The Parker Family

RaKell found a spider in her room. She ran upstairs and announced, "I'm gonna invent spider shock collars! That way, if they bite...

Landon asked if I had ever seen The Giant Pear movie. I said, "No, I've never even heard of it." Landon,  "Well, it...

A conversation that took place between me and 5- year old RaKell: RaKell: What's gravity? Mom: Well, if you jumped off this chair wh...

We spent some time with the Parker family at a hotel. Upon arrival, all the kids wanted to go swimming. Then I remembered..... "Oh! ...

RaKell is looking at a book.  I heard her just exclaim,  "What in the Earth!"

I went to put some socks down the laundry shute.  Instead, I started putting them in the garbage! Landon was in the kitchen too. ...

As I was helping RaKell say her prayers tonight she was ending with her usual pleading to have good dreams: "Please help me to have g...

We were in the car driving and Landon was going through his backpack. He pulled out a bunch of miscellaneous items... Landon: I got these....

RaKell just asked me to turn on the oven light so she could see dinner cooking. I turned it on. She looked in the top oven and said the ...

After returning from her room where she spent some time away from her brother to cool down (he also was cooling down in his room): RaKell:...

RaKell opened the fridge to get an orange. . . "Ooooo! I'm so cold in this fridge!" "This fridge is freezing!" ...

 First Day!  Preschool. They grow up way too fast! No, it isn't the camera or the lighting, it really is the color of her ...

Kate brought home a little refresher worksheet from her first day of 3rd grade. It had different topics (math, science, reading) to get thei...

RaKell came to me and matter-of-factly said, "Mom, the phone accidentally fell into the fish tank, but I got it out. It's ok. It...

There has been a scale sitting in our hallway for a few days. Getting ready for school yesterday morning, Landon stood on the scale. His f...

The kids ran in from playing outside. They were breathing heavily and all grabbed cups and headed to the sink to fill up for a nice refreshi...

For breakfast, RaKell tells me she ate: Rice Scripties and Hunchy Bunchy u Oats

Aunalee gave the Family Home Evening lesson tonight. It was about gratitude. We had to each write something down we were thankful for and pu...

During church, RaKell took the program and asked Preston for a pen. He got one out and went to give it to her but she said, "Dad, draw ...

Here are some of the photos of pumpkin carvings. You can click on the photos to enlarge them. Dalan carved something from Legend of Zelda....

I was helping my nephew with his spelling list. There were things like honorable, struggle, dishonorable, prisoner, rebel etc. We got to th...

Today during Sacrament Meeting a young child let out a yell. RaKell said, just as loud, "Don't scream at church! It scares my mom!...

I told RaKell to go close the front door. She ran and closed it. She then turned to me and said, "I will lock it so spiders won't...

Katelyn has a very tender head. Now, I mean really tender. She does not like it to be brushed or messed with at all. If her hair gets pulled...

Landon came home from preschool and was in a bit of a somber mood. He was sitting on the floor and I sneaked up behind him and quickly pulle...

Katelyn: Dad, what if the only word we said was "Yes"? Dad: Can I punch you in the face? --Long Pause-- Katelyn: What if the on...

Kate says to Landon, "Let's go play baby. You be the baby at the orphanage and I will come buy you."

Landon's vocabulary has really increased lately. He uses words, in correct context, like perhaps, actually, completely, practically, etc...

Preston heard Landon crying upstairs and went to investigate. There, he found Katelyn with her back turned to Landon with folded arms and ...

Landon said the prayer at lunch time today. He finished with, "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Then he continued. . . "...

We were at a neighbor's house trick-or-treating and when Kate got a piece of Candy, instead of the usual, "thank you," I hear,...

Preston: The goat likes to float like a boat in the moat. Katelyn: With his scrote? Preston: (holding back a laugh) Uhmmm, I don't kno...

Dinner conversation tonight consisted of playing "Guess the movie character" game. Dalan gave us a clue that the character he had...

The three youngest and I pulled into the grocery store parking lot today. The thought crossed my mind that we came at a good time because th...

Landon: "Mom, did you know fairies are afraid of hawks?!" "Uhhhhh, no." "Well, they are."

Preston was in the bathroom helping Landon brush his teeth. He came out laughing and relayed the following: Landon: Dad, Katelyn and I hel...

My parents have pictures on the wall of their parents. I was visiting one day and had RaKell (4 months old) with me. I had been looking at...

Dalan and Aunalee were in the front room reading. I could hear Dalan trying to talk with Aunalee and, based on her non responsiveness, she w...

As relayed by our friends that watched Landon and Katelyn for a few hours: Landon was walking along their house in the backyard looking fo...

Preston was holding RaKell and Aunalee was talking to her. "Oh, you are just so cute! Dad, I just can't stop looking at her eyes. ...

Katelyn was getting into her pajamas. She came to me, frustrated that she couldn't get the shirt off over her head. Aunalee said, ...

I sent the kids out to get in the van. When I came out, Katelyn and Landon were out in the front yard spinning in circles. "Come on yo...

Driving to Idaho, Landon and Kate were getting restless toward the end of the trip. To help distract them, I tried to find interesting thing...

Landon to Dalan, "What is 9 + 10?" Dalan, "19." "Nope!" "Yes it is." "No. When I was wi...

We drove past a field full of white dandelions. Landon turned to Katelyn and said, "We can make all the wishes we want!" We w...

