By the way...I'm Irish

My whole life I've thought I was mostly Swedish...about half Swedish. I knew I was also Dutch, English, and a bit of Danish. I've never loved St. Patrick's Day. In fact, in early February I was in craft stores looking for some Valentine's Day stuff to add to my collection. There was also a good selection of St. Patrick's Day stuff. I thought "I'm glad I'm not Irish and I don't have to get that tacky stuff."

Well, the VERY NEXT DAY dad got his DNA results from Ancestry.com. We kids gave mom and dad the kits for Christmas. Dad is 37% Irish! We never knew we were ANY Irish! What?! Dad's only 16% Scandinavian with 25% Great Britain and some Russian/Finland and Western Europe with a tad of Eastern Europe. Crazy.

Mom is 73% from Great Britain, 20% from Scandinavia, 7% from trace regions (European Jewish, Italy/Greece), and 1% Irish.

This was all very surprising. While dad has a magnet that says 101% Swedish, he's not. In fact, If you do the math, us kids are more Swedish than dad is. I'm sure Derek will use this fact to his advantage for the rest of dad's life.

So....I'm Irish!

Got this sign for dad

Did a little decorating around the house

Jenny and me at a St. Patrick's Day party hosted by dad. March 17, 2017

Goodbye Chris, Valentine's Day, and Snowshoeing, and San Francisco Shirt

Mel's Subaru is officially gone. He/she (she still never determined if Chris was a boy or a girl) required $2,000 to keep running. We weren't about to put that much into a 17 year old car. It was a good run. That car was seriously such a fun car. Mel loved it. She felt so cool driving it. It kinda was a timeless classic. He/she will be missed. We sold the car for $600 to a young dad whose dad is a mechanic and was gonna help him fix everything. With the car, he could go to day shift. He is a dad to 2 young kids. I hope Chris lasts for years and years.

For Sale: Cat not included

I had a great Valentine's Day. I didn't have many plans as it was a Tuesday and Keenan works late on Tuesdays. Early in the day, I accepted an invitation to take dinner to a family in the ward who needed a meal. I figured that everyone else would have plans on Valentine's Day. I was the perfect fit. I made time to go to the temple, I made and delivered the dinner (red and white pasta, rolls, salad, and heart-shaped rice crispie treats), and got home in time to watch the Hallmark channel's movie. I had soup and a nice diet Dr. Pepper and sat in my favorite comfy workout pants. The perfect day for me, at least.

I've always wanted to try snowshoeing. We had the chance to go over President's Day weekend. Keenan, Allie, Mel, and I went to Aspen Grove in Provo Canyon. When the girls heard cross country skiing was also an option, they were mad that I had signed up for snowshoeing. They wanted to know why I didn't sign us up for skiing. I told them that it was because I hate cross country skiing. Well, there was the opportunity to switch activities, so that's what they did. So did Keenan. So for the first hour, I was solo. I didn't mind. I listened to nice music and met nice people. There weren't many people on the trail at all, so I was able to just enjoy the scenery. Then when I went back to the lodge to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water, I found the family. Allie was done skiing and Keen and Mel were gonna head out and find me. After bathroom and drink, the 3 of us headed out on the snowshoeing trail. I showed them the ropes.

Look at my cute little Swede!

The skiers

It is beautiful out there and it was a gorgeous day!

I decided I don't much like snowshoeing either. It's like hiking, but in snow and since I don't really like hiking or snow, it's not a great choice for me. I'm glad I tried, though.

On the way home, we picked up Mel's friends who stayed with us for the rest of the long weekend. Kamiko also had a friend visit: Paige. She's a girl he's been getting to know long distance. She lives in Nampa, Idaho. She's really a nice girl. It was nice to get to know her, but a bit chaotic since there were so many extra people. At least she knows we're friendly.

My outfit last week for work was a bit casual, but I just wanted to have fun. Wearing my San Francisco t-shirt always puts me in a good mood. You know it's gonna be a good day when you're reppin the bay. It was a good day.

My Friend

I have a new BFF and her name is Mackenzie. She's 3 years old. She's my visiting teaching partner's daughter. I've known Amy and Dane Christensen since they moved in the ward over 3 years ago. Amy was pregnant with Mackenzie, so Mackenzie has known me her whole life.

For some reason, she really likes me. I make her prayer roll most days. That makes me happy. I love to find her at church and say hi. Anyway, recently she's come over to play. I love it. She comes for a bit while Amy runs to Walmart or something. One day Mackenzie came she helped me cut out a nightgown I was making for Maureen Russell's 65th bday and she helped me make red and white pasta to give to a family who needed dinner. It was great. I love her little smile.

She made it a point to bring me a valentine on valentine's day. I just got back from her birthday party. I made her a special blanket and burp rag for her doll. Her mom is having baby #2. The new real baby will have a matching blanket. The Christensens are great people.

