Parmenter

Friday, August 27, 2010

Paka and Mimi's Summer Wonderland...

...And Believe Us, it's a Wonderland in Spring, Fall and Winter too!

Paka and Mimi's Cottage

Summer 2010

This Schoolhouse Rocks!

Lara's got the smore-gasbord of smore fixings!

Ali and Ella

As Peso says..."It's Cah-dah!" (Carter)

Everything was set up perfectly for non-stop fun! It's always the best being together again!
Can't wait for next time!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

What do you get when....

over one hundred family members gather in a big, gorgeous cabin for 3 days...

...with lots of shoes...hardly any sleeping....scrumptious food, and a lot of it...

wide open space...lots of outdoors...bonding time with cousins....

...and consequently, children feeling they may do whatever they want, whenever they want...

(I learned to let go a little.)

...lots of LOVE...The LONGEST pinata line I have EVER seen...(I couldn't believe how patient they all were!)

...and my personal favorite, a humongous ice machine that I indulged in whenever possible... (it's the little things that make me happy)

...Rowing in fun lakes...swimming, swimming and more swimming...and just being together?

So what do you get when you add all that up?

The

Reunion!

(Most of the Great Grandchildren of Don and Orpha Ream (Scott's Maternal Grandparents) are pictured here.)

June 28th-July 1st

See you in 2 Years! Thanks to everyone that made it all happen...I don't know how you did it all, but everything was awesome.

And hopefully our boy will be with us next time!

Thank you, thank you for taking care of us Paka and Mimi, we wouldn't have missed it!

And, thanks for sharing a bed with me Lar! It was fun being roomies! ;)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Swim Lessons!

We spent a majority of the summer in this...water!

If you could only see our girlies' tan lines!

Thank you for the swimming lessons Grandma Sue! They were perfect in every way, weren't they? Great price, we all got to go swimming afterwards, the slides and snacks! We might have to do it again next year. It would be cheaper for us to fly out to Las Vegas and take the lessons than it would be to take the same type of class in NYC. Not even joking.

Ella knows how to swim! Hooray!!

Emma

The afternoon before Dawn-Marie's baby shower, my mom mentioned that this would be the first baby shower she had EVER thrown where she hadn't made nut cups. (There is a picture of them on the top right.) So, we went and got some flannel that evening and stayed up way late that night, making nut cups! And it was super fun and they turned out very cute. We filled them with mints and nuts, of course!

We welcomed Emma formally, by hosting a baby shower for she and Dawn-Marie, in July. Emma is being adopted by my cousin Dawn-Marie and her husband Brad and we could not be happier for them!! And if I could at this point, this entire post would be COVERED with pictures of the 9 month old, because she is DARLING and she's such a photogenic little gal! Ella and Paisley ate her up! Welcome Baby Emma! We love you!! (And you're making Jubie more and more baby hungry by the second!)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Pioneer Day...weekend! In Southern Utah!

It started with a girls day...a little swim, a Cracker Barrel dinner and Tarzan at Tuacahn!

It was complimented with meeting the Fabbi boys in Cedar City the next day.
We missed them!

It got crazy with a Pioneer Day Celebration, more swimming, carne asada, tarts and the green show (Where Ella HAD, I mean HAD to wear her green Halloween dress!)

It ended with the lovely Pride and Prejudice with my mama. Jane Austen at the Shakespearean Festival. It was superb!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

One day, Uncle Jas came back from scout camp. He had been a chef ALL summer. He brought back 2 ostrich eggs that he had drained perfectly, cleaned out and ready to give our girls. They were beautiful. He had served the inside of the eggs to the scouts...equivalent to 2 dozen chicken eggs, a piece. And they didn't even break on the long plane ride home!

Not many days after, Uncle Joe came home after a trip to Capezio. He wanted to learn how to tap dance in his new tap shoes. Grandma Sue and Jubie taught him a few things....and had a ball watching him dance!

Ella and Paisley have a lot fun with their Uncles.
And their Mommy loves them too!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Art Starts Here.

Ella got lucky and was able to attend an Art camp with her cousin Jensyn one of the weeks we were in Las Vegas. Aren't they sweet?!

