Wednesday, December 28, 2011

New Year, new goals

As 2012 approaches, I've been giving a lot of thought to what I would like to accomplish in the coming year.

Obviously, I want to lose 25 lbs. (If you know me at all, you know this is pretty much a standing resolution when I am not pregnant.)

But mostly I have been feeling inspired by a friend's recent "spending fast" (buying nothing for one month) that was in turn inspired by another blogger's 2011 goal to purchase nothing NEW (used items from thrift stores were acceptable, but of course there were still groceries and household necessities to buy.) I like both of these ideas, but a year is a long time to commit to, and I know I do better when faced with bite-size projects. So I've decided to take this idea a month at a time for as long as it is interesting. I LOVE that my sweet husband listens to my ideas (even if it is with an amused look on his face) and is willing to participate in my hare-brained plans! :) So for January, I am not going to buy anything NEW, and I am limiting our month's grocery/household items/eating out budget to $250.

Do I hear you asking, "why?" "What in the world is the point of this bizarre exercise anyway?" There are a lot of points actually, and maybe I will be better at expressing them as time goes on, but it has to do with watching our savings account shrink... with watching our children's rooms fill up with toys (I would like to blame Santa, but I must take full responsibility)... with seeing our children argue MORE as they have more STUFF to fight over... with the undeniable craving I have to go to Target and Kohl's and Chik-Fil-A... with the culture of consumerism! I don't know. It's just time to try things a different way.

And finally, I am going to try to speak my mind more freely. This is soooo hard for me to do. I am a people pleaser, a peacemaker, I want everyone to be happy... and I don't really think there is anything wrong with that, per se. However, I feel like I have missed opportunities to have more meaningful conversations at times, because I didn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers. So watch out y'all! lol Just kidding. But seriously, I am going to try harder to say how I feel and not be so worried about the response it gets. And if you are on the receiving end of this, please know that it is in an effort to deepen our friendship, and not the opposite. :)

I wish you all a happy new beginning in 2012!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

first foods, first Christmas

Just before Christmas Jacob had his 4 month check-up. He was 18 lbs. 14 oz. (100th %) and 27 inches (98th %). Jakey is the 1%! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) So, ya know, he could be a Sumo wrestler or linebacker or something. ;) He is adorable and very healthy. He smiles at everyone and is particularly attentive to Rob and Toby... I think those are great choices of people for him to look up to. Anyway, the doctor agreed that we ought to start some solid foods, and there was much rejoicing.

He was very happy to have a spoon just like everyone else.

Cereal, however, was not a hit.
I am looking forward to a little bit more independence and to sharing the feeding responsibilities, but I'm glad we're not ready to stop nursing yet. I love the quiet, cuddly feeding time with my baby.

On Christmas Eve, Charlotte and Toby were so excited they couldn't contain it! Jacob was a little overwhelmed by the noise and energy, but it was fun to see them all playing together and having such a great time.

These kiddos are best buds.
They loved their gifts from family and Santa, but they couldn't wait to give Jacob the stuffed animal that they had picked out for him and wrapped.

It's okay Jakey, you'll get used to it.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Lights of the South

We've been passing two different bugs around our house for several weeks now, but we have been trying to get out when we can anyway, and last Monday night we went to Lights of the South for family home evening.

The kiddos LOVED this! We took a hay ride through some pretty elaborate light displays (a depiction of Christ's life, followed by many, many familiar movie characters, and Santa's workshop, etc.) This castle they are in is near the end of the hayride.

This is a photo of it from outside.

Rob and I are curious about their electric bill.

We also visited with Santa. Jakey was very awake and alert at this place. So much to look at!

Charlotte and Toby were all business.
Toby told Santa he wants a football and a skateboard for Christmas. (The skateboard is a new addition, and doesn't seem like a good idea for a 3 year old to me.) And Charlotte asked for a Barbie. (She does already have some Barbies, but she would like a new one.)

We also ate popcorn, and played on the playground, and a lonely old man followed me around for awhile telling me about his dogs, which made me think of my mom (who talked to EVERYONE,) so I listened to him with a smile and wished him a Merry Christmas.

