yayy!

I AM ONE MONTH FROM MY DUE DATE!!
We are getting so antsy to meet our baby boy. I am hoping and praying he comes early.

happy halloween

I love halloween, everything about it. This is Skyler and I's third halloween together! Time has seriously flown by!Now the next thing we have to look forward to is the arrival of our little one, it is so exciting to think that he is due in one month, we are soo ready to meet him already!

boys trip

Cute skyler and his friends planned a camping/fishing trip the other weekend. The camping trip didn't go as planned, they went out to the woods with ONE tent, ONE blanket and 5 guys. The guys weren't from rexburg, they had flown/drove in from out of town and skyler didn't think about how cold it gets at night [or pack accordingly]. It was cold enough that the guys all wrapped potatoes in foil, put them on the fire then cuddled with potatoes. About 4 in the morning all the guys showed up and the front door and we ended up having a sleepover in the living room. The next day we all went fishing and it ended up being a really fun weekend even though skyler was disappointed with the failed camping trip. I just thought it was so cute to see skyler with all his friends doing some of his favorite things. I love to just listen to them talk and laugh..boys are so funny sometimes!

junk in the trunk

I just saw something on the news about how the government wants to put a higher tax on all junk food to try to help the obesity rate in America. I am very saddened by this news because soon I will have to be shelling out more for my beloved snacks and my husbands addiction to Dr.Pepper. I think that this is all just a dumb way for the government to try to fix all their debt problems..lets get real, if I want some dorito's I am going to go buy some whether or not I have to pay a junk food tax....and what about all the ridiculously skinny people in this country, they NEED to be eating junk food. I say this tax is hating on all the anorexics. Just let me be fat president, please.

BOO

Our ward has a ghost going around that is haunting everyone. We got BOO'd the other day with a big plate of treats and a note at our door and had to pass on the BOO'ing to 2 of our neighbors. I decided that I was going to attempt making sugar cookies and they turned out AMAZING. Seriously the recipe I got was the best in the whoooole world. It was a fun little service project to do with friends and Skyler and I haven't minded eating the extras.
Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested...and don't worry they are super healthy.
INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

ICING

• 1 cup powered sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• assorted food coloring

The recipe makes about 50-60 cookies depending on how big and thick you make them. The icing recipe will frost about 12, so I made about 4 batches of it all in different colors.
Here is my most recent belly shot at 33 weeks pregnant! I can't promise I will be posting many more because I am starting to feel HUGE! He is still nice and high and all up in my rib cage. I always say I am going to ground him as soon as he is born for kicking me so hard, he seriously has knocked the wind out of me a few times. My most recent craving is salami with cream cheese but I haven't given into it yet, I know when I buy the stuff I will just take one bite and not want it anymore...thats how I am lately.

the cocoa bean

I go through obsessions. I always have and always will. I get very passionate about them and they are all you hear about for weeks at a time. I have all kinds of different obsessions from TV shows, music, crafts to different foods. My current obsession is THESE...oh my sweet goodness, heaven on earth. Red Velvet cupcakes from the Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe in Rexburg. If you haven't been go..now! I used to hit this place up occasionally for a little treat here and there but now I am completely obsessed. I sit in class and think about how quick I could make a detour there between classes..it's getting bad. I hope I get over this obsession soon, though these are divine I am sure my growing belly does not need anymore cupcakes.

Shout out to cocoa bean..I am pretty sure I am your most devoted costumer.

the baby room!

This week my mom and little brother jeffrey came to idaho to visit and brought all the presents we got at my AMAZING baby shower! I felt so overwhelmed with how much love I felt at the shower from everyone and how well we got taken care of and now that everything is finally all put together in his room I feel so grateful for amazing friends in my life! My mom and I spent much time sewing burp clothes and blankets, modge podging letters, and decorating and it has all come together so nice! Here is a few pictures of baby Carter's room.Now all we need is a little boy to put in there!!

belllllay!

Here are the most recent belly pictures! taken today, 30 weeks EXACTLY!! I feel really huge and can't imagine myself getting any bigger, these last 10 weeks are going to be SO HARD. I am already feeling the pain and I am going to school. His room is all set up and I am so ready for him to get here...I'm done being patient, I want my baby!

maternity pictures

The other day a family friend Jen [Rudd] Lucas came over to snap a few maternity pictures of me. She sent them to me today and they are amazing! I am so excited to have some good maternity pictures cause I know that my belly might not be as cute the second..or third time around, haha!

busy busy

The last week or so has been crazy and quite eventful.
A few things to note
*Skyler had his last week of selling!
*We packed up and took the 23 hour drive from Milwaukee to Rexburg split into 2 days. We drove through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and finally Idaho. I would have to say these are probably the most boring states to drive though [excluding wyoming...its beautiful] What kept us entertained is the hundreds of billboards through out these states advertising the weirdest things ever. For example,

• The Wisconsin cheese house
  
• The World's only CORN PALACE
• The World's tallest jolly green giant
• Spam factory **over 16,500 sq ft of spam**
• The Prehistoric indian village
  
• The Organic smoking product factory
• A ranch store that advertised "largest prairie dog on earth" for literally 300 miles
• "WALL DRUG"
• Wonderland cave, "your kids will love it, guaranteed!"
• The Roo Ranch

Check out how good I tetris'ed everything into the back of our poor car!*I turned 21 while on the road but we celebrated it earlier that week.*Skyler and I took a cruise of the Milwaukee river/Lake Michigan to say goodbye to the lovely city....and there is more events that I wanted to mention but can't remember...pregnancy has literally made me lose my mind. Obviously they weren't too exciting.