Shuldberg's in Texas

how's your iron?

2012-01-24T18:31:00.000-06:00

Bailee's is low. She tried to give blood a few weeks ago and after they tested it she was turned away because her iron was .4 too low. She was very disappointed. Then one day she came home with discounted tickets for a Mavs game for a thank you for being willing to give blood. Very cool!

The plan was Brian and Bailee were going to go. Then Brian needed to attend a school board meeting, very last minute. Once I got other schedules taken care of, I was able to take her.

The seats were front row of the top section. WE thought they were great. We had soo much fun!

My zoom on my lens is amazing! Remember, we are sitting in the top section.

After the game Bailee wanted to hang around outside while channel 8 did the news. She kept hoping they would scan the crowd, kind of the like on The Today Show. :) They didn't.

I love how big our kids are getting. It's so fun to hang out with my girls and just have fun.

first date :)

2012-01-21T18:17:00.002-06:00

got milk?

2012-01-20T20:35:00.002-06:00

my new love

2012-01-20T09:18:00.001-06:00

These really came about while we were in Hong Kong. There is a 13 hour time difference, if I remember right, and while I was getting ready in the morning we would listen to FOX evening news, from the night before. We were staying at a Marriott and there was a speaker in the bathroom from the TV.

Now I listen to CNN while I get ready. I thoroughly love listening to the GOP race, news around the world, and even some extreme stories. I must be getting old since I prefer to listen to the news than the radio.

My other new love is my camera. While in Hong Kong we bought a DSLR with a lens (which was recommended to us. We really didn't know what we were looking for). I've always loved taking pictures. Since going digital many years ago I probably take 3-4 times more pictures. (My family can get frustrated with me).

A few days before Christmas I got an email about a DSLR workshop at a discounted price. I bought it and now I can't wait until February to take the class. Although, I only shoot in automatic. I really didn't know what the camera can do. I've recently found this amazing blog, 31 days to a better photo. I think I found it through pinterest. I'm loving pinterest but that's another post. :)

The first thing she suggests is reading your manual. I've learned so much! Go figure!! Between my manual and her blog I've learned how to adjust the exposure, reduce the shutter speed to take a picture indoors without using a flash, found out that I can shoot in black and white,

or sepia. I can also use a tint, green, purple, or blue. I've also learned what those numbers mean on my lens. ;)

The reason for this desire for better pictures is from taking pictures at the boys basketball games. I know I need a faster shutter speed but my pictures tend to be a little blurry. I've also learned that I need good lighting at a faster shutter speed. School gyms don't have very good light. I recently looked at my pictures from last year and realized that my pictures today are better. That gives me some comfort.

I'm trying to understand all the terms, ISO, aperture (still struggling), white balance, shutter speed, depth of field... and how they all work together. For now I'll keep shooting and adjusting. Luckily with it being digital it's doesn't cost to take lots of pictures. :)

braces

2012-01-16T16:38:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure this is how Karlee wanted to spend her day off from school, but she couldn't afford to miss class. Although, she has been looking forward to getting braces on. She says that once their on it's that much closer to having great teeth. Smart girl. Looking to the end results.

The count down starts. 24 months to go. :D

fun day

2012-01-13T14:06:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking these past many months that I needed a change on our wall. A total transformation kind of change. Whenever I mentioned it to a friend they said not to change it. They thought it looked good...so I updated. I updated 13 pictures and added five more family photos. Moved a few around, cleaned all the glass, and now I like it again. I still need to add four more families. Three of my siblings and one of Brian's then we will have everyone. :)

Another focus this week has been the upstairs linen closet. I came across these colorful baskets at Target and they match the color scheme perfectly. One shelf for Bailee, one shelf for Karlee, bath towels and pool towels.

The bottom storage boxes are craft items. A very wide assortment. One day when I feel up to tackling the closet in the office that's where it will end up. For now, it's controlled chaos.

Adam came over to play today and it's been a busy one. We fed a monster cookies, fenced in our horses, rode the rails, and even had a shoot out with foam discs. All the kids had a half day at school so once the boys got home all the boys went out to play. Mason wanted to come in and Adam cried all the way in. He wants to play outside longer.

Right now Mason is playing Wii, Karlee has a friend over, Carson is playing ball in the driveway with a friend, and Adam convinced Bailee to take him outside. Everyone is content.

district award

2012-01-11T21:16:00.001-06:00

A week or so ago we got a message that Mason would receive an award for the Reflections Program at the Administration building tonight.

He received a 2nd place trophy in the photography division. Very cool!!

These are all the kids from his school that received an award. First place goes to State to compete. Such an exciting event. As we were leaving Mason told me he wants to do it again next year.

boys

2012-01-09T21:14:00.000-06:00

The boys started playing basketball a few weeks ago and now that will be our life till the end of February. There is practice 3 nights a week then games on Saturday. I really don't mind taking them, unless there's a major conflict with schedules. So far the biggest struggle is Friday night. That's our date night and Mason has practice from 7-8. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

I enjoy watching them learn how to pass, Carson. Or learn how to make a layup, Mason. They look at me with this huge smile of accomplishment. I also enjoy visiting with other parents. My favorite it the quiet. I know it sounds odd to have quiet in a gym full of kids yelling and bouncing a basketball. When no one is calling "Mom" or asking me questions, it's quiet. I can watch the boys, read a book, visit with moms all in peace. I'm loving basketball practice. :)

first haircut

2012-01-06T16:52:00.000-06:00

Bailee's first haircut. She's getting soo big!! ;) She struggled a little with ears though. Her mannequin ears are small and never in the way. Luckily Geoff's ears are flexible.

great break

2012-01-04T15:06:00.001-06:00

We had a very relaxing Christmas break. I think one of our most relaxed. We were all quick to sleep in and stay up late. Bailee worked a lot and has received an amazing first pay check. Another bonus with her working so much, we didn't have teenagers butting heads. :)

The three young ones had sleepovers, and hung out with friends...lots. The boys played video games and played in the streets with neighbors until dark or too cold to play outside any longer. (Only because they would only wear a light jacket.)

Brian kept busy all month working on this afghan for his brother and SIL. I think it turned out great! Once he finished he was all fidgety. So I suggested that I had a kit for another afghan if he's interested. He was and he has begun another. It's very cool and kinda complicated. I'll share another time.

Two days before Christmas Bailee decided to make a scarf for her friend that's a boy. She was quick. Her stitches have really improved. She had it finished before Christmas then decided to give it to him for his 16th birthday in January. I think he'll like it, he's a Harry Potter freak.

New Years Eve was lots of fun, as usual. It flew by faster then any other New Years Eve though. We watched Avatar, which sounded amazing on Brian's new surround sound system he got for Christmas. Then ate some goodies, while we waited for the donuts to rise, and played Wii. The kids got a new game. Wipe out!!! We love the show and the game is super fun! As they get knocked down again and again everyone is laughing.

Although, we ended up playing dodge ball as usual. It's probably our all time favorite game. My shoulder was sore for two days. :0)

This year was our most successful year making donuts for sure. (We've been making donuts for 11 years on New Years Eve, minus a few years because of schedules.) I doubled the batch and they were still all fried by 11:45. Thanks for your help Bri!! They were super yummy!!

McKinzie prepared the chocolate for the fountain and I don't think it's ever flowed so beautifully. I guess she's got the magic touch.

It's good to have the kids back in school. Although it makes for a long day when it starts at 5:30. This morning Carson was struggling so bad I let him go back to sleep on the couch and I took him to school a little late. I think New Years Eve fun has finally caught up to him.

I put away part of Christmas on the 2nd. The tree was a necessity, we needed out space back. The rest needs to get done but it's not really a priority. Snowmen can hang for awhile, after all it is Winter.

