Birthday Blowing Practice

With just under a month away from Parker's second birthday we thought we would give him some candle blowing practice (courtesy of Melissa's birthday muffins a few days ago). From what you will see we might be calling the Fire Department over for his birthday.

Check Out These Moves

Check out these sweet moves. He put these on display the other day and already know he has surpassed dad and his dancing abilities. Hope you enjoy

Buzz on Bigscreen

For Parker Buzz is already larger than life, so it was time for Parker to see him that way. With Buzz hat proudly in place we ventured to the Price theater for Parker's premier big screen experience. Rolling out the red carpet for the occasion was myself, Melissa, and Grandma Vicki.

Not exactly Siskel and Ebbert but here is Parker's review of his first movie:

* Enjoyed when "Bullseye" made an appearance as he yelled out "horsie"

*You got to have someone to hold on to. He spent the whole movie from one person to the next.

*Clearly Buzz lightyear should be up for an oscar as he loved everything Buzz did

*The credits were great to dance to.

All in all, two thumbs way up - to infinity and beyond actually!

Gilligan

Parker took his first trip out to sea (Huntington Lake) with family and some friends from Price (The Cadell's). They were generous and brave enough to take us on Parker's maiden voyage. The experience (thankfully) was nothing like Gilligan's as we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the company. The highlight for Parker was the wind in the face as the boat sped along and watching dad act like Gilligan as he tried to get up on the surfboard (which never happened). Hopefully this is the first of many excursions to the lake this summer.

How to roast a MALLOW

Growing up I remember my dad telling me how good my grandpa (his dad) was at roasting marshmallows as he spent a lot of time on the mountain as a sheepherder. After letting the Mallow hover over the flames and occassionally rotating it just the right amount, what resulted was the perfect golden brown Mallow.

I wish I could claim that I have perfected the art but find myself enjoying starting the Mallow on fire thus going straight to the charcoal color Mallow. Hoping to pass the tradition on to my son we roasted marshmallows in our firepit for family home evening. Parker's roasting experience was as follows (pictures tell the story):

(Check out the facial expression)

(Just how dad likes em')

The not so big, big 30 - Happy Birthday Melissa

In an attempt to subdue the fear of turning 30 I took Melissa up to Provo where we attended the temple and went to lunch. This avoidance technique only could go so far the minute that Melissa woke up and looked at the house and car windows that were so lovingly decorated with phrases such as "Old Lady on Board" "Happy Birthday I'm 40" and other phrases more intimate for a thirty year old.

Unfairly I often remind Melissa of how much older she is than me. It is only fair that I remind her of how those years have been pivotal in my life. Of those 30 years I have known her for over six years. In those six years she has taught me much that has enriched my life. Here are a few lessons she has taught me that hopefully will permit an extension on birthday celebrations in her presence. In fact, things that happened on her birthday reveal how fortunate I am:

1. From 8 AM on (she was entitled to some sleeping in), the phone was constantly ringing with wishes of Happy Birthday from all walks of life. Not only family but friends from Cedar to St. George and in between were off all reaching out, evidence to me of how she has touched so many.

2. While in the temple we saw my grandparents. We found out that my grandpa had lost his brother a few days ago in a freak accident. With all of the tenderness I have seen time and time again I witnessed Melissa show genuine love and concern for my grandpa.

3. Not wanting to let anybody down we stopped at the softball field on the way home from the temple (she was missing a softball game). Her brief stop earned her some brownies and a gift from her softball teammates (more evidence of how people love and care for her).

4. It was also rewarding to see how much she loves the temple. Feeling like I had hit a home run by taking her there, I was reminded that it was merely a single when I realized that the joy on her face in the temple taught me much about her love for sacred things.

5. Finally, the fact that she was still smiling after a full day of travel, was a nice reminder of why I loved her in the first place, her smile.

6. Ok so there is atleast one more. I made a futile attempt at making one of her favorite breakfasts. As a reminder of her patience and service she took over when it came to doing eggs. (Hey give me some credit, we're not talking scrambled eggs here)

And so, even though we look at 30 as a number to be fearful of, it is what "her life" in those 30 years has done not only for me but for those who she has influenced, that reflects not a number but a person that has touched lives from the day she was born, not all that long ago.

Fear or Reality?

I always hoped that when we had kids, the one thing they wouldn't inherit from us is our eyesight. Devin is pretty badly farsighted and I am very nearsighted. We'll soon see in a few years if....

THIS.....

and THIS.....

.....turn into THIS!

(Parker just trying on Devin's glasses. I hope this isn't a preview!)

A few cute pics

I just needed to post a few of these cute, but random pictures of our little almost two year old. He is so fun and out of control. I sometimes just have to laugh we he throws one of his tantrums. All I can think is "REALLY! He isn't even two yet." Anyway, we love Parker and hope you enjoy these pics.

Memorial Day

What I love about Memorial day is that it is a day to spend with family and a day to reflect on those who have gone before and to pay tribute to them. This memorial day we were able to do just that as we went to Scott and Janice's for the holiday where we were able to spend time with Jason and his family, Nate and his Cedar crew and Grandma and Grandpa. Parker enjoyed hiking up the stairs, digging weeds with Grandpa, eating cookies with Spencer, mowing the lawn with Uncle Scott and taking a little batting practice from mom. After visiting and having a BBQ we went to Salem and Spanish Fork and visited some headstones of family. Pictured below is the tombstone my Great Grandpa that I was named after - Arnel Barney. What a wonderful day it was spending time with and remembering family and what it means to us.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit Castle Country

Thanks to retirement and recent neck surgery, a door was opened allowing Grandma and Grandpa to come and visit us in our backyard. Prior visits ended up in work projects and countless headaches. This visit allowed Grandma and Grandpa to see the sights of Castle Country. In their brief visit we were able take them to historic downtown Helper and have lunch and a tour of the mining/railroad museum. As the picture reveals Parker was the "conductor" of the tour. We also spent some time visiting which eventually led to work in the yard (it wouldn't be a visit to Castle Dale without it, neck brace or not). We look forward to these visits and enjoyed the time that they were able to spend with us and Parker