Parker turned 15 on the 15th! Happy Birthday! As per our tradition [side note: we started a lot of traditions when we had one or two kids that are much more challenging to continue with 10 kids!], Christi fixed him breakfast in bed. Apparently we were just a tad late...
Saturday night, the 14th, he had a fun party with a bunch of his friends. Then on his actual birthday, two girls came over to give him a homemade cheescake. Poor guy! (He was willing to share one bite with me, and it was delicious!)
What would we do without our fantastic, loving, generous, amazing, only-once-in-a-great-while-surly-teenager, ginger, guitar playing, solo singing, basketball star boy? We love you Parker! Happy Birthday:)
A few weeks ago I started baking bread. I think one Sunday Taylor was busy and couldn't do it, so I decided to jump into an arena with which I had very little experience. (I remember when I was a little kid my mom used to let me punch the dough after it raised.) The results have been quite nice. I do whole wheat bread and white bread. It's fun!
And once in awhile I make a batch of apple butter. Yummy!
Sophi loves to meet other people who are "differently-abled," like her. She has communicated with a few other people who were born without arms, but has never met any of these people in person. Recently, Christi found out about the documentary Right Footed, featuring Jessica Cox. She left a message on the documentary Facebook page asking if it was going to show in Utah. The wonderful director, Nick Spark, messaged her back to let her know that it was soon going to be shown at the Napa Valley Film Festival and would love if Sophi could come. Christi knew how much it would mean to Sophi to be able to meet Jessica in person and asked if I would be willing to take her on a very special Daddy date. Twist my arm (no pun intended!)-would I like to take a two-day vacation with Sophi to beautiful Napa Valley California? Uh, yeah!
So Christi went to work. She worked with Jessica and Nick to figure out logistics. They were really excited to have Sophi come. Knowing how prohibitively expensive hotels were that week, they reached out to the festival organizers, who were generous enough to provide a free hotel room for two nights! So we booked the flights and let Sophi know the plan. Here is her reaction:
On November 11, Sophi and I woke up at 3:00AM and left for the airport. We were both exhausted, so on the way to the airport I asked Sophi, "When we get to our hotel, do you want to cuddle and take a nap?" With no hesitation she replied, "Do you snore?"
We tried to get a bit of rest on the first flight from SLC to Las Vegas:
Had breakfast at the Vegas airport:
We ran into a group of Chinese tourists here who were absolutely smitten with Soph:).
When we arrived in San Francisco, we had several hours before we needed to be in Napa. So we went to the Embarcadero, where Sophi tried to catch a pigeon:
We also visited a friend of mine in San Francisco. He is one of the inventors of Perplexus. (If you don't know, we are involved in selling this great toy:) He showed Sophi around his toy invention workshop and gave her a couple of things to take home with her. Thanks, Dan! Sophi enjoyed eating lunch with him and decided we need to visit him more often!
While in San Francisco, I parked the car and got out to get something from the trunk. Sophi, who tends to have separation issues, hollered out, "Are you going to leave me?" I sarcastically replied, "Yes. I'm just going to leave you here. What do you think mom would do if I came home without you?" Sophi, very matter-of-factly: "She would kill you."
From San Francisco, we drove over the Golden Gate bridge and up into Napa. I had told Sophi all day that we would be driving over the famous Golden Gate bridge. As we approached, I pointed it out.
"There's the Golden Gate Bridge, Sophi!"
"Where?"
"Right there." Then understanding her confusion, "It's red, not gold."
Sophi, in a disgusted voice, "You're kidding! Then why do they call it the Golden Gate?!?"
An excellent question, Soph:)
The drive into Napa was fantastic. It was turning a bit brown, but the vineyards are still breathtaking. We arrived at the film festival and met Jessica and others involved with the film. Jessica took a lot of time talking to Sophi and hanging out with us. Even during the times Sophi and I were alone, she couldn't talk about anything but Jessica Cox. "How do you think Jessica Cox would do this?" "What do you think Jessica Cox is doing now?" "Do you think Jessica Cox likes me?" Etc.
