Andersonville

The Dreaded In-Laws

2012-02-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

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!

I hate snack time!

2012-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

I feel like I feed my kids ALL the time (most of you feel the same way, I'm sure)! It's gotten to the point where I feel like I can't keep up with their need to eat so I decided to get organized so they would always have good, healthy snacks on hand. Here is what I came up with (I'm sure there are many mothers who have come before me who have done something similar but it took me 7 years to figure this out!)

Here is the "Pantry Basket". It's available any time the kids want it and it's within their reach.

In it, I put apple sauce, pudding, fruit roll-ups (the all fruit kind), graham crackers and rice cakes.

Then we have a snack area for the fridge. The kids are welcome to eat anything in it. (It's the red bin on the bottom shelf)

In this fun bin we have apples, grapes, cucumbers, carrots and cheese. The yogurt wouldn't fit, but yogurt is available too.

My goal is to refill the snack areas once a week and if the kids get hungry at times besides meal times then I tell them to head to the snack bin/'basket. It's made my life a lot better!

Kudos to SINGLE MOMS!

2012-01-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

My hubby has been working non-stop for weeks now. I'm talkin' 17 hour days and weekends. He also left this past weekend for a much needed guys trip with his dad and brothers in Las Vegas. I'm so glad he got to go and get away from the office for 2 days but I really, really miss him. This "doing this all myself thing" is no fun!

He has been super stressed at work so I decided to do as much as I could over the past few weeks so when he got home (even if it was midnight) he didn't have any worries. I've been building bookcases, taking out the trash, changing light bulbs, getting up with the kids at all hours and doing all my normal mommy chores. And now I'm tired! I'm pooped! And all I have to say is, "I don't know how you single moms do it!" You are amazing! You are wonderful! And you deserve a break!

I know I do most of the work around the house, that is just how it works here. I'm a stay-at-home mom and I, honestly, take pride in the work I do here but I am soooooo grateful for all that Joey does because it helps me out so much. Oh, honey, I didn't get to one light bulb. I saved that for you to do today when you get home. It's in the bathroom, above my vanity. Thanks! I appreciate you! (It's nice to have you back again, at least for today)

And, really, a big KUDOS to single moms! And to one in particular. You know who you are (Lizard)! You are wonderful, amazing and you inspire me!

Trip to NorCal

2012-01-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Last week we decided to go to the Bay Area to visit our family. We called Joey's dad on Tuesday night and said we would be arriving Thursday afternoon but we told him not to tell Nonni. We surprised Joey's mom and showed up at the mall where she was shopping. She was very happy to see Jude wandering around the Disney Store!

On Friday we headed up to Palo Alto and San Francisco. In Palo Alto we went to a very cool lego exhibit (but I forgot my camera in the car) and then made the trip up to SF to see the Golden Gate Bridge and walk around Pier 39. We loved being with our cousins! It was a great time.

On Saturday we met up with some of our good friends for breakfast. Then Joey played in a no-holds-barred game of family soccer for our nephew, Jared's, soccer team. Our nephew is 11 years-old and he is an amazing athlete. He is on a traveling soccer team and during their break they have a soccer game against their families. Joey was recruited by his brother to play and it was a fun game! Both Joey and Jared scored!

On Saturday night, we went to Jeff and Carli's for a fantastic New Year's Eve party. We played Rock Band, Just Dance and ate way too much food! I am rarely the CHAMPION at anything because I surround myself with incredibly talented people but I AM THE CHAMPION AT JUST DANCE!!!! Wahoo! Aunt Carli outdid herself and the kids had a fantastic time! We had a great time ringing in the New Year with our Anderson family (minus Josh and Kerry, we missed you!)

(Lincoln beat these two ladies at Just Dance...not once but twice!)

It was a great trip and I'm grateful for a wonderful family! (My sister-in-law also took pictures, so more awesome pics to come!)

Christmas Continued

2011-12-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

After Santa's visit, we had a wonderful Christmas dinner. The ham was a little dry but I will try to remedy that for next year.

We headed into the family room and started our Christmas Eve program. The kids acted out the nativity as Joey read from the scriptures.

The sheep (he was a lively sheep and almost was kicked out of the manger)

Spencer was a shepherd and this is when the shepherds were sore afraid when an angel came to them.

Mary and baby Jesus.

Joseph and Mary
Then I read The Boots Story (it's a story that Joey has read on Christmas Eve since he was a little kid). Then Hayden and I sang "Silent Night". It was a special evening and I'm grateful I was able to spend it with my cute, little family.

The kids had a busy day and went to sleep without a fuss! And they even slept in until 7am. We usually get a wake-up call around 6:15 so this was a huge treat. Then we made our way downstairs and the kids opened all their presents. They made out like bandits. It's so fun to see their excitement!

My mom made the kids the cutest pillows! Jude LOVES his!

The big kids all got razor scooters from Santa. The wheels light up and everything!

Jude was one happy boy this morning!

Lincoln got a Panda hat from Nonni and Bobpa!

Hayden got a 1959 Barbie!

The boys all got Giants hats from their cousins! They look awesome!

The boys got new Xbox games and they love playing them!

My sweetheart got me a beautiful watch and slippers! It was a great morning and I'm looking forward to church this afternoon and focusing on my Savior and His birth.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a year since I've posted and I'm making a goal to do better. This blog is a great place for me to journal and facebook just doesn't cut it! So here's to making (and remembering) memories!

We have had a great Christmas! On Christmas Eve morning we went on a hike with our great friends, the Franklins. They've been some of our best friends since our time at UCLA and it's great having them live so close!

After we got home from our hike, we started into our Christmas Eve traditions. I had ham baking, rolls rising, potatoes cooking and the house was feeling like Santa should be here any moment...and guess what?!? He came early to check in with the kids. He said that because they had been super good he was visiting a few special children. Hayden was in SHOCK! Spencer and Lincoln loved ringing Santa's bells. Jude was a little apprehensive but once Santa handed him a lollipop and candy cane, he was won over! Santa gave the kids their Christmas jammies and sang a few carols with them. He had to hurry off because he had to get ready for his Christmas deliveries and we were so happy he stopped by for a few minutes.

Each child got to sit on Santa's lap! It was amazing! He knew all their names and he even knew Bobby, our elf!

Santa had to hurry off and the kids all gave him a big hug.

The kids were so excited to get their jammies from Santa. Hayden got a bathrobe and the boys got elf jammes (I told them their jammies are thermal jammies and elf's wear thermal jammies up in the North Pole)

The Twins are 4!

2011-02-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Holy moly, where did the past 4 years go? I can't believe my little guys are 4.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SPENCER AND LINCOLN!!!!

Here is an excerpt from my journal on the day we found out we were having twins.

October 6, 2006

Yesterday was one of the best and most shocking days of my life. Joey and I went to the doctor hoping to find out if we were having a boy or girl. As the doctor was performing the ultrasound, a funny look crossed her face and she asked if we had already had an ultrasound. I said no and asked if she saw two babies in there… as a joke. She replied by asking if twins ran in either of our families. She saw two babies!!!!! Both boys!!!! Holy cow!!!!! We are having twins. We had to go back to the hospital last night to do a more detailed ultrasound to make sure the boys were in separate sacs and that they were healthy. Everything looked great and we were very relieved. Had there only been one sac, many complications could occur, so the fact that they are in separate sacs is huge. There is only one placenta so chances are they are identical, but we can’t say for sure. We have decided to name them Lincoln Joseph and Spencer Robert. I’m so excited and overwhelmed. I know Heavenly Father will help me do this. I know Joey is a wonderful supportive husband who will be there for me. I know Hayden is the sweetest little girl in the world and will be my little helper. I have the support of family and friends. We have a lot to do to get ready for these little guys!!! This better be the biggest surprise these two little boys ever throw my way!!! I love them already and look forward to having our family grow.

We are so blessed to have Spencer and Lincoln in our family. They are wonderful, sweet little boys.

Spencer is more social and likes to be in the middle of the chaos, but he also loves to hang on my leg in new situations. Spencer has this voice that I can't help but laugh whenever he talks. It's slightly Gilbert Godfrey-ish. Spencer loves, loves, loves back scratches. He also loves to have his armpit tickled.

Lincoln is little more serious. Even though the boys are identical, we say Lincoln is handsome and Spencer is cute. It's a good description of them. Lincoln loves me to sing into his ear at bedtime. I think it tickles him and relaxes him. Lincoln is more sensitive than Spencer.