(Pais and Jubie)

Paisley got lucky and spent lots of quality mommy time during that week! We did pedicures and got a couple "venti passion teas" as Pais requested. Don't worry, it's just iced herbal tea mixed with lemonade! We also visited some friends.

Then, at the end of the week, we ALL got lucky and Mimi was able to join us at the Art Show of all that Jensyn, Ella and all the children that participated, created!

yuuuummmeeee.

Then the fun really began when we ate at Sammy's Wood fired Pizza after to celebrate. Cotton candy with sprinkled cocoa powder! Yum.

Auntie Jen IS the bomb.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mt. Charleston

We went "day-camping" with Grandma Sue, Papa Kent and Joe-Joe one afternoon, just a few days before we went home. Ya know? When you do all the fun stuff like roast hot dogs, eat dutch oven chicken and potatoes and biscuits and banana boats and s'mores...and then put out your fire and go home to your nice, clean bed and shower?

We had a really great time! We had a gorgeous surrounding as we drove up in the rain and it stopped just a bit after we arrived. I actually really do like camping and the outdoors! And as my mom said, especially when you've got a Silver Beaver and Eagle Scout around! ;)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

"Go Downstairs Mom."

I found this little note waiting for me as I awoke one morning at the Ream family reunion, on the second day we were there. It's pretty accurate to say that this was the case a majority of the mornings the past 6 weeks that we were away. It wasn't as bad as last year, thankfully. I'm sure glad my children can help themselves to pounding on the piano at 7am, holding the doggies hostage in the "Laundromat" and eating Popsicles in the backyard for breakfast, because as the girls say... "It smells so good in Las Vegas, in the morning!" This is true. They love doing what they want and achieving what they want, together, like teamwork! As long as they're not fighting is what I say...

Friday, August 13, 2010

Where to start?

Summer has been non-stop since I picked Ella and Paisley up from their last day of school on June 28th. I scooped em' up and was headed straight to JFK--Salt Lake City and Paka & Mimi bound!

It was hard to leave our boy behind! I get really comfortable in my groove and it makes it more difficult to leave, especially when my husband isn't coming with!

Several exciting events have happened in our little life since then though.

I'll start with the most recent and move backwards. By the time we were finally on our way home, I didn't want to leave Las Vegas, just as I hadn't wanted to leave New York! Let's just say I'm so happy in my present, that I don't want it to change if it doesn't have to?!

___________________________________________________________

Yesterday was Scott's LAST day of clinical at The New York Presbyterian Allen Pavilion, right at the northern tip of Manhattan, almost in the Bronx.

He's done. D.U.N. dun. What do we do now? I'm sad to say that our 8 year plan is over! Well, we kind of have a small idea of what we're going to do...

We do know that we're staying in The City and are super excited about it!! (I'm so proud of you babe!)

We haven't seen or done nearly all that we came here to do and I'm pretty sure one could live their whole life here and not accomplish that either. But we do know that the thought of leaving made us sad, so we're staying! Yay!

We celebrated his big accomplishment today, by going to an Argentine restaurant in Long Island City, Queens, for some milanesa, empanadas, chorizo, apple soda, chimichurri and of course french fries and linguine for the nenas, they're all about marinara with basil now-a-days.

The past few weeks, whenever we've talked to the girls about Scott completing school they've asked questions like... "For real this time? It's not just a vacation or a break? He never has to go to school again?!"...we can actually say that yes, it is coming to an end. Then they reply with something like..."YAY! That means we can get our kitty and doggie now and have a backyard!! We're gonna get money now!"

Hmmmm...is that what has gotten them through the past 27 months? I think there may have been a misunderstanding somewhere between the graduate schooling stress and a frazzled mommy...but we may have made some promises we won't be able to keep either...I'll let you know how we find a compromise with those ones...

Some doggie and backyard pictures--they got plenty of both this summer, I promise! Ask the dogs! (more to come, nothing is downloading.)

Ella and Paisley's experiences out on (and under) the streets.

8/25/13- Several months ago and I can't forget it! "Mommy, do you think I should be a story writer when I grow up...you know...with all my little 'lie stories'?" I love alone time with Paisley!

