McMillan Boyz

Hi, I'm Blake

A bird's gonna land on that lower lip

Too into iPhone to care about his picture being taken

I think the anti-whining campaign is helping Tyler.  He's been into saying naughty words, though, and our strategies of dealing with that are not that effective.  He's gonna make a great boss someday because he likes ordering people around and yelling.  Hopefully, his employees don't quit because of his temper.

Glen the Dentist and Dad

Danny's dad retired from dentistry after practicing for 34 years.  He is going on a mission for a year and sold his practice to Danny's brother in 2007 so it was time, however, bitter sweet for him to move on. 

His patients made him a beautiful book of memories.  It was so neat to see and inspirational of the dentist and practice Danny aspires to have in his career.  The thing that people remembered the most was his generosity with his time, talents and success.  They remember the late night calls to come into the office and working with them to afford their care.  It was evident that his career was about the people as much as the teeth.

We celebrated fathers day while we were there and it was a neat way to honor Glen as a dad, father-in-law and dentist.

Here are a couple of the highlights that I remember...

David has been blessed by his loving example in the office.  Glen always sought to understand others with a loving and understanding heart.  There is never reason to get upset.

Danny talked about how his dad taught him to work.  He helped him figure out how to fix things.  Danny and his dad are similar in how they can be faced with any problem and figure it out.  

Michelle talked about daddy-daughter talks and how he took time to get out his notes and ask her about how things were going.  Taking time for just her.

Lisa talked about how her dad made her feel pretty when she was down and how her dad never got mad even when he had reason to get mad at a mistake she made.

Lindsey talked about going through some hard times together and how her dad was there for her.

I am grateful that so much of Danny was learned from Glen.  I am convinced they were hanging out together before this life learning how to fix teeth and cars together.  Danny has the same never-ending patience as his dad.  He always remains calm.  Perhaps the greatest gift Glen could give to his son is introducing him to a profession that he loves.  That is one of the greatest blessings we have in our family.

Utah

 Danny's family gets together once a year for a summer vacation. This year we went to Midway in Utah which was a lot of fun.  Danny's parents are leaving on a mission tomorrow so it was extra special to be with them before they venture down to Las Vegas for a year to serve the Lord.


We stayed in a cute little town called Midway.  It is of Swiss origin as you can see from the adorable chapel.  We stayed in a beautiful house on a golf course.


A couple of highlights of the trip for me...


The best part of the family vacations for me are for the cousins to hang out and get to be with Danny's family.  Living in California doesn't give us that much time to hang out with his family so I love talking and getting to know and learn from them. 


Hiking to Cascade Springs.  The waterfalls were beautiful and company was so fun.  We didn't make it around the entire loop since it was pretty hot and my little ones would rather play in the water and look for bugs.  The highlight of the trip was coming down and looking for animals in the shade.


Alpine Slides.  I love Park City!  It is such a cute little ski town.  Danny and Scott went on the zip line and Alpine Slide.  Kira and Lindsey and Glen and Tyler went down the slide.  I stayed with the babies and Juliann at the bottom.  I used to love going on rides and such and now I love watching my kids go on them.  How things change!  It was a beautiful day and the kids had so much fun!


Boating!!  So fun!  Scott had a blast on the tube going as fast and crazy as possible as he could. He outdid me and his dad.  He had fun the knee board and did great. Tyler was more timid and only go if an adult was with him or if they were going slower.  Kira went on the knee board a little before getting too cold.  We went boating in Layton which was so much fun and so warm.  The kids and adults had so much fun.  We went a second time in Midway which was freezing and hence not as much fun but still a good time.  Makes me want to get a boat when we eventually get a house.  I went paddle boarding which is a little slow for me but a good arm workout.  Too bad it reminds me I still have a bad shoulder.  The best part was seeing Jade and Scott learn to get on their knees on the knee board.  They are such a good pair and it was fun to see them smiling on the water together. Good times!


Thanksgiving Point.  Went to the dinosaur museum which was so fun!  At night we opted to stay at the museum a little longer instead of a counsins ring ceremony.  We had a fun lunch and found the cutest kids section.  The kids loved casting dinosaur bones.  Afterwards we went to Brayden's reception which was a lot of fun.  It is always fun to see Danny's aunts and uncles and get to know them better. The kids were spent by that time so they didn't have as much fun.  We were all exhausted after a fun filled day.


Uncle Adam is the Uncle with all the toys.  The kids made rockets and blasted them with a compressor and had so much fun.  We placed lights on them and watched them launch into the air. So fun!


Fish Farm.  Ended the trip with the fish farm.  I woke up early and packed up and miraculously had time to go with the kids.  So glad I got to go.  I learned so much and it was fun to see the kids so interested in the fish.  Who woulda thought?


Great times!!  Can't wait for more family vacations.

Gym Classes

I have loved trying classes at the gym.  They are so much more fun for me than working out alone.  I am one who gets easily bored and lazy on my own.  In case  you didn't know, I am an extravert and enjoy being around other people which makes it fun.  Danny came with me the other day which was fun.

The first time I took a class I couldn't walk or move for a couple of days.  Now I can lift a little more and don't get quite as sore so it is progress.  Now I just need to learn to eat a little healthier.  The thing about working out and nursing is that I am eating all day.  Often a ton of brownies because I am so hungry.  I know it would be good for me to eat healthier and give me more energy. I just need to get into a rountine.  Someday I will make it a goal.