Katelyn was sitting by the ditch at the produce field today. All of the sudden she stood up, crying and could not even breathe to tell me ...

Toilet Training Landon will use the bathroom everytime his diaper gets changed. He does pretty well with it but does not like to go when w...

Profound Dalan came into the kitchen and said to me, "Mom, I'm not always a good boy, but I try to be." Overhearing our con...

Pancake Shapes Landon was helping me make pancakes for dinner. As I put the first batch on the griddle, he looked at them and said, "...

What A Good Little . . . Helper? Landon, 2, loves to be outside and explore. He loves feeding dandelions to our pet rabbits and I often se...

Discombobulated Driving up to Idaho with the kids, I had to stop along the way to pick up Dalan. He had spent a few days with his Nana and ...

Morning Smiles Katelyn woke up crying, which is unusual for her in the morning. She came into the kitchen and I asked her if she wanted br...

20,000 Bouncy Balls This was so fun! This week was Utah State University's science week (aka. Geek Week). A helicopter flew over a park...

Elevator Kate, Landon and I left the second floor dentist office today. Reminding me, Kate said, "Mom! You said we could take the ele...

Dinner Woes and Wows As I was cooking dinner, Aunalee asked what I was making. Sounding excited, knowing it isn't her choice meal, I ...

Compliments to Aunalee I was volunteering at the school today and saw a mom of some twin boys that are in Aunalee's class. We were vis...

Landonisms I love the language and interpretations of two-year-olds. Before the kids come to dinner we have them wash their hands. Last n...

FYI: Landon gets really hyper at night. Tonight he stood up on the arm of the couch and raised his arms high and shouted, "I am bigge...

Humorous Honesty I was driving kids home after school today. The topic of discussion between all the children was buying things and how mu...

Cousins and Canoes    Never a dull moment! When cousins get together they combine their creative minds to come up with unique ways of havi...

At the dinner table one evening Dalan told us that he wanted to go to the moon some day. Preston said he could go anytime, it would just c...

Katelyn's Christmas Wish Our almost four year old has been begging to have her bottom-length hair cut. Her dad is very much loving it....

Aunalee's Vegetable Soup This recipe makes enough for our family of 6 to all have second helpings. Aunalee decided what she wanted in...

Katelyn and her cousin, Casey (one month older), were having a breakfast conversation about Halloween costumes. To preface the rest of thi...

Pumpkin Carving Fun! We had a blast carving pumpkins this year.  Dalan and Aunalee did their pumpkins almost entirely on their own! Da...

Dialogue between Mother and Daughter I had returned home from a three day trip without children (first time in my life). Aunalee came to...

Someday I will be just like mommy! Katelyn was getting into her jammies and had her shirt off. She said to me, "Mommy, when I have a...

Reality Hits The kids have been informed that I will be gone for a couple of days to spend time with the moms in my family. They keep begg...

Speeding? Was I Speeding? The drive home from Shelley, Idaho, on Saturday evening was extremely pleasant. The kids were watching Peter Pan...

Delicious Dinner With Katelyn by my side, we were making a new chicken recipe for dinner tonight. As we added the parsley Katelyn said, ...

Kate the Great! I don't know where she gets it, honestly. We had some friends over to play the other day and the little girl was bend...

Our New Pet Meet Slick, or Speedy, or Sticky (depending on who you ask).  As I was unpacking the van, I saw this snail crawling (slither...

Retched Morning As I was pulling out of the garage, the 60 year-old garage door fell and landed on the back window of our van, shattering ...

Bread-blah! When you forget to add salt to the dough it makes the bread taste horrible!!! There goes 4 loaves and 2 hours of time. Grrr! ...

Aunalee's lesson on Drugs We were at Aunalee's soccer game one evening. The games are held next to an outdoor skate park. After th...

Katelyn's Daddy Off to Work As Preston was leaving for work today he said, "Bye, I love you." "I love you too," c...

Aunalee, the Collector Aunalee, our six-year old, loves to collect things. Everything! She collects marbles, containers of all shapes and ...

April Fools on us! Thanks mother nature. This is what we awoke to on April 1st. Not only that, today we woke up to 8 inches o...

Slime in the Ceiling So, Dalan's birthday was this month. He got the coolest present ever! It was red slime that came in a blood donat...

Katelyn's Dream (as told by Katelyn) Mom, I had a scary dream last Tuesday and a snake came up to me and you smacked him!

I was on my way out the door to go to the grocery store tonight. Kate called out a reminder, "Get me some juice." "And look...

Quick! Mom's not looking! This morning was going so well too. . .We had breakfast, reading time, got dressed, the kids were actually m...

Aunalee and Preston got back from the USU girls basketball game yesterday. It was their daddy-daughter time. Aunalee came in, all excited to...

Katelyn - A day of moods Setting: Evening time. Grouchy 3-year-old, Kate, that refuses to take naps anymore, was playing at the fridge wi...

Dalan- Oh, the great minds of children! Last night Preston was doing fun quizzing games with the kids. He would start giving clues or tell...

Favorite non -words we hear from our children: Dalan: "Tadpoles envolve into frogs." Auanlee: "Look at the patteren I m...

Five months later and much has happened. Our three children are growing fast! Dalan finished kindergarten and lost two bottom teeth. His cla...