Happy Birthday, Davis!

Davis turned 6 last week. For months Davis was counting down the days until his birthday and it finally arrived. He wished for a D.S. game, a skateboard, and anything sports related. We celebrated as a family the night of his birthday and then the next day Davis invited friends to a movie party. Jason and I took 12 kids to see the movie, AstroBoy! We had our hands full! After the party we ate pizza and cake and opened oodles of presents. We had a fun two days celebrating Davey's #6 -- now only 359 days til #7.

I don't make birthday cakes. Baskin Robbins makes the best ones.

Before school.

After school -- future professional skateboarder

Cake #2 -- Vons also makes yummy cakes. Two cakes -- my kids are so spoiled.

Davis with his buddy. More presents.

My baby -- well, sorta. He was for 6 years.

Disneyland

We decided to take a quick trip to Disneyland October 8-10th. Our little family has been so busy and we needed to spend some quality time with each other. We packed the kids up on a Thursday night and spent Friday and Saturday in Disneyland and California Adventure. A bonus was meeting up with our good friends, The Palmers, for some fun times.

My kids are growing up!

Anticipating California Screamin' -- such a thrilling ride!

Roaring Rapids in California Adventure

The Palmer Boys with my boys -- Chandler wasn't feeling well.

Tower of Terror -- We love this attraction!

My Dodger Fans -- Hayes looks THRILLED, huh!

Princess Liv with her Daddy

Future Rocketeer

Davis showing off his strength in ToonTown.

Sometimes it would be nice to lock 'em up... shhh, don't tell anyone I said that

I love this picture!

This is a picture of a picture -- I didn't have my wallet otherwise I would have bought it. My forehead is ultra shiny and my face looks like it's glued to the headrest. Olivia looks cute. I think this was on California Screamin'

My 7 Week-Old Baby

Hayes is 7 weeks old! He smiles, coos, laughs, and sleeps! Jason weighed him today and Hayes tipped the scale at 13 pounds! Oh my! I don't like to use the three letter "f" word, but he sure is a chubby little guy.

Chandler's Baptism and Hayes' Blessing

Chandler was baptized on Saturday, September 5, 2009. It was a special day for our family. Chandler was anxious to be baptized and was a good sport about waiting two months after his 8th birthday so that Hayes could be blessed the same weekend. Both sets of grandparents traveled from out of state to witness this special ordinance. Aunt Maren, Uncle Aaron, Grace and Eve, and many close family friends also attended.

Following Chandler's baptism and confirmation, our friends and family followed us into the chapel to bless Hayes. There was a beautiful spirit present. Hearing the blessing pronounced upon Hayes brought tears to my eyes. He truly is a special little guy and our home is full of peace. He's my "calm after the storm."

After the baptism and blessing, we had a dinner party at our house and watched BYU defeat #3 Oklahoma. (The guys were huddled around the t.v. . . . .)



Our family with grandparents. Can you see the "disco" blessing jumpsuit that Hayes is wearing? All three of my boys wore that blessing outfit. I can't wait to have a professional picture taken of Hayes wearing it -- like the other boys.

I think this is a funny picture. It looks like Davis belongs with Aaron and Grace with Jason.

First Day of School

Hooray for the first day of school 2009! We had a wonderful summer of Arts and Sports camp, swimming, diving, Dodger games, science camp, friends, and most importantly, the arrival of Hayes. However, we were all ready for August 24th -- Back to School.

Chandler and Davis woke up at about 5:30 and helped each other dress, eat breakfast, and pack their backpacks. They decided to wear their Dry Creek t-shirts to school.

First day of school tradition -- the slide picture.

My 5th grader.

My 3rd grader.

Davis -- my 1st grader. I choked up when I left him. Davis was unsure about going into 1st grade as a 5 year old. He said he was too young and should be 6 to be in first grade. It made me emotional. He has grown up so much this summer.

Lovin' Hayes

Hayes is almost three weeks old! It's been three weeks of hugs, kisses, and an indescribable feeling of love in our home (and sleepless nights, but that's a given with a newborn).

All bundled up and places to go! Hayes looks like he drinks butter! At his 12 day appointment he weighed in at 9.4 lbs.

Two weeks old

Three of my 4 handsome boys!

Jason's mom, Carol, spent a week with us. Hayes is 9 days in this picture.

All Is Well

I took this pic while Hayes was sleeping in his crib. I like his scrunched up face. And you can see all of his hair. He has the most hair of any of my babies.

Olivia with her new buddy. The first week . . . look at his double chin!

At the hospital around 11 pm. Fresh from Heaven.

All is well in the Parkin home. We're still adjusting to our little guy . . . mostly the lack of sleep, but we've had more restful nights than sleepless nights, so I can't complain. Hayes is now 13 days old today and it's such a blessing having a newborn in the house. We just love him so much. He had a check-up with Doctor Jones yesterday. Weighing in at an impressive 9.4 lbs, Hayes has mastered the skill of nursing and Doc was thrilled with his weight gain.

Olivia is attached to the little guy and will take him from my arms as soon as she wakes up. Davis has suprised us the most with his gentleness and concern for Hayes; there IS a soft side to my Davis. Chandler is a little uneasy when it comes to holding Hayes but always manages to give a kiss and hug. I know it sounds cliche, but . . . it's hard to imagine our lives without Hayes -- we feel so complete.