lizards and scorpions and snakes, oh my! October 8, 2009

We took our freakishly fearless 3 year old daughter to the Reptile Exhibit in Salt Lake last Saturday.  We knew she’d love it, and she sure did.  She wanted to hold everything she saw, and I mean everything.  Sometimes the people gave her a double take when she asked to hold their creature.  She was able to hold a python and a scorpion, pet many snakes and a giant iguana, she also enjoyed petting various lizards.  I think that the scorpions and the snakes are her favorites. 

 

Nate also enjoyed the exhibit, although he prefers to look and not touch.  We did talk him into petting a smaller lizard, which was his favorite animal there.  He is NOT interested in those snakes.

Not a girly-girl September 24, 2009

We took the kids to Nate’s school carnival last Friday.  They had a lot of fun playing all the games at the various booths.  Towards the end, we discovered the “Fear Factor” booth and just in time for the live snake feeding.  They were feeding two large snakes two very large rats!

Tessa immediately pushed her way to the front of the line where she watched the gruesome event from beginning to end.  She was mesmorized by every bit of it and not one bit afraid of it….and, let me tell you, it was not a pretty sight.  Even as that snake got right up to her face with the rat’s feet and tail hanging out of it’s mouth, she just turned and smiled at me.  She loved loved loved it. 

After the rat had been completely consumed, we dragged her away.  I stopped to give Nate his last tickets and turned around to find her elbow-deep in a bucket of meal worms!!

Fun Fair September 24, 2009

We went to the Utah State Fair on opening night to take advantage of the $2 entrance fee.  The night still ended up costing $40, however.  What a rip off!!  Next time, we’re eating at Wendy’s before we go…the food prices are WAY to high at the fair. 

The kids had a fun time, though.  They got to do the “helping hands on the farm” exhibit and ride the giant yellow slide.  We finished the evening by looking at lots of animals, which is always fun.  Tessa especially loves the animals. 

Cheerleader Turned Football Player September 8, 2009

I was so excited that Tessa was finally old enough to participate in the annual Viking “mini-cheer” clinic this year.  The little girls get to learn some cheers with the big girls and then get to perform during the half time of a football game.  Because I’m a faculty member, they do it for just $6!  She got a cute shirt, shorts, and pom poms.  She was very excited to go cheer, as you can see in this picture taken before the game had started.

When it came time, she stepped out onto the track to do a few cheers.  We soon regretted the cotton candy that she ate during that first half of the game when she began attacking her big cheerleader.  She started with an innocent “hug” and just seemed delighted to see her, but then she got a bit obsessive and the hugs turned to “tackles”.  Then, the other little girls noticed the fun that Tessa was having and decided to join in the fun.  They dog-piled this poor cheerleader almost the entire time! 

This picture really doesn’t do it justice, really.  We decided that Tessa will probably enjoy contact sports when she gets older.

School Days September 8, 2009

The start of school was VERY stressful for me for many reasons that I won’t go into right now.  Let’s just say that I’m inches away from a nervous breakdown. 

For Nathan, however, it was fantastic and wonderful.  He loves kindergarten very much.

He is attending MeadowBrook Elementary just a few blocks from Viewmont High (to make it easier to take/pick him up).  His teacher is Mrs. Miller and she is just what you’d expect a Kindergarten teacher to look like and be.  She is great and Nate loves her.

He gets to have a homework book each week, and so far he’s excited to work on it each night.  I can only hope that this attitude continues for the next 12 years.

long awaited news August 13, 2009

We have been wondering and discussing the sex of this baby for quite some time.  Because there is a history of heart problems in my family, I always have to wait an extra 4 weeks to discover the sex so that the specialist can then examine the heart at the same time!  It is horrible to wait!  I really don’t know how some people wait till they give birth….I couldn’t do it. 

Well, despite trouble with our first appointment, I was finally able to get my ultrasound today.  She told us that it’s definitely a boy and that he was flaunting his gender quite a bit.  We also saw all the other parts, and they all looked good and normal.  He measured 5 days larger than his due date. 

And so it will be…..Miles Vern Parker.  Looking forward to meeting the little guy.

9 years of Joe Joe August 13, 2009

I’ve actually known Joey for nearly 11 years.  I met him on his 19th  birthday, he was a young-en.  We have been married for 9 years as of yesterday and in honor of the 9 years, I thought I’d write 9 things that I love most about Joey:

1-  He has unconditional love for me.  No matter how mad he ever gets, or how badly I might mess something up, or how ugly I might look…..he always loves me, no matter what. 

