Air France

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!

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

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

{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!!

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...

Beware of the post...

It is long!

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

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...

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)