Our Exciting News

On Monday we went around visiting some of our local family with Charity and letting her give them a little present. The picture below is that present...

Our family is expecting our newest addition, a baby boy who we have named Chandler Anthony Parmenter, around August 17th of this year. We are really excite, especially Charity who has been telling us she whats a baby brother for some time now.

We just wanted to share our good news with everyone.

Oh the things you will do...

Once upon a time I would gloat of my snowboarding exploits of great achievements in sports or video games... today I am nearly breathless with excitement to say that Charity made it the whole day with dry Dora panties. It's amazing what thrills a parent.Yea!

Down on the Farm

Charity loves animals and we love taking her to see them. After the UVU Auto Show we took her to the Thanksgiving Point Farm Country. She got to ride on a wagon, talk to goats and sheep, feed several animals and ride a pony. All in all a good day.

My Little Gearhead

Charity came with us to the UVU Auto Show. she loved this 1954 GMC Bus.

The Jaxie's Adict

Charity knows a hand full of retaurants by name but the one she knows and likes the best is Jaxies

Mac and Cheese Champ

Charity loves her mac and cheese and Red Robin has some of the best. while I was typing this on my phone she just downed all of her manderine oranges in one shot.

Party Animal

Charity had a ton of fun with her aunts Megan and Brittany today. the minute she got in my car she was out

Charity Cleaning

Charity loves to help clean up the salon. she doesn't quite have the reach for a broom yet.

Helping at the Salon

Charity is a good helper

Charity at PF Changs

she loves these horses

Getting Lost

This morning Camille was dressing Charity for the day. As she was doing this she struggled getting Charity's head through the hole in her shirt. Once Charity finally emerged she looked up at Camille and said "la lost mommy?"

The saying goes "kid's say the darnd'est things" but it is amazing the insight they have!

Charity's 18 Months

Charity just turned 18 months on the 4th. She is such a happy little girl and is constantly laughing and playing. She loves her mommy and daddy and loves her bampa (interchangeable for both Grandpa and Grandma as of yet) and she adores her "Zizzies".

Here are a few pictures of her we had done for her 18 months.

She has been a little sick as of late. It seems that just as she is getting better from one thing another one gets her. The day we had the pictures done she was sick and in the beginnings of an ear infection. Sadly the infection got so bad the poor kid had her ear drum rupture some time on Friday. She has been taking antibiotics and is doing really well now.

We love our little Charity and are having more and more fun with her each day.

So Much to be Thankful For

I know this is a short post but I intended it to be such for a lot of reasons that I may or may not actually get into here. All in all I wanted to just express how thankful I really am. The truth is that I, like most of us out there, have taken a lot for granted in my life. I do not mean to do it, I don't think anyone does, but I am thankful for a great many things.

First and foremost I am thankful for my family in all its varieties and combinations. I am blessed with a loving wife who puts up with me through all of my silly insane moments. She loves me unconditionally and is always patient with me and I cannot tell her enough how thankful I am for that.

I am thankful for my sweet Charity. She really is the light of our lives. We are blessed to have such a happy loving little girl and I want her to know how much her daddy loves her.

I am thankful for my puppies Harley and Lizzie. They have been so good to Charity and so good to us. They help bring a peace and comfort to us even in our hardest times and I do not know where we would be without them.

I am thankful for my parents, my brothers and sisters, Camille's parents and brothers and sisters. Camille and I really are blessed to have families that have been so supportive of us through all that we do.

I am especially thankful for my brother Marcus right now. Long story short we are glad he is with us after such a scare. He has been one of the best parts of my life and I really could not imagine my life without him. He is a brother, a friend, someone I trust and an immense example to me in my life. Our recent experiences with him have reminded me how much and all of my siblings and siblings in law really mean to us.

I love and appreciate our friends far and wide. Mark and Michelle and their family always helping us out and just being there for all of the little things as well as the big ones. Matt and Cathy Hicken and their long-lasting and far-reaching friendship and support. The girls at the salon. The wonderful people at BGM. All of our various friends and family who care enough to genuinely ask us how we are doing.

