Vacation Continued

So after Forks we headed over to Ocean Shores, but along the way we had a quick visit with "The Big Cedar". It was definitely "Big" and the forest surrounding it was spectacular. I know I have mentioned that trees make me happy, but I have to just say that they really REALLY do, I enjoyed every moment.

Just when I thought this vacation couldn't get any better, it did! I grew up near the ocean & WOW have I missed it. To be able to drive right out onto the beach was awesome. We spent a whole day down by the water looking for shells and soaking up the sun. Hannah is so proud of the 5 complete sand dollars she collected, way to go Dallas for finding them! We REALLY had a great time and plan to return as soon as possible :)

Twilight Central Indeed

So our next destination was indeed FORKS, WA. We had fun, camped out, talked with locals,visited the hot spots, & just basically enjoyed the day. I was not disappointed, but instead reminded that the Twilight Series is TRULY a teen phenomenon. THEY (the teens) were everywhere, but hey, It's not everyday you get this excited about a book.

I found it interesting to see how the town of Forks interpreted and represented the series. There were maps and tours and a plethora of pricey souvenirs. Everyone we talked to seemed proud of their little town and it was fun to see the houses that they had deemed Bella's and the Cullen's. Overall, I'm super pleased with our adventure to what some may call the mecca. Plus, I will always be able to say that I was one of the dorks who went to Forks, he he :)

Anniversary / Father's Day Trip 2009

This trip had been briefly discussed while dreaming many moons ago, but much to my surprise it came true! We had to be spontaneous, so we packed a few bags and jumped in the car, the kids were a total bonus :) We reached Seattle and had a few moments before our Ferry to Bambridge, so naturally we toured Pikes Market. The flowers were yummy in both fragrance and deal and the fish were still flippin' as they offered no insulting smells. I look forward to returning to this magical market for the fresh flowers and fish, I just can't stop thinking about it, so fun!

Speaking of fun......the Ferry ride was a first for us and we had a blast. It was W.I.N.D.Y, but we were all smiles just soaking up our time together. I asked Dallas if we could consider this our family cruise (he laughed), if only it lasted longer than thirty minutes. As we drove off the ferry the GPS was set, next stop Port Angeles and then........

Good Night :)

7 YEARS!

Then...

And Now......

What a great man I have, I really really do! We celebrated our 7th anniversary this weekend (kids in tow) and it was awesome! I have so many pictures of our great adventure together and I can't wait to tell ya all about it, but it's time for bed. So I thought I would jot down our engagement story and then hit the sack.

January 19th 2002, we are headed up to Salt Lake for a mission companion homecoming and to enjoy the Olympic ambiance. We had been dating for a few months and I knew he was "THE ONE" on our first date. HE on the other hand, liked to dodge the marriage lingo and led me to believe that he just wasn't ready. So after just leaving the Fred Meyer jewelry dept. (me drooling, Dallas darting for the door), we headed over to Temple Square. I had never seen it all lit up @ Christmas, so as we parked in the falling snow all the lights magically came on. I was perfectly content staying in the car, but not Dallas, he had to beg me to get out in the cold (remember I'm from California).

Side Note: The first time he told me he loved me was on a bench to the side of the temple, so we call it nothing other than "our bench".

As we crunched through the snow in search or our bench I realized it was TRULY cold and that we were the only one's there for that very reason. However, Dallas just HAD to find that bench and then wanted me to sit on it. I wasn't to keen on havin' a wet bum, but he was so insistent (I was TOTALLY oblivious)! I sat, he kneeled, I thought it was a mean joke, and then as he was saying something rehearsed and truly heartfelt, IT happened!!

The Temple security guard was doing his rounds and had definitely noticed that Dallas was down on one knee doing something of importance. Right then he walks up within a few feet of us and lets out this deafening flatulent display. So here is poor Dallas waiting for me to say YES and all I can say is "that man just farted!" I can even recall that after the said security guard was done w/ his toot toot salute, he left with an evil giggle of sorts. One might find this rude, AND IT WAS, but at least we have a memorable story, right??

I was beyond shocked that he proposed, I had no clue! He even had tulips up his sleeve that he pulled out while kneeling. It's definitely a moment I will NEVER forget and YES we think that, that security guard did it on purpose & has done it to others. Who knows, maybe it's the highlight of his day?

Honey, YOU "Rock"!

Yep, he does!!! DALLAS ROCKS, after many many days of raking, sorting, & moving (AND thanks to some amazing friends ;) The front yard is finished, finito, completo, yeeee haw! Can ya tell I'm excited, well it only took three years and can you believe that we raked up all of those rocks from our very own yard??? Do we win for the rockiest soil in the nation or what?? Maybe one day we will add a splash of floral, but for now we are as pleased as punch!

