Sweet Pea and James

Cullimore photo shoot

2010-07-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

We have had the best few weeks with my family! Amy and Ethan have been here from Texas, David has been down several weekends in a row, and Thomas and Rosie came for a few days from Portland. It is a rare occasion that we are all together at the same time in the same place! So, James's brother Jake very kindly agreed to take our pictures to commemorate such a moment. He did an AMAZING job...here are just a few:

The Cullimore family

My siblings (this picture just makes me happy)

My girls

My sweetheart

The cute baby!

Can you believe this picture?! I know I'm biased, but it looks like a model photo shoot, with the hair blowing and everything!

It is so nice to have these memories captured forever.

roller coaster

2010-06-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

No, we didn't go to Lagoon (in case the title threw you!). "Roller Coaster" describes my life as a mom. It is amazing, and fairly embarrassing, how many roller coasters my emotions can ride in one day! We can be having such a great, heartwarming moment and then, with barely a chance to blink, a tantrum appears out of nowhere. (And, I will admit again with embarrassment, that the kids aren't the only ones with the tantrums.) Poor, patient James. How I wish I could be more consistently calm and collected and the way a mother should be. Some days those moments seem too few and far between.

Thank goodness life starts over tomorrow!

Some pictures of my sweet girls:

(Modeling their $0.50 shirts! I love the $10 coupons in the mail from JC Penney...)

Ivy

Brynn

Abby

My Mother's Days

2010-05-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Each day I became a mother:

(I am brave to post this scary picture! You'd think I had been through hours and hours of labor. Well, it was late at night, at least. And, Abby is cute.)

The only planned delivery date. Looking huge.

Looks like eating is more interesting to me at the moment...The baby IS there in the background. (We always laugh at this picture with the banana. Those of you who know my tastes know why this is funny.)

Ready to go again...

Cute. (Just disregard the fact that the doctors are still busy working on me in the background. I couldn't feel it, I promise.)

My beauties...

What a blessing to be a mother. Happy Mother's Day.

16 months with my girls

2010-04-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some photos of Ivy the other day and realized how much she really is a combination of my other two girls...I'm just not sure who she resembles more. See what you think:

Abby, 15 months

Abby, 17 months

Brynn, 16 months

Brynn, 17 months

Ivy, 15 months

Ivy, almost 16 months

One thing is for sure...all of the Anderson girls were blessed with lots and lots of hair! (We're at the crazy hair stage now with Ivy...Just growing out and always in her eyes or back in a ponytail on top of her head. But, I just can't bring myself to cut it!)

updated pics

2010-04-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Some recent pictures...It has been a while!

Cute Ivy...Such a happy baby.

She loves playing in the curtains, and I often let her. (I am finding myself to be so much more lenient with this child...What happened to me?!)

Abby, modeling her new dress.

Brynn's new birthday dress, that her daddy picked out.

Hunting for eggs at Grandma Anderson's.

What a nice sister to share! It is sweet how well Abby and Brynn look out for their baby sister.

I had to sneak in a picture of my handsome husband.

My splurges.

2010-03-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

This morning, as I was cleaning my bathrooms, I thought about all of the stuff I buy and what I have deemed a "splurge" that I can't live without. (Fascinating, I know...my brain is working overtime!) Here are some examples:
Chlorox wipes and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I have tried the generics, and they are NOT the same. (Chlorox wipes in general are one of the more recent wonderful discoveries, especially with small children!)
Expensive ice cream. I am convinced that the more it costs, the better it tastes.
Crayola markers. The others always dry out first.
Disposable toilet bowl cleaners. James thinks they are a waste of money...I challenge him to clean the toilets weekly and then reconsider his opinion.
Tyson chicken. Again, generic is inferior.
Jeans. If I am lucky enough to find a pair that really fits right, it is destined to not be on the clearance rack in any store. Sigh.

I have become quite a generic-brand shopper, I promise. No "Coco Puffs" or "Goldfish" for us. But, sometimes it's worth the extra money to be satisfied.

Oh, and chocolate chips. The generic are waxy. Now I want to bake some cookies.=)

clever...

2010-03-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

The other day I was busy in Ivy's room, cleaning her (and her room!) up from a major diaper mess. When everything was finally fumigated, I went to find the other girls. They were in my room, apparently trying to get something out of reach:

I walked in as Abby was saying to Brynn, "I need more shoes!" I guess the shoe tower is one idea. How about a stepstool?! Pretty cute. =)

The sweet life

2010-02-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

Some new shots of my sweet girls:

Ivy has quite an arm!

A classic Brynn look. (So sweet, but she looks like she's hatching some sneaky plan in her mind.)

I just love this photo. She's beautiful!

Squishing my baby.

Happy sisters.

It's so easy for me to take my life and blessings for granted. Too easy. But, during the last few weeks especially I have had several moments to be reminded about how blessed I am. Just look at those faces! Who could ask for more?

out with the old...

2010-02-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

Well, after years and years, this was finally the year to get new family room couches. (One of my dreams has finally come true!) So, here's one last look for those of you who had the pleasure of sitting on our beauty.

I'm a bit embarrassed at how attached I can get to objects, though! I guess when you keep things for as long as we do, you associate moments in time with them. We bought this couch from Jake when we were still young and childless and in our one bedroom apartment. And, it was a nice couch back then! Now, when I look at it and I see the signs of our children: marker stains, little holes, saggy cushions, it evokes so many feelings. All this from a couch! I guess one comfort is that I know my kids will put their "marks" on my new couches as well. Wait, is that a comfort?!

By the way, thank goodness for ksl.com...Both couches were gone within a few hours of posting them!

San Francisco getaway

2010-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

James and I had a fantastic week in San Francisco this month...the perfect way to chase away the post-Christmas blahs! (My wonderful mom took the girls, which really made it a vacation. Thanks again, mom!) It was so nice to just be with James for a few days, away from everything else. We almost felt young and carefree again (which was very timely, since I just celebrated my birthday the week before)!

I won't go into all of the details of our voyage getting there...James loves telling the story, so ask him if you want to hear about how our plane got struck by lightening (yes, it really did!), how our flight got cancelled, and how he made use of the airsickness bag. Kind of a rough start, but everything went up from there.

I loved San Francisco...what a cool city! We rode public transit everywhere and discovered so much. It was fun to be able to just wander and go where our whims took us. Much of the city (and the buses and metro) reminded me of my mission in Marseille. Nice walks down memory lane. A few of the highlights:

We saw Wicked, which I have been dying to see for a long time. It was even better than I expected. I loved it (especially the price! The tickets were half the price of the ones I failed to get in Salt Lake last year). I can't wait to see it again some day!

The Golden Gate Bridge. What an incredible feat! We walked part way (it was raining and super windy and I wimped out from walking the whole way. But, we got the idea.)

The hills of San Francisco are unbelievable. We definitely got a great workout just walking around.

The camera just doesn't show the steepness (is that a word?) of these streets! I loved the homes around our hotel. They are gorgeous (and I'm sure very pricy).

Our one hundred-year-old hotel: such a nice stay, and so much more unique than the best western. (Our hotel was in the upscale part of town, which made us feel pretty special!)

