The Backus Bunch

Wesley & Waylon 1yr Birthday

2011-08-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Wesley and Waylons 1 Year Birthday May 31st 2011. I cant believe how fast the time has flown by. We had cake and ice cream at Grandma Linda's House. Thanks to everyone for all the cute clothes, toys, diapers,etc. I am so grateful to have such handsome healthy boys! I have so much fun being your mom and I love you sooooo much!

Waylon with his dump truck he got for his birthday

Wesley with his tractor he got for his birthday

I had fun making the cakes. For the football I used two heart shaped cake pans and cupcakes made mini soccor, basketball, and tennis ball shapes.

The best part!

Feb-May 2011

2011-07-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

The babes in their new stroller. We have a park around the corner of our house and often go for walks around the block. The babies love it and usually end up falling asleep.

So this is a meal that Mike suprised me with when I got home from work. These are recipies he decided to try out of Taste of Home. Above is chicken crepes .

This is potato salad. It was really yummy. Some of the ingredients were smoked paprika

(Yum), Cilantro, corn, peppers. It had a really yummy flavor!

for dessert was lemon cheese cake. Mike was nervous because it expanded really large in the oven and he thought he had ruined it. It came out with some cracks but tasted really good!Thanks hun. I hope you know how much I appreciate all you do. You are such a great husband to me and father to our kids.

waylon trying some mac and cheese for the first time. Yum!

Its hard to be in a bad mood for any length of time at our house because we have this really giggly baby named Walon Backus. He is about the most happy baby I have ever seen. It doesn't take much for him to start laughing and having the rest of us laughing along with him. I love you my happy baby Waylon!

Keylee is my sweet little helper girl. She loves first grade and is always ready and dressed in the morning , especially if it is Friday (red/black shirt day). She loves to draw pictures and tell stories. She loves kiwi fruit because it is bright green, yummy, and sounds like her name. When it is time to clean the kitchen her favorite chore is to mop the floors. She is my angel and I just can't believe how fast the time is going. I love you my key

Valentines dinner Grandma Linda's . This is Wesley taking a nap. He is the best little sleeper I have ever seen. He goes to bed at 8:00 on the dot and wont miss a nap as you can see. It doesn't matter what chatter or noise is going on around him he will sleep through anyting! I love you my sweet Wesley!

Valentines dinner

valentines dinner

Jan-March 2011

2011-07-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

lets wrestle!

Wesley all smiles as he learns to stand while holding on to the furniture all by himself

Wesley loves his walker chair. If I open up the dish washer or cabinents in the kitchen he pushes with both feet at the same time and gets there in a flash to see what is inside.

This is Waylon practicing sitting up. As you can see he is a little heavy on the top as he tries so hard to hold himself up.

time for lunch

getting ready to take sister to school

sister let me hold her baby

say cheese!

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

2011-06-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

Bathtime is definately one of my most favorite times of the day. The babes are between 8-10months old in these pics. When I first started bathing them in the sink they were just learning how to hold there balnace up and wound slip and slide. In one pic you can see that Waylon didn't care to much for his bath the first time he got in. Now they love their bath and splash their mom all over the place. I sure love you guys and have so much fun being your mom!

Valentines 2011

2011-06-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Keylee all ready to go to dinner

I tried a new cookie recipe this year. It tasted more like a butter cookie than a sugar cookie. I used cute heart cookie cutters my mom gave me for christmas. I cut out a small heart in the center and made cinnamon candy to fill the center. It was fun to try something different.

Mike suprised me at work with these pretty flowers and cute stuffed bear. Thanks hun.

Christmas and New Years Eve 2010

2011-06-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

So I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. So now I get to play catch-up. This is a pic of Keylee having New Years dinner. One of her favorites, shrimp and french bread sandwhich with pinacolada.

Dad Giving Waylon a taste. He doesn't seem that impressed.

Two giggly babies on the chair

Wesley loves his rocker chair

Our new dog Ginger.

Getting ready to go to the Sherratt Christmas party.

Grandma Sherratt holding Wesley

Aunt Bun Holding Waylon

Grandma Sherratt and Marissa Holding the twins

Aunt Valynn Holding Waylon

Cookies and Milk for Santa

Waylon Trying some Christmas drink. For dinner We had chicken marsala with rice and veggies. For appetizer we had my grandma baldwins bacon wrapped chesnuts.

After dinner We read the christmas story while the kids created a manger scene. Wesley was Joseph.Keylee, mary and Waylon was baby Jesus.

After the christmas story we each opened one gift under the christmas tree. Keylee was waiting all day for this part. She was so excited to get new PJ's and a movie from her cousin Brin.

Santa Came. yeah!!!

Dress Up

2010-12-19T16:49:00.001-08:00

Keylee decided to have some fun the other day and dress her little brothers up like little sisters! As you can see Waylon is just happy to be hanging out with his big sister and had the time of his life. We were all laughing out heads off.

Wesley is not so sure he wants his picture taken.

and finally keylee had to get a pic of the boys with her dolls. They sure have fun with their big sister.

Anniversary

2010-12-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

Mike and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary on December 8th. It was also 12 years ago December 11th that we went on our first date. I can't believe how fast time has gone and how much I love my sweet heart still. He gave me a card that is cute that I would like to share;
What is Marriage?
Its vacuuming carpets and hammering nails.
Its saving a dollar by shopping at sales.
Its balancing checkbooks and paying off bills.
Its cleaning the windows and mopping up spills.
Its doing the laundry and matching up socks.
Its a washer that dies when the car needs new shocks.
Its two busy schedules, but one happy life,
With each moment you share as husband and wife!
Happy Anniversary!
I thought this card was right on. I feel like the luckiest woman alive to have such a hard working, kind, helpful, wonderful, honest, handsome husband. I love him and our children so much and can't imagine my life with out them.

