A Thanksgiving to remember

I think we can all agree that this years Thanksgiving was truly a special one. Everything from the food to the time spent together was absolutely perfect. The only thing that could have made it any better would've been to have Preston and Rachel there....possibly a magic trick....and Alexis, Xander, and Kennedy part of the fun show that all the grand kids put together :) Kevin and I felt so lucky to have everyone in our very own home. Words can't express what that meant to us. I am so glad that mom had us sit all together (no kids table!) so that we could all share such a memorable feast together! Here are some of those moments I think we'll always remember......

*Morgan trying not to laugh or smile all night because of her painful surgery......needless to say she did not succeed! Ha! So good to see her laugh again :)We are all soooo happy that you are finally on your way to feeling healthy again!
*Kris's homemade vanilla bean cool whip. I think this was a highlight for everyone.......Mmmmm!
*The big show! I keep picturing Cedar doing her funny little evil dance and Aisling's long legs doing cartwheels! Rowan never broke character building his bricks and Ari's emotional moment was nothing short of touching......what an actress! Oh and who can forget Austin?!? "I am the King Joker!!!" hehe!
*I loved seeing Jonathon and Hazel tackle each other and shout noises at each other! I think those two are going to be good friends....they are definitely an even match ;)
*Morgan's tub of fluff! Bahahahaha! Who could forget that?!? (I'm sure most of us are still eating some leftovers.....I know I am!) Yum!
*Marsh showing us that pic of Rowan with the knife. Hahahaha! If you didn't see it then ask Marsh to show it to you sometime. Hilarious! 
*Finding Ash sitting on our bed hanging out and chatting with Sam :)
*Earlier that day I thought the turkey was on fire. I came home from choir and our whole kitchen was covered in smoke. Kevin didn't seem to notice and thought I was losing it, but when my eyes started burning I knew I better call mom. She didn't answer so I text her and said our house was covered in smoke and asked if that was normal. Apparently she rushed out of Sacrament meeting and ran home to call us thinking the turkey was burnt to a crisp and possibly our house! We all thought I overreacted but then dad found the packet of jibblits still inside the turkey later that night and that HAD been burnt to a crisp........guess I'm not so crazy...... Another raccoon situation yes?!? ;)
*Speaking of turkey- Wow! The food was all so amazing! I tried dark meat for the first time and loved it. Everything was so delicious and it was fun to watch the master do all of her cooking!!!
*We hid all of Sam's favorite toys (which ended up being most of his toys) in the locked room downstairs. Kevin said he came down at one point and found Kris in there........BUSTED! Haha!
 
*And finally, the highlight of the evening (aside from the cool whip).....Mom's Epistle. Wow. I can't believe she got thru that. It was so perfect and so beautiful. Seeing the look on all the grand kids faces as she talked about each of them was priceless. I think everyone felt so incredibly special and so loved. It is a moment we will all never ever forget. We love you! There was just one problem with it though, we think you were missing a page......we found this and think you must have forgotten to read it so here you go..........

It's hard to put to words what an incredible person my mother is. I am grateful for how well she raised me. She has the ability to always know what was best for me and be a key influencer in all of my important decisions. I am constantly impressed and overwhelmed by the empathy and intuition that she possesses. She is an amazing listener and is never judgmental regardless of the situation. These are the qualities that make her an incredible mother.

As I have grown older it is fun to be able to talk about more grown up things like mortgages, retirement, and even cooking. No matter how old I get I still need to talk to my mom. She is always happy and willing to listen and talk and that means a lot to me. I am so thankful to have such an incredibly smart, fun, and compassionate mother! ~Clayton~

 I am grateful that Nancy has been a huge part of my life long before I was lucky enough to be a McDonald. Through primary, young women's, play dates with Beckee and real dates with Clayton, Nancy has been such a force for good in my life. She excels in building people up and offering advice when it is most needed.  When I graduated seminary Nancy gave me a journal to congratulate me. She wrote in the front of it saying, "I have loved watching you grow up. The best  years are ahead. Follow your dreams as well as your heart." The best years truly were ahead for me, and I'm so grateful that she continued to be a part of them.I love and admire her ability to see the best in people and her never failing optimism. She is part of the reason I am who I am today, and I am blessed to have her influence and love in my life. I love Nancy and I love being her daughter-in-law. ~Amanda~

