Sometimes you move to a place far away and everything you got used to having around isn't available. You make do, find substitutes for most things, but some things just can't be fully replaced. Like ice cream. We have found a few flavors we like (thank you, Tilamook!), but they just aren't Blue Bell Ice Cream. We accepted that and told each other how much we missed our Blue Bell every time we had a pie or cobbler that really needed a scoop of homemade vanilla.
Until one awesome day when Brittney and I made the discovery that they would indeed ship Blue Bell up here straight from the factory in Brenham! What?!?!? Of course we had to order four half gallons, but that just means one each for Brittney, Duncan, Matt and I. Of course it was pricey, but it's overnight shipping to Alaska - we're kinda used to that.
We made the decision to order it for each other for Christmas!
Until I call to place the order and they warn us that USPS has warned them they can't guarantee overnight delivery for Christmas. I don't mind paying out the nose for my Texas ice cream, I do mind paying that much for ice cream soup. So we made the decision to play it safe and order it for New Years instead!
The Cookies 'n Cream was Matt's choice. Brittney went for Homemade Vanilla, Duncan had to go with his second choice of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (his first choice was a seasonal one they didn't have), and I went with Homemade Vanilla with Strawberries. The plan was to have dinner and each dig into our buckets.
Unfortunately, the little guys have been trading illnesses back and forth. For some reason, neither of the Hydens were interested in stomach bugs, so they didn't come get their ice cream. Matt and I decided we would be good friends and not eat their ice cream. Ha! Did you think I was going to say we waited for them? No way... There's friendship and then there is Blue Bell! We had already waited two days for New Years!
Does this look like the face of a man that can't believe how much money his wife just told him they spent shipping Blue Bell ice cream to Alaska? No! This is the face of a man that might have been shocked for just a second, but that has decided that this half gallon of ice cream is amazing. Maybe not quite $35 amazing (per half gallon...), but amazing none the less.
For the record, I'd do it again. Not saying we would make a regular occurrence out of it, but for four Texans who talk about Blue Bell most of the year, I think it was a great idea to treat ourselves!
Matt was even nice enough to share his flavor choice with Thomas. Who suddenly didn't want ice cream!? It took some serious convincing him to even get him to try it. And as soon as he did (of course) he wolfed it down and started asking for more... Ha!
Henry didn't get in on the ice cream action this time. Don't worry, he got to try Blue Bell back when he went to Texas in September. He mostly made a huge mess with it, then screamed for more. I didn't really feel like getting screamed at, so he'll just have to wait to get any.
Instead, Henry got to play with Thomas' old walking toy. We've been trying to cycle through his old toys - which Thomas isn't a huge fan of. But he seems to concede that this is a toy he doesn't need anymore and has let Henry monopolize it. Though Thomas does occasionally run over and steal the toy phone from it.
He looks so proud of himself! He's all "I got this mom!". He's done a really good job of standing up with it. He's just started pulling himself on rare occasions (of course in the super slippery tub), so I have to help him stand up because the toy tends to roll away on him.
But after standing for a while and practicing letting go, he starts to get concerned. I don't know if he starts feeling unsteady, but he starts to make whining noises, then switches into short nervous cries about the fact he's still standing. Ha!
Of course, he eventually lets go and falls backwards. But this time he seemed to be just as upset about being back on the ground than standing up. Though honestly it's hard to tell. Henry seems to be going through a phase where screaming is his favorite trick. I don't know if he is testing out his vocal cords, but there are many times when Thomas and I are both covering our ears because Henry is shrieking at full volume. Might need to invest in ear plugs if we don't move past this stage soon...
And we wouldn't be good Southerners if we didn't have our traditional Black Eyed Peas. We certainly can't complain about all the fun we had in 2014 and can't wait to see what's headed our way in 2015.
Happy New Year to all of you - hope you have an amazing year as well!