Since our Anniversary is during such a busy time of the year, I usually just make a special dinner and we celebrate at home. Mike was working on the house and I was home with the Kids. Keylee helped me make a wedding cake with our Original cake topper. While I was looking for the cake topper in my cedar chest I found some pictures I hadn't seen in a while of when Mike and I were dating so keylee also helped me set those out. Mike and I had fun reminicing and Keylee had fun asking us about all the dates and dances we went to together. It was a fun night.

Mike's Graduation Dance

other photos

Time to get out the Christmas Stuff

2010-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

So it is Thanksgiving weekend and me and Keylee have been busy putting up the christmas tree and getting the house ready for christmas. Keylee was in charge of decorating the tree and the house while I made turkey dinner so we could have leftovers for the weekend. I have to say she did a pretty good job since I was between the kitchen and helping babies most of the day. Keylee was sooo cute last night she told be about a million times "Mom, I just had the best day today"! It was fun to get the christmas stuff out and get into the spirit of the season. Today we finished things up by decorating a gingerbread house together. I bought a kit from Cost-co and I think it turned out pretty cute. So much easier to buy the house already put together with the candy and icing. I will be doing this activity again! What a fun weekend we've had!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T14:53:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we went to Kingston to Grandma Irva's where my dad grew up. We had a yummy dinner at the town hall. It was fun to see all the cousins, aunts and uncles, etc. As a kid Thanksgiving was and still is one of my favorite holidays. I have so many fun memories of Thanksgiving at grandma Irva's, getting stuffed with dinner, and hiking it off on the rocky hill behind her house or going for walks around the farm. I have so much to be grateful for this year. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband, children and extended family. I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Halloween was lots of fun this year. Keylee has been obsessed with Twilight movies and so she decided to dress up as one of her favorite characters "Victoria". Keylee really got into character as she told me that she watched "New Moon" and pressed pause so she could go back to her closet and pick out items of clothing that would most match the character of "Victoria". A little colored hair spray , blood, and glitter spray helped her complete the rest of her look. Wesley and Waylon were baseball guys and stayed home with me to pass out candy while Mike took Keylee around to go trick or treating. Keylee came home with lots of candy and had a really fun time. For the Halloween menu I made vegetable cheese soup with pumpkin breadbowls, eye ball deviled eggs, blood punch, and ghost cups. The boys turned 5 months on the 31st. I can't believe how much they have grown and I feel like it is going by too fast. I hope everyone else had a Happy Halloween.

My 28th Birthday

2010-11-03T12:03:00.001-07:00

This year for my birthday we went to a cute place that looks just like you stepped into Pirates of the Carribean for pizza dinner. After dinner we went swimming which was of course Keylee's favorite part of the night. We went home and had my favorite Ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Mike has been working a lot so it was nice to do something together as a family. The babies were really good as you can see the last picture Wesley slept the entire time. I had so much fun on my birthday and feel so luck to have a family to spend it with!

Wesley and Waylon Blessed September 19th 2010

2010-11-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Happy 7th Birthday Keylee

2010-10-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Keylee Turned 7 on September 10th 2010. She enjoys being in first grade and taking dance lessons. She is such a sweet heart and a joy to have in our family. We love you sooo much Keylee and we are so proud of the kind, sweet, loving, and helpful girl that you are.

2010-08-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Keylee and Wesley

Waylon

This is my new rocker/recliner chair! It has been heaven to have for these two babies as you can see we all fit so nicely together. In this pic Waylon (on the Left asleep) was crying at the same time his brother was hungry and needed to be fed so I set Waylon by me on the chair and this is when he fell asleep (guess he just wanted to be by his mom). I was able to feed Wesley and make everyone happy! Few!

Two pigs in a blanket for sale. Any takers?

We have had so many family members come visit and it has been so nice to see everyone since we are kind of home bound right now. Here are some pics of everyone. Kami and Preston came to see these guys and tend while we went to the movie and I am mad I didn't get a picture of them, But Mike and I were so happy to have a night out together. Thanks Kami and Preston.

Kallie, Sundee, and Grandma Linda

Uncle Eric

Jason

Bunny and Marissa

Aunt (Gug) Mindee

Aunt Silvia and Uncle Brett

Uncle Kasey and Aunt Sundee

Keylee, My great little bottle washer!

Keylee having so much fun with her brothers. Since this photo Keylee has started school. She is so cute with the babies and misses them so much during the day. It is cute to see her interact with them when she gets home. How lucky I am to have such a wonderful family!

Waylon 8 weeks old

Wesley 8 weeks old

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Wesley and Waylon 6 weeks old sharing a bouncer chair together.

More pics of the twins

2010-06-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have to say I am having the time of my life with these two guys. I still can't believe we have two of them. They are such good babies and I can't think of anything more fun then getting to be home with them and spend time holding and loving them. I love this pic of keylee with her brothers all together.

Well, so far ,the babes have been good to wait for one another during feedings, however yesterday they were both hungry at the same time. Keylee was such a great help and so excited to get to feed Waylon while I fed Wesley. I don't know about you keylee but I think we make a pretty good team.

These guys are growing so fast. There premie clothes are already snug on them.