We also decorated our tree. It was fun to do all of the ornaments again this year. (This is Charlotte with Rhett Butler- I have several book character ornaments that my family gave me when I started library school.) Last year we only put on homemade and unbreakable ones since Toby was just 2. The kids were so much fun to watch hanging them all so carefully-- but only up to 3 feet high. I rearranged things a bit after they went to bed. ;)

I don't know this kid. LOL

Sooooo serious.
(Have I ever mentioned how Rob and I both were told that all the time when we were kids?)

And last but not least... Jacob is turning 4 months old in a few days. He is ginormous. We'll have the official weigh-in just before Christmas, but our scale puts him at 18 and 1/2 lbs.

I love these boys. :)
Charlotte will always be my girl and I love her and am thankful for her every day, but I gotta say, I love these cuddly, sweet, gentle boys sooooo much.

Monday, November 28, 2011

an attitude of gratitude

Next week we will have been back in the US for 6 months already! In some ways it has been super easy to transition back to normal life- Target, Walmart, 2 cars, 24 hour pharmacies. And in some ways it has been really difficult- tighter budget, more time commitments, trying to make new friends.

But this past month we decided to try and focus on our blessings and to try to do more for others. There are a lot of people (in the US, and throughout the world) that are struggling far more than we are, and we are truly, truly thankful for our material, spiritual, and all of the other blessings in our lives. :)

I forgot to put this photo on the last post- Spanish Moss. :)
We are thankful for the beautifully diverse world we have to live in.

We are thankful for 3 healthy, happy children.
Jacob has learned to hold things and now everything goes into his mouth as quickly as he can get it there. We find it's a challenge to teach our children about gratitude. We want to give them what they need, and many of their wants... but we also want them to understand that there are so many who have to go without and to have compassion and charity. I know little kids are pretty naturally egocentric, but we're still discussing ways to help them understand this. Any suggestions?

This is our "Thankful Tree."
Throughout November we talked about things we were thankful for at dinner time and put them on our tree. Some of my favorites: Halloween, 'snowmans' & Father in Heaven (from Toby,) my brothers, cheese, & Ariel (from Charlotte,) a singing voice, the mountains, & Julie (from Rob,) and Robert, Chinese take-out, & prayer (from yours truly.)
Oh look, it's the Savannah river again. (My organizational skills could use a tune-up.)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Fall photos from the CSRA

That's the Central Savannah River Area ya'll.

We heard about this place not far from us where you can walk or bike along the Savannah River and canal, so one Sunday afternoon when the leaves were prettiest, we took the kiddos for a stroll...

Pensive Charlotte- see it does happen sometimes.

This face! I love it.



I am really loving this Fall weather in Georgia.
Summer was brutal, but if the other 9 months of the year are this lovely, then I'll take it!


Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Halloween happenings

Hello again.

Three children certainly eat up more of my time than two did! I've also upped the ante by joining the YMCA gym and trying to exercise there 3-4 times a week. So, along with ballet, library storytime, and playgroups, our days have become quite busy. I will do my best to not let the blog go too long without posting.

The Halloween festivities this year seemed to go on and on and on.

Two weeks before Halloween we went to Kackleberry Farm.
This was the gentlest, sweetest, most lovely donkey I have ever seen. He actually wanted to be pet by children-- even when they clearly had no food to offer. I want one. ;)

We did the first stage of the corn maze.
(By all reports stage 2 was much more challenging and time consuming, so we opted out. Maybe when our kids are a bit older.)

We had our family photo taken on a giant rocking chair!

We did some other fun stuff too. The kids did a zip line, rode slides, watched singing rooster puppets, and fed the goats, sheep, and other animals. And we also picked out 2 pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. It may have been a real pumpkin patch, but it was not very sincere, and with the addition of the fire ant hills throughout... well, next year we may just pick them out at Walmart.

A week later we carved our pumpkins into Jack-o-lanterns. (Actually, I carved pumpkins to Toby and Charlotte's specifications - because it was too "cold and smooshy" for them to be involved with- while Rob held the baby on the porch swing. Sometimes I wonder why I am the only one who cares about these traditions in our house.)

Toby is ready to fight bad guys... as long as they're not too scary.

