Parker Turns Twelve!

Parker at 12 Years Old

Parker is 12 years old! Almost a teenager! And still the sweetest guy ever...most of the time. Parker has always been a pretty social guy and he made lots of new friends at middle school this past year, but he loves nothing more than coming home to his family and telling his brothers about his day. He continues to be inquisitive and enthusiastic, traits that proved to be big assets for his first year of middle school. And here's a little bit more about twelve-year-old Parker. He...

• finished his first year of middle school! He got amazing grades, rode the bus home from school every day, and was generally pretty organized. Let's Go!
• continues to be a morning person, which means he has a pretty sizeable amount of time in the morning before he has to leave for school now as he starts an hour later than last year.
• is doing another year of Seattle United soccer. This year they start playing 11 a side on a big field so that will be pretty fun.
• made the Hamilton Middle School soccer team as a sixth grader. It's a school of 1000 kids, 100 boys tried out for the team, and only 50 made the squad. He was very excited to make the JVC team. 
• continues to take piano lessons and is really quite good. The gap in time between when his brothers leave for school and when he leaves has been a perfect time to get lots of piano practice in.
• really enjoyed middle school choir this past year and signed up for it again next year. This means he won't be able to do P.E. next year, which is kind of his jam, so he must really like choir.
• still loves to share information. He loves to tell about his day, what he's working on, and what's coming up...on his timeline. 
• comes home from school pretty exhausted sometimes, which means that unless he has something really exciting to share, he often needs a few minutes of down time before he's ready to share all the things about his day. 
• is obsessed with the color orange, which works out nicely as a Chicago Bears fan. 
• has started to be pretty strategic about what he wears each day. He used to just pull out a pair of joggers and t-shirt without much thought about whether they match or not. Now, he chooses whole outfits down to the hat, jacket, and shoes - sometimes this means wearing all orange. 
• wears the same size shoe as his mama!
• loves his brothers more than anything in the world. If he could, he would spend every waking minute with them - talking to them, playing soccer in the back yard with them, tackling them. Unfortunately, things do eventually go sideways when your love language is "tackling". 
• likes giving attitude to others, but doesn't love receiving it from his brothers. Go figure.
• loves pasta, dessert in general, pizza, burgers, and waffles.
• detests squash, mushrooms, and bok choi.
• still gives such amazing hugs and snuggles! 

P.S. Parker Turns Eleven

Tennis Camp

 

Two Weeks in the Depths of the Grand Canyon

I got to experience the Grand Canyon in all its glory on a two-week 226-mile river rafting trip down the Colorado River. There were 25 of us in all - six guides, one assistant, and 18 clients. It was amazing and challenging (emotionally and physically) and absolutely worth the effort. The river was serene until it turned into big rapids. The canyon history and geology are fascinating and make our time in space seem so small. And the weather was HOT. At times it reached 120 degrees, but the river was always at the ready to cool us off, even if that meant floating down the river wearing a shirt that had been dipped in the water or sleeping under a wet sarong every night. It's difficult to photograph rapids while in them so unfortunately no good rapid pics, but here are some (aka A LOT) of other pictures from the trip. 

{All 25 of us on our last night}

{Our six incredible women guides (Melissa, Jayne, Gibby, Marieke, Tracy & Inga) and one riot of an assistant (Harry, Jayne's nephew)}

{July 5 - Day 1}

{Day 1 Camp - Hot Na Na}

{July 6 - Day 2}

{Silver Grotto hike}

{Day 2 Camp - Silver Grotto}

{July 7 - Day 3}

{Approaching Red Wall Cavern - looks pretty small...}

{...but it's actually huge}

{Buck Farm Canyon Hike}

{Day 3 Camp - Buck Farm Canyon}

{Steve & Vicky's 50th Wedding Anniversary!}

{July 8 - Day 4}

{Saddle Canyon Hike}

{Granaries Hike}

{View from the Nankoweap granaries}

{Day 4 Camp}

{July 9 - Day 5}

{Wore our life jackets like diapers to protect our behinds as we swam and floated the Little Colorado River}

{Day 5 Camp - Morning Star Mine}

{July 10 - Day 6 - Shed skins of cicadas from their overnight molting}

{Day 6 Camp - 91 Mile Creek}

{Burlap bags that held each person's drinks}

{July 11 - Day 7}

{Scouting a rapid, Crystal I think}

{Day 7 Camp - Lower Garnet}

{July 12 - Day 8 - Not a bad morning view}

{Elves Chasm Hike}

{Blacktail Canyon}

{Day 8 Camp - Stone Creek}

{Showered in a waterfall up Stone Creek}

{July 13 - Day 9 - Deer Creek Hike}

{1st Deer Creek stop - The Patio}

{2nd Deer Creek stop - Dutton Springs}

{"Throne Room" at Dutton Springs - large pieces of rock have been placed to make "thrones"}

{Day 9 Camp - Football Field}

{July 14 - Day 10 - Kanab Creek Hike}

{Day 10 Camp - Before Olo}

{July 15 - Day 11 - Havasu Creek}

{Day 11 Camp}

{July 16 - Day 12}

{Lunch & nap at "the ledges"}

{Day 12 Camp}

{July 17 - Day 13}

{Day 13 Camp - Granite Springs Canyon}

{July 18 - Day 14 - Last Morning}

{Made an ice cream stop off Route 66 after derigging the boats}

{Glad to be home, but I'll miss this crazy crew!}