So now in all of our free time (yeah right), we have BBQ's @ the park. You gotta love the church functions that are planned weeks in advanced, only to get poured on. Rain or shine, it was still fun and the rainbow was a total bonus! Unfortunately all Dillon wanted to do was run in the rain, so we chased him wishing we had one of those kid leashes. Although, it was pretty cute when he wanted to play soccer with the big kids, they were good sports :) It was

a

good

day.

Trees Make My Heart Happy

It's no lie that my trip was a bit stressful, so when I arrived home to my blooming Dogwood, I was overjoyed (stress mollified). I then looked around to see our other trees bejeweled with ACTUAL leaves, at that point I seriously giggled with glee. You see, despite our GREATEST efforts, we have lost 4 trees to the earth (very sad indeed). THIS PLACE where we live is kinda flat and dry and if you have a green thumb all the better.

I will admit that I have dreams of trees surrounding our home and miss the many I took for granted from my past. So if you got em' love em' you might even give them a little hug from me :) After all, not many things in life can offer support, shade, privacy, and style for almost nothing in return.

Now before you think I've totally lost it and become some kind of delusional worshipping tree hugger, you should know that I am trying be more aware of my blessings. In a world where so many things can go wrong, it's so easy to point out the negatives and dwell in them. This is something that I truly struggle with, which in turn makes life more stressful,
tangled with depression and anxiety (YUCK).

So this is where I say how thankful I am for rocks and the AMAZING hubby's who can move them. Our front yard is finally finished and only took 2 years, a million hours of sorting, and TONS of back breaking loads. So stay tuned for another post with pictures to prove it, NOW we enjoy ; )

Visiting

We played, we swam, we partied, we exercised, and we played some more! It was so much fun having Dallas's mom and sister Kellie come ALL THE WAY to us for a visit. Kellie's three kids are the cutest & we SO enjoyed getting to know them better. They literally live on the other side of the world in Madagascar, so this was a real treat!

Thanks for coming guys,
see you at the family reunion in July!


Davis, Hannah, and Grandma having fun at the park

There Was a bird! It would actually steal food right off the hot grill, so Grandma took care of it & we had a good laugh.

Dallas set up this pool & the kids have been loving it! GREAT yard sale find if you ask me ;)

Happy Birthday to aunt Kellie, it was so much fun celebrating with you!

Look at those buff arms, thanks for the early morning workouts :)

Aunt Kellie and Grandma, two hot mama's!!!

Nice pose Hannah. At least Hadley & Macie are smiling

We found a great park (thanks Sarah). What CUTE GIRLS!!

The Beach was perfect. It was HOT. Clothes snuck off & this is the only appropriate picture :)

We did TRY to go fishing. Forgot the bait. Had fun anyways.

...And We Couldn't Be More Proud

It took 9 years, some tears, lots of books/studying, early days w/ later nights, willing tutors, numerous study groups, new tires, pounds of chocolate, retail therapy, the love of friends, the support of family, more retail therapy, and many MANY naps, BUT SHE DID IT!!!!! She (my Mom) is now a registered nurse!!! YEAAAAAAAAAAA :)

Way to go Mom, we are all so very proud of you! You have worked so hard and made it even with the ups and downs that life has thrown at you along the way. YOU ARE AMAZING and we couldn't be happier to see your dream come true. It was so fun celebrating with you, we miss you and wish you hugs and smiles today and everyday :) CONGRATS GRAD!!!

Did You See This, Did You See This?????

Maybe all of you die hards have already seen this trailer, but I was SO excited that I had to post it! Now I'm off to play catch up on our posts : )

Utah For A Whole Month, Well Almost.

A Brief May Recap.

* Grandma Croft Retired & we celebrated

* Kandace our niece was blessed, what a doll

* Played at the park, WAY fun

* Tried to wear Dillon out, UNSUCCESSFUL

* Swam, swam, swam

* Grandma & Grandpa both diagnosed w/ colon cancer

* Shingles

* Gonga (my Mom) graduated, yippee....that deserves a whole separate post

* Had a graduation party, AWESOME

* Hannah got her ears pierced

* Dillon caught a ride on the family dog

* Stopped @ the Twin Falls Temple on the way home, BEAUTIFUL

* Tried to get the kids wiggles out, yeah right

* glad to be home, YES!

* Miss you Mom *

Family stuff going on.

17 hours away from home.

Being mom w/o Dallas, OH how WE miss him.

Worst case of Shingles I've ever had.

I will return to blogging in June.

A Fairy Princess Reaction

The look on his face speaks volumes. Priceless, if you ask me :)

Seriously!?!?

