South Dakota....Here we come!

LAX at 4:30 AM! Breven's not an early bird......can you tell?
Watching the sun come up.
Breven was thrilled!

"So what should we do with 8 days off?" That was the question over breakfast one morning. We voted on a vacation, but where? I voted for anywhere as long as it wasn't in our RV/Summer home. Brad got out the map, closed his eyes and pointed. Breven did the same. One finger landed on Nebraska, the other South Dakota. We checked out both and voted......Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, or the Corn Palace in Nebraska? South Dakota won! Sometimes the unexpected, unplanned trips turn out the best. This one sure did!

DANGER

What's wrong with this picture?
As long as they give us helmets we're safe right?
This was the way they mined the whole place, by candlelight no less! Sorry, not even gold is worth this.
Panning for gold.
In Thunder Mountain Gold Mine.

Alpine Slides

Faster than a speeding bullet!
Up they go! The boys traveled up a ski lift, loaded themselves on a ta bogon and flew down a mountain at light speed. I think they liked that ride more than the airplane.

Bear Country U.S.A.

Maybe we should have opted for the extra rental car insurance. This is after the bears checked out the car.
Bryce's view of the giant antlers. And yes, his window is down.
Scratch and sniff?
This is the kind of bear I like.....FAKE!
Sitting in Bear Country.

Wow....this could never happen in California! Drive up, pay a fee, enter a drive thru theme park complete with live animals such as bear, wolves, mountain goats, fox, bison, elk..... even Santa's reindeer! Of course the signs were posted to keep all windows up, but Bryce didn't want a glare in the photos! I was terrified.....the boys were laughing.....we were off to quite a start.

On the other side of the tracks.

An old 1880's steam engine train.
Posing for a photo down by the creek.
Always exploring.
Hurry, say cheese before the train comes.

The Fish Whisperers

Bros sittin' on the dock
The boys made their own poles out of sticks, fishing line and hooks from the trash, and an old cigarette butt as bait. Yes they washed their hands, but first they caught 12 fish! Unbelievable!

Rush Hour in South Dakota

The traffic stops for the Buffalo to cross, and the donkeys stick their head in your vehicles and eat anything in sight! Seriously, we think traffic on the 91 is bad!

For the Record: Security should be increased.

Quick story: We decided to take a Sunday hike at the base of Mount Rushmore. We had not yet gone into the park because we were saving it for another day, but as we were driving around looking for a trail head we spotted a glimpse of the monument and thought we might be able to get a closer look from outside of the park. As we ventured up the mountain we spotted a couple of tepees. Before we knew it....we were INSIDE the National Monument itself! Honestly, there were no signs posted anywhere! The park rangers saw us and thought we were a part of a tour group so we had to look like we belonged. They escorted us to another viewing spot in the park and that's when we knew.......security should be increased! Just a little family of four out for a Sunday hike, ends up trespassing illegally! We decided we had to go back out the way we came in even though it was now roped off! "On three..... 1, 2, RUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!" We ran down the hill as fast as we could trying to get back to the car. Breven's red shirt was far from camouflage, but it was my screaming, "START THE CAR, START THE CAR" that gave us away. No arrests were made. We didn't make the 5 O'clock news, but we did feel like we were starting in the movie National Treasure 2! Another thing to state for the record: We went back and paid the next day! It's always an adventure with the BTBB FAM.

Great Places....Great Faces!

Look at what the future holds!
Do you spy George Washington?
Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.
Do you see any resemblence?
What a memory!

Welcome to the Cosmos!

I really was trying to stand up straight.
So were they.
This place gave us such a headache! I still think it was magical even though Bryce took the wind out of my sails giving all the scientific reasons to why this is a hoax. All I can say is that the trees grew funny, my eyes grew funny, and standing up straight was definitely funny! Check this place out if you ever travel through SD.

Saddle Up!

The boys took their first real trail ride. Breven rode "Dragon." Brad rode "Buck." Mom rode "Curly" (who had a bad case of gas.) Dad rode "Lewis." We ALL loved it. We took a one hour ride through the forest, spotting deer and getting rained on. What fun!

Wind Cave

Breven was a little cold down in the cave so the ranger gave him her jacket. He even helped her on the tour.
It is so amazing to see all the different formations.
This is called "box work" Out of all the box work known of in the world, Wind Cave has 98% of it!

