Grandpa Swenson

Grandpa Swenson passed away on Friday, May 24, 2013.  We received a phone call around 10:30 am informing us that he had peacefully passed away in his home around 8:30 am in Spanish Fork, Utah.  After hearing the news I (dad) gathered Parker and Brock and told them what had happened to their Great Grandpa.  I had the following tender moment with Parker:

Dad:  Grandpa passed away. 

Parker:  To where?

Dad:  To the spirit world

Parker:  What is that?

Dad:  That is where you go when you die

Parker:  So we can't call him anymore?

Parker:  When he comes alive can we call him again?

Parker:  I will see Grandpa again when he comes alive

We had the sacred opportunity of visiting with Grandpa Swenson on the phone on the Monday and Wednesday prior to his passing.  The boys sang" I Hope They Call Me On A Mission" and "I Love to See the Temple".  He expressed how much he appreciated hearing the singing and then shared his final counsel with us "Take care of your family and keep doing what is right!"

Having talked with Melissa and visiting with the boys we expressed gratitude and comfort for family as we prayed to our Heavenly Father.

Thoughts?  I couldn't help but think of my love for my Grandpa and how he was now spending time with family and even perhaps our son that will be joining our family soon.  I looked at my yard in which I had been working and noticed not a single dandelion of which I think he would have been proud.

Days after the funeral Parker continues to pray for Grandpa Swenson "in the spirit world" and perhaps said it best, "I will always remember Grandpa Swenson."  

Me too because of all that he taught us!

Pen Pal Parker

Parker is a thoughtful boy.  He loves to write notes and draw pictures for people.  A few weeks ago he told mom that he wanted to draw his aunt Brittany a picture and send it to her in California to cheer her up!  It did just that and a pen pal was instantly born.  From that moment they have been going back and forth sending letters and little gifts.  Parker loves it and I think it is fair to say that he loves his Pen Pal.

Parker Pele

I never played soccer growing up.  Baseball was the national pastime and apparently it was our family pastime.  I remember seeing pictures of my brothers wearing soccer uniforms but pictures of me playing the world's game was not in my world.  Even when I went and watched some friends play soccer I found it very hard to stomach, especially because it took me away from the baseball diamond.

With Parker coming of soccer age and not conflicting with t-ball season, we decided to put Parker into the county soccer league.  He was put on the Castle Dale team with other youth ranging in ages from 4-7 of which he is one of the shortest and the youngest.

Despite not having soccer lineage I have made a few attempts to share with him my wealth of soccer knowledge.  I had seen some soccer highlights and so the first lesson I taught him was that when he scored a goal he was to throw his hands in the air and start running and yelling, "GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL."

5 games into the season that lesson is still waiting to be put into use.  So far he is getting the hang of getting into the "swarm" of kids that moves as one up and down the field.  He started a little timid but seems to be holding his own.  He loves playing goalie and has been a wall only allowing a couple of goals to sneak by.  Probably the best part for Parker is that he gets to travel to other places to play soccer.  So far Parker has taken his Pele skills to Cleveland, Huntington, Ferron, an Orangeville.

Pele was the great Brazillian soccer player, Parker is the Pele of Emery County?

Parker Prayer Roll

It is always nice to be prayed for and surely prayers of a child call down the powers of heaven, but to be prayed for by Parker of late you were either injured or sick.  Almost daily the following made Parker's prayer roll:

     - My eye

     - Brock's sickness

     - Grandpa Swenson

     - Haven's leg

     - The baby in mom's belly

     - Christian's leg

     - Mom's test

     - President Monson family

With Parker's thoughtfulness in praying for others maybe that is why it seemed the list grew!  Truly Parker is a boy of prayer!

Temple in Cedar City

Today was a great day for the kingdom of God! The Lord's Prophet announced today that my hometown would be having a temple built in their backyard! Though we live in Castle Dale we hold Cedar City as a great place and a place we will always call home.

My family moved to Cedar City in 1990. Cedar City was still a small town where everybody knew each other. Leigh Hill was still where you could hunt jack rabbits. My dad had grown up in Cedar City on Dewey Ave. I loved growing up in Cedar City.

Cedar City is where I graduated from high school and college and most importantly where I met my eternal companion. Our first year of marriage started here and we have fond memories here.

As time went on Cedar City changed. Leigh Hill is now covered with homes and probably no sight of jack rabbits on the hill. Having been away now for over 7 years we have lost touch with the community but love to go back and remember.

When they made the announcement today I couldn't help but think of the faithful Cedar City pioneers who have sacrificed so much. My grandparents and parents come to my mind first. I couldn't help but think of how happy my Grandma and Grandpa Esplin are on the other side of the veil!

What a blessing it will be to have a temple in the home of my fathers and my hometown!!

A New Look

For Mom it was age 11, for dad it was age 21 (but should have been earlier), and now Parker joins the list at age 4. All memorable years when eye sight needed some help.

The latest, Parker, has probably handled it the best. Perhaps it is the innocence that comes with age, maybe it is his good heart and his ability to handle challenges. The last couple of days has proven that.

Day 1 - Day one was exciting. It had come with much anticipation as Parker would daily enquire as to the status of his glasses. Having had them fit to his face he couldn't wait to show them off and clean and take care of them. Word spread via text messaging and soon "Parker Kent" was born. Grandma Vicki and family were the first to see the new look and soon it was time to take them to the ball field. While playing a street ball game Parker rounded 3rd and took a dive into the pavement causing blood streaming down his face and some twisted glasses. Mom's are better than eye doctors and soon fixed the situation and took a wounded Parker to straitened the frames out. Parker returned shortly for try #2 two but vowing to not play baseball on pavement. The night was uneventful as he put his glasses to rest in his baseball glasses case, ready for the Easter bunny to come the next day.

Day 2 - Day two built upon some day one successes. On this Easter Saturday he endured some blurry frustration seeing airplanes & soccer balls while making a heart wrenching statement "I can't see what I want to see". With the patch off one of his eyes and now convinced that his glasses actually were super powers for super vision he went about his daily routines of being a fun loving boy. At one point he made the comment, "I can't even tell that I am wearing glasses." Having then improved upon day one he once again put his glasses to bed in his baseball case "all by himself".

Surely there are many more days of frustration, tears, and bent frames but for now we are thrilled at how Parker is doing with what we too went through. It shouldn't come as a surprise. After all it is the same Parker, just with a new super power!

An Easter Tradition?

Easter weekend is a big weekend in Emery County.  The desert seems to beckon all of the four wheelers and trailers to enjoy the beauty and recreation.  After 7 years I think that we just may have caught on to this tradition.  For us our venture has taken us for the last two years to Goblin Valley.  Parker and Brock have loved it as they have climbed all over the "creatures" that emerge from the desert floor.

Easter 2012

Easter 2013

 Highlights from this Easter - Easter 2013!