Endings and New Beginnings

It's been a busy few weeks at the Foster house. After our friend's wedding, we assumed things would start to slow down, but things just seem to keep popping up!

I started teaching my hip-hop class at All That! dance studio a few weeks ago. It's been going great and there are still quite a few kids in it from when I taught it 2 years ago. The studio will be adding an adult hip-hop class for me to teach after my teen class so I'm hoping they get a good turnout so it can become a regular class in their schedule. We've got a show coming up in December so we will be busy getting the kids ready for their performance.

This Saturday is the Stanford vs. UO Football game and the UO Dance Team is putting on their first ever Alumni Performance! I'm so excited to see some of my old teammates and kick back in the Moshofsky Center like we used to do back in the day! I'm a little nervous to dance with my pot belly/baby bump, especially during a certain "shake your booty" section. I'll cross my fingers I'm in the back for that part. I'll post video after the game!

Lastly, my mom has been here because our house finally sold. The papers are signed today and the new owners get the keys tomorrow afternoon. It's been a long process to sell this house so I've made my peace with it, but it's definitely sad to know that the place I grew up will no longer be available for my trips down memory lane.

That's all for now, here's a picture of my sweet angel to hold you over until I get around to uploading the hundreds of pictures on our camera. :)

Weekend Update with Sarah Foster

Let me just start off by saying that every weekend should be a 3 day weekend....sigh.

I had the most incredible weekend filled with friends, family, food and festivities. It was one I wont soon forget and a large part of that is because I got to attend the beautiful wedding of our dear friends Joe & Missy.

I left work early on Friday so I could continue to bake cupcakes for their rehearsal dinner that evening. I had made one batch ahead of time, but completely underestimated how much time I'd need to make 4 more complete with frosting and decorations while entertaining a small and slightly psychotic little boy.

I decided on flavors earlier in the week so I assumed I had all the necessary ingredients...oh I couldn't have been more wrong! After baking all three flavors, I started on the first frosting: Vanilla Buttercream. This particular recipe calls for heavy whipping cream and I would have bet my favorite shoes on there being an unopened carton in my fridge. Not only was I completely out, but I luckily noticed that I also seemed to be missing a package of confectioners sugar. Colin probably hid it under the bathroom sink (not kidding....you don't know where he'll hide things once he gets his hands on them) but I was just thankful that I noticed it before I went to the store.

Throwing open the door after returning from Fred Meyer, my face was red and sweaty and my arm was starting to throb from holding a wiggly child. I finished my first set of cupcakes and packed them up in one of my cupcake carriers. After completing the other two flavors, I was finally able to pack up the desserts, my kid and myself to go and celebrate with my friends.

The rehearsal dinner was at a gorgeous location and we enjoyed tasty BBQ and good company. I didn't last long though and it was shortly after sunset that my fam packed up our belongings and headed home.

Here are pictures of the cupcakes I made:








On Saturday, Jason and Megan came down from Portland and I drove Colin to Albany so he could stay the night with Grandma & Grandpa Foster. We had an amazing time at the wedding and couldn't have felt more lucky to be in the presence of two people who are so in love and starting their "legal" lives together. :)

On Sunday, we got to see Kristen and while it may not have been the most eventful evening ever, ("What do YOU want to eat? I don't know...what do YOU want to eat?) it doesn't matter what we do because I'll always have fun with that girl!

Monday brought a nice visit with Blake who traveled with his girlfriend from Michigan for the weekend. We also got to spend some time with the newlyweds and The Meisen-Vehrs/Vasey clan while we watched Boise State squeak by Virgina Tech.

It was the best way to spend a three day weekend: with all of the people we love and care about! Here's the the Holiday season and many more long weekends coming our way!

Pregnancy Update

I don't remember much about the beginning of my pregnancy with Colin. It's a bunch of pieces to a puzzle that give me clues as to how I felt. I remember falling asleep on the copy room floor at my job because I couldn't function any longer. I remember eating countless amounts of wheat thins because I felt a light wave of nausea throughout the morning, but not enough to make me unable to function. I remember sleeping away the daylight while Shane hung out with our friends, Jason and Megan.

I'm now 11 weeks pregnant. It's been 6 weeks since I discovered the magical blue plus sign and I can't say it's been easy.

I don't know why I didn't feel any symptoms until after I knew I was pregnant. It's like my body was holding out on me so I had an explanation as to why I was going to bed at 8:30 and unable to button my jeans.