Out on the Prairie

Give us wide open spaces....It's sure to put smiles on our faces!

We're going Pro!

Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. Breven is pointing to the window that he almost broke. Oops! And that's my second "hole in one!"
Hole in one on par 5.
Bryce's hole in one par 11. And for the record, we played mini golf more in one week than in the 13 years we've known each other.

The No Tell-Motel

That's all I have to say about that!

Evan's Plunge

We found this plunge that has been around for 100 years in Hot Springs, SD. It has fresh mineral water pumped in constantly straight from the Hot Springs! It was a little stinky like boiled eggs, but the water was warm, the slides were fast and the alligators didn't bite!

Bryce tried to make it from ring to ring across the pool. He said that wet rings were a bit difficult to cross.

Poo Happens

Anyone for a buffalo chip? Breven found some fur too. The fur made it back, the poo stayed in South Dakota.

Jewel Cave

On the surface of one of the largest caves in the world. Let's head down to check it out.
This cave was HUGE!
Over 700 stairs to climb.
Can anyone see the bacon? That's what this particular formation is called? Now where are the eggs?
Stalactites and Stalagmites

Four-Mile Ghost Town

This place was a hoot! We carried around a tape player, (I didn't realize those were still around) and took a self-guided tour through old barns, graveyards, barber shops and more while listening to the voice on the tape filling us in with all the fun info from the place. This was a great stop on the trip.
Circle the wagons.
Howdy Sheriff!
This place was a ghost town......we were the only ones there.

Only in South Dakota

Nothing "P.C." about it! South Dakotoids tell it like they see it.

Exploring Sylvan Lake

We started with a walk around the lake....which lead to a swim in the lake of course.
We had to drive through a half a dozen of these one car tunnels to get there.
"Quick dad, pull over! We see a cave."
Paddle boats would've been more fun if Bryce and I could've sat in the back seat! Breven needs to grow a few more inches before he can reach the pedals.

Mini Golf and Massive Treats

Why not? We had to golf to burn off the 600 calorie frosty!
Belly up!
This was the home of the greatest banana cherry shake EVER!

Lovin' the Lodge

K Bar S Lodge was great! We stayed here our first night and our last two nights. It was by far our favorite. It was off the beaten path so it didn't feel so "touristy." We enjoyed amazing breakfasts every morning on the deck with waffles that were bigger than our heads!
The boys loved taking the hike from the lodge to the creek! No shirts, no shoes......no problem!
Wild turkeys roam the lodge......no not my boys, REAL wild turkeys.
Always exploring.
Kicking back after the hikes.

Fore!

Yes, another mini golf trip! I think we hit everyone in South Dakota.

Yes, ANOTHER CAVE!

The boys had to see just one more! I opted to stay back at our hotel and read while enjoying beautiful views above ground! You've seen one cave.....you've seen 'em all! The boys loved it though! It was a good adventure for just the boys!

Hangin' on!

It's not every day that you get asked, "Mom, can we ride a buffalo?" And only in South Dakota would my answer be, "YES!" Of course it was stuffed and stationary, but what the hay!

This was the Dinosaur Park? Really?

We'd heard all week about a great dinosaur park in Rapid City that the kids would love! This is it! Really! Breven had to pose for a couple of shots, but Brad and I were not very impressed. It did give us few more laughs.

Our Final Hoorah in South Dakota

We decided to start our own band! Check out those boots.
During the show I was picked to "join the band!" Lucky me!
I didn't realize that I would have a stylist too! These hats are native to South Dakota.
Eating our last supper at the "chuck wagon supper show"

One of the only things left to do was to eat chuck wagon BBQ supper. Who knew we'd get a show too? We had a delicious dinner of buffalo, baked beans, baked potato (served firmly so it wouldn't roll off) biscuit with honey and spice cake for dessert. Did I mention that it was all served on a hot metal plate? The supper was served at 6:30 sharp with a bluegrass band that played 'til dark thirty. Does life get better than this. Of course my loud laughter and knowing the words to every Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard song they played made me a perfect target to be picked from the crowd to join the band. More laughs, more singing, and a great way to end our trip! Till next time South Dakota!