Charlotte's pumpkin is a witch stirring her brew from one of those pattern dealios. Charlotte is attempting to look sweet and innocent like Snow White.



Charlotte's ballet class encouraged the kiddos to wear their costumes to class. This was also the day the parents were allowed to come in and observe. I took several short videos, but Charlotte was often behind another little girl and out of sight. I like this one though. I'm glad she is enjoying it and engaged in what the class is doing and listening to her teacher. :)

We also wore costumes to storytime at the library.

Then we attended our church Halloween party and trunk or treat.
Snow White, Casper, and Spiderman.

And THEN it was finally the big day.

REAL door to door trick or treating! Rob took Charlotte and Toby around the block while Jakey and I handed out candy. The kids were back after an hour and fully satisfied with their booty. They helped hand out candy for the next hour and had so much fun with that, that Charlotte wanted to hand out the candy she had collected as well! (Weird kid.) Rob and I however were quite done with Halloween at this point so we vetoed that plan, blew out our pumpkins, and outened the lights.

The kids had a blast. Which I think is the point of Halloween for us. It is the one holiday that is just about being silly and having fun and eating treats. And that is ok. :) Before bed that night Charlotte told me that some people had given her "whole handfuls of candy! I don't know why! I'm just a little kid, I can't eat that much candy you know!"

Happy belated Halloween.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

belly laughs

I can barely get a little laugh out of Jacob. He smiles at me all the time and is cuddly and adorable. I figured he just wasn't a big laughter kinda guy. Then yesterday, I saw this....



Clearly, Rob knows something I don't.
I'm so glad he is our kids' daddy and my sweet husband. :)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Charlotte is 5!

Our baby girl turned five last week and we took a family trip to the ZOO in Columbia, SC to celebrate. We were really impressed with this zoo. It was small-ish, but had some enormous exhibits and lots of space for the animals. And no animals escaped. While we were there. At least, that we know of. ;)

Our very own 3 little monkeys.

I loved this family of giraffes. They were so beautiful.

Our visit wouldn't be complete without a ride on the carousel.

And a long time spent watching these amazing creatures.

Back at home, we enjoyed Charlotte's birthday cake that I made to her very exact instructions. (Chocolate cake, strawberries, pink frosting, chocolate hearts- NOT frosting, but real chocolate, and so on. She even made me a drawing to look at... but I improvised anyway: 2 tiers, not 3. I'm a rebel like that.)


Happy birthday Bubba!

Charlotte has her own flair for drama and love of life. She loves to laugh and dance and adds so much energy to our home. She is a great sister to her brothers and looks out for them when we are with other kids or in unfamiliar situations. She is my mini-me... and yet she is completely her own person. We love you Charlotte. :)

Charlotte's birthday interview:
What's your favorite color? Pink
What's your favorite movie? Rapunzel (Tangled)
What's your favorite song? Hmm, that's hard. My favorite song is Sunbeams. (Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam.)
What's your favorite food? Macaroni shells and popcorn and strawberries and treats. I love treats.
What's your favorite thing to do with Toby? Play with him in my dollhouse and my kitchen.
What's your favorite thing to do with Jacob? Talk to him.
What's your favorite thing to do with mommy? Fold laundry. (LOL)
What's your favorite thing to do with daddy? Play 'big ball' with him.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a cooker.
What makes you feel happy? Sunshine makes me happy! (laughs- she has a shirt that says that.) I laugh when Jacob moves around his hands and does silly things. I like that.

Jacob at 2 months

Jacob is already 10 weeks old! At his 2 month check-up last week, we learned that he is in the 95th percentile for height and weight. He was 24 1/2 inches long and 14 lbs. 6 oz. so he is a BIG baby. Just for the sake of a reference point though- Toby was that same length at 1 month old.

We've been getting to know Jakey more and more each week...
He is a cuddler. (And therefore spends a lot of time in the sling pictured above.)
He will only sleep on his tummy or side.
He's quick to smile, but slow to laugh.
He studies Charlotte and Toby like there will be a test tomorrow on how to be a big kid.
He is the cooing-est baby I have ever met. (I have a video of this, but it wouldn't upload.)
He looks so much like Toby that I mix their names up daily.
Every night I sing "Row your boat," the alternative "Glub, glub, glub your boat, gently down the stream, ha, ha, ha, I fooled you, I'm a submarine," and "Three little ducks" to him.
He does NOT like it when I eat: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, onions, garlic, or salad. (I eat them anyway and just get less sleep.)
He despises the bouncy seat.

