While we are at it, let's just post a family shot of the day too. Good ones will come soon!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Just do it!
I once heard my grandma Anderson admit she was never in any pictures with her babies. Really, we are all never happy with how we look just after giving birth, and I know it's really hard for me to turn the camera over to someone and say here, take my picture! But, I did last night after dinner, when everyone was over after the blessing. AND after over 30 pictures ( thanks Julie!) I can admit I don't like a single one! :) but, here's a few for the posterity!
While we are at it, let's just post a family shot of the day too. Good ones will come soon!
While we are at it, let's just post a family shot of the day too. Good ones will come soon!
Tommie's blessing
We blessed Tommie yesterday at church. (september 9, 2013) It was a sweet blessing and Tommie was so happy and alert the whole time. It was yet another reminder to me that he has come straight from heaven with his own purpose to fulfill here on this earth. James kept commenting to me on how Tommie really just brings a feeling of peace and happiness. Yes he does!! I felt bad none of James' family could make it, but my dad, grandpa bob, brad, jared, and bishop Merrill stood in the circle.
He was blessed to:
* Know the love of his parents
*Continue to be happy
*always feel loved
*Listen to and follow promptings of spirit
*Be assured that Heavenly Father is guiding you
*Be confident but humble in knowing where abilities come from
*Be mindful of others around you
*Be kind and unselfish, charitable
*Feel happiness that comes through obedience
*Follow the will of the Father
*Be able to succeed in things that matter
*Have a testimony and share it
*Have a desire to go the temple and be married and then share the temple with your family
*Feel the love of your mother and father and have that support you through trials
*Be a good brother and be kind
Know that the only way of happiness is through Jesus Christ
*Be mindful of his name- know that he is named after 2 great people and follow their examples of missionary work and their commitment to living the gospel
He was blessed to:
* Know the love of his parents
*Continue to be happy
*always feel loved
*Listen to and follow promptings of spirit
*Be assured that Heavenly Father is guiding you
*Be confident but humble in knowing where abilities come from
*Be mindful of others around you
*Be kind and unselfish, charitable
*Feel happiness that comes through obedience
*Follow the will of the Father
*Be able to succeed in things that matter
*Have a testimony and share it
*Have a desire to go the temple and be married and then share the temple with your family
*Feel the love of your mother and father and have that support you through trials
*Be a good brother and be kind
Know that the only way of happiness is through Jesus Christ
*Be mindful of his name- know that he is named after 2 great people and follow their examples of missionary work and their commitment to living the gospel
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
First day of Orange Patch Preschool
Today, Jax started preschool. Pam Sharp and Jennie Jeffries put on a little preschool one street over. We tried walking their this morning for his first day, but we were running late and Julie had to give us a ride. He was excited and had his paper to introduce himself tucked away in his backpack. According to him, his favorite color is "black" and his favorite food is "spaghetti". He is lucky to have 2 cousins: Eliza and Weston there with him. It's only twice a week for an hour and 45 minutes each time, but already, I love having the little break. He came home so excited and feeling like he was so smart and old. Yet, his favorite part was still the snacks and toys!
Jimmer Jax Duncan Andersen
Our new puppy is officially akc registered under his full name.... Jimmer Jax Duncan Andersen. I guess Duncan is Swiss for the "brown warrior". I never noticed it's similarity to dunkin' the basketball until jax pointed it out.... ha! Crazy!!
He is a crazy puppy but already part of the family. Here's a to how small he used to be!
And then life changed even more!
My uncle Matt had been diagnosed with Lymphoma and right during the middle of his chemo treatments, we were moving. I decided JaNae's kids needed a break and it worked for them to come down with us to Mesa for a few weeks. So, James drove the moving van, I drove our car with Jackson, Andrew, and Catherine-- and Grandma and Grandpa Matthews followed behind with Spencer and his friend Elliot. We left right after the kids got out of school for the summer and spent the night in St. George at Chris and Stephanie's. We even loaded up Davis the next day and we all came to our new house here in Mesa. Boy was it a trip. Looking back, I don't know how I did it.... and had energy to just keep on going. Jackson took swim lessons at Kino with Andrew. Our days were fun but busy. I loved having Andrew in my house. If there's one thing I learned from taking care of him, it's that he is SO happy! I wish I were as content as him.... he was always happy to do whatever. Yes, he was hyper and liked to run away.... but for the most part, he just wanted to do what everyone else was doing.
