The Andersons

Sweet Dreams

2012-01-31T13:51:00.000-08:00

Kids are so cute when they are sleeping. I guess Owen thought he needed a hat and gloves and a sword to sleep wiith.

Owen dressed as a dragon and on Leah's bed.

This picture is kind of creepy. This one is of Owen after he went swimming.

Connor and Leah after a long day at Disneyland. Notice his hand in her mouth?

The Latest

2012-01-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

Connor really wanted to trick everyone for Thanksgiving and have an ice cream cake that looked like a turkey :). The outside was all caramel and it tasted pretty good. It was funny. No, I didn't make it :)

I was in charge of our ward's Christmas party this year. The Primary was in charge of the nativity and they asked Leah to be Mary. She did such a cute job. She was o.k. doing it as long as she didn't have to talk.

A tradition we have started around Christmas is to go to The Ogden Christmas Village. It is really well done and it's free. Can't beat that. Here is Connor as a caroler.

Christmas was great and the kids really enjoyed it. Santa brings way too much. I guess the kids were good this year :). One of the hardest parts after Christmas is figuring out where to put the new stuff in our little house.

Connor got some stilts from his Grandpa and Grandma. His friend and him put them together by themselves. It was one of his favorite toys he got.

Disneyland

2011-12-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

We had an AMAZING time at Disneyland. It was worth every penny. We got 3-day park hopper passes and were there from opening until closing every day. We even went to Mickey's Halloween party on Tuesday night. On Tuesday we were at Disneyland for 16 hours. Over the course of 3 days we spent 38 hours at Disneyland! The kids were troopers. They had so much fun. They have been begging to go back since we got home. The other day Connor told me he wanted a toy for Christmas that cost $100. I told him how the toy wouldn't last and would probably break and that it was expensive. I suggested we take that amount of money and instead of spending it on a toy, we save it for our next trip to Disneyland. He said, "REALLY?! We can do that?!!" :).

The Beach

2011-12-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

I really need to get the rest of our trip blogged! Here are a few photos of us at the beach in San Diego. We went to La Jolla Shores and my favorite beach La Jolla Cove where there are seals and tide pools to explore. We had a lot of fun even though it was overcast and the water was cold.

The Mormon Batallion

2011-11-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

While in San Diego we went to the Mormon Batallion Museum. They have totally redone it since I was a kid. It is really nice and has a bunch of fun hands-on exhibits for the kids. We were anxious to go there because Trent has an ancestor that was in the Mormon Batallion and we were excited to see if we could find out more about him. We learned that he had donated ten dollars for a cannon they had displayed at the museum (the picture is below). After the museum we walked around some of the fun shops in Old Town.

Legoland

2011-11-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

We weren't going to go to Legoland. I heard that it wasn't that great and wasn't worth the money. We know someone that lives near Legoland and she was selling some tickets she had for really cheap, so we decided we would try it out. I am so glad we did. We went from when it opened until closing time. Our tickets also included the aquarium there which was pretty fun.

Below:
When we first saw this Lego family we thought they were a real family. It was amazing to see all the things they made out of Legos.

Vacation!

2011-11-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time on our vacation. The kids keep asking when we are going back. I'd love to go again. Everything went really well. We went on the trip with Trent's mom and our nephew Jake. My parents and my brother and his cute family met up with us later on in the trip. When planning this trip I really wanted to fly. With my skymiles rewards I had a buy one get one free flight. I watched the prices on tickets and was able to get tickets for a great price and got one flight free.

About an hour before we were suppose to leave for the airport the airlines called and offered us delta flight credit if we would take a flight the next day because the flight was overbooked. It was a little more then what I had spent on the tickets to begin with. I wanted to do it, but Trent pointed out that we already had a hotel for the night and our rental car booked and he wondered how the excited kids would take the news that were weren't going to leave until the next day.

When we got to the airport they were still overbooked and were offering more money in flight credits. It ended up that we got involuntarily bumped off the flight. Instead of giving us flight credits they wrote us out a check for more than double what I paid in tickets, shuttled us to a hotel in Salt Lake for the night, gave us toiletry bags with everything we needed including t-shirts and gave us $12 each in meal vouchers that we really didn't need because the hotel offered free breakfast. We let the kids spend their vouchers on whatever junk they wanted in the hotel gift shop. They thought it was pretty funny that they could buy all this stuff and we weren't saying "no". They didn't care that we were in Salt Lake and not in California. As long as we were in a hotel it didn't matter to them. It worked out awesome. They flew us to a better airport and we ended up getting a cheaper deal on the rental car and a bigger car. It was so fun. We are saving the money we earned for the next trip. I am so pathetic I can't wait for the next trip and we just got home less than a month ago. I've got the travel bug pretty bad.Owie enjoying the flight

We went to the San Diego Zoo. (Notice Leah strangling Owen?)

Yes we are one of those parents that puts their kids on a leash. If you know Owen you know that it is for his safety and our sanity. It worked out really well. I bought for the trip.

The Fam

Big 5

2011-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

My beautiful little girl is 5 today!!!! I told her we were going to have to freeze her so she couldn't grow up anymore. Connor informed me that if I did that we wouldn't be able to go on our upcoming vacation. I guess I have to let her turn 5. We are so glad Leah is in our family and can't believe she is already 5. This is her version of smiling for the camera.

Holding hands with her big brother.

She has never been opposed to any messes. In fact I think she thinks it's fun.

"Baby Leah" the day she came home from the hospital.

Bye Bye Crib!

2011-09-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Connor when he was Owen's age. He got into some vaseline and put it all over his hair and his bed.
You see the crib in the background? That crib was bought by my parents when they were expecting their first baby. It was used by all six of their children. When I was expecting Connor they said I could use it. It was a little beat up from six kids. I painted it white, had all the hardware chromed and bought a new crib mattress. All three of my kids have used it. That little crib has been through 9 kids so far! It is a special crib.

Owen being the explorer that he is, figured out how to climb out of the crib. The problem with that was that he didn't know how to get back in it when he was ready to fall asleep. We would find him in some funny situations asleep. One night I found him asleep on the wood floor, using the rug as a blanket.

This picture is one of my favorite ways I found him when he was suppose to be taking a nap. He had put on Leah's flower rain boots and was alseep standing up with his head on Leah's bed.

So you can see it was time to pack up the crib and put this little guy in a big boy bed :).

*Both of these pictures make my house look so messy! I swear it is clean today! :)

Broken Arm

2011-09-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

Connor fell off the monkey bars at school and broke his arm. The orthopedic doctor said it was broken in two places. We feel pretty bad because we were unsure if it was broken and he didn't see a doctor until that night. I should've known when the first thing he wanted to do when he got home was to lay down with a blanket and then he wouldn't eat dinner because he thought he was gowing to throw up.

Here are the good and bad of breaking his arm:

Cons:
-It hurt.
-He can't ride his bike or play basketball.
-It takes longer to do things that use his hands.
-It is going to cost his parents some $.

Pros:
-He only has to wear the cast for 3 weeks.
-The cast is waterproof. He can even swim in it!
-His friends can sign it.
-He can easily earn rewards at school for wearing red on Fridays because of his cast color.

Princess Bike

2011-08-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Leah bought a cute little princess bike from her friend for $5. She was so excited about it and she begged us to teach her how to ride a bike. For Family Home Evening we headed to the nearby school. She didn't need very much help and was quite a natural. She was determined to learn and didn't get frustrated at all. She took off pretty quickly. The only thing she really needs to practice is how to brake :).

I love watching my kids learn something new like riding a bike or learning to swim. Leah sure is growing up! She starts Preschool tomorrow and she is very excited about it. She even laid out her outfit before she went to bed.

