Jamber Jabber

Happy Valentine's Day...Belated

2012-02-17T15:23:00.000-05:00

Caleb and I made Valentine's for a few of his friends:

Super cheap, super simple, but he sure had fun deciding which friend got which dinosaur! And he was so cute when we delivered them! I don't know how many n's can actually fit into a word, but he pushes the record when he says, "Happy Valentine's Day!" I hope everyone enjoyed the day with someone you care about. :)

Life as we Know it

2012-02-16T15:03:00.001-05:00

This is just a collection of pictures of my kiddos. Some of them are cute...some of them are funny...all of them make me smile. :)

almost 8 months old! (this is 1 month ago...yeah yeah yeah)

We discovered that she LOVES green bean casserole. She couldn't eat it fast enough! Her normal gorging was put to shame when she realized that food could actually taste GOOD! lol

My nearly perfect homemade tortilla. I was so proud! I really like this recipe I found (it's not online, so let me know if you're interested). It's one of the best I have tried: the tortillas have just enough elasticity, and they make good sized tortillas, and it doesn't use a ton of oil because there is oil directly in the dough. I used this batch to make enchiladas for the missionaries. I felt so supremely domestic. :)

Caleb trying out Justin's ear buds. He liked the music a lot!

Remember that special dinner I was planning? The one that I needed the Hawaiian sea salt for? Well, we ended up doing it. I just improvised and did Kabobs instead. It ended up being a success and I enjoyed the night with my sweetheart. And here's Caleb sporting the appropriate garb.

Mackenzie just giving me a crazy grin on Valentine's Day. See that double chin!?! She eats so much!!

She really wanted that tomato..."I wish my mouth was bigger." (don't talk to me about the improper grammar in that sentence...it's a QUOTE! lol. 10 points if you can name that movie)

I'd been wanting to do this for a while, and one day, I did. I took the car seat box from Caleb's new car seat we bought before Christmas, and I punched holes in it, stuck some Christmas lights down through them, and called it a "star cave." Yay! lol Caleb loved it and insisted Mackenzie join him. She seemed to enjoy it well enough.

Which ones were cute? Which ones were funny? Did any of them make you smile?

2 Days Just Isn't Fast Enough

2012-02-09T13:47:00.002-05:00

At least that's how I feel right now. With out disclosing too many details, I had a special dinner planned for this Friday, since Justin's basically unavailable during the week. I had planned to pick up all the food on my normal shopping day, Wednesday. Well, we went out in the morning: 2 stores. Got almost everything. After naps we went out again: 5 stores!! I was shy one KEY ingredient: Hawaiian Sea Salt, or Red Clay SaltI'd never heard of it, let alone bought it, but I'd read that I could find it at Target, so I wasn't fretting. Until I couldn't find it!! I ended up ordering it offline, which with Amazon we get free 2-day shipping...but that means it's not here until Friday. And I needed it Thursday in order to have dinner on Friday. Sad.

I realize it's only one day delayed, but I'm really bummed. If I'd only known on TUESDAY that I needed to order it, I would have been set. But I didn't know that. I'm also bummed partly because through my gloomy disappointment, I kind of spilled the beans to Justin that I was planning a surprise dinner...surprise! lol Sorta funny. Maybe later.

I never thought 2-day shipping would seem so slow! Oh well, right? We'll have our dinner on Saturday. And this sea salt better be good.

Arkansas and Iowa

2012-01-27T17:43:00.000-05:00

When Aunt Trisha came to visit so she could attend her PT school interviews, we acted as taxi and during her interview in Des Moines, we went to the Science Museum. The "ball wall" was a huge hit; I even played with it! It was fun!

The Star Trek dedication is no joke. It's about 20 mins south of us, and there really is a monument dedicated to the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. For all you Trekkis (I've never actually typed that before), it was fun to see, but the man in charge of it all was a little obsessed. Who knew such exotic fun awaited us in Iowa??

And dinner at Huhot (ever been there??!! It was so good...too bad I had a horrible cold so I couldn't eat as much as I wanted to) in Arkansas.

More to come...we've been busy, so that's why I've been slow with updates. But ya know, life happens.

Contentment in Motherhood

2012-01-25T17:32:00.003-05:00

I have been blessed the past few days to really feel content. I've been busy, and not everything's been accomplished, but I feel very content. I attribute to the immense joy I've felt while playing with my children. I still get frustrated and tired and there just isn't enough time for everything...but the past few days I've been trying really hard to just spend time with them. I use naps to get everything else ready so that when they're up, I can just focus on them. Granted, it's not completely focused attention because I do still HAVE to do things. But, for the most part, I've just been so grateful for who they are. We've had fun playing in our "starry cave" I made with Christmas lights in a box; coloring, playing with cars, looking at pictures, and really just talking with my kids. I love them so much and I'm so blessed to be their Mama.

It's these phases, however short or long, of appreciation and gratitude and just contentment, that help me remember why I love being a Mama/Mommy. I thank my Heavenly Father for helping me find strength and build up my reserves for when things are a bit more hectic and crazy.

What makes you feel content? This is something I reflect on often (refer back to the book "Contentment" by Marie Covey Cole. Great book), so I'm interested in others' thoughts.

Once again, I'm still amazed!

2012-01-06T18:20:00.003-05:00

So, when I first gathered these up, I thought these two pictures made Caleb and Mackenzie look so much alike.
But after posting them, I don't feel like they do anymore. Oh well. Here are Caleb and Mackenzie both at 6 months taking a bath.

Love those faces!!

Here comes another one!

2012-01-03T06:10:00.003-05:00

Another year has entered our realm of influence while the last one has dismissed our presence with a final breath of triumph.

At least, I like to think it was a triumphant, successful, and ever so blessed year!

We, uh, never got Christmas letters out (sorry everyone!), so, consider this your update. But despite the lack of newsletter, the year 2011 was a grand one for the Justin Anderson family.

Here's a recap of our highlights, in attempted chronological order:

1. Justin was accepted to dental school. We eventually chose the University of Iowa, putting us in Iowa City, Iowa for at least the next 4 years.

2. Justin had a birthday. :)

3. We bought a car! Hopper's the name. And thus we learned to drive stick.

4. We took an awesome family trip to New York, New York!

5. I had a surprise baby shower thrown by some great friends in MA.

6. We welcomed our sweet Mackenzie into our family. She's such a blessing and a joy!

7. Justin attended the Summer Program at UofI and found us a great place to live!

8. I had a birthday. :)

9. Justin successfully cleaned out his parent's attic and made a few last minute updates to their house.

10. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary!

11. We CRAMMED everything into a Uhaul, our car, and Justin's parent's truck and moved ourselves to Iowa City!

12. Caleb turned 2. And started talking (so he stopped screaming!). And he kept talking. A lot. It's so much fun, mostly!

13. Caleb was Nemo for Halloween, while Justin was P. Sherman.

14. We shared Thanksgiving with some friends in our complex. And then I ventured out Black Friday morning for the first time (never again!).

15. Justin not only survived, but excelled in his classes. He worked so hard and we know he was blessed in his efforts. We feel very blessed to have completed one semester of dental school!

16. We celebrated Christmas down in AR with my family, which was great.

17. Mackenzie decided it was okay to take a bottle. and formula. Thank you Grandpa for helping her decide to be independent.

18. Justin and I had our own New Year celebration complete with egg rolls and taquitos. We finished reading the Book of Mormon as part of our celebration and then watched a Monk episode.

It has been an awesome year! Thanks for sharing it with us! We are excited about this next year and are hoping to plan out our goals this week. I do love the fresh start of a New Year and the chance to improve myself all over again!

Girl Splurge!

2011-12-09T13:46:00.000-05:00

We splurged on Black Friday. Oh, what a day! I went out with some friends to Wal-mart, which opened at 10:00p.m. on Thursday, and that was fun. I'd never done Black Friday before and seeing the parking lot, the crowd in the store...it was incredible! Crazy people!! My friend wanted some sheets...and they were all gone. And funny thing, we were checking out and the checker said the only fight she'd seen was over sheets. How odd is that? When did sheets become such a hot commodity?
(I love her dandelion hair here...it's finally starting to grow in more!)

Anyway, so I went back out around midnight to Kohls. And stood in line for an hour. And then took back everything I bought. Except for this dress. It was 60% off, so not a huge deal -- probably not worth an hour in the line at 2:00a.m. when I had to teach at 5:00a.m.--

But we just had to splurge. She's our little girl! The backdrop isn't the best, though it does give a holiday vibe.

Then me with my baby girl. I love her so much! She's growing and learning every day and it's amazing to see her personality and disposition manifest themselves increasingly more all the time.

Merry Christmas!!

Love at Home

2011-12-08T13:44:00.000-05:00

Just a bit about my kiddos.

Caleb playing with water. He didn't want his picture taken, thus the indignant look on his face.

Mackenzie being oh so cute in her Christmas get up.

And more Christmas get up. These holiday outfits were ones we had for Caleb...and he was 2 months younger than she is at this time.

They sure do love each other! It's been so fun lately to see them playing together. Caleb will get her toys and show her the toys he's playing with and explain things to her; she will grab his entire head and try to stuff it in her mouth; they'll lie on the floor together screaming and laughing and eating their hands; yes, I have fun children!

Tis the Holiday Season...

2011-12-05T13:43:00.001-05:00

And I mean "holidays"....Thanksgiving and Christmas! Otherwise I would have said "Tis the Christmas season..."

Mackenzie was our little Turkey on Thanksgiving! We got to eat with a couple of friends in our complex, potluck style. It was so good and I was so glad to be able to get all the food without having to cook it ALL!
I never posted about gratitude either. There is so much that I am grateful for. One thing that I've been feeling lately is the power to be informed and to have an opinion and to make my own choices. The gift of agency is amazing. I am so grateful for the opportunity each day to try and be a better Mama, be a better wife, a better friend; each day is a new day. I'm grateful for my family. Most of all, I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Teaching Caleb about Him always makes me emotional. If I start to feel distant, I just hone in on Him and His life and I feel His spirit reaffirm His divinity and His love for me. It's wonderful.

And that leads us directly to His birth: Christmas! I'm so excited about Christmas this year...Caleb is practicing his Santa visit conversation, we've got some fun gifts for our kiddos, we have a tree (seen being decorated)...it's magical!

Showing Caleb how to put the ornaments on.

Him giving it a shot.

Caleb and Justin with the finished project.

And here it is! We had an old mattress cover that was used when we moved and it hadn't made it's way to Goodwill yet....with a few cuts, a few folds, some maneuvering, and voila! A tree skirt!

I really love our tree. It's a real one. Cheap, so it's already dried out hard core, but the needles haven't dropped yet. It's just exciting! And Caleb loves the lights.

Merry Christmas!

Play Dough Fun!

2011-12-05T13:41:00.001-05:00

Every now and then I get up the courage to do something artsy and messy and so wonderfully creative for Caleb. Every now and then.

Here, we are playing with some play dough I made. I loved making it, and it's kept so well so far (almost a month old!). For any of you other moms (or teachers) who are looking for creative learning, I've fallen in love with this blog. I bite my nails thinking about presenting Caleb with some of the very messy activities, but it's so much fun to watch him learn while playing.

I made a purple snowman. Caleb wanted to make one too (the blue one). And he very enthusiastically kept calling it a "snowman!"

Then he needed more noodles, and took my snowman apart.

So proud!

And my turkey. haha, this was before Thanksgiving, so I was trying to be festive. It made me feel so accomplished when Caleb saw it and said, "It's a turkey, Mama." yes, son, it is. Thank you. :)

Hard at Work

2011-12-05T13:40:00.001-05:00

Caleb wants to be like Daddy. So, when Justin is studying Caleb likes to go get his "computer" and study right along side with him. Sometimes he'll even get colored pencils and "highlight" like Daddy. It's so cute! I love it.

And Mackenzie likes to work hard, too. She is investigating her feet, looking at something oh so interesting next to the chair, and then of course, smiling at the camera. She's 5 1/2 months here.

Happy 11 -11-11!! (a bit belated)

2011-11-30T06:03:00.005-05:00

11-11

My personal holiday

I realize it's kind of a random day of the year to pick as my "holiday," but it is. It all started my Freshmen year of college. Actually, it probably all started my senior year of high school. I love 11-11. It's from a song I heard my senior year ("catch the clock it's 11:11")....and I happened to share it with my high school boyfriend. *cough* But that's not why it's important.
It just became something fun I do all the time. Try to do things at 11:11, or actually check the time at 11:11. And my Freshmen roomie (*awesome gal*) Allie decided that it needed to be a special little celebration for me. What a GREAT idea!
Thus, a tradition was born.

Now, let me clarify. I'm not trying to steal any attention from Veteran's Day. I very solemnly acknowledge the services, sacrifices, and commitments made by our troops both today and in past. I am so grateful for their willingness to serve our country...their families...in the end, me. So, rest assured, 11-11 did not become a personal holiday in an effort to mask the importance of Veterans.

It just happened to be the words to a song...

Now this year, it was 11-11-11. How could I pass that up?!? Being without money and much time, I didn't really plan anything. In the past, on 11-11 at 11:11 I would call 11 friends and wish them a happy 11-11; or eat 11 cinnabears (oh---that would be GREAT right now); or give 11 random hugs, etc. With my two kiddos in tow, I wanted to do something they could enjoy too. But I couldn't think of anything, and before I knew it, it was 11-11 and I hadn't planned a thing. It was so fun to have the creator of the special holiday (reminder: Allie, Freshman roomie) text me and wish me a happy day. Yay! a few friends on Facebook remembered my personal celebration, and that really helped make it feel special. But I still hadn't planned anything to DO.

Until Justin came home. He bought me $11.00 worth of flowers (which are still surviving, too). We decided to drive up to CiCi's Pizza. About a 40 minute drive. Unless you get stuck in one-lane traffic that moves about 1/2 a mile/hour. Yup. So, we were a little delayed getting there. But we made it. And, being CiCi's Pizza, I had to indulge myself in 11 different slices of pizza. "had to". Pft! It was so fun, so easy too I should say, and it was great being able to go somewhere with my family. Couldn't have planned anything better! Unfortunately, we didn't snag any pics of my "big towr pizza!" (Caleb loves big towers).

I just had to inform the general public of the special day of 11-11-11 and note the great celebration I enjoyed with my family. And the wonderful caring husband who wanted to make this arbitrary day of the year special for me because of tradition (and he says he doesn't like Fiddler on the Roof. riiiight).