1/20/11- When I'm in a hurry to get a parking during street cleaning and after grocery shopping...I'll carry my groceries home and leave all the heavy drinks in the car for Scott to carry up on one of his days off...So today, he walked to the car, while we came upstairs to our apartment so I could unlock the door for him through our apt. window, with our remote...I had Paisley unlock it for him. Then she sat in the window for another few minutes setting off the alarm when people walked by our car..."I'm gonna freak people out when they walk by our car!" LOL! That little mean girl! :)

7/12/11- We are in Las Vegas! While enjoying our froyo at Yogurtland tonight, Paisley stares out the window and says, "Mom, I think we should leave before we get a ticket. We're only in a 15 minute parking spot." WHAT? LOL?! I had completely forgot. Thank heavens that little one is watching out for us. ;) New York City parking rules are in high effect...Pais knows it's serious business!!

6/23/11- So we like to ride the bus. Especially the "Broadway bus." (You'll have to ask Paisley to sing you the song she made up about it.) But sometimes, when the bus is packed, and you're trying to squeeze through people to get off, the back doors close and lock before you get the chance to get out. So whoever needs to get off, yells, "BACK DOOR!!" So that the bus driver doesn't drive off, with you still in. Well, Paisley has gotten quite used to this little scenerio that often happens, but the past few weeks, every time we go to get off, even if we're the first ones off she says in the this I own this place, attitude voice, "BACK DOOR!!", which everyone laughs at and thinks is a-dorable, but we've since had to do some explaining of when you say that. LOL!

3-17-11- Paisley and her friend Ava were talking while walking to our place for a playdate. Ava mentioned that she went to visit her daddy at work and then went to the Disney store after because it was pretty close to his work. Then Paisely said, "Did you go to the one in Times Square? We went to the Disney store that's in Times Square." Ava knew exactly what she was talking about. "Yea!" These little girls know where Times Square is! :)

11-21-10- When Ella sleeps on the top bunk, I've noticed her in the morning, with the window blinds up, staring out the window that faces 88th street. A few weeks ago, while Jason was in town, we heard early in the morning, while we were still sleeping..."Daddy, Daddy, there's a car moving! Go get that spot!! :)" Scott put his shoes on, ran down stairs half asleep and moved our car right into the spot! Thanks to Ella, we didn't have to move our car for a few days! :)

6/16/10- Whenever I need a pick me up, I go downstairs to our car. Get in, turn on the radio and put my make-up on. There is something about it that can calm me and energize me at the same time. Except when I am constantly having to wave at people to let the know, "I"M NOT LEAVING, go find your own parking! :)

6-1-10- Julianne loves it when she's putting laundry away and glances out the window and notices an almost vacant Friday parking and she runs down 3 flights of stairs, while putting on something more appropriate and flags the guy to save the parking spot for her. And she then moves from her Thursday spot to her Friday spot...right in front of her building! I have accomplished something big today, people.

1/25/10- While reading scriptures tonight, Ella was very anxious to end and look at the maps in the scriptures..."Show me where Jesus was born..."says Ella. And then Paisley pops her head up and says in her sweet tired baby voice, "Wheahs Heaven? Wheas Heaven? (Where's) Scott had also asked Ella if she knew what a servant was..." Ummm..yea, let me think (with a most thoughtful look with eyes to the side)...oh yea, when they do whatever you want!"

10/9/09- While walking home from Paisley's class...Paisley: "When I grow up, I wanna be a Kid Cab Drivah. In a yellow cab."

9/20/09- Our girls know that a performance is that good when they see me crying during it. This past week, Paisley has been wowing me with her ballet moves and pretty voice. She comes up to me and touches my cheeks..."Are you crying?" After I picked her up from school one day last week, she told me, "Mommy, I sang for Ms. Santiago today, she loved it...but she didn't cry." These children have got a way too emotional mother!

7/3/09 This is so inappropriate and sad, but I have to remember it. We went to Central Park today to row a canoe in the lake. It will be one of my favorite memories here. On our way home however, walking through the park, we noticed a person sprawled out on a park bench in a purple sarong sleeping.(sp?) We walked past and Scott and I smile at eachother, hoping our children didn't notice. Paisley says promptly and quietly, "Mommy, I just saw a booty. I fink it was a boy, but he was wearing a dress."