I know I'm a different person these days. It takes a heck of a lot to pull me out from the auto-pilot version of myself that I've become. Get up, get ready, go to work, come home, attempt to give Colin the playfulness I know he wants/needs, feel guilty for failing, bed. That's been my routine. The only reason I've ever been able to slip out of this first trimester coma is because of one person: Shane.

I can't tell you all that I feel when I think about what he's doing for me. I can try, but I already feel my eyes stinging from tears starting to form and once that gets going there is virtually nothing I can do to stop it.

It's not just that he put away my laundry that had been sitting on the floor in our bedroom for a month.

It's not just that he gives me spontaneous massages to help me fall asleep faster.

It's not just that he listens, really listens, to my rants, my whining and my irritable complaints about how I feel.

It's not just that he wrote me a poem in hopes of brightening my afternoon.

.....

It's the way that every day, without hesitation, he makes every effort to make my life easier and more comfortable. How, without spending a penny, he comes up with amazing ways to make me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. I couldn't imagine going through this journey and not having his love and unwavering support.

More now than ever, I love this man.

I know this will get easier. I know I'll start feeling more like myself and that my energy will be replenished. But it would be hard to look to the light at the end of the tunnel if I didn't have Shane's hands to help hold my head up.

So here's to the first trimester almost being over, to the 5 lbs I've quickly gained and to Shane. Oh, and to getting through this post without crying....almost.

Good Things

This week has been pretty awesome so far. We went to the doctor for Colin on Monday and got an update on our boy. Here it is: he's short and chubby with a huge noggin. He only had to get 2 shots (thanks goodness) and was a total pro, especially when he saw the stickers on the table for him.

The next day was my baby appointment and I was SO excited to see my doctor again. I know, who likes their OBGYN? I DO! She is amazing, smart, calm, funny, sarcastic and completely understands me. I could not be more comfortable with any other doctor. To top it off, the nurse we always have, Marcie, is amazing as well. We email them pictures and updates of Colin and I got a huge hug from both when I came back into the doctor's office.

Shane met me there with a grocery bag of food because I was feeling nauseated all day. I've already gained 5 lbs but if eating makes the sick feeling go away then I'll eat until I feel better!

We had our ultrasound and I was amazed at how far along I was already...10 weeks. I was thinking 8 max. Another awesome part of the visit was how much more detail I got at this early ultrasound than I did with Colin's. His picture was of a peanut, but this one showed feet and that kiddo was wiggling around like crazy! My doctor tried to take a peek at the "private area" but nothing had formed yet so we still have a long wait ahead of us to find out what we're having.

All in all things are great. I'm exhausted, but going to bed early solves that. I'm a little sick, but eating all the time helps that. Plus, I've got this incredible husband that not only has been doing ALL the housework, but after I stumbled into bed last night at 8:50, he came in shortly and without hesitation gave me an amazing full body massage. It was exactly what I needed to relax and slip into a deep sleep. I'm one lucky lady.

In a lame attempt to return the favor, tonight I'm making breakfast for dinner with his favorite: waffles!!

That's all for now...thanks for reading!

PS - if you need a good laugh for the day, then watch this:

Jimmy Fallon - Fake Arms

You'll have to search for Part 2 afterward, but trust me it's worth it!!

Bachelorette Party Time!

This weekend was the Bachelorette Party for my friend Missy who is getting married in 2 weeks. She had this amazing lake house set up with everything you need for a fun weekend with some wild ladies. Being knocked up, I knew I'd be completely exhausted if I went both nights so I ended up only going from Saturday to Sunday. This left my Friday night free to go watch Shane's dad perform with his band at his company picnic.

Here's an amazing video Shane got of Colin freaking out when he sees Grandpa and then dancing up a storm with his cousin Molly:

Link to the video

After some good food and family time, we went back to Eugene and went to bed (I think Shane has sympathy exhaustion).

Saturday I made some cupcakes for the bachelorette party and headed over to Florence to meet up with the girls. We sat on the dock for a few hours just talking and snacking on amazing food (french bread and brie!!). After that, it was time to change into our superhero outfits and compete in an obstacle course that some of the girls had set up. Surrounding neighbors later yelled out that they wanted to make bets on us, but I'm sure they were probably happy enough just watching us run around like idiots for an hour or two.

After we changed back into sweats and swimsuits, it was dinner and hot tub time. Now, being that it was 8:30 p.m., I was already tired enough to go to bed....so I did. :) But I hear the girls got some good use out of some random dance mix CD's and the hot tub.

