Memorial Day Weekend

Awww...Memorial Day. A wonderful holiday for remembering and paying tribute to those we love who are no longer with us. And what better way to remember those wonderful people than by making ourselves sick by eating way too much barbecued food. At least, this is my favorite way to celebrate this wonderful holiday (and every holiday...and weekend...and Monday...and, well, let's just move on). I'd like to think of my overeating this weekend as an attempt to break the record of most weight gained in one weekend -- everyone has to have something to aspire to.

I started off this weekend on Friday night by ordering a large pizza for myself and the kids (as Brandon was staying late at Primary Children's Hospital doing clinical rotations) and having a picnic on the family room floor -- complete with popcorn, sodas, and a Harry Potter movie, of course. The next day, after recovering from the stomach ache popcorn always gives me (but always sooo worth it), Brandon and I headed to Chili's for lunch where I enjoyed a large plate full of chips, salsa, and Queso dip as an appetizer; four mini hamburgers for my meal; and a Coke to drink (and maybe a couple of refills...). That night we may have enjoyed a bowl of ice cream, but I'm not making any definite confessions.

Sunday we had the usual family barbecue over at Brandon's mom's house, where I enjoyed yet another absolutely fabulous hamburger, along with even more Coke, a bag of chips, a Creamie, and possibly a glazed donut. To break up all this nauseating over-indulgence of fattening foods, I will now include a couple pictures of McKenna and Mathew enjoying said food with their cousins. Thanks to Andrea for the pictures.





Now, back to the food...Today we headed over to my parents' house for a delicious meal of dutch-oven pizza. Oh yes, and it was just as good as it sounds. I, of course, washed down that pizza with yet another Coke (or two - don't judge me). And what better for dessert on Memorial Day than an Orange Dreamsicle. Wow, it just dawned on me that my "diet" this weekend consisted mostly of pizza, hamburgers, and Coke...I think I'm going to be sick.

So I end this weekend with a full, upset stomach but a happy heart. The diet starts tomorrow...like always.

I have been accepted!

That's right, I have officially been accepted into the blogging world. I was tagged! Now I know I really belong. It's like getting asked to sit at the cool kids' lunch table in middle school (as my high school never had a cool table). So heeeeerre we gooooo...

*How did you meet your man? At an LDS church singles dance. We are the ultimate Mormon cliche.
*What is his name? Brandon
*How long did you date? For 2 months, then we quit seeing each other for a year, then we dated an additional 5 months and had a quick 2 month engagement.
*How long have you been married? 8 years and counting
*Who is taller? He is
*Who eats more? Now that depends on what we're eating. Vegetables - that would be Brandon. Greasy, fatty foods - ME! (No wonder we're the rhyme "Jack Sprat" personified. Just kidding, I hope I'm not that bad)
*Who is the better singer? I always said I would marry someone who sings. (Ditto Melissa) Not that's it's saying much in this case, but I am most definitely the better singer. (No offense babe)
*Who does the laundry? Me, and I'm really weird about it. It's the one household chore I can't stand anyone else to do or even help me with. I'm very particular and for some reason it makes me crazy if he tries to help me with it.
*Who pays the bills? I do, Brandon has an anxiety attack anytime he's confronted with our disturbing financial situation.
*Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do
*Who mows the lawn? He does. I've never mowed a lawn in my life and I am very intimidated by the whole process.
*Who cooks dinner? Papa Johns...and various Mexican food restaurants. Ok, if we MUST eat at home, I usually cook. Unless it's the all-time manly art of barbecuing.
*Who drives? Brandon. I am a very self-conscious driver and like to avoid it any chance I can.
*Who is more stubborn? HE IS! (And there is NO WAY you are going to convince me otherwise!) **I loved Melissa's answer on this one so much, I'm totally stealing it.
*Who kissed who first? Honestly, I'm not sure. We were laying on a bed (this sounds bad...) in complete darkness and it just kinda happened. Don't worry, we weren't on the bed alone. Eric and Bri were with us (now it really sounds bad) Totally innocent, I assure you.
*Who asked who out? He asked me out, once we finally cleared up which Brandon was calling me.
*Who proposed? He did. On the Millennium New Year's Eve, at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, overlooking the Salt Lake Temple. Awww...our story should be featured in some sort of Hallmark television special.
*Who is more sensitive? I am. Though looking at the absolutely ridiculous things that make me cry (at least once a day) I'm afraid that's not hard to do.
*Who has more siblings? It depends on how you look at it. We both have quite the interesting conglomeration of siblings. Overall, my 7 siblings beats his 4.
*Who wears the pants? That's a hard one, but I think it would mostly be me. Only because I do take care of all the finances, and Brandon always likes to have his ideas acknowledged before following through with them.

