Parkinson Family: Boating on July 4th

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Boating on July 4th

The weekend of July 4th, we got a really amazing surprise from my dad. He gave us a boat. All I can say is, "Wow." A boat is something I never really planned on buying for my family. I like boating and have many fond memories of going with my family as a child, I just never thought it would be something we could or would want to do. I don't know why, really. So, I am grateful that my dad did this for us so we can have experiences with our family that we probably never would have had.

The first day (July 3rd) we picked up the boat, was definitely an adventure. We met dad in Orem and we took the boat to Utah Lake, where we took it out and he showed us how to drive it, launch and take care of it. This is a whole new thing for us so it was a little bit overwhelming, but figured we'd get it eventually. That day we just had some hang-ups such as the boat not starting then when we got it out it was hard to figure out how to get the boat secured on the trailer. Then, as we were leaving the lake, our excursion broke down on the side of the road. Thankfully, a kind man pulled over and took Aaron to a parts shop in Orem and then went back and helped him fix the alternator. I will be forever grateful to that good samaritan. My sister who lives in Orem came and picked me and the kids up and we hung out at her house until it was done.

The next day (July 4th) we decided we needed to get right back on the saddle and conquer our fears. We stopped and bought a tube on clearance to pull behind the boat. Then, we headed to Willard Bay. Surprisingly, for a Saturday on the 4th of July, the lake was pretty empty with only a few other boats. Also, the water was really warm, like Lake Powell water, and smooth. Yes, it was a perfect boating day. And, things also went a lot smoother with taking the boat out, too. Aaron and I are learning together and having fun doing it! Our kids had a great time being pulled behind the boat and swimming in the lake.

Since the 4th, we have been boating several more times and had a great time. We are so very blessed and grateful for the wonderful opportunities available to us!

Of course, one of our family mottos is "We work hard and we play hard" and we definitely do both. The following weekend Aaron spent half the day out back with the kids digging a hole to set our trampoline in. They worked really hard while mom was in the house cleaning the carpets.

Jared likes to "create toys" for Kaylee by attaching
a bunch of toys to things with bungee cords.

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Parkinson funnies

Nov 2012- Aaron was watching football on TV and Jared came out saying, "I want to go watch grass!"

Dec 2011- Heidi said one morning, "Mom, there's frosting on the house!" (on a cold day when frost was on the house).

June 2, 2011- Driving in the car Kyle said to his sister, "If you don't learn to talk, Jesus will make you talk Spanish." (He explained later that he actually meant sign language. That's how he thought it worked.)

Feb 28, 2011- Kyle said, "I don't like to have babysitters because they are only supposed to take care of babies!" Then we explained that they can take care of bigger kids too.

Dec 15, 2010- Kyle said, "I know how they make egg nog. First they dump in the eggs and mix them around. Then they put in the nog..."

Oct 20, 2010- Kyle said, "Mom, is some cheese blue?" I said it is called blue cheese but isn't really that blue. He said, "Well, then does it taste like blueberries?" I love all the questions he asks about how the world works- He's really trying to figure things out.

Oct 7, 2010- We were driving by Arctic Circle and Kyle said, "Is that the hamburger hut? I like that hut." I am wondering if he was remembering a time when we went to "Pizza Hut".

Aug 12, 2010- We were driving by a farm where there was a big fire burning up the field and Kyle said, "Dad, is that where the indians live?"

Aug 8, 2010- We were driving in the car and Kyle said, "Dad, I think I 'm truck-sick." "You mean car sick?" "No, truck sick- when you're sick in the truck."

Aug 2, 2010- We were headed off to a doctor's appointment for the baby and he was crying. Kyle said, "Mom, I think he's crying because you said he is going to get a shot."

June 28, 2010- The other day at dinner it was Heidi's turn to pray and daddy was helping her. She was just repeating everything word for word when he got to "Please bless it.." and said it 3 times. Finally I had to open my eyes to see what the hold up was. Well, little Heidi was just stuffing spaghetti in her mouth as fast as she could and it was hanging out all over. We all just bust up laughing. I guess she just couldn't wait any longer!

May 19, 2010- On the way home from the hospital after seeing their new baby brother, Erika said, "When I was born mom and dad said that I looked blue." Kyle said, "And when I was born I was pink and red. "

Dec 9,2009- The other day we were eating dinner and Kyle didn't want to eat. He said, "I don't like to eat aliens!" We told him there were no aliens in his dinner. Then, realizing what he was talking about, I said, "You mean onions?" He kept calling onions "aliens" and we got a kick out of it.

Nov 20, 2009- Erika lost another tooth at school today. Kyle said to her, "Erika, when my tooth gets loose and comes out, I'll give mine to you."

Oct 10, 2009- Today Erika said, "Mom, someday when I'm older, I want to get that recipe from you!"

Sept 9, 2009- We couldn't find our puppy anywhere and had driven all over the neighborhood to find him. Finally about 2 hours later Kyle showed up holding him and I said, "Where did you find him?" He said, "In the killer-box". "The what?" "The cooler-box". He had stuck him in a cooler in our backyard and forgotten about it. We were glad he was okay!! I felt terrible and gave him some extra TLC for a little while.

Sept 4, 2009- Erika said tonight, "You know what my favorite thing is about school? It's lunch... and learning... and break!" We said, "Isn't that the whole thing?"

Aug 17,2009- We were camping and had brought all our bikes. As we were leaving camp for a little while, Aaron commented that it might have been wise to bring a chain to lock up our bikes so they wouldn't get stolen. Erika said, "Or, we could have just brought a sign that said, 'DON'T STEAL!'".

July 12, 2009- Today at church Kyle looked at my Young Women's Medallion and said, "Mom, is that you on the necklace?"

July 3, 2009- Kyle had been sleeping down in Erika's room with some friends and came upstairs before we went to bed. He said, "Mom, there was some noise down there. I think it was the tooth fairy, coming to get the loose tooth."