  When I think of you the first word that comes in my head is selfless. You are constantly thinking of others and showing love to all those around you. We've probably talked every single day for the last who knows how many years and not once have you EVER complained about your problems or trials you are facing. If I ask about them you simply smile and laugh and brush them off and ask me about my day. I've never known anyone who lives life as full or as happy as you do. I look up to you in every way possible and hope that one day I will be as charitable and selfless as you. It amazes me the impact you've had on me through each stage of my life. I need you just as much now as I did back when I was running around in diapers! Every memory or thought I have you are right there with me. You are my best friend and I couldn't be more blessed or proud to be your daughter. I hope one day I'll be more like you! Love you mom :) ~Beckee~

  On a spiritual level, the biggest advice I've been given is to try and emulate my mother--to try and copy her example and be motivated to be like her in my adult life. I think that says it all. I know that Mom laughs when I tell her that I want to be just like her, but the truth is I think about her all the time and wonder what she'll do in certain situations. There are so many moments where I wish I could be as strong as her. She's always serving. Growing up, I remember the countless meals she made for others... and how her friends would always tell me how cheerful she was. Now being an adult, I realize how difficult it is to serve and keep a cheery attitude all the time. But Mom is the prime example of that and though I'll always try to live up to her example, I don't think I'll ever be able to match the goodness that emanates from her. But I can try! This Thanksgiving, I'm truly grateful for the blessing of having such good parents and their example really does continue to influence my life every day.  ~Morgan~


 Nancy is wise. She and Boo talk everyday. Everyday they find time to discuss, dissect, and analyze everything that has happened since the last time they spoke. Nancy knows (and for the last 7 years has known) just about every detail of my day to day life. Boo has never let anything from a possible career change to a sore throat go unreported during our entire marriage and Nancy has weighed in on everything. I have always loved this. Nancy has been a part of every major decision we have ever made. She has offered advice, shared in our frustrations and fears, and supported us at every turn. I love Nancy and all the love, listening, and wisdom she shares with our family... everyday. ~Kevin~

I love my mom and I am so glad she gave birth to me ;) It is hard to name one thing I love about Nancy. From the moment I met her I felt loved. She always listens, gives advise, but then lets you make your own decisions, whether they are the best or not, and still loves you. She is even listening when you don’t know she is. Nancy makes you feel like the best person you can be. She lifts you up all the time.  Nancy is not just a mother-in-law, she is a mother, a friend, and a confidant. I am so lucky to have her in my life. She brightens it. And I am thankful for the son she raised that I was lucky to marry. Nancy is an amazing woman. ~Preston & Rachel~

Alexis: I love Grandma McDonald because she buys us new clothes for every birthday. And that she gives me cool stuff, and she is nice.

 

Xander: I love Grandma McDonald because she gives us presents and give me pistachios at Christmas (and boy has he been wanting them lately) and she has the toys he wants.

 

Kennedy: I love Grandma McDonald because she is nice, and she buys me shoes.

 

The other night the Matriarch of our family provided one of the most unforgettable experiences of our lives. Nancy helped remind us of the true reason behind the season of thanksgiving. This comes as no surprise as I look back on my life and can see how she and the universe constantly work to conspire in my favor. Nancy is one who demonstrates unconditional love and concern for those around her … whether it is midnight trips to the riverton ER, backyard BBQs worthy of The Great Gatsby, or McDonald Family vacations complete with itineraries, swimming pools, and bacon for breakfast. Nancy is the reason we are more than relatives ... because of Nancy we are FAMILY. I am proud to be part of such an extraordinary tree … God willing may some of her goodness rub off on me! I love you Nancy!! I love you so much!!! ~Aaron~

 Nancy is the mother-in-law who has never felt to me like a "mother-in-law." She welcomes everyone into the family (whether by marriage, birth, or simply because we need more bodies at Crocktoberfest). Little did I know when marrying Marshall what a huge bonus his mother would be in my life too! I love the traditions. I love her cooking. I love her fun texts. Everything she does is about bringing her family close and keeping them there. Her most admirable quality that I am always observing and trying to emulate is her ability to love unconditionally and without judgement. I have always felt accepted and loved by her. There's a reason why everyone LOVES Grandma Nancy. :) ~Kris~