Some things just make me wonder, but then I laugh :) A friend of a friend who will remain nameless, is putting the "booger sign" up in her kitchen! My stomach turns when I read it's content, so the thought of reading it while I eat is NOT appealing (it's my problem & I'm dealing with it). Then the Wal-Mart display of all Wal-Mart displays was pointed out to me by my partner in crime & YES we did a double take! It might be a great way to teach about the responsibility of a pet, but the dog eats & poops & then EATS IT'S POOP! I guess some dogs do that, but WOW have toys become more realistic. The funny thing is that Hannah would probably think it's "so cool Mom" and play with the pooping dog all day every day!

So life goes on and so does Wal-Mart (whole separate post in itself), but I just have to share yet another odd Wally World experience. * I am walking out of the store today and actually stop to smell the "roses" (a cute blossoming tree of some sort) when some lady yells, "you're gonna get arrested for that!" At first I was like, who is she yelling at and then I realize it's me & I think WHY would I get arrested for smelling something???? Maybe she thought I was going to pick it? Who knows?? The bummer is that it smelled like dirty socks & so wasn't even worth the smell.

FREE baby food, why not??

THIS is a good one!!! EVEN if you don't have a baby you should enter, it's an AMAZING baby gift! GOOD LUCK, & YES honey I know how you feel about giveaways, but this is a really good one :)

Win Tastybaby’s “Baby, You’re the Best” Gift basket!
(A $295 Value)

Tags: CBB Giveaways

Enter to win Tastybaby®’s ultimate Baby, You’re the Best gift basket, which has been received by many of Hollywood’s tastiest moms, including Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba and Christina Aguilera. The “Baby, You’re the Best” gift begins with an indestructible metal basket (great for kids to use in the garden or the kitchen or for holding bath toys, art supplies, etc.) filled with goodies including:

• 100% organic cotton “veggie” teething toy
• 100% organic cotton “veggie” beanie
• Assorted Tasty temporary tattoos (non-toxic; apply easily with water & remove with baby oil)
• Collection of recipe cards for delicious, non-baby food dishes made with the flavors in our Starter Case
• A Tasty eco-friendly tote bag
• A gift certificate for a case of each of Tastybaby®’s most popular flavors for beginning eaters (128 meals)

The winner will receive SIX 10.5-oz boxes of Tastybaby®’s frozen organic baby food in the following delicious flavors: Corn in the USA®, Peas On Earth®, Life’s A Peach®, Sweetie Pie™, Hip 2B Pear® & Bangos®, to be delivered on-demand, whenever the recipient calls us! (This can be sent in a single shipment, or in up to 6 separate shipments.) Tastybaby® products are all made with the highest quality, 100% organic ingredients that are minimally processed & contain no preservatives, additives or stabilizers of any kind. They are all non-GMO, gluten-free & contain no added salt or sugar. Tastybaby® has a commitment to using planet-friendly packaging (biodegradable boxes printed with vegetable inks) & recyclable, single-serving containers that are BPA-free.

Click here to enter to win Tastybaby’s ultimate “Baby, You’re the Best” gift basket!

And, be sure to come back NEXT Monday to see what you could win in our next giveaway!

Online entries must be received between 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (”ET”) on 4/20/09 and 11:59 p.m. (ET) on 4/26/09. See Official Rules.

Messy Bessie & Grumpy Gus

The sun was out the sky was blue, Hannah's hair was messy & Dillon was being a poo!! So I tried to rhyme, you gotta give me a little credit :) I guess I can't blame the little guy for being grumpy, I would be to if I were getting all of my molars at once! As for Hannah's hair she never wants to cut it or brush it, so for today I let it be. I really need to work on having more days like this with the kids (cherishing them) & just enjoying the moment.

Eggs & Stuff

So thanks to some amazing neighbors (Laree & Mercedez) Hannah & some cute neighborhood kiddos found some eggs :)
The Easter Bunny did visit even though he/she almost forgot, oops! Overall, it was a good day with great naps & lots of yummy pretzels (Dillon's food of choice). Now the week begins!!

Pictures From April 1st

So yet again I failed to have a "kid" birthday party, but that's okay because there is always next year :) So she choose to take Kolette to see Monsters vs. Aliens (which we thought was super cute) and YES I bought them the same dress for the special occasion. Since it was SNOWING, we came back home so that they could paint some figurines. We then opened all of her awesome gifts (THANK YOU) and had some last minute Wal-Mart cake. YEAHHH for a good day full of smiles all around!

Example or Warning?

So I was looking at my calender today and this print totally made me laugh! It is so true for all human beings, but especially the kiddos :) Sometimes it's hard to be the good example but unfortunately it's incredibly important. So take me for example, I am always telling Hannah that she has to wear shoes outside to protect her feet. Then what do I do? I never wear shoes outside or to do aerobics and she asks me why I don't have to wear shoes?? I know, silly example, but guess what? I hurt my foot! I do vow to be a better example, now if only our mischievous little ones could grasp this concept a little bit sooner than later :)

Idaho Birthday Weekend

We have SO many pictures from our weekend trip, but Picasa will only let me post 4 :( We were able to go to this fun (hands on) children's museum w/ the cousins & the kids just loved it!! Then we TRIED to get Hannah's ears pierced, but that's a long story (we can talk about that later).