Ta-da! That's it! I now tag: Ameila, Julie, Katie, and VerNeita. Welcome to the cool lunch table girls! (Though I'm not sure if some of you already sit there...)

Playlands and rainy days

This blogging thing is starting to become a little harder for me. It's my goal to try and post something new each week, but I've realized quickly that my life is simply not interesting enough to keep a fun, fascinating, and frequent blog. I mean, how many times can I really say, "McKenna hung out with her cutie friends" and "Tonight we went out to dinner....again". But I did have a fun day, regardless of its rank on the "interesting" scale.

On a quick side note, the weather here has been driving me absolutely bonkers. Can I please just have a few nice weeks of decent, sunny, non-windy, 75 degree days? Ah, whatever. The past few days were nice, but we got hit with a big rainstorm today. And one of my absolute favorite things to do with friends, when the weather isn't friendly for outside play, is to eat at greasy fast food chains and let the kids play on the playland. I can have hours of (mostly) uninterrupted chat time with my friends and I can eat my hamburger and drink my soda without worrying about keeping my kids entertained. Today I spent a disturbing 4 hours at Arctic Circle with my good friends Brianne and Amanda while our kids ran, played, and screamed to their hearts content. Good times. Its so fun to have friends with kids the same age as mine. Unfortunately, I never really thought to pull out my camera. But I guess I have plenty of pictures of McKenna, Sydney, and Savannah together already.

In other over-saturated McKenna news....she had her Kindergarten assessment today and I'm happy to say she passed with flying colors. Her teacher gave her the cutest little "diploma" with a picture of her in a cap and gown. My big girl is officially ready to graduate from Kindergarten. That is, as soon as she finishes two more pointless weeks of fun.

And I think that covers our excitement for this day. I guess I should quit stalling and go tackle at least a small portion of the mountain of laundry I have to do. I think I would be willing to do something highly illegal to attain a new washer and dryer right now.

McKenna, McKenna, McKenna

Ok, so I realize that my blog is seeing a little bit of McKenna overload lately, but what can I say? This is an exciting time of year for her. We had the insane experience of attending her Kindergarten program last night and I once again have cute pictures to share. And a little clip from the program, if I can manage it. Uploading video makes me crazy, but it's so worth it once I get it on there. Her program was super over-crowded with parents, (we must've missed the news that you had to camp out several hours before to get a seat) and miserably hot, but very cute all the same. There were so many people there, we spent the entire time standing at the back of the room. Which actually ended up being the way to go, because it was impossible to see anything while sitting down. But enough whining, let's move onto the video, shall we?

Now, a warning...the video is taken from my digital camera (as I still have not mastered the mystery of downloading from my camcorder) so the quality is horrible. I also had to zoom in so much to get a glimpse of her that every tiny move becomes a major jolt while observing -- you may want to take some Dramamine before watching. And you can hardly hear them singing. (Why am I even bothering to post this?) If you are able to catch the sound at all, it was the funniest song. I just giggled and giggled, as you'll probably hear on the video (unfortunately, you can hear my geeky voice just fine). Anyway, now that all your disclaimers have been given...McKenna is on the bottom row, and you can't see her once she bends over. Oh, and you'll probably want to pause my music (at the bottom of my blog) so you can hear.



I would post pictures of the actual performance, but they're too dark to really be much fun to look at (and I'm pretty sure no one really cares anyway). But here's some pictures of McKenna and her best-bud classmates after the performance.





I hope McKenna stays friends with these girls forever. It would be so fun to show them all these pictures when they get older.

7 months out, and all's well!