Your words on Sunday were inspired and beautiful! Thank you for writing them. They taught me a few things about you- 1. you are in tune with the spirit and always have been (excluding the Hawaii days) JK! 2. You know each of your children and grand children so well and are involved in the details of their lives. 3. Our names have always been and will always be safe on our lips. I have complete trust that you have my (and my families) best interests in mind. not just when we are with you, but always. 4. You sacrifice so much time, money, and emotional and physical energy to family. When at look at these 4 statements- I think that the same could be said that the Father and the Son possess these same attributes. You are my hero and example and everything about who you are teaches me about who God is and what I want to be like. Thank you for all you do, have done, and will do for me and my family! I love you! ~Marshall~

I guess you must have been too shy and modest to read that.........hehe ;)

I'm sad that I forgot to take pictures through out the night, especially of the table and how beautiful it all looked, but luckily Morgie took a few so here you go! 

Thank you Mom for such a wonderful night! We all love you so much!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Shoes Anthology

Finally getting my first pair of skinny jeans as I embark on my second trimester is either the most brilliant way a pregnant woman can still feel somewhat skinny-sexy, or the biggest fashion faux-pas ever. I figured the fact that skinny jeans are even available at maternity stores means at least I won't be the only preggo lumbering about thinking I look awesome in them.

But I just couldn't do my 2011 Christmas Shoes justice without a pair! I thought perhaps they might be my favorite Christmas shoes ever... I took a gander at my closet and couldn't help but reminisce on my past eight years of happy feet:

2004 – Dr. Martens 8065 Double Strap Mary Jane 

My first pair of official Christmas shoes were the ever-classic Doc Marten’s black mary janes. Nice.

2005 – Green Elf Shoes

Here's wishing for a little more intervention. (See year 2008 for more details). Too bad Clayton hadn't married Amanda yet.

2006 – Red Leather Shoes

These may not be as sexy-hot as Beckee's 2011 selection, but oh so cute! At least when we're both in our 80s, I'll still be able to walk in my red hots! lol

2007 – Ode to Plaid

I love love love love these shoes! And to think I didn't find them until after another year of being high-maintenance. My first couple-hour trip around the mall was fruitless and so thankfully someone else needed another round too, and I finally found these lovelies. How did I possibly miss them the first time around? I have yet to find an outfit they can't go with.

And I realized, the plaid theme has continued through the years... do my children have any hope of escaping the plaid?!!!

2008 – Black Hopefully-Not-So-Hooker-ish Boots

After feeling guilty for being a brat in 2007, I decided to start the annual "pre-scout" mall trip. This was the year --the year to enter the world of boots! I was a little nervous. Aside from in the snow, I'd never worn a boot... my mother has never worn a boot. Boots are simply not in my blood. But I was determined to find something and when I saw them at Dillard's, I knew I had found the answer:

Well, I will give myself some credit and say they didn't look quite this bad, but we'll just say I've learned that unless shiny black stops at the end of a high heel, it probably doesn't belong up the rest of your leg.

Of course, I didn't want anyone to know I had been nerdy enough to pre-scout my shoes, so as the female flock took off, I nonchalantly suggested we start at Dillard's and after commenting on a few options and patiently trying to appear like I hadn't already spent an hour looking at every one of these pairs of boots, I decided to try on my perfect pair of black shiny boots. 

Kristien: "So, what do you think of these, guys?" [confidently struts in front of the mirror, not trying to sound too vested in the decision].

Beckee: "They might be an option... maybe we keep looking around a bit?" [she may have bit her lip and glanced the other way... I can't remember].

Amanda: "Oh, no... I don't think so. Those look like H-O-O-K-E-R  B-O-O-T-S!"

.........

Needless to say, the patent leather go-go's went back on the shelf and I picked a much better acclaimed, conservative pair at Macy's. I later returned them for a pair with a stiletto heel (perhaps reverting to my hooker tendencies again, but now I will never know as no one dares comment on my boot selections anymore). Thank you to Amanda for rescuing me from a life of hustling and for what may be the best Christmas Shoes story yet!

2009 – Josef Seibel Beauties

The most beautiful shoe possibly ever designed. Thank you, Marsh for buying a $20 pair half off this year!

2010 – Running Shoes

I am proud to announce that this year was my most low-maintenance year ever. One store. First shoe. Bam. Good thing too because 2010 was Cedar's first year entering the world of Christmas shoe shopping and I spent probably an hour-and-a-half helping her make a decision until finally getting some Hello Kitty flats. I don't know if there's enough room in this family for two of us! 

