Root-Beer Cookies

Okay, so I made some delicious cookies today!!! Most of you know that I love cooking - especially if it involves a new recipe that I have never tried before! When I stumbled upon this recipe I just knew I had to try it out! I find it very odd that I hated root beer all growing up. I especially hated it when treats after my softball games were always root beer flavored Popsicles or root beer soft drinks. I also hated that every young woman's activity ended with root beer floats. I think around age 19 or 20 I really started loving root beer! I know it is strange, and I have so many other foods that I used to absolutely detest but now are my fav's. Anyway, I thought since I liked root beer so much now that I would try out these cookies. They were a little sweet at first but I think that's because I had frosted a whole bunch and kept licking the frosting. Once I waited an hour or so I tried another one and.....Loved IT!!! You can check out the recipe at make and takes.

Super Star

Rayden is such a character! He is so dramatic and just loves putting silly hats or glasses on. These are some fun ones we picked up at a fast food restaurant. Of course he had to show them off to all his cousins that we were on the way to visit at the time. Most of them on daddy's side are girls and they just loved the pink glasses!

Lately Rayden has been so concerned that he is never going to turn 5! He just starts crying and says "Mom, I'm never going to be 5 and I'm never going to Disneyland." Since we are plannig a Disneyland trip just shortly after he turns 5, I keep telling him that at soon as he turns 5 we will go. Most of his friends at pre-school have already turned 5 and he is just so worried that he won't ever! To be a kid again and worry about turning 5 seems so wonderful to me! I just love my sweet little boys and the adventures we have together!

Bring on the sun!

Rayden wanted to play with Playdough so bad! So I made some real quick and sent him outside! He loved it.

Ryker loves the warm weather too! He puts everything in his mouth....leaves, dirt, rocks! We are so excited the weather is getting warmer. We spent all day outside for two days in a row! We love it.

My first born....

I've seen this tag going around on some blogs and thought it would be fun!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Excited and very nervous!!!!

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
20

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
I woke up early and went running for the first time with my newly wed hubby. I felt like such a whimp because we had only ran a block and I almost passed out. After the second block I turned around to head back home and fell down on the road and refused to go any further I was so sick.

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
Other than my husband I have no idea. I think it was my sister-in-law, Rosanne, who was living in Missouri at the time.

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
No!

8. DUE DATE?
July 24 - Pioneer Day for Utah folks.

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
All 9 months

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Snow cones, beef jerky, Fruity candy like starburst and skittles

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
Mostly just being alone and being sick

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Boy!!!!

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No way! I was so excited to have a boy!

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
I think only about 20 pounds.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes. I have some wonderful friends!

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
It was a wonderful surprise!

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Nope, just sickness the whole time.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Heartland Health in St. Joseph, Missouri

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
About 4 hours

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
My wonderful husband Randy

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Randy

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
If you know anything about me the answer to this is so obvious! Of Course!!!

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
8 lbs. 1 oz.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN?
July 22, 2004

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Rayden James

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
4 1/2

I love you Rayden!! You are such a sweet boy!

LIFE

Well, my sourdough bread didn't quite turnout. Probably because I never really tried. I ended up just making pancakes which were good but not the best I've had. I used all of my "start" and now am left with nothing! However, I talked to Randy's uncle who lives next door who has been doing sourdough for 20 years and he gave me some tips! He is also going to give me some of his "start" and I can get going again! Watch for more to come on my sourdough experiments!

We are all finally over our sicknesses!! It has been a rough week of runny & stuffy noses but I think we are all on the upswing! I was getting so excited for the spring and then it snowed! I couldn't believe it when I woke up and it looked like a winter wonderland outside. However, by the end of the day it was all melted and looking good again!

Rayden has been participating in Pee Wee Wrestling. He started out liking it, then had a rough practice and didn't like it so much. I took him to the match just to see if he would wrestle and he actually did! He wasn't quite sure what was going on but he didn't let the other kid pin him. He also didn't try very hard to pin the other kid. We have one week left of wrestling and there is a big tournament this Saturday. It should be lots of fun! I think next year he will have a little bit more fun.

We are also getting ready to garden!! Randy is so excited for spring. He and his mom are drawing out their map of the garden and planning where to plant everything. It is pretty intense! I love to eat the produce but I don't get near as excited as planting season as Randy does.

I have been getting all caught up on my scrapbook! I am almost to the point where I can start doing pages as I take the pictures. Now that I have two children it hard to decide which pictures to put in which book. When both boys are together whose book do I put it in? I guess I could put it in both but that just seems like a lot of doubling up! Speaking of pictures, I haven't posted many lately because I have been using my mother-in-law's computer for internet and all my pictures are on my computer. Maybe if I get a real blog worthy picture I'll take the extra time to post it.

Sourdough

Okay, so I've been wanting to try and do sourdough bread for a long time and have just never gotten around to it. Well my friend gave me a sourdough start and some recipes and I thought I would try it out. I had a lot of questions at first....actually I still do have a lot of questions, but I think I'm just going to experiment a little bit. I looked up some things online and every site I went had totally different recipes for bread and tips for how to feed the starters. I actually got more confused researching the Internet. So I just figured I would give it a try and pick the easiest recipe to start off with! Oh and by the way, for those of you who don't know, sourdough bread is a long process. I will be starting today and probably won't have a finished product until tomorrow. If it turns out bad, I guess I'll just try a different method. If anyone has experience with sourdough and would like to offer any suggestions.....BE MY GUEST!!!! Wish me luck and have to let you know how it goes.