Last day of Mom and Steph week

Well, today is the last day of Mom and Steph week because Sam comes home in the morning. Boy this week went fast. Me and Steph had some good times. Today she wanted to expand on her CHEF STEPH. She had a recipe that her Grandma Park had given her a while back. Steph has been dying to try it. So today she got her chance. We went to the store this afternoon and picked up the ingredients we needed. Then between me and her we made Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad. It was pretty darn good. Steph wasn't to thrilled with it, I don't think Kurtis was either but I really liked it and so did Grandma Park. Here is a pic of Steph adding the little green onions to the salad. To get the recipe, click on her link to "CHEF STEPH".

Day 3 of Mom and Steph week

Ok, yes it is day three of Mom an Steph week. So today what she had planned was to create her own blog under the name "CHEF STEPH" . Lately Steph has been interested in being a chef. She loves to cut up our vegies from the graden and create and cook new things with them. So we created her blog today. Then baked some cookies for her first recipe on the blog. So if you'd like, check out her blog. Her link is in the blog links under "Chef Steph".

Day 2 of Mom and Steph Week

Ok, so it's our 2nd day of Mom and Steph Week. Like I said she has our week all planned out. We had lots of cucumbers in our garden so today she wanted to put them on her eyes. So we did a day spa. While we was up north yesterday I took her to the store to pick out what she wanted for the spa. You can see our little gift baskets filled with all our goodies. So it started with her cutting up healthy fruit for us to snack on.





Then we did our lavender face masks.





While waiting for the mask to dry we put the cucumbers on our eyes and relaxed for a moment. (a brief moment, Steph can't hold still that long.)





Then we ate our healthy fruit while watching "Hairspray". Still waiting for our masks to dry.





We then soaked our feet in fizzy bath salts and scrubed them clean.





Next was the foot cream and leg lotion. Then painting of the toes. Aren't the slippers so cute. ($1 at The Dollar Tree).





Then to top our Day Spa off, we had smoothies. Nice and yummy!
What another fun day spending with Steph. I do miss the other girls, but it's nice to have some one on one time. Can't wait to see what we do tomorrow.

Stephs Week

Well, I sent Mike and Sam off for a week. Sam left for girls camp at 6:45 this morning. They are going up to a campground in Heber for a week. She will be home on Friday.



We dropped Mike off for EFY at 10:00 this morning. She will be home on Saturday.



That leaves me and Steph alone all week during the day. So she has the week planned out for us. It is Mom and Steph week. Today after dropping the girls off we went and ate at the Pizza Factory. She has been wanting to go there for a while so today she got her chance.



Then we stopped and visited with Dad at his office. She watched him weigh rocks and roll worms. She loves to watch him work.



Then we headed to a movie. We went and see JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. I was very excited to see this movie becasue of most of you may or may not know Brendon Frasier is my favorite actor. It was cute. I am very excited though for THE MUMMY 3 to come out. Can't wait. But me and Steph had a great time at the movies.


So there goes day one of our Mom and Steph week. More fun to come!

Annual Park Family July Camp Out

I can't believe it! It has been 12 years that we have been doing our Park Family July Camp Out. It all started back when Boyd Park (Kurtis' dad or otherwise known as Grandpa Boyd) Started a camp out at Becky and Allan's for all the kids. It has always been done around the 4th or 24th of July. We'd have dinner, he'd buy the kids ice cream from the ice cream truck. Becky would do her fireworks full of poppers, sparklers and anything else she could get her hands on. And I believe Diane always makes her yummy candy popcorn (which after eating way to much would always make my kids sick...hahahah) Then we would sleep out in our tents or under the stars. To top if off, we would wake up in the morning and have a big breakfast. Well since Boyd has passed on we have continued this fun family tradition. And we do it in memory of him.

This year we had 55 family members there. We were only short 5 people. Missy and Scott could not make it this year, Tana and Riley were at Bear Lake, and Mac is on his mission. So the evening started of by cooking dutch oven potatoes, corn, turkey breasts. We had salads, chips, and drinks. Here we are either preparing the dinner, or waiting patiently with hungry tummies! We even started a little fire on the stove from the bacon grease. Just adding a little excitement.

And the moment we have been waiting for! Dinner! So much yummy food. There is always plenty for seconds, thirds and so on.





Then after dinner we chill for only a brief moment.





Ok, chilling is over. It is time for ice cream bars, fudge sickles and orange creamies. We always have the ice cream bars and and such because Grandpa Boyd use to get them from the ice cream truck. We don't see that ice cream truck around much anymore so we come prepared with our own. Besides I don't think the ice cream truck would have enough to feed us anymore.

As usual the kids love to play after all the food is ate. They swing, they run, they do all sorts of fun things.






Then when it gets dark, Becky pulls out her fireworks for the kids to do. She is even brave and lets the kids do it. They have a great time.






Some like to do the fireworks, and some of us just like to watch.





And of course, this camp out is not complete with out a good 'ol card game.




Then it's time to get the pj's on. We hang out in the tents, but we know better, it's not bed time just yet.




Becky always seems to come up with more fun for the kids. Here they all are with their glow sticks. What a blast they had with these.




Then again we do a little more hanging out for a bit. Preparing ourselves for the next event.




And then it's time. It never fails. There is always a late night ball game to top the evening off with. And needless to say, I believe it has been played every year with the plastic bats and balls which it is probably a good thing being someone always gets hit with a ball.


And of course there are us spectators too. Allan's deck stairs made great bleachers.




Then we all hit the beds because we need to get a little sleep before our morning breakfast. This year we did French toast, bacon, sausage, and yummy hash browns done in a dutch oven.



