Grateful...

I seem to be overwhelmed with feelings of "Grateful-ness" lately. I am not sure why...not sure if it is a trickle down effect of Girls Camp...being so grateful it went so well and had such a great spirit about it. Not sure if it is because we just celebrated Canada Day and 4th of July...I feel so very grateful to live in such a wonderful place where I am free to live as I choose and practice my religion as I choose...and dress how I choose!!! I also feel so grateful for having the childhood I did. It was soo wonderful to grow up in the middle of nowhere with miles to roam and run free and be naughty...and learn all kinds of things.

I have a friend who is trying SOOOO hard to adopt a baby girl right now...she was placed in their home and the birth mom wanted her back...and it has been a long process and they are getting her back hopefully in a day or two....but watching her and her sweet husband has made me more grateful for a birth mom who was willing to give me up and allow me the privilege of being raised by a Mom and a Dad who loved me and wanted me!!! (it was my Dad's bday yesterday so...probably where that one is coming from)

Also...grateful for being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints! I feel sooo blessed...and have such a rich heritage of forefathers who sacrificed so much for me...as a modern day pioneer! I am soo grateful to be able to enjoy the blessings of the Temple...both as an adopted child, and as a wife and mother! I am grateful for the peace and love I feel in the Temple as I learn and understand the purpose of coming to earth! I am grateful for covenants!!! And for how freeing they are!!!

I am also so very grateful for my lil family. I am soooo blessed to have such a wonderful hubby who supports me in all the crazy things I do...both church callings and otherwise! There have been times where I know he doesn't want to...but he helps me anyway. I am grateful for my 3 wonderful kids too. They are such great kids with such funny personalities...they are truly fun to be around (most of the time). They are so patient with me and forgiving as I learn how to be a mom. It is an ever evolving job and I am sure I will never get it right! Good thing they love me!!!

I guess I am grateful for just about everything right now....I think I will even be grateful for my bed...where I am ready to collapse in just a few minutes!!!

And I am grateful for YOU too, my like 3 blog readers who are loving and supportive friends!!! I tend to have tunnel vision alot of the time...and DEF could learn how to be a better friend. Love you all!!!!

Happy Canada Day.....eh!!!!

To Canucks everywhere...Happy Canada Day!!! Hope your Canadian Bacon is hot and your Ketchup chips are spicy!!!

Eh!!!

I am going to go and sit on my chesterfield in my laneway. They when I am done I am going to help my Mum clean the kitchen by running stuff down the garberator!!! So there.....

So in true Bob and Doug Mackenzie style....Take off eh!!!!

Phew....June is about over.

Wow...I can't believe that June is over in like one hour! This happens every year...well at least for the last 4 anyway. Girls camp is in June and seems like time just flies in the month of June.

Our Stake girls camp this year was June 17-20. Us Stake leaders went up on the 16th to get everything set up and ready for the girls to arrive on Tuesday morning. Our theme this year was "Trek"...and we asked all the girls in our Stake to come to camp with a pioneer skirt/dress and bonnet...and to have researched a pioneer family name. We had such a great response before camp that we knew that great things were in store! Our girls and leaders came very well prepared and brought such a great spirit with them...in spite of lots of trials along the way. We had one ward whose trailer jumped the hitch on the way up...and by some miracle...they were all okay. In reality...they probably should have rolled their vehicle...but only damaged the trailer and arrived at camp late and frazzled but all OK...it truly was a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven!!!

