St. George 2012

We had a much more successful trip to St. George this year than last!  Last year all of Cade's baseball games got rained out, and Kylee played through rain, snow, mud...and more mud! 

Cade's team played really well, they made it to the semi finals.  Cade played awesome, he got some great hits, and had some great fielding as well.  I love to watch baseball.  I could watch it every day!

Such a little stud!

 Kylee's team played awesome as well.  They went 3-0 in pool play.  Ky had an awesome tournament.  She had 5 goals, including 1 header!  She hit 2 PK's.  Her team tied in regulation, and over time in the final game.  They didn't play too hot, but they didn't lose either.  The final game went to penalty kicks to decide the game.  It kind of stinks to go to that point, but when you have Darryl (ky's goal keeper), you don't worry too much!

 Here is the picture of Kylee taking her penalty kick.  She was the first to go from both teams...she was calm and collected the whole time!  She nailed it, the goalie didn't even move...all of the 4 girls on our team made their PK's, and our awesome goalie blocked all 3 of the other teams shots!  It was so awesome!

 This is pretty much what Halle did for 3 days straight!  She watched 5 baseball games, and 6 soccer games!  She is such a trooper! 

Kylee has played in this tournament 3 years in a row, 2 years with girls from Lone Peak, and this year with her club team.  Her team has won it every year!  Way to go Ky!

So proud of my kids, and the great kids they are becoming!

Playing Catch-up...Cade's 12th Birthday!

Where did the time go??  My little Cade turned 12 on Nov. 29, 2011.  I literally can't believe that he is that old.  He is such a handsome, caring, sweet, talented young man. 

He didn't know that he was having a party, we kept putting it off, because we had a surprise party planned for him and his friend Mike.  We had the party at a laser tag place in Provo.  The boys met there, and surprised Cade and Mike as they walked in.  He was excited, and scared...  Look at this picture, all of these boys are the same age...isn't it crazy how much they grow during this time?  Some of these boys weigh more than Clay!

Cade recieved the Priesthood, and it was so awesome, because both of our parents were there, as well as my grandpa.  I am so thankful that I still have a grandpa that lives close enough to be involved in those important times in my kids lives.

Clay, Cade, my dad, my grandpa (Clay's dad was there, he was just missing during the photo taking)

So proud of this young man.  He takes this calling very serious, and he looks so handsome in his new suit!

During the Christmas break, he and his best buddy Mason went and did Baptism's for the dead.  It was such a neat time, Mason's grandparents were working at the baptistry, and his grandpa was able to confirm them.  Cade and Mase loved it!

I am so thankful for this handsome little fella in my life.  He is such a great kid!  Love you Cade!

Exciting times at the Parke household...

SO...we have some exciting news around here!  I am very aware that I haven't posted in a while, and have some serious updates, but onto the exciting news!
Kylee (who is in the 9th grade), tried out for the high school soccer team, and out of the 80+ girls that tried out, she made the JV/Varsity team!!!  She worked her fanny literally off.  She is worn out, tired, sore, but most importantly SO FLIPPING EXCITED!!!!!!!  She has had this dream for the last 10 years of playing soccer, and now it is reality!  She will most likely play most of her time with the JV team, but she will dress for all of the varsity games as well...and who knows she may have some playing time with some 18 year old girls!!!  We are so excited for her!!!

Also, Cade tried out for the 6th grade football team, and he made the "A" team!  He is so excited, he loves football, and for how skinny he is, he sure can hit!  So proud of you little dude!  Way to put your mind to it and make it happen!!!

I have tons of pictures from our many adventures over the summer...stay tuned...

4 month update...photo style!

As a preface...I never thought that my life would get as crazy as it has...hence the reason that I haven't blogged since February!  Here is a little catch up of what we have done the last few months in photos!

These pictures are in no particular order...that would take intelligence, and I am lacking that right now :).

On April 4 of this year, my sweet granny celebrated her 80th Birthday.  We had a huge party with all of her children and their spouses, and nearly every single grand-child, and great grand-child in attendance.  We had a great party, where we celebrated her amazing life!  I have the best memories of my grandma, and her kind heart towards us.  She is the kind of woman that doesn't like a big fuss made over her, but we had an intimate party, and deep down I know she loved it!

I absolutely love this picture of Halle and my grandma.  I am so thankful that she has had as much of an influence on my kids as she has on me.

Love this picture of grandma and grandpa

This picture needs to be titled "Home run stud!"  Cade is on a new team this year, and it has been the best year for baseball yet!  He loves the coaches, loves the boys he plays with, and he has really loving playing baseball.  We have him with a hitting coach each week, and it is starting to pay off.  He has hit 5 home runs, and for being such a skinny thing...he has some power!  My parents have seen him hit a couple of home runs...and I think they love to come see him play (well it could also be that his games are 5 minutes from their house, either way it is fun to have supporters there!)

