Family photo Shoot

So we had some family photos done about a month ago, they didn't turn out as good as I was hoping, but they are not too bad. Between the infamous Rexburg wind, and 2 cranky kids the photographer was in for a challenge. She did well though and since we got them done for free we really can't complain! Here are some of the shots, sorry there are so many, I had a hard time choosing!

Other than that, not much going on here, Same old thing. I took Asher to his regular 6 month well child check and he gained a pound and a half in 10 days. I guess the formula is doing the trick. He also just started eating his baby food and he is loving the kinds he has had so far. Ayana is fun and wonderful as always, I am always amazed at what a good kid she is. Yes she has her 2 year old tantrums from time to time and she doesn't always listen as quickly as I would like her to, but she is a very wonderful and obedient child. She is also a lot of fun. She recently learned what Sharks are and now she loves to look at me from across the room and yell "SHARK" before running at me at full sped and biting my leg (playfully of course). Yesterday we got our first good snow and we took her out sledding and she had a blast. Even when she would trip or fall off the sled and get a face full of snow she would just jump up yell out that she is okay and keep on going. Asher is starting to love playing with toys and things, he is always grabbing everything he can reach and that kid has a grip you can hardly believe. Sometimes I have to really work to get things out of his grip once he has them. We are having a bit of a tough time trying to figure out what to get him for Christmas, so any suggestions would be great. Trever is off school for the week so I am excited to spend lots of time with him and get some extra sleep. This is the crazy week at work with Black Friday coming up we have loads to do, and then on Friday morning I will be there to see all the insanity first hand. It is really crazy to me how people act just for a sale. I love a good deal too, but I am not ready to sit outside a store for 5-6 hours and then practically beat down a door, then run screaming to the part of the store where my item is, just a little too much for my taste. Watching as a store employee is both scary and funny all at the same time. We are just going to have quiet thanksgiving at home with our little family (and WAY too much food). Then Saturday morning we are off on a mini vacation to Salt Lake to do some Christmas shopping and see the lights at temple square. It will be a short trip but we found a cheap hotel room, so we are excited for a little break form the hum drum of every day life. Anyway, that's all for now, love you guys!

Our teeny tiny little guy

So, I had a Wic appointment on Monday and after they weighed Asher the lady expressed a pretty big concern about his weight and suggested that we take him to the doctor. So after we left there we went to the doctor's office and they squeezed us in for an appt. Turns out that he weighs less now than he weighed at his appt in July, he is only 10 and a half pounds! I knew he was skinny and at his 4 month appt he had lost weight, but the doctor said not to worry about it at that point. However, now they are very worried about it. The Doctor ordered some blood work done to check for any issues there, but I haven't heard any results on that yet. Also I have to start feeding him formula after I nurse him. I really did not want to do the formula thing, but I guess that nursing just isn't enough for this little guy. I started him on supplemental formula right after his appt on Monday, and the kid loves it and is much happier know even than before. I feel a little bad, because now I feel like I have been starving my son for the last 6 months, but I'm sure he won't hold it against me. All the rest of us are doing great, happy and healthy. Trever is busy with school and I am busy with the kids and work, but all in all life is grand!

Halloween Fun

So for Halloween our apartment complex did a little dinner and trunk or treat thing out in the parking lot. It was actually really nice and we had a lot of fun seeing all the kiddos, and a lot of the parents dressed up. Ayana was a blue Care Bear and Asher was a green dinosaur/dragon (we never did decide for sure what he was) Thanks to Aunt Shannon and Grandma Linda, we even got both the costumes for free, yeah! The only thing better than having fun is having free fun! Ayana did not feel like cooperating for pics, but here is some cute ones of Asher. As part of the halloween party they took pictures of all the kids so hopefully one of those of Ayana will be better, if so I will post it when I get it. Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