The boys both love trains, cars, and the trampoline. They love the park and they love water. The would live in the bathtub if I let them. They love to look for bugs and babies (they call BBs from the neighborhood boys babies and they have a special place in the back yard they keep them).

The boys love each other so much! It's been so fun to see this amazing relationship grow. These little guys have the same DNA and they are so alike in so many ways, yet they are such individuals. I love having these guys be a part of our family! We love them so much!

Our Little Hula Dancer

2011-01-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

Hayden started taking hula a few months ago. She had her first performance last night at our city New Year's Eve Party. She did a wonderful job!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

2010-12-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas! On Christmas Eve we took the kids to Pump It Up (it's a place with tons of bounce houses) to get their wiggles out. It was a great distraction from being asked every 10 minutes if Santa was on his way yet.

When we got home, I made our Christmas Eve dinner and we had a wonderful feast.

After dinner, we read from Luke 2 and Hayden and Lincoln were kind enough to play Mary and Joseph in a little family nativity. Our sheep (Spencer) refused to participate minutes before showtime. Just so you know, he had the option of being the sheep, the shepherd or the wiseman and he chose the sheep, but then bailed on us.

I love this picture! (Even with Jude's big head!) Ohhhhh, now I can use my gift from my sister-in-law (photoshop)!

After our Christmas Nativity pageant, we read the Homer Story (the real name is "Christmas is for Sharing" by Robert Warner) and it helps us remember what the season is all about. It was a fantastic night! Okay, it was fantastic until the kids went to bed and the putting together of Christmas toys began. Why do we always get toys that require assembly???

Christmas Morning!!!! Santa left our toys in our family room, away from the Christmas tree because he knows that Jude is dangerous in the living room. Santa brought the big kids bikes. Pictures of the kids riding those to come.

Hayden got American Girl doll clothes.

Yup, Spiderman and Ninja-man.

Spencer cuddling with his Sing-a-ma-jig and the Monster my mom made (she made the kids their own, cute monsters). She is so talented.

The boys with their racetrack from Nonni and Bobpa! It's a crazy slot car racetrack that is awesome. I've found Joey in the boys' room playing with it (the boys were not in there with him!)

Mom and Dad finally did it! We finally got the present that kept them occupied for 4 hours on Christmas Day. The trampoline is a huge success, so much so that they wouldn't stop to smile and take a picture.

Attempting Christmas Pictures

2010-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

This is why they invented Photoshop, but what happens when you don't get one "non-crying" shot of Mr. Jude??

What am I going to do with that kid??

Christmas Programs

2010-12-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

We had our ward Christmas party on Saturday night. Hayden was in the primary program and she was an angel!

Hayden also had her program at school called "Reindeer Rock"! The teacher said it was not an accident that she was front and center. She knew all the words, dance moves and smiled super big! Our video camera died so we don't have video of the performance but I'm trying to track down other parents who recorded it to see if we could get a copy! No one but grandparents care about that!

Graham Cracker Houses

2010-12-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

It's the time for graham cracker houses. I'm lazy when it comes to the whole gingerbread house thing and we do graham cracker houses instead. The kids have fun, they get messy and it's a lot easier for me! I love that the kids are entirely in charge of their house. They get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

If I had to guess, I would say that the kids ate 80% of the candy and 20% actually got on the houses. We also went through a whole tub of frosting! It's one night, it's fun, I'm okay with it!

Here is our Jude! He had fun watching the excitement and eating graham crackers!

Here is Link enjoying his frosting covered hand!

Spencer's approach to eating the frosting is a little more subtle.

The boys were so proud of their architectural accomplishments.

Hayden and her house! We especially love her snowman!

The kids in all their Frank Lloyd Wright-esque glory! (minus Jude, he was upset by this point and wondering if we were ever going to change his diaper!)

Guess Who's 1?

2010-11-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Yep, our little Jude turned 1 last week. I can't believe how fast this year has gone! He is a happy, wonderful, sweet guy! We are so grateful he is a part of our family.

Here are a few things we love about him:
1. He has the best smile.
2. He says "da-da" for everything but he also knows that Joey is "da-da".
3. He was a daddy's boy until a month ago and now he only wants mommy, this may not be something we love but it's something we want to remember.
4. He is LOUD! He loves to yell. He isn't usually mad but he just wants to be heard.
5. He loves his siblings. If they are giggling about something, he joins right in. He wants to be big like they are!

Opening presents!

Time for cupcakes!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little guy! We love you!

School Spirit Day - Crazy Hair!

2010-11-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

I'm loving these fun Spirit Days for school. I bet as the years go by they will turn into a drag but right now I'm loving it! Today was Crazy Hair Day!

My camera was dying while I was taking the pictures so here is the only one I got of the "big kids". The boys insist I call them that, so in our family we have the "big kids" and Jude.

Here is the big kindergartner on Crazy Hair Day! She was super duper cute!

The boys wanted to participate so I did their hair like normal (yes, the faux hawk is their normal 'do) and put barrettes in their hair. They liked it for a bit then asked me to take the barrettes out. My camera died before I could get a picture of Lincoln, but trust me when I say he looked cute!

This picture was not taken today but Jude wanted to prove that he can hang with these "big kids" and their crazy hair!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Halloween on Saturday at our ward's Trunk or Treat. The kids had a great time! I think they looked cute, if I do say so myself!

The kids painted pumpkins on Saturday, we will wait until they are a little older to give them knives to carve their pumpkins! Joey carved one but I didn't get a picture of it.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch. It's a must for the Fall!

The boys rode on the horses. Ride 'em, Cowboy!

Yee-Haw!

Hayden rode the John Deere power wheels. Poor thing had an allergic reaction last year when she rode the horses, so I'm glad there was another fun activity for her to do.

Our cute little kids.

Jude and his tongue! For those of you who see us often, you know this kid has his tongue hanging out of his mouth all the time! I love it!

Happy Fall Everyone!

A little of this and a little of that!

2010-10-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Biggest caterpillar ever! Joey and the kids found this huge caterpillar outside a few weeks ago! We played with it for a while then returned it to our yard:)

Hayden and one of her best friends, Anne! Anne's sister took this picture and I just love it!

Hayden started kindergarten on September 13th. I'm a little late with this post! She loves it! Her teacher is fantastic! I can't believe my Hayden is in kindergarten!!

Hayden and Joey on the first day of school!

Hayden and me on her first day, I'm wearing sunglasses to cover the tears! It was a great day but it hit me like a ton of bricks that she is getting older.

Wood Family Reunion 2010

2010-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

We had a talent show on our first night. Hayden did a hula dance.

Link sang "Families Can Be Together Forever."

Spencer sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and...

he shook his booty in the middle of the performance!

My brother, Kipp, and Spence.

Joey found a long piece of kelp on the beach and we used it as a jump rope. There was a photographer there from the North County Times and a picture of our family jumping rope made it into the newspaper the following day!

More jumping rope!

Jude and his favorite person!

In line at Disneyland

The boys got to meet Buzz and they were so excited.

We went to a Giants/Padres game and the Giants won! Go Giants!! We also got there early enough for batting practice and Joey caught two baseballs, which the kids have now inherited.

Dede and Papa with 8 of their 9 grandchildren. We missed you Parker!

Newport News

2010-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

We spent a week with Joey's family in Newport Beach a few weeks ago. We had a great time and felt like we were a thousand miles away even though we were only 20 miles from our house.

Here is Hayden and her cute cousin, Kylie, in their matching swimsuits.

Here is Jude playing with his cousin Jared. Jared is awesome with kids and we were grateful to have him there to keep Jude happy!

This is Jude's first time playing in the sand...

Jude finds sand and...

decides to eat sand! He probably would have continued to eat it had I not picked him up!

We spent a day at Disneyland and Hayden fought Darth Vader at the Jedi Training Academy! She rocked it!

This pictures is totally random and not from our trip but I love it! Lincoln wanted to play "pool" and I thought he wanted to put his action figures in a bin full of water, but no, he wanted to get in the "pool."

Family Pictures 2010

2010-08-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks Tawni for the great family pictures!!

Jude's a sitter

2010-07-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Jude can sit-up, well kind of! Poor kid has a large head, in the 80th percentile, but his body is in the 30th percentile. It's tough to hold up all that noggin but he is sure trying! He doesn't stay up for long but he is sure proud of himself when he does!

Another Catch-up Post (I'll do better, I promise!)

2010-07-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

Jude's very first merry-go-round ride. He tried eating the reins and I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Joey's parents down from NorCal for the 4th of July. Here are Nonni and the boys!

