Well, another year has gone by. I am now officially 28 years old. I'm excited to be 28! 27 was a hard year so I'm looking forward to a new year full of exciting possibilities! (excluding being pregnant or having a baby.... :) It is weird to think that I am almost 30. I wonder if I will look 30 by the time I am 40......??? Lol. But anyways, it was a fun birthday this year. Since it was on a Monday we really celebrated it the Saturday before. Kevin took me to the Apple store and let me pick out my very own.............
IPAD MINI!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!! I am so in LOVE! It seriously is so perfect for me and it is everything I could have ever wanted and more! Best birthday present EVER. :)
Look how happy I am!!! Thank you Kevbev! Good luck topping that next year ;)
After that fun adventure we had a big dinner for me and my mom since our birthday's are so close. We were supposed to have a big dinner up in the canyons, but it started pouring so we all headed to my parents house. I'm glad it started to rain because we had so much fun. All of the kids went off and played (yes even Sam!) and all of us siblings got to sit and chat and eat :) It was totally stress free and so fun. My mom and I chose all our favorite foods so we ate food from the Olive Garden, Meiers, and KFC........(KFC was for the kids......and Clayton......) It was delicious! After the rain stopped we all went outside and roasted marshmallows and opened presents. Here are some fun pics!
Check out that attractive fire pit.....Had to do a shout out because Kevin built that for my parents!
Marsh feeding cute Hazel :)
Kevbev and baby Jane!
The walking stick Kevin carved and crafted for my mom!
Kris looking pretty and mischievous..............
Morgie looking pretty excited about that cake or something on that table.... hehe!
Funny Austin.......he told me that my birthday present was those grapes and then he tried to force me to eat them!
GQ Claydawg
Love this picture of Amanda, my mom, and cute baby Jonathon!
My dad and my great Uncle Dean! I'm sure many of you have heard me talk about him and how wonderful he is. He told me that he was going to hold on and not die until he see's me on the stage dancing again..........................so, does anyone know of any opportunities where I can make this happen?!? I can't disappoint Uncle Dean!
Cute baby Jane having a fun time at the party!
All the kids playing with Grandpa :)
My actual birthday was yesterday and I woke up thinking nothing fun or special would happen, but when I looked out the window I saw this big sign in our yard......
Not sure who put it there (it was gone when we woke up this morning) but thank you! It made my day and was so fun!!!
And lastly, when Kevin got home he brought me my favorite thing in the whole world........(besides him and my ipad......)
SUSHI!!!!!! YUM!!!!!!!
Thanks for everyone who called or text or sent out a fb message. I really have the best friends and family a girl in her late twenties could ever ask for ;) So here we go 28......it's going to be GREAT!
So there have been quite a few things on my mind lately so I'm going to spew them out just for fun and hopefully I'll either get clarity or maybe some of them will leave me alone......
-warning- if you don't want to know what goes on inside my head most of the time then stop reading-
* It's back to school time. I haven't been in school now for over four years, but I still get that nervous queasy feeling like I'm going back. There's nothing worse then coming home from your first day of school and realizing that you have to go back the next day and the next and the next and the next and that summer is over! Bleh! It still makes me sick! I also hated all those back to school commercials that would air like a month before you start......luckily we don't have regular t.v. so we don't have any commercials! I'm sorry for everyone that started school this week. I am already dreading the day that I will have to send Sam off. Crazy. So glad that he is still my little boy and I have an entire year with him still at home all day :)
* I feel like it should be fall. I want to bust out all my fun fall clothes and feel the crisp cool air instead of this dry yucky heat. I want to play in the leaves all day with my kids and look around and only see red and orange. There is something magical about the fall. I don't know what it is, but I love it. I have so many fond memories of things that happened in the fall and I guess I'm just so excited to make new ones and keep up this sense of magic and mystery that fall brings!