Riding the cable car. (We hit the city in the slow time of year...not too many other tourists in sight. Though it rained the whole week, it really wasn't a big deal...It was still 30 degrees warmer than home! I loved being able to explore without everything being packed.)

With my sweet husband. I couldn't have asked for a better week.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T16:12:00.000-08:00

We hope that you had a wonderful holiday season...We really enjoyed ours!

(Thanks to Kaycee for this beautiful picture.)

Happy New Year...It's going to be a great one!

happy birthday, ivy

2009-12-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Even with an ear infection (poor baby!), Ivy had a great birthday. We love our Christmas baby!

Ready for the early birthday celebration at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's.

She definitely loved the cake...Our fastest cake devourer yet. (Definitely mommy's girl.)

She wasn't quite sure what to do with the presents, but Abby and Brynn sure loved unwrapping them!

Ivy just loves baby dolls. Here she is cuddling with her brand new baby.

my baby is one

2009-12-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Today is Ivy's birthday...I just can't believe it has been a year. I'll post birthday pictures later, but I'm in the mood to reminisce for a minute.

A year ago today, we were planning on having our baby on the 22nd, 4 days away. So, that morning I drove to the airport to pick up my little brother, Thomas. While waiting in the "park n wait" (or whatever they call it), I discovered that sitting with the heat and radio on kills the battery very quickly! Thomas called to say he had landed, I went to start the car to go pick him up, and I discovered that the battery was dead. Great. 9 months pregnant, 2 other kids in car seats, and I have to wander the airport parking lot to find someone to jump my car. Luckily, being 9 months pregnant makes you much less threatening-looking, and some very nice people helped me out. I was feeling lousy all day, but that's normal at 9 months! That evening, just after a nice dinner at my parents' house, my water broke! (Much less embarrassing in my parents' bathroom than in Barnes and Noble...I'm sure you've all heard that story!) So, we were on our way to the hospital and baby Ivy joined us that night. She was one of the most beautiful babies we had ever seen...Even the nurses were crazy about her and her curly hair. (They had fun styling her hair in the nursery and would always comment about the "baby with all that hair"!) We got snowed in at the hospital (do you remember last year's snowstorms?!), and I got some special one-on-one time with my new baby girl. And, the year just flew after that!

Ivy is still the baby with all that hair, and we love her to pieces. She is just so happy and full of smiles and we can't imagine our family without her.

In-Sickness-and-Health

2009-12-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this on lds.org and was so moved by it (but have some kleenex close by). This is love.

In-Sickness-and-Health

silly girls

2009-12-10T04:59:00.000-08:00

Ivy has discovered her tongue lately, and this is the result.

Brynn is such a litle ham. Every family seems to have one, and we sure love ours!

Doesnt Abby look old?! Yikes!

christmas confessions

2009-12-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

So, I have always been a bit Christmas-obessed. I just love this time of year, and everything Christmassy that is associated with it. (One year for Halloween, I dressed as a Christmas Elf. Another year, I was a Christmas present. You get the idea.) But, sometimes I think my expectations of the season are so high (or impractical) that I find myself disappointed here and there throughout the season if things werent just perfect. (However, when Brynn pulled down the tree and broke it and most of our ornaments last year, the week before I gave birth, some disappointment was justified.)

So, this year I have vowed to just enjoy the small moments of the season and be willing to let some things go if that is what it takes. And, so far it is really working! James wasnt able to hang our Christmas lights this year before leaving for China, and Im ok with it. I just dont think Im going to get around to sending out Christmas cards this year, and I think it will be ok. I really am just enjoying the season this year...not that I havent in the past, but Im liking the more carefree approach. Its new for me!

So far the best thing we have done this year is our new advent calendar, with a special activity each day. (THanks for the idea, Michelle!) The girls have been so excited to come down to the kitchen each morning and open their envelope. (I thought they would be missing the cheap chocolate countdown that we normally do, but I was pleasantly surprised.) Some of the activities we have already done: watch a Christmas movie with popcorn, paint christmas-colored fingernails and toenails (James is glad he was in China for that one!), go to the festival of trees, look at the constellations with Daddy...I have found myself eagerly anticipating these events as well. I just love this season, and I especially love experiencing it with my sweet family.

(I think I have mentioned this before, but my apostrophe key is broken on my keyboard. I cant stand people thinking that I dont know how to punctuate!)

catch up

2009-12-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

So, I've turned into a slacker blogger lately. Oh, well. I promise that we are here, we are happy and busy, and I won't even try to catch up on everything that I haven't blogged! But, here are some random moments from the past month...

Abby and Brynn just finished a dance class and were excited for their performance. They were adorable.

I was given a great idea for an advent calendar this year (one special activity to do each day before Christmas), and even made my own envelopes for each day...pretty impressive for me.

My cute husband. (He probably won't really appreciate having this particular picture posted, but I'm the one with the blog. So...) I am definitely one lucky girl.

With my beautiful Ivy. I'm not willing to admit that she's turning one in only 2 weeks. Where did my baby go?!

happy halloween

2009-11-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Between bouts of the stomach flu (which every member of our family eventually experienced), we had a fun Halloween! We still even have candy to prove it!

Abby marching proudly in her school costume parade.

The girls, a witch, pumpkin, and flower fairy, eagerly anticipating trick-or-treating in Grandma and Grandpa Cullimores neighborhood.

Ivy hated the hat, but we got her to keep in on long enough to snap a few pictures.

more of the cute girls

2009-11-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

My girls. (I just love this picture...Abby and Brynn just love their baby sister.)

I wonder what Ivy is thinking...

Walking along the furniture...and growing up too fast!

the first snowfall...already?!

2009-10-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Words cannot begin to describe how excited my girls were to look out the window yesterday morning and see snow covering the ground! (Mom and Dad = not so excited.) They could not wait to play, play, play in the snow! Brynn and I got some good playing in while Abby was in school (before the frigid winds kicked up!). Abby played a bit, too, after school...and then enjoyed her long-awaited hot chocolate. (Funny: she told me her favorite season is winter because she can drink hot chocolate. I guess I could make it other times of the year!)

Is it really time for snow already?! At least I got to pull out the Christmas music (snow falling outside is a good enough excuse, since that makes it not feel like October anymore).

With our snowman (I promise I am not a bad mom...Brynn did wear a coat until the very end!)

Hugging our snowman...

And kissing our snowman.

Abby is so excited to actually be in the snow!

Now, Abby is ready for hot chocolate (It certainly is much less fun when you start to get cold!)

The witches are out

2009-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

We made our annual fall trek to Gardner Village to see the witches and feed the ducks. It was a gorgeous day and fun all around. (Not even a tantrum when I told the girls I didn't have money for a pony ride. That earned them a sucker...Guess I had money for candy!)

There was too much to see to get all of the girls to look at me at the same time!

With my cute girls.

What cute cousins!

It's nice that the girls are old enough to not be afraid of the witches anymore...

(Where Ivy spent most of her time...)

The ducks were definitely the highlight! Those must be the best-fed ducks around.

vacation countdown

2009-10-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Only 3 months until our long-awaited, childless vacation! I love my girls dearly, but James and I are counting down until it's just us for a few days. Usually, our vacation plans start out big: Europe, Mexico, etc. But, eventually the plans end up significantly smaller (like Heber). So, we'll see where we end up when January rolls around. As long as it's warm outside and I can sleep in with my handsome husband, I'll be happy!