11 years on the 11th of 2011

2011-08-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Trent and I just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. For our tenth anniversary we had big plans to go to Europe together. We had saved up enough frequent flier miles to go, but it didn't work out. Maybe some day. This year we talked about going somewhere in the states for a long weekend, but we decided on a cheaper option: a fun night in Park City!

We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria. It was AMAZING! Seriously. It was worth the splurge. I was excited to find out they would give me a cheaper rate than the lowest I found and free breakfast (We got eggs benedict and beignets. It was delicious!) It never hurts to call and see what you can negotiate :).

It was a fancy hotel with amazing service. Right when we got there they valeted (sp?) our car and when we got inside they offered us some bottled water while we checked in. They asked if they could make dinner reservations for us. They told them it was our anniversary and we got free dessert. They drove us in to main street for our dinner. It was a fun night.

It was nice we had people to watch our little ones while we enjoyed 24 hours of peace :). We are glad they had so much fun with family while we were gone. Trent and I have been married for eleven years now. Time flies.

I didn't bring my camera. I only think to bring it to take pictures of the kids. Here are a couple of photos from the web:

The Lobby
The Pool

You've had a Birthday! Shout Hooray!

2011-07-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Connor had a birthday this last weekend. Mix that with Pioneer Day celebrations and it turned into a birthday extravaganza weekend. The events included eating out, bowling, a parade, Ogden Treehouse Museum, Birthday party at Grandma's, fireworks, swimming and going to the Pioneer Museum. It almost felt like a vacation which was very nice.

Connor opening his presents

Kids bowl two free games every week so that made it more fun for the parents :).
Connor working on getting a strike

Connor's Aunt made him a really cool Star Wars quilt and matching body pillow. He LOVES it and so does Owen. He keeps taking it from Connor's room. This picture is of Connor after I showed him how I used to swaddle him when he was a baby. We used to call him our "Connor Asada" when he was all wrapped up like a burrito. It's hard to believe how fast those seven years have gone.

The Pioneer Museum was really neat and they had a bunch of activities going on to celebrate Pioneer Day. There was a lot to see there. (Notice Owen just sitting there? That is rare behavior that just HAD to be documented. He is usually always on the move.)

The Ranch

2011-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last month we able to go camping at my Grandpa's old ranch. It was soooo much fun! The ranch was originally owned by my Great Great Grandpa, then my Great Grandpa and then my Grandpa who sold it as he got older. The new owner said we could come use it. We were so excited to go there again and I was thrilled to have my kids enjoy it for the first time.

The kids had so much fun they crashed on the way home

Owen and cousin Matix at the gate to the ranch house
Here we are in front of one of the ponds my Great Grandpa built

We enjoyed swimming, fishing and paddling in the paddle boat

(My Great Grandpa built that water wheel in the background)

Connor caught a fish all on his own!

Owen and matix checking out another water wheel to one of the other ponds

Owen, Leah and I on top of the carport

Connor holding a lizard his uncle caught

Connor on the lookout tower seeing if any cars are coming across the desert

We all had such a good time! Leah said she want s to go to the ranch for her birthday :).

Basketball Camp

2011-07-11T07:48:00.001-07:00

Connor went to a basketball camp in June. It was cheap and fun. What more can you ask for? Connor really likes basketball and he has a talent for it. One game of elimination he came in third place, with the coach being first and a twelve year old being second. It's fun to watch him. We hope he sticks with it and develops his talent even more. We want the next Jimmer! Maybe he would share his fortune and we could retire early :).

Princess Dance Camp

2011-07-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

June was a busy fun-filled month. The kids had a lot of activities to keep them entertained. Leah was able to go to a dance class for a week that taught them how to dance like a princess. It was adorable. She went with her BFF Sabrina. Leah is a quiet girl around other people so I wondered how dancing would be, but she had no problem. She loved it! I guess if it doesn't involve talking she is alright :).

Red Butte Gardens

2011-05-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Connor came home from school a few weeks ago and said the first graders were going on a field trip to Red Butte Gardens. He begged me to go with him. No really, he did. I thought I better go while he wants me to because I'm sure at some point he'll want me to stay away from his school and his friends :). It was perfect weather and a lot more fun than I was expecting. I even got to ride on the school bus with him. It was a highlight. They had the coolest bus driver that would have the kids raise their hands in the air and speed down hills. It was almost as good as Disneyland.

Connor and his cute friend Abbie

With a ladybug on his finger

Connor and his good friend Nathan

Sliding down the pole at the children's garden

My little boy is growing up too fast! One more week and he will be a second grader!

MOA

2011-05-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were lucky to get tickets to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU's Museum of Art. It was incredible. He has been a favorite painter of mine for awhile now, so I was really excited when I heard his art work was coming to Utah. It was such a fun day. We walked around the museum and campus and spent time as a family.

This huge thing was a bunch of books piled on top of each other. Look at Owen. I think he is doing the macarena (sp?).

*We weren't able to take any photos in the Carl Bloch part of the museum.

The Latest

2011-05-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

"Say What?! You're taking me off my binki?".

Well- not exactly. We have the stomach flu going around our house, so once he isn't sick I might give it a try.

Recently we were given tickets to the Jazz vs. The Lakers. Connor was in heaven.
Connor had a Spring program at school. It was so adorable! They sang the cutest songs. He also had a speaking part that he practiced at home for all on his own.

We watched my sister's doggie for a weekend. The kids wanted to have a sleepover with her in the living room.

As you can tell, we didn't move to Cleveland. Trent found a job nearby and has been working for about a month now at Maverik. We are pretty excited he has a job and we have an income :).

7 months felt like a long time!

Pacifier Addiction

2011-04-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

It's time for this little guy to be big and get off the pacifier. I don't think he is going to be too happy about it so I am gearing up for the worst. Wish me luck. :)

Cleveland Rocks

2011-02-18T07:40:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Trent and I were flown out to Cleveland for a job interview. We had a good time seeing Cleveland and all it has to offer.

Here is Trent showing the tag on his sweater. We went to dinner the first night and at the end of the meal I looked at him funny and said, "Your sweater is on backwards." He was mortified that the server probably saw his tag all evening. HA HA HA! I thought it was pretty funny, especially because he was so embarrassed about it. Luckily the dinner was just the two of us and not a potential employer.
Trent and I enjoying the view of Lake Erie. Trent loves this photo of him :).

Kirtland, Ohio is a short drive from Cleveland so we decided to go out there an afternoon and see the Church history sites. Here is a picture outside the Kirtland, Ohio Temple.

In front of the Newell K. Whitney store.

Pretty sunset behind Progressive Field where the Cleveland Indians play.

The kids had fun and did well without us, but they were also happy to see us (and we were happy to see them). This photo of Owen and Trent was taken right when we got home.

Valentine Skirt

2011-02-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

My friend bought some fabric to make her daughter a skirt for Valentine's Day. Lucky for me she had extra fabric. She helped teach me to sew this skirt for Leah. Total Cost: FREE. It was fun. One of these days I need to try to make something without someone there to help me. :)

Under the Weather

2011-02-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Which baby do you think is not feeling 100%?

Poor little Owie has been sick and I think he is on the mend. I can't wait for Winter to be over.

Very Blessed

2010-12-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

It has now been four months since Trent was laid off at Flying J. It has been an experience that I have never had before. Hopefully we are learning a lot from it all. Trials are never fun and this certainly is one. But, there has been a lot of wonderful things that have happened during the last four months. I have been keeping a list of all the blessings I have seen happen in the last four months and it just keeps growing. A lot of them are sweet things other people have done for us. Some of them we know who to thank and others have been done anonymously and we don't know who to thank. It has been an incredible Christmas season for us and we have been extremely touched at the generous things people have done for us. We hope to be able to return the favor. Thank you for the prayers and support, it has meant more than you can imagine.