Monday night we had a great FHE. One I've been wanting to do for weeks. We talked about what were grateful for and each made our own list. After our lists were made we took turns sharing, and made sure not to repeat what was already shared. I've saved the lists and I'll put it in their school folders. When they look at it years later they might be surprised what was once important to them.

I'm looking forward to 2012. I know I will have challenges, I just hope I can learn from them and become a better person because of them. I've set a few goals, attainable goals. But I know if I stick with them I'll be a better wife, mother, and friend. That's what I want more than anything.

Christmas day

2011-12-28T21:22:00.001-06:00

Sunday morning the boys woke up at 2 AM. They woke up Karlee and they watched a movie on the portable DVD player. I'm so glad they planned ahead and took the DVD player to bed with them. ;) We finally woke up at 6:40.

Both the girls got an iPod Touch. Now we can play Words with Friends with the girls too. :)

Adam got a mini lightsaber in his stocking. Carson quickly pulled out his lightsaber and challenged him to a duel.

Brian said this gift official makes him old. Sorry Bri, you're a grandpa, you are already old.

Brian hands out the gifts to everyone, in the middle of opening presents Adam asks Poppy to read him a book. Of course he said yes.

Does a mess give proof that it was a great morning? :) After opening presents we had a hot breakfast and then we went to church. Leaving a huge mess behind.

I love watching these boys put legos together. Carson put his together without much help.

My MIL gave this to me. She's right!!

christmas eve

2011-12-27T13:46:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve was very nice. We enjoyed a family dinner then had a little program before the kids opened a present.

This is Mom's china. I love it!!

For Christmas Eve Brian usually reads the Christmas story. This year I thought we would try something different. I had the kids act out the story. I found an easy script online with songs. Karlee directed, acted, was the costume designer, and chose the cast. She was also our pianist. She was awesome!!

There were times it got a little silly, but we all had a good time. I'll keep the script and will try again next year.

Time for presents!

Adam received a recorded story from his Grandpa Dave and Grandma Roberta. He wasn't sure what to think. He kept looking behind the book trying to find them. :)

With my parents gone, and Brian's parents giving us family gifts this year, the kids opened up gifts that they gave each other. I think everyone enjoyed it more. It was a very nice evening.

allergic

2011-12-24T13:58:00.000-06:00

Thursday morning I wondered if I should take Mason in to the Dr. again. His left gland started swelling on Tuesday, I talked to the Dr. she didn't seem worried. The Dr. wanted him to continue with the meds. Thursday morning he woke up with a rash on his face and neck. I called a friend/medical student to get some advice. He told me that it sounds minor and just ride it out, unless his hives start to blister.

Friday morning his rash had worsened and I stopped giving him the meds. I finally got a hold of the Dr. and she told me to stop the meds and she would call in another antibiotic. He scratched and scratched all day. He agreed to take an oral Benadryl but he wouldn't even consider a cream. So stubborn!

This morning he is doing so much better. No itching and the spots are about gone. He thinks it's kind of cool to be allergic to something. :) It's now in his records at the Dr. and I talked with the pharmacy so we never get this for him ever again.

working girl

2011-12-24T12:26:00.000-06:00

Bailee started her job about a week ago. She loves it. We love it!! She'll probably work 4 days a week. It's great!! Brian and I just got a raise!! Wahoo!!!! Go Bailee!

snowmen

2011-12-22T15:20:00.000-06:00

I always thought I started having an obsession with snowmen 10+ years ago. Now I think I 've always loved snowmen. When the opportunity came that I could have some of Mom's Christmas decorations, I wanted her snowman and snowwoman. This couple happens to me my Grandma Hansen's. I think Mom's had been loved on too many times. :) Mom got Grandma's after she passed. I remember Mom's had black trim instead of the green. I love how soft they are, they are made out of quilt batting. One more way to have Mom around.

santa

2011-12-20T17:24:00.000-06:00

When I was putting this years picture in the frame I thumbed through these. I wanted to remember the years. It's fun to see how they have grown.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

McKinzie and Geoff weren't able to come downtown with us, or see Santa. This is the first year that McKinzie wasn't in the picture. It's a little sad. I hope they still get a picture taken with Santa and give me one.

downtown

2011-12-20T17:06:00.000-06:00

Last night we went downtown for FHE. We watched Hugo. It was interesting, but very slow. We headed over to see Santa and he wasn't there. I guess the pouring rain we had at 3:30 scared him off. I wasn't surprised that he wasn't in his sleigh. But we had to visit Santa. We headed to the mall and found a great Santa and no line. After Santa we headed over to Outback for dinner. It was a great spoteanious night. :)

Thanksgiving Week

2011-12-19T14:10:00.000-06:00

I know I'm slow. Remember? It took me 6 months to post about our trip to China. Anyway... Luckily it's not taking me as long to catch up on Thanksgiving. We went to Oklahoma for the week to relax, ride ATVs, and basically shut the world out. It worked!! We did all of it.

Our cabin was great as usual. This year the cabin had 3 queen beds with an upstairs. The kids loved it.

Geoff gave Mason a knife so he could do some carving. Any spare time Mason was working on a piece of wood. Luckily he cut his thumb only once...a very small cut too.

One of the things we brought home after going through Dad's house was a BB gun. We all had a chance to shoot. It was fun. Now we need to find a place somewhere close to home to shoot. Our neighborhood won't work.

On Thursday none of the big kids wanted to go riding. So Brian and I took the two boys while the rest stayed back and worked on dinner. They did a great job on the rolls. Bailee made them last year. This was McKinzie first time helping with the rolls.

These snowmen dishes were Mom's. I was lucky enough to bring them home.

After dinner we headed into town to find a hot spot to skype. McDonalds was closed but we were hoping they would leave their wireless on and we lucked out.

Mason didn't want to get in the hot tub so he was the official photographer. He got a few really good pictures.

We love going to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. We love the cabin, the mountains, the riding and relaxing. This might have been our last year. They have closed a lot of the off road trails. We were surprised that we couldn't ride in many of the spots we rode in last year. We don't think the hunters like us very much. I guess I'll have to seriously check out Arkansas. We're not too picky. A half days drive with mountains and trees. We're sure to find something.

tree picture

2011-12-19T13:37:00.001-06:00

We really are in front of the tree. ;) Good thing we have an angel on top.

Usually Brian will place the camera on top of a stack of books which are on a stool so we can take this picture. But this year we are using a tripod! Brian gave me one for my birthday. I've only used it a handful of times but it has come in real handy. Thanks Babe!!

old stomping ground ~ CA

2011-12-18T18:56:00.000-06:00

We lived in Southern California for 2 years...almost 9 years ago. WOW!! It's been along time. While in Cali, for the reception, we had to drive down memory lane. Before moving there, I always pictured it looking like the picture below, streets lined with palm trees. Not many of the streets are. But this one is and this is the street Mason was born on. When I was going to my appointments I always loved the look of all these palm trees. I wanted to get a picture. We moved when Mason was 10 months old and I never got a picture. This time I made sure to get many pictures. Mason has always asked where he was born and was excited to finally to see. When the moment arrived he really didn't care. So I went down memory lane and enjoyed every moment of it.

We also went past our old neighborhood. This the elementary school that McKinzie and Bailee attended. It is much smaller than I remember.

Our home looks almost exactly the same. When we lived there we had a palm tree in the front yard near the sidewalk. I loved that little tree. I think all the first day of school pictures are in front of the palm tree.

Up the street from our house is a nature center. The two girls would go there all the time with some neighbor girls.

The kids wanted to hike up the trail to a rock that had graffiti on it. It was quite a climb.

Bailee told me they use to climb up here all the time. Bailee was in first grade and McKinzie was in 6th. I was a little surprised.