We took the kids to the Santa Ana zoo yesterday. The highlight of the day was the camel ride.

I was nervous watching them, their left side was completely open (no rope, no bar, nothin'), but they weren't scared at all.

Spencer decided to take the zoo jeep for a spin.

Hayden and Spencer!

I am not a "take a picture of animals" type person, but these are the coolest birds ever! Their color was amazing.

Note to Orange County residents: Don't pay full price to go to the Santa Ana zoo, it's not worth it! They have tons of monkeys, two camels, a bald eagle, an aviary and that's about it. It is half-price after 2pm Mon-Fri., and you really only need an hour or two to see the whole place. That's my two cents.

Whipped Cream Fight, Yep You Read it Right!

2010-06-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Some of the neighborhood/church kids get together on the last day of school and have a whipped cream fight. Even though my kids aren't in school yet, they were nice enough to invite us to participate.

Here is the "Before" shot:

Ooey, Gooey, whipped cream!

Hayden had a blast!

I called Spencer my ice cream sundae, all he needed was a cherry!

Nothing better than a popsicle after a whipped cream fight!

What a fun day! Afterward, we headed straight for the pool to wash off the stickiness. I think the kids were in heaven! Thanks Brooke for such a fun day!

Playing Catch-up!

2010-06-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been too long and now I have to play catch-up!

Here is Jude with his morning hair. The kid loves to shove his head up into his bumper and fall asleep.

Jude is a happy guy! He is getting so strong!

The boys got silly putty (I did not buy it nor would I ever buy silly putty for my three-year olds) and decided to make mustaches, they looked so silly!

Here is Hayden at her end-of-year soccer banquet. She had a great time playing on the Sharks! She received the award for "Most Versatile Athlete" because she played so well on offense and defense. It was so fun to watch her play so hard and never back down from anyone (no matter how much bigger the other kids may have been).

Hayden's preschool graduation! She loved going to Kiddie Kampus (surprisingly, they teach spelling quite well) and she made some wonderful friends!

Hayden, Tara and Emily (her friends from school).

We were able to go Cedar City, Utah for my niece's baptism. It was a whirlwind of a trip but it was well worth it! Here are the kids and their cousin, Cambridge (Addi sneaked into the picture. She is a hoot)!

Hayden loves her cousin so much!

All the Wood grandchildren.

My brother and sister! One of my brothers wasn't there and boy did we miss him!

Huntington Beach

2010-05-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

First beach trip this year and it was wonderful. We met some of Joey's cousins and an aunt and uncle in Huntington Beach and it was a great day.

Joey and Jude. Poor Jude cut two teeth this weekend and was not his happy self.

Getting our toes wet!

Hayden and cousin Catherine.

Spencer
Lincoln

Cousin Bradford buried the boys in the sand.

This is the first year the boys aren't afraid of the water. They loved it and can't wait for our next beach day. I did say that we have to do the beach with daddy, it is just too much work for me and the 4 kids by myself!

Yeah! A rare picture of me and Joey!

Joey and Spencer

Isn't he the cutest little man?!?

What a Weekend!

2010-04-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend! Hayden had her first soccer game but I didn't get any great shots so those pictures are still to come:) I also made the team banner so I will take pictures of that this weekend.

We went to the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center in San Diego on Saturday. We went on the tour and panned for gold. It was a story with which I was not previously familiar, and I was amazed at the faith of the Saints who traveled from Iowa to Southern California. This journey allowed them to earn the money and skills necessary to help the other Saints traveling to Utah.

While visiting the Visitors Center we also walked around Old Town San Diego. We went to an old-fashioned candy store and ate at a great Mexican restaurant.

Here is Jude sporting his San Francisco Giants outfit! Even though we live in SoCal our kids will learn from their father that Bay Area sports teams are the best (UCLA is the exception to that rule).

Link found Hayden's lipstick.

Link has been wanting to be a big helper lately so I let him set the table at dinner. He did a great job!

Oh Boy(s)!! They decided their dresser was a ladder. We had a serious talk and it will not be happening again!

Happy Easter

2010-04-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. On Saturday we went on a great hike in the hills behind our home. It might be our new favorite activity.

On Sunday we had some family friends over for a great Easter feast and Easter Egg Hunt.

Here are the kids eating their candy!

The kids (minus Jude).

Our little family!

Daddy and Jude.

Hmmm, who knew you could use an Easter Egg Basket for a hat?

Weekend Visitors

2010-03-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Joey's parents came for a visit from Northern California this past weekend. We had a great time! Thanks for the visit, Nonni and Bobpa!

Nonni and Lincoln

Bobpa and Spencer

Our most updated family photo (we got to wear our Easter outfits a week early since General Conference is on Easter Sunday)

We took the kids to Pretend City with Bobpa and Nonni. It's this great children's museum that is a mini-city. They have a grocery store, fire station, farm, doctor's office, etc. It was so fun! Here is Hayden in her BMW convertible.

The kids in the art studio.

Lincoln doing his art project.

Joey keeping Jude happy!

We got to go see the Easter Bunny this weekend too.

Joey making Jude laugh, Joey is Jude's favorite person and I love it when he lights up when Joey is around!

Birthday weekend

2010-03-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

I had a great birthday weekend! It started out with Joey writing me the nicest blog post (see post below, if you haven't read it). We went out to dinner on Friday night to begin the festivities. On Saturday I woke up and Joey said, "It's your birthday weekend, we will do whatever you want," so I decided I wanted to go to the beach. We had a wonderful day walking around Balboa Island.

My little man and me.

This pelican was just hanging out on the pier and I got so close to it.

The kids and me making our way down the pier. Joey was on stroller duty.

Three of the four kiddos! Jude was conked out from all the excitement!

The whole family:)
We had to get ice cream at Ruby's! Shooby dooby down to Ruby's!

This little guy was in our front yard when we got home! We named him "Quentin Turtle-tino" (Modern Family watchers will love that one!) and Spencer believes he now has a pet.

I had a great day!!!

Katie Turning Twenty-Eight(ie)

2010-03-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Joey here. I am stealing Katie’s idea of something nice that she did for my birthday this year and hijacking her blog to post a list of 28 things that I love about her, in honor of her 28th birthday (March 20th). This list could go on for miles but I’ll just put 28 of the first ones that come to mind. Here you go:

1) She runs our home like a well-oiled machine.
2) She lets me believe that I am in charge.
3) She is still scared of the dark and, if she goes to bed before I do, she keeps the upstairs hall light on so it’s not too dark in our room.
4) Despite her claims to the contrary, she is an excellent cook.
5) She will do anything for her friends.
6) She is probably the worst person ever at remembering song lyrics and it cracks me up.
7) She is very good at both board and video games (though she claims to hate video games) and is actually one of the best Guitar Hero players I have ever seen.
8) On a related note: She totally could have fronted an awesome girl band, but that ship has probably sailed at this point.
9) She laughs when I tease her about her tramp stamp.
10) She inherited amazing artistic skills from her mother and, among other things, can tole paint like nobody’s business.
11) She has a great sense of style and always looks like a million bucks, even though I usually make her buy her clothes off of clearance racks or from Target.
12) She knows her state capitals.
13) She genuinely enjoys watching sports of virtually all types.
14) She likes my absurdly hairy legs (or at least does a good job of pretending that she does).
15) She has endured three pregnancies (four babies total) and still has a smokin’ hot body.
16) She can’t keep anything from me.
17) She has waitressing in her blood and can’t help but refill my drink when she sees that it’s empty.
18) She loves In-N-Out almost as much as I do (though she opts for the regular cheeseburger instead of the 3x3).
19) We see eye-to-eye on pretty much every parenting issue.
20) She has an uncanny knack for being able to identify celebrities from their childhood pictures. It’s really quite remarkable.
21) She likes watching Jeopardy! with me and is quite good at it.
22) She puts up with my grammar snobbery.
23) She has allowed me to persuade her that Oprah, romantic comedies and the Twilight books are evil and/or ridiculous.
24) She’s an excellent dancer.
25) She never backs down in a wrestling match (though she will plead for mercy, feigning injury, and, once released, proceed to attack me again).
26) She is my favorite person to hang out with and I can talk to her about anything.
27) She understands that being a mother is the most important job in the world and would never put anything above our family.
28) She is the all-around best person I have ever known.

Happy birthday, Babe! I love you.