*My Grandpa passed away two weeks ago and it has been rough. The funeral was beautiful and the music and speakers were absolutely perfect, but it is still so sad. I miss him and can't believe he is really gone. We share the same birthday and he used to tease me when I was little and tell me that since we had the same birthday then we had to be the same age! It really freaked me out.....it totally makes sense! Haha! What a great man and a great Grandpa. Sure do love him :)
*I love going grocery shopping. Kevin usually stays home with Sam and Jane so I can have some much needed alone time ;) I feel so free going shopping. Last week I was walking down an aisle and the song "I wanna dance with somebody" came on and I couldn't help it....I totally busted out and started dancing down that aisle. I didn't even turn around to see if anyone was behind me....(there wasn't) but even if there was I would have still danced! Man that's a good song! Shopping and dancing are fun on their own, but next time you go you really should try them both at the same time...........you won't regret it ;)
* My hair. Oh my hair. I know I talk about this a lot, but what in the world should I do with my hair??? I know I said I was going to cut it short after I had Jane and now I've been saying that I will cut it short in the fall, but I just don't know what to do! I do know that it is long and gross and I either need to cut it and have a medium length or be brave and cut it short. I just get so nervous and every time I get my hair cut I hate it for months and months and totally regret it. BUT I feel like I need change and with Jane always grabbing and getting tangled in it, I think this would be a good time to do something totally different. Here are some pics of what I think I would like???
I showed these to Kevin and he thought they all looked the same (they pretty much do) but what do you think? Yay or nay? Or should I go with a more medium cut like this......
I just don't know what to do!!! I guess it doesn't really matter because whatever I end up doing I'll probably be unhappy and hate it....LOL! Oh and while I'm on this subject of hair, who should I go to? Does anyone have someone they go to that they absolutely love and would recommend?!? Thanks :)
*I want an ipad. There have been a few days where Kevin left his ipad at home and I have loved playing with it! It is just so convenient and I can watch something while I feed Jane instead of watching Bob the Builder or Kipper the dog for the 100th time. Pretty much I want an ipad so I can watch shows, check emails and facebook, and do my occasional blog post. So should I get a regular sized ipad or a mini?!? My birthday is next week and I'm thinking I can convince Kevin to get me one if I promise to let him buy a hatchet or a knife ;)
* I think I'm addicted to candy. I'm worse then a two year old. All I want to eat is candy. I've got to find a way to get out of this funk because it can not be healthy.....obviously! If anyone knows of any magic solution that can help me kick this habit please let me know ASAP :) Until then I'll just keep on eating ;)
* I had a couple of high school friends drop by to see Jane and our house and as I showed them around they noticed all the many knives and hatchets we've seemed to acquire. They politely asked why we had so many and I couldn't help but laugh! It must look crazy to an outsider, but to me it is totally normal. I am married to a bushcraft grizzly bear (see pic below)
Hehe! Kevin LOVES to buy, sharpen, repair, and use hatchets, axes, and knives right now. He is really good at it! It actually is pretty fascinating stuff. I love that he has an outlet to escape from all our craziness.....I've just made him promise me that he will never use any of them on me ;) Oh and I also made him promise to never leave me and head up to the mountains to try to survive on his own........ If he ever goes missing that is the first place I'm checking!
* Lastly, Sam and Jane are on my mind. I just love them so much! I really am so lucky to have such sweet kids and even though this has been the roughest summer of my life, every hard minute has been completely and totally worth it :)
Oh and just in case you missed this picture, here it is again.....................
If there ever were a time for Kevin to break his promise, this would be it...........
Every two years something very exciting and very wild happens............all the McDonald's pack up and go on a huge trip!!! My mom plans these trips years in advanced (she is already working on our 2015 camping extravaganza!) and this summer we all went to St. George! All 26 of us (and one in the oven) made it this year and what a party it was ;)
It was five straight days of fun, adventures, breakdowns, giggles, exploring, snacking, laughing, and so many crazy moments that we will never forget. Here are some fun pics we took during the trip!
My mom puts all the information, directions, itinerary, food schedule, and my personal favorite...the little envelopes with fun money......and gives them to us. It's called, "The Packet!" You DO NOT lose or forget The Packet. You must follow The Packet at all times. If you have any questions its most definitely in The Packet. When in doubt, check The Packet!!!! hehe!