Then after breakfast we do a little more hanging out. Lots of visiting.




And this year we got a bonus to our camp out. Marissa shared her CYCLONE slide with all the kids. So they topped off their day by playing on this.



I know when my kids got home from this camp out they all had a very long nap. It was another awesome year and it just keeps getting better. Boyd would be very proud at how we have kept this tradtion up. And I bet he is so proud to see how much his family has grown over the years. We added another one to the family today. At 4:00 in the morning Lindsey's water broke. She gave birth to a baby boy later on today. Congratulations Scott and Lindsey. Thanks everyone for another great year.

California

Well, Sam and I made it to Concord, California for her Softball Tournament. We left at 3:00 in the morning on Thursday. Boy was it a long drive, but we had a great time. Wish we could have gone as a family but only Sam and myself was able to go. Sam and I rode with Richard, Leslie and Jessica Anderson and Danielle Lynn. We also traveled down with another vehicle filled with Derik, Patricia, and Madisen Walk, Korine Robertson, Pam and Megan Foster. Richard had an awesome GPS with him that made our trip easy to get down and back. We met up with the rest of the team that that came down as families at our hotel Here are a few highlights of our trip! Wish I could post them all!

We finally made it to California.


Yeah! We finally made it to our Hotel.



We got into our rooms and we were checking out our fun little freebies, you know the soaps and shampoos and things, well here they give you earplugs too. We thought that was pretty funny until we looked our our window and saw our view. The city airport runway was right next to our parking lot.



We got to our hotel, quickly changed into uniforms. We then went to the ball park for a tournament BBQ. Here the girls are impatiently waiting to eat. They were so tired. The had been up since 2:00 in the morning and it was now after 5:00 California time.




After the BBQ there were tournament games. The teams had to run fast around the bases, bunt, and throw the ball. Sam was chosen to be one of the four to run the bases. Her is Sam coming around third base. Our team had the highest running time in the first round.



The girls wanted to go swimming so bad but their coaches Derik and Richard wouldn't let them. They needed their rest.



Try getting three girls out of bed after all the traveling and ball excitement.




Our game wasn't until later that day on Friday, so we decide to go see the Golden Gate Bridge. Here is the group of girls that went.

Here is Sam and I at the bridge. Look how foggy, cold and windy it was.

Here is Sam and Jessica walking on the Golden Gate Bridge.

This is Sam catching a ball in their first game. Unfortunately they lost the game.



This is after the first game. Spirits a little down but not for long.




Finally the girls got to go swimming



They played there second game on Saturday. We started out the game a little sloppy, but then in the middle of the game we started to come back. Unfortunately not enough to win. But here is Sam playing 2nd base. She was always ready for the ball.



After the game, Richard and his family and Shawn Bryan and his family headed off to a Giants game. Which left me, Sam and Danielle without a vehicle. There wasn't enough room to take the other vehicle, so me, Sam, Patricia, Derik, Danielle and Madisen took a hotel shuttle to the subway and caught us a subway to San Fransisco. Here we are waiting for the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transportation).





Here is Sam a little nervous about being on the subway.



So we get off in San Fransisco and walk about 2.5 miles down the peers. But the first thing there that caught our eyes was the bathrooms right out in the streets. The girls were so fascinated with them we probably spent 20 minuets at them.



We then came across a guy playing awesome music, the funny thing was is that he was playing it on trash. He used garbage cans for drums and different garbage to make other music. It was neat.



Here are a few sights we seen along the peers. Here are the girls sitting on a boat docking thing.



Our Limo ride.....ha ha ha




The fortune teller wall, Sam decided to pick the nose rather than have her fortune read.




Finally we got to Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 39) and went to Bubba Gumps Restaurant. We had so much fun there. We were all laughing so hard the whole time of stupid things. Here is me and Patricia impatiently waiting for our seafood!

Here is the girls enjoying their fish and chips.


Here is me enjoying my variety of shrimp while sharing with Patricia and Derik. We had tons of food! It was sooooo good!


Here is the girls with their "JENNY" boats that their meal came in.



Here is Sam being Forrest Gump. Notice the tennis shoes, suitcase, and box of chocolates.


We then went and shopped some of the shops at the Wharf. Here the girls got a kick out of the puckering manikin.


Sam got her chance to see what she would look like with dark hair.


Now then we had to walk back the 2.5 miles to the BART (might I add to that me, Sam, Danielle, and Madisen were in our flip flops) and caught a few more attractions. Here is what Derik called the egg heads. I'm not sure if he meant the art work, or our girls.



Some of the other attractions (that I didn't want to take pictures of) was all the pot smokers. And Derik being a cop had to check them all out. It was so funny. We got back to the subway and waited for our train. Here is me and Sam with our matching jackets.


Here is our group having fun while we wait.



The girls were having a hay day on the train. There was no seating room when we got on so they had to hold on to the poles. Well instead of holding on to them, they were swinging on them like monkeys. They were also doing their softball cheers and just being down right goofy.



There goes our train. And while taking this picture I think I guy was going to snatch my camera. (He thought I was alone) He ran down the subway station yelling HEY at me until I stopped. Then I think he realized I was with a group of people and then he just said he wanted to see the picture I took. It was weird. Even Derik (being a cop) was a little suspicious. (Hey I defiantly wasn't in Utah).


Here are the girls after our big trip. Richard wanted to leave for home at 7:00 in the morning. They did not want to get up so when they finally did they all had to hurry so fast that they all were shoved into the bathroom rushing trying to get read at the same time.


Needless to say we had a great time. My guts and jaw hurt so bad from laughing so much. Sam I know had an awesome time and I think she has many memories that she will never forget and lasting friendships were made!