Goblins and Rabbits

After the Easter bunny delivered the goods, we decided to take Grandma and Grandpa Esplin to go and see the Goblins.  Though we have lived here for nearly 7 years we never have ventured out to meet the Goblins in our own backyard.  Having family here and an Easter weekend provided enough incentive to make the trip.

Upon arrival we had a quick picnic which provided enough fuel for the boys to explore the incredible formations that seemingly emerge from out of the middle of nowhere.  Parker had no fear but provided plenty of fear for mom and dad.  Brock had his fair share of wobbly moments but was spared any major crashes.

It was fun having Grandma and Grandpa along for the trip.  Though they are world travelers, this was a sight that they also had never seen.  They also provided entertainment and horse back rides on the way back to the car.

Melissa was even rewarded when she spotted a "U" shaped rock.

 It was fun to get out and see our own backyard.  Then once back in our real backyard we finished the trip up with a BBQ and some baseball.

We were there!

It wasn't the ribbon cutting, but it was the opening weekend of the grand opening of City Creek in downtown Salt Lake. Grandpa Carl has had a birds eye view on this project for the last 5 years and he was anxious to take us on a tour.

We saw the fountains, the retractable roof, the 20 minute line just to get into the Disney Store, the outdoor fireplaces, and the sky bridge. It was quite a sight to behold and fun to say that we were there. But we weren't the only ones to make an appearance.

Spiderman spun his weband made his presence felt. With the help of a face pain artist in the front of Macy's Parker wastransformed into the super hero.

With the arrival of spiderman we finished off the tour by swinging by the temple. Parker met with the sister missionaries from Russia and South Korea and pulled out his spider web.

Rarely are you somewhere where history is made. Well, we were there, and so was Spiderman.

Drivers Education

Driving with Parker we are getting a crash course in Driver's education.

We were driving in downtown Salt Lake and parker spotted signs that had the letter "P" on them. Mom wisely taught him that when there is a line through the "P" that means "no parking lot." I tried stirring the pot suggesting that the "P" with a line through it meant "No Parker's". Not to be outdone, he replied back, "No. It means no daddy's"

Driver's education has begun.

Flip Flops - Elder Kearon

This weekend we had a sacred experience with one of the Lord's chosen servants. As part of our stake conference we had a visiting member of the quorum of the seventy come and instruct us. We were blessed to have Elder Patrick Kearon address us.

In preparation for conference we were watchinga mormon message entitled "The Sting of the Scorpion" (https://www.lds.org/youth/video/sting-of-the-scorpion?lang=eng). Parker loved it and kept watching it over and over. After watching it a few times he disappeared to his room and began putting on flip flops. Mom instructed him that it was safe for him to wear them inside which provided some relief for him. Later we had dinner with Elder Kearon and his wife (as part of a new calling). Melissa shared with him this experience to which he commented, "They took a mediocre message and made it great" (referring to the talk he gave and what they did with it on the mormon messages).

The following day (General Stake Conference) we took Parker and Brock up to meet with Elder and Sister Kearon. What transpired was sacred and wonderful. Upon seeing how shy Parker was, he went to both knees and started talking to Parker about flip flops. As parents, we were thankful for his kindness and graciousness.

The following is the story that triggered Parker's desire to wear flip flops:

As a seven-year-old boy living in the Arabian Peninsula, I was consistently told by my parents to alwayswear my shoes, and I understood why. I knew that shoes would protect my feet against the many threats to be found in the desert, such as snakes, scorpions, and thorns. One morning after a night’s camping in the desert, I wanted to go exploring, but I did not want to bother with putting on my shoes. I rationalized that I was only going for a little wander and I would stay close by the camp. So instead of shoes, I wore flip-flops. I told myself that flip-flops were shoes-of a sort. And anyway, what could possibly happen?

As I walked along the cool sand—in my flip-flops—I felt something like a thorn going into the arch of my foot. I looked down and saw not a thorn but a scorpion. As my mind registered the scorpion and I realized what had just happened, the pain of the sting began to rise from my foot and up my leg. I grabbed the top of my leg to try and stop the searing pain from moving farther, and I cried out for help. My parents came running from the camp.

As my father battered the scorpion with a shovel, an adult friend who was camping with us heroically tried to suck the venom from my foot. At this moment I thought that I was going to die. I sobbed while my parents loaded me into a car and set off across the desert at high speed toward the nearest hospital, which was over two hours away. The pain all through my leg was excruciating, and for that entire journey, I assumed that I was dying.

When we finally reached the hospital, however, the doctor was able to assure us that only small infants and the severely malnourished are threatened by the sting of that type of scorpion. He administered an anesthetic, which numbed my leg and took away any sensation of pain. Within 24 hours I no longer had any effects from the sting of the scorpion. But I had learned a powerful lesson.
I had known that when my parents told me to wear shoes, they did not mean flip-flops; I was old enough to know that flip-flops did not provide the same protection as a pair of shoes. But that morning in the desert, I disregarded what I knew to be right. I ignored what my parents had repeatedly taught me. I had been both lazy and a little rebellious, and I paid a price for it.
“Come unto Me with Full Purpose of Heart, and I Shall Heal You”October 2010 General Conference