...
...
because in both cases,
...
(especially in these jammies)
...
I'm totally in love.
....
Come back Jaaaaaaack!!!Noooooooo!
Part 5 - Chengdu and going home!
5 years ago
5.24.2010
5.16.2010
Battle of the Bonus Room
...
...
......
...My family recently made a plan to do a monthly dinner/game night.
(since we never see each other.)
Each month we take turns hosting this extravaganza.
This month was our first, and Brett & I were the hosts.
...
It was an evening of enchiladas & Bonus Room Olympics.
A dual of ...
Double Shot
Ping Pong
Darts
& Speed (card game)
..
Brett worked out quite a bracket and we all chipped in for a cash prize.
...
...
And after an hour of battling it out, the winners were....
I haven't been training for weeks or anything.
I swear.
...
...
The kids played the Wii and we ate root beer floats & a mountain of cookies.
...
There were all sorts of elbows thrown, girlish laughter (mostly from my dad and Randy playing double-shot), and a fair share of trash talk.
...
A great combo for family gaming.
Our monthly plan looks to be a success.
Thanks family.
You're pretty cool cats... I love hanging with you,
and you made me $40 bucks richer.
...
...
In other news this week...
...
This little mongrel came down with croup.
Poor little buddy.
We spent most of the week home doing far too much of this:
My brain is officially yo gabba'd.
...
Luckily, things started looking up today.
And the weather...glorious.
We spent the afternoon at the park, and it did all three of us some good.
...
Croup is the poops.
But, I think we're on the mend.
Hopefully the runny nose never goes away.
It's such a nice touch.
5.10.2010
Quite Possibly The "Perfect Day"
......
...
Mother's Day's day seemed pretty perfect.
...
However, this morning as I was cleaning up the house, Good Things Utah may have come on the TV (don't judge me), and although it was against my better judgement, I didn't change the channel. After hearing the ladies go on and on and on and on about their perfect children and how sugary sweet their presents were....I decided my goal for the day was to not sound like the ladies from Good Things Utah. Ever.
...
So...you can bet your boots I'll be taking the sap out of this post
(as much as a sap like myself can).
...
My first "real" Mother's Day did nothing but prove that motherhood is "where it is at."
Brett didn't have to go to his meetings that usually consume Sunday morning, which meant a morning at home with the 3 of us. Hallelujah!
...
Then, Brett surprised me with this:
......
Such a thoughtful gift since I usually have to squeeze in a run in the dark during the 32 seconds of the day that Brett is home to stay with Jack.
...
I am totally spoiled.
I'm telling you...being a mom has it's perks.
And...Brett's definitely worth keeping around.
Not just because of presents, of course.
But, presents certainly don't hurt.
.........
Another amazing gift of the day was coming into the bathroom to find this:
This is what happens when Brett bathes Jack.
.........
Then, we were off to my mom's for breakfast put on by the boys. My dad did a lovely job putting the whole thing together and getting all the food. The boys did all the cooking, Jack napped, and I sat and did nothing but love being outside in the gorgeous weather with these lovelies...
...
I was spoiled again with sweet gifts from my grandma's, as well as these from my mom:
Rumba Time Watch
(perfect to wear when running!)
...
&
Cookbook
Seriously...if you're like me, GET THIS COOKBOOK.
It is genius...I'm pretty sure even I can cook from it.
And there's like 9999999 recipes in it.
...
....
We spent most of the day outside at my parents and it really was heaven.
......
Then, it was home for an early evening walk with Jack, Brett, and my new stroller.
......
Really. A perfect day.
5.09.2010
Mother's Day
...
To all the mom's in my life,
Thank you for setting an example for me of what it means to not only be a mom...
...
but for showing me how to be an utterly perfect one.
...
...
Happy Mother's Day
to you all.
...
Every one of you inspires me to try and be just like you,
&
...
I love you.
.....
...
And also, a big thanks today to this adorable little devil...
for letting me be his mama.
...
...
Hands down, the best job ever.
5.02.2010
Nothing But Dad
...
It's time to round out the family birthday posts.
They've all had their time to shine.
And, today it's all about
MY DAD.
...
(my dad is so fond of the song you are hearing that he says he wants it playing at his funeral...but since I'm not sure a song called "Helpless" is appropriate at a funeral...we'll use it for a birthday post!)
My dad...a true "sportsman" with 3 daughters.
He was the star athlete in high school, is an avid hunter and fisherman, and has made his living in the sporting good industry.
Rather than coaching little league, and teaching us how to hunt, he had to deal with sensitive emotions, bad perms, "I look fat" breakdowns, and punk boyfriends.
