Happy Easter

Wishing each of you a Happy Easter.
We dyed 3 dozen eggs last night. Lots of fun colors & white crayons helped us get the look we wanted...simple, bright colored eggs.


































We set the baskets out for the Big Bunny to fill & sent the boys off to bed. They were too excited to sleep.

Our kiddos were up @ the crack of dawn...Tanner was the first one to come into our room @ 6 am. The Big Bunny left the boys baskets on the kitchen table, filled with lots of goodies. John & I were so tired that we stayed in bed till 6:30 am. It was pretty amazing to go out into the kitchen & find every ones baskets still in tact...exactly like the bunny had left them.



















It was so fun to watch Brody look out into the backyard & notice all of the eggs everywhere. He got so excited & headed right out into the backyard. It was hysterical to watch him during the egg hunt. Each time he would find a plastic egg, he would sit down & crack the egg open. He would crack the egg as you would if you were baking in the kitchen. Once the egg was open, he would sit down & eat whatever was inside of it. He quickly caught on that you leave the hard boiled eggs alone & look for the plastic ones. Can we say sugar high by 7 am?

This is the first year that my boys did not having matchy-matchy Easter outfits. The older boys are getting a little too old for that & I didn't want to push it. It makes me kinda sad. I did end buying the older boys new ties last night & Brody finally got to wear his Easter outfit that I found @ Target a month ago. They looked so handsome.

































































































Church was wonderful & a nice reminder of why we celebrate Easter. Thankful for simple reminders.

We headed up to Yuba City to enjoy Easter dinner with John's side of the family. The boys enjoyed an egg hunt with the cousins, more candy, & birthday cake for John.




















So very grateful for my family & the time we were able to spend together today.
Happy Easter.

Spring Break

You gotta love having two whole weeks for Spring Break...unless one week is spent down with a little nasty virus. 5 out of our 6 family members had high fevers & awful coughs that would not go away. We spent that first week recovering & getting better. The 2nd week of Spring Break had off & on again rain. We made the best of it & found some fun family activites to enjoy.

First stop was the Jelly Belly Factory. This is a perfect rainy day weather kind of field trip. All of us have been to the Jelly Belly Factory before except John. The boys had fun taking Dad on the Factory tour. You gotta love the hats you get to wear while touring the factory. This is one of the few times I am happy to stay behind the camera :-). The boys then convinced Dad to buy them a few treats from the sweet shop.
























































Dad decided to take everyone out to breakfast on Thursday. We grubbed @ IHop-John's favorite breakfast stop. We were hoping for the ZOO but the rain had started up again. While enjoying our breakfast, a very nice man came to our table & made balloon animals/motorcycle for the boys. It was fun to watch him create these super cute animals/motorcycle.
Brody got a motorcycle, Garrett got a monkey in a tree, Carter picked a dog(are you surprised?) & Tanner asked for a penguin.






















We could not have asked for a better San Francisco day! When we left the house @ 8:00am & it was pouring down rain. As we headed farther west, the clouds began to part & the sun began to shine. It was a gorgeous day in the city. We had promised the boys we would take them to the SF Zoo during Sping Break. Well,as stated before,the nasty virus ruined our first week of break & with the rain that poured off & on during the second week, we weren't sure if we were going to be able to make good on that promise. We watched the weather all week & decided that Friday would be the best day. We are so glad we waited & were able to enjoy the sunshine.

What was even better was that my nephews were able to join us for a day of fun @ the zoo. You should have seen some of the looks we received as those SEVEN boys ran through the zoo...good times for sure!




















First up, the Giraffe's. There were two baby Giraffes. One was 4 months old & the other was two weeks old. They were so sweet.
































Next we headed over to the Gorilla World. Tami C., these photos are for you :).
John & I decided that when we are empty nesters someday, we are going to go to the zoo, just the two of us & spend half of the Day just watching the Gorillas. I think they are fascinating to watch. The boys just kept snickering every time the Gorilla's would get up & moon us...sorry there are no photos from that angle.

































My nephew Malakai loved this little duo. The baby monkey was so fun to watch. It was very squirmy & that poor Mama kept trying to keep her baby in check. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad these little critters are in cages but it sure makes it hard for good photography :-).




















These two little monkeys were so excited to spend the day together. It is great to watch them interact & have their own little conversations.































Brody's favorite spot was the Little People Zoo - AKA the petting zoo. This photo cracks me up. He wanted to be right up close & personal with the ducks. I was so nervous that one of them was going to bite him on the nose. He would get down to their level & start quacking with them. It was pretty funny. So made me wish I had remembered the video camera.



















He seriously had NO FEAR. He would jump up onto the tree stumps & sit with the goats. Eventually he would bug them enough & they would jump down. He loved feeding them & brushing their hair.































I don't think Kai was a big fan of the goats but he humored me & posed with one!






























Next we saw the Flamingos.


































Here are the boys, mimicing the flamingos...standing on one leg.





















If you know Tanner, you know that he loves penguins. We were able to watch the penguins eat their lunch. Did you know that they swallow their fish in about one second, whole? They were so much fun to watch. They would waddle along the edge of the rock & then dive into the water. This will be another stop for John & I when we are old & grey & go to the zoo by ourselves. We will watch the penguins for the other half of our day!



