PaPa's Not Too Old to Fly!

Birthday Boy in Flight!
Since the boys are already seasoned fliers they decided that it would be a great birthday present for PaPa's 60th, just to make him not feel too old, you know. He did great and so did the boys! Now let's see if we can get him to fly out of a plane instead of in a tube!

Happy Fourth!

Our Fourth consisted of the traditional trip to the ol' homestead. This is the home my great-grandfather, Grumpy, built. My mom now lives there and it has always been the tradition to play in the yard, eat homemade ice cream and lay on blankets to watch the firework show. We started the day by paying tribute to those who have given their lives to protect our freedoms at the Vetrans Memorial. My Paw-Paw's name is on that wall too! What a great day it was!

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

Exploring in San Diego

The boys aboard an aircraft carrier. They felt like little pilots. They got to get into airplanes and climb all through the giant ship. It was great!

Does the salute look authentic? I don't know, the bracelet throws it off a little.
Enjoying the ocean breeze.
Rock climbers....rock squaters....It's all fun when you're on the ocean.
My first time seeing the San Diego Temple up close! Beautiful!
WARNING: A bit graphic. While exploring San Diego we went to the Museum of Natural History where they had Body Worlds on exhibit. WOW! This was amazing. It really is a must see. The human body is so amazing and truly this exhibit made us all more grateful for the wonderful gift that the human body really is.
On our walk I found myself pretending to be a professional photographer just trying to capture a little bit of the beauty that was surrounding us. From the flowers to the fish, to the architecture and the fountains, this place was great to explore.
Posing for the camera.
They were hoping the museum would come to life after dark!
We were not sure how many days off Bryce would be able to have this summer with changing to a new office and all, so we decided to milk the last bit of vacation for all it's worth. We headed to San D for a quick exploration to some places we've not yet visited. We went to the Maritime Museum and toured 2 submarines, a pirate ship, and lots of fun boats. We finished the tour on an aircraft carrier that was probably the size of Blythe! We found a great Museum and spent half the day viewing "plastecized" cadavers! Now that's an adventure. After a few full days of fun and adventure we asked the boys what their favorite part was and they both agreed it was seeing the Temple. It was a great getaway!

On the next episode of BTBB vs. Wild...

Overlooking the desert.....Where's Blythe?
Taking a little rest.
This was all of us, before dark, getting ready to fall asleep in the tent. Notice: NO PILLOWS!
More shaddow pics! How do you like the mowhawks?
Bros treking over the bridge.
He is such a pro at scouting! check out our camp stove!
Still smilin' at over half way there.
Crazy plants huh?
Yes, they amaze me! This is what happens when you eat your vegetables.
This is my "Man vs. Wild"

I thought the R.V. was "roughing" it, boy was I wrong! We thought that it might be fun to do a backpacking camp trip now that the boys are getting older so we bought tickets to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, strapped on our packs (OUCH!) and headed up the mountain! We started at about 2000 feet and ascended up the mountain to 8000 feet, luckily that was with the assistance of the tram! Once we got there we had to hike over 2.5 miles in to the campsite. We didn't take into consideration however that the 2.5 miles were totally uphill! Our camp was at over 9100 feet in elevation! What a climb! For the record, although Bryce thought he was being a gentleman and carrying the pack with all of the sleeping gear in it plus the tent, I ended up winning the award for carrying the heaviest pack. At the top of the mountain he asked for my pack to unload something and realized that mine was way heavier than his. Real good babe! I was hauling up all the water/food/gear! Breven wins the award for climbing up steps that came up to his waist. We may have had to hike our leg up, but he literally had to climb some of these "steps." He carried his own pack the whole way up I might add. Brad was still recovering from a BMX injury, but he out hiked us all, as usual! Bryce was the pilot of course and I've never been so grateful for his skill in map reading as I was this trip. The rangers gave us a scribbled up map that was practically indeciferable. Who could tell the difference between badger or cougar campsite? All I know was that he knew how to get there and which one was closer! Thank You! We had a blast! What an adventure it turned out to be. No water, no hook ups, NO TOILETS, no fires, and did I mention, NO TOILETS?! We will do it again, but this time we WILL take bed rolls! I've never been more grateful for a temperpedic mattress in all my life!

