I Can't Believe It!!!!

This is such a lame reason to update my blog, but I'm SO excited, I just had to share with someone!

Right before my birthday last year I "accidentally" bought a Cricut machine on ebay.  Have you ever done that?  Put in a price knowing there is NO WAY you'll get it for that cheap, and then won?  Well, I won.  I didn't have much time to play with it because we ended up moving a month later.  The poor machine has just been sitting in it's box.  I wasn't too thrilled with it at first, but as I've come to understand it a little better, it's starting to grow on me.

A few months ago I saw a really great deal on transferable vinyl.  This is the stuff you can iron on clothes.  I bought it thinking I could have some fun with it.  Well, it was put aside with the Cricut box to deal with at another time.  I FINALLY pulled it out last night to create some one-of-a-kind shirts for the girls for Valentine's Day.  After hours of hair pulling last night (and maybe a few tears) I was ready to give up.  I'd been practicing on cardstock paper and it just wasn't working out.  I said a prayer last night and again this morning, BEGGING that it would work.  I know, lame for asking for such a blessing, but thankfully my Heavenly Father knows me and knows how much this type of stuff stresses me out.  Gratefully his answer to my prayers was a YES.

What a silly story, I need to just show you the pictures.  Sorry for the blah, blah, blah.  Without further delay, here are the pictures:

I'm so HAPPY!!!!!  I absolutely LOVE the shirts!  We have an Anderson Family Reunion coming up in August.  I was wanting to make shirts for all the kids, but was a little afraid of how it would work.  After making these, I feel a LOT more confident making more.  Yipee!!!!!

Eight Is Great!

Miriam turned eight this year.  Her birthday was a mixture of emotions for me.  I was super excited to have her get baptized, but I was also dealing with the trauma that I had a child old enough to be baptized.  Crazy!  My thoughts also caused me stress because I was thinking things like, "Is she ready to be responsible for her actions?  Have I taught her everything she needs to know before she makes such sacred covenants with her Heavenly Father?"  Being a parent is such a huge responsibility, but sometimes it's easy to forget that during the regular mundane days.  Having Miriam turn eight made me realize how quickly our lives pass without us even realizing it.  It gave me a renewed desire to make every day count and to take every opportunity to teach my girls the gospel.

We chose to take Miriam to Idaho to be baptized because we wanted to be surrounded by family.  It would be easier for the four of us to travel to the majority of family rather than have them come to us.  Miriam is the oldest grandchild on both sides of the family so her baptism was a pretty big deal.  Miriam was baptized on the 4th of July.  Since my dad's the bishop of his ward, he had permission to choose the date and time.  We felt so lucky to be able to create our own program and do things our own way.  While we were making the trip home to Yakima, Doug said, "Miriam's baptism was perfect, just perfect."  That made everything worth it.  It took a lot more work preparing for the baptism than I realized and to have Doug recognize the effort and to say it went well helped make everything worth it. 

My brother Daniel brought his beautiful girlfriend for a visit while we were there.  I'm excited to say that Daniel and Mallory became engaged during their visit, but that's another story.  While we were there, Mallory took some ADORABLE pictures of Miriam at the Rexburg temple and at the BYU-Idaho gardens.  It was really windy at the temple that day so those pictures didn't turn out so well, but there were some really cute ones at the gardens.  I was able to use those pictures to create invitations for Miriam's baptism.

  

My awesome mother-in-law and sisters-in-law helped me create some fun decorations for the Relief Society room where Miriam would be baptized.  My mom and dad were awesome at helping me set up for the occasion and to make all the food for the refreshments afterwards.  The baptism was pretty low-key but it took a lot of work because it was just Miriam getting baptized.  There were so many people that helped prepare for the day and then helped by participating in the program.

   

My sister-in-law Katy did me a huge favor by doing Miriam's hair.  It held up so great when Miriam went under water.  It looked so cute!

Miriam wanted to have her nails done with a french tip so I spent forever attempting to make them look good.  They didn't look perfect, but she was happy with them.

