Gabe's Baptism

If you ask Gabe about his bapitsm, the first thing he says is, "IT WAS COLD!" HA! There was no hot water in the stake center that day. Chris said it was really cold too! I wish it was ok to video the baptism, because I just loved it! Gabe was a really excited so he was slightly goofy, but he knew what was going on and he was excited to be baptised too! It was a special day for all of us.

Gabe was bapitzed with one of his best friends, Damien Finch. I took some photos of the boys one day for the program. They were like soooo goofy that day! They were having a great time!

Lots of family members came up. My 2 sets of parents, my sister Andi and her family, Chris's sister's and their families and Chris's mom. It was full house. We ate and talked and cleaned up and prepared meals and ate and talked some more. All our kids were in huge tears after everyone finally left. It was such a fun weekend!

These are some phots that didnt make it to the final annoncment. Hey, I love to take photos, but with kids sometimes it takes awhile to get the right shot. I'm sure my kids love it! HA! I guess this is just one of the reasons why I'm such a mean mom! I still take the pics of the crying. Hey, I think my kids are super cute anyway they come!

"No More!! It's been hours!"

a little break!

This one looks good.

Dino Days!

Man I'm slow. But, life just keeps going faster and faster.

SO, all of this happened in March. But, its defiantly noteworthy. HA!

Gabe's class focused on Dinosaurs for what seemed like forever. He had a great time! He made a little figure of a triceratops out of clay and made a few fossils. So, one day he walks into class and said, "Well, my grandpa is a paleontologist!" This news made his teacher extremely excited. So, my dad (Lee Parker) is a paleontologist and gr owning up he'd come around to our classrooms and do a little presentation with fossils and petrified wood and such old things. (he even would take us to the tide pools since we lived in near the ocean, but that is another story.) So! Grandpa Lee was coming through about the time when they were closing their Dino days in class. So he brought all his stuff and did a presentation for Gabe's class! HOW COOL!! So, these are some photos of all that. Just a note, I dont send Gabe to school with hair like this. I dont know what is going on with his hair. But, Gabe thinks it looks cool.

There you go!

I guess we'll first look at the visit with the Grandma and pa Parker...

Grandpa Lee and Adeline

Grandpa Lee and Beatrice

Grandma and pa Parker with the kids after school

Microscope shows a fly caught in a fossil.

This is our favorite one! Petrified Dung!

Coprolite is the technical term just so you know.

When I was a kid my dad would often say that, "this is more valuable than my children." That always helps a 4th grade self esteem! HAHAHA!

The awesome Dino footprint!

These are some pictures Grandpa Lee sent Gabe's class during the unit at school. It's his own personal collection of Dino footprints.

This first one looks like it's the one that sat in our foyer growning up.

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a great day. Mostly.

Chris made my favorite breakfast for me, French Toast with real maple syrup. Yummy! You haven't lived until you have tasted his french toast. Come over sometime and I'll ask him to prove it to you. Oh, and I got to sleep in before he made it. I laughed as I got to listen to him figure out how to juggle the kids and making breakfast before I drifted off to sleep for a snooze.

Getting ready for church is always lots of fun. I don't know if you have this problem at your house, but it seems like everything is going well and you think... this time we are going to really have a good morning and get to church on time. UNTIL, Adeline walks in with just her tights and refuses to do anything else. LOTS OF FUN! After we figure out how to gently get the dress on her, she flips over the hairdo I do for her. LOTS OF FUN!! Adeline is just a gem. Then on the way out the door, Gabe says he cant find his shoes and belt that I saw 2 sec. ago that he laid out. Mysteries do happen, esp. on Sunday mornings. Anyway, we get to church and even get to sit in the back bench! Amazing! You all know you hope for that back row when you had a morning like we did! But, I know its Mother's Day and our ward is sooo nice and they give us Chocolates for our little gift. Thank Heavens!

Anyway, we had a great time at home with my kids presents for me from school...all pots of flowers (seeds currently). I got to snuggle with all the kids for a bit and they left me one by one to my nap. Then Chris makes me his amazing Steak Teryaki. It's like the best thing since TP! I swear! Chris makes everything from scratch and I love it. I cant have him home making me these things all the time. But, for one day... I'll dig in! So, I didnt have to cook at all!

The best part of Mother's Day for me is the fact that I got to spend it with my family. My kids were happy and they were so nice to me. HA! Chris was home and that is awesome! He always had to work on Sundays and I have had TONS of Mother's Days without him. His new job is so great and he doesnt work on Sunday, esp today I needed him here. I loved his company and just hanging out with him. LOVE IT!

I hope you all had a great day too.
Now, back to real life....

Beatrice looks so much like Chris!

I have looked everywere, but I cant find the picture of Chris when he was little little. Must have something to do with moving a million times since we were married! This photo of Beatrice looks SO MUCH like Chris and specificly in that photo of Chris I was thinking of. I'll find it someday! Then, I'll post it!

I'd like to mention, this is what her hair does after it's wet. Lucky Lucky girl!! She's all bathed and ready for bed in this photo.

(Adeline's hair was the same way! Now Ade's hair is straight! Oh well.)

Gabe's Baptism Announcement

St. Patricks Day

In our little town of Twin Falls, we have a St. Patricks Day Parade! WOW! I had no idea! This year, the kids were out of school for the day, so we went! We met up with our great friends, the Johansens. It was great fun. But really cold!

It's Coming!!!

You might get jealous of these fancy floats....

