The Macks

Air France

2011-09-22T23:18:00.001-06:00

I love this video... Watch it on the big screen!

Air France - L'Envol from Air France on Vimeo.

Ice CREAM? For cryin' out loud!

2011-08-25T10:18:00.002-06:00

Ice Cream?

For cryin' out loud that is the last thing I wrote about! What was I thinking! Obviously I was pregnant or nursing or something and my mind was consumed with extra calories (which I'm totally payin' for now!) Just started working out... again. Trying to lose the pudge that won't budge from my middle. Besides, my hubby is gone out of town all week (more on this later) and has finally gotten into a routine of working out. Bonus... he gets free tanning at his gym! "Memories on the corner of my mind" of a tan, skinny, tall man who rocked my world when I came face to face in the airport called Dallas "LOVE" Field! Anyway, total tangent.

Back to ice cream! Is there any way to make me feel better about posting about ice cream?

I say YES!

Here goes my explanation... what does ice cream do? It tastes yummy, arouses the taste buds, gives you brain freezes (hey, I want my brain to stay the same-- freeze time, right?), attacks your middle, makes you want to get active more (sometimes), so gets you outdoors and in the gym -- all good right? Ok so not the best support-- this is it though. Well most of the time I only buy ice cream when there are a lot of people to eat it-- so my family eating it for family night, sunday dinner with friends, cousins getting together, parties, dinner events, Young Men and Young Women activities, Primary Activity Days, Family Reunions, more parties!!! It brings people together! It gathers the masses and creates a time of togetherness. How can that be bad? I love to gather people together and if that means I write a post about ice cream than so be it. I'm letting go of the guilt! Done!

So I was thinking this morning as I was driving kids to piano-- yes before school! Call me crazy, it won't be the first time! Anyway, I was thinking why I started a blog. My thoughts were drawn to many conversations with my mother. I would ask her about how it was with 11 kids, actual labor, having babies, how she handled certain situations, how hard it was going through dental school (and ortho school), about being a Relief Society President, about being a bishop's wife and stake president's wife (forever!), about adopting 2 of her sister's kids, about relationships with friends, about LIFE! Half the time she would say that "we just didn't know any better-- we just dealt with it" or "oh, it was all good" and "we just didn't worry about it." It seemed that life for my mom was very easy with no worries. I was shocked and felt so worried that I wasn't handling things right or wasn't good at being a mother and wife. Then I had a realization. Not that I didn't trust my mom's answer, I just didn't trust her memory! My mother was never a journal writer. Many times I would tell her of a family memory and she would proclaim that she didn't remember it and then ask me if I had written it down. And if I can forget from one baby to the next how much I hate the final phase of labor (before my pushing part) then I'm sure that my mother could forget a lot of other things. Hence, why I decided to write a blog...

TO REMEMBER!

So now that I am actually waaay behind on those things "TO REMEMBER" I will start again.

(ps. just in case I don't keep my promise... my daughter had surgery it went well, we found out we were pregnant, we went to disneyland, my parents are temple presidents, we had a baby, we are going back to school, McKenna got baptized, life is good-- pique your interest?)

Good things come to those who wait

2011-03-17T13:53:00.000-06:00

Somehow this ended up in my freezer...

I think it was after I dashed to the store and bought it!

We enjoyed this...

and this.

And can't wait for more yumminess to come our way!

Thanks to a friend who spotted this truck for me and texted it to me. I'm sure if I saw it driving beside me I would of honked, waved, even gotten out of the car to hug the driver!

For the love of ice cream... or maybe just TEXAS ICE CREAM!

Out of the mouths of babes

2011-03-17T12:53:00.000-06:00

{Kendra in her "girlie" scarf I made her for Christmas}

Sweet Kendra was in my closet while I was getting ready this morning and she said, "Mommy, when I grow up, can I be a mommy..." and there was a slight pause so I was about to answer her "YES". But then she said "... and wear high heels?"

Have I taught her nothing about motherhood? That it is not all high heels and roses! {Is that the right phrase?} Maybe I have painted motherhood as being glamorous with all my high heel wearing. I guess I need to wear more flats and tennis shoes so she realizes that there is more to motherhood than high heels.

There is dirty diapers, spit up, crying, messy rooms, dishes, laundry, more crying...

and for me, some serious high heel wearing!

{some of my favorite heels in my collection}

ODE to JOY!!

2011-03-09T16:39:00.006-07:00

Wonderful News!

Blue Bell ice cream is finally coming to COLORADO!

I had the radio on quietly this morning while taking kids to school and a radio commercial came on...

"Do you love Blue Bell Ice cream?"

My ears perked up and I turned up the radio. I almost swerved off the road when it said the luscious ice cream was coming to Colorado on March 14th!!! This is a Texas favorite... one that we would pick up on our way back from Texas at the last possible place... stocking up on it in coolers with dry ice... only for it to be gone in a week.

That was my only perk when Kendra was in the hospital when she was first born-- they sold Blue Bell ice cream at Russell Stover chocolate store. I would get it on my way home from the hospital. I am elated that I don't have to have a kid in the hospital to get my fix now!

So if you get invited to a party soon, it will probably be a celebration with Blue Bell Ice Cream

{ps If you don't believe me go here!}

Beware of the post...

2011-03-03T16:18:00.003-07:00

Beware of the post...

It is long!

Oh, what do you do if you're a Mack...

2011-03-03T15:57:00.003-07:00

You get tickets for treats!

(April 2010)

You shoot guns in AZ! Even fake ones.

(Arizona trip, April 2010)

You look goofy in ear muffs!

You aim real good!

You learn you still hate guns!

You run in a race...
(HEX May, 2010)

and get real tired!

You get cheered on by your cousin!

You tug with your classmates!

You get cold in the wind!

You teach a class...

on this subject.
(April 2010)

You pretend you're an expert... but you're not!

You accessorize the room!

You go see the dentist!

(May 2010)

You find a new dentist!

You make boats out of household objects...
(May 2010)

the boat sinks... you work on other skills!

You sing in a choir...

and have lots of fun!
(May 2010)

You sing a solo!

You boogie with your buddies!

You brush up on your skills at BYU Father/Sons sports camp!
(May 2010)

You get "Fredette" on your jersey!

You become buddies with Fredette...

and Coach Rose (Bayley is popular)!

You sit in an apostle's chair (Delbert L. Stapley's)
You visit the old Tabernacle.

You sit in church.
(June 2010)

You be weally, weally reverent!

You pretend you like your doctor.
(June 2010, CATH procedure)

You golf at the luxurious Sanctuary with your brother-in-law thanks to connections with one of your patients.
(June 2010)

You play in a piano recital with your brother and sisters.
(June 2010)

You donate blood for your daughter and get an ugly t-shirt.
(June 2010)

You go to a wedding...
(July 2010, Levi & Sarah Mack)

and meet a beautiful bride!

You have fun with family.

You get angry with the photographer!

You look dashing with your brothers!

You meet a friend with a heart like yours!
(priceless... he picked her out of the crowd thinking that she needed oxygen!)

You say goodbye to purple lips and go in for heart surgery #3.
(July 7, 2010)

You come home from the hospital... happy as a clam!
(July 18, 2010)
(more on this stuff in a separate post)

You go to scout camp!
(July 2010)

You try to announce to everyone that we're having a baby...
(July 2010)

a boy!

You go to your first day of school!
(August 2010)

You have fun playing in the yard!
(August 2010)

You show off your recent battle scars...

and your new zest for life!

You have fun teasing a brother.

You hate being teased!

You sit back and enjoy the view!

You show some love to a sister!

You play catch with an odd "ball"!

You wait in anticipation.

You enjoy the beauty of nature!

You visit close friends in Texas... and fit in some golf, too!
(August 2010)

You paint some furniture...
(August 2010)

lots of furniture!

You get scary facials!
(August 2010)

You move a 600 pound I-beam.
(September 2010)

You enlist 20 friends to move it...

all with muscle!

