Pasta

I got 14 boxes of these for $2.28!

Love it!

Reading

I always have loved reading, but don't always have time to actuallyl sit and read. However, I have been able to read a few books this past month.

My mom recommended this book to me. I really enjoyed it. I loved reading how the lives of these two men, who lived completely different lives ended up crossing paths, and how they became friends. It was a great story and taught great lessons.

Loved this book! If you're into love/suspense type books, this is the one for you!

This is a funny little story about a boy who lives on Alcatraz and his life there.

M is reading this book in school right now, and she is enjoying it also.

A fun quick read for readers of many ages!

Tagged

I haven't been tagged for a long time.

My sister tagged me in this four by four meme that reveals some little facts about me. It will be great fun getting to know my blogging buddies better! So check at the bottom and if your name is listed copy and paste this list onto your blog and insert your information in the four categories below:

1st ~ four places I go:

church
work
dance
my car (to drive the kiddos everywhere)

2nd ~ four favorite smells

babies
rain
something baking in the oven
cilantro

3rd ~ four favorite TV shows or movies

Amazing Race
Survivor
Grey's Anatomy
Private Practice

4th ~ four recommendations

laugh
read the scriptures
pray
enjoy

Tag: Becca, Amanda, Ange, Mom

Our Saturday

Saturday was a busy, busy day for us. I got up nice and early to go pick up my Bountiful Baskets goods. Doesn't all that fresh produce look SO yummy!!

J and M both had dance practice. They are getting ready for competition season, so there has been a lot of extra practices being held. J went from 8-10, and M went from 9-1. In between all that we went to the store to get some groceries and other miscellaneous items. DH and our good friend Aaron put up the trampoline, which the kids have already spent many hours enjoying! We had a BBQ, did some yardwork, got some laundry done, and cleaned the house.

Then, DH and I attended the adult session of stake conference. It was wonderful.

Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Munday were there. They gave some great counsel, and the talks were amazing. It was a very uplifting meeting and it encouraged me to set some new goals. I look forward to doing this, and am so grateful the Lord has blessed us with such amazing leaders to guide and direct us and help us return to our Heavenly Father.

What a great day! So much was accomplished, and I learned so much!

J & R

Reggie came over to visit the other day and J had to do her reading. So, she asked if she could read to Reg. He sat there with her looking at books for a long time. It was so cute!

While We Were Traveling

When we drove to California for Em's wedding we told the kiddos we would make some stops on our way there and back to break up the trip. We stopped at a place called Cove Fort. Cove Fort was an old pioneer settlement. The Saints who were traveling could stop at Cove Fort for room and board. I guess it was kind of like what we would call a hotel. We watched a short movie about Cove Fort; how it was run, who stayed there, what the living conditions were like, and other fun details. After the movie we took a short tour of the fort.

Here we are standing in front of the entrance to Cove Fort.

The kitchen, where approx. 40 guests ate per night.

The telegraph room.

We also stopped in Beaver for some "squeaky cheese", otherwise known as cheese curds. The kids love to eat squeaky cheese. The rest of the way down we just made small stops to get gas, eat, and stretch. We were ready to be out of the car.

On the way home we stopped in Vegas. We went to the M&M factory and saw all the different colors and varieties of M&M's. We let each kid pick out a color and flavor they wanted.

The place was packed.

Outside we took a picture with this guy, while we were waiting for Ange, Yoho, and Reggie.

Once they got there we went to the Coke factory. I guess they used to give samples of the different kinds of Coke, but they don't do that any more.

At least we got to have our picture taken with the Coke bear!

We caught the end of the water show at the Bellagio, which is pretty cool.

We saw Batman. I asked if he would mind taking a picture with the boys. He said, (as he was already posing with the boys), "I pose for tips." I told him I didn't have any cash, but the picture was already taken. I don't think he was too happy with us. Oops.

Not a very good picture, but oh well. We walked, and walked, and walked. Oh, and walked some more. The kids were pretty good sports, but they got pretty tired. We made it back to our car and went to find something to eat. Then we continued on home. DH and I both decided that although we had fun, Vegas is not a place for kids.