1st Grade Winter Program

2010-12-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

Last week Connor had his program at school. It was really cute and they sang lots of fun songs that he has been singing around the house.

Where's Connor?

Leah enjoyed watching her brother and coming to his school

Owen and my nephew Matix were really good hanging out in the stroller

(Well Matix was. Owen got sick of being in there and he wanted to get out and wander around.)

Ogden Christmas Village

2010-12-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

This year we went to the Ogden Christmas Village for the first time. It was so fun! We all loved it. There was so much to see and it was all free! What could be better? The village is a bunch of mini houses (sheds) decorated for Christmas. You walk around and look in each window. It is really cute, except for maybe the Hansel and Gretel one which had a little boy doll locked up in a cage. Creepy. There were a lot of people there, but it didn't feel too crowded. I think we will make it a yearly tradition.

Owen not too thrilled with sitting on Santa's lap

Connor had no problem

Leah froze up and wouldn't say a word. Even though she promised if we waited in the long line in the rain she would talk to Santa. Later she asked me if Santa puts seeds on his face to grow his beard :).

Our little carolers

*If you have a free night before Christmas you should head up there and check it out. It's worth the drive with kids.

Temple Square

2010-12-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Every year we brave the crowds and go to Temple Square to see the lights. This year Trent's mom joined us. It was fun and beautiful and very COLD. I think one of my favorite parts of the evening was when we went in one of the visitor centers there. The kids were able to see a model of the Temple and how it looks inside. The funniest part of the evening was when Connor saw a statue of Brigham Young in the visitor center. He asked me if he was real but dead. He thought he was a taxidermed Brigham Young! His hands did look real :). I think he thought that because we took the kids to Cabela's a few weeks ago to see the animals there.

Owie was so good even though it was cold. We tried bundling them up as good as we could.

Connor the Elf

2010-12-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

One of Connor's favorite things about Christmas is giving people things he makes. He loves to draw pictures and wrap them up and give them to his Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. I can't wrap a gift without him wanting to help do it. It makes him so happy!

"Jingle Bells, Batman Smells..."

(He is just learning how to spell :) )

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago as a family we sat down and listed the things we are grateful for.
The kids had some funny ones, especially Leah. We noticed she was telling us things she saw around the room like "blinds" and "windows". We even asked Owen what he was grateful for and he said "woof woof woof" (doggies). I loved some of the things Connor told us like his "transformer backpack" :). It was fun to think about how many blessings we have.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Flag Football

2010-11-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

This Fall instead of doing soccer we decided to try out flag football for Connor. It was a new league that just started and we thought it would be great for him to learn a new sport and it was half the cost of soccer :). We were happy he could learn the basics of football without the injuries tackling causes. The dad that started it did such a great job of having the parents get involved and help at the practices. Connor and Trent both enjoyed it.

Connor excited to be there.

Trent instructing the team.

Good game!

Halloween

2010-11-02T06:23:00.000-07:00

We love Halloween at our house. We love the decorations, the candy, the parties and most of all the costumes.

Our little Star Wars Nerds

Princess "Leah" :)

Chewbacca enjoying our ward Halloween carnival

At Mother Goose Time the kids all got to trick or treat to each other

Leah and her Mother Goose friends

Connor and his friend Nathan at his class' Halloween party

Trent and I as Thing 1 and Thing 2 at a Halloween party

It was a very fun Halloween (even though it rained really hard). The kids were so hyper on sugar. On the way home from seeing family that night in Salt Lake they were being so wild. I offered them 5 dollars to anyone that would fall asleep on the car ride home thinking I would never have to pay that out. Well, Leah fell asleep. Connor was so bugged he didn't earn 5 dollars. I told him if he cleaned the bathrooms he could earn money. He was thrilled and so am I that My 6 year old is going to learn to clean bathrooms :).

Good News!

2010-10-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

This past week Trent and I celebrated two months of unemployment :)! But that isn't the happy news.

Connor learned to ride a bike!

He has always been a little nervous to ride his bike. Then for a couple of weeks he wanted to ride it everyday after school. One day he said, "Tomorrow can you take my training wheels off?". When he got home that is the first thing he wanted to do. We headed over to the nearby school and Trent helped teach him to ride his bike. It was so fun to watch and I am so proud of him!

Random Pictures

2010-10-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

This is our cute nephew that we have been watching 2 days a week.

Connor laid out his clothes for the next day. Silly bands and all. :)
Owen "hanging out" at the park.

Superman.

The boys.

The girls.

Star of The Week

2010-10-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

This week at school Connor was the star of the week. His teacher displayed a poster of him with pictures on it all week. Today Trent and I went in to talk about Connor to the class. We were told to fill a bag of things that describe Connor and things he likes.

We brought:
A pumpkin- because he loves Halloween and dressing up in costumes.
Star Wars toy- because he loves Star Wars.
A knight action figure and a toy snake- because he wanted to show them to his class :).
A picture of his family- To show how many kids are in his family.
Pickles- because he loves them and has loved them since he was a baby.
A football- because he is on a flag football team and he enjoys it.
Zelda video game- he likes to play video games after he has done his homework and chores.

(Pictures are from a field trip to the fire station I went with Connor on a couple weeks ago)

The Dog

2010-10-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

When Trent and I were first married he bought me a dog statue for Christmas. I had seen it in a window of an antique store and liked it. It reminded me of the RCA dog. Connor was never allowed to touch it. When he was about Owen's age he was playing with it and knocked it over. The dogs ear broke and I was really sad about it. Dumb. The other day Owen was playing with the dog and I got out the camera. Who cares if the dog breaks? I guess it is true when people say parents lighten up with their younger kids. I hope so.

Fall

2010-09-16T12:04:00.001-07:00

Since it is mid-September I spent the morning putting Halloween decorations up (even though Trent thinks it is way too early). With school back in session and the weather cooling down, it really is beginning to feel like Fall. We had a fun Summer with a lot of different activities going on. Here are a few things we did during the Summer that I never blogged about :) :

Liberty Park

Camping at Strawberry Reservoir. Trent and the boys are cleaning the crawdads they caught.

Connor, Leah and their friend Tyler selling otter pops to make some money :).

They didn't last long. They were happy to get a dollar a piece :).

Mother Goose Time

2010-09-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

A group of moms and I are doing a little co-op Preschool together called Mother Goose Time. Leah's first day was a couple of weeks ago. She is loving it and so am I (because it isn't my turn yet :) ).

Happy for her first day

Just arrived at Mother Goose

1st Grade

2010-08-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Connor started first grade this week! Yesterday was his first full day of school. He seemed pretty tired and grumpy when he got home. He says he likes it and he was really excited about his teacher and some of the things she does in their class. Connor told me that she hands out pennies when they are working quietly. Sounds like my child, always wanting to earn money :).

Yesterday when I walked him to school he held my hand. It was sad to think he is soon going to grow out of that. He is growing up and it is a little sad for me.

At his desk

Ward Party

2010-07-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

We love our ward. We have such great neighbors. Recently our ward had a summer party and they had horse back rides. Our kids were really excited. One of the best parts was watching Leah and her good friend Jake (that she so lovingly calls Jakey).

Maybe one day we can put these photos in their wedding slideshow :).

House Makeover

2010-07-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I painted my kitchen and bathroom. My kitchen used to be yellow and the bathroom was red (and was a terrible paint job). I painted them both blue and I have been enjoying the calming color. It reminds me of the beach, so it puts me in a happy place :). It was a bit crazy trying to paint with three little kids around, but it was worth it.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kitchen (sorry for the bad photos, my camera is not so good).

Owen looks like he wants to get away from crazy Leah in this picture :).

Pickup Family Reunion

2010-07-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Every year The Pickups (Trent's side of the family) have a family reunion. This year they held it near Price, Utah. We camped there for a night and the kids loved it. They really enjoy camping. They were able to swim, make crafts, eat a bunch of junk, ride bikes, have a water balloon fight, play with cousins, make s'mores, and run around and have fun.

