Fishing, Roasting, and Getting Dirty!

This weekend was so much fun.  We took the kids up the canyon and went fishing, roasted hot dogs and smore's and had a blast!  

Cody took the kids for a little ride on the motorcylce Sunday afternoon:

Maddie just wanted to play around in her car:
This is what Maddie did most the night.  She just wanted to sit in her chair and eat Bugles.
Hailey and Austin throwing rocks.


As you can see, Maddie got pretty dirty by the end of the night, but discovered she really likes marshmallows!
This is the kids fishing with Cody.





Hailey saw a little squirrel on the trail.

I love Summer!

I love cooking in the summer with all the fresh fruits/vegetables.  Last night I made an absolutely delish dinner and couldn't help  but blog it!  First I grilled asparagus on the BBQ which is one of my favorite things in the world.  Then I made a fresh tomatoe/mozzarella pasta salad which was to die for, and then I finished off with dessert which was an apple dumpling yummy goodness!  I got the recipes for the pasta salad and apple dumplings off a popular website called extreme dinner makeover which is now one of my links.  Here's the recipes:

Fusilli Alla Caprese :

1 pound fusilli pasta 

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew (i use abt. 6 oz.)

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

For the asparagus I just coat the spears in olive oil, and salt and pepper and place directly on the grill for about 10-15 minutes depending on how crisp/soft you like them.  

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a great 4th of July weekend, and here are the pics:

Cute Hailey....

We had a total blog-worthy event happen today.  I have no pictures unfortunately, my camera was missing for a while so I just added this picture of Hailey from Easter because it is so dang cute.  Hailey never ceases to amaze me with her random, cute comments.  We were having cousins dinner at Cody's sister's house and Hailey and the kids just had to break into Nalani's candy jar for an after-dinner treat.  I was currently in the restroom and Hailey knows she has to ask permission to have a treat.  So, she did what any kid would do and asked the next person in line to answer the question.  She asked Cody for the treat and he told her that she needed to find mom and ask her.  She looked up at him with a kind of confused, but impatient look on her face and replied quite defiantly, "Well, your my Dad now so can't you decide?"  Oh the laughs we got out of that one.  Cody probably would have given her anything at that point.  Hailey never misses the little things, what a girl.  She is growing up so fast, I can't believe my baby is five and starting kindergarten in the fall.  It seems like just yesterday I was holding my newborn in my arms thanking my Father in Heaven for such a wonderful gift.  Hailey has been through a whole lot this past year and has stood by my side the entire time.  She has seen me cry quite a bit and held my hand or patted my back or lovingly told me it will all be okay.  We have a favorite phrase in our house now a days which is "Life's not fair."  We have all learned (even Bronson) that we don't always get what we want in life and sometimes things happen in life that are just plain not fair, but Life in general is not fair.  On the other hand, we have learned that even with trials, and pain, and suffering, we will always have each other and our family there for us.  We will always have those we love most in life there to support us through our good times and bad.  Our little family has gotten so close through the last year, and our love has grown immensely for each other through our trials.  It is so fun now to see Cody come into our family and add to our love and make our family whole again.  We have so much fun just being together as a family.  We love going to park with a pizza and just sitting and talking in the shade on a blanket for hours.  What could be more wonderful than that?  

This next week the kids are leaving to spend time with their Dad and I am already missing them.  It is tough not having them with me, but I know they miss me and love me while they are gone.  I have a lot to do as well.  I think the townhome has finally sold and I am looking to move around the 30th of June.  So, I have a lot of packing and a lot of wedding planning to get done this week.  If I'm lucky though, I might be able to sneak in an afternoon at Seven Peaks!

Lot's of catching up to do!!!

It has been a crazy busy last few weeks for me and I haven't had time to do any posts lately. I was looking through the pictures on my camera today and realized just how behind I am. This post is completely random! Anyways.....
Cody turned the big 3-0 this year and it was quite the weekend. I threw a surprise party for him and invited all of our friends over to his sister's house:

I'm sure he wasn't that surprised because I accidently sent the email I mailed to everyone telling them about the surprise and forgot to take his name off the list!  Whoops!

I just want to take a minute and write about my sweetheart.  I feel bad I didn't post this on his actual birthday which is June 1st, but better now than never!....I have been through quite a lot in my 27 years, especially the last year or two.  It hasn't been easy for me by any means and I have wanted to just give up many times, but I never did.  I knew I had something wonderful in store for me.  I knew my Heavenly Father had a plan.  I realized what that plan was when I met Cody Ellis Oram.  I wouldn't say I knew immediately that this was the man I was going to marry, but from the very moment I met him I can honestly say I knew there was something special about him and I couldn't just ignore that.  Since I met Cody my life has completely shifted into a whole new direction which is the happiest I have ever been.  Don't get me wrong...I still have many trials and heartaches (that will never change) but I am happy and I finally feel like I know this is where I am suppose to be.  I can honestly say that I know without one single doubt in my mind that Cody and I were meant to be together and share the rest of our lives here on earth.  We have both been through quite a lot and have had many hard and difficult things to endure, and I'm sure that there will still be difficult times ahead.  That is the plan.  But there is something to be said about going through life's trials with the right one.  Somehow I think it will all be more bearable and the happy and good times will far outnumber the hard and trying ones.  I love Cody for who he is today.  Not who he was yesterday, or tomorrow, or at any time in the future.  I love him for who he is right now at this very moment and I know he feels the same about me.  He adores and cherishes me and my three kids.  He respects me, he laughs with me, and even shops with me!  What more could I ask for?!  He is always kind and respectful to everyone and makes them feel important to him.  He is a hard worker.  I always tell him he seems to know a little bit about everything and it is so true!  He is sociable (which I absolutely love) and always up for a party or dinner with friends.  He loves to be adventurous and try new things.  He loves the gospel and wants to help me in my responsibilities to raise my kids in the gospel.  He loves family and friends.  This is what I think I fell in love with first about Cody.  The way he talks about his family and especially his mother and sisters is so refreshing.  I know I am babbling now and going on but I could go on forever.  There are a million things I could say about Cody right now, but simply put:

