Sage is 5!

My little boy isn't so little anymore. He's a big 5 yr. old now. I can't believe how big he has gotten, and while I am a little sad to see him growing up, I know that great things await him. Here's a little about him.

Name: Sage Landon Parker
Birth date: July 17, 2004
Current Weight: 36 lbs
Current Height: 3' 4"
Likes: Superheros, Roller-skates, Music, Dancing, Singing, Reading, Helping Grandpa Sugar & Daddy, Rock Music{just like daddy}
Dislikes: Peas, Getting in Trouble, Going to Bed & Country Music

Here he is in his new Roller-skates that he got from Grandma Maxine for his birthday.

The Astro-Jump we borrowed from a family in our ward.

Left to Right: Sage, Analia, Romeo, Alexandra

Eating yummy Spiderman Cupcakes

Opening presents.

Thank you to those of you who called or sent cards to Sage today. It really made his day! The birthday festivities will continue this weekend.

I Can See Clearly Now...

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin?for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)Sun-Shiny day.

Look all around, there’s nothin?but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin?but blue
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)Sun-Shiny day.

This song perfectly describes what I've been going through for the past 2 years. The light at the end of this dark tunnel I've been traveling is in sight. I've been suffering from Postpartum depression and been on and off meds since 2003.

Today I met with a fabulous doctor who can help me learn to overcome my issues. I've been put on an awesome treatment that will help me feel like the old me again, help me be a better Wife, Mother & Daughter. It will help me cope with all the new responsibilities that having a Son in Kindergarten will bring {including the PTA}.

I am excited about where this new road will take me and my Family.

Root Beer Cookies

A few months ago, I ran across this recipe. I finally got around to trying it today.

Root Beer Cookies : Makes about 4 dozen
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. root beer extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water (optional–only use if dough is too dry)
Root Beer frosting (recipe below)

Cream butter and dark brown sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the root beer extract. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add a little at a time to the creamed mixture. The dough should be slightly sticky. Chill for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease several baking sheets, or line them with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Roll into small balls (about 1″ diameter). I like to use a mini-ice cream scoop so that the cookies end up evenly sized. Place them on the pan, leaving a bit of space between the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through.Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting Recipe:
1 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp. root beer extract
3 tablespoons hot water

Beat butter on high with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Add a little powdered sugar and the root beer extract. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with a little hot water until a nice spreading consistency has been reached.

Frost the cooled cookies and let stand for a few minutes to let the frosting set up. (It should dry a bit on the top.)

Here's the finished product. Sage & Aurora love them!

King Of Pop

Michael Jackson August 29, 1958 - June 25th, 2009

Today a great Man passed away. The world will not be the same without him. I thought I would post about him and the impact he had on the world. I found this mini biography at IMDB.

Birth Name: Michael Joseph Jackson
Nicknames: The Gloved One ,King Of Pop, MJ

American superstar Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958 and has been entertaining audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joseph Jackson, had been a guitarist but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Katherine (Scruse). Together they prodded their growing family's musical interests at home.

By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5." An opening act for such soul groups as the O-Jays and James Brown, it was Gladys Knight who officially brought the group to Berry Gordy's attention, and by 1969 the boys were producing back-to-back chart busting hits as Motown artists.

As a product of the 70s, the boys had emerged as one of the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in music history, successfully evolving from a Temptations-like group act to a disco phenomenon. Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group.

Record sales consistently orbited, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, "Thriller." A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978), but had better luck with elaborate music videos. In the 90s the down side as an 80s pop phenomenon began to show. Michael grew terribly child-like and introverted by his celebrity. A rather timorous, androgynous figure to begin with, his physical appearance began to change drastically and his behavior grew alarmingly bizarre, making him a consistent target for scandal-making, despite his numerous charitable acts.

Two brief marriages -- one to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley -- were forged and two children produced by his second wife during that time, but the purposes were obviously image oriented. Despite it all, Michael Jackson's skills as a singer, dancer, writer and businessman are unparalleled, and it is these prodigious talents that will ultimately prevail over the extremely negative aspects of his seriously troubled life.

His trademarks were, but not limited to: The Moonwalk, A Single sequined white glove and He always wore white socks with black shoes. I know that we was eccentric, but he was a VERY talented man who influenced and paved the way for many artists.

This what he looked like when I was first introduced to him. I remember watching Thriller on MTV when I was little. I even had the dance memorized.

This photo is Classic Michael Jackson.

So is this one.

Dangerous was the first album that I bought with my own money. I was so proud of myself and would play it all day/every day.