The boys loved it. They want to move back so they can play on the mountain regularly.

It really was a great day. The memories, climbing the "mountain", spending time together and in no rush what so ever.

This trip really made me miss California. If we could have the same lifestyle there that we have here (size of home, cost of living...) I would move back in a heartbeat!

CA with family

2011-12-18T16:56:00.001-06:00

Sunday after the reception we were able to hang out with family in San Diego. Brian's brother and wife live there and they took us to a cool beach. Unfortunately is was a cold wet day.

The kids didn't care how cold it was. :)

Later that day we went to the Mormon Battalion Museum. It was very interesting. It really reached out to the kids. They thought it was great.

We went to Jeff and Claudia's and these two boys played war for 2 hours straight.

We caught up with everyone for a couple of hours on Monday, at another beach, before we headed home.

All the boys had so much fun together. I wish we could live closer to cousins. It always takes a day to warm up to each other then their best friends and don't want to leave.

parties

2011-12-17T17:09:00.000-06:00

The boys had their holiday parties on Friday. I'm Mason's room mom, so I did the organizing and few other moms were there to help. It was very simple. We had food,

a gift exchange (which was a gently used book),

then a couple rounds of musical chairs. Mason made it to one of the last three. Very exciting!

Carson's class did a couple crafts and also had a book exchange.

Tonight we are going to our Ward Christmas Party. I'm looking forward to the program. McKinzie and Geoff are supposed to sing together. This will be good. ;)

Brian and I went out this afternoon and picked up the last two gifts we needed. Christmas cards have been mailed. Parties are about finished. All we need is our annual picture in front of the Christmas tree and our FHE downtown (that's planned for Monday). I'm thinking we're ready!!

CA Temples

2011-12-14T20:54:00.000-06:00

If we had stayed living in Fontana, this would have been our temple, the Redlands Temple. I really wanted to go past it. It was still in construction when we moved. Of course, it's beautiful!! It was a perfect Southern California day.

The day before, we were able to go to the San Diego Temple. It's a castle!!

He is such a cutie!!! We knocked a flower off so I had an impromptu photo shoot of him. Too cute!

choir concert...again!

2011-12-14T20:08:00.000-06:00

The 4th and 5th grade choir, at Mason's school, went to the Administration Building this morning for a concert. They sang 4 or 5 Christmas songs. They all did great.

On another note, Mason has cellulitis. Ten days of a strong antibiotic and he should be back to normal. I'm glad it's simple. But then again Mason taking medicine is never simple. It will be a challenge twice a day for 10 days. I wish they could give him a shot and be done. It really would be easier for both of us.

choir concert

2011-12-14T08:10:00.000-06:00

I've never seen a choir concert become a 2 act play, but that's what happened last night at Karlee's concert. She was "Grandma" with pearls and all. She did great.

She had a small solo part and also did a little dancing.

santa bread

2011-12-14T07:53:00.000-06:00

Whenever I make something that many kids will have a problem with, I try and make homemade bread or rolls. I get regular emails from Taste of Home, sometimes too many, and they had this super cute Santa. It was super easy, especially since I made the bread in my bread maker. ;)

surprise

2011-12-14T07:44:00.000-06:00

Mason woke up this morning with a swollen cheek. This is not the type of surprise he is looking for this Christmas season. :)

He has an appointment this morning. Hopefully it's a simple infection and with meds it will go away quickly.

He asked this morning if I had something he could put in his mouth so both cheeks could be the same. Poor guy. He knows everyone at school is going to ask what happened...he hates attention.

receptions

2011-12-10T16:09:00.000-06:00

McKinzie and Geoff were married on November 4 then had a reception in Orange County on the 5th. It was beautiful! His mom did a great job. I gave my camera to Shon, Brian's brother, and he did a great job getting lots of pictures for me. Thanks Shon!!

The reception in Texas was on the 12th. I think it turned out very nice. I had lots and lots and lots of helpers.

Day 3 ~ Beijing ~ Hutong

2011-12-08T17:03:00.000-06:00

The last touristy thing we did was ride a bicycle rickshaw through Hutong, a traditional old neighborhood.

This family allows tours to come through their home for extra income. It was very interesting.

They set up a couple of rooms for people to stay here during the Olympics.

They set this one up for a newlywed couple that asked if they could be married here.

This is the courtyard. Most homes are set up like this. A home/room on each side. The parents stay in the best room, then the son, or married couple, gets the next best room. The daughter would stay in the least desirable room.

A lot of these neighborhoods have been torn down for apartment living. The government has stopped that from happening to this neighborhood. It can not be torn down, or sold. It's passed down from generation to generation. Unfortunately not many young people want to live here. Most homes do not have their own toilets. They have public ones for the families to use. This home did have toilets put in for the Olympics, knowing Westerners need more than a public restroom. ;)

Kitchen

Public toilets.

The neighborhood has this beautiful lake and lots of bars/restaurants. The put comfy couches out on the sidewalk for the evening/night crowd.

I thought this was strange. A playground near a very busy road. All cement.

Lisa, our guide, was amazing. She made sure we had cold sodas with our meals. Once she found our we didn't drink alcohol or tea she would tell the servers and they wouldn't even ask. She walked us all the way through the airport as far as she could go. The entire experience was great.

If I didn't have these pictures I wouldn't believe we went. It seems so long ago. WE loved the whole experience. I'm so glad I'm now finished posting about our trip. Whew!!

souvenirs

2011-12-08T16:38:00.000-06:00

We went to many factories that were included in all our tours. It was actually very smart. Someone in our group always bought something. :)

One of my favorites was a silk manufacturer. They showed us how it works from start to finish.

If it is a single silk worm pod then it is hooked up here to be unwound.

If it's a double silk worm pod then it can't be unwound. The silk from both worms are tangled together. That silk will be cleaned and stretched to be made into a comforter. We bought one. We love it! We also bought a duvet. Very slippery.

We bought a generation ball at a Jade factory in Xian.

In Xian we also bought this hand stitched panel. We had them write our names in Chinese. Brian's name is on the left. I had them framed in black bamboo. I think they turned out great.

In Beijing we went to an enamel factory, unfortunately we couldn't take pictures of them working. It was very cool to watch. They have an enamel vase/item, and they put on the small enamel pieces with tweezers, one at a time. Then they use a medicine dropper to fill in with color. They will fill in the color with 7 layers. Then it is fired. I ended up buying a pen and a couple of ornaments. The one below I'm going to send to a friend. She lives in Boerne and I just had to buy it for her. :)

gift exchange

2011-12-07T20:05:00.000-06:00

Karlee took the "white elephant" literal....;)

candid is the best :)

2011-12-07T13:00:00.000-06:00

lola

2011-12-04T22:02:00.001-06:00

Saturday morning, before we left Vegas, my uncle gave us a ride in his plane. His often called mistress, Lola. :)

These three flew first. They came back smiling so it must of been good.

Being Texans that we are, we only had jackets. It was surprisingly cold.

Karlee and Adam came out to watch us take off.

Bailee even flew for a bit.

We headed for those snow covered mountains.

Being in a small airplane and close to these mountains the turbulence was too much. Before we even took off, Uncle Kent told us that being sick isn't disgraceful. Missing the baggie is. :)

I didn't get that sick, but I was holding onto a baggie just in case. I now will admit I get motion sick. Getting older (not old!) is so lame!!

The view from the plane was amazing. Such a great experience for everyone.

dream come true in Vegas

2011-12-04T21:12:00.000-06:00

Dad's funeral

2011-12-04T09:47:00.000-06:00

I didn't edit these pictures until Friday. It was still tough to go through them. I have been so busy with the wedding and starting Christmas shopping it's kept me from thinking too much. It's been on purpose. I don't want to think. It hurts.

