Lost

 And found!  I couldn't find my camera ANYWHERE!  It's a good thing I don't like stuff under our beds, because it prompted me to look under Brennon's.  Out of the 65 pictures on my stolen camera, these are the only two that were usable.  Cute eyes and cute boy!  Out of all of our kids, Brennon is the one most likely to steal our camera and take a million pictures.  We might have a photographer on our hands:)  The little theif!

Documentation

 10 months and counting!  I had to have documentation of my first ever Manicure and my cute (not-first) Pedicure.  Take notice of my broken left-hand pinkie nail.  I told him he didn't need to put the white tip on it because it was so short- he didn't understand my English.  Now it just looks weird:)  Also, my left-hand thumb.  It's almost ready to start growing out again from my December 2011 thumb smash.  That one looks weird as well.  Other than those two short nails, I love how my nails look!  It's been hard, but worth it!!

Bikes

 Brennon and Shelby helped Randy get their bikes ready this last weekend.  They sprayed the WD-40 on their chains and stood ready for any tools he needed.  They were so excited for their "new" bikes.  Brennon's is Caden's first bike and Shelby's is Keilie first "big-girl" bike.  We just added a new bell here and a new basket there.  They couldn't be happier!

 Never has our super-long driveway been so used or loved.That is the first thing they ask for EVERY day.  Preschool is a thing of the past.  Their new love is their bikes:)

This little coupe actually belonged to my neighbor growing up.  She's now graduated from High School!  This thing has lasted through MANY beatings.  3 of my kids!  Who knows, maybe even my grand kids:)  We're all excited for the warmer weather.  Although, it's still pretty windy most days.  It makes one-way down that driveway pretty easy, that's for sure:)

New Purse

I got my new purse and picnic "basket"!  My friend's mom makes these super cute purses/totes/computer bags/beach bags/diaper bags.  They're made out of seat belts!!  Check out her blog at www.seatbeltpursesbydeanna.blogspot.com.  There are 6 pockets inside for organization.  I have the Large and Small.  I got to choose my own fabric and asked for the "belt."  I have had MANY compliments.  I love that I got exactly what I wanted.  They're so much fun:)  Check her out!  And, anytime you want to update the fabric, she'll switch it out for you.  You could potentially have a new purse as often as your style likes.  Sweet!

Spa Day

Last week I got a text from Danen saying that Kimberly needed a break.  He also said that I could use his reffing check to take her out.  I knew exactly what we should do.  Spa Day!!  We went Saturday at 11:00 for an hour and a half Swedish Massage.  It was WAY too cold in that room, but it still felt great!  Then we moved on to get our hair washed and styled.  With all of the head massaging, we were in DESPERATE need of a good wash:)  Kimberly got her beautiful LONG hair curled into beautiful ringlets.  I just wanted mine to be straightened.  I have my hair pulled up so much, it's nice to have it done down.  Nothing fancy, but wonderful just the same.  We had some lunch, she nursed her sweet Taybree, and we were headed out again for Manicures and Pedicures.  The sucky thing was Kimberly's massage chair didn't work.  But, being the angel that she always is, she didn't care.  I got a man that wanted to talk to me so softly in his thick Asian accent.  I felt like I was practically kissing the man trying to get closer to be able to hear (and understand) him.  Kimberly got the woman from Hades who must have thought that you don't have feeling in your toes or fingers.  She cut her many times!!!  After getting white tips (Yes, I still have nails.  10 months and counting) we headed over to Maurices to find an Easter outfit.  I was able to eat dinner with my family before heading back over to Kimberly's to watch her kids while she and Danen went to see Hunger Games.  It may not have been perfect in every detail, but it was one of my most favorite days with Kimberly.  We didn't have to worry about our kids one time.  We laughed so much, and just got to be together.  It's so nice to have someone so much like yourself to hang out with and just be friends.  I'm so lucky!  We may not have been born into the same family, but we are sisters!  Thanks for a great day, Kimberly.  And Danen!  And Randy for taking the kids while I was out:)

