We're still Kickin'

I almost feel embarrassed that we have been MIA (missing in action) according to our blog for so long. Maybe some of you have not noticed which is good, but for the few of you that have reminded me that it has been since October since my last post, this is for you, and for me getting back into the swing of things.

Before the summer I had the excuse that I was too busy with school. However, now that school is over, I feel too busy with life. But I know that it is important to stop and write down a few thoughts about our life just for the journal sake, if for nothing else.

So... here is the update:

Eric graduated from preschool in June and is now preparing for kind

ergarten, which he is slowly getting excited for. I think he is a little concerned that he will not be going to school with his same preschool friends, however, he will do a great job. He is taking swimming lessons twice a week and loving it! His obsessions right now are dressing up like a knight, sword fighting, and anything violent (against his mothers wishes). He is working hard to be a good big brother and we are so lucky to have him in our family.

Ashtyn is growing up so fast, she is no longer our little baby, but a beautiful girl. She is so excited to go to preschool in the fall she tells everyone that she is in preschool already. She loves to do homework with Eric, and her favorite thing right now is her princess underwear, which she wants to show everyone (we have had many talks about the modesty thing). Her favorite things to do are her gymnastics class and playing soccer with her Uncle Mathis.

John is teaching summer school and has a really good class, which is a blessing. His hobbies right now are running, biking, and power lifting. He makes me spot him in the summer heat in our garage so I am not as big of a fan of the last one. He has also been working hard with teaching Eric to read and sets many high educational goals for his kids

And now me... I should have a whole list of things that I have been doing since I have not blogged since last October, however, I don't know what I have been doing. I have been trying to keep up with a 5, and 3 year old I guess. I am getting really good and finding the free/cheap activities for kids to do in the summer. We hit the free movies, lots of library activities, swim whenever we can, play at friends houses, have friends play at our house, etc. What can I say, I am a MOM, and that is what I do with my time!

Oh the Wonder of a Box!

In this time of economic uncertainty, Eric has taken it upon himself to forgo his bed (complete with slide), and sleep in a box.  Our little princess has slightly higher standards; she has chosen a plastic container for her sleeping arrangements.When John woke up in the middle of the night, he saw that Eric had chosen to sleep in a box instead of his comfy bed.  Upon discovery of Eric's cramped position, John promptly placed Eric in his bed only to find him back in the box the following morning.

Coming home from Cedar Breaks

On our way back from Cedar Breaks we decided that we would go up to the peak to get more pictures from the top of the mountain.  We had about an hour before lunch so we thought we had time, little did we know what was coming.  On the top of the peak we ended up sliding as we were trying to turn around and slide off the road.  John kept trying to get us out with little hope, not even so much as a budge.

Then some people came up and tried to get to us to help but could not even get their car up to us so they turned around and left.  Then a Jeep came and tried to pull us for about 1 hour and had not luck.  

By this time Stan and Carol, who are at the cabin with Ashtyn waiting for us, had called the police to come and save us.  The police came in a big Dodge truck to try to pull us out.  While they were pulling, the rope snapped off their truck and hooked right into the taillight.  Did I mention that we were not in our car; we were in John's parent's car.

So at that point we had missed lunch and had been up there for a couple of hours.  

Eric decided that he would just take a nap because it didn't seem like he would need to be in his car seat anytime soon.

The police said that we would have to call the tow truck from Cedar City to come up and get us.  An hour later when the tow truck got there he tried to pull us out and of course failed.  When a tow truck cannot pull you out, you know you have a serious problem.  

So John and the tow truck driver started to dig out all of the rocks from under the car using a shovel and a crow bar.  

Some people in a truck stopped and two big guys came to help, which saved us.  They also let Eric and I go get in their car to stay warm with their wife/mom who fed Eric and I fruit and candy (we had long missed lunch by this time).  After digging out rocks for 2 hours they finally got us out and two truck was able to do the rest.

Once we paid the two truck guy, who charged us $157 an hour including the hour drive to and from Cedar City and the two hours of digging out rocks (you do the math) we were finally able to go home.  Stan and Carol were very happy when we came back safely, although I am sure that they will think twice next they let us borrow their car.