You go to your first day of Preschool.
(September 2010)

You build a floor in your basement.
(September 2010)

You get sticky...

learning to do peaches.
(September 2010)

You realize you are now thankful your parents taught you how to do this when you were young!

Your kids reap the rewards of their labor!

You do peaches again...

only this time you can them!
(September 2010)

You love your creation! You drop six jars and cry like a baby. Your teenage son comforts you!

You travel to Florida for what else...

the BYU game!
They lost... bad weekend!

(September 2010)

You do temple baptisms with your cousins!
(September 2010)

You love your mother...

and your grandma!

You wish your parents could visit more!

You appreciate your parents example!

You sit and wait for others to come out of the temple... and enjoy the view while you're at it!

You try to act cool!

You enjoy time together...

and look beautiful doing it.

You search for grapes from your yard with your grandpa!
(September 2010)

You pretend to not like it, but you do!

You interview your grandpa for a school project.

You love on your little cousin!

You can grape juice...

from lots of grapes!
(September 2010)

You get tired of grapes!

You have a party...

a fabulous "girlie" party!
(October 2010, Kendra's 4th Birthday)

You drink pink lemonade...

with colored sugar too!

You eat dainty sandwiches and luscious berries!

You laugh with your cousin...

and cry if you want to!

You celebrate with cake...

and eat it too!

You go to the dentist...to get stitches!
(October 2010, Collin's hand)

You get a beautiful baby grand for your anniversary! You love your hubby!
(October 2010)

You got to Disneyland for fall break! You have a blast!
(October 2010)
(more on this later)

You let your nephew borrow your Miss Scarlet costume!
(October 2010)

You dress up... and look fabulous...

and get a little crazy!

You roast marshmallows...

and burn them!

You enjoy the simple things in life!
(October 2010)

You realize it is halloween... hence the mustache!

You keep cooking marshmallows...

and burn some more!

You have fun with capes...

and cousins...

and learn how to fly with them...

and then try it without them!

You get staticky!

You let your nieces be silly with capes!

Again...

and again...

and again!
You notice the lone arm and eye at the bottom of the picture! You have a good chuckle!

You go to the BYU games with friends and see your cousin play.
(November 2010)

You ski, ski, ski!
(November 2010)

You get fat...on purpose!
(December 2010, 8 months pregnant)

You decorate for Christmas.

(December 2010)

You realize you didn't take these pictures...

your kids did!

You do the nativity with your cousins.
(December 2010)

You look like a true star!

You let the sheep accompany you while singing a christmas carol.

You let a donkey into your family room.

You indulge in the luxuries of this day and age.... mmm bottles!

You listen to your cousins sing beautifully!

You decorate your gingerbread house!
(December 2010)

You serve yummy food...

for a party!
(December 2010)

You visit the nursing home...

and watch with the old people!
(December 2010)

You play a christmas carol...

and sing beautiful songs.

You play a duet with your Aunt...

and sing some more!

You hide from Saunta Clause.
(December 2010)

You eat... before opening presents!

You love your gifts!

You are surprised with a dirt bike!

You have contractions and go into labor...two weeks early!
(December 30, 2010)

Remnants of Valentines

2011-02-15T12:50:00.001-07:00

I was quite surprised when Eric walked in from Bayley's basketball practice with one of these for each of our girls (including myself). It was quite sweet and the girls loved the attention from the first "MAN IN THEIR LIFE". I put mine in my bathroom to enjoy while I do my morning routine.

Each of the girls put their rose in their room or bathroom to admire. They were all giddy to each have their own rose.

Our annual tradition of a picnic with the family is one we look forward to every year since we lived in Houston. The only problem is we have lived in very cold places since Houston and picnics don't always work out. This year I opted to eat in the dining room since the kids never get to eat at the "big kids" table (and we were eating soup-- hard to eat on the floor). Excuse the messy dining room and lack of festive decorations-- I was lucky just to get dinner on that night!

We enjoyed fresh butternut squash soup with a dollop of cream hearts, ham, havarti & spinach panini sandwiches with fresh strawberries & nutella (not pictured). It was very delicious.

But now I've gotta think of what we can do different than a Valentine's picnic next year. Any ideas? What does your family do for Valentine's day?

For the love of Chocolate

2011-02-14T22:20:00.005-07:00

Happy Valentines are in order! Can you believe it is February? I'm shocked it is halfway over, but I guess I've been a little on the non-existant side for a few months. I think being pregnant & having a baby has clouded my mind, but it is a good cloud! And yes, I was pregnant and had a baby. I will play catch up in a few days. I do love February though-- it means that tulips are coming around. It makes me smile every time I come into the kitchen to see these soft pink ones.

Anyway, Valentines Day is here. This morning I had good intentions of having a valentines breakfast. So I decided to make my Belgian waffles with buttermilk syrup. I tried getting all fancy by piping a red heart in each waffle (made with colored batter). Can you tell that is a heart? I guess it would have worked better with pancakes, but I love waffles more than pancakes (yes, they are different). The buttermilk syrup made it all better for me, but not my kids-- they missed having their usual waffles with ice cream. I was trying to go a little more on the healthy side with buttermilk syrup!!

And then it was valentine's boxes, candy and parties for the day. I love that my kids get enough candy to share with me. Kendra came home from preschool and looked through her candy to find the sugary candy and some chocolate (nummy Rolos). She took one look at the chocolate, put it all in a pile and said, "Mommy, you can have these!" What is it about kids and sugary treats as opposed to chocolate? Do your kids pick out the suckers, gum and the like and ditch the chocolate? I was elated, but I knew I shouldn't be for the sake of my breastfeeding baby and my extra chubbiness that I'm trying to shed. Shortly after, my teenager walks in from school and I proceeded to tell him to get a snack. His comment on his way to the kitchen, "I'll take the waffles...DUDE ROLOs!" (all in one breath) And quickly put them in his mouth. I guess my chubbiness has been spared extra poundage by my son! I'm happy, yet sad... for the love of chocolate!

Because of being behind in the times, I realized I didn't have any valentine decor this year. So to kill two birds with one stone, we had a family home evening lesson on this Mormon Message...

We talked about the happiness that everyone showed in the video through their smiles and laughter. We talked about showing greater love towards others, especially our family. And we talked about looking to the ultimate example of love... The Savior. Afterwards we each cut out paper hearts, decorated them and wrote something we love about each of our family members.

Mallory wrote poems, Kendra drew pictures and others wrote things everyone was good at. We then posted them all over the kitchen and read each and every one. It was so nice to hear what each kid had to say about their brothers and sisters. We loved it!

Kendra asks me everyday "What does my hearts say?" She loved hearing all the "loves" for her! So did everyone else! My favorite was from my sweet hubby...

It is true-- this new baby does make me smile. I love that my husband notices it. After I read this, I realized that I love being a mother and I love my kids-- no matter how "kid-like" they can be, no matter how many times I have to tell them to do something and no matter how tired I get from picking up their things. No matter that this family home evening lesson will have to be repeated again in a few months... to help us remember to love others!

Happy LOVE day!

I'm Alive!

2011-02-10T14:23:00.005-07:00

Life standing still? Not a chance! Have I been standing still-- not even! I may have seemed non-existant for awhile, but I'm alive!

With that phrase, it makes me think of a song-- as always! A favorite from a cheesy movie of my childhood. My hubs will be shocked that I am putting this movie on our family blog because he thinks it is one of the stupidest movies... EVER! But I loved it for the music. If you've never seen it, rent it for some laughs. If you just need a good pick me up, borrow the music from me.

ZANADU

gotta love it!

Flowers, Chocolates... Promises You Don't Intend to Keep!

2010-09-11T02:32:00.000-06:00

It is this last phrase that I need to refer to. By the way, the movie? Name it! No big hints for you though... a disney great, singing, a girl and a beast.. I mean, boy/prince! Ahhh, stink! I think it is late... again and I just gave away the secret to the phrase.

