Valley of Fire

Friday morning we packed up and headed out on a little camping trip to Valley of Fire. We got there around 12:00 and took the kids over to the visitor’s center, which was pretty neat, and then we ate lunch and went on a short hike. Later in the day several more family and friends joined us. We climbed on lots of rocks, played lots of games, and enjoyed watching our kids play with their cousins and friends. Shortly after dinner and Smores by the campfire the kids were BEGGING to go to bed. We tucked them in and Jason & I enjoyed visiting around the fire together. Saturday morning we woke up, had breakfast, and let the kids play until late morning then we headed back to town, showered and made Jaden's 1:00 game. I felt bad having to make the kids go home so early Saturday and they were pretty bummed too have had to. We all enjoyed the gorgeous weather and just a real nice, short little campout. Let the camping season begin!


Click to see pictures from our trip

Valley of Fire March 08'

Noel Salsa

One evening a few summers ago our friends Greg & Noel Trapnell came over for a little BBQ and brought “THE BEST” salsa/guacamole/chip dip whatever you want to call it, and we have been addicted to it ever since. They did not have a name for it, so Jason made one up, “Noel Salsa”, how clever is he? But regardless of what kind of dip it is or the name in which to call it, it is defiantly worth sharing.

You can alter this to your liking, but this is what we do.

5 Avocadoes chopped

3 Tomatoes chopped

1 bunch green onion chopped

1/2 bunch Cilantro chopped

1 can Black Beans rinsed

1 can Shoepeg Corn drained

12 oz. bottle Zesty Italian dressing

Mix it all together, and eat with tortilla chips.

Store in the fridge. I have never had a problem with the avocados turning brown. I think something in the dressing must keep them green.

Pretzel Houses

I am not sure where I got the name for these yummy little treats as I have heard them called many other names, but for The Mohler Household we refer to them as "Pretzel Houses". These little yummies are ones we made during the Valentine's but you can change them up to fit the current holiday. They are a fun treat that the kids can do (except for the oven part). All you do is place a Hershey Hug on top of a square pretzel. You can also use Rolos (Jason's favorite rendition) with or without a Pecan, or whatever you are feelin. You put them in the oven at 100 degrees or whatever the lowest temperature your oven has, and let them sit for about 5 minutes until the chocolate is soft and starting to melt a bit. Right when they come out of the oven you drop 2 M&Ms on them and let them set. I like to put them in the fridge so that they set up a bit faster. Then store them in a ziplock. Also they are REALLY cute in a cellophane bag tied with a bow to give away.

Tagged by Debbi

What is the best thing you cooked last weekend?
I didn’t really have to COOK it, but my favorite thing of the week was all the fresh orange juice we squeezed. Does that count?

If time, money, and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?
I would travel with Jason, and with my kids! I would love to just travel the Good 'OL U.S.A. After traveling to other countries I have decided that I am not a big fan of leaving the U.S. There are so many places to visit here, why leave?

When was the last time you cried?
I cry easily, the last time was Tuesday while watching “The Biggest Loser”, I feel bad for them when they get kicked off, some of them REALLY need to be there.

List 5 things you were doing 10 years ago. 1998
Graduating High School
Moving into my own apartment (so dumb, I should have stayed at home and saved my money)
Working at Hot Dog on a Stick!
Waiting for Jason to get home from his mission (he went to Leeds, England)
Getting Married (10 year anniversary this November)


List 5 things you were doing 5 years ago. 2003
Graduating College (well Jason was…Bachelors in Accounting)Completing Flight School (again that was Jason)
Working at Citi Bank (that one was me)
Being a mom to 3 year old Jaden and baby Macy
Beehive Advisor in Young Women’s

List 5 things you were doing 1 year ago. 2007
Going literally insane with two 2-year-olds
Looking for a bigger house
Serving in Cub Scouts
Chauffeuring my kids to school, soccer, gymnastics, and friends houses
Trying to get it all together (closer, but still hasn’t happened)

List 7 of your favorite hobbies.
Dates with my husband (every Friday night)
Reading
Chatting on the phone to my sister (is that a hobby?)
Crafting in some form or another
Decorating my house, or planning what I would LIKE to do.
Taking pictures of my kiddos and playing with them in Photoshop
Being with my family