While we were stuck I was thinking about some of the conference talks that were shared during general conference.  I couldn't help but think about those that shared stories of serious struggles and it made me feel so grateful that we were safe.  I also recall a talk about being able to laugh about your life struggles, I think that one might come with time and far after we have paid for the credit card bill.

Where did fall go??

We went up to Brianhead, Utah thinking that this was the weekend for the fall leaves.  I packed up my camera and was very excited and eager to get some gorgeous pictures. 

 The week before we had heard was amazing and thought (little did we know) that they would still b

e amazing.  We got there on a Saturday night and when we woke up Sunday morning this is what we saw:

Although I did not get to see the fall leaves in all of their glory, the snow was still beautiful.  The kids thought that it was Christmas and kept talking about how excited they were that it was Christmas time.  I don't even know how they associate Christmas with snow since we have always lived in Las Vegas where we don't get any snow for Christmas :(

Stan took the kids (Eric, Arianna, and Ashtyn) on a ride in the snow.  They were so cute all bundled up.  When they got back they had hot chocolate, which they all loved!!All weekend Eric wanted to make snowballs and throw them at people.  He had so much fun chasing everyone and trying to get them. The picture below is at Cedar Breaks which was beautiful with the red rock and snow on top.

Cedar Breaks!!

26.2 Miles later

John just ran in the St. George Marathon this last weekend.  I am so proud of him, he did an incredible job.  He wasn't able to train as well as he would have like too, and still did an amazing job and finished with a great time.  Watching him come across the finish line was so incredible (I know I keep using that word but it really was), he still look like he was going strong even after running 26 miles.

Eric, Ashtyn and I went to cheer him on and it was just pouring rain, we were so worried about all of those runners.  On the side lines Eric and Ash kept cheering on all of the runners as we were looking out for Daddy.  Eric just kept saying how he was a marathon runner just like Daddy.  When we did see John I was a little worried that Eric was just going to keep running along side him to the finish line and I would lose him, but he did come back when I yelled to him.  

Eric was so excited about John's medal, he was so happy when his dad let me wear the medalStan and Carol came all the way down to cheer on John as well.  And as you can see by Stan's expression he was very proud of John as well.A little 'after marathon kiss' for my honey.

PET PEEVES....

I’ve decided to devote this post to my list of pet peeves. I have been getting so sick and tired of seeing all of the different political ads when watching TV that it just got me thinking about what else bothers me. That makes sense right? When one thing is bothering you, just make a whole list of everything that is bothering you. Anyway, not only the political adds but all of the crazy things that those politicians are saying. The new term that is definitely on my pet peeves list is “lipstick on a pig”. The first time I heard this was when Obama was referring to Palin and I was shocked. I thought, 'how rude!' Then John explained that it was just an expression that people use, and McCain used the same expression a few weeks earlier. I still think of it literally and it is a little bit disturbing.

My list of PET PEEVES:

• Socks with sandals, Eric has decided that although it is still over 100 degrees outside he needs to wear socks with his sandals to keep his feet warm. I am trying to give him his Independence but this really drives me crazy.
• Not replacing the TP when you use the last of the roll, then I don't notice until it is too late and I am just sitting there trying to decide what to do (sorry if this is a little to much info for you).
• The blender not being washed off after use, so the chocolate milk or eggs are dried and hardened on the blender for me to wash off later.
• Telemarketers (need I say more)
• Grocery carts with one bad wheel.
• McDonald's drive thru. The other day I was in a hurry so instead of stopping at a gas station to pick up my evil habit of Diet Coke I thought it would be quicker to go to McDonald's drive thru. After I was a block away and took a drink of my Diet Coke I almost spit it out because it was regular Coke and I had to through it away.
• The expression, "no one can make you angry". My grandma used this one a lot as I was growing up, and although it is probably true, that is still the last thing that I want to hear when someone has made me angry.
• My children are running away from me when I am trying to get them dressed, undressed, PJ's on, PJ's off, hair done, hair undone, shoes on etc. This is a big one at our house right now, Ash just seems to think that it is hilarious to run away from mom.
• Children coloring with marker in my bed (John was supposed to be incharge???)