We had such a GREAT time this year...every year has been wonderful...but this year was by far our best! Partly due to my having such a wonderful, willing and supportive presidency! They truly have become my best friends!!! My first counselor Laurie besides being a huge part of the presidency was also our camp nurse and that is no small feat let me tell you! She handled her double duty so FAB!!! Especially with the broken kneecaps and all. One patient, Cynthia, was pale beyond help and we all were worried about her outcome but Laur saved her too! Wow...she did a great job! My second counselor Tara, my camp counselor was sooo awesome to do anything we asked...and I think we gave her alot of the hard stuff!!! But hey...she is young and very game...so that is what you get!!! Hehehe! Also...she is sooo tender-hearted and really a kindred spirit with me I think we were separated at birth except that I am like 6 years older than her. Oh well! She is a french braiding specialist and probably braided about 150 heads of hair during the week. She had girls waiting in LONG LINES to have their hair done...and she turned NO ONE away. I think many of those girls had never had their hair done like that ever! It was soo neat to see the girls stand up after she finished and have her tell them how beautiful they looked and see that many of them who previously might not have believed it...truly see that they ARE beautiful!!! It really was such a neat thing to watch! She was soo sweet to do it! My secretary Des was just called about 3 weeks before camp and wowzers did she step up to the plate!!! She jumped right in with both feet and really got us organized and kept us on track!!! She is such a great example to me of dedication....she felt an bladder infection coming on early in the week and knew she was in trouble...but what a trooper...she went against all our begging her to leave...and stuck out the entire week in spite of the major league nasty physical symptoms she had...she stayed! And she really taught me what it means to be dedicated!!! My Stake camp director Jenn was the hugest Rock Star ever! I don't even know how she does all that she does!!! She has a very young family and literally ran circles around us all....broken kneecaps and all!!! Hehehehe! She is a planner to the end and her persistence kept us all going! She has a great sense of humour and really helped us get through the tense times. She thought of things I would NEVER have come up with...and was a great liaison between us as the Stake Leaders and our Ward Leaders! Wow...I can't imagine doing this job without her!!! My lite leader (over the youth leaders) Greta was a SUPERSTAR!!! She is a very tender-hearted person too and handled those 16 and 17 year old gals so perfectly! She truly taught them how to be leaders and how to lead with Christ-like love! Our Lite's were the best prepared we have ever had and they LOVED Greta! She is a great example to those girls and to me! Love her!!!

Besides all my peeps...our cooks were awesome and I think had a great time too!!! That is a huge job and they rocked the house!!! At one point during the night...we heard chants coming from the Kitchen and after paying closer attention...we heard...."CHUG, CHUG, CHUG" coming from behind closed doors. So...we went to inspect and they were shooting whipped cream into each other' mouths. And it was at the persistent hand of our Shirley Taylor...the oldest one at camp. She is a firecracker that one!!! It was pretty funny...especially since earlier in the day all our cooks had been playing round table ping pong. Fun to see them having fun and being spiritually feed too! They did a great job!!!

It was also my Sydney's first year at camp. So after 4 LONG years of being my personal assistant she was finally able to come along to camp with me! She had a great time and it was fun to see all the things that we planned really have an impact on her life too! Wow...what a blessing to be a Mom and a Leader at the same time! Loved it...and LOVE her!!!

We had the best spirit there all week...and maybe soon I will have to write some of my favorite memories from this year! We had 5 girls that are not members of our church up there with us, and I can honestly say...I KNOW they all felt the spirit and left with many questions and answers about the gospel! What a great thing to have happen!

I feel sooo blessed to have been a part of the Nampa North Stake girls camp "TREK" 2008! I am a better person for rubbing shoulders will all my fellow leaders and the GREAT Young Women of our Stake!

Love you all!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Tag....and I was running trust me...

Cuz Angie tagged me and I tried to outrun her...but she caught me....so her goes!

6 UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS ABOUT ME

1. I am a perfectionist. And it is a curse!!! Makes me crazy!!! I am gettin worse as I get older too, I am trying not to be...but not doing very well! I will keep trying!

2. I LOVE to make baby quilts. Or any quilts to tell the truth!!! They are so fun to figure out...and then when you start seeing them put together...what fun!!! LOVE IT!!!

3. I REALLY worry about what people think about me. I know I shouldn't...and again...I try not to...but I can't help it.

4. I LOVE people. There is NOTHING more fascinating than just watching people. I am soo bad...I have to sit in the front of church or I don't listen. I just love watching peoples expressions, and trying to figure out what they are thinking and feeling!

5. I HATE HATE HATE when people around me are sad...especially...friends and family!!!! It makes me so sad too!!! Especially when it is something so unimportant that makes them sad! sniff sniff!!! I am sad just thinking about it!

6. I actually LOVE doing laundry. It is just so great to start something and SEE that you are getting it done! It is delightful to have it all done and folded...sitting in the closet waiting to be worn! Ahhhh.......and along with that love...my friend (Melissa) introduced me to the yummiest smelling laundry soap and dryer sheets....makes my stuff smell so yummy. Of course...I only use for my stuff like sheets and towels. Smells sooo heavenly. Gain Joyful expressions...Apple Mango Tango....if you haven't tried it...you must!!! Then let me know what you think!

7. One more...I love being silly!!! And here is proof. This is Friday night after Tyler's baptism...being silly with my Mom! She likes to be silly too!!!

I tag Sydney, Becca, Laurie, and Melissa!!!

Holy Moly!!!

