4th of July fun

Way back on the 4th of July, we were still living in a house with many boxes.  Our friends from Germany, the Bentons, who have just recently moved to GA were so nice and invited us over to BBQ and celebrate with them.  Mandy made the most delicious salad and dressing that I have had in a long time, and everything else was yummy too.  I ate far too much!

Anyway, I neglected to take any photos- it is even possible I hadn't located my camera yet- but Mandy took some great ones.  Including ones of my growing belly and goofy facial expressions- special thanks for that Mandy!  (Also, if Rob's shorts look a little mismatched with his shirt, it is because he had not yet found the bin with most of his clothes in it.)

Here is the link if you'd like to see for yourself--  4th of July

We are so glad you are here Bentons!  :)

The Museum of Play

The last day of our trip to New York, Rob and I decided to take our kids to the National Museum of Play in Rochester. I guess I drag my family to a lot of museums, but this was one that Rob had found online and the kids could really appreciate.

 

Charlotte got to talk with Rosalita on Sesame Street.

 

Toby played the pipes ala Blue Man Group.

 

Nearly everything in this place is hands on! 

The kids created their own imaginary creatures.

 

As well as crowns and tiaras.  You can also see a shelf of books in the background.  The museum is FILLED with children's books and reading nooks, and local library card holders can check out books directly from the museum.

 

Toby got to see what it was like to climb the walls like Spiderman in the comic book exhibit.

 

And Jakey found a car table that was just the right size for little guys.  Actually the biggest problem we had at the museum was getting Jake to leave one activity to explore another.  He never would have left the fish tanks by the entrance if it were up to him!

 

I was looking forward to the Berenstein Bear's Country, and it was neat to explore the quilt shop, house, school, restaurant, and farm set up in this section.  (I think I want a blue and white polka dot dress now like Mama Bear and Kate Middleton.)

 

I didn't snap pictures of it- but Rob particularly enjoyed playing some of the "vintage" video games available in the arcade and electronic games displays.  Frogger, PacMan, Skeeball, original Nintendo... it really was a trip down memory lane as we saw toys from our pasts and got to play with some of them too. 

 

The kids also liked shopping in the biggest play grocery store I have ever seen and made me laugh with their selections.  (Charlotte picked fruits, veggies, a hunk of cheese and a loaf of french bread- very Euro of her.  Toby picked cake mix, ice cream, and party supplies- for a special celebration.  And Jakey picked 4 packs of strawberries and all the bananas on the display!) 

 

We played until we were all SOOOO exhausted that we ate a late lunch (at nearly 3 pm) and went back to the hotel for a 2 hour nap. Best. Museum. Ever.

PA and Palmyra, NY

After a brief week of settling into our new home, we decided it was time to hit the road. First stop (after just 12.5 hours of driving!) was to visit my family in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Okay, I may be a bit biased, but we had a great time doing all the things that we like to do when we visit PA...

 

We ate ice cream. 

In this picture- from the Kunkletown General Store.

 

 

We rode things with motors.

(I know this picture is terribly blurry, but it was getting pretty dark out by then.  I so wish I had taken a picture of Jake on the four wheeler with Uncle "Nart" aka Mark.  It made a huge impression on the Little Bear and he has been asking about Mark every day since we got home.)

 

 

We went swimming at Aunt Melissa's and also at Connie's pools.

 

 

It was really hot out, so we went swimming a lot!

 

It was great to have time to spend with everyone- even if it was brief in some cases. We also had a campfire, ordered pizza from Frank's, and visited the animals an the Haydt's farm. :)  

 

After 4-5 days in PA we drove 4 more hours north to Palmyra, NY to visit some of our church's historical sites.  My dad instigated this trip about a year ago.  He and his wife Linda, and son Dan (recent high school grad! good luck at Westchester!) along with my sister Pam, husband Mark, and kiddos Leah and Connor all traveled with us.

 

We visited the Joseph Smith Farm and Sacred Grove.

 

 

We walked to the top of the Hill Cumorah.  This was something that my dad really wanted to do and he made it to the top just fine... ahead of this pregnant lady in fact.