And finally, he loves his mommy. :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

the art of doing nothing

Last Monday my spontaneous spouse and I made the decision to go to Hilton Head Island for a couple of days to visit with Rob's cousin Nathan who was there on vacation with his family. On our way home we detoured to the Columbia, SC airport to pick up my sister Pam and her son Connor who were coming to visit through today. So this week has ended up involving a lot of driving, eating out, lounging on the beach, more driving, watching movies, going for walks, playing Scrabble, more eating out, and spending time together. Also, Rob & I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary.

In other words, it's been a pretty awesome week. :)


Nothing says October like warming up after a swim in the pool.

This is what happens when you wear a regular diaper in the hot tub.
Thanks for the Public Service Announcement, Wyatt! ;)

I don't know why Toby poses like this, but he sure was cute with his poofy hair. (I've since had it cut quite short again.)

Nothing says 'vacation' like digging a moat boys!
(Can you tell that Nate got the short Nichols gene? He's only a smidge taller than Rob, poor guy.)

Emily helped me keep Jakey out of the sun and wind. I kept him in the sling all day because the wind was UNREAL. Thankfully they had this fabulous umbrella to help block it, but still the blanket just about disappeared under all of the blowing sand.

Back home with Aunt Pam, we spent a lot of time chit-chatting and enjoying the beautiful weather. This seems to be a favorite spot for rocking the baby. And what a big boy he is already! I can't wait to hear how big he is at his 2 month check-up soon. He spends most of his time eating, sleeping, and growing, though he is gracing us with a few more smiles these days. (I'll try to capture one this week.)

On Saturday we went over to the Fall Fest behind the Library.
Charlotte, Toby, and Connor rode a couple of rides.

Cowboy Toby.
I always feel bad for the ponies at these type of things, but these ones seemed exceptionally clean and well fed. They also were rotated out and got to take breaks in the shade.

Connor at the wheel... potter's wheel that is.
He loved doing this so much he did it twice. I wonder if it had anything to do with the very pretty pottery teacher??

And Charlotte had her face painted as a butterfly, and struck a pose to show it off.

It was great fun. And greatly relaxing. And Rob and I even got to have dinner out at P.F. Chang's while the kiddos stayed with Aunt Pam. But alas, now the company is gone, the laundry is calling, and it's back to work tomorrow for all. :)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

babies are a blessing

Dear Jacob,

Today was a special day for you. It's a tradition in our church to give new babies a name for the church records and a blessing in front of the congregation, and today your daddy gave you yours. You are too little yet to remember it, so I'll do my best to record the event so some day you will see these pictures and read these words and know what an important little person you are to our family already.

Love, Mom


Rob with Jacob this morning.

Jacob wore these little shoes today.
They were Rob's when he was a baby, and Rob's mom recently gave them to us, so I wanted to use them on this special day. I'm glad Jacob's feet weren't any bigger! They just fit him.

Oh dear. We tried to get a good family photo.
This was the best of the bunch.

Rob gave the following blessing and was joined by Chris Henley, Danny Devine, and our Bishopric.

Our Father in Heaven, by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, we come before Thee to give this baby a name and a blessing. The name by which he shall be known is Jacob Murray Anderson.

Jacob, you have come into this world in a time of strong confusion and chaos, when many will seek to mislead you. We wish to bless you with a desire to know the good things of the gospel. We bless you with a desire to study the scriptures and the words of the prophets. We bless you with a desire to learn the gospel and share it with others. We bless you to have a desire to serve a mission and to be prepared to go to the temple and be endowed with power from on high. We bless you, that when the time comes, you will seek a wife and be married for time and all eternity. Jacob, we bless you that you will seek to be a peacemaker and to be an example to your family.

We bless you with these, and all other blessings which your Father in Heaven might bestow upon you, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.