2-  He doesn’t fight dirty.  He refrains from ever saying mean or hurtful things to me just to hurt my feelings.  He rarely stays mad for very long and he usually can remain the calm one in a “heated” situation. 

3-  Joey is frugal and very good with money.  I know that I can always trust him to take care of the bills, etc.  He loves bargains like I do.  (Although he does get embarrassed of my coupons from time to time)

4-  Joey gives REALLY good massages and he’s always willing to rub my feet, put lotion on them, and he even paints my toe nails. 

5-  He makes me laugh.  Hard.  He is very smart and has witty little comments all the time.  Sometimes, I even steal his jokes and use them at work. 

6-  He keeps me up on politics and the issues.  He’s very patient to explain things to me that I don’t understand.  He knows so much stuff!  He also has a great memory.

7-  He is the BEST gift giver ever!  I don’t know how he does it, but he always manages to get me things that I really wanted but didn’t even know that I wanted.  His gifts are also very thoughtful  (but the cards aren’t). 

8-  He is a very good dad.  He is so helpful to me with the kids.  He almost always does the baths with them and makes sure they take care of their teeth.  He is also good for trimming their nails and he’s a PRO at that little baby boogar sucker thing.  He lays with Tessa each night for at least a half an hour telling her stories.  It’s very apparent how much he loves them.

9-  He does nice little things for me consistently, just because he knows that I like it.  For example, he almost always drives because he knows that I don’t like to.  He also always mows the lawn and takes care of car maintenance; also things that I hate to do. 

Ok, there are many more reasons why I love the Joe Joe…..but we’ll stop with 9 for now.  I’ll come up with the “top ten” next year.

I love you, Joey….Happy Anniversary!

The long long long road trip August 13, 2009

Many months ago, Kris (mother-in-law), Katie (sister-in-law) and I had the idea of a road trip to Kentucky to visit Jenny (other sister-in-law) and her husband, Judd, and their new baby Ethan.  No one (Joey) thought we’d actually do it….but we did.  Oh yes, we did. 

The trip got off to a rather rocky start when a cop pulled me over just outside of Evanston.  I was not aware that it’s a law to change lanes when there is an “emergency vehicle” pulled off to the side.  I just slowed down when I passed him.  Several minutes later, there he was pulling me over and yes, giving me a $100 ticket!  I was not a happy camper….still not, really.  But…the road trip went on. 

We drove through Wyoming which was not very impressive and it was very windy.  Next, we hit Nebraska, where I first saw the largest statue of Jesus I’ve ever seen….and it was in the middle of a giant field.  Very wierd.  We made it to Kearney, Nebraska the first night and stayed in a nice hotel for some much needed rest.  It was a long day.

The next day we drove through some really heavy (and scary) rain storms through a bit of Ohio and then into Missouri.  We got to out hotel early enough for the kids to have a good swim….which they really needed after being cooped up in the car all day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped in St. Louis on day 3 where we got to go to the top of the “gateway to the west” arch in these little “pod” elevators.  If you ever get the chance to do this….don’t.  It really wasn’t worth the time that it took.  When we got to the top, there were just some tiny windows in a very narrow hallway.  Pretty lame.  The arch was cool to see though, and they had a cool museum.                                                             

  We took some back roads through Southern Illinois due to a huge traffic jam that we ran into and visited an Amish village in Indiana where we ate a delicious dinner.  It was delicious for everyone except Nate, that is.  He absolutely HATED it and had a scowl on his face the whole time.

 

 

 

We finally made it to Kentucky very late at night…but that didn’t stop us from cuddling a bit with cute baby Ethan.  Jenny, though very sleepy looking, seemed happy to see us and to show off her beautiful new baby.  Eventually, we did get off to bed and rested most of the next day, which was Jenny’s birthday. 

 

 

One of the funniest moments of the trip was when we were getting up to leave Texas Roadhouse, where we had eaten Jenny’s birthday dinner.  Jenny went to grab her purse and much to her surprise, there was a giant rib stuck to it!  It was Nate’s.  We all had a good laugh about it. 

 

 

During our exploration of the Kentucky/Ohio area, we got to go to a lot of neato stores.  I love love love to look at stores, so it was very fun for me.  We hit some outlet stores, a GIANT store called “Jungle Jims”, The Container Store, Crate & Barrel, and Trader Joes.  It was a lot of fun to get to go in stores that we don’t have in Utah. We also had a great photo shoot with all four kids which turned out really great. 

