Parkeripedia

Our Bird Nest

Hi!

I have to tell you about something really cool. For the past month or so, there have been some robins flying around my neighborhood. One of them decided to make a nest right by my front door! Awesome, right? After the male finished the nest, a couple days later we saw a mother in the nest! When the mama bird left the nest, my mom got on a stepladder, being careful to not touch the nest and took a picture of it with my iPad. Once she got down, we looked at the pictures and were amazed to see a couple of light blue robins eggs!

Isn’t it amazing? They are so beautiful. We left the eggs alone for about a week, but one afternoon, we saw some blue eggshells on the ground! We grabbed the stepladder and took a peak. They hatched and there were naked baby birds, sleeping in the nest. It was really a site to see.

We checked the nest weekly after that and they were so much bigger! You just have to see for yourself.

We loved seeing the little feathers and beaks develop. Look here!

And below is the mom feeding a worm to the little birdies.

The mom is really protective! Whenever we tried to walk out our front door, the mom was right there waiting to ‘swoop’ down on us. One or two times she actually tried to swoop my dogs! We were all scared of her. And, it is crazy how fast they grow up!

Well, I will probably be saying that in 40 years when my son or daughter grows up, but still, wow!  Eventually we didn’t see the mom come back to the nest for about two days, so we checked and the baby’s had grown up and flown away.

Seeing those birds grow up was really cool and so interesting. Someone told me it is good luck that the mama bird chose our house. I wish it could happen again!

See you later,

Parker

P.S. Yesterday there was a sparrow in the empty nest. Really, it’s true. It is like a bird hotel!

Posted in Family Fun, Random Thoughts, Story Scenes | 4 Comments »

Blog Anniversary

Hi guys!
Sorry I haven’t been writing posts for a while. I have been really busy with swimming and school lately. It’s almost summertime! But, there is one more thing that we are doing this school year…Going to Camp Edwards! If you remember, I have been writing a post or two about camp since my blog started last May. I am so excited! We are leaving tomorrow morning.
I promise, you will see a blog post about it.

Ok, anyway. Last week, it was my blog’s 1 year Anniversary! I cannot believe it has been almost a whole swimming season, a State meet, a full school year, an awesome trip to London and the Olympics, a vaction and 2 (almost 3) camping trips, since I started this blog. Wow. That is a lot of posts.

Ok, this is the end of my Anniversary Post, so I wish you a happy end of May.
See you after camp!
Parker

Tags: Anniversary, Blog, Camp Edwards, Florida, London, Olympics, Summer, Vacations
Posted in Family Fun, London Legacies, Random Thoughts, School Side, Story Scenes, Swimming Strokes, Travel Tales | 2 Comments »

Our Ancona Photoshoot

Hi!

So, last year at school, my brother, me and some other kids from our school were chosen to be a part of the new marketing campaign. I was so excited they wanted me to do it!  It went really well and I had a ton of fun.

When the photographers originally took the photos, we were just standing in front of a white screen. I thought it was awesome that they added the cool backgrounds. The photos have been all over Hyde Park on lamp posts and bus stops for a few months. Cool, right? They just sent us the proofs so I wanted to share!

Have you ever modeled?  I was a little nervous at first, but the people were very nice, so in the end it was awesome.  The other cool thing was the gigantic snack table.  Ha Ha! Here is a link to our website if you want to learn more about our amazingschool!

See you later,

Parker

Tags: Photoshoot, School
Posted in School Side, Story Scenes | 2 Comments »

My First Soccer Game!

Hi! So, yesterday night, I went to a professional soccer game with my friend Harry. The teams playing against each other were the U.S Womens Olympic Team and the German Olympic Team. The US Women won a first place medal in the Olympics this summer. The Germans won second, so it was awesome to see the top 2 teams in the WORLD competing.

Before the game, we hung out in the parking lot and ate some food! It is called Tailgating. Have any of you ever tailgated? Then at the game I ate even more delicious junk food! I don’t eat junk food very often, so it was a little treat.

The score at the end of the game was 1-1. I could not believe that the score was so low, but then I thought about it. Turns out that makes more sense because they are the best in the world. Here is a snapshot from the field.

Amazing, right? There was this one moment in the game when the Germans shot at the goal, but the ball went on top of the net! I thought it was a goal, but the scoreboard said it wasn’t. I was so relieved. When USA got a goal, the crowd was ROARING! It was so loud, I had to cover my ears. I had so much fun at the game. I hope I can go another time! Thank you to Harry’s family for inviting me.

Do you know in Europe they call it football?  That makes perfect sense as they do kick the ball with their feet!

See you later,

Parker

Tags: Chicago Fire, Soccer, Sports, Toyota Park
Posted in Random Thoughts, Story Scenes, Travel Tales | 2 Comments »

Camp Edwards Fun!