Now off my rant and back to you… If you read this blog and can think of your own pet peeves that you have to deal with please share. I am interested to know that I am not the only annoyed person out there that is taking many deep breaths a day because of things others do.

TRIP TO THE DENTIST

We have kind of been dragging our feet on taking Eric to the dentist because we do not have dental insurance on our kids yet. We had taken him before to just meet the dentist and have his teeth counted and looked at (I felt like it was a little bit of a waste of time the first time). But we finally took him for the full cleaning and he loved it. It is so interesting for me to see how much he loves new experiences. He even loves going to the doctors, and tries to be really brave when he has to get shots. Ashtyn is opposite of Eric, she has always screamed for the doctor even if he is just touching her stomach or looking into her eyes. She would prefer to not try new experiences and just stay where she is comfortable and safe.

John had his dentist appointment first, so Eric could go and watch what they do. Eric loved watching his Dad in the dentist chair, and wanted to look into his mouth the whole time to see what was going on.
When it was Eric's turn to get into the dental chair he just climbed right up there and opened his mouth wide. The dental hygienist never had to even tell him to open wide. The Dental hygienist that worked on Eric was really good with kids and knew just how to talk with them. She talked to him about sugar cavity bugs and even got one out of his mouth for him to squish and feel. Eric loved that part of it and talked about it for days after that we have to brush to get ride of all of the sugar bugs that are on our teeth. Luckily it was a good report, no cavities this time, otherwise we would have to be buying dental insurance real quick to get that taken care of. And yes, I am that geeky mom that brought her camera to the dentist office to get pictures.

Grateful!

Today I thought I would just jot down a few things that I was thinking about while at church. First, I want to say how grateful I am for the gospel in my life. When I go to church I feel the spirit so strong, and feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the upcoming week, and whatever it may hold for me. This Sunday I felt that same spirit, and it was even stronger then usual (I think it is really trying to tell me something).

I don't know what everyone else learned about in relief society, but in our lesson we went over Sister Julie Becks talk on "Mothers Who Know". I have heard this talk, and read it a few different times, but today knew things stood out to me as we were talking about it as a class. The first point that the teacher brought up was the 2,000 stripling warriors, which is how Sister Beck starts out her talk. In the scripture Alma 56:48 these young men paid tribute to their mothers stating, "We do not doubt our mothers knew it." The different angle that I was thinking about is linking fear and doubt together. It is a little bit difficult for me to explain but I will do my best. One of my biggest fears right now is public schools. I know that an obvious solution to this problem would be home schooling, however, I do not think that homeschooling would be for Eric or me for that matter. When I was thinking about the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors I wondered if they would have feared public school as well, and the conclusion that I came to was, no they would not have. The stripling warriors fought a physical battle, and their mothers watched them leave with faith that the Lord would protect them. Our children will be fighting a spiritual battle, which can be even more dangerous then physical battles. I need to be more like those mothers who did not doubt. I need to have faith that as long as I am teaching my children in our home the principles and doctrines of the gospel I need to have faith and get rid of the doubt and fear. I need to believe that the Lord will protect them if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing as their mother that knows. Fear and doubt come from Satan and I need to replace it with faith, which is the opposite of fear.

I really wanted to remember what I was thinking that is why I wrote it down. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that loves me so much. I know that I am a daughter of God and that means so much to me. A sister in the relief society today said that, "self esteem is really knowing that you are a child of God." I love this because I can still remember when I did not have any self esteem at all. I now personally know that my Heavenly Father knows me and loves me as well as all of his children.

Trip to the Grand Tetons!

John and I had the chance to go to Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons and we had a blast. My sister, Mel, and I swapped kids this summer so we would both have a chance to go on a trip alone with our spouses. The kids also had the chance to go to Grandma and Papa's house for a couple days also, which is always fun. We both has so much fun traveling without our children that we are already planning it again for next year, I can't wait.

