She's back home!!

Yeah, Sunday couldn't come soon enough for us. Jared, Jacob and I were really missing our little Alayna. We knew she had such a fun time, but we were ready to have our happy extra active personality back with our family here at home! I've included a few pictures from their super fun vacation. THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!

La Jolla Beach. Their first fun activity...If you can read Alayna's body language she was afraid of the waves and the baby crabs! She enjoyed just playing in the sand, but not playing in the water...says Grandma Lou.

Then they were off to an Oceanside tradition...we must eat at Joe's Crab Shack right on the beach!

SeaWorld...the girls had several matching outfits, they looked so cute together!

Hello, Legoland! This is what these little girls looked forward to for so many years! My parents learned a few things. One, a three year old...does throw tantrums! Two, a three year old isn't tall enough to ride all the rides. Three, that these little girls are so fun together! Oh...and we can't forget that they learned my daughter is VERY independent! (I tried to warn them!!!)

Enjoying their favorite Apple Fry's?? I guess we have to go to Legoland to find out what they are!

This was one of Alayna's favorite rides!
Do you notice that the people in the background are made out of ALL Lego's? I just thought that was hilarious!
The other part of the trip, was my cousins wedding at the San Diego Temple. Kylie was married on Friday. The girls thought it was so neat to actually go inside the doors of the temple. This temple has a special waiting room that they could go in. Alayna said, "Mommy this temple was sooo pretty!"

I think these two little girls had such an enjoyable time together! I hope my parents will be able to relax this week and take a vacation from being parents. THANK YOU so much. I know that it was a tough week remembering what a three year old can bring to life, but they will talk of this vacation forever. THANK YOU we are so lucky to have you be such great grandparents who want to spend time with our children!!! We love you.

Memories...

Memory Lane...I got this from a friend's blog. I thought it would be fun! I hope you will play along.

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Something that got me thinking...

Yesterday Jared and I had a very quiet Sunday morning. Mainly because Alayna is gone to California, but Jake was also napping. So I picked up the new July Ensign. The cover was very intriguing to me. So I read the article that went along with it. I found it very interesting that Elder M. Russell Ballard actually mentioned blogs. He said...

"Talk honestly and sincerely about the impact the gospel has had in your life, about how it has helped you overcome weaknesses or challenges and helped define your values. The audiences for these and other new media tools may often be small, but the cumulative effect of thousands of such stories can be great. The combined effort is certainly worth the outcome if but a few are influenced by your words of faith and love of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ has no doubt had a powerful impact on your life. It has, in part, shaped who you are and what your future will be. Do not be afraid to share with others your experiences as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We all have interesting stories that have influenced our identity. Sharing those stories is a nonthreatening way to talk to others. Telling those stories can help demystify the Church. You could help overcome misperceptions through your own sphere of influence, which ought to include the Internet."

As I read this, I realized that's why I love to blog. That's why I love reading your stories and experiences. I love to share my experiences and stories of joy with others. I simply didn't realize that this is one way we can impact the lives of others. So if I happen to share a few more personal feelings and details, just know that I'm trying to reach out to others just a little bit more. I actually saw on a friends blog "52 weeks of Gratitude" I thought, that I also could do something like this. Well, lots to think about, but I just loved this angle to sharing the gospel using the Internet. What do you think?

And they are OFF to California!

The time has finally come for Olivia and Alayna to go to Legoland and Sea World with my parents. They have been looking forward to this trip for over three years!

This is the 2nd grandparents trip with two grand kids. Three years ago my parents started this tradition of taking two grand kids...Kierra and Conner to Legoland and Sea world. My parents loved spending one on one time with the two kids. They are going to continue on this tradition FOREVER! All I know is that the kids next in line can't wait till it's their turn!

My mom bought them matching shirts, sunglasses, hats and more clothes to be twiners on this vacation. They are going to be gone until next Sunday! What are Jared and I going to do with ourselves with only one little baby? I'm not sure, but I know I will do anything I want! ha ha ha Alayna will be missed but I'm going to enjoy a change in pace! THANK YOU MOM AND DAD. You are the BEST grandparents and grand kids could ask for. Thank you for loving them so much you want to spend time with them!!!