Anyway, time has long since gone since that night of... weakness, sadness, reality. loneliness, whatever you want to call it. I apologize for the absence. Right now I am talking to myself because you as the reader I'm sure could care less if I write or not... but I care. I have missed a bunch. It is funny how I say that I am talking to myself. It is late... again--2:00 to be exact. I went through a tired phase, then morphed through it and decided to post a quick little jig... I mean tidbit.

You may think that I talk to myself only late at night. Actually right now I am writing to myself, so talking in my head to myself. (I'm getting very confused) My point is... I talk to myself a lot. Ask my kids. I think I learned this from my Mother-- she talked to herself a lot, too. Is this really something you can learn from someone else or is it just in your character? Why, you may ask do I participate in this crazy endeavor? It gives me clarity, understanding, helps me solidify my thoughts and what I'm going to say. I have very interesting conversations with myself... if I do say so myself. (Hey it's late, I can get cocky!) I don't feel like I speak eloquently with real people, so maybe I am subconsciously making up for my lack of beautiful conversations.

So tangent aside- "Promises you don't intend to keep". I think I promised myself that I would write on this blog more frequently and not fall behind in my inclusion of fabulous Mack experiences. Like I said "Promises you don't intend to keep." Well, I am going to try again.

Much has transpired since my last post-- I was consumed then. I am consumed now because the consuming of my life then took over and therefore has pushed my other life responsibilities to now. I AM IN OVERLOAD!

I figured it out though today... we do everything ourselves. If a room needs painted, we paint it. If a basement needs finished, we finish it. If a house needs cleaning, we clean it. If a lawn needs mowed, we mow it. If a fan needs installing, we install it. Most normal people hire a contractor to finish their basement. Lots of women nowadays (is that a word?) have someone come and clean their home. People have lawn care crews weedeat and mow. No, not us! We like to do it all ourselves! Which takes away our time from other realities... like playing with kids, attending sporting events, church callings, making dinner, etc. I guess what I'm saying right now is... we are in a circus... we are juggling... and life is overwhelmingly busy with the things we "could" pay someone to do. But we save our pennies, spend our time and our sanity getting it done.

Now I am not saying that everyone else is not busy and that "hiring out" these jobs is bad. It is just taking up my mind space and my time. Golly gee-- I must be nuts! I am sure that if we weren't doing those things and paying someone to do them that we would fill our time up with other activities and necessities and feel overwhelmed with those. Vicious, vicious cycle!

Oh, wo is me!

But I promise.. I will survive and post, post, post all that has happened this wonderful summer.

(After we finish the basement, paint the rooms, mow the lawn and clean house... etc.)

"Promises you don't intend to keep..."

The Past

2010-05-30T22:18:00.001-06:00

I am up late-- alone. My hubby is gone with our two sons to BYU for their annual father son sports camp. I am excited that they have this time together. I am excited for my time with my girls.

I know I'm tired, but I just happened to need to look up something on a website before bed. It was a mistake. I should learn. I found a blog-- read something and moved onto another blog. A blog that hurts my heart! It actually is a blog I have read before, but needed reminding. It is a blog of a family who lost their sweet little girl, Gracie, from a congenital heart defect. If you want to cry like a baby, go here.

In the middle of my cry, I heard another cry.. my name. Kendra is calling me from the top of the stairs because she needs her sippy cup filled. She is almost 4 years old yet she is still so thirsty like when she was on diuretics. I knew after tucking her in to sleep that I needed to write about her.

I am crying, yet I keep reading. My hubby would be upset with me for reading this blog. Maybe you wouldn't cry like I am because it doesn't hit so close to home. It brings back vivid memories of life when Kendra was first born, of the struggles she went through, of the fear and pain I felt to watch her struggle. It also brings vivid thoughts to mind of... what if.

I remember vividly right before Kendra was delivered. Our delivery room was swarming with medical people waiting for her to be born. I looked up crying at my sweet hubby and said "I am afraid for her." He said it would be ok. And then this scripture came to mind. I always cling to the scripture in 2nd Timothy 17 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It has always given me comfort. I have felt great power from God to know how to help Kendra and how to make it through the struggles. Sometimes it is hard to love her when she is so stubborn and needy, but I realize now that she could be a lot worse off. I feel blessed.

I have realized through reading this other blog that I have a sweet daughter that has beat the odds, that is "thriving" compared to some of these kids, that has come so far. I say thriving very loosely... she thrives compared to a lot of heart patients. She can walk up and down stairs... you can hear her coming with every labored breath. She gets tired walking longer distances... like from the car to the store, so she is carried. Her oxygen saturation levels are in the high 60's sometimes and mostly in the mid 70's... a level that keeps asthma patients in the hospital without release until they are in the 90's. It is her norm. Her fingers and toes are enlarged... the blood vessels have naturally increased in size to increase the surface area of oxygenated blood to those extremities.

I realized that I have written about my sweet Kendra's ordeal in my journal... for my eyes only. Yet some people do not know what she has been through or seen the horrific pictures we have. They have never left my minds eye.

I think it is just my time to cry or maybe I am trying to cope with the reality that Kendra's next surgery is drawing very close and I have taken for granted the fact that she is "okay". As okay as a little heart girl gets.

She is okay even when people think she is soo cold because her lips are completely purplish black. She is okay even when an off duty paramedic is in a panic because he thinks she is dying/can't breathe/has too low body temperature because she is so dusky. She is okay even when all the elementary school kids ask "why does she look so weird" or "why are her fingertips so fat" or "she is so cute... ya except that weird purple stuff." She is okay even when every well intentioned stranger asks "Did you get into your mommy's lipstick" or "have you been eating a blue lollipop?"

After 4 healthy kids and one miscarriage right before Kendra, we knew something was coming... life was too easy. We found out that our next baby girl had what is called DORV, double outlet right ventricle-- meaning that both of the outlets-- the Aorta and Pulmonary artery come out of the same chamber and do not cross each other like normal. She does not have a septum which divides the four chambers. So essentially she has 2 chambers with one common valve. She also has Situs Inversus which is the flipping of all the organs-- they are all mirror image. This made the doctors think she had some chromosomal defect. She was tested and doesn't. From 23 weeks we have been prepared for the worst and feel so blessed to have made it this far with her.

Kendra was born September 29, 2006-- at 38 weeks. She was purposefully brought early so I wouldn't have her on my own. Ten days later she had her first and worst surgery... the first in the series of 3. !WARNING! These pictures are not for the faint of heart.

This is a day later-- she actually looks more cleaned up here. She had a blue tinge when I first saw her and she was a lot more swollen. When I first saw her I couldn't come close to her.. she was hard to look at. This first surgery they sew the Aorta and Pulmonary artery together to make one large aorta. Then they sew the pulmonary artery to the lungs. It is all about re-routing blood... not fixing the interior of the heart.

Way too many monitors, tubes, wires, and lines all in one little baby. It was overwhelming to look at.

Because of the length of the surgery (I can't remember if it was 9 or 13 hours.. its in my journal) the heart swells. Therefore, they cannot shut her chest. This is a gortex piece laying over her open chest-- you could see her heart beating under this piece. She is being given a heavy paralytic since movement would cause severe damage to her heart. Small pacemaker wires (blue wires) are directly connected to her heart... just in case she needed a jump start. The red-ish tubes are drainage tubes from the heart and chest cavity. She had a lot more in her lower chest.

Three days later her chest was ready to close-- her lucky day was Friday the 13th. She is still paralyzed so she wouldn't move. A couple times she was breathing over the vent so they had to increase her paralytic. When they say staples-- they mean staples. Not a pretty sight.

Vent was removed-- not a happy camper though. Her cry was a faint rasp due to the irritation of the vent being in for over a week. It was hard not to cry when she did-- she could barely be heard. She finally came home from the hospital on November 10th, 2006. She was in the hospital a month and half.

Second surgery was 3 months later in February of '07. This one was a little easier. In this surgery they disconnect the Superior Vena Cava and connect it to the pulmonary artery which is already connected to the lungs. This made all the blood from the upper body go straight to the lungs. There was so much pressure from this new change that it caused severe headaches and she had to sleep propped up for a few days after returning home.