She loved putting the pins in

Making a white sauce

Update on April 6, 2017.

Mackenzie's mom is probably having her baby tomorrow. Mackenzie came to my house today for a couple of hours. We watched PBS, colored pictures of Palm Sunday (I tried my best to explain to a 3 year old what that is), and made a chocolate mug cake. Sadly, I didn't have rice crispies or marshmallows. That's what she wanted to make. Based on the smile on her face, we did ok. The cake was dry and awful, but what does a 3 year old know?

Mel and I get cultured

Mel and I have had a great time taking advantage of $5 Tuesday movies. We've seen "Hidden Figures" and "A Dog's Purpose." We also saw a special showing of broadway's "Newsies" in theaters and Annie Oswald gave us her tickets to see "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" at the Hale Center Theater. We loved "Newsies" so much that we're going to see it again on Saturday. When we heard they were doing an encore showing, we just had to go. They brought back original cast members and added them to current cast members. They rehearsed and performed. The performance was filmed for a simultaneous showing at theaters nationwide. Oh, it was soooooo great. Can't wait to go again. This time we'll clap after every number, as if we were actually in a broadway theater.

On our way to Hale Center Theater above. At the theater below.

I have an empty nest

The kids moved out the beginning of January. I have an empty house. The bedrooms are clean. It's pretty wonderful. They're not totally out, though. I had 8 extra people at the house over President's Day weekend. It was great. I loved every minute of it. Mel stayed here Sunday night. Allie was here last night and Kamiko is sleeping here tonight. Hahaha. I wish I could just pay half price for Mel's dorm and food plan. I find that she's here a lot. I don't mind, though. I'm glad they like to come home. As long as they leave the rooms looking like this...

 

I've kinda taken over the blue room as my office. I have all my primary lesson stuff and work stuff on shelves in the closet. It's my little piece of heaven.

Here's the only guy that doesn't mess up the rooms. He just messes up the litter box, but I'm not responsible for that.

Happy Birthday, Allie!

Grandma and Grandpa Hunter took the girls to Brick Oven for Al's birthday. Free root beer with pizza. Way to go, girls!

In my favorite hat: woo pigie

This year I want to write about each of my kids on their birthday. Today is Mardi Gras and it's Allie's birthday. What a great way to celebrate Allie. Everyone's having fun, eating, partying, and being crazy. That kinda suits Allie.

Allie was born in Plano, Texas. It was a planned induced labor. She took a long time to come. She wasn't born until later that night. She could have been born on the 29, as it was leap year that year. My sister Kelly, who had never been pregnant, suggested I wait one more day to have her on leap day. When you're 9 months pregnant and have severe varicose veins, you don't wait one more day. In hindsight, I wish I'd waited. It would have suited Allie. She's so unique that a February 29 birthday would have been perfect for her.

10 things I admire about Allie:

1. Her self-confidence. She has always been very happy to be Allie. She loves herself and knows what she wants and goes after it.
2. Her dedication to friends. She has always just had a small core of friends; never one to jump from friend to friend. She may not have a ton of friends, but she's loyal to the core and will probably remain friends with these key few people for her whole life. Can I just say that she has EXCELLENT taste in friends. I love all of her friends as if they were my own kids.
3. Her sense of adventure. Arkansas! That experience was life-changing for Allie. I'm so glad she went for it.
4. Her willingness to listen to the spirit. In spite of loving Arkansas, she came back to Utah to finish her studies.
5. Her maturity. She's always been an old soul. She listens to all sides and thinks for herself. She doesn't wait for popular opinion. She has a good moral compass.
6. Her independence. Arkansas, temple, SLCC, Wasatch Trend, Evergreen Life, BYU, etc. If she wants to make something happen, look out. It will happen!
7. Her make up abilities. That girl can do eyes like none other. She is beautiful without makeup, but sure knows how to enhance her face with it.
8. Her photography talents. Yearbook gave her the confidence and skills to excel at photography.
9. Her leadership skills. I can't wait to see what Allie does in life. She was a yearbook editor for 2 years. People are just drawn to her confidence and abilities. She's fantastic.
10. Her love of her siblings. Allie has a bond with Melia that is fantastic. Sisters can either love each other or detest each other. I'm so blessed to have sisters who love each other. Allie and Melia compliment each other so well. Allie also has fun with Kamiko. They discuss real life stuff and help each other out.

Allie is currently living in Provo and attending BYU. She finished her associates degree from Salt Lake Community College and transferred to BYU to study FACS. I'm super happy that she's in my program for selfish reasons. I get to see her and will continue to see her around my building. I also think she's well-suited for the major. She has so many skills to share. It's impossible to top the experience she had in Arkansas, but she's making the most of things here. She thinks she'll move back home for next year. She really doesn't want to pay rent to live in Provo when she's not in love with the social scene there. That's fine with me. I love having her around. BUT she'll have to learn to clean up her messes. Keenan and I already told her she can't move back if she goes back to her old ways. She's a slob. In spite of that, I love her to pieces.