2011 – Taupe Boots

I would take a pic wearing these with my new skinny jeans, but I need some gradual, positive validation first before I post it on the worldwide web.

And this post would be incomplete without a HUGE thank you to Steve and Nancy who never cease to amaze all my friends who can't believe that every pair of adorable shoes I own came from them.

And what's your favorite Christmas shoe?

A day that will live infamously.......

Well today is a very special day......its Marshall's birthday! Here is a shout out to the one and only Marshman! Woot woot! I was thinking of a fun memory of Marshall and this one floated into my mind.

It was a beautiful summer day. I had just come inside after picking wild flowers from the garden to give to mom to show her how much I loved her when I heard someone playing the piano. Who could it be? To my surprise it was Marshall! I hadn't seen/spent time with him in so long so I decided to see if he would play with me. What a great day it had been so far, what could possibly go wrong? I skipped over to him and politely asked "Dearest brother, wont you play with me???" I waited in anticipation for his answer when suddenly he leaned forward. My mind was curious to what was happening, but it could never have imagined the horror of what was to come. Suddenly a huge enormous long blue basket was being hurled at an intense speed directly at my head! I had no time to react! In just mere seconds it hit its target and I was down. I tried to crawl away but it was pointless. The blue basket had been thrown. I repeat........the blue basket had been thrown.

I can't remember what happened after that. Perhaps the basket hitting my head is the reason for that or maybe my brain erased my memory to protect itself. Either way, it happened! On that note....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I hope this fun message brings back lots of happy memory's we've had together! hehe! Love you Marsh :)


Are you confused why I posted this picture??? Well, obviously I didn't have time to take a picture of Marshall heaving a basket at me so I figured that this one would at least prove that he has some sort of crazy obsession with baskets..........even if it is an easter basket ;)...........(I bet he threw whats in his hand at the person taking this picture) Happy birthday!!!

McDonald Family Date Nights!

So, just this Wednesday I took my mia maids to the frisbee golf course on Murray-Holladay Road and it brought back the fun times we had on what appears to have been our last official McDonald Family Date Night. I only had three frisbees to share among my girls since I vaguely remember someone losing one on the date night in the river. Good times.

For the month of September, I thought it would be fun to put down some of our favorite MFDN memories. Now that Nancy is officially on board and no longer in the dark, apparently all of our back-and-forth trying to create a list of all the date nights was in vain... the master planner had kept track all these years and you will see the list on the sidebar under family vacations. Feel free to take a gander and see if any of them spark a particular memory.

The MFDN I remember best was the one Marshall and I organized: dinner at Costa Vida and paintballing at Paintball Planet. I remember wishing I was way cooler than I looked ... I was much better off chatting with the ladies (including preggo Morgan!) in the gallery.

But the most fun part for me, aside from watching the guys re-enact their favorite childhood GI Joe cartoon scenes, was creating the intro video that we left on everyone's doorstep:

Part One:

Part Two:

Introducing Our New Family Blog!

Happy Birthday Mom! For quite a while we have all had promptings to do something to record our family history and our memories. After a lot of thought and discussion we decided that a blog would be the best way to make it happen. We are all excited to contribute to this blog independently and collectively. We want to have themes that we write about every so often like “Christmas Morning Memories” or “McDonald family Date nights” etc….. And we will just see how this goes. As you have noticed, our first posts are about you (hopefully this isn’t as torture as Mother’s Day is for you J) I have decided to make a top ten list of memories that I have about you that I am grateful for and that have helped me become who I am today. In no particular order:

10. Thank you for not giving in to my demands that I was going to quit piano and focus on my basketball and baseball skills for a “bright” future in the NBA or MLB.

9. Thank you for barging into the girl’s bathroom at Tanner Park and getting our tennis balls back from the older boys that stole our balls and were hiding in the girl’s bathroom. My friends Chris and Joey couldn’t believe how brave you were! I was proud!

8. Thank you for sticking up for me to the high school teacher who once said that I would never be successful in life because of some low test scores I had in Junior High. Thank you for always seeing who I could become and not judging me based on worldly standards. And thank you for not rubbing it in his face the day that I was awarded student of the year, closed concerto night, and received my mission call all on the same day. (sorry- that was a little prideful).

7. Thank you for enduring my annual protests as you took me school shopping AKA “outfit shopping” every year. Do you remember when we went everywhere (against my wishes) to find a pair of Girbaud jeans because they were the most popular thing to wear at the time? In 8^th grade it was torture, but it showed me how much you cared about me.