On day two, we spent the morning with Jessica and her brother and sister-in-law at the magnificent Castello di Amorosa, a vineyard with a full on, real life castle. We toured the castle, sampled grape juice instead of wine (best.grape.juice.ever!), and marveled at our surroundings. One of the best parts of the trip was the opportunity for Sophi to eat at two different restaurants with Jessica. Sophi is a whiz at eating with her toes, but she tends to get very shy and self-conscious when eating at restaurants and usually makes us feed her. Before we left on the trip, when contemplating the chance she might get to eat out with Jessica, Sophi exclaimed, "I can be brave eating at a restaurant with her because I won't be the only one eating with my toes!" Bless her sweet heart!
In the afternoon, Soph and I went to Safari West and rode on the top of a large 4x4 vehicle as we viewed a variety of African animals. Very cool! Sophi made me take a couple of hundred pictures of the animals. I'll just share a couple:) The cheetah was her favorite. The giraffes were close enough to reach out and touch. Sadly, the guide wouldn't let us.
A few random pics:
A visit to Baskin Robbins:
Sophi LOVED having her own, queen-sized, bed!
Daddy did a respectable job fixing Sophi's hair:)
It was a wonderful daddy date. Sophi and I grew closer as we were able to spend such a concentrated dose of time together. And meeting Jessica Cox was a life-changing experience for Sophi. Soph now has a mentor that she has met in person. I am sure they will keep in touch with each other throughout their lives. Thank you, Jessica, Nick, Patrick, and everyone at the Napa Film Festival for making this possible. And thank you, Sophi, for being the most wonderful seven-year-old in the world!
When we fell in love 24 years ago, we started down a path that has been challenging, exhausting, and breathtakingly beautiful. Here we chronicle the blessings and stressings of parenting some pretty amazing children. We think they're the perfect travel companions as we look forward to the next fork in the road. Welcome to our journey.
Our oldest by birth, he's the voracious reader, BYU fan, spiritual giant, sports nut, 4.0 student, huge-hearted ray of sunshine!
Parker Matthew--22
The red-headed social butterfly, he's our all-star athlete, top student, outdoor-loving, spunky second-born, with a heart of pure gold!
Jessica Anne "Jesi"--19
Our little princess with the big smile, Jesi loves fashion, friends, hanging with her siblings, and vacations. She sparkles!
Jacob Michael-- 6/8/2004
Little one of heavenly birth, born too soon to bloom on earth. You have taught us so much--we love you, Jacob!
Emily Anne "Emmy"--9/28/2005
Emily's exquisite little hands and feet have left their mark in this world. Her body was tiny, but her spirit enormous. We miss her!
Elizabeth Mei "Elli"--18
Elli's world may be dark, but she's the light of our lives! Lover of music, chocolate, and new toys, she fights a courageous battle with autism while bringing joy to all who know her!!
Gracelin Kate "Graci"--24
Showing true grace throughout her battles with heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, our Gracester is loved by everyone! She's smart, gorgeous, friendly, and has faith to move mountains!
Alexander Philip "Xander"--18
With a spunk and smile that could outmatch anyone's, our Xander has not let Cloves Syndrome get the best of him. He's a talented chef, a caring friend to MANY, our best helper, and is full of teenage humor.
Alexis Li "Lexi"--18
Meet the friendliest girl on the planet! Blind from birth, Lexi amazes all of us with her braille skills, determination, talents, but mosly by the way she spends her days SMILING. She is an angel in every way. We are thrilled to have our darling daughter home six years from China!!
Sophia Breanne "Sophi"--14
Her eyes called out to us from half-way around the world. Little Sophi is growing up and we would do anything to freeze her in time! She's beautiful, smart, and coy and can do amazing things with her toes! She has inspired people all around the world and we can't believe she is ours. Sophi = perfection.
Calais Rose "Cali"--22
Charming Cali joined our family in December of 2012. This girl is beautiful both inside and out. Born with spina bifida, Cali is confined to a wheelchair, but that does not keep her from enjoying life to the fullest. She is smart, opinionated, strong, and lovely in every way. She is a light in our family and a magnet for handsome young men!
Conner Allen-- 22
Meet our newest addition! Home nine years from China, Conner makes us wonder what we ever did without him. Blind from birth, he will blow you away with his incredible talent on the piano. He is sweet, witty, girl-crazy, kind and finally, OURS! We love you, Conner!
The Dog
Baxter-- 3 years
She begged and pleaded and wrote letter after letter telling us why she NEEDED a dog, and Sophi finally got her wish! Meet Baxter, the cutest mini-audssiedoodle on the planet.