Kylee's soccer team put together a Futsal team to play in a tournament this last winter/spring.  They won their division which consisted of U14, and U15 girls (they were U14).  They won the whole tournament...it was ugly, and it was a serious blood bath on the last game, but they won!  This in turn means that we are traveling to Anaheim in July to play in the Futsal Nationals.  She is more than excited, and it should be fun for her and her friends to play against other girls from all over the Nation!

On another note, I can't believe that she will be trying out for the HS team in a few weeks.  She is going into 9th grade, and it completely freaks me out!

On to big news...Cade got his braces off in March!  Yes, you read that right, he was completely done with his braces before he graduated from 5th grade!  What a lucky little sucker!

He had to get his teeth molded for his retainer, he loved it, can't you tell?!  He picked a blue BYU retainer!

Such a handsome little fella

Here is the smile with the retainers in.  He hated them at first, but has gotten used to them.  I am so glad that he was able to get them done in elementary school.

We stayed here during spring break, and one day I looked out my kitchen window and saw this.  She was sitting on a lawn chair, with a can of silly string, her binoculars, and a snack.  Just soaking the 15 minutes of sun up that we have had this year!  She totally cracks me up!

Halle has been taking dance for 6 years, and she loves it!  This is a picture of her dance company right before their competition.  She is the tall one in the front 3rd from the right.  Their dance was called "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" and they looked darling!

On her recital night in her ballet costume

The torture which is called a recital is enjoyed by everyone in attendance!  Grandma & Grandpa Olsen came and brought her some pretty flowers.  She is in complete heaven on this day, every year!  She loves to get dressed up, put on make up (way more than I am comfortable putting on), and get dressed up!

Grandma & Grandpa Parke came as well

Not the best picture, but I love that all 3 of my kids are in it, in their respective uniforms.  Kylee had just lost her state cup game, and was kind of bummed, Cade had played 1 game and was going back to play his 2nd game, and Halle was done with 1 performance, and getting ready for 2nd performance. 

This was a HUGE year for Halle, once you have danced with this company for 5 years you get a trophy.  This has been the coveted trophy for like 4 years and 11 months.  Both of her siblings have many trophys, but Halle doesn't.  She was so excited to get this trophy!!!

In the 5th grade at the elementary school at the end of the year they get to have the fire truck come and spray them.  This is the coolest thing apparently, because the entire student body stands out and watches in anticipation for the time when they get to be the ones getting soaked!  This has been the craziest year for weather, I think it was only like 50 degrees and overcast...but it didn't stop them!  Here is Cade with his little posse of punks!

Getting soaked!

Realizing just how cold it was, and realizing that we didn't bring a towel, and that he was going to have to sit through class completely soaking!

Halle and Mr. Crandall, her 2nd grade teacher.  He has been the best teacher for Halle this year.  She has loved him, and she is such a great student!

Jaci, Halle, and Anna.  The 3 Amigos!

Cade with Mrs. Rasmussen, he loved this class.  She is a complete smart mouth, and so is he...great sometimes, not so great sometimes! 

Kylee had a great last day of school playing in a soccer tournament in Park City.  She missed having all of her friends sign her year book, but had so much fun in Park City.

We have had a crazy first few weeks of summer, and I haven't taken 1 picture, so hopefully I can get my act together, and start taking some!

Soccer & basketball...

We have been crazy busy the last little while, which is good and bad.  Good, because we have been able to go to lots of basketball games, and soccer games (not good for Halle, but good for the rest of us :))

Bad, because I have neglected lots of stuff...this blog being one of them :(.

Anyway, Cade decided to play on a Bantam basketball league this winter, which has been good for him to keep him in shape for baseball.  He has never played basketball, with the exception of playing on a rec team when he was in first grade, and that doesn't count!  He has had a fun time, even though he hasn't been the best on his team.  This has been a good experience for him, and most of the time he has enjoyed it!

 Cade apparently scaring the snot out of the kid to the left of him?

 Bad picture of a cute basketball player!

Over MLK weekend we go to a soccer tournament in Las Vegas.  This year Halle got lucky (Kylee not so much) because Ky's team didn't advance to the play offs, so we came home on Sunday (because Hal's birthday was on Monday and we didn't want her to have to spend her birthday driving home from Vegas).  Here is Kylee's team, they have so much fun together, apparently too much fun, because half of the team has their eyes closed!

 Kylee's team having a prayer before their first game.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  They were praying that they wouldn't get hurt...maybe should have prayed that they would score just 1 goal...the whole time :)

 Halle's little group of girls and 1 great big sister that was willing to entertain them while the parents watched the game!

 Kylee in action

Just to show you the size of girls they were playing against.  I think this girls legs came to Kylee's arm pits!

We had a great time, the weather was awesome, her team is awesome, her coach is awesome, and my parents came along as well.  We had a fun time just enjoying the weather!

Cade Turns 11

It's true, there isn't a more handsome fella around.

I can't believe that I had this little stud muffin 11 years ago.

I *heart* him a lot.

He came into the world a little early (but thank the good lord he came when he did, or he would have weighed 15 lbs!)

Cade is in the 5th grade, and he is one heck of a kid. He plays every sport imaginable, and is dang good at every one.