More Catching-Up

2010-03-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we had some of our favorite friends come into town. Joey and Dave served together on their missions in Italy and Dave married one of the most amazing women I have ever met. We loved hanging out with Dave and Marisa back in the newly-married stage of life and now that we have seven kids between the two couples, it's even more fun!

The kids (minus Jude, he was napping in the stroller)
Hayden, Spencer, Lincoln, Noah, Oliver, Sam

A week ago Sunday, Joey, Jude and I were a little under-the-weather, so we stayed home from church and vegged, or should I say, we attempted to veg while Spencer and Lincoln destroyed the house. (Hayden went to church with friends and was not a part of the destroying)

Catching up

2010-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

This past week we had beautiful weather. Joey was able to take Monday off for President's Day and we headed to the San Juan Capistrano Mission.

We all had a great time. Here is one of the fountains on the grounds.

Here is part of the mission that withstood the earthquake back in the 1800s.

This is the part of the mission that was damaged during the earthquake, just seven years after it's completion.

Me and Link!

The kids in a traditional house of the Native Americans living in this region.

Proof Joey and Jude were there. Thanks Joey for being excited about this family activity. I love stuff like this and it's hard to do with kids, but he was a trooper!

Here is a random picture of my cute kiddos on Sunday before church. The grandmas need to see this!

Happy Birthday Boys!

2010-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Spencer and Lincoln!

Here are the boys the day they were born!

This might be my all-time favorite shot of the boys together. Spencer is on the left and Lincoln is on the right.

Spencer enjoying his cake on his 1st birthday.

Lincoln playing with his cake on his 1st birthday.

They have grown into handsome little men! Here is the most recent shot of Spencer.
Here is our Link!
We took the boys to a pirate dinner show last Saturday for their birthday. They had a great time! My favorite part was watching their excited faces.

Spence and Link are incredible individuals and we are lucky to have them both!

Jude's Blessing

2010-02-01T16:11:00.001-08:00

We were able to have Jude's blessing this week. We are grateful for this little guy. He is a wonderful addition to our family.

Joey, Bobpa (Joey's parents came down from NorCal for a visit) and Jude.

What cute kiddos! And look at Hayden's new hairdo!

"Ode to Joe"

2010-01-14T15:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, honey! I know Joey will find this super cheesy and make fun of me for it, but here are 29 great things about Joey!
1. He is a great hubby.
2. He is an incredible dad, man he loves our kids so much!
3. He converses with the TV during sporting events. He doesn't just yell at it like many sports fans, he actually has conversations.
4. He makes a mean mac n' cheese.
5. He loves root beer.
6. He loves two-day old, refrigerated brownies.
7. He doesn't show his romantic side often, but when he does it melts my heart.
8. He thinks I'm beautiful whether I'm all dolled up or 9 months pregnant.
9. He isn't easily intimidated (I wish I had this quality).
10. He is way too smart.
11. He wants to be on Jeopardy someday (and I know he is going to do it someday, see #10)
12. He wants to go skydiving but won't because it scares me to think of him doing it.
13. He loves Italian literature and art.
14. His dream job would be to teach high school English and coach football.
15. He tells it like it is and I need that!
16. He has strabismus, don't worry it isn't life-threatening, it's just a fancy way of saying he has a lazy eye.
17. He came up with Hayden, Lincoln and Jude's names.
18. He doesn't think so, but he has a great singing voice.
19. I love hearing him speak Italian.
20. He has very hairy legs and I like it!
21. He is very confident, and he should be, he is pretty fantastic.
22. He has very soft feet.
23. He loves getting his back scratched.
24. He can name artists and songs, from all genres, like nobody's business.
25. He doesn't like white sauces, no mayo, no cream cheese, no sour cream.
26. He plays tennis with me just cause I like it (he is really too good to play with me).
27. He is a great secret-keeper.
28. He expects a lot out of the people around him, but it's because he believes in the people around him.
29. I feel completely at home with him, that's more about me that him. He is a strong, honest, spiritual man and I'm lucky to call him mine!

Happy Birthday babe! Enjoy this last year of being in your twenties!

This is just about an hour after he asked me to marry him. Best decision of his life, I mean, best decision of MY life!

Playing with the kiddos!

I couldn't do the mom thing without an amazingly supportive husband. Isn't he handsome with our little Jude!

All Smiles!

2010-01-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

Yup, he's smiling and melting our hearts!

Christmas Recap

2009-12-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas and here are some of our favorite moments.

Our Christmas tree. I loved sitting in this room after the kids went to bed and just looked at the tree with all it's beautiful lights.

The boys getting ready to eat our Christmas Eve feast.

Spencer did a great job decorating sugar cookies for Santa.

Lincoln did a better job eating Santa's cookies than decorating them.

The girls in our Christmas jammies.

Hayden sitting in her stash of Christmas presents. Santa brought her the Barbie house (not pictured) she has been asking for!

The kids got Joey this great bowl so he doesn't have to share his popcorn!

Christmas morning cuddles!

Santa brought the big boys some great riding toys!

Oh and this guy was there too! Jude had a great Christmas too. Isn't he cute?

Our little guy...

2009-12-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

We have been so blessed to have Jude in our home. He is such a sweet baby! The poor kid is dealing with his first cold, but I suppose that is to be expected with three older siblings. I look at my children and see precious gifts from God. Sometimes it's hard to remember that when they are kicking and screaming but I'm trying my best to stay calm and to cherish this time in our lives.

Here is a quote I LOVE that helps me get through the tough days:

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know."

-Pres. Thomas S. Monson

Here are a few pictures of our Jude. (Disclaimer: I am NOT a photographer and I know many of you out there are, so just deal with my amateur shots!)

Happy Birthday, Hayden!

2009-12-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 5! How did that happen?? We have been blessed to have this little girl in our home. She is such a sweet, wonderful big sister and daughter.

Introducing . . .

2009-11-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

Jude Hendrik Anderson

Born on November 22, 2009
7 lbs. 1 oz. 19 1/2 inches long

We are pleased to announce that Jude has arrived! I was scheduled for a c-section on the 27th but my water broke on Saturday, Nov. 21. We went to the hospital and tried to stop the contractions for a few hours so my dinner could digest and I didn't throw-up all over the operating room. It was a long night and I didn't sleep a wink, as you can probably imagine. I didn't fully respond to the two spinal blocks they gave me so they ended up giving me an epidural and it finally went into effect after quite a bit of waiting on the operating table. Boy was I glad! We stayed in the hospital until Wednesday and were home in time to spend a quiet Thanksgiving with the kids.

Here is Hayden holding her new baby brother.

Spencer is so excited to be a big brother. As you can see, we don't have a picture of Lincoln holding the baby. He wasn't as infatuated with Jude as the other kids were.

Our little guy!

Our Star Performer

2009-11-21T19:50:00.001-08:00

Hayden joined a singing/performing group a few months ago and she is loving it. It is a great group and I think Hayden is just adorable! Today, the group performed at the Orange County fairgrounds. Here are some shots of our star!

A funny side-note: A few nights ago, the group sang at a Jewish Retirement home and Joey was on duty for costume changes for Hayden because I was at Young Women in Excellence. He had all three kids with him and the twins were a huge hit. A nice grandma gave them $1 each just for being cute...maybe we should hang-out there more!

The Nursery is Done!

2009-11-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

So we are on the final countdown and the nursery is finished! Our little guy will be delivered by c-section on November 27, if all goes according to plan! He has a wonderful room to come home to . . . if I do say so myself.

Here is a little nook above the closet filled with jungle animals.

The crib where, hopefully, he will be a great sleeper.

The changing table and rocker. I'm so excited to sit and rock just one baby. I always felt guilty with the twins and tried to be as fair as possible with them but it will be nice to spoil just one baby with loves.

Isn't the rug great? That is all thanks to Joey (he picked it out)!

This is How I Feel....

2009-11-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

This is how I feel this week at 37 weeks pregnant....two weeks from Friday and the little guy will make his grand entrance:) I had my boys at 35 weeks and Hayden at 37 weeks so I'm going to try to be tough these last few weeks because I've never had to deal with the end of a pregnancy! Let's be honest though, I looked like it was "the end" of the pregnancy at about 28 weeks with the boys!

(This is a picture from BYU when I went on a date, not with Joey, and we sumo-wrestled)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween. We started the evening festivities off with our ward's Trunk-or-Treat then finished the night with some trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Lucy

Isn't Snoopy cute!?!
Here are our pumpkins. The kids and I painted ours and Joey decided to go with a slightly unorthodox design this year. He drew on the design but realized he was being a bit too ambitious and let me handle the carving.