 

And then in the evening we came to watch the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

This is an outdoor performance that is put on for two weeks every summer by a volunteer cast of about 650 people.  There is outdoor seating for a few thousand people.  There is a huge stage put up on the side of the hill, and some cool special effects involved, and of course it is free to attend.  And yes, it rained.  Rob and I last went to this pageant 8 years ago when we were dating and it rained that time too.  This time was different though, as it rained SO HARD and was accompanied by lightning bursts, that the performance for the night had to be cancelled. (This rarely happens.)

 

 



 

But would we be deterred?!?!  No, we would not! 

We returned the next evening (for the final performance of the year) and were finally able to see the show.  The story highlights characters and events from the Book of Mormon and Toby LOVED it and has taken to dressing like a Nephite since we've been home.  (He ties a belt around his waist and another around his forehead.) 

 

 

Here's Toby with the stage behind him.

 

The costumes have gotten better over the years, and my dad says 30 years ago they sat on very basic benches and not the comfy individual seats that are now set up- but the overall message has remained the same- Jesus Christ visited the people of the ancient Americas and they recorded his teachings in the records that became the Book of Mormon.  I'm glad my dad prompted us to take this trip and share these places with our kids.  It was a memorable trip!  And I think they learned a lot and enjoyed it more for having extended family to share the experience with.

We like to move it, move it...

We like to.... MOVE IT!

Well, "like" might be too strong of a word, but like it or not, we are once again in the process of moving.  This go around we are moving locally from one neighborhood to another within the same county.  Also for a change of pace, we are moving ourselves with only the help and kindness of our friends and our church family- but not our Uncle Sam. This will be our 4th move in our 7 1/2 years of marriage and of course coincides with our 4th pregnancy.  If this trend holds true, then we will never move again!  HA! 

So anyway, I will share some photos of our new home once we are settled in a bit, but I thought I'd share some things that I have learned, or am currently learning, in case you find yourself in a similar situation some day. Besides, I don't want to forget what it feels like to be in this situation myself.  :)

1. Ask for help.  I'm still learning to do this, but it has become ever more clear to me that it is important to recognize my limits and seek those who are willing and able to help.

2. Accept help when it is offered.  We are so blessed to be members of our church.  No joke. I have had offers from people to babysit, clean, load the truck, etc, etc. It can be difficult to accept help sometimes, but I am so appreciative of the spirit in which it is offered and genuinely try to allow people to help however they can, because it just makes all of us feel good, ya know?  I know I like it when people let me help them.

3. Sometimes it is better to pay someone else to do it.  We have a piano now.  And we know pianos are heavy, and delicate, and expensive.  So we are paying a professional insured company to move our piano rather than try to do it ourselves.  It's not cheap, but it costs a lot less than a new piano.

4. Make a plan.  For our last week in the house, Rob and I sat down and wrote out a sort-of master schedule for the week.  When the piano is being moved.  Where the kids will be each day. When the windows should be washed. When to move the garden plants and goldfish.  When the Internet is being hooked up/shut off.  There are just way too many details to attempt to remember them or even have them on separate lists. I need everything in one place.

5. Expect to eat out.  Tonight I made a pot of broccoli soup and hopefully I'll get dinner on the table tomorrow night as well, but after that it will be cereal, sandwiches, and take-out through Saturday.  It is not our ideal, but I can't face washing dishes on top of everything else and the fridge, freezer, and cupboards all need to be empty and clean. It won't kill us, right?

6. Expect things to get broken.  Every time we move, something gets broken.  Last time I broke two things while unpacking that I shed a few tears over... and already this time I had a potted pepper plant tip over in my minivan, make a bit of a mess, and kill the plant.  It's gonna happen, so I need to just do my best, take a breath, and move on.  (This is my personal pep talk today.)

7.  Life will continue to happen even though you are moving. Jake got his first tick bite today.  There is a girl's night out tomorrow night and I have book club on Thursday.  Over the weekend Charlotte spiked a fever.  It has been difficult to keep on top of all that needs to be accomplished, and frankly, we're not going to. Obviously, the tick bite and fever were urgent and important- so they were dealt with immediately. Girl's night out, on the other hand... well I'd love to go, but we'll see how I am doing when the time comes.