6. Thank you for always making things happen like missions, weddings, cars, girbaud’s, etc… I am sure that there were many financial sacrifices that we are not aware of so that we could always have the things that we needed. We know that you have worked hard to pay for so many lessons, sports, vacations and events. We are so grateful for that!

5. Thank you for not throwing something at me when I once said that, “I really want your suggestions and advice because then I know all the things that I don’t like” (like naming a song, album, or a homework project etc…). Thank you for never stopping to give advice and help.

4. Thank you for fostering an environment in our home where we had the freedom to do things without being forced to do them (excluding quitting piano). This empowered me to lead, create, grow and become who I am today.

3. Thank you for coming to so many games, recitals, and activities. I will never forget the look in your eyes after the premiere of “Africa.” Thank you for supporting me in all that I have done.

2. Thank you for once calling me and saying, “it has been too long since we have seen your kids….. why don’t you and Kris go to dinner and a movie and we will watch your kids.” You are still a mother to us long after we left home and that support is a great blessing in my life.

1. Thank you for once asking me, “where is this lack of self esteem coming from?” This of course was after I felt I deserved a part in the musical “The Whiz” and didn’t get it, and was home sulking and crying as a result. I have pondered that question often and have come to learn that the answer was my own pride. The next few days I made a series of decisions to serve the leads in the musical and the director. It was not long after that I had a series of profound discoveries about myself (both musically and spiritually). I am convinced that if I had responded differently or selfishly I would not have been blessed with the personal revelations that I had. Our talks (though fewer than my other siblings because I am not a talker) gave me confidence to make my own decisions and become who I am today.

Love you Mom!

Marshall

A Wonderful Mother and Friend!

First, I want to say....Happy Birthday! While thinking of a special memory of you, I couldn't just choose just one. I don't quite remember the first time I met you. (I was a little infatuated with your son to remember much else.) But I do remember that I always have felt accepted. It was especially hard planning a wedding and having my family so far away, and the wedding so far away, but you were there to help me in ways I don't know how to fully explain. I loved feeling like I had a mother right there beside me through it all. (Don't get me wrong, my mom did a lot, but it was hard not being with her.) I really loved knowing I had a new mom to help me. I remember you taking me shopping for the dress to wear at the the Open House at your home before Preston and I married, and opening your home for me at any time. I have never felt like I don't belong, always like I was part of the family.

I also love thinking about you with Alexis, Xander, and Kennedy. You accepted me still with everything I ever mentioned with my pregnancies, no matter how embarrassing they could be. And I remember you coming to the hospital and holding your first grandchild and being so thankful to have you there. I also remember you calling to see if we would be staying at the hospital when having Xander, Preston telling you we would call you back in 10 minutes, then telling me I had to push this baby out so he could call you. Then you always holding Xander and calling him your "Angel Baby." And how can we ever forget Kennedy calling you "grandpa."

I am so thankful for the wonderful young man you raised, who is a wonderful husband and father. I know you helped him become the man he is by the wonderful memories he has of you through his years as a child and teenager. I am so lucky to have met him, married him, and become a member of your family.

You have also changed the colors in my closet tremendously. I don't know if I owned much of anything pink before I met you, but now, lots of clothes are pink. And I think I might have to change it to a list of my favorite colors. I look forward to gifts from you containing pink because I know they are from the heart because you always think of me in pink.

You are a wonderful mother and friend, and I am so thankful to be a member of your family.  Happy Birthday!

Love,
Rachel

The Things We Have Done Together!

Happy Birthday Mom,

We have done a lot together over the years. From baseball practice, soccer games, gymnastics lessons, ballet performances, river dance lessons, doctor visits, clarinet and piano lessons, Einstein bagel runs, late night 7-11 runs, quick trips to Dan’s Foods. There are more things that I could list. My all time favorite thing that we did together had to be when I was 18 and we went down to California one last time before my mission. I had the best time visiting your parents while they were on their mission and learning more about the Mormon Battle. Going to the San Diego Temple with you and grandma and grandpa, the water fountain and staircase was amazing. San Diego Zoo was a blast, being able to sit on the upper deck of the bus, spending time seeing the orangutans, etc.  Spending every night just sitting on the beach watching the sun set, it has been a long time since I have felt that much peace. Thank you for everything you have done for me.

Happy Birthday once again,

Your son, Preston

"did you get your packet?"