My sister, Waynette, and her family, plus my brother, Randall, and his family took Dad on a trip to Crater Lake and the Redwoods. It was the first part of July when they went. He love it!! Randall had this picture blown up of him at Crater Lake. By the first part of August Dad had lost all use and control of his legs. It's a good thing they went when they did. He quickly went down hill from there.

In Dad's casket there was a little drawer so the grandkids could write a note to Grandpa and put it in for nobody to read. Mason and Carson both wrote him a note. Karlee might have to.

The headstone Dad had made after Mom died is beautiful. I've only seen rough sketches of what it would look like. Every detail is exactly them.

Mason was able to be a pall bearer this time. He thought it was very cool. He also was surprised at how heavy the casket was.

Dad served 3 years in the Army then the National Guard, I think for another 5 years, early in his marriage. I knew very little about it. When I saw the flag draped over the casket it took my breathe away.

After a small ceremony that included a 12 gun salute. Two men folded the flag and gave it to my nephew Brenton, that is a Marine. When Brenton presented the flag to Todd, the oldest child, I think it brought tears to all our eyes. It was very cool.

Overall, it was a beautiful Fall day.

I thought it was very cool to see this recently returned missionary sitting with these impressionable boys. Go Jake!!

I'm surprised how quick to tears I still am. Most days I struggle to talk much about Dad. I was texting Brenda the other day and crying. How sad is that?! I miss them so much. Right now I keep busy and try not to think. When someone asks me how I'm doing I try and keep it general. Nothing to personal. Poor Brian... He doesn't know what to do. I don't know either.

trip to idaho

2011-12-03T22:18:00.000-06:00

Our drive to Idaho, in October, went very well. We decided to try a different route through Colorado. It happened to be longer but it was a beautiful drive.

Bailee came later with McKinzie and Geoff. These three traveled great. All of them started doing homework. They felt like they had lots of room with one less person.

As soon as we got to Dad's Carson found the veggies, opened up a recipe book and started cooking. :)

These boys range in ages from 5-9. They are all good friends.

My Dad made these book shelves and fireplace. He had such an amazing talent in woodworking.

I'm going to miss this house. I don't know if I'll ever see it again. When we packed things up and headed out it was hard to leave.

Jingle Bell run

2011-12-03T12:41:00.001-06:00

This morning was the 5k. It was about 55 degrees and misty. Warmer than I planned. I found some friends at the starting point. It was mine and K's, the boy, first 5K. We were itching to start.

The kids entertained themselves pretty well. :)

I'm still surprised that I actually ran a race. And YES!! I ran the whole way. That was my goal. The timer said 33 minutes. Not bad. I think I'll do this again. Let me change that. I'm sure I'll run another race.

I found some stats on the race. There were 3,101 participants. Of which 2,085 were women. In my age group there were 47 and I came in 14th. My time was 33:03.9. My overall place is 315. I'm very pleased with the results.

kindergarten Christmas program

2011-12-02T09:48:00.000-06:00

Thursday Carson was very excited for his program. Excited to wear his suit too. Although he was the only boy in a suit, there were many girls in fancy holiday dresses.

Unfortunately Carson was tucked up in the back corner.

All the kids did a great job. Carson knew all the songs. In fact, he sings Christmas songs all the time now. He loves it when a familiar one plays on the radio.

carson's bike brakes

2011-11-29T17:07:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-20T22:22:00.000-06:00

Friday afternoon the Kindergarten classes had their Thanksgiving. I had to laugh, the Pilgrims were at one table and the Indians at another. I thought Thanksgiving brought everyone together. :)

choices

2011-11-20T22:07:00.002-06:00

Weeks ago Mason decided to do the Reflections contest as his PACE assignment because he thought it would be easier than another project. Thursday night we went to the school to see every ones work. We found out that Mason's won a ribbon. Now he goes to the next level. Yea Mason!!!

play dead?

2011-11-20T21:19:00.000-06:00

Saturday Brian and I got up early to meet my brother in Monroe, Louisiana. We headed out the door at 6 am and Brian finds this in our garage. A possum!!! He wasn't afraid of us. He didn't run away. He didn't play dead. He looked like a giant rat!! Bailee thinks he's cute. We finally had to get on the road. We told the kids to make sure and keep the door to the garage closed and we left the large garage door partially opened.

We needed to take Todd's things to him from our parents home. We only visited for about 10 minutes then all of us hit the road again. He originally was going to drive to our house for the weekend but he didn't realize the drive was so long. All of us were very disappointed when he changed his mind, especially my boys. We returned back home 12 hours later. Luckily we were able to take care of a few errands that we needed to do together.

I had signed up to clean the church building months ago. So at 6:30 Brian, Karlee, and myself headed over to clean. Bailee had been home sick all day and the boys were at Cici's with a neighbor. It was a long day. Good but long.

Day 3 ~ Beijing ~ Temple of Heaven

2011-11-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

The Temple of Heaven is China's largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. It is three times the area of the Forbidden City. It was built in 1420 for emperors to worship Heaven.

In the picture above and below I tried to show how there were two walls. The outer wall was square and the inner round.

The Imperial Hall of Heaven.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests. The building is completely wooden, with no nails. All the building in the complex have blue roofs to represent Heaven.

It was magnificent!!

food ~ Beijing

2011-11-20T19:09:00.000-06:00

In Beijing we had a variety of different kinds of food. This was my most favorite. It's pan fried noodles. They have this huge slap/brick of dough that they slice off noodles. It was cool to watch.

When we arrived to this restaurant Lisa would not tell us what we were having. We were game and tried it all. Most of it was good. There were a few dishes that we tried but didn't care for. We guessed it was tofu and we were right. All of it was tofu. It was good. Although I don't think I'll ever order tofu I now know I enjoyed it.

This was the most strange looking dish. Shrimp with heads still on. :/ It was difficult to eat, but I did.

By the end of our trip we all wanted American food. One night we almost blew off what Lisa had planned for pizza. But we stuck it out and had the full experience.

family dinner

2011-11-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

Thursday night, before the wedding in Vegas, we went out to celebrate with family. It was Larry's, Brian's dad, 70th birthday.

I don't think I've ever seen a burrito so large.

This two were sung to and then they tried to give them a shot of some "Mexican water" to celebrate. McKinzie finally realized it was Tequila. She has never closed her mouth so fast. :D

They also sang to Bailee and Larry for their birthdays. It was a fun night.

After dinner we took the kids to the Strip. I remember years ago about a show at Treasure Island. It's not was it used to be. It was not a family friendly show. We did walk down the street to see this volcano erupt. Very cool!

another late night

2011-11-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

Last night we stayed up late with thousands of other Twilight lovers and went to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn Part 1. I invited some friends to join us and the hours before the movie went by very quickly.

Well...we loved it!! I thought it ended in a perfect spot. But now I want more. I want the final installment and more sleep.

Day 2 ~ Beijing ~ Olympic Village

2011-11-17T14:36:00.000-06:00

Before our day was over we went over to the Olympic Village. When I saw this through the van window I thought for sure we were close. It looks like the Olympic torch!!

It's actually a hotel designed to look like a dragon. Do you see it? Kinda cool!

I wasn't sure you would remember a previous post about how they arrange their tables and chairs. In ancient times Chinese people believed that heaven is round and earth is square. So all the restaurants were arranged like this.

The Olympic Village is no different. That's why the Bird Nest and the Water Cube are placed where they are, heaven is round and earth is square.

The Water Cube Aquatic Center is still being used.

