Because I Don't Want to Forget

I've noticed this year that my posts got increasingly wordier - which is annoying for people who read my blog. But ever since I bought my blog book last year I've recorded all the things I will want to remember or want my kids to remember. Before ending the year (and my 2010 blog book) I wanted to write down some of the things my kids learned/accomplished this year. And I'll warn you right now this one will have no pictures at all since I was going to take cute ones of my kids but we've all been down with fevers, sore throats, coughs, runny noses, etc.

Weston

-Can count to 10 and recognize his numbers by sight

-Still the best big brother ever

-Has a fascination for all things dinosaur. Not to be outdone by his continuing love for cars, trucks, helicopters, and balls

-Finally started saying the prayer and even though he mumbles through it it's the cutest thing

-Likes to help unload the dishwasher

-Knows all his colors and finally mastered his hardest one - calling red things yellow

-My new favorite phrase of his is when he says, "wait, wait, wait!". He says it any time we're loading up to get in the car but my favorite is when he asks for a certain cereal or snack but then changes his mind and shouts it out before I open it and it's too late

-Is still my sleeper and gets at least 12 hours a night and takes a minimum 2 hour nap

Saydi

-Recently learned to say "no" and it's becoming her favorite word, especially when it's time to change her bum

-Can say more words then I can even list but some of my favorites are: apple, dinosaur, vitamin, brother "bubba", shoes, coat, door, banana, spoon, blankie, bath, juice, cheese, baby, Saydi, grandma, papa, thank you, more, and amen.

-Will come tell me when she needs a new bum

-Is still my cuddle bug and likes to give cuddles to lots of people - not just mama and dada

-Does this little dance thing with her arms when music comes on. Like Bollywood or something =)

-Can repeat a little less then half the letters of the alphabet and say the sounds they make

-Still only has 8 teeth but won't let me brush any of them so less is better!

-Loves balls and cars and basically anything that brother likes

Peanut

Technically, I guess "lemon" would be a more accurate nickname for the bun in the oven. We already know this baby will be a special blessing to our family. With Saydi and with this one I started feeling like someone was missing and that feeling went away as soon as I got pregnant. Even though we didn't want to have kids with birthdays so close to each other we are excited to have another baby in our home sooner then we anticipated. I am hoping we can celebrate Saydi's birthday before this little one makes it's arrival though! Above all else we're just grateful every day for our kids and especially that we're able to keep adding precious blessings to our home. 2010 has been a wonderful year with too many blessings to count!

Christmas Cheer

Christmas Eve

Every year we go to my parents for Christmas Eve. We had delicious food and great company! Saydi's favorite person was, as usual, the "baby". She is so smitten with Channing and started giving out crusty looks when we interrupted her feeding time by taking pictures!

I was surprised that Weston wore this Santa hat the whole time we sang songs and read the Christmas story before opening gifts. He really liked it.

The grandkids always get pajamas and a book and Weston and Saydi both loved theirs.

My parents with all their grandkids that were there in their jammies.

Us sisters got a special gift this year - monchhichi's! Becky had one a hundred years ago when we were growing up and we all tried stealing it at one point or another. So when we saw that they were out again we were all stoked to get our very own.

Unfortunately, Mark worked Christmas Eve and Christmas night so when the kids and I got home from my parents I put the kids to sleep in the living room downstairs with the gate up and when I was finished with all my stuff for the night we all had a slumber party together. I was worried Weston and Saydi wouldn't go to sleep but they both did right away.

Christmas Day

The kids woke up to this on Christmas morning:

When they first woke up we stayed downstairs to wait for daddy to get home from work at 8:30. Then we got busy unwrapping presents. Weston helped everybody unwrap gifts no matter whose they were! Saydi was just happy to play with her little koosh ball caterpillar that was in her stocking and kept going back to that after opening a new present. They loved their tents and have continued to play in them tons!

All the fun of opening presents resulted in this lovely mess. I told Mark Christmas is the one day that I feel like my house SHOULD be messy. It just doesn't feel festive otherwise. =)

Santa fills our stockings and brings us one gift. This year Santa brought Weston this big fire truck that unfolds into this little village with cars to drive around. Too bad Santa didn't realize you had to put all 40 stickers on the truck yourself or I'm sure he would've done it before Christmas morning.

Saydi got this washer with an attached ironing board and iron. It also came with a little vacuum. Again, Santa failed to realize that there were 36 screws that had to be put in place on every last piece of this baby and after I finished with Weston's truck I did Saydi's washer. Next year I am betting Santa will not care about haphazard wrapping of presents, as long as they are put together and ready to play with!

Other great gifts included zu zu pets, movies, a tent for Mark and tools that he asked for, an external hard drive for me so I can stop worrying about my pictures or music getting lost if my computer crashes, and my favorite - an outdoor fire pit so we can roast marshmallows in our back yard this summer! It was a fabulous Christmas morning.