The vent was removed quicker this time and she was "tented" with oxygen. She was not a happy camper again.

She came home 6 days later with a new toy-- oxygen and a lot of tubing. It took a lot of getting used to. She has been through physical therapy, Synegis shots (RSV shots) for 2 years which was the cost of a small car, oxygen for 6 months, laser treatments for her birthmark, daily meds (the most being 6 different ones a day) and lots of CATH procedures.

And now in a month we are going to do it all over again. Her third and final surgery (cross our fingers) is in July. They will go in and disconnect the inferior vena cava and connect it to the pulmonary artery which goes straight to the lungs. The final connection makes a "+" sign from the Superior, pulmonary arteries and inferior vena cava. So all her blue blood will bypass the heart and go straight to the lungs out to the body. It will help her heart work a little less.

We are hopeful that this will buy her a few more years. A heart transplant is most likely years down the road since her heart will tire out sooner than our own. But there is never a guarantee. Some of you may think I am totally being negative, but I feel like being in tune with reality makes time she has with us a better gift. I guess if I think the worst, I will never be disappointed. (But secretly, I am always prayerful.)

I'm not looking forward to her next surgery. There is always that fear in the back of my mind. We feel now that we have gotten used to our new "normal" that life has been easy. What is coming next to shake us up?

My understanding of the gospel and the plan of salvation is my saving grace-- it makes it all okay in the end. No matter what the outcome.

At least we have been able to experience a little bit of HER!

Tired of Travel

2010-05-14T20:06:00.002-06:00

I love to travel and so does my husband. My kids love to travel, too. We do it well, at least I think so. And I have told myself that I will never tire of it. But I have to admit that after these last 3 trips I am tired of traveling. Scratch that. I think I am just tired of being gone.

When you are gone over the weekend nothing gets done around the house. Like cleaning the bathrooms, weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, playing with friends, etc. And, of course, I could do these things during the week (yes, I do mow & weedeat-- is that a word?), but the problem is that we have been leaving every weekend. We come home, do the basics and then get ready to go out of town again.

Our ward (the church we go to) thinks we are inactive. I don't blame them. Our lack of being sighted at any event is evidence of our inactivity status. But this week I am making a showing and then dashing out of town again. I am heading to LA to meet my hubby and one of his female staff members for continuing ed.

That opens a new topic... my hubby works with all women. So when he takes a trip with them for dental stuff I have get to tag along. It is a blessing and a curse. Luckily this time, I can spend my time with a good friend who recently moved from here to LA. Can't wait for that!

Anyway, I shouldn't complain-- we have had some great experiences on our travels recently. We went to good 'ole Thatcher Arizona to attend the new temple open house. It was lovely and so quaint. We were able to stay with Eric's grandmother-- a spunky woman whom we all love. And see Eric's Dad, Mom and a bunch of family. Something I just realized was that we didn't get a single pic of the temple-- the cameras were locked away in the car as we were asked to do. Bummer! But we did get some pics of us shooting guns-- yes, I shot a gun-- it hurt my shoulder. I only shot once... that was enough. I will post those later.

Then the next weekend we didn't have to be out of town, but Eric was going to be in Colorado Springs-- so we thought, "Why not, let's go down with him." It was nice to see where he works for the weekends with the Airforce Reserves once a month. I could've stayed home, but we wanted to be with him.

Then it was on to Texas for me to surprise my older sister, Tammy for her 40th. All of my sisters were able to go and surprise her, help her decorate her home and finish up some projects. Oh, and shop a little too. It was so fun for all of us. I loved it! I will post more pics of that too.

I am exhausted now and too lazy to put on cute pics right now. It will have to wait until after my next trip this weekend.

Soon our lives will be back to normal, right? We all know that is a lie!

Yummy food!

2010-04-20T22:55:00.003-06:00

I started thinking the other day about how much I talk about liking to cook and yummy food. Well my brother (Love ya, Todd) emailed me after he browsed through our family cookbook. He questioned if I really made all the lengthy recipes that I submitted. I do... just not all the time. In my search for good recipes I have found some that I love. So since my family doesn't live with me to see my cooking... here is proof that I make some of my labor intensive recipes. This is a new one...

Filet of Beef Piled High With Sauteed Mushrooms and Fried Leeks

The mushrooms don't actually go on the mashed potatoes, but Eric wanted an extra helping of the mushrooms. I also wish that I had thought about taking a picture before I put the food on a totally distracting plate. Oh well, you get the picture... good food!

P.S. This is not our healthiest of meals... we don't always eat like this... only when we want something absolutely delicious!

Blood

2010-04-20T22:46:00.000-06:00

So somehow two of my kids got bloody noses at the same time. Kendra was one of them. I told you here that she bleeds dark. Look at these two kleenexes.

It may not seem that different to you, but when you first see her bleed it is scary... and almost black! By the way, her kleenex is the top one. Oh and if you are wondering why we are comparing kleenexes on a blog... it is just because!

Experiments

2010-04-20T22:39:00.000-06:00

We got eggs on the brain from Easter and somehow my hubby thought of experiments with eggs. Well we only performed one of them....

Vinegar & an Egg

We left it in there so long it became absolutely clear. The boys wanted to squish it... so we did. Good times!

It is not about candy!

2010-04-20T22:33:00.000-06:00

Easter is not about candy! Period. Yet the Easter bunny still comes. I think I am going to boycott next year since I have kids who do this...

They get mad because they don't have as much candy as everyone else!

They check other kids baskets to make sure they don't have more candy than they do!

Then they all smile after mom threatens to take away all their candy for being ungrateful!

Easter is not about CANDY!

Easy on the Eggs!

2010-04-20T22:25:00.002-06:00

How come I am the last to know about food coloring to dye eggs? Everyone must know about this except me because I don't ever hear or see anyone gettin' all frazzled about going to the store and getting those egg dyeing kits--- like I did every year. Leave it to Martha to enlighten me (Martha Stewart for those of you non-crafters, non over-top-make-you-want-to-throw-up-because-she-is-so-over-the-top-woman kind of women). She did include... in this easter egg decorating ideas spread... all natural ways to dye eggs and a few other

in-depth ways to decorate. Yet she then included the easiest of all easy ways... food coloring! I was under the impression that you had to have that little colored tablet... you know the ones that look like those plaque disclosing tablets that makes all your teeth pink if you don't brush good enough? I'm not even sure if they give those away anymore at the dentist... and my husbands a dentist! (Tangent, I know) So from now on, it is food coloring all the way. I do have to say that I missed the fizzing of the little tablet once the vinegar was added. But convenience is key sometimes!

Isn't it interesting the difference of Kendra's fingers and Mallory's fingers. I have decided I need to post about that so that others can understand... and so it can be documented.

Sick

2010-03-26T22:39:00.004-06:00

Usually I would say that being sick is the worst... well it is! Especially strep throat. I felt it coming on late Saturday night and spent the day at home Sunday totally uncomfortable with a severe head rush headache, swallowing nails, aches and chills. I was miserable. So since it hurt my head to move around and hurt to eat I just sat in the family room snuggled under a blanket. (by the way... 3 other kids got sick the rest of the week!)

I decided since it was Sunday that I would listen to church music. I turned on my tv and my apple tv.

I LOVE APPLE TV!

It basically connects my computer to my tv-- I can watch my movies that I buy from itunes, listen to my songs from my computer, watch a slideshow of all my pictures stored on my tv, etc. It is great! So I was listening to all of my sacred music on my apple tv and then my picture library started.

I sat and watched pictures of people I loved, places we have been, beautiful creations in the world and priceless experiences... all to beautiful music. I was mesmerized!

And for a moment...it was worth it to be sick!

You Can Do Hard Things

2010-03-26T22:00:00.000-06:00

At the end of February I was able to attend our Stake Conference where a new Stake Relief Society president was put in. She gave a talk where she referenced a girl who was struggling with some things that were really hard. The girl complained to her teacher how things were hard. Her teacher then replied... "Yes, it is hard, but YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!"