Here is the skull pumpkin all lit up...SCARY!!!

Here are some of our crazy Halloween faces...courtesy of Spencer!

The Peanuts Gang: Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy!

2009-10-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Joey's law firm has an annual Halloween Party and the kids get to go from office to office trick-or-treating. They had a great time! They still have our ward Trunk or Treat and Halloween night to look forward to. My mom made Hayden's costume and did an amazing job! I put together Lincoln's costume...did you know finding toddler size white sweat pants and a white hooded sweatshirt is next to impossible?

The back-side of Link's costume is the cutest! His little tail wagged the whole night!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today we took the kids to the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch. The kids had a great time! They rode horses, explored the Haunted House, conquered the hay maze, bounced in the Bounce House and picked out some great pumpkins (which we put back and have since replaced with much cheaper grocery-store pumpkins).

Lincoln riding his horse, Dolly!

Spencer and his horse, Corky!

Hayden was old enough to ride a trotting horse and she looked like a bobble-head riding Raindrop.

The kiddos!

My boys!

Our little family. (I strategically placed Lincoln in front of my pregnant belly, which by the way, someone I know asked me today if being this big was normal....ummmm, sure!?!)

Pictures

2009-10-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures of the kiddos from our backyard. Unfortunately every picture of the kids together was a mess. I need to try to do group shots with Joey home so he can distract them with silly faces. Hayden is growing up so fast and my boys are BIG! I can't believe how the past few years have flown by. It makes me sad sometimes because I want to enjoy this time and sometimes it goes so quickly I forget to enjoy it. I wish I could pause the good moments and just take them in. We have lots of good moments mixed with a tantrum or two but that is okay! I will take these three kids any way I can get them!

Spencer

Lincoln

Hayden

Thanks Babe!

2009-10-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Joey brought me these beautiful roses the other night. What a sweet guy! Let's just say, I needed a pick-me-up and these flowers did the trick. Thanks honey!! I love you!

Thank you!

2009-10-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Some wonderful friends in my ward gave me a baby shower. They insisted we celebrate this baby boy even though he is child number 4. I really appreciate their excitement and I didn't feel like they felt obligated to do this for me. A HUGE thanks to Bethany, Heather, Brooke, Abby and Carrie!!!! You are the BEST! And to everyone else who helped with food, thank you so much: Karin, Shaylyn, Cheri, Brittany, Angela and Alison you are great friends!!

Joey's aunt and mom came to the shower! Thanks for making the trip!

The spread...the food was delicious! The party planners sent me home with enough food to last a week and I ate it everyday for lunch!

It was fun to get new stuff for the baby. And I'm especially grateful to have talented friends who made wonderful blankets, bibs, carseat covers, and nursing covers!

I've got a c-section scheduled for the 27th of November so the countdown has begun!

Again, THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Still Feels Like Summer

2009-09-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Joey attemped to teach Hayden how to ride her bike without training wheels.

It started off great...
...and ended in tears. We will try again soon.

The kids got to play out in the backyard on the slip 'n slide then we ended the day with hamburgers and hot dogs. What a great Saturday!

And best of all...USC lost and UCLA won their respective games! We couldn't have asked for a better day...okay, BYU could have won and then it would have been perfect!

Poor Lincoln

2009-09-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've started a new reward method for my kids. I have a big jar full of marbles and then I have three smaller jars assigned to each child. Every time they do a chore or deserve praise I give them a marble. Once their jar is full, then they get a reward (e.g., a date with Daddy, a special little toy, etc.). Earlier this week, Hayden and Spencer each had about 15 marbles in their jars and Lincoln had 1...poor kid is having a hard week!! He is testing his boundaries and he is so strong-willed. Thank goodness he is cute! I'm grateful for each personality in our home...even Lincoln's!

Brotherly Love

2009-08-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is how my boys slept for the first 4 months of their lives. We finally had to separate them into two cribs once Lincoln wouldn't stop cuddling with Spencer and waking him up.

Last night we found that Lincoln got out of bed, climbed into Spencer's bed and they fell asleep like old times.

Our Six Is On Fire

2009-08-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a little trip down memory lane for me: Joey and I were married six years ago today in the Oakland, California temple. We recently got the rights to all of our professional pictures and last night Joey and I went through them and talked about what a wonderful day it was. My parents were living in Tokyo, Japan at the time and planning a wedding wasn't an easy thing to do from overseas. My mother-in-law took the reins and planned a perfect wedding. It was such a beautiful, memorable day.

My immediate family.

Joey's immediate family.

The wedding party.

Young and in love!

The head table (those are customized mini-Martinelli's bottles that we used as name cards).

The reception hall.

Joey and his mom sharing a dance.

My parents.

We had the best dee-jay and the reception turned into a rockin' dance party. We had everyone, old and young, dancing.

Joey read me a beautiful poem which he had written. It was one of the most memorable moments of the day for me.

The guys fighting over the garter. Joey's best friend, Leo, got it and a year later he threw the same garter at his wedding.

Leaving the reception and getting into the limo. We stayed in San Francisco for the night and headed to Oahu the next day.

Slip 'N Slide and Friends!

2009-08-07T08:44:00.001-07:00

Summer is so wonderful! It's so nice to wear the kids out at the pool or in the backyard.

Lincoln slipin' 'n slidin'!

Spencer making his way down the slip 'n slide!

Hayden had her friend, Rachel, over yesterday. I love the picture because Rachel is older than Hayden but she is also blessed with height and then there is my petite little thing! Thanks Rachel for playing yesterday!

Family Visit

2009-07-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

My brother, Brennan, and his family came for a visit from Utah this past week. We had a jam-packed few days of fun. On Thursday, we headed to the beach club for some sand and sun. We then spent Friday at Disneyland. For Saturday, Joey was able to get Ringling Brothers Circus tickets through work and it was a blast. We had a great visit and can't wait until the next time! My nephew, Parker, wasn't able to come. He has some health problems and traveling is hard on his little body but we can't wait until the next time we see you, buddy!!

Sandi and my niece, Addison.

Brennan and the boys.

Cousins!

Hayden and Cambridge in Toon Town.

Waiting for the parade to start at Disneyland...it was a HOT day!

Hayden and Cambridge. Hayden was Cambridge's little shadow the past few days and Cambridge was so sweet to her.

The cousins getting ready to go to the circus.

Rockstars!

2009-07-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Watch out Axl Rose and Slash! (If you can't hear, it's "Paradise City" playing in the background)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. We went to our ward party in the morning, which the kids loved. Who wouldn't? It was 9am and there was plenty of cotton candy, snow-cones, nachos, and brownies. After the party, we headed home for some much-needed naps (the sugar crash was a major one). When the kids woke up, we had some friends, the Kanes and Larsens, come over for a BBQ and some slip n' slide action. The kids had a blast playing in the backyard and the adults ate some really good food. We ended the festivities by watching fireworks and eating smores. It was a great night.

The kids at the ward party had a parade and they decorated their bikes and wagons.

Kerry Kane and me striking a pose while pulling our little ones.

The slip n' slide was a hit!

Summer Fun

2009-06-28T16:12:00.001-07:00

I love summer! I love that the kids are so excited about an inflatable pool. I love that popsicles are the best treat ever. I love the little white bums from my tan childrens' swimsuits. I love it all!!!

Big Boy Beds

2009-06-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to move the boys into big boy beds. I wanted them to be totally transitioned by the time the baby is here so they have no issues about the baby sleeping in the crib. The best part of the whole deal is that a great couple in our ward gave us the beds...for free! They can eventually turn into bunk beds and we will do that at some point but I need the boys to be a little bit older and a little bit less prone to taking nose-dives off of the top bunk. We've already had three nights with them in their big boys beds and I'm happy with how well they've done. Hopefully they will keep it up and in a week their cribs will be a distant memory.

We are having a . . .

2009-06-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

As of today, we are 95% sure we are having a boy! Quote from the doctor, "If it ends up being a girl, I will personally come to your home and paint the room from blue to pink." So funny! Hayden really wants a sister but when I found out it was a boy, my mom (who is visiting this week) and I made a big deal about her being the only princess in the house and how wonderful that is. So far it has worked and she is happy for another baby brother.

Vacation

2009-06-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Last week we were able to spend the week at a resort in Palm Desert. It was a great trip!

The resort had a water-slide and Hayden lived on it for 7 days! She probably went on the thing 100 times! For those of you that are worried that I went on it while pregnant, it was a very wimpy slide.