Whew, are you still with me? I didn't think I had much to say about the zoo. I will leave you with a few more of my favorite photos from the day.























































































Hope you are enjoying your Saturday! We have been busy doing chores & laundry. We are getting ready for the Big Bunny to make a stop here. We are dying Easter Eggs tonight & leaving the baskets out in hopes that the Big Bunny will fill them.

KOW...

Here is a peek @ this weeks Kit of the Week @ Green Tangerines.





























I don't scrapbook with pastel colors very often...it has been fun!
I LOVE Spring & the breath of fresh Air it brings. I used a few of my favorite Spring photos from this year. The great thing about this kit is that you are going to get an entire sheet of Basic Grey ABC letters, you can customize your LO & create your own title...it doesn't have to say Spring. These Spring kits are available until their gone. You can call the store @ 916.771.8010 to get yours.
p.s. they will ship your kit to you if you live out of state...awesome customer service.

happy monday...

yes indeed, it has been a happy Monday. The sun is shining. I got to play outside with my boys & we enjoyed blowing bubbles. A new scrapbook magazine came in the mail. It has been a great day! One thing you need to know about my family is that any day can be a happy day. For example, if my Grandma Shore were to show up on my porch with flowers on a Tuesday, she would say happy Tuesday. If my sister mails me a surprise in the mail, the note would say Happy Wednesday(she prays that the note from San Mateo arrives on that Wednesday -LOL). It is just a fun little thing my family does. I LOVE it. Grandma's random acts of happy days has totally rubbed off on everyone in my family. So...today I went to get our mail & there was a note addressed to me from my Mama. Inside was this sweet little note:




















Tucked in that sweet little note was a $100.00 Target gift card. WOW!




















How fun is that? Thank you so much Mom! When I called to thank her, I told her a $5.00 gift card would have made me totally happy! She is the best!!!So kind & so very thoughtful. She said it was her way of helping the economy, her stimulus package to me -LOL.

I hope you are finding the happy things in your world today!
Have a happy Monday!

weekend favorites

I almost forgot to post about the Easter picnic/egg hunt that we enjoyed on Friday night. I was in charge of this activity with the help of my committee...so grateful for those who jumped in & helped out. I was worried that we would not have a good turn out due to the winds that would not stop. We had a GREAT turn out despite the crazy wind. The kids had a great time hunting for eggs, playing games/relays, & enjoying Easter punch(don't ask)& cookies.
























































General Conference traditions are still alive & kicking @ our house. We had the chance to watch/listen to General Conference this weekend. For my friends who have no idea what I am talking about, General Conference happens twice a year, once in the Fall & once in the Spring. It is an opportunity for us to receive counsel from our prophet, Thomas S. Monson & other General Authorities of our church. A family tradition that we enjoy each General Conference weekend are delicious Butterscotch Rolls. Try them, they just might become a tradition in your home too. We actually make these during the holidays too. So yummy & simple to make.

Butterscotch Rolls





















1 bag ( 1 lb. 9 0z) of Bridgeford rolls
1/2- 1 c. brown sugar
1 small box of cook & serve butterscotch pudding
1/2 c. nuts ( I like chopped pecans)
1 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease bundt pan & sprinkle nuts in pan.
Place rolls in pan on top of nuts.
Sprinkle butterscotch pudding over rolls.
On the stove, melt brown sugar & butter.
Bring to a slight boil & remove from heat.
Pour evenly over rolls.
Cover with a dish towel & let rise over night
on your kitchen counter. Bake for 30 minutes
Enjoy!
**I cover mine with foil about 10 minutes before they are done.

Another fun thing the boys enjoyed this year were these great little conference packets. Rhonda sent the file to me a few weeks ago- thank you so much Rhonda! They were a hit! John made a bunch of copies & I had fun creating little packets & treat bags for a few friends & our boys.






















I found simple folders @ Wal*Mart & used my stash of Thickers to put names on each folder. I put crayons & candy in each little bag & tied it off with a simple bow from my ribbon stash. Very fun & "spring-y".
The boys loved their packets(there's were along the lines of the red, blue's & yellows-LOL) as we watched conference today. I think their favorite was the Conference BINGO. I gave them a pkg. of Easter Runts to mark their spots with. They played a few rounds & would eat their candy as they would yell BINGO. I am feeling so very grateful for the chance that I had to watch conference this weekend. Very grateful for a modern day prophet & the opportunity I had to listen to his words & counsel, the things that are important for this day & time. I am off to get dinner going. Have a happy Sunday!

play ball...

Another Saturday, another day spent @ the baseball fields. Carter played @ 9am. He had an awesome game. He had great, solid hits each time he took a turn up @ bat. He played 1st base during the 4th inning & had an awesome diving catch that made for a great last out for the inning.






















{Carter is the player on the right @ 1st base}






















Tanner had the afternoon game. Can you say sunscreen! It was very warm & I think I even got a sunburn on my face! Tanner had a great game too! He pitched two innings & did really well.





















































After the game, the coach said something about each player & this is what Coach Casey had to say about Tanner: "We have been looking for another dominant pitcher for our team & we found it when Tanner joined our team this season". Their team lost today but not without a good rally.

You can't forget the fans in the stands...do you like our latest self portrait?





















We hope you are enjoying your Saturday & the Spring Sunshine!