Chocolate Lava Cake

For our anniversary, Brandon and I went out to dinner. For dessert we ordered Hot Lava Cake. It was so tasty. Warm chocolate cake with chocolatey syrup oozing from the middle topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that was topped with bits of score bar. Oh my gosh, so yummy. So I decided to make my own. And here it is. This was so tasty but really rich. I had to share with the kids. And man did they love it.

Happy Anniversary

Brandon and I have been married 12 years today. And what a ride. We went out to dinner last night and were reminded of one anniversary we spent eating Pipeline pizza on the floor of our apartment because we were getting ready to move. 'We all have to start somewhere', he says. From where we started to where we are today is simply a miracle.

The summer of my 14th year, my family moved from Missouri to Maryland. We were not excited for this move. But as children, we really didn't have a choice. We moved into our little townhouse and were immediately introduced to our ward. After a few short months, we found a house and moved again. This time into a great ward with lots of youth. My mom worked for a member of the church and his children soon became good friends of ours. I was invited to many of their summer activities. One of which was a Youth Conference. As we settled camp one of the priest stood on a picnic table to outline the events planned for the evening. I was sitting at this particular picnic table and was getting aquainted with some of the YW. They told me about this priest of 16 that had a great sense of humor. They told me that if I were to tie his shoelaces together that he would think it was hilarious and be good natured about the attention. So being the rebel I was...I tied his shoelaces together. He noticed them at one point but forgot to make a mental note. When he was finished addressing all of us he jumped off the table and fell to the ground. Brandon fell hard for the 'new girl'.

I remember one day a bunch of us were playing basketball. Brandon's brother was standing in the street, the basketball hoop was on the garage. He said, 'If I make this shot Brandon is going to marry Staci.' We all laughed, for more reasons than one, but quickly became silent when he made the shot. Not thinking too much of it.

Brandon's family moved to California at the end of that summer. I was asked to write him a letter once and we kept writing for 6 years. All throughout his mission and all my boyfriends, he'd add, until we met up in college. He was at 'Ricks' and I was going to BYU. After years of writing, Brandon became my best friend. He knew more about me than I had let any guy know. Six years will do that. When I realized how much he meant to me we decided that he needed to come to Utah to see if things could work out. We'd never dated so that was something we needed to try.

We were married in the Washington, DC Temple today...12 years ago and the rest is history. 12 years of history. I look forward to many more.

There are so many things I love about Brandon. One of the most important is that he makes me feel completely safe. In every aspect there is to feel safe...it's always with him...wherever we are. I love him so much. There isn't a day that goes by that I thank my Heavenly Father for bringing him into my life. What a blessing it is to have someone like him to love. Happy Anniversary, Brandon. I love you.

Soccer

WOW! I was so proud of K's soccer team. They did great today. They were passing...controlling the ball...dribbling up the field...playing their positions (kind of). The teams were matched up really and we tied 3-3. We were really proud of these kids. Way to go, Minatars!

ABC Tag

A-Attached or Single?- Attached

B-Best Friend?- Brandon

C-Cake or Pie?- Pound Cake topped with strawberries and whip cream or just plain. A really moist chocolate cake like...Better than Sex Cake...or Death By Chocolate Cake.

D-Day of Choice?-Saturday

E-Essential Item?-Wipes and Neosporan

F- Favorite color? Depends. I love BLACK furniture and decor. RED accents in my home. WHITE clothes on anyone. GREEN grass in the spring. PINK tulips by the bunches. YELLOW sunshine all year long. BLUE skies in Spain. BROWN decor and scrapbook paper. AQUA ocean water. ORANGE pumpkins and crayons.

G-Gummy Bears or Worms?- Bears

H-Hometown?- Military Brats don't have a hometown. The World is their hometown.

I-Favorite Indulgence?-Laying on a WARM beach. Falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves on the sand.

J-January or July?- July for sure. I don't like involuntary (is that a word) cold.

K-Kids? -K . A . M . and F

L-Life isn't complete without?- My family

M-Marriage Date?- April 27th, 2006...12 years on Sunday!

N-Number of brothers and sisters?- 3 sisters & 3 brother

O-Oranges or Apples?-Oranges...manderin.

P-Phobia and Fears?- Kidnapping of someone I love and one I am so scared of I can't even type or say.