                    I am the luckiest girl in the world!  I love you Cody!  Happy Birthday!

For his birthday gift I got us tickets to see the AMA Motor races in Tooele.  We had a blast riding out there and spending the day together.  

Isn't he so cute?!!! Such a stud!

Yamaha is his favorite motorcycle so he just had to get a picture in front of their big truck.
Last week I took the kids to Seven Peaks and had a lot of fun in the warm weather while it lasted, which wasn't very long.  We can't wait to go again.  Rain, rain, go away!






I was so excited to go on a cruise with my good friend Lou to Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.  Here we are on the plane ride out there.  Cody was picking a bike up in San Diego (shocker) and so he got to fly out there with us.  Lou met him for the first time at the airport and just about smacked me upside the head when she found out I was engaged.  I planned on surprising her at the airport though just so I could get a good reaction out of her!

This is the Formal night on the cruise.

This is the view from the beach we snorkeled at in Cabo San Lucas.

This is at La Bufadora (The Blowhole) in Ensenada.
Last but not least.....This is what Maddy looked like when she woke up a few mornings ago....I had to take a picture, can we say Bad HAIR day!!!

It's Official!

Last night Cody finally proposed!!! He got me so good too! He didn't want me to have any idea he was proposing so he got some friends to help him out and completely shocked me. He told me we were headed to Sears to "look at tools" and on the way there a Provo police car flashed it's lights and sirens and pulled us over. The officer came up and said that Cody's muffler on his car was hanging too low to the ground and that he didn't have a front plate on his car (which he didn't). So he took Cody's liscence and registration and went back to his car. I was absolutely dying because a while back Cody got a ticket and signed up to do traffic school but never went and by now he probably should have a warrant out for his arrest. So, when both cops came back and were on both sides of the car I knew it was bad and Cody was going to be arrested. My heart was pounding, my palms were sweating, and I swear I was either going to start crying or have a panic attack. I just kept thinking of my boyfriend being hauled off to jail right in front of me and I had no money to bail him out. So they took Cody out and began to search him while I am in the passenger seat trying to talk myself into being rational and not crying in front of the police officers to please not take my boyfriend away. All of the sudden the officer comes over and asks me to get out of the car as well and he wants to search the car. I had a death grip on my phone ready to call Nalani, or my mom to bail him out and slowly got out of the car and watched as they padded Cody down. The officer kept asking me to stand where they could see me towards the back of the car while they searched the trunk. So all of the sudden Cody turns around and has the ring and drops down on one knee and all I could think was "Cody, this is seriously not the time to be proposing to me, not like this!" It still had not donned on me that this was all a huge set up. Cody had to literally say to me, "Meridith, this is a set up will you marry me?" When it finally hit me what was going on I was mad as hell that he got me soooo good and then so dang excited that he was finally proposing and I was finally going to get my ring! I was so ticked that he had put me through all of that, I think I even threw my phone on the ground. I'm sure it was pretty funny to watch me go through all of those emotions. It took me a few minutes to even say yes. Sam and Chari who work for the Provo police department and helped Cody set this all up jumped out of their car from across the street where they had been watching the whole time and were laughing because I hadn't said yes yet. Needless to say I forgave him (how could I not? just look at the ring!!!) and we are getting married the last weekend in August! Also, keep checking back because the police officers had their Dash Cam going the whole time and recorded everything and are giving us a copy which I will post as soon as we get it. I love you Cody! You have made me the happiest woman in the world.....just by being you.

Awesome Weekend!

We had so much fun this weekend! We were busy from dusk till dawn every day, but what a fun weekend we had! We went to Kangaroo Zoo Friday afternoon with Nalani and her baby Cash, Maile and her cute little boys Quinn and Cannon, and little Riley. The kids had a lot of fun and were exhausted by the time we were done. Friday night Cody and I went to the Jazz game with our good friends Chris and Jen. We were screaming so loud we about lost our voices, but it did help that we got free shirts! Saturday the kids and I went to Salt Lake with my mom, sister, brother, and sister-in-law to run the Race for the Cure. We were sponsored by Elase Medical Spas of course. We also spent some time at Jed and Nalani's riding the four wheeler which Bronson and Hailey absolutely loved. I had the best Mother's Day yet and recieved some sweet cards from the kids and a beautiful necklace and ring from Cody. We went up to my Mom's house for the rest of the day and had fun playing with our family and an awesome Mexican Fiesta with fajitas, guacamole, and strawberry pie, my favorite!