Our attempt at a family picture. The sun was super bright and I couldn't take off my sunglasses. I've been having trouble with my eyes this pregnancy and now I have racoon eyes from being outside so much and having to wear my shades. Joey makes fun of me, but I can't blame him, I do look pretty ridiculous.

We took the kids to Palm Springs Villagefest, it's a street fair in Old Downtown Palm Springs. We got ice cream at Ben and Jerry's and couldn't resist the photo-op!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

My in-laws were here this past week and we had a blast! We met Joey at work for lunch, went bowling, went swimming, walked around the lake, went to Chuck E. Cheese, ate way too much and played hard. Thanks for the great week Nonni and Bobpa!

Ahhh the Excitement!

2009-05-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

So any of you with children know the "excitement" that can occur at any time, in any place! It's loads of fun, most of the time. Here are a few of our "exciting" moments from the past week.

This is Spencer and his puffy eye...he got a hold of a peanut and touched his eye! We have found out in the past few weeks that the boys are allergic to all nuts. Obviously, I need to do a better job of keeping the nuts away from the boys.

This is what happens when I ask Hayden to play with the boys for five minutes so I can get in the shower. She really needs a sister!

We have pasta a lot at our house but if this is how Spencer is going to look when we get finished, I may start making it a lot less!

It's only 1!

2009-05-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have asked if we are only having one baby this time and it looks like just one! We were so blessed with the birth of our twins and we love them so much but I'm very excited to have just one baby to hold and love and not have to split my time and attention.

Meanwhile, Back at the Baby Factory . . .

2009-04-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of having twins is that I got very stretched out with the pregnancy. My body has tried to slim down and I've held my gut in for far too long. We received the exciting news that we are expecting Baby #4 and I would have waited to spread the news but my belly is doing the spreading for me! Baby Anderson will make its arrival in early December 2009.

Fun in the O.C.!!

2009-04-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! Saturday we spent the morning with one of my favorite people! My friend Tawni had a birthday and we spent the morning at the beach. It was so beautiful and so nice to spend time with some of our best friends, the Franklins and Galovans. After the beach, Hayden had her first t-ball game. The schedule was messed up and there were three teams ready to play. Our team, the Cubs (sorry Anderson family!), played our own team. I think it was a good thing for our kids though. They were able to get a hang of what the games will be like and I think we are going to give those other 4-year-olds a run for their money!

Me and my honey!

Lincoln loved the water. This is huge progress, considering last summer he wouldn't touch the sand or the water!

I just have to smile when Joey does stuff like this.

Hayden and her friend, Sofia.

I love this picture!

Hayden was a star at her first game! (Okay, fine, we thought she was a star...her stats don't confirm that she was a star, but she was our star!)

Running to 2nd base...

...and a high-five from Dad!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great Easter. We had a fantastic day! We woke-up and had a family devotional on the true meaning of this wonderful day. I know the kids were excited for the treats from the Easter Bunny, but I wanted them to remember that we were celebrating the blessing of the Atonement of our Savior. Joey always does a great job teaching our children, he doesn't talk down to them but he says things in a way that helps them understand. After our devotional, we headed downstairs to find the baskets the Easter Bunny hid. We had a quiet morning then went to church. Of course, the talks were wonderful and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have. I feel so blessed to know about the Savior and his life. We came home to a feast for dinner and had an Easter Egg Hunt in our backyard. It was a great day!

Easter Bunny!

2009-04-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to see the Easter Bunny yesterday. It was fun and they all look happy but Spencer's smile is only a reaction to me saying, "If you don't cry, I'll get you a treat!"

Thanks Joey!

2009-03-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

My birthday was a few weeks ago and Joey did a bad, bad thing. He got me a way too nice birthday present. I've been wanting a fancy camera for a few years now and there just hasn't been a time that we could justify buying one. We've always had a camera that works fine so I thought that I might have to wait until I had grandchildren to get my fancy camera! I'm still learning how to use my camera but here are a few shots from the over 300 that I've taken. Don't judge my inability to use my camera yet...I'm still learning...Tawni will you help me???

We took the kids to the Spectrum on Saturday and let them play in the fountain.

Hayden put on a dance show for the shoppers on the steps near the fountain. She even got applause! The boys tried to copy her and looked awfully cute doing it!

The boys loved the water!

She loves the camera!I love this picture of Popeye, oh uh, I mean, Lincoln.

Thanks babe for my great camera! I love it!!!!!

NorCal trip

2009-03-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to the Bay Area to visit family. We had a fantastic trip! We celebrated my birthday, went to two nephews' baseball games, and went to our nephew's musical. It was a fast trip but totally worth it!

Joey and Lincoln, my cute boys!

The boys loved the dogs! That is Spencer.

Me!

Hayden and her cousin Leah.

Hayden and Nonni!

All the Anderson grandkids...it's a pretty cute bunch!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

We had a fun picnic at the park with some friends to celebrate St. Patty's Day!

All of us in our green!

Joey even wore his green tie!

A little bit of randomness...

2009-03-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few funny highlights from my week:
1. On Monday night the kids were playing in Hayden's room. I peeked in and Hayden had taken off Spencer's clothes and put him in a Belle dress, and I heard her say, "Spencer you are a work in progress."
2. Spencer has started to call Lincoln "Linky". He will be trying to find him and all I hear is a little voice yelling, "LINKY!!"
3. Spencer and Lincoln LOVE M&M's. Every night after dinner Spencer asks for them (he speaks for the both of them), but it comes out more like, "Lum-lums."
4. Spencer and Lincoln have taken a liking for my high-heels. Spencer always goes for my red pumps and Lincoln usually goes for a classic black stiletto. They wear them around the house and think they are the coolest! (We do have a no shoe policy at our house and I don't want to hear any lip from Bobpa, so yes, I do wipe off the bottom of the shoes so they can wear them)

These posts are mostly for grandparents who don't live close enough to enjoy the eveyday moments! We miss you and love you!

Saturday Walks

2009-03-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

On Saturdays, we love to go on walks around the lake. We really are so lucky to be able to do this fun stuff all year around.

Cuteness!

2009-02-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Hayden was assigned to give the scripture and prayer in Primary. I totally spaced it so her teacher had to help her. After Primary, Hayden reminded Joey and me that she gave the scripture and prayer and we asked her how it went. She said, "Well, I didn't pick my nose." Too cute!

Spencer's Achey-Breaky Arm

2009-02-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

Little Spencer broke his arm Monday night. It's funny how the kid falls, trips and bangs into everything and then one time he finally hits his arm perfectly and it's broken. He had climbed up onto one of the chairs around the kitchen table to color with Hayden and lost his balance. It was quite an experience in the ER and now he has a fancy cast to show how brave he was. :) He is our first to have a broken bone at 2 years, 5 days and, unfortunately, this will not likely be our last.

Dancin' Machine

2009-02-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

Hayden learned some sweet, new dance moves at preschool last week (Thanks Wendy). Here she is doing "the robot".

Birthday Bash!

2009-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Spencer and Lincoln's 2nd Birthday. It was a busy day of just normal stuff but we managed to get in pizza, presents and cupcakes!

My in-laws got the boys these great shirts (they say Thing 1 and Thing 2, if you can't read it).

Lincoln "eating" his cake.

Spencer eating the frosting, it is the best part!

Hayden was super excited to help the boys open their presents.

The boys love balls!!!

Happy Birthday Boys!!!

2009-02-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today (February 4) my little boys were born! It was a very exciting day, partly because we weren't expecting them for 3 more weeks (I had a scheduled C-section set for 38 weeks). I had been having contractions for about 8 weeks and was taking medication every 4 hours to stop them. Once in a while the medication wouldn't stop them and I would have to go to the hospital for an IV and some monitoring. Joey and I woke-up on Superbowl Sunday morning and decided we should head to the hospital to stop the contractions I had been having all night. Our wonderful friends, the Jasinskis, took Hayden and we went. We got to the hospital and the doctor was able to stop the contractions for a bit but then they started right back up again. So, that day we got our little Spencer and Lincoln. The C-section, which actually took place right before kickoff of the football game, went well but the boys had some respiratory distress and were in the NICU for a week, which was actually a shorter amount of time than originally anticipated. My in-laws found out the boys were being born and were in LA from Northern California within a few hours. Joey's aunt and uncle came and picked up Hayden, brought her to the hospital and took care of her until my in-laws arrived. It was such a whirlwind of a day! I couldn't have done it without my hubby, the Jasinskis, Bob, Deborah, Jeff and Dianne! Thanks so much to Dede and Nonni who came out for a few weeks when we brought the boys home. You are the best!!!!