8. Pregnancy changes nothing- and everything. I don't know anything about anybody else, but I like to think that I can do whatever I decide to do.  And I can.  BUT... when I am pregnant I get really tired around 2 pm, I need to put my swollen feet up at some point, I can't lift as much or take as many trips up and down the stairs, I need to drink more water, and I drop things more. (I'm clumsy to start with.) So I just try to balance my "mind over matter" with my "knowing my limits" and get it done. Also, it is super easy to fulfill those nesting urges.

So, those are my thoughts, for what it is worth.  :)  No matter what happens, in the end we will be in our new home, our baby will be born in a few months, and all will be well.  Until next year?

all about my dad: a pop quiz

I thought it would be fun for Father's Day to give the big kids a little quiz about their dad.  I asked them individually so they would not hear each others' answers.

Charlotte:

My dad is __24__ years old.
My dad weighs __200__ lbs.
At his job, my dad does: make money
Dad's favorite color is: orange
My dad likes to: throw pillows at me
My dad likes to say: sweetie-pie
My dad is great at: cuddling with me
If my dad won a million dollars, he would: take us to Monkey Joe's 100 times
I know my dad loves me because: He loves me!  He just does.


Toby:

My dad is __19__ years old.
My dad weighs __24__ lbs.
At his job, my dad does: get money
Dad's favorite color is: purple
My dad likes to: play UNO with me
My dad likes to say: what the?
My dad is great at: throwing pillows at me
If my dad won a million dollars, he would: buy footballs or something with it
I know my dad loves me because: he is so cool

Tybee Island & Savannah

Over Memorial Day weekend we made a short trip to Tybee Island, GA.  We hadn't been there before, and I didn't do too much research beforehand, so there were some surprises along the way- some pleasant, some less so.  Surprise #1: be prepared to pay. There is NO free parking on Tybee.  Day 1 we actually paid someone $20 to park on their lawn for 4 hours. Day 2 we arrived much earlier and got a spot at a more reasonable meter rate.

The walk to the beach wasn't bad though.  Just a couple of blocks. Surprise #2: pack your lunch. There is nowhere near the beach to get food or drink.  Thankfully, I had packed us a cooler of lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day we arrived and on our second beach day we picked up subs at IGA in the morning.  Jakey LOVED the beach.  He loved the "dirt" as he called the sand.  And especially the fact that he could dig in it for hours and no one minded (unlike when he digs up my garden plants at home.)

Toby was pretty happy about being buried in the sand.

Jakey would go, go, go until he could go no more.  Then he would come to me and say "night, night" and I'd wrap him in his Superman towel and he'd sleep for about 30 minutes before getting up and continuing on his way.  I am so glad our kids are such easy travelers- I know not all 21 month olds would be so reasonable.

Can you see that purple speck in the middle of the photo?

Yup, that is Charlotte.  She was not interested in being buried in the sand.  Or the sand at all for that matter.  She is our water baby 100%.  I had to drag her out to eat, drink, and reapply sunscreen.  She socialized, splashed, and swam until she was barely able to walk back to the car.  The tidal pool in the foreground was the perfect spot for Jake to splash and play without being pounded by a wave, and all three of the kids spent time lounging there with other little ones.

On day 2, Toby got his revenge.

(With a little help from his mom.)

All things considered, Tybee Island is not going to be a beach spot that we are in a hurry to return to.  Edisto was much more simple to get to for a short trip, and Outer Banks, NC is still our all time favorite (US) beach vacation place.

Surprise #3: Savannah.  I like it.

I am not a city dweller by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to pick a city to live in, I think Savannah would be way up on my list.  We had some hotel credit saved up, so we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites in Historic Savannah (for free.)  Since I was thinking "beach trip" I didn't plan to spend much time in the city, but each evening after cleaning up and changing clothes we headed out for dinner and a stroll.  And it is really such a beautiful, green, friendly city.  People talked to us everywhere!  People played games and music in the city squares, and jogged with their baby strollers through the park!  The houses and buildings are colorful and historic instead of gray and blah!  It was kinda awesome.

 

Look at these trees!

Surprise #4: if you want to eat at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's) you must plan ahead and make a reservation. Oh well.  I didn't do that.  So I guess we will just have to go back to Savannah again.  :)

school's out for summer!