So, the exercise regime for the beach has begun...

dress up

2009-10-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

My girls love, love, love to play dress up! Here's just one sampling of a day's ensemble. (We call this theme: "variations on a bride".)

mission flashbacks

2009-10-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have a mission reunion tonight. I have been home from France for almost 11 years now (wow, am I getting old!) and haven't had a reunion for at least 8 or 9 of those. My stomach is already full of butterflies just thinking about it. (Good butterflies, mind you!) What an incredible time my mission was in my life. As I looked through my scrapbook last night, so many memories flooded my mind...details I thought I'd forgotten about places and people and events, and especially feelings: love and excitement and fear and sorrow and peace. (I'm getting teary again in remembering.) My mission really began to shape the woman that I realized I want to be. I'm still in process, but I am so grateful for what my mission gave me. (Even though I feel like all of my French has fallen out of my brain, the things that matter most are still there!)

our little princesses

2009-09-16T12:32:00.001-07:00

best daddy!

2009-08-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show what a cute husband I have! He has adapted well to being the only boy in the house and is very willing to play barbies, dress up, tea party (as seen in the pictures), or whatever else the girls want him to do. We are lucky girls!

(I'm hoping for the day when they start holding a father-daughter campout. They'd love it!)

first day of school

2009-08-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Our happy kindergartner on the first day of school. She was so excited to finally start, and she is loving it! It's fun to hear about school from Abby's perspective. =)

All of my girls. (Notice Brynn's new haircut! It's much easier to comb and she looks so cute, although it does make her look older. I'm not quite ready for her to grow up yet, too!)

Just waiting to line up with her class...

Just playing while we wait to pick Abby up from school. Ivy is sitting up and chewing on everything.

Brynn is pretty excited to have mommy mostly to herself!

goodbye, baby Abby

2009-08-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow our lives change forever...Abby enters kindergarten. Abby and I have both been excited for this day for a long time. She is so excited about school and learning. (She says she's excited to "do her studying".) I know that it is time and I am anxious for her to learn and experience new things. But, the last few days it really hit me that this is it: she's not just mine anymore. For almost 5 years I have been with her pretty much all day every day: I know what she sees and hears and does. But, now she's entering the "world" (granted, it's only kindergarten for a few hours a day, but humor me), and I'm having kind of a hard time! I won't let Abby see it, but I'm sad tonight, and I'll probably cry a bit tomorrow.

Now I understand moms who say they cried more than their kindergartner did. But, I'm sure we'll all be fine...I can't wait to pick her up after school tomorrow, put the little girls down for naps, and hear all about it. I guess that will be special, too. =)

(Boy, how am I ever going to send my girls off to college?!)

bear lake

2009-07-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

We had our first real family vacation this month, with a trip to Bear Lake. We had so much fun, and the kids did fantastic! The weather was perfect and the lake was more entertaining than I even expected it to be. The girls loved collecting sea shells, digging in the sand, and, my favorite, playing in the water that was only to our knees! (It was so nice to not have to worry every second that they were going to get in over their heads, since the lake is so shallow for so long. Perfect for little kids and their worrier moms!) We took the trip with James's parents, Rachel, Jake and Shell, and kids and really enjoyed our time together.

The view from our condo. I haven't been to Bear Lake since I was a kid, and I didn't realize it was this big!

Playing in the "waves".

Brynn was in heaven in the sand. =)

James and Rick made a great likeness of an alligator.

Even Ivy loved the water...She was a real trooper.

We can't wait to go back next summer! (Oh, and the raspberry shakes were wonderful. Thank goodness I'm back on dairy again...Just in time.)

random pics

2009-07-25T11:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post...oh, well. =) Here is a smattering of pictures showing what we have been up to the last little while:

"Driving" the tractor at Wheeler farm (what cute girls!). My mom invited us to her work party there...It was a fun night with great food and family.

Looking at the pigs (nice view of the pig, huh?!)

Brynn, pointing which way she is going to flee. (But, to her credit, she came back every time! She definitely keeps us on our toes.)

I just thought this one was funny. I'm in so few pictures...Why then do I have such an annoyed look on my face? I promise that we were having a great time!

Brynn and Ivy playing peek-a-boo...
Both Abby and Brynn will do just about anything to get Ivy to smile and laugh...It just melts my heart (and can easily take away an annoyed look, like the one above).

To be continued...

Mud, mud, and more mud!

2009-07-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to be a less obsessive mom and told the girls they could play in the mud. (After the torrential rain and hail storms we had yesterday, our yard is abounding in mud.) Abby started laughing and said, "Mom, are you joking?!" I guess that means I don't let my kids get dirty often enough. I assured them that I meant it, and they could get as dirty as they wanted...such excitement followed! They just couldn't wait to really get dirty, and boy did they! It was so fun to watch, though, and the screaming in the shower afterward was even worth the fun.

So cute, even when dirty!

6 months...

2009-06-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ivy just turned 6 months old yesterday...wow, these past few months have been a whirlwind! It's amazing how, when a new little one joins the family, it's hard to imagine life without them. Ivy is such a blessing to our home...Abby and Brynn just can't get enough of her: it is so sweet!

Still a little baby in a big chair! Ivy loves baby food (except for green beans...not much of a surprise).

Hanging out in the saucer...

Look at the size of that mouth! She is definitely teething.

Ivy is so happy to be a "big girl" in a big girl chair. So cute!

recently...

2009-06-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we attended the open house of the new Ocquirrh Mountain Temple with my parents and "uncle" David. It was a beautiful day and a neat experience to be there together as a family. The temple was just beautiful...we are so blessed to have a temple so close. (I was too worried about the kids behaving that we weren't able to get any pictures of our family. But, at least James got one of the temple.)

We did get some pictures of the girls later in the backyard with our gorgeous roses. (It is exciting to actually find something that thrives in our yard!)

Abby, stopping to smell the roses.

Ivy, stopping to touch the roses.

Brynn, stopping to destroy the roses. =)

And, last but not least, my handsome husband. Am I lucky or what?!

Truman Madsen

2009-06-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Since hearing about the passing of Truman Madsen this week, I have been thinking a lot about his impact on my own life. We have always loved his books and talks, particularly on Joseph Smith and other prophets. He gave a spectacular talk about the temple with his wife at a BYU Women's Conference when I was on my mission. My mom mailed me a recording in France, and I felt such a spirit when I listened to it. (I still remember passing it around to other sisters in the mission...we all reaped the benefits of my thoughtful mom!)

When I was 21 at BYU and decided to serve a mission, Brother Madsen was my stake president (with Wendy Watson, now Nelson, as our stake relief society president...talk about spoiled!). He gave me my first temple recommend interview, and it was such a humbling, enlightening, incredible interview. I have felt a special love for him ever since. What a great man and servant of the Lord.

The Incredible Growing Ivy

2009-05-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

We can't believe how fast the time has gone...On the 18th, Ivy will already be 5 months old! I remember when Abby was born and I couldn't wait for each new milestone to arrive. Now, I just want time to freeze and my baby to stay a baby! But, she is such a doll and we are having so much fun with this age.