If you do not know John then you may not know how much he loves wild life. He was seriously like a little kid in a candy shop, and lucky we saw a lot of while life. I was a little worried that we would be searching our whole trip to see the wildlife and especially the moose that he so badly wanted to see that we would not be able to really relax and enjoy ourselves. Luckily as we were driving to find a camping sight that first day we got there, a lot of cars were parked alongside the road, so we parked also to see what everyone was looking at. As we got closer right across the river was the biggest bull moose I have ever seen. He was a little bit hidden so I had to get up on John's shoulders to get the pictures. There was even some stranger that took advantage of John and got up on his shoulders also, it was pretty funny, she really didn't want to get down. After seeing the moose John was so relaxed and really didn't care what we were going to do the whole rest of the trip because he had seen his moose. Throughout the rest of the trip we saw 3 more moose, buffalo, an eagle, deer, elk, and even 2 grizzle bears.
The first night we were there we camped, and then the next two nights we stayed at Grand Teton Village in a place called the Hostel. It really did feel like a youth hostel too. The first night at the Hostel it wasn't so bad but the next night it felt like there were only sheets separating us from the people on both sides of us and above us. I also think the people above us spent the whole night rearranging their furniture, it was quite the experience. I guess when your hotel is at least $100.00 cheaper a night then any other hotel around there is a reason.

The whole trip was so relaxing there was nothing that we had to do or anywhere that we had to be. The second day we decided to go river rafting which was so much fun. We were put on a little 8 man boat with only 4 people plus the guide and one of the 4 people was a little boy so I was a little worried. The guide worked with the boy most of the time trying to teach him the different strokes so we would not tip over. The guide put me as head row-man or what ever you call the person that leads all the other people. I think it was little difficult for John to follow my lead, so that was fun to watch him wanting to be in charge, and getting yelled at if he was not rowing along with me.

We went on a few different hikes while we were there and they were so amazing and beautiful I loved it. One hike we went on we only saw one other couple and it was so quite and peaceful. On our longer hike we went on there was a bull and female moose right off the hiking trail hanging out together. John got really close to get a good picture but I stayed up on a rock in case it charged.

We loved this sign because a lot of the wild life we saw really was trying to cross the road or just hanging out along side the road. Even the 2 grizzle bears we saw were just trying to get across the road, and had to go between all of the cars stopped to watch them as they cross.

Our Grand Teton trip was one that we will always remember. I almost felt like we were just newly weds again, because we could really focus on each other. I can really see how important it is to spend alone time with your spouse and always cherish one another. I felt like on this trip that is exactly what we were able to do. Although part of me was sad to go, I was so excited to see our kids that I was okay with it. Can't wait for next years trip, thanks again Mel, Mom, and Dad for having Eric and Ash.

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home!

Having a teacher as a husband definitely has its perks, like having a lot more time off in the summers. However, the fun is now over and John is back at school getting ready for the students to show up on Monday. When Eric and Ashtyn wake-up they still don't believe me when I tell them Daddy has gone to work. They just keep asking where Daddy is, like I am hiding him from them. When Daddy does finally get home Eric and Ashtyn are always so excited. They immediately yell out "Daddy" in unison and run over by the garage door to great him. What the kids don't realize is that they are not the only ones that is excited for Daddy to come home! I am so grateful for what a wonderful Dad John is. He spends so much time with Eric and Ashtyn, teaching them new things, reading books with them, and listening to their endless chatter. I am not near as patient and constantly look to him as an example of the kind of parent that I should work to become. These are a few pictures of when Daddy comes home.

I was tagged :(

I was tagged a few weeks ago by both Melissa (my sister) and Marci (my good friend from college) with two different types of tags (thanks a ton girls). So I am just combining the two to make a little creative tag of my own. Fill free to skip through this post if you would like.