When we weren't playing with cousins and enjoying the summer (aka swimming). My mom and dad had just bought a house on our same street, right next to my brother Brad and his wife. So now, all 3 of our families were on the same street. I feel so lucky to have so much family around! With Shaela gone to Prescott, I spent the days trying to unpack a few boxes, figure out insurance for the baby that was coming FAST and try to help James get through real estate school. He took a three week course out in Gilbert and was gone every day from 8-5. The kids stayed for two weeks then went back home. We had a few days to ourselves and then James' parents and Spencer came to stay with us for their month long break. It was so nice to have their help with Jackson as we finished moving into their home, rearranging their things, and prepare for our new life. I really learned to appreciate all my in-laws have done to help me. We took a trip to the cabin with everyone and even though I really felt the baby was coming, I enjoyed the time to just relax. The family did everything for me!
We came home from the trip and within a week, baby Tommie was here! On July 12, I went into the hospital in the morning, turns out Tommie wasn't ready yet and I went back home to take a nap. I ended up swimming at my Mom's instead. The contractions started again within an hour of leaving the hospital, and I was too prideful to go back until new shift of nurses' came in. By the time we go to the hospital later that night, I was hurting really bad. Contractions were every 4 minutes and James was doing his best to keep me talking. Turns out the hospital was really busy that night and we waited int eh waiting room for about 2 hours. I did my best to stay positive, but by the time they called us back, I was ready for an epidural. I was already at a 9 and 100% effaced. They gave me an epidural in triage while we waited for a delivery room, I finally started to feel a little better as they wheeled us over to a new room. With in half an hour of being in that room, it was time. Although it helped with the pain, I was a lot more alert this time and able to be more involved. As Tommie started to come, the nurse thought his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. So, after waiting all those hours to get into a room and push, we were all of a sudden trying really hard to NOT have a baby. I was getting nervous but James was so calm. Dr. Layton came 20 minutes later and right when he walked in, I couldn't wait anymore and Tommie came. Dr. Layton barely had time to get his gloves and robe on! Turns out, the cord was fine and Tommie was perfectly healthy. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He had a thick head of black hair, and just like Jackson, he was quiet and alert. So, he was born at 2 AM, on Friday, July 13, 2012. Referring to Friday the 13th, the nurse commented "If you believe in superstitions, you deny the hand of God." The spirit was so strong as I held Tommie and I knew he was meant to come to our family. With Jackson, the song "I feel my Savior's love" had come to me, but with Tommie, I just felt extreme peace and knew that I was meant to be his mother. My mom came in with Mansi and Brianna 10 minutes after he was born, and within 2 hours, I was sound asleep...completely worn out. We stayed in the hospital for 2 more days and James stayed by my side the whole time. He was so calm and quiet, and somehow, without him really even saying anything, cheered me on! But, after that first night, he was pretty much asleep on the couch the whole time...that or watching episodes of a TV show "Burn notice" on the I-pad!
We were lucky that Tommie came right before Wilford and Kathleen had to head back. We were glad they got to see their newest grandchild and I was glad to have her help around the house. She had all the carpets cleaned, cooked freezer meals, stocked my pantry, got a new dishwasher, and cleaned everything. She is amazing! Spencer stayed to live with us for another month and boy was he patient to put up with my lack of doing anything but nursing, and napping, and nursing again! Tommie is actually a really good sleeper, and has been since day one. He usually does at least 3-4 hour chunks which just feels great to me!