Q-Quote?-Recently..."Let every mother realize that she has no greater blessing than the children who have come to her as a gift from the Almighty,...I remind mothers everywhere of the sanctity of your calling. No other can adequately take your place. No responsibility is greater, no obligation more binding than that you rear in love and peace and integrity those whom you have brought into the world" -Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

R-Reason to smile?- Family...watching my kids play...silly things kids say...kisses in the morning from Brandon

S-Season of choice?-Summer

T-Tag ten people?- Danielle, Missy, Jen, Becky, Leah, Tasha, Che, Mila, Lisa, Geneva

U-Unknown fact about me?- I like to weed. I like seeing the end product.

V-Vegetable?- Steamed squash

W-Worse habit?-Nail biter

Y-Your favorite food?- Olive garden (salad and breadsticks...sooo yummy!)

Z-Zodiac Sign?-Scorpio

Cattle Ranch

A's 2nd grade class took a field trip to the Quilici Cattle Ranch today. I asked A if he wanted me to go and he said he did. I love field trips in our small town...we get to walk to all of them. We walked across the street and through a new housing development to find 2 flatbeds of hay waiting to take us to the ranch. So we all got on the flatbeds for a hayride. What fun!

We were taken to the Quilici Ranch just down the dirt road. I had no idea this ranch was as big as it was. The land just kept going. The owners showed us their horses, cows, bulls, and hay.

They grow their own hay, harvest it, bundle it, sell it, and keep some for feed. I have only seen a cow up close when I was really young. This was a whole new experience for me. We rode right into the middle of the cows and their young. It was so cool. I took too many pictures. They started to eat the hay we were sitting on and the lady next to me started 'ch ch' -ing them away.

F wasn't sure how he felt about this. He was interested in them but didn't want them to get to close. They were all so pretty. Well as pretty as cows can be. When we drove off we were followed by some cows who still wanted our hay and the ones that were REALLY pregnant just 'mooed' after us. They are quite loud when they all get mooing.

Everytime we passed more cows F would say, 'We don't need to get close to those cows.' The land was beautiful and so peaceful. I was impressed with how thought out the irrigation is. Just amazing to me. I had never thought about it before but there is real planning that goes into the whole irrigation system. Their irrigation runs off the Carson River. They consider themselves very lucky. Their ranch is about 127 years old and was a potato farm before it became a cattle ranch. This was really a fun field trip. A had a great time with Timothy, his best friend. And the weather was perfect. I bundled up and made sure A and F were bundled too. We didn't even need our coats until it was time to head back to the school. What a great way to spend my morning.

Sports Saturday

K and A had their soccer and baseball games over the weekend. It was chilly too. K's team lost 0-4. The score would have been a lot closer if they would have listened to their coaches and played their positions. How do you get 4th and 5th graders to do what you tell them. I was so frustrated. You tell them to pass to a team mate for kick off and they boot is down the field instead. You tell them to stay on their side so they conserve their energy and they play the entire field and wonder why they are so tired. Come on!

A's team on the other hand, WON! A got on base everytime. We were so proud of him. And this is so like him. At the beginning of every season he is very rusty. But once he gets into the groove of things he shines. He played an awesome game and even played 2nd base! Love that position. He did great.

We fed the missionaries for dinner. Lasagna, salad, and Emilie's homemade rolls! YUMMY! And for dessert I made a strawberry and blueberry trife. Oh it was so good. We all slept good last night. Still working with F to sleep in his bed. He normally comes in twice every night. So tiring. And the fun starts all over again today.

No School

Thursday, this kids were out of school for 'teacher inservice'. And it was such a beautiful day! We decided to go on a little hike. I've been told that there are quite a few hiking trails in our area so we decided to take one. We started at 'Our Park' and hiked to the top of a hill where the town's water tank and cemetary are located. From there we could see our entire town. The kids found their school and Smith's. They saw the town sheep and the Carson river. It was kind of pretty. And by kind of, I mean, it was desert...so not that green.

Then we hiked west of the water tank and could see a neighboring town and more rolling hills. As we were walking up there I started to sing....'the hills are alive, with the sound of music'. K looked at me in embarrasement. I have been fighting a cold so my voice was really scratchy but I told her that we could sing as loud as we wanted and no one would hear us. So I continued to sing songs from 'The Sound of Music' and the kids all started to dance. It was so cute. Life is a musical.