My mom bought Miriam this adorable towel to use and then keep as a keepsake.

I LOVE this picture of Doug and Miriam!

Look at how much family we had!

My sister-in-law made these adorable cupcakes as a surprise.  I wish we would have gotten a closer picture of them.  They were so cute!

This is my aunt.  She is recovering nicely after having a brain tumor removed from the base of her skull.  It was very scary during February not knowing what would be the outcome, but she's doing so much better now.  The story behind finding the brain tumor is amazing, but I won't share it right now.

After the baptism we had refreshments in my parents' backyard.  It was a fun way to end the 4th of July.

This is my grandma who is 93.  She used to be my back up babysitter when Miriam was a toddler.  She would also babysit both girls for me last year when I was living at home.  She's amazing!

Idaho Trip

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but it's been a long time since I've had anything to report.  Now I almost have too much to write about.

Doug had some classes he wanted to take in Salt Lake City so we decided to all go.  The plan was that the girls and I would stay in Idaho while Doug came back to work.  After a few weeks he'd come back and help us drive home.  About two weeks before we left Doug informed me that his boss had given him a few extra days off for travel.  Instead of leaving on Wednesday, June 15, we left on Sunday, June 12.  It was nice having a few extra days, but a little stressful getting everything ready.  Miriam ended up missing the last four days of school instead of the last two.

We arrived in Idaho after driving all day on Sunday (12th).  We hung out with family until Thursday (16th) when we drove to Salt Lake for Doug's conference.  My brother and his wife let us stay with them at their new house in Murray.  It was fun meeting our newest Anderson niece/cousin (she's almost one now).  On Saturday (18th), my cousin Tifani came and picked the girls and I up and took us to the park.  Our kids played and played some more while Tifani and I visited.  It was great to catch up and to see someone who has been dear to my heart since birth.

Doug finished his classes and then came and picked us up and we headed back to Idaho.  Doug stayed with his parents Saturday night and they took him to the airport on Sunday.  It was sad not to be with him for Father's Day, but it was fun celebrating with my family.

Our days in Idaho were full of swimming lessons for the girls, book shopping for me, planning and preparing for Miriam's baptism, meeting my soon to be sister-in-law, and LOTS of family time.  Unfortunately it also meant lots and lots of sickness.  Miriam got sick with a nasty cough and then decided to share it with me and a few others.  I took Miriam to the doctor (I LOVE our Rexburg doctor) and was able to set my brother up with a medical rotation while I was there.  Miriam got better pretty quickly, but I'm still dealing with it.  I ended up going to Community Care, but they just said to push the liquids and get some over-the-counter medication.  I haven't received the bills from the medical visits yet, but I'm sure they won't be cheap, especially since we're not even close to reaching our deductible.  Oh well, at least it happened there where Miriam was an established patient and I had an option other than the ER.

Playing at the Park in Salt Lake

Swimming Lessons

 
 
 
 
 

If you notice in one of the pictures, Miriam looks absolutely terrified.  She was.  I mentioned earlier that she was sick and I took her to the doctor.  Well, that all happened on the first day of swimming lessons.  Miriam made it for three lessons, but then I kept her out of the pool one day because she was sick.  My mother-in-law took the girls the next day and that's when Miriam did the diving.  That was the beginning of the end.  Miriam suffers from anxiety and when something scares her she tends to make herself sick.  I forced her one day to get in and ended up pulling her out of the water seconds before she threw up.  It was VERY embarrassing!  It was a difficult decision, but I decided the money I spent didn't matter, and that this is one area of life I wouldn't push her.  Miriam and I had a nice discussion on how there are some things in life that we HAVE to do, even if we're scared so much it makes us sick.  I feel that way with driving---a LOT (remember Philadelphia?).  I told her there will be times when it won't be necessary to do something that scares us, but there will be times where we have to do it NO MATTER WHAT.  I used the example of how Doug didn't make me drive in Philadelphia, but there were times after his knee surgery that I had to do it on my own.  It was scary, and I was sick and thought I'd die, but I somehow made it through.