Beauty

On Sunday afternoon I got a call saying that my Grandpa Fuller was not expected to make it through the night.  I had a good cry, pounded out a few songs on my piano, and came to terms.  My dad drove down with his brother and has been by his bedside ever since.  I called for an update this morning knowing that it couldn't be great.  However, being my caring and thoughtful Grandpa, I was wrong.  My dad told me that he slept all day yesterday.  He's had only a teaspoon of yogurt since they arrived.  However, this morning when they sat him up to give him is medicine, he looked right at Grandma and said, "Hello, Beauty."  He swallowed his meds, laid his head down, and instantly fell back asleep.  That is the love that I will always remember about my Grandpa Fuller.  He is her second husband after a very traumatizing first marriage.  From the very beginning it was clear that he adored her.  He would do ANYTHING for her.  Toward the end, when things started to get too much for Grandma, he signed up to leave his home for a care facility so that Grandma could rest.  He's always put her thoughts, feelings, and life above his own.  In my opinion, even Nicholas Sparks couldn't write a better love story.  Although he isn't my Grandpa by blood, he is the only paternal Grandpa I want!  I couldn't ask for a better man.  Some of my favorite memories of him...

~Whenever anyone would cry, he'd say, "No more alligator tears."
~He always cut cheese into even 1x1 inch squares and served the BEST meat and cheese tray!
~He always made sure to send us home with snack bags.
~He called a push toy for toddlers a "zshooma-zshooma."
~His garage was the cleanest I'd ever seen.  That was before I married Randy and have eaten in Darwin's, or course!  :)
~He wouldn't let you enter without telling you he loved you, gave you a squeeze, and sent you off lovingly to play.
~Countless sleepovers with Kami.  We'd go to dinner, pick out a movie, snack, and our favorite breakfast cereal, and then wear his oversized T's to bed.
~He never got over the "honeymoon" stare at my Grandma.  He never stopped holding her hand.

Randy asked if I ever wanted to contact my "real" Grandpa.  I told him, "With a man like Grandpa Fuller, it doesn't take blood to make him 'real.'"  I'll miss him so much, but know he'll have my Grandma's mansion in heaven cleaned and ready for her to meet him!  With a smile, kiss, and a squeeze.

Happy Hearts!

~Shelby was helping me make these lovelies from www.kevinandamanda.com...

Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (10 oz) bag milk chocolate chips (I prefer Hersheys)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag, and seal shut. Lay the Ziploc bag flat in the microwave, spreading out the chocolate chips in a single layer. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove bag and flip, microwaving for an additional 10-15 seconds until all the chips are softened. Set aside to cool.
2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining chocolate chips (1 cup) and stir to combine.
3. Using half the cookie dough, scoop 1.5-2 tbsp of dough, flatten it out a bit, and place in the bottom of the muffin tin. Repeat for a total of 10 cookies. Cut a small tip in the corner of the Ziploc bag, and gently squeeze a layer of chocolate over the cookie. Scoop and flatten the remaining dough and place on top of the chocolate layer. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are just browned. As soon as they come out of the oven, run a knife around the edges to make for easy removing later. Cool completely before removing from the muffin tin, running a knife around the edge to help loosen.
These are good as mini muffins, too! Try baking at 350 for 9 mins. Enjoy!

~While she was helping me smash for the tops she said, "These are going to make my heart happy!"  LOVE!  I have loved EVERY recipe I've tried from Amanda.  I also found out today that they were married on my birthday 2002!  I knew we were friends in heaven!