When Tommie was 2 weeks old, we brought home "Jimmer" our golden retriever. Although he is a wild and crazy puppy, he has instantly become Jackson's best little friend. I sometimes think I'm crazy to have a baby and a puppy, but he sure is cute and we are learning to become dog people! :)
So now, it's been about 2 weeks since Spencer left and we've had the house to ourselves. It has really just hit me, that i moved. I now live on Orange Street, in the house where I would drive by as a teenager, hoping to catch a glimpse of James. I now am a stay at home mom. I have the 2 cutest boys, and little puppy, and a husband that works hard to make a great life for us. My life couldn't get any better!
When we weren't playing with cousins and enjoying the summer (aka swimming). My mom and dad had just bought a house on our same street, right next to my brother Brad and his wife. So now, all 3 of our families were on the same street. I feel so lucky to have so much family around! With Shaela gone to Prescott, I spent the days trying to unpack a few boxes, figure out insurance for the baby that was coming FAST and try to help James get through real estate school. He took a three week course out in Gilbert and was gone every day from 8-5. The kids stayed for two weeks then went back home. We had a few days to ourselves and then James' parents and Spencer came to stay with us for their month long break. It was so nice to have their help with Jackson as we finished moving into their home, rearranging their things, and prepare for our new life. I really learned to appreciate all my in-laws have done to help me. We took a trip to the cabin with everyone and even though I really felt the baby was coming, I enjoyed the time to just relax. The family did everything for me!
We came home from the trip and within a week, baby Tommie was here! On July 12, I went into the hospital in the morning, turns out Tommie wasn't ready yet and I went back home to take a nap. I ended up swimming at my Mom's instead. The contractions started again within an hour of leaving the hospital, and I was too prideful to go back until new shift of nurses' came in. By the time we go to the hospital later that night, I was hurting really bad. Contractions were every 4 minutes and James was doing his best to keep me talking. Turns out the hospital was really busy that night and we waited int eh waiting room for about 2 hours. I did my best to stay positive, but by the time they called us back, I was ready for an epidural. I was already at a 9 and 100% effaced. They gave me an epidural in triage while we waited for a delivery room, I finally started to feel a little better as they wheeled us over to a new room. With in half an hour of being in that room, it was time. Although it helped with the pain, I was a lot more alert this time and able to be more involved. As Tommie started to come, the nurse thought his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. So, after waiting all those hours to get into a room and push, we were all of a sudden trying really hard to NOT have a baby. I was getting nervous but James was so calm. Dr. Layton came 20 minutes later and right when he walked in, I couldn't wait anymore and Tommie came. Dr. Layton barely had time to get his gloves and robe on! Turns out, the cord was fine and Tommie was perfectly healthy. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He had a thick head of black hair, and just like Jackson, he was quiet and alert. So, he was born at 2 AM, on Friday, July 13, 2012. Referring to Friday the 13th, the nurse commented "If you believe in superstitions, you deny the hand of God." The spirit was so strong as I held Tommie and I knew he was meant to come to our family. With Jackson, the song "I feel my Savior's love" had come to me, but with Tommie, I just felt extreme peace and knew that I was meant to be his mother. My mom came in with Mansi and Brianna 10 minutes after he was born, and within 2 hours, I was sound asleep...completely worn out. We stayed in the hospital for 2 more days and James stayed by my side the whole time. He was so calm and quiet, and somehow, without him really even saying anything, cheered me on! But, after that first night, he was pretty much asleep on the couch the whole time...that or watching episodes of a TV show "Burn notice" on the I-pad!
We were lucky that Tommie came right before Wilford and Kathleen had to head back. We were glad they got to see their newest grandchild and I was glad to have her help around the house. She had all the carpets cleaned, cooked freezer meals, stocked my pantry, got a new dishwasher, and cleaned everything. She is amazing! Spencer stayed to live with us for another month and boy was he patient to put up with my lack of doing anything but nursing, and napping, and nursing again! Tommie is actually a really good sleeper, and has been since day one. He usually does at least 3-4 hour chunks which just feels great to me!