I Have A Teenager

Well, today my T turned 13! I cannot believe we have a teenager. How on earth did that happen? T has been wanting to go to basketball camp for almost two years. It just hasn't worked out until this year, and we thought it would be the perfect surprise for his birthday. We were right. He loved it!! He is so excited to go, and he gets to go with his cousin, which will make it even better. We went to Chili's for his birthday dinner, and Grandma and Papa met us there. I think he had a pretty good day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

T really is a good kid, however right now he is testing his boundaries with us. Trying to push buttons to see what he can get away with. In short, he's being such a stinker. Him and S have been fighting a lot lately, which is tiring. He always thinks he's right,and will argue his point time and time again. I hope it's a phase that will pass soon, but when it does I'm sure there will be a new one for us to face. Oh, the joys of being a parent of a teenager. I just hope and pray that we can be good parents, that we can influence him for the good, that he will stand up for what he knows is right, that he will make good choices, and . . and. . .and...

Red Lobster

Mom and Dad took DH and I out to dinner the other night for our birthdays. We went to Red Lobster. It was fun to get away and have a dinner with just the four of us.

It's been fun having them close to us. The kids are loving it too.

Thanks for a fun double date!

A Birthday in Paris for Ari

Make cute SIS had a birthday in February. We through her a surprise "Paris" themed birthday party. I hope she had fun, she deserves all the best life can offer.

Notice the beret we made her wear!

The kids were excited to get involved. These were our artists.

M, J, and their cousin Olivia were the waitresses. They were so cute, I'm not sure how I don't have a picture of them. They did such a good job.

Aubrey was our mime.

S was the maitre'd.

He took his job very serious, it was pretty cute.

We had a lot of courses.

First was french bread with topinade (don't know if that's how you spell it).

Grapes and cheeses.

Just a fun little appetizer.

French onion soup.

Chicken cordon bleu, rice, and asparagus.

Jaxon really wanted to make his mom a cake. He did such a good job.

We also had this yummy cream puff dessert topped with strawberries and chocolate sauce.

And, of course chocolates.

It was a very fun night.

Love you Ari!

Valentines Dinner and a Birthday Card

Valentines week was such a busy one for us. It's like it happened and then we were in Cali. for the wedding, and then it took me a week to get the house back in order. Not only was I trying to unpack but I was also trying to catch up from when I was sick. I got the flu and was sick for 4 days. Really, really sick. I haven't been that sick for a long time. I was completely useless. And then after the 4 days, it took a week for me to feel "normal" and again. And, then it was Valentines and you know the rest. We had a really fun Valentines dinner. We always do a candlelight dinner with the kids, which is so much fun. I decorated the table and we ate steaks, asparagus, and baked potatoes. For dessert I made cupcakes with fresh strawberries in it and fresh strawberry frosting. It was yummy, and I think the kids had a great time. Then, we opened our Valentine gift from Grandma Davies, a box of chocolates! YUM! DH totally surprised me with a cute card and some hershey hugs. Then once all the kiddos were in bed he busted out some strawberries with white chocolate to dip in. What a great hubby!

DH's birthday is on the 17th. He turned 36, wow we're getting old. Since we were trying to get ready to leave for Cali the next day, his birthday was small, but still fun. I hope. I made him a fun candy card. Then, we all went out to eat at Tucano's. Such good eats!

February Family Birthday Party

We celebrated our February birthdays on Sunday. As always we had a great time. We ate london broil, funeral potatoes, rolls, green salad, jello salad, and for dessert had angel food cake with chocolate pudding, lemon pudding, blueberries, and cool whip. YUMMO!

We have a lot of birthdays in February, including Kevin & Amanda who live in Idaho.

Brenda got:

body wash (from 2 people)

banana slicer

bananas

banana stand

and some other "B" thing I can't remember

Olivia got:

orangatang

"o"verstuffed giraffe

Oreos

Orange slices

Olivia puzzle

Olivia book

R got:

roast

red duct tape

root beer

recipe (for the roast)

Ruffles

red roses

resistant bands

Rolos

Jalen got:

jelly bellys

jelly beans

jug

juju bees

jigsaw puzzle

Jr. Mints

and something else I think

Ari got:

air freshener

address book

Airheads

and some other stuff, but my memory doesn't seem to be working today.

FUN TIMES!