Grandma Jillyn holding Waylon

This is their bedroom set. I am mad I didn't get a pic when both cribs were set up cuz it looked so cute. The other crib is of course in our room for now.

Dad holding Wesley holding his binki

Welcome Home Wesley and Waylon

2010-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Waylon

Keylee drove with me and kept a good eye on her brother, Waylon, as we made our way home. His discharge date for the NICU was June 20th. We are so glad he his home for good.

This is a pic of Wesley home for good. We were sad because the Dr. told us that he would probably need to stay at least 3-4 more days if he didn't eat through the night on his own. Keylee and I drove Waylon home and Dad stayed with Wesley all night to make sure he was going to eat. He did so good and so he got to discharge from the NICU at 11:00am June 21st and we are so happy he is home for good!

Brothers together again at last

MORE PICS AT THE NICU

This is a pic of Mike's Great Aunt Elaine holding Wesley. She is Grandpa Garth Sherratts sister. She is such a thoughtful lady. She sends us a Christmas card every year. She comes out to the care center often and visits cousins that she has there. She often drives far to see her brothers and sisters to visit them and encourage them. She is such a cute lady. I'm so glad she came to see the babies.

This is a pic of Keylee with Waylon. This is the second time she came to see the babies and the first time she got to hold Waylon. She was such a natural big sister singing nursury rhymes and talking cute with him. I love you Keylee you are such my great helper and such a great big sister!

Our Baby Boys

2010-06-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to welcome our new babies; Wesley and Waylon. They were born memorial day 2010. I have been on strict bed rest for the last couple of months. While at home laying on the couch my water broke at 9:15. I arrived at the hospital at 10:00pm and these birds were born just over an hour after we arrived. I was unable to see them as they had to immediately go to NICU. Thankfully my mom was there and was able to take some pictures for me so I could see them. They continue to be in the NICU and are doing well. As you can see in above pic they are now in the same crib and are snuggled so cute with one another. I am so grateful for everyones prayers and support for the twins and our family. Mike and I are so excited and feel so blessed to be parents of these beautiful baby boys. (9 days old in above pic).

Wesley J. Backus. Born May 31st 2010 at 11:13 pm. Weight 4lbs 10oz. Length 18.5inches. (5days old).

Waylon Michael Backus. Born May 31st 2010 at 11:15pm .Weight 4lbs 7 oz. length 18.5inches. (5days old.)

Grandma Linda holding Waylon 6 days old. Aunt Kami Holding Wesley 6 days old.

Wesley snug as a bug in his crib

Tiny Waylon snuggling with dad

Happy Mommy holding Waylon

Happy Daddy snuggling with his boys

Our Babies

2010-06-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Mom with Waylon

We're Having Twins

2010-02-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

So I am still in shock and know that most of you already know that we are having twin boys! We found out, thursday, February 18th and we still can't believe it. I have previously been to the doctor two times and heard one heart beat in which the doctor said, "well there is only one baby". During the ultra sound the US tech was showing and taking pictures of one baby for about 10 min. Suddenly the tech stopped and asked me if I could see what she was seeing. I saw two round images on the graph, however I ignored it trying to look past it as I thought she was about to tell us the sex of the baby. She then said "There are two heads". I asked her at least a dozen times if she was sure there were twins as I was in such shock! I then started to cry and explained to the teck that I am a twin. Mike and I later learned that they are in separate sacks which is good as there is less chance of complications and of course that both are boys and are doing well. We are both so excited and feel so blessed. Mike said he can't wait to have boys and outnumber the girls in the family since he has been the one outnumbered. I have always felt lucky to be a twin and can't believe that I get to experiance having twins. I called my mom first and told her. She asked me if I was joking and I said "Mom ,I swear on the Bible"! After that I couldn't understand much of what she said other than, "I have to call people, love you, bye"! Next we called Mike's mom, and she could'nt believe it. I called Mindee next and she could't believe it. Mike and I picked Keylee up from school and told her the news. She is excited be a big sister and said that she is happy that they are boys. I spent basically the rest of the day calling and talking with family. What an unexpected day! I have to say Mike and I feel so lucky to have such supportive, loving families who are so excited for us.

In Loving Memory of Gary Judson Henderson

2010-02-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

Our beloved Father and Grandfather June 28, 1954- January 21, 2010. As many of you know we lost a special person this year. I just wanted say how much we miss you and how much we love and appreciate you for treating our mom, Jillyn, so well. It was easy to see how much you two loved each other and it will always be a great example to us. Thankyou for being such a fun, and wonderful Grandpa to our daughter, Keylee and Father to us. Gary worked Most of his Life driving truck and was really good and fixing things, trucks and cars. If my husbands truck wasn't running right or he had questions about how to do anything, Gary was always good to help him out , and always knew what to do. We will never forget the day Gary and Jillyn were sealed at Manti Temple and what a special spiritual experiance that was. Gary always had a fun sense of humor and loved to tease, especially the grandkids, giving nick names for everyone. (Keylee's was Fancy Pants). We know you are doing great work on the otherside and look forward to the day when we will be together again. We love you and miss you !

Christmas 2009

2010-02-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

Keylee making her favorite cookies, Gingerstaps

Keylee helping me make cute gingerbread ornaments that my sister Mindee posted on the recipe blog. Thanks for such a cute recipe sis.

Keylee's favorite gift from Santa

Stylin'

Hey, someone took my pink snuggie

Mike suprised me with this beautiful piano. He kept it hidden in our neighbors garage, that sneakie guy. Thanks hun!