straw maze

Broulims, our local grocery store, set up a little straw maze in the edge of their parking lot, so last night we went over there to take some fall pics of the kids. Turns out Ayana is kind of a wimp and is scared of almost all the halloween decorations, but that is okay. She seemed to think it was pretty cool anyway and it was a fun little activity. We also got some family pictures taken yesterday, but both kids were pretty fussy, so we will see if they turn out. Luckily we found a photographer who charges only $5 so even if they don't turn out we won't be out much. I should have them back in about a week and will post any good pics when I get them. I also got a new haircut this week, I like it, but think that in a month or two I will go back and get it shorter. It was kind of an ordeal, first I went to the beauty school and hated the haircut they gave me, so after 2 days of trying to convince myself that it was alright I finally gave up and went to a different salon. She didn't really cut it how I wanted either, but it is much, much better and she gave me some nice highlights. I am sure when I get the family pics back you will be able to see the cut better. Here are some pics of our straw maze adventure!

Creations

So I am so pleased with myself because I recently undertook my first attempt at reupholstery and I think it was a success! Nothing terribly difficult, and I am sure that many of you could have done a better job, but it makes me feel so accomplished, here are some pics

They used to have off white cushions and while they were nice when we first got them 4 years ago they were definitely showing wear and tear, especially from our crazy 2 year old. Reupholstering them almost makes me feel like I have whole new chairs!

While I am at it, here are some pictures of a bow holder I made for all Ayana's hair bows a couple months ago. Again, it was super easy but I think it turned out really cute and it is so nice to have them organized and all in the same place. My current project is a Minkee quilt for Asher (first attempt at machine quilting-wish me luck) then on to his Christmas Stocking!

Elder Oaks on Religious Freedom and Mormon Messages

Elder Dallin H Oaks recently spoke at a BYU-Idaho devotional. I have read his talk several times now and think that what he has is very important and can help each us figure out what our role is in protecting our religious freedoms. If you are interested in reading this talk, you can find it here this is a news briefing about the talk that you can link to the entire talk from. Hope it gives you some food for thought!

While I am on that vein, have all of you seen the Mormon Messages channel on youtube? I hope so, I just love it. It is a site with a number of short video clips produced by the church. They are so uplifting and inspiring, taking the few minutes to watch one every now and then always puts my life back in perspective and makes my vision a little clearer. If you would like to check them out, click here.

Reunion Pics at long last

So it's been a couple months, but I finally got a copy of all the reunion pictures on CD and had a chance to put some up here. It was so much fun to see all the family. As you can see there were a LOT of kids, a little crazy but a lot of fun. Enjoy the pics.

Way to go Idaho!

Hey Mom, I think this bib is a little big!

All is well here, glad it is the weekend and I can get sleep and spend some time with my husband again. This week was spud harvest, which means they give all the kids a break from school so they can help harvest potatoes. Obviously it doesn't affect me much, but it makes me chuckle every time I think about it. Idaho, and particularly Rexburg, is such a farm town. I remember in the fourth of July parade there was choreographed Tractor and lawn mower driving. Sure is an interesting place. But I actually really like it here, it is a very family oriented place where they always welcome kids and have lots of fun places and activities for them. Ayana is finally starting to put words together. We still don't understand 85% of what comes out of her mouth, but she's getting there. She is such a sweet girl, the other day I swallowed wrong and started coughing, and she kept saying "you okay?" over and over while looking at me with those big eyes of hers. Also for the first time a few weeks ago, she said "I love you too" I am sure that you guys probably remember when that happened with your kids, it definitely melts your heart. Asher is getting happier every day. He loves to smile and laugh. He especially loves when Trever sings to him. We recently got the jumperoo out of storage and he seems to really enjoy that, as long as we stay close and help him jump in it. I sure am a lucky person, I have a great family and life. I look forward to the day when I average more than 3 hours of sleep a day, but other than that, my life couldn't be much better!

A couple new pics of our adorable Asher man

I am still working on getting some pictures from the photographer at the reunion up on here, but here are a couple of pictures of our adorable little man to hold you over until I do.

