Yum!

I saw these on my sister in law's relief society blog and thought they looked fun so I made them this afternoon and they were so yummy!! Here's their website for great meal ideas: reliefsocietycookers.blogspot.com

Here's what you do:Frost the cookie with the vanilla frosting, and with the black icing make a dot in the middle and circles around it (like a target) with each circle getting bigger and going around the next. Then take a toothpic, start in the center dot and drag it out to the edge of the cookie, repeat all around the cookie until it looks like the picture above.

I couldn't find black icing so I improvised with green and orange. Happy baking!

Enjoying beautiful weather with my beautiful boy

Michael helping Stetson down the slide a little over a year ago
When we moved here a little over a year ago, we had to help Stetson down the slide because he was still too little to do it himself. Its so crazy and fun to watch him do it all by himself now. He even goes down the big "twirly" slide too by himself. The weather has been beautiful the last couple days, so Stetson and I have been spending a lot of time at the park. He loves the swing, its always the first thing we do and he could probably just sit there and let me push him all day. Then he loves to go down the "lide" (slide) too of course. Its fo fun to watch him play and know he's loving every minute of the fresh air and room to run and do fun things.

I think I speak for all moms when I say there's nothing better than watching your kids play knowing just by their faces that they are so happy!

Halloween happenings

Well today we started the Halloween festivities. Since we didn't do anything cool like take Stetson to a pumpkin patch or hayride or anything, we had chili & cinnamon rolls and carved pumpkins (well Charlene & I did) with Matthew, Charlene and my brother Michael and his wife Rachel. Michael has meetings in Laramie this week for the school board so he brought Rachel and they're on a little "vacation." :) Rachel taught me how to make her cinnamon rolls today and they were really good, so I'm excited that I can do that now if I ever want cinnamon rolls.

We thought Stetson would be a little more into the whole pumpkin carving this year but not so much. Well here's some pictures of our evening.
Michael & Rachel



Steston really wanted no part in any of the "festivities" He thinks pumpkin carving is gross. This is as close as he ever got to the pumpkins

Finished product

finally

Well here you have it. Sorry it took so long. They're not the greatest pictures, but you get the idea, right?? Once again, this is SOOO easy. I highly recommend it to ANYONE looking for something easier!! There's so many different ways you can fix it and it seriously takes me less than 5 minutes to do it. Hooray for short hair cuts.

Holy cow

My WHOLE life I've wanted to whack my hair off and know what its like to have the luxury of not having to spend a lot of time on my hair every day (like I did anyway lol). SO, I bit the bullet and got it whacked off on Tuesday and I LOVE IT for the reason that it takes me about 5 minutes to do it. How awesome is that? I highly recommend short hair cuts to anyone who is brave enough. With Stetson and baby #2 on the way, I was desparately looking for something easy. PLUS I teach swimming lessons at the rec 2 days a week and I wanted to be able to just stick my head under a hand dryer after lessons so I didn't have to walk outside in the 20 degree weather with wet hair. Makes sense to me. Well I've tried to take a pic that does the cut justice, but apparently I'm retarted and can't take a picture of myself without cutting half my head off, so here's what I came up with. Alicia Fenton cut it and I think she's a fabulous hair dresser if you want her number let me know. I'll post a real pic as soon as Michael comes home and can take one for me. The picture is the closest I could find of what mine really looks like.

Getting bigger

Well here I am at about 5 months. I can't believe I'm that far along. We're anxiously counting down 'til our next ultra sound, November 4th. We'll see if the cyst is gone and maybe we'll get to see what the sex is. :)
Things are going pretty good, not much to report on. The public schools didn't have school today so Michael got at day off from driving bus and got to sleep in, and he gets home at 2:30 instead of 5 so I'm pretty psyched about that. I need to get my hair cut but can't decide how I should cut it. I want to just whack it all off so it doesn't take any time to get ready in the morning, but I'm a woos (sp?) and probably won't. We'll see. We got a WAY cute halloween costume for Stetson--I'll have to post some pictures of that soon. Speaking of Stetson, he has been SO good lately. I think his teeth are feeling a lot better, even though only 1 of the 4 is in from what I can tell.