This was all so weird because she'd go to the pool where we used to live and practice her swimming with my brothers.  She begged to go every night and Kirill and Kai would take both girls over and practice with them. It was very strange.  She had nice swimming instructors so I don't think it was because she didn't trust them.  Like I said, it was very strange.

I do have to announce that my daughter who only went to swimming lessons 4 out of 10 days, who couldn't keep from crying almost the entire time she was in the pool, can now swim.  On our way home from Idaho we stayed the night in Boise.  We made sure to have a pool at the hotel and Miriam surprised us all with her swimming ability.  It reminded me of my own swimming lessons.  My cousin (see above picture) and I were the oldest in our swimming class and we were the only two to fail.  Yep, we failed swimming lessons.  A few weeks later we went swimming as a family and I was able to do it on my own.  I guess sometimes we just have to be patient and the things we've learned with kick in.  Either way, I'm very proud of my girls for trying something that scared them.

Happy Easter!

I came across this video on YouTube and wanted to share it with all of you. A group of more than 2,000 people from the Second Baptist Church in Houston, TX, gathered together to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord.




This dance was done in Budapest, Hungary. As I watched these dances, my heart filled to bursting. It was so wonderful to see that there are people out there willing and ready to share their love for the Lord. Sometimes if feels like Satan is the one winning, but seeing there are so many people all over the world fighting the same battle gives me courage. The Lord will return, He will win, we just have to hold on and keep pressing forward.

Getting Spiritually Uplifted While Being Crafty

I have have enjoyed today's General Conference so much. For those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about, General Conference is a chance for the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to listen to our prophet and his counselors. They give us encouragement and direction in how we can come closer to our Heavenly Father. Everyone is welcome to watch or listen to their talks. If you're interested check out lds.org, or ask me how you can learn more.

My mother-in-law sent our family a package of activities to do during Conference. Usually I keep busy doing crafts or other things while I listen or watch General Conference. I figured it was better to fill out the sheets she sent us so it wasn't a waste of ink and paper. The Spirit is always so strong while Conference is on, but I found it was harder to walk away for brief moments while I was trying to take notes. It's a good thing we have DVR, because I ended up rewinding and pausing so I could write quotes, or just personal thoughts down on paper. I felt like this morning's session was geared directly at me.

I've been feeling like something was missing, like I needed something, and I think today has helped me start down the right path to a healthier and happier life. I'm excited, and a little scared about the changes I need to make in order to become the woman and mother I want to be. Today my testimony has been strengthened and I have felt an overwhelming feeling of love and peace. I have no doubts that I am a daughter of God and that I have a divine mission here on earth. The trick is to take that knowledge and move forward, not allowing Satan to sway me on my path. It is sometimes an overwhelming feeling knowing I am responsible for making sure Shaylynn and Miriam are learning these principles so they can return to their Heavenly Father.

Even though I was busy taking notes, I still managed to get some magnets done. I have created a set of birthday magnets for each of my family members. With the birth of my newest nephew, it was time to make a few more. I made it my goal to get Chance's magnets made today so I could take them to Idaho when we go in June. I also made a few other magnets from stickers I purchased at Dollar Tree. The sticker magnets won't hold anything on the fridge, but they sure do look cute.


I'm excited for tomorrow's spiritual feast to begin. Hopefully there won't be too much more I need to do to change, or I'm afraid I might become overwhelmed. I guess it's just one day at a time. If I focus on doing the best I can each day, the Lord will know my heart's desires and help me make up the difference.

Whisperings of the Spirit

Miriam didn't get off the bus today. I was terrified. "Where is she? Is she hiding behind the sign at the end of the road? No, is she one of the kids I can't see very clearly? I can't remember what she was wearing. NO, that isn't her. WHERE IS SHE?!?!?" These are all thoughts I had in the brief moments it took me to get to the other children. Panic started setting in, my hands were shaking, but I managed to ask a boy in her class if she had been on the bus. He said, "Yes, she was on the bus, but she didn't sit by me. I don't know why she didn't get off." My panic started to subside a little, but I was still worried about Miriam. I figured she'd be in panic mode as soon as she realized she missed her stop. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, scrolled through my contact list, and made a call to the school's transportation department. Within a few minutes I knew she was safe and I knew how I was going to bring her home. Relief, PURE relief.

