Lake Powell - Parker Style

The trip was wonderful. Parker was the hit of the party - he's such a darling little boy. How I love that little man. :)

Because I would bore everyone to pieces, a few highlights from the trip:
1. Stepping out of the truck and literally within 5 minutes having Parker ask Gem if we could go fishing. "Parker, have you ever been fishing?" "No, but my dad has a fishing pole. ...he forgot to pack it for me!" By the end of the trip, Parker could cast and reel all by himself and he spent time at the back of the boat with Gem doing so.
2. Doing homework in my swim suit in the sun.
3. Having Belle jump against the tent at the crack of dawn in the morning and having Parker hurry and unzip the door and yell "Belle!" to have her come bounding in. He grinned. She sneezed.
4. Watching Sara, Taylor, TJ, and Martha heave a gigantic rock to shore for 30 minutes (underwater rock heaving). It was brought to shore because it had a dinosaur print on it. When Gem saw it on land (getting it was his idea) he looked at it and simply said "That doesn't look right." :)
5. Having Parker come back from a 4 wheeler trip with TJ and tell me he just went on a roller coaster.
6. Seeing Parker and TJ on the 4 wheeler and motorcycles every 5 minutes when Parker remembered he had to go to the bathroom.
7. Seeing Parker and TJ play endlessly in the sand, wearing their sun hats and sunscreen.
8. Hearing Parker toss and turn for 10 minutes while I kept saying "Parker?" thinking he was awake. Finally turning around in the tent and seeing him sitting up, asking "Parker?" and having him say "What?" as though none of my previous inquiries counted.
9. Seeing Parker's face after eating a s'more with the black marshmallow he burned. Asking him what he was going to do with it and realizing that he wanted to throw it in the fire, but wouldn't as long as I was looking - telling him "I'm not looking" and watching him immediately toss it into the flames.
10. Watching Parker give Eileen and Gem big hugs at the end of the trip.
11. Watching Parker work tirelessly on a little pile of dirt. After some time I realized he was modeling it after Lone Rock. When he was done he said "Look! The Lonely Mountain!" (Pictured)

12. Seeing Parker put on his "tennis clothes" (warm-ups) because his mom told him they would keep him warmer than his pajamas. I asked - they did.
13. Listening to Parker talk with him mom on the phone about roller coasters, mud monsters, Belle ("she's a dog, mom!"), and his new best friends...whose names he can't remember. :)
14. Spending 30 minutes with Parker looking for his lost (and broken) flashlight. Having TJ walk straight out of the tent, probably without his glasses, and find it.
15. Hearing about Parker's boating trip - asking if he got in the water to tube and hearing that he got in, screamed, and got back out.