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

This year we had Thanksgiving at Grandma Jillyn and Grandpa Gary's house. It was a lot of fun. We had yummy food. Jillyn's sweet potatoes are my favorite. It was great to get to visit with everyone.

Eric, Marissa, Jason

Jillyn and Bunny cookin good stuff

Keylee taking care of her baby

Halloween 2009

2009-11-11T09:38:00.001-08:00

Happy 6th Birthday Keylee

2009-11-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

Keylee had her 6th birthday September 10th. She chose a barbie ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Grandpa Gary, Grandma Jillyn, Grandma Linda and Cordell come over for dinner to celebrate.

Cheddar Biscuits

2009-09-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is a yummy and easy to make biscuit recipe I made the other night for dinner. It only has a few ingrediants and is a great side with any meal. Taste similar to the biscuits you get at Red Lobster.

2 C Bisquick
1/2 C cold water
3/4 C grated, sharp cheddar cheese ( I used colby jack as this is what I had on hand)
1/4C butter
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together baking mix, cold water, and grated cheese. Roll out biscuits on a floured surface. Biscuits should be about one inch thick. Cut with cutter and place onto an ungreased baking dish. Melt butter and seasonings together. Brush with the butter and spices and bake for 8-10min.

2009-09-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Keylee lost her first tooth this last weekend. It had been loose for a couple of weeks. She was so freaked out by the idea of losing her tooth that she would'nt even touch it or try to wiggle it out. I couldn't stand it anymore and I twisted it out. Any way she was pretty excited when the tooth fairy came and slipped some money under her pillow.

Keylee didn't dare to look in the mirror and see her missing tooth.

Bunny, Carrie, Mike, and me down in vegas this last weekend. We had lots of fun hanging out and laughing our heads off.

more cute school pics of key

A couple of weeks ago Mike went out of town for a few days so it was just me and the squeek. We had girls night out. We made chocolate chip cookies, watched a movie and had popcorn. Mom came down this same week to visit. We had dinner and took her to see Keylee's new school. Keylee also had fun painting finger nails with grandma.

In Loving Memory of Grandpa Sherratt

2009-09-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

Mike's Grandpa Sherratt passed away this past July and I wanted to blog about him a little bit. He was a really special person in my husbands life. Along with Mike's uncles he was like a father figure for him growing up. I remeber Mike talking about his grandpa on our first date and learning then what a special person he was. Mike talks about working on the farm with his grandpa and the many lessons he learned then. When going to family get to gethers he was the first to come over and give you a big hug, being truely genuine and sincerely happy that you were there. He had a very strong testimony of the church and bore it often to his children and granchildren. He wrote a poem Called "The Loom of Time" which reads; Man's life is placed in the loom of time, to a pattern he cannot see. While weavers work, and the shuttles fly til the dawn of eternity. Some shutters are filled with silver threads, and others with threads of gold, While others of the darker hues, are all that they can hold. God surely set the pattern in the weavers skillful hand and placed whithin the loom of time the masters skillful plan. The darker hues are necessary in the weavers skillful hand, As are the threads of gold and silver in the pattern of the plan. -Garth Sherratt. Just wanted to say how much we will miss him and that we are forever grateful for his example to us!

Keylee's First Day of School

2009-08-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

So it was Keylee's first day of kindergarten yesterday. She was really nervous, but I am so proud of her because she did really good and had a lot of fun. Her teacher is Mrs. Creel. The above pic is of her in her classroom. Today she rode the bus for the first time and was nervous but had a lot of fun. I am glad she gets to meet new kids and start this new chapter in her life even though I was a cry baby the night before and after I dropped her off . I hope you know how much I love you Keylee.

School Shopping, going to the Cabin and Baldwin Reunion

2009-08-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Mom rented this gorgeous cabin for us to stay in for the weekend on Beaver Mountain. We had so much fun haning out and visiting with each other on our last get together before school starts. Thanks mom, we had a blast! After our weekend we went to the Beaver Park for the Baldwin reunion. My camera went dead so I didn't get any pics, but we had a really yummy lunch and had a good time visiting with all the cousins, aunts and uncles on my moms side of the family.

this was me, Mike, and Keylee's room

this was a tiny closet in our room where keylee slept the first night. She thought it was pretty nifty

Marlee and Mindee

kids eating some yummy breakfast

four wheeling on Beaver Mountain

cookin some grub

Sylvia and I were in charge of dinner saturday. We had green salad, french bread, dutch oven chicken and Sylvia made the yummiest dutch oven potatoes with carrots, cheese, and bacon. We also had apple crisp with ice cream for dessert.

hanging out in the jacuzzi

playing games

Kache and Keylee riding Uncle Kasey's Horse

Getting ready to go to the Baldwin Reunion at Beaver Park.

I can't believe my little girl is starting kindergarten. I had so much fun on our school date Keylee, and I'm glad you are excited to start school.

Keylee was so excited to get to pick where we had lunch on her shcool date and of course she wanted to go to her favorite place , "Jimmy Johns".

Keylee, trying on some of her new school clothes

Keylee sporting her new back pack (and some of mom's make-up)

4th of July,Gleave Reunion,Canning

2009-08-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics of the summer. For the 4th of July we went to Mike's Uncle John's house and had a really yummy dutch oven dinner, after we watched fireworks in the field across from his house. Then I have pics of the Gleave Reunion. I am glad that lots of people still come to this event because we always have so much fun riding four wheelers, fishing, and just visiting with each other. Other pics are of Mike and I canning. We have lots of tomatoes and were able to bottle 4 batches of tomato soup(yummy, my favorite with grilled cheese), 4 batches of salsa, 1 batch of tomato juice, and who knows what else becasue they keep growing! We were also able to do one batch of peach jam from the peaches in our back yard, and I also dried some apricots as well.