Here is a picture of "the belly" about 3 weeks before the boys were born.

I looked nervous, well, I should have been!

Spencer in the NICU.

Lincoln in the NICU.

My poor husband, he would go to law school during the day and visit me and the boys in the evening. I remember thinking how hard the pregnancy had been on me, but he really took on so much responsibility and never complained. He helped me stay positive. I love you babe!!!

The boys on their blessing day.

Look how little they were!
This might be my most favorite picture of my little bubbas!
This had been a wonderful two years and I look forward to many, many more!

Our confused child

2009-01-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

Poor Lincoln. He has been very confused lately. He thinks his name is Spencer. We ask him who everyone's name is in our family and he gets everyone right but he calls himself, "Penth" which is Lincolnese for Spencer. It doesn't end there, both boys have little stuffed animals they got while in the NICU after they were born. They sleep with them every night. Lincoln has a rhinoceros name "Lyle" and Spencer has giraffe named"Gus" but lately Lincoln thinks his rhino is named "Gus". Maybe "Spencer" and "Gus" are just easier to say...who knows!!!

Vacation and Birthday

2009-01-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

This past week my in-laws came down from Northern California to stay in Newport Beach. They were kind enough to invite us to stay with them and pretend we were far, far away. We had a great time and are already having withdrawals. Thank you so much Nonni and Bobpa!!!

Our first full day was spent at Disneyland. Joey has been busy at work and Saturday was the only full day he could spend with us so we headed to the "Happiest Place on Earth".

The kids loved the putting green at the resort...do we have a Tiger Woods on our hands, ummmm, no!

The view from our villa.

Joey had to leave at 3am one morning to be in LA by 5am (being a lawyer stinks) and billed 8 hours by noon so he snuck back to the resort to swim with the kids for a bit.

Nonni and Bobpa swimming with the kids.
Joey turned the big 2-8 while we were with his parents!!!! Unfortunately he had to work on his birthday so we got a little cake in between conference calls. He is working from home this weekend so I plan on making a yummy meal and a dessert of his choice to make-up for all the fun I had while his parents were here and he was slaving away. You are a great husband and father and I'm so lucky to call you mine! Glub you!

Welcoming 2009

2009-01-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hi All-

So it's been a few weeks since I've posted. We had a great holiday but it was very strange. Joey and I have been in school since we got married 5 1/2 years ago and this year was the first year that we didn't have a 2 or 3 week break for Christmas and New Year's. We had our great holidays and then Joey was back to work, poor guy is working on a big case right now, in fact, last night he came to bed at 3:30am and was up at 6:30am to go back to the office! We have to get used to this real life stuff.

I'm very excited for 2009. We had a great 2008. Here are some highlights from our year:
Joey graduated from law school and passed the California bar.
We moved to Orange County, CA. I am now a Real Housewife of Orange County...yeah right!
We became homeowners.
Hayden turned 4!
The boys are crazy, rambunctious, and absolutely wonderful. They will be 2 in Feb. 2009.
Joey got called to be in the Elders Quorum Presidency.
I got called to the Young Women's Presidency.

My goal for the next year is to enjoy life a little more. My kids will only be kids for a short time and I want to remember every age and stage. I love them more and more each day! I also am going to simplify my life. Last year I had more hobbies that I knew what to do with and I was okay at most of them but not great at any. I want to focus on 1 or 2 hobbies and become really good at something.

Happy 2009!!!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids this morning. They were so excited about Santa!

Hayden asked Santa for a Belle dress and he delivered!

The boys each got a riding toy. We bought them from a neighbor who never used them. Spencer thinks the Mickey one is his and they fight over it constantly. We saw it coming, seeing they both love Mickey Mouse. This will help them learn to share!

It was such a perfect morning. We took time with each present and opened it, took it out of the box and let the kids play with their toys. So often you go from toy to toy and they forget what they have received but this way, they really got to enjoy everything. We ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast, had a leftovers (ham, potatoes, peas, rolls) lunch, played, played and played, and the kids watched their new movie, "Cars" and ate popcorn, it must be Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T12:59:00.001-08:00

Here are the kiddos on Christmas Eve. Joey humored me and let me get the kids dressed in their Christmas outfits and I took pictures. More to come from Christmas Day, but this post is for the grandparents!

Traditions

2008-12-22T17:38:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas traditions. They remind me of my childhood and I love thinking that my kids will cherish these times in our home. Here are some of our Christmas traditions...new and old.

1. Build a gingerbread house. We did this when I was growing up and I love doing it with my kids.

2. Hang the Christmas cards we receive on our front door. This started in our apartment in Los Angeles and has carried with us. Our door is almost full, we may have to start using other doors in our house.

3. Read the boots (it doesn't have a name) story on Christmas Eve. Joey brought this tradition to our marriage. When we aren't with his family for Christmas they call us when they read it and we listen from wherever we are and it always makes me cry.

4. Get PJ's from Santa. Joey and I both got new PJ's from Santa growing up. I remember waking up when it was still dark outside on Christmas morning and seeing my new pajamas next to my bed. I would change as fast as I could into the new PJ's and run to my siblings rooms to wake them up. I'm the youngest so I was the annoying little sister that woke everyone up.

5. Open one present on Christmas Eve. Again, we both brought this tradition to our marriage. In my family, we would usually open our sibling exchange gift on Christmas Eve.

6. Ham, peas, scalloped potatoes and crescent rolls. This is a must have for Joey on Christmas Eve, and then we have the leftovers on Christmas Day.

7. This year I'm attempting to make homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas Day morning. This may or may not be a new tradition, depending on how they turn out!

8. In our stake they do a live nativity, and it was the such a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of this season. This is going to be an annual tradition for our family.

9. On Christmas Eve we watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", read from the Bible, then put the kiddos off to bed. After the little ones are snug in their beds, Joey and I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" and now that we have a fireplace we will get to watch our Christmas movies by the crackling fire with some hot cocoa!

What are some of your favorite traditions??

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

Living in Southern California is wonderful! However, I do miss the cold nights by the fire with some homemade hot chocolate. The past week it has been pretty chilly and perfect for hot chocolate...there is even snow on the mountains in the distance. It is perfect for Christmastime!

Christmas Program!

2008-12-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hayden is in a co-op preschool that meets twice a week. It's been a great way for me to get-to- know other moms and for her to get-to-know some other kids. Here are some pictures from the Christmas Program. The kids sang and recited a poem, and then everyone enjoyed games and goodies. Hayden was super brave and sang a solo!

Gingerbread House

2008-12-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

I love Christmastime. Growing up we made gingerbread houses...sometimes my mom would make gingerbread and other times we would use graham crackers. I'm so glad for these "kits"...it makes my job much easier!

Joey was having trouble getting the chimney to stand up...it was actually my fault, I put way too much candy on it!

I was in charge of icing.

The boys were in charge of eating all the extra candy.

Thanks and More Birthday!

2008-12-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Hayden's 4th birthday. We had a pretty quiet day. I hadn't been feeling well all week. Hayden was supposed to have a friend over that day but the friend's mom took Hayden for me since I was under-the-weather (actually it was salmonella poisoning...I was at the tail-end of it but still feeling a little icky). She took Hayden to Target and got her a birthday present, she put a candle in her PBJ sandwich for lunch and spoiled her for me....she is just one of the many good friends who helped me get through this week! Thank you Kelli, Tawni, Abby, Bethany and Mindy. When she got home, she watched the Wizard of Oz, had pizza for dinner, then opened presents.

Happy Birthday Hayden!

2008-12-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Our little girl turns 4 today!!! Happy Birthday honey bunches!

I remember when we found out we were pregnant. I was so happy! The pregnancy was relatively easy but she decided to come 3 weeks early...the Friday before finals of my last semester at BYU. It took a little juggling but both Joey and I were able to take all our finals and graduate! She is the light of our lives!

Hayden wanted a "real" pedicure and manicure for her birthday so last Saturday I took her to Happy Nails in Rancho Santa Margarita. The staff was so nice. They sang her "Happy Birthday" and treated her like a princess. She loved it!

Ridin' the Hogs

2008-12-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Joey's firm had a party at a bowling alley on Saturday. Hayden tore up the lanes and got a 98...she used the bumpers but still she rocked it! Joey, who never bowls, got a 164. Seriously he is good at everything! We won't talk about my score...first of all, I stink and secondly, I let the boys "help" me a few times. After we bowled, the kids found the arcade area and rode the motorcycles.