Trent's mom Pauline and Owen.

Me taking the kids swimming in the lake.

Leah pretending to drive a motorcycle.

Owen was heaven. He could wander around and be busy.

I love this picture. It's Connor going down a slip and slide.

4th of July in Pictures

2010-07-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Denver

2010-07-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we drove to Denver for my little sister Breanne's wedding Open House out in Denver. It was a fun and quick weekend. Here are some of the highlights:

We took Leah to check out The American Girl Store. Can you say CRAZY!!! That place was so fun. I can not believe all the cool stuff they have for dolls!

Leah checking it out

They have a hair salon for your dolls!!! You bring your doll in to get her hair done! I'm telling you, it is NUTS! There was a group of girls that all came in together to get their dolls hair done.

See the little doll with the glasses and the blue sweater and skirt? Her name is Molly. I had that one when I was a kid way back in the day.

Leah and I at the reception.

The boys.

We also went to the Denver Temple while we were there .

Numero Uno

2010-07-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

My little "Owie Bowie" turned one recently. The year has gone by so quickly. We love Owen and are so glad he is part of our family. He is such a smart, happy, funny, active, and strong little guy. Connor and Leah love Owen and they love playing with him and being silly with him. Trent and I have really enjoyed Owen as well and can't believe our baby is growing so big!

Here he is in his cute little bow tie in Denver at Breanne's reception

Turkey: Day #7

2010-07-04T08:32:00.001-07:00

Me inside The Little Hagia Sophia

Outside of The Little Hagia Sophia

Leaving Istanbul :(

We missed the last flight out of JFK, so to save money we slept on a bench in the JFK airport (crazy, I know). That's me under the brown jacket sleeping on the bench. The sleep was worse than camping, but I would do it again. It was a funny experience.

Turkey: Day #6

2010-07-04T08:11:00.001-07:00

The Spice Bazaar

Turkey: Day #5

2010-06-26T06:49:00.001-07:00

Look at the picture on the board, second from the top. That one is me. They put it up to help advertise their pictures they were taking. We got a kick out of it.

Here we are as harem women.

The underground cistern.

The Archeological Museum.

Some cool stones in the museum.

One night we were at a shop we like to frequent. The store owner invited us to stay and eat dinner with him. I was kind of scared because I didn't want to get sick, but it had to be one of my favorite meals we had. It was like a lamb stew and we also had bread and yogurt (their yogurt is good there- it's just plain, not a bunch of sugar). We sat around a cedar chest with newspaper on top.

Me with the store owners cat. I hate cats and especially ones in Istanbul. I didn't want to get bit and have my trip end early to get rabies shots.

He pulled out a bunch of rugs to look at.

Turkey: Day #4

2010-06-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

Turkish breakfast at our hotel.

Dolmabache Palace.

The Chora Church. Those are all mosaics. It was one of my favorite places in Turkey.

More of The Chora Church.

Taking a ferry to the Asian side of Iatanbul.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2010-06-24T10:18:00.001-07:00

Because of a merger at work Trent is being laid off at his work. His last day will be August 20. Please pray for us that things will work out for the best. Thanks :)!

Turkey: Day #3

2010-06-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Arasta Bazaar.

Hand embroirdered shoes. Each boot took a few days to make.

Shopping for scarves.

Hand dyed suzanni.

Shop owners playing backgammon. It is a big thing over there.

Looking at beautiful ikat fabric.

I got Connor a backgammon set while I was in Turkey. This is not the one I bought him. This one was hundreds of dollars. It had a lot of intricate details.

The Grand Bazaar (this man was selling juice).

One of the many shops we went to.

Wonder Woman :).

This man took us up to his han (workshop) in the grand bazaar. There were men up there making jewelry. A couple of them took off my ring and polished it for me.

I guess even the Turks like Twilight :).

They have really cool lanterns over there.

The Mosaic Museum. Do you like the mullet?

A lovely squat toilet.

We went to a yummy restaurant that was outdoors just below the Blue Mosque. It was really cool to hear their call to prayer so close.

Turkey: Day #2

2010-06-07T21:45:00.001-07:00

Rustem Pasa Mosque

Beautiful Iznik tiles. There are more than 2,300 tiles.

Tree of life design.

The New Mosque on the left and the Spice Bazaar (Egytian Market) on the right.

The New Mosque with men washing before they enter to pray.

Inside The New Mosque.

My sister's friend lives in Istanbul and through her we were able to have a tour up the bosphorus on the American cosulate's boat. It was such a cool experience. We were just a tad bit nervous at first because the boat had been firebombed back in the 80's. :) But we made it out ok even with an American flag flying on the boat half of the boat ride.

A view from the boat.

The Captain and First Mate.

This man saw the American flag on the boat and waved and put his hand over his heart when he saw it from the shore.

My Aunt Gayla peeking out the bathroom window on the boat.

The ladies.

Enjoying some pistachio baklava on board. Yummy- and I don't normally like baklava.

Hamdi Restaurant with Alissa's friend Cinda.

The view out of the restaurant.

Dessert.

Turkey: Day #1

2010-06-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

I got back from Istanbul a few weeks ago and have been meaning to blog a little about my trip. I am going to break it down by day. Between all of us we took 2,000 photos, so it is taking me awhile to organize them and pick a few out for my blog. We had a great trip. My favorite thing to do is to travel, especially out of the country. We live in such a big incredible world and it is so fun to learn about other cultures.

Alissa and Susan on our flight to Istanbul. We were lucky to get business class seats. It was amazing. I wish I could fly that way every time! :)
Happy to be in Istanbul.

My sister Alissa and I in The Blue Mosque.

Outside The Blue Mosque.

This little boy was on his way to be circumcised. They dress the boys up in these circumcision outfits.

Alissa in front of The Hagia Sophia.

The entrance of The Hagia Sophia.

Even the ceiling was beautiful.

Alissa, my mom's friend Susan, my mom and I.

Making a wish. (you are suppose to turn your thumb around in this hole).

The Blue Mosque from a window of The Hagia Sophia.

Finishing up at a Turkish bath. What an experience :)!

We ate sooo much good food.

Here we are at our favorite place to eat with one of our favorite waiters.

Owie

2010-05-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

My baby took his first steps today! He was so excited and kept wanting to try it. I'm sure we'll be practicing all day today :). Owen is pretty proud of himself and he thinks he is really funny. We are getting a big kick out of it.

Easter Fun

2010-04-23T08:19:00.001-07:00

We went out to Randlett, Utah for an Easter get together with Trent's family. We hung out at a cabin, had a picnic, rode on four wheelers, went on Easter egg hunts, and went to the old store Trent's grandparents used to own when his mom was younger.

These next photos are when we took the kids to a free Easter egg hunt at This is the place park. I am pretty sure the rest of Utah was there. We decided if they would've charged a dollar they wouldn't have had half they people they did. We took they kids and Connor's good buddy Tyler. They had an easter egg hunt (they kids only got one egg :) ), pictures with the bunny, and free cotton candy. It was fun and really cold.

Random Pictures

2010-04-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

George Washington

2010-04-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the school year each kid in Connor's class had to sign up for a report to do during the year. Connor really wanted to do it on George Washington. He was so excited all school year to do it and kept asking when his report was. A couple of months ago he finally got to do it (I am a little behind in blogging :) ). Back when we thought we might be moving to Iowa, one of Trent's reasons to not move was that Connor would not be able to do his George Washington report. What a nice dad, but can you see what a big deal this report was?!

Connor answering the class' questions about the President

Connor and I showing his poster. We also read them a book about him.

Owen as George Washington

Happy Spring!

