30 in 21

According to my mom, I was an incredibly fussy baby. I was colicky and cried and cried and cried. Well, at least I was cute, right??

30 in 22

Did you know I was a sailor in my youth? Yup, I was!

30 in 23

Yes, I played for a t-ball team and we were sponsored by a funeral home. At least they made our color fuchsia! The other teams were scared of us. Thanks Dad and Grandpa for sponsoring us...

30 in 24

I have a really, really great sister! I always wanted to be like she was (and is) and I'm sure I did my fair share of annoying her while I followed her around like a little puppy. She usually let me hang out with her and she always made me feel special. She let me tag along when she would go to the mall with her friends. She would play with me...even though the game was "restaurant" and it entailed me making her food. I didn't get it until years later that she got the better end of that deal! She has a beautiful singing voice and I love singing with her. When I was in college, I was going through a very difficult time and I remembering her showing up at my apartment and taking me to breakfast and giving me a very important talking to when I really needed it. She threw my baby shower for me when I was pregnant with Hayden and not too long after that I found out she was going through some of the most difficult of life circumstances. She is really good to me and I love her! Love you, Lizard!

30 in 25

This is the bike I inherited from my older brothers. I didn't care it was blue. I didn't care it was a boy.s bike. I didn't care it was trashed. I just wanted a bike! I spent a whole summer riding that bike all over the neighborhood and it was such a tough bike to ride. I eventually told my dad it was really hard to ride and he took a look at it and realized there was a hole about the size of a half dollar in one of the tires. Yup, I rode around on a totally flat tire for an entire summer. I just wanted a bike!

30 in 26

When I was little I wanted to be one of two things...either a hairdresser or a checker (a cashier, but I called it a "checker"). I did anyone and everyone's hair and the proof is in the picture of me doing my Grandpa Hymas' hair.


We lived in a small town in Idaho and my dad's cousin owned the grocery store in town and every time we went to buy groceries, my dad's cousin would let me use the cash register. I had a taste of being a "checker" and I loved it. I remember asking for a "real cash register" for Christmas for years. I got a cool calculator that could print paper receipts and that should have been good enough, and it was for a while, but then a girl down the street, who was an only child, got a real cash register for her birthday and it made my calculator look a little sad.

So now at 29 years old, I have been a "checker" at many of my jobs in high school and college and I'm a hairdresser each day to 4 young children. I may not have those dream jobs of my 5-year-old self but I do have the best job...being a mom:)

30 in 27

When I was 4 years old, I had a special Christmas program through my preschool and I insisted on wearing a skirt that was way too big and a shirt that was a little too small. Because of the outfit choice, my belly hung out of my outfit all night long, but guess what?? I felt beautiful! I loved my outfit! This picture reminds me that sometimes I need to let my kids just be themselves and do what makes them happy (within reason!).

30 in 28

I will be "30" in 28 days!

Today is a short post but there isn't much to say about those bangs, is there? Yup, I had THE BANGS! I used enough hairspray to have my own little hole in the ozone. My siblings still make fun of me! Are those shoulder pads in that yellow shirt, too? Sure are! Wow! I guess I really am a child of the 80s!

30 in 29

Countdown to "30"- T-minus 29 days!

When I was a little girl I was such a "Momma's Girl". I loved being with my mom and made her sacrifice a lot to make sure she was close to me.



I remember there being a street and a large field that I had to walk across in order to get to Hillview Elementary in Ammon, Idaho. My mom would send me off (most days with Kipp) and we would walk together to school then, when we got there, I would turn right back around and head home. She would find me playing in the backyard but it's just because I wanted to be close to her. She eventually found a volunteer position in the school office so I could go see her anytime.



I also remember I couldn't fall asleep unless she was right next to my bed. She would sit in a big, ugly yellow chair and stick her feet under my covers so I could make sure she stayed until I fell into a deep sleep. She always brought a book and read for a few minutes until she could sneak her feet out from under my covers and tip-toe out of my room. FYI- this stopped when I was 7 years old, so please don't worry!


When I as 17 years old, my parents moved to Japan and I stayed in the States to finish high school. Boy was it hard! Even though I was a teenager and I thought I didn't NEED my mom anymore, I was wrong. I missed her like crazy.

I'm grateful she has been able to help me after every one of my children's births. I'm grateful that my parents don't live in Japan anymore but Florida is still too far away! I wish we could have Thanksgivings together and run errands for each other. I wish I could just see her more.

So my lesson learned is that I love being a mom. I love my children more than life itself. I love that they need me cause I need them too. They fill my heart with so much joy. I've decided they are worth "sticking my feet under the covers for" and "working at the school even if I don't have to".

30 in 30

So I will be 30 in 30 days. It's been a fun time to look back and, over the next 30 days, I'm going to tell some stories and reflect on some of the lessons I've learned so far! I don't expect to impart any wisdom because I realize most of those reading this are far wiser than I, but it's nice for me to see the life lessons I've learned and to just remember.

