cinda-rella, dressed-in-yella...

Our jumproping mama, Miss Taylin, rocked her camp this summer. She learned double-dutch and criss-cross and all sorts of cool jumping techniques. She quite enjoyed it and worked really hard each day.

She took the camp with her friend, Julianna, and they had a great time! Way to go Pooks!

baby teeth

Kaylie had her first visit to the dentist this summer, just before school started. She was very brave and didn't cry, only maybe a little squirming while lying in the chair. She had two great examples to follow (thanks big brother and big sister!) and the tv show to watch was more fun than my old trips to the dentist as a kid. I remember the agony of having to be sure to have taken my antibiotics before going or they couldn't do the work. And if you know me and taking pills, it was never fun. Ugh.

But Kaylie was a trooper and she sure enjoyed getting her prizes. Who doesn't like the treasure box at the dentist office?! Way to be a big girl sweetie.

boys

They all really are just boys. Doesn't matter the age. But what does matter is your heart. And these boys have heart. They heart football. And this is how they play fantasy football.

I heart my boys and their love for football. I heart a party. I heart good times and good friends. Heck, I think I heart football, but shhh, don't tell Huy.

BYU vs. OU - you know the result!


That is Tanner, of course in the Y t-shirt amongst all of those red shirts. He is waiting in line to throw a football through a hole at the Dick's Sporting Goods booth.

Check out his form. Totally awesome. Notice the other two guys in the picture. They are thinking, "Whoa, this kid looks good. Let's see what he can do."

Now, you can't actually see that the ball went into that small hole, but trust me, it did - two times. See the guy in the orange shirt, he is very impressed! Tanner got a Dick's water bottle for his awesome throw!

Not great lighting on this picture, but yes, that is the one and only, Ty Detmer. He was leaning, kind of hiding actually, by this wall as we walked in to go to our seats. He was happy to have his picture taken with the boys. Many others were doing it too.

Almost to our seats and getting our first glimpse of the biggest stadium ever, and the biggest screen ever (those are my stats, but they just may be true), Tanner is in awe and has to take a picture to text to his friends back home. The screen is something like four stories tall. Nuts.

That may look like a close-up picture of Bronco (we are on a first name basis), but that is him on the screen. There was an ad that was played during a time-out at one point and it was him giving advice to students. I videoed part of it and thought it was worth sharing.

"...people are counting on you. Counting on you to be great. Counting on you to do all the things you are suppose to do as a representative of BYU. Please never forget why you are here. Never forget who you are. Never forget so much, so much depends on what you do T O D A Y !"

We (mostly Huy) are huge fans incase you hadn't guessed. Our kids have been brainwashed (I use that term lightly) to know that they will attend the greatest University ever, as we did, one day. Tanner hopes to play football for them. I tell him, "Yes sweetie, you can do anything you want to do!"

We met up with Huy's cousin, Nate and his wife Meri. They have moved to Dallas and it was great to see them and have family close. Well... closer!

Tanner and Lucas kickin' it while waiting for the game to begin.

Aaron and Cameron and Micah flew in to town from Arizona to go to the game too. It was great to see them! The whole experience began as a father son event, but I begged Huy to come to. He didn't put up too much of a fuss - he knows better!

Chris and Lucas came along too. Originally they were going to be coming from Panama, but their stay there ended earlier than planned and so they only had to make the trip from Austin.

Jeff and his girlfriend, Michelle, along with Connor and Spencer were there as well.

Ty and Karmen were going to bring their son, Cole and his friend, but turned out that they had an unexpected soccer tournament that they needed to play in so they weren't able to come. They were missed, but that did allow Marshall and his dad to come in their place.

About the only time Karmen and I have our picture taken is at a BYU game. Funny how that is.

This is proof that a crowd of 75,000 people can be loud. And when BYU fans are winning, it is super loud. This poor little boy infront of us had his ears pulled all of the 4th quarter.

The game ended with a 14-13 win for BYU! The crowd went wild. Well, the crowd that was left. It was funny how fast the OU fans cleared the stadium.

Huy couldn't have been any happier or any more horse. He yelled so much and for so long that a week later he still doesn't have his voice back.

We have an awesome group of friends who all love football!

BYU... will go all the way!

big dog

this is one of his favorite spots and oddly, one of his favorite positions to sleep in. look at how contorted he is - legs going opposite directions, eyes pulled way back, lips (if that is what you call them) hanging. we love this big dog. he is funny, that is if dogs can be funny. and because the kids are now is school, he is bored.

First day of school


Can't believe the summer is over! It was a busy, fun, and hot one, but I think we are all ready for school to begin.

Kaylie was pretty excited for her first day of Kindergarten. Her teacher is Mrs. Macias and she was glad to know Anna Ferguson in her class. She woke up happy and was cooperative when getting ready and it was a rush to get all three kids out the door, but we made it.

