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.

baby evans

Something that I think about often these days is what our baby is going to look like. I feel like Skyler and I look kinda alike. People often mistake us for siblings. Take a look at this picture...We have the same eye shape, mouth, similar noses and almost the same face shape.

My mom is always saying "I can already see what your baby is going to look like" but I just can't picture it. She says it is easy cause we look so alike but I just can't picture us as a baby. So the other day I was playing around online and I found a babymaker! They morph pictures of you and your spouses faces and make you a baby!....I really hope our baby doesn't look like this.

she's 50!

MOMMA G IS 50 TODAY!!

I know my mom is freaking out about turning 50 but I have to say I believe people get hotter with age. I would prove it with old pictures of my mom in HUGE glasses, dresses with overly puffed sleeves, countless floral jumpers and big hair but I have no access to them at the time. As time goes on and trends change I am thankful to say that my mom has kept up! So don't worry just yet mom, it isn't downhill yet...you are gonna be the hottest grandma on the block!
we love you and all you do for us, and we are sure your already overly spoiled grandson will love you just as much!

a little bit of lately

1.Here is my most recent belly shot at 23 weeks pregnant!!2.Skyler and I are leaving for Rexburg in less than 3 weeks and we are counting down the days! I am so excited to get back and feel like I am at home again. Skyler has been working 12 hour days all summer and I am ready to have my husband back!!
3. Yesterday some of the wives threw me a surprise baby shower before everyone starts to head home. I was so surprised and it was so cute! They had the cutest games lined up and it was so good to all be together before they started to leave. We got some cute cute things for baby evans and all the talk about him is getting me so excited for his arrival!

ONE YEAR!

One year ago today Skyler and I were married for time and all eternity in Oakland, California. It's crazy how fast time has gone by and even crazier that in a few months our family will turn to 3! To celebrate our anniversary we decided to head down to Chicago for a little weekend getaway. I decided that I was going to relax all weekend and not worry a bit at all about how expensive everything is [there is a 11% tax on all food in the city!] First place we hit in the city was a Brazilian Steakhouse, Texas De Brazil. Skyler has wanted to go somewhere like this since he got home off his mission and we haven't been able to find one. The place is CRAZY, it's about 50 bucks a plate and you get unlimited everything. Servers walk around with all kinds of different meats, and if you want the particular meat they have you just ask for it. We STUFFED ourselves, we had everything from bacon wrapped tri-tip to a very unique Brazilian beef. They had very traditional dishes that skyler was DYING over, he loved the "banana frita" and had a flood of memories come to him after drinking the "guarana". It was so much fun to see him so excited, and it was definently worth the big bill! After completely stuffing ourselves we went back to the hotel for the night. The next morning was our actual anniversary, I left hearts all over the room saying different things I love about Skyler and he took the "gift for both of us route" with a little bag from Victoria's secret. We then headed back out to the city to see all the sites. We went to the famous Chicago theater, the magnificent mile, and much more. When I felt like my legs were ready to collapse we decided to head home. On the drive home we passed a "white castle" and had to go. We had always heard about the famous white castle sliders but had never tried them, they did not disappoint! Driving back Skyler and I laughed over many memories we have from this year and I think we are going to make a memory journal so we never forget all the fun things we have done, and will do through our years together. I wouldn't want anyone else by my side through everything and I can't wait for many MANY more anniversaries with my favorite person in the whole world!