Being a Mama

2011-11-11T10:34:00.002-05:00

It seems like I have a constant struggle with patience. Some days (like yesterday) are just perfect...I feel truly blessed with an added measure of patience that allows me to just enjoy my kiddos for who they are!

But then there's today...where before 8:00a.m. I've already had to raise my voice at Caleb 3 times. I hate it when I do. I feel awful. I feel like a terrible mother. I just don't know what to do when he doesn't listen. And so I'm learning.

With that in mind, you can imagine why last week, after an especially hectic and baby/toddler crying morning that resulted in a reluctance to go to church (never happened before!), I was not too thrilled when I was called to teach Sunbeams. I love kids. I love working in Primary. and I finally have a calling! But man...it was not the beset morning to tell me I now have a class of three year old's I'm in charge of on Sundays. *sigh*

Luckily, those good days, even good hours, or even more so good moments are what help me get through those rough days.

Like when Caleb hugs me; or he puts his dishes in the sink; or he tries on my shoes and walks around (still); or when he spontaneously says, "I love you, Mama."; or when he gets up from his nap and sees me sleeping and plays quietly so I can finish my much-needed nap; or when he decides to take his pants off at the grocery store (I found it hilarious!)...he is such a nut and it's those precious moments that make me love being a mama.

In this picture Caleb and I took a Mama-Caleb date to Mcdonalds. He has a CTR-sticker chart that he gets to put stickers on every time he makes a good choice (like not screaming, yes picking up toys, no biting, and listening). Well, after forsaking it for a few weeks, we started it up again and he filled it up so quickly!! I was so proud. And I loved our date together.

And he loves his ice cream!

I love my children! I love being a Mama!
and I love having the opportunity to learn and to grow to be a better person.

Noah's Ark

2011-11-11T09:52:00.001-05:00

For Family Home Evening last week we talked about Noah and obeying God even when other people laugh at you.

I had made a very rough "ark" out of a box. We put Caleb in it and put 2 of every stuffed animal that we could: 2 rabbits, 2 doggies, 2 monkeys, 2 Care Bears, and, yes, 2 Sesame Street Monsters. :)

After putting all the animals in, Caleb threw them all out and insisted that Mackenzie come in with him. Because of the sides of the box, it was one time he was able to successfully and safely hold her without help.

And best of all, they were all saved from the flood.

Meat Lover

2011-11-10T08:02:00.001-05:00

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-10T06:49:00.001-05:00

We're about a week behind, but here are our Halloween pictures!
Caleb is Nemo (he was so excited!). He has fins, but you can't really tell. And since it was cold I made a hat to go along with it. Justin was P. Sherman. Hence the goggles and scrubs (he's a dentist). I was gonna be Dorie and Mackenzie was gonna be first Squirt, then Pearl...but neither one of her costumes nor my costume came to fruition. So we weren't worth taking pictures of. Apparently.
The Ward Trunk or Treat was so much fun! We took turns manning our car for the other kiddos (and there's a lot...3 nurseries, 3 sunbeams...) while the other spouse took Caleb around. So much candy! He had fun saying "trick or treat" (sounds like a bird). And it was good practice for real Halloween.
Most of the houses on Halloween just had bowls outside because all the other parents were out with their kids too. So, first we took turns, but then I told Justin to just come on with us. Caleb had no problem just grabbing candy from the bowls. He loved being able to do it! And now he's always asking for "Halloween candy." I love how holidays are getting to be more fun as Caleb gets more excited about them!

Justin and I had fun carving pumpkins. The scary face one is mine. Justin did a fabulous job on his Jack-O-Lantern. He decided to go along with our Finding Nemo theme and carved Nemo. WOW! Caleb loved it (though I think he liked the big gaping mouth on mine)

It was a great holiday. I had fun making Caleb's costume and carving our pumpkin and just enjoying the time with my family. Here's to more to come!

Kroul Family Farm

2011-10-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

We took a trip out to this farm (there are many to choose from). Everything was free...except for the pumpkins, of course.
Caleb experienced everything from the wagon and Mackenzie slept in the stroller.

a hay maze...

a corn maze...

petting animals...

and saying 'BOO'!

We bought a few pumpkins for carving and cooking, saw a huge spider--Justin was greatly impressed--, leisurely explored, and came home.

Family: Isn't it about...

2011-10-26T15:04:00.002-04:00

...story time with Daddy! Caleb loves to sit on the same lap that Mackenzie is on, and let's just say Justin is a bit more successful at handling both of them. This is a common scene, though: both kids on daddy's lap while he reads a story. Or two.

...cooking. Caleb has started to love helping me around the house. He's so good about getting what I ask, or putting this where I ask...and he loves to watch me in the kitchen. Here, we're making breadsticks for our Sunday dinner. Since he loves to eat them, I figured he'd love to help make them. I was right. Oh, and that apron...my mother gave to me at my Bridal shower: "Warning: Chef in Training." Glad it doesn't fit me anymore.

...smiling. Mackenzie's first time in the Jumperoo! I wasn't sure when she'd want it, but she loves to stand and jump frankly, it gets tiring! I was so happy to get a smile out of her while she enjoyed this new form of play and exercise. I can't believe she's already so big! She doesn't jump all that much, but she loves to have her legs straight out underneath her.

...celebrating! Justin has loops!! These are those expensive dental glasses that magnify the patient's mouth without causing prolonged discomfort for the dentist from hunching over all the time. These are actually a huge blessing: Loops aren't required until your second year of dental school, but it is good to get them before so you are acquainted with them before you actually need to be using them. Well, we couldn't afford them this year. Plain and simple. We thought maybe in the summer after we know where we stand a bit more, maybe we'd get them a few month early. But, then, Justin got an email from the Dean that a few of the professors had donated their old loops/frames and if you wanted them, email her. He did. It was a first come-first serve basis...but we got them! So, in order to get them fitted for his prescription and make them his own, it cost $205. New loops cost close to $1500. wow. That was (and is) such a huge blessing!! I'm still so grateful for the Lord's hand in our lives.

Family Fun Night!

2011-10-26T14:51:00.001-04:00

The local mall has this cool gig every last Friday of the month. The Children's Discovery Museum is free (normally a bit more), the Carousel is free (normally $2.o0 a ride), and you get a free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal in the food court. We're making it a tradition. It's fun and tiring, but just a great free family time!

Caleb loves the carousel. His first time he rode an elephant...this time it was a horse because that's all that was left. He didn't mind.

Playing the Xylaphone. He loved the music room and was so good at making music. He's started "singing" during Sacrament meeting, which just cracks me up: "La, la , la" in a very monotone rhythm. He also sways back and forth during this chant.

His first time finger painting. I think we walked by this room 5 times before he finally snaked around our defense to enter it. And...that was fun!

So, I'm making a really weird face here...and Caleb doesn't look at all excited to be in the plane. It's actually really cool because he can pedal and the propellar moves. Neat.

Mackenzie just gets carried around in the Snugli while we chase Caleb around. Soon she'll wanna get in on the action, I'm sure.

More about Living here

2011-10-26T14:37:00.001-04:00

The people. They are crazy over their football. This is a home game, not even Homecoming. We walked down to the Institude building for a pancake breakfast...and then we walked back. The tailgater here are just crazy. They have to close off the streets because there are so many people. There are cars parked anywhere they can; people charge upwards of $30 for parking if they live close to campus. And the golf course across the street from us even turns into a parking lot; there are even 5th Wheels camped out. The tailgating is just intense. These people LOVE their football team. I've heard that the school even had to change the game times from evening to more morning/afternoon because people would start drinking the night before no matter what time the game started. You could smell it too. It was such a fanaticism I don't think I've ever expereienced. I don't know if I"ll ever get that Hawkeye fever. Maybe I'll get a t-shirt before we leave.

My sweet baby girl. It was a chilly day about a month ago. We've since had numerous days of Indian Summer. We just enjoy being outside when we can.

Caleb with his friend Jack. They are a couple months apart in age and play quite well together.

Caleb in the jacket I made for him. I seriously started it about 2 years ago...thought I'd finish it for his first Christmas. Then when that didn't happen I thought I'd finish it for his 2nd Christmas. When THAT didn't happen it was a full year, to the day, before I worked on it again. And then when I did finally finish it, it wasn't too small or too big...but he was afraid of it. I finally coaxed it on him when he was sick (shameful?). And now's he okay with it. I spent so much time on it, I was really sad that he wouldn't wear it!

This is just Mackenzie enjoying her toy. She's got a little bit of a smile, which is what i was trying to capture, but she always blinks with the flash. She'll get more hair someday, right?

Belated Firetruck Update

2011-10-18T07:58:00.002-04:00

This was actullay like way back in September...but I haven't dumped my camera in a while...and these pictures were on Justin's computer so I could just use them without much effort.

This is at one of the Farmers' Markets that happen during the summer/fall.

Our first Saturday after both parents left, we went and visited this bustling event. It was the Kid's Day, and there was a fire truck, a police car, and an ambulance for the kiddos to climb up in, explore, and just get to fully enjoy!

Caleb was so excited to wear a Fireman's hat (really heavy, actually...I am holding it up from the back). And he loved the spinny thing on the front (what is the purpose of that?). We recognized it from one of his favorite internet videos:
Lots and Lots of Firetrucks!

That's also me and Caleb in the police car. There's a few more from this event I'll have to post later (like his delighted surprise at meeting his little boy idol B at the market...and successfully holding his hand out of pure excitement!! Too bad B isn't as enchanted with him...) And even more since then...

At any rate, I knew some pictures were needed (M is about 3 months old here); it's been a while. Still gotta give y'all a tour of our apartment.

Attack Ducks!

2011-10-17T19:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, for reals. You read that right.

Last Friday we took the last few minutes of daylight and went and fed the ducks (with pancakes from an Institute Breakfast a few weeks back; they were still frozen...ducks didn't seem to care).

Anyway, we started off trying to encourage them get out of the water. You know. placing some pieces on the rocky bank, tossing a few out into the water so they'd notice them. Those little duckies started to come on up to us. Caleb was so excited! We had to work on throwing the pancakes and not just holding onto it. He had so much fun chasing those duckies around!!

Then...we noticed the ducks were still coming. From all the way across the little pond. Quickly. Eagerly. And they just poured onto the bank where we were. Seriously. I was getting a little freaked out because they weren't scared of us at all. They came so close and I was afraid they were gonna get Caleb's little fingers because he was still holding onto the bread too long.

When we were all out of bread, we just walked to our car. By this point, we'd already walked back most of the way to the parking lot: about 15 yards, and the ducks still followed us with such urgency and they were still coming off the water.

I almost ran to the car. It was fun. Caleb had fun. But man, I had no idea ducks liked pancakes so much.

Ode to my Life

2011-09-28T14:45:00.005-04:00

I feel an itch to blog. Not that I have anything particular to blog about...but it's all the non-particulars that are on my mind.

1) The Relief Society Broadcast last week was fabulous! I had a headache that night and almost didn't go...but I got Mackenzie to bed a little bit early and headed out. I made it before the opening prayer! Yay! I really enjoyed the last talk by President Uchtdorf. Those 5 reminders were exactly what I needed to hear. I love hearing instruction from the Lord's servants that I know is what He wants me to hear. Wow, I'm excited about General Conference!! I just need that nourishment, encouragement, direction, reassurance...whatever you wanna call it, I need it.

2) Caleb. Nuff said, yeah? haha, he's a crazy boy! We've had a few concerns with his development, but since we moved here to IA he's really progressed rapidly! We're so proud! He had his well visit on Monday and the doc (both of 'em) said that there doesn't appear to be any problem, but that if it makes us feel better, come back in 6 months and have him evaluated again. Basically, he's been talking up a storm. I can't believe it. He'll say stuff and I'm just like, "How on earth did you pick that up?" or "Did you really just say that?" And his screaming has reduced dramatically. relief! He is such a big boy...oh! and he hasn't bitten Mackenzie since last Thursday! That's almost a whole week! yay! I'm just so glad and so proud he's made some big steps lately. What a wonderful boy!

3) Mackenzie. My baby girl...she's 4 months old! I can't believe that. I just can't. She's my doll. She's just started laughing and I love it. She was completely entertained yesterday when Caleb grunted at her. He'd grunt and she'd giggle. I was quick enough to catch it on film...but our camera doesnt' upload directly to blogger..so it makes it difficult to share. But she was like 15 pounds and 22 in? I can't remember, but it's written down somewhere. She's long, but even though her weight is up, compared to her length she's not that chubby. She has graduated to the crib. She has no interest yet in rolling over, though. Soon, I'm sure!

4) Justin. He's so busy with dental school. I'm so proud of him. He's working so hard in school and doing quite well and he still has time to spend with us...we went to a pancake breakfast, we went to the fire station, he gives me foot massages (yeah, I know!), he makes dinner...he's amazing. Just plain and simple. I love reading with him, or watching Prison Break (it's addictive, don't start it!); and his Family Home Evenings are always so creative and appropriate for Caleb. He's a great Daddy...Justin is a great man.

5) Church and such: I still have no calling. I'm told that I've been pegged for one, but I haven't been asked to serve in any position yet, even with my approaching the Bishopric inquiring about said pegging. Nothing. I haven't had a calling since Mackenzie was born. Count it. That's 4 months! I'm kind of enjoying the break, though having something to prepare for and contribute to would be nice. I like our ward a lot. The people are so welcoming, and even though there are a LOT of professional student families, there are quite a few of permanent families as well. It's a great mix. There's some ethnicity in there too.

6) Me. Whew. I'm doing great. I have so many projects to work on(thus why blogging doesn't happen as much). I'm making Caleb's Halloween costume (and ours if there's time). Nothing fancy, mind you, but it will still take some cutting and sewing and fitting. He's going to be Nemo! (be sure to watch for pictures) He's so excited about it! We're still working on 'trick or treat' but we've got a whole month! so with that, and the never-ending quiet book...still getting settled, crocheting various gifts and jackets and blankets...I just printed about 300 pictures. Got them mostly put into an album, but I haven't written about them. Gotta do that. Baby book updates. Oh! I grind my own wheat for bread. That's been fun. I'm re-learning how to be a mom/wife/homemaker now with 2 kids. But I have no school. I still completely enjoy it.
I'm still meeting people here. I haven't "connected" with anyone yet, but I'm trying to stay involved and outgoing. There's plenty of people that I can have a good time with. We have a sewing night every Thursday...library visits, volley ball; it's just a great complex I live in. Lots of great families and gals for me to get to know.

Wow. Like you wanted to read a novel today, eh? Well, maybe you did, but not necessarily about me. haha It's an ODE. Anyway, that's me and my family lately. Lots going on. I'm loving it. I love my family!