Ivy now rolls from her stomach to her back and is so excited about it! She also officially cut her first tooth last week and started rice cereal. Lots of fun...

(If you look really close, I promise that there is a tooth on the bottom. This was the best open-mouthed picture she would let me take!)

What a giant baby! Her smile and laugh are infectious.

Our cute girl with the "straight" hair look. (I still can't believe that a 4 month old can actually have different hair styles...This child was definitely blessed with her daddy's hair.)

true confessions

2009-05-08T14:18:00.001-07:00

I get really tired of clutter. So, while my children are sleeping, I find myself throwing away things like: happy meal toys, stray crayons (even if they are in good shape, I'd rather throw them away than hunt down the crayon box), candy (not the kinds that I like, of course!), half colored pictures, etc. My poor, ignorant children! The good thing is, they never know the difference. Unless, of course, I stupidly throw these things away in an indoor garbage can and the girls happen to see their "treasures" there. (This has happened before, and it puts me in a very awkward position!)

oh, joy

2009-05-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the sound of silence. Isn't it wonderful when all of the kids are napping at the same time?! I have worked for this for months! (Well, Abby doesn't usually nap anymore, but she is so good to have "quiet time" in my room with the door closed, so it is just as good as a nap in my mind.) There are so many things that I could do...but, I think I'll just sit on the couch, read a good book, and enjoy. After all, it's almost Mother's Day!

we love to see the temple

2009-04-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a family outing to the Jordan River Temple grounds with the girls. They have been so excited about temples lately, so we thought they would enjoy it. There is such a special spirit, even just outside the temple. It was a beautiful day!

We already have our tickets to the Ocquirrh Mountain Temple open house and the girls can't wait!

Nice artistic shot, James!

Brynn and Abby

Our cute girls

The family

James and little Ivy (with her gorgeous hair!)

Smelling the flowers (how come we can never grow flowers like the ones that grow at the temple?)

Happy Easter Weekend

2009-04-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter weekend from the Anderson girls!

weather woes

2009-04-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

The incredible changing weather...

A beautiful spring day playing in the backyard.

And, three days later....

A cold wintry day playing in the backyard.

What will April bring?!

(At least the kids can find joy outside, regardless of the weather!)

pray always

2009-03-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Brynn has suddenly developed an intense fear of the vacuum cleaner. This morning, she had an absolute meltdown, afraid that it would suck her up, along with Abby, Ivy, and their toys. Who knows where this came from, but it was a very real dilemma that we had to deal with. I can't just not vacuum my house! (Maybe not the best morning to also restart potty training!). I tried reasoning with her, explaining to her, even demonstrating that vacuums are nice and they don't suck up people.

Then, my sweet Abby said, "Do you know what I do when I'm afraid? I pray." Yeah, I felt like a loser for not suggesting the same thing, but I was also so proud of Abby and touched by her pure faith. So, we all knelt down and Brynn said the cutest little prayer about not being afraid that the vacuum will suck us up. And, I was reminded once again that when the Lord counsels us to "pray always", He really means it. It's amazing how the Lord teaches us.

Aaaaaahh!

2009-03-09T11:24:00.001-07:00

So, I'm feeling selfish this morning...Just wondering: will I ever get any "me" time again?! It's amazing how my kids can perfectly time things so that at least one, if not all three, needs something at all times of the day. Trying really, really hard to be patient, but I think I may be losing the battle...

Anderson Family Pics

2009-03-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, so here are a few random shots of the Andersons:

Yes, I promise, Ivy does love her daddy. =) (I think it had just been a long day...)

It's so nice to see our girls doing something together, voluntarily! They both love to color, and it's so cute.

They are even sharing the same coloring book...Amazing!

Yes, Lisa is occasionally in a picture, too. (Abby is getting pretty good at taking them. Thank goodness for digital cameras, though...When she gets a hold of the camera, she takes many, many pictures!)

Stretch! (Doesn't Ivy have the most luscious lips?!)
Our sweetheart at 11 weeks...it's so nice to now have a smiling baby!

Happy Valentine's, James

2009-02-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

This Saturday will be our 8th Valentine's Day, so here are 8 things I love about my James (in no particular order):

*His hair, gray or not (both looks are very handsome)

*His love of reading (thanks to him, I think we are going to have some smart kids!)

*His never-ending patience with all of his girls (myself included)

*His testimony of the gospel and his excitement to gain new insights

*His looks!

*His soft hands and feet (sorry to embarrass you, James, but I wish I had them!)

*His ability to tell a great story (his family can vouch for this one)

*His spirit

I love you, James!

Ivy's blessing, etc.

2009-02-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

James blessed Ivy in church last Sunday. It was a beautiful day and such a special one for us. She made it through the whole thing without a peep, and I was so proud. =) It was a special blessing .Ivy wore the same blessing dress that her sisters wore...It's funny how a JC Penney clearance dress has now become a family heirloom!

(We were lucky to get these pictures, since I completely forgot to take any video, pictures, etc. after the blessing. Oh, well. I guess that's what happens with most children after the first one. Abby's scrapbooks have many more pages than Brynn's, and poor Ivy will be lucky to even have one!)

What a cute daddy.

Our cute Ivy at 7 weeks...She's becoming pleasantly plump (I love it!). Yes, the scratch on her cheek was a reminder to me that she needed her nails clipped. Sorry, Ivy...my fault.

One night, Abby and Brynn decided that they wanted to be swaddled like Ivy...We definitely had to hunt around for some bigger blankets! Time flies so quickly...It seems like I really was swaddling them just yesterday.

Random stuff

2009-02-05T12:11:00.001-08:00

Randomness:

All of the baby books tell moms to "sleep when the baby is sleeping". My question is, what am I supposed to do with the other two kids?! Not so simple... (One book even goes so far to say that new moms should rest every day from 2-5 pm. Can brand new babies be programmed to actually sleep for those 3 hours as well?! Good luck.)

I have been listening to General Conference talks on my ipod during nighttime feedings the past few nights (thanks, James, for the brilliant idea!). It's interesting how I can pay better attention at 2 am while nursing than when Conference is actually on! (Again, I blame it on the other 2 kids. I love them to death, but they can be quite the distractions!) Now, I almost look forward to getting up in the middle of the night. =)

While driving by the new Occquirh temple a few weeks ago, Brynn said, "I like the Angel Moroni. She's nice!"

Brynn has been Tinker Bell lately and constantly wants to be "flown" around (she sticks her arms out in front of her like a superhero while I fly her). Abby decided today that she wants to be Tinker Bell, too. I learned that a 2-year-old Tink flies much easier than a 4-year-old one!

Ivy rolled over twice the other day! She was having "tummy time", which I guess she hated enough to roll over at only 6 weeks! Of course, when I tried to get her to do it for James, she didn't budge. She also wouldn't smile for him, even though she gave me an unmistakable smile 2 minutes before. I promise him that I'm not making these things up, and he is kind enough to humor me!

No matter how much time I spend on my girls' hair in the morning, when we actually go out in public they often still have crazy-looking hair! And, there is usually a spill of some sort on a shirt that I missed. Oh, well. I promise, I do try and groom my children. But, what's a mom to do? Luckily, even with dirty shirts and wild hair, they are still super cute!

Poor James, these are the things that I have to talk about when he gets home from work. Thank goodness he loves me anyway.