Friends

I took the girls' sheets off to be washed yesterday.  I hadn't had a chance to put the sheets back on before Keilie had a friend over for a sleepover.  You couldn't see the floor with all of the pillows without cases, blankies, and stuffed animals that they have in their room.  Ayden said, "Is this your room?"
"Yep, I share it with Shelby."
"It's clean!"
In a confused voice," How dirty is your room?"
I thought the same thing but would never have voiced the question:)

Snuggles

We're watching a little girl today while her mom is in school.  Ty accidentally hit her on the face with his "Buzz" which made Haylie cry.  I made Ty say he was sorry and give her a snuggle.  He turned to her, gave his infamous scowl and hugged her.  After giving her a snuggle, he walked away, but not before he scowled and said, "I no want to give you a stupid snuggle!"  He did anyway!

Verde Chicken Mexican Lasagna

I get LDSLiving every other month through my Deseret Book rewards program.  I'm always so excited to scour this magazine for the great articles and even better recipes that are featured.  Tonight I tried an EASY casserole that won the $100 1st place.  Verde Chicken Mexican Lasagna.  I had to substitute for a few ingredients, but it turned out so good that my kids asked for seconds.  Now, that should really tell you somethin'!  I had to share the recipe...

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (THRIVE FD Chicken Chunks)
1 16- ounce container sour cream
1 15- ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups green salsa (I only had Medium Pace Picante)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained (I only had can)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
12 soft taco-sized flour tortillas
1 8-ounce package shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix chicken, sour cream, black beans, salsa, corn, cilantro and spices in a large bowl.  Cut tortillas in half with kitchen shears.  In a 9x13 dish, scoop 1/3 of the chicken mixture into bottom of pan.  Spread evenly.  Place one layer of cut tortillas (about 4) on chicken mixture to cover.  Top with 1/3 of the amount of shredded cheese.  Repeat with chicken mixture, tortillas, and shredded cheese two more times.  There should be three layers total.  Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and casserole is warmed through.  Serve with sour cream and additional chopped cilantro. 
** Since I used THRIVE chicken, I simply placed 3 cups into a bowl with water while I assembled the other ingredients for the chicken mixture.  By the time I had it all mixed, I simply drained the chicken and placed in mixture.  This took me only 8 minutes to assemble and put in the oven!  There was no cooking and extra time shredding!!  Let me know if you're interested in making your meals faster and easier by purchasing freeze dried chicken, ground beef, or sausage crumbles!  Happy Dinner!!  Thank you Celeste Pearson (Girls in Aprons); Lakewood, Washington.  And LDSLiving.

Brennon's Birthday Party

Since nowhere in town would host a birthday party on a weekday (even if that weekday only happens every four years) we decided to take our friends out to dinner and bowling.  Brennon chose Sanfords for dinner.  I'm pretty sure it's because of their awesome birthday special! 

 I think I'll celebrate my birthday here as well after looking at that sweet "cake!"

 Since he refused to get dirty, I had to make sure and get him:)  I practically do it to every kid every birthday.  They want to be so delicate when I want them to dig in!

 Look at his expression when opening the Lynn's gift.  Thank you so much for his game.  He's pretty good at it as well.  I don't have to let him win!

 After a seriously LOUD dinner, we headed over to the only non-smoking alley here in town.  There were leagues on either side of us, so we were on strict orders to keep the kids away.  No worries, they were busy!

We had such a great time with our friends.  Brennon was so happy the whole time.  Caden- not so much!  Look at that scowl.  He so wants to do well, but when the ball weighs almost as much as you do, it's hard to get strikes every time.  Or, if you're me, it's hard to get the ball anywhere near the pins at all!  Thank you Lynn family for sharing this day with us.  We love you guys so much!  Happy Birthday Sweet Brennon!

Bed

While I was showing a friend my home for the first time, she asked if I needed a bed frame for Tyson's bed since his bed is just a mattress on the floor.  With their recent move and downsize she had an extra that she offered me.  I thanked her for her generosity, but declined.  See, Ty was still rolling off of his bed each night.  I was too cheap to buy him a rail for his bed because he's our last child.  If I'd purchased one for Caden, I'd have saved it.  However, since I'm not going to have any more, I didn't want to use it only once.  So, I simply put his mattress on the floor to make the sudden drop less of an impact.  He barely even notices when he rolls off anymore.  I merely find him on the floor, pick him up, snuggle, and put him back in bed each night.  So, with the recent trip with our RV, I made sure to pack pillows and things around Ty on the double bed.  It didn't work!  On the third night we heard a huge thud, then screaming.  He's got a shiner on his left eyelid now.  I guess we're not getting him a new bed anytime soon!