Baby, baby!

2011-09-08T07:38:00.001-04:00

Caleb loves Mackenzie. And when he found this "baby" among some stuffed animals that Grandma and Grandpa brought up for me to go through, he adopted her.

He carries her around and yesterday I gave him a burp rag for his baby. He loves to give her her binky and cracks up when I make sucking noises. Oh I love my little boy. He's getting so big! Grandma and Grandpa also brought up a twin mattress and box spring for when he's out of the crib. Well, for fun, the past few nights we've asked him if he wants to sleep on Mama and Daddy's bed. The response is a little boy flopping onto his tummy and closing his eyes.

Well, last night, he rolled off. By the time I made it upstairs, he'd fallen back asleep. Good thing we have a bed rail that I got off of Freecycle (love it!).

Grandpa Hart and more fun

2011-09-08T07:33:00.002-04:00

It's so fun when grandparents come to visit!

Caleb warmed up to Grandma and Grandpa so fast! We'll have more pictures with Grandma Sugar later. He's had tons of fun playing with "papa." I love this cuddly picture. And the bottom right picture...they are walking and balancing and Grandpa showed Caleb how to stick his arms out to help balance himself. He looks like a little bird or something. So cute!

And who doesn't love bike rides with Daddy? I'm so excited for when Mackenzie is big enough so we can all go out together. Caleb's helmet has little flying pigs on it so we call it his "piggy hat" and he snorts every time he sees any sort of helmet. lol, we'll teach him English one of these days!

And my sweet baby girl. I've been trying hard to get some smiles...and I've been a bit successful! She loves to sit up...

And when I blow my lips. I just love her smile. It's fun to me how she still looks so much like Caleb, but she's starting to look so much like herself, too.

Anyone else think they look a lot alike?

What a month!

2011-08-25T15:28:00.009-04:00

Well, almost a whole month has gone by since we moved. We're about a week shy. And so much has happened! Justin started dental school officially on Monday, Caleb turned 2 years, Mackenzie turned 3 months...my oven has caught on fire, we've lost power, and I set the smoke alarms off. Can it be any more exciting?!

So, to start us off:

Here is our moving experience. So much stuff! As you can see, the trailer is stuffed, and apparently a few more things were stuffed in there after this picture. Oh, and that's our car. For those of you who haven't seen it. Everyone knows the car not only for it's color but because it stalls frequently at stop lights (we're both learning to drive a stick).

And this is our packed riding conditions: every nook and cranny was filled. Caleb and Mackenzie had things stuffed ALL around them. It was ridiculous! Nothing was spared!! lol It was tight. But we got it all here!

We celebrated Caleb's 2nd birthday while Anderson G-parents were still in town. Iowa City city park has a cool train to ride...and C loved it!

I included the pic above to showcase Caleb's retro outfit: pretty sure his Daddy wore it when he was a kid!

The cake says "1+1". We got creative. :) Happy Birthday little boy!

We took a little family trip to Lake McBride (about 30 mins away) and enjoyed the beach and a nice walk in the shade.

My first outing with the kiddos somewhere where I wished I had had another adult: Kent Park. It was another beach, but we actually went swimming this time. Caleb loved it and Kenzie survived, and all in all it was fun!

And Mackenzie is 3 months old today!! Happy Birthday beautiful baby girl! This is the best I've gotten of her smiles. She hates the flash so it always disappears when I try to take a picture.

Well baby monitor is going crazy and my son is calling my name incessantly and the grocery store must be visited...so this post is over! Hope everyone is doing great. I hope to stay updated just not as frequently. Things are busy, but I feel so happy! Life is good!!

We're in Iowa!

2011-08-12T07:38:00.002-04:00

We've arrived. haha, maybe not to the ultimate ending, but at least we've moved on to our next adventure. And what an adventure!! Justin starts school this next week (eeek!). We've been busy unpacking and arranging things and trying our best to get things organized. It's been nice to have Justin's parents hang around so that we can take off and go look for furniture and just leave the kiddos at home. Also, they have a truck which makes getting furniture much easier.

It's amazing how much space we have...and how easily we have filled it with all our stuff that we had in storage and in boxes. We unloaded all our pictures and were amazed to think that we had them all up in our bedroom...it's enough for whole house now! So, yeah, we are living in a 2-bedroom townhouse that has a partially finished basement. It's amazing! We've got our washer/dryer hooked up, we've got 2 couches (one for $8!), a couple of book shelves...and we have so much more to get. All in time, right?

Ah, I'm a bit nervous how I'm going to actually handle being at home along with these two kiddos. Luckily, we live in an amazing complex that has a courtyard between all the units...and the other units are extremely social. So, hopefully I'll be able to go out and mingle and let the kiddos run around so that I can have a bit of a break...and maybe even make some friends. :)

Well, that's about it. We've made it safely! We drove for 3 long days, we've been unpacking for over a week, and we're so tired, but loving having our own space. It's wonderful! More visual updates to come...just wanted to let everyone know we've made it! and we're happy!

Snapshot update!

2011-07-30T07:43:00.002-04:00

Wow, life has been crazy around here lately.

Rather than bombard you with a 100 pictures, and like 12 posts, I'm consolidating.

Since Justin got home, we celebrated Independence Day with a fabulous grilling job by Justin, sparklers, and a fireworks display at the mall. (bottom row, 3rd from left).

Justin also brought home his brother Devin, and we spent the week sorting through the attic. Caleb is such a good boy, but lack of attention is hard for any toddler. Until Justin found his old bucket of Hot Wheels. Caleb has been entertained byt hat bucket for almost 3 whole weeks!! (top row, 3rd from left). Yay for cars!

While Devin was here, we blessed Mackenzie. (second row, 2nd pic). It was a beautiful day and made me remember Caleb's blessing. I recently spoke to a friend from Scotland and she asked me if I was going to have Mackenzie sealed to me. It was a chance for me to explain the wonderful blessing of knowing that my children are ALREADY sealed to me. That as long as we stay true to our covenants, they are ours for all eternity. That's so comforting and awesome. What a blessing!

(just click on it to make it bigger)

With Devin here we also went swimming. Then when Devin left, we took a spontaneous trip to Cape Cod. Caleb LOVED the beach and the water, and I love this pic of him (bottom row, 1st pic). It was a bit hot, but Mackenzie handled it okay. (top row, 1st pic). It was just so fun to be with my family at such a beautiful place.

Our other spontaneous trip was to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Caleb absolutely LOVES Lehi. Oh it was so cute. We wanted a picture with a character, and Justin snagged Lehi from a crowd, and when Caleb saw him, he smiled, but then went all shy and wouldn't talk or anything. But he was so willing to sit on his lap and talked about it for a while afterwards. I love it! The pageant was spectacular too! Such a fabulous show!
It also showed us that we need more time to drive, cuz these kiddos like to stop! We stopped at every rest stop on the way home. no joke.

Then Justin and I celebrated our 3rd year anniversary! We went to Franconian State Park and visited the Flume Gorge up there. It was a super hot day, but way cool in the gorge, so it was absolutely perfect! Yay!! I love him so much...posting about it just doesn't do him justice. He's so kind and thoughtful and considerate and always surprises me. He works so hard and carries more than his share when he knows I'm having a rough go of it. He's an amazing Daddy and loves his kiddos. And he always makes me laugh! I can only imagine how much my love for him will grow in the next year. I love you, Justin!

The pictures of Mackenzie are just cute pictures. far right is the oldest, bottom is from when she was like 7 weeks old; top row 2nd pic and 2nd row 1st pic are from yesterday. She's 2 months old! She's smiling but I haven't been able to catch it on the camera. She looks so different every day! I'm so grateful for my life. I feel so blessed!

And...we are leaving in like 2-3 days. I sure hope we can get everything packed and ready to go!

Photo Finish

2011-07-11T21:43:00.005-04:00

420 Feet...

120 MPH...

17 Seconds...

Sometimes...

... you just gotta buy the picture...

Date is Set...

2011-07-11T20:07:00.003-04:00

Alright, I know I'm behind in posts. Here's what you can look forward to:
Justin's home!! YAY!

4th of July
Mackenzie's blessing
more family hang out

But, the big news is, we have a move-out date.
August 2nd we will be pulling out of the driveway with (hopefully) all our stuff loaded and following in tow by Mom and Dad. We'll be in Iowa City later that week. It's finally here!

It's kind of a bitter-sweet event, actually.
Considering some feelings I've had while living here, I think I need to explain this.

First, the sweet part:

1) we're going to be living in our space
2) We'll be providing for ourselves (in a matter of speaking, since we'll be living off loans)
3) We'll be our own little family
4) Justin will be starting dental school
5) My children won't get confused with authority, and space, and routines.

Now, for the bitter:

1) I have many doubts about my ability to actually run a household on my own: I've never done it! Let alone with TWO kids!
2) It's been great for my kiddos to get to know their grandparents
3) It's been great for the grandparents to get to know their grandchildren
4) Who's gonna be our in-home baby sitters now?
5) Mostly, I'm worried about the things that will take me by surprise. Will I be able to handle it all while I'm adjusting to being a new mom? I'm really nervous for it.
6) Have we really done everything here that we could have?
7) money...I always stress about money

Summary:
I'm excited. We're all excited. Well, except for maybe Mom and Dad. They're excited for us, I'm sure, but they're going to miss their grandchildren something fierce.

Anyway, I know it'll be good for us. It's what we need. It's been quite stressful and strenuous at times for us to live in a space that's not our own. I'm so excited to arrange my kitchen cupboards, to put our pictures on the wall, to leave out what I want to leave out, do the grocery shopping and plan the menus...and I'm nervous for all of it too.

I hope we make new friends. I hope we can handle it. I hope we're able to stay close despite Justin's crazy schedule. I hope things keep working out for us and our fairytale continues...

Anybody else ever moved cross country to start over and have some input?

Strawberries!

2011-06-26T18:55:00.002-04:00

I love summer.
I love the sun.
I love the warmth.
I love swimming and water.
And I love fresh produce.

For our fun family outing this past Saturday, I took Caleb to pick strawberries.
Mackenzie rode around in the snugli but she didn't care too much for it or the strawberry-pickin'. Caleb had fun...I think.

He really wanted to pick the white berries...and kept squishing the red berries. And then he realized there were rocks all of the place (bottom right pic)...and the strawberries were over.

We gathered enough to balance our $3.00 entrance fee, and that was it. We went and found the play ground.

It was a fun outing, and the strawberries were really yummy!!

I'm looking forward to when our tomatoes start yielding some yumminess, too.

I love summer!!

Another little project

2011-06-26T16:37:00.000-04:00

So, I had some left over material from Mackenzie's dress I made for her before she was born,
and I decided to make Caleb a matching tie.

I had to combine a couple different patterns I found online, so it took me about an hour longer than I thought it would...which also means the next one I make (if ever) should go just a smidge faster cuz I'll know what I'm doing.

Well, here are the finished pieces! I am quite pleased with how they turned out! Caleb's tie is anything but perfect, but it definitely worked for me! Yay to projects getting finished!!

And here, I asked Caleb to smile for me...this is what I got.
I thought they weren't supposed to do that until they were teenagers??

But then, he smiled when he got to hold his baby sister in his lap! He loves her...but man, sometimes when I hear her start screaming and see him running suspiciously away...gotta wonder...

And just one more shot of my two children. It's crazy that I've got two of 'em!
And Mackenzie is 1 month old now! And Justin comes home in ONE WEEK!!
We're totally rejoicing over here and I'm definitely going to have a party once he's home!

24 years! and 3 weeks!

2011-06-16T08:24:00.001-04:00

Yup, it was my birthday yesterday! yay for me!

I'll be honest, it was a tough day. I didn't feel like celebrating; I didn't feel like doing much of anything with Justin being gone. But, I was under orders from my dear husband to have a "happy" birthday...and to do something fun.

Well, I decided that play group in the afternoon would be good for all of us. So we all got packed up and headed to the park...and surprise! no one else made it! lol I thought it ironic.

Caleb and I still had lots of fun. We played on the swings, and on the slide, and in the sandbox. And then we walked around and looked at the geese, and the boys fishing, and all the ROCKS (like the big one in the picture), and the fountains that made rainbows, and the creek, and we ran across the fields. It was a beautiful day and it really lifted my spirits. The sun really is rejuvenating!

And then we came home. Mom made a great meal of fried rice and P.F. Chang's shrimp lo mein. Then Caleb and Mackenzie gave me their present (apparently Mackenzie and Justin communicated via Morse code so that she could give her input on my present). A book of recipes on a budget! It even has price per serving. I'm excited to peruse it!

Mom and Dad sang to me; Caleb thought they were singing to him and he even tried to blow out my candles. He's gonna do really well at his 2nd birthday! I finished the day off by watching "Mama Mia," one of my presents from Mom and Dad.

It's funny, all the phone calls really made me miss Justin that much more. I know everyone was trying to make me feel special, and I was trying to let them. It was just a tough day. I miss my husband. But I'm grateful for all the friends and caring people in my life.

I was on the verge of tears all day; but somehow I made it through.

Yup, I survived my birthday.

It was Mackenzie's 3 week birthday (already?!). It made me refocus on how much I love my children. plural. haha! They're so much fun and I just can't let they're little lives and excitement pass me by!

All in all, it was a great birthday! Thanks to everyone who helped me have a good day. :)

Guessing Game!!

2011-06-12T21:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, everyone, here's a little game. Justin, I, and many other people think that Mackenzie looks a lot like Caleb.

Now, I can tell the difference, but the question is, "Do they really look that much alike?"

So, these 5 pictures are numbered. pretty clear.

Just indicate in a comment which picture is which child?

And no, there aren't any tricks. They're all either Mackenzie or Caleb.

I can't say there's a prize...just satisfaction that you can tell our kids apart. lol

List of Gratitude: #11-20 or so

2011-06-10T07:36:00.002-04:00

So, Maybe I should clarify: when I said I'd post a list everyday, I meant, every day that I get a chance. lol

I'm still totally thinking about it and trying hard to focus on the things that I'm grateful for, but I'm not stressing out about taking the time to get on here and post (learned that from my sister, too).

Well, Here's the current addition to my on-going list:

11. A wonderful night's sleep: Mackenzie woke up only once!
12. water. mm it's so good and it entertains Caleb like nothing else
13. Caleb's expanding vocabulary...in his "own" language of course. Currently I love his frequent use of "ra" (rock) and "wow!"
14. air conditioner.
15. pop sickles. in this heat...gotta have 'em.
16. A successful dinner made: I love getting back into the routine!
17. Random people that Justin met at church that have been very helpful and appear to have connections for housing.
18. Justin got complimented for his waxing at class. My husband is so talented! It's my prerogative to brag, right?
19. Cheap second-hand boutiques. Seems like a paradox, but it works!
20. Disappearing fever blisters. I hate them, so I'm glad this one is leaving.