Spencer was paying attention to the "road"...he wouldn't look at the camera.

Girls gone wild! Give that boy some beads!

I hope this is as close to riding a motorcycle as Hayden gets...I had a few boyfriends in college who drove motorcycles and it's a miracle I'm alive!

Love the shoes!

2008-12-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

Hayden went shopping for her December 10th birthday with my in-laws when they were here for Thanksgiving. While at Nordstrom, Hayden spotted these "Fancy Nancy-esque" shoes and Nonni and Bobpa couldn't refuse...she wears them all the time. In fact, the other night I noticed she had gotten up after we put her to bed and she put them on and fell asleep. It was a good buy! She gets her sparkle-loving fashion sense from my mom who, if we could find a pair of these rhinestone shoes in her size, would be the happiest lady ever! Thanks Nonni and Bobpa for the great shoes!!!!

Here Comes Santa Claus...

2008-11-29T15:57:00.001-08:00

Last night we went to see Santa Claus at Irvine Regional Park. We took the train through the Christmas lights to Santa's village. Santa was very jolly and he might have been English or Scottish...I bet you didn't know that but he definitely had an accent.

Waiting in line with my wonderful hubby. The train starts running at 5pm and we got there at 4:40ish...I would highly recommend going earlier rather than later because as we were leaving the line was crazy!Hayden told Santa her Christmas wishes...we will see if she is a good girl and gets what she asked for. Santa is just hoping she doesn't change her mind on Christmas Eve like she did last year!
The boys didn't cry when they sat on Santa's lap...and that's all I could ask for.
The whole family and Santa.
Bobpa, Nonni and the kids.
Thanks Bobpa and Nonni for the great visit!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. Joey's parents are in town and we had a feast fit for a king, if I do say so myself. I stressed about the turkey all week and, to be honest, it was the best thing about the meal...beginner's luck apparently!

Bobpa, Nonni and Hayden

The table before the meal

The boys decided they wanted to wear their Thanksgiving meal

I'm so thankful for my family. I have a wonderful husband who loves me for me and, most of the time, I'm grateful for his sense of humor. I have three beautiful children who bring me joy daily. I love being a mom and I'm grateful for all I learn from my children. I'm thankful for my extended family. I have wonderful in-laws who treat me like a daughter. I have wonderful brothers, sister, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. I'm thankful my parents moved back to the States...even though they live in Tennessee, I can call my mom at normal hours and talk to her. I feel like I have so many people who love me. I'm thankful for this time of year to reflect on what's important.

He passed!!!!! (Not that there was any doubt)

2008-11-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

This afternoon and evening were a little stressful but at 6pm this evening, Joey found at that he passed the California bar exam on his first try. He didn't seem all that stressed out but I managed to stress for him. I'm so proud of him and all his hard work. I love you baby!

Our little clown...

2008-11-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hayden cracks me up...here are a few of her "funnies" from today.

I was giving the kids a bath and they were splashing and being a little crazy. Hayden pulled a towel into the bath and I said, "I'm so mad, I can't even speak" to which she replied, "Mom, you need to have surgery to fix that." I couldn't help but laugh.

Then right before bed she was playing in her room while I was reading on the floor in the boys room. I put the boys down and went to put her down to bed. I opened her door and said, "Wow, Hayden it stinks in here." She said, "Yeah, my Barbies tooted." Too funny!

Thank goodness kids are funny!!

A Typical Saturday Morning...

2008-11-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is a typical Saturday morning at the Anderson house...

Lincoln loves his "glasses" from his doctor kit. He was doing a little reading in our bed this morning.

Hayden was in a princess dress by 7am and playing in her room.

Spencer was in time-out...poor kid has a hard time listening.

My little sweetheart...

2008-11-14T09:37:00.001-08:00

I went to the library to pick up some books for preschool the other day. Since I had the books sent from other libraries there was a $.25 fee per book, so I owed $1.00. I didn't have any cash so I told the librarian that I would pay next time. Well this morning at breakfast Hayden looked at me and said, "Mom, I've decided to give you all my money since you don't have any, that way you can do what you need to do." Be still my heart...she is so sweet!

Want a good laugh??

2008-11-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

After Joey and I got married, he showed this baby picture of himself to me. Things might have ended differently had he shown it to me before I said, "I do". I always laugh when I see it and we all need a good laugh sometimes...even if it's at my husband's expense!

I love you babe!!!!

Tagged...

2008-11-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

Favorite Person (outside family): I have some amazing friends I couldn't pick just one...I have been really blessed!

Favorite Food: Chocolate and Mexican...Ohhhh how I wish Cafe Rio were close!

Quirks about you: I have a little bit of OCD ...Joey makes fun of me and says I'm like Howard Hughes and afraid of germs...he's kind of right!

Any regrets in this life: The big, ugly tattoo on my back.

Favorite Charity/Cause: I give most of my charitable contributions to the LDS church and as many of us know, they do amazing things with the money.

Favorite Blog: My sister's blog because I never see her!

Something You Can't Get Enough of: If Joey gets home early enough, we turn on the music and have a dance party in our family room. We all dance and have a blast. The kids laugh and laugh and it is perfect!

Worst Job You've Ever Had: Ohhhhhh, that's hard. It would either have to be when I was in-between jobs when Joey and I were first married and I waitressed at a hole-in-the-wall diner or when my parents thought they should teach me responsibility and made me work at a friend's catering business during Spring Break to save money for my choir trip to NYC...I have done a lot of food service jobs that I thoroughly enjoyed...anyone know Rosa's in Provo, I waitressed there for a few years in college and loved that job!

What Job Would You Pay NOT to Have: Sign waver...I loved holding signs for Prop. 8 but I believed in it. I can't imagine waving a sign for Subway or Mervyn's...I would go bananas!

Guilty Pleasure: America's Next Top Model, Project Runway and Top Chef. I watch them by myself. Ohhhh and I love cookie dough, whenever I make cookies, I love sneaking cookie dough.

Got Any Confessions: Not that anyone deserves to know!

If you had $1000 to spend on yourself, how would you spend it?: If I HAD to spend it on myself, then I would spend a day at the spa and go shopping. That would be heavenly!

Favorite Thing About Your House: I'll be honest, I LOVE MY HOUSE! My parents moved overseas when I was in high school. Since they lived so far away, I never went "home" for breaks from college. I feel like I have the home that I missed for so long. It's comfortable and it's peaceful and I love it!

One Thing You are Bad at: I wanted to learn how to knit and I tried and my fingers wouldn't listen to the directions from my brain. I know it takes practice but someone is going to have to sit and show me if I'm ever going to learn.

If You Could Change One Thing About Your Circumstances, what would it be?: I would have our student loans paid off!

Who would you like to meet someday: Ummmm, that's hard. If it's someone fun that I would like to meet then I would pick Clinton from What Not To Wear...he's my gay crush! We could go shopping and have lunch...a girl can dream! If it's a serious person I would like to meet, ummm that's too hard....I'll stick to Clinton.

What makes you feel sexy?: Working-out...I wish I could do it more! Since I had the boys my
body isn't the same, I don't think it will ever be, but working out makes me feel like I'm my old pre-baby self.

Who is Your Real Life Hero?: My parents moved to Japan my senior year of high school and my brother and sister-in-law moved into our house. I was not the easiest teenager to live with and they were soooooooo good to me. I would have to say that they helped me more than they will ever know. My hubby is one of my heroes too. He sees more potential in me than I will ever see in myself. He expects a lot out of me because he believes in me. He really makes me a better person...I know it sounds cliche, but it's true!

What is the hardest part of your job?: Trying to communicate and reason with two 21-month old boys.

When are you most relaxed?: I have gotten three facials in my life and I wish I could have one once a month. I love feeling warm under the blankets and then the smell of the oils...ohhhh, it's so nice. I prefer facials to massages...I'll send hints Joey's way for my birthday!

What can you not live without?: My family...I love Joey, Hayden, Spencer and Lincoln more than life itself!

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? Haven't read it, but it's just like a photo album and people choose to read it...I don't expect anyone to read this...it's more for myself...maybe that means I'm narcissistic!

Why do you blog? To keep my mom and mother-in-law happy! I enjoy reading everyones blogs and I'm sure there are one or two of you out there that like reading mine!

Who are you tagging? Abby, Karin, Bethany and whoever else wants to do it!!!!

Snow White?

2008-11-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

One word...blackmail!