Laundry

I had a friend that was telling me that she wished she could just remember to put in a load of laundry while she worked on the rest of the house instead of waiting till everything else was clean before starting her laundry.  It hit me like a ton of bricks... that's what I do!  That's why it takes me for.ev.er to do my laundry sometimes  all the time.  I wait until the rest of the house is clean.  Which let's face it, is like NEVER!  Since I was 10 I've done my laundry in one day.  When it was just me, it was SO much easier to get it done in one day.  My mom gave each of us girls' a day to do our own.  If we didn't finish, we had to wait until the next week.  This way we learned to do our own, to make time for it, and to be mindful that the next day was for someone else.  This was my conditioning to get it all done in one day.  With 7 people, I rarely get it done in one day.  So, today I put in a load as soon as I got out of bed.  I got the kids ready, spring cleaned two bedrooms, vacuumed the front room and the hallway, and sanitized the bathroom.  Then it hit me, I never changed out that laundry.  Maybe this new trend will take some getting used to!

Wall Drug, South Dakota

 After seeing a million and a half signs advertising Wall Drug, and needing a break from hours of driving, we decided to stop.  It was well worth the stop!  There are four different entrances to this huge store.  They have everything you'd want.  Toys, food, fudge, candy, jewelry, clothing, souvenirs, and much more.  The funnest part was their "backyard."  Fun props for the kids to play on and see.

 We had to take pictures of each of the kids on this Jack-a-lope.  They all had to have their own.

 Except for Brennon of course:)  He's always the one that is too scared.  I don't mind, it just makes him more cuddly!

 And here we have our daredevil!  He'll do and try anything!

 The closest I've been to seeing "Mount Rushmore."  My family's been, even my extended family, but not me.  We tried going in 2006 but couldn't get in because we didn't have cash!  Sounds a lot like our "Broadway" trip to New York in 2005 when we couldn't see Wicked after waiting forever in line because we didn't have cash!

If you're ever in South Dakota and want to see something more than farm after farm, stop by Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota.  It's super fun.  The nice thing was it was 75 degrees.  We were actually HOT in March!

We stayed our first night in Bismarck, ND, our second night in Minneapolis, MN, Sioux Falls, SD our third night and made it home by 11:30 our fourth night.  We've decided that the only time we'd ever use an RV again is if we were camping.  It wasn't worth it for this road trip.  It was still such a fun time!  Even with all of the time in the car- with 5 kids!  And a boy that had recently potty trained!

Downtown Minneapolis

 Since the boarder of Wisconsin was only 20 minutes from Minneapolis, we decided to take a short drive to say we've been:)  We drove to a neat town on the boarder of the Missouri River called Hudson.  We took a picture because Hudson is the name of our nephew.  It was coincidental that that happened to be the closest town in Wisconsin.  We made our way back quickly after realizing that Ty had a fever.  He was burning up!

 Since Randy had been to Minneapolis a few times training with Medtronic, he wanted us to experience Downtown.  There are walk-ways connecting all of the buildings so you don't have to walk outside at all if you don't want to.  It was pretty amazing.  And since Minneapolis is headquarters for Medtronic he made sure to wear his Boston Scientific ball cap everywhere he went!  Our first stop was to Target headquarters to purchase some Tylenol for Ty.  This was a two-story Target that had escalators for people and shopping carts alike.  You'd push your cart through a gate to connect to the conveyor belt.  A bar would hook to the front wheel and hold it upright as it went either up or down.  Then you'd get onto the "people" escalator and ride up next to your cart and pick it up at the end of the "ride."  Our whole family (minus Randy) stood gawking at a cart riding down.  I'm sure we looked pretty crazy just staring and exclaiming how neat it was.  And I'm sure Randy did the same thing the first time he saw it as well!!  It was also serendipitous to meet a girl named Stephanie Keely there as well!