21. An ever-slowly returning tan!
22. A wonderful and caring mother who is always thinking of me and my family
23. A beautiful new sister-in law (not so "new," but I haven't posted about her! I'm excited to meet Thaciana!)
24. Exciting family plans for the next few years
25. Caleb's infant-to-toddler rocker and his willingness to let Mackenzie use it
26. Longer hair. I always get bored with it and then chop it, but then I hate not being able to pull it back, cuz I'm lazy and that's always an easy solution. so I'm very glad it's gotten long enough to be "long" now!
27. Lessons learned.
28. Family Home Evening. Such a wonderful, inspired tradition! It's so good for me and I'm excited to make memories for my children.
29. Scriptures. I'm trying to make time now (again) to read. It's such a hard habit for me to get back into, but I'm so grateful for the spirit the word invites into my life.
30. People in the ward willing to help out with anything! I love it!

Well, that's it for today! There WILL be more another day...but there might be some other posts going on too.

Pity Party: Denied

2011-06-06T21:16:00.003-04:00

Everyone deserves a pity party once in a while, right?

Well, I didn't want to indulge myself. So, I decided I'd take my sister's idea and do 10 days of 10 things I'm grateful for. That would be 100 things I'm grateful for. Count 'em.

So, starting for today.

100 Things of Gratitude: 1-10

1. A loving husband, even from a distance.
2. web cams, that let me talk to family (sisters, husbands) from far away, and also lets me have a simple job at home so I can stay home with my kids.
3. internet, so full of information and capabilities and allows such great communication.
4. pictures, memories, the laughs, the growth, the tears...all of it!
5. Surprises: Shh, I can't tell! It's a surprise. ;)
6. Caleb's fabulous appetite.
7. Tomato plants that are actually growing in our "containers."
8. Mackenzie's sweet, dependent eyes and cute baby noises
9. friends: near, far, close, new, acquaintances...they are all so special to me!
10. the spirit of song.

Stay tuned. I've gotta do this every day. I might do more than 10 days. Justin's gone for a month.

Welcome, Baby Girl!

2011-05-30T18:44:00.002-04:00

Alright, alright! Y'all have been so patient.
Here is the latest update!

Mackenzie Renae Anderson
Born May 25, 2011
Weight: 8 lbs 9 oz
Height: 21 1/2 in

A beautiful baby girl! I won't post the entire birth story, but here are a few details in case y'all are interested.
I went into labor at 12:30a.m., we went to the hospital at 4:00a.m., and I was dilated to a 6. I was really hopefully that this labor would go swiftly. After 5 tries to get an IV line in, they finally got one and could start giving me fluid to prep me for the epidural.

After I got the epidural (which, after the way my IV went, I was really hesitant to get it!) I expected to have relief, and rest, because with Caleb I did. Well, I didn't. I couldn't feel the actual contraction, but that's where the relief ended. I felt immense and terrible pressure for the next 2 1/2 hours while they waited for me to dilate and for baby girl to face the right direction (she was sunny-side up). It was agony for me. I truly feel like I was one of those classically portrayed labors from Hollywood: screaming, crying, yelling, and just waiting.
And then when it came time to push, I could feel everything. I only pushed for 6 mins, but it felt like an eternity. I don't think that epidural did much. It was very exhausting, and when my baby was finally born, I was so grateful that they only waited to cut the cord and then they handed her to me. I needed that reward.

And now, after all that pain and discomfort, she's here. This is me right when they gave her to me. I'm very sweaty, and there's even a tear in my eye. :)

Our beautiful baby. My mom says she has my eyes.

Proud Daddy! And what a champ! I could not have done it without him. He was so patient, supportive, and kept me focused even when all I did (or wanted to do) was scream. I love you, Justin!

Back in the recovery room. We're just getting to know each other.

I'm a little more composed.

We're excited, nervous, and oh so grateful to be blessed with this beautiful baby girl. She has such a sweet spirit and we're looking forward to getting to know this wonderful daughter of God!

Caleb expresses himself thus. :) This is our family! We're so blessed!

And just as a recent update, we're home, we're good. This is Sunday when she was 4 days old. She's wearing the dress I made for her. :) Thanks, Angela for posting the link so I could find the pattern. Anyone else, here's the free pattern.

Surprise Baby Shower

2011-05-14T09:09:00.001-04:00

I just had to spotlight this fabulous event and the wonderful friends who put it on:
Thank you Karen and Natalya!

All this was planned, set up, coordinated, and executed without me even suspecting a thing.

Justin got me to the church by telling me we were helping to clean it. Not an unreasonable story because we'd been wanting to help clean for a few months, but it had never worked out.

So, we get there, find the First Counselor, and I ask him where he wants us, or needs us, to clean. He says, well, We're all done. I was like, "Really?" He looked at Justin and said, "Did you send me an email?" Justin responded, "It's okay, we'll try again another time." I was a little bummed, but whatever. So I said, "Well, I guess we'll go home then." Then I started seeing some friends...many of them...and I thought, "Hmph, they got invited to something I didn't get invited to. Oh Well."

And then there were whispered comments of, "Don't you have something?" "Shh, she doesn't know." And I was about to tell Justin, "I think they're planning something for me sometime," when I was stopped midway to the car, told I needed to see something...and walked into the gym decorated and prepared all for me and our little expected girl.

I was so touched. I didn't think I needed a baby shower, nor did I think I would get one. With Caleb, we sort of planned our own...and that was when I thought I needed one. To have this one such a surprise and such a SPLURGE...I cried on the way home! It was so wonderful, and I felt so loved by everyone there. I have all the cute girly, frilly things that I wanted but knew weren't necessities so I wasn't going to worry about buying them. It just made me feel so special and so grateful.

Thank you to all my friends who made it happen! You guys are great!

Caleb's Sunny Smile

2011-05-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

Caleb got a book last year that has mirrors on the pages. One page has a sun and says "The sun has a sunny smile!" Well, every time we come to that page, Caleb decides to say "cheese" by smooshing his face against the mirror. So, we started using this to our advantage.

Whenever we say, "Caleb, give me a Sunny smile!" He squints his eyes and smiles really big! Thus, we have now many pictures of a closed-eyed little boy! But it's so cute! I love it!

Just a bit of an update of what HE'S been up to: eating spaghetti, playing with flowers, helping me make zucchinni bread (he loves sitting on the counter, and loves eating flower. Baking comes natural to him), playing outside, and playing in the bath. He has a sign for water (imagine the traditional child's impression of a Native American noise), and he does it whenever he wants to play in the water, accompanied by "ba."

He's so much fun; he's definitely going to have a hard time adjusting to a new little one (he freaked out when a visiting baby was holding onto my leg)...but Justin and I had fun selecting the present that little girl will "give" to him. We're excited, on all accounts!

Spring makes me Happy

2011-05-06T12:04:00.004-04:00

Ever have those days where you just feel like everything is against you?

Ever have those days where you just feel like everything is WONDERFUL!?!

I'm having one of those fabulous days today.

Maybe it's because the sun is shining. And Caleb and I had fun at the park. And I met a woman from Russia.

Or because I'm not hurting so much today.

or because everything for the past week has been building on top of each other to produce a magnificent feeling of gratitude.

Whatever the reason, I am grateful.

Here's a small list of the great blessings I've felt the past week or so:

I have such wonderful friends, here and away.
One of those good friends threw a surprise baby shower for me last week. I was completely surprised, blown away by the generosity of so many people, and deeply impressed by the overall support of sisters in my ward. (and the remarkable success of so many people, including Justin, to keep it a secret from me for about 2 months!)
My husband is amazing. He works so hard, and still has time to make me feel beautiful, special, and accomplished. I love him so much! And I'm so grateful for his encouragement and understanding. How does he do it?!
We bought a car! And we're learning how to drive it. :)
We can pay our tithing. :D
Caleb is such a precious little boy. Even when he drives me up the wall, I'm grateful for his personality and his tender spirit.
Our little girl (name TBD) is going to be here soon!! What a sweet blessing!
It's Mother's day this Sunday: a time for me to be grateful to my mother, mother-in-law, and the mothers around me who are such phenomenal examples. It's also a time for me to be grateful that I AM a mother. I know it's been an enriching blessing in my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

ah. It just all makes me smile. :D anyone else feeling the rejuvenating effects of spring and warm weather and sun and flowers? I love this time of year!!

And I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father for all the blessings he has given me. I mean, this is just a short list! What a wonderful, loving, Father He is!

Jayco Tent Trailer

2011-04-22T14:02:00.002-04:00

Mostly for my sister, but just in case anybody else has any questions as to what a "tent trailer" actually entails. :DThat was our home. Like I said, it was cozy, and quaint. Can't wait to get one ourselves. Just, a newer one. :D

New Yooooork!

2011-04-13T12:44:00.005-04:00

We took a trip to New York City last week! It was so much fun. I've never been to NYC (well, not that I remember) and it was definitely a trip to remember! We stayed in Mom and Dad Anderson's tent trailer (it's as old as I am) at the Jersey side marina. It was comfortable (for the most part) , cheap (for NYC), and quaint. Oh, they went with us, too. So there were 5 of us. It really was a splendid family vacation!

But no vacation is complete without drama.

The drama of the trip:
1) we left 7 hours later than planned
2) the tent trailer was set up LATE and while it was raining
3) early morning, frantic scramblings, crowded spaces
4) the tent trailer heater going out
5) Justin and I bought a heater; then tried to use the microwave at the same time and the power went out (solution: turn off the heater first)
6)a fridge that froze things efficiently

The trip itself was exhausting. We spent only 3 days in the city, but it was enough. Especially for a little boy who didn't get any naps, had snacks constantly as "meals" and never got his milk when he's used to. He was a trooper! We frequently found him conked out after a loud outburst of protest to his treatment.

(Picasa had problems uploading directly: from top left, clockwise: Time Square, Empire State Building, Ferry to Ellis Island, and Times Square)
We purchased hop-on/hop-off bus tours, went up the Empire State Building, took the ferry to Ellis Island (my favorite part of the trip!) and Liberty Island, walked around EVERYWHERE, and just enjoyed all the sites, people, and yes, smells.

Caleb particularly loved Grandma (Papa) and Grandma (MA in a very nasal and bright expression), and spent a lot of time with them. Made my visit easier!

Top right: a tribute to our little girl. She really was with us...and I am SOO pregnant! I hate how huge I look. But, despite being 33 weeks pregnant, I successfully walked and traveled, and climbed, and whatever else you can do in NYC.

I loved having Justin with me. In 2010 I took two vacations with my family with just Caleb. Having Justin with me made it 100 times better!! I'm so grateful for his care and concern, and willingness to make things easy for me.

Here's to our first family vacation! And hopefully more to come!

Birthday Suit Surprise!

2011-04-13T12:19:00.003-04:00

I went to meet Justin for lunch a few weeks ago and left Caleb in Grandma's care. He wasn't asleep yet, but I was hopeful he would be soon. I left instructions to just leave him for at least 20 minutes.

When I arrived home, Grandma said that he fell asleep about 15 minutes after I left. Splendid! I then asked, "Did he take off all his clothes?" He has done this occasionally---rebellion? boredom? hot? I dunno. The response was, "I don't know. I didn't think to check."

Well, before I went down for my own nap, I peeked in on my little boy. And found him thus:

Every single stuffed animal, his blanket, his pants (jeans, mind you, not elastic waist), his shirt and sweat shirt, AND his diaper were all OUT of the crib. But he was asleep!! I'll take it

Luckily, he'd thrown his blanket down on the floor so strategically, that when he woke up and had the urge to pee, and peed out of his crib, it landed on the blanket and not the floor. I find it funny that we call his blanket the "Pooh blanket" because it has Whinnie the Pooh on it.

Weekend Update

2011-03-21T17:06:00.002-04:00

So...let me tell you about our weekend.

I just finished reading my sister's blog about all the projects and crafts she's been doing on top of going to school AND being a mom AND expecting her second little girl very soon...and it made me think about all the projects I want to do and have started and haven't started.

Well, things have been put on hold for a bit, sadly. (like Caleb's quiet book, any sort of blanket for our little baby girl, these flash cards for Caleb, pictures, a video for my parents...and the list goes on)

Much of my time gets spent doing research and looking for either an apartment, a car, insurance, logistics about moving...etc, etc. So, this weekend it was exciting when we actually went to look at a car and liked it enough that we're in the process of having it inspected and buying it! It's nothing glamorous: a 2002 Ford Taurus. But it's in our budget. If we get it, I'll post some pictures...

Anyway, yesterdays was also Justin's birthday!!! We celebrated Friday (he got work off), Saturday, and Sunday. It was great. Friday we looked at the car and went to a boat/RV show that night with coupons. It was AWESOME!! WE looked at two boats...but went into EVERY RV. lol we're big fans and are excited for the "some day" when we can make that purchase! So much fun!
Saturday we kind of just chilled; I cooked breakfast, and we had planned to take pictures at TArget with a coupon, but were late so missed our appointment. It was nice to just relax and get things done around the house. Oh, we even opened the in-laws tent trailer in preparation for our trip to New York in a couple of weeks.

Sunday we had dinner and cake/pie with presents. I made a strawberry banana pie, mom made a chocolate bunt cake, and Justin's home teaching companion's family made a carrot cake for him! It was very yummy.

The BEST present of the weekend was Justin found his wedding band!!!! He lost it before Christmas when he threw a snowball at me during the first snow...and finally as the snow started to melt he could find it!! I cried. I was so excited! It was a huge blessing, and what a great day for him to find it!

On another side note, my husband sure knows how to make me feel special; make my life special. I have an unexplained affinity for St. Patrick's day; well, he bought me some beautiful, bright tulips and he and Caleb made me a card. So little, but so thoughtful. I loved it. :)

So, as you can see, my craft and other projects are not getting finished as quickly as I would like. *sigh* oh well. As long as I'm busy and can see progress...

More Family Fun

2011-03-02T19:24:00.001-05:00

I just had to give Justin credit for getting up on our roof to shovel it...for 7 hours!!! He was so cold when he came in he couldn't even shower. It was sooo sad! But with all the snow and then the ice storm we had, there was lots of fear about roof collapse. So, it had to be done! What a brave man! And I'm happy to report that our roof did not collapse, and we are all safe.