Samuel the Lamanite! We had fun visiting the St. George Temple, the visitors center, and Brigham Young's house :)
We all went and visited Matt Allred's Candy Shop. Each child had a fun little money envelope with their name on it and got to pick out whatever candy they wanted! Some kids really spent their money wisely! Cute Rowan shared all his candy with Sam :) I even bought myself an orange soda! Mmmmm!
It was such a fun and yummy experience!!!
Cute baby Jane in her vaca clothes! She loved everywhere we went and looked super cute doing whatever it was we were doing ;)
I mean does it get any sweeter then that?!?
Sam loved sleeping in his big boy bed on the trip. Kevbev slept with him and they had way too much fun together ;)
Morgan got her wisdom teeth out the day before the trip (horrible right?!?) and she got some food trapped in the extraction site. She was in a lot of pain so Kris and I took matters into our own hands and got down to business. Look how professional we are! We had a little sanitary napkin and everything! Kris used a cotton swab to hold back her cheek and held the flashlight perfectly so I could see. Very carefully, with my disinfected tweezers, I got the debris out!!! It was the most exciting moment ever! It really made me miss my old dental assisting days.........(hopefully the dentist I worked for reads my blog and can see how I'm still using all my skills;) haha!
We did it!!!!
Sam had a hard time on this trip. We think he may be an introvert like his daddy ;) He couldn't be in the same room with everyone.....ever.......he would flip out and lose it! So Kevin taught him to go to his room and take deep breaths and by the end of the trip he was doing much better. We snuck this picture when he had disappeared and gone to his "happy place"........lol!
One day we went to the Fiesta Fun Family Center! It was my favorite outing by far. There was a big bouncy area, miniature golf, race cars, batting cages, boats, and arcade games. Of course my mom had bags of tokens for everyone and we all had at it! It was so much fun seeing how much fun all the kids were having......and Clayton.......he really loved the Fiesta Fun Center!!! hehe!
"Get off daddy! You're slowing me down!"
Much better :) Go Sammy!
Sam and McKay playing 18 holes.... This picture makes me laugh. It looks like Sam is saying, "In your face McKay! Try to beat that!" and McKay is thinking, "How in the world did he make that shot???" Hehe!
Our last night there we went to Tuacahn and saw Starlight Express. I grew up listening to the music but I never really knew the story and wow.........seriously WOW! It was incredible! It really was the funnest night ever! Me and Morgs didn't have our hubbies there so we went into our weird little bubble and were so silly ;) It started to rain and they had to put the show on hold for over an hour but we were luckily able to finish it (even though we got home close to one in the morning!) Look how amazing our seats were! They would skate right up to us. I even got a high five and a point and a wink from the most beautiful specimen. His name was Greaseball. Oh Greasball. Sadly after the show Morgan found out that he "plays for the other team" so it must have been Clayton he was winking at :( Sad sad day........lucky Clayton!
Just us girls lookin good!
My AMAZING sister in law, Kris, gave Sam a haircut. It was intense......Sam was NOT happy about it.......Kris was going so fast that her hands were literally bleeding from the scissors! But look how sharp he looks!!! Thanks Kris!
We were each assigned a meal during the trip but on our last night we hit the Golden Corral for a big feast! It was delicious! I definitely ate my share of ice cream :)
Here's Xander with a beard......the cotton candy was a big hit for all the kids :)
On our way home we stopped off at a park. We are guessing this is where Sam picked up the dreaded stomach flu that hit him and Kevin right after our trip because no one else in our family got sick. Jane and I are still well.....Keep your fingers crossed!!!!
These two must have really bonded on the trip. This is the closest Sam has ever gotten to Jane! Love my cute kiddos!
What a wonderful trip it was! SO grateful for my beautiful and generous mom who makes this all possible for us. She really brings us all together and brings out the best in each of us. I love my family so much and wouldn't be as happy if I didn't have all of you :) I know we don't do this anymore because we all kept getting too emotional, but I want to say one nice thing about each of you and include a fun memory of our trip! Here it goes!