After naps we went to Mark's dad's house for dinner and more gift opening. They kids also get jammies and a book from Sid and Gaylene and candy too which they of course love more then anything. This year Gaylene made all her daughters-in-law adorable necklaces and she also took the time to write each of us girls a letter telling us how much they love and are grateful for us. It was so nice and very appreciated!

The Day After Christmas

I have no pictures from this day but it was full of fun things too! First the kids and I went to Channing's baby blessing while Mark slept after work. It was a beautiful blessing and Channing looked GORGEOUS. She is a beautiful little girl. We had brunch at Miss' house afterwards then came home for naps. Then we went to the last two hours of our ward so that I could do my sharing time and the kids could go to nursery - Weston's very last time in nursery! Too bad they both decided to cry outrageously and hang by my side for all of primary. =(

After church we came home and got Mark and headed to his mom's house for yet more food and gifts! It was fun to visit and the kids got some fun toys from her. Mark got a book about the Marine Corps that he wanted and I got a new makeup bag that I LOVE and some money to go towards re-doing Weston's room like she knew I wanted to do. Gotta love presents like that!

Despite the wonderful gifts we received and gave this year we have been even more grateful for the real reason for Christmas - the birth of our Savior, His life, and all that He did for us. Our holiday was filled with the spirit and that always makes it a holiday worth remembering!

An Impromptu Vacation

Last Saturday night we decided we would head to Utah on Sunday after church to help Sean out with some things. *Side note - here are my kids in their Christmas outfits they wore last Sunday. I couldn't get a picture for the life of me and we were already running late but oh well. I'll remember how cute they looked. =)

We got to our hotel Sunday night and the kids wasted no time at all jumping on the beds and having the time of their lives. Originally we were only going to be there until Monday night but plans got changed and we stayed until Wednesday afternoon. So Monday night we packed up and went with Sean to see the lights on Temple Square. I didn't have my camera so all the pictures are from my phone which is why they're not that great. But memories nonetheless.

In one of the visitors centers they had this cut out of the Salt Lake temple that shows you the inside of the temple. That in and of itself totally made the trip worth it! It was amazing to see and Weston loved being able to see inside the temple.

Tuesday morning we took the kids to the mall where they played at the little play area they have there and then they took a train ride with Santa!

Weston was starting to have a melt down when he thought we weren't going to be able to ride the train. Then it started going and he had a melt down because he was scared. The train finally stopped for a bit to turn around and we just got Weston and Saydi out because by that point he was scaring Saydi too and he had hit his lip in an effort to climb out and it started bleeding. Drama, drama, drama. They had a fun time though and were mostly just over tired because of not sleeping well!

To round out our vacation we did lots of swimming and my kids never wanted to leave. Saydi discovered the joy of jumping into the pool into my arms and she got to where she headed to the pool regardless of whether or not someone was there to catch her! I'm glad my kids like the water though and it was even more fun when they got to go swimming with Audrey! They had fun playing in the bath afterwards too.

We are glad to be home and getting ready for the holidays but we're especially grateful for a little family getaway and how much it makes us appreciate all we have. Like a comfortable bed! =)

Picture of the Year

This is my favorite picture from this year:

Baby #3 is coming! Due June 29th. We're so excited and glad that everything is looking good so far. Hard to believe that little blob is a baby. And even crazier how much I love it already!

Tis the Season

This weekend was a busy one for us with lots of holiday cheer. On Saturday morning my grandparents stopped by to give us a little gift and get pictures with their great-grandkids. A great idea and I'm so glad I have this picture for my kids to have.

I didn't want to be left out though so I made them take a picture with me too. =) Oh how I love them. They really are two very special people and I'm so grateful to have them in my life. Grandpa will be turning 80 next year!

Later that afternoon we were supposed to go to the kid's Christmas party that Mark's work throws but we opted out to stay home and spend time with Sean while he was here. I think Mark really just wanted to stay home and play the super nintendo. =) I think we all had more fun staying home!

That night we had a Christmas party at our house. Every year the Anderson sisters have a Christmas party and I have to admit - it's my favorite party of the holiday season. Simply for the fact that there's usually lots of silliness and giggling. This year was no exception. Cousins draw names and exchange gifts, us sisters rotate through each other each year, and the adults all bring a gag gift from the dollar store. That's where the real fun comes in! One of the highlights of this year though was a surprise that Sarah and I (mostly Sarah!) worked on for our other sisters. We had the idea a long time ago that it would be fun to make a DVD of pictures of us growing up - so we did. After dinner we all watched it and there were lots of tears and laughs. It was great and I've watched it several times since! The present exchange was fun and here are some of my faves:

Harper girl turned one the day before Weston so both she and Wes also had a whole slew of birthday presents they got to open. Isn't she adorable?! Just love this girl.

Amy and her magnifying glass.

Lynn got these super sweet "terry cloth slippers" that felt more like padded cardboard.

