Family Bowling Outing

Annual McBride Reunion

We have been going to Imperial Beach, California every year for the 4th of July week for quite a few years now.  We meet up with Andy and Suzette's families and Sue and Mark's families.  It is such a wonderful tradition that we really love.  With Brad's parents both gone, I think that it is really neat to have this tradition for our families.  

Every year there are amazing sand castles and sculptures done by the family.  Here is an alligator that Brad and Ryan were quite proud of - as they should be!

On the 4th of July, we pack up some food, toys, blankets and chairs, and head over to Coronado.  They city opens up the golf course and tons of people eat, relax and play games for hours before the fireworks ever start.  I LOVE bundling up and watching the fireworks over the water.  It is so beautiful.

This pic didn't turn out very well because it is blurry.  I wanted to put it on anyway because it has a lot of us together.  Brad designed these t-shirts to honor Horton and Marlene and I really like the way they turned out!

You might have noticed that Emily wasn't in any of these pictures.  She was actually in London on her BYU Study Abroad.  We missed her a lot - but she was off having her own adventures!  Here are a few pictures of her.

Hooray for Dads!

How lucky we are to have such a wonderful husband and father.  Brad is so good to us and we love him so much!  I am so blessed that I get to be with him forever and that he is such an example to us.  I hope the kids realize how blessed they are.  I love you dear. :)

Handcart Pioneer Trek

With Brad as Bishop of the 3rd Ward, we both had the privilege of participating in the Highland Stake Pioneer Trek.  Brad was trying to recover from pneumonia so I was really worried about him.  But, we had our own little tent, and he tried not to overdue too much.  I went as stake support.  My job was to help with the activities.  I got to supervise the kids making candles.  It was so much fun!

Our little pioneer family!

Some of my boys :)

Alex and Trevor Ward starting out with the handcart

Bishop McBride speaking to our Ward

Taylor and others pulling up "Testimony Hill"

Taking a well-deserved break after the brutal "Testimony Hill"

Everyone worked so hard.  I was so proud of them all.  What a wonderful thing for us to be able to experience.  I am so glad that I got to be a part of it and hope that Brad and I will be able to participate in the next one in 4 years.

Ryan's "Graduation" :)

Ryan hurt his arm, but thankfully it is not broken.  I just had to put this picture up because he is so adorable!

Greenfield Elementary had a "graduation" program for the kindergarteners.  It was so fun to sit there and see how cute they all are.  Ryan had a part and did great.  You can see how proud he is with his plaque and with his teacher Mrs. Dosil.

I LOvE Being a Mom!

Being a Mom is the BEST!  What a great Mother's Day!  I am so thankful that I get to be a mom to these 5 wonderful children.  I love them more than they will ever know (until they are parents themselves)!

Italia!

Brad and I were lucky enough to go on an amazing trip to Italy this Spring.  Emily came home from BYU and watched the boys and we took off.  I am planning on making a book of our trips and so I only chose a few pictures to represent each place we visited.  We saw so many amazing things that it was really hard to boil it down to just a few pics.  First we arrived in Rome!  We were able to see the Coliseum, the Vatican and lots of beautiful fountains.  Sadly, we were not able to see the Forum because it was closed for a holiday.  So we will save that for another day!

We rented a car and drove through Tuscany.  It was so beautiful.  We stayed at a little vineyard outside of a place called Rhiadda in Chianti.  It was still a working vineyard and very quaint.

Next, we stopped in Florence.  I loved Italy so much, but I think that my very favorite place was Florence.  We stayed in the heart of the old town and got to go to all the museums and eat at little cafe's in the old piazzas.  It was heavenly.  We got to see the "David" by Michelangelo and I was struck by how tall it was.  It was huge!  We even got to attend church in Florence. :)

Our next stop was Venice!  I have ALWAYS wanted to go there and it definitely did not disappoint!  We stayed in a hotel overlooking the Grand Canal.  It was so awesome!  We wandered around and explored and of course had to take a boat ride.  It was very romantic.  :)

On our way home, we even got to spend a couple of days in New York.  We got to wander around town and saw "Mary Poppins" in Broadway.  It was great getting to stop there for a few day because then we weren't so jet-lagged when we got home!  Thanks Brad for the "trip of a lifetime" and for all the wonderful memories.  :)

Gilbert Golden Scholar

Danny was honored in Academic Night tonight for getting strait A's all year.  We are proud of you Danny!