This week brought the end of soccer season, the end of Kindergarten, and the beginning of a crazy busy Summer.

Charlotte's Kindergarten graduation was very cute. I was so proud of myself for not crying... until the last song of the slideshow her teacher prepared!  It was set to the song "Let Them be Little." If you have never heard it, you should listen to it and you'll agree- that's just not playing fair. EVERY parent in the room was practically sobbing.

We celebrated the first day of summer vacation by heading to the library to sign up for summer reading and then playing at the park and splash pad.  Bears love the water!

Big kids love the water too! 

We are looking forward to a lot of fun and a lot of work (with moving) this summer too!  Here is Charlotte to sing you a little song about what she learned this year in school.  ;)

Art space

I love seeing different ways that children express their creativity and individuality and personality! But man, music and dance lessons can be pricey. When I was a kid, I loved to draw and paint, and now as a parent I love to let my kids draw and paint because it is so incredibly cheap! We have art supplies on our kitchen table nearly every day, and the kiddos create so much artwork that I cannot possibly keep or display it all. I do have portfolios of my favorites for each of them, but the majority of our masterpieces end up in the bin just out of necessity.

 I thought I'd photograph and share today's artwork just for fun.

Battling robots by Toby, age 4. 

 Toby cut all of the individual pieces before assembling his battle-bots and decorating them.  The bits of paper above are their weapons flying through the air.  The blue button is to fight, the red to stop, and the yellow to fly.  Toby is my 3-D man. He prefers to work in multimedia and excels at construction problem solving.

Facial expressions practice by Charlotte, age 6. 

 Charlotte has been experimenting with how to show emotion in her drawings and sat down today to practice.  She had a very clear goal in mind with each face and did her best to convey her ideas.  She is so incredibly observant. I was blown away honestly.

Experimentation with lines, color, scissors, and glue by Jakey, age 21 mo.

Jake has only just barely jumped on to the arts & crafts bandwagon, but he has done so with GUSTO!  He has added "marker, paper, and glue"  to his vocabulary just this week.  He is particularly fond of the glue stick.  (I think he may have used it as chapstick today as well.)  Also, he did not draw the arrows- Charlotte added those to the ends of his lines before I could stop her.  He seems so grown up to me sitting at the table with a crayon in his hand. 

half way baby

If you've been on Facebook this afternoon, then you've probably already heard, but Anderson baby #4 is a

GIRL!!!!

I'm not gonna lie.  I am pretty surprised.  If you've followed us for long, you know that I had very high expectations of having a girl and 3 boys.  Charlotte threw a wrench into that though when she began fervently praying EVERY DAY for a baby sister about a year ago. 

 Rob and I discussed whether or not that could actually effect the grand plan (I realize I am not fully omniscient, and therefore this was likely the plan all along, but hear me out) and I was left really wondering because I truly, absolutely, without a doubt believe that our Father in Heaven hears our prayers.  Well, now Charlotte believes that too.  Which I think is a wonderful thing.  So, like I said, maybe this was the plan all along.  :)

As for all the stats, our baby GIRL has all of her important parts, weighs about 11 ounces (per the ultrasound,) and is the size of a banana, butternut squash, or carrot depending on what baby book/blog you prefer.  She is plenty active, and wouldn't allow us a decent look at her face on the ultrasound as she kept her arms crossed over her face.  (Stubborn little girl- you'll fit right in!)

I am (sadly) gaining a mountain of weight (for the fourth time,) and still waking up vomiting about once a week.  Other than that I feel great! Amazing how when coming from a place of first trimester exhaustion, and every day morning sickness, the way I feel now is just peachy.  I will suck up my pride and permit a picture of my growing belly soon- but not today.  I have always struggled with my weight, and gaining a lot of weight is probably the most challenging part of pregnancy for me.  Even though I know it is normal for my body, and that I will lose the weight after the baby is born, I still hate to see it.

So now we are 20 week along!  Half way down, and half way to go!  I guess it's high time we start discussing baby names!

March and April catch-up post

 

This week I took my last turn teaching Toby's preschool co-op.  This photo is from our field trip to the fire station back when it was still cold out (you know, that's like 55 degrees in GA.) It has been such a fun experience for him!  He just loves his school, and I am thankful to all the mom-teachers who made it work so beautifully.