5/10/09 Paisley woke me up this Mother's Day morning, singing, "Today it's Mother's Day, and I sing to let you know that it's Mother's day we made cinnamon rolls with frosting..." She brought in her roll on a paper plate and shared it with me! It was the sweetest little singing voice I have EVER heard to the tune of a song from "Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princess" Love that sweetie.

3-20-09 While Scott was stopped on the side of a road in New Jersey, figuring out how to get back on track with our little, white GPS, Paisley says, "Daddy, I know where Costco is, give me that little white "fing" and I will find it on there. Come on, give it to me!" I gave her my phone instead to keep her satisfied. Scott said to himself, "Yea, we need to get back on the 4 highway." Paisley- "Oh, I know where the 4 is, here you go, that's how you get to Costco." She types in the number 4 and shows us the phone screen!

3-17-9 What Ella Learns from School..."Sometimes, people kill animals, and turn their fur into paintbrushes! But, it's okay sometimes, because we eat the animal too and use a lot of their pieces." Oh, the sound of her voice is just so precious. This topic is actually very relevant in their everyday lives and deserves some explaining...like why the protesters are outside of Bloomingdales holding up scary posters.

3-16-09 After our first week in our new ward Paisley said, "Mom, I didn't cry in my Sumbeam class, but I worried about you. I was hoping that you weren't sad either and missing me."

2-20-09 Here's an experience on the water! We took the Ferry Taxi to IKEA today...Paisley is officially tall enough to play in SMALAND! Anyways, on the way there, Pais met a woman who happened to be with her younger sister. They had a sweet little disscussion about sisters..."...I was the older sister like Ella and you are the younger sister like my sister, right here...You know sometimes, the younger sister turns out to be the bossy one..." :) It was cute. The whole way home I thought about my hope that my little gals will be that close when I am long gone...they had to have almost been between 65-70 years old.

2-20-09 I took the girls to McDonald's on our way home from our last INNWOOD primary activity on 2-17. Ella had gotten a fever the night before, but I had to be at the activity, so we stopped by Mickey D's for some "make Ella feel better food." Anyways, a boy came and sat by Ella that looked 14 but probably had the mental capacity of a 5 year old. He asked for a high 5 from Ella. She gave me a strange look and I thought "Nooooo, not my sweet non-judgmental child that accepts EVERYBODY...she's reached the dark side!" It broke my heart that she wouldn't give him a high 5. So after talking with him and Paisley telling him her life story and giving him a band-aid for his ouchie, it was time for him to sit by his family...Paisley said "Wait, Ella didn't give him a high 5...." and Ella whines and almost cries..."I wanted to give him a high 5 but I didn't want him to catch my germs, b/c I'm sick." My heart melts...okay maybe we've still got a little more time until she reaches the dark side. Love those girls.

Here...you don't get what you pay for and you get what you don't pay for! -Jube

12-16-08: Well, my last request before our trip out to Las Vegas for the Holidays was granted yesterday when it finally snowed in NYC! It was magical. In the early afternoon, when Paisley and I were strolling down to our favorite soup kitchen :) to meet Scott it started snowing again...and it was one of the coolest little moments... the upper westside is kind of known for too many moms with strollers. (which is fine for our situation!) Anyway, it starts snowing and EVERYONE has a huge smile on their faces! The children in strollers are sticking out their tongues and lifting their hands and legs in the air laughing. What was SO cute is that the adults were laughing and cooing all over the other children's reactions, as we all passed eachother....so I am staring at this lady's sweet little boy with this huge grin and hands in the air, while another man is pointing out at Paisley and saying, "Look at that beautiful face!" The parents couldn't see their own kids reactions b/c they were strolling them, it was so fun for everyone to be so EXCITED for snow.

Last Monday, Paisley found a letter on a bus ride home...we don't usally do this, but had time to kill. It hadn't been opened and I assumed it was junk mail, well Paisley helped herself to the destruction of the envelope and it was a business letter that had like 12 life Insurance policy numbers and the names of who it belonged to. Might be important, so I mailed it back to New York Life and Paisley got a thank you letter in the mail today from the owner of the letter saying, "thank you for sending me my letter and thank your daughter for finding it on the bus." It was so sweet.