Keylee with her Grandma Jillyn

Uncle Dan and Aunt Valynn making the best homemade root beer.

Mike, Bunny and Gary

Grandma Irva reciting at the talent show for the Gleave Reunion

Brin and Colby warming up to play

kids eating the candy they won after the races

hanging out at the lake

Keylee had so much fun getting to ride the fifty with her cousin Landon

Tomato Soup (we got a total of 90 quart jars)

House for Sale

2009-06-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

House for sale in Southern Utah Area

Courtyard

Kitchen

Outdoor kitchen

Entry Way

Features; 1900SqFt/4bed 2bath/Granite counters/Wood and Stone tile floors/Central Vacuum/Large covered patio/Large walk-in shower,soak tub,double sinks/ large walk in closet in master/ .39 acre lot/ fully landscaped with block wall/Very large area on Left side of house for furture garage or RV parking. Contact e-mail maximelectricinc@hotmail.com

FISH TACO'S

2009-06-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

I had fish taco's when I was up north a long time ago and thought they were really good, so I thought I would try this recipe. It turned our really good. We had some mahimahi in the freezer we needed to use up but really any white fish will do.

2lb mahimahi
1/2 C vegtable oil
3T lime juice
5 t chili powder
1-1/2 t. ground cumin
1-1/2 t. ground corriander
1-1/2 t. minced garlic
salt to taste
8 flour tortillas, 8" diameter
Southwestern Slaw;
2 C fine shredded green cabbage
2t. lime juice
2t. honey
2T minced red onion
2t. minced jalapeno peppers
2t. chopped cilantro to taste
combine and marinate for 30min.
Pico de gallo;
1 C diced tomatoes
4t. minced red onion
1/2t. red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
combine and mix well
Mexican crema;
mix sour cream with 1/2 t. finely grated lime zest, 2 t. lime juice

1-Combine first 7 ingredients and let marinade for 15-30min.
2-Grill fish 2-3min on each side turning once. slice into 16 equal slices.
3-Grill tortillas until they have light grill marks and heated through.
4- Center 2 pieces of girlled fish on each tortilla and top with southwestern slaw, pico de gallo, and a dolop of mexican crema. fold in half and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Trip to California

2009-05-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I was so happy when my sister Kami called and invited us to go with anyone who wanted to go to California for a few days and have some fun. The first night we got to california (wed) Mike and I went to an Angels Vs Red Socks major league baseball game. Unfortunately the Red Socks didn't win but it was a fun experiance as this was a first for both of us. The next day we went with my mom, and siblings Kami and her Family, Sundee and her family, and Ryan and is family to Disney Land for the day. I think all the kids including Keylee thought they had died and gone to heaven. It was a lot of fun. The 3rd day we went to California Adventure and the fourth day we went to the beach and then home. We had so much fun getting to do this with everyone and hope to do it again some day!
Mike outside of Angels Stadium

Mike and I waiting for the game to start

Keylee posing by the window of our hotel room. We stayed at Holiday Inn which was just 2 miles from Disney Land.

Entrance to Disney Land

Keylee, Kolby and Brinley can't believe they are actually at Disney Land!

Brin, Mike, Keylee, and Kolby having a frozen bananna

Look! its Princess Keylee and with her Prince Rayne standing in front of their magical castle at Disney Land.

Tea Cups

Keylee,Rayne, Brailee, and Kolby all look so excited as they wait in line for "Its a small world".

me and keek waiting in line for space mountain

Kami and Preston on one to the rides at California Adventure

Keylee, Kolby,Kasun, and Brindley posing in front of the pretty flowers

Mike's thinking about it

This was one of Keylee's favorite places at C. Adventure, but then again she loves anything to do with water.

where's the water?

now I think I know what it must be like to be a bug!

Brinley resting on her favorite poscicle bench at C. Adventure

Mike,Preston, and Kallie thinking about which ride to go on next as they rest and have a snack.

Wow! it goes on forever!

This was one of my favorite rides. I highly reccomend it!

Keylee, Brin , and grandma praying they don't get soaked on the grizzly run rafting ride at California Adventure.

Rayne and Keylee going back to the hotel on the bus

Kallie Sue with her mom on the bus

Grandma and Landon having some licorich on the bus

Mike and I had a chance to go on a date while in cali friday night. We went to Tony Roma's and had some good grub then we went to Disney Land and went on a few more final rides.

Lets go to the Beach!

Rayne getting ready to toss some sand

Brailey having the time of her life at the beach!

Lets make a sand caslte.

Mic just kickin it at the beach

Brin has no problem helping Kach and Keylee burry themselves in the sand at Huntington Beach

"Help, I'm burried alive!!"

Kasey, Ryan, and Mike at Hunington Beach

Cute, sleepy kids waiting for their dinner at Joe's

This is Mike with his yummy meal from Joe's. He got deep fried halibut, which was to die for!

This was my meal; Crab stuffed shrimp. It was a nice delicious end to our fun family trip.