Favorite color - hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot pink

Favorite food - cheeseburger, ketchup only, with ranch

Favorite thing to do - hang out with my family

Favorite stuffed animal - horsey

Favorite movie and/or TV show - Thumbelina

What I'll be when I grow up - a gymnastic girl

If I were in charge of the world, I would stay with my family and ride horses.

Taylin was most ready to get school started. She was so excited to go and see the list that the school posts the week before school starts. She was happy she got a nice teacher, Mrs. O'Hara, but she was sad that her friend Kassadi wasn't in her class. She had no problem waking to her alarm on the first day (and has been doing a great job ever since too). She has shown great excitement and big responsibility starting the fourth grade!

Favorite color - blue
Favorite food - chicken nuggets/chicken sandwich
Favorite thing to do - play soccer and draw
Favorite stuffed animal - a dog
Favorite movie and/or TV show - High School Musical (all three), Full House
What I'll be when I grow up - a Pro soccer player and an artist and a Veterinarian
If I were in charge of the world there would be no dog pounds that would then kill the dogs.

Moving up to the middle school was not a problem for Tanner. He likes to think he is a big kid now, in the 6th grade. Secretly I think he was a little nervous, but only a mother would know, but he played it all off as being cool with the first day. Upon returning home, he told me with a smile from cheek-to-cheek, "It was awesome." He is going to like his new school.

Favorite color - blue
Favorite food - fries
Favorite thing to do - play football
Favorite animal - I don't have one
Favorite movie and/or TV show - Ironman
What I'll be when I grow up - NFL quarterback for the Steelers
If I were in charge of the world there would never be homework, everything would be free, there would be no jobs - only machines would build things.

This was the point I started to get a bit emotional, walking my three kids off to school. I had to lag behind so they wouldn't see my tears! Boo hoo!

I mean, look at her. Is she ready or what? She is and I know it, but I can still be sad that my baby is going to school with the big kids. When she came home, she didn't have much to tell us about her first day. She just said it was "goody." Soon after she looked at me and said, "What are we going to do tomorrow?" I told her we were going back to school. She promptly threw herself on the ground and cried, "Nooooo!" It is going to take some time to readjust to the all day, every day school thing!

The kids were ready and it will be a great year!

Before going back-to-school

We like to do one last get-away the weekend before school starts and so we had been wanting to float down the river in New Braunfels and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. It was a slow float, some paddling and some kicking, a little whining from our first-timer little munchkin Bubbas, but it was a good time.


Scary swimsuit picture - should have held the tube up to my chin!



Tanner is seriously a bundle of go, if there is such a thing. He loved the rope swing and of course wanted to do more. He was back-and-forth across the river, just finding things to do. I wish I could have taken the camera to capture the fun things he and the girls did!

The kids enjoyed the hotel pool before we made a quick visit to the Pottery Barn Outlet, one of my favorite stops.

The hot tub was hot. Imagine that. It has been a long time since we had been in one and it felt so nice on the old body, even though it was hot.

It was great family time before the crazy, busy schedules begin!

september word of the month

tell

tell someone you love them each and every day. tell a joke. tell your kids how cool they are. tell your very own story from beginning to end. tell the story of your home past or present. tell everyone you meet something you like about them. this month, tell the truth.

for some reason as i read this i think of someone who has one hand on hip, shaking their head, shoulders, and hips in a rolling wave motion and waving their index finger in a snap zig zag motion saying, "i tell you what..." funny. but anyway, if you should choose, imagine me doing the above saying, "i tell you what. i like comment posters. i like each of you who comment pretty darn much."

good morning V I E T N A M


This is my wonderful family-in-law that went with Huy and I to Vietnam... or should I say, we went with them, because they were the ones that had been before and showed us around. (Pictured is me, Huy, The (pronounced Tay, Huy's dad), Huy's Aunt Le and Uncle Danh, and Aunt Beckie and Uncle Liem.) We couldn't have made it without all of them. They were not only great help and had great insights to share, but they were fun to be with and we had a most excellent time!

The amount of luggage we all had was unreal. I thought for sure there would be no way we would get all of it in the taxi, which happened to be a mini van of sorts.


But it did fit, to our amazement. The Vietnamese drivers can pack a car like no other!

I took about 800 pictures so I had to filter through quite a few to find the best to tell you about our experience there. Let me tell you about the BEST parts first...

This is Huy's Aunt (Huy's dad older sister) greeting Huy soon after we showed up at her door unannounced. When his family fled from the country 34 years ago, he was 3 so although he had met her, he didn't have any memories of her or his life in Vietnam.

It was quite the reunion for Huy's dad who hadn't seen his sister in 32 years. And the funny part was that The (Tay) didn't even let his sister know he was coming - it was a surprise! And surprised she was. She is a sweet lady and has most of her family living with her under the same roof, 28 people (children, spouses, and grandchildren) to be exact! It is also the same house that The (Tay) lived in when he lived there. We, or should I say they (I sat there and smiled), had a nice visit with her and the family and we met with them several times. It was most definitely the most beautiful part of our trip!