So now, it's been about 2 weeks since Spencer left and we've had the house to ourselves. It has really just hit me, that i moved. I now live on Orange Street, in the house where I would drive by as a teenager, hoping to catch a glimpse of James. I now am a stay at home mom. I have the 2 cutest boys, and little puppy, and a husband that works hard to make a great life for us. My life couldn't get any better!
Life changes too fast
So, reality has hit me that I have no record of the past YEAR of my life! Crazy how that happens! But, yet, life has changed drastically for me... and I'll do my best to sum it up with a few pictures.
Our old apartment from Heritage Halls was destroyed. Turns out, BYU had other plans for this housing area. Yes, the bottom level, front two windows that stick out on the left, completed the extent of our little place.
Yet, what an answer to prayers for us! I was just starting my second trimester of pregnancy, still wanted to keep my job as a hall advisor, and we knew we needed a place that at least had walls around the bedroom. The sliding door just wasn't blocking the noise. My bosses explained we could move to a 2-bedroom apartment in Wyview! We were thrilled and moved 3 weeks later, just in time for James to start Spring semester. Turns out, I miscarried with that baby. I'll never forget the people who reached out in love. I had gone to the doctor's by myself and left sobbing after the ultrasound. I picked up James from class and he went to get Jackson from my friend Lindsay's. JaNae showed up with flowers and dinner. Bishop Acheson even came over with a balloon (how he found our apartment, I'll never know!). A girl I worked with even came over with a plate of cookies. It took me a while to tell people I had miscarried, but so many people stepped up instantly to help. I'll always be greatful for their fast support and help.
Jackson got to visit family in Mesa while James and I took my brother Matt to the Dominican Republic. What an awesome trip that was. I swear I had an anxiety attack while trying to learn to scuba dive. My goggles kept filling with tears, and all the boys laughed at me. I'd do it again in a heart beat though. I learned so much about other's cultures and got to see my father-in-law's great ability to help the church grow there.
We spent a lot of time with James' brother Matt who came home from his mission and was in Salt Lake at LDS business college. I really think he is one of the most genuinely NICE people I have ever met. I am glad we got to spend so much time with him. I miss him already.
Jackson became potty trained! He hadn't shown any signs he was ready...I just decided "now would be a good time! :) " And, three LONG days later...we were done! To this day, he still has only wet the bed twice.
I got a new hair cut and went back blonde. Though I still love doing my hair curly, James always prefers straight. As he often reminds me "straight is so good...down straight, up straight, I don't care how your hair is, as long as it's straight! :)". This may be the only pregnancy picture I have where you can't really tell I'm pregnant! Ha!
Jackson took a little gymnastics class at the rec. center and made a lot of new little friends. Mostly, it just allowed him lots of time to run and jump, get me out of the house on sick days, and fuel Jackson's competitive desire to just be the best. Not trying to brag, but he really was the best one in that class. By far the most athletic and coordinated.
Well, April finally came around, which meant GRADUATION! I'm embarrassed that I hardly have any pictures of it. In fact, this was the only picture on my phone and everyone looks SO bored! James isn't even in it! We were all in the marriot center, Jax barely made it through the opening talk. My parents, Mansi and Brianna came up from AZ and we loved having their support. Neil and Megan and Matt came and spent the long day with us, and Grandma and Grandpa Matthews came for a big BYU party at night. I was so busy with check outs for work. Those were peak weeks for me where I worked a lot of overtime. I was so pregnant, so tired, and so busy. Yet, there were a lot of parties to go to to celebrate with James. James did his best to act like he didn't even care. Really, we were so excited! He finally did it! We really felt like we still had our whole lives ahead of us. We still knew we needed to move, but James hadn't gotten a job offer yet. But, inspiration came that James was done with athletic training and needed to pursue a job in business. Wow! What a change for us! He had taken a few business classes that last semester, but didn't really have a strong resume, nor did we even know where to begin. For a while, he seriosuly entertained the idea of opening up a Little Ceaser's Pizza franchise with his work buddies at "Sports Acceleration" he spent so many hours learning how to start a franchise, what training was needed, etc. I was so impressed to watch his ability to figure out how to start a business, and then his dedication to just stick with it, no matter what anybody said.
