Hogle Zoo

Today was free day at Hogle Zoo, so the kids and I decided to brave the crowds and hit it. We all have colds so I was worried about the weather, but it turned out to be a really warm day...and the crowds weren't too bad! We met my sister, Natalie, and nephew, Drew, there and had a ball!

Natalie & Drew

Jack & Drew walked around the zoo doing this the whole time. It was really cute.

2/17-23/2008 Wyoming

My Mom occasionally gets to work in a visit with my sister, Bri, and her family on her business trips to Wyoming and Montana. This time, Halle and I tagged along for the fun while Dusty and Jack had a week at home together. Dusty had time off to burn and was planning a fun week with Jack, but unfortunately, Jack was sick most of the time :(. Bummer.

Heath & Bri live near Cody, WY with their two boys, which is about an 8 hour drive from where we live. Our first stop was in Lander, WY where my Mom treated Hal and I to a fun dinner at Tony's Pizza (which we just happened to find when cruising the streets). I gave it 4 stars! It was honestly a gem of a restaurant-especially in such a small town. I had the fettuccini alfredo and a pomegranate italian soda. My Mom had a panini that looked amazing as well. Their salads rocked too! I'm in love. By the way, my dinner was only $9.95! How great is that!?!

Here's Breckin, Halpal & Brighton on their first day together...enjoying some snacks on the kitchen floor. They all had to have their own baggies so they wouldn't fight. Halle & Bright are only 6 days apart so it was funny to watch them play. Anytime Bright had a toy Halle wanted she'd say, "Share Share" as if she was begging him (or us). But if she had something he wanted, she'd just run! And she LOVED Breckin. She followed him around all week.

Three piggies in a tub

Aunt Bri's the coolest! She let me take a nap on the couch whilst she entertained the kids with suckers. She even brought me one when I woke up! What a great hostess.

I picked this outfit out for Breckin cause I thought he looked hip in it. He let me dress him and do his hair and followed me around all day. He liked Aunt Monika so much that when Bri went to wipe his bum after he did his duty he said, "No! I want Aunt Monika to do it!" Oddly, I felt so loved.
One night my Mom took us all out to The Rib & Chop House in Cody. Here's Hal enjoying the ranch. It WAS good ranch. All she wanted to do was "dip".

Aunt Bri working the curling iron.

Sassy Halle

Breckin wanted a Bob the Builder cake for his birthday so I gave it my best shot. He LOVED it. I have never had a kid enjoy watching me make his cake so much or give me the reaction he did when he saw the finished product. It was great. And I have to thank my Mom for mixing most of the colors for me, making parchment bags, and doing the blue shell border. I'm not so great at borders.

And of course, the toy I let him pick out at Wal*Mart was his favorite. He just loves anything that "tows", cause that's what his Daddy does at work.

Here's Bri being a good Mom and letting the kids make a mess with Breckin's birthday play doh set.

And the three angels amazingly enjoying my Arroz con Camerones dish I made Sunday night. Actually, I think they were just having fun sitting at Breckin's new table.

We had a great trip. Very relaxing; I read two whole Ensigns while I was there. This is my favorite view on the way home. It's just as you go up South Pass after leaving Lander. It's so beautiful in the Spring, but this pic is pretty good too. The End.

One Word

1. Where is your cell phone? Couch
2. Your significant other? Sick
3. Your hair? Ponytail
4. Your mother? Close
5. Your father? Sweet
6. Your favorite T.V. show? Smallville
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your favorite drink? Margarita
9. Your dream/goal? Exaltation
10. What room you are in? Living
11. Your hobby? Blogging
12. Your fear? Armageddon
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Debtfree
14. Where were you last night? Reading
15. Something you aren't? Athletic
16. Muffins? Mmm
17. Wish list item? Cruise
18. Where you grew up? Stix
19. Last thing you did? Facebook
20. What are you wearing? PJs
21. Your TV? Free
22. Your pets? Bleck
23. Friends? Lots
24. Your life? Satisfying
25. Your mood? Congenial
26. Missing someone? Nope
27. Car? New
28. Something you're not wearing? Earrings
29. Your favorite store? Changes
30. Your favorite color? Orange
33. When is the last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Awhile
35. One place I go to over and over? Albertsons
36. One person who emails me regularly? Marie
37. My favorite place to eat? Casa de Bandini (had to break the rule on that one!)

Dance Party

So we've been having dance parties in the evenings at our house lately. The kids love it, Dusty and I enjoy being nerds, and it's a great workout. Here are some videos of our fun; I especially love Dusty doing his 'Dan in Real Life' moves. There are many worse clips I am not posting, and have deleted to ensure that no one ever posts them...anywhere. Stay out of the recycle bin, Dud!

Arroz con Camarones

For those of you who love Cafe Sabor in Logan, here's an exact replica of their Camarones Mexicanos - prawns sauted in a zesty red sauce with mushrooms, onions, and green peppers. Served over rice with melted asadero cheese. I love this dish and eat it at every Mexican restuarant at which it can be found. I crave it. I finally decided to try making it on my own and was shocked that it tasted exactly the same as Cafe Sabor's while I just guessed at the recipe. So here it is:

Arroz con Camarones (serves 4-6)

1 lb. shrimp (I used 51-60 ct. frozen, peeled & deveined)

2 T. butter

3 T. garlic, chopped (this is important)

1 large onion, large diced

1 green pepper, large diced

1 pkg. mushrooms, thick sliced

1 avocado, large diced

1 tomato, large diced

1 small can tomato sauce

8 oz. fiesta or mexican blend grated cheese

Spanish Rice

Prepare everything in advance, so you can throw it all in at the right time to avoid over cooking. Saute butter and garlic, add the shrimp. Saute until heated through, or until pink if using fresh. (I used quite a bit of fresh ground sea salt on the shrimp as well.) Remove shrimp from the pan (but make sure to keep your garlic/butter mixture in the pan - don't dump it). Add the onion, peppers and mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 minutes until barely tender. Add the tomato sauce and put the shrimp back in the pan. Cook for 1-2 more minutes. At this point you can stir in the tomatoes & avocadoes, or serve them on the side. Sprinkle cheese over top of the skillet and cover with a lid to melt. Serve immediately over rice.

For the rice, I just used Rice-a-Roni's new whole grain blends...Spanish Rice. It was tasty, and I got it on sale.

http://cafesabor.com/