THE PARK POST

Grandma and Grandpa Ogden came to visit this past week. For the first couple days we stayed with Deno and Melissa in Acworth (near Atlanta). We went to a great restaurant called Aspens (thanks to Deno), the men golfed, the kids played Rock Band and then we all went and watched Quinn's football game. Jackson loved going down on the field and throwing a football around. I think Mike enjoyed that too. They live in a beautiful area. On Sunday we all came back here to Columbus for Jackson's baptism. He was so mature and serious during the baptism. We all commented that he had matured three years worth in a half hour's time. Bro. Holton in our bishopric gave him a special book and wrote him a message on the inside cover. Jackson carried that book around all day and wanted to read out of it that night. The next day he took it to school. He also got some new scriptures and a journal and he has been reading and writing like I have never seen him do before. We are so happy he chose ...

I used to say "Thank Goodness it's Friday", but as of late I now say "Thank Goodness it's Monday." The weekends wear me out and I secretly am glad to be alone and have my house stay clean for a couple of hours. I guess it's not much of a secret now!!

I'm not sure what it is in the Mormon culture, but we love to put a new spin on games we've played over and over (probably because we have so many dang activities), but for our Young Women's night we played "Messy Twister." I should re-phrase that the girls played and I took photos. They poured chocolate, caramel, marshmallow and whipped cream all over the board and thought it was the greatest time ever. Oh, to be young!!

A whopping 9 pound 3 oz. baby boy rocked our world and has been keeping us moving ever since. I would never fully appreciate cars, trucks, motorcycles, quads, balls, Tony Hawke, "Don't Stop Believin'" or "Eye of the Tiger," skater shoes, wrestling, Star Wars, video games or guitar hero if Jackson weren't around. He has opened up a whole new world to me and his sisters. We love you more everyday. Happy 8th Birthday!! After having his bike stolen almost 9 months ago, he was very happy to have one again.

Last night at Young Women's we planned a night of crazy hair make-overs. The girls were really creative and had fun. They smothered my hair with gel and hairspray and put a cup inside of it to make it stand up. I think I could be in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

We did something so spontaneous this week, we went to a U2 concert in Atlanta. We both love U2, but Mike especially does and he has always wanted to see them in concert. Being the practical and frugal man he is, he has never done it. So last week I called him at work to tell him some of our friends in the ward were going to the concert and the hefty price that went along with it. He only hesitated for a moment and then said, "Sure, let's go." I couldn't believe it. There was no, "Let's think about it" or "Is that the best price?" or "Maybe we should wait." Just "let's go." I guess we all can change! (Well at least for U2 we can) Before the concert with Carlie and Chris Hills & Heidi Packard (our neighbors). The stage was amazing. Each one of the squares is a screen and it is moveable and collapsable. Gotta love Bono!

Conference weekend is ritual in our house, no matter where we have lived. We love sleeping in (here we don't start till noon), having a big breakfast, staying in our pajamas, cranking up Music and the Spoken Word and then "encouraging" the kids to stay and actually watch or listen to conference with gimmicks like "Conference Bingo" or word searches while they lounge comfortably on their blanket and pillow haven they've created. After about 15 min. into the session Jackson has the audacity to ask if it's almost over? Mike and I just sort of look at each other and buckle down because we know it could get ugly. Then the quiet wrestling starts. I'm not exactly sure how it all begins, but it somehow snowballs into blankets and pillows flying around and someone in whispered tones saying "that's mine, give it back." After awhile the voices start escalating and we stop the recording (got to love the DVR), we tell those who don't want ...

As I unbolted Sydney's training wheels and watched her try to balance and then finally take off on her bike, I couldn't help think about how quickly time passes and how the little milestones are what make our lives meaningful and memorable.