Hooray for tax time

2009-01-30T13:15:00.001-08:00

I just finished doing our taxes. I guess I'm weird, but I always look forward to tax time. I check the mail eagerly throughout January, collecting all of the necessary forms. I can't wait until the last one arrives so that I can actually sit down and figure it all out. I guess there is a sense of satisfaction in a)being able to do my taxes on my own, b)feeling a little bit smart again for just a while, and, most importantly, c)finding out how much money we are going to get back. When the year comes when we actually owe taxes instead of getting a refund, I would imagine that it won't be quite as rewarding. But, until then, I'm just a tax geek having her fun!

(What a great tax bonus to have Ivy before the end of the year!)

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I'm not that big of a geek to take photos of my tax forms.

Beautiful Ivy

2009-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

We had a fun playdate on Monday with Michelle and Karla (James's cousin's wife). Just before leaving, Karla used her beautiful photographic talents and did a mini photo shoot of Ivy. (Just 5 minutes with a fussy baby, and she still got these gorgeous pictures! Thanks, Karla...You have a real talent!)

I must admit, I have one beauty of a baby!

Random Cuties

2009-01-16T16:19:00.001-08:00

Ivy, just relaxing on the floor

Laying on the beautiful quilt that my mom made...(I picked out the pattern and material, but mom has all of the talent!)A very thoughtful pose...

We love the spiky, dark hair (hopefully it will last!)

How all of our baby girls have slept: swaddled in the car seat! (Hey, at least the car seat is inside the crib! Whatever works...)

Cute Abby and Brynn, showing off the flowers in their hair (thanks, Shell!) All of our girls have been blessed with lots of beautiful hair! Hopefully Ivy's will stay dark and then we can have one of each color. =)

The big Wal-Mart excursion

2009-01-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

One of the things I was most worried about in having 3 kids under age 5 was going to the grocery store. Abby isn't a problem, but Brynn is our "wanderer". She has always been relegated to the shopping cart, until now...With 2 kids in the cart, there just isn't room for groceries! (Even if I could fit a few groceries in around Brynn, she has been known to sit on the bread, squash the bag of chips, try eating the bananas, etc. It's just not worth the risk!) But, letting her roam free in Wal-Mart is also not a positive alternative...She's fast! (I can run faster now than when I was pregnant, but I shouldn't have to!) So, I finally broke down and bought a "leash".

Before I had kids, whenever I would see a child on a leash I thought it was a bit extreme. But, my perspective has definitely changed with Brynn! And, the leash was definitely a great purchase! We ventured out for the first time alone yesterday, and it went much better than expected. Brynn actually enjoyed her leash and stayed right by me, not even having a tantrum until the checkstand. (I pulled her back when she started trying to wander, and she said in frustration, "Mom, you pulled my tail!" The nearby checkers started laughing and thought she was pretty entertaining.) And, Ivy didn't even wake up until the checkstand. Success! I'm sure that not all shopping trips will go this smoothly, but it is a blessing to have a good first experience so that I will even be willing to try another time!

more ivy...

2008-12-24T16:02:00.001-08:00

Our cute girls... (the more kids you have, the harder it is to get them all looking good at the same time!)
Awake!

Both Brynn and Abby LOVE to hold baby Ivy (Brynn calls her "baby Iby")

Just too cute! (Don't worry, her arms aren't really that long.)

Merry Christmas Eve to all!

Baby Ivy is Here!

2008-12-21T16:06:00.001-08:00

Introducing Ivy Claire! Even though we were scheduled to have Ivy on Monday the 22nd, she had her own plans...After contracting much of the day, my water broke on Thursday evening (at my parents' house this time...much more discreet than the water-breaking episode at Barnes and Noble with Abby!). So, we went in to the hospital and she was born that night. She is a beautiful, sweet girl with lots and lots of dark hair and full lips. We just love her to pieces, and Abby and Brynn are ecstatic to have their baby sister here. What a nice early Christmas for us!

The Christmas Tree Lives On...

2008-12-13T10:49:00.001-08:00

Just a quick addendum to yesterday's post...Oh, the miracle of hot glue and duct tape! After a desperate repair job this morning, our tree is again standing. Though it is a bit lacking in ornaments, it will hopefully stay together until the big day. (Abby and Brynn sure had a great time decorating the Christmas Tree all over again!)

Christmas Glitch

2008-12-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well, this is what happens when a two-year-old tries to get ornaments off of the Christmas tree...
I was able to salvage some ornaments before realizing that the tree is broken, too! (Granted, this $20 walmart buy lasted us 6 or 7 years, which is pretty amazing! It just would have been nice if it could have lasted 2 more weeks!) Oh, well. Either this will be my first and only year to not have a christmas tree on christmas, or we will be doing some desperation christmas tree shopping this weekend.

Oh, well. It's not the things that really matter anyway, right?! =)

I guess if I can hold out until after Christmas, I may be able to acquire a pretty nice tree on clearance (if James is willing to fight the crowds for me!).

Reflections on being 9 months pregnant at Christmastime

2008-12-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

This may seem like a rambling mess, but here goes...

Leading up to Christmas this year, I had mixed emotions about how smoothly everything would go. Having a Christmas baby certainly is a great blessing, and we are so grateful for it...it just changes the way I normally do Christmas. I am all about tradition: seeing lights, visiting festivals, walking the mall, fighting the crowds, last-minute gifts, etc. Typically for me, whose favorite time of year is Christmas, the more the better! I want the girls to have as many "Christmas-sy" experiences as possible so that it will always be their favorite time of year, too.

But, this year, after getting winded just going grocery shopping, I have had to scale back. And, it has turned out to be such a huge blessing and eye-opener for me. We didn't make it to the festival, we haven't walked around to see the lights...we haven't even made it to the mall! But, we have mae homemade ornaments and goodies, we've read new Christmas books, we have 3 different types of advent calendars keeping us busy first thing in the morning, we just sat and watched James put up the lights this afternoon: I have actually been able to savor Christmas more than I have often allowed myself to before. And, in only 2 1/2 weeks we are going to receive the best Christmas gift ever (which the girls are actually just as excited about as their material presents). This is what Christmas is supposed to be: a time to enjoy the small joys of being together and sharing in the wonder of the season. What a gift!

Instacare...Again!

2008-11-11T12:49:00.001-08:00

For those who haven't already heard the story, we had an interesting Saturday morning. Brynn and Abby were eating snacks and watching a show while I was in the kitchen (probably snacking myself!). Suddenly Brynn started crying. I went to ask what was wrong (since Abby wasn't obviously doing anything to her), and she said that she had stuck a craisin up her nose. I thought it was fairly funny at first, until I couldn't find the thing! First we tried blowing it out, but 2-year-olds just can't blow that hard. Our next attempt was to tweeze it out, which sent Brynn into hysterics. Then, my bright idea was to try to suck it out with a baby nose sucker (an aspirator?). However, I threw all of mine away a while ago since they tend to get nasty and I knew I'd get a new one with the new baby next month anyway. So, I called neighbor after neighbor (apparently not many are home in our neighborhood during the BYU game) until we finally tracked one down (thanks Krisanda and Jeff). That also didn't work and only made Brynn even more upset.