My baby is 8!!! Where has the time gone! I cannot believe it. He had his baptism interview with Bishop Thurgood today after church. He passed...so I guess we will baptize him this weekend. My folks are coming down for this very special day, and we are excited to have them. Randy's folks are serving a mission in Houston Texas so we will have to send them lots of pictures! Hopefully the family that is in town will be able to make it too!

Tyler is pretty excited about getting baptized!!! Finally something to make him feel like he is catching up to the older kids!!! He is getting soo big...almost as tall as Sydney.

He had a good Birthday on June 5th. We will be celebrating his birthday with some friends in the next day or so! Jang Hee (our Korean student living with us) had oral surgery on Friday and is taking a little longer to recover than he thought he would. So...thank goodness Tyler is very patient and understanding...we will have his party as soon as we can! He is taking some friends to go and see Kung-Fu Panda...then back here to play games and have cake and ice cream! Should be fun!!!

We sure love having Tyler in our family. He has such a GREAT sense of humour and I seriously don't know how he comes up with MOST of the stuff he says! He is sooo patient and loves attending Mitch and Sydney's sporting events and is excited that he is finally getting big enough to do some of his own. He will play football again this fall, and probably basketball again in the spring! He loves going to church and being around his family! We are sooo blessed to have such a wonderfully humoured and super spiritual kids around to keep us company!!!

WE LOVE TYLER!!!

Good Kids

Ok...so we have been blessed to have a good week in the Parker household this week. I am not trying to jinx us by any means....hopefully it will keep up!!!














Last night Mitch had his track awards banquet. He got an award for breaking the Freshman record at Vallivue High School. The old record was 9'6" and he jumped 11'6". So...he was pleased with that. He also earned his varsity letter for track. Pretty good for a freshman!!! We are super proud of him. He was disappointed he did not qualify for the State meet...but WE are very proud of how he did this year!!!
















Sydney has been working all week on a project for Social Studies. Her topic was China. They were given the opportunity to do a 3-D type project as "extra credit" and she jumped at the chance...here is what she made! They turned out pretty dang cute if I do say so myself. I know Sushi is probably more Japanese...but we did find some Chinese Sushi so it is not too far of a stretch! She was tickled pink!!!

ok....and it is not real sushi. They are made from rice krisie treats and gummy worms, Swedish fish and yogo rollers! I seriously doubt I could get her to even come within 50 feet of REAL sushi!!!

Almost Summer....

Wowzers...I cannot believe that my kids only have 8 days of school left. Where did the school year go? Not that I am too sad though, I am ready to sleep in a bit and let things settle down. Not that summer is totally slow, Mitch has football, basketball, and track camps...oh and he has to get JOB. He has a debt to his Grandpa Reeder (from totalling the 4-wheeler), and needs to start saving for a mission. So....he will be busy. Yahoo! Sydney has girls camp, her first year and she is super duper excited! And probably LOTS of babysitting. She really wants a new IPOD, so she is hoping to wrangle lots of jobs to earn the money! So she will be busy too....Yahoo!!! That leaves Tyler, the caboose! I need to find a couple of camps for him to do...maybe swimming lessons! And probably lots of Wii playing for him. So..hopefully he will be busy too! Yahoo!!! As for me...after Girls Camp...my life should settle down a bit. I will be very much looking forward to June 20th. Hopefully all will go well. We have been planning like crazy, hopefully all the hours will pay off.

Our Camp theme for the year is "TREK". We are focusing in on the Pioneers and Joseph Smith and early church history. With an emphasis on the reason the saints did what they did...which was the Temple. Trying to teach the YW of our Stake that their goals now should be no different. They can and should have the same focus...even though the trials may be different. We are really excited, have handcarts rounded up and everything. The first day as part of our opening ceremonies, I am going to have the girls brand. It will just be a chunk of wood...but it will be our camp logo and something they can take home. I am going to talk about "branding" the gospel onto our hearts! We have soo much great stuff planned....I am getting excited. So far...we have about 100 girls and close to 50 leaders! Phew!!!

A week or so ago we drove up to Camp Glenwood..just to check it out and see if the snow was gone (it was mostly), but along the way we followed the river. It was soo pretty we had to stop and snap a couple pics. This is right by the "Staircase" rapid on the Southfork of the Payette River and it was cruising pretty good! Lots of water moving very fast! Had to include a couple pics of my cute family!!!

Here are my handsome men. Mitch is almost as tall as his dad. Only an inch or so to go. Randy is not digging it!!! Hehehe. Makes me laugh!