Giving thanks

Rachel made homemade egg nog on Thanksgiving and egg nog mustaches quickly gained popularity as you can see. Well we had a GREAT Thanksgiving. As we were driving home this morning I couldn't believe how fast it went by. Seriously. Anyway, we got to do lots of fun things. We got to my dad's Wednesday night and headed to pizza hut with the fam. The next day we enjoyed a DELISH Thanksgiving feast with the Asay's and then headed to my dad's for round 2. I'm not so much looking forward to the "weigh in" portion of my next doctor's visit. maybe I'll ask if I can just skip it, because I'm pretty sure I've put on a few in just the last week. Anyway, the next day we kept tradition alive by "preg testing" (checking to see which cows are pregnant so they can sell them/vaccinating). My nephew Travis who LOVES anything cowboy got to come join the fun. He stayed out with the boys all day and helped "chase the cows." :) The next day I went and helped dad decorate his Christmas tree and we saw Joel for a few minutes. He's working and going to school in Billings and has a pretty crazy schedule. Stetson wasn't shy at all and jumped up in his arms and thoroughly enjoyed his flips in the airs with Joel.

now THAT'S a milk mustache
Cowboy Travis helping with cows (don't worry Rachel, I'll send you more pictures.)
Asay grandkids (l-r: Stetson, Travis & Carson)
I give my dad a hard time sometimes when I go home because if I ever want to bake something I usually have to run to my aunt Marguerite's to get the ingredients because he doesn't usually have staple items like baking powder and vanilla, because he doesn't bake, but one thing you can ALWAYS count on him having is a Costco box of cheerios and honey nut cheerios, and Stetson knows exactly where they are every time we go home and he goes straight to them and requests a good 'ol bowl of honey nut. I thought this was a cute shot of Steston enjoying his favorite treat at Grandpa's.

Stetson LOVED being thrown up in the air by his giant uncle Joel.

Gratitude "B", "C" & A

Well I've completed my alphabet of gratitudes. I'm gratefulf for this time of year that makes us think of all our blessings!! I truly belive that a grateful heart is a happy heart--we're so lucky to know this. A lot of people are constantly looking for happiness in the wrong places, and I'm grateful I know where to find it.
Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm gratefulf for Advanced medical technology. When I was growing up, the only reason I dreaded having babies was because I was scared of the whole “Hospital scene,” doctors, all that. I have had the best nurses and doctors for both Stetson and this one and feel grateful to live in country where its available to us.
I'm grateful for my Brothers—and I have 5!! They are ALL great examples to me, I’m proud of them and I’m inspired by the way they care for their wives and children.
I'm grateful for California. It’s a beautiful place and some of my most cherished memories took place there. A lot of people don’t think much of the people in California, but having lived there for 12 years, I can tell you that some of the best Christians I’ve EVER known live there and these people have made lasting impressions on my life. I am SO grateful for what they’ve done for me and my family.

Gratitude "D" & "E"

I’m grateful for my Dad. I suppose I could share a million stories to help serve justice to the man I very proudly call my dad, and I will share one, but I could never adequately express my appreciation to him in words. When we lived in Santa Rosa we had a wild blackberry bush on our property that we LOVED picking blackberries off of. They were a family favorite of the Simmons.’ Right before we moved to Wyoming, a family in our ward hosted an open house/farewell thing for us, and a friend told me something that really hurt my feelings. Believe me, looking back I realize how silly it was, but believe me, I was absolutely devastated and convinced that my world had ended. When we got home and I told my dad the “sob story”, he listened intently, disappeared and came back a short while later with a white plastic cup filled with blackberries picked for me from the blackberry bush, and I’ll never forget what he told me. He said, “Emily, I want you to understand that men don’t have the best way with words, and sometimes they want you to know they love you and are sorry but they don’ts know how to say it, so they’ll bring you home flowers or something else (in my case it was a cup of blackberries). So just remember that when you’re married and your husband comes home with flowers or something, he just wants to say, I love you, and I’m sorry.”
I'm grateful for Employment--Michael’s and mine. Michael really “brings home the bacon” but I’m still grateful for my little jobs because they give me fulfillment and the chance to grown and learn new things.

culture

So me and my friend Amyntas went to a ballet last night. It was the first time I've ever been to one, and it was really neat. The first portion was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which was very typical for a ballet, including fairies, pretty sparkly costumes, etc. The 2nd portion was NOT anything I expected. It was called "Ride the Culture Loop" by Anna Sokolow and it was...interesting. Just a lot of randomness that made NO sense to me, but I guess everyone has their own interpretation. Nonetheless, I'm glad I went and got a little "culture." :)