Name 5 of your favorite foods.
Ice Cream
Chips and Salsa
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade Bread
Smoothies
(No wonder I look like I do, huh)

Name 5 place you have been.
Italy
France
Spain
Croatia
Bahamas

List 5 of your favorite memories.
Giving birth to each of my kids (I think it is so fascinating)
Every vacation ALONE with my husband
Giving my dad his 50th birthday present
All the times I hang out with my sister
Settler Nights with the Trapnells


Tag 4 people.
Kimberly
Andrea
Erin
Noel

Perfect Weather

The weather this past week has been gourgous here is in good 'ol Las Vegas. The perfect kind for the park, riding bikes, taking a walk, and for Jason the perfect dirt bike weather. We tried to take advantage of it all week.

We brought the camera along and this is what we captured...

The Chocolate Factory

Lately the kids have really been into the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” especially Troy because the LOVES candy. During his birthday & the Christmas season whenever I would talk with him about what he wanted for his presents his answer every time was CANDY! And thankfully enough Aunt Mindie came through for him in that department, and his candy was defiantly his favorite present. (There was one time however that his answer was not candy. I had given the kids the store advertisements that come in the mail to look through and circle toys they wanted for Christmas. The only thing Troy came back with was the Blue Light bulb Guy from the K-mart ad. I tried to explain to him that the Blue Light Bulb was not for sale.) Anyhow, I remember going to Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory when I was a kid and I loved it. Mostly picking out a free chocolate at the end, but I did also enjoy watching all the machines at work making the chocolate. So I thought it would be a great idea to take my kids since they are so into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Min and her kids also came along. Well my plans to score some extra points with my kids by taking them to the Chocolate Factory didn’t quite pan out as I had envisioned, since there were NO Umpalompa’s, NO Chocolate River, and NO room filled with candy for them to run around and eat all the candy they want. The factory was not even running. There was just a video playing, which so did not interest the kids. So as we were walking along we were getting them all excited about the free chocolate THEY would get to pick at the end, Umm no. No longer do you get to pick out a chocolate from behind the glass case filled with every kind of chocolate. A lady standing at the end passed out The Chocolate of the Day. Which was all still nice, I’m not complaining. It just was a far cry from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in my kid’s book. I should have known better. They probably would have loved it had we went before ever watching “Charlie”. We still tried to make the best of our day with a little stroll through the Cactus Garden, and a trip to the park!

What happens when you DON'T wear your mouthpiece to football practice?

Apparently this...

Pick'n Oranges

Each month in the Mohler Family we get together and celebrate who's ever birthdays are that month. We usually go to Grandma & Grandpa's house for dinner, cake and ice cream, but occasionally we will do something different. This month the family decided to all travel to Jon & Debbie’s (Jason's sister) house in Mesa, Arizona who have some 20 plus orange trees for an "Orange Picking Party". Well Jason & Stephen do their flight training on the weekends so they took this as an opportunity to fly down and pick some oranges. Jason decided to take Jaden & Troy and they made a little "Boys Trip" out of it, while me and the girls had a "Girls Day" with Mindie, Courtnie and my Mom. Here are a few pictures courtesy of Jason.



On their way...

Back on the ground...

JADEN...

and TROY.

They picked and picked, and played and played. They also brought us back ALOT of oranges that we have enjoyed squeezing for breakfast each morning this week. YUM YUM!

Scrapfest

I know that this post is like so last month, but I have never claimed to be a current blogger and I tend to post things according to the mood I am in, and not necessarily chronological order. This little retreat was last month and it was so fun and I wanted to share even though it is late. The last 2 years my friend Sarah Barlow has organized a getaway for women only called SCRAPFEST. It is a weekend in St. George dedicated to scrapbooking, shopping, eating out, visiting, staying up all night, sleeping in, working on any unfinished projects, or doing whatever your heart may desire which might include just doing nothing. Everyone pitches in a small fee and we rent out the conference center at the Holiday Inn, which is also the hotel, were we all stay. The conference room is just lined with tables for all your project working needs and you just come and go as you please. This year 76 ladies attended. I traveled down with my mom and sister and then we met up with my mom’s sister Annette and my cousin Kimberly who came from Salt Lake. I made some 60 plus hair bows for my girls and a few other people while my mom, sister, aunt & cousin scrapbooked away. Min and me spent most of Friday shopping all the Great stores that St. George has to offer that Vegas does not like Roberts & Tai Pan, and also visiting several stores we Do have in Vegas but don’t get many chances to go to without kids. We ate at the St. George Restaurants we love like The Pizza Factory & Iceberg (for their yummy milkshakes) and just enjoyed eating without having to cook, clean up, or cut-up any ones food. The laughed hard and just enjoyed being girls together. My calendar is already marked for SCRAPFEST 09 and I am defiantly looking forward to it.