This is the house where Huy's mother, Lien, grew up. Althought conditions and environments have changed over the years, it was incredible to see a glimpse into what life was like when family lived there so many years ago. The (Tay) told us stories about meeting Lien here and picking her up after she was out of school (which was around the corner).

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is a noodle soup called Pho. And this is the spread that is on the table when you go for Pho in Vietnam. It was very good, but to be perfectly honest, I like Pho made in America a little bit better because there are sanitation regulations that I trust and I know that what I am eating is clean, if you know what I mean.


The fruit stands were amazing. The amount and variety of fresh fruit was incredible. I ate a few new ones that I had never heard of and liked most of them. Durian is the only one I couldn't even bare to smell or taste. If you ever have the chance to smell or taste one, you'll know what I am talking about.

And the flowers were unreal too! I mean, look at them on this scooter, ready for delivery. So picturesque don't you think?


Huy's favorite highlight was fishing for crocodiles. For 10 cents, he got a huge piece of meat on a pole with string tied to it and then you could feed the crocs. I think he and his Uncle Liem would have, or could have, been there all day. They were like kids in a candy store - they just couldn't believe how cool it was to see these crocs pile on top of one another and snap at the food. The sound of their jaws snapping was flat-out scary. Quite the experience.

This is Huy's Aunt Beckie out for a parasailing ride at the beach in Nga Trang. This made the "best" category because the story that goes along with it is too funny and it was definitely a highlight. You need to ask Huy to share the story with you (he tells it best), if you haven't heard it already. It is too long to type and it just wouldn't do it justice. Thanks for a great laugh Beckie and for being such a good sport about it!


Also in Nga Trang, we were able to go swimming in the ocean with a beautiful sunrise. I am so use to the sun setting over the water, not rising. It was very nice. (That is Huy and his Uncle Liem and Aunt Beckie to the left of the picture - it is not just some random people.)


We took a tram ride to an island called Vinpearl (while in Nga Trang) and although the island was good, but not great, the ride to get there was pretty cool. The funny story that goes along with the ride, which makes it better, is that as we were waiting in line to board the tram, a sign said that there was a limit of 8 people and since we had 7 in our group, we thought, "Great, we all get to ride together." Well, as we approached the front of the line, the lady loading people took one look at all of us and said that we each counted as two people and so we had to divide and ride in two different trams! The nerve.

These are some cute kids that shared their English with us as we walked by... they said, "Hi!" and then giggled and waved. It was in a very poor area we were in at the time and it just broke my heart to see these kids. But on the other hand, they seemed happy so I guess it is okay. It was just another great reminder of how blessed we are, especially our children.

Just like the postcards show, there were fishing boats like these all along the water. It is quite a sight to see. The color in this photo doesn't do it justice because the boats are painted bright reds and blues and they just stand out.


Those were just a few of the highlights of the trip.
Now for the bizarre highlights...


These are tiny, little fishes, head, tail and all, that came out as an appetizer at one of the nice restaurants we went to. They were about the size of half of your pinky and I must say, they tasted pretty good. It was kind of like eating a chip. Yum! But this was one of the few weird, but tame foods, that I was willing to try.


The traffic. Need I say more. The whole driving experience was just crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy. And it seemed that they think nothing of it, no road-rage - which makes sense since it is just their way of life. But you can see how many scooters there are and it goes on continuously throughout the day, from 5am until 10pm.


This a typical scooter ride - appears that most of the family is on one scooter, the family "car." We saw up to 4, occasionally 5 people, on one scooter all the time.


And if it wasn't hot enough over there, mostly the women, were covered head-to-toe with gloves that went up to their armpits, sweatshirts, masks (that was mostly to help with all the exhaust from all of the scooters), covered necks and pants and socks with flip-flops!

Eeewwwww! The meat that sat out all day in the heat with flies all over it. Oh, and the occasional frogs that had their heads chopped off, skinned, and were still jumping in the pan. Now that is fresh frog!


The sugarcane drinks were so tasty - sugarcane is the stick looking stack in the top middle of the picture. They press it through this machine (what the lady is making) and the juice goes into the cup and waaalaa, a yummy fresh sugarcane drink. But wait, is that a person washing the cup I'm about to drink from in a bucket of dirty water? Why yes, it is. On second thought...not so yummy or fresh.

And then the lovely foreigners. I guess he could be an American, but I really don't think so. There were lots of visitors from Australia so I'm thinking that is where he was from. I feel kind of bad about posting this picture because it really has nothing to do with Vietnam. I mean it is just a man visiting there too, like me, and who knows, maybe he thought I looked that good on the beach and he took a picture of me!

But in all seriousness, I am so glad I had the opportunity to go to Vietnam. It was truly an experience, like none other. Once I got past all the sanitation issues and just accepted those types of things, I had a much more enjoyable time and lets be real, it wouldn't have hurt me to come home skinnier, but I didn't so trust me, it wasn't that bad. We are so blessed and I am so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy. If you ever hear me complain again, remind me of this trip - it was AWESOME!