The NINE grandkids...

Here is our attempt to take a picture with the grand kids. It's a little tricky to say the least to have two adults holding four little boys! Not to mention to try and attempt to get everyone happy! Yeah, that didn't work! This was as good as it got. My mom was given a darling Americana frame and she wanted to put a picture with her and the grand kids in it. Well, we tried!

The Riverton Parade...

Oh...how the Riverton Parade has grown...let me explain. About 20 years ago my mom started bringing her four little girls to a parade. We would walk down Redwood Road and sit on the same curb every July 3rd at 6:30pm to watch the parade. Year after year the parade would get better and better. We would begin inviting cousins and friends to this parade and sit on the same corner. Year after year, more candy would be thrown - hence making the parade better and better! Year after year we would invite more people to sit on the same corner! Well over the span of 20 years all the girls have since married, had our own children and we have since invited our in-laws to "The Riverton Parade!" I know what your thinking...come on what is so great about this parade. Personally, I think it is all about the 20 year long tradition, the BEST candy parade, pizza on the corner, having to duck down every few minutes because you would be pelted in the face with taffy! But the best part this year was the family attendance. I know the picture is impossible to view everyone but, I'm going to humor you...by telling you who attended.
Left to Right...The empty spot on the left was for the Madsens (Todd's parents), Larry & Dianne and kids...(9 kids total - plus spouses & grand kids) they came just after I took the picture...My grandparents, my aunt Kathleen, then my parents & their three friends from their inner city mission, my family, my sister Ange & Grady with the boys, Krista & Riley, Kennady and four of their friends plus kids, the Pecks (Riley's parents), their kids, plus spouses and grand kids. My cousin Jeff & Shelley plus their kids. Well, I didn't take the time to count and get the final head count, but it was a ton!

Here we are sporting our new holiday shirts. We ended up passing out flyer's along the parade route. Besides them being BLACK and SUPER hot for this summer heat, it has made my life sooooo easy when having to think about my outfits to wear! I don't have to think...I just say, "Oh, I get to wear you again!" Then I'm out of the closet in one minute. I think Jared wishes it was always this easy!

Olivia and Alayna...they are two cute little buddies.

The four older grand kids...Alayna, Olivia, Kierra and Conner! If your wondering, their grocery sacks were FULL of taffy! These kids LOVE this parade!

An Early Morning...

On Thursday morning we attempted to make it on time to the "2nd Annual Perry Family -Murphy Family" Hot Air Balloon festival. Needless to say we didn't arrive on time this year. Either way, we had a GREAT time waking up early and seeing a few of the hot air balloons. The kids absolutely love this activity. Last year we arrived early enough to watch them blow up the balloons, you could hear the fire blowing in, feel it, and smell it. It really is such a great activity. I recommend the EARLY wake up for anyone to experience this!

This was the closest balloon shot I could get! We were just about 10 -15 minutes too late! AHH.

The gang...Todd, Isaac, Gr Lou, Olivia, Shan, Kierra, Diana, Brock (my cousin from California), Conner, Jake Murphy, Andrew Murphy, and baby Jacob. Emily and Ryan were taking the pictures!

Since we missed the hot air balloons, my parents found the next best thing. We got to have the kids watch a helicopter take off. The kids thought this was great! They were waving goodbye to them!

Grandma Nettie came with Alayna shortly after we arrived. Alayna was able to have a special sleepover the night before at their house. She was spoiled rotten as usual, watched two movies, ate ice cream and got to sleep in her Princess room. What a lucky girl!

After the balloon festival, we went to Bridal Veil Falls, in Provo Canyon. Do you notice Alayna in the river? Yeah, that was my dads doing. He dared the kids to walk out to a log and he'd give them a dollar. Alayna didn't hesitate. She walked right in and started walking up Bridal Veil falls. She did fall one time...but not a tear. She was so proud to have made it to the log for her dollar.
This made for a fun early morning adventure...we later went to Discovery Park in Highland, to eat our lunch. Yes, we ate lunch at 10:30am.