In this season of thankfulness, love and giving I want everyone that reads this to know that I am eternally thankful for all of my many blessings, especially the blessing of having such wonderful people around me to support me, guide me, and love me in spite of my failing and imperfections.

Thank you all so much and I love you.

....ok so maybe this did not end up as short as I thought it would be.

Scarecrow Festival 2008

Here are some pictures of our fun at the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. This was a few weeks ago but I figured it would be fun to see.

The Long Awaited... HAWAII!

I have been talking about this trip for over a year and we went several months ago and lots of people have been asking for pictures. We finally got all of our pictures digitally and I finally found a slide show program I really liked. So, long story short, here they are.

I want to tell you some of our favorite highlights too. We had a really packed week so there is a LOT to tell so I will keep it to the highlights.

Our first day in Kauai we checked into our condo and then went to one of the best places to eat on the island called The Bull Shed. It is right on the ocean front. I don't say beach because there is no beach just a rocky cove. But we got a seat right on the ocean front where the waves crashed against the window. The Bull Shed isn't much to look at but it has some of the best food on the island. Their Teriyaki Steak is amazing. (Below is a picture of me just outside the Bull Shed throwing rocks into the water. They never grow up ladies).

The next morning was our first full day in Kauai and we took off early to pick up our river kayacks. We took those up the Wailua river to a stony beach and then hiked to Secret Falls. I am sure there is a true hawaiian name for the falls but that is the only name we could find anywhere. The falls are supposedly an ancient sacred place but the Hawaiians only feel it is sacred if people continue to visit it. I will get those pictures from my mom and post them here at a later date.


On the way back from the Secret Falls we went a little further up the river and found a little cliff to dive from and a tree with a rope swing. Pretty refreshing after a long hike.


The next day we went to Kipu Falls which is a little secluded falls in the middle of an old sugar cane fields. It is more of a locals' hang out but it was awesome for Camille and I to jump off the falls and swing from the rope swing. My mom and dad played photographers since jumping off cliffs was not their cup of tea.


On the 4th we went to the Lihue soccer stadium and watched the fireworks.... right up until the tsunami hit us.


On Sunday we went to church followed by a drive up Waimea Canyon. It is amazing to climb almost to the altitude of Utah from sea level and see how quickly the scenery changes. It was also awesome to see from north to south both coasts from on point at the top of the island.


The next couple of days were spent snorkeling, going to the spouting horn, walking along beaches. We snorkeled in Poipu and ate at Brenneke's. We went to Hanalei and Ke'e Beach and snorkeled at Tunnels. There were tons of fish and reef to see. It was really refreshing to just float in the ocean and watch the life around us.


One of our favorites was the morning we took a boat along the Na'Pali coast and got to snorkel with all sorts of wildlife including Honu or Green Sea Turtles. We did not get any pictures of them sadly but it is something I will not soon forget. They really don't swim but rather fly or glide through the water. It is pretty amazing to see.


We then took a helicoptor tour around the island. We went on a helicoptor with the doors off which was amazing. We were literally hanging out over the waves. We got to see a lot of places we had already been to and talk more about them from a different angle.


Later that day we went to the Fern Grotto and the Smith Family Luau. It was a lot of good food and a lot of fun. My parents had been to Kauai a few years earlier and had been to a different Luau but said the Smith Family one had it beat hands down.


On the last day we took one more drive up Waimea Canyon to look across the island again and see everywhere we had been. It was amazing that we had nearly seen everything on the whole island in only a week. We were kind of sad to know it was all coming to an end.


It was a trip to remember and I really can't wait to go back. Until then here is another set of pictures that I took with my SLR on the trip.

The Pumpkin Patch

So I have not posted our Hawaii pictures yet and they will be coming soon. I am still waiting on a decent tool for posting multiple pictures as a slide show. I promise to get it soon.

As of today, however, I thought I would show off my sweet Charity. We went to the pumpkin patch in Springville tonight with Mark and Michelle and their kids. Here are a few good pictures for you.

This is (Starting at the top left to right) Ella, Makayla, Charity and Emmitt. They loved picking their pumpiks from the patch.

Charity found the one she wanted but dad had to tell her no. We had to get something a little more her size.