I'm graetful for Forever families. One of the greatest sources of comfort to me every day is that I can be with my family forever. I don’t know how people get by without this knowledge; it has ALWAYS been a source of comfort and strength to me.
I'm grateful for General conference—I LOVE listening to the general authorities and I feel inspired by their presence alone. I love feeling the spirit when they speak and how I want to be a better person with every message they share.
I'm grateful for my Health—I am SO grateful for my body and that I can do pretty much anything I want to with it –exercise, take care of my family, get around without any problems, etc. A lot of people don’t have these blessings of good health and I certainly don’t take mine for granted.
I'm grateful for Inspiration—I feel inspired so easily it seems like these days—I don’t know if its being a mom or what, but I feel SO lucky that Heavenly Father lets me feel inspiration despite all my setbacks and imperfections.

Gratitude "J"

I’m grateful for Jan asay. She is my mother in-law. And she is amazing. One example: When Michael and I were dating, we were really “on and off” (and I admit it was my fault), and I’m sure I drove her crazy for putting her son through the craziness, and I was sure that one of the million times I came through her door to see Michael she was going to rip me a new one or at LEAST give me a deserved dirty look but she ALWAYS greeted me with the happiest “well hello!!...how are you!!??” you’ve ever heard. She’s just that kind of person—Michael calls it the “Monk (her maiden name) magnetism.” She has sacrificed her whole life for her family and given her all. I hope I can be half the mother she is (and I hope she saved me a Sees candy for Thanksgiving). Just kidding Jan.

You know you're pregnant when...

*You cry at the polar express
*You just leave your shoes untied because its too uncomfortable to bend down to tie them
*You sit for a half hour just looking at your stomach watching it move
*You constantly think about how you could make your home more clean, organized, etc.
*You breathe through your mouth during your shower because the smell of your shamp & cond. sends you over the edge (at least mine does)

Gratitude "K-P"

I'm grateful for Knowledge. I’m thankful to belong to a church that encourages learning and especially for a dad who made it possible and encouraged me to stick it through college so I could learn all the wonderful things I did.

I'm grateful for Local church leaders—I’m grateful for my bishopric and the countless hours they put in behind the scenes to make our ward “run.” I feel the spirit so strong every Sunday as I sit in sacrament meeting and it wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for sacrificing, worthy priesthood holders who love and serve God.

I'm grateful for Michael. He's my best friend and I love knowing I can talk to him about anything. Plus he’s a GREAT dad and there’s nothing I could want more than a great dad for my children.

I'm grateful for Nice people. Some are, some aren’t, and I’m so grateful for the ones that are.

I'm grateful for Opportunities. I’m proud to live in a country where I’ve always had lots of opportunities and for all the other ones that have come my way throughout my life in the form of education, jobs, callings, etc.

I'm graeful for Parents. Especially for the fact that the took me to church every Sunday, taught me about the gospel of Jesus Christ and loved me.

Gratitude "Q"

I’m grateful for Quiet time. A.k.a. when Stetson takes his nap. I know come February I won’t have much of it, so I’m relishing my quiet moments now when I can get stuff done or just relax. Its my “recharge” time.

L-R: Me, Michael, Rocky (Matthew's buddy from school), Matthew & Charlene.
Matthew
Michael receiving his scholarship
Last night was Michael's scholarship banquet and it was g-o-o-d. They served prime rib with green beans and potatoes with this yummy sauce on top. PLUS, a delish green salad and some vinagrette dressing. For dessert we had cream puffs with pumpking pie filling inside. Yum-o. Michael and Matthew looked dazzling of course with Matthew in his trendy brown Corduroy jacket compliments of Stan Asay, plus a belt buckle and boots to top off the whole ensemble. Michael was less daring with just jeans and a buttom up shirt. :)

Gratitude "R"

I’m grateful for Revelation. I love that we belong to a church where we can receive personal revelation tailored to our lives and personal needs. It’s a wonderful thing.

We woke up to some LOVELY weather this morning-its actually really pretty but doesn't make for good driving. :( AND Stetson made (well me actually) this dinosaur hat at story time yesterday. And, happy birthday to my big brother Morgan!! :)

Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be...

"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked." Bill Cosby
I know we're a day late, but happy anniversary!!

Gratitude "S"

I’m grateful for Stetson. He is the light of my life and I don’t know if I’ll ever comes to terms with the fact that such a beautiful, precious spirit could be mine.