Herriman Town Days

Here is the fam at the annual Herriman Town Days. This is our usual spot waiting for the parade to start. Do you love our new t-shirts? Yes, you are reading it correctly, My Food Storage Deals! I'll explain in a minute.

This was a picture we were very excited to take, because one year ago this same time, my mom was in the hospital and unable to join us. But this year, she was here healthy and happy!

This was our little Jacob that LOVED the free flags they passed out to everyone. The only thing was that the flags had this ridiculous POINTY top. We ended up having to cut the tops off, because they were so sharp they literally would have poked an eye out! Who designed that? Let alone passing it out to babies? Not so safe!

Okay, so here is all the gang. Krista & Riley showed up eventually, but not in time for the family picture. Sorry. After the parade, Shandra and I headed off to Herriman Town Days booths. My Food Storage Deals had a booth, and we got to hang there all day long. Around 1pm I left the Herriman booth, and drove to Taylorsville to take my shift there. We stayed there until 10pm! It made for a VERY long and HOT sunny day. Lets just say, by 10:30pm, I had never wanted the fireworks to be over, just so I could go home and SLEEP! Even though it was a very long and HOT day...(wait I already mentioned that!) it really was SUPER fun to promote and tell so many people about Shan's amazing business! Go, My Food Storage Deals! Your on your way!!! :) Did you notice our sweet t-shirts! Ya, black was the only color choice!

Firehouse Recipe...

Okay, friends many of you have found out that I have "tried" to re-create the famous Firehouse Roasted Chicken Pasta...I have "tried" and I feel that it is as good as it can get without being the real deal...or really knowing what their "special" seasoning blend is. But nonetheless, it is a top hit at our house! I must warn you, it is NOT a figure friendly dish. However, it is fantastic! Give it a shot! Enjoy...let me know if you have questions!

Firehouse Roasted Chicken Pasta

2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
4 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped thinly
1 pkg. button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 lb. penne pasta, cook 1-2 minutes underdone in boiling water
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cream Sauce:
3 T. butter
2 t. flour
2 pints Half and Half
1-2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 chicken bouillon cube
3 tsp. FRESH ground black pepper
1/2 T. salt (or more)
1 T. Seasoning Salt (or so...)

Melt butter then add flour. Stir together to create a roux. Then add the half and half. Stir together cooking only on low. Once the cream is heated, add the chicken bouillon. Add cheese. If sauce needs to be thicker add more Parmesan cheese. Do not cook on a high heat it will curdle the milk! Sauce is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Sauce is best if very salty and peppery in flavor. Mix noodles and cream sauce together in a 9x13 pan or use personal size baking dishes per serving. Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese over noodle in pan. Then layer chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions and cover with lots of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 for 5-10 minutes until bubbly, then heat oven to broil only to brown cheese layer! Watch carefully this only takes 30 seconds to one minute. Do not look away. Leave on lower oven rack to reduce chance of burning. Serve immediately.

Good Times...

There is nothing like taking a drive to Centerville, Utah. (ha ha ha) Except when you eat at the BEST restaurant ever, Fire House. Yes, Loganites there is a Fire House in Centerville, and not just Logan!

We got together because Steph & Johnson are here visiting for a few days from California. It was so much fun to hang out for hours chatting about who knows what? But who cares we all just LOVE spending time together. I would drive (and have driven) to California to just hang out with you amazing friends! Thanks for the fun afternoon, I love you guys.

Fire House - YUMMY!

The Steph, The Johnson, ME, Heather (Steph's sister -due with baby girl in July), and Tracy

Di & Steph - So great to see each other again. We were so sad to know that I wouldn't be able to come visit in a week. Sorry, Steph! It really is such a bummer!

**For all you Utah State "Neighb's" out there we missed you too! We wish we could have had our official reunion...it would have been great to be with all the "neighbs!" Until next time!!**

Water Park Fun...

Here in Herriman we have this great splash park. First of all it is ALWAYS crowded, but I think it is worth it. I love knowing that Jake can walk around and just have fun! The fam met up at the park one after noon and I had to snap a few photos. Alayna was never around for her to get her picture taken! The poor babies were the only ones to get their photo taken!