Happy birthday Dad

Ridiculously good looking
optimist
loving in every sense of the world
a perfectionist
nurturing father
dad I love you, words can't express the kind of dad you've been and how grateful I am!! Happy birthday!!

8 TV shows I like to watch:

1. So You Think You Can Dance
2. American Idol
3. A Baby Story
4. Oprah
5. John Kate 8
6. what not to wear
7. can't think of anymore

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Olive Garden
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. Outback
4. Carona Village
5. Wingers
6. Cowtown Cafe
7. Togos (haven't had one in a LONG time, its in CA)
8. Chuck o rama

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Woke up
2. got Stetson out of bed
3. fed him
4. prayed & read scriptures
5. went to park
6. fixed lunch
7. taught swimming lessons
8. Went to primary presidency mtg

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Ultra sound Nov. 4
2. Scholarship banquet with Michael Nov. 14
3. my new maternity pants coming in the mail
4. Michael being home
5. Living in a house (more space)
6. Thanksgiving
7. Halloween
8. Christmas

Everybody do it!

So I love blogging because I can vent about things and get great advice, but I always worry about being too personal and what people will think (I know, I shouldn’t but I do sometimes). Stetson has been getting 4 new teeth and life has been SO hard. I read on someone’s blog that they got up a half hour earlier one morning to pray and read their scriptures so she could be a better mom to her kids and she said she had way more patience than normal. What a novel idea. I should definitely do that. Do I? No, I tell myself I’m too tired and that I need every minute of sleep I can get. Well I’ve resolved that tomorrow I’m not going to tell myself that. I’m going to do it. If Michael can get up at 5:15 am every morning to drive bus, I can get up at 6:30 to read and pray.

Anyway, among other things, Stetson threw the hugest tantrum today that he’s ever thrown. Michael was home and it was the first time he’d seen him do it and he was like, “does he always do this?” And was pretty much in shock (Michael was). Well no, he doesn’t do it very often thank goodness, but I was glad Michael was home with me today to share the load. Anyway, I’m confident that once his teeth come in he’ll feel a lot better and life will be easier for everyone. PLUS, as the weather gets worse (I’m so sad about it I can’t even talk about it) we’re inside a lot more, so I’m racking my brain for fun/valuable things I can do with Stetson. I called the Rec center today about getting a pool pass so we could do that, I take him to story time, unfortunately he’s not into reading as much as he used to be, what have you got for me? Thank you!

i am: a mom
i think: about how I could be a better mom to Stetson
i know: I can be better
i want: to be a great mom and wife
i have: a cute baby boy
i dislike: feeling tired all the time
i miss: feeling so carefree
i fear: I’ll fall short of what I should do/become
i feel: frustrated with Stetson
i hear: my loud dishwasher
i smell: nothing
i crave: nothing right now (crazy, I know) ask me tomorrow and it’ll be olive garden
i cry: easily
i usually: don’t do my hair very cute
i wonder: what the future holds for me and my family
i regret: taking things for granted
i love: Stetson and Michael (and the rest of my fam)
i care: about Stetson and Michael
i always: try to keep my house clean even though it doesn’t show always
i worry: about Stetson
i am not: good at math
i remember: Halloween last year
i believe: God has a better plan for me than I realize
i dance: to embarrass Michael
i sing: alto
i don’t always: read my scriptures like I should
i argue: too much
i write: not very much, I like typing better
i win: very seldom
i lose: patience easily
i wish: i had more energy
i listen: to motab and wanna cry because its so beautiful
i don't understand: taxes (wish I did)
i can usually be found: at home
i am scared: of the dark when I’m home alone
i need: God
i am happy: with my life for the most part!

I tag: Shay, Jill, Shannon, Emily S.

Baby blessing

We had a good weekend in McCook, NE for Travis' baby blessing. We left Sat. morning about 11, got to Cheyanne around noon and headed straight to the mall for some much needed maternity pants. I was way bummed when I found out JCPenney's didn't have a maternity section, so we went to Motherhood. I cut right to the chase and told the lady there I needed the longest pants they had. She said they don't carry any long pants (I'll have to order some on-line) but she said some of their pants just run long, so she got me 2 jeans and a black pair of dress pants to try. The jeans weren't long enough (No surprise there) but the black pants were and I was SO excited. So we got those, went to Olive Gardenand then got to McCook around 6 pm I think.