Tune in next week for BTBB vs. the beach or the spa or something a little less EXTREME!

Sweet Baby Hayden

Isn't she soooooooo sweet!
We Love this lil' girl! Isn't she a doll?
My BFF Kristy just had her first baby making ME the proud Auntie! I can't wait for the spoilage to begin. Congrats to the proud mama and papa. Mike and Kristy, you sure make pretty babies.

Tearin' it up!

Vincent and B-rev!
"Riders ready. Watch the light!"
Love this sweaty face!

Brad, Breven and cousin Vincent went to the BMX track this week and tore it up! Breven rode his little heart out. He had to pedal twice as hard as the other boys. Poor Brad biffed it on the first run out of the gate and he has a gnarley bruise to prove it! The season starts mid July so we'll have to practice up, but is this right up their alley or what?

It's Official!

The "Gang" (not pictured; Chris-"real good, how embarrassing, working during the move" jk)
The boys say good-bye to their fort!
Way to feed the workers-Sugar them Up!

We did it! This is the BIG MOVING DAY! Our family was there bright and early to lend a hand. I think we may have broken the world record for the fastest move in history. From the first box on the truck to the starting of the engines was two hours TOTAL! Thanks to the the Fam, Elders, and all our friends for the help. We never could have done it without you! There were lots of tears, in fact we didn't stop crying until Desert Center, but we were leaving such a big piece of US out in Blythe! We have grown more than we ever imagined and we know that it was indeed a blessing to have lived there. We are already missing the little gem in the desert and all of our AWESOME friends that made the place that way. We'll be back soon. Leave the light on for us!

Rock On!

The VanHornes

Cook and Jess

Singing some SWeEt Tunes!

Brad's a natural. Cade decided to dress up for the occasion!

All the newbies in the Band did awesome!

But no one could beat Julia the Drummer Goddess!

The VanHorne Posse threw us an AWeSoME going away party complete with Oscar's carne asada and cute little decorations with the letter M on every cupcake! Julia you can't be beat on your party planning! Thanks so much for an awesome way to end our time here in the 'hood! Rock Band Marathon was the Best! Keep up your mad skills in drumming and as for me, Penny Twilight, I'll try to challenge myself to move the skill beyond EASY!

Love you all!

There will NeVEr be another neighborhood like this! We will miss you more than you know.

Nice Wheels!

Pops cruised in for a visit in this sweet vintage porshe! Nice wheels Pops! Thanks for the milkshake at Courtesy. We love you!

My Life is in Boxes!

I can't believe it! It's really happening! We are moving! It's the Final Countdown!

Bring out the Mariachi Band!

The Infamous Invitation! (thanks Ger)

He looks like he was getting a little emotional....yeah right, probably a little jalapeno in his eye. Love the cake right?

Seriously.....A taco truck!

His oh so authentic family! Love the sambraro and our little son, Nacho Libre.

Lovin' on some friends!

What a Fiesta! Anyone who knows Bryce knows his famous quote, "Murrills don't go to Mexico!" But he never said Mexico couldn't come to the Murrills! I thought it would be great to surprise him with a Fiesta complete with a taco truck and all for his big 3-2! There were over 100 people there, including the Border Patrol! We had a blast! Gracias to all who came to celebrate! Feliz Cumpleanos Babe! We love you!

Give us this day our daily bread....

Pulling out the beautiful bread! It even smelled better than it looked!

Sweet Sister John shared her wisdom and love by teaching me to bake bread from scratch.

Just for the record, now I know why the saying is "daily bread." It is so good, that you can't help but eat it all in a day! Thanks to my dear friend Jessica and her sweet mother, I learned how to bake bread from scratch! I ground the wheat, mixed it up, let it rise, let it rest, pounded it, patted it, practically prayed over it, all for the beautiful end result of an overwhelming feeling of accomplisment and deliciously delightful bread! Thank you Sister John for sharing your wisdom, and thank you Jessica for sharing your mom. Love you ladies.

Oh so Handsome

The BTBB Fam was asked to give talks in Church, ALL of us! The boys looked sharp and sounded even better. We are so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives.

B-Rad Rocks!

The Big Show!

Check out the concentration! Andrew looks calm and collected.