...
But, one thing that has always been clear to us girls...
We couldn't have a better dad.
...
...
My dad has boyfriends.
There I said it.
Like his love affair with Neil Young.
Or his neighbor Day.
And the men at the Duck Club.
This was taken about 1 year before my dad hit his growth spurt.
and approximately the day I won an award for photoshop...
...
...
My dad has some classic faces.
"Carwash Face"
The face he makes when concentrating with all of his focus...like when washing the car.
It's a pucker of the lips and a scrunch of the face.
...
"Karl Face"
The term my family coined after catching my dad gazing in awe with a goofy smile of admiration when watching an interview with Karl Malone.
He gets this same face with Neil Young interviews.
We all aspire to earn Karl face.
......
"Crowded Face"
The look of shear annoyance, frustration, and downright anger my dad gets in crowded places.
Disneyland comes to mind.
And resturaunts.
And in traffic.
You get the idea.
...
"Mischievious Face"
Typically the face my dad gets when he's teasing anyone of us, or has just honked the car horn in our ear to make us jump for the 99th time. I would assume this face hasn't changed much since the days he taunted my mom in gradeschool.
...
"Settle Down Face"
Like I mentioned in my last post, Annie and I fell victim to this face a time or two as we were growing up.
Once flash of this look...
it's all it took.
...
My dad owns 90987 hats and
7348 browning t-shirts
...
His hands are so distinguished to me.
Maybe it's because mine look just like them. Hello nubs.
I can clearly picture them playing the guitar, gripped around a putter, or constantly turning the volume up and down on his car stereo even when there is no music on!
...
He uses the word brutal to describe things.
Like: That wind out there is blowing 98 miles per hour. Brutal.
...
Exaggerates beautifully.
Like: That wind out there is blowing 98 miles per hour.
...
He can sell anything.
...
Was once named the Best Artist in Utah County.
...
Says the days of the week Sundee, Mondee, Tuesdee...
...
He finds Candid Camera to be comedic bliss.
Nothing amuses me more than watching my dad giggle.
...
He stood by his musical preferences even when all 3 of his daughters tried desperately to convince him that Milli Vanili was better.
...
Is the perfect combination of funny, sweet, cool, smart, and tough.
...
He never wants any of us to leave...ever,
& thinks that sleeping over makes better sense than driving 4 minutes to get home.
...
If you have a problem that needs solving, or a job that needs to get done... he's your man.
I swear he can make anything happen.
...
He makes a mean combination of Triscuits and Cheese on a Sunday night.
...
He has an incredible way with words.
Rat, monkey, and lizard are among some of his favorites words used to spice up a sentence.
...
Gets an idea to buy something like a phone, computer, car, or HOUSE, and then he buys it like 7 minutes after he has the idea.
...
Gets the newspaper in his underwear.
...
Divides his time and love very fairly between my mom and his dog, Dove.
and the men mentioned above, of course.
...
Is the ideal grandpa for 3 little grandsons and father-in-law to 3 sons-in law.
...
Somehow, he still manages to make me feel like a little girl when I'm with him.
When we used to go to the Jazz games, he'd hold my hand the whole way to the car.
He used to take me on errands to places like the "dump" and always treated me to a slurpee afterwards.
He entertained me in places like the "fart tunnel," and by letting me watch his Neil Young videos with him (yeah!)
...
And I find all of these things to be incredibly endearing.
...
They're just so him.
(Just like the playlist you're rocking out to right now.)
...
I often catch myself doing these things that are so him...and I kind of love it.
...
...
As a dad, he has always possessed a real gift.
He has never pressured me.
He has never had to put into words his trust in me or his high expectations of me.
He just exudes it.
So I always know.
I think that's quite a talent...to be able to so obviously be able to show your love without having to come right out and say it all the time.
Even from a young age & before I ever realized just how much he really did for me, I wanted nothing but to make him proud.
And he made me feel like he was.
And even when I was not perfect (like the time I totaled the car when I was 15...sorry dad!) he still forgave me. Fast.
His opinion has always meant the world to me, and I respect him not only as my dad, but as the amazingly good man that he is.
...
I look up to him in more ways than I think he knows, and if he reads this, I want him to know that I am proud of him and even more proud to be his daughter.
Thank you, dad, for all of the sacrifices you have made on the behalf of our family and for always working so hard to provide for us in every way imaginable.
Thank you for being the dad you are to me.
For excepting and loving me and my little family.
And for being you.
I love you.
...
Happy Birthday!
(... and it's high time the two of us take a picture together! The one of us and the keyboard is a bit outdated! Where are all the pictures??)
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