I also had to give a bit more tribute to my son. He is such an individual, I have to high light it!

1. He loves playing with his Legos. Not so unusual, I understand. His favorite part is either a) putting the flowers on his fingers or b) putting the cat/dog in the "door" pieces and talking to them.
2. I decided to put olives on his fingers. Who doesn't remember having "alien" fingers as a kid?
3. This is just one stuffed animal Caleb likes to sleep with. He really has like 7 in his crib and at nap/bed time we have to arrange all the animals so he can see them and confirm their presence. Cracks me up! He's running out of room for himself!
4. Story time with Grandma. He insists on having a blanket.
5. My favorite: He knows the sound the dishwasher makes when it starts the drying cycle and spits out steam. He loves to run from any room, no matter what he's doing, and stand under the warm air.

Fun around the House

2011-03-02T19:19:00.001-05:00

I have to say, I have a ton of fun being with Caleb all day. Okay, some days I get really tired and frustrated and bored, but overall, it's fun!

I remember building forts when I was little, so I thought Caleb would have fun with his own special place. And he did. :) We hung out in there all day...too bad we had to take it down to eat dinner.

Alas, with all the fun there must be some down time; even sick time. Here we are, two sickies lounging on the couch. I love snuggling with my boy!

Justin stuck a little ball up Caleb's shirt and Caleb thought it was hilarious. He couldn't figure out how to get it out and just ran around with it. Fun things always happen when Daddy comes home.

Because of the fun "belly" Caleb formed, we decided to take matching belly pictures.
Now Caleb always tries to get the ball out of my shirt. haha!
So, here is also probably the most recent belly shot we have. I'm about 6 months along here!
I think I look a lot like my mom in this picture, too (face, not body! lol)

Being a mom sure is a lot of work; and it's only going to get to be more, but man, the joy sure out weighs the work (most days!)

Revisiting an old Passion...or two.

2011-02-17T12:45:00.005-05:00

We all know we are supposed to develop our talents, otherwise we will lose them, right? Well, one activity that I have been told I have a talent for, and has at least always been an outlet for stress, joy, and just expression, is writing.

In high school I kept a poetry journal. I gave some speeches and things in high school. I've always written in my journal (some periods of my life are more descriptive. :D). In college I was a writing tutor. Letters are so rewarding for me. And yet, somehow, I've stopped writing.

I've recently had some opportunities to tutor various people with some writing assignment or requirement they have for work or for school. Turning on that part of my thinking, and looking at organization, flow, content, relationship between sentences, paragraphs, even words. It makes me so excited!! It got my juices going again and I realized how badly I want to write. Not a novel, mind, you. My sister can take that route (she's even published! Here's her blog and more about her book Perilous).

No, I'm much more a essayist. I just LOVE having a question to answer, a concept to explain, something to expound on that requires some research, some deep thinking, trial and error, revision, revision, and revision. It just does something to me!! I have always loved words and I suppose it's controlling words and implementing them into a pattern and method that I designate so they present the image I want everyone else to see: that's magical. And I'm definitely a sucker for the old-fashioned pen and paper.

So, I've decided to write again. I have a few topics in mind. Some are emotional and sentimental. Some are practical and things that I really do want to know more about, so why not give myself an actual assignment? I can't say I miss school; but I do miss the required expression of thought. I need to be and do better about that. So I am.

Anyone else experience a sort of reawakening in their talent or interest realm? How did you deal with it? What was it?

As a side note, anyone follow the Jeopardy shows with IBM's Watson? Fascinating. Language at the core.

Snow Day!

2011-02-02T08:09:00.003-05:00

Caleb and I have been having a lot of fun with all of the snow this year. He loves getting all bundled up and going outside. Its a lot of work making sure he stays safe and warm while outside, but we have a great time. Here is one of my favorite pictures of us!

So ya want some snow, do ya?

2011-01-27T21:08:00.001-05:00

Since I've known Justin I've heard stories about these "fabulous New England winters." Ya know, so much snow that you can't open your door and you have to climb out through a window just to shovel? It was nigh unto famous in my mind.

So, naturally, when we moved out here, one thing I thought for sure I'd get to see was some great snow. Piles of it. I mean, I grew up with snow, and we got snow in Utah, but nothing I was used to compared with the impression I got from the stories I heard Justin tell. Well, let's just say, last year was a "mild winter" and this year, I was so excited about a little dusting that I bundled Caleb up and went out to "experience" the snow.

His favorite part was eating it. He loved being able to look up and see the snow coming down, too.

Then, what do ya know, here in January we've had two big snow storms, and something about Mass...snow here doesn't melt. I told Justin that back home, a "big" snow storm meant school closings, being stuck inside with hot chocolate, movies, and playing outside. Here, it means shoveling and work. No fun. No wonder people get so tired of snow.

Well, after last night's storm, I decided to document the difference. I would lose Caleb in these drifts if he could burrow his way into them! The big picture on the bottom is from the snow plow collections, and the bottom right is the walk up to the front door.

Needless to say, I've experienced my "real New England winter." :)

Big News!!

2011-01-09T15:44:00.003-05:00

Okay, we haven't told y'all where we're going! Some of you may have heard through the grape vine...but I wanted to do an actual announcement. You read for this? (nah, nah, nah)...

We will be moving to... OHIO OHIO OHIO OHIO OHIO!!!
It was not an easy decision to make. We talked about it, we'd make a tentative decision, and then we'd think of something else to consider; we made lists, both mental and physical; we prayed; we talked some more. It was very much a "go where you want" decision, and that made it all the more difficult for us. But, in the end, we decided on Ohio. And we're excited! We have lots to do to prepare for the move, so not only for the school deadlines but for my sanity we had to decide soon. I've gotta have time to make MY lists of things to do and get them done!

And, once again, we will be moving to a different state (though this time not cross country) only weeks after having a baby!! AND, (best part!), we just had our ultra sound this week (drum roll, please) and we found out (you ready for it??!!)...the baby is perfectly healthy! Everything is developing as it should and baby is right on track.

What? That's not the news you were looking for? haha, alright, I'll indulge you. :-D

We're having a GIRL!! (again, some of you probably knew that from the grapevine, but I'm super excited so I had to announce it) That's right, a cute little girl. I'm blown away. What will she look like? I think knowing that my next baby is really a "mini me" makes it a bit different than having a "mini us." I'm also very excited to see Caleb as a big brother!

We're both really excited for the changes that are coming to us soon...and we're ever so grateful for the continuous blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father. It's amazing to feel how aware He is of us!

So, Happy New Year everyone! What big changes, plans, even goals? does everyone have going for this 2011 year?

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-30T11:59:00.003-05:00

I know it was a festive time of year, but unfortunately I didn't get a lot of pictures taken. Last year's Christmas was like picture overload, but this year I don't have hardly any. Well, I've got some from leading up to Christmas, but not many from from Christmas day.

Anyway, Merry Christmas everybody! It was a fabulous day for us; Caleb decided to let us have the honor of opening all his presents and he just sat in a circle surrounded by all his newly acquired treasures (thanks to Grandma and Granpa!). It was a lot of fun! Justin's family has a tradition of doing a Christmas EVE dinner, so that was fun for me to be able to do. Luckily, I had the help of him and his brother, Devin, and I was healthy enough to do it! That was fabulous! I was so proud of how it turned out (...you'll have to wait for that random picture...), especially my homemade dinner rolls.

I especially enjoyed Christmas Eve this year. We read the Christmas story, Caleb version, then we read it for real once he was in bed. We ended up singing hymns and reading other stories for about an hour. It was wonderful and I'm so grateful for the spirit it brought into our home as it reminded us of Jesus Christ's birth and why we celebrate Christmas. How blessed we are!

Christmas morning Justin made our now-traditional bacon quiche tarts and then Caleb decided we should open all our presents. It was all over within an hour and we finally put Caleb down for a nap about 3 hours after his normal nap time. Oh it was joyful!

We hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas wherever they were. Now we have the New Year's to look forward too!

2010-12-19T00:08:00.000-05:00

One week left... desperate times call for desperate measures...

We're Goin' to Okla-hio-ma-sota!

2010-12-03T09:30:00.004-05:00

So, Amber and I woke up on December 1st to find acceptance offers from 4 dental schools! Hooray! We have been accepted at Ohio State, Case Western, University of Oklahoma, and University of Minnesota. Oklahoma and Ohio State were two of our top three. (The only one of our top choices that we have not heard from yet is University of Iowa.)

So, I was not actually expecting such a good showing from dental schools this early. I was always expecting to accept whichever school accepted me. Now we have the blessing (and curse) of choosing a dental school. So, any input? Where should we go?

Visual Update!

2010-11-30T10:51:00.002-05:00

With some words, of course!

So, we've had Halloween with an adorable costume that a great friend gave us for Caleb! :) And while Justin was trying to find some things for the ward Halloween party we found the matching tiger costumes. Think it'll be good for our Christmas newsletter? lol
We've learned that Caleb really likes stickers. especially on his face.

We also had pumpkin carving time, playing in the leaves (Caleb LOVES leaves. When they were all over the place he'd just run around picking them up. Then when the wind blew and they flew all around...ah, he was in heaven!).
Then there was Thanksgiving! Caleb really wanted to help cook!

And of course, Caleb wants to be just like Daddy.

Caleb and I also took a trip to Disney World, as I mentioned a while back. It was fun, hectic, tiring, but oh so worth it! His favorite parts were
1) The giant Winnie the Pooh that he could hug; he liked Goofy okay, too.
2) the sidewalk that lit up
3)the fountains/faucets/waterfalls
4) airplanes

And now we are on the countdown to when the dental school acceptances will be coming in. Midnight tonight is the first official POSSIBLE time, but they could come as late as February. I'm so ready to be planning and organizing and getting things settled for our little family...we're totally on pins and needles!

That excitement on top of the holiday season, a bathroom being renovated, and a little boy who loves the Christmas tree, outside, signs but doesn't talk, pees like a waterfall...and we've kept ourselves pretty busy!

Finally, a break!

2010-11-24T07:04:00.002-05:00

Justin finally gets a break. So do I, I guess.

He pulled nearly an all-nighter Monday night (2 hours of sleep) to finish a paper after taking a test.

He's been working like mad to get the tile up in the bathroom. That includes using a tile cutter outside when it's dark and so cold that there are ice crystals on the blade. Luckily, he's not sick! He's a rock!

I'm so excited for the bathroom to be finished. Ah, I want a bath so bad. Don't worry, we've still been bathing, just in a shower. Caleb especially misses splashing around! That'll be the best Christmas present for him! Oh, I love holidays!

I'm glad that he gets a break because now he'll actually be HOME when he's home. Is this supposed to be prepping me for dental school? When he's studying and gone and I really won't see him for a year? That'll be really tough if that's the case.

Anyway, we're happy it's break time! A break from school, from work, from teaching, from being sick...and Caleb is even communicating so well now! He signs and points and asks and oh! it's wonderful! I feel like my efforts are finally starting to have some sort of reward!

We have lots to be grateful for; too much for a blog post, so just believe us! :-) What are you grateful for? Especially if it's out of the ordinary train of thought?

A bit behind...as always!

2010-10-19T11:48:00.002-04:00

So, I was playing with the new template options....and I just don't feel like I quite got it. Too many options, maybe??

I know I've GOT to have some pictures to put up, but I haven't uploaded from the camera in a couple of weeks! So, here's to a verbal update. Or something like that.

For starters, when did TRIX cereal become just colorful balls? Didn't it used to be little flowers and bananas and such?

Second, Caleb's first word was "thank you." It's sooo cute when he says it! Apparently we're giving him food all the time, cuz that's when he says it. We're still working on please. lol, one time I was trying to get him to say please when he wanted some pretzels. I knew what he wanted, but I wasn't responding. Well, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He picked up the pretzel container (one of those big ones that you get at a wholesale food store) and put it in my lap. haha, it made me laugh! He seriously eats more than I do!!

Third, Justin has now had 5 interviews: Case Western in Cleveland, OH; Iowa State in Iowa City; Minnesota in Minneapolis; Boston, in well, Boston; and Ohio State in Columbus. He has one more scheduled, and that is Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. We of course have our top 2 or 3...but what are your votes? We're not accepted to any yet. Dental schools have this agreement that nobody tells you "yes" until at least December 1. That way they all have a fair shot. I guess. So, we're still in limbo. And some of them can wait until February to let you know!

Fourth, I'm going to Disney World! With Caleb! I'm really sad Justin can't come with us, but so glad that we get to go and see my family and my new little niece! :-) My brother has an "internship" there so he gets us in for free. Pretty sweet. and my parents are helping us actually GET there...cuz, yeah, we don't have any extra money.

Fifth, Justin and I borrowed Hunger Games from my old roommate, Allie (thanks, Allie!), and we were hooked!! We drove to the most recent Columbus interview, and I read it the entire way there! Sadly, it only lasted us an hour on the way back! It is such a good book! When we started it, neither one of us was that impressed: "What's all the fuss about?" But by the time we were a couple hours into it, we'd run to the bathroom at rest stops so that we could get back to the truck and keep reading! We're ready to star the second one!

So, as you can see, we're keeping busy. We just had some changes made to our ward, and I'm really excited to go to church and see what happens with all the new families added to our boundaries. I'm also excited to actually GO to our ward; it's been almost a month!

Oh yeah...and be ready for some Halloween pics: Caleb's gonna be a doggy!! What else?

Caleb's 1 year pictures!

2010-09-26T21:14:00.003-04:00

It happened over a month ago, already! But, we finally got his pictures taken yesterday at Target. Just as a side note, Target, JC PENNY, and SEARS all do free session + discounted sheets/discounted packages coupon deals. Well, I like Targets package deal: 16 wallets instead of 16 minis. Who knows what to do with that many minis anyway?

So, here's the link if you wanna check out our cutie pie!! They were so adorable, I had the hardest time picking one for the free 8x10...but I finally chose the one where he is standing. We love our little boy!

https://viewimages.targetportraits.com/sharealbum/sharealbumlist?rndId=1285460150&uId=1189702

I hope it works. Let me know if it doesn't and if you're still super curious.

Fair, family, and fun!

2010-09-21T10:47:00.003-04:00

We've had a lot of fun the past month...

We were home by ourselves for a month while Justin's parents picked his brother up from his mission and took him back to BYU. It was a nice change to have the house to ourselves, to do the grocery shopping, our schedule, etc. But, it was made even more obvious to us that we depend on Justin's parents right now. We need their financial support, especially, cuz we just can't do it. We sure are blessed to have such a generous family, all the way around.

While we were by ourselves, Caleb and I played around the house; he helps me with the dishes a lot!