This Album is by far the best Greatest Hits Album EVER by any Musician or Band!!!! I love it! My kids even have an appreciation for Michael's music. Sage & Aurora love to dance to Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel and Smooth Criminal, and they like to slow dance with me to You Are Not Alone. He will truly be missed by The Parker Family.

Happy Father's Day

I just wanted to wish my super sweet and AMAZING Husband a Happy Father's Day! He really is the best Husband and Father ever! He is the perfect compliment to my paranoia and OCD, and I don't know what I did right to deserve him. Sage and Aurora truly love him and so sweet to see them having special moments.

Aurora, was SO done with our photo shoot but one hug and talk with her Daddy and she was ready to keep going.

Sage was also done with the shoot, so Robert took Sage for a walk. They love to explore together. Sage's nickname is Robert Jr., he is exactly like his Father, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you Robert for being one AMAZING DAD!!!

Flash Back Friday ~ Handmade Outfits

Anyone who knew me as a little girl knows two things. One, that every Sunday my hair would be in intricate curls and Two, that I had a new dress almost every Sunday.My Mother was a hairdresser and so she insisted that me hair be neat and curly for Church. We would start on Saturday night by washing my hair and rolling it into sponge rollers, then in the morning I would have hair like Shirley Temple.

She loved to sew and was always making me a new dress or outfit of some kind. She is the most amazing seamstress I've ever met. I wish she still had the energy to sew like she did then.

Mormon Rap

I was thinking last night about this song that came out when I was a kid, and thought i'd try to find a video to share with you. My friends and I used to sing this all the time when we were little. I hope you enjoy it.

Utah ~ June 2009

My Mom, Sage, Aurora and I just returned from a great trip to Utah for my Nephew's High school Graduation. Here's how it went:

June 3rd ~ Got up at 4:15am and loaded the van with last minute items and the kids and left the house at 5:00 am. We were in hopes that the kids would sleep but they were wide awake as soon as I put them into the van. I drove all the way to Mesquite, Nevada where my Mom and I traded places because I'm a wimp and don't like to drive the Virgin River Gorge. We stopped in Beaver, Utah for the night, cause the kids really needed to get out and run.

June 4th ~ Got up and left Beaver at 8:00am. We were driving past Springville and Sage insisted that we stop and buy a toy for Hayden so we went to Wal-Mart and picked up this Pin-Wheel and Basketball. We Got into Salt Lake City around Noon and went directly to see Hayden.

Then we drove to my Brother Danny's House in Kearns, Utah where I dropped off my Mom and visited while the kids played with their dogs Snoodle and Parker. I then took the kids to Robert's parent's house and we had dinner and met the kids newest cousin Joshua. He's soooo tiny! Then I loaded up the kids again and went back down to Spanish Fork to stay at my best friend Marci's house. Marci also married a Parker{no relation that we know of).

June 5th ~ We spent the morning playing with Aunt Marci, Uncle Shawn and cousin's Callie and Wade and then went to the park. We came home for naps and worked in the backyard and then Callie, Sage & Aurora played croquet in the backyard.

Sage hugging Callie after he accidentally wacked her in the leg with his croquet mallet.

We then found this Ginormous Bee in the backyard. Sage even rode the back of Uncle Shawn's Police Car.

June 6th ~ We spent most of the day inside because it was so cold and the Sage & Aurora's allergies were really acting up with all the pollen in the air. The kids took naps and then we went shopping and then came home and ordered Papa Murphy's Pizza(the best pizza ever). We went for a walk along the stream near the house before bed and then came home and put the kids to bed and the adults stayed up till 12:30 am talking and laughing.

June 7th ~ I woke up at 7am and got the van packed up and said goodbye to Marci, Shawn, Callie & Wade at 8:30 and left for Salt Lake City to pick up my Mom and visit Hayden one last time before we left. We just added these pretty white flowers to the pink roses we took him a few days earlier. I really miss him and can't wait until April 2010 when we move him here to San Diego.

Then I dropped my Mom off at my Brother's Ward so she could be there when my Nephew was set apart as an Elder before he leaves for Snow College, where he'll be playing Football. I went and got gas and then we headed out. We stopped in St. George, Utah at Fazoli's for dinner(yum-o).

I snapped this after we came out of the Virgin River Gorge. The kids were watching a movie. We stopped at the Virgin River Hotel in Mesquite, Nevada for the night so the kids could run around.

June 8th ~ We left around 8am and headed for home. Sage was being super silly and was really enjoying watching his favorite movie off all-time, Ducktales: The Movie.

Aurora spent the entire trip home with her legs propped on the sides of her seat. She's such a little spaz.