The Bird Nest Stadium is not. They don't even let anyone go inside. She said there's no reason to give tours, there's only chairs inside. But I want to see those chairs. It's not just a stadium. It's an Olympic stadium! I think it would be cool to go inside.

committed or insane?

2011-11-17T08:42:00.000-06:00

Between the day my Dad passed away, October 17, and the wedding reception here, November 12, I only ran three times. Those weeks were so busy with travel and planning that there really wasn't an opportunity to run. I have only 15 more day to train before the 5K. I'm not sure I'll be ready. I've been doing really good. I think I'm running the distance, I still need to drive it. I feel I've really lost stamina because I haven't made it happen regularly.

Today as I'm getting ready to run, two shirts and a hoodie, ear warmers, gloves... Karlee called me committed. The temperature outside was 35. There have been other days, when it was in the 40s, I blew it off and didn't run. I'm not sure I'm committed, perhaps more insane. I do know that when you're insane you become committed. So obviously they go hand in hand. ;)

I now understand the high from running. I bought me a new pair of jeans the other day and I had to buy a size smaller! Running might be my new addition. :)

Hoover Dam

2011-11-16T21:24:00.000-06:00

On our way to Vegas we decided to stop and look at a dam. I was more impressed than the kids and I've seen it before. All of them wanted to be done with the drive. We were close.

This is the new bridge that was built since 9/11.

I really miss mountains.

Day 2 ~ Beijing ~ Underground Palace

2011-11-16T21:03:00.001-06:00

After The Great Wall we visited the Underground Palace. It's an underground tomb of one of the Ming Emperors. But first we walked the "Sacred Way of the Animals" which guards the tomb.

We had to drive from the "Walk" to the tomb. Which I thought was strange. On the way I got a couple of interesting pictures. The one above is of the trees that are painted. They are painted to keep insects off. It must work because they are painted everywhere.

Then below, if you look at the tree behind the man there are brown bags hanging on the tree. It actually is wrapped around an apple. As the apple grows a Chinese symbol is pressed into the apple skin. The symbol stands for prosperity, good fortune, long life... We realized many symbols on souvenirs mean one of those. :)

Only Cypress trees can grow inside the tomb.

The trees with a green plaque means the tree is over 300 years old.

A red plaque is over 500 years old.

The Chinese people must not understand what luxuriant means. ;)

The tomb is under this hill.

The rear chamber is the main chamber of the underground palace. Inside the chamber, there was a coffin bed, on which the coffins of the Emperor and Empresses where placed. The coffin of the Emperor was in the middle and those of the Empresses where on both sides. Jade materials were found between the coffins. The burial articles for the Emperor and Empress were kept in 26 cases made of nanmu (a kind of hard wood) on the sides of each coffin. When the underground palace was opened, part of the coffins and burial articles had become decayed. The coffins and cases containing the burial articles on display at present are the copies of the original ones.

These little shoes are what Chinese women used to wear. In fact, our guide told us her grandmother used to wrap her feet so they could remain small. Lisa said her feet looked like chicken feet.

Day 2 - Beijing ~ The Great Wall of China

2011-11-16T15:39:00.002-06:00

Finally!! Another post about China. I only have a few more days of China to blog about. It has been a real challenge to finish.

This is a very poor image. The original looks worse. I scanned it in trying to improve it. Not so much. This picture was taken before we climbed up the Great Wall.

I was surprised at how steep the climb was. The steps were all different heights so you really couldn't get a rhythm down.

The Great Wall is definitely my favorite part of China. It's so magnificent. It's hard to imagine that this was built during the 5th century BC and weaves throughout China for 3,700 miles. I learned that over 300,000 people labored more than 30 years to accomplish this task.

The view of these mountains are amazing!

In the picture above, Brenda and Dave are enjoying ice cream to cool off. Jake, Josh, and myself were all ahead of them without money. My bottled water was in Dave's pack! Rather unfair, but we continued to the top without them.

The stairs to the tower was very narrow, and these are in good condition compared to most.

Yea!!! We did it!
I have a funny story. Just before this picture I came out of the tower and noticed these young Chinese girls having their picture taken with these two cute American boys. So I thought I would too. They took my picture with them. ;) These two have had their picture taken a lot. But that's not the funny part. The night before I thought, "Why don't I get asked to get my picture taken. I'm American too." I know, pathetic. Anyway, at the last tower I had this younger than me, shirtless, Chinese man ask to have a picture taken with me. I smiled and said yes. Inside I was thinking GROSS!! :/

The climb down was soo much faster. Brian decided not to walk to the top. When I made it down I found him relaxing in the shade with a cold drink. Lucky for me he shared.

All of it was breathtaking. :)

school play

2011-11-16T11:55:00.000-06:00

Last night Karlee had the lead in her school play. The play was called "Team Edward vs. Team Jacob". Yep you guessed it. It was all about vampires and werewolves. Karlee was nervous all day. But she did a great job!! They all did a great job.

There was a little romance. This is Edward hitting on Lydia. Trying to get her to choose the life of a vampire. She told him to take a hike. :)

Lots of humor. Jacob is the one with the muscles. :P

Then this poor teacher. She has two bloody stumps because of fights at school between the vampires and werewolves.

Super entertaining! Mason kept saying over and over again that he was so glad he could watch it. Great job Karlee!! We are excited for the next school production.

wedding day

2011-11-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey McRae...

These boys have been so excited at the thought of a bigger brother. Carson ran and jumped into Geoff's arms shortly after him and McKinzie came out of the temple.

I didn't get a picture of all of our family that was there. I guess I'll have to wait until we get the pictures back from the photographer.

Geoff's mom's side of the family.

Geoff's dad's side of the family. (Unfortunately Kinzie's eyes are closed.)

The crackers helped Adam feel better for awhile.

But it didn't last long. He was soo done with pictures.

This is the most fun Adam had at the temple. Most everyone had left while McKinzie and Geoff finished pictures and it had started to rain.

Now real life starts...

birthday catch up

2011-11-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

McKinzie keeps giving me a hard time for not blogging. She thinks I have nothing to do now the wedding is over. Well...I'm still super busy. But I'm going to try and catch up before our trip to Oklahoma next week. The hardest part is editing all the pictures before I blog. Hundreds of pictures were taken on our trip. Let alone still trying to edit pictures from our trip to China. The Great Wall is next. :)

Geoff and Kinze gave Bailee these mustaches. I think Mason wants to check and see if it's real. :)

She opened one present. I think she likes it.

I told her to see if anything was in her new purse.

KEYS!!!

It's a 2001 Saturn. She loves it! This is just as much of a gift for me as it is for her. This past week has been great now that she can get herself to school and church without me. In fact she has already helped out by picking up Karlee after school one day.

With Kinzie and Geoff getting married so close to her birthday, she actually thought her birthday would be forgotten. I hope it was a great 16th birthday! I love you Bailee!!

Bailee had to get her license as soon as possible. We couldn't start the paperwork until she was 16. So on her birthday I take her out of school to go and sit at the DPS for 2 1/2 hrs.

On the 2nd we go back to do the driving test. She is super nervous. We have an appointment at 4 but have to be there at 3:30. Finally a little after 5 she takes her test and passes!! She didn't get to drive by herself for another week because we left for Vegas that night. It's all good! She's free!! Now she needs a job to pay for gas. :/

50th day of school 50s style

2011-11-01T07:57:00.002-05:00

sweet sixteen

2011-11-01T07:55:00.000-05:00

A boy friend, NOT boyfriend, surprised Bailee at seminary this morning with roses. That just guaranteed her to have a great day. (Check that off my to do list.)

bridal shower

2011-10-31T23:08:00.000-05:00

McKinzie wasn't sure she wanted a bridal shower. I was fine either way. She knew that if she wanted one that I would need to plan it and she knew I was already stretched. When I realized she was leaning toward having it I called a friend for help. Marcia had mentioned in passing that she would like to do one for her, then she went on vacation. So instead of waiting for her return I called another friend, Ruth, for help. I have some wonderful friends. Many women came through for us and put together a great shower.

