My Mamacita

Hi. We're back from Disneyland and I want to post some pics of our trip, but before I do I want to wish my mom a happy belated birthday (6 days late). Happy Birthday Mom!

I love my mom, and for the past thirtysomething years that I've known her, she's taught me many things. Here are a few:

1. There are many things in life you don't want to do, but you just do it anyway. There are many things you have to deal with, and you just deal with it. And you don't complain about it. I haven't heard one complaint from her as she's currently fighting colon cancer. Sometimes I even forget she has it because she never even mentions it.

2. To be kind to all and non-judgemental.

3. Before I went to college she made sure to teach me how to make a white sauce. Very basic, yet very important.

4. To appreciate the small and simple things in life. Like ice cold water, for instance. I think everytime she drinks it she praises its goodness. She also taught me to appreciate shooting stars as she and I would sleep under the stars just to watch them. She taught me to stop and appreciate the beauty that is all around us.

5. To be healthy and to have a green salad with every dinner, except when you have tacos, then fruit salad is ok. I think that's why to this day I crave fruit whenever I eat a taco.

6. To do your best. You know that anything my mom does will be done to the best of her abilities and very meticulously (almost too meticulously). One of the biggest ways to offend my mom is by telling her there's a bug on one of her salad leaves that she has so meticulously washed. You'd tell her the bad news and she'd exclaim, "How could that be, I washed every single one of those leaves by hand!"

7. That it's ok to be forgetful, you're still a good person. I remember her leaving the house and coming back multiple times because she forgot different things.

8. She's a very determined and stubborn soul. Once she gets her mind on something its very hard to change her mind unless there's cold, hard proof. You think that's where I get it??

9. In her quiet, yet stalwart way she always taught me to love and live the gospel.

10. To be humble. My mom is the most humble person I know, to the point where she won't admit any of her great attributes. Take a compliment mom! (Just like I'm learning to do).

11. To always further your education. I can remember her always taking photography and art classes at the local community college growing up.

12. Your never too old to try new things as she did this last Christmas. While we went sledding she got on a snowboard for the first time ever. And she did it (with two men holding both her arms of course). If it sounds fun, my mom wants to try it.

Its amazing what you can learn just from watching someone. Mom, you're wonderful and I love you!!

Isn't she cute??

Disneyland or Bust

We're heading to 'The Happiest Place On Earth' (and California Adventure) in the near future and we're super excited. We've gotten some good tips on which rides to go on. I've heard great things about the one where you're gliding over California - orange groves, orange scents. It better be good cause it's been talked up a lot. We also heard that you can get free fast passes at the kiosks around the park. Sounds like a good way to go. What about the character breakfast, is that worth the money? Any good tips you've got, just let us know.

We bought our tickets on Ebay for a really great deal. We've paid for them and we won't have them til the seller drops them off at our hotel. Are we crazy?? Yes we are - crazy, trusting people. But hey, it was a great deal! I'll let you know how it goes.

I just checked the weather last night and it will be sunny and 70 degrees. I can't tell you the last time I've seen such weather - Its quite exciting to say the least. The only downfall to the warm weather is pulling out my short sleeved shirts and capris again. First of all, I can't even remember what I've got cause its been so long since I've worn them, and who knows if I'll still like them or if they'll still fit. It's a dilemma. What about head gear? I really don't want a burned head. Maybe a baseball cap with flaps? That would take care of my head and neck at the same time. It doesn't get any cooler than that. I just mentioned to Chad that we should invest in a couple of fanny packs - a baseball cap with mud flaps and fanny packs - we'd fit right in with the typical Disneyland tourist. At least that's what they wore in the 80s, since that was the last time I went.

Never Mess With Chocolate Milk Friday

There are two things you need to know about Ethan:

1. He's afraid of dolls.

2. Chocolate milk Friday is the highlight of his week.

I'm not exactly sure why or how Ethan became afraid of dolls, but he has a strange phobia with them. He hates to be in the same room with them. If he absolutely has to be in the same room with a doll he'll strategically place himself on the other side of the room. I think it started when he was about four years old when my sis and I were showing him a doll and explaining that dolls are like fake babies. How were we supposed to know that the phrase "fake baby" would be traumatizing him 2 years later?? Mistake #1: Calling a doll a fake baby.

On Friday I went into Ethan's class to help with the Dr Seuss party. His teacher asked me to get 10 milks from the cafeteria. Not really thinking twice about it I went and got 10 white milks, knowing that one or two of them would be used for the green eggs we'd be making. Mistake #2: Forgetting to get chocolate milk. As Ethan and I were walking out of the classroom to go home, Ethan told me how disappointed he was that he didn't get chocolate milk that day. Mistake #3: Admitting that it was my fault that he didn't get his chocolate milk. Never admit such a flub. Not only did he not get his chocolate milk, but it was his own mom's fault that he didn't get it!