This struck a chord with me. I realized that a lot of times in my life I hear myself saying "This is hard". Most of the time I hear my kids say "This is too hard." I knew right then and there that my kids needed to learn this lesson... and I did too.

Luckily Family Home Evening was the next night so I could remember my thoughts during Stake Conference. I work well with object lessons so I asked the kids to lift our family room chair at the start of the lesson. What was their response... "It is too hard!" They tried... each one lifting with their might... each older child being able to barely move it a little more than the younger. Then came Dad's turn. Here he is showing us how it is done.

I told the kids that Dad couldn't lift that on his first try when he was young. He has developed muscle and learned how to grasp it and balance it above his head. It was hard at first, but in the end he could do it... because HE CAN DO HARD THINGS!

I proceeded to explain how some things may seem impossible to do in this life and they may seem too hard. But I told them they can do hard things.. they just have to keep trying, learning, developing and relying on Heavenly Father to help them. Will they be able to lift the chair tomorrow... no, but one day they will!

Twinners!

2010-03-26T21:42:00.000-06:00

Fashion sisters on the same wavelength? Or just a girl who thinks her beautiful friend put together a classic outfit that she needed to copy?

Well it would be the last one! My dear friend Brecken is the creator of this outfit! What are the odds that she would show up to Collin's baptism in the same outfit as me? Well I guess it is very likely if it is easy to put together and ironed already! Luckily our friend Erin didn't show up too.. she has these same pieces too.

Collin

2010-03-19T13:56:00.000-06:00

So I forgot the post for Collin that said...

8 Things I Love About Collin!

1. Collin is very witty!

2. He is so smart... he just gets things that an 8 year old shouldn't get!

3. Collin is a good friend.

4. Collin loves to pull a Bryan Reagan by calling everyone dude! (because he doesn't know their name)

5. He is not a complainer.

6. He loves to try new food--- his favorite is Sushi!

7.Collin is a looker-- I am gettin' nervous for when he gets older!

8. Collin is independent and is not afraid to do things on his own.

Loves to you, Collin!

Mallory is 10!

2010-03-19T13:44:00.001-06:00

My Mal Gal is now 10!

She celebrated with 6 friends and painted pottery, ate dinner and played at the park.

Ten Things I Love About Mallory

1. She is so sentimental...everything is special!

2. She is sensitive to other's needs!

3. She is still a little girl and naive.

4. She has the most beautiful BIG blue eyes.

5. She is always helpful!

6. She is very obedient!

7. She is a great big sister!

8. She is very creative and artistic.

9. She always tries her very best at whatever she does.

10. She has a great love for her Daddy-- they are close!

Two days later she celebrated with her favorite cousin, Kennedy...

by getting her ears pierced! She was so surprised when we told her!

This is her laughing and almost giggly crying at the same time-- right after they shot her with the earrings! My mother will be surprised that I caved so early! I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 19!

It was a fun time!

Yowza!

2010-03-19T13:30:00.000-06:00

Can you say OUCH!

One split lip, 2 loose teeth, 1 bloody nose and one cut frenum later-- she is still kickin'. Although she looks a little on the white trashy side! Poor little girl did a face plant off of a rolley desk chair. And I'm sure it was a scary sight to her Aunt Kendra who was babysitting-- when she bleeds it is dark, dark blood!

Don't worry, it is not the first time she has gotten beat up. Just look at this post.
And here is more proof...

Ultimate Yumminess!

2010-03-19T12:18:00.002-06:00

Food is a passion. And yummy food is essential to me. I have loved the fact that my hubby loves trying new places and loves exquisite food. He also loves food I don't like (try Casa Manana & Chalo's-- sorry babe!) It is a fun hobby for us... trying new great places.

It is a goal of mine to get better at making food that tempts me to overindulge-- not to the point of sickness, extra love handles or chubby cheeks (on both ends). But to the point of complete taste satisfaction. The type where you eat and don't want to put anything else your mouth for fear of losing the flavor of the delectable last bite.

I experienced this the other day. I was tempted... by C'est Chique cupcakes. They are absolutely beautiful cupcakes. Half of the pleasure of eating something so wonderful is just in the beauty of the food. I, of course, could not try all the cupcakes at once. I only ate one cupcake-- it was enough to require another trip back for that ONE cupcake. Not that I have gone back yet... I am pacing myself... I will return for this DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE.

I ate this with a fork... it was not worth wasting a single morsel by getting it on my face trying to bite into it.

P.S. My goal is to replicate this somehow. I spoke to the baker... he said their secret was extra butter, extra eggs and extra cream! Oh and by the way-- the frosting is like mousse--not buttercream!! YUMMY!

ENJOY!

Baptism...s

2010-03-19T11:13:00.000-06:00

It has been the month for baptisms here in Colorado. My poor mother and father went from house to house when all these little ones were born. Collin was born February 25th, McKayla was born February 28th, Azlyn and Sarandon were born March 20th and Cerra was born May 10th. Now they are all being baptized within one month.

We are just missing one... baby Cerra... or I guess she is not a baby anymore. She will be eight soon like the rest of these cute kids! Collin's baptism was wonderful. Lots of family and friends that packed the room. He also had the opportunity to be baptized with a girl in our ward who's family has just become active again. There was a choice spirit there at the meeting.

I was so afraid one of the kids would fall in. There wasn't a glass wall there to prevent this. Luckily we all have good balance and stayed dry.

I think he looks cute... all wet!

A great treat was to have Collin's great grandma Mack there. We loved having her come.

Harley Man

2010-03-19T10:41:00.000-06:00

I guess it could be worse... Marlboro Man? Thankfully, it is not that. I never thought that Eric would own a motorcycle again. He once owned a Honda Shadow to ride to school to keep our parking and commute expenses down. Well hard times bring on hard choices. One of our patients couldn't sell his Harley to pay for dental work. So guess who got the Harley? Eric wasn't crying too hard about it... it is a nice one and has been kept in pristine condition. So I introduce to you, my Harley Man. Doesn't he look it? In his slacks and dress shirt?

A Well-Dressed Home Book Signing

2010-03-11T14:18:00.006-07:00

Sweet Heather Gibb sent me all kinds of pictures and collages of the party. It was such a success and it all turned out great! I am excited to keep exploring doing food for parties. It is something I love, but I worry that it will be slightly different since I am so used to doing my own parties with my own vision and expectations. We will see how it goes. In the meantime, enjoy some beautiful pics.

Parties are over!

2010-02-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

So the parties have ended. I am sad to see something so fun end, but not sad about the hustle and bustle being over with. (sigh)

I do not have any pics to post from last nights book signing-- I was a little busy. Hopefully I will get some soon from Heather, the photographer for the evening. We had a great turnout-- my last count was 70 women! All wonderful women enjoying talking to Annette Tatum (designer and writer of this book The Well-Dressed Home), looking at Leslie Lewis' jewelry (sold here), enjoying photography by Heather Gibb (here), talking and looking at products from my dear friend and my esthetician, Shauna Gillespie from La Creme (email her), looking at fun house stuff from Old Glory Antiques (here) and then eating my food. No I don't have a blog yet about my food and parties, but I hope it is coming.

Such fun! Now on to cleaning up my forgotten house!

Oh and by the way-- I have a fabulous hubby. I asked him to pick up something last minute from the store before the party and he came home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Gotta love him for thinking of me on my stressful and eventful night! They were beautiful! And when I came home at 11 o'clock last night-- my kitchen was absolutely clean! He is the best!

I left all my stuff in the car and hopped right into bed... makeup on and all! Shhh, don't tell my esthetician!

It is official (part 2)!

2010-02-16T13:52:00.001-07:00

So it is official---
I am now behind again in my blogging. Can we say SWAMPED?? My February is just too crowded with activities. But of course they are all necessary activities and some more fun than others. Oh and why am I bloggin' when I should be makin' more desserts for an event... BECAUSE I NEED A CHANGE OF SCENERY FOR 5!