We weren't sure if we should just wait and see (James's idea) or take her to the instacare (my idea). But, after a sweet blessing and reading about all of the possible infection problems on the internet (already adding to my worry), I got my way. (Thanks, James.)

They were super nice at the instacare and assured me that this happens often (since I felt a bit stupid). After a thorough examination and several varied attempts, the doctor wasn't able to find it, either! She thinks that Brynn was so upset that she just inhaled it all the way down the back of her throat. Oh, well. At least we tried to do the right thing! I'm still convinced that my copay is worth the peace of mind, and Brynn was pretty excited to get a sticker and sucker out of the deal. Thank goodness for health insurance!

Our Little Helpers

2008-11-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

Our cute girls just can't wait to be big enough to help daddy in the yard! We had one last mow/yard clean-up before the snow and cold arrived. I just love the fall...It never seems to last long enough, though we really were blessed this year to have such beautiful weather past Halloween. On to Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween (and sugar overload!)

2008-11-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

At Daddy's Work...

Halloween finally came yesterday, and not soon enough for Abby and Brynn! They dress up pretty much every day anyway, so that wasn't the clincher as much as the promise of lots and lots of candy. Boy, did we ever get a lot of candy! First we went to the yearly party and James's work, where the girls were most excited to dance with bubbles. Very cute. (His work goes all out on decorations: the kids trick or treat throughout the building, complete with spook alley. The girls made it through part of the scariness, but we finally had to take a "safe" detour to the end in order to avoid possible crying breakdowns. That's fine by me, since I'm not a big haunted house fan, either!)

Our girls were the first to start boogy-ing!

We came home, relaxed for a bit, then headed back out for our ward's "trunk or treat". It was a big success, though I underplanned on the amount of candy, as usual. We had to close up shop before everyone had gone through...we couldn't regift ALL of the girls' candy! =)
At the "trunk-or-treat"

Then, we parked back at home and headed out for a bit more trick or treating, this time to actual doors. (We couldn't convince Abby that trick or treating to cars was as good as the real thing, so we tried to find neighbors that we didn't already hit up at the trunk or treat.) It was a beautiful, warm night, and the girls didn't even have to wear jackets to cover up their cute fairy costumes. We all went to bed with sugar overload (and Lisa and Brynn with upset stomachs), but I think it was worth it!

the cast is off!

2008-10-29T08:07:00.001-07:00

Abby finally got her cast off on Monday...just in time for cooler weather so that she can now wear all of her pants again! =) She was a bit scared of the saw (though our doctor tried to convince her that it is called a "tickler".) Abby nervously laughed the whole time he was cutting it off...much better than the alternative! Poor little Brynn, on the other hand, was so worried about her sister. She did okay for the first minute or two, but then big tears started rolling down her cheeks and she kept saying, "It's not gonna hurt? It's not gonna hurt?" Abby kept reassuring her that it was the "tickler" and it didn't hurt. It's so sweet to see my girls looking out for each other.

She's hobbling aroung again now and saying her leg feels "wobbly". Hopefully that will wear off soon...I'm just relieved that I don't have to carry her around anymore! =) Cute girl.

Random Happenings

2008-10-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we finally made one of Brynn's big moves: from baby to little girl. She said good-bye to her crib and is now sleeping in a "big girl" bed (well, a "big girl" mattress...the bed will be coming soon!). She was super excited about the event and has slept almost perfectly since. We have definitely been blessed that she has always been a great sleeper. I'm more worried about the next big move...sharing a room! (We've considered just buying a bigger house so that our kids can always have their own rooms and always sleep well, but that just didn't seem super-practical at the moment.)

Good-bye crib...

Hello bed!

Abby and Brynn were delighted to wake up to snow last Sunday and just had to go out and feel it for themselves. (We, the parents, weren't quite so delighted...I'm just not ready for winter yet! But, the girls were so excited and fun to watch.) Even Abby was completely willing to crawl around on her hands and knees (still in a cast!) to be part of the fun. Winter, here we come!

Making a snow angel...

Making snow balls...

(Last year, Brynn was afraid to even stand in the snow, so playing outside this winter is going to be a lot more fun for everyone!)

Poor Abby!

2008-10-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

So, I'm finally getting around to writing about Abby's broken leg. She was trying to climb up to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's treehouse and just didn't quite make it! It wasn't a huge fall, but the landing was just right to fracture both bones in her lower leg. She's already had her purple cast for almost 2 weeks and will be in it for another 3 or so. It's been a bit of a challenge, since she needs to be carried everywhere. But, she has recently re-discovered the joys of crawling and can maneuver her way around the house pretty quickly by herself now! (I'm going to have to get her a set of kneepads!)

Abby has just been amazing to watch throughout this experience. She hasn't once complained about her broken leg and is very patient as she watches Brynn run and dance around her. I am so proud of her and have learned a lot from her attitude. Believe me: if I had been the one to break my leg, I definitely wouldn't have her attitude. Although, it might be nice having James carry me around! =)

(Notice the nice remains of Brynn's peanut butter and jelly sandwich on her clothes. We didn't have bread for 2 or 3 days, and the girls were suffering withdrawls from their normal lunch routine. Luckily, we ventured out to the grocery store yesterday...They couldn't have been happier!)

Cat Lovers, Beware

2008-09-24T19:21:00.001-07:00

Today was a pretty lousy day. I know we all have them from time to time, and I won't go into all of the details, but I wasn't a happy camper today (and the pregnancy hormones don't help). The culminating moment came when, trying to salvage the morning, I took the girls out back to play (though poor Abby had to just sit there with her broken leg...another topic for another post, and a contributor to my lousy day, though not at all Abby's fault). A few minutes later, Brynn ran to me screaming and flailing: she had stepped barefoot in cat poop and somehow spread it all over her clothes, her hands, her face, her hair (I'm pretty sure even a bit went in the mouth by mistake). I testify that cleaning off cat poop is 10 times worse than cleaning off kid poop! Poor Brynn...she was a trooper and was excited to have a second bath. I, on the other hand, had had it.

I'm allergic to cats, I'm not all that fond of them anyway, yet some neighborhood cats have decided this year that my yard is the yard of choice. I have found many "gifts" the past few weeks that I have had to clean up, even though I don't own, and will never own, a cat!! It really irks me that my girls can't even play in their own FENCED backyard without fear of encountering these "gifts". So, if anyone knows of any methods to discourage cats from my yard, your opinions would be welcome. We'll start with humane suggestions, since I'm hopefully not that unfeeling. =)

My sweet girls

2008-09-21T18:24:00.001-07:00

I just have to reiterate how much I love girls! (I'd better, since we're soon going to have 3 of them!) Abby and Brynn just love to give each other hugs. It's so cute (and almost makes up for the times they don't get along quite so well...)

We now have Sacrament Meeting last, and James and I have decided to "divide and conquer" to be able to actually navigate the halls AND get a seat in the chapel (if we're lucky). Anyway, Brynn and I got to the chapel first today, and Brynn got the longest face and said, "But, where's Abby?" I thought she said "daddy", but no, she missed her sister (sorry, James...I'm sure she missed you, too.) Her face lit up when James and Abby arrived and she nearly knocked her over with her hugs. These are the moments I need to remember more often.