We have this amazing bridge to our town over the Snake River, and this kinda represents that...

My little artist!

Ok, so one day we got out some watercolors. Bea is sitting on my lap and so that is why some of these photos look the way they do. Do you think she has some talent?

major concentration!

just cute!

I havent posted anything is so long, so I thought I'd start by just looking through some photos and see what I could come up with.

These few photos are of Beatrice eating a cheese tortilla. I can get some good shots of my kids when they are sitting still strapped into their dinner chair! HA! They are just so fast! Anyway, these are cute.

AMAZING!

I just saw an amazing documentary called The Business of Being Born. It is AMAZING!!! It is a MUST see for anyone that is pregnant, will ever be pregnant, anyone that knows someone that might ever be pregnant.... ok, so for EVERY woman! I don't "make noise" about many things, BUT, this I will! The documentary is about all the information you really need to know about giving birth and what your choices are! Amazing! Lots of my friends didn't even know that they actually had choices, even after 3 kids! I don't judge people that choose what they want, but AWARENESS is power!

Here is a bit about my experiences:

So, I gave birth to Isabel in a hospital in Utah with a doctor. The doctor induced me and I had an epidural and there were lots of interventions. I felt like it was not natural for me to do it this way. I didn't really have any choices. After my experience, I knew that I never wanted another baby the same way. I dont think it was a bad experience, I know I was lucky. There was something missing and I knew I wanted to FEEL something different.

So, I used a Midwife for Gabe in a hospital using no drugs. It was a great delivery! Loved my midwife!! But, we were fighting for our rights and birth plan the entire way. Then, he was born and was whisked off to the NICU for unnecessary reasons and kept there for 6 days. Later, we talked to many resources telling us that the staff were told to get as many babies to the NICU as they could to PAY for their new Woman's Center Wing. (that was St. Luke's in Salt Lake City) and our pediatrician said that there was no reason Gabe needed to be in the NICU.

Then we were pregnant with Adeline and knew we hated hospitals! So, we decided to go to the freestanding Birth and Family Place in SLC using a midwife, whom I loved! http://www.womenandbirthcare.com/ It was also an amazing experience! A comfortable place. I loved it! The insurance took 3 years to pay my midwife. Sick! Currently, the Birth Center is under attack. Sad stuff.

So, here comes Beatrice! I have taken "baby steps" for this moment. A HOME delivery!!! WOW! There is absolutely nothing that compares to being at home and delivering your baby! I was so comfortable! It was hard work, but the experience wasn't something that needed to be numbed! It needed to be experienced and felt. She was a healthy baby and she came when she came. (shortest delivery of about 4 hours! 6 days late! HA!)

Adeline holding Beatrice right after she was born!So Cute!

Beatrice, 2 days old. Dec.17th, 2007. She was so alert!

This is what my body was made to do! Oh yeah, I am not the only one. Most woman that can have children can do this too! Heavenly Father has made us and we can do so much more than we think we can!! It's totally AMAZING! If I can do this, I can DO ANYTHING!!!

70% of babies are born with Midwifes in every other developed country except for the USA. 1 out of 3 babies are born by Cesarean section in the USA. That is not because we have different woman, it's because one intervention leads to another. Dont get me wrong, medical assistance is there for a reason, when you actually need it. It is just sad that having babies is more about business than a fact of life here in the USA.

There, that was my "noise".

RENT THE DOCUMENTARY OR WATCH IT ON NETFLIX!! http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

My Homemade Bread

I make bread every week. I got this recipe from a friend from New York. BUT I did some adjustments to it and this is what it is now. I like that all of the ingredients are things that are easy to keep in my food storage.
People have asked for the recipe and those that have it, like it. It's one of those fool proof recipes. I am certainly not a chef, so it's perfect for me! SO, I just thought I would post it. Also, I grind the wheat almost every time for the wheat flour because it just tastes better and boy, is it more nutritious! If you try it, I hope you like it! Enjoy!
I found this photo on the web and liked it, so its not from me, but it works!

Wheat Bread
Makes 2 loaves

1-2/3 cups warm water
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 TBSP Extra Light Olive Oil
1/3-cup honey
3 cups whole wheat flour (I usually grind the wheat right before I make it)
2 cups whole wheat white flour
1 tsp salt

Combine the water, yeast and sugar in mixer. Wait until foamy. Add eggs, honey and oil. Mix well. Add the wheat flour and beat on high speed for 5 mins. Then add the white flour and salt and beat on high for 2 more mins. The dough should be sticky. Let it rest for 10 min. then beat on high for 5 more mins. Put dough in greased bowl and let rise until double in size about 45 min. ( I often skip this step. I do not see a difference in the bread and it saves me LOADS of time. If I counted up the time that I will save for my lifetime, it maybe be up to a year of time saved! :) ha!)

Divide dough into 2 pieces. (I use oil on my hands and counter when I roll the dough out. I don’t use flour. Any additional flour will dry out the bread.) Roll each piece into a rectangle working out all the air bubbles. Turn over and roll tightly into loaf. With the seam side up, pinch the ends into the loaf. With oil on hands, lightly coat loaf and put in greased loaf pan (seam side down).(I like to use the long loaf pans, they are perfect for sandwiches!)  Let dough rise to top of pan or double in size.
 Bake at 350* for 24-30 mins. After baking, remove loaves to cooling racks and completely cover with damp cotton cloths or paper towels until cool.

Note: This recipe fits a Kitchen Aid mixer.