Marcia even made this cute shirt for Kinzie to wear. I think I counted around 27 people in attendance. The food was yummy. The games were fun and simple. The wide variety of gifts were great!

With my gift I had a card that McKinzie read aloud. It read something like, "I know that you feel I've been a hard nose about modesty. (This is where she rolled her eyes.) I think I've painted myself into a corner. I hope you like what I bought you for your wedding night." She was way scared to look in the bag. When she pulled it out everyone couldn't control the laughter. I gave her a floral, flannel, nightgown/robe. One woman at the shower asked if I sewed the bottom closed. :D I hadn't thought of that! Don't worry, I also gave her something "fun" for a newlywed. ;)

Halloween fun

2011-10-31T21:16:00.001-05:00

Saturday night our Ward had a carnival and trunk or treat. These two talked about being old people or weeks. In just the last hour before we left it really came together for Karlee.

Mason wanted to be a Pioneer. He came up with the entire look. People kept asking him if he was Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett. :)

Batman's sidekick hadn't arrived yet.

This dress that Bailee is wearing is mine!! My mom made if for me my Jr or Sr year, I don't remember. We planned on doing her hair like a real 80s girl,but we ran out of time. So I gave her some real bangs!

Mason and Karlee carved these in less than 2o minutes. They did it on their own while I was making dinner tonight. There just isn't enough time in the day.

Bailee handing out candy.

Carson wanted to be General Grievous tonight so Geoff filled in as Batman.

Carson, Mason, and our neighbors, Colton and Cody.

Usually Geoff is the one pulling a face. He's starting to rub off on her.

When I arrived home with the boys these two were reading. Too cute!

flowers

2011-10-30T23:06:00.000-05:00

On Monday the 17th a friend brought me some flowers. I was able to add them to a fall arrangement I had bought a few days before.

On Monday at about 10am I got a call from Brenda, my sister, that Dad had passed on. It was definitely the shortest phone call I've had. It wasn't a surprise. In late April cancer was found on his spine, on the nerve endings. He was told about 6 months. In mid September there was a trip to the ER. Then I knew that we would be attending a funeral before the wedding.

The last few weeks he was in pain, but he never wanted to admit it to any of us kids. I miss him. He's been very lonely since Mom passed away. He followed her just over 18 months later. I can only imagine the reunion they had together. I know they're dancing again. I know I'll be with them again one day. But for now...I miss them both more than I ever imagined.

2 years old

2011-10-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, the 26th, Adam turned 2. Time is going way too fast.

Poppi and I gave him a truck with a trailer. The ATV he calls a "beep beep".

He is such a smart little boy. He's super polite. Always a please, thank you, and your welcome. :)

His favorite is to ask why. Why about everything. On Friday we were out running errands and he saw a school bus and wanted to ride it. I kept telling him he couldn't and he kept asking why. I finally told him he needed to ask his momma. He said, "No, I ask Nonnie." Too smart!

pumpkin patch

2011-10-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

Later after Moms and Muffins I met some friends at the pumpkin patch with Adam.

He wasn't so sure about sitting on this straw bale.

When Adam reached the top of this slide he wasn't sure what to do.

With a little help he figured it out. :)

This truck was his favorite.

In the picture above I asked him over and over again to look at Nonnie, to say cheese. He kept ignoring me then he said, "Cheese, cheese, cheese!"

Loved this tractor too!

The joy of being a grandma. Love it!!

moms and donuts?

2011-10-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

At our elementary school the PTA sponsors a "Dads and Donuts" and a "Moms and Muffins". My boys don't like their choice of muffins so we stop and buy donuts on the way. The boy in the middle is Colton, our neighbor. Carson wishes he was a brother. They have lots of fun together.

soccer

2011-10-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Soccer season is over for us. There's relief and sadness. Both boys actually have games next week but with the wedding on Friday we won't be here. Unfortunately Carson will miss his team party. Mason might too. Mason's team party is on the 12th so I don't know yet if will fit in our schedule of setting up for the open house.

Mason played great today. Probably the best all season.

In a few weeks I'll be signing them up for basketball. Carson for sure, Mason is still deciding.

no school

2011-10-29T21:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so far behind on blogging.

A few weeks ago, on a Monday, the kids didn't have school so I took them to the Fort Worth Science and History Museum. Mason was very excited.

I love this huge light bright. It brought back so many memories as a kid.

Mason and Carson played for an hour and a half in this area alone.

They have a cool slide in the gift shop. Bailee and Geoff actually went down it. Geoff almost got stuck. :)

Afterwards we went to Yogurtland. We all had a great day.

no more training wheels!!!

2011-10-16T19:23:00.000-05:00

As I was finishing up that last post, Carson came in all excited telling me that I need to go outside. That I need to see something cool. He was right. This is cool!!! He's on his friends bike and he is loving it. Mason took off Carson's training wheels and now lots of boys are riding all over the street. Carson is loving life!!

birthday boy

2011-10-16T19:06:00.002-05:00

Saturday was Geoff's 25th birthday!! I snapped this picture of him right after we attended the temple. I told him it's going on the blog. He was surprised. :) This is truly his personality summed up in a picture. We love him!

McKinzie attended the temple for the first time on his birthday. She will forever remember this date. It was a great experience. She wanted it to be a family thing which made if even more special.

Geoff's mom, Anne, was able to be here for the weekend. She is such a sweet woman.

Then we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. One of our new favs!! We are going to have the family dinner here, in Las Vegas. This place has a lot of personality. Look at the size of Geoff's cake. WOW!! They even sang to him. We had a great afternoon and evening.

I don't think I've known him long enough to list 25 things about him. Let's see how far I get.

a big tease
full of fun
self motivated
loves McKinzie and Adam
loves his mom
wants to have his own business
only eats pancakes with peanut butter and jelly (he's kinda weird)
did I mention he's a big tease?
has a great testimony of the Gospel
was a great missionary
still shares the Gospel
has lots of friends
is a great friend
willing to help anyone
is a hard worker
loves gummy bears
loves to rock climb
I think he even enjoys spending time with all of us
loves Superman

That's about it. Not too bad. I hope you had a great birthday Geoff. We are very excited that your apart of our family. We love you!!!

mum

2011-10-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

weekend activities

2011-10-03T16:44:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago Bailee got a call from a friend, a boy. He asked her if she wanted a mum for Homecoming. OH... MY... GOSH....!!!! She was soo excited! She told me she really wanted one this year, but not from her mom. (Yep...I offered.) So last Thursday we went to a Hobby Lobby that was near his school, so the colors would be right. We hardly knew what a garter was suppose to look like. We bought many things. We didn't want it over the top. We really didn't know what we were doing. When we got home Bailee started.

We finished it on Sunday. It's kinda over the top. Although we love it!! This week sometime he'll be coming over to give her her mum and she'll give him his garter. This is one thing about Texas I'll never understand. Where did the idea of mums and garters come from anyway??

Friday was my birthday. I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I don't like my birthdays. For me it's just another day. This year I didn't plan on making a cake. I'm getting kind of ornery. I was a little surprised when Brian had asked Bailee and Karlee to do it. Pleasantly surprised. They ended up making two. Friday afternoon Bailee made the cake and Karlee made the frosting. Bailee was frosting and somehow it slid off the counter. They just laughed when I asked them where the cake went. So Saturday afternoon they tried again. It was a success. Sunday we finally had most of us gathered around to cut the cake. As I'm blowing out the candles Brian grabs my camera. He doesn't know how to work it. It's all luck that he got anything I could use. Most of them had my head cut off. :) It ended up being a very nice birthday.