It was a really fun trip, but we really missed Robert and are glad to be home. I don't think I'll ever travel with the kids without Robert until the kids are much older.

Make-A-Wish Night

Last Tuesday the Young Women were invited to a Make-A-Wish Dinner and presentation at the UCSD Campus in La Jolla. One of the girls in our ward has leukemia and has gone through surgeries and a complete bone marrow transplant which ended up changing her blood type. The Chi Omega Sorority teamed up with Make-A-Wish to grant her a wish of a Mediterranean Cruise for her and her family. I told her that I was going to stuff myself inside a suitcase and stowaway on the ship.

Kelley, Gaby, & Allisen

Juliette, Hope, Rachelle, Kandace

Sarah and her family with the Chi Omega Sorority.

A few of the girls and I stopped at the Temple on the way home and took some pictures. I enjoyed playing with my new camera and the settings it has.

I was laying on the ground for this shot.

This is my favorite from that night.

The whole evening was amazing and I wish Sarah and her family an awesome adventure later this summer.

At A Glance Pocket Camp Schedule

I just thought I'd share the pocket schedule that I've been working on lately. It turned out really cool, if i do say so myself.

Here's the top view
Front View

Inside View

Back of Inside View

It's just an 8 1/2x11 sheet of paper printed on both sides and folded into 6 sections, perfect to fit into the girls pockets, so they'll always have it with them. Hopefully it will eliminate whining and complaining about being late. I doubt it; but I can always hope right?

B.O.O.T CAMP ~ Here I Come!

Wow! It's been almost a week since I last blogged. I've SO busy since then.

Saturday, I had to go to the Awesome Camp where our Stake(church group) Girl's Camp will be held in July to finalize the plans. We will be attending Butterfield Ranch Resort. It is an amazing place. When the Camp Leader and I were visiting campgrounds last November, we had already seen two others that morning and as soon as we drove onto the grounds, we knew without a doubt that this is where Girl's Camp was to be located.

We drove up and hiked one of the hikes that we want to take the girls on while we're there(yes, believe it or not, i actually hiked). Scary huh??? Now that everything is set; the Camp Leader and I feel at peace and are excited to get things ordered and organized for our awesome week long B.O.O.T CAMP. The B.O.O.T stands for Build On Our Testimonies. It will be an amazing week filled with pink and green camouflage shirts and dog tags, obstacle courses, paintball, mock battles, an awesome guest speaker, Military time, whistles, cadences, drill routines, reveille, taps, MRE's and a fabulous USO Show put on by yours truly and my partner in fun Juniper Riddle. Oh and let's not forget awesome fun provided by the Three Amigos (Me, Juniper & Diane). I seriously am so excited that i can hardly contain myself, and I can't wait! There will also be an amazing, out of this world spiritual experience that will everyone in attendance in tears.

These last few days have only made it more real for me. I've been typing my heart out, creating our awesome one-page pocket schedule, and the even more awesome song book; filled with the silliest songs you've ever heard and with some amazing hymn's for the more spiritual moments while at camp.

Did I mention that we will have our own PRIVATE pool? How awesome is that??? I've been searching for the perfect swim suit and finally found a modest one that doesn't have ginormous flowers and huge plaid strips. Seriously, don't designers know that curvy girls should NOT wear things like that?

Anywhoo, anyone who knew me as a teenager knows that me being in charge of Girls Camp is life coming back to bite me in the booty. I never, ever thought it would be me planning the awesome fun, but I am oh so glad it is!!! Watch out Sweetwater Stake Young Women, here comes Cula!

Flash Back Friday ~ 80's Hair & My Mom

One of my earliest memories is of my Mom and I sitting watching Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies on Saturday nights while she would braid my wet hair into teeny tiny braids. Then in the morning my hair would look like this.

This is what my hair would look like on Monday morning.

These pictures were taken in the house I live in now. I had totally awesome 80's hair didn't I?

This next one is one of my favorites of my mom. I just love the expression on her face! This was taken in our old house on Bluebird St. just around the corner from where we live now.

Unfortunately my Grandpa sold that house about 10 years ago. I always wanted to move into that house after I got married. I was and still is the perfect little Craftsman Style House. I'll have to drive past it today and take a picture. I used to dream of restoring it, I guess I'll have to settle for restoring my house.

Hamburger Mouth...

Is Aurora's nickname for the week. She was jumping on the couch and then fell flat on her face onto the arm of the couch. She was bleeding all over. I took her to Urgent Care and they gave her two little stitches to put the inside of her lip back in her lip. they dissolved from all the saliva as soon as we got home. This is a picture of it this morning. It still looks gross, but not as bad as it did yesterday.