One of my fondest memories as a child was going to my Grandma and Grandpa Wood's house. They had such a fun house and they still had kids living at home when I was really little (my dad is second oldest of 10 children so his younger siblings were still at home when I was born ). I loved going and seeing my aunt and uncles still living there. They had a huge game room in the basement. They had a trampoline and a garden where I picked fresh strawberries and raspberries. They also had the BEST bubble bath tub in the world! I loved taking bubble baths and we could fit a lot of kids in that tub! The reason I mention this fond memory is because I also learned a great lesson one day while taking a bath. I thought it would be fun to move the jets while they were shooting water and, as a result, the water sprayed all over the entire bathroom. My grandmother has only been angry with me once and this was it. She was so upset with me! And this made me really upset. She didn't yell but the look of disappointment in her eyes told me all I needed to know. I hated making her upset and I realized how much I want to make the people around me happy.

My cousins and me in the the tub!


Two of my childhood friends and me.


I also loved going to Grandma and Grandpa Wood's house because great-grandma Packer lived with them before she died. She was my Grandma's mom and Grandma Packer was the nicest old lady! She also was full of wisdom. I would sit at her knee while she told me stories of growing up on the farm in St. Anthony, Idaho. She would also gives us a box of Cracker Jacks for a special treat. Because of her heart condition, she drank coffee to keep her heart tickin'. Later I learned that she loved her coffee but around us kids she would say, "Ick, this is disgusting!" so we wouldn't think drinking coffee was yummy.


I love thinking about going to Grandma and Grandpa's house and I'm grateful for the good memories!

Thanks Mom!

My mom made the kids the cutest Valentine card holders and I've been meaning to thank her and haven't...it's not my fault that they were on a cruise and couldn't be reached!!

So thanks Mom! Hayden loved making tons and tons of Valentines and putting them in the boys' holders. They got to put their holders on their doors and it was so cute to see how excited they got when they found "mail". It will be a great tradition for future Februarys.

Week in Review

We had a great week!

On Tuesday we had a great Valentine's breakfast. I made yummy heart-shaped cinnamon rolls (egg-free, mind you) and we ate breakfast together and opened little gifts from Nonni and Bobpa.






Opening gifts from Nonni and Bobpa...Jude loved his truck!


The twins got Transformers and think they are so cool!


Spencer has been really into Legos lately. He loves building and does and awesome job!


Brotherly love...it's moments like this that I LOVE!


Jude got into a fight with the shower door and bit straight through his lip. He insisted on wearing a band-aid but it actually looks really good. No stitches, just a perfect little line where his tooth went clean through.


So now the grandparents know what we did this week:)

And starting Monday I start my countdown to "30"! I will be "30" in 32 days and starting Monday I am going to have a post a day. It's more for me to just reflect and reminisce. We will see how it goes. Hopefully it will make me excited about the next 30 years instead of sad the first 30 are over!

The Dreaded In-Laws

So when I say "in-laws" some people might sigh or moan. They might think of the crazy people their spouse is somehow related to to. But not me! I have really, really great in-laws! So this is just a post to say thanks!

Bobpa! This is my father-in-law. We call him Bob or Bobpa (if I call him "Bobpa" I have a higher chance of getting what I want!). He is pretty wonderful. He and I like to joke around with each other. We also like to take each others' sides in arguments just to bug the other Andersons. We like to play Scrabble with each other and he doesn't make me feel dumb for not knowing the words he puts on the board (though I must admit, half the time he doesn't know the word he puts on the board!). We like to laugh. He has shared many a recipe with me and I love to bake his wonderful concoctions. His cookies are the best and I haven't quite mastered them but I'm working on it! I've been married to Joey for 8 1/2 years and I'm still trying to figure out Bobpa's joking face. He could say, "I've been to Mars", with a straight face and for a split second I think, "Maybe he has been to Mars." He is a pretty wonderful guy and I'm thankful for his love!



Nonni! This is my mother-in-law. She and I are very much alike. We both like order and cleanliness and she doesn't think I'm crazy when she hears about the things I do around my house. She just says, "I understand." She and I both love shopping and she makes a really good shopping partner. She really loves my kids and I love hearing her sing to them. When she visits, she sings to the kids every night and they just love it! We have tried to teach the kids all the Nonni songs and I think we have most of them down. I remember being pregnant with the twins and having one of the hardest weeks and calling her and saying, "I need help." Within 24 hours she was at my house taking care of Hayden and me. I love her homemade dinners... oh wait, no I don't! She doesn't cook. And I love that about her! She gave Joey zero expectations of what a wife should make for dinner and Joey is happy with whatever I make, except tacos, Joey is always a little disappointed on taco night. She is always up for dessert. I know if I'm with Nonni we will be eating chocolate! I gain 5 lbs when she is around and she stays her skinny self! She is one amazing lady and I'm so grateful for her presence in my life!


I honestly could go on and on but I should save some compliments for the next 50 years!

I'm thankful for you guys, Bob and Deborah! You are two amazing people and I'm glad Joey picked me so I could be a part of this Anderson clan!

Love you!