I'M I TOOO OLD FOR THIS........

So as a little girl and with three younger sisters we had EVERY Barbie doll, Strawberry Shortcake doll, Cabbage Patch kid doll, and toy doll any little girl could want. Also thanks to having a little brother in the middle our Barbies were never without at date from a He-Man doll, GI Joe Doll, Star Wars doll and / or Action Figure doll. No wonder I always wanted to be Barbie. LOL

While I am no longer a little girl I think that little girl is still inside of me. I still go down the Barbie aisle at Target or any toy store and look at the Barbie dolls. I am always good not to every buy one unless I am going to put it in a Toys For Tots and / or Sleep Train Foster Kids gift bucket during the holidays. It is a good thing I don't have any girls because I am afraid out house would be over run with Barbie dolls if I did. LOL

Well for those of you that know me you know that I am a HUGE Ralph Lauren fan, some might say obsessive, and I am am also a HUGE candy fan. So when Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan, opened her own candy FABULOUS candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar, in New York City I instantly became a HUGE FAN!!! As a matter of fact on my first trip to New York City the two MUST see places on my list were the Ralph Lauren Mansion store and Dylan's Candy Bar. Lucky for me I got to see both of them and fell in LOVE, more so than I already was. LOL

I often check Dylan's Candy Bar site for fun ideas and have even ordered a few items from the site for friends and co workers. Yesterday I was on this web site looking for something and I got distracted when I saw the Barbie doll. Once I saw the above Barbie doll my little heart started racing and I almost found myself wanting to yell"MOMMY!!! MOMMY!!!! I want this Barbie. Can I have her.........PLEEEEEASE????" But then I realized OH WAIT I am old enough that I don't have to ask my Mommy anymore but I do have to wonder am I too old to have this Barbie doll?????? The little girl in me says NO you are NEVER too old for another Barbie but the adult in me says YES you are too old for a Barbie!!!! Who will win?????? Only time will tell but for those of you that are like me and don't like surprises let me give you a little betting tip....... BET IT ALL ON THE LITTLE GIRL!!!! LOL

Christmas In July

I know it is September but I am a little behind on my blogging as you can see from the title.

Every year my family gets together and spends a week at a cabin in between the Cascade and McCall area in Idaho. While our family has grown over the years we still get the same cabin and it seems to work out just fine every year. We call this little get together our "Christmas In July". This way we don't have to worry about traveling during the busy Christmas holiday season and let's face it July in Idaho is a little warmer than December in Idaho. My mother has boat and the family has a little wake boarding, skiing, knee boarding, delta double and Big Mama fun on the water. I really don't do any of that but my job is to sit in the boat, hold the flag, take pictures and work on my tan. LOL Sad to say it is the only time I get a really good tan. I live in California and get the most color the one week I spend in Idaho kind of ironic but I will take it. LOL

This year was especially MEMORABLE, SPECIAL and FABULOUS because EVERYONE of my brothers and sisters were at the cabing. Lucky for us my little brother who is serving in Afghanistan got to take a little vacation and we were lucky it was the same week we had planned to be at the cabin. So not only did he get to join us this year but he also brought his lovely, wonderful and fabulous girlfriend Lindsay with him. She is so great and it was so fun to finally get to meet her. It was great to have all my nieces and nephews there. They are all so much fun and I feel SO LUCKY to be the Aunt to the cutest nieces and nephews in the whole world.

This year it was especially fun because I actually got to sleep in a bed. Normally because I am "single" and there are not enough beds and I get the couch and / or air mattress. But this year my sister Dari, my niece Kailey, my brother's girlfriend Lindsay and I got to have the room with the two sets of bunk beds and we called it the "girls dorm" room. It was fun and I think my niece Kailey enjoyed it the most because she got to be in a room with the "big" girls.

The whole week was full of sun, fun, food, movies, games and even a little gambling action, Mormon style of course. My sister Dari brought these DVD's with horse races on them so the kids and I joined in on the horse racing betting. We did it with candy and the kids LOVED it. It was fun to watch the kids, especially Alex and Cole, get into it so much. I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH and ANYTIME I get to spend time with them all together I feel VERY BLESSED and LUCKY!!! I have such an AMAZING FAMILY and I feel so PROUD, LUCKY and EXTREMELY BLESSED to be a daughter and sister in such an AWESOME, AMAZING and FABULOUS family.

It was great to spend a week with everyone and I can not wait until next year's "Christmas In July" adventure. Here are some my favorite "Christmas" pictures that I hope you will enjoy!

Cousins that paddle boat together stay together

(Hannah, Cole, Kailey and Alex)

Big Mama / Mable Family Fun!

(Kailey, Whitney, Mike and Cole)

Father and Son (Ben and Josh)

Mother Daughter Delta Double Fun

(Whitney and Kailey)

Mike showing us his "skills"

Cole and Alex taking a little rowing trip

FFFF Time! (Fantastic Fabulous Family Fun)

Hannah and Bella showing off their Sun Sand Style!

Family Paddle Fun!

Daughters on a Mother Could Love

(Dari, Me, Mom (Shonnie) and Whitney

Sisterly Love!

Girls Dorm Room Fun

(Kailey, Me, Dari and Lindsay)

Joshua, Hannah and Bella

Gotta love treats that are as big as you!

Downtime (Camping 2010 Style)

A little horse racing gambling fun!

Cole the Gambler!

Trisha and Bella

Lindsay, Staci, Dari and Whitney

The DS Gang! (Kailey, Cole and Alex)

Staci and Bella

New recruits and back ups for flag duty!