Mr. Cool! Notice the shirt.....it's genetic.

Brad and Andrew were in the school talent show this year. They rocked a little Metallica, and by a little I mean about 1 min and 10 seconds. The crowd went WiLD, or maybe that was the groupie section (the proud mamas) but anyway, they did great! Keep on Rockin'

Girls Gone Glitz

Breathtaking ViewsThe Glitzy Girls

BFF

Sisters..... The O.G.'s

Erika was bitten....by Edward!

Kissin' Cousins

We made it to the top of the Mountain!

Girls just wanna have FUN!

Our view from the spa deck!

This years girls weekend theme was, "Girls Gone Glitz!" We filled our weekend with all things glitz from glimmer lip gloss to blingin' flip flops and tank tops! People could see us coming from a mile away! Thanks girls for the love and laughs! It's always a blast being together. Until next year.................Girls Gone ?

We Will Remember Her

One of her favorite things....PInWhEelS

Grandma's favorite pier. Paradise Point in Malibu, CA

Sunny and Bright, just like GG!

My beautiful Grandma Cody. You will always hold a special place in our hearts.

She LoVes May Day, and the May Pole.

Our Adorable Grandpa and lots of his Grandkids!

The Handsome Doorman.

Grandma would be so proud of her great-grandboys.

In her younger years. Isn't she beautiful? Her sweet Bible, very well worn.

My Grandmother was taken home by the angels on Christmas Day. These past few months have stirred so many feelings and memories. This past weekend we celebrated her life with love, laughter, and tears. We love you GG! God be with you 'til we meet again.

See what happens when you eat your Spinach!

Yes, it's true. Popeye was right all along. Check out those guns!

Whew....what a day!

It must have been quite a day!

The Birthday Star at Chuck E. Cheese.

I can still pick him up and squeeze him tight.Thanks for the funny shirt Uncle Scott!

Grammy's boy!

Breven was quite the trooper this year for his birthday. It fell during our Spring Break so he just went with the "whatever" plan of the day! We woke up in Joshua Tree, spent the morning hiking, stopped by Big 5 where he picked out his own birthday presents, headed to the County Science Fair for Big Bro's award's ceremony, and then off to Chuck E. Cheese for an impromtu Birthday Bash complete with hundreds of tokens, greasy over-priced pizza, and a freezer burned birthday cake. Does that sound like fun or what? Now you know why he fell asleep with his clothes on! Happy Birthday Bud!

Bronze Medalist

Our Medalist! (look at that proud Grandma)

One final Hoorah! Taking the project to County.

Meet Brad's Fan Club! Pops, Uncle Gerry, PaPa Bruce, Brev, Grandma, Great Uncle Jack, Grammy, Uncle Scott, Great Aunt Diane, and Dad! We are so proud of you Brad!

Spring Break

Shaddow Families

I was obsessed........can you tell?

Who says nothing blooms in the desert?

He's got so much on his shoulders. My little bro, Scotty.

Brad challenged Pops to shimmy through the same hole he did.....Pops took the challenge!

Taking time for a Kodak moment.

The ultimate "Survivor." Check out that knife strapped to his leg!

Family Fun!

Peek-a-boo!

Rock Solid

Even some pink!

Exploring

Just "hangin' out"


Our Spring Break to Joshua Tree was tons o' fun! Great friends, great adventures, great times. Thanks for the fun. Let's do it again soon.

Breven's Birthday!

The Birthday Boy is GROWING UP!

Breven turns ONE, oh that was FUN!

Breven......You always have a great way of LOOKING at Life!

BROS

Breven Elliott-Dean just minutes old. Look at all those baby wrinkles!

Happy Birthday Breven Boy! Wow seven years have really flown by! We have enjoyed watching you grow and learn every day. Thanks for always making us laugh. You have been a blessing to everyone around you. "Breven, Breven, sent from Heaven" We all love you sweet boy. Happy 7th Birthday!

He is Risen!

He is risen! He is risen!

Tell it out with joyful voice. He has burst his three days' prison;

Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered; man is free. Christ has won the victory.

He is risen! He is risen!

He hath opened heaven's gate.

We are free from sisn's dark prison, risen to a holier state.

And a brighter Easter beam

On our longing eyes shall stream.