We headed up to my sisters that day where Ethan refused to come in. Weird, cause he loves Courtney and Maddie. He stayed out in the locked car for about a half an hour (don't worry I was watching him from the window). He was even crying out there. Hard. I went out and very impatiently tried to get him to come in. He wouldn't. Chad, who was also at Courtney's, went out to try and get him to come in. After a few minutes Chad comes back in to do a "doll sweep." Ethan sent Chad on a quest to get rid of any doll that might be in sight before he would come in. Duh. I totally forgot what an issue dolls are for him. He came in but wasn't really being himself.

Courtney: "What's wrong Ethan?"

Ethan: "Well...I'm just having a really bad day."

Courtney: "Why?"

Ethan: "I didn't get my chocolate milk today at school."

Me: "Tell her whose fault it was."

Ethan: He just looks up at me with total disappointment. "Hers."

How was I to know it would ruin his whole day? If only my life were that simple that my day would be ruined over chocolate milk.

On the way home I asked him why he didn't just tell me about the dolls. He said, "I would have, but you just didn't give me any time to explain." Admittedly I was quite impatient with him while trying to coax him out of the car. Mistake #4: Not taking the time to listen to my child's concerns.

Parenthood is definitely a learning experience. 4 great life lessons learned!

Ramblings of a Shy Blogger

Sometimes I feel inspired to write on my blog and sometimes I don't. This is one of those [many] times when I feel uninspired cause I have nothing interesting to write about. Sometimes I read others blogs and they're so entertaining, original, artistic, funny - you get the picture. I read them, and I want to go into my blogger's shell. Nothing I write about seems interesting enough, so why write at all? Why do I feel the need to write something that really gets a good reaction or get a comment? Why? I'll tell you why, cause I'm a people pleaser. I want to please the 3 people that actually read my blog. Well not today. Today my post will be filled or not so filled (cause that's my prerogative) with random thoughts that no one really cares about. Cause, well, it's MY blog and I can write whatever I darn well please. That's so liberating!

Pegged pants - they're back. I guess I should have guessed they'd make their appearance again but I always hoped they wouldn't. I'm slowly warming up to 80s fashions that have made their way back - see my 80s post - but sometimes I just can't accept certain fashions. Pegged pants, for instance. I'll never do it again, and if I do, slap me.

Trust me, I was a pegger at one point so don't say I didn't try. In my pegger days I remember seeing certain people without their pants pegged and I'd think, 'like, how unfashionable are you?' Remember when the deacons would pass the sacrament in their suits with their pants pegged? Just a matter of time when I start seeing that again.

Do I really look like Celine Dion? I'm not saying I get that comment a lot but when I do, its a little offensive to me. Not to say Celine isn't pretty cause she is, but I just don't want to look like her. I'd rather look like, I don't know, practically anyone else. Kate Hudson, for instance. She's so cute. If I sang like Celine, now that's a different story.

I've also gotten that I look like Mindy, on Mork and Mindy. Honestly, I can kind of see where they're coming from. Na-nu, na-nu.

So anywho, I 've got to feed the missionaries tonight. The dilemma is always what to feed them. I try to guess what they've gotten a lot of lately, and of course try to avoid that. I also try to avoid making anything with too many veggies cause they never seem to eat them. I've decided on lasagna, french bread and caesar salad. They've probably eaten a lot of that but oh well. Dessert for missionaries are a must. I don't stress out as much about dessert cause anything sugary will do. When I was a missionary and we didn't get dessert it was always so disappointing. Even worse was getting fruit for dessert. Its those simple things you really live for as a missionary.

I can't believe the judges on AI put Tatiana back on for the wildcard round. They just want good ratings - that's all they want. At least they didn't go so low as putting Normund Gentle back on. That would have been ridiculous. They really seem to love that Meagan girl with the long hair and huge arm tattoo. She better bring it tonight cause she sure didn't impress the last round. I couldn't help but be turned off by her little dorky dance moves.

The Bachelor drama was definitely good TV. My parents even got sucked in during 'After the Final Rose' as they were flipping through the channels (my dad's favorite pastime). I didn't get to watch part 2 so please let me know what happened.

I love this picture of Ethan (even though he refused to smile) cause he reminds me of E.T.

Chad and I decided to go snowboarding for our Valentines date. We haven't been for 7 years. I really mastered the bunny hill and was feeling pretty good about myself so we went and did a blue run. Uh, it was way too steep for me so I had to snowplow practically the whole way down - it really works the ol' thigh muscles though. It was back to the bunny hill and greens for me for the rest of the night. It was super duper fun though and Chad was very patient with me to stay on the bunny hill for so long.