After our adventure hike, we played at 'Our Park' for awhile. The kids had fun showing me how they play on the monkey bars and those other bars that you can do tricks on. You know the high bars you did Cherry Drops from and spun around on your knees. I tried to do those spins but it hurt the back of my knee. I was a lot skinnier back then. The high bar holds a very vivid memory for me. I told the kids that one day on the playground, when I was almost 8 years old, my friends and I decided to each get on a bar and do Cherry Drops. I got the highest bar and we all assumed our positions. We started to swing. Higher and higher. One, two, three...drop. Instead of landing on my feet, like you're suppose to, I landed on my hands and knees. My right hand went through the sand onto the concrete. I pulled my arm out and looked at my arm in shock. It was broken but I thought I could straighten it out. After that didn't work I went to the playground teacher. I didn't start to cry until the look on her face became frightened. A and K thought that was an exciting story. And asked questions about it the entire way home. To round off our day, we ate lunch outside on the patio and the kids would pull up there pant legs and ask me if they were white. We need to tan them up.

We had a wonderful day. And now the weather is cooling down again. This morning I am making wheat pizza dough with a friend. It should be exciting.

Transformers...Robots in Disguise

While running errands yesterday, F asked if he could get a toy. I remembered that he got a gift card for his birthday and hadn't used it yet so I said, 'SURE'. He was so excited. We went up and down the toy isles scoping out all the possibilities. Then we went down an isle with Transformers. And F found this. Bumblebee. He said, 'This one!' He loves it and even had to sleep with it last night. Too cute.

Opening Day

Saturday was Opening Day for all baseball players, young and old. Okay not that old. It all started with a parade, pancake breakfast, opening ceremonies, and let the games begin. They are crazy here about their sports. Serious Crazy.

This is A's 5th year playing baseball, 2nd year at machine pitch. He loves it. His coach is a die hard Dodgers fan but told the kids that if they wear a Dodgers baseball cap to practice, he'll make them run laps. They are the Indians this year! A is so excited. His league gets real uniforms and normally have to turn them in at the end of the season but this year they're 'retiring' his teams uniforms and so the kids get to keep them. Score! I don't know who won the game...they were playing 5 strike outs and batting the entire line up. A's team went through their line up, 2 innings, with only 1 out. I thought that was a little unfair. But I think his team won. A struck out once and got on base once. It was fun to watch him. We need to work on his swing though. All the boys were swinging like girls. It was funny. There was no effort and the parents were trying to tell them to get made and really wack it. We'll see how tonight goes. They have another game!

K had her first soccer game on Saturday too. 8 am bright and early. We were prepared for cold weather that I even brought my gloves. It was a good thing though because K was put in as goalie. She did an awesome job. I told her not to be afraid of the ball. I also told her that she could do anything she needed to to make sure that ball didn't go in the goal...fall on it...dive...punch it out of the way...anything. She reminded me of Mikell, the best goalie ever, on our indoor soccer team. Those were great days! K's team won 1-0. They were all so excited. I volunteered along with another parent to help her coach this year. Last year he had 3 assistants and this year he doesn't have any and since I have to be there I might as well help. I am excited. I forgot my camera...it was too early to really think, but I will post pictures of her next game. Her team is the Mighty Manitars! There's a mouthful.

We concluded our busy Saturday weeding. Our yard and as a service project/ fundraiser for Cub Space Camp for A, we weeded our neighbors yard. We had another family in the ward help and HOLY COW! Those weeds were out of control. We worked for 2 1/2 hours on one side of her yard, not making any progress, and then finally bringing out the Roundup. For the second time. Those weeds were insane.

Then it was a BBQ at our friends house. The minute I sat down I felt like I could have fallen asleep. When we did come home I could only stay awake long enough to get the kids bathed and then it was off to bed for all of us. Sunburned and tired. I slept good.

My New Nephews

Introducing Andrew Scott

and Andersen Seth

They are so tiny. I can't believe it.

My brother in law.

My sister.

What little miracles. They are too cute. They will be in the hospital for at least a month and a half more. Just last night we had a reader's theater about the first RS and these little ones made me think...back then, 1800's, these two babies wouldn't have had a chance but due to the miracles of modern medicine they are healthy, thriving little individuals. What a blessing it is for us to live at this time. I am so grateful for these little miracles.

Let the MADNESS begin

This is our weekly afternoon schedule for the next 2 1/2 months.