She was a very dedicated primary teacher when she lived at home the last year. She prepared excellent and creative lessons for the little guys she taught. She would post the cutest videos of their shenanigans in sharing time or in class. She loves the gospel. She also loves everyone. She doesn't judge. She lets people be themselves and likes to learn from them.

Here are some of her favorites:

1. Craving's cupcakes
2. Craving's grilled cheese
3. Ulta
4. Giving the perfect gift
5. Taco Amigo
6. Bachelor Monday
7. Arkansas and everyone there
8. Instant Pot macaroni and cheese
9. Crocs
10. Disneyland (just like her momma)

Happy birthday Allie. You are one of my true joys. I love you!

Love, mommy

Disney 2017

This is Allie and me getting ready to head to California. We are so ready!

According to Instagram, Kobi is ready to go

It's been 4 years since we all went to Disneyland together. Mel was 14. Allie was 16 and Kamiko was 19. It was about time. Since the kids spoiled us so much on Christmas, we decided to take a vacation before we all had to be back to school/work on January 9. It was a blast! Kamiko said it was the best vacation ever. I must agree that it was pretty dang good.

Derek, Charlie, Kobi, Rose, Allie, Mel, Kamiko, Rachel, and Keenan in the kitchen of our home away from home

We left Wednesday afternoon around 1:00. Kobi Watkins, our other child, came with us. She and Mel took the back bench and loved every minute of it. We drove quickly, stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks. We had brought sandwiches in the van. We got to our airbnb rental house at around 8:00 pm. Rachel and the kids had just gotten there. Derek was stuck at work for a Thursday meeting. Anyway, the house was FANTASTIC! It slept all 10 of us very comfortably. We had brought cereal, yogurt, milk, fruit, snacks, chips, sandwich fixins, etc. We got everyone settled in and went to bed. Kinda late, but to bed. Keenan and I had our own room and bathroom. Rachel and Rose shared a bed in another room and Charlie had his crib. They had their own bathroom and a roll-out twin bed for the next night when Derek came. All 3 girls had their own room and bathroom. As usual, Kamiko got the shaft and got the couch. He was fine, though. There was also a half bathroom in the living area for all to use. I can't say enough how great it was.

The kids and Keenan left around 7:00 to get to the park for the opening. Rachel and I came about an hour later with her kids. Rachel is pregnant and I wanted to help her. I also didn't think we needed to be there super early. I wanted to work around what she wanted. As soon as her kiddos got up, we got going. Bonus: Rachel got me into the park for free with Derek's work perks. We met up with the rest of the group around 10:00 am. We really enjoyed a great day of rides, rain, and crowds. It was fine, though. I had gone to Walmart and bought everyone a rain jacket, so we were dry enough. It also made going on Splash Mountain no big deal since we were a bit wet anyway. Around 4:00, it stopped raining. We figured out how to use the disability pass for Charlie. Basically, you go to an information center and get a return time for the ride you want to go on next. They scan up to 6 tickets and you're good to go. Charlie got the big kids and Rachel on Haunted Mansion. I stayed behind with Rose and bought her her very own churro. The park was very crowded, but we had a great time anyway. While the big kids were on their rides, Charlie got me and Rose and Rachel on Dumbo, Casey Junior, Alice in Wonderland, and Storybook Land in about 1 hour. Rose told the attendant we had a "cutting pass." He said "I don't think that's what we call it, but I know what you mean." It saved us a lot of time and may have created a monster in Rose. Now she knows the system and can go on lots of rides. Just wait til Charlie is tall enough for all rides. Wow. It really is helpful, though, because once you get in line, you have to ditch the stroller. If we could have kept Charlie in his stroller all the time, we would have been fine. But, without the stroller, we had to carry him a lot to keep him from wandering.

Me, Rose, Charlie, and Rachel on the way to Disney!

It's fun to see what gets posted on Instagram

First ride: Small World with Chars

Me and Rose, Rachel and Charlie on Dumbo

Kamiko and Charlie had matching raincoats and really had fun together

Wet, happy kids. Love them all!