We went to a fair and Caleb got to pet some farm animals. It rained a bit and he was so tuckered by the end of it! It was a fun family outing!

One night we even stopped the ice cream truck and bought a push pop!! haha, Caleb LOVED it, though he needed some help with it at times.

Justin had an interview in Iowa. It was cheaper than flying so, we drove to Iowa. Yup, that's right, 21 hours one direction, 22 coming home. We stopped in Columbus to stay with my sister and drop Caleb off with Grandma who happened to be visiting...then Justin and I continued on to Iowa. It was really great to see the campus and the city. We liked it lot, actually. It wasn't too big, but just big enough. They're a little obsessed with their Hawkeyes though... We took a day break on our way home and Grandma treated all of us to the zoo! Thanks Grandma! It was really crowded and Caleb didn't get as excited about the animals...but it was nice to get out and see some of the city!

Now we're home!! This is what we did most of Monday (not really, but it sounds good, right?).

As for more updates, Justin has an interview scheduled with University of Minnesota, Boston University, and Ohio State University. That makes 5 in all! I'm so proud of him and his hard work. It's not gonna be easy to keep up his classes with all this traveling. It's so worth it though! He works so hard! We're excited about all the development and opportunity.

Caleb is so much fun! He gets into everything and loves to play hide and go seek, and that little squirt loves his cherry tomatoes straight from the vine.

Our Toddler

2010-08-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

Caleb certainly has changed a lot since he was born; it's crazy how that happens!! haha

So, some funny things Caleb likes to do or has done:

1) He loves to push the volume button on the t.v. or the remote. That's fun too.
2) He loves crackers: as the left of the bottom right hand corner indicates.
3) Oh yeah, he loves Baby Einstein, especially the doggy puppet.
4) He LOVES dogs! We took him to the pet store at the mall, and he just squealed and screamed and
chased the little puppies around! So cute! We're excited for the day when we'll be able to get a family puppy.
5) He fell down the stairs: he hates it when he can't find me, so he was searching, moved the gate and fell down the stairs. We got a different gate. Now he's scared of the stairs without the gate.
6) He sure loves his Daddy!!

We love our little munchkin! He's a lot of work, really stubborn, but he's oh so much fun!

Caleb's Birthday!

2010-08-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

It all started with a cake.

Lauren helped me decorate the cute doggy cake for Caleb's little birthday cook out. She's so good!
It was a lot of fun, and I must say, I think it turned out really cute!

Lauren made a special personalized cake just for Caleb...

And he showed his appreciation!
Happy Birthday my little one year old!

Laughing is Contagious!

2010-08-13T15:28:00.002-04:00

While at Battleship Cove, we took lots of videos, but I don't wanna put them all up here at once, so here's what I think is the best one. Justin started pointing at things and laughing at them...and things just snowballed from there!

Up to this point...

2010-08-13T15:05:00.002-04:00

We've been SO busy the past few weeks (months?). Shalon came to visit for a few weeks with her two boys and we WORKED so hard to get some things cleaned up her at the house. She has mad organization skills and boy...we were exhausted! We're still catching up!

Apart from the work, there were some smiles. :-)

So, starting from the top left, we'll go clock wise:

1) On his 11-month birthday, Caleb and Daddy enjoyed lots of ice cream!
2) Caleb sometimes likes to sleep with us in the morning. This particular morning (top right) he decided to use me as a recliner. :-)
3) Happy face after a satisfying nap.
4) Eating mashed potatoes! love it
5)When I came back from Arkansas, we went to a "free" ice cream fair at a public park (liars!); how we actually expected it to be free, I don't know. So we bought Caleb a balloon and it popped, so we went home. It was fun just to be together as a family again.

Same deal:
1+2) Flower Justin brought home for me on our anniversary; we went kayaking to celebrate! We went later in the day and because of possible inclement weather, we got both kayaks for $10 bucks! It turned out to be beautiful! I did get beached out in the middle of the lake and my paddle was all tangled up in the roots of the overturned trees...but no fear! Justin came to my rescue. My hero!
3) Caleb's a bit wary of the big bullets at Battleship Cove. Fun times with cousins!
4) Justin with Caleb and cousin A. They got to be such good friends; I was sad to see them go!
5) Caleb disgruntled face

things we didn't get pictures of:
1) Caleb taking his diaper off, eating his poo, throwing his poo, and Daddy frantically calling for back up.

Oh, but we did get a good picture of professional Justin to send off with his applications. As an update, we have our first interivew (I guess it's really just his, huh?) in about 2 weeks! We're hoping for more!

Left. Left. Left-Right-Left. (Thanks, Justin)

2010-07-16T15:19:00.003-04:00

That's the new rhythm Caleb is marching to!

Yup, he's walking so much now, it's adorable! He still seems to prefer crawling over walking, but he loves it even more if we walk with him. I haven't been able to catch a video...he's camera shy, I tell you! But I love seeing him get so big and grow up; he's not a baby really anymore! He'll be a year in a month! CRAZY!

Funny thing is, we use the binky as motivation for walking too (remember how we used it for crawling?) lol I guess he LOVES that thing!

I think walking ranks up there in the top 5 favorite developments...it's so cool! What are some of your favorite developments?

Fun times in June!

2010-07-08T13:37:00.001-04:00

It has been a busy month!! I am back in town and am busy getting unpacked and reorganized and of coursem updating pictures and blogs!

This is just before I left: Caleb's first popsickle! He loved it, as you can see! yay fir red mouths!

I had my birthday a few days before I left: Justin made me a soccer ball cake: such awesome resourcefulness (check the exact shapes and all) and great skill (just check out the piping...really?! c'mon!). It was a great surprise and even with how busy he is, he takes time and effort to always make me feel special and loved!

And WOW! How about that family reunion in Branson, MO?! So MUCH fun and food and laughs...Caleb really enjoyed meeting his other two cousins and spending lots of time with all 3 of them! Grandma and Grandpa certainly enjoyed getting some additional time with him too. I loved seeing my family and I was sad to say goodbye: next time I'll just have to make sure Justin can come with me!

As a side note, I took lots of videos: I'm working on making a collage, so stay tuned!
[Update: I can't figure out how to get videos on here directly from my camera yet...so in the meantime, check it out on Facebook.]

Back in the Game

2010-06-20T22:41:00.002-04:00

We've been absent for a while, and I'm probably going to be silent for a bit longer...

I'm going to visit family this week! YEAH! I'm really excited to spend time with my family and to let Caleb spend time with his cousins. He's close to walking so I'm wondering if he'll start when we're gone. Justin's afraid he will. And that he'll miss it.

I read an article in this month's Ensign magazine, "Update Your Spiritual Status," and it really made me think about how I spend my time. So, I'm not saying I'm forsaking my blogging, but I definitely don't want to spend more time updating our blog then I spend with Caleb or Justin.

All in all, this month's Ensign is really great; it gave me lots of food for thought.

So, on that note, I'm one year older! :-) Justin made me a soccer ball cake and we went camping on Wednesday to celebrate. That was interesting!! It taught us a lot and we are looking forward to going for longer than just one day next time; it's too much work for just one day!! We did also buy an early anniversary present: the Kodak Play Sport. We wanted me to be able to take it on my travels so that I can record anything Caleb does. It will also be good for when Justin goes to interviews (*hopefully*) and can record the city and come back and show me. We've tried it out a bit, and are really excited to have it handy. Plus, it can go underwater!!

We'll keep in touch, so keep coming back.

Redemption

2010-06-07T14:48:00.000-04:00

Remember all those pictures with poor baby Caleb crying? Well, we made it up to him. I used my allowance and bought us a cheap pool from Target (I told you, it's been getting hot here!). He has this super cute swim diaper and a sun shirt to match (his legs are actually getting quite dark from riding in the car...he might tan, but just to be safe).

This was our first outing. haha, I love how happy he is to be splashing arond in the water!! He loves water, if you recall, and this was so much fun! I'm excited to make it a regular part of our summer! :-)

Memorial Day

2010-06-06T14:31:00.000-04:00

We love bike riding. We did it before we got married and we did it to and from campus in Utah...and here we've spent some money fixing up Mom and Dad's bikes so we can ride them. But, we now have a child. That child must come with us. This is why we bought a bike trailer. We got a great deal on it, really. Over half off, never been used...awesome! And it's a two person trailer.

We also bought a helmet. Just for baby. Here was our trial run.

As all the pictures show, it was not a success. The top left corner shows just how much Caleb loved it. We had to hold down his arms to get the helmet on, then he's squrim so much that it would detach from the velcro thus becoming smaller and it would fall down over his face, which made him even more unhappy. Sad. We were really looking forward to going. We kept trying, but we're just going to have to wait until he's older. (A sister in the ward said when her daughter was under a year she velcroed the helmet TO the chair...so the head couldn't wiggle...hahaha)

And then the dinner. It was a completely grilled meal: Justin was the chef! We had chicken marinated in two flavors, beef, peppers and onions, grilled pineapple, potatoes (sliced, yummy)...and we got to enjoy the beautiful weather outside! Caleb loved the deck (and there's that hickish smile again! lol)

And the other reason we made Caleb cry. We were on a roll we just couldn't stop! Like I mentioned, we gave him a hair cut. He hated it. The sound, being held, not being able to see what was happening...I like the second picture up from the bottom where he's just staring at the camera like, "What'd you do to me?". Let's see how long it takes to grow back!

Family, and Eating Out

2010-06-04T14:25:00.000-04:00

And not just eating out for any ol' reason. We were celebrating! We went to Outback to celebrate Justin finishing the DAT. He did well, too...well enough to not plan to take it again. We're working on the application now and hopefully we'll get some interviews this Fall. Wish us luck!! And we'll keep you posted. :-) (Second collage)

Caleb tried some blackberries. He has 6 teeth now, so it's enough to have a hickish smile (the top left). And he's chubby. The top right is a picture as we're putting him to bed, and he's stuffed. His 12-month pj's come up over his belly all the time. :-)

The actual eating out. Caleb sat in the high chair and did really well considering we STARTED eating at his bed time. haha, he ate a LOT. He loves bread and French Fries (we know, we know...not the healthiest thing, but our food hadn't come yet!). He wanted to eat the menus and napkins, but we stopped him. It was so great to be going out to celebrate!

And just some cute pics of Caleb with his Daddy. Oh yeah, these are after Caleb got a hair cut (compare this collage to the one above). He looks so different and it's so sad to see it gone, but it's been hot. His head needed to breathe. Don't they look alike!? If only I had a dollar everytime someone said that...

2010-05-30T16:40:00.002-04:00

FIN.

(my test is over that is)

Thanks to everyone that prayed, fasted, helped me study, watched Caleb, taught me chemistry over the phone. I'm glad it's over. I think I did fine.

Ohio 2

2010-05-27T17:21:00.004-04:00

These next two posts really should be one...but somehow I couldn't figure out how to get all the pictures onto one post.

So, this might be an overload of pictures and fun, but here's the run down: The previous post is the drive to Kentucky with the beginnings of Gwen, Caleb and COSI.

This post is the rest of COSI, the zoo, and an awesome video!

We'll start with this picture: At COSI, they had this special section for kids under 5: just perfect my little 9 month old! He LOVES water and got a kick out of this water station where he could bang things together and see the water fly all around him. They even had a rain coat he could wear (it didn't help much). Aunt Elisa is also pictured helping him enjoy the cool water.

So, here's the zoo. It's a really good zoo in Columbus, like in the top 2 in the country. Very cool. And to add to the fun, it was raining! yay! It really wasn't that bad, and overall we had a lot of fun! Caleb decided he wanted to eat like a horse that day, so we were stopping all the time to eat. He ate ALL the snacks I had brought him! I even bought him a hot dog...and he ate that too! This is all after eating the leftovers of rice, chicken, and broccoli...and before eating half of my pizza slice at dinner!

As you can see, he made a friend while at the zoo. Oh, this also show how excited he gets about fish (this is important). If you look at the top left picture, he's looking the aquarium at Elisa's apartment. Then the top right is him smiling because he's so excited by them.

Will he be a swimmer? I don't know...

And this is why it's important that Caleb likes fish: while at the zoo, we went to the aquarium. A warm, dark place. Perfect. He went crazy!! He wanted to get as close to the fish as he could: that's why his face disappears in some of the pictures: because of how dark it was, the flash made him become part of the glass. It was really neat.

And I loved hearing him jabber, so I took a video of it. Enjoy!

Ohio 1: Picture Overload!

2010-05-27T17:20:00.002-04:00

On our way to Ohio, we drove through Pennsylvania and stayed at a hotel: our first one, as I mentioned before. And the drive was VERY pretty.

Gwen and Caleb sure had fun together. Gwen was a bit faster and more advanced than Caleb, but he sure had fun chasing after her.

Okay, so this is the first bit of COSI (Center of Science and Industry). It was AWESOME! so cool. Here we've got a picture of this drum, that when you hold the handle it bangs the drum in beat to your own heart beat. Caleb's was really fast and it got faster when it started going. And this was even before we paid and got INTO the actual building. way cool!

Also, the DO-RE-MI thing is a musical pad (again, with the music) that plays the tones when you jump on them. Caleb wasn't heavy enough, so I held him and danced and he got a kick out of that.
Then, there's this water spitting thing that he had fun with. He kept trying to catch the water (again, he likes water).

And this is a collection of more of the KidSpace in COSI. Caleb had fun with the mirror, and these purple balls that balanced over blowing air thoroughly entertained him. You can see it blowing his hair. He would have stayed here all day, but I wanted him to try out some of the other things...so we found a color wheel, and then he didn't care for the color blocks at all.

And that was the first part of our trip (second half is the post above this).

Playing at the Park

2010-05-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Before we went to Kentucky/Ohio, Caleb and I took a trip to the park. It's a short walk and so much for him to explore and play with. Plus, it's a nice little break out of the house with a destination...and it's free!

He loves to play the piano at home, and he loves music in general. We sing to him every night and when ever he's helping me clean in my room, I always put on a CD for us to listen to. We even dance sometimes! So, these musically inclined pipes at the park were a sure hit with him! He loved to clang them and hear them vibrate. And then I went to the other side and he got a kick out of seeing me over there! haha

It was his first time in a swing (sorry I did it without you, Justin.). He enjoyed swinging out and swinging towards me..I think seeing my face get huge like that would be entertaining to anybody! He looks really funny in this picture...

"I'm from Kentucky...and You ain't!"

2010-05-24T13:46:00.003-04:00

Okay, so neither one of us is from Kentucky, but it's a song someone sang at a Christmas talent show years ago when we were single. And it stuck.