 We walked from building to building just looking in a bunch of shops.  It was pretty stressful trying to stay out of peoples' way while they were traveling for work.  We heard a comment, "They must be Christian."   This was a cafe in the middle of one of the buildings.  The center circle has water falling from the ceiling.  Beautiful!  I love those trees.  If I wasn't a plant killer, I'd love to have one in my own home!

Our last stop was at the Wells Fargo museum.  We took a "ride" in this stagecoach.  It was really an employee pushing and pulling one of the corners to get the feel for how it would have been.  They took out the middle row where three more people would ride on the inside for a total of 9 inside.  Then, they'd have another 9 people on top or hanging onto the sides.  18 people would ride in just one stage coach!  Look how crowded it is with Randy, Caden, and Brennon!  Downtown Minneapolis is a beautiful place!  I'm glad he convinced us to go, although I was siding with the kids to just head back to Mall of America!

Mall of America

 We made it to Minneapolis, Minnesota around 2:00 on Friday afternoon.  It was a long drive so we wanted to give the kids' as much to see as possible.  With over 500 stores in the largest mall in America, we knew they'd have a great time.  Having an amusement park is exciting as well!

 We parked and entered the mall to see this!  There are four floors in this monster!!  Crazy big.  There are four "wings" that make this mall a circle.  We didn't even make a dent in seeing all of the stores.  It was HUGE.  And so clean!

 This was the family posing in front of the amusement park.  Ty didn't want to tear his eyes from it:)

 We took the kids to The Rainforest Cafe for dinner.  They didn't like that it was so dark.  However, the food was great.  Since Ty is still in the early stages of potty training, I took him to the bathroom over 10 times.  After the first 6, I realized it was probably to see more of the restaurant!  He did so great!!

 Caden wanted to pose with Brennon while we were waiting for our meals.  You can see the remnants of our appetizer, but it's still such a cute picture.  I love these two!!

 Caden wanted to make sure we made it to the Lego store.  The statues on the top are completely made out of Legos.  CRAZY BIG!!

 The helicopter was full size!

 Ty loves Woody.  Too bad there wasn't a Buzz!

 This is the wall of Legos.  180 different kinds and colors!

 Riding the rides!

 I got to ride in the "Blue" behind these two cuties.  Ty was in love with pushing the buttons to go up and down.

On the last hour of our tour of this mall we asked what all the fuss was.  There were kids "camped" out all around the mall.  Blankets and super long lines.  We found out that the cast of the Hunger Games was coming to sign autographs and do a Q&A.  I couldn't ask my family to wait around the mall for three more hours just for the chance to see them.  We were all tired of walking, riding, eating, and enjoying time out of the car:)  I do wish I would have known earlier.  I would have planned to go.  I would have camped out at 7:00AM like all of the other school-girls!  And screamed like a banshee for Peeta!

Road Trip

 Thursday morning we loaded up and headed for a vacation that started out going to Billings and ended up taking us to Wisconsin.  We rented an RV to see if we liked it enough to purchase one when we had the money.  We were optimistic in this picture.  The kids thought they were SO funny. 

 This was the first new state on our trip, North Dakota.  We'd planned to go to Bismarck this last summer, but ended up doing other stuff instead.  When I saw that the boarder of Minnesota was only three hours away, we planned on going there are well.  When Randy saw that he had a few extra days with nothing to do, we made it one big circle that took us to Wisconsin as well.  Just a drive through, of course, but Wisconsin just the same.

I only took one picture while we were in the car.  There was a lot of teasing, a lot of whining, a lot of sassing, a lot of DVD, and a lot of love.  More on the vacation later.  For now, we're resting.  Even though most of the last 4 days was sitting down:)