ABC...Tag

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Brady, if he doesn’t count then Mom
C- Cake or Pie: definitely cake, I only like pie at Thanksgiving
D- Day of Choice: Friday, it usually means daddy will be home for a while.
E- Essential Item: now that I have it, I really love high speed internet
F- Favorite Color: yellow
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: neither really, but worms if I had to chose
H- Hometown: Georgetown, ID
I -Indulgence(s): Cookie dough, cold cereal, watermelon penny candies…I could go on and on.
J- January or July: July, I love summer
K-Kids: Caden and Kamrie
L-Life is incomplete without: Brady and the Gospel
M- Marriage Date: October 4thN-
Number of Siblings: 4, Andy, Casey, Jeff, and Mallory
O- Oranges or Apples: Both but I really hate to peal oranges
P- Phobias or Fears: I don’t really have any but I don’t love spiders
Q- Quote(s): Find joy in your journey
R- Reason To Smile: it’s Spring
S- Season: Summer
T- Tag Five: Anyone who reads and wants to.
U- Unknown Fact About Me: Before I married Brady, my last boyfriend’s name was also Brady
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I am an animal oppressor
W- Worst Habit: falling asleep during movies
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds? Ultrasounds, it is so fun to see your little baby for the first time
Y- Your Favorite Food: right now I am obsessed with Salmon
Z-Zodiac: Cancer

Happy Easter

Our Weekend in a Nutshell

We had a really great Easter weekend! The weather didn't really cooperate but the Easter Bunny still made it. We went to an indoor Easter egg hunt at the YMCA on Saturday morning and even got to meet the Easter Bunny! Caden got a picture with him but Kamrie was terrified so we just got one of her screaming with him in the background. Later that day we colored eggs and decorated cupcakes. The kids loved dying the eggs. Caden was so careful and Kamrie tried to taste all of the cups before she put her eggs in...what can I say the girl loves putting things in her tummy. Sunday the kids got all dressed in their Easter duds for church and then we had a big traditional Easter dinner with our little family. We were sad that we missed the family get togethers but we are making memories with our little family here in Indy. We had a lot of fun and it was great to set a little time aside to reflect on the reason for Easter. We are so lucky that we know of the joy of this season.

The kiddies in their Easter Best. We even got them to pose for this one, I'm not sure that has ever happened before.

Somewhere Between Ambitious and Crazy

So I have been having an internal struggle for a while now and have just come to a decision and was hoping you all could tell me where exactly I fit...am I ambitious or crazy. You see there is a mini-marathon (13.1 miles) here that is part of the festivities for the Indy 500 race and each year some of the dental students run it. When we first moved here I thought they were crazy and then I started thinking maybe they were just ambitious. Well, this year I started to catch the fever! It wasn't quite as bad as it could be as I told myself that I would maybe run it next year since it will be our last year in Indy. However, some of my friends signed up and the fever has gotten worse and worse. Recently I started thinking that maybe I would put an add on Craig's list and try to buy someone's registration since the event sold out in November. The race is getting closer and I considered that I might just be wishing I had signed up just because it is somewhat impossible now. Most people have been training since January and I would be really behind and remember the event is sold out. So I mentioned that I was considering Craig's list to a friend and be careful what you wish for because later that day I got a call from another friend who had signed up saying she had to have surgery and was looking for someone to buy her registration. Now I have to make a real decision. Do I do it now when I have the chance even though I will be behind in my training or do I wait for next year and see if this temporary burst of insanity goes away? I need help...is it ambition I am feeling or just simple craziness. Tell me what you think.

Are We That Original?

I saw this, www.howmanyofme.com, on a friend's blog and thought that it was interesting so I checked it out. I knew Kamrie's name was different but I never would have guessed the results would be quite like this. I guess my little family is quite original. How Many people have your name?

St. Patricks Day

Since my parents had to leave yesterday, we couldn't plan a lot but we still wanted to do something fun. So we decided to make St. Patrick's Day Cookies for the kids to decorate. We had limited time so we didn't actually make the cookies we just bought the dough, rolled it out, and cut it into shapes for them to frost. The cookies didn't turn out great but the kids didn't care one bit. They had a ball, as always, and although the mess wasn't quite the same as the valentine's cupcakes, it was still significant. I think they ate more frosting than they actually put on the cookies!!!

Hard at work

Still working hard...

She decides to taste it...

Then she thinks everyone needs a taste!!!

After the cookie fiasco we took Grandma and Grandpa to the airport. We were all very sad to see them go but we had tons fun with them. We already can't wait until next time.

We also had a Green Dinner last night. I didn't really think of it until the last minute so I just boiled some pasta in green water and colored the Alfredo sauce green. Throw in some broccoli and you have a St. Patrick's Day Feast. Caden thought it was so silly that everything was green and Kamrie apparently didn't know what to think because she absolutely refused to eat which is very out of character for her. After everyone was almost finished she decided to try it and discovered that it wasn't too bad!!!