This post is to catch ya up on what we've been doing, with particular high lights about dental school visits.

Last Thursday we started our drive out to Ohio/Kentucky. We stayed in a hotel Thursday night because we wanted to ease Caleb into the driving...plus it was fun! It was Caleb's first hotel night...first night away from home, really. And he was GREAT! He slept nearly all day (he'd been sleep-deprived) and then slept all night. It was so wonderful to sleep in! Friday we resumed driving and got to Elisa and Eric's around 7p.m. It's only a 12 hour drive, but with lots of stop for the baby, it makes for a very long day.

So. Saturday and Sunday were recoup days (Elisa, Gwen, Caleb and I went to COSI on Saturday and the zoo on Tuesday...but those'll be another post).

On Monday, we got up super early and drove down to Louisville, KY (3 1/2 hours). We didn't count on a) traffic in Cincinnati and b) car accident, so we were really stressed for time. Luckily, after verbal and non-verbal prayers, we accomplished an almost 2 hour leg of the journey in 45 minutes. Yeah. Go Justin! haha...and we found the school with no problem, accomplished diaper changes and potty trips without any hassle, made it to the room only to find---- we weren't the last ones! We were only about 10 minutes late and the Louisville school was so welcoming, understanding, and just overall inviting. They loved Caleb and we think we scored points with them by bringing him (and me?).

So, Louisville.
It's our top choice. We just feel so good about the school, the people, the area is beautiful...and being there made me feel so hopeful and confident about what we'll be presenting in our application. I feel so giddy when I think about going here for 4 years! (or more?)

Next. We had to book it out of Louisville because 1 1/2 hours away we had another meeting at University of Kentucky in Lexington. The drive was also stressful...and we ended up being about 30 minutes late but they TOO were very understanding. We got a tour of the school and relaxed and ate lunch.

We drove around a bit to get a feel for the city, then headed back to Columbus. I think we got in about 8:30. Again, a long day of driving.

Wednesday we drove home. All day. 15 hours in the car, including stops. It was long, but it was so good to be home. And Caleb slept so well. Overall, it was a very successful, if not hurried, trip.

Now, what, you ask? Well, Justin takes the DAT this Saturday. Pray for him. We are nervous, but excited. Justin's been studying VERY hard and has improved on his scores. So, we hope things go well this weekend.

Pictures and FUN stuff with Caleb and Gwen to come!

Mother's Day Reprise

2010-05-13T10:07:00.003-04:00

No Mother's Day would be complete without the timeless wisdom of Mr. T.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T08:25:00.007-04:00

This is a busy week for posting.
I wanted to let everyone know just how awesome and amazing my husband is for making Mother's Day super special for me!
First, I had a rough night because Caleb decided he didn't want to sleep anymore. I was up bright and early at 5:30a.m. and was very bitter about it. I kept sarcastically saying to myself, "Happy Mother's Day!" Needless to say, I had a bit of a pity party to be up so early on MY day.

Then, I decided to pray for patience. and energy. and love. Of course, I felt the love for my baby return and even though I was tired, I was no longer angry at him---I felt so bad for being angry at my almost-9-month-old! He doesn't do it on purpose! Justin made me feel better too by saying that Caleb just wanted to spend more time with me on Mother's Day....to make me feel special. :-D

So, after the morning was normally underway, Justin made an AWESOME breakfast! I'm sorry we didn't take pictures of breakfast or dinner: bacon quiche tarts, with puff pancakes, strawberries, orange juice...AH, it was delicious!

Dinner didn't happen until after church, but it too was very good: Sun-dried tomato chicken with bow tie pasta, freschetta bread with bruschetta, yummy salad, and a deletable raspberry bar superb dessert.

I was so stuffed! But it was delicious!

Aside from all the food Justin made, he and Caleb gave me some AWESOME gifts:
1) Beautiful flowers that Caleb selected because they looked tasty. haha, complete with two-toned roses!
2) M-Cups!

We found these on a random site a while ago, and I LOVED them! They're nesting dolls that function as measuring cups. yeah, if you know me, and you know me and Russia, you know why I was so excited by them! I've been missing Russia a bit lately, just with pictures and such, so these were a wonderful thought! Now I just need a kitchen...

3) Rubber stamps! I'm also quite into carding, so a set of rubber stamps made my imagination go crazy! I just wanna send cards for fun (don't be surprised...) This isn't the exact picture of the ones I got, but they're close.

In addition to these material gifts, I received a wonderful reminder how blessed I am to be a mother. Caleb is a doll and even when I'm not the best mother or the most patient with him, he still LOVES me. And that is a gift.

Having a wonderful husband who supports me so much in motherhood: he makes me feel like I'm the best thing ever created! haha He gives me confidence to keep trying. And he loves me, too!

Happy belated Mother's Day everyone!

The Squshed Spider

2010-05-10T13:24:00.003-04:00

Sorry it's so dark...but we wanted everyone to see how hilarious Caleb first looked when he started crawling. It was 2 weeks ago yesterday (wow, time flies, right?) and he's gotten better at it: He does more of the two-knees style now.

He still LOVES the binky motivation and will crawl for food. haha, he's started following me around the house and I LOVE it! It makes me smile!! I love my baby!

Do I see more of me in him?

2010-05-10T07:40:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pictures of Caleb over the past month.

8 Months here: he looks like such a little toddler boy, right? I'm told that he has my eyes...does this picture witness to that?

He learned to stand up before he learned to crawl. And he loves bouncing.

I love this face! hahaha....it looks like he's making the elephant noise. ya know that noise, right? haha

Caleb wants to be a big boy!

2010-05-10T07:32:00.002-04:00

Aunt Becky came to visit a little while ago and made it her goal to get Caleb to like her--a lofty goal since he's been a major Mama's boy lately. Well, it took her a total of TWO days!

As part of her tactics, Aunt Beck sat with Caleb on the table and just talked to him. Well, he found the fruit bowl behind him and really wanted an apple, but he couldn't turn himself around. He kept trying to pick up the apple with one hand...and then he did it! Then he did it again! I didn't know his hands were that big and strong and coordinated!

I just love how he tries to shove the entire apple into his mouth. We finally cut some up and he tried to put ALL of them into his mouth. He's just growing so big so fast! I love it!

We have a garden!

2010-05-02T16:43:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to inform everybody that we have proudly planted our first garden together. :-) It's a fairly small one (I told Justin I didn't want to have to weed more). They are raised beds---so as not to leave too big a mark on the yard that has to sell--- and one is 4' x 8 ' and the other is 4' x 4'. In the smaller box we planted corn, green beans, and zucchini. It's an old Iriquois Indian trick. It's called the Three Sisters Garden.

Basically, you plant your corn and beans together, so that the beans (they have to be pole beans) will climb the corn, adding nitrogen to the entire plot; then the squash (we're using zucchini) covers the ground and acts as a natural small animal deterrent (because of the prickly leaves). We're not actually sure how well it'll work, but we're excited to work on it and see what happens!

We also planted peas, swiss chard, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, normal tomatoes (and we did these in one of those hanging planters....Topsy Turvy), green bell peppers, then we've got some rainbow sweet peppers that have to start indoors...I think that's it! Once (positive thinking) we have some green in the planters, I'll take some pictures so you can see. :-)

Wish us luck...!

By the way, anybody ever tried a homemade insect repellent for your garden? It's like soap and water, basically, but it's supposed to keep pests away while being safe to eat.

Do you have any experiences or suggestions for gardening?

Oh, Anne Shirley!

2010-04-23T10:48:00.003-04:00

Anyone recognize this movie?
It's a classic. And I've rediscovered it this week. We've watched both Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea this week. And I cannot wait until we watch the third one. I've never seen it1

I also cannot wait until I get my shift key replaced. Caleb decided he wanted to look at it up close...and he broke it. and not it gets in the way of other keys, and it doesn't work properly (thus the non-exclamatory one's and many non-capitalized beginning of sentences). It's driving me crazy. I need it fixed. and it's on its way.

Anyway, Anne. She's my hero. She's kind of vexing as a youngster, but her ambition and kindness and constant search for "a kindred spirit" in everyone inspires me. I'd love to meet her. Her life just seems so simple; I love Green Gables! So much laughter, so many friends...it's fantastic!

I've lost sleep by watching these amazing movies...but it's been so worth it! I'm lovin' them all over again!

Anyone else have a soft spot for this red-headed girl? Or for her life? Or Marilla? Anyone?

Hope: A Personal Lesson Applied

2010-04-16T11:09:00.006-04:00

Hope. Faith. Trust.

Lately (and by lately, I mean the past 6 months or so), I have been thinking about our future. Not just as a family, but as a country, as a world. Where will we be in 10 years? What kind of world will there be for Caleb? There is so much uncertainty, and I've never focused on it before, but lately it seems to be at the forefront of my mind. Maybe because I'm a parent. I don't know.

At any rate, it's been an amazing lesson for me. I feel like it was a real-life application of the principle that faith and fear cannot dwell together. I have been afraid. And who isn't afraid without faith? It's kind of a spiral. We start out afraid, we lose faith, we get more afraid, etc.

Well, I've been trying. I want to have faith, have hope, have trust. Not in myself, but in my Savior. A couple of verses have crossed my mind, but one in particular:

Moroni 7:41
And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

That's it. That's all that we need to remember. No matter what happens, I have faith in Christ and in His power.

Then the next reminder came as I was reading a book Justin gave me last year:

It's written by President Henry B. Eyring. It's powerful. It's so true, too. There's so much goodness in it. He talks about repentance, the Atonement, listening and heeding the spirit, learning and teaching...wow it has it all! It's very uplifting!

Well, just today I read a part that asks (paraphrased), Do other people see in our faces and in our lives the hope that is offered through the promise of the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ? Do other people feel hope when they are with us?

bam. wow. Do they? Sometimes it seems like Caleb especially can tell when I'm feeling down and anxious. He gets upset. He cries. He just wants to huge me. Why? Because fear is not of God. This was the perfect statement for me.

Summary:
No matter what is happening in the world, I know what I am supposed to be doing. And I know how I can be happy. I know who I am, who I want to be, and how to get there. "I know in whom I trusted" (2 Nephi 4:19). I know Jesus Christ is my Savior and if I trust Him, believe Him, and have faith in Him, then come what may.

Best Friends

2010-04-06T18:00:00.000-04:00

Is this not the cutest picture you've ever seen??!! Oh yeah, like father like son.

They are my best friends. I love them. And who couldn't? Look how adorable they are!

Boston, Easter, and Sunshine: Pictures

2010-04-05T17:57:00.001-04:00

Here are the pictures to go along with the previous post:

Our trip to Boston was graced, luckily, by wonderful sunshine! Caleb fell asleep a lot. I love his squished face in the middle picture on the right.

We went outside to enjoy the sunshine. Caleb really likes grass...but he didn't realize it until i was ready to go back inside. Next time, baby!

And HAPPY EASTER! Caleb had a very stuffed basket, which he was put into after everything was unwrapped. I LOVE the blank stare in just a diaper and a hat...complete with the Easter Bunny in the background.

We went for a walk between General Conference Sessions on Sunday. Lovely weather and this little baby just LOVES to bask his legs in the sun! He keeps them straight out the entire time we're out walking...we'll see if he tans!

Parents, Easter, and General Conference

2010-04-05T13:28:00.002-04:00

Wow, what a busy few weeks it's been!!

First, my parents came to visit (Grandma and Grandpa Hart) for about a week. It was a quick visit and we tried to fit in what we could. We went up to the Joseph Smith birthplace, which was a beautiful experience! Oh, it was wonderful. and Caleb was ever so good. Then we went to Boston for a day and took a trolley tour. Justin was even able to come with us since it was his day off. It was a lot of fun...Caleb slept through much of the ride and tour and it even stopped raining! It was a nice visit...all too quick in the end, but it just gives us something to look forward to this summer!

Then of course it was Easter Weekend. We didn't do a whole lot of festivities...catching up after having my parents here and getting ready for this week just didn't leave much room! Plus, Caleb isn't really big enough to appreciate dying eggs or doing an egg hunt...so we just took some nice walks as a family and enjoyed the lovely sunshine! Caleb sure does love to kick his feet and legs...it cracks me up every time!
Other than that, we had a wonderful Easter dinner with the Missionaries joining us. We did give Caleb a basket (grandparents need an excuse to spoil him, right?)...and he has some great new books!

The highlight of the past few weeks has definitely been General Conference. I, personally, have been really needing a bit of a pick-me-up and even though it seemed like conference came all of a sudden and I couldn't prepare like I normally would like...I still took some time to communicate my thoughts and feelings and questions to my Heavenly Father. And He answered my doubts and fears with hope and joy! I have not felt so renewed and invigorated in months...it's truly an answer to prayers. It's so wonderful how so many people can listen to the Brethren speak and each individual hear what they need to hear.

That's an update on us. We do have lots of pictures of Boston and walks and Caleb and grandparents and Easter...but those'll just have to wait! I've got lots of projects on my lap...

So, here's a belated Happy Easter everyone! Jesus Christ really is the Savior, and He really does LIVE! Such an awesome gift!

Space, Control...Finally

2010-03-25T10:58:00.000-04:00

We have been busy. So busy. We're trying to make a spare bedroom appear again. It's required cleaning out the garage, clearing out Devin's things, and rearranging Caleb's room. I've LOVED seeing the progress!! My goodness, if we moved at this pace all the time, we might see a bit more rapid progress.

Anyway, this is Caleb's room. It no longer has the desk and lots of other books...it is all his stuff. and I'm in love with it. I finally have some space that I can try to organize and keep clean. Everything has a place, and he has some space where he can crawl and play without my being afraid of him eating something he shouldn't or hitting something terrible.

I'm grateful to be here, but this past month or so has been tough: On top of having to get another student loan since Justin's grant was revoked, we found out we are being audited and that due to inaccurate information sent by my employer, we actually misfiled and have to now file an amendment. and the catcher is, we have to wait to file the amendment: we don't want to be processed twice, so we have to wait for either a check or a letter of intent to assess. I hate waiting.

With all that happening, it was such a relief to have this room rearranged. I walk in there now and it's like a breath of fresh air. I need more of that. It is hard not having control over some things...but Justin is helping me to be grateful and see the positive parts of things. He is a strength to me, is so patient with me, and works so hard to try and make things better for us!

It's time to eat, eat eat!

2010-03-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

We started Caleb on "Baby Signing Time" and it has some very catchy (though sometimes annoying) songs. That's where the title comes from. I really like the video, but since we check it out from the library we don't get to be as consistent with it as I would like.