However, he heard about a property management company from Shaela and Jared, and met with them. From day one, it just seemed to work with them and when the Little Ceaser's idea fell through, the job with COBE real estate just seemed right. It didn't offer a lot of motivation to join them. Pay was low, no insurance, and no real idea of what he would be doing. But, the bosses (Steve Beck and Dave Collins) felt that James could bring a lot to their company, and could boost their ability to bring on new properties for management. They said they'd take him as soon as he could start. We prayed hard, made a quick weekend trip to Arizona and decided on May 14th that I would quit work by May 25. And, we did! My co-workers were so sweet and threw a little goodbye party for me. Of course, I don't have pictures from that either. We packed quick and said goodbye to all our friends and ward. It seems such a blur now and didn't hit me till we were actually driving to Arizona. I will always be grateful for the good friends I made in Provo and for the great job that really prepared me for life to come. Yet, I was so excited to quit and just be a mom!
Our old apartment from Heritage Halls was destroyed. Turns out, BYU had other plans for this housing area. Yes, the bottom level, front two windows that stick out on the left, completed the extent of our little place.
Yet, what an answer to prayers for us! I was just starting my second trimester of pregnancy, still wanted to keep my job as a hall advisor, and we knew we needed a place that at least had walls around the bedroom. The sliding door just wasn't blocking the noise. My bosses explained we could move to a 2-bedroom apartment in Wyview! We were thrilled and moved 3 weeks later, just in time for James to start Spring semester. Turns out, I miscarried with that baby. I'll never forget the people who reached out in love. I had gone to the doctor's by myself and left sobbing after the ultrasound. I picked up James from class and he went to get Jackson from my friend Lindsay's. JaNae showed up with flowers and dinner. Bishop Acheson even came over with a balloon (how he found our apartment, I'll never know!). A girl I worked with even came over with a plate of cookies. It took me a while to tell people I had miscarried, but so many people stepped up instantly to help. I'll always be greatful for their fast support and help.
Jackson got to visit family in Mesa while James and I took my brother Matt to the Dominican Republic. What an awesome trip that was. I swear I had an anxiety attack while trying to learn to scuba dive. My goggles kept filling with tears, and all the boys laughed at me. I'd do it again in a heart beat though. I learned so much about other's cultures and got to see my father-in-law's great ability to help the church grow there.
Life returned to normal after our trip and James became so busy. Athletic training allowed him to work under Bronco Mendenhall for the BYU football team. I'm not sure I've ever seen James more excited about life! :) Truth be told the newness wore off real fast and he would often go days without seeing Jackson. He was so busy, traveled a few times with the team, and even worked a few sundays. I know I realized that come weekend nights, when he was off till 3 in the morning with games, that he really was my best friend and I was getting way too lonely! We missed him! That fall semester went by really slow and my work seemed really crazy. I hated that Jackson was always having a babysitter. But looking back, fall really helped us realize that 1) James loves football, but likes it even better when it's not part of his everyday life! 2) Athletic training may not be the best career choice for him 3) It was getting time for me to quit work.
James did carve a sweet pumpkin for the carving contest though. He lost! (ok, I think he got 3rd, but to James, not winning = losing).
All of a sudden Jackson seemed to be growing up way too fast.
I became another success story of Utah Fertility Clinic as I became pregnant with what is now, baby Tommie. And, all thanks to the famous "herb lady" Harriet, I was not so sick. I was able to work and carry on normal life without barfing SO many times. In fact, there were days I would throw up 3 times and wonder what was wrong with me! What a blessing!
We spent a lot of time with James' brother Matt who came home from his mission and was in Salt Lake at LDS business college. I really think he is one of the most genuinely NICE people I have ever met. I am glad we got to spend so much time with him. I miss him already.