My darling child is now home safe. We've had a nice chat about PAYING ATTENTION when you're riding the bus. Her friend was reading her library book and she was distracted. She didn't even realize she had missed her stop until the bus driver called her name. Thankfully she didn't start crying until they pulled into the bus depo. Everyone was very kind about the situation, but I think it scared Miriam enough, that this won't happen again.

You may be asking, what does this have to do with the title of this post. Well, let me explain. I had three different instances where I felt prompted to do something. It wasn't an earth shattering feeling, just a memory, or a thought, I didn't even think of it being from the Lord. It just felt like I remembered to do something. Looking back, I can see how the Lord directed my actions, and had I not listened, this situation could have been much, much worse.

Whispering #1: Today after I took Miriam to the bus stop, I remembered to put the Transportation Department's phone number in my cell phone. I had been meaning to do this for weeks, ever since the bus didn't show up on time because of a break down at the school. I kept forgetting. I even thought of it last Thursday when at the last minute we found out school was canceled because of the ice. I put it off and it never got done. Today, I didn't put it off, I looked up the number and plugged it in. Because I had the number, I could call as soon as I realized she wasn't with the other kids. I can't imagine the stress I would have been under had I needed to walk home and look up the number BEFORE I could call. I would have been a mess. Instead, I was able to take immediate action and that helped my panic level stay a little lower.

Whispering #2: I almost always walk down and meet Miriam at the bus. Sometimes I am late and she makes it home before I leave the house. Today I was tempted to stay in the house and let her walk home alone. I felt guilty for being lazy so I put on my jacket and headed out the door. Had I not been there to see the kids get off, I would have not known she missed her stop. I don't know any of the children or the parents personally. I would not have known what to do when she didn't come home. I wouldn't know if the bus was late, or if something happened to her as she was walking home. It would have been my worst nightmare coming true. By seeing the children, I knew the bus had come and gone. I was also able to verify that she had been on the bus and just didn't get off.

Whispering #3: Just as I was walking out the door I saw my phone sitting on the table. I knew I was running late, but I felt I should grab it and take it with me. I walked back to the kitchen and grabbed it, feeling silly because I really don't need to have my cell phone with me all the time. Especially if I'm just walking down the street. If I wouldn't have grabbed my phone, it would have been like I said before---more waiting time before I could ACT.

I'm just so grateful that today I listened to those little feelings I had. I'm sure everything would have turned out just fine if I hadn't listened, but the Lord knows me so well. He KNEW that my heart could not handle the stress of not knowing where Miriam was. Yes, I am one of THOSE mothers. My hands have barely stopped shaking and it's been an hour since I picked her up at the transportation department. Besides feeling relieved, I feel so loved. I know the Lord loves me and wants to help me not die an early death from a heart attack brought on by stress. All of this has given me a resolve to listen harder and do things when I first think of them. You just never know when something little will be the missing piece of the puzzle. None of those whisperings today seemed to be a big deal. It wasn't even until I was home with both my girls safely in my arms, that I put it all together. Again, I'm grateful for a Father who knows more than I, and is willing to help me. I need to do a better job at recognizing His help in my life. I'm sure there have been many times that it has been Him guiding me, and I end up thinking I'm a smart person with good luck. Hopefully this post will be a good reminder to you and me to look for those little whisperings throughout our lives, follow them, and then to express our gratitude for them.

**Side note: The other day a girl in our neighborhood was walking VERY slowly home. There was a little red truck driving just as slowly down the road. I felt like I needed to stay at the end of our walkway to make sure she made it to her home safely. FINALLY, the truck passed by and the girl entered her walkway, but it was a long wait. I'm sure the truck driver was wondering why I was standing there eyeballing him, but I just knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her. All of this was very fresh on my mind as I was doing my initial search for Miriam. See why I was so scared?