Fun with Cousins

2008-09-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

At temple square with Grandma and Grandpa...

How close can we get to the fountain without actually getting in?

The cute kids!

So, my sister and her kids came to visit in July, and I'm finally posting some pictures! Better late than never, I guess...We had such a fun time. Since they live in Texas, we don't see them nearly as often as we'd like. But, we make the most of the time that we do have together.

A cousins sleepover! Abby stayed awake the longest (is that a positive thing?!)

Fun in the backyard

Feeding the babies at the Church History Museum (our girls are growing up too fast!)

Abby's 4!

2008-09-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

(Ok, so I'm only 3 weeks late on this update...at least she's STILL 4 as I'm writing this!) Abby just turned 4 and had her very first friend birthday party. I don't know who was more excited/nervous, Abby or me! It turned out to be a lot of fun, and we had a great time having Abby's preschool friends all here together again. Happy Birthday, my sweet Abby!

I've Been Tagged

2008-08-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

I was "tagged" (thanks, Sarah), and I've actually enjoyed thinking all about myself this afternoon! (Ha, ha). I'm not sure how interesting I am, but here goes...

3 Joys: the temple, travel, my car's air conditioning (I'll just name 3 more really quick: James, Abby, and Brynn)

3 Fears: the death of my husband or child, being the first to scratch the new car, our gerbils getting loose in the house (again!)

3 Surprising Facts: When I was a kid, I got my long hair caught in the electric mixer while helping my mom make a cake. It ripped a patch of hair cleanly out of my head and I had to wear a barrette to cover the bald spot for a long time.

I enjoy mowing the lawn. I worked for 3 summers on the maintenance crew at a golf course. Because I was the only girl, I got the "cush" job of mowing fairways and greens. Whenever golf is on tv, I always scrutinize the fairway lines. (I'm a horrible golfer, but I did learn to love just being on a golf course!)

I'm allergic to cats. Not all that exciting, but it was a letdown to my husband, who would really like to have a cat. Lucky for me, he still chooses me over a cat! =)

I tag Shell, Brooke, Beck, Bethany, and Rebecca H.

Girls Rule

2008-08-14T15:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday at the doctor's office (Brynn has an ear infection...exciting morning!), Abby got a temporary tattoo that said "Girls Rule". It must have been an omen: that afternoon we had our long-awaited ultrasound and discovered that girls DO rule in our house: it's another girl! Except for James's worry that we will have an overabundance of hormones in our home (hee hee!), we are super excited to welcome our baby girl to our home in only 19 weeks or so. We feel so blessed to have such a beautiful family, and the Andersons DO love girls!

She refused to look at the "camera", but we still got some great shots...

What a perfect little leg!

My favorite picture: look at the size of that hand!

Slip 'n Slide

2008-08-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

It's fun to be able to share part of our childhood with our kids...including the classic Slip 'n Slide. James is now a pro, and the girls were pretty impressed. (Too bad I'm pregnant! I was just dying to sport my swimsuit and slide on my belly!)

Happy Birthday, James!

2008-08-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hooray, James is home! We actually survived pretty well while he was gone, but boy are we glad to have him home! It has been interesting to hear all about China, especially with all of the Olympic stuff going on right now. (James got to experience the smog and crowds firsthand!) The girls loved their little toys that daddy brought home, but we have learned (the hard way!) that it's best not to bring them to Church with us. =) (The toys, not the girls. Although, some sacrament meetings would be a lot more peaceful with just James and me sitting alone!)

James got home just in time to celebrate his birthday...the big 3-2! (I can now enjoy being the same age as my husband for at least a few months until I become the oldest again.) I know, I know...what a creative birthday cake! In my defense, I did make a real cake for dinner at his parents' the night before, so donuts sounded great (and, I must admit, easy). Lucky for me, James is easy to please. I love you, James!

My cute hubby

2008-08-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

James has been in China (yes, can you believe it?! China!) on business for 5 days so far, and we still have 3 days to go. I hate to sound whiny, especially considering that so many wives have husbands who are out of town regularly for work. And, we've stayed busy and have been fine. But, I really, really miss my James! I try to appreciate him when he is here with us, but boy do I really appreciate him when he isn't here. I am one lucky girl to have such a guy!

Dance Fever

2008-08-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'm already sad that my favorite show is almost over for the season! For those who aren't fans of So You Think You Can Dance, start watching! Guys, even James watches every week! I have never been known as a good dancer, or even as a very coordinated person. But, somehow I can watch this show and believe for an instant that maybe I can dance like them in front of my mirror (not true, but I can dream! It's especially pathetic to try with my now pregnant body!). It is refreshing to watch a talent competition where everyone on the show is truly talented and isn't just there for their 5 seconds of tv fame. I don't even have a favorite tomorrow night, but I can't wait to see who wins...

Welcome Houstoners? Houstonites? Residents of Houston?

2008-07-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

We just finished a fun, fun, fun 2 week visit from my sister, Amy, and her kids. Since they live in Houston, the vacations are much-anticipated by all of us (I'm not sure who was more excited, the girls or me!). It almost felt like we were on vacation, too, since we spent almost all of those 2 weeks at my parents' house with them! The concentrated "togetherness" was great. Abby had her first real "sleepover" with Erica and Gabe, all of the kids played like crazy, and the adults TALKED like crazy. =) No matter how long the visit lasts, it doesn't seem long enough when everyone goes home. But, we'll definitely take whatever we can get.

Pictures are forthcoming...(whenever I did remember to actually bring my camera, I was too lazy to take it out. Thanks, Amy, for actually documenting everything! )

My Musical Girls

2008-07-14T12:59:00.001-07:00

I'm so proud of myself...I now have 2 daughters who love broadway showtunes! It is so nice to have the complete influence over what they like and listen to (we're definitely not ready for teenagers yet). So, I've been exposing them to the joys of Broadway. Success! Our current favorites are "Into the Woods" and "Wicked", which is coming to town this Spring (my fingers are crossed that it won't cost a fortune because I'm dying to go!). It is so cute to hear a 3 year old and 2 year old try to sing along phoenetically and actually come pretty close. What fun little girls are!

It's wonderful having a car with a CD player and a tolerant husband who will even listen to broadway with us when he's in the car! What a great guy.

**Another note: Thanks to a great public library, I've also been exposing my girls to the entertainment of my past. They have spent the past week watching "Duck Tales" for their morning show...ah, memories. (I can still sing the song along with them!)

Adventures in "Far-Away" Salt Lake

2008-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Abby and Carson venturing into the water...
Once Abby conquered her fear, she was fully soaked and loving it!

Having a "picnic" on the concrete

Michelle and I braved the challenges of double strollers, preschoolers, and parking, and ventured to Salt Lake for the morning. We visited the bathrooms at Temple Square, the childrens' section of the Church History Museum, and the fountains at Gateway. (We even rode the Trax train, which the kids loved! Michelle and I were a bit frazzled with the strollers and kids, but it was still a great trade off to walking many blocks in the heat!) We really had a great time and were proud of ourselves for doing it! (Plus, we all got great afternoon naps as a result!) It's so fun having a big van...