Hi! So, I just got back from Camp Edwards on Friday. This was my 3rd trip since the beginning of 3rd grade. Like they say, 3rd times a charm (I think)! This year we are studying Rocks and Minerals, so we stopped at the Quarry on our way to East Troy.  We were investigating and looking for fossils.  I found a tiny fossil, but somehow I think I lost it, bummer, huh?

Well, that’s ok because the rest of the trip was awesome. I scaled the climbing wall again and shot a bulls eye in Archery, cool, right?

On the first morning we woke up early to go on a hike to Edwards Island.  It isn’t actually an island, it is just surrounded by marsh. Here is a pic of me and my friend Harry sitting on the porch at Hoffer!

But, the best story is the one about my epic journey down the tube slide. I’ll tell you, it was pretty scary! So, I was going down the tube slide when suddenly my legs started to slip off the plastic sled. Now, the part that happens next is a hypothesis, because I was looking forward not backwards! My sled hit the ceiling of the tube and cracked into 3 pieces.  Wow,  it is all about threes today.

There I was, going nearly 20 mph on this fast tube slide, but only riding on a tiny piece of plastic.  As I got off the slide, I heard the rest of the plastic pieces flying down the tunnel.  It was crazy. Here is a pic of the infamous tube slide!

Have you ever taken a slide down a long dark tunnel?  If not, you should try it!

Hasta la vista,

Parker

Tags: Camp Edwards, School Scenes, Travel
Posted in Story Scenes, Travel Tales | No Comments »

Goodbye!…Almost

Hi!

So on Tuesday, The Third and Fouth grade is going to Camp Edwards again! I am so excited. I really missed it. Unfortunatly, my dad is not coming this time but hopefully he can come in the springtime. But you never know. The last time, he got called the day before Camp and the teachers asked him if he could come. I was really happy.

I have to get packing if I want to take all of my clothes with me. Trust me, I don’t want to be wearing just underwear all day! That would be really embarressing. I hope we get to do the climbing wall again! That was really fun. I remember last year when I climbed it in 28 seconds. Man, I was small back then. I think I still have that Picture of me climbing up! Nope, I just checked. :(I don’t even know if  I can do it again! Also, I cannot wait for all the other activities like the Tube Sliding, Archery, the Campfire, Low Ropes, Predator/Prey, Canoeing and all of the fun things that we get to do there. Most of all, I can’t wait to hear who I am bunking with! I wish we got told earlier than the day before we leave.

To change the subject, let’s talk about my new book. No, I did not write a book, I got a new one at the library a couple days ago. It is called Wonder. It is about this boy named August. He has a medical condition so his face looks a little different from other people. His eyes are an inch lower than other kids and he cannot smile. I feel so bad for him. Even though people tease him he still meets new friends and they have lots of fun.

I think it is a great book so far! Well, I have to get packing so…

Adios,

Parker

Tags: Books, Camp Edwards, Field Trips, School, Wonder
Posted in Reading, School Side, Story Scenes, Swimming Strokes | No Comments »

School is Here!

Hi,

So, it has been three weeks since school started and I think  I have settled in fully. It has been great so far! We have already had two field trips. The first one was to Pebble Beach to start a rock collection. Then, on Tuesday we went to the Field Museum to study Rocks and Minerals. We all took the CTA downtown, which was fun.  After touring the exhibit we ate lunch and while we were playing outside, I had a fight with a bee and lost.  Don’t worry, I am fine.  This is not the first time I have been stung by a bee.

We are also doing cool things in the classroom like studying the Moon. Tonight is the first day collecting data.  We have to find the moon and record it in our science journal. My house is a great spot to find the moon because we have a clear view of the sky in all directions. For this project, we are not allowed to use the internet to help us find the moon. I just spotted my first one tonight! It was really cool!

Speaking of the Moon, last year there was an amazing moon that was really cool colors.  This is the picture of the Wolf Moon last year.  The Native Americans call it that because every time there is one, they heard wolves howling in the distance.

Cool, right? Well, I have to go do the rest of my homework, so goodbye for now…

Hasta la Vista!

Parker

Tags: Field Trips, Fun, Moon, School
Posted in Random Thoughts, School Side, Story Scenes, Travel Tales | 1 Comment »

Goodbye Summer, Hello School!

Hi!

So today is my last day of summer before school starts tomorrow! Just to let you know, I did not get kidnapped by English thieves or disappear off the face of the Earth. Let me give you the update on what happened after London. My brother and I had a nice flight back to Chicago and when we finally arrived back home we literally did this: a load of laundry and then the next day we packed up the car and left for FL. It was a 20 hour drive, but it was totally worth it. When we got there at 9:00 pm, the first thing we did was go to Two Scoops, the local ice cream shoppe. They have amazing homemade ice cream, chocolate dipped cones and much more. We were in heaven.