After all the shopping, we decided to do something the kids might like, so we decided to visit the Cincinatti Zoo.  Unfortunately, I had the WORST headache of my life (it lasted nearly 24 hours) so I wasn’t able to enjoy the zoo to the fullest extent….but, it was a really cool zoo.  They had a lot of animals that I’ve never seen before….like bonobos….very similar to chimps.  Tessa loved petting the snakes and was the only one brave enough to do so.  As we walked in to see the Manitees, Nate asked, “Are manitees a species of aligator?”  Cute kids.

On our last day in Kentucky, we decided to walk along the “purple people bridge” to say that we walked from Kentucky to Ohio in one day.  I thought that the area around the river was really beautiful.  I also liked to look at all the cool buildings and places around Cincinatti.  After the bridge, we stopped for a light dinner and then off to the Aquarium.  If any of you know of the aquarium that we have in Sandy…this aquarium was MUCH better than that one.  I was very impressed with it.  We got to feed nectar to some birds.  Just as one bit Tessa on the finger, another one pooped on my foot.  We tried hard not to laugh because Tessa was upset, but come on…pooping is funny, even if it was my foot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We even got to pet some sharks!  Tessa and even Averi both got into it and loved it.  A very fun aquarium…so glad we went.

Our stay in Kentucky was so nice.  Judd and Jenny made us feel so welcome and were such great hosts.  Judd was even nice enough to cook for us and entertain Nate by playing video games with him.  I loved his hot wings, they were delicious.  He also made some “goeta”..this weird sausage stuff that Kentucky-ans like to eat.  It was pretty good.  And, best of all, they fed me strawberries.  Lots and lots of strawberries.  (I usually hate them, but this baby loves them)  So, thanks Judd and Jenny!  I had such a fun time.

The long 24 hour drive home was basically un-eventful except for the really terrible rain storm that we drove through (again).   Only this time, we had lots of lightning and thunder added to the enormous amounts of rain.  We stayed in Newton, Iowa and then Laramie, Wyoming. 

There were a few things that really saved me on this trip:  My iphone, to keep in touch, connect us with the internet, and to help waste time in the car.  My navigation system, what did we ever do without it?  The DVD system in the car with about 24 kids movies, enough said.  And lastly, really great traveling companions…I love my in-laws!

This was the longest I think I’ve ever been away from Joe Joe…and it sure was nice to get home to see him again. The kids especially missed him and  I think I learned to better appreciate his company.  I think he missed us too.

pool party August 13, 2009

We’ve been lucky to have a backyard pool for the past three years.  It is sometimes a pain in the but to keep up, butt for the most part, we’ve really enjoyed having it.  Our favorite times we’ve had are when friends and family come and join us in the fun.  Sometimes it’s been hard to get them to drive all the way to Bountiful and to set foot in an un-heated pool, but occasionally, we talk them into it.

Pioneer Day this year was one such occasion.  We were able to talk quite a few family members into coming for dinner and a swim.  Katie, Trevor & kids came.  Jason brought Averi down (Katie D. had to work), and my folks joined us too!  We had taco salads and some homemade frozen yogurt.  The kids played and played and played while the adults chatted.  I believe everyone had a really good time.  And well, you all know how much I do enjoy playing hostess. 

My favorite part of the party was when Trevor climbed the mountain and jumped off of into the pool!  It was pretty awesome.  I like to watch Trevor do lots of cool dives too.  He rocks.

handcart day parade August 13, 2009

I drove down Main Street Bountiful on the evening of July 22nd and was shocked to see hundreds of people “staking their claims” for the parade that didn’t start until 6:00 pm the next day.  They were all completely ignoring the MANY big signs posted saying that they were not allowed to stake a claim until 7:00 am the next morning and that their things would be confiscated.  I’m not sure if the city actually followed through with their threat  because when I returned to try to stake my claim at 6:55 am the next morning, there were hardly any spots left.  It is unbelievable that so many people go to such great lengths to see a parade.  When I was a kid, I don’t remember it being like that at all.  We just walked down and found a spot.  Those days are gone, sadly.

Because I staked our claim so early in the morning and with limited space available, I didn’t really notice that I staked us right in the sun.  Although the parade started in the evening, it was VERY hot.  You’ll notice in the picture how red our faces were.  I thought I’d melt.  I started to get a bit grouchy.  Why did I bother, I thought to myself.  Why go to all this trouble just to sit in the hot sun and watch a dumb parade?

But, when all was said and done, I guess it’s just something that you do for your kids.  They had a blast and collected a TON of candy.  And…..I guess I had fun watching them….have fun.

So, will I do this again next year?  Probably.