 

Climbing the eucalyptus tree in our yard has become a regular activity for the bigger monkeys in the house.

Like Toby, Jake loves to do anything he can to help dad with the yardwork.  He is such a cute little toddler these days!  I love how his cheeks just look like they are full of pudding- they even bounce when he runs!

 

In early April we celebrated my sweet Rob's birthday.  I baked him a cake and got him the FINAL book in the Wheel of Time series for his birthday and his sister Allyson came over from Atlanta with her kiddos for a few days during Spring break that same week.  (Jake was not cooperating for any photos. And also, 'booyah' is not a valid play in Scrabble.) 

 

The fruit bowl bandit.

One day I went to switch the laundry, when I came back Jakey had climbed up on top of the kitchen counter and was halfway through his SECOND banana, while simultaneously eating a whole pear in the other hand.  I also found later that he had taken a giant bite out of the end of an avocado, peel and all.  He is a bottomless pit!  And I don't think there is anything he loves more than fresh fruit. I guess that's a good thing, right?

 



Spring Soccer 2013

 

We're about halfway through our soccer season here.  It is Toby's third season playing, and he is really getting to be a good little ball handler. He has -maybe too good- of an understanding of defensive play in a league age group where swarming the ball is the only play in the book.  And he has been very happy at practices and games... after the first practice where he cried A LOT.  I asked him why all the tears the next day, and he said, "I just want to get a trophy like last year."  Turns out he was putting massive pressure on himself to not make any mistakes so that he would get a trophy.  Once I explained that EVERYONE gets a trophy at the end of the season, no matter what, he was able to relax and enjoy the game again.

Charlotte didn't play Fall soccer last year because "you just have to RUN, and I'm tired of it!"  However, sitting on the sideline and watching Toby play all season had her second guessing her choice and wanting to try again this Spring.  Rob and I hesitated, and reminded her that she would have to follow through on her commitment, but ultimately decided to let her give it another try.  What a difference a year makes!  Charlotte is actually playing soccer this year and has a new dream of being a "soccer star."  While that may be a stretch, we are happy to see her participating appropriately.  (ie. not ballet dancing and pouting on the field.)

 



 

Coincidentally, both Charlotte and Toby's teams are called the Dragons this year.  (They are in different age groups.)  As someone who never played team sports, I'm glad they have these opportunities to play on a team, and learn important things like good sportsmanship, doing your best, supporting your team/sibling, and of course being active and healthy.  I love to watch them face and conquer their individual challenges.  I'm a proud Dragon mama!  

Easter 2013

I have been trying to update the blog for weeks, and each time either blogger or my computer has fought with me! Hopefully now things will run smoothly for awhile and I can post these photos. :)

 

This Easter I made my mom's Bunny cake. She made a cake shaped like a bunny on many an Easter when I was growing up and we loved decorating it with various candies. This was my first year doing it with my kids and they loved it too. To honor Rob's mom as well in this tradition, I used her carrot cake and cream cheese frosting recipes.  Toby kept asking why I was calling it "carrot" cake.  He had NO IDEA there were three cups of shredded carrots in there.  lol

 

We also dyed a few Easter eggs.  I had grand plans of doing natural food dyes until I realized the eggs would have to sit in them foor 3-4 hours and that would be very anti-climactic for the little ones.  So we went the traditional Paas route.

 

Writing your name on your eggs is VERY serious business.

 

Easter morning we enjoyed our baskets and hunted around the house for hidden eggs.  Cadbury creme eggs are absolutely the coveted treat around here.  (By everyone except Rob- he's a Reese's peanut butter egg kind of man.)

 

Then I made scrambled eggs and toast before we got ready and headed to church.  When I put Jakey in his highchair I had no idea that he had two tiny fistfuls of jelly beans and M&Ms from his basket which he promptly used to garnish his scrambled eggs.  Yum!

 

We are so thankful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.  It is so comforting to me to know that no matter how I may fall short today, I can wake up tomorrow and try again to be a better person.  Wishing you all a belated Happy Easter!

my little pony

Yesterday, Charlotte made her stage debut as a pony in the ballet 'Roar of Love.' It is based on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and is performed each spring by the Columbia County Ballet Company- where Charlotte has been taking ballet for 2 years now. (That was a run on sentence, y'all.)