The next morning, the first thing we did when we woke up in paradise was run down to the beach.  The beach is one of a kind, because of the soft sugar sand. So for the next 3 weeks it was all about relaxing, but we managed to have tons of fun. I learned to surf, we paddle-boarded with wild dolphins, swam in the ocean, played board games, found awesome treasures, hung out with friends, and most importantly, relaxed on the beach a lot. This is a pic of me surfing on a paddle board!

Did you know that three weeks in Florida can give you a nice tan?

Even after nearly a month of island living, I was still excited for school to start.  Today was a day to just drop in to see our teachers & classrooms. Visiting all of my friends was so much fun.  I can’t wait for tomorrow morning.  Ancona here we come!

More later,

Parker

Tags: Beach, End of Summer, Lots of Fun, Travel
Posted in Beach Blasts, Family Fun, School Side, Story Scenes, Travel Tales | 1 Comment »

London Day 5: Taekwondo and a walk around London

Hi! So today was my final full day in London. We went to Taekwondo with Tom’s sister, Miranda. After talking to Greeny, we discovered she is our 2nd cousin. In the early morning we took the bus and the train to arrive at the stadium. I actually took a picture of my Lego Me on the Tube.

When we arrived at the stadium, we had to walk a long way to the Taekwondo arena and we had to clear security. When we went through the beeper, I got beeped! I looked in my pockets and found out that my metal card holder set off the alarm. My “lost” card has my grandma’s address and phone number on it so if I was lost I could find home. Well, I walked through the beeper again and didn’t get beeped.

Well, after that drama we walked through the entrance and took a picture of all of us!

Once we found our seats, we couldn’t stop watching! It was so awesome! It was really fun for my brother because he does Taekwondo. He is a high brown belt. This is a picture of the professionals sparring.

After the TKD, we went on a cable car across the river Thames. It was amazing! We were almost 300 feet in the air! You could see everything. After the ride all of us walked to the O2 center, also where the basketball is playing. You had to go thru security again. I was determined not to get beeped! Well, I didn’t. I was happy.

Then we went to lunch at a nice place where they have chicken burgers. It was a good meal! We stopped at the London 2012 shop to buy things for certain people, like our parents. Hint, Hint! We caught a bus to the waterfront and caught a boat to Big Ben. This is Miranda and I on the waterfront.

The boat was so cool. There were 2 floors! On the boat, I spotted another set of Olympic Rings! Yes, I took a picture, of course.

You also get a great view of Big Ben! On the boat ride, I realized how beautiful the city of London really is. I just love London.

Well, goodnight,
Parker

Tags: 2012, Boat ride, City, London, Taekwondo, Vacation
Posted in Family Fun, London Legacies, Random Thoughts, Story Scenes, Travel Tales | 2 Comments »

London Day 4: Synchronized Swimming

Hi! So today was an awesome day. In the morning, we relaxed then went to a cool playground in the woods. In the back of the playground, there is a ZIPLINE! It is so awesome! We rode it a couple of times then enjoyed the rest of the park. We found an old tree stump and thought we would take a picture next to it.

Also, I put my Lego Me on top of it and took a pic. This is what it looked like. This photo is one of my favorites!

After the pictures, we headed back home to have lunch and prepare for our big trip to the Olympic Park. We took a double decker bus and the overground. As we headed in to the Olympic Park, I looked at all of the sights and the beautiful views. As we got towards the Aquatics Centre, I noticed another set of Olympic Rings! I just HAD to take a picture.

I was happy I found them because I did not want only one picture in my Olympic Rings Picture Collection. That would be just sad, don’t you think? We walked up the stairs and I saw that Aquatics Centre sign. Of course I took a photo!

As you can tell, I am the Cameraman in almost all of the Olympic photos. It is a fun job. When we went into the Swimming pool, the Synchronized Swimming was starting! I looked around in awe. The pool was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! It could fit probably 10,000 people. As we got to our seats, I started to watch. It was actually much cooler than I thought it would be.

After we watched the medal ceremony, we ate dinner at McDonald’s. I love UK McDonald’s because it actually taste like chicken! We finished and walked to the train. We rode on one that was going like 160 MPH. It was amazing. The train cars were nice too.

When we exited the train I spotted ANOTHER set of the Olympic Rings! This is my lucky day! So I took a picture. I don’t know why I wouldn’t.

Sorry I published my post so late, we had so much to do! What did you do today?
Good Night,
Parker

Tags: 2012, Day 4, London, Olympics, UK
Posted in Family Fun, London Legacies, Loving Lego, Story Scenes | 2 Comments »