In the morning, I got out the food I had brought for breakfast (croissants, bagels with cream cheese, apple danishes and fruit) and we started to clean up the mess that had accumulated over the past few days. Afterward, I said my goodbyes and left because I was aching to see my boys and I knew I still had a little over an hours worth of driving ahead of me. Luckily, it went by fast and I came home to find my adorable boys sitting on the couch together with a blanket. Who wouldn't love that?!

Shane's sister and her fam came down a few hours later so we could all partake in the never-ending pasta bowl special at The Olive Garden. After one bowl of fettuccine alfredo, I was completely stuffed but had to get just one more bowl, in case I wanted seconds later at home. :) We spent a good hour at the park just playing around and trying to burn off some calories (unsuccessful as most of us were to stuffed to even move) and then we headed back to our place so we could relax and Shane could make us some cookies. Now, even though I was stuffed, you need to understand that my dessert stomach (totally separate) was still empty. They were pretty darn good and completely satisfied my sweet tooth.

After the Ciaffoni clan left, we ended up just relaxing at home with Colin until he could no longer keep his eyes open.

Overall, it was a great weekend...full of family and friends and food!!

Today we have Colin's 17 month check-up and tomorrow is my first baby appointment to learn our due date so we'll keep you posted once find out!

Until then, thanks for reading!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

On Sunday night, I felt the need to bake something since I wanted something sweet (apparently my salty cravings had the night off). This usually calls for cookies because I love to eat the dough while they are baking. I decided to make some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Now, this recipe is deadly because they ALWAYS turn out amazing and if you use an ice cream scoop like I do to section out the cookies, they taste just like Otis Spunkmeyer cookies!



Here's the recipe:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped



1. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and peanut butter until just incorporated.

3. Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.

4. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (you don’t have to, I only did it for an hour).

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with granulated sugar and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies just begin to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as my family did!

Just for Megan!

It's been a very, very, VERY long time since I last posted. Life is crazy and I honestly don't know anyone who would be reading this anyway! Well, little did I know that a good friend of mine who sits at her work computer had been checking the blog to see if there would be a new post lately. Whoops!

So this post is for Megan; to not only give her something to look at while she works, but as a thank you for reminding me that I should finish what I started!

I can't recall all the things that have happened since April, but I can fill you in on the most important: I'm pregnant! Shocked, happy, scared and excited are all great ways to describe how I felt when I saw that blue plus sign (actually, two to be exact!).

We're not sure how far along I am, because this came as a total surprise, but we've become increasingly enthusiastic as our first appointment approaches. I'll be very interested to find out my due date and when this little swimmer battled the odds to knock me up (too much?).

In other news, Colin has been growing so fast and learning so much lately. He signs "please", "more" and "eat" and says a hilariously butchered version of "Thank You" that sounds more like "dankgoo". Gotta love it! His next doctor's appointment is Monday and I'm looking forward to seeing how much he's grown physically since our last appointment was around his first birthday.

We've taken him to Amazon Pool a few times this summer and each time he becomes more and more into it. The first time, his death grip around my neck was so tight and any time a kid splashed his face he started to pout and fake cry. (damn you 10 year-olds...are you not thinking of the infants in the pool while you splash about?!) The last time we went, however, for my nephew's 10th birthday party, Colin couldn't get enough of the pool. He laughed at people splashing and was even sticking his face in the water. I know I need to expose him to it more often so he gets used to it, which will probably be a great fall/winter activity for me in an indoor pool while I slowly inflate with baby #2.

In more news, Shane and my 4 year wedding anniversary is in 2 days. I can't believe it's been 4 years since we boogied down to Barry White and the Ying Yang Twins. As a related note, our great friends Joe and Missy are getting married in less than 3 weeks and we could not be more excited!!! Shane is in the wedding party, and I personally am very excited to have an excuse to go out and buy a cute dress. If he's going to be all slick, I gotta look good too, right?? While it kind of stinks that I'll be a DD that night, it might just be for the best so I can fully experience the chaos that I am sure will unfold. Before I found out I was pregnant, I was actually running my very first Half Marathon the day after. I nixed that plan though because I plan on 5+ hours of dancing so my feet will useless for anything other than receiving massages.

There's not much more I have to say, other than: Megan, I vow to be a better blogger!! This one's for you!

I'll leave you now with a link to Shane's YouTube Channel where there are tons of hilarious/adorable video's of Colin laughing.

Adorable Video's of Colin Link!