It wasn't the biggest one in the patch but I think my sweet Charity will love this one. I could not get her to do it long enough for a picture but she loves to hug her pumpkin. I think she will like it just fine.

National Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008

Once a year comes a holiday so savy that men cower in fear... it is official "Talk Like a Pirate Day". As is tradition on this day one must engage in all of activities of our swash-buckling fore-fathers. The first thing to do is get yer own pirate name:

My pirate name is:

Dread Pirate Kidd

Like the famous Dread Pirate Roberts, you have a keen head for how to make a profit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

To get yer Pirate name visit: http://www.piratequiz.com/

Also be sure to visit one of our favorite "Talk Like a Pirate Day" websites for all sorts of fun and games: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Don't forget to see what yer Pirate personality be:

You are The Cap'n

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scalawag who stands between them and unlimited power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. You are the definitive Man of Action, the CEO of the Seven Seas, Lee Iacocca in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You’re mission-oriented, and if anyone gets in the way, that’s his problem, now isn’t? Your buckle was swashed long ago and you have never been so sure of anything as your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off his head if he shows any sign of taking you on or backing down. If one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.


What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Happy Pirating me maties!

Charity is Having Fun!

Charity is having lots of fun with mom and dad. She is a really fun loving kid and always smiles. We take her out with us to dinner and movies and it does not bother her at all and she barely peeps. This is a picture of her sitting with us in our booth at Happy Sumo. I tried to convince Camille that the Buffalo Roll is good for babies but she wasn't having it. Just milk and fruity mush for Charity for a while longer yet.


Following dinner at Happy Sumo we took her to see Horton Hears a Who. She loved watching it and even was laughing with everyone else at a few parts. Come to think of it, I should get her a little stuffed Horton.


Spring has come and Camille has started playing softball with K&J Construction again. Charity and I had to miss the first game as it was way to cold but last week we got to attend the game and Charity was even blowing raspberries at the opposing team... sorry Korriane she just like's mommy's team better. Here we are at the game.



A while back our good friends Mark and Michelle Peterson gave Charity a bib that says "Future Mrs. Duritz" (referring to Adam Duritz the lead singer for the Counting Crows for those of you who dare profane). I found this picture of her that I had taken when she had first started eating. I had taken it to send to Michelle so she could see Charity's bib but I thought it belonged here too. She is getting really good at eating solid foods and I even have to take her graham crackers and banana puffs to Camille's games for Charity to munch on. She has even started drinking from Camille's glass... which has only helped reinforce our efforts to minimize our carbonated drink intake.


Charity has such a fun personality. I really get a kick out of all the silly little things she does. We love her and she is definitely keeping us very busy!

Mardi Gras in March

My fabulous wife is incredibly creative. I am still amazed by what she comes up with. This week she made cake #3 which is designed for our friend Mark for his birthday today. Mark had told his wife and Camille that he wanted a Mardi Gras theme for his party so Camille immediately began to design his cake... without further adu, here is Camille's 3rd cake:

The thing that I want to really point out is that the masks that are on the cake are all hand-made from fondant, black sparkles and gold buttercream all done by Camille herself. I was looking at this photo and realized that the masks may look store bought so I wanted to make sure she got credit for her creativity and skill in making those so realistic.

Also, it may be hard to see from the angle I took this shot but the lower cacke slants to down to the left and the upper cake slants back the other way. This is something we have been wanting to try for some time. Let me tell you that cutting filled cakes at an angle is REALLY hard.

Another amazing creating by Camille and her Igor-like assistant.... me.

Yet another confectinary work of art!

So Camille is working her hardest to get this cake thing down solid. She made another cake this week, this time for Mark and Michelle Peterson who just had their third child and first son on Monday the 10th.

Most importantly, congrats to Mark and Michelle on the birth of Emmett. He is a cute kid. No doubt he will step up and hold his own against his sisters. Welcom Emmett. We all hope that you will be blessed with the same sense of humor your sisters have been.

Camille wanted to give them something special for Emmett so here is her second cake. This one is 4 layers of coconut cream cake with cream cheese icing between each layer. It is covered in teal fondant and has brown, white and yellow fondant decorations. There is a darker teal buttercream trim along the bottom of the cake. Truly a work of art... and only cake #2 for Camille!