3 Joys

1. My wonderful husband has always been a strength and support in my life. I am so grateful to be married to a man like John. He is always so willing to go with what ever crazy ideas I come up with. While I have been going back to school, although it has definitely been a challenge for our family, he is constantly trying to make it easier on me in what ever way he can.
2. My two beautiful children are a huge joy in my life. They know just how to make me smile, and how to make my heart melt. I love to watch them as they play together, and develop a relationship with one another (it definitely can be rocky at times).
2. The gospel in my life is such an amazing blessing. It brings such joy and peace into my life. I know that through the atonement we can have true happiness, and I have felt that true happiness in my own life.

5 things I was doing 10 years ago

1. Getting my drivers license, and my first traffic ticket a few months latter.
2. Playing tennis everyday.
3. Having my mom as an English teacher. She is still my favorite teacher that I have ever had, not just in English but in life.
4. I was the laurel president, which really pulled me into the church and helped me with my testimony.
5. Snowboarding all winter long, even if it meant skipping school once in a while.

3 Current Obsessions

1. Graduating from college. It will only have taken me 8 years to graduate with my bachelors degree. I am so excited for this spring when I am finally finished.
2. The twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I just got into it a couple of weeks ago and I only have the last one left to read.
3. Photography. I just got a new canon digital SLR that has been so much fun to play with and take pictures with. I hope someday to be a professional photographer.

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire

1. Move into a bigger house with more rooms (preferable out of Las Vegas).
2. Travel
3. Put my kids in the best private school I can find.
4. Do a lot of service with my family. Eric found out the other day that there were kids that didn't have any shoes. He now wants to give all of his shoes to those children without any.
5. Go to the spa once a week, I would settle for once a month even. This one is a little selfish, but I am trying to be honest.

I hope that was not too painful for you to have to read. I have to tag a couple of people so sorry about this ahead of time. I tag Cassie and Ashley.

All 5 Parry Cousins Together at Last

Recently Joe and Mandy came to Las Vegas to celebrate their little girl, Ryan’s 1st birthday with everyone. I think it was the first time that all 5 of the Parry Grandchildren were together at once. Eric (4) is the oldest Grandchild and the only boy. The next grandchild is Arianna (3), then Ashtyn (2), then Ryan (1), and last Caroline (5 months). We had such a great time with the entire family together. Here are some of the pictures of the party.
This is John and little Ryan at her birthday party. I think she was not sure who all of these people were because she lives in San Diego. We are going to just have to visit more often so she knows us better.
This is Arianna and Ashtyn who both love to just sit on the stairs of the pool and watch all that is going on.
This is me with baby Caroline. She is about the best baby ever, I hardly ever hear her even give a fuss. It is really fun to hold a baby again, since mine is getting so big and constantly reminds me what a big girl she is.
The best part of the party for all of the bigger cousins was that Ryan shared her birthday cake with who ever wanted to dig in. It was really fun to see them all eating the cake at once. It was one of the only pictures of Eric, because it is so hard to get him to hold still long enough to take a picture of him.

Kamas, UTAH

One of our favorite places on earth is now Kamas, Utah. This is where my parents built a house last year. It is the most beautiful country and so peaceful and relaxing to visit. Eric and Ashtyn pretty much entertain themselves because of all that there is to do there. They love to go out back and play on the swing set, help with the garden, play with all of the toys downstairs, go on four wheeling rides, go exploring, cook tinfoil dinner around the camp fire, go on tractor rides with Papa, the list could go on and on. We love to go and visit Grandma and Papa. Here is a little slide show of family pictures in Kamas.

Motorcycle Trip

John recently went on his first overnight motorcycle trip (and wives were not invited). The group (or motorcycle gang) that went were all members of our ward and decided to head out on a man's adventure. I was sad he was leaving but I wasn't too worried because our bishop was part of the group and I figured they would be looked after.

This is a beautiful picture that John took on one of their runs through Bryce National Park. They also had the chance to drive through Zions National Park and Cedar Breaks National Park.
There were five guys that went and they all had a blast. I think John smiled straight from a couple days before the trip, I'm sure the whole time while on the trip, and then a day or two after the trip (then reality hit).
This is another beautiful picture that John took.