Mason has been wanting to learn to ride a bike for some time. But never when a neighbor was outside. He was embarrassed that he didn't know how. He can ride on Carson's little bike. But his big bike scares him. Sunday he decided to try on a friends bike and it was super easy. He was so excited. When I went back inside he decided to try on his. Yippee!!! He can ride his bike.

These two pictures are on his friends bike. He is thrilled!!ll

Both the boys had a soccer game on Saturday. Carson's team won 1-0. Mason's team lost 0-1.

We also watched all of General Conference. Saturday we were the most attentive and we really enjoyed it. Sunday Adam was here and he wanted to play cars. He kept saying over and over, "Poppi play cars." He ended up yelling because Poppi was trying to be good and watch Conference. But like everyone expected Adam won. It was very cute to watch Poppi and Adam play cars.

I almost forgot. We stuffed envelopes too. Whew!

Beijing ~ Day 1

2011-09-28T17:02:00.000-05:00

We spent the afternoon learning about the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms.

This is the Gate of Divine Might, the northern gate. The inscription reads "The Palace Museum"

This is the same spot that the Emperor and his wife stood on their wedding day, so we were told. ;) It is two trees that have grown together.

Only the Forbidden City has gold roofs. Also, the Emperor only stayed in the buildings that has 12 animals on the roofs ridge. He also never slept in the same room two nights in a row, for his safety.

The lower roof is on the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The throne in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

There were three walkways/stairs in many places we went in the Forbidden City. We never used the middle one. It is for "The God of Heaven", only.

This 4 star restroom is misleading...no western style toilets. NOT 4 star!! We waited.

The throne in the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Of course we had to get our picture taken with Chairman Mao.

After the Forbidden City we went to Tiananmen Square. It is directly across the street, a very busy street, from the Forbidden City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of about 109 acres, and able to accommodate 1,000,000 people at one time.

We asked out guide, Lisa, about the protests that were here. She acted like there was no such thing. We all knew better.

Monument to the People's Heros.

Great Hall of the People

We then went to a martial arts show at the Red Theatre. Crazy name I know. ;)

It was a full day with more information that I can remember. Good thing I took lots and lots of pictures to help jog my memory.

boys

2011-09-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

Another morning at the soccer fields. Everyone was able to be there this time. Brian had a COR baptism he needed to attend, then he came and watched the last half of Mason's and caught all of Carson's.

Mason's team tied 1-1. We were pleased with the score since this is the team that won the Championship game last season.

Carson's team won 4-0. This was Carson after our first goal.

apples

2011-09-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

This morning I was able to help in Carson's class. I helped the students cut up apples for applesauce. YUM! I loved how cute their cubbies looked. His teacher admitted that she's a little OCD ;). Such great organization. I think she's going to be my second favorite Kindergarten teacher. Mrs. McBride at EME, Karlee's, is my fav. She's also been teaching some um-teen years, maybe 20. :D

Arrive in Beijing

2011-09-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

The train ride to Beijing wasn't so bad. Before bed I went over to Brenda and Dave's "cabin" and we played some cards until Jake beat us all and there was no point in continuing. For a missionary he's pretty good at cards. ;)

I think people live here.

These apartments were amazing. We could see five wings and that's only one side. They were huge!

We were shocked to see these cars driving where we were walking! Insane!!

I thought these phone booths were soo cute. We saw them everywhere.

The windows at our hotel were nasty. A challenge to get a good picture.

After we freshened up at the hotel we headed to lunch. In Beijing everywhere we went to eat this was the arrangement in the dinning halls. I asked Lisa, our guide, why? She said in ancient times Chinese people believed that heaven is round and earth is square. All the chairs were placed perfectly in a square around round tables. I love the look!!

soccer season

2011-09-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the boys first game. They did great! Mason's team won 3-0. He played defensive and whenever the ball came in his area he kicked it back before the other team even made it down the field.

Carson's team also did great. But we lost 1-3. Carson was in the middle of it all and occasionally he kicked the ball towards the goal. :)

I was the only one that was able to be at the game. Kinz and Geoff went rock climbing. Karlee went to the airport with NJHS to greet troops coming home. Brian attended a baptism. And Bailee stayed home doing her chores. I hope next week it can be a family affair.

first choice

2011-09-15T12:47:00.001-05:00

Out of 130 proofs this is their fav. I agree, it's a keeper. :)

Today was suppose to be a terrible, no fun, unproductive day. I had blocked out the entire day, after running of course, for dress shopping...for me. I like to shop, but I also knew it would be a challenge to find something for the wedding. I've spent many hours, since Sunday, online looking and looking and getting more and more discouraged. I've looked at JcPenney, Sears, Macy's, Dillards, Nordstrom, Jones New York, and even ramdom sites that I found on Google. I gave in and went to David's Bridal. I don't want matronly, or traditional. I want to cordinate with the colors, and still look good. I was feeling like that was too much to ask.

Then I was on the last page of David's Bridal. It was literally the last dress and I thought, "That's really cute." I asked the two girls what they thought. Then I asked Brian. So far it was all good. Yesterday morning I called the local store and the only stores that have that dress in my size are Houston, El Paso, and Mcallen. Dang it!! I decided to call Houston and make sure they really had it. They did! Online the price was already 50% off. When I talked with the sales rep I found out it's another 50% off. (I love sales!) The price was so reasonable that I comtemplating ordering it without trying it on. Non refundable mind you! Long story short...really this is the short version. I ordered the dress and it should be here in a week. Hooray!!!

So, the Temple is reserved. The invitations are ordered, the wedding dress is ordered, the bridesmaids dresses are being made (We had a "fitting" for the girls yesterday. The dresses are going to be great! We can't wait.) with matching ties. The silk flowers have been purchased, hopefully we can start making those next week. Still working on where to have the family dinner after the wedding. Then there's the open house. That's my next focus.

When I went to order the invitations it wouldn't take a horizontal picture. So Kinz and Geoff quickly chose another and our amazing photographer, Three Hills Photography, doctored this up and sent it to me ASAP.

It's turning out to be a great day!!

We did it!!!

2011-09-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

Not many people share my excitement. But it's a big deal. We need to be recognized for the hot hot summer we have endured. When we were one day short of tying for the consecutive days with triple digits I was disappointed. When we were days away from tying the record for the most triple digits in a year I held my breath. We were ONE day short of tying when it rained. We needed the rain desperately but it was such a disappointment. Then I remembered that there have been many years that it's been super hot for the State Fair. So I just had to sit back and wait. Today is the lucky day. 70 days of triple digits! I think tomorrow is supposed to be 102 so we've set a high standard. Then rain is in the forecast. I hope it comes. My yard is crunchy, and brown. We have three new trees that I water every few days, then I try and water a few beds.

Now we can say, "Remember the summer of 2011? It was the hottest, driest in the history of Texas." Wahoo!!

Now I hope relief comes.

Soon.

party

2011-09-12T15:21:00.000-05:00

A new record!

birthday boy

2011-09-12T15:00:00.002-05:00

Today is Carson's 6th birthday. He has been counting down since Karlee's bday. Because of schedules tonight we had to shake things up a little. We went to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday for dinner and fun. Then we opened presents on Sunday. Today I was able to have lunch with him at school. Which was super fun. Then I took in a treat for his class in the afternoon.

Subway was his choice for lunch. He actually wanted Chick-fil-a, but since his lunch is at 10:30 we are limited on what is available.

I think class could get pretty crazy with these boys. This is Dawson on bottom and Peyton.

