The Mack Family in 2011
What a year
it has been!! I’ve already decided that this year has gone by faster than any
other year of my life. We’ve had a lot
of fun. We went on trips to St. George, Graeagle California, Arches, Goblin
Valley, Wildhorse Canyon, Scofield and Bryce this year. Accompanying us on most of our voyages was our “new” old tent trailer that we bought
earlier this year. It’s been a blast! The kids are growing up so fast and
sometimes I wish I could just make time freeze!
Tilson - We started the year off with a bang
when Tilson Glen Mack was born on February 2nd. Except for when he decided to not breathe for
a couple minutes when he was born, Tilson has been such a happy, healthy and good
baby! I haven’t really been able to milk it from anyone this year. He is so
good! He is all smiles and sweetness. He crawls around and plays, and is
pulling up to things. It is such a fun stage. He LOVES his brothers and sister
and they love him too. They all love to play with him, sing to him, hold him,
make him laugh, and kiss and hug him until sometimes Tilson whines telling
them, “Okay, that’s enough!” It’s been so fun to watch them all interact. There
is a lot of loving going on with this little guy.
Ada- Or maybe you could call her “Mother
Ada.” She certainly loves to act like one! Ada loves to tell the boys exactly
what they should be doing. Sometimes it is in a loving concerned voice, and
sometimes it is in an expectant demanding voice. She definitely still has her
“Ada-tude!” But she is bucket loads of cuteness and fun too. She loves to
pretend. She loves playing with ponies and her Dora people, and she waits for
Hayden to get home everyday so that she can play “Super Hayden” with him.
Hayden loves it because he of course is the expert when it comes to “Super
Hayden” and Ada loves turning into “Super Ada” for a little while. Most of the time she is just being a little
princess though. She sings to herself in the mirror, flips her hair, loves
pretty clothes, and always wants her nails painted. She makes life fun . . .
and very girly.
Hayden- Hayden started Kindergarten this
year and LOVES it! He is such a bright little boy. He reads like a champ and is
obsessed with numbers. He will randomly tell us things like, “Do you know that
there are sixteen eyeballs in this car?” Or, “Do you know what 10 groups of 10
is?” He is pretty smart. Hayden is also constantly making us laugh. He can say
some pretty funny things. I will be sad
when he grows out of that! Hayden is very sensitive and is a deep thinker. Some
of the funny things he says are a result of him being very sincere and serious while saying something totally goofy or
something that doesn’t quite make sense. For example, one time he lovingly put
his arm around Tilson and said, “I hope you like it in this world . . . because
you are going to be the last one in our family to survive . . . !” Another time
we overheard him all knowingly tell Ada, “I know how you say ‘underwear’ in Spanish!
. . . ‘Undies!’” He’s a funny boy.
Andrew- Oh he is growing up too fast! He
turns eight this next year and I can’t quite believe it. Andrew is an amazingly
determined kid. When Drew wants something he will do what he needs to do to get
it. He is quite the entrepreneur. He came up with ideas of how he could earn
money ranging from having a lemonade stand to raking all the leaves in the backyard.
He is such a cool kid. I am amazed at how smart he is, even though he doesn’t
find school work quite as fun as his brother does. Drew is so amazing at
figuring out how things work and how to put things together. He is a lot like
his Dad that way. He will look at instructions on how to put together a lego
set, and he will put it together without any help. He told us that he wants to
be an inventor someday. He said, “All you need is a little ‘imagine’ and a
little science.” And he’s got both!
Lamon- It’s no secret that Lamon is
amazing! This year was no different. This year Lamon finished his Bachelors in
Nursing degree, took the scouts on a week -long scout camp, and trained for and
raced in a trail marathon, the 100 mile
Tour de Cure, and the Utah Half (half-ironman distance). He also did lots of
projects (made bunkbeds, rocking horses, ripped out our hideous fountain, etc.)
At work he also certified in a specialty area and made it in the IHC newsletter.
He is well respected at work and his boss is constantly making it known to him that
he wants Lamon on board for a long time. He is a great nurse. He is constantly
bringing home little notes from patients who were thankful and pleased with the
care he provided. I am very proud! Most importantly he has just been a fabulous
Dad and husband! He is such a great provider for us all emotionally,
spiritually, and physically! We love him!!
Mary- And as for me . . . I’m loving life.
It’s true that I am a little idealistic,
but seriously, sometimes I really do wish someone would just pinch me to make
sure that I am not dreaming. Life just seems too awesome. Not that I don’t
experience the day to day stresses that go along with motherhood. I told my
in-laws the other day that Heavenly Father just blessed me with memory problems!
The hard stuff happens and then I forget it. It works out great! I don’t have a
list of worldy accomplishments to share. I haven’t written a book yet, or
raised a child prodigy. But I feel fulfilled when I see my children at
different times playing and giggling uncontrollably, or at other times praying
for something with childlike faith, or even after they have done something
wrong and we have a teaching moment . . . I feel like my life is worthwhile knowing my
family is happy and we all love each other. I feel blessed. Feel free to check out our
family blog lamonandmarymack.blogspot.com. We love you all,
