5 years...what the heck?

The kissing picture is right after we got engaged September of '05, the 2nd one is of us at the Fouger Family reunion this summer in July almost exactly 5 years later. Yesterday Michael and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Time surely does fly by. We celebrated by going to Cody for dinner and a movie. Dinner was at the steak house (can't remember the name) and I had an 8oz sirloin steak and black shrimp and a HUGE baked potatoe. It. was. delicous. Michael had a sirloin as well with sauted mushrooms. After our dinner we saw True Grit (it was about time Michael got to pick out the movie). I actually liked it...sorta gruesome, but hey, it was a western! :) Happy Anniversary Michael. Next year Cabo San Lucas, right?? :) Here are some of the reasons I am grateful Michael is my husband:

*He is a great father and has so much patience

*He takes his job as provider seriously and always works hard for us

*He is a fabulous cook and really likes to do it!
*He isn't judgmental

*He is easy going

*He compliments me

*He is humble

*He is crazy about our kiddos

*He loves the gospel

*He listens to me talk and talk about silly things

Happy anniversary Michael!

Trial

Michael and I found out yesterday that some of our Laramie friends lost their 5 year old girl in a skiing accident and the mom is apparently still in critical condition. They have 2 other kids. This family invited us over for homemade mexican food right after we moved into the ward and they were our good friends from then on. We were neighbors so we would watch our kids play at the complex playground together and visit. She talked me into running my first 5K. I watched their little girl (the one that was killed) when they went to the hospital to have their 2nd. They were a blessing to have for neighbors and I am heartbroken that they have to deal with this.

It seems like there has been a lot of tragedies like this lately. I've been following the blog of a young couple whose baby girl fell in a canal and drowned, and then my cousins little girl passed away and now this. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable because you realize all the sudden how fragile life is and that Heavenly Father allows his children to suffer so they can learn. I pray for these families and hope they will find peace in the gospel.

par-TAY!

Last Friday my man turned 4! I thought he was old enough and had enough "Friends" to have a friends party so thats what we did! 3 of our anticipated guests turned up sick at the last minute so we called for some emergency backup! (cousins who were going to come to the family party that night). Good thing they came because they made it a great party. We love all our great friends and cousins.

Stetson loves Mickey mouse club house so that was the "decor" (invitations, table cloth, plates, etc.) and we just played games and decorated cupcakes. The games consisted of the balloon game, which was fun but the balloons kept coming off their ankles, pin the tail on the donkey and Stetson's all time favorite, duck duck goose. The boys all had a blast and I'm glad we did it.

Stetson got great presents and was excited and happy all day. His first party was at the CRC when he got to take cupcakes and share his special day with his friends there, and then it was the friends party and then the family party that evening. Happy birthday big boy! At 4 years, you love:
~to watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse
~eat cereal and fruit snacks
~having your mom read books to you
~going to story time
~going to see grandparents
~having friends over or going to a friends
~playing with cousins
...other fun things
Stetson loves to go to his gma Asays and whenever its time to leave, he asks to "take something home." Not sure where he go it but he is spoiled by his gma Asay who he loves and usually takes fruit snacks
Stetson is getting great at dressing and undressing himself
Stetson loves his family, laughing, learning and doing new things and we love him!

Some stuff

On Monday for FHE we had a lesson about Jesus teaching in the temple and then made Christmas sugar cookies. It was a special night with lots of good memories. Michael very carefully made his own original sugar cookie resembling the "Flying A" (Asay brand) and Kandace not so carefullly grabbed it and rolled it up as soon as Michael put it on the cookie sheet. Hilarious. This girl is crazy. We love her so much..the way she smells, the way her cute tush wiggles when she runs away from us buck naked, the way cries, the way she smiles, all of it. We've been working on potty training for a couple months now. Lets just say I'll never start them this young from now on, but I don't want to turn back now that she's come this far. Ugggh.

Stetson turns 4 tomorrow! He's very excited for the upcoming festivities and I'm excited for the festivities to be over!! :) What a loser mom I am. Good thing I love him so much.
The Christmas season has brought me a lot of joy the last couple years. The meaning and happiness of Christmas has shifted for me over the last few years--after childhood and once the magic sort of goes away, I actually felt sort of empty during Christmas for a few years, because after the presents had been unwrapped and the tree was put away, I just felt like it was over. Now for some reason I've realized that Christ being born is the greatest gift we could ever receive, and better yet, its the gift that keeps giving, all year long. The gift of Jesus Christ comes with forgiveness, hope, peace, and an enabling power that can make me more than I could ever be without him. I am truly grateful for him and for the time of year we have to celebrate his birth and life. I love him and I am grateful that every day I have another chance to be better.

Among other things, I have been dreaming of going somewhere like this. Michael and I went here for our honeymoon and I'd love to go back. I don't even need to go there, just somewhere warm. I spent the first 12 years of my life in California and we spent all our summer days swimming and playing in the sun. I remember getting out of the water and finding a dry spot on the cement around the pool and just laying there listening to the splashing water and kids' voices with the heat of the sun shining on my back to warm/dry me. Life was good. Oh to be a kid again. I miss it. However, I remember that during the winter months in SR I wished we could have snow because then it would be a "Real" Christmas. When I woke up with frost on the grass and roofs it sort of looked like snow and I would pretend that it was.

My little shepherd

Stetson got to be a shepherd last night for our ward Christmas party. He was very excited about it and talked about it the whole way there. He's usually on board for anything we throw at him and gets excited about it--sort of like when I told him he was going to be the UPS man. He was so excited and talked about it NON STOP (still asks almost every day what I'm going to be for Halloween next year) even though he didn't even know what the UPS man was. :)
We are loving the Christmas season and the chance we have to rejoice in the birth of our Savior.