Happy 10th Anniversary!

Last week I celebrated 10 years of being married to my wonderful husband. I love you Bryan- more today then 10 years ago. It's been an amazing journey so far, one that I hope never ends!

A family favorite...

We have a favorite recipe in our house. I've been meaning to share it with family for awhile but, like always, I keep forgetting. It is very easy and quick and definitely a kid favorite! Tyler does not like spaghetti at all, but will ask for seconds of this. Add it to your menu this week and enjoy!

Pizza Pasta

-1 12oz box of pasta (our favorite is radiatore but any small macaroni will work)
-1 14oz jar of pizza sauce
-2 cups of cheese
pizza toppings (we use black olives and pepperoni)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and mix with pizza sauce, 1 cup cheese and the toppings (if it looks a little dry, add a few tablespoons of water). Put into a casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes, just until cheese melts. Enjoy!

#5- Saving the best for last

Well this is the last of my updates. I think I'll be all caught up after this one (well, at least until next week, then I'll be behind again!). We finally finished the basement. HOORAY!! That's right, after working on in for almost exactly a year, it's finally done!!! It's like we can breath again. The kids have room to spread out and be in their own space. Anna, Ellie and Tyler had been sharing a room since Christmas and were definitely starting to get on each others nerves. And Kate shared her room with a lot of storage (a queen size mattress set and lots of boxes against one of her walls).
Anna is now in her new bedroom (which is also the guestroom) in the basement. She is also lucky enough to have her very own bathroom in her room.
We also now have a playroom in the basement- no more toys spread out all over the house.
The TV is out of our living room and back into the family room where it belongs and has been joined by the computer desk (which had been living in our bedroom) and a treadmill (that I bought from a friend at her yard sale yesterday).
Tyler is back in his own room with a set of bunk beds all to himself.
And Ellie and Kate are sharing a room. Kate goes to bed first (around 8pm) and Ellie sneaks in later without any problems.
We still have a few little jobs that need to be done before it's 100% finished, but those can wait.
It's so nice to have a place for everything and everything in it's place!

#4- Baby Animal Day

We went to baby animal day at This is the Place Heritage Park this year. It was a beautiful day and wasn't terribly crowded. The kids had a great time holding and petting all the baby animals. They all want a bunny as a pet now. The younger 3 also got to ride some horses. Besides all the animals, we got arrowheads in the Indian village, made candles and dolls in one of the pioneer homes and took a train ride around the park. Overall it was a great family outing!

#3- Mini-Marathon

Every spring, the kids elementary school holds a mini-marathon for each grade level. Ellie's grade (3rd) had to run 3/4 of a mile. It's not required, but it is encouraged. Out of all the 3rd grade girls who ran, Ellie came in 4th. Way to go Ellie! I'm very proud of her especially since I'm not much of a runner.