He's Finally Home!!!

Wednesday we picked Rawlin up from the airport! We waited for him in the terminal for what seemed like a hour! I could just picture Rawlin waiting at the back of the plane to be the last one off just to bug me. ;) This wasn't the case however. In fact Rawlin told me that they were sitting in coach, when three business men in first class stood up to give their seat to Rawlin and a few of his guys that were with him. With all the negative things that are said in the media, it was so good to hear Rawlin's stories about people who would cheer for them as they walked through the airport, of a pilot that announced he was proud to be flying soldiers home to their families, and for people who would lovingly thank Rawlin and the others for their service. I guess patriotism isn't dead after all. While we were waiting at the baggage claim, a WWII war vet and his wife came up to us and asked me if it was nice to have Rawlin home. I said yes with a sigh of relief and looked at his wife as said that I was sure they knew all about it! He then shook Rawlin's hand and thanked him for what he's done. The tears that were readily flowing all day had to be choked back when I heard a man who fought with the Navy in WWII, a man who I see as one of my heroes, thank my husband. We thanked him for the sacrifice that he had made, and he and his wife walked away. I am so grateful for the men and women, both in the past and in the present, who have left their families to serve their country to preserve the freedom of ourselves and others. I am so proud of my husband for the courage he had to carry out the mission they were called to do, while upholding the honor of a worthy priesthood holder. We are so thankful our daddy was able to return home safe. It's not all that bad having a spouse again either. A final thank you to all of those who have shown their support for our family during this time in our lives. We couldn't have done it without you! We love you!

"Babe, did I say......."

Rawlin has never been one for surprises, but lately he's outdoing himself! Instead of Rawlin being back in Utah on the 29th, he will now be here on the 23rd! For those of you who haven't looked at a calendar, THATS TOMORROW!!! I am so excited, but I went into panic mode trying to get the house clean, arrange for flags to be put up, find yellow ribbon (which for those of you who don't know, is a pain in the butt!), make a sign, and many more things I know I won't have time for. It still doesn't feel real. I'm sure it will be when I no longer can stretch out in my bed diagonally!!! Here are some pictures of the kids putting hand prints on Rawlin's sign! We are so excited!

What a Surprise!!

Yesterday I got the surprise of my life!! Rawlin called me and surprised me by saying that he had just landed in Texas!!! He is FINALLY back on US soil!! He was one out of 13 guys that got to come back early to attend a military school at Camp Williams for two weeks!!! He will be in Utah on April 29!! After he is finished with the school they will need to go back to Texas and "detox" with the rest of the unit, and then can officially come home before Memorial Day!!! I was prepared to get through another six weeks, and now I only have to get through one!! While he is attending the school we will be able to see him on the weekends. Words cannot express how grateful I am to all of those who have helped us get through this!! It's been a long year. We couldn't have done it without the prayers and support of our family and friends!! Thank you so much. We love you all!

The Day We Were Sealed!

Today is the Anderson family's 7 year anniversary of being sealed together as an eternal family. What a sacred experience! I think when have your children sealed to you for eternity and one is physically present, it made the sealing promises more real to me. While Rawlin and I were being sealed, they had 6 month old Kaden waiting in the Celestial Room. We were sealed in the Needle Point room in the Manti Temple. For those of you who don't know, the sealing room is just off the side of the Celestial Room. I was worried that Kaden was going to cry because he was going through the "stranger stage", but the exact opposite happened. From inside the sealing room, you could hear him talking and giggling. No doubt joking around with his brothers and (hopefully) sisters who weren't able to be physically present. When he was allowed to come into the sealing room, they sat him on the altar and put his right hand on ours. Kaden kept his hand on top of ours without anyone having to hold it there. I will never forget the way he was looking at daddy with his funny new "hat"!! It was fascinating watching Kaden looking up and all around the room. There was definitely a lot of very special people there physically and spiritually. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing! I love you my boys!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Top 10 Things We LOVE about Pam!!

1. She gets mad when you sing a song and the next thing she knows she is singing it it all day! She HATES it, we love to torture her with it! "Ham it Up! You gotta Ham it UP!!"

2. She is the favorite parent to my kids!! Every time Chase wants a treat and I've told him no, he goes running to Pam because he knows she will give it to him! She was a push over for those big brown eyes!

3. She did the dishes A LOT!! As many of you might know, I HATE doing the dishes. When Rawlin was home it was our deal that I made dinner, and he did the dishes. Pam, with the exception of a few times I was motivated, took over that duty!! I can't count on one hand how many times Pam told us she would stop doing them if we didn't rinse off our dishes. She always did them anyway!

4. She taught me that getting ready is overrated!!

5. "Yuck Yuck Yuck Yuck!!" and other shenanigans!! I know that doesn't make a lot of sense to anyone else but Pam, but when the kids had gone to bed and we were trying to unwind from the day she would make me laugh so hard. That's the closest I have ever come to peeing my pants while laughing!

6. She would finish my sentences. This may not seem like a big deal, but there were more times than I would like to count where we said the same thing at the same time! We never got use to that. I guess quirky minds think alike!

7. She hates to discipline Chase. She would get after him 90 times a day for jumping on her dog Maxwell, but she would never put him in "Uh Oh time." She hates to be the bad guy!

8. She's bi-polar!!

9. She loves to read as much as I do. Recently we got a stack of books from a neighbor who introduced us to the "Twilight" series. Since we value her opinion of books, we dove in right away. After an hour or so I went into Pam's room and asked her what her book was about. "Terrorism," she said in a bored tone, "you?" "Cancer," I said. Talk about uplifting!! Needless to say, we'll take book recommendations from someone else from now on!

10. In the end she actually said, OUT LOUD, that she "didn't mind" it down in Manti!! I finally know why Rawlin was so giddy when he heard me say those exact words!!

If I were to write down EVERYTHING we love about Pam I would never finish this blog. Between laughing and crying so hard thinking about this past year, I am having problems seeing the screen. Not to mention Pam's lovable qualities are endless! ;) I know that's a little dramatic, but she is honestly the most selfless person I know. Between the hospital stays and all the screaming I don't think I would have come out of this experience sane if it weren't for her. Pam, words will never be able to express how much I love you, and appreciate your sacrifice for me and my family. You are my "partner" and my best friend. I love you so much. Thank you