Sarah got this crayon piggy bank. Only problem being that there was a giant hole in the bottom of the crayon!

Miss sporting her blue suede hat. It's not fair that she looks adorable in it though!

Becky's was my favorite this year - a pirate costume. Eye patch and all. That's comedy.

I don't know how he does it but Mark has a knack for finding the most annoying presents (we just put them all in a pile and grab randomly). Last year it was silly string which he didn't waste a second to use. This year: a fog horn. I'm rolling my eyes just thinking about it. He kept using it throughout the night. Never mind the crying babies. That's why we love him though. He's not afraid to be obnoxious!

There were some other great ones and we all certainly had a fun night together. Even though this time of year can be busy we love all the fun that it brings and enjoy giving gifts to others and not caring so much for what we get in return. We've gotten all of our Christmas shopping done and I wrapped the very last present just last week so now we can just sit back and enjoy all the fun that comes with waiting for Christmas to come!

Weston's 3rd Birthday

On the 10th we celebrated Weston's birthday. When Mark got home from work that morning we let him open his presents. He got a tricycle this year and it was definitely his favorite present! We're working on teaching him to pedal but he just doesn't really care right now.

Poor Saydi had a rough day being told "no" a lot as she kept trying to steal Weston's bike or other presents. This was one way we kept her happy.Wrapped up in his blanket that Grammy made him. He has a matching pillow and he loves them both!

Daddy got some much needed rest while we played and decorated the house and then we had Weston's favorite dinner -shepherd's pie - and ate cake. I attempted to make him a football cake this year and it completely fell apart. Weston didn't seem to care and as I heard him utter a breathy "wow" when he saw his cake it was totally worth it.

Weston is such a shy boy and as we started singing "Happy Birthday" to him he just couldn't handle being the center of attention. He managed to blow his candles out all on his own though!

After cake we loaded up and headed out for our annual tradition of looking at lights on Weston's birthday. First we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's though where Wes got totally spoiled with this awesome puzzle thing that mommy loves because the trucks don't come off the board, you just move them around; he also got a super bright flashlight (thanks dad) =/ and this zip up sweater that has Doc and Lightning McQueen on it. At first he wouldn't try on his sweater but then he saw who was on it and he decided he loved it. Grandma and Grandpa always seem to find good deals and spoil their grandkids!

After we left there we went to that house off Iona Rd. that has the lights synchronized to Christmas music. The kids loved it but they did get a little stir crazy. They loved looking at all the other lights too though. Especially because they're usually in bed by dark so they don't see the lights very much! All in all it was a fun day and I think Weston really enjoyed his birthday!

To My Big Little Boy

Dear Weston,

On December 10, 2007 I saw your beautiful face for the first time. My life has not been the same since. When I was pregnant with you I thought I'd never get to see what you looked like. Or at least not soon enough! Then, in the blink of an eye, you were in my arms and I understood what love was. I was smitten with you right from the start. You grew so fast and I literally watched you change before my eyes. Although each day brought new challenges (this was my first time doing this after all!) it also brought even more love and happiness at seeing what a special spirit you are. It truly was obvious from birth that you were a unique little boy.

Your first year brought all kinds of changes: a 1,000 mile drive to move back home to Idaho from California, a new job for daddy, two different places to live in, and of course sitting, crawling, talking, walking, and all the other things that come with growing up. You were a silly boy and always made people smile. We had so much fun with you and daddy and I loved being your parents every day.

During your second year we welcomed home a baby sister for you and we saw a whole new side to your character that has blown us away. You are a nurturer at heart. I've never seen such a little boy be so kind, loving, considerate, and helpful. Especially with a baby sister! It became obvious to us why you were our firstborn. We could not be more proud of you and happy with the little boy that you are.

Your third year brought lots of growing (still!) and even more learning. You started to love doing things like repeating the alphabet with mommy and spelling your name. As well as counting to ten and telling mommy the colors of everything you see. You became more particular about the color of your spoon or bowl at meal time and decided you wanted a say in what you wear. While your streak of independence brings challenges at times, I have loved watching you make your own choices and show mommy and daddy how much you know. Just the other day we were looking at pictures together and I showed you a picture of Jonah and the whale and pointed Jonah out. You pointed to the whale and said, "whale, he spit him out!" I was so happy with you at that moment Weston. To know that you care about the scripture stories already and that you have been listening all this time as we've read your scripture books.

As you enter your fourth year of life I can only anticipate all the new things you'll do and learn. You've been in my life for three short years and they've been the best three years of my life. Truly. I don't know how long Heavenly Father will let me have you here on this earth, but no matter how long it is it wouldn't be enough if I didn't know that I will get to be with you forever. You are so special Weston. Never forget it or let anyone tell you otherwise. You have a special purpose here on earth and I know with all my heart you will fulfill it. Daddy and I love you so much and are so happy to have you in our family.

Happy birthday Weston Mark.

Love,

Your Mama