Easter in the Snow


It all started on Saturday, the day before Easter. We were excited about going to an Easter Egg hunt. After checking out the information in the newspaper, we decided to go over to Madison High School parking lot. Whoever was in charge decided it was too cold and snowy for a traditional hunt so they made a line up of about 4 people who handed candy out of a plastic bag…the candy wasn’t even in an easter egg?! It felt a little like Halloween. Though our children were happy with the candy, they still felt slighted on the hunt. Stephen told them we could go check out the Easter Egg hunt in Sugar City (mind you they both started at 10 am). We zoomed over to Smith Park in Sugar City and they literally ran out of the car and tried to snag some eggs. It was quite a site – one I have never experienced…the children were running to find eggs across the field of frozen snow. They didn’t get too many eggs, but they had fun. A boy in Alexis’ school class gave her and Mason a large Soccer Egg each – I thought that was nice. He must have read the story from the Children’s Friend.

Sunday we went to church…it felt nice for me because I haven’t been for so long! (Three Weeks) I almost regretted that I went when I got several tactfully disapproving comments about bringing my baby out in RSV season. I decided to not be offended – even though I am feeling somewhat like a bad mother. Oh, well – to each his own, right? After church we had dinner and invited Tara and her boyfriend Jordi over. The kid crew had much fun enjoying their company.

After dinner, we journeyed over to Ryon and Jana’s and “rolled” some hard boiled eggs…Rhett won the event! Stacie and Jana also hid some eggs in the basement for the easter egg hunt…Alexis was excited to find the golden egg. Jana also made some very cute cupcakes and a delicious torte to eat for the festivities. To top it all off we played a quick game of tennis on the Wii.

Fun Days!

Three Weeks Yesterday


Look at me! I am growing fast and staying awake more often to my family’s delight. I have also given mom more than a few “showers” when she changes my diaper or gives me a bath. I have even shocked everyone with my projectile vomiting, which has occurred about once a day for the past week. I am now 7 lbs 6 oz and 20″ long.

Comments:

Grandpa and Grandma Parker said…

Wow, we can see you are growing. You are so cute!!!
Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:11:29 AM

Aunt Susan said…

What a handsome little dude. Mark had projectile vomiting-not very fun, I hope you outgrow it VERY soon!
Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:04:04 PM

Jana said…

He is so cute…so glad to see he is healthy and keeping you on your toes! He is a great addition to your little family.
Thursday, March 20, 2008 5:54:23 PM

Tio Pablo said…

He’s a keeper! Wish I could make it to the blessing.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 9:31:06 PM

Big Sister


Olivia is enjoying her role as a big sister. She thinks it is cool to be like Lily and Alexis. She is willing and eager to help with every task involved in helping Joshua Taylor (that is what she calls him) – even if it is a stinky diaper! Whenever she walks by him she gives him a “tiss” on the head or feet. This morning I was trying to sneak some extra sleep in when I heard Lily and her enter my room. I heard her tell Lily not to touch him (he was asleep) because mom doesn’t want us too! She is a great protector and when she wants to hold him she is always willing to wash her hands. We are proud of her and glad she is in our family.

Comments:

Grandpa and Grandma Parker said…

You are getting trained for motherhood Moms always need a good helper. Keep it up.
Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:12:35 AM

jana said…

She is so precious! I love that little girl!
Thursday, March 20, 2008 5:57:09 PM

Aunt Amy said…

Olivia is such a little cutie…
Thursday, March 27, 2008 7:02:36 PM

Spice Girl


Lily is a lover of SALT! She is always wondering where the salt is when a meal is served, and let me tell you she is very generous when she is shaking it. The other day I found her shaking Garlic Salt onto her bowl of microwave popcorn … she is branching out a bit! I’ve decided that her and Stephen go together well – he has a hand on the pepper while she is reaching for the salt. I also must mention that some of her favorite foods are french fries and potato chips. We are definitely going to keep our eye on her – we don’t want her going into cardiac arrest, especially at a young age! She did inform me tonight that celery is her favorite vegetable and she just can’t eat enough of it, sounded like a good direction to steer her in. Gotta “dash”….

Comments:

Grandpa and Grandma Parker said…

Spicey is good. We like our food spicey too. Always remember to eat your vegetables they are so good for you. We can’t find celery here much, so eat some for us too Lily.
Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:15:03 AM

Aunt Susan said…

I love the crunch and munch of celery and Great Grandma Parker salted green apples and grapefuit. She loved Vegies, salt, and most of all-family.
Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:13:11 PM

Aunt jana said…

She is a girl after my own heart! I love salt too!
Thursday, March 20, 2008 5:58:52 PM

Amy Baldwin said…

Just be careful if she also wants a Diet Coke with those french fries…it is a hard habit to break!
Sunday, May 18, 2008 3:01:40 PM

Crash and Burn

Reality vs. Idealism

Waking up with a blazing headache vs.Sleeping in
Yelling to be heard vs. Rationally explaining my needs
Missed Family morning time vs. Enjoying my family and wishing them a happy day
Overwhelmed and Over tired vs. Having it “all together”
Still in my pajamas vs. fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes
Not getting exercise vs. going outside for some fresh air and riding my new bike
Loading up the car seats to take Lily to school in my pjs vs. Making it on time for the bus

Reality is setting in and I had a crash and burn morning! Crashed by loosing control and acting like an imbecile and Burned by feeling guilty about it.
Good thing tomorrow is a new day!

The sun will come out tomorrow ….

