Disneyland!!!

While we were in California we also visited Disneyland!! It was the first time for all of us, so I was super excited. Thanks to Chantel, and Grandma and Grandpa Moody, we didn't bring Luke with us. We had earned free tickets for Jerry, Dallin, and I by doing a service project at Red Butte Gardens. We had a lot of fun working there, and the tickets were quite a bonus.
When we got there we were overwhelmed with all the rides and things to do. I just wanted to start going on rides, but Jerry wanted to map out a plan. We went on all the big rides including, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Indiana Jones. Well Dallin and I went on Indiana Jones, because the girls were not tall enough. We waited in line an hour, then there was a earthquake, so we had to leave and start over a while later. It was really fun, though, so I guess it was worth it.

I had so much fun and can't wait to go again. Jerry said that next time we can go without him. I think that next time I will plan on going for a few days. One day just isn't enough! I think that the kids had a lot of fun too, but it was kind of a long day for Reece and I didn't bring nearly enough snacks!

Get ready for a lot of pictures!

July

The highlight of our summer was our vacation to California. We went to Temecula to visit Carl, Chantel, Crew, Jax, and Milo. Grandma and Grandpa Moody went with us, too. It was quite a trip. It was a loooooong drive, but totally worth it.

(By the way, Josie got her cast off the day before we left. Hurray!!)

These are just a few of the things that we did:


We went to the park!!! So much fun!!

We went to the pool!! It wasn't very warm, but it was still a lot of fun!

Aunt Chantel made a yummy 4th of July Cake!

We watched fireworks at the park!

We visited the nature preserve!

We went to beach! It was a little colder than I was expecting it to be in California in July, but we still had a blast. Luke hated the water and sand, but Dallin, Josie and Reece had lots of fun playing in the ocean. Josie dove right in as soon as we got there. It took Reece a little bit longer to go in, but once she did she loved it. Dallin and Crew had a lot of fun catching sand crabs.

We went on a picnic at another nature preserve. The kids had a lot of fun climbing on the trees.

On our last day we went to tour a retired aircraft carrier in the San Diego harbor. Dallin and Crew had a lot of fun going on the tour with Grandpa Moody.

Thanks to Aunt Chantel and Uncle Carl, we had so much fun!! We can't wait to visit them again!

Broken Arm

At the end of May, Josie fell off of the monkey bars and broke her arm. I took her to the doctor, expecting to be in and out with a cast that night. I guess I don't know very much about broken arms. She broke the bottom of her humorous and needed surgery, so we ended up having to take her to the emergency room at Primary Children's. We had to sleep overnight and have surgery the next day. They put in two pins to hold the bone together. That made three surgeries in less than 6 months for Josie.

It is funny because the thing that upset Josie the most was that she couldn't do the monkey bars again for 8 weeks. She said, "I just can't bear to look outside and see the monkey bars." Funny.

She did get a big purple cast out of the whole ordeal. It itched a little, but I think that she liked all the attention she got from it.

The Beginning - June

Somehow I managed to go the whole summer without posting anything, so I thought that I would start at the beginning.

June started off with a first birthday party for Luke. We had a small family BBQ in the backyard with grandparents and a few cousins. It was really fun. Luke didn't really like the cake, he just poked it a few times, licking his fingers. He got a lot of really fun presents, including his green four-wheeler and a ball pit with about 200 balls. He loves balls. I'm convinced ball will be his first word.

Sportsday

We need to rename Saturday to Sportsday. Why? Last Saturday.....Football, Soccer, Softball


Our Football Star!!!

Superstars!!!



Reece has a little trouble focusing on the game.

Monkeys

We bought a zoo pass again this year and plan to take full advantage of it. We have gone twice so far and we haven't even had it for a month. These pictures are from last Friday. The weather was really rainy, but the sun managed to shine the entire time we were there.



We rode the new carousel for the first time!!



And we all saw our favorite animals!

What a great day!!!

My Boys

Warm Weather!!!

Happy Easter!!

Sledding - Day After Christmas

Some of us went to the park.


Reece

Josie

Grandma Moody and Luke

Luke doesn't really like the cold.

Some of us went to the mountains.

Moody Boys

Dallin and Crew

Day 7 - Mandarin Orange Salad

This salad reminds me a lot of Frog Eye Salad, without the frog eyes. It is a kid's dream with whipped topping, marshmallows and fruit. It is more like a dessert than a side-dish.

Day 6 - Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

I used my food processor for this recipe!!!!!! You may ask yourself why this is so exciting? Well, many years ago, nine to be exact, my husband, then fiance went to register at Target. One thing that I was sure that I needed as a new bride was a food processor. I made sure that I scanned that one right away. Who cares about that full body chair massager that Jerry wanted?!! I needed a food processor. Lucky us, we received not one, but three food processors. We returned two and used the money for our computer fund. Little did we know, we really could have returned three, because in the last nine years, I have only used my food processor five times. But thanks to my new cookbook, that's all about to change.

Anyway, back to the recipe. It calls for shredded apples, thus the food processor. This makes the cake extremely moist. I loved it! Of course, I haven't met a cake that I didn't like!! It calls for a caramel sauce to be drizzled over the top, but it really doesn't need it. It is absolutely delicious without it, not to mention less fat and calories.

Dallin liked it, and he even knew it had apples in it. Amazing!!

Day 5 - Pizza Fondue

Today I made Pizza Fondue.

It was warm, cheesy, deliciousness. Served with breadstick bites or tortilla chips. Tried by many, loved by all. It is listed as an appetizer, but my kids thought it would be great for an entire meal. I will definitely take this to my next party.

Happy New Year

I am trying to organize my day better so that I can do other things besides take care of kids and clean the house. I haven't been very successful thus far, but every day is a work in progress. I will let you know if I ever make it.

Things that I would like to do......eventually:

-Read a good book (any suggestions?) every month
-Sew an apron for Josie's birthday
-Sew at least 3 new headbands for my website on etsy everyday
-Sell at least 20 headbands on my website every month
-Send letters to my friends in Colorado to let them know I now live in Utah
-Send letters to my friends to Utah to let them know I now live in Utah
-Call friends at least once a month
-Read my scriptures everyday
-Plan a preschool lesson for the girls three times a week
-Do my dishes every night
-Do two batches of laundry everyday
-Send thank-you notes for Reece's birthday (last November, too late?)
-Try at least 1 new healthy recipe a week (again, any suggestions?)
-Go to the temple once a month
-Go on a date, besides the temple, once a month
-Plan family home evening every week before Monday at 7pm (I think I have this one covered now thanks to Allyson)
-Visit my grandparents once a month
-Call my grandma once a week
-Finish my Christmas present for Scott and Vanessa before next Christmas
-Exercise 1 hour everyday
-Finish the kids' Christmas scrapbooks by February
-Finish the kids' Christmas jammies by March
-Have friends or family over for dinner once a month
-Try one new recipe a day from my Christmas Cookbook (so far, so good)

Lettuce Eat Cake

I am joining a nutrional improvement contest that I am very excited about. My best buddy Julie came up with the plan and I think it is a great idea. She developed a website at http://www.lettuceeatcake.weebly.com/. All the contestants can post pics/journal entries and share recipes. I love it because it is a network of people trying to improve their health. We can all support and learn from each other!! Wish me luck!!