Monday Soccer Practice 4-5pm . Baseball Game 5:30-6:30pm . Bedtime 7:30pm
Tuesday Piano 5-5:30pm. Baseball Practice 5:30pm till dark . Bedtime 7:30pm
Wednesday Scouts/ Achievement Days 7-8pm . Bedtime 7:30pm
Thursday Soccer Practice 4-5pm
Friday NOTHING! HURRAY!
Saturday Soccer and Baseball Games all morning.

You know the funny thing is I am really stressed out about our schedule but when I lay it out like this it doesn't really look that bad.

Oh how I love kids sports! I really do. I enjoy watching my kids learn and succeed. I love when they score a goal and they look at me with that 'Did you see that, Mom? I SCORED!' look on their faces. Joy. Joy is the feeling I get when I see them having the time of their lives. It's just the timing. Every year games and practices seem to overlap. Sometimes I wish there was 2 of me. One for K and one for A. Of course I would eventually need 3 of me when all the kids are doing this. But we love it. I can't think of anything better than watching my children progress and achieve at something they love to do. It's the best.

Conference Weekend

What a weekend! Since we don't have the 'EXTREME CABLE', we don't have access to conference...on our tv. But we do have internet. Oh how I love technology. Our family gathered in my craft room to watch conference on the internet. It was so cozy.

I loved Saturday mornings session! What a treat it was for all of us to sustain our new prophet. AND to stand in our respective quorums and auxillaries and sustain each other. I thought that was so special. Our kids got to see all those in the conference center stand and sustaining the members of the church. I almost cried because I could feel the spirit so strongly. We are so blessed to have prophets on the earth today.

After conference, we hit COSTCO and Walmart for groceries. Then it was SPRING CLEANING! Hurray. I love spring cleaning. We took the girls bunkbeds apart and put a dresser in between their beds. One dresser, 2 shoes racks, and a toy cubie in the closet. Love it. But now you see all wall above their beds. Guess that means I have to find some inexpensive way to decorate. Oh, Lynette! I cleaned the girls room, including emptying their drawers of clothes they have outgrown, don't wear, or have holes. It was so fun. And B took the boys room. I felt so happy afterwards. And the girls love their 'new' room.

B went off to Priesthood Session and just before he walked out the door a thought came to me. All the women in Utah were heading out to shop while all their husbands we going to this session of conference. Nielson's Custard would be BUSY in 2 hours. This is their busiest night of the year. Or at least one of them. (Leah, do you miss working there?)

Sunday, the kids pulled out all our scrapbook albums and looked through them. What a fun idea. I was reminded of so many wonderful adventures. While looking at the very first scrapbook I compiled, F kept asking, 'Where is me?' To which I replied, 'You are still in heaven with M and A. I bet you were playing tag or hide and seek with them.' I made Emilie's yummy rolls for dinner with a twist. I decided to add a little wheat to them. We have to be prepared to eat it and so I have been trying a few recipes that it might taste okay with. While they were rising we took a walk and it was such a windy afternoon. They should call our little town the 'Windy City'. Forget Chicago.

I love conference weekends. They are so uplifting and satisfying. What a great way to feed your soul.

Our Yard

Hurray! We finally have a yard. I am so excited to let the kids go out back and play! Just 2 more weeks and they can play on the grass. We are so pleased with how it turned out. We learned somethings and so next time we'll have even better ideas. So happy. The weather is getting nicer and to have a beautiful backyard really makes it start to feel like spring.

Pinewood Derby

A was so excited to race his car in his first Pinewood Derby. He designed and painted it all by himself. He even sanded really smooth. B helped him put the tires on and the weights. They even had a 'Dad's Race'. So fun. We had popcorn and homemade Rootbeer. What a great night and I was so proud of all my scouts and A for having such great attitudes. They all did a fantastic job.

Grape Soda

Whenever Brandon goes to the grocery store I can always count on him to buy treats. Even if it's not on the list. He buys treats for him, the kids, and for me. How thoughtful is he? One of the treats he bought this time was some Vanilla and Grape Soda. The Vanilla was suppose to be like Cream Soda, which I love, but this was not Cream Soda. So I decided to try some of his Grape Soda. Normally I wouldn't touch grape soda but thought I would give this brand a try. I liked it. I felt like Sam I Am's friend who wouldn't try green eggs and ham but in the end he really found it quite tasty. It was really good. I had a bottle while I was cooking dinner and left the room for a second only to find this when I came back.

Stinker! I think he drank the rest. Which is probably a good thing cause one bottle had 190 calories.