Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter. First off it was wonderful because it's celebrating what Jesus Christ did for us. Him suffering the Atonement and ending with the Resurrection so we can all be saved from spiritual and physical death. The greatest gift we could recieve!

Saturday we were supposed to go to a HUGE Easter egg hunt with 40,000 eggs!! But it was rainy so they cancelled :( Luckily our friends invited us for a BBQ and Easter egg hunt at their house which was really fun.

Two of Vinces favorite items. Milk and his tape measurer

Dad and Vince dying eggs

Vince had fun at the hunt and did pretty good. He got about 10 eggs but was more concerned with what was inside, who can blame him!

He loved pushing this tricycle around and around and around

Tom, Yasmin and their dog Sulley came over that afternoon and stayed for Easter Sunday. It was really fun seeing them and being with family. Vince LOVED Sulley. He was a little weary at first and had this really nervous laugh that was so cute, but he warmed up fast.

Fort Lauderdale Temple Trip

This past weekend we had an opportunity to go down to the Ft Lauderdale, FL Temple open house! It was AMAZING!! I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and temples are holy places of worship where we can make covenants with God. They are literally a house of the Lord. If you want more information about temples or my religion go to mormon.org It was such a special experience and could feel the Spirit. Anyone can visit and go to temple open houses. They invite all to come visit and see the outside and inside of the temple before it is dedicated, which is what we did. Temples are so special because inside we can be sealed as families for time and all eternity. Families and marriages can last beyond the grave through certain covenants we make with God. It was so neat to bring Vince to the temple and teach him the beauty and importance of these holy places! :) 

Ryan took Friday off and we left bright and early at 4:30! It took about 10 hours to get down there with stops which wasn't that bad. Vince was seriously an angel the whole trip which made it very enjoyable.

Vince loves trucks and had fun at this stop

We decided to bring the Bumbo for a chair and it worked perfect!! We don't use it at home anymore but it was perfect for the road. He loved his bagel and cream cheese :)

We got to the temple around 3:00. It was beautiful and the grounds were stunning. There's no pictures inside the temple, but I got a lot on the outside.

After the temple we got dinner then went to the beach. It was pretty windy and Vince was tired, so we didn't stay too long. But we got a picture of baby and I. I'm 16 weeks!

The next day we went up to Daytona Beach and met up with my good friend Tami and her husband and daughter. It was so fun!! We seriously had perfect weather. It was sunny, 80s and not too windy!! The water was great and we got to park on the beach. It was great! Vince did not like the ocean but warmed up to playing in the sand and was having a ball running around. It was a really nice beach and even had a little splash park for the kids. 

So as you can see Vince doesn't really have locks of love. His hair is making progress but not enough to protect from the sun. I had a hat for him which stayed on for about 30 seconds then he was done. So I had to put sunscreen on his head! haha It made his hair look super nappy but it worked! :)

After the beach we headed back to Gainesville where Tami lives and stayed the night. Tami's birthday was the next day so we went out to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate. The food was great as usual and the company better :) It was fun talking and catching up that night and the kids had fun playing over the weekend. The next day before church we went to this gator park which was crazy. There were live alligators all over!! We got some good pictures but I made sure to keep Vince and my distance. Ryan was a little more brave but still wasn't too close.

The trees were incredible! 

This was a baby gator!! It was so cute! haha

Of coarse, Ryan had to throw something at the alligator while I'm yelling in the background, haha

When we were heading back there was a teenage alligator (haha it wasn't full grown but bigger than the baby) just walking along the trail!

We had a great weekend!!

4 Years and Going Strong

We just celebrated our 4th anniversary!! Woohoo! Wow 4 years has really gone by fast but it's been fantastic!! Ryan is such a wonderful husband and father and I'm so grateful we are sealed as a family for time and all eternity! Nothing can compare. :) He truly is my best friend and so perfect for me, it's great!

I can never disclude Mr Vince. Just look how happy he is!

Cabbage Patch Stew

                           

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hearty-cabbage-patch-stew

Cabbage Patch Stew

I'm really not good at taking pictures of food and I know my picture would not give it justice. So I found this from taste of home but the recipe is mine, well actually my grandmas :)

I'm a soup person, I love soup and making soups. I have like 6 different soups I'll rotate making and always open for more, but this is my favorite. I love it because it's healthy, hearty and tastes amazing!! It's super easy to make and makes a ton so we always have left overs. I made this for dinner tonight and really felt like I should share it with everyone.

Ingredients

1 large onion

1 lb ground beef

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 cups water

2 cans kidney beans

2 tbsp sugar

2 cans tomatoes

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Brown onion and ground beef

2. Add the rest of ingredients and simmer for 30 min

That's it! Super easy and super good!!

Side note: I usually add more cabbage, like 4 cups and therefore more water and more spices to taste just so it lasts longer, but the original recipe it great. That's what I love about soups, you can add and change things and it's usually no big deal. :)