This was his favorite present. He also got a batman wallet from Kinz, a General Grevious light saber from his Gma and Gpa Shuldberg, some money from Karlee and a stuffed animal from Bailee. Brian and I also gave him a General Grevious costume to go with the light saber. I don't know if he liked it. He doesn't like being the bad guy. I'm soo glad. :)

6 things about Carson:

GREAT imagination
shares with everyone
loves to be silly to make people laugh
loves to dress up to be anyone with a weapon
a tender heart
loves church and sharing his testimony

I love you Carson!! I hope you've had a great day! Happy birthday!!!

I did it!!

2011-09-08T16:55:00.002-05:00

About late July I decided to run a 5K. I told a few people and the most common response was, why? I don't have a reason other than I want to. I've never ran in my life. I played volleyball in Jr. High, and I was on the drill team in High School. I want to try something new, something hard but doable.

My goal is to run 4 days a week. This is the first week I've been able to do it. Yay!! Once all the kids are off to school Stella and I head out. The farthest I've ran is 2.1 miles. Not a lot, but I run the whole way and there are a few good hills. I don't expect to be fast. My goal is to run the entire 5K. Anybody can walk it, right? The race is in December and I'm a little concerned if I'll continue to run when we're on vacation. We'll be gone a week for the wedding, then another 5 days for Thanksgiving. I hope I stay strong.

The wedding plans are coming along. There have been a few times I've had to be firm and tell them I need a decision today. They don't like it but they finally tell me what they want. These next two months are going to be crazy. In the middle of planning we have birthdays every couple of weeks. By the time the wedding arrives I don't know if any of us will be up for cake. Three birthdays in September, two in October and Bailee on November 1st. It's insane.

Also, with all my focus on the wedding (I'm even dreaming about planning), I have totally dropped the ball on blogging about our trip. I've got to focus. I only have Beijing and it's only four days. I can do it!

On Saturday I ran again. Five times in one week...a record!

karlee's project

2011-09-07T09:12:00.002-05:00

Can you tell what it is?

success

2011-09-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

all better

2011-09-02T09:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday around 12 Kinz called to see if I could go pick up Adam from his sitter. He had a fever or 102. When I arrived I was shocked to see him all wrapped up. He's swaddled better that a new born babe. He was having chills so Rhonda wrapped him up and he fell asleep. He's doing much better today. He's busy playing and climbing and being his busy self. :)

another teenager ~ wahoo

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

When Karlee was 3 years old she loved to wear this white and pink dress. She wanted to wear it everyday. I would have to take it during the night and put it in my dirty clothes so it could get washed. She really was the cutest thing wearing it too. Well, a decade later and this girl is still pretty cute. It's hard to believe that Karlee is 13, although she has been acting like a teenager lately. ;)

13 things about Karlee:

she's very creative
extremely organized
loves making cookies, but not baking cookies
a perfectionist
an A student, although sometimes we need to explain jokes :P
enjoys laughing
enjoys learning
she reaches her goals
loves having her own cell phone
loyal friend
great singing voice
talented pianist
loving daughter

I hope you have a great and amazing day! I love you Karlee!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

raingutter regatta

2011-08-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

We had pack meeting last night and tried something new. The boys raced boats! It was fun. Brian found this design online and helped Mason make it. Mason really did most of the work. During painting, the boat stuck to some newspaper. I asked Mason if we wanted to repaint it? He asked me if it would make the boat faster? I told him no. So he left it alone. :)

Mason came in first place!!! He was so excited. The whole family was. Way to go Mason!! I guess we'll have to keep the design of this boat for another time.

train ride to Beijing

2011-08-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

People were everywhere. Many sitting around or sleeping on the streets.

Were waiting for Vincent to find out where to go to catch our train.
We were very grateful that he walked us to the train. It was like a cattle call.

Kind of narrow hallways.
And cabins. Not sure we'll fit.

We did! Wahoo!! The cabins sleep four people. Since we used our Marriott points in Hong Kong for both rooms, Brenda and Dave bought the other two beds for us so we wouldn't have to share. It was a nice surprise. :)

Enjoying some farmland has we head out of Xian.

muslim street

2011-08-28T20:37:00.000-05:00

More street shopping. Yippee!!!

We went to the market for drinks and snacks for our train ride to Beijing.

Since we weren't going to be able to keep our water cold Brenda decided to at least cool down another way.

Shaanxi Provincial Museum

2011-08-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

We learned that when a lion has a ball under his paw a man lives in the house and a cub under the paw means a woman. A ball/pearl in the mouth of a lion/dragon means power.

These are some of the faces of the Terracotta Warriors. I wonder if they were self portraits.

I guess I shouldn't complain too loudly about the current accommodations. At least it's an improvement. :)

When I was looking at my Dad's coin collection when I visited him last, he had coins similar to these.

Such a relief to come across one of these during the day. ;)

Xian Day 2 ~ Ancient City Wall

2011-08-28T19:47:00.001-05:00

This is the Ancient City Wall of Xian. It started being built in 1370, during the Ming Dynasty.

We rode on the city wall on double bikes. It was so much easier when I was young. These bikes had wimpy tires that were flat which didn't help.

This is the moat around the wall. Kinda cool!

This is the city inside the city wall. They don't build any tall buildings inside the city wall. A big difference than the rest of the city.

These two boys kept riding past us like it was a piece of cake! Of course Jon, in front, is 19 and rides his bike over 20 miles daily. And Jake is 21 and is as fit as a missionary. ;)

This is yet another buffet. I really don't like buffets, btw. I had to laugh, they try and make American food. By this time we were all wanting anything American. They had some hamburger patties. I didn't try them, they didn't look right. They also had some fries. They were pretty good.

shopping

2011-08-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

I love shopping. Almost everything about it. I love new clothes. (Who doesn't?) I love coupons or a % off deal. I love going through the clearance racks using a $10 off coupon and buying a great shirt for $2. :)

When McKinzie was 4 we had fun shopping together. She LOVED to shop. She would look at each article of clothing as she would slide it down the rack. When she found something she liked she would then hold it up to herself and take another look. Very cute!

Then she became a teenager. Shopping became a chore for both of us. I don't think she liked the size she wore so she basically refused to get into it. There were tears and meltdowns (for me) then we would give up. Prom dress shopping was even worse, because I had this crazy idea about modesty. I refused to buy anything too short. I always made sure she left the house wearing something to cover her bare shoulders. I'm not naive. I'm confident that the jacket didn't stay on. :/ But she left the house looking beautiful and modest.

I was not looking forward to going shopping for a wedding dress. In fact...I didn't really want to go. Sad, I know. Kinz told me she wasn't looking forward to it either. Prom dress shopping gave us both nightmares.

Saturday we headed out the door with a little hesitation. First we went and checked out tux rentals, I think I was trying to postpone the inevitable. Finally we arrived at David's Bridal. The whole experience was smooth. First they reserved a dressing room and wrote her name on the mirror. Gave us a catalog and asked her to dog ear the pages she liked. She went into a dressing room while I sat comfortable in a cushioned chair. She came out. WOW!!! She looked beautiful! I got a little choked up. She's all grown up. She's no longer playing dress up.

She tried on 4 dresses and each one looked great. We didn't buy any of theirs. She has her eye on a dress online. The whole purpose was to find out her dress size. But the entire experience was amazing. I asked her why this was different. Her first response was because she had accepted that the dress will be modest. That definitely took away most of the fight. She loved not having to go pick off the rack. She had a "personal shopper" bring her dress after dress. She liked not having a mirror in the dressing room as she changed. She would put on a gown, walk out and I would almost gasp and have a huge smile because she truly looked amazing. Then she would look in the mirror. WE had a great time. The dress she wants will arrive in a few weeks at a store in Mansfield. I hope she loves it. Cross your fingers.