Play-Date With Tara

Yesterday Lily,Mason,and I went to Tara’s apartment.We played play dough,then Tara called Jordi her boyfriend and we talked to his computer and took funny pictures!Then we went to Portor Park we played on the swings with Jessie Tara’s room mate and Jordi gave us underdogs.Me and Jordi did back flips and Tara took pictures.We had snow ball fights and then went back to the apartment.We ate quesidillas and grapes and went home.What a day!

Comments:

Stacie said…

How fun! I am sure that meant alot to Tara that you would go and spend the whole day with her! Quesedilla and grapes sound yummy!
Sunday, March 16, 2008 10:28:00 AM

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Sounds like you had a great time. I can’t wait to see the new Park in town.
Sunday, March 16, 2008 10:46:08 AM

Aunt Jana said…

Cool. How can I get a play date with grapes and quesedillas?! That Tara is pretty cool eh?
Sunday, March 16, 2008 1:14:29 PM

It wasn’t me


Tonight I experienced a modern day miracle. I was working late on some servers and one of them was having major problems. I had no choice but to drive across town into the office to do a bare metal restore. I was coming around the last corner to the office when I started to slide on the fresh snow. I was going a little fast because I wanted to get this critical server going again. I slid off the road and over the curb, there was no sidewalk as this is a new construction area. I tried to backup but the wheels just spun. I thought to myself I don’t want to call Jodi at this hour for help.

I jumped out and assessed the situation, I was about 4′ off the road buried in a ice packed snow bank. I was high centered, I thought again I am going to need a tractor or big pickup to get this one out. I got back in the van and without thinking put the car in reverse. This is where the miracle came, when I pushed on the gas pedal the van started to move. I had just tried this seconds ago and it just spun. I kept rocking it and within seconds it backed over the curb and out. I just looked up and said, “Thank you”. I knew I had been helped from a power greater than all.

Comments:

Jodi said…

It is nice to experience moments like that – I am going to have to say thank you too!
Friday, March 14, 2008 1:43:26 PM

Dad said…

Grandpa Parker must have been assigned to you that night
Saturday, March 15, 2008 2:51:04 AM

John said…

Good Job giving credit where it is due.
Saturday, March 15, 2008 7:50:11 AM

June said…

Sounds like a small miracle, but great to have those once in a while to keep us in check. Thanks for being such a great Brother to look up too.
Sunday, March 16, 2008 1:16:05 PM

Two weeks old


JT is just growing like a well watered weed. He is getting cuter everyday, we just love the little fella.

Comments:

John said…

Cute as a dandilion or is it a thistle? He’s a keeper.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 9:21:12 PM

Aunt Susan said…

He’s beautiful. Another miracle! When was he born? How are you all doing-specially Jodi? What a great looking family- heaven on earth.
Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:06:59 AM

Mom and Dad Parker said…

He looks good. It’s nice to see him growing. He looks peaceful. Keep up the good work.
Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:49:28 AM

Stacie said…

I think he looks so much like Stephen! Of course he changes so fast these early days! He is so sweet! How are you hanging in Jo?
Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:19:22 PM

You can lead a horse to water…


Me back in 1986But you can’t make it drink. I was so excited last year to see Mason sign up for the Sugar Wrestling team, and do very well at that. It seems the excitement has worn off, he enjoys the practice and spending time with friends. But he just isn’t that excited about the tournaments.

I tried last weekend to make it a fun experience at the Sugar Wrestling tournament. He just had a bad day again, he had 10 guys in his bracket including the state champions from Idaho and Montana in his weight. Needless to say he had a tough time of it. He won 2 and lost 2 and ended up taking 4th. That was the folkstyle round, the next day I was sure he get a better seat in the freestyle tournament. Not so, he wrestled the Montana state champ his first match, he was the same guy he had lost to the night before. Mason held his own but ended up with some sprained fingers.

So today in practice Mason was less than excited about wrestling. I realized that he has been doing it all to make me happy. We had a little heart to heart and decided that, just because I like it, doesn’t mean he has to. He may continue to attend the practices because of the social time he gets, but I decided to let him make the call. He needs to enjoy himself, and be a kid in his own way.

Comments:

Uncle John said…

Do whatever you love! (As long as it it a worthy cause) You are a champ in my eyes Mason!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 9:22:53 PM

Pablo el non-luchador said…

Try having three older brothers who wrestle and you don’t! You have to make your own choices and do what you want.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:00:55 PM

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Excitement for things come and go in a person’s life. Give him a little time and who knows. How many kids who play the piano really wanted to. Just as long as he still likes to do good wholesome things. He’s a great kid>
Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:43:52 AM

Why is Easter so early this year?

So, we have been wondering why Easter is so early this year (especially when we look out to our yard and see all of this snow!) … here are our findings, just in case anyone else is curious.

“Easter this year is:Sunday March 23, 2008
As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
* This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
* Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22), but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). None of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:
* The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around then).
* The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!”

Comments:

John said…

Thanks for the trivia. You are a walking almanac. Happy early Easter.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 9:24:36 PM

Dad Parker said…

Interesting information. I never heard how they decide when Easter is.
Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:40:13 AM

Patricia says: said…

Thanks for the information about Easter. I wondered why it was so early this year. Those Easter eggs are going to get cold this year.
Thursday, March 13, 2008 10:34:57 AM

Stacie said…

Thanks Jodi! I am wondering why I am going to have to put on boots,gloves, hats and mittens to goto the easter egg hunt! I am glad it only happens every 220 years! Do you think we will ever see our grass again?!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008 11:13:03 PM