Let's start out with...

Stake Choir-- stake conference is in 2 weeks and so that means stake choir practice starts. I'm in charge... gotta make the doughnuts, I mean gotta get the music, the announcements, the folders, the posters, the singers-- gotta get them all. The stress of the first practice-- 13 people kindly showed on Super Bowl Sunday. Then we learned that no one reads the ward bulletins, no one sees the signs we have put up in the foyers and people only come when they are told directly in church or emailed! So no more wasting my time with the bulletin or the signs-- tell it to their faces! After we did-- the choir seats were full! THANK YOU! Beautiful music is now being made for stake conference.

P.S. Lots of other stake music stuff going on... just to keep me busy, huh?! Sheesh!

Next up, our annual Valentines dinner. Every year we host a Valentines Dinner in our home for some of our closest friends. Usually it is 5 courses, but we change it up sometimes. Everyone comes to eat a fancy meal that my hubby and I serve to them and then it is time for the romance! Everyone brings their favorite romantic movie clip. I will tell you... out of the 7 (yes, I think that is right) times we have done this, we have seen some pretty interesting romantic movies. It is fun to see what people think is romantic. And I know what you are thinking... there are no love scenes ever shown. This whole ordeal is always a learning process for me which is such fun! Here is the table scape this year and some of our friends who joined us.

5 days later.... A book signing party hosted by my friend, Debbie Jenson. The lady who wrote the book is celebrity designer Annette Tatum. The book is called The Well Dressed Home-- the premise is you know your style of clothing and fashion--use that in your home. It should be a great event. But why is it making my life busy? Debbie asked me to do the food! I was excited and am right now in the midst of making desserts and more desserts for what she called a "divine dessert bar". Well I hope it is divine. So many people have been invited and we are hoping for a grand showing. Here is some tidbits of what I am making along with the mess!

After that... To TEXAS for a day (24th)! Gotta get my teeth worked on. It will be short, sweet (not the teeth adjustment) and to the point.

Then finally it is Stake Conference on the 28th!

AND I'm supposed to be running in a 1/2 marathon in almost a month and I am not ready-- due to the fact that I have been staying up late to prepare for these events and therefore don't want to get up early to run. My loving friends forced me to run it with them... what kind of friends do that, you say? MINE! Love them, but might disappoint them with my walking or dying along the trail. More news after the race!

In the midst of all this I am trying (not successfully) to keep house (my cleaning lady is lazy right now), take care of the kids business (dance class, piano, basketball, school and church), keep my hubby happy (sometimes this is easy! He He He!) and get a little me time in.

Oh the busy-ness of life... ain't it grand?

It is official!

2010-01-14T16:08:00.002-07:00

It is official!

I am completely current on this blog!

Woohoo!

Now I can start writing about the here and now!

Make sure you scroll down and check previous pages so you are all caught up.

I mean I know you are all just dying to know anything and everything we have done in the last 12 months!

Hurry up... get to readin'!

My little elf!

2010-01-14T16:06:00.001-07:00

We had a little elf visit us Christmas day. She thought it would be so great to pick out and lay out everyone's outfits for the day! Gotta love Mallory!

What is funny about this picture is that she knows her Daddy so well-- she chose jammies for him!

She even tried to fool us by picking out her own outfit. Sneaky!

A must at Christmas!

2010-01-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

So I've got a lot of treats I love, but I have to have my chocolate dipped pretzels every year. Not just any chocolate dipped pretzels, but pretzels dipped in caramel, then chocolate, then rolled in a mixture of sliced almonds, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. For those of you wondering why you never get them for Christmas...?

I practically eat them all myself!

I owe my good friend Kimberly Foote for showing me these delicacies! Love you, Kimberly!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

2010-01-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house... all the children were listening to mom read her favorite Christmas story.

The story The Last Straw is one of my favorites. Such a tear jerker for me.

New jammies on Christmas eve.

A little big, but they will grow, right?

Holiday Baking

2010-01-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Waffles with ice cream n strawberries, crafts, baking & cousins! What fun!

So Long, Farewell...

2010-01-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

It was a sad goodbye to one of our favorite families... The Christoffersons!

Let the crying begin!

Little Miss Avery is gonna be so tan from that California sun!

Friends for life!

He is happy, but I'm sure he doesn't understand he is losing his girlfriend!

Da' boys!

The Ladies!

Not wanting to leave, yet falling asleep.

Marilee & Adam you are already missed... a ton!

Gotta Have Girlfriends!

2010-01-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

So I think I have the best friends in the world. I wish I could gather all my friends far and near and tell all the things I love about them. Here are few that live here.

Piano Recital

2010-01-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

My sis Kendra teaches my oldest two and so we had to have a recital. My kids played the piano-- her kids sang. It was a quick recital, but great entertainment.

Budding Makeup Artists

2010-01-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Professional

Sadie Mack

The Model

Kendra Mack

The Budding Apprentice

Madalyn Mack

My baby is a Ballerina!

2010-01-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

My baby is a ballerina-- or so she tried to be! Her first recital and she was a cute fairy! I put one pic in that is not that great, but it shows that she actually moved her leg-- we are makin' progress!

Nativity

2010-01-14T14:08:00.001-07:00

The nativity is a big event with all the cousins here in Colorado. There are the coveted roles (Mary & Joseph), the supporting roles (angels, wisemen, shepherds) and then the "no-one-wants-to be-this" roles (sheep, donkey, lambs). We have added a role-- the STAR. The nicest part about this night is that the adults sing The Nativity Song while the kids usher in when we sing about them. It is great!

An Angel

A Star

Joseph

The donkey

A Wiseguy

Thanksgiving

2010-01-14T13:57:00.002-07:00

For some reason I have no pics of the actual feast, but here are some highlights of the holiday. Eric's sister Ruthie/hubby/baby Shante , Eric's brother Adam/wife/kids, Eric's mom, and Eric's dad all joined us for Thanksigiving dinner. It was nummy!

Early christmas gifts made by Eric's sister Ruthie-- we love to cook and my kids love to fight over aprons. Problem solved!

My older brother Meredith and his family came to celebrate Thanksgiving with Kendra & Jason. Love them!

Yummy desserts!

So You Think You Can Clean (SYTYCC)

2010-01-14T13:51:00.001-07:00

I feel like I am a tidy person and that I keep my house pretty clean. Until I found this...

This is what was found under the cushion of my family room chair. Now a lot of it I pulled out from the corners, but still! What is the rule-- no eating in the family room? Obviously we need a lesson on obedience in our home!

Funeral

2010-01-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Eric's brother Jared & his wife Janelle have a son named Tyson. He had the cutest curly blonde hair you have ever seen. He had so many special needs, but fulfilled one special need for all of us... to change our lives forever. Tyson will be missed.

Halloween '09

2009-12-28T00:59:00.001-07:00

Raggedy Ann will be played by Kendra Mack.

The Swashbuckling Pirate will be played by none other than Collin Mack.

The Spider Witch will be played by McKenna Mack.

Get-along-little-cowgirl will be played by Miss Mallory Mack.

Mr. Michael Jackson (back from the dead) will be played by Bayley Mack.

"Lots of noise & chaos" will be played by all our friend's crazy kids!

Fast Track 10/23/09 to 10/30/09

2009-12-28T00:48:00.001-07:00

New place in town "My Favorite Muffin"-- had to try it with all 12 kids! It was nummy!

Annual Halloween craft day with the Nugents. There is always dancin' and singin'.

And some face paintin' and crafts.

LOTs -n- LOTs of snow!

Jose Mack-- Eric on a dental trip without me so he doesn't have to shave! Thank goodness this mustache was nowhere to be found when he got home!

There is a reason we don't pray around our bed-- I thought this was a fun pic!

Fast Track 9/19/09 to 10/20/09

2009-12-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

Family pics-- just took a quick photo on the side!

