Sawyer Brown concert

My friend Amy was able to get some passes to see Sawyer Brown at a private concert. I've never seen them before so it was pretty fun.

 As the sun was going down it really showed the smoke in the air from all the wild fires in the area. It kinda looked cool though.

The Living Planet Aquarium

We went to the Living Planet Aquarium this week and it was so fun. I had no idea this was even here. They had sea otters, penguins, an anaconda, sting ray, sharks, an octopus and so much more. I thought I had taken more pictures but I guess not, so here is what I did get.

Sea horses

 Jelly fish

 Puffy spikey fish

 Nemo and Dori

 Hailey and Aiden watching the shark go by.

 Me and the kiddies.

Birthday Weekend

For my BIG 30 birthday I really wanted to do something fun, so I didn't dwell on my age, so a friend of mine, Jenn, offered we go to Disneyland and the beach for the weekend. I was SO excited. So we did and here are the pictures of our adventures!

We went to California Pizza Kitchen the first night we got to California. Jenn told the waiter we were celebrating my birthday so he brought me some ice cream and let me blow out a candle. It was pretty fun.

These were all of our treats we brought for the trip and for Disneyland. I set it up like a store and we had to take a picture.

 We got our tickets! We got there right when they opened at 8am. We were determined to get everything done in both parks in one day.

 I got my "Happy Birthday" pin and wore it proudly. I loved that everyone wished me happy birthday. I felt so special!

 I did it. I rode the Tower of Terror! I was terrified to ride it but it actually wasn't too bad, almost fun...

 How cute is Mr. Potato Head??

 We rocked the 3D glasses.

 Dole Whip Float. DELICIOUS! Dole Whip is a pineapple soft serve ice cream and to make the "float" part they used fresh pineapple juice. It was incredible.

 Cars Land had just opened the week before we went so we knew it was going to be busy but we had no idea! When we bought our tickets the lady advised us to go get our fast passes first thing because they go pretty quick. When we got there the line was wrapped half way around California Adventures. We were able to get our fast passes but we couldn't ride it until 4-5 pm and by 9:30 am they were all out of passes. So we went and did a bunch of other things before we came to Cars Land to explore. It was so dang cute! Both Lightning McQueen and Mater were out riding around talking to kids and posing for pictures. Everything looked so authentic and the Radiator Racers ride was so fun. I can't wait to go back and take Hailey and Aiden, they're gonna just die!

 We also got to watch the World of Color. That was awesome. It's like the fountains at Belagio (in Vegas) on steroids! If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend seeing it. It was magical!

 While we were waiting to watch the show we got caramel apples from a little candy shop. We actually didn't eat them until the next day but they were delicious! Mine had Reese's cups all over it and Jenn's was caramel apple pie. They were so cute!

 We went to Huntington Beach the next day. It was a little chilly but it was still pretty fun! The water was VERY cold so we didn't do much but wade in the water.

 We went to a little Italian place called Tutta Fresco. I wish they had one of these places out here because it was so good, and pretty inexpensive.

They had sweet potato fries there too. I LOVE SWEET POTATO FRIES! I was very excited.

 They brought out these little cake bites with a candle and sang to me. So fun! The cake bites were so good too. Carrot cake and chocolate. Mmmm....

 Back at the hotel we decided to watch Hairspray and eat more snacks. Those beds were SO comfy!

 On our way home we stopped for lunch in St. George and I just HAD to go to Capriotti's and have a Bobbie (PTN on a hoagie) Turkey, cranberry and stuffing all on a hoagie. I had to get a huge one so I could take leftovers home. I love this place! I had so much fun on our little trip!

BEST CHICKEN EVER!!

I just want to say that the recipe I posted a few posts ago for the Rosemary Ranch Chicken really is AWESOME!! We've made it 4 or 5 times in the last few weeks and each time I think I make enough to have leftovers but each time every last morsel gets eaten. So delicious! If you like chicken, even if you don't.... you'll love this!

Baby Sitter

I was baby sitting the kids the other day and while I was cleaning the kitchen I put on a Thomas the Train movie and thought that would keep them content for a few minutes. After about 10 minutes I realized they were both being SO quiet. They must be getting in trouble! This is what I found when I went to check on them.b

All three of them were just snuggling together on the chair. Aiden LOVED that Dexter was laying with him and he told me "Dexter loves me!" The funny thing is they stayed like that for almost 45 minutes. I got bored and had to pull out a word search. Next time, we'll just have the dog sit. Obviously it's more fun than me!

New Recipes

Tonight I tried a couple new recipes that were FANTASTIC!! I got the recipes from one of my favorite food blogs www.whatsonmymenu.blogspot.com/.

** The comments are from her blog but I agree 100%. **

Easy Cheesy Alfredo

I really, really love pasta in creamy sauces. I thought this was a great lower fat option with tons of flavor (plus I could use gluten free noodles for me!). And like I mentioned before, that Rosemary Ranch Chicken that The Recipe Club suggested putting on top was seriuosly divine. I mixed steamed broccoli in with it all and LOVED it!

Ingredients:
1- 8 oz. package cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat kind)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup margarine (I used 4 T)
1/2 cup milk (I used 1% and added some extra to thin out the sauce a bit at the end)
8 oz. fettuccini noodles, cooked & drained (I used gluten-free spaghetti noodles)
fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:
In a large sauce pan stir together cream cheese, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, margarine & milk over medium heat until smooth. Pour over noodles & top with the rest of the parmesan cheese
**Top with Rosemary Ranch Chicken!!!**

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

I made this chicken to go with the alfredo we had last night, but the chicken itself was sooo good I thought it deserved it's own post because we will definitely be making this on its own in the future. I found it on The Recipe Club and we all absolutely loved the unique flavor of the marinade...seriously delicious!!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup good ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar
4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix all top ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until sugar is disolved. Place chicken in a gallon size Ziplock bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Squish bag around until all chicken in coated. Refrigerate until ready to use at least 30 minutes, preferably a few hours or overnight (I only had time to let it marinade 1 hour). Grill on the BBQ or in the oven on broil. (I used a grill pan)

They were just so good I had to share!

Spring Weather

Since it was feeling a bit like spring today we, along with the rest of the county, decided to go out and have a picnic and play. I thought it would be a great day to take some pictures of the kiddos, just for fun. This is what we got. Hailey was being silly and didn't want to pose but Aiden made up for it in spades and was SO handsome!! Enjoy!