Jill and Christian spoiled us with REALLY good food and we had a great time visiting. We stayed up late Saturday night talking and I don't know when the last time was I laughed so hard. Travis' baby blessing was so special, I love hearing a new baby being blessed. And it was my first time to a branch--very different from what we're used to. I'm glad McCook has Jill & Christian to serve the people there. They need all the members they can get! Steston is getting 4 new teeth so he was a grouch for most of the time but it was really cute when he wanted to hold Travis (see picture above).

So excited

First and foremost, thanks so much for all your comments and well wishes. I appreciate that.

Now onto the exciting news. Last year about this same time, we got an invitation to a "brand of excellence scholarship banquet" honoring recipients of College of Agriculture scholarship recipients. We weren't really sure what it was all about at first, but we went ahead and went and really enjoyed ourselves. Moslty just the part about not having to cook--going out to a nice catered meal where you don't have to worry about anything!! Well for like the last 2 months it seems like, the most exciting part of my day (I know, how pathetic am I?) has been going to check the mail to see if we got our invitations. Well I was starting to give up hope and we had wondered if they just did it maybe every other year, until yesterday I checked my mail and there it was. I'm so excited, and just wanted to share!

Blessings

When Michael and I had our ultra sound last Tuesday, the radiologist found a cyst in the left side of the baby's brain. The radiologist really "played it down" ensuring us that they usually go away, so I didn't really think much of it until the Doctor came in and recommended a quad screening (a blood draw to check for different birth defects, specifically trisomy 18) so that we could be "prepared" even though knowing one way or another couldn't change anything. After some tears were shed and Michael and I talked it over a few minutes, I decided to have the blood draw and wait the 5 working days to find out what the results were. I just talked to the nurse at the women's clinic and she informed me the tests were "normal." We have another ultra sound Nov. 4th to see if the cyst went away.

I've had a lot of mixed feelings during the last week...sadness, anxiety, fear, greater appreciation for the healthy baby I already have (Jan reminded me that every baby truly is a miracle and they truly are, I just forget that sometimes) and a lot of thoughts on trials. I remember telling Michael after we found out about the cyst, that trials have to come to everyone in some shape or form, and if ours didn't come in this way, it was going to come in some other way anyway. I LOVED Elder Cook's talk on trials and I felt just like his little boy who told his mom on the phone "Hope ya' know I had a hard time." I cannot imagine my life without knowing that trials are stepping stones and that they strengthen us and prepare us to meet God. I am grateful for other people's examples, people whose unwaivering faith carry them through their trials, and I hope I can do the same when I'm faced with mine.

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends. Copy then change all the answers so they apply to you, then post on your blog. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!
1. What time did you get up this morning? which time?
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Iron man
4. Favorite TV show? American Idol
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? cereal
6. What is your middle name? Rae, after my mom's grandma Rachel Foulger
7. What food do you dislike? blea cheese
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Rascal Flatts
9. What kind of car do you drive? 05 chevy malibou
10. Favorite sandwich? egg salad, grilled chicken if I'm eating out its usually what I order
11. What characteristic do you despise? people not doing what they say they'll do
12. Favorite item of clothing? gauchos
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Olive Garden :)
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Old Navy, love silver jeans, can't afford 'em anymore ;(
15. Where would you retire to? close to family
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? When I was in 6th grade, all my firends sent me balloons to school and I felt so cool walking home with all my balloons :)
17. Favorite sport to watch? Volleyball/dance
18. Furthest place you expect someone to look at this from? who knows
19. If you had a superpower, what would it be? patience (it feels like a superpower sometimes)
20. When is your birthday? may 8 83
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? NOT a morning person, for asure
22. What is your shoe size? 10
23. Pets? No way
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? we're having a baby!
25. What did you want to be when you were little? A mom, teacher or ballerina
26. How are you today? It was kind of a hard day
27. What is your favorite candy? skor bar, milk duds or raisinettes
28. What is your favorite flower? sunflower
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Sat. becasue we're goign to Cheyanne for Olive Garden and maternity pants!!!!!
30. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? cookie dough
31. What are you listening to right now? Michael surfing through channels
32. What was the last thing you ate? cheez its
33. Do you wish on stars? nope
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? weird question
35. How is the weather right now? chilly
36. Who was the first person you talked to on the phone today? Michael
37. Favorite soft drink? sprite
38. Favorite restaurant? Olive Garden (every time I think about their salad I salivate)
39. Real hair color? Brown
.40. What was your favorite toy as a child? dolls
41. Summer or winter? Summer
42. Hugs or kisses? hugs
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
44. Where was your last vacation? Dry head?? :-)Lol
45. When is the last time your cried? this afternoon, I know, what a sap I am
46. What is under your bed? Micchael's shot gun and scrapbooking stuff
47. What did you do last night? partied with Matthew & Lubby (Charlene)
48. What are you afraid of losing? My handsome, very strong husband Michael (He's looking over my shoulder right now)
49. Salty or sweet? both
50. How many keys on your key ring? 3ish?
51. How many years at your current job? I've been a mom for 23 mos
52. Favorite day of the week? Friday
53. How many towns have you lived in? lots
54. Do you make friends easily? I guess