**For those of you who have been wondering how Brandon's doing, this post is for YOU!**
Brandon recently had his first follow-up PET scan since being declared cancer-free 7 months ago. His check-up was today and he received the results - still free and clear! Hurray! We didn't really expect anything otherwise, but its nice to get some definite verification. It's so strange to think back and realize that at this time last year, we were informed of Brandon's cancer and still very ignorant as to what was going to happen. We were terrified and insecure, especially since it had only been a couple weeks since we had learned we were expecting our third child. Chemotherapy was this horrible process I had only seen in movies, where people never left the floor by the toilet and always looked as if they were one breath away from death. Luckily our experience wasn't nearly that bad and Brandon endured like a trooper. I sometimes wonder if I complained about it more than he did...but I'm blaming that completely on pregnancy hormones. I would've been a bright beacon of hope and sunshine had I not been dealing with my own nausea and exhaustion, or at least that's how I'm going to justify my attitude during those dark months. Now I look back and the whole experience seems like a distant nightmare. We have every confidence that it's a nightmare we'll never experience again. We're hoping the only reminders we'll ever have at this point are his 3 month checkups. Thanks again to all of you for your continued love and support. Our cup definitely overfloweth.

Ode to Mom

I know that just about everyone out there thinks that they have the best mom ever, but I'd like to throw my own mom in for consideration. You hear all the time that you never really appreciate your mother until you have kids of your own, and I agree with that completely. I feel heartbroken that I ever took for granted the amazing person that she is and how lucky I am that have her in my life. This Mother's Day, I just want to give my mom a heartfelt "thank you" for all she does for me and my little family. My mom always knows just when I really need someone and is adamant about helping out in any way that she can. I am so grateful for her never-ending babysitting offers. Anytime I need someone to take the kids, she's the first person I call because I know that not only will she be willing to take the kids, but she'll be genuinely happy to do it. And she does take them pretty much every time, unless she has previous plans (and sometimes even then she'll cancel or find a way to include them). She is the most selfless person I know. I can't tell you how many times I've said to Brandon, "I really hope that when our kids are older that I'm that supportive." Or, "I want to be like that when I have grandchildren." She's such a great example to me.
I'm so grateful that as I've gotten older, she has become not just my mom, but one of my best friends that I love to talk to and share experiences with. Thanks so much Mom for all that you do! It's impossible for us to appreciate you as much as you deserve. Happy Mother's Day!

Why 6-year-olds shouldn't wear makeup

McKenna must think I'm the lamest mom ever. All her friends have their very own makeup and I simply won't budge every time she asks if I'll buy her some. I just think some things are better left for when they're older. Unfortunately, McKenna is very good at getting what she wants from her Grandpa Larry, who picks up the kids for an hour or so every couple of weeks. He always takes them out for ice cream and then to a store to buy toys and basically spoils them rotten. This time she managed to come home with a little fake cell phone filled with makeup (I'm sure some of you with girls know what I'm talking about.) So she was very excited about her newly acquired gift and rushed upstairs to try it out. This is what she looked like after coming back down.




I immediately started laughing when I saw her and she asked me why. I replied, "You look crazy!" And she gave me a slightly hurt look and said, "I don't look crazy, I look pretty." Whatever you say kid. I sure hope this isn't a glimpse of her fashion for the future.

McKenna's Engagement

I may have mentioned before that my little 6-year-old McKenna is already boy crazy. I know, we're doomed. So she's had a crush on this little boy in our ward, who's also in her kindergarten class, for quite awhile now. Apparently the feeling is mutual. McKenna recently informed me that he has asked her to marry him and even kissed her on the lips. Oh my. Am I horrible? I think its the cutest thing in the world and I tease McKenna about it every chance I get. It is SO hard to not encourage this kind of behavior when they're just so stinkin' cute and innocent. I just can't stop myself asking about her little "boyfriend" and talking to her like we're both teenagers. I can't wait until she's actually old enough that I can talk to her about her dating life and not feel guilty for thinking it's so great. Of course, by then, she'll want nothing to do with talking to me about boys she's interested in. I did become a parent long enough to inform McKenna that she can't kiss boys until she's at least 16 (though I wanted to say 21) and that she can't get married at age 6. To which she replied, "We're not going to get married now Mom. When we're OLDER." (Spoken in the annoyed voice of a teenager...when did my daugther turn 13?) There's more drama than this though. Bridger (the boyfriend fore mentioned) also has a big crush on McKenna's friend, Sydney. My poor daughter is already being two-timed. This must all start earlier with every generation.

