Fingers!

Birthday Morning Pleasures

We can have fun and do hard things.
Olivia learned how to make her fingers say “3” and has been practicing for this big day!

Island Parker
Free tractor rides were given.
Paul ate a grasshopper.

Co
mments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Happy Happy Birthday sweet Olivia, You are a ray of sunshine. We sure do love you.
Sunday, August 31, 2008 12:00:50 AM

Aunt Susan said…

Looks like a great 3rd birthday party! Happy birhtday, little princess! Stephen and Jodi, you are an amazing team yourselves. You children are so blessed to have you as parents!
Sunday, August 31, 2008 9:19:24 AM

Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin said…

It sounds like Olivia had a good 3 year old birthday. Lots of fun things going on. What a sweet little 3 year old! Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin sure do love you, Olivia!!! Hugs and Kisses!!!
Sunday, August 31, 2008 11:09:15 PM

Jana said…

What a gal, thanks for inviting us to your birthday bash, we had a blast!
Monday, September 01, 2008 12:49:37 PM

Anne said…

Happy birthday Olivia! Wish we could have been there to help you celebrate! You are so cute and fun. Hugs!
Monday, September 01, 2008 10:24:11 PM

Come Ride with us September 20th


I am putting on a road bike ride for all who think they can handle it. And for those who can’t you most likely can, I just had to make it sound hard to get Lance & Anne and Eric & Magan to come 🙂 It will be a nice casual setting with beautiful scenery all around. The ride is scheduled for Sept 20th at 9AM. I am hoping it only gets better and bigger every year. Check out the website to register. All the money goes into a pot to be given out to the top winners. Plus you get a sweet T-shirt!

The AMA Challenge

Comments:

Jodi said…

I know what you’re talking about and I think it is a challenge! Sounds pretty and fun though…I’m thinking about it.
Friday, August 29, 2008 8:01:19 AM

John said…

You go son. I am impressed with your take it on and make it happen attitude. LOTAJA watch out AMA is the new craze.
Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:59:26 AM

Mom Baldwin said…

Our neighbor has a business printing T-shirts. He said he would love to print some for your bike ride. Brad had him do some T-shirt printing for him. He does good work. If you don’t already have them ordered, let us know and we’ll put you in touch with him, Ben Jenkins. Good luck with your plans, etc.
Monday, September 01, 2008 12:05:47 AM

Six Months


My little baby boy is growing! He is now 6 months old (yesterday it was official). I got a glimpse of him the other day while he was sleeping and was surprised at how big he looked. I wish time would slow down a little bit.

He loves to eat “food” now and moans with “mm, mm, mm” while he eats, his little feet kick in excitement too. He watches the food we eat and put to our mouths like a hawk. I came in from running this morning carrying a glass of water and he was mad at me for not sharing until I game him a sliver of an ice cube! Funny little dude. He seems to love pears the most and really hates peas and carrots.

He has all but mastered sitting up and he can spin around in his exosaucer with ease. He really knows who his family is and shows his excitement when any sibling or parent talks to him. He is also really good with other people as well, a very social babe.

His nicknames are: Obviously JT, little J, Josh, little man, little dude, and buddy boy. Lily seems to like calling him Joshua, and Olivia and I call him JT Parker A LOT. We like to use his full name for some reason?

He is cute as ever and the apple of my eye!

Comments:

Dad and Mom Parker said…

He is such a cute little guy. We can’t wait to hold him and get to know him better. We are excited to see you all. Thanks for the updates they are great.
Thursday, August 28, 2008 2:27:29 AM

Grandma Baldwin said…

Hummmm! JT must get his love of food from his Grandma Baldwin. I think it is so cute how he follows with his eyes as one puts food into their mouth. He doesn’t want to miss out on getting a taste of what your’e eating, does he? What a cute little guy! His personality is really coming out! I sure love him!
Sunday, August 31, 2008 10:52:30 PM

Life is good


The Harvest is greatI am just reminiscing on how much fun this last week was, I had a lot of good things happen and a few not so fun ones as well.

The not so fun thing this week was having to speak in church today, I told them I would rather run a marathon than speak in church. I spoke on Mosiah 2:41, it went pretty well the best part is that it is over now. Thanks Jodi and Dad for helping me write my talk.

The highlight of the week would have to be attending the Twin Falls Temple dedication tonight with Alexis and Mason. It was such a neat experience, to see President Monson in a more casual manor, he was making jokes and really opening up. He opened his talk with a funny comment about the choir, they had just sung and there was one lady who was trying to break glasses with her high notes. President Monson said something to the point, “I bet you haven’t heard that note in a long time.” It was very funny yet tactful. Good times on the Parker homestead…


It was fun to have the kids start school again and see how excited they are to learn new things.
What a cute little angel
Looks like my love for trailers is getting passed down to the kids.

Ride like the wind Lily
I was working from home as I looked out the window I saw Lily and Olivia having a fun time together.
Cute little JT make every minute fun with his cute smiles.