My Aunt then had a party for Hannah with cake, decorations, pizza, and lots of fun presents (thanks Debbie, you are awesome!) Overall, it was a fun weekend that went by way to quickly, but YES we are glad to be home ;)
MORE pictues to come!

Guess Who Turns 5 Today?

Our sweet Hannah Banana turns 5 today & we seriously can't believe it! We love her more than we could ever put into words and want to wish her a very special happy birthday :) It seems like just yesterday we were bringing our baby girl home from the hospital, today she prefers to be called a big girl. We love you princess and feel beyond privileged to be your parents, thank you for being wonderful you!

Could You be a Freegan?

So this "Freegan" way of life might be good for the environment & the pocket book, but I just don't think I could stomach it, could you??

Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources". Freegans "embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed." The lifestyle involves salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarket dumpsters, known as dumpster diving. The foods may have passed their display date, but haven't passed their edible date. Freegans salvage the food as a political statement, rather than out of need.

Attitude Adjustment Awareness

I don't know what's wrong with me????????? I just can't seem to get out of this awful funk! We still have a job (knock on wood), finally paid off the medical bills, free dirt arrived to finish the yard, & the most amazing part is that I have two beautiful healthy kids!!!! I'm sitting here surrounded by blessings yet I still feel sad and unable breath :( I'm not looking for sympathy, just putting my feelings down in my online journal for everyone to read???? I can't help but wonder if anyone else is having a hard time breathing over our current economic situation. Will things get worse before they get better or am I just worrying to much? MUST CHANGE ATTITUDE, I must, I must, I MUST!!!

Do You Like Twix?

So I took this recipe from a friend's cousin's blog & tried it out :) It may not taste exactly like Twix, but it's seriously HEAVEN!! I think next time I will try creamy peanut butter instead of the caramel??? I just can't resist a chocolate/peanut butter combo. Anywho, You really must check out this recipe blog, you will NOT be disappointed!!! http://foodbringsfamiliestogether.blogspot.com/ or Yummy recipes on my side bar, ENJOY!

HOMEMADE TWIX BARS
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 T. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
16 oz jar of caramel or 1 bag of caramels

Caramel~ just unwrap a bunch of Kraft caramels and melt them with a little butter and milk until smooth and creamy(i melted them in the microwave) or use a jar of carmel.

Melted chocolate for the top of the bars~I used a bag of Hershey kisses and melted them with a little butter/shortening in the microwave. You could use chocolate chips or any kind of chocolate you like.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with tin foil. Coat the foil with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars until creamy. Add in the salt and flour;blend well and add the chocolate chips. Press into prepared pan. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, or until golden brown at edges and bubbly in the center. Cool while melting the chocolate and caramel. Spread the chocolate and caramel in any order you want over the bars. Let cool completely then cut into bars!! (I doubled the recipe and put them in a large cookie sheet~the recipe is doubled easily for a larger crowd if you need or cut it in half and put in a 8 or 9 inch square pan if you don't want as many)

Time For The Tooth Fairy & Talk About Mood Swings.

It wiggled in the morning and fell out at bed time!!! We can't believe our little 4 almost 5 year old has lost her very first tooth! Initially it really freaked her out because Dallas told her that her teeth would fall out if she didn't brush properly :( After the tears I told her that it was a good/exciting thing and that the tooth fairy would be "paying" her a visit. Sure enough, the tooth fairy delivered and she couldn't be happier with the coins (some chocolate) that were under her pillow :) YEAAA for Hannah, you are growing up way too fast!!!

Oh and talk about mood swings! I was trying to take pictures of Dillon's messy face from playing in the garage with Dad, but he kept pushing the camera away and screaming. Then I snap this way cute smiley picture of him (only a few minutes later) after he has had something to eat. Go figure, he's just like me!!

Ode To The Boppy

Joining our family December 03, Boppy has seen it all, served us well, and "supported" us over and over again! Some might say it's strange to miss a pillow, but according to Dallas, "you get attached to something that goes everywhere with you!" It's like the end of babyhood and handing it to it's new owner was quite the feat for me. We will miss you Boppy and we wish you luck in your future endeavors :( Oh great! now I want it back, why do I have to be so ridiculously sentimental??

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

For some reason, I really do love this holiday??? Maybe it's because I like to pinch people, hope you have some green on :)

Our New Niece

Dallas's younger sister Michelle, just had her third child & we couldn't be happier for them! We are so glad that everyone is healthy and we can't wait to meet sweet Kandace. Congrats Kagen and Michelle on your beautiful family, LOVE YOU GUYS !