A couple of days after Boo and I got engaged, Nancy invited us, along with my parents, out for a dinner/wedding planning meeting. My parents and I figured this meant we were going to brain storm about a few major decisions (i.e. dates, locations, maybe even go as far as colors) and spend the rest of the time chatting and such. Nancy had a different plan. Before the waiter could even serve the water, everyone at the table was handed their own personalized initial wedding itinerary. As Nancy took the six of us through this “first-draft” of the wedding plan we soon let on to the fact that every major decision had been made, every little detail had been sorted, and every foreseeable crisis had a foreseeable solution. After about 2 minutes of this, I noticed my parents (who in my lifetime have never put pen to paper in an effort to articulate any plans) look at each other, smile, and then relax back into their chairs. Smiling, my Dad whispered, “This is going to be easy, all we have to do is show up!” It was great! If Nancy is anything, she is a planner.

Since that first experience, I have come to expect a large manila envelope to arrive in the mail well before any major family event happens. Every time we open our “packet” I almost hear a game show host say, “Johnny lets show them what they’ve won!” Then we get to pour through the agendas, maps, and pamphlets while beholding the most amazing adventures that have been laid out for us in astonishing detail. One example of the fine detail that went into every “packet” was a small manila envelope containing the exact change we would need to park at the Hover Dam parking complex (stapled to directions of how to get to the dam which were folded inside a brochure describing attractions at the dam). Simply amazing! Everything always goes off without a hitch.

I will always love Nancy for her plans. The night I proposed to Beckee, we came back to the house to find the whole family waiting to congratulate us on our engagement. After about 2 minutes of hugs and such Nancy piped up and said, “I know this may sound weird, but a couple of months ago I went ahead and reserved Gardner Village for you guys at the end of December. I also booked a couple of temple dates at around that time as well. We can work out the details later.” Amazing! From that moment on I was not only part of the family, I was part of the plan.

Happy Birthday Nancy!

Shaping Lives

It's a running gag in the family that I have no lack for confidence. Even though much of my personality traits come from Dad, I think that it has been Mom that has helped me develop my "confident" persona. I remember an experience I had when I was 5 years old. I had afternoon kindergarten and Mom gave me a new shirt that morning when I was getting ready to go to school. She told me "that all the girls would think I was cute" while wearing this shirt at school. Before going to school I was riding my 3 wheeled "power wheel" around the sidewalks in the front yard when two girls in my class walked by and waved at me. I remember going to class that day and being a completley different person.

In Junior High I made a decision to not hang out with a group of guys because they were starting to date and get into things that I was probably too young to think about. I felt like I had made a right decision even though the group of guys were popular. I hadn't announced this decision to anyone and wanted to know if I was just overreacting. Recently after this I was driving with Mom to go pick up pizza for dinner and she told me that she thought I was right on track to not spend as much time with that group of friends. Though my teenage reaction to this conversation probably didn't display how appreciative I was for what she had said, it certainly helped me feel like my parents were very much involved in my life.

As I got older Mom didn't need to tell me that girls would think I would look cute in certain shirts or spend as much time acknowledging my decisions but she still did. If anything she probably had to reel in my "confident" persona. Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you know that these and other small and simple comments and discussions have shaped and directed my life.

THE BIRTHDAY Q&A

When deciding what to do for this blog post, I kept thinking that "Children are the Future!" What a better way to commemorate Mom's birthday than by letting the kids answer the tough questions. There is no more transparent way to see how one really feels about an individual than by letting their children be the voice. So without further adieu - I present to you "THE BIRTHDAY Q&A."

My Favorite thing about Grandma Nancy is ...

Grandma Nancy is _______ years old

Grandma Nancy is really good at ...

I love you shout outs!!!

Happy Birthday Mom --- We love you! I love you!!! -Morg

The Infamous Charts

As I began dating Clayton and spending more and more time with the 'Family on Fisher', I came to love spending time talking with Nancy. I remember going over to their house and feeling completely comfortable passing hours on the couch with Nancy discussing everything from school to dreams, from work to band boys, and from levels of love to blackholes. One evening we were sitting on the green couch downstairs when Nancy walked in with blue construction paper and a marker. It was time for me to be introduced to the infamous charts. I was, of course, blown away.

How could Nancy come up with something that could so perfectly describe my feelings towards life as a 21-year old college student?

How did she know that all of my dating experiences fit so easily into the 3 categories she assigned them?