Jodi’s parents came to visit and that was fun.
You want soup take a bowl…
Alexis the photographer doesn’t miss much

Go!
The bike rally was a blast for me, took me back to when I was a kid again.
Alexis doesn’t seem to get slowed down much by her broken arm, she was out pulling Olivia with a bike.

Looks like my love for trailers is getting passed down to the kids.
My favorite view, looking at my family at home.
Mason and Lily had to have their own little bike race, Alexis was the official flag girl.

Mason is becoming a true gentleman, he could have beat Lily but chose to let her win.
Awesome Idaho sunset

Another Fun Weekend


Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin came up for a visit. It was so much fun.

I loved it. We went to Island Park on Saturday so that Grandpa could get some quaking aspens for walking sticks. When we made the first stop I got stung by a wasp! I was NOT happy. We loaded up and went somewhere else. We had lunch with lots of flies and wasps flying around. Olivia got stung too. Alexis and Mason weren’t happy about it – they were feeling nervous. Grandpa said he might make Olivia a walking stick with a bee on it.

When we came home Grandma took all of the girls shopping. I really loved this part. Olivia got to pick out a birthday present. She chose to get a Cinderella Polly Pocket. I got to get some gum.

We love our Grandpa and Grandma.

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

It looked like a fun time Grandma and Grandpa Baldwin are always fun to be with. You are lucky to have them around. You guys are so sweet, the bees love you.
Monday, August 25, 2008 1:58:42 AM

michelle said…

How fun! I wouldn’t have done well with the wasps however. You guys are so fun!
Monday, August 25, 2008 11:43:05 AM

Grandma Baldwin said…

We had such a good time with the Parker’s last week-end! Thanks to all of you for being so nice to us. Lily, I think grandpa was going to make you the walking stick. You were the first one to get stung, remember? He can make one for Olivia, too. You two were such good sports. Those wasps were really too overbearing. It’s a good thing we left before all of us got stung!!!! Love to all.
Monday, August 25, 2008 12:15:29 PM

Meg the Gem said…

How fun! You always do such a great job posting pictures. Post me on my blog (or I guess you could email me) how you get multiple pictures up. My set up will only allow 4-5 and they post much bigger than I’de prefer. I like the way you do it!
Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:00:53 PM

To Be Young Again


It was Stephen’s turn to plan our date for Friday night and it ended up being one of the funnest we’ve been on for a long time. I say ended up because at the beginning I was feeling self conscience and a little skeptical, but by the end I had thrown caution to the wind and just enjoyed it. Here’s how it went down:

Stephen was given a Starving Student card last week for free, the only catch is that it is going to expire at the end of this month. He noticed that there are several great “Free” items. So this leads us to what our date was all about – everything we did had to be free and on the card. Guess what? I noticed that I had the same card tucked away in my purse – so everything listed is x2. It felt like a Scavenger Hunt and I also felt like a little kid in a candy shop trying to cram everything down. We both decided to pace ourselves better after the first couple of stops and brought a bunch of stuff home for our kids – they thought it was great.

Our first stop was to Little Caesars for some FREE crazy bread. We ate a couple of them and then pressed on to The Twisted Pretzel and BRC. We each got a FREE caramel pretzel, very yummy and highly recommended. (I will confess we paid 30 cents more each to have it caramelized – but well worth the splurge) At BRC we got a frozen ice cream custard bar, again yum.

Next we drove to The Backyard. We got a FREE large fry and FREE raspberry cheesecake custard. The fries were drenched in a scary amount of grease but that custard was delicious. (We had to share these items because Stephen had already cashed in on these when he first received the card) Seriously the raspberry cheesecake custard was my favorite pic of the night! I’ll be going back again for that one.

After that we drove over to Gandolfos for our FREE lemon mousse cake. We couldn’t even tempt ourselves because we were getting stuffed. We decided to save that to share with the kids (along with our greasy fries and left over bread items). Oh speaking of bread items we got a FREE roll from the Lion House Pantry at Deseret Book.

We ended up the night with FREE chips and salsa from Bajio. (I’ll also confess that here we splurged to buy some queso dip for a $1. We both love it!)

We also went to Pic a Flic and picked up a couple of FREE movie rentals. Whew it was crazy night and lot of fun.

It felt like we were in college again, and fun for one night! I’m glad Stephen is fun to be with and makes my life happy. I seem to take life too seriously most of the time and he is the perfect antidote for that (most of the time). 🙂

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

When you can have that much fun on a date with a time tested companion, it’s like winning the lottery, but better, because you can have that much joy and not worry about the money. We would love to double date with you guys anytime.

Monday, August 25, 2008 1:52:37 AM

michelle said…

I love that date! You guys are great! I love the rush of getting free stuff-good job!
Monday, August 25, 2008 12:38:53 PM

Jana said…

Way fun we did that too!! I think free runs deep in our blood and gets us Parkers going!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:57:34 AM

Bicycle Rally


Saturday the Cub Scouts from pack #254 held a Bike Rally. They had a pancake and egg breakfast. They whipped up the batter with a drill and blending attachment. Mason thought it was great. Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin were up for a visit so got to come with us!