My favorite things...

...that Stetson does

I'm recording this because I don't want to forget it!!

*Picks up anything he can hold to his little ear and says "ha-loh!" (hello)
*waves bye bye
*Whenever he sees a picture of Dora or whenever the T.V. comes on, he says very excitedly, "day-cha" (Dora)
*Calls Charlene "lah-leen" or "luby"
*Calls Matthew "dah-doo"
*Calls me Emmy
*When he wants something he says "leez" (please)
*Lines up his little bath toys on the edge of the tub in a straight row while saying "one, two, three..."
*He loves to sleep on Michael's stomach. Sometimes if Stetson gets up in the night, Michael brings him downstairs and Stetson sleeps on his stomach on the couch
*Whenever its time to get in the tub I say "tub tub!" And he immediately crawls upstairs, walks in the bathroom and tries to get in before his clothes are even off. One time after I got out of the shower, I was in my room getting dressed and he had climbed in in his pajamas and was just sitting there. :)
*He loves Dora
*He loves to sing itsy bitsy spider, wise man/foolish man, 5 little monkies
*he puckers his lips as far out as they can go when he says the letter "O"
*He's starting to repeat everything we say
*He calls water "wah-wah"
*He loves "na-nahs" (banannas) and usually asks for one first thing in the morning

For the record...

So, after reading your comments I thought I'd give you more details about the ultra-sound.
As soon as the radiologist got started, we told her about Stetson and how he was supposed to be a girl, so I pretty much told her I didn't want to know unless she was "99.9%" sure. That's fair, right?? So she said "well I'm 99.9% sure its a ...girl and I haven't missed in 15 years." So of course I gasped and said, "really??!!" because I was way excited, who wouldn't be??

So then the DOCTOR came in and was lookin around and asked if we knew the sex, we said we did then he proceeded to tell us he saw some "outdoor plumbing." So he looked around some more and showed us what he thought was the scrotum, but he never did get a really good view so he says. So like I said, we'll have a better idea in a month. But if you want to know what I think, I think its a girl because the radiologist was so certain and she spent more time looking around than doc did, but when the doc said he thought it was a boy, I was equally excited (honestly I was) thinking about Stetson having a little brother AND getting to re-use all thoseclothes I have sitting in boxes. I don't think our little apt. has room for another wardrobe.

I was thinking about how when we were prego with Stetson and thought it was a girl, a lot of people responded with, "oh those Asays won't know what to do with a girl." And I realize it was a joke, but I honestly can't think of a better family than the Asays to bring a little girl into this world. Michael is one of the kindest, most patient, gentle guys I know and he'd be a great daddy to a little girl.

Taking a break

I should be studying for my AFAA (Aerobics and fitness association of America) test this weekend, but I've spent the last 1/2 hr studying target heart rate ranges and I can't take it anymore. So, here's some super duper cute pictures from our fun weekend home, in order of events.Gma Asay at Jared's football game with Stetson & Carson
Stetson lovin "Lah-leen" (who wouldn't luv a really pretty girl who gives you treats? :)
Introducing Travis Foulger Asay...cute, huh?
a happy family :-)
Here's the Asay family in all their dryhead glory
We spent Sunday with my dad & fam, we took this picture right before we left Sunday evening
Gmpa Stan being a great grandpa to Stetson playing with the puppy