Daddy daughter activity.

Costco & Walmart run--yes the kids are in the car!

Kendra turns 3-- yes, the middle candle is a tea light!

Goofy friends Erin Jensen & Adam Christofferson.

Halloween baking day with cousins!

Denver Zoo with friends--our first time there even though we have lived here 3 years!

BYU vs. Oklahoma 9/5/09

2009-12-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

BYU played Oklahoma in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium... so of course we had to be there. It was a great game! And an awesome stadium!

I got to sit with my sister Lex since my hubby ditched me for better seats.

What a beautiful field!

Decked out in Cougar blue!

The biggest screen I have ever seen!

What a game!

Fast Track 6/26/09 to 8/7/09

2009-12-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

Cousins visit

Texas trip to see cousins!

McKenna needs stitches from Dad.

Bayley gets his Arrow of Light with his best friend, Ryan Swanson.

First day of school 2009-2010.

The Basement

2009-12-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

We lowered the floor in our basement

(Eric is 6'5"-- he needs head space).

So the stairs had to come off (and were changed).

Eric's brother Levi was the grunt worker.

The crawl space under our family room was dug out. To get the dirt out we went through our garage under the foundation-- this is the start of the dirt ramp to dig down to the crawl space.

This is the new lowered floor and the new stairs.

The walls in the newly dug crawl space getting ready for the concrete walls.

The wall to the crawl space is now poured and this is the outside wall in the garage floor.

The new cement poured in the garage floor-- we made it memorable with our handprints. Now we get to park in our garage-- after 5 months!

Summer BBQ w/ Friends 6/22/09

2009-12-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Can't have a summer without a BBQ with friends!

My friend Marilee's cute prego belly (sorry Mar, had to share it)

Paul helping and sittin' at the kiddie table with Kendra.

Gotta have marshmallows!

The moms finishing off the leftovers in the kitchen!

BYU visit 6/20/09

2009-12-27T23:29:00.002-07:00

We never seem to make it out of Utah without visiting BYU,

catchin' a game of BYU bowling and

now J Dawgs.

Batter up... I mean bowler up!

Obviously a strike!

A little healthy competition never hurt anyone!

Waitin' patiently for our "dawgs".

MMM... satisfaction!

If you've never been to J Dawgs in Provo-- it is the best $3 hot dog and drink you will ever have!

Uncle Dee's Funeral 6/18/09

2009-12-27T23:20:00.001-07:00

My Dad's oldest brother Dee died this summer and we just happened to be going to Utah to pick up Bayley on the same weekend of the funeral. I was so glad to be able to represent my parents and take pictures for them since they are on a mission in Armenia. Here are some of my favorite pics.

His son Randy saying his last goodbyes.

Flowers that reflect Dee's life building so many wonderful things!

Randy was all smiles!

A sister and sister-in-law taking it all in.

A brother and his family leaving the grave site.

And my personal favorite...

Randy enjoying a laugh with my nephew, Hayden.

Muddy Run

2009-12-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

June 13th 2009

Ran the Camp Pendleton Mud Run

Lots of fun and lots of mud!

Eric's shirt was originally white!

Glad to be rid of these biker shorts that I've had since college-- they were a light gray before!

Shoes that were dumped in the trash after a nice hot shower!

Fast Track 6/12/09

2009-12-27T23:00:00.001-07:00

San Diego at the Beach

Having fun playing cards & eating whoppers!

Sour!

2009-12-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

I guess she doesn't like sour things.

(she is eating a Warhead)

Fast Track 6/9 to 6/12/09

2009-12-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

So here is the fast track to catching up to the present.

All the way to the Ghirardehlli Chocolate Factory and we get ice cream?

Us on a real Naval Aircraft Carrier-- the USS Nemitz.

San Diego Zoo-- with lots of animals-- not these animals, the next ones.

The Forts

2009-10-22T21:46:00.003-06:00

Just enough snow to build a fort yesterday.

Oldest and Youngest (excluding Kendra) VS.

The Middles

Judging by how many snow balls the Oldest/Youngest has, I think they might win.

Let the games begin!

Did it have to snow on my night?

2009-10-22T21:39:00.002-06:00

It snowed all day yesterday. Not strong, but steady. Steady enough to blanket us with a thick layer of the white stuff! A really thick layer so that at exactly the time that my favorite show was on... my satellite dish could not get reception. So You Think You Can Dance was MISSED! And I didn't know it until I got comfortable in my jammies, washed my face, got my blanket, my bowl of warm oatmeal cake, my glass of milk and snuggled in my chair. Oh, the frustration when I turned on the tv and found the message..."Your satellite has not had reception for 1 hour." Click on my show, it ends after 1 second. AAARRRGGGHHH! You know that Charlie Brown sound when he tries to kick the ball and Lucie snatches it away... that is the sound I made. I proceeded to try and watch something else because I wasn't ready for sleep. No reception. So then I was mad and went out to my satellites and tried to hit them with a broom to dust off the snow. Only to get snow dumped on my head! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Lets just say I went to bed very upset. All over a show, you say? Yes, because I was looking forward to it and remember... I am alone with 5 kids for 2 weeks. I needed some good ME time!

The Juice

2009-10-21T21:44:00.006-06:00

So I finally was able to juice my grapes. I didn't even have to take off the stems or anything. Love it! They were just steamed to release their juice. We had our first glass today and it was luscious. I wished my parents had been here to help guide me along with the whole process... they are pros at the whole grape thing. They probably would have gotten bored fast though-- I only have one vine and so I could only get 5 quarts out of all my grapes. They usually get tons from their grapevines in Texas. I made some mistakes, but will definitely do it again next year.

Grapes and grape juice remind me of 5 things...

1.My dad insisting that we take grape juice on campouts ( with tons of ice in our green coleman thermos)

2. My dad swirling his grape juice in his cup with ice so it gets really cold then drinking it and saying "ahhhh, good"

3. My parents garage in Texas filled with bushels of grapes (startin' to turn into wine)

4. Passing a plate of grapes around the table at every family gathering (and then passing it again cuz no one took any)

5. And finally my kids gettin' the runs/rash/leg burns from too much acid from eating too many grapes all summer at Grandma and Granpa's!

For the love of grapes!

I love...

2009-10-21T19:51:00.003-06:00

My Cutco knives! I got them for Christmas almost 2 years ago. Although it took me a while to not cut myself, I absolutely love them now. I was cutting with them today--loving how easily I could chop. They are a great investment (and a great gift, you men readers out there...although I don't know many men who read blogs).

My Mother! She called me today and I got to chat with her for awhile. I miss her. She is in Armenia serving a mission with my Dad. She has been through it all and taught me so much in the process. She is the one who I get my love of recipes from, my love of making bread, my dirty brown hair from, my love of entertaining, my love of buying more and more dishes to entertain on, my love of old movies and my love of mowing the lawn. Things I wish I had from her are her crystal blue eyes, her hairless legs, her "going with the flow" and just how solid she is... I call her a rock-- nothin' shakes her! I love her and can't wait for her to come home in September.

My Yukon XL. And I say this today because it has been snowing all day. Every time I get in it in the snow, I just love it more and more. It has all wheel drive, it has seat warmers, it has tons of cargo space for all the snow gear, it has tons of people space for all my family, and it has an auto start (we put that in... thanks to living in Alaska). It was such a smart purchase... a vehicle that we now own (WooHoo!). Now mine doesn't look this nice anymore, but you get the picture!

Great website!

2009-10-21T17:22:00.005-06:00

Ever wonder what is exactly in a movie? Why it is rated a certain rating? Well, I absolutely love this website! When your kid's friends say that "oh it is not that bad"-- now you can find out how really bad (or good) it is. It breaks it down completely-- especially violence, gore, profanity, sex and nudity. It is all there. It rates it by how many times these things happen, by severity of words and it actually tells you all about the show and what happens at those certain parts. It is a story spoiler for you as an adult, but it saves the heartache of going to see a movie that some friend of a friend said was "not that bad". Check it out!