Recent Outings

2008-07-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July at the park. The fireworks didn't end up starting until 10:45p.m., almost 3 hours after our normal bedtime. But, the girls were so excited and did amazingly well! We're so glad we braved the crowds and had a lot of fun. (Abby decided that she needed to go potty 5 minutes before the long-awaited fireworks display started, and I, being directionally-challenged, got us lost on the way back from the port-a-potties in the dark. But, luckily it was a long show and we still caught quite a few fireworks together as a family!)

With Grandma and Grandpa Cullimore at Wheeler Farm...looking at the ducks (and the crazy geese that we thought might attack!).

Goodbye, trusted car

2008-06-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we said goodbye to an era this week with the loss of our 15-year-old Saturn. A couple of weeks ago I was rear-ended while sitting at a red light and the back of the car was crunched right in (luckily the kids and myself were ok). After a lot of drama with the other driver and her insurance company (too traumatizing to recount), our poor car was declared a "total loss". It was especially sad, knowing that the value listed on paper is not even close to the value that car was to us! But, what can you do? So, we took the settlement and then watched a tow truck carry our car away on Monday.

It's funny how we regularly complained about having old cars: no air conditioning, no features, no air conditioning, not enough room , no air conditioning, etc. =) But, when it came down to seeing one of our cars go, it was really bittersweet. This was my car when we met and fell in love and were married. This was the car that carried around both of our beautiful girls. We have great memories and are a bit sad to see this time end. I'm sure it sounds corny, but our family was blessed to have such a dependable car for so long.

Potty Training...Ugh!

2008-06-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally broke down and we started potty training Brynn this week. I just keep telling myself how wonderful it will be when she is done, and how much grocery money we'll save not having to buy diapers! The first week is the worst, so we're being hermits in our house this week. At least we have beautiful weather and can still play outside (those accidents are a lot easier to clean up anyway!) She's doing her best and so am I, so I'm sure we'll make it through the week in one piece.

St. George Getaway

2008-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

James and I celebrated our 7th anniversary on Friday...hard to believe! What a lucky woman I am to have such an incredible husband. We celebrated in St. George, all by ourselves (thanks, mom and dad)! What a beautiful part of the state! It's amazing how everything is surrounded by red rock (though I kept thinking how badly their dirt must stain kids' clothes. Pathetic, huh?!). We shopped and played and slept in...It was wonderful. The highlight was when we attended the musical Les Miserables at the Tuacahn amphitheatre...a must-see for everyone (both the musical and the location).

It was so nice to step away from our day-to-day life for just a couple of days to get rejuvenated. And, it worked! (Now I'm ready to plan our next vacation!)

Merry Christmas to Us

2008-06-04T12:13:00.001-07:00

Though some of you already now, we feel that it's official enough now to announce that we are getting a very special gift this Christmas...baby #3! We are so excited and can't wait to meet "it". We even have the first picture of our teeny baby to make it feel even more real. Brynn doesn't quite get the whole concept, but Abby keeps saying that she's "getting a baby for Christmas", so it's fun that she can share in our excitement. My due date is actually Christmas Day (though, since I, along with my doctor, get to pick the date, I doubt that will be the actual birthday). Yippee!

(As an added bonus, we will be out of car space with 3 kids, so we are also getting a new-to-us car! Now the combined ages of our cars will be less than 30 years. What a relief!)

Food Storage

2008-05-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

What to say about food storage....It has been on our minds for years and years and we have from time to time gotten a few items. But it seems in recent months with the prices of food going up it has become even more important. I realize this is kind of sad because we have been warned and forwarned for years to get food storage and yet appearently prophetic warnings are not enough to motivate us to take action. However, there is no time like the present so we have felt good about having a little stored away for the future.

Abby's Preschool Farewell

2008-05-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

Picking "flowers" at the park

Abby and her best friend Cara

We had our end-of-the-year preschool picnic yesterday. (It was rained out Thursday, so we postponed it until Friday. Alas, we still had to flee the park after an hour because of rain! Oh, well. At least no more spring snowstorms for us!) Though we had a bit of a rough week last week, I have really enjoyed this whole preschool experience. Abby has absolutely loved getting together with her little friends twice a week, and I have loved having a part in it. Hopefully we can do it again with Brynn when she is three. For now, my goal is to prepare myself for preschool in the fall: this time, with just me, Abby, and Brynn (though I think Brynn will end up wandering through a lot of it).

The teacher in me is starting to come out again, which is kind of fun. Although, just the other night I had a bad "teacher dream", where I was late to class and didn't know my lesson and all those fears that teachers have. I haven't had one for a long time, so it surprised me. Even worse, my own kids are now a part of my teacher dreams: so, not only was I late to class and didn't know what I was teaching, but it dawned on my once I was at school that I never got a babysitter for my kids and they were just home alone! Yikes! I guess I just need to relax. =)

Hooray for Plumber #2

2008-05-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

So, the plumber followed through! Though we did end up having to pay a flat "visit" rate (don't get James started!), at least we will hopefully have hot water by tomorrow morning. I can now sleep, and shower, in peace. On to the long weekend!

preschool and plumbers

2008-05-23T13:27:00.001-07:00

(This picture has nothing to do with this post, but it's from Grand Cayman, which is where I'd like to be right now!)

When I taught school, the kids were always a bit crazy this time of year... My normally well-behaved students would almost literally be bouncing in their seats as Spring was calling! I discovered this week that Spring Fever doesn't just hit middle schoolers. I taught my last week of Abby's preschool this week, and boy was I ready for the week to be over! Granted, 9 three-year-olds in the same room at the same time is a bit risky to begin with. But, as cute as they can be, I couldn't get more than a couple minutes of even partial focus. Yikes! The calmest moments were those while inhaling their snacks. (Would their mothers have cared if I had just fed them continuously for an hour and a half?!) Oh, well. They are little darlings and it has definitely been a rewarding experience overall. In a way, it was good for my last experience to go this way so that I can look more forward to my experiment in home school preschool with my girls next year.

So, do plumbers have spring fever, too? Our water heater stopped heating this morning, so my task today is to try to find a plumber willing to fix it on the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend. Quite a job! I've already had one back out an hour before he was supposed to come. Choice #2 is supposed to be coming in a few minutes, so hopefully this will be the one (please, please! I can't take cold showers! James did it all of the time in the Dominican Republic, but I've never survived a 3rd world country and I don't want to try now!).

Idol

2008-05-20T19:55:00.001-07:00

So, I swore that I wasn't going to watch American Idol this season...But, it always seems to suck me it anyway! Living here in Salt Lake, we have had more than our share of newspaper articles on the show, so I quit trying to resist. I even got James to sit down and watch the finale with me tonight (much easier now that he doesn't have Bishopric meetings on Tuesday nights anymore!). Abby and Brynn also enjoyed the singing, though they like the dancing shows much better. (Abby loves to dance along, though she will intentionally dance right in front of the tv because she says she wants us to watch her, not the other dancers!)

Anyway, I must say that I think David Archuleta is the clear winner...I just hope that all of this fame is a good thing for him. He seems like such a sweet boy (yes, boy, since I'm almost old enough to be his mother...though at least I'm not quite there yet!).

Our First Blog!

2008-05-18T19:19:00.001-07:00

Well, we've decided to join the "blogosphere" (thanks Beck and Shell for your inspiration)! We're just starting out, so look for more exciting entries in the future!