My grandparents, Helen and Midge Tucker, met and married in Parker, Arizona. My grandfather spent his career working at Parker Dam. My mother grew up in the community called Parker Dam, where housing was provided for the families of the men who worked at the Dam. Parker Dam was 16 miles from the town of Parker and included a general store and elementary school along with about 50 houses. When my brother and I were growing up, my mom took us to Parker Dam every other summer to spend a month with my grandparents. Shawn and I loved playing in this small community and helping my grandmother with her Avon deliveries.

By the time I was in middle school, my grandfather had retired and my grandparents moved into the town of Parker. Their house was across the street from the Olympic size community pool and the town library. The summer I turned 12, I read the library’s entire collection of Nancy Drew books and took water ballet lessons at the pool. Once I was in high school, college, and graduate school, I went to Parker every summer with my mom. And the last trip was in my 30’s for my grandmother’s funeral. Parker is only 1 square mile in size, surrounded by Indian reservation with about 3000 residents today. Needless to say, I have more than 20 years of fond memories of time spent in Parker with my grandparents and my great-grandmother. So this is why our new baby brother’s name is going to be “Parker.” I look forward to a day when I can take Tucker and Parker to this special place where the Tuckers lived.

Recent visit to the Houston Children's Museum

Tucker just finished his first year of Pre-K and starts summer camp next week with his same teachers and many of the same 2 year old classmates. He is still talking everyday about flying airplanes after our 2 trips in March & April. Tucker repeats new words and sentences every day and continues to surprise me with the concepts that he knows. We are looking forward to the new baby coming in just about a month!

Happy Memorial Weekend from the Flowers.