9-20-08: We went to a birthday party on Saturday and before getting on the train to our ward's chili cook-off, I noticed that I forgot my purse. So Scott and Ella went home with the double stroller to get the chili and Paisley and I walked back to get my purse at the party! As Paisley and I got down the steps, back onto the subway after getting my purse, a man started talking to me about how "beautiful" Paisley was and how blessed I was, this is true...this is also usually what happens when someone is going to ask for money. So, I am looking around for my train card, can't find it. Scott has it. So I go to buy a new one, machines are down. The man says, come here I'll let you through, I have a card. So I desperately go through, telling the man I have no cash and that I was sorry I couldn't repay him....THE NEXT DAY...."Do you have a train card?", I ask Scott. "Yea, but I gave one to a homeless guy at the subaway b/c he helped me through the gate with the double stroller and I didn't have any cash...there was only four dollars left on it," says Scott! Yea, it was the same man. I felt better about leaving him in a rut, I pretty much payed for my own fare and there was still two dollars left on the card as a thank you and for being the go-between for Scott and I! It is unbeivable how often people come into contact with other people that you know....and you don't even know it. Small World. This is one of the reasons I love this city, people have the opportunity to serve others almost every minute of the day.

We've got a good 5 block walk to get to the Subway from our apartment (make that six when you add the 5 flights of stairs), so after 3 months of walking and carrying and strolling, Paisley got a genius idea..."Mommy, let's not get on the train. Let's get in a taxi!" Of Course! One can see how a taxi is cleaner, no carrying the stroller, less of a hassle, no hiking down stairs and elevators and standing when there isn't a seat...even a 2 year old can feel the stresses of making it to a subway and the ordeals once we get on! Mommy still loves the subway though, it's so fast, the only way to travel around here...alright, if we had the cash I would go for the Taxi ;)

At a very young age, Paisley started repeating phrases that we say... so one of these phrases is, "Hit the bricks!" More than a year later after learning this phrase she says to me..."Mom we don't hit people, right? We only hit bricks."

We were on the bus tonight with some Sister Missionaries and Ella just started talking all about the Bronx Zoo. They asked her what her favorite animal was and she replies with no pauses..."Snakes. Rattlesnakes. They have a rattle on their tail that goes...(shakes her fists). When people come close they get scared and bite. They eat rats." If any of you see Ella, you'll have to ask her the difference between mammals and reptiles...they are her favorite facts to inform people about.

Ella- An older Dominican man sat waiting for the subway, tapping a beat with the tip of his umbrella. After a moment, Ella started repeating his beat by clapping her hands...he smiles and continues, waiting for her every clap. Precious.

Paisley- Scott and the girls were on the subway, where Paisley noticed some trash. Being the little police officer that she is, she asks, "Daddy is that your trash?" "No", he replies. "Well who's is it? Is it her trash?", pointing to a women. "I don't know, why don't you ask her?" says Scott. "Is this your trash?" Paisley asks the women. "No, it's not mine." She says laughing.

Ella- While on the subway, a very obviously angry man was boasting about something very suspicious and illegal....do you have a picture of what I am describing? A thug. Well anyways, Ella was not impressed, she staired at him with a scowl probably thinking, "What is wrong with you?" He looks at her and I get very nervous like, "Ella's gonna get us killed." He straightened up after seeing her face. That's our Ella, changing New York City one day at a time.

Ella- There is a nice homeless man that is very consistant at our subway station. "Where is the man in the subway tonight, Daddy? Does he have food and a bed now?" Oh the innocence, never let it depart from her!

Ella- While sitting in Wendy's, eating dinner, Ella thinks it is duty to knock on the glass window, smile and wave at pedestrians walking down Broadway. None of the children respond...adults loved it! There she goes again changing the world one smile at a time.

Paisley- Paisley is really noticing the cultural differences here in New York. I can't expect her to be completely appropriate in public, she is 2 years old. She has been asking very complicated questions like, "Where is that little girl's mommy?" And saying things like "That isn't their mommy, that's their Grandma." DOH! :0 It is amazing to me that she notices these things and I love that she is learning so early on about how we are different, but all the same!