P.S. a BIG thank-you to my Wonderful husband who played Mr. Mom all weekend so that I could go. He even got all the kids ready by himself and went to church on Sunday and they got there on time proving that it IS me who makes us late week after week. Also he and the kids had the house cleaned spick-and-span from top to bottom for me when I arrived home. Thank-you so Much. I LOVE YOU!!

Daddy's Girl

Macy is defiantly Daddy's Little Girl. She LOVES him. She love to hug & kiss him, look out the window for him, call him, color pictures for him, she will even tell me that I need to find someone else to marry because she is going to marry Dad. ect. ect. ect. But one of the funny things she loves to do is watch him Shave. Jason usually gets up around 1:45 a.m. To get to work by 3 a.m., well on any given morning you can usually catch Macy on the bathroom counter just gazing at him shaving. And this is the Same Macy who would love to sleep till noon. I don't even know how she wakes up for this, but she does. Sometimes I will over hear her saying things to him like, "next you need the stuff in the gray bottle", "Look all your whiskers are sticking to the sides of the sink, Again." Then, after the big event is over, she loves to feel how soft his face is, and then she is zonked out again.

Valentine Getaway

One of the many reasons I love my hunny so much, is because he knows just the way to my heart, "a weekend away from the kids". I DO love my kids tremendously, but for me there is something so nice about a short weekend away that totally rejuvenates me. So for Valentines Jason and his brother Stephen planned a little Valentine Getaway for Kellie & I. We dropped the kids off at Joe & Leslie’s and the boys flew us down to San Diego. We just had a great time eating out, getting ice cream, walking on the beach, shopping at IKEA, and visiting with Stephen & Kellie. It was a short but VERY sweet weekend.

Mud Puddles

This is a recipe that I got from my friend Debbi years ago, and it has been one of our favorite treats ever since. It is really easy, fast, and oh so yummy!

All you do is fill a greased (I like to use the mini muffin liners) mini muffin pan with small scoops of Refrigerated Cookie Dough and bake for 9 minutes at 350. Right when they come out of the oven you press a Miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup into the center and let them cool. And there you have it, a Mud Puddle.

P.S. I like to keep them in the fridge.

EEWWW

For anyone just looking to be just a little grossed out, here is a picture that Jason took of Sally just finishing up her dinner.

Mr. Appleseed

Today Jaden's 2nd grade class put on a short play of "Johnny Apple seed", in their classroom. Jaden was an Indian named Young Wolf. He did a great job memorizing his lines. The class all worked together to make the costumes and background. I was so impressed at how well all the kids did memorizing their parts, and for Mrs. Akers having the enthusiasm to help them put all of it together. She is such an AWSOME teacher. Good job Jaden!

I looked out the window and what did I see?

A Heart Attack! The girls in my Mia Maids class Heart Attacked us last night. My kids thought it was SO cool. Macy kept saying, "Cupid came, it's Valentines." They are such sweet, good girls. I really enjoy being apart of the Young Women's Program. Thanks Girls!

Our 2007

Although we are already 37 days into 2008, I thought it was better late than never to share a glimpse into our 2007.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Where were we during October and November

Since I didn't post most of October and November I thought I would give a recap of those missing months.

October was the annual Boys and Jill Deer Hunt. Each year my dad takes all the boys and Jill somewhere in Northern Nevada for a weekend of camping and deer hunting. They came home deerless but had a great time just hangin with the boys doin there boy thing.

So while the boys were away the girls did play. Me and my sister had sleepovers together with our girls. We did a little beauty parlor night with our little girls, which my mom, my Aunt Annette, and sister-in-law Wendy joined us for. We took them out to dinner, and made them some new hair bows, and ate lots and lots of treats.