2010-04-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

This week is Spring Break. I am so glad today is nice. The kids are in shorts today (they are probably pushing it a bit). Utah weather is crazy. Two days ago Connor, Leah and their friend Tyler were out in our front yard building a snowman and today they are wearing shorts. I am so done with the snow, it makes me miss California weather.

Here are a few photos I have been meaning to post of the kids. My friend Melinda took them.

Wahooo!

2010-03-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Connor had his first soccer game of the season. His team is the Red Dragons. I love how much he loves sports and how excited he gets about playing. He laid his soccer uniform out, socks and all on his bedroom floor the night before the game because he was so excited. I think he would've worn his uniform to school if I had let him. It was a fun game and the best part was Connor made his first soccer goal! He was trying to act all cool and not smile, but he couldn't hold back. I am kicking myself for not bringing my camera. Go Red Dragons!

Istanbul Not Constantinople

2010-03-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago I was able to go on a trip that I considered a once in a lifetime opportunity. I went on a girls trip to Paris and Turkey. Recently I found out that I have been given this chance again! This Spring I will be going back to Turkey. A lady in my mom's ward works for an airline and asked if my mom wouldn't go with her to Turkey and provide her with a buddy pass. She generously offered to have my sister Alissa (who didn't go on the trip last time) and I go along as well. I was a little worried at first about all the details like what to do with the kids and how I probably should be more practical with my money. Thankfully I have a very supprotive husband and a very generous mother in law. I love Istanbul and I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life going there. Here are a few pictures from the last adventure:

Our Hotel: The Empress Zoe

The lobby of the hotel. You go up the winding staircase to the rooms. We are going to stay here again. It is easily my favorite hotel.

My mom, Aunt Teresa, me, sister Breanne and sister in law Kami inside The Blue Mosque.

Teresa, Janice, me, Kami, Aunt Gayla, and Breanne.

Now the big question is: Does anyone have any good ways of making some extra money? :)

Crazy Lady

2010-02-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Leah's Grandma got Leah the cutest swimsuit with matching coverup, sunglasses and swim bag. The lady at the store was telling us about an adorable swim cap that went with it, but was sold out within a few days. I checked online and they only had 0-6 months. I had to have it! Pathetic, I know. So, I called 44 stores and everyone was either sold out or had it in a o-6 months. I finally found a store in North Carolina (Thank you Charlotte!) that had one in a 2-3T even though I needed a 4T. Oh well- Leah will have to squeeze into it, because it is being shipped to our house.

I know I am crazy. It probably isn't the smartest thing to spend a chunk of money on a silly swim cap, but I had to have it! A matching swim cap?! Adorable. I'm creating jobs. Right?

Ice Skating

2010-02-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted forever. Does anyone even read this thing :)?

On Monday night we took the kids to the rec center to go ice skating for our Family Home Evening. It was Connor and Leah's first time. Poor little Owen had to play in the rec center's child care. But, I think he had fun crawling all over and exploring new toys.

The kids did great. First they started out with us holding both of their hands, then they went down to one hand, then they went to holding the wall, and then they did it ALL BY THEMSELVES! I was so impressed! It is funny what kids can learn in just an hour. Maybe Connor can be a hockey player and Leah can be a figure skater. I think they might enjoy watching the Olympics and seeing what they could learn to do with enough hard work and practice :).

The kids are begging to go again next Monday. I'll be sure to bring my camera next time.

Sorry Alissa! :)

2010-01-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Check out my sister Alissa. She was nominated for Wastach Woman of the Year for her work in the community.

http://wasatchwoman.com/article.php?id=173

(ARTICLE TAKEN FROM WASATCH WOMAN MAGAZINE)

Support for the Broken
Community Honoree, Alissa Black
by Marcia Armstrong Chidester

Murray Police Department crime victims advocate Alissa Black knows the consequences her clients suffer after being raped, robbed and beaten by raging husbands. She's seen the black eyes, bloody noses and broken bones. She's witnessed the terror and plummeting self-esteem. She's been frustrated at the lack of emergency financial assistance — for a hotel room needed to escape an abusive spouse or food for hungry kids — that made the aftermath of an already awful situation much worse. But one day in 2005, after trying in vain to locate money to help a rape victim who'd been robbed of every cent in her bank account, the 31-year-old Alissa had an "aha" moment: The area needed an emergency fund for such things. And, she would have to organize it. "I wanted to take care of that totally unexpected, emergency need," she says. Alissa had organized a similar fund while working as a victims' advocate in San Diego two years earlier, so she knew the fundamentals of making it happen. After receiving permission from her boss, Murray Chief of Police Peter Fondaco, she started calling businesses and foundations across Salt Lake Valley, looking for money. What she got was dozens of rejection letters. "It was depressing that the foundations didn't want to give money to a new organization, but I don't blame them," she said. "We were so new, with no audited financial reports yet." Then, Chief Fondaco talked to Utah mogul Larry Miller, who discussed the concept with executives at Zions Bank and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, Alissa says. Between the three organizations, Alissa soon had $225,000 in seed money, and in 2006, the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Fund (SLVEF) was born. In the last three years, she's written checks for such urgent expenditures as funerals, burial dresses and the home biohazard cleanups necessary when family members are killed or commit suicide. "I'm in awe of what she's accomplished in a few short years," said Lynda DeRushia, who nominated Alissa for the honor. Lynda was president of the Murray Chamber of Commerce when Alissa started raising funds. "Alissa was stepping into unknown territory to make things happen for people who needed immediate assistance," Lynda says. "She has a real compassion and a need to go the extra mile." Now, as executive director of SLVEF, Alissa fields calls for help from area police stations, rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters. Victims fill out a one-page application explaining their emergency need and detailing exactly what help they are seeking. While most relief agencies use income to disqualify applicants, Alissa doesn't take family finances into account. "Some couples make a lot of money, but often the wife, who is a victim of domestic violence, doesn't have access to that funding," she says. To keep the organization's coffers filled, Alissa applies for grants and holds fundraisers. She also asks prosecutors to request reimbursement from perpetrators in court-ordered restitution. The paybacks help make the offenders accountable, a character trait sorely lacking in most domestic violence criminals, she says. "They are paying our emergency fund back for their bad choices." Not all donations have to be monetary. Businesses can also help by supplying such things as hotel rooms, food or clothing, at no charge to crime victims. Alissa willingly donates her lunch hours at work and uses the leisure time she could spend with her husband to scrutinize SLVEF applications, get checks signed and secure supplies. Such dedication has reaped great results, Chief Fondaco says. "She's invested a lot of time to make this thing work," he says, "and she is the only reason it is a success."

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-24T09:24:00.001-08:00

Every year we have some family Christmas traditions. Here are some of them:

This little guy on the blender is named Stephen our elf. Connor named him last year. Every night he flys back to the North Pole and reports to Santa if we are being bad or good. Every morning we find him in a different place in the house. He has really come in handy when we have needed to point out that Stephen is watching.

This is an ornament Trent and I got for our first Christmas. Every year we have bought an ornament. Sometimes it is to symbolize something that happened that year.

This is our ornament from last year. We bought it while we were in Hawaii.

Here is our little Christmas tree. Our kids enjoyed putting the ornaments on it.

Owen has become a little crawler in the last couple of weeks. He loves going to the tree and trying to grab any presents or ornaments in his reach.

Every year we take the kids to see Santa. Since we are cheap we take them to see Santa at RC Willey :). They even take the photo and print it out for you right there :).

After walking around the store for a minute Connor said he needed to go back to Santa. He forgot to tell him what he wanted for Christmas. He told him a Batman movie and a t-shirt. Santa said to go to bed early and to make him some chocolate chip cookies. Connor asked if it was O.K. if we made him gingerbread cookies because we already bought the mix for them. Santa said that would be great. It was pretty funny.