Cade is a great friend, an awesome son, an amazing athlete, a hard worker, a great big and little brother (when he wants to be), a great helper, and a great student.

He is growing up, and by this I mean, he won't give me kisses any longer. Unless I hold him down and make him. He has changed his "name" to Cade, it is no longer Cayden. He has informed EVERYONE of this. I think it is because he has never been in a class, or on a team where he is the only Cayden. It is his way of being himself. He can't wait until next year when he gets to get a new suit and get the priesthood (makes me smile and cry all at the same time).

He thinks girls are cute, and annoying, but would much rather play football/basketball/soccer than pay any attention to them.

I love him, and I am so glad that he is mine!

Picture Vomit...

I know, I know. It has been F.O.R.E.V.E.R since I updated this poor neglected blog. I have been overwhelmed at updating this thing, and have put it on the back burner...completely. BUT, because this is my "journal", I have to get it up to date, even if it is out of order, and way too many pictures for one post!!!

So, there is no order, and these date back to the end of school...pathetic I know!

Kylee tried out for a new soccer team, that is based out of Provo, and it has been THE best thing that she has ever done! They are a bunch of awesome girls, and amazing coaches! They might not be the best team in the state, but they are one of the top 5! This picture is of them right before they played in the championship game last Saturday...they won in a shoot out! Their goalie stopped 2 of the other teams PK's. Kylee and all of the girls on her team made theirs-this team is the one she played last spring where the goalie punched her in the mouth. She was so excited to beat them!
I love this picture of Kylee, you don't realize how agressive soccer is until you see pictures like this! She is such a fiesty little player...I love watching her play.

Over the 4th of July they put together a team of 6 girls (one is missing), and they played in a 3v3 tournament. They ended up being registered in the age group up, so they were playing against 15 year old girls turning 16...um, yes for the record there is a HUGE size difference in that age! They ended up taking 2nd place! It was awesome to see them whipping some soccer fanny against bigger, much more agressive girls!

Ky had her 13th birthday, and we celebrated with cake & ice cream with the fam.

We went to the REAL salt lake game on the 24th of July, and they had awesome fireworks afterwards.

Halle...much later than her bed time, and apprently Cade is posing like a gangsta?

This is a picture of Halle & her BFF Sadie on the last day of school. They are in the same grade, but sadie is 7 months younger than Halle...that is my justification for the size difference :)

Cade getting ready for the school dance festival in May. Each grade does a dance, and let me tell you something, that boy has groove! He was so cute, not too cool to dance, and he loved it!

Halle getting ready for her dance, they did a teddy bear dance, it was so cute.

Halle had her dance recital the first part of May, and can't you tell that the siblings are just thrilled to sit through a 3 hour dance recital? They better act like they LOVE it, she sits through hundreds of hours of their sports.....

Just proof that I was there, I just love posting pictures of myself .

Halle and her dad. She is such a great dancer, and did such a great job!

Halle & her little friend Lucy (Lucy is 5, and Halle 7, just so you don't think I have a mammoth child!)

Halle in her dress rehearsal, they did the cutest butterfly ballet!

We went to a baseball tournament in Idaho Falls...first time I have ever been there. It rained the whole time, and was miserable. Cade had fun, they got their butts whooped, but who cares if you are on vacation...right?!?!

While we were there, we were told how cool "Bear World" is, and that we should definately go. We didn't have much time, so we decided on our way home we would go there. It was pouring rain, so it wasn't crowded at all. We were so excited! (disclaimer: we went on a Sunday, that is why the following things occured. I am quite sure of it!)

We saw this awesome albino elk, it was pretty cool looking, and some buffalo. The animals were literally 10 feet from your car.

We saw this grizzly bear, but we weren't worried, because it was behind electric wire. Feeling safe at this point.

The black bears were just wandering through the streets...it was so cool...

That is until we got the grand idea to follow the feeding truck. This is a truck that you can pay $30 per person to ride in and feed the bears. We though we would be so smart and just follow behind...getting the same views, but not having to pay...right? right?

This is the result of such thinking. We were following the truck, when a grey wolf almost ran under our car tire. I screamed for Clay to stop and not smash the stupid thing. He stopped, and in that fraction of a second, a black bear climbed onto the hood of our car, and completely tore off the bug guard. While we were honking the horn as loud and as long as we could, another black bear decided to come up to my window and smacked his HUGE paw against it twice...

Sweet nibblets, I was screaming, Halle was bawling, Cade was having a coronary in the back seat, and I remember a few 4 letter words escaping the mouth of my dear husband. But, we escaped with damage less that $100, so we felt uber lucky! All the while I was texting my mom telling her how awesome this is, and that we should come up here sometime and see it, and she was replying that she would love to, and then all of the sudden this happens, and she decides to chicken out as well. I guess I can't say that I blame her :)

So that about sums up the last few months of our lives. We have been busy with soccer, baseball, dance, tournaments, swimming lessons, and family reunions. I can't believe that school starts in 3 weeks...the summer has just blown by!