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.

Hayes Michael Parkin

July 26, 2009

8 pounds, 11 ounces

20 inches

Chandler's Birthday

Chandler turned 8 on July 9th! My sweet, baby boy is now a Cub Scout, 3rd grader, and soon to be baptized. He loves science and Art -- I think he'll work for NASA someday as a rocket engineer . . .

His birthday started off with a family breakfast and presents. When asked what he wanted for breakfast Chandler replied, "Mom, you know what I like." He is so easy to please! He was excited to open a few presents before running off to the Summer Arts and Sports Camp -- several books that he wanted. It just so happened to be Crazy Hat Day so Jason made Chandler a Happy Birthday crown. Chandler won a prize for it and was thrilled.

After morning camp, I took the kids to see Ice Age III and invited Chandler's buddy, Nixson, to come. When Jason returned from work, we opened more presents and then we took him to dinner at DogHouse Grill -- his request. We came home and opened more presents and ate cake. We gave him Demi Lovato/David Archelata concert tickets for July 10th. It was a family trip to the SaveMart center and we had a good time. Even Jason said he liked Demi Lovato (well, liked her more than the Hannah Montana concert . . .)

On Saturday, July 11th, Chandler invited a few friends over to do some science experiments. He decided to take advantage of my science background so I ordered some supplies and we had a mini-lab set up on our back porch. Being 9 months pregnant, I wasn't in the mood to have very many kids over for a "big" birthday party, and thankfully, Chandler was very understanding; just a few kids and the family making snow, goo, magic sand, geysers, and more. Chandler said it was "TOTALLY" cool. So, mission accomplished!

Now the next mission . . . getting him baptized! With the impending arrival of Baby #4, we decided to post-pone Chandler's baptism until September 5th. He didn't understand why he had to wait two months, but now is o.k. with waiting. Like I said, he is my super easy child to please and I love him to pieces. He is so giving, loving, and is my little peacemaker. I'm so blessed to be his mother.

Chandler loves the Diary of a Wimpey Kid book series.

First thing in the morning . . . waiting patiently

Oh, that was a yummy chocolate cake. Vons makes the best cakes!

Opening up the telescope/microscope from G and G Parkin. Look at his expression!

Making snow! (Check out Steve Spangler Science on the web.)

And cake number two -- YUMMY -- Indiana Jones theme

4th of July

We had a mellow, relaxing, and sunny 4th of July. We spent the day hanging out as family -- swimming and eating snowcones; it was perfect. I didn't feel like having people over (gee, is it because I'm 9 months preggie? I can barely walk). When the sun went down, the troops marched on over to the neighbors and we celebrated with fireworks. Chandler was a bit uneasy about all of the illegal fireworks being launched across the street and dry ice bombs that were nearby (not us, of course). Can't say I like dry ice bombs, either. It was a little out-of-control this year in The Hood, but we had a great time watching the sky light up and hangin' with friends.