My blog

Some time in college I realized that I was skilled enough at Photoshop that there is no reason for an unflattering picture of me to ever exist. I am a big fan of having family pictures but not a big fan of posing for family pictures. It's painful. I just want one blasted picture with everyone in the family looking as skinny and happy as possible, also PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN AND LOOK AT THE CAMERA RUFFIANS! Is that so much to ask? Yes. It. Is. The only way I get the picture I want is through Photoshop witchery, including but not limited to: Head-transplants Lighting adjustments Color adjustments Body swapping Just straight-up painting on people's facial features from scratch However, over time, and after many perfect family picture prints, I have realized that I am depriving the world of how things really are during our family pictures. Behold, the family picture rejects: McBoy McGirly McBaby He's a baby, so even the rejected pictures are actually pretty cute. Handsome Bryce ...

"Hey little baby, you are in a good family, we are nice.  Sometimes me and my sister fight, but you don't have to mind that,  because we will always love you and take care of you."

We went to Hong Kong for Trent's wedding! I felt like a little kid there, in the fun sense where everything is new and interesting, but also in the terrifying sense where I couldn't read anything, didn't know how anything worked or where anything was, no one could understand me clearly, and all the food was strange to me. For example, a giant bowl of corn at McDonald's: Luckily two of Bryce's brothers are very familiar with Hong Kong and they shepherded us around, argued with taxi drivers, and explained how to eat things, like good babysitters do. Here's a chicken foot which (somehow surprisingly) tasted like chicken: Of course my favorite part was being with family in the temple, and seeing Trent and Britt get married. But my second favorite part was taking pictures of random funny things: Surface Air Duct: So cute! But sometimes... As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced: ... I'm pretty sure Style No. 228 isn't ...

Things have been busy around here. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to: Ewan's first football game! Daddy reading stories McGirlie's birthday! Sequioa National Forest with Grandma and Grandpa McEwen! McBoy's birthday! And finally, Halloween costumes! Buzz, Jessie, Woody, and Sid: Seriously, I was Sid! Why didn't anybody recognize me??? Doesn't everybody watch these movies non-stop??? Sheesh, Halloween is the worst.

We have been pretty busy lately; so busy that I didn't plan at all for April Fool's Day. I couldn't let the day go by with no tricks though, (after all this time people have expectations my friends!) So here is an easy April Fool's joke that I am hoping will be pretty effective. Step 1: Call your husband or wife and tell them, "Grrr! Some jerk truck spat a rock at me and got a teeny tiny star chip in our windshield. Don't worry though, it's not bad." Step 2: Get a black dry erase marker and draw a line on your windshield. I actually did a black line and a green one, touching each other to add dimension to my fake crack. It looks pretty realistic, but in a pinch just black would be fine. Step 3: Do nothing. Your spouse will check for the star and freak out for a tiny minute and then realize how sneaky you are! I actually didn't even have to do Step 1 because Bryce was in the car when we got a star on the windshield, and today just happened to be th...

For the past few days the McBabies and I have been cough-spewing snot-factories. It hasn't been great. Luckily, Handsome Bryce has been healthy, so he has been taking care of us. I have felt too gross to post about any projects. So just look at this instead: Here is a so cute picture, taken by Bryan Gutierrez, of McBoy holding McGirlie's hand when she was feeling sad. It's from January, but still so sweet that you probably gain 5 pounds every time you look at it. Worth it!

Hello! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! This year we were in Utah with all of Handsome Bryce's family. It was the first time everyone has been together in a while and it was so wonderful to see everyone again! I am so grateful for close family relationships and happy times together. I am especially grateful for the chance to have all the little cousins get to know and love each other. This year Bryce and I decided that we would make gifts for each other. We also decided that the handmade gifts had to be comprised of stuff we already had at home. I decided to make him an ottoman because our couch doesn't really have a place for him to put his feet up. I used this pouf tutorial on the Better Homes website. Except...I didn't exactly use the tutorial. You see, the pattern is totally free, but you have to make an account and print off the pattern; this requires you to have patience for account making and a printer with ink. I didn't have either of those things so I lo...

I have been too busy to post anything for a while but I thought you might like to see some things that have been going on: 1. Princess Baby! 2. McBoy said Mickey and Minnie are going "Nuh Night" and made me sing, "I Am a Child of God" to them. 3. McGirlie is so smiley. 4.McBoy never wants Gwamma to be out of his  sight, even for 2 minutes while she goes to the bathroom. 5. McGirlie's blessing day. 6. Thanksgiving! 7. Also this awksome blurry picture happened, where Clairice, sitting in front of Handsome Bryce and me, looks like I am doing a crazy dance. Merry Christmas next week!