 

So, the ponies come out with Father Christmas to deliver gifts to the four Pevensie children to help them in their battle against the White Witch.  The ballerina in red is a robin who came on stage as sort of a story-telling narrator... or something. Charlotte is third from the right in the front row, wearing hot pink pants.  Truly, a better camera might be on my Christmas list this year.

Aside from standing in these lines, the ponies prance around (wearing jingle bells on their ankles,) do a turn or two, kneel and rise, and sashay about the stage.  It's not a very complicated part, but Charlotte was delighted, and she did a great job 'ponying up.'

Here she is backstage in all her pony glory.  Wearing make-up, ribbons, and glittery bits made her massively happy.

Charlotte is in LOVE with the ballet.

With Daddy and Toby after the big show.  

We left Jake with a friend, which was a very wise decision, he would have gone bonkers.  I asked Toby if he liked the ballet and he said, "Ummm, not really."  Turns out this was Rob's first time sitting through a ballet too and he pretty much agreed with Toby.  Looks like it's me and my girlie girl who will continue to attend these performances together.  Which is fantastic, because we love the mommy-daughter time. 

Congratulations on your first curtain call baby girl!

baby on board

Just a note to announce, on the blog, that we are expecting baby #4 in September.  :)

I am about 14 weeks along now and this has been a really rough first trimester.  I feel like I am starting to come out of the fog a bit, and hopefully I'll begin to pick up some of the activities that have fallen by the wayside.  (Like this blogging thing.)

So far I can report that this baby really, really likes bread. (I think I mainly lived off of bread for about a month.)  And despite the horrific all-day-sickness, I've also had massive cravings for buffalo wings and things like Zaxby's kickin' chicken sandwich.  Oh soooo good.  I can' think about it too much, or I'll be stopping to get that for lunch tomorrow.

Hopefully in April or May we'll be able to find out if we are having a boy or a girl.  Charlotte has her heart set on a baby sister, so we have a lot of talks right now about the fact that you don't get to pick- "you get what you get."

That's about all the baby stuff that comes to mind right now.  We are truly very happy to be adding to our family.  I think the only one who doesn't know what's about to hit him is poor Jakey.  He is quite happy in his position as baby of the family.  ;)

Biltmore

A few weeks ago, a lovely friend of ours gave us two free passes to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.We had never been there, so we decided to take a day trip the Saturday after Valentine's Day.  It ended up being a bitterly cold day! And the place was busy!  I was glad I had called ahead to make a tour reservation.

This is the view as you approach the house. George Vanderbilt built the house in the late 1800s as a mountain retreat from his hectic life in New York.  (Must be nice, eh?) It is the largest privately owned home in America with 250 rooms on about 8,000 acres. No photos allowed inside, of course.The interior tour took 2 hours and was really comparable to some of the castles we have visited in Europe- our kids did amazingly well and loved working their own audio guide controllers.

We had a lot of fun conversations about the house on our way home, and it was hard to choose a favorite room. Charlotte and I both loved seeing the kitchen, various pantries, pastry room, laundry, etc.  I guess just because they hit so close to what my daily life involves that it is difficult to imagine doing all of it without "modern" conveniences. Rob and I talked a lot about one room in the house that was set apart as a labor and delivery suite.  It had the most beautiful views and balconies... I would be quite happy in a room like that at the local hospital!  Toby liked the bowling alley and indoor pool (with underwater lighting! In the 1800s!)  But finally enough was enough and we headed out into the cold to explore the grounds.

I just love these kids.  Oh, and that handsome fella in the background, too.  :)

This is just outside the conservatory where we got to see beautiful exotic flowers blooming in February.

The gardens themselves are obviously not much to look at this time of year.  But I thought the gardener's cottage looked far more homey than the estate itself.  So, if we were transported back to Asheville in 1899, I would be campaigning for Rob to work as gardener there... and we could be like Anna and Bates (wee bit too much Downton Abbey in my system) and live in domestic bliss on the estate.  Except without all the drama and false imprisonment and such. And British accents. But otherwise, just like that.  :)