While at RC Willey we couldn't pass up the free hot dogs and soft drinks.

Another one of our family traditions is to go to the Festival of Trees. Here is Leah by her favorite tree.

Connor liked the Grinch tree.

We love the Christmas season and all the fun things we do together as a family. We also love the reason why we celebrate Christmas and are grateful for Jesus and his example to us.

Merry Christmas!

Job Interview

2009-12-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Trent and I just recently returned from Iowa and Illinois. Trent was interviewing for a job out in Iowa and the company flew us both out to interview and check it out and see if it was somewhere we would like to move to. We brought Owen along with us (since I am his food source right now) and we left the other two crazies at home with Trent's nice mom.

Owen enjoying some alone time with his parents at our hotel.

John Deere's headquarters are out there. This photo was taken at their museum.

Owen and Trent

On Sunday we went to a small ward building surrounded by beautiful corn fields. Then we took a drive out to Nauvoo to see the Temple. It was beautiful. I wish we had more time to see everything.

After the Temple we drove to Carthage to see Carthage Jail. I was so glad we were able to go there. It was really emotional and we had a really neat missionary couple take us on the tour. His great great grandparents had lived in Nauvoo and her great great great grandparents had. She was actually a convert to the church. He shared such a beautiful testimony in the room where Joseph Smith was killed. Then he let Trent and I stay in the room alone for a minute.

We had a good trip and enjoyed seeing a part of the country that we had never seen. But, we were happy to see our other two rug rats.

Give Thanks #7

2009-11-17T17:58:00.001-08:00

(sorry for the bad photo)

I am grateful for Leah. It has been so fun to have her as my daughter. Today I took her to the store so she could use her birthday money. I asked her what she wanted to get. I thought I would hear a stroller, or maybe a doll or a care bear. Nope- she wanted Billy Mays Big City Slider Station. The store we went to didn't have it, so she had to settle for a book and a Strawberry Shortcake movie. I think the poor girl has been watching too much tv. She has been brainwashed. I have a lot of work to do :).

Give Thanks #6

2009-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for good neighbors. We love where we live. Not because our house is our favorite, but because of our neighbors. The picture below is a bunch of stuff my neighbor didn't want anymore. She was moving and offered me a bunch of stuff she wasn't taking. This may look like junk to you, but I have big plans for some of it.

The large jar: holds laundry detergent in my laundry room
The 2 small jars: I am going to use as a rewards system to get my oldest two to do chores. They will fill them with pom poms. They'll get a pom pom to put in when they have done their job. When it is filled we will head to the dollar store.
The basket: To put their snow clothes in.
The flowers: To make cute hair accessories for Leah.
The cowboy hat: For Connor. He ate corn flakes this morning while wearing it.

Give Thanks #5

2009-11-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for Owen. He has been so fun and Connor and Leah adore him. Here he is on the right with his cousin Matix who was born 31 hours before him at the same hospital! We hope they won't get in too much trouble together :). Look how they are holding hands. They are already partners in crime.

Give Thanks #4

2009-11-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for Connor. He is such a character. Recently I was looking through some pictures on my camera and found a bunch that Connor had taken. I guess he is an aspiring phtographer. They were really funny to find, but I wondered where I was when he was taking all those pictures :).

(Photos and photo captions courtesy of Connor)

"it's me smiling"

"getting pictures of the beautiful stuff"

"from the tv"

"from the movie what I was watching"

"getting pictures of trucks"

Give Thanks #3

2009-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for my family. They are a crack up and I love to be around them.

Here is my brother Brian holding a piano recital at the park. Yes he is a grown married adult. We laughed pretty hard at his musical selections.

My brother Patrick with my parents.

Gayla and Teresa showing up to Connor's birthday dressed as pirates.

My sister Alissa, brother Brian and brother Scott.

I am grateful to have a big family and live so close to them. I hope we can always live so close to one another :).

Give Thanks #2

2009-11-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for stores like Target that have great clearance items. I love a good deal! Right now they have costumes 75% off! I was able to get my kids cute costumes for Christmas. They love to dress up and pretend. And they were only 3.00!!! Yahoooo!

Give Thanks

2009-11-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

This time of year is usually a time to reflect on all the blessings we have. My posts this month are going to be about some of things I am grateful for.

#1: Owen's Baby Blessing

Owen was blessed on Sunday at my parent's house. My husband is the one that gave him the blessing. I am grateful to have Owen in our family and am grateful for a husband that is willing and able to bless our baby. I am so grateful to our Bishop and all our family that came to share this day with us. I am also very grateful to my parent's for having it at their house so I didn't have to clean mine :). Thanks mom and dad!

Here is the little chunk. We had to get a picture of his cute little fat rolls. :)

Owen in his blessing outfit.

The family.

I Love Halloween

2009-11-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

We love Halloween and my kids like to wear a different costume to every Halloween event.

Owen in his pumpkin costume.

Leah as a cupcake and Connor as a chef. My mom made her costume for her birthday.

Trent and I at an 80s party. You can't see in the photo his leather pants and my leg warmers.

Connor and Leah as garden gnomes.

Connor went to school as Jack Sparrow. He really gets into character.

Update

2009-10-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very good at blogging lately. Here is a little of what we have been up to.

Trent's mom taught me how to can. It was fun and we made a ton of stuff: tomatoe sauce, sun dried tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, apple sauce, apple pie filling, and salsa.

Here is Leah playing with one of her favorite toys: a doll stroller. She loves to push it around and pretend she is a mom.

Here is a photo from Leah's princess birthday party with my family. (Notice Leah's funny shirt. Trent got it on a trip to Nashville. I'll have to get him to do a post about it. He even went to Graceland :).

Our baby Owen. This kid is a tank: 90th percentile for weight and height. He loves his food :). I can't believe is four months old now! The time has flown by!

Connor, Leah and Owen being silly as usual.

My kids are so messy! They can't eat a popsicle without needing to be hosed down.

Leah with her birthday pinata her aunt Alissa gave her. It was stuffed with tons of candy. The kids, and us :) enjoyed it. Notice Leah's hands in her hair? She constantly twirls her hair. She used to always bite her nails, then she switched to sucking on her hair, and now since she got a hair cut she has switched to twirling it.

The Belle Boutique

2009-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Burlap pillows are all over the place nowadays and I LOVE them! So- being the cheap person that I am I decided to make some (with my mom and sister's help of course). We are going to be selling some of our creations at a boutique this weekend. It is called The Belle Boutique and there will be over 40 booths there. It is free to get in and should be a lot of fun. I am very excited to go and get a start on early Christmas shopping.
Here is the info if you are interested in it (you can also click on the button on the right side of my blog to see all the vendors that will be there):

The Belle Boutique
Magnolia Grove Reception Center
1117 West South Jordan Parkway (106th S)

Friday Oct. 23 10-4
Saturday Oct. 24 10-3

Our booth is called Janice Black's Market

(pottery barn)

(anthropoligie)

Happy Birthday Leah!

2009-10-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

Leah is 3 Years Old!!! Her Birthday really is the 10th, but we are pretending it is today because Trent was out of town on the 10th. We are so happy to have Leah in our family. It is so fun to have a daughter. Happy Birthday Leah Boo!

Janice Black's Market- Avenues Street Fair

2009-09-10T12:01:00.001-07:00

My mom is the crafty type. I think she is most happy when she can create something really cute. We have been encouraging her to make her talents into a business. Last year she had a booth at the Salt Lake Avenues Street Fair. It was a ton of fun selling her adorable homemade creations. So- we are doing it again. The Street Fair is this Saturday, September 12 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is located on 9th Avenue between "D" and "I". If you have never been to it you should go. There are lots of fun booths, free entertainment and yummy food. What more could you ask for? Last year I even got some Christmas gifts. You can never start too early :). My mom has a blog where you can look at some of her items. She makes tons of different things in all sorts of the cutest fabrics.