Girls Weekend

2009-05-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

So my sister Sundee invited the sisters and cousins to go to her house in St. George and have a girls weekend. We had a lot of fun. First we started off the night by eating dinner at Olive Garden and laughing our heads off the entire time. Then we went to Sundee's and had Margaritas (virgins of course) and snacks, went swimming at the pool house and stayed up late talking and joking all night. We had a lot of fun. It was especially fun to catch up with Ashlee and Candy since we don't see these girls as much anymore. Thanks Sundee for the fun weekend.
Ashlee, me, and Kami

Sundee and Candy

Mindee and Sylvia

Sundee and the mean Swan

Just lounging around

Gary invited Mike to go on a fourwheeling trip with him and his sons to Molly's nipple for an overnigt camping trip. Mike said he had a lot of fun on this trip and got to see some really pretty country.

Mike thinking about how much he's going to miss me while he's gone.

Gary loading up the fourwheelers

Mindee and Mom came down to toquerville to visit the weekend or so after Easter. It was so fun to get to see them, the new babe Heston and Mars Bars. We had a lot of fun eating some lunch and having a visit.

Baby Heston your as cute as pumkin pie.

Grandma with brand new baby Heston

Mars and Keek jeepin'

Eden

2009-05-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity to go up north for 1 week to complete what is called "Eden" training and become an Eden certified member for the facility I work at in Hurricane. It is so hard to describe what the Eden program is all about. Basically it is about creating a better quality of life for the elders/elderly that we work with also a better quality life for employees. I learned so much and so many tools at this conferance not only that I could use at my job, but in my daily life (marriage, child rearing, etc.) it was such an eye opening experiance to just everything. I seriously don't know how to explain it, but I feel forever changed. Only a select few have been chosen to go to these trainings, so you can imagine how grateful I felt to get the opportunity to participate in this. Here are some pics of my experiance there. This is a picture of me and Tracy with our boss Gary Kelso and Marla our Eden trainer, after completing our week up north.

This is me with my team members "The Red Team". Each of us were from different sister facilities so none of us new each other. There was also a state surveyor in our group as well (scary), no she really was a sweet girl and it was fun to get to know her and kind of change my perspective on some myths on what surveyors intentions and regulations really are. My group was the best group to be in , I really believe we had the most fun out of everyone. It was neat to get to know these ladies and find out more about there facilities and responsibilities.

This is me participating in a skit with one of my team members. I played the nurse and she played the elderly woman in a wheelchair. All teams had to put together a 10min skit to present on our last day of training.

watch out, it's the sprinkler!!

Me and Tracy at Olive Garden after a long day of Eden training

These are all people that I work with and whom I traveled with up north for training. Kenny and his wife Kathy, Tracy, and me eating dinner at TGIFridays in Salt Lake. We had a lot of fun getting to participate in the Eden program and hang out for a week.

2009-05-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Easter was really fun this year. My family came down friday night and we had steak and coconut shrimp dinner at our house. It was fun to get to visit with everyone and have a yummy meal. The next day (sat) the easter bunny came and brought us candy. Keylee was glad the the easter bunny was able to find Grandma Linda since she slept over at our house. Saturday we went to Sundee's place in St. George and had a yummy Easter lunch and an egg hunt for all the cousins. Sunday we went to church and after we went up to Zions with Mikes sister,her hubby and kids. It was a really fun weekend.

Emerald Pools

Mike and Marissa checking their heart rate to be sure they don't over exert themselves.

strike a pose!

Crossing the bridge to hike up Emerald Pools.

Riding on the Bus to go on a hike.

Jason, Keylee, Marissa

As we walked out our front door sunday we had a plesant surpise when an annonimous someone left easter eggs on our front lawn. It was fun to see Keylee enjoy her own egg hunt in her pretty Easter dress.

Dad and Keylee Easter Sunday on the way to church.

Keylee and mom Easter Sunday on the way to church.

Cousins waiting patiently with there Easter bags

Look at those yummy Easter eggs!

Keylee and Grandma Linda the saturday before Easter 2009. We had so much fun when grandma came to sleep over.

Keylee in her Easter outfit getting ready to go to Easter lunch.

2009-03-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

Meet the newest member of our family. Bailey Bell Backus. She is a pure breed Boxer puppy. We got her from American Fork. We are so excited to have her and are already having sooo much fun with her.

Keylee with her new friend.

Spring has Sprung. This is my favorite time of year down here when we get to start haning out in the yard and getting ready for the plant and garden season.

We've already planted the garden. I must say it feels wierd to start it this early,but we've learned if you don't get a head start, then it just gets too hot. We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini squash, cantalope, green beans, broccoli, onions, and beets. It is a small garden,but a good size for our small family.

These are herbs; basil, cilantro, chives, tyme, and also a jalapeno peeper plant. I just started growing herbs the last few years and what a differance it is to cook/bake with fresh herbs. If you haven't tried growing herbs before, don't be intimidated, I have found that I can use them in lots of different recipes.

Mike turned 28 years old on 3-3-09. He has me make his favorite; German Chocolate cake every year. Happy Birthday hun.

2009-03-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

I AM SO SMART S*M*R*T. This is keylee being smart with her dads glasses on (more like smart A##). She likes to impersinate her dad. She freaks me out when she puts them on cause she looks just like him. This was the first weekend we've been home in a while so it was nice to just hang out and be silly. I love you my silly kek.

Valentines Day we drove with Mikes sis , her hubby Eric and my sweet neice Marrissa to Las Vegas to meet his other sis Carrie and her Husband Steve. They live in Montana so it was fun to get to have dinner with them and visit a while. We all try to get together at least once a year. We always have so much fun when we do.

Marissa and Eric

Keylee and her cuz Jason had fun hanging out at grandma and grandpa's while we took the trip to Vegas for the day.