Rose with her very own churro

Kobi, Mel, Allie, and Kamiko in line for Splash Mountain

We went over the the California Adventure side after a while and enjoyed rides there. Tower or Terror is being re-done and was closed. California Screamin was closed on and off and we never made it on there. I found Rae and the kids in line at the Luigi cars ride. I asked the attendant if he could help me get to them to help them in line. Then I asked if we could just bypass the line and get on the ride. When Rachel asked me how I did it, I said "I told him my sister-in-law was in line alone with a 5 year old, a 3 year old with Down Syndrome, and is pregnant." He didn't hesitate to help us out. We got dinner over there. I had a great turkey and pesto sandwich on sourdough. Kobi and Rose got mac and cheese in a sourdough bread bowl. Talk about carb loading. It was so good, though. Derek met up with us and we hung out a bit more. The Hunters left for the airbnb and we Adcocks +1 went back to Disneyland for more grown-up fun. We had a bit of a fight, but we sorted things out and finished the night riding Buzz, then watching the parade before leaving the park. Got home late and went to bed to get up and do it again. We love Disneyland. Kamiko said he didn't know how Keenan and I did it all these years. He was tired.

Rachel, Charlie, and Keenan

Buzz Lightyear: Kobi, Keenan, Allie, Mel

Keenan and Allie on Buzz Lightyear

Our youngest family member enjoying the day

Disney NEVER gets old for an Adcock or for our honorary Adcocks

Friday we got up and left around 8:30. It was sad to say goodbye to our awesome place, but I have a feeling we'll be back. Derek was able to get all of us in the park for free with some holiday passes he had. It was so nice of him. Since Kobi was paying her own way, she was especially appreciative. We got fast passes for Radiator Springs, went on Midway Mania, Ariel, rides in Bugs Land, and Monsters, Inc. We also barely made it in to see the new Frozen show. We literally got some of the last seats for the 12:30 show. Kamiko and Allie found seats together. When I looked their way as the show started, I noticed Derek and Family were sitting there. My kids had given their 2 seats together to them. I was one proud mom! They lucked out in getting 4 reserved seats together with Mel and Kobi. So, the only ones solo were Keenan and I. I don't know where he sat, but I know he slept for a big chunk of the show. I got a nice little snooze, too. It was a great show, though. The set and projections were excellent. We hit more rides. Charlie got everyone on the Luigi cars again. Just Keenan and I had to sit out. Then Rachel took the kiddos back to Valencia and Derek joined us big kids at Disneyland. It had been another crowded day, but we made the best of it. Rachel is a trooper. She's got her hands full. She and Derek were grateful that Keenan pushed the stroller most of the day Friday. I tried to help out when I could the day before. We found out later that Rae got a return time for her and the kids for the Little Mermaid ride, got corndogs, then went on the ride before heading home. Charlie pooped all over the seat in the shuttle bus to the parking lot. That was her fun evening. We got dinner (chicken strips or corndogs) and waited in line for Star Tours, then waited 2 hours for Hyperspace Mountain. It was worth it. The ride is now Star Wars themed and is great! What a way to end the time at Disneyland.

In line for Radiator Springs: Mel, Kobi, Allie, Kamiko, Derek, Rose, and Keenan. It was the first time for both Derek and Rose.

The very cute Hunter family

Rose colored this card for me at California Adventure

Post Hyperspace Mountain Churros on our way out of the park: Kobi, Mel, Kamiko, Al, and Derek

We drove to Derek and Rachel's home in Valencia, about a 70 minute drive. Luckily we had no grand plans for Saturday, so we got to sleep in as much as the kids allowed. I think I got up around 8:00. I woke up to pancakes and eggs and bacon. Yes! Thanks Hunters. Kamiko really wanted to go into Los Angeles. He'd never been there. So we hatched a plan to go around noon and be back by 4:00. I didn't want to spend all day if we weren't going to all be together. The girls weren't going to go at first but decided to go, as did Derek. So, Derek, Kamiko, Allie, Mel, Kobi, and I went into LA. We dropped Kamiko off at a street with stores he wanted to see and we headed to the Hollywood walk of fame to check out some stars and see weird people. After about an hour we went back to get Kamiko. We grabbed LA's finest for lunch: Wendy's. We went back to Valencia and all of us went to the mall. Then we ordered pizza and pasta for takeout. We ate at Derek and Rachel's and sat up late talking and looking at Derek and Rachel's wedding photos. Seriously, it was such a great trip. Allie was thrilled to visit the Scientology information center, Derek was happy to see Trump's star, Kamiko bought expensive shoes, and Keenan got a nap.

We topped the whole trip off by eating lunch at Raising Cane's Chicken place in Las Vegas on the way home. Wow, that is some great chicken. That's all they have there: chicken and fries and toast. It is spectacular. I'm so glad we stopped. That made Kamiko and Allie very happy, as they remembered eating there in Missouri and Arkansas. It'll be a place we visit again. My recommendation: the child's meal and spring for the $.99 toast.

Raising Cane with Wonder Woman

I spy with my little eye something that starts with the letter A

So we're now home and the kids have moved into their apartments in Provo. My house is clean and quiet. It's weird. Something new to get used to.