Next was Jaden's 8th birthday. I can't believe it has been 8 years since he joined our family. For his party he took 2 of his cousins bowling, and to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. Along with turning 8 comes getting baptized. I was very proud of Jaden for wanting to get baptized. I believe that he really really understood what he was doing. I have always been impressed with the giant testimony that Jaden has.

One of the very bitter sweet days in October was when my Grandma passed away. She had been sick for awhile and was ready to go. She had been asking my grandpa if it was OK if she went. So my grandpa gave her a priesthood blessing and told Heavenly Father that if he was ready for her to come home than he could take her. A few moments later she very peacefully left to join her parents, 13 siblings and 2 of her own children. I am going to miss her but am especially grateful for my knowledge of Heavenly Fathers plan. Me, Mindie, Kirk, Jill and my Dad travel to Utah together for the funeral and really enjoyed some time with Grandpa.

Just before Halloween we celebrated Jason's 31st birthday. We went out to our favorite restaurant Carraba's and also caught a movie. I guess that is all you do when your getting old.

Halloween. That just seems like forever ago. We celebrated the holiday by attending a ward truck-or-treat a few days before, then on Halloween we went to Tyler and Sarah Barlow's for a chili cook off and trick-or-treating. I got the biggest kick out of Troy as he darted from house to house almost knocking the people over as they answered their door and he charged INSIDE. He wanted to see every one's Halloween decorations inside their house and carried on 2 minute conversations with any stranger who would listen.

November began with Macy's 5th Birthday. All she wanted to do to celebrate her special day was go to Krispy Kreams. Since she doesn't have any friends yet, we had to rely on family to come celebrate with us so she would feel like she had a real party. And for her very special present from her dad she got her very own SNAKE. Yes that make 3 snakes for us. "Tinkerbell" is her name. She is florescent green, I guess that is why Macy named her Tink.

Why oh Why?

On the very exact day of Macy's birthday is mine and Jason's anniversary. This year we celebrated 9 years. And actually we were married on the exact day of our 5 year anniversary from the day we first kissed. Didn't you just love those days were you counted everything? Maybe we were the only nerds. So technical I have been kissing that boy for 14 years.

4 days after that our family along with the whole Mohler clan went on the Disney Cruise for the week of Thanksgiving. We spent 7 nights cruising the Caribbean Disney style. This trip deserves it's own blog so for now I will leave you with a picture of all 64 of us.

And last but not least for November was the ending of soccer season. Jaden has really enjoyed playing on his new team. This year he played up a level with the 9-10 year olds. I was a little worried about that, but the boy can totally hang with the big boys. His athletic ability definitely doesn't come from me. His team played in the end of the season Tournament and made it to the Championship. The Championship game was supposed to be on a Friday night, but got rained out and was rescheduled for Sunday. Jaden's team forfeited to keep the sabbath day holy, and once again I was so impressed with his attitude to Choose the Right!

Double the Trouble

For all of you who have ever wondered what it would be like to have two mischievous 3 years olds, and if they really would be double the trouble, then here is a picture for you.

Tagged by Debbi

6 interesting things about me................


1. I am very much a HomeBody. I love to just be at home. I can stay at home for days and days and never leave, or even go outside. To bad for me that my kids do have to go to school, and we do need groceries periodically, but if I could I would stay at home most of the time.


2. I have STUFF issues. I just don't like a lot of stuff around me. I don't like tons of decorations, I don't let my kids have more than 1 box each of toys, I don't collect anything, I throw away all paper except for the very very very important ones if I can't get the information online. I just don't like STUFF.


3. I am scared of the dark!! I always have been. Even know I sleep with a night light. I am just very scared of not being able to see what is around me. I also am scared of the water like in the Lake or Ocean if I can't see all the way to the bottom.


4. I have always wanted to live in a tiny town out in the country somewhere and have a house with a picket fence, and a huge garden, and just have everything quiet and peaceful around me. You know the "simple life".


5. I like the food I eat to be dry. I hate mayo, mustard, ketchup, and most sauces.

6. And for the last one I will end on a positive note. I have always wanted to be married and have kids. Ever since I can remember that is all I ever wanted to do with my life. I have never had the desire to go to college or do anything but be a good wife and mommy.

Family Photo Shoot

Here is just a peek at our Family Pictures we took last week.