Congratulations Mom and Cordell. Feb 7th 2009

2009-01-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

So I have been a really bad blogger this last month as it has been really crazy for everyone I'm sure. I just posted some catch-up pics and will tell you what has been going on with us lately. It was a really great month. Thanksgiving was great! we had it over at my moms house and was absolutly delicious. Next was the Christmas pizza party which was also really fun. Mike's mom and step dad were sealed in the Manti Temple and he was also sealed to them along with his deceased brother Jason. It was a wonderful experiance and I am so happy for him and his family. We got tons of snow this month and keylee had lots of fun playing in it. Christmas was fun, I was able to basically take the entire week of Christmas off, so Keylee and I had fun cookin in the kitchen and getting things ready. Keylee was a pretty good girl and got what she wanted for Christmas. What can I say, we are very blessed. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Key going jeepin

Keylee on Christmas day

Keylee on Christmas Morning

Christmas dinner

me and keylee making Christmas goodies

Poor Keylee. After I got home from work I made her go stand next to her snow man
in her PJ's so I could get a pic. She sure had fun playing in the snow.

Mike and I with his parents, Gary and Jillyn,
at the Manti Temple

Keylee with Santa

Yummy Pizza

look at those handsome guys and girls

Christmas Program

Christmas Party at mom's 2008

Keylee and Mar's hanging out the morning after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2008

5 things tag

2008-11-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

So I have been bad, everyone tags me and they are all so cute, but I haven't gotten around to doing any yet, so here is one I liked. Don't forget, "tag your it" if you read these.
5 things tag;

10 years ago;
1- I met my husband Mike. I remember I thought he was the cuttest guy
I had ever seen and I was stoked when he called me and asked me on our first date.
2- I was a sophmore in high school.
3-Mindee and I had just got our drivers licence, in which I would drive 90mph on the frontage road at 0600am so I wouldn't be late for drill team as this would cause unwanted tardys in which we would not be able to perform, and therefore our lives would be over (oh how things change, ha,ha).
4-I had long curly permed hair and loved going to the tanning beds.
5- Was busy hanging out with friends. We would trade off going to each others houses for lunch. This was always fun. My favorite lunch was tomato mac with mozzarella cheese at Tanya Munfords house. Mindee and I also loved to eat Tasha's dads potato bread with our turkey sandwhich (it was so moist and yum).

5 things on my list today;
1-kiss and smooch keylee, and read her books as tomorrow I go back to work for my 3 day 12 hour shifts, so I won't see her much between this time.
2-Clean my house, do laundry
3-Obviously not keep the sabbath day as I mentioned cleaning my house earlier
4-Cook roast beef with potates,homemade gravy, corn (sunday dinner)
5-Hang out with my hubby.

5 snacks I enjoy;
1-love sliced apples with gouda cheese (my sis kami's recipe)
2-String cheese
3-Yogurt
4-veggies with dill dip
5-symphony candy bar (or symphony fudge--yummmy)

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire
1-pay off house and invest wisely
2-give my fam members a new car (just like oprah)
3-travel for fun and somewhere like africa to help out and
make a difference
4-Hire a massage therapist
5- Hire a maid.

5 places I've lived
1-grew up in enoch
2-moved to Cedar when I got married to south gate appt
3-built home and moved back to enoch
4-sold home, moved to appartment in St. George
5-built home, moved to toquerville

5 jobs I've had
1-telemarketer
2-CNA at Cedar hospital
3-house wife/mom
4-nurse at rehab center
5- thats it!

Now its your turn. If you've read my tag, then your it!!

Seasonal Sicks

2008-11-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

So last night was like having a new born all over again. First we were at Wal-Mart in the check out last night and Keylee told me she wasn't feeling good, when I looked down to see that she looked like a ghost, I ran as quickly as I could to the restroom and as we entered the poor thing puked all over me,herself, and the floor. Well anyway we went home in which she puked 2 more times and every 30-40min the rest of the night (poor thing). Anyway I was wondering if anyone else has been sick lately. We have all had the flu twice and colds twice and its not even december yet! Well as you can see by the pics, Keylee is such a good sport about it. She is always such a good girl when she is sick (not that she isn't anyway) but being sick brings out the sweet,sweet, heart in her. Anyway, I hope nobody else gets sick. Happy Holidays!!

Keylee's new hair cut

2008-11-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

Keylee has been begging me to let her cut her hair ever since I cut mine.
So 2 weeks ago when I took her to the dentist, I made an appointment and we
went and she got her hair cut. She was so cute, when the lady was cutting her hair, she made sure to hold perfectly still,(which is something that is very hard for her to do) since this was her first haircut. Anyway she thought the whole experiance was neat. I am glad because it turned out cute and there are less snarles, which means less crying when I brush her hair.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Keylee was so excited to dress up this year and go trick or treating. I got her ready at 2pm and we went to the care center where I work. They have a carnaval every year and lots of kids show up. The residents look forward to seeing there cute young faces and being able to interact with them. Keylee's favorite activity was the cake walk. We then went home and as I got dinner ready (supper in a pumpkin), I had Mike carve the other pumpkins with keylee. We ate, then keylee went trick-or-treating with dad while I stayed home and handed out candy. Keylee was very happy with her basket full of candy. She's already deciding what she wants to be next year.