Gratitude T

I’m grateful for Thomas s. Monson. Its such a blessing to receive revelation from this man and to feel his spirit.

Gratitude U

I’m grateful for the University of Wyoming. Michael and I have both a lot of great opportunities because of this great institution and I’m grateful to live in a country where education is so accessible.

Looking for girl clothes

If anyone is looking to get rid of 0-3 month girl clothes, let me know!! I'd love to take them off your hands. :)

Gratitude "V"

I am grateful for Visits home. Probably my favorite thing to do is go home to Lovell/Cowley and visit family. Our families are so good to us and we thoroughly enjoy all the good company, good food and all the extra attention Stetson gets.

Gratitude "W"

I’m grateful for Women in my life. I’m convinced that Heavenly Father has very strategically placed special women in my life so that they would be there when I needed them—I’ve always felt like I had someone to go to if needed and they’ve all made me feel so special.

Gratitude X

I’m grateful for X-mas. I hate to spell it this way, but it was the best I could come up with. I’m grateful for Christmas because my favorite childhood memories are getting up at 5:00am with my big brother Morgan Christmas morning at 4250 Mt. Taylor Drive and seeing what gifts had been brought to us. I love the smells, the sights and the general feeling around Christmas time. It’s a magical time and I’m grateful that as I’ve gotten older I realize the true meaning of Christmas and what can be because of it.

Gratitude Y

I am grateful for Yellow. I think some of Heavenly Father’s most beautiful creations are yellow—sunflowers, the sun, lemons, and many more. Its always been my favorite color because its so vibrant and happy!

Gratitude Z

I saw this GREAT idea on my friend Cara's blog. For every day of the month you choose something you're grateful for that starts with a letter of the alphabet. I'm starting at Z and working my way up.

I am thankful for Zest. This was a tricky one to come up with, and i actually had to look up words starting with "z" in the dictionary to come up with it. I'm grateful for people and things that give zest to life i.e. good food, music, books, art, etc. The first person I thought of when I decided on this word was my grandma Foulger (my mom's mom). There should be a picture of her in the dictionary next to the word zest. My grandma is over 70 and still goes out dancing every weekend. When I lived with her while I student taught, she got home later than I did. She never passes up an opporunity to learn something new, see something beautiful and then share it with someone else. She looks for beauty in everything and truly appreciates the little things in life.

Regular pregnant lady

We had our 3rd ultra sound today, and the news is good! The cyst is gone, so I am no longer in the "high risk category." Instead I'm just a "regular pregnant lady" as Dr. Keeler affectionately put it. I've never been happier to be a regular pregnant lady though. AND, I've never been happier to be the future mom of a GIRL!! (so the doc says) After our surprise with Stetson, I'm not having a girl shower or putting all my boy clothes in storage quite yet, but I sure am excited and I might have bought the cutest PINK sleeper at Wal-mart today. I can't wait to hold my bundle of joy in it. I just about bawled when I was walking around Wal-mart with my pink sleeper in tow thinking of life with a little girl in our home.

So fun

We had such a good weekend. We got Stetson dressed up in his spider costume and took him to the stake trunk or treat which ended up being so fun. Last year when we took Stetson he couldn't walk or anything so we carried him around and got his candy for him and it was mostly just for us (he totally didn't get it). I kind of expected the same thing this year, but I was wrong. He was SO cute. As we started making our loop around the parking lot, he was kind of timid and weirded out by the whole concept but as the crowd thinned out and he started to figure it out, he really liked it. I'd hold his little bag and help him say trick or treat and he just watched in awe as people kept putting candy in his little bag again and again. He really liked it when he got to pick his own candy and then he'd put it carefully in his little bag. So cute. I can't wait 'til he gets even older and can get into it even more. He looked really cute too.

Well here's the rest of our weekend story. Before we went to the trunk or treat, we decided last minute to go to Lovell for the weekend and help Stan with beets and cows. So we packed like mad men, took a few pics of Stetson in front of the pumpkins and made a mad dash for the trunk or treat. We ended up leaving about 6:45 pm. I drove 'til Riverton then Michael took over. The trip actually went by quick--having Stetson asleep the majority of the trip made it a lot easier. We got there about 1 am, got up the next morning and got to work (well the boys did). It was SO fun to be outside with Stetson, spend time with Michael's family and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather. It was seriously perfect. We got home last night aroudn 11, hit the sack and now its back to life in Laramie. Our ultra sound is tomrrow. Woot!! Wish us luck.
playing outside at Grandpa & Grandma's