You can check it out at: http://www.janiceblacksmarket.blogspot.com/

(if you want to buy something from her blog you can contact me or my mom)

These are photos from last year's fair

Staycation in Park City

2009-09-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we spent the weekend up in Park City with my family. It was a nice little vacation from the worries of life. We stayed in a couple of condos at The Canyons.

Trent and Connor at the Alpine Slide

(I went down with Leah and was a good 5 minutes behind them because I am such a wimp)

Trent and I riding up the track for the Alpine Coaster

(Trent had to talk me into this one. It looked pretty scary. It is like the alpine slide except you are on a metal track that takes you up the mountain and then you ride down. I was screaming so loud and then laughing. We had a good time. I would totally do it again. It was much better than the alpine slide)
Connor relaxing in the condo

Leah with my sister Breanne

Owen and Trent enjoying a swim

Vacations are a great time to get in a good nap

Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Kindergarten

2009-09-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Connor's first day of Kindergarten. He was very excited about it and had no problem going. I did, though. He keep telling me, "Don't cry mom". I asked him if he didn't want me to cry because it made him feel bad, or I would embarrass him. Well- I guess he cares more about how I would make him look. :). It was pretty funny. This was a big day and is the beginning of many years of schooling. We hope he will always enjoy school and that he will do well.

Strawberry Pinnacles

2009-08-30T12:17:00.001-07:00

A week ago we went to Trent's family reunion at Strawberry Pinnacles. It was our first time camping with Owen. We had a good time being together with family.

Trent with Connor and Leah

Connor with a home made boat he made for the boat races

Trent's mom with Owen (next to his Aunt and Grandma)

Connor swinging across the river

My solution to a ton of laundry

2009-08-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Mother Goose Rhyme "There Was An Old Woman":

There was a young mother that lived in a shoe,
(or a house that feels like the size of a shoe sometimes)
She had so much laundry she didn't know what to do;
She loaded it all up in her car with her three kids as well;
And took it to the laundromat, and finished it all in two hours.

*(and it was awesome)

9 Years

2009-08-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago today Trent and I got married. Time flies. Trent and I met 11 years ago. We dated for a couple of years and then got married. Here we are nine years and three kids later. I loved Trent the day we got married, but the love I have for him has grown even more and more deeply. Happy Anniversary Trent!

The Wedding: Salt Lake Temple

Trent and Cally

Luncheon: Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Us with our parents and grandparents

With Elder Wickman (he married us)

Reception: My parent's backyard

The cake

The backyard

Me and the girls in my family

Trent's family

Pillowcase Dress

2009-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

A year ago I bought some funky 60s looking fabric at a garage sale. I decided to make a pillowcase dress out of it, even though it wasn't a pillowcase. My mom helped walk me through my first dress making experience. I found the free instructions on the internet somewhere when I googled it.

Leah in her first home made dress

(sorry for the blurry picture- she wouldn't stop jumping around)

My Little Harry Potter

2009-07-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was going through some things trying to find stuff to sell at my garage sale on Saturday when I found some glasses that looked just like Harry Potter's. Connor was so excited when I let him have them. He then searched the house for his wand. I was in a different room when he came in and showed me his forehead (look closely or click on the photo to enlarge it). He took a marker and made a scar just like Harry's. Crazy kid. He still has it on his forehead today. I don't want to wash it off because everytime I look at it I can't help but laugh.

Ahoy Matey!

2009-07-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Connor had some neighborhood friends over for a Pirate B-Day party. This was his first friends birthday party. He had a lot of fun and we had a lot of fun planning it.

The Invitation

First the kids all decorated their own buckets with their names and pirate stickers.
Here is Trent helping Leah with her bucket.

Then the kids played "pin the treasure on the map".

The kids then found a treasure map of the yard. They took their buckets and went to different stations throughout the yard. They got something at each station (pirate hook, pirate ring, pirate bandana, pirate pencil, pirate m&m's, etc.)

Here are the little buccaneers with some of their loot.

At the end of their journey they found a treasure chest full of pirate goodies for them to share. Their buckets were overflowing.

We then enjoyed some pizza and root beer

and some pirate cupcakes.

Connor then opened gifts from his nice neighborhood buddies.

"Owie Bowie"

2009-07-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Owen is now a month old. Here are a few picutres of him from this past week. He is the third child and all, I don't want him to ask ond day why there are no pictures of him and there are a billion of Connor.

Here is Trent and Owen at a lake (pond?) by scout camp. Trent spent half of last week up at scout camp. He is our ward's scoutmaster :). We went up with him last Saturday to pick up the scout trailer. It was a beautiful drive! (Mirror Lake Highway)

Leah attacking Owen as usual. She is like a little mother.

Happy Birthday Connor!

2009-07-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today Is Connor's Fifth Birthday!!! Here are just 5 reasons why we love him:

1- He has a great imagination
Connor loves to dress up in costumes. He loves to "get into character" as we call it. We have even looked into putting him in fencing lessons because his sword fighting skills are pretty impressive.

2- He is a good big brother
He is concerned for his little brother and sister. Whenever we are out, he always makes sure Leah is right by us and gets upset when she isn't because he is afraid she will get lost. He likes to act silly for his younger siblings and make them laugh.

3- He is a good helper
When I ask Connor to help me, he usually is good about doing it. He'll help bring me Owen's diapers and when I ask him to clean up his toys he will usually do it until they are all put away.

4- He is a sweetheart
He can be sensitive to other people and their feelings. The other day he wouldn't let me kill a spider. He also had me say a prayer over again when I failed to pray for his cousin Matix. One of my favorite stories of Connor was when on his own he set up a store to sell his toys to earn money for people that need it.

5- He has a unique taste in movies
Connor probably has the strangest taste in movies (next to his uncle Patrick). Some of his favorites include: old Godzilla movies, Labyrinth (one of my childhood favorites), Bat Thumb, and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

We Love You Connor! Happy 5th Birthday! We are so happy you are in our family!

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Our Fourth of July was pretty fun. It included a carnival, naps (mom and dad included), barbequed bratwurst, and our own fireworks show.

This photo was taken right before Owen spit up all over the front of my shirt. I should've worn blue pants. Then I could've looked really patriotic.

Connor getting prepared for the climbing wall

A few seconds after this photo was taken he turned around and looked at us with a face of terror. There went $3. :)

Leah jumping in one of those inflatable jumping houses

"Pretty Bird"

2009-07-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

The other night Trent and I were hanging out inside with Owen while Connor and Leah played in the backyard. Connor came running inside and into our room holding a dead baby bird. It was pretty gross. It had fallen out of it's nest in our yard. Connor did not want me to throw it away. A couple days later he finally agreed. You should've seen how many times I made him scrub his hands. Here are a couple of pictures of the poor little birdie:

Silver Lake

2009-07-02T12:22:00.001-07:00

After being inside for a week, I really needed to get outside. So, on Saturday we took a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon and headed up by Brighton Ski Resort to Silver Lake. We took a walk around the lake. It was really pretty. The kids loved being oustide and throwing rocks into the lake. It made me want to go camping, but I don't think I am up to that quite yet.

Trent with Owen, Connor and Leah

Connor and Leah playing on a rock

Welcome To The World!

2009-06-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Owen Trent Anderson was born at 12:25 am on Saturday morning. The labor and delivery went really fast. He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. We can't quite figure out who he looks like. He has a great head of dark hair. We are so glad Owen joined our family and are grateful that he is healthy.

Leah holding Owen with Grandma Anderson

Owen

In his outfit to go home in

After his bath

Connor, Leah and Grandma watching Owen get his first bath

Connor holding Owen

Connor excited to have a little brother

This is a picture of the umbilical cord (sorry it is a bit graphic). After he was born the nurse showed it to us. At some point in the pregnancy Owen got it tied into a knot. We are very lucky that it didn't get cinched off and that he is alive and well.