My favorite picture is the one in the middle! He was so excited to be playing with food! lol. He wasn't very good at picking up the food, but he sure enjoyed making a HUGE mess!

Also, he likes to grab the spoon when you feed him and just chew on it. He does it more with Justin, though, for some reason. Funny boy!

The top picture looks like a face Justin has made before. :-)

I made the cake...and ate it too!

2010-03-23T10:52:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, JUSTIN!

Yup, he turned 27...and it was a busy weekend! As you know, we don't have a ton of funds at our disposal for me to splurge and get some awesome presents (plus, Justin has an expensive wish list)...but I know there is one thing he wants. He goes to look at it any chance he gets!

It's the MASI Speciale CX (I'm sorry, Dear, if i spelled any of that wrong). It's a pretty bike...and a pretty penny. So, when I went to the library a few weeks ago, I checked out some cake decorating books, just for fun. Since I'm trying to be positive and use this time to continue to learn and try new things, I thought, "Why not learn how to decorate cakes? It could be fun!". I know my mom is a great cake decorator, and so is my sister-in-law and my sister. I'm always so impressed! Anyway, I was looking through the books when I found a pattern and directions for a bike cake. YEAH! I knew immediately what I HAD to do for Justin's birthday. I was SO excited about it! It took me 2 days, just because of scheduling with the baby and all. Luckily, Justin worked the first day and then was gone all day on the second day at a conference. (yes, I missed him, but I wanted to surprise him more!)

I didn't decide to start documenting the process until I was pretty far into it, but you get some idea. It was so much fun! I've never really iced anything like it before. The last time I tried to make a special cake I was in high school. I made my mom a Black Forest Cake for her birthday...and it kind of melted. (Turns out, you have to let the cake layers cool before you try to ice them and then stack them. who'd a thunk?)

Justin's surprise! He thought it was going to be an elephant...

8+4+6 + nine single candles. we get creative.

The happy face...:-) It was special...and tasty!

Peek-a-Boo!

2010-03-18T13:24:00.002-04:00

Sounds like a game I'd play with Caleb, right? Well, it just so happens this is how most activities feel right now.

For instance,

I get up in the morning and get "peek-a-boo" work out, every other day.
Then I teach, and I get a "peek-a-boo" good morning kiss and goodbye for the day from Justin, 4 days a week.
I also get a "peek-a-boo" breakfast for myself and for Caleb in there somewhere.
I shower, every other day, and get dressed in a very "peek-a-boo" fashion while Caleb takes just a hint of a morning nap.
The dishes get done in "peek-a-boo" snippets through out the day.
Somewhere in there I eat lunch and encourage Caleb to eat lunch, too.
Dinner prep is always a "peek-a-boo" effort during Caleb's naps and happy play times.
Reading my scriptures and journal writing are also very "peek-a-boo" efforts.

That' s just a basic outline of what I try to do everyday and how it somehow happens, sometimes.

Caleb DOES love playing "peek-a-boo," though. :-D And he sure is getting to be a "Mama's Boy"!

What do you do in "peek-a-boo" style?

As old as dinosaurs...

2010-03-09T15:34:00.001-05:00

Not really, of course, but that's what we kept telling her. Justin even made Mom a card during Sacrament Meeting (her birthday was a few weeks ago) that had a picture of a dinosaur and a bonfire engulfing the cake because of all the candles on it. :-D She thougt it was funny.

These are the cupcakes we made for her...they say "60." And they have Dinosaur sprinkles. :-)

Despite our teasing, we still showed our love for Mom on her birthday. See, Mom and DAd have a few gift cards to go to some restaurants...but they NEVER seem to make it to them. Something else ALWAYS has to be done. So, we decided that since they never go out to eat, we'll bring the restaurant to them. We splurged. We bought shrimp. It was quite pricy, but we got to enjoy it, too.

It was blackened shrimp stroganoff. And it was DELICIOUS!! Oh my goodness! We were cooking for like 3 hours to make the garlic asparagus and the spaghetti and the shrimp...and yes, both of us were cooking. Justin is a great cook. I love his help in the kitchen. It's so much fun to cook with him! Anyway, it was a hit. Home run. Slam dunk. GOOOOOOOOOOAL!
(if you want the recipe, let us know! It's pricy, like I said, but AWESOME for a special occasion)

And I think this is the video? Well, I guess not, but it's the snapshot of the video. You know how it goes. :-)

Cute Baby

2010-03-09T15:23:00.000-05:00

I just love this picture! I especially love Caleb's retro shirt he's wearing (he's got a few of those...thanks Grandma and Grandpa Anderson!)

Big Baby, Big Baby!

2010-03-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

This was almost a month ago...Caleb was wanting to be held so I decided to try out the wrap again (he hated it before).

And he's huge! He's almost half of me! Crazy kid!

Secret Life

2010-03-09T14:31:00.000-05:00

Caleb usually wakes up and plays in his crib for a bit in the morning, while we're running around getting Justin off to work and I'm teaching. It changes every morning who greets him, because sometimes I'm in front of the computer; sometimes Justin is in the shower; sometimes we don't know he's even awake yet!

Well, this is how Justin found him the other day. Secret life revealed...was he trying to change into Super Baby? lol I don't know...

Many videos...

2010-03-01T12:12:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I've got lots of videos on my computer that I've taken of Caleb...some of them are quite old, but I thought, "Why did I take them if I'm not going to show them to anybody?" So, they're not in any certain order, and you don't have to watch all of them. But here they are! :-D

This one is just Caleb with his sippy cup. I love how he just attacks the cup and then gets surprised when water actually comes out of it. He seems to like it a lot, though!

So, this one is kind of dark (sorry!), but it's from our Ward Valentine's Dance. They're doing the hokey-pokey. :-)

For Valentine's Day, Justin gave Caleb this awesome green ball (which isn't actually "round"...it rolls away from you sometimes). Caleb loved it but he couldn't do much with it, so we thought we'd introduce him to the concept of KICKING the ball--gotta start training him early, right? lol Well, he loved it...and since he's learned how to hold it and try to devour it. not quite. haha

And this last one is the JUMPEROO I found on Craigslist for him. He's always jumping on our laps when we hold him, and makes my arms so tired! These things are not cheap, so I was super excited to get one for him. And this is his first run at it. Do ya think he likes it?

Well, that's all folks!

Half a year already!

2010-02-22T23:05:00.002-05:00

So, I confess, I'm copying Angela's presentation of her little boy (thanks for the idea!)

At 6 months and one day Caleb weighed in at 18 lbs 13 oz (75th percentile) and stretched to a whopping 29 inches (99th percentile!). Don't ask me where he gets that length, but (thank goodness! haha) Elise assures me he will adjust to his "tinyness." lol

He certainly is a lot bigger...and he's a lot stronger now too! He likes to sit up, but he still topples backwards sometimes, so we put pillows behind him. He also like to lunge forward to try and grab things, but that makes him plop on his face, and he ends up on his tummy. And he hates it when that happens.

At the same appointment, Caleb also got a prescription for the rash on his neck. His pediatrician said it looked like a diaper rash on his neck: basically a yeast infection. Well, the prescription was making it worse, so we went back today for a second opinion, got a different prescription (same medicine, just powder form, not ointment) and an antibiotic. We're hopeful it will help clear up the horrid rash on his neck! It just looks...unpleasant, uncomfortable, and unattaractive. lol

So, that's the baby boy!! He's half a year old...almost out grown his infant carrier, sporting two front teeth, loves his veggis, but still adjusting to fruit, and LOVES his own sippy cup. He seems like less and less a baby and more and more a little boy.

He brings us so much joy and honestly makes us laugh...what a blessing!

Family Time

2010-02-17T19:01:00.001-05:00

Justin works so hard and still takes time to spend with his son. I am so grateful for that. He always makes me feel so special and gives so much love to me and to Caleb. He's amazing! I wanted to just share a few Father/Son pictures...then a family picture. haha

This is at our Ward Valentine's Dance..Caleb was VERY tired...

And don't they look so cute together!! So happy, so handsome...and gratefully, so healthy!

One of us from the V-day dance. Do we see any of me in Caleb? Not so much, huh? oh, well, he's cute, just like his Daddy!
What a blessing!

Smiles are Contagious

2010-02-13T18:53:00.001-05:00

Aren't they though? I mean, when you see someone else smile, you have to TRY to not smile too. Even if you don't smile at THEM, or anyone in particular, you want to smile.

Now, take that contagious reaction and make the catalyst a baby;
then, make that baby YOUR baby, and you can't even try to resist smiling back.
I find myself laughing out loud becuase Caleb is so happy, so adorable, and just so plain lovable.

I've been trying for a long time to get a smile caught on camera, but the flash always takes him by surprise and within a second the smile is gone. Well, one night I decided I'd try...and try...and try. and I finally got a few!!
This is the best one. It happened to be during bath time (and yes, that is a rubber ducky...he likes them about as much as his Daddy).

See...did it make you want to smile? haha, well, if not, you're trying really hard!

Caleb also likes to be lifted up high so he can see the world all around him. He wants to be big so badly! Well, he is big; he wants to be able to do so much more.

And just a bit of a collection. These are all from the pat few weeks.
(top left, clockwise)
1. He likes books. He loves the library books, but he can't eat those, so he settles for the 3 board books we have. :-)
2. During eating time. He eats everything. And grunts angrily if we don't feed him fast enough. It's funny. I just loved this picture of his eyes.
3. He enjoys tummy time a lot more now, especially with his new toys. We found this little wire toy in the attic. BUT, the star of this picture is the cloth diaper he is wearing. (I love them, by the way!! If you're considering it and have some questions, let me know!)
4. This is another smile I caught. I was squeezing another rubber ducky for him...and it made him laugh. lol.
5. I just like this face.
6. His feet are so cute! He loves them too, which makes them even more adorable!

Well, that's the update on the little baby boy! He's almost 6 months, eating solids, wearing cloth diapers, and we're pretty sure he's cut a tooth with many others working their way out. I can't believe how big he is getting (he's in 12 month onesies)...and yes,

He makes me smile everyday!! :D

Taking Small Steps

2010-02-09T06:31:00.007-05:00

I love this picture.
I like how it truly illustrates how our goals feel sometimes: there's no way we can succeed, but we've got to try. We've got to start somewhere, because before you know it, each little bite has resulted in an entire beast of a task. It's amazing!!

Anyway...
I feel invigorated.

I mean, I've got a lot to do, and I don't have any more time, but I feel renewed intensity to make the best of things. Most of all, I want to learn and better myself; progress really is a blessing!!

Anyway, it's been hard living with in-laws sometimes. It's not our space, it's not my kitchen; I don't do the grocery shopping which means I don't plan the menus. That's tough. I often feel very confined...I can't spread out...

BUT I keep having renewed desires and commitments to make the best of this situation because we are blessed to have a roof over our heads. I keep having to remind myself ot really make the best of what we have. That can be tough.

My current initiative is to learn to cook more with beans. I decided on this through a number of events.

A few months ago we had a Relief Society activity all about cooking with beans: dried beans, bean soup, even bean pie. I was blown away, a little overwhelmed, but mostly curious.
Making a successful bean pie at Thanksgiving.
Realizing that we don't have much money, that meat is expensive, and beans actually have great nutrition.
After having a major success with one bean meal, I gained more confidence to continue experimenting.
I read my sister's blog post about Budget, and one of the comments from one of her friends described how they save money: they supplement their shopping with homemade food items: jams, jellies, breads, tortillas, etc. (Elisa, feel free to let her know...I don't remember her name, though...just read your comments!)
I played with the food dehydrator we found in the attic.

After all this, I decided

I want to be like that. I want to be "that" Mom who make things at home, who is frugal, who can make a meal out of nothing in the house. Most of all,
I want to be prepared.

I remember growing up, when my dad lost his job (a few times) my mother always seemed to be able to pull food out of the cupboards. Granted, this sometimes consisted of cracked wheat, wheat meat, and other not-so-yummy foods...but we had food. I want to be that creative, sufficient...whatever you want to call it.

So, I'm going to start experimenting with different bean recipes.
If you have any recipes, any ideas, I'd love to hear about them. I don't want to make JUST soups, and I don't want the meals to be boring...I'd like them to be made with other staples that I have around the house...I want to see what I can do.

It's a small start, but just like the kitty, I've gotta start somewhere. Wish me luck!

A Realization

2010-02-03T06:20:00.008-05:00

It's amazing to me that no matter how much Caleb gets me up at night,

no matter how much I might get frustrated in a split second,
no matter how often he pees on me,
or joyfully spits out his food (which I think is hilarious, by the way!!!)...

I always seem to keep loving him.

And not just love him the same, but love him more.
How amazing is that?

What other relationship is so loving--so unconditionally loving--despite everything we might do?

Our Heavenly Father of course.

He loves us no matter what; He loves ME no matter what mistakes I make, no matter how frustrating I might get because of the choices I make, or the long road I take, or the strain I put him through. He loves me unconditionally and only ever wants the best for me.

It's funny how everyone says being a parent gives you a small glimpse, a small taste, of how our Heavenly Father feels for His children. I've always believes it...and today after 3 hours of sleep, when I look at Caleb and he still makes me smile and tear up with love and gratitude and joy...

I feel it. I love it. I feel loved.

Who needs fireworks? We've got carrots!

2010-01-25T15:46:00.001-05:00

We already showed y'all the video of Caleb's first rice cereal. he has since decided he does not like it...he still eats it for the most part, but he does not love it. So, we have a mill that a friend gave us back in Utah (Thanks, Kim and Jeff!).
I decided i wanted to try it out.

1) we don't have a lot of money to buy jars of baby food.
2) I like knowing exactly what it is I'm feeding him.
3) it's fun to "mill" my own food! lol

So, here he is, enjoying his carrot. This is not the first time...I think it's the 2nd or 3rd? Anyway, he opens right up and leans forward and grabs the spoon/my hand to bring it towards his mouth. Then chomp--and he tries to figure out how to swallow it.

As a side note, when I was steaming these carrots before I milled them something strange happened. We steam most veggis in the microwave because it's easy and quick. and really good. So, I'd done it once already with carrots, but THIS time when I steamed them...they SPARKED!

yes, I'm not kidding! they sparked!

I opened the door, called Mom over and she saw it too. It even made little scorched marks on the carrots. i was perplexed: what is happening?! So I "Googled" it and i found out that lots of fresh foods sometimes spark/flame in the microwave: celery, pinto beans, apples, and yes, carrots. I don't know why...

Does anyone? anyone else had some food spark in the microwave? crazy!