Beautiful Day

2008-11-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

So last Sunday was such good wheater we decided to take a ride to Zions and take a lunch. The ride up was gorgeous. When we got up there we found a table by the river, ate lunch and then walked around. It wasn't as busy as I suspected it might be and the smell of the fresh air was invigorating. Keylee had fun splasing around in the river. Here are some pics of this fun day.

This tree is by our house on the main road that we passed on the way to Zions. I don't know the story behind it, but it has about a million pairs of shoes tied to its branches. Everytime I pass by there are always tourist or someone stopped to take a pic. Kind of weird.

Keylee by the river at the campground

Keylee enjoying some candy on the ride home.

Fall in the Desert

2008-10-11T14:58:00.001-07:00

2008-10-11T13:37:00.001-07:00

So, fall is a little different where we live. We don't have the beautiful leaves that turn the pretty colors of red,yellow, and orange in the way you imagine fall to be. However the wheather cools down enough so that we can be outside and do some fun things around here that we like doing. These are some pics of us fourwheeling in the desert. These beautiful rocks and trails are just minutes from our house. I have to say I really like where we live because there really is so many fun things to do.

Tennessee Pumpkin Bread

2008-10-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is such a moist and delicious fall treat. My husband

and daughter can't get enough of this yummy recipe. Be sure

to follow the directions completely as it may

turn out heavy textured.

In a bowl sift dry ingrediants;

5 c. flour

3/4 t. baking powder

3 t. baking soda

2 t. cinnamon

1 1/2 t. nutmeg

2 1/4 t. salt

In another bowl combine wet ingrediants;

3 c. canned pumkin

1 c. water

1 1/2 t. vanilla

In mixing bowl cream together;

1 c. shortening

4 c. sugar

to this add 6 eggs (2 at a time) and cream well

To creamed mixture alternate dry ingrediants with wet ingrediants on low speed, scraping down bowl as needed. When mixed you may add 1C chocolate chips with 1 1/2 c. walnuts. Pour mixture in greased loaf pans and bake @ 350 degrees for 45-55 min. Yields 5-6 small loaves. Yummy!

Pretty As A Princess

2008-10-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is a pic of Keylee on her way to a princess b-day party. She looked so cute I just had to take a pic. This event also forced me to get my sewing machine out ,(for the first time since Mike bought it for me for christmas a year ago), and sew a rip that Keylee had in her princess dress. Keylee had fun going to the party and getting her nails and hair done. What fun it is to be a girl!!

Waaay Short Haircut

2008-10-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

So I cut my hair about 4 weeks ago and certain fam members (you know who you are) have been harassing me to post a pic. I hate taking pics of myself as I am not blessed to be photogenic as many of you out there, so anyway here it is. I donated 8 inches of my hair to locks of love, however, between 10-12inches was actually cut off. This is the shortest my hair has ever been and I have to say that I am really having fun with it!

2008-10-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hawaiian B-B-Q Chicken Pizza

2008-10-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Whenever we go eat at pizza places I love to order specialty pizza's instead of the same pepparoni, or hawaiian, etc. I created this yummy B-B-Q pizza with left overs I had in my fridge from dinner the night before and to my suprise it turned out really delicious!

Pizza dough;
1tbs dry yeast
2tsp sugar
1c warm water
2c flour
1/2 t salt
2tbs oil
put yeast in water and add sugar. Add flour,oil,and salt to this after it is foamy. Stir in the flour and then turn out on board and knead a few min. Let raise while you are getting other things ready. Pour 2-3tbs of oil in pizza pan (just enough to coat the pan). Punch down dough and spread on pizza pan. Cook dough 10-15min @400 degress.

Marinated chicken (at least 4 hours or overnight)
1/4 c of lemon juice
2tbs orange juice
1 tbs canola oil
1 t sugar
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lb chicken tenders

Tomato-Pineapple Salsa (you can also make this the night before)
3 diced roma tomatoes
1 c cubed fresh or canned pinnapple
1/2 c chopped sweet red or green pepper
1/3 c chopped red onion
1/4 c lime juice
3 tbs minced fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (sometimes I only use half)

To partially cooked dought add:
Famous Daves Sweet and Zesty B-B-Q sauce (this is really the best sauce for this pizza)
Mozzarella cheese (I buy fresh mozz. at Cost-co and slice it thin, it is so good and creamy)
Marinated chicken
4 bacon strips cooked and crumbled ( I just save a few pieces from breakfast)
Tomato-Pineapple Salsa (use slotted spoon)
Cook another 10min or until cheese is melted and pizza heated through

N.I.C.U.

2008-09-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of Keylee's B-day trip is when me and Mike took

her to Utah Valley Hospital , where she was born. This was

an unexpected stop, but I am glad we did since keylee is always asking

about the day she was born.

2008-09-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Keylee and mike swimming at the hotel. Swimming, of course,

was keylee's favorite part of the entire trip.

2008-09-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Lion got your Head?

2008-09-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Me, keylee, and the gangly giraffe's

2008-09-19T15:58:00.001-07:00

For Keylee's birthday we spent the day at the Hogal Zoo.

Here she is with a giant pythone!

2008-09-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

"Happy Birthday to Keylee". Keylee turned 5 this year and chose an "Under the Sea" theme for her cake. The fish were made out of starburst candy. We had fun making this cake together and sharing it with her grandparents and cousins .

2008-09-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Me and keylee just hanging out at the house.

Happy Anneversary

2008-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

It will be a year tomorrow (September 15th, 2007) that Mike and I were sealed to each other and our sweet little girl in the St. George Temple. This was such a wonderful day and one that we will never forget.

2008-09-14T19:10:00.000-07:00