The Baby Has Arrived!

2009-06-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

But it isn't mine :) !!! My brother and his wife had their first baby yesterday. They named the little cutie Matix. His mom endured an impressive unmedicated labor. Something I am too wimpy to ever try. We are very excited for them!

T-Ball

2009-06-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

T-ball season just ended for Connor. He played on the Diamondbacks with some of his neighborhood friends. It was his first time playing and he really enjoyed it. I loved the rules for T-ball: there is no winning team and the kids can't get out. I can be a pretty competitive person, but I loved that Connor could enjoy a sport without having to win or lose and have a coach that is nice and wants to teach the kids instead of getting mad at them. So refreshing. Now Connor is in swimming lessons and then I think we are going to try out soccer.

Good Movie, Rockets, Kites, and Tacos

2009-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

We are preparing like crazy for this baby to arrive. I have a huge list of things I would love to get done before he comes. Thanks to Trent and my mom and mother-in-law we have been able to make a huge dent in the list. On Friday Trent's mom came and helped me scrub my kitchen floor really good. I wanted the grout cleaned really well. Now I don't want anyone to eat in the kitchen for 3 weeks! I just want it to stay this way. My mom helped me dust blinds and clean our wood floors good. I don't know what I would do without them. I have really needed help and have learned to accept it easier with this pregnancy. After some chores around the house on Saturday we decided to have a fun evening:

First we went with some of my family (my parents, sister and her husband, and my kids and hubby) to see the movie UP! I loved it. It was so cute and such a great story. I even got emotional more than once in the movie. If you haven't seen it you should check it out.

After the movie we headed to a park and flew some kites. Leah loved it. It was a perfect day to learn to fly a kite.

At the park my brother in law launched some rockets with Connor. It was really fun and funny to watch my dad run all over trying to get away from a crazy rocket that decided to fly sideways rather than up.

After all that we were starving so we headed over to Rubio's for some fantastic fish tacos. (Sorry Breanne. I know you are jealous. Just think we got to enjoy the best tacos in the world- but you get to save orphans :). )

What a Week!

2009-05-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

This week started out great! Trent came home from basketball with his friends Monday morning and said that he didn't want to do any yard work that day and felt like doing something fun. We have a big list of stuff to be done, most to be done before this little bambino arrives, but we said, "Who Cares?" Our first stop was a yummy place called "The Counter" for some delicious made to order hamburgers. Then we used a free family pass we had and went to Discovery Gateway. Our kids could stay there all day. They could spend an hour at each exhibit. We had to keep them moving to cover the whole thing in a reasonable amount of time. Then we changed the kids into their swimsuits and let them play in the fountain at The Gateway before heading or dipped cones at Dairy Queen. What a day! It was fantastic. It was like a "staycation". That night I told Trent what a great day, now I am ready for the baby. My luck though this baby will have to be told to come out.

Another highlight of the week was a gift to get a manicure and a pedicure. It had a been years. We went to the Super Wal-mart's salon (I know- in a previous post I said Wal-Mart was dead to me, but they may have redeemed themselves). I felt so bad for the guy that had to work on my feet (Right Breanne?). It feels so good to have my nails and feet done. I wish I could do that on a regular basis.

The next big highlight of the week was Connor's Preschool graduation. I can't believe it! It feels like he just started! I have to say I was a little sad. Is this how his whole life is going to go?- really fast! I loved his preschool and his teacher and he loved it, too. He loved "Preschool days".

Here he is ready to perform some songs

Connor choking his friend Cameron (when I saw this picture on my camera I had to laugh. Maybe we should've intervened? :) )

This is Connor with his adorable girlfriend Ellie. He has told me a few different times that he wants to marry her. He played at her house the other day and after I asked him if he still wanted to marry her and he said "Yes- But I forgot to tell her!" He was all worried that he forgot, it was funny.

Connor and his good buddy Keaton (they call each other "Star Wars Buddy")

Golden Grahams

2009-05-22T08:27:00.001-07:00

I just won a $5 Discover gift card in a cereal box. This day is starting off right :).

Square Foot Gardening

2009-05-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

For a few years I have thought that we should make a garden. This year we finally did it. I don't really expect anything to grow to be quite honest, since we have NO clue what we are doing. But, we are giving it a try. Here is how we did it:

We had some trex decking material from a deck that was ripped out (Thanks Scott and Kami!). We took 6 foot pieces and built the garden to be 6 feet by 6 feet. We did two pieces high and then pounded in some wooden stakes in the corners and the middle of the garden. When I say "WE" I mean I designed it and Trent built the whole thing. After it was built we bought some square foot gardening mix and dumped it in our garden. Then I took some twine and push pins to make a grid over the garden. This way it will be nice and organized and I mapped up what will be in each square. After that we spent an evening planting.

We planted:
-roma tomatoes
-cherry tomatoes
-basil
-green peppers
-watermelon
-carrots
-white onions
-red onions
-marigolds (I guess that helps with the bugs?)

Wish us luck, I hope we will at least grow something. (I took these photos before putting in trellis' for the tomatoes and before any of the seeds sprouted up.)

Connor the Philanthropist

2009-05-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

The other day Connor asked me to come outside in the backyard so he could show me something. He had lined up a bunch of toys (and junk :) ) along the fence. I asked him what it was for and he said it was a store and he was selling all of those things. When I asked him what he planned to do with the money he told me, "Give it to people that don't have money". So far he has earned four dollars. If you see anything you are interested in, let him know :). Thanks! We are either going to donate it to a homeless person or to my sister's non-profit organization The Salt Lake Valley Emergency Fund.
http://www.slvef.org/

My Talented Mom and The Wedding Candy Buffet

2009-05-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

My mom's really good friend's daughter was getting married. My mom loves to help her friends with their kids' weddings. My mom was put in charge of a candy buffet at the wedding. When you put my mom in charge of something she goes all out. And I mean all out. The bride and grooms colors were peach and gray. Below are some photos of the candy buffet I got to help my mom with. (I didn't get a picture of my mom and I, but we wore cute matching aprons she made to match the candy buffet). The wedding reception was held at the Salt Lake Hardware Building. It was so much fun. If you are impressed with her skills and know someone that might want a candy buffet for their wedding, contact me. We are trying to get her to start her own business.

I love my little kiddos

2009-04-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

In about 2 months we will be adding a third child to our family. We are excited and grateful, but we are also a little nervous about adjusting to three kids. I find it amazing at how much I love my kids and that I will be able to love another one just as much.

Here is Connor working on his baseball skills. He is having a fun time playing T-Ball this year. One of my favorite things Connor has been saying lately is that he calls his pinkie or his pinkie toe a "twinkie" or a twinkie toe".

Here is Leah pushing her stroller pretending to be a mommy. She thinks in order to be a mommy she has to have a purse and have high heels on (she is wearing zebra print ones in this photo). I get a kick out of the heels thing because I hate wearing heels, I would rather just wear flip flops- much more comfortable. Leah has been telling us that she has a baby in her tummy like me. She'll laugh and say "It kicked me" or some days she'll tell us her baby came out. It is kind of weird and funny at the same time.

I NEED HELP!

2009-04-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Trent and I have talked some about baby names. We have a few we like, but we just haven't decided on anything. It can be hard to pick names and I don't like telling too many people what names we are thinking about because for some reason people love to say if they don't like it. I kind of want to just not tell anyone until the baby is born and say "this is the name" so then they won't say they don't like it. It will be too late :).

This is the part where I need your help though. I would love any name suggestions. We are thinking of Trent as the middle name, but we need the first name.

If you have any suggestions- please leave a comment!
Thanks!