Update on the Stewart Family life

Hello all, Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Life has been busy for us here in little Rexburg. Since the last post we had a wonderful visit from Trever's Dad and his wife, it was so fun to spend time with them. Also we moved to a new apartment, it is tiny, but nice. Also it is A LOT cheaper than the last place so that will be nice. Our goal is to graduate from college debt free, which means paying off our current debt as well as not getting any student loans or anything, so cheaper rent will make that easier to accomplish. I am always shocked when people graduate with 10 or 20 thousand dollars of debt. Although, Trever's books for this semester cost $680, so maybe it is understandable after all. The kiddos are doing fabulous. We are lucky to have such good kids that adjust well to change. Ayana is so fun and adorable, she is always coming up with new things to do and ways to entertain her parents. She is still pretty slow in talking, but I can hardly wait to hear what pearls of wisdom she will share when she starts using real words we can understand. She is a shoe fanatic, she loves putting on her shoes and wearing them around and anytime we go to a store with shoes she gets so excited and you literally have to drag her away from the shoe section! We just found out that she is like her dad and is missing her later incisor teeth, I have been wondering why she has so many fewer teeth than her peers, but that explains it. It is not something to worry about now, but guarantees us a future of expensive dental work, and it is likely the other kids will be missing the same teeth as well. Oh well, that's life. Asher is growing like crazy as babies do, we got him one of those bumbo chairs that helps young babies like him sit up and he seems to enjoy that. He is also pretty good now at rolling over. He is a very smiley baby, and very cuddly, he wants to be held all the time (which makes it hard to cook and clean, but that's okay) He always seems to save his biggest smiles for Ayana and she always has a kiss for Asher and loves to share her toys with him. He especially loves when we sing to him. Trever is back in school again and so far things are going well. It is going to be a tough semester with lots of hard classes, but he is smart and I am sure he will do well. He just had an eye surgery this week to help with his glaucoma, hopefully it will keep the pressures down for a year or two anyway, we'll see. For me it is pretty much same old, same old, just working and hanging out with the family and trying to squeeze in the sleep where I can. I had another one of those moments where you wonder when you became who you are today. We just bought a washer and dryer that will be delivered today and I am so excited to get them and to own my own washer and dryer. I remember when I told Trever that I would never ever be excited about an appliance or anything that represented housework. Funny how we change and grow. I had a wonderful birthday, I asked for only money so I could get some new clothes and Trever found a babysitter for the kids and just the two of us spent a day shopping and went out to dinner, it was a lot of fun and I got some new cute clothes too. In other exciting news, since my last post I have 2 new nephews! Congrats to Shannon and Yvonne. That's life in the Stewart house!

Another birthday and a reunion

So now it's time to post some pictures of Ayana's birthday, She is such a sweet girl, and I can hardly believe she is already 2 years old! Her birthday was while we were at a family reunion, so she shared her cake with her aunt Cassie and opened her presents a little late, but it was still a great birthday. The reunion was wonderful. My mom put a lot of work into plannning it and we all went to Island Park, it was so great to see all my siblings (except Shannon) and their families, and we had so much fun. We had a great photographer come and take pictures of everyone so when we get them back I will post a few of those as well. All in all a great few weeks in the Stewart family. I love my kids and husband so much, I am constantly reminded how lucky I am and how grea tmy life is. On other notes, I finally got a picture of my little Asher man smiling, so check out his new pic over on the left side bar. Also Trever, the genius, got straight A's again this semester, which means he was awarded a full tuition scholarship for next semester, we are so proud of him! Asher was blessed in church as well last week, his Father gave him a beutiful blessing, and he looked so handsome in his tie. Ayana on her new bike, a little big, but she'll grow

Ayana's favorite gifts were this ball from Grandpa Stewart

And this care bear from Grandma Linda

And of course she loved her cake!

Ayana's favorite activity at the reunion was the paddle boat

And her favorite person was her cousin Courtney, her new hero

Asher just loved that there was always someone willing to hold him

Asher Man in his cute little tie

Happy Birthday!