We spent our first Christmas together as a family, in our 2 bedroom apartment and NO we did not eat at the cannon center! Christmas was on a Sunday and James made us a great ham and potatoes, we visited JaNae and went to bed early. The next morning, we left for Arizona for a week. We even spent some time at Shaela and Jared's new cabin in Prescott.
Winter semester came and we knew it was James' last semester of BYU. We kept trying to figure out what we wanted to do. James was interviewing at different places in Utah and sports medicine still seemed to be the way to go for us. It wasn't till we made a spur-of-the-moment trip to AZ that I received the prompting we needed to move. James' parents' house was going to be empty and for some reason, Mesa just felt right. It took a while for James to feel the same, but once it did, we started trying to make plans to move. In the meantime, we had a scare with James' grandpa Bennion in the hospital and enjoyed out talks with him in his rehab center. James had his moments to shine as he helped Grandpa through a few physical therapy exercises.
Jackson became potty trained! He hadn't shown any signs he was ready...I just decided "now would be a good time! :) " And, three LONG days later...we were done! To this day, he still has only wet the bed twice.
I got a new hair cut and went back blonde. Though I still love doing my hair curly, James always prefers straight. As he often reminds me "straight is so good...down straight, up straight, I don't care how your hair is, as long as it's straight! :)". This may be the only pregnancy picture I have where you can't really tell I'm pregnant! Ha!
Jackson took a little gymnastics class at the rec. center and made a lot of new little friends. Mostly, it just allowed him lots of time to run and jump, get me out of the house on sick days, and fuel Jackson's competitive desire to just be the best. Not trying to brag, but he really was the best one in that class. By far the most athletic and coordinated.
Well, April finally came around, which meant GRADUATION! I'm embarrassed that I hardly have any pictures of it. In fact, this was the only picture on my phone and everyone looks SO bored! James isn't even in it! We were all in the marriot center, Jax barely made it through the opening talk. My parents, Mansi and Brianna came up from AZ and we loved having their support. Neil and Megan and Matt came and spent the long day with us, and Grandma and Grandpa Matthews came for a big BYU party at night. I was so busy with check outs for work. Those were peak weeks for me where I worked a lot of overtime. I was so pregnant, so tired, and so busy. Yet, there were a lot of parties to go to to celebrate with James. James did his best to act like he didn't even care. Really, we were so excited! He finally did it! We really felt like we still had our whole lives ahead of us. We still knew we needed to move, but James hadn't gotten a job offer yet. But, inspiration came that James was done with athletic training and needed to pursue a job in business. Wow! What a change for us! He had taken a few business classes that last semester, but didn't really have a strong resume, nor did we even know where to begin. For a while, he seriosuly entertained the idea of opening up a Little Ceaser's Pizza franchise with his work buddies at "Sports Acceleration" he spent so many hours learning how to start a franchise, what training was needed, etc. I was so impressed to watch his ability to figure out how to start a business, and then his dedication to just stick with it, no matter what anybody said.
However, he heard about a property management company from Shaela and Jared, and met with them. From day one, it just seemed to work with them and when the Little Ceaser's idea fell through, the job with COBE real estate just seemed right. It didn't offer a lot of motivation to join them. Pay was low, no insurance, and no real idea of what he would be doing. But, the bosses (Steve Beck and Dave Collins) felt that James could bring a lot to their company, and could boost their ability to bring on new properties for management. They said they'd take him as soon as he could start. We prayed hard, made a quick weekend trip to Arizona and decided on May 14th that I would quit work by May 25. And, we did! My co-workers were so sweet and threw a little goodbye party for me. Of course, I don't have pictures from that either. We packed quick and said goodbye to all our friends and ward. It seems such a blur now and didn't hit me till we were actually driving to Arizona. I will always be grateful for the good friends I made in Provo and for the great job that really prepared me for life to come. Yet, I was so excited to quit and just be a mom!
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