Jacob enjoying the water. He got soaked...he was standing directly on top of the spot where the water pours out. He really enjoyed himself.

Isaac, Jake, Porter (Not cousin, but we will always pretend!), Sawyer and Logan. Kennady came just a few tears (and minutes) too late for these boys to stay posed for another picture.

Just a cute picture...

Here is darling cute Kennady Lou! She smiles so bright for anything and anyone! She really is such a doll. With the four baby boy's being born we just adore this one precious little girl! She is picked up the moment she comes to play. Alayna just can't get enough of her. She is always asking, "Aunt Kista" to bring "baby Ken" over to play. We think Alayna is hilarious because she calls her baby Ken or Kenny! Kennady was over playing in Jake's little car. I couldn't resist taking an adorable picture of this happy little girl!

A great blog!

For those of you who know my family LOVES food. Surprise, I know. So I happened to stumble across this amazing website. This young girl (who lives in Provo I found out!), loves to cook and try new recipes. Anyways, the best part about it is she is a picture taker too! For me that is combining TWO of my loves...food and taking pictures! So I must warn you her pictures are so tempting that you will have to try cooking the recipes. I have tried several and they are amazing!!! Give it a try...http://www.workingwomanfood.blogspot.com/ - You really can spend hours there!

A year supply...One week at a time!

This is a shout out to getting our year supply of food! Just to update you all...we did it! It was official about one week ago! I have been waiting on two items. Salt and Oil! After a shopping trip to Wal-Mart it was official. It truly feels great to have it all. It has been a slow process. A few times a year I would go crazy and buy $300 at a time, but overall it was just an extra $10-$20 here and there. I must give ALL my success and passion for food storage to my sister. She has a special TALENT that is amazing! With her constant help, she has taught me several tricks of the trade and has helped me all along the way. But most importantly, I wanted to share with everyone a really great resource that has truly made my year supply happen! A few of you are aware that my sister Shandra has a HUGE passion for food storage. (HUGE is an understatement!) She has this amazing talent to know what GREAT prices are.

So about a year ago she gave an enrichment night in our ward on meal planning and food storage. From that she started emailing the ladies in our ward the good deals on groceries. Well anyways, that lasted as a free thing for about a year…until she was emailing over 1,000 people! She has become an entrepreneur. Way to go Shan! Now, living with her has its benefits. She has helped me EVERY step of the way to get my year supply.

I’m posting this so you can share this AMAZING resource with all your family and friends. She explains everything on her website about what she does..http://www.myfoodstoragedeals.com and so if you are interested, please take a look! Check out her BLOG too…www.myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com. If you read under 'About Us', it will help you understand exactly what she does. All I know is that this has saved me so much time, hundreds of dollars and has helped me know what I needed and when to buy it at the lowest possible price. (Yes, even LOWER than Costco!) So, if you have a minute--check it out! And if you have any questions, feel free to ask or just email her at Shandra@myfoodstoragedeals.com. The following are a few pictures from my food storage room to help you get excited and inspired!!! For those of you who know Shandra she is amazing and talented. Thank you for helping me follow the prophets counsel and be prepared!

Sweet little guy.

Oh...what a cute little guy. I'll have you know this was NOT prompted. I happened to walk into the kitchen at breakfast time, and Jared had just asked Alayna to say the prayer for breakfast. So I folded my arms and then I opened one of my eyes to see if Jake would too. He did. It was so sweet. After the prayer was over I hurried and grabbed my camera that was on the table to snap a photo. He was looking up at Jared. Our little Jake is such a sweet little guy! If you are noticing his very noticeable scrap on his nose your not just seeing things. Yes, he fell down and scraped his nose on my parents brick fireplace on Sunday. Sorry little buddy!

A day with friends!

The other day we decided to invite several neighbor kids to come and play. Since we live in a circle and it is perfect to have the kids ride bikes and play. It was much fun for all the kids. They especially LOVED the fact that it was hot enough for a Popsicle! I just had to take a picture of the kids waiting patiently to jump on the tramp. They each would take a turn jumping and then get at the back of the line. The best part about that was, I didn't even tell them one on the trampoline. What great kids they are! We love summer days!