A police officer came and taught the cub scouts how important bike helmets are and then they all got to learn bike techniques and safety. The guy in charge of repairs was really cute. Mason and his dad loved the big pile of gravel that was in the church parking lot – while all of the other bikers were having a race, they decided to see how much air they could get.

I love Mason in his shades – he is really cool!

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Since you will be spending a lot of time on a bike, learning bike safety is very important. We always want to think of safety first when we are playing hard.

Monday, August 25, 2008 1:47:15 AM

Aunt Jana said…

Fun pack night!! We did that just a few months ago, glad to see you are learning all these fun things in life that keep you safe!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:49:48 AM

Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin said…

Mason, we had a great visit spending time with you and your family. You are a special 9 year old with lots of entertaining talents. You can entertain us with riding bikes, catching frogs, making swasp traps, etc., etc. Thanks for being so awesome. We love you!
Sunday, August 31, 2008 11:14:43 PM

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!


School Bound CutiesCommonly one hears the phrase, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” at Christmas time. Can I offer a better use for the phrase? And that would be BACK TO SCHOOL TIME BABY!!! Just for the record, I’m quite certain the feeling (from my children) is mutual. I have been known in previous years to feel melancholy. (yes you read that correctly) I couldn’t believe parents were excited about being away from their children – then five kids happened! Fighting, whining, bugging, tattling, complaining, laziness, crying, etc. Any mother with children knows my plight. I have had a several days this summer of feeling like I am going to literally pull my hair out!! You know the story about being in a hole and you can’t get out? That would be mine. Seriously though, I just need a few hours a day to regroup and tidy and be still!

Today was the day I have been waiting for. Three kids in school ALL DAY long, two more to go… It’s time for me to finally take a giant breath – AHHHHH. Don’t get me wrong, I love these little people more than life itself. They are my flesh and blood – they just sometimes create a lot of sweat and tears. It is good for all of us to have a little bit of space so that we can appreciate each other that much more, right? It helps that they are anxious to learn and enjoy their time at school.

Here are some pictures of our back to school FHE. We always have a great time kicking off the new school year. We had to coax Mason into the fashion show, but he is a good sport – doesn’t he look handsome as ever? They all like the bus cake the most, it is a must have.

It almost feels like Christmas! (smile, wink, wink)


Miss me, miss me, now I’ll have to kiss me!
Back to School FHE
crazy food for crazy people

Which one is going to teach Spanish at MHS?
The man behind the camera.
Playgroup or Bust!

First Grade and in Fashion!
Love my shirt with crossing wrenches!
and the semi truck on the back!

Sassy little sixth grader!
Reminding us that everyone is special!

Tales of the Fourth Grade


Mason came home with a smile, which was a good thing considering his many reservations about starting school up again. He liked his teacher, Mrs. Singleton, and his class and his new school, Kershaw Intermediate School. It helped that he sat by a boy named Karter who could make origami frogs, he made two for Mason! Now that is cool in Mason’s eyes.

Mason told his teacher that he would like to learn how to do division this year. He was glad that his teacher didn’t make him fill up an entire page explaining what he wanted to learn – she said division was good enough. That was the thing that Mason likes best about his teacher. His favorite part of the day was a fun questionnaire – he got to choose one of two things that was his favorite and then color in a person with the color it said. For example this was one of the questions he said was really hard to choose from: Build a tree house or go on a walk through the woods? He decided to choose build a tree house.

He said it will probably be a good year.

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Great job, Mason. Your teacher looks like a wonderful person and a happy teacher. Always do your very best. You will surely be a fine addition to the class. It looks like you gained a little height with your new hair-do. Have a great year.
Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:27:33 PM

Aunt Susan said…

Hey Mason, next time I see you, I can teach you how to fold frogs if you want. I learned in third grade. Have a terrific year. Love,
Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:52:20 AM

First Day of First Grade


i went to first grade. i got to eat lunch there it was fun!!!!!!!!! i love school.

My teacher’s name is Mrs. Ball. She is so nice. She teaches you how to learn a lot. I love my teacher! My favorite part of the day was two things. I loved to eat lunch there and to play BINGO school wise. I wanted to stay longer and never go.

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

You sure are a cute first grader. We think you will be one of Mrs. Ball’s favorite students. Have a fun year of learning.
Thursday, August 21, 2008 3:23:57 PM

Aunt Susan said…

Your smile makes me so happy! I’m glad you loved your first day of school. I hope that you will always have a love for learning and that you will make a lot of new friends. Love
Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:55:21 AM

Aunt Jana said…

Awesome first grader, keep loving to learn!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:54:42 AM

Grandma Baldwin said…

Lily, you are going to be a super first grader! I’m so glad you like school. I loved school, too.
Monday, September 01, 2008 12:37:58 AM