Weekend Escape

Don and Leslie were kind enough to let us use their cabin in Pinetop for the weekend.  It was soooo nice to get away before Alex leaves and Taylor gets married!  They weren't gonna come at first.  Brad, Danny, Ryan and I went on Friday afternoon and then the older boys decided to come up the next morning.  We had a last of the season snowstorm on Saturday that was beautiful!  We woke up in the morning and it had been snowing all night and then it snowed well into the afternoon.  I loved reading while watching the snow and the fire.  It was so relaxing.  The boys played in the snow and read and played games and then we went and ate Mexican food.  What a great weekend!

Half a Century . . . Say What???

Well, it had to come sometime.  I turned 50 on February 5th!  Good thing Brad was there before me. :)  Actually it was a really good weekend.  As I mentioned earlier - we got to go through the temple with Alex and Emily.  That was such an awesome experience and it really started the weekend out great.  That night we went out to dinner with the fam and Dad spilled the beans that he had a little family trip all planned!  We left early Saturday morning and drove to Knotts Berry Farm!  Taylor and Mallory followed us in the truck and it was so fun to have Mallory along!  When we stopped for breakfast, she and Taylor whipped out a giant heart sugar cookie for my birthday and it was delicious!

We spent the whole day and into the night at the park and it was a blast.  We love that place!

The next morning Taylor took Mallory to the airport so she could get home in time to study.  We were sad to see her go, but were so grateful that she got to spend that time with us.  We think she is awesome and she fits right in with the family.  We went to church and then drove to the Crab Cooker. :) - then . . . we drove to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert and presents.  Am I spoiled or what?!?  They did the whole shebang with a tiara and a feather boa!  Hey - I guess you only turn 50 once!

After we finished there, we went out to the parking lot and said goodbye to all the boys.  They went home for work and school.  Then we took Emily to the airport so she could get back to Provo.  But wait - it's not over!  Andy and Suzette were sweet enough to let Brad and I stay at their condo in Oceanside for a couple of days!!!  It was so great!  We just laid around and read and relaxed.  It was so nice to just do nothing but enjoy my sweetheart. :)  It was a great birthday and I love my family so much!

Blessings

We had the blessing of going with 2 of our children to receive their endowments at the same time.  Emily flew home for my birthday weekend and we were able to take her to the temple at the same time that we were taking Alex to get his endowments before his mission.  It was such a beautiful experience!  I can't even describe the feelings I felt especially right before the session was about to start.  I was sitting there with Emily and I saw Brad and Alex together and then I turned around and saw so many loved ones coming into the room.  Right then I felt the love of so many both here and those that are not here anymore.  It was one of the most tender experiences I have ever had.  I am so thankful that my family can be together forever.  That knowledge gives me so much peace.  I am thankful for the temples and for the blessings that they bring into our lives.  Alex and Emily - we are so proud of you and we love all of you so much!

First Born

THAT is the number of years ago that my first-born and only daughter Emily was born!  Emily was born on February 19, 1988.  I want to dedicate this post to the wonderful sister that she is to her FOUR little brothers.  Every time we had a baby, she would be sooooo excited and always hoping for a little sister.  I have to admit that she cried a couple of times when she found out each time that we were having a boy.  But...I do have to say that there was never a better sister ever.  When she was little, she made do with Taylor and conned him into playing dress-up with her and even barbies!  Taylor was given Ken and the "beast" from Beauty and the Beast so he would play with her!

She has always been so good to play games with them and hang out with them.  Especially since she has been gone for 5 years now.  She makes the most out of every minute she is home and the boys love it.  A week or two ago, she wrote the sweetest blog post about being a sister.  You can find it here.

 San Diego

 Washington D.C.

 Taylor and Emily Band Buddies

 Ryan HAD to be in the Senior Prom picture

Danny leaving Emily at her dorm at BYU - 4 1/2 years ago!

 Em had just gotten back from Mozambique

 Leaving Taylor at the MTC

Alex & Emily at Christmas

Nothing better than siblings :)

We love you so much Emily!  We are so glad that you are our daughter and sister.  You set such a wonderful example for us.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Birthdays & Disney Magic

I always knew that I have the best husband in the world - but gee whiz - he still catches me off guard.  January and into February was one of our worst on record.  I was sick for a whole month.  I had bronchitis and a sinus infection and then Ryan got sick.  He had a high fever and got sicker and sicker.  Four days in, I finally took him to the doctor and he said he had a really bad flu and that we would probably all get it.  This is where I proclaim what a bad mom I am, because I know I am supposed to get flu shots for myself and my children because we have lung issues in our family.  What can I say?  I just never found the time?  I don't know what the reason is, but I didn't do it . . . and can I just say that I will NEVER make that mistake again.  

That very night, Danny and I came down with the flu - on top of my bronchitis I already had.  I was the sickest I can remember being for a long time.  I literally did not move from my bed except to use the bathroom for 4 days.  It was horrible.  Then, poor Brad got sick on Friday night.  So, we all managed to get the flu except for Alex . . . go figure because he always gets sick.

The problem was, I just couldn't seem to kick everything even with antibiotics.  My birthday was coming up on February 5th and Brad started acting weirder and weirder.  Since he is notorious for fabulous birthday surprises, I asked him if he had plans.  He finally broke down and told me that he had been planning a surprise Disney trip since Thanksgiving.  Emily was even gonna fly down and drive over with us and then fly back to SLC from California.  Brad was struggling wondering if he should cancel everything.  With more confidence than I actually felt, I told him that things would be fine and we should just go.  I was surprised and excited, but boy was I worried.

Things turned out a lot better than I had hoped.  I stocked up on my cough meds and my breathing machine and off we went.  I'm embarrassed to admit it, but Brad rented a wheelchair to push me around the park.  I was just too weak and sick to do all the walking that Disneyland required.  Anyway, it was a WONDERFUL surprise and a much needed break in the sunshine for me and my family.  I love my awesome husband more than anything.  He is the best!!!!

 Waiting in line for the Matterhorn

 The longest line the whole time was for Toy Story Arcade.  Ryan got tired of standing :)

 Space Mountain

I LOVE the miniature villages in Storybook land!!

Alex and Danny look thrilled don't they?!

Ryan was so excited to be able to ride everything and to "drive" the Indiana Jones car

I love these kiddos and it sure makes me miss Elder McBride :)

Conference Weekend

We were lucky enough to have general conference this weekend.  I loves these weekends so much.  My soul needs to hear the voices of our prophet, apostles and other leaders.  I feel the Spirit so strongly and it just washes over me and makes me feel better.  I especially enjoyed President Eyring and also one of the general authorities named Larry Lawrence.  He gave an AMAZING talk on courageous parenting.  I'm not sure how much the kids loved it, but I know Brad and I did and I just got a letter from Taylor saying that it was his favorite talk also!

On Sunday evening, we got together with the McBride side of the family for dinner and a little conference comprehension game!  Everyone did great and I was proud of them.  Since we have missed most of the birthdays so far this year, we decided to call it an "UnBirthday Party" like in Alice in Wonderland!  Everyone wore silly hats and it was a lot of fun.  We sent the pics to those who weren't there like Emily and the missionary boys.  We sure missed them :)