The Green Dinner

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

We are having such a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. They came to hang out with us while Brady went to Mexico for the week. Time has flown by...we can't believe Brady will be back tonight!!! We are excited to see him and hope he has had as much fun as we have. The week in a quick overview...we had a birthday party for Brady the night Grandpa and Grandma got here, the next day Brady left around 4:30 in the morning for his trip. Saturday we did some shopping and took the kids to Toys R Us to look around. Sunday we baked and just had fun playing together. Monday we went to "Bouncer Town" where the kids thought they were in heaven. They bounced until they were exhausted (I forgot to take my camera so you will have to imagine how fun this was). Tuesday was preschool. Wednesday was a beautiful day so off we went to the zoo. Some of the animals weren't out yet which was a bummer but we still had a ball. It seem like the zoo never gets old. I guess it helps when my dad is there feeding the baboons Cinnamon gum. Thursday was preschool again, the trike-a-thon for Caden and mini-movers class for Kamrie. Friday we went to "Indy Island" a really fun indoor water park, both of my kids are water lovers... they could swim forever and ever!!! (Guess what, forgot my camera again, what a slacker). Today after the kids have a nap we are going to go to "Horton Hears a Who." Caden has never been to a movie theater before so it will be a total treat. He has just, probably within the last year, started watching movies all the way through so I think he will do great. I'm a little less sure about Kamrie, but she deserves a chance right, at least Grandpa thinks so. Now that I am sitting here typing everything it sounds like we have been going non-stop since they got here but I guess that's what we have to do when they only visit once a year...we have to fit it all in somehow. Anyway, it has been great having them. The kids can't get enough and I won't know how to take care of everything by myself once they leave, they are way too good to me.

Hello Betty

So my parents flew in to keep the kids and I company while Brady is in Mexico over Spring Break and besides the fact that we miss Brady like crazy, we are having a ball. The kids love having Gpa & Gma here and I love just having family around. My mom and I love to bake when we get together. So we have made 2 different kinds of cookies in the last 2 days. This makes for a messy kitchen, lots of yummy food, and a happy Gpa. In keeping with one of my dearest friends Lola, I decided to post the recipe and some pictures of the cookies we made today. It was quite a process but they are amazing and are worth every second of the time spent making them. One of my "gym girls" knew just what I needed (or didn't need actually) and spilled the beans with this recipe this morning. They turned out great. Thanks Ashley.

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites)

Cookies

1 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

up to 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it's possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a zip lock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.

(We found that dipping them in chocolate and drizzling it made the chocolate too dominate, so we will probably use milk chocolate next time and not use quite as much.)

Here are a couple of pictures of Sunday's baking session. The kids helped this time and you can see they are definitely made for the kitchen.

She is her mama's girl for sure!!!

Congrats Tanner & Mallory

My sister and her boyfriend finally got engaged! I say "finally" not because I have been stressing over it, but it seems like they have been dating forever and she thought it was going to happen at least a million times before it did. This post is a little overdue since they got engaged at Christmas, but she just posted some engagement photos and I wanted to tell her how excited I am . They look adorable together and they really make each other happy. There isn't a better match out there for her. I wish I could be closer to help with all the pre-wedding drama but I promise I will be there is just enough time to do up your dress. We couldn't be more thrilled for them and can't wait to go to the wedding in June.

Warmth In Indiana

Well, we had a warm day in Indiana yesterday and we took full advantage of it. As soon as we got home from church we quickly ate and then went outside to get some wiggles out. We had a balst and didn't come in until after dark. The wonderful weather yesterday has been followed up by cloudy skies and some rain today so the great Indiana weather was short lived, but I guess we will take what we can get. Here are a few fun pictures of the kids enjoying the day.

Aren't they cute!?! This is why all the crazy stuff is worth it.

Look at that face!!!

The "big boy bike"

Engagement Tag

Our Engagement Story: After Dating at Ricks for about 9 months Brady went to Ohio to install security systems for Apex Alarm and I went home to Idaho for the summer. We left under the title of "friends", although we both knew it was way more. During that summer we talked every single day but I tried dating other people (per Brady's request) while he was gone. As much fun as I had that summer, I just felt that my life was so much more when Brady was around, not thousands of miles away. We finally made it to August still as "friends."

Three weeks before Brady was supposed to come home his sister, Whitnie, randomly showed up on my doorstep. She chatted for bit and then left me with a sealed envelop. I opened it and in her writing was a clue that started a scavenger hunt. I thought, "How sweet Brady had her come do a scavenger hunt for me." So my sisters, my mom, and I jumped in the car and headed to our first destination (no one knew what was going on at this point). We went to a few places around town and finally ended up at the baseball field in my hometown. (baseball was a significant part of our relationship because Brady had played for Ricks the year that we dated, our first kiss was on the baseball field, he first told me he "liked me more than a little bit" on the baseball field, and we went up there often just to talk and get away). I picked up a clue on the pitcher's mound, and then went to get the last one on the bleachers. I picked up the final clue where there was a necklace and a long hand written letter from Brady. Since all the girls were in the car, I decided that I could read it when I got home, so I pick it up and jumped in the car. We drove back to my house which was about a block away from the baseball field. When we got there I was reading the letter and at the end there was a part that I didn't understand. I asked my mom what she thought it meant and she told me to go back to the field, there must be more. Still not sure what to expect at this point, I drove back. As I got close I could see someone standing there on the field...as I got closer I realized it was Brady. I was ecstatic!!! But I still had no idea what was going on. I jumped out of the car and hugged him for what seemed like forever, when I felt him rummaging in his pocket my heart skipped a beat but I still wasn't totally convinced of what was going on. Then he got down on his knee...and the rest is history!!!

We always laugh about it because when I was picking up the clues he was behind the baseball field in the trees watching. I was supposed to stay on the bleachers and read the letter and as I got to the end he was going to come out, but I just picked up the clue and got in the car and left. He wasn't sure what was going on so he just sat there and waited...it's a good thing my mom figured it out and I went back. Thanks mom!

I tag everyone who reads this. It is fun to go back and feel all the excitement again.