On the field trip, I managed to get a picture of the happy couple. I think they were mortified I was making them stand alone together in a picture.



Now I know you're all thinking it...although she is standing a little uphill from him in the picture, she really is THAT much taller than him. If I'm being honest, I really hope she'll pick a new love interest soon. McKenna is very tall for her age and Bridger is very short for his age. I think they look at least 2 years apart in age, but love is blind. He is a very cute little boy, even if McKenna towers over him like a giant. My daughter is seriously growing up too fast.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

I am officially a mother. I was a volunteer yesterday to go with McKenna's kindergarten class to the zoo for their field trip. For me, this was one of those moments where I really felt how much time has passed and how old I really am. I am old enough to have a daughter that goes on field trips. I got to ride the school bus for the first time since high school and I bounced around in my seat and giggled with my friend Bri like a giddy little kid. I think we were almost excited as they were. However, once we got to the zoo, the responsibility of what I was doing hit me over the head and crushed the giddy little kid feeling right out of me. I was placed in a group with another mom and we had a total of 6 kids to chaperon around for 2 1/2 hours. I'm sure this doesn't sound hard, but I swear I was ready to be admitted into the hospital for an anxiety attack by the time we were done. I spent the whole time looking around in panic and counting the 6 kids in my head over and over. The worst moment being when we finally made it back to the bus, thinking we were finally done, and one of my kids was missing. Apparently my mom partner and I had a little problem with diffusion of responsibility, each of us assuming she was with the other. Luckily she had only been out of our sight for about 1 minute and I was able to fly off the bus and find her almost immediately. Yikes.

Here's my rambunctious little group. I can't believe I got them to sit still long enough to take a picture.



So we're at the zoo with a large variety of fun and interesting animals to look at, and the only thing they were interested in the whole time was when we were going to stop and eat lunch. We caved after only an hour and let them eat, then made our way to the train (their next biggest interest), and after the train, you'd think they would be ready to see some animals....no. They spent the remainder of their time there playing on the playground. So glad we traveled over a half an hour to do something they get to do at school everyday. Kids.

A few more pictures from the day...

McKenna with her bestest buds (all of whom were put into a group that McKenna got left out of, totally unfair)



McKenna, Sydney, and Taryn on the way home.



Bri and Sydney, the 2nd cutest mommy/daughter duo on the bus. (We can all guess who the 1st cutest is...)



And here we are (though it's a horrible picture of me, I'm going to be brave and put it up anyway. It is proof why I'm normally behind the camera)



At one point in the day, one of the other moms looked at me and said, "Our teachers don't get paid enough" and I couldn't agree more. After only a few short hours with all those kids, I came home and immediately fell, against my will, dead asleep on the couch. I haven't been that exhausted in awhile (said the women who is still getting up 1-2 times a night to feed her baby.) So here's my tribute and warm thanks to all our teachers out there. They put up with a lot and deserve some serious recognition.

On a side note, McKenna had her big dance performance on Monday (which went really well) but I'm waiting to post that one until I can get an import cord thing (can't for the life of me think what it's called right now) for my camcorder. Keep an eye out, it will be coming soon!

"For the Love of Dance" featuring McKenna

I have had such major issues trying to get the video of McKenna dancing from our camcorder to our computer that I'm about ready to grab a semi-automatic weapon and head for the nearest clock tower. (Thankfully I don't own a gun and I have no idea where a clock tower is) So I'm officially throwing in the towel, posting a few pictures, and calling it good. I may or may not try adding the video again at a later time when my blood pressure goes back to normal.

On Monday, May 5th, McKenna had her big dance show and she shined like a star. I was a proud and totally biased mom, thinking my daughter was the most talented out of all the other hundred or so other adorable girls who danced that night. There's nothing in the world like watching your child bravely strut their stuff in front of a large audience. Here's a few pics of my beautiful Miss McKenna.