So in honor of Trever's 28^th birthday, here are 28 of the reasons we love our Husband and Daddy (I know I'm a day late, but these days only a day late is good)

1. He is soooooo handsome
2. He is fun
   


3. He is smart (always getting good grades, and hardly ever studies)
4. He is very patient
5. He always makes us laugh
6. He is a great wrestler
7. He is the world's best tickler (that is from the kids, NOT Amber)
8. He gives the best hugs
9. He can always make us smile
10. He helps around the house
11. He always shows his appreciation for everything
12. He is a hard worker
13. He is very thoughtful
14. He lets me sleep even when he is busy
15. He supports us in our interests
16. He is like a little kid himself
17. He is very loving
18. He is very good at forgiving me over and over and over again for all the dumb things I do
19. He is the best cuddler
20. He is an excellent story reader
21. He is always willing to play a game (even if he's not willing to let anyone else win)
22. He is silly
23. He always puts us first in his life
24. He is always willing to just about anything we want, even if he really doesn't want to
25. He is an excellent carpenter, handyman, and general Mr. Fix it
26. He helps me remember everyday what a good decision I made when I married him
27. He always shows us and tells us how much he loves us
28. And the 28^th reason we love him…He is quite simply the best Husband and father in the whole wide world!

We love you Trever!

Love,

Amber, Ayana, and Asher

Fabulous Birthday Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we have had. Sunday was Trever's 28th birthday (we are beginning to feel old). So on Saturday we got a couple of babysitters (thanks Alisha and Jerilyn) and actually went out just Trever and I. We had a picnic at Mesa Falls and went swimming at Monkey Rock and the St Anthony Sandbar. Such a fun day. On Sunday we had dinner with our friends Austin and Mindy and did the whole birthday thing. Trever had his dream come true when he opened his present from his dad, a gas powered remote control monster truck. He can hardly wait to get out to the sand dunes to give it a try. All in all we had a great weekend just enjoying each other and celebrating the wonderful man in our lives.

Trever and I at Mesa Falls

Our little Asher man has started smiling and it is so adorable, just melts your heart every time. We have been trying to get a picture, but no success yet, hopefully we'll get one soon and we'll post it when we do! Here's a picture of our little man, he's pretty cute even when he's not smiling.

Our handsome little man

Ayana being silly at the 4th of July parade

Blast Off!

Grandma Stewart came to visit for a week, and it was wonderful to have her, she was a huge help around the house and with the kids. While she was here we took the opportunity to go to this really neat indoor playground in Idaho Falls called Blast Off. It is really cheap and Ayana loves it, so we all love it. Asher of course is too little to play, but I'm sure we will be there again soon anyway. here are some pictures of Ayana having fun. Also a picture of Ayana at Porter Park, she loves riding on the carousel and her Daddy taught her how to shake the reins like she is trying to get her horse to go faster-so cute!

On the zip line, she holds on surprisingly well

Gotta love the ball pit, there are balls everywhere at this place

Peeking at Papa

Faster, Faster

The almost stay at home mom

So let me just say that I have loved this last month of being a stay at home mom. I love my life now, and try to enjoy every minute, but am definitely looking forward to Trever's graduation in a few years. Even though I am home during the day with the kids when i am working, I take every spare minute to get sleep, so I am busy, busy, busy. This month though, I have actually been ale to clean the house (and keep it clean) keep up with laundry, cook for my family, spend time playing and relaxing with my family, and still have some extra time for me. I am even hoping to be able to complete a couple of crafts over the next few days. Fun, fun, fun. Plus I feel so much more accomplished when I am able to get things done at home then I do when I get them done at work. Lets pray that December 2011 (Trever's projected graduation date) comes quickly, and that the economy has improved enough that he will be able to find a job so this can be my new permanent lifestyle!

Some more pics of Asher

We got the pics back from Asher's photo shoot, so here are some more that we liked