Dad- You are so giving. I really appreciated how much you looked after Sam and helped him during his rough times! I loved sitting back and watching you read The Dark Dark book to him. You are such a great dad and Grandpa. Love you papa S!!!
Mom- You are so FUN! You really make life so much fun. Playing games late that one night with you was a blast.......I love how silly and fun you get when we play games. I wish the world could see all your crazy dance moves when you get going! Hot dice! Hehe! So glad we got to eat our white doughnuts together again and I'm so glad that you are my best friend and my mom :) Love you!
Marsh- You are so sincere. You are one of the most loving and caring people I know. It is definitely rubbing off on your kids because they are so thoughtful and so sweet. I loved watching you with your kids and how you interact with them. You are always on the floor playing with them and making life so fun for them. I really look up to you and how great a parent you are! Thank you for your great example!
Kris- You are aware and always there (Ooooh that one rhymed! hehe!) I loved our talk in the bathroom. You really helped me out that night, more then you know so thank you! You really have always been there for me (even when I was sixteen and a brat) and I am so lucky to have you as a sister!!! I'll never forget the two of us working so hard to help out Morgs and how on fire we were! Man I hope our mad skills will be needed again some time......somewhere......someday!
Preston- You are so hilarious! All your one liners and your magic show....you really are so funny and witty and I'm really glad that we can always be silly together :) Even though you live far away it feels like you've never left when we hang out. I'm really glad we had that time together at the store and had lots of fun moments together!
Rachel- You are so giggly! Ok so that probably sounds funny, but I really love how we just giggle together! Ya know?!? I feel so happy when I'm around you and am so glad you ran Preston over with that boat ;) Seriously! I'll never forget getting our "freezy brains!" Bahaha!
Aaron- You are so cool......you really are! I still feel like I'm that little eighth grader and you're my sister's super cool boyfriend ;) I wish we hung out more so it was so fun having our little chats here and there on this trip. You really are so fun and totally "reek of coolness"......can't believe I just said that......haha!!!
Morgie- You are so ME! I'm so glad we have the same brain and share so much together. Don't know what I would do without you! I know you were in so much pain on this trip, but you were incredible and made the most of it and still had a good time! How is that possible when you just had a root canal and all your wisdom teeth pulled out?!? Ah-mazing! I loved our car ride to get shakes and of course our other car ride where we acted like little girls that just ate a thousand pixy sticks!!! (sorry Claymanda for being so obnoxious!) It was so fun being with you and getting so much Morgie time! Loved it ;)
Claydawg- You are so SILLY! No one makes me laugh like you do! Seeing your face as you were riding the race cars was priceless. You're like a big kid :) You make everything and everyone so much happier and so much more fun. Playing games was the best! I'll never forget, "Well....it's no beaver water".....bahaahaha! So glad you are so fun and so silly and still make me laugh so hard :)
Amanda- You are so perfect! Hey don't roll your eyes! I mean it! You really are just so wonderful and kind and gorgeous and the bestest friend I could ask for! I'm so glad we shared a condo and that it felt like old times when we were living with you. I really miss all our chats and loved having that time again to talk and hang out. Oh and my favorite moment was when you were laughing at me when I had all that doughnut powder on my face! I still burst out laughing just thinking about it!!! "Or we could use a doughnut...." Bahahaha!
Kevbev- You are so selfless! I'm so glad I have you! With all of mine and Sam's melt downs you were so understanding and patient and I'm so grateful that you are so mellow and cool and collected. You made the trip so fun for me and really took over Sam so I could spend time with my family, which you know is so important to me. I promise one day you can go on a trip all by yourself and spend it doing all the things you love......reading your comics, holding your knives, buying axes on ebay, sipping Dr. Pepper, watching boring documentaries, and making fun of hipsters....... One day......I promise :)
I love you all! Can't wait for our next McDonald Family Vacation!!!!!!