It seems that one of Nancy's many gifts is to have the ability to make people feel comfortable around her and instantly connected to her. As her daughter-in-law, I feel particularly blessed to have the opportunity to continue to learn from her and seek out her advice (though I haven't seen a chart on home-buying yet and would find one very helpful right now...). I'm so grateful that Nancy was able to reach out to me through charts as I dated Clayton, her insight in doing so continues to amaze me. Happy Birthday Nancy - here is to many more late night chats and blue construction paper charts!

♥ Lets go Shopping ♥

Well first and foremost, Happy Birthday Mom!!! I love you so much and hope this fun present brings a smile to your face and probably (most likely) a tear or two ;)

Trying to decide what my my favorite memory of you is like trying to decide between liquorish and white donuts.....it's just all too good!!! For some strange reason one keeps popping into my head. This memory of you goes back to the darkest time of my life. The time that shall not be named..........8th grade. Oops, I just said it! I get shudders just typing it! Yes, 8th grade. I think it was the second or third day of school and I came home totally defeated and miserable. So what did you do? Did you tell me to buck up or that everything would be fine or to put on a happy face and move on? No. You let me cry and you were just simply there :) Once I got most of my tears out you said, "Do you know what you do when life is hard and you are sad? You go shopping!"

So shopping we went! It's funny looking back because all my cute new clothes didn't solve any of my problems or make them disappear, but spending time with you gave me the strength and confidence I needed to push through and stay strong. So really, all I needed was you! (even though the clothes did help A LOT;) To make an awkward freckly "rat Boo" feel beautiful and confident deserves all the mother of the lifetime awards that are out there :) I'll never forget all the many moments like those.

I love you mom!!! Happy Birthday~

Growing Old - Mandatory ... Growing Up - Optional :)

Nancy, So you are finally fifty ... ish;
Happy Birthday on the big Five - Ohhhhhh
I guess you could fill a great big book
With everything you know

A whole half century of living
Is nothing to sneeze about,
So if you're a little patched and worn,
Don't you dare frown or pout.

Ignore things that make you feel old;
Its really great to be fifty'ish
You're smart, attractive and good company,
And I still think you're nifty'ish

No son in law could have a better mother in law - YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
Love you Nancy - Thank you for all you do!!!
Aaron

Pancakes

My first memory of you, Nancy was coming over with Marshall to help him organize some music for a performance, and you asked if you could make me pancakes. Of all the things you could have done instead, you won me over with food and I’ve been coming back ever since.

I doubt that’s the first thing most moms would do when her son brings a new girl home. But most moms also don’t make extensive love charts, develop insightful theories on flirting, or staple cute envelopes with cash for park entrance fees onto their children’s vacation packets (I did read mine, btw). Marshall and I have been so blessed by your attention to promptings and small details in our life.

I still have the first of many pieces of mail you’ve sent me through the years – A Good Housekeeping article titled, “No more motion sickness!” from August 2001 (exactly 10 years ago now) with the note “Kris – I thought of you when I read this article” and the classic signature: ♥ Nancy. Marshall hadn’t proposed yet, but it made me feel like I was already part of the family.

When Marshall went to New York for a few days, you sent me this email:

From:       “Nancy McDonald” <nancmcd@hotmail.com>
To:           kristienhixson@hotmail.com
Subject:   are you missing your man?
Date:        Thu, 26 Jul 2001 09:14

Hey beautiful! Thanks for coming to our 24^th party. Our family loves you and we are so glad that you chose to share the holiday with us. Sometimes, when Steve leaves town, I am so glad to have a little time to myself and sometimes I just plain miss him. So the big question is: Are you missing Marsh or just glad to get things done? Thank you for making him so happy (as if that isn’t a constant state with him… let me re phrase…) thanks for making Marsh even happier. I am glad that he has found a soul mate! Give my regards to the rats and cats and call or visit if you get bored.
Love, Nancy

I felt your love and the rats did too!

Before returning home from Argentina, Marshall's mission president told him to always remember three things: 1) to never stop being a missionary, 2) get an education, and 3) make sure to get along with his in-laws if he wanted to maintain a happy marriage. I had no idea that first day when you made me pancakes that I would be marrying not just a wonderful man, but into such a great family too. 

I hope that you have a very happy birthday, Nancy. I can't think of a better way to launch the new family blog than by honoring the beloved mother who started it all.