2010 in Review

Where did the year go? I think I say the same thing every year. It seems like each year passes more quickly than the last. 2010 has brought so many changes to our family. As I sit here thinking about the various memories I am amazed at how many happy times there were. I don't remember the pain of the painful or hard memories. They seem so distant and unimportant. I find this as a tender mercy from the Lord. At the time of trials we try to hang on with all our strength and we pray for continual strength to make it through. Unfortunately we may also lose faith and feel like it will never end. A few days, months, years, or even decades later we can look back without the pain and see how we were strengthened and how the Lord blessed us.

2010 started out with us being together for a brief few days before Doug headed back to Omaha to finish his last two rotations before graduation. Even though it was painful to have him gone, we did so well without him. I know that sounds bad, but it was such a blessing. Yes, there were many tears and many phone calls, but we did it! When I say we, I mean, Doug, Miriam, Shaylynn, me, and the Lord. It was a group effort with the Lord carrying us all.

In May, my wonderful brother-in-law and sister-in-law stayed with Miriam and Shay so I could travel to Doug's graduation. It was my first time flying by myself and I was blessed with a brother who helped me check in and the get to the correct security line in Salt Lake City. He didn't leave until I was in the right place. He may never know how special that made me feel (I did feel a little foolish for needing the help, but I'm glad I didn't have to ask--he just did it because he's fabulous).

Doug's graduation was FANTASTIC and we had so much fun visiting with his classmates and traveling with his family. Doug's parents, his sister Melina, and her husband Shane were able to join us. We had so much fun seeing historical places on our way home. Unfortunately we never did stay in a hotel with a pool (at least one that worked) until we split in Nauvoo and went our different directions. I blame Shane because as soon as we split Doug and I found plenty of working hotel pools.


June brought travels to find a job for Doug. Doug had an interview with Costco in Astoria, OR and also happened to find an opening in Yakima, WA. His phone interview with the Yakima location was done in a laundromat so we figured maybe that job would be a long shot. We asked if we could swing by Yakima on our way to Astoria. Once we arrived in Yakima and met the doctor here, we were hooked. It felt like home. Doug felt like he had the job, but didn't get the official offer until a week or two later. The interview in Astoria did not go as well and we did NOT like the living situation we would have. Doug also did not like the working conditions. We prayed so hard that something would come available closer to home, but when the offer came from Yakima, we grabbed it.

Washington

Oregon

We loaded up and moved out on July 8th. It was a painful move. I knew we would not be moving back at sometime in the near future. I knew it was too far to drive home every month for quick visits. Our families had been my support system for the year Doug was gone. I was used to having them right there when I needed them. How was I going to start all over again making friends?

September was exciting because we found out a new baby would be coming to our family. It had been so long it felt like having my first baby all over again. I was sick, sick, sick, but I was so happy. The week before Halloween I miscarried. It was difficult, but I'm in a happy place now. All four of us are excited for what our future holds as far as family members. For the present we just hold tight to each other and enjoy the special family we have now.

In November we traveled home to be with family for Thanksgiving. Doug was able to take a full week off from work. We had HORRIBLE driving conditions going and coming. From now on, we'll do our traveling during the summer months. We had so much fun seeing family. My brother from Texas was able to come during coordinating days. It was fun to be together. It was nice being so close to Doug's family. We went to Harry Potter, had a game night, and a small party for Shaylynn's birthday. There never seems enough time to see everyone, and it didn't help that the roads were so bad we didn't dare travel very much.

Christmas was very low key, but extra fun. It was nice not having somewhere to go and a time frame to stick to. We played games, took naps, opened gifts, and talked of the Savior and the blessing of His birth.


I can officially say I look back on 2010 as a good year. It was a strengthening year. It wasn't perfect, I wasn't perfect, but that's why the gospel is so important. We can fix the things that aren't perfect and look forward to doing better.

Hopefully 2011 is a FANTASTIC year for all of you. May you be blessed and feel the love of your Heavenly Father as much as we do.

Love,
Doug, Mallena, Miriam, Shaylynn