Sad and Happy!

2009-10-21T16:17:00.001-06:00

My hubby is gone... for 2 weeks! It is Alaska all over again. He is in New York for a dental sedation course.

I am sad because I'm all alone with 5 kids and no one to talk to when the day is done. I'm sad because I get tired and there is no one to help me get stuff done when I'm tired. I'm sad because I haven't had a good meal in days.. I know it is my fault. I'm sad because my kids miss their daddy. I'm sad because there is no hubby to snuggle with after I finish watching my girly shows that get me all... fluttery!

But you know I am happy at the same time. I don't have to cook nice meals... it is a good break. I'm happy because I can watch whatever girly show I want to late at night-- no sports every night! I'm happy because my kids will love their daddy that much more when he comes home. I'm happy because I know it will be a good reunion when he comes home... he he he! I'm happy because I know that there needs to be a husband and a wife... together. The plan is right!

Wish me luck... on my own... for two weeks!

The Seal 6/9/09

2009-10-09T01:01:00.002-06:00

Got a great tip from friends that said this was a worthwhile ride. It was fun seeing the sights of San Diego.

You get the best of both worlds-- driving on land and sea. It got so cold out on the water.

These guys were stakin' their territory.

Padres Game 6/8/09

2009-10-09T00:50:00.001-06:00

Thought it would be fun to go to a Padres game while in San Diego.

Are we having fun yet?

This is how much fun we are having!

Well, at least we got to spend time with Grandpa Mack and Uncle Levi! Better luck next time, Padres!

San Diego Temple 6/7/09

2009-10-09T00:44:00.001-06:00

Random pics from our visit to San Diego. We love to see the temple! Collin is always posin'!

Eric's cool sister, Kristin! And she is not just cool because she wears shades!

Kendra kept reaching to pick the flowers.

My boys... actually sitting still for a quick moment!

I've been robbed!

2009-10-09T00:33:00.003-06:00

Every once in a while I find that I have been robbed... of my camera!

I guess they don't realize that being this close does not make a pretty picture! Gotta get her in Photography 101.

She is totally her father's daughter. I would have taken a picture with hair fixed and her smiling beautifully... with fake teeth in place to cover the lack thereof.

Summer

2009-10-09T00:15:00.002-06:00

I love summer! For the bounty. Toasted tomato sandwiches are a fave! But I do have to say we got tired of zucchini. Somehow we got one/two plants too many. Now my freezer is stocked full of shredded zucchini. So glad I learned that tip. I just picked my grapes two days ago and hope to juice them soon. Where is my mom and dad when I need them? Oh yeah, in Armenia being faithful! Now the summer is officially over for me-- we had our first snow today. Most of my beds are barren and will be for a long winter. This post is a start to our summer activities. (Yes, I know-- I am behind, but I will catch up fast...I will definitely have it done before Christmas!)

Birthmark wars!

2009-09-10T00:45:00.002-06:00

Kendra has had a series of laser treatments to help get rid of her birthmark.

It is a port wine stain that will only get darker as she gets older. We figured that she gets enough stares already-- she does not need more because of a birth mark.

She has had the treatment at least 4 times! The treatment is quick which gives me comfort-- I don't like my baby getting "picked on" more than necessary.

Catchin' up to the present (1/09 to summer)

2009-09-09T21:17:00.001-06:00

January 2009 to summer

Kendra gets stares when she is purple. And she got stares when she was black and blue! She fell on our front concrete step and hit her cheek!

Easter morning-- bed head, bad breath yet they still love each other.

"What's the matter? Do you need something?"

Late spring snow. Can't believe this will be coming again soon.

I love my handyman hubby. Here he is replacing my stove top (from in the countertop). Now I can boil water faster! Loves to you, honey!

Gotta get me one of these! We used it for the scouts blue and gold banquet. Eric couldn't get enough of it.

Tickets for Treats! Do something good= a ticket. Tickets= buy treats from Mom. Kendra LOVED the personal packages of marshmallows.

More good kids spending their hard earned tickets.

Best kids ever! We came home from out of town to this-- kids that got themselves ready for church AND made signs to welcome us home! Gotta love 'em!

"School, Glorious, School!"

2009-08-09T23:49:00.000-06:00

Name the movie? Can I just say that I LOVE school after a long summer? Well I do! I LOVE school when my kids have gotten bored with every fun thing I have thrown at them. I LOVE school when my house is tired of getting messy every 5 minutes. I LOVE school when my ears tire of hearing my children bicker, argue, fight-- all kids do it (if you don't admit it you are not for real!). I LOVE school when my life lacks routine. Don't get me wrong... in a few long months I will not LOVE school!

"Kill the Wabbit!"

2009-08-09T23:38:00.001-06:00

Do you see how I am quoting movies/tv shows! But I didn't kill this wabbit on purpose. It got itself stuck in the net when the net fell over in a big storm. We think he went nuts after getting a foot caught and then got all tangled up. We found it like this (the 1st pic). After clipping some of the net he "flopped" out like this and stared at me! Poor wabbit-- we were so busy we didn't get to have a funeral for "bunny wunny II". (this is a common name for dead animals from when I was growing up) Oh and even if we did have a funeral I wouldn't have been able to because I don't have my old toy trumpet to play taps on. Poor little wabbit!

Color of cups

2009-07-26T01:06:00.000-06:00

Okay, so you are probably thinking that my kids name colors that are in this post My skids, My chitlins, My peeps... okay, so the ones who rule the roost! are their favorite colors-- well, even if you aren't wondering, I'm gonna tell ya! They are not their favorite colors (some may be), but they are actually the color of their cups that they use during the day. The kids have used 1 color of cup for the full day for I don't know how long. It makes less dishes, a place to put blame, and order on my countertops... did I mention less dishes? Gotta love that! Am I just an OCD mom or what? (Don't answer that!)

P.S. I do not require Eric to have a specific cup... what do you think I'm crazy!

You're the Man!

2009-07-26T00:57:00.000-06:00

Eric, Honey, Muffin Head (only once)... age 3*?@! Can fix anything in our house (I LOVE IT!), can do the "Carlton" (remember Fresh Prince of Bel air?), biggest non-alumni BYU football fanatic I know!

My skids, My chitlins, My peeps... okay, so the ones who rule the roost!

2009-07-26T00:33:00.000-06:00

Bayley, Bay, Bay Ray Leburn... age 11. Football rocks, loves to give me hugs (love that!), any team his dad is rootin' for... so is he.

Mallory, Mal, Mal Gal... age 9. The most obedient little girl ever, so artistic (always making stuff), loves to sing (yay for me!).

Collin, Bubber, Bubberlicious... age 7. Totally a character, has the softest cheeks ever (the ones on his face, that is), is a real sneak.

McKenna, Nenna, Nenna Belle... age 6. Singing and dancing are her thing, could do the splits when she was 3, loves to cook.

Kendra, Fuzzy, Fuzzy Britches...age 3 (almost). Feisty, a real fighter, a total parrot (as in "repeater").

These are all my "lovelies"-- they are really great kids that I don't deserve!

We Are Official!

2009-07-14T22:19:00.000-06:00

WE ARE BLOGGERS -- well at least trying to be and I'm pretty sure it will just be me posting. Call me a follower-- that is okay by me. Just a few words of warning

1. I like to use the word anyway, ya'll and so... alot!

2. I love to use "..." and "--" . Just look at warning #1.

3. I like to quote movies-- sometimes too much!

4. I exaggerate...a lot! Just ask Eric-- I will say "Honey, you need to hurry up it is almost 10:00." -- when it is actually only 9:15.

5. Sometimes I like you to sing what you read... be prepared.

6. I have the best family, hubby and friends... they make my life fabulous! Be prepared to hear a lot about them and maybe even get sick of them.

7. Like I said before... I like to use "..." and "--"....... a lot!

So here